ã€ŠPlayer who Returned 10,000 years Laterã€‹


 Chapter 1: The Owner of the Hell of Nine Skies Returns to Earth (1)

    The 9th Hell¡­

    It is said that only the strongest demons were gathered there.

    There was a path of fire that never went out, a crooked Earth, and a blood-colored sky.

    Inside, demons battled against each other for all eternity.

    They weren''t fighting to see who was the strongest¡­

    All of the battles over thest ten thousand years had made it clear who that was.

    There was one castle in a destend at the center of the 9th Hell.

    ¡ªThe peak of all evil.

    It was the ce of residence of the demon king who had managed to unify Hell, which was previously divided into 7 factions.

    A giant throne¡­

    A young man with ck hair sat on the throne made of the bones of the seven demon archdukes.

    Although he was sitting there with his eyes closed, a breathtakingly strong demonic energy emanated from him.

    Thousands of demons were trembling because of his demonic energy while kneeling on one knee in front of him.

    One of the demons who was kneeling walked slowly toward him.

    He was a demon over five meters tall and had his skin covered with red fur.

    His muscr body was as sturdy as stone, and on his forehead, he had horns that resembled a goat''s.

    He had sharp, protruding mrs and giant bat wings on his back.

    He, who had the typical appearance of a demon, was kneeling in front of the demon king.

    "My king¡­"

    ¡ªBalrog.

    It was said that, except for the archdukes, no one in the Hell of Nine Skies could win against him. Yet he called out to the young man with a fearful expression on his face.

    Based on looks, the Balrog was a monster, so it was bizarre to see him so afraid of someone who looked like a human being.

    But among the demons who were kneeling, there was no one who couldn''t understand his fear.

    The demon king¡­

    Ten thousand years ago, when he¡¯d fallen into Hell, he was just an insignificant human, but thanks to the ''Authority of Predation,'' he¡¯d begun eating other demons.

    From the 1st to the 9th Hell¡­

    In ten thousand years, the human who grew by eating demons became the owner of Hell.

    Hundreds of thousands of demons were eaten by his Authority. In the end, even the seven archdukes, who couldn''t kill each other because they were too powerful, kneeled in front of him.

    The peak of all evil¡ªthe monster who¡¯d devoured all the demons of the Hell of Nine Skies.

    It was understandable that even the fearless Balrog was afraid of him.

    "Why are you trying to return? Doesn''t my king already have everything in Hell?" Balrog said while trembling in fear.

    The young man slowly opened his eyes.

    The demonic energy surrounding him became more intense.

    "I have everything? Like what?"

    "¡­"

    The young man sitting on the throne angrily distorted his expression.

    "To have it all, there must first be something. Tell me what it is that we have here."

    From his voice, you could sense that he thought the situation was unfair.

    "There''s nothing to eat, and there''s no form of entertainment. I''m not sure what this damn ce has that makes you say I have everything."

    In the Hell of Nine Skies, there wasn''t anything but a destend, a red sky, and mes that never waned.

    After hearing his words, Balrog''s eyes widened.

    "Were you hungry? Then I just recently obtained food worthy of my king. Guys! Bring that out!"

    "Yes!"

    At Balrog''s orders, a group of demons brought out a giant te.

    On the te, there was the head of a demon that was spouting out blood.

    "Recently, we defeated the Focalor¡ªthe one who was leading thergest remaining army of the Archduke. Oh, demon king, although this may beckluster for you, who has already devoured countless demons, please ept this offering from your loyal underling!"

    KangWoo frowned after looking at the grotesque head of the Focalor.

    "I don''t need this dumbass."

    <em>nk-!</em>

    * * *

    He threw the te with the Focalor''s head to the ground.

    With his fists clenched, he stomped his feet hard on the floor.

    <em>Stomp-!</em>

    "I don''t want to eat such a grotesque and tasteless thing! I¡­ I¡­!"

    His fists trembled; a voice filled with desperation came out.

    "Kimchi jjigae¡­ I want to eat Kimchi jjigae."

    "Kimchi jjigae!"

    "The ultimate food that the Emperor of Predation desires!"

    "A food full of blood and meat!"

    "No¡­ That''s not it, you idiots!"

    KangWoo clenched his fists tightly and shouted.

    Although meat was an ingredient of the kimchi jjigae, it probably wasn''t simr to what the demons were imagining.

    Balrog looked at KangWoo with eyes that showed loyalty.

    "Whose head is it made of? Or maybe an organ? I''ll tear apart anyone and offer it to my king."

    "The kimchi jjigae isn''t a food like that¡­"

    KangWoo thought that he was about to go crazy.

    Exining what food was to a demon didn''t make sense from the beginning. After all, for demons, food was nothing more than the Authority you had over the loser if you won a battle. In the Hells, the winner ate the loser.

    "And there''s no entertainment¡­? I see. After killing all seven archdukes, you got bored with ughtering."

    "As expected from the demon king¡­"

    "The Emperor of Blood and ughter!"

    "I was talking about manhwas and novels."

    Balrog, angered with himself, hit the floor. <em>Thump.</em> The floor of the castle was crushed.

    "I can''t satisfy your demands because of my weakness¡­ So please, kill me¡­!!"

    "Please, listen to what I''m saying."

    With a desperate expression on his face, KangWoo returned to the throne.

    "If there was at least a woman¡­"

    "Oh? But if we''re talking about women, you have me, Lilith."

    "Lilith!"

    "The subus queen!"

    "The prettiest woman in hell!"

    One of the demons who was kneeling approached KangWoo.

    "Dear demon king, isn''t Lilith''s heart enough?"

    While making a mysterious voice, she stretched out her tentacles and touched KangWoo''s arms.

    The 18 eyes covering her entire face radiated a mellow atmosphere.

    "¡­"

    Eighteen eyes, tentacles dangling all over her body, and a tongue that resembled a snake¡­

    Looking at the supposedly prettiest woman in Hell gave KangWoo a headache.

    "Why¡­ A subus, just why¡­"

    The subuses lived by absorbing a male''s sexual energy, and they were very far away from the beautiful women from the stories he''d heard.

    From his point of view, Lilith looked more grotesque than Balrog.

    It wasn''t just Lilith, but the rest of the subi also looked like her.

    "I''m going to pay you a visit tonight."

    "No¡­ Don''te."

    "Fufu, don''t be embarrassed. If you act so shy, how can you call yourself the ruler of the Hell of Nine Skies?"

    "Don''te¡­"

    "How cute. Fufu, you don''t need to be so embarrassed. I, Lilith, will forever serve you by your side."

    "Please, leave me alone¡­"

    KangWoo tilted his head and covered it with his hands.

    He wasn''t someone who judged people based on their appearance.

    He thought that outer appearance wasn''t important in terms of love.

    But still¡­

    ''This is too much.''

    This wasn''t a matter of whether she was pretty or ugly.

    Her outer appearance just didn''t fit human aesthetic standards.

    "Earth¡­"

    KangWoo clenched his fist with a desperate expression.

    "I must return to Earth¡­"

    His decision was firm, despite his underlings having tried to convince him.

    No, them trying to convince him only made his decision firmer.

    ''I''ll go back.''

    He had managed to devour Ball, thest archduke, a few days before. And with that, he had managed to be the demon king. Now all the preparations wereplete.

    It was time to obtain the reward for ten thousand years of suffering.

 Chapter 2: The Owner of the Hell of Nine Skies Returns to Earth (2)

    "Prepare everything."

    "Myking¡­"

    After hearing his firm voice, Balrog lowered his head while making a sad expression.

    ''But if this is what the demon king wishes¡­''

    Because he had sworn eternal loyalty to him, he had to follow his wishes.

    "Balrog, are you going to make me say it twice?"

    "I''m sorry¡­"

    Balrog bowed and ordered the soldiers to bring out the items KangWoo was talking about.

    The items he¡¯d asked them to prepare were equipment that had belonged to the seven demon archdukes.

    Each of the items had the strength of the Hell of Nine Skies inside them. It was said that if you managed to gather all seven of them, you could obtain such power that you would even be able to twist the boundaries between dimensions and time.

    After killing Baal a little while ago, he had managed to collect all of the equipment, and it was all lined up neatly in front of him.

    "The preparations areplete."

    "Okay."

    KangWoo slowly stood up from the throne and walked toward the seven pieces of equipment with different shapes and colors.

    The seven items that had the strength of the Hell of Nine Skies were interacting with each other and increasing the demonic power inside each of them.

    ''If I put the demonic power that I absorbed into them¡­''

    It was possible to forcibly open a dimensional rift.

    "Oof."

    A short sigh came out of KangWoo''s mouth.

    He couldn''t believe that he was finally about to return to Earth.

    ''Finally¡­''

    He was going back.

    <em>Whir-!</em>

    A huge amount of demonic energy flowed from his body to the equipment.

    He had devoured hundreds of thousands of demons through the Authority of Predation.

    He had so much demonic energy inside of him that he wouldn''t be exaggerating if he said that the Hell of Nine Skies itself was inside his body.

    Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­

    It was the phrase KangWoo used to describe the giant ball of demonic energy inside his body.

    He thought it was an appropriate name since there weren''t many famous demons that he hadn''t devoured.

    The demonic energy that came from the ''Ten Thousand Demon Core'' started interacting with the seven pieces of equipment.

    A rift was formed in the space, and a gate appeared in front of him.

    ''I can finally return to Earth.''

    Remnants of the memories from Earth came back to his mind.

    Even after ten thousand years, he hadn''t been able to forget about his home.

    It wasn''t like he had a family waiting for him. He didn''t have a partner with whom he had promised to spend the rest of his life.

    But¡­

    ''It''s still going to be better than this ce.''

    ¡ªThe Hells that didn''t have anything to eat or any form of entertainment.

    He was willing to do anything to be able to get away from that ce where there was only blood and ughter.

    ''I also need to regte the time.''

    He had no intentions of returning to an Earth where ten thousand years had passed.

    After ten thousand years, there probably weren''t many of the things he missed from Earth.

    ''Maybe kimchi jjigae has disappeared.''

    He didn''t even want to think about an Earth without kimchi jjigae.

    He wanted to return to the past, the Earth from before he arrived in the Hells.

    Thankfully, he could also regte the time by using the weapons of the seven archdukes.

    "Then I''ll be going."

    "Myking¡­"

    After hearing his determined words, Balrog lowered his head while making a sad expression.

    Tears dripped from all 18 of Lilith¡¯s eyes while she opened her long mouth.

    "Sniff, are you really going to abandon me?"

    "Don''t cry."

    ''It looks scary.''

    The sight of Lilith crying looked like a scene that would probably appear in a horror movie.

    It seemed like she¡¯d misunderstood his words. She shouted while her tentacles were trembling.

    "Oh! Your kind words moved Lilith! I feel like your kind words will make my heart explode!"

    After saying that, one of the tentacles in Lilith''s chest exploded, and yellow pus came out of it.

    ''Oh, my God.''

    "My king! My love!"

    ''Don''t get close to me.''

    "Ah, Lilith wants to follow his majesty!"

    ''Stay away.''

    After watching Lilith get close to him while being covered in yellow pus, he threw himself into the dimensional rift.

    "Myking! Lilith will follow you there, no matter what happens!"

    While hearing the chilling shouting from behind, a weird sensation covered KangWoo''s body.

    ''Let''s not meet each other again.''

    While raising his middle finger toward Lilith, no, the Hells that had made him suffer for ten thousand years, KangWoo tried to regte the time inside the dimensional rift.

    ''It isn''t easy.''

    Controlling an absolute entity such as time was a difficult task, even for him.

    KangWoo was trying to adjust the time settings to be as simr to the period when he fell into the Hells as possible.

    ''I''m okay with a difference of around 10 or 20 years.''

    Because he was born an orphan, there wasn''t a past he wanted to change or a future he wanted to go to.

    He was okay as long as some of the Earth he remembered was still there.

    * * *

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    "Ugh¡­!"

    As he finished setting up the time, a strong force sucked him in.

    KangWoo closed his eyes as he was pulled by a force he couldn''t resist.

    - A crack in the nucleus has been detected.

    - Activating the Dimensional Defense Mechanism ''Gaia System.''

    - Fail. Fail.

    - The strength that the crack in the nucleus has is too strong.

    - All interdimensional defense mechanisms are focused on the crack in the nucleus. The Gaia system enters an overloaded state.

    - Fail. Fail.

    - The crack in the nucleus is too strong. It''s impossible to eliminate. Trying to seal it.

    - It''s impossible to eliminate. Starting seal process.

    - Fail. Fail.

    - The crack in the nucleus is too strong. It''s impossible to sealpletely.

    - Applying a limiting seal on the intruder.

    ''What is it saying?''

    KangWoo frowned while hearing a voice in his ears.

    But his thoughts didn''tst long.

    ''Ah¡­''

    He lost consciousness while he felt that the world was being distorted.

    * * *

    "Ugh¡­!"

    He felt an intense pain weighing on his body.

    He was struggling to even move a finger.

    Aftering back to his senses, KangWoo opened his eyes while groaning.

    ''Where am I?''

    The first thing he saw was a dense forest.

    The light shining through the thick bushes tickled KangWoo¡¯s cheecks.

    "Oof¡­"

    KangWoo stood up while taking a deep breath. The pain that was spreading through his body made him feel dizzy.

    ''First I need to check my status.''

    He needed to know what had happened to his body.

    <em>Ting-!</em>

    [Opening the Status Window.]

    "Eh?"

    As he thought he should check out his current status, a blue window opened in front of his eyes.

    KangWoo frowned after something unexpected happened. He looked at the blue status window in front of him.

    [Status Window]

    yer: Oh KangWoo

    Level: 1 [1st Awakening]

    1st Awakening Attribute: Authority of Predation (Rank: ???) * Most of the characteristics of the Authority are sealed.

    Strength: 8

    Agility: 9

    Vitality: 7

    Magic Power: 0

    Demonic Energy (Unique Stat): 12

    Intelligence: 8

    Wisdom: 7

    "What''s this¡­?"

    It was a status window that reminded him of the games he used to y a long time ago before falling into the Hells.

    KangWoo frowned at the phenomenon he couldn''t get a grasp on.

    ''Most of the strength of Predation has been sealed?''

    Authority of Predation¡­

    It was the only strength he had when he¡¯d fallen into the Hells, and it was also the power that made him the ruler of the Hell of Nine Skies.

    His ''Ten Thousand Demon Core,'' which you could say was the entirety of his strength, was sleeping inside the Authority.

    The moment he read that the strength he had umted for ten thousand years had been sealed, he started to feel anxious.

    "Oof."

    KangWoo took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

    Being anxious because something unexpected happened would make things worse.

    ''Calm down.''

    The most important thing was checking out his current status.

    KangWoo tried to bring out the strength of his ''Ten Thousand Demon Core,'' which had the demonic energy of hundreds of thousands of demons.

    ''It isn''t moving.''

    More precisely, he could only move a tiny bit of his demonic energy at his own will.

    ¡ªAn amount of demonic energy that was almost nothingpared to the limitless amount of demonic energy he had in the ''Ten Thousand Demon Core.''

    "I''m probably going to have trouble using my Authority," KangWoo said while frowning.

    Among demons, a few others had a special Authority simr to his ''Predation.''

    Among the hundred thousand demons he had devoured, only 666 had a special Authority.

    Except for the ones the seven archdukes used to have, he could use the rest.

    Each Authority had a different demonic energy requirement, but to be able to use an Authority, you needed quite a lot of demonic energy.

    With the amount of demonic energy he currently had ess to, there were more Authorities he couldn''t use than ones he could.

    ''With my current demonic energy, I''ll probably even struggle with the Authority of the de.''

    The demon Sabnak used to have the ''Authority of the de.''

    It was an Authority that allowed you to pull out from your body a de made of demonic energy.

    ''But it isn''t a good Authority.''

    With enough demonic energy, there were ways in which he could use the Authority of the de effectively, but with his current level of demonic energy, that was something hard to do.

    KangWoo focused on his left hand and used the Authority of the de.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    He opened his left hand, and a sharp de that emitted a dark light came out of it.

    He felt the demonic energy he had inside him leaving his body.

    ''It''s hard getting used to it.''

    It was hard going from having unlimited demonic energy to being limited. Now he couldn''t freely use the Authorities he had ess to as he had done before.

    "Anyway, it seems like what this status window says is true¡­"

    He didn''t know why his Authority had been sealed, but it was true that he couldn''t use all the demonic energy he had stored inside the ''Ten Thousand Demon Core.''

    That meant that the ''status window'' in front of him showed exactly his current state.

    "Am I really inside a game¡­?"

    At that point, the thought of whether it was really Earth started making KangWoo feel a bit anxious.

    "Kiik, kiik!"

    He suddenly heard an unpleasant sound simr to the one made by scratching an iron.

    KangWoo turned his head around in the direction of the sound.

    "Dammit."

    He angrily frowned upon finding out who had made such an unpleasant sound.

    ¡ªIt was a creature with green skin and sharp teeth that barely reached his chest.

    It was as ugly as one of the monsters that roamed around 1st Hell.

    On the Earth that he knew, there weren''t monsters like that one.

    "Isn''t this Earth¡­?" KangWoo murmured in a desperate tone.

    He couldn''t even let out a fakeugh at the thought that the ce he hade to after ten thousand years of suffering may not have been Earth.

    "Kiieekk!!"

    Upon seeing KangWoo, the green monsters charged toward him.

 Chapter 3: The owner of the Hell of Nine Skies returns to Earth (3)

    ''Just¡­ what went wrong?''

    He had clearly opened a gate toward Earth.

    He had also felt the same sensation he felt ten thousand years ago when he was dragged into the dimensional rift.

    In the middle of that desperate situation, his mind became confused.

    "Kiieekk!"

    After looking at prey that didn''t move, the green monsters shouted even louder, and then they swung their low-grade knives toward KangWoo.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!"

    As the ck sword swung, the green monster''s arm fell to the ground.

    KangWoo turned his body around and swung the sword he had created with the Authority of the de.

    Although most of his demonic energy had been sealed, he was the demon king who ruled over the Hell of Nine Skies.

    There was no way he wouldn''t be able to win against such worthless opponents.

    ''First, I should take care of these guys.''

    He didn''t have time to think about another thing when, in front of him, some enemies were charging toward him, prepared to die.

    KangWoo red at the monsters that were leaping toward him from all directions.

    A killing intent simr to a beast beganing out from him.

    "Kiieekk?!"

    After feeling his killing intent, the green monsters began trembling.

    ''There''re around eight of them.''

    If he had ess to the ''Ten Thousand Demon Core,'' he would''ve been able to kill them without moving by spreading out some energy, but right then, he couldn''t do that.

    "It''s been a long time since I''ve moved my body like this."

    He hit the floor lightly with his foot.

    While dodging the attacks of the green monsters who were about to have a seizure, he cut their necks with a sword made of demonic energy.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!"

    Thanks to all of the battle experience he had gained through the years, the monsters died without being able to do anything.

    <em>Ting-!</em>

    [You''ve sessfully eliminated the E Rank normal monster, Goblin.]

    [Your experience went up.]

    [Your level has increased to 3.]

    ''Level up?''

    As the goblins that tried to attack him died, a blue window opened in front of him.

    He opened the status window again; his level had gone from 1 to 3.

    ''The stats also changed.''

    As level increased, his strength, vitality, and agility stats increased by one each.

    It wasn''t just a simple number increase. As his stats went up, he felt his body getting stronger.

    "But that''s not the important thing here."

    Right then, it didn''t matter if his level went up and his stats increased or not.

    He had to check out if that ce was Earth or not. Not only that, but he needed to see if another person was living there.

    "Tsk, in situations like this, it would be morefortable if I could use Alose''s Authority."

    He smiled bitterly while thinking of the Authority that let him freely fly through the skies.

    The Authority of Sky let him ignore gravity and freely move through the air, so it required a lot of demonic energy.

    With his current amount of demonic energy, he would only be able to jump high.

    KangWoo walked toward the corpses of the goblins.

    ''It would be great if I could obtain more information.''

    He needed to get more information about this unknown world.

    KangWoo extended his hands toward the goblins¡¯ corpses and murmured in a low voice.

    "Predation."

    Authority of Predation¡­

    The ultimate Authority that¡¯d allowed him to be the ruler of the Hell of Nine Skies activated.

    ck demonic energy came out of his body and covered the corpses of the goblins.

    <em>Crunch-!</em>

    While making a creepy sound, the size of the ck energy surrounding the corpses of the goblins got smaller.

    He began receiving information about the goblins in his head.

    With the Authority of Predation, he couldn''t read the target''s memories.

    The only information he could get from the Authority of Predation was biometric information.

    He got all sorts of information like the goblins¡¯ physical characteristics, habits, how they lived their daily lives, and what their weaknesses were.

    But there wasn''t useful information that could help him know more about the world he found himself in.

    "Damn it."

    Disappointed, he let out a small curse. When suddenly¡­

    "Hmm?"

    While absorbing the energy with Predation, he felt a very familiar energy.

    ''This¡ª''

    Although the amount was very little, it couldn''t deceive his senses.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    ''¡ªis demonic energy.''

    Inside the goblin''s body was a very tiny amount of demonic energy.

    <em>Ting-!</em>

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 1.]

    As if confirming his guess, he got a message that said that his demonic energy stat had increased.

    And with that, he felt the demonic energy inside his body increasing and the sensations getting deeper.

    "Damn it¡­"

    Although his demonic energy had increased, what came of KangWoo''s mouth were insults.

    Demonic energy was an energy that everyone who belonged to the Hells had. The fact that he''d found that energy at that ce meant that the probability of it not being Earth had increased.

    ''No¡­''

    You could feel that he was starting to get anxious.

    The reason he''d been able to resist in the Hells was the hope of being able to return to Earth one day.

    Memories of all the years he spent in the middle of demons whose only interests were fighting and killing each other came to mind.

    "This can''t be happening."

    He felt a frustration bigger than the times when he was almost driven to death while fighting against the demon archdukes.

    It was at that moment¡­

    "Kyaaaa!"

    He heard a scream from far away.

    KangWoo''s hopeless eyes came back to life.

    "This¡­"

    It wasn''t the voice of a demon or a monster.

    * * *

    He could sense it¡ªthat shout belonged to a ''human.''

    But more importantly¡­

    "A woman."

    KangWoo''s body started to tremble.

    The echo of the scream seemed to spread through his entire body.

    A shivering sensation ran through his body.

    The scream he heard seemed to be spreading through his soul.

    "A woman!"

    If someone heard him, they would probably think he was just a pervert.

    But right then, he didn''t have enough mental space to think about his image.

    It had been ten thousand years.

    For ten thousand years, he hadn''t been able to even look at a video where a woman appeared.

    No, it would''ve been strange if he could keep himself sane in that situation.

    <em>Stomp-!</em>

    While stepping on the ground violently, KangWoo changed direction toward where the scream wasing from.

    Authority of Speed¡­

    The Authority that a demon called Vallefort had used in the past activated.

    The demonic energy that came out of his body went to his legs.

    The demonic energy inside his body reduced very quickly, and his body shot forward like an arrow.

    It was a scary speedpared to a normal human''s, but that speed felt slow for him.

    ''If I had more demonic energy¡­!''

    If he had ess to all the demonic energy inside the ''Ten Thousand Demon Core,'' he would''ve been able to move at speeds close to teleporting.

    At that moment, he couldn''t help but feel resentful that he couldn''t use the demonic energy of the ''Ten Thousand Demon Core.''

    "Kiieekk!"

    "Kyyyya!"

    The scream got clearer.

    There were mixed shouts simr to the ones from the goblins that had just tried to attack him.

    ''I just hope it isn''t a monster simr to Lilith!''

    He was fine if she was ugly. She could even be fat.

    He was okay as long as she had two eyes, one nose, and one mouth.

    ''And no tentacles, please!''

    He kept concentrating demonic energy on his feet while thinking about Lilith''s absolutely horrifying tentacles.

    He felt out of breath for the first time in many years.

    He felt frustrated by how he was out of breath from running before the fight even began.

    ''I found her.''

    As he went through some dense grass, he found a vacant lot.

    There, he saw a frightened woman surrounded by more than 10 goblins.

    She was holding her legs with her hands from where she was losing blood.

    "Ah¡­"

    A short exmation came out of KangWoo''s mouth.

    The moment he saw the woman surrounded by a group of goblins, he felt a shudder.

    Her ck hair reached her waist; she had big eyes, thick lips, and a tall nose, and she even had a small mole near the left side of her mouth.

    She was so pretty that if you saw her on the street, you would have instinctively turned around.

    But right then, to him, it wasn''t important whether she was pretty or not.

    Her beauty wasn''t the main issue.

    ''She''s a human.''

    She was a human¡­

    A human that had two eyes, one mouth, and one nose.

    She was just a simple human who didn''t have tentacles from where pus came out. She didn''t have bat wings or red fur covering her body.

    ''Thank you, God¡­''

    He was moved.

    He wanted to thank the God who had ignored him for the past ten thousand years.

    "Grrrrr!"

    "Ugh¡­!"

    The woman closed her eyes while looking at the goblins who were charging at her with rusty knives.

    While looking at the knives being swung in her direction, she thought she would die at that ce.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "Kiieekk?!"

    The goblins shouted in surprise.

    KangWoo, who had suddenly appeared between them, was killing them while moving quickly like a beast.

    "Oh¡­?"

    The eyes of the woman with ck hair widened.

    She couldn''t believe what she was seeing. In a few seconds, KangWoo had killed the group of more than 10 goblins.

    <em>Stab-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!"

    The ck sword cut the kneck of thest goblin.

    After twisting the sword andpletely cutting the goblin''s neck, he approached the woman on the floor.

    "Th-thank you."

    Although hurt, she stood up while struggling and bowed to him.

    KangWoo grabbed her hands and helped her maintain her bnce.

    "Ah¡­"

    The moment he grabbed her hands, an exmation came out of KangWoo''s mouth.

    That soft sensation was something he couldn''t have felt in Hell.

    A human¡­

    She was clearly a human that he¡¯d wanted to see and interact so much with.

    Because of the emotions rising from inside, his mind suddenly became nk.

    All the emotions he had forced himself to suppress exploded in just an instant and blocked his rationality.

    "My name is Han Seol-ah. Thank you for saving me."

    She was surprised at the sight of KangWoo, who was moved for some reason while grabbing her hands, but without releasing her hand, she bowed again.

    While looking at her, KangWoo spoke in a serious voice tone.

    "Let''s get married."

    "What?"

    "Three kids sounds good."

    "What¡­?"

 Chapter 4: Unfamiliar Earth, Familiar Scenery (1)

    "Uhm... What do you mean...?"

    Han Seol-ah looked at KangWoo, disconcerted.

    By her expression, it looked as if she didn''t know whether to get angry or say thanks.

    "Oh, sorry."

    KangWoo shook his head and tried toe back to his senses and let go of her hand.

    ''I need to get ahold of myself.''

    He had been lucky to find another person.

    He didn''t want her to think of him as someone that was crazy.

    "My name is Oh KangWoo. Did you say that your name was Han Seol-ah? Are you hurt?"

    "Yes. It isn''t a big injury... Ugh!"

    She let out a short scream because of the pain she felt in her legs and fell down.

    A square object fell from her pockets as she fell to the ground.

    ''Smartphone¡­''

    After seeing what it was, KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    The object that fell from Han Seol-ah''s pocket was definitely an object he had a faint memory of, a smartphone.

    ''Is this... Earth?''

    The name that appeared on her phone was Han Seol-ah, a Korean name.

    But more than that¡­

    ''I can maintain a conversation with her.''

    He wasn''t talking with her in thenguage of the demons, instead, he had been using thenguage he¡¯d used before falling to Hell.

    The fact that they couldmunicate meant that the ce was Earth, and she was Korean.

    ''I''m d I kept practicing it so I wouldn''t forget it.''

    While in the Hells, he had forbidden his underlings to use the demonguage and made them use Korean.

    "Are you okay?"

    <em>Rip-!</em>

    KangWoo ripped apart the clothes he was wearing and wrapped them around her leg.

    It was a piece of clothing made from fabrics that were hard to get in the Hells since most didn''t understand the concept of putting clothes on.

    "Ah... Yes, thank you."

    Han Seol-ah''s cheeks blushed a bit after looking at how he didn''t doubt a moment before tearing a bit of his clothes apart.

    At first she was wary of him since he said weird things like ¡°let''s get married¡±, and, ¡°three kids would be okay,¡± but those feelings melted down.

    "Thank you for helping me."

    If it weren''t for him, she would¡¯ve been being attacked by the goblins right then.

    In the worst possible scenario, maybe something worse could''ve happened.

    ''I''ve heard that, among monsters, there are some that lust over humans.''

    From that point of view, KangWoo was more than her savior.

    She felt guilty for having doubted him even for a little while.

    ''I''m very grateful to him.''

    A smile was drawn on Han Seol-ah''s mouth, and she nodded.

    It hadn''t been long since she¡¯d awakened as a yer, but she had heard many things about the world.

    Most people wouldn''t doubt betraying a party member if it was for some profit.

    Although not everyone was so selfish, it was weird for a yer toe running to help someone in danger after listening to their scream.

    "Don''t overexert yourself."

    "Okay."

    KangWoo smiled after looking at the smile that had appeared on her lips.

    ''Good.''

    The fact that he had sessfully managed to get on her good side was very meaningful.

    Han Seol-ah was someone very important to him.

    She wasn''t only the first human he''d met after returning from the Hells, but she also had a lot of information he didn''t.

    ''Why have monsters like this appeared on Earth?''

    The current Earth was too different from the one he remembered.

    She was currently the only person who could exin such things to him.

    ''First¡­''

    KangWoo grabbed the phone that had fallen out of her pocket. He naturally touched the home button.

    As he pressed it, he saw the information he wanted to know the most.

    [May 22, 2023 3:34 PM]

    ''2023?''

    The year he''d fallen to Hell was 2018, which meant that he was five years in the future from that day.

    ''I didn¡¯t fail in controlling the time of return.''

    KangWoo was prepared for a difference of 10 or even 20 years.

    The fact that the difference was just five years meant that he had done a better job than expected.

    But considering only five years had passed, too many things had changed on Earth.

    ''In just five years, such monsters appeared on Earth?''

    He couldn''t understand what had happened in those past five years that monsters like those roamed freely around a forest.

    ''I need more information.''

    Hecked information to know about the current situation. KangWoo turned his head around towards Han SeolAh.

    "Here¡¯s your smartphone."

    "Oh, thanks."

    "But more than that, why is Mrs. SeolAh in a ce like this?"

    "Ugh..."

    After hearing that, she replied in a low tone.

    * * *

    "Because of a personal situation, I tried hunting solo in a gate. Haha. I just awakened as a yer, and yet I tried hunting in an E-Rank gate... I was stupid."

    She spoke in a low tone, recriminating herself.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after hearing those words.

    ''Gate, yer¡­''

    Gate probably referred to the ce where they currently were.

    ''And awakening as a yer probably means...''

    KangWoo remembered the status window he''d just seen.

    There, in the part of the name, it clearly said ''yer.''

    "What''s your current level?" KangWoo asked her in a natural tone.

    "Because I''ve just awakened, I''m at level 6. But what is a high-level yer like Mr. KangWoo doing in an E-Rank gate?"

    She thought KangWoo was a high-level yer, despite his level only being level 3.

    ''I guess it''s obvious she thought that.''

    He''d annihted a group of goblins she was struggling to deal with while she was at level 6.

    If the level she was talking about was the stat that indicated how strong someone was, it was natural that she would mistake him for a high-level yer.

    "I came here for a personal matter."

    "Oh... I see."

    Han Seol-ah nodded after hearing her answer.

    It wasn''t normal for high-level yers toe to a gate with a low rank, but if he didn''t want to tell her the reason, she had no right to ask any further.

    "Ugh..."

    "Can you stand up?"

    "Yes. Thanks to Mr. KangWoo, I think I can walk a bit."

    "I''ll help you."

    "N-no. It''s okay. I don''t want to bother you anymore..."

    "Refusing isn''t the only virtue."

    KangWoo grabbed one of her arms.

    Han Seol-ah felt her face blushing. She lowered her head, embarrassed.

    "Which way should we go?"

    "Th-this way."

    She was so embarrassed that she didn''t find weird that a high-level yer like KangWoo didn''t even know the direction of the gate and pointed the direction with her finger.

    "Let''s go."

    While helping her walk, they slowly began moving toward the gate.

    ''Thankfully, it seems like she isn¡¯t suspicious of anything.''

    There was no way she would know of his real identity, but he wanted to avoid being looked at as someone that was suspicious.

    ''She''ll probably think I''m crazy.''

    He didn''t want the first woman he saw in ten thousand years, who was pretty on top of that, to think of him as someone crazy.

    The first step of his return to Earth was being able to melt away as naturally into society as possible.

    While thinking that, he naturally matched her walking pace.

    "This..."

    "We''ve reached the entrance."

    <em>Whir-</em>

    There was a gate of white color where she was pointing.

    It was around 30 meters in size.

    It was much bigger than the pitch-ck gate from which KangWoo hade through.

    ''Then that means that this ce isn''t Earth.''

    If people entered that ce through a gate, that meant that the ce where the monsters were roaming around wasn''t Earth.

    ''Is it a ce like the Hells...?''

    The fact that it was a dimension entered through a gate made it simr to the Hells.

    ''How is this gate being maintained?''

    Amazed, KangWoo looked at the white gate.

    He couldn''t see strong weapons like the weapons of the archdukes creating a dimensional rift.

    "Mr. KangWoo?"

    "Oh, yeah. Let''s get out."

    KangWoo came back to his senses after Seo-ah called his name. He walked out of the gate while supporting her.

    While feeling the weird sensation of walking through different dimensions, they crossed the white gate.

    <em>Murmur-</em>

    "We''re looking for party members to hunt goblins in the E-Rank gate!"

    "Tanker! Isn''t there any tanker here?!"

    "I''m a Rogue... Could I participate in the party?"

    "Oh, sorry. We don''t ept Rogues."

    They could hear people shouting everywhere as they walked out of the gate¡ªit was as if they''de to a marketce.

    "Ah..."

    KangWoo, once again, felt a thrill after looking at all the people gathered around the gate.

    Humans¡­

    There were humans all around him.

    ''I really came back...''

    Although it was an unfamiliar Earth, the scenery was familiar.

    At that moment, he realized that he had really returned to Earth. All the doubts and fears disappeared, and energy spread throughout his body.

    KangWoo was so moved that his body trembled a bit.

    "Uhmm... Mr. KangWoo."

    Han Seol-ah carefully called his name. KangWoo turned his head around.

    "If it''s okay with you, do you want toe to my house? I want to at least invite you to dinner."

    She spoke in an apologetic voice while looking at KangWoo''s clothes, who had ripped them apart to tie her wounded leg.

    In reality, giving money aspensation would''ve been the correct thing, but right then, she didn''t have room to do that.

    But she didn''t just want to say thanks to the person who had saved her life and then walk away.

    "...!"

    KangWoo''s body trembled a bit after hearing her words.

    A girl, not only that¡­ but to think that the girl he had just helped would invite him to her house.

    It was something too stimting for him, who, throughout those past ten thousand years, had met girls only through his imagination.

    He felt as if she''d said, ''Oppa, don''t you want to go up and eat some ramyeon?''

    ''This...''

    KangWoo clenched his fists. An excitement boiled inside his body.

    ''The wind is blowing.''

    All sorts of different thoughts crossed his mind.

    Inside his imagination, he was living a happy life in a house with Han Seol-ah and three kids.

    ''The wind is blowing!!!''

    A warm spring breeze was blowing in his heart that had rotted after spending ten thousand years in the Hells.

 Chapter 5: Unfamiliar Earth, Familiar Scenery (2)

    "Since I said that refusing isn''t the only virtue before, I can''t seem to refuse," KangWoo said while nodding with shining eyes.

    From his attitude, it was obvious that he had no intentions of refusing from the beginning.

    "Fufu. Then please, follow me," she said while smiling, then turned her body around.

    At that moment, one man that was in front of the gate walked toward KangWoo and Seol-ah¡ªhe was wearing something that looked like a military uniform.

    "Your yer ID, please."

    "Oh yeah, here."

    Seol-ah nodded and showed him an ID that said E-Rank.

    "ID checked."

    As if he was bothered by doing the job, he just looked at it for a second before nodding.

    It seemed like it was a simr procedure to when they asked for your ID in a bar.

    "The man over there too."

    ''Damn it.''

    KangWoo frowned a bit.

    ''I wasn''t expecting someone to ask for an ID.''

    He was in trouble.

    He didn''t have a yer ID.

    ''If I said I forgot it, things will probably get messy.''

    He didn''t have one in the first ce¡ªthat''s why things could get bothersome.

    Since KangWoo had been missing for five years, he was in a weird ce regarding his IDs.

    Not only could things get bothersome, but his n of trying to merge with society as naturally as possible could crumble.

    ''But most importantly¡­''

    If things gotplicated right then, the big opportunity he''d waited for ten thousand years could fade away into nothing.

    ''I must prevent that from happening.''

    They used to say that you must row while water enters, right?

    Only an idiot would let an opportunity like that go away.

    "Wait a moment, please."

    KangWoo put his hands into his pocket,

    Of course, there wasn''t anything inside it.

    ''It''s an that¡¯s Authority hard to use with my current demonic energy.''

    He remembered the attitude of the man controlling Han Seol-ah''s ID.

    It took him only a second.

    ''If it''s that much¡­''

    He could try to do it even with his current amount of demonic energy.

    "Here it is."

    While saying that, KangWoo took out his hands from the pocket while showing him his middle finger.

    Simultaneously, he activated an Authority he had.

    ¡ªAuthority of Blind.

    It was the Authority of Dantalion that twisted the target''s perception and deceived their eyes.

    Because of its effect, it was an Authority that consumed a lot of demonic energy.

    The amount of demonic energy increased the stronger an opponent was, but the soldier checking out the IDs seemed weaker than level 6 Han Seol-ah.

    As he used that Authority, the target''s eyes became blurry.

    He nodded while looking at KangWoo, who had raised his middle finger.

    "Checked."

    Although it''d been only one second, he felt as if most of his demonic energy had left his body through a hole.

    KangWoo put his hand down while trying to hold his breath.

    "Then let''s go."

    "Okay."

    After finishing the ID check, KangWoo joined Han Seol-ah and went toward her house.

    ''Finally.''

    KangWoo followed her with light steps.

    Did they say that there''s no end to a human''s greed?

    At first, he¡¯d said he was okay as long she had two eyes, one nose, and one mouth, but as time passed, he couldn''t help but appreciate how beautiful Han Seol-ah was.

    He clenched his fists while thinking of everything that was about to happen.

    ''Yolo!''

    * * *

    "This is my house."

    They¡¯d arrived at an apartment that had a shabby appearance.

    It wasn''t just the apartment where she lived, but all the other apartment buildings that were near it also seemed very old.

    ''It seems like they''re financially struggling.''

    It looked different from the modern buildings he was expecting.

    KangWoo looked at Han Seol-ah with eyes full of strong will.

    ''Don''t worry, dear! I''ll quickly earn a lot of money and buy a nice house for us!''

    Although they had just met, inside his head, they were already living a happy future.

    <em>Creak-</em>

    "Mom, I''m home."

    ''Wait¡­ mom?''

    Since she had seduced him with so much confidence, he was sure she was living alone. KangWoo was surprised.

    A woman with a tired expression quickly walked out toward them.

    "A-are you okay? Aren''t you hurt anywhere?"

    "Yes, I''m okay."

    "You went to the gate with a party, right?"

    "Oh... Yes, of course," Han Seol-ah mumbled while avoiding her gaze. She took a nce at KangWoo.

    "This is Oh KangWoo. I met him inside the gate. While hunting monsters, I was in a dangerous situation, but thanks to his help, I was able to get out safely."

    "Oh! Th-thank you!"

    The middle-aged woman grabbed KangWoo''s hand and bowed her head.

    It was an attitude that showed just how worried she was about Han Seol-ah entering the gate.

    ''Damn.''

    But right then, KangWoo couldn''t hear her thanks.

    ''I can''t believe she really meant just dinner.''

    KangWoo looked at Seol-ah with a sorrowful expression as if he was saying that the situation was unfair.

    The future he was thinking about with her crashed.

    He felt as if the ne had crashed into a cliff before it even took off.

    "Mr. KangWoo...?"

    "Oh, yeah. It''s nothing."

    KangWoo replied in a low tone and shook his head.

    To be honest, it was his fault for thinking too far ahead, but he couldn''t help to feel a little bit disappointed.

    "Haha. My house... It isn''t nice. But don''t worry, I''m quite confident in my cooking skills," Han Seol-ah said while making a little bit of a dark expression. She thought that KangWoo was disappointed after looking at her house.

    "Oh, it''s nothing like that. Don''t worry."

    He was born an orphan, so before falling to the Hells, he¡¯d lived in a home smaller and rustier than her house.

    Those were miserable times. He used to struggle to eat and live each day.

    ''Although it was still better than the Hells.''

    In the Hells, you had to fight each day for your life, so even though he''d suffered on Earth because of hunger, life there was still better.

    "Please enter, Mr. KangWoo."

    "Oof. I''m sorry. To make someone so important enter such a rusty ce."

    KangWoo entered the home while receiving a warm wee from both of them.

    The house had an approximate surface area of 66m2.

    It was quite spaciouspared to how worn it was.

    "Mr. KangWoo, wait a moment, please. I''ll prepare it immediately."

    "Oh, can I ask something?"

    "Yes, of course."

    Han Seol-ah nodded without hesitation.

    "I''ve lost my smartphone. Could you lend me yours for a little while?" KangWoo asked her with a calm voice.

    "Oh! Yeah, okay."

    She took her smartphone from her pocket and gave it to him.

    Now that he had taken a closer look at it, her phone was also quite old, and it even had a scratch on the screen.

    Not only that, but it was a model he knew.

    ''Considering that this phone is more than five years old¡­''

    He once again realized that their economic situation wasn''t good.

    ''I guess it''s good enough to search some articles on the inte.''

    He wanted to know what had happened in the past five years.

    Gates and yers¡­ Those were things that didn''t exist on the Earth he knew.

    KangWoo slowly began reading articles from five years ago.

    [February 22, 2018. The world was turned upside down.]

    [The world entered a chaotic state after hundreds of gates suddenly appeared.]

    [Firearms are useless against the monsters that appeared through the gates. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers die at the hands of monsters.]

    [The U.S creates a worldwide emergency alliance. Korea bes the 9th member.]

    [The first yer appears in the U.S. Who is she?]

    [The number of yers increases worldwide. Are they the hope of humanity?]

    [A novel became a reality? Korean fantasy novels have predicted the appearance of yers for many years. Just searching ''yer'' gives hundreds of different titles to read.]

    "Hmm..."

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed after reading the news.

    ''February 22, 2018¡­''

    It was the day when gates had suddenly appeared all around the world.

    It was also the day KangWoo was absorbed by a pitch-ck gate and fell to the Hells.

    ''That means I was absorbed by one of these gates that suddenly appeared?''

    Considering the circumstances, that seemed the most likely answer.

    KangWoo tried to search for some information on the gate that had sent him to the Hells for 10 thousand years, but he couldn''t find any. Most avable information was spection.

    ''I''ll have to search for more information personally.''

    Maybe an important national organization had information that wasn''t publicly avable.

    KangWoo was thinking of infiltrating a national organizationter, once his life became more stable and he recovered his strength.

    "What are you searching for?" Han Seol-ha asked him while she was cooking.

    "I was looking at some news because there was something I needed to check out."

    "I see. Then should I prepare the dinnerter?"

    "No, it''s okay. Let''s eat as soon as it''s ready."

    Anyway, he understood the general situation.

    From then on, it was better to find answers by himself.

    "Then just wait for a little bit. I''ve just finished cooking."

    Han Seol-ah returned to the kitchen and brought out a pot.

    "It''s kimchi stew. I wanted to invite you to something better... Sorry."

    While making an apologetic expression, she put the pot on the table and opened the lid.

    White steam rose out of the pot, and a mouthwatering smell came out of it.

    "...!"

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    A shiver ran through his body.

    "Kimchi¡­ stew..."

    His eyes trembled while looking at the kimchi stew on the table.

    The boiling stew with red kimchi and slices of pork belly was luring him.

    "Kimchi stew!!!"

    <em>Thump-!</em>

    For how long had he been waiting for that moment?

    He''d dreamed about it almost every day while sleeping.

    He rushed to the table like someone who had starved for many days.

    ''I''m d I returned.''

    A warm tear ran down his cheek.

 Chapter 6: Demon Kings Rage (1)

    Slurp-! Crunch-! Munch-!

    "¡­"

    Inside of the small house¡­

    A loud eating noise spread through the room.

    "It¡­ It seems like you were hungry."

    Han Seol-ah smiled awkwardly after looking at KangWoo eating the kimchi stew as if he were a starving demon.

    Seeing someone eating like that, rather than making her happy, disconcerted her.

    <em>Slurp-! Munch Munch-!</em>

    KangWoo didn''t seem to care how Han Seol-ah was looking at him, he was just concentrating on eating the food.

    ''It''s delicious.''

    He took a spoon of rice, put a pork belly on top of it, and then ced a slice of kimchi on top of it.

    He opened his mouth wide and put them all in his mouth. A new world of sensations unfolded before his eyes.

    ''This is too delicious!!!''

    His taste cells, which had beenying around without doing anything for ten thousand years, were going crazy.

    KangWoo felt a sensation simr to the first time he¡¯d met Han Seol''ah. His mind became nk.

    "Sniff¡­"

    He was overwhelmed by emotions.

    Memories of the ten thousand years of suffering shed past his mind.

    "Sniff¡­ Hic. Fuck¡­ This is too delicious."

    KangWoo ate the kimchi stew while crying as if he were a kid.

    To be honest, he didn''t have the need to eat.

    Half of his body had be simr to a demon''s when he¡¯d epted demonic energy.

    Demons maintained and moved their bodies through demonic energy, so they didn''t need to eat.

    ''Those poor guys.''

    KangWoo felt pity for the demons who didn''t know about the enjoyment that eating food gave you.

    Because he still had a part of his body that was ''human,'' although he didn''t need to eat, he could still feel the taste of food.

    Demons¡¯ sense of taste was weak because they didn''t need to eat from the beginning. But unlike them, his taste buds were intact.

    ''Is¡­ is it that delicious?''

    Han Seol-ah stuttered while looking at KangWoo, who was eating the kimchi stew while crying.

    She was confident in her cooking skills.

    She had done most of the housework since she was little.

    The kimchi stew she had prepared had the know-how she''d developed throughout the years.

    But¡­

    She didn''t think her food was good enough to cause one to shed tears while eating.

    "It''s¡­ too delicious¡­"

    KangWoo nodded while emptying the kimchi stew.

    "I''m d that you like it."

    She smiled proudly.

    She still found his reaction awkward. It wasn''t like he was in charge of reacting in a cooking manhwa. But although strange, she didn''t hate it.

    That just meant that he really liked what she''d prepared for him.

    ''I''m d.''

    She felt a bit guilty because the only thing she could offer to the person who had saved her life was kimchi stew. But seeing how much he enjoyed eating it made her feel relieved.

    He seemed to have a pure side, which made her more interested in him.

    ''What am I thinking?''

    She didn''t have time to think about rtionships.

    She sighed while thinking of her current situation.

    <em>tter-!</em>

    "Ah¡­"

    KangWoo let out a sad exmation after seeing the empty pot.

    He had a body that didn''t require food, but his taste buds, which had activated after ten thousand years, weren''t satisfied.

    "Should I make a bit more?"

    "Yes!"

    "Fufu. Then wait a moment, please."

    KangWoo nodded without a moment of hesitation.

    Perhaps she found that attitude cute. While smiling, she took the empty pot and stood up from her seat.

    "It''s nice to see a young man who eats well."

    "It''s the most delicious kimchi stew I have ever eaten."

    He wasn''t exaggerating.

    * * *

    He didn''t know what kind of drug she''d mixed in the stew, but it tasted really good.

    ''I cannot lose this.''

    He couldn''t let that kimchi stew go.

    ''The answer is marriage.''

    The reason why he had felt such a taste was because he hadn''t eaten proper food for the past ten thousand years.

    But right then, he didn''t have the mental space to think logically.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone as he imagined his future with her full of kimchi stew.

    ''Darling, I''m going to make you happy!''

    The owner of the Hell of Nine Skies, a gluttonous monster who had devoured more than hundreds of thousands of demons¡­

    The scene of the demon king who was at the top of the food chain losing his reason because of a kimchi stew felt like a tragedy.

    <em>Bubble-</em>

    "Because you ate so well, I''ve prepared more this time."

    Although she knew nothing about KangWoo, who had drunk all the stew, she brought another pot of kimchi stew while making a kind smile.

    "Thanks for the food."

    <em>Slurp-! Munch-!</em>

    KangWoo grabbed the spoon and once again began emptying the bowl of kimchi stew.

    ''As expected, it''s delicious!''

    He was once again moved by the taste of the stew he could feel on his tongue.

    Han Seol-ah smiled proudly while looking at how he was desperately eating the kimchi stew.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    A young man entered the house after opening the door aggressively.

    "Hey, Han Seol-ah! I heard that you entered a gate without my permission! Come here!"

    He had short blond hair, good facial factions, and was wearing a suit. He approached her while cursing.

    Han Seol-ah froze after looking at him.

    "O, oppa¡­"

    "TaeHyun! How can you talk to S-Seol-ah like that?!"

    Han Seol-ah and her mother began trembling after his sudden appearance.

    He snorted and stood in front of Han Seol-ah.

    "Who gave you permission to enter a gate?"

    "I¡­ I''m also a yer. Also, it was you who blocked me from getting a party!"

    "Hmph, you talk too much nonsense for a newbie who hasn''t even received the basic training."

    Han TaeHyun grabbed Seol-ah''s shoulders while smiling.

    "Don''t talk nonsense; join our guild. Oppa will introduce you to some kind people."

    He whispered to Seol-ah with eyes full of ambition.

    "Ugh¡­"

    Han Seol-ah looked at Han TaeHyun with a disgusted expression.

    Han TaeHyun.

    It was her blood-rted Oppa, who was three years older.

    ''This kind of trash isn''t an Oppa.''

    She clenched her fists and red at him.

    Han TaeHyun had been a troublemaker before the gates opened.

    Their father had died at a young age. Considering that their mother raised them alone, the situation at her house wasn''t that bad.

    Her mother was a skillful careerwoman, so she earned a decent amount of money.

    But since middle school, Han TaeHyun was involved in lots of fights. He¡¯d even hit her mother and robbed her jewels.

    Her mother had gotten sick because of the stress she received from Han TaeHyun''s attitude. That made the situation in her house worsen.

    On top of that, Han TaeHyun had awakened as a yer.

    He was a very talented yer. When he reached level 10 and the 2nd stage awakening, he received a B rank attribute, and then he¡¯d joined a guild called ''Andras.''

    Andras guild¡­

    It was a guild whose name was based on one of the 72 demons of Solomon, and just like their name, they were famous for doing all sorts of horrible things.

    After entering the Andras guild, he did everything he could to reach a higher position.

    Although Andras guild wasn''t big, it was still quite bigpared to mid-sized ones. Because his talent was average among guild members, he was struggling to climb up.

    That''s when he thought of Han Seol-ah.

    She was someone very beautiful.

    ''If I put her on the same team as my superiors¡­''

    There weren''t many women that were as pretty as Han Seol-ah. If she was offered to them, he would probably be able to reach a higher position.

    He was a lowlife who didn''t feel remorse while thinking of using his family member as a sacrifice for personal gain.

    "No. I''ll never enter your guild."

    "Hah. It seems you''re so stupid that you still haven''t realized how this world works. This isn''t a world you can live in just by doing things you like. If you receive the love of my superiors, your life will improve immediately."

    "How¡­ How can you say something like that to your family?"

    "Huh? Family? Don''t bullshit me. How can I call family such a poor one that isn''t even helpful?"

    "Whose fault do you think that is?!"

    Han TaeHyunughed at Han Seol-ah''s shouting.

    "Whose fault? It''s obviously because of dad, who died too early, and mom, who was only able to earn pennies."

    "You crazy bastard!"

    Han Seol-ah couldn''t contain her anger anymore.

    She clenched her fists and tried to punch him.

    Han TaeHyun wasn''t her family member anymore, he was just a beast wearing the skin of a human. No, he was trash.

    <em>Grab-!</em>

    "Ugh!!"

    Han TaeHyun grabbed Han Seol-ah''s hands with a light gesture.

    She shuddered at the pain she felt in her wrist.

    She had just reached level 6, so overpowering Han TaeHyun, who was at level 30, was impossible for her.

    "Let me go!"

    "The only thing useful about you is your pretty face. So you should at least think of using that to help. Don''t you think so? How can you talk to your Oppa like that? You spoiled little¡­"

    "T-TaeHyun!"

    "Get out of the way, you old woman!"

    He ignored his mother, who was trying to stop him from getting to Han Seol-ah, grabbed her by her arm, and walked toward the living room.

    "Today, definitely¡­ Huh?"

    <em>Slurp-! Munch-!</em>

    The moment he entered the living room, he saw KangWoo, who was concentrated on eating the kimchi stew.

    "What, did you seduce some man?" Han TaeHyun said whileughing at Han Seol-ah.

    He took his hands off her wrist, walked toward KangWoo, and opened his mouth.

    "Hey, mister. You''re bothering here, so get the fuck out."

    <em>Slurp-!</em>

    He menacingly spoke to KangWoo.

    But KangWoo just ignored him and kept eating the kimchi stew.

    "I told you to get the fuck out!"

    Since KangWoo was ignoring him, Han TaeHyun violently kicked the table.

    <em>m-!</em>

    The table got turned upside down.

    And¡­

    "Ah¡­"

    The kimchi stew¡­

    Got spilled¡­

    On the floor¡­

    "AAAHHH!"

    The ruler of the Hell of Nine Skies¡­

    The monster that¡¯d devoured the seven archdukes who used to rule Hell¡­

    He was the demon of the demons, the predator of predators, and an existence that was like the Hell of the Hells.

    He was the owner of the Ten Thousand Demon Core and had devoured more than a hundred thousand demons.

    The scream of the demon king, the one who was at the top of all demons, spread through the rusty house.

    "MY KIMCHI STEEWWW!!!"

 Chapter 7: Demon Kings Rage (2)

    ''What''s up with this bastard?''

    Han TaeHyunughed at KangWoo, who was crying out because of the spilled kimchi stew.

    "Is he crazy¡­?"

    He thought that her good-willed sister had invited a beggar to the house.

    "From where did you find such a beggar?"

    "Mr. KangWoo, run!"

    Han Seol-ah shouted while ignoring Han TaeHyun''s question.

    Han TaeHyun was a yer that was almost at level 30. He was about to unlock the 4th awakening.

    You couldn''t say that he had a high level, but right then, he was someone that couldn''t bepared to her.

    Han Seol-ah didn''t want to see him hurt the person who had saved her.

    For a moment, she thought that maybe KangWoo could solve the situation, but soon, she shook her head.

    ''Oppa unlocked a B-rank attribute at the 2nd awakening.''

    It was an attribute that people usually unlocked at either the 3rd or 4th awakening.

    The strength of a yer was determined by the rank of their attribute and level.

    Because of that, you could say that Han TaeHyun was talentedpared to normal people.

    ''Mr. KangWoo is in danger.''

    She looked at KangWoo relentlessly.

    "Sniff, Sniff. My, ki-kimchi steee¡­"

    It seemed like KangWoo wasn''t aware of how worried she was about him. He just cried while looking at the kimchi stew that had been spilled.

    Han TaeHyun frowned at the sight.

    "Hey, you beggar. Stop crying and stand up."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo turned his head slowly toward Han TaeHyun, who was calling him out rudely.

    A strong killing intent began spreading through his body.

    "Ugh¡­?!"

    The moment his eyes met with KangWoo''s, he subconsciously backed off.

    ''What?''

    Those weren''t the eyes of a human.

    It was a ferocious look simr to a beast, or maybe a reptile.

    ''No.''

    Han TaeHyun''s face became pale.

    It wasn''t anything like that.

    The killing intent was stickier and more unpleasant than the one from a beast.

    Fear spread through his body as if he''d seen inside the Abyss.

    ''This is¡­''

    Han TaeHyun found a word that matched those eyes.

    The thoughts didn''tst long.

    "Demon¡­"

    Demon.

    He had never seen a demon in real life, nor did he know a lot about them.

    But Han TaeHyun himself couldn''t understand why, but he thought there probably wasn''t a better word to describe KangWoo than that.

    "Huff, huff."

    <em>Whir-.</em>

    Han TaeHyun gathered mana while breathing heavily. The killing intent that had overwhelmed him disappeared.

    ''I was probably wrong.''

    He red at KangWoo.

    There was no way a killing intent capable of overwhelming him hade out from a beggar like him.

    Han TaeHyun shook his head to erase the killing intent he''d just felt from his memories.

    He didn''t want to admit that he''d shaken in fear of a beggar who was crying because the kimchi stew got spilled on the ground.

    KangWoo, who was silently ring at Han TaeHyun, spoke in a low voice.

    "Are you the one?"

    "What¡­?"

    "The one who dared to spill my kimchi stew."

    "Ha, did this beggar lose his mind?"

    Han TaeHyun smiled and focused his mana on both fists.

    He activated the strength of ''me''s Touch,'' the 2nd awakening attribute he¡¯d received when he reached level 10.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    Both of his fists were covered in blue mes.

    The blue fire in both of his hands was so intense that it seemed like it was about to burn down the entire house.

    Attribute Skill¡­

    A unique power of yers that lets them use the power of the newly obtained attribute.

    That was the yer''s strength which allowed them to fight back the monsters that were flooding Earth from the gates.

    "Be careful!"

    Han Seol-ah extended her hands while shouting.

    She shot an arrow made of light targetting Han TaeHyun''s head.

    The attribute she had obtained after awakening as a yer was a D rank attribute called ''Trace of Light.''

    Rather than attack, it was more focused on buffs or recovery.

    "Hmph."

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    Han TaeHyun easily countered the light arrow by brushing it off with his hands.

    He wasn''t weak enough to lose to a low-level yer who hadn''t properly awakened an offensive attribute.

    "Hmph!"

    * * *

    While making a short shout, Han TaeHyun charged toward KangWoo.

    Targetting KangWoo, he swung his fists covered with blue me.

    <em>Swipe-!</em>

    "Huh?"

    KangWoo just tilted his head a bit and dodged the attack.

    From his left hand, a dark de appeared.

    KangWoo bent down and easily dodged Han TaeHyun''s attack towards his head, and then swung his sword.

    "Ugh!"

    Han TaeHyun twisted his body while shouting.

    ''He isn''t fast.''

    Although he could feel intimidating energying from the sword, it wasn''t fast. Han TaeHyun focused his attention on the sword and moved his body.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    KangWoo''s feet hit his stomach.

    The ck sword was bait from the beginning.

    It was a fake to make Han TaeHyun''s attention focus on another thing.

    "This son of a bitch!"

    The damage itself wasn''t big.

    Han TaeHyun swung his fists while cursing.

    <em>Whack-! Paf-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    Once again, KangWoo dodged his attack with minimal movements; he then punched him twice in the face.

    KangWoo bent toward the staggering Han TaeHyun and threw his left hand.

    Han TaeHyun quickly moved his blue-med-covered arms to KangWoo''s left hand.

    <em>m-!</em>

    "Coff!"

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    As if he was expecting him to do that, KangWoo pushed his left hand back and performed an uppercut with his left fist.

    After being hit on the chin, Han TaeHyun rolled down onto the ground.

    "Huff, Huff."

    Han TaeHyun looked up at KangWoo with a pale look on his face.

    He was stronger and faster.

    ¡ªThat meant the opponent had a lower level and stats than him.

    But¡­

    ''Just who''s this bastard?''

    It was a way of fighting he''d never thought of.

    Most people would use their main weapon to attack, but he¡¯d used it as a fake and taken that momentary gap to counter.

    It was as if a swordsman had used his sword as bait and engaged in hand-to-handbat.

    "Aaahhh!"

    As if he was about to have a heart attack, Han TaeHyun leaped toward KangWoo while shouting.

    But the result was the same¡ªKangWoopletely overwhelmed Han TaeHyun as if he was fighting against a kid.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Coff! You, you, what are you?!"

    He had no weak points.

    He could feel an overwhelming amount of battle experience.

    Was this how it would feel fighting against a warrior who had fought on the battlefield for tens of years?

    Han TaeHyun was being beaten up by a beggar who had been crying because of a kimchi stew.

    <em>Smash-!</em>

    "Aaahhh!"

    The ck sword went through his left hand.

    "It hurts!!! It hurts!!!"

    "It isn''t over yet."

    With a cold voice, KangWoo twisted the ck sword.

    <em>Squish-</em>

    You could hear the chilling sound of bones being broken.

    "AAAHHH!"

    As the pain spread through his body, Han TaeHyun jumped like a fish.

    KangWoo stabbed his right hand with the ck sword next.

    The rage of the Demon King wouldn''t die with just one hand.

    "There''s still a long way to go before you pay the price for dropping the kimchi stew."

    "Wh-why are you doing this? It''s just kimchi stew!"

    "¡­"

    KangWoo''s body stiffened after hearing Han TaeHyun''s shout.

    "What¡­ did you say?"

    He looked at him as if he''d said something outrageous.

    "Did you say¡­ Just¡­ kimchi stew?"

    There was no way he had said something so outrageous.

    That was something that shouldn''t be said.

    Kimchi stew and the word ''just,'' didn''t go along.

    It was an existence a little bit more sacred than that.

    "Just¡­! Kimchi stew?!"

    <em>Paf-! Pow-!</em>

    "Cough! Coff! Ahh! H, help me!!"

    The assault got more aggressive.

    KangWoo kicked Han TaeHyun''s head as if it were a ser ball. Han TaeHyun''s face became full of blood.

    "Cough! Ugh!"

    Han TaeHyun let out a painful groan.

    Although Han TaeHyun''s stats were higher than KangWoo''s, he couldn''t help but feel pain while being one-sidedly beat up.

    A mind-boggling pain spread through his body.

    "Oof, ooff. Now, say it once again. Kimchi stew is?"

    "Cough¡­ Ki-kimchi stew is¡­ A sacred f-food¡­"

    "Good."

    It seemed like KangWoo liked that answer. He smiled while nodding.

    He grabbed the hair of the terrified TaeHyun and spoke in a low tone.

    "Now, say it once more. Kimchi stew is?"

    "A¡­ s-sacred existence."

    Han TaeHyun said while trembling.

    KangWoo frowned as if he didn''t like how he¡¯d said it.

    "Your voice is too low."

    "The k-kimchi stew is a sacred existence!"

    "There''s no soul in what you''re saying!"

    "The kimchi-stew! Is a sacred! Existence!"

    "Louder! As if you were praying to a god! As if you were a man confessing your love to a girl! Shout it with more emotion!"

    "THE KIMCHI STEW!!! IS A SACRED EXISTENCE! AAAHHH!"

    ¡ªA scream that was closer to a cry.

    But it still didn''t have the tone KangWoo wanted.

    He shouted while shaking his head.

    "This isn''t the sound! It''s stillcking!! Turn it up seven octaves!!"

    "Kimchi-stew!! Coff! Cough! Cough!"

    Han TaeHyun, who was forcibly raising his voice, ended up coughing.

    A killing intent began spreading through KangWoo''s body.

    "What are you doing? Can''t you do it properly?"

    "I¡­ I''m sorry!"

    "Do it one more!! Louder!! Squeeze your soul out!!"

    "THE KIMCHI STEEEEWWWW!! IS A SACRED EXISTENCEEEE!!"

    Han TaeHyun squeezed everything he had and said it while crying.

    KangWoo finally seemed satisfied with the answer. He gave a pat on his shoulder.

    "Sob, sob, sniff¡­"

    Han TaeHyun began crying.

    He opened his mouth while his face was covered in tears and snot.

    "Just what''s wrong with this crazy bastard¡­ Sob sob."

 Chapter 8: Demon Kings Rage (3)

    "Sob, sob, sniff."

    Han TaeHyun''s sorrowful cry spread throughout the house.

    ''Why did I have to meet a guy like that?''

    If he''d been beaten up by someone who looked like one of the superheroes that appeared in novels or manhwas, he wouldn''t have felt so frustrated.

    But the one who had one-sidedly beaten him up, more than a hero, was someone close to a viin.

    ''The kimchi stew viin¡­''

    Han TaeHyun looked at him with eyes full of resentment.

    KangWooughed after taking a glimpse at his expression.

    "Why? Do you think I look like a crazy guy obsessed with kimchi stew?"

    "N-no. Not at all!"

    After hearing KangWoo''s sharp remark, he quickly shook his head.

    With deep, sunken eyes, KangWoo kept talking.

    "You¡­ You just don''t know."

    There was no way he would know.

    ¡ªWith what sorts of feelings and thoughts he had spent the past ten thousand years.

    Demons didn''t have the concept of lifespan.

    Even if they don''t eat or drink, they can live forever.

    After he¡¯d acquired demonic energy, he¡¯d be an existence close to the demons. And just like them, the concept of lifespan had vanished for him.

    But¡­

    He still had a human side left.

    The senses of the head and the body still remembered the pleasures of eating and drinking.

    But those things that he craved for didn''t exist at all in the Hell of Nine Skies.

    That was because most demons didn''t need what he was craving.

    But it was also impossible for him to give up on those desires.

    A demon''s body made it impossible for you to give up on desires. It also blocked your mind from going crazy.

    That was why he could remain sane while living for more than ten thousand years, and it was also why demons kept fighting endlessly for all eternity.

    Living the life of a demon while being a human was like being tortured for all eternity.

    ¡ªYour desires couldn''t be fulfilled.

    ¡ªYour thirst could not be quenched.

    The reason why Hell really did feel like Hell to him wasn''t because of the eternally burning fire or the destend.

    ¡ªThat ce was Hell to him because there was nothing that interested him in it.

    "You just don''t understand how happy your current lifestyle is."

    It was the same as people not realizing how thankful they should be for the air.

    Although humans would die in a few seconds without air, no one was thankful for it each time they breathed.

    One craved the normal things only when they ceased to be normal.

    "Ugh. I¡­ I''m sorry! I was wrong!"

    Han TaeHyun couldn''t understand the meaning behind his words.

    But rightthen, he couldn''t do anything but ask for forgiveness.

    "Okay, I''ll forgive you."

    KangWoo said that and grabbed Han TaeHyun by the cor.

    "D-don''t kill me!"

    "Don''t worry. I won''t kill you."

    It wasn''t because of sympathy or that he hated the idea of murdering someone.

    There was only one reason why he was letting Han TaeHyun live:

    ''Things could get bothersome.''

    If it were Hell, things would''ve been different. But on Earth, killing another person was a crime.

    Of course, sending him off could create trouble for him in the future, so he had thought of something.

    "Th-thank you!"

    After hearing that he wasn''t going to kill him, Han TaeHyun bowed with hopeful eyes.

    KangWoo smirked while looking at him.

    "Dying would''ve been better for you."

    "¡­?"

    "Well, you''re soon going to find out."

    After saying that, KangWoo''s demonic energy began pouring out.

    Authority of Fear¡­

    It was Oroba''s Authority. It imprinted fear on the target''s soul. That way, the target would be a puppet that couldn¡¯t even fathom the idea of going against him.

    It wasn''t an Authority that used a lot of demonic energy, but it had quite harsh pre-requisites.

    ''It''s hard to create an extreme state of fear.''

    Printing fear in the soul of some wasn''t an easy task.

    It was impossible to use it unless the difference in power with the opponent was clear.

    But if you could use it, the effect worked like a charm.

    "Ah, aah¡­"

    Because of the Authority of Fear, the fear Han TaeHyun was feeling had deepened.

    He pissed in his pants and looked at KangWoo with a nk expression on his face.

    "You''ll have to live forever while feeling those emotions."

    KangWoo smiled like looking at the trembling Han TaeHyun.

    "N-no¡­" Han TaeHyun said while squeezing out what he had left of reason.

    KangWoo shrugged his shoulders and, with a light tone, continued speaking.

    "This isn''t a world you can live in just by doing things you like."

    The words that Han TaeHyun had said to Han Seol-ah¡­

    Those words had be a sharp arrow ande back at him.

    "Then go. And don''t tell anyone about what happened here."

    KangWoo waved his hand as if he were annoyed.

    TaeHyun had be his puppet.

    * * *

    Even if he were tortured, he probably wouldn''t be able to say anything about what had happened that day.

    Han TaeHyun stood up while making a nk expression on his face and went out of the home with staggering steps.

    After looking at him step outside, Han Seol-ah walked toward KangWoo.

    She bowed to KangWoo.

    "Thank you. If it weren''t for you¡­ I wouldn''t have been able to stop Oppa."

    He was the one who''d saved her life from the goblins.

    And on top of that, he''d saved both her and her mother from Han TaeHyun, who had been bothering them for many years, so she wasn''t sure how to repay him.

    She thought that simply saying thanks wasn''t enough.

    "I''ll try my best¡­ So I can repay your generosity."

    She said with a sincere voice tone while bowing.

    KangWoo smiled while looking at her.

    "First, let''s clean."

    The house had be a mess because of KangWoo and Han TaeHyun''s fight.

    "Oh, if it''s cleaning, I''ll¡­"

    "It''s going to be faster if we do it together."

    After saying that, KangWoo began cleaning the house, and Han Seol-ah followed him.

    While they were cleaning, she carefully asked:

    "Now that I think about it, where do you live?"

    "Ah."

    A short exmation came out of KangWoo''s mouth at her sudden question.

    ''Now that I think about it, the room where I used to live has probably disappeared.''

    He hadn''t paid rent for five years, so there was probably another person living at the ce where he used to.

    It was then that KangWoo realized that he had no ce to sleep.

    ''I''ll have to get a ce to live first.''

    He wasn''t that worried.

    He now had a strength that couldn''t bepared to his past self.

    With his current strength, it shouldn''t be hard to get a ce to live.

    "Because of things that happened, I don''t have a ce to stay at the moment."

    "Does that mean¡­?"

    "Well, I''m homeless for the moment," KangWoo said while shrugging.

    Han Seol-ah was immersed in thoughts.

    "Then¡­"

    Han Seol-ah, blushing slightly, carefully opened her mouth.

    "U-until you get a home¡­ Do you want to stay in our house?" She asked nervously with her fists clenched.

    The truth was that what she was doing was something unreasonable.

    Although she was indebted to KangWoo, they''d only known for a few hours. That''s why someone sane wouldn''t say something like that.

    ''I know it.''

    But she wanted to know more about the man named Oh KangWoo.

    She wanted to know who he was, what kind of life he''d lived until then.

    To be blunt, she was a little bit interested in him.

    "Hoo."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    He didn''t even need to think about it.

    There probably wasn''t a better ce for him to stay for him to get used to living on Earth than there.

    Because of her financial situation, he wouldn''t be able to livefortably, but that really didn''t matter to him.

    ''I can earn money myself.''

    If strength was the most important thing in Hell, money was the most important thing on Earth.

    In a capitalist society, money was an entity simr to a god.

    "Okay. Then I''ll be in your care for a little bit."

    "Ah."

    Han Seol-ah''s pale face became bright again. It was because she knew that her behavior wasn''t normal.

    "Then I''ll be in your care Ms. Seol-ha."

    "N-no. I''ll be in your care!"

    Han Seol-ah bowed while shaking hands with KangWoo.

    "You can use the room Oppa used before."

    "Okay."

    After nodding, he went to the room she''d indicated.

    ''First, I need to take care of two things.''

    He needed to increase the amount of demonic energy he had avable and earn some money for spending in daily life.

    Among the hundreds of Authorities he had avable, many were useful even outside of battle.

    To livefortably from then on, he had to be able to use all the different Authorities he had freely. To do that, he needed to increase the amount of demonic energy he had ess to.

    ''In the future, I could get involved with more guys like Han TaeHyun.''

    In the case of Han TaeHyun, because his battle sense was so bad, he could easily win despite his stats being lower than his.

    But because his Ten Thousand Demon Core had been sealed, he would probably have trouble fighting against someone with a higher level and better skills than Han TaeHyun.

    Increasing his demonic energy was his number one priority at the moment.

    ''And then, money.''

    He''d learned from the inte that yers earned money by hunting monsters.

    "Ms. Seol-ah, do you have a mana stone with you?"

    "Oh, yeah. I don''t have that many, but I have a few E-rank ones."

    "Could I take a look?"

    "Of course."

    Han Seol-ah nodded and took out a mana stone from her bag that was emitting white light.

    While looking at it, he remembered the inte article.

    ''They said that the closer it''s to a ck color, the highest rank it has.''

    It was the same with the gate.

    The lowest rank a gate could have was F, and those had a white color. The higher the gate''s rank was, the closer its color became to ck.

    The higher ranked a mana stone was, the higher amount of mana it had inside, and thus, you could sell it for a higher price.

    Most yers earned an ie by selling the mana stones they obtained by hunting.

    After grabbing the E-ranked mana stone, KangWoo closed his eyes.

    He focused his attention on the content inside the mana stone.

    ''I can''t feel demonic energy inside them.''

    KangWoo remembered when he¡¯d used the Authority of Predation on the goblin''s corpse.

    Although it was a very little amount, goblins had some demonic energy.

    KangWoo thought that they probably had the demonic energy inside the mana stone, but it seemed like he was wrong.

    The energy inside the mana stone wasn''t demonic energy, but the energy called mana.

    ''Then¡­ where is the demonic energy stored?''

    He hadn''t checked that out before because he never thought that monsters would''ve had demonic energy inside them.

    ''I''ll also have to check this out.''

    But the most important thing wasn''t figuring out where the monsters stored demonic energy.

    What mattered was that they had demonic energy and mana stones, which could be sold for a profit.

    Just by hunting, he could achieve his two goals.

    "Ms. Seol-ha, is there a yer Management Office near here?"

    "Since we''re it the outskirts of Seoul, there''s none around here. You''ll have to go to the city center."

    "I see. Could I ask you to take me there?"

    "I was nning on going there already, so yes. Sure."

    Han Seol-ah answered while nodding.

    "Ms. Seol-ha too?"

    "Yes. After today''s incident, I realized how hasty I was. Although it may take some more time¡­ I''m going to enter a gate after receiving the basic education."

    In Korea, there was a system in ce that supported yers and helped them level up safely until they reached level 10 and unlocked the 2nd awakening.

    Although they said it was in ce to support new yers, its cost was quite high. That''s why most yers from humble families didn''t take it.

    But she¡¯d realized that entering a gate without the 2nd awakening was likemitting suicide.

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed at her words.

    ''Should I help her?''

    With his strength, it shouldn''t be hard to increase Han Seol-ah''s level.

    Although his level was lower than hers, he had all the battle experience he had gained throughout thest 10 thousand years and all sorts of Authorities.

    Hunting with someone else wasn''t a burden to him.

    ''No.''

    After thinking about it, he shook his head.

    ''The efficiency of the hunt will drop.''

    Maybe they could hunt togetherter on. But right then, with her current abilities, he had more to lose than gain.

    ''I don''t need to build a party or use a strategy that bothers me.''

    It was true that he had good feelings toward Han Seol-ah.

    She was the first human he met aftering back to Earth. And not only that, but she was also the woman who had prepared the food he''d been craving for a long time.

    But that was no reason to carry her around.

    ''I need to differentiate things.''

    He was a calcting person.

    No, to be more precise, ten thousand years in Hell had made him be like that.

    He used to be at the bottom of the food chain while in Hell. For someone as weak as he used to be to survive, he¡¯d had no other choice but became someone calctive.

    Of course, after time went on and he had devoured tons of demons with his Authority of Predation, he¡¯d gone up in the food chain, but habits engraved in one''s soul don''t disappear.

    ''I''m going to think about it after recovering my strength.''

 Chapter 9: The Magi Project (1)

    "Here''s your re-issued ID."

    "¡­"

    He went to the nearby district office before going to the yer Management Office. There, he looked at the receptionist, disappointed.

    ''I can''t believe no one reported that I was missing.''

    He was thinking about how he should exin the five years he went missing when the receptionist gave him a new one.

    Although he''d disappeared from Earth for five years, no one had reported that he went missing.

    ''Did no one notice that I disappeared?''

    Or maybe it was simply that no one cared about him.

    KangWoo looked at the ID bitterly.

    He realized what a lonely life he''d lived in the past.

    ''But it''s going to be different now.''

    He had no intentions of living the same way as before.

    He grabbed the ID and went where he''d promised to meet Han Seol-ah.

    "Oh, did youe, Mr. KangWoo?"

    "Yes."

    "Fufu, then let''s go."

    Han Seol-ah led the way, and KangWoo followed her.

    * * *

    [Next station is Seoul Station, Seoul Station.]

    "Mr. KangWoo, we''ve arrived."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo didn''t reply to her because he was lost for words.

    "Woah."

    KangWoo eximed in surprise.

    He excitedly looked at the huge crowd walking around the station.

    ''This is a city!''

    Where Han Seol-ah lived was a littleckluster to call it a city, but exiting that station really felt like you were in the middle of the city.

    After following Han Seol-ah out of the station, KangWoo was once again surprised.

    <em>Vroom-!</em>

    Car smoke was everywhere.

    High-rise buildings and asphalt roads.

    Busy people were walking somewhere.

    "I returned."

    After seeing that familiar scene, he finally realized that he had really returned to Earth.

    "Mr. KangWoo, that ce is the Seoul yer Management Office."

    "Oh, yes."

    KangWoo turned his head toward where Han Seol-ah was pointing to. KangWoo couldn''t believe what his eyes were seeing.

    ''Incheon Airport?''

    The building she''d pointed to was so big that it reminded him of the Incheon Airport.

    He couldn''t believe that they''d built such a massive building in the middle of Seoul. It¡¯d probably cost a ridiculous amount of money to build.

    ''This just shows how important yers are for society, right?''

    The situation was understandable since yers were the ones who were protecting Earth from being destroyed.

    "Then I''ll go and enroll in the basic education course. I think the first lesson is a theory one, so I will probably get homete."

    "Then I''ll see you at home."

    "Yes, Mr. KangWoo."

    After waving her hand, Han Seol-ah went to enroll in the basic education course.

    After parting ways with her, KangWoo walked toward the ce in charge of registering new yers.

    The process didn''t take long.

    After checking out the ID a few times, the receptionist spoke in a robotic voice.

    "Then please move to the test room."

    "Okay, thanks."

    KangWoo grabbed the ticket from the receptionist and turned around.

    Many people were waiting in front of the test room.

    "Hello? Mom? Yes, I''m in front of the test room. Once I get the license, I''ll immediately enroll in the basic education program. Just wait for a little bit. I''ll definitely be sessful and receive offers from big guilds."

    "Excuse me, what rank attribute did you get on the 1st awakening?"

    "I got D rank."

    "Woah, but it''s still quite high. Maybe you''ll get a B rank on the 2nd awakening."

    "Haha, butpared to Baek KangHyun and Chae YeonJoo, it''s nothing."

    "Those people got S rank on the 1st awakening. They can''t bepared to us."

    "Have you heard of Nam KiTae?"

    "The person who got S rank on the 5th awakening and was immediately scouted by Hanul Guild?"

    "Yes, I was really jealous. I honestly don''t expect to get such rank on the 1st or 2nd awakening. But if I could get thatter on¡­"

    "Then your life would take a 180-degree turn."

    KangWoo silently listened to what they were saying.

    ''It seems like the rank of the attribute is definitely important.''

    You unlocked a different attribute every 10 levels.

    The rank of that attribute equaled the rank of the yer.

    The rank you obtained on a low level was especially important.

    The reason was that yers with a low-rank attribute struggled at leveling up, so there was a huge chance that they wouldn''t be able to awaken further.

    If you managed to re-awaken, the chances of getting a higher-ranked attribute increased, but most wouldn''t be able to get that chance.

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo opened his status window and read his 1st awakening attribute.

    "??? rank attribute."

    * * *

    It said there was no way to know the ranking of his attribute.

    ''Is it because it¡¯s beyond the norm?''

    He didn''t know how strong S, SS, or even SSS ranks were, but he was sure they couldn''t bepared to his Authority of Predation.

    ''It''s an OP Authority indeed.''

    The best part of the Authority of Predation was that it allowed him to keep growing indefinitely.

    And thanks to it, KangWoo had reached a point no demon could reach.

    ''Although I¡¯m not at that point anymore.''

    He wasn''t worried.

    Although his Authority of Predation had been sealed, he still had ways of gathering demonic energy.

    Once he gathered more demonic energy, it should be possible for him to recover his old strength.

    ''No, if I use this yer''s or whatever''s strength maybe¡­''

    He would be able to surpass his old self.

    "Mr. Oh KangWoo."

    "Yes."

    KangWoo entered the test room.

    Inside the test room, there were lots of white testing orbs, and in front of them, many nervous yers had their hands on top of them.

    A woman wearing round sses approached KangWoo.

    "You need to ce your hand here, then activate your power. Depending on the rank of the attribute, the color will change."

    "How does it change?"

    "It''s the same as gates. The higher the ranking, the darker the color will be."

    KangWoo nodded at her words.

    ''How will it be represented?''

    His attribute ranking was outside the norm, so he was curious about what reaction it would show.

    ''Well, I guess details don''t matter.''

    He wasn''t the type who hid his strength and tried to receive as little attention as possible.

    On the contrary, he was the type of person who stepped up when needed.

    Without hesitating, he ced his hand on the orb.

    "You got F rank."

    ''Huh?''

    After checking that the color had barely changed, the woman said that with a dull voice while writing something.

    KangWoo tilted his head at the unexpected result.

    ''Is it because it''s sealed?''

    There was no way to know.

    Was it because his strength couldn''t be measured because it was outside of the norm?

    ''Well, it can''t be helped.''

    There was no way to change the results.

    He clicked his tongue. He would''ve preferred them to bring a monster and make him fight against it.

    "yers with a rank lower than D will receive an E-rank yer ID. With this, you can enter gates that are in a simr category. You''ll need permission to enter one with a higher ranking."

    "What can I do to increase my ranking?"

    "If you do the basic education course, you''ll immediately be ced in D rank. Except for that, you''ll need to sell more than a certain amount of mana stones."

    "Okay."

    "Then, please, wait at the counter. I''ll immediately get you your ID. Oh, if you want to do the basic education course, you''ll have to apply for it separately."

    "It''s okay."

    He had no intentions of receiving a basic education course.

    He could easily kill goblins with his current amount of demonic energy.

    ''It''s just a waste of time.''

    He heard that they taught you the basics you needed to know to fight, but that had no meaning to him.

    He had all the experience he had gained while fighting for ten thousand years, so he did not intend to do the basic education course and waste money.

    KangWoo turned around and left the testing room.

    The woman with the round sses sighed while looking at KangWoo leaving the testing room.

    ''It seems like he doesn''t have any talent at all.''

    Even considering it was the 1st awakening, almost no one got an F.

    The average was E. Sometimes, people got lucky and got a D rank.

    ''He isn''t going to receive the basic education course?''

    Just getting an F rank was awful, but if on top of that, you didn''t receive the basic education course, the oue of it was obvious.

    ''He''s probably going to die as soon as he enters the gate.''

    Almost no party epted an F-rank yer.

    If that happened, most people would try to reach the 2nd or even 3rd awakening by hunting alone. And thus, they ended up dying while hunting alone inside the gate.

    "Oof."

    She let out a sigh.

    ''It''s better not being a yer at all than being an F-rank one.''

    It was sad living while doing a desk job in a world where you never knew when it would end, but it was still better than being an F-rank yer whose death was almost assured.

    "Hmm¡­?"

    At that moment, she saw something in the crystal orb that¡¯d been used to test Oh KangWoo.

    "What''s happening?"

    The crystal orb started to darken.

    From white to a light grey, and from a light grey to grey.

    And finally¡­

    It became pitch ck.

    "Did it break?"

    She''d never seen the color change by itself.

    She looked at the crystal orb with a confused expression on her face.

    Crack-!

    The surface of the pitch-ck crystal ball began breaking.

    After a short while, the crystal orb KangWoo had touched shattered into pieces.

    "Ugh¡­ It was definitely broken."

    After looking a the shattered crystal orb, she put an expression that seemed to be saying, ¡°as expected¡±.

    ''There''s no way he could have gotten a ck attribute ranking.''

    Even Baek KangHyun, who¡¯d gotten an S-rank on the 1st awakening, had only managed to turn the orb into a slightly intense grey.

    But this wasn''t grey, but a pitch-ck.

    ording to the records, it was something that had never happened.

    "Oof. Next person, please wait for a little bit!"

    She grabbed the broken crystal orb and yelled.

 Chapter 10: The Magi Project (2)

    "We''re looking for a healer! We only ept people whose attribute is D-rank or higher!"

    "Tanker! Is there any tanker here?"

    "I''m¡­ a rogue¡­"

    "Oh, sorry. But we don''t ept rogues."

    Many yers were looking for a party in front of an E-rank gate located on the outskirts of Seoul.

    ''I wonder what''s wrong with rogues.''

    KangWoo remembered that he''d heard something simr before.

    Usually, gate hunting was done in parties, so it seemed like there was a certain formation that yers liked.

    ''Well, either way, I don''t really care.''

    Since he was nning to hunt alone, none of those things mattered to him.

    KangWoo presented the ID he had just received.

    "Okay, confirmed."

    ''Are all soldiers like this?''

    Once again, the soldier controlling the gate barely looked at his ID.

    KangWoo thought that, even without using the Authority of Blind, he would be able to enter just by showing his middle finger.

    <em>Whir-</em>

    ''I still don''t like how this feels.''

    What he felt while crossing the gate reminded him of the day he¡¯d fallen into the Hell of Nine Skies.

    After crossing the gate, KangWoo was about to enter the forest to hunt.

    "Hey, mister, are you alone?"

    At that moment, he heard someone with a hoarse voice calling him.

    KangWoo turned his head around in the direction of that voice.

    There he saw a man with a giant shield who was with two other people.

    ''Is he a bear?''

    He was definitely a person, but he looked like a bear.

    "Yes, I''m alone."

    "Are you nning to hunt alone?"

    KangWoo nodded.

    The man swallowed a short sigh and kept talking.

    "Have you done the 2nd awakening?"

    "No."

    "Oof. It seems like you haven''t received the basic education. Are you perhaps an F-rank? If so, don''t hunt alone. Although goblins are small and look weak, they are still monsters."

    He said in a worried tone of voice.

    "If you''re nning to hunt alone because you can''t get a party, join us for a little bit and at least check out how they look and then go."

    "Mr. TaeSoo, why did you decide that on your own?"

    "That''s right. If he''s an F-rank, he probably won''t be of help. So just leave him alone."

    "Jeez! Don''t you know what situation this mister is in?!"

    He shouted while distorting his face. The party members who were intimidated by his energy shuddered.

    "We''re saving the life of a person. If you really don''t want to, I''ll give up on my mana stones. So let''s make him join our party."

    "Sigh."

    "Well, as long as he doesn''t bother us¡­"

    After hearing that he wouldn''t take his cut, the rest clicked their tongues and nodded.

    TaeSoo looked at them pitifully and then turned around to KangWoo.

    "My name is Kang TaeSoo. Mister, what''s your name?"

    "My name is Oh KangWoo."

    "Haha, you can talk to mefortably. I may not look like it, but I''m 24 years old.

    ''Don''t lie.''

    At first nce, TaeSoo looked like someone who was over 30, so KangWoo naturally thought he was lying.

    "Hmm? You don''t believe me? Check this out! I was born in the year 2000! I, Kang TaeSoo, was born at the beginning of the new millennium!"

    It seemed like he''d gone through the same situation many times, so he shouted while showing him his yer ID.

    ''Woah¡­ He''s 24 with that face?''

    KangWoo couldn''t believe that Kang TaeSoo really was 24 years old.

    ''Was he cursed?''

    KangWoo grinned and then shook his head.

    "Then I''ll speakfortably to you."

    "Haha, you''re fast, mister. How about that? Join our party as an experience, don''t feel burdened by it."

    "Thank you, but I''m okay. It''s not like I was nning to wander around mindlessly."

    KangWoo said it with a very calm voice.

    TaeSoo swallowed a deep breath.

    "Well, if you say so, I guess there''s nothing to do. But be careful. If you happen to see a big green goblin, run. That''s a monster called the Hobgoblin, which is the boss of this area."

    "Thanks for the information."

    "Then stay safe!"

    After turning around, TaeSoo went to the forest with the other two party members.

    KangWoo smiled after looking at his back.

    ''He''s a good guy.''

    Although he was a bit quirky, he wanted to help him by even giving up on his loot.

    If he really were a newbie F-rank yer, TaeSoo would have been of great help.

    "I should get going."

    KangWoo turned around with a lighter step.

    Walking through the forest, KangWoo saw a group of goblins.

    "Kiiieeekkk!!"

    ''There seems to be around five of them.''

    <em>sh-</em>

    KangWoo focused the demonic energy on his left hand, and a ck sword appeared.

    <em>Stomp-!</em>

    While moving as fast as a predator, KangWoo leaped toward the goblins.

    Although they were an object of fear for most people, in KangWoo''s eyes, they were nothing but food that increased his demonic energy.

    "Kiiieeekkk!!"

    <em>Crack-! sh-!</em>

    * * *

    The sword made of demonic energy crushed the goblins¡¯ necks.

    KangWoo had killed more than 10 goblins in the blink of an eye. Killing five wasn''t even good enough to warm up.

    "Kiieekk!! Kureuk!"

    "Kurrr¡­"

    "Easy, as expected."

    It felt like fighting against a scarecrow.

    While feeling bored, KangWoo killed thest remaining goblin.

    After making a chilling sound, the goblin''s head rolled on the ground.

    Ting-.

    [You''ve sessfully killed a Goblin, an E-rank monster.]

    [You''ve gained experience.]

    [Your level has increased to 4.]

    [Your Demonic Energy has increased by 1.]

    ''Level up.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    He was too distracted the first time he¡¯d leveled up, so he hadn¡¯t paid attention to the changes.

    KangWoo opened his status window and checked his current stats.

    [Status Window]

    yer: Oh KangWoo

    Level: 4 [1st Awakening]

    1st Awakening Attribute: Authority of Predation (Rank: ???) * Most of the characteristics of the Authority are sealed.

    Strength: 9

    Agility: 10

    Vitality: 8

    Magic Power: 0

    Demonic Energy (Unique Stat): 14

    Intelligence: 8

    Wisdom: 7

    ''Interesting.''

    The status window, which reminded him of a game, surprised him no matter how many times he looked at it.

    The thing that interested him the most was the stat increase.

    ''My demonic energy really went up.''

    It wasn''t like he had used his Authority of Predation or the seal on the Ten Thousand Demon Core had gotten weaker.

    As if something had been created out of nothing, with the increase of his stats, the amount of demonic energy he had increased as well.

    "This means I can also obtain demonic energy by leveling up."

    There was one more reason to hunt monsters.

    KangWoo approached the corpses of the monsters.

    ''I''ve already checked that they don''t have demonic energy in the mana stones.''

    He had to check out where they conserved demonic energy inside their bodies.

    "Predation."

    KangWoo used Predation to devour the goblin''s corpse.

    ck energy came out from his body and covered the goblin''s corpse.

    <em>Squish-!</em>

    There was a cold sound of skin being torn and bone being chewed.

    KangWoo didn''t eat the mana stone on purpose and began eating the other parts one by one.

    Once again, he could feel a little bit of demonic energy entering his body.

    He closed his eyes and tried to sense where the demonic energy wasing from.

    After trying to find out for a while where the demonic energy wasing from, he realized something.

    ''It''sing from all over the body.''

    To be more precise, it wasing from the monster''s soul that was inside the body.

    There was a soul inside the body of a monster that had just died.

    And the demonic energy wasing from the soul inside the body.

    "Then¡­"

    That meant if he used Authority of Predation on a monster he¡¯d just killed, he could obtain more demonic energy.

    "Nice."

    From what he¡¯d heard, he could also obtain money by selling some parts of the monster''s body, but the main source of ie was the mana stone.

    He was willing to give up on selling the monster''s bodies to gather more demonic energy.

    After clearing out the goblin''s corpses using Predation, he picked up an E-rank magic stone the size of a finger and put it in his bag.

    ''It feels like I''ve finished up a fried chicken and only bones were left.''

    ¡ªThat was how he felt after obtaining a mana stone after devouring the monster''s corpse.

    ''Talking about chicken, I want to eat chicken.''

    He drooled at the sudden thought that came into his mind.

    Kimchi stew was good, but now that he thought about fried chicken, he really wanted to eat it.

    ''A freshly fried chicken with a cold beer¡­''

    Just thinking about it gave him chills.

    ''Should I go now?''

    He was tempted to go out after thinking of the chicken, but he shook his head.

    "I should keep hunting."

    The demonic energy stacking project had just begun.

    He really wanted to eat chicken, but he couldn''t go back after killing just five goblins.

    ''I should take Ms. Seol-ahter on and go to eat chicken.''

    While thinking about food, KangWoo began walking through the forest again.

    ''That?''

    After getting deep inside the forest, he saw a badly built house.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone and approached the ce where houses were gathered around.

    "Kiieekk."

    "Krrrr."

    In the ce where there were the badly built houses, there were tens of goblins.

    A Monster Hideout¡­

    It was the number one ce newbie yers should avoid.

    Inside a monster hideout, there were lots of different monsters. Not only that, but there was a chance that a boss monster would appear.

    Basically, if you weren''t careful, even if you were with a party, you could end up dying.

    But¡­

    "Jackpot!"

    KangWoo shouted after looking at the tens of monsters.

    The ce that was the object of fear for most yers looked like a goldennd full of riches to him.

    ''Good.''

    Many goblins gathered around meant he could obtain many mana stones and tons of demonic energy at once.

    Clearing the corpses would give him demonic energy, and he could sell the remaining mana stone for a profit.

    The important thing was that he could sell the mana stones for a profit.

    ''Very nice.''

    It was obvious, but once he had money, he''d be able to buy what he was craving.

    There was only one thing he wanted at that moment:

    "Fried chicken, I''ming for yoouuuu!!!"

    While drooling, KangWoo leaped toward the monster hideout.

    "Half-fried and half-seasoned! Also, please give me a lot of radish!!"

    He shouted as if he''d already entered a chicken restaurant while smashing the head of a goblin with his ck sword.

 Chapter 11: The Magi Project (3)

    "Ha¡­"

    A rough breath emerged from KangWoo''s mouth.

    There were tens of goblin corpses around him.

    "Oof."

    KangWoo tried to calm down and stood up. He dismissed the de he had been maintaining for a while.

    ''As expected, with more monsters, it got harder.''

    He''d struggled quite a lot, considering how confidently he leaped toward them while shouting about fried chicken.

    First, there were a lot of them, and because they moved as a group, he couldn''t mindlessly deal with them.

    But the biggest problem was that, because his Ten Thousand Demon Core had been sealed, his constitution had weakened.

    He¡¯d quickly consumed his already low amount of demonic energy, and that made him consume quite a bit of energy.

    After killing thest five goblins, he¡¯d even struggled to maintain the Authority.

    ''But still¡­''

    KangWoo smiled while looking at the corpses of the goblins around him.

    "I was able to kill a lot of them."

    He¡¯d struggled quite a bit, but the result was positive.

    ''My level has also increased.''

    After clearing up the monster hideout, his level had increased by four and gone up to 8.

    ''Although the demonic energy stat hasn''t increased.''

    They said, that once you level up, random stats were increased by one to three points.

    He didn''t know if it was because he was unlucky or there was some sort of rule, but all other skills except the one he needed the most had increased.

    ''Well, I guess it doesn''t matter. I can increase demonic energy with Authority of Predation.''

    Other yers may have felt disappointed if the stat they needed the most hadn''t increased, but that wasn''t his case.

    He had a cheat skill that allowed him to increase his main stat without leveling up.

    "Predation."

    Dark energy came out from his body and spread through the surroundings.

    The Authority of Predation began eating the goblins that were closest to him.

    <em>Crunch-! Crunch-!</em>

    ''If I had enough demonic energy, I would be able to use the Authority of Predation as an offensive attack¡­''

    The biggest strength of Authority of Predation was its ability to devour the corpses of enemies, but it wasn''t the only possible usage.

    With enough demonic power, he could also use it inbat.

    Since it was an Authority he had used for ten thousand years, he knew how to use it very well.

    ''I still need more demonic energy before I can use it offensively.''

    With a somewhat disappointed expression, KangWoo devoured all the goblin corpses around him.

    [Your demonic energy has increased by 2.]

    ''Good.''

    It was a small amount, but after feeling that his demonic energy had increased, KangWoo smiled.

    Stacking demonic energy little by little like that reminded him of the early days when he had just fallen to Hell.

    Back then, just like he was doing right now, he¡¯d gained strength by devouring the weakest monsters of Hell.

    ''But I''m different than the me from back then.''

    When he had just fallen to Hell, he didn''t have time to rx.

    He desperately moved by following his natural desire to survive.

    But it was different now.

    He knew what to do to get stronger and faster more effectively.

    It was like ying a game that you had already cleared.

    The speed at which he was getting stronger couldn''t bepared to before.

    ''My current demonic energy stat is 16.''

    He didn''t know the stat of other yers on a simr level, but he was sure that it wasn''t low.

    "This is just the beginning."

    KangWoo sat on top of a goblin''s house that¡¯d been destroyed from the fighting and rested a bit.

    For the moment, it was just goblin hunting, but once he got stronger, he would probably be able to hunt in gates with a higher rank.

    Then he would be able to gather more demonic energy and thus recover his old strength faster.

    ''I''m sure goblins aren''t the only monsters with demonic energy.''

    Since he hadn''t faced any other types of monsters after returning to Earth, he felt slightly anxious, but he thought that the chances of that being true were low.

    <em>Rustle-</em>

    "Krrrrr."

    "Hmm?"

    While KangWoo was deeply immersed in thoughts, he heard a monster approach while making a ferocious cry.

    KangWoo frowned after hearing a sound different from a regr goblin.

    A giant goblin with brown skin emerged from the bushes.

    Unlike the normal goblins that were around 150 centimeters, the height of that one was nearly two meters.

    KangWoo remembered what he had heard from TaeSoo.

    "I see, so that''s a hobgoblin."

    He had found it weird that the boss was nowhere to be seen while clearing up the monster hideout. It seemed like he had just gone out for a moment.

    ''I''m d.''

    He wasn''t sure how strong the hobgoblin was, but if he''d fought against it while trying to deal with the tens of goblins, he would''ve struggled quite a lot.

    Because time had passed, KangWoo had recovered demonic energy, so he created another de made of demonic energy.

    "GRRRRR!!!"

    <em>Stomp-! Stomp-!</em>

    * * *

    After seeing that his hideout was destroyed, the hobgoblin angrily approached KangWoo.

    Unlike the rusty knives that most goblins had, the hobgoblin had a grand sword with him.

    And¡­

    ''Mana?''

    He could feel a bit of mana on the hobgoblin¡¯s grand sword.

    ''So monsters can use mana too?''

    The mana stone was their core, so it wasn''t weird that they could control mana.

    KangWoo lifted his left hand and blocked the hobgoblin''s violent smash.

    <em>Bang-!</em>

    "Ugh¡­"

    A sound simr to an explosion sounded, and KangWoo was pushed back.

    ''It seems like it''s still a bit hard to block it upfront.''

    The problem wasn''t the mana that was in the sword.

    In terms of raw power, demonic energy was stronger than mana, so that wasn''t the reason why he was pushed back.

    The reason why he was pushed back was because of the difference that there was between their specs¡ªa simple difference in strength.

    The explosive powering out from the almost two-meter-tall hobgoblin was hard to withstand, even with his strength which had been buffed with demonic energy.

    ''Then¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes sank.

    He wasn''t anxious because he couldn''t fight against it upfront.

    He was used to fighting in conditions that weren''t favorable to him.

    In the countless battles he''d gone through, there were more instances in which he didn''t have the advantage.

    "GRRRR!"

    <em>Stomp-! Bang-!</em>

    The hobgoblin kept shouting angrily after seeing that his hideout had been destroyed.

    Since monsters were also living creatures with emotions, it was normal for them to be angry in that kind of situation. Its home was destroyed, and its underlings had been killed.

    KangWoo smiled after seeing the hobgoblin approach him while blinded by rage.

    ''I''ll be able to use this.''

    KangWoo dodged the sword of the hobgoblin by a narrow margin and extended his hands toward it.

    "Authority of Range."

    It was the Authority of a demon called Crocell.

    Usually, it was used to make yourself go berserk and deal massive damage. It was mostly used as a buff.

    But KangWoo had used that Authority on the hobgoblin instead of himself.

    The movements of the hobgoblin got faster and stronger.

    Most people probably wouldn''t understand why he''d done that.

    ¡ªBecause he had just used a buff skill on the opponent rather than himself.

    "AARRGG!! GRRRR!!"

    <em>Bang-! Stomp-!</em>

    ''This isn''t really a buff.''

    KangWoo watched with cold eyes at the hobgoblin that had gone berserk.

    It was true that it had be stronger thanks to the Authority of Rage.

    But that wasn''t the point.

    <em>m-!</em>

    KangWoo was easily able to dodge the hobgoblin''s attacks.

    Now he could clearly see how the hobgoblin would move and attack.

    "GRRRR!"

    ''This is a curse.''

    KangWoo had never used the Authority of Rage on himself.

    Getting stronger by bing angrier was something that worked only in a manhwa.

    When you get angrier, your reasoning bes more diffuse, and thus your movements be simpler.

    Getting stronger didn''t mean anything.

    KangWoo was able to read all the hobgoblin''s movements easily.

    Even if you''re strong, it''s useless if you can''tnd an attack on your opponent.

    ''It''sing.''

    The hobgoblin swung the sword while making an eerie rumbling sound.

    Was it because it had lost its reason?

    That big movement was full of openings.

    KangWoo bowed and dodged the sword; then he stabbed the hobgoblin''s knees with his sword.

    "GRRRRRR!"

    The hobgoblin''s posture crumbled.

    Even while crumbling, it swung its sword toward KangWoo.

    But there was no way he would be able to deal with a powerful attack in such a position.

    A bigger opening appeared in the hobgoblin''s posture.

    <em>Stab-!</em>

    "Grrr¡­"

    KangWoo bounced back up and stabbed the hobgoblin in its chin.

    After being pierced from his chin to the top of its head, the hobgoblin began to tremble and soon copsed.

    "Oof."

    While trying to get hold of his breath that had gotten heavier, KangWoo looked down at the hobgoblin.

    ''Fighting with such an amount of demonic energy is definitely ufortable.''

    He found it annoying that he struggled so much against an opponent that wouldn''t have been a match against him before.

    "I need to hurry up and rebuild my demonic energy."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue and approached the corpse of the hobgoblin.

    He looked down at the corpse of the hobgoblin expectantly.

    ''How much demonic energy is this guy going to give me?''

    To be honest, the amount of demonic energy a goblin had was too low, so hunting them was bad in terms of efficiency.

    While it was true that even a little amount was of great help, the fact that it was a little amount didn''t change.

    Since its strength couldn''t bepared to a normal goblin''s, KangWoo expected it to give him more demonic energy. He slowly extended his hand.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>Ting-</em>

    A sound he had gotten used to rang in his ears.

    [You''ve cleared a monster''s hideout alone.]

    [You''ve obtained 150% additional experience.]

    [You''ve sessfully killed a Hobgoblin, a C-rank boss monster.]

    [Your level has gone up by 3.]

    [You''ve reached level 10 and achieved the second awakening.]

    [You''ve unlocked the 2nd awakening attribute.]

 Chapter 12: Promotion (1)

    KangWoo looked at the message that¡¯d popped up in front of him with great interest.

    ''2nd awakening, huh?''

    KangWoo opened his status window and checked out his new attribute.

    [2nd Awakening Attribute: Unfulfilled Hunger (Rank: C)]

    Effect: Absorb even more Demonic Energy from a target.

    ''This.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after reading the effect.

    The rank wasn''t high, but that wasn''t important.

    The attribute he had unlocked had the power to increase his demonic energy faster, which was what he needed the most.

    "Good."

    KangWoo was satisfied with his new attribute.

    The 1st awakening attribute was the same one he¡¯d used to have in Hell, but from the 2nd one, it began to change.

    The effects of ''Unfulfilled Hunger'' was something he didn''t have before.

    ''By using the power of a yer, I''ll be able to be stronger faster than before.''

    KangWoo smiled after feeling the fun of growing for the first time in a while.

    "Then¡­ should I check how effective the new attribute is?"

    Expectantly, KangWoo extended his hand toward the hobgoblin.

    ck smoke came out from his hand and covered the hobgoblin''s body.

    ''The smoke got thicker.''

    Was that because of the attribute?

    <em>Crunch-!</em>

    The Authority of Predation began devouring the hobgoblin¡¯s corpse.

    Just as expected, there was more demonic energy inside the hobgoblinpared to the normal goblins.

    After he had almost finished devouring the hobgoblin''s corpse, a blue message window popped in front of him.

    [Activating the effect of ''Unfulfilled Hunger.'']

    [You''ve absorbed more Demonic Energy.]

    "Oh."

    As the message window appeared, the amount of demonic energy he absorbed increased.

    The amount was between 10~20%.

    One could think that it wasn''t that much, but since it was free demonic energy, he didn''t think it was a little amount.

    ''This means that the more demonic energy a body has, the more I''ll be able to absorb.''

    Because the amount was determined by percentage and not a fixed amount, the stronger the monster he hunted, the more useful this attribute would be.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your Demonic Energy has increased by 3.]

    He had obtained more demonic energy by killing one hobgoblin than by killing tens of goblins.

    Of course, there was the effect of the attribute, but judging by the huge difference, it seemed like higher-ranking monsters had more demonic energy than lower-ranking ones.

    ''Killing higher-ranking monsters was the answer.''

    If the amount of demonic energy were smaller, horde hunting might be more effective. But judging by what had just happened, killing one higher-ranking monster was more effective.

    ''They said that the higher the stat gets, the more difficult it bes to increase. Right?''

    Increasing stats were simr to leveling up.

    Going from 1 to 2 was easy, but taking it from 10 to 11 required more effort.

    Considering that, he''d been lucky that his demonic energy stat had increased by three points just by killing one hobgoblin.

    KangWoo smiled satisfied while looking at his demonic energy stat, which had reached 19.

    ''Should I test it?''

    Compared to before, his stat had increased by five points, so he wanted to check out how much his demonic energy stat had increased.

    KangWoo closed his eyes and began feeling the demonic energy inside his body.

    "Hmm¡­?"

    He suddenly frowned while raising his demonic energy.

    Because his stat went from 14 to 19, his demonic energy should have increased 1.3 times.

    Even considering that the higher the stat became, the stronger the effect of the demonic energy became, the maximum amount of the increase should have been twice.

    But¡­

    ''Three times? No¡­ It''s more than three times.''

    The amount of demonic energy flowing inside his body couldn''t bepared to before.

    It was an amount that couldn''t be exined by the five points of stat that had increased.

    ''What''s happening?''

    He couldn''t be happy with the explosive increase of demonic energy.

    A strength you didn''t know the source of was like a ticking time bomb. An optimistic thought like, ¡°it''s good, so it doesn''t matter¡±, was dangerous.

    KangWoo stood in ce and focused his attention on his body.

    A few momentster, he noticed why his demonic energy had suddenly increased so much.

    ''The seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core has gotten weaker.''

    The unknown force that was restraining his strength had gotten weaker, and thanks to that, all his demonic energy that had been locked out was starting to leak.

    Of course, it was nothingpared to the total amount of demonic energy he had, but it was still a lotpared to before.

    ''Is it because of the awakening?''

    You unlocked a new awakening every 10 levels.

    KangWoo''s level had surpassed 10 after defeating the hobgoblin, and thanks to that, he had unlocked the 2nd awakening.

    Except for the change in the attribute, there hadn''t been any big chances. That''s why he thought that the reason why the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core had gotten weaker was because of the awakening.

    ''Every time I awaken, the seal gets weaker?''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    * * *

    If that was true, that meant that he would be able to recover his old strength just by mindlessly leveling up.

    "Hmm¡­"

    To confirm his theory, he had to reach level 20 and unlock the 3rd awakening.

    ''I need to go to higher-ranking gates.''

    The higher his level became, the harder it would be to level up, so he couldn''t keep doing goblin hunting.

    KangWoo picked up the mana stone on the floor and put it in his bag; then he walked toward the gate.

    To ess higher-ranking gates, he had to raise his rank, and to do that, he had to sell mana stones.

    ''I even killed a boss monster, so I''m sure it will go up.''

    KangWoo looked at the C-rank mana stone he had received after killing the hobgoblin. It had a darker colorpared to the E-rank mana stones.

    He had killed a group of goblins and even a hobgoblin alone, so there was no way his rank wouldn''t go up.

    After picking up all the mana stones, KangWoo walked out of the gate.

    Was it because his demonic energy had increased? He felt his steps were lighterpared to when he had entered the gate.

    ''With this amount of demonic energy, I''ll be able to use a wider variety of Authorities.''

    The fact that his options had increased made him feel good.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Speed and walked toward the mana stone exchange center.

    <em>Rumble-</em>

    "Please exchange everything with money. Also, give me a sell certificate."

    "¡­"

    The person on the counter trembled after seeing all the mana stones.

    "61 E-rank mana stones¡­ And one C-rank mana stone."

    "How much are each selling for?"

    "Without the tax, E-rank mana stones sell for 36 USD, and C-rank mana stones for 2,570 USD."

    "Interesting."

    That meant that he''d earned almost $5,000 USD.

    ''Later on, in higher-ranking gates, I¡¯ll probably be able to earn tens of thousands of dors easily.''

    He now understood why people had been paying so much attention to yers.

    "Please give me your yer ID."

    "Here it is."

    "Hmm."

    The person at the counter frowned after looking at KangWoo''s yer ID.

    "You need to give me the ID of the other party members too."

    The person working at the counter spoke with a firm voice. He didn''t believe that an E-rank yer had obtained so many mana stones alone.

    "There''s none."

    "Eh?"

    "I hunted alone."

    "You hunted all these alone?"

    KangWoo nodded after seeing clerk¡¯s surprise.

    The clerk took turns looking at the mana stones on the table and then at KangWoo.

    An E-rank yer getting that many mana stones while hunting solo wasn''t possible.

    ''He even killed the boss monster.''

    The fact that there was a C-rank mana stone among the E-rank ones meant that he had sessfully hunted the boss monster of the gate.

    ''Did he receive help?''

    From time to time, there were some people that skipped the basic education course and received help from a high-level yer.

    ''He doesn''t look like that.''

    KangWoo''s clothes didn''t look expensive. Also, it wasn''t like he had armor or weapons with a higher rank.

    In those cases, people covered themselves with high-ranking equipment and weapons before beginning to hunt at the gate.

    ''Is he someone from a rich family who wishes to hide his identity?''

    That was the only exnation he coulde up with from the fact that an F-rank yer had been able to solo an E-rank gate.

    ''Let''s not get involved with him.''

    The basic rule of the sryman was not to get involved if possible.

    "Okay. Will you receive the money from the magic stones in cash, or should I send it to your ount? As long as it''s less than 10 thousand dors, you can receive it in cash."

    "Give it to me in cash."

    KangWoo knew that the clerk didn''t believe he had hunted the gate alone, but he didn''t do anything to correct him.

    After a little while, the clerk came back with $4,766.

    After receiving the money, KangWoo walked out of the mana stone exchange center.

    ''First, I should get a cellphone.''

    In order to get used to life on Earth, having a smartphone was a must.

    After entering a shop and buying a smartphone, KangWoo called someone.

    Before going separate ways at the yer Management Office, he had received the phone number of Han Seol-ah.

    [Hello?]

    "Ah, Ms. Seol-ah, it''s me. KangWoo."

    [Oh, you bought a cellphone.]

    "Yes."

    [Fufu, I''ll save it immediately. Where are you?]

    "I''m at the mana stone exchange center."

    [Are you going to return home right now?]

    "No, there''s a ce I wanted to go, but I thought it would be good if we went together, so I called you."

    [With me¡­?]

    She asked back in surprise at the sudden invitation.

    [Where did you want to go?]

    "Ms. Seol-ah¡­"

    [Yes¡­]

    Han Seol-ah answered nervously after feeling the seriousness in KangWoo''s voice.

    She felt that he was about to say something very important.

    KangWoo spoke to her with a very serious tone.

    "Let''s go eat fried chicken."

    [¡­]

 Chapter 13: Promotion (2)

    <em>"Crunch, Crunch!"</em>

    "¡­"

    "Gluck, gluck, Oof!"

    <em>ng-</em>

    KangWoo''s body trembled after finishing a pint of beer.

    Just like how water seeped into the dry, drought-stricken ground, the beer spread throughout his body.

    ''Yes, it was this taste!

    It was a vor that made you nod.

    Fried chicken and beer.

    It was abination that one couldn''t even imagine in hell.

    "Is it delicious?"

    "Yes, it''s the best."

    "Hmm."

    Han Seol-ah narrowed her eyes as she looked at KangWoo, who was frantically eating the chicken. She spoke with a bit of an offended voice tone.

    "Is it better than my kimchi stew?"

    She knew that being jealous because of something like that was ridiculous.

    But she couldn''t help but feel a bit jealous while watching him enjoy eating chicken like that.

    "That¡­"

    You could see the doubt in KangWoo''s eyes.

    Chicken and kimchi stew¡­

    It wasn''t an easy decision to make.

    "I prefer Ms. Seol-ah''s kimchi stew."

    KangWoo answered after thinking about it for a while.

    The chicken was delicious, but his love for kimchi stew was stronger.

    "Hmm. R-really?"

    After hearing his answer, she slightly blushed. Then, with a smirk on her face, she opened her mouth.

    "I think Mr. KangWoo is a bit of a quirky person."

    He¡¯d looked like a violent beast while fighting against Han TaeHyun.

    His usual appearance was cold and calm.

    But while eating, he looked as pure as a kid.

    She couldn''t find a better word than ¡°quirky¡± to describe him.

    It was hard for her not to be interested in him.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­ Do you have any friends or family?"

    She thought that if she met people that knew KangWoo, she''d be able to hear more about him.

    "¡­"

    At her words, KangWoo took a sip of beer.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "I don''t have any."

    "Yes?"

    "I don''t have friends or family."

    "¡­"

    He''d lived his whole life alone.

    His parents had given him for adoption when he was still a baby. Aftering out of the orphanage, he¡¯d been busy working, so he hadn¡¯t had time to make friends.

    During those times, the only thing that¡¯d motivated him to keep going on was the delicious food he ate from time to time.

    He might have given up living a long time ago if it weren''t for that.

    "Then why were you at that E-rank gate¡ª"

    "One day¡­"

    KangWoo cut off her words and looked at her with deep, sunken eyes.

    "One day, I''ll exin it to you."

    There was no point in exining his situation right then. Not only was she probably not going to believe him, but even if she did, he didn''t want to tell her.

    "Okay, understood¡­" Han Seol-ah said while smiling bitterly.

    "I''m going to trust Mr. KangWoo."

    "Thanks."

    While nodding slightly, KangWoo took out an envelope and gave it to her.

    "This¡­?"

    "It''s the money that was left after buying a smartphone. It should be approximately $3,000 USD."

    "Why are you giving me this¡­"

    "I''m staying at your house, so think of this as the rent."

    "Th-that! I can''t ept this."

    Han Seol-ah shook her head.

    He had saved her life. She couldn''t ept money from him for rent.

    "You''ve spent a lot of money because of the basic education. I know that your family¡¯s situation isn''t good."

    "But¡­"

    "Don''t feel burdened by it. I''m also getting to eat delicious food every day. If you don''t feelfortable considering it as rent, think of it as the price for food ingredients."

    Objectively speaking, Han Seol-ah''s cooking skills were good.

    It would be a huge loss for him if she couldn''t show the full extent of her abilities because she didn''t have money to buy ingredients.

    "Mr. KangWoo, thank you¡­"

    Han Seol-ah epted the envelope with an expression that seemed like she was about to cry at any moment.

    She was worried about their monthly living expenses, so that envelope was equivalent to rain in the middle of a drought.

    "Fufu, tomorrow I''m going to buy better meat for the kimchi stew. It''s going to be more delicious than before."

    Han Seol-ah said it with a kind smile and put the envelope in her bag.

    "Woah¡­"

    The moment he heard the words ¡°kimchi stew¡±, KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    KangWoo was moved by those words she''d said as nothing.

    He clenched his fists while trembling.

    ''As expected, Ms. Seol-ah is an angel.''

    Preparing kimchi stew every day?

    It wasn''t something that you could do if you weren''t an angel.

    ''Let''s spend the rest of our lives together, darling!''

    A field of flowers was spread in KangWoo''s mind.

    Han Seol-ah had wings on her back and was smiling at him in that flower field.

    Warm, steaming kimchi stews were floating around her.

    An ironic scene of a demon being moved by imagining an angel and kimchi stew was happening at that moment.

    If someone that knew KangWoo''s identity saw what he was imagining, they would''ve been shocked and said it was a chaotic scene.

    "Oh yeah, Ms. Seol-ah."

    "Yes."

    "Is there a D-rank gate around here?"

    "Hmm¡­ Yes, there''s one," Han Seol-ah said while remembering.

    "What monsterse out?"

    "I haven''t been there, but they said lizardman appear in it."

    * * *

    "Lizardmen, huh?"

    It was a monster that often appeared in fantasy novels.

    ''I''ll go there tomorrow.''

    KangWoo kept talking while thinking that.

    "Is there anything you know about them? Things like habits or weak points."

    He had no intentions of rxing just because they were D-rank monsters.

    Being confident about your skills was a good thing, but being overly confident could bring you trouble.

    When you be overly confident, carelessness bes a sharp sword and cuts through your neck.

    KangWoo had been able to kill countless demons because they''d underestimated him by considering him a weak human.

    It didn''t matter if she didn''t know anything, but it was better to learn as much about the opponents as possible before hunting.

    "The weakness of lizardmen is the fire. Also¡­ They''re very sensitive to sound."

    "Sound?"

    "Yes. The lizardmen have very bad sight. They use sound to notice the presence of opponents. Parties that hunt lizardmen usually move and kill them while making as little noise as possible."

    "Interesting¡­"

    It was useful information.

    ''And their weakness is fire?''

    KangWoo thought of one of the Authorities he was now able to use thanks to his avable demonic energy increasing.

    ''Hunting is going to be easy.''

    He smiled while thinking about getting enough mana stones that would allow him to increase his yer ranking.

    "Mr. KangWoo, don''t you have to buy equipment like armors or weapons?"

    Han Seol-ah tilted her head while looking at KangWoo, who she thought was a high-level yer, but his equipment was worse than a newbie.

    "I don''t feel the need for them at the moment."

    He had the Authority of the de that he could use as a weapon. On top of that, he had tens of different defensive Authorities he could also use.

    If he bought equipment, the amount of demonic energy he used would go down, so he would be able to hunt more efficiently. But for the moment, he wasn''t doing any difficult hunting that required him to buy equipment.

    ''I can always buy equipmentter on.''

    With the amount of money yers earned, he would probably soon be able to livefortably.

    He could always buy equipment once he reached that point.

    The most important thing at the moment was leveling up.

    ''I need to unlock the 3rd awakening and check if the Ten Thousand Demon Core seal is getting weaker.''

    From what he¡¯d read, it took other yers between two to three months before they were able to unlock the third awakening, and people with lower-ranking attributes often needed up to six months. But that didn''t apply to KangWoo.

    He had a power that made it that it was impossible topare him with other yers that were at his level.

    ''It seems like I''m going to eat lizard tomorrow.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone while he was eating chicken.

    "Hmm¡­"

    "Did something happen?"

    "No, I was wondering what roast lizard tastes like."

    "¡­?"

    Did they say that consciousness goes with the flow?

    ''Now I really want to eat it.''

    KangWoo emptied the beer while thinking that he should cut and bring a lizard''s tail tomorrow.

    "One more pint, please!"

    * * *

    "Mrs. KangWoo, good luck today."

    "Thanks. Ms. Seol-ha too. Good luck on the education."

    "Fufu. Yes. I want to achieve the 2nd awakening as fast as possible so I can work as a reliable yer like you!"

    She answered with a firm voice and clenched her fists. Her eyes were shining.

    ''She''s definitely an angel.''

    KangWoo was looking at her with a smile. He turned around after a little while.

    "Then should I get going?"

    KangWoo showed the certificate he had received from the mana stone exchange center and asked for his ranking to be improved.

    After clearing out the monster hideout alone the previous, his rank had gone up by one. In just a day, he had be a D-ranking yer.

    <em>Mumble-</em>

    "We''re looking for a healer who haspleted the 2nd awakening! Only C-rank attribute or up!"

    "Get to the 3rd awakening safely! We offer a bus party! The price is $1,300 USD per hour!"

    "I''m a rogue! Please, let me join your party! I''m even willing to shut up and put on the bandage!!"

    There were a lot more peoplepared to the E-rank one in fron of the D-rank gate.

    yers who hadpleted the basic education course immediately received a D-rank, so that''s why they went straight to the D-rank gate afterpleting the basic education.

    Of course, it was hard for people who had just unlocked the 2nd awakening to hunt in a D-rank gate.

    Leaving the rankings aside, most had little to no battle experience.

    That''s why many people there offered the ''bus party'' service.

    KangWoo, who wasn''t interested in those people, just ignored everyone.

    ''Someone just take that rogue.''

    KangWoo''s attention was focused on the young man shouting for someone to let him join their party.

    He looked at him with pitiful eyes, but he turned around.

    He had no reason nor obligation to help the young man.

    "Excuse me."

    He was about to enter the gate after finishing the yer ID examination when someone called him.

    KangWoo turned his head around toward where he¡¯d heard the voice.

    The person who had called him was a young man with a short sword.

    Behind him, there were four other people who seemed to be his party members.

    ''Are these guys like TaeSoo?''

    KangWoo opened his mouth while thinking about the guy he''d seen the day before.

    "Yes, what do you need?"

    "Judging by your equipment, you seem to be a newbie. Don''t you want to join our bus party?"

    The young man with e on his face asked with a smile.

    "Oppa, we''re going to level you up safely~."

    A girl who was quite pretty spoke to him while winking.

    If he''d met them the first time he arrived on Earth, he might have mindlessly followed them without thinking, but right then, he was living with a girl that looked like a model called Han Seol-ah.

    The words of a woman like that couldn''t move him anymore.

    "I''m not interested."

    "Ah, wait!"

    KangWoo answered coldly and entered the gate.

    The young man extended his hand and tried to grab KangWoo. As KangWoo entered the gate, he aggressively frowned.

    "What an asshole¡­"

    The young man''s eyes fiercely shone as he looked towards the gate.

 Chapter 14: Is that really enough? (1)

    <em>Ssh-</em>

    ''So this is a D-rank gate.''

    KangWoo frowned at the difort that the moisture gave him.

    "So the atmosphere of each gate is different."

    Unlike the previous gate, which was a dense forest, the D-rank gate where lizardman lived was a muddy swamp.

    ''It''s a bad ce for close-range types to hunt.''

    Unlike the forest where you fought while stepping on solid ground, moving in that swampy area was hard by itself.

    Until then, he''d been using the Authority of the de to engage in close-rangebat, so that setting was unfavorable to him.

    ''Well, I''ll just have to use a long-range offensive Authority.''

    He had more than 100 long-range offensive Authorities.

    Most yers were either specialized in long or close-range, but he didn''t have such limitations.

    "Authority of Silence."

    It was an Authority that blocked sound from spreading.

    As per Han Seol-ah''s suggestion, he silently moved while looking for lizardmen.

    ''There''re three.''

    He saw three lizardmen moving in a group not far away from where he was.

    The lizardmen were almost as tall as an average person. They had sharp spears and were alert to their surroundings. They definitely looked more menacing than goblins.

    ''She said that they have bad sight, right?''

    Their body was simr to that of a lizard¡¯s, so instead of sight, they relied more on their auditory senses to hunt.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Silence to get closer to the lizardmen to test that information, but they weren''t able to notice his presence.

    ''Good.''

    KangWoo moved toward their backs and smiled.

    Since a one-sided assault was possible, it would be an easy hunt.

    ''Authority of Hellfire.''

    It was the Authority that the demon Andras had.

    As expected from a high-ranking demon, it was an Authority that had an impressive destructive power.

    <em>Fwoosh-</em>

    A ck fire appeared from KangWoo''s right handpared to normal fire, its destructive power was on another level.

    KangWoo fired the hellfire that was in his hand toward the lizardmen.

    <em>Fwoosh-!!</em>

    "Kiieekk!"

    Although it was the size of the palm of his hand, the moment it touched the body of the lizardmen, it grew in size by devouring their body.

    The three lizardmen that were surprised at KangWoo''s ambush turned their bodies toward KangWoo and tried to attack him with their spears.

    KangWoo moved backward and easily dodged their attacks; then he patiently waited for the hellfire to devour their livespletely.

    "Kiieekk..."

    A few momentster, the lizardmen copsed to the ground.

    Although their entire bodies had been covered in fire, there wasn''t any mark on their bodies.

    ''As expected, Andras''s Authority is strong.''

    The hellfire made with Andras''s Authority didn''t burn the target''s body.

    ¡ªIt stuck to the body of the target and devoured the opponent''s lifespan.

    That was the power that the fire of Hell had.

    Once the fire touched you, it was impossible to extinguish it, so you had to push it away with demonic energy or mana.

    ''I struggled quite a bit while fighting against him.''

    KangWoo trembled a bit while thinking of the fight against Andras.

    If he hadn¡¯t had a lot of demonic energy gathered with Authority of Predation at that time, he wouldn''t have been able to brush off the hellfire.

    "Oof."

    Was it because the power of the Authority of Hellfire was too strong?

    He had created a me that was the size of the palm of his hands, but he felt that he''d consumed quite a bit of demonic energy.

    * * *

    ''If I hadn''t awakened, I would''ve struggled to use it.''

    If the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core hadn''t weakened, he wouldn''t have been able to hunt the lizardmen so easily.

    "Hmm? Now that I think about it..."

    Suddenly, he remembered something.

    ''Wasn''t the guild Han TaeHyun part off called Andras?''

    Among middle-sized guilds, its size and power were quite considerable.

    The name of the guild, around which there were all sorts of bad rumors, had the same name as the Authority he was currently using.

    ''Well, the 72 demons of Solomon are famous even on Earth.''

    He didn''t know why, but most demons that lived in the Hell of Nine Skies were quite well known on Earth.

    For example, the seven archdukes appeared in the bible.

    The Hell of Nine Skies was where demons that appeared in all sorts of religions and myths lived.

    He was intrigued by why they''d picked the name of a demon that wasn''t that well knownpared to others, but he thought that it wasn''t necessary to find the connection.

    "First, I should absorb some demonic energy."

    KangWoo used the Authority of Predation on the lizardmen.

    <em>Crunch-!</em>

    ''As expected, it wasn''t just the goblins that had demonic energy.''

    As he began devouring the bodies of the lizardmen with the Authority of Predation, demonic energy began flowing into his body.

    His thesis that the higher the monster''s rank, the more demonic energy they had was correct.

    The lizardmen had more demonic energy than the goblins.

    ''Although it can''t bepared to the amount that demons have.''

    Unlike demons, who relied on demonic energy to maintain and move their bodies, monsters had a pure physical body that was moved by mana.

    The demonic energy in them was just something that was mixed in their souls¡ªit wasn''t the source of their power.

    It was inevitable that there would be a difference in the amount of demonic energy they had.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your Demonic Energy has increased by 1.]

    "Well, it''s still better than not having it at all."

    Having a way to stack demonic energy was better than not having it.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Silence again and began hunting the lizardmen.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!"

    Hunting was easy.

    He just approached them with the Authority of Silence and then burned them with the Authority of Hellfire.

    It was so simple and easy that he wasn''t sure if he could call it a fight, but it was clearly very effective.

    KangWoo only looked for groups of three to four lizardmen since he could kill them with only one attack.

    ''Is there any need to hunt more difficultly?''

    There was a way to hunt easily, and he had the ability to take advantage of it.

    There was no need to engage in battle just for the sake of enjoyment while hunting.

    ''Simple and easy is the best.''

    He used their weakness, sight, to his advantage and approached them silently.

    Then he threw the hellfire at a short distance and dodged their attacks until their lives ended.

    From the point of view of the lizardmen, it was probably cheating.

    <em>Fwoosh-</em>

    "Kiieekk!!"

    Even while being burned by the hellfire, they kept trying to attack him with their spears.

    But as they became covered with the hellfire, they couldn''t narrow their distance with KangWoo.

    They copsed to the ground while screaming.

    Even the desperate screams couldn''t reach other members from the same species because of his Authority of Silence.

    It was a way of fighting that couldn''t be called fair.

    That was how KangWoo hunted.

    ''There isn''t ¡°fair¡± in hunting.''

    Hunting consisted of taking the life of the prey and taking their belongings.

    The word ¡°fair¡± didn''t match such an act.

    That was something that only someone who had shit in their head could say.

    Desperately and thoroughly¡­

    ¡ªThat was the way of hunting that KangWoo had learned in Hell in order to survive.

    KangWoo kept hunting lizardmen by using his method.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your level has increased by 1.]

    It was a way of hunting that was boring but effective.

    In just a few hours, he was able to increase his level by three.

    ''The leveling up process has definitely slowed down.''

    Compared to the beginning, when killing five goblins increased his level by two to three times, he was barely able to increase his level by one after killing between 20 ~ and 30 lizardmen.

    Not only his level, but the speed at which his demonic energy stat increased had slowed down as well.

    ''Well, I had already expected that to happen.''

    He had read the first time he used the smartphone to investigate yers that the higher your level and stats became, the harder they became to raise.

    His current speed of leveling up was unreasonably fastpared to other yers.

    Even with a bus party, it was almost impossible for a 2nd awakening yer to increase his level by three in just a few hours.

    If that fact became known, there would be a huge uproar within the yers¡¯ world.

    KangWoo opened his status window while picking up the mana stones on the floor.

    [Status Window]

    yer: Oh KangWoo

    Level: 14 [2nd Awakening]

    1st Awakening Attribute: Authority of Predation (Rank: ???) * Most of the characteristics of the Authority are sealed.

    2nd Awakening Attribute: Unfulfilled Hunger (Rank: C)

    Strength: 11

    Agility: 13

    Vitality: 11

    Magic Power: 0

    Demonic Energy (Unique Stat): 25

    Intelligence: 9

    Wisdom: 8

    His demonic energy stat was too high for a level 14 yer.

    Not only that, but on top of that stat, you had to add the demonic energy he was able to use thanks to the seal of Ten Thousand Demon Core getting weaker.

    If he added the amount of demonic energy he could use from the ''Ten Thousand Demon Core,'' that stat would probably go up to 40.

    He had reached a number that couldn''t be easily achieved by even a yer about to unlock the 4th awakening.

    ''It still isn''t enough¡­''

    KangWoo wasn''t satisfied with what he saw in his status window.

    Even if it was overwhelmingly stronger than other yers, it was still insignificantpared to his old strength.

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo fell into his thoughts while crossing his arms.

    Leveling safely was nice, but he wanted to increase his level and demonic energy faster.

    "Should I horde hunt?"

    Although it was a bit dangerous, it was probably the most effective way to level up faster.

    He was able to increase his level so fast while hunting at the E-rank gate because he had horde hunted in the goblin''s hideout.

    "Hey, how''s the hunting going?"

    While he was wondering if he should try horde hunting, he heard an arrogant voiceing from behind.

    KangWoo turned his head.

    There, he saw the young man with e and the four party members following him.

    ''That guy is...''

    KangWoo''s expression darkened a little bit.

 Chapter 15: Is that really enough? (2)

    "What an imbecile"

    The young man covered in e, Jeong HoJun, said while frowning.

    "HoJun oppa, just ignore him. Usually, there are many arrogant people among the newbie yers."

    "Ha¡­ This fucking newbie."

    Jeong HoJun said after listening to Seo YeRi, who was trying to calm him down.

    After going through numerous near-death situations, he¡¯d reached the 3rd awakening. But once he had, Jeong HoJun had realized he was a ''talentless yer.''

    The attribute he had unlocked in his third awakening was C-rank.

    His previous attributes were E and D.

    Since his attributes were low-rank, he couldn''t join the party of a higher-ranking gate, and that''s why he¡¯d ended up staying at a D-rank gate.

    He¡¯d reached a point where he couldn''t get any more experience from monsters of D-rank gates, so he¡¯d given up on his dream of going to higher-ranking gates and created a bus party.

    The yers that were part of his bus party were people with low or average-ranking attributes who couldn''t reach higher-ranking gates.

    ''I''m not sure how good you are¡­''

    Jeong HoJun clenched his fists while biting his lips.

    He was an arrogant newbie yer who didn''t have any equipment at all. That meant one thing:

    He had been lucky and unlocked a high-ranking attribute.

    ''I''ll take this opportunity to teach him a lesson.''

    With his eyes burning because of envy, he looked toward the gate.

    Although his attribute rank was low, one couldn''t ignore the difference in level.

    If he was a yer who had just unlocked the 2nd awakening, even if he''d been really lucky, his attribute should be B-rank.

    A difference of one rank wasn''t enough topensate for the gap between the levels.

    "YeRi, it''s the first time you''ve seen that guy. Right?"

    "Yes. We''ve recently beening to this gate, and I''ve never seen his face."

    "Then he''s definitely someone who just unlocked the 2nd awakening."

    There was no reason for a high-level yer toe to a low-ranking gate.

    Because of the difference in level, one wouldn''t be able to gain experience. Not only that, but there was also a huge difference in the price of mana stones.

    Some high-level yers went to low-rank gates from time to time to help a newbie member from the same guild level up, but since he was alone, that probably wasn''t the case.

    "Among the people who havepleted basic education, there wasn''t anyone who had obtained an A rank or higher, right?"

    "Yes. There''s none, at least during the past month."

    "Good."

    Now that he knew that the opponent was someone who had an average talent and was an arrogant newbie, there was nothing to be afraid of.

    "We aren''t going to do the bus party today."

    "Oppa, are you thinking¡­"

    "Let''s teach him a lesson."

    The rest of the party members smiled at Jeong HoJun''s words.

    Seo YeRiughed while covering her mouth with her hands and nodded.

    "I think that it''s going to be fun."

    "It''s been a while since we had fun."

    "I also agree."

    The rest of the party members were in a simr situation to him. Because of their low-ranking attributes, they couldn''t enter a higher-ranking gate.

    Their envy toward lucky yers was at the same level or more than Jeong HoJun''s.

    They also had experience teaching arrogant newbie yers lessons in the past.

    "Then, should we get going?"

    Jeong HoJun entered the gate while smiling.

    * * *

    "What do you want?"

    KangWoo asked back toward Jeong HoJun, who had talked to him while walking in his direction.

    It wasn''t the first time he''d seen his face.

    ''It''s the guy from before.''

    It was the guy who had offered him the bus party service.

    He was looking at him as if he wanted to make fun of him.

    "As someone more experienced than you, I was worried about whether your hunting was going well," Jeong HoJun said with a fishy smile.

    KangWoo smirked at his attempt to make fun of him.

    ''Cute.''

    It wasn''t hard to understand the situation.

    Just looking at their expressions was enough to know why they had decided to approach him.

    ''Are they trying to y a prank on me?''

    Stepping over the weak¡­

    That was a basic desire that all living things had.

    Trampling over the weak made them feel better about themselves.

    ''But¡­''

    They were wrong about something.

    * * *

    ''I''m not weak.''

    He wasn''t someone weak who couldn''t do anything for himself.

    He was the demon of demons. The predator of predators.

    KangWoo''s lips twisted up, and he opened his mouth with deep, sunken eyes.

    "As you can see, hunting is going well."

    "Hmm."

    Jeong HoJun looked around the area.

    "But there isn''t even a single corpse."

    KangWoo had said that hunting was going well, but there weren''t any lizardmen corpses around him.

    KangWoo shrugged and calmly talked.

    "I was just taking a rest."

    "Really? Hmm. But aren''t you being too rude toward your superior?"

    "That''s because the superior is too annoying."

    Jeong HoJun frowned after seeing that KangWoo wasn''t discouraged by the harsh atmosphere.

    "This fucker¡­"

    He wasn''t sure what rank his attribute was, but KangWoo''s attitude made him angry.

    ''I''m sure he''s rank B at most.''

    If you managed to get a B-rank attribute in your 2nd awakening, you were considered a talented yer. If that happened, you would receive lots of calls from different guilds and parties.

    Of course, there was a chance that they wouldn''t be able to unlock a higher ranking attribute in the future, but many people became arrogant until they found that out.

    "Are you here to pick up a fight or what?" KangWoo asked Jeong HoJun with his arms crossed.

    "Ha."

    "This asshole¡­"

    Even the other party members who were silently watching picked up their weapons while frowning.

    Jeong HoJun extended his hand toward his party members.

    "Stop."

    "But¡­"

    "Don''t worry. There are other ways to teach him a lesson," Jeong HoJun said while smirking.

    There wasn''t a need for them to get their hands dirty.

    ''There''s a better way.''

    The scariest thing for newbie yers wasn''t other yers¡­

    "Fufu, I''ll make him regret being so arrogant."

    The scariest thing for them was monsters.

    "I''m waiting for it.

    "Hmph, let''s see where you¡¯re getting such confidence from."

    Jeong WooJun took out his short sword.

    He extended his arms which were covered with a wrist guard while smiling.

    It seemed like the other party members knew what Jeong HoJun was about to do. They looked at him expectantly.

    "Did you know that lizardmen are extremely sensitive toward noise?"

    "¡­"

    That was information KangWoo already knew.

    ''I see.''

    KangWoo understood what Jeong HoJun was trying to do and smirked.

    He¡¯d taken out the short sword and brought it near the wrist guard¡­

    And then he mentioned that lizardmen were sensitive toward the noise¡­

    There was only one possible course of action based on those two things.

    <em>ng-! ng-! ng-!</em>

    Jeong Ho Jun hit his wrist guard with the short sword.

    A metallic sound began spreading.

    ''As expected.''

    KangWoo smiled at Jeong HoJun''s petty, predictable behavior.

    <em>Rush-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!!"

    He could hear the screams of lizardmen.

    Jeong HoJun spoke while smirking.

    "The best way to teach a rude newbie a lesson is through monsters."

    Most people became more scared of people after they leveled up and got used to fighting against monsters.

    That was because monsters just tried to kill you, but yers often inflicted damage worse than dying.

    But in the case of newbie yers who weren''t used to fighting monsters, they were often more scared of monsters than yers.

    Enemies that were putting humanity in danger¡­

    They were monsters that tore apart the skin and drank the blood.

    It was normal that newbie yers who had never experienced a real battle in their lives were scared of them.

    "So you''re going to do it like this, huh?"

    "Why, are you scared?" Jeong HoJun said whileughing.

    "There''s going to be at least ten lizardmen. I''m not sure how strong your attribute is, but will you be able to face 10 simultaneously?"

    "¡­"

    "Haha. You don''t need to worry. We''re going to help you if you''re about to die. Although¡­ You may get severely injured. And maybe you won''t be able to use some parts of your body again. But it''s a cheap price if you think of this as a life lesson."

    Jeong HoJun swung his short sword with a bigger movement after seeing that KangWoo was silent.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    A cleaner metallic sound spread through their surroundings.

    KangWoo remained silent while watching Jeong HoJun''s actions.

    In Jeong HoJun''s eyes, KangWoo looked like someone who was scared.

    "Why? Why don''t you act as cheeky as you did before? Huh?"

    "¡­"

    "Hahaha! You became frozen after seeing monsters approach!"

    Jeong HoJunughed excitedly.

    KangWoo smirked after seeing his reaction.

    "Is this okay?"

    "Huh?"

    "Are you really going to be satisfied with that?"

    "What nonsense¡­"

    "If you''re going to do it, do it properly, at least."

    KangWoo extended his hands and pped with all his strength while looking at the confused Jeong HoJun.

    <em>m-!!!</em>

    A scarily loud sound spread through his hands.

    ¡®Authority of Deafening Roar.¡¯

    It was an Authority that used demonic energy to make an extremely loud sound.

    "Eek!"

    "Wh-what did you do?!"

    The faces of Jeong HoJun and his party members turned pale.

    The Lizardmen were sensitive to noise.

    Making a loud sound like that in their territory was something suicidal.

    <em>Rush-!!</em>

    "Kiieekk!!"

    The sound of lizardmen could be heard all around them.

    The lizardmen began approaching the source of the loud noise.

    "Y-you crazy¡­"

    <em>m-!</em>

    <em>m-!</em>

    KangWoo didn''t stop at once. He used the Authority of Deafening Roar multiple times. A loud sound like tens of bombs exploding spread through their surroundings.

    "Hahaha! Yes! It should be at least this much!"

    "What are you doing, you crazy bastard?!!"

    Jeong HoJun''s scream spread along with the explosive sound.

    It was then that he realized that he had picked up a fight with someone who was insane.

 Chapter 16: Is that really enough? (3)

    Jeong HoJun''s screams spread through the swamp along with the explosions.

    He could hear the sound of lizardmen approaching after hearing the explosive ps.

    ''What a crazy guy!''

    He had also lured in some lizardmen by making noise, but it waspletely different from what KangWoo had done.

    What he had done was like throwing firewood at a burning house, but what KangWoo had done was the equivalent of throwing a bottle of oil into it.

    "R-run!"

    Jeong HoJun shouted toward his party members.

    The party members began looking for an escape route with pale faces.

    KangWoo looked at them very calmly.

    "Will you be able to escape?"

    "Ugh¡­!"

    Just like KangWoo had said, they werepletely surrounded by lizardmen.

    There wasn''t an escape route.

    Jeong HoJun grabbed the short sword and angrily shouted.

    "Do you think you''ll be safe after doing something like this?! Huh? Are you saying that we should all die together or what?!"

    "Die together? What are you talking about? You''re the only one who''s going to die."

    "Ha! Do you think you''ll be able to handle such an amount of monsters?" Jeong HoJun shouted while sneering.

    There were almost hundreds of lizardmening their way.

    Even his party that lived from doing bus parties had to risk their lives to get a chance to survive.

    There was no way that a yer who had just achieved the 2nd awakening would be able to survive that monster wave.

    "You asked me if I knew that the lizardmen were sensitive to noise, right?" KangWoo asked Jeong HoJun while smirking.

    Jeong HoJun shrugged after seeing his chilling smile.

    "I knew that fact very well."

    KangWoo used the Authority of Silence and rolled his feet.

    Even though KangWoo was moving his feet in a swap, he wasn''t making any noise. After looking at that, Jeong HoJun began trembling.

    "You¡­ don''t tell me¡­"

    ''He has an attribute that lets him control sound.''

    Judging by the loud noise he had made before and the fact that he couldpletely erase the sound he made, it wasn''t hard to guess the nature of his attribute.

    "Kiieekk!!"

    "Damn it!"

    Jeong HoJun looked anxiously at the group of lizardmen that were getting closer.

    He shouted toward his party members.

    "Isn''t there any possible escape route?"

    "There''s none! We''repletely surrounded by lizardmen!"

    Even faint hope was trampled on. His expression became tinged with despair.

    KangWoo leaned his back against a tree and looked at Jeong HoJun with a rxed expression on his face.

    ''The timing was perfect.''

    They''d approached him while KangWoo was thinking about if he should try horde hunting or not.

    ''It was a bit too much to do it by myself.''

    The smile on KangWoo''s face deepened.

    Even for KangWoo, with his current level, it was hard to fight against hundreds of lizardmen at once.

    He thought of using Authority of Silence to approach the lizardmen silently, attack them, and then back off, but there was one problem, their sight was bad, but they weren''t blind.

    But thanks to good bait like Jeong HoJun''s party appearing, the story changed.

    First, they were clearly going to attract more attention than the silent KangWoo, so he just had to silently watch them fight against the lizardmen.

    ''Since they''re a bus party, I guess they''ll be able to resist at least a bit.''

    The best part was that they weren''t a party of low-level yers; they were a bus party that earned money by helping people level up.

    He wasn''t sure why they were operating a bus party, but he was sure that they would at least be able to resist a bit longer than a normal party.

    KangWoo watched them panic with a smile on his face.

    ''This is the best possible situation.''

    He didn''t need to put his life at risk or fight with everything he had.

    He just had to keep silently reducing the number of lizardmen while they were fighting. And then, once the lizardmen were tired of fighting continuously, he could easily wipe them out.

    Not only that, but he could avoid meaningless conflict with Jeong HoJun''s party, which was like killing two birds with one stone.

    "What''s wrong? If you don''t form a defensive formation, you''ll die without being able to offer resistance," KangWoo asked them as if he were trying to make fun of them.

    ''If you guys don''t offer more resistance, I won''t be able to keep a passive posture.''

    While thinking of something that would probably make Jeong HoJun faint, KangWoo hid himself the best he could among the vines.

    It was to avoid being seen by the lizardmen.

    "D-don''t tell me he¡­!"

    After guessing his thoughts from his attitude, Jeong HoJun got so angry that he was struggling to speak. He shouted while stuttering.

    "You demonlike asshole!!!"

    ''I''m a demon, indeed.''

    KangWoo smirked at Jeong HoJun''s scream.

    Although he looked like a human, in reality, he was closer to being a demon.

    After all, there was no way you could live for more than ten thousand years without losing your mind if you weren''t a demon.

    "Instead of saying things like that, get into formation. Do you really want to die without offering resistance?"

    "AAAHHH!"

    * * *

    Jeong HoJun grabbed the short sword and ran toward KangWoo.

    ''Even if I die, I''ll at least kill you!''

    Judging by what he''d seen until then, KangWoo''s attribute was something rted to sound.

    So there was a chance he wasn''t good in real-lifebat.

    While cing his anger on his de, he leaped toward KangWoo.

    "Kiieekk!"

    "Ugh!"

    "B-be careful!"

    What blocked his path wasn''t KangWoo, but a group of lizardmen.

    Because of his scream, they''d chosen him as their first target.

    Thanks to the group of lizardmen leaping toward him from all sides, he couldn''t rush to KangWoo anymore.

    "Then do your best to resist," KangWoo said whileughing.

    Although Jeong HoJun couldn''t hear what KangWoo said because he was using the Authority of Silence, he could guess what he was saying just by looking at his expression.

    "AARRGG!! YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!"''

    "Mr. HoJun! D-don''t scream!"

    The lizardmen attacked HoJun with theirnces.

    Even though he was raging, he was able to block their attacks with his short sword.

    "D-defensive formation! We must get into a defensive formation!"

    Since the party leader had lost his mind, someone else had to take his position.

    Seo YeRi shouted to the other party members.

    With pale expressions on their faces, they listened to her orders and got into a defensive formation.

    <em>Boom-! Crack-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!!!"

    "Ugh! There''s just too many of them!"

    "Resist!"

    The man wielding the shield shouted with a desperate expression on his face.

    It was hard to keep himself together with so many spear attacksing from all directions.

    Even a bus party that hunted groups of 10 ~ 20 lizardmen wasn''t used to facing hundreds of them.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "The amount of enemies we can face at once is limited! So, everyone, focus on protecting YeRi!"

    At the other party members¡¯ screams, Jeong HoJun had somewhat managed to return to his senses, joined the formation, and shouted.

    While receiving the protection of the party members, Seo YeRi cast magic.

    "Fire Shock!"

    She activated her fire-type attribute.

    Fire flew out of her wand toward the lizardmen.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!"

    The lizardmen, who were weak to fire, started to scream while being burned.

    "Woah."

    KangWoo looked at the party members with interest.

    ''They''re better than expected.''

    There was a reason why they ran a bus party. Even while being surrounded by hundreds of lizardmen, they were able to offer quite a good resistance.

    Especially Seo YeRi, who was in the middle, was doing a great job.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Hold on for as long as you can and break through the circle!"

    "Th-there''s just too many!"

    Although they were doing a good job, they looked desperate.

    It was because they knew that once their stamina plummeted, they wouldn''t be able to resist anymore.

    Jeong HoJun''s party did its best to break through the formation of lizardmen.

    ''Nice.''

    KangWoo looked at them fight with a smile on his face.

    Thanks to them being better than he thought, they would probably die along with the lizardmen.

    ''I don''t need to do anything.''

    KangWoo had been thinking about how he should deal with the lizardmen in case they died too quickly, but now he could watch the battle a little bit more rxedly.

    He had no intentions of helping them.

    He wasn''t someone benevolent. No, to be more precise, he was a human that grew up in an environment that didn''t let him be benevolent.

    You had to deal with malice with even greater malice.

    You had to deal with a killing intent with even greater killing intent.

    The moment he didn''t follow those rules, he would probably be food for others.

    He was worried that if they died, the corpses could generate problems for him, but it seemed like he wouldn''t need to be worried about that.

    ''The situation is different from the time I faced Han TaeHyun.''

    In the case of the fight with Han TaeHyun, if he killed him, there was a high chance that he would get into trouble.

    But right now, it wasn''t him who was about to kill Jeong HoJun''s party.

    The ones that were about to kill their party were the lizardmen.

    yers dying at the hands of monsters wasn''t something new.

    "Coff! Oof, oof."

    Jeong HoJun, covered in lizardmen''s blood, breathed heavily.

    Because there were too many lizardmen, it was impossible to break through them.

    But they also had no way to deal with hundreds of lizardmen.

    "S-save us! P-please! Save us!!"

    Jeong HoJun, scared, shouted to KangWoo. They were so desperate that they had to grab onto everything they could.

    While looking at them fighting desperately, KangWoo raised one hand.

    Then he showed Jeong HoJun his middle finger.

    "Ah¡­"

    A sigh filled with despair came out of Jeong HoJun''s mouth.

    The smile on his face felt really scary.

    A certain shape ovepped with the smiling KangWoo.

    "Demon¡­"

    A demon with ragged wings, two horns, and a long tail.

    Although KangWoo was definitely a human being, he saw the figure of a demon ovepping him.

    <em>Smash-!</em>

    The spear of a lizardman pierced Jeong HoJun''s chest, who had been standing still.

 Chapter 17: Rank 3 (1)

    A few lizardmen fell to the ground from Hellfire.

    Tired of fighting with Ho Jung¡¯s group, the Lizardmen didn¡¯t have the strength to resist Kang Yu, so the monsters were dying one by one.

    ¡®That¡¯s all.¡¯ Kang Yu nced over the swamp covered with corpses.

    Even strong people would vomit at the sight of such a spectacle, but Kang Yu was walking in the swamp like nothing had happened.

    Flesh and blood scattered all over the earth was what he had grown used to seeing in Hell.

    At that time in his life, he had seen much scarierndscapes every day.

    That¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t bothered by the scenery around him ¡ª he¡¯d gotten used to it a long time ago.

    ¡ª Well, here we go.

    The hundreds of bodies lying on the ground were like a banquet for Kang Yu.

    ¡®I barely got any experience points.¡¯ In fact, most of these monsters were killed by Ho Jung¡¯srades, which was why he barely got any experience points.

    If he had been a regr yer, he would have probably been upset, but Kang Yu also had his own ways of raising his level, so he wasn¡¯t discouraged.

    He didn¡¯t hurry to get to the ce where most of the bodiesy.

    The ck smoke, as always, wrapped up the dead bodies of the Lizardmen.

    Along with the horrible sound of broken bones and flesh-eating, Kang Yu¡¯s body was being infused with the flow of Magi.

    A notice came up.

    [Magi raised by 1 unit]

    ¡®Great.¡¯ Just looking at the number of monsters, it was clear that this time he would raise his Magi by a decent number of units.

    Kang Yu continued pulling energy out from the bodies while looking at the message that came up.

    The number of corpses began to decrease rather quickly.

    At that moment, another notice came up.

    [Security Warning: You can¡¯t use the Devourer¡¯s Power].

    ¡ª What? ¡ª A new message came up before his eyes.

    He was shaking his head, looking at the notice.

    ¡®System warning?¡¯ He remembered hearing a phrase like this before. He¡¯d heard it on his return from Hell to Earth.

    He¡¯d killed over a hundred monsters before, but no such message had evere up.

    ¡ª Ah¡­ ¡ª Kang Yu remembered Ho Jung¡¯s party. ¡ª I think they died here, too. ¡ª

    He noticed Ho Jung¡¯s body with a spear pierced through his chestying atop the pile of bodies.

    Apparently, while using the Devourer¡¯s Power on the bodies of monsters, he¡¯d identally hit Ho Jung¡¯s body.

    ¡®I guess the warning was about eating the yer¡¯s body.¡¯ Kang Yu didn¡¯t know exactly what the system warning meant, but this message had never shown up before when he applied this Power on monsters. So his guess might have been right.

    ¡®Then, the Devourer¡¯s Power cannot be used on other yers.¡¯ That was the answer to the question Kang Yu had been thinking of from the moment he first found out that each yer had a special ability. He¡¯d wondered if the other yers¡¯ abilities could be pulled out by the Power of the Devourer.

    He¡¯d believed that since he could take Powers from a demon, there was a good chance that he could take Powers from yers too.

    ¡®Well, it¡¯s not that important.¡¯ Kang Yu looked at Ho Jung¡¯s body without any regrets.

    Besides, the yers¡¯ special abilities didn¡¯t y an important role for Kang Yu.

    He was almighty as it is, with 666 Powers in his arsenal.

    ¡®It¡¯s not the Powers that matter, it¡¯s the amount of Magi that counts.¡¯ It took a lot of Magi to be able to use all 666 Powers freely.

    That was the most important thing for Kang Yu right now.

    He bypassed all the bodies except for Ho Jung¡¯s Party members.

    There had been several notifications.

    [Magi raised by 2 units]

    [You have reached 30 units of Magi]

    ¡ª Ha, ¡ª Kang Yu took a deep breath and felt for Magi in his body.

    Having sucked Magi out of more than 100 bodies of monsters, he felt his body be stronger with the significant increase of Magi.

    ¡®This time I managed to raise Magi by 5 units.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t such a bad result.

    No, it¡¯s not. Without moving a finger, he¡¯d gotten as much as 5 units of Magi ¨C this was a promising result.

    ¡®Magi doesn¡¯t just add up in numbers, I can feel it.¡¯ Kang Yu, now with 30 units, felt many times stronger and more alert than before.

    He decided to try one of Andras¡¯ forces.

    There was a ck me on his palm.

    Comparing the Hellfire that he¡¯d used a couple of hours ago to the fire burning now, the difference was obvious. The mes were much bigger.

    ¡®Wonderful.¡¯ He felt the difference between 20 and 30 units of Magi clearer than when he promoted it from 10 to 20.

    ¡ª All that¡¯s left is to raise the level. ¡ª Kang Yu, gathering the mana stones lying on the ground, nodded his head with satisfaction.

    Soon he will get rank 3 and find out if the force that sealed his Man Ma Jung was really weakening with each increase in rank.

    ¡®Is it worth a little more hunting?¡¯ Kang Yu walked past the cold bodies of Ho Jung and hisrades in cold blood.

    ***

    It¡¯s been three days since Ho Jung and his guys died.

    Kang Yu continued the mass hunting of Lizardmen and quickly raised his level.

    As a result, he reached level 19 in three days, whereas most yers took a month to do so.

    If someone saw the speed at which it was going up, it would probably seem strange or even absurd to them.

    ¡ª I think I¡¯ll get rank 3 today,¡ª Kang Yu said excitedly at breakfast to Han Sol.

    ¡®ordingly, I can go to a higher level gate.¡¯

    He will obtain the right to enter a Level C Gate, but to do so he must obtain a Level C yer ID by selling more mana stones and receiving Rank 3.

    Since the Level C Gate is very different from the Level D Gate, yers usually need training.

    In fact, there were few cases where yers get Rank 3 but continued to hunt at the level D Gate because the monsters at the level C Gate were too strong.

    That¡¯s exactly what Ho Jung¡¯s party had been like.

    ¡®They say that the entrance check is stricter there¡­¡¯ Kang Yu heard at some bar that unlike Level D and E Gate, where the only ID is checked at the entrance, Level C checks everything.

    It could be burdensome if he decided to use the Force of Blind Faith and sneak in.

    ¡®I¡¯ll settle for selling the mana stones collected today and raise my level.¡¯ He¡¯d earned 92,000,000 won in thest three days.

    He also collected 23 ss D mana stones, killing over 400 Lizardmen.

    These mana stones were more than enough for a promotion.

    ¡ª Kang Yu, are you going to hunt today too?

    ¡ª Yeah, I¡¯ll probably be back tonight.

    ¡ª Aren¡¯t you tired? It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve rested.

    ¡ª It¡¯s okay, ¡ª Kang Yu said calmly.

    In fact, physically, he didn¡¯t feel a drop in fatigue.

    As soon as his Magi exceeded 30 units, the easy hunt for Lizardmen had be even easier.

    He was stronger than two or three parties united together, so it couldn¡¯t have been difficult for him.

    ¡ª Oh, I see.

    ¡ª And when does your training end?

    ¡ª I don¡¯t think there¡¯s more than a couple of days left. Today we¡¯re going on a real goblin hunt to raise our level.

    ¡ª Wow.

    ¡ª I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m going to get a good special ability, but I want to get rank 2 as soon as possible.

    ¡ª You¡¯ll get it soon.

    After a short conversation with Han Sol, Kang Yu immediately headed towards the Gate.

    Before the gate, as always, there were many people who were either looking for yers to join their own party or looking for a party for themselves.

    ¡®I think I¡¯m used to it.¡¯ Six days have passed since he returned to Earth.

    He was finally getting used to seeing people walking around. In Hell, he¡¯d always been surrounded by demons.

    ¡®I¡¯ll get to rank 3 and it will get much easier.¡¯ For the sake of a fun and carefree life on Earth, umting strength and money was important, and because of this, he could not yet enjoy what he really likes.

    After being promoted to rank 3 and selling the mana stones he collected, he nned to rest and have some fun.

    ¡ª Excuse me, are you looking for a party?

    ¡ª No one will take robbers into parties¡­

    ¡ª Ha! Then, how about joining us?

    ¡ª Oh, really?

    When Kang Yu reached the gate, he heard a familiar voice.

    ¡ª Huh? ¡ª He turned his head towards the voice.

    It turned out to be Kang Dae Su, whom he met while hunting goblins.

    He had already assembled a party of several people and was now talking to a robber who no one wanted to take in.

    ¡®Nothing changes.¡¯ Kang Yu smiled and entered the gate.

    ¡®I should say hello to him.¡¯ Even though they barely knew each other, Dae Su was the kind of person who didn¡¯t annoy Kang Yu with his behavior, so he wouldn¡¯t mind a conversation.

    ¡®But first, let¡¯s raise my level.¡¯ Wanting to quickly raise his level after being stuck at 19 for so long, he went in search of Lizardmen.

    There were more important things to do before dealing with Dae Su.

    ¡®Found some.¡¯ He noticed three monsters near him and immediately used the power of Hellfire, directing it towards the lizardmen.

    Immediately, three monsters in mes fell to the ground with wild screams.

    ¡ª Okay. Next¡­ ¡ª At that moment, the familiar sound of notification rang out to him, announcing a new notice.

    [Level D Boss sessfully destroyed]

    [Level increased by 1 unit]

    ¡ª Huh? ¡ª Kang Yu looked at the notice with confusion.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    "Kiieekk..."

    The horde of lizardmen covered by the hellfire copsed to the ground.

    They died from KangWoo''s attack without being able to offer resistance because they were tired after fighting against Jeong HoJun''s party.

    "Did I clear everything up?" KangWoo murmured while looking at the swamp that had be a valley of death.

    It has a horriblendscape that would make anyone vomit, but KangWoo calmly walked across the swamp.

    He had seen the grotesque scene of corpses mixed with blood a lot while in Hell.

    While in Hell, he¡¯d seen everyday scenes more horrifying than the swamp covered by corpses.

    He had seen too many things in Hell to be impressed by that much.

    "Then, should I start?"

    For KangWoo¡¯s eyes, the hundreds of corpses of lizardmen looked like a feast.

    ''Although I got almost no experience¡­''

    Since most of them had been killed by HoJun''s party, he had gotten almost no experience from the lizardmen.

    If he were an average yer, he would¡¯ve felt a bit disappointed, but KangWoo had another way to get stronger besides leveling up.

    KangWoo walked toward the corpses of the lizardmen.

    ck smoke emerged from his body and covered the lizardmen.

    <em>Crunch-! Crunch-!</em>

    While making the horrible sound of flesh being munched, the demonic energy inside the lizardmen''s souls began entering KangWoo.

    <em>Ting-!</em>

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 1!]

    ''Good.''

    Because a lot of lizardmen had died in this battle, a considerable amount of demonic energy entered his body.

    KangWoo kept using the Authority of Predation while looking at the notification that said his demonic energy stat had increased.

    More than a hundred lizardmen began quickly disappearing.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You cannot use the Authority of Predation on a target that''s receiving the protection of the Gaia System.]

    "Hmm?"

    A message window different from the ones he had received until then appeared in front of him.

    KangWoo tilted his head while looking at the message window.

    ''Gaia System?''

    It was the word he had heard when he¡¯d first arrived on Earth. He wasn''t sure what it meant.

    KangWoo frowned after receiving a message he hadn''t gotten before despite having killed hundreds of monsters.

    "Ah."

    It was at that moment when KangWoo remembered Jeong HoJun''s party.

    "Now that I think about it, they were also underneath here."

    Among the mountain of lizardmen corpses, he found Jeong HoJun, who had been killed by a spear.

    It seemed like, while using the Authority of Predation on the lizardmen, the Authority had spread to his corpse by mistake.

    ''Does a target that''s receiving the protection of the Gaia System refer to yers?''

    He wasn''t sure what the Gaia System was, but considering that he had never seen that word while using the Authority of Predation on monsters, there was a huge chance it was referring to yers.

    ''Then this means that I can''t use Predation on the corpses of yers.''

    The first time he¡¯d heard about the attributes of yers, he¡¯d naturally thought about whether he could absorb other peoples¡¯ attributes with his Authority of Predation.

    Since he could absorb the Authority of demons, he thought that he should be able to obtain the attributes of other yers.

    ''Well, I guess it doesn''t matter.''

    Without feeling disappointed, KangWoo turned his head from Jeong HoJun''s corpse.

    The attribute of other yers meant nothing to him.

    He already had 666 Authorities that were close to being omnipotent.

    ''The important thing isn''t the attribute but the amount of demonic energy.''

    The most important thing to him was getting enough demonic energy so that he could freely use his 666 demonic Authorities.

    <em>Crunch-!</em>

    KangWoo finished absorbing all of the lizardmen corpses with his Predation.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 2.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has reached 30.]

    "Oof."

    KangWoo let out a short sigh after feeling the demonic energy spread through his body.

    After absorbing the corpses of hundreds of lizardmen, he felt that quite a considerable amount of demonic energy had been stacked inside his body.

    ''My stat has increased by five.''

    It wasn''t a bad result.

    The fact that he had been able to obtain so much demonic energy without doing anything was an incredible achievement.

    ''It seems like the quality has gone up along with the stat increase.''

    After reaching 30, the demonic energy had be darker.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Andras as a test.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    * * *

    Fire the size of a person¡¯s head appeared in his hand.

    A more ferocious energy wasing out of the hellfirepared to before.

    ''Good.''

    He could feel a bigger difference from 25 to 30 than when it went from 10 to 20.

    ''Now, I just need to increase my level.''

    KangWoo nodded while grabbing the mana stones that were on the floor.

    Now he just had to level up and reach the third awakening, and then he would finally be able to confirm if the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core got weaker with each awakening.

    ''Should I hunt a bit more?''

    He slowly walked away while leaving behind the corpses of Jeong HoJun''s party.

    * * *

    Three days after the incident with Jeong HoJun''s party.

    KangWoo was increasing his level at an incredible speed while horde-hunting lizardmen.

    It took most people about two months before reaching the third awakening, but he was already at level 19.

    If someone heard about the speed at which he was leveling up, they would¡¯ve been horrified.

    "I''ll probably reach the third awakening today," KangWoo mumbled after eating breakfast with Han Seol-ah.

    ''Once Iplete the third awakening, I''ll go to a higher-ranking Gate.''

    To enter a C-rank gate, on top of the mana stone sell certificate, you needed a certificate that said you hadpleted the third awakening.

    It was a safety measure they''d put in ce from the C-rank gate onwards because monsters that couldn''t bepared to those in a D-rank gate appeared.

    The monsters in C-rank gates were so strong that many yers stayed in the D-rank gates even afterpleting the third awakening. Those people usually earned a living by operating a bus party.

    Jeong HoJun''s party members were one of those kinds of yers.

    ''They said that, from C-rank gates onwards, the control bes much stricter...''

    Unlike the D and E-rank gates, where they barely looked at the IDs of yers as if they were in a bar, from C-rank gates onwards, they checked all your information to ensure you had permission to ess.

    KangWoo wasn''t sure if he would be able to enter it just by using his Authority of Blind.

    ''Since I have enough certificates of mana stone trading, I just need to level up.''

    In just three days, KangWoo had earned 90K USD.

    The price of a D-rank mana stone from a lizardman was 230 USD, and he had hunted more than 400 of them.

    He had already surpassed the trade volume required for increasing his yer rank a while ago.

    "Mr. KangWoo, are you going to the gate today, too?"

    "Yes, I''ll probably be finished by night."

    "Aren''t you trying too hard? You haven''t taken a rest these past few days..."

    "I''m okay," KangWoo said with a calm voice.

    He really wasn''t feeling tired.

    After his demonic energy stat had surpassed 30, hunting lizardmen had be even easier.

    He had a strength that couldn''t be matched even with two tothree bus parties, so there was no way he would be tired.

    "Hng, understood."

    "Ms. Seol-ah, when is your education going to end?"

    "In just a few days. Today we''re going to go and start goblin hunting to increase our level."

    "I see¡­"

    "I''m not sure if I''ll get a good attribute... But I want to reach the second awakening as fast as possible."

    "You''ll reach it soon."

    After having a short conversation with Han Seol-ah, KangWoo went toward the gate.

    In front of the gate, just like always, some people were looking for other party members.

    ''I''ve gotten used to this scenery.''

    It had been six days since he returned to Earth.

    Now he¡¯d be used to seeing people wandering around instead of demons.

    ''I should take a break afterpleting the third awakening.''

    Bing stronger and earning money to enjoy life on Earth was okay, but he hadn''t been able to do any of the things he''d been craving.

    KangWoo walked toward the gate while thinking that, once hepleted the third awakening, he should enjoy and spend some money he''d earned by selling mana stones.

    "Hey, Mister. Are you really struggling that much to find a party?"

    "Yes. No one wants a rogue..."

    "Haha! Then why don''t you join us?"

    "Woah! R-really?"

    While he was walking toward the gate, he heard a familiar voice.

    "Hmm?"

    KangWoo turned his head around.

    ''Did heplete the second awakening?''

    It was the young man called Kang TaeSoo that he had met while goblin hunting.

    Although they were already with a couple of other party members, they were talking to a rogue with whom no one wanted to form a team.

    "Just as always¡­"

    While smirking, KangWoo entered the gate.

    ''I should say hiter on.''

    Did they say it was fate, even if your clothes brushed against each other? It wasn''t that he hated people like TaeSoo, so he thought that he should at least say hi.

    ''But leveling upes first.''

    While looking at his level that had been stuck at 19 for a while, he quickly went to a group of lizardmen.

    He had something more important to do than saying hi to TaeSoo.

    ''I found them.''

    After finding a group of three lizardmen, KangWoo threw a hellfire the size of his head toward them.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!!"

    After making a desperate scream, the three lizardmen died instantly.

    "Good, then next..."

    He was about to go and find the next targets when he heard a familiar sound.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully killed a D-rank Lizardman.]

    [Your level has increased by 1.]

    "Huh?"

    KangWoo was disconcerted by the message window he was seeing.

 Chapter 18: Rank 3 (2)

    [You''ve reached level 20]

    [You''ve reached level 20 and unlocked the third awakening.]

    [You''ve unlocked the third awakening attribute.]

    "It seems like there really was a little bit of EXP needed to level up."

    KangWoo smirked after seeing that he had leveled up after killing three lizardmen.

    If he knew that things would turn out like that, he would have hunted a bit more the previous day.

    ''Too bad there''s no way to know how much EXP is required to level up.''

    Anyway, it was good that he had achieved his goal faster than expected.

    Before checking out his attribute, KangWoo closed his eyes and let the demonic energy inside his body flow.

    It was time to check if his hypothesis was right or not.

    <em>Whir-!</em>

    A demonic energy that was on another levelpared to beforeshed through his body.

    KangWoo extended his hand and created hellfire by using Andras''s Authority.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    A ck fire the size of a human being appeared on top of his hand¡ªa hellfire that lusted over the life of others twisted its body.

    KangWoo smiled while looking at the fire that was almost two meters around.

    "As expected."

    He was right.

    After he reached the third awakening, the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core had gotten weaker, and demonic energy from it began flowing to his body.

    He felt a sensation that couldn''t bepared to when his demonic energy stat went from 25 to 30.

    "Good."

    He had a wider variety of different Authorities than any other demon. He needed demonic energy to use all those Authorities, so for someone like him, his demonic energy increasing was like bing free from chains.

    ''Although it''s stillcking a lot.''

    Even though he had reached the third awakening, the amount of Authorities he couldn''t use was overwhelmingly superior.

    Butpared to when he had first arrived on Earth, he had be a lot freer.

    ''If I keep leveling up at this pace, I''ll soon be able to release the seal on the Ten Thousand Demon Corepletely.''

    Of course, leveling up would get harder as time passed.

    But he was happy knowing there was a way to recover his old strength.

    "Although, if gates like this hadn''t appeared on Earth, I wouldn''t need to do things like this."

    He wouldn''t need to recover his old strength if there weren''t gates, monsters, and yers.

    What he wanted wasn''t something like world domination¡ªhe just wanted to live afortable life on Earth while enjoying stuff he hadn''t been able to.

    But after learning about Earth''s situation, his thoughts had changed.

    ''I need strength.''

    To be able to enjoy everything he wanted without having to worry about anything, he needed strength.

    Over thest ten thousand years he had learned that the rights of the weak were trampled on and the only thing they were left with was pain.

    He probably wouldn''t need to aim to be the overwhelmingly strongest being like in Hell, but he needed to get more strength just in case.

    "Then should I check the attribute?"

    He had already confirmed that the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core became weaker each time he awakened.

    It was time to see what new attribute he had gained.

    KangWoo opened his status window to read the new attribute.

    [3rd Awakening Attribute: Mana-craving Demon (Rank: A)]

    Effect: Convert the Mana inside mana stones into Demonic Energy and absorb it.

    "Interesting¡­"

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after he read his status window.

    He had gained another way to increase his demonic energy.

    ''Mana stones, huh?''

    * * *

    Mana stones were like the cores of monsters.

    On Earth, those mana stones were used by numerous industries.

    The reason why yers earned so much money was that they sold mana stones they obtained from monsters to the government.

    "Should I test it?"

    KangWoo took the mana stones out of the lizardmen and used the power of his attribute.

    He could feel the mana inside the stone bing demonic energy and flowing into his body.

    ''Not bad.''

    Absorbing a D-rank mana stone gave him demonic energyparable to the amount he got by using the Authority of Predation on the body of lizardmen.

    Basically, by using that attribute, he could get double the amount of demonic energy.

    The effect was better than the ''Unfulfilled Hunger'' he had gained after the second awakening.

    ''The only problem is that I won''t be able to earn money.''

    If he absorbed all the mana inside the mana stones, he wouldn''t be able to sell them.

    ''I guess it will be okay if I control the quantity.''

    From the perspective of a normal person, the amount of money yers earned was a lot.

    Not only that, but as the rank of the mana-stones increased, their price did too, so he''d probably be able to livefortable just by selling a few of them.

    ''In thest three days, I earned 90K USD.''

    Even if the money decreased, it was worth it if he could get twice the amount of demonic energy.

    ''It seems like I won''t go to the mana stone exchange center today.''

    After absorbing the mana stone and the corpse of the lizardmen, KangWoo moved in search of the next target.

    Since he had obtained a new attribute, KangWoo began searching for a ce where he could horde-hunt lizardmen.

    "Now that I think about it, I haven''t seen a lizardman boss monster."

    He had gotten a C-rank mana stone after hunting a hobgoblin in an E-rank gate, so he thought that he''d be able to get a higher-ranking mana stone after hunting the boss monster there in a D-rank gate.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Sky and made his body levitate into the air.

    His demonic energy had increased after reaching the third awakening, so he¡¯d be able to use the Authority of Sky to some extent.

    ''I can''t see very well because of the vines.''

    KangWoo clicked his tongue after he failed to find the boss monster.

    ''I may have been able to find it if I were able to use the Authority of Observation.''

    It was the Authority of the demon Astaroth, but with his current demonic energy, he wouldn''t be able to search through such a big swamp.

    While feeling disappointed, KangWoo came down.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Hey, Misters! What''re you doing?!"

    At that moment, KangWoo heard a familiar voice.

    "TaeSoo?"

    It was the voice of TaeSoo, who had been trying to gather party members in front of the gate. His voice had a sense of urgency and anger.

    ''What''s happening?''

    He would''ve ignored it if it were the voice of someone he didn''t know, but since it was someone he knew, he became interested.

    KangWoo went to where the screams wereing from.

    <em>Stomp-!</em>

    "Ugh!!"

    "Ha, this muscle pig is too resistant."

    "Ugh, why..."

    KangWoo saw two people wielding a sword and an axe facing TaeSoo.

    Next to TaeSoo was a young man who looked like a rogue on the ground, losing blood.

    "Why are you attacking the same party members?!"

    "Why are you so noisy? What if you end up grabbing the attention of lizardmen?"

    "Just answer my question!" TaeSoo angrily shouted while raising a shield that covered his whole body.

    ''Was he betrayed by his party members?''

    KangWoo frowned after hearing their conversation.

    Just hearing their short conversation was enough to know what had happened.

    Even though they were from the same party, they had suddenly turned against them.

    ''Are they the so-called chaos yers?''

    They were assassins who, instead of monsters, killed yers and took their belongings.

    Those were people who took advantage of the fact that it wasn''t weird for people to die inside gates. The government actively tried to stop those kinds of people.

    "Shut up, and don''t move."

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    TaeSoo was pushed back after being hit with the man''s ax.

    Even while being pushed back, TaeSoo didn''t let his shield go and looked back at them.

    "Ha, this is a persistent one. Huh?"

    "Is he really just at the second awakening? Why is he so resistant?"

    They couldn''t believe how absurdly resistant TaeSoo was.

    TaeSoo gritted his teeth and added strength to his hands holding the shield, which began to glow blue.

    "Just like you said, I won''t go down easily."

    "Well... It seems like he unlocked a high-ranking attribute."

    "Even if he did, someone who hasn''t unlocked the third attribute won''t be able to defeat us."

    With a smile on their faces, the two men approached TaeSoo.

    Although TaeSoo had been able to resist quite a lot, those two were yers had already finished the fourth awakening.

    The difference between their levels couldn''t be narrowed with the attribute''s rank.

    "We should finish things."

    "You know that we mustn''t kill him. Right?"

    "Of course."

    Each of them raised their weapons while smiling.

    KangWoo frowned a bit after hearing what they were saying while hidden behind the vines.

    ''Don''t kill him?''

    What they were talking about didn''t match what he''d read about chaos yers.

    KangWoo looked at the shield-wielding TaeSoo, who had a nervous expression on his face.

    ''Should I help him?''

    He would''ve ignored the situation if he had never exchanged any words with him.

    He didn''t like getting involved in bothersome things.

    But even if they''d only exchanged a few words, he had been really kind to him, so he felt bad ignoring him in such a situation.

    <em>Whir-</em>

    "Raise your shield more, muscle pig. This is going to hurt quite a lot."

    The man wielding the axe spoke with a voice full of confidence; then he began gathering strength. A ck energy covered his axe.

    "...!"

    KangWoo widened his eyes.

    ''Demonic energy?''

    The energying out from the man was definitely demonic energy.

    It was a force that was fundamentally different from mana.

    And¡­

    It was an energy that an ordinary human being shouldn''t have.

    KangWoo walked out from behind the vines while frowning.

    It wasn''t about whether he should help TaeSoo or not anymore.

    ''Who are these guys?''

    He had to know more about the humans who had demonic energy.

 Chapter 19: The Andras Guild (1)

    <em>Rustle-</em>

    "Huh?"

    The man wielding the axe turned his head around to where the sound of something moving could be heard.

    "Who are you?"

    "Is he someone just passing by?"

    The two men red at KangWoo. The one who was wielding the sword clicked his tongue.

    "What an unlucky guy. Well, since he''s seen us, we aren''t going to let him return safely."

    "How bothersome."

    They pointed their weapons toward KangWoo while making fishy smiles.

    The man wielding the axe opened his mouth and spoke in a low voice.

    "We don''t need to take this guy alive... Right?"

    "Well, yes. We already have enough with these two."

    "Hahaha. I see."

    The one who was wielding the axe approached KangWoo while making a chilling smile.

    The demonic energy on the axe''s de got a bit darker.

    The man checked out KangWoo while licking his lips.

    "His face isn''t bad... And his body is also good. Hahaha. It will be fun to chop him into pieces."

    He stared at KangWoo with an intense look in his eyes.

    You could feel a sticky desire in his breath that had gotten rougher.

    "Oof, oof! Your back, let me see your back!"

    "..."

    KangWoo frowned after listening to his shout mixed with a rough breath.

    ''This fucker.''

    He wasn''t sure what ¡°let me see your back¡± meant, but it felt unpleasant.

    "Hahaha! Scream loudly! If you do so, maybe I''ll forgive you!"

    <em>Stomp-!</em>

    Whileughing unpleasantly, he stomped on the ground.

    ¡ªAnd then rushed toward KangWoo while targeting his neck.

    KangWoo took a step forward and raised his hand.

    He didn''t need to use any Authority or aplex fight strategy against someone like that.

    <em>p-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    After being punched in his cheek, the man rolled to the ground and staggered to his feet with a confused expression on his face.

    "Wh-what?"

    "What are you doing?"

    "There''s something strange¡­"

    <em>p-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    KangWoo punched him violently on his cheek after approaching him.

    After reaching the third awakening, his avable demonic energy had increased significantly. Which, at the same time, improved his physical abilities.

    <em>Whack-! m-! Wham-!</em>

    "Coff! Agh! W-wait!"

    KangWoo overcame with his ten thousand years of fighting experience an opponent who had finished the third awakening.

    KangWoo''s demonic energy stat had surpassed the stats of a fourth-awakening yer, so there was no way he''d be able to face KangWoo.

    "You son of a¡­!"

    After seeing his partner being one-sidedly hit, the one wielding the sword charged toward KangWoo.

    There was demonic energy on his hand, too.

    KangWoo raised his hand toward the air.

    Authority of Destructive Void.

    A bullet made ofpressed air flew toward the man wielding the sword.

    After being hit with an air pellet that could even break through stones, the man rolled on the floor while blood poured out of his mouth.

    "Cough¡­ Wh-what?"

    "There''s something I wanted to ask you."

    KangWoo slowly walked toward the man whose face had been covered with blood.

    He crouched down in front of the fallen man and asked in a low voice.

    "Where did you get demonic energy?"

    He didn''t think both had attributes that allowed them to convert mana into demonic energy.

    And there was no way they had the power of Predation, which allowed you to absorb the demonic energy that was inside the souls of monsters.

    "You..."

    The man¡¯s expression became stiff after hearing KangWoo''s question.

    "How do you know about demonic energy..." He asked in a dreary voice.

    <em>m-!</em>

    KangWoo punched him in the cheek.

    "I''m the one asking the questions¡ªyou just need to answer them."

    "Ugh! Coff! Coff!"

    "I''ll ask it again. From where did you get demonic energy?"

    "Ugh."

    * * *

    He trembled after feeling the killing intenting out from KangWoo.

    While looking at him, KangWoo used the Authority of Fear.

    He couldn''t make him his puppet yet because he wasn''t scared enough.

    But the Authority of Fear had other uses, too. For example, deepening the fear that the target has of you.

    "Ah..."

    The man¡¯s legs became wet.

    From his point of view, KangWoo looked like a horrible monster rather than a human being.

    The man slowly opened his mouth.

    "G-guild master..."

    "Seo TaeHo! What are you saying?! Are you crazy?!"

    After hearing hispanion answering in a stuttering voice, the man with the sword tried to get up.

    KangWoo turned his head around.

    "Don''t move."

    "Eek!"

    The man was overwhelmed by the immense energying out from KangWoo''s body.

    After falling to the ground, he looked up at KangWoo as if he couldn''t believe what he was seeing.

    "Y-you. How can you...?!"

    "I told you not to move."

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    Another air bullet hit the man.

    After being hit by it, he rolled to the ground and lost consciousness.

    KangWoo looked at Seo TaeHo.

    "Guild master?"

    "Y-yes!"

    "What''s the name of the guild?"

    "A-Andras! We''re from the Andras guild!"

    "..."

    The Andras guild¡­

    It was a guild created by taking the name of one of the 72 demons of Solomon.

    The guild Han TaeHyun was a part of was a mid-sized one that had lots of shady rumors around them.

    "Our guild master has given us this strength through a ceremony!"

    "Ceremony?"

    KangWoo frowned after hearing that word.

    "What''s the ceremony?"

    "That¡­"

    Seo TaeHo''s eyes began shaking.

    He couldn''t hide his fear.

    KangWoo increased the effect of the Authority of Fear. Bubbles came out of Seo TaeHo''s mouth while his body trembled.

    "Say it."

    "The c-ceremony. Ceremony¡­ cerem¡ªAARRGG!!"

    Blood veins appeared all over Seo TaeHo''s body.

    He trembled as if a root of something had been nted inside his body and died after vomiting ck blood.

    Seo TaeHo had died before KangWoo could do anything.

    KangWoo frowned after looking at the corpse.

    ''Did they put some device on them so they wouldn''t be able to talk about the ceremony?''

    That was the only exnation he could think of.

    KangWoo turned his sight from Seo TaeHo''s body and stood up.

    He walked toward TaeSoo.

    "A-are you Mr. K-KangWoo?"

    "Yes."

    "H-how did you deal with those two alone¡­"

    Just a few days before, he''d seen KangWoo in an E-rank gate. Yet right then, he''d defeated two yers who seemed to havepleted the fourth awakening.

    KangWoo shrugged his shoulders and calmly replied.

    "I had some things to do, so I went to the E-rank gate."

    "Woah! I see! So you weren''t a novice in the first ce?"

    "Right."

    Although he had just be a yer, KangWoo lied very naturally.

    "Ha. I see why you said that you had a n. Anyway, thank you very much. If it weren''t for KangWoo hyeong, I would''ve definitely at the hands of those two."

    "Th-thank you for saving us."

    The other young man who was losing blood bowed to KangWoo.

    "My name is Kim TaeHyun."

    "I''m Oh KangWoo."

    "Haha! I guess this is why they say that you should try to know as many people as possible! I would''ve never imagined that KangWoo hyeong was a high-level yer!"

    TaeSoo burst intoughter while making a big fuss.

    KangWoo smiled while looking at TaeSoo, who was thanking him while making a big fuss about it.

    "I''ll definitely pay you back for today, brother!"

    "Okay."

    "I knew that the reputation of the Andras guild was bad, but to think that they would do something like this¡­"

    TaeSoo frowned while looking at the two that had attacked him.

    He knew that the reputation of the Andras guild was bad, but he would''ve never imagined that they had chaos yers among their members.

    "I''ll report today''s incident to the Hwagang Squad!"

    "Hwang Squad?"

    "It''s a yer squadron that works for the government. If I announce that the Andras guild uses chaos yers, they will probably investigate them."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo remained silent for a little while. After thinking about it, he opened his mouth.

    "Don''t report today''s incident."

    "Hmm? What do you mean, KangWoo hyeong?"

    "I''m going to deal with the Andras Guild personally."

    He had to investigate what that ceremony that put demonic energy into people was.

    If the government got involved, he probably wouldn''t be able to conduct proper research.

    "Hmm¡­ Understood."

    TaeSoo nodded with a heavy expression on his face.

    KangWoo was surprised by TaeSoo''s reaction.

    ''It seems like he''s smarter than I thought.''

    He had such rough manners that one could be suspicious about whether he were a monster or a person, but it seemed like he''d quickly understood his intentions.

    ''The conversation is going to be short.''

    KangWoo thought that he''d be able to investigate themfortably.

    "Okay. Then forget about what happened t¡ª"

    Stomp-!

    "I, Kang TaeSoo, will follow hyeongnim and personally teach those guys a lesson!"

    "What?"

    "Aren''t you trying to do justice by your own hands? Just like in martial arts novels?!"

    ''Not really.''

    "I like martial arts novels!"

    ''So what?''

    "I, Kang TaeSoo, was moved by hyeongnim¡¯s burning desire for justice! Since I owe you my life, I want to use it by helping your cause!"

    TaeSoo knelt on one knee and looked up to KangWoo with sparkling eyes.

    KangWoo saw someone else''s figure ovepped with TaeSoo.

    KangWoo put his hand on his forehead as if he had a headache.

    ''What''s up with¡­''

    This Balrog-like guy?

 Chapter 20: The Andras Guild (2)

    Balrog¡­

    He was the first strong demon he¡¯d met when going from the 8th Hell to the 9th.

    Except for the seven archdukes, there wasn''t anyone stronger than him. But after fighting once against KangWoo, he¡¯d promised him eternal loyalty.

    ''He was a persistent one.''

    He was someone so simple and hot-tempered that he wondered if his brain was full of muscles, but he was one of the subordinates he cared the most about.

    "First, let''s get out of here..."

    "Hahaha! Understood!"

    KangWoo tried to grab the man who had lost his consciousness.

    "Hyeungnim, let me carry him."

    TaeSoo picked up the man, ced him on his shoulders, and walked toward the gate. Although that man was also quite bigpared to others, as TaeSoo picked him up, he looked like a kid.

    ''He definitely looks like a monster.''

    KangWoo smirked after looking at TaeSoo, who looked like a monster carrying its food around.

    * * *

    "Thank you very much!"

    As soon as they made it outside, Kim TaeHyun bowed to KangWoo.

    "I''ll definitely grow out of being an RSA and pay back today''s favor!"

    "RSA?"

    "A Rogue Should shut up and apply the Bandage. KangWoo, bro, no one wants to form a party with a rogue. Because its position in a party is ambiguous, no one wants you in their party regardless of whether you''re a damage dealer or a tanker."

    "I see¡­"

    KangWoo nodded.

    After bowing down with a determined look, TaeHyun turned around and walked off.

    KangWoo smiled while looking at his back.

    ''It''s a good thing when people owe you favors.''

    That was a lot better than mindlessly creating enemies.

    Who knows, maybe Kim TaeHyun would really break a rogue''s limits and be a high-level yer.

    ''Although the chances are low.''

    But still, he had nothing to lose.

    KangWoo took his eyes off of Kim TaeHyun and looked at TaeSoo.

    TaeSoo was looking at him with sparkling eyes.

    He felt as if he had a very well-trained bear next to him.

    ''The problem is what should I do with him.''

    Judging by what he¡¯d said, it seemed like he wouldn''t be able to shake him off easily.

    "What level are you?"

    "I''m level 12. I''ve recently done the second awakening."

    "Hmm... You didn''t receive the basic education?"

    "Since I got a C-rank attribute as my first awakening, I immediately began hunting."

    "Oh, I see."

    Getting a C-rank as the first awakening was incredibly high.

    KangWoo looked at TaeSoo with interest.

    "So what ranking is your second attribute?"

    "Fufu, for the second awakening, I got an A-rank attribute."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo''s eyes shone while looking at TaeSoo, who answered with great confidence.

    ''He''s more talented than I expected.''

    Even if you got a B-rank attribute in your second awakening, you were considered a talented yer.

    But he had gotten an A-rank. It was a rank that exceeded expectations.

    ''No wonder those guys were struggling with him.''

    They''d struggled with him because, despite his level being low, the ranking of his attribute was quite high.

    "Why didn''t you join a guild? With that ranking, I''m sure you''d be able to join any you wished for."

    "I was looking for one, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll join any."

    "¡­?"

    TaeSoo clenched his fists while looking at KangWoo with intense eyes.

    "Your sense of justice has moved me! I, Kang TaeSoo, want to follow hyeong from now on!"

    "Hmm..."

    KangWoo crossed his arms and snorted while looking at TaeSoo shout.

    ''Not bad.''

    At first, he¡¯d thought that TaeSoo was just someone bothersome, but after hearing the rank of his attribute, he¡¯d changed his opinion a little bit.

    Although he wouldn''t be of great help right then, he was someone who was worth investing in.

    ''The chances of someone who got a high-ranking attribute on the second awakening, getting one that''s even better next is very high.

    It was possible that he may get an S-ranking attribute or maybe even better.

    ''It wouldn''t be a bad idea to have him as a subordinate.''

    Since he was used to moving alone, in reality, he didn''t need someone with whom to fight.

    But the story changed if it was someone who listened to his orders.

    Two people could do more than one.

    Having someone who could do the bothersome things was a good enough reason to have a subordinate.

    ''And also¡­''

    * * *

    KangWoo could feel strong loyaltying from TaeSoo.

    The most important thing for a subordinate wasn''t strength.

    The most important thing was a non-changing loyalty, it was the certainty that your subordinate wouldn''t try to stab you from behind.

    In that sense, having a subordinate like TaeSoo would probably be very helpful.

    ''Now that I think about it, Ms. Seol-ah is going to reach the second awakening soon, too.''

    He thought that Seol-ha, who was a healer, and TaeSoo, who was a tanker, would be able to form quite a good party.

    "Okay, I''m going to guide you from now on."

    "Woah! Thank you, KangWoo brother."

    TaeSoo shouted with an excited voice and sparkling eyes.

    "Then should we go invade the Andras guild''s hideout immediately? Haha, I''ll protect you with my life."

    "No, I''ll go to the hideout of the Andras guild alone."

    "Oh¡­ Wh-why?"

    "TaeSoo¡­"

    As KangWoo called his name in a low voice, TaeSoo shrugged his shoulders.

    KangWoo kept talking in a low voice.

    "You almost died while fighting against two Andras members, right?"

    "Y-yes¡­"

    "Do you think you''ll be able to defend me?"

    "¡­"

    TaeSoo couldn''t say anything after hearing the facts. He had a sullen look on his face.

    He also knew very well that, right then, he couldn''t be of help to KangWoo.

    KangWoo put his hands on the disheartened TaeSoo.

    "It''s okay."

    "Hyeongnim?"

    "You''re just starting. If you''re weak, you just have to get stronger, right?"

    TaeSoo''s face recovered vitality after hearing KangWoo''s words.

    "Yes! That''s right! My story hasn''t even begun yet!"

    "That''s right."

    "Haha. I''ll soon be strong enough to be your shield!"

    KangWoo smirked and nodded after hearing TaeSoo''s shout.

    "I trust you."

    "Hyeong, give me your phone number. I''lle running if you ever need me."

    "Oh, yeah, I wanted to ask you a favor."

    "Just tell me, hyeong."

    TaeSoo answered excitedly after hearing the word ¡°favor¡±.

    "In a few days, someone I know will finish basic education. I want you to form a party with that person and level up."

    "Ho¡­ Could you tell me what type that person is?"

    "She''s a healer."

    "Then it''s me who wants you to ask. Getting a damage dealer is rtively easy, so I think I''ll be able to create a good party."

    TaeSoo nodded while making his characteristic good-person smile.

    "Okay, then I''ll contact youter."

    "Are you going to the Andras guild¡¯s hideout right now?"

    "I''m not sure..."

    KangWoo looked at the unconscious person that was on the ground.

    If he used the man who was wielding the sword, he would easily be able to get to the Andras guild''s hideout.

    ''Facing the Andras guild isn''t going to be a problem.''

    Maybe if it were one of the big guilds that controlled Korea, the story would be different, but the Andras guild was a mid-sized one. KangWoo would probably be able to face them with his current strength.

    After he¡¯dpleted the third awakening, the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core had gotten weaker. And with that, he¡¯d gotten a power that one would never imagine belonging to a level 20 yer.

    Not only that, but KangWoo''s strength couldn''t be measured only by his level and stats.

    He had the fighting skills he''d polished for ten thousand years.

    Even while fighting against an opponent with higher stats, he could overwhelm the other person.

    ''The problem is how am I going to get inside without being discovered.''

    It wasn''t that he didn''t have an Authority that allowed him to hide his presence¡­

    But hiding for a long time from yers, who had senses more developed than normal people, wouldn''t be easy.

    ''If they discover me, I might lose the opportunity to find out more about the ceremony.''

    If that happened, the reason why he was investigating the Andras guild would disappear.

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo was thinking about it with his eyes closed.

    "Ugh, where am I¡­?"

    At that moment, the man who had been unconscious stood up while trembling.

    He had recovered consciousness at the perfect timing. KangWoo grabbed his neck.

    "Coff!"

    "There''s something I want to ask you. You can kindly answer me, right?"

    "Coff! Oof!"

    "If you understood, nod."

    With his face blue, the man nodded.

    "Coff! Coff! Coff!"

    "What''s your name?"

    "M... My name is Kang CheolHo."

    "Okay. CheolHo, you said before that you had to take those two yers alive. Right?"

    "¡­"

    After hearing KangWoo''s question, CheolHo tried to avoid his gaze with his mouth closed. He could feel cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

    "I¡­ I don''t remember."

    "Really?"

    KangWoo kicked him in his face as if it were a football.

    <em>m-!</em>

    "Coff!"

    "How about now? Do you remember something?"

    "Ugh..."

    "Do you need more?"

    "N-no...!"

    The man shook his face with a pale look.

    TaeSoo looked at KangWoo, who was interrogating with skill worthy of an artisan, with his mouth wide open.

    "Th-that was¡­ to use that person as an offering."

    "Offering?"

    "Yes."

    "For the so-called ceremony?"

    Kang CheolHo nodded with a stiff expression on his face.

    KangWoo subconsciously let out a feigned smile.

    "You guys are crazier than I imagined."

    He wasn''t sure about the details of the ceremony, but considering that you had to offer a person who was alive, it was probably an archaic type of ceremony.

    "Hmm."

    After learning that the Andras Guild members were crazier than he had originally imagined, KangWoo fell into thought.

    "An offering..."

    Suddenly, a thought crossed KangWoo''s mind.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    KangWoo turned his head to Kang CheolHo and spoke in a low voice.

    "I wanted to ask you a favor."

 Chapter 21: The Andras Guild (3)

    The Andras guild¡­

    It was one of the biggest mid-sized guilds, and there were many shady rumors around it.

    The guild''s leader, Jo DeokHyun, was someone who was being watched closely by the Hwarang Squad.

    Because they were in such a situation, their guild house was located in a secret ce where there wasn''t anyone around.

    "Stop."

    The man red at the figure that had suddenly appeared.

    After checking out who the other person was, he lowered the guard.

    "Kang CheolHo?"

    "Y-yes."

    "Didn''t you go for offering hunting with Seo TaeHo? What took you so long?"

    "Th-things happened."

    Kang CheolHo looked down at therge suitcase he had with him.

    Since he looked a bit different from usual, the person guarding the door tilted his head.

    "Things happened? But more than that, where''s TaeHo?"

    "TaeHo died¡­"

    "What? He died?"

    The man looked at Kang CheolHo in disbelief.

    "Didn''t you go to a D-rank gate? Seo TaeHo died at the hands of someone who had just barely done the second awakening?"

    "There was a high-level yer mixed in the group. I barely managed to kill him and was able to bring the one to use as an offering."

    "Huuu..."

    "I''m going to give the reportter on. But first, take the offering."

    Kang CheolHo pushed the suitcase to him.

    The man who received the carrier looked at Kang CheolHo with suspicious eyes.

    "You''re acting strange today."

    "It''s because of TaeHo''s death¡­"

    "Hmm. Well¡­ Since you two were close, I guess it makes sense. The ceremony is about to start, so I''ll hear what happenedter."

    "O-okay. Then I''ll..."

    Kang CheolHo turned around as if he didn''t want to be there.

    The man guarding the door grabbed his shoulder.

    "Come in and join the ceremony."

    "I¡­ I''m okay."

    "Huh? What are you talking about? You were the one who got the offering, so you should be baptized. Haha. How lucky. If you receive some more demonic energy today, maybe you''ll even be able to use a bit of the Authority."

    "I¡­ I don''t need it!"

    "¡­?"

    The man frowned as if he couldn''t understand Kang CheolHo, who was just shaking his head.

    The ceremony was the most important event for them.

    Through the ceremony, they got something called demonic energy, which was an energy that had more destructive power than mana.

    The power of demonic energy was simr to drugs.

    Along with the sense of your body bing stronger, your desire to live became deeper. One just couldn''t rece those sensations with something else.

    "Something definitely happened, right?"

    The man looked at Kang CheolHo suspiciously. After all, he had no reason to refuse the ceremony.

    He knew Kang CheolHo wasn''t a good enough person to refuse that power just because his friend had died.

    Kang CheolHo turned around while dripping cold sweat.

    "N-nothing happened, so deal with the offering yourself."

    "Hmm¡­"

    The man looked at Kang CheolHo, who quickly walked away; then he opened the suitcase he had left behind.

    There, he saw the body of a young man who had sharp looks¡ªhe was covered in blood and was unconscious.

    "The offering seems right."

    After checking that the young man was still breathing, he took the suitcase and entered the guild house.

    As he entered the guild house, a thin man wearing a robe walked toward him.

    He saluted him with a nervous expression.

    "Guild leader! Here''s the offering!"

    "It arrivedte today."

    "They were interrupted in the middle by a high-level yer."

    "Hmm. So?"

    "Seo TaeHo died while fighting him."

    "I see."

    Jo DeokHyun didn''t seem to care that a member of his guild had died. He just turned around while making an apathetic look.

    "Bring in the offering. The ceremony is about to start.

    "Yes!"

    After answering with a loud shout, the man took the suitcase and entered the room where the ceremony was going to take ce.

    <em>Creak</em>-

    In the room behind the door, eight members of the Andras guild were kneeling while wearing preist robes.

    They were one of the few guild members who knew about the real identity of the guild.

    "Oh!"

    "Great Andras!"

    After seeing Jo DeokHyun enter the room, the members of the Andras guild got down.

    Their eyes that were looking at Jo DeokHyun shed with madness.

    Rather than a guild with yers, it looked like a cult.

    Jo DeokHyun made a fishy smile while looking at the room where the guild members were gathered.

    ''Everything is progressing smoothly.''

    It had been one year since he''d started preaching.

    The people who followed him had been slowly but steadily increasing.

    "Hahaha."

    Jo DeokHyun''s eyes shed with madness.

    It wasn''t hard to make yers fall for the power of demonic energy.

    Most yers wished to have more strength, and demonic energy had the power to fulfill those desires.

    ''With a little more effort, I''ll be able to turn everyone here into a fiend.''

    The more demonic energy a human received, the closer that person became to a demon.

    In the case of Jo DeokHyun, 20% of his body was a demon''s, so he had be a fiend.

    His goal was to create a strong force made of fiends.

    ''The strength of the Authority is getting stronger.''

    He smiled excitedly while thinking about the one who had told him about the ceremony.

    * * *

    That person wasn''t wrong.

    The more ceremonies he did and the more offerings he gave, the more demonic energy he got; thus, he became consistently stronger.

    The power that a demon''s Authority gave you made a yer''s attribute look insignificant.

    ''I''ll be a full demon.''

    Eternal youth and power¡­

    Bing a demon was the only way to escape a mortal''s miserable lifestyle.

    "Then let''s start the ceremony."

    After saying that, he hit the ground with a dark brown cane.

    <em>Stomp-</em>

    "Oh."

    "Ah! Demon King!"

    After hearing themand to begin the ceremony, the members of the Andras guild, who were wearing robes, began hitting the ground with their heads while screaming.

    "Prepare the mana stones."

    "Yes!"

    He ced the young man who would be used as the day¡¯s offering on the altar; then he opened the safe that was under the altar.

    Inside it, there were thousands of mana stones.

    They were the mana stones they¡¯d bought by using all the funds that the Andras guild had avable, they were going to be used to create a ''crack.''

    ''With these mana stones, we should be able to do at least 30 more ceremonies.''

    Jo DeokHyun smiled while looking at all the mana stones he had under the altar.

    "Whose turn is it to be baptized?"

    "It should be Kang CheolHo¡­ But he said that he wouldn''t participate in today''s ceremony."

    "Really?"

    Jo DeokHyun nodded while frowning.

    "Then no one''s going to be baptized today."

    "Ah¡­"

    The guild members seemed disappointed at those words.

    The eyes of the members became full of desire, and the excitement grew.

    "Quiet!"

    <em>m-!</em>

    "¡­"

    "If you want to be baptized, bring in an offering and mana stones. Those who don''t move don''t deserve to be baptized."

    "Yes!"

    Jo DeokHyun smiled after hearing their answers.

    ''Today, I''ll be able to hoard the strength all to myself.''

    He became excited at the thought of the demonic energy he''d get from one offering.

    "Let''s begin."

    <em>Whir-</em>

    Jo DeokHyun moved the mana inside the mana stones by following the magic circle, just like he''d learned on the day he¡¯d received the ''revtion.'' A few of the thousands of mana stones lost their light.

    The magic circle under the altar began to shine, and a small distortion appeared in the air.

    <em>Swoosh-!!</em>

    From the small distortion, ck energy began to flow out.

    Demonic energy¡­

    It was more destructive than mana, and it was an absolute energy that could turn humans into demons.

    ''Good.''

    He smiled, satisfied after seeing the demonic energy sessfully flowing out.

    The ceremony began by creating a crack that led toward Hell.

    Once demonic energy flowed out of the crack, they had to conduct it toward where the offering was.

    The reason was that, if you took the demonic energy directly without using an offering, you would die while twisting your body in pain.

    Once you lead the demonic energy to the offering, the ceremony would end, and you just had to wait for the offering to be filled with demonic energy and die.

    ''Today, I''ll be able to drink all the blood.''

    If you drank the blood of a corpse filled with demonic energy, you could safely absorb it.

    He didn''t need to share the blood with his underling who had brought the offering, so he was going to monopolize the demonic energy.

    "Fufufu! Die already!"

    He led the demonic energy more aggressively at the thought of monopolizing the offering.

    The demonic energy that emerged out of the crack started to be absorbed by the offering at a faster speed.

    ''He''s resisting quite a lot.''

    Jo DeokHyun was surprised by how the person used as an offering barely moved despite all the demonic energy entering him.

    The amount of demonic energy a person could absorb differed from case to case.

    Some people had been able to resist just a second.

    ''Is his attribute maybe A-rank?''

    Usually, people with higher-ranking attributes could resist more.

    ''If he can resist for so long...''

    Naturally, the demonic energy inside his blood would also be thick.

    Jo DeokHyun smiled excitedly after seeing that the offering kept absorbing demonic energy.

    The magic stones they were using to maintain the crack quickly lost their light, but they could still go on for a bit.

    ''Haha. Luck is on my side!''

    The young man on the altar was the person who''d been able to resist demonic energy the longest.

    To think that the day when he could monopolize the blood, that the offering would be someone capable of absorbing lots of demonic energy¡­

    It looked like an opportunity given to him by the heavens so that he could absorb lots of demonic energy.

    ''I''ll be able to absorb 10 times... No! 15 times the normal amount of demonic energy at once!''

    Jo DeokHyun was thrilled.

    "Hahaha! Come on, open your eyes and scream in pain!"

    He spoke out what he was thinking by mistake.

    He wanted to drink the blood of the offering right at that moment.

    "Hahaha!"

    The demonic energy flowing from the crack kept flowing into the body of the offering.

    "Good! Very good!"

    Whileughing out loud, he was waiting for the young men to scream in pain.

    "Huh¡­?"

    But it didn''t matter how long he waited¡ªthe young man didn''t open his eyes.

    "What''s happening?"

    The demonic energy flowing from the crack kept entering the young man''s body.

    "Why isn''t it stopping?"

    It kept going on.

    "W-wait."

    Endlessly¡­

    "S-stop!"

    Without stopping¡­

    "Stop it!"

    The demonic energy flowed into the young man''s body that was on the altar.

    All the mana stones he''d bought by everything the Andras guild had lost their light.

    Once all the mana stones lost their light, the crack that had appeared in the air vanished.

    "Huh¡­?"

    Jo DeokHyun muttered in confusion as he watched an amount of magic stones that was enough to perform over 30 rituals disappear all at once.

    The young man that was on the altar got up slowly.

    He looked at his surroundings with great interest while smiling brightly.

    "Woah. Thanks to this, my stat has gone up by 20."

    The young man burst intoughter as if he''d just won the lottery.

    Jo DeokHyun couldn''t close his mouth at the surprise.

    "Can you do this ritual one more time?"

    "¡­"

    A heavy silence fell over the room.

 Chapter 22: Demon Followers (1)

    ''They''re a cult full of weirdos, huh?''

    KangWoo had disguised himself as an offering and infiltrated the Guild. He opened his eyes narrowly and looked at the Andras Guild members gathered around the altar.

    As Jo DeokHyun entered the room, the Guild members started to praise him. It didn''t matter how you looked at them, they definitely looked like a cult full of weird fanatics.

    ''And then¡­''

    KangWoo could feel the state of their bodies.

    The body of a human with demonic energy would start to be more like a demon¡¯s.

    Except for his mind, KangWoo''s body was more like a demon¡¯s than a human¡¯s.

    ''Although there''s a difference in the percentage, it seems like they''re all in the process of bing fiends.''

    Now he finally understood why they were acting in such weird ways.

    The body of a demon was constantly craving to fulfill desires¡ªit was simr to an animal that was in heat.

    Since it had been long since KangWoo had be a demon, he could control his desires, but that wasn''t the case for those people.

    Among them, there probably wasn''t anyone who was sane.

    ''How are they able to receive demonic energy?''

    He could safely absorb demonic energy thanks to his Authority of Predation.

    But normally, demonic energy was lethal for humans, so if you received it carelessly, your soul and body could get eroded by the demonic energy and copse.

    ''I should first wait for them to do the ceremony.''

    KangWoo stayed still, pretending he had lost consciousness.

    "Prepare the mana stones."

    "Yes!"

    At Jo DeokHyun''s orders, the man opened the safe under the altar.

    There were thousands of mana stones inside of the safe.

    ''What are they trying to do?''

    The ceremony began at the same time that KangWoo''s questions deepened.

    Jo DeokHyun hit the floor with a dark brown cane and began casting a spell.

    The mana inside the mana stones flew out to somewhere, and a small crack appeared in the air.

    "¡­!"

    KangWoo''s body trembled as he saw the crack.

    Thick demonic energy started toe out from the crack.

    ''What''s happening?''

    He was very used to the demonic energying from the crack.

    ''How are they calling demonic energy from the Hell of Nine Skies?''

    There was no way to know the answer.

    He wasn''t sure how they had opened a crack with the avable information.

    Jo DeokHyun made the demonic energying out from the crack move toward KangWoo''s body.

    ''Huh?''

    Demonic energy entered KangWoo.

    He naturally used the Authority of Predation and absorbed all of the demonic energy flowing into him.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 1.]

    ''Huh?''

    He wasn''t expecting that to happen.

    KangWoo kept absorbing the demonic energying out from the crack.

    ''Sweet.''

    From the moment they made the demonic energy flow into the offering''s body, KangWoo understood what they were trying to do.

    They were waiting for the moment when a person''s body and soul copsed because of the absorbed demonic energy.

    ''I''m not sure how they n to absorb the demonic energy after that.''

    Anyway, that wasn''t important to him.

    Because to him, that demonic energy was like honey rather than poison.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    <em>Ting-</em>

    <em>Ting-</em>

    As the ceremony continued, he could hear the clear sound of a bell spreading through his ear.

    ''Going up!''

    Demonic energy that surpassed the amount he had absorbed after using Predation on a hundred lizardmen entered his body.

    As demonic energy flowed to his body as if it were water, the corners of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    "What''s happening?"

    Jo DeokHyun finally realized that something was off.

    "Why isn''t it stopping?"

    ''Don''t stop.''

    "W-wait."

    ''A little bit more.''

    "S-stop!!"

    ''Don''t stop!''

    "Stop it!"

    ''Just one more stat!''

    Jo DeokHyun''s scream filled with urgency and KangWoo''s internal scream intertwined.

    But all good thingse to an end.

    As the mana stones maintaining the crack lost all their mana, the crack naturally disappeared.

    While leaving behind the disappointment, KangWoo slowly stood up.

    He more or less understood what the ceremony consisted of, and now it was time to hear the detailed information from Jo DeokHyun.

    "What? Can''t you do it one more time?"

    "Ah, aah."

    Jo DeokHyun''s body trembled.

    * * *

    He was confused about why that young man was perfectly okay after receiving so much demonic energy.

    The only thing that he was sure of was that, because of him, all of the mana stones he''d bought by using all the resources of the Andras guild were no longer useful.

    And after blowing out so many mana stones, he hadn''t been able to get anything in exchange.

    "N-no."

    All those mana stones he''d bought by spending all the resources of the Andras guild were supposed to give eternal life.

    Recently, the Hwarang Squad had been following them more closely, so he wasn''t sure how long it would take him to gather so many mana stones again.

    "NOOOO!"

    Jo DeokHyun''s scream spread through the room.

    He directed his angry gaze toward KangWoo.

    "YOOUU!!!"

    Jo DeokHyun pointed to him with his cane, and a bullet made of demonic energy came out of his dark brown cane.

    KangWoo easily dodged the demonic energy bullet.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    The demonic energy bullet hit the wall and exploded while making a loud noise.

    After seeing the explosion, KangWoo looked at Jo DeokHyun with great interest.

    ''Not bad.''

    Was it because of the demonic energy? Or was it because of Jo DeokHyun''s power as a yer? He kept shooting bullets made of demonic energy without taking a break.

    The mana bullets that were shot at KangWoo changed trajectory mid-flight and targeted his back.

    ''Authority of Iron Wall.''

    Demonic energy poured out of his body and covered him as if it were an armor.

    Jo DeokHyun''s mana bullets ricocheted off the demonic energy armor.

    ''It''s definitely morefortable now that I have more demonic energy.''

    After reaching the third awakening, he¡¯d gained ess to quite a huge amount of demonic energy.

    It was a huge achievement considering that it hadn''t been a week since he¡¯d returned to Earth.

    KangWoo looked satisfied while feeling the demonic energy run through his body.

    "Y-you can control demonic energy?"

    Jo DeokHyun was surprised after seeing the person they used as an offering control the demonic energy very naturally.

    That couldn''t be happening.

    No, that wasn''t supposed to happen.

    "Eek!"

    Jo DeokHyun waved his cane with a nervous expression.

    He fired arge amount of demonic energy toward KangWoo.

    "What are you doing?! Attack him!"

    He turned his head around and shouted to the other guild members.

    After hearing Jo DeokHyun''s orders, each of the eight guild members took out their weapons and charged toward KangWoo.

    KangWoo smirked after looking at the Andras Guild members charging toward him.

    ''What can a bunch of guys who can''t even control demonic energy do?''

    There was no way they would be able to beat him.

    <em>m-! Stomp-!</em>

    "Argh!"

    "Coff!"

    KangWoo swiped away the members of Andras Guild just like a wolf who¡¯d run into a flock of sheep.

    They tried to stab KangWoo with their weapons but failed because they couldn''t pierce the armor made of demonic energy.

    Since the defense was perfect, he just had to concentrate on attacking.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Iron Wall and the Authority of the de simultaneously.

    ''This is consuming quite a bit of demonic energy.''

    Using two Authorities simultaneously was a bit too much for him at the moment, even after the increase in avable demonic energy.

    ''I should try to end this as fast as possible.''

    While thinking that, KangWoo began moving.

    He had no issue fighting against multiple opponents simultaneously.

    In the Hell of Nine Skies, before meeting Balrog, he''d spent most of the time fighting alone. He was more used to fighting against multiple opponents simultaneously than doing a one vs. one fight.

    <em>Smash-! sh-!</em>

    "Argh! My, my arm!!"

    "M-my legs!!"

    While fighting against multiple opponents, killing them wasn''t the most important thing.

    ¡ªYour priority had to be dealing fatal damage that would take them out of the fight.

    The agonized members of the Andras Guild that were on the floor would interfere with the movements of their allies, and that would give KangWoo the space to movefortably.

    <em>Stab-! Crack-!</em>

    "Argh!"

    One of the members of Andras Guild was targetting his back. KangWoo stabbed him in the shoulder and then twisted the de.

    As he did that, the de broke the bones of the man¡¯s shoulders, and a horrible scream came out of his mouth.

    "Four."

    He was able to beat half of the enemies in just three minutes.

    If things went on like that, all eight members of the Andras guild would soon be defeated.

    "Move away! You bunch of useless idiots!"

    At that moment, Jo DeokHyun raised his voice.

    At his orders, the other four members moved back.

    After moving away, they looked at Jo DeokHyun with hopeful eyes.

    "He''s finally going to use that."

    "If it''s the power of the guild leader..."

    While the guild members were looking at him expectantly, Jo DeokHyun walked to the front.

    "Take a look! This is the me that burns life, the Authority of Hellfire!"

    Full of confidence, Jo DeokHyun extended one arm.

    In his hands, a ck me that was the size of the palm of his hands appeared.

    "Ha¡­"

    KangWoo let out a smirk after looking at the hellfire in Jo DeokHyun''s hand.

    "You call that the Authority of Hellfire?"

    Nonsense¡­

    That wasn''t a hellfire created with an Authority.

    A hellfire created with an Authority felt like a starving demon rather than looking like a hot fire.

    The fire that was created by Jo DeokHyun, although it looked simr to the real one, was just a crappy fire.

    "Hahaha. I''m not sure how you learned to control demonic energy, but you won''t be able to beat this Auth¡ª¡±

    <em>Fwoosh-!!</em>

    Before Jo DeokHyun could finish his sentence, ck mes appeared on top of KangWoo''s hands.

    The hellfire, which was bigger than a person¡¯s entire upper half, emitted strong demonic energy and wriggled.

    Comparatively, Jo DeokHyun''s mes, which were the size of the palms of his hands, looked crappy.

    "Huh¡­?"

    Jo DeokHyun looked dumbfounded at the hellfire that was on top of KangWoo''s hands.

    ''This shouldn''t be happening.''

    It was then that he realized that something had gone wrong.

 Chapter 23: Demon Followers (2)

    "H-how. Wh-What¡­"

    Jo DeokHyun was lost for words.

    The young man he thought was an offering had created a hellfire in his hands just like his own.

    ''No.''

    It wasn''t the same hellfire.

    Just a glimpse was enough to know that the stranger¡¯s hellfire was on another levelpared to his.

    ''I can''t win.''

    Jo DeokHyun''s eyes rolled over.

    Hisst hope, the Authority, had beenpletely crushed.

    Jo DeokHyun couldn''t think of a way to beat KangWoo.

    "¡­"

    His face became pale, and he started to tremble.

    He couldn''t hide hismotion.

    ''What should I do?''

    It was clear that he wouldn''t be able to win.

    Just looking at the hellfire on his hand was enough to know it.

    Cold sweat dripped through Jo DeokHyun''s forehead. You could feel the doubt in his face.

    KangWoo looked with great interest at the trembling Jo DeokHyun.

    ''What is he going to do?''

    He had shown him that he wasn''t going to be able to win against him, so KangWoo was wondering how he was going to react.

    His question was soon answered.

    After thinking about it for a while, Jo DeokHyun knelt down and raised both arms.

    "Oh!! Manifestation of the great Andras!!"

    "Huh¡­?"

    "I''ve been waiting for you to descend for a while!!"

    "¡­"

    A shortugh came out of KangWoo''s mouth after hearing Jo DeokHyun''s heated words.

    "Ha."

    "You''re our king, god, messiah! The tyrant who should rule over this world!"

    While KangWoo burst intoughter, Jo DeokHyun kept performing his passionate performance.

    ''This fucker¡­''

    ¡®He''s a quick-witted one, huh?¡¯

    KangWoo couldn''t believe how quickly Jo DeokHyun changed his attitude as the situation worsened for him.

    He knew he would react somehow, but he never thought the guy would kneel down and praise him.

    "Aahh, great Andras! I''ve known everything from the first moment I saw you!"

    ''You didn''t.''

    "Do you know for how long I''ve been waiting for this day toe?!"

    ''You weren''t.''

    "Sniff! I, Jo DeokHyun, am so moved that my heart will explode!"

    ''Bullshit.''

    KangWoo was astonished by Jo DeokHyun''s performance.

    "What are you doing?! Everyone, kneel down! He''s the one who''s going to lead us toward eternal life!"

    "Ah¡­ Yes."

    "Quickly!"

    Jo DeokHyun shouted to the other guild members who were just standing there.

    The other guild members looked at each other with confused looks.

    KangWoo let out a short exmation after seeing Jo DeokHyun on the floor.

    ''Quite impressive.''

    It was hard for a human to leave behind his pride and kneel in such a way.

    KangWoo felt a kind of respect toward Jo DeokHyun by how willing he was to put himself in such a miserable situation.

    ''Not bad.''

    KangWoo smiled while looking at him.

    KangWoo didn''t hate miserable people.

    The people he hated were the ones who, even when it was obvious they would lose, didn''t give up.

    He preferred people who could adapt quickly based on the situation and were willing to throw away their pride for a chance of survival.

    ''Since he''s willing to put himself in such a miserable position, I can''t stay still.''

    While feeling a weird sense of rivalry, he stepped a foot forward.

    <em>Stomp-!</em>

    "Hahaha! You finally recognized me! I''m Andras! King of ten thousand demons and the one who controls the hellfire. The Emperor of Fire!!"

    KangWoo used the demonic energy to emit a louder sound.

    Most of the words he said were a lie.

    Andras wasn''t strong enough to call himself king of anything. Not only that, but the one known as the Emperor of Fire was one of the seven archdukes, Mammon.

    But most importantly, he wasn''t Andras.

    The only thing that was true among the things he¡¯d said was that Andras was the one who controlled the hellfire.

    "Long live Andras! The king of ten thousand demons! Emperor of Fire!!"

    But there was no way Jo DeokHyun knew about those things¡ªhe just hit the floor with his head while praising him loudly.

    If someone else saw the scene, they''d probably think that he really had respect and felt admiration toward KangWoo.

    ''Although, there''s no way that''s the case.''

    The only reason why he was acting like that was that he knew he wouldn''t be able to win against KangWoo.

    KangWoo smirked and sat on the altar.

    * * *

    ''That''s not the important thing.''

    The important thing was that Jo DeokHyun had surrendered to him, and he had a lot of information he was interested in.

    "There are things I need to discuss with you, so ask your subordinates to leave."

    "Understood!"

    With his head against the floor, he nced at his subordinates.

    They took the injured people and left the room.

    After he was left alone with Jo DeokHyun, KangWoo opened his mouth.

    "There are a few things I wanted to ask you."

    "Ask me anything, great And¡ª"

    "Let''s stop with that. You know that I''m not Andras."

    "¡­"

    With his mouth closed, he looked at KangWoo with sharp eyes.

    "Who¡­ Are you?"

    "I''m the one who''s going to ask the questions."

    "Ugh¡­"

    "First, tell me the details about the ceremony. How are you doing it? From where did you learn to create a crack in the air by using the mana inside the mana stones?"

    The thing he was the most curious about was how Jo DeokHyun had created a crack in space.

    The power that created the crack was too weird to think it of as an attribute''s effect.

    "I learned how to create a crack when I received the preaching."

    "Preaching?"

    "Yes."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "One day, a man wearing a demon''s mask suddenly appeared before me and said that he''d give us eternal life if we converted to the ''Demon Cult."

    "And you epted that?"

    KangWoo looked at Jo DeokHyun, astonished.

    Who in their right mind would ept such a suspicious proposal?

    "It''s¡­ That he was too strong."

    "Too strong?"

    "Yes. He was able to overwhelm the entire guild almost instantly and then asked if we were going to listen to him or die. We have no other choice!"

    "So, where''s that demon mask guy now?"

    "I¡­ I don''t know. I haven''t seen him again since that day.''

    "You haven''t seen him even once?"

    "Y-yes."

    "You don''t even know how to contact him?"

    "I don''t know. Sometimes, he sends us orders via letter."

    "Hmm. Despite that, you followed his orders so enthusiastically?"

    "Ugh! Th-that¡­"

    Jo DekHyun avoided KangWoo''s gaze while trembling.

    KangWoo red at him.

    ''Probably from a certain point, he became more motivated to do the rituals without any external pressure.''

    Maybe he¡¯d been forced to do it at first, but he probably couldn''t resist the desire to get more of the sweet strength that the demonic energy gave.

    ''Just who is he talking about?''

    Demon Cult¡­

    It was a name that reminded him of one of those cults full of crazy fanatics, but their influence and power didn''t seem to be a joke.

    Firstly, there was no way that someone who knew how to create a crack that led toward Hell was a weakling.

    KangWoo turned his head around toward Jo DeokHyun.

    "Do you have that letter with you?"

    "Here."

    "Just one¡­?"

    "Y-yes."

    Jo DeokHyun acted as if he was trying to portray himself as if he were a victim and nodded.

    "Hmm. I see."

    With his eyes narrowed, KangWoo stroked his chin.

    "Are you the only one who was preached to by the demon cult?"

    "I-I''m not sure. I''ve never met another person."

    Jo DeokHyun shook his head while saying that with a trembling voice.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    ''There''s no way he''s the only one.''

    He had no way to know who was behind the demon cult and why they had approached Jo DeokHyun.

    But unless the guy was an idiot, there was no way he would execute his n just by trusting in Jo DeokHyun alone.

    Jo DeokHyun didn''t look like someone who was useless, but he also didn''t seem to be someone capable.

    There was no way that someone strong enough to interfere in a dimension would leave everything to a human like that.

    ''There are probably other people, too.''

    People who worshipped an unknown evil god¡­

    KangWoo was sure that other people the demon cult had influenced were hidden somewhere.

    "Tsk."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue while thinking about the situation.

    "So, what order did that evil god give you? To stack demonic energy inside your body through the ceremony and be stronger?"

    "N-no."

    "Then?"

    "To increase the influence of the guild and turn as many people as possible into fiends. ording to him, once that happens, he''d be able to turn Earth into Hell¡­"

    "¡­"

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    ''Using demonic energy to turn yers into demons¡­''

    He wasn''t sure what those people were ultimately trying to achieve.

    He wasn''t sure what meaning turning yers into demons had¡­

    But there was something he was sure about¡­

    ''These fuckers¡­''

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''Create a Hell on Earth?''

    ¡ªHe couldn''t let them do as they pleased.

 Chapter 24: Demon Followers (3)

    "Then search for more info about the demon cult."

    "U-understood."

    Jo DeokHyun bowed after hearing KangWoo''s order.

    His expression was full of fear.

    It wasn''t simple fear, but he hadpletely surrendered to the human called Oh KangWoo.

    It was clear that he had been influenced by the Authority of Fear.

    "Don''t perform any more ceremonies, understood?"

    "Yes!"

    Jo DeokHyun quickly nodded at KangWoo''s words.

    KangWoo smiled, satisfied at his answer.

    ''I guess this much pressure is going to be enough.''

    He couldn''t let Andras guild members kidnap humans that were alive anymore.

    Of course, the moral behind it was one of the reasons, but there was also another one, which was the current status of the Andras guild.

    Government agencies were watching the Andras guild''s movements closely, so if they kept going around as they''d been doing, they would soon be found out.

    ''Even if they don''t do anything and stay still, what they''ve done will probablye to light sooner orter.''

    They''d done so many things that there was no way that they wouldn''t be found out.

    They''d sacrificed living yers numerous times, so they would be punished for sure.

    ''Once that happens, I can just throw them away.''

    For the moment, the members of the Andras Guild would be useful to him in finding more information about the Demon Cult.

    They knew and had demonic energy.

    That would probably make it easier for them to find the Demon Cultpared to a normal yer, who didn''t know about demonic energy.

    That''s why he could just use them until the government discovered them.

    ''I''ve also used the Authority of Fear in him, so he wouldn''t leak information.''

    With a tired expression on his face, KangWoo turned around.

    Was it because he''d used the Authority of Fear, which consumed a lot of demonic energy? He felt his whole body weighed down by tiredness.

    ''I want to heal.''

    After solving the Andras Guild''s issue after hunting, he felt a strong desire to take a rest.

    ''The best thing for healing is that¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    The best way to heal he knew about was just particr for him.

    The tip of KangWoo''s mouth went up, and his steps became lighter.

    He walked toward Han Seol-ah''s house while humming.

    "Let''s go to eat kimchi stew!!"

    The thought of eating a hot kimchi stew with meat made the tiredness he was feeling blow away.

    KangWoo used the remaining demonic energy to use the Authority of Sky and flew through the sky.

    * * *

    <em>Click-</em>

    "Mr. K-KangWoo!"

    As KangWoo opened the door and entered the house, an anxious Han Seol-ah approached him.

    KangWoo looked at her while tilting his head.

    "Did something happen?"

    "That''s what I wanted to ask! It''s been a while since you entered the gate, and I didn''t receive any updates from you¡­ And you didn''t even answer my calls."

    "Ah."

    After leaving the gate, he¡¯d gone directly to the Andras Guild''s hideout, so it was true that he waster than usual.

    "I''m sorry, things happened."

    "Oof. I was worried about you. I thought that something may have happened."

    Han Seol-ah sighed in relief.

    KangWoo smiled while looking at her.

    "Thank you for worrying. Next time, I''ll let you know beforehand."

    "Ah, okay."

    Han Seol-ah''s cheeks became a bit red at his honest reply, and she avoided looking at him.

    "Since you''re here, I''m going to prepare dinner. Is there something you want to eat?"

    "Kimchi stew," KangWoo replied immediately.

    "Ah¡­ Yes, well. I was expecting that reply from Mr. KangWoo."

    Han Seol-ahughed at that answer.

    "And also meat, please¡­"

    "Yes, I bought good meat."

    * * *

    "Oh!''

    "Fufu. This is all thanks to Mr. KangWoo."

    The money KangWoo had given them had been like rain during a drought.

    Of course, it wasn''t like KangWoo had given her all the money he had earned.

    But yers earned so much money that, even if he''d given her a considerable amount, it didn''t make any difference in his daily life.

    "Haha. You cook me delicious food every day, so that much was nothing. If you need more money, feel free to ask me."

    "N-no! I finished the second awakening, so it''s time for me to earn money and pay you back."

    "Oh!"

    KangWoo looked at her with great interest.

    "When did you finish the second awakening?"

    "I leveled up today while hunting a goblin."

    Han Seol-ah slightly puffed her chest out as if she were proud of having reached the second awakening.

    Her voluminous chest entered his sight.

    ''Mahayabanyabaramildabodhisattvabodhisattva.''

    KangWoo tried his best to shake off from his mind what had just entered his sight.

    After calming down, he turned his head to Han Seol-ah again.

    "What ranking attribute did you get?"

    "Fufufu. Listen carefully, Mr. KangWoo."

    Han Seol-ah said with her eyes shining and an excited voice.

    "I got B-rank! Afterpleting the second awakening, I got a B-rank attribute called Blessing of Light!"

    "Woah."

    KangWoo let out a short exmation.

    Healer-type yers were rare on their own, but on top of that, she''d gotten a high-ranking attribute.

    ''If she parties with TaeSoo, it will be no joke.''

    A high-ranking tanker and a healer¡­

    They''d probably have an offensive powerparable to a bus party with thebination of those two.

    After what¡¯d happened with the Andras guild, he had been thinking of increasing his forces, so this was good news.

    ''After all, I''m not sure how strong the members of the Demon Cult are.''

    It wasn''t a bad idea to build up his forces to be able to face them morefortably.

    "Ms. Seol-ah, didn''t you receive an invitation from other guilds?"

    "I received too many," Seol-ah said with a trembling voice, as if she still couldn''t believe that she had received a B-ranking attribute.

    To be honest, receiving a B-ranking attribute wasn''t something very rare.

    But since she was a healer, her position probably differed from others with the same ranking.

    "What Guild are you going to enter?"

    "That¡­"

    At KangWoo''s question, Han Seol-ah blushed and moved her body hesitantly.

    "I really don''t want to enter a guild. I just want to be of help to Mr. KangWWoo."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo became silent for a little while. After thinking about it, he opened his mouth.

    "It''s true that Ms. Seol-ah has gotten a high-ranking attribute, but I don''t think that it will be a good idea for you to form a party with me yet."

    "Ah¡­"

    She let out a disappointed sigh at his firm words.

    "To put it realistically, I don''t think you can be of help to me yet."

    "I see."

    Disheartened, Han Seol-ah lowered her head.

    After seeing her reaction, KangWoo almost changed his thoughts, but he shook his head.

    ''Not yet.''

    She couldn''t be of help to him right then. There was more a chance of her hindering him rather than helping.

    It wasn''t because she was weak or something. After all, she was far more talented than most yers.

    ''The problem is me.''

    Thanks to the third awakening and the ceremony, KangWoo''s demonic energy increased significantly. He had gotten a strength that one wouldn''t believe belonged to a level 20 yer.

    Since he was too overwhelmingly strong, forming a party had be unnecessary since it would only cut the amount of EXP he gained.

    ''Maybe,ter on, things will be different.''

    From what he¡¯d heard, from B-rank, even if you hunted a boss monster with a party, the amount of EXP you received didn¡¯t change that much.

    Once he could do that, he wouldn''t mind hunting with Seol-ah, TaeSoo, and a couple more people. But it wasn''t the time yet.

    TaeSoo and Seol-ah didn''t have much fight experience, so they had to gain more of it.

    ''You cannot get that type of experience by being carried.''

    You didn''t necessarily have to put your life in danger to gain experience, but you couldn''t gain that by standing still and doing nothing.

    "There''s an A-rank taker I got to know recently. I think that you should form a party with him and gain some fighting experience."

    "I see¡­"

    "Let''s go to a gate to hunt once Ms. Seol-ah''s level increases and you gain more battle experience."

    "Ah¡­!"

    She had been disappointed by the fact that she wouldn''t be able to form a party with him, but she let out a short exmation after hearing his words.

    If she kept getting stronger, she''d be able to form a party with him.

    This was very stimting for her, who was not only grateful to him, but also interested in him.

    "I understood. I''ll form a party with the tanker."

    "Both of you have high-ranking attributes, so you''ll probably level up quickly."

    "Yes, I want to level up quickly and be able to form a party with you."

    "It probably won''t take long since I''m going to give you all the support you need."

    After TaeSoo and Seol-ah gained some battle experience, KangWoo was thinking of helping them level up.

    He had a strength that couldn''t bepared to an average high-level yer, so with his help, he was sure that they''d be able to level up quickly.

    ''This is all an investment.''

    After taking in Balrog as his underling in the Hell of Nine Skies, KangWoo had realized something:

    You could do things faster and more easily with two or three people, even if it was something that you could do alone.

    It was so obvious that he was ashamed to say he had realized that, but that had shocked him because he''d moved alone for such a long time.

    ''Up until then, I always thought that having an underling was bothersome.''

    Before he¡¯d met Balrog, he hadn¡¯t known that having a capable underling was so helpful.

    "Fufu, thank you, Mr. KangWoo. Oh, time flew while we were talking. Wait for a little bit, please."

    "Yes."

    KangWoo was thinking about when he should help TaeSoo and Seol-ah level up while waiting for her.

    He didn''t need to wait for long.

    Soon, Seol-ah came to him while carrying a delicious-smelling kimchi stew.

    "Woah."

    After looking at the kimchi stew, KangWoo approached her, snorting with excitement.

    Was it because she''d used expensive pork meat?

    The kimchi stew looked as if it were emitting a brilliant light.

    "Thanks for the food!"

    "Ah, wait. Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    Han Seol-ah stopped KangWoo, who was about to start eating as if he were a hungry animal.

    KangWoo, who was stopped from eating, looked up at her anxiously.

    Han Seol-ah found that attitude cute andughed.

    "Put this on the kimchi stew."

    After seeing what she had given him, KangWoo''s body began trembling.

    "Th-this¡­"

    KangWoo mumbled as if he couldn''t believe what he was seeing.

    A shock simr to lightning spread through his entire body.

    "Ramyeon noddles!"

    KangWoo looked at the kimchi stew, trembling in excitement.

    ''I don''t know who you are¡­.''

    KangWoo thought while thinking about the Demon Cult as he ate.

    ''But I''ll protect Earth!''

 Chapter 25: An Unexpected Encounter (1)

    "We''ll send the C-rank yer ID to the specified address tomorrow."

    "Hmm... You can¡¯t give it to me right now?"

    "Correct. From C-rank onwards, there''s a special identification device created with mana stone encrusted into it, so it''s impossible to issue it immediately."

    "Understood."

    The next morning¡­

    KangWoo went to the yer management office and requested a C-rank yer ID.

    He had already surpassed the amount of mana stone sales needed long ago.

    KangWoo went to the level assessment device and received the confirmation that he had finished the third awakening, and then he walked toward the entrance to receive the ID.

    But the answer he received was different from his expectations¡ªthey said that they would send it to him the next day.

    ''I wanted to go to the C-rank gate immediately.''

    His original n was to take a few days off after reaching the third awakening.

    But that n had changed after meeting the demon worshippers.

    They''d received teachings from a member of an organization called the Demon Cult. He wanted to be as strong as possible before he knew the details of what that organization was, what they were aiming to do, and how strong their forces were.

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo wondered if he should use the Authority of Blind to bypass the gate control.

    Because his demonic energy had increased a lot recently, he was sure that he would be able to pass through even stricter control.

    ''I shouldn''t do that.''

    After thinking about it for a while, KangWoo shook his head.

    It wasn''t like the Demon Cult was actively moving at the moment. Not only that, but finding information about them was going to take time.

    He couldn''t stay while doing nothing, but there was no need to move as if he were being chased by something.

    ''Should I follow my original n and rest for a bit?''

    Since he had some unexpected free time, he thought it wouldn''t be a bad idea to take a day off and enjoy life on Earth.

    ''I haven''t taken a day off since returning to Earth.''

    There were many things he wanted to do, but he hadn''t taken a proper break since returning.

    KangWoo began feeling excited at the unexpected day off.

    "But¡­"

    In front of the yer management office¡­

    KangWoo was in the middle of a city where hundreds, thousands of people walked hurriedly, alone. He swallowed a small silence.

    "What should I do?"

    KangWoo scratched his forehead in confusion.

    In the first ce, he was someone who wasn''t used to leisure.

    In the past, because he''d lived in poverty, the only forms of entertainment he had were eating out and reading manhwa or novels.

    Not only that, but he used to read only the free chapters.

    When he went to Hell, things only worsened.

    He had been dreaming about returning to Earth, but he hadn''t thought about what he wanted to do.

    He couldn''t miss doing things he had never done.

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo sat down on a nearby bench and immersed himself in his thoughts.

    ''Now that I think about it, I really lived a boring life while on Earth.''

    He tried to think about what he used to like doing, but since he''d never really had any hobbies, nothing came to mind.

    "Hmm... Should I go eat fried chicken?"

    KangWoo thought about the fried chicken and beer he had recently eaten.

    Because Han Seol-ah''s food was too delicious, he hadn''t been eating anything else.

    ''But it''s too early.''

    He¡¯d gone to the yer management office in the early morning.

    ¡ªThat''s why it wasn''t lunchtime yet.

    There probably wouldn¡¯t be a ce where they sold chicken and beer so early.

    "Ah!"

    Suddenly, a ce came to his mind.

    He had never visited one, but he¡¯d really wanted to visit it when he was a kid.

    "Yes, I should go there."

    Excited, KangWoo stood up.

    He looked around. If he remembered correctly, he should be able to find one easily.

    ''I found it.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after finding a sign.

    KangWoo quickly walked toward it.

    [Yaions Inte Cafe~ The Death is Just Like Me Since It''s Always Around Me~]

    "I''m finally going to visit an inte cafe!"

    KangWoo said loudly while looking up at the sign.

    When he was a kid, he¡¯d always felt envious of the kids who got to visit inte cafes.

    When he became an adult, he had never gotten enough time to visit one since he had been busy working.

    ''I should experience things one by one.''

    For thest ten thousand years, he''d gone through a lot of pain.

    He had been close to dying more than a thousand times.

    Because he had returned to Earth, he should reward himself for everything he had gone through.

    KangWoo was nning to experience and enjoy everything he hadn¡¯t had the chance to do.

    "Let''s go."

    KangWoo said it with a voice resembling a warrior about to go to war.

    The door opened while the sound of a bell resonated.

    "Let''s see... I should register like this, and then I need to go and charge some money?"

    Considering that it was his first time in an inte cafe, he finished the registration process smoothly.

    Just like someone from the countryside who had visited Seoul for the first time, he couldn''t help but let out an exmation while looking around.

    While looking at the monitor, he pressed on a file called ''order food.''

    * * *

    "Woah... I can also order food?"

    The clean menu reminded him of a restaurant.

    After thinking about it for a while, KangWoo selected the A set menu.

    ''I guess that, in an inte cafe, you need to order ramyeon.''

    He had often heard that the ramyeon you eat in an inte cafe was delicious.

    "Then¡­"

    After ordering food, KangWoo looked out for a game to y.

    But since he''d never yed a pc game, he didn''t know what to choose.

    ''How can I choose if I don''t know anything?''

    After thinking about it for a while, he just chose a game in the popr game folder.

    He pressed on a game whose logo consisted of a capital L and created a new user.

    "Hmm?"

    Afterpleting the registration process, he got an window.

    [Startup Package - 5 Rune Pages, 100K IP, increase to level 30!]

    "Oh."

    It was publicity where it mentioned the benefits of that package and how much money it cost.

    ''If I''m going to start ying, I guess it''s better to start at level 30.''

    He didn''t understand what levels meant in that game, but he thought there was nothing to lose by starting at a high one.

    After buying the startup package, he began ying the game.

    He touched a button called ''Ranked y.''

    "Support... There are other jobs?"

    While tilting his head, KangWoo chose a character.

    The character he had chosen was a wind magician.

    ''Should I go there first?''

    KangWoo moved down along the screen with a cute-looking blonde boy character.

    1 minute 30 seconds after the game began, monsters started toe out at both camps, and a 2 vs. 2 match began.

    "Ah. So if I hit a monster, I get money."

    After ying for a little while, KangWoo understood how to y the game.

    After realizing that, if you hit the monsters, you get money, KangWoo began moving the mouse and hunting the monsters down.

    Then, he received a chat window notification from the user behind the blonde character.

    [It''s Real: Why are you doing the killing blow?]

    KangWoo tilted his head and answered.

    [Channa: If you hit this, you get money.]

    [It''s Real: You don''t have to eat the minion, you crazy dumb f***.]

    [Channa: Hit it, you too. You''ll get more money.]

    [It''s real: You m***** f*****.]

    He didn''t understand why, but the other person seemed angry.

    "A set, that would be $4 USD."

    "Ah, thank you."

    As the ramyeon he had ordered came out, he paid the employee.

    His eyes shone as he looked at the ramyeon.

    "It smells great."

    When he was poor, it had been the thing he¡¯d eaten the most.

    He had eaten it so much back then that he had absolutely hated it, but smelling it there in the inte cafe made him droll.

    "Slurp!"

    KangWoo grabbed the chopsticks and began eating the ramyeon.

    The spicy smell and the unique vor of the ramyeon spread through his mouth.

    ''Delicious!''

    Soon, the game became a second priority to him. He moved his character to the side and focused on eating.

    "I would''ve never imagined that picked radish went so well with ramyeon."

    KangWoo let out an exmation in surprise after tasting the yellow radish that hade out with the ramyeon.

    Although it couldn''t bepared to kimchi, the yellow radish was also good in its own unique way.

    While smiling, KangWoo ate the kimbap that hade out with the ramyeon.

    [It''s Real: Hey, move!! Please!! I''m about to rank up!!]

    Although his partner desperately wrote, KangWoo didn''t notice it since he was too busy eating.

    "The inte cafe isn''t as good as I thought."

    Was it because he had never yed video games? He didn''t understand what made inte cafes so popr.

    "As expected, eating is better."

    Rather than ying video games, he enjoyed eating the food that came out more.

    He thought going to an inte cafe would be worth it just because of the food.

    After finishing the ramyeon, he emptied the beverage can. The taste of the carbonated drink spread through his throat.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>m-!</em>

    "AARRGG!! THIS FUCKER!!"

    KangWoo heard an angry shouting from behind his back.

    He turned around and saw a girl with short red hair wearing a baseball hat get up angrily.

    She had thick eyebrows, lips, a sharp nose, and white skin.

    Although she was wearing a tracksuit, that wasn''t enough to hide her beauty.

    Her eyes met KangWoo''s.

    She looked at him angrily.

    "What are you looking at? Do you have any problem with me? I''m angry right now, so you¡­"

    She was speaking angrily when she looked at KangWoo''s game screen.

    "Huh¡­?"

    She alternated between looking at KangWoo''s screen and her own.

    While looking at both screens, the tips of her lips went up.

    "Woah. So coincidences like this do happen, huh?"

    A strong energy came out of her body.

    "You better step out right now."

 Chapter 26: An Unexpected Encounter (2)

    "Come out, you motherfucker."

    The woman with red hair said it in a menacing tone.

    She said it with a ferocious voice that resembled a wild animal''s.

    "Huh? What?" KangWoo said while tilting her head.

    After looking at KangWoo''s attitude, the woman got even angrier.

    "Why are you asking ¡°what¡±? You fucking troll!"

    She extended her hand toward KangWoo while shouting aggressively.

    Judging by her hands, it seemed like she wanted to p him.

    KangWoo dodged her attack with a frown.

    "Huh?"

    After her attack just hit the air, she let out a confused exmation.

    She red at KangWoo.

    "You!"

    <em>Whish-!</em>

    KangWoo dodged all of the iing attacks.

    How he dodged all the attacks by moving the upper half of his body made him look like an acrobat.

    "What¡­"

    She couldn''t believe that he was dodging all of her attacks.

    It wasn''t just her who was surprised.

    KangWoo also looked at her, surprised.

    ''She''s fast.''

    KangWoo''s expression became stiff.

    She was fast. No, fast wasn''t good enough to describe her speed.

    Her attacks moved while drawing a line resembling an alive snake. Judging just the technical aspect, she was on an impressive level.

    ''She''s strong¡­''

    KangWoo moved from the chair and looked at her calmly.

    She was the strongest person he had seen since returning to Earth.

    Compared to her, yers like Jo DeokHyun seemed insignificant.

    ''Probably¡­''

    KangWoo thought that she was probably stronger than his current self.

    It wasn''t like they''d fought with all their might, but judging by how the manaing out from her body made him shrug, it was quite possible.

    "What are you¡­?"

    It wasn''t just KangWoo who was worried about the other person.

    The red-haired woman spoke in a low voice after seeing how KangWoo dodged her attacks by moving his upper body.

    "What guild sent you? Are you from the Mir guild?"

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    "Don''t bullshit me."

    She red at him.

    "There''s no way someone like you isn''t part of any guild."

    She remembered how he had dodged all of her attacks.

    She hadn''t attacked him with the intent of killing him since the reason behind the brawl was a video game.

    But even if she hadn''t attacked seriously, it wasn''t at a level that some random guy who didn''t belong to any guild could have dodged.

    "Is there any reason why I must belong to a guild?"

    "¡­"

    "I''m the one who wants to ask the questions. Who are you? Why are you suddenly attacking me?"

    "What, are you seriously asking me that¡­?"

    "You seem to be the person who just insulted me through the chat window."

    "Of course! Who wouldn''t insult you in such a situation?" She shouted angrily. What had just happened made her want to throw the keyboard.

    KangWoo shrugged at her reaction.

    ''Is it because I stayed still in the middle of the battle?''

    He had stopped ying to eat ramyeon.

    "I''m sorry for suddenly stopping ying. It''s just that the ramyeon I had ordered came out."

    "No! I''m talking about what happened before that!"

    "Huh? Are you talking about earning money?"

    "No! That''s not the issue!"

    She looked at him, frustrated.

    KangWoo really seemed confused by why she was angry.

    After seeing his reaction, she spoke while frowning.

    "Don''t tell me... Was that your first time ying the game?"

    "Yes."

    "Ah¡­ Oof."

    The red-haired woman grabbed her forehead.

    He didn''t seem to be lying.

    ''That damn start package.''

    She had been negatively affected by a package designed to attract new users.

    "So¡­ You really didn''t know how to y the game?"

    "Right."

    "Ugh¡­"

    She sighed.

    * * *

    Since he didn''t know about the game, it didn''t make sense to keep being angry at him.

    "But who are you? I''ve never seen any report about an A-rank yer that looks like you."

    "That''s probably because I''m not an A-rank yer."

    "You aren''t A-rank?"

    The red-haired girl looked at him in disbelief.

    ''There''s no way¡­''

    It wasn''t like she''d fought with all her might, but seeing how he moved, it was hard to believe that he wasn''t at least an A-rank.

    "Don''t lie to me. There''s no way you aren''t A-rank¡­"

    "Here."

    KangWoo gave her his yer ID.

    Since he hadn''t received his new yer ID yet, it said that he was a D-rank.

    "D-rank¡­?"

    After checking out KangWoo''s yer ID, she frowned as if she¡¯d heard a bad joke.

    "Are movements like those even possible at D-rank?"

    She looked at him in confusion.

    To be honest, she had just checked out his movements.

    Basically, she''d thought that he was an A-rank yer just based on his technique.

    ''Even so, if he''s a D-rank, that means he''s a newbie yer.''

    She was having a hard time because someone who moved like an experienced fighter was just a D-rank yer.

    "Then, is there anything else you need from me?"

    "Ah¡­"

    KangWoo turned around and left her behind.

    It was the first free time he had gotten after returning to Earth.

    ¡ªHe had no intention of wasting it with a meaningless brawl.

    "W¡­"

    While still in shock, the red-haired girl extended her hand toward KangWoo.

    KangWoo ignored her and walked out of the inte cafe.

    "¡­"

    She looked at the door of the inte cafe with a nk expression on her face.

    She remembered the name ''Oh KangWoo'' on the yer ID.

    The yer who had shown her movements that didn''t seem to belong to a D-ranked yer¡­

    ''Is he hiding his strength?''

    There was a chance that he was hiding his face and identity because he hadmitted a crime in the past.

    ''But that''s weird, too.''

    There was no chance that a criminal who had changed his identity was at an inte cafe near the yer management office in broad daylight.

    "If that''s not the case, then¡­"

    She looked at the ce where KangWoo had been.

    His ce was so clean that it was hard to believe that he had dodged all of her attacks from there.

    That meant that he had really only used the upper half of his body to dodge all of her attacks.

    ''Maybe he''s a genius with an incredible talent.''

    Fighting instinct varied from person to person.

    He could show great movements after only a few battles if he were a real genius.

    She was one of those cases. Thanks to her incredible talent, she was able to be one of the most powerful people almost instantly.

    ''Who is he?''

    She wanted to learn more about the person named KangWoo.

    She wanted to check if he really was a yer with an incredible talent worthy of being called a genius.

    ''If that''s the case¡­''

    Her eyes shone sharply.

    Maybe he could be a trump card that could help her solve that issue.

    ''I''ll have to check him out.''

    She took out her smartphone and called someone.

    <em>Click-</em>

    [Hi, my name is Park HyunWoo. I''m in charge of the Red Rose Guild''s Personnel Management Team. What can I help you with?]

    "Hey, HyunWoo. It¡¯s YeonJoo."

    [Oh, yes. Did something happen, guild leader?]

    "There''s a yer I want you to investigate."

    [Hmm... Is it that demon worshipper you''ve asked me about before?]

    "No, not him."

    [Tell me who it is, and I''ll start to investigate.]

    "I''ll head to the guild''s office right now."

    After ending the call, she trembled while thinking about Oh KangWoo.

    At that moment, she saw the word ¡°defeat¡± on her screen.

    "Ah¡­"

    Her anger came flowing back.

    While frowning, she pressed the confirm button.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve failed to ascend to Silver.]

    "AAAGGGHHH! I''ll definitely beat him up the next time!"

    The red-haired girl, Chae YeonJoo, screamed in agony while looking at her ''Bronze'' ranking.

    * * *

    "Oof."

    KangWoo sighed in relief after leaving the inte cafe.

    He thought about the red-haired girl he had just met in the inte cafe.

    ''She was strong.''

    Although he had only dodged a few attacks, that was enough for him to know the opponent''s strength.

    KangWoo wasn''t sure if he would be able to defeat her if he fought with all the strength he had at the moment.

    ''I would probably lose.''

    KangWoo''s expression stiffened while remembering the mana that¡¯de out of her body.

    Afterpleting the third awakening and getting an unexpected bonus at the Andras Guild''s base, he was sure he wouldn''t lose against most yers.

    ''There''s still a long way to go.''

    An excessive amount of confidence could make you lower your guard, and that could be the knife that stabbed you in the back.

    "I''ll have to do my best from tomorrow onward."

    While thinking that, KangWoo walked toward the subway.

    He was nning to take a break while experiencing numerous things, but what just happened made him change his opinion.

    ''It''s better this way.''

    He took the subway to return to the house while thinking he was d he had met her before bing overly confident.

    * * *

    The next day¡­

    After receiving the C-rank yer ID, KangWoo went to the C-rank gate that was in MeokDong.

    He saw an empty lot that was in the middle of an apartmentplex.

    "Let''s see... The MeokDong C-rank gate."

    KangWoo took his phone out and checked what monsters came from the MeokDong gate.

    "There''s some orcs and trolls."

    Orcs were D-rank monsters, just like the lizardmen, but it seemed like they appeared in some higher-ranking gates as well.

    After reading the information about the monsters, he walked toward the entrance.

    He was walking when a soldier stopped him.

    ¡°You won''t be able to ess the gate today unless you''re in a party with a party that consists of five C-rank yers."

    "Can you tell me why¡­?"

    "A troll chief has appeared, so solo yers can''t ess the gate while a boss monster is inside."

    "¡­"

    Troll chief¡­

    It was a boss monster that often appeared in C-rank gates, and it was stronger than normal monsters that appeared in B-rank gates.

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo looked at the gate while patting his chin.

    ''I need to get in, no matter what.''

    The rewards given by a boss monster couldn''t bepared to what a normal C-rank monster gave.

    He couldn''t miss that opportunity.

 Chapter 27: Stronger than Expected (1)

    "Ugh! Was today the day when the boss monster spawned?"

    "What should we do? Should we try to hunt it?"

    "Are you crazy? There''s no way we''ll be able to hunt the Troll Chief."

    yers in front of the gate were mumbling as the soldiers stopped them.

    After hearing that a boss monster had appeared, they were talking about whether they should enter or not.

    ''The quality of the yers is totally different from the C-rank gate onward.''

    KangWoo nodded while looking around at the people gathered.

    The biggest difference was the equipment they were wearing.

    Even at first nce, there was a big difference between the yers that were therepared to the ones who were at the D and E-rank gates.

    ''Should I also get some equipment?''

    Although he hadn''t faced a monster strong enough, he would need equipment, hunting solo without any items was inefficient.

    "Hmm¡­ I''ll have to think about it."

    KangWoo looked around, thinking that if he was to buy some equipment, he should also buy some for TaeSoo and Seol-ah.

    "Let''s go!!"

    "Let''s hunt the troll chief!!"

    "Let''s get the extra rewards!"

    One party entered the gate while shouting excitedly.

    KangWoo looked at the party entering the gate.

    ''The control here is definitely tighter.''

    It seemed they weren''t lying when they said the control got tighter from the C-rank gate¡ªthey were checking the yer IDs one by one.

    They took out a strange device and checked the mana stone inside the IDs.

    ''From checking out the IDs on a bar, they went to the passport control in an airport.''

    KangWoo understood why the Andras guild members searched for yers to use for the ceremony in the D-rank gate.

    From the C-rank gate onward, the control became tighter, so they couldn''t hunt for preyfortably.

    ''Let''s see¡­''

    KangWoo looked at the soldiers checking out the yer''s IDs.

    Was it because a boss monster had appeared?

    They were checking out the IDs of every yer one by one.

    ''This is a good opportunity.''

    KangWoo looked at the yer''s parties that were gathered around the entrance.

    All the attention was centered on a yer who was shouting about the extra reward that hunting the boss gave you.

    ''Did he say that the mana stone of the boss monster can be sold for $100K USD?''

    Not only that, but you could sell lots of other by-products for a very high price.

    Basically, by killing one troll chief, you could easily get a few hundred thousand dors.

    "Ah¡­ Should I try it?"

    "But I''m not really confident¡­"

    yers looked at each other, but they had doubts.

    Hunting a troll chief was harder than hunting the boss monster of the E-rank gate, the hobgoblin, which was a C-rank boss monster.

    The difference from C to B was higher than the one from E to C.

    ''Good.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after seeing that doubt was spreading through the yers.

    KangWoo walked up to the yers who were muttering and yelled.

    "Let''s take this opportunity and hunt the boss monster! He won''t be a match for us if we go together in a group!"

    "Yes! Rather than trembling because of fear, let''s join together!"

    After KangWoo shouted, the yer who had insisted on going to attack the boss monster got excited and shouted.

    His shout stirred up the greed of the yers.

    But there was one decisive problem¡­

    "Ugh, but isn''t the reward too little?"

    "Yeah, that''s true."

    The more yers there were, the fewer rewards each would get.

    Even if they could get a few hundred thousand dors after hunting the boss monster, if they divided it among so many members, each would get only a tiny amount of money.

    KangWoo shouted again.

    "Think about the experience that killing a boss monster gives you! Even if we hunt as a big party, there isn''t a big difference in the experience gained!"

    The eyes of the yers shone after hearing KangWoo''s words.

    What you could obtain from killing the boss monster wasn''t just money¡­

    You could also gain a massive amount of experience.

    This was a very tempting proposal for yers who were desperate to level up.

    ''Everyone probably knows that, even if you kill a boss monster as a group, the experience you gain isn''t that different from doing it alone.''

    It was the same when you hunted an elite monster.

    When you hunt a boss monster with a party, you don''t lose that much experience.

    Of course, the more party members you had, the less experience you would get, but even then, the experience you gained was on another levelpared to when you hunted a normal monster.

    "Nice!"

    "Let''s take this opportunity and check out the boss monster!"

    Once the fire was lit, there wasn''t a way to stop it.

    The crowd interacted with each other and burned their desire even further.

    ''Now I only have to wait.''

    Although it was KangWoo who had ignited the fire, he moved away from the crowd and looked at the yers from a distance.

    He had no intentions of hunting the boss with them as a party.

    * * *

    ''It decreases the reward.''

    Leaving the experience aside, the main issue was the distribution of the mana stones and the corpse.

    Because of his Authority of Predation, the corpse and the mana stones were important elements for his growth.

    He had no intention of dividing those with other people.

    ''The rewards are all mine.''

    They weren''t yers like TaeSoo or Seol-ah, whom he was nning to help them grow, so he had no reason to share the rewards with them.

    "If we also kill the monsters next to the boss, we''re probably going to be able to get more than ten thousand dors each!"

    The first yer who was trying to get yers began gathering people on its own.

    The number of yers gathered ended up being 20. There were so many people that it looked as if a guild hade to the gate to hunt.

    "Let''s go!"

    "Let''s get to the fourth awakening!"

    A huge party was formed to hunt the boss.

    After checking out their position, they approach the gate control center.

    ''Now.''

    As the party reached the gate''s entrance, KangWoo started to move.

    Because they had to control each yer individually, all the soldiers guarding the entrance came to help check the yer IDs.

    "Everyone, please form a line."

    "Wait for a little bit!"

    As the soldiers tried to make people form a line and control them, KangWoo used the Authority of Sky and crossed the fence surrounding the gate.

    ''Authority of Blind.''

    KangWoo used the Authority of Blind on a few soldiers and then quickly moved to the entrance of the C-rank gate.

    <em>Whish-</em>

    "Good."

    Satisfied, KangWoo smiled after entering the gate and checked out the environment.

    ''The atmosphere here seems simr to the goblin''s gate.''

    The inside of the forest resembled the one he''d seen after arriving on Earth.

    KangWoo walked deep into the forest.

    ''Now, the problem is, where is the boss?''

    The underbrush was too thick to be able to check the surroundings from the sky.

    While immersed in his thoughts, KangWoo remembered a certain Authority.

    ''I should be able to use it, right?''

    It was the Authority of a demon called Astaroth, the ''Authority of Observation.''

    He couldn''t use it before since it required a lot of demonic energy, but he thought that now, he could try to use it.

    "Let''s see¡­"

    KangWoo checked out his demonic energy stat. Thanks to Jo DeokHyun''s ''ceremony,'' his demonic energy stat had reached 50.

    ''Although, in reality, it''s higher than 50.''

    The more he awakened, the weaker the ''Ten Thousand Demon Core'' seal became.

    His demonic energy stat was probably a lot higher than 50.

    "I think that I can pull it off."

    KangWoo walked deeper into the forest while nodding.

    He ced his hand on the floor and used the ''Authority of Observation.''

    <em>Whir-!</em>

    The demonic energy that came out of his hand began spreading like spider webs.

    "Ugh."

    KangWoo frowned at the amount of information he was receiving.

    The Authority of Observation had one w¡­

    ''It works too well.''

    Because it absorbed all the information from its surroundings, an amount of information that one could not deal with overwhelmed the user.

    While in Hell, he¡¯d used an Authority that elerated the speed at which your mind calcted things, but he didn''t have enough demonic energy to use both simultaneously right yet.

    "Ah, ugh."

    He felt a headache.

    The amount of information flowing in made him feel pain.

    While feeling nauseous, he was starting to think he wouldn''t be able to keep using the Authority of Observation, but the information of a very strong entity suddenly came to his mind.

    ''I''ve found you.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    Its energy waspletely different from the other monsters surrounding it.

    ''Is it because it''s the chief? Why are there so many monsters?''

    There were tens of other trolls and orcs around the chief.

    Unlike the hobgoblin, it didn''t seem to have the intention of going elsewhere.

    "Hmm."

    While narrowing his eyes, KangWoo heard the mumble of yers from a distance.

    It was the big party that had formed because of him.

    ''I should use those guys.''

    While thinking they should be able to deal with the other monsters, KangWoo approached the troll chief.

    ''First, I should troll the chief.''

    Then he had to hide, and the party would naturally end up fighting the other monsters.

    While they were fighting, he just had to move to the back and eliminate the chief.

    "Then, should I try to grab his attention?"

    KangWoo extended his hands in the direction of the chief, who was receiving the protection of other trolls.

    ''Authority of Dark Spear.''

    It was the Authority of a demon called Raum.

    A spear of demonic energy that was around two meters long appeared in his hand.

    KangWoo threw the spear made of demonic energy at the troll chief.

    <em>Stab-!</em>

    "AARRGG!!"

    The demonic energy spear pierced the chest of the troll chief.

    ''Good. Now, if I drag the attention of the other monsters toward where the other yers are¡­''

    KangWoo turned his body around toward where the other yers were.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully killed a B-rank boss monster, the Troll Chief!]

    [Because you''ve eliminated the boss monster, you''ve gained bonus experience.]

    [You''re the one that has contributed the most, so the bonus experience has increased by 3 times.]

    [Your level has gone up by 4.]

    "Huh?"

    KangWoo looked at where the troll chief was, confused.

    The troll chief was convulsing on the ground with his chest pierced by the demonic energy spear.

    "Huh? You died in just one hit?"

 Chapter 28: Stronger than Expected (2)

    "Huh? You died in just one hit?"

    KangWooughed. He really didn''t have the intention of killing the chief.

    He¡¯d been trying to catch the attention of the troll chief and then lure the monsters to the ce where the yers were.

    He thought it was still too early for him to be able to deal with the troll chief and tens of trolls and orcs simultaneously.

    But he ended up killing the troll chief with the attack he''d used to grab his attention.

    ''Is this really the boss monster?''

    KangWoo still couldn''t believe that he had killed the boss monster, so he checked his message window again.

    ''Are B-rank monsters weaker than I thought?''

    KangWoo tilted his head and thought about the energy he had felt from the troll chief and the monsters around it.

    ''No¡­''

    The troll chief had a strength that couldn''t bepared to the other monsters.

    Then there was only one possible answer:

    ''I became stronger than expected.''

    After meeting the red-haired woman, he¡¯d thought that he hadn¡¯t be that strong since a yer he had met at an inte cafe was stronger than him.

    ''That wasn''t the case¡­''

    Afterpleting the third awakening and receiving the Andras guild¡¯s ceremony, he obtained an explosive strength.

    It was just that the woman he''d met was on another level.

    ''Just who is she?''

    KangWoo thought about the red-haired woman he''d met and walked out of his hiding ce.

    "GRRRR!"

    "KUOO!''

    After losing their chief, the monsters angrily looked at KangWoo.

    KangWoo used the Authority of the de and approached them slowly.

    "I''ll have to change ns."

    After killing the boss monster in one hit, he realized how strong he had be.

    A tiger did not need to hide itself while facing cats.

    KangWoo changed his ns.

    "I''m going to deal with y''all alone."

    It wasn''t his style to fight against multiple opponents without thinking about it carefully.

    He liked to fight so safely that other people might find his style a bit tiresome.

    But if there was a huge difference in their abilities, it didn''t make sense to fight like that.

    "KAAHHGG!"

    He stabbed the troll''s stomach with a de made of demonic energy, and the demonic energy of the de entered the troll''s body.

    <em>sh-! Crack-!</em>

    The demonic energy that flowed into the troll''s body became another de inside of it.

    des sprouted from the troll''s body and tore it apart from the inside.

    It was an attack that used the Authority of the de.

    Now that he had obtained quite a bit of demonic energy, he could use that techniquefortably.

    ''Good.''

    KangWoo smiled after feeling how light his movements had bepared to when he had faced the lizardmen.

    Feeling that he was recovering his old strength made him feel good.

    He felt like he was throwing off the heavy burdens that had been weighing on his body one by one.

    KangWoo went right into the middle of the group of angry monsters and began to run wild.

    "Kiieekk!"

    "Krrr!"

    The screams of monsters spread through the forest.

    They were usually the predators who devoured humans, but after a human who devoured them suddenly appeared out of nowhere, they entered in panic.

    After he''d killed almost half of them, trolls and orcs began to run away from KangWoo.

    ''Do they have enough intelligence to know when to run away?''

    Maybe this wasn''t about their intelligence but their survival instinct.

    The monsters had probably concluded that they wouldn''t be able to defeat KangWoo and be frightened.

    KangWoo extended his hands toward the monsters that were trying to escape.

    ''This is a good chance.''

    It was the perfect chance to see what and how much he could do.

    After concentrating, he took his demonic energy to the limit.

    A cut appeared on the palms of his hands, and a drop of blood fell to the ground.

    "Earth des."

    <em>sh-! sh-! sh-!</em>

    ck des started to rise from the ground from the point where his blood fell.

    A wave of ck des covered the monsters that were escaping.

    They looked too pathetic and miserable to be called monsters.

    The monsters who barely escaped the knives kept running without looking back.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully killed a group of C-ranked Trolls.]

    [You''ve sessfully killed a group of D-ranked orcs.]

    [Your level has increased by 2.]

    "Oof, oof.''

    KangWoo breathed roughly after using Earth des.

    His entire body was covered by sweat.

    ¡°I was somehow able to actually use Earth des¡­"

    * * *

    He looked around while wiping his sweat.

    The floor of the forest was full of ck des that were covered with the ck blood that hade from the monsters.

    Earth des¡­

    It was a technique he had created by using Sabnac''s Authority.

    ''Demonsck imagination.''

    They used the Authority they had in only a basic way.

    Of course, there were a few exceptions, but Sabnac wasn''t one of them.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve learned the skill ''Earth des (Rank: A).'']

    [You can use the techniques registered as skills more easily.]

    ''Huh?''

    KangWoo tilted his head at the sudden message window that popped up.

    ''Ah, so these are those things called skills.''

    yers obtained them by using their attributes.

    Usually, people had to try numerous times to register something as a skill, but since KangWoo was so used to it, he could register it at once.

    "Hmm... So Authority and Attributes have many things inmon after all."

    Each Authority and Attributes were different, and you could use both in numerous ways.

    KangWoo thought that it would be worth investigating a bit more about this hypothesis. While thinking that, he walked toward the corpse of the troll chief.

    "Then it''s time to enjoy the rewards."

    KangWoo used the Authority of Predation while smiling.

    The Authority of Predation spread and began eating all the corpses of the monsters around him.

    <em>Crunch-! Crack!</em>

    Was it because his demonic energy had increased?

    The Authority of Predation ate the monster faster than before.

    While feeling the demonic energy inside him increasing, he fell into his thoughts.

    ''Should I also eat all the mana stones?''

    Afterpleting the third awakening, he had be able to convert the mana inside the mana stones into demonic energy.

    KangWoo doubted whether he should choose strength or money.

    ''Strengthes first.''

    After thinking about it for a while, KangWoo decided to leave 10 C-rank stones and devour the rest.

    It wasn''t like he was desperate for money at the moment, and he could earn a lot more than that after he became stronger.

    ''Devour everything.''

    KangWoo gave an order to the ck fog that had sprouted out of his hands.

    The Authority of Predation started to devour every monster he had just annihted with a chilling sound.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 2.]

    "Only two?"

    KangWoo frowned after reading the message window.

    Was it because his demonic energy stat had already reached 50?

    Even though he had devoured the boss monster and all the trolls around him, his demonic energy stat had only increased by two.

    "So this is what they meant when they said that the higher your stat bes, the harder it bes to increase your stats."

    KangWoo turned around while clicking his tongue.

    He had another reason for why he should go to a higher-ranking gate.

    ''But the leveling up speed is still okay.''

    He had be too strongpared to his level, but the speed at which he leveled up was fast.

    Just by killing a boss monster, his level had increased by four, and after clearing up the rest of the monsters, it had increased again by two.

    He was about to reach the fourth awakening.

    "Should I hunt a bit more before returning?"

    He had to wait for the big party to exit the gate and make the soldiers outside confused so he could take that opportunity to walk away.

    KangWoo checked out where they were with his Authority, and then he kept hunting alone.

    "So where is the boss monster?!"

    "Didn''t the government make a mistake?"

    "Damn it!"

    The yers shouted angrily after wandering around for a few hours without being able to find anything.

    To hunt the boss faster, ranger-type yers had scattered away to search, but they couldn''t see the boss monster anywhere.

    "We only saw a group of trolls scatter away for unknown reasons."

    "You also couldn''t find the body of the troll chief?"

    "Yes. Some remnants showed that a fight had taken ce, but we couldn''t find a corpse."

    You could feel the disappointment in their expressions.

    "Oof, let''s go back."

    "Ah! A¡­ a bit more..."

    "Let''s go. We just wasted an entire day."

    The excitement cooled down as quickly as it had heated up.

    As a few party members mentioned that they should return, everyone began walking toward the entrance.

    KangWoo followed them stealthily.

    ''I just have to wait for them to make some noise and sneak out once that happens.''

    KangWoo, who had obtained good rewards from hunting, smiled with satisfaction and followed them outside of the gate.

    "There wasn¡¯t any boss monster!"

    "Do you know how much we looked for it in vain?!"

    The first yers that walked out of the gate beganining to the soldiers and creating a fuss.

    ''Good.''

    KangWoo took that opportunity and jumped over the fence.

    After hended on the ground, he was about to walk off.

    "Everyone, silence!"

    A group of people that were wearing red uniforms approached the entrance of the gate.

    "H-Hwarang Squad?"

    "Hey, isn''t she Baek HwaYeon, leader of the Hwarang Squad III corps?"

    "Woah, you''re right."

    The one at the forefront was a beautiful girl who looked very dignified¡ªshe had silver hair tied in a ponytail.

    She overwhelmed everyone with her charismatic eyes and opened her mouth.

    "We''ve recently received reports of chaos yers appearing in D-rank gates, so we''re inspecting the yers who havepleted the third awakening. We hope you cooperate with us."

    After she finished talking, they were surrounded by a squadron of yers.

    KangWoo''s expression stiffened.

    ''Don''t tell me¡­''

    He bit his lips a little bit and looked around.

    ''Have I been found out?''

 Chapter 29: You even added ramen.

    KangWoo looked at the yers around him vigntly.

    It was obvious, even at first nce, that Baek HwaYeon wasn''t a normal yer.

    Maybe she''d seen KangWoo cross the fence while using the Authority of Blind.

    "It''s just a simple check, so don''t worry. We just want to know if there''s a yer on our wanted list here."

    After saying that, Baek WhaYeon looked at the members of her corps.

    They nodded and approached the yers.

    ''Thankfully, it seems like she didn''t see me.''

    KangWoo sighed in relief.

    It seemed like she hadn''t seen him cross the fence.

    ''But chaos yers¡­''

    He naturally thought of the incident with the Andras Guild.

    They were crazy demon worshippers who used yers as offerings.

    ''Did they start moving?''

    He wasn''t sure yet.

    But if they kept doing the ''ceremony,'' they would end uping to the surface.

    "Show us your yer IDs."

    Baek HwaYeon and her underlings began checking out the yer IDs.

    After getting to KangWoo, she extended her hand.

    ''She''s a strong woman.''

    After giving her his yer ID, he opened his mouth.

    "You check things out yourself."

    "You can''t be a leader if you leave everything to your underlings."

    "That''s a great mindset."

    After they had exchanged a few light words, KangWoo naturally kept the conversation going on.

    "It seems like the number of chaos yers have increased recently."

    "Yes. That''s why we''re doing checks like this."

    "Hmm. They should have enough to live just by killing monsters. Yet they''re killing people because of money. How scary."

    "I agree¡­"

    After hearing his words, Baek HwaYeon shrugged a little bit.

    KangWoo saw her reaction.

    ''She''s lying.''

    She hadn''t reacted to the mention that the number of chaos yers had increased.

    She had reacted to when he¡¯d said that chaos yers were killing people for money.

    ''She knows that their goal isn''t money.''

    He thought that maybe the Hwarang Squad was aware of the ceremony that demon worshippers had conducted.

    "Can you tell me what chaos yer you''re looking for? As a yer, I want to do my part. If I ever see him, I''ll send a report."

    "I thank you for your proposal, but it''s still a secret investigation. Once it bes public, I ask for your cooperation."

    "I see."

    "Righteous young men like you are hard to see these days. I like it."

    Baek HwaYeon looked at the yer ID with a smile on her face.

    "It seems like you''ve just be a C-rank yer. I understand how you feel, but I suggest you stay at a D-rank gate for a bit longer. It will be safer toe here after leveling up a bit more. You''ll have a bit of a penalty, but you can level up to 25 on a D-rank gate."

    "Thanks."

    "Oh KangWoo¡­ I hope more yers like you appear."

    After returning his yer ID, she gave him a slight p on his shoulder.

    KangWoo smiled at her words.

    ''It''s going to be a problem if more people like me appear.''

    From a moral perspective, KangWoo was closer to being a bad guy than a good one.

    After they finished talking, KangWoo nced at Baek HwaYeon, who had moved to check other yers.

    ''A secret investigation¡­''

    He wanted to know if the target of the investigation was Jo DeokHyun or some other demon worshipper.

    Just a nce was enough to know that she wasn''t your average yer, so there was no way he would be able to use a mind control type of Authority on her.

    ''I guess I''ll have to be satisfied for the moment just by knowing that the government has begun investigating the demon worshippers.''

    Jo DeokHyun was investigating other demon worshippers day and night at the moment.

    It seemed wiser to see things from a distance for the moment rather than moving quickly.

    "I should go back."

    After leaving the Hwarang Squad behind, KangWoo went back home.

    * * *

    A few dayster, he had hunted the boss monster.

    KangWoo was hunting in the C-rank gate and increasing his strength when he heard that Han Seol-ah hadpleted the basic education and was preparing to start hunting, so he called TaeSoo.

    After calling him, he rushed toward a cafe near Han Seol-ah''s house. He extended his hands toward Han Seol-ah with his characteristic attitude.

    "Nice to meet you~ So you''re the miss that hyeongnim has talked about?"

    "Ah, yes. Nice to meet you too."

    "Woah~ You have really delicate facial features. You even seemed to be shining when seen from a distance!"

    "Th-thank you."

    Han Seol-ah smiled awkwardly. She felt ufortable, as a giant nearly two meters tall had approached her with his eyes shining. She turned herself around to KangWoo.

    TaeSoo smiled after looking at both of them.

    "Hahaha. The atmosphere between you two doesn''t seem to be normal¡­ What kind of rtionship do you have with hyeongnim?"

    "Ah, th-that¡­"

    "Don''t say stupid things," KangWoo said after taking a sip of the coffee he had ordered.

    "First, TaeSoo, take Ms. Seol-ah and go to a D-rank gate to hunt."

    "Of course. Since she''s a healer with a B-rank attribute, it''s me who wants to ask that question. Sister-inw, is your attribute only centered around healing?"

    "S-sister-inw¡­?"

    Han Seol-ah''s cheeks reddened after hearing what TaeSoo had called her.

    TaeSooughed even louder after seeing her reaction.

    "Hahaha. It''s already written on your face, so why are you getting so embarrassed? But more than that, can you tell me more details about your attribute?"

    "Ugh¡­ It''s an attribute called Blessing of Light. It can heal, but more than that, it can also buff your constitution, strength, and dexterity."

    "Oh! So you can buff and heal simultaneously?"

    "Yes, and I can use a few attack skills, too."

    "Amazing¡­"

    TaeSoo eximed in surprise.

    Being able to heal and buff was really impressive.

    Most parties would think about whether they should incorporate a buffer or not, but she could do both roles alone.

    "If you can also buff, there''s nothing more to say. Sister-inw could probably enter Hanul guild immediately."

    "Haha, thank you, but I have no intentions of entering a guild for the moment."

    "Haha. I''m the same. I''m thinking of making history in the world of yers along with hyeongnim!"

    TaeSoo gulped down the hot coffee while smiling innocently.

    "As expected, the best coffee is an Americano! Isn''t that right, bro?"

    ''That''s not beer.''

    KangWooughed after hearing TaeSoo say that as if he were an old man.

    "So is there anyone you have in mind regarding damage dealing?"

    There was no way you could form a party with just a healer and a tanker.

    A few days ago, KangWoo had asked TaeSoo to find a good damage dealer.

    "Of course! I recently found two incredible people."

    "Really?"

    "Hahaha. Don''t I have a good eye for people? They are so talented that one couldn''t help but wonder why they haven''t joined any guild yet."

    "How did you get to know them¡­?" KangWoo asked cautiously.

    The most important thing was if they were trustworthy people or not.

    Since the demon worshippers were targeting low-level yers, you never knew when something would happen.

    It seemed like TaeSoo noticed his worry, so he spoke confidently.

    "I met them while I was goblin hunting. Both of them have recentlypleted the second awakening. They''re both trustworthy."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo looked at him as if he couldn''t trust what he was saying.

    ''I can''t trust his judgment.''

    TaeSoo had previously epted two members of the Andras guild as party members.

    ''I''ll have to check them myself.''

    He cared for TaeSoo, but Seol-ah was someone especially important to him.

    He couldn''t let her get involved in stuff like that.

    "Can I meet both?"

    "Of course. I''ll present them to you tomorrow before we go hunting."

    "Good."

    KangWoo nodded and turned his head around to Han Seol-ah.

    "Is Ms. Seol-ah okay with that?"

    "Of course. After all, it''s someone Mr. KangWoo presented to me. Fufu. I''ll try to level up as fast as possible so that I can go with Mr. KangWoo."

    "You can take your time. The most important thing is your safety."

    KangWoo and Han Seol-ah''s eyes met each other.

    You could feel a weird atmosphere going around between them.

    "Hehehe."

    TaeSoo smiled after looking at both of them.

    "There''s a good atmosphere going around between both of you, hyeong."

    "Ugh¡­"

    Han Seol-ah''s face reddened at TaeSoo''s words.

    TaeSoo found Seol-ah''s reaction funny. He spoke again while smiling.

    "But what kind of rtionship do the two of you have? Are you dating?"

    "N-no!"

    Han Seol-ah denied it. The attention of the people inside the cafe had centered on her because she had spoken so loudly.

    Her face got even redder after noticing that everyone was looking at her, so she said it in a lower voice.

    "W-we aren''t dating."

    She mumbled yet again in a very low voice, then she looked at KangWoo, who was next to her.

    "W-what¡­?"

    KangWoo seemed shocked by her words.

    He had an expression that looked as if he''d been hit with a hammer.

    He turned his face to her while shivering.

    "Weren''t we dating?"

    "What¡­?"

    Han Seol-ah looked at him, surprised at what he had just said.

    Not only were they not dating, but they''ve also never talked about that sort of thing.

    "You told me you would prepare delicious kimchi stew every day!"

    "No, I never said that."

    "How can you say that after putting ramyeon noodles in it?!"

    "I''m not sure what you''re saying, Mr. KangWoo."

    Han Seol-ah replied very calmly.

    KangWoo''s expression resembled a female protagonist who the male lead had just betrayed.

    "Ah¡­ Hm, so¡­"

    TaeSoo looked at the sketch that wasn''t really a sketch with a puzzled look on his face.

    "So¡­ are you two dating?"

 Chapter 30: The Guardian of Hellâ€™s Thousandth Circle (1)

    ''So it was only me that thought we were dating.''

    KangWoo slightly staggered with a shocked expression on his face after leaving the cafe.

    He had naturally thought they were in a rtionship. After all, she was cooking delicious kimchi stew for him every day. Not only that, but she¡¯d let him live in her house.

    ''Did I get ahead of myself?''

    KangWoo had his face bowed with a sad expression.

    Han Seol-ah carefully approached him.

    "Uhmm, Mr. KangWoo."

    "Yes¡­"

    "Did¡­ You think we were dating?"

    "I''m ashamed, but I did¡­"

    "I¡­ I see."

    She walked back a few steps. Her face was red, but she seemed excited.

    She was just staring at the air while moving her body.

    "Did something happen?"

    "N-not really!"

    Han Seol-ah, who was surprised at her words, shouted in surprise.

    KangWoo tilted his head after looking at her, acting suspiciously.

    After turning around, she once again looked at the air.

    "Hehehe."

    She smiled bashfully after imagining something in her head.

    She even said ''good'' and clenched her fist.

    KangWoo noticed her acting weirdly and was about to approach her.

    But before he could move, Han Seol-ah had turned back around to him with a determined look.

    "Mr. K, KangWoo!"

    "Ah¡­ Yes?"

    "Since it b-became l¡­"

    She was trying to say something while muttering.

    But it seemed like she was getting more embarrassed as she talked. Her face became even redder and her voice quieter.

    "Ms. Seol-ah?"

    "Ugh¡­"

    She was trembling while biting her lower lip; then she suddenly opened her mouth.

    She was just staggering without being able to talk¡ªshe took a deep breath and finally managed to speak.

    "T-talk¡­"

    "Yes?"

    "D-don''t talk to me so formally. Yes. L-let''s start with that."

    KangWoo smiled at Han Seol-ah''s words.

    "Okay. Then I''ll talk to youfortably."

    "Th-thank you. Mr. KangWoo."

    "You can talk to mefortably, too."

    "N-no! I feel morefortable talking this way."

    Han Seol-ah shook her head.

    KangWoo shrugged at her firm answer and replied while shrugging.

    "Okay."

    "Fufufu, looking good, big bro."

    TaeSoo smiled while looking at both of them.

    He patted KangWoo on the back with his giant hands and kept talking.

    "Brother, let''s meet tomorrow at Incheon. I''m going to send you the directionster on."

    "Huh? Why did you choose that one instead of the closer one?"

    "Remember the incident that happened the other day? That''s why I changed the target from lizardmen to orcs."

    "Oh."

    "Although they''re stronger than lizardmen, thendscape isn''t a swamp, and you don''t need to be silent, Sso it''s morefortable to hunt."

    "It''s a good idea."

    KangWoo looked at TaeSoo, surprised.

    ''He clearly isn''t dumb.''

    He was thoughtful and knew how to take action. On top of that, he was loyal to him.

    ''As an underling, he''s perfect.''

    KangWoo looked at TaeSoo, satisfied.

    He thought he had made the right decision in saving him from the Andras guild¡¯s members.

    "Okay then, see you tomorrow."

    "Understood. Hey, big bro, do you have something to do tonight? Why don''t we go out and have a drink?" TaeSoo asked while making the motion of drinking a cup of soju.

    "No. I have some stuff to do today."

    "What stuff?"

    "I need to level up," KangWoo said while thinking about his level.

    He was currently at 29.

    He was about to reach the fourth awakening.

    ''I should increase it as much as possible while I can.''

    He should try to be as strong as possible before searching for more information on the devil worshippers

    For him, leveling up meant the seal on the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    Compared to normal yers, who had to worry about whether they would get a high-ranking attribute or not, he was guaranteed to be stronger with each ascension.

    ''I also want to know what I''ll get as my fourth attribute.''

    That was a new strength he didn''t have even when he used to rule over Hell.

    He couldn''t help but wonder what kind of new attribute he would gain.

    ''They said that the higher your level bes, the higher the chances of unlocking a higher-level attribute¡­''

    KangWoo thought that, maybe this time, he''d be able to get a better one.

    "Then I''ll go first."

    "Good luck on your hunt, brother!"

    "Yes, see you tonight, Mr. KangWoo."

    After saying goodbye to both of them, KangWoo went to the C-rank gate.

    * * *

    "Then¡­"

    Afterpleting the checkouts and entering the gate, KangWoo took a deep breath.

    ''Should I start?''

    He didn''t need to make a strategy to fight opponents like trolls or orcs.

    KangWoo just had to worry about how he could kill more orcs faster.

    ''It seems like leveling up does get progressively harder.''

    Even though he''d killed many monsters, he still hadn''t leveled up.

    He wanted to move to a B-rank gate, but that wasn''t an option.

    To be a B-rank yer, you not only needed receipts that proved you''d sold many mana stones, but you also needed a certificate that proved that you had reached level 30 andpleted the fourth ascension.

    ''This is why they say that having contacts is important.''

    yers who belonged to big guilds could enter high-ranking gates freely and bypass the rank restriction.

    But the only guild KangWoo knew was the Andras guild, whose members were on the watchlist of the Hwarang Squad, so he couldn''t hope to get benefits like that.

    "I should try to make a connection."

    He had no intentions of entering a big guild, but maybe making connections with one wouldn''t be a bad idea.

    ''And I don''t think it will be that hard¡­''

    He had a strength that couldn''t bepared to other yers of his level.

    He hadn''tpared himself with other yers in great detail, but he was sure that no one could dismiss him.

    In the yer world, people valued strength and talent the most, so he was probably like a gem that everyone wanted.

    With those thoughts, KangWoo used the Authority of Observation.

    ck demonic energy came out from his body and spread out, and information from his surroundings came to his mind.

    ''First, there''s eight over there.''

    After finding a group of trolls, KangWoo hit the ground and leaped toward where they were.

    Thanks to the Authority of Speed, he ran incredibly fast through the forest.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "Kiieekk?"

    He immediately charged toward the group of trolls with the weapon created by the Authority of the de without even a moment of doubt.

    He cut the troll¡¯s head.

    The troll made a confused scream and died without even realizing it had been ambushed.

    "GRRRR!!"

    Only then did other trolls realize they were being ambushed.

    Even a troll who was over three meters tall didn''t scare KangWoo.

    They were trashpared to the demons he''d fought against while in Hell.

    <em>sh-! Crack-!</em>

    "Kiieekk."

    All eight remaining trolls were annihted in less than a minute.

    If someone else had seen that fight, they would¡¯ve probably felt bad for the trolls.

    KangWoo quickly searched for the next target after catching his breath.

    At that moment, reaching level 30 andpleting the fourth awakening was more important than using the Authority of Predation.

    KangWoo left the corpses of the monsters behind and began moving at a frightening speed in search of the next target.

    "Huh?"

    It was at that moment when he smelled blood.

    It was obvious that he would smell blood when he was running around killing monsters.

    But what he was smelling was different from the blood of monsters.

    ''It''s the smell of human blood.''

    And it wasn''t a smelling from a light wound¡ªthey were probably in critical condition.

    KangWoo''s eyes sank.

    He slowly moved toward where the smell of blood wasing from.

    ''Did they die while hunting?''

    The most likely answer was that they had died while hunting.

    It was quitemon for yers to die while hunting.

    ''Authority of Silence.''

    But there was also a chance they had been attacked by a chaos yer or a demon worshipper.

    KangWoo silently walked toward where the smell of blood wasing from.

    There, he saw the corpses of five people on the ground.

    "This¡­"

    KangWoo looked at the corpses of the yers.

    They were torn apart in such a way that it was even hard to tell their genders.

    "It was definitely done by a monster¡­" KangWoo mumbled while looking at the marks on the corpses.

    "Hmm¡­"

    While checking out the corpses, KangWoo noticed something strange and frowned.

    ''There isn''t any monster blood around here.''

    Even if other monsters had taken care of the corpse of a monster, it was weird that there wasn''t even a single drop of monster blood on the ground.

    There was no way that a party of five that could enter a C-rank gate had died at the hands of trolls without damaging them at all.

    ''There''s no way¡­''

    Because a boss monster hadn''t appeared inside the gate, the chances of that happening were slim.

    No, even if it were against a boss monster, there was no way they would''ve all died without being able to damage the boss at all.

    ''Just what happened here?''

    KangWoo was looking at the corpses, frowning, when suddenly¡­

    <em>Rustle-</em>

    "GRRRRR."

    It was a low cry that seeped into your soul.

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    "No way¡­"

    The thing that emerged from the bushes was a giant beast with fur mixed with ck and red colors.

    A monster that was over five meters tall.

    And¡­

    A monster that KangWoo was very used to.

    "Why is a hellhound here?"

    What emerged from the bushes was a monster that belonged to the 1st Hell.

 Chapter 31: Guard of the Thousandth Circle of Hell (2)

    Hellhound¡­

    It was a monster of over five meters that looked like a dog.

    It was a strong predator with incredible agility and skin that was harder than steel.

    It was one of the strongest predators, even in the 1st Hell, where KangWoo had first fallen into.

    ''Why is a demonic monster here?''

    Monsters and Demonic Monsters may look simr, but there was a big difference between the two.

    Although both had demonic energy, a monster''s main energy source was the mana inside the mana stone.

    But demonic monsters were different.

    They were a subspecies of a demon, so they moved solely by the strength of demonic energy.

    "GRRRRRR."

    The hellhound red at KangWoo while roaring.

    Every time the hellhound breathed, ck fire spewed out of its mouth.

    "What''s happening?"

    How did a being from 1st Hell get to Earth?

    Even KangWoo, who used to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies, was barely able to cross dimensions. So there was no way that a demonic monster from the 1st Hell was able to cross there.

    ''Is this the doing of the Demon Cult?''

    He didn''t have enough clues to specte.

    "Damn it."

    KangWoo extended his right hand and used the Authority of Dark Spear.

    A giant spear two meters in length appeared.

    ''I don''t have good memories of that damn fire dog.''

    When he had first arrived on the 1st Hell, he¡¯d been at the end of the food chain.

    He was currently at the peak of the food chain.

    Although most of his strength was sealed, there was no way he would lose against a demonic beast that belonged to the 1st Hell.

    "GRRRRRR!!"

    <em>Fwosh-!!</em>

    The hellhound roared andunched ck mes toward KangWoo.

    Of course, it wasn''t the same fire that Andras used that burned your life.

    Since demonic energy was optimized for destruction, the power of the mes created with it was stronger than a normal one.

    <em>m-!</em>

    KangWoo rolled and dodged the attack, and then threw the spear created with demonic energy at the hellhound.

    The spear that flew like an arrow pierced the thick skin of the hellhound.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "KRAAAAA!!"

    The attack that¡¯d killed the troll chief immediately didn''t even weaken the beast. Not only that, but its movements became more violent.

    The hellhound hit the ground and leaped toward KangWoo.

    The ground that the hellhound jumped off of exploded, and the hellhound approached him at a frightening speed.

    It targeted KangWoo with its mouth wide open¡ªit was so wide that it could easily devour a person.

    "Hmph!"

    KangWoo hit the ground and jumped, and then he kicked its canine tooth.

    His demonic-energy-boosted kick crushed its canine tooth, and KangWoo''s body bounced back.

    KangWoo turned around in the air andnded on the ground, and then he shoved his right arm to the ground.

    ''Authority of Earthquake.''

    The demonic energy spread from his hand to the ground and shook it.

    Everything around started to shake as if an earthquake was happening, and a giant hole appeared under the ground where the hellhound was.

    The hellhound cried like a dog after falling into the hole, and KangWoo charged toward it.

    ''Authority of Dark Spear.''

    KangWoo jumped into the hole and created a demonic energy spear.

    He gripped the spear in both hands and stabbed through the hellhound¡¯s head.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Arf Arf Arf!"

    "It still has a tenacious survivability."

    Even with its head pierced, the hellhound stood up and jumped.

    Aftering out of the hole with a staggering step, it gained some distance from KangWoo.

    It wasn''t trying to escape¡­

    Hellhound was at the top of the food chain in the 1st Hell.

    ¡ªIts pride wouldn''t let it escape.

    "GRRRR."

    The hellhound lowered its body.

    The muscles of the hind legs swelled as if they were about to explode, and thick sinews sprouted all over the body while even more intense demonic energy blossomed.

    The mes that came out of its mouth covered its entire body.

    <em>m-!</em>

    The hellhound charged toward KangWoo with the sound of an explosion.

    The trees were crushed as if they¡¯d been swept away by a tornado.

    "It still doesn''t know its ce."

    KangWoo smirked after seeing iting at him after receiving a critical hit.

    He clenched his fist and pulled it back as if he was pulling a bowstring.

    ''Authority of Divine Power.''

    An explosive power gathered in KangWoo''s body.

    ¡ªIt was the demon Baphomet''s Authority, which was the best in terms of increasing your raw strength.

    Stepping forward with his left foot, he used the sticity of his waist to strike the hellhound''s jaw.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    * * *

    "Arf Arf!"

    The hellhound, which weighed well over a hundred times more than KangWoo, bounced back miserably as if it were an empty can.

    The hellhound''s jaw waspletely destroyed, and ck blood leaked from its mouth. It wriggled for a bit and then finally lost its consciousness.

    "Oof. As expected, the Authority of Divine Power consumes a lot of demonic energy."

    Although he had used it only for a short while, it¡¯d consumed half of his demonic energy.

    KangWoo approached the hellhound''s corpse while breathing heavily.

    It felt refreshing having overwhelmed the demonic monster that had made him so frightened back then when he had fallen to the 1st Hell.

    ''I struggled against it as much as when I hunted the Archdukes.''

    In terms of strength, the beings in the 2nd and 3rd Hell were much stronger, but when he¡¯d first arrived, he hadn¡¯t known how to use the Authority of Predation properly. That''s why, for KangWoo, the hellhound had been a nightmare.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully eliminated a C-rank Fissure Fragment.]

    ''Fissure Fragment?''

    KangWoo frowned after receiving a message window different from the usual ones.

    ''Now that I think about it, when I returned, didn''t it say Fissure''s Nucleus?''

    He thought they might use the word ''fissure'' to refer to Hell''s entities.

    ''How did they cross over to here?''

    KangWoo''s doubts deepened.

    But in the end, he couldn''te up with an answer.

    In the first ce, he wasn''t sure yet if the word ¡°fissure¡± referred to those that belonged to Hell or not.

    KangWoo was flooded by messages.

    [You''ve gained experience.]

    [Your level has gone up by 5.]

    ''Five levels¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes widened after reading the message.

    It was an amount of experience that couldn''t bepared to what he¡¯d gained after he¡¯d killed the troll chief.

    After level 30, the amount of experience you needed to level up increased a lot¡ªthat''s why he probably gained a lot of experience all at once.

    ''I leveled up to level 34 in one go.''

    It was four levels higher than the original goal.

    KangWoo looked at the message window with great interest.

    [You''ve reached level 30 and unlocked the 4th awakening.]

    [You''ve unlocked the 4th attribute.]

    ''Good.''

    KangWoo''s goal that day was reaching the fourth awakening.

    He had annihted lots of trolls, yet he hadn''t been able to level up, but after killing a hellhound, he had gained a lot more experience than expected.

    Before checking out the attribute, KangWoo increased the demonic power inside his body.

    "The seal has gotten a lot weaker than before."

    As he awakened, the amount that was unsealed was increasing.

    KangWoo smirked as the amount of demonic energy he had ess to doubled.

    ''I won''t have trouble using two Authorities simultaneously now.''

    He smiled, satisfied to see that the results were better than expected.

    KangWoo once again made the demonic energy flow through his body.

    At that moment, he felt something he hadn''t before.

    ''What''s this?''

    KangWoo tilted his head and once again made the demonic energy flow.

    The demonic energy flowed out of the Ten Thousand Demon Core faster than before and spread through his body.

    ''The demonic energy is moving faster than before.''

    Not only that, but he was able to use the demonic energy more naturally.

    "Don''t tell me¡­"

    KangWoo opened the status window and checked out his new attribute.

    [4th Awakening Attribute: The Ruler of Demonic Energy (Rank: A)]

    Effect: You can control demonic energy faster and more naturally. You can also hide demonic energy from otherspletely.

    "So it was because of the attribute."

    As expected, he could control the demonic energy more effectively because of a new attribute.

    ''A-rank¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    His new attribute was different from the ones he had obtained before.

    If the attributes he had obtained before helped him gain more demonic energy, the new one let him use it more effectively.

    Now that he had learned that the government was starting to investigate demon worshippers, being able topletely hide his demonic energy was going to be incredibly helpful.

    ''I''ll be able to avoid meaningless conflicts.''

    Being mistaken as a demon worshipper and being chased by the entire country would be troublesome, even for him.

    Considering that, the effect of the attribute was better than the huge increase of avable demonic energy.

    "So leveling up was the answer, after all."

    The power of the attributes was higher than he had expected.

    KangWoo thought that he could use demonic energy better than anyone, but with the attribute''s help, he was able to go even further beyond.

    A new strength he didn''t have when he used to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies¡­

    ''Once the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core breaks, I''ll probably be a lot stronger than before!''

    If the archdukes that he had devoured heard that, they would¡¯ve panicked.

    "So it doesn''t have a mana stone."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue after devouring the hellhound¡¯s body.

    KangWoo was about to return to the house after leaving the gate.

    "Long time no see."

    At that moment, he heard someone¡¯s voice calling him.

    KangWoo turned his head around.

    There, he saw the red-haired girl he had seen in the inte cafe standing with her back against the wall.

 Chapter 32: The Proposal by Chae Young Ju

    "Well¡­ We don''t have the type of rtionship to greet each other with a ¡°long time no see¡±, Right?" KangWoo asked her calmly.

    Just like he¡¯d said, they didn''t know each other at all.

    KangWoo kept talking while looking at the girl that had short, red hair.

    "So, what do you need from me?"

    "Chae YeonJoo¡­"

    The girl with short, red hair turned to KangWoo and walked toward him.

    "My name is Chae YeonJoo."

    "Chae YeonJoo?"

    He thought that he had heard that name somewhere.

    KangWoo tried to remember where he had heard it.

    ''Ah, she''s one of the people they were talking about in the waiting room.''

    He remembered hearing about a yer who had gotten an S-rank attribute since the first awakening.

    ''I remember hearing she''s the master of one of the top five guilds of the country.''

    The Five Guilds¡­

    It was what they called the biggest guilds of Korea.

    Hanul, Red Rose, Onnuri, Mir, and Sanarae.

    He remembered reading her name among the list of the leaders of those guilds.

    "Red Rose...?"

    "Yes, I''m the master of the Red Rose Guild."

    "¡­"

    The master of one of the top five guilds¡­

    She was one of the strongest yers in Korea.

    The yer he had met just by chance in the inte cafe was one of the top yers in Korea¡­

    ''No wonder she''s so strong.''

    She was so strong that she made KangWoo doubt his abilities.

    It was normal for him to think that. Since, on that day at the inte cafe, he had justpleted the third awakening and had gone through the ceremony. Thanks to both of those things, he obtained strength two steps ahead of the rest.

    ''Is this how I''d feel if the fat old man from next door was, in reality, the CEO of a huge corporation?''

    He wasn''t sure if theparison made sense, but it felt simr.

    KangWoo looked at Chae YeonJu with slightly wary eyes.

    Her clothes werepletely different from the ones she was wearing that day¡ªshe was wearing hot pants and a tight t-shirt.

    Although she was wearingfortable clothes, thanks to her beauty, her attractiveness couldn''t bepared to before.

    ''She took her time to get ready.''

    Based on her clothes, it may not have looked like it, but considering that she had also applied some makeup, she had definitely taken time to get ready.

    Basically, she hadn''t approached him with any ill intentions.

    ''She wouldn''t have taken the time to apply makeup if she came here searching for problems.''

    After he finished checking out Chae YeonJu, he calmly spoke.

    "So, what does the Red Rose Guild¡¯s master want with me?"

    "To be honest, I''ve been searching for information about you."

    After saying that, she took out a piece of paper.

    "Name: Oh KangWoo. Born in 1995, 29 years old. You grew up in the CheongSeong orphanage, but since no one adopted you, you were forced to leave and live alone. Am I right?"

    "I don''t know why you searched for information, but yes. What you said is correct."

    "You registered as a yer on May 23rd. That means¡­ It''s been two weeks."

    "¡­"

    With his mouth closed, KangWoo waited for her next words.

    "At the yer management office, ording to the test, you got an F-rank attribute after the first awakening. Well, they probably got the results wrong. If you really had awakened an F-rank attribute, you wouldn''t be farming a C-rank gate after two weeks."

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo nodded as if asking her to continue.

    "To be honest, at first I thought you were a criminal who had bought the identity of Oh KangWoo from a broker," Chae YeonJoo said calmly.

    "But your face, fingerprints, everything matched your previous records."

    "How did you get my fingerprints?"

    "From your registry files."

    "It seems like big guilds have more authority than I thought..."

    A piece of information the government should protect had entered their hands too easily.

    "Well, it did cost us a lot of money. Those congressmen were acting and were ying hard to get."

    Chae YeonJoo shrugged her shoulders and then kept talking.

    "First, I ensured that you hadn''t taken another person''s identity. Then that means¡­"

    She looked at KangWoo intensely.

    "You''re a yer with incredible talent. Maybe even more than Baek KangHyun or me."

    "Thank you for your high consideration."

    KangWoo smirked and continued talking.

    * * *

    "So, what is it that you want?"

    He asked, rxed.

    ''Well, although I more or less know what she wants to say¡­''

    As for why someone as important as Chae YeonJoo hade to see him personally¡­

    There was no need to think about it too deeply.

    On the current Earth, strength and talent are incredibly valuable¡ªthat''s why someone like him had an overwhelming value.

    He had no intentions of hiding that or not using it.

    ''I was also thinking about trying to make a connection with a big guild, so this was just in time.''

    He had no intentions of joining a guild, but he wanted to have a good rtionship with one.

    "As the master of Red Rose, I want to sponsor you."

    "What¡­?"

    KangWoo hugged his body and looked at her with wary eyes.

    "Were you after my body?"

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence between the two.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him as if she was looking at some trash.

    ''You shouldn''t look at people with those kinds of eyes.''

    KangWoo couldn''t believe he was receiving such a scornful gaze for making a joke.

    "That''s unexpected."

    "What did you think that I was going to say?"

    "I thought you were going to ask me to join the Red Rose Guild."

    "Hngh."

    Chae YeonJoo snorted after hearing KangWoo''s answer.

    "There''s no way someone hiding his attribute''s ranking would join a guild. If you wanted to join one, you wouldn''t have hidden your strength from the beginning."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo put out a troubled expression at her words.

    ''It''s not like I''ve hidden it on purpose.''

    He had gotten an F-rank because the testing device couldn''t judge his Authority of Predation correctly.

    ''Well, it''s morefortable for me for her to think that.''

    He did not intend to join a guild, so he did not need to rify the misunderstanding.

    "So, how are you going to sponsor me?"

    "To simplify the exnation, we''ll support you so you can grow faster than you are now."

    "What are you going to ask in return? Maybe to help you with that video game?"

    "You son of a b¡­! Ah. Oof. Oof."

    Chae YeonJoo put her hand on her chest and tried to calm down.

    "Hahaha, I''m just kidding. I''ve never yed games, so I wasn''t sure about what I had to do."

    "Oof. I failed to ascend to the silver tier because of you¡­"

    "Hmm? Does that mean you''re bronze? Hmm. I''m not sure why, but that seems to be the lowest tier¡­"

    "N-no! My skills are beyond the bronze tier! It''s just that I have bad luck in regards to teammates!"

    KangWooughed at Chae YeonJoo''s reaction.

    She was one of the strongest yers in Korea. Not only that, but she was the master of one of the biggest guilds in the country. Her getting angry because of her game made her feel a bit more friendly.

    "Well, leaving jokes aside¡­ Why do you want to support me?"

    "Because you''re going to be stronger."

    "You probably know it since you''ve searched for information on me, but I''m just a newbie who became a yer two weeks ago."

    "And in those two weeks, you became strong enough to solo hunt in a C-rank Gate. I know that you''re going to be stronger¡­ Way stronger than now."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo looked at her with great interest.

    ''She isn''t the master of a big guild for nothing.''

    He didn''t think lowly of himself.

    ¡­But she probably didn''t know that he was the demon king who had returned after ten thousand years or that he had an abnormal power called Authority of Predation.

    For her to say that without not knowing those details probably meant she was really sure about his talent.

    "Can you give me more details on how you will support me?"

    "First, you''ll be able to ess any gate up to A-rank freely. Then, if you need a party, we''ll pick yers from our guild and support you. Also, if you sell the mana stones through us, we can reduce the tax money the government takes from the sale."

    "Oh."

    "We''re also going to give you equipment. Although you need a security deposit for unique items, you can freely take those with a lower ranking than that. If you need, we''ll also get you a house and a car."

    ''Why is the treatment so good?''

    The treatment was so good that one could think she was asking him to officially join the Red Rose Guild.

    No, receiving that kind of treatment was probably even impossible for guild members.

    "What are you thinking¡­?"

    "It''s an investment for the future."

    "Even so, I think that the conditions are too good."

    It wasn''t like he was being asked to join the Red Rose Guild.

    If KangWoo received the benefits and acted as if the deal had never taken ce, they wouldn''t be able to do or say anything.

    ''And also¡­''

    From the point of view of the guild, for their master to go and make a proposal like that was probably humiliating.

    It wasn''t just a matter of pride¡ªit could harm the image of the guild.

    ''Did something happen to her?''

    He thought the conditions were too good, even considering that he was a talented yer.

    Of course, it would be understandable if she knew about his real strength¡ªthen she''d probably do everything possible to maintain a good rtionship with him, but right now, that wasn''t the case.

    "Later on¡­ I''m going to ask you to do something. I hope you ept it once the timees."

    It seemed like all that treatment was because of that request.

    "So can you tell me more details?"

    Chae YeonJoo smiled bitterly at KangWoo''s question.

    ¡°¡­"

    It was such a sad smile that it was hard to believe it was the same person who had just gotten angry because of a game.

    KangWoo remained silent after seeing her sad smile.

    He felt that he was seeing her real face for the first time.

    Chae YaenJoo erased that sad expression from her face and spoke.

    "I can''t tell you right now."

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo slowly nodded.

    He still hadn''t epted her proposal.

    If that request was so important to her, it was understandable that she hadn''t told him the details about it.

    ''If it''s something ridiculous, I can always refuse itter.''

    It wasn''t like he was signing a contract where he was promising to fulfill that request.

    Later on, once he heard the details of the request, he would ept it if it was something he could do, but if it was something ridiculous, he could refuse it and cut the rtionship with the Red Rose Guild.

    He didn''t need to think about it for long.

    It was the perfect chance to create a connection with a big guild and receive a wide variety of support.

    KangWoo wasn''t stupid enough to let such an opportunity go.

    "I ept."

 Chapter 33: I Told You, Iâ€™m Stronger than You Think (1)

    "I''ll ept."

    Chae YeonJoo''s face brightened after hearing his answer. She crossed her arms and snorted.

    It was as if she wanted to say, ''I knew it.''

    "Good choice."

    "So, when are you going to tell me the request?"

    KangWoo smirked after seeing her with an arrogant expression on her face.

    "I''ll tell youter on. It''s not like you''ll be able to do it with your current strength anyways."

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo looked at her silently.

    ''What is she trying to ask me to do?''

    KangWoo was sure that what Chae YeonJoo wanted to ask him wasn''t something he couldn''t do now.

    She didn''t know about him.

    She wasn''t aware of his real strength.

    What she knew about him was that he was a talented yer who had reached the third awakening in just two weeks.

    "It''s probably different from what you''re thinking."

    "Hmm?"

    "I''m probably stronger than you think."

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him as if he was being ridiculous.

    A newbie who had been a yer for just two weeks had said something like that very confidently, so it was normal for her tough at his words.

    "Ah, okay. Understood. But I still can''t tell you the details. It isn''t only because you''re weak."

    "Then?"

    "I don''t have enough evidence. It isn''t something I can say until I''ve gathered enough proof."

    "¡­?"

    He was having a hard time understanding.

    KangWoo shrugged his shoulders while seeing her avoid answering directly.

    ''I guess I don''t need to keep insisting.''

    She probably had a reason to avoid answering.

    Either way, if it was something outrageous, he could always refuse it in the future.

    He didn''t have to worry about the request yet.

    "Here''s my number, so save it."

    "The number of a pretty woman is always wee."

    "Isn''t it a bitte to tter?"

    Chae YeonJoo frowned at KangWoo''s yful answer.

    She thought KangWoo had said that to make fun of her.

    ''I''m just stating the truth.''

    KangWoo saved her number on his phone with a smirk.

    Although it couldn''t bepared to when he¡¯d gotten Han Seol-ah¡¯s number, it still felt good to get the number of a pretty girl like Chae YeonJoo.

    Although she was a bit whiney, but who cares?

    ''The most important thing is that she doesn''t have tentacles.''

    Compared to Lilith, who¡¯d tried to sneak into his bed every night, all women from Earth looked like angels.

    "More importantly, when can I get the items?"

    What interested him the most was the part about receiving epic-grade items for free.

    ''I was wondering how helpful the items would really be.''

    Because he had 666 different Authorities, he didn''t need equipment with special effects.

    With demonic energy, he could attack, defend, dodge, and search enemies without the help of any special item.

    Having equipment didn''t make sense for him since most of the items with a rank less than epic wouldn''t be as good as an Authority.

    ''But I still need items since they can help me save demonic energy.''

    If he could use an item to defend instead of demonic energy, he would be able to save that much more demonic energy.

    Since he didn''t have ess to a limitless amount of demonic energy like when he was in Hell, he needed to save up as much as possible.

    ''Using an Authority already consumes a lot of demonic energy.''

    Even though his demonic energy had increased after reaching level 30 andpleting the fourth awakening, he still couldn''t use it without thinking carefully.

    "If you want, we can go right now."

    "Good.''

    "Then follow me. Let''s go to our guild house first."

    "Where is your guild house?"

    "Seoul Station."

    It was where the yer management office was.

    KangWoo nodded and followed her.

    As he followed her, he saw a car that was different from the others.

    "Woah, look at that."

    "Isn''t that a Porsche 918 Spyder?"

    "Woah¡­"

    Even the people that were passing by looked at it with surprise.

    Chae YeonJoo walked toward it and took the key from her pocket.

    <em>Click-</em>

    "Get in."

    "Woah."

    * * *

    KangWoo eximed in surprise as she naturally opened the door of the Porsche.

    ''Is this really the person who was gaming while wearing sportswear and a baseball cap?''

    She looked so cool right then that he was wondering if the person he¡¯d seen that day was really Chae YeonJoo.

    ''So this is why everyone is obsessed with foreign cars.''

    Even though she had just opened the car door and gotten into it, she looked different.

    In the past, KangWoo struggled even to pay for public transport, so that shook him more than realizing that she was one of the top yers in Korea.

    She turned and looked at KangWoo, who was standing still.

    KangWoo nodded and sat in the passenger seat.

    ''Nice.''

    The seat was sofortable that he felt he was about to melt.

    ¡°How much did you pay for this?¡±

    "I''m not sure. I didn''t look at the price when I bought it. It probably cost me around a million."

    "¡­"

    It was a huge sum of money.

    It was a car that was more expensive than most apartments.

    Chae JaeonJoo stepped on the elerator.

    The Porsche started to glide across the road.

    "As expected from an expensive car. The ride is smooth."

    "What? Should I get you one?" Chae YeonJoo asked as if she were asking to invite him for a cup of coffee.

    It was obvious that KangWoo''s eyes would shine.

    "Are you serious?"

    "It''s in the contract. If you ept it, we''ll give you a car."

    "Noona¡­"

    "What?"

    "I''m going to call you YeonJoo noona from now on."

    In the real world, the person who earned more money was either the hyeong or the noona.

    After hearing the word noona, she looked at him as if she''d eaten a bug by mistake.

    ''You shouldn''t look at people like that.''

    While thinking the same thing as he had previously, he opened his mouth.

    "A car like this is obviously wee."

    KangWoo still didn''t have a driving license, but he had no reason to refuse a car like that.

    "But if you refuse the request, I''ll immediately take it from you."

    "You''re quite cheap for a ranker."

    "Well, the livelihood of many people depends on me."

    KangWoo smiled at her answer.

    <em>Creak-</em>

    "This is our guild house."

    "Impressive¡­"

    The ce they''d reached was an enormous building that had more than 20 floors.

    On the front of the seemingly new building was the logo of the Red Rose Guild.

    ''Is this the power of a big guild?''

    It felt simr to a big corporation.

    While thinking it was a good choice to build a rtionship with a big guild, KangWoo followed her and entered the building.

    As they entered, he saw a gentle-looking young man wearing round sses approach them.

    He looked at KangWoo and extended his hand.

    "So you''re the person the guild leader talked about before. Nice to meet you. I''m the Human Resources Management Team Leader, Park HyunWoo. He''s the caporegime of the Red Rose Guild, Moon YeongHo."

    "I''m Oh KangWoo."

    Unlike Park HyunWoo, Moon YeongHo looked at him up and down.

    "Since you''re here, it seems like conversations went well."

    "With conditions as good as that, I would have taken it even if a poison was mixed in it."

    "Hahaha, we aren''t a shady guild, so don''t worry."

    Whileughing, he turned around to Chae YeonJoo.

    "Should I take him to the equipment vault?"

    "I''m going to take him, don''t worry. You still have a lot of things to do."

    "Thank you."

    "Then I''ll follow you."

    Moon YeongHo said it with a low tone while ring at KangWoo.

    "YeongHo? Why?"

    "I want to see what sort of human he is with my eyes."

    "Hmm... Okay. Since both of you will see each other more from now on, you should get to know him. Then, YengHo, follow us."

    She walked toward where the elevator was and spoke to KangWoo.

    "Over here."

    KangWoo nodded and followed her.

    The elevator with Chae YeonJoo, KangWoo, and Moon YeongHo stopped on the 15th floor.

    [Starting mana recognition. Insert a tiny amount of mana.]

    <em>ck-</em>

    "This is our guild''s item vault."

    There were lots of items stored inside ss cases there.

    "Woah¡­"

    "The items I can lend you are the ones that are up to epic rank. You can take the unique ones if you put in a safety deposit."

    She pointed toward where there were approximately 10 items.

    Just at first nce, it was obvious that they were on another levelpared to epic-grade items.

    ''Did they say that the rank of items was divided into normal, rare, epic, unique, legend, and myth?'' KangWoo asked while looking around.

    "There aren''t any legendary or mythic items in the vault?"

    "If we had those items, we wouldn''t have them inside the vault."

    "I see. So you have items with grades higher than legendary?"

    "I have a legendary."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo looked at the unique items.

    "How much of a security deposit do I need for the unique ones?"

    "Five million USD each. Which is a bargainpared to what others ask."

    "¡­"

    He had heard that yer equipment was expensive, but they exceeded what he had imagined.

    ''That¡¯s impossible with my current funds.''

    He was converting most of the mana stones into demonic energy and absorbing them, so he didn''t have that kind of money.

    ''It would be hard toe up with that much even if I had sold all the mana stones.''

    The price of unique items was that expensive.

    ''That''s too bad.''

    Even at first nce, the difference in quality between epic and unique items was high.

    KangWoo turned around from the unique items.

    "Then should I check out the epic items¡­?"

    <em>m-!</em>

    A loud sound spread through the vault.

    KangWoo turned his head around.

    There he saw Moon YeongHo ring at him with a frown.

    "Don''t talk to her so casually."

    "Huh?"

    "Don''t talk to the guild leader in such a friendly manner."

    Moon YeongHo said it with killing intent.

    KangWoo smirked at him.

    "Too bad, I want to."

 Chapter 34: I Told You, Iâ€™m Stronger than You Think (2)

    "Too bad, I want to." KangWoo said, making fun of him.

    Moon YeongHo reached for the sword on his waist with an anger-filled expression on his face.

    "YeongHo!"

    Chae YeonJoo shouted to Moon YeongHo after he tried to grab his sword.

    She red at him intensely.

    "What are you doing¡­?"

    "¡­"

    "Answer me."

    "How dare this damn newbie talk to the guild leader like that."

    "You''re going to make a fuss out of something I don''t mind?"

    "¡­"

    "How he talks to me is my business, so stay out of it."

    With his body trembling because of rage, he lowered his head.

    Chae YeonJoo sighed and looked at KangWoo.

    "KangWoo, don''t provoke YeongHo. If you face him right now, you could be disabled somewhere."

    "I''ll remember your advice."

    KangWoo nodded and looked at YeongHo, who was trembling because of rage.

    It was understandable why a member of the Red Rose Guild would be angry with him.

    Just the fact that Chae YeonJoo had brought him should be enough to make them angry, but to make things worse, he talked to her as if she were his friend.

    ''For most people, in regards to things like this, it''s hard to make a rational decision.''

    It was weird for someone to react as calmly as Park HyunWoo.

    ''It doesn''t seem to be a poorly operated guild.''

    If they didn''t have loyalty toward their guild master, something like that wouldn''t have happened in the first ce.

    Seeing Moon YeongHo''s reaction increased KangWoo''s confidence in the Red Rose Guild.

    "Then should I check the equipment first?"

    KangWoo took a glimpse at Moon YeongHo, who had his fists clenched and was immersed in thoughts, and then he checked out the epic grade items.

    [Item Information]

    Item Name: Shadow Armor

    Rarity: Epic

    Normal Effect: Physical Defense +40, Magic Defense -10, Movement Speed +10, Movement Speed +10, Vitality -2.

    Special Effect: You can increase your speed by 50%. You can use it only once every 24 hours.

    "Hmm."

    The effect was kind of ambiguous.

    The increase in physical defense wasn''t bad, but it had too many penalties.

    He was kind of bothered by the decrease of constitution.

    ''The special effect is also useless.''

    It could increase your speed, but since KangWoo had the Authority of Speed, it was kind of useless to him.

    ''I would prefer it not to have a special effect and for it to have a better normal effect instead.''

    He turned around to Chae YeonJoo and spoke.

    "Isn''t there something here that increases your stats?"

    "There aren''t unique items that increase your stats. You can find ones with those characteristics among legendaries."

    "Is that really such a great effect?" KangWoo asked while tilting his head.

    He couldn''t believe that you could find items that increased your stats only in items that were legendaries or higher.

    ''How much does a legendary cost?''

    Getting a unique item for a cheap price would cost him five million USD. Then how much would it cost him to get a legendary?

    "Of course. You know that, the more your stat increases, the harder it bes to increase, right? That''s why there aren''t many items that increase your stat by a fixed amount."

    "Ah, I understand."

    KangWoo nodded.

    KangWoo struggled to increase his demonic energy stat after reaching 50.

    That had probably happened because his current stat was overwhelmingly highpared to a yer around the same level as him. But still, it was true that the higher the stat became, the harder it became to increase it.

    ''Then that means this item, since it cuts your stat by an absolute value, is absolute trash.''

    KangWoo took his eyes off the shadow armor.

    "Then what about an item with a good normal effect that doesn''t have a special one?"

    "Wait. I remember seeing a few of those around here."

    Chae YeonJoo walked around the vault while picking up a few items.

    "Oh, the amount of items you can pick is three, so think carefully."

    "Okay."

    KangWoo chose a wrist brace, ne, and a ck coat.

    They were all items with good normal effects that didn''t have a special one.

    [Item Information]

    Item Name: ckstone Wrist Brace

    Rank: Epic

    Normal Effect: Physical Defense +50, Magical Defense +30

    [Item Information]

    Item Name: Ne of Mana Protection

    Rank: Epic

    Normal Effect: Magical Defense +60

    [Item Information]

    Item Name: Ogre Leather Coat

    Rank: Epic

    Normal Effect: Physical Defense +80

    After checking out the items, KangWoo equipped them for a quick test.

    ''I''m not feeling a huge difference.''

    His physical defense had gone up by 130, and his magical defense by 90, but to be honest, he didn''t see a huge difference.

    ''I''m not sure how much physical and magical defense I have.''

    The two stats didn''t appear on his status window, so he couldn''t see how big of a difference they had made.

    "How much is 130 physical defense?"

    "Ah, it''s hard to know that in the beginning."

    Chae YeonJoo nodded as if she had also gone through a simr thing.

    "130 is like having five steel tes on top of you. If you poke your skin with a knife, the de will probably crumple."

    "Oh¡­"

    * * *

    KangWoo nodded with great interest.

    "Is the defense applied only where the equipment is worn?"

    Normally, it would be obvious to think that the defense would be applied only to the body part where the equipment was worn.

    Your head won''t be protected if you wore a bulletproof vest, after all.

    "No, thanks to the mana inside the equipment, your entire body is protected. Although the item effect is reduced by half in the rest of the body.

    "Then, if you get 1000 physical defense, if you get shot in the eye, will the bullet get deflected away?"

    "I''ve never tried that, but theoretically, yes."

    "No wonder guns lost importance¡­"

    You would probably need a missile to face a yer with an item that didn''t have mana.

    ''The power of items is greater than I thought.''

    KangWoo looked down at his body with surprise after hearing Chae YeonJoo''s exnation.

    With such defense, he could save up more demonic energy than he initially thought.

    ''This makes me want a unique item even more.''

    KangWoo looked at the unique items with lust.

    Just having a few epic items gave such effects, so having unique items would make defending even more effective.

    "YeonJoo noona¡­"

    "What do you want?"

    "I don''t need a car, so how about you lend me a unique item?"

    "¡­"

    "If you trust me, I''ll make a return of 1.5 times its price."

    He was talking as if he were asking for someone to lend him money in a casino.

    Chae YeonJoo grabbed her head and sighed.

    "I can''t confirm it right now. I need to discuss it with other¡ª"

    <em>m-!!!</em>

    The same loud sound that had just spread through the room could be heard again.

    KangWoo and Chae YeonJoo turned their heads toward the sound.

    There they saw Moon YeongHo, trembling with a pale face.

    "Noo... Noona?"

    "YeongHo...?"

    "H-how... How dare you!!!"

    He angrily drew his sword and rushed to KangWoo.

    <em>m-!!</em>

    "What did I tell you before?"

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo blocked Moon YeongHo with her bare hands and spoke to him in a low voice.

    A suffocating killing intent and mana leaked out of her body.

    "Put your sword down and get the fuck out. If you do this one more time, you''ll get punished."

    "I... I''m sorry."

    With a stiff expression, Moon YeongHo put his sword down.

    He bit his lip as if he had found the current situation unfair.

    "Ha¡­ I''m really sorry. I''ll give him a proper warningter on."

    "No, it''s okay."

    "But rather than that, what unique item do you need? I''ll talk about it at the next reunion."

    "Hmm¡­ Armorfortable to move in. One with good normal stats if possible."

    "Armor¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo fell into thoughts.

    Moon YeongHo turned his head to KangWoo.

    "You need armor?"

    "Yes."

    "Then how about this: If you win a match against me, I''ll give you mine. It''s one with unique rarity and great normal effects."

    "Moon YeongHo, I told you to get the fuck away."

    After seeing that Moon YeongHo kept trying to pick up a fight with KangWoo, Chae YoonJo stepped forward.

    It seemed like she was really angry¡ªher killing intent had gotten a lot thicker than before.

    "No, wait."

    "What¡­?"

    "I think that it''s a good proposal."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo looked at Moon YeongHo''s armor with great interest.

    He was willing to do it if he could get it just by facing him in a match.

    "Are you crazy¡­?"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo with sharp eyes.

    She knew that KangWoo was a really talented person.

    Neither she nor Baek KangHyun had been able to enter a C-rank Gate in just two weeks.

    But Oh KangWoo, not only had he been able to enter a C-rank gate, but he had solo hunted inside it.

    That meant that, not only had he awakened an S-rank attribute, but it also meant that he probably had an incredible talent for fighting. She had been able to check that out in the inte cafe.

    ''That person is probably going to be as strong as me. No, he will probably be stronger than me.''

    She was sure that KangWoo would be someone so strong that he could write a new chapter in Korea''s yer history.

    That''s why she wanted to build a good rtionship with him.

    ''But it''s still too early.''

    This wasn''t a matter of whether he had talent or not.

    Moon YeongHo was strong.

    He was currently level 67. He had been able to surpass the wall of the sixth awakening and been able to reach the seventh one.

    Just like a tiger cub couldn''t win against a big hunting dog, someone that had be a yer two weeks ago couldn''t win against Moon YeongHo.

    ''This is crazy.''

    She had to stop KangWoo.

    He was someone who could be a great asset.

    If the rtionship between them went wrong, there was no point in investing so heavily in him.

    "Don''t say stupid things and return. KangWoo, you also¡­"

    "It''s okay."

    KangWoo smirked while he interrupted her.

    Chae YeonJoo subconsciously trembled after seeing his chilling smile.

    "I think it''s going to be fun."

    KangWoo looked at Moon YeongHo''s unique armor and smacked his lips as if it looked appetizing.

    ''Since he has offered it to me, I''ll dly take it.''

 Chapter 35: I Told You, Iâ€™m Stronger than You Think (3)

    "Well thought."

    Moon YeongHo smirked after seeing that KangWoo had epted his proposal.

    He was getting excited at the thought of teaching a lesson to the cheeky newbie.

    ''I''ll make sure he can''t talk to our guild master like that.''

    He touched his left eye.

    He could feel the sword scar throbbing.

    When he was a newbie yer, he had been ambushed by a chaos yer.

    The one who¡¯d saved him was Chae YeonJoo.

    Chae YeonJoo wasn''t simply the guild leader for him.

    She was his savior and his owner to whom he had sworn loyalty to.

    And¡­

    She was the woman he loved.

    ''How dare someone like you¡­''

    He red at KangWoo.

    The moment he¡¯d heard KangWoo call Chae YeonJoo ¡°noona,¡± he¡¯d felt sick inside.

    He felt as if KangWoo was making fun of the emotions he''d been stacking up throughout the years.

    ''I¡­''

    He looked at Chae YeonJoo.

    Chae YeonJoo was ring at him because of the current situation.

    She looked beautiful, even while angry.

    And¡­

    Thinking about how KangWoo had approached her, who had such an untouchable beauty, made him even angrier.

    ''I''ll show you the difference in ss.''

    He had to teach the newbie who acted all high and mighty just because he had talent a lesson.

    Moon YeongHo thought that if they didn''t teach KangWoo a lesson, there was a chance of him betraying them in the future. While trying to justify his actions, he took him to the fifth floor, where the training room was located.

    KangWoo followed him in a very rxed manner.

    Seeing how calm KangWoo acted, as if he were participating in a tour, made him feel sick once more.

    <em>Click-</em>

    "This is the training room."

    "Woah. The instations are quite nice," KangWoo eximed in surprise while looking around at the big training room that upied an entire floor.

    "Let''s see how long you can keep that rxed attitude¡­"

    "Keep watching."

    While shrugging his shoulders, KangWoo stood at one side of the training room.

    Chae YeonJoo approached him.

    "It doesn''t matter how much I think about it. This is just too crazy. Don''t do it."

    "Hahaha. I''m okay, don''t worry."

    "You''ll regret it¡­"

    KangWoo smiled after hearing her say that in a serious voice.

    He understood why she was worried.

    Normally, it would be impossible for a newbie yer to defeat the Caporegime of a big guild.

    ''But¡­''

    She didn''t know about him.

    Anything¡­

    She didn''t even understand a bit.

    "Then let''s start."

    Moon YeongHo stood still without taking out his sword.

    "I''ll give you three seconds. Attack first."

    "Haha, it seems you''ve read too many martial arts novels."

    "¡­"

    "Don''t be silly. Grab your sword."

    KangWoo gave him some advice.

    He didn''t want to hear any silly excuse from him or something like he would''ve won if it weren''t for the three seconds advantage.

    ''It''s better to do it properly.''

    If he had to hide his strength, he would do it thoroughly.

    But if he had to show it, he would clearly show it so there weren''t any doubts.

    Right then, it was time to show it. That way, he''d be able to obtain a better reward.

    "Huh? Grab your sword."

    "I don''t intend to fight with my full strength against a newbie¡­"

    "Oh, really?"

    A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face.

    He found Moon YeongHo''s arrogant nature too ridiculous and insignificant.

    "I guess I have no choice."

    KangWoo lowered his arms and bowed down.

    He concentrated the demonic energy on his feet and activated the Authority of Speed.

    <em>Bang-!!!</em>

    His body bounced forward.

    Moon YeongHo''s eyes widened.

    "What?!"

    * * *

    KangWoo used the Authority of Sky to twist his body in the air.

    While ignoring thew of inertia, his body changed direction at a speed he couldn''t move physically.

    KangWoo hit Moon YeongHo in the stomach.

    <em>f-!</em>

    "Coff!!"

    Moon YeongHo''s body was pushed back as if it were a ball.

    He bounced off the ground like a skipping stone.

    Smoke poured out from behind the wall he got stuck on.

    "Blech!!"

    He vomited on the floor while feeling that his stomach had been turned upside down.

    He looked incredibly miserable.

    "Coff! Coff! H-how...?"

    Moon YeongHo got up while trembling and looked at KangWoo, surprised.

    It wasn''t just Moon YeongHo who was astonished.

    "W-what? What just happened¡­?"

    Chae YeonJoo was also stunned and speechless.

    He looked at Moon YeongHo and KangWoo alternately.

    Someone who had be a yer two weeks previously against someone who had finished the seventh awakening¡­

    Not only that, but he was strong enough to be the Caporegime of the Red Rose Guild. So seeing him beaten up made her wonder if she was currently dreaming.

    "There''s two more left, right?"

    KangWoo extended his hands toward Moon YeongHo, who had barely been able to stand up.

    A ck spear flew toward Moon YeongHo.

    "Hob!"

    Moon YeongHo dodged the spear with a shout and took out his sword.

    He pointed his sword toward KangWoo with a pale expression.

    "Huh? Weren''t you going to give me a three seconds advantage?" KangWoo asked while walking toward him.

    "¡­"

    Moon YeongHo didn''t answer his question. No, to be more precise, he wasn''t in a state where he could answer.

    He grabbed his sword tightly.

    He could feel cold sweat dripping.

    ''That was dangerous.''

    He probably would''ve lost consciousness if it weren''t for his unique-rank item.

    Moon YeongHo looked at KangWoo with trembling eyes.

    ''Is he really someone who just became a yer?''

    It didn''t make sense.

    Not even Chae YeonJuu nor Baek KangHyun were that strong in just two weeks.

    This situation was as if a three-year-old baby had thrown away an adult.

    It was at a level that the word genius couldn''t exin.

    "What trick did you use¡­?"

    "I didn''t use any tricks. It''s just that I''m stronger than you."

    "Don''t say nonsense! How can a two-week-old yer..."

    "Nonsense? Then you knew that this wasn''t a fair fight from the beginning, right?"

    "¡­"

    "And now that things aren''t going as nned, you''re crying andining."

    "Th-that¡­"

    KangWoo beganughing after seeing that Moon YeongHo was lost for words.

    Afterughing for a while, KangWoo spoke in a cold voice.

    "Stop fucking around, you piece of trash."

    "Ugh."

    Moon YeongHo frowned. His body was trembling and his face red.

    ''It seems like I was right.''

    KangWoo smirked after seeing MoonYeongHo''s reaction.

    "Y-you bastard!!"

    The smile on KangWoo''s face made Moon YeongHo''s eyes go upside down. He grabbed his sword.

    ''I can''t let things remain like this.''

    It wasn''t just KangWoo who was there.

    Chae YeonWoo, the woman he loved, was looking at the battle.

    He couldn''t let her see him like that.

    "Thousand-Year-Old Sword."

    Moon YeongHo raised his sword and shouted¡ªblue energy rose from the sword.

    In just an instant, the size of his sword increased, and strong energy came out of it.

    "Is that a technique you can only use by saying such a cringe-worthy name?"

    "¡­"

    "No, right? You did that to look cool, huh?"

    "Sh-shut up!"

    "You just threw up while trying to brag. Isn''t it a little bitte to try to look cool?"

    "W-what¡­?! You bastard¡­"

    "See? You should have drawn the sword when I said it before. Rather than cool, you look pitiful right now."

    "AAARRRGGG!!!"

    The harsh criticism made him even angrier than before. With his eyes turned upside down, he charged toward KangWoo.

    KangWoo analyzed Moon YengHo''s movements.

    ''He''s definitely strong.''

    The powering out of his sword wasn''t something that could beughed at.

    It was an attack so strong that he would probably struggle against even with the ''Authority of Iron Defense.''

    ''He would''ve been a hard opponent to fight under normal circumstances.''

    If he had fought with everything he had from the beginning, it would''ve probably been a hard fight.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo looked at the raging Moon YeongHo.

    There was no way he would lose against someone who had lost his temper.

    ''Authority of Darkness.''

    KangWoo''s shadow spread through the walls.

    "Die!!"

    Normally, he would''ve noticed the shadow approaching him from the walls.

    But because of KangWoo''s provocation, he had lost his temper. And thanks to that, he didn''t notice it approaching him.

    ''Eclipse.''

    After checking that both shadows had been connected, KangWoo smiled and activated the effect of the Authority.

    Moon YeongHo targeted his head with the sword.

    "W-wait, YeongHo!"

    Chae YeonJoo ran toward them after seeing that he was clearly trying to kill the opponent.

    Moon YeongHo was usually someone very calm who didn''t show any emotion.

    Even Chae YeonJoo, who had known him for many years, had never seen him lose his temper like that.

    But before she could block his sword, KangWoo''s body ckened, melted down, and disappeared.

    "Wh-what...?!"

    Moon YeongHo shouted in surprise.

    He looked around while searching for KangWoo, who had suddenly disappeared.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "This is the third one."

    KangWoo suddenly appeared from his shadow and ced his hand on YeongHo¡¯s back.

    The Authority of Waves spread through Moon YeongHo''s body.

    "Coff!"

    He vomited blood and then fell to the ground after losing consciousness.

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo, who had been trying to stop the battle, looked at KangWoo with a nk expression on her face.

    He turned around to her and calmly.

    "See? I told you: I''m stronger than you think."

 Chapter 36: The Chosen One (1)

    "I''m sorry for what happened today. I''m going to kick YeongHo from the guild, and I''ll make sure no one else does something like this," Chae YeonJoo said to KangWoo with her head bowed.

    A member of the guild had been rude to a yer they''d promised to offer their full support, so even if it was her, she had to lower her head.

    "Well, since I received this, it doesn''t matter."

    KangWoo looked at the Gargoyle''s Armor he had received from Moon YeongHo.

    While looking at it, he opened its information window.

    [Item Information]

    Item Name: Gargoyle''s Armor

    Rarity: Unique

    Normal Effect: Physical Defense +200, Magical Defense +80

    Special Effect: Your Physical Defense doubles for 10 seconds. You can only use this effect once every 24 hours.

    ''As expected from a Unique-rarity item.''

    With just one unique-rarity item, his physical defense had increased more than the total added amount he had gotten from the three epic-rarity items he had received.

    ''The special effect is also good.''

    At least it was more useful than the one that the shadow armor had.

    He looked at the item, satisfied, and turned his head toward Chae YeonJoo.

    "Even so, if something like this happens again, I''ll have to rethink my rtionship with the Red Rose Guild."

    Although he had received a unique item, he still had to rify things.

    The incident with Moon YeongHo happened because Chae YeonJoo had failed to control her underling.

    Even if KangWoo had epted his proposal, that shouldn''t have happened in the first ce.

    ''Although I can understand the reason behind his actions.''

    Since KangWoo''s body was closer to a demon¡¯s than a human¡¯s, he could understand lust very well.

    He instinctively knew how much the other person lusted and wished for something or someone.

    ''I guess he was blinded by love.''

    That expression really matched Moon YeongHo''s situation.

    "I''m sorry. I have no excuse¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo sighed and asked for forgiveness once again.

    The reason why she was acting like that wasn''t only because of Moon YeongHo.

    It was also because of the strength shown by KangWoo.

    The fact that someone who had be a yer only two weeks before had been able to defeat someone who hadpleted the seventh awakening was enough to change her attitude.

    KangWoo had gone from a yer with whom it was worth maintaining a good rtionship to someone she had to have a good rtionship with.

    The rtionship of power had changed.

    Now she had to be careful while dealing with KangWoo.

    "Then let''s stay in touch."

    After shaking his hands, KangWoo turned around.

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo walk away.

    "Oof."

    She sighed.

    ''Is he really a human?''

    It wasn''t a matter anymore of whether he was talented or not.

    He had a strength that went againstmon sense.

    ''I think I could beat him at the moment. But¡­''

    Because of his growth speed, it wouldn''t surprise her if he soon surpassed her.

    It was scary enough to make her think it might be better to do something about him before he became too strong.

    "It seems like a world ranker may appear in Korea¡­"

    World Ranker¡­

    It was a list with the top eight strongest yers worldwide.

    At the moment, there wasn''t a Korean among the World Rankers.

    There was a rumor that Korea''s number one, Baek KangHyun, had a chance to be a World Ranker, but that he¡¯d failed to be one in the end.

    ''But maybe if it''s KangWoo¡­''

    He was a monster growing at an unprecedented speed, so she thought that bing a World Ranker may not be hard for someone like him.

    While Chae YeonJoo was immersed in her thoughts, Park HyunWoo walked toward her.

    "Guild Master, did Mr. KangWoo go back?"

    "Yes, he just left."

    "I heard that something happened between him and Mr. YeongHo¡­"

    "Yes, I n to kick him out of the Guild."

    "¡­"

    * * *

    "Don''t make that kind of expression. This is all YeongHo''s fault."

    "Understood."

    Park HyunWoo nodded while smiling bitterly.

    "I have something I need to tell you."

    "What?"

    "It seems like the people from the government have seeded in nting a spy within the ranks of the Demon Cult."

    "¡­"

    "If we''re lucky, we''ll be able to obtain evidence."

    Chae YeonJoo''s eyes shone after hearing Park HyunWoo''s words.

    "Exin in more detail."

    * * *

    "Let''s see..."

    After returning to his house, KangWoo opened his status window.

    [Status Window]

    yer: Oh KangWoo

    Level: 34 [4th Awakening]

    1st Awakening Attribute: Authority of Predation (Rank: ???) * Most of the characteristics of the Authority are sealed.

    2nd Awakening Attribute: Unfulfilled Hunger (Rank: C)

    3rd Awakening Attribute: Mana-craving Demon (Rank: A)

    4th Awakening Attribute: Ruler of Demonic Energy (Rank: A)

    Strength: 23

    Agility: 21

    Vitality: 20

    Magic Power: 0

    Demonic Energy (Unique Stat): 53

    Intelligence: 11

    Wisdom: 13

    If someone else had seen his status window, they probably wouldn''t have been able to hide their surprise.

    Usually, people who hadpleted the fourth Awakening could surpass 30 in a stat if they were lucky, but KangWoo''s Demonic Energy stat had already surpassed 50.

    ''The other stats are increasing, too.''

    Although the most important was the Demonic Energy, it wasn''t like Strength, Agility, and Vitality stats were useless.

    While he could fortify his body with demonic energy, he had to use that much of it to buff it.

    If he could fortify his body with other stats, he could avoid wasting demonic energy.

    ''Although Intelligence and Wisdom are useless.''

    Those two stats increased the effectiveness and destructive power of one''s mana, but since KangWoo didn''t have that stat, it was useless.

    ''Too bad I can''t pick the stats as I want.''

    The stats increased randomly.

    The amount they increased was also random.

    Usually, from the second Awakening onwards, the stats you used more frequently were the ones that increased the most.

    But in KangWoo''s case, all his other stats went up instead of the Demonic Energy.

    ''Is it because my Demonic Energy stat is already too high?''

    There was a chance of that being true.

    That amount of stat was impossible for a yer of level 34 to have.

    Considering that the higher your stat was, the harder it became to increase it, it made sense that his Demonic Energy wasn''t going up.

    ''This means that, at around level 30, they can''t raise the Demonic Energy stat since it''s already too high.''

    That probably exined why the other stats were going up.

    "That''s too bad."

    He wanted to put all the stats in Demonic Energy if it was his decision, but that was impossible.

    "But thanks to the hellhound, I surpassed my original goal."

    He was nning to level up to 30 when his level went up to 34 after hunting a hellhound.

    ''If I keep this pace, I''ll soon reach the fifth Awakening.''

    Thanks to the Red Rose Guild, he could freely ess higher-ranking gates.

    He could skip the B-rank Gate and immediately go to an A-rank one, so leveling up was probably going to get easier.

    "But now I''m finally able to hunt morefortably."

    Because his demonic energy had increased, the number of Authorities he could use had also increased.

    While fighting against Moon YeongHo, he¡¯d realized he had reached a quite high level among yers.

    He thought that he had at least enough strength to defend himself.

    "Should I take this opportunity and raise Seol-ah and TaeSoo...?"

    After seeing how much Chae YeonJoo was willing to support him, he realized something.

    ''It''s better to invest early in yers with great potential.''

    Investing early in talented yers could generate a huge return.

    That was why one of the top 10 hunters of Korea was investing so heavily in him.

    The value of his talent and growth potential was higher than what she was investing.

    ''TaeSoo and Seol-ah are also worth investing in.''

    Although,pared to him, they weren''t that impressive, but that was only whenpared with him.

    A tanker who had awakened an A-rank attribute on his second Awakening and a healer with a B-rank attribute were very talentedpared to the rest of the yers.

    ''And¡­''

    The most important thing was that they had a good opinion of him.

    The chance of them betraying him was low.

    ''Tomorrow, I should follow them to hunt.''

    He wasn''t nning to help them increase their levels.

    More than helping, that could hinder their growth.

    TaeSoo and Seol-ah needed to gain morebat experience and be taught correctly.

    Just by guiding them to the correct path, they would probably be able to grow at an explosive rate.

    "Should I return home?"

    KangWoo headed home while feeling the pleasant weight of the pieces of equipment he¡¯d gotten.

 Chapter 37: The Chosen One (2)

    "KangWoo hyeongnim!! Over here!!"

    The next day¡­

    KangWoo went to where he had promised to meet up with Seol-ah and TaeSoo.

    TaeSoo, who had already arrived near Dongincheon station, shouted and waved his hand after seeing KangWoo.

    "Lower your voice."

    KangWoo frowned after seeing that everyone around them was looking at TaeSoo.

    "Hahaha. Did the thing you had to dost night end well, hyeongnim?"

    "Yes."

    "I''m d to hear that! Ah! Hyeongnim, these two are the yers that I said I''d present to you!"

    TaeSoo pointed toward a girl with brown hair and a young man who had a sword on his waist.

    ''Oh, my god.''

    KangWoo''s eyes widened after looking at the young man.

    He was so good-looking that the expression ¡®handsome like a sculpture¡¯ felt ridiculous.

    He was so handsome that his surroundings seemed to shine if you looked at his face.

    "The handsome hyeong is called Kim ShiHoon, and the little kid is Choi EunBi."

    "Who are you calling a kid?!"

    "Haha. If you aren''t a kid, then what are you?"

    "Hmph. You talk too much for someone who looks over 40."

    "Wh-what?"

    Choi EunBi, who was talking to TaeSoo, turned around to KangWoo.

    With her eyes shining, she approached him and asked for a handshake.

    "You''re the oppa that TaeSoo oppa has talked so much about, right? I''ve heard a lot about you! Oh, also, you can talk to mefortably, KangWoo oppa!"

    ''Is she another TaeSoo?''

    KangWooughed and looked at EunHa.

    It was impressive how friendly she was.

    "Okay. First, tell me the rank of your attribute, and..."

    "Kyaa! Are you the healer onni?! Woah, you''re really pretty!! Woah, your chest is amazing. You''re like Cerberus. You have three faces!"

    "H-huh? Th-thank you...?"

    "Onni, let''s take a selfie!! I''m going to brag to my friends!"

    "..."

    KangWoo hadn''t been able to finish what he wanted to say. He looked at EunBi, dumbfounded. She had grabbed Han Seol-ah''s hands and was taking her somewhere.

    She extended her hands toward KangWoo as if she were a deer being dragged by a lion.

    At that moment, the man with the sword on his waist approached him and extended his hand.

    "Nice to meet you. I''ve heard a lot about you from TaeSoo. My name is Kim ShiHoon."

    "Oh, yes."

    "I''m currently level 12. After finishing the second Awakening, I unlocked an A-rank attribute. As you can see, I''m a knight.''

    He was educated and cordial.

    Not only that, but he told him the information KangWoo was the most interested in.

    ''He''s like the protagonist of a manhwa.''

    KangWoo shook Kim ShiHoon¡¯s hands while looking at him.

    He felt kind of envious after seeing that he wasn''t just good-looking, he was also very well educated and talented, but he would be very helpful as an ally.

    ''It seems like there isn''t anyone simr to the members of the Andras Guild.''

    KangWoo checked out the desireing from their bodies.

    Thanks to his body being closer to a demon''s, he could see the type of desires each one had.

    He couldn''t feel any weird or bad desiresing from them.

    He wasn''t sure why they hadn''t joined a big guild, but it seemed like TaeSoo wasn''t lying when he said that they were trustworthy people.

    "And EunBi is a B-rank attribute magician."

    "Ah, thanks."

    "She''s a bit too energetic... Sorry."

    "It''s okay."

    He was talking to Kim ShiHoon when TaeSoo approached them with a proud expression.

    "What do you think, hyeongnim? They both look trustworthy, right?"

    "Yes, you''re right.''

    "Hahaha. See? I have a good eye for people."

    "And yet,st time, you almost died because you chose the wrong party members."

    "Th-that..."

    TaeSoo didn''t know what to say at the sharp remark and avoided KangWoo''s gaze.

    "Those were all the heavens¡¯ doings so I could meet hyeongnim! Yes! That''s it!"

    "..."

    KangWoo looked at TaeSoo as if he''d said something nonsensical.

    TaeSoo coughed and changed topics.

    "Ehem. But more than that, what do you think about this party?"

    "Well, first, theposition is perfect."

    One tanker, two damage dealers, and someone who could heal and buff.

    He had nothing to say in terms of teamposition.

    ''Not only that, but they can deal close and long-range damage.''

    It wasn''t just the formation that was good.

    In the second Awakening, two people had gotten an A-rank Attribute and two had gotten a B-rank one.

    Their specs were so high that if he said they were a bus party, he would''ve believed them.

    ''Not bad.''

    KangWoo looked at the four of them with sparkling eyes.

    Even at first nce, it was obvious that the party of those four people had great potential.

    Even for KangWoo, who used to have strong demons like Balrog as underlings, they were talented people he wished to have around.

    ''Although I still have to watch them a little bit more.''

    Just because they were talented and the formation was good didn''t mean they were a good party.

    There were lots of things that needed to be taken into consideration¡ªlike basic battle sense and the ability to make decisions.

    ''But they''re still worth raising.''

    If they could keep growing steadily like that, they would probably be of great help in the future.

    "I''m going to follow you guys on today''s hunt."

    "Huh? Hyeongnim is alsoing?"

    "Yes. I''ll watch and tell you what you need to correct."

    "Oh! Your advice is wee!! Thanks, hyeongnim!!" TaeSoo said with an excited voice.

    ''This is investing.''

    * * *

    KangWoo thought while looking at the four.

    He was sure that investing in the four of them would give him a huge return.

    It was understandable that he was so motivated.

    "Then let''s go to the gate. Oh, I''m only going to participate if there''s a dangerous situation, so do your best."

    "Hehe. Understood, hyeongnim!"

    TaeSoo picked up the giant shield and walked toward the gate.

    As they began moving, everyone''s attention was centered on them.

    "Woah, look at that person. He''s really handsome!"

    "Is he a celebrity?"

    Everyone''s attention was focused on Kim ShiHoon and Han Seol-ah.

    It wasn''t just the two of them that grabbed people''s attention.

    There was someone else who had the most eye-catching appearance.

    "Aaahhh! A m-monster!"

    As TaeSoo, who was over two meters tall, walked by, a little girl near them began crying.

    "E, eh? I-I''m not a monster, little girl."

    TaeSoo, who didn''t know what to do, approached her, but that only made her cry even louder.

    TaeSoo turned around.

    ''Why are you looking at me?''

    He didn''t have the power to make a little girl stop crying.

    But there were too many people around looking at them to ignore her.

    KangWoo sighed and was about to walk toward the crying little girl¡­

    But Kim ShiHoon approached her first.

    He kneeled and patted her kindly.

    "It''s okay."

    "Sniff."

    "Even though he looks like that, he isn''t scary."

    "R-really...?"

    "Yes. So don''t cry."

    "Hehehe. Okay! Understood, good-looking oppa!" The little girl said with a smile on her face.

    Kim ShiHoon left the kid to her mother, who came running toward them. He stood up with a smile on his face.

    Even though it was a normal situation, because Kim ShiHoon was the one in the middle of it, it looked like a movie scene.

    If it were KangWoo who had done that, it wouldn''t have looked so cool.

    ''This brat...''

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon with a gloomy look.

    ''He''s too much of a protagonist.''

    * * *

    "Pshht! Pshht!"

    Orcs with green skin waved the clubs they had in their hands.

    The average size of an orc was 160cm.

    Although they were smaller than the average adult male, because they had muscr bodies, they couldn''t be taken lightly.

    But¡­

    "Hmph!"

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Pshht!"

    TaeSoo pushed back three orcs charging toward them simultaneously with his shield.

    After being pushed by someone with a height of two meters who had a body that was more muscr than theirs, the orcs fell to the ground.

    "Hahaha! How about that?!"

    After feeling the chilling sensation from having pushed away three orcs, TaeSoo burst intoughter.

    The orcs stood up from the ground as if they were people who had just been hit by a car.

    "Lightning Shock!"

    <em>Bzzt-!!</em>

    At EunBi''s shout, the mana stone at the end of her wand shone.

    Blue lightning shooting from the mana stone hit the orcs.

    "GRAAAARR!!"

    "TaeSoo oppa! There are five more behind us!"

    "Okay!"

    TaeSoo grabbed the shield even more tightly and stomped.

    "It''s this way!"

    After he shouted, his shield shone.

    The orcs were attracted by the light and charged toward TaeSoo.

    "Energy of Light!"

    "Oh! Thank you, sister-inw!"

    A light shot by Han Seol-ah entered TaeSoo''s body.

    After buffing him, Han Seol-ah shot arrows made of light toward the orcs.

    "Hop!"

    "Kuoo!"

    After receiving the buff, TaeSoo had be as strong as an average C-rank monster.

    Kim ShiHoon charged toward the orcs that had been pushed away.

    <em>sh-! Stab-!</em>

    Kim ShiHoon''s sword drew a line and cut the orcs.

    His appearance aside, his sword skills were also pretty neat and looked like something from a drawing.

    The five orcs soon lost their lives at the hands of Kim ShiHoon.

    "Woah! KangWoo hyeongnim is great, but you''re also quite good! Did you do kendo before bing a yer?"

    "Oh, yeah. I''ve done it a little bit as a hobby."

    "That''s not on the level of a hobby," TaeSoo said, impressed by Kim ShiHoon''s picture-like perfect sword technique, as he turned to KangWoo.

    "How about that, KangWoo hyeongnim? Isn''t everyone quite good?"

    KangWoo nodded at TaeSoo''s words.

    Just like he said, everyone was so good that it was hard to believe that they had just reached the second Awakening.

    "Hehehe. What did I tell you? I, Kang TaeSoo, have an eye for¡ª"

    "First, I''m going to make some observations."

    KangWoo cut short TaeSoo''s words and spoke with a calm voice.

    The party''s potential was quite high because they all had high-ranking attributes.

    But it wasn''t like there wasn''t anything they had to correct.

    ''No, there are many things they need to improve on.''

    With sharp eyes, KangWoo kept talking.

 Chapter 38: The Chosen One (3)

    "First, TaeSoo, you have good eyes and know how to pull the monster''s attention, but you rely too much on your strength. Even when you don''t need to, you push them away and make them fall. This makes you waste a lot of stamina. Because of this, you have many openings. Being able to resist their attacks is good enough."

    "Ugh¡­ U-understood."

    TaeSoo, who was happy to have sessfullypleted the first hunt, shrugged and nodded.

    KangWoo turned around to Choi EunBi.

    "EunBi, you don''t need to finish a monster that''s on the floor. Don''t forget that ShiHoon is the main damage dealer. Your job is to support him. Just now, you were focused on the three monsters on the ground but didn''t notice the five approaching you from the other side, right?"

    "Y-yes. You''re right, oppa."

    "You can stun opponents with even weak lightning-type attacks, so save up your firepower."

    "Yes, oppa!"

    "And Seol-ah¡­"

    "Yes, yes, Mr. KangWoo!"

    After seeing the previous two receive criticism, she answered nervously.

    KangWoo spoke in a calm voice.

    "The timing of your buffing was great, but the arrow attacks were dangerous. Healers already drag too much attention. If you also attack, TaeSoo won''t be able to control the attention of the enemies. You''re not hunting alone, so even if you want to help, you need to be more careful."

    "Oh¡­ S-sorry."

    "Don''t worry. You just have to keep trying to improve slowly but surely. And Mr. ShiHoon¡­"

    "Yes."

    Lastly, ShiHoon calmly awaited KangWoo''s words.

    "There''s nothing to correct¡­ At least at this stage, you perfectly fulfilled your role."

    "Ah¡­ Thank you."

    Kim ShiHoon let out a small exmation and nodded. He didn''t seem too surprised.

    Judging by his reaction, it seemed he knew he hadn''t made mistakes.

    KangWoo fell into thoughts while looking at Kim ShiHoon.

    ''Amazing¡­''

    Even from the perspective of someone with ten thousand years of battle experience, Kim ShiHoon''s battle sense was impressive.

    Because he didn''t have a lot of battle experience, his movements weren''t polished, but even considering that, they were still impressive.

    ''So this is what they call a genius, huh?''

    Even though he didn''t have much experience, he¡¯d quickly gotten used to fighting.

    It¡¯d taken him approximately ten years to learn how to use his weapon properly, so KangWoo felt dejected.

    ''I guess Chae YeonJoo feels like this when she looks at me.''

    It was the same in most jobs, but talent was especially important for yers.

    Since Chae YeonJoo didn''t know about his past, she probably saw him as someone with impressive talent.

    To be honest, KangWoo wasn''t someone talented.

    He could be strong thanks to the experience he had gained throughout thest ten thousand years.

    But Kim ShiHoo was different.

    ''He''s the real deal.''

    Kim ShiHoon was someone with a frightening talent.

    Even while hunting orcs, you could see that his movements were improving while fighting.

    Kim ShiHoon was a diamond in the rough.

    "Let''s get a bit deeper."

    He became interested in how much Kim ShiHoon could grow.

    "Yes."

    "Haha! I''ll do it better this time, Hyeongnim!"

    With an excited voice, TaeSoo lifted his shield.

    The party members hunted orcs while moving into a deeper part of the forest.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Ha-ab!"

    Kim ShiHoon was someone abnormally talented, but the rest of the party was also quite talentedpared to other yers. And after listening to KangWoo''s suggestions, they were growing quite fast.

    ''It seems like they''ll be able to enter a C-rank gate within a month.''

    It was quite fast considering that it took most people two months.

    Of course, it¡¯d only taken KangWoo five days, but it didn''t make sense topare them with him.

    "Huh? Hyengnim, what''s that monster? It isn''t an orc."

    "Huh?"

    KangWoo, who was watching from the back, moved to the front at TaeSoo''s words.

    "Grrrr!!"

    There was a wolf that had two giant horns on its forehead.

    The wolf with ck hair was ring at TaeSoo.

    ''Demon wolf¡­''

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    It wasn''t as strong as the hellhound, but it was still a monster from the 1st Hell.

    "GRRAAARRR!!!"

    "H-huh?"

    * * *

    TaeSoo raised his shield after seeing the demon wolf leap toward him at an impressive speed.

    But it was obvious that TaeSoo wouldn''t be able to block its attack¡ªthat''s how overwhelmingly strong the demon wolf waspared to them.

    "Tsk."

    KangWoo frowned and extended his hand.

    He wasn''t originally nning to act, but he couldn''t stand still while watching.

    Even if TaeSoo was a talented tanker, the opponent was on another level.

    The party members were still too weak to fight a monster from Hell.

    ''Why did a demonic monster appear again¡­''

    KangWoo frowned after seeing that another demonic monster had appeared.

    He let the demonic energy flow inside his body.

    But before KangWoo could do anything, Kim ShiHoon charged toward it.

    <em>sh-!!</em>

    "GRRAARR!"

    "M-mister!"

    "Move away!"

    A blue aura rose from Kim ShiHoon''s sword.

    Kim ShiHoon swung his sword at a speed that couldn''t bepared to before.

    The sword aura hit the demonic monster''s back.

    "GRRAARR!!"

    The demon wolf that had been hurt roared and swung its paws.

    Kim ShiHoon blocked the attack with his sword.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Coff!"

    But there was no way a yer who had just finished the second Awakening would be able to block a demon wolf''s attack.

    Kim ShiHoon fell to the ground and rolled.

    "Ugh, coff!"

    Kim ShiHoon stood up while trembling.

    The demon wolf once again charged toward him.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    "Arf."

    KangWoo climbed onto the demon wolf¡¯s back.

    KangWoo increased his strength with the Authority of Divine Power and smashed the head of the demon wolf with his fist.

    He destroyed the demon wolf''s head with just one attack.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully eliminated a D-rank Fissure Fragment.]

    [Your level has gone up by 1.]

    A blue message window appeared in front of him.

    KangWoo ignored the message window and turned around to Kim ShiHoon.

    "Coff! Oof, oof. Th-thank you, Mr. KangWoo."

    Kim ShiHoon bowed his head to KangWoo while letting out heavy breaths.

    TaeSoo came to them while shouting.

    "Woah!! As expected from hyeongnim!! You defeated that monster with just one hit!! Oof!!"

    "¡­"

    "Also, ShiHoon hyeong, wasn''t that sword aura? Sword Aura!"

    "Ah¡­ That''s¡­"

    "Are you really someone who justpleted the second Awakening? Your sword just shone very brightly!"

    "I really just finished the second Awakening."

    Kim ShiHoon looked at TaeSoo with a troubled expression.

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon with sunken eyes.

    ''He''s strong.''

    What Kim ShiHoon had just shown was something that defied logic¡ªit wasn''t something that went ahead of simple battle sense.

    Even if he had obtained an A-rank attribute after hepleted the second Awakening, he was too strong.

    ''I ended up thinking something simr to Moon YeongHo.''

    Moon YeongHo probably thought that while looking at him.

    ''Is he really someone who justpleted the second Awakening?''

    There was a reason why he was overwhelmingly stronger than other people.

    But Kim ShiHoon was different.

    He didn''t think Shihoon had also spent ten thousand years fighting in Hell.

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon with suspicious eyes and used the Authority of Observation on him.

    Demonic energy came out of his body and went toward Kim ShiHoon.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Erasing the traces of Demonic Energy with the effect of Ruler of Demonic Energy (Rank: A).]

    The traces of the unpleasant and sticky energy disappeared with a clear bell sound.

    Thanks to its trace being eliminated, the demonic energy could get closer to Kim ShiHoon.

    [Status Window]

    yer: Kim ShiHoon

    "Huh?"

    KangWoo tilted his head after looking at the message window in front of him.

    In the status window, it clearly said Kim ShiHoon.

    ''You can do things like this with the Authority of Observation?''

    He wanted to see if Kim ShiHoon was hiding strength, but something unexpected happened.

    To see if the Authority of Observation could check the other yer''s status window, he used a little bit more of demonic energy on Kim ShiHoon.

    [Level: 14(2nd Awakening)]

    ''I can really see his status window.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone at the unexpected turn of events.

    ''He really justpleted the second Awakening.''

    From what he could see, Kim ShiHoon was at level 14.

    He''d said that he was level 12. His level probably went up by two that day while hunting.

    ''How¡­?''

    It meant that he was really that strong at the 2nd Awakening.

    KangWoo tilted his head and used a bit more of the Authority.

    [1st Awakening Attribute: Martial God (Rank: SSS) * The power of the Martial God hasn''t beenpletely absorbed, so you cannot fully use it yet.]

    [2nd Awakening Attribute: Sword Aura Manifestation (Rank: A)]

    "What?"

    KangWoo couldn''t hide his surprise after checking out ShiHoon''s attributes.

    [ss: Chosen One. The soul of the martial god, Cheon TaeHwang, lies within. He''s the hero born with the destiny of bing the world''s protector.]

    Strength: 15

    Agility: 16

    Vitality: 13

    Qi (Unique Stat): 25

    Intelligence: 8

    Wisdom: 9

    ''What?''

    KangWoo''s mouth fell open after checking out ShiHoon¡¯s status window.

    ''What''s up with this bastard?''

    SSS-rank attribute¡­

    The person who was the soul of the martial god inside him¡­

    The hero who was born with the destiny of protecting the world¡­

    ''He''s really the protagonist?''

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon with surprised eyes.

 Chapter 39: The Chosen One (4)

    To be honest, KangWoo was quite happy the first time he¡¯d fallen into Hell.

    It was because that situation made him feel like the protagonist of a novel.

    The thought that his life, characterized by poverty and misery, could change excited him.

    Of course, as he went through many near-life-or-death situations, those thoughts disappearedpletely.

    In Hell, he wasn''t a protagonist¡ªhe was an existence that was at the bottom of the food chain, he was lower than nkton.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon, dumbfounded.

    He was so handsome that he seemed to shine. Not only that, but he seemed to have a good personality and was well-mannered.

    ''Isn''t he the real protagonist?''

    KangWoo couldn''t help but find Kim ShiHoon''s status window absurd.

    "Hmm¡­"

    He took a deep breath and fell into thoughts.

    ''Someone born with the destiny of bing the world''s protector¡­''

    Judging by the specs, that description seemed realistic.

    He wasn''t sure who the martial god Cheon TaeHwang was, but because of the title ''martial god,'' he was probably someone really strong.

    Not only that, but he had obtained an SSS-rank attribute just for being his sessor. There was no doubt about the martial god''s strength.

    ''Is that why his swordy was so good?''

    Kim ShiHoon''s movements were too good to be only talent.

    He was strong and was growing at a frightening speed.

    "..."

    KangWoo looked at him with deep, subdued eyes and became lost in his thoughts again.

    He was wondering what he should do about Kim ShiHoon.

    ''Offer himplete support and try to build a good rtionship¡­''

    ¡ªThat was what Chae YeonJoo had decided to do about him.

    Recognizing the talent in someone and offering support to help them grow even faster to build a good rtionship¡­

    It was a simple and effective way to create a good investment return.

    ''But it isn''t perfect.''

    The biggest issue was that you couldn''t use the other person based on your good rtionship with the other party.

    In the worst possible scenario, it was possible that you could be betrayed by the other person.

    ''Although Kim ShiHoon doesn''t look like someone who would do something like that.''

    He was a really good person, so the chances of that happening were low.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon, who was receiving healing from Han Seol-ah.

    ''That''s something no one can say for certain.''

    Kim ShiHoon was a nice person.

    Maybe he wouldn''t betray KangWoo of his own volition, but there was a chance of him doing that because of someone else''s influence.

    He wouldn''t think that if he had a strong positive opinion about him like Seol-ah or TaeSoo did, but that wasn''t the case for Kim ShiHoon.

    ''Should I take him out in case he bes a danger?''

    Kim ShiHoon felt different from Seol-ah or TaeSoo.

    Because Seol-ah and TaeSoo were talented, they could aim to be rankers in the future.

    But that was all.

    They wouldn''t be able to be capable of putting him in danger.

    But Kim ShiHoon was different.

    If he became able to use his SSS-rank attribute at its fullest, or if he unlocked an even stronger one in the future¡­

    He could grow into the exact type of person that could put him in danger.

    Eliminating him, just in case, wasn''t a bad option.

    ''No...''

    KangWoo shook his head.

    ''That would be too much of a waste.''

    Eliminating someone as talented as Kim ShiWoon just because he could put him in danger was stupid.

    He was like a lottery ticket you knew was going to win.

    If there was a way to make him be his ally, he could obtain an underling that was even stronger than Balrog.

    ''I want to make him an ally, but I can''t just stand still and watch him grow.''

    KangWoo crossed his arms and stroked his chin with one hand.

    ''Then¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    He thought of a good idea.

    ¡ªSomething that could help ShiHoon grow and turn him into his ally.

    ''And it''s something I can only do now.''

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    He thought he was lucky to have found Kim ShiHoon at that point.

    "Mr. KangWoo? Did something happen?"

    Seol-ah had finished healing Kim ShiHoon and was walking toward KangWoo.

    KangWoo erased the smile on his face and calmly answered.

    "Oh, I was just thinking about something."

    "Ha. What was that monster? It was my first time seeing it... Things could''ve gotten really dangerous if it weren''t for Mr. KangWoo."

    "I''m not sure... I also have no idea why a monster like that appeared in a D-rank gate," KangWoo said while analyzing the corpse of the demon wolf.

    He wanted to know what a Fissure Fragment was and why demonic monsters were appearing in gates.

    "How is ShiHoon doing?"

    "Oh, he''s gotten better. He still can''t properly move, but walking should be okay."

    "Hmm¡­"

    * * *

    KangWoo nodded and walked to Kim ShiHoon.

    "Are you okay?"

    "Yes, I''m feeling better, thanks to Ms. Seol-ah."

    "That''s good to hear."

    "If it weren''t for Mr. KangWoo, I would''ve been hurt even worse. Thank you. I''ve heard it from Mr. TaeSoo, but you''re really strong."

    Kim ShiHoon smiled while standing up.

    The atmosphere seemed to brighten up just from his smile.

    "Of course! I''ve never seen a yer as strong as KangWoo hyeongnim!"

    TaeSoo began bragging about KangWoo.

    "He isn''t just strong! KangWoo hyeongnim is someone with a strong sense of justice. He previously taught the members of Andras Guild a lesson all by himself!"

    "Woah."

    "Hehehe! I, Kang TaeSoo, promisedmy loyalty to KangWoo hyeongnim!"

    "You have a good hyeongnim."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded and turned his head to KangWoo.

    It seemed like he was also starting to trust KangWoo.

    "Oh, also, I''ve never seen someone like ShiHoon hyeong among second Awakening yers. You''re also no joke."

    "You''re exaggerating."

    "Hehehe. But why didn''t you enter a big guild? You probably could join any guild you wanted. The Mir guild has been seeking out new members. Aren''t you interested in it?"

    "I''m not nning to enter a guild. Especially the Mir guild."

    After hearing the name ¡®Mir guild¡¯, Kim ShiHoon''s expression became cold.

    TaeSoo realized that his expression had changed.

    "Hmm. I see. Did something happen with the Mir guild?" He asked while scratching his head.

    "Nothing worth mentioning," Kim ShiHoon said in an uncharacteristically cold and firm voice.

    TaeSoo thought he had mentioned something he shouldn''t have, so he lowered his head.

    "Well, it seems like something bad happened in the past. I''m sorry for asking something I shouldn''t have."

    "No, it''s not that. It''s just that it''s a bitplicated... I''m sorry for reacting in such a way."

    It seemed like Kim ShiHoon managed to control his temper. He once again turned around while smiling.

    "I feel better. So let''s search for the next..."

    "You still haven''t fully recovered, so I think it would be better if we stopped for the day."

    "I''m okay."

    "You don''t need to overwork yourself. We can always hunt tomorrow."

    "Hmm... Understood."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded and turned around.

    KangWoo walked toward the entrance of the gate with the rest of the party.

    "Hyeongnim! Are you going toe tomorrow, too?"

    "No. Do it yourselves. Also, don''t forget what I told you earlier."

    "Ah..."

    "I can''t be watching your backs forever."

    "Hmm. Well, understood. I''m going to level up more so I can farm with hyeongnim!"

    "Okay, I''ll be waiting."

    KangWooughed and walked out of the gate.

    "Then, I''ll be going this way."

    "Yes, let''s see you tomorrow, eonni! Oppas!"

    After finishing hunting, everyone went their own way.

    KangWoo was walking with Seol-ah since they lived in the same house.

    "Seol-ah."

    "Yes, Mr. KangWoo."

    "There''s something I must do, so go first."

    "Ah... Is it urgent?"

    "Yes."

    "Okay. What about dinner?"

    "Eat first. I might be a bitte."

    Han Seol-ah looked disappointed that she wouldn''t be able to return home with KangWoo, but she turned around and walked into the station.

    "Then..."

    After parting ways with Han Seol-ah, KangWoo turned to where Kim ShiHoon had gone.

    "Should I start?"

    With a deep smile on his face, he kicked the floor and soared into the air.

    * * *

    "Oof... Mir Guild."

    Kim ShiHoon thought of the name that hade out while talking with TaeSoo.

    Thinking about someone that was in that guild, vague emotions filled his heart.

    He shook his head to erase those emotions and kept walking. It was at that moment¡­

    "Mr. KangWoo?"

    Kim ShiHoon was walking to the bus station to return to his house when he saw KangWoo, who had suddenly appeared in front of him, and tilted his head.

    KangWoo carefully walked toward Kim ShiHoon while looking around.

    "There''s something I needed to talk about with you."

    "Oh, yes. What is it?"

    "Hmm... It''s something important, so let''s go somewhere private."

    "Understood."

    Kim ShiHood nodded and walked into an alleyway.

    Once inside it, he turned around toward KangWoo.

    "What did you want to s¡ª"

    <em>Paf-!!</em>

    "Ugh!!"

    KangWoo hit Kim ShiHoon in the stomach.

    ShiHoon wasn''t expecting KangWoo to hit him, so he fell to the ground.

    "Coff! Coff! Wh-what are you..."

    "Oh. This is just insurance."

    "Coff! In-insurance...?"

    KangWoo got on top of Kim ShiHoon, who was lying on the floor.

    He spoke with a calm voice.

    "Mr. ShiHoon is going to be stronger from now on. You''re probably going to be overwhelmingly stronger than other yers, so I want to build a good rtionship with you?"

    "G-good rtionship...?"

    "To put it simply, I want us to be allies."

    "Coff! How can you say something like that after doing such a crazy thing?!"

    Kim ShiHoon tried to shake KangWoo off from on top of him.

    KangWoo looked down on him with a smile.

    "This is insurance for that."

    "What does t¡ªCough!"

    KangWoo moved his handden with demonic energy toward Kim ShiHoon''s heart and through his chest.

    While gathering as much demonic energy as possible, KangWoo used an Authority.

    ''Authority of Subordination.''

    It was an Authority that forced the other party to be your subordinate.

    To put it simply, it made someone the familiar spirit of a demon.

    It allowed you a higher degree of control than the Authority of Fear.

    "Ugh! Coff! S-stop...!"

    "Don''t worry. You''ll forget everything that happened here," KangWoo said calmly while looking at Kim ShiHoon.

    "Once you open your eyes, you''ll live your normal life as you''ve been doing until now. You just have to hunt and keep getting stronger as you''ve been doing until now. You, TaeSoo, and Seol-ah will be able to be a party stronger than any other."

    "Ugh! Coff!"

    "Oh. If you be a familiar spirit, you''ll be able to use a bit of my strength. It will probably be very useful for you to grow and get even stronger."

    KangWoo used the power of the Authority to check if ShiHoon¡¯s soul was under his control. Once he confirmed it, he took his hand out of ShiHoon¡¯s heart.

    Surprisingly, there wasn''t any wound on Kim ShiHoon''s chest. Not only that, but his clothes were also clean.

    "Ah..."

    Kim ShiHoon waved his hand in the air as if he were trying to grab something.

    "You don''t need to worry about anything."

    KangWoo grabbed his hand and spoke in a low voice.

    "We''ll be really good allies."

 Chapter 40: The Chosen One (5)

    "Hmm?"

    Kim ShiHoon opened his eyes while feeling the hard sensation of the stone floor.

    ''What happened?''

    He looked around.

    After parting ways with the rest of the party, he walked to the bus station to return home.

    "Just that...?"

    That was all he could remember.

    He didn''t remember anything that had happened from the moment he¡¯d begun walking toward the bus station.

    Kim ShiHoon took out the phone from his pocket and checked the time.

    "It''s been an hour."

    An hour had passed since he¡¯dst checked the time.

    "Ugh...!"

    He felt a headache as he tried to force himself to remember.

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed his forehead and stood up.

    "Did I faint?"

    The unknown monster they''d met in the gate¡­

    While fighting against it, he received an attack from it.

    ''It was dangerous.''

    Thinking about that situation still gave him chills.

    ¡ªThat was how strong and overwhelming that monster was.

    ''I thought I had fully recovered.''

    He thought he had fully recovered after being healed by Han Seol-ah. But it seemed like he''d been hurt more than initially thought.

    ''But to think that I would faint...''

    Kim ShiHoon frowned while looking at his body.

    ''I still have a long way to go.''

    Two weeks ago, when he awakened as a yer, the soul of the martial god Cheon TaeHwang had entered his body.

    But he only knew about his existence through the status window¡ªhe hadn''t been able to interact with him yet.

    ''It''s because I''m still too weak.''

    Kim ShiHoon bit his lip.

    The reason why he was so weak despite having obtained a powerful strength like the soul of a martial god was that he hadn''t been able to ept the power that was within that soul fully.

    ''I have to get stronger.''

    His eyes shone while he clenched his fists.

    There was a reason why he had to get stronger¡­

    ''Kim YeongHoon.''

    ShiHoon thought of the person that put him into his situation.

    ¡ªHe was the vice leader of one of the top five guilds in Korea.

    ''That piece of thrash.''

    He couldn''t help but get angry after thinking of that person.

    "Oof."

    Kim ShiHoon tried to calm down.

    ''I must wait.''

    He was still too weak to face him.

    "Would it be possible if I were as strong as Mr. KangWoo...?"

    With a bitter smile on his face, he remembered the yer he had met that day.

    Oh KangWoo¡­

    He didn''t know what level that person was, but considering that he had beaten up the monster he had struggled to fight against with just one hit, his level was probably really high.

    ''He''s strong.''

    It wasn''t just the level, but it seemed like he had a high-ranking attribute.

    Of course, it probably couldn''t bepared to his SSS-ranking attribute, but since he couldn''t fully control his strength, the difference between them was overwhelming.

    "It also seemed like he wasn''t just someone powerful."

    He understood why TaeSoo had spoken so highly about him.

    He was someone who could lead people thanks to a strange charisma.

    Judging by how he¡¯d gone to a low-ranking gate to help a low-level dongseng, he also seemed to have a good personality.

    "He looks like a good person..."

    Kim ShiHood smiled while thinking about KangWoo.

    Although they''d just met, KangWoo had left a good impression on him.

    ''Mr. KangWoo seems like someone trustworthy.''

    While thinking he would be able to build a good rtionship with KangWoo, he once again walked toward the bus station.

    * * *

    "Yes, I''m a good person."

    KangWoo smiled while looking at Kim ShiHoon from a distance.

    "It was sessful."

    Because of the martial god variable, he wasn''t 100% sure if it would be sessful, but in the end, KangWoo managed to turn him into his subordinate.

    ''If I had discovered Kim ShiHoon a little bitter, the chances of failing would''ve been high.''

    Because the Authority of Subordination allowed you to exerciseplete control over another person''s soul, it wasn''t an Authority that was easy to use.

    Turning someone into your familiar spirit not only required a lot of demonic energy, but there were also lots of restrictions.

    Had he found out about Kim ShiHoon even a weekter, he would''ve probably failed.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve managed to subordinate a soul. Registering ''Kim ShiHoon'' as your familiar spirit.]

    [Do you want to give an order to your familiar spirit?]

    "No orders."

    [You''ve refused to give an order. You can give an order to your familiar spirit at any ce and moment.]

    KangWoo''s smile deepened after reading the message on the status window.

    ''Of course, it has to be possible anytime and anywhere.''

    If it weren''t like that, it wouldn''t have been worth it to have turned Kim ShiHoon into his familiar spirit.

    "So... I got the insurance... Now I just have to wait and see how he will grow."

    He wasn''t nning on forcibly giving an order to Kim ShiHoon at the moment.

    No, even in the future. He didn''t want to forcibly make him move unless it was absolutely necessary.

    ''I turned him into a familiar spirit as insurance, after all.''

    For the moment, Kim ShiHoon didn''t think badly of him.

    Not only that, but he had been able to build a good rtionship as well.

    Judging by how he mumbled that KangWoo was a good person, it was easy to see that he had a good opinion regarding him.

    ''I don''t need to put a cor on a dog that doesn''t bite its owner.''

    He could force him to obey when the thing he was worried about happened.

    "Hyeong will support you. So keep growing, ShiHoon."

    KangWoo''s smile deepened as he looked at ShiHoon walk away.

    If Kim ShiHoon grew as he thought he would, he would probably be as strong as Balrog.

    There was a chance he would have to fight the demon cult members before he could fully unseal the Ten Thousand Demon Core. Because of that, Kim ShiHoon was very important to him.

    He also liked that he would go to the gates with Seol-ah and TaeSoo, help them level up, and protect them from unforeseen events.

    ''Also, Kim ShiHoon will probably grow even faster thanks to what happened today.''

    A familiar spirit could use part of its owner''s strength.

    This meant that Kim ShiHoon had the strength of the martial god and part of the demon king''s power inside of him.

    He was definitely going to grow even faster from then on.

    "As expected, it''s important to have people around you with whom you have a mutually beneficial rtionship."

    KangWoo made a satisfied smile.

    He didn''t feel bad for forcibly turning Kim ShiHoon into his familiar spirit.

    He had spent too much time in Hell to feel bad about something like that.

    ''I''m going to make sure that only I can get my hands on this growing sprout.''

    KangWoo smacked his lips andughed softly.

    He was going to use everything that could be helpful.

    * * *

    Everything that could harm him, he was going to eliminate it.

    That was the way of survival he had learned while in Hell.

    "Should I go back?"

    Satisfied, KangWoo turned around.

    Because the Authority of Subordination consumed a lot of demonic energy, he felt slightly tired.

    ''I wonder if Seol-ah has eaten yet.''

    After seeding in making Kim ShiHoon his ally, he was wondering if he should buy something on the way home to celebrate it.

    <em>Ring-</em>

    "Huh?"

    He received a call as he grabbed the phone.

    KangWoo checked out who was calling him.

    The name that appeared on screen was Jo DeokHyun.

    He was the leader of the Andras Guild, whom he had asked to investigate the demon cult.

    "What is it?"

    [I¡­ I''ve called because I have new information.]

    "Information?''

    [Yes. Th-that''s right.]

    "Is it rted to the demon cult?"

    [I¡­ I''m not sure.]

    "Give me more details."

    KangWoo listened to Jo DeokHyun''s words with his eyes shining.

    [We''ve found traces of demonic energy.]

    "Traces of demonic energy?"

    [Yes. But... It doesn''t seem to be man-made.]

    "The traces don''t seem to belong to a human?"

    [Yes. More than a human... It''s almost as if something closer to a monster had left it.]

    "..."

    KangWoo stroked his chin while listening to Jo DeokHyun''s words.

    A trace left by a monster had bits of demonic energy¡­

    Based on that, it wasn''t hard to conclude what it was.

    ''Is it a demonic monster?''

    A demonic monster that was referred to as a Fissure Fragment.

    It seemed like another demonic monster had appeared after the hellhound and demon wolf.

    "Where did the trace appear?"

    [It appeared in the B-rank gate located in Uijeongbu.]

    "A B-rank gate."

    A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face.

    ''Then there''s a chance that a monster stronger than a hellhound has appeared.''

    In a C-rank gate, a C-ranked Fissure Fragment appeared, and in a D-rank gate, a D-ranked one, so there was a chance that a stronger demonic monster had appeared that time.

    ''If it''s stronger than a hellhound... It''s probably a demonic monster from the 2nd Hell.''

    KangWoo licked his lips like a hunter who had just found its prey.

    ''After killing a hellhound, my level went up by five.''

    He noticed that killing a Fissure Fragment gave you more experience than killing a boss monster.

    The hellhound gave more experience than the troll chief, a B-rank boss monster. So a demonic monster from the 2nd Hell probably gave way more experience than that.

    "This..."

    KangWoo opened his status window and checked his level.

    After killing the demon wolf, his level had increased to 35.

    For an average yer, it would probably take him between 1~2 months to reach 40 from his current level.

    But that didn''t apply to KangWoo.

    "It seems like I''ll be able to reach the fifth Awakening faster than I thought."

    A deep smile appeared on KangWoo''s face as he thought of the massive amount of experience killing a demonic monster gave.

 Chapter 41: One Extra (1)

    The next day¡­

    KangWoo put the equipment he had received from the Red Rose Guild on and went to Uijeongbu.

    <em>Clunk Clunk-</em>

    ''This is too ufortable. I should get a car.''

    KangWoo frowned while taking the train to Uijeongbu.

    He didn''t need a million-dor car like Chae YeonJoo''s, but he definitely needed one.

    ''Once I finish this work, I''ll ask them to get me one.''

    While thinking that, since it was free, he should ask for an expensive one, he exited the train.

    "Let''s see¡­"

    KangWoo looked up the the monster that¡¯d appeared in Uijeongbu''s B-rank gate.

    ''A wide variety of monsters appear here, huh?''

    A wide variety of elite monsters with ranks ranging from D-rank to B-rank appeared in Uijeongbu''s Gate.

    ''The representative B-rank monster is a Minotaur, huh?''

    It wasn''t as strong as an Ogre, but it didn''t fall behind in terms of pure strength.

    Each of the monsters that appeared there wasparable to boss monsters that appeared in C-rank gates, so it wasn''t a gate where people went without a party.

    ''Well, it''s not like I''m targeting that guy.''

    KangWoo wasn''t after the minotaur but a demonic monster that gave more rewards than it.

    <em>Mumble-</em>

    "Huh?"

    KangWoo frowned after hearing a noiseparable to a market.

    "We''re a party of five. Why aren''t you letting us in?"

    "Do you know how long it took us to get here?"

    The yers gathered in front of the gate wereining to the soldiers.

    ''What?''

    It wasn''t just the yers.

    There were people who looked like reporters in front of the gate as well.

    KangWoo walked toward where the noise was.

    "A variant monster has appeared, so we''re restricting ess to the gate. I hope you cooperate with us."

    "What''s a variant monster?"

    "We don''t know the exact identity of the monster, so we cannot give you information on it. But more than 10 yers have lost their lives to this variant monster. We''re restricting ess to the gate for the safety of yers, the restriction will remain in ce until we have more information."

    The yers shrugged after hearing the soldier''s words.

    ''A variant monster, huh.''

    A short exmation came out of KangWoo''s mouth.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine what the monster they called a variant monster was.

    ''It seems like the demonic monster has already been running around inside the gate.''

    If that wasn''t the case, there was no reason for them to restrict the ess of yers.

    ''I wonder what it is.''

    From the 1st to the 9th Hell, there were more demonic monsters than demons.

    And among them, some were almost as strong as the archdukes.

    But he hadn''t fought against many demonic monsters since they didn''t attack you unless you entered their territory.

    "T-ten¡­"

    "S-so many people died?"

    "Isn''t it a really dangerous monster?"

    There was a stir among the yers after they heard that 10 yers had already died.

    It wasn''t umon for yers to die inside the gates, but yers that entered a B-rank gate were above average.

    It wasn''t normal for 10 yers of that level to die because of a monster.

    "Give us a bit more information about the variant monster!"

    "The people are starting to get worried."

    As the yers shrugged, the reporters approached the soldiers.

    "We haven''t received details about its identity. We just heard that it had an outer appearance simr to that of a lion, and it has five legs¡­ It''s a monster that hasn''t been seen before."

    The soldier seemed troubled by the sheer amount of reportersing at him.

    ''An appearance simr to a lion and with five legs¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    He only knew one monster that matched that description¡­

    ''Buer.''

    It was one of the strongest predators of the 2nd Hell.

    ''As expected, monsters from the 2nd Hell have started to appear.''

    With that, it was more or less confirmed that, in higher ranking gates, stronger demonic monsters appeared.

    ''A buer, huh¡­?''

    KangWoo thought about the number of people killed while thinking about that demonic monster.

    ''The buer probably appeared two days ago if 10 people have been killed.''

    The buer had a unique characteristic that made it different from other demonic monsters¡­

    That rule was that it never hunted more than five prey per day.

    It didn''t matter whether the prey was big or small because, after hunting five, it didn''t attack unless you did first.

    The fact that 10 people had died meant that it had appeared in the gate two days prior.

    ''If it''s the buer, it''s easy.''

    KangWoo was sure he could win against it in a fight, but it was a demonic monster that could be hunted more easily.

    He just had to hunt five monsters and throw them to the buer¡ªthen he could hunt itfortably.

    "Should I get going?"

    * * *

    KangWoo walked toward the soldier.

    He wasn''t nning to use the Authority of Blind like before.

    ''I don''t need to do that anymore.''

    With a smile on his face, KangWoo took out the phone.

    He pressed a name that appeared in his contact list.

    [What happened?]

    He heard Chae YeonJoo''s voice in his ear.

    "There''s a favor I wanted to ask."

    [Something you wanted to ask?]

    "I want to enter a B-rank gate, but the government is blocking the entrance."

    [You¡­ Don''t tell me you''re in Uijeongbu.]

    "Yes."

    [And you want to make you be able to enter the gate?]

    "You can do it, right? After all, you have a good rtionship with important people in the government."

    [Oof.]

    He could hear Chae YeonJoo sigh.

    [Do you have to go there no matter what?]

    "It''s important."

    [¡­]

    There was a short silence.

    Chae YeonJoo clicked her tongue.

    [This is going to cost you a lot.]

    "Don''t worry. I''ll definitely pay you back."

    [Yes, yes. Of course, you will. You aren''t going to die at the hands of that monster, right?]

    "If I were someone who would die so easily, you wouldn''t have given me your support."

    [¡­]

    He thought he could hear her cursing, even if she hadn''t said anything.

    [Wait a bit. There''s a soldier at the entrance, right? Get him on the phone.]

    "Okay."

    KangWoo approached the soldier and showed him his phone.

    "Once again, we aren''t letting anyone enter¡­"

    "It''s a call from Chae YeonJoo of the Red Rose Guild."

    "Yes¡­?"

    The soldier blocking the entrance received the call with an anxious expression.

    The reporters looked at KangWoo with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

    "Chae YeonJoo¡­? Is he talking about that Chae YeonJoo?"

    "Who is he? Was there someone like him in the Red Rose Guild?"

    Amid the noisy atmosphere, the call between the soldier and Chae YeonJoo continued.

    The soldier protecting the entrance started making calls and finally sighed.

    "Mr. Oh KangWoo has been authorized to enter the Gate. In the case you manage to kill the monster, you must give the government details about the variant monster. Do you agree?"

    After seeing that he was authorized after just a few minutes, KangWoo smiled, satisfied.

    "Of course, I''ll investigate the variant monster so people can stop worrying about it."

    KangWoo spoke words he didn''t mean.

    "Oh!"

    "Hey! Q-quickly. Take a picture!"

    The reporters who smelled breaking news began pressing the shutters toward KangWoo.

    It was at that moment¡­

    "Since the Red Rose Guild received an authorization, I guess we''ll also be able to enter. Right?"

    A group of six people appeared.

    A party of five men and one woman walked toward the gate while ring at KangWoo.

    "It''s Mir Guild''s Kang SeongSoo!"

    "That rookie that''s being supported by the Mir Guild?"

    "I''ve heard that it''s only been three months since he became a yer. He''s already hunting in a B-rank Gate?"

    Kang SeongSoo, a young man with a ponytail, approached KangWoo.

    "You''re the guy who recently started to receive the support of the Red Rose Guild?"

    He looked KangWoo up and down.

    His arrogant attitude made KangWoo frown a little bit.

    "I guess it''s true, judging by how you''re wearing unique equipment."

    Kang SeongSoo smirked while looking around.

    "What? Did youe here alone? Is this all the support the Red Rose Guild can give you?"

    KangWoo''s mouth slightly distorted.

    With a forced smile, he talked.

    "Haha. I prefer to move alone, so I haven''t asked for party members."

    "Hmph. From what I heard, you were hunting in a C-rank Gate until recently¡­ Do you think that this is going to be as easy as a C-rank one?"

    "¡­"

    He wasn''t sure where Kang SeongSoo had heard about him, but he knew quite a lot about KangWoo.

    It seemed like the news that he was being supported by Chae YeonJoo had spread quite fast.

    He kept trying to pick up a fight with KangWoo.

    "Guys like you always die fast."

    "¡­"

    The smile disappeared from KangWoo''s face.

    He was starting to get annoyed at the way Kang SeongSoo was trying to pick a fight with him.

    "It seems you want to get famous by killing the variant monster. You''re too arrogant for someone who just did the fourth Awakening."

    ''SeonSoo.''

    "Huh? How about you say something?"

    ''Is there something wrong, SeonSoo?''

    "Hahaha! What, did you be deaf?"

    ''If you keep going on like this, you''ll die.''

    It seemed like Kang SeongSoo became more excited after seeing that KangWoo wasn''t saying anything. He put his arm around his neck and kept talking.

    "How about you join our party and go inside the gate together? Isn''t it better than suffering a horrible death?"

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face, and he nodded.

    "I don''t know what to say at such generosity."

    He extended his hand toward Kang SeongSoo and requested a handshake.

    "Let''s go into the gate together. Honestly, I was getting a bit scared at the thought of going alone."

    He looked at Kang SeongSoo''s party members with a kind smile on his face.

    He needed five prey for Buer to be full.

    ''There''s one left¡­''

    The corners of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

 Chapter 42: One Extra (2)

    "What¡­?"

    KangWoo epted so easily that Kang SeongSoo didn''t know what to do.

    ''This isn''t it¡­''

    He seemed troubled by KangWoo''s unexpected response.

    The reason why he¡¯d decided to pick a fight with KangWoo wasn''t just because he didn''t like him¡­

    It wasn''t like he had troubles with his anger management. There was no way he''d pick a fight with someone he had never met.

    ''I need to embarrass him in front of the reporters.''

    He remembered Kim YeongHoon¡¯s orders, the one who was supporting him.

    After Kim YeongHoon heard that someone receiving the support of Chae YeonJoo had appeared, he¡¯d called Kang SeongSoo and ordered him to embarrass him publicly.

    The Mir Guild and the Red Rose Guild were rivals, so he wanted Kang SeongSoo to provoke KangWoo, and then make the media people think that Kang SeongSoo was better than Oh KangWoo.

    They still didn''t have much information about the rookie called KangWoo, but since Chae YeonJoo had personally moved to get him, it wouldn''t be a bad idea to pick up a fight with him before it was toote.

    ''You cannot change your image easily.''

    If they embarrassed him before he could properly grow, the negative image from being publicly humiliated would follow KangWoo.

    Even if KangWoo became strong and famous in the future, most people would think he was weaker than Kang SeongSoo.

    That''s how public image worked.

    ''But if he acts like this, everyone will think I''m a coward.''

    Kang SeongSoo looked at KangWoo with a troubled expression on his face.

    <em>Flinch</em>-

    ''Huh?''

    Seeing KangWoo¡¯s smile made him flinch, and he felt a sense of chill.

    ''What''s this?''

    Kang SeongSoo tried to ignore the sudden sense of uneasiness he was feeling and thought about how to deal with the current situation.

    "Hng¡­"

    A short sigh came out of Kang SeongSoo''s mouth.

    He couldn''t think of a good way.

    Because the opponent had answered so politely, if he kept trying to pick a fight with him, the image of the Mir Guild would crumble.

    You could only p when the palms of your hands faced each other.

    If one of the two avoided conflict, there was no way to create a dispute.

    ''Scoundrel.''

    Kang SeongSoo frowned ufortably while looking at KangWoo.

    There was no way he didn''t know he was trying to pick up a fight with him. Judging by his reaction, he was probably scared.

    ''Well, I wasn''t expecting him to back off just from this. I guess he isn''t that big of a deal.''

    He wasn''t sure why the Red Rose Guild had decided to support him, but since he was a coward, he probably wouldn''t be a danger to them in the future.

    "Oof¡­ Let''s go."

    He turned around and spoke to his party members.

    They were all looking at KangWoo, dumbfounded, and followed Kang SeongSoo to the gate.

    "Oh! The Red Rose and Mir guilds have joined forces!"

    "Good. Two big guilds have joined forces to defeat the variant monster!"

    It didn''t matter about the details, but the fact that KangWoo and Kang SeongSoo had formed a party and had entered the gate together was a fun issue.

    They expectantly looked at the party entering the gate.

    * * *

    The gate where the minotaur appeared looked like abyrinth, and the walls were made of rocks.

    Because the rock wall reached the ceiling, rather than a gate, it felt like they were inside a dungeon.

    After entering the gate, KangWoo turned to Kang SeongSoo''s party and spoke in a bright voice.

    "Then, should we join our forces and hunt the variant monster?"

    "¡­"

    Kang SeongSoo frowned after seeing KangWoo''s carefree attitude.

    He spat on the ground.

    "You don''t have any pride?"

    "What?"

    "Hmph, I''m not sure if you''re acting dumb or are just stupid¡­"

    "SeongSoo oppa, just ignore him. After hearing that he was scouted by Chae YeonJoo herself, I was initially scared, but he''s just an idiot."

    The girl wearing a blue robe sighed.

    "It seems like Chae YeonJoo has lost her mind. To think that she would scout someone like him¡­ As expected, vice-leader Kim YeongHoon is the best."

    "Yes. Not only is he the heir of a huge fortune, but he''s also someone very capable."

    "Yes. After all, our guild master is a ranker. No wonder his son is also great."

    "Haha. After all, the only guild built by a father and son after Awakening together is the Mir Guild."

    They praised the Mir Guild and acted as if they couldn''t see KangWoo.

    Mir Guild''s master, Kim JaeHyun¡­

    * * *

    Before Awakening, he was the CEO of one of Korea''s top electronicpanies.

    Five years before, he¡¯d Awakened as a yer with his son Kim YeongHoon. They¡¯d used the massive amount of money that Mir Electronics had and had be strong very fast.

    That was how the Mir Guild was born.

    ''A guild made by a huge corporation.''

    KangWoo looked with great interest.

    ''They must have a disgusting amount of money.''

    A big guild already earned a lot of money. If you added the earnings obtained by a big electronicspany to that, the amount of money they had probably couldn''t be estimated.

    ''Should I just leave things like this and try to make both guilds face each other?''

    He thought that, by doing that, he would be able to get a few things.

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo shook his head after thinking about it for a while.

    ''I¡¯d feel bad doing that to Chae YeonJoo.''

    He had already received so much support from her, so he felt bad when thinking about trying to make the Red Rose Guild enter a full-fledged war with the Mir Guild.

    ''The Red Rose Guild will probably keep being useful in the future.''

    Rather than the moral one, that was the biggest reason.

    Making the Red Rose Guild fall into a hostile situation with Mir Guild for immediate profit would be like killing a goose thatid golden eggs.

    "But rather than that, where''s the variant monster?"

    Kang SeongSoo angrily spoke while looking around the passageways that resembled abyrinth.

    "First, let''s just walk around," KangWoo said calmly from the back.

    "Hmph, isn''t that obvious? It seems like you''re dumber than I thought."

    "Hahaha, I''m sorry."

    KangWoo looked at Kang SeongSoo''s party from behind while smiling like a dumb person.

    ''Hey, SeongSoo.''

    KangWoo''s inner thoughts werepletely different from his smiling face.

    ''Are you confident you can do it?''

    He used the Authority of Observation to check out the buer''s location.

    A few momentster, he felt its presence.

    ''It seems like he isn''t full.''

    The buer was wandering around searching for prey.

    ''Authority of Temptation.''

    KangWoo used an Authority to make them smell like delicious prey.

    "Hmm? What''s this smell?"

    "Oh, yeah. I can smell something delicious¡­"

    Kang SeongSoo and the rest of the party began looking around at the sudden appearance of a delicious smell.

    ''It''sing¡­''

    The buer was approaching them while smashing the stone walls.

    KangWoo took a few steps back and waited for the buer to appear.

    <em>Boom-!!!</em>

    "Huh? Wh-what?"

    "Something is approaching us!"

    "Prepare to fight!"

    After sensing the variant monster approaching them, Kang SeongSoo gave an order to the other party members.

    "You, just stay there. Don''t even dare say that you helped hunt it."

    "¡­"

    KangWooughed after seeing that, even in that situation, Kang SeongSoo didn''t forget to say something.

    ''You''re an expert in gathering death gs, huh?''

    He didn''t think that Kang SeongSoo''s party could win against the buer.

    A hungry buer was so strong that the average demonic monster of the 3rd Hell wouldn''t be able to win against it.

    Even Moon YeongHo, who hadpleted the seventh Awakening, would probably struggle in a fight against it.

    It had only been three months since Kang SeongSoo had be a yer¡ªthere was no way he would be able to win against it.

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    "ROOAARR!!"

    "It''sing!"

    Kang SeongSoo took his spear out and prepared to fight.

    ''A variant monster? Pf.''

    On his first Awakening, he had gotten an A-rank attribute. Not only that, but he had managed toplete the fifth Awakening only three months after bing a yer.

    That''s how sure he was about his skills.

    "Guys like you always die fast."

    The words he had said to provoke KangWoo¡­

    The problem was that the words didn''te out of his mouth that time.

    "What?"

    Annoyed, Kang SeongSoo turned his head around to KangWoo.

    Those words had clearly emerged from KangWoo''s mouth, who had remained silent like a coward until then.

    KangWoo had his arms crossed and a deep smile on his face.

    It wasn''t the dumb smile he had until recently, but a very chilling one with very strong killing intent.

    "You bastard. Did you go nuts¡­?"

    "Hey, SeongSoo."

    "What¡­?"

    "Keep adding death gs. Are you a g dealer? You keep adding new ones every second. The only remaining thing is for you to take out a picture of your girlfriend and say that you''re going to propose to her after this is done."

    "What nonsense are you¡ª"

    <em>Smash-!</em>

    "AARRGG!!"

    While Kang SeongSoo was distracted by KangWoo, the buer destroyed the wall and leaped toward his party members.

    The tank''s shield was destroyed in one hit, and he was sent flying.

    "What the¡­?!"

    Kang SeongSoo frowned after seeing the strength of the buer, which went beyond what he had imagined.

    The buer moved its five legs toward the yer that had been pushed back and devoured him.

    <em>Crunch-! </em>

    Dark red blood came out of the yer''s body.

    "Ugh!"

    Kang SeongSoo didn¡¯t have time to care about KangWoo anymore and grabbed his spear and leaped toward the buer.

    "Ha-ab!"

    The mana gathered in his spear made it shine with a blue light.

    Kang SeongSoo stepped forward and aggressively threw his spear toward the buer.

    "sh!"

    The spear became light and wasunched toward the buer''s head.

    ¡ªBut it just waved its arm and brushed off his attack.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    His spear was very easily smashed into two pieces.

    Kang SeongSoo was pushed back by its enormous power and rolled to the ground.

    "Huh¡­?"

    He confusedly looked at the buer after seeing how he was cast aside with just one attack.

    He couldn''t help but feel that something had gone wrong.

 Chapter 43: One Extra (3)

    "ROOAARR!!"

    The buer''s shout shook the entire passageway.

    The demonic monster with a lion''s head and five legs swallowed its saliva while looking at its prey.

    A delicious smell it had never smelled before was wafting from its prey.

    The buer opened its mouth and leaped toward them.

    "Wh-what is this monster?!"

    "B-block!"

    With fearful expressions on their faces, they took out their weapons.

    But it was so strong that it had taken out the party''s tank with just one attack.

    There was no way they could block the buer''s attacks.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    "AARGG!! S-save me!!"

    The buer bit the lower half of the sword-wielding yer.

    He tried to cut the buer with his sword, but it was so strong that he couldn''t walk away from it.

    The yer was cut in half, and his organs were seen hanging from his torso.

    "Ah, ah¡­"

    Kang SeongSoo''s party members looked at the buer with desperate expressions.

    Monster¡­

    A predator that devoured humans.

    The first time yers face monsters, they be instinctively scared of the aura of predators.

    But as yers hunt and gain experience, that fear bes weaker.

    Since Kang SeongSoo''s party had grown fast without going through dangerous situations, they¡¯d quickly forgotten about that fear.

    For them, monsters were nothing more than beings who gave them experience and money.

    They were filled with a fear they''d forgotten about.

    "Wh-what are you doing?! Attack!"

    Kang SeongSoo, who had lost his weapon, shouted toward the party members, but they were struggling to attack.

    ¡ªThe fear was devouring them.

    "ROOAARR!"

    The buer roared after seeing that its prey were scared.

    A leg with especially sharp ws targeted the yer wielding a greatsword.

    The buer cut the greatsword in half and impaled its ws into the yer''s skull.

    "AARRGG!!!"

    <em>Crack- Squish-</em>

    It pulled its ws that were embedded into the yer¡¯s skull downwards.

    The ws ripped all the way down through the yer¡¯s skull and into his ribs, which broke and cracked open with a grotesque sound as a fountain of blood spouted from him.

    The buer devoured the yer¡¯s body whole.

    "S-SeokHyun!"

    A yer wielding a thin sword shouted while extending his hands.

    ¡ªBut his sword wasn''t properly imbued with mana, so it failed to pierce the buer''s thick skin and broke.

    The buer''s tongue covered the yer''s body like a snake.

    As the buer constricted its tongue, the yer¡¯s body crumpled inwards and was unrecognizably crushed into bits of bloody meat and fragments of bone.

    "H-hiic!"

    The girl wearing the blue robe stopped casting after seeing the horrible sight and screamed.

    With a pale face, she turned around and began escaping.

    "S-save me!!"

    She ran past Kang SeongSoo and outside of the passageway.

    The buer turned his head and looked at its prey running away.

    "GRRRR."

    The leg with sharper wspared to others started to elongate.

    The buer¡¯s leg pierced through the robed girl¡¯s back and emerged from her torso.

    "Cough!"

    The woman couldn''t believe that the monster''s ws had pierced through her.

    Red blood poured out of her mouth.

    <em>Squish-</em>

    The fifth prey entered the buer''s mouth and disappeared.

    "H-huh? Wh-what''s happening?"

    Kang SeongSoo crumbled onto the ground while looking at how his party members had been devoured instantly.

    His pants became wet.

    He looked at the buer with an expression filled with fear.

    He thought that, soon, he would also be devoured.

    "Huh¡­?"

    But unlike what he was expecting to happen, it didn''t attack him.

    It even yawned and crouched down.

    "It''s full, huh?"

    "What are you¡­"

    Kang SeongSoo looked at KangWoo with a confused expression, who was calmly walking toward the monster.

    KangWoo smirked after seeing Kang SeongSoo and extended his right hand toward the buer.

    "Once the buer is full, it won''t attack you unless you attack it first."

    Dealing with a buer that was full was quite easy.

    ¡ªYou had to attack first.

    The only thing you had to do was to kill it with just one attack.

    Demonic energy began gathering in KangWoo''s hand.

    "Bident."

    ¡ªA technique created after a pitchfork that appeared in greek mythology.

    You had tobine the Authority of Dark Spear and the Authority of Hellfire to use it, so it was a technique that only KangWoo could use.

    An intense hellfire began burning at the end of the pitchfork.

    It was a technique that required quite a bit of time to activate since he had tobine two different Authorities, but that didn''t matter in the current situation.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve learned the skill ''Bident (Rank: S).'']

    [The techniques registered as skills can be used more concisely and precisely.]

    With the message that said he had learned a new skill, a spear made of demonic energy appeared.

    ¡ªA demon''s spear that emitted quite a bit of demonic energy.

    KangWoo threw the spear at the buer.

    <em>Wham-!</em>

    The spear had such strength that it shook its surroundings like an earthquake.

    "ROOAARR!!"

    Because the buer was full, it didn''t defend itself.

    The pitchfork pierced the buer''s thick skin, and the hellfire made its inside explode.

    Even the strongest monster of the 2nd Hell couldn''t do anything against such a strong attack.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully eliminated a B-ranked Fissure Fragment.]

    [Your level has gone up by 6.]

    [You''ve reached level 40 and unlocked the 5th Awakening Attribute.]

    [The restriction to level up stat bonuses has been lifted. Your Demonic Energy stat has gone up by 7.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has reached 60, and you''ve unlocked one of the conditions of ''Extreme Demonic Energy Body'' (1/3).]

    As the buer fell, a blue message window appeared in front of him with a clear notification sound.

    ''What is an Extreme Demonic Energy Body?''

    KangWoo tilted his head after he received an unexpected message window.

    ''It seems like a name that would most likely appear in a martial arts novel.''

    After reading that foreign-like name, KangWoo opened his status window to check for more details about it.

    [Information]

    Extreme Demonic Energy Body: The first step to bing a ''Demon God.''

    1st Condition: Reach 60 Demonic Energy Stat.

    2nd Condition: ???

    3rd Condition: ???

    ''What''s up with this unfriendly description?''

    KangWoo frowned after reading the status window.

    * * *

    It didn''t say anything about what the Extreme Demonic Energy Body was and what effects it had.

    Not only that, but it also didn''t mention what the other two conditions were.

    ''It says that it''s the first condition to bing a demon god, so I guess it isn''t something bad.''

    Not only was it probably not something bad, but he could already smell the massive amount of power that he would probably be able to obtain.

    ''This is something new.''

    Even when he¡¯d be the ruler of the Hell of Nine Skies, he hadn¡¯t had a strength called Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    KangWoo looked at the information with great interest.

    ''Is this confirming my previous hypothesis?''

    If he kept increasing his level as a yer, he would eventually be able to be stronger than when he¡¯d used to rule over Hell.

    ''It seems like I''ll be able to be a literal god.''

    An existence that surpassed a demon king¡­

    He still wasn''t sure what kind of power he would obtain, but it made his heart beat faster.

    "I thought that I no longer had a desire to be stronger, but it seems that I was wrong."

    The body of a demon always looked for more strength.

    KangWoo had already be quite strong, so he thought he no longer had such desires, but after he got a hint about how to reach new heights, he was filled once more with an intense desire to be stronger.

    ''First I should devour the buer¡¯s corpse.''

    He needed the demonic energy inside the buer to cool down that desire a bit.

    Because he had entered there as an investigator for the government, he had to conserve the corpse of the variant monster, but he had no real reason to give up the immediate profit for the government.

    ''I guess leaving the head should be enough.''

    He could probably say that the rest of the body was destroyed in the middle of the battle.

    Strong demonic energy came out of his body and covered the body of the buer.

    <em>Squish- Crunch-</em>

    With the sound of flesh being torn away, the demonic energy of the buer started to enter KangWoo''s body.

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 4.]

    ''As expected, demonic monsters give a lot more demonic energy.''

    The fact that his demonic energy stat had increased by four after reaching 60 meant that the buer had a massive amount of demonic energy.

    ''Oh, I didn''t check out the new attribute.''

    He¡¯d been distracted with the Extreme Demonic Energy Body and had forgotten to check out his new attribute.

    KangWoo was about to open his status window and check the attribute¡­

    "Y-you¡­ What are you¡­?"

    At that moment, he heard Kang SeongSoo''s voice, filled with fear.

    He was looking at KangWoo as if he were a monster while trembling.

    It was normal for him to react like that since KangWoo had eliminated the monster that had killed his party members with just one attack each.

    "Oh, yeah. There was one left."

    The corners of KangWoo''s mouth went up as he walked toward Kang SeongSoo.

    "H-hiic! D-don''t get close!"

    Kang SeongSoo pathetically crawled back.

    KangWoo slowly walked toward him.

    "How unexpected. I was sure you would be the first one to die."

    "D-don''te near me!"

    "Why? Aren''t we party members?"

    KangWoo sat next to Kang SeongSoo and put his hand on his shoulder.

    "A-are you going to kill me¡­? "Kang SeongSoo asked with a voice full of fear.

    KangWoo''s eyes widened as if he wasn¡¯t sure why he was asking something like that.

    "What are you talking about? There''s no way I would kill a party member."

    "¡­"

    "It seems like you misunderstood me. Hey, SeongSoo, I''m not such a horrible person."

    With a smile on his face, he put his hand on top of Kang SeongSoo''s head.

    "There''s still something that you must do, so you cannot die yet."

 Chapter 44: Tears of Kang Yu

    S-something I need to do¡­?"

    Kang SeongSoo looked at KangWoo with an expression full of fear.

    KangWoo patted his back and let out augh.

    "You don''t need to be scared. First, there are some things I wanted to ask you."

    "U-ugh¡­"

    "Who ordered you to pick a fight with me?"

    He didn''t think that Kang SeongSoo purposely tried to pick a fight with him of his own volition.

    He had no real reason for having done something like that.

    "¡­"

    As Kang SeongSoo lowered his head with his mouth closed, KangWoo kicked his head as if it were a ser ball.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!!"

    Kang SeongSoo''s teeth broke, and blood came out of his mouth.

    He ced his hands on Kang SeongSoo''s shoulders once more.

    "Let me ask you again¡­ Who gave you that order?"

    "K-Kim YeongHoon¡­"

    "Kim YeongHoon?"

    It was the name of the vice-leader of Mir Guild he had heard before.

    ''The good-looking, rich boy they talked about?''

    He didn''t understand why someone like that would try to pick a fight with him.

    "Mr. Y-YeongHoon was once rejected by Chae YeonJoo. F-from that day, he began resenting the Red Rose Guild."

    "N-not only that, but he said that we need to make sure people think that the Mir Guild is overall superior to the Red Rose Guild."

    "Ha, he''s someone unexpectedly pathetic."

    KangWoo stood up whileughing.

    He was wondering what kind of person he was since the girl with the blue robe had spoken so highly of him.

    "Do you have a picture of that guy?"

    "Y-yes."

    SeongSoo took out his smartphone and showed KangWoo a picture of him.

    There, he saw a photo of a handsome young man.

    ''Huh?''

    KangWoo tilted his head.

    Even though it was the first time seeing him, he reminded him of someone.

    ''Kim ShiHoon?''

    The person in the photo reminded him of Kim ShiHoon.

    ''Is it because they''re both good-looking?''

    Without thinking too deeply, KangWoo returned the smartphone to Kang SeongSoo.

    "So you were dragged into the middle of this pathetic guy¡¯s revenge plot?"

    "I-I''m sorry! I¡­ I was ordered, so there was nothing I could do!"

    Kang SeongSoo bowed down and spoke in a desperate voice.

    KangWoo burst intoughter while looking at him.

    "Even taking that into consideration, you tried too hard"

    "Th-that¡­"

    "Don''t worry. Life is all about helping others, right? I don''t care, as long as you''re able to fulfill the duty I give you."

    "I-I''ll do anything you ask!"

    "Hahaha. Don''t worry. It isn''t something hard. No, it can actually be something beneficial to you."

    "¡­?"

    Kang SeongSoo looked at him with a confused expression.

    KangWoo looked down at him with a big smile on his face.

    * * *

    <em>Mumble-</em>

    "Everyone, quiet. Quiet, please!"

    In front of the gate where the variant monster appeared¡­

    After hearing the smell of breaking news, lots of reporters had gathered in front of it.

    The soldiers shouted at them and asked for silence, but the noise didn''t subside.

    A new existence called a variant monster that hadn''t been seen before¡­

    And to catch it, the Red Rose and Mir guilds had joined hands!

    The reporters were thirsty for breaking news, so they were intensely looking at the gate.

    "Oh?"

    "S-someone ising out!!"

    While waiting, they saw two people walking out of the gate.

    To be more precise, it was KangWoo carrying Kang SeongSoo.

    "That¡­"

    "It''s Kang SeongSoo¡­ and that¡¯s Oh KangWoo!"

    "What happened to the other party members?"

    "What happened to the variant monster?"

    As they saw both walk out of the gate, people began mumbling.

    "Wh-what happened?" The reporters asked KangWoo.

    He just ignored them and, in a hurried voice, shouted.

    "C-call an ambnce, please!"

    KangWoo shouted whileying Kang SeongSoo down.

    "Ugh¡­!"

    People shouted after seeing the horrible state in which Kang SeongSoo was in.

    His face was covered in so much blood that it was hard to recognize him, and his body was full of wounds as if a group of people had beaten him up.

    "Ah, ugh, h-help me¡­"

    Kang SeongSoo was in agony.

    He extended his hand while trembling as if asking for someone to save him.

    "H-how did this¡­?"

    * * *

    People were stunned by his terrible state.

    The only way to describe his state was horrifying.

    While everyone was looking at him, KangWoo clenched his fist as if the situation made him angry.

    "He was hurt while fighting the variant monster¡­"

    "Th-then, the rest of the party¡­?"

    "That¡¯s right. Only me and Mr. SeongSoo survived¡­ Everyone else¡­ died," KangWoo said with a stiff expression on his face.

    People began mumbling after hearing that everyone except KangWoo and Kang SeongSoo had died.

    "D-don''t tell me¡­ Even with the rookies of the Red Rose and Mir guilds together, they couldn''t defeat it?"

    "Just how strong is the variant monster¡­?"

    "Q-quickly. Call the Hwrang Squad and ask for reinforcements!"

    People began panicking after thinking that two rookies that giant guilds were supporting hadn''t been able to defeat the variant monster.

    Things could get troublesome if something happened and the monster got out of the gate.

    KangWoo answered in a low tone.

    "You don''t need to worry. We eliminated the variant monster¡­ It''s just that there were lots of sacrifices."

    "Oh!"

    "Did Mr. KangWoo eliminate it?!"

    "No. I''m not the one who killed the variant monster."

    "Then¡­"

    "The hero who killed the variant monster and saved my life is Mr. Kang SeongSoo."

    "Ah¡­!"

    The people let out a short exmation after hearing KangWoo''s words.

    KangWoo ced his hands on top of Kang SeongSoo''s body, who was breathing with great difficulty.

    "After seeing that his entire party was wiped out while fighting against the variant monster, he shouted at me and said I should escape. He stayed behind and fought against it."

    KangWoo spoke with a heavy voice.

    "I couldn''t escape and saw him fight until the end. He ended up winning against the variant monster¡ªit was a heroic and desperate fight."

    "¡­"

    "After killing the variant monster, Mr. SeongSoo kept mumbling the names of his deceased party members until he lost consciousness."

    They looked at Kang SeongSoo with tearful expressions while KangWoo talked.

    A yer who fought against a monster while risking his own life¡­

    The story that he mumbled the names of his party members before he lost consciousness was enough to move people.

    The eyes of the reporters who loved heroic stories were shining.

    "Could you give us a bit more details?"

    After smelling breaking news, the reporters put their microphones closer to KangWoo.

    They weren''t looking at Kang SeongSoo anymore.

    For them, it didn''t matter if Kang SeongSoo was about to die or not.

    What mattered to them was the news¡ªa story that was capable of moving people.

    "When we entered the gate, we felt a very strong killing intent."

    "That means¡­?"

    "Yes, the variant monster was roaming around near the entrance."

    "¡­"

    The reporters gulped after hearing KangWoo''s exnation.

    "We felt a strong sense of chill when we saw that monster¡ªit was so strong that it was hard to believe it had appeared in a B-rank gate."

    "How did it look?"

    "Just like the government described it¡ªit was a monster with a lion''s head and five legs. Kang SeongSoo''s party was wiped out in a single attack."

    "A s¡­ single attack?"

    "How could something like that¡­"

    Even if it wasn¡¯t Kang SeongSoo, the other party members were also quite strong.

    After all, they were a party of talented people gathered and supported by the Mir Guild.

    "After discovering that we wouldn''t be able to win against it, we tried to escape, but we figured out that, if the monster somehow escaped through the gate, there was a chance that it would hurt lots of innocent people."

    "Gulp¡­"

    KangWoo said it in a low voice. The tone in which he said it made the reporters nervous¡ªthey gulped.

    While grabbing their microphones even firmer, they listened to KangWoo''s story even more carefully.

    "Mr. SeongSoo shouted that we had to stop that monster there, and that if we didn''t do that, innocent people could be hurt."

    "Ah¡­"

    "Mr. SeongSoo and I fought against the monster with everything we had¡­ But the wounds he received were too big. After that, everything went on as I previously mentioned. In the end, Mr. SeongSoo risked his life to give the finishing blow to the variant monster."

    "Oh¡­"

    The reporters were awed at the heroic attitude of Kang SeongSoo.

    But one reporter asked KangWoo a question.

    "But Mr. SeongSoo was quite aggressive toward you in the beginning. What do you think about that point?"

    That question changed the atmosphere, but KangWoo naturally answered.

    "Mr. SeongSoo exined to me the reason after we entered the gate. After hearing that it had been a short time since I¡¯d begun receiving the Red Rose Guild''s support, he was worried that I was entering a B-rank gate too soon. And to make things worse, I was doing so against a variant monster."

    "Ah¡­! I see."

    "At first, I didn''t understand the deep meaning behind his actions¡­"

    Tears dripped from KangWoo¡¯s eyes.

    "He saved my life and this era''s true hero."

    * * *

    [The hero who killed the variant monster!]

    [A dramatic battle. The reason why he fought until the end¡­]

    [Mir Guild''s rookie Kang SeongSoo was immediately taken to the hospital. He still hasn''t regained consciousness. People pledged over 10,000 dors¡­]

    [The hero that couldn''t regain consciousness. He''s in a vegetative state due to cerebral hemorrhage¡­ The Mir Guild said they''d pay for all of Kang SeongSoo''s medical bills.]

    [Another star goes off!]

 Chapter 45: Echidna (1)

    "What a reaction¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at all the headlines about Kang SeongSoo.

    KangWoo, who was sitting in front of her, shrugged his shoulders. "It''s because I threw them good bait."

    Since the beginning of human history, people had always liked stories about heroes.

    People were fascinated by hero stories, and Kang SeongSoo''s story just looked like one.

    "You faked those tears, right¡­?"

    "Yes."

    "Why did you do that?"

    "Because it''s more moving that way," KangWoo said while taking a sip of coffee.

    "Kang SeongSoo had to get their attention so I could stay quiet for a bit longer."

    First, if he got famous at the moment, things could get quite bothersome for him.

    If there was something he could gain by bing famous, he would''ve told them that he had killed the variant monster.

    ''Rather than help, being famous would probably make things more bothersome.''

    If people''s attention were centered on you, you had to be careful with your movements.

    Especially for someone like KangWoo, who didn''t care about doing anything illegal as long as it benefited him, it was bothersome.

    KangWoo didn''t want to suffer because of unexpected circumstances.

    ''Although I''m sure I won''t be able to hide forever¡­''

    People tended to notice someone talented by themselves, even if they remained low-key.

    So if KangWoo kept getting stronger, people would probably start to notice him.

    ''I can think about thatter on.''

    If there were nothing he could do about it, he would probably see how he could use that newly obtained fame to profit.

    KangWoo put down the cup of coffee and looked at Chae YeonJoo.

    Chae YeonJoo sighed and looked at him.

    "So, tell me¡­ What happened inside the gate?"

    She didn''t think he''d lose against the variant monster from the beginning.

    He was someone that had easily won in a fight against a high-ranking yer of the Red Rose Guild.

    Even if the variant monster weas strong, it probably wouldn''t be able to win against KangWoo.

    "Nothing much. Kang SeongSoo''s party fought the monster first; then I eliminated it."

    "But was Kang SeongSoo really beaten up by a variant monster¡­?"

    "Yes."

    "It doesn''t matter how you look at it¡ªthose were the marks of someone who was beaten up by another person."

    "I''m sure you saw it wrong," KangWoo calmly answered her.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him with a troubled expression.

    She couldn''t help but feel anxious whenever she talked with him.

    He was someone who had talent far beyond what she had initially thought.

    The problem was that he wasn''t just someone talented.

    ¡ªHe was someone capable of ignoring all the moral things to profit from a situation.

    ''Am I raising a tiger cub?''

    After thinking about it for a while with a worried expression, she shook her head and kept talking.

    "Hmm. First, tell me more about that monster."

    The reason why she had called KangWoo was to hear more information about the variant monster.

    KangWoo nodded and told her more about the buer.

    Of course, he didn''t tell her about the characteristic that made it not attack first once it was full.

    "For a monster like that to appear in a B-rank gate¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo grabbed her head.

    If KangWoo''s exnation was right, it was a monster strong enough that it was hard to believe it had appeared in a B-rank gate.

    ''It''s at least A-rank.''

    It was probably as strong as an elite A-rank monster.

    Considering that the higher a monster''s rank was, the bigger the difference was with the ones with a lower ranking, it wasn''t something that could be taken lightly.

    ''Many weird things have been happening recently.''

    People from the demon cult had suddenly been moving more actively. Not only that, but variant monsters had also appeared.

    Five years after the ''Day of Cmity,'' the world was finally starting to normalize, but suddenly, weird things started to happen again.

    ''Now that I think about it, the timeframe in which weird things started to happen and the time when KangWoo Awakened are simr.''

    It was hard to believe, but it had only been a month since KangWoo had awakened.

    The demon cult had suddenly be more active, and simultaneously, monsters with a strength that didn''t match their gates had started to appear.

    "I''m sure it''s just a coincidence¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo shook her head after looking at KangWoo for a little while.

    Although it was true that KangWoo was growing strong at a pace that had never been seen before, that didn''t mean it had something to do with the demon cult or the sudden appearance of variant monsters.

    She couldn''t me him for something without evidence.

    ''And¡­''

    Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo silently drinking a cup of coffee.

    She didn''t think that KangWoo was a good and kind person.

    But she didn''t think he was a psychopath capable of using people as offerings like the people from the demon cult did.

    ''He isn''t trash like that.''

    ¡ªOr that was what she wanted to believe.

    ''Either way, now we''re on the same boat.''

    With that incident, it became publicly known that the Red Rose Guild was supporting the rookie Oh KangWoo.

    Of course, the news about that had been buried by the heroic tales of Kang SeongSoo, but one could probably easily find out about him if they wanted to.

    That meant that everyone knew that there was a deal between them.

    She didn''t want their rtionship to crumble because of her being suspicious of him.

    "What are you thinking about so much?"

    "Oh, it''s nothing important¡­"

    "Rather than that, there''s something I wanted to ask you."

    "Something you wanted to ask?"

    She tilted her head and looked at KangWoo.

    * * *

    "Have you heard of something called a Fissure Fragment?"

    He asked about the words that¡¯d appeared in the message window he¡¯d received after killing the demonic beast.

    He wanted to know if she knew more about it.

    "No. It''s my first time hearing that word."

    "Hmm¡­ I see."

    "What''s that?"

    "After I killed the variant monster, I received a message that said that I had eliminated a B-rank Fissure Fragment."

    "Oh¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo nodded with her eyes shining.

    "I''ll also investigate further into fissure fragments."

    KangWoo nodded and then kept talking.

    "And one more thing¡­"

    "Yes."

    "When are you going to give me details about the request?"

    "Ugh¡­"

    The moment she heard the word ¡°request¡±, her expression darkened.

    KangWoo calmly spoke.

    "I''m sure you''re aware of it, but now we definitely have be partners, and there''s an issue that hasn''t been resolved between us."

    "¡­"

    "Wouldn''t it be troublesome for you if I rejected the request after you invested so heavily in me?"

    "Hng."

    "Don''t worry. I won''t reject it unless you ask for something ridiculous."

    KangWoo leaned against the chair and kept talking.

    "Isn''t it about time you tell it to me?"

    "Oof."

    Chae YeonJoo sighed.

    After thinking about it for a while, she opened her mouth with an expression that seemed to express there was nothing she could do about it.

    "There''s an organization called the Demon Cult."

    "¡­"

    "We are still unsure about this organization''s size or how long they''ve been operating, but recently, they became more active."

    "And¡­?"

    "They¡¯re weird people who use living people as offerings to conduct weird ceremonies. Our guild is coborating with the government to catch those guys."

    "Then that request¡­"

    "I was nning to ask you to coborate in fighting them once we have more evidence. Although we don''t have solid evidence yet¡­ They''re too strong to brush them off as a simple cult made of crazy people."

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence between them.

    KangWoo finally understood why Chae YeonJoo was trying to get as many strong people as possible, even if it meant that she had to put a lot of effort into it.

    ''So she''s nning to wage an all-out war with the Demon Cult.''

    Considering that the government was already investigating the demon cult, it wouldn''t be weird for the Red Rose Guild, one of the biggest in Korea, to know about their existence.

    ''Not bad.''

    No, it wasn''t just ''not bad.''

    To begin with, KangWoo was already trying to learn more about the Demon Cult. So there was nothing better than receiving the help of a big guild and the government.

    ¡ªEspecially if they were strong enough for Chae YeonJoo to worry about them.

    ''The only thing I don''t understand¡­''

    KangWoo frowned slightly and opened his mouth.

    "But why are you trying to get rid of the Demon Cult? Is it just because of a moral sense of responsibility?"

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo remained silent after hearing the sharp question.

    He could understand why the government would be trying to catch the demon cult.

    After all, they had the duty of protecting the people.

    But Chae YeonJoo was different.

    It wasn''t like she was some sort of guardian of justice. She had no reason to put so much effort into getting rid of the demon cult.

    Of course, any normal person wouldn''t approve of such behavior.

    But Chae YeonJoo was someone who was in charge of a guild.

    You couldn''t be the leader of a guild with only a ''sense of justice.''

    ''And it also isn''t like she could profit from them like me.''

    In his case, he would be able to obtain lots of demonic energy from that thing called a ''ceremony.''

    Since that wasn''t the case for Chae YeonJoo, she had even less reasons to face them.

    "It isn''t like I''m trying to do this as charity. The government has promised a huge reward for getting rid of the Demon Cult."

    "Ah, so then the purpose is¡ª"

    "And there''s one more reason."

    With a low voice, she interrupted KangWoo.

    A strong killing intent came from her.

    It was strong enough to make it hard to breathe.

    A killing intent that felt like a sticky liquid that made you hold your breath.

    ''She''s stupidly strong.''

    KangWoo was impressed by her strong killing intent.

    It was the first time he¡¯d felt her power from such a short distance.

    ''So this is a ranker.''

    KangWoo had cast aside his desire to fight against her after he had finished the fifth Awakening and had be stronger.

    "One of the people they sacrificed was a member of our guild."

    "¡­"

    "I can''t forgive them. No matter what."

    She said it while emitting chilling killing intent.

    ''It seems like it was someone dear to her.''

    It wasn''t hard to guess that based on her reaction.

    KangWoo nodded and spoke in a serious tone.

    "Okay, I''ll ept that request."

    "Thank you¡­"

    "I told you. As much as I receive, I will give back."

    After saying that, KangWoo changed topics.

    "What happened with what I asked you before?"

    There was another reason why Chae YeonJoo had asked him to meet her.

    "It¡¯s done."

    Chae YeonJoo took a square card from the drawer and handed it to him.

    Along with his picture, the card said ''S-rank gate temporary ess permission.''

    "I''m just going to ask again, just in case. You''re not nning to hunt there, right? If that''s the case, I cannot give this to you."

    "I promised you that I wasn''t going to hunt there."

    "Then why do you want to enter an S-rank gate¡­?"

    "There''s something I must do there," KangWoo said while smiling as he grabbed the S-rank gate ess permission.

    After putting it inside his pocket, he walked out of the Red Rose Guild building.

    While walking to the parking slot, he opened his status window.

    ''I can finally use this.''

    In his status window was the new attribute he had obtained after finishing the fifth Awakening.

 Chapter 46

    [5th Awakening Attribute: Demonic Monster Summoning (Rank: S)]

    Effect: You can summon a demonic monster from another dimension. The strength of the monster summoned will depend on the amount of demonic energy used at the moment summoning.

    * The summoned demonic monster will see you as its master.

    * You can summon one demonic monster every 3 months.

    ''Finally, I''ll be able to use this.''

    KangWoo looked at the description of his newly obtained attribute with great expectancy.

    ¡ªAn attribute that let him summon a demonic monster.

    The value of the attribute depended on the summoned demonic monster.

    ''To be honest, summoning a buer would be more than good enough...''

    The buer was almost as strong as an average seventh Awakening yer.

    ''But it would be a bitckluster.''

    KangWoo''s eyes were full of desire.

    He could summon one demonic monster every three months.

    Then, given the current situation, he had to try for the strongest one he could summon.

    "That''s why I got this."

    KangWoo touched the S-rank ess card.

    There was only one reason why he hadn''t immediately summoned a demonic monster and had waited for the S-rank gate entrance permission.

    ''The fissure fragments appear inside gates.''

    It wasn''t just the fissure fragments.

    He had arrived on Earth through a gate.

    ''Maybe gates are some sort of bridges that connect Earth with other dimensions.''

    That was the only possible way to exin why demonic monsters had started to appear inside the gates.

    ''And the higher the rank of a gate is, the stronger the demonic monster that appears is.''

    That was something he had confirmed after killing the buer.

    Of course, that didn''t exin why he, the strongest being of Hell, had appeared in an E-rank gate.

    ''No, maybe it does make sense.''

    KangWoo thought of his strength that had been sealed while crossing to Earth.

    The Ten Thousand Demon Core¡¯s seal had gotten weaker thanks to leveling up and absorbing demonic energy from monsters, but he¡¯d been quite weak when he¡¯d first returned to Earth.

    Taking his strength at that moment into consideration, it wasn''t weird for him to appear in an E-rank Gate. ''

    Then, to summon a stronger demonic monster, he had to enter a higher-ranking gate.

    "S-rank..."

    KangWoo remembered Cha YeonJoo''s worried face.

    The S-rank gate was the highest-ranking type of gate in Korea at the moment.

    There were only two in Korea¡ªone in Suwon and another one in Pohang.

    ''I heard there are SS-rank or even higher rank ones in other countries.''

    He really wanted to enter a gate with a ranking higher than SS, but that was realistically impossible.

    The SS-ranked gates were in other countries, and the monsters that appeared in them were so strong that their ess was restricted.

    There was one in Japan, Hokkaido, and another one in Shangai, China.

    Monsters hadpletely invaded those two areas, so not only was it that people couldn''t go inside those gates, but the governments of both countries were busy trying to contain the monsters emerging from those gates.

    ''Realistically, the highest-ranking gate I''ll be able to ess is an S-ranked one.''

    KangWoo thought that,ter on, once time passed, he should visit that ce where there weren''t any more people.

    <em>Click-</em>

    "Having a car is definitely morefortable."

    After killing the buer, KangWoo had asked Chae YeonJoo for a car.

    Of course, it wasn''t one expensive as the one she used.

    ''They said it was worth more than a hundred thousand dors.''

    He¡¯d heard the exnation about what model it was when he¡¯d received it, but they all looked the same to him since he wasn''t interested in cars.

    KangWoo opened the door and grabbed the steering wheel.

    He had learned how to drive and obtained a driving license while waiting for the S-rank gate entrance card.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Starting navigationion to Suwon Hwaseo Station.]

    KangWoo turned on the navigation and drove to where the S-ranked gate was.

    ''As expected from an S-rank gate.''

    Unlike the C-rank and B-rank ones, there weren''t any yers around the S-rank gate.

    Instead of yers, many soldiers were protecting the area around the gate.

    ''They said that the Hwarang 1st Squadron was protecting this area.''

    The yer group that the government owned.

    The 1st and 2nd squadrons roamed around the S-rank gate, ensuring no monsters had escaped from it.

    "ess has been confirmed."

    KangWoo showed the entrance card to a member of the Hwarang Squadron protecting the gate.

    "Woah."

    KangWoo eximed in surprise after entering the gate.

    There was a hugeke inside the gate, and there was a structure made of stones around it.

    It was a ce so beautiful that, if it weren''t for the fact that S-rank monsters appeared in it, you would be able to use it as a vacation spot.

    "It''s quite big."

    The inside of the gate was so wide that you couldn''t see its end.

    * * *

    He didn''t know exactly how big it was, but it couldn''t bepared to the other gates he had been to.

    ''Did she say that it was as big as Seoul?''

    He used the Authority of Observation while thinking about the information he had heard from Chae YeonJoo.

    He went to a ce hidden between stone walls to avoid being seen by monsters and prepared for the summoning.

    ''A demonic monster¡­¡¯

    KangWoo thought of the buer he had recently hunted.

    The physical specs of the demonic monsters were often higher than those of the demons that lived in the same level of Hell.

    But even if they were stronger, demons had intellect, but demonic monsters didn''t.

    Even though humans were physically weaker than lions and tigers but still ruled Earth, it was the same in Hell.

    ''Because of that, being able to control demonic monsters is a huge merit.''

    Being able to control a demonic monster that bade his will covered their fatal w of not having intellect.

    ''The goal is a cerberus.''

    Cerberus.

    The strongest demonic monster that lived in the third hell. Even demons who lived in the fourth or fifth hell didn''t dare to fight against it.

    "Should I start?"

    KangWoo closed his eyes and concentrated.

    <em>Whir-!!!</em>

    Strong demonic energy began leaking out from his body.

    KangWoo gathered all the demonic energy he could use at the moment.

    "Oof, oof."

    Cold sweat dripped from KangWoo''s forehead.

    There was a strong wind current around him because of the demonic energy he was emitting.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    A crack began appearing on the ground , as it couldn''t handle the demonic energy.

    The ground under KangWoo began to split as if it were dry.

    ''Now!''

    When the demonic energy peaked, KangWoo used all of it with his attribute.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Activating the 5th Awakening Attribute ¡®Demonic Monster Summoning¡¯ (Rank: S).]

    [Creating a Fissure for the Summon.]

    As a blue message window appeared, a fissure appeared in the air as if a ss had broken apart.

    The fissure grew in size, and finally, a blue gate that was about 20 meters in diameter appeared.

    "Blue¡­?"

    KangWoo was surprised.

    Usually, gates were either ck, grey, or white.

    He had never heard of a blue-colored gate appearing.

    ''Did it fail?''

    KangWoo looked at the gate while frowning.

    But even still, the gate was absorbing demonic energy.

    He also hadn¡¯t received a message that said it had failed.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully created the fissure necessary for summoning.]

    [A deeper fissure was created because of the influence of the Demonic Energy inside the Ten Thousand Demon Core (Rank: ???).]

    [Because of damage in the Gaia System, it wasn''t possible to stop a connection with another world.]

    [A gate that leads to the Ernor Continent has been opened.]

    "What¡­?"

    KangWoo frowned after reading the message window.

    ''Where''s the Ernor Continent?''

    His expression hardened after reading words he couldn''tprehend.

    [Summoning a Demonic Monster.]

    A strong light shot out of the huge, blue-colored gate.

    As the light that had filled the entire ce died down, he saw the demonic monster.

    "What''s this¡­?" KangWoo mumbled after seeing the demonic monster that hade from it.

    ck scales¡­

    Two wings on its back¡­

    Red eyes that belonged to a reptile¡­

    "A dragon?"

    The monster that appeared from the gate was a dragon that was bigger than the gate.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully summoned a Demonic Monster!]

    [The daughter of Demon Dragon Cargas, the hatchling dragon ''Echidna (Rank: S)'' has been registered as your summoned monster.]

    [The summoned monster thinks of yer Oh KangWoo as the owner, but if the level of loyalty drops, the summoned monster could hurt the summoner.]

    "¡­"

    KangWoo looked at the message window with his mouth closed.

    He frowned while looking at the summoned monster called Echidna.

    It wasn''t because a hatchling dragon had be his summoned monster¡­

    It was because of the current state of the hatchling dragon.

    [Oof, oof...]

    It seemed like it was about to stop breathing at any moment.

    It was as if a sharp sword had cut its scales.

    Behind the scales, he could see red flesh.

    Echidna, who had received multiple attacks throughout its body, was bleeding.

    ''What''s happening?''

    The demonic monster he had summoned was about to die.

    KangWoo walked toward Echidna.

    <em>Tap Tap Tap</em>-

    At that moment, other people appeared from the gate that Echidna hade from.

    "Huh¡­?"

    KangWoo was confused after seeing more people appearing from the gate.

    There were five of them in total.

    The dust covering their bodies made it look like they''d been fighting until just moments before.

    "@#@%#@^%@#%!!"

    The blond man in front of the group began moving his hand after seeing KangWoo.

    ''What is he saying?''

    KangWoo frowned after hearing them scream in anguage unfamiliar to him.

    To understand what they were saying, KangWoo used the Authority of Trantion.

    After using the Authority, he understood thenguage that seemed alien to him at first.

    "It''s dangerous! Stay away from that evil demon dragon!"

    After hearing the blond young man''s scream, KangWoo became even more confused.

    ''Who are these bastards?''

 Chapter 47

    ''Who are these bastards?''

    KangWoo looked at the blond guy moving his hands.

    ''Are they foreign yers?''

    The one waving his hand had blonde hair that reached his waist¡ªhe looked like a typical handsome western man and was wearing luxurious golden armor and a sword that was hard to look at.

    It was hard to imagine that they were normal people.

    ''No, wait¡­¡¯

    KangWoo''s expression stiffened after looking at the other party members behind the man.

    They were each carrying a hammer, bow, shield, and wand.

    There wasn''t any issue with the man holding a shield or the brown-haired woman wielding a wand.

    The problem was with the dwarf and the blonde woman with a bow.

    ''A dwarf and an elf?''

    Even if it was possible for the dwarf to be a little person with a round body that made it look like he would roll over if you hit him, the blond woman with long ears had an appearance that only an elf could have.

    ''They look like a party that came out of a fantasy novel.''

    KangWoo looked at them with a troubled expression.

    The young blond man in front of the party walked toward KangWoo and shouted.

    "Ugh! Ce on!"

    "Calm down, Reinald!"

    The elf archer blocked the young blond man.

    "Look at that demon dragon. It''s about to die."

    "Ah¡­"

    "It probably won''t hurt anyone else."

    "Oof. That''s a relief."

    The blond young man sighed in relief after returning to his senses.

    "Who are you¡­?" KangWoo asked them through the Authority of Trantion.

    "I''m the third prince of the Arnan Empire, Reinald von Arnan," the young blond man said in a kindly voice.

    "Arnan Empire¡­?"

    "Yes. What about you¡­?"

    "¡­"

    KangWoo was having trouble understanding what was happening, so he looked at them, confused.

    He had just received a message that said a gate had connected with the Ernor Continent. Not only that, but Reinald had mentioned that he was from the Arnan Empire.

    ''Are they really people from another world?''

    There weren''t many other things he could guess based on what he had to go off of.

    A gate that led to the Ernor Continent was opened, and from it, his summoned monster appeared along with a few other people.

    And a dwarf and an elf were among the people that¡¯d appeared.

    KangWoo was starting to believe that they were indeed people from another world.

    [Oof, ugh.]

    While KangWoo was confused, Echidna was moaning in pain.

    When KangWoo turned his head around, he saw Echidna looking at him while struggling to breathe.

    "Damn."

    KangWoo frowned after realizing that the demonic monster he had waited for a week to summon might die.

    ''I have to heal it.''

    If he lost his summoned monster, he had to wait another three months before he could try to do it again.

    ''I can''t let that happen.''

    It wasn''t like three months was a long period of time. It also wasn''t like the summoned monster was an existence that KangWoo needed no matter what.

    ¡ªBut he couldn''t lose it in such a stupid way.

    KangWoo walked toward Echidna and ced his hands on its giant body.

    "W-wait!"

    "What are you doing!"

    As KangWoo ced his hand on Echidna, Reinald approached him while shouting.

    KangWoo turned his head around to him and said, "This is my summoned monster. I''m not sure why you''re trying to kill it, but I can''t let that happen."

    "Ugh! You!"

    "You¡¯re the demon dragon¡¯s master!"

    Reinald drew his weapon and aimed it at KangWoo.

    KangWoo ignored them and ced his hand on the wound.

    ''It''s bleeding a lot.''

    A lot of blood was seeping from the cut scales.

    KangWoo used the Authority of the de and created a short de; then he cut the palm of his hands.

    ''Authority of Regeneration.''

    Blood ran through the palm of his hand. The drops of blood that were imbued with the Authority of Regeneration entered Echidna''s wound.

    [Oof... Oof... W-who are you?]

    Echidna''s wounds quickly started to close.

    The dragon that was on the ground looked at KangWoo.

    [Ah¡­ You''re, my, owner.]

    After looking at KangWoo, she seemed to have realized something and spoke in a voice that showed relief.

    There were tears in the eyes of the dragon that was as big as a person.

    [I''m sorry¡­ for appearing in such a condition.]

    "¡­¡°

    * * *

    He could hear her voice inside his head.

    KangWoo looked at Echidna with a stiff expression.

    ''I''m not sure what happened.''

    But it seemed like she thought of him as her ''owner.''

    ''And the current situation¡­''

    KangWoo looked at Reinald''s party, who were looking at him cautiously.

    It wasn''t hard to guess who had hurt Echidna.

    "You, reveal your identity!"

    "Let me ask something."

    After discovering that they had almost killed his summoned monster, he stopped talking to them politely.

    He couldn''t waste another three months waiting to summon again, so he couldn''t let Echidna die.

    They were clearly emitting a killing intent toward Echidna.

    Since they had opposing goals, they would end up fighting for sure, so he had no reason to be polite with an enemy.

    "Why are you trying to kill Echidna?"

    "It''s an evil demon dragon!"

    KangWoo tried to converse with Reynald''s party.

    He wanted to earn some time to finish healing Echidna.

    ''I also want to understand the current situation better.''

    He¡¯d originally wanted to summon a demonic monster from Hell with a high rank.

    But things had suddenly turnedplicated.

    ¡®Demon dragon? Another world?¡¯

    "It caused a terrible drought and gue! Because of that demon dragon''s magic, many innocent people have lost their lives! Was that something you ordered?"

    Reinald looked at him with eyes full of resentment.

    ''Drought and gue¡­?''

    It was a somewhat vague exnation.

    [I told you that I didn''t do it¡­]

    "Shut up! You evil demon dragon! If it wasn¡¯t you, then who?!" Reinald shouted angrily after hearing Echidna''s words.

    KangWoo looked at him in disbelief.

    ''It was probably a natural urrence.''

    He remembered the witch hunts that¡¯d taken ce in the middle ages.

    That horrible history where people killed innocent women because they thought those women had caused gues and droughts.

    ''Well, I''m not sure what''s true or not.''

    Just as Reinald said, someone might have caused gues and droughts on purpose.

    The world where Reinald lived was one where magic existed, so KangWoo couldn''t conclude that it was a natural urrence.

    ''But¡­¡¯

    KangWoo looked at Echidna, who was breathing heavily.

    ¡­But he was sure it wasn''t Echidna who had caused such disasters.

    He didn''t think that because of his trust in Echidna, whom he had known only for a few minutes.

    It may have been possible for her to cause a gue, but to cause drought, you needed to have the ability to control the atmosphere at your own will.

    If you could forcibly change atmospheric phenomena at your own will, that meant that you could interfere in the destiny of a world.

    To exaggerate things a bit more, it meant you could perfectly destroy an entire world.

    The only demons that could do something like that were probably the archdukes, so there was no way Echidna could do something like that.

    "Did you try to kill Echidna because of such a simple thing?"

    "Simple?! Do you know how many innocent people suffered because of that?!"

    "How would I know something like that?"

    "I must kill the demon dragon to save them!" Reinald shouted with a voice full of a sense of justice.

    KangWoo looked at Reinald with his eyes narrowed.

    ''I don''t like this dumbass.''

    It was the type of person he hated the most.

    ¡ªSomeone stubborn who used justice as an excuse and advanced without listening to others.

    ¡ªA dumbass who couldn''t be reasoned with.

    [Oof, oof.]

    "¡­"

    Echidna''s breathing was starting to normalize thanks to the Authority of Regeneration.

    The wound from where blood had been leaking out was starting to quickly close.

    ''It seems like I''ve earned enough time.''

    Because the wound was so deep, it would probably take some time before she fully recovered, but it seemed like her life wasn''t in danger anymore.

    ''A summoned monster¡­¡¯

    KangWoo looked down at Echidna, whose body was over 20 meters across.

    He had begun the summoning hoping to get a cerberus, but things had gone in a different direction.

    Still, the result didn''t seem bad.

    ''It''s a dragon, after all.''

    Although it was a hatchling, being able to use a dragon as a summoned monster was something great.

    Although she may be a bit weaker than a cerberus, the growth potential of a dragon couldn''t bepared to it.

    "I''m sorry, but I can''t let you kill Echidna. She''s my summoned monster, after all."

    KangWoo took his hand off of Echidna and turned his body to Reinald.

    Of course, he wasn''t 100% sure whether Echidna had really caused gue and drought or not.

    Even if causing a drought was impossible, she may have caused a gue somehow.

    Reinald could perfectly be a hero, and Echidna could have been an evil being who killed innocent people.

    ''But that doesn''t matter.''

    What mattered to KangWoo was that Echidna was worth having as a summoned monster.

    He was going to use everyone that could be beneficial to him.

    He was going to eliminate everyone that could harm him.

    She was someone worth it.

    KangWoo wasn''t stupid enough to throw away a winning lottery ticket.

    "You demon!"

    Reinald pointed his sword toward KangWoo with a voice filled with a strong sense of justice.

    KangWoo smirked.

    "Yes, I''m a demon."

 Chapter 48

    "I knew it! So you''re a demon!"

    After hearing KangWoo refer to himself as a demon, Reinald red at him and grabbed his sword even tighter.

    "For the citizens of the Arnan Empire that are suffering! For the kids who''re crying! I, Reinald von Arnan, will eliminate you!"

    The light of golden mana emerged from his body.

    His fluttering golden hair made it seem like a scene from a movie.

    The middle-aged man and the dwarf wielding a hammer took a step to the front.

    "Haha! Good, Reinald! You caught a demon dragon, so why not a demon?"

    "Hahaha, you''ll get lots of free ck beer after this, kid."

    The dwarf and the middle-aged man said something while looking at Reinand, burning with a desire for justice.

    The brown-haired woman looked at Reinald with her cheeks red.

    The elf that was next to him sighed and opened her mouth.

    "The opponent is a demon. Can you do it, Reinald?"

    "It isn''t a matter of whether I can do it or not! I must do it!"

    Reinald said so and raised his sword.

    ''Woah, nice quotes.''

    KangWoo looked at Reinald burning with passion in disbelief.

    He felt too much cringe while looking at him.

    ''Why are they acting like this? Did they take some weird drugs?''

    KangWoo couldn''t follow their tension.

    "Ha-ab!"

    Reinald took a step forward and swung his sword, aiming for KangWoo.

    Heunched golden sword energy at KangWoo.

    KangWoo swung his sword at the golden sword energy that was flying in his direction.

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    The golden sword energy that was cut in half exploded in mid-air.

    The ground around it was turned upside down as if a bomb had exploded.

    ''It isn''t an attack that you can just block.''

    KangWoo frowned while he was in the middle of the explosion.

    He wasn''t expecting the sword energy to explode when he cut it in half.

    "The equipment is clearly very nice."

    Normally, he would''ve been hurt a bit by the attack.

    But thanks to the expensive Gargoyle''s Armor he had obtained from Moon YeongHo and the epic items, he didn''t receive any damage from the explosion.

    KangWoo thought that he had made the right decision to acquire the equipment and then turned his head around to Reinald''s party.

    "Then, since he attacked first¡­"

    It was his turn to strike back.

    <em>Whir-</em>

    ''Authority of Explosions.''

    ck smoke began gathering around KangWoo''s palms.

    It was a small and round orb of demonic energy.

    Then he grabbed onto it.

    ''Heat Rain.''

    It was a technique he had invented by using the Authority of Explosions as a base.

    The orb, which was as big as a basketball, was divided into pieces the size of billiard balls.

    KangWoo waved his hand and threw the balls at Reinald''s party.

    "I''ll block them!"

    The middle-aged man ran to the front and raised his shield.

    "Iron Wall!"

    With his shouting, a blue wall appeared in front of his shield.

    KangWoo smirked after looking at the blue wall.

    "Fall."

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    "Ugh!!"

    The tens of balls flying toward him changed direction and fell to the ground.

    As the bombs suddenly fell to the ground and exploded, the middle-aged man was pushed back because of the recoil.

    "Hans!"

    Reinald shouted the name of the man that bounced away and then red at KangWoo.

    "How dare you...!"

    ''Hey, dumbass, you were the first one to attack.''

    If someone saw the situation, they would probably think they''d been ambushed.

    KangWoo couldn''t believe how Reinald was reacting.

    "I won''t forgive you!"

    "I also won''t forgive you."

    It seemed like he''d forgotten he was the first to attack. KangWoo didn''t like his attitude.

    KangWoo stomped on the ground and leaped toward Reinald.

    "Arnan Empire Sword¡¯s First Movement! de Storm!"

    ''Why is everyone fighting while shouting the names of the techniques?''

    Judging by the technique''s name, it seemed like a wide-range attack.

    ''Then I''ll pierce through it with the least amount of damage possible.''

    With his eyes shining sharply, KangWoo used the Authority of Iron Wall.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    Just as its name indicated, Reinald''s attack was a long-range one that used its de to create an attack that looked like a storm.

    KangWoo lowered his body and pierced through its attack, then he used the momentum to kick Reinald in the stomach.

    <em>Paf-!!</em>

    "Ugh!!"

    "Reinald!"

    "You bastard!!"

    * * *

    As Reinald was pushed back by the kick, the dwarf and elf''s attacks came in his direction.

    KangWoo leaned back and dodged the three arrows flying in his direction; then he extended his hand toward the dwarf that was holding the hammer.

    ''Authority of Destructive Void.''

    <em>Poof-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    The dwarf vomited blood after being hit with a bullet made ofpressed demonic energy.

    KangWoo walked toward the dwarf to finish him.

    "Fire st!"

    At that moment, a fire wasunched in KangWoo¡¯s direction.

    It was an attack made by the brown-haired woman with a wand.

    It was a very strong attack to receive while believing in the capabilities of his equipment, so he backed off.

    "AAHH!!"

    Reinald, who had been cast aside after being kicked in the stomach, stood up and once again charged toward KangWoo.

    A golden energy emerged from his body and shook its surroundings like an earthquake.

    ''He''s definitely strong.''

    KangWoo looked at Reinald, who was charging toward him.

    Reinald was stronger than Moon YeongHo.

    He would probably be able to eliminate a buer all by himself.

    "Ha-ab!"

    <em>ng-! ng!</em>

    KangWoo and Reinald shed with each other.

    The golden and ck energies entangled with each other in the air and caused huge destruction to their surroundings.

    "Ha-ab!"

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    The golden sword energy exploded once again.

    KangWoo was pushed back by the explosion in front of him.

    "Oof! Did you see that? You evil demon!"

    "..."

    KangWoo frowned after being pushed back.

    ''Things could''ve gotten dangerous if I hadn''t finished the fifth Awakening.''

    Reinald was more skillful than he¡¯d initially thought.

    Just based on his pure power, he may¡¯ve been stronger than KangWoo at that moment.

    ''No wonder he was able to catch a hatchling dragon.''

    KangWoo clicked his tongue while thinking of Echidna, whom Reinald had almost managed to kill.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    Reinald was definitely strong.

    ''...He''s just strong.''

    KangWoo charged toward Reinald and shouted.

    "de sh!"

    "Ugh!"

    After hearing KangWoo''s shout, Reinald took a defensive stance.

    But unlike his shout, KangWoo lowered his body and kicked Reinald''s thighs.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "AARRGG!!"

    Reinald screamed in pain while grabbing his right leg where he''d been kicked.

    "Y-you dirty demon! Y-you clearly said de sh..."

    Reinald looked at him in disbelief.

    ''You''re just stupid.''

    ¡®Only an idiot would tell an opponent what attack they¡¯re going to use.¡¯

    The only exception was if it were an attack that you needed an incantation to use, but if that wasn''t the case, it was best to hide as much information from the opponent about the attack as possible.

    "R-Reinald!"

    "Ugh... Everyone, e-escape! He''s too strong!"

    "We can''t do that! We can''t escape while leaving you behind!"

    "Just go!" Reinald shouted while grabbing the leg where he had received the low kick.

    Tears were flowing from his eyes.

    "Stop making so much drama."

    KangWoo walked toward them whileughing after seeing them act as if they were in the middle of a movie.

    "You..."

    Reinald red at him intensely.

    KangWoo got closer to him while calmly receiving Reinald''s anger.

    ''Well, the fight is already over.''

    For a warrior, the legs were their life.

    You could fight with one less arm or even with a few ribs broken, but having your leg broken was a whole other story.

    A warrior that couldn''t move was just an idiot carrying a weapon.

    "Ugh. Q-quickly. Everyone, escape!!"

    Reinald wasn''t stupid enough not to be aware of that, so he kept asking the other party members to escape.

    He knew better than anyone how powerless a warrior that couldn''t move was.

    ''Should I end things?''

    KangWoo created a sword with the Authority of the de and pointed it at Reinard with his eyes sunken.

    There wasn''t anypassion or anger in his eyes.

    For him, a fight was always like this.

    He always fought and killed to live. Having feelings while doing that would be an unnecessary luxury.

    "W-wait a moment, please!"

    "Reina...?"

    At that moment, the brown-haired woman came running and embraced Reinald''s body.

    She shouted at KangWoo while crying.

    "P-please! Let Reinald Live! If he dies, the citizens of Arnan will lose their hope!"

    "..."

    "Also... He''s the person I love."

    "Reina..."

    Tears flowed down Reina''s cheeks.

    "I''m sorry for confessing in such a way. Reinald. B-but... I thought I wouldn''t be able to say it if it wasn''t now."

    She turned her head toward KangWoo.

    "I''ll give you my life. I, I''ll do anything you want! So, please! Let Reinald live!"

    "..."

    He had his mouth shut while listening to Reina''s plea.

    And then he burst intoughter.

    "Stop exaggerating things so much."

    KangWoo walked toward Reina and Reinald.

    "What? If he dies, the citizens of Arnan will lose their hope? So what do you want me to do about that? Why should I care about that? First of all, you guys attacked me first, right? If I were in that situation and begged for forgiveness, would you have let me go? Huh?"

    He calmly kept talking.

    "No, right? There''s no way you would do that. If you were prepared to kill, you guys should have been prepared to die."

    KangWoo extended his hands toward Reina, who was covering Reinald.

    He activated the Authority of Explosions. Strong demonic energy began gathering around the palm of his hand.

    While looking at both of them tremble in fear, he said,

    "Leave emotions to TV dramas, you idiots."

 Chapter 49

    "Th-that¡­"

    "You dirty and mean person!"

    Reinald shouted as if the situation was unfair.

    ''Eh? Just why?''

    He had won while fighting fairly.

    It was true that he¡¯d shouted the name of a technique to confuse the opponent, but that had only worked because Reinald was stupid.

    ''So what''s dirty and mean about what I''ve done?''

    To be honest, the ones who were dirty and mean were them¡ªtheir party wasposed of five people.

    ''Is this how a demon king in manhwas feels after losing against the hero''s party?''

    At that point, he felt that the whole situation was unfair.

    KangWoo thought there wasn''t anything more to consider and was about to use the Authority of Explosions on them.

    "Oh, yeah."

    "What¡­?"

    "Maybe¡­?"

    KangWoo was about to finish them when he suddenly stopped.

    The demonic energy orb disappeared from his hand.

    As the demonic energy orb disappeared, hope seemed to appear on Reina and Reinald''s faces.

    "It would be a shame if the equipment broke."

    Just at a nce, Reinald''s equipment was worth quite a lot of money.

    He didn''t want to use any of it because it was too fancy, but he thought he''d be able to sell them to Chae YeonJoo for quite an interesting sum of money.

    ''Especially that golden sword¡­''

    There was a chance that his sword, capable of shooting an energy that exploded like a bomb, was a legendary-ranked item.

    ''How much money could I get for something like that?''

    KangWoo gulped while looking at Reinald''s items.

    "Ugh! Y-you evil¡­!"

    Reinald trembled in anger after seeing that KangWoo was willing to take the items that belonged to a dead person.

    KangWoo didn''t care about how he felt about that, so he created a spear using the Authority of Dark Spear.

    ''I guess using this to pierce his neck should be enough.''

    He was approaching Reinald while thinking that when suddenly¡­

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Other entities besides the summoned monster have been detected.]

    [All foreign entities are being erased through the Gaia System.]

    "Huh¡­?!"

    Reinald''s party members began disappearing as those messages appeared before him.

    KangWoo quickly tried to pierce Reinald with the spear, but it got stuck in the ground.

    "Fuck!"

    KangWoo cursed.

    He frowned while looking at the blue message window.

    ''Why now!''

    It said at first that invaders couldn''t be blocked because of an error of the Gaia System. But then, out of the blue, it began working and said it would eliminate them.

    KangWoo smashed the innocent ground, but in the end, he could only watch them disappear.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The Gaia System has sessfully eliminated foreign entities.]

    "Oof¡­"

    KangWoo sighed.

    ''Wait¡­''

    KangWoo anxiously turned his head around to Echidna.

    He thought that maybe she''d also returned to her original world for a moment.

    "Oof."

    KangWoo sighed in relief after seeing Echidna on the floor.

    Thankfully, Echidna hadn''t returned to her original world.

    ''Just what is the Gaia System?''

    KangWoo thought of that word he¡¯d seen for the first time when he¡¯d appeared on Earth.

    ''Is it some sort of protective shield that defends against alien invasion¡­?''

    Something like the Earth''s atmosphere that prevents asteroids from falling on Earth.

    ¡ªThat was what he could conclude with the information he had at the moment.

    ''It said that the Gaia System was damaged.''

    When the gate that led toward the Ernor continent opened, it said that, because the Gaia System was damaged, it couldn''t properly block the connection that led toward another world.

    ''Is this how demonic monsters from Hell have been appearing?''

    Variant monsters had been appearing only recently.

    In terms of time¡­

    * * *

    "Huh?''

    At that moment, a thought crossed KangWoo''s mind.

    ''The time when demonic monsters started to appear is simr to when I returned to Earth.''

    And the reason why demonic monsters began appearing was probably that the Gaia System had been damaged.

    "That means¡­"

    KangWooughed in disbelief.

    "Am I the one who damaged the Gaia System?"

    It made sense, considering when the demonic monsters started to appear.

    "Oof¡­"

    KangWoo put his hand on top of his head.

    He seemed troubled after realizing that he was the reason why demonic monsters had begun appearing on Earth.

    ''Is there a way to restore the Gaia System?''

    The best thing he could do in that situation was to restore the Gaia System.

    But he didn''t know exactly what the Gaia System was and if there was a way to restore it.

    ''It seems like the only thing I can do is hunt as many demonic monsters as possible.''

    It was like pouring water into a bottomless jar, but there was nothing else he could do at the moment.

    While thinking he should ask Chae YeonJoo about the Gaia System, he walked toward where Echidna was.

    "Lie down for a moment. I''ll finish curing you."

    What he had done previously was just first aid.

    For Echidna to be able to move again freely, he needed a bit more time.

    KangWoo cut the palms of his hands and poured his blood into the wound.

    Echidna turned her head toward KangWoo.

    [I didn''t do it.]

    [I didn''t cause drought or spread a gue.]

    "Yeah."

    Tears flowed down Echidna''s eyes.

    [I told them that I hadn''t done it¡­ But no one believed me.]

    "¡­"

    [Will you trust me¡­?]

    Her voice was full of fear.

    She had the eyes of a child who had been abandoned by her parents that was asking for love.

    KangWoo knew those eyes.

    ''I was also like that.''

    KangWoo had been abandoned by his parents when he was a kid.

    From the moment he was able to think, he¡¯d grown up in an orphanage.

    He never thought he''d like to meet his birth parents or be embraced by them.

    He just wanted to receive someone''s love. He wanted to be protected and be recognized by someone.

    Seeing Echidna reminded him of his past self.

    ''Did this happen because I said to leave emotions to TV dramas?''

    KangWoo smiled bitterly while feeling his heart tingling.

    The words that he had said to Reinald had sharp points and had returned to him.

    There was a saying: If I do it, it is romance, but if another person does it, it''s an affair.

    ''Well, the answer has already been decided.''

    Echidna was his important summoned monster and was someone who had to live with him.

    So even if that wasn¡¯t the case, his answer had already been decided from the start.

    "I trust you."

    [¡­]

    "Even if the rest of the world mes you, I will at least believe in you."

    As someone wielding a weapon should be prepared to ept death, bing someone''s owner also came with a set of responsibilities.

    KangWoo had no intention of dodging or ignoring those responsibilities.

    He wasn''t nning on using his summoned monster as something disposable.

    [You¡­]

    Echidna looked at KangWoo with trembling eyes.

    There was a heavy silence.

    Amid that heavy silence, KangWoo kept healing Echidna.

    He began sweating.

    ''Did I overdo it today?''

    He had summoned a demonic monster, fought some enemies, and even cured.

    Although he had obtained quite a lot of demonic energy afterpleting the fifth Awakening, he had done many burdensome things.

    ''I want to go back and rest.''

    It was the first time he¡¯d wanted to take a rest so badly.

    "But¡­"

    KangWoo looked at Echidna, who was over 20 meters long.

    ''How should I move her?''

    If he took her out in that state, people would probably start to panic.

    In the worst-case scenario, the Hwarang Squad could attack her.

    ''It also doesn''t seem like something that could be resolved by exining the situation.''

    If she was as big as a person, he could probably walk out with her just by saying she was his summoned monster.

    ''I heard that there are other yers who can control summoned monsters¡­''

    But even so, the size was too much.

    There was no way the Hwarang Squadron would let him go.

    "Echidna, can you change the size of your body?"

    [Change?]

    "Yes, make your size as small as possible."

    Wasn¡¯t it said that dragons could polymorph?

    KangWoo looked at her expectantly.

    [I can.]

    ''Nice!''

    KangWoo smiled, satisfied at her answer.

    "Then turn to the smallest size possible."

    [Okay.]

    After recovering a bit, Echidna nodded and began chanting in anguage he couldn''t understand.

    <em>Whish-!</em>

    A bright light covered her, and her body started to get smaller.

    "Woah."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone while looking at her, whose size became about 30 centimeters.

    ''Cute.''

    As a giant dragon''s body had shrunk to about 30 centimeters, it felt cute.

    Rather than feeling like a summoned monster, she felt like a pet.

    ''Can''t she transform into a human?''

    KangWoo, who had hoped for her to transform into a human, felt slightly disappointed. He lifted her and then held her in his arms.

    [It''s okay, I can fly.]

    "Stay still. Your wounds still haven''t fully recovered."

    After saying that, KangWoo turned his body to the gate''s entrance.

    [¡­]

    Echidna, staring at KangWoo, carefully opened her mouth.

    [You¡­]

    "Hmm?"

    [Name. Tell me your name.]

    "Oh, yeah. I didn''t tell you my name yet."

    It was then that KangWoo realized he hadn''t introduced himself yet.

    "Oh KangWoo. My name is Oh KangWoo."

    [Oh KangWoo¡­]

    Echidna, who was in KangWoo''s arms, kept mumbling his name.

    [I''ll remember it.]

    "Hmm?"

    [Your name. I''ll definitely remember it.]

    Echidna said it in a determined voice.

    KangWoo nodded with a smile on his face.

 Chapter 50: Judge, I am Innocent (1)

    <em>Vroom-</em>

    "So, what kind of ce is the Ernor Continent?" KangWoo asked Echidna while driving back to his house.

    At first, he¡¯d offered her a seat in the passenger''s seat, but she didn''t seem to want to move from his leg.

    ''Well, it''s not like she''s bothering me.''

    Because she''d be so small, she didn''t bother him.

    [I''m not sure what you''re asking me¡­]

    Echidna seemed troubled at his question.

    Her reaction was understandable¡ªit was probably simr to asking someone from Earth what kind of ce it was.

    "Hmm... Tell me about the countries there, what kind of people live there, how they live, etc."

    [First, the biggest country is the Arnan Empire. Then...]

    Echidna''s exnation kept going on.

    The ''Ernor Continent'' she was describing was a ce simr to one of those medieval fantasy worlds that often appeared in novels.

    They used swords and magic, and it was a world where fairies, monsters, and dragons existed.

    ''Then, are the monsters from the gatesing from the Ernor continent?''

    The goblins and trolls that appeared in the gates were monsters that couldn''t be seen in Hell.

    ¡ªThey were monsters that used the power of mana stones to move rather than demonic energy.

    At first, he¡¯d thought average monsters were weakpared to demonic monsters like the hellhound or buer, but that wasn''t necessarily true.

    ''The problem is that a monster like the buer shouldn''t have appeared in a B-rank gate.''

    If the buer had appeared in an A-rank gate, there wouldn¡¯t have been so muchmotion.

    ''The average monsters aren''t weak, and the ones that appear in S-rank gates are proof of that.''

    He couldn''t ignore them just because they weren''t demonic monsters.

    "Echidna, tell me more about yourself," KangWoo asked while steering the wheel of the car.

    [Me...?]

    "Yes. Things like how you used to live, how you got involved with Reinald, etc."

    [I... Used to live with my dad. But one day, he suddenly left me alone and disappeared.]

    "He disappeared?"

    [Yes. After that happened, I spent my days reading in their until someone suddenly entered it...]

    "That was Reinald, right?"

    Echidna nodded. KangWoo clicked his tongue and then opened his mouth.

    "It must have been lonely."

    [Yes... It was very lonely,] Echidna said in a depressed voice.

    To be honest, KangWoo couldn''t understand her feelings very well.

    He didn''t know the emotion called loneliness very well.

    ''After all, I was always lonely.''

    He had lived alone since he was born, so his sense of loneliness was a bit dulled.

    "Then, how did you get summoned here?"

    [While fighting against Reinald, I felt like someone was calling me, and then a gate suddenly appeared.]

    "Hmm..."

    He still wasn''t sure what the mechanism for a summoning was, but it seemed like it hadn¡¯t happened because she¡¯d wished for it.

    "We arrived."

    While talking with Echidna, they reached the shabby apartmentplex where he lived with Han Seol-ah.

    [So this is KangWoo''s nest...]

    "No. The word ¡®nest¡¯ is a bit... To be honest, it isn''t even my house."

    KangWoo parked the car while smiling awkwardly.

    KangWoo''s car stood out quite a bit among the domestic cars.

    ''Should I get a new house?''

    He didn''t intend to live separated from Han Seol-ah and her mother, Kim MiJeong.

    ¡ªBut one couldn''t deny that the house was a bit shabby and small.

    Since he was starting to earn money, maybe it wasn''t a bad idea to move to a bigger house.

    ''It would be morefortable to move somewhere near the Red Rose Guild.''

    He and Chae YeonJoo had be true allies.

    KangWoo was quite satisfied with the rtionship and wanted them to keep being allies, so he thought moving closer to the Red Rose Guild''s base would be morefortable.

    ''I can also go to an inte cafe with her.''

    KangWooughed while thinking about Chae YeonJoo getting angry.

    "Let''s go."

    [Okay.]

    KangWoo lifted Echidna and walked toward the house.

    * * *

    "Kyaaaa!!"

    A scream spread through the living room.

    "So cuteee!!"

    Han Seol-ah took Echidna from KangWoo and hugged her aggressively.

    Echidna pped her wings as she felt the pressure of two big pieces of flesh.

    [S-save me, KangWoo...!]

    She desperately called for KangWoo.

    KangWoo gulped while looking at Han Seol-ah hug Echidna.

    ''I envy you.''

    In KangWoo''s eyes, Echidna was screaming because of pleasure.

    [K-KangWoo...]

    Of course, in reality, she was suffering.

    "Is her name Echidna? Ha... How can she be so cute~"

    "I thought that you would feel repulsed."

    "Why would I feel repulsion toward such a cute summoned monster?"

    Han Seol-ah looked at him, confused.

    KangWooughed.

    "But it''s still a monster."

    "But she''s cute! Cute things are justice!"

    Han Seol-ah hugged Echidna even tighter.

    KangWooughed after seeing a side of her he hadn''t seen before.

    [S-save me...]

    "Echidna is struggling, so let her go."

    "Oh, sorry. I didn''t notice."

    Han Seol-ah finally let Echidna go.

    Echidna flew toward KangWoo and looked at Han Seol-ah cautiously after being freed by her.

    ''It seems like, since she became smaller, her physical strength was also reduced.''

    If Echidna had her original strength, there''s no way Seol-ah would''ve been able to hold Echidna while she was trying to free herself.

    [KangWoo, that person is scary.]

    "Well, she didn''t have ill intentions, so don''t be so cautious about her."

    KangWoo found Echidna hiding behind him, simr to how a kid would react, cute, so he patted her head softly.

    Echidna, who was staring at Han Seol-ah as KangWoo patted her, started to rub her head with his finger.

    ''She''s cute.''

    KangWoo kept patting her with a smile on his face.

    He felt like his emotions that had dried up after spending so many years in Hell were returning to him.

    "Seol-ah, how have you been feeling recently? Is hunting going well?"

    "Ah! Yes, of course. Our level is increasing very fast, too. We''re soon going to reach the third Awakening and finally go to a C-rank gate."

    "That''s good to hear," KangWoo said while nodding.

    He wasn''t that surprised because of how fast she was leveling.

    ''It¡¯s because Kim ShiHoon is probably still in their party.''

    ¡ªThe yer who had the OP SSS-ranked Attribute.

    Because he was leading the party, it was obvious that the rest would also level up fast.

    ''Not only that, but TaeSoo and Seol-ah are also quite talented.''

    Even EunBi, who was a long-range damage dealer, was quite talentedpared to an average yer.

    With their talent and the help of Kim ShiHoon, it would be weird if it took them time to level up.

    "To think that we''d level up so fast... I was also quite surprised. Fufu. This is all thanks to Mr. KangWoo."

    "But I didn''t do that much."

    "What are you talking about? What you told us on the first day was of great help to us. And also... If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t have even dreamed of living like this."

    Han Seol-ah smiled while blushing a bit.

    That smile made KangWoo feel good.

    ''Wanting to receive love.''

    He remembered his past self while looking at Echidna.

    ¡ªWhen he¡¯d been a kid who was seeking love and attention.

    ''It doesn''t feel bad.''

    Knowing that someone thought so positively about him didn''t feel bad.

    While feeling a weird, warm sensation, KangWoo sat on the sofa.

    "Ah! Let''s have small party to celebrate Echidna¡¯s arrival! Fufu, today, I''ll foot the bill."

    "Are you sure?"

    "I''ve recently been earning quite a lot of money while hunting with Mr. ShiHoon, Mr. TaeSoo, and EunBi, so I''m okay with spending this much," Seol-ah said while smiling brightly.

    It seemed like the ¡®poor¡¯ tag following her was starting to fade away.

    After hearing that she was going to host a celebration party, KangWoo nodded and opened his mouth.

    "Good. Then, of course, the best food in this situation is kimchi ste¡ª"

    "No kimchi stew."

    "W-why¡­?"

    KangWoo looked at her with his feelings hurt.

    Han Seol-ah sighed.

    "Recently, you''ve been eating kimchi stew every single day."

    "That''s true."

    "Aren''t you tired of it...?"

    "How could I get tired of it?"

    Getting tired of kimchi stew?

    There''s no way something like that would happen.

    Han Seol-ah grabbed her head after seeing KangWoo''s determined eyes.

    "Anyway. Today, let''s eat something more luxurious."

    "Something luxurious?"

    "Ta-dah! Mr. KangWoo, check this out!"

    She showed him a pack with a golden tag on top of it.

    "It''s hanwoo! It was on sale today, so I bought it!"

    "Hanwoo..."

    "Let''s eat beef today~"

    She grabbed the pack of meat with a smile on her face and walked toward the kitchen.

    But KangWoo seemed a bit disappointed somehow.

    "How about we put that into a kimchi stew..."

    "That would be an insult to the beef. Understand, Mr. KangWoo?"

    "Yes."

    At her firm answer, KangWoo lowered his head.

    * * *

    "Should I sleep?"

    After enjoying the beef party, KangWooy on the bed with a tired expression.

    Echidna came flying toward the bed.

    "Was it delicious?"

    [It was amazing...]

    Echidna trembled while thinking about the beef she had just eaten.

    KangWoo smiled, lifted her, and ced her on his chest.

    "It''s been a long day, so let''s sleep."

    [Okay.]

    Echidna nodded and curled up on top of his chest.

    It seemed like she was tired because she wasn''t fully recovered yet, so she quickly fell asleep.

    ''Now that I think about it, if Echidna had been able to turn into a human, she wouldn''t have been able to sleep like this.''

    He didn''t care because she was a dragon, but Echidna was clearly female.

    Things would''ve gotten quite messy if she could turn into a human.

    ''Well, I guess this isn''t bad.''

    After patting the sleeping Echidna a bit, he closed his eyes.

    The tiredness he had been stacking up soon led him into a sleeping state.

    * * *

    The next day¡­

    KangWoo opened his eyes due to the sunlight entering his room through the window.

    "Hmm...?"

    He felt something that was pressing down on his body.

    ''Is it Echidna?''

    But it was quite heavy for it to be Echidna. After all, what he was feeling weighed at least 30 kilograms.

    KangWoo turned his eyes to his chest area.

    There, he saw naked a girl with long, ck hair.

    "What?"

    KangWoo gave a suprised look to the girl sleeping on top of his chest.

    ''What happened?''

    KangWoo''s expression became stiff after seeing a girl he''d never seen before sleeping on top of him.

    ''Am I dreaming?''

 Chapter 51: Judge, I am Innocent (2)

    "Hng... KangWoo?"

    The ck-haired girl who had just woken up called his name while rubbing her eyes.

    "Echidna?"

    KangWoo looked at her, perplexed.

    The girl who wasn''t wearing any clothes looked around.

    "Hmm?"

    She looked at her own body.

    She couldn''t understand why she had a human form.

    "Were you always able to take a human form?"

    "No... It''s the first time this has happened."

    Echidna seemed interested in her arms that had turned into a human''s, so she answered while moving them.

    KangWoo didn''t know what part of Echidna to rest his eyes on.

    <em>Creak-</em>

    At that moment, Han Seol-ah entered the room.

    "Mr. KangWoo~ Breakfast is r..."

    "..."

    There was a heavy silence.

    Han Seol-ah''s expression hardened after seeing a little girl on top of KangWoo''s body.

    "Mr. KangWoo..."

    "It''s a misunderstanding."

    "H-how... To such a... little..."

    "I''m innocent," KangWoo said, with an expression that showed he found this situation unfair, to Han Seol-ah.

    No, it was really unfair.

    Who would''ve known that Echidna would turn into a human form during the night?

    ''Your honor, I''m innocent.''

    It took a lot of time to exin to Han Seol-ah what happened.

    * * *

    After the situation calmed down¡­

    Han Seol-ah, Echidna, and KangWoo were in the living room.

    Echidna was wearing the clothes Han Seol-ah used to wear when she was a kid.

    "Isn''t there something you can think of?"

    At KangWoo''s question, Echidna ced both hands on her chest and tried to remember.

    "Last night..."

    "Last night?"

    "While sleeping with KangWoo, I felt something hot entering my body."

    "..."

    "Wh-what?"

    KangWoo''s expression stiffened, and Han Seol-ah looked at him while stuttering.

    Echidna''s exnation kept going on.

    "It was a very hot... And strong energy."

    ''Echidna¡­''

    "As that energy spread through my body... I felt like I became one with KangWoo."

    ''Why are you doing this to me.''

    "At first, it hurt a little bit... But soon, it started to feel good."

    ''Did I do something wrong to you?''

    As her exnation continued, he felt an angrier gaze from Han Seol-ah.

    It was as if she was looking at a bug.

    "Mr. KangWoo... You..."

    "Nothing happened."

    KangWoo sighed and opened his mouth.

    "Can you return to your dragon form?"

    KangWoo still wasn''t sure how strong she was.

    But considering that her strength had gone down after bing smaller, it would be fatal if she couldn''t return to her original form.

    "Yes, I think I can return to my original form."

    After saying that, she transformed her left arm into a dragon''s.

    Seeing a dragon''s arm on a girl''s body looked weird, but the important thing was that she could return to her original form.

    "I''m d."

    Her being able to transform at her own will was great news.

    Even if her size was small, a dragon was still a dragon.

    She was going to catch other people''s attention.

    ''But now that I think about it, isn''t this form even more eye-catching?''

    KangWoo looked at the unrealistically beautiful appearance of Echidna. She looked like a doll who could move of her own will.

    He thought that appearance could catch more people''s attention than the dragon form.

    ''I''ll leave this to her.''

    Regarding that, he was nning to respect Echidna''s decision.

    ''Hmm...''

    KangWoo began to think about why Echidna could suddenly turn into a human.

    Her exnations crossed his mind.

    ''Is it because she became a summoned monster?''

    Just like a familiar spirit created with the Authority of Subordination could use part of his strength, maybe she could also use a bit of his strength.

    ''Anyway, I guess it doesn''t matter as long as she can return to her dragon form.''

    KangWoo leaned his back on the sofa.

    Echidna, who was next to him, naturally walked toward him and sat on hisp.

    "What are you doing...?"

    "I''m morefortable here."

    "..."

    The soft sensation of skin was stimting him.

    ''Doing this with her human form is a bit too much.''

    He didn''t mind when she was in her dragon form, but when she was in her human form, he felt like he wasmitting a crime.

    KangWoo made Echidna sit next to him.

    Echidna looked at him like an abandoned puppy.

    "KangWoo, you don''t like me being in my human form?"

    "No, that''s not it."

    If asked what form he preferred, he would answer that he liked the human form more.

    "Then why is it that you don''t want me to sit on yourp?"

    "Hng. That..."

    KangWoo looked at her with a troubled expression.

    He wasn''t sure how to exin the situation.

    "L-let''s eat breakfast first!"

    "That sounds great."

    Just in time, Han Seol-ah proposed that they should all go and have breakfast.

    Dodging Echidna''s question, KangWoo went to the table.

    Echidna pouted while looking at KangWoo''s back.

    <em>Click, Click-</em>

    "Hmm... Then, we should go and get some clothes today."

    "Clothes?"

    "Yes. The clothes I used to wear are all old, and my size also doesn''t seem to fit her well."

    "Ah, I see."

    KangWoo looked at the clothes Echidna was wearing, Han Seol-ah''s clothes definitely didn''t fit her.

    ''Especially around the chest area.''

    KangWoo coughed and turned his eyes to Han Seol-ah.

    "Where are you nning to go?"

    "There''s a big shopping mall not so far from here. So I was nning to go there. Mr. KangWoo, do you want toe as well?"

    "No. There are some things I must do, so I don''t think I''ll be able to go. I''ll leave Echidna to you, Seol-ah."

    "KangWoo... You''re noting?"

    Echidna grabbed his clothes with a sad expression after hearing that he had things to do.

    KangWoo patted her head softly.

    "Stay with Seol-ah today. I''ll be back tonight."

    "Okay..."

    Echidna nodded while biting her lips a bit.

    ''To move freely as a human, she will probably need an ID.''

    In the modern world, not having an ID was quite bothersome.

    So KangWoo was thinking of meeting with Chae YeonJoo and asking her to make an ID for Echidna.

    ''Great, I was already nning to go and see her.''

    He had another reason why he wanted to meet Chae YeonJoo¡­

    * * *

    ''I''m going to ask for a permanent S-rank gate ess pass.''

    He couldn''t use his temporary gate ess pass anymore.

    He was nning to ask Chae YeonJoo for a pass that would let him enter whenever he wanted.

    ''An S-rank Gate...''

    Initially, he had no intentions of going to an S-rank gate so soon.

    He was nning to gain more experience on B and A-rank gates and challenging the S-rank gate afterpleting the sixth Awakening.

    But after getting Echidna as his summoned monster, his opinion changed.

    KangWoo looked at Echidna, who was eating with a sad expression.

    ''If it''s with Echidna, I''m sure I''ll be able to hunt in an S-rank gate.''

    Although she was a hatchling, she was still a dragon.

    She would probably be able to handle one or two S-rank monsters.

    To be honest, he could perfectly hunt alone in an S-rank gate.

    The problem was what would happen when something unexpected happened.

    He had no problems with one or two, but things could getplicated if more than that number appeared.

    Echidna was going to be solid support in those situations.

    "I''ll take you shoppingter."

    "Thank you, Mr. KangWoo."

    After breakfast, he sent a message to Chae YeonJoo and told her he would visit her; Then he took Echidna and Han Seol-ah to the shopping mall in the car.

    "Ugh..."

    "Don''t be sad. We''re going to see each other tonight."

    Echidna grabbed his clothes and trembled as if she didn''t want to be separated from him. After calming Echidna, KangWoo drove to the Red Rose Guild''s house.

    <em>Beep-</em>

    "It''s me."

    "Ah,e in."

    He saw a wide office after opening the door.

    "So, what brings you here today?"

    "There are a few things I wanted to ask you."

    KangWoo told her what¡¯d happened in the S-rank gate.

    "Someone from another world appeared...?"

    "Yes. They said that they were from the Ernor Continent."

    "Oof..."

    Chae YeonJoo frowned. She couldn''t believe what she was being told.

    Since she didn''t know what to ask because of the surprise, KangWoo asked another thing.

    "Do you know anything about the Gaia System?"

    "No, it''s the first time I''ve heard that word."

    "Hmm... I see."

    "The monster you summoned came from the Ernor Continent?"

    "Yes."

    "Could I see her...?"

    "She didn''te with me today, I''ll present her to youter, but you probably won''t be able to get a lot of information from her."

    After her father disappeared, she¡¯d spent most of her time alone in their.

    She probably didn''t know many things about the world she used to live in.

    "I need an ID for Echidna."

    "Huh? You want me to get an ID for the summoned monster?"

    She looked at him as if she were saying nonsense.

    KangWoo exined to her about Echidna.

    "Oof... To think that you would summon a dragon... Just what are you?"

    "Isn''t it a bitte to ask me that?"

    "Hng."

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him, displeased.

    "You can do it. Right?"

    "Oof... Okay. Send me a pictureter on."

    "Thanks. And there''s one more thing that I wanted to ask."

    "What now."

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him with a tired expression after seeing how well KangWoo was using her.

    "I want an official S-rank gate¡ª"

    <em>Knock, knock-</em>

    The sound of a knock cut what KangWoo was saying.

    KangWoo and Chae YeonJoo looked at the door.

    "There''s something I need to talk about."

    <em>Creak-</em>

    The person who entered the room was a girl with silver hair tied in a ponytail.

    "Baek HwaYeon...?"

    KangWoo mumbled her name that was left in his memories.

 Chapter 52: Hunting at the Level S Gate. (1)

    Hwarang¡¯s Third Squad¡­

    Unlike the 1st and 2nd squads that were each protecting Suwon and Pohang, they were in charge of investigating crimesmitted by yers.

    ''Was she in charge of the Third Squad?''

    KangWoo stared at Baek HwaYeon, who had bright silver hair.

    It was weird for an Asian to have silver hair, but because of her beauty, it didn''t feel weird.

    ''She''s probably strong.''

    He looked at her with his eyes narrowed.

    At first nce, she looked really frail, but there was no way that was actually the case.

    He could feel a sense of dignity from her expressions and how she acted.

    She looked like one of those people that wouldn''t break.

    He wasn''t sure what level she was at, but he felt that she was probably among the strongest.

    "Hmm, it seems like there was a guest. I''m sorry for interrupting you¡­ Is he the person you''re supporting?" Baek HwaYeon asked while looking at KangWoo.

    "Yes."

    "Is he part of the Red Rose Guild?"

    "No. He isn''t part of our guild. Hmm¡­ It''s more like an alliance."

    "Woah. To think you''d give such huge support to a yer that isn''t part of your guild. That''s surprising."

    "He''s someone worthy."

    Baek HwaYeon looked at KangWoo with interest.

    She extended her hand toward him.

    "Nice to meet you. I''m the captain of Hwarang¡¯s Third Squad, Baek HwaYeon."

    "I''m Oh KangWoo."

    "Oh KangWoo¡­?"

    After hearing his name, Baek HwaYeon frowned a bit and tried to remember where she''d heard that name.

    "Ah! You''re that young man I met in front of the C-rank gate!"

    It seemed like she finally remembered having seen KangWoo previously. She grabbed his hands while her eyes shone.

    Chae YeonJoo tilted her head.

    "Have you two met before?"

    "Yes. He was a very polite and just young man. Haha. Chae YeonJoo, you have a good eye for people."

    "What¡­?"

    After hearing what Baek HwaYeon said, Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo with an expression that made it seem like she''d just eaten something disgusting.

    KangWoo a polite and just young man? That was nonsense.

    There weren''t that many people in the world whom those two words didn''t seem to match.

    ''What kind of scam did he do?''

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him with suspicious eyes.

    KangWoo scratched the back of his head while making a silly smile.

    "Haha. You''re over ttering me. I''m overwhelmed by Ms. Baek HwaYeon''s positive view of me¡­"

    "Bleh."

    "What¡­"

    "No, I just felt a bit disgusted."

    Chae YeonJoo shrugged her shoulders and turned her head to Baek HwaYeon.

    "I don''t agree about him being polite or just, but he''s definitely someone skillful."

    "Hmm, I see."

    Baek HwaYeon sat down while nodding.

    Chae YeonJoo turned her head to KangWoo and asked.

    "So, what were you trying to ask?"

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo took a glimpse at Baek HwaYeon. Chae YeonJoo noticed and spoke.

    "You don''t need to worry about HwaYeon. She has a deep rtionship with us."

    "Hmm. Well, if you say so. Then I''ll just say it¡ªI want ess permission to the S-rank gate."

    "What¡­?"

    Chae YeonJoo was surprised at the unexpected request.

    She looked at KangWoo with narrowed eyes.

    "Are you nning to hunt in an S-ranked gate?"

    "Yes. Didn''t I tell you that I got a summoned monster? It would be dangerous if I were alone, but I''m okay now that I have a summoned monster."

    "Oof¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him in disbelief.

    He didn''t seem to be exaggerating. The KangWoo she knew wasn''t someone who would try to do something impossible.

    If he said he could hunt, it was because he could do it.

    "You know what monsters appear in Suwon''s S-rank gate, right¡­?"

    "Giant ogres, mountain giants, wyverns, and¡­"

    "El Quero."

    Chae YeonJoo named all of the monsters that appeared inside the gate.

    "Even if you hunt there, don''t go near theke. Understood?"

    "Yes, I know."

    * * *

    KangWoo nodded.

    The giantke that covered half of the S-rank gate¡­

    Surprisingly, there weren''t many monsters living inside the giantke.

    The reason for that was the monster named El Quero that Chae YeonJoo had just mentioned.

    It was a monster that looked like a stingray, and its size reached 30 meters.

    It had thousands of poisonous stingers on its fins, and it radiated high-voltage electrical currents through its body.

    Because El Quero had eaten most of the monsters within theke, those that couldn''t walk out of the water hadn¡¯t survived.

    The only monsters left in theke were those El Quero didn''t consider food.

    It looked beautiful on the outside, but in reality, theke of Suwon''s S-rank gate was a ce where one single predator had devoured most of the monsters that¡¯d lived within it.

    "Oof. Okay, then I''ll ask them to convert the temporary ess permission to an official one. You''ll be able to enter it tomorrow."

    "Thank you."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after hearing that he''d be able to enter the gate the next day.

    "W-wait!"

    Baek HwaYeon, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, shouted in surprise.

    "S-rank gate? What are you talking about? He was in a C-rank gate until a few days ago¡­"

    "Ah¡­ You see."

    Chae YeonJoo sighed.

    Just like Baek HwaYeon had said, until a few weeks before, KangWoo was a yer who¡¯d hunted in a C-rank gate.

    But now¡­

    ¡°He''s a monster who can even enter S-rank gates.¡±

    Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo in disbelief.

    She knew he was talented.

    She thought that maybe he would be able to surpass Baek KangHyun, Korea''s most talented yer.

    But maybe he had more potential than she¡¯d thought.

    His growth rate was unprecedented.

    ''The only one I can think of is First Lady¡­''

    First Lady, Grace McCarbin.

    She was the first person to awaken as a yer and was ranked 1st in the world.

    ''No, he''s growing faster than Grace.''

    It had been only a month since he¡¯d awakened as a yer.

    He had be as strong as a national ranker in just a month.

    Even if First Lady had grown fast, it wasn''t as fast as KangWoo.

    ''How much of a monster will he be in the future?''

    She looked at him, half excited and half worried.

    "Well, things happened, but you can believe me when I say you can trust this guy''s skills."

    "Hmm. Even so, an S-rank gate is¡­"

    Baek HwaYeon looked at KangWoo, confused.

    The S-rank gate was a ce that even national rankers were wary about hunting in alone.

    Of course, the monster El Quero was the biggest reason why people avoided going there, but the other monsters that appeared in it were also quite strong.

    ''Did he awaken an S-rank attribute on the third Awakening?''

    Baek WhaYeon asked herself while looking at KangWoo.

    ''No, even if he has an S-rank Attribute, it''s impossible to go from C to S in just a few weeks.''

    That meant that he may have awakened an Attribute with a higher rank than that.

    "It seems like you''ve grabbed an amazing yer¡­"

    "Well, I''m not sure if I have grabbed him or he has grabbed me, but oh well¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo smiled bitterly and shrugged her shoulders.

    She looked at Baek HwaYeon and spoke.

    "Then I''ll be going."

    After they finished talking, KangWoo stood up.

    He had already talked to her about Echidna''s ID and an S-rank gate ess permit.

    Since he had already solved both things, there was no reason for him to remain there.

    ''They seem to want that too.''

    KangWoo turned to Baek HwaYeon.

    "Be careful. The S-rank gate is a very dangerous ce. I went a couple of times. I almost died once because the attention of many monsters became centered on me."

    "I''ll keep that in mind."

    After saying that, KangWoo walked out of the office.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    As KangWoo walked out of the office, there was silence.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at Baek HwaYeon, who was sitting in the ce where KangWoo had been.

    "So, what happened?"

    "Something rted to the Demon Cult."

    After hearing the words ¡°Demon Cult¡±, Chae YeonJoo frowned angrily.

    A strong killing intent emerged from her body.

    "Did you get evidence?"

    "No, not yet."

    "Oof¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo sighed in disappointment after hearing Baek HwaYeon''s answer.

    "But this time, there''s a good chance we''ll be able to."

    "Can I look forward to it?"

    "Do you remember I told you that one of our agents had sessfully infiltrated the Demon Cult?"

    "Ah, yes."

    "Last night, agent Kang DongHoon secretly sent me a message. He told me that he had evidence, so he would set up a meeting point and pass me the video."

    Chae YeonJoo''s eyes shone after hearing Baek HwaYeon''s words.

    "He got a video with evidence?"

    "Yes."

    "Then can''t he just send the video as a file? There''s no need to meet him and put both parties in danger, right?"

    "The pieces of equipment used to transfer data are being strictly monitored, so we can''t do that. You also can''t send or receive messages from inside the Demon Cult."

    "They''re terribly thorough¡­"

    "Since they do things like that¡­"

    Baek HwaYeon frowned as if just thinking that was enough to make her unpleasant.

    The crazy people who kidnapped yers and used them as offerings¡­

    Even that was only one of the many things they were trying to do.

    HwaYeon didn''t even know what other secretive ns they had.

    "Did the agent infiltrate the main base?"

    "No, it''s just a branch. We don''t know where the base is. We aren''t even sure if the main base is in Korea."

    "Don''t tell me¡­ Are they an organization with branches all over the world?"

    "Judging by their size, there''s a good chance that¡¯s the case."

    "Oof¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo sighed.

    "Just what are they trying to do¡­?"

    To think that a cult full of crazy people who used living yers as offerings was an organization present worldwide.

    She couldn''t believe something like that was happening in the 21st century.

    "Nothing has been revealed exactly yet. This is just my guess, so don''t be too hasty."

    "So, where''s the meeting ce?"

    "Suwon."

    "Suwon?"

    "I''m meeting up with him tomorrow near Hwaseo Station."

    There wasn''t anyone in Korea that didn''t know about Suwon Hwaseo Station.

    It was where one of the two S-rank gates in Korea was present.

    "I want to ask for your guild''s coboration. I want to meet him as discreetly as possible¡­ But there''s still the chance that something may happen."

    "Okay."

    Chae YeonJoo didn''t doubt for a second and nodded. Things rted to the Demon Cult were her current priority.

    "I''ll go."

    "Is it because of that kid¡­?"

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo frowned at Baek HwaYeon''s question.

    "Don''t talk about her."

    "I''m sorry¡­ Understood. Youing will be very reassuring."

    Baek HwaYeon softly tapped Chae YeonJoo''s shoulders while smiling bitterly.

    "Suwon Hwaseo station¡­?"

    Chae YeonJoo thought of KangWoo, who had said he would go hunt in the S-rank gate.

    ''I''m sure I won''t meet him there, right?''

    The only thing they had to do was receive the video file from the agent.

    There was no way for him to somehow get involved.

 Chapter 53: Hunting at the Level S Gate (2)

    The next day¡­

    KangWoo got up early, ate breakfast, and prepared to go out.

    Next to him there was Echidna, who was wearing a white dress.

    "Is this the one you bought yesterday with Seol-ah?"

    It was a one-piece that had frills.

    Echidna grabbed the hem of the dress and turned around.

    It was a movement he would normally see in manhwa, but because Echidna, who looked like a doll, did it, it felt like he was inside one.

    "Does this look good on me, KangWoo?"

    Echidna looked at him expectantly.

    KangWoo smiled and patted her head.

    "Yes. It suits you."

    "Hehe."

    It seemed like Echidna was happy to hear KangWoo''s praise. She clenched her fist and moved it downwards.

    She ran toward Han Seol-ah and bowed her head.

    "Thank you. KangWoo liked it."

    "Fufu. Since Echidna is so pretty, I''m sure everything would''ve suited you."

    Han Seol-ah patted Echidna while making a kind smile.

    KangWoo turned his body toward the entrance door.

    "Then I''ll go hunt with Echidna."

    "Yes, Mr. KangWoo."

    Seol-ah smiled bitterly and nodded after hearing that he was going to hunt with Echidna. She seemed to feel envious.

    She knew that she stillcked a bit to hunt with him.

    "Good luck today, Mr. KangWoo."

    "Seol-ah. You''re going hunting today, right?"

    "Yes. I''m going again with Mr. ShiHoon, Mr. TaeSoo, and EunBi."

    "If you see a monster you''ve never seen before, avoid fighting against it and escape."

    "Yes, understood."

    "One of these days, I''ll go with you guys."

    "Mr. KangWoo ising?"

    "Yes."

    Seol-ah seemed surprised. KangWoo slowly nodded.

    ''I think it''s about time I help them power level.''

    They had probably gained a lot of battle experience, so it was necessary to help them level up and thus help them grow.

    "Hehe. Then I''ll be waiting for that day."

    She seemed happy just to hear that KangWoo would go with them one of those days.

    After leaving behind the happy Han Seol-ah, KangWoo drove to the S-rank gate.

    * * *

    "Good, then should I start?"

    After driving to the ce where the S-rank gate was, KangWoo easily got into the S-rank gate by using the ess permission that was given to him by Chae YeonJoo.

    ''But weren''t there fewer members of the Hwarang Squad than thest time?''

    Normally, the entrance would be full of members of the First Squad guarding the Gate. But that day, there seemed to be fewer people than thest time.

    ''Well, I guess it''s nothing important.''

    It wasn''t important whether something happened or not to the Hwarang Squad.

    KangWoo took a glimpse at theke.

    "Don''t get near thatke. A very dangerous monster lives inside it."

    "Understood. I''ll stay with you."

    "Then, I''ll drag the monsters; you support me with magic. And don''t transform to your original form."

    Of course, fighting with her original body would make things easier, but it was just too big.

    There was a chance that it would drag too much attention while hunting.

    "Okay."

    Echidna nodded with her eyes full of enthusiasm.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Observation to see the monsters that were around.

    ''Is that a giant ogre?''

    He sensed a giant that was over five meters big roaming around.

    It was amon monster that appeared in the Suwon S-rank gate. Because it gave a lot of experience, it was a popr monster to hunt.

    ''Should I try to hunt one first?''

    KangWoo used the Authority of Temptation and dragged one giant ogre to them.

    <em>Stomp-! Stomp! Stomp!</em>

    "Echidna, get ready."

    "Okay."

    The floor began moving as if an earthquake had happened.

    KangWoo lowered his body after seeing the giant ogre getting closer.

    "GRRRRR!!"

    Seeing an ogre that was almost five meters tall shouting and running toward you would usually be overwhelming.

    ''Authority of Divine Power.''

    KangWoo concluded that, without using an Authority, he wouldn''t be able to win against a giant ogre. So he used the Authority of Divine Power and then collided with it.

    "GRRRRR!!"

    As KangWoo and the giant ogre collided, the surrounding terrain turned upside down, and a loud noise spread.

    "Ugh."

    A short exmation came out of KangWoo''s mouth.

    ''As expected from an S-rank monster.''

    Even with the Authority of Divine Power, it was hard to resist it.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    While maintaining the Authority of Divine Power, KangWoo used the arms of the giant ogre as a path to run to its body.

    ''I can win against it.''

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    "KRAARR!!"

    * * *

    A spear made of demonic energy pierced the neck of the giant ogre.

    If it were for him, he wanted to use the Authority of Dark Spearbined with the Authority of the de and cut the ogre''s body from the inside out.

    ''That''s going to be hard to do.''

    Using three different Authorities simultaneously would be hard for him at the moment.

    ''Without the Authority of Divine Power, I won''t be able to resist.''

    KangWoo had to put extra strength on his hand so as to not to be pushed away by the giant ogre violently twisting its body.

    The giant ogre was so strong that blood came out of his hand.

    "Dark Side."

    As KangWoo and the ogre shed against each other, Echidnaunched her magic.

    Twelve swords appeared in the air and flew toward the ogre.

    <em>sh-! sh!</em>

    "KUOOO!!"

    The ogre, who was trying to push KangWoo away from its body, was cut by the twelve swords.

    The ogre''s eyes became red and it began twisting its body even more violently.

    "GRRRR!!"

    The giant ogre began running toward Echidna.

    "I can''t let you do that," After saying that, KangWoo dismissed the Authority of Dark Spear and concentrated the Authority of Divine Power on his right hand.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    The Authority of Divine Power concentrated on his right hand as he prated the monster¡¯s skull with it.

    After breaking through the ogre¡¯s head, KangWoo felt something squishy.

    ''Authority of Thunder.''

    <em>Bzzt-!!</em>

    "Kuooo¡­"

    After feeling lightning strike the insides of his head, the ogre trembled with its mouth agape.

    A ck scythe flew toward the ogre that had be slower.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    The five-meter-tall ogre fell to the ground.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully eliminated an S-rank normal monster, Giant Ogre.]

    [You''ve gained experience.]

    [Your level has gone up by 1.]

    ''My level went up after killing one monster.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after reading the message window.

    Usually, it would require a party of yers over level 65 to hunt in an S-rank Gate. Because KangWoo was at level 40, he¡¯d gained a massive amount of experience at once.

    ''Very nice.''

    He thought that choosing to go to an S-rank Gate was the correct decision.

    He wouldn''t have been able to level up in an A-rank gate after killing a single monster.

    "KangWoo, are you okay?"

    Echidna approached KangWoo, who was covered in the blood of the giant ogre.

    She looked at him with worrying eyes.

    He patted her.

    "It''s okay. I was just scratched a little bit."

    To not be pushed away from the giant ogre''s body, KangWoo had grabbed the spear even tighter, so his hands had been scratched a bit.

    But because it was a scratch made by his hand being swept away by a spear, it wasn''t even worth using the Authority of Regeneration.

    "I''ll heal you."

    Echidna didn''t seem to like that he had a small scratch on his hand, so she began licking the wound.

    "¡­"

    A weird sensation began spreading with a ticklish sensation on his hand.

    While smiling awkwardly, KangWoo looked at Echidna, who was licking his hand.

    ''That''s a hand that was inside the brain of an ogre.''

    But he thought it would be better not to tell her at that moment.

    "It''s okay now," KangWoo said while taking his hand from Echidna.

    Echidna looked at him, a bit disappointed. While looking at his hand, she carefully asked.

    "KangWoo, was I of help?"

    "Yes."

    He didn''t need to think about it.

    She really had been of great help in hunting the giant ogre.

    Echidna smiled brightly after hearing his answer.

    KangWoo fell into his thoughts while looking at her.

    ''For her to be this strong without returning to her original body¡­''

    He thought that if she fought using her original body, they should be able to crowd hunt even inside an S-rank gate.

    "I feel like I became stronger after being connected with KangWoo."

    Echidna looked at her own body with surprise.

    She felt that, after spending a night with KangWoo, she had be stronger than before.

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo still looked troubled by the words Echidna chose and gulped.

    "Should we hunt the next monster?"

    "Yes."

    After devouring the ogre''s body with the Authority of Predation, he began moving to find the next target.

    "Kiieekk!!"

    "That¡­"

    At that moment, a group of wyverns came flying toward them.

    Wyverns weren''t S-rank monsters, but because they moved in big groups, it was known that you had to be even more careful with them than with a giant ogre.

    ''There are over 30.''

    KangWoo''s expression stiffened after looking at the group of wyverns flying toward them.

    A group of over 30 wyverns was powerful enough to hunt a giant ogre easily.

    "Kiieekk!!"

    The group of wyverns flew toward KangWoo and Echidna and descended at a speed that was close to the speed of sound.

    KangWoo dodged the wyvern''s attacks while hugging Echidna.

    <em>Scratch-</em>

    "Ah¡­"

    While dodging the attack of the wyverns, the ws of a wyvern tore Echidna''s dress.

    Echidna''s face became blue.

    "Ah, ah¡­"

    "Let''s hide first," KangWoo said while looking at the group of wyverns.

    But Echidna wasn''t in a state where she could hear his words.

    "K-KangWoo¡­"

    "hmm?"

    "KangWoo praised me for this dress¡­"

    Her body trembled while she gripped the torn dress.

    A terrifying energy erupted from her body as if an explosion had happened.

    "KangWoo praised me for this dress!"

    Echidna''s body was covered with a blue light.

    A giant dragon that made the wyverns look like sparrows appeared.

    "Krrr?!"

    The wyverns that¡¯d gone flying there after smelling something delicious stared at Echidna¡ªwho had transformed into a dragon¡ªin surprise.

    [ROOAARR!!]

    Echidna''s roar spread.

    After hearing the roar of a dragon, the wyverns tried to turn around and escape.

    <em>Crack-! sh!</em>

    Echidna annihted the group of wyverns that were trying to escape.

    The group of wyverns that could hunt a giant ogre as if it were a kid died by the ws of Echidna without being able to do anything.

    "Woah¡­"

    KangWooughed in disbelief.

    ''Isn''t she stronger than me?''

    Echidna was stronger than he had initially thought.

 Chapter 54: Hunting at the Level S Gate (3)

    [ROOAARR!]

    Echidna''s angry roar spread through the interior of the S-rank gate.

    Ting-

    [Your summoned monster has eliminated a Wyvern, an A-rank normal monster.]

    [Your level has gone up.]

    "Kiieekk!!"

    The screams of Wyverns could be heard.

    The ck scythe that Echidna created, fire, and thorns dropped toward the Wyverns as if it were raining.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your summoned monster has eliminated a Wyvern, an A-rank normal monster.]

    [Your level has gone up.]

    ''Nice!''

    KangWoo clenched his fists while looking at Echidna''s great performance.

    After noticing members of the same species in danger, more Wyverns came to help, but they couldn''t do anything against the enraged Echidna.

    ''Yes! Kill them all!''

    KangWoo smiled while looking at Echidna, who was killing the wyverns with a strength that exceeded his expectations.

    Every time Echidna killed a wyvern, a blue message appeared in front of him, and his level increased at an incredible speed.

    "Nice! This is what I call a summoned monster!"

    KangWoo felt like a trophy husband who lived without doing anything.

    Buer? Cerberus?

    Echidna''s strength couldn''t bepared to the ones the monsters he was thinking of had.

    ''Although she consumes a lot of demonic energy.''

    KangWoo felt a bit sad when he felt his demonic energy depleting.

    At first, he was surprised after seeing Echidnapletely annihte the group of wyverns.

    She was so strong that he couldn''t believe she had lost against Reinald''s party.

    But that doubt was quickly answered after seeing that his demonic energy flowed out every time Echidna moved.

    ''So she became stronger after receiving my power.''

    KangWoo finally understood what she¡¯d been referring to when she¡¯d said, ¡°connected.¡±

    Just like he was connected to his familiar spirit, she was also connected to him in the soul aspect.

    ''It''s a bit different from Kim ShiHoon¡¯s case.''

    Kim ShiHoon''s main source of strength wasn''t demonic energy, but a stat called Qi.

    Unlike him, Echidna''s main source of strength was demonic energy.

    Even if they were both connected to his soul, he could give more to Echidna than Kim ShiHoon.

    [ROOAARR!!!!]

    <em>Crack-! Crunch!</em>

    ''It isn''t a bad thing.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after seeing that Echidna had eliminated most of the wyverns.

    If he had summoned a buer or a cerberus, they probably wouldn''t have be as strong as Echidna¡ªeven if they could absorb his strength.

    ''There''s a huge gap in their potential, after all.''

    It didn''t matter how strong an ant became, it was still an ant. Every species had a hard cap on how much strength they could obtain.

    Of course, you could say that thatw didn''t apply in a world full of yers, but there was no way it didn''t have any influence at all.

    ''In that sense, Echidna is great.''

    She showed so much strength that KangWoo wondered if she wasn''t actually stronger than him.

    First of all, she showed more strength than he had initially expected.

    ''And¡­''

    The fact that she could use his strength and be so strong meant that his growth also influenced Echidna.

    ''The stronger I get, the stronger Echidna will also get.''

    Because KangWoo was getting stronger at a very fast rate, that was a huge bonus point.

    It seemed like the clothes also got bigger when she grew in size.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your summoned monster has eliminated a Wyvern, an A-rank normal monster.]

    [Your level has gone up.]

    A clear bell sound resounded, and silence fell to the surroundings.

    [Oof, oof¡­]

    The destruction was over.

    Echidna was breathing heavily after eliminating the wyverns.

    She returned to a smaller size as her body became covered with a blue light again.

    "Oof¡­"

    Echidna was about to cry while looking at the dress that was torn apart.

    KangWoo patted her head.

    "It''s okay. Don''t worry about clothes since we can always buy more."

    "But¡­"

    "Don''t worry. I''m sure anything would look good on you."

    * * *

    "¡­"

    After hearing KangWoo''s words, Echidna finally stopped crying.

    KangWoo kept talking with a harder tone.

    "But don''t do this anymore."

    "Ugh¡­"

    "I don''t like people who can''t control their anger and lose their minds."

    It wasn''t simply a matter of liking or not.

    ¡®You may lose your life if you lose your rationality during a battle.¡¯

    "I¡­ I''m sorry¡­"

    Echidna lowered her head with a sad expression.

    He felt bad about her, but he couldn''t let it go.

    ''If I don''t make it clear, something like this may happen again.''

    Her being strong was good news.

    He¡¯d cheered for her when she¡¯d returned to her original body and wiped out the group of wyverns.

    But it would be a problem if he thought that what she did was okay because of that.

    Just because the result was okay didn¡¯t mean there wasn''t any issue with the process.

    "Don''t do that anymore. Okay?"

    "Yes. I won''t get angry again."

    Echidna anxiously nodded because she didn''t want KangWoo to hate her because of what had just happened.

    Because she was in a state ofcking affection, KangWoo had be someone very important to her.

    KangWoo patted her head.

    "I believe in you."

    "I''m going to try even harder and be more of a help to KangWoo."

    Echidna clenched her fists and began walking in search of the next target.

    At that moment, her steps became messy.

    "Ah¡­!"

    "Are you okay?"

    KangWoo grabbed Echidna before she could fall.

    He saw Echidna breathing heavily and sweat dripping through her forehead.

    ''She overdid herself.''

    It was the price she had to pay for using KangWoo''s power and using more strength than she originally had.

    "I¡­ I''m okay. I still can move a b¡ª"

    "That''s enough for today. Stay here and rest for a bit."

    "But¡­"

    "Stay here and rest."

    Echidna trembled a bit and nodded after hearing his firm tone.

    KangWooid her down on top of a stone and stood up.

    "Stay here and rest for a moment."

    "What about KangWoo¡­?"

    "There are some things I must do."

    After saying that, KangWoo walked toward the forest.

    "Oof."

    A short sigh left his mouth.

    He could hear loud stepsing from inside the forest.

    "There are approximately five."

    There was no way that other monsters hadn''t noticed a dragon that was almost 20 meters big fighting against a group of monsters.

    KangWoo began warming up after sensing five giant ogresing to where he was standing.

    ''It isn''t going to be easy.''

    KangWoo felt a bit burdened at the thought of fighting five giant ogres without the help of Echidna.

    "Well, should I strain myself for the first time in a while?"

    Receiving the experience that resulted from his summoned monster hunting was nice, but he also had to move from time to time.

    Just like you needed to sharpen your knife for it to cut properly, you needed to keep fighting to maintain your battle sense.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    The Authority of Hellfire appeared on both of his hands.

    A smile appeared on his face, and strong killing flowed out of his body.

    After being fully covered by demonic energy, he didn''t seem human anymore.

    GRRRR!!

    The predator of predators showed his sharp teeth.

    * * *

    ¡°My level rose by quite a bit."

    After finishing hunting, KangWoo checked the results.

    His current level was 49.

    He was about to reach level 50 andplete the sixth Awakening.

    Thanks to hunting in an S-rank gate, his level went up from 41 to 49 in a single day.

    It was a speed that had never been seen before.

    It was so fast that if he told someone, that person would probably think that he had gone crazy.

    ¡®There probably isn''t any yer that can hunt in an S-rank gate at level 40 in the first ce.''

    That was all thanks to his abnormally high statspared to his level.

    ''My demonic energy also increased.''

    KangWoo smiled after noticing that this demonic energy had increased a lotpared to before.

    They didn''t give as much demonic energy as demonic monsters, but thanks to their high ranking, he obtained quite a bit of it.

    "Should I go back?"

    To be honest, he wanted to farm a bit more and finish the sixth Awakening, but he was starting to feel tired.

    ''There''s always tomorrow.''

    With how many levels he had already increased that day, he had leveled up at an unbelievable speedpared to other yers.

    "Echidna, are you feeling okay?"

    "I''m still a bit tired, but thanks to resting a bit, I''m okay."

    Echidna joined back with KangWoo in the middle of his hunting.

    Unlike her words, she looked tired, so he softly patted her head and spoke.

    "Let''s go back."

    "I can hunt more."

    "It''s just that I''m also tired."

    "Okay¡­ Then let''s go."

    Her expression showed that she was relieved.

    She didn''t say it out loud, but it seemed like she had been overexerting herself.

    After patting Echidna''s head, KangWoo turned his body around and walked toward the gate''s entrance.

    "Oh. Let''s buy new clothes on the way back home."

    She was wearing KangWoo''s outerwear instead of the dress that was torn apart.

    Echidna nodded with her eyes shining.

    "I''m okay with anything that KangWoo chooses."

    "Okay."

    She walked while grabbing his clothes.

    As they walked outside, they were greeted by the night wind.

    Since they were around a gate, the clothing shops were quite far away.

    KangWoo walked toward a clothing shop through the shortest path that appeared on the map.

    ¡­Then they found themselves in an alley devoid of other people.

    ''If we go through this ce and walk about 300 meters¡­''

    KangWoo walked while looking at the map.

    "KangWoo¡­"

    At that moment, Echidna, who was following him from behind, pulled his clothes.

    He tilted his head and turned around. Echidna opened her mouth with a stiff expression.

    "I smell blood."

 Chapter 55: The Secret Video Recording (1)

    "Oof! Ugh!"

    A rough breath came out of Kang DongHoon''s mouth.

    He walked while feeling the sticky sensation of his t-shirt covered with blood.

    ''I need to give this to the captain...''

    He took out a memory chip from his pocket and put on a desperate expression.

    He thought of his captain, who was probably looking for him.

    The beautiful girl who had shining silver hair¡­

    He was thinking of Baek HwaYeon, the person in charge of the Hwarang Third Squadron.

    "Cough! Cough!"

    Red blood came from his mouth.

    Kang DongHoon cleaned the blood flowing out from his mouth and began moving again.

    ''I need to make them lose track of me.''

    He tried to get hold of himself while biting his lip.

    The thoughts about the ones chasing him made his body feel heavier.

    "Damn it..."

    He was starting to lose conscience. He moved while struggling.

    He didn''t mind dying¡­

    But he couldn''t die without giving that video to Baek HwaYeon.

    That''s how shocking the contents of the video were.

    "..."

    Kang DongHoon looked at the SD memory card.

    He remembered everything he had to go through just to get that video.

    ''Those crazy bastards.''

    He frowned while thinking of the things he¡¯d seen while infiltrating the Demon Cult.

    They used living people as offerings without batting an eye.

    The problem was that the cult didn''t consist of one or two people¡­

    At first, they thought that it was just a pseudo-religion, but the forces of the Demon Cult were bigger than they had thought.

    Kang DongHoon had infiltrated the Demon Cult and acted as if he were crazy to get more information.

    And while doing that, he¡¯d managed to record footage where shocking scenes appeared.

    ''It was all okay until then.''

    The Demon Cult strictly controlledmunication devices to prevent information from leaking out.

    Even if you managed to sneak a device in, allmunications from inside the location were blocked.

    To send the footage he had recorded to the base, he had to get them the memory card in person.

    "Coff! Coff!"

    Kang DongWoon fell to the ground while coughing blood.

    To take the video outside, he had put a fake video on top of the original file.

    The only way you could see what really was inside was to use a decoding device that the Hwarang Squad had.

    The video file was something that wouldn''t be weird for an adult male to have. He had naturally walked out of the base of the Demon Cult and headed toward the ce they had arranged to meet.

    ''To think they would find the camera out just at that moment.''

    One Demon Cult member had found the camera he had used to record.

    Because of that, all the effort of using a fake video to hide the original one became useless.

    Now that they''d found out that he had recorded, the fact that he had used a fake video to hide the real one meant nothing.

    After realizing he was in trouble, Kang DongHoon had taken the memory card and escaped.

    People began pursuing him, and an intense fight took ce.

    He¡¯d managed to sneak out and ask for help, but it wasn''t easy to escape because he had already suffered fatal damage.

    "Oof, oof..."

    Kang DongHoon felt his conscience getting blurry because of the amount of blood he was losing.

    He knew that he was getting close to his limit.

    If he lost conscience at that moment, the evidence he had got would be destroyed by them.

    "Captain..."

    With thest remaining strength he had, he walked toward an alley.

    "I smell blood."

    At that moment, he heard the clear voice of a little girl.

    With his eyes shining, Kang DongHoon walked to where he could hear the voice.

    * * *

    "Oof! Oof!"

    From inside the alley, he could hear a rough breath.

    KangWoo frowned after smelling the blooding in that direction.

    ''What happened?''

    Right then, he was quite far away from the gate.

    There was no way he would smell such an intense scent of blood there.

    KangWoo moved toward where he could hear the heavy breathing.

    "Ah, ugh..."

    There, he saw a young man in his twenties, trembling while covered in blood.

    After seeing KangWoo, the man crawled to him.

    "Th-this... Please..."

    With his hands trembling, he gave KangWoo a memory card.

    ¡ªIt was a micro SD often used in smartphones.

    "Hwar..."

    <em>Tap</em>-

    He couldn''t finish his words and lost consciousness.

    KangWoo was disconcerted by what had just happened.

    "What''s this...?"

    The young man covered in blood had copsed to the ground before he could do anything.

    KangWoo looked around and walked toward the young man.

    ''He''s dead.''

    It seemed like his wound was already deep before he got there. The young man ended up losing his life almost immediately.

    KangWoo tried to find out the young man¡¯s identity somehow.

    "Hmm..."

    But he couldn''t find either a wallet or a phone in his pocket.

    There was nothing he could use to check his identity.

    ''I wonder if I can check his identity with the Authority of Observation.''

    He used the Authority of Observation on him. After all, he¡¯d been able to see Kim ShiHoon''s status window thanks to it.

    Demonic energy emerged from his body and entered the young man''s corpse.

    [Status Window]

    yer Name: Kang DongHoon

    Level 52: [6th Awakening]

    ''Sixth Awakening?''

    * * *

    He was a yer who had a considerably high level. Not only that, but the highest-ranking Attribute he had was A, so it wasn''t low.

    ''It''s clear he didn''te out of the gate.''

    To ess an S-rank gate, you had to be at least level 60 and havepleted the seventh Awakening.

    ''I also didn''t see him inside the gate.''

    KangWoo picked up the micro SD that Kang DongHoon had left.

    "So, this is the only evidence I have?"

    KangWoo put the micro SD card inside his phone.

    Inside the memory card, there was only one video.

    KangWoo pressed y and watched it.

    "Th-this...!"

    KangWoo''s eyes widened after seeing the contents of the video.

    The sound of muddy water¡­

    The sound of a woman moaning¡­

    Bodies interacting with each other filled the screen.

    Inside the micro SD that he¡¯d received from the young man about to die, there was an adult video.

    ''This is porn...''

    KangWoo was confused by the situation.

    To think that the thing that the young man had given him with hisst remaining strength was porn.

    ''What''s up with this situation?''

    KangWoo grabbed his forehead in confusion.

    He didn''t know what to do in that bizarre situation.

    ''Why did he give this to me before dying?''

    It was something too dirty to call a relic.

    ''Did I see wrong?''

    KangWoo once again watched the video from start to finish.

    But there was nothing on the video except for bodies interacting.

    "..."

    KangWoo looked at his smartphone with his mouth closed.

    To understand the deep meaning of the video, he observed it with sharp eyes.

    He watched the video again from start to finish.

    "Hmm..."

    Once more¡­

    "Hmm."

    And once more¡­

    "Oof..."

    Non-stop.

    "This is¡­"

    The tips of his lips went up.

    He looked at the video with a smile.

    "Nice."

    Ten thousand years¡­

    It had been ten thousand years.

    It was the first time in ten thousand years he had seen porn.

    "Very nice."

    At the moment, he didn''t care about things like pride or anything.

    KangWoo looked at the video as if he were about to get dragged into it.

    ''Amazing.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone while looking at the video.

    Just by looking at it, he could feel his body bing hot.

    "KangWoo, what''s that?"

    Echidna asked while pulling his clothes.

    "A video with a very important piece of evidence."

    KangWoo said in a very serious voice tone.

    "Yes. How should I say it? It''s about the wonders of the human body... The miracle of birth..."

    He was describing porn in a glorifying way when suddenly¡­

    <em>Tap- Tap</em>

    "Hey."

    At that moment, KangWoo and Echidna were surrounded by a group of people.

    There was a sense of madness in the peoples¡¯ eyes who were wearing ck clothes.

    "..."

    KangWoo put the smartphone into his pocket.

    He could feel a killing intenting from those people.

    ''Who are these guys?''

    KangWoo frowned.

    At that moment, one guy whose half of his face had been damaged by fire approached him.

    He looked at Kang DongHoon''s corpse and then looked at KangWoo and spoke in a low tone.

    "You saw that video."

    "What...?"

    KangWoo looked at them, disconcerted.

    The man wearing ck clothes beganughing.

    "Don''t act dumb. I already know that you''ve seen the video."

    "No, I did see it. But..."

    "As long as you''ve seen the video, we cannot let you live."

    "What are you talking about?"

    KangWoo looked at them in disbelief.

    The man with the burned face snorted.

    "Hmph. Are you trying to act dumb after seeing that video?"

    "What?"

    "You''re a shameless one, huh? Or maybe you''re just dumb."

    ''What are you talking about?''

    "Anyway, as long as you''ve seen that video, we cannot let you live."

    ''Why are they so obsessed with porn?''

    KangWoo couldn''t understand the current situation.

    The men wearing ck robes took out their weapons and released a chilling killing intent.

    "..."

    He couldn''t understand why those people were so obsessed with the video.

    But there was something he was sure about: they were after the video he had with himself at the moment.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    He softly grabbed his phone, which he had put in his pocket.

    "I''m sorry, but I cannot give you this."

    "Hng, you''re finally revealing your true colors."

    The men took their weapons out as if saying that they knew it.

    KangWoo red at them.

    ''No matter what happens, I will protect this video.''

    ¡®Even if it costs my life!¡¯

 Chapter 56: The Secret Video Recording (2)

    "Die!"

    The men surrounding KangWoo charged toward him simultaneously.

    ''Twelve.''

    KangWoo lowered his body, quickly checked out his surroundings, and counted the number of opponents.

    "Ha-ab!"

    The one on the forefront tried to smash him while shouting.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Huh?!"

    He was pushed back the moment he shed with KangWoo''s sword.

    He couldn''t believe what had happened, so he looked at both swords.

    He wasn''t the only one surprised.

    "Ha-ab!"

    KangWoo easily dodged the attack of the person that tried to hit him with an axe from behind.

    He used the Authority of Speed and moved at an incredible speed.

    ''Authority of Iron Defense.''

    KangWoo dismissed the Authority of the de and instead used the Authority of Iron Defense on both hands.

    ck energy covered his fists and created a form that resembled gloves.

    Thebination of the Authority of Speed and Iron Defense¡­

    The opponents were swept away by the fast and strong punches that had the strength of a cannonball.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    The ones who received a punch were pushed back.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Argh!"

    It was useless if they tried to block the punches with their weapons.

    Thanks to the Authority of Speed, KangWoo could easily twist his body a bit and hit body parts that the enemy couldn¡¯t block.

    The men rolled on the ground while sounds of bones breaking spread.

    "What the..."

    "From where did someone like hime..."

    As three people fell instantly, nobody could hide their surprise.

    They weren''t weak by any means.

    Everyone there had finished the fifth Awakening. Not only that, but their leader was someone talented who had done the sixth Awakening.

    yers couldn''t raise their levels easily without a high-ranking Attribute, so he was definitely someone talented among yers.

    Not only that, but there were twelve of them.

    Even if the opponent had achieved the seventh Awakening after going through level 59, which is known as ''ultimate effort,'' he shouldn''t have been so overwhelmingly powerful.

    "D-don''t tell me¡­ Eighth Awakening?"

    "There''s no way."

    The men couldn''t believe what had just happened, so they grabbed their weapons again and charged toward KangWoo.

    But the result was the same as before.

    No, it was worse.

    <em>Crack-! sh!</em>

    "AAGGHH!!"

    The men who had lost their arms and legs began screaming.

    Them running toward the fire made them look like moths.

    KangWoo didn''t need to use any special or psychological warfare technique.

    KangWoo beat them with just overwhelming speed and strength.

    The number of people with all of their limbs was reduced to half.

    "M-monster..."

    Fear could be seen in the faces of the men.

    The difference in their strength was overwhelming.

    They were being unterally beaten up.

    The one who looked like the leader among them opened his mouth while frowning.

    "Everyone, unlock your power..."

    "B-but, Leader¡­"

    "If things keep going like this, we''re all going to die anyways!"

    Everyone''s expression stiffened after hearing the order.

    ''What are they trying to do?''

    KangWoo frowned after hearing them talk about unlocking their power.

    Those doubts were soon answered.

    As the men began casting in an unknownnguage, demonic energy started toe out from their bodies.

    ''Demonic energy.''

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    The fact that they were using demonic energy could only mean one thing¡­

    ''Were they members of the Demon Cult?''

    Now he was even more confused about why they were obsessing so much about a video like that.

    ''Was there something I missed?''

    KangWoo tried to remember the five-minute-long video.

    But no matter how much he thought about it, there was nothing except for the miracle of birth.

    "GRRRR!"

    The facial expressions of the men using demonic energy distorted.

    Their blood vessels swelled hideously, and their eyes became red.

    Their skin turned darker, and the muscles of their body grew.

    "Oh."

    KangWoo looked at them with great interest.

    ''They''re turning into demons.''

    Up until recently, they were so close to human that KangWoo hadn''t noticed they had demonic energy inside them, but their bodies were changing and getting closer to bing demons.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    ''They''re low-level, huh?''

    Low-level¡­

    There was no other way to exin.

    Once you ept demonic energy into your body, it starts to get closer to a demon''s.

    Once that happened, there were two possible oues: the first one was turning into a demon while maintaining your original appearance, and the other one was turning into a grotesque demon.

    The body of a demon constantly craved to fulfill desires.

    At first, it doesn''t sound that bad. But for a human to resist that, it isn''t easy.

    If you get drunk with the power spreading through your body, it may devour your mind. And once that happens¡­

    ''You turn into a demonic monster rather than a demon.''

    KangWoo looked coldly at they who could not be called human anymore.

    If wepare it to a martian arts novel, they were people that became crazy because of magic, and KangWoo was an expert who could perfectly control it.

    "Tsk. I won''t be able to ask them why they''re so obsessed about this video."

    KangWoo looked at them after clicking his tongue.

    * * *

    Because their minds werepletely devoured, he couldn''t ask them for the information they had, even with the Authority of Fear.

    "GRRRR!"

    After they became creatures with darker skin color and red eyes, they threw their weapons and charged toward KangWoo.

    Echidna stood in front of KangWoo.

    "I won''t let them touch KangWoo."

    Unlike before, she could feel dangerous energying from them.

    After sensing danger, she stood in front of KangWoo to defend him.

    The demons shrugged a bit after sensing the strong demonic energying out from her.

    "Echidna¡­"

    "KangWoo...?"

    Echidna looked worryingly at KangWoo, who ced his hand on her shoulder.

    "KangWoo, it''s dangerous. You could get hurt. I''ll take..."

    "There are a few things you still don''t know about me."

    KangWoo''s mouth twisted while he took a step forward.

    "These guys will never be able to win against me."

    Ten thousand years¡­

    To be the ruler of ten thousand demons, he had fought and devoured many demons.

    There probably wasn''t anyone in the world who knew better than him how to fight against demons.

    <em>ck-</em>

    A sword made of demonic energy appeared in his hand.

    The men who¡¯d turned into demons charged toward KangWoo.

    Was it because of the increased physical capabilities?

    Every time they stepped forward, a bit of the concrete sank.

    "GRRRR!"

    KangWoo easily dodged their attacks and stabbed a demon in the chest.

    A sword that was about 30 centimeters big prated its chest.

    If it were a human, it would''ve probably died instantly.

    ''But if you''re a demon, that''s a whole ¡®nother story.''

    Their bodies had a regenerative ability that couldn''t bepared to humans.

    KangWoo put demonic energy into the sword.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    The sword stuck in the demon''s chest grew and tore the demon apart from inside out.

    Dark-red blood began flowing out as if it were a fountain.

    ''You need to do this much to kill one.''

    KangWoo looked coldly at the pieces of flesh on the ground and began moving again.

    <em>sh-! Crack!</em>

    "GRAARR!!"

    Every time KangWoo moved, the painful screams of monsters spread through the ce.

    Although the man had unlocked their power with determination, the flow of the battle didn''t change.

    No. KangWoo''s movements had be more aggressive after concluding that he wouldn''t be able to take information from them.

    "GR, AAHH."

    You could see the fear in the expressions of demons who had lost their minds.

    ¡ªIt was their subconscious that was screaming.

    They weren¡¯t facing something they could hunt.

    What they were facing wasn''t food.

    It wasn''t someone demonic monsters like them could face.

    ¡ªIt was someone that ruled over them from a higher ce.

    "GRAARR!"

    The demons tried to escape while screaming.

    KangWoo smiled after seeing them trying to escape.

    "It''s a little bitte for that."

    KangWoo extended his right hand.

    Strong demonic energy started to flow through his body. The sword made of demonic energy entered the floor and began moving on its own as if it were alive.

    ''Earth des.''

    <em>sh-! sh-! sh-!</em>

    Thousands of swords rose from the ground, breaking the concrete.

    As if it were a wave, the swords struck the fleeting demons.

    Their bodies were scattered by the thousands of swords that rose from the ground.

    "Oof."

    After swiping away all the demons, KangWoo caught his breath while taking out his smartphone.

    "Just why would they do that for this...?"

    He took out his smartphone and looked at the video again.

    He only could hear the sound of flesh and the moans of a woman.

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''It doesn''t matter how many times I look at it, it''s just porn.''

    He looked at the screen as if he couldn''t understand it.

    m-!

    "Is it here?!"

    "Yes! I clearly received a signal from here..."

    He could see Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon approaching him at a surprising speed.

    ''Chae YeonJoo?''

    KangWoo seemed surprised at her sudden appearance.

    "KangWoo...?"

    Chae YeonJoo''s eyes also widened as if she couldn''t believe what she was seeing.

    "H-how are you here?"

    "That''s what I want to ask. Why did youe here?"

    "Ah...!"

    As if she finally remembered why she''de there, Chae YeonJoo quickly turned her head around.

    "KangWoo, didn''t you see a memory card with a video?"

    "Are you talking about this?"

    As KangWoo showed her a memory card for a smartphone, Chae YeonJoo''s eyes shone.

    "Yes, that''s it!"

    "But why would you need something like this..."

    "It''s a memory card with a very important video."

    "What...?"

    KangWoo looked at her, stunned.

    Chae YeonJoo answered him with a serious expression.

    "It''s something I need."

    "This...?"

    KangWoo looked at her with a stiff expression. Chae YeonJoo nodded without thinking twice.

    "I need to use it right now. So give it to me."

    "..."

    KangWoo''s body trembled while looking at the memory card.

    He thought of the video that was inside it.

    ''She needs to use it right now?''

    ¡®What is she going to use it for?¡¯

 Chapter 57: The Secret Video Recording (3)

    "Okay..."

    KangWoo gave her the memory card with a confused expression on his face.

    ''It seems like there''s definitely something hidden in the video.''

    It didn''t matter how many times he thought about it. It didn''t seem that she was going to use it for what porn was intended for.

    After receiving the memory card, she seemed to be thinking about something; then she slowly opened her mouth.

    "Let''s look at the video together. It''s stuff you''ll learn about sooner orter anyway."

    "No, I already know that stuff."

    KangWoo became sure that there was something hidden in the video, but he couldn''t help but feel weird about it.

    "HwaYeon, how is your agent?"

    "He died..."

    Baek HwaYeon, who had been looking through the corpses, spoke with a heavy expression on his face.

    She approached KangWoo and spoke in a low voice.

    "Could... I ask you what happened?"

    "I''m also not quite sure what happened."

    KangWoo sighed and told her what had happened from the moment he met the young man who had given him the memory card until then.

    "They attacked you the moment you received the memory card?"

    "Yes."

    "So you really were involved in the incident just by chance."

    Baek HwaYeon raised her chin as if she had a headache.

    "But I also want to know a bit more. What happened?"

    "I''ll exin to you the situation after looking at that video."

    "Oh, yeah. About that vid..."

    Before KangWoo could finish the sentence, the sound of a moan spread through the alley.

    Chae YeonJoo had pressed y after putting the memory card on her phone.

    "Wh-what''s this¡­?" Chae YeonJoo said with her face as red as her hair color.

    Baek HwaYeoon took a glimpse at the video.

    "It''s a fake video. We cannot look at the real content in the video without the video decrypter that we have on our base."

    "No, but why did he use such a video as a fake!" Chae YeonJoo shouted with her face red.

    Baek HwaYeon calmly answered.

    "Isn''t it a good fake because it''s this kind of video? We rmend our agents use adult videos. Agent Kang DongHoon just did as he learned at our headquarters."

    "N-no, wait. That means..."

    Chae YeonJoo turned her head around to KangWoo.

    "You¡­ you saw that video. Right?"

    "Yes."

    "Why didn''t you tell me!"

    "You said you needed to use it right now..."

    "Use for what?!" She shouted with her face red.

    After realizing the truth about the video, KangWoo smirked and opened his mouth.

    "I was just about to ask that. What were you nning to use that for?"

    "Y-you damn..."

    Her body began trembling because of the humiliation.

    But she couldn''t say anything because she was the one who¡¯d taken the memory card from him as fast as she could.

    "But what just happened? Just what''s really in that video?"

    "Oof..."

    Chae YeonJoo was about to say something else when she sighed and began exining.

    As she kept talking, KangWoo''s doubts started to be answered.

    "So, you''d arranged to meet up with an agent that had infiltrated the Demon Cult, but that went wrong?"

    "Yes. After receiving the signal for S.O.S, we looked around, but we weren''t able to find him. This was the ce where we received thest signal."

    "Hmm. That means there''s information about the Demon Cult in that memory stick."

    He was finally starting to understand why those men had suddenly tried to kill him and why Chae YeonJoo had said that there was important information in that video.

    ''That''s also why there weren''t that many members of the Hwarang Squad guarding the gate.''

    There was a chance that the First Hwarang Squad had been dispatched as support.

    "Yes. Th-that''s why I didn''t say that because of porn! Understood?!"

    "I understand. Calm down."

    It seemed like Chae YeonJoo was still embarrassed. She shouted while grabbing his cor.

    Echidna approached her and separated her from him.

    "Don''t treat KangWoo like that."

    Echidna looked cautiously at her while hugging KangWoo''s waist.

    "Th-this kid..."

    "She''s the summoned monster I told you about before."

    "Oh, she''s the dragon?"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at Echidna with great interest.

    She looked like a little girl who resembled a very pretty doll rather than a dragon.

    "Wait, is she really a summoned monster? You didn''t do anything weird. Right?"

    "What kind of person do you think I am?"

    "Ah... Well, I''m sure you aren''t someone who would do something like that."

    Chae YeonJoo nodded.

    "You''re not that kind of trash, but a different one."

    "Are youplimenting me or insulting me?"

    KangWoo looked at her in disbelief.

    Echidna red at Chae YeonJoo and opened her mouth.

    "Take back what you just said."

    * * *

    "Ugh..."

    "KangWoo isn''t trash. He''s someone very important to me."

    "Th-that..."

    "If you don''t take it back, I won''t remain still," Echidna said while letting out demonic energy.

    Chae YeonJoo seemed troubled and scratched the back of her head after hearing the words that a doll-like girl said.

    "Okay, I take it back."

    "Then it''s okay..."

    Echidna stopped leaking out demonic energy and put her head on KangWoo''s body, whom she was hugging.

    KangWoo patted Echidna, who was rubbing her cheeks on him.

    "What did you do?"

    "It''s because of my poprity and kindness."

    "Don''t say nonsense," Chae YeonJoo said, fed up.

    Baek HwaYeon, who had been ordering the surroundings, approached Chae YeonJoo and KangWoo.

    "Let''s return to the headquarters. Only there can we can decrypt this video."

    "Okay. KangWoo, you''re alsoing. Right?"

    "Well, since things have turned out like this, it would be weird for me not to go there."

    KangWoo shrugged his shoulders and followed Baek WhaYeon.

    * * *

    The headquarters of the Hwarang Squad wasn''t that far away from there.

    Unlike the yer management office, the building where they followed Baek HwaYeon to was rather simple.

    "Captain Baek HwaYeon!"

    As Baek HwaYeon entered the building, members of the Hwarang Squad came running to greet her.

    She nodded with a heavy expression on her face and opened her mouth.

    "Agent Kang DongHoon died. I''ll contact the family, so take care of the rewards."

    "Ah..."

    "He''s a national hero. Take care of the family with respect."

    "Yes!"

    Baek HwaYeon kept talking while looking around.

    "Where is Captain Jang HyunJae?"

    "He''s currently in Japan, investigating the SS-rank Gate."

    "Hmm..."

    Jang HyunJae¡­

    He was the leader of the Hwarang Squad.

    Except for Baek KangHyun, there wasn''t anyone in Korea capable of winning against him.

    ''If the captain were here...''

    Baek WhaYeon sighed.

    She thought that if he were there, maybe agent Kang DongHoon wouldn''t have died.

    "I''ll go to the investigation room. Bring in the video decrypter."

    "Yes!"

    Baek HwaYeon went to the investigation room with KangWoo and Chae YeonJoo.

    After they passed the video on the memory card through the decrypter, a room with a dark background appeared.

    The first person they saw was someone unknown wearing a mask.

    ''A red demon mask.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after seeing the video.

    He remembered what Jo DeokHyun had told him.

    ''Is that the person who''s going around preaching about the Demon Cult?''

    KangWoo kept watching the video attentively.

    [Cardinal.]

    [Yes.]

    One man who entered the dark room kneeled before him.

    ¡ªIt was a man who had a geometric tattoo on his face.

    With a very educated manner, he bowed his head at the feet of the mask-wearing cardinal and spoke with a trembling voice.

    [The preparations for the ''summon'' are almost ready.]

    [How long will it take?]

    [Four weeks... If we''re lucky, three.]

    [Three weeks¡­]

    The man wearing the red mask nodded after hearing that it would take three weeks.

    [Faster than I thought. Did you receive support?]

    [Yes. As expected from a major guild. Most of the offerings were yers who had a B-rank attribute or higher.]

    [Good.]

    [Hehehe. Soon, our dreams wille true.]

    [This is just the first step. It''s going to take a while before our dreams be a reality.]

    [But if we sessfully manage to do this, maybe they''ll give us even more support¡ª]

    [Enough.]

    The man wearing the red mask interrupted him.

    The eyes that could be seen through the mask shone terrifyingly.

    [Avoid talking about it until the preparations for the summoning are done.]

    [Yes...!] Replied the man with his head on the floor at the answer of the masked man.

    The video was cut short at that moment.

    "..."

    There was a heavy silence in the room.

    Baek WhaYeon and Chae YeonJoo looked with stiff expressions at the projector where the video had been ying.

    "Hmm."

    While frowning, KangWoo organized the information he had just heard in his head.

    "Cardinal, summon, and big guild."

    They were able to obtain three pieces of information from the video.

    The first one was that there was someone who had a higher hierarchy than the person the man called ''cardinal.''

    The second one was that they were making the preparations to summon something to Earth.

    The third one was that a big guild was supporting them.

    "It seems like the only way to get more information will be investigating the big guild."

    "Huh?"

    Baek HwaYeon looked at KangWoo in surprise after hearing what he just said.

    "Why do you think that?"

    "Now that they learned that a spy infiltrated them, they''ll probably do their best to hide as much information about the summoning as possible. We currently have no way to find out more information about them, so all we can do is to investigate which guild is supporting them."

    "Woah..."

    After hearing an exnation that was hard to believe was made in such a short time, she eximed in surprise.

    "Did you work in a field rted to this?"

    A strategist or maybe an analyst¡ªbesides people who worked in those fields, there weren''t many people capable of doing such an analysis so quickly.

    "No, he''s... Just someone like that."

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him in disbelief.

    He was someone who realized her intentions from the first moment she''d approached him.

    "So, what should we do?"

    Chae YeonJoo knew about his abilities, so she asked him about what they should do from then on.

    "Well, there''s only one thing we can do now."

    KangWoo kept talking in a low voice.

    "Hanul, Red Rose, Onnuri, Mir, Sanarae. Except for your guild, the Red Rose Guild, one of those probably supports the Demon Cult."

    "I also know that. But there''s no way we can find out who''s the one connected to the Demon Cult."

    The big guilds were so powerful that not even the government could touch them without thinking twice.

    Even if they wanted to investigate them, they couldn''t do it easily.

    "There''s one way¡­"

    "How...?"

    "We need to¡­"

    A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face.

 Chapter 58: Bait (1)

    "Use a bait."

    "Bait?"

    Chae YeonJoo tilted her head.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "You heard that they''re looking for people with high-ranking attributes, right?"

    The masked man had said in the video, ''As expected from a major Guild. Most of the offerings were yers with a B-rank attribute or higher.''

    That meant they were looking only for yers with high-ranking attributes.

    If this weren''t the case, they wouldn''t have praised them using the word ''as expected'' while talking about receiving yers with a B-rank attribute or higher as offerings.

    "Yes, I know that."

    Chae YeonJoo nodded with a heavy expression.

    She knew better than anyone that they were looking for yers with high-ranking attributes.

    "They''re probably targeting low-level yers."

    "Low-level yers?"

    "To be more precise, low-level yers that have a high-ranking attribute."

    "Aah...!"

    Chae YeonJoo nodded while eximing.

    Normally, if you obtained a high-ranking attribute while your level was low, you had a better chance of obtaining an even higher-ranking one.

    But most yers with a high level and attributes were often rted to other parties and guilds.

    They needed to act as discreetly as possible, so there would be no way they would target someone whose level was high.

    "I agree. Recently, the number of chaos yers around the gates has increased. There has been an increase in kidnappings, too."

    After hearing their exnations, Baek HwaYeon nodded while making a heavy expression.

    The first time she¡¯d met with KangWoo was when she was investigating some incidents that had happened in low-ranking gates.

    "That''s why we need to spread a rumor. Say that an incredibly talented new yer has appeared in a low-ranking gate," KangWoo calmly said.

    "If we say that it''s someone with an S-rank attribute or higher... They''ll probably take the bait."

    "Hmm..."

    Baek HwaYeon gulped after hearing KangWoo''s words. She spoke with a worrying voice.

    "But if rumors start to run wild and other people start noticing that yer, won''t they give up on the hunting?"

    "No. That probably won''t happen."

    "Why do you think that...?" Baek HwaYeon asked while making a confused expression.

    "That''s because fire fell on their feet."

    "Fire fell on their feet?"

    "They''ve now realized that there was a spy among them. This means there''s a chance that information about the summoning has been leaked out."

    "Then, won''t they try to move even more discreetly?"

    KangWoo shook his head at her question.

    "They''ll probably go for a home run."

    "Go for a home run...?"

    "Ms. Baek HwaYeon, what would you do right now to block the offering hunting?"

    "Hmm... If it were me, I''d order all the Squad members to look out for the yers with a B-rank attribute or higher."

    "That''s the normal way to respond."

    Since they were targeting low-level yers with a high-ranking attribute, that was the most logical way to respond to that situation.

    "Then, from their point of view, they need to be very careful before hunting a yer with a B-rank attribute or higher. Because you never know who will be looking out from where."

    "Yes."

    "That''s why they''re probably going to target an S-rank attribute yer rather than a B-rank one."

    "..."

    * * *

    Baek HwaYeon had her mouth shut.

    Just like he said, if they knew that there was a chance that someone was looking out for the B-rank yers, rather than using someone with an average ranking like B, they would probably try to get the bigger prize, an S-rank yer.

    But¡­

    "Isn''t there a chance that they''ll slow down their n and hunt for yers with a low-ranking attribute more safely?" Baek HwaYeon asked him with a serious expression.

    KangWoo smiled at her question.

    "No. Maybe they''ll try to hurry things, but slowing down their ns won''t happen."

    "Why do you think that...?"

    "Because they''re human."

    "...?"

    Baek HwaYeon looked at KangWoo while making a confused expression.

    KangWoo kept talking with a calm voice.

    "They said that if they sessfully manage toplete the summoning, they would receive bigger support from the Cult."

    "Wouldn''t that be dumb? Would they take such a huge risk for a reward in front of them?"

    "Yes."

    "Why do you t¡ª"

    "Because that''s how every person thinks."

    "..."

    Baek HwaYeon had her mouth closed at his firm answer.

    KangWoo smiled after seeing her reaction.

    "Have you heard the story of the marshmallow?"

    "Yes..."

    Baek HwaYeon nodded while making a heavy expression.

    A book that had a simple message that if you could resist the temptation that''s in front of you, you''d be able to get a bigger reward.

    "Do you know why that book became a best-seller?"

    "Isn''t that because it''s the most basic thing about seeding?"

    "No. That book became a best-seller because most people aren''t like that."

    "..."

    Resist the temptation that''s right in front of you¡­

    It may sound simple.

    From a third-person point of view, those who failed because they couldn''t resist temptation looked stupid and pathetic.

    But most people would also make that same stupid mistake if faced with such a situation by chance.

    They know that the temptation in front of them is dangerous¡­

    They also know that, by resisting, they can get a bigger reward.

    But even so, people can''t resist the delicious-smelling marshmallow in front of them.

    That isn''t because they''re irrational or stupid¡­

    That''s because the mechanisms that control your desire are designed to work like that.

    ''Of course, it isn''t like there isn''t anyone who can''t control those desires.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    Just like KangWoo said, it wasn''t like there wasn''t anyone who could resist those temptations.

    But the man wearing the red mask wasn''t one of those, at least.

    ''Because he epted demonic energy into his body.''

    The body of the people that ept demonic energy started to be closer to a demon.

    And the body of a demon always craves to fulfill its lust.

    Even for someone like KangWoo, who had lived a long time as a demon, it was hard to control his lust sometimes.

    He didn''t think that even he couldpletely control his lust and desires.

    "Then, who are you nning to use as bait?" Chae YeonJoo asked.

    "Low-ranking yers with an S-rank attribute or higher are probably already receiving lots of attention. Or there''s a chance that they''re part of a big guild. Don''t tell me you''re trying to use yourself as bait?"

    "No. I''m already known as the rookie receiving the support of Red Rose Guild, so that''ll be hard."

    "Then, are you nning to tell a lie?"

    "No. They''d easily figure out that''s bait if we did that."

    "..."

    Chae YeonJoo had her mouth shut after hearing KangWoo''s answer. She finally opened her mouth while frowning.

    "Then, who are you nning to use as bait?"

    "There''s someone I have in mind," KangWoo answered while smiling.

    A low-level yer whose attribute was higher than S.

    Someone who wasn¡¯t part of any big guild. Not only that, but someone who wasn¡¯t very well known at the moment.

    KangWoo knew someone like that.

    ''Kim ShiHoon.''

    He was a human with such a talent that KangWoo had turned him into his familiar spirit as fast as possible.

    He was so talented that he got SSS on his first Awakening instead of S.

    ''He''s probably bait that will be hard for them to resist.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply while thinking about the red-masked man.

    * * *

    A week after the spy incident¡­

    After epting KangWoo''s proposal, Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon discretely spread rumors about Kim ShiHoon.

    It wasn''t like his name appeared on the news or anything.

    Rumors about Kim ShiHoon started to spread from low-level yers.

    ''The repercussions are greater than I thought,¡¯ KangWoo said while checking out social media.

    There, he saw a post that said there was a rumor that a low-ranking yer who had hidden his attribute had been active in low-ranking gates.

    ¡ªA thread that didn''t grab that much attention but was fun enough to bemented on by other people.

    He wasn''t sure if it was Chae YeonJoo or Baek HwaYeon''s ability to spread rumors, but it spread faster than KangWoo thought possible.

    ''Neither of them seemed talented for things like this.''

    Baek HwaYeon, who felt like a general, and Chae YeonJoo, who had a fire-like personality, didn''t look talented in information maniption.

    ''The one who I think would be good at things like this...''

    He thought of someone he''d frequently seen in the Red Rose Guild.

    A gentle-looking young man.

    The Red Rose Guild''s Human Resources Management Team Leader, Park HyunWoo.

    ''Well, I guess it doesn''t matter who did it as long as the result is good.''

    KangWoo picked up the telephone and put it in his pocket.

    He stretched out his arms and turned his head to the shabby basement apartment window on the other side of the road.

    Through the window, he saw Kim ShiHoon, who was taking care of a middle-aged woman.

    "It seems like his house is struggling more than Seol-ah''s."

    KangWoo mumbled in a low voice while looking at Kim ShiHoon.

    One week after the bait n began¡­

    KangWoo hadn''t returned to his house and had been watching over Kim ShiHoon for 24 hours.

    After all, he never knew when the Demon Cult would attack.

    ''I can''t afford to lose Kim ShiHoon.''

    He had decided to use him as bait, but he had no intentions of putting him in real danger.

    Kim ShiHoon didn''t know it, but he was a familiar spirit whose soul was tied to him.

    KangWoo had no intention of losing someone as talented as Kim ShiHoon for something like that.

    ''Since I''ve turned him into a familiar spirit, I should take care of him.''

    If Kim ShiHoon discovered the truth, he would probably shout, saying don''t be a hypocrite, but he wasn''t thinking about taking responsibility out of guilt.

    ''You''re going to be big.''

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon, who was taking care of a middle-aged woman with a sad expression on his face.

    He was going to be stronger and greater in the future, and he would be KangWoo''s solid supporter.

    In that sense, spreading rumors about him was just elerating the things that would eventually happen.

    <em>Click-</em>

    "Mother, then I''ll be going."

    Kim ShiHoon, who had been taking care of his mother, opened the basement apartment door and walked out.

    He had left to hunt with Seol-ah and TaeSoo to hunt in a gate as usual.

    "Oof."

    Kim ShiHoon sighed while making a grim expression.

    He seemed lost in his thoughts for a while. His eyes were red, but as if trying to improve his mood, he shouted to himself.

    "I should stay strong! A little bit more and I''ll be able to pay out the debt!" Kim ShiHoon said while touching the sword he had on his waist.

    KangWooughed in disbelief.

    ''He was even born in a poor family.''

    It was amon setup in fantasy novels¡ªone who was born into an extremely poor family and became a yer to support it.

    ''Is he really the protagonist?'' KangWoo asked himself while following Kim ShiHoon from behind.

 Chapter 59: Bait (2)

    After leaving his house, Kim ShiHoon took the subway toward Mok-dong.

    It was a gate KangWoo had hunted in the past.

    ''Although it hasn''t been long enough to call it the past.''

    It hadn''t been a month since KangWoo leveled up while hunting trolls.

    ''After encountering the hellhound that day, I''ve grown at an explosive rate.''

    The demonic monster he¡¯d met at the C-rank gate¡­

    After eliminating it, he began receiving the support of the Red Rose Guild. And thanks to that, he had grown at an explosive rate.

    ''But the fact that they came to a C-rank gate means...''

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon, who was walking out of Mok-dong station, with great interest.

    That meant that all the party members had reached level 20 andpleted the third Awakening.

    ''Fast.''

    It couldn''t bepared to KangWoo, but Kim ShiHoon''s party was leveling up at an incredible pace.

    KangWoo smiled in satisfaction. After hiding his presence by using an Authority, he followed Kim ShiHoon.

    "Good morning."

    "ShiHoon oppa~!"

    "Good morning, ShiHoon hyeong!"

    Aftering out of the station, Kim ShiHoon was greeted by the other party members.

    Unlike the awkward greeting when they¡¯d first met each other, they seemed to have gotten closer.

    "Ms. Seol-ah, why are you so down?"

    Kim ShiHoon, who had approached TaeSoo, turned his head toward Han Seol-ah while tilting his head.

    Han Seol-ah had her head down with a gloomy atmosphere, and she was scratching the floor with her feet.

    TaeSoo grabbed Kim ShiHoon''s shoulder, pulled him away from Han Seol-ah, and spoke in a low voice.

    "I heard KangWoo hyeongnim hasn''t returned home in about a week because he''s busy."

    "Ah..."

    A short exmation came out of Kim ShiHoon''s mouth. He nodded as if he''d understood what was going on.

    ''Ms. Seol-ah likes Mr. KangWoo, after all.''

    Unless you were dumb, it was obvious to catch onto.

    While taking a break from hunting, she often talked about KangWoo, and while talking about him, she often blushed and seemed to be having fun.

    ''So Mr. KangWoo hasn''t returned to his home for a week...''

    He was a high-level yer.

    It could be perfectly possible for him not to return to his home for a week.

    "He hasn''t been contacting her?"

    "No, that doesn''t seem to be the case. It seems like he has been sending messages and calling from time to time, but ording to him, he''s in a situation where he can¡¯t move."

    "Hmm... Then he isn''t in a gate."

    It was obvious, but you couldn''t make calls inside the gates.

    For making calls between the inside and outside of a gate, you needed a special device that used mana stones.

    "It seems he didn¡¯t tell her even after she asked."

    "Haha... Then it''s understandable why she''s so depressed."

    Kim ShiHoon looked at Han Seol-ah while making an awkward smile.

    "Seol-ah onni~ Don''t be so sad. I''m sure KangWoo oppa has his reasons."

    "Haha. Yes, I guess so..."

    Han Seol-ah sighed with her head down. She mumbled while scratching the floor with her feet.

    "Did he get tired of the food I prepare...? Or maybe he got another girl..."

    She wanted to think positively, but as time went on, she was starting to get more anxious.

    It hadn''t been long since she met him, but in that short period of time, her daily life had changed so much that she could no longer think of the time when KangWoo was not in her life.

    It wasn''t just her who was sad.

    Echidna was in a worse state than her.

    "Onni, you told me that you live with him. Right?"

    "Y-yes."

    "Hehe. Isn''t it that maybe oppa is struggling to hold himself back?"

    "Hold himself?"

    "KangWoo oppa is a young man. Living under the same roof with a girl as pretty as onni... Hehehe. Oppa''s neo-Armstrong Zenon..."

    "Stop."

    Kim ShiHoon slightly hit EunBi''s head, who was enjoying making fun of Han Seol-ah.

    While smiling brightly, he turned his head around to Han Seol-ah.

    "Don''t worry about EunBi''s words. Mr. KangWoo probably has his own reasons. Unlike us, he''s a yer with a high level."

    "Ah, yes. Probably..."

    "To hunt along with Mr. KangWoo, we must keep hunting and increase our levels."

    "Ah..."

    Han Seol-ah''s expression changed. You could see the determination in her eyes.

    She agreed with Kim ShiHoon''s words while nodding.

    "Then let''s enter."

    After saying that, Kim ShiHoon entered the C-rank gate. TaeSoo, Seol-ah, and EunBi followed him.

    "Hng."

    KangWoo seemed troubled.

    * * *

    ''I''m feeling guilty.''

    It was an inevitable situation, but seeing her like that made him feel guilty.

    ''Echidna is probably in a worse state than her.''

    Echidna was too dependent on him.

    Because he knew that, he tried to contact her frequently, but the effects of it seemed to be getting weaker.

    ''I also want to finish it as soon as possible.''

    KangWoo sighed while walking toward the gate.

    It had been a week since he had eaten kimchi stew, and he hadn''t been able to sleep in afortable bed.

    After all, losing something you have is more painful than not having it at all.

    Trying to resist returning immediately to the daily life he had experienced for the first time in ten thousand years was hard.

    ''But I can''t just leave the fishing rod alone after dropping the bait.''

    Being careless was a poison with no cure.

    Losing Kim ShiHoon because he had gone to rx would be stupid.

    "Should I go...?"

    After finishing some checks, KangWoo entered the gate.

    * * *

    Stomp-!

    "GRRRR!!"

    "They''re stupidly strong!" TaeSoo eximed after defending an attack from a troll.

    "Ha-ab!"

    <em>Smash-!</em>

    As TaeSoo smashed the feet of a troll, its feet got stuck in the ground.

    The troll lost its bnce and trembled.

    "Ms. Seol-ah!"

    "Yes!"

    After checking out that the troll had lost its bnce, Kim ShiHoon leaped forward.

    At his signal, Seol-ah used the magic she''d prepared.

    "Boost!"

    A white light came out from Seol-ah''s body and entered Kim ShiHoon.

    His movements became faster.

    Kim Si-hoon crouched down and abruptly stepped forward.

    His footprints were engraved on the ground while making heavy sounds.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    ''Sleeping Dragon Sword Style, 2nd Form. Sky Dragon sh.''

    A force spread from his feet to the rest of the body, and Kim ShiHoon used that force to twist his waist and raise the Qi from within his body.

    Sky Dragon sh.

    Like a dragon crouching inside ake suddenly rising to the sky, he hit the troll with his sword.

    The sword technique that Kim ShiHoon received from the soul of the martial god Cheon TaeHwang appeared in real life.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "KUOOO!"

    From the calf to the armpit¡­

    The troll, whose body had been cut in half, fell to the ground while making a grotesque scream.

    Because of its monstrous vitality, even though it had been cut in half, it violently twisted its body.

    "Lightning Spear!"

    Even if it twisted its body violently, it couldn''t do anything against long-range attacks.

    EunBi''s attack prated the troll''s chest.

    "Kuooo."

    The troll finally lost consciousness, and ck smoke came out of its mouth.

    "Oof. As expected, C-rank monsters are strong."

    "We couldfortably hunt up to five lizardmen. But I think more than three of these guys will be dangerous."

    It seemed like TaeSoo''s hand had be numb after blocking the troll''s attack¡ªhe kept clenching and stretching the palm of his hands.

    "But it''s still amazing that we became strong enough to catch a troll in just a month."

    "Hahaha! This is all thanks to ShiHoon hyeong. Ha... I had a good feeling from the moment we created the party, but I never thought we''d reach a C-rank gate in just a month."

    TaeSoo shouted excitedly as if he couldn''t believe they had just caught a troll.

    "If it weren''t for everyone, I also wouldn''t have been able to reach the C-rank gate so quickly," Kim ShiHoon said while nodding with a smile.

    "Let''s take out the mana stone and keep moving."

    "Ah, I heard that the stagnant blood near the troll''s heart can be sold for a high price since it''s often used for potions, so let''s take that as well."

    After taking the stagnant blood and the mana stone from the troll¡¯s body, they began moving in search of the next target.

    "Woah."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after looking at them.

    ''They''ve be better.''

    The party''s movements had improved.

    Each member clearly knew and fulfilled their role correctly.

    ''Seol-ah''s ce would''ve been weird if she could only heal, but that''s not the case.''

    In a party that was too strong, the ce of the healer was a bit weird.

    In a strong party, the members often didn''t receive much damage.

    But Han Seol-ah was an all-around supporter who could heal and buff.

    Her ce wasn''t ambiguous, even if she was in a party strong enough not to receive damage.

    ''I wonder if there''s a need for me to bus party them.''

    KangWoo followed the party with a smile on his face.

    ''That''s that.''

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    "It should be about time they move."

    It had been a week.

    There wasn''t much time left before the time in which they were nning to summon would take ce.

    It was about time they acted because they couldn''t resist the temptation.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Observation and looked around Kim ShiHoon''s party.

    ''Huh?''

    At that moment, KangWoo felt the presence of two people approaching Kim ShiHoon''s party.

    The Mok-dong C-rank gate was a popr hunting ce, so it wouldn''t be weird for them to meet another party.

    But¡­

    ''They''re approaching them after killing a troll with just one hit.''

    While walking toward Kim ShiHoon''s party, they had each killed one troll that they met on the way. They kept walking toward his party without even picking up the mana stones.

    "This..."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    The reward he''d been waiting for over a week for was finally getting closer.

    "So you took the bait."

    While licking his lips, KangWoo followed Kim ShiHoon''s party, which had just seen the two people approaching them.

 Chapter 60: Bait (3)

    "Woah~ What a coincidence. To think that I''d see ShiHoon here!"

    "Kim YeongHoon...?"

    Kim ShiHoon''s expression hardened after seeing who was approaching them.

    Kim YeongHoon¡­

    He was the vice-leader of one of Korea''s top five guilds, the Mir Guild. Not only that, he was the son of the CEO of Mir Electronics, Kim JaeHyun.

    He was born with a golden spoon.

    But it wasn''t a normal golden spoon¡ªit was one coated with diamonds.

    Unlike Kim JaeHyun, who was among Korea''s two most talented yers, Kim YeongHoon was only slightly above average.

    ¡ªBut that weakness was covered by Kim JaeHyun''s money and power.

    They had a massive amount of money that could cover theck of talent.

    "Is he someone you know?"

    "Isn''t that person the vice-leader of the Mir Guild?"

    Seol-ah and TaeSoo looked at both of them.

    Kim YeongHoon bowed slightly and opened his mouth.

    "Nice to meet you. I''m Kim YeongHoon. Woah. So ShiHoon has formed a party with such a beautiful person."

    Kim YeongHoon smiled after looking at Han Seol-ah.

    "Why are you here...?"

    Kim ShiHoon red at Kim YeongHoon.

    He was leaking out a strong killing intent that one wouldn''t believe wasing from someone as calm as him.

    "Huh? I obviously came here to hunt."

    "Then go hunting, and get out of my sight."

    "Hahaha! You shouldn''t talk like this to your brother."

    "What?!"

    The moment he heard Kim YeongHoon calm himself ''hyeong,'' his body started to tremble.

    Kim ShiHoon spoke while ring at Kim YeongHoon.

    "You aren''t my hyeong!"

    "Hahaha! Well, indeed, we aren''t normal brothers."

    Kim YeongHoonughed as if he found the situation funny.

    "After all, unlike me, you have mundane blood running through your veins."

    "You son of a bitch!!"

    Kim ShiHoon took out his sword while frowning angrily.

    Mundane blood¡­

    That word he had heard countless times sent a piercing pain through his heart.

    "Why? Are you nning to rebel against your hyeong?"

    Kim YeongHoon took a blue sword from his waist.

    Just a nce was enough to know that it was a good sword.

    Kim ShiHoon trembled a bit after looking at him.

    Kim YeongHoon was strong. No, to be more precise, all the equipment he was wearing had made him strong.

    "..."

    "Haha. Okay okay. Hmm. I''ve recently heard rumors about you."

    "Rumors?"

    Kim ShiHoon looked at him while frowning.

    "You got a high-ranking Attribute. Right? An S one, at least."

    "...!"

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened.

    "To think you would awaken a high-ranking Attribute at such perfect timing."

    "What are you talking about..."

    "We currently need an ''offering'' just like you," Kim YeongHoon said while licking his lips with a smile on his face.

    "Offering...?"

    Kim ShiHoon frowned after hearing that ominous word.

    Kim YeongHoon looked with great interest at the other party members as well.

    "The other party members seemed talented, too. This is aplete jackpot."

    "..."

    "Ah. I won''t use that beautiful woman over there as an offering because I can think of some better uses for her body."

    Kim YeongHoon looked at Han Seol-ah with lustful eyes.

    Han Seol-ah felt as if a snake was crawling up through her body. She frowned.

    "What are you nning to do...?"

    "Haha. If you follow me, you''ll soon find out."

    "Who would follow a guy like you...!"

    "Well, it doesn''t really matter whether you want it or not because you''ll follow me either way."

    Kim YengHoon raised the sword and spoke to the man next to him.

    "Stay there. This guy is my prey."

    "Understood."

    The person next to him replied shortly while bowing.

    "Ugh..."

    Kim ShiHoon''s body trembled angrily.

    He remembered everything he had gone through.

    They were brothers from separate mothers¡­

    But the lives they''d lived werepletely different.

    Kim ShiHoon was born as the result of an affair, and he''d received bullying from Kim YeongHoon since he was a little kid.

    One day, Kim JaeHyun had gotten bored of his mother, so he kicked both of them from the house even though his mother was sick at the time.

    No one had helped them.

    Kim ShiHoon had done his best to live while controlling that anger.

    ''If only I were stronger.''

    ¡ªIt was a thought he had harbored more than a thousand times.

    After wishing for it for such a long time, he finally got a chance.

    * * *

    The soul of the martial god, Cheon TaeHwaong, an SSS-rank Attribute.

    He could get stronger at a pace that couldn''t bepared to other yers.

    ''But¡­''

    There was despair in Kim ShiHoon''s eyes.

    Just facing Kim YeongHoon was enough to see the overwhelming difference between them.

    Kim YeongHoon had finished the sixth Awakening, so there was too much of a difference between their levels.

    Even if his Attribute''s ranking was good, that was a hard-to-ovee difference.

    ''If only I had more time.''

    Maybe if he''d done the fourth Awakening, or maybe the fifth one, he would''ve had a chance.

    But it didn''t make sense to think of that in his situation.

    Because, for the moment, he was just a low-level yer who had only finished the third Awakening.

    "Then, should I teach my rude younger brother a lesson?"

    Kim YeongHoon gripped the sword in his hand tighter and leaped forward.

    He approached Kim ShiHoon very fast and swung his sword.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    ¡ªIt was TaeSoo who blocked Kim YeongHoon''s attack.

    TaeSoo bit his lips because of the effect of the shock and opened his mouth.

    "I''m not sure what rtionship you have with ShiHoon hyeong, but as long as I''m here, you won''t be able tond a hit on him easily!"

    "What''s up with this muscled pig?"

    Kim YeongHoon seemed bothered by the fact that TaeSoo had blocked his attack, so he red at him.

    "Ha-ab!"

    After blocking Kim YeongHoon''s attack, TaeSoo used the shield to push him.

    The two-meter-tall TaeSoo grappled with Kim YeongHoon.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Huh...?"

    TaeSoo let out an exmation in disbelief.

    As soon as the shield touched Kim YeongHoon''s ck armor, his shield was pushed away.

    "Who do you think you''re touching?"

    Kim YeongHoon swung his sword toward TaeSoo, who had interrupted the fight.

    "Mr. TaeSoo! Move!"

    <em>m-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    With the sound of an explosion that was hard to believe came from a sword, TaeSoo was pushed away by the attack.

    ¡ªHis shield broke into pieces and fell to the ground.

    "Fuck!"

    Kim ShiHoon cursed and leaped toward Kim YeongHoon.

    ''Sleeping Dragon Sword Style, 5th Form. The Appearance of the Wind Dragon.''

    There were over 30 levels of difference between them.

    He didn''t stand a chance if he didn''t use his strongest attack from the beginning.

    "Boost!"

    He was thinking that when suddenly Seol-ah''s boost entered his body.

    Instantly, he became more powerful than before.

    ''Maybe with this!''

    Kim ShiHoon brandished his sword toward Kim YeongHoon with his eyes shining.

    "Ugh!"

    <em>ng-!</em>

    Kim YeongHoon quickly used his sword to block Kim ShiHoon''s attack.

    Because there was too much of a difference between their stats, Kim YeongHoon''s strength and speed were overwhelmingly higher than Kim ShiHoon''s.

    But despite that, he couldn''t block all Kim ShiHoon''s attacks.

    <em>ng-!!</em>

    "This damn brat..."

    Kim YeongHoon''s face became red from anger while looking at Kim ShiHoon''s sword that was bounced away thanks to his leather armor.

    The fact that he''d been hit despite the difference in their stats was humiliating for him.

    "Yes, you were always like that."

    Kim YeongHoon red at Kim ShiHoon.

    Since they were little kids, Kim ShiHoon had been better than him at everything.

    Whether it was studies or sports, he had never been able to win against him.

    Even talent as a yer¡­

    ''But¡­!''

    The tips of Kim YeongHoon''s mouth went up.

    Talent didn''t matter. Thanks to his money and power, he¡¯d obtained the ability to ovee talent.

    Kim YeongHoon pushed Kim ShiHoon''s sword away and kicked him in the chest.

    Kim ShiHoon bounced back helplessly.

    "Cough!"

    "Hahaha! Yes! This is your limit! This is the difference between you and me!"

    "Ugh..."

    "It doesn''t matter how hard you try¡ªthere''s a wall you''ll never be able to ovee."

    Kim YeongHoon kicked Kim ShiHoon''s face.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    <em>Paf-! Paf!</em>

    "Hahaha! How about that? Will you now peacefullye with us?!"

    Kim ShiHoon''s face was covered in blood.

    "Lightning Spear!"

    "Holy Strike!"

    Seol-ah and EunBi cast magic to protect Kim ShiHoon.

    "AARRGG!!"

    Even TaeSoo, who had lost his shield, ran toward Kim YeongHoon with bare hands.

    "Ha. Did these guys lose their minds...?"

    Kim YeongHoon moved a bit and dodged the magic.

    While Kim YeongHoon dodged the attacks, TaeSoo grabbed Kim ShiHoon and moved back, increasing the distance with Kim YeongHoon.

    "Ugh, Argh."

    "Mr. Sh-ShiHoon!"

    Kim ShiHoon used his sword as a prop to push himself into a standing position.

    Han Seol-ah came running toward him and began using healing magic on him.

    "Everyone, escape."

    "We can''t do that!"

    "This is something I must face on my own..."

    Kim ShiHoon walked toward Kim YeongHoon with staggering steps.

    "Ugh."

    He was angry.

    The fact that he had to suffer so much because of Kim YeongHoon¡­

    He couldn''t stand it anymore.

    The fact that he didn''t have the strength to defeat him¡­

    He couldn''t take it anymore.

    That fact that he was so weak¡­

    - Do you need strength?

    At that moment, he heard someone''s voice.

    * * *

    ''So the Mir Guild was the one connected to the Demon Cult.¡¯

    KangWoo''s eyes shone while looking at Kim YeongHoo and Kim ShiHoon''s fight.

    They even mentioned something about an offering, so it was definitely true that the Mir Guild was connected to the demon cult.

    ''But to think Kim ShiHoon was the bastard son of a billionaire family.''

    Previously, he¡¯d thought after looking at Kim YeongHoon''s photo that he resembled Kim ShiHoon, but he never imagined that they were both rted.

    "Should I start moving?"

    All the calls necessary for the ''n'' were done.

    KangWoo slowly stood up and was about to get involved in the fight.

    It was at that moment¡­

    "Huh?"

    Strong energy started to gather around Kim ShiHoon.

    ''What''s happening?''

    Kim ShiHoon, who was covered in strong energy, raised his sword instead of using it as a cane.

    ''Don''t tell me he Awakened because he''s in danger.''

    KangWoo looked at him in disbelief.

    While surrounded by a powerful energy, ShiHoon pointed his sword toward Kim YeongHoon.

    "Yes! I need more strength!"

    ''What time to Awaken.''

    "Strength to kill the enemy! One that lets me protect the people dear to me!"

    ''Woah, spitting out words like that.''

    A powerful energy that resembled an explosion rumbled from ShiHoon¡¯s body.

    A blue sword energy more vivid than before appeared on his sword.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your familiar spirit ''Kim ShiHoon'' has received the strength of the martial god.]

    [Your familiar spirit ''Kim ShiHoon'' has learned new martial art techniques, Cloud Dragon''s Style and Cloud Dragon''s Beam.]

    ''Just take the role as the protagonist.''

 Chapter 61: Do you know me? (1)

    - Do you want strength?

    He heard a low-pitched voice inside his head.

    Kim ShiHoon instinctively realized that was the voice of the martial god Cheon TaeHwang''s soul speaking to him.

    ''I want strength!''

    There was no reason to think about it.

    There was no time to doubt.

    Kim ShiHoon decided to ept the martial god''s strength, even if he was about to die.

    Ting-.

    - You epted the strength of martial god Cheon TaeHwang.

    - Because you aren''t ready, you received only part of it.

    A blue message window appeared in front of him with a clear bell sound.

    He didn''t have time to check the contents of it. A strong power rose from inside of his body.

    "Ugh!"

    It was such a power that it made him worry that it might inte his body and make it explode.

    Kim ShiHoon moaned in pain.

    He bit his lips and tried to resist the pain.

    He had been waiting for that moment.

    He couldn''t waste that opportunity he''d waited for such a long time.

    <em>Thud-!</em>

    His blood veins exploded.

    His body turned red, and he felt his head was about to go nk because of the pain.

    ''I must resist it.''

    Kim ShiHoon red at Kim YeongHoon.

    He remembered everything he had to go through because of him.

    Compared to those times, physical pain was nothing.

    - You''ve learned upper-level Martial Arts of the Sleeping Dragon Sword Style.

    - You''ve learned Cloud Dragon''s Sword Style and the Cloud Dragon''s Beam.

    - You''ve obtained a clue for Transformation.

    He could hear martial arts teaching within his head.

    He naturally understood how to control his overwhelming strength.

    Kim ShiHoon controlled the power inside his body and pointed his sword toward Kim YeongHoon.

    "Kim YeongHOOONNN!!"

    Kim ShiHoon angrily shouted.

    Feeling power overflowing from him, ShiHoon used the Cloud Dragon''s Beam while leaping toward Kim YeongHoon.

    "Wh-what?!"

    Kim YeongHoon was surprised after seeing someone who was about to die running toward him while leaking such scary energy.

    He raised his sword and tried to block Kim ShiHoon''s attack.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "Argh!!"

    Kim ShiHoon''s sword, wrapped in a cloud of white smoke, went through his sword as if it were a snake and cut his chest.

    His unique-rank armor was cut in half by Kim ShiHoon''s attack.

    While feeling a dizzying pain, dark blood leaked out from his chest.

    "Y-you son of a bitch!!!"

    Kim YeongHoon angrily swung his sword toward Kim ShiHoon.

    Even though he was swinging the sword without thinking about it, because of his high level and pieces of equipment, dangerous energy came out of his sword.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Ugh."

    Kim ShiHoon, who¡¯d blocked Kim YeongHoon''s attack, was pushed back.

    Even with the strength of the martial god, it was hard topletely ovee the 30 level difference.

    ''But¡­''

    Kim YeongHoon''s eyes shone.

    Although Kim YeongHoon was stronger and faster than him, he had something that Kim YeongHoon didn''t.

    ¡ªMartial Arts.

    Techniques that showed the best ways to use weapons that had been polished through the experience of lots of warriors through time.

    ''Cloud Dragon Sword Style, 3rd Form. Cloud Dragon''s Dance.''

    The martial gods Cheon TaeHwang''s technique spread through Kim ShiHoon''s body.

    Clouds appeared and blocked Kim YeongHoon''s sight.

    Sword energy came flying from the clouds and hit Kim YeongHoon.

    "Why... Why am I being pushed back by a level 20 yer!!"

    Kim YeongHoon angrily shouted. He was having a hard time epting the situation.

    Something that shouldn''t happen was happening right in front of him.

    But he didn''t have the experience or techniques to ovee that result.

    The reason why he was stronger than Kim ShiHoon to begin with was because of his high level and better pieces of equipment.

    "AAHH!!"

    Being pushed back by a yer who had only finished the third Awakening was already humiliating, but the constant pressure made him feel anxious.

    He recklessly attacked Kim ShiHoon as if he were saying, ¡°you die, I die.¡±

    But there was no way those kinds of attacks would work on Kim ShiHoon, someone who had learned martial arts.

    "Ha-ab!"

    Kim ShiHoon, who saw a chance, swung his sword toward Kim YeongHoon''s neck.

    ''I won!''

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes shone.

    But the moment he was about to cut YeongHoon¡¯s neck, someone appeared in front of him and blocked the attack.

    ¡ªIt was the man who¡¯d been silently standing next to Kim YeongHoon as if he were a stone statue.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    Kim ShiHoon, who had barely managed to block the man''s axe, bounced off.

    The impact spread from his sword to the rest of his body, and dark blood spurted out of Kim ShiHoon''s mouth.

    "Oof, oof! What were you doing until now?! Why did you appear sote!"

    Forgetting that it was him who had given the order not to interfere, Kim YeongHoon shouted at him.

    Although Kim YeongHoon was unfair to him, he just bowed down without any change in his expression.

    "I''m sorry, Vice-leader."

    "Cut his limbs and then bring him to me!"

    "Yes."

    At Kim YeongHoon''s shout, the man nodded without any hesitation.

    The man''s name was Cheon MyeongHo.

    ¡ªHe was one of the top yers of the Mir Guild and Kim YeongHoon''s bodyguard.

    He was so big that he was simr to TaeSoo in size, and he was carrying a double-edge axe that matched his size very well.

    "If you follow me without giving me any troubles, I''ll end things up with just one arm."

    "D-don''t say b¡ª!"

    Even while blood wasing out of his mouth, Kim ShiHoon hadn''t copsed yet.

    But he could feel it¡­

    * * *

    Maybe he¡¯d had a chance against Kim YeongHoon, but he wouldn''t be able to win against that man who resembled a stone statue.

    - You''ve suffered internal injuries.

    - If you don''t take any measures, the injuries could worsen.

    Warning messages appeared in front of him.

    Frustrated, Kim ShiHoon kneeled on one knee.

    ''In the end, I won''t be able to cross the wall.''

    The wall that existed between him and Kim YeongHoon¡­

    There was a huge wall blocking his way.

    "ept it."

    Cheon MyeongHo slowly walked toward Kim ShiHoon.

    "You''ll never be able to surpass the Vice-leader."

    "..."

    The words that came out of Cheon MyeongHo''s mouth pierced Kim ShiHoon''s chest.

    He wasn''t wrong.

    It didn''t matter how much he tried, he couldn''t catch up with Kim YeongHoon.

    The starting point was different, so the distance necessary to surpass him was too much.

    "Damn..."

    Tears flowed down Kim ShiHoon''s cheeks.

    The face of his mother, whom Kim JaeHyun had abandoned, came to his mind.<ul><li>

    ¡±I''m sorry for giving birth to you.¡±</li></ul>

    He remembered what his mother had said to him while crying when Kim JaeHyun had kicked her out.<ul><li>

    ¡°I''m sorry for giving birth to you.¡±</li></ul>

    Were there any words that hurt more than that in the world?

    But up until then, he couldn''t deny her words. He couldn''t find any reason to deny them.

    His life up until that point had been a session of painful events, and he had never felt happy even once.

    "I''m sorry... Everyone."

    Trembling, he turned his head toward Han Seol-ah, TaeSoo, and EunBi.

    It hadn''t been long since he¡¯d met them, but they were the first partners he¡¯d made.

    He felt regretful that he wasn''t able to protect them and that, because of him, they¡¯d been put in such a dangerous situation.

    "ept it. The only right the weak have is to suffer."

    Cheon MyeongHo raised his axe.

    Kim ShiHoon turned his head to Cheon MyeongHo, who was slowly approaching him.

    MyeongHo brought the axe down towards ShiHoon¡¯s legs.

    "Ugh!"

    Kim ShiHoon closed both eyes.

    The thought that soon he would lose his legs made him feel panic.

    <em>ng-!!</em>

    "Cough!"

    "..."

    With the clear sound of steel, an exmation came out of Cheon MyeongHo''s mouth.

    Kim ShiHoon slowly opened his eyes.

    The back of a young man he was familiar with was in front of him.

    "Woah. Nice quote."

    After easily blocking Cheon MyeongHo''s attack, KangWoo nodded with a smile on his face as if he was tasting the words Cheon MyeongHo had just said.

    "Mr. KangWoo...?"

    Kim ShiHoon looked confusedly at KangWoo, who had suddenly appeared.

    KangWoo turned his head around to Kim ShiHoon and calmly said.

    "I''ll exin everythingter on. Mr. ShiHoon, stay there and rest a bit. Seol-ah,e here and heal him."

    "Ah... Yes!"

    Seol-ah looked at him with a confused expression on her face.

    "Is it the Hwarang Squad...?"

    Cheon MyeongHo, alert, looked at KangWoo.

    He knew the government was trying to see which big guild was involved with the Demon Cult.

    Seeing how he had suddenly appeared, there was a huge chance that he was an agent sent from the government.

    "Do you think the Hwarang Squad would send only one person?"

    "Then..."

    "Pick up your weapon. It''s not like we have a cordial rtionship or anything."

    "..."

    Cheon MyeongHo picked up his weapon with a hard expression on his face.

    KangWoo was right.

    Talking made no sense. They had no reason to reveal their identities to each other.

    "Then I''ll make you talk by force."

    "Hahaha. Good. Nice attitude."

    With a smile on his face, KangWoo waved his hand as if saying ¡°bring it on.¡±

    "Come on."

    "..."

    Cheon MyeongHo frowned after seeing his arrogant attitude.

    Blue mana covered his axe.

    Unlike Cheon MyeongHo, who was prepared to fight with a determined attitude, KangWoo had his arms crossed and was waiting for him to attack.

    ''Arrogant bastard.''

    Cheon MyeongHo seemed upset at KangWoo''s attitude.

    ''You were lucky to block my attack.''

    He was sure that his next attack would be different.

    Cheon MyeongHo grabbed the mana-covered axe tightly and leaped toward KangWoo.

    He swung the axe with deep-blue mana around it, targeting KangWoo''s neck.

    KangWoo extended his hand toward the ax.

    ''What a crazy bastard!''

    He was trying to block an axe that had cut even a giant shield in half with his hand .

    There was a limit to how crazy someone could be.

    He swung his axe, intending to cut KangWoo in half.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "What!"

    The ax he swung using all of his strength was easily caught.

    "What did you just say? Oh, yeah."

    <em>Crack-</em>

    KangWoo crushed the axe he had just caught.

    He kept talking with a deep smile on his face.

    "You said that the only right the weak have is to suffer, right?"

    KangWoo licked his lips while nodding.

    "I also think that."

    The axe''s de, which looked like a hydraulic press had crushed it, fell to the ground.

 Chapter 62: Do you know me? (2)

    "Wh-what?"

    Cheon MyeongHo''s eyes widened.

    He looked at his axe in disbelief.

    He began trembling.

    ¡®This can¡¯t be happening.¡¯

    ¡®This is something that wasn''t supposed to happen.¡¯

    Crushing an axe with his bare hands?

    It wasn''t like he was a green monster that appeared in movies or anything. It made no sense.

    "Hiic!"

    Cheon MyeongHo lifted his hand from the axe.

    He lifted his right fist, and muscle grew in size as if it were about to explode.

    He targeted KangWoo with his fist that was harder than steel.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    The same thing happened again.

    KangWoo caught Cheon MyeongHo''s punch with one hand.

    Although the size difference was likeparing an adult''s hands to a child''s, Cheon MyeongHo''s punch was easily caught.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    "AAAHHH!!"

    Screams mixed with the sound of bones breaking spread.

    KangWoo kicked Cheon MyeonHo''s chest.

    After using the Authority Power, his strength had be superior to a giant ogre¡¯s. He kicked Cheon MyeongHo with his increased strength.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough! Ugh! Coff! Coff!"

    Cheon MyeongHo, who had fallen to the ground, began coughing blood.

    You could see fear spread through his face.

    "What are you doing?!" Kim YeongHoon shouted at him.

    Cheon MyeongHo stood up while trembling.

    "I-I''m sorry."

    "Damn it... Who is that guy?"

    Kim YeongHoon chewed his nails anxiously.

    He didn''t know who the rude person who had just appeared was.

    But the only thing he knew was that, with only his and Cheon MyeongHo''s strength, they wouldn''t be able to win against him.

    ''There''s no other way.''

    Kim YeongHoon''s eyes narrowed.

    "Cheon MyeongHo, use demonic energy.

    "..."

    "What are you doing?! Use demonic energy!"

    He angrily shouted at him.

    Cheon MyeongHo''s face trembled.

    He stood up with a heavy expression on his face.

    "Understood..."

    Cheon MyeongHo''s hand went to the left side of his chest where he could feel his heart beating. The demonic energy that was inside it began spreading through his body.

    He was enveloped by dark and sticky energy.

    "Ah, ahh."

    Cheon MyeongHo''s mouth opened wide.

    His body''s blood vessels sprouted hideously, and his skin became darker, a horn appeared on his forehead, and wings resembling bats appeared on his back.

    Hell''s energy that had started spreading from his heart had started to turn his body into a demon¡¯s.

    A strong desire to destroy rose from inside him.

    The lust and desire devoured his reason.

    "GRRRR..."

    He made a groan simr to an animal¡¯s and pped the wings that were on his back.

    "Woah."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    A short exmation left KangWoo''s mouth after seeing Cheon MyeongHo''s transformation.

    ''From everyone I¡¯ve seen to this point, he''s the one that got closest to bing a demon.''

    He had seen many people who had epted demonic energy, but no one had managed to get so close to bing a demon.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWooughed.

    Even if he had turned into a demon, the result would¡¯ve been the same. KangWoo was about to do the sixth Awakening, and once he did that, his strength would get even closer to Chae YeonJoo¡¯s.

    He wouldn''t be able to ovee that difference by bing a demon.

    "Kill that bastard!" Kim YeongHoon shouted.

    The powerful strength he could feel from Cheon MyeongHo, who had turned into a demon, made him feel confidence!

    ''I always win in the end.''

    It had always been like that.

    To him, hardship and adversity were just things that made life more entertaining and less boring.

    He was born a winner. And in reality, he had never lost even once.

    ''Bugs like you need to crawl just like the bugs you are.''

    Kim YeongHoon smiled while looking at Kim ShiHoon and his partners.

    "GRRAARR!"

    As if he were agreeing with his thoughts, Cheon MyeongHo, who had finished transforming, let out a scream.

    His chilling red eyes locked onto KangWoo.

    He began pping his wings, and Cheon MyeongHo flew toward KangWoo.

    "Hahaha! You''re dead now..."

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    The sounds of bones cracking spread through the ce.

    Cheon MyeongHo bounced back after shing with KangWoo.

    It almost felt unrealistic seeing Cheon MyeongHo, who had turned into a monster, roll on the ground so easily.

    "Huh...?"

    Kim YeongHoon couldn''t believe what he was seeing.

    <em>m-! Crack!</em>

    "AAARRRGGG!!"

    One-sided violence ensued.

    The unknown intruder named KangWoo leaped toward Cheon MyeongHo, who had bounced back.

    He punched Cheon MyeongHo with his fists covered in dark-colored energy.

    Every time he hit him, a sound that resembled an explosion could be heard.

    It felt like the roles of demon and human had been reversed.

    One couldn''t help but feel sorry for Cheon MyeongHo, who had turned into a demon.

    ''What¡­?''

    Kim YeongHoon couldn''t believe that Cheon MyeongHo was being one-sidedly beaten up.

    "Who is that guy..."

    Kim YeongHoon began trembling.

    * * *

    Fear engulfed his body.

    He realized that something had gone wrong.

    ''Is he a ranker?''

    Beating Cheon MyeongHo in such a one-sided way would be impossible unless you were as strong as his father or Chae YeonJoo.

    Kim YeongHoon turned around with a pale face.

    It didn''t matter if he was a ranker or not, the important thing was that, after Cheon MyeongHo, he would be the next target.

    Without looking back, he began running away.

    "Oof! Oof!"

    His breathing got heavier.

    The road toward the gate¡¯s entrance felt too long.

    ''I... I must contact father!''

    Just like he always did in times of trouble, he tried to contact his father.

    He was sure that Kim JaeHyun would be able to solve the issue and bring him victory.

    He took a crystal from his pocket¡ªit was a device that allowed you to make calls from inside the gates.

    Right when he was about to activate it¡­

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    After being hit, he rolled to the ground.

    "Y-you...!"

    His face pale, he looked at the person who had made him fall to the ground.

    The person named KangWoo looked at him with a smile on his face.

    "Where do you think you''re going?"

    "Wh-who are you!"

    "Why do you all say the same thing in situations like this?"

    KangWoo squatted next to Kim YeongHoon and looked at him, disappointed.

    "Give it to me."

    "Wh-what...?"

    "You were trying to contact Kim JaeHyun, right?" KangWoo said while pointing toward the crystal with his finger.

    YeongHoon gave it to KangWoo with trembling hands.

    After a few beeps, KangWoo finally heard the voice he was waiting for.

    [What happened?]

    It was a hard and low-pitched voice.

    KangWoo''s smile deepened after hearing Kim JaeHyun''s voice.

    "Are you Kim JaeHyun?"

    [Who are you¡­?]

    "Hmm... Will you understand the situation if I say I have your son as a hostage?"

    [...]

    There was a heavy silence.

    KangWoo realized that, even though he wasn''t saying anything, Kim JaeHyun''s breath had gotten rougher.

    ''He seems quite surprised.''

    It would be weird if he were calm in that situation.

    There probably wasn''t any dad who could remain calm after hearing that his son had been taken as a hostage.

    "F-father! T, this damn guy dared to...!"

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    KangWoo kicked Kim YeongHoon, who was trying to grab the crystal, in the stomach.

    His body curved in a C shape, and he moaned in pain.

    "You stay there."

    KangWoo used the Authority of Restraint and created chains made of demonic energy to restrain Kim YeongHoon from moving.

    Kim YeongHoon, whose body had been tied up like a chrysalis, moved his body as if he was having a seizure and screamed.

    "Let me go, you bastard!!"

    "Oof, you don''t listen. Huh? Are you going through a rebellious phase?"

    KangWoo kicked Kim YeongHoon''s head.

    With a dull thudding sound, blood flew out of Kim YeongHoon''s mouth.

    [Stop.]

    "Even someone like you worries about his son, huh?"

    [What do you want¡­?] Kim JaeHyun asked in an angry voice.

    It seemed like he''d quickly understood the situation.

    KangWoo smiled in satisfaction after seeing that one could actually talk with Kim JaeHyun.

    "If you want to save your son,e to the Mok-dong C-rank gate right now."

    [You clearly want me toe alone... Right?]

    "Hahaha!"

    KangWooughed at his question.

    "If I asked you toe alone, would you actuallye by yourself?"

    [...]

    "I know guys like you very well, so don''t think too deeply ande as you like."

    He was saying that he could bring as much help as he wished.

    Kim JaeHyun smirked after hearing his words.

    [Are you out of your mind?]

    "Are you being considerate of me? Then why don''t youe by yourself?"

    [I''ll make you regret those words...]

    "Yeah, yeah. I''ll be waiting for you."

    KangWoo put his feet on Kim YeongHoon''s right leg.

    "If you don''te within 20 minutes, I''ll begin crushing your son''s limbs one by one, so take that into consideration."

    [Oof...]

    You could feel the indignation in Kim JaeHyun''s voice.

    [Can someone who belongs to an organization that works for the government handle the repercussion of torturing someone? And my son on top of that?]

    "Huh? Government?"

    It seemed that, just like Cheon MyeongHo had, JaeHyun thought that he was part of the Hwarang Squad.

    KangWoo smirked.

    "I''m not part of any organization that works for the government."

    [Don''t tell me... Are you alone?]

    "Yes. I''m still single."

    [You''re crazy.]

    Kim JaeHyun thought that KangWoo''s joking replies were serious.

    He thought that he really had done something so crazy ''alone.''

    [Did you do this while knowing who I am?] Kim JaeHyun angrily asked.

    He was the CEO of Mir Electronics, a multinational business. On top of that, he was the leader of one of Korea''s top five guilds.

    It wasn''t that he only had money¡­

    He also had such authority that not even government officials could easily touch him.

    On top of that, just like Baek KangHyun and Chae YeonJoo, he was one of Korea''s most powerful yers.

    Money, authority, strength¡­

    He was on top of everything.

    Even a world ranker wouldn''t dare to do something like KangWoo was doing.

    "Hahaha!"

    KangWooughed and even stepped even harder on Kim YeongHoon''s right ankle. Kim YeongHoon screamed in pain.

    "What about you? Do you know who I am?"

    [...]

    "You don''t. Right?"

    <em>Crack-</em>

    With the sound of bones breaking, Kim YeongHoon''s ankle twisted at a weird angle.

    Kim YeongHoon wriggled in pain.

    KangWoo smiled while looking at him.

    It was a creepy smile that resembled a demon¡¯s.

    "If you don''t know, you need to be beaten up."

 Chapter 63: Do you know me? (3)

    "AAARRRGGG!! It¡­ it hurts!! It hurtss!"

    Kim YeongHoon''s desperate scream rang out.

    [Stop!]

    Kim JaeHyun''s voice could be heard from the crystal.

    KangWoo lifted his feet from Kim YeongHoon''s knees.

    "Sniff¡­ Sniff."

    Kim YeongHoon, who had never felt pain like that since he was born, cried while hugging his ankle.

    KangWoo calmly spoke toward the crystal.

    "20 minutes. If you don''t appear within 20 minutes, I''ll also crush the other knee."

    It was a voice from which you couldn''t feel any mercy orpassion.

    That voice that seemed to enjoy the situation made Kim JaeHyun even angrier.

    He spoke with a voice from which you could feel a strong killing intent.

    [I don''t know who you are. I don''t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you it¡¯s toote for that. I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.]

    KangWoo smirked at those words.

    "Good luck."

    Whack.

    The crystal was destroyed and scattered on the ground.

    "Okay¡­ Then."

    KangWoo turned his body toward Kim YengHoon, who was trembling.

    He looked at KangWoo with a pale face.

    He was scared enough to forget about the pain shooting from his ankle.

    "S-save me! P-please! D-do you need money? If I ask my father¡­!"

    "Money is nice, but that''s not what I''m after."

    KangWoo crouched down next to Kim YeongHoon.

    He was smiling so peacefully that it was hard to believe he had just crushed someone''s leg.

    In situations like that, seeing someone have no change in his emotions was even scarier.

    Kim YeongHoon was trembling.

    A fearful voice came out of his mouth.

    "Th-then what do you want¡­?"

    "I want Earth to be at peace," KangWoo answered without hesitation.

    Kim YeongHoon bit his lips, and it seemed like he thought KangWoo was lying.

    "D-don''t say bullshit. Tell me what you want!"

    "Ah, so you don''t believe me."

    KangWoo looked at Kim YeongHoon, disappointed.

    His goal was to eliminate the Demon Cultpletely.

    Leaving the process aside, he wasn''t lying about the end goal.

    ¡ªBecause the Demon Cult was trying to turn Earth into Hell.

    "So, let''s start with the preparations."

    "P-preparations¡­?"

    KangWoo extended his hands toward Kim YeongHoon''s head, and Kim YeongHoo began screaming hysterically.

    "P-please!! S-save me! Please spare my life!"

    "Don''t make me the bad guy. I won''t kill you."

    "Then¡­"

    "You need to get ready to meet your father."

    <em>Gulp.</em>

    Kim YeongHoon gulped. Hope seemed to return to his eyes.

    Kim JaeHyun.

    If it were his father, who was perfect in every sense, he would probably be able to save him from that situation.

    ''I''m not sure why you''re doing this.''

    If it were his father, he would probably be able to teach that guy a lesson.

    "I''m d."

    "d¡­?"

    "Yes."

    A deep smile appeared on KangWoo''s face, and he ced his hands on top of Kim YeongHoon''s head.

    He activated one of the 666 Authorities he had.

    An explosive amount of demonic energy entered Kim YeongHoon''s head.

    "Cough! Coff!"

    YeongHoon¡¯s eyes turned upside down. Bubbles came out of his mouth.

    KangWoo kept talking while looking at Kim YeongHoon, who was trembling.

    "I''m d Kim JaeHyun loves you."

    A father''s love toward his son¡­

    He could feel his love from his anger.

    "It''s easy to use someone who''s in love."

    KangWooughed.

    * * *

    After using an Authority on Kim YeongHoon, KangWoo took him and the party out of the gate.

    There, he saw members of the Red Rose Guild and Hwarang''s Third Squad, whom he had contacted before raiding Kim YeongHoon.

    "Those people?"

    "Oh? I-isn''t that Chae YeonJoo from the Red Rose Guild and the captain of the Third Hwarang Squad, Baek HwaYeon?!"

    Han Seol-ah and TaeSoo''s eyes widened.

    "I''ll exin thingster. First, take Mr. ShiHoon to a safe ce."

    "B-but¡­"

    "KangWoo! I was wondering where you were."

    As they walked out of the gate, Chae YeonJoo walked toward them.

    Han Seol-ah was surprised after seeing Chae YeonJoo, whom she''d seen only through the news, knew KangWoo.

    "Mr. K-KangWoo, you know the leader of the Red Rose Guild?"

    "Sadly, yes."

    "That''s something I should be saying."

    * * *

    Chae YeonJoo red at KangWoo.

    She turned her head toward Han Seol-ah.

    "Well¡­ It seems like you know me. Who are you?"

    "I¡­ I''m Han Seol-ah."

    "Hng."

    Chae YeonJoo looked at Han Seol-ah.

    She was looking up and down at her when she saw her chest area.

    "Ugh!"

    Veins appeared on her forehead. Chae YeonJoo took a deep breath and kept talking.

    "What rtionship do you have with KangWoo?"

    "Th-that''s what I want to ask. What rtionship do you have with Mr. KangWoo? And why do you talk to him in such a f-friendly manner?"

    Han Seol-ah red at Chae YeonJoo in the scariest way she could.

    ''Although she doesn''t look scary at all.''

    It was as if a cat had taken out its ws in front of a tiger.

    KangWoo tried to calm both of them down.

    "Let''s leave presentations forter. That isn''t the important thing at the moment. And Seol-ah, take the rest of the party members and go back."

    "Ah¡­"

    "Once it''s done, I''ll tell you everything at home."

    "Yes, Mr. KangWoo."

    Han Seol-ah seemed a bit sad, but after nodding, she left the gate area with the other members.

    Chae YeonJoo turned her head to KangWoo, who was watching Han Seol-ah¡¯s back.

    "So, where''s the one who took the bait?"

    "Here."

    KangWoo threw Kim YeongHoon to the floor. Chae YeonJoo''s eyes shone brightly.

    "As expected, it''s the Mir Guild."

    "Were you expecting it?"

    "I just thought that, among the big guilds, the only ones crazy enough to do something so absurd was them."

    It was a guess influenced by Chae YeonJoo''s personal feelings.

    ''She said that they have a bad rtionship, right?''

    KangWoo thought about what he''d heard from Kang SeongSoo. Chae YeonJoo kept talking.

    "So, we just have to interrogate and get information from him, right?"

    "No. Kim YeongHoon is just a pawn. He probably won''t know the exact details."

    "Then¡­"

    "I called Kim JaeHyun. He''ll be here within 20 minutes."

    "¡­!"

    Baek HwaYeon and Chae YeonJoo''s expressions hardened after hearing that name.

    "W-wait! You called Kim JaeHyun?"

    Surprised, she looked at Kim YeongHoon, who was on the floor.

    Then one thought crossed her mind.

    "Don''t tell me¡­ You took Kim YeongHoo as a hostage?"

    "He really loves his son."

    "What the¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him in disbelief.

    Taking Kim YeongHoo to interrogate was one thing but to call Kim JaeHyun there?

    "Kim JaeHyun won''t stay still."

    "I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way," KangWoo answered in a calm voice.

    "Oof¡­ So that''s why you told me to bring as many people as possible."

    Chae YeonJoo sighed.

    She didn''t think they would end up facing the Mir Guild so suddenly.

    ''It was something that was going to happen eventually, but¡­''

    Now that it was certain that the Mir Guild was rted to the Demon Cult, they couldn''t let them be.

    To grab the tail of the Demon Cult, they needed to face Mir Guild.

    ''I never thought that some day would be right now.''

    She bit her lip.

    Because she¡¯d arrived as quickly as possible, she hadn¡¯t been able to bring all of their strongest members.

    Baek HwaYeon was in a simr situation.

    Usually, in situations like that, the government would work in support of the big guild, but both forces were in a simr situation at the moment.

    "Don''t worry. It isn''t going to be a hard fight," KangWoo calmly said.

    Baek HwaYeon spoke while frowning.

    "I''m sorry, but right now, neither I nor YeonJoo were able to bring all our forces. There''s no way we will have an easy fight against the Mir Guild. Wasn''t your action too reckless?"

    "Ms. Hwa Yeon, when fighting against an enemy, what happens if your opponent loses its reason and charges toward you?"

    "The fight would obviously end in a victory¡­"

    "Yes. That''s what''s going to happen."

    Baek HwaYeon''s seemed confused.

    "Don''t tell me¡­ You think Kim JaeHyun will lose his ability to reason and charge toward us?"

    "A father''s love is unconditional."

    KangWoo shrugged his shoulders.

    Chae YeonJoo shook her head with a hard expression.

    "Even if Kim YeongHoon is a mindless idiot, Kim JaeHyun is different. Even if you have Kim YeongHoon as a hostage, he won''t just lose his mind."

    Kim JaeHyun was calctive and cold enough to serve as the CEO of a big corporation like Mir Electronics.

    KangWooughed lightly at her words.

    "No. He will charge toward us."

    "Are you nning to destroy his arms or legs in front of him¡­?" She said while looking at Kim YeongHoon''s right ankle.

    KangWoo shook his head while smirking.

    "You think Kim JaeHyun will lose his mind because of something like that?"

    "You¡­ What are you nning to do?"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo while starting to feel chills.

    Without answering, KangWoo directed his eyes toward the road.

    "It seems like he''s here."

    "Ugh¡­?!"

    <em>Vroom-!!</em>

    Around 20 SUVs had arrived.

    The SUVs entered after destroying the barricade around the gate''s entrance.

    <em>Click-</em>

    The car''s door opened, and a calm-looking middle-aged man descended.

    The man had his hair pulled back, and a breathtakingly strong killing intent surrounded him.

    "So you were behind this¡­"

    Kim JaeHyun looked at Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon with strong killing intent.

    His eyes began moving fast.

    "Pathetic. Do you think that it''s over just because you''ve taken my son as a hostage?"

    He instantly realized that the Red Rose Guild and Hwarang Squad hadn''t brought all of their forces.

    Deep killing intent appeared in Kim JaeHyun''s eyes.

    "Where''s the guy who called?"

    "Over here."

    KangWoo waved his hand as if he were greeting a friend.

    Kim JaeHyun''s killing intent became stronger.

    "Thanks for not escaping."

    <em>Tap-</em>

    The doors of the other SUVs opened, and over 200 members of the Mir Guild descended from them.

    Kim JaeHyun kept talking while ring at KangWoo.

    "So, where''s my son?"

    "Oh, over here."

    After saying that, KangWoo picked up Kim YeongHo and threw him.

    "Chairman!"

    "It''s dangerous!"

    Two people tried to block Kim JaeHyun.

    It seemed like they thought that a bomb might have been nted in Kim YeongHo''s body.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "¡­"

    "What¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    Unlike their expectations, nothing happened.

    Not only that, but before Kim YeongHoon''s body touched the ground, ck smoke appeared and stopped it from being hurt.

    "Move¡­''

    "Chairman, please wait. We still don''t know if it''s a trap¡­"

    "I said <em>move</em>."

    Kim JaeHyun moved his underlings away and picked up Kim YeongHoon.

    After picking his son up, he began trembling.

    "I''m not sure what you were thinking when you did this¡­"

    Strong mana leaked out from his body.

    Kim JaeHyun red at KangWoo with strong killing intent.

    "With this, you have no more ways to win. I''ll kill you in the worst way possible," Kim JaeHyun said while grinding his teeth.

    "Ugh¡­"

    At that moment, Kim YeongHoon came back to his senses.

    "YeongHoon!"

    Kim JaeHyun hugged his son.

    He softly touched the cheeks of Kim YeongHoon, who was slowly opening his eyes.

    It was a scene that would move anyone who wasn''t aware of what was going on.

    "Ah¡­"

    Kim YeongHoon fully opened his eyes.

    He looked around and then ced his eyes on Kim JaeHyun, who was hugging him.

    He began trembling in fear.

    It wasn''t fear of the ruthless violence he had suffered because of KangWoo.

    His fear was¡­

    "M-mister¡­ Who are you?"

    Directed toward Kim JaeHyun.

 Chapter 64: Do you know me? (4)

    "M-mister¡­ Who are you?"

    "What¡­?"

    Kim JaeHyun''s eyes widened.

    He was looking at Kim YeongHoon in confusion.

    "YeongHoon, it''s me. Your father!"

    "Wh-what are you talking about, Mister?"

    Kim YeongHoon looked at him cautiously.

    It was as if all memories about his father had disappeared.

    "Y-YeongHoon."

    Kim JaeHyun''s eyes began shaking.

    Kim YeongHoon couldn''t remember him¡ªhe was looking at him cautiously as if they were strangers.

    That shock made him tremble.

    "Ah¡­"

    Kim JaeHyun covered his mouth.

    He felt nauseous.

    He thought that he was about to vomit at any moment, and his mind became nk.

    Kim YeongHoon calling him ¡®Mister¡¯ felt somehow unfamiliar.

    "What did you do?"

    Kim JaeHyun turned around, his body shaking.

    There, he saw KangWoo, who was smiling.

    Just seeing him smile was enough to make him lose control.

    "I said¡­ What did you do?!" Kim JaeHyun shouted.

    His eyes were wide, and his voice became sharp.

    His image of a modest gentleman changedpletely.

    But it was understandable. Maintaining his reason in that situation would''ve been weird.

    His son, the memories of his beloved son, had been cut out.

    That was more shocking than seeing him without limbs.

    Was that how he would feel if Kim YeongHoon had died in front of him?

    Kim JaeHyun wasn''t sure.

    He thought he wouldn''t even have felt such pain if Kim YeongHoon had died. He wouldn''t have felt that weird sensation of having grabbed something without shape.

    "L-let me go, Mister! But more than that, where am I?"

    Kim YeongHoon tried to free himself.

    Every time his son called him ¡®Mister¡¯, JaeHyun he felt that the chains holding his reason were being cut down.

    "Y-you¡­"

    Kim JaeHyun trembled while looking at KangWoo.

    After letting Kim YeongHoon go, he slowly stood up.

    He felt that his entire world was crumbling. No, it had probably already crumbled.

    Strong killing intent rose from him.

    "Ch-chairman."

    "Please calm down!"

    Executives of the Mir Guild tried to hold him down.

    But Kim JaeHyun wasn''t able to hear them at the moment.

    Kim JaeHyun looked at KangWoo¡¯s mouth.

    He felt that the smile he saw there was engraved inside his head as if it were a stigma. He almost felt that he could hear himugh.

    "You bastard!!"

    His mana exploded.

    Thend under him was split.

    He was one of the top 10 yers in Korea.

    They said the minimum requirement to be a ranker waspleting the eighth Awakening, but he had already finished the ninth.

    The man they said had four S-rank attributes began losing control of himself.

    <em>Boom-! Boom!</em>

    He leaped forward.

    Thend around them began trembling as if an earthquake was happening, and the concrete was destroyed from the excess mana.

    Mana shining with a golden color appeared on his fists.

    Unlike others, it was a mana that had a clear shape.

    ¡ªIt was an energy that resembled those that appeared in martial art novels.

    While being covered in mana, he leaped toward KangWoo.

    "Where do you think you''re going?!"

    It was Chae YeonJoo who blocked his path.

    Red chains flew out of Chae YeonJoo''s palms and surrounded Kim JaeHyun.

    Kim JaeHyun punched the red chains that were also covered by mana with a clear shape.

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    There was a huge explosion that shook the surroundings.

    It was a destructive power that went beyond humans.

    The moment the punch and chains shed, a huge explosion happened.

    "Move!"

    Kim JaeHyun, who had lost his mind, shouted.

    Chae YeonJoo once again threw the chains to Kim JaeHyun, who was leaping forward like a beast.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "Ugh!!"

    It was true that Kim JaeHyun was one of Korea''s top 10 yers, but Chae YeonJoo was also among that group.

    The red chains moved as if they were alive and passed through Kim JaeHyun''s body.

    His skin was torn apart by thorns.

    Kim JaeHyun cut the chains with his hands.

    The red chains fell to the sides, and blood swelled out from the parts of his body that had been torn apart by the chains.

    Kim JaeHyun didn''t care about that.

    ¡ªHe was trying to move forward, ignoring Chae YeonJoo.

    "Ha-ab!"

    After Chae YeonJoo, Baek HwaYeon blocked him.

    She swung her white longsword, targeting Kim JaeHyun''s neck.

    Kim JaeHyun brushed off the white longsword with his mana-covered fists.

    Baek HwaYeon was pushed back by that stupidly strong power.

    "Cough!"

    Baek HwaYeon coughed¡ªshe was one step lower than Chae YeonJoo and Kim JaeHyun.

    It was hard for her to block Kim JaeHyun''s attack.

    "HwaYeon! Back off for the moment!"

    "Okay!"

    Baek HwaYeon nodded and increased her distance from Kim JaeHyun.

    Chae YeonJoo filled the empty ce and opened her arms.

    The bracelet on her wrist began to glow with a red color.

    Chains emerged from her red bracelet.

    It was the legendary weapon ''Bloodthirsty Chains.''

    It was a strong weapon that you could call her trademark.

    <em>Slide-!</em>

    The red chains gathered together.

    The chains that formed a shape resembling a mace wereunched toward Kim JaeHyun.

    * * *

    He raised his right fist after seeing that attack with a power that couldn''t be ignored.

    The chains that had beenunched toward him spread like a.

    He would be caught by the neck if he didn''t back off.

    Even in that situation, Kim JaeHyun didn''t move backward¡ªhe moved forward as if he couldn''t see the.

    Kim JaeHyun was caught by the made of chains.

    "AARRGG!"

    He thrashed violently.

    JaeHyun paid a high price for running wild in the middle of a made of chains.

    The parts of his skin struck by the chains were torn apart.

    Kim JaeHyun didn''t care about his skin tearing up, and he grabbed the chains with both of his hands.

    The muscles of his arms, which were covered with mana, swelled to the bursting point.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    The chains were cut as if they were only ropes.

    "I told you to move!!"

    Kim JaeHyun''s voice, which showed that he had lost his mind, spread through the ce.

    Horrible wounds covered his body, and blood seeped out from the wounds.

    His wounds were so deep that it wouldn''t be weird if he died immediately.

    But he had surpassed level 80 and finished the ninth Awakening, so he wouldn''t copse from just that.

    "What a crazy¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo was surprised after looking at Kim JaeHyun, who hadpletely lost his mind.

    ''To think he''d be able to go through this attack.''

    Her legendary-rank weapon, the ''Bloodthirsty Chains'' had a special effect called energy drain.

    Energy drain was supposed to cut the mana of anything that touched the chains¡­

    But Kim JaeHyun still looked full of energy.

    ''He''s nning to keep charging, even if it costs him his life.''

    Chae YeonJoo''s expression hardened.

    "AAGGHH!"

    Kim JaeHyun once again started to move forward.

    Back HwaYeon hit the floor and leaped forward.

    "YeonJoo! Support me, please!"

    "Okay!"

    Chae YeonJoo extended her hand toward Baek HwaYeon, and the red chains formed a shield in front of her.

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    Kim JaeHyun stepped forward.

    The floor around him in a radius of around 10 meters exploded upward.

    He twisted his body and raised his right fist, using the sticity of his waist to give the punch momentum.

    The mana around his punch began to spread.

    Baek HwaYeon received a huge impact.

    She hid behind the shield of chains that Chae YeonJoo had made.

    The mana burst the chains, and Baek HwaYeon took that opportunity and attacked him with her sword from below.

    The mana he had sent through the chains cut them in two.

    After making a huge attack, though, a gap appeared in his defense. Baek HwaYeon''s eyes shone sharply.

    ''Whirlwind.''

    Her attribute skill activated.

    A strong wind surrounded the white longsword and she swung it at such a speed that forced Kim JaeHyun to move backward.

    The de brushed past his body by a narrow margin.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    Although he had avoided the de, he couldn''tpletely dodge the whirlwind around it.

    From the sides to the vicle¡­

    A fountain of blood began sprouting out of Kim JaeHyun.

    Baek HwaYeon shrugged after seeing the wound.

    It would be troublesome if Kim JaeHyun died¡ªhe had an important clue that could lead to them capturing the members of the Demon Cult.

    Her hesitation created an opportunity.

    "Abyss!"

    <em>Bzzt-!!</em>

    Kim JaeHyun smashed the ground with both fists.

    With the sound of thunder, strong energy exploded like a volcano .

    The mana storm hit Baek HwaYeon.

    "Cough!"

    She rolled on the ground after being swept by the storm and vomited dark blood.

    It was a powerful technique.

    Baek HwaYeon stood up, trembling. She could¡¯ve been fatally wounded if she¡¯d remained still.

    But she was worried about nothing.

    Kim JaeHyun wasn''t targeting her.

    "GRRAARR!"

    After shouting like a monster, Kim JaeHyun, who was covered in blood, ran toward KangWoo.

    There was only 20 meters of distance between them.

    Considering that JaeHyun was a yer who had superhuman strength, that was simr to being only one step away.

    "Chain spear!"

    Chae YeonJoo wasn''t weak enough to let an opponent who was ignoring her and charging toward KangWoo go.

    Five chains wereunched toward Kim JaeHyun.

    <em>Stab.</em> There were 15 meters left, and a chain embedded itself in his right thigh.

    <em>Stab Stab.</em> There were 10 meters left, and a chaintched onto his left hand and another one onto his arm.

    <em>Paf.</em> There were 5 meters left, and a chain pierced his right arm.

    And¡­

    "Oof. Oof¡­"

    Kim JaeHyun looked at the chain that had pierced through his stomach.

    Rough breaths came out of his mouth.

    Blood ran down his mouth.

    JaeHyun saw the young man who was standing right in front of him.

    KangWoo was smiling as if he was making fun of him.

    "Ugh. Ah. Ah."

    Kim JaeHyun used all of his remaining strength and swung his right fist.

    But his fist didn¡¯t contain any mana, not even a diffused mana.

    <em>Paf-</em>

    The right fist weakly hit KangWoo.

    Kim JaeHyun, who had used all of his strength, copsed.

    KangWoo bent down a bit and made eye contact with Kim JaeHyun.

    Their eyes met.

    Kim JaeHyun looked as if he was about to be unconscious at any moment.

    KangWoo slowly extended his hand and grabbed Kim JaeHyun''s back; their faces got so close to each other that they were about to touch.

    A low voice came out of KangWoo''s mouth.

    "Do you finally know who I am?"

 Chapter 65: Do you know me? (5)

    "Kim JaeHyun has been taken to the hospital! Thanks to the hospital''s staff and healer-ss yers, his life isn''t in danger. He''s currently recovering very fast."

    "Okay. When do you think that the healing process will be over?"

    "In just a few hours, he will be healed enough to be able to move."

    Even while saying it, the Hwarang Squad agent seemed to have a hard time believing it.

    Chains had pierced his entire body, and he¡¯d also received huge damage from a sword shing from his corbone to the pelvis, yet he¡¯d recovered in just a few hours.

    It was true that the hospital''s staff and the healers that were treating him were good at their jobs, but it was also because Kim JaeHyun''s healing speed was unreasonably fast.

    "After he¡¯s healed to the point where he isn¡¯t in danger of dying, put a mana restraining jacket on him and bring him to the investigation room."

    "Yes!"

    Unlike the surprised agent, Baek HwaYeon was calm.

    She knew how superhuman the body of a yer who had finished the ninth Awakening was.

    ¡ªAs long as their vital organs weren''t hurt, it wouldn''t take them long to recover.

    ''Not only that, but we don''t want to wait until he fully recovers.''

    Things could get more bothersome if he fully recovered.

    It was better for him to have recovered just enough to be able to do small talks.

    "I''ll be taking care of them," Baek HwaYeon said to Chae YeonJoo and KangWoo.

    She was looking at the soldiers who had lost their general, the members of the Mir Guild.

    After Kim JaeHyun was restrained, they didn''t offer resistance or try to escape.

    It was an obvious reaction after seeing their leader suddenly losing his mind and being defeated.

    Because all of the power in the Mir Guild was centered around Kim JaeHyun, cleaning up the situation was very easy.

    After Baek HwaYeon left, Chae YeonJoo turned her head to KangWoo.

    "What did you do¡­?"

    Chae YeonJoo red at KangWoo with sharp eyes.

    KangWoo shrugged his shoulders and calmly kept talking.

    "I just touched Kim YeongHoon''s memories a little bit."

    "You even have the ability to modify memories¡­?"

    "There''s a lot of things I can do."

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo remained silent.

    She knew that his strategy had been very clever.

    Having defeated the Mir Guild without losing anyone was a great achievement.

    They would''ve suffered many losses if Kim JaeHyun hadn''t lost his mind.

    ''But¡­''

    Chae YeonJoo remembered Kim JaeHyun¡¯s appearance.

    She could understand why he had gone crazy.

    For his son not being able to remember his name¡­

    It would¡¯ve been weird if he didn''t go crazy in that situation.

    She wasn''t sure what technique KangWoo had used to make Kim YeongHoon lose his memories¡­

    But just thinking about that made her feel sick.

    Even though she had a very bad rtionship with Kim JaeHyun and Kim YeongHoon, she couldn''t help but feel pity for them.

    ''Although they aren''t people whom you should feel pity for.''

    Thinking about all the crimes they hadmitted until then, maybe it was a fair punishment.

    No, it probably wasn''t enough.

    It was widely known that Kim YeongHoon was an asshole¡ªhe had ruined the lives of lots of different people.

    There was no point in talking about all the lives that Kim JaeHyun had ruined.

    He had ruined many people''s lives on his way to achieving massive financial sess.

    ''Is it¡­ poetic justice?''

    She felt confused.

    It didn¡¯t seem right at all to think of KangWoo as someone who punished evil and rewarded the good.

    Rather, it was as if a smaller evil had been devoured by a bigger one.

    "What''s your real identity¡­?"

    She looked at him cautiously.

    She couldn''t understand the person called Oh KangWoo. She wasn''t even sure if he was the same person she''d investigated.

    "I''m a human, just as you already know."

    "Don''t say nonsense. This isn''t a matter of talent anymore, this¡ª"

    "Chae YeonJoo."

    KangWoo cut off her words.

    Their eyes met.

    Chae YeonJoo trembled a bit, and she suddenly felt chills. She felt that his eyes, which resembled the Abyss, were about to devour her.

    "I can help you; you''re of great help to me. Isn''t that enough?"

    "¡­"

    * * *

    "You don''t need to know many things. There''s no need to understand everything. The world won''t disappear because you close your eyes. The important thing isn''t who I am but what you want to do. You said that you wanted to get revenge. Right?"

    "Yes¡­"

    "I''m going to help you get your revenge. I''m going to help you wipe out the cult that killed that person who was so dear to you, so¡­"

    His low voice flowed into her ears.

    "Just close your eyes."

    She felt those words were very sweet.

    She felt a sensation so pleasant that it was as if her mind was about to go numb, and she felt that, if she followed that sweetness, she''d be able to get what she wanted.

    Chae YeonJoo remembered a quote she''d read somewhere, ''It isn''t a demon because it''s bitter. It''s a demon because it''s sweet.''

    When she read that, she thought that it was too cringey. But somehow, she suddenly felt that it made sense.

    ''I wasn''t raising a tiger cub¡­''

    Chae YeonJoo bit her lip.

    She thought that she could see another figure oveying KangWoo¡ªthe figure of a smiling demon with a horn and bat wings.

    She was starting to wonder if supporting him had been a mistake.

    He had grown strong enough to be at her level in just two months.

    She couldn''t even think of how strong he would be in the future.

    ''It''s toote now.''

    She couldn''t gather the water that had already been spilled.

    ''Then¡­''

    Chae YeonJoo''s eyes shook.

    The memory of a beautiful woman whose dark hair reached her shoulders came to her mind.

    Jeong HaEun¡­

    It was the name of a guild member who used to follow her as if she were her big sister.

    <em>Clench.</em>

    Blood veins appeared on her clenched fists, and she couldn''t hold back her anger.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo while remembering the sweet words of revenge he''d said to her.

    It didn''t matter if he was a tiger or a demon.

    She had a reason for why she had to join forces with a demon.

    Chae YeonJoo closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

    "Leaving the process aside, thank you. Because of you, we could catch Kim JaeHyun without any losses."

    "It was nothing."

    KangWoo kept talking after looking at the surroundings.

    "Are we immediately going to the investigation room?"

    "Of course. It''s a clue we got after so much effort. We must get as much information while we still can," Chae YeonJoo said while leaking out strong killing intent.

    Her hate toward the Demon Cult seemed quite deep.

    "KangWoo, are youing, too?"

    "Yes."

    If he didn''t, he would''ve gotten Kim JaeHyun for nothing.

    Chae YeonJoo nodded and walked toward her car.

    KangWoo followed her.

    * * *

    A few hourster¡­

    KangWoo, Chae YeonJoo, and Baek HwaYeon were waiting for Kim JaeHyun.

    <em>Click-</em>

    The door opened, and Kim JaeHyun, who was wearing a mana restraining vest, was dragged in.

    It was a restraining vest simr to those they used in mental hospitals.

    "¡­"

    Kim JaeHyun looked at KangWoo while leaking out strong killing intent.

    His hair, which had been neatly pulled back, was in aplete mess.

    The dark circles under his eyes and his sullen cheeks showed that his body was in a bad state.

    "I have a few questions."

    It was Baek HwaYeon who spoke first.

    "Since when have you been involved with the Demon Cult?" she said with a hard voice.

    "¡­"

    "Is there anything you know about their summoning rituals?"

    "¡­"

    "Do you know anything about the man who wears a red demon mask?"

    "¡­"

    There was no response.

    Only Baek HwaYeon''s voice could be heard in the investigation room.

    Baek HwaYeon punched Kim JaeHyun''s cheeks.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    <em>Crash-!</em>

    Kim JaeHyun fell from the chair.

    Baek HwaYeon red at him.

    "Answer. Right now, you are either the CEO of Mir Electronics or the leader of a guild. Either way, you''re a criminal who coborated with a pseudo-religious group."

    "¡­"

    "Answer."

    Baek HwaYeon grabbed Kim JaeHyun''s hair.

    The tip of Kim JaeHyun''s mouth went up.

    "Do you think I''ll talk?"

    "¡­"

    "Even if the Hwarang Squad has a lot of authority, you''re still the government''s dog¡ªa dog that moves when an order is given. Baek HwaYeon, did you forget who I am? Do you think I have a rtionship with only one or two members of congress?"

    Kim JaeHyun kept talking with a smile on his face.

    "You still don''t understand? You guys are the dog, and I''m the owner that has the strap. How does a dog dare to show its teeth to its owner?"

    "You damn psycho¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo, who had been listening to them, stood up.

    She grabbed Kim JaeHyun''s cor.

    Her bracelet began shining with a red light, and chains covered Kim JaeHyun''s body.

    The thorns of the chains prated the restraining jacket and entered his body.

    The mana restraining jacket started to be wet with blood.

    "Ugh."

    Kim JaeHyun started to moan in pain.

    "Talk."

    "Ugghh¡­"

    "Arrgghh."

    "TALK, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!"

    Chae YeonJoo''s scream spread through the investigation room.

    Even while suffering immense pain, he started tough.

    "Hahaha¡­ In the end, you guys will lose against that person. You don''t know how¡­ Big. What he''s nning¡­ You probably can''t even imagine it."

    "You¡­!"

    "YeonJoo, stop. Things will get bothersome if he dies."

    Baek HwaYeon stopped Chae YeonJoo.

    Chae YeonJoo took a deep breath and returned the chains to her bracelet.

    The two girls looked at him anxiously.

    They weren''t sure how they were going to make him talk.

    "So, it''s now my turn to talk with you."

    At that moment, KangWoo, who had been silently watching, opened his mouth.

    "YOU¡­!"

    Kim JaeHyun frowned aggressively after looking at KangWoo.

    "Reveal everything you know about the Demon Cult."

    "Didn''t you hear? Do you think I''ll talk?"

    "Yes. I think that you''ll talk."

    KangWooughed in a low tone.

    He kept talking while looking at Kim JaeHyun.

    "I''ll return them."

    "What¡­?"

    "If you say everything you know, I''ll return Kim YeongHoon''s memories."

    "¡­!"

    Kim JaeHyun''s eyes widened.

    His body started to tremble.

    He remembered Kim YeongHoon, who¡¯d called him ¡°Mister¡± while looking at him.

    It was an offer he couldn''t refuse.

    It was an offer that there was no way he''d refuse. Kim JaeHyun clenched his fists.

    "You, YOU¡­!"

    He felt uncontroble anger.

    Not only had he made his son forget about him, but he was even using it to negotiate with him. He felt hatred toward the person that was in front of him.

    "YOOUU!!"

    He twisted his body as if he were about to have a seizure.

    Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon grabbed him.

    A scream full of hatred and resentment came out of his mouth.

    "YOOUU!! DAMN YOU TO HELL!!"

    A scream that was close to a cry.

    KangWoo smirked.

    "I came back from Hell, idiot."

 Chapter 66: Rite of Calling (1)

    "I met that person... About eight months ago."

    Kim JaeHyun began talking.

    KangWoo leaned on the chair and listened carefully.

    "You''re talking about the person who was wearing a red mask. Right?"

    "Yes."

    "You don''t know who that person is?"

    Kim JaeHyun nodded with a heavy expression on his face. He didn''t seem to be lying.

    ''So even Kim JaeHyun doesn''t know who that man is?''

    The information he wanted to know the most had disappeared.

    "Keep talking."

    "When I met him eight months ago, I received a proposal. He said that as long as I can provide offerings necessary for the ceremony, they''d turn me into a demon."

    "You epted that...?"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him in disbelief.

    To provide them with living offerings.

    It was something so crazy that it could make him lose everything he had achieved until then.

    Why did someone like him want to be a demon?

    "Hng. You can say that because you don''t know about the beings called demons."

    "What do you mean..."

    "Demons have eternal life. As long as their neck isn''t cut or their heart explodes, they can live forever without getting old."

    Eternal life¡­

    Someone who doesn''t die¡­

    As long as you''re born as a mortal, it was probably an offer one couldn''t resist.

    In the end, even those who were richer than rich died.

    Maybe it was understandable for someone like Kim JaeHyun, someone who had a lot of money and influence, to want to live forever.

    "Oof, eternal life?"

    "Yes."

    "How do you know that?"

    "Because they''ve been alive for thousands of years."

    "What...?"

    It wasn''t just Chae YeonJoo who was surprised by that.

    KangWoo, who had been silently listening, opened his mouth.

    "The Demon Cult is more than a thousand years old?"

    yers had started to appear on Earth five years before then.

    So KangWoo had thought that the Demon Cult had appeared after that day.

    Kim JaeHyun nodded with a heavy expression.

    "They were present here a thousand¡­ No, even for a longer time than that. They were silently and secretly growing in size. Of course, they started to move actively only a few years ago."

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo frowned.

    If they''d been present for such a long time, it would probably be hard to wipe them out.

    "Then... You began providing them yers as offerings with the goal of eternal life?"

    "Yes."

    "You crazy bastard."

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him in disgust.

    "Did you want eternal life so badly that you were even willing tomit such hideous acts? Do you think a human could maintain their mind while living for thousands of years?"

    There were lots of novels and manhwas where eternal life appeared¡­

    But the result was always a catastrophe.

    She thought a human would lose its mind if they lived for such a long time.

    Kim JaeHyunughed at those words.

    "That''s because you don''t know about the body of a demon. The body of a demon preserves the mind and increases your desire and lust."

    "What do you mean..."

    "You can''t get bored of life. You can have a young man¡¯s mind with the body of a human eternally. Isn''t that the best?"

    "Don''t say bullshit. There''s no way that''s possible..."

    "It is. Do you think I''d risk everything if it weren''t?"

    "..."

    Chae YeonJoo shut her mouth.

    She knew that Kim JaeHyun wasn''t stupid.

    ''If it''s as he says...''

    It would be understandable why they''d so easily gained that much power and influence.

    The reward was something hard for a human to resist.

    "Bullshit."

    "KangWoo...?"

    KangWoo mumbled in a low tone.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him, surprised by his tone from which she could sense an intense killing intent.

    "Do you think having a desire and lust you can never fulfill is something nice?"

    KangWoo looked at him with sharp eyes.

    There was no limit to one''s desires.

    Even people¡ªif they had two, they wanted to have three.

    A demon''s desire had noparison to a human¡¯s.

    Unfulfilled desires made you thirst, and that thirst was hard to understand for someone who had never experienced it.

    * * *

    It wasparable to eternally wandering around the desert in search of water.

    It was like trying to breathe somewhere with no oxygen.

    It was a pain that couldn''t bepared to anything else.

    While feeling such pain, KangWoo had learned a way to control his desires.

    Despite that, he wasn''t able to control itpletely.

    Even though he''d live for ten thousand years¡­

    Even though he had devoured Hell''s seven archdukes¡­

    ''You''re the one who doesn''t know anything about demons.''

    KangWoo stopped himself from saying anything else.

    Things could get bothersome if he talked as if he understood and knew about demons.

    "Well, I understand why you did that. Say something else."

    KangWoo forcibly changed the topic of the conversation.

    He felt he would throw up if he kept listening to the previous topic.

    "Ugh..."

    Just looking at KangWoo made Kim JaeHyun angry. He bit his lip to calm down.

    "After hearing their proposal, I offered them offerings and made a few guild members receive demonic energy through the ceremony."

    "Demonic energy? Is it simr to mana?"

    "It''s the power of Hell. It''s simr to mana but fundamentally different."

    "Hmm... So do you also have demonic energy?"

    "No. I haven''t epted it yet."

    "Why? Didn''t you make a deal with the Demon Cult to get that?"

    "Yes. But if you carelessly ept demonic energy and can''t control that desire, rather than a demon, you could be an existence closer to a monster."

    "Just epting demonic energy can transform a human?"

    "Yes. They said that, to be a demon while maintaining your consciousness, there had to be more preparations."

    "Then why did you make your guild members ept it? You said that it could make them transform into monsters."

    "You can obtain a lot of strength. The guild members are nothing more than soldiers. As long as they can fight, it doesn''t matter if they''re human or monster."

    "You crazy bastard."

    Chae YeonJoo frowned.

    He made her sick.

    After hearing his exnation, she began feeling that KangWoo had been too soft with him.

    "Then what''s the summoning ceremony about? What are they trying to summon?"

    "A demon..."

    "A demon?"

    KangWoo looked at him with narrow eyes. Kim JaeHyun nodded and kept talking.

    "I don''t know the exact details, but I''m sure that they''re trying to summon a demon."

    "The Demon Cult¡¯s goal is to summon demons?"

    "I''m also not sure about that, but what I do know is that they''re obsessed with summoning a demon."

    "Hmm..."

    KangWoo nodded.

    Since their name was ¡®Demon Cult¡¯, it would''ve been weird if they weren''t trying to summon a demon.

    ''It''s not like I devoured every demon.''

    KangWoo had devoured tens of thousands of demons¡­

    But it wasn''t like he¡¯d managed to devour every single one of them.

    The Hell of Nine Skies was incredibly big.

    Even though KangWoo had lived for ten thousand years in Hell, there were ces he''d never been to and even demons he''d never met.

    KangWoo had always fought to survive, and he hadn¡¯t eaten demons that hadn¡¯t done anything to him.

    ''I''m not sure what rank of demon they¡¯re trying to summon...''

    If they managed to summon a demon that belonged to the 7th or a higher hell, KangWoo would probably struggle because of his current strength.

    "Did they sessfully summon a demon before?"

    It was an organization that had been on Earth for more than a thousand years.

    There was a chance they''d sessfully managed to do it before.

    "I''m not sure, but they said that this was the first try in Korea."

    "This is the first try?"

    "They said that, recently, the dimensional wall has gotten weaker¡ªthat was about a month ago. They said that, because it had gotten weaker, it would be possible to summon a demon."

    "..."

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    After hearing that the dimensional wall had weakened, he naturally remembered the Gaia System.

    The time he said that the dimension wall had weakened and when KangWoo had returned to Earth was simr.

    ''So...''

    Because the Gaia System had gotten weaker, they¡¯d begun moving more actively.

    ''So it''s all my fault.''

    KangWoo frowned.

    Based on the information he had, he could conclude that he was the reason why the dimensional wall had weakened.

    "Is the dimensional wall still in a weakened state?"

    "They said that it''s getting even weaker."

    "Fuck."

    Not only was it not repairing itself, but the situation was also worsening.

    ''If things keep going on like this... Won''t Earth get invaded by demons and demonic monsters?''

    It wasn''t just Hell.

    There was also the chance that beings like Reinald from the Ernor Continent would go there.

    ''Maybe there are even more dimensions besides Hell and the Ernor Continent.''

    It was clear that the situation was worsening.

    The problem was that there was no way to solve that situation.

    ''Did I really fuck things up this badly?''

    It was as if the atmosphere of Earth had disappeared and asteroids wereing their way.

    Not only that, but he wasn''t sure what would happen if the Gaia Systempletely disappeared.

    "Oof..."

    KangWoo took a deep breath.

    He felt his head clearing up a bit.

    ''Let''s concentrate on what I can do right now.''

    It wasn''t like he would get an answer by thinking about the Gaia System.

    What he could do for the moment was try to mess up the Demon Cult''s n and figure out who they were.

    "Do you know where the red mask-wearing man is? Or the base of the Demon Cult that''s in Korea."

    "I know... But by now, they''ve probably moved to another ce."

    "Another ce?"

    Kim JaeHyun nodded.

    "They''re probably preparing for the ceremony."

    "Wasn''t it that they needed more offerings...?"

    "Well. That isn''t a piece of information I have."

    "Wait. The information doesn''t add up. Weren''t you guys providing the offerings?"

    If they had enough offerings, there was no reason for Kim YeongHoon to target Kim ShiHoon.

    It was weird for them not to know whether there were enough offerings or not.

    Kim JaeHyun smirked.

    "That''s because we''re paid based on our performance."

    "Damn..."

    KangWoo frowned.

    KangWoo understood what those words meant.

    Chae YeonJoo tilted her head.

    "What does he mean?"

    KangWoo clearly and concisely answered her question.

    "It means that more than one big guild is coborating with the Demon Cult."

 Chapter 67: Rite of Calling (2)

    He referred to themselves in the plural.

    ¡­And also mentioned that they were paid based on performance.

    With those two hints, KangWoo easily figured out that more than one big guild was working with the demon cult.

    "Where is the summoning ceremony going to take ce?" KangWoo asked in a low voice.

    Kim JaeHyun slowly opened his mouth.

    "Pohang."

    "The ce where the S-rank gate is."

    It was a possibility he had already thought of when he¡¯d heard that the ceremony would take ce either way.

    Summoning meant that you brought someone from another dimension to Earth, so the higher the rank of the gate, the stronger being you would be able to call.

    KangWoo had figured that out after summoning Echidna.

    "How did you...?"

    Kim JaeHyun looked at KangWoo in surprise.

    He¡¯d just mentioned Pohang; he had never said anything about the gate.

    "That''s none of your concern. Ms. HwaYeon, YeonJoo. Let''s go to Pohang immediately."

    "Right now?"

    "Yes. They''re probably aware that we have a clue about them, so they''re probably going to try to do the summoning ceremony, even if preparations aren''t 100%plete."

    They weren''t sure if the other big guild had managed to provide them with all the necessary offerings or not.

    But based on what Kim JaeHyun said, it was clear that they couldn''t waste any more time.

    "Wait. If it''s the Pohang S-rank gate, isn''t it the one that''s being protected by the Hwarang Second Squad?"

    "I''ll check."

    Baek HwaYeon took out her smartphone and called someone.

    The call was short.

    Baek HwaYeon''s expression hardened.

    "A few hours ago, a big party of about 20 people entered the S-rank gate."

    "So they immediately moved..."

    KangWoo frowned after hearing how fast they¡¯d reacted.

    Chae YeonJoo got closer to Baek HwaYeon and opened her mouth.

    "What about the identity of the people that entered the gate? If we check out the entrance permits, won''t it be easy to figure out their identities?"

    "It''s probably going to be pointless."

    KangWoo shook his head.

    "Why...?"

    "Because they all probably used fake entrance permit."

    Even Chae YeonJoo had easily gotten KangWoo an S-rank gate entrance permit.

    The Demon Cult was receiving the help of two big guilds, so there was no way they wouldn''t be able to get fake entrance permits.

    "Ugh."

    Chae YeonJoo let out a sigh as if she felt guilty.

    To be honest, getting an S-rank gate entrance permit wasn''t hard.

    The reason was that most people that didn''t fulfill the conditions wouldn''t even try to get inside it.

    If they forced their way inside it, they would probably be devoured by monsters, so who in their right mind would enter one out of their own volition?

    "I told the Second Squad about the situation. They said they would also enter the gate and start searching for them... But the Pohang S-rank gate is quite big andplex, so I''m not sure they''ll be able to find them."

    "Let''s also move."

    "I''ll contact the guild members too."

    After saying that, Chae YeonJoo turned to Baek HwaYeon.

    "The Hwarang Squad has a military helicopter, right? Let''s use that. It''s going to be faster than going by car."

    "Okay. I''ll contact the base imm¡ª"

    "There''s a better way than that," KangWoo interrupted Baek HwaYeon and said.

    "A better way...?"

    Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon looked at KangWoo. He nodded.

    "A dragon is probably faster than a helicopter."

    * * *

    "KangWoo...!"

    As he opened the door, a girl whose hair reached her waist came running toward KangWoo.

    Her red eyes showed how she''d spent thest few days.

    "I''m sorry."

    KangWoo patted Echidna.

    It was true that he hadn''t done that on purpose, but it was true that he hadn''t taken care of Echidna for over a week.

    She had just gotten over the feeling of loneliness. That''s why, to her, KangWoo was someone that couldn''t be reced.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine the despair she must have felt for thest week.

    "Where were you...?" Echidna asked in a trembling voice while hugging KangWoo.

    "There were things I had to do."

    "It isn''t like I''ve done something wrong... Right? You''re not going to leave me alone, right?" Echidna asked while looking at him anxiously.

    ''She said her father suddenly disappeared one day. Right?''

    While thinking that he should have paid more attention to her, he kept talking.

    "Okay, it won''t happen again. So don''t worry."

    "Okay... I believe in you."

    Echidna nodded while smiling.

    "This kid..."

    "You¡¯ve seen her before, right?"

    Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon nodded.

    "Is she really a dragon?"

    * * *

    "She just looks like a child..."

    Both looked at Echidna suspiciously.

    Echidna opened her mouth while grabbing KangWoo''s clothes.

    "I''m really a dragon."

    Echidna created two small wings on her back and pped them.

    The fact that two wings appeared on the girl''s back proved that she wasn''t human.

    "A little girl with dragon wings..."

    "It''s abination that looks a bit dangerous."

    Baek HwaYeon and Chae YeonJoo gulped after looking at the breathtakingly cute girl.

    Even though they didn''t know her well, they wanted to hug her.

    "Echidna, there''s something I want to ask."

    "Yes. I''ll do anything I can."

    Echidna nodded without hesitation at KangWoo''s words.

    You could see in her eyes that she really trusted him.

    "Do summoned monsters always trust their master so much...?" Chae YeonJoo asked KangWoo.

    KangWoo shook his head while smiling bitterly.

    "No. Echidna''s case is a bit special."

    In reality, Echidna and KangWoo hadn''t known each other for a long time.

    Even if she was a summoned monster, there was another reason why she trusted him so much.

    ''It''s because she doesn''t want to be alone anymore.''

    KangWoo patted the back of her head softly and turned around.

    "There''s a ce I must go. Can you return to your original body and take us there?"

    "Understood."

    Echidna nodded with her eyes shining.

    "I''ll transform immediately."

    "Calm down. If you return to your body here, the house will crumble. First, let''s go outside."

    KangWoo took Echidna outside.

    "Won''t people panic if a dragon suddenly appears?" Chae YeonJoo asked worryingly.

    "I already thought about that," KangWoo answered without hesitation.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at Echidna suspiciously.

    Echidna didn''t seem to care about that.

    "KangWoo, should I transform now?"

    "Yes."

    As KangWoo nodded, Echidna''s body started to glow with a blue light.

    The blue light began growing until it became a dragon that reached 20 meters in size.

    "Woah..."

    "I can''t believe it..."

    The two girls looked surprised at Echidna, who had be a dark dragon.

    There were some yers who could control summoned monsters, but there wasn''t anyone who could control a dragon.

    [KangWoo, which direction should I be flying in?]

    KangWoo pointed in the approximate direction with his finger after climbing up Echidna''s back.

    Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon followed him.

    [I don''t like people that aren''t KangWoo climbing on my back...] Echidna said in a protesting voice.

    KangWooughed and patted her neck softly.

    "It''s urgent. So let this one go, Echidna."

    [If I do well, will you reward me...?]

    "What reward do you want?"

    Echidna snorted in excitement at KangWoo''s question.

    She spoke in a trembling voice.

    [I want to go and y with KangWoo somewhere.]

    "Hmm..."

    It was too low of a favor to ask in such a serious tone.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Okay. Once this is done, I''ll take you somewhere."

    [Really?]

    "Yes."

    [Yay!]

    Fwoosh-!

    Echidna, who couldn''t control her excitement, snorted once more.

    There was hot airing out of her nose.

    [I''ll do my best!]

    <em>Whoosh-! Whoosh!</em>

    Echidna started pping her wings and rose to the sky.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Invisibility on her and covered her body.

    Her body started to be transparent and melted into the background.

    If you didn''t look closely, you couldn''t distinguish her.

    "Woah. You can even do things like this?"

    Because Chae YeonJoo was on top of Echidna, she¡¯d also be transparent.

    She looked at her body, which she could see through as if she were a ghost.

    "How do you have so many abilities?"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo. She couldn''t understand how he was able to do so many things.

    Not only was he very strong at fighting, but he could also manipte other people''s memories and even do things like make people invisible.

    He seemed to have tens of different Attributes that people usually obtained once every 10 levels.

    "Because I''m someone who¡¯s just very capable."

    "Arrogant bastard..."

    Chae YeonJoo red at KangWoo.

    She didn''t like the fact that she couldn''t deny those arrogant words.

    [Then, I''ll start flying.]

    <em>p-! p!</em>

    With an excited voice, Echidna began pping her wings.

    The transparent dragon began flying at an incredible speed.

    A strong wind current hit Chae YeonJoo, Baek HwaYeon, and KangWoo.

    "Huh? Huh?!"

    "Ugh."

    Both were struggling to resist the strong wind current, but it wasn''t just them that were struggling.

    ''It''s too fast.''

    There was salivaing out from KangWoo¡¯s mouth, and he was hugging Echidna''s neck.

    Echidna was flying too fast.

    He would have probably fallen if he hadn''t been using the Authority of Divine Power.

    The problem was that the Authority of Divine Power and the Authority of Invisibility were both Authorities that had great difficulty.

    To use both Authorities simultaneously, he had to concentrate.

    He felt that, if he rxed a bit, he would bounce away, so using both Authorities in the middle of a situation like that was hard.

    "Echidna, please slow down..."

    [Hmph! Hmph!]

    It seemed like Echidna couldn''t hear his words anymore.

    KangWoo hugged Echidna''s neck and increased his strength.

    [...!]

    After feeling that KangWoo was hugging even tighter, Echidna''s eyes shone.

    ''Why are you increasing the speed?''

    [Hmph! Hmph!]

    ''Stop.''

    [KangWoo, you can hold even tighter.]

    ''I''m already doing my best.''

    [Are you maybe embarrassed?]

    KangWoo, who had even held an ogre by the neck, had more strength than that.

    Echidna didn''t know that KangWoo had been using the Authority of Divine Power during that fight, so she thought he wasn''t putting in more strength because he was embarrassed.

    [You don''t need to feel embarrassed.]

    ''Save me.''

    [If it''s KangWoo, It¡¯s even okay if you try to get closer.]

    ''I don''t want to die.''

    [I want to feel KangWoo''s warm temperature... With my body.]

    ''I''m falling.''

    AAAAHHHH.

 Chapter 68: Rite of Calling (3)

    A giant cave with light filtering in through stctites on the ceiling¡­

    Even though they were inside a cave, it didn''t feel dark at all because it was filled with a mysterious light, it kind of felt dreamy.

    Around 20 people were walking around within the cave, cing mana stones on top of a summoning circle drawn on the floor. Others were pouring some kind of dark-red liquid.

    One man that was looking at them from the side took out a crystal ball from his pocket.

    [How are preparations going?]

    A dry voice came out through the crystal ball.

    The man with tattoos all over his face answered.

    "They''re almost ready. But... Because we''ve hurried the preparations, I can''t guarantee the sess..."

    [Hmm.]

    You could feel that the person on the other side was annoyed.

    [Make it a sess. No matter what.]

    "Understood."

    The man with the tattoos answered in a low voice.

    [This summon is the first step to the bigger n. I won''t ept failures.]

    After saying that, the crystal lost its light.

    The man with the tattoos put the crystal ball back into his pocket and then walked toward the magic circle.

    "Did you scatter the blood of the offerings around?"

    "Yes! All preparations are ready, Priest Yoo TaeShik!"

    The blood of the offerings that had absorbed demonic energy through the ceremony was the most important ingredient for the demon summoning.

    The man with the tattoos kneeled and ced his hands on the summoning circle where the blood of the offerings had been scattered.

    ''As expected, we''recking offerings.''

    As soon as they¡¯d heard that the leader of the Mir Guild, Kim JaeHyun, had been trapped, they¡¯d started to immediately prepare for the summoning.

    That was because, if that person gave away information on them, there was a chance that the summoning itself would be canceled.

    But because they¡¯d hurried things up, they hadn¡¯t been able to gather enough offerings.

    If they hadn¡¯t had the support of another big guild, they probably wouldn''t have even been able to try to do the summoning.

    ''Tsk, what a useless bunch.''

    He remembered them confidently saying that they''d get an S-rank Attribute offering.

    They¡¯d been so obsessed with obtaining results that the government had trapped them.

    ''Well, there''s nothing we can do about it.''

    Yoo TaeShik''s eyes shone darkly.

    They could try summoning, but the chances of seeding weren''t high.

    For it to be a sess, they needed a few more offerings.

    <em>Stab-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    "P-priest?"

    Yoo TaeShik stabbed one of his underlings.

    His carotid was cut, and blood began flowing out of it.

    "me yourselves for not being able to get more offerings in time."

    Yoo TaeShik looked at his underlings with eyes full of madness.

    Their faces paled.

    "P-priest!"

    "Please forgive us...!"

    They began trembling while kneeling.

    Yoo TaeShik smiled while looking at them.

    "Don''t worry. Your blood will be the demon''s flesh, and you¡¯ll enjoy eternal life through it."

    What he was saying was nonsense.

    They''d wanted to enjoy eternal life in the current world and life, not enjoy eternal life by bing the offering for a demon.

    The desperate desire to live made them obsessed.

    The members of the Demon Cult began getting desperate to live.

    "Hiic!"

    The one who ran first was a woman with freckles.

    When she realized something was going wrong, she turned her body around and tried to escape.

    Yoo TaeShik frowned while looking at her.

    "You''re all thrash whock loyalty. Did you all forget what the cardinal said?"

    "KYAAA!!"

    He pointed a shortsword toward the woman that was trying to escape.

    Dark energy emerged and spread out from the shortsword¡¯s de.

    The woman¡¯s back was pierced, and she let out a scream.

    "Being willing to sacrifice yourselves for the demon is one of the tenmandments of the cult. Tsk Tsk. To think that people who aren''t willing to make such sacrifices were lusting after eternal life..."

    The ughter began.

    Yoo TaeShik killed everyone. The ones who tried to escape, those who took out their weapons to try to resist, even those who became crazy and willingly offered their lives, everyone.

    Dark blood started to scatter around the summoning circle.

    "Hahaha, this much should be enough."

    Yoo TaeShik put his hands on the summoning circle with a smile on his face.

    A demon of the Hell of Nine Skies.

    It was about time they summoned the immortals worthy of worshipping to the modern world.

    ''Although it took us a bit longerpared to other branches.''

    The Demon Cult was spread throughout the entire world.

    Compared to other branches, it took Korea''s branch a bit longer with the preparations.

    ''From what I heard, the Japanese have already seeded in summoning three demons.''

    * * *

    Although their situation was a bit different, it still didn''t change the fact that they were behind them.

    ''We can''t lose to them.''

    He frowned while remembering the face of the Japanese cult member.

    Losing to them was an insult to the cardinal.

    Yoo TaeShik drew forth the demonic energy he had and activated the summoning circle.

    "Ered''achor! Havik! Gr!"

    <em>Shine-!</em>

    The summoning circle that had absorbed blood began shining ominously.

    * * *

    "Oof! Oof! Oof!"

    "I¡­ I thought I was going to die."

    YeonJoo breathed heavily after climbing down from Echidna.

    If she hadn''t tied herself with chains, she might have fallen from tens of kilometers up in the air.

    "KangWoo, did I do okay?"

    Echidna looked at KangWoo with her eyes shining.

    ¡ªShe was asking for headpats.

    KangWoo patted her head while smiling awkwardly.

    "Hehehe."

    "The next time..."

    "Hmm?"

    "You can fly a bit slower."

    Echidna''s cheeks became red.

    "So you want to fly with me for a bit longer."

    ''It''s because I want to live.''

    "Okay. I''ll fly a bit slower the next time. I''d also like to be stuck with KangWoo for a longer time."

    "Okay..."

    KangWoo nodded with a troubled expression on his face. She seemed to have misunderstood something, but as long as she flew slower, it didn''t matter.

    ''Even if she misunderstood, as long as she does things correctly...''

    While changing the old saying a bit, he entered the S-rank gate while nodding.

    Baek HwaYeon walked toward the Hwarang Squad members that were guarding the gate.

    "How is the investigation going?"

    "They haven''t found them yet."

    "Tsk... Okay. What about leader Goo HyunMo?"

    "After hearing the news, he entered along with the squad members."

    "I want to talk with the leader."

    "Yes!"

    Baek HwaYeon received the device that couldmunicate with those within the gate.

    "Yes, yes... Understood. I''ll go there immediately."

    After a short conversation, Baek HwaYeon walked toward Chae YeonJoo and KangWoo.

    "How are the investigations going on?"

    "They hadn¡¯t found anything yet, but they just heard a huge explosion from the insides of a cave. It seems like they also felt something unpleasant."

    "Something unpleasant?"

    "It seems... Like he felt demonic energy."

    Chae YeonJoo''s expression hardened.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.

    "It seems like the summoning has already begun."

    "I heard the location of the cave. I warned the Second Squad members not to approach there carelessly, so we should also hurry."

    KangWoo nodded and followed Baek HwaYeon into the S-rank gate.

    Inside, there were numerous holes in a hill¡ªit resembled an ant''s nest.

    ''Are those all entrances to caves?''

    KangWoo remembered that the Second Squad had said they weren''t sure if they would find them or not.

    Finding them among all the countless entrances seemed to be almost impossible.

    "Over there."

    KangWoo followed Baek HwaYeon to one cave entrance.

    There, he saw members of the Second Squad with their weapons out, prepared to fight.

    "You came! Ah. Ms. HwaYeon, we''re sorry for how long it took to investigate. There are just too many caves here..."

    A blond man wearing sses approached.

    ¡ªHe was the leader of the Hwarang Second Squad, Goo HyunMo.

    "It''s okay. But more than that, is it this way?"

    "Yes! We clearly heard a loud sound from inside! You all also heard it. Right?"

    "Yes!"

    The members of the Squad answered him, who was making a fuss.

    KangWoo looked at the entrance they were pointing to.

    ''Demonic energy¡­''

    He could feel demonic energy from inside the cave.

    "Let''s go."

    "Understood. Goo HyunMo leader, I asked for your support."

    "Haha! If it''s something you ask, of course we''ll do it. Guys! Formation A!"

    "Formation A!"

    The members of the Hwarang Second Squad got into a formation while making a loud shout.

    They moved fast as if they were just a single entity.

    "..."

    KangWoo looked silently at the Hwarang Squad members who were posing in cringe-worthy positions.

    ''Are these guys going to be helpful?''

    Judging by their outer appearance, rather than agents from the government, they looked like a group of crazy people.

    "Let''s go!"

    After shouting, Goo HyunMo took a glimpse at Baek HwaYeon.

    It seemed like he thought that formation A looked cool or something.

    After he shouted, the members of the Hwarang Squad entered the cave.

    KangWoo followed them into the cave.

    Surprisingly, the insides of the cave weren''t dark.

    The cave shone with a green light from the stctites on the ceilings.

    It looked beautiful.

    "KangWoo, I smell blood."

    KangWoo nodded at Echidna''s words. There wasn''t a need to use an Authority.

    Unlike its dreamy atmosphere, there was a strong scent of blooding out of the cave.

    KangWoo followed that smell through the cave.

    There, he saw a depression that was almost a hundred meters deep.

    On the depression¡¯s floor, a magic circle was drawn from which a strong scent of blood could be smelled.

    ''Is that the magic demon summoning circle?''

    KangWoo extended his hands toward the summoning circle and looked at a man standing there.

    ¡ªIt was someone who had a lot of tattoos all over his face.

    The man showed his white teeth to the people who had just arrived.

    "Hahaha... You''re toote."

    <em>Crack-</em>

    The air began to crack as if a ss pane was breaking, and a fissure was formed.

 Chapter 69: Rite of Calling (4)

    <em>Crack-</em>

    The air began to crack as if a ss pane was breaking, and a fissure was formed.

    The fissure, which started small, started to get bigger.

    A deep demonic energy leaked from the fissure..

    ''Demonic energy from Hell.''

    KangWoo''s expression hardened. It was demonic energy he was used to. The demonic energy¡¯s light darkened.

    "That..."

    "Wh-what''s happening?"

    The voices of the Hwarang Second Squad members began to shake.

    A fissure had appeared out of nowhere.

    It was as if another gate had appeared inside a gate. Not only that, but you could feel ominous energying out of it.

    "Hahaha!!! Now, being who takes the souls of the living,e forth! I beseech thee, use your strength and destroy these petty mortals!"

    Yoo TaeShik shouted in a voice full of madness.

    He took his hands off the summoning circle and spread arms open wide.

    He didn''t know what demon woulde out of the summoning circle.

    He just wanted the most aggressive and violent one.

    [GRRRR.]

    A low-pitched cry.

    A giant hand emerged from the fissure.

    ¡ªIt was a muscr arm with dark skin.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    The arms that came out of the fissure started to tear apart the air and widen the tear in space.

    The ck fissure got bigger, and a red light came out.

    [Who was called me, Oriax, demon of the 7th hell?]

    "Oh...!"

    Yoo TaeShik fell to the ground after hearing the voiceing from the fissure.

    ¡ªHe bowed toward the demon that wasing out from the fissure.

    "Oriax, sir!! This humble mortal has called you, a being who walks the path of eternity!"

    [So you were the one who summoned me?]

    "Yes, my Lord."

    Yoo TaeShik answered the questions of the demon who had just appeared.

    Oriax looked down at Yoo TaeShik.

    "Th-that''s..."

    "A demon...?"

    The members of the Hwarang Squad became stiff after looking at the being that came out of the fissure.

    It had a giant body that reached over 7 meters.

    It had a muscr physique and bat wings.

    They could see the madness in its eyes. On its forehead, it had two horns.

    Even if they didn''t know the goal of the summoning, it was obvious that the being summoned was a demon.

    [Why did you summon me?]

    Yoo TaeShik shouted at Oriax''s question.

    "I want the blood and flesh of mortals! With your strength, please guide us, your followers, toward the path of eternity! I''ll swear loyalty as long as I can stop being a mortal!"

    [So you want eternal life.]

    Oriax looked down on Yoo TaeShik.

    Since he had lived as a demon from the first time he¡¯d opened his eyes, he found the human bowing his head just to stop being a mortal pathetic.

    [You want eternal life?]

    "Yes!"

    [You want a life with endless desires and pleasures?]

    "Yes!!"

    Yoo TaeShik shouted excitedly.

    <em>Bang!</em> He hit the floor with his head. He cut his forehead, and blood came out of the wound.

    "I want eternal life just like master Oriax! Eternal life and power!"

    He looked at Oriax with eyes full of madness.

    A demon from Hell¡­

    They were the ideal of the Demon Cult, messiahs.

    ''Eternal life! Infinite desires! Endless pleasures!''

    The words Oriax said filled his head.

    Before he became part of the Demon Cult, TaeShik was one of the few Muslim people in Korea.

    He¡¯d been expecting to live eternally by ''s side.

    But one day, he met a man who was wearing a mask.

    ¡ªThat man¡¯s teachings had changed his ways of thinking.

    * * *

    - Is there a need to crave for eternal life with such an ambiguous belief? We can give you eternal life here, in the current world. The eternal life spoken of by your god is just one that''s self-centered. What''s the point of eternal life if you have to die to obtain it?

    He was shocked by those words.

    To think that you could aim for eternal life while being alive!

    To think that you could live your life without fearing death!

    As long as you were born on Earth, there was nothing more certain than death.

    They had no reason to follow them.

    <em>Bang-!</em>

    [Hahaha! Good! I like your insatiable desire!]

    Oriax could feel strong desiresing from Yoo TaeShik.

    Those intense desires¡­

    [So, say it, human. Where are the offerings that will bring me the excitement of rending flesh?]

    "Over there."

    Yoo TaeShik pointed toward the Hwarang Squad. An intense killing intent leaked out from Oriax.

    [Hahaha. Not bad as an offering for ughter.]

    The tips of Oriax''s mouth went up.

    The strength he could feel from the beings pointing their weapons toward him stimted him.

    He wasn''t sure how useless mortals had managed to get such strength, but they were good opponents for him to fight against.

    "Ugh."

    "So that''s a demon..."

    Chae YeonJoo vigntly red at Oriax.

    She touched her bracelet.

    It clearly felt different from the monsters that she usually fought against.

    ¡ªIt felt more destructive and violent.

    ''Everyone, get ready to fight! I''m not exactly sure what''s going on, but you''ll have to put strength in your asses!"

    Goo HyunMo swiped up his sunsses and took out his two shortswords, and mana began gathering on their des..

    "Oof. What a stupidly scary-looking creature."

    Goo HyunMo gulped and looked at Oriax.

    He was someone who didn''t get nervous very often, but even he couldn''t help but feel nervous in front of Oriax.

    ¡ªThat was how strong the energy leaking from Oriax was.

    "There will probably be a huge uproar if that monster gets out of the gate. We have to stop it, no matter what."

    Baek HwaYeon also took out her weapon and prepared to fight.

    Chae YeonJoo clicked her tongue.

    "It would''ve been easier if I had brought my guild members..."

    "There''s nothing we can do about it. We have to be satisfied with the fact that we were able to get here before that monster walked out of the gate."

    It would''ve been better if they¡¯d been able to stop the summoning itself, but it was already toote for that.

    The only option they had was to kill the demon that the Cult had summoned.

    Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon gathered their mana and red at Oriax.

    "Being who walks the path of eternity! Please show your power to those filthy mortals!"

    [Hahaha. Okay. Fighting and ughtering are the forms of entertainment that I, Oriax, enjoy the most.]

    Oriax stood up. His height reached almost seven meters, and he began pping the wings that were on his back.

    <em>Crack- Crack-</em>

    His muscles swelled up, and intense demonic energy covered his body.

    Oriax''s eyes met the members of the Hwarang Squad.

    The thought of the battle he was about to have with them made him tremble in excitement.

    Oriax stomped on the ground and extended his hand. From the fissure that remained, a giant scythe appeared.

    [Come! You filthy bugs!]

    Oriax shouted while wielding the scythe.

    The ones that moved first were the Goo HyunMo and other members of the Hwarang Second Squad.

    Goo HyunMo shouted while gripping his two shortswords.

    "Formation C! Let''s show that muscle pig how strong we are!"

    "Yes, sir!"

    The members of the Hwarang Squad began moving.

    ¡ªIt was a formation that resembled a sharp spear.

    Goo HyunMo, who was at the forefront, smiled, and his body bounced forward.

    <em>Boom-! ng!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    The scythe and shortswords shed against each other.

    A short moan came out of Goo HyunMo''s mouth, and his body was pushed back. As expected, the demon was very strong.

    "What strength!" Goo HyunMo shouted while trying to calm down his hand.

    If he were fighting 1 vs. 1 against that demon, it wouldn''t have been weird if his body was split in two by the next attack.

    But¡­

    "Haha! To think that I would get pushed back after speaking so confidently!"

    "As expected from the leader!"

    He wasn''t alone.

    After Goo HyunMo, all the members began attacking as well.

    Most of the attacks were blocked, but the demon wasn''t able to block all of them.

    Marks began appearing on Oriax''s body.

    [Good!]

    As wounds began appearing on his body, Oriax shouted in excitement.

    The desire to fight grew stronger inside him.

    <em>Swing-!</em>

    He swung the giant scythe.

    Following the scythe''s trajectory, remnants of its demonic energy caused explosions.

    "Ugh!"

    "Cough!"

    The Hwarang Squad members were swept away by the explosions as if they were tree leaves.

    "Hahaha! Did you see that, you useless mortals? This is the power of a demon! One who has the power of immortality!"

    Yoo TaeShick shouted in a voice full of madness. He became excited after seeing how powerful Oriax was.

    ''To think we''d summon someone so strong on our first try!''

    The dimensional wall was getting weaker¡­

    That meant that they would be able to summon even stronger demons from then on.

    Once that happened, they would probably be able to spread their forces.

    Living in a world where he ruled without worrying about dying at all¡­

    Just imagining that made him excited.

    [Hahaha! Is that all you have, humans?! Entertain me more! Make me more excited!]

    Oriax shouted in excitement.

    He looked around to see if there wasn''t a stronger opponent.

    At that moment, he saw a human standing still while looking at him from a distance.

    [Huh?!]

    Oriax''s expression hardened after he saw KangWoo.

    [Wh-what. Wh-why...?]

    Oriax looked at KangWoo in fear.

    He dropped the scythe that was in his hand and began trembling.

    [Wh-why is that person here... No, no. There''s no way.]

    He began mumbling as if he''d suddenly gone crazy. Oriax looked desperate.

    "Master Oriax...?"

    Yoo TaeShik looked at him in surprise.

    Oriax''s head turned to Yoo TaeShik.

    [C-cancel it, human!!]

    "Yes...?"

    [I TOLD YOU TO CANCEL THE SUMMONING RIGHT NOW!!]

    "Wh-what do you mean..."

    [I¡­ I''ll return to Hell! Cancel the summoning and send me back! AAH! Isn''t that monster approaching us right now?! Send me back to Hell right now!]

    Oriax''s screams spread through the cave.

 Chapter 70: Rite of Calling (5)

    "..."

    Everyone became silent after hearing Oriax''s sudden screams.

    Yoo TaeShik looked at Oriax with a confused expression.

    "Oh, immortal! Wh-why are you suddenly acting like that?"

    [Immortal? Don''t say nonsense, human! We just don''t have a restriction on how long we can live. We can also die!]

    "B-but you just said that fighting and ughtering are your favorite forms of entertainment..."

    [There''s no way I would have fun if I''m on the losing side!]

    ''What''s up with him?''

    Yoo TaeShik looked at him in disbelief.

    You obviously wouldn''t have fun if you were on the side of being ughtered, but to think that a demon who¡¯d sounded so confident would suddenly say something like that.

    ''What''s happening?''

    Oriax had been speaking confidently¡­

    TaeShik wasn''t sure why Oriax had suddenly changed his attitude.

    The demon was acting like one of those kids who talks all high and mighty in an inte cafe until their mother suddenlyes in and finds out he''d been ying video games.

    [What are you waiting for?! Cancel the summoning! Send me back to Hell!!]

    Oriax began shouting as if he were about to have a heart attack.

    Yoo TaeShik bit his fingernails. His n had started to go wrong.

    ''Among all the demons, why did someone like him get summoned...?''

    Yoo TaeShik thought that he had gotten unlucky.

    To think that a demon from the 7th Hell would be such a coward.

    His head got messy.

    He wasn''t sure what he had to do to solve the situation.

    "It''s impossible to return. Master, Oriax, don''t worry about anything. Those guys are just mere mortals! You''ll easily win against them."

    [Mere mortals? Weak?]

    Oriax red at Yoo TaeShik.

    [You dumb human! How can you say such nonsense?! You don''t know anything. Who that person is, what he has done!]

    You could see and hear the fear in Oriax.

    Yoo TaeShik''s doubts deepened, and he began wondering who the person capable of making a demon tremble in fear was.

    "Who is it that I don''t kn¡ª"

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    A huge explosion shook the cave.

    KangWoo had used the Authority of Destructive Void.

    He looked at Oriax with a troubled expression.

    ''To think that he''d recognize me.''

    KangWoo frowned at the unexpected development.

    It was true that KangWoo was famous in the Hell of Nine Skies¡­

    But unlike Earth, there wasn''t any form of video or way tomunicate with others in Hell. Rumors spread only from mouth to mouth.

    That''s why most demons, although they might have heard rumors about KangWoo, probably didn''t know how he looked.

    But to think that the demon summoned was one that knew about him.

    You could say that he had been unlucky.

    ''No, isn''t it the reverse?''

    KangWoo looked at Oriax, who was trembling in fear.

    Most of KangWoo''s strength was currently sealed.

    Thanks to leveling up and his Authority of Predation, he had recovered part of his strength, but it couldn''t bepared to before.

    So fighting against a demon of the 7th hell in that situation was quite burdensome.

    ''If he''s scared, it will make dealing with him easier.''

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    [Did you say your name is Oriax?]

    [Huff!]

    KangWoo''s voice spread through Oriax''s ears.

    Oriax trembled in fear. Just hearing KangWoo¡¯s voice was enough to make his mind go nk.

    The fear was written into his soul¡ªan uncontroble fear toward the absolute being called Demon King devoured him.

    [Y-yes,] Oriax answered in a trembling voice.

    [Speak so only I can hear you.]

    [Aah... Yes! Understood.]

    Oriax quickly nodded. How he was talking to the humans at the moment was to send them his thoughts.

    It wasn''t hard to ensure that only one person could hear him.

    [Wh-why is the Demon King here¡­?]

    [Did I give you permission to ask me a question?]

    [N-no! I''m sorry!]

    Oriax shook his head while trembling.

    KangWoo smiled, satisfied after seeing how Oriax overreacted with everything he said.

    ''It''s going to be easier than I thought.''

    A huge fear devours your reason.

    He wasn''t sure where he had seen him, but judging by his reaction, it seemed like his fear toward him was really deep.

    It was as if he wereying on the ground like a dog before even fighting.

    ''I just can¡¯t let him figure out that I¡¯m weakened right now.''

    If Oriax didn''t realize that he had gotten weaker, he''d be able to win against him easily.

    ''Lying to someone who¡¯s afraid is easy.''

    It wasn''t something hard. No, it was so easy that it almost felt boring.

    [It seems like you''ve ruined my ns,] KangWoo said in a serious tone.

    Oriax''s eyes widened.

    [P-n...?]

    [How dare you ask back?]

    [I-I''m sorry!]

    A normal conversation.

    Oriax became desperate.

    He was trembling because of his fear towards the Demon King.

    ''And the more desperate he bes¡­''

    The more thoughts he¡¯d start to have.

    [Ugh, ugh...]

    Oriax was trying to figure out what KangWoo was talking about when he said ''n.''

    KangWoo looked at him with a rxed expression on his face.

    It didn''t matter how much he thought, there was no way he''d be able to figure it out.

    ''Because there was no n. I just used some random serious-sounding words.''

    To make him not suspect that he had be weaker, KangWoo just had to make it so the demon didn¡¯t have time to think.

    KangWoo, who had been waiting for the right timing, spoke in a low voice.

    * * *

    [I''ll give you an opportunity.]

    [A-an opportunity?]

    [Yes. If you seed, I''ll ept you as my familiar.]

    [F-familiar!]

    Oriax was surprised.

    A familiar of the Demon King¡­

    Bing a familiar of the Demon King, the one who had be the strongest after killing all the seven archdukes¡­

    If he be a familiar of the Demon King, he''d be able to receive part of his strength.

    If he received even a tiny part of that demonic energy, he was probably going to be able to be overwhelmingly strong.

    He would probably be so strong that no one in the 8th hell or even in the 9th hell would be able to take him lightly.

    For demons, who worshipped strength, it was an offer they couldn''t refuse.

    [I''ll follow any order! I, Oriax, swear eternal loyalty to the Demon King!]

    Oriax shouted excitedly at the sudden offer.

    [Win against all the humans here without using your weapon. I want to know if you''re worth it.]

    [Understood!]

    Oriax nodded without doubting for a moment.

    Kangoo smirked.

    ''You should doubt at least a bit.''

    Most living creatures with the ability to reason would have doubts if someone asked them to fight without weapons against enemies to test their strength.

    ''Although he probably can''t think properly right now.''

    It wasn''t a matter of knowledge or reason¡­

    It was the effect of the absolute authority that the title Demon King had.

    Just like Milgram''s experiment had shown, humans tend to submit to an authority quite easily.

    ¡ªIt was the same for demons.

    Oriax dropped his scythe and kicked it to the side, getting into position to fight against the Hwarang Squad with his bare fists.

    "Why is that demon doing that so suddenly?"

    "I''m... Not sure," Baek HwaYeon said while narrowing her eyes.

    "But I''m sure this is the perfect opportunity for us to attack."

    They weren''t sure why the demon had suddenly started acting strangely¡­

    But what they were sure of was that, because of it, they had the advantage.

    ''South Wind.''

    Baek HwaYeon extended her sword.

    Wind gathered around her sword, with sharp objects hidden in the soft wind that could cut through skin.

    <em>sh-!!</em>

    [Ugh!]

    Oriax moaned in pain. He¡¯d defended against the wind with his bare hands, and his skin was split.

    [You damn bugs!]

    Oriax swung his fist. Baek HwaYeon''s sword and Oriax¡¯s fists shed against each other.

    <em>ng-!!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    A loud explosion that was hard to believe came from the shing of a sword with fists spread through the cave, and Baek HwaYeon was pushed back.

    Oriax was about to charge toward Baek HwaYeon when Chae YeonJoo blocked his path.

    "Who are you calling bug?"

    Chae YeonJoo angrily extended her hand as she closed her eyes to concentrate. The bracelets on both of her hands began shining with a red light.

    ''Blood Chains.''

    Chains with sharp thorns shot out of the bracelet.

    Tens of chains moved through the floor of the cave in a snake-like motion.

    The chains spread through the cave as if they were a swarm of snakes and targeted Oriax.

    [AARRGGHH!!]

    The sharp thorns pierced his skin. His skin was torn apart, and blood leaked from him. The chains absorbed his blood.

    He red at Chae YeonJoo while frowning.

    ''She''s strong.''

    It was hard to believe that she was just a human.

    [Damn!]

    It was an attack that was so strong that he wasn¡¯t sure that he would have been able to defend against it with a weapon. He looked down at his bare hands.

    Maybe things would''ve been different if he was a demon that fought using his bare hands¡­

    But he''d fought with a scythe for a very long time. All of his movements have been optimized for fighting using a ''scythe.''

    He would obviously struggle if he suddenly began fighting with his bare hands.

    His movements had be sluggish, and the damage output was bad.

    ''But this is all to pass the Demon King''s test!''

    He tried to calm down and kept fighting against the humans.

    The longer the fight got, the more wounds he started to get. His movements began getting slower, and his eyes started to lose light.

    [Ugh.]

    Oriax knelt on one knee.

    He wasn''t sure if he would be able to win against the humans at that point, even if he used a weapon.

    At that moment, he saw KangWoo approach him with his weapon.

    ''He''s trying to return my weapon!''

    Oriax''s eyes recovered hope.

    Once he got his weapon back and received the Demon King''s power, he''d be able topletely wipe out all of the humans.

    He would be able to crush all of the bugs that¡¯d dared to put him in danger with overwhelming strength!

    ''I can already see it happening!''

    He tried his best to ovee the difficulty.

    The Demon King had probably been moved by his effort.

    [Ah... D...]

    <em>Stab-!</em>

    [Huh...?]

    He¡¯d thought that the Demon King would return his weapon, but his own scythe pierced his chest instead.

    He looked at KangWoo in confusion.

    [Wh-why...?]

    "Don''t resent me too much, Oriax."

    KangWoo used the scythe to cut him down.

    The wound deepened, and blood poured from Oriax¡¯s chest.

    A deep smile appeared on KangWoo¡¯s face.

    "It''s your fault for falling for such a scam."

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully defeated Oriax, a demon of the 7th hell!]

    [You''ve gained extra experience points as a bonus!]

    [Your experience has increased exponentially!]

    [Your level has gone up by 5!]

    [You''ve reached level 50 and unlocked the sixth Awakening.]

    [You''ve gained a new Attribute.]

 Chapter 71: The Sixth Special Ability

    ''Good.''

    He heard a clear bell sound.

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    After doing the sixth Awakening, he felt that the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core had gotten even weaker.

    An explosive amount of demonic energy was flowing inside his body.

    ''I think that I could win against Chae YeonJoo.''

    He was only level 54 and had just done the sixth Awakening.

    Chae YeonJoo had passed level 59, the level in which people say that your growth stagnates, and she had managed to reach the 9th Awakening.

    Considering that the higher your level became, the more bonus stats you got, she wasn''t someone a sixth Awakening yer could face.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo looked at Chae YeonJoo.

    It wasn''t like he had fought against her while using all of his strength before.

    But after looking at her fighting against Kim JaeHyun and Oriax, he became sure of one thing:

    He was already one step ahead of her.

    ''Although I''m still not overwhelmingly stronger than her.''

    It was an amazing growth speed considering that it hadn''t been long since he had returned to Earth.

    ''The problem is going to be from now on.''

    KangWoo frowned while looking at his level.

    He had to pass the first gateway, what yers called ''ultimate effort,'' level 59.

    At that level, although you could gain experience by hunting monsters, your level didn''t increase anymore.

    ''I heard that the way to ovee it varies from person to person.''

    Some people suddenly got the knowledge and unlocked it, just like what happens in martial arts novels. Others unlocked it after defeating a very strong monster. Some people unlocked it when they were on the verge of death.

    There were even some people who unlocked it suddenly, without doing anything.

    ''I heard that talented people unlock it faster...''

    The higher the ranking of your Attribute, the easier it became to unlock it.

    That was also why people called it the ''ultimate effort.''

    ''...Because you won''t know what you have to do until you do it.''

    Having a higher-ranking Attribute increased the chance of unlocking it being easier, but it wasn''t a guarantee.

    An example of that was Chae YeonJoo. Although she had unlocked an S-rank Attribute on her first Awakening, she''d been stuck in level 59 for quite a long time.

    ''Let''s think about thatter.''

    KangWoo looked away.

    He wanted to check the new Attribute he had unlocked immediately, but there was another thing he had to do first.

    ''Authority of Predation.''

    KangWoo moved back one of his hands.

    He made sure that no one could see it, and then used the Authority of Predation.

    ck smoke left of his body and covered Oriax''s body.

    "Huh?"

    "Th-that..."

    Goo HyunMo and the other Hwarang Squad members eximed in surprise.

    KangWoo had modified the Authority of Predation so it wouldn''t make any noise.

    Because he¡¯d done that, it looked as if the body of a demon had turned into smoke and had started to disappear.

    "Do the corpses of demons disappear after dying...?" Goo HyunMo asked while tilting his head.

    Because there weren''t many records about demons, there was no way to check that information out.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 3.]

    ''Only 3?''

    KangWoo frowned.

    His stat had increased less than he had expected.

    ''Is it because my demonic energy stat is already too high?''

    His current demonic stat was at 83.

    It was a stat high enough to beparable to the main stat of a yer that had reached level 80 andpleted the ninth Awakening.

    Considering that the higher your stat became, the more difficult it got to increase it, maybe having it go up by three was something that rarely happened.

    ''It gets harder to increase it, but there''s a huge difference in the effect.''

    His demonic energy had just increased more than back then at the Andras Guild, where his stat had increased by 20 in just one go.

    ''There''s nothing to regret.''

    The important thing wasn''t how many numbers it went up¡­

    The important thing was that he had gotten ess to more demonic energy, and the quality of it had also increased.

    Although it had increased just by three, he could clearly feel the difference.

    KangWoo smiled, satisfied.

    He turned his head to Yoo TaeShik, who was restrained by Chae YeonJoo''s chains.

    "Ugh!"

    "Ms. HwaYeon, is he the who wore the red mask?" Goo HyunMo asked while poking Yoo TaeShiks cheeks.

    "No, he''s his underling."

    "Hng. So he hasn''t appeared yet. I just wish we could get rid of crazy guys like this as fast as we can."

    While feeling disappointed, Goo HyunMo hit Yoo TaeShik.

    Although he might¡¯ve looked like someone who was easygoing, he was still the leader of the Second Squad.

    He understood how dangerous those people were.

    "First, let''s take him to the investigation room and interrogate him. Oh! Our branch office outside of Seoul is less strict on procedures, so we''ll be able to interrogate him properly."

    Goo HyunMo smiled. He looked at Yoo TaeShik and moved his fingers.

    "Prepare yourself, you piece of trash. I''ll show you the 72 interrogation techniques I perfected through the years...."

    "Cough! Cough!"

    "Eh? What''s wrong with this guy? I didn''t even start yet."

    Yoo TaeShik suddenly started to vomit ck blood.

    KangWoo quickly approached him.

    He felt demonic energy from Yoo TaeShik.

    ''This...''

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    He had seen simr things happen before.

    It was as if a seal that was locking a block of demonic energy had been unlocked.

    And just like he thought¡­

    <em>Crack-! Crack!</em>

    "Wh-what''s happening?!"

    "Leader, you need to move back, now!"

    Goo HyunMo and Baek HwaYeon moved away.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    Yoo TaeShik''s body increased in size, two horns appeared on his head, and a set of wings sprouted from his back.

    ¡ªBut it didn''t look like he was turning into a ''demon.''

    * * *

    His skin melted down, and his face distorted.

    The tattoos that usually covered his skin were nowhere to be seen.

    His arms split into two and became four in total, and sharp teeth grew in his mouth.

    In the end, he couldn¡¯t control his lust, and he was just trash who couldn''t even be a demon.

    "Damn."

    KangWoo frowned.

    There was no way to turn him back.

    ''Once again, we won''t be able to find out the masked viin''s identity.''

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    Knowing the personality of the red mask-wearing man, Yoo TaeShik probably didn''t know about his identity.

    But seeing how they¡¯d lost the chance to get other useful information annoyed him.

    "GRAARRGGHH!"

    Yoo TaeShik, who had turned into a demonic monster, screamed.

    For yers who could even face a demon that belonged to the 7th hell, beating up Yoo TaeShik, who had turned into a demonic monster, was easy.

    "Damn! We won''t be able to interrogate him!"

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "GRAA! AAGGHH!"

    Chae YeonJoo waved her hand aggressively, and chains covered Yoo TaeShik''s body.

    She angrily shouted and then threw Yoo TaeShik to the wall.

    "Calm down, YeonJoo. It isn''t like we don''t have any clues."

    "Oof..."

    A sigh came out of Chae YeonJoo''s mouth.

    As if she was taking out her anger, she threw him numerous times against the floor.

    She put her hand on top of her forehead in frustration.

    "I know, we just have to investigate which guild among Hanul, Onnuri, or Sanare is coborating with the Demon Cult."

    "We''ll have to make some preparations, too. After doing something like this, they won''t be able to move easily."

    "That''s true."

    Disappointed, she looked down at Yoo TaeShik''s corpse.

    She felt angry that she hadn''t been able to wipe out the Demon Cult yet.

    Baek HwaYeon left behind the frustrated Chae YeonJoo and said to KangWoo.

    "Oh. KangWoo, the government is going to reward you for today."

    "Hmm?"

    KangWoo''s eyes shone at Baek HwaYeon''s words.

    Baek HwaYeonughed.

    "Having found out about the Mir Guild, having helped to interrogate Kim JaeHyun, and helping us to get to Pohang as fast as possible. You did many things, so it would be an insult if there weren''t any rewards to you."

    KangWoo''s role in the incident was huge.

    If it weren''t for him, they probably wouldn''t have been able to find out about the demon summoning.

    To KangWoo, that was good news.

    "I hope it''s not some kind of useless certificate."

    If it was something like that, he was thinking of refusing it.

    "Hahaha. I''m not that stupid. I''ll give you the details in a bit. Tell me your numberter on."

    "If possible, I''d like to be rewarded silently without making a huge deal out of it."

    "Hmm? Are you the type of person who hates the idea of bing famous?"

    "I don''t like dragging useless attention to myself."

    "Hmm. I can reward you unofficially, but rumors will inevitably spread out a bit."

    Basically, some people would hear about him.

    He was probably going to get more attention than before when he¡¯d just been known as the rookie that the Red Rose Guild was supporting.

    "I''ll decide after hearing what the reward is."

    There was no need to reply immediately.

    He would ept if he concluded that the reward obtained was worth more than how bothersome receiving more attention was.

    ''There''s no need to refuse a reward just because I don''t want to get more attention.''

    It was inevitable that more people would hear about him eventually.

    He was too different from the rest, so people would eventually hear rumors about him.

    "Haha, you can have high hopes about it."

    Baek HwaYeon said it confidently.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone. Baek HwaYeon wasn''t someone who would exaggerate. If she said something like that, it was that the reward would be truly incredible.

    "YeonJoo, your guild will also receive a reward. Thanks for coborating."

    "Well... I have a good enough reason to do that," Chae YeonJoo said with a heavy voice.

    "Let''s return. I... Want to rest."

    From what happened with Kim JaeHyun to the battle against a demon. It would¡¯ve been weird if they weren''t tired.

    KangWoo looked at Chae YeonJoo, who had a bitter expression on her face.

    ''It doesn''t seem to be simple tiredness.''

    She was probably thinking about the guild member used as offerings by the Demon Cult.

    ''She''s probably ming herself.''

    They weren''t able to find out the identity of the red masked man, whom you could say was the cause of everything.

    She was probably feeling disappointed and regretful.

    While turning his body around toward the cave''s exit, he spoke.

    "You''re doing a good job."

    "What...?"

    "I''m talking about revenge."

    "..."

    "I won''t say that you''ve done enough, but you don''t need to me yourself. You don''t need to feel anxious. There will be more chances in the future. Once such a chancees up, we need to wipe them out."

    "..."

    "Don''t worry. I''ll help you."

    "Hng. You arrogant bastard. Who are you to say you''ll help me?"

    Chae YeonJoo turned her face from KangWoo.

    Although she''d said that, she looked more rxed. You could see a slight smile on her face.

    ''It would be a problem if you made a mistake while being impatient.''

    Being impatient makes you make mistakes.

    Things would get bothersome if he lost her because of a silly mistake.

    It wasn''t just because he''d lose the support of the Red Rose Guild.

    ''After all, we''ve gotten a little bit closer.''

    While thinking that, KangWoo opened his status window.

    ''Then, should I check out the new Attribute?''

    He was excited.

    Most yers probably felt the same thing that KangWoo was feeling when they were about to check out the details of their new Attribute.

    Like a kid opening his gift, he carefully checked his status window.

    He was wondering what Attribute he¡¯d gotten, and how much stronger he would be.

    "What''s this¡­?"

    He frowned after checking out the details of his new Attribute.

    [Sixth Awakening Attribute: ??? (Rank: ???)]

    - The Attributepletely unlocks after you reach the ''Extreme Demonic Energy Body.''

    ''Question marks once more?''

    First, it was the Authority of Predation; then the Extreme Demonic Energy Body, and now the sixth Awakening Attribute.

    He was starting to get tired of it.

    ''I don''t even know the conditions to unlock the Extreme Demonic Energy Body. Isn''t it unfair to say it will unlock after I reach it?''

    Shouldn''t they tell him the conditions so he could actually put effort into fulfilling them?

    He was starting to think that someone had created the Attributes like this on purpose just to bother him. No, he was hoping for that to be the case.

    ''So if I ever found the culprit, I can smash its head into a question mark.''

    KangWoo frowned while looking at his status window, which was full of question marks.

 Chapter 72: Rest (1)

    "So he lost," A man looking at a crystal inside a dark room said in a low voice.

    The man wearing a red demon mask turned his head around with an emotionless look.

    He ced his eyes on a group of priests wearing ck robes.

    "Congrats on the sess in summoning."

    "The Cult has promised to give us extra support."

    "Now we can move on to fulfill our original goal."

    The priests celebrated the sess of the demon summoning in unison. The man wearing the red demon mask nodded.

    "How are they nning to support us?"

    "It''s concentrated demonic energy. It will be enough to move on with our n and increase the power of the Cardinal."

    "Good," The masked man replied, satisfied.

    You could feel the lust for the power that would be given to him in his voice.

    Leaving the result aside, the summoning had been sessful. He had fulfilled the conditions given to him by the Cult, so it was understandable for him to be rewarded ordingly.

    ''Although I never imagined he''d lose in such a way.''

    He thought of the footage he¡¯d seen through the crystal.

    He frowned.

    From the beginning, what mattered to him was making the summoning a sess, but he¡¯d never imagined that the demon would be defeated so easily.

    ''I was hoping he would at least deal considerable damage to the Hwarang Squad.''

    The Hwarang Squad and the big guilds that didn''t coborate with the Demon Cult were beings that hindered their n of devouring Korea.

    He was hoping that the Hwarang Squad''s forces would suffer a considerable amount of damage.

    ¡ªBut the result was the total opposite.

    The demon had suddenly begun acting strange and had ended up dying.

    ''Why did the demon act so strangely?''

    He couldn''t understand.

    The demon had acted all high and mighty only in the beginning, but then had suddenly be really scared.

    It waspletely different from the image he had in his head.

    ''Is it because of Chae YeonJoo?''

    Chae YeonJoo, the leader of the Red Rose Guild, was clearly the strongest yer among those who¡¯d arrived at the cave.

    "..."

    The man shook his head.

    He had met Chae YeonJoo a couple of times.

    She was indeed really strong, but she wasn''t strong enough to make a demon tremble in fear.

    No. Demons were very prideful beings, so it made no sense that he had trembled in fear before even fighting.

    ''There''s something I¡¯m missing¡­''

    He narrowed his eyes.

    There must¡¯ve been a reason he wasn''t aware of.

    The problem was that it was impossible to guess the reason just by the footage he had seen through the crystal.

    ''Is it because of the guy who attacked him with the scythe?''

    He remembered the young man who had a sharp look on his face.

    He had also heard about the young man named KangWoo.

    There had been rumors going on about him that said that he was a really talented rookie that the Red Rose Guild was supporting.

    "Hmm..."

    A short exmation came out of the man''s mouth.

    But still, a rookie was a rookie. It had been only a month since the Red Rose Guild had begun supporting him, so there was a limit on how strong he could have gotten.

    ''I have no idea.''

    He wasn''t sure why the demon had acted in such a strange way.

    ''I''ll have to check it out myself.''

    The man¡¯s eyes shone sharply.

    "Cardinal, we have other news."

    "Say it."

    "It seems like the world rankers have started moving."

    "..."

    The man frowned after hearing ¡°World Rankers.¡±

    He didn''t seem angry by the news that they''d started moving, but he seemed annoyed by the words.

    "Hmm."

    But the anger was momentaneous. He leaned back on the chair.

    That past month, the dimensional wall had gotten weaker, and with that, the Demon Cult had started actively moving.

    So it was obvious that they would also begin moving.

    "Did the Cult give any orders?"

    "Not really."

    "So there wasn''t..."

    The man''s eyes shone with interest. The fact they hadn''t given any orders in that situation meant one thing.

    "We''ll have to hurry up. We''ll move on with our ns. Let''s start with El Cuero."

    He mentioned the name of the boss monster of Suwon''s S-rank Gate.

    "Yes!"

    The priest''s, who had their heads bowed down, answered loudly.

    * * *

    After the demon summoning incident got resolved, KangWoo climbed up on Echidna and flew home. Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon refused, so it was just KangWoo and Echidna.

    * * *

    When he got home, he saw Han Seol-ah, who had taken Kim ShiHoon to the hospital.

    She wasn''t alone¡­

    EunBi and TaeSoo were also there.

    They were sitting down with looks that showed they had many things they wanted to ask.

    "I''ll tell you tomorrow when we go and see Mr. ShiHoon."

    He couldn''t hide things from them anymore since they''d also gotten involved.

    The next day, he began exining when they got to the hospital where Kim ShiHoon was.

    He told them that he was a yer who was receiving support from the Red Rose Guild and that there was a mysterious cult called the Demon Cult active in Korea.

    He also told them that Kim JaeHyun and Kim YeongHoon had been providing them with offerings.

    "Then... Mr. KangWoo, you were watching over me for a week after hearing the rumor?"

    "Yes. The moment I heard the rumor, I knew it was about you."

    "How did such a rumor..."

    "Well, the yer''s world is small, after all, and your party has many people with attention-grabbing looks. It would be weird if people didn''t notice you," KangWoo answered calmly.

    Obviously, he didn''t mention that he had used Kim ShiHoon as bait.

    He was just exining things with words that came into his mind.

    ''I''m not saying anything wrong.''

    The reason why that n had ended up in sess was that Kim ShiHoon''s party was clearly different from others.

    All Kim ShiHoon''s party members were so talented that it would be weird if there hadn''t been more rumors about them.

    "Couldn''t... You have told me before?"

    Han Seol-ah looked at him with sad eyes.

    She knew that KangWoo was hiding many things from her.

    ''He''s probably hiding even more things.''

    She felt that KangWoo was probably hiding an even bigger secret.

    Even though he was right next to her and they lived together, she felt that KangWoo was at such a distance that she couldn''t reach him even if she spread her hands.

    Bitter emotions filled her heart.

    "I''m sorry for making you worry."

    "Ah..."

    A short exmation came out of Han Seol-ah''s mouth.

    After hearing him say sorry without putting out any excuses, she began feeling remorseful.

    "N-no. I shouldn''t have said that... You probably have your reasons."

    "But it doesn''t change the fact that I made my family worry. I can''t promise that things like this won''t happen again... But I''ll try my best."

    "T-try? Th-that..."

    Han Seol-ah mumbled while her face was red. She felt her heart beating faster and that, if she didn''t try hard, the tips of her mouth would go up.

    The word he¡¯d said, family, was filling her head.

    "Thank you..."

    There was a weird atmosphere between the two.

    "KangWoo, peel this for me."

    Echidna was on top of hisp while making a nk expression.

    She handed him an orange they''d brought before visiting Kim ShiHoon.

    KangWoo smirked and grabbed the orange.

    "Hyeongnim. What happened with the members of the Demon Cult?"

    "We weren''t able to catch the leader."

    "Oof... Do they really kidnap people and use them as offerings?"

    "You also almost became a victim."

    "Those bastards!"

    TaeSoo stomped angrily. TaeSoo already looked scary enough, and seeing him frown made him look like a demon that appeared in nightmares.

    ''There''s no way you''re a human.''

    ¡ªKangWoo resisted saying that.

    "Anyway, take care while hunting. You never know when they''re going to attack again."

    "Understood."

    "Also, each of you take one of these."

    KangWoo gave each a crystal ball he''d gotten from Chae YeonJoo.

    "KangWoo oppa, what''s this?"

    "It''s a crystal that lets youmunicate with others inside the gates. Call me if something dangerous happens."

    "Thank you, Mr. KangWoo."

    It seemed like KangWoo''s gesture moved him¡ªhe grabbed the crystal tightly.

    "Mr. KangWoo, I have a question."

    "I''ll answer as long as it''s something I know."

    "What happened with Kim YeongHoon and Kim JaeHyun...?"

    "They''re both going to spend the rest of their lives in jail."

    "..."

    "You don''t need to worry. They won''t be able to solve this with money."

    They had kidnapped people and sold them to a cult.

    Of course, they could try to destroy or change evidence, but it wasn''t like KangWoo wouldn''t be able to deal with that kind of stuff.

    ''If there''s ack of evidence, I can always fabricate it.''

    KangWoo had the power to do that.

    "Also, I heard about your situation."

    "Ah..."

    "It seemed like Kim JaeHyun forced her to take a huge debt. I already asked for enoughpensation to cover that. Also, your mom seems to have health issues, so I''ll ensure she gets treatment in the best possible facilities."

    "Mr. KangWoo..."

    Kim ShiHoon seemed to be lost for words.

    His body began trembling. Tears dropped from his eyes.

    "Th-thank you... Sniff, sniff. Mr. KangWoo, you''re my savior."

    ''Don''t say things like that. I''m starting to feel guilty.''

    KangWoo smiled awkwardly while remembering that he had turned him into his familiar spirit.

    "Mr. KangWoo, you''re really a good person."

    ''Stop.''

    "I was lucky to have met Mr. KangWoo."

    ''I''m sorry, I was wrong. Now that I think about it, I think that turning you into a familiar spirit was a bit too much.''

    "Just like TaeSoo, I also want to serve you as my hyeongnim."

    ''Why are you doing this to me?''

    KangWoo felt that he was about to burn because of guilt.

    Even if he was someone very calctive and cold, it wasn''t like he didn''t have any emotions left.

    ''I feel like I''m absolute trash.''

 Chapter 73: Rest (2)

    While leaving behind his feeling of remorse, he nodded while making an awkward smile.

    "Then I''ll talk to youfortably."

    "Thank you, hyeongnim."

    Kim ShiHoon bowed while smiling.

    ''Too handsome.''

    Even though they were both men, ShiHoon was handsome enough to make him tremble a bit.

    "Then I''ll also tell you all something I''ve been hiding¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon told them that he was the sessor of the Martial God and had an SSS-rank Attribute.

    "Yes, an SSS-rank Attribute."

    "Th-there hasn''t been anyone who got that in the first Awakening. Right?"

    "I knew ShiHoon hyeong was also someone exceptional, but¡­"

    KangWoo already knew the details, but he acted as if he were surprised.

    "How did you awaken as the sessor of the Martial God?!"

    "I''m not sure about the details. But¡­ I got a different system message than others when I awakened."

    "A different system message?"

    The other party members looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    It was also KangWoo''s first time hearing that, so he looked at him with great interest.

    "That, because the ''Gaia System'' had been damaged, I was chosen as a guardian."

    "Gaia System¡­?"

    "I''m also not sure about the details, but when I first awakened as a yer, I definitely got a message that said that."

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    ''To think that I''d hear about the Gaia System here.''

    Even Chae YeonJoo hadn''t heard about that word before.

    He never expected to hear about it from Kim ShiHoon.

    "ShiHoon, when did you awaken as a yer?"

    "May 22nd."

    "Ah, isn''t that the day I first met Mr. KangWoo?"

    "¡­"

    May 22nd¡­

    It was the day KangWoo had returned to Earth.

    ''The day I returned to Earth, Kim ShiHoon awakened as a yer.''

    It wasn''t hard to guess why from the exnation he gave.

    ''Damage done to the Gaia System.''

    The defense mechanism called the Gaia System was damaged because he had returned to Earth.

    ''And topensate, a guardian was chosen.''

    It made sense.

    KangWoo''s thoughts continued.

    ''Then is Kim ShiHoon the key to restoring the Gaia System?''

    It was impossible to know at the moment if the Gaia System could be fully restored or if a guardian was chosen because it was impossible to restore it.''

    Either way, what was sure was that Kim ShiHoon could rece part of it.

    ''As expected, I was lucky to meet Kim ShiHoon.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    It seemed like Kim ShiWoon was someone more important than he had initially thought.

    ''Our rtionship is also good at this point.''

    Thanks to the incident with the Demon Cult, Kim ShiHoon''s trust in him had increased.

    If he kept growing and was able to fulfill his role as guardian correctly, he was probably going to be a bigger force than KangWoo had initially thought.

    ''Although I feel a bit guilty¡­''

    But after hearing that he was the guardian chosen by the Gaia System, he thought that he had made the correct decision in making him his familiar spirit.

    Because the Gaia System kept weakening, one didn''t know what would happen in the future.

    To stop it from deteriorating, he had to investigate and prepare.

    "Th-then is ShiHoon hyeong some sort of hero that defends Earth?"

    "Haha. Hearing someone say it like that makes it sound cringe. To be honest, I''m also not sure. I indeed got a better Attribute than others in the beginning, but that''s also the same for yers like Chae YeonJoo or Baek KangHyun."

    "But SSS-rank?! I heard that even the First Lady started with an S-rank Attribute, so isn''t that really amazing?"

    "But I haven''t been able to ept all of the strength of the Martial God, so I can''t fully use the power of the Attribute. I think that, at this point, I''m on a simr level to yers that awakened an S-rank attribute at the beginning."

    "But it''s still quite impressive!"

    TaeSoo patted Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders whileughing as if he were proud of him.

    Kim ShiHoon shook his head.

    "Even with such a talent, I almost lost against Kim YeongHoon. The word impressive doesn''t suit me."

    "Haha. brother ShiHoon, you are indeed impressive. But brother KangWoo is even more so!"

    TaeSoo shouted excitedly.

    KangWoo smirked and stood up.

    "Keep doing a good job with the party. Also, call me if there''s anything you need."

    "I''m going to do my best to be useful to hyeongnim."

    You could feel a strong will in his voice.

    KangWoo nodded with a satisfied expression.

    Because what was restraining him had disappeared, it was good that he had another goal.

    "But take a break until your body fully recovers."

    "Understood¡­"

    "Then I''ll let you rest. I''ll be going."

    KangWoo turned around, and Kim ShiHoon looked a bit disappointed.

    "Are you leaving already¡­?"

    "Huh? Yes. I have things to do."

    KangWoo couldn''t hide his surprise. It was as if he didn''t want him to leave.

    ''What''s wrong with him?''

    He felt that it was beyond the level of just having a good rtionship.

    ''Don''t tell me¡­''

    KangWoo shook his head. He didn''t even want to think of that.

    Familiar spirits oftentimes became interested in their masters because their souls were subordinated to their master.

    ¡ªThey were subconsciously attracted to their master.

    ''Please¡­''

    You could feel the despair in KangWoo¡¯s eyes.

    He didn''t want to think that was the case with Kim ShiHoon.

    KangWoo walked out of the room without looking back.

    * * *

    After paying a visit to the hospital, KangWoo became really busy.

    Not only did he have to make ns along with Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon, but he also had to check if what he had promised Kim ShiHoon was progressing well.

    He then went to see Kim JaeHyun in a prison specially made for yers and ordered him to reveal the information he knew about the Demon Cult.

    Since they had Kim YeongHoon as a hostage, he couldn''t do anything stupid.

    Simultaneously, KangWoo checked that his demonic energy had increased afterpleting the sixth Awakening and checked how many Authorities he was able to use.

    ''This is too tiring.''

    KangWoo sighed after thinking of the past few days.

    He almost began hating that he had only one body.

    ''Too bad I can''t use the Authority of Cloning yet.''

    It was an Authority that let him create another body that shared his consciousness.

    It required so much demonic energy that he couldn''t use it yet, despite having unlocked the sixth Awakening.

    "The problem is that I still have a lot of things to do."

    KangWoo sighed and checked out his status window.

    He had to reach level 59 and see if he also had a restriction to leveling up, and he also had to see what the other two conditions to achieving the Extreme Demonic Energy Body were.

    But he couldn''t even try to achieve those things because he''d recently been really busy.

    ''But it''s finally over.''

    Because he''d kept himself busy, he''d been able to finish most of the important things.

    Afterpleting what he had to do that day, he''d have time to rx.

    "Mr. KangWoo, we''ve finished the preparations needed to move."

    "What about your mother?"

    "She said she still has some stuff to order, so she said that we should go first. She''s going to take a taxiter in the day."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo nodded.

    He looked around the small apartment that waspletely empty.

    It was the house he''d lived in after returning to Earth with Han Seol-ah.

    ''She probably needs some time to organize her thoughts.''

    He''d only lived in that house for two months¡­

    But Han Seol-ah''s mother, Kim MiJeong, had lived there for almost 20 years, so she probably had a lot of stuff to organize.

    "Then let''s go first."

    KangWoo asked her to get in the car. Han Seol-ah sat in the passenger seat, and Echidna was on top of hisp.

    "¡­"

    "Is something wrong, KangWoo?"

    KangWoo grabbed Echidna and put her in the back seat.

    "KangWoo has be colder with me."

    She sadly lowered her head.

    KangWoo smirked and began driving toward Seoul Station.

    "Is this really okay¡­?"

    "What?"

    "It''s the house Mr. KangWoo got, but for my family to move in together¡­"

    "I told you not to worry. I also don''t want to live alone in such a big house."

    "B-but still¡­"

    "And it isn''t like I got it with my own money. It''s a house that the Red Rose Guild provided."

    "It¡¯s from Ms. Chae YeonJoo?"

    "Yes. It was one of the things she offered."

    "Ugh¡­"

    Han Seol-ah clenched her fist as if it angered her.

    A house that was 165m2 big near Seoul Station was probably worth more than two million dors.

    She felt envious that YeonJoo could provide KangWoo with such an expensive house as if it were nothing.

    ''The two of them seem really close¡­''

    Han Seol-ah bit her lips anxiously.

    ''And the house we''re moving to is also close to hers.''

    Thinking of KangWoo being with Chae YeonJoo made her thoughts messy.

    "Oof¡­"

    The huge gap that existed between her and Chae YeonJoo made her shrug.

    There was a heavy silence in the car.

    Echidna broke the silence and opened her mouth.

    "KangWoo, what are you doing tomorrow?"

    "Tomorrow? I''m not sure¡­"

    Unlike those past few days, he really didn''t have any ns for the following day.

    "Are you also busy tomorrow¡­?" Echidna asked carefully. She seemed to want to y with KangWoo but didn''t want to put pressure on him.

    She looked like a kid asking her father if he was free on the weekend after being busy for the entire week.

    KangWoo smirked.

    He found those careful attitudes of Echidna cute.

    ''I guess there isn''t anything wrong with taking a break.''

    After he¡¯d returned to Earth, the number of days he had taken a break were so few that it was embarrassing.

    Considering that he would probably get even busier soon, it was probably a good idea to take a bit of a break.

    "I don''t have anything to do tomorrow."

    "Ah! Th-then¡­"

    "You said you wanted to go to the amusement park, right? Let''s go tomorrow."

    "Hng! Hng! If it''s KangWoo, I''m okay with going anywhere!"

    Echidna snorted, and her eyes shone expectantly.

    The thought of going out with him made her excited.

    "Ah¡­"

    A short exmation came out of Han Seol-ah''s mouth.

    Not only Chae YeonJoo, but Han Seol-ah felt that she was also falling behind Echidna.

    ''But I met him first.''

    Han Seol-ah felt left behind, which made her anxious.

    "Th-then I''ll also go!"

    "Hmm? Didn''t you say that you would stay organizing stuff?"

    "I can always organize thingster on! I¡­ I also want to go!" Han Seol-ah quickly replied.

    "Then, Seol-ah, youe too."

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Ugh¡­"

    Echidna red at the uninvited guest while biting her lips.

    ¡­It was as if she were looking at ash being poured on top of cooked rice.

    "Ha, haha."

    Han Seol-ah smiled awkwardly after feeling Echidna ring at her.

    She understood Echidna''s feelings of wanting to be alone with KangWoo, but there was nothing that she could do about it.

    ''¡­Because you need to fight for your love.''

    If it were for him, she was willing to be the ash on top of cooked rice.

 Chapter 74: Rest (3)

    "KangWoo, wake up."

    The next morning¡­

    KangWoo woke up due to Echidna shaking him awake.

    After having a simple breakfast, KangWoo went outside with Echidna and Han Seol-ah.

    They went to a giant mall in Mokdong, Yeongdeungpo.

    At first, they seemed to be wary about each other, but they soon began choosing clothes with their eyes shining.

    ''They''re getting along better than expected.''

    Because Echidna was introverted, he thought she''d be wary about Han Seol-ah.

    The previous day, she¡¯d just red at Seol-ah until they¡¯dpletely unpacked.

    But right then, they were both looking around the shopping mall and talking as if they were sisters.

    ''Is this the power of women?''

    KangWoo couldn''t understand what was so fun about picking clothes. To him, they all looked very simr.

    "Oh, look at this. I think it''s going to suit Echidna."

    "Will KangWoo like it...?"

    "Hehe. Yes, of course."

    "Then I want to try it on."

    Han Seol-ah wandered around picking out clothes for Echidna as if she were her little sister.

    It seemed like Echidna started to like shopping, so she followed Seol-ah around with her eyes shining.

    ''I guess it''s okay as long as both of them like it.''

    It wasn''t a bad idea for Echidna to make other friends and not rely on him too much.

    Her relying on him too much would cloud her ability to make decisions.

    "Mr. KangWoo,e here for a bit."

    "KangWoo, does it suit me?"

    As he turned his head around, he saw Echidna looking at him nervously.

    Echidna was wearing a beige jacket and a checker-pattern skirt that reached her knees¡ªshe looked surprisingly cute.

    ''It''s as if she¡¯s wearing a uniform.''

    Leaving aside her real age, because she looked so young, it seemed like she was wearing a uniform.

    "Yes, it suits you."

    "Hng! Hng!"

    Echidna snorted and blushed at his answer.

    She looked at Han Seol-ah with shining eyes.

    "I want this."

    "Fufu. Okay. I''ll buy it for you."

    "Thank you. Seol-ah, so you were a good person."

    Echidna had changed her opinion too easily thanks to clothes.

    She smiled while grabbing Han Seol-ah''s clothes.

    "Haaa! She''s too cute!"

    "Seol-ah... I can''t breathe."

    Han Seol-ah rubbed her face against Echidna''s cheeks.

    KangWoo smiled at the two of them, satisfied.

    ''I''m d I took a break.''

    Seeing both of them having fun made him smile.

    After they finished paying, they clung to each of KangWoo''s arms and pulled him along.

    He had two flowers in his hands.

    He could feel people watching him with envy, and KangWoo followed them while smiling like a victor.

    ''This is life.''

    He thought of the days he¡¯d spent living among demons who were interested in nothing but fighting.

    ¡­After all the days he¡¯d spent suffering because of tentacled monsters, he feared they''d appear in his dreams.

    KangWoo was so happy that he thought that maybe all those times he¡¯d spent suffering were so that he could live that moment.

    An hour passed.

    "Echidna, how about this outfit?"

    "Seol-ah, it suits you."

    ''Hmm. Very nice. It seems like they''ve be closer.''

    Two hours passed.

    "Hoho. Mr. KangWoo! Please try this on!"

    "KangWoo, you look cool."

    ''Hmm.''

    Three hours passed.

    "KangWoo, KangWoo. Let''s go back to the 2nd floor. I think it was better there."

    "Ah. I also want to go back to where we were an hour ago."

    ''What''s this?''

    Four hours passed.

    "Ah. I think we should go back to the first ce."

    "Yes, I think that it was better there."

    ''Why isn''t this ending?''

    Even after four hours, the shopping was still going on.

    KangWoo looked at them with a confused expression on his face.

    The problem wasn''t that they were looking around all the shops, but that they¡¯d suddenly change their hearts and return to shops they¡¯d already been to.

    ''We¡¯ve been to this shop four times already.''

    KangWoo had a pale expression on his face.

    Unlike him, both girls looked at the clothes without taking a break.

    It was as if they''d used the Authority of Energy.

    He felt like he''d been locked up in an endless mobius strip.

    ''Is this life?''

    It wasn''t that he was physically tired¡­

    But repeating a task that seemed meaningless made him mentally tired.

    ''Is this really taking a break?''

    He''d gone to the shopping center to take a break before things got busier.

    But rather than resting, he felt that he was bing even more tired than when he fought.

    His mind was about to reach its limit when suddenly¡­

    "Now that we''ve looked around enough, should we take a break?"

    "You''ve... Looked around enough?"

    "Fufu. We''re going to see other things besides clothes in the afternoon."

    "..."

    * * *

    Those words felt like thunder in a blue sky to him.

    KangWoo became even paler.

    "KangWoo, I''m hungry."

    "Oh yeah. It''s already past lunchtime. Should we go to the food court and eat something?"

    "Food court?"

    KangWoo tilted his head, and Han Seol-ah was surprised at his reaction.

    "You don''t know what a food court is?"

    "No. This is my first time hearing about one."

    Back then, when¡¯d lived on Earth in the past, not only had never been to a food court, but he hadn''t even gone shopping.

    Han Seol-ah seemed troubled.

    "Hmm... It''s a ce where there are many different restaurants gathered together. There''s usually a wide variety of restaurants, and the price isn''t that high."

    "Oh!"

    KangWoo''s eyes shone. Eating was one of the things he''d been enjoying the most since returning to Earth.

    "Let''s go."

    KangWoo''s eyes recovered their brightness.

    What he saw next shocked him.

    "C-can I order all this here...?"

    "Yes. You can say what you want over there and get a food coupon.

    "Woah..."

    As he looked at the menu with more than a hundred different options, KangWoo couldn''t help but feel a thrill.

    ''Is this heaven?''

    There were three different types of kimchi stew: one with tuna, another one with ham, and finally, one with meat.

    ¡®This has to be heaven.¡¯

    "To think that there¡¯s a ce like this."

    KangWoo began regretting having missed out on ces like that because he''d been crazy about hunting and growing.

    ''I''ve been forgetting about the most important thing¡­''

    Why had he returned to Earth in the first ce?

    Wasn''t it to enjoy eating and ying?

    He could feel his desire boiling. It wasn''t a simple desire but one that had been multiplied because of the body of a demon.

    He could feel the desire devouring his reason.

    "KangWoo, what should we eat?"

    "Everything."

    "Everything?"

    "I want everything. From numbers 1 to 168. I also want 10 of numbers 67, 68, and 69," KangWoo said in a serious tone.

    He had obviously ordered 10 tes of kimchi stew.

    "Mr. K-KangWoo! Calm down!"

    Han Seol-ah came running.

    "Why?"

    "You can''t eat that much."

    "If there are leftovers, we could take them home.

    "The food''s going to go bad before you can finish it all."

    "Don''t worry. I know how to make food not go bad."

    Han Seol-ah began thinking fast after seeing KangWoo''s serious attitude.

    "The food court has a diverse menu, but the food isn''t that delicious. Rather than eating it here, it''s better to eat my home-cooked food."

    "Hmm. If it isn''t delicious..."

    After hearing that it wasn''t that delicious, his lust and desire quickly died down.

    Disappointed, KangWoo just ordered the three types of kimchi stew, pizza, chicken, and tangsuyuk. It was still quite a lot, but it wasn''t that muchpared to what he¡¯d originally nned to order.

    "I want to eat the same things as KangWoo."

    Echidna ordered the same things as her with her eyes shining.

    Han Seol-ah tried to stop her but failed in doing so after seeing her eyes.

    "I''ll just have an udon..."

    The food they had ordered was ready pretty fast.

    KangWoo and Echidna had ordered so much food that even a table of four wasn''t enough to put everything on the table.

    "Then, should I eat?"

    KangWoo drank a spoon of the pork kimchi stew.

    "Hmm."

    Just like Han Seol-ah said, it was a bitcklusterpared to the one she prepared.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone. Although it may not have been that delicious, there was a wide variety of food that he could choose from.

    ¡ªIt was abination of food he could have never imagined while in Hell.

    It was a very important opportunity for him to make his dreams a reality.

    KangWoo turned his head to the pizza and put a slice of it on top of the kimchi stew.

    "Mr. KangWoo...?"

    A low voice came out of Han Seol-ah''s mouth.

    KangWoo ate a slice of pizza with kimchi stew simultaneously.

    It wasn''t just the pizza; he also mixed the tangsuyuk and chicken with the kimchi stew.

    "Slurp! Woah, this is better than I imagined!"

    KangWoo ate the kimchi stew with pizza, tangsuyuk, and chicken with a smile on his face.

    "Am I supposed to mix all that in?" Echidna asked Seol-ah while tilting her head.

    "No..."

    "But KangWoo is doing it."

    "That''s because Mr. KangWoo..."

    ¡®Is weird.¡¯

    She barely managed to stop herself from saying that and looked at KangWoo in surprise.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>Slide-!</em>

    "You really know how to eat! Mixing things up is the best way to eat kimchi stew!"

    A man approached them out of nowhere and said that in a dialect that clearly marked him as from a different province.

    Without asking for anyone''s permission, he sat in front of KangWoo.

    KangWoo stopped eating and red at the man in front of him.

    The man had an out-of-fashion aloha shirt and a gold chain. He had a muscr body and tan skin. It was like looking at a smaller version of TaeSoo.

    "Who are you...?" KangWoo said in an annoyed tone.

    The man smiled.

    "I''m Baek KangHyun from the Hanul Guild. Have you heard of me?"

    "..."

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    There probably wasn''t anyone in Korea who hadn''t heard the name Baek KangHyun.

    "You''re the rookie of the Red Rose Guild. Right?"

    Baek KangHyunughed and kept talking.

    "I have a proposal for you."

    "Proposal?"

    "I''ll give you 50 million USD. I''ll give you items that are at least unique-rank. I''ll also provide you with a car and house that can''t bepared to what you have right now. Come join our guild. I''ll also make you an executive member."

    Han Seol-ah''s mouth fell open after hearing the ridiculous amount of money and conditions offered.

    But KangWoo''s expression didn''t change.

    KangWoo smirked and leaned back on the chair.

    He opened his mouth in a rxed manner.

    "The offer is too low."

 Chapter 75: Legendary Elite Equipment (1)

    "Woah."

    Baek KangHyun''s eyes shone.

    He looked at KangWoo, who had a rxed expression on his face.

    He wasn''t bluffing.

    It seemed like he really thought that the conditions weren''t good enough.

    "Hahaha. You''re a funny guy, huh?"

    Heughed as if he found that situation funny.

    "If you have nothing more to say, why don''t you leave?"

    It was an arrogant attitude.

    It wasn''t an attitude one should have in front of Baek KangHyun, who was known as the strongest ranker in Korea.

    "Hahaha!"

    Baek KangHyun beganughing loudly.

    He wasn''t sure how long it had been since someone had spoken to him in such an arrogant way.

    "I really like you. So, what do you think a satisfying condition would be?"

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes and looked at Baek KangHyun.

    Although he seemed rxed, he was thinking about a lot of things.

    ''Baek KangHyun, huh?''

    It was a name he had gotten tired of hearing about.

    He wasn''t able to be a world ranker, but people said that there wasn''t anyone stronger than him in Korea.

    He was someone stronger than Chae YeonJoo.

    ''I wasn''t expecting him to be like this.''

    He thought that he¡¯d be like a solitary martial artist, but he ended up beingpletely opposite to what he thought.

    The image he had of the number one yer waspletely destroyed.

    ''Has he heard the rumors?''

    The incident against the Demon Cult¡­

    He had done too much for him to go unnoticed.

    Just like Baek HwaYeon had warned him, he had to embrace some rumors about himself leaking out.

    ''But I wasn''t expecting for him toe himself.''

    He was surprised.

    ''It seems both Chae YeonJoo and Baek KangHyun like to do things themselves.''

    KangWoo looked at Baek KangHyun and opened his mouth.

    "I''m sorry, but it doesn''t matter what condition you give me, I have no intentions of joining a guild."

    He didn''t have to think about it too much.

    He was happy with his current rtionship with the Red Rose Guild and the Hwarang Squad.

    What he liked the most was that he didn''t have to follow their orders; they were on equal standing.

    But if he joined a guild, things would change.

    He would inevitably have someone above him.

    ''I can''t let that happen.''

    Even if they guaranteed his freedom, he didn''t like to be under someone else.

    ''And I don''t need to do that.''

    When he¡¯d epted Chae YeonJoo''s proposal, things were different.

    KangWoo had be strong enough that he didn''t really need someone else''s support.

    "Hmm. There¡¯s nothing I can offer?"

    "I''m satisfied in terms of money, houses, and cars. I''m not after things like that."

    "Haha. Then what is it that you want?"

    "Hmm. I''m not sure. Why don''t you figure that out yourself?"

    "Hahaha! Nice! It''s been a long time since I¡¯ve met someone who could talk confidently in front of me!"

    Baek KangHyunughed while nodding.

    "Then how about this? If you join me, I''ll give you one legendary piece of equipment."

    "..."

    Some doubt appeared in KangWoo''s eyes.

    Baek KangHyun noticed it and smiled.

    "It seems that you''re now interested."

    "Hmm... I won''t deny that."

    A piece of legendary-rank equipment¡­

    It was something you couldn''t easily buy even if you had lots of money.

    Equipment that yers used were created by yers with production-rted attributes and scientists who worked in modern weapons fields.

    The ingredients used in those weapons were, of course, mana stones and things that came from the corpses of monsters.

    Creating legendary equipment was almost impossible because it required materials that came from S-rank Gates.

    ''The ingredients also don''t always appear.''

    And something more important than that was the ''imprint.''

    Once you equipped a legendary-rank item, an imprint ceremony would happen.

    That meant that other people wouldn¡¯t be able to use that equipment.

    On top of that, some items had conditions for the ceremony. So in many cases, people couldn''t use a piece of legendary equipment even if they got one.

    ''That interests me.''

    Unique items were already quite good.

    But to offer something better than that¡­

    ''Chae YeonJoo''s chains are also legendary-rank. Right?''

    It was true that Chae YeonJoo was already strong, but her chains were also quite powerful, especially thanks to the drain passive that they had.

    But most importantly, some legendary items increased your stats by a fixed amount.

    ''Although I''m sure that there isn''t anything that increases your demonic energy.''

    It was true that he was interested.

    ''I''ll refuse.''

    KangWoo thought about it for a while but shook his head.

    * * *

    It was a sweet proposal.

    But it didn''t matter how sweet it was, he wasn''t the type of person that was willing to be under someone else''smand.

    "Haha. I knew you''d refuse."

    Baek KangHyun smiled and stood up.

    "This is my number. If you change your mind, give me a call."

    "Okay."

    "I''m sorry for interrupting you while you were eating. Oh, if you really want to eat properly, you also need to put this inside."

    Baek KangHyun took a te of kkakdugi next to the udon and put them inside the kimchi stew.

    "This is what I call real taste!"

    "Putting kimchi inside kimchi stew...?"

    "Huh? You aren''t as knowledgeable as I thought. Isn''t the texture different?"

    "Well, I''ll give it a go."

    KangWooughed and ate the kimchi stew that had kkakdugi inside.

    That thing that was closer to being trash than kimchi stew.

    Han Seol-ah turned her face from the kimchi stew as if she couldn''t even fathom looking at it.

    "KangWoo, is it delicious?"

    "Of course."

    <em>Slurp!</em>

    After clearing the kimchi stew, he stood up.

    "Should we get going?"

    "Mr. KangWoo. Is that okay? To refuse that offer..."

    "Why? Do you think it''s a waste?"

    "N-no! It''s nothing like that. It isn''t my money in the first ce. I just thought that he might retaliate."

    "If he does that..."

    KangWooughed.

    "I''ll just have to make him thoroughly regret it."

    * * *

    After walking through the shopping center one more time, KangWoo walked toward the garage.

    "It was really fun today~!"

    "Yeah. I''m happy I was able to get many clothes that KangWoo praised me for wearing."

    The two girls smiled, satisfied.

    "I''m d," KangWoo said with a tired expression.

    He had used a lot of energy wandering around the shopping center for the entire day, but he didn''t feel annoyed.

    He thought that it was good that Echidna and Han Seol-ah were able to get close.

    "I''ll bring the car, so wait for me here."

    "Yes, Mr. KangWoo."

    After grabbing the shopping bags from Echidna and Han Seol-ah, KangWoo walked toward the car.

    That time, Echidna sat in the passenger seat.

    KangWoo, who had improved his driving skills, drove off from the shopping mall smoothly.

    "But it''s still too bad."

    "Hmm? What?"

    "The legendary-rank equipment. You were interested in it."

    "Oh, yeah. That''s a shame."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue. He couldn''t help thinking about the legendary-rank equipment.

    "Fufu. But I''m d Mr. KangWoo refused that proposal."

    "You''re d?"

    "Yes. Something... Seemed off about him."

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo thought about Baek KangHyun, who had smiled a lot and spoken with an ent¡ªhe wasn''t someone you''d feel cautious about.

    ''I guess it''s a girl''s gut feelings?''

    He thought that he should ask Chae YeonJoo about Baek KangHyunter on.

    "I don''t like the idea of being under another person."

    "Fufu. That''s true. I can''t imagine you listening to another person''s orders."

    "KangWoo, you mustn''t listen to other people''s orders."

    Echidna grabbed his clothes while making an anxious expression.

    For her, KangWoo was a being close to a god. She didn''t even want to imagine him listening to orders from another person.

    "Don''t worry. That won''t happen."

    While saying that, KangWoo turned the steering wheel of the car around. There was silence. It seemed like Echidna and Han Seol-ah were also tired because of how much they¡¯d wandered around the shopping.

    ¡®Legendary-rank equipment...''

    As it became silent, he naturally thought of the legendary-rank equipment.

    ''Too bad that I let it go.''

    For a moment, he thought that he should maybe ask Chae YeonJoo, but he already knew how valuable it was.

    Even if it were her, she probably wouldn''t be able to get him one easily.

    <em>Bzz-</em>

    "Hmm?"

    At that moment, his smartphone began vibrating. KangWoo took the phone out and put on an earphone.

    "Hello?"

    [It''s me, Baek HwaYeon. Can you talk?]

    "I''m driving, but it''s okay... What happened?"

    [I was wondering if you coulde to the Hwarang Squad base right now.]

    "Right now?"

    The Hwarang Squad¡¯s base was near the Suwon S-rank gate.

    It wasn''t that far from Seoul Station, but it wasn''t that close either.

    [Yes. It probably won''t be bad for you.]

    You could feel a bit of excitement in her voice. KangWoo tilted his head.

    "What is it that you''re so excited about?"

    [The reward that the government will give you has been decided; you can receive it right now at our base.]

    "Woah."

    When he thought about it, she''d said the government would reward him.

    "What''s the reward?"

    [Fufu. I hope you realize how much effort I''ve put into giving you a proper reward.]

    It wasn''t a Baek HwaYeon-like answer.

    He began wondering what kind of reward it was for her to be so excited about it.

    "I''ll decide if it''s a proper reward or not after seeing it."

    [Hahaha! Even you''ll be satisfied with it. You''ll be given a legendary-rank item that was in the Mir Guild''s hands.]

    "..."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    He was still grieving about the legendary item.

    But before he could get over it, he¡¯d received unexpected good news.

    It was as if someone had scratched a part of his body that he couldn''t reach with his hands.

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    ''This is why you have to live like a good samaritan.''

    KangWoo felt as if his good actions had been rewarded.

 Chapter 76: Legendary Elite Equipment (2)

    "Then good luck, Mr. KangWoo."

    "KangWoo, you''re going toe back soon. Right?"

    "Yes. I''ll just receive the item ande back, so it won''t take long."

    In front of the new apartment¡­

    After he¡¯d driven Han Seol-ah and Echidna there, KangWoo was about to go to the Suwon Station.

    It was at that moment¡­

    "Oh, you''ve returned. I heard it from HwaYeon. You''re going to the Hwarang Squad base. Right? I also need to go there, so let''s go together."

    Chae YeonJoo, who was sitting in front of the entrance to the apartment, walked toward them. She naturally opened the passenger seat.

    "Y-you..."

    "Oh, you''re the girl we met the other day. You... Said you lived with KangWoo. Right?"

    "Y-yes. I live with Mr. KangWoo."

    Chae YeonJoo narrowed her eyes.

    She looked at KangWoo and then at Han Seol-ah. She spoke in a low voice.

    "Isn''t it hard living with such a weird guy? If you want, I''ll get you a house around here. On top of that, I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s in your name."

    "It''s okay. I like living with Mr. KangWoo."

    "Really...?"

    She seemed a bit disappointed and turned her head around.

    She snorted while sitting in the passenger seat.

    "I can''t understand what she likes about this weirdo."

    "Then how about you get in your car?"

    "Shut up. I don''t feel like driving."

    Chae YeonJoo crossed her legs.

    "Drive."

    "Am I your chauffeur...?"

    "If you don''t like it, give me the car back."

    "I''ll drive you safely."

    KangWoo, who had bowed to capitalism, waved his hand to Han Seol-ah and Echidna.

    The two girls looked at Chae YeonJoo anxiously.

    KangWoo slowly stepped on the elerator.

    "I had something I wanted to ask you."

    "You wanted to ask me something?"

    "Yes."

    KangWoo thought about the man he''d met earlier.

    "I met Baek KangHyun today."

    "Wh-what? Where?"

    "In Yeongdeungpo, Times Square. It wasn''t a coincidence. He came looking for me."

    "What did he say...?" Chae YeonJoo asked while narrowing her eyes. You could feel that she was a bit anxious.

    KangWoo smirked after looking at her.

    "What do you think he said?"

    "Don''t make jokes."

    She looked at KangWoo angrily.

    "He invited me to join the Hanul Guild," he said while shrugging.

    "Wh-what conditions did he offer?"

    "50 million USD, expensive house, car, an executive position... And a legendary-rank item."

    "What the¡­?"

    Chae YeonJoo''s widened.

    The conditions were so great that it seemed like he was out of his mind.

    She thought that her conditions were also quite good, but they were nothingpared to the Hanul Guild''s proposal.

    "Ugh..."

    Chae YeonJoo bit her lips. She thought that there was no way he would''ve refused such conditions.

    "S-so when are you joining Hanul Guild?"

    "Hmm? Join them?"

    "Don''t tell me... You refused that offer?"

    "I have no reasons to be under someone else."

    "Ha."

    Chae YeonJoo couldn''t believe what she was hearing.

    From the first time she¡¯d met him, she¡¯d felt he wasn''t the type of person who would listen to someone else''smands.

    But she never thought that he''d refuse such great conditions.

    "As expected, you''re a weird guy..."

    Chae YeonJuu turned her head away.

    She seemed to be looking out of the window with a faint smile on her face.

    "So, is there anything you know about Baek KangHyun?"

    "I met him a couple of times."

    "What kind of person was he?"

    "I probably felt the same thing as you. I couldn''t believe that someone like him is Korea''s number one yer."

    "Hmm. You can tell that at first nce. But rather than that, have you heard any rumors about him?"

    "Rumors..."

    Chae YeonJoo tried to remember.

    "I heard that, one time, he got really angry."

    "He got angry?"

    "Yes. It was probably when he failed to be a world ranker. Because, back then, many people said that a world ranker would appear in Korea for the first time."

    "Hmm..."

    "Well, that''s understandable. He probably wasn''t expecting to lose in such a way."

    "How did he lose?"

    * * *

    "Among the world rankers, there''s someone called Fujimoto Ryoma¡ªhepletely crushed him."

    Fujimoto Ryoma¡­

    He was a Japanese world ranker who was also famous for having a Mythic-ranked weapon.

    "Korea and Japan already have a bad rtionship. So to lose in such a way... He received many insults. People said things like he wasn''t worthy of being called a ranker, that he lost to make Korea look bad, that he was a traitor, and many other things."

    "No wonder he got angry."

    It would''ve been weird if he hadn''t gotten angry in that situation.

    "If that were you..."

    "I would have found every single person talking shit online and crushed their hands."

    "..."

    He thought that Chae YeonJoo was someone perfectly capable of doing that.

    "So that means that there are no bad rumors about him, right?"

    "Why? Did Baek KangHyun say something?"

    "No. I was just thinking he might try to get revenge on me for refusing."

    Chae YeonJoo smirked.

    "He''s not someone who would do that. He probably liked your attitude andughed about it."

    She was on point.

    KangWoo nodded and stepped on the elerator.

    * * *

    "So you came. I''ve been waiting for you."

    Baek HwaYeon was waiting for them in front of the base. KangWoo approached her after greeting her.

    "You could have waited for us inside."

    "Fufu. I was feeling anxious waiting inside."

    While saying that, Baek HwaYeon turned her body around.

    "Come in. I''ll give you your reward."

    "I heard that it''s a legendary-rank equipment."

    "Yes. There was a legendary-rank equipment that hadn''t been activated through a ceremony yet, so I immediately thought that it had to be this.

    "You probably had a hard time."

    "Yeah. People were so against it that I almost went crazy because of anger."

    Baek HwaYeon shook her head.

    "Well, all politicians are like that, after all."

    "It''s really hard talking to them," Baek HwaYeon said while frowning.

    She took them to the room where the legendary-rank item was.

    As they walked through a thick door, they saw a long ck coat.

    It had such a minimalistic design that it was hard to tell at first nce that it was a legendary-rank equipment.

    "Is this the legendary-rank equipment?"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at the long coat with her eyes shining.

    KangWoo also got close to it to check its details.

    [Item Information]

    Item Name: ck Pearl Coat

    Rank: Legendary (Before Ceremony)

    Normal Effect: Physical Defense +660, Magic Defense +480, Unique Stat +5

    Special Effect: You can use ''Kraken''s Rage,'' which doubles your stat bonus for 1 minute. You can use ''Kraken''s Rage'' once every 24 hours.

    Item Description: It''s a coat created using blood from the Kraken''s heart.

    "Hmm... It doesn''t seem to be a very good legendary equipment."

    Chae YeonJoo clicked her tongue after reading the item description.

    She could understand why the Mir Guild hadn''t used it.

    "Although the stat increase is unbelievably high..."

    There weren''t many legendary-rank equipment that increased your stats by an absolute value of 5.

    Most of them increased stats by 1 ~ 2, and some increased them by 3 ~ 4.

    The higher your stat was, the harder it became to increase it.

    At first, just by doing some light training, you could increase your strength by one or two points, but once it reached 40, it didn''t matter what you did, it was impossible to increase from training alone.

    Basically, most yers had to be content with the one to three stat points from leveling up

    But the problem was that there wasn''t a guarantee that your main stat would increase.

    That''s why increasing your stats by five was almost equivalent to increasing your level four or five times

    Considering how hard it became to level up as time passed, it was an incredible effect.

    "But there aren''t many yers with unique stats."

    The problem was that.

    There weren''t that many yers who had a unique stat in the first ce.

    So if you didn''t have a unique stat, the ck Pearl Coat was basically useless.

    "But still, the basic physical and magic defense stats are quite high."

    "That''s true. But still, it''s too bad."

    Chae YeonJoo was about to turn around to say something to KangWoo, who was possibly disappointed.

    "Hmm...?"

    Rather than being disappointed, KangWoo was smiling. Chae YeonJoo tilted her head.

    Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

    "KangWoo... Don''t tell me you have a unique stat..."

    "Yes."

    Chae YeonJoo couldn''t believe what she was hearing. To think that KangWoo had a unique stat, something that extremely few people had.

    ''Now that I think about it, it makes sense.''

    She thought that KangWoo''s growth speed was unreasonably fast, but if he had a unique stat, it was apletely different story.

    "Then the story changes... If that¡¯s the case, this is one of the best legendary items you could possibly have."

    "Nice."

    KangWoo nodded while making a satisfied expression.

    His unique stat was demonic energy.

    ''To think that I''d increase my demonic energy by 5.''

    Not only that, but if he used the skill, it could double the stat bonus.

    That meant that for a short moment, his demonic energy could increase by 10.

    ''Even devouring Oriax gave me only 3 points.''

    It was a higher amount than what he''d gotten after devouring a demon from the 7th Hell.

    He turned around and extended his hand to Baek HwaYeon.

    "Thank you for the great item. I''ll do my best, so we can wipe out the demon cult."

    "Hahaha. I never imagined that you''d have a unique stat. It seems like this item was destined to meet you. Let''s do our best in the future as well."

    Baek HwaYeon was grabbing his hand andughing.

    <em>m-!</em>

    "Keep your hands off of that item!"

    At that moment, an old man wearing a suit entered with four bodyguards.

    "Congressman Hong...?"

    "Hng! A petition that the congressional party submitted has just been passed. That item will return to the country''s treasury."

    The old man wearing a suit, Hong JunTae, smiled.

 Chapter 77: Legendary Elite Equipment (3)

    Hong JunTae¡­

    He was a Korean politician who had a lot of influence and authority.

    Baek HwaYeon frowned at his sudden appearance.

    "A petition... What do you mean?"

    "We just submitted a petition. We cannot let you have that legendary-rank equipment."

    "This item was acquired by the Hwarang Squad while doing a mission. Leader Jang HyunJae is the one who has authority over it, and he has recognized the contribution of yer Oh KangWoo."

    "He awakened as a yer only a few months ago! What contribution are you talking about? Baek HwaYeon... Didn''t you do this to obtain the legendary-rank equipment?"

    He looked at Bae HwaYeon with suspicion.

    Baek HwaYeon''s expression hardened.

    "What are you talking about?!"

    "Hng. You greedy young people always shout like that. How dare you take us as idiots just because you''re in charge of the Hwarang Third Squad? Did you think we don''t know what that item is worth?!"

    "I''ve said it numerous times, he did enough to be worth of receiving this as a reward!"

    "How dare you say such bullshit!!!" Hong JunTae angrily shouted.

    "Anyway, the petition has passed, and the President said I should investigate if there was any corruption in the rewarding process."

    "Ugh."

    Although the Hwarang Squad was part of the government, they were an independent organization.

    But even if they were independent, they couldn''t go against the President''s orders.

    JunTae acted as if he were looking around, and then he finally looked at the ck Pearl Coat.

    A legendary-rank item with a price that couldn''t even be estimated.

    You could see his eyes fill with greed. While turning his eyes from the coat, he spoke to himself loudly as if he wanted someone else to hear what he was saying to himself.

    "Tsk. What a mindless bunch of people. This is why they put the me on someone as great as Mr. Kim JaeHyun."

    "He''s a criminal who offered living people as offerings to the Demon Cult¡­"

    "Hng! How can we be sure of that? Maybe you fabricated the evidence."

    "Congressman Hong!"

    Hong JunTae moved his hands as if he didn''t want to hear anything.

    "Anyway, I already ordered an investigation, so don''t even think of escaping."

    He was speaking as if something shady had really happened.

    KangWoo, who was listening to the conversation between the two, smirked.

    ''So he used to receive gifts from Kim JaeHyun.''

    It was easy to see why Hong JunTae was acting in that way.

    KangWoo could smell the greediness.

    Hong JunTae, who was looking around, walked toward KangWoo.

    "You''re that rookie of the Red Rose Guild? Don''t get hurt while being greedy. Just shut the fuck up and stay that way. Understood?"

    He raised his hands and tapped KangWoo''s cheeks.

    "Oof..."

    KangWoo couldn''t help butugh at Hong JunTae''s attitude.

    KangWoo wasn''t someone who was going to remain silent after being treated like that.

    ''You should answer evil with an even greater evil.''

    ¡ªThat was how he had survived for over ten thousand years.

    KangWoo spoke in a low voice.

    "What a noisy dumbass."

    "What...?"

    "How old are you? How dare a kid touch an adult''s cheeks?"

    "..."

    Hong JunTae didn''t know what to say to KangWoo''s words.

    It didn''t matter how you looked at him, KangWoo was in his twenties.

    Then why was suddenly he talking as if he were the older one?

    "Has this guy gone mad¡­?"

    "Guy? Did you say ¡®guy¡¯? Ha, what a rude bastard. What did your parents do to raise such a rude kid?"

    "Auch!"

    KangWoo grabbed Hong JunTae''s cheeks.

    Although he''d grabbed them softly, yers had bodies that went beyond the superhuman.

    ¡ªThat''s why they had different criteria about what was soft.

    When he let him go, Hong JunTae fell to the ground.

    "Y-you crazy bastard!"

    Hong JunTae''s face had be red. He grabbed the back of his neck and shouted to his bodyguards.

    "What are you all doing?! Grab that guy!"

    He had put his hands on a congressman¡­

    They could even kill him and say it had been done for safety concerns.

    The four men behind Hong JunTae started to move.

    <em>Swipe-</em>

    They each took out their weapons.

    ''So the four of them are warrior-types?''

    Because they were in charge of the protection of a congressman, you could easily see that they weren''t your average yers.

    ''It seems like they all have finished the sixth Awakening.''

    Even so, for someone like KangWoo, who had strength above that of a ranker, they were nothing.

    "Ha-ab!"

    The man in front charged toward him.

    The weapon he had was a gauntlet, and he targeted KangWoo''s head with gauntlets that had thorns.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    * * *

    "Hmm?"

    It was a soft movement as if he was catching a baseball. The man put more strength into his arm while frowning.

    "Wh-what?"

    He couldn''t move. It was as if he was stuck between rebars. KangWoo grabbed his hands and pulled him in; then hit him with his knee.

    <em>Paf-!!</em>

    "Cough!!"

    The man bent down, and blood spurted out of his mouth. The man ended up losing consciousness.

    "Wh-what the...?"

    Hong JunTae paled.

    His bodyguards were high-level yers who had finished the seventh Awakening.

    There was no way someone who had be a yer only two months before then could win against them.

    "Should I help?"

    "No. It''s been a bit since I warmed up, so¡­"

    Unlike Hong JunTae, Chae YeonJoo was calm.

    It was as if she knew that things would turn out like that.

    "Wh-what are you doing?! Isn''t he a member of the Red Rose Guild? If you don''t stop him, I will ensure you get involved in this incident!"

    "Oh, I''m sorry, but KangWoo isn''t a guild member, so I cannot give him orders," Chae YeonJoo said with a smirk on her face while raising both hands.

    "Wh-what are you¡­?"

    <em>Smash-! m! Boom!</em>

    "Cough!"

    Before Hong JunTae coulde to his senses, the battle was almost over.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Divine Power to throw all of the bodyguards across the room.

    The bodyguards were thrown into the wall and screamed in pain and lost consciousness.

    "They weren''t even good enough for warming up."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue in disappointment and walked toward Hong JunTae in a rxed manner.

    "Hiic! D-don''t get close to me!"

    "Ho. This is why someone who¡¯s young shouldn''t be greedy."

    KangWoo crouched in front of Hong JunTae and looked him in the eyes.

    "Hmm? When I was young, working honestly and hard was the only answer. Working hard! I lived only by believing in that one thing."

    "..."

    Hong JunTae frowned.

    "It hurts me when I see young people these days..."

    "Y-you! Are you making fun of me?!"

    "Making fun? Do you think I''m ying right now? I''m giving you some honest advice. How dare you answer like that."

    "Y-you m...!"

    Hong JunTae trembled in anger.

    He was going crazy because of KangWoo treating him as if he were a little kid.

    "I''m sixty this year! Sixty!!"

    "Sixty?"

    KangWoo smirked.

    "Not only has the blood on your head not dried up, but your head hasn''t even formed yet."

    "Y-you!!"

    Hong JunTae swung his fist toward KangWoo.

    Leaving age aside, he wasn''t even a yer, so there was no way he could deal damage to KangWoo.

    <em>Paf-!!</em>

    "AAGGHH!"

    Hong JunTae screamed in pain.

    It seemed like the bones of his fingers had broken. He was crying while holding his hand.

    "Does it hurt?"

    "Sniff."

    "You''re still young¡ªthat''s why it hurts. This pain will definitely make you grow."

    Hong JunTae, who didn''t know if he should get angry or scream in pain, twisted his body around.

    "Oof. So what are you going to do about this?"

    Chae YeonJoo walked toward him.

    "You know you''ve done something serious, right?"

    He had touched a congressman.

    In a sense, it could be something more serious than having touched Kim JaeHyun.

    "It''s okay. I have ways to solve this."

    "Are you going to blow away his memories like you did with Kim YeongHoon...?"

    "That could be a way, but if I did that, we wouldn''t be able to solve the petition issue."

    "Then what are you nning to do...?"

    "You''ll see."

    KangWoo ced his hand on top of Hong JunTae''s head. The demonic energy from the Ten Thousand Demon Core was concentrated in his hand.

    His expression turned serious because he was using a very difficult Authority.

    "Cough! Cough! Wh-what did you do¡ª"

    He had finished the Authority. Hong JunTae looked around while grabbing his head.

    "But nothing changed?"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at Hong JunTae with a confused expression.

    "How much money did you receive from Kim JaeHyun in bribes?"

    "It started six years ago, I received two million USD each year... Huh?! Wh-what am I saying?!"

    Hong JunTae''s eyes widened, and he covered his mouth with his hand.

    But that didn''t stop him from talking.

    "On top of that, I received 1.3 million USD a few days ago to help conglomerates evade taxes..."

    His exnation kept going on.

    Even one of those things being revealed to the media would be enough to destroy his life as a politician.

    "This..."

    "I made him be able only to speak the truth."

    KangWoo looked down at Hong JunTae, who kept going on about how many bribes he''d received.

    Although he kept saying it wasn''t real, his true self was really pathetic.

    " N-no! This isn''t true!"

    His face pale, Hong JunTae ran out of the room.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo in disbelief.

    "But... He only has to remain silent to bypass this... Right?"

    "No way. I obviously thought of that. I made it so he can''t resist telling the truth."

    "Why did you do that?"

    She looked at him, confused.

    KangWoo probably had other ways to stop the report.

    "What would happen if the representative of a political party became a whistleblower? Once that happens, all sorts of corruption cases rted to big corporations or guilds wille to light. Then, we can stop all cases of people trying to meddle in our business."

    It wasn''t just a bomb¡­

    Something simr to a gue would happen in the political world.

    "..."

    "Why?"

    "U-uhm... KangWoo... You said that all sorts of corruption would be revealed... Right?"

    "Yes, indeed."

    KangWoo nodded.

    Chae YeonJoo avoided his eyes anxiously.

    "If¡­ if that happens... I''ll also be in trouble."

    "What?"

    "H... How I investigated you... How I gave a yer who hadn''t reached the seventh Awakening an S-rank gate permit... Oh, also, Echidna was her name? That girl''s ID..."

    "..."

    KangWoo remained silent.

    He felt that he''d received a message that said, ''you''ve just killed your teammate.''

    KangWoo turned around to the door that Hong JunTae had left open.

    A clean and clear Korea?

    At that moment, he realized he had made a huge mistake.

    "Grab that bastard!"

    A clean and clear Korea didn¡¯t suit him well.

 Chapter 78: Legendary Elite Equipment (4)

    They grabbed Hong JunTae and stopped him from being the whistleblower who would make Korea a clean country.

    Rather than that, KangWoo turned him into a tool that would let him control him. He sighed in relief and returned to the special conservation room.

    Cha YeonJoo approached him.

    "How did it end?"

    "I told him to report that he hasn''t been able to find any weird things. Of course, I stopped him from bing a whistleblower."

    "Oof. That''s good to hear."

    "Yeah. All the corruption of Korea almost came to light."

    The fact that Korea''s political scene was still dirty and corrupt made them sigh in relief.

    "..."

    "Why?"

    "No... It''s nothing."

    Baek HwaYeon grabbed her forehead in confusion.

    She didn''t know if she should be happy or not because of that situation.

    ''The world is aplex ce.''

    She had difficulty getting used to things like that because she''d lived her whole life like a soldier.

    "Now that the bothersome thing has been solved, should I put it on?"

    Expectantly, KangWoo put on the ck Pearl Coat.

    Ting-.

    [You''ve put on legendary-rank equipment.]

    [Starting the imprinting ceremony with the ck Pearl Coat.]

    He heard a clear bell sound.

    <em>Whir-</em>

    Aplex magic circle appeared on the ck Pearl Coat.

    A blue magic circle flowed into KangWoo''s body.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The imprinting ceremony has seeded.]

    [The ck Pearl Coat has epted yer ''Oh KangWoo'' as its owner.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 5.]

    After getting a blue message window, KangWoo felt his body change.

    Suddenly, his demonic energy went from 83 to 88.

    As if something had been created out of nothing, demonic energy flowed through KangWoo''s body.

    ¡ªIt was the power of the system that KangWoo couldn''t understand yet.

    ''Amazing.''

    KangWoo looked at the coat in surprise.

    After his demonic energy stat surpassed 80, one stat point made a huge difference.

    ''The bonus is already this huge. If I use the skill on top of that...''

    Although there was a time restriction, his demonic energy could reach 93.

    KangWoo smiled, satisfied.

    ''I wasn''t expecting it to increase my demonic energy stat.''

    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that it was destiny.

    KangWoo checked out his status window.

    [Status Window]

    yer Name: Oh KangWoo.

    Level: 54 [Sixth Awakening]

    First Awakening Attribute: Authority of Predation (Rank: ???) * Most of the characteristics of the Authority are sealed.

    Second Awakening Attribute: Unfulfilled Hunger (Rank: C)

    Third Awakening Attribute: Mana-craving Demon (Rank: A)

    Fourth Awakening Attribute: Ruler of Demonic Energy (Rank: A)

    Fifth Awakening Attribute: Demonic Monster Summon (Rank: S)

    Sixth Awakening Attribute: ??? (Rank: ???)

    * The Attribute unlocks once you reach Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    Strength: 38

    Agility: 35

    Vitality: 32

    Mana: 0

    Demonic Energy (Unique Stat): 88 (+5)

    Intelligence: 25

    Wisdom: 23

    * Effects of the item being used.

    Physical Defense: 990

    Magical Defense: 650

    "Good."

    He had only put on one legendary-rank equipment, yet the changes in his status window were clearly visible.

    It wasn''t just the demonic energy that had increased; his physical and magical defense had also increased a lot.

    ''Is it okay if an item''s effects are so great?''

    He thought he''d be able to face the world rankers if he could walk around with tens of pieces of legendary-ranked equipment on.

    ''Although that won''t happen.''

    One legendary-rank equipment had caused such a huge uproar.

    A legendary-rank equipment wasn''t something you could buy just because you had lots of money.

    ¡ªBut it wasn''t impossible.

    If you had the people and the ingredients, it was something that you could make.

    KangWoo asked Chae YeonJoo about it.

    She smirked.

    "That''s impossible. Leaving ranks aside, you can only use five items."

    "Five?"

    "Yes. I told you that the mana flowing out of the item covers your body. Right? If you apply more than five, the effect disappears."

    ''What afortable setting...''

    KangWoo nodded in disappointment.

    He was nning to get as many legendary items in the future as possible, but it seemed like he had to give up on that dream for the moment.

    ''After all, I can use up to five.''

    If he could get legendary items that increased his unique stat, they''d be of great help.

    "Did you like the effect of the legendaries?"

    "Yes."

    KangWoo nodded without hesitation.

    "I want to check out how strong I became."

    "Hmm..."

    Chae YeonJoo, who was thinking for a bit, spoke.

    "Then how about you spar with me?"

    "Spar?"

    "Yes. There''s a sparring room in the Hwarang Squad''s base. Oh, HwaYeon, can we borrow the sparring room?"

    "Of course."

    "Okay, thanks."

    Chae YeonJoo turned around to KangWoo.

    "How about that?"

    "I have no reason to refuse."

    Chae YeonJoo was one of the top 10 rankers in Korea.

    She was a good opponent to use to figure out how strong he''d be after doing the sixth Awakening and getting legendary-rank equipment.

    ''I also want to see how strong Chae YeonJoo is.''

    They were allies.

    He wanted to know how strong his ally was¡ªthat would let him know how much his ally could do.

    It wasn''t just KangWoo who thought that.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo with sharp eyes.

    ''How strong did KangWoo be?''

    The first time she¡¯d seen him, she¡¯d thought that he''d one day be stronger than her.

    But she wasn''t expecting him to be so strong in such an unreasonable amount of time.

    His growth rate was unprecedented.

    Even Grace McCarbin, whom people said was the world savior, didn''t grow at such a fast pace.

    ''It isn''t just a matter of speed.''

    * * *

    She''d heard KangWoo had passed level 50 and achieved the sixth Awakening after the Oriax incident.

    Reaching the sixth Awakening was amazing on its own, but that wasn''t the issue.

    ''KangWoo defeated Moon YeongHo when he hadpleted the third Awakening.''

    The reason why yer Oh KangWoo was impressive wasn''t just because his leveling-up speed was fast.

    The reason why she''d used the word ''impressive'' was because he was unbelievably strongpared to his level.

    When he was at the third Awakening, he¡¯d defeated Moon YeongHo, a yer who had done the seventh Awakening.

    The difference in their stats was so huge that it was likeparing an adult to a primary school kid.

    Even if there was a difference in the ranking of their Attributes, it was impossible to ovee such a gap in stats.

    ''But KangWoo overwhelmed Moon YeongHo.''

    It was true that he had lowered his guard¡­

    But an adult couldn''t lose in a physical fight just because he''d rxed in front of a kid.

    He was already strong, leaving levels and stats aside.

    ''I''ll take this opportunity and check that strength out.''

    There were still too many things about KangWoo that she didn''t know.

    Considering what was about to happen in the near future, it would be good to know his exact strength.

    "Should we start?"

    "Yes."

    He replied positively.

    Chae YeonJoo clenched her fists slightly while walking toward the sparring room.

    ''I won''t lose easily.''

    She knew that he was already stronger than a ranker¡­

    But she didn''t think that she''d easily lose against him.

    ¡ªBecause she was one of the strongest rankers in Korea.

    But¡­

    It didn''t take her long to realize she''d made a mistake.

    * * *

    <em>Slide-!!</em>

    Tens of chains moved over the floor. Although the floor of the sparring room had been built with special materials was scratched.

    The chains were scattered away.

    It was as if they were snakes that were alive.

    They were like an unavoidable of death.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    KangWoo ran through the death.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Speed and caused a sonic boom while moving at a speed close to the speed of sound.

    The chains started to follow him.

    He used the Authority of Sky to ignore gravity and change direction.

    The chains that were following him lost their direction.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    He scattered the chains away with the Authority of Explosions and leaped through them.

    The chains tore his skin¡­

    But he didn''t care.

    KangWoo leaped through the chain at an incredible speed.

    "Ugh!"

    Chae YeonJoo crossed her arms in an X-shape, and the scattered chains gathered in front of her.

    KangWoo opened his arms and pped, and a loud sound spread from the p.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "Kyaa!"

    <em>Piii-</em>

    Chae YeonJoo''s hearing was disabled.

    She grabbed her ears and crouched down. She felt her consciousness fading away, and the chain shield began losing its form.

    ''Authority of Destructive Void, Authority of Divine Power.''

    KangWoo raised his right fist, and ck energy gathered around it.

    An illusion made it seem as if his fist had grown in size.

    He lowered his waist¡­

    He moved his right arm and legs back and then twisted his body¡­

    He used the sticity of his waist and threw a punch.

    "Sky Break."

    It was a skill that required chanting.

    A power thatbined the Authority of Destructive Void and the Authority of Divine Power came out from his right fist.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    An energy went past Chae YeonJoo and hit the wall of the sparring room.

    The wall that was one meter thick was torn apart like a piece of paper, and the sparring room crumbled.

    "Ah, ugh."

    Chae YeonJoo lost strength in her legs and copsed.

    She looked at KangWoo with an expression full of fear.

    Not going to lose easily?

    Not going to be defeated easily?

    It was nonsense.

    "You monster..." Chae YeonJoo mumbled in a low voice.

 Chapter 79: El Quero (1)

    <em>Ting-</em>

    - The time of ''Kraken''s Rage'' has ended.

    - You can use it again in 24 hours.

    ''Amazing.''

    KangWoo looked at the ck Pearl Coat with his eyes shining.

    As expected, the ''Kraken''s Rage'' power was incredible.

    Although it had a time limit of a minute, it had pushed his demonic energy stat to 93, and thanks to that, he¡¯d been able to ovee Chae YeonJoo.

    ''The higher my stats be, the better its effects will probably get.''

    If his stats became higher, the effect of increasing his stats by an absolute value would probably be even better.

    Now he understood why people went crazy for legendary-rank equipment.

    Increasing your stats by an absolute value was a buff that was difficult toe by for a high-level yer.

    ''Chae YeonJoo is amazing.''

    If it had been before obtaining the ck Pearl Coat, he wouldn''t have been able to ovee her that easily.

    After fighting against her, he got an idea of how strong she was.

    ''She also seems to be hiding something.''

    He wasn''t so sure of that.

    But when he¡¯d used ''Sky Break,'' it¡¯d seemed like she had thought about using something that she had decided not to.

    It was probably because she¡¯d noticed that he''d used his technique so that it would miss her.

    KangWoo extended his hand to Chae YeonJoo.

    She grabbed his hand and stood up.

    "You monster¡­" Chae YeonJoo said in disbelief.

    KangWoo shrugged.

    "It was thanks to the legendary-rank equipment."

    "I also have legendary-rank equipment."

    Chae YeonJoo showed him her bracelet.

    "You¡­ Are you really human?"

    "Why? Did you not imagine I''d overtake you in two months?"

    "Isn''t that obvious? Oof. My head hurts¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo grabbed her forehead.

    "But it isn''t bad news, right? At least I''m not your enemy."

    "Although I can''t say you''re a trustworthy partner¡­"

    She sighed and turned around.

    KangWoo also turned around.

    Their eyesnded on Baek HwaYeon, whose face had turned pale and who was trembling.

    It seemed like she was shocked from more than just the battle.

    Baek HwaYeon was looking at the giant hole in the wall of the sparring room.

    "D-do¡­"

    "Hmm?"

    "Do you know how expensive this sparring room was?! It cost us millions of dors! How could you destroy it?!"

    "¡­"

    KangWoo looked at the wall against which he had used ''Sky Break.''

    It was destroyed in such a way that it was embarrassing to even call it a wall anymore.

    He looked over the destroyed sparring room.

    "Oh¡­ Uhm, that¡­"

    KangWoo was lost for words.

    To be honest, he could''ve avoided using Sky Break against the wall.

    Because Chae YeonJoo was a high-level yer, she probably could''ve guessed how strong the energy that was gathered in his punch was.

    The reason why he¡¯d done that anyway was because he wanted to check out how strong the power of the legendary item was.

    Because of thatpse in judgment, he''d crushed a sparring room that cost millions of dors, so he was feeling guilty.

    "I''m innocent."

    Chae YeonJoo was the first one to speak¡ªshe insisted on her innocence.

    "What do you mean? You also damaged the sparring room."

    "Are you talking about scratching the floor with the chains¡­?"

    "Yes. That was also damage."

    "Hmph. Then I''ll also pay a little bit."

    Chae YeonJoo nodded while trying to act cool.

    "We''re both responsible, so let''s each pay half."

    "Don''t talk about taking responsibility, you piece of trash."

    It was harsh criticism.

    KangWoo flinched after hearing some heavy facts, but he wasn''t going to back off.

    "The reason why I did such a big attack was because you¡¯re such a strong opponent."

    "Hey, but still¡­"

    "If you were someone I could win against with a couple of light attacks, I wouldn''t have done an attack like that."

    Sophistry disguised as logic.

    "Then are you saying that it''s my fault?"

    KangWoo nodded without hesitating.

    "Your attack defense was too strong, so I was forced to do such a move."

    "No, even if you hadn''t done thatst attack¡­"

    She was right. It would''ve been okay even if he hadn''t done thatst attack.

    "You never know. You know how much control it requires to gather energy andunch it like that, right?"

    "¡­"

    * * *

    A firm voice¡­

    He looked so confident that you wouldn''t think that he was lying.

    "As you know, it''s been only two months since I became a yer. Thanks to being lucky and having talent, I was able to obtain a lot of strength, but I can''t fully control my strength yet."

    He was lying.

    He used to control the Ten Thousand Demon Core, so there was no way he wouldn''t be able to control that amount of strength.

    "Ugh!"

    Chae YeonJoo trembled.

    She felt that KangWoo was lying¡­

    But she didn''t have proof with which to counter his arguments.

    After all, it was obvious that a yer who had awakened two months before wouldn''t be able to fully control his abilities.

    "You bastard¡­!"

    KangWoo smiled.

    "Good. Let''s do our best to pay back the cost of repairs since it''s our fault."

    "What a liar¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo red at KangWoo.

    "Oof."

    She sighed. A sparring room created with special materials¡­

    Repairing it was probably going to cost them at least 10 million dors. If she used the guild''s money, she could probably solve the issue easily, but there was no way she could do that.

    ''I can''t use the guild''s money to solve this.''

    Even if she was the leader of a big guild, she couldn''t use tens of millions from the guild for personal reasons.

    "I have a good idea."

    KangWoo opened his mouth.

    While sparring, he¡¯d thought of something good. Of course, he wasn''t expecting something like that to happen.

    "Good idea?"

    "How about we hunt it?"

    "What?"

    Chae YeonJoo tilted her head. KangWoo kept talking.

    "El Quero."

    "¡­"

    El Quero¡­

    It was a boss monster that appeared in Suwon''s S-rank gate that looked like a giant stingray.

    El Quero was very famous among yers.

    When Suwon''s S-rank gate had opened for the first time, it¡¯d annihted the team that had gone inside to investigate.

    After that, most yers didn''t get close to theke while hunting there.

    "You know what kind of monster El Quero is, right¡­?"

    El Quero was strong.

    ¡ªBut that wasn''t the only reason why yers struggled with it.

    Firstly, El Quero was a monster that lived inside the water.

    It came tond sometimes, but it mostly attacked from inside the water using poisonous needles.

    Close-range yers couldn''t even get close to it.

    Just the fact that it was a water monster made it hard to hunt, but it also had a very high magic resistance, so it could block most long-range attacks.

    It had been five years since Suwon''s S-rank gate had opened. For almost five years, nobody had dared to hunt El Quero.

    Of course, El Quero wasn''t a monster that was uncatchable. If they created a huge group of high-level yers, they¡¯d probably be able to catch it.

    But in the case of El Quero, they¡¯d never assembled a group of high-level yers. To be more precise, there wasn''t a need to assemble one.

    Usually, a big group of yers was formed to hunt a monster because there was a risk of it crossing the gate and attacking civilians.

    Because El Quero was a water monster, there was no chance it would get out of the water and attack civilians.

    Not only was it hard to hunt, but there wasn''t a need to hunt it, which was why no one had hunted it in almost five years.

    "I know that it''s hard to hunt."

    "It isn''t just hard¡­ If you''re after the money, is there a need to hunt El Quero?"

    Although they could earn tens of millions by hunting it, for yers like Chae YeonJoo and KangWoo, it wasn''t that high of an amount of money.

    They could earn that much just by hunting a giant ogre inside the S-rank gate.

    "It isn''t only because of money."

    "Then?"

    "You said that an S-rank boss monster can drop ingredients required for a legendary-rank item, although the chances are low, right?"

    "That''s true, but even if you have the ingredients, it shouldn''t be easy to create one¡­ Are you trying to do that for a legendary item?"

    "That''s one of the reasons, but I thought it could be the key to unlocking the level limit."

    "Oh, yeah. You were still at the sixth Awakening. Right?"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him in disbelief.

    She had forgotten that he still hadn''t gone through the first trial.

    He was too strongpared to his level, so she''d forgotten that he was still around level 50.

    ''Did I just lose against someone at around level 50?''

    Thinking about it made her realize how terrible of a loss it was.

    Chae YeonJoo sighed while making a sad expression.

    "You know that the way to unlock the level limit varies from yer to yer, right?"

    "I heard that killing a boss monster is the mostmon way to unlock the level limit."

    "Oh, yeah. That''s true."

    The mostmon ways to ovee the level 59 wall were to kill a boss monster, experience illumination, or for your life to be in danger.

    Of course, there were other ways to ovee it, but most people had ovee it through one of those three ways.

    The thing with the highest chance and the thing that most people tried was, of course, killing a boss monster.

    Not many people were willing to meditate to gain knowledge or put themselves in a near-death situation.

    "We can solve the level limit and the repair cost all at once. How about that?"

    "It seems like you''re the only one that can profit from it."

    "No way. Isn''t it all to make our alliance stronger?"

    "You speak well, huh?"

    Chae YeonJoo smirked.

    Killing El Quero was also good for her.

    She was at the second trial that every yer had to go through¡ªthe ''Ultimate Talent.''

    "Okay. Let''s hunt El Quero."

    She nodded and looked at KangWoo.

    She was afraid and expectant.

    ''If KangWoo ovees the Ultimate Effort and his level bes higher¡­''

    She wanted to see how strong that monster could get.

 Chapter 80: El Quero (2)

    "Then, could I take part in the party?"

    "Hmm? HwaYeon, you want to participate?"

    Baek HwaYeon nodded.

    "Well¡­ It was me who let an outsider use the sparring room, so I also have a bit of responsibility. If possible, I wanted us to share the repair cost."

    "HwaYeon¡­"

    Moved, Chae YeonJoo grabbed HwaYeon''s hands.

    "HwaYeon¡­ You''re definitely different from that human trash!"

    "How can you say that so loudly?"

    "You''re nice,prehensive, and know how to take responsibility¡­ Yeah, this is what I call a decent human being."

    "Uhm. Excuse me?"

    "Thanks. Now that I know you''re participating, I''m sure we''ll be able to hunt it."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo remained silent. He thought that the situation was unfair.

    ''But it was a fair trade.''

    He turned his head around, thinking of something that would make Chae YeonJoo go crazy.

    He looked at Baek HwaYeon, who had a sword that was almost two meters long.

    ''A close-range yer¡­''

    The type that people said was the most useless for hunting El Quero.

    It was understandable that people thought that since most people that fought at close range couldn''t move freely in the water.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    To use the strategy he was thinking of, they needed someone that could fight at close range.

    Baek HwaYeon was going to be of great help.

    ''Should I call this a blessing in disguise?''

    He had unintentionally destroyed the sparring room that would cost millions to repair, but thanks to that, he got Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon to apany him to hunt El Quero.

    He didn''t care about money in the first ce. What he needed was stuff that money couldn''t buy.

    Even if you had millions to spend, you wouldn''t be able to buy legendary-rank equipment.

    There was none for sale, so there was no way that you would be able to buy it.

    It was the same in terms of leveling up.

    You couldn''t lift the restriction by spending money.

    ''You can''t buy power with money.''

    It wasn¡¯t like a mobile game where you could pay to win¡ªthere was a limit in terms of what you could do with money.

    He needed other things besides money to recover his old strength and be even stronger than before.

    "With Ms. HwaYeon, we''ll have four people."

    "Four? Who''s the other one?"

    "Echidna. You''ve seen her before."

    "Oh, that''s right. You have a summoned monster."

    Nothing surprised them anymore.

    KangWoo nodded.

    If it was Echidna, she was probably going to be able to y a huge role.

    "Then are we going to try it in a group of four?"

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo thought about it for a while.

    He wanted to let Kim ShiHoon''s party participate, but the risk was too huge.

    ''It''s too early for them.''

    It was true that they were talented yers¡­

    Especially Kim ShiHoon. If KangWoo weren''t there, he probably would''ve be a heroic yer that grew at an unprecedented pace.

    But for the moment, their average level was low.

    He couldn''t bring them to hunt an S-rank monster.

    ''If there are too many people, it could hinder us rather than help.''

    ording to the n he was thinking of, having too many people could make things more difficult. While hunting a boss monster, it was important to grab its attention, having a lot of people could make things more difficult rather than easier.

    "Two, no, it would be great if we could get one more person."

    "Long-range or a healer?"

    "I think that a close-range would be of great help."

    "Another close-range? To hunt El Quero? Why?"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him, confused.

    It wasmon knowledge that close-range yers were useless against El Quero.

    Maybe tankers that could block ranged attacks could be of great help.

    "I have a n. It will be sessful only if we have close-range yers."

    Chae YeonJoo fell into her thoughts.

    The Red Rose Guild members were all good, and among them, there were a few that were close to a ranker in terms of strength.

    But the opponent wasn''t an average monster¡­

    It was El Quero.

    He couldn''t think of any yer that could fight an S-rank monster.

    "How about Goo HyunMo?"

    "Ah, the Hwarang Second Squad leader?"

    Goo HyunMo¡­

    He had short, blond hair and had been wearing sunsses. Although he¡¯d looked like a third-rate gangster, he was definitely good.

    "Oh."

    KangWoo nodded at Baek HwaYeon''s suggestion.

    By how he fought against Oriax, he seemed like someone that could be of help.

    ''Although it''s too bad that his main stat isn''t strength.''

    Goo HyunMo was a warrior that dual-wielded swords, and his main stat was agility.

    He had different specs than what KangWoo wanted, but he was close-range ss and was strong enough to be the leader of the Second Squad, so he was probably someone very capable.

    "I know him a bit, so I don''t think it will be hard to get him to join us."

    "I think that he will be of great help."

    "Okay. Wait a bit."

    Baek HwaYeon took out her smartphone and made a call.

    [Ehem! D-did something happen, Ms. Baek HwaYeon?]

    You could hear Go HyunMo''s flustered voice through the phone.

    It seemed like he wasn''t expecting HwaYeon to call him.

    "There''s something I wanted to ask you."

    [Hahaha! I''ll do anything if it''s a favor for Ms. HwaYeon!]

    ''It doesn''t seem to be just that.''

    Goo HyunMo''s voice was trembling a bit. KangWoo smirked at his obvious reaction.

    [Leader! You did it!!]

    [Are you finally going to stop being single?!]

    [Shut up!]

    * * *

    They could hear the voices of Go HyunMo and the other members on the phone.

    It was a conversation that was hard to believe was between a leader and his squad members.

    Go HyunMo coughed and then kept talking.

    [Wh-what was it that you wanted to ask? If it''s for dinner, I know an incredible¡ª]

    "No, it''s not a dinner proposal."

    [Ah¡­ Yes, I understand.]

    He sounded disappointed.

    Baek HwaYeon exined the situation and told him that she wanted to receive help in hunting El Quero.

    [El Quero¡­]

    "If you feel it''s too much, I can ask someone¡ª"

    [N-no! It''s a favor of Ms. HwaYeon! I''ll help you no matter what! Hahaha! I wanted to hunt El Quero at least once!]

    "That''s good to hear."

    [I''ll take a helicopter and go right now!]

    "No. There''s no need¡ª"

    [Hahaha! Maybe we could have dinner while looking around Seoul if I arrive too early!]

    "I need to make a report about the sparring room that was destroyed, so I think that''s going to be a bit hard."

    [Ah¡­ Yes. I see. Ms. HwaYeon is probably really busy, after all¡­]

    "Then give me a call when you''re about to arrive in Seoul. A member of the Third Squad will go and greet you."

    [Yes¡­ I''ll give you a call.]

    The call ended.

    "Hmm¡­ Leader Goo HyunMo suddenly sounded disappointed. Did something happen?"

    Baek HwaYeon didn''t seem able to understand Goo HyunMo''s reaction.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo and Chae YeonJoo looked at her silently.

    It was as if they were asking, ''Do you really not know why he acted that way?''

    "Why are you looking at me like that?"

    "That¡­"

    "Hmm. Leaving that aside, I wasn''t expecting him to excitedly ept participating in the hunt for El Quero. I''m d I''m not bothering him."

    "Wow."

    "Yeah, she really isn''t aware."

    "Hmm? Did something happen?" Baek HwaYeon asked while looking at both of them, who were looking at her in disbelief.

    KangWoo and Chae YeonJoo looked at each other.

    "Let''s leave it like this."

    "Yes. If we try to exin it, things will get bothersome."

    An alliance was formed.

    "What are you guys talking about?"

    "It''s nothing."

    "Then, when are we going?"

    Chae YeonJoo changed the topic.

    "I want to go as soon as possible."

    "I have some stuff to tell the guild members, and I need to organize a few things¡­ So it will probably take three days.

    "It will take me a few days to write the report. Regarding the sparring room, I''ll give them a reason that doesn¡¯t negatively affect either of you.¡±

    "Then let''s go in three days. I''ll give you details about the n after I think on it more carefully."

    After nodding, KangWoo turned around.

    He had three days.

    He had to create the strategy and also take care of a few other things.

    ''First, I''ll reach level 59.''

    He was currently at level 54.

    He still hadn''t reached the Ultimate Effort.

    To know if hunting El Quero would allow him to pass it or not, he had to reach level 59 first.

    "Let''s meet at 14:00 in three days in front of the gate."

    Baek HwaYeon and Chae YeonJoo nodded at KangWoo''s words.

    * * *

    [You''ve sessfully killed an S-rank normal monster, Giant Ogre.]

    [Your level has increased.]

    [You''ve reached level 59. Your level is restricted. All experience gained from now on will be saved up and applied all at once when the restriction is lifted.]

    "Hmm. In the end, my level was restricted."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue while reading the blue message window.

    Talented yers had a higher chance of oveing the restriction.

    In that sense, KangWoo''s ''talent'' was beyond other people''s, so he thought that maybe his level wouldn''t be restricted.

    But not everything goes ording to your ns in life.

    KangWoo closed the message window and turned around.

    "KangWoo, it''s time."

    "You came just in time. Let''s go to the entrance."

    "Are we going to kill the monster you told me about?"

    "Yes."

    "I''ll do my best to be of help to you."

    Echidna, who had been helping him hunt for the past three days, clenched her fists.

    KangWoo smirked and patted her head.

    Echidna grabbed his hand and rubbed her cheeks against it.

    "I trust you."

    "If everything goes well, will you give me a reward?"

    Echidna looked at him expectantly.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Of course."

    "Hng! Hang! I''ll do my best."

    Apanied by the full of energy Echidna, KangWoo walked out of the gate.

    Chae YeonJoo, Baek HwaYeon, and Goo HyunMo were already waiting in front of the gate.

    "Huh? Were you already inside?"

    "Yes. I''ve been hunting a bit."

    "Didn''t you use stamina uselessly before hunting the boss monster?"

    "Don''t worry. I already thought of that."

    After Chae YeonJoo, KangWoo greeted Goo HyunMo and Baek HwaYeon.

    "Then I''ll exin today''s n."

    While hunting for the past three days, he''d thought of a n to hunt El Quero.

    "The core of today''s n is¡­"

 Chapter 81: El Quero (3)

    "ROOAARR!!"

    Three giant ogres came running toward them while screaming ferociously.

    The body of one of them was easily five meters tall. Just the body was a weapon by itself.

    "These damn guys are still noisy."

    Not a single one of the people there was scared of giant ogres.

    Chae YeonJoo frowned and raised her hand.

    Chains with sharp thorns spread from her wrist.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "AARRGGHH!"

    The chains hit the ogres.

    "You''re bothering us."

    Echidna opened her mouth.

    She let KangWoo''s clothes go and raised the demonic energy from inside her.

    ck energy gathered and turned into fire.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    Three fireballs formed, each directed toward a different ogre.

    The chained giant ogres struggled.

    Then Baek HwaYeon, Goo HyunMo, and KangWoo hopped on top of the giant ogres.

    Just like characters in a famous series that was about killing titans, they quickly moved to the ogre''s backs and cut their necks.

    <em>sh-! Boom!</em>

    Dark blood sprouted, and the corpses of the giant ogres fell to the ground.

    Goo HyunMonded on the ground, whistling.

    "His name was KangWoo, right? I heard that he''s the rookie from the Red Rose Guild, but he''s no joke. Wait, is he really a rookie?"

    He was so good that it was a bit embarrassing to call him a rookie.

    Goo HyunMo looked at KangWoo with his eyes shining.

    He thought that he was participating in the n because of his intelligence.

    But after seeing how KangWoo had hunted the ogre, he realized he was wrong.

    "Hmm¡­ I''ll exin about that yerter on. You just need to know that he''s someone as strong as Chae YeonJoo."

    "Eh? Ch-Chae YeonJoo?"

    "It''s a bit long to exin."

    Goo HyunMo looked at Chae YeonJoo with a confused expression.

    Seeing how she didn''t deny it, it seemed like Baek HwaYeon was telling the truth.

    "H-how¡­?"

    ording to the rumors, he''d be a yer three months prior.

    But how could a yer like that be as strong as one of Korea''s top rankers, Chae YeonJoo?

    Goo HyunMo looked at KangWoo, wondering if he''d heard wrong, but he saw no reaction from him, it was as if she''d said something obvious.

    "I can see theke."

    "It''s quiet."

    "All the areas around theke are El Quero''s territory."

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    It was so silent that one wouldn''t believe it was in the middle of the gate.

    But even if the surroundings were silent, they could hear the low sounds of steps.

    KangWoo turned his head to the ce where he could hear the sound.

    It was a ce he''d seen while investigating the gate for the past three days.

    "Here."

    "But¡­ Is that really going to work?"

    "Do you have a better idea?"

    "Hmm¡­ No."

    Chae YeonJoo looked at the giant rock next to theke with an expression that made it seem like her head was hurting.

    They could see golems walking around covered with green moss around the rock.

    They were mountain giants, the third type of monster that appeared in Suwon''s S-rank gate.

    They were a rare monster amongst the ones that appeared in the gate, and they were closer to being spirits rather than monsters.

    Their bodies were made of stones rather than flesh and bones.

    Was it because their bodies were made of stones? El Quero didn''t think of them as food, so they were the only monsters that could wander around theke.

    "Good. Should we start?"

    "Okay?"

    "You''re the center of this n. You remember that, right?"

    Chae YeonJoo nodded with a heavy expression on her face.

    Tens of chains came out of her wrist while making a red light.

    "Let''s get going."

    While Chae YeonJoo was making the preparations, they also had things to do.

    KangWoo raised part of the chains that Chae YeonJoo had created.

    Unlike the ones she usually created, it had a smooth surface.

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo and Go HyunMo nodded while making nervous expressions.

    "Oof."

    They each took a deep breath.

    You could feel the nervousness in the air.

    KangWoo looked at theke.

    It was such a beautifulke that one wouldn''t think such a dangerous monster was hidden inside it.

    "Okay, then¡­"

    He raised his foot and concentrated the demonic energy into it.

    ¡ªHe stomped the ground.

    SLAM-!!!

    A sound loud enough to make you go deaf spread through the surface and expanded to theke.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "It''sing!"

    Its reaction was fast. Theke''s surface began rippling, and something came out of the water.

    ¡ªA giant stingray of about 30 meters moved toward them at a fast speed.

    <em>Swoosh-!</em>

    "Echidna!"

    "Okay!"

    As El Quero twisted its giant body, hundreds of poisonous needles about the size of a palm were shot toward them.

    Echidna walked to the front and extended both arms, and a ck shield made of demonic energy appeared.

    <em>Thud-!!</em>

    A loud sound that resembled a windstorm hitting a window could be heard.

    Echidna frowned, and her thin hands trembled a bit.

    "Advance!"

    KangWoo stepped forward.

    After going through the shield created by Echidna, he used the Authority of Sky and levitated.

    "Ha-ab!"

    "Woah! This is no joke!"

    * * *

    Baek HwaYeon and Go HyunMo grabbed the chains that KangWoo was holding. As KangWoo flew, both of them also went up to the sky.

    All three of them were high above the ground in just an instant. Goo HyunMo shouted.

    "We''re falling!"

    "I''m afraid of heeiigghhttss!"

    Even while shouting, Goo HyunMo gripped the chains tightly.

    KangWoo climbed onto El Quero''s back.

    "We must end this before it returns to the water!"

    "Okay!"

    They spoke without honorifics, but no one cared.

    El Quero moved violently, and Goo HyunMo lost bnce.

    "It''s too damn slippery!"

    Goo HyunMo took out a sword and stabbed El Quero''s back.

    "WUUOONNGG!"

    "Huh? Why does a stingray cry like that?!"

    Even whileining, he did his part.

    He grabbed one of the chains KangWoo had brought and inserted it into El Quero''s skin where he''d cut it with his short sword.

    "Ha-ab!"

    It was the same for Baek HwaYeon.

    While showing an impressive sense of bnce, she swung the long sword.

    El Quero''s skin was cut.

    She inserted her hand with the chains into El Quero''s skin.

    Red chains were inserted into El Quero''s body.

    "UOOOO!!!"

    El Quero struggled.

    Baek HwaYeon and Goo HyunMo were pushed back.

    KangWoo levitated and dodged it.

    El Quero lowered its body.

    ''It''s trying to return to the water.''

    The only ce El Quero could guarantee its safety¡­

    It was trying to return to the giantke.

    KangWoo dived into the water faster than El Quero. His field distorted, and he got hit by the strong scent of water.

    Once inside the water, he moved toward its stomach, where the monster¡¯s gills and giant mouth were..

    <em>KRRGG-!</em>

    KangWoo moved his body, and demonic energy started to gather around his fist.

    ''Sky Break.''

    A babbling sound came out of his mouth as he chanted under the water.

    KangWoo extended the fist that had demonic energy concentrated within it.

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    A huge fountain spewed out of the water as if a bomb had exploded.

    El Quero''s body rose to the sky within the fountain.

    Considering that it had received a strong attack, it didn''t seem to have suffered much damage.

    Because the attack had been done under the water, KangWoo couldn''t fully use his strength. It probably only received about 10% of the original damage.

    ''Now!''

    KangWoo red at El Quero.

    He kicked under the water and shot up into the air. The pressure of the water weighed him down.

    "UUOONNGG!"

    El Quero pped its fins while making a gruesome sound.

    A spark began gathering around its fin.

    "Get off its back!"

    Baek HwaYeon and Go HyunMo jumped into the air.

    An electric shock hit KangWoo.

    <em>Bzzt-!!</em>

    "Ugh!!"

    It was electricity strong enough to make your eyes turn white.

    KangWoo frowned.

    "KangWoo!"

    A wall that Echidna created from a distance covered KangWoo.

    The effect of the electricity got weaker.

    ''Authority of Ice.''

    The surface of the water froze.

    El Queronded on the surface of the ice, but the ice couldn''t withstand the weight of a monster over 30 meters big and started to crack.

    KangWoo was waiting for that moment.

    He grabbed the chains even tighter and ran toward it.

    KangWoo, who leaped toward El Quero while stepping on the ice, threw himself toward its gills.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    Dark blood leaked from the gills that were forcibly spread open. Blood wasing from KangWoo¡¯s mouth, but he didn¡¯t care.

    He grabbed the chain and ripped apart the skin covering its body.

    Thanks to the Authority Divine Power, he was able to make the wound on El Quero''s body bigger.

    He dug deeper¡­

    KangWoo tore down as much of El Quero¡¯s skin as possible and dug into a deeper part of El Quero''s body.

    The monster¡¯s body shook.

    Because he was covered in blood and his vision was obstructed, he couldn''t see anything, but he just ignored it.

    Even if he couldn''t see, he could still move.

    KangWoo moved forward by tearing through El Quero''s flesh.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    KangWoo went through its body and came out from its back.

    He used the chains on his hands to chain down El Quero''s body and bent down and grabbed onto the monster.

    "Pull!"

    KangWoo shouted.

    "Grab tightly!"

    He could hear Chae YeonJoo''s shout from a distance.

    <em>Thump-!</em>

    While making a sound that was simr to the one an earthquake made, El Quero''s body was dragged to the surface.

    Holding onto El Quero''s back, KangWoo looked toward Chae YeonJoo.

    Tens of mountain giants that had their bodies surrounded with chains were following her from behind.

    "Good."

    KangWoo smiled, covered in blood.

 Chapter 82: El Quero (4)

    <em>sh-!!</em>

    The sound of water being cut could be heard.

    The sshing water washed away the blood.

    "Ugh."

    KangWoo moaned in pain.

    He could feel a huge pressure in the hand that was holding El Quero.

    It would have probably torn him apart if he weren''t using the Authority of Defense and Divine Power.

    ''A little bit more.''

    He could see the mountain giants that were following Chae YeonJoo.

    ¡ªThey were pulling El Quero''s body to the surface.

    <em>Boom-! Boom!</em>

    "UUOONNGG!!"

    As El Quero twisted its body, the mountain giants connected to it by the chains lost their bnce.

    Although tens of giants were pulling, they were losing in terms of strength.

    ''It''s really strong.''

    Worthy of its size, no, it was way stronger than that.

    It was doing its best to resist.

    The giants that were following Chae YeonJoo looked at El Quero.

    "What are you looking at, you pieces of rock?"

    Chae YeonJoo used one of the chains as a whip and hit the mountain giant''s head.

    On top of that, Echidna''s magic hit the mountain giants.

    El Quero looked at both girls.

    "Kid! You go that way!"

    "I''m not a kid."

    While pouting, Echidna moved to the side that Chae YeonJoo had indicated.

    The group of mountain giants that was split into two began pulling El Quero''s body to the surface again.

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    The chains prating El Quero were split into two sides.

    The blooding from the monster made theke turn red.

    El Quero began pping its fin and screaming.

    Poisonous needles hit the mountain giants.

    <em>Crack-! Crack!</em>

    Because their bodies were made of stones, the poisonous needles did not affect them.

    But you couldn''t ignore the physical damage, because they poured down as if it was raining.

    The bodies of the mountain giants were destroyed.

    "Damn."

    Its reaction was stronger than expected.

    KangWoo turned his head around. The two had dodged El Quero''s attack and moved from it.

    They¡¯d ended up falling into theke and were swimming to the surface.

    ''I can''t expect help.''

    Since they couldn''t fly like him, they wouldn''t be able to reduce that distance by swimming.

    ¡ªWhich meant that he''d have to solve the issue.

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''I''ll have to use three.''

    He couldn''t dismiss either the Authority of Defense or Divine Power.

    ¡ªHe''d have to use three Authorities to block El Quero''s movements.

    There was a huge difference between using two and three different Authorities simultaneously.

    The amount of demonic energy required to do that was almost double.

    Using two Authorities simultaneously required four times the demonic energy. If you used three, it required close to eight times the demonic energy.

    "Kraken''s Rage."

    His coat began shining with a dark-blue light.

    His stat bonus doubled, and five extra demonic energy stats were added.

    KangWoo concentrated and activated the third Authority.

    ''Authority of the de.''

    A ck sword appeared from his hands that were holding the monster in ce.

    The ck sword prated El Quero and grew in size inside it.

    "UOOOO!!"

    It screamed in pain.

    Blood pouring out from it covered him with water.

    ''Not enough.''

    It wasn''t enough with just that.

    El Quero still had strength left. Another attack was needed.

    KangWoo shouted to Chae YeonJoo.

    "Create thorns!"

    "What?"

    "Create thorns over the chains!"

    "A-are you crazy?! If I do that¡­!"

    "Quickly!"

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo''s expression hardened.

    She gulped and nodded.

    Thorns started appearing over the chains as her bracelet began to shine.

    "Petrification."

    It was the effect of the Gargoyle''s Armor that he had obtained from Moon YeongHo.

    It doubled your physical defense for ten seconds.

    Although it had doubled, Chae YeonJoo''s chains were a legendary-ranked item, so the chains pierced the physical defense and prated KangWoo.

    He could feel a strong pain spreading through his body.

    "¡­"

    * * *

    Even while frowning, KangWoo maintained the three Authorities.

    He had be used to pain, so he wasn''t going to scream from just that.

    After being pierced by the chains, El Quero began losing strength.

    ¡ªIt was because the chains had started to drain its energy.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    El Quero''s body was pulled to the ground. KangWoo quickly cut the chains and moved from El Quero''s body.

    "KangWoo, are you okay?" Echidna, who came running toward him worryingly, asked.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "We don''t need the giants anymore. Echidna, clear the remaining ones."

    El Quero had a high magic resistance.

    It wouldn''t be effective for Echidna to fight it. Instead, it would be most helpful for her to clean up the mountain giants.

    "Understood."

    Echidna cast magic aimed at the mountain giants.

    The mountain giants were already tired of pulling El Quero.

    They began to fall at her magic.

    "Chae YeonJoo! Stop escaping and join the fight!"

    "Do you think I escaped because I wanted to?!"

    Chae YeonJoo, who had been dragging attention, had returned. KangWoo turned his head to El Quero.

    "It didn''t die aftering to the surface."

    "That''s obvious. Although it looks like a giant stingray, it isn''t a real fish."

    El Quero was a monster¡ªa boss monster that appeared in an S-rank gate on top of that. It wasn''t going to die just because it wasn¡¯t in the water.

    "Oof, oof! Swimming is harder than I thought!"

    "So this n really worked."

    Goo HyunMo and Baek HwaYeon had also arrived.

    KangWoo raised his right arm; a ck sword appeared in his hand.

    "Then let''s end this."

    El Quero was on the surface, so it was the perfect opportunity to hunt it.

    Wind began gathering at Baek HwaYeon''s longsword.

    Go HyunMo gripped his two shortswords.

    "I''ll go first."

    "It will be different from when you were in the water, you radioactive stingray."

    "UOONNGG!!"

    "I can''t concentrate because of its cry!"

    It seemed like he had a lot of things to say about El Quero''s cry.

    But he knew that it wasn''t time to joke around. He lowered his stance and ran toward El Quero.

    <em>Whish-!</em>

    "Ho-ob!"

    El Quero swung its tail like a whip.

    A whip that was, in reality, the tail of a monster with a size that reached 30 meters.

    The tail was two meters thick¡­

    Goo HyunMo lowered his waist.

    ¡ªThe tail brushed past his head.

    "Move back!"

    Baek HwaYeon raised her sword from a ce El Quero''s tail couldn''t reach.

    Wind began gathering at the white longsword. She swung the sword down, and the wind was shot following the trajectory of the sword.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "UOONNGG!!"

    She cut the tip of its tail. Blood was scattered around.

    El Quero''s attention focused on Baek HwaYeon.

    KangWoo and Chae YeonJoo took that opportunity to prate it.

    <em>sh-!!</em>

    "I''ll block the attacks of the tail! You just charge forward!"

    "I''ll trust you."

    KangWoo nodded.

    If he reduced one defensive Authority, he could add an offensive one.

    KangWoo didn''t immediately rush forward after hearing Chae YeonJoo''s shout, instead, he looked at El Quero with deeply sunken eyes.

    ''It''s gotten weaker.''

    Unlike fish, it didn''t immediately die aftering to the surface.

    But because it was a water monster, it had clearly be weaker aftering to the surface.

    Not only that, but it had been severely wounded.

    It wouldn''t have been weird if El Quero had died while they were dragging it to the surface.

    ''Then¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    The only thing that was left was to finish it.

    He closed his eyes and felt the demonic energy gathered in his heart under his left chest.

    The Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­

    The demonic energy he''d gathered for the past ten thousand years¡­

    It was bigger and deeper than anything else.

    ''A sea¡­''

    A sea made of demonic energy.

    You couldn''t see its end, and you also couldn''t see how deep it was.

    Even KangWoo didn''t exactly know the limits of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    ¡ªHe didn''t know what was under that deep sea and what was happening there.

    Even back then, when he was able to use it fully¡­

    He raised his head and looked around.

    He saw three doors embracing the sea.

    ''I don''t need that much.''

    He turned his head from the doors.

    He extended his hands toward the sea, sping his palms and gathering demonic energy.

    It was very littlepared to the vast sea, but for the moment, it was enough with just that.

    "Bident."

    He used the Authority of Dark Spear and the Authority of Hellfire.

    A spear surrounded by dark fire appeared. KangWoo grabbed the spear, lowered his body, and aimed the spear at the monster.

    He could feel powerful energy transmitted to his hand.

    But KangWoo thought that it wasn''t enough. It seemed too small and weakpared to the vast sea.

    He became greedy.

    Once the fire called greed was ignited, it began burning at an incredible speed.

    ''One more.''

    Authority of Spation¡ªAn Authority capable of destroying its natural armor and tearing its skin apart was added on top of Bident.

    The spear''s end, which was divided into two, twisted.

    The spear''s ends began twisting as if they were snakes.

    He felt exhausted, like his soul had gone out of his body.

    The price of using three Authorities at the same time was high.

    He felt as if he was about to lose consciousness at any moment.

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    "Gae Bolg."

    After making a small chant, the dark-red spear waspleted.

    Gripping it tightly, KangWoo stepped on the ground.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve managed to perfectlybine three different Authorities.]

    [You''ve fulfilled the second condition for achieving the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.]

    Message windows appeared.

    But KangWoo didn''t care about them¡ªhe couldn''t let himself get distracted.

    He gripped the spear even tighter.

    The giant tail swung toward him, and a shield made of red chains pushed it away.

    The dark red spear pierced El Quero''s body.

 Chapter 83: El Quero (5)

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    The dark red spear pierced El Quero''s body.

    The fire that was within it exploded.

    ¡ªAnd the Hellfire ate El Quero''s life.

    ''I got it.''

    He was sure of it.

    There was no way El Quero would be able to survive that attack.

    He could feel his hand tremble a bit.

    It felt good.

    It was the first time he''d managed to do an attack that resulted from thebination of three different Authorities.

    Although he used to do things like that as if they were nothing while in Hell, being able to use it again felt good.

    It felt hot and exciting.

    Once again, he started to crave more strength.

    ''So this was the second condition for the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    He wasn''t sure what the Extreme Demonic Energy Body was and what transformations it would bring¡­

    But what he knew was that it was a new strength that he had not had in Hell.

    It would be weird if he weren''t feeling anxious to know what it was.

    ''I wonder what thest condition is¡­''

    He couldn''t think of anything, but since the name was Extreme Demonic Energy Body, it was probably something rted to demonic energy.

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo frowned.

    "Huh...?"

    While thinking, KangWoo felt something weird.

    He frowned. Something that should have appeared wasn''t appearing.

    ''I didn''t receive the message.''

    He didn''t get the message that said he''d killed El Quero.

    KangWoo turned his head toward where El Quero was.

    "K, RRRR..."

    "It... Didn''t die?"

    Although half of its body had been cut away, El Quero''s eyes were still shining.

    His weird and unique ferocious cry had transformed into a normal beast''s.

    Anyway, the important thing was that El Quero hadn''t died yet.

    ''No way.''

    He recalled the sensation in the tips of his fingers.

    All the fighting experience he''d gained through the years had told him he''d sessfully hunted it.

    Gae Bolg was a technique strong enough to kill a demon of the 7th hell.

    It¡¯d received that attack upfront, so it made no sense that it had managed to survive.

    "Wh-what was that technique?! Mr. KangWoo, who are you... No, that isn''t important right now. Wh-what happened?"

    "H-he survived after being hit with that?"

    Goo HyunMo and Chae YeonJo were also confused.

    The moment they saw the dark red spear pierce El Quero, they¡¯d felt a thrill run through their bodies.

    Even if El Quero was an S-rank boss monster, they never imagined that it''d be able to survive such an attack.

    "KUAAGG!!"

    "It¡­ it''s escaping!"

    El Quero was rushing toward theke after losing half of its body.

    "Damn!"

    <em>sh-!</em>

    Chae YeonJoo extended her hand.

    The red chains surrounded El Quero.

    But because her strength spec wasn''t high, she was pulled by El Quero.

    KangWoo quickly moved.

    He grabbed the chain in the middle of Chae YeonJoo and El Quero.

    "Ugh!"

    KangWoo frowned.

    His hand started to tear apart. He wanted to use an Authority, but he had no demonic energy left because he''d used Gae Bolg.

    "Pull the chains!"

    If it managed to escape to theke, all their efforts would''ve been in vain.

    Baek HwaYeon and Goo HyunMo came running and grabbed the chain.

    "Ugh! What strength...!"

    "W-was he really the same guy that was about to die?! How can it still have such strength?!"

    El Quero dragged the four people to theke.

    ¡ªIt seemed stronger than the first time they''d seen it.

    It wasn''t a strength that a water monster would normally be able to use while onnd.

    ''We''re going to lose it.''

    He began feeling anxious.

    Pain spread through their bodies.

    Things could be different if he could use the Authority of Divine Power.

    But he didn''t have a way to stop its strength.

    "Grab tightly!"

    Chae YeonJoo surged the mana from within herself, and the chains surrounding El Quero started to shine with a red light.

    ¡°KUAAHH!!"

    "Damn!"

    El Quero twisted its body.

    You could hear the madness in its voice tone. It was as if ck energy wasing from its body that had been cut in half.

    ''Demonic energy.''

    KangWoo frowned.

    The energying out from El Quero was definitely demonic energy.

    ''What happened?''

    He couldn''t understand what was going on. The frantic situation didn''t let him think about what was happening.

    ''Are we going to lose it?''

    KangWoo bit his lips while looking at El Quero, who had almost reached theke.

    [KangWoo, leave it to me.]

    He could hear Echidna''s voice in his ears.

    Her body was covered in blue light, and she returned to her dragon form.

    Echidna swung her tail like a whip.

    After being hit with Echidna''s tail, El Quero was pushed back.

    [Stay still!]

    Even if she was a hatchling, Echidna was still a dragon.

    After returning to her original form, she was able to stop El Quero from escaping.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    After being pulled again to the surface, El Quero started to twist its body violently.

    Blood began pouring out from its body.

    [Hng! Hng!]

    * * *

    <em>Boom-! Boom! Boom!</em>

    Echidna smashed El Quero with her giant tail, and its body shook after being hit by the tail.

    "Krrrr."

    The aggressive screams started to fade.

    Its eyes started to be blurry¡­

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve eliminated the S-rank boss monster, ''El Quero.'']

    [You''ve achieved 1st ce in contribution.]

    [You''ve gained bonus experience for the finishing blow.]

    [Your experience is increasing exponentially.]

    [Your level is capped. The experience will be umted.]

    Blue message windows appeared in front of KangWoo.

    El Quero had finally died.

    ''I still have the level restriction.''

    While leaving the disappointed feelings behind, KangWoo turned to Baek KangHyun.

    There was something more important than leveling up at the moment.

    "What happened here?"

    "I''m not sure..."

    Chae YeonJoo shook her head.

    They couldn''t understand how El Quero could move again after that attack.

    It was the first time she''d seen a monster that could move after being cut in half.

    "Is it a characteristic of El Quero?" Chae YeonJoo asked while tilting her head. Among monsters, a few had characteristics that couldn''t be understood with logic.

    El Quero was a monster that no one had killed before, so there was a chance that this was something unique to it.

    "No. That''s probably not the reason."

    KangWoo shook his head without hesitating.

    "Why?"

    "Because I received the bonus for the finishing blow."

    If El Quero hadn''t died after being hit with the Gae Bolg, he probably wouldn''t have received the bonus for the finishing blow.

    El Quero had died after being hit with Echidna''s tail.

    "Then..."

    "We''ll have to check it out."

    KangWoo looked at El Quero''s corpse.

    After walking to its corpse, he looked at the ce from where he¡¯d sensed demonic energy.

    ¡ªIt was the ce where El Quero''s brain was.

    "This..."

    He grabbed something, and KangWoo took a closer look at what he had just grabbed.

    ¡ªIt was a ck gem that was the size of two fingers. Inside it, there was demonic energy.

    ''What''s this?''

    It was his first time seeing it.

    It was as if he was seeing the demonic energy equivalent of the mana stone.

    The main difference it had with mana stones was that it felt artificial.

    ''Too clean.''

    Unlike the surface of mana stones, the surface of the ck gem was too clean and perfect.

    It didn''t seem like something that was made naturally.

    ''Is this why El Quero suddenly started to act strangely?''

    He felt that was probably the reason.

    "What''s that?"

    "I''m not sure."

    KangWoo looked at the ck gem while frowning.

    He used the Authority of Observation on it but couldn''t find any helpful information.

    He looked at El Quero''s corpse closely once again. After checking where he¡¯d found the ck gem KangWoo became sure of something.

    ''This wasn''t something that was originally inside the monster.''

    ¡ªIt was something that someone had nted intentionally.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    His head started to spin faster.

    He could guess who had put the gem inside El Quero''s head.

    "I think that I know."

    "What?"

    "I''m not 100% sure, but I feel like this is the doing of the Demon Cult."

    "The Demon Cult?"

    Chae YeonJoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    Suddenly, a strong killing intent came from her body.

    "What does that mean...?"

    "Someone nted this ck gem inside El Quero''s head. There''s demonic energy inside it. The only people who could create something like this are the members of the Demon Cult."

    Unlike mana, you couldn''t naturally obtain demonic energy.

    There wasn''t anyone on Earth besides KangWoo and the members of the Demon Cult who could create something like that.

    "Hmm..."

    KangWoo looked at the ck gem with great interest.

    The demonic energy inside it entered his body through his fingers.

    ¡ªHe had used the Authority of Predation on the gem.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve absorbed a demonic energy stone.]

    [Your demonic energy has increased by 3.]

    Along with a few messages, he could feel his demonic energy increasing.

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    ''My stats increased by three?''

    His demonic energy without the bonus of the ''ck Pearl Coat'' was at 83.

    For the past three days, he''d killed almost a hundred giant ogres, yet his stat hadn''t increased even a bit.

    ¡ªThat was how difficult it was to increase the demonic energy stat.

    But his demonic energy stat had just increased by three.

    ''This...''

    A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face.

    The desire to be stronger that had awakened inside him after creating the Gae Bolg¡­

    It was as if his throat was burning because of thirst and he''d just drunk cold water.

    He wasn''t sure why the Demon Cult had ced such a thing inside El Quero.

    He didn''t know what they were trying to do by putting a demonic energy stone inside a monster¡­

    But there was something he was sure about¡­

    ''Sweet.''

    The demonic energy inside the ''demonic energy stone'' that the Demon Cult had created was strong enough to increase his demonic energy stat that had stagnated.

    Since he couldn''t increase his level, items that could increase his stats were very valuable.

    ''I hope they don''t have only one of these.''

    KangWoo smacked his lips.

    The unknown group of crazy people that were part of the Demon Cult felt to him like a restaurant that only served delicious items.

 Chapter 84: You believe me, donâ€™t you? (1)

    "Wh-what? Why did it suddenly disappear?!" Chae YeonJoo asked, confused.

    The ck gem KangWoo had found¡­

    That item that could be a hint to finding more about the Demon Cult had suddenly disappeared.

    "It melted down the moment I grabbed it..."

    KangWoo looked at his hands while making a surprised expression.

    In reality, it had disappeared because he''d used the Authority of Predation, but he couldn''t say the truth.

    He had to hide that he wasn''t a human but a demon. Not only that, but he couldn''t let them know he was the Demon King, the one at the peak among demons.

    Chae YeonJoo looked disappointed.

    "Is this a characteristic of demonic energy...?"

    "Now that I think about it, the Oriax¡¯s corpse also became dust and disappeared," Goo HyunMo said.

    ''Yes.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after receiving an assist from Goo HyunMo.

    Chae YeonJoo nodded.

    "Hmm... It seems like it really is a characteristic of demonic energy."

    "Ask the guild members to investigate. We should figure out if this item is present only in El Quero or if other monsters have it too. And if they find a gem near the monster''s brain, ask them to bring it."

    If the Demon Cult were the ones that had imnted the gem inside El Quero, there was no way that it would end with only one case.

    Other monsters had also probably been imnted with that gem.

    ''If I get more demonic energy stones...''

    He could simultaneously interfere with the Demon Cult''s n and obtain a huge profit.

    "But this ck gem disappears once you touch it. Are we going to be able to bring it?"

    It was a sharp question.

    But KangWoo didn''t get surprised by the question.

    KangWoo smoothly answered.

    "Since it disappeared after I touched it, it will probably be okay if they use something like a vacuum pack."

    "Hmm. Okay. I''ll ask the guild members to investigate."

    "I''m also going to ask the Hwarang guild members to investigate. Did you find it near the monster''s head?"

    "Yes. They''ll find traces of it being inserted."

    "Okay."

    The Red Rose Guild and the Hwarang Squad¡­ If it was like he thought, he''d be able to gather many demonic energy stones.

    KangWoo tried his best to refrain from smiling.

    Echidna, who had returned to her human form, tilted her head while looking at KangWoo.

    "KangWoo, you seem to be having fun."

    "You''re wrong. How could I be having fun while in the middle of such a situation?"

    "...?"

    Echidna looked confused. She was connected to him through the soul, so she knew what he was feeling.

    KangWoo was full of expectations.

    KangWoo, who saw her expression, quickly opened his mouth.

    "Rather than that, you were of great help just now."

    "Really? Was I of help to KangWoo?"

    "Yes. As expected from Echidna. I''ll give you a reward when you return home."

    "Hng! Hng!"

    Echidna snorted¡ªshe was thinking about what she was going to ask him for.

    KangWoo patted her while smiling.

    ''I''ll also have to search.''

    Obtaining one demonic energy stone was more effective than killing hundreds of giant ogres.

    Because his level was restricted, rather than gaining more experience, it made more sense to keep searching for demonic energy stones.

    ''Thanks to them, I''ll be able to sleepfortably.''

    His level restriction hadn''t been lifted; he also didn''t know thest condition for the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    Even by using the Authority of Predation, his demonic energy stat wasn''t going up. The Demon Cult had appeared just when his growth was blocked.

    It was such good timing that he almost felt thankful.

    KangWoo felt full just by thinking of all the demonic energy stones he would get from the Demon Cult.

    "Burp."

    A dirty burp came out of his mouth.

    * * *

    "El Quero... Has been killed."

    "What?"

    A dark room¡­

    A low voice came out of the mouth of the man that was wearing a red demon mask.

    "What happened...?"

    "We aren''t sure either. We wanted to see the erosion level of the demonic energy stone, but we just found traces of a battle and some blood we think was from El Quero."

    <em>m-! Crack!</em>

    The man hit the table, and the solid wood table broke in two.

    "What about the other monsters?"

    "We''re checking them out, but... It doesn''t seem like they hunted it because they found out about the n."

    "Damn..."

    El Quero was a monster that hadn''t been hunted since gates began appearing on Earth.

    But to think it would be hunted after they¡¯d nted a demonic energy stone inside it.

    Not only was he getting angry, but he was also starting to get desperate.

    "How are things progressing?"

    "Because of this... Things will get dyed."

    "..."

    The man''s eyes narrowed.

    You could see his eyes shining with a chilling light.

    "What if we use the other n?"

    "C-cardinal. That...!"

    "I''m not saying that we''re going to use that immediately. I just wanted to check."

    "If we use that, we can proceed with our ns immediately."

    "Hmm."

    "B-but, Cardinal. If we do that, we won''t be able to handle the repercussions. Now that the world rankers have started to move, it''s too dangerous and reckless."

    "I know that," the man answered.

    "What about the number of demonic energy stones?"

    "We still have some left."

    "nt them in other monsters. Proceed with the n as fast as possible. If it gets dyed any further..."

    He looked angrily at the priest.

    "You guys won''t be safe either."

    "U-understood!"

    The priest that had hidden his head bowed and answered with a fearful voice.

    "But... Who killed El Quero?"

    "We aren''t sure, but we think it was the Red Rose Guild."

    "The Red Rose Guild?"

    "Yes. We found the red chains that Chae YeonJoo uses at the scene."

    "So she''s interfering once again..."

    You could feel a strong killing intenting from him.

    * * *

    The priest trembled.

    "Prepare the shadows."

    "Are you nning to eliminate Chae YeonJoo...?"

    "Yes. She must pay for interfering with our ns."

    "Chae YeonJoo is strong."

    She was one of Korea''s top rankers.

    Not only that, but she had a huge force called the Red Rose Guild, so killing her was going to be hard.

    The red-masked man smirked.

    "There''s a rookie Chae YeonJoo cares about: he''s a rude one called Oh KangWoo. We''re going to take him as a hostage."

    "Oh..."

    "He''s a newbie who doesn''t know much about the world. It probably won''t be hard."

    "Understood."

    "You must catch him no matter what. Oh, also, there''s a little kid that follows him. Catch her as well."

    "A... Kid?"

    The masked man nodded.

    "I felt demonic energy from her. I want to check."

    "Yes!"

    The priest walked out of the room.

    "Oof."

    The masked man took a deep breath and ced his hand on his face; he took off the red demon mask.

    "I don''t like this."

    The red masked man, Baek KangHyun, put the mask on the table and frowned.

    * * *

    "Here''s the money left after deducting the repair cost," Baek HwaYeon said to KangWoo and Chae YeonJoo after calling them to the Hwarang Squad base.

    "10 million was left after selling the mana stone and the corpse. Since it''s the first time El Quero was hunted, they gave us a lot of money for it."

    "Hmm. So you''re going to give us five million each?"

    "Yes."

    "What about you, HwaYeon?"

    "I don''t need it. Also, you and KangWoo were the ones who coborated the most."

    "You''re a born soldier."

    Chae YeonJooughed and guarded the bank details. Baek HwaYeon kept talking.

    "And there''s good news."

    "Good news?"

    "Is it about the demonic energy stones?"

    Baek HwaYeon shook her head.

    "No. The Hwarang Squad members are investigating it, but they couldn''t find any yet. I''m talking about other news."

    "What happened?"

    "A legendary-rank ingredient hase out from El Quero. They said they can turn a thorn that El Quero has in its tail into a sword."

    "Woah."

    "Woah, did a legendary-rank ingredient reallye?"

    Chae YeonJoo and KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    A legendary-rank equipment¡­

    For high-level yers, it was something priceless.

    KangWoo, who had just seen how effective the ck Pearl Coat was, showed great interest.

    ''Although I don''t use swords.''

    He didn''t use a determined weapon¡­

    He created a weapon with an Authority depending on the situation.

    But he could receive the benefits just by equipping himself with it, so it really didn''t matter.

    "A rough estimate came out... It will probably be legendary-rank equipment that increases your strength or agility."

    "Ah..."

    "Then it will be useless to me."

    KangWoo and Chae YeonJoo clicked their tongues in disappointment.

    KangWoo mainly used demonic energy, and Chae YeonJoo used mana, so they didn''t need a legendary-rank equipment that increased their strength or agility.

    "HwaYeon, couldn''t you use it?"

    "Oof. Sadly, the requirements for the ceremony are quite harsh. I can''t use it."

    There were some items that had requirements for the ceremony¡­

    That wasn''t something that was decided while creating the items, but it was something that was already decided by the ingredient, so if you didn''t fulfill the conditions, you wouldn''t be able to use it.

    "What are the conditions?"

    "You need a unique stat called Qi."

    "Qi? That thing that appears in martial arts novels?"

    "Yes. They said that some warrior yers have that stat, but most yers that have that stat are Chinese... There aren''t many Korean yers that have it."

    "Hmm... Then it''s basically fool''s gold. How about we sell it to China?"

    "I wanted to hear your opinions first. After all, you were the ones who contributed the most in killing El Quero."

    KangWoo and Chae YeonJoo nodded.

    The one that yed the biggest role was KangWoo, and then Chae YeonJoo.

    The others also contributed a lot, but it couldn''t bepared to those two.

    "There isn''t anyone who has a unique stat in our guild, but I''m willing to sell it if the price is good."

    "Then I''ll buy it."

    "KangWoo... You?"

    KangWoo nodded.

    Having the unique stat called Qi¡­

    He knew one person who had that.

    ''Kim ShiHoon.''

    The good-hearted young man who followed him along with TaeSoo.

    He was very handsome, but his talent was even more incredible than his looks.

    ''Although we aren''t blood-rted, you''re my little brother.''

    Their souls were literally connected.

    ''Hyung will get you a present!''

    KangWoo clenched his fist.

 Chapter 85: You believe me, donâ€™t you? (2)

    Two weeks after they hunted El Quero¡­

    KangWoo went to Suwon after receiving Baek HwaYeon''s call.

    "We finallypleted it."

    Baek HwaYeon put an impressive blue sword down on the table.

    "Is legendary-rank equipment always created so fast?" KangWoo asked while touching the sword.

    It hadn''t even been two weeks since they¡¯d hunted El Quero down.

    It had been created so fast that KangWoo was a bit worried about the quality.

    "What''s hard is getting the materials that only drop from S-rank monsters. Once you have the ingredients, creating the equipment isn''t that hard."

    "Hmm... But I heard that it still costs a lot of money. HwaYeon, you didn''t push yourself too much, right?"

    "What if I did? Both of you are doing more for our country''s safety than the Hwarang Squad. It would be embarrassing if we didn''t offer proper support," Baek HwaYeon said with a firm voice.

    The Demon Cult was, at that moment, more dangerous than monsters.

    For the moment, only yers were falling victim to their crimes, but it was impossible to know when civilians would start being affected as well.

    "Although I''m not doing it for public safety..."

    Chae YeonJoo avoided Baek HwaYeon''s eyes.

    "I''m chasing after the Demon Cult for world peace."

    "I didn''t think you''d say that out loud... Don''t lie. I know you aren''t someone who''d do something like that."

    "So you don''t believe me?"

    KangWoo shrugged.

    Although he''d said it with a half-joking voice, he was telling the truth.

    For him, the Earth, in general, was something that had to be protected.

    ''Although recently I acquired other objectives too.''

    The Demon Cult controlled demonic energy in a different way than Hell¡­

    He''d unexpectedly profited while trying to investigate them.

    Rather than selflessly protecting the world, he was doing it for his benefit.

    "Leaving the reasons aside, it''s the truth that both of you are helping us catch the Demon Cult. Although the end doesn¡¯t always justify the means, in this case, I think we can look at it positively," Baek HwaYeon said while smiling.

    KangWoo was impressed by her smooth words that flowed like water.

    ''No wonder Goo HyunMo is fascinated by her.''

    Leaving her position aside, she was quite a charming woman.

    Although she looked a bit old-fashioned, she was flexible and had a clear concept of reward and punishment.

    Although that wouldn''t happen, she was the superior he would''ve liked to have had in the army.

    "Don''t fall for her..."

    "What?"

    "Don''t start to harbor weird feelings for her! She isn''t someone that makes a good match with an asshole like you!"

    "Eh¡­ehem. What are you talking about so suddenly, YeonJoo?"

    "His expression showed that he had fallen for you! HwaYeon, be careful. Your life will be ruined if you get involved with an asshole like him!"

    "Calm down, YeonJoo. You''re too excited."

    "Because it''s something important!" Chae YeonJoo shouted angrily.

    KangWoo looked at her in disbelief.

    "Neither of us has thought that. Why are you overreacting?"

    "It¡­ it''s just in case!" She shouted with her face red.

    "It''s as if you were jealous," Baek HwaYeon said while smirking.

    "What?"

    "Hahaha. I was joking."

    "Hmph! There''s no way I''d be jealous of someone like him!"

    "Where did you get such a generic quote..." KangWoo said while shaking his head.

    He turned his head from Chae YeonJoo and put his hand on top of the sword.

    [Item Information]

    Item Name: El Quero de

    Rank: Legendary (Before Ceremony) * Ceremony Condition: Unique Stat (Qi).

    Normal Effect: Lightning Attacks +700, Strength +2, Agility +2

    Special Effect: You can freely walk over the water.

    Item Description: Sword made with a thorn from El Quero''s tail. It has great cutting power and enables you to use lightning-type attacks.

    ''It increases your stats by four¡­''

    The thing KangWoo checked first was how much it increased stats.

    The de increased stats by four. Among legendary-rank items, it was one that was ranked quite highly.

    "Do you like it?"

    "It''s so good that I would use it if I could."

    "Hahaha. I agree. To be honest, I also wanted it... But this will be better than letting a good item rot."

    "You''ve made a good investment. Kim ShiHoon is a yer that will be very strong. Soon, he''ll be able to participate in the fight against the Demon Cult."

    "Did you say he''s your brother?"

    "Yes, although we aren''t blood-rted."

    "Hahaha. Since you speak of him so highly, I''m kind of curious."

    "He won''t disappoint you," KangWoo said confidently.

    Finding Kim ShiHoon was akin to him having won the national lottery.

    ''He''s the sessor of the Martial God, after all.''

    If KangWoo weren''t there, he would''ve probably be someone able to rewrite the history of yers.

    KangWoo was also curious and expectant to see how he would grow.

    "Oh, also, there''s one more thing I wanted to say¡­"

    "Yes?"

    "Isn''t it about time you speak to me morefortably?" She said while leaning on the chair.

    "I speakfortably to the people that aren''t my higher-ups... But we''re allies. So I thought it wasn''t fair if only you spoke formally."

    "Then... I''ll speakfortably."

    "Hmm."

    * * *

    He didn''t think that speaking formally was unfair.

    But considering his rtionship with Baek HwaYeon and Chae YeonJoo, speakingfortably would probably be better for the future.

    "Have you found anything about the demonic energy stones yet?"

    "Our squad members are searching for them, but we haven''t been able to find them."

    "It''s the same for our guild members. These past two weeks, we''ve killed almost five times the average amount of monsters, yet we haven¡¯t found a single demonic energy stone."

    "Did I guess wrong?"

    KangWoo had also been searching for the past two weeks, but he also hadn''t been able to find anything.

    It was as if he''d been wrong about the Demon Cult imnting more demonic energy stones in other monsters.

    "We can''t be sure yet, so keep investigating, please."

    "Okay."

    "Then I''ll be going."

    KangWoo stood up. Chae YeonJoo followed him.

    "But... Don''t you have anything to do? Why do you alsoe every time Ie here to Suwon?"

    "You didn''t catch El Quero alone. Even if I let you have the legendary-rank weapon, I''d make sure you pay for it. I wanted to know what kind of weapon it was so I could ask you for a fair amount in the future."

    "Ugh."

    There was nothing he could say.

    KangWoo took a deep breath and nodded.

    Chae YeonJoo seemed to be having fun. She followed him while whispering a song.

    * * *

    "Ah, hyeongnim!"

    "Oh! KangWoo hyeongnim, long time no see!"

    Kim ShiHoon''s party, which had juste out of a gate, greeted KangWoo.

    Except for Han Seol-ah, it had been a few days since he''d seen the rest, so after a short conversation, he moved to his house.

    ¡ªIt was to give the legendary-rank weapon to ShiHoon as discreetly as possible.

    "Oh, this is the new house hyeongnim moved to?" TaeSoo let out a surprised exmation.

    "KangWoo?"

    Echidna, who was at home, came walking out.

    EunBi''s eyes shone.

    "Wh-who''s this cute girl, oppa?"

    "I''m KangWoo''s summon."

    "Summon...?"

    "Yes."

    EunBi trembled as if she couldn''t believe it.

    "KangWoo oppa... Don''t tell me you''ve been enjoying doing this kind of roley with a kid like this."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Aren''t you afraid of the police?! This is a crime!"

    "Even if she looks like that, she''s probably ten times older than you."

    "Sh-she''s even legal...?!"

    She looked at Echidna, who had too many virtues, with a scared expression.

    KangWoo hit EunBi''s head softly and then walked toward the living room.

    "I called you here because there''s something I wanted to give you," he said to ShiHoon.

    "To me?"

    "Yes."

    KangWoo gave him the El Quero de that he''d received from Baek HwaYeon.

    "What''s this...?"

    "You''ll see once you check the details."

    Kim ShiHoon checked out the details of the weapon, and his eyes widened in surprise.

    "A l-legendary weapon! Is¡­ isn''t this a legendary-rank weapon, Hyeongnim?!"

    "Yes."

    "Y-you''re going to give this to me?"

    KangWoo nodded.

    Kim ShiHoon became lost for words. He looked at the El Quero de.

    "H-how can you give me something so valuable to me¡­?"

    "Because you''re worthy of that weapon."

    "Hyeongnim¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes became red. He touched the El Quero de while trembling.

    "I... Don''t have the right to receive this weapon."

    "I decide if you have the right or not."

    "..."

    "What level are you?"

    "I''m level 38."

    He was about to do the fifth Awakening.

    Although he was leveling up at a slower pacepared to KangWoo, he was probably one of the yers who was leveling up faster.

    "You know you''re getting stronger at a faster pacepared to other yers, right...?"

    "But that isn''t because I''m¡ª"

    "It''s because you''re talented. Of course, TaeSoo, Seol-ah, and EunBi were probably of great help, but the definitive reason is that you''re someone who is capable."

    "..."

    "You''re going to get stronger. Once that happens, you can show me you''re worthy of that weapon."

    "Hyengnim¡­"

    "You believe in me, right?"

    "Yes...! I believe in you! I''ll do my best to prove that I''m useful to you!" Kim ShiHoon said with eyes full of determination.

    KangWoo nodded while making a satisfied expression.

    The only thing left was for Kim ShiHoon to do the ceremony with the weapon. As if ShiHoon were responding to his thoughts, he extended his hand.

    "Hmm?"

    ¡­But he didn''t extend his hands toward the El Quero de.

    He grabbed KangWoo''s hands.

    ''What''s wrong with this guy?''

    "To be honest... The first time I saw Hyeongnim... I felt a weird sensation of difort. It was as if my entire body was rejecting you."

    ''That''s because you''re the protector of the world, and I''m the person who destroyed the system that protects it.''

    "But when I met Hyeongnim again, that feeling had disappeared."

    ''That''s because I turned you into my familiar spirit.''

    "Now... Haha, this could sound a bit weird... but it''s as if my soul is connected to yours."

    ''It''s really connected.''

    "Hyeongnim..."

    ''Don''t look at me like that.''

    KangWoo brushed away ShiHoon¡¯s hands while smiling awkwardly at him.

    Kim ShiHoon looked a bit disappointed.

    KangWoo felt chills.

    ''Did I overdo it?''

    He had done that to make him trust him more and make him more motivated, but he felt that things had turned out weirdly.

    He thought he had to draw a line before things got too dangerous.

    "ShiHoon... Please."

    "Oh, Hyeongnim¡­. Now that I think about it, there''s something I have to tell you."

    Kim ShiHoon took something out of his pocket, and KangWoo''s eyes got big after seeing what it was.

    "Recently, while hunting, I noticed some monsters were acting weird, so I investigated the corpses, and these came out."

    Kim ShiHoon took out two small ck gems.

    KangWoo quickly touched them.

    ¡ªThey were the demonic energy stones he''d been searching for thest two weeks.

    To make things better, there were two of them!

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    ''ShiHoon, let''s do our best from now on!''

 Chapter 86: Be Careful (1)

    "How did you get this?"

    KangWoo touched the two demonic energy stones from Kim ShiHoon.

    They were smallpared to the ones inside El Quero''s head.

    There was far less demonic energy inside them, too¡­

    But that wasn''t important.

    KangWoo, the Red Rose Guild, and the Hwarang Squad had been searching for them for two weeks, and they weren''t able to find a single one, but ShiHoon found not only one, but two!

    "I first got this yesterday. I was hunting with the party members when I felt something chilly on my back. How could I describe this... Oh, you remember I said I felt a weird sense of difort when I first met you?"

    "Yes¡­"

    "It was simr to that."

    "Oh."

    "So I followed that sensation and then saw a weird monster."

    "Weird monster?"

    "Yes. We were mostly hunting minotaurs, but its outer appearance was a bit weird. It was as if it had be tinted ck. It seemed to have gone crazy."

    "So when you hunted it, you found this inside of it?"

    "Yes."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded.

    "You found two inside the same monster?"

    "No. Today, while hunting, I felt the same sense of difort; I followed it and found another weird monster, and this one came from it."

    Kim ShiHoon pointed to one of the two stones.

    KangWoo''s eyes sank, and he began thinking.

    ''He felt the same difort as when he first saw me.''

    The first thing he thought was demonic energy.

    Maybe he felt difort when he was around someone that had demonic energy.

    "ShiHoon, did you feel the same when you first met Echidna?"

    KangWoo pointed to Echidna, who was sitting next to him.

    As the topic changed to her, she looked at KangWoo while tilting her head.

    "KangWoo, do I difort you?"

    "No, that''s not it."

    "No. Although I met Ms. Echidna for the first time today... I didn''t feel that kind of difort."

    "I see."

    It wasn''t demonic energy.

    Echidna was different from demons, but she still had demonic energy.

    ''Then...''

    Leaving demonic energy aside, what did he have inmon with monsters?

    Nothing immediately came to his mind.

    He kept thinking.

    At that moment, he remembered Kim ShiHoon saying that the minotaur was tainted ck.

    ''Was it in the process of bing a demonic monster?''

    If demonic energy turned humans into demons, it wouldn''t be weird if it made monsters be demonic monsters.

    The words ¡°demonic monster¡± made him think about the hellhound and the buer.

    "Ah."

    He let out a short exmation.

    It was as if he''d managed toplete a puzzle.

    ''Fissure Fragments.''

    When he killed demonic monsters, he received messages saying he''d killed Fissure Fragments.

    And when he¡¯d arrived on Earth, he remembered hearing that a Fissure Nucleus had appeared.

    Fissure Fragment and Nucleus¡­

    There was no way those two words weren''t rted.

    ''Kim ShiHoon subconsciously feels difort at the presence of a being that''s a fissure.''

    It made sense.

    Kim ShiHoon had been chosen by the Gaia System, a transcendent being that was able to seal KangWoo''s strength.

    ShiHoon¡¯s role was to be the protector¡­

    A being that could rece the Gaia System.

    ''If the Gaia System was the thing that was blocking the Fissure Fragments¡­''

    It wouldn''t be weird to feel a sense of difort.

    ''So, the Demon Cult is creating Fissure Fragments on purpose?''

    He thought he was starting to understand why they were putting those stones inside monsters.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    He wasn''t sure why they were trying to create Fissure Fragments¡­

    But he was sure that Kim ShiHoon would be able to find them.

    Rather than trying to find a needle in the middle of a desert, it was more effective to use a metal detector.

    If it were Kim ShiHoon, he would probably be able to find monsters with demonic energy stones nted inside them from a distance.

    "ShiHoon."

    KangWoo grabbed ShiHoon''s hands.

    KangWoo had never felt as proud of Kim ShiHoon as he did at that moment.

    ¡ªIt was the first time he thought that it had been worth how much he''d invested in him.

    "Hyeonngnim?"

    "You''re going to have to help me."

    "As long as I can be of help to Hyeongnim, I''ll do it... But what do you want me to do?"

    "You don''t need to do anything other than following me."

    "What?"

    "You''re going to be helpful just by staying at my side."

    He was just like a human navigation system.

    ¡ªJust guiding KangWoo in the direction he felt difort from would be enough.

    Of course, in the future, he would probably be able to do more than serve as a navigation system.

    KangWoo thought about the words he''d used.

    ''Damn.''

    KangWoo separated his hands from Kim ShiHoon''s.

    "Hyeongnim, if you say so..."

    ''Don''t blush.''

    "I''ll do my best. After all, I already decided to follow Hyeongnim."

    ''Hey, don''t blush.''

    He covered his face with his two hands and regretted what he had just said, but it was already toote.

    ''How should I exin this?''

    KangWoo couldn''t help but remember Han Seol-ah''s pale face..

    * * *

    "Then I''ll meet you tomorrow afternoon."

    "Okay, take care on your way back."

    "Hyeongnim! Can''t I follow you?!"

    "I told you; tomorrow, we''re going to A-rank gates onwards. The more people I have to protect, the more dangerous it will be."

    "Ugh..."

    "Then can you be of help against A-rank monsters?"

    "N-not yet."

    "Then you know what you have to do, right?"

    "Ugh... Okay. KangWoo, I, Kang TaeSoo, will desist this time, but I won''t give up!"

    "Okay. I''ll be waiting for it."

    KangWooughed.

    He rified things so there wouldn''t be any misunderstandings; then he said farewell to Kim ShiHoon, TaeSoo and EunBi.

    If it were just him, he''d go immediately to a gate, but there were many things he had to do.

    ''I''m going to try to create an effective line-up.''

    There were many gates.

    Going mindlessly around the gates that were near wouldn''t be very effective.

    ¡ªIt would be better to exin things to Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon and determine the most effective route.

    ''I''ll have to visit the Red Rose Guild.''

    The Red Rose Guild wasn''t that far away from there.

    KangWoo turned his head to Seol-ah and Echidna.

    "I''ll go visit the Red Rose Guild. I could bete."

    "Isn''t there anything I can do?"

    "Not yet."

    If there were too many crewmates, it would only make the ship go to the mountains.

    To increase effectiveness, he didn''t need that many members.

    Seol-ah and Echidna looked disappointed but nodded.

    "Then I''ll go inside. Be careful, and good luck."

    "Thanks."

    After waving his hand, KangWoo turned around.

    Echidna and Seol-ah waited until KangWoo couldn''t be seen anymore.

    "Seol-ah, you look sad."

    "Fufu. It''s nothing."

    Han Seol-ah patted Echidna.

    Echidna grabbed Han Seol-ah''s clothes.

    "It''s okay. KangWoo feels thankful to you. I know it since I''m connected to KangWoo."

    "R-really...?"

    Han Seol-ah smiled while blushing.

    She grabbed Echidna''s hands.

    "Let''s go inside. I''ll make whatever you want."

    "Hng! Hng! I like steak!"

    "Fufu. Okay. Then let''s go to the mart..."

    Han Seol-ah suddenly stopped speaking. Her expression hardened.

    "Who are you?"

    Suddenly, a group of men wearing red masks appeared.

    "Who are you?"

    A group of 12 men wearing red masks and dark robes that seemed to melt into the darkness surrounded them.

    "Who are we?"

    "You don''t need to say that."

    They kept talking.

    "We only want one thing¡­"

    "Your lives."

    "What you must do right now¡­"

    "Is call that person."

    Each said one thing.

    ¡ªThey moved and talked as if they were only one entity.

    "To call that person...?"

    "Oh KangWoo."

    "Call the man you follow."

    "...Then your role ends."

    Han Seol-ah bit her lips.

    "I can''t call him. I don''t know who you are, but I won''t follow so¡ª"

    "Should I call KangWoo?"

    "E-Echidna?!"

    "Wait, I''ll call him."

    Echidna closed her eyes as if she couldn''t understand the current situation.

    ¡ªShe called him through the connection a summoned monster had with the summoner.

    "KangWoo is going to arrive soon."

    "You seem to understand fast."

    The red masked man beganughing.

    KangWoo, who had been going to the Red Rose Guild, soon appeared.

    "Who are you?" KangWoo asked in a low voice while looking at the men surrounding Han Seol-ah and Echidna.

    "You don''t need to know who we are¡­"

    "Just follow our orders¡­"

    "If you want a painless death."

    KangWoo looked at the red-mask-wearing men with great interest.

    "Are you members of the Demon Cult?"

    "We have no reason to answer."

    "You''re the one who must answer."

    "What an idiotic way of speaking."

    KangWoo started tough in disbelief.

    Echidna and Han Seol-ah were surrounded by them, but he didn''t seem to mind.

    The red-masked men remained silent after seeing his rxed attitude.

    "Just like that person said, you''re rude."

    "Someone who doesn''t know how the world works."

    "You probably think you have everything since you''re under Chae YeonJoo¡­"

    "But we''ll make you realize how big the world truly is."

    The men moved behind Echidna and Han Seol-ah and grabbed them from behind.

    ¡ªThey aimed shortswords at them.

    "Be careful," KangWoo said.

    They started tough.

    "It''s already toote. Nothing will change even if they''re careful."

    "No. That''s not it..."

    A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face.

    "I''m talking about you guys."

    "...?"

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    Echidna, who transformed her left arm into a dragon''s, hit the one that had grabbed her from behind violently.

    The man was pushed behind as the sound of his bones breaking sounded out.

    "Don''t grab me."

    Echidna red at them coldly.

    "Only KangWoo can touch this body."

 Chapter 87: Be Careful (2)

    "Ugh! Wh-what the?!"

    "What happened?"

    "It seems like your little act is crumbling."

    KangWooughed at their attitude which hadpletely changed.

    Echidna transformed her hand into a human''s again and cast magic.

    A ck vortex appeared in her hand.

    "You''re bothering us."

    The ck vortex gathered in her hand began expanding.

    "Move back!"

    "Kyaa!"

    The masked men began scattering away.

    As one of the masked men pulled Han Seol-ah violently, she screamed.

    <em>Tap-!</em>

    KangWoo approached the man holding Han Seol-ah.

    ¡ª-He swung his hand.

    The man was pushed back while a chilling death rattle escaped his lips.

    "Ugh! Surround him and attack!"

    They took out their weapons.

    They were weird weapons that consisted of iron hooks connected by chains.

    Nine iron hooks were swung at KangWoo.

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    He''d be in danger if he received those attacks upfront.

    He grabbed Han Seol-ah, used the Authority of Sky, and jumped into the sky.

    "Kyaa! Mr. K, KangWoo?!"

    "Stay still," KangWoo said to Han Seol-ah, who was struggling.

    Hended on the ground after moving away from the masked men.

    "Wait for me here."

    "I¡­ I''ll help!"

    Han Seol-ah extended her hand, and white light started to gather around her hands.

    "Graceful Light!"

    After she made a short chant, a light flowed into KangWoo.

    <em>Ting-.</em>

    [You''ve received a graceful light.]

    [Your stats have increased. Strength +2, Agility +3, Unique Stat (Demonic Energy) +2.]

    ''Woah.''

    KangWoo looked at the white light with great interest.

    Leaving Strength and Agility aside, he wasn''t expecting his demonic energy to go up.

    It was as if the demonic energy inside him had increased.

    ''Although it''s a bit weird that my demonic energy increased after receiving a graceful light¡­''

    The important thing was that her buff skill was more useful than he¡¯d initially thought.

    He began wondering about what effects she would get after leveling up.

    ''But before that¡­''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    He could see the nine masked men looking at him nervously.

    ''I''ll have to take care of them first.''

    He raised his right hand, and a ck sword appeared in the palm of his hand.

    He lowered his body.

    After using the Authority of Speed, his body shot forward as if he were an arrow.

    <em>Slide-!</em>

    The iron hooks targeted KangWoo.

    Although nine iron hooks were thrown simultaneously, none of them interfered with the trajectories of the others.

    ¡ªThat meant that they were trained assassins.

    KangWoo swung his sword and defended against two iron hooks. He lowered his head.

    ¡ªAn iron hook brushed past his head.

    He jumped, and two of the hooks ran into each other.

    The strangers¡¯ eyes began shining sharply.

    Three iron hooks changed direction toward the sky.

    KangWoo stopped the Authority of Speed and used the Authority of Sky.

    While ignoring gravity, he changed direction to the right.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    The three chains brushed past the ck Pearl Coat. He stomped his feet in the air, and his floating body shot toward them at high speed.

    ''Authority of Dark Spear.''

    Numerous spears the size of his hand appeared and poured down as if it was raining. The strangers quickly tried to dodge the spears.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    One of the opponents that couldn''t dodge the attacks was hit by tens of spears.

    With his blood pouring out, he copsed to the ground.

    The strangers quickly tried to counter-attack.

    The chains that were scattered all around pressured KangWoo.

    ''It isn''t a bad attack, but¡­''

    KangWoo smiled after looking at the chains.

    It reminded him of another attack.

    ''It can''t bepared to Chae YeonJoo''s.''

    He raised his right foot¡­

    And stomped the ground.

    He used the Authority of Waves, and all of the chains that were targetting him were pushed back.

    He could see that the strangers were perplexed.

    "R-retreat."

    Their information was wrong.

    yer Oh KangWoo wasn''t a rude newbie who just acted high and mighty just because he was under Chae YeonJoo¡­

    ''We must inform the Cardinal.''

    His existence was an unexpected variable. If the Cardinal didn''t hear it, it could interfere with their ns.

    They turned around.

    "Where are you going?"

    KangWoo opened both arms.

    A suffocating chill struck the strangers, and they visibly slowed.

    "Echidna¡­"

    "KangWoo, leave it to me."

    Echidna opened her hand.

    ck walls appeared around them. It wasn''t a magic cast for defense, but a magic cast to stop prey from escaping.

    The masked men began swinging their weapons toward the wall.

    "It''s already toote."

    KangWoo took a deep breath.

    He gathered a huge amount of demonic energy from within and ced his hands on the ground.

    ''Earth des.''

    * * *

    Thend was split.

    ck swords rose from the cracked earth. It wasn''t one or two. Hundreds of ck des struck the masked strangers.

    <em>Stab-!</em>

    "AGH!"

    "Damn!"

    The des dug deep into their flesh.

    The masked strangers tried to escape, but there was nowhere they could run.

    In front of them, there was a ck wall. Behind them, there were the earth des.

    Four people lost their lives instantly, and the other four were also heavily wounded.

    You could see the despair in their eyes.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    KangWoo leaped forward to the ones that had survived.

    ''I can''t let you go.''

    He had to restrain them before they couldmit suicide or be demons.

    KangWoo grabbed the head of the one that had ordered the others to retreat.

    ¡ªHe used the Authority of Fear on him.

    "Ugh! AGH!"

    White bubbles foamed at the man¡¯s mouth.

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''Did it fail?''

    He felt a huge amount of demonic energy flowing out of his body.

    But still, it didn''t seem like the Authority of Fear had seeded.

    The effectiveness of the controlling Authorities was reduced against strong targets.

    Since the people that were targetting him weren''t weak, it was obvious that it would fail.

    ''The Authority of Fear isn''t the only way¡­''

    KangWoo took off the man¡¯s mask.

    Under the mask was a man who seemed to be in his mid-thirties.

    KangWoo pped the man.

    "Who gave you the order."

    "Cough! Cough! Kill me."

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    KangWoo twisted the man''s hand.

    A scream spread through the ce.

    "I won''t give you a lot of chances. So talk. Who gave you the order?"

    "Kill m... ARRGGHH!!"

    KangWoo twisted his other hand¡­

    He crushed his foot¡­

    He ripped apart his ear¡­

    The man peed himself from the pain.

    "Who gave you the order?"

    KangWoo¡¯s voice was calm.

    The man''s eyes were full of fear.

    "I¡­ I don''t..."

    "There''s no way you don''t know. Say it. It will get easier for you."

    "..."

    "Dying is nothing. You know that very well, don''t you?"

    He spoke softly.

    The man gulped.

    He knew that death was nothing.

    In front of real pain, death was a blessing.

    He was controlled by a fear that devoured his reason.

    The man slowly opened his mouth.

    "Bae, Bae..."

    "Bae?"

    <em>Stab-!!</em>

    It was when the man was about to open his mouth¡­

    One of the men that had copsed swung an iron hook.

    The target wasn''t KangWoo, but the man who had been about to talk.

    The iron hook pierced his neck.

    "Glory to the Demon Cult!!!"

    The man''s body began to inte.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    "Petrification."

    Thanks to the effect of the Gargoyle''s Armor, his physical defense was doubled.

    On top of that, the Authority of Defense protected KangWoo''s body.

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    The body of the inted man exploded, killing all of the other would-be kidnappers as well.

    KangWoo calmly walked out of the explosion and grabbed one of the red masksying on the ground.

    It was a mask with the face of a demon on it.

    "Things got bothersome."

    Once again, he wasn¡¯t able to find out who the Cardinal was.

    He felt annoyed.

    KangWoo took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

    ''So you won''te out, huh?''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    "Then I''ll force you to crawl out."

    There was no need to hurry.

    He wasn''t the one that was running out of time.

    The mask in his hands was crushed and fell to the ground.

    * * *

    "It¡­ it failed."

    "What?"

    "I just confirmed that all the shadows have died."

    "Did Chae YeonJoo do it...?"

    "We aren''t sure, but that''s probably it."

    "Well. There aren''t many yers besides Chae YeonJoo who could face 10 shadows."

    Baek KangHyun frowned.

    He wasn''t expecting the shadows to be crushed in such a way.

    It seemed like other members of the Red Rose Guild had participated.

    "Things are getting bothersome."

    He¡¯d lost important forces while trying to get rid of Chae YeonJoo.

    He got annoyed at the constant failures.

    "How many fissure fragments did you get?"

    "About 30%."

    "Not bad."

    Baek KangHyun nodded.

    He took a deep breath and calmed down.

    There was no need to hurry. He wasn''t the one who was running out of time.

    ''They won''t be able to find the demonic energy stones anyway.''

    Time was on his side.

    Unless they had a demonic energy stone detector, they wouldn''t be able to find them.

    Baek KangHyun stroked his red demon mask, a smile on his face.

 Chapter 88: Cornered Mice (1)

    <em>m-!!</em>

    The wall was destroyed.

    Baek KangHyun''s eyes were full of anger.

    "What¡­ what''s happening?!!"

    It had been 10 days since the shadows had failed to kill Chae YeonJoo.

    Something that shouldn''t happen, something that couldn¡¯t happen, had happened¡­

    The demonic energy stones imnted in monsters were going down considerably.

    ¡ªIt was as if they had a demonic energy stone detector.

    "C-cardinal¡­"

    <em>m-!</em>

    A wall copsed.

    A loud sound as if a bomb had exploded went off.

    The priests in front of him trembled every time there was an explosion.

    They couldn''t hide their fear.

    "Oof, oof... How many fissures did we get?"

    "It stopped at 50%. Most demonic energy stones were discovered before they could be fully eroded."

    "Damn it!!"

    Another loud sound spread through the room.

    The eyes of the man wearing the red demon mask shook.

    The n had gone awry.

    The cruising ship had been caught on the rocks.

    He couldn''t understand what was going on. Save for the members of the Demon Cult, there wasn''t anyone that could control demonic energy.

    But who was finding the demonic energy stones so precisely?

    ''Is there a traitor?''

    He naturally began to doubt the members of the cult.

    But he shook his head. He''d carefully selected the members that had participated in the n to avoid such a thing.

    The chances of a traitor being among them were low.

    "Cancel the n..."

    "Yes?"

    "We''re going to use the other strategy."

    "C-cardinal!"

    The face of the priests paled.

    There was indeed one more way besides imnting demonic energy stones in monsters¡­

    But that¡­

    ''It''s crazy.''

    It wasn''t just kidnapping living yers and using them as offerings¡­

    It was literally like jumping into destruction.

    Even if the strategy worked, it would make the entire world move.

    The Demon Cult''s forces in Korea weren''t that big.

    ¡ªIt couldn''t bepared to the ones in Japan and China.

    It was like dering war on the entire world. They couldn''t do something so crazy.

    "It¡­ it''s too dangerous. We should ask for more support from the cult and make a new n... Ugh!"

    Baek KangHyun grabbed the priest¡¯s neck.

    "A new n? Do you think that will solve things? Huh?"

    "Cough! Cough!"

    "Even now, the Japanese are bing stronger and more influential. You want me to make a new n in this situation?"

    The moment he mentioned Japan, his eyes became full of anger and anxiety.

    He remembered the way he¡¯d lost and what people said behind his back.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    The sound of the priest¡¯s neck breaking spread through the room.

    With eyes full of madness, he looked at the other priests.

    "Make the preparations. I won''t say it again."

    "U-understood."

    The priests started to move quickly.

    * * *

    "Everything is going smoothly."

    KangWoo was satisfied.

    He looked at the three demonic energy stones he''d just gotten.

    He had gotten three in just a day.

    The moment Kim ShiHoon participated in the search for demonic energy stones, things changed.

    Up until then, they''d been beating their head against the wall.

    But thanks to Kim ShiHoon, things got easier.

    Thanks to his help, he''d found 14 demonic energy stones in ten days.

    Considering that KangWoo hadn''t been able to find a single one for two weeks, it was a considerable achievement.

    "KangWoo hyeongnim, is this all for today?"

    "Yes. We''ve looked around all the gates around here, so let''s finish the rest tomorrow."

    "But what are these demonic energy stones? How can something like this influence people..."

    "I also don''t know."

    He wasn''t sure how demonic energy turned humans into demons or made monsters be demonic monsters.

    ''That''s not important.''

    The important thing was that they were interfering with the ns of the Demon Cult.

    ¡­And that the demonic energy stones helped him grow.

    ''They''re probably shitting themselves.''

    Because they didn''t know about Kim ShiHoon''s identity, there was a chance that they didn''t know what to do about it.

    It was as if a treasure you thought you''d hidden in a ce unknown to the rest of the world had been discovered.

    It would be weird if they weren''t surprised.

    "Anyway, I''m d I can be of help to Hyeongnim."

    Kim ShiHoon smiled¡ªit was a smile so fresh that it was too much to see.

    "Let''s go back."

    KangWoo turned his head and got into the driver''s seat. While driving, he began thinking.

    ''It''s about time for them to react.''

    He wasn''t sure about how many demonic energy stones they had.

    But demonic energy stones had so much demonic energy that they could even increase KangWoo''s main stat, which was almost at 90.

    He didn''t think they would have hundreds or even thousands of them.

    ''If that were the case, they would''ve nted even more.''

    With the help of Kim ShiHoon, they''d found about 14 demonic energy stones.

    That was the amount they''d gotten after going through all the gates scattered around Korea¡ªthat''s why they probably didn''t have that many demonic energy stones.

    ''How are they going to react?''

    He didn''t think that they would remain silent without doing anything.

    They were probably going to send a huge group of assassins or try to force the n and proceed.

    ''I wish I had more information.''

    * * *

    He knew they were targetting Fissure Fragments¡­

    But he wasn''t sure what they were trying to do by gathering them.

    Even if he wanted to guess, he couldn''t do it because of theck of information.

    ''Because the members of the Demon Cult know more about this than me.''

    The members of the Demon Cult had more information about the Fissure than KangWoo.

    From the moment the members of Andras Guild used mana stones to create a fissure or how they used offerings to summon a demon, it was obvious that they knew more about this than him.

    ''I guess I''ll soon find out the answer.''

    Trying to guess at that point could be dangerous.

    "H-hyeongnim¡­"

    They had passed Suwon and were going into Seoul when Kim ShiHoon, with a hardened expression, opened his mouth.

    "What happened?"

    "I just got a system message window..."

    "Hmm?"

    KangWoo looked at him as if ShiHoon had said something that didn''t make sense.

    It wasn''t like they were hunting monsters, so there was no way he would''ve gotten a system message.

    "Wh-what does it say?"

    "Th-that..."

    Before Kim ShiHoon could exin, KangWoo''s smartphone rang¡ªit was Chae YeonJoo.

    "Wait."

    KangWoo received the call.

    [Wh-where are you?]

    "Did something happen?"

    [Answer me! Where are you?!]

    An urgent shout. KangWoo''s expression hardened after hearing the tone of her voice.

    "I was going from Suwon to Seoul. What happened?"

    [Go to Isu Station! Right now!]

    "Chae YeonJoo¡­" KangWoo said in a low voice.

    "Calm down."

    [This isn''t the time to calm down!]

    "Calm down. Take a deep breath and concentrate. Calm down. You won''t be able to solve anything if you be anxious."

    [...]

    There was silence. He could hear her taking a deep breath.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Now, exin the situation. What happened?"

    [A gate appeared in the middle of Isu Station.]

    "A gate appeared?"

    [No. I''m not sure if it''s exactly a gate. More than a gate... It''s close to a fissure. It''s simr to the one that Oriax emerged from.]

    "..."

    A fissure¡­

    He was starting to get a bad feeling.

    "Did a demon appear?"

    [No. That''s not it.]

    "Then?"

    [...]

    There was a short silence. Chae YeonJoo spoke with a trembling voice.

    [A ck energy came out of it... and covered the people. And then¡­ then... the people...]

    Chae YeonJoo couldn''t keep talking.

    He could guess why she was lost for words.

    ''Demonic energy came out of the fissure.''

    ¡ªAnd that demonic energy had covered people.

    There weren''t many possible oues.

    [People... began turning into monsters.]

    It wasn''t exactly monsters.

    Because they were exposed to demonic energy without any defense, they¡¯d probably turned into demonic monsters rather than demons that could think.

    Or maybe¡­

    ''They just died.''

    There weren''t many people who could resist being exposed to demonic energy.

    Even yers couldn''t resist more than a certain amount, so there was no way normal people could resist it.

    It was as if they''d dropped a biological weapon in the middle of the city.

    No, it was worse than a biological weapon.

    ¡ªBecause people that¡¯d turned into demonic monsters were probably attacking other people.

    [G-go there quickly. I''m going there with HwaYeon.]

    "Okay, I''ll go immediately."

    He ended the call.

    KangWoo turned his head to Kim ShiHoon.

    "What did the message window say?"

    "That the Fissure Fragment is getting bigger... It asked me to block it."

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed. He began thinking.

    A fissure had suddenly appeared in the middle of the city¡­

    People had turned into demonic monsters after being exposed to demonic energy¡­

    The Fissure Fragment was getting bigger¡­

    There were three pieces of the puzzle.

    "So they''re aiming for quantity?"

    KangWoo frowned.

    Members of the Demon Cult were trying to turn monsters into demonic monsters and get Fissure Fragments that way.

    ¡ªBut that n had failed due to him and Kim ShiHoon.

    Now that they were cornered, rather than quality, they were aiming for quantity.

    The problem was that to get the ''quantity'' rather than monsters, they were using weak humans as sacrifices.

    "These crazy bastards..."

    He didn''t consider himself a good human being.

    He didn''t feel moved by the pain of a third person; he also had a hard time feeling empathy.

    He didn''t feel remorse for eliminating people that could hinder him or using those that could be helpful to him¡­

    He was cruel and cold.

    He''d lived for too long in a ce where he wouldn''t have been able to survive if he wasn''t like that.

    ¡ªBut even he had a good side.

    Even if they were useful, he would never step over the weak who didn''t have any ws.

    That was thest bastion he had maintained to preserve his remaining humanity.

    But the Demon Cult had crossed that line.

    <em>Vroom</em>-!!

    He stepped on the gas pedal.

    The car elerated.

    The struggle of a cornered rat¡­

    That struggle hurt more than he¡¯d initially thought.

 Chapter 89: Now youâ€™ll know who I am (1)

    "Kyaa!"

    A thick cloud of smoke.

    Burning buildings.

    Screams could be heard throughout the city.

    "M-mom..."

    "Ce here!"

    A middle-aged woman was holding her elementary school son''s hand and running.

    "Oof! Oof!"

    "M-mom. I''m.. t-tired."

    He was out of breath.

    She could hear kid¡¯sbored breathing.

    She turned her head to the kid while grabbing his hands.

    "Kiieekk!"

    <em>Crack-! Boom!</em>

    "AAGGHH!!"

    Monsters with dark skin, sharp eyes, and ws were charging at people.

    They charged toward a man that had fallen to the ground like hungry beasts and bit his neck.

    A fountain of blood chot up, and the man¡¯s dying screams rang out.

    The face of the middle-aged woman became blue.

    "Y-you mustn''t look."

    "Mom?"

    She turned her son''s face away and began running again.

    A scorched smell wafted into her nose, and her heart beat so fast that she felt that it was about to explode.

    But she couldn''t stop.

    The moment she stopped, they would be food for the monsters.

    ''Why did something like this happen again¡­?''

    She remembered a desperate moment of the past.

    ¡ªThe scene of people being killed by a monster.

    It wasn''t the first time it had happened.

    Five years before, a gate had suddenly appeared on the Cataclysmic Day, and monsters hade out of it.

    Back then, the same hellish scene had appeared. No, it felt much more horrifying than back then.

    "H-how could something like this happen?"

    A ck energy flowed from somewhere.

    The people that were touched by that energy began twisting their bodies and turned into monsters.

    The man that had been killed was a young man that had been buying groceries in a mart.

    "Oof. Oof. M-mom. I''m too tired. I can''t run anymore."

    The kid¡¯s face had turned blue.

    The middle-aged woman bit her lips and lifted the kid.

    "I''m s-scared."

    "Oof, oof. A little bit more. It''s okay. Mom will protect you."

    She kept running for her life.

    Running by herself was already hard, but escaping from those monsters while holding her son on her back was impossible.

    A few momentster, the monsters got quite close to her.

    Tears dripped from her eyes.

    "Y-you can run, right? Escape first."

    "Mom...?"

    "Run!"

    The middle-aged woman picked up a few stones that were around her.

    She knew that she wouldn''t be able to fight against monsters with this.

    But if she didn''t do anything, she wouldn''t be able to earn some time so her son could escape.

    ''Dear God¡­''

    She was hoping for someone to help her.

    She was waiting for someone that could save her. She didn''t even want herself to be saved.

    Her son¡­ She was hoping for her little son to be saved at least.

    "Sniff! Moooom!!"

    "Please, run!"

    The woman shouted.

    She kept throwing rocks toward the monster chasing them.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Grrr!"

    The monster''s movement became dull after being hit with a rock.

    But that onlysted for a few moments.

    Soon, the monster leaped toward her while screeching.

    The woman screamed while covering her body with her arms.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!"

    At that moment, with the sound of the wind, the monster was split into two.

    A young man wielding a blue sword had killed the monster.

    "Y-you..."

    "Get out of this ce," a handsome young man said in a low voice. The woman gulped and grabbed the kid.

    The young man that had saved the woman, Kim ShiHoon, looked down Isu Station''s road that had be hell.

    There, he saw lots of people that had already turned into demonic monsters.

    Kim ShiHoon''s hands trembled.

    Although they''d turned into demonic monsters, they had been humans until a few moments ago.

    He wasn''t sure if he could kill them so easily.

    - Listen well¡­

    He remembered KangWoo''s words.

    * * *

    - People that turn into demonic monsters can''t return to being human¡ªthey die the moment they get exposed to demonic energy. You can think of them as dead bodies moving around. Think of them as undead like zombies or skeletons.

    Kim ShiHoon clenched his fists. He bit his lips so hard that blood swelled up.

    - Don''t hesitate. The moment you hesitate, the damage will get bigger. If you have time to hesitate, move. If you have time to get sad, swing your sword. Don''t pose while trying to look sad. In that time, do as much as you can.

    "Yes, Hyeongnim."

    After replying to him, who wasn''t there at that moment, he began moving.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Starting the Guardian''s Special Quest.]

    Quest Information: Kill the demonic monsters and eliminate the Fissure Fragments (1/2789).

    Reward: Increase Experience. If you participate with party members, experience will be shared with them.

    P.S.: Guardian, please stop a bigger disaster from happening.

    ''This...''

    Kim ShiHoon frowned after reading the message window.

    The first thing he saw was the huge number, 2789.

    ¡ªThat meant that many people had turned to demonic monsters.

    Considering that the fissure had opened in Isu Station, a ce where a lot of people gathered, you could say that it was a low number.

    But considering each life''s weight, it wasn''t something you could brush past easily.

    ''P.S.?''

    Kim ShiHoon tilted his head while reading the lower part of the message window.

    He had never seen that in the system message window, nor had he heard about it before from other yers.

    ''This isn''t time for that.''

    He didn''t have time to think.

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed his sword.

    While he was wasting time, the damage was getting bigger.

    ''Cloud Dragon''s Beam.''

    Qi concentrated on his feet.

    A gentle mist came out of his body, and Kim ShiHoon shot forward.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!"

    He swung his sword.

    The bodies of the monsters were destroyed with just one attack.

    The demonic monsters weren''t strong¡ªthey were at a simr level to D-rank orcs.

    ''There''s too many.''

    Weak as an orc¡ªthat was from his point of view.

    For normal people, they were a disaster in itself.

    ''Faster.''

    Kim ShiHoon''s body moved through the streets.

    ¡ªHe killed one demonic monster after the other.

    Even killing them with just one attack wasn''t enough.

    ''Faster!''

    His body screamed in protest because of the excessive movement; he ignored it. The blood of demonic monsters poured out. He felt his blood was about to turn upside down because he''d surpassed his limits.

    He didn''t care.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!!"

    He killed again and again.

    He couldn''t even hear what the people he''d saved were saying.

    He only concentrated on killing as many demonic monsters as possible.

    It was as if only one sword and enemies existed.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    - You''ve reached Trance.

    - You''ve obtained a special Attribute: Sword-Man Unity!

    - You''ve fulfilled one of the conditions for Transformation!

    He could hear the noisy sounds of bells in his ears.

    "Oof, oof."

    He breathed heavily. Kim ShiHoon turned his head around.

    "Oh!"

    "A h-hero!!"

    "Thank you! Thank you!"

    Suddenly, there were lots of people he''d saved behind him.

    They subconsciously knew that the safest ce was near Kim ShiHoon.

    "Damn it..."

    It seemed like they had no intention of going back.

    Kim ShiHoon looked at the smoking buildings.

    He could still hear shoutsing.

    ''As expected, I alone...''

    He couldn''t face thousands of demonic monsters alone.

    "ShiHoon oppa!"

    "ShiHoon hyeong! Are you ShiHoon hyeong?"

    "Mr. TaeSoo...? EunBi?"

    "I also came."

    "Ms. Seol-ah too. How did you get so fast..."

    He was wondering when suddenly a girl approached him.

    Echidna¡­ At first nce, she looked like a pretty girl, but in reality, she was a dragon like those in myths and legends.

    He soon realized how they were able to get there so fast.

    It wasn''t just TaeSoo, Seol-ah, and EunBi that were there.

    Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon also appeared through the smoke.

    "Where''s KangWoo?" Chae YeonJoo asked in a sharp voice.

    "KangWoo hyeongnim¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon looked at the giant fissure that¡¯d appeared in the air.

    There was ck energy that was over a hundred meters around near the fissure, so he couldn''t see anything.

    "He went to the fissure."

    * * *

    He hit the floor.

    The concrete was destroyed, and his body shot forward.

    The scenery full of demonic energy quickly passed by.

    The surroundings that were full of ck energy made it look like Hell.

    ¡ªThe Hell he''d spent ten thousand years in.

    "Huh? Isn''t this KangWoo brother? How did you get here?"

    In the middle of the fissure¡­

    He saw a familiar face.

    ''Baek KangHyun.''

    Korea''s number one ranker.

    They said that not even Chae YeonJoo or Jang HyunJae, leader of the Hwarang First Squad, could win against him.

    KangWoo looked around while narrowing his eyes.

    Around them, he saw the corpses of people he thought were yers.

    "It seems like KangWoo hyeong also came running to the fissure. It''s dangerous around here, so escape. I, Baek KangHyun, will close the fissure."

    He walked toward the fissure while smiling.

    Without stopping running, KangWoo raised his right arm.

    ''Authority of Iron.''

    Demonic energy gathered and formed a dark axe.

    The Authority of Ice was added to that, and breathtakingly chilling energy came out of it.

    "Leviathan."

    After making a short chant, he swung his right fist.

    The axe, surrounded by cold air, was swung toward Baek KangHyun.

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    With a loud sound, Baek KangHyun''s body was pushed back.

    Behind the arms he used to block the attack, you couldn''t see the good person smile anymore.

    "How did you know...?" A sharp voice came out from him.

    KangWoo raised his axe.

    "Because there aren¡¯t any corpses of demonic monsters around here."

    "..."

    "There are corpses of yers, but there isn''t the body of the thing that killed them. There''s no way a single demonic monster killed this many yers, so it was probably you."

    "Woah."

    Baek KangHyun looked at him with great interest.

    KangWoo put the axe on his shoulder.

    "Stop the bullshit and put on the mask, you bastard."

 Chapter 90: Now youâ€™ll know who I am (2)

    "Ha, hahaha!"

    Baek KangHyun beganughing. He nodded.

    "Since you know everything, I guess I won''t need to hide anymore."

    He took out the red mask and put it on. You could see the madness in his eyes.

    Baek KangHyun clenched his fists. KangWoo gripped the axe even tighter.

    "Let''s start."

    "I''m d you understand fast."

    There was no need to make things longer.

    Now that they''d confirmed that they were enemies, talking was pointless.

    KangWoo pulled back the arm holding the axe and swung it.

    <em>Whish Whish Whish-!</em>

    He swung and threw the axe covered with chilling energy.

    The atmosphere''s moisture froze, and frost was sprayed along the trajectory of the axe.

    Baek KangHyun lowered his body and clenched his fist.

    Demonic energy gathered around his fist and formed a gauntlet.

    It wasn''t simple energy but demonic energy that had a form.

    That showed that he hadn''t lost his reason because of the demonic energy that he could control it.

    <em>m-!</em>

    As he swung his fist as if he were doing an uppercut punch, the axe was pushed back.

    The moment the gauntlet touched the axe, it froze.

    "Hmm."

    Baek KangHyun let out a moan.

    The axe was stronger than he had thought.

    He looked at the axe cautiously.

    But KangWoo didn''t seem to care about it¡ªhe swung his left arm.

    The axe disappeared, and KangWoo swung a sword as if it were a whip.

    <em>ng-! ng! ng!</em>

    The gauntlet shed against the sword, and a steel sound spread through the ce.

    Whenever the weapons shed, huge impacts spread through the ce.

    The ground split as if it were ss, and cars bounced like pebbles.

    More than a fight between humans, it seemed like a fight between giant monsters.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    Baek KangHyun threw a nearby truck.

    The truck that weighed tens of tens flew at KangWoo

    The truck was split into two and fell to the ground.

    The moment the truck split into two, Baek KangHyun reduced the distance between them and lowered his body. He pulled his right fist back and stepped violently forward.

    An enormous strength gathered around his punch.

    KangWoo didn''t dodge it.

    ''Sky Break.''

    The Authority of Divine Power and the Destructive Void fused.

    Just like its name indicated, a power strong enough to break the sky was gathered.

    Baek KangHyun and KangWoo''s punches shed against each other.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    The ground that was supporting them began to crumble.

    A deep hole appeared in the ground.

    Baek KangHyun and KangWoo jumped out of the sinkhole.

    It was so fast that it was hard to follow them with the eyes.

    <em>Slide-!</em>

    Baek KangHyun was pushed back.

    The concrete floor was overturned following his trajectory.

    "..."

    Baek KangHyun looked at his trembling hands.

    The moment their punches shed, an impact that made him feel as if his body was about to be crushed spread through his body.

    "I see¡­"

    Baek KangHyun, who was wearing the red mask, nodded.

    "It wasn''t Chae YeonJoo. You were the real one."

    "Real what?"

    "The one interfering with our ns. It wasn''t Chae YeonJoo, but you."

    Chae YeonJoo was strong.

    She was probably one of the strongest yers in Korea¡­

    ''But that''s it.''

    He had never fought against her, but he knew more or less how strong she was.

    Chae YeonJoo alone wouldn''t be able to interfere with their ns.

    "Who are you?"

    Baek KangHyun looked at KangWoo while making a confused expression.

    He didn''t seem to be the newbie from the rumors who had Awakened as a yer just three months before.

    The power KangWoo had just shown wasn''t one that a yer who had just Awakened should have.

    Based on that, there weren''t many conclusions that he could make.

    He was either a yer who had been hiding his identity for a very long time, or he was a yer who had obtained the identity of Oh KangWoo illegally.

    Baek KangHyun thought that he probably was someone that belonged to a foreign force that had infiltrated Korea.

    ''He doesn''t seem to be a world ranker.''

    The eight yers that people said were the strongest¡­

    He couldn''t think of a person among them that would do something like that.

    Baek KangHyun narrowed his eyes.

    ''After all, there''re more people than the world rankers.''

    The world rankers were just the most famous yers. On Earth, there were some people who were at the same level or even stronger than the world rankers.

    For example, in the cult, there were some cardinals who were stronger than world rankers.

    "I''m not sure."

    "Hmph. I wasn''t expecting you to talk easily."

    Baek KangHyun snorted and got into position. His muscles inted as if they were about to explode.

    "Then I''ll force you to talk."

    "Do it if you can," He calmly answered.

    Baek KangHyun frowned.

    <em>Crash-!!</em>

    The two monsters shed once again.

    A huge impact that made it seem like an earthquake had happened shook the surroundings.

    The battle got longer, but the bnce of the battle began to tilt slowly.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    * * *

    Baek KangHyun was pushed back.

    A crack appeared on his red demon mask, and he threw it to the ground.

    "You''re strong."

    He had to recognize it.

    yer Oh KangWoo was stronger than him.

    He began tough.

    ''Again?''

    He remembered the time he¡¯d lost a fight¡ªthe loss that¡¯d pushed him into despair.

    Fujimoto Ryoma¡­

    He¡¯d felt a huge wall when he¡¯d fought against him.

    He was once again seeing a wall that seemed impassable.

    "Very fun."

    His white teeth became visible.

    Baek KangHyun turned his eyes to the fissure.

    He thought it was nice that he''d felt a wall again at such an important moment.

    After all, he''d sacrificed many lives to go beyond that wall.

    "Hahahaha."

    A creepyugh came out of his mouth. His eyes were full of madness.

    "If you''re the opponent, it will be a good opportunity to figure out what kind of strength I''ll get."

    "...?"

    KangWoo couldn''t understand what he was saying.

    KangWoo''s expression distorted.

    "Now,e! There''re enough Fissure Fragments!"

    Baek KangHyun opened both arms.

    The demonic energy stones that were maintaining the fissure exploded, and an explosive amount of demonic energy came out.

    At the same time, ck energy came out of the people that had turned into demonic monsters and gathered in the fissure.

    Although it was very weak because the number was in the thousands, it was an amount that couldn''t be ignored.

    ''So that''s a Fissure Fragment.''

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    "Hahaha! Come on,e to me!"

    Baek KangHyunughed. The n that had taken thousands of lives¡­

    The result of that was about to appear in front of him.

    <em>Stomp-!!</em>

    Strong demonic energy came out of the fissure and entered Baek KangHyun''s body. He wasughing out loud like a crazy man.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    You could hear the sounds of bones and muscles moving.

    Wings pierced through Baek KangHyun''s back and appeared.

    His muscles became unnaturally big, and his skin turned red.

    He grew sharp teeth and a tail.

    Andstly¡­

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    Two horns appeared on his forehead.

    "GRRRR."

    An aggressive cry came out of his mouth. Yellow eyes that resembled a reptile¡¯s were aimed at KangWoo.

    [This is the best.]

    Baek KangHyun trembled after feeling the strength that was boiling from his insides.

    It was a thrilling strength.

    ¡ªOne that he wouldn''t have been able to imagine until then¡ªa strength beyond the ''wall.''

    [Heh¡­ hahahahaha!]

    He beganughing like a maniac once again.

    Although he''d sacrificed thousands of lives for the n to work, he wasn''t feeling any remorse.

    No, he thought it had been worth sacrificing all those people to obtain such strength.

    The strong preyed upon the weak.

    ¡ªIt was the providence of nature and the rule of the world.

    In front of the obsession for gaining strength, thousands of lives were meaningless.

    - Where is this ce...?

    A low voice spread through Baek KangHyun''s head.

    [It seems like you regained consciousness.]

    - Who are you?

    [I''m Baek KangHyun. Your host, and the one that will be you.]

    - What does that mean?

    [You''ll soon figure it out.]

    A smile appeared on Baek KangHyun''s face.

    He turned his face to KangWoo.

    KangWoo was looking at him in disbelief.

    "How... is that possible?"

    He subconsciously knew what Baek KangHyun had done.

    ¡ªBut he never had imagined that something like that was possible.

    It was as if he''d received a huge hit.

    ''He summoned a demon inside him.''

    He wasn''t sure if he''d summoned just the soul of it or the body itself.

    He also wasn''t sure if, by doing that, it would have the same effect as if he''d fused with a demon.

    What he was sure of was that Baek KangHyun was someone crazier than he''d initially thought.

    ¡­And his crazy n had been sessful.

    [Now, should we start again?]

    Baek KangHyun stamped his foot.

    Strong demonic energy came out of his body¡ªit was thick enough to make KangWoo tremble.

    It seemed like the demon he''d summoned inside himself was quite strong.

    ''Or maybe fusing your body with a demon makes you stronger.''

    It was his first time seeing something like that.

    He never thought that something like that was possible, so he wasn''t sure what effect it had.

    ''That''s not important.''

    What was important wasn''t how that was possible or its effect¡­

    KangWoo red at Baek KangHyun, who was charging toward him.

    He opened both arms and let the demonic energy flow through his body. He took a deep breath and concentrated.

    [Die!]

    Baek KangHyun''s punch targeted him.

    Baek KangHyun''s had grown in size and was almost three meters tall, so the punch itself was a dangerous weapon.

    KangWoo rolled to the ground and dodged the punch, and he used the sticity of his body and bounced back up.

    "Kraken''s Rage."

    <em>Smash-!</em>

    He hit Baek KangHyun''s head with his fists full of demonic energy.

 Chapter 91: Now youâ€™ll know who I am (3)

    <em>m-!</em>

    KangWoo punched Baek KangHyun in the head.

    Baek KangHyun flew backward and destroyed the concrete floor.

    [Ugh¡­ As expected, you''re someone mysterious.]

    Even if he''d fused with a demon and had be bigger, he could feel the pain spread through his head.

    He wasn''t sure where was someone as strong as KangWoo had been hiding

    [I guess I''ll have to figure it out from now on.]

    Baek KangHyunughed. An explosive strength flowed through him.

    Although he didn''t look like a human anymore, he didn''t care.

    It also wasn''t important that he''d obtained immortality and had obtained a body that didn''t need food¡­

    What was important was the strength!

    ¡ªAll the strength that the body of a demon provided you with.

    "How stupidly sturdy."

    KangWoo frowned, his hand radiating in pain from the punch.

    Although it had been a clean punch, he wasn''t able to deal much damage.

    That''s how strong Baek KangHyun''s demon body was.

    ''I''ll have to finish within a minute.''

    The effect of ''Kraken''s Rage,'' which increased his demonic energy stat,sted for a minute.

    It seemed like it would be hard to hunt Baek KangHyun in that short period.

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo let out a small moan.

    It wasn''t that he was cornered yet¡ªhe had a way of resolving the situation in one hit.

    But¡­

    ''Not yet.''

    The risk was too high, so he couldn''t easily use it.

    ''Anyway, the current goal is to end things within a minute.''

    KangWoo lowered his body.

    If he wanted to eliminate Baek KangHyun in a minute, there was one thing he had to do¡­

    "Oof."

    He took a deep breath, concentrated, and summoned up his demonic energy.

    "Bident."

    He used the Authority of Dark Spear and Hellfire, and a ck spear with a dark fire burning around it appeared.

    KangWoo didn''t stop there and put more demonic energy into it.

    The de of the spear was split into two and began twisting, creating a winding one.

    ''Gae Bolg.''

    He used three different Authorities and created a spear.

    The demonic energy inside his body began to shrink quickly.

    KangWoo grabbed the spear and got in stance to fight.

    [What an unbelievable guy.]

    You could see the nervousness in Baek KangHyun''s eyes.

    He subconsciously knew that there was a formidable force in the spear that KangWoo had just made.

    [Not bad.]

    Heughed.

    He wanted to test the strength that was flowing through his body.

    [I like this!]

    It was a shout that was full of madness.

    Demonic energy began gathering in his fist, and a giant gauntlet was formed.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    Baek KangHyun and KangWoo¡­

    The two monsters shed again.

    "Hmph!"

    KangWoo lowered his body and swung Gae Bolg as if he were swiping the floor.

    Baek KangHyun stomped the ground and jumped. KangWoo changed the direction of Gae Bolg and aimed it at Baek KangHyun.

    [How persistent!]

    Baek KangHyun put his two fists together and used them to smash KangWoo.

    Gae Bolg and the gauntlets shed.

    KangWoo was pushed back from the shockwave of the impact.

    "Ugh."

    He felt his body being shaken.

    His sight became blurry, and his body shook.

    "Pft."

    KangWoo spat blood. His sight returned to normal.

    ''I won''t be able to win against him with strength.''

    He wouldn''t be able to handle KangHyun¡¯s strength without the Authority of Divine Power.

    But if he used it, he wouldn''t be able to maintain the Gae Bolg¡ªhe wouldn''t have a way to deal critical hit damage anymore.

    <em>ng-! Boom!</em>

    The breathtaking fight continued.

    They exchanged tens of life-threatening blows each second.

    At first nce, the fight seemed close.

    But as time passed, it was KangWoo who was at a disadvantage.

    ''Five seconds left.''

    There wasn''t that much time left.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes. It was time to make a decision.

    He pulled Gae Bolg back.

    He turned his body half away and lowered his stance.

    He took a step, and Gae Bolg shot forward.

    [How dare you!]

    Baek KangHyun extended his hand.

    KangWoo extended his arm toward the hand that had the spear. Even if he had to use his arm as a shield, he nned to make the attack sessful.

    A smile appeared on Baek KangHyun''s face, and he grabbed KangWoo''s arms with the gauntlet made of demonic energy.

    And then something happened¡­

    "Ugh?!"

    A confused voice came out of KangWoo''s mouth.

    He could feel his strength going down. Gae Bolg became smoke and disappeared.

    [Hahaha! You fell for it! Since you were hurrying, I knew you''d drop your guard like this!]

    "What¡­ Did you do?"

    KangWoo frowned.

    * * *

    The moment the gauntlet touched his body, KangWoo suddenly lost control over his demonic energy¡­

    And then a gauntlet had appeared over his own arm.

    It was as if someone had put a lock on it.

    He was confused at the unexpected turn of events.

    Baek KangHyunughed in a rxed manner.

    [This is what''s called a demon''s Authority.]

    "Authority¡­?"

    [Yes. It''s the power of an Authority.]

    With an expression that made him look like he was drunk, KangHyun raised his gauntlet.

    [If you''re touched by the gauntlet that has the ''Authority of Seals,'' you won''t be able to use your strength anymore.]

    "Then¡­"

    [Yes. You can''t use the power of a yer anymore.]

    KangWoo tried to move the demonic energy within himself again, his expression hardening.

    But it didn''t move¡­

    He had other powers besides the strength he had gained as a yer, but it seemed like that strength was also sealed.

    At that moment, he was just like his old self before he¡¯d fallen into Hell.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    KangWoo fell to the ground after being kicked.

    Blood flew out of his mouth, and his consciousness became blurry.

    [Hahaha! How about that? You acted so high and mighty without realizing how big the world really is!]

    "¡­"

    Baek KangHyunughed out loud. He smiled after seeing KangWoo on the floor.

    [Yes. Being on the floor like that suits you.]

    KangWoo tried to stand up¡­

    But the weight of the gauntlet over his left arm was quite considerable.

    Since he couldn''t use the demonic energy, it was as if a giant stone was pressing down on his arm.

    ''This is the worst¡­''

    The situation was worse than when he''d returned to Earth.

    At least, that day, he was able to use demonic energy. KangWoo turned his head to the gauntlet.

    He had to find a way to free himself from it.

    He tried to pull it away with his right hand.

    But it was impossible.

    He''d used all of his strength, but the result was the same.

    [Haha. There isn''t a way to free yourself from it.]

    Baek KangHyun kicked KangWoo whileughing.

    KangWoo''s body rolled on the ground.

    "Cough!"

    He vomited blood.

    After walking toward KangWoo, KangHyun grabbed him by the cor.

    KangHyun was over three meters tall, so KangWoo''s body was lifted into the air.

    [I know people like you very well.]

    "¡­"

    [You stupid people that believe that the entire world is theirs. You arrogant and cheeky bastards.]

    Baek KangHyun''s eyes full of anger and resentment weren''t targeted at KangWoo.

    [It''s time to pay the price.]

    Baek KangHyun''s body trembled from excitement.

    He remembered the name of the person that had made him taste defeat¡­

    Fujimoto Ryoma.

    The one that, after the world ranker test, had thrown his life to the bottom.

    The thought of stepping over that man made KangHyun want to dance in excitement.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    Baek KangHyun threw KangWoo.

    KangWoo tumbled and came to a rest next to the bodies of the other yers.

    [Where''s that arrogant attitude of yours, huh?]

    Baek KangHyun made fun of him.

    Looking at KangWoo rolling on the ground made him feel refreshed.

    [Let''s end this. It was a good fight.]

    "¡­"

    KangWoo looked at him silently, which made Baek KangHyunugh.

    "KangWoo¡­!"

    At that moment, he saw Echidna approaching him desperately.

    After seeing KangWoo on the floor and the demon looking down at him, she understood the situation.

    "Move away from KangWoo!"

    She widened her eyes and tried to use her strength.

    "Huh?"

    But just like KangWoo, she couldn''t use her demonic strength.

    The source of Echidna''s strength was KangWoo''s demonic energy.

    "K-KangWoo?"

    Echidna became pale.

    [You''re the little miss that was next to him?]

    Baek KangHyun looked at Echidna and approached her whileughing.

    "Kyaa!"

    Baek KangHyun grabbed Echidna.

    She punched him with her little fists.

    [You''re quite a cute girl.]

    Heughed at her attacks that weren''t strong enough to even tickle him.

    He tightened his grip on her throat.

    [You seem to have quite a good rtionship with him¡­ I wonder how he will react after seeing you explode.]

    "Put me down! This body¡­ Only KangWoo!"

    Echidna tried to free herself.

    Baek KangHyunughed out loud once again.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo red at Baek KangHyun.

    He grabbed a sword that was near a yer that had died.

    [Hahaha! Do you think you''ll be able to face me without being able to use your strength?!]

    Baek KangHyunughed at KangWoo.

    While ignoring his words, KangWoo gripped the sword in reverse.

    "You asked me who I was.¡±

    KangWoo swung the sword.

    He didn''t aim the sword at Baek KangHyun. He stabbed his left arm, which was locked by the gauntlet.

    <em>Stab-!</em>

    Since his power as a yer and his demonic energy had been sealed, he only had as much strength as an average adult male.

    He wouldn''t be able to cut his arm with one swing.

    ¡ªHe didn''t care.

    He smashed his left arm with the broken sword as if it were an axe.

    Blood poured out.

    His skin was torn apart, and his flesh was exposed. His muscles were cut, and bones were broken.

    Rather than cutting his arm, it was as if he was tearing it down.

    [What¡­?]

    Baek KangHyun''s eyes widened.

    KangWoo didn''t stop.

    <em>Crack-! Crack!</em>

    White, glistening fragments of bone fell to the ground.

    A horrible pain spread through his body.

    He ignored it.

    His arm, which was being torn away piece by piece by the broken de, became tattered.

    The moment the broken de pierced his arm, he twisted it.

    His muscles were cut.

    Blood poured out from the cut veins, and the flesh that was connecting the hand and the arm was forcibly cut.

    And then¡­

    His left arm, still covered in the gauntlet, fell away from his body.

    "Now I''ll show you who I am."

    KangWoo smiled, baring his white teeth.

 Chapter 92: Now youâ€™ll know who I am (4)

    [Ha¡­ hahaha! D-do you think anything will change?!] Baek KangHyun shouted while trying to look calm.

    But he couldn''t hide his surprise behindughs.

    ''What a crazy bastard.''

    It wasn''t easy to cut off someone¡¯s arm.

    To destroy the hard bones, you had to use the sword as if it were a hammer.

    To cut the muscles, you had to cut it as if it were chewy meat.

    You had to be out of your mind to cut off your own arm.

    But that guy had done exactly that¡­ without even screaming.

    ''But still, nothing will change!''

    It was true that he was overwhelmed by the sight.

    But rationally thinking, he didn''t have a reason to be afraid.

    It was true that the Authority of Seals wasn''t active anymore, but KangWoo had lost an arm.

    Considering how damaging losing your limbs was for a warrior, he was the one who still had an overwhelming advantage.

    "Well. I guess we¡¯ll see soon enough."

    KangWoo grabbed his severed left arm.

    He could use demonic energy again, but just like Baek KangHyun said, nothing had changed. No, he was at an even bigger disadvantage.

    The duration of the Kraken''s Rage was up, and he''d lost an arm.

    Not only that, but because he''d used three different Authorities simultaneously, he didn''t have enough demonic energy.

    KangWoo let out a sigh.

    He couldn''t escape anymore.

    He had wanted to avoid using ¡®it¡¯ due to the huge risk involved, but there was no other option.

    [Hng, what can you do with a body like that?]

    Baek KangHyun threw Echidna.

    Because KangWoo had recovered demonic energy, she''d regained her strength and used her magic tond safely.

    "I''ll protect KangWoo."

    Echidna blocked KangWoo.

    KangWoo grabbed her slender shoulders.

    "From here onwards, I''ll do it."

    "KangWoo?"

    "Stay still."

    KangWoo forced Echidna to remain still.

    ¡ªIt was an order that a summoned monster couldn''t refuse.

    She looked at KangWoo while biting her lips with an expression that indicated that she was about to cry.

    KangWoo ignored her and kept walking.

    "Well, I always thought that I¡¯d end up using it one day anyway."

    He ced his right arm over his chest.

    He often used the Authority of the de, Speed, Dark Spear, and others that were simple and effective.

    ¡ªBut those weren¡¯t the Authorities that best suited him.

    There was only one Authority that suited him more than any other¡­

    "The Authority of Predation."

    He closed his eyes and focused.

    A blurry image became clear.

    ''Ten Thousand Demon Core.''

    The giant sea became visible.

    ¡ªA sea made of demonic energy.

    In that sea, there were three doors.

    KangWoo got closer to the smallest one.

    He grabbed the doorknob¡ªhis hands were shaking a bit.

    He felt that the waves behind him were going to devour him.

    He doubted for a moment¡­

    He gripped the doorknob even tighter.

    The door opened, and a sea of demonic energy came out through it.

    Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­

    He opened the first door.

    The blood that wasing out from his left arm that had been cut turned ck.

    ck blood with a sticky consistency dripped down to the ground.

    The skin melted.

    His entire body melted down from the chest, neck, shoulders, arms, and legs, reced by a ck liquid.

    [What the¡­]

    Baek KangHyun''s expression hardened at the grotesque scene.

    He felt an ominous sensation on the back of his neck. He couldn''t help but think that something had gone wrong.

    ''What''s that?''

    KangWoo had turned into a huge ck slime.

    He looked more horrifying than him, who had turned into a demon.

    ''I don''t know what happened¡­''

    He just had to do one thing¡­

    Baek KangHyun clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and concentrated the demonic energy on his fist.

    A new gauntlet was created around his fist.

    The preparations were ready.

    He stomped on the ground.

    His giant body which was over three meters tall surged forward.

    [Ha-ab!]

    He punched KangWoo''s slime body.

    The slimy body bounced in all directions, and a hole appeared in KangWoo''s body.

    Baek KangHyunughed.

    * * *

    [Hahaha! I was wondering what you were doing! But did you just turn into a slime?! Your body just exploded!]

    Half of KangWoo¡¯s body was blown away from a single hit.

    He thought he was easier to fight against than when holding the dark red spear.

    [Huh?! Offer some resistance, at least!]

    It was as if he''dpletely forgotten about the uneasiness.

    "K-KangWoo¡­!"

    As half of KangWoo''s body exploded, Echidna turned pale and tried to approach him.

    But his order didn''t let her move.

    Echidna anxiously bit her lips.

    But that onlysted for a moment¡­

    [Huh¡­?]

    <em>Krrr-</em>

    Something happened.

    KangWoo''s body began returning to normal. The sticky slime crawled up Baek KangHyun''s fist.

    Something appeared from the ck slime.

    "Mouth¡­?"

    A mouth that had sharp teeth appeared.

    It wasn''t one or two¡­

    Hundreds of mouths appeared simultaneously.

    [What the¡­?]

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    [AARRGGHH!!]

    A painful scream came out of his mouth.

    The mouths that appeared on the slime began tearing down his skin.

    In total, each mouth could devour about two fingers worth of flesh.

    Considering his huge body, it was nothing.

    But if there were hundreds of mouths devouring his skin¡­ the story changed.

    <em>Crack-! Crunch! Crunch!</em>

    [Haaabb!]

    He clenched his fist tight and exploded the demonic energy.

    As if a huge explosion had happened, pieces of rock scattered, and a nearby car bounced away as if it were a marble ball.

    But¡­

    [Ah, ah¡­]

    He couldn''t free himself from the ck mucus.

    No. Rather than moving away, it was devouring the demonic energy he''d used, and it was getting bigger.

    The ck mucus that had gotten bigger covered his entire body. Baek KangHyun''s face turned pale.

    [N-no¡­]

    <em>Crunch! Crunch!</em>

    Thousands of mouths were using their sharp teeth to devour his body.

    There was nothing he could do.

    It was as if he were trying to shake off the water while fully submerged.

    His entire body had been fully devoured.

    It was as if he''d been thrown into ake full of piranhas.

    - What''s happening?

    He heard a low-pitched voice inside his head.

    ¡ªIt was the voice of the demon he''d summoned inside his body.

    [H-help me.]

    - Help you¡­? What''s happ¡ª

    He synchronized his conscience with the demon.

    If he did that, there was a chance that the demon would overtake his body, but there was nothing else he could do at the moment.

    - AAGGHH!!

    But the result was the same.

    The demon that had synchronized his consciousness with Baek KangHyun screamed in pain.

    After realizing the situation through Baek KangHyun''s eyes, the demon shouted in desperation.

    - Wh-why?! Why did you pick a fight against this monster?!!

    [Monster?]

    - Ah, you idiot! You fool! Rather than him, fight against the archdukes! Fight against Baal, or even Satan!

    It was a desperate cry.

    Baek KangHyun was surprised after seeing that the demon was trembling in fear.

    [Wh-what are you talking about? Is that guy at the level of the top seven demons?]

    - Top seven demons? Top seven demons! Wake up, human!

    The demon''s desperate cry continued.

    - There aren''t seven demons anymore! They were all devoured by that monster!!

    [What does that¡­]

    - That''s the demon of demons, the predator of predators! Why don''t you know that, you stupid human?!

    He felt the fear through the synchronized consciousness.

    - That monster is the Demon King!

    It was a cry that came from the soul.

    [¡­]

    Baek KangHyun couldn''t understand the demon''s words.

    The Demon King?

    The peak of demons who rules over the Hell of Nine Skies¡­

    Why was someone like that there?

    ''There''s no way.''

    It was impossible.

    It was something that shouldn''t happen.

    Sensation gradually disappeared.

    He couldn''t feel pain anymore.

    The only thing he had left was a bit of his body, and his consciousness was getting blurry.

    The ck mucus that had scattered away gathered in front of him again.

    Something appeared from within it.

    ¡ªA giant mouth big enough to devour Baek KangHyun''s giant body.

    The mouth opened up fully.

    Sharp teeth ripped apart what was left of his body.

    <em>Crunch-</em>

    With a chilling sound, his body fell into the giant mouth.

 Chapter 93: How to achieve the highest degree of demonic form (1)

    He opened his eyes.

    He couldn''t see anything.

    It was as if the entire world had been devoured by darkness.

    He moved his hand, twisted his body, and struggled.

    He felt something sticky as if he''d fallen to a swap.

    ''Where¡­''

    His memories were blurry.

    It was as if he were under the effect of a drug. He turned his head and saw something being absorbed by the darkness.

    ''Baek KangHyun.''

    A faint memory came to mind.

    He remembered KangHyun being devouredpletely by the darkness.

    It didn''t matter how much he struggled, he had beenpletely devoured.

    While seeing Baek KangHyun sinking deep into the sea, he realized what he had to do.

    ''I must get out of here.''

    He turned his head again. He still couldn''t see anything around him.

    He stirred his feet violently.

    Up, up!

    He felt his body going up little by little.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    ''Ugh.''

    Something bit his feet.

    He looked down.

    A mouth¡­

    A giant mouth was biting and pulling him. His body started to sink.

    He twisted his body.

    He pulled out his ankle, which was cut by the mouth.

    ''Now.''

    He swirled both arms, twisted his body, and moved his remaining foot to escape the ck floor.

    Mouths appeared from all around.

    The mouths of predators with sharp teeth¡­

    His entire body was bitten, his arms were cut, and half of his torso was bitten away.

    But he still didn''t stop.

    He knew better than anyone that if he stopped right there, he wouldn''t be able to return.

    He raised his face.

    There was a wide-open door.

    He turned his body to the door.

    The giant mouth had devoured half of his body.

    He desperately struggled to escape while letting out a shout.

    But the mouths weren''t letting him go.

    His consciousness started to fade away, and his sight became blurry.

    ''Ah¡­''

    He didn''t remember where he was.

    He couldn''t remember anything¡ªnot his name, age, or past.

    He began thinking that it''d befortable to sink into the darkness.

    - Kang¡­ Woo!

    He heard a voice. It was the voice of a girl.

    He regained consciousness.

    ''Concentrate.''

    He bit his lip.

    He had to remember his name.

    Who he was and the reason why he was there¡­

    He had to think about how to get out of there.

    ''I''m¡­''

    He extended his hands and grabbed the doorknob.

    He pulled the doorknob.

    The door closed.

    * * *

    "Oof! Oof! Oof!!"

    "K-KangWoo! Are you okay?"

    He regained consciousness.

    As he opened his eyes while breathing heavily, he saw Echidna grabbing his face.

    "Here¡­"

    He looked around. It was the ce where he''d fought against Baek KangHyun.

    "The fissure?"

    "It disappeared when the demon died."

    "Oof. Then I managed to turn off the fire."

    He felt relieved.

    KangWoo copsed to the floor.

    Echidna looked at him while trembling. Transparent tears dripped down her cheeks.

    "KangWoo¡­ You almost disappeared."

    "¡­"

    * * *

    "I know it since I''m KangWoo''s summoned monster. KangWoo, you almost died."

    "In this kind of situation¡­ you have to risk your life to look cool."

    "Don''t joke¡­!"

    Echidna angrily red at him.

    "I thought that you wouldn''t leave me alone¡­ that I wouldn''t be lonely anymore¡­!"

    He extended his hands and touched her cheeks.

    "I''m sorry."

    "Sniff. Sob. Sob."

    Echidna hugged him.

    KangWoo softly patted her and fell into his thoughts.

    ''Was opening the door in that situation too much?''

    Opening the door¡­

    It was a way to explosively increase the demonic energy of the Ten Thousand Demon Core, the sea of demonic energy.

    Even while in Hell, he had avoided using it if possible.

    It wasn''t hard to see why.

    ''It could devour me.''

    The Ten Thousand Demon Core was huge.

    Even KangWoo didn''t know everything about it.

    Tens, hundreds of thousands of demons.

    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to call that ce, where there was the demonic energy of hundreds of thousands of demons, another world.

    Forcing that was too risky.

    ''But I never had a problem with the first door.''

    After the Gaia System sealed his strength, it became harder to control.

    ''I''ll have to be careful before using it.''

    The risk was bigger than he thought.

    If it weren''t for Echidna''s voice right then¡­

    It wouldn''t have been weird for him to have been devoured by his own demonic energy.

    He would have to refrain from using it until he recovered his original strength and could better control the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    ''I can''t die.''

    KangWoo looked at Echidna, who was hugging him.

    Although it hadn''t been long since he had returned to Earth, he''d gone through many things.

    He''d been able to experience the joys of eating and taking a break¡­

    And he''d also gotten important people and beings he had to protect.

    He had a reason to survive.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully eliminated the demon Amducias from the 8th hell.]

    [Your level is capped. The experience will be umted.]

    [Your demonic energy has increased by 5.]

    [You''ve obtained the Authority of Seals.]

    "Oh!"

    Five demonic energy!

    It was a lot considering that his demonic energy stat was simr to that of a yer that had passed level 90.

    It wasparable to the effect of Kraken''s Rage, which had a time limit of a minute.

    ''I finally surpassed 100.''

    KangWoo checked out his status window.

    His demonic energy stat was at 103!

    He''d only been able to reach three-digit stats after using Kraken''s Rage.

    ''Did they say that the minimum requirement to bing a world ranker is having a stat of three digits?''

    The minimum requisite for receiving the world ranker test was to reach level 85 and have a three-digit stat.

    It was high enough that most people, even at level 90, weren''t guaranteed to have a three-digit stat, but KangWoo had reached it at level 59.

    In the end, what gave yers strength wasn''t the level, but the stats.

    KangWoo was as strong as a world ranker.

    No, considering how many Authorities he had, it wouldn''t be weird if he were stronger than them.

    In just three months¡­

    ''Also, the effect of the new Authority is great.''

    The Authority of Seals.

    It was an Authority strong enough to seal KangWoo''s power.

    The only bad thing about it was that you had to touch the target''s body, but its effect was incredible.

    ''I''ll be able to use this very effectively.''

    KangWoo smiled, satisfied.

    The things he''d obtained were so great that it almost made him forget that his level limit hadn''t been lifted.

    "Mr. KangWoo!"

    "KangWoo hyeongnim!"

    "Hey! Are you okay?!"

    Han Seol-ah, Kim ShiHoon, and Chae YeonJoo came running to him.

    Behind them, he saw TaeSoo, Baek HwaYeon, and EunBi.

    "Yes."

    KangWoo nodded and tried to stand up.

    "Huh?"

    At that moment, he fell to the ground.

    "KangWoo!!"

    Chae YeonJoo extended her hands.

    The chains that emerged from her hands wrapped around his body.

    "Lay down if you''re too tired, and don''t make people worry!" She said while ring at him.

    "Who told you to go alone?! You were the one who said we should be careful about the Demon Cult! Why did you fight alone?"

    KangWoo smirked after hearing her angry voice.

    The sincere concern hidden behind anger made him feel good.

    "Well, anyway. This incident was solved, right?"

    "That''s not the important thing here! Do you know how¡ª"

    "Thank you for worrying."

    KangWoo ced his hand on top of Chae YeonJoo''s head.

    She was surprised and moved back.

    "It¡­ It''s not like I was worried!" Chae YeonJoo shouted while her face waspletely red, just like her hair.

    KangWoo didn''t answer andy down on the floor. He felt a fatigue that weighed down his body.

    Han Seol-ah got close to KangWoo and ced her hand on top of his chest.

    "Healing Light."

    "Oh¡­"

    Although the tiredness hadn''t disappeared, his body didn''t hurt as much as before.

    "The effect is incredible!"

    "It''s because I finished the fifth Awakening."

    "What? You already reached level 40?"

    Although it was weird that he was saying it, it was still an incredible leveling-up speed.

    "Mr. ShiHoon received a special quest. Afterpleting it, our level went up many times."

    "Special quest?"

    "Hyeongnim, I''ll exin it to youter on. I think that it would be better if you took a rest."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo nodded.

    ''After all, I feel like I''m about to fall asleep right now.''

    Although he felt better after receiving the Healing Light, he still felt tired.

    "Do you still have trouble moving?"

    "A little bit."

    KangWoo nodded.

    While smiling kindly, Han Seol-ah picked him up.

    Although she looked frail, she was still a yer.

    Her basic specs were far beyond a normal human¡¯s.

    Lifting a male human''s body was easy.

    "I''ll carry you home."

    ''This is a bit¡­''

    KangWoo smiled awkwardly.

    Leaving the strength aside, he felt weird being carried by a girl.

    ''I''ll ask her to put me down.''

    Although he found moving a bit ufortable, he could at least walk.

    "Thanks, but I think that¡­"

    <em>Touch-</em>

    At that moment¡­

    He felt something soft against his stomach¡ªa sensation that couldn''t be described with words.

    It was her chest that had the nickname of Kerberos.

    KangWoo widened his eyes.

    "Can you walk?"

    "Ah¡­"

    His instincts were about to overtake his reason.

    He didn''t think about it too much.

    While coughing, KangWoo answered.

    "As expected, I think walking will be a bit hard. Although it¡¯s weird that my body can''t properly move¡­"

    "Then I''ll take Hyeongnim back home!"

    "Huh?"

    ¡®Not this¡­¡¯

    "Hahaha! I think it will be morefortable if I pick you up rather than sister-inw!"

    ''Don''t get close to me.''

    "As the little brother, I can''t remain still while looking with my arms crossed at Hyeongnim, who can''t properly walk."

    ''Hey, bastard, remain in your ce.''

    "Hyeongnim! I''ll hold you in my arms!"

    ''Leave me alone.''

    Kang TaeSoo picked up KangWoo.

    He felt muscles that were hard as stone and the smell of sweat.

    "Hyeongnim! I think that you should go back to your home first! Don''t worry. I''ll safely take you back home!"

    "No¡­ TaeSoo, you live on the other side, so¡­"

    "Hahaha! If it''s for Hyeongnim, that much is nothing!"

    "Put me down. Now that I think about it, I think I can walk."

    "You shouldn''t overwork yourself! Stay still!"

    TaeSoo held KangWoo even tighter.

    KangWoo was soaked with TaeSoo''s sweat.

    ''This isn''t it.''

    KangWoo''s face had turned pale.

    He extended his hand toward Han Seol-ah.

    ¡ªIt didn''t reach her.

    ''This really isn''t it¡­''

 Chapter 94: How to achieve the highest degree of demonic form (2)

    It had been three days since a fissure appeared in the middle of Seoul.

    It was obvious, but the country was turned upside down after the Isu Station incident.

    No, it wasn''t just within the country, but the entire world.

    The Demon Cult¡­

    It was the incident that made their existence known.

    The world leaders weren''t that surprised.

    They already knew about their existence and how dangerous they could be.

    Most countries ordered the elimination of the Demon Cult.

    ¡ªBut it wasn''t that effective.

    The Demon Cult was strong and secretive.

    The foundation of war went from massive armies to individuals called yers, so it wasn''t easy to investigate.

    Since they didn''t need to hide anymore, the members of the Demon Cult began to move more actively, and incidents around the world were starting to happen more frequently.

    Korea, the country that made the world enter a state simr to the ''Cataclysmic Day,'' was going through rtively calm days.

    That was because KangWoo had eliminated most of the Demon Cult members left in Korea.

    While the world''s attention was focused on Korea, big forces were starting to move.

    * * *

    "I can finally movefortably."

    A house located in Seoul station¡­

    KangWoo was able to get out of bed after three days.

    He found it hard to recover from the side effects of using the Ten Thousand Demon Core, so he''d spent thest three days sleeping.

    But he had finally fully recovered.

    <em>Click-</em>

    "KangWoo, why are you up?"

    "Because I''m feeling better. I think I can move again."

    "Don''t overwork yourself. KangWoo, it''s okay if you rest a bit more. I''ll take care of you."

    Echidna grabbed KangWoo and tried to make him go to bed again.

    KangWoo smiled bitterly and shook his head.

    "No, I''m okay. Since I slept a lot, I''m feeling better than usual."

    "¡­"

    Echidna looked a bit disappointed.

    It was because she thought that the times of her being stuck next to him while taking care of him had ended.

    "KangWoo, don''t overdo yourself anymore."

    "Okay."

    "I think you always say that but never actually do what you say."

    Echidnained and grabbed KangWoo''s robe.

    "KangWoo, what are you going to do today?"

    "Hmm. First, I want to get a grasp of the current situation."

    He had more or less heard something but didn''t know the details.

    KangWoo opened the door and went to the living room.

    "Huh?"

    He saw Chae YeonJoo drinking tea with Han Seol-ah.

    "Why did you get up already?"

    "Because I''m feeling better. But rather than that, what are you doing here?"

    "Hmph. I bought this with my money, so I came here to take a bit of a rest. Why, do you have anyints?"

    Han Seol-ahughed at Cha YeonJoo''s words.

    "Ms. YeonJoo came here because she was worried about Mr. KangWoo."

    "Th-that''s not true! Don''t say weird things!" Chae YeonJoo shouted, flustered.

    KangWoo smirked.

    "I was about to call you anyway."

    "You were about to call me?"

    "Yes. I wanted to know what''s going on around the world."

    "Hmph. Since you''re a patient, why don''t youy down a bit more like a patient?"

    "I told you that I''m feeling better."

    Chae YeonJoo sighed and took a sip of tea.

    "First, the Hanul Guild disbanded."

    "What about the members of the Demon Cult?"

    "We grabbed them¡­ but they turned into monsters before we could interrogate them."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo gulped.

    It seemed like someone had made sure that information wouldn''t leak.

    "What about the Demon Cult as an association?"

    "We''ve started to receive reports from all around the world¡­ but they still haven''t shown themselves as they did in Korea yet in another country. After all, the chaos in Korea still hasn''t died down yet."

    Thousands of lives had been sacrificed. There was no way the incident could be easily ordered.

    KangWoo nodded and began reading the news.

    [World-wide crazy organization, Demon Cult. What''s their identity and goals¡­?]

    [A hero appeared! Put Your Attention on Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon!]

    [People Continue to Testify about Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon¡­ A ''Divine'' Rising in Poprity.]

    [Kim ShiHoon''s fan club was created. The world''s attention on ''Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon'' has increased.]

    "All the news is about Kim ShiHoon."

    * * *

    "Well, it''s Kim ShiHoon who first got to Isu Station, killed the demonic monsters, and saved the normal people."

    He was more handsome than the average celebrity and had saved normal citizens from being killed by demonic monsters.

    A yer who hadn''t been known until then¡­

    It would be weird if he didn''t get attention.

    "Why? Are you feeling disappointed because you feel like he snatched away your merit?"

    "No way."

    He shrugged.

    He hated receiving unnecessary attention.

    He even felt pity toward Kim ShiHoon, who had be a celebrity after the incident.

    "Oh. One of the forces of a world ranker came to Korea."

    "World ranker?"

    "Yes. It''s a Chinese guild called Thousand Sword Gate."

    "Are they trying to approach ShiHoon?"

    "I''m not sure. They haven''t made any significant moves yet, so we aren''t sure about their intentions."

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo nodded.

    KangWoo thought it probably had nothing to do with him.

    "Anyway. It seems like the Demon Cult in Korea has been wiped out¡­"

    "Yes. Well, it seems like the ones in Korea were just the tip of the iceberg."

    Chae YeonJoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    KangWoo looked at her.

    "You aren''t nning to end your revenge here, right?"

    "Of course not. I''m not stopping until Ipletely wipe them off of the map."

    "That''s a good mindset."

    After that incident, it became obvious.

    ¡ªThe Demon Cult was too dangerous for KangWoo and the entire world.

    Because the Gaia System was getting weaker, he couldn''t even imagine what strategy they''d use to increase their power.

    ''I never imagined it was possible to summon a demon inside you.''

    He''d never thought humans could fuse with demons in such a way.

    "So there''s no news about other Demon Cult members?"

    "Right. Although we''ve been receiving some reports, there isn''t any precise information."

    "I see."

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    It would be impossible for him to search for the Demon Cult members that were hidden all around the world.

    ''That would be stupid.''

    Finding out about the ones hidden in Korea was already hard enough, so searching for ones that he didn''t even know the general hiding ces of what pointless.

    ''Right now, I must get stronger.''

    If it wasn''t possible to do a siege, he just had to build a wall.

    ¡ªOne that they wouldn''t dare to cross.

    ''First, I must see how I can lift the level restriction and solve the Extreme Demonic Energy Body issue.''

    Since his leveling up was restricted, if he couldn''t discover thest condition for Extreme Demonic Energy Body, he wouldn''t be able to grow anymore.

    But the problem was that he wasn''t sure where to start to ovee those two things.

    If he had some sort of clue, he would be able to make a guess, but that wasn''t the case.

    ''Then¡­''

    He couldn''t waste any more time.

    He had to find something that he could do right away.

    ''Something that I can do right now and could help me¡­''

    The first thing that came to mind was increasing his demonic energy stat through hunting.

    But since it had surpassed a hundred, it would be hard to raise it.

    It wasn''t very effective.

    KangWoo closed his eyes and fell into his thoughts.

    "Ah."

    At that moment, he thought of a possibility.

    It was something he could do and that could be helpful to him.

    "I''ll have to call ShiHoon."

    KangWoo took out the smartphone while smiling.

    * * *

    "Hyeongnim! Are you feeling okay?"

    After he called him, Kim ShiHoon appeared in less than 20 minutes.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "But more than that, how are you doing? I''ve seen lots of news about you."

    "Haha, don''t even mention it. As soon as I got out on the streets, people began gathering, so I even have trouble hunting."

    Kim ShiHoon ced his hand over his face like it was a mask with a tired expression.

    "I''m considering buying a mask."

    "Well, I wonder what the point of doing that at this point would be¡­ Anyways, good work."

    "In reality, I have someints."

    "Comints?"

    "Yes. Speaking frankly, I wasn''t the one who solved the Isu Station incident. That was you, KangWoo hyeongnim. It''s Hyeongnim who should be called a hero."

    Kim ShiHoon said is as if it were disappointing.

    He felt that he''d taken KangWoo''s achievement.

    "Why are you saying something as horrifying as that?"

    "Hyeongnim, you don''t mind people not recognizing you for what you''ve done?"

    "Receiving attention when I have nothing to gain just makes things bothersome. You even said that."

    "That''s true. But¡­"

    He felt a bit disappointed that people weren''t recognizing KangWoo.

    "I hate bothersome things."

    "Hmm¡­ If you say so, I guess there''s nothing I can do. But more than that, why did you call me?"

    "There''s something I wanted to ask you."

    "As long as it''s something I can do, I''ll do it," Kim ShiHoon said with eyes burning with loyalty.

    KangWooughed after watching him act as if he were willing to give his liver.

    "I want to learn martial arts."

    "Martial arts¡­?"

    Kim ShiHoon tilted his head.

    "Yes. Didn''t you reach Sword-man Unity? Anyway, you reached a new height."

    "Yes, that''s true¡­"

    "Not to that point, but I want to learn how to use weapons properly."

    "Hmm¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon gulped.

    It wasn''t that he wasn''t sure whether to teach him martial arts or not¡­

    He replied in a careful voice tone.

    "I''m not good enough to teach hyeongnim."

    KangWoo was already on a higher ne than him.

    Teaching him in that situation was as if the student was teaching the teacher how to study.

    KangWoo shook his head.

    "No. Although I''m stronger than you, if we limit it to using only a weapon, that isn''t necessarily the case."

    KangWoo''s techniques had been polished through countless battles.

    ¡ªHe''d never properly learned martial arts.

    ''Although they say that true martial arts are formless¡­''

    But that could only be said by someone who had learned the forms.

    The techniques KangWoo knew were ones that were extremely good in real-life situations.

    ''I thought that it was good enough with these.''

    But after allying with Kim ShiHoon, who was the sessor of the Martial God, it would be a waste not to take advantage of that.

    "Understood."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded.

    "I''ll teach martial arts to Hyeongnim."

 Chapter 95: How to achieve the highest degree of demonic form (3)

    The next day¡­

    KangWoo went to the Red Rose Guild''s house with Kim ShiHoon.

    "Kyaa!"

    "Isn''t he Dragon Sword?!"

    "He''s Dragon Sword, right?"

    Kim ShiHoon''s poprity could also be felt inside the Red Rose Guild.

    The people working at the Red Rose Guild counter came to them while shouting.

    "Wh-what brings you to the Red Rose Guild?!"

    "A-are you nning to join the Red Rose Guild?"

    "Ah¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon shook his head while smiling awkwardly.

    "No. Although I''m receiving a lot of help from the Red Rose Guild, I''ve promised loyalty to another person."

    "L-loyalty."

    "Could you tell us who?"

    "I''m sorry, but that''s a bit¡­"

    The Red Rose Guild members looked a bit disappointed.

    "Th-then could you sign this?"

    "Hmm. That''s¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon''s face became a bit red as if he were troubled by it.

    KangWoo opened his mouth.

    "Let''s stop wasting time and get going."

    "Ah, yes! Understood, Hyeongnim!"

    "¡­"

    The members of the Red Rose Guild red at KangWoo.

    "What''s up with that squid?"

    ''Isn''t squid a bit too much?''

    KangWoo frowned after hearing what they were mumbling from behind.

    Realistically speaking, KangWoo''s outer appearance wasn''t bad. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that he was good-looking.

    But next to Kim ShiHoon, most people turned into a squid.

    "I''m going to say something. How dare they call Hyeongnim a squid¡­"

    "Stop making things worse and follow me."

    If Kim ShiHoon said something in that situation, it would just make him more miserable.

    KangWoo took the elevator and went to the training room.

    "Ah, you came. I heard the details from the guild leader."

    As they walked toward the training room entrance, they were greeted by Park HyunWoo.

    He carefully spoke after opening the door.

    "I heard about the training room incident in the Hwarang Squad."

    "Ah¡­"

    "Hahaha. She said that it cost both of you tens of millions in just repair costs."

    Park HyunWoo grabbed KangWoo''s hand while making a dry smile.

    "Please¡­ Make sure something simr doesn''t happen here."

    "Yes, of course¡­"

    "Hahaha! Then I''ll believe you."

    He could sense the tiredness in Park HyunWoo''sugh.

    ''Was he the one who was in charge of administrating the guild?''

    The amount of stuff he had to do had probably increased because of all the things that had happened recently.

    KangWoo looked at Park HyunWoo in pity and then entered the training room.

    "Then let''s start immediately."

    "Okay."

    Kim ShiHoon looked at the practice weapons that were inside the training room.

    "First, Hyeongnim, what''s your main weapon?"

    "Hmm¡­ I don''t think I have one."

    He used different weapons based on the situation.

    Kim ShiHoon nodded.

    "Still, I think it''s better to choose a weapon when learning about martial arts. Hmm¡­ Let''s start with swords since I specialize in swords."

    "A sword¡­"

    To be honest, the weapon he was the most used to was the spear.

    He also used the Authority of the de quite often, but its shape slightly differed from a conventional sword.

    But because it emerged from his hands when he swung it, rather than a sword, it was closer to a de used by assassins.

    ''I guess if I''m learning martial arts from the Dragon Sword, it''s better to use a sword.''

    He grabbed a practice sword.

    "First, I''ll teach you the Sleeping Dragon Sword Style basics."

    Kim ShiHoon disyed all of the techniques.

    The Sleeping Dragon Sword Style had eight different forms.

    The sword moved naturally as if it were water. After showing him the forms, ShiHoon turned around.

    "Now try to copy them."

    "What¡­?"

    "You just have to do what I did."

    "How can I copy it after seeing it once?"

    "Yes? But it''s just imitating the form."

    Kim ShiHoon looked at KangWoo in confusion.

    KangWoo looked at him in disbelief and just swung the sword.

    "If I do this, can you copy it?"

    "Of course."

    Kim ShiHoon perfectly copied what KangWoo had just done.

    ''What''s up with this guy.''

    KangWoo felt a strange sense of inferiority.

    "Don''t be like that and try to do it, Hyeongnim."

    "I told you I can''t do it."

    "Hmm¡­ Then I''ll show you from the first form one by one."

    Kim ShiHoon tilted his head and did the first form of the Sleeping Dragon Sword Style.

    It was a form that drew the sword from your head to under the waist and then bounced it back up.

    KangWoo tried to copy Kim ShiHoon''s movements.

    "No. Hyeongnim, that''s not it."

    "You put too much strength on the movement down. If you do that, the recoil will be too strong."

    Kim ShiHoon repeated the first form.

    KangWoo tried to do it again.

    "That''s not it, Hyeongnim. You need to put a bit more strength than that,"

    ''What do you want me to do.''

    While thinking it was harder than he initially thought, KangWoo put a bit more strength in.

    * * *

    <em>Whish-!</em>

    "Ah, a little bit weaker."

    <em>Whish-!</em>

    "No. This time it was too weak."

    <em>Whish-!</em>

    "You have to do it a bit stronger."

    Three hours passed.

    As he performed the same movements repeatedly, KangWoo started to feel a bit annoyed.

    "ShiHoon, did you also struggle at first with controlling the strength?"

    "Y-yes," Kim ShiHoon said while trying to avoid his gaze.

    KangWoo realized that he was lying.

    "You can tell the truth."

    "I learned how to control the strength in one or two tries¡­" Kim ShiHoon said carefully.

    KangWooughed in disbelief.

    ''He learned how to do this in just one or two tries?''

    Controlling the first form''s strength was equivalent topletely filling a cup of water with your eyes closed.

    Because this sense waspletely different from the one KangWoo had learned through countless battles, he wasn''t sure how to do it.

    "Oof. Let''s leave strength control forter on and learn the basic forms."

    "Hmm¡­ Yes, understood."

    Kim ShiHoon looked at him as if he couldn''t understand KangWoo and nodded.

    The Sleeping Dragon Sword Style had eight forms in total.

    KangWoo learned each movement and made sure they were connected naturally.

    ''I feel like there''s something that doesn''t match.''

    He felt a weird sensation in the middle of doing each form.

    It was as if he was forcing a gear to turn.

    "I can''t seem to connect the fourth and fifth form smoothly. How could I improve that?"

    KangWoo turned his head to Kim ShiHoon.

    Wasn¡¯t the purpose of a teacher to help you in situations like that?

    Kim ShiHoon answered while making his characteristic smile.

    "In that part, instead of making it consciously, you just have to swing your sword naturally."

    "What?"

    "The issue is that you''re thinking about it too much. You need to let your body move ording to your senses."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo swung the sword while tilting his head. Just like Kim ShiHoon said, he moved the sword ording to his senses.

    It was an obvious oue, but he couldn''t do it properly.

    ''What''s this?''

    KangWoo finally understood the weird sensation he was feeling.

    Before being an excellent swordsman, Kim ShiHoon was a genius.

    ¡ªAnd one that had an overwhelming talentpared to other people.

    ''This is like saying that if you don''t have any more minions, you just have to finish off the enemy.''

    He heard that a genius professional gamer had said something like that in the past.

    Things that were obvious to him weren''t so much for other people.

    It seemed like Kim ShiHoon didn''t see that point.

    Because he could do it so naturally, he couldn''t understand other people''s doubts.

    "Hmm."

    Although only a single day had passed, he became sure of something.

    ''Kim ShiHoon doesn''t have the talent to teach.''

    Because he was too talented, he couldn''t exin how to do certain things to others.

    As long as you didn''t have a talentparable to Kim ShiHoon, you wouldn''t be able to learn anything from him.

    "Tsk¡­ I''ll have to give up learning martial arts from you."

    "Wh-what are you talking about, Hyeongnim? As expected, this is because I''m not good enough¡­"

    "No, that''s not it. It''s theplete opposite."

    "Then you mean¡­"

    "You''re too talented."

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent.

    KangWoo sighed and turned around.

    "Let''s stop here. I''m sure we''ll have other opportunities in the future."

    "Ah¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon let out a small exmation.

    He felt a bit disappointed because he thought it was the perfect opportunity to pay him back for everything KangWoo had done for him.

    "H-hyeongnim. Rather than that, how about you learn about the psyche style?"

    "Psyche Style?"

    "Yes. The basics of martial arts aren''t the sword or fist, but the Psyche. I''m sure I''ll be able to teach that to you properly."

    "Hmm."

    While thinking about that for a little while, KangWoo nodded.

    Trying it was better than not trying it at all.

    "Then do you want to check how the energy inside my body flows?"

    "Okay."

    KangWoo used the Authority of Observation and checked how the energy flowed inside ShiHoon¡¯s body.

    He could see the Qi moving with the Dantian at its center.

    ''I think that I should be able to do this.''

    Rather than moving the body, it was just controlling inner strength, so KangWoo thought he should be able to do it.

    KangWoo sat and tried to remember how the Qi flowed inside Kim ShiHoon''s body.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    - Activating the effect of ¡®Ruler of Demonic Energy¡¯. Your ability to control demonic energy has increased.

    - You''ve learned the inner psyche style ''Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style.''

    ''Oh.''

    He had seeded in just one try.

    As he used the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style, he could feel the demonic energy spread through his entire body gathering and rotating around the dantian.

    ''Huh?''

    As he used the psyche style, he could feel demonic energy concentrated in a point called the dantian under the belly button.

    But it didn''t just concentrate there but formed a round object.

    ''This¡­''

    It was a familiar sensation.

    The image of a ck jewel passed through his mind.

    Ting-.

    - You''ve seeded in creating a demonic energy stone.

    - You''ve obtained a hint for thest condition of the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    ''ShiHoon¡­''

    Excitement ran through his body.

    It was as if a cow had killed a rat while walking backward.

    He''d unexpectedly found a hint about thest condition for the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    ''I love you!''

 Chapter 96: How to achieve the highest degree of demonic form (4)

    Extreme Demonic Energy: The first step to bing a ''demon god.''

    1st Condition: Reach 60 Demonic Energy stat.

    2nd Condition: Control more than 3 Authorities simultaneously perfectly.

    3rd Condition: Create a demonic energy stone bigger than a certain size (not achieved).

    ''To think that thest condition was to create a demonic energy stone inside my body.''

    He would''ve never figured it out if he hadn''t learned the Psyche Style from Kim ShiHoon.

    After all, he didn''t know that you could create a demonic energy stone used by the demon cult using the Psyche Style.

    ''But is this the same demonic energy stone used by the Demon Cult?''

    KangWoo concentrated on the demonic energy stone that was within his dantian.

    Both had demonic energy concentrated inside. In that aspect, they were simr.

    But considering the amount of demonic energy inside, they werepletely different items.

    ''Although they''re the same type, the amount of strength concentrated in them ispletely different.''

    It was likeparing an americano coffee and an expresso.

    The demonic energy stones that the Demon Cult used felt as if the demonic energy had been watered down. The demonic energy stone in KangWoo''s Dantian was thick as if an undiluted solution had been extracted.

    Because the level of intensity was different, it was obvious that there was a huge difference in the amount of strength you could obtain from it.

    KangWoo concentrated the demonic energy within his Dantian into his fist.

    Although he hadn''t used an Authority, a destructive amount of demonic energy concentrated in his fist.

    To test that strength, KangWoo slightly hit the steel doll in the training room.

    Pang-!

    The strong steel became dust after one attack.

    "A-amazing!"

    Kim ShiHoon shouted in surprise.

    He could also cleanly cut steel¡­

    But KangWoo had just made it disappear without leaving a trace. That was something he couldn''t even fathom doing.

    "Did you have sess with the Psyche Style?"

    "Yes. It was of great help."

    He had only used it once, so there wasn''t much demonic energy inside the demonic energy stone yet.

    Yet after just a single attack with the energy, the energy stone within his dantian was reduced to a third of its original size.

    ''Well, this was the first try, after all.''

    There was no need to hurry.

    Now that he''d learned the Psyche Style, he just had to use it and increase the size of the demonic energy stone.

    For him, who used to control the Ten Thousand Demon Core, restricting part of that energy wasn''t that hard.

    KangWoo once again sat on the floor and used the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style.

    He opened his eyes while concentrating on it.

    ''I don''t think it''s necessary to do it while sitting like this.''

    KangWoo got up.

    If it wasn''t an urgent situation like a battle, he thought that he''d be able to use it while proceeding with his daily life.

    "Th-that''s dangerous, Hyeongnim!"

    "Hmm? What''s dangerous?"

    "If you stand up while using the Psyche Style¡­"

    He wanted to warn him that he could get shocked, but Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened.

    KangWoo, who had stood up, not only hadn''t been shocked, but he seemed very calm.

    "Did you stop using the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style?"

    "No, I''m still using it."

    "Y-you can use it while moving?"

    Kim ShiHoon looked at him in surprise.

    There were some Psyche Style techniques that you could use without sitting in a lotus position¡­

    But the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style wasn''t one of them.

    Although you could control and restrict a huge amount of energy, you had to move it while sitting in the correct position to use it properly.

    But KangWoo had bypassed that characteristic of the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style.

    "How¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon looked at KangWoo, confused.

    Using the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style in daily life was something that not even the Martial God Cheon TaeHwang had been able to achieve.

    "It isn''t that hard. The energy circtes through your body''s blood. Right? You just have to avoid having it sh with itself."

    "But¡­ If you move, your blood moves."

    It wasn''t that easy to use the Psyche Style while moving.

    That was because, based on your body''s movements, the position of blood also changed.

    Just like going through a passageway shaking from both sides, moving your Qi if your blood moved was also very hard. No, it would be more precise to say that it was impossible.

    "You just have to control it while calcting those movements."

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent after hearing the words KangWoo had said so calmly.

    Although he''d said it as if it were nothing, he knew how incredible that was.

    It was like running full throttle along a cliff where you''d fall if you made even the slightest miscalction.

    "As expected¡­ I can''tpete with Hyeongnim."

    Kim ShiHoon shook his head.

    KangWoo smirked.

    Controlling demonic energy along with the body''s movements¡­

    Doing that was easypared to restricting the huge amount of demonic energy within the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    ''You could call this a talent, but¡­''

    KangWoo didn''t think that was his talent.

    It was something he''d learned to do in order to not be devoured for the past ten thousand years.

    It couldn''t be exined with the word ''talent.''

    "How about you learn light work?"

    "No. Let''s do that another day. This is enough for now.¡±

    He''d obtained a new possibility for growth in the form of the demonic energy stone, so he wanted to investigate a bit more about the Psyche Style and focus on cultivating the demonic energy stone.

    ''If I do that¡­''

    KangWoo thought about thest condition of the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    He still didn''t know what exactly the Extreme Demonic Energy Body was, and he also didn''t know what effect it had, but he was sure it wouldn''t be something that would be a minus to him.

    ''There''s a huge chance that it will be a plus.''

    * * *

    Even if he reached the sixth Awakening right there, he had to reach the Extreme Demonic Energy Body to be able to use that strength.

    Now that he had a goal and knew what he had to do, he had no reason to focus on other things.

    ''I''m going to focus on the Psyche Style first.''

    KangWoo naturally used the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style.

    Feeling the demonic energy all around his body gather around the dantian and create a new strength called a demonic energy stone made him feel good.

    ''Once the demonic energy stone gets bigger, I''ll have to put it to the test.''

    KangWoo smiled, satisfied, and turned to Kim ShiHoon.

    "Let''s go back."

    "Are you okay not learning other martial art techniques?"

    "Yes. Ah, the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style is the one with the highest difficulty you know at the moment, right?"

    "Yes. If I receive more of the strength of the martial god, I''ll probably be able to learn a better one¡­ But right now, the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style is the best one."

    "Oh."

    That meant that if Kim ShiHoon became stronger and learned better Psyche Techniques, he could also be very helpful to KangWoo.

    ''Keep growing like this, ShiHoon!''

    KangWoo looked at ShiHoon like a farmer waiting for the fruit tree to bloom.

    Of course, he wasn''t thinking of watching from the sides.

    "ShiHoon, let''s go to an S-rank gate next time."

    "An S¡­ S-rank hate?"

    "Yes."

    "I''m d that Hyeongnim trusts me, but my party still isn''t strong enough to hunt in an S-rank gate."

    "Don''t worry. I''ll grab the steering wheel."

    "Yes¡­?"

    "You just have to rx and sit down."

    KangWoo''s bus that would make Kim ShiHoon grow exponentially¡­

    "I''ll show you hyeong''s incredible driving skill."

    KangWoo smiled while patting Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders.

    * * *

    "Are you done for today?" Park HyunWoo asked him as they walked out of the training room.

    "Yes. Thanks for lending me the training room."

    "Aren''t you going to meet the guild master?"

    "I told her that I would be busy today, but I n on meeting her next time."

    "Haha. She¡¯s going to be disappointed."

    Park HyunWoo nodded whileughing softly.

    "Then pleasee visit us again another time."

    "No, thank you for always being helpful."

    KangWoo and Kim ShiHoon shook hands with Park HyunWoo.

    "Oh, also¡­ Did you hear that people from the Thousand Sword Gate came to Korea?"

    "Yes. I heard that."

    The Thousand Sword Gate¡­

    The Chinese guild led by Cheon MooJin, who was 8th on the world ranker list.

    It was a guild with members that had a unique stat called Qi. Rather than a guild made of yers, it was closer to an organization that appeared in martial arts novels.

    "I heard that the forces of the Thousand Sword Gate have started moving."

    "Hmm¡­ Have you heard about their goals?"

    "We still haven''t heard about that yet."

    KangWoo nodded.

    "I''ll keep that in mind."

    "Be careful. Mr. KangWoo, you could be in danger if you get involved with them."

    The Thousand Sword Gate had a force that wasn''tparable with any guild in Korea.

    First, they had almost ten thousand members.

    The Red Rose Guild had a little bit more than a thousand members, so they were ten times bigger.

    "Hahaha. You don''t need to worry."

    "Well¡­ I guess Mr. KangWoo will be able to dodge them easily."

    "No. I don''t think that I need to avoid them."

    "¡­?"

    "If we get involved, it isn''t me that will be in danger."

    KangWooughed.

    There was a heavy silence.

    "Then we''ll get going."

    The Thousand Sword Gate¡­

    Just because they''d started moving, he didn''t need to hide.

    He had survived until then based on a simple rule:

    Answer evil with greater evil. Return killing intent with even greater killing intent.

    The moment you yield one, they''ll take two away. If you bow your head, it will get trampled on.

    Of course, if it were an enemy he couldn''t win against, it would be the right decision to hide.

    In that case, lowering your body, crawling on the floor, and waiting for your opportunity was the wisest decision.

    ''But it''s different now.''

    KangWoo knew how strong he was.

    It wasn''t like he''d recovered all of his original strength, but he wasn''t weak enough to go around on Earth avoiding looking at other people.

    "Let''s go, ShiHoon."

    "Yes, Hyeongnim."

    After seeing KangWoo walking away, he quickly followed him.

    KangWoo got into his car after exiting the Red Rose Guild.

    "I''ll take you home."

    "It''s okay, Hyeongnim. It doesn''t take long with the subway."

    "You even taught me martial arts, so this much is nothing. Oh, also, I''m going to get you a car."

    "N-no. That''s okay, Hyeongnim. I''m already grateful to you for having helped me with the hospital for my mother, so a car would be¡­

    "It''s because I''m ufortable. I''ll get you a good one so you cane faster when I call you."

    "Hyeongnim¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon cried a bit.

    KangWoo smirked.

    ''I wonder what would''ve be of him if it weren''t for me.''

    Kim ShiHoon had taught him martial arts.

    Taking that into consideration, a car was nothing.

    But for him to react like that¡­

    He was the type of person who wouldn''t notice if someone cut his nose in front of him and hit him from behind.

    ''Although I''m here to make sure that doesn''t happen.''

    While thinking that, KangWoo took Kim ShiHoon to his house.

    "Hmm?"

    There, he saw a group of people wearing martial arts robes.

    <em>Click-</em>

    "Who are you?" Kim ShiHoon asked them after getting out of the car.

    The men looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    One man with a sword wound on one eye approached Kim ShiHoon and spoke in a dim Korean pronunciation.

    "I''m the leader of the Third Squad of the Thousand Sword Gate, Nam GoongJin. The Sword King wants to see Korea''s Dragon Sword. Follow me."

    "Yes? Sword King¡­ A-are you talking about the Sword King Cheol MooJin?"

    Kim ShiHoon shrugged after hearing the name of one of the strongest people in the world.

    Nam GoongJin''s eyes shone sharply.

    "Don''t put that person''s name in your mouth so lightly. Follow me silently. I have already prepared the ne."

    "That¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon hesitated.

    KangWoo grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

    Nam GoongJin''s eyes locked onto KangWoo.

    "Bastard, you didn¡¯t even learn Korean properly."

    "What¡­?"

    "Why are you talking so casually to someone you''ve never met before?"

    ¡®Did your tongue get cut in half?¡¯

 Chapter 97: Sword Lord Zheng Mu-jin (1)

    "Who are you?"

    Nam GoongJin''s eyes shone sharply.

    "I''m ShiHoon''s hyeong," KangWoo answered calmly.

    "Kim ShiHoon''s hyeong¡­? Kim YeongHoon? But I heard that person is in prison."

    "There are rtions that are thicker than blood."

    "¡­?"

    Nam GoogJin looked at him in confusion.

    "Have you heard of sworn brothers?"

    "Oh, so you meant that."

    Nam GoongJin snorted while nodding.

    "We aren''t interested in you. The Sword King only wants Dragon Sword. Move."

    "But I''m also not interested in who he is."

    "Don''t speak so lightly¡­"

    Nam GoongJin turned his head to Kim ShiHoon.

    "Dragon Sword, if you don''t want to see this person get hurt, follow me."

    "Don''t talk to him so lightly."

    Kim ShiHoon, cringing at the nickname ¡®Dragon Sword¡¯, took a step forward. A strong killing intent came out of him while he put his hand on his sword¡¯s sheath.

    Of course, he was afraid of Sword King Cheon MooJin.

    ¡ªHe was the strongest yer in China and the leader of a huge force.

    Even the Chinese president was careful around him, so he thought it was understandable for Nam GoongJin, a higher-up in the Thousand Sword Gate, to talk to him like that.

    But he wouldn''t let him talk about KangWoo like that. After all, he was the person who had saved him from a hellish lifestyle.

    He wasn''t a coward that would remain silent while looking at his benefactor get insulted.

    "Oh, so you''re going to bare your sword?"

    Nam GoongJin''s eyes narrowed.

    "It seems that other peoples¡¯ praises had made you forget how high the sky really is.¡¯.

    Nam GoongJin thought that he should use a more aggressive strategy.

    ''Although the Sword King told me to bring him respectfully¡­''

    To be honest, what was the point of being educated and respectful in front of a newbie like him?

    Rather than that, he thought that teaching him a lesson before he could disrespect the emperor would be better.

    Nam GoongJin put his hand on the sword that was on his waist.

    ¡ªBut someone put his hand on top of it faster than him.

    "Don''t take it out."

    "Wh-what¡­?"

    "If you take that out, you''ll die."

    Before Googjin could even notice what was happening, KangWoo''s hand was already on top of the sword.

    Nam GoongJin was horrified.

    He was a knight-type yer that had a unique stat called Qi.

    ¡ªHis senses were far sharper than other knight yers.

    But KangWoo had put his hand on top of his sword before he could notice.

    "Ugh!"

    Nam GoongJin moved backward. He looked at KangWoo cautiously.

    "How¡­?"

    The thought that he had been careless crossed his mind.

    "Oh, I''m going to say it just in case. It isn''t like you were careless¡ªyou''re just weak."

    "¡­"

    "So don''t say anything stupid like you were careless."

    A thick tendon became visible on Nam GoongJin''s forehead. He took out his sword without hesitating.

    "How dare a Korean¡ª!"

    Crack-!

    "AARRGGHH!"

    A scream came from his mouth.

    KangWoo had approached him and twisted his hand before he could finish the sentence.

    He dropped the sword to the ground.

    "Stop it with your nationalism. Aren''t you tired of that?"

    KangWoo looked at him pitifully.

    "Is your country so important? Then pay more taxes. People like you who don''t have shit always be patriotic while in another country."

    "Y-you son of a¡ª"

    "Oh, also, do you think talking like that about another country will make yours look better? Huh? If you really care about your country''s image, you shouldn''t do that."

    "AAHH!"

    Nam GoongJin rushed at KangWoo.

    KangWoo turned his body and raised his knee, and Nam GoogJin fell to the ground while grabbing his stomach.

    "Cough! Cough!"

    "You!"

    <em>ng-!</em>

    The men that were behind Nam GoongJin took out their swords.

    KangWoo spoke in a low voice.

    "I told you not to take out your swords."

    A strong killing intent surrounded him.

    Their expressions paled.

    "Ugh."

    It wasn''t a normal killing intent.

    Rather than ''we''re going to get killed,'' they felt they were about to de devoured.

    They felt like frogs in front of a massive predator.

    "Since you aren''t stupid, you know you won''t be able to win against me, right?"

    "Ugh¡­"

    The men gulped.

    He''d easily defeated the leader of the Third Squad, Nam GoongJin, so they knew they wouldn''t be able to win against him.

    Nam GoongJin, who was on the ground, coughed.

    "Couch! Cough! H-how dare a K-Korea¡ª"

    "Ah, this idiot still hasn''t learned his lesson."

    KangWoo grabbed Nam GoongJin by the neck and picked him up.

    "The quality of the people decides the quality of a nation. You doing that just makes your country look worse."

    "¡­"

    "Ah, maybe this was a bit hard for you to understand. Well, now that things have turned out like this, I''ll tell you what you should do to make your country look good."

    "Wh-what are you trying to do?!"

    "Just follow me."

    KangWoo dragged Nam GoongJin somewhere.

    Kim ShiHoon followed KangWoo.

    "Where are you trying to go, Hyeongnim?"

    "ShiHoon, is there anywhere around here that prepares good kimchi stew?"

    "Yes¡­?"

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened.

    Why was he suddenly looking for a restaurant that prepared good kimchi stew?

    "There''s one at the end of that alley¡­"

    "Good."

    KangWoo smiled, satisfied, and dragged Nam GoongJin there.

    He looked at the rest of the men that were just standing there.

    "Hey! You guys should also follow me!"

    "¡­"

    They looked at each other and followed KangWoo.

    <em>Click-!</em>

    "Aunt, give me seven portions of kimchi stew with a lot of meat, please."

    "Oof~ Understood, but¡­ young man¡­ aren''t these people hurt?"

    "No. They''re just exaggerating a little bit, right?"

    KangWoo patted Nam GoongJin''s back as GoongJin trembled a bit.

    "Wait a bit~"

    * * *

    The warm-hearted-lookingdy entered the kitchen.

    She soon came back out with warm kimchi stew.

    "Wh-what''s this?"

    "Kimchi stew. Try it, it''s delicious."

    KangWoo patted Nam GoongJin''s back.

    Nam GoongJin frowned.

    "Are you saying that giving me hodgepodge like this is doing good for your country?"

    "Hodgepodge¡­?"

    KangWoo''s eyes widened, and strong killing intent came out of him.

    KangWoo grabbed his shoulder and used the Authority of Fear. Nam GoongJin felt a pressureparable to being crushed by a press machine.

    "Agh¡­!"

    "It isn''t hodgepodge; it¡¯s kimchi stew. The meat is ready. Try it."

    "Ugh¡­"

    Taking a glimpse at Kim ShiHoon, Nam GoongJin began eating the kimchi stew.

    ''Hmm¡­?''

    It was delicious.

    The kimchi he''d tried before had such a strong, sour taste that it made him frown, but now when he tried it as a stew, that sour taste felt sweet.

    He ripped apart the kimchi and ced it on top of a rice spoon with a slice of meat. A spicy and savory taste spread inside his mouth.

    ''Was there a food like this in Korea?''

    He was a high-ranking officer of the Thousand Sword Gate. Everything he ate was prepared by top chefs.

    Compared to them, kimchi stew was cheap¡ªclose to an instant food.

    ''But I don''t know why I can''t stop eating it.''

    They¡¯d soon devoured an entire bowl of rice.

    It wasn''t him alone¡ªhis foure underlings had also begun eating the kimchi stew.

    "Aunt~ Give me three more portions! Also, a bowl of rice for each!"

    "Okay~ Young man~ Oof, everyone eats so well!"

    KangWoo smiled in satisfaction while looking at Nam GoongJin.

    "How about that? It''s delicious, right?"

    "Ehem¡­"

    "Haha. It seems like it''s delicious. Feel free to eat as much as you can."

    KangWoo also ate a bowl of kimchi stew.

    "To be honest, I''m not someone who¡¯s very patriotic, but you have to recognize that the kimchi stew is great. Don''t you agree?"

    "It¡­ It isn''t that great."

    "What are you talking about? You already finished two bowls. Anyway, you understand now, right? What you have to do is teach others about your country''s good culture! Don¡¯t babble and say rude things."

    "¡­"

    After saying that, KangWoo concentrated on eating.

    After eating an amount that surprised the other people, he stood up.

    "Let''s go, ShiHoon."

    "Ah, yes¡­"

    "Then pay this bill and return to China. Also, tell that person, the Sword King or however he''s called, toe himself if he really wants to see ShiHoon."

    After saying that, KangWoo left the shop.

    Nam GoongJin couldn''t believe what was happening.

    ''You ate so much and want me to pay for it?''

    Korea''s warmness embraced him.

    * * *

    "So¡­ You came back after eating kimchi stew?"

    A thin man was sitting in a big room on a chair that felt grand rather than luxurious.

    He was so thin that he seemed like he would break if hit, but the energying from him was enough to overwhelm the surroundings.

    Sword King Cheon MooJin.

    It was the name of the yer whom you could say was the one who ruled over China.

    "I¡­ I''m sorry!"

    Nam GoongJin, kneeling in front of Cheon MooJin, trembled with an expression full of fear.

    A breathtaking nervousness filled the room.

    "Ha¡­ haha."

    Augh came out.

    "Hahahaha!!"

    Cheon MooJin''sugh shook the entire room.

    "Good! How fun! I really like that guy!"

    Heughed out loud.

    "But¡­"

    The atmosphere suddenly changed.

    Cheon MooJin looked at Nam GoongJin with sharp eyes.

    "I clearly said that you should be respectful."

    "Th-that¡­"

    "What? Were you trying to act all high and mighty while making the Thousand Sword Gate look bad?"

    "N-no!"

    "Stop lying."

    Nam GoongJin was dragged to Cheon MooJin by a strong suctioning power.

    After grabbing his neck aggressively, Cheon MooJin spoke in a low voice.

    "I sent you because you know a bit of Korean, but it seems you acted all high and mighty without realizing how big the world is."

    "Cough! I-I''m sorry¡­"

    "You''re emunicated. We don''t need someone who doesn''t have the quality of a martial artist in the Thousand Sword Gate."

    "P-please!"

    Cheon MooJin shook his hands.

    Nam GoongJin''s body was sent flying to the wall.

    "Hahaha. So he wants me toe personally, huh?"

    Cheon MooJin stood up.

    It was the first time something like that had happened since he¡¯d be a world ranker.

    "Since he asked me toe, I''ll have to go."

    "Father, are you nning to go to Korea?"

    A beautiful voice that sounded like crystal balls rolling could be heard.

    Cheon MooJin turned his head to the source of the voice.

    A girl who had a hairstyle often called dumpling hair approached him.

    She was thin, had thick eyebrows, a sharp nose, and red lips. She was a very sensual woman.

    Cheon SoYeon¡­

    She was the daughter of Sword King Cheon MooJin and was one of the strongest martial artists in the Thousand Sword Gate.

    "Why? Do you want to see how handsome Dragon Sword is?"

    "Father, what are you talking about?"

    She sat on the armrest of the chair and crossed her smooth legs.

    "I''m not interested in anyone who isn''t stronger than father."

    "Hng."

    Cheon MooJin gulped as if he were troubled by that.

 Chapter 98: Lord of the Sword Zheng Mu-Jin (2)

    It had been a week since he¡¯d met Nam GoongJin.

    During that time, KangWoo concentrated on increasing the size of the demonic energy stone inside him.

    Even while eating, drinking, and sleeping, KangWoo kept using the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style.

    His ability to control and regte the demonic energy inside him was already at a level that no one could get close to.

    Since someone like him had spent all that time using the Psyche Style, the result was impressive.

    The size of the demonic energy stone grew every day, and he got used to using the energy inside it.

    ''But when will I reach the Extreme Demonic Energy Body?''

    Although the size of the demonic energy stone had be the size of his fist, he still hadn''t fulfilled thest condition.

    ''Well, I guess I''ll eventually reach it.''

    Even if he became anxious, nothing would change.

    The only thing he could do was put all his strength into it.

    KangWoo checked his status window while using the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style.

    ¡ªThe demonic energy stat was still at 103.

    The amount of demonic energy hadn''t increased after he¡¯d begun using the Psyche Style.

    ''I guess it''s natural since there isn''t demonic energy.''

    Unlike mana, it was impossible to obtain demonic energy from natural sources.

    Maybe it would be different if he were in Hell, which was full of demonic energy, but on Earth, it was impossible.

    The reason why the demonic energy stone was growing in size was that KangWoo was moving the demonic energy spread through his body to the Dantian.

    ''There''s probably a limit to this too.''

    When all the demonic energy spread through his entire body flowed to the demonic energy stone, he wouldn''t be able to make it bigger anymore.

    Because the seal was still active, he wouldn''t be able to drag demonic energy from the Ten Thousand Demon Core. After his demonic energy stat had surpassed 100, it had stopped increasing¡ªno matter how many monsters he devoured.

    ''In the end, the only way is to lift the level restriction.''

    The higher his level became, the weaker the seal got. And naturally, the amount of demonic energy he could control increased.

    Although it was random, he also was looking forward to the other stats that increased as a level-up bonus.

    ''I need to figure out the way to lift the restriction.''

    Although he had obtained the hint to unlocking the Extreme Demonic Energy Body, he didn''t have a clue about how to lift the leveling-up restriction.

    He had tried all the different ways that had worked for other yers, but he hadn¡¯t been sessful.

    Chae YeonJooughed at him, asking if he hadn''t been put under a curse by the system.

    ''A curse¡­''

    Although it was ament made as a joke, it was a real possibility.

    During the Isu Station incident, Kim ShiHoon said that the system window had spoken to him as if it had its own will.

    ''If yers and the Gaia System are somehow connected¡­''

    He could understand why he wasn''t able to lift the leveling-up restriction.

    It was because he was the culprit that had damaged the Gaia System.

    ''First, I need to concentrate on increasing the size of the demonic energy stone.''

    It wasn''t like all the demonic energy inside his body had flowed into the dantian yet.

    Since there wasn''t a way to solve those worries at the moment, he just had to focus on what he could do.

    "Hyeongnim, the break is over."

    He could hear Kim ShiHoon''s voice.

    KangWoo, who was immersed in his thoughts, nodded and stood up.

    They were in Suwon''s S-rank gate.

    Just like he''d promised before, he had gone there to help Kim ShiHoon''s party.

    "Are the preparations ready?"

    "Hehe! Of course!"

    "Yes, we took enough rest."

    "Ugh~ I wanted to rest a bit more¡­"

    TaeSoo, Seol-ah, and EunBi stood up while replying.

    "KangWoo, are you worried about something?" Echidna, who was next to him, asked him while pulling his clothes.

    "No, it''s nothing like that."

    Although he was worried about something, it wasn''t something that could be solved by thinking.

    There was no need to speak about stuff like that.

    "If it''s something I can help you with, just say it."

    KangWoo smirked and nodded.

    "Rather than that, let''s begin."

    He warmed up, turned his head, and looked around. They had to find a monster distanced from the rest of the group.

    ''Over there.''

    KangWoo saw the monster you could see the most in Suwon''s S-rank gate, the giant ogre.

    He approached it and used the Authority of Silence in a wide area.

    Things could get bothersome if they caught the attention of other ogres.

    "Echidna¡­"

    "Got it."

    Echidna took a step forward.

    She extended her hand toward the giant ogre. ck demonic energy rose, and eight scythes were created.

    <em>Fwoosh-! Fwoosh!</em>

    "Grrr!"

    The scythes, which moved erratically, attacked the giant ogre.

    The giant ogre dodged the attacks with sleek movements that didn¡¯t fit its size.

    But that onlysted for a moment.

    The erratically moving scythes managed to hurt it. Blood poured out from the wound, and its movements became slower.

    "Prepare to fight."

    "Yes, Hyeongnim."

    Kim ShiHoon took out the El Quero Sword. He seemed nervous.

    Even TaeSoo and EunBi were serious.

    "GRRAARR!"

    * * *

    The ogre¡¯s scream spread through the entire ce.

    ''A little bit more.''

    KangWoo waited until the ogre lost a bit more vitality.

    It was important to weaken the Ogre so Kim ShiHoon''s party could win against it in a battle.

    ''Gaining experience without doing anything doesn''t make sense.''

    The reason why he''d brought Kim ShiHoon''s party to the S-rank gate wasn''t only to help them grow fast¡­

    It was also to increase their battle sense while fighting an S-rank monster, an opponent they wouldn''t normally be able to face.

    ''This is the real bus.''

    There was a limit on how strong you could get by leveling up.

    Just like there was a difference between two martial artists who wielded the same sword, there was also a difference between yers with simr stats.

    There were other important things besides numbers.

    ¡ªThis was something known among yers.

    Simply having a higher level and stat didn''t mean that you would be able to win in a battle.

    Stats were just like increasing your muscles through training.

    If you n to be a professional builder, focusing only on bodybuilding doesn''t make sense.

    KangWoo focused only on increasing his stats because he''d already gained a lot of real-life fight experience.

    But in the case of Kim ShiHoon''s party, it was different.

    ¡ªThey had to increase their level and gain battle experience.

    "Grrr."

    The giant ogre began trembling.

    KangWoo opened his mouth.

    "Start."

    "Yes!"

    With a short answer, Kim ShiHoon and Kang TaeSoo leaped forward.

    Han Seol-ah applied some buffs, and Choi EunBi cast magic.

    "GRAARR!"

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    Although the giant ogre was already close to death, the battle was fierce.

    In the first ce, the giant ogre wasn''t an enemy that ShiHoon''s party, who were on average at level 40, could face.

    Just the fact that they could face a giant ogre on itsst legs showed how talented everyone in that party was.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "Oof! Oof!''

    "The giant ogre is definitely strong."

    The battle was over.

    Unlike TaeSoo, who was breathing heavily, Kim ShiHoon wasn''t that tired yet.

    ''ShiHoon also has a strength that doesn''t make sensepared to his level.''

    If he fought with everything he had, he could probably win against a tired giant ogre alone.

    But because it was a real-life fight training, it made sense to restrain a bit so his party members could also participate in the battle.

    ''I''ll have to create a special course for Kim ShiHoonter on.''

    It was evident that there was a difference between Kim ShiHoon and the other party members.

    At that point, for him to really grow, he needed something else.

    "Regroup and prepare for the next hunt."

    "Oof! Understood!"

    "Mr. TaeSoo,e here."

    Han Seol-ah applied healing magic on him.

    "Grrr!"

    At that moment, KangWoo saw a group of giant ogres approaching them.

    ''Did they smell blood?''

    He''d blocked the sound, but it seemed like it wasn''t enough with that.

    KangWoo took some energy from the demonic energy stone.

    There were three of the ogres approaching them.

    It was a number of opponents he had to deal with by himself.

    "Wait here."

    KangWoo turned around. The shouts of giant ogres spread through the ce.

    He used the Authority of Dark Spear.

    A dark spear was formed in his hand, and the energy of the demonic energy stone flowed into it and covered the spear as if it were sword energy.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Grrrr?"

    "Huh?"

    A clear sound of ringing steel spread.

    A sh of silver light went off.

    The giant ogres that were approaching KangWoo stopped.

    A widening wound appeared across their bodies, and they copsed.

    The three giant ogres lost their lives in one attack.

    KangWoo turned his head.

    He saw a thin man and two other people that followed him from behinding to his side.

    One was a morous woman, and the other person was a young man who seemed scared.

    ''To eliminate three giant ogres with one attack¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    Even Chae YeonJoo wouldn''t be able to beat three giant ogres with one attack.

    ¡ªThat meant that person had a strength that was above a ranker.

    Among people like that, only one person would approach them personally¡­

    Sword King Cheon MooJin.

    China''s strongest yer and one of the eight world rankers.

    "It seemed like he really came. I thought that he may send some assassins."

    "So you''re the Sword King''s sworn brother. I sincerely apologize for what happened before¡­ I guess you don''t understand Chinese."

    Cheon MooJin looked at the young man that was next to him.

    The young man nervously opened his mouth.

    "Mr. Ch-Cheon MooJin wants to apologize for what happened¡­"

    "You can say it in Chinese."

    "Hmm? You know how to speak Chinese?" Cheon MooJin asked after KangWoo spoke using the Authority of Trantion.

    KangWoo nodded.

    Cheon MooJin seemed relieved.

    "Then it''s going to be easier. I''m sorry for what happened before. I heard my subordinate was rude."

    "Anyone can say that he''s sorry."

    "Hahaha! That''s right."

    Cheon MooJin bowed toward KangWoo.

    The people around were surprised.

    "¡­"

    Even KangWoo wasn''t expecting him to ask for forgiveness in such a polite manner.

    Sword King Cheon MooJin¡­

    The most powerful person in China had bowed to a normal person.

    That wasn''t something easy to do. Considering the power and influence he had, it was something he shouldn''t do.

    "I emunicated the person who was rude toward you. It was my mistake for not controlling my subordinate correctly."

    "Well¡­ If you say it like that, then I''ll forgive you."

    It wasn''t like he''d received direct damage from Nam GoongJin.

    If the perpetrator had been properly punished, he didn''t intend to keep the conflict going.

    "So why are you here?"

    "I came here to meet Dragon Sword."

    "I know that, but why do you want to see ShiHoon so badly?"

    "It''s because I saw the video."

    "¡­?"

    "Was it at Isu Station? I saw the video of Dragon Sword fighting there."

    "So?"

    "There was something I wanted to know," Cheon MooJin said while smiling.

    "I want to know how Dragon Sword learned the martial arts of the martial god."

 Chapter 99: Lord of the Sword Zheng Mu Jin (3)

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    Since Kim ShiHoon and the other party members couldn''t understand Chinese, they remained silent. And KangWoo, who understood what the Sword King had said, remained silent to figure out the situation.

    Echidna pulled KangWoo''s clothes.

    "KangWoo, what''s a martial god?"

    "Hmm? Echidna, you understand Chinese?"

    KangWoo looked surprised, but he soon realized he had forgotten something very basic¡­

    ''Now that I think about it¡­ How can Echidna speak Korean?''

    He had never thought about it.

    She had naturally used Korean in their first meeting, so he had never thought about it too deeply.

    He thought she''d naturally learned to speak his mainnguage after bing his summoned monster.

    "No. I don''t know Chinese. I can use magic and make it so we can talk with each other."

    "Oh!"

    It seemed like the effect was simr to his Authority of Trantion.

    "Can you use that magic on other people too?"

    "Sure."

    "Then use that magic on ShiHoon and the others as well."

    "Okay."

    Echidna raised her hand.

    After a short chant, a magic surrounded Kim ShiHoon and the rest of the group.

    "This¡­"

    "Oh, can Dragon Sword also talk Chinese?"

    "N-no. What happ¡ª"

    "It''s magic."

    Kim ShiHoon looked at Echidna in surprise.

    To think that there was a magic that tranted in such a perfect way¡­

    He had never heard about a yer having a magic like that.

    "Hngh! It isn''t a difficult magic. It''s actually very normal on the Ernor Continent."

    Echidna snorted at the thought that she''d been helpful to KangWoo.

    "It seems like there was no need to bring an interpreter."

    Cheon MooJinughed.

    The young man that was next to him shrugged.

    "Don''t worry. I''ll still pay you properly."

    "Th-thanks!"

    "I like that the discussion is going to be faster. Dragon Sword, where did you learn the martial arts of the martial god?" Cheon MooJin asked.

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened.

    "H-how did you¡­"

    "Wait, there¡¯s something I¡¯m curious about as well. How do you know Kim ShiHoon is using the martial god''s martial art?"

    "Haha. That''s because our family descends from the martial god."

    "Oh!"

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    If what he said was true, martial god Cheon TaeHwang was someone who lived many years ago, and Cheon MooJin was a descendent of his.

    "Then did you practice martial arts before bing an Awakener?"

    "Yes. Well¡­ Although, before awakening, I wasn''t able to reach the heights I can now."

    KangWoo nodded.

    ''Well, they say that the Demon Cult existed before people awakened as yers, after all.''

    It was clear that there were people on Earth who could use magic, martial arts, and other arts before Awakeners had even appeared on Earth.

    "I learned it when I awa¡ª"

    "Wait."

    KangWoo grabbed Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders and stopped him from talking.

    "What are you thinking of doing with this information? Are you nning to kill him to protect the secret?"

    "Hahaha! It seems like you''ve read too many martial arts novels."

    ''I don''t want to hear that from someone who appears in martial art novels.''

    Cheon MooJin kept talking after he finishedughing.

    "I want to make a deal."

    "Deal?"

    "Yes. Our family''s Vision Sword martial arts were modified and have deteriorated through the years, but Dragon Sword''s Cloud Dragon Sword Style was exactly the same as the martial god''s that was left in the records."

    "So you want to restore your family¡¯s damaged martial arts?"

    "Yes."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    Now that he knew the other person''s intention, the discussion would progress faster.

    A deep smile appeared on his face.

    "Well, I guess if it''s a deal, you''re going to offer something?"

    "Before that, I want to hear the answer to my question. Where did he learn the martial arts of the martial god?"

    "Well, it¡¯s better if you hear it from his mouth."

    KangWoo patted Kim ShiHoon''s back as if saying he could talk.

    With a confused expression, Kim ShiHoon exined why he had the martial art techniques of martial god Cheon Tae Hwang.

    The more the exnation continued, the wider Cheon MooJin''s mouth fell open.

    "So the martial god''s soul entered your body¡­?"

    "It''s not like I can talk with him or anything¡­ And the knowledge of his martial arts just flowed into my head."

    "Woah. So you perfected it in such a way without anyone teaching it to you?"

    "Ah, that¡­"

    "That''s just because ShiHoon''s talent is monstrous."

    "How interesting."

    * * *

    Cheon MooJin looked at Kim YeongHoon''s body with great interest. Upon closer observation, he was awestruck.

    ''He has a talent given by the heavens.''

    He never thought he''d see someone capable of learning martial arts by looking at the techniques once like the figures that appeared in legends.

    "Hahaha! The expression ¡®monster-like¡¯ suits him indeed."

    "Anyway, now that we told you, tell us what you''re going to offer," KangWoo said in a calm voice.

    Nobody would ever guess that KangWoo was talking to someone as important as the Sword King from just his attitude.

    Cheon MooJin looked at KangWoo.

    Although the Dragon Sword''s talent was impressive, he was also deeply impressed by the yer Oh KangWoo.

    ''Has anyone this confident ever appeared in front of me?''

    He had never seen someone like KangWoo after bing a world ranker. No, even before that.

    MooJin was born the sessor of a huge force called Thousand Sword Gate. Everyone had bowed to him since he was a kid.

    "Hahaha. I¡¯ve heard of you¡­ Amazing. Are you acting so confident in front of me while knowing who I am?"

    "What? Should I bow down and lick your feet?"

    "Hahaha! No, not at all. But a deal¡­ Ah, how about this: if Dragon Sword helps us restore the Vision Sword martial arts, I''ll personally teach him."

    "You''re going to teach him martial arts?"

    "It seems like Dragon Sword learned the Sleeping Dragon Sword Style and the Cloud Dragon Sword Style. In the Thousand Sword Gate, we have higher versions of those, which are the Blue Dragon Sword Style and the Celestial Dragon Sword Style."

    "Didn''t you say that they were damaged?"

    "They still probably have a power that can''t bepared to the Cloud Dragon Sword Style."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo fell into his thoughts.

    For one of the world rankers, the Sword King, to teach ShiHoon martial arts personally.

    ''It''s going to be of great help.''

    Maybe Kim ShiHoon couldplete the Blue Dragon Sword Style with his help.

    It wasn''t a bad deal at all.

    No, it was too good of a deal.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    The deal wasn¡¯t his to ept.

    The one who was going to restore the damaged martial arts and receive the teachings of the Sword King was Kim ShiHoon.

    "Hyeongnim¡­"

    "It''s your choice. What do you want to do?"

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon thought for a short while.

    "I want to learn."

    Being taught by the Sword King¡­ It would probably be hard to find a martial artist not interested in the offer.

    ''But most importantly¡­''

    Kim ShiHoon looked at KangWoo.

    He wasn''t overwhelmed in front of the Sword King.

    He wanted to be like KangWoo. He didn''t want to keep only receiving help.

    Kim ShiHoon put his hand on the pommel of his sword.

    ''I want to be stronger.''

    He remembered the Isu Station incident.

    People crying everywhere¡­

    The roads that were destroyed and full of smoke¡­

    If he had been stronger, he would''ve probably been able to save more people.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Then the deal is closed. Oh, there''s a condition."

    "Condition?"

    "Restoring the martial art and learning from you should take ce in Korea."

    He couldn''t send Kim ShiHoon somewhere far away.

    If they were far apart, if something happened, dealing with it could get harder.

    ''I can''t fully trust Cheon MooJin, after all.''

    He felt that he was someone trustworthy, but he couldn''tpletely trust someone based on his gut feeling.

    "Hmm. Korea¡­ SooYeon, what do you think?"

    "I''m okay. After all, it''s a country I''ve always wanted to visit."

    Cheon SooYeon smiled brightly. The atmosphere seemed to grow strange with her smile alone.

    KangWoo looked at her. She was looking at him with shining eyes.

    "Then we''re going to stay here for a month."

    "Good."

    KangWoo seemed satisfied.

    He had thinking of creating a special training just for Kim ShiHoon, but now there wasn''t a need for him to do that.

    "First, let''s get out of the gate. Oh, I heard you live near Seoul station. Is that correct?"

    "Yes."

    "Then I''ll have to get a building close to there."

    "Get¡­ A building?"

    "We need a training room to teach Dragon Sword and somewhere to stay for a month."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo couldn''t believe Cheon MooJin said he would buy a building as if it were nothing.

    Cheon MooJin approached Kim ShiHoon.

    "Let''s talk a bit while returning. There are many things I want to ask you."

    "Ah, yes! It¡­ it''s an honor!"

    Cheon MooJin and Kim ShiHoon walked to the front.

    KangWoo followed them from behind.

    At that moment, the seductive woman next to Cheon MooJin approached him.

    "Hi."

    "You¡­"

    "My name is Cheon SooYeon."

    Cheon SooYeon kept talking with a smile on her face.

    "Your name is Mr. KangWoo. Right? Fufu. I''ve never seen someone so confident in front of my father."

    She looked at KangWoo with great interest.

    She''d watched Cheon MooJin since she was a little kid, but she''d never seen a man that was so confident in front of him.

    ''What kind of person is he?''

    She became interested in him.

    She couldn''t imagine how strong and self-confident he was to be able to stand so confidently in front of the Sword King.

    ''I heard that he restrained the leader of the Third Squad in just a second.''

    She became expectant. Her ideal man wasn¡¯t just someone who was strong, but someone stronger than Cheon MooJin!

    She subconsciously felt attracted to strong men.

    But everyone she''d met until then was weaker than Cheon MooJin.

    That''s why, after seeing him standing so confidently, she became naturally interested in KangWoo.

    "I have no reason to be intimidated."

    "Hng. Do you think you could win in a fight against the Sword King?"

    "I''m not sure."

    KangWooughed.

    Cheon SooYeon saw strong self-confidence hidden behind the shortugh.

    Her eyes shone like those of an animal hunting for prey.

    ¡®They sounds like words spoken without knowing how strong father is¡­''

    But she couldn''t deny that those words piqued her interest even further.

    Cheon SooYeon licked her red lips while looking at KangWoo. She looked him over from head to toe.

    ''Hng?''

    At that moment, she felt someone grabbing her clothes. She turned her head.

    A girl who looked like a doll was looking at her.

    The girl spoke in a low voice that only she could hear.

    "KangWoo is mine. Don''t lust over him."

 Chapter 100

    After they left the gate, KangWoo walked toward the parking slot.

    Seol-ah and Echidna followed him.

    "Then I''ll contact Dragon Sword tomorrow. Hahaha. You''re going to have a hard time from tomorrow onwards."

    "I''ll be waiting for it."

    "To think that the day I''d teach martial arts to the Sacrum woulde."

    Cheon MooJin looked expectantly at Kim ShiHoon.

    The Sacrum¡­

    The highest talent that a martial artist could have.

    To think he''d be able to raise a genius with such talent!

    ''If I train him correctly, I may be able to get SooYeon a good boyfriend.''

    Cheon SooYeon always said she wasn''t interested in anyone weaker than him.

    To prove that, she not only hadn''t dated anyone yet, but he''d also never seen her talking with a man.

    She had rejected all men that had approached her.

    Among those men, there had been quite a few who had bright futures.

    ''I want to see her get married before I die.''

    He had thought highly of her at first when he had seen her reject guys that looked like bums.

    But Cheon SooYeon had recently turned 27 years old, and he was starting to get anxious.

    It seemed like she really wasn''t interested in anyone stronger than him.

    ''If there isn''t anyone who can fit that criteria, I''ll have to train someone who does.''

    Cheon MooJin clenched his fists.

    He thought that if it were Dragon Sword, who had the highest talent a martial artist could have and had the martial god''s soul inside him, he''d be able to surpass him one day.

    "Then I''ll go first. Oh, I''ll go and see how you train ShiHoon, so give me the location as well.

    "Okay."

    Cheon MooJin looked at KangWoo as he left.

    ''Just who is that guy?''

    After hearing that he''d restrained Nam GoongJin and his underlings in just a few seconds, he''d investigated Oh KangWoo before going to Korea.

    But the only information he could get was that he was a rookie supported by the Red Rose Guild who had be a yer only three months prior.

    ''There''s no way that''s true.''

    There was no need to think too deeply.

    It made no sense that a yer who had awakened three months before had been able to defeat Nam GoongJin.

    Restraining him instantly would be impossible if the other person wasn''t at least a ranker.

    "Interesting."

    A deep smile appeared on Cheon MooJin''s face.

    A yer whose identity couldn''t be uncovered, even with the Thousand Sword Gate''s informationwork¡­ and someone who didn''t flinch in front of him.

    He boiled in excitement.

    Of course, he didn''t think that yer Oh KangWoo was at his level.

    He was Cheon MooJin, the Sword King, one of the eight world rankers.

    That meant he was one of the strongest yers in the world.

    He wasn''t weak enough to lose against an unknown yer.

    "Father, what do you think about that Oh KangWoo person?"

    At that moment, Cheon SooYeon, who had gotten closer to him, spoke in a subtle voice. Her expression was full of excitement.

    "I''m not sure. Although he seems to be an interesting fellow."

    "Fufu. Right? I''ve never seen someone disy such an attitude in front of you."

    "Hahaha. I guess that''s probably because he doesn''t know much about me."

    Cheon MooJinughed.

    He doesn''t know¡­

    Oh KangWoo didn''t know who he was and what he was capable of.

    If he knew, there was no way he would have that attitude in front of him.

    "Hmm. I wonder if that''s true?" Cheon SooYeon asked while licking her lips.

    Cheon MooJin frowned a bit.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I talked with him for a bit¡­ But he said he was confident he could win against you."

    "Oh."

    Cheon MooJin''s eyes shone with interest.

    "How about that? Don''t you wanna know what the source of his confidence is?" Cheon SooYeon asked him while cutely grabbing his arm.

    "Hmm¡­ It seems like you''re interested in that young man."

    He had never seen Cheon SooYeon interested in a man.

    ''This will mess with my ns¡­''

    He felt that his n of training Dragon Sword to make her connect with him was getting ruined.

    After thinking for a while, Cheon MooJin nodded.

    ''I guess it doesn''t matter.''

    He knew very well about Cheon SooYeon''s character.

    Once the young man, Oh KangWoo, lost against him, she''d lose interest in him.

    ''I''m sorry for that confident young man, but Dragon Sword is a better partner for SooYeon.

    What he expected from both was on a whole different level.

    Sacrum, the highest talent a martial artist could have¡­. And on top of that, being the sessor of the martial god.

    Although Oh KangWoo may be stronger than ShiHoon at the moment, in the near future, Dragon Sword was probably going to overtake him.

    For the future heir of the Thousand Sword Gate, choosing the Sacrum was the right decision.

    ''He also looks good.''

    Dragon Sword''s perfect appearance had also contributed to him preferring him.

    It didn''t matter how many times he thought about it, Dragon Sword was a better match for Cheon SooYeon.

    "Fufu. I''m a bit interested. After all, there aren''t many people who can be like that in front of father."

    "Well, that''s true."

    "How about it? Don''t you want to check it out?"

    "Hmm¡­"

    Cheon MooJin took a deep breath.

    It seemed like, to make Cheon SooYeon lose interest, he would have to use his strength.

    ''Although I really liked his attitude¡­''

    Once KangWoo learned his real strength, he probably wouldn''t be able to maintain that attitude in front of him anymore.

    It was too bad, but for the future of the Thousand Sword Gate, there was nothing he could do about it.

    "Okay, let''s do that."

    * * *

    "Fufu. I love you, father."

    Cheon SooYeon hugged Cheon MooJin''s strong arms. Her eyes shone with excitement.

    ''Although father is probably going to win¡­''

    She was hoping for KangWoo to be strong enough to be able to satisfy her excitement even a little bit.

    She thought about the girl who had grabbed her clothes¡ªit was clear to whom the girl''s feelings were directed.

    The smile on her face deepened.

    ''It''s going to be fun.''

    She licked and smacked her lips.

    There was nothing that looked more delicious than what another person had.

    * * *

    After returning to his house, KangWoo had dinner and then went to his room.

    "The Sword King¡­"

    The face of the thin man crossed his mind.

    It was an appearance that didn''t suit the title ¡®Sword King¡¯.

    But the energy that came out from him clearly showed he was one of the eight world rankers.

    ''Could I win against him?''

    He wasn''t sure.

    He was confident he wouldn¡¯t lose, but he couldn''t guarantee he would win against him.

    ''I wonder who would win.''

    KangWoo raised his hand; the demonic energy that was inside the demonic energy stone flowed to his hand.

    After obtaining a new strength called the demonic energy stone, he hadn''t been able to put it to the test.

    Even before he had formed the demonic energy stone, no one in Korea could face him.

    He had tested its strength alone, but it still couldn''tpare to fighting against a real opponent.

    ''I wish I could put it to the test.''

    KangWoo''s current situation was as if he¡¯d bought the best items after much effort but didn''t hunt with them.

    The demonic energy stone was something he hadn¡¯t had when he had ruled over the Hell of Nine Skies.

    This meant that every time he leveled up, he obtained a new strength just like he gained a new attribute.

    So it was understandable that he wondered about the power of the demonic energy stone.

    KangWoo concentrated on the energy of the demonic energy stone in his hand.

    As he kept concentrating, he felt something flowing out.

    "Hmm?"

    A small demonic energy stone the size of a nail appeared in the palm of his hands.

    ''So I can take it out and use it like this.''

    He devoured it with the Authority of Predation. As expected, he still needed more information about demonic energy stones.

    "I''ll think about it tomorrow¡­"

    It was alreadyte.

    KangWooy down on the bed.

    <em>Creak-</em>

    At that moment, Echidna entered the room. She was hugging the pillow.

    "What''s happening?"

    "I want to sleep with KangWoo tonight."

    "Hmm¡­"

    It was a troublesome proposal.

    But before he could say anything, Echidna went to his bed.

    He felt confused by her sudden change of attitude.

    "Did something happen?"

    "Not really¡­"

    While cing her head on top of KangWoo''s arms, she bent like a shrimp.

    Just like always, she was grabbing KangWoo''s clothes.

    ¡ªBut something seemed off.

    "It''s okay. Just say it."

    "Aren''t you going to get angry?"

    "No."

    "At first, I was satisfied enough with just being by KangWoo''s aid," Echidna carefully said.

    "¡­"

    "I wasn''t alone anymore in a big nest. I was happy enough with not being lonely anymore."

    Echidna grabbed his clothes even tighter.

    "But today, a weird woman looked at KangWoo with lust in her eyes."

    "Are you talking about Cheon SooYeon¡­?"

    "Yes. That person smacked her lips while looking at KangWoo."

    "¡­"

    He hadn''t noticed that because he didn''t think about things like that too much.

    "When I saw that, I began feeling anxious. I''ve been okay with staying by your side¡­ But now, it isn''t enough."

    Echidna dug into KangWoo''s arms.

    "I¡¯m bing greedy."

    Her small hands pulled on KangWoo''s clothes.

    Echidna''s breathing got more intense; she extended head while licking her lips.

    KangWoo and Echidna''s lips got closer.

    <em>Knock knock-</em>

    "Mr. KangWoo, have you seen Echidna?"

    She opened the door after knocking.

    Seol-ah saw both of them in apromising position.

    "Huh?!"

    She was lost for words.

    Echidna, who was stuck to KangWoo, got up.

    Echidna looked at Seol-ah while she got immersed in her thoughts.

    There was a heavy silence.

    Only the sound of breathing could be heard.

    Echidna raised her head.

    She walked toward Han Seol-ah and grabbed her clothes.

    "I''m okay with Seol-ah."

    "Yes? What is okay?"

    "Seol-ah, let''s do it together."

    "Wh-what are you talking about?"

    Han Seol-ah couldn''t properly talk, and it was as if she were a broken machine. Echidna tilted her head and opened her mouth.

    "I''m talking about mati¡ª"

    "KYAAHH!"

    A scream spread through the house.

    Han Seol-ah covered Echidna''s mouth. She red at KangWoo while blushing and breathing heavily.

    "E-Echidna! Come here for a moment!"

    "Uubhh."

    Echidna was dragged out of the room, and the door closed.

    "¡­"

    He felt as if a storm had gone through the room.

    He remembered the first time he¡¯d Echidna.

    She¡¯d looked like a baby cat that had been abandoned.

    She had looked like a girl trying to fill the empty ce left by her dad, who had abandoned her.

    Until then, KangWoo had been a fatherly figure to Echidna.

    But that had changed. To be more precise, Echidna had changed.

    ''Our girl has changed.''

    KangWoo, who was left alone in the room, was so surprised that he couldn¡¯t even close his mouth.

 Chapter 101

    "Sparring?"

    The next day¡­

    KangWoo heard something unexpected when he apanied Kim ShiHoon.

    KangWoo looked at Cheon MooJin, surprised.

    "Why so suddenly?"

    "I wanted to check out the source of your confidence myself," Cheon MooJin said with shining eyes.

    KangWoo stroked his chin.

    ''It''s a good opportunity.''

    He wanted to test the strength of the demonic energy stone anyway.

    If the opponent was the Sword King, he would be able to test it fully.

    Even leaving that aside, he wanted to see how powerful a world ranker was.

    "Oh, father. What are you saying? What if Mr. KangWoo gets hurt while sparring with the Sword King?" Cheon SooYeon asked with a worried expression.

    KangWoo''s face turned to her.

    "Please forget what father has just said. I don''t want you to get hurt while sparring," Cheon SooYeon said while carefully touching his arms.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo kept his mouth closed; then he smirked.

    "I don''t like it."

    "What?"

    "Acting. I don''t like it."

    "What does¡­"

    On the surface, it looked as if she were trying to stop them from fighting¡­

    But her real intentions were clear.

    ''What if you get hurt¡­''

    ''While sparing¡­''

    Those were words said to touch a man¡¯s pride.

    ''She''s cute.''

    She knew she was an attractive woman and was willing to use it as a weapon.

    He had noints about someone knowing, understanding, and using their strength.

    However, he found the fresh and somewhat clumsy behavior cute.

    "You got some points deducted for being too explicit. You have to hide your intentions a little bit more."

    "¡­"

    "The timing in which you appeared was also bad. If you wanted to do it properly, you should''ve said it before Cheon MooJin offered to spar with me."

    "Fu, fufu. You''re saying funny things."

    "You also got a few points deducted from that. If you want to appear rxed, at least practice on how to not get flustered.¡±

    "¡­"

    Cheon SooYeon remained silent.

    KangWoo kept talking.

    "And finally, you didn''t need to act. I wasn''t nning to refuse it anyway."

    KangWoo pulled the energy from inside the demonic energy stone.

    Strong energy came out of him.

    Cheon SooYeon bit her lips.

    Seeing her getting angry was quite cute.

    "Hahahaha!"

    Cheon MooJinughed out loud. Heughed while holding his stomach. He even cried a bit withughter.

    "It''s my first time seeing someone get to SooYeon in such a way."

    "F-father, please be quiet!" Cheon SooYeon shouted while blushing.

    Cheon MooJin couldn''t stopughing for a while.

    "Leaving that aside¡­ I thought you were going to refuse."

    "I don''t have a reason to do that."

    "Hahaha! I hope you keep thinking that after the sparring session."

    Cheon MooJin raised one hand.

    At that moment, a sword that was on one side of the sparring room flew toward him.

    It had been a long time since his heart had beat so fast.

    It was the first time since he was tested to be a world ranker and fought against Grace McCarbin.

    ''I hope he isn''t all talk.''

    He thought the disappointment would be bigger if the sparring match ended too quickly.

    Cheon MooJin was hoping for KangWoo to be someone strong enough to let him have some fun.

    "Then let''s begin."

    Cheon MooJin surged the Ki within his body.

    "Hyeongnim, I''ll be rooting for you!" Kim ShiHoon shouted.

    The Sword King, who was going to teach him martial arts, and his hyeong, whom he''d sworn loyalty to.

    He thought for a little while, but as expected, he wished for KangWoo to win.

    ''Although it¡¯s probably going to be hard¡­''

    The opponent was the Sword King.

    He knew KangWoo was strong, but he didn''t think he could win against the Sword King, someone who was one of the strongest world rankers.

    "This is sad. Aren''t you going to root for me?"

    "Th-that¡­"

    "Hahaha! It''s okay. I don''t know what happened, but having a non-blood-rted brother with whom you have a deep rtionship is nice. Don''t worry about it," Cheon MooJin said in a rxed manner.

    He didn''t think he was going to lose in the first ce. He had reached too high of a point to be defeated easily.

    ''Okay then.''

    He surged his Ki and looked at KangWoo after strengthening his eyesight.

    Although he said he wasn''t a martial artist, he could sense strong energying from him.

    ''No wonder he''s confident.''

    It was highly concentrated energy.

    It felt different from Qi, but it was definitely strong energy.

    ''Huh?''

    At that moment, he sensed something foreign.

    Cheon MooJin looked up.

    It was at KangWoo''s heart.

    ''Huh¡­?''

    It was dark. He couldn''t see anything. He put a bit more Qi on his eyes, but he still couldn''t see anything.

    ''What''s this?''

    He had a bad sensation.

    He felt chills.

    It was as if something had gone wrong.

    There was an abyss so deep that its end couldn''t be seen, and he also wasn''t sure how big it was.

    ''A sea¡­''

    It was like looking at the sea.

    Something big that couldn''t be calcted was there.

    "Huh?"

    The energy disappeared.

    Cheon MooJin focused his attention on KangWoo¡¯s heart again.

    But the huge energy he''d just felt wasn''t there anymore. He just saw the energy concentrated in the Dantian spreading through KangWoo¡¯s body.

    ''Was I confused?''

    It seemed like he¡¯d be too excited at the thought of fighting after quite some time.

    Cheon MooJin shook his head.

    ''How could a person have such a huge energy within him?''

    He''d clearly seen it wrong. If not, it just didn''t make sense.

    "Can I start¡­?"

    "Oh, I''m sorry. My eyes weren¡¯t working properly due to my old age."

    Cheon MooJin pulled out the practice sword.

    It wasn''t the time to be distracted by illusions.

    Stomp-!

    KangWoo and Cheon MooJin''s sparring began.

    The one who attacked first was KangWoo.

    Leviathan¡­

    He fused the Authority of Iron and the Authority of Ice.

    An axe with cold energy surrounding it was created.

    He grabbed the axe handle, and the energy that came out from the demonic energy stone formed the de.

    ''Good.''

    * * *

    Using the demonic energy from the demonic energy stone to create a weapon using an Authority was much more effective than just using demonic energy.

    But there was another great effect that the demonic energy stone had¡­

    KangWoo focused the energying from the demonic energy stone on his feet. Although he hadn''t used the Authority of Speed, he had be much faster.

    ''Adaptability.''

    The first good point of the demonic energy stone was that he could rece the body-fortifying Authorities.

    Of course, its effect was lowerpared to using a real Authority.

    But the important thing at the moment was that he could somewhat rece the effect of an Authority.

    Boom-!

    "Ugh!"

    The axe and the de shed against each other.

    Cheon MooJin''s eyes widened.

    The hand wielding his sword trembled. The practice sword couldn''t resist the impact and was destroyed.

    "Hup!"

    The Sword King quickly extended his hand.

    Another practice sword flew toward him, and he grabbed the sword and used the first form of the Blue Dragon Sword Style.

    He swung his sword from the floor while targeting KangWoo¡¯s neck. It was as if a dragon had soared from the ground to fly.

    KangWoo leaned back and dodged the attack.

    The tip of the sword changed direction and hit the Leviathan Axe KangWoo was holding in his hand.

    The axe bounced away.

    But before the axe fell to the ground, another weapon appeared in KangWoo''s hands.

    That time, it was a spear.

    Bident¡­

    It was a weapon created using the Authority of Dark Spear and the Authority of Hellfire.

    Fwoosh-!

    "Huff!"

    After seeing the spear that had suddenly been created, Cheon MooJin backed off.

    KangWoo grabbed his bident even tighter, and his eyes shone.

    ''Speed.''

    The second advantage of the demonic energy stone was the speed at which he could use Authorities.

    The speed at which he could create Bident had increased by quite a lot.

    Stomp-!

    He stepped forward and leaned his body back and then pushed it forward as if bouncing.

    KangWoo threw the spear.

    "Blue Dragon First Form!"

    Shine-!

    Light came out.

    It was the light that had cut the three giant ogres.

    Bident was destroyed by the lights.

    The energy that was inside it became Hellfire and exploded, and Cheon MooJin''s body was pushed back.

    ''Destructive power.''

    The third good point was the destructive power. A highly concentrated demonic energy was a lethal weapon on its own.

    "Good."

    KangWooughed.

    The power of the demonic energy stone was higher than expected.

    It wasn''t as profound and deep as the Ten Thousand Demon Core, but it had many good points.

    Because he couldn''t fully use the Ten Thousand Demon Core yet¡­

    It was good enough to rece it a bit.

    He extended his right hand andbined the Authority of the de and the Authority of Explosions. He felt that it stillcked a little bit.

    ''The Authority of ughter.''

    Hebined three Authorities into one.

    A giant sword that was almost two meters long was created. He grabbed the sword handle.

    "Gram."

    He spoke the name of the sword.

    It was the name of a sword that appeared in legends.

    KangWoo stomped the ground and swung the great sword.

    Cheon MooJin dropped his sword and put his hand on his waist, and the belt on his waist became a de.

    Powerful energy could be felt from the sharp de.

    Tangible Qi formed around the de.

    A strong energy poured out from the sword.

    The two swords shed.

    Boom-!!

    The sparring room that was created to resist aggressive training shook.

    The floor cracked, and the walls burst.

    KangWoo widened the distance. His hands were trembling.

    ''As expected from a world ranker.''

    Cheon MooJin using all his power was really strong.

    He would''ve lost if he didn''t have the demonic energy stone.

    KangWoo looked around.

    ''If we keep fighting, the building will crumble.''

    He''d tested the power of the demonic energy stone enough.

    He was satisfied with the result. He wanted to see how strong Cheon MooJin really was, but more than what they had already done would be greed.

    For the moment, he was satisfied knowing he could fight one-on-one with a world ranker.

    "Let''s stop here."

    KangWoo gave up.

    There was a short silence. Kim ShiHoon and Cheon SooYeon''s mouths were wide open.

    But it wasn''t just the two of them whose mouths were stuck open in surprise.

    "Who¡­ are you?"

    Cheon MooJin red while grabbing his trembling hands.

    "Please, stop asking me that. I''m getting tired of it. If I say that I''m really a person who awakened three months ago just like you''ve investigated, would you believe me?"

    "There''s no way that''s true. How could someone in just three months¡­"

    "See? If you aren''t going to believe me, why do you keep asking me this?" KangWoo answered tiredly.

    "I''m really the person you''ve investigated. I''m tired of exining. Oh yeah, it''s simr to the Sacrum or whatever. You said that the Sacrum is a talent given by the skies, right?"

    KangWoo pointed to the ground.

    "Let''s just say I''m a talent born from the ground."

 Chapter 102

    yer Who Returned 10,000 Years Later

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    Cheon MooJin, who was looking at KangWoo with sharp eyes, let out a sigh.

    "Well, let''s leave it there if you say so."

    He still couldn''t believe it.

    That attitude of Cheon MooJin¡¯s wasn''t because he was dumb or prideful.

    If a boxing world champion fought against a newbie who began boxing three months beforehand and the newbie fought him to a standstill, what would he think?

    Of course, there would be many possible exnations, but he wouldn''t think it was simple talent.

    That wasn''t a territory you could reach with just talent.

    ''And it''s true.''

    KangWoo didn''t be strong in such a short period thanks to talent alone.

    After all, he had spent many years in Hell.

    But he couldn''t say he was the Demon King who''de back to Earth after living in Hell for ten thousand years.

    No, even if he said the truth, they would probably think he was crazy.

    ''Rather than that, it''s better to say it''s talent.''

    If they weren''t going to believe either exnation, it was better for them to think he was talented rather them thinking he was someone who had lost his mind.

    "H-hyeongnim¡­?"

    Kim ShiHoon seemed lost for words.

    Sword King Cheon MooJin¡­

    To think KangWoo was able to fight on equal terms against one of the strongest people in the world!

    ''I knew Hyeongnim was strong¡­''

    But he had never imagined he was that strong.

    Kim ShiHoon looked at KangWoo with eyes full of respect.

    His heart began beating faster.

    He felt better after realizing that KangWoo, who he had chosen to trust and follow, was strong enough to fight against the Sword King.

    "Then I''ll be going, so do your best to learn."

    "Yes, Hyeongnim!" He answered in a loud voice.

    KangWoo smirked and turned around.

    He noticed that Cheon SooYeon was looking at him.

    ''What''s up with her?''

    It wasn''t just an expression of shock.

    Her body was trembling, and she was smiling.

    It was as if she couldn''t control her excitement.

    It was as if she''d gotten the winning lottery ticket.

    "Fu, fufufu. This¡­ Wasn''t something I was expecting."

    Cheon SooYeon licked her lips while blushing. She looked like a predator who had found prey.

    Cheon MooJin grabbed his head and sighed.

    After running toward him, she spoke in an excited voice tone.

    "I was really surprised. There was a reason why you were so confident in front of father."

    "I''m not stupid enough not to be able to differentiate courage and arrogance."

    "Fufu. It''s just like you say. Oh, do you have time in the afternoon? It''s my first time in Korea, so I would like you to take me around."

    "I''m sorry, but I already have ns."

    He was set to meet up with Chae YeonJoo and hear news rted to the Demon Cult.

    Cheon SooYeon seemed happier after her proposal was rejected.

    "Then I''ll ask you another time. Oh, this is my contact number. If there''s anything you need, feel free to give me a call."

    She took a presentation card and put it in KangWoo''s chest pocket.

    ''Why is she so proactive?''

    KangWoo couldn''t understand why she was showing so much interest in him.

    The problem was that they''d known about each other for a short period.

    ''What a weird taste.''

    He couldn''t understand why she was like that with him even though Kim ShiHoon was there.

    KangWoo took the card and put it inside his wallet. Anyway, she was the daughter of the Sword King. It wouldn''t be harmful to build a good rtionship with her.

    "Fufu, I''ll be waiting for your call."

    Cheon SooYeon turned around after giving him a seductive smile.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue after looking at her turn around.

    ''I guess she''ll calm down soon.''

    He couldn''t understand why she was so interested in him.

    But emotions that burn fast die down very fast as well.

    KangWoo left the training room after saying goodbye to Cheon MooJin.

    "Father¡­"

    There was an awkward silence after KangWoo left the training room. Cheon SooYeon''s voice spread through the room.

    She turned her body around to Cheon MooJin while smiling.

    "I think I''ve found him."

    "¡­"

    Cheon MooJin remained silent.

    There was no need to ask what she was talking about.

    ''I screwed up.''

    His n was progressing in the opposite direction.

    He wanted Kim ShiHoon and Cheon SooYeon to be a couple.

    The biggest reason was Kim ShiHoon''s talent.

    Talent in martial arts was transmitted through the gens.

    That meant that if Cheon SooYeon and Kim ShiHoon had a baby, there was a chance that a kid with an incredible talent would be born.

    But in KangWoo''s case, it was different.

    From what Cheon MooJin had seen, KangWoo didn''t have talent in martial arts. The source of his current power wasn''t probably talent but a lot of effort and experience.

    If Cheon SooYeon and KangWoo had a kid, there was a chance that their descendent wouldn''t have talent in martial arts.

    ''I have no other choice.''

    He turned around to Kim ShiHoon.

    He grabbed the practice sword and opened his mouth.

    "We''re going to start immediately. Dragon Sword, grab the sword."

    "Ah, yes. Understood."

    Cheon MooJin''s eyes shone.

    ''I''ll make Dragon Sword stronger.''

    ¡ªEven if he had to put everything on the line.

    * * *

    KangWoo received a call after leaving the building.

    It was Chae YeonJoo.

    [Come to the office right now. We have to go to the Hwarang Squad''s office.]

    "The Hwarang Squad''s office? Why?"

    [HwaYeon said that something urgent had happened.]

    "What happened?"

    [I also haven''t heard the details yet, but it seems like captain Jang HyunJae returned from Japan. It seems like it''s rted to that.]

    "Hmm¡­"

    Jang HyunJae was the leader of the Hwarang First Squad.

    He had been part of a special squadron, and he had decided to create a group to investigate crimesmitted by yers. The Hwarang Squad was born after the government officially recognized that group.

    He was even famous outside Korea, as he was one of the few yers in Korea who could face the former number one of the country, Baek KangHyun.

    "I''lle immediately," KangWoo answered shortly and hung up the phone.

    After he met up with Chae YeonJoo, they immediately went to Suwon.

    When they arrived at the Hwarang Squad headquarters, they saw Baek HwaYeon, waiting for them.

    Goo HyunMo, leader of the Second Squad, and a man he had never seen before were within the captain¡¯s office.

    The man approached him and extended his hand.

    "Nice to meet you. I''ve heard a lot about you from HwaYeon."

    "I''m Oh KangWoo."

    "I''m the captain of the Hwarang First Squad."

    He was a man who resembled a stone.

    He seemed to be in his mid-thirties. Although he wasn''t very tall, he had a muscr body.

    He looked like he wouldn¡¯t even bleed if you poked him with a needle.

    But unlike his appearance, he had a very calm voice.

    "Long time no see, HyunJae old man~."

    "Long time no see. It seems like there was quite a huge incident in Korea¡­ I''m sorry for not having been able to help you."

    "No. Thanks to this guy, things were solved¡­ But we couldn''t stop civilian casualties."

    Chae YeonJoo seemed sad after thinking of the civilians that had lost their lives during the Isu Station incident.

    Jang HyunJae sighed with a heavy expression.

    "It isn''t your fault. Who would''ve thought that they would start moving actively so suddenly."

    He sounded sad.

    Chae YeonJoo shook her head numerous times and asked.

    "So what happened?"

    "I have some news rted to the Demon Cult."

    Chae YeonJoo''s eyes shone after hearing the words ¡®Demon Cult¡¯.

    Jang HyunJae looked around and then spoke in a low voice.

    "I heard Japan''s Demon Cult is preparing to summon a demon."

    "A demon summoning? Just like they did with Oriax?"

    "Yes. But this time, the scale is bigger."

    "Is Japan''s Demon Cult really that big?"

    Jang HyunJae nodded.

    "The Demon Cult¡¯s forces in Japan are bigger and stronger."

    "Oof¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo sighed.

    There had been numerous victims in Korea alone.

    She couldn''t even imagine how many more victims there would be if a force bigger than the one that had been in Korea moved.

    "Did Japan''s government ask for help?" Baek HwaYeon asked.

    "Yes. Although it hasn''t been reported by news media yet, it seems like the situation is quite serious."

    "But Japan has Fujimoto Ryoma. Do they really need our help?"

    Fujimoto Ryoma.,,

    Although he was been deemed weaker than Sword King Cheon MooJin, he was still one of the eight world rankers.

    His Myth-ranked item ''Susanoo''s Eyes'' were famous worldwide.

    "If we leave Fujimoto Ryoma aside, the overall level of Japanese yers isn''t that high. This is a pretty serious case, so they require as many ranker yers as possible."

    "Hng."

    "The fact that we solved a case caused by the Demon Cult also influenced the decision."

    The terror incident Baek KangHyun had caused in Isu Station had be the starting signal for the other branches of the Demon Cult to take action.

    Korea¡¯s credibility had gone up because it had dealt with the situation.

    "But to think that Japan would ask for Korea to help¡­ That''s unexpected." Chae YeonJoo mumbled.

    Although the world had changed after the Cataclysmic Day, it wasn''t that negative historical sentiments had disappeared.

    That''s why the rtionship between Japanese and Korean yers wasn''t the best.

    "That just shows how serious the situation is."

    "That''s true."

    Chae YeonJoo nodded with a heavy expression. She let out a sigh.

    "Just what demon are they trying to summon¡­?"

    They were able to defeat Oriax easily because he had suddenly begun acting strange.

    But it wouldn''t have been an easy fight if they''d fought against it in normal conditions.

    But a demon stronger than him¡­?

    She was already starting to feel anxious before the battle had even begun.

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo fell into his thoughts.

    ''A demon.''

    What he was thinking about was if he should wait until the Demon Cult summoned the demon or not.

    From KangWoo''s point of view, it would be better if they sessfully managed to summon a demon.

    Demons were an important source of demonic energy to him.

    ''It''s been a while since my demonic energy stat stopped increasing.''

    He thought that if he devoured a demon, maybe his demonic energy stat would increase.

    ''Letting them summon a demon and then devouring it would be the best.''

    The only way for him to grow at the moment was to devour a demon.

    He could already taste it when Jang HyunJae and Chae YeonJoo''s conversation continued.

    "I''ve already heard what demon they''re trying to summon."

    "Oh, what demon is it?"

    "I heard they''re trying to summon the subus queen."

    "A subus?"

    Chae YeonJoo tilted her head.

    "Don''t tell me¡­ That demon who devours the vitality of men?"

    "Yes. Her name is¡­ Lilith. I heard they were trying to summon a demon called Lilith."

    "Oof, as expected of the Japanese. They''re trying to summon such a¡ª"

    m-!

    A chair was turned upside down.

    It was the one KangWoo was using the sit on.

    "Wh-what? What happened?" Chae YeonJoo asked.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo''s face turned pale.

    The memories of the tentacles came back to his mind.

    "We must¡­" He replied with a trembling voice.

    "Huh?"

    "Stop it."

    Waiting for a summon and then devouring it?

    Making his demonic energy stat grow again?

    He didn''t need that.

    Those weren''t important at all.

    "We must stop the summon!" KangWoo shouted in a desperate voice.

 Chapter 103

    Lilith¡­

    She was one of KangWoo''s most loyal underlings along with Balrog back when he was in Hell.

    If Balrog was as strong as an archduke, Lilith was capable of eliminating the army of the archdukes with all sorts of illusions and restricting abilities.

    Illusion and controlling-type magics¡­

    Lilith was stronger than KangWoo in those two fields.

    Since she was also very intelligent, she was the one in charge of administrating the demon king''s army.

    And¡­

    ''Officially,'' she was KangWoo''s wife.

    ''Fuck.''

    When KangWoo arrived in the 9th hell and was growing his forces along with Balrog, he was once ambushed by Archduke Satan, and half of his forces had ended up dying.

    KangWoo was almost defeated then. After all, the archdukes were so strong that they used to say they couldn''t kill each other because of that.

    The one who saved him was Lilith, who had the title of Hell''s prettiest woman.

    ''Prettiest woman?''

    Thinking about those tentacles made him curse.

    Lilith, who was struggling because of Archduke Asmodeus''s tiresome proposals, joined KangWoo''s forces.

    From KangWoo''s point of view, the beauty of Lilith was iprehensible, but Lilith was capable of seducing any demon.

    Thanks to the demons that followed her, KangWoo''s forces became even bigger than before. Thanks to her, he overcame the crisis and kept battling against the archdukes.

    After that, she started to have strong feelings toward him while fighting alongside KangWoo against the archdukes.

    The demons that followed her wanted her love to be a reality, and because of that, KangWoo was forced to marry her.

    Since most of KangWoo''s forces followed Lilith as much as him, he couldn''t ignore her.

    ''Damn.''

    Thinking about the time he was married gave him chills.

    Lilith had tried to sneak into his bedroom every single night, and he struggled because of her tentacles every day, so he had tried to escape as much as he could.

    Those horrible days came to an end when he was able to put an end to the war and return to Earth.

    ''I don''t want to go back to those days.''

    He clenched his fists.

    No, Lilith being summoned in that situation could bring a worse result than those days.

    KangWoo didn''t have the strength to escape from Lilith at the moment.

    Although he''d grown at a faster pace than anyone else, he still wasn''t as strong as demons like Balrog or Lilith.

    If Lilith was summoned to Earth, he could be devoured by her.

    ''How were they able to summon Lilith?''

    KangWoo couldn''t understand it.

    It was true that they had summoned Oriax from the 7th hell and Amducias from the 8th hell. Even though they had seeded in doing that, summoning someone from the 9th hell wasn''t as easy as it sounded.

    Lilith was one of the strongest demons in the 9th hell.

    She couldn''t bepared to beings like Oriax or Amducias.

    ''So the Gaia System has weakened this much?''

    It was a desperate situation.

    The situation was worse than he had initially thought.

    If great demons like Lilith began appearing on Earth, the current state of humanity wouldn''t be able to win against them.

    "Just like HwaYeon said, you''re a young man with a strong sense of justice."

    Jang HyunJae smiled satisfyingly.

    It seemed like he''d misunderstood KangWoo''s shout.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo suspiciously.

    ''Why are you so desperate?'' It was as if she were asking him that.

    KangWoo didn''t answer. It wasn''t important if she''d misunderstood something or not.

    "First, could you tell me about Japan''s current situation¡­?" KangWoo asked in a low voice.

    Jang HyunJae told him that Japan''s situation was in such a bad state that they had even asked for Korea''s help.

    He had also heard something else about the incident.

    "Oof. Please don''t tell this to anyone else."

    Jang YeonJae sighed.

    He looked at Chae YeonJoo, Baek HwaYeon, Goo HyunMo, and KangWoo. The four of them nodded.

    "The Demon Cult has kidnaped Kurosaki Yurie."

    "Kurosaki Yurie?"

    It was the first time he had heard that name.

    Except for KangWoo, the faces of the other three people turned pale after hearing that name.

    "Ku-Kurosaki Yurie?!"

    "Hey, old man, are you serious?"

    "Please exin it to me¡­"

    KangWoo poked Chae YeonJoo.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him as if she were asking if he really didn''t know who it was. She bit her lips.

    "The maiden of the skies¡­ It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that she''s currently the spiritual support of the Japanese people."

    "Oh, that''s interesting, but why is she the spiritual support instead of Fujimoto Ryoma?"

    "There are many reasons¡­ but her social status is no joke."

    "Her social status?"

    Chae YeonJoo nodded.

    "She''s the granddaughter of the Emperor."

    "¡­"

    * * *

    The Emperor¡­

    He was more like a symbolic figure in Japan and had almost no real influence.

    No, in the modern era, you could say that even that symbolic figure was starting to lose influence.

    But for the past five years, after Japan''s situation quickly changed, that ''symbolic'' figure regained importance.

    Japan suffered more damage during the Cataclysmic Day five years past than Korea had.

    There was one reason for that¡­

    The SS-rank gate that opened in Hokkaido.

    The strong monsters that appeared from that gate had almost destroyed the entire country.

    The situation improved after yers appeared, but despite that, Hokkaido was still a forbidden area.

    The country was in a bad situation, so the Japanese people began asking the Emperor to do more for the country.

    ¡°Since we''re struggling so much, nobles should do whatever they can,¡± is what most people thought.

    The one who took a step forward in that situation was the granddaughter of the Emperor, Kurosaki Yurie.

    She was able to prevent the worst situation. She had not only asked for help from foreign yers but also fully supported Japanese yers.

    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that Japan was able to ovee the crisis thanks to Kurosaki Yurie.

    The people from the country loved her.

    Many people said that the Emperor should step down and she should take his ce.

    Chae YeonJoo''s ''spiritual support'' was a correct way to describe her.

    "Hmm¡­ But why is she called the Maiden of the Skies?"

    "Oh, that''s because of her Attribute. Although she isn''t a world ranker like Fujimoto Ryoma, she''s still quite strong."

    "What''s her ability?"

    "She¡­ Can summon the spirits of the gods that appear in Japanese mythologies within her body."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    It was an ability so incredible that it wouldn''t be weird if it were stronger than the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    Chae YeonJoo''s exnation kept going on.

    "I''m also not sure about the details, but it seems like she can only call out part of the god''s strength."

    That was obvious.

    If she could call them with their full strength, she would''ve be the world''s strongest instead of a world ranker.

    "It seems like the weapon Fujimoto Ryoma is using, ''Susanoo''s Eyes,'' was created using Kurosaki Yurie''s ability to call forth the gods."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo drooled a bit. He turned around to Jang HyunJae.

    "Do you know why they''ve kidnapped the Maiden of the Skies?"

    "No, I didn¡¯t hear the reason. Why they took such a huge risk and kidnapped her¡­ I guess that it''s somehow rted to summoning a demon."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo remained silent. He closed his eyes and thought.

    There were many possibilities.

    They had to figure out why they had done that.

    ''There must be a good reason.''

    They wouldn''t have kidnapped her for no reason¡ªshe was someone too important for that.

    ''Did they do that just to use her as an offering?''

    KangWoo shook his head.

    If they needed an offering, they wouldn''t have kidnapped her.

    ''The power to copy a god''s strength¡­''

    KangWoo focused on her abilities.

    If the Demon Cult had kidnapped Kurosaki Yurie, it was probably because of her ability.

    "A god that appears in mythologies¡­" KangWoo mumbled in a low voice; it was as if he almost had a grasp of it.

    He suddenly began thinking about the seven archdukes.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    "I see."

    He finally understood.

    Even when he¡¯d been in hell, KangWoo had one doubt¡­

    He was surprised when he first heard about the archdukes.

    That was because they were the names of demons he had heard of.

    Lucifer, Satan, Ball, Leviathan, Belphegor, Mamon, Asmodeus¡­

    Those were all names he already knew.

    If he thought about it, that made no sense.

    If the Hell of Nine Skies was a world that wasn''t rted to Earth in any way, that wasn''t something that could happen.

    ''If those names being transmitted as myths is because of the influence exercised by another world¡­''

    Maybe those beings that appeared in myths were beings from another dimension.

    If the gods that appeared in Japanese myths were beings that lived in another dimension¡­

    The ability of Kurosaku Yurie could be described as this:

    ''The ability to summon the ability that a being of another dimension has.''

    He was finally starting to organize the puzzle that was all scattered away.

    If that was the case, he could understand Lilith''s summoning.

    ''It wasn''t that the Gaia System had suddenly weakened that much.''

    It wasn''t like it had be weak enough that they were able to summon Lilith, a great demon from the 9th hell.

    The Demon Cult members had figured out the truth behind Kurosaki Yurie''s abilities and were trying to use that to summon Lilith.

    "Let''s go to Japan."

    KangWoo stood up.

    Since Kurosaki Yurie had been kidnapped, it was a fight against time.

    They had to save her as soon as possible and stop the summoning.

    "You''re overly enthusiastic. Okay, I''ll gather the guild members¡­"

    "No, you¡¯ll probably have to go alone."

    KangWoo turned around to Jang HyunJae after saying that.

    "Right?"

    "Oof¡­ You''re better than what I had heard."

    "What do you mean¡­?"

    "The Japanese government is trying to hide that the Maiden of the Skies has been kidnapped. They''re probably going to announce it after they''ve saved her."

    Considering Japan''s current state, people would panic if they heard that the Maiden of the Skies had been kidnapped.

    "We can''t ask forrge-scale support. If they could do that, they wouldn''t have tried to gather people in such a secretive way."

    The more people there were, the faster the rumor would spread.

    "How many people can we bring?" KangWoo asked Jang HyunJae.

    "Seven."

    "It seems like we have space for two more."

    Then he had a good candidate.

    "Let''s leave in 30 minutes. Is there a ne ready?"

    "Yes, it''s waiting at the airport."

    "The airport is too far. Let''s ask Echidna."

    "Echidna¡­?"

    Chae YeonJoo and Baek HwaYeon''s faces turned pale after hearing her name.

    "You control a dragon as a summoned monster¡­?"

    He couldn''t believe what he was hearing.

    KangWoo ignored his question and took out his smartphone. They didn''t have much time.

    "I''ll call her immediately, so wait for me in front of the base in about 30 minutes."

    "W-wait. Do you even know where we have to go?"

    KangWoo answered shortly at Jang HyunJae''s flustered question.

    A n to summon a great demon from the 9th hell¡­

    It wasn''t hard to guess where such a thing would take ce.

    "Hokkaido. Since the SS-rank Gate appeared in Sapporo, the exact ce is Hokkaido, Sapporo."

    "Woah¡­"

    Jang HyunJae was surprised.

    It was the correct answer.

 Chapter 104

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    Giant wings. A dragon, which didn''t exist on Earth, was flying through the skies.

    It was Echidna, who immediately came flying after receiving KangWoo''s call.

    "When did you prepare something like this¡­?" Chae YeonJoo asked.

    She was sitting on top of a chair at Echidna''s back.

    "I didn''t want to suffer likest time," KangWoo answered.

    He remembered back then when they''d gone to Pohang while riding Echidna.

    He¡¯d held into a scale so he wouldn''t be blown away¡­ he didn''t want to experience that again.

    "Are you maintaining the protective shield?" Chae YeonJoo said while touching the ck wall that surrounded the chair.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "I got betterpared back then."

    To be more precise, he had more demonic energy.

    After his demonic energy stat surpassed three digits, he could use the Authority of Projection to cover Echidna''s body and block the wind.

    ''The demonic energy stone ys a bit part, too.''

    After he¡¯d made the demonic energy stone, he¡¯d be able to use it more effectively.

    He could morefortably use Authorities that had required more concentration before.

    Thanks to that, although Echidna was going at full speed, KangWoo''s group was able to fly to Japanfortably.

    ¡ªAlthough they couldn''t do anything about the shaking.

    "Ugh! Uugh!!"

    Goo HyunMoo was about to vomit, and you could see a tear dripping from his eyes.

    "P-please. A bit slower¡­"

    "Based on our current situation, please try to resist."

    "Uugghh."

    He agonized at Jang HyunJae''s sharp answer. It was the worst possible condition for someone who suffered from nausea.

    [KangWoo, are you going to fight again?] Echidna said in a worried voice tone.

    [You cannot do that again.]

    "Okay."

    KangWoo nodded while smiling bitterly.

    Unlocking the Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­

    He didn''t want to do something as reckless as that again.

    ''Although I''ll do it if I need to do it.''

    He also had a new strength in the form of the demonic energy stone.

    He thought there was a chance he''d be able to solve the incident without using the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    "Uhmm¡­ Mr. KangWoo."

    He heard a careful voice. KangWoo turned his head around. Han Seol-ah was sitting among ranker-level yers.

    "Is¡­ Is it okay for me to be here?"

    She felt like a cat among a group of lions and was speaking in a worried tone.

    "It''s okay. You just have to maintain the buffs from behind."

    "W-wouldn''t it be better if either Mr. ShiHoon or Mr. TaeSoo came instead of me? I''m not sure I can be of help to Mr. KangWoo yet¡­"

    "Today, at least, your help will be better."

    KangWoo had chosen Han Seol-ah as thest member.

    Just like she''d said, Kim ShiHoon would''ve been of bigger help if what they needed was more power.

    But despite that, he''d chosen her; the reason was simple¡­

    ''The buff I received before¡­''

    Her buff ''Graceful Light'' had increased his unique stat.

    Because her level had gone up quite a lot, the effect would probably be bigger.

    It wasn''t a buff that she could only apply it to him, so he was expecting it to increase other people''s strength too.

    ''Now that I think about it, buff abilities are quite OP.''

    A buff skill that increased your stat by an absolute number?

    Considering how hard it was to increase your stat the higher your level became, it was a great effect.

    The reason why yers tried so hard to get legendary-rank items was mostly because of the stat increase.

    [KangWoo, we arrived.]

    KangWoo raised his head.

    He could see a giant ind, no,nd.

    Hokkaido was so big that it was weird to call it an ind.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo remained silent after looking down at the ind up from the skies.

    ¡°Tragic¡± was the first word that came to his mind.

    Sapporo, which was where the SS-rank gate had appeared, was almostpletely destroyed.

    It was like looking at a scene that would likely appear in a post-apocalyptic movie.

    ''Is this how a city that couldn''t contain the monster invasion looks?''

    He heard there were also some cities like that in Korea¡­

    But there wasn''t anywhere as big as Hokkaido.

    <em>GRRR-!!</em>

    A monster came flying toward them from between the ruined building.

    It was a dragon that was over 10 meters long.

    Its skin was hard as stone, and its ws were so sharp that it could tear apart steel.

    A drake¡­

    It was the SS-rank normal monster that was the main culprit behind Hokkaido''s destruction.

    [KangWoo¡­]

    "Let''s dodge it for now. We don''t have time to face that monster right now."

    [Okay, understood.]

    Echidna turned around.

    "Over there."

    Jang HyunJae pointed somewhere.

    * * *

    He could see a bunker that resembled one that appeared in a certain famous game near the sea.

    It was the base they''d created to recover Sapporo, which had be a paradise of monsters.

    Although they''d built a base, they hadn''t seen results.

    Echidna quickly returned to her human form after descending.

    As KangWoo released the Authority of Projection, they appeared as if they''d suddenly descended from the skies.

    "Who are you?!"

    "F-from where¡­?"

    The Japanese yers that were protecting the base took their weapons out.

    Jang HyunJae approached them.

    He was talking to the yers in fluent Japanese.

    "Echidna, remember the trantion magic you used before? Please use it on me."

    "Okay."

    After the magic was applied to him, he understood the conversation between Jang HyunJae and the Japanese yers.

    "I want to hear about the current situation."

    "Prime Minister Yamada and Fujimoto Ryoma are in the middle of a reunion. I''ll contact them immediately, so wait a moment, please."

    Jang HyunJae nodded.

    As the bunker''s door opened, one older man and a good-looking young man walked out.

    "Oh, to think that support woulde so fast¡­ Thank you, Captain Jang HyunJae."

    "It''s nothing. Our neighboring country is in a crisis, so this much is nothing. We must ovee it together."

    "The people behind you¡­"

    Prime Minister Yamada looked at the people behind HyunJae.

    There were three familiar faces.

    He knew the Red Rose Guild''s leader, Chae YeonJoo, Hwarang Squad''s Baek HwaYeon, and Goo HyunMo¡­

    But he knew nothing about the other three.

    "They are people that offered themselves to help us on this incident. I can guarantee their skills," Jang HyunJae said.

    To be honest, he didn''t know how strong KangWoo, Echidna, and Han Seol-ah were, but he couldn''t say anything that would make him lose confidence.

    "Hmm. Understood. I''ll believe in captain Jang HyunJae''s words."

    It wasn''t the time to be picky.

    As Prime Minister Yamada finished talking, Fujimoto Ryoma took a step forward.

    He bowed toward KangWoo and the rest of the group.

    "Nice to meet you. My name is Fujimoto Ryoma."

    He was tall and had a clean-looking face.

    Although he wasn''t as unreasonably handsome as Kim ShiHoon, he was still quite a good-looking young man.

    Especially his eyes¡­

    His left eye was blue, unlike his ck right eye, which gave him a mysterious atmosphere.

    He had heterochromia.

    "First, thank you for offering yourselves to help in this situation. Since it''s something that happened in another country, you could''ve perfectly ignored it, but seeing how you care as if it was something that happened in your own country¡ª"

    "Let''s dispense with the formalities," KangWoo cut his words off.

    Fujimoto Ryoma frowned for a short while.

    "Rather than that, I''d like to hear about the current progression rate of the ceremony and its location."

    "Hmm¡­"

    Fujimoto Ryoma nodded while smiling again.

    "Then I''ll tell you about the current situation."

    He guided KangWoo and the rest toward the bunker.

    There was a map showing Sapporo''s situation within the bunker.

    "We think that the summoning ceremony is taking ce here."

    He pointed to the map with a long baton.

    "Sapporo Station, the ce where the SS-rank gate first opened. We believe they''re making the preparations on the third floor of the station. There are many variant monsters that we think the Demon Cult has set free around here. There are also a few Demon Cult members guarding this area."

    The exnation kept going on.

    "We cannot go through this ce with our current power, which is why we''ve asked for help."

    "What''s the n?" Jang HyunJae asked.

    Fujimoto Ryoma pointed to two ces on the map.

    "We''re nning to use a feint strategy. First, we will try to grab the Demon Cult''s attention with a fake attack; then, we''re going to ambush them from behind. I''d like to ask you to ambush the yers from behind. I''m sure these people don''t have information about you, so the ambush will probably be sessful."

    "Hmm."

    Jang HyuJae remained silent.

    A feint strategy to grab attention from one side and ambush from behind¡­

    It was a good strategy.

    It was a n that had been sessful numerous times throughout history.

    ''That''s the problem.''

    That''s right.

    The problem was that the n was too great. There was a huge chance that the Demon Cult had already thought about it and were prepared for something like that to happen.

    It wasn''t like the Demon Cult was guarding a big area like a castle.

    They only had to guard where the summoning ceremony was taking ce and Kurosaki Yurie.

    "I think I know what you''re thinking."

    Fujimoto Ryoma smiled.

    He pointed toward another part of the map.

    "To be frank, there''s another part of the n. Taking advantage of the confusion, someone will infiltrate this ce and save the Maiden of the Skies."

    The third card¡­

    It wasn''t a bad n if it worked. No, the feint n by itself was already good.

    The Demon Cult didn''t know that Korean yers were taking part in the n, so it could perfectly catch them by surprise.

    "I''ll take this role since it requires an individual to move. I think I''m the most suited person for it."

    A spirit worthy of a world ranker.

    ''No, it''s hard to call it spirit.''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes. He could smell ambitioning out from Fujimoto Ryoma.

    ''Does he want to be a hero?''

    He could already see the picture. It was something that seemed like something out of a TV drama.

    Fujimoto Ryoma probably knew better than anyone.

    ''Well, it doesn''t really matter.''

    KangWoo didn''t care if he wanted to be a hero or not.

    The only thing that mattered was that the n he proposed wasn''t bad, and if it was sessful, he''d be able to block Lilith''s summoning.

    "Then let''s begin immediately."

    KangWoo stood up.

 Chapter 105

    Sapporo Station, north gate¡­

    KangWoo''s group was hidden among the rubble.

    Not even their breathing could be heard. They were looking around with sharp eyes.

    "Grrr¡­"

    It seemed like Fujimoto Ryoma wasn''t lying. Sapporo Station¡¯s surroundings were full of demonic monsters.

    They still hadn''t seen anyone who belonged to the Demon Cult.

    Demonic monsters didn''t have intelligence, but despite that, they weren''t fighting with each other, so they were probably being controlled by someone.

    "What are you going to do?"

    Chae YeonJoo whispered in his ear.

    It tickled.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Silence.

    "Sound won''t leak, so you don''t need to talk like that anymore."

    "Ugh¡­! Wh-what? Are you saying that it''s unpleasant?! I also find it unpleasant!"

    Her face was blushing while she shouted. KangWoo smirked and turned his head toward Jang HyunJae.

    "Once we receive the signal, we will break through head-on. Are you okay with that?"

    "Hmm. The idea is to cause confusion, so that seems to be the best way."

    Jang HyunJae nodded after thinking about it for a while.

    Although it was risky, he couldn''t deny that it was the most effective way.

    "Seol-ah, when the signales, apply a buff to everyone and follow us. You don''t need to overwork yourself with healing. Focus on maintaining the buff only."

    "Yes, Mr. KangWoo."

    "Yeon Joo, and Echidna, protect Seol-ah, and I''ll leave you with long-range support. The rest of us will ambush them upfront. Oh, captain Jang HyunJae, what weapon do you use?"

    "I use a sword."

    "Then you''re a close-range warrior type. You can charge along with us."

    "¡­"

    The n was made in an instant.

    Jang HyunJae looked at KangWoo, impressed, after he took his role from him.

    ''I heard he was someone talented¡­''

    The most impressive thing about yer Oh KangWoo he had heard was obviously that he''d defeated Chae YeonJoo in a sparring match.

    He''d also heard that he was the one behind the El Quero hunt and the person who had solved the Isu Station incident.

    When he first heard about him, he simply thought that he was someone who was born with a talent for fighting.

    ''It seems like that wasn''t everything.''

    Although he''d known him for only a few hours, he quickly realized he wasn''t simply a strong yer.

    KangWoo was cold and could think at an amazing speed.

    He had excellent judgment and was good at taking action. He had a charisma that made people follow him.

    ''He''s going to be someone important.''

    The fact that he was following KangWoos orders even though he had been the leader of the Hwarang Squad for many years was proof of that.

    Jang HyunJae was d that someone like him had appeared when the world was struggling with monsters and the Demon Cult.

    <em>Whir-!</em>

    That sense of reliefsted for a short while. Jang HyunJae''s receiver began vibrating.

    As a weird sound spread from a distance, the demonic monsters turned their bodies in that direction.

    "As expected¡­"

    KangWoo mumbled after seeing the demonic monster''s movement.

    Only a few monsters had moved toward the source of the sound, the north gate. It seemed like they were already prepared for the feint n.

    But¡­

    ''They probably never imagined that the people in charge of it would be us.''

    Leaving Fujimoto Ryoma aside, the level of the rest of the Japanese yers wasn''t high.

    It wasn''t like there weren''t any ranker-level yers like Kurosaki Yurie, but there weren''t as many as in Korea.

    Although they may have been prepared for the feint n, they probably didn''t imagine that Korean yers would take part in the n.

    No, even if they''d imagine it, it made no difference.

    ''Because I''m here.''

    KangWoo raised his right hand.

    Hebined the Authority of Ice and the Authority of Iron.

    ¡®Leviathan.¡¯

    An axe made of ice appeared in his hand.

    They probably could''ve guessed that help would appear¡­

    But they probably would''ve never imagined that there would be someone as strong as a world ranker.

    Compared to his strength, KangWoo wasn''t very well known.

    ¡ªThat was because he''d tried his best to remain anonymous.

    After all, a sword that can''t be seen is more frightening than one that can be seen.

    "Ready," KangWoo said in a low voice. The rest nodded and took their weapons out.

    Han Seol-ah used buff-type magics, and Echidna snorted and prepared wide-area magic.

    "Curtain of Light."

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Physical Defense and Magic Defense have increased by 300.]

    [An intermediate HP buff has been applied.]

    Area buffs¡­

    Considering Han Seol-ah''s level, it wasn''t bad.

    After all, receiving an increase of 300 in Physical and Magical Defense was equivalent to having an extra unique item.

    ¡ªBut that wasn''t the buff that KangWoo wanted.

    "Use Graceful Light, please."

    "Ah, yes. Mr. KangWoo! I can only use Graceful Light on one person, and it doesn''tst for very long¡­"

    "It''s okay."

    He didn''t imagine a buff that increased a stat by an absolute value wouldst very long.

    Han Seol-ah began casting again; soon, a light appeared in her hands.

    "Graceful Light!"

    Ting-

    [You''ve received Graceful Light.]

    [Your Physical Defense and Magic Defense have increased by 300. Your unique stat (demonic energy) has increased by 3.]

    The effect had improvedpared to before.

    His demonic energy stat became 106.

    KangWoo smiled in satisfaction after feeling the explosive amount of demonic energy.

    If his stats were low, he probably wouldn''t have seen great results with an increase of only three points in the stat.

    But just taking into consideration his stat value, he was at the level of world rankers, so he profited a lot from an increase of his stat by an absolute value.

    "Begin."

    "Dark Swarm!"

    * * *

    Echidna''s clear voice rang, and a ck fog spread through the ce. All of the demonic monsters touched by fog melted down, and a horrible odor wafted over the air.

    <em>Slide-!</em>

    Red chains began spreading wide.

    The bodies of the demonic monsters touched by it were cut.

    KangWoo stood.

    He hit the floor and charged toward the demonic monsters, jumping into the air and smashing the demonic monsters with Leviathan.

    An explosively cold energy spread. The bodies of the frozen demonic monsters were destroyed.

    "Ha-ab!"

    Baek HwaYeon, Jang HyunJae, and Goo HyunMo also took their weapons out and ran toward the north gate.

    Although the demonic monsters were stronger than the ones that had appeared during the Isu Station incident, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that the yers fighting them were among Korea''s strongest yers.

    <em>m-! Crack!!</em>

    "Kiieekk!!"

    A demonic monster that was almost three meters tall screamed in pain.

    It was a demon golem, a demonic monster that lived in 2nd hell along the Buer.

    Many demonic monsters that belonged in the 1st through 3rd hell were guarding the entrance.

    He couldn''t understand how the Demon Cult had summoned and controlled them.

    Even KangWoo didn''t know how to summon and control a being from Hell.

    ''But that isn''t important.''

    It didn''t matter if the demonic monsters in front of them were summoned from Hell, were created by nting a demonic energy stone inside a monster, or even if they were created by exposing a person to demonic energy.

    There was one thing he had to do, and he had no mental space to care about other things.

    "Kiieekk!"

    A thin demonic monster came running toward him. It was a demonic monster that looked like a zombie or a mummy.

    He threw Leviathan; the rotating ice axe smashed through the head of the demonic monster.

    He raised both hands.

    He used the Authority of Hellfire. As he lowered both hands, the Hellfire spread with the shape of a fan.

    He turned 180 degrees.

    He pulled his right fist back and lowered his body.

    He concentrated the Authority of Spation in his fist, and demonic energy gathered in his fist with a wedge-like shape.

    A demon golem ran toward him.

    He punched it, and a hole appeared in its chest while it fell down.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    "KRAARR!!"

    "AAGG! I¡­ I got surprised!"

    Goo HyunMo shouted.

    A hot air brushed past his cheeks. He turned his head around and saw a dog with three heads ring at him.

    Kerberos¡­

    It was a demonic monster that lived in the 3rd hell, but it was as strong as a demonic monster that lived in the 5th one.

    ''So they can even control a kerberos.''

    It was the demonic monster he wanted to summon at first.

    Of course, since he had summoned Echidna, a Kerberos looked like a trash dog with three heads.

    "Ha-ab!"

    Jang HyunJae blocked the kerberos.

    There wasn''t a need for Baek HwaYeon and Goo HyunMo to join forces.

    Although kerberos was a strong demonic monster, it wasn''t as strong as Jang HyunJae, who was one of the strongest ranker yers.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    "Grrr!"

    The problem was that there wasn''t one, but three of the monsters.

    Baek HwaYeon and Chae YeonJoo each fought one, and their momentum was dampened a bit.

    "Keep the formation here!"

    "Mr. K-KangWoo!"

    After shouting that, KangWoo went through the gate alone.

    Clearing up step by step was safer, but the situation was urgent.

    ''When is Fujimoto going to appear?''

    KangWoo looked around. They''d done more than enough if the idea was to confuse the enemy.

    Most of the monsters guarding the north gate had already died. Even the troops that had escaped were starting to gather around it.

    <em>m-!</em>

    At that moment, a strong wind blew along with the loud sound of an explosion.

    It was a wind so strong that it seemed like a typhoon.

    ''It''s Fujimoto.''

    He heard that Fujimoto mostly used wind magic by using his ''Susanoo''s Eye.''

    He had most likely caused the sudden typhoon.

    KangWoo moved to join Fujimoto Ryoma, and an annoying amount of demonic monsters charged toward him.

    As he swept them away, he saw the stairs that led to the higher floor.

    ''They said that they''re on the top floor, right?''

    It wasn¡¯t a tall building, so the highest floor was probably the 3rd or 4th.

    If it was only that tall, he could get to it just by jumping without using an Authority.

    KangWoo put strength in his feet.

    "Hmm¡­?"

    At that moment, he sensed something strange.

    He felt something unpleasant as if he''d seen a gear that didn''t match.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes and looked around, and he soon realized why he was feeling that.

    ''There isn''t anyone from the Demon Cult here.''

    He hadn''t seen anyone from the Demon Cult up to that point. There was also none on the stairs or the higher floors when he had seen it from below.

    That was strange.

    If the summoning ceremony was so important, there should¡¯ve been many people guarding it. It wasn''t enough with just demonic monsters.

    Even if they weren''t expecting them, the fact that they hadn''t appeared despite all that noise was strange.

    He saw Fujimoto Ryoma fighting demonic monsters and going to the top floor.

    ''What if the ceremony isn''t taking ce on the highest floor?''

    There was a chance that was the case.

    Of course, his guess could be wrong.

    Maybe they weren''t there because they needed as many people as possible to make the summoning a sess.

    ''Fujimoto is going to the top floor anyways.''

    He had insurance in the form of Fujimoto Ryoma.

    KangWoo looked around once more.

    Judging by the amount of demonic monsters around there, it really seemed like the ce the summoning was taking ce.

    There was also the demonic energy spread throughout the entire station.

    "Then¡­"

    His thought was short, and his action fast. KangWoo clenched his fist and fused the Authority of Divine Power and the Authority of Waves.

    ¡®Sky Break.¡¯

    A destructive amount of power gathered around his fist.

    It was a simple process of elimination.

    ''If it isn''t on top¡­''

    It''s underground.

    He raised his fist and smashed it down.

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    The floor was destroyed, and he fell through into a dark tunnel used by the subway.

    "Ugh! Wh-who are you?!"

    A red-mask-wearing Demon Cult member greeted him.

    ''Bingo.''

    KangWoo stomped the floor.

 Chapter 106

    "How did you get here¡­?!"

    He could hear the flustered voices of the Demon Cult members.

    He didn''t answer. KangWoo used the Authority of the de, lowered his body, and swung the sword.

    "Ugh!"

    The Demon Cult member raised his hand, and a wall made of demonic energy blocked the sword.

    <em>ng-</em>

    The clear sound of ringing metal was heard as he blocked the sword.

    "Woah."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    The impact on his hands was quite heavy. The member of the Demon Cult was stronger than he thought he¡¯d be.

    "You''re not Fujimoto¡­ Who are you?"

    The masked man looked at KangWoo.

    KangWoo extended his hands.

    Hebined two Authorities and created a big spear. After grabbing Bident, he spoke in a low voice.

    "Move."

    "Well¡­ You''re not nning to answer, huh?"

    The Demon Cult member clenched both fists, and a strong demonic energy flowed from them.

    ''So they weren''t joking when they said that the Demon Cult¡¯s forces in Japan were bigger and stronger.''

    The Demon Cult member there probably wasn''t a cardinal like Baek KangHyun.

    That meant that a normal priest was that strong. The situation couldn''t bepared to Korea''s.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo gripped the spear tighter. Although they were stronger than the ones in Korea, he was just a simple Demon Cult priest.

    There was no way KangWoo was going to lose.

    <em>Whir-!</em>

    The Demon Cult member raised both hands, and a strong wall made of demonic energy blocked the passageway.

    You won''t pass!"

    Judging from his scream, it seemed like he was quite confident in his skills.

    KangWoo smirked. He found it funny that the man was screaming so confidently just because he had been able to block his attack once.

    He focused on the Dantian. Energy flowed out of the demonic energy stone and gathered around Bident¡¯s de.

    KangWoo lowered his body, pulled the spear back, stepped forward, and threw Bident. The impact shook the entire passageway.

    "H-huh?"

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    The Demon Cult member¡¯s eyes shook. Biden flew toward him after smashing through the demonic energy wall.

    He quickly rolled to the side. Although it was humiliating for him, it was the correct decision. Bident, which flew past him, made a huge explosion.

    "H-hiic!"

    He stepped back while making a pale expression. KangWoo walked toward him.

    KangWoo took the Demon Cult member¡¯s mask off and saw the face of a fat young man in histe-20¡¯s.

    "Where is the ceremony taking ce?"

    "C-cough! H, how did you¡ª!"

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Aagghh!"

    "I won''t ask again."

    You could see the fear in the young man''s eyes. He bit his lips while holding his finger, which had been twisted away.

    "I¡­ I''ll never tell you¡­!"

    There was a burning conviction. It looked like a knight willing to risk his life for his king.

    ''What?''

    KangWoo was surprised. He''d never seen a Demon Cult member who had ''loyalty.''

    The Demon Cult¡¯s structure should have made that impossible.

    The Demon Cult promised them two things while trying to get new people to join them: eternal life and an increase in strength using the influence of demonic energy.

    In the case of Baek KangHyun, he cared more for strength, but most people cared about the eternal life part.

    It was obvious. It didn''t matter how much money you had, you couldn''t bribe death. Even if you had hundreds of millions of dors, once you became old, you would die. The reason why the Demon Cult had grown so much was that they could stop death.

    Your country, race, and ideals didn¡¯t matter. It was normal that people would crave eternal life.

    Ideals? Beliefs? Nothing of that sort mattered.

    It all lost meaning in front of what they could provide, eternal life.

    Of course, there were some bad points, too. Arguments like ''If you risk your life, you''ll go to heaven'' didn''t work with those people, so the Demon Cult members had low loyalty.

    ''It should be like that.''

    "I''ll choose death!"

    The Demon Cult member bit his tongue and severed the artery within it, and blood began pouring out.

    To think that he wouldmit suicide by biting his tongue. It wasn''t something that you could do with average conviction.

    "What''s up with this crazy loyalty¡­?"

    KangWooughed in disbelief. He was starting to wonder if they were really the same Demon Cult.

    "Damn."

    He threw the corpse aside and used the Authority of Observation to look for where the ceremony was taking ce.

    But the passageway was so full of demonic energy that it wasn''t easy to find it. It was like searching for a tree in the middle of a forest.

    KangWoo moved. He had no choice other than to use his two feet.

    "Who are you?!"

    "Catch him!!"

    He kept facing Demon Cult members, and fierce battles broke out.

    They weren''t strong enough to be a menace, but they were still able to slow him down.

    KangWoo was starting to get annoyed at the pointless battles.

    <em>Oh-!</em>

    "Huh?"

    He heard some shouts while running through the underground tunnels.

    KangWoo moved toward the source of the sound.

    ''I found them.''

    He saw a small altar.

    * * *

    A beautiful woman with long, ck hair was lying on the altar, and a blue lighting out from her was entering the fissure.

    That woman was definitely the Maiden of the Skies, Kurosaki Yurie.

    KangWoo created a Leviathan once again and approached the altar.

    He saw a group of Demon Cult members and the person in charge of the summoning.

    He had seen summoning ceremonies take ce numerous times before.

    "What''s happening¡­?"

    KangWoo''s mouth was wide open. They were definitely doing the summoning ceremony¡­

    But there was something different¡ªthey didn''t look like the Demon Cult members he''d seen before.

    "Let''s go, guys!! Wait a little bit more! We''re soon going to be able to summon it!"

    "OOOH!! As expected of the cardinal!! We trust and will follow you!!"

    "Stay strong, Akiyama Cardinal!!"

    "We''re also going to help you!!"

    The tension going around was crazy.

    It was hard to think of them as evil beings that had epted demonic energy and prayed to demons.

    Rather than a demon-summoning ceremony, it resembled an athletic club''s dinner party.

    The Akiyama cardinal had both fists clenched.

    Demonic energy flowing out of his body made the fissure bigger.

    "Let''s go! Our goal is Lilith, the Subus Queen!"

    "Ah, finally! Our longsting desire¡­!"

    "Cardinal, I''d have no regrets if I died right now!"

    At Akiyama''s shout, the Demon Cult members began shouting in excitement.

    The word ¡°chaos¡± was the perfect word to describe the situation.

    KangWoo looked at them with confusion in his eyes.

    ''What''s wrong with these guys?''

    It was as if he''d returned to Hell.

    He couldn''t even understand what was going on.

    KangWoo was flustered at the unexpected development of things.

    ''No, wouldn''t it be weirder to expect something like this?''

    He almost felt that the situation wasn''t fair.

    The fissure began wriggling and grew in size.

    The blue light that was flowing out from Kurosaki Yurie''s body mixed with the fissure.

    Akiyama raised both hands.

    "Finally, it''s about time we serve our true god!"

    "OOOH!!"

    "There''s no more Hitomi! We don''t need to crave for the life beyond the monitor! Our beliefs run across dimensions!"

    "Cough! Cardinal¡­!"

    "We''re going to follow you!!"

    An enthusiastic speech ensued.

    It was at that moment¡­

    "H-huh?! C-Cardinal! There''s an intruder!"

    It was at that moment that they noticed KangWoo''s presence.

    The Demon Cult members stood up and took their weapons out.

    KangWoo raised one hand and tried to stop them.

    "No. Finish what you were doing. Wait¡­ Give me some time to think about this¡­"

    It was a supplicating voice.

    He needed time to organize his thoughts.

    He was starting to wonder if he wasn''t in some sort of dream.

    He rubbed his eyes, but their aspect still didn''t change.

    ''These guys are members of the Demon Cult?''

    They were different from the dark, greedy, and crazy image he had of the Demon Cult members.

    But still, they were different.

    ''No, it''s true that, although it''s different, they''re still a group of crazy, dark, and greedy individuals.''

    But it was still different¡­

    There was something crucially different.

    "Hmm, even if there was an intruder, I thought it would be Fujimoto. This is unexpected."

    Cardinal Akiyama took a step forward and raised his red leather whip.

    "Tsk, this was prepared for her¡­ This is too bad."

    "What do you mean you''ve prepared it for her¡­?"

    "Hahaha! That''s obvious."

    "Wait, no, I don''t want to hear it."

    KangWoo shook his head.

    Cardinal Akiyama hardened.

    "Hngh, you were the one who asked. What do you mean you don¡¯t want to hear it?"

    "¡­"

    He didn''t know how to exin theplex emotions he was feeling.

    KangWoo remained silent.

    "Cardinal! Leave this to us!"

    "Keep doing the summoning ceremony!"

    "You guys¡­"

    Cardinal Akiyama swallowed some tears. He shook his head and took a step forward.

    "No! I cannot remain still! Love always flourishes amid oppression and crisis! Won''t this make it burn even more?!"

    "Ah¡­"

    "Cardinal¡­"

    A weird friendship between guys could be felt.

    KangWoo grabbed his forehead. He thought he was about to go crazy.

    "You¡­ Don''t tell me that¡­ The reason why you''re trying to summon the Subus Queen is¡­ Don''t tell me¡­ Oh fuck, don''t tell me¡­"

    He couldn''t say it properly. He didn''t want to believe it so badly that he repeated the sentence ''don''t tell me'' three times.

    "The reason why we''re trying to summon her? Isn''t there only one possible answer?!"

    He shouted from the depths of his soul.

    "I¡­! No, we¡­! Why do you think we entered the Demon Cult?!"

    "I''m really not sure¡­ I really don''t want to know¡­ Just what are you guys¡­?"

    "It was obviously to summon the queen we want to serve to the modern world!"

    "What''s obvious about that, you dumbass?!"

    "Tsk tsk, this is why it''s impossible to talk with someone who doesn''t understand romance."

    Akiyama swung the whip.

    <em>p-!</em>

    The whip hit the floor.

    He kept talking with intense eyes.

    "Every man dreams about subi! Isn''t that the ideal everyone craves for?!"

    "¡­"

    What he didn''t want to believe flowed out through Akiyama''s mouth.

    He couldn''t believe that there were so many Demon Cult members because of some stupid reason like that. To think that all those people were trying to summon Lilith among the countless demons that there were in Hell¡­

    He would''ve preferred to hear that they were after eternal life.

    He would''ve preferred to hear that they were after power.

    If that had been the case, he wouldn¡¯t be feeling the turmoil he was.

    "Every man dreams about a subi?"

    KangWoo''s body trembled. He was flustered, angry, and annoyed.

    Subi.

    To be honest, KangWoo also had high hopes for them in the past.

    He had gotten so tired of living surrounded by horrible monsters that he had often thought he''d like to meet a subus.

    "Hahaha! That''s right! This is our belief!"

    "Do you bastards only think with the head that''s between your legs?"

    His voice trembled.

    He felt the thoughts of the past, the trauma, returning.

    KangWoo was flustered the first time he¡¯d seen Lilith.

    She was too different from what he thought she''d look like. She was too different. Even Balrog looked more beautiful.

    The tentacles¡­ He remembered the horrible, wiggling tentacles. He remembered the 18 eyes looking at him.

    "Don''t underestimate Hell."

    Bident¡¯s de began to twist.

    Gae Bolg, which was the result ofbining three different Authorities, emitted an ominous presence.

    "There''s no romance there."

 Chapter 107

    "Tsk. As expected, talking doesn''t work with you."

    "I don''t want to hear that from you."

    He spread the energy of the demonic energy stone through his body.

    Demonic energy gathered at the head of the spear.

    ''Kraken''s Rage.''

    He used the effect of the ck Pearl Coat, which increased his demonic energy stat by five. Thanks to that and Han Seol-ah''s buff, his stat reached 111.

    ''Woah.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    Since he''d passed 110 stats, he felt a huge difference from when it was in the range of 100~109.

    It seemed like, just like levels, stats also had a huge difference after every 10 points.

    The demonic energy filled his entire body.

    KangWoo gripped the Gae Bolg even tighter.

    He felt that he''d even be able to win a fight against Cheon MooJin.

    His whole body shuddered at the feeling of an intense force.

    Although the strength was a temporary one that resulted from the buff from Han Seol-ah and the ck Pearl Coat, he couldn''t help but get drunk on the power.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    He stomped on the ground.

    He stabbed forward with Gae Bolg, and the whip, as if it were alive, wrapped around Gae Bolg.

    ¡­But KangWoo didn''t care.

    He pulled back the spear that was wrapped with the whip.

    "H-huh?"

    Akiyama''s body was pulled toward KangWoo and rolled on the ground.

    KangWoo threw the spear at Akiyama.

    "Cardinal!"

    A Demon Cult member blocked the head of the spear.

    The spear went right through him, tearing his skin apart and piercing his bones.

    ¡ªBut it created a little bit of time.

    Akiyama rolled to the side, and the head of the spear brushed past his clothes.

    "YOOUU!!!"

    An anger-filled shout rang out.

    Akiyama aggressively swung the whip.

    The whip, surrounded by demonic energy, wrapped around KangWoo¡¯s body at a frightening speed.

    It applied such strength that it would''ve been able to tear the steel apart as if it were paper.

    ''Authority of Defense.''

    KangWoo made a fast decision.

    He dropped Gae Bolg.

    Gae Bolg scattered away in mid-air and disappeared.

    KangWoo invested all of his demonic energy into the Authority of Defense.

    His whole body was covered by darkness as if a demonic energy barrier had formed around it.

    "Hiic!"

    Akiyama''s face became red.

    Even though he''d used all of his strength, he couldn''t prate the darkness. He changed his strategy and concentrated and put more power into the whip.

    Demonic energy gathered in the whip.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    ''Yes!''

    The demonic energy gathered at one point was able to break through the demonic energy wall and deal some damage.

    Part of the skin on KangWoo''s right shoulder fell off.

    But his expression didn''t change. No, his smile got deeper.

    After being freed from the whip, KangWoo moved again.

    He didn''t have time to use the Authority of Regeneration. Instead, he used the Authority of Speed, and he shot forward and did a spin kick.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    * * *

    Although it was an attack done without a weapon, it was a kick done using the Authority of Speed.

    Akiyama''s body bounced away with a loud sound that resembled an explosion.

    The wall was destroyed, and smoke covered the entire passageway.

    KangWoo ran toward the widening fissure.

    "Stop him!"

    "Protect the fissure!"

    The Demon Cult members that were surrounding the fissure ran toward him.

    The battle against the Demon Cult members kept going on.

    Although they weren''t strong, it took time because there were so many.

    It was hard to block ten hands with just one.

    ''Damn.''

    He punched the approaching Demon Cult members with the Authority of Waves.

    Blood poured out from the Demon Cult member as his organs exploded.

    But he didn''t stop attacking.

    Like moths rushing into mes, they jumped at him without fear of death.

    ¡­And KangWoo was dyed even further.

    The duration of Kraken''s Rage was almost over.

    Akiyama was in a bad state.

    "Ah, ah¡­"

    Akiyama was in a desperate state.

    He felt his heart was being torn apart after seeing his underlings, who shared his same convictions, being defeated.

    ''If I were stronger¡­''

    He clenched his fist.

    If he were among the three cardinals who had the rank of ''Apostle of Evil,'' he would''ve been able to save his underlings from the hands of that intruder.

    He felt enraged with himself because he hadn''t been able to protect his underlings.

    "Escape."

    He grabbed the whip tighter and spoke. All members of the Demon Cult looked at him.

    "I''ll face that guy! Everyone, escape!"

    "C-Cardinal¡­!"

    "W-we can''t do that!"

    They exchanged desperate cries. He shouted with a trembling voice.

    "Don''t worry! Even if my body dies here, our beliefs, our wishes, willst forever!"

    "Ah!"

    "When do you think someone dies?! When the heart gets pierced by a spear? No! When he bes a monster after not being able to control demonic energy? No! It''s when we forget our beliefs! That''s when we die!"

    Tears flowed from the eyes of the Demon Cult members.

    Akiyama also cried along with them.

    KangWoo opened his mouth at the sight of the incredibly moving scene.

    "What bullshit."

    Akiyama frowned at the harsh criticism.

    "Don''t insult our beliefs!"

    "Don''t say things you''ve heard from an anime so seriously. You''re making me embarrassed."

    "Ugh¡­!"

    It seemed like it really was something taken out of an anime. Akiyama''s body flinched.

    "If you''re the evil character, justugh a bit like a viin and then die."

    He extended his hand andbined three different Authorities and created a greatsword that was over two meters in length.

    Although they were hot and passionate individuals you wouldn''t normally think were members of the Demon Cult, he had no intentions of going easy on them.

    They were still Demon Cult members.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine what strategies they''d used to grow their forces to the point where they could manage to summon a demon.

    Although they looked dumb, they were someone''s fear and despair at one point.

    He didn''t care what their beliefs were, that didn''t matter.

    He had things he had to do, and time was running out.

    "If your beliefs are so important, die for them."

    He raised the greatsword.

    The fissure had grown so much that it almost reached the ceiling¡­ KangWoo threw the sword at it.

    "Noo!!"

    Akiyama threw his body. ''Gram'' pierced him, and blood poured in all directions.

    "Cough! Coff!"

    "Cardinal!!"

    The remaining Demon Cult members screamed. He didn''t have time to care about them.

    KangWoo approached the fissure.

    "Ugh¡­!"

    The remaining Demon Cult members red at him but didn''t charge toward him. They took Akiyama, who was dying, and escaped.

    KangWoo looked at them escaping.

    It wasn''t hard to follow and finish them¡ªthat would be the mostfortable option.

    "Damn."

    He cursed.

    The fissure had be too big. Blocking Lilith''s summoning was more urgent.

    He approached the fissure.

    He didn''t have Han Seol-ah''s buff or Kraken''s Rage anymore.

    KangWoo concentrated the energy inside the demonic energy stone in both hands and touched the fissure.

    "Ugh¡­"

    He felt the pressure of the fissure in both hands.

    If he knew more about the demon summoning process, he would''ve been able to close the fissure more effectively, but he had no other choice than to forcefully close it at the moment.

    It was a brute way to do it, but it was effective. The fissure started to shrink in size.

    ''Good.''

    He started to have hope that he''d be able to close it. It was at that moment¡­

    <em>Squeeze- Squeeze.</em>

    Tentacles wriggled out from the fissure¡ªthey were the ¡®tentacles'' he was so familiar with. KangWoo''s face became pale.

    ''No.''

    The tentacles wriggling from the fissure touched KangWoo¡¯s body like they were savoring it.

    <em>Brrr-</em>

    The tentacles touching his body trembled.

    He felt that they were trembling from joy and excitement.

    If they trembled after tasting his body, he didn''t need to think too deeply about who they belonged to.

    - My king. I''m going right now¡­

    "No! Don''te!"

    He agonized.

    The being he didn¡¯t want to meet, shouldn¡¯t meet, the most was trying toe to Earth.

    KangWoo explosively increased the demonic energy flowing out of the demonic energy stone. He was debating opening the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    ''The Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­''

    He remembered Echidna''s voice.

    He didn''t need to think too deeply.

    ''There''s no need to block it while risking my life.''

    It was true that he didn''t want to see Lilith again¡­

    But the answer wasn''t clear if he was asked whether he would even risk his life just to not see her.

    ''I''m going to do everything I can do right now.''

    It would be stupid to risk his life for something like that.

    While suppressing the fissure with the energy inside the demonic energy stone, he used the Authority of Predation to devour the demonic energy making the fissure with his Authority.

    Demonic energy flowed into his body.

    The demonic energy of the fissure mixed with the demonic energy stone.

    ''A little bit more¡­''

    The size of the fissure grew smaller to the point that it was barely even of a size that a person could go through.

    Aahh¡­!

    He could hear Lilith agonizing. Her tentacles retreated into fissure and disappeared.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    He used all of his remaining strength and started to suppress the fissure.

    The amount of demonic energy absorbed by the Authority of Predation increased.

    ''There''s almost nothing left of the demonic energy stone.''

    Was it because he''d used too much strength?

    There was almost no demonic energy stone left in his dantian. It was hard to suppress the fissure with simple demonic energy.

    KangWoo closed his eyes and concentrated; he thought of the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style he''d learned from Kim ShiHoon.

    If there was almost nothing left of the demonic energy stone, he had to create one.

    He took the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style to an extreme.

    ¡ªHe created a demonic energy stone the moment he absorbed demonic energy with the Authority of Predation.

    As the demonic energy stone grew, he could feel his Dantian vibrating.

    ''It''s almost done.''

    He bit his lip.

    Although he was used to controlling demonic energy, using the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style was still hard.

    He felt that his veins were about to explode.

    ''A little bit more¡­!''

    <em>Tap-</em>

    The palms of his hands touched each other.

    The fissure closed.

    A blue light came out and entered the body of Kurosaki Yurie from the closed fissure.

    Her ability to ''call a being from another dimension'' seemed to be returning to her.

    "Oof, oof."

    KangWoo breathed heavily and copsed to the ground.

    Although he''d sessfully stopped Lilith''s summoning, he was tired after taking the usage of demonic energy to an extreme.

    "Oof¡­"

    He caught his breath.

    Although the process was hard, he had managed to block the summoning. KangWooy on the ground.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    "Hmm?"

    At that moment, he heard a familiar bell sound. He slowly opened his eyes as message windows popped open in front of him.

    [The demonic energy stone has reached the size necessary for the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.]

    [You''ve fulfilled all 3 necessary conditions to reach Extreme Demonic Energy Body.]

    [Body transformation is starting now.]

 Chapter 108

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    He could hear his skeleton distorting.

    His muscles were torn apart and reced with new ones.

    A huge pain spread through his body.

    It was as if his body had been torn apart and forcibly glued together again.

    "¡­"

    He remained silent and focused on the changes that were happening inside his body.

    He had to know what, exactly, the Extreme Demonic Energy Body was.

    The pain hindered him from concentrating, but it wasn''t like he couldn''t resist it.

    He was used to resisting pain.

    ''Is this the Extreme Demonic Energy Body?''

    He wasn''t sure yet, as there hadn¡¯t been many changes. Only part of his body was changing.

    His muscles toughened, and his bones hardened.

    Those were positive changes indeed, but he wasn''t sure they were great enough to be called ''Extreme Demonic Energy Body.''

    ''Hmm?''

    While he was wondering that, a new change happened.

    The energy inside the dantian started to melt into his blood. After the muscles and bones, his blood began to change.

    Blood full of demonic energy spread through his entire body.

    ''Woah.''

    The pain stopped. Instead of pain, he felt a sense of fullness that was hard to describe.

    KangWoo moved his finger.

    His body, which had no sensation until then, moved ording to his will.

    He slowly got up.

    A message window appeared.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The transformation to Extreme Demonic Energy Body has ended.]

    [All of your stats have increased by 5.]

    [The second stage to be a Demon God is beginning.]

    "Woah."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    ''All stats increased by five¡­''

    It was a satisfying number.

    He really liked that his demonic energy, which seemed like it wasn''t going to go up anytime soon, had increased by five at once.

    His demonic energy stat was at 108.

    He still couldn''t surpass 110 without the buff of Kraken''s Rage, but a change of five at once was definitely a huge change.

    The amount of demonic energy inside him had increased, simr to when the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core had weakened.

    ''But the biggest change is¡­''

    KangWoo looked at his right arm.

    The blood flowing out of his body from after he received Akiyama''s attack was ck.

    ''The demonic energy melted into my blood.''

    His muscles became thicker and his bones harder, which were positive changes¡­

    But the biggest change was that his demonic energypletely melted into his blood.

    It also wasn''t normal demonic energy, it was highly concentrated, simr to the energy inside of the demonic energy stone.

    The energy of the demonic energy stone that was only in the dantian had spread through his entire body.

    It was as if his body had be one big dantian.

    "Good."

    He was satisfied.

    It was a strength he didn''t have when he used to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies.

    The sensation of getting stronger made him excited.

    ''Then what''s the second step to bing a Demon God?''

    After he reached Extreme Demonic Energy Body, his body had changed more than he''d imagined, and he¡¯d gotten a power beyond his imagination.

    It was obvious that he''d be interested in what was next.

    KangWoo opened his status window and checked the information on the second step.

    [Information]

    Demonic Soul: Second step to bing a ''Demon God.''

    * 1st Condition: ???

    * 2nd Condition: ???

    There wasn''t any information except for the name ¡®Demonic Soul¡¯ and that he needed to fulfill two conditions.

    ''Is it the soul after the body?''

    Just like before, there wasn''t any information about the strength he would get after fulfilling the conditions for the Demonic Soul.

    KangWoo, who was looking at his status window, moved his eyes.

    Since he didn''t have any information about how to fulfill those conditions, there was no point in thinking about that anymore.

    KangWoo checked out the sixth Awakening Attribute he had gotten before.

    ¡ªIt was one set to unlock after he reached the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    [Sixth Awakening Attribute: Demonic Art of Creation (Rank: SS)]

    Effect: You can create an item that has an Authority. The more Authorities you use in the process of ''creating'' the item, the stronger the item you create.

    If you want to create a Myth Rank item or higher, you need material in that category.

    * The number of items you can create with the Demonic Art of Creation is limited to one. If you create more than one, the item you created before will be destroyed.

    "Woah."

    A short exmation left his mouth.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    ''This is quite nice!''

    Being able to create a weapon that had the power of an Authority was a huge merit.

    To create a Myth-rank item or higher, you needed to use an ingredient from that rank, which meant you didn''t need to use any special materials up to legendary rank.

    Considering how much of a difference the ck Pearl Coat had made, it was an incredibly good Attribute.

    * * *

    ''Although I''m not sure what this Attribute has to do with the Extreme Demonic Energy Body¡­''

    Even though it unlocked after reaching the Extreme Demonic Energy Body, it seemed to have no rtion with it.

    ''Is there another reason?''

    There was no way to know at that point.

    He didn''t know if the Demonic Art of Creation and Extreme Demonic Energy Body were rted, so there was no point in jumping to conclusions.

    ''That''s not important.''

    The important thing was that he''d reached the Extreme Demonic Energy Body and that he had reached a higher state thanks to that.

    Also, the sixth Awakening Attribute he''d fully unlocked was quite useful.

    Leaving his questions aside, KangWoo ced his hand over his right shoulder.

    He used the Authority of Regeneration, and his wound started to heal quickly.

    "Should I go out?"

    KangWoo turned around after recovering from his wound.

    He''d blocked Lilith''s summoning and had reached the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    Considering his level hadn''t increased, it seemed like he still had the restriction, but he''d solved two issues that had been bothering him at once.

    He was enjoying the situation so much that he wanted to dance.

    KangWoo approached the altar while whispering a song.

    ''Is she the Maiden of the Skies?''

    Based on her outer appearance, she just looked like a beautiful girl. KangWoo lifted her.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    He was about to use the Authority of Divine Power to return to the surface when the roof of the passageway was destroyed.

    "Oof, oof."

    A good-looking young man was breathing heavily; he looked at KangWoo with his eyes that had heterochromia.

    "What¡­"

    "You werete."

    "The summoning ceremony was taking ce here?" Fujimoto Ryoma asked with sharp eyes.

    KangWoo pointed to the altar with his chin.

    "As you can see."

    "How did you know that it was taking ce here¡­?"

    "Because I noticed that there were no Demon Cult members on the way up."

    "Ha. You didn¡¯t follow the n just because of that?¡±

    He seemed annoyed.

    KangWoo smirked.

    "Our role was from the beginning to cause chaos, right? Just because I didn''t go up doesn''t mean I didn''t follow the n."

    "Then you should have¡ª"

    "It was just my guess. Why would I call you when I wasn¡¯t sure about it?"

    "¡­"

    Fujimoto Ryoma closed his mouth at KangWoo¡¯s smooth answers; he was trembling as if the situation angered him.

    ''He wanted to monopolize the achievement.''

    Honestly, KangWoo knew that from the first moment he¡¯d seen him.

    KangWoo walked past Fujimoto Ryoma, who was looking at him with ring eyes.

    He didn''t have a reason to care about his intentions.

    "Ugh."

    Fujimoto Ryoma frowned.

    He red at KangWoo, who was walking in front of him while biting his lips.

    There was doubt in him; his lips pped as if he were anxious.

    He was looking around when it seemed he had made up his mind. He picked up the transmission device.

    [Urgent! I ask for support from all units! The ce is the underground passage!]

    "Are you serious?"

    [There''s a Demon Cult member infiltrated among the Korean yers! I ask for support!]

    KangWoo turned around and looked at him in disbelief.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine why Fujimoto Ryoma was saying something like that so suddenly.

    ''Has this guy gone crazy?''

    His excitement quickly vanished.

    KangWoo opened his mouth while frowning.

    "I know what you''re trying to do, but you better stop."

    "Don''t say stupid things, you filthy Demon Cult member! Let the Maiden of the Skies go!"

    "Don''t say bullshit. If you want to monopolize the goal, just do it. I don''t want to have anything to do with you."

    KangWoo passed Kurosaki Yurie to him.

    Fujimoto Ryoma stepped back and raised a strong current of wind from both hands.

    "Hmph! Don''t make excuses!"

    Unlike his anger-filled voice, he was smiling.

    "Oof¡­"

    KangWoo sighed.

    He could hear people running toward him.

    The group of Japanese yers that had taken the role of bait was running toward him. Prime Minister Yamada was among them.

    "Wh-what happened?!" Prime Minister Yamada hurriedly asked.

    "It''s just like you''re seeing. The moment I defeated the Demon Cult, this person appeared and tried to kidnap the Maiden of the Skies again!"

    "¡­"

    Before KangWoo could say anything, Fujimoto Ryoma shouted.

    Prime Minister Yamada looked at KangWoo.

    "Hmm¡­"

    Many things that Fujimoto said made no sense.

    First, Fujimoto didn''t have a trace of having fought¡­

    He also didn''t seem to be in a situation where he needed to ask for reinforcements.

    The second thing was Kurosaki Yurie''s status.

    Her clothes were too neat.

    Her hair wasn''t messy, either.

    "Prime Minister! What are you doing?!"

    "Ah, so-sorry."

    Prime Minister Yamada was surprised and shouted at the yers.

    "Catch the Demon Cult member!"

    KangWoo was surrounded by Japanese yers.

    KangWoo smirked at Prime Minister Yamada.

    "So you''re in cahoots with him."

    He had clearly felt that something was off¡ªit was obvious by looking at his expression.

    But his attitude changed after Fujimoto screamed at him.

    ''Were they prepared for a situation like this from the beginning?''

    At that point, he had no choice but to think that they were nning to make the Korean yers look like members of the Demon Cult if they saved the hostage first.

    If that wasn''t the case, there was no reason for the prime minister to be in that area instead of the bunker.

    ''Not bad.''

    It wasn''t like there were any cameras installed there that had recorded the footage.

    In situations like that, the only way to prove his innocence was via testimonies.

    But if everyone there was part of the same team, they couldbel anyone passing by as a member of the Demon Cult.

    It was a typical witch hunt.

    KangWoo began tough.

    He found the trap so cute that he wasn''t even annoyed anymore.

    ''Now that I think about it, that eye was a Myth-ranked weapon, right?''

    Susanoo''s eye¡­

    It was Fujimoto Ryoma''s trademark¡ªa weapon that was famous worldwide.

    ''Since it''s a Myth-ranked weapon, I guess it''s a Myth-ranked ingredient.''

    A deep smile appeared on his face.

    "I surrender."

    He put Kurosaki Yurie down and raised both hands.

 Chapter 109

    "What are you doing!!" Jang HyunJae shouted.

    He looked at KangWoo being dragged by Japanese yers while handcuffed.

    Fujimoto Ryoma walked to the front.

    "We wanted to ask you that. This person was a spy of the Demon Cult who tried to kidnap the Maiden of the Skies."

    "What¡­?"

    "Hmm¡­ Judging by Captain Jang HyunJae''s expression, it seemed like you were also fooled."

    Fujimoto Ryoma looked at Jang HyunJae, Baek HwaYeon, and Goo HyunMo.

    In reality, since he''d used KangWoo of being a spy from the Demon Cult, the correct thing would be to say that every Korean yer that had gone to Japan was also a member of the Demon Cult.

    ''But things would get too troublesome if I did that.''

    He was in the wrong.

    There was a difference between using an unknown yer of being a Demon Cult member and using members of an organization that worked for the government.

    ''They won''t be able to defend him easily, anyway.''

    He made a dirty smile.

    If theymitted a mistake while defending KangWoo, things could get messy between both countries.

    It would make them look as if they were trying to defend a Demon Cult member who had tried to kidnap the Maiden of the Skies.

    But more importantly, there was no way to prove his innocence.

    They knew they had no choice of winning.

    ''They''ll soon back off if they¡¯re intelligent.''

    It was a simple problem.

    Would they intertwine both countries in legal disputes because of a friendship, or would they end things with just a single sacrifice?

    There was no need to think too deeply.

    They were going to escape like a lizard dropping its tail to get away.

    "Do you have any proof¡­?"

    "I saw it, and Yamada Prime Minister also saw it. Do we need more proof?"

    "There''s no proof that both of you are lying."

    "Are you suspecting us?"

    "That¡­"

    Jang HyunJae''s expression hardened.

    Since he was the captain of the Hwarang Squad, he couldn''t easily speak what he truly thought.

    He knew what kind of trouble it could bring.

    "These bastards¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo took a step forward.

    Baek HwaYeon grabbed her shoulder.

    "Let me go."

    "YeonJoo, calm down and let''s¡­"

    "I told you to let me go."

    A strong killing intent was directed toward Baek HwaYeon.

    She brushed off Baek HwaYeon''s hands and walked toward Fujimoto Ryoma.

    "Since one of your eyes is blue, it seems that you were punched in the face and are seeing wrong. Should I also make your other eye blue?¡±

    "Haha. It seems like you¡¯re in shock. I was also surprised when this person tried to kidnap the Maiden of the Skies. We never thought that the forces of the Japanese Demon Cult had reached other countries as well."

    "How dare you bastard say such¡­"

    Red chains spread out from her wrist.

    KangWoo opened his mouth while looking at her.

    "Chae YeonJoo, stop."

    "Do you want me to remain still in this situation?" She said aggressively.

    KangWoo smirked and replied.

    "It''s okay."

    "What''s okay?! These damn monkeys are¡­!"

    "Calm down. I said it¡¯s ok, do you still believe everything went wrong?¡±

    "Ugh¡­!"

    Chae YeonJoo gulped.

    "M-Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    Han Seol-ah looked as if she were about to start crying.

    "I''ll return soon. Stay with Echidna."

    "Y-you really areing back, right?"

    "Yes."

    "KangWoo, where are you going?"

    "There has been a misunderstanding. I''lle back soon, so you can calmly wait for me, right?"

    "Yes. I''ll calmly wait for you."

    Echidna nodded.

    Unlike other people, she wasn''t worried for KangWoo.

    She was connected to him by his soul, so she knew that he really thought that the situation was nothing.

    "Did you finish saying your farewells? Seeing that so many people worry about you, it seems like you''ve hidden very well the fact that you''re a member of the Demon Cult."

    "¡­"

    "Your crimes will be revealed in front of the jury."

    Fujimoto Ryoma dragged him away.

    KangWoo followed him calmly.

    They were headed to the boat that would take them to the maind.

    KangWoo sat on the chair and closed his eyes after hopping onto the boat.

    "You seem quite calm. Do you think you have a chance of escaping?"

    "¡­"

    KangWoo remained silent.

    Fujimoto Ryoma smirked.

    "You probably already know that you''ll be thrown away in the end."

    The effort his team would have to go through to save someone was so huge that he would inevitably be thrown away.

    "The truth isn''t important. You may find the situation unfair, but don''t worry. I''ll make sure you aren''t executed."

    The truth wasn''t important. There was no way he could prove his innocence, after all.

    * * *

    KangWoo was in a jail in Tokyo designed for yers.

    Fujimoto Ryoma, who was worried he would escape, had put a mana-restricting straightjacket on him.

    KangWoo was sitting with the wall against his back after being locked up with a straitjacket that made it hard even to move a finger.

    He had difficultyying down because he was in an individual cell.

    Fujimoto Ryoma smiled while looking at him.

    "The trial is going to happen soon, so let''s meet there."

    It was a normal trial.

    Since there wasn''t evidence, the sentence would be made based on the statement of the witnesses, and all of the witnesses, including Prime Minister Yamada, were his pawns.

    The jury would also be people he personally chose.

    The only person who could tell the truth was Kurosaki Yurie, but she hadn''t regained consciousness at the moment.

    ''If everything goes well¡­''

    Fujimoto clenched his fist.

    There was a reason why he''d tried so hard to monopolize the achievement.

    ''I''ll be able to have the Maiden of the Skies in my hands.''

    He had been nning to get married to Kurosaki Yurie for a long time.

    He hadn¡¯t been able to do that until because she''d refused many times, but it would be hard to go against public opinion.

    People were sensitive toward provocative issues, and him saving her by himself was provocative enough.

    ''I can already see the news headlines.''

    ¡®¡¯

    Wasn''t one sentence enough to see the bigger picture?

    She was someone who couldn''t go against what the citizens expected of her, so she wouldn''t be able to refuse his marriage proposals any longer.

    Of course, the reason wasn''t that he was in love with her.

    She was clearly beautiful, but he wasn''t interested in someone as boring as her.

    ''If the marriage goes well¡­''

    He would be able to have Japan in his pocket.

    He was the person who represented the power of Japan, and she was the person who received the love of the people of the country.

    If they joined forces, he would be able to rece the old Emperor.

    ''I''ll show the world the power of the Japanese Empire.''

    Japan had lost its power after the Cataclysmic Day.

    The Japanese economy copsed, it had be less influential than Korea.

    Upon bing a world ranker, Fujimoto had decided to make Japan the strongest country in Asia.

    The first step toward that goal was to be the Emperor.

    "You can hire anywyer you want, although I don''t think there''s anyone who''s going to be willing to defend you."

    He turned around while making a dirty smile.

    Fujimoto turned his back and was about to leave when KangWoo opened his mouth.

    "You¡­"

    He kept talking with a cold voice.

    "You think you''re clever, right?"

    "What¡­?"

    "Do you think that everything will go ording to your ns?"

    "Ha."

    Fujimotoughed at him.

    "Of course. Isn''t it obvious? Just look at how you¡¯re behind bars right now."

    His inability to move even a finger due to the mana-locking strait jacket made him look like a bug.

    KangWooughed.

    "Five."

    "What are you talking about¡­?"

    "It¡¯s the amount of mistakes you¡¯ve already made."

    "Ha, hahaha! You''re saying some funny things!"

    He also knew that his n hadn''t been perfect.

    There were many holes in it, but still, he hadn''t made five mistakes.

    "You''re saying a lot of nonsense after being cornered."

    "Really¡­?"

    KangWoo closed his eyes while leaning against the wall.

    "You''ll soon find out, even if you don''t want to."

    "Ha¡­"

    Fujimoto clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    "Let''s see if you can maintain that arrogant attitude in the sentencing."

    Fujimoto walked out of the cell after saying thosest words.

    <em>Click-</em>

    There was a heavy silence after the door was locked.

    A CCTV was monitoring KangWoo''s cell, and the bars were made of a material that not even a ranker could break easily.

    He closed his eyes and leaned his back to the wall.

    Considering that he was locked in an infamous jail, he seemed too rxed.

    As time passed, the day set, and the night fell.

    KangWoo slowly opened his eyes.

    "Should I move?"

    KangWoo used an Authority while he mumbled.

    The energy of the demonic energy stone that had melted into his blood rose.

    It was understandable for him to think KangWoo had been made powerless after being put in a mana-restricting straitjacket.

    That was Fujimoto''s first mistake.

    ''Mana-restricting devices don''t work against me.''

    Although mana and demonic energy were simr, they were fundamentally different forces.

    A mana-restricting device did not affect him.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Projection and the Authority of Dolls.

    After doing so, his body slipped out of the straitjacket as if his soul had gone out of his body.

    He looked down.

    He saw the fake body he had created using the Authority of Dolls.

    KangWoo escaped from the jail while leaving the fake body behind.

    Although it was a ce that criminal yers couldn''t escape from due its tight security, KangWoo had no problems because he could fully use his Authorities.

    "Oof."

    The fresh night air brushed his cheeks.

    Although he''d only been locked up for half a day, he felt free.

    As he used the Authority of Sky, the bustling city of Tokyo spread beneath his feet.

    "Should I prepare for the trial?"

    Of course, he could escape like that if he wanted to.

    He could escape to Korea, buy a new identity, and live like that.

    But ying ording to another person''s n didn''t go well with his personality.

    ''Answering malice with even greater malice¡­ killing intent with even greater killing intent.''

    That was something he''d learned to survive.

    KangWoo stretched.

    They had said that the trial would take ce as soon as possible, so it was probably going to take ce in a few days.

    "I''ll have to move quickly."

    His body crossed the night sky.

 Chapter 110

    As the news rted to Kurosaki Yurie''s kidnapping became public, the whole country was shocked.

    But that onlysted for a little while.

    When the news spread that Fujimoto Ryoma had saved her, people calmed down immediately.

    The yer that you could say represented all Japanese yers had saved the Maiden of the Skies!

    All news was full of praise toward Fujimoto Ryoma, and it was even covered in foreign countries.

    Comparatively, there was almost no news that talked about KangWoo. No, he had barely been mentioned.

    Fujimoto had warned the news outlets ahead of time to stop the incident from getting bigger.

    Three days passed.

    Fujimoto, who had be a national hero, was walking toward the court.

    It was the day when the trial of Korean yer Oh KangWoo would take ce.

    "You made sure that the judge in charge of this trial is Wakabe, right?"

    "Yes!"

    "Good."

    Fujimoto smiled.

    Wakabe Nobuhito¡­

    He was a judge who had helped him a couple of times before.

    He was someone who was moderately greedy and quick-witted.

    The trial would probably go smoothly with that.

    "Prime Minister Yamada is going to be the witness."

    "Hahaha! Good."

    A testimony from the prime minister?

    Even if Wakabe weren''t on his side, he would have no choice but to sentence in his favor.

    Fujimoto felt that all of the rtionships he''d built throughout the years had formed one big castle.

    ''I''ll soon be the king of that castle.''

    He was a bit bothered by Oh KangWoo''s rxed attitude, but there wasn''t a way for him to escape from the case anymore.

    The reason why so many people had been victims of witch hunts was that there wasn''t a way for them to prove they weren''t witches in the first ce.

    ¡ªIt was the same that time as well.

    There was no way KangWoo would be able to prove that he wasn''t a member of the Demon Cult.

    ''It would be great if I had a few demonic energy stones.''

    Demonic energy stones¡­

    They were ck jewels with demonic energy concentrated inside of them used by members of the Demon Cult.

    If he''d been able to get one of those in his hands, he would''ve been able to say that KangWoo was a member of the Demon Cult more easily, but he sadly had not been able to procure one.

    ''It would be troublesome if I got used of being a Demon Cult member while trying to get one.''

    Since Prime Minister Yamada was going to be a witness, there was no way KangWoo would be able to win anyways.

    Fujimoto entered the courtroom with light steps.

    He saw Chae YeonJoo and other Korean yers ring at him.

    ''It seems like they''re really angry.''

    It was understandable. After all, their partner had unfairly beenbeled as a Demon Cult member, so it wasn''t weird for them to react like this.

    ''Seeing that they haven''t done anything for thest three days. I guess they''ve given up.''

    It really didn''t matter if they got angry.

    Nothing was going to change if they did.

    "Mr. Fujimoto Ryoma! There isn''t any information regarding this trial. Could you tell us what''s going on?"

    "Why is a trial suddenly being held for a Korean yer?"

    The reporters that had been waiting outside gathered.

    He had restricted the news outlets for thest three days, but there wasn''t a need to do that anymore.

    It was the day when the truth about the Demon Cult spy named Oh KangWoo would be revealed.

    Fujimoto replied with a smile.

    "I can give you the details before the results are out."

    "Could you at least tell us what the trial is about..."

    "It''s a trial rted to the forces that kidnapped the Maiden of the Skies. I think it would be better if you got the detailed information by yourselves."

    "If it''s the forces that kidnapped the Maiden of the Skies..."

    "The Demon Cult? Is the Demon Cult somehow rted to a Korean yer?"

    The reporters were in an uproar.

    They hadn''t been told any information beforehand, so they began making many assumptions.

    Fujimoto smiled in satisfaction and sat in ce.

    <em>Tap, Tap-</em>

    As he sat, rxed, he saw KangWoo entering.

    Although he didn''t have a mana-restricting straitjacket anymore, he still had handcuffs.

    Fujimoto red at KangWoo as he entered.

    He had already begun acting.

    Judge Wakabe entered the room and took a seat after him.

    He didn''t look good. His face was pale, and he was trembling. It was as if he was scared.

    <em>Thud, Thud-</em>

    "Th-the trial is going to start."

    Judge Wakabe turned to Fujimoto.

    "Prosecutor, testify against defendant Oh KangWoo."

    "Yes."

    The prosecutor stood up.

    "The defendant, Oh KangWoo, is a yer who participated in the n to rescue Kurosaki Yurie. While going through the north entrance gate, he suddenly moved out of the formation; then he joined the summoning ceremony that was taking ce in the basement. As Mr. Fujimoto Ryoma defeated the Demon Cult members and stopped the ceremony, KangWoo grabbed Ms. Kurosaki Yurie and tried to kidnap her."

    "What are you bastards saying?"

    <em>m-!</em>

    Chae YeonJoo angrily stood up.

    Jang HyunJae and Baek HwaYeon tried to stop her.

    Chae YeonJoo was forced to sit down by the two of them while she frowned.

    Judge Wakabe looked at KangWoo after the short incident.

    Judge Wakabe then spoke to the defendant, KangWoo, as he sat with a rxed posture.

    "D-defendant..."

    <em>ck-!</em>

    * * *

    He dropped the judge''s mallet that he was holding.

    Judge Wakabe spoke with a pale face.

    "I¡­ I''m sorry!"

    He said sorry to an unknown person.

    He quickly grabbed the mallet again and took a deep breath.

    He spoke in a trembling voice without being able to look properly at KangWoo.

    "Then we''re going to continue with the trial. D-defendant, yourwyer..."

    "I don''t have one."

    "Then do you have something to say in your defense?"

    "I''m not a Demon Cult member."

    "..."

    There was a heavy silence.

    "Is¡­ is that it?"

    "Yes."

    KangWoo nodded with a smile on his face.

    "Pff!"

    Fujimoto Ryoma covered his mouth and tried to hold in hisughter.

    ''Is that what he calls a defense?''

    The only possible exnation at that point was that Oh KangWoo was stupid.

    The uneasiness Fujimoto hadpletely disappeared.

    He had won the trial. There was no way he''d lose.

    It was a game where the winner had been decided from the beginning. The trial was just a formality.

    "Prime Minister Yamada will now testify."

    "Witness, please enter."

    Prime Minister Yamada walked toward the witness''s seat.

    "Hmm?"

    Fujimoto tilted his head.

    Prime Minister Yamada was acting weird¡ªhis face was pale, and he was trembling.

    ''Did something happen yesterday with Judge Wakabe?''

    Both looked to be in somewhat simr states.

    ''Well, since they''re both old, I guess there''s nothing that can be done about it.''

    It wasn''t weird for their health to deteriorate since neither one of them was an Awakener.

    Fujimoto waited calmly for the prime minister¡¯s testimony.

    The reporters also looked at Prime Minister Yamada with shining eyes.

    "T..."

    Prime Minister Yamada spoke with a trembling voice.

    "I want to reveal something I''ve been hiding."

    "Hmm...?"

    Fujimoto frowned.

    That was an unexpected development.

    "I''m... being threatened by Fujimoto Ryoma."

    "What?!"

    "Wh-What''s going on?"

    "What did he say?"

    There was a hugemotion in the courtroom.

    Prime Minister Yamada took a glimpse at KangWoo and kept talking.

    "Fujimoto Ryoma is using the Korean yer of being a Demon Cult member to hide his identity. Korean yer Oh KangWoo is just a victim of his evil n."

    "WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU SAYING?!"

    <em>m-!</em>

    Fujimoto stood up.

    People''s attention became focused on him. After noticing that the reporters were looking at him, he took a deep breath.

    "Oof... Prime Minister, what are you saying so suddenly? Hiding my identity? What are you talking about?"

    "Fujimoto Ryoma is..."

    Prime Minister Yamada gulped.

    His nervous voice spread through the courtroom.

    "He is a Demon Cult member. In reality, the one who kidnapped Kurosaki Yurie was Fujimoto."

    "Wh-what? You bastard, what are you saying..."

    "P-Prime Minister! What do you mean?!"

    "Tell us more details!"

    The reporters stood up.

    Fujimoto Ryoma was the one who kidnapped Kurosaki Yurie?

    Rather than a bomb, that was a saying closer to a natural disaster.

    "To be honest, I''ve known that for a very long time. But... Fujimoto Ryoma said that if I revealed this truth, he''d use all my family members as offerings for a demon."

    "What. Has this old man gone crazy...?"

    Fujimotoughed in disbelief.

    It was true that Prime Minister Yamada was his underling¡­

    But he had never taken his family hostage; he also wasn''t the one who had kidnapped Kurosaki Yurie.

    The ones who had kidnapped the Maiden of the Skies were the members of the Demon Cult.

    ''Just what''s going on?''

    He couldn''t understand it.

    Why was Prime Minister Yamada trying to convince the jury he was a member of the Demon Cult?

    He couldn''t think of a single reason.

    His mind started to be messy at the unexpected development of things.

    "Prime Minister! Is what you''ve just said true?"

    "How can you exin the way that Mr. Fujimoto rescued the hostage?"

    "I also have something to say regarding that. The one who saved the Maiden of the Skies wasn''t Fujimoto, but the Korean yer that is sitting there, Mr. Oh KangWoo. Fujimoto is a spy who spread false information. He said that the summoning ceremony was taking ce on the top floor when, in reality, it was happening underground."

    There was a huge uproar again. A few reporters even dropped their recorders.

    "DON''T SAY BULLSHIT! EVERYONE! THIS IS A SETUP! PRIME MINISTER YAMADA HAS LOST HIS MIND!"

    The uproar became bigger.

    KangWoo looked as if he found the uproar fun. He tried his best to hold hisughter.

    ''This was your second mistake.''

    He had an Authority that allowed him to make people his pawns.

    Fujimoto''s n of trying to use another person to make him the culprit would fail as long as he could control the other person.

    ''You shouldn''t have used Prime Minister Yamada as a witness.''

    Prime Minister Yamada was a normal person and not an Awakener.

    He had no way to resist being controlled by an Authority.

    If he needed a witness, it would''ve been better to use one of the yers that hade along with the Prime Minister the day before.

    "YOU CRAZY OLD MAN...! DO YOU HAVE ANY EVIDENCE? HUH?! DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING?!"

    Fujimoto screamed as if he were about to have a seizure. Prime Minister Yamada nodded.

    "I have evidence. Everyone, please, look at this. This is something I found at Fujimoto''s residence."

    "What...?"

    Fujimoto looked dumbfounded.

    KangWoo couldn''t hold it back anymore and let out a lightugh.

    The demonic energy stone was an item that only members of the Demon Cult could use and create.

    But¡­

    ''I can also make them.''

    That was his third mistake.

    ¡ªHe didn''t know that KangWoo could also create demonic energy stones.

 Chapter 111

    "Ha, hahaha!! This is funny."

    Fujimotoughed out loud and then red at Prime Minister Yamada.

    Although his mouth wasughing, a chilling killing intent leaked from his eyes.

    "Ugh..."

    Prime Minister Yamada trembled.

    He looked at KangWoo and gulped.

    Fujimoto''s killing intent was scary¡­

    But it was nothingpared to the fear he felt for KangWoo.

    KangWoo was controlling him with the Authority of Fear, so he was someone that Yamada couldn¡¯t refuse.

    Prime Minister Yamada tried to calm down and waited for Fujimoto''s reply.

    "Leaving the fact that you searched my house without permission aside... How can you prove the demonic energy stone came from there?"

    He wasn''t sure from where he had gotten a demonic energy stone¡­

    But it was meaningless to bring out a demonic energy stone and say, ¡°Hey, I found this in your house.¡±

    It wasn''t that different from someone who wasn¡¯t a police officer bringing out some drugs and saying, ¡°I searched your house and found this.¡±

    Of course, it was true that Prime Minister Yamada''s authority was higher than a police officer¡¯s, but Fujimoto was considered a national hero, so he also had quite the authority.

    "I asked a trustworthy guild to search it, so they''re going to testify to what I''m saying."

    "A trustworthy guild...?"

    Fujimoto frowned.

    There wasn''t a guild big enough to be considered ''trustworthy¡¯ in Japan.''

    The average level of yers was too low for that.

    But for him to suddenly say that he''d ask a trustworthy guild to perform the search?

    "What are you s¡ª"

    "These are the people who were in charge of searching Fujimoto''s residence."

    <em>Click-</em>

    The courtroom¡¯s door swung open.

    Everyone''s attention became centered on the people who opened the door and entered the room.

    There was a huge uproar in the courtroom.

    "Th-Thousand Sword Gate!"

    "Why is Cheon SooYeon here...?!"

    The person who had entered the room was a woman with double buns.

    Seductive energy flowed out of her, even if she just stood still.

    Cheon SooYeon¡­

    She was the daughter of the leader of China''s biggest guild, the Thousand Sword Gate.

    "Nice to meet you. I''m the person in charge of investigating Fujimoto Ryoma''s alleged involvement with the Demon Cult."

    She stood before the testimony seat without the judge¡¯s permission and smiled as she opened her mouth.

    She spoke in smooth Japanese.

    "I heard details about this case from Prime Minister Yamada three days ago when Kurosaki Yurie''s kidnapping incident ended."

    "Wh-why did China suddenly get¡ª"

    "Wait, could I receive questions once I''m done talking?"

    "Ah, yes... I''m sorry."

    A heavy silence fell over the courtroom that had been noisy until a few moments before.

    As expected of the daughter of Cheon MooJin, Cheon SooYeon had impressive charisma.

    She looked at KangWoo and slightly licked her lips.

    "Prime Minister Yamada said that he felt guilty about Fujimoto Ryoma being considered a hero after supposedly saving the Maiden of the Skies, and he also asked for help from us so that his real self could be revealed to the entire world."

    "WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU SAYING?"

    Fujimoto''s angry voice spread through the room.

    Cheon SooYeon ignored him.

    "We, the Thousand Sword Gate, know very well about the dangers of the Demon Cult. So after hearing that the real identity of someone praised as a world ranker was, in reality, a member of the Demon Cult, we couldn''t remain still. That''s why, after Prime Minister Yamada asked for our cooperation, we secretly searched through Fujimoto''s house."

    "W-wait. What are you saying?"

    "And the result..."

    Cheon SooYeon''s expression darkened.

    With just a simple change of expression, the atmosphere of the courtroom became tense.

    The technique she used to y with people''s feelings was being used in another way.

    "Fujimoto Ryoma is indeed a member of the Demon Cult. We found many items that contain demonic energy inside his house."

    "YOU CRAZY BITCH!!"

    Fujimoto shouted as if he was about to have a seizure.

    He felt his mind turning nk. The situation was developing in a totally unexpected way.

    ''Wh-what''s going on?''

    The situation waspletely different from when Prime Minister Yamada said they''d found a demonic energy stone in his house.

    She was part of the Thousand Sword Gate¡­

    China''s biggest, no, Asia''s biggest and strongest guild!

    If they said they''d done the research, it had another level of trustworthiness.

    ''Why did the Thousand Sword Gate get involved?''

    No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. Why had the Thousand Sword Gate gotten involved in such a case?

    ''If things go like this...''

    His face turned pale.

    He started breathing heavily.

    He would be considered a Demon Cult member if things continued like that, and there was nothing he could do about it.

    He knew that, but he still couldn''t do anything.

    The person being used of being a witch during a witch hunt had no way to prove her innocence.

    ¡ªIt was the same with the Demon Cult.

    You had no way to prove that you weren''t part of the Demon Cult.

    Don''t have demonic energy?

    People in the Demon Cult with the rank of cardinal or above had a way of hiding the demonic energy inside their heartspletely.

    The only way to tell if someone was a member of the Demon Cult was to take out their heart.

    "Damn!"

    He couldn''t help but curse. The whole situation was unfair. He wasn''t a member of the Demon Cult, he had never even tried to be a member.

    He had kidnapped the Maiden of the Skies and leaked fake information to interfere with the n to rescue her?

    It was all a lie.

    But he couldn''t find a way to prove his innocence.

    As if she were giving the final blow, she said,

    "I''ll swear in the name of the Thousand Sword Gate that everything I said about this case is true. Fujimoto Ryoma, that evil person''s real identity, is a member of the Demon Cult."

    * * *

    The people focused on Fujimoto Ryoma.

    "N-no¡­"

    He spoke with a weak voice.

    Even if he denied it, he knew he wouldn''t be able to turn the situation back in his favor.

    "I said no!"

    "We, the Thousand Sword Gate, will thoughtfully investigate that. Judge, can you give an arrest order on Fujimoto Ryoma?"

    Cheon SooYeon turned her head to judge Wakabe.

    Judge Wakabe nodded.

    "O-okay. I approve the arrest order on Fujimoto Ryoma!"

    <em>ng-! ng!</em>

    The judge''s mallet made a loud noise.

    It was a weird conclusion that had nothing to do with what the trial was really about, but things were so messy and confusing that no one said anything about it.

    "You..."

    He bit his lips while frowning.

    His anger-filled eyes naturally moped to KangWoo.

    KangWoo looked like someone who was just observing a fire on the opposite side of the river..

    If someone next to him gave him popcorn, he would probably eat it.

    ''Looks like things are about over.''

    KangWoo leaned his back on the chair.

    Fujimoto''s fourth mistake¡­

    He¡¯d probably thought KangWoo was an anonymous yer who didn''t have connections with anyone.

    ''Although I ended up owing her one.''

    He remembered Cheon SooYeon licking her lips while looking at him.

    It wasn''t that he¡¯d asked her to be part of the lie¡­

    She really thought that Fujimoto Ryoma was a member of the Demon Cult.

    KangWoo had called her through Prime Minister Yamada and then hidden the demonic energy stone inside of Fujimoto''s house.

    She¡¯d epted Prime Minister Yamada''s request and defended him while putting the name of the Thousand Sword Gate on the line because she believed KangWoo was being med for something he hadn¡¯t done.

    ''Well, she was of great help anyway.''

    Her words were the nail in the coffin.

    Fujimoto couldn''t escape anymore.

    "Everyone! I''m innocent! The Thousand Sword Gate is using shady tactics to devour Japan! Don''t get fooled, they''re Chinese! You know what kind of race they are, right?!"

    ''Pathetic.''

    KangWoo clicked his tongue while looking at Fujimoto Ryoma being cornered.

    They had the evidence and authority to prove that what they were saying was true.

    He wouldn''t be able to turn the situation upside down just because they were foreigners.

    <em>Click-</em>

    At that moment, the door opened, and a woman entered the courtroom.

    "Huh...?"

    "Ms. K-Kurosaki Yurie?!"

    Kurosaki Yurie.

    She suddenly appeared in the courtroom despite having been in a hospital bed for the past three days.

    KangWoo frowned a bit.

    ''Why did shee here?''

    That wasn¡¯t part of his n. He began feeling uneasy at the appearance of an unexpected character.

    "First, I want to say sorry to the people for all the worries I''ve caused."

    She bowed down.

    She had a neat appearance and a clear voice, and she moved gracefully and elegantly.

    She was a woman that made you think of purity.

    "As the origin of this conflict, I came here to say something."

    She looked at KangWoo.

    He couldn''t understand why, but he suddenly felt chills.

    "The person who saved me was the Korean yer sitting there."

    "B-but ording to the witness, you were unconscious at the moment..."

    "I had a bit of consciousness. I don''t remember the details very well... but there''s one thing I''m sure about¡ªFujimoto Ryoma didn''t save me."

    "..."

    There was a heavy silence.

    If the Thousand Sword Gate had hammered in the nails, with what she said, she had basically put Fujimoto Ryoma inside the coffin.

    "Ah, ah..."

    Fujimoto copsed as if he''d lost all hope.

    KangWoo looked at Kurosaki Yurie, confused.

    ''Weird¡­''

    Kurosaki Yurie hadn¡¯t been conscious during the kidnapping incident.

    She had a bit of consciousness?

    If that was the case, there was no way he wouldn''t have been aware of it.

    His senses weren''t dull enough to not realize if someone he''d picked up was conscious or not.

    ''Why is she lying?''

    He couldn''t understand her actions.

    KangWoo hadn''t used a controlling Authority on her.

    No, to be more precise, he couldn''t. After all, Kurosaki Yurie was a ranker-level yer who had finished the ninth Awakening, so controlling-type Authorities wouldn''t work on her.

    That meant it had been done of her own volition.

    ''I heard she was someone who does what''s best for the citizens¡­''

    Fujimoto Ryoma was, for the Japanese citizens, someone akin to a hero.

    She should¡¯ve known how much the Japanese people needed a hero-like being at the moment.

    If she really cared about the citizens, the most reasonable thing would''ve been to defend Fujimoto Ryoma or at least maintain the silence.

    It would be the same if she were conscious while KangWoo saved her.

    ''To rify the truth?''

    ¡®No way.¡¯

    ¡®This isn''t a manhwa.¡¯

    The truth wasn''t important¡ªthe important thing was stuff that seemed real.

    Taking into ount that what seemed real was fabricated, and what would be most convenient for her¡­

    Kurosaki Yurie had nothing to gain by supporting KangWoo.

    ''What''s going on?''

    He couldn''t think too much. A strong current of wind ran through the courtroom and shook the entire ce while making a loud noise.

    "AAGGHH!"

    Fujimoto destroyed the walls of the courtroom while screaming out in frustration. His body rose into the skies and disappeared instantly.

    "H-hey!"

    "Grab him!"

    The knights Cheon SooYeon had brought followed him.

    KangWoo stood up.

    <em>Crack- </em>He easily destroyed the mana-restraining handcuffs.

    "Mr. K-KangWoo!"

    "Hey! Wh-what''s going on?!"

    Chae YeonJoo and Han Seol-ah ran toward him.

    "I''ll tell youter. There''s still something I have to do."

    "Something you have to do...?"

    KangWoo nodded and walked in the direction that Fujimoto had escaped to.

    "Return to the hotel first. I''ll be back around night time, so let''s go eat something together then. Oh, I want to eat sushi, so please, find me somewhere that''s good."

    "What are you saying in this situation¡­?"

    Before Chae YeonJoo could finish her sentence, KangWoo used the Authority of Sky and levitated.

    His body quickly disappeared from sight.

    "..."

    The remaining people continued staring at the wall through which Fujimoto had escaped.

    * * *

    <em>Tap-</em>

    KangWoonded on the building¡¯s rooftop. It was one of Japan¡¯s rare high-rise buildings.

    After he waited, standing still on the rooftop, something approached him quickly from the sky.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    A thick fog rose.

    Fujimoto Ryoma appeared from within the fog. His expression was distorted with anger, frustration, and resentment.

    "You motherfucker..."

    "This is the fifth."

    "What...?"

    KangWooughed lightly.

    "This is your fifth mistake."

 Chapter 112

    "..."

    "If you wanted to kill the dog after the hunt was over, you should''ve known how to differentiate a dog from a lion."

    He was making fun of him.

    Fujimoto''s face became red.

    He started breathing heavily and raised his hands.

    A spear made of wind was created and shot toward KangWoo in the blink of an eye.

    <em>Pang''!</em>

    KangWoo used the Authority of Defense, and the ck wall that was created around him destroyed the wind spear.

    "I''ll kill you. I''ll tear you apart. I''ll give you a painful death!"

    "Oof... You''re quite disappointing."

    "Disa¡­ ppointing?"

    "To be honest, I had high hopes because your concept was kind of okay."

    "What are you talking about?" Fujimoto asked in a low voice.

    KangWoo rxedly began warming up.

    "The type of viin that looks like a kind person but actually controls everything from behind the scenes. I really like people like you, but..."

    He clicked his tongue.

    "Your mask fell off too easily. Baek KangHyun did a better job than you."

    "..."

    "The idea was okay. The intentions weren''t bad, either, but youck in the mental department. This is why you shouldn''t try to do things like this if you''re stupid."

    "You m¡ª"

    "You always curse when you have nothing to say; that''s also disappointing. I''m getting bored of such reactions. Oof... Yes, Even Akiyama was better than you."

    KangWoo really seemed disappointed.

    It was as if he were asking Fujimoto if it was the best he could do.

    "You''re disappointed...?"

    Fujimoto¡¯s body trembled, and he felt his mouth bing dry. It was as if his insides were about to turn upside down.

    He felt miserable.

    His n to use KangWoo hadpletely been flipped on its side.

    The person that he had tried to use was even asking him if he had really done the best he could.

    Uncontroble anger spread through his body.

    "Ugh, ah."

    Fujimoto couldn''t even speak properly; he just mumbled words that he couldn¡¯t form a sentence with.

    Everything in front of him turned nk.

    Blue light started to leak out from his left ''Susanoo''s Eye,'' .

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    A strong and heavy current of wind blew from his eye.

    The strength of a myth-ranked item was being shown.

    "AAAGGGHHH!"

    He screamed.

    Tens of wind spears were created that targeted KangWoo.

    "Yes, this is better. Don''t try to act as if everything is okay and end up looking more pathetic."

    KangWoo smiled.

    He waved his hand, and a ck curtain made of demonic energy appeared and deflected the wind spears away.

    "I have to go and eat, so let''s end things quickly. Oh, yeah. Do you know a ce that prepares good sushi? I came all the way to Japan, so I wanted to eat it at least once.¡±

    "How much are you going to make fun of me?!"

    "No, I''m asking you because I really wanna know. You were quite sessful here in Japan, so you should know lots of good ces to eat, right? It''s okay if it''s expensive. I have a lot of money."

    "I''ll kill you! I''ll kill you so painfully that you''ll regret being alive!"

    "You''re really mad, huh? Okay, I understood. My mistake. Your n was scarily perfect. I recognize that I won because of a small difference. You were more perfect than any other opponent I''ve faced until now, so please tell me a good sushi¡ª"

    "AAGGHH!"

    Fujimoto leaped forward.

    A highly concentrated wind gathered around his fist, and hetwisted his body and threw a punch. A condensed wind flew in KangWoo¡¯s direction.

    It was an attack that not even KangWoo could ignore.

    ''If this were before I obtained Extreme Demonic Energy Body¡­''

    KangWoo pushed his body backward as if he were falling and concentrated the Authority of Divine Power on his right foot. He kicked the concentrated wind as if he were doing an overhead kick, redirecting it as a loud sound echoed out.

    KangWoo concentrated the Authority of Waves into his hand and shot it forward. The attack tore through the air.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    Both attacks shed against each other and a huge explosion boomed out.

    "Ugh...!"

    Fujimoto was pushed back.

    After being pushed back, he levitated¡ªit was an attribute of the OP item that controlled the wind, ''Susanoo''s Eye''.

    The most effective way to use it was to fight from a distance that the opponent couldn¡¯t reach you at.

    "I never thought I would have to fight in the skies while on Earth."

    But for KangWoo, that didn''t make any difference.

    He used the Authority of Sky and took flight.

    He was used to fighting while flying since there were lots of demons that could fly.

    "Hiic!"

    Fujimoto started to be desperate.

    He threw lots of wind spears toward KangWoo, but not even one was able to hit him.

    "What the?!"

    His eyes widened.

    * * *

    He was so surprised that his mouth fell open.

    It wasn''t that he made a mistake while attacking¡­

    KangWoo''s movements were too erratic.

    It was as if inertia didn''t exist; he easily took a 90-degree turn.

    "You won''t be able to win against me in the sky."

    KangWoo closed in on him.

    KangWoo could ignore inertia, so there was no way Fujimoto would be able to fight against him.

    KangWoo stepped on thin air and put his hands together as he smashed down on Fujimoto with the Authority of Divine Power.

    "Ugh!"

    Fujimoto''s left eye shone.

    At that moment¡­

    A giant hand appeared in the air and hit KangWoo.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    He was pushed backward.

    The impact shook his body. KangWoo used the Authority of Sky again and stopped in mid-air. He raised his head.

    A giant made of wind had appeared behind Fujimoto.

    "Woah."

    He looked at it with great interest.

    The upper half of the wind giant easily exceeded 20 meters, and a strong mana emanated from its body.

    ''No, it isn''t just made of mana¡­''

    It felt a bit different from the mana he''d felt until then.

    It was a power that was different from mana and demonic energy.

    ''Is this the strength that the gods that appear in myths and legends have?''

    It was a type of power he''d never felt before.

    Unlike the destructive demonic energy or the embracing mana, it felt mysterious and overwhelming.

    "How fun."

    A deep smile appeared on KangWoo''s face.

    The proper way to call it was probably Divine Power.

    He boiled in excitement and clenched his fist. Intense demonic energy rose from within his body.

    A different world from Hell¡­

    A power that came from a world where the gods that appeared in myths and legends lived¡­

    He wanted to see how far he could go against a strength like that.

    "Oof! Oof!"

    Fujimoto started to breathe heavily.

    He felt a burning pain in his left eye.

    "Ugh...!"

    Descent of God¡­

    It was a technique that allowed him to summon Susanoo in the modern world through Susanoo''s eye.

    Summoning a God through ¡®Descent of God'' had a strength fitting its name, but maintaining it consumed lots of mana.

    ''I must end it quickly...!''

    He wanted to kill KangWoo slowly, but he didn''t have time to do that anymore.

    He could only maintain Susanoo for a minute with the mana he had left.

    If he couldn''t kill his opponent in that time frame, his life would be dragged out, and he''d die.

    "KILL THAT BASTARD!!" He ordered Susanoo.

    Susanoo, who was summoned to the modern world, looked at his opponent.

    [You...]

    His voice trembled.

    Susanoo realized that KangWoo wasn''t a simple human being¡ªhe realized he was an extraterrestrial being who was able to ovee his mortality.

    His sight focused on the left side of KangWoo¡¯s chest.

    [Ah, ahh...]

    A thrill¡­

    A wave-like thrill made Susanoo tremble. He''d seen the deep energy within KangWoo¡¯s chest.

    [I see. You''re the one ... talked about.]

    Susanoo raised his hand, and a spear made of wind appeared in it.

    He kept talking with a trembling voice.

    [The power that the owner of the Demonic Sea has¡­ I''m going to put it to the test here.]

    A strong fighting spirit leaked out of Susanoo''s body.

    Fujimoto, who was maintaining him, vomited blood.

    "What is he saying?"

    KangWoo frowned. It seemed like the giant made of wind was saying something, but he was speaking in anguage he couldn''t understand.

    KangWoo thought about using the Authority of Trantion, but he shook his head.

    ''This isn''t time to be chitchatting.''

    Judging by how fighting spirit wasing out of Susanoo, it seemed like peace wasn''t an option.

    ¡ªAnd that was also what KangWoo wanted.

    "I never thought the day woulde when I¡¯d have to fight a god.¡±

    He became expectant.

    Of course, Fujimoto probably hadn¡¯t summoned the god¡¯s real body.

    He was only able to summon the upper half, and most of it was made of mana.

    But even so, the thought of fighting a god made his heart beat faster.

    Susanoo picked up a spear. It seemed like he wasn''t nning to drag on the fight. A huge amount of mana started to gather around the spear.

    "A spear¡­"

    KangWoo smiled.

    The spear was one of the weapons he was most used to controlling. He extended his hand, and the Authority of Hellfire and Dark Spear fused.

    ''Bident.''

    A spear with two des was created.

    It wasn''t enough.

    ''Gae Bolg.''

    The Authority of Spation was added on top of it. After the three Authorities fused, a dark red spear showed itself.

    ''Not enough.''

    He became thirsty, and he felt his mouth getting dry.

    The demonic energy within his blood began running wild. KangWoo added a fourth Authority on top of Gae Bolg.

    ''Authority of the Storm.''

    It was an idea he¡¯d gotten after looking at Susanoo.

    A strong, rotating wind appeared on Gae Bolg¡¯s de.

    A spear that was made by fusing four different Authorities¡­

    It was abination that he hadn''t seen before.

    ''What should I call it?''

    He gripped the spear tighter.

    He began thinking of different weapons that appeared in myths and legends before he thought of a good name.

    "Gungnir¡­"

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve obtained the skill, ''Gungnir.'']

    [You can use techniques registered as skills more easily.]

    The spear, which now had a name, started to tremble.

    Although it looked different from the real Gungnir, that didn''t matter.

    After all, naming it was just a way to make the image clearer while creating it.

    [Come!] Susanoo shouted.

    Although he couldn''t understand him, KangWoo felt he knew what Susanoo wanted.

    "Okay."

    He had no intentions of avoiding conflict. KangWoo gripped Gungnir tighter and stepped forward aggressively.

    Susanoo''s spear and Gungnir shed against each other.

    As two terrifying powers shed, a sound loud enough to make your eardrums explode spread.

    And¡­

    <em>Boom-!!!</em>

    Gungnir pierced the heart of a giant that appeared in myth and legend.

 Chapter 113

    "Cough! Ugh!"

    Fujimoto extended his hand.

    His body was trembling. It looked as if he were trying to grab something, and his skin dried up.

    Mana exhaustion¡­

    He''d used all of his mana to summon and maintain Susanoo.

    His body fell to the ground.

    KangWoo caught the falling Fujimoto.

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo put Fujimoto down on the roof. Fujimoto was approaching death without KangWoo even having done anything.

    "Cough! A, Aaah! H, help me¡­ Help m¡­"

    He desperately begged.

    Tears dripped from his eyes.

    He was paying the price of Susanoo dying.

    He twisted his body as if he were having a seizure.

    His skin began to sag and dry out..

    He was dying miserably, like a vampire without blood.

    It wasn¡¯t something that normal mana exhaustion would have usually caused.

    "It seems like the price for summoning a god is quite high."

    KangWoo looked coldly at the dying Fujimoto. Susanoo, a god that lived in a ce that wasn''t either Earth or Hell¡­

    ''He was strong.''

    Their fight was short.

    Susanoo hadn''t shown a strength he wasn''t capable of dealing with¡­

    But considering that Susanoo hadn''t shown his full power, he definitely had strength worthy of a ''god.''

    KangWoo wasn''t sure he would''ve been able to win if Susanoo had all of his strength.

    "If the Gaia System keeps getting weaker¡­ will guys like him appear on Earth¡­?"

    KangWoo frowned.

    He couldn''t think of something worse than the gods appearing on Earth with all of their strength.

    "Maybe the Demon Cult isn''t going to be the only problem¡­"

    There was a chance that beings more troublesome than the Demon Cult would appear on Earth.

    The best solution was to repair the Gaia System that he''d damaged¡­

    But he still hadn''t found any clues on how to do that.

    ''The only thing I can do now¡­''

    KangWoo opened his status window.

    "A Demon God¡­"

    He read the sentence that said, ''Second Step to Bing a Demon God.''

    He wasn''t sure how many steps he had toplete, but it seemed like, once he fulfilled all of them, he would be a being simr to a god.

    ''The system hasn''t lied until now.''

    He wasn''t sure what the logic behind it was, but he was sure he could trust the yer system.

    ''Although it''s a bit cringey that I need to be a god in order to stop gods.''

    Anyway, he couldn''t deny that, to be able to face a foreign entity, he had to be as strong as them.

    "Tsk."

    He clicked his tongue. Like restoring the Gaia System, which he couldn''t see a way to do, he also wasn''t sure how to fulfill the second step, ''Demonic Soul.''

    ''If it''s something I can do right now¡­''

    KangWoo walked toward Fujimoto''s corpse.

    Although he had dried like a mummy, his left eye was in a perfect state.

    KangWoo grabbed the left eye.

    Susanoo''s Eye¡­

    ¡ªIt was the name of the myth-ranked equipment.

    "But how did this guy equip this? Did he take out his eye and put it in himself?"

    If that was the case, he had to recognize Fujimoto''s willpower.

    It wasn''t easy to make the decision to take out your own eye.

    <em>Melt-</em>

    The eye became dust and scattered away as if it were answering his question.

    There was a blue sphere about the size of a ping-pong ball there.

    "Ah, I see."

    It seemed like he hadn''t taken out his own eye.

    KangWoo took the blue sphere and put it near his left eye.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [This item has already been bound to another user.]

    "As expected, I won''t be able to use it."

    He had expected that to happen. KangWoo put Susanoo''s Eye away.

    After all, what he needed was the myth-rank ingredient that was inside Susanoo''s Eye.

    ¡ªHe could use that to create an item using the ''Demonic Art of Creation.''

    ''Should I go back?''

    He hadn''t seen Echidna and Han Seol-ah for the past three days because he''d been preparing to get revenge on Fujimoto.

    It was quite lonely to be apart from the two people that he had gotten used to seeing daily.

    It almost reminded him of the lonely days he¡¯d spent in Hell.

    * * *

    The group was staying in a three-star business hotel in Tokyo.

    Considering the influence Chae YeonJoo, Jang HyunJae, and Baek HwaYeon had, it was kind ofckluster.

    They''d probably picked a cheap hotel because KangWoo had been in prison.

    They¡¯d probably thought that it would be wrong for them to stay in a luxury hotel while he was in jail.

    ''¡­Although I''m not so self-centered.''

    He smiled bitterly and walked into the hotel.

    The group that was waiting in the lobby came running toward him.

    "Hey! Where have you been?!"

    "I went to finish things."

    "Finish¡­?"

    "Yes. I had to give as much as I received."

    KangWoo sat in a chair that was in the lobby and exined things.

    He wasn''tpletely honest with them.

    Just like Cheon SooYeon was thinking, he told them that Fujimoto was really a member of the Demon Cult.

    "Then did you know that Fujimoto Ryoma was a member of the Demon Cult from the beginning?"

    "No, I realized that for the first time when I was underground. I just took some revenge after seeing how they were trying to use me of being a Demon Cult member."

    "Why didn''t you tell us¡­?"

    "Because I had no time."

    "But still!"

    <em>m-!</em>

    Chae YeonJoo angrily hit the table.

    KangWoo smiled.

    * * *

    "Calm down."

    "How can I calm down?! You were about to bebeled as a member of the Demon Cult!"

    "But things worked out in the end."

    "That''s not the point¡­"

    <em>Tap.</em> Han Seol-ah grabbed her shoulder.

    "Ms. YeonJoo, calm down. Just like Mr. KangWoo said, things worked out."

    "But still¡­"

    "I think he followed them because he already had a n."

    Chae YeonJoo rxed after hearing her calm exnation.

    She crossed her legs and put them on top of the table.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    Han Seol-ah sat next to him and ced her hands on his thigh while making a sad expression.

    "Once again¡­ I wasn''t of help. I''m sorry."

    "I didn''t need help."

    "But still¡­"

    Han Seol-ah smiled bitterly.

    "Could I¡­ be of help to you one day?"

    "¡­"

    It was a faint voice.

    It sounded as if it were about to break.

    KangWoo looked into Han Seol-ah''s eyes.

    ''She really wasn¡¯t of much help.''

    He couldn''t deny that.

    She wasn''t as helpful as Kim ShiHoon, Chae YeonJoo, Cheon SooYeon, or Echidna¡­

    But still¡­

    "Do you need to be helpful?"

    "What¡­?"

    "I don''t care about the pros and cons of living with you."

    He was, by nature, a calctive person¡ªhe wouldn''t do something he couldn''t benefit from.

    But in the case of Han Seol-ah, it was different.

    He didn''t think of her as a cook who prepared delicious meals for him nor did he think of her as a tool to satisfy his desires.

    If he had thought of her like that, he wouldn''t have asked her to move in with him when he¡¯d gotten the apartment near Seoul station.

    She was like family to him.

    He didn''t spend time with her to gain something; he just enjoyed his time with her.

    ''Although I can''t say that to her.''

    It was the first time in his life that he had someone he wanted to call ''family.''

    That was something he hadn''t felt for thest ten thousand years, even before falling to Hell, he''d never experienced something like that.

    It felt weird and awkward.

    It was understandable that he would have problems expressing himself.

    ''If other people heard this, they would be frustrated.''

    They might even hit their chest as if they had eaten hot sweet potatoes.

    There was nothing he could do about it.

    He wasn''t god. He wasn''t perfect, and he wasn''t good at everything.

    "I¡­ I also don''t care about things like that!" Han Seol-ah shouted in quite a loud voice.

    She lowered her head while blushing. You could see that the tips of her mouth were going up.

    "Leave the TV drama for when you two are alone," Chae YeonJoo said in a sharp voice. She moved her legs in annoyance as if she didn''t like what she was seeing.

    "Hey, you said you wanted to go eat sushi, right?"

    "Yes."

    "Follow me. I know somewhere good."

    Chae YeonJoo stood up and looked at everyone just nkly staring at her.

    "What is everyone doing?"

    "Hahaha. It''s my first time seeing YeonJoo act like this."

    "Shut up!"

    She turned around and began walking after shouting at Baek HwaYeon.

    KangWoo smiled bitterly and stood up.

    "Oh yeah, what happened with Kurosaki Yurie?"

    "She returned after talking with the reporters for a while, but I''m d she was there. If Kurosaki didn''t have memories about what happened at that time, this incident wouldn''t have been solved so easily."

    "Ah¡­ Yes, that''s true."

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    Kurosaki Yurie¡­

    He still didn''t understand why she''d helped him.

    ''Did she have a personal grudge against Fujimoto?''

    There was no way to know that.

    KangWoo followed Chae YeonJoo out of the hotel.

    * * *

    A traditional Japanese house¡­

    A woman was sitting inside a simple room where there weren''t many things except for some fundamental pieces of furniture.

    Kurosaki Yurie¡­

    She was the Emperor''s granddaughter and was a woman with the title of ''Maiden of the Skies.''

    She was looking at the mirror ced on top of her table.

    "Oof."

    She sighed.

    At that moment, her face reflected in the mirror opened its mouth.

    - Are you satisfied?

    "No. There''s no way that I''d be satisfied with just that."

    She was talking to her reflection in the mirror.

    If someone looked at her right then, they''d think she''d gone crazy.

    "Ah, to think I could see that person only from such a distance. How tragic."

    Kurosaki stroked her cheek whilementing her situation.

    - What are you going to do from now on?

    "Fufu. Of course, I''ll start making preparations so that I can be useful to that person."

    She smiled while looking in the mirror.

    At that moment, incredibly sexual energy came out from the usually pure-looking Kurosaki Yurie.

    It was at a level that couldn''t bepared to Cheon SooYeon.

    She would¡¯ve probably been able to turn any man into her ve.

    Kurosaki''s ck defied gravity and rose.

    Her hair began twisting and moving as if they were tentacles.

    - If you''re so loyal to him, why didn''t you go to see him? The Kurosaki inside the mirror asked.

    "Oh."

    She frowned as if asking what she was talking about.

    She put her hands on her cheeks and shook her head as if she didn''t even want to imagine it.

    "How could I go and meet that person with such an ugly face?"

    - ¡­

    The Kurosaki inside the mirror remained silent.

 Chapter 114

    "Crunch, crunch."

    KangWoo''s hands moved fast.

    The sushi in front of him disappeared quickly.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him in disbelief.

    "Is it that delicious?"

    "Yes."

    He nodded. Chae YeonJoo smiled.

    "If anyone saw you right now, they''d think that it''s your first time eating sushi."

    "It is my first time."

    "Hmm? Ah¡­"

    A short exmation left her mouth.

    ''Oh yeah, he was from an orphanage.''

    She''d forgotten about it because he was so different from what the information she''d searched on him said, but KangWoo was raised in an orphanage.

    He''d probably never eaten expensive food.

    "But you''ve earned quite a lot of money recently, right? You could''ve had sushi just fine if you wanted to."

    "The food I eat at home is so delicious that I haven''t thought much about it."

    "Oh, really?"

    Chae YeonJoo turned her head as if she was bothered by what he said. She narrowed her eyes and red at Han Seol-ah.

    It seemed like she was thinking about the conversation she just had with KangWoo. She was smiling while making a dumbfounded face.

    She didn''t like that.

    "KangWoo, can I eat a bit more?"

    "It''s delicious, right?"

    "Yes! It''s delicious."

    Echidna snorted and nodded.

    KangWoo raised his hand and ordered a bit more.

    Of course, he also ordered for Echidna.

    * * *

    After dinner was over, KangWoo and the rest of the group returned to the hotel.

    KangWoo received a room key from the hotel lobby and turned around to Chae YeonJoo.

    "We''re going to return to Korea tomorrow, right?"

    "No. I have a lot of things to talk about with the Japanese government. So I think it will be hard for a while."

    "Hmm¡­"

    "I''ll talk instead of you, so you just stay in the hotel or do some sightseeing. This is your first time in Japan. right?" She said in a blunt voice.

    Although her voice was blunt, KangWoo was in the middle of the incident, so making the decision to represent him wasn''t easy.

    It didn''t matter if Fujimoto Ryoma was really a member of the Demon Cult or not. Japan had just lost its national hero, so many people probably resented him, which made representing KangWoo in that situation hard.

    ''Is she being considerate?''

    KangWoo smiled bitterly.

    He felt good about that.

    "Thank you."

    "Hmph. If you know it, do better from now on."

    Chae YeonJoo turned around. You could see that there was a smile drawn on her face.

    KangWoo checked out his room number.

    Room 803¡­

    Han Seol-ah and Echidna were staying in the room next door, 802.

    "I¡­ I''ll enter first¡­" Han Seol-ah said while blushing. It seemed like she was still shocked by the conversation they had before.

    After she entered the room, Echidna pulled KangWoo''s sleeves.

    "KangWoo, Seol-ah is acting weird."

    "Well¡­ She''s probably thinking about lots of different things."

    To be honest, KangWoo was also feeling that his head was a bit hot.

    He felt embarrassed.

    If he could turn back in time, he would tear his own mouth.

    ''It seems like I''m going to kick the nket a few times.''

    KangWoo grabbed his head as if he had a headache.

    "KangWoo, I''m nning to go somewhere with Seol-ah tomorrow. Do you wannae with us?"

    "Where?"

    "I''m not sure. Seol-ah said there was a ce she always wanted to go in Japan."

    "Hmm. Well, let''s go together if I have time."

    Lots of things had happened consecutively, so he had forgotten it, but it was his first time visiting another country.

    It was understandable for him to want to do some sightseeing.

    "Hngh! Hngh! Okay. Then I''ll go and see how Seol-ah is doing so she doesn''t get sick."

    Echidna entered the room excitedly.

    KangWoo didn''t have time to tell her that she wasn''t acting like that because she was sick. KangWoo sighed and opened the door.

    "Oh? You''rete."

    "Why are you here¡­?"

    Cheon SooYeon was sitting on the bed. Sheughed while covering her mouth.

    "You flew away before I could say anything, so I was waiting for you."

    "¡­"

    He didn''t ask her how she knew he would stay in that room and how she entered without a key.

    KangWoo sat on the chair.

    "Anyway, thank you for helping me."

    "Fufu, it was nothing. It was me who asked you to call me whenever you need my help."

    She got up from the bed and sat on the armrest of KangWoo''s chair. He smelled a sweet scent.

    "There was something I wanted to ask¡­"

    "Ask me."

    "Fujimoto Ryoma¡­ was he really a Demon Cult member?"

    "¡­"

    * * *

    There was a short silence. He answered with a smile.

    "Yes. Who would have thought that a world ranker was a member of the Demon Cult?"

    "Hng. Well, I don''t mind if he was or wasn''t."

    She ced her hands on top of KangWoo''s shoulders.

    "I''m not like my father. I don''t care about justice or morality."

    "Then we won''t get along. I''m someone extremely moral."

    "Fufu, you''re funny."

    She shook her head as if he''d said something that didn''t make sense.

    ''That hurts a bit.''

    He wasn''t expecting her to shake her head so firmly.

    She leaned toward KangWoo and softly touched her chin.

    "I know what kind of person you are. You''re someone cold, strong, and ruthless. You''re probably going to be an overlord soon."

    Cheon SooYeon licked her lips while her eyes were shining.

    "It''s the first time¡­ I''ve seen countless men throughout my life, but it¡¯s my first time seeing someone like you. My father cannotpare to you. I know it. Everyone will be under your feet soon."

    Her breath got aggressive, and her cheeks were flushed with excitement.

    "I''m a greedy woman. I want a man that''s stronger than anyone else. Someone who has absolute strength. Soon, when everyone bows to you, I want to be right there, next to you."

    She looked at KangWoo with intense eyes.

    KangWoo smirked.

    "You know what kind of person I am?"

    It was a ridiculous remark.

    He wasn''t someone who was going to be an overlord soon¡­

    He was a predator who was already an overlord; someone with absolute strength.

    <em>Tap-!</em>

    "Kyaa!"

    He lightly flicked his finger.

    Cheon SooYeon stood up while grabbing her forehead.

    "Don''t talk as if you know me, you naughty miss. I''m not interested in bing something like an overlord. Who wants to be something like that in this day and age? That''s too out of style."

    "O-out of style?"

    "Yes. Out of style. Childish."

    "Then what is it that you want¡­?"

    KangWoo leaned back on the chair.

    "I want to eat delicious things, stay at home using my cellphone to browse the inte, and visit some ces."

    "Is that all¡­?"

    "Yes."

    "But your strength is too great to use for just those things¡ª"

    "Hahaha!"

    Her words were cut off. KangWooughed out loud as if he couldn''t hold it in anymore.

    "Just, huh¡­?"

    He looked at her.

    She trembled after looking into his eyes.

    She felt countless emotions that she couldn''t measure.

    The weight was different¡­ The years were different¡­

    She felt herself getting smaller in front of him.

    She had never felt something like that, not even from Cheon MooJin.

    "You see? That just isn''t as easy as it seems."

    "¡­"

    He smiled bitterly.

    Cheon SooYeon remained silent. She felt her body trembling.

    It was as if she''d looked into a mountain without end.

    ''As expected¡­''

    She liked what she heard.

    After hearing that he wasn''t interested in bing something like an overlord, she became more excited.

    Seeing him in a ce she''d never be able to reach made her heart beat faster.

    She licked her lips and felt her dry lips on her tongue. She was having a hard time suppressing her urges.

    ''Not yet.''

    She tried to calm down.

    It wasn''t time to do that yet.

    She had to approach him a bit slower, more rxedly.

    "Oh yeah. You said that I was of help to you, right?"

    "Yes."

    He nodded.

    If she hadn''t been there, things would''ve gotten troublesome. It wasn''t like he didn''t have a way to solve the situation, but it would have taken him a lot of time.

    Cheon SooYeon smiled after hearing him answer without hesitation.

    "You weren''t nning to say thanks only with words, right?"

    "Hmm¡­ What do you want?"

    He was indebted to her¡­

    He had no intention of denying that.

    As long as it was something he could do, the proper thing to do was listen to her request.

    "Fufu. Tomorrow¡­ why don''t we go somewhere, just the two of us?"

    "Hmm."

    He thought of Echidna''s words.

    "The day after tomorrow?"

    "I only have time tomorrow since there''s a lot I have to talk with the Japanese government about."

    "Hngh."

    KangWoo nodded after thinking about it for a while.

    ''I''ll go there with them the day after tomorrow.''

    Thanks to Chae YeonJoo, he had enough time. It wouldn''t matter if the n were dyed by a day.

    ''I''ll have to tell them I can''t go because something happened.''

    He felt a bit ufortable because he would have to lie as if he were a cheating husband, but there was nothing he could do about it.

    There was no way they would ept him going somewhere with only Cheon SooYeon.

    "Okay, where should we go?"

    Cheon SooYeon had helped him by using the Thousand Sword Gate''s name, so a date was a cheap price for that.

    Cheon SooYeon''s face brightened after hearing his answer. She tried her best but couldn''t hide her excitement.

    KangWoo felt that reaction made her look cute.

    "Fu-fufu. Mr. KangWoo, is it your first time visiting Japan?"

    "Yes. It''s my first time."

    "Then there''s a good dating ce for couples."

    "Well¡­ Leaving the couples part aside, where are you talking about?"

    "It''s a ce where a mouse that thinks copyright is important lives. From a Chinese person''s point of view, it''s almost like a natural enemy."

    "¡­?"

    KangWoo couldn''t understand what she was saying.

    Cheon SooYeon kept talking with a smile on her face.

    "Disnend."

    "Ah."

    A short exmation left his mouth. KangWooughed.

    ''An amusement park¡­''

    He never imagined Cheon SooYeon would ask him to go to an amusement park.

    ''As expected, she''s still a little girl.''

    Heughed naturally. An amusement park? And one that was made for children at that.

    ''Now that I think about it, they used to show us movies from thatpany in the orphanage.''

    It wasn''t that he could remember something that happened so many years ago because he had an unbelievable memory¡­

    Rather, remembering the past was only something he''d done to survive.

    Hell was a terrible and dark ce¡­

    He used to think about Earth all the time.

    If he didn''t think of Earth and how much he wanted to return to it, he would''ve gone crazy.

    "Okay."

    KangWoo nodded. After all, he''d never been to an amusement park.

    Experiencing something new that he hadn''t done before was always great.

    "But an amusement park¡­? Your interests are cuter than I initially thought."

    "Ugh¡­ D-do you have any problems with it?"

    Cheon SooYeon blushed.

    KangWooughed lightly.

 Chapter 115

    "WOOAAHH!!"

    An excited shout flowed out.

    It was an amusement park that looked like it had reproduced a fantasy world from a fairy tale.

    A big castle and cute characters¡­

    It was a scene that made you wonder if, after crossing the gate, you hadn''t entered another world.

    There was a young man that was more excited than the kids in that fairytale-like world.

    The name of the young man that was so excited that even kids looked at him as if he were pathetic was Oh KangWoo.

    ¡ªThe Demon King that used to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies.

    "¡­"

    Cheon SooYeon remained silent.

    He had clearly made fun of her, saying she had a cuter taste than he had initially thought, but KangWoo was looking around as if he were a person from the countryside who had just moved to the big city.

    "Woah, I''ve seen this one before!"

    KangWoo patted the mouse he used to see while at the orphanage.

    The person in the doll costume waved his short hands to KangWoo like a real professional.

    "Hmm¡­"

    Cheon SooYeon looked silently at KangWoo taking a picture with the doll mascot.

    To be honest, it was a bit of a turn-off.

    ''I never thought Mr. KangWoo would have a side like this¡­''

    It was as if that were his first time in an amusement park.

    No, it seemed like it was the first time he had gone to a ce designed only for entertainment.

    He looked so different from his usual self that she couldn''t help but smile awkwardly.

    "Fufu. You made so much fun of me yesterday, yet you''re the one who''s enjoying it the most."

    "I didn''t know it was a fun ce like this."

    KangWoo smiled in satisfaction.

    Cheon SooYeon trembled a bit after seeing KangWoo make an innocent smile as if he were a kid. She could feel her heart beating faster.

    ''This side of Mr. KangWoo is nice as well.''

    She would''ve frowned if it were any other man, but she found it attractive that someone who had treated her like a kid was acting like that.

    She was clearly blinded by love.

    "Let''s go ride that."

    Cheon SooYeon naturally walked toward him and grabbed his arm, and a soft sensation spread through him.

    "Okay."

    KangWoo didn''t care. No, to be more precise, he didn''t have the mental space to care about that sensation at the moment.

    ''Interesting.''

    He never thought there was a ce like that on Earth.

    Of course, he''d seen Disnend a couple of times through photos, but seeing it in real life felt different.

    It was too different from Hell, which consisted mostly of desertednds.

    ''I shoulde again tomorrow with Echidna and Seol-ah.''

    Echidna had looked sad after he¡¯d told her that he had something urgent to do, so she wouldn''t be able to follow them.

    He felt guilty, but it was just for a day.

    He just had to y with her the next day since he hadn¡¯t been able to that day, so Hyun thought that it was probably going to be okay.

    ''I''m here for research purposes today.''

    KangWoo began walking. His steps were light.

    Although he was thinking that he was there to do research, it looked as if he were ready to enjoy the amusement park.

    "Oh, this is the rollercoaster?"

    He pointed to a ride that looked like a train.

    He''d seen pictures of people riding it and shouting.

    "Let''s get on."

    "Hmm¡­ You probably won''t enjoy it that much."

    "Why?"

    KangWoo tilted his head.

    Cheon SooYeon didn''t answer and just smiled.

    After all, he would find out why as soon as he got on the rollercoaster.

    ''It¡¯s slow.''

    It wasn''t because Disnend was created while taking kids into consideration.

    Superhumans like KangWoo could easily move five times faster than the maximum speed of the rollercoaster.

    He could even use the Authority of Sky and fly.

    For a normal person, it was stimting enough, but superhumans like KangWoo didn''t find it enjoyable.

    "You should''ve told me."

    "I thought I wouldn''t be able to convince you; also, this is all part of the experience."

    "Well, that''s true."

    KangWoo nodded and walked all over the amusement park.

    They even got some meals in the middle and sat on the benches to take a rest. It was already night before they noticed.

    ''It was better than I thought.''

    KangWoo thought of the day he''d spent with Cheon SooYeon.

    He was a bit worried because of her personality, but he was able to spend a day with her without any issues.

    If he were honest, he had enjoyed hanging out with her.

    "Fufu. It''s already nighttime."

    "Yes."

    "I liked that I was able to see another side of Mr. KangWoo."

    * * *

    Cheon SooYeon smiled while covering her mouth.

    She¡¯d thought of him walking around the amusement park with shining eyes.

    It seemed like KangWoo was finally feeling embarrassed. He gulped.

    "Let''s go back."

    "Okay."

    Cheon SooYeon grabbed his arm.

    KangWoo got in the car Cheon SooYeon had prepared and returned to the hotel.

    He had a fun and satisfying time.

    <em>Click-</em>

    KangWoo got out of the car after they reached the hotel.

    "Then let''s meet in Korea."

    "Fufu, I had fun today."

    Cheon SooYeon smiled brightly. She seemed disappointed for the day to end like that. She grabbed his arm.

    Something entered her field of vision at that moment.

    ''Oh?''

    A deep smile appeared on her face, and she thought of a fun prank.

    She stood on her tiptoes and raised her head. Her and KangWoo''s lips got close to each other¡­

    But there was no way KangWoo wouldn''t be able to react.

    He grabbed Cheon SooYeon''s chin.

    KangWoo frowned.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Hmph. What a moodless person. Shouldn''t couples have at least a goodbye kiss?"

    "But I never became a couple with you."

    "Fufu. Well then, I''ll leave things like this for today."

    Although she''d failed to kiss him, Cheon SooYeon was smiling.

    "Then, Mr. KangWoo, let''s meet again in Korea~"

    Cheon SooYeon quickly got into the car and left the hotel.

    "Why so suddenly¡­?"

    The sight of her getting away as if she were escaping the moment the kiss failed felt somewhat unnatural.

    ''Was she shy?''

    KangWoo turned around while tilting his head.

    His facial expression hardened.

    The answer to his question wasn''t that far away.

    He understood why she¡¯d escaped so fast.

    "KangWoo?"

    "Mr¡­ Kang¡­ Woo?"

    ''Fuck.''

    Han Seol-ah and Echidna looked at him with shocked facial expressions at the hotel entrance.

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    He couldn''t open his mouth.

    The one who broke the silence was Echidna.

    She came walking to him and grabbed KangWoo''s sleeve.

    "KangWoo, this was why you were busy?"

    "¡­"

    He felt guilty.

    He felt like a man who''d been found out while doing something wrong. He lowered his head silently.

    ''Damn.''

    He remembered Cheon SooYeon''s smiling face.

    He naturally clenched his fist.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    Han Seol-ah approached him.

    She grabbed his hand with a smile on her face.

    "You can exin it, right?"

    "Of course¡­"

    It was the first time he was scared of Han Seol-ah''s smile.

    KangWoo was dragged into the hotel by Han Seol-ah.

    * * *

    Five days passed.

    Chae YeonJoo had finally returned to the hotel, and it seemed like the situation had normalized.

    "Let''s go back," Chae YeonJoo said while making a tired expression.

    "Good job."

    "I''m going to make sure to pay you back for this¡­"

    It seemed like she¡¯d struggled quite a bit.

    They returned to Korea by using the Hwarang Squad¡¯s private ne.

    They could''ve ridden on Echidna, but since they weren''t in a hurry, they didn''t need her to make an effort.

    They took a taxi and went toward Seoul station after arriving at the airport.

    "It feels like it''s been a while."

    "Yes."

    Although it had only been a week, he felt he''d missed Seoul''s cityscape.

    "Oof¡­ I''ll go back to my house and take some rest," Chae YeonJoo said with a tired voice.

    She staggered to the apartment.

    "Let''s go back as well, Mr. KangWoo."

    Han Seol-ah pressed the elevator button.

    "Go first."

    "What about Mr. KangWoo?"

    "I have some stuff to do. I''ll return soon."

    KangWoo looked up.

    The sun was up. It was only 2pm¡ªit was too early to stay at home doing nothing.

    ''Unlike Chae YeonJoo, I¡¯m not that tired.''

    He was able to take a break thanks to her.

    He''d returned to Korea, so he wasn''t on vacation anymore.

    It was about time he began moving again.

    "That thing that you have to do¡­"

    Han Seol-ah narrowed her eyes.

    It was simr to the eyes of a police officer looking at a repeat offender.

    KangWooughed and shook his head.

    "It''s nothing like that, so don''t worry."

    "Hmm. You''ll be back by dinner, right?"

    "Yes, probably. It won''t take a lot of time."

    "Okay, then I''ll wait and prepare for dinner," she said with a smile on her face. It was a smile so beautiful that it made his heart beat faster.

    "KangWoo, are you going out to cheat again?"

    "I already said no."

    "Can I go with you¡­?"

    Echidna grabbed his sleeve. It seemed like the shock ofst time was quite big.

    KangWoo smiled bitterly and nodded.

    "You cane with me."

    It wasn''t like she would bother him.

    Echidna''s expression brightened.

    She ran toward Han Seol-ah and eximed while clenching her small fists.

    "Hngh! I''m going to look over KangWoo."

    "Please do."

    "Leave it to me."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo sighed.

    "KangWoo, where are we going?"

    "To somewhere quiet."

    He stomped on the ground lightly and used the Authority of Sky. Echidna opened her wings.

    "Should I give you a ride?"

    "No. We''re not going very far anyway."

    It was okay as long as it was a ce without people. Echidna tilted her head.

    "Why are we going to a quiet ce?"

    "To create equipment," KangWoo answered shortly.

    He put his hand in his pocket and grabbed ''Susanoo''s Eye.''

 Chapter 116

    "Here, it''s going to be good."

    <em>Tap-</em>

    KangWoo, who was flying using the Authority of Sky, descended at the foot of a quiet mountain.

    He sat on top of a rock and took out Susanoo''s Eye.

    It was a bluish, half-transparent sphere that looked like an egg.

    ''A myth-ranked equipment¡­''

    Although it looked like a crystal ball from the outside, in reality, it was one of the few myth-rank pieces of equipment that existed in the world.

    ''Although it''s restricting, if it''s powerful enough to summon a god, it''s worthy of being called myth-rank.''

    He thought of Susanoo¡­

    A giant whose body was made of wind.

    Fujimoto had be a world ranker thanks to the equipment, but his base stats were lowerpared to the average world ranker.

    But still, he was able to summon a being that presented a danger to the KangWoo, who had reached Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    There was no denying that myth-rank equipment was good.

    And there was probably an ingredient worthy of that within the item as well.

    ''The more Authorities it has, the stronger the equipment bes.''

    He read the description of his 6th Awakening attribute, ''Demonic Art of Creation.''

    He naturally thought of the ''Gungnil'' he''d used in the fight against Susanoo.

    ''Right now, I''m struggling to use four Authorities simultaneously.''

    It was like using two Authorities at the same time multiplied by two.

    Using four Authorities required 16 times more demonic energy than using one Authority.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply. At the moment, he wasn''t in the middle of a battle.

    He didn''t have to read the opponent''s movements while maintaining an Authority, and he didn''t have to counterattack.

    He was able to focuspletely on using his Authorities.

    ''I think that I might even be able to use five.''

    He was a bit nervous.

    The dangers of demonic energy exhaustion were higher than mana exhaustion.

    Since demonic energy was what maintained a demon''s body, if you exhausted it, your body would get dried like Fujimoto Ryoma''s and then die.

    ''Should I practice first?''

    He only had one myth-rank ingredient.

    It didn''t say that the ingredient would get destroyed if he failed, but there was nothing wrong with being careful.

    "KangWoo, is there anything I can help you with?"

    "Make sure no one approaches me. I want to concentrate."

    "Hngh! Okay."

    Echidna nodded and rose to the sky. It seemed like she was nning to put a barrier around the area.

    "Let''s start."

    KangWoo extended his hand.

    First, from the one he was most used to¡­

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Using ''Demonic Art of Creation.'']

    Aplex magic circle appeared on the ground.

    The demonic energy around him created sentences he didn''t understand, and the words moved as if they were living beings.

    The wiggling words clustered in the air.

    A ck sphere that was about the size of a basketball appeared.

    [The preparations are done.]

    [If you want to create a piece of myth-rank equipment or higher, use an ingredient ording to the rank!]

    KangWoo ced his hands on top of the ck sphere and roused the demonic energy within his body.

    [There are no ingredients. The highest possible rank is legendary. If you use an Authority that a legendary rank can''t handle, it will be destroyed.]

    "Gae Bolg," he mumbled. He closed his eyes and made a mental image.

    He used three Authorities.

    Since he had reached Extreme Demonic Energy Body, using three Authorities simultaneously wasn''t hard.

    Strong demonic energy flew out of his body.

    The ck sphere began moving, and a ck fog came out of it.

    The ck sphere made of unknown characters began cracking.

    The crack started getting bigger as if something were being born inside it.

    And finally¡­

    <em>Crack-</em>

    The shell broke.

    A spear appeared from within the ck spear.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully created ''Gae Bolg (Unique-Rank).'']

    "Woah."

    KangWoo let out a short exmation and grabbed the darkish-red spear. He could feel that the Authorities he had just used were within the spear.

    ''It''s still weaker than the one created using the real Authorities.''

    It was obvious.

    It was understandable that there would be a difference between the Gae Bolg he could use using demonic energy and one he could use even without it.

    "But it isn''t bad."

    He grabbed the Gae Bolg and swung it.

    Hot mes came out of it, and he swung it and stabbed a rock that was near.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    The rock was destroyed, and mes sprouted out in all directions.

    "It has about 20% of the strength of the original."

    Considering that, after creating it, he could use it with other Authorities, it was quite good.

    Even if it only had about 20% of the strength of the original, if used with the Authority of Divine Power and the Authority of Speed, he could effectively cause more than 100% of the original¡¯s damage.

    ''It''s too bad that it''s a unique-rank.''

    KangWoo looked at the details of the Gae Bolg.

    It was only unique-rank, so it didn''t increase his stat by an absolute value.

    "Hmm¡­"

    The conditions for ''Demonic Art of Creation'' were harsher than he¡¯d initially thought.

    Using three different Authorities simultaneously wasn''t easy.

    It wasn''t just an issue of the amount of demonic energy. Combining different Authorities was, in reality, something close to impossible.

    Drawing a circle with one hand and a triangle with the other at the same time was already hard.

    Using different Authorities simultaneously was like drawing with one hand and writing with the other.

    It was something he could do because of his extreme ability to control demonic energy.

    ''But still, the reward is too good.''

    The reward was so good that it was worth it to try to overdo himself.

    He had decided to try to use five Authorities simultaneously.

    "I''ll have to practice a bit more first."

    He had no intentions of using the myth-rank ingredient after only one try.

    KangWoo put the Gae Bolg down.

    Echidna walked toward him.

    "KangWoo, what kind of equipment are you thinking of making?"

    "I''m not sure¡­"

    KangWoo fell into his thoughts.

    ''It would be best if it''s a weapon.''

    Defensive items like the ck Pearl Coat were great, but the weapons were the true flowers of equipment.

    ''The problem¡­''

    Was that he didn''t use only a single type of weapon.

    KangWoo used different weapons based on the situation.

    * * *

    Although the weapon he was most used to was a spear, he mostly just threw it.

    ''Should I take this opportunity and choose a main weapon?''

    KangWoo shook his head.

    It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t get a good weapon.

    He didn''t have a main weapon because it was a bit restricting since he liked to use many different strategies.

    He liked to adapt his attacks based on the situations using the battle sense he had obtained after experiencing countless battles.

    "What are you thinking about, KangWoo?"

    "I''m wondering about what weapon I should create."

    KangWoo told her what he was thinking about.

    Echidna tilted her head and answered.

    "Can''t you create a weapon that can change form?" she asked while transforming her hand into a dragon''s.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    "Hmm."

    It was a simple but refreshing solution. If the weapon could change forms, he wouldn''t need to worry about what weapon to create.

    KangWoo patted Echidna.

    "Good idea."

    "Hngh! Hngh!"

    Echidna snorted.

    After softly stroking her hair for a while, KangWoo used the ''Demonic Art of Creation'' again.

    Gae Bolg turned into dust and scattered away.

    ''A weapon that changes form¡­''

    He needed to practice a lot to get a clear image of that.

    ''I''m going to use Susanoo''s Eye only after I''m sure of what I''m doing.''

    He didn''t need to hurry. Practice would never betray.

    KangWoo closed his eyes, and a ck sphere was created again.

    * * *

    Three dayster¡­

    KangWoo went to the mountain again along with Han Seol-ah and Echidna.

    "I''m going to start."

    "Yes!"

    Han Seol-ah nodded.

    She had heard what KangWoo was nning to do before they¡¯d arrived, and she knew what she had to do to help him.

    "Graceful Light!"

    A light flew out of her and entered KangWoo''s body, and his unique stat went up.

    "Kraken''s Rage."

    The ck Pearl Coat shone.

    An explosive amount of demonic energy flowed from him.

    His demonic energy stat reached 116.

    KangWoo closed his eyes.

    ''Demonic Art of Creation.''

    A magic circle appeared on the ground, and a ck sphere about the size of a basketball appeared.

    KangWoo grabbed Susanoo''s Eye.

    He didn''t hesitate. He''d practiced endlessly for the past three days.

    He had prepared everything he could.

    He put his hand into the ck sphere.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Taking out an ingredient from the myth-rank equipment. Conditions fulfilled. You can create a piece of myth-rank equipment or higher once, but if you try to create it with insufficient Authorities, an item with a rank lower than a legendary-rank could be created.]

    "Oof."

    KangWoo took a deep breath and emptied his head.

    "Transformation, Spation, Massacre, Hellfire, Storm."

    He used those five Authorities.

    Demonic energy flowed out like a low tide.

    He used 32 times more demonic energy than when he used only one.

    Although his demonic energy stat had reached 116, he still had trouble maintaining five Authorities simultaneously.

    "Ugh¡­"

    A short exmation left his mouth.

    His head hurt.

    Not only was it using a lot of demonic energy, but he also had to use quite a lot of his mental capability to control it.

    ''Concentrate¡­''

    He ignored the pain.

    He closed his eyes and imaged the weapon he had decided on.

    A weapon that could change forms¡­

    ''I only have to resist a bit more.''

    He didn''t need a lot of time. He could feel the ck sphere around his hand wiggling.

    Only 10 more seconds¡­

    In 10 seconds, he''d be able to create the weapon he wanted.

    [Five Authorities have been confirmed. All of the conditions have been fulfilled. Creating a piece of myth-rank equipment.]

    He heard the voice of the system message.

    Myth-rank¡­

    He was about to create a weapon of a rank that there weren''t many of in the world.

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    Nine seconds.

    He suddenly thought of a possibility.

    Eight seconds. He wondered what rank the weapons of the seven archdukes would have.

    Seven seconds. The archdukes were strong. It was understandable why they couldn''t kill each other.

    Six seconds. It was true that they were strong because of the strength they had, but it was also thanks to their weapons.

    Five seconds. Those weapons were created after enormous demonic energy from the Hell of the Nine Skies gathered.

    Four seconds. It didn''t matter how much he thought about it, there was no way those weapons would ''only'' be myth-ranked.

    Three seconds. He had never used their weapons because the souls of the archdukes had been imbued within them and they didn¡¯t think of him as their owner.

    Two seconds. He''d gathered their weapons to open a portal that led to Earth, but he had only used a fraction of their strength.

    One second. Out of nowhere¡­

    ''Not enough.''

    He became greedy.

    KangWoo opened his eyes.

    A lust that he couldn''t control rose from him.

    It wasn''t enough.

    It wasn''t enough to satisfy him.

    He felt that his head was about to explode. He was using the demonic energy he had quite fast.

    But still¡­

    ''Not enough.''

    He wasn''t satisfied.

    KangWoo used the sixth Authority.

    He didn''t need to think too much about what to use.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The ''Authority of Predation'' has been added. The conditions have been updated.]

    [Creating a ''Transcendent-rank¡¯ equipment.]

 Chapter 117

    <em>Boom-!!!</em>

    The mountains shook as if an earthquake had happened.

    A huge force shook their surroundings.

    "Mr. K-KangWoo?!

    "KangWoo!"

    The screams of the two girls spread but didn''t reach KangWoo''s ears.

    A tornado made of demonic energy was surrounding his body.

    ''Ah.''

    His head became blurry, and he felt as if he were floating on top of a vast sea.

    Using six Authorities simultaneously had even been hard for him in Hell.

    When the amount reached six, it wasn''t a matter of demonic energy anymore.

    You reached a limit on how much you could control and regte the Authorities.

    ''Did I overdo it?''

    There was no need to ask that. In reality, he was prepared for things to go wrong when he used five Authorities.

    ¡­But six?

    Not only that, but he had used the strongest Authority he had, the Authority of Predation.

    It wasn''t something a rational person could do.

    ''This is quite dangerous.''

    It was as if he''d put more air in a balloon that was about to explode.

    He wouldn''t have tried something so crazy even when he could fully use his strength.

    It wouldn''t have been weird if he died right then and his body exploded.

    ''But¡­.''

    He wasn''t sure why, but he didn''t regret his decision.

    No, he wasn''t even worried.

    There had been a voice in his head saying that he should stop right there.

    ¡ªBut confidence that he didn''t know the origin of replied, ''It''s okay, I can keep going.''

    <em>sh-</em>

    His hand that was ced on the ck sphere was cut.

    ck blood poured out, and the blood that leaked out of his hand entered the ck sphere and mixed with it.

    A distant sensation grew stronger.

    His conscience became blurry.

    He couldn''t control the six Authorities anymore.

    KangWoo gave up on the calctions.

    But at that moment, something surprising happened.

    ''So it was this.''

    His body was controlling the Authorities.

    KangWoo understood why he had fully unlocked the Attribute ''Demonic Art of Creation'' only afterpleting the Demonic Energy Body.

    Controlling Authority¡­

    Controlling an Authority with your instinct rather than your head.

    ¡ªThat was the real effect of the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    No, it wouldn''t be an overstatement to say that it was why he''d reached Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    The energy from the ck sphere spread toward KangWoo''s heart through his blood.

    When he felt something ''connected,'' he heard a clear bell sound.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve sessfully created ''Key of the Demonic Energy Sea (Transcendent-rank).'']

    He got a system message.

    At that moment, the ck sphere began shrinking.

    [You''ve maxed out the capability of the ''Demonic Art of Creation.''!]

    [Your Demonic Energy has gone up by 2.]

    [You cannot use ''Demonic Art of Creation'' anymore.]

    "Woah."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    Thanks to the demonic energy stat increasing, it had reached 110 without buffs.

    ''It seems like the purpose of the Demonic Art of Creation was to create this.''

    A ck sphere appeared in his hand.

    The form was simr to the ''Susanoo''s Eye'' Fujimoto Ryoma used.

    A ck crystal ball that was about the size of a ping-pong ball¡­

    KangWoo checked out the information on the ''Key of the Demonic Energy Sea.''

    [Equipment Information]

    Name: Key of the Demonic Energy Sea

    Rank: Transcendent (Attunement Done)

    Type: Growth-type *When you fulfill certain conditions, it will get stronger.

    Normal Effect: Unique Stat +3, Indestructible, Transformation, ??? * It hasn''t been unlocked yet.

    [Effect Exnation]

    Indestructible: It can''t be destroyed by any type of attack or impact.

    Transformation: It can transform into any registered ''weapon.'' It has 34% of the capability of a weapon created by using an Authority.

    "Hmm..."

    Hyun fell into thoughts.

    He wasn''t sure of it.

    ''A growth-type¡­''

    It had good points.

    Its rank was Transcendent, so it could probably keep getting stronger indefinitely.

    But its effect at the moment wasn''t as impressive as he wanted.

    "No, wait."

    KangWoo read the information window again.

    He focused on the normal effects.

    And among those was the exnation of ''Transformation.''

    ''If it''s a weapon registered as a skill...''

    All weapons he had created at least once had been registered as skills.

    Bident, Gae Bolg, and even the most recent one, Gungnir, had been registered as skills.

    ''34% of the capability of a weapon created from using Authorities¡­''

    * * *

    The Gae Bolg he had created using the Demonic Art of Creation was about 20% of the capabilities of the original.

    Considering that, an effectiveness of about 1.5 times more was extremely good.

    ''This is great.''

    Just the effect of Transformation alone would be good enough to be qualified as Transcendent rank.

    No, it was too good.

    He couldbine and create more weapons bybining Authorities and then use them based on the situation.

    ''Gae Bolg.''

    He used a skill to test.

    The ck sphere that was as big as a ping pong ball started to change its form and became a dark red spear.

    As KangWoo grabbed the Gae Bolg, he felt a stronger power than the one he''d felt from the one he¡¯d created as a practice before.

    ''This is a scam.''

    An exmation came out of his mouth.

    In that case, it was always better to use skills with a high basic spec.

    ¡ªBecause Gungnir''s 34% was better than Gae Bolg''s 34%.

    ''Gungnir.''

    He used a skill created bybining four Authorities.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [In its current state, you cannot convert it to a weapon created using 4 Authorities.]

    "Ah, that''s too bad."

    He¡¯d thought that the effect was unbelievably good, but as expected, he couldn''t convert it to a weapon created using four Authorities.

    There wasn''t a reason to be disappointed.

    ''It isn''t like I''ve fully unlocked all of the potential it has.''

    The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea was a growth-type.

    He wasn''t sure what the conditions for it to grow were, but it meant that it could get stronger.

    It was already too good as it was. He couldn''t even imagine how much better it could get.

    ''It''s worth being called Transcendent-rank.''

    He was satisfied.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    KangWoo checked out its specs by looking it over.

    He realized a few things.

    ''It can change forms to any weapon¡­ Not only the ones registered as a skill.''

    Of course, if it changed forms like that, it wouldn''t have any special effects.

    ''It can only change into weapon-type skills.''

    He had two types of skills¡­

    Gae Bolg, Grahm, Bident, etc. were skills he used to create weapons and fight using the,. ''weapon-type skills.''

    ''Sky Break,'' ''Earth des,'' etc. were types of skills that were ''magic-type skills.''

    The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea could only transform into weapon-type skills.

    ''That''s already good enough.''

    KangWoo transformed the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea into a ring and put it on the right middle finger.

    ''Demonic energy stat 113.''

    If he added Kraken''s Rage and Han Seol-ah''s buff, it could reach 120.

    "Good."

    Bing stronger meant that the number of things he could do increased, so it made him feel good.

    He could even face a demon from the 9th hell at that moment.

    "Mr. K-KangWoo, are you okay?" Han Seol-ah carefully asked.

    "Yes. I''m okay."

    "Oof. I was worried. I thought something had happened."

    "It was nothing. Let''s return to our house."

    "Did you seed in creating a weapon?"

    KangWoo raised his hand.

    The ring that was on his middle finger became a short sword.

    "As you can see."

    "Ah..."

    After seeing a ''ring'' on his finger made her tremble a bit, she let out a cough and then kept talking.

    "I''m d."

    "Since I''ve seeded, let''s go back."

    "Oh, yeah. Ms. YeonJoo called while you were creating the weapon."

    "Chae YeonJoo?"

    "Yes. She said she had some stuff to give you, so she asked you to go to the guild."

    "Hmm... Okay."

    KangWoo nodded and grabbed Han Seol-ah.

    Her face became red as he used the Authority of Sky and flew.

    "Then let''s visit the Red Rose Guild first."

    * * *

    <em>Click-</em>

    "Ah, you came?"

    As he entered the office, Chae YeonJoo raised her head.

    KangWoo sat on the chair.

    "What do you have to give me?"

    "Kurosaki Yurie sent a few items."

    "Kurosaki Yurie did?"

    "Yes. Kurosaki Yurie said she was sorry that the hero who had saved her almost became a criminal because of a witch hunt."

    "It''s not like she did that, so she shouldn''t be sorry."

    KangWoo let out augh in disbelief.

    The one who¡¯d tried to make him seen as a Demon Cult member had been Fujimoto Ryoma, not her.

    "I also don''t know. Why don''t you ept it first?"

    "Hmm... Okay, I''ll do that."

    He opened the box that Chae YeonJoo gave him.

    First, there was a card with a letter.

    [I''m really sorry about what happened. In this card, there''s 30 million USD you can freely use, and this is my contact information. If you need help with anything, please feel free to call me. I will help Mr. KangWoo with whatever it is that you need.]

    "What the..."

    30 million USD?

    That wasn''t an amount of money she could easily use, even if she were the Emperor''s granddaughter.

    But on top of that, she was going to help him with anything he needed?

    That wasn''t something that the person who was doing the work of the sick Emperor should be doing.

    ''Why is she doing this?''

    It was true that he''d saved her life¡­

    But usually, people didn''t do that much to pay a savior.

    It was as if the person you¡¯d saved from drowning had handed you their house as a way of saying thanks.

    It was better than the opposite oue, but still, he couldn''t understand it.

    "It seems like she liked you quite a bit. Hmph, you should be happy since you''re receiving so much love from a princess."

    Chae YeonJoo gave him a cold look as if she didn''t like what she saw.

    KangWoo gulped and looked at what else was inside the box.

    "What''s this?"

    There was something that was frozen within the box.

    He opened it and checked it out.

    "Octopus...?"

    There was an octopus that was the size of a person''s head within the box.

    He wasn''t sure what magic device was inside the box, but despite it being frozen, the octopus inside it kept moving its eight tentacles.

    "Why did she send an octopus?"

    KangWoo looked at the box with a confused expression.

 Chapter 118

    Time flowed.

    To optimize the Key of Demonic Energy Sea as much as possible, KangWoo registered more weapon-type skills made with thebination of three different Authorities.

    Since his Demonic Energy stat was at 113 and he had reached Extreme Demonic Energy Body,bining three different Authorities was easy for KangWoo, and the number of skills increased constantly.

    Besides registering new skills, KangWoo also tried to lift the level restriction.

    He didn''t have any idea what the condition for Demonic Soul was, and he couldn''t increase his demonic energy stat anymore from devouring monsters, so, for the time, he decided that he would focus on lifting the level restriction.

    "Oof. Why doesn''t this go away?"

    KangWoo let out a sigh and sat on the sofa that was in the living room.

    He''d been trying for a week to lift the level restriction.

    What Chae YeonJoo jokingly said about the system having cursed him didn''t sound like a joke anymore.

    The reality was that most people couldn''t go beyond the sixth Awakening.

    Most talented yers were able to ovee the level restriction without much difficulty.

    Just taking into consideration talent, the only one that could bepared to him was Kim ShiHoon, so it was weird that he wasn''t able to ovee the restriction.

    ''I thought it would lift after I reached Extreme Demonic Energy Body.''

    At that point, KangWoo thought that it would be better to give up leveling and try to find other ways.

    After all, unlike other yers, he had other ways to get stronger.

    "Tsk..."

    He frowned while clicking his tongue.

    If leveling up only increased his stats, he would''ve given up a long time ago.

    The problem was that leveling up gave him new attributes, like the Demonic Art of Creation. Not only that, but it weakened the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    Weakening the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core was fundamental if he wanted to recover his old strength.

    ''There''s no way to know.''

    His level restriction not going away meant that there was probably another reason¡­

    But he had no way of knowing what that was.

    "Should I go and find the Demon Cult?"

    He didn''t know if it was fate or something, but he had obtained good results every time he¡¯d defeated the Demon Cult.

    But trying to find them by himself wasn''t very effective.

    He¡¯d received a piece of information from Chae YeonJoo that said that they''d found trace of the Demon Cult in Russia.

    ''Even if they found a trace, thend is so big that it''s impossible to find them.''

    It would be different if they operated openly, like in Korea or Japan, but finding them while they were hiding was hard.

    KangWooy down on the sofa.

    At that moment, Echidna came out of the room and sat on top of his stomach.

    "KangWoo, I want to see the TV."

    "First, get down from there..."

    "No, I like it here."

    Echidna smiled mischievously and snorted.

    She''d changed a lotpared to when she''d first arrived. Back then, she used to look like an abandoned cat.

    KangWoo got up and put her on his things.

    He gave her the TV remote control.

    "Is there any show you wanna watch?"

    "Loxx Live!"

    It was the name of a popr Japanese anime.

    "What''s so fun about that...?"

    "The characters are cute!"

    KangWoo smirked and changed the channel. While doing that, he passed through the news channel. The words ''Breaking News'' entered his field of vision. He stopped at that channel.

    [Breaking News. The world ranker Alec Osborn is visiting Korea. Alec Osborne, who has the nickname ''Sword of Justice,'' said he came here to meet the Korean yer Kim ShiHoon, who became famous worldwide after solving the Isu Station incident. Themunity boards are excited about the meeting of these two heroes...]

    "Sword of Justice...?"

    What kind of ridiculous nickname was that?

    KangWooughed and searched for his name in the browser.

    Comment (Has BadLuckThrashGame): Woah!!

    ? Woah, it seems like Dragon Sword has be really famous. Even Alec came to see him.

    Comment (Treasure): But Dragon Sword isn''t world-ss yet, right?

    ? Compared to Alec, he stillcks a bit.

    ? O O: Dragon Sword is world-ss.

    ? Four Seasons: His probably thinking about his long-term growth possibility. It hasn''t been long since Dragon Sword awakened as a yer.

    Comment (Jerry M): Let''s go, Korea!!

    ? The cancer caused by Baek KangHyun was cured.

    Comment (Let me escape bronze): Tsk tsk. To be honest, Dragon Sword isn''t that great. What a bunch of ignorant fools.

    ? Go fuck yourself.

    ? Hoot: Yes, can the next bronzee in, please?

    ? BestTaeSoo: Hahaha! This fellow knows something! Mr. ShiHoon is impressive, but hyeongnim is even more!

    ? Butterfly Valley: There''s someone stronger than him, but these people don''t know it.

    ? Low Sound: Stop trying to get attention¡­

    ? Gavinji: What''s wrong with these guys?

    ''There''s a whole lot of discussion. Huh?''

    As he searched his name, numerous threads frommunity boards appeared.

    But what he wanted to know wasn''t the reaction from themunities.

    Alec Osborne (Sword of Justice) - Wiki

    There was a site with lots of information about Alec.

    KangWoo looked at it and read some basic information about him.

    ''He''s good-looking¡­''

    He was a blond guy who had a ponytail.

    There was lots of information about him summarized under the photo.

    [Alec Osborne: British, 29 years old, world ranker.]

    [Why he''s called ''Sword of Justice'': Alec Osborne is famous for swinging his sword for not only the British people but also for the weak all around the world. Two months ago, after the Isu Station incident, he made it public that he''d been fighting against the Demon Cult for quite some time. A month ago, he attacked a base the Demon Cult had in Europe and stopped something bigger from happening.]

    "Hmm..."

    He could only find positive things about the guy on the inte.

    He was a good person, hard-working, and was kind to everyone¡­

    ''He seems simr to ShiHoon.''

    Leaving his appearance aside, both of their personalities seemed simr.

    ''He said he came to meet with Kim ShiHoon.''

    * * *

    KangWoo put Echidna down and stood up. He couldn''t stay still in that situation.

    He had to know why Alec hade to meet Kim ShiHoon.

    ''Our ShiHoon is quite popr, huh?''

    First, it was Cheon MooJin, and then, Alec Osborne.

    As expected from the protagonist, he was receiving the attention of important people worldwide.

    "KangWoo, where are you going?"

    "To meet up with ShiHoon."

    He wasn''t training with Cheon MooJin, who was hunting with Han Seol-ah and TaeSoo.

    "I want to go too."

    "Weren''t you going to watch TV?"

    "I prefer being with KangWoo."

    Echidna grabbed his sleeves. KangWoo smirked and nodded.

    "Let''s go."

    ''They were going to the A-rank gate that''s in Incheon, right?''

    He¡¯d asked Han Seol-ah where they were going to hunt that day.

    KangWoo began driving toward Incheon.

    * * *

    "KangWoo hyeongnim!! Over here!!"

    Inside a cafe near the A-rank gate¡­

    He saw a group of four people that were waiting for him.

    KangWoo pulled a chair and sat down.

    "It was okay even if you kept hunting."

    "Hahaha! We can''t do that if you say you''reing. Leaving that aside, we were nning to stop hunting for the day."

    "Because of Alec Osborne?"

    "Ah, Hyeongnim also heard the news."

    "I came because of that. But more than that, how did you guys hear the news? You were inside the gate, after all."

    "The yers who entered the gateter recognized ShiHoon hyeong and told us."

    KangWoo nodded and turned his head toward Kim ShiHoon.

    ''What''s wrong with this guy?''

    Kim ShiHoon''s body was shaking as if he were holding in his pee.

    He was also smiling awkwardly.

    "Is there any problem?"

    "N-no!!"

    He shook his head.

    "It¡­ It''s just that... I can''t believe it. To think that the Sword of Justice woulde to see me in Korea..."

    "Are you that happy...?"

    "O-of course! It''s the Sword of Justice, the person who stands for the weak! How cool is that?!"

    ''I''m not sure what''s cool about it.''

    He would be embarrassed if he had a nickname like that.

    ''Well, it''s Kim ShiHoon.''

    He couldn''t deny that he seemed the type of person Kim ShiHoon would like.

    "Hmm..."

    He remained silent. There was something about him bothering him¡­

    But KangWoo couldn''t specifically say what bothered him.

    "How is the leveling up going?"

    "Ah, yes! I''ve passed level 60 recently!"

    "What...?"

    KangWoo couldn''t hide his surprise after hearing that ShiHoon had passed him up in terms of level.

    ''What about the restriction?"

    "Ah... You see."

    Kim ShiHoon scratched his head while smiling awkwardly.

    Han Seol-ah answered instead of him.

    "Mr. ShiHoon said he didn''t have a restriction."

    "..."

    Considering that he was having such a hard time with the restriction, KangWoo found the situation unfair.

    ''What a scammer.''

    Even if he had the protagonist buff, it didn''t make sense that he didn''t have the level restriction.

    "What about the other people...?"

    "Mr. TaeSoo and I have just reached the level restriction; EunBi is still around the mid-fifties."

    "Ugh... This is all because ShiHoon oppa swept them all away before I could cast magic! Not only that, but he alone doesn''t have a leveling-up restriction! This is a scam!"

    EunBi shouted as if she found the situation unfair.

    ''I also think it''s unfair.''

    KangWoo grabbed his head.

    ''You damn talented fucker.''

    Maybe it wasn''t something he should say, but wasn''t it too much not having a leveling-up restriction?

    He sighed.

    "B-but what should I do? Should I go to the airport¡ª"

    "No. You probably won''t need to do that."

    He picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip.

    Kim ShiHoon looked at KangWoo with a confused expression.

    "He''s probably going toe himself."

    He was a world ranker¡­

    There was no way he didn''t have an informationwork.

    <em>Click-</em>

    "Huh?"

    As soon as he finished, the door of the cafe opened.

    A young man that had a ponytail hairstyle entered the coffee shop.

    "Ah, Alec Osborne."

    Kim ShiHoon''s voice trembled.

    Alec smiled after seeing Kim ShiHoon.

    He took out a round device and put it on his neck.

    "Nice to meet you. You''re Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon, right?" He asked in Korean.

    Kim ShiHoon nodded with a dumbfounded expression.

    "Yes! I''m Kim ShiHoon."

    "Haha, it''s good to see you. My name is Alec Osborne."

    "Ah... Yes."

    "It''s an honor to meet with Korea''s hero."

    Alec extended his hand. Kim ShiHoon grabbed his hand and answered in a surprised voice.

    "A-an honor?! No, it''s my pleasure!"

    His eyes were full of excitement, and he was blushing.

    He looked like a little girl who had met his idol.

    "..."

    KangWoo remained silent. He couldn''t understand why, but he felt a bit annoyed.

    ''He never made that expression to me.''

    He didn''t like it.

 Chapter 119: Sword of Justice (2)

    "What do you need?" KangWoo asked in a sharp voice. He narrowed his eyes and looked over Alec from top to bottom.

    ''He seems worthy of his fame.''

    Even though he was just standing still, he could feel his mana.

    Of course, he didn''t know if that was everything or if he was hiding a bigger strength.

    But there was something he was sure about¡­

    ''He''s stronger than Fujimoto.''

    He was on another levelpared to Fujimoto, who had be a world ranker thanks to the power of Susanoo''s Eye, an item that was so strong that it was almost a cheat.

    Just at first nce, the sword he had on his waist didn''t seem that good.

    There was no doubt he had be a world ranker thanks to his own strength.

    "You¡­"

    Alec looked at KangWoo.

    It was Kim ShiHoon who answered.

    "He''s someone I consider my brother."

    "Oh, is it a brotherhood between knights?"

    "Hmm. It might be a bit different, but he''s someone I respect and follow."

    "Haha. I never thought Dragon Sword would have someone like that. Nice to meet you, I''m Alec."

    "I''m Oh KangWoo."

    He grabbed Alec''s hand.

    Alec''s expression hardened after grabbing KangWoo''s hands.

    But that onlysted for a few seconds; he smiled and nodded.

    "As expected, no wonder Dragon Sword follows you."

    "I''m doing my best not to be a hyeong my little brother isn''t ashamed of."

    "Hahaha! I like those words."

    Alec looked around.

    "You seem to be the Dragon Sword''s party. If it isn''t too much, could you introduce yourselves?"

    "Ah, yes, of course."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded and was about to introduce everyone¡­

    KangWoo raised his hand and stopped him.

    "First, could you tell us why you''vee to meet ShiHoon from such a faraway country?"

    He didn''t want to drag things out with chit-talk. He also wasn''t nning to try to be friends with him.

    KangWoo sat down and looked at Alec.

    While smiling awkwardly, Alec sat on the chair.

    "I wanted to get to know Dragon Sword''s allies better. That''s too bad, but you''re right. It''s understandable for you to be cautious when you don''t know why I came here," he said with a calm voice.

    "A month ago, I had a fight with the forces of the Demon Cult that were starting to move in Europe."

    It was content he''d seen on the inte.

    "They were strong. I was almost ashamed of being called a world ranker. While we were fighting, they realized they wouldn''t be able to win against me and escaped."

    "It said that you stopped their ns on the inte."

    "It''s true that I stopped their ns, but I just slowed them. I wasn''t able to solve the fundamental issue."

    He smiled bitterly.

    "Right now, assassins from the Demon Cult are chasing after me."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo fell into thought.

    He understood the situation, but that wasn''t a good enough reason for him toe and look for Dragon Sword.

    "Don''t tell me you came here to ask for protection."

    Realistically speaking, Kim ShiHoon wasn''t strong enough yet.

    He was receiving attention from the world because of how heroic he looked while fighting during the Isu Station incident and not because of his strength yet.

    Chae YeonJoo should¡¯ve been able to beat Kim ShiHoon easily.

    "Haha, of course. There are still things I haven''t mentioned yet."

    Alec Osborne kept talking.

    "I received the help of a group called ''Guardians'' while I was hunting the Demon Cult."

    "Guardians¡­?"

    He had never heard that name.

    "It isn''t a famous group yet, but there''s one thing I''m sure about¡­ Guardians are the hope of humanity," he said with intense eyes.

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    Guardians¡­

    That name floated in his head.

    Alec looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    "Mr. ShiHoon, there''s something I wanted to ask¡­"

    "Ah, yes¡­"

    "Have you heard about the beings called ''Guardians''?"

    "¡­?!"

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened, and you could see him getting agitated.

    KangWoo frowned.

    A Guardian¡­

    Someone who was chosen by the system to protect the world.

    "D-don''t tell me. Mr. Alec is also¡­?"

    Alec nodded.

    "Yes. I''m also a ''Guardian.''"

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    KangWoo put his hand on top of his head to organize the situation.

    ''So there was more than one Guardian.''

    It wasn''t that he hadn''t thought of that possibility.

    ording to the information he had, the Gaia System was some sort of being that had the role of protecting Earth from an outside invasion.

    After it had gotten messed up because of him, it¡¯d created some sort of anti-virus that had the purpose of protecting the world.

    ''If a Guardian really is a being simr to an anti-virus¡­''

    It was understandable that there was more than one.

    It didn''t make sense for the Gaia System to have picked only Kim ShiHoon to guarantee Earth''s safety.

    "Mr. Alec, when did you be a Guardian?"

    "Hmm. About a year ago. After bing a world ranker."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo fell into his thoughts.

    ¡®A year ago¡­¡¯

    It was before he''d returned to Earth.

    ''That means that there were already Guardians before I returned to Earth.''

    Then he had to adjust a few assumptions.

    ''It already knew it was going to get ruined, or it was a measure just in case.''

    He still didn''t know.

    KangWoo took a sip of coffee; a sweet taste spread through his mouth.

    "How did you know that ShiHoon is a Guardian?"

    * * *

    "Haha. That wasn''t my ability. We have a member of the group that can search for other Guardians. It was that person who found me."

    "I see¡­"

    It was clear why he''de to visit them.

    Guardians¡­

    KangWoo didn''t think he''d mentioned that by pure coincidence.

    "I want Mr. ShiHoon to join us."

    ''As expected, this is what they were after.''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes; numerous thoughts crossed his mind.

    "Me, Guardians¡­"

    "Yes. I saw the video of the Isu Station incident. You''re someone with enough talent to be a Guardian," Alec said in a heated voice.

    "If you be part of the Guardians, we¡¯ll tell you how to be a stronger Guardian. Then¡­ you won''t feel that frustration again."

    "Frustration?"

    "Yes."

    Alec nodded.

    Alec''s eyes seemed to be saying that he knew everything.

    "I saw your expression while you were fighting against the demonic monsters. You were suffering and sad. I can understand that. After all, those demonic monsters were once innocent civilians."

    "Ah¡­"

    A short exmation left Kim ShiHoon''s mouth. His expression darkened.

    He remembered what had happened at that time.

    How he had to swing his sword despite knowing their identity¡­

    Alec grabbed Kim ShiHoon''s hand.

    "If you be stronger, we can save everyone."

    "Save everyone? How¡­?"

    "We can suppress them. We still don''t know how to return them to normal, but we''re going to find it one day. We''re going to save everyone, Mr. ShiHoon, and we need your help."

    Eyes burning with justice¡­

    The words ¡°we can save everyone¡± entered Kim ShiHoon''s heart.

    "We need a Guardian who can protect everyone who has fallen into despair."

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent; you could see the hesitation in his eyes.

    His chest felt hot.

    ¡®Save everyone¡­¡¯

    He thought it was something that didn''t make sense.

    But Alec, the Sword of Justice, who was in front of him, was trying to make that nonsense reality.

    He clenched his fist.

    Alec''s words that burned with justice entered his heart.

    ''This¡­''

    It was an opportunity¡­

    An opportunity to stand alongside the ''Sword of Justice'' he¡¯d used to admire.

    He could learn his determination about justice from him and obtain the strength to protect the weak!

    ''I apologize to the Sword King.''

    He was in the middle of learning from the Sword King.

    The talent called Sacrum was showing huge advances through training with the Sword King.

    He was learning about martial arts as smoothly as a sponge absorbing water. Not only that, but he was improving it a bit.

    ''But¡­''

    Kim ShiHoon looked at Alec.

    He could feel his heart beating faster.

    His eyes trembled at the thrill he felt.

    He could learn martial arts through Sword King¡­

    But he couldn''t learn ''ideals'' and ''beliefs.''

    "I¡­"

    There was no reason to hesitate.

    For a moment, Kim ShiHoon wondered if it was okay if he didn''t listen to KangWoo''s opinion, but he thought he was making the right choice.

    "Will¡­"

    At that moment, his words cut off.

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened.

    His body trembled.

    A force he couldn''t deny engulfed him.

    ''What''s this?''

    He couldn''t think anymore.

    His conscience became blurry, and he could hear someone''s voice.

    He wasn''t sure whose voice it was, but there was something he was sure about¡­

    He couldn''t go against that voice.

    "I''m sorry, but I can''t participate in Guardians."

    "Ah¡­"

    Alec seemed disappointed.

    "Could I hear the reason?"

    "I''m sorry¡­"

    He couldn''t answer. No, to be more precise, he didn''t have an answer.

    He also wasn''t sure why he''d refused Alec''s offer.

    He just had a strong feeling that he had to refuse it.

    Alec sighed.

    "That''s too bad, but I didn''t think you would ept it immediately. I''m going to be staying in Korea for a while, so if you change your mind, feel free to contact me."

    He gave him his presentation card and stood up.

    Kim ShiHoon looked at him walking away.

    "¡­"

    <em>Tap-</em>

    KangWoo put down the cup of coffee. System messages only he could see appeared in front of him.

    [The Authority of Subordination was activated.]

    [You''ve sessfully controlled your familiar spirit''s actions.]

    ''I''m d.''

    The insurance he''d taken some months before was finally shining.

    KangWoo looked at Alec''s back with deep, sunken eyes.

    He¡¯d realized what was bothering him after hearing their conversation.

    ''The Sword of Justice¡­''

    He was a right and straight person.

    He wasn''t sure who had given him that nickname, but it suited him.

    Knowing Kim ShiHoon''s personality, it was understandable for him to admire him.

    ''I can''t let that happen.''

    What bothered him was Kim ShiHoon''s current status.

    There was nothing wrong with admiring Alec¡­

    But it would be a problem if ShiHoon wanted to be like him.

    ''Alec is too straight.''

    He was like a white sword.

    A weapon that didn¡¯t want to get dirty, a white sword that wanted to save everyone.

    He couldn''t let Kim ShiHoon''s sword be white like that.

    ''ShiHoon¡­''

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    ''Your swords need to be a bit dirtier.''

    If it didn''t, he wouldn''t be able to survive.

    ''Don''t worry¡­''

    He stood up.

    He patted Kim ShiHoon''s shoulder and followed Alec, who was getting far away.

    A sword that wasn''t dirty was just a piece of metal.

    ''I''m going to make sure it gets dirty.''

 Chapter 120: Sword of Justice (3)

    He couldn''t let Kim ShiHoon and Alec meet anymore.

    ¡ªThat was the conclusion KangWoo reached after hearing the conversation between them.

    He was excessively correct.

    ''How could a person be like that?''

    He had been shocked upon hearing Alec''s monologue.

    Just like the protagonist of a manhwa, he talked nonsense.

    "Even manhwa protagonists don''t say nonsense like that."

    Heughed in disbelief.

    It wasn''t that he thought that saving people and protecting the weak was funny, it was worthy of praise.

    Even if KangWoo weren''t someone like that, he wouldn''t make fun of it.

    ''But saving everyone?''

    The problem was with the word ¡°everyone.¡±

    The moment the word ¡°everyone¡± entered the sentence, it became a crazy, vain ideal.

    It wasn''t a matter of beliefs, but it was physically impossible.

    He couldn''t help but cringe after hearing someone say something like that in such a serious tone.

    ¡­Especially the part about restraining people that¡¯d turned into demonic monsters while waiting for a cure to be invented, it sounded like something only a crazy person would say.

    It wasn''t different from someone saying they would capture and lock away zombies until they could find a cure.

    ''Extreme altruism fosters insanity.''

    It was something he''d heard somewhere.

    He still wasn''t sure what kind of person Alec was, but he definitely knew he felt ufortable about him.

    "It''s better to check it out personally in these cases."

    There would be nothing he could do if he had no way to know, but that wasn''t the case.

    He didn''t have a personality good enough to stand still and do nothing in that situation.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Concealment and followed Alec.

    "Oof."

    Alec sighed.

    "I didn''t think he''d refuse¡­"

    He could hear him mumbling.

    It seemed he was quite shocked by his offer of joining the Guardians being rejected.

    "But I''m going to convince him, no matter what!"

    He clenched both fists and shouted.

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''He''s persistent, huh?''

    He didn''t like him.

    Kim ShiHoon was his familiar spirit, so it was easy to make him refuse the offer, but he couldn''t stop him from being influenced by him.

    The influence Alec would have on Kim ShiHoon wouldn¡¯t be helpful at all.

    No, there was a high chance that it could hurt him.

    ''I have to make him leave at all costs.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    If Alec didn''t want to give up, there was another way.

    "Who are you?!"

    While he was thinking that, Alec suddenly shouted.

    ''Did he find out?''

    KangWoo raised his head.

    Alec wasn''t looking at him¡­

    He was looking at a secluded alleyway.

    "So you noticed me."

    "You¡­"

    A man walked out from the chilly alleyway.

    He was wearing dark robes and had a red demon mask on.

    Demonic energy was flowing out of him.

    Alec''s expression hardened.

    "So you followed me here?"

    "You have to pay the price for having interrupted our n."

    Alec took out his sword.

    The masked man opened his hands, and sharp ws, simr to a beast¡¯s, grew from his hand.

    ''Is he the assassin Alec mentioned before?''

    KangWoo went up to the terrace and looked at the two that had suddenly started fighting.

    Members of the Demon Cult were probably chasing him because of that incident¡­

    Judging by that, he really seemed to be the assassin.

    ''What great timing.''

    KangWooughed.

    It was a great opportunity to get information about him.

    Even if he died while fighting against the Demon Cult member, that wouldn¡¯t be bad.

    After all, his goal was to ensure Kim ShiHoon didn''t get involved with Alec Osborne again.

    ''This is going to be interesting.''

    KangWoo looked at both of them with great interest while listening to their conversation.

    "You should give up."

    "I''ll definitely break that arrogant nose of yours this time!"

    It was a voice filled with anger.

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''This time?''

    Why was it that an assassin was saying something like that?

    If you failed something like an assassination, there was no next time.

    * * *

    If you didn''t manage to kill the other person, you would end up getting killed.

    But by their conversation, it seemed like they had fought numerous times.

    ''What''s going on?''

    KangWoo decided to watch a bit more.

    The two of them soon began fighting.

    <em>ng-! ng!</em>

    The assassin¡¯s sharp ws targeted Alec.

    Alec drew his sword and blocked the attack.

    A white light came out from his sword.

    The battle kept going on for a while.

    The assassin was quite strong, he had a strong enough demonic energy to exin his confidence in killing a world ranker by himself.

    He hadn''t lost his reason due to demonic energy. His movements were clean, and his attacks were strong.

    He knew how to control demonic energy better than Baek KangHyun and Yamaguchi.

    ''But¡­''

    Alec''s sword started to emit light.

    He blocked the assassin''s movements and stabbed.

    He had great swordsmanship.

    KangWoo couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they were the movements of someone who had perfected the sword.

    ''Is this because he''s a Guardian?''

    Just like Kim ShiHoon, Alec''s talent was also impressive.

    ''He''s going to win this fight.''

    It wasn''t that the fight had ended, but Alec had the advantage.

    KangWoo seemed disappointed because he was hoping for Alec to lose.

    "Ugh!"

    The assassin of the Demon Cult fell to the ground.

    Alec approached him.

    "Kill me."

    The assassin noticed he''d already lost, so he spoke in a low voice.

    ''Is this the end?''

    The only thing left was for him to use his sword and cut the assassin''s neck.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue. The battle had ended more easily than he''d hoped for.

    "I can''t do that."

    ''What?''

    At that moment, unexpected words came out of Alec''s mouth.

    KangWoo''s eyes widened; he couldn''t believe what he was hearing.

    "Every life is important, and yours isn''t different."

    ''What is that bastard saying so suddenly?''

    "Leave the Demon Cult. Ask forgiveness for your sins and live a new life."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo¡¯s mouth fell open.

    He couldn''t say anything.

    KangWoo couldn''t believe what Alec was saying.

    ''Is he crazy?''

    Asking the person who''d tried to kill him to repent for his sins and live a new life?

    That wasn''t something a sane person could say.

    Was he the reincarnation of Jesus? How could he say something like that so naturally?

    "You''re saying bullshit once more."

    "This time I''m going to convince you. Come, grab my hand. I''m going to help you so you can live a new life."

    Alec extended his hand.

    Of course, the Demon Cult member didn''t grab it.

    KangWoo looked at Alec''s actions in confusion.

    ''What''s wrong with this guy?''

    It wasn''t a matter of justice anymore.

    Could a normal person do something like that?

    Was it because Alec was too good of a person?

    ''Bullshit.''

    Letting a Demon Cult member who had tried to kill him live because ¡®every person¡¯s life is important¡¯ wasn¡¯t being a good person¡­

    ''That''s just being stupid.''

    There were two options¡­ He either didn''t think, or he didn''t have a brain.

    That was like letting a serial killer go away after telling him to live a new life.

    KangWoo''s head became messy.

    "Hmph!"

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "Ugh?!"

    The assassin, who was on the floor, threw something from his pocket.

    A loud explosion echoed out, and the smoke covered the entire passageway.

    The assassin got up and tried to escape. Alec followed him.

    "Stop!"

    "I''m going to get my revenge for this!"

    The assassin escaped through the alleyway.

    A woman walking toward the alleyway collided with him.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    She didn''t even shout.

    She''d collided with a yer as strong as a ranker escaping with everything he had.

    ¡ªThe impact was greater than being hit by a truck.

    "Ah, aah¡­"

    Alec, who was chasing the assassin, stopped.

    His eyes widened.

    The woman that collided with the assassin was thrown into the wall and died instantly.

    "Ah, noo!!"

    Alec despaired and held onto the woman¡¯s corpse.

    "Sniff! H-how¡­ Wh-why did something like this¡­?!"

    Alec cried for a while, holding the woman¡¯s corpse.

    KangWoo looked at him in disbelief.

    ''Why did something like this happen?''

    Did he not know the reason?

    ''I just can''t keep quiet anymore.''

    He thought he would die if he kept watching.

    While holding back from cursing, KangWoo got down from the building.

    Alec, who had just been crying while holding the corpse of a woman, had stood up and walked out of the alleyway.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­?"

    Alec was surprised after seeing KangWoo appear out of nowhere.

    "Why didn''t you get rid of the assassin?"

    "Were you watching?"

    "Answer."

    Alec answered while cing his hand on top of the sword.

    "All lives are important. That applies even if the other person is a member of the Demon Cult. I can''t take someone''s life so easily."

    "Ha."

    KangWooughed in disbelief.

    "Even if someone innocent died because of that?"

    "¡­"

    "If you''d killed that person, that woman wouldn''t have died. This is your fault. You''re the reason why she died."

    He spit it all out.

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence, and Alec slowly opened his mouth.

    "What¡­ do you mean? An innocent person died?"

    "What?"

    "I let the assassin escape by mistake, but it isn''t that there was another victim."

    "What bullshit are you saying? There''s the victim, right there."

    KangWoo pointed to the woman¡¯s body.

    Alec''s eyes headed to the corpse.

    "Where?"

    "What¡­?"

    Alec tilted his head in confusion.

    "There''s nothing there."

 Chapter 121: Sword of Justice (4)

    KangWoo remained silent. Alec wasn''t just acting as if he didn''t know¡­

    ¡®This¡­¡¯

    ''He really doesn''t know.''

    Lightughter left KangWoo¡¯s mouth. He felt that all of the confusion he had inside was disappearing.

    There was no way someone sane could let an assassin who had tried to kill him live.

    ''So that means¡­''

    That meant Alec had been insane from the start.

    Now KangWoo could understand why he acted so strangely.

    "Oof, but rather than that, to think I''d let the Demon Cult member go¡­ I''m ashamed of it."

    "Let me ask you something."

    "Yes?"

    KangWoo looked at Alec with sunken eyes.

    "You have no intention of giving up on ShiHoon, right?"

    "Of course not. There aren''t many Guardians, after all. And¡­ most importantly, I think that Mr. ShiHoon himself was very interested in it."

    "¡­"

    "I know you think of Mr. ShiHoon as your little brother, so I understand you''re worried, but this is something rted to the survival of humanity."

    "Ha¡­"

    KangWooughed.

    The woman¡¯s corpse was still in the alleyway.

    A woman had died because Alec hadn''t killed the assassin.

    ¡­But Alec was still right and straight.

    ¡ªHe couldn''t see anything beyond justice.

    "Then I''ll be going. Mr. KangWoo, please try to convince Mr. ShiHoon."

    Alec turned around with a smile on his face.

    KangWoo just watched his back.

    There was no way to know how many deaths Alec had ignored until that point¡­

    But he was sure that it probably wasn''t the first time.

    There was no way it was the first time. People don''t go that insane so quickly and easily.

    He''d probably lost his sanity a long time ago before then, and he was probably at a point of no return.

    "For the sake of humanity¡­" KangWoo mumbled.

    It wasn''t hard to see why Alec had be messed up.

    He¡¯d probably experienced a situation in the past where he¡¯d tried to save everyone without differentiating between good and evil¡­

    ''And he probably failed.''

    It wasn''t about his talent or ability.

    If you have an absurd ideal, you will inevitably fail.

    You either ept the result or ignore it.

    Alec had chosen to ignore it.

    "Pathetic."

    KangWoo spat on the floor.

    It was hard to ept your failure.

    It wasn''t easy to ept that what you''d done up until a certain point was wrong.

    On the other hand, ignoring your failure was easy.

    It was simple andfortable.

    Alec Osborne wasn''t a person with strong ideals. He was just a loser who didn''t know how to ept the results of his actions.

    ''He said he had no intention of giving up on Kim ShiHoon.''

    It didn''t matter if he was a coward or someone crazy who couldn''t ept reality¡­

    KangWoo wouldn''t have thought too much of him if he was someone else.

    ¡­But that case was different.

    Alec was trying to make Kim ShiHoon join him.

    He was trying to make Kim ShiHoon just like him.

    ''I can''t let that happen.''

    He would have to take out his sword if he wasn''t nning on giving up.

    "This may be a good opportunity."

    He thought of Kim ShiHoon looking at Alec in admiration.

    Alec was an important person to Kim ShiHoon.

    Kim ShiHoon trusted Alec so much that KangWoo had been forced to use the Authority of Subordination and make him refuse the offer.

    Just like a kid was influenced by the heroes he saw in movies, it seemed like Alec heavily influenced ShiHoon.

    There was a huge chance that Kim ShiHoon''s heroic actions were due to Alec¡¯s influence on him.

    ''I don''t like that.''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    He had high hopes for Kim ShiHoon.

    He couldn''t let him destroy himself due to unrealistic ideals.

    "It''s about time for me to give him a huge shock."

    He had no intention of protecting Kim ShiHoon forever.

    ShiHoon had to learn how to make decisions and act by himself.

    For that to happen, he had to make Kim ShiHoon wake up from the fantasy of being a hero.

    "Hmm."

    He closed his eyes and began thinking at high speed.

    He thought of a good n and slowly opened his eyes.

    Since the n was decided on, there was no need to hesitate anymore.

    KangWoo turned his head.

    ''But before that¡­''

    There was something he had to do before putting his n into action.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    He stomped the floor, and his body rose into the sky.

    He used the Authority of Observation over a wide area.

    ''So he escaped that way.''

    KangWoo turned his head to the area where he could feel demonic energy.

    Unlike in Japan, where it was like finding a tree in the middle of a forest due to theck of demonic energy, searching for the Demon Cult member was more like finding a tree in the middle of a desert.

    KangWoo flew toward where the Demon Cult member had escaped.

    * * *

    The ce the Demon Cult member had escaped to was an abandoned factory near the Incheon port.

    The ce was locked since it had been destroyed on the Cataclysmic Day.

    ''He ran quite far away.''

    Considering he should''ve been tired after fighting Alec, he''d run at an incredible speed.

    The scent of demonic energy stopped at the abandoned factory.

    KangWoonded on top of the factory and checked the situation out.

    ''It seems like there isn''t anyone else here.''

    He couldn''t sense any other sources of demonic energy.

    Some people among the high priests of the Demon Cult could hide their traces of demonic energy, but he didn''t think that was the case.

    The Demon Cult member wouldn''t have fought Alec alone if there were other, stronger people.

    "Oof, oof."

    KangWoo heard heavy breathing.

    The man had escaped at full speed after a hard fight, so it looked like he¡¯d be tired.

    KangWoo clenched his fist and smashed the abandoned factory¡¯s roof.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    Dust scattered. The assassin took out his ws and red at him.

    "Who are you¡­?"

    The red-masked man wasn''t able to hide his surprise.

    He thought it was Alec following him at first, but then he saw someonepletely different in front of him, so his confusion was understandable.

    KangWooughed at the assassin¡¯s question.

    "How about I ask who you are?"

    "¡­"

    "You''re not going to tell me, right? Well, I''m the same."

    The assassin lowered his body, and a sharp killing intent leaked from him.

    "You''re probably a Guardian."

    It seemed like he thought KangWoo was Alec''s partner.

    KangWoo shrugged.

    "Hmph. Even if you''re trying to act dumb, I know you''re a member of Guardians."

    The assassin opened his hands.

    His ws, which had grown and extended to longer than 30 centimeters, shone sharply. Demonic energy started concentrating at the edge of the ws.

    "Yeah, think whatever you want."

    There was no need to tell him the truth.

    People saw and heard only what they wanted to, after all.

    "There are lots of things I want to ask you."

    "Do you think I''ll talk?"

    "No. There''s no way that''d happen."

    KangWoo shook his head and raised his hand.

    The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea, which had the shape of a ring and was in his right hand, changed its shape.

    "So¡­"

    The ring changed its shape and became a gauntlet.

    It was the Authority of the demon Amducias, the gauntlet with the ''Authority of Seals.''

    "I''ll just have to make you want to talk."

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    KangWoounched forward off the ground.

    He used the Authority of Speed and reduced the distance between him and the assassin in just an instant.

    He could see the surprise behind the mask.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    KangWoo hit the man¡¯s stomach with the gauntlet.

    The assassin¡¯s body folded and flew back.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    The walls of the abandoned factory were destroyed.

    Abandoned bars of steel poured on top of the assassin.

    "Cough!"

    The assassin swung his hand.

    A loud noise rang out, and the steel bars were cut in half. The would-be assassin lowered his body and leaped forward.

    His sharp ws swung from bottom to top.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "Ha-ab!"

    KangWoo grabbed the assassin¡¯s ws and used the Authority of Divine Power while he pulled the ws out of the man¡¯s hands. The ws fell to the ground.

    Was it because of the pain? The assassin wasn''t moving.

    KangWoo grabbed the assassin¡¯s shoulder with the gauntlet that had the Authority of Seals.

    "AARRGGHH!"

    The man¡¯s bones were crushed, and the gauntlet was embedded in his shoulder.

    A horrible, pained panting left his mouth.

    "H-huh? My strength¡­"

    Once the Authority of Seals had spread through the assassin''s body, he fell to the ground.

    KangWoo put his finger on the assassin''s mouth and stopped him from trying tomit suicide, then he used the Authority of Subordination on him.

    A huge amount of demonic energy entered the assassin¡¯s body.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The soul of the target has rejected the Authority of Subordination.]

    "Tsk."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    He thought that, maybe if he used the Authority of Seals, the Subordination one might work, but it had failed.

    ''That''s too bad.''

    He had no intention of giving up just because a control-type Authority had failed.

    KangWoo pierced the shoulder that had been torn apart by the gauntlet.

    "AAGGHH!!"

    The assassin¡¯s suppressed screams came out.

    KangWoo had no intention of stopping there.

    ''Authority of Hellfire.''

    A life-burning fire began burning sections of the assassin''s body.

    Being burned alive was one of the greatest pains that a human could feel.

    If such a burn happened on the inside, the oue was obvious.

    "AAGGHH!!!"

    A horrible scream spread through the ce.

    KangWoo turned the Authority off.

    "So, do you want to talk?"

    "Oof! Oof!"

    "Or should I do it one more time?"

    "S-stop! P-please¡­ Stop!"

    The assassin desperately shouted as if he didn''t want to suffer such pain again.

    KangWoo smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

    ''What should I ask first?''

    There were many things he wanted to ask¡­

    But he couldn''t just voice his questions carelessly.

    ''He will probably die either due to his body exploding or being twisted away.''

    From what he''d seen until then, the Demon Cult had put a sort of device on its members to ensure that information wouldn''t leak from the inside.

    The same was probably true with the assassin in front of him.

    ''I can''t make the same mistake.''

    He wasn''t an idiot who didn''t learn from his mistakes.

    KangWoo first checked for information rted to the Demon Cult.

    "Tell me what you know about the Guardians."

    "Why¡­? Since you''re a member of the Guardians, you should know more about them than I¡­ AAGGHH!"

    "Don''t ask more questions. Just answer what I ask."

    "Oof! Oof!"

    Tears dripped down the assassin¡¯s eyes.

    "They''re a group that was created by people with the title of ''Guardian'' from all around the world. I don''t know the exact number, but what I''m sure of is that there are fewer than 10 members. Their leader is called ''Gaia.''"

    "The leader''s name is Gaia?"

    "Y-yes."

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    ''Gaia¡­''

    He naturally thought of the Gaia System. He didn''t think it was a coincidence.

 Chapter 122: Red Mask (1)

    "Where''s Gaia?"

    "I¡­ I don''t know."

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo nodded.

    It would be weird if a Demon Cult member knew where the leader of the Guardians was.

    ''I''ll need to check that out.''

    He had to get in contact with the Guardians and find out more about Gaia¡¯s identity.

    "Is there anything else you know about Gaia?"

    "I¡­ I know that she''s a girl with the ability to find other Guardians."

    "Woah."

    KangWoo nodded.

    ''Then she''s probably the one who found out about Kim ShiHoon.''

    That made things morefortable.

    Considering that there were so few Guardians, Gaia was probably going to try to get in contact with ShiHoon again.

    ¡­Even if Alec Osborne disappeared.

    ''She¡¯ll probably appear at some point without me even doing anything.''

    There was no need to go out and try to find her.

    As long as Kim ShiHoon was there, an encounter with Gaia was inevitable.

    "Not bad information."

    KangWoo smiled in satisfaction. However, he would''ve preferred if he had been given more specific information, but he was happy with that at the moment.

    "Then let me go¡­"

    "This is thest question; I''ll set you free if you answer it," KangWoo kept talking in a calm voice.

    "Tell me everything you know about the Demon Cult. You can tell me how big they are, where they¡¯re located, what they want¡­ anything is okay.¡±

    "¡­"

    The assassin¡¯s expression hardened. There was a heavy silence, and his breathing became rougher.

    KangWoo smiled. It was as he''d expected.

    "It seems like you¡¯ll die if you speak."

    In that case, there was no point in listening to him anymore.

    "Cough. I¡­ I''ll give you any other information you want! So¡­"

    The assassin became anxious. He was desperately trying to escape with his life.

    KangWoo ced his hand on the man¡¯s as if he were trying to calm him down.

    "A deal can be done if both sides have something that the other wants. I can give you your life. but what can you give me?"

    The assassin desperately began to talk.

    He told KangWoo about Europe''s situation, how big the Guardians were, and all of the information that he could think of.

    ¡­But there wasn''t any information about the Demon Cult KangWoo wanted to hear.

    "Thanks for the information."

    "W-wait!"

    The Authority of Waves concentrated in KangWoo¡¯s hands.

    As he ced his hand on the assassin''s back, it turned his insides into rice porridge.

    Blood poured out of the assassin, and he copsed to the ground.

    "Now then¡­"

    KangWoo extended his hand and took the red mask that was covering the assassin''s face.

    KangWoo ced the mask over his own face, and it stuck into his head even though it had no securing device.

    "Should I start?"

    The eyes behind the mask were smiling.

    KangWoo walked out of the abandoned factory while wearing a red mask.

    It was time to start his n.

    * * *

    "Hngh, how tiring."

    Alec, who had returned to the hotel,y on the bed.

    He''d met Kim ShiHoon after 10 hours of flight and even fought a Demon Cult member, so he felt fatigued.

    "I''m going to try to meet Mr. ShiHoon again tomorrow."

    A Guardian was an important being.

    He had no intention of giving up just because ShiHoon had refused once.

    Alec thought of Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes that had looked at him intensely, full of admiration and passion.

    ''I can convince him.''

    He clenched his fist with an expression full of confidence. He was sure ShiHoon was going to sympathize with his beliefs.

    "But¡­"

    Oh KangWoo.

    He thought of the person who¡¯d revealed himself as Kim ShiHoon''s non-blood-rted brother.

    "What was that feeling?"

    His expression had naturally hardened when he¡¯d grabbed his hand for the first time.

    He¡¯d felt a weird difort.

    "Hmm."

    He kept thinking.

    * * *

    Finally, he shook his head.

    "It was probably nothing."

    It was only a slight difort. It was wrong to judge someone based on something like that.

    - Why didn''t you kill him?

    He thought of the question KangWoo had asked him after the fight with the assassin.

    "Haha. Well, I guess he won''t have an easy time understanding it."

    Saving all lives¡­

    Someone who wasn''t a Guardian wouldn''t be able to understand the ideals that had awoken within him since he had be one.

    ''But Mr. KangWoo will also understand in the end.''

    He would soon realize Alec¡¯s noble beliefs and how many people he could save.

    - Ah, AAHH! Wh-why this¡­?!

    "Ugh."

    He felt a headache.

    He saw the corpse of a woman in the alleyway and himself in despair over the corpse.

    "This again?"

    Alec sighed andy on the bed.

    It had started a year before. He sometimes suffered from an intense headache and saw images that seemed toe from nightmares

    Erina¡­

    It was the name of the woman he''d promised eternity.

    She fully supported his beliefs that other people had a hard time understanding.

    "I miss you."

    Alec closed his eyes.

    He remembered how lovely Erina looked.

    It had been a year since she¡¯d suddenly disappeared.

    He''d done his best to find her, but she wasn''t anywhere to be seen.

    ''I''ll find you, no matter what.''

    Alec believed she was definitely alive somewhere; finding her was one of his biggest goals.

    "To do that, I''ll have to drag Mr. ShiHoon into being a Guardian as soon as possible."

    A year before, she''d started to investigate the Demon Cult.

    She¡¯d gone missing during that time, so there was a huge chance that the Demon Cult was involved in it.

    The forces of the Guardians needed to grow if he wanted to be able to find out more about the Demon Cult.

    ''I''m going to rest a bit for today.''

    The headache wasn''t going away.

    He couldn''t forget the face of KangWoo, who¡¯d given him a disgusted look.

    Alec decided it would be better if he slept and thought about thatter.

    It was at that moment¡­

    Kyaaaa-!

    The screams of a woman could be heard.

    It wasn''t just a scream of surprise, but the scream of someone who feared for their life.

    Alec quickly got up.

    He grabbed his sword and ran toward where he''d heard the scream.

    ''Up¡­''

    To be more precise, the terrace of the hotel.

    It was a ce that was a bit far away, but his hearing abilities were nearly superhuman, so he could tell precisely where the sound wasing from.

    ''Damn, I hope nothing happens!''

    He quickly began running. He wasn''t sure what was going on, but he couldn''t hesitate if he wanted to save a life.

    His conviction was still shining.

    * * *

    "You¡­"

    Alec''s expression hardened.

    A man wearing a red mask was sitting on the hotel''s terrace.

    "Did youe?"

    The masked man waved his hand.

    "Oof. It seems like you don''t get tired."

    Alec sighed.

    He was familiar with the masked man, the assassin who¡¯d tried to kill him earlier that day.

    "Where is the girl?" He asked with his eyes narrowed.

    The masked man smirked.

    "Here."

    <em>Tap.</em> When he flicked his fingers, the desperate scream of a woman could be heard.

    Alec frowned.

    "It was a trick."

    "They say that the fooled one is the dumb one."

    "¡­"

    Alec looked at him cautiously. Unlike before, the man seemed rxed.

    There was no way he''d be so rxed after suffering such a defeat if he didn''t have a n.

    ''I don''t think there are other Demon Cult members around.''

    He extended his Qi and analyzed his surroundings but couldn''t feel anything.

    "Didn''t you learn your lesson after suffering such a defeat earlier? You''ll never be able to beat me."

    "We''ll just have to see."

    The red-masked man sitting on the railing hopped down.

    The eyes behind the mask looked at Alec.

    "Hmm?"

    Alec''s eyes widened, and he felt a chill.

    The moment he saw the eyes in front of him, he felt as if a huge abyss had appeared in front of him out of nowhere.

    "Ugh."

    Alec gulped and shook his head. His breath became heavy.

    ''What''s this?''

    He was definitely wearing the same clothes as the man that had chased him earlier that day.

    He could even see the section of clothes that had been torn away by his sword.

    The demonic energy he could feel was exactly the same as the one he''d felt from the assassin.

    But still¡­

    ''It''s different.''

    There was something different about him.

    He gripped his sword, took a deep breath, and got into a fighting stance.

    The masked man opened his mouth.

    "There''s something I want to ask you."

    "What is it¡­?"

    "I killed a woman while escaping. The scream you just heard was from that woman."

    "Th-that!"

    Alec¡¯s head became nk. He felt as if he''d been hit with a hammer from behind.

    "But still, aren''t you going to kill me?"

    "¡­"

    His head became messy. Alec bit his lips and raised his sword.

    A white light simr to his beliefs covered his sword.

    Alec spoke with eyes that showed no doubts.

    "Of course not, but I''m going to make you regret what you''ve done the rest of your life."

    "Hahaha. Is not killing anyone that important?"

    The masked manughed.

    "Of course it is. Saving everyone¡ªthat''s my goal," Alec said without hesitating.

    "Beliefs? Stop it with the bullshit."

    The masked man raised his hand and a dark-red spear Alec hadn''t seen before appeared in the man¡¯s hand.

    "Don¡¯t shit out of your mouth. Bring it on."

 Chapter 123: Red Mask (2)

    [The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea has transformed into ''Gae Bolg.'']

    [It has 34% of the strength of the original skill.]

    A blue message window appeared in front of him.

    He grabbed the Gae Bolg, put more Demonic Energy into it, and used the Authority of Divine Power.

    ''As expected, this is fraud.''

    Although it only had 34% strength of the original, he could maintain the Gae Bolg without using Demonic Energy. And on top of that, he could use other Authorities.

    He checked the time. It was 08:43 pm.

    ''He''s probably going to arrive at 9 pm.''

    KangWoo smiled and lowered his stance.

    There were 15 minutes left.

    Although it might not have been enough to face a world ranker, KangWoo wasn''t worried.

    ''After all, that guy is the opponent.''

    He looked at Alec.

    Alec sighed and gripped his sword.

    "That''s too bad."

    White light burst out of him.

    Alec stomped the ground.

    A white afterimage remained in ce while his body shot forward.

    A sword with intense mana targeted KangWoo, aiming for his right shoulder.

    It was a technique that was simple but perfect.

    "But it''s useless."

    KangWooughed coldly.

    He moved forward and twisted his body. He hadn''t done that to dodge the attack but to make sure it would hit him more precisely.

    Right when Alec''s sword was about to cut KangWoo''s neck¡­

    "Huh?!"

    Alec was surprised and stopped the attack. It wasn''t easy to stop while you were in the middle of an attack.

    A strong pressure weighed on his hands, and his body screamed as if he were a truck screeching to a stop.

    "See? I knew you''d do that."

    KangWoo looked at him like he was pathetic and swung Gae Bolg.

    The dark-red spear hit Alec, who was bent and pushed backward.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    He stepped on the floor and leaped toward Alec, who was being flung back.

    KangWoo shed upward.

    Alec quickly twisted his body and blocked the attack, but he couldn''t fully block the impact in mid-air.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    A dark fire spread from Gae Bolg''s de.

    Alec rolled on the ground and tried to put out the fire.

    KangWoo charged toward him.

    Alec jumped back up and swung his sword.

    KangWoo didn''t dodge but moved his head toward the sword''s trajectory.

    The sword changed its trajectory and brushed past his cheeks.

    The red mask was slightly cut, and blood leaked out through it. He ignored it, clenched his hand, and swung his fist.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    Blood spurted out of Alec''s mouth, and he fell to the ground after receiving a hit from ''Sky Break¡¯.

    "Ugh... H, how."

    Alec''s eyes shook. He was astonished because his strength couldn''t bepared to earlier.

    "Tsk."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    ''I''ll have to acknowledge his will.''

    Seeing how he didn''t try to kill him even while in the middle of such a situation, he had to recognize Alec¡¯s will to not kill anyone.

    No, at that point, it wasn''t just about will; it was closer to brainwashing.

    ''It was more fun against that assassin.''

    Hyun didn''t feel the excitement and nervousness of a battle.

    Alec''s strategy was useful only when he was overwhelmingly stronger than the opponent.

    For someone like KangWoo, whose strength went beyond world rankers, fighting against him was boring and bothersome.

    ''Anyway, he isn''t important.''

    The fight with Alec wasn''t important to his n.

    KangWoo checked the time again.

    "Ha-ab!"

    Alec charged toward him while he was distracted and swung a sword with intense mana embedded into it.

    Once again, KangWoo put a vital point in front of the trajectory. The attack stopped.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    "Let''s leave it here. This is so boring that I''m starting to get annoyed."

    KangWoo, who''d spent so many years in Hell fighting battles where his life was in danger, found the fight annoying.

    ''I didn''t think he''d be like this.''

    He didn''t like it.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    There was one way to relieve his irritation¡­

    "Who... are you?" Alec spoke in a low voice.

    ''He isn''t the person I saw earlier today.''

    Leaving the mask aside, the clothes and voice were exactly like the assassin¡¯s he''d met earlier that day.

    But despite that, he thought they were ''different.''

    His skills were on a whole other levelpared to the assassin¡¯s.

    "You call yourself a Guardian and don''t even know that?" KangWoo said while making fun of him.

    "If a Demon Cult member suddenly became stronger, that can only mean one thing¡­"

    "Don''t tell me..."

    * * *

    Alec''s eyes widened.

    He bit his lips.

    Just like he''d said, there was only one way a Demon Cult member could''ve gotten so strong so quickly.

    "You¡¯re a demon!"

    Alec used the sword as a baton and got up. Strong killing intent came out of him. It was a killing intent KangWoo hadn''t felt from him yet.

    KangWoo nodded and smiled, satisfied.

    "Yes, this is better."

    He thought that he''d finally be able to fight properly.

    Alec raised his sword.

    The two superhumans shed against each other on top of the hotel.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    The entire ce shook as if an earthquake was happening.

    They exchanged numerous attacks in a short frame of time, but KangWoo seemed bored.

    ''This guy is still acting like that.''

    Even though he''d said KangWoo was a demon, he wasn''t attacking aggressively. He was only trying to restrain him.

    He didn''t say anything stupid like he''d protect even a demon''s life.

    ''Is this only because of how I look?''

    Just based on the outer appearance, KangWoo looked like a normal person.

    That was probably the reason why Alec couldn''t aggressively attack him.

    It wasn''t that KangWoo couldn''t understand his actions.

    After all, if someone asked you if it was easier to kill a monster that looked like a human or a human that looked like a monster, the answer was obvious.

    ''You don''t have the right to be a Guardian.''

    KangWoo''s eyes sank.

    He wasn''t sure what exactly the Guardians were¡­

    What he knew was that they had the job of protecting Earth from outside invaders.

    That included the Ernor continent where Reynald lived or the God''s world where Susanoo lived.

    If he couldn''t kill something just because it looked like a human, that meant he was useless as a Guardian.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    He grabbed Alec''s neck.

    Alec struggled in the air.

    "Cough! Cough! L-let me go!"

    "You''re full of bullshit, huh?"

    KangWoo gripped his neck tighter. He couldn''t help but sigh.

    ''Is world-ranking a ranking of the dumbest people around the world?''

    He realized how nice of a person Cheon MooJin was.

    KangWoo checked the time.

    The battle had ended faster than he¡¯d thought. It was understandable since he''d fought an idiot who couldn''t kill people.

    ''I have some time left.''

    KangWoo slowly opened his mouth.

    He was thinking of relieving his frustration on him.

    "Of course, you probably have your reasons."

    Humans didn''t go insane easily.

    Alec probably became like that because something had happened to him that was so sad that he couldn¡¯t handle it.

    "If we made it a movie, it would probably be a very sad story."

    That was the only possible reason he could think of.

    "But does the world disappear if you close your eyes? If you turn your head, do things from the past simply vanish?"

    "Ugh!"

    "Be honest."

    KangWoo twisted his mouth.

    "You saw her, right?"

    "What do you m¡ª"

    "The woman that died today in the alleyway. Be honest. You saw her. I¡¯m sure you saw her."

    "..."

    Alec remained silent.

    He couldn''t understand what KangWoo was talking about.

    AAH!

    Bzzt. His eyes became blurry.

    He saw himself agonizing over a woman¡¯s death.

    It was something he had never seen, something he didn''t remember.

    But still, his mouth opened by itself.

    "Shut¡­ up!"

    "Haha. Now that you''re cursing, you finally look like a human."

    KangWooughed out loud.

    "Wake up. What you''re doing is just masturbation. You''re just shaking your hand so you can feel good."

    The words that were making fun of him entered his ears.

    Scenes he had forgotten came back to his mind.

    Alec''s eyes widened.

    ''Erina¡­''

    He saw the woman he''d promised to spend the rest of his life with.

    He saw her dying at the hands of someone and himself crying because of it.

    Alec shouted as if he were about to have a seizure.

    "You don''t know anything!"

    "What, do you want people to understand your tragic past? Do you want them to grab your hand and sympathize with you?"

    KangWoo spat on the floor.

    "People don''t cry about your trauma, so stop trying to be a victim."

    People going through hard situations often think the entire world is sad.

    ¡®Since I''m sad, the world must also be sad.¡¯

    But reality wasn''t like that.

    It had never been like that.

    "AAGGHH!! C-COUGH!"

    Alec began screaming and struggling.

    KangWoo tightened his grip around his neck.

    A desperate scream came out of Alec¡¯s mouth.

    KangWoo smiled.

    "Oof, fuck. Now I feel better."

    He felt as if he''d drunk something refreshing.

    He hadn''t said all that because he cared about Alec.

    He¡¯d said it because everything Alec had said had annoyed him.

    "However, when is that guy going to appear?"

    KangWoo frowned.

    He''d already done enough chit-talk, but the protagonist had yet to appear.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    ''They say that even the tigeres when you talk about it.''

    The doors of the terrace opened, and a young man appeared.

    He had an unrealistically handsome appearance, and he shouted while breathing heavily.

    "Mr. Alec!!"

    Kim ShiHoon''s scream spread through the ce.

    KangWoo covered his body with Demonic Energy.

    His whole body became shrouded in darkness.

    ''Ah, I need to regte my voice.''

    KangWoo tried to put on an act and slowly opened his mouth.

    [A minnow appeared.]

    "Who are you?!" Kim ShiHoon took out his sword and shouted.

    He saw his role model, Alec, being grabbed by the neck.

    His body trembled, and his breath became heavier.

    He didn''t want to believe what he was seeing, and an incredible anger rose from within.

    [Who am I?]

    KangWoo, who was covered by darkness, turned his body.

    [I am death. I am the end. I''m the father of every angry person, and I''m rage itself.]

    Only the red mask could be seen in the pitch-ck darkness.

    [I''m Satan.]

 Chapter 124: Red Mask (3)

    "Sa... tan?"

    Kim ShiHoon''s expression hardened.

    Satan¡­

    It was a demon so famous that there wasn''t anyone who didn''t know about him. He appeared in lots of different media as some sort of final boss.

    He was the Demon of Anger among the famous ''seven archdukes.''

    "You''re Satan?"

    Kim ShiHoon red at the man wearing a red mask as if he couldn''t believe what he was hearing.

    He didn''t look like how he thought a ''demon'' looked. Although a ck curtain covered him, the silhouette clearly belonged to a human.

    [Yes.]

    "Cough!!"

    The man that called himself Satan gripped Alec''s neck even tighter.

    Alec began swinging his two legs while making a desperate expression.

    "Stop!" Kim ShiHoon shouted.

    Alec looked like he was going to stop breathing at any moment.

    He started to feel anxious.

    [You look anxious.]

    "..."

    [Is this person important to you?] The demon asked.

    He remained silent. ¡®Is Alec important to me?¡¯ He asked himself.

    "I have no reason to tell you that."

    He raised his sword.

    The El Quero de¡­

    It was the legendary-rank sword KangWoo had given him.

    ''KangWoo hyeongnim¡­''

    He¡¯d tried to contact KangWoo after being told about the appearance of a member of the Demon Cult but had failed in doing so.

    That meant that he couldn''t expect anyone else''s help.

    ''I must defeat that demon.''

    He knew it was impossible.

    He knew it made no sense.

    It was an enemy that had defeated ''Sword of Justice'' Alec Osborne. There was no way he''d be able to win.

    But even still¡­

    ''Blue Dragon Rush.''

    He used the Blue Dragon Sword Style he''d learned from Cheon MooJin.

    A fast and strong sword attack targeted Satan.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    [Weak.]

    Satan mumbled, disappointed. He didn''t even need to move. Kim ShiHoon flew backward with a simple hand gesture.

    Kim ShiHoon, who had fallen to the floor, got up and staggered.

    You could see the intensity in his eyes.

    "I know I''m weak."

    He used sword energy, and blue mana covered his sword.

    He stepped forward and shed with his sword.

    Blue sword energy targeted the demon.

    A sword attack with intense killing intent targeted Satan''s head.

    Satan flicked his finger. A ck wave rushed forward and hit Kim ShiHoon.

    "Ugh!"

    His body was pushed backward, and blood came out of his mouth.

    Although he only flicked his finger, he felt like a hammer had hit him.

    [You''re desperate.]

    "Cough! Cough!"

    [Why are you trying so hard? You''re not rted to Alec Osborne in any sense, after all.]

    "..."

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes trembled.

    Someone he wasn''t rted to¡­

    The demon''s words entered his head.

    He was right.

    Strictly speaking, Alec Osborne was someone who had nothing to do with him.

    He wasn''t his friend or partner.

    He was just a hero he admired.

    Trying so hard to save someone you''d only seen through TV was dumb.

    "Cough!"

    He coughed up blood.

    ''I know that.''

    He knew he was doing something stupid at the moment. Something that other people would have a hard time understanding.

    If KangWoo saw him like that, he would probably scold him.

    ''But¡­''

    He got up and firmly stepped forward, staggering all the while.

    He turned his head.

    He saw Alec coughing while making a pale expression. It seemed like he was about to die.

    ''Hyeongnim probably won''t understand me¡­''

    Heughed at himself.

    KangWoo probably couldn''t understand what the ''Sword of Justice'' meant to him.

    After all, he had never told anyone.

    He wasn''t someone he admired.

    He wasn''t a kid who was blinded by a hero that was on a screen; he wasn''t a girl who longed for his idol.

    He wouldn''t risk his life for something like that.

    Kim ShiHoon raised his sword and took a deep breath. He had no intention of exining everything to that demon.

    "Is it that weird to try to save someone who isn''t rted to you?"

    [Rather than weird, it''s stupid.]

    "Stupid, huh?"

    Kim ShiHoonughed.

    "You''re right."

    He didn''t deny it. He wasn''t expecting someone to understand it. There was no way a demon would be able to understand something that not even normal people could.

    "I''m sorry, KangWoo hyeong," Kim ShiHoon mumbled in a low voice.

    He still hadn''t been able to pay KangWoo back for saving him. Not only had he not paid him back, but he''d received even more help from him.

    He regretted that.

    * * *

    "Oof."

    He took a deep breath. The Qi inside the Dantian spread to the rest of his body. The sword in his hand didn''t feel like a weapon but an extension of his body.

    The sword was part of him.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    He stomped on the ground and leaped forward. The red-masked man raised his hand. A sword that emitted demonic energy appeared in his hand.

    Kim ShiHoon took the El Quero Sword covered with energy and smashed it down at him.

    The swords emitting blue and ck light shed. In just a second, they exchange huge blows.

    But the difference in strength was clear.

    The palms of his hands tore due to the impact transmitted by the sword.

    He ignored it.

    <em>Whish-!</em>

    He moved his foot backward and lowered his body.

    He wouldn''t be able to win in a frontal battle. He dodged the iing attack and then tried to stab using the El Quero de.

    The sword moved smoothly like a dragon and stabbed the ck curtain.

    "Cough!"

    Kim ShiHoon was pushed back by the recoil.

    Once again, he coughed up dark blood.

    His expression hardened.

    It wasn¡¯t about martial arts anymore.

    His basic strength was on another level. It didn''t matter how much he tried. It was like trying to destroy a rock with an egg.

    ''But¡­''

    He wasn''t going to give up. He couldn''t give up.

    He got up while trembling and gripped his sword tighter.

    He stamped his foot and moved toward the demon in front of him without hesitation.

    * * *

    They exchanged blows. Once again, Kim ShiHoon was pushed backward.

    ''Quite impressive.''

    A short exmation came out of KangWoo''s mouth.

    He wasn''t trying to make fun of ShiHoon¡ªhe really was impressed.

    Since he''d achieved Extreme Demonic Energy Body, his body specs were on another levelpared to Kim ShiHoon.

    It was beyond a level he could ovee with something like martial arts.

    Even if a three-year-old kid had good technique, he wouldn''t be able to win against a pro wrestler.

    That wasn''t a gap one could ovee.

    ''As expected, ShiHoon is better than Alec.''

    He smiled in satisfaction.

    Alec''s sword felt like he''d polished the basic techniques to an extreme.

    It was strong but simple.

    ¡­But Kim ShiHoon''s sword was different.

    ''It can''t be seen.''

    The expression ''There''s no way to know'' would be more precise.

    Kim ShiHoon''s sword couldn''t be understood by even KangWoo, who had experienced countless battles.

    Kim ShiHoon''s growth potential made him excited.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    Kim ShiHoon once again rolled on the ground.

    Of course, that didn''t mean Kim ShiHoon was as strong as a world ranker at the moment.

    Right then, he''d lose even if he fought against Alec.

    ''But that''s because of the difference in their specs.''

    Kim ShiHoon was growing. Not only that, but he had no level restriction.

    It was impossible in the first ce that a yer who had just be level 60 would be able tond an attack on KangWoo.

    But Kim ShiHoon had managed to do that.

    ''Although his level is higher than mine.''

    But what was important wasn''t the level but the stats, which became strength and power.

    In that sense, KangWoo had statsparable to a level 100 yer.

    ''I''ll have to change the n a bit.''

    KangWoo licked his lips after seeing Kim ShiHoon charge toward him with everything he had.

    Originally, he¡¯d nned to overwhelm him with his strength and give him ''stimtion.''

    That had changed.

    Kim ShiHoon was trying harder than he¡¯d thought.

    ''It doesn''t seem to be in admiration.''

    If it were that, he wouldn''t have been trying so hard.

    He thought about the reason for a little while but shook his head.

    Just because he was his familiar spirit didn''t mean he could know everything about him.

    ''Anyway, this is better.''

    The more important Alec was to Kim ShiHoon, the more effective the stimtion would be.

    KangWoo faced Kim ShiHoon with one hand while, with the other, he grabbed Alec''s neck.

    Kim ShiHoon''s sword shed in his direction.

    Before it shed with KangWoo''s sword, it suddenly changed direction. It was a technique that resembled a snake, you just couldn''t predict its trajectory.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    ''Good.''

    The sword that was blocked by the curtain bounced away.

    Kim ShiHoon used the recoil to reverse, turn his body around, and target KangWoo again.

    It was a phenomenal, acrobatic movement.

    ''Yes, that''s it.''

    He lowered his strength on purpose.

    Kim ShiHoon''s sword began pushing him more aggressively. Kim ShiHoon destroyed a little bit of the mask that wasn''t protected by the curtain.

    ''Nicely done, ShiHoon!!''

    It wasn''t a sword style that tried to overwhelm the opponent. All of his attacks targeted vital points, and he could feel a strong killing intent in each attack.

    To kill the opponent¡­

    It was a perfect, killing sword that didn''t think of anything else.

    ''This is what I call a battle!''

    If Kim ShiHoon''s specs were higher, it would''ve been a more thrilling battle.

    He felt a bit disappointed but soon shook his head.

    ''ShiHoon is going to get stronger.''

    A talent that was given by the sky, Sacrum¡­

    The soul of the Martial God¡­

    And on top of that, a great teacher known as Sword King Cheon MooJin.

    ''And now I''m filling in what hecks.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply. It was about time he overwhelmed him.

    He raised his strength again.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>Whir-!!</em>

    "Oof! Oof!"

    Kim ShiHoon''s body was surrounded by an explosive blue light.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The Familiar Spirit ''Kim ShiHoon'' has received strength from the Martial God.]

    [The Familiar Spirit ''Kim ShiHoon'' has learned the essence of the Blue Dragon Sword Style.]

    ''What the¡­?''

    A blue system message appeared in front of him.

    ''He Awoke again?''

    Heughed in disbelief. He hadn''t expected that to happen.

    ''Why does this guy Awake all the time?''

    ¡®Are you Naruto?¡®

 Chapter 125: Red Mask (4)

    <em>Whir-!</em>

    A blue light spread over the surroundings.

    Kim ShiHoon''s body shone with a blue light.

    The strength of his Qi couldn''t bepared to before.

    ''He really is an Awakening machine.''

    Normal people struggled to Awaken even once, but he''d already done it twice.

    At that point, it wasn''t enough to call him talented.

    ''But still¡­''

    KangWooughed.

    They said that you could surpass talent with effort.

    In a sense, it was true.

    But the wall called talent was so tall and thick that normal people didn''t even dare to look at it.

    ''As long as it¡¯s a human¡­''

    People had a short life span.

    It didn''t matter how much they tried, they had a time limit.

    But¡­

    He was different. He was a demon, an immortal.

    He''d made quite an effort to survive for ten thousand years.

    Even if Kim ShiHoon had epted the soul of the Martial God and had a talent given by the skies, it wasn''t enough to surpass all the effort KangWoo had made for such a long time.

    ''Should I call this effort?''

    To say it simply, he was desperate.

    ¡ªDesperate to live.

    The natural desire not wanting to die had made him what he was.

    It wasn''t something pathetic enough to lose against something like a talent given by the skies.

    "Ha-ab!"

    Kim ShiHoon, while covered by blue light, charged toward him.

    He let the sword that was in his hand go. <em>Tap. </em>He lightly flicked his finger. The Authority of Waves was concentrated in his finger.

    <em>Paanngg-!</em>

    Waves of ck light spread in circles. There wasn''t a ce ShiHoon could escape to. He had no other choice but to try to block it.

    Kim ShiHoon quickly raised his sword, and a ck wave swept through his body.

    "Ugh!"

    Kim ShiHoon''s knees bent.

    It was hard to believe that he had just Awakened again. He had no strength left.

    ''This is Satan''s strength.''

    His face became pale.

    It was like looking at a mountain.

    He felt he was facing an endless Abyss.

    He wouldn''t be able to win. He became even more sure of something he already knew from the beginning.

    He wouldn''t be able to surpass that demon with his current strength.

    [Not bad.]

    "Ugh."

    [But a minnow will be a minnow, no matter how hard it tries.]

    "Damn¡­"

    He lost strength. The El Quero de fell to the ground.

    Satan approached him.

    [Do you think it''s unfair?]

    "¡­"

    [Are you about to lose your reason? Do you think your mind is about to turn white?]

    "Shut up."

    After hearing Satan making fun of him, he cursed him. Satan justughed at him.

    [Good. Those eyes are perfect. Ones that are full of anger and resentment. That''s the desire and craving that leads to life.]

    "Stop saying bullshit and just¡ª"

    [I won''t kill you.]

    "What¡­?"

    [Why would I kill something so fun?] Satan said in a cheerful voice.

    "What does that mean¡­?"

    [I liked it. Your anger and resentment made me tremble. It made me excited and thrilled.]

    Satan moved his hands. Alec''s body was still trembling.

    If he were a normal person, he would''ve already died a long time ago, but Alec was a superhuman with superb physical capabilities.

    Even if he were stopped from breathing for an hour, he would still be able to survive.

    "What are you going to do?" Kim ShiHoon asked anxiously.

    Alec''s face got closer to Satan''s.

    [Do you want to save this person?]

    "Yes¡­"

    He nodded.

    Satan''s eyes became full of madness.

    [You were quite desperate. Your determination moved me.]

    "¡­"

    [That''s why¡­]

    * * *

    <em>Crack-</em>

    A horrifying sound spread out.

    Alec''s head was crushed, his skull splintered, and his brain was turned to mush. Dark blood and brain matter dripped down.

    "H-huh¡­?"

    Kim ShiHoon''s mouth fell open.

    His eyes widened. He couldn''t understand what he''d just seen.

    Alec had died.

    The Sword of Justice, the person he admired and someone who meant a lot to him, had died in front of him.

    "Ah, aah."

    He couldn''t say anything. He struggled to even form proper words.

    His body trembled. His head became white.

    Anger¡­

    The anger Satan had mentioned controlled his body.

    "YOU SON OF A BITCH!!"

    He picked up the sword and tried to stab Satan with all his strength.

    But he no longer had strength left in his body; he was even struggling to hold a sword.

    <em>Ting</em>. His sword bounced away.

    Kim ShiHoon rolled on the ground.

    He tried to get up, but he no longer had any strength. He fell to the ground. His body trembled. He tried to crawl at Satan.

    [Yes, it''s exactly those eyes¡­]

    Satan nodded and spoke in a satisfied tone. Satanughed at how desperate Kim ShiHoon looked.

    Satan approached Kim ShiHoon and picked him up. He slowly opened his mouth while looking at his resentment-filled eyes.

    [That anger and resentment will be food for your growth.]

    "¡­"

    [Struggle desperately, and think about me all the while.]

    Satan''s face closed in on Kim ShiHoon.

    [I''m Death, I''m The End. I''m Anger and Resentment.]

    The red mask tilted.

    [I''m Satan.]

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon''s mouth closed. He tried to engrain the red mask deep into his memories.

    [Human, get stronger. Use the anger and resentment as food to grow, and then¡­]

    The demonughed next to his ear.

    [Kill me.]

    <em>Paf-</em>

    Satan hit Kim ShiHoon''s stomach. Kim ShiHoon lost consciousness.

    "Oof. What a shitty way of talking."

    KangWoo took off the red mask after Kim ShiHoon lost consciousness.

    KangWoo couldn''t help but cringe at what he had just said.

    "What was Satan thinking? Why did he speak like this?"

    What he said to Kim was something Satan had really said before.

    ''Well, it isn''t just the way of speaking that was simr¡­''

    The situation was simr as well.

    When KangWoo had first fought against Satan, he was defeated by an overwhelming difference. After that, Satan had said something simr to him.

    - Human, get stronger. Use the anger and resentment as stepping stones to grow, and¡­ kill me.

    ''In the end, I really killed him.''

    Satan''s finale was quite fun.

    It had seemed like Satan really hadn¡¯t expected KangWoo to get strong enough to kill him. Satan, who had put on quite the act, became pathetic when faced with true danger.

    - H-how could a human¡­? How did you get the Demonic Energy Sea?!

    "That''s why you should''ve killed me when you had the chance."

    KangWoo tapped his chest.

    The Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    Satan was devoured by the bottomless Demonic Energy Sea.

    The soul of the most important archduke escaped toward Hell''s Equipment, but KangWoo was able to absorb his Authority and huge demonic energy.

    ''Although I can''t control it.''

    Even before his Ten Thousand Demon Core had been sealed, he had been unable to control an archduke¡¯s Authority.

    Even to KangWoo, who had reached an incredible high in terms of controlling demonic energy, using an archduke''s Authority was impossible.

    "But¡­"

    He looked to his side.

    He looked at Kim ShiHoon, who had lost consciousness. He began wondering if he''d overdone it but shook his head.

    ''Kim ShiHoon needed some stimtion.''

    Kim ShiHoon had everything¡­

    A talent that was given to him by the skies, a great teacher called the Sword King, and even help from the system.

    ''Desperation.''

    Kim YeongHoon and Kim JaeHyun were in prison.

    To Kim ShiHoon, all of the weight in his life had disappeared.

    His only motivation was to be as strong as KangWoo.

    ''That''s not enough.''

    It wasn''t kids¡¯ y.

    To get stronger, you needed to be desperate.

    ¡ªThat was the only way to ovee future difficulties and use them to grow.

    ''ShiHoon, I hope you understand me.''

    He had no other way but to use a brute-force method.

    Even if he¡¯d used the Authority of Subordination to make him be desperate, there would be a difference with really feeling that emotion.

    ''Your sword needs to get dirtier.''

    It had to be a sword that reeked with blood.

    It had to be a sword that wouldn''t hesitate to cut an opponent''s neck.

    If he didn''t do that, he''d die.

    ''Just like Alec.''

    KangWoo smiled bitterly and approached Alec¡¯s corpse. He extended his hand, and ck mes burned Alec''s corpse.

    "It¡¯s over."

    He''d eliminated Alec and given Kim ShiHoon a strong stimtion. His Awakening had been a bonus.

    He just had to wait for ''Gaia'' to approach Kim ShiHoon.

    "I hope my level restriction lifts while I wait."

    Leaving the attributes aside, weakening the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core was also important.

    Thinking about the level restriction made him sigh.

    ''What can I do to¡­?''

    His thoughts were suddenly cut short. He heard a clear sound, and blue message windows appeared before him.

    [You''ve eliminated a Guardian.]

    [The system''s energy that was blocking your level has weakened.]

    [The level restriction has increased to 69.]

    [You''ve gained the umted experience.

    [Your level has gone up by 10.]

    [You''ve reached the seventh Awakening!]

    [Your Strength Stat (+11), Agility Stat (+9), Vitality Stat (+8), and Intelligence Stat (+4) have increased!]

    ''Huh?''

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes widened. Level restriction lifted¡­ What he''d craved so much had happened when he least expected it to.

    ''Killing a Guardian was the way to lift the level restriction?''

    KangWooughed in disbelief.

    If he hadn''t killed Alec, he wouldn''t have been able to lift the level restriction.

    KangWoo carefully looked at the system messages.

    ''I heard that, usually, you get the first level restriction at 59 and then again at 80.''

    Usually, people face two level restrictions. The first one was at 59, and the second one at the end of the ninth Awakening.

    ''But I got another restriction at level 69.''

    There was no need to think anymore.

    The system was blocking his growth on purpose.

    ''The way to lift the restriction is to kill a Guardian?''

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon, who was unconscious.

    For a short while, for a really short moment, he drooled a bit.

    "No."

    KangWoo shook his head. He left the desire aside.

    "Even so, this isn''t it."

    Kim ShiHoon was an underling that had promised loyalty to him and someone whose soul was mixed with his.

    "ShiHoon¡­"

    ¡®You trust me, right?¡¯

 Chapter 126: It Took a Long Time (1)

    "Ehem."

    KangWoo coughed.

    He shook his head at the sudden thought that had crossed his mind.

    Although it had been for a short while, it was a disgusting thought, even for him.

    ''There''s no way I¡¯m that kind of trash.''

    He was fighting against the Demon Cult for world peace.

    He had done nothing to be ashamed of; there was no way he''d do something like that.

    "But¡­"

    He naturally began thinking about it.

    He''d discovered how to lift the level restriction. Even though he''d discovered how to do it, he wasn''t satisfied with the result.

    ''I have to kill a Guardian¡­''

    He knew the way¡­

    But there was no way he could kill all of the Guardians because of that.

    ''That would be a stupid decision.''

    First, the Guardians were people that, just like him, wanted to defend Earth from foreign invaders.

    In the case of Alec, he''d gotten rid of him because his ideals could negatively influence Kim ShiHoon.

    But there was no way other Guardians were like him.

    ''To be honest, if it weren''t for ShiHoon, I might have left him alone.''

    The flood of extraterrestrial beings could put the world into a state of crisis.

    Bing stronger by getting rid of people like that would be a stupid decision.

    ''I cannot kill the partners helping defend the kimchi stew.''

    Maybe he could be someone strong enough to handle all of the invaders by getting rid of them¡­

    But still, it wasn''t a good choice.

    ''In the end, I''d be alone.''

    There was a limit to how many things he could do alone.

    It didn''t matter how strong he became, he couldn''t face a worldwide crisis alone.

    Saving only Korea would also be a stupid decision.

    The modern world was connected.

    There was a reason why Korean stocks would get destroyed if the US raised the interest rate.

    Korea wasn''t a self-sustainable country. If the rest of the world was ruined, it would end up following the same path in the end.

    ''I cannot let that happen.''

    Even if he wasn''t someone patriotic, he didn''t want to see the country of his birth destroyed.

    Leaving everything else aside, kimchi stew was Korean¡­

    It couldn''t get ruined.

    ''I''ll defend it no matter what.''

    He became motivated and clenched his fists.

    "And more than that¡­"

    There was no way the system would be able to block his growth.

    There wasn''t only one way to get stronger.

    "First¡­"

    KangWoo lightly stomped on the ground.

    He used the Authority of Sky and flew.

    After getting away from the hotel''s terrace, KangWoo reached a nearby hill.

    "Should I check it?"

    His eyes were full of expectations. It was an unexpected result, but his level restriction had been lifted, and his level had gone up.

    He was finally free from the sixth Awakening and had reached the seventh one.

    That being the case, there was something he had to check out first.

    ''What did I get for the seventh Awakening attribute?''

    He opened his status window as if he were opening a gift.

    [Seventh Awakening Attribute: Reaper of Souls (Rank: SS)]

    Effect: It''s an attribute connected to the ''Authority of Predation.'' You can fully absorb the souls of demons and increase the ''quality'' of your soul. The stronger the demon whose soul you absorb, the bigger the effect.

    "This¡­"

    KangWoo''s eyes shone. First, it was an SS-rank attribute.

    It wasparable to the ranking of the attribute that had allowed him to create the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea.

    ''Although I''m not sure what they mean by ¡®increasing the quality of the soul.¡¯''

    He wasn''t yet sure what increasing the quality of his soul would do.

    It probably wouldn''t have a negative effect, but he didn''t exactly know what it did.

    He thought about it but soon decided to stop.

    He wouldn''t know what it did until he tested it out.

    ''Connected to the Authority of Predation, huh?''

    He thought he understood what it meant.

    The Authority of Predation devoured everything about the opponent, its life, demonic energy, and even Authority, and its soul was no exception.

    ''Although the way to eat it is a bit different¡­''

    The Authority of Predation tore the soul down.

    In the first ce, rather than absorbing, it was more like crunching it and devouring it, so your soul disappeared if you were devoured by the Authority.

    Fully absorbing the target''s soul was a new addition to the Authority of Predation.

    "Also¡­"

    There was another important thing in the ''Reaper of Souls'' attribute.

    KangWoo looked at his status window again.

    ''Demonic Soul.''

    The second step to bing a Demon God. He didn''t know what he had to do to fulfill the second condition, but he was sure that the ''Reaper of Soul'' attribute was connected with the conditions for ''Demonic Soul.''

    ''If I think about it, the sixth Awakening attribute was connected to the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.''

    The first time he¡¯d seen Demonic Art of Creation, he wasn''t sure what connection it had with the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    ¡­But he¡¯d discovered it after creating the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea.

    ''The Awakening attributes and the steps to bing a Demon God are connected.''

    He wasn''t 100% sure, but it was a hypothesis worthy of consideration.

    "Anyway, I''ll have to hunt some demons and check it out."

    There was no need to hurry.

    As long as there were Demon Cult members, a demon was definitely going to appear. He wasn''t sure in what form it would cross from Hell, but it definitely was going to.

    ''And those that cross¡­''

    He just had to devour them as he''d done through thest ten thousand years.

    "I''ll have to make Chae YeonJoo work harder."

    His current main source of information was the Red Rose Guild.

    Since it became like that, it would be better to receive news of demon sightings as quickly as possible and move first.

    "The attribute is done."

    KangWoo sat down.

    * * *

    He closed his eyes and concentrated.

    ''Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­''

    He could feel that ,after reaching the seventh Awakening, its seal had be weaker. He could see a bigger sea of demonic energy.

    ''Now to increase the stat with demonic energy from the Ten Thousand Demon Core.''

    The demonic energy of the Ten Thousand Demon Core existed separately from his stats, but he couldn¡¯t use it at the moment.

    ''The quality is bad.''

    The Demonic Energy of the Ten Thousand Demon Core was simr to a sea. And, just like a sea, its end and longitude couldn''t be seen.

    He couldn''t use demonic energy from the deeper part of the sea because the seal hadn¡¯t been lifted.

    The demonic energy that had flowed out as its seal got weaker was only from the surface.

    ''Although, if it were before, I would''ve just used it.''

    He didn''t need to do that anymore since he¡¯d learned the technique to concentrate the demonic energy and create a Demonic Energy Stone.

    "Oof."

    He took a deep breath.

    He used the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style he''d learned from Kim ShiHoon.

    The demonic energy that came out of the Ten Thousand Demon Core melted into his blood. He didn''t focus the energy on the Dantian.

    It was because, after reaching Extreme Demonic Energy Body, his whole body had be like a Dantian.

    ''But if I keep going on like this¡­''

    He felt that the Ten Thousand Demon Core in his heart would spread to the rest of his body.

    ''No, rather than spreading¡­''

    His body would probably be the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    "¡­"

    His heart started to beat faster. If his body became the Ten Thousand Demon Core, he thought he would be able to use the demonic energy that was in the deepest part of it and extend his hand to where the ''Abyss'' was.

    He became motivated. He wanted to see a bit more of the bottomless Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    If he forcibly made demonic energy from the Ten Thousand Demon Core flow out, he thought he might be able to drag it to his body.

    ''Not yet.''

    He cut off that desire. An incredible thirst spread through his body.

    It was as if something sharp was scratching his throat.

    ''Resist.''

    He tried to cut off the desire once more.

    It was different from when he''d created the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea.

    His instincts were saying that it was dangerous.

    "Oof."

    He took a deep breath.

    A demon''s body naturally craved to fulfill desires.

    Resisting that wasparable to not drinking water in the middle of a desert.

    But even so, KangWoo resisted it.

    He ignored the soul-crushingly terrible pain and thirst.

    ''I''m used to this.''

    He was used to resisting ambition and desire.

    He''d done that for thest ten thousand years, he simply had to resist it one more time.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Changing the demonic energy from the Ten Thousand Demon Core into stat.]

    [Your unique stat (Demonic Energy) has increased by 8.]

    KangWoo''s eyes widened after reading the message window.

    ''It went up by eight?''

    He saw a ridiculous stat increase. He felt the demonic energy inside his blood increasing explosively.

    That meant that the demonic energy that flew out after reaching the seventh Awakening was that huge.

    "That means that, now¡­"

    KangWoo checked his status window. He saw that his Demonic Energy stat had reached 120.

    "What?"

    His Demonic Energy stat had been 113. Since it had increased by eight, it should¡¯ve been at 121.

    [Your stat has reached 120. The quality and effect of the stat have increased explosively.]

    [The stat increase that legendary-rank equipment or lower has is of bad quality, so it has failed to increase your stat.]

    "What''s this?"

    He more or less understood what it was saying.

    His stat had increased too much and had be too strong, so the effect from items that increased his stats by an absolute value was blocked.

    That meant that the ck Pearl Coat wouldn''t have any more effect beyond 120.

    "Kraken''s Rage."

    He quickly used the buff.

    [The stat increase effect that the item has is of bad quality, so it has failed to increase your stat.]

    As expected, the effect wasn''t applied to him.

    "¡­"

    His expression distorted.

    With that, the ck Pearl Coat had be a trash legendary that didn''t increase his stats.

    "Tsk. But my demonic energy has gone up a lot, so I guess I should be satisfied."

    The huge amount of demonic energy within his body made him understand why the absolute value state increase didn''t apply to him anymore.

    He wasn''t at the level of Balrog or Lilith yet, but he could easily beat an average monster of the 9th hell.

    ''But why is such important information not widely known?''

    To think that the effect of a legendary-rank equipment''s stat increase wouldn''t apply to you anymore after it reached 120¡­

    He hadn¡¯t heard of anything like that happening before.

    "¡­"

    It didn''t take long for him to realize.

    "So that''s what happened."

    KangWoo burst intoughter.

    The reason for it not being known was simple.

    ''There was none.''

    Nobody had reached 120 in a stat yet, which was why it was something that wasn''t widely known.

    "Should I go back?"

    KangWoo stood up.

    The effect of the seventh Awakening was bigger than he thought it¡¯d be.

    The explosive amount of demonic energy stacked inside his body made him feel thrilled.

    ''Has it been half a year?''

    It had already been half a year since he¡¯d returned to Earth.

    That was the time it took KangWoo to reach a ce no other yer had been able to for the past five years.

    "It took longer than I thought."

    ¡°Tsk.¡±

 Chapter 127: According To The Plan (1)

    Alec Osborne had gone missing.

    The meeting so many people were interested in was canceled because Alec had suddenly disappeared.

    He hadst been seen hurriedly running from the hotel.

    There were many hypotheses regarding his disappearance, but the most convincing theory was that the person behind his disappearance was an assassin sent by the Demon Cult.

    After what happened a month prior, it had been quite public that assassins from the Demon Cult were after Alec.

    People were horrified.

    Shortly after world ranker Fujimoto Ryoma was revealed to be an evil Demon Cult member, Alec Osborne had died.

    That meant they were strong enough to kill or corrupt world rankers.

    There was also panic in Korea, a country that had managed to wipe the Demon Cult from its territory.

    People began buying emergency food as if a war was happening.

    It wasn''t that the chaos had paralyzed the economy, but the number of people walking on the streets had gone down significantly.

    The fear of the Demon Cult had returned to Korea.

    Comment (ObviouslyObviously): Hey, what should I do? I''m too scared to go to work.

    ? Comment (Let me go): I''ve read that Demon Cult members killed many people in Russia. Is something like that going to happen in our country too?

    ? Comment (I want to go home): And Dragon Sword? What is Dragon Sword Doing?

    ? Comment (??): I don''t know. They said that they hadn''t seen Dragon Sword these past few days. Also, Alec died. What can Dragon Sword do?

    People''s attention naturally focused on Korea''s Dragon Sword.

    But most people thought that there was nothing he could do. After all, they''d defeated a world ranker.

    The fear of the Demon Cult had started to grow in Korea.

    * * *

    <em>Whish-! Whish!</em>

    A sword covered with blue light was swung while making a chilling sound.

    With a hardened expression, Cheon MooJin blocked Kim ShiHoon''s sword, who was swinging it violently.

    <em>m-!</em>

    A loud sound exploded out, and the training room they''d built usingrge sums of money shook.

    The practice match kept going on.

    "Haaa, Haa!"

    Kim ShiHoon breathed heavily.

    Cheon MooJin lowered his sword.

    "Let''s stop here for today."

    "I can keep going on."

    "With that body...?"

    Cheon MooJinughed in disbelief.

    Kim ShiHoon''s body was covered in sweat, and he was trembling as if he were about to copse.

    ''But¡­''

    His eyes were full of motivation.

    The blood of a martial artist was boiling inside him.

    ''Did something happen?''

    Kim ShiHoon''s attitude changed after Alec Osborne''s incident.

    He became desperate.

    He began training three times more than before.

    ''Although his martial arts skills are improving at a scary speed thanks to that.''

    On top of his talent, he was making a lot of effort, so the rate at which Kim ShiHoon was improving was horrifying.

    ''I''m worried.''

    What had made him like that?

    He''d asked him many times, but Kim ShiHoon never answered.

    Cheon MooJin gulped and raised his hand.

    "Then, let''s take a break for 10 minutes and then start again."

    "Haaa, haa. Understood."

    Kim ShiHoon copsed.

    Cheon MooJin walked out of the room and saw a familiar young man.

    It was KangWoo.

    "How is ShiHoon doing?"

    "He''s spending the whole day training... I don''t know if I should call this passion or madness."

    "It isn''t madness. ShiHoon isn''t that weak."

    "Hmm. Well, I agree with that, but I can''t help but worry. Do you know why Dragon Sword suddenly started acting like that?"

    "He hasn''t told me yet."

    "Hmm. I feel like it''s rted to Alec Osborne, but since he doesn''t talk, there''s no way to be sure," Cheon MooJin said, worried.

    KangWoo made a light smile.

    "Well, craving for more power is in his nature."

    "Oh. Speaking of that, I have a proposition to make."

    "A proposition?"

    KangWoo tilted his head.

    Cheon MooJin spoke with a heavy expression on his face.

    "I''m thinking about going monster hunting with Dragon Sword."

    "I see."

    "Simple training has no meaning to Dragon Sword anymore. It''s better for him to gain experience while hunting."

    It was a valid opinion.

    "Then, are you nning to go to Suwon''s S-rank gate?"

    Cheon MooJin shook his head.

    "I''m thinking of Shanghai."

    "If it''s Shanghai..."

    There was an SS-rank gate there just like in Hokkaido.

    "Isn''t it too early?"

    "Don''t worry. I''ll be supporting him," Cheon MooJin said in a confident voice.

    KangWoo fell into his thoughts.

    ''Sending Kim ShiHoon to China¡­''

    It was something that went against what they''d agreed on with Cheon MooJin.

    But KangWoo had gotten to know him quite a bit, so he thought that there shouldn''t be any problems.

    "Okay. If that''s what''s best for ShiHoon, let''s do that."

    "Haha, Dragon Sword is going to get scarily strong."

    "I know that."

    KangWoo smirked. If that wasn''t the case, there was no point in all of the effort he''d made.

    "Oh, and I won¡¯t be taking amunication device."

    "Are you nning to do an isted training regime?"

    "Well, something like that."

    Cheon MooJin nodded.

    KangWoo fell into his thoughts.

    ''There shouldn''t be any problem, right?''

    There wasn''t anything Kim ShiHoon had to do at the moment, and that would be the case even if a demon suddenly appeared.

    What mattered the most was for him to get stronger, and the way Cheon MooJin had proposed was the most effective one.

    ''It isn''t like that way of training is famous for nothing.''

    Gate hunting and isted training were different, but at the core, they were simr.

    Growing was kind of a flow.

    Just like even the sound of a breath bothered you if you were studying in a public library, even a slight thing bothering you could make concentration difficult.

    ''If trouble arises, I can always call him with the Authority of Subordination.''

    There probably wouldn''t be many problems.

    * * *

    "Okay, understood."

    "Haha. We''re going to go tomorrow. Once the isted training is over, maybe Dragon Sword will follow me more than you."

    "Hahaha."

    Heughed and walked past Cheon MooJin.

    "That won''t happen," KangWoo said as he walked toward ShiHoon.

    Even if Cheon MooJin was like a teacher to him, there was no way he''d follow Cheon MooJin more than him.

    ''Because I made sure that¡¯ll never happen.''

    KangWoo smirked and sat next to Kim ShiHoon.

    ShiHoon stood up.

    "Ah, KangWoo hyeongnim!"

    "Lay down."

    "No, break time was almost over anyway."

    Kim ShiHoon stood up, but at that moment, he began to stagger.

    "Ugh..."

    "ShiHoon¡­"

    "Ah, I''m okay, hyeongnim."

    He quickly waved his hand. KangWoo also stood up and opened his mouth.

    "I''m not sure what happened to you that day¡­"

    "..."

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent.

    "And I''m also not sure why you suddenly started to train so desperately."

    "That¡­"

    He bit his lip and ced his hand on top of his sword. Kim ShiHoon''s expression darkened.

    KangWoo shook his head and kept talking.

    "I''m worried, but I won''t stop you. I also won''t ask you anymore, but instead..."

    He ced his hand on top of Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders. Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened.

    "Get stronger."

    "Hyeongnim..."

    There were some tears in his eyes.

    It seemed like those words moved Kim ShiHoon. His body trembled a bit, and you could see the blood veins in his hands as he gripped his sword.

    "Understood, hyeongnim."

    His eyes, full of motivation, looked at KangWoo.

    KangWoo turned around.

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    ''Everything as nned.''

    He tried his best to hold hisughter.

    * * *

    Kim ShiHoon and Cheon MooJin left for Shanghai.

    After solving Kim ShiHoon''s issue, KangWoo began focusing on the movements of the Demon Cult.

    He''d heard that they had be more active in Russia recently.

    "I should go personally."

    There were lots of incidents happening over there recently, so he had to take a closer look.

    KangWoo began gathering information about the regions where incidents rted to the Demon Cult had happened in Russia.

    "Aah¡­"

    He couldn''t help but sigh.

    KangWoo was looking at a map of Russia given to him by Chae YeonJoo.

    "How stupidly big."

    Russia''s size was iparable to Korea''s.

    Although he was looking at a Russian map, he felt he was looking at a world map.

    The thought of finding the Demon Cult in such a big country was kind of disheartening.

    ''Will I be able to find them?''

    He wasn''t confident.

    It might be better to let them act freely.

    ''But I still have to go.''

    He sighed again.

    <em>Ring-</em>

    At that moment, someone called.

    It was Chae YeonJoo.

    "What''s going on?"

    [KangWoo, where are you?]

    "I''m at home."

    [Turn on the TV,] She said in a serious voice.

    It somehow resembled her voice when the Isu Station incident had happened.

    "This..."

    It was a city that had been destroyed and looked like a post-apocalyptic city.

    There was a huge ck fissure amidst the ruined buildings.

    [Breaking News! A huge number of monsters have appeared in divostok!]

    divostok¡­

    It was one of the ces where an SS-Rank gate was, and just like Sapporo and Shanghai, it was an area that had be abandoned after the Cataclysmic Day.

    [W-we still aren''t sure about the exact number. They''re annihting the SS-rank monsters that used to live here, and now they''ve started moving toward Manchuria! Thankfully, there were almost no human casualties, but since it''s close to Korea, this issue needs to be...]

    He could hear the panicking voice of the news reporter. The camera recorded a group of monsters walking out of the ruins of the destroyed city.

    THey looked so ugly that just seeing their appearance made you want to vomit.

    "Ha¡­ haha."

    He beganughing.

    The news anchor had said that a huge group of monsters had appeared, but KangWoo knew what it really was.

    ''It''s the Demon Cult.''

    The monsters walking out of the city were demonic monsters.

    He could also see a few demons among them.

    The tips of his mouth went up, and he clenched his fists.

    ''Yolo!''

 Chapter 128: What Are You Doing? (1)

    After hearing the news, KangWoo went to the Red Rose Guild with Echidna and Han Seol-ah.

    "Hey, can''t you move faster?!"

    "Call China and check on the location of the Demon Cult!"

    "Where is the meeting taking ce? ne! Get a ne first!"

    The Red Rose Guild was in chaos.

    People were running in the lobby and offices, trying to figure out the situation.

    As he opened the office door, KangWoo saw Chae YeonJoo buried under a pile of documents.

    "Hey."

    Chae YeonJoo lifted her head. Unlike her usual self, she had a stiff expression.

    KangWoo approached her.

    "I saw it on the news, but what''s the current situation?"

    "A massive summoning took ce in divostok."

    "A massive summoning? Then¡­"

    She nodded with a heavy expression on her face.

    "We aren''t sure about the exact number, but it seems like they''ve summoned almost a hundred demons. A huge number of demonic monsters were also summoned."

    "Hundreds¡­"

    The tips of his mouth were about to go up when he heard that number, but he managed to control himself.

    ''Well done!''

    He was wondering how he was going to investigate a big country like Russia, but in that desperate situation, they''d solved the issue for him.

    He wanted to hug them for having seeded in managing to perform therge-scale summoning.

    Satisfied, KangWoo sat in the chair.

    "What are the losses?"

    "Not much. There weren''t many people living in divostok in the first ce, but the problem is¡­"

    "Demonic monsters are moving."

    Chae YeonJoo nodded with a serious expression.

    "They''re also very fast. They''re so strong that they swept away all of the SS-rank monsters around the gate."

    The second thing was what worried him the most.

    The SS-rank gate¡­

    Even though five years had passed since the Cataclysmic Day, the areas around that gate had yet to recover.

    Monsters that couldn''t bepared to those in other gates had made that ce their nest.

    Thankfully, they hadn''t expanded to other areas, but the ce surrounding the gate was still forbidden for most people.

    But those demonic monsters were able to wipe out the SS-rank monsters.

    It was easy to see how strong the demons and demonic monsters that the Demon Cult had summoned were.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo gulped and licked his lips.

    He felt hungry.

    To him, the army of demons just looked like a nutritious lunch box

    ''Although demonic monsters have no meaning¡­''

    Reaper of Souls only applied to demon souls.

    The souls of those that couldn''t control their cravings, lost their egos, and became demonic monsters weren''t worth absorbing.

    ''Maybe if it''s a demonic monster like a halcyon¡­''

    A halcyon¡­

    It was one of the few demonic monsters that was self-conscious.

    Demonic monsters with intelligence were so strong that they could defeat an average demon, and some could even use Authorities. Those demonic monsters were worth devouring using the Authority of Predation.

    But that was if there was a demonic monster like a halcyon there.

    ''Most of the demonic monsters shown in the video belonged to the 3rd hell or lower.''

    There probably weren''t any variants with intelligence among them.

    Most of the demonic monsters with a variant lived in the 8th hell or higher.

    ''Then I should target demons.''

    He didn''t intend to let a single one live.

    To check the effect of his new attribute, ''Reaper of Souls,'' he had to devour as many demons as possible.

    "In what direction are the demonic monsters moving?"

    "Toward Manchuria. They might move toward China, but they could also change their direction toward Korea."

    divostok was an area that was close to North Korea and China.

    Five years before, during the Cataclysmic Day, North Korea''s government fell. That''s why arge-scale war would ur if they changed their direction toward Korea.

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    Arge-scale war could happen in either China or Korea, depending on the direction in which the demonic monsters moved.

    There was only one reasonable thing to do in that situation¡­

    "Did the Chinese make contact?"

    "They asked for an alliance with Korea. They''re thinking of solving this issue in Manchuria before they can get closer to civilians."

    "As expected."

    He nodded.

    They didn''t know in which direction the demons would move. If one side was attacked, there was a chance they could face damage that could be hard to handle.

    ¡­Then joining forces and erasing them all at once was the best possible decision.

    ''Although it will be unbnced.''

    China was the strongest country in Asia.

    Since they had arge poption, the number of yers was also high. Was it because of the characteristics of the country? There were also many yers who had the unique stat ''Qi,'' so their forces were quite strong.

    Even if Korea and Japan joined forces, they wouldn''t be able to face China.

    ''Well, since I''m here, the oue would probably be different.''

    KangWoo smirked.

    It was ridiculous to think that a single person could make a difference in the strength of a country, but he wasn''t being delusional.

    With KangWoo''s presence, Korea should be able topete with the U.S.A in terms of strength.

    "So, what did you arrange?"

    "They said that a meeting is going to take ce in Harbin, and they asked us to participate in it. We''re trying to get a ce with the Hwarang Squad and another big guild, and then we''re going to go toward Harbin."

    "I see."

    "KangWoo, you''reing, right?"

    There was no need to ask. KangWoo nodded without hesitating.

    "Of course."

    A deep smile appeared on his face.

    The time for the feast was drawing near.

    * * *

    Soon, Cheon SooYeon joined them. KangWoo and the rest took a ne that the Red Rose Guild had prepared and took off to Harbin.

    "I could''ve taken you," Echidna said while pulling his cor.

    KangWoo patted her.

    "It isn''t a situation where we could''ve done anything by arriving first, anyways."

    Other big guilds had also sent reinforcements toward Harbin.

    The meeting would probably take ce after all the forces had reached the ce.

    "Oof. To think something like this would happen when my dad isn''t here."

    Cheon SooYeon sighed. You could see the worry in her expression.

    "Why, did something happen?"

    "Since my dad isn''t here, my uncle will probably lead the meeting¡­ but my uncle doesn''t like Korea that much."

    "Uncle?"

    "Yes. Have you heard about Cheon MooHyeon?"

    "No."

    KangWoo shook his head.

    "He hasn''t be that famous because of my father, but still, he''s one of China''s strongest martial artists. He''s, after all, the vice-leader of the Thousand Sword Gate."

    "Hmm. Then is his influence in the Thousand Sword Gate bigger than yours?"

    "I''m ashamed to say it¡­ But yes."

    Cheon SooYeon bit her lips. The empty ce left by Cheon MooJin felt too big.

    "I guess things will be okay in the end."

    KangWoo leaned down on the chair. He wasn''t worried.

    If things didn''t work out, he had to make them work. It was as simple as that.

    * * *

    The flight to Harbin didn''t take long.

    After descending from the ne, KangWoo and the rest got in the car that was provided by the Chinese and went toward the Chinese yer administration center.

    ''This ce is quite big as well.''

    KangWoo eximed in surprise.

    As expected from Asia''s biggest country, the yer administration center was quite massive.

    It reminded him of the Forbidden City located in Beijing.

    It was a massive construction that made him wonder if he was in the middle of a Chinese martial art novel.

    KangWoo walked into the yer administration center while looking around.

    "Hmm?"

    "What''s everyone doing there?"

    They were walking toward the reunion room when they saw a group of people gathered in front of a giant door.

    Chae YeonJoo quickly looked at their faces.

    "They''re the Onuri and Sanare guilds."

    After the Hanul and Mir guilds were disbanded, they were the other guilds that became part of the big three.

    Chae YeonJoo approached a middle-aged woman who was angrily pacing.

    "HyeonJoo, ma''am, what''s going on?"

    "Who are you calling ma''am? Ah, it''s you, YeonJoo."

    Jeong HyunJoo, she was the leader of Sanare, a guild made of high-quality healers.

    The generous-looking woman spoke while frowning.

    "These guys are out of their minds. I don''t know what they''re trying to do after calling us here."

    "What did they say?"

    "They said we can''t participate in the reunion and that we should move as they order."

    "What?"

    Chae YeonJooughed in disbelief.

    To say they should only follow orders¡­

    To put it bluntly, they were saying that, even if Koreans were on the front line, they should follow their orders.

    "Are these bastards crazy?"

    They weren''t their superiors, yet they were saying they should follow their orders. What kind of nonsense was that?

    Chae YeonJoo walked toward the meeting room while emitting strong killing intent.

    Two Chinese yers blocked Chae YeonJoo.

    "Move."

    "Mr. Cheon MooHyun is in the middle of a meeting. You cannot enter. We''ll inform you of the meeting resultster on," the Chinese yer said in bad Korean.

    "Didn''t you hear me? Move."

    "Cheon MooHyun said that, if you don''t follow the orders, he will rethink China¡¯s & Korea''s rtionship."

    "These bastards¡­"

    Intense mana flew out of Chae YeonJoo''s body, and immense tension weighed down on their surroundings.

    "Damn¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo cursed.

    In the end, she stopped.

    China¡­ they weren''t the strongest country in Asia for nothing. It wasn''t an opponent she could beat up without thinking of it twice.

    Instead of Chae YeonJoo, Cheon SooYeon walked to the front.

    "What are you doing? These people came all the way here to help us stop the invasion of the Demon Cult. Move."

    "I''m sorry. Mr. Cheon MooHyeon had said we couldn¡¯t let them enter until the meeting ended, no matter what."

    "Ha. Are you kidding? If my father hears this¡­"

    "In the absence of Mr. Cheon MooJin, Cheon MooHyun''s orders are more important."

    "¡­"

    Cheon SooYeon remained silent. What she was worried about had ended up bing a reality.

    She turned around and spoke to KangWoo.

    "I''m sorry. I''ll use the emergency system and call my father imm¡ª"

    "Ah, don''t worry."

    KangWoo stopped her in a rxed manner.

    Chae YeonJoo and Cheon SooYeon looked at him in surprise.

    "Then¡­ are you going to wait?"

    "No way."

    "Yes? Then how¡­"

    He smirked and began walking.

    There was only one thing he could do in that situation.

    As KangWoo got close to the door, the Chinese yers that were blocking the entrance took their weapons out.

    "If you go any farther¡­"

    KangWoo moved his hands.

    He grabbed their heads and threw the two toward the meeting room door.

    <em>m-!</em>

    The door was destroyed, and the meeting room became visible.

    There were many big Chinese guilds gathered around the Thousand Sword Gate.

    "What the¡­?"

    The people inside the meeting room frowned.

    A muscr guy that was near the entrance stood up.

    "What kind of fool dares to interrupt the meeting?"

    He walked toward KangWoo with strong killing intent.

    He swung a fist about the size of a normal person''s head.

    It was a fist that was covered with a physical form of mana¡ªsomething that proved he was a ranker.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "Huh?"

    KangWoo easily grabbed his fist.

    A confused voice came out of the giant''s mouth.

    KangWoo pulled on the fist.

    The giant''s body leaned forward as if he were falling.

    KangWoo tried to grab his head, but his hands slipped because the man was bald.

    ''As expected, baldies have a high survivability.''

    They gained strength by giving up on their hair.

    Instead of his hair, KangWoo grabbed the man¡¯s neck.

    <em>SLAM!</em>

    He mmed the man¡¯s head onto the table.

    The table made of hardwood was destroyed.

    KangWoo sat in the ce where the man had just stood up from.

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    They looked at KangWoo with their mouths wide open.

    "What are you doing?"

    KangWoo crossed his legs while sitting on the chair.

    "Aren''t you going to proceed with the meeting?"

 Chapter 129: Im Full Just From Looking (1)

    "Who are you?" The person with a sword scar over one eye who was standing at the head of the conference room asked.

    Sword Master Cheon MooHyeon¡­

    He was second in charge of the Thousand Sword Gate and was Cheon MooJin''s little brother.

    KangWoo leaned his back on the chair.

    "That''s what I want to ask. You were the ones who asked for reinforcements, so what do you think you''re doing?"

    "If there are too many sailors, a ship can go to the mountains."

    "Don''t say stupid quotes you just read somewhere. I''m sure your heads aren''t full of shit, so you should all know what''s going on."

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    Their heads weren¡¯t just for decoration, after all.

    They were the ones who¡¯d asked for cooperation, so they knew how rude it was for them not to let the guests participate in the meeting while asking them to just follow their orders.

    But¡­

    Everyone in the room looked at Cheon MooHyeon.

    "How rude."

    Cheon MooHyeon let out killing intent.

    He grabbed his sword.

    "Oof¡­"

    KangWoo sighed and ced his hand on his forehead.

    "I''m seriously tired of people like you."

    "¡­"

    "So I''m going to exin what kind of person Cheon MooHyeon is."

    "What nonsense are you saying¡­?"

    Cheon MooHyeon''s eyes shone sharply.

    What was he trying to exin about him?

    KangWoo continued his exnation.

    "There''s an incredibly talented big brother and a little brother with an average talent."

    "¡­"

    "The little brother lived all his life in the shadow of his big brother. He always envied him, but he couldn''t do anything because he couldn''t surpass his big brother."

    Cheon MooHyeon''s expression hardened.

    "But a perfect opportunity came. The big brother wasn''t avable, and an army of monsters was invading."

    KangWoo kept talking in a low voice.

    "He wanted to make a huge achievement. He probably wanted to show everyone he could also do it, which is why he ced the reinforcements at the back to ensure that they wouldn''t be able to obtain huge achievements."

    There was a drawing with the formation they would use within the meeting room.

    Everyone''s focused on the whiteboard.

    The Korean yers were ced near the rear end, around the supply unit.

    Inparison, the Thousand Sword Gate was at the front.

    They would be in a ce where they wouldn''t receive the bullets but would be able to show off.

    "An idiot struggling to move from the shadow of his big brother¡­ That''s the sort of human Cheon MooHyeon is."

    "¡­"

    Cheon MooHyeon remained silent.

    Someone he''d seen for the first time, and to make it worse, someone who''d he''d known for five minutes, was talking about him as if he knew everything about his life.

    The problem was¡­

    "You don''t know anything¡­"

    Most of what he said was true.

    Cheon MooHyeon''s expression distorted.

    "At this point, just hearing your first words is enough to know. Seriously¡­"

    KangWoo clicked his tongue as if he were bored.

    "It isn''t unique, fun, or even moving. It''s toomon and obvious."

    "¡­"

    "You''re the type of person that seems to have been written in three seconds by an author struggling to meet the deadline. I don''t want to see guys like you ever again."

    * * *

    "Ugh."

    Cheon MooHyeon bit his lips.

    It was the most unpleasant thing he''d ever heard.

    He trembled in anger. Veins bulged in his hands that were gripping his sword.

    The Qi inside his Dantian began spreading through his body.

    "Ahh."

    KangWoo sighed. He could already see what was going to happen.

    "You probably won''t be able to control your rage and will charge toward me."

    There was no need to even think about it.

    KangWoo raised his hands and called him out with a bored expression.

    "Come on. Don''t make me waste my time."

    * * *

    "H-how could this be?!"

    "How could he defeat the Sword Master so easily¡­"

    Everyone in the conference room was surprised.

    Five seconds¡­

    That was all it took for the unknown Korean yer to overwhelm Sword Master Cheon MooHyeon.

    After losing his temper, Cheon MooHyeon had taken out his sword, charged toward KangWoo, and lost.

    The martial artists looked at Cheon MooHyeon in disbelief. His head was stuck in the wall, and he had lost consciousness.

    Even Sword King Cheon MooJin wouldn''t be able to overwhelm him so easily.

    "So, let''s do it like this," KangWoo said toward the rest, who were looking at him in disbelief for having overwhelmed Cheon MooHyeon instantly.

    "There''s no way we''ll be able to cooperate in such an atmosphere. Although we will fight together, let''s move and act separately."

    He was talking about separating themand.

    In reality, doing something like that during a war was dangerous, but there was nothing they could do about it in their situation.

    ''This will be better than fighting because we can''t get along.''

    It was a head-on collision in a nonplicated terrain. There wasn''t much strategy needed in the first ce.

    In that case, it would be better if each side fought on its own.

    "Then, let¡¯s all do our best on our own, okay?"

    KangWoo stood up and turned around.

    "K-KangWoo. You¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo called out to him with a surprised expression.

    KangWoo ced his hand on her shoulder.

    "In that sense, do your best."

    "What¡­?"

    What did he mean?

    KangWoo smiled.

    "YeonJoo, I want you to be in charge ofmanding the Korean forces."

    "Huh, why me¡­?"

    "Or ask Mr. Jang HyunJae. I can''t do it."

    "But you''re the one who did this."

    "There''s always someone who creates work and another one who does the cleaning."

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo felt as if someone had hit her from behind.

    Controlling an army¡­ It was something not even she had experienced before. Leaving experience aside, it didn''t match her personality.

    "Y-you piece of thrash."

    Chae YeonJoo sighed and grabbed her forehead.

    She¡¯d felt refreshed after seeing him teaching the Chinese a lesson, but in exchange, he''d put a huge burden on her.

    "Why can''t you do it? I''m sure you should be able to do it perfectly."

    Commanding in a war was a difficult task.

    Commanding wasn''t as simple as shouting something like, ''kill them all!''

    She had to know the characteristics of all of the squadrons and move the right one at the correct time.

    ''But if it''s KangWoo¡­''

    From what he''d shown until that point, it seemed like he should¡¯ve been able tomand the forces easily.

    KangWoo shook his head.

    "I have things to do."

    "What else is there to do in a war except for fighting¡­?"

    "Haha, that''s a secret."

    He avoided answering.

    KangWoo smiled bitterly.

    ''I can''t tell her I''m going to eat demons.''

    The Demon Cult invasion consisted of thousands of demonic monsters and hundreds of demons.

    What KangWoo needed the most were the demons.

    ''I''m going to take advantage of the chaos and hunt only the demons.''

    He had to go deep into the formation of the enemies, but he didn¡¯t expect there to be a problem with that.

    KangWoo turned his head and looked at the confused Chinese yers.

    ''They just have to make enough chaos so that the Demon Cult bes restless.''

    He had gone there for that reason.

    Even to him, going through tens of thousands of demonic monsters and then facing hundreds of demons was too much.

    It was necessary to drag the demonic monsters away and disperse the demons¡¯ forces.

    ''I guess they should be able to do that much.''

    Although they''d just lost, Chinese yers couldn''t be underestimated.

    If he got rid of the demons, they should be able to deal with the demonic monsters by themselves.

    And if Chae YeonJoo and Korean yers were added on top of that, it wasn¡¯t necessary to think too much more about it.

    ''Come.''

    KangWoo clenched his fists expectantly.

    Although he shouldn''t have felt hungry due to how a demon''s body worked, he couldn''t help but feel a tickling sensation in his stomach.

    * * *

    Three days passed.

    The preparations for war were done very quickly.

    Chae YeonJoo had spent day and night studying formations and strategies to fulfill themander role.

    And finally¡­

    "Th-they appeared!"

    A yer that specialized in reconnaissance shouted.

    There was a heavy nervousness going around.

    Everyone looked in the direction the yer had pointed to.

    A cloud of dust was rising over the horizon.

    "Ugh."

    "H-how many are there?"

    "I feel like we''ve gone back in time¡­"

    The yers trembled in fear.

    It was their first time seeing such a huge invasion after the Cataclysmic Day.

    "Everyone, calm down and make sure you''ve everything prepared for battle! We still have some time!"

    Chae YeonJoo, who was holding a loudspeaker, shouted. Her voice rang out over the area.

    Just like she''d said, there was some time before demonic monsters got there.

    It wasn''t like demonic monsters moved at the speed of sound, and it didn¡¯t mean they were about to arrive just because they could be seen on the horizon.

    "They came."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone, and he stood up.

    Unlike others, he was excited.

    ''They finally came!''

    He used the Authority of Observation and looked beyond the dust over the horizon.

    He saw the demonic monsters he''d seen through the news.

    ''Although I haven''t been able to see demons yet¡­''

    KangWoo clenched his fist while licking his lips.

    Delicious meals were walking toward him on their own.

    He wanted to thank the Demon Cult.

    "Good."

    He nodded and smiled.

    They might¡¯ve looked like horrifying monsters to others, but to him, they just looked like nutritious lunch boxes.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    Han Seol-ah walked toward KangWoo.

    She had a rice ball in her hand.

    "I made some food for you."

    It was an attractive proposal. After all, the food that the Chinese provided was horrible.

    But KangWoo shook his head.

    "I''m okay. Give it to Echidna."

    "Did you have dinner already?"

    "Not yet."

    KangWoo smiled and looked at the demonic monsters.

    "I''m full just from looking."

    He patted his stomach.

    ''Come faster.''

    Thinking about the feast he was about to have made him full already.

    KangWoo let out the gas that was bubbling up from his stomach.

    <em>Burp-</em>

 Chapter 130: Apostle of Evil (1)

    The big army started to move.

    It was different from a normal army¡ªits members weren''t soldiers carrying guns but demonic monsters summoned from Hell.

    There was an old man full of wrinkles walking rxedly in the center of the group of demonic monsters.

    The old man, surrounded by demonic monsters, looked foreign, but you wouldn''t have felt that if you looked at him based on your gut feelings.

    After all, the old man''s body was full of demonic energy, simr to the energy within the demonic monsters.

    If you felt something foreign, it was probably because the demonic energy flowing out of the old man''s body was thicker than the energy surrounding him.

    "Good."

    The white-haired old man, Anton Sidorvich, smiled. The wrinkles on his face moved.

    He nodded while looking at the demonic monsters filling the field.

    ''With this, we''ve proven it.''

    The Demon Cult¡¯s firstrge-scale summoning¡­

    Until then, they''d gained experience by doing small-scale summonings, but with therge-scale summoning, they''d properly begun executing their ns.

    Therge-scale summoning was the first step of that n.

    They wanted to test a hypothesis before they moved on with the proper n.

    Antonughed. The test was a huge sess.

    ''The Gaia system is getting weaker.''

    The Gaia System¡­

    It was the Earth¡¯s protective mechanism that the Demon Cult had been trying to destroy for a long time.

    The defense mechanism that was stopping the Demon Cult''s long-term goals was finally starting to lose its strength.

    The being that was blocking their ns was finally starting to disappear.

    ''With this, the strength of those beings will probably increase as well.''

    His heart started beating faster.

    The head of the Demon Cult, and the peak of evils that existed there¡­

    They would also start moving soon.

    [Human.]

    "Hmm?"

    At that moment, a being walking next to him opened his mouth. It was an ugly creature with bad wings, horns, and red skin.

    Unlike the demonic monsters that were closer to beasts, the being had an intelligence simr to a human¡¯s. They were the beings of Hell who always sought to fulfill their desires.

    "Hahaha. Did something happen?"

    [Are we going to where the human army is located?]

    "Yes. That''s right."

    [Hahaha. I see.]

    The demon from the 5th hell, Utarr, let out gloomy demonic energy.

    Humans¡­

    They were low, insignificant, and weak creatures. They were mortals suitable as livestock who should only crawl on the floor.

    Still, Hell¡¯s opinion of humans had changed due to a certain being¡­

    Utarr didn''t like that.

    [I, Utarr, will prove that humans are, in the end, just that¡­ Humans!] Utarr said in a spirited voice.

    "Ah, I think you''ll have to leave that forter."

    [What?]

    "We have another thing we have to do first."

    Anton took a picture from his pocket¡ªit was a photo of a young man with a sharp look.

    It was the person who had interrupted their ns in Sapporo.

    ''I heard that he''s participating in this war.''

    He heard that there had even been friction with the Chinese.

    "Hmm."

    Antoon looked at the photo with great interest.

    ''I''ll have to talk to him.''

    He had to know how someone who could easily overwhelm a cardinal wasn''t that well-known.

    He had to know why he''d stopped thest summoning.

    ''He isn''t someone like Alec Osborne.''

    ¡ªThat''s what he felt after looking at him.

    He didn''t have a strong sense of justice, nor did he feel a strong hatred toward the Demon Cult.

    ''Those eyes¡­''

    He was used to them.

    They were mad eyes full of desire for power and strong killing intent.

    He knew very well about humans like that.

    ''He''s like me.''

    It wasn''t hard to imagine what he craved.

    ''I''m going to drag him to the Cult.''

    He didn''t think it would be hard.

    The Demon Cult could offer something no one else could¡­

    Eternal life and power.

    For a normal human, it was very hard to resist those.

    If someone capable of easily overwhelming Akiyama joined them, he would be helpful to their future ns.

    If he refused¡­

    ''I''ll have to make him pay for having interrupted our ns.''

    Anton let out a chilling smile.

    If he could be a bother to their ns, taking him out was the correct decision.

    [And what do we have to do?]

    "We have to go and meet a person. I want you to be there for support just in case."

    Seeing how that young man Oh KangWoo was able to overwhelm Akiyama easily, his strength was at least at the level of a world ranker.

    It was better to have as much backup as possible while facing someone strong who they didn''t have much information about.

    [Ha!]

    Utarr let out augh.

    He looked at Anton with burning eyes.

    * * *

    [I listened to what you said as thanks for having summoned me, but now you''re crossing the line. I''m a demon, human. Don''t give me orders.]

    "Hmm."

    [I want to chew the skin of humans. I''ll act like I didn¡¯t hear you.]

    Utarr turned his head.

    Anton called out to him while making a troubled expression.

    "Mr. Utarr, I hope you refrain from acting rashly."

    [Hmph. Is waging war against humans acting rashly? Who do you think I am? I''m Utarr of the 5th hell¡­]

    "No, that''s not it. I''m just saying that you should refrain from doing things against the Demon Cult''s will," Anton said in a careful voice.

    [What?]

    Utarrughed as if he couldn''t believe what he was hearing.

    Utarr looked at Anton, who was asking him to be obedient. He thought his insides would turn upside down while looking at that arrogant look.

    [Are you out of your¡­?!]

    Utarr raised his giant hand.

    Before he could swing a ridiculously big fist, Anton took a ck book out of his pocket.

    At that moment¡­

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    [Ugh! Wh-what?!]

    Dozens of ck hands emerged from the floor and grabbed his body. A great force weighed on him.

    [Cough!]

    His skin was torn apart, his bones were crushed, and he kneeled. Utarr''s eyes were full of astonishment.

    "I was hoping you would listen to my words."

    Antonughed. Strong magic swirled around him.

    The Apostle of Evil, Anton Sidorvich.

    He was someone recognized even among the higher members of the Cult. He was stronger than an average demon from Hell.

    [Y-you damn human!]

    Utarr screamed.

    "That''s too bad."

    <em>Tap.</em> He closed the book.

    The hands from the floor tore the rest of Utarr''s body apart.

    There was a heavy silence.

    * * *

    "Everyone, ready!"

    Chae YeonJoo''s scream spread through the field.

    Nervousness was on the faces of the yers making a formation.

    From their point of view, horrible creatures were running toward them.

    "D-damn."

    One of the Red Rose Guild members grabbed his hands; all of the other members were in a simr state.

    An army of demonic monsters¡­

    The demonic energy flowing out of them applied pressure on the yers.

    "Wake up! It''s different from the Cataclysmic Day! Now we have the necessary strength to fight the monsters!"

    Everyone gulped at Chae YeonJoo''s shout.

    The Cataclysmic Day¡­

    Countless people died, and many countries copsed on that day.

    "Y-yeah!"

    "We can do it!"

    They began cheering each other so they wouldn''t feel so anxious.

    Chae YeonJoo turned her head and saw the Chinese yers.

    ''What a stupidly huge amount.''

    There were so many yers that one couldn''t help but be impressed.

    ''I guess they''re also in a simr situation.''

    She couldn''t understand what they were saying since they were speaking in Chinese, but it seemed like they were cheering each other up.

    ''I guess it''s normal.''

    Ten or twenty thousand wasughable.

    There were at least fifty thousand demonic monsters.

    It would be weird if they weren''t scared.

    ''But still¡­''

    She clenched her fists and remembered the Cataclysmic Day.

    The sight of people being ughtered by monsters¡­

    The situation was different from back then. She, and the rest of the people there, had enough strength to fight against the monsters.

    "GRRAARR!!"

    "KIIEEKK!"

    The screams of the monsters got close. The yers took their weapons out.

    Chae YeonJoo took out a paper she had put in her pocket. There, she had written the strategy she''d thought of for the past three days.

    "First, magicians, prepare to cast!"

    The basics for most battles was to start with long-range attacks first.

    "And then¡­ Uhm. tankers should block their charge and then back off! Then make a V formation and lure the demonic monsters to the inside! And¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo kept reading the paper.

    "Ms. YeonJoo, if you keep talking like that, no one will understand you."

    "Ugh¡­"

    The leader of the Hwarang Squad, Jang HyunJae, walked toward her while sighing.

    Many Korean yers from different guilds were gathered as one.

    They didn''t have time to practice together, so there was no way they''d be able to do aplex formation.

    "Uhm¡­ Th-that¡­"

    She''d studied a lot over the past three days.

    But once it became time to put it into practice, she couldn''t remember what orders to give.

    Chae YeonJoo frowned.

    ''It doesn''t suit me.''

    Commanding didn''t suit her. She was more suited to fighting.

    "HyunJae, old man, as expected, I think you should do it."

    She gave the megaphone to Jang HyunJae, who was next to her, and smiled.

    Red chains came out from her wrist while emitting a red light.

    "Oh yeah, I forgot to say something."

    She took the megaphone from Jang HyunJae and shouted.

    "Don''t think about it too much! Think of this as a massive experience event! Let''s take this opportunity and gain a massive amount of experience!" Chae YeonJoo shouted through the megaphone.

    You could hear some peopleughing. The atmosphere became more rxed.

    There were some yers whose eyes shone after hearing the word ¡°experience¡±.

    "Haha¡­"

    Jang HyunJaeughed in disbelief.

    He never imagined she''d motivate yers by using a strategy like that.

    "Guys, let''s go!! Ah, some people aren''t part of my guild. Well, anyways! Everyone, do your best! Don''t die and don''t get hurt!"

    The yersughed after hearing a ridiculousmand that didn''t have a strategy or formation, but its effect was visible.

    No one seemed scared anymore.

    yers were starting to get excited.

    Chae YeonJoo stomped the ground.

    <em>Boom-</em>

    A heavy vibration radiated out; her shout spread through the battlefield.

    "DEMACIA!!!"

    The battle began.

 Chapter 131: Apostle of Evil (2)

    "AAAHHH!"

    Chae YeonJoo stomped on the ground.

    Dozens of chains hit the ground and lifted her up.

    On her way down, the red chains smashed the head of a demonic monster leading the horde.

    "KIIEEKK!"

    The demonic monster that looked as if its body had melted exploded after being hit with the chains.

    Then magic-ss yers began to pour their attacks.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    A loud explosion sounded.

    The demonic monsters screamed, and the smell of their burnt flesh wafted over the battlefield.

    Hot air hit the yers.

    They stepped on the corpses of demonic monsters and leaped forward. Tanker yers moved to the front.

    The Chinese yers had also begun fighting.

    Although they didn''t have many magic-type yers, there were many martial artist yers who had the unique stat Qi.

    They swung their weapons with a physical ability that went beyond humans.

    The corpses of demonic monsters increased quickly.

    "Come, you bastards!"

    TaeSoo, who was wielding a giant shield, smashed the demonic monsters with it.

    Due to his hideous appearance and size, it looked as if a demonic monster was hunting other demonic monsters.

    "Captain, we''re going to move, too."

    "Ahh~ There doesn''t seem to be an end to this! Ms. HwaYeon, when this is over, why don''t we have dinner¡­?"

    "Captain Goo HyunMo, I''m going to leave the right side to you!"

    "Ah¡­"

    Baek HwaYeon began running while covered with the wind.

    Goo HyunMo began following her, disappointed.

    "AAHH!"

    The battle against the demonic monsters kept going on.

    The yers had the advantage because most of the demonic monsters hade from the 1st hell.

    Of course, there were some strong monsters like kerberos, but there were quite strong yers as well.

    "Come, you bastards!"

    Chae YeonJoo extended both hands, and the red chains swept through the demonic monsters.

    Baek HwaYeon went running toward where she was.

    "YeonJoo! I came to help you!"

    "I''m okay! But more than that, how are the Chinese doing?"

    "With the Thousand Sword Gate at the center, they''re going through the demonic monsters."

    "Ah, they''re going too fast." Chae YeonJoo mumbled anxiously.

    China had many close-range ss yers, so Korea couldn''t catch up with their charging speed.

    "HwaYeon! Tell that fox-like girl to go a bit slower!"

    At that rate, the Korean and Chinese yers would be isted.

    If that happened, there was no point in fighting together in the first ce.

    Baek HwaYeon nodded and took out a crystal ball.

    She wasn''t nning to contact her personally. First, she had no way to do that, but even if she could, she probably wouldn''t listen to her words.

    "KangWoo, I have something to ask."

    [Yes, what is it?]

    "Tell Cheon SooYeon to make the Chinese forces move a bit slower. They''re going too fast, and we can''t catch up."

    [Okay.]

    The conversation ended.

    Baek HwaYeon swung her sword with a hardened expression. The body of a demonic monster was split into two.

    At the moment, they were winning.

    If things went on like that, she thought they would be able to win easily.

    ''The problem is the demons.''

    It wasn''t just demonic monsters that had appeared from the fissure.

    She''d seen demons in the video. To make things worse, there were about a hundred of them.

    As more information about the Demon Cult became public, she could tell the difference between demonic monsters and demons.

    In terms of physical specs, demonic monsters were stronger.

    But demons had intelligence.

    It was hard to see how they would act.

    ''He should be able to do it.''

    She looked in the direction that KangWoo had gone.

    He hadn''t taken part in the fight yet.

    He would be in charge of getting rid of the demons.

    ''I''ll trust you.''

    She stepped forward and swung her sword.

    Wind appeared at the sword''s tip and cut through the demonic monsters.

    * * *

    "Yes. Move a bit slower."

    [Okay, Mr. KangWoo.]

    After receiving the call from Baek HwaYeon, KangWoo told Cheon SooYeon to make their forces move a bit slower.

    Cheon SooYeon epted without hesitating.

    He turned around and looked at the Chinese yers.

    He saw them starting to move a bit slower at Cheon SooYeon¡¯smand.

    ''Did they say Cheon MooHyeon couldn''t participate because of the shock?''

    Heughed after recalling how Cheon SooYeon had be themander of the Thousand Sword Gate.

    Cheon MooHyeon had be sick after being overwhelmed by an unknown Korean yer.

    It wasn''t that he was physically sick. It was the effect of mental shock.

    ''He''s an extra-like character until the end.''

    He had the feeling that he wouldn''t hear about him anymore.

    KangWoo stood up, looked at Han Seol-ah, who was taking care of the wounded yers, and called Echidna.

    "Echidna¡­"

    "Yes."

    "Stay here and protect Seol-ah."

    "What about you, KangWoo?"

    He turned his head. He looked at the yers who were fighting against demonic monsters.

    He started to warm up.

    "I''m also going to participate."

    "Didn''t you say you''d wait until demons appeared?"

    "It seems like they won''t make an appearance."

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    There were lots of demonic monsters, but he didn''t see anything that looked like a demon.

    He used the Authority of Sky and looked at the battlefield from up in the air, but he wasn''t able to see any demons.

    ''The n has changed.''

    He wasn''t expecting that he wouldn''t be able to see any demons.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    ''I made a mistake.''

    He couldn''t see any demons.

    He realized many things based on that alone.

    ''Their goal isn''t war.''

    If they were trying to make war, it didn''t make sense that demons hadn''t taken part in the battle.

    No, if that were the goal from the beginning, they wouldn''t have used such a brute-force strategy.

    ''These demonic monsters are also probably just fodder to them.''

    It was as if they were throwing them away.

    They wouldn''t have wasted them like that if they thought that demonic monsters were an important part of their forces.

    ''There''s another goal.''

    They weren''t trying to do something by summoning demonic monsters and demons.

    At that point, he couldn''t help but think that the summoning by itself was the goal from the beginning.

    ''Throw the useless demonic monsters away.''

    It was as if they''d sent the workers to the enemy''s territory after they''d finished obtaining all of the minerals.

    For the Demon Cult, those demonic monsters were just annoying beings they didn''t want to deal with.

    "Tsk."

    He didn''t like that. It was as if they were getting rid of the leftovers.

    Having to move as they wanted made him annoyed.

    ''So they moved all of the demons elsewhere?''

    He wasn¡¯t sure, but he couldn''t see any between the demonic monsters.

    His appetite, which had grown because of how much he''d been waiting, lingered around his mouth in vain.

    "Okay. I''m going to make sure no one can hurt Seol-ah," Echidna said while snorting.

    She patted her hair.

    The snort became louder.

    "Then I''ll leave it to you."

    "Okay."

    He left Echidna behind and moved toward where the fight was happening.

    The demonic monsters and yers were fighting intensively.

    KangWoo walked rxedly among the horrible battlefield as if he had gone for a pic.

    "KIIEEKK!"

    ''Where are you?''

    The demonic monsters charged toward him.

    He swung his hand, and the demonic monsters that were charging toward him exploded.

    He kept walking. Although his steps were rxed, the speed was incredibly fast.

    He entered the enemy''s territory almost instantly. All of the demonic monsters that were waiting their turn to fight charged toward him.

    "KRRRR."

    "KUAAA!"

    ''They probably aren''t that far.''

    He flicked his finger.

    The ring changed forms. The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea transformed into a shield, and the demonic monsters hit the shield.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "KIIKK!"

    The demonic monsters¡¯ teeth were destroyed as they tried to bite the shield.

    The ws that tried to cut him were ripped apart and deflected away by the shield, and blood poured out of them.

    He took a step forward.

    ''Even though they rushed in recklessly, they were lumped together.''

    "KUAA!"

    ''Seeing how they aren''t eating each other, it''s obvious that someone is controlling them.''

    "KIIEEKK!"

    ''Where are you hiding?''

    "KUEEKK!"

    The demonic monsters charged toward the food that had prated deep into their territory.

    Thorns appeared on the shield, and the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea began rotating.

    <em>CRACK-!</em>

    The demonic monsters were cut as if they''d been put inside a mixer.

    Flesh poured in all directions.

    The kerberos, who was hidden among the demonic monsters, emitted mes toward KangWoo.

    He raised his right hand and hit the mes, causing them to ssh on the demonic monsters.

    "GRRRR!"

    Kerberos opened its mouth.

    A mouth big enough to easily devour a person targeted KangWoo.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "Arf?!"

    He grabbed a tooth the size of a person and pulled it out.

    The kerberos cried in pain.

    He cut and moved through the crowd of demonic monsters, but it didn''t matter how far into the horde he went¡ªhe didn¡¯t see any demons.

    KangWoo was starting to get annoyed. That wasn''t what he''d expected.

    ''Should I at least eat these guys?''

    He used the Authority of Predation.

    A ck fog spread out and covered the kerberos.

    Crunch-!

    Its bones were crunched, and the skin was torn apart and absorbed by the ck fog.

    "As expected, it doesn''t work on these guys."

    Not only had the effect of the Reaper of Souls not activated, but his stat also hadn''t increased.

    Its quality was too bad.

    It was like a high-level yer couldn''t gain experience by hunting in an area with low-level monsters.

    ''I need demons.''

    He was feeling hungry. His lips were getting dry.

    There was no way he would be satisfied with creatures like that.

    A hunger he shouldn''t feel stimted him.

    He went there expecting delicious food, so seeing the situation made him angry.

    "GRRR."

    The demonic monsters moved back; he could see the fear in their eyes.

    KangWoo began walking; the demonic monsters backed off.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>Swoop-!</em>

    A ck hand appeared out of nowhere and targeted him.

    KangWoo frowned and grabbed the ck hand.

    It was an attack the demonic monsters around him couldn''t see.

    "Hmm?"

    KangWoo realized there was a piece of paper on the hand that¡¯d targeted him.

    He picked the paper up.

    Something written in crooked Korean was on the paper.

    [I want to talk to you.]

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    "What''s this?"

    ¡®Is it a meal ticket?¡¯

 Chapter 132: Dont Talk as if You Know Me (1)

    "Haha."

    He couldn''t help but smile.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine who had sent the message.

    ''The Demon Cult.''

    He began wondering why they were trying to contact him.

    He narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.

    "I see."

    He remembered what had happened in Japan.

    The sight of the Demon Cult members escaping with a heavily injured Akiyama¡­

    He couldn''t help but think that information about him had leaked through them.

    ''Although I''m not sure why they''re trying to contact me.''

    From their point of view, he was a person who had interrupted their ns.

    It would be more understandable if they''d sent a squadron to kill him.

    There was no reason for them to use a way to contact him that resembled the prehistoric way of sending a message through an arrow.

    "I guess I''ll know once I go."

    It wasn''t hard to imagine why¡­

    But to be sure, it would be better to go to where they''d called him.

    It was like walking through a trap.

    ''Not bad.''

    KangWoo smiled.

    It didn''t matter what kind of trap or how many they''d prepared, what was important was that the demons were all probably there.

    ''There''s a chance they aren''t ready yet.''

    The Demon Cult members probably knew there was no way he would ept such a suspicious proposal.

    ''If they did, they would''ve at least mentioned where I should go.''

    The purpose of the note they''d sent was to convey the minimum intention of them wanting to meet him.

    The details about the time and location would probably be sent after the war was over.

    ''I have no reason to wait until then.''

    KangWooughed.

    He turned his face toward where the ck hand hade from.

    There was still a scent of demonic energy left.

    He began running and following that smell. The Authority of Speed surrounded his body, and he shot forward at an incredibly fast speed. A cloud of dust appeared in Manchuria.

    * * *

    "He''s definitely strong."

    Anton let out an exmation in surprise after looking at KangWoo through the eyes of the devils.

    He wasn''t sure why he''d gone to the middle of the demonic monsters, but he was practically annihting them.

    A smile appeared on Anton''s face.

    "Okay, then¡­"

    Anton took a book out.

    It was a strong weapon called the ''Book of Nightmares.''

    It was a piece of equipment he''d obtained as a gift when he¡¯d be an apostle of evil.

    "Zajas Zajas Nastanada Zajas."

    He began casting.

    The demonic energy of the ¡®Book of Nightmares¡¯ began resonating with his demonic energy.

    He sent a hand he''d prepared through the insides of the kerberos he was using to see what was happening.

    KangWoo, who easily restrained that attack, read the message.

    "Done."

    Anton made a satisfied smile.

    One demon that was near him posed a question.

    [So, what is it that we have to do? Who do we need to kill?]

    "Hahaha. Calm down. We''re going to meet that person once the war is over."

    Anton made a rxed smile.

    The demon frowned.

    [Are you saying we should wait here? We''re demons. We live for blood and ughter! We cannot push off the fight anymore...]

    "Didn''t you hear what I said?"

    Anton narrowed his eyes. A strong demonic energy overwhelmed the demons.

    [Ugh...]

    The faces of the demons hardened.

    Anton''s demonic energy wasparable to a demon of the 9th hell.

    Most of the demons here were of the 5th and 6th hells, so it was a strength that was hard for them to handle.

    The demons remained silent.

    "Good."

    Anton nodded while smiling. Now he just had to think of a way to call him.

    ''How should I do it?''

    The easiest way was to take a hostage.

    ''They said he''s living with a girl.''

    A greedy and sneaky smile was drawn on his face. The woman he''d seen through the pictures was quite beautiful.

    If they took her hostage, it shouldn''t be hard to convince him.

    "Ehem, I shouldn''t think of things like that."

    Antonughed while drawing a cross on his chest.

    The goal was trying to make him join the Demon Cult. A rash provocation like that could stop them from achieving their goal.

    ''But¡­''

    * * *

    Anton''s eyes shone. If he refused his proposal, he was free to deal with the hostage as he wanted.

    <em>Slurp-</em>

    He licked his lips. His ugly nature, distorted by greed hidden under a benevolent appearance, had shown itself.

    "So, this should be enough for today..."

    He was about to say they should return for the day.

    "Hmm?"

    He felt something strange at that moment.

    Anton turned his head.

    He felt someone getting closer to him at an incredible speed.

    "Don''t tell me... He''sing this way?"

    Anton''s face was filled with surprise.

    It was true that he''d called him, but he never thought he woulde after receiving a piece of paper.

    ''No. Leaving that aside, how did he find my location?''

    He couldn''t understand it.

    Anton used the ¡®Book of Nightmares¡¯ and ordered the demons around him to back off.

    "Haha. Well, I guess it doesn''t matter."

    He was trying to convince him.

    If he refused, he would kill him.

    Since the two options were already decided, there was no need to hesitate.

    Anton walked toward the energy that was getting close.

    * * *

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    A heavy impact shook the ground. KangWoo dismissed the Authority of Speed and looked at the old man in front of him.

    He had wrinkles on his face and was wearing a priest''s robe. He also didn''t hide his demonic energy.

    He used the Authority of Trantion and spoke.

    "So you want to talk?"

    Anton''s eyes shone.

    "Do you know how to speak Russian?"

    "Let''s just say yes. First..."

    KangWoo turned his face.

    Although there was some distance, he noticed that he was surrounded by the demons he''d been trying to find.

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    ''They''re of low rank.''

    Most of them belonged to the 5th hell or lower.

    Even if he was generous with them, they should belong to the 6th hell.

    The demons showed no reaction after looking at KangWoo. No, they were emitting strong killing intent.

    ''It seems like there isn¡¯t anyone that knows me.''

    It was understandable.

    KangWoo had started to obtain notoriety when he¡¯d reached the 9th hell.

    Although they might have heard rumors about him, they probably didn''t know how he looked.

    Especially those that were in the middle levels.

    ''It''s better this way.''

    KangWoo looked at Anton, rxed.

    "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

    "Haha. I''m d you seem to be someone who understands. I wanted to make you a proposition."

    "Proposition?"

    "Yes."

    Anton smiled.

    "Have you ever heard about demons?"

    "Is there anyone who hasn''t? After all, you guys have been causing quite a stir recently."

    He made a fakeugh.

    Anton shook his head.

    "No. I''m talking about the special qualities that demons have."

    "Special qualities?"

    "Yes. The special qualities demons have¡­ and one that only the Demon Cult can offer you!" Anton said in a loud voice.

    "Humans eventually die. It doesn''t matter how many riches you obtain through your life or how many women you sleep with, even if you have a huge authority, you''ll eventually die."

    He looked at KangWoo with intense eyes.

    "But a demon doesn''t die. They don''t have a restriction on how long they can live; they also don''t crave food."

    Although he was talking calmly, his voice had strength, and his eyes were intense.

    ''This bastard would do very well in a pyramid scheme.''

    KangWoo smirked.

    "So?"

    "We have the power to turn humans into demons. We can give you eternal life."

    "..."

    "Think about it. Does it make any sense that someone like you, someone who was blessed with such strength, should rot among humans? That doesn''t suit you. You should be the emperor who rules over the mortals."

    He didn''t get overly excited. He talked to him very calmly with a voice that had strength.

    He praised him reasonably and said things like, ''this doesn''t suit you,'' and tried to convince him.

    "How about that? Join us. We can promise you authority, power, and eternal life."

    He smiled.

    "I know you very well. I can see in your eyes that you crave power. You''re simr to us. That ce doesn''t suit you."

    He lowered his waist.

    "Come."

    He extended his hand toward KangWoo.

    "Why don''t you join us? You can also be a demon¡ªan immortal being who doesn''t have a restriction on how much they can live."

    Anton knew very well how to awaken the greed in people.

    He talked so smoothly that it was obvious he had done so one or two times.

    He talked calmly¡­

    And tried to stimte KangWoo¡¯s greed.

    If he were a person like Fujimoto Ryoma or Baek KangHyun, he would have epted it without hesitation.

    But¡­

    "You''re going to make me a demon?"

    KangWoo was the one standing in front of him.

    "Ha, HAHAHA!!"

    Heughed out loud. Anton had just said that he would make him a demon.

    His stomach hurt because of theughter. He found the situation extremely funny.

    "You¡­"

    KangWoo tried to control hisughter.

    "You said you knew about me, right?"

    "Yes. Although this is the first time I''ve seen you. Just from looking at those ambitious eyes..."

    "HAHAHA! You''re one funny bastard."

    He ended upughing out loud again.

    "Do you have a scouter in your eyes? You know just by looking at my eyes? There''s no way you''d know about me with just that."

    "...."

    There was a heavy silence.

    KangWoo kept talking whileughing.

    "Don''t talk as if you know me."

    He raised his hand.

    Intense demonic energy concentrated in his hand.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    The ground couldn''t withstand the power and split. The atmosphere became tense.

    He turned his hand.

    And¡­

    "You don''t know who I am."

    The world turned upside down.

 Chapter 133: Dont Talk as if You Know Me (2)

    BOOM-!!

    The ground shook like an earthquake was happening.

    A huge crack ran through the terrain.

    Crack-.

    A chilling sound could be heard from the surface, which was turned up and down. The splitnd began to rise to about 30 meters.

    Hundreds of pirs appeared that you had to lift your head to see the end of.

    "What the¡­?"

    Anton looked around while making a confused expression.

    The ce had definitely been a field.

    ¡ªOne that was so in you could even see the horizon.

    That field had suddenly turned into a mountainous area.

    ''He changed the terrain?''

    ¡®What kind of nonsense is this?¡¯

    They often said that when you fought against a world-ranker, the battle¡¯s terrain changed.

    But that was always something figurative.

    In reality, no one could change a field into a mountainous area.

    ¡­No one except for the monster in front of him.

    ''Just what kind of attribute does he have¡­?''

    Antoon looked at him cautiously.

    Seeing how the surface had suddenly changed, there was a huge chance that his attribute was rted to controlling the forces of nature.

    ''And earth on top of that¡­''

    Anton opened his book. He looked at the demons with sharp eyes.

    "What are you doing? The fight that you¡¯ve been craving so much is finally here. Kill that bastard!" He screamed as if he were about to have a seizure.

    The demons were also distracted by how the surface had suddenly changed. After they heard Anton''s scream, they returned to their senses and picked up their weapons.

    Anton cast magic and red at KangWoo.

    ''The only thing that changed is the terrain.''

    There was no big difference.

    Although it was incredible that he could turn the surface upside down, it wasn''t like that would make a huge difference.

    ''It''s just a performance that looks fancy.''

    There was no need to feel overwhelmed.

    It wasn''t like you could win a fight by changing the terrain.

    The only difference was that the scenery he had to kill that guy in had changed.

    "Zajas Zajas Nastanada Zajas."

    Anton erased the uneasiness he was feeling and concentrated on casting.

    * * *

    [Hahaha! It''s finally ughter time!]

    [Die, human!]

    The demons charged toward him; KangWoo slowly raised his head.

    They charged toward him while stepping on the pirs over the changed terrain.

    "Haha."

    KangWoo let out a short smile.

    He raised his hand.

    "Oh well¡­"

    Hundreds of demons were charging toward him, and Anton was casting magic.

    He thought he understood Anton¡¯s thoughts.

    What did he think while ordering such an attack?

    He probably thought that it was only a change in the terrain, that it was a meaningless performance, and that it wouldn''t affect the battle in any way.

    "There''s no way that''s all it is."

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    There was no way that was true.

    He wouldn''t have changed the terrain if there wasn''t a meaning behind it.

    No, in the first ce, it wasn''t something done to change the terrain.

    "Burn."

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    ck mes spouted from the cracked surface.

    The fire devoured the two demons that were charging toward him.

    He raised his right hand and swung it from right to left.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    A huge stone was cut, and fire as sticky asva came out from the fragments.

    [AAARRRGGGHHH!!!]

    The screams of a demon spread. Half of its body had melted down.

    [Move, you weaklings!]

    A demon with four arms pushed the demon that was on the floor, twisting its body.

    Eyes that were the size of a basketball focused on KangWoo.

    [Hahaha! I''m Rakum of the 6th hell. With these four arms, I can perfectly use four weapons wl¡ª]

    <em>sh-!</em>

    A ck light shed.

    The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea had turned into a sword.

    Another demon walked past the one that had just been split in two.

    [I''m 5th hell¡¯s¡­]

    [I''m Scarta, overlord of the 6th hell!]

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    KangWoo flicked his finger. The Authority of Waves spreading from his finger made the bodies of the two demons explode.

    "KIIEEKK!"

    "KRRRR!"

    Even demonic monsters that hade out of nowhere were being killed.

    They weren''t low-ranking monsters from the 1st hell, but they were at least creatures that lived in the 3rd hell.

    It seemed like Anton had gathered the forces that were too great to waste in a war.

    "Ahh."

    * * *

    KangWoo took a deep breath.

    He grabbed the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea in reverse and increased the amount of demonic energy flowing in his blood.

    He took a deep breath andbined four Authorities.

    The main Authority was going to be the Authority of the de, which was the Authority of a demon called Sabnac. Among the different Authorities, it was often considered one of the weakest.

    But even that useless Authority could be extremely dangerous when he used it.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    He stabbed the ground with the sword, and a fissure exploded forward.

    He sent some demonic energy into it.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    [AAGGHH!]

    [WH-WHAT THE¡­!]

    A shadow grew in size from the fissure¡¯s center.

    It looked as if the night sky was being reflected on the ground. Sharp swords rose from within the shadow.

    The demons were torn apart. Hundreds, thousands of swords appeared as if they were stars in the middle of the night.

    Many demons started flying.

    The entire surface became covered in swords.

    KangWoo pulled the swords from the ground. The fissure disappeared, and the sharp swords became ck fog and scattered away.

    He turned around.

    ''Is there about half left?''

    About half of the demons weren''t able to fly and dodge the swords.

    The other half had dodged the attacks and were flying away.

    He pointed the swords upward toward the demons that were flying.

    Demonic energy flowed out of his body as if it was stagnant water.

    His head became cloudy for a moment.

    ''It''s okay.''

    It wasn''t that he had run out of demonic energy or used the Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­

    His head hurt a bit because he couldn''t follow the calctions.

    He was used to that much. It was just that there were so many variables that he was starting to feel bored.

    [Escape!]

    [Wh-What the?! Who''s that monster?!]

    [W-wait. Don''t tell me¡­]

    One of the demons that were trying to escape suddenly paled.

    He turned his body around while making an expression that seemed he''d realized something.

    [N-no way¡­]

    He had heard of something before¡­ The fight of a human against the seven archdukes. The tale of the Demon King who had swept them away and how he''d wiped out Belphegor''s forces almost instantly.

    Rising mountains¡­ A shadow that covered the surface¡­ Thousands of swords.

    It all matched what he had heard.

    [H-how could that be?]

    He tried to deny it. It was something that shouldn¡¯t be happening.

    ¡®The Demon King. Why is the symbol of Hell here?¡¯

    A sword that was pointing toward the sky slowly made a cut.

    At the same time, a stone over 30 meters tall in diameter started to tremble, and a breathtaking demonic energy filled the ce.

    "Sunset."

    They heard a small mumble as if it were thunder.

    A stone exploded, and ckva poured from the sky.

    [A, aah¡­]

    He let out an exmation. The demon turned his head and looked around; he couldn''t see the bright sun anymore.

    The world was devoured by darkness.

    * * *

    Boil.

    Thend boiled, covered with ckva. Not even a single seed was able to survive.

    The surface became distorted and burned.

    The 9th hell¡­

    It was the deepest hell¡ªa ce where the strongest demons gathered.

    The fields of Manchuria resembled the distortedndscape of the 9th hell.

    "Haa, Ahh!"

    An old man ran through that distortedndscape.

    Anton couldn''t understand what was going on. He looked like he was having a terrible nightmare.

    He threw the Book of Nightmares, half of which had been burned, away.

    Half of his right arm had melted down, and his torso had been cut.

    Dark red blood flowed out from the wound. He turned his head with trembling eyes.

    He saw a demon there.

    "Ah, aah¡­"

    "I told you to not act as if you know me."

    The demon spread his hand.

    He grabbed the back of Anton¡¯s head and looked at him with eyes full of madness.

    "So, do you still know who I am?"

    "Y-yyoouu. Just who¡­?"

    He couldn''t properly speak.

    He felt pressure as if he''de face to face with an absolute being¡ªas if a deep Abyss with a floor that couldn''t be touched was surrounding him.

    It wasn''t a foreign feeling. He''d felt something simr when he¡¯d met those in the upper echelons of the Demon Cult.

    ''No.''

    He shook his head. He tried to remember that time. Hepared the energy he could feel from the demon in front of him to what he''d felt that day.

    He hadn''t felt a fear so deep that it reminded him of a sea when he met the beings that were in the upper echelons of the Demon Cult.

    "Who¡­ Are you?"

    "Why do you want to know?"

    The demon spread his hand.

    A ck fog flowed out from the demon and covered him. No, it wasn''t just that. A ck fog spread out from the burned and distorted surface.

    "Is knowing who I am going to help you? If I tell you, will you willingly die without feeling any remorse? Hey, buddy, this isn''t time to say stuff like that."

    "¡­"

    He remained silent. Those were words he couldn''t deny.

    There was only one thing he should be saying¡­

    "S-save me¡­"

    His body trembled.

    A strong craving to live covered him.

    It was the eternal life he had obtained after sacrificing too many people.

    He didn''t want to die in a deste field.

    "Yes. This is much better."

    The demon nodded in satisfaction.

    "But haven¡¯t you also heard those very words quite a lot? To have so much demonic energy inside your body, you probably didn''t kill only one or two people."

    "¡­"

    He couldn''t say anything.

    He remembered the past¡­

    People begging for mercy¡­

    He''d heard them a lot.

    He had quite a lot of fun hearing the screams of the offerings begging for mercy before he killed them.

    The demonughed while looking at him.

    A smile simr to his when he''d looked at the offerings was on the demon¡¯s face.

    "What did you do back then? Oh, I''m just asking this as a courtesy. I already know what you did."

    Anton looked at him with a pale expression.

    "Did you save anyone even once?"

    "¡­"

    No. There was no way that had been the case. To him, the offerings were just food he used to gain more demonic energy.

    No lion stopped hunting if he saw the deer crying.

    "Ah, aah¡­"

    He extended his hand desperately.

    The demon smiled and grabbed his hand.

    "Haha. I feel simr to you because of this. Yes, you said that we were simr. Right? I''m going to ept that''s true, at least partially."

    You could feel a bit of shyness in the demon''s voice.

    He scratched his head while making a shy expression.

    "Because I also never saved anyone."

    <em>Crunch-!</em>

    A ck fog crushed and swallowed Anton''s body.

 Chapter 134: Thanks For The Food (1)

    yer Who Returned 10,000 Years Later

    Crunch. Crunch.

    The chilling sound of skin being torn apart and bones crunched spread through the devastated field.

    The demon''s body, soul, and demonic energy flowed into KangWoo¡¯s body through the dark cloud hanging over the field.

    Ting-.

    [The attribute ''Reaper of Souls'' has been activated!]

    [You''ve absorbed a demon''s soul in its entirety.]

    Something spiritual that couldn''t be seen flowed into his body.

    It was an energy he''d never been able to feel while using the Authority of Predation.

    ''Ah.''

    A mysterious feeling.

    The demons he''d devoured were ones that barely lived in the middle levels of Hell, so that feeling wasn''t that big.

    But even the light from a firefly could shine brightly if hundreds gathered.

    Even though they were small energies, he felt a filling sensation spread through his body because hundreds had gathered.

    ''This is a mysterious feeling.''

    It was a sensation simr to when you were lying in a hot tub and hundreds of small bubbles gathered around your body.

    It was hazy and drowsy. He felt the bubbles tickling his body.

    After a while, those bubbles that were tickling him entered his body; a familiar message window appeared in front of him.

    [The Attribute of ''Reaper of Souls'' has beenpleted sessfully!]

    [You''ve absorbed souls and increased the quality of yours.]

    [You''ve obtained a hint to fulfilling the first condition for Demonic Soul.]

    ''Nice.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone while reading the message window that had appeared in front of him. The tips of his mouth went up.

    KangWoo opened the status window and checked out the part that said ''Demonic Soul.''

    [Information]

    Demonic Soul: Second step to bing a ''Demon God.''

    1st Condition: Increase the quality of your soul (Unfulfilled)

    2nd Condition: ???

    ''As expected, it was connected to the seventh Awakening Attribute.''

    It was something he was expecting.

    The steps to bing a Demon God and the awakening attributes¡­ The connection between them had be even clearer.

    KangWoo nodded in satisfaction.

    ''It''s a condition I can fulfill.''

    KangWoo decided not to think of the second condition hidden behind question marks. He decided to focus on the first condition.

    He wasn''t sure how many demon souls he had to absorb, but the way to fulfill the condition was very straightforward.

    Ting-

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has gone up by 4.]

    "Woah, it increased my stat."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    That wasn''t an effect of the Reaper of Souls¡¯s attribute but the effect of having absorbed hundreds of demons.

    Four stats. A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face. He opened his status window and checked the stats.

    "Damn..."

    The stat was still at 120.

    KangWoo remembered something he''d forgotten.

    "This has beplete trash."

    KangWoo looked at the ck Pearl Coat he was wearing.

    The ck Pearl Coat increased his stat by +5.

    It was something that had happened because it couldn''t increase his stat beyond 120.

    Even if he took off the ck Pearl Coat, his Demonic Energy stat stayed at 120.

    The stat-increase effect of the ck Pearl Coat hadpletely disappeared.

    "Tsk."

    He wasn''t sure if he should be happy by the fact that, if his Demonic Energy stat increased, it went up for real, or if he should be annoyed by the fact that the ck Pearl Coat had be useless.

    ''Well, let''s think about it positively.''

    It was something he''d expected after discovering that, after 120, the stat increase that legendary-rank or lower-tier equipment had didn''t apply.

    He thought it should be okay if he thought about it as something that was bound to happen.

    KangWoo left the bittersweet feeling behind and stood up.

    "However..."

    He thought about the message that said his soul''s quality had gone up.

    He still wasn''t sure what effect it had.

    ''Should I check it?''

    He closed his eyes.

    He began checking the changes that had happened inside his body.

    ''There hasn''t been any physical change.''

    It wasn''t that something had physically changed, like when he was trying to fulfill the conditions from Extreme Demoni Energy Body.

    It also wasn''t that something new had been generated inside his body, like when he formed a demonic energy stone.

    ''There must be a change.''

    He wasn''t sure what kind of effect fulfilling the conditions for Demonic Soul would give, but considering what had happened with the Extreme Demonic Energy Body, it should give him a huge strength.

    It was weird that there hadn''t been any change while fulfilling the conditions to reach it.

    ''Hmm?''

    At that moment, he felt something foreign inside his body.

    It was something he hadn''t felt before from using ¡®Reaper of Souls¡¯.

    It didn''t take him long to realize what that foreign sensation was.

    ''The seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core has weakened.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    It wasn''t that the seal had gotten as weak as when his level had gone up by 10.

    * * *

    But still, the seal had gotten weaker.

    "This..."

    A deep smile appeared on his face.

    "The effect is greater than I imagined!"

    The Ten Thousand Demon Core was the foundation of his power.

    It''d been half a year since he¡¯d returned to Earth.

    Although he''d obtained new powers he didn''t have while in Hell, they still couldn''t bepared to his original strength.

    The Ten Thousand Demon Core was a demonic energy sea. Even he didn''t know how deep it was. It was an unknown world.

    "Yes. This much is a must if you''ve blocked me from leveling up."

    A deep smile was drawn on his face. He almost wanted to start dancing out of happiness.

    To him, there were two huge benefits to leveling up.

    The first thing was the Awakening attribute, and the second was the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core bing weaker.

    He¡¯d been struggling to make its seal weaker, so it had a huge meaning to him.

    "Good."

    He sat down while making a satisfied smile.

    If the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core had weakened, there was something he had to do.

    ''I must convert the energy that flowed out into stats.''

    He had also done that when he''dpleted the seventh Awakening.

    ''I can''t depend on the ck Pearl''s Coat stat increase anymore.''

    From then on, stat increase was directly rted to power.

    KangWoo closed his eyes and used the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style.

    He felt the demonic energy that flowed out with the Ten Thousand Demon Core seal getting weaker.

    It wasn''t explosive as when he¡¯d unlocked the new Awakening attribute¡­

    But the Ten Thousand Demon Core was the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    The demonic energy that flowed out covered his body.

    The energy of the Ten Thousand Demon Core started to melt into his blood.

    Ting-

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 1.]

    The ringing sound made him feel good.

    "Woah."

    He let out an exmation. Although it had gone up by just one point, the changes were impressive.

    The demonic energy inside his body started fluctuating as if it were about to explode.

    ''The higher it bes, the harder it gets to increase it, but the effects be even greater.''

    He smiled while thinking about the most basic information about stat increases.

    He''d used quite a lot of demonic energy during the battle because he''d used two big techniques consecutively, but he felt he''d been able to restore it at once.

    "Should I go back?"

    ¡®The fight against the demonic monsters should be over by now.¡¯

    KangWoo stood up and looked at the destroyed field that had be simr to Hell.

    ''It wasn''t a bad harvest.''

    The harvest was as he had expected, no, even better.

    KangWoo clenched his fist.

    Getting stronger while interrupting the Demon Cult''s ns¡­ It was like killing two birds with one stone.

    He turned around, put his hands together, and bowed down.

    "Thanks for the food."

    Burp-

    * * *

    He returned to where the battle of the Korean and Chinese yers against demonic monsters had happened.

    ''It seems like it''s over.''

    As expected, the battle had already ended. People were moving those that had been injured.

    It was obvious, but the fight ended with an overwhelming victory for China and Korea.

    Humans weren''t weak enough to lose against a group of demons that were from the 1st hell.

    ''It seems like there aren¡¯t many injured people.''

    Most of the people walking around had bright expressions on their faces. That meant that there hadn''t been many casualties.

    ''I wonder what would happen if a fight between the 9th hell and Earth''s yers broke out.''

    He didn''t need to think too much.

    Even if yers were strong, they couldn''t bepared to the forces of the 9th hell.

    A one-sided annihtion, just like that day five years prior, would probably happen again.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo looked at the yers that were busily moving.

    They didn''t seem happy just because they¡¯d won the battle.

    "Finally! The seventh Awakening!"

    "Woah! Me too!! I''ve finally freed myself from this damn level limit!"

    "My level has gone up by eight!"

    He could hear their happy shouts.

    The yers had leveled up a lot from the battle; it ended up being a huge experience event, just like Chae YeonJoo said.

    ''The yers are getting stronger.''

    It wasn''t just those that had participated in the war. yers all around the world were constantly getting stronger.

    Even if they were getting stronger, they still had a long way to go before they could face beings from the 9th hell, but he had to emphasize that they were getting stronger.

    ''And, among those, there are special individuals like ShiHoon.''

    For yers, talent was something very important.

    Regardless of when it was, talentless yers couldn''t get stronger.

    That also meant that, if you had talent, you could get a lot stronger in a short period of time.

    "KangWoo!"

    Chae YeonJoo came running toward him.

    "Where were you? What about the demons?"

    "I eliminated them."

    "Alone...?"

    He nodded. Chae YeonJooughed in disbelief.

    "It probably wasn''t one or two. There should''ve been at least a hundred..."

    "They were exactly 237."

    "How did you... Oof, no. I better not ask."

    Chae YeonJoo shook her head. After coughing, she looked at KangWoo.

    "Aren''t you hurt anywhere?"

    "Of course not."

    "Seeing how arrogant you are, it seems like you''re okay. Hngh, people like you should break at least a bone so they can calm down."

    She turned her head away while snorting. Unlike her words, the tips of her mouth were up.

    KangWoo smirked and walked past her. After Chae YeonJoo, Echidna came running toward him.

    "KangWoo. Just like you said, I protected Seol-ah."

    She snorted.

    "Well done. Not much happened, right?"

    "Yes. Although there were some demonic monsters that could fly, I got rid of them all."

    She looked at him with shining eyes, just like a child waiting to be praised.

    KangWoo patted her.

    "Echidna, go and help move the injured people."

    "Okay!"

    They had to move the injured people and help them heal.

    ''Then¡­''

    He fell into thought.

    He''d solved the Russia incident and stopped the invasion of demonic monsters and demons.

    ''I have nothing left to do.''

    He couldn''t think of anything he had to do since he''d solved the Demon Cult incident.

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo looked at Echidna, who was running to where the injured people were.

    Suddenly, a certain thought crossed his mind.

    "Oh yeah."

    He took out his smartphone and checked the date.

    ''It''s been three months, right?''

 Chapter 135: Second Summoning (1)

    The war in Manchuria ended up with the overwhelming victory of the yers.

    It was the firstrge-scale war that happened after the ''Cataclysmic Day,'' so it was understandable that it received attention worldwide.

    Thanks to that incident, China and Korea''s image improved around the world.

    The Demon Cult had been making the world tremble in fear.

    Their firstrge-scale attack was stopped, so it wasn''t weird that everyone was so excited about it.

    Unlike what people thought, they weren''t able to perfectly block the Demon Cult''s attack.

    They just won the fight against the leftovers from the Demon Cult''s n.

    ''They''re going to move again soon.''

    ¡­And the scale was probably going to be much bigger in the future.

    His eyes deep and sunken, KangWoo put his hand on top of the table.

    There was a spicy lobster there.

    It was obviously his first time eating it.

    He put stic gloves on and grabbed a lobster.

    ''It would be better if they moved first.''

    He chewed the lobster, which was covered with a red sauce.

    <em>Crunch. </em>

    Its shell cracked, and he could taste the soft meat.

    ''Except for the golden teeth, I''m going to chew everything away.''

    The bigger the move the Demon Cult made, the more he''d be able to eat.

    Considering that he had to protect the world, the situation was kind of ironic.

    ''Anyway. The priority right now is for me to get stronger.''

    KangWoo wasn''t sure what would happen if the Gaia System kept weakening.

    To stop unexpected things, he needed to have a power that could crush those variables.

    "Do you like the food?" Cheon SooYeon asked while entering the room.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Yes. It''s delicious."

    "You''re eating that without taking off the shell, yet you find it delicious¡­?"

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him in disbelief.

    TaeSoo, who was also eating it without peeling off the shell, tilted his head.

    "What''s up with this monster?"

    "Fufu. His name is Mr. TaeSoo, and he''s a member of my party," Han Seol-ah answered with a smile.

    Chae YeonJoo shook his head while looking at TaeSoo, who looked like a monster.

    She turned her eyes toward KangWoo.

    "We should start getting ready to go back."

    "Oh, yeah. About that¡­"

    KangWoo put down the lobster.

    "I have a ce I have to visit first, so go ahead without me."

    "You have a ce to visit? Where?"

    "divostok."

    There was a bit ofmotion.

    divostok¡­

    It was where an SS-rank gate was located and where the conflict with the Demon Cult started.

    Chae YeonJoo narrowed her eyes.

    If he was nning to visit divostok in that situation, there was only one possible reason¡­

    "Are you nning to investigate the Demon Cult¡¯s trace? If so, I''ll also go."

    "No. That''s one of the reasons, but I have another thing I have to do. Just Echidna and I will be fine."

    Chae YeonJoo tilted her head.

    "What do you have to do?"

    "I''m nning to get another summoned monster."

    "A Summoned monster¡­?"

    Everyone''s attention was ced on Echidna.

    Echidna, who was eating lobster, stood up while making a surprised expression.

    "K-KangWoo¡­ Is it that you don''t need me anymore?"

    She anxiously pulled KangWoo''s sleeves.

    She seemed to be worried that her ce as a summoned monster would disappear.

    KangWoo smirked and patted her head.

    "It¡¯s nothing like that, so don''t worry."

    "Ugh¡­"

    Echidna bit her lip anxiously.

    Han Seol-ah softly hugged her from behind.

    "Don''t worry. You know very well what kind of person Mr. KangWoo is."

    "Okay, understood."

    As even Seol-ah calmed her down, Echidna nodded.

    "Then let''s go. YeonJoo, once I return to Korea, tell me if the Demon Cult has started moving in another country."

    "Will they start moving again so quickly?"

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo shook his head after thinking about it.

    "I''m not sure, but there''s nothing wrong with being careful."

    ¡®I must eliminate the demons before another person does.¡¯ KangWoo stopped himself from saying that and turned around.

    "Echidna, let''s go."

    "Okay."

    Echidna nodded and followed him.

    * * *

    Reaper Scans

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    Join our discord for updates on releases!!

    https://dsc.gg/reapeics

    * * *

    KangWoo mounted on Echidna''s back and flew toward divostok after walking out of the barracks.

    Thanks to the speed at which the demonic monsters moved, KangWoo realized divostok and Manchuria weren''t that far apart.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "So lots of things happened here, too. Huh?"

    The city looked like a scene out of a post-apocalyptic movie.

    He couldn''t feel anyone present.

    After the summoning incident, all of the monsters using the city as a base had been killed.

    The only thing left in divostok was silence.

    "KangWoo, is it here?"

    "Yes."

    He turned his head.

    He saw an SS-rank gate in the middle of the city.

    Echidna pointed to the gate.

    "Do we have to enter that?"

    "Wait. Before that, let''s look around."

    The ce where the demon summoning had happened¡­

    Maybe he''d be able to get some information there.

    KangWoo began following the traces of demonic energy. It wasn''t hard to find where therge-scale summoning had happened.

    "I can''t see anything like an altar."

    Aplex magic circle was drawn on the floor, but he couldn''t see anything else.

    KangWoo knelt and observed the magic circle.

    ''Authority of Insight.''

    KangWoo observed the magic circle and analyzed how they were able to summon beings from Hell.

    "Haha¡­"

    Heughed in disbelief. KangWoo''s expression slightly distorted.

    ''I''m not sure.''

    He didn''t know. Even though he''d achieved Extreme Demonic Energy Body and his control over the Ten Thousand Demon Core had increased, he couldn''t analyze the magic circle drawn on the floor.

    ''How did they develop a technique like this?''

    ording to what he''d heard, the Demon Cult was present almost a thousand years before the Cataclysmic Day.

    During those times, they''d probably investigated summoning a lot, so it was understandable that it had improved quite a bit.

    ''But even considering that¡­''

    Was it possible for a human to make a technique that was at a level he couldn''t reach?

    He couldn''t help but have doubts about that.

    "Tsk."

    He couldn''t understand it, but he had to recognize something¡­

    ''In terms of summoning knowledge, there''s a huge gap between them and me.''

    Their knowledge was in unknown territory for him.

    KangWoo stood up. There were no hints to be had there.

    The only information he could get was that there wasn''t a way to analyze the magic summoning circle and seal itpletely.

    "Well, I guess it''s better this way."

    The tips of his mouth went up. He wasn''t nning to stop them from summoning demons in the first ce.

    ''If the only outside world was Hell, finding a way to seal it would be the answer.''

    Since he knew there were other worlds beyond the Hell of Nine Skies, blocking the demon summoning was like halting his path to growth.

    ''I cannot let that happen.''

    The Demon Cult was, to him, a jar full of honey. He was going to eat from it for as long as he could.

    "Let''s enter the gate."

    "Did you find the hint?"

    "No, but it isn''t like I haven''t obtained any results."

    He entered the SS-rank gate with Echidna.

    A monster charged toward them as they entered the gate, but Echidna got rid of it.

    "Don''t touch KangWoo."

    Echidna stepped on the corpse of the giant spider.

    KangWoo smirked while looking at her.

    ''Echidna got quite strong.''

    The source of her strength was him. The stronger he got, the more she would grow.

    ''With this, I guess it won''t matter what demonic monsters get summoned.''

    If he became unlucky and summoned a weak demonic monster, if it connected with him, it should be able to obtain quite a lot of strength.

    ''I just hope it''s someone who listens.''

    He didn''t hope for it to be as loyal as Echidna¡­

    He would be satisfied just from it being a dog that didn¡¯t bite its owner.

    ''But still, I''d prefer for it to be strong. Halcyon, please let it be Halcyon!''

    ¡ªOne of the demonic monsters of the 9th hell that was self-aware.

    They only lived in one ce and didn''te out very often, so he had never seen one before, but he had heard many rumors.

    ''Among demonic monsters, it¡¯s probably one of the strongest ones.''

    Summoning Halcyon would be like winning the lottery.

    "Then, should I start the summoning?"

    He focused and used the demonic monster summoning attribute.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [A Fissure necessary for summoning was sessfully created.]

    [An even deeper Fissure was created due to the influence of Demonic Energy located in the Ten Thousand Demon Core (Rank: ???).]

    [A connection leading to an ¡®Alien World¡¯ was unable to be blocked due to damage to the Gaia System.]

    [A dimensional gate that leads toward the Ernor Continent has opened.]

    ''Huh? Fuck.''

    He was sure that time that he would finally seed in summoning a demonic monster from the 9th hell, but things flowed in a weird direction again.

    ''Where''s my Halcyon?''

    He was annoyed.

    At that point, shouldn''t an incredible demonic monstere out?

    A blue gate appeared, and a being crossed through it.

    "You¡­"

    There was a skeleton wearing a ck robe; he could feel strong demonic energy flowing from its body.

    Light came out from the skull, and it looked at KangWoo.

    [Where am I?]

    "Hmm. It''s a bit hard to exin. First, present yourself."

    [I''m the one who brings nightmares to Ernor. I''m the king of the dead and the master of magic.]

    ''Huh? This guy''s way of speaking resembles Satan¡¯s.''

    There was a demonic energy explosion when the skeleton hit the floor with its wand.

    [I''m the Demon King Balzac.]

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    KangWoo couldn''t close his mouth.

    "Demon King¡­?"

    ¡®Weird.¡¯

    ''I''m also a Demon King.''

 Chapter 136: Second Summoning (2)

    "B-Balzac¡­"

    A trembling voice came out of Echidna.

    KangWoo turned his head toward her.

    "Do you know him?"

    "Yes. He''s a strong lich that lives on the northern end of the continent. A ce that''s called thend of death. The people from the continent¡­ call him ¡®Demon King¡¯."

    Echidna looked at Balzac with worry in her eyes.

    "Hmm."

    His eyes shone. He turned his head and saw a skeleton wearing a ck robe.

    ''Demon King, huh?''

    To be honest, it wasn''t important whether he called himself a Demon King or not.

    The important thing was if he would be helpful as a summoned monster.

    ''But is he really a Demon King?''

    KangWoo could feel a strong demonic energy. He was definitely stronger than Echidna.

    But if you asked him if it was strong enough to be called a Demon King, he couldn''t help but tilt his head.

    ''He doesn''t seem to be that much stronger than Anton.''

    He wasn''t sure exactly how strong he was, but he seemed simr to or a bit stronger than Anton.

    [I''m going to ask again¡­ what is this ce?] Balzac said in a dreadful voice. Demonic energy swirled around his body.

    KangWoo smirked.

    "I summoned you."

    [You summoned me?]

    "Yes, I needed more summoned monsters."

    [¡­]

    There was silence.

    A yellow light came out from Balzac¡¯s eye sockets.

    [A summoned monster¡­ Don''t tell me you''re nning to use me, Demon King Balzac, as a familiar spirit?]

    "Well, yes. It¡¯s more or less like that."

    He nodded.

    [Haha.]

    Balzacughed in disbelief.

    [HAHAHA! How fun! Very fun!]

    <em>ck. ck.</em>

    The sound of the skeleton''s mouth moving and bones cking could be heard.

    A strong killing intent came out from Balzac.

    His eyes sockets shone with a ferocious yellow light while looking at KangWoo.

    [How dare a human try to use me as a familiar spirit.]

    "No, I''m not exactly a human¡­ Ugh, this is kind of hard to exin."

    KangWoo scratched the back of his head.

    "Anyway, it''s true that I''m trying to use you as a familiar spirit, but if you give me your loyalty, I''ll reward you properly for it."

    That was a rule he''d followed since Hell.

    Although he''d sometimes felt annoyed by Balrog''s extreme loyalty.

    He''d also screamed quite a few times after seeing Lilith infiltrating his bedroom.

    But still, he gave proper rewards and trust to answer their loyalty.

    ''That''s the role of a ruler.''

    A ruler who didn''t care about his underlings was just a dumb tyrant.

    The way to rule over a group was to repay loyalty with trust and rebellion with severe punishment.

    [HAHAHA! You''re a human with no fear!]

    Balzacughed and slowly raised his hand.

    [A human who has lost fear should be punished.]

    He moved his finger. It seemed like he was casting.

    KangWoo sighed after feeling the thick killing intenting out from him.

    ''So it isn''t going to be like with Echidna?''

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The summoned monster is showing hostility toward its master! The effect of the contract is getting weaker!]

    [The bond with the summoned monster is weak, so you cannot give orders!]

    Blue message windows appeared as if they were answering his question.

    The demonic energy that came out of Balzac''s hands entered the floor around them.

    <em>ck- ck-</em>

    Hundreds of skeletons rose from the ground. They weren''t simple skeletons¡ªthey were wearing armor that resembled what knights used to wear in the middle ages.

    Balzac opened both arms and shouted.

    [Look! Feel! Tremble in Fear! This is my, Demon King Balzac''s¡ª]

    <em>Tap. </em>KangWoo flicked his finger.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    The Authority of Waves expanded and swept away the skeletons.

    The armor they were wearing distorted, and the skeletons shattered away.

    [Huh?]

    A confused voice came out of Balzac.

    He looked around in disbelief.

    [You''re quite strong for a human!]

    He began shouting with his eyes shining.

    He put both hands in front of his chest, and a body of demonic energy appeared in both hands.

    [But will you be able to win against death knights?]

    The spheres in both hands started to grow. Just like demons emerged from the fissures, skeleton knights appeared from the sphere that had grown to three meters.

    "Woah."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    Certainly, he could feel a pressure he wasn''t able to feel from skeletons.

    ''Are there about twelve?''

    Balzac gave an order to the death knights.

    [Go! Knights of the Round Table! Kill the human that has dared to mock Balzac!]

    The ghost horses that the death knights were mounted on let out snorts.

    "KangWoo!"

    Echidna blocked KangWoo.

    KangWoo, who was about to create a weapon with the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea, stopped.

    "Hmm¡­"

    He stroked his chin.

    "Well, this is a good opportunity, so maybe I should leave things to Echidna."

    He thought it would be good to leave things to her.

    ''Getting real battle experience is good for her, after all.''

    KangWoo crossed his arms and backed off a step.

    "Echidna, I''m going to leave things to you this time."

    "Yes! I''ll fight them!"

    Echidna clenched both fists.

    It was her time to shine.

    * * *

    ''I''m going to be praised by KangWoo!''

    Intense conviction burned in her eyes. Her body was surrounded by blue light.

    <em>Stomp-!</em>

    Echidna turned into a giant dragon that was over 20 metersrge.

    Balzac''s eyes shone after seeing her.

    [A demon dragon? So he wasn''t an idiot who didn''t know his ce.]

    A human that controlled a demon dragon?

    He''d never heard about that, even on the Ernor continent.

    [How interesting.]

    Balzac let out a creepyugh and turned his head to KangWoo.

    [He might be better than Reinald.]

    Arnan Empire''s prince. The hero who had awakened as a Guardian after being chosen by the gods.

    Balzac had targeted and tried to turn him into the strongest death knight quite a few times.

    Every time that happened, he failed because a god interrupted him, but he couldn''t feel that type of energy from the human in front of him.

    He would be good to use instead of Reinald.

    [She''s just a hatchling! Kill her!]

    Balzac realized she was just a hatchling after seeing her full size, so he shouted.

    The 12 death knights picked up their weapons and charged toward Echidna.

    [Then¡­]

    Balzac turned around. There was one thing he had to do while the death knights fought the demon dragon.

    [Fufufu. I''m sorry for you, human. To make me, Balzac, take action¡­ I''m going to make you feel desp¡ª]

    "Okay. Let''s fix that way of speaking first."

    KangWoo pped.

    He thought of the first thing he had to do.

    [What are you talking about¡­?]

    "You saying your own name all the time¡­ It sounds too dumb."

    He shook his head while making a tired expression.

    "Satan really annoyed me because of that. I cannot let my summoned monster be like that."

    [Who''s your summoned monster?!] Balzac angrily shouted.

    Strong demonic energy gathered in his hands.

    [It seems like talking won''t work.]

    "I agree."

    He created Gae Bolg with the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea.

    If they weren''t going to be able to solve the situation by talking, then there was no other way than to overwhelm the other party with strength.

    ''But the Demon King of the Ernor Continent, huh?''

    KangWoo remembered that Balzac had called himself the Demon King.

    To be honest, he knew almost nothing about the Ernor Continent. He had heard some information from Echidna, but he only considered it a ce resembling a fantasy novel.

    ''But if this guy is the strongest being of the Ernor Continent¡­''

    If Balzac was indeed the ''Demon King'' like he said¡­

    ''I don''t think I''ll have to worry about the Ernor Continent.''

    <em>m-!</em>

    He stomped on the ground.

    He used the Authority of Speed, and his body shot forward like light. Gae Bolg stabbed Balzac''s body.

    [Hmph!]

    A wall of demonic energy was created.

    He didn''t stop and stabbed using the spear.

    The wall was destroyed.

    Balzac quickly twisted its body and waved his hand; a ck sword was created and targeted KangWoo.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    He blocked the sword with Gae Bolg.

    [Ugh!]

    Balzac''s fighting style was using summoned monsters to fight for him in the front and him attacking from a long distance.

    He was a necromancer-type caster that you often saw in video games.

    <em>Whish-!</em>

    Gae Bolg was swung at an incredible speed.

    KangWoo didn''t give him something like a time to cast.

    It was an attacking style that was close to a counter.

    Balzac''s yellow eyes trembled.

    [H-how could a human¡­?]

    He couldn''t understand his strength. Even if a caster was weak in close-rangebat, it was the first time he''d been pushed so much.

    [I guess I have no other choice.]

    If things went on like that, he would surely lose.

    Balzac ripped off the bracelet he had on his arm, and the ck jewel on his bracelet fell to the ground.

    Since things had turned out like that, he had no choice but to use his trump card.

    ''I never imagined I''d have to use this here.''

    The Blood of an Evil God¡­

    It had the ability to temporarily summon a being from Hell that appeared in ancient myths and legends.

    It was an item he kept for use in case he encountered a situation he couldn¡¯t handle.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    The surface shook, and there was a huge storm of demonic energy.

    A stronger demonic energy than Balzac''s colored the surrounding areas.

    ''Hmm?''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    It was the first technique of Balzac¡¯s he found menacing.

    He could feel a thrill in his skin. His body trembled in excitement at the thought of battle. No, it was energy so strong that it even made him feel a bit scared.

    ''It''s dangerous.''

    He became nervous. It was going to be an opponent that was on another levelpared to Balzac.

    [Come! Being that lives on the deepest part of the Abyss, longing for eternity!]

    <em>WHOM-!</em>

    A giant fissure appeared.

    The air cracked as if a window was shattering, and¡­

    [Who has dared to call me.]

    It had goat horns, a purple body, and a giant body that was over five meters tall.

    The demon that appeared from the fissure stomped on the ground.

    [I''m the one who protects destruction. A demon from the 9th hell, Doomguard.]

    "¡­"

    KangWoo''s mouth fell open.

    It wasn''t because Balzac had summoned a demon from the 9th hell.

    [Ah. Great being from Hell. Please listen to the words of the lowly mortal that has summoned you.]

    [You may speak,] Doomguard replied in a low voice tone.

    Balzac pointed his finger at KangWoo.

    [Please, bring death to that person!]

    [Hmm, a fight?]

    Doomguard turned his head.

    His eyes meet KangWoo''s.

    [Huh?]

    Doomguard''s eyes widened.

    [No way. Demon King, long time no see!!] He shouted while waving his giant arms.

    That overwhelming presence he''d just shown crumbled almost instantly.

    "Long time no see¡­"

    KangWoo sighed as if he couldn''t believe what was happening.

    Doomguard, the one who protects destruction¡­

    It was the name of the demon that was in charge of the 3rd Squadron of KangWoo''s Demon King army.

    [Huh¡­?]

    Balzac was surprised at the meeting of the two demons.

    [What''s going on?]

    Demon King Balzac, the one who had terrorized the Ernor Continent, looked around in confusion.

 Chapter 137: Second Summoning (3)

    [Woah~ Long time no see, Demon King!]

    Doomguard walked toward him with a smile on his face.

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''Move your face.''

    He had a muscr body that was over five meters tall. On top of that, he had an appearance that really fit the name ¡°demon¡±. Seeing Doomguard smiling like that was like looking at a scene from a horror movie.

    "So... how is it going?"

    [Haha! Hell''s always the same. Hmm, although, recently, demonic monsters have been wandering around more than before.]

    "Demonic monsters?"

    [Yes. Ancient demonic monsters like the halcyon are expanding their territory.]

    Ancient demonic monsters¡­

    It was a name they used to describe self-conscious demonic monsters like the halcyon, volcatus, or ouroboros.

    They were beings that created their habitat and lived there. They were known for not leaving their territory.

    "The ancient demonic monsters have started moving?"

    [Yes. Balrog is investigating the exact reason right now.]

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo nodded, but he wasn''t that interested.

    ''Are they after the position I left behind?''

    He thought about it for a while but soon shook his head. Either way, it was something from the Hell of Nine Skies.

    He was already busy enough thinking about stuff happening on Earth.

    [Wh-what are you doing, Mr. Doomguard?! Bring death to that weak and lowly human...]

    Balzac stepped forward and shouted. Doomguard''s expression distorted.

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    [Cough?!]

    Balzac fell to the ground after being punched.

    [Weak and lowly human? Be careful with what you say, bones. This person is my, Doomguard''s, owner and Hell''s king.]

    [H-Hell''s king?]

    Balzac looked at KangWoo with his mouth wide open.

    His teeth hit each other as if he couldn''t believe it.

    [Hmm?]

    At that moment, Doomguard''s expression hardened. His body started to be blurry.

    "What''s wrong?"

    [It seems like the summoning duration is over.]

    Doomguard turned around while making a disappointed expression.

    [Then, Demon King, I''ll be going! I''m going to tell Balrog you''re doing well~!]

    Doomguard waved his hand whileughing.

    Although he might¡¯ve looked like a charismatic leader in front of his underlings, he was famous for acting cutely like a well-behaved dog in front of its owner.

    He looked so happy that even Balrog had pointed that out to him a few times.

    "Tell him not toe here."

    KangWoo said in a serious tone.

    Doomguard bowed and began disappearing through the fissure from where he had appeared.

    "..."

    There was a heavy silence.

    He could see Balzac moving his eyes in all directions while trying to understand what was going on.

    Balzac tried to think of the rtionship between the being from Hell he''d summoned through the ¡®Blood of an Evil God¡¯ and the human in front of him.

    No, there was no need to think about it too deeply.

    After all, that being from Hell had called that person the ''Demon King.''

    Then he had only one choice left¡­

    Balzac slowly began walking toward KangWoo.

    He wasn''t stupid enough to not know what he had to do in that situation.

    [OH!! Great Demon King!]

    ''Huh, what''s wrong with this bastard?''

    Balzac¡¯s attitude had visibly changed.

    Balzac knelt down and pounded his head to the ground.

    [From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were the King of Devildom!]

    ''But you didn''t.''

    [How could I not know the energy of the one that rules over Devildom?]

    ''You didn''t.''

    [I wouldn''t raise my weapon toward the owner of the Devildom. See? My hand doesn''t even have skin.]

    ''You don''t use a weapon in the first ce. How dare you try to y tricks.''

    Balzac''s attitude reminded him of what had happened in the Andras Guild.

    KangWoo couldn''t help butugh after seeing how his attitude had changed after realizing he was the Demon King who ruled over the Hell of Nine Skies.

    [To think you''d ept me as an underling!! I, Balzac, feel like I''m about to cry because of happiness!]

    ''Stop shitting yourself.''

    Obviously, because he was a skeleton, he couldn''t shed tears.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The loyalty of your Summoned Monster has increased.]

    [You can force him to do things, although it can''t answer extrememands like ''Kill yourself.'']

    The message window opened.

    Leaving the process aside, it seemed like Balzac had sworn loyalty to him.

    "Well... Okay, I understood."

    KangWoo held his forehead.

    "Oof. Oof. KangWoo, what happened?"

    Echidna, who had been fighting the death knights, turned her head in confusion.

    The 12 death knights Balzac had summoned were kneeling on one knee toward KangWoo.

    "Everything turned out okay..." He said while making an ufortable expression.

    * * *

    Just taking into consideration the result, Balzac had surrendered to him, so he was right when he said that everything turned out okay.

    ''But rather than that¡­''

    There was something more important than Balzac at the moment.

    "How did you summon a being from the 9th hell?"

    "9th hell? Ah... Do you mean the Devildom?"

    It seemed like, on the Ernor Continent, they referred to the Hell of Nine Skies as Devildom.

    ''So that means...''

    KangWoo stroked his chin.

    It didn''t matter what name they used.

    ''It seems like the Hell of Nine Skies isn''t only connected to the Earth but also to the Ernor Continent.''

    There was a chance it was also connected to numerous other worlds.

    If the worlds werepletely separated, there wouldn''t be an entity like the Gaia System with a function to block invaders from foreign worlds.

    KangWoo nodded and kept talking.

    "Can you summon a being from the Devildom?"

    If that were the case, he didn''t need to wait for the Demon Cult to summon a demon.

    It was an issue he could solve by using Balzac to summon a demon.

    [Ah... No, I can''t.]

    Balzac shook his head.

    [The reason I was able to summon a being from the Devildom was thanks to the effect of the Blood of an Evil God. Without its effect, I cannot even dare to summon a being from the Devildom.]

    "Tsk."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue in disappointment.

    He thought that, instead of roaming around searching for prey to hunt, he''d be able to live a stable andfortable farm life, but it seemed like things never worked as he wished.

    "Who''s that Evil God?"

    [Evil God Lucifer. He''s a being simr to the root of every evil that exists on the Ernor Continent.]

    "Lucifer...?"

    Lucifer of Arrogance¡­

    It was the name of one of the seven archdukes that had lost against KangWoo.

    ''Is it a coincidence?''

    A short thought crossed his mind. He shook his head. There was no way it was a coincidence.

    ''How did he get reborn?''

    Numerous possibilities crossed his mind.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    ''There''s a possibility.''

    It wasn''t that he''dpletely killed the archdukes. Their souls had escaped to Hell''s Equipment.

    If Hell''s Equipment existed and their souls were inside of them, it wouldn''t be impossible for them to be reborn.

    Those were the seven Hell''s Equipment he''d used to return to Earth from the Hell of Nine Skies.

    If. just like he''d returned to Earth, one of Hell''s Equipment entered the Ernor Continent¡­

    ''There''s a chance that Lucifer was reborn and was being called the ¡®Evil God.''

    Just like Earth, Ernor Continent''s basic forces were weakpared to the Hell of Nine Skies.

    He knew that just by seeing that Balzac was called Demon King and how much he praised the Devildom.

    If Lucifer was reborn in a world like that, he had no doubt he would be considered a god-like being.

    ''But¡­''

    He still had some doubts.

    "You said that Lucifer was the root of all evil. Right?"

    [Yes.]

    "When did he get to the Ernor Continent?"

    [I''m also not sure about that. The only thing I know is that it was a long time ago...]

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''The timeline is weird.''

    It had been only half a year since he¡¯d returned to Earth.

    Even if a piece of Hell''s Equipment had dropped into the Ernor Continent, the timeline didn''t match.

    "..."

    He kept thinking.

    ¡­Although not for too long. The result was already there. He was, at the moment, just trying to understand the process that led to that result.

    ''The timelines got entangled.''

    He wasn''t sure if that was something that happened only in the Ernor Continent or if all of Hell''s Equipment returned to more distant pasts than KangWoo.

    The only thing that he was sure of was that the time between the dimensions didn''t match.

    ''The Hell of Nine Skies connected with a world of 10 thousand years previous.''

    The demons from the 9th Hell knew about KangWoo.

    That meant that Earth had been connected with the Hell of Nine Skies ten thousand years in the future when KangWoo was active.

    It was obvious that the timeline had gotten messed up from that alone.

    "Damn."

    His head became messy. KangWoo leaned his back against a tree and organized the information inside his head.

    ''That''s not what''s important at the moment.''

    The important thing was that Lucifer had reincarnated, and he should consider the possibility that the other archdukes had also reincarnated.

    "Wait..."

    KangWoo was thinking about it with a troubled expression when his eyes suddenly shone.

    ''Shouldn''t I be able to absorb the souls of the archdukes?''

    His new Attribute, ''Reaper of Souls.'' By using that, maybe he''d be able to get in his hands on the souls of the archdukes he hadn''t been able to devour with the Authority of Predation.

    ''I''ll have to gather more information first.''

    He still didn''t know if all the archdukes had been reborn or if it was only Lucifer.

    Not only that, but Lucifer wasn''t on Earth.

    He couldn''t stay still, but it wasn''t like he didn''t have time.

    "Then, where on the Ernor Continent is Lucifer?" he asked Balzac, who was lying on the floor.

    He raised his head.

    [I''m not sure about that.]

    "I see."

    He nodded.

    Even if he knew where Lucifer was, since he had no way to cross to the Ernor Continent, there was nothing he could do about it.

    ''Also, if Lucifer has recovered his old strength¡­''

    With his current strength, he had no way to win against him.

    ''I''ll have to also think about the worst possible oue.''

    He had to consider the possibility of fighting the archdukes again.

    ''It isn''t that the thing I have to do will change¡­''

    He just had to keep doing what he''d been doing until that point. He had to keep devouring and getting stronger.

    He had to recover his old strength from when he used to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies.

    ''No¡­''

    KangWoo clenched his fist.

    After awakening as a yer, a new desire ignited in him.

    A territory he wasn''t able to reach even in the past¡­

    The desire to reach that ne burned his throat.

    ''Slowly.''

    He controlled the burning desire.

    He didn''t have to move quickly. If he hurried things up, he could make a mistake.

    KangWoo slowly opened his mouth.

    He had another doubt before going back.

    "Then, why didn''t Lucifer take control of the Ernor Continent?"

    The archdukes were strong.

    Taking into consideration the average strength of the people that lived there, there probably wasn''t anyone capable of stopping him.

    To rule over or copse¡­

    One of the two things should have happened.

    "KangWoo, that''s because of Heaven''s archangels."

    Because he kept asking only Balzac, Echidna pulled his sleeves while making a sulky expression.

    KangWoo tilted his head.

    "Archangels?"

    "Yes. It wasn''t something recent, but a story from myth. They said that, to block the Evil God''s actions, archangels descended from the Heavens."

    "Heavens..."

    Since the Hell of Nine Skies existed, it was understandable that an opposite world existed.

    "Are there also angels on the Ernor Continent?"

    Echidna shook her head.

    "No. After the battle against the Evil God, they disappeared, and the archangel also hid."

    "I see."

    It seemed like he wouldn''t need to consider angels for the moment.

    Since Lucifer was also hiding, he still had time.

    ''I more or less understand.''

    It would be better if he heard the rest of the information in Korea.

    "Let''s go back. Ah, Balzac, do you have a magic that lets you hide?"

    Balzac looked like a white skeleton.

    [Of course! I, Balzac, can melt down into the shadows and rule over the dark...]

    <em>Crack-</em>

    [AAGGHH!! M-my skull!!!]

    It seemed like he could still feel the pain, so he screamed.

    "Balzac, I told you not to talk like that."

    [U-understood.]

    KangWoo turned his body.

    At that moment, he pped as if he''d remembered something.

    After discovering that Balzac could feel pain, he began wondering about something.

    "Oh, yeah. Can you do things like eat?"

    [Eat...?]

    "Yes. Well, although it looks hard."

    [Ah. It''s not like I need it, but I can eat. If the food enters my body, I can take it apart from the inside.]

    Balzac pointed to a ck space that was in his throat.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    "Woah. Then can you also taste things?"

    [Although a bit faintlypared to a human... I can taste¡­ But why are you suddenly asking me this?]

    Balzac tilted his head in confusion.

    KangWoo smirked and put his arm on his shoulder.

    "Let''s go."

    [Where¡­?]

    "To eat kimchi stew."

    [What''s a kimchi stew?] Balzac asked while his eye sockets shone with a yellow light.

    KangWoo patted his shoulder.

    "You''re going to figure it out soon."

    Do you know the taste of kimchi stew?

 Chapter 138: Kim ShiHoons Return (1)

    Time passed.

    Winter came, snow began to pile up, and icy winds blew.

    It had been three months since the Manchuria battle took ce.

    The Demon Cult members stopped making public appearances as if they¡¯de to some sort of agreement amongst themselves.

    People began saying they became afraid after losing their fight against China and Korea, but the leaders of the countries and the top rankers knew that wasn''t true.

    Everyone felt that there was no way the Demon Cult was only that big.

    Time flew by as everyone felt it was the calm wind before the storm¡­

    * * *

    "Oof."

    The sun entered the room through the window.

    KangWoo stretched out and got up from bed.

    He''d slept for only an hour¡­

    But that much sleep was enough to make him feel refreshed.

    That was possible because a demon''s body didn''t need sleep in the first ce.

    "Hmm."

    He leaned his back on the pillow and picked up his smartphone. He''d received a few messages from Chae YeonJoo and Cheon SooYeon.

    KangWoo thought of what he''d done for the past three months.

    After returning to Korea, KangWoo focused on two things¡­

    The first was trying to see if the Demon Cult had made any movements, and the second was searching for Myth-rank equipment.

    He had been searching for the Demon Cult in order to devour demons, obviously, and the myth-rank equipment was to rece the ck Pearl Coat.

    ''Although there haven''t been advances in either of the two.''

    <em>Tsk.</em> He clicked his tongue.

    A demon had appeared once¡­

    But it was just trash that was summoned by some guys that weren''t part of the Demon Cult.

    The demon that was summoned was one that lived in the lower levels of Hell.

    They weren''t even worth devouring.

    ''But at least I''ve been able to get some advances in that aspect.''

    The situation regarding myth-rank equipment was desperate.

    At first, he¡¯d thought that entering an SS-rank gate and hunting the boss monster would be enough, but his opinion changed after entering the Sapporo and divostok gates.

    The problem wasn''t how strong the monsters were¡­

    Finding the boss monsters inside the gates was too hard, and even if he managed to find them, they didn''t drop myth-rank ingredients.

    Also, unlike video games, they weren''t constantly respawned, so it was impossible to hunt them frequently.

    "Hngh."

    He''d spent thest three months without any significant advances.

    Of course, he''d gotten better at using the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea and created newbinations of Authorities and made them skills.

    ¡­But it wasn''t like he''d been able to increase his stats or levels.

    ''It was the others that profited the most.''

    Chae YeonJoo, Kang TaeSoo, Han Seol-ah, and the others had gotten stronger after traveling the world with KangWoo.

    Chae YeonJoo went beyond the ninth Awakening wall and reached the 10th one.

    She was at a ce where she could be called a world ranker.

    Baek HwaYeon and Goo HyeonMo had also reached the ninth Awakening.

    There was no need even to mention Kang TaeSoo or Han Seol-ah, who were both very talented from the beginning.

    They both went beyond the ''Ultimate Effort'' wall and surpassed the seventh Awakening. A few days prior, they¡¯d reached the ninth Awakening.

    EunBi, who was a magician-type yer, was growing at a slower pacepared to others, but she''d also managed to surpass the ''Ultimate Effort'' wall easily.

    ''It''s true that they''ve all gotten stronger quite fast.''

    It was as if an author who had failed to bnce the characters had forcibly made them stronger.

    They were getting stronger at a pace that couldn''t bepared to normal yers¡­

    But KangWoo''s bus made growth like that possible.

    "Well, it was something that needed to happen sooner orter."

    There was a limit on how many things he could do alone.

    If they didn''t be strong enough to defend themselves, things could be quite bothersome.

    ''I wonder how things are going with ShiHoon.''

    It had been three months since Kim ShiHoon left for Shanghai with Cheon MooJin.

    They were connected through the Authority of Subordination, so KangWoo knew he was alive, but he wasn''t sure how strong he''d be.

    ''I''m expectant.''

    It wasn''t someone else but Kim ShiHoon.

    It was understandable that he was interested in seeing how strong he''d be.

    <em>TokTok-</em>

    "Mr. KangWoo, did you wake up?"

    He could hear someone knocking on the door.

    KangWoo stopped thinking and got up.

    "Yes, I''ming."

    KangWoo got up and opened the door. He found Han Seol-ah there, making a worried expression.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "You see¡­"

    Han Seol-ah slurred out the end of the sentence. She looked around to make sure there wasn''t anyone around and carefully opened her mouth.

    "Ipleted the eight Awakening a few days ago."

    "You did."

    "A-after that¡­ something strange appeared."

    "Something strange appeared?"

    KangWoo looked at her while tilting his head.

    "A weird pattern appeared¡­ on my back."

    She turned around and carefully lowered her skirt. He could see her white skin.

    ''Hallelujah.''

    * * *

    The pattern didn''t enter his field of vision.

    He looked at her back with intense eyes.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­?"

    "Ah, I''m sorry. It''s just that my eyes became blurry for a moment."

    It was inevitable that his eyes would be blurry. After all, he''d slept for only an hour.

    ''Yes, there''s nothing I can do about it.''

    He was a person. How could a person be okay after sleeping only for an hour?

    He gulped.

    He pretended to be rubbing his eyes and opened them slowly. He once again took a look at her back.

    There was a pattern that resembled an angel''s wings on her back.

    "This¡­"

    "It began appearing a few days ago."

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    "What was the eight Awakening attribute?"

    "It''s one called Wings of Light."

    "Hmm."

    He gulped. He wasn''t sure if it had appeared because of the attribute''s influence or if there was another reason.

    "Did something change when the pattern appeared?"

    "No, there isn¡¯t anything yet."

    KangWoo took a closer look at the pattern.

    Was it because he''d heard from Echidna about the beings from the Heavens?

    He was having a hard time brushing it off.

    ''But still, it isn''t like there''s something I can do about it.''

    It was a frustrating situation.

    Han Seol-ah, who realized KangWoo was worrying, opened her mouth while smiling.

    "A pattern appeared, but nothing much changed. You don''t need to worry."

    "I can''t do that."

    * * *

    It wasn''t another person, but Han Seol-ah.

    She was someone special to him.

    KangWoo extended his hand and touched the pattern.

    "Hiic!"

    Han Seol-ah''s body trembled a bit. Her face became as red as a tomato.

    KangWoo ignored her reaction and used an Authority.

    ''Authority of Protection.''

    It was an Authority that checked her body¡¯s transformations in real time and created a strong defense based on the situation.

    It was an Authority that constantly used demonic energy, so he had tried to avoid using it, but he couldn''t do that anymore.

    KangWoo opened his mouth while looking at her back with a serious expression.

    "If there''s another change, please tell me. It doesn''t matter how big or small it is. Okay?"

    "O-Okay, Mr. KangWoo."

    Han Seol-ah was surprised because KangWoo reacted more seriously than expected.

    She bowed her head. There was a smile she couldn''t hide on her face.

    ''I''m happy.''

    She twisted her body due to the feelings rising within her.

    After feeling KangWoo was worried about her, a hard-to-exin feeling covered her body.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    She opened her mouth with a wet voice. She was having a hard time controlling her feelings.

    She was about to turn toward KangWoo and open her mouth when¡­

    "KangWoo, Seol-ah, what are you doing here?"

    Echidna''s voice could be heard.

    KangWoo looking at her back was a scene that could be perfectly misunderstood.

    "N-nothing!" Han Seol-ah quickly shouted. Echidna tilted her head and then pulled Han Seol-ah''s sleeves.

    "Seol-ah, I''m hungry."

    <em>Growl.</em> A cute sound was heard. Han Seol-ah smiled awkwardly and pulled up her clothes.

    "Wait a bit. It''s going to be done soon."

    She quickly ran toward the kitchen.

    A few momentster, a delicious smell spread through the house.

    Thankfully, it was the smell of kimchi stew. Because KangWoo insisted on it, the breakfast menu was almost always kimchi stew.

    [Oh, is it time to eat?]

    Balzac opened the door.

    While outside, he always hid in KangWoo''s shadows, but otherwise, he just roamed around in his normal self.

    "Good morning, Mr. Balzac."

    Han Seol-ah, who was cooking, greeted him.

    At first, she and Kim MiJeong were scared after seeing a skeleton walking around, but as time went on, they''d both gotten used to him.

    She wasn''t surprised anymore even if she saw him in the middle of the night.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "Breakfast is ready."

    People gathered quickly.

    Breakfast began with a noisy atmosphere.

    Balzac grabbed a piece of meat with the chopsticks, which he''d gotten used to.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    [Haha. Once again, this is a very satisfying banquet,] Balzac eximed while taking a sip of kimchi stew.

    Seeing a skeleton eating kimchi stew was weird, but no one seemed to care about that.

    [Haha! This is literally a bone-clinging taste!]

    "¡­"

    KangWoo let out augh.

    After seeing a skeleton say something like that, he couldn''t help butugh.

    ''What an impressive reaction.''

    Even a character in charge of reactions in a certain famous cooking series wouldn''t be able to say something like that so naturally.

    [Fufu. Human girl, it was a very satisfying breakfast,] Balzac said arrogantly.

    KangWoo''s hands quickly moved.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    [AAGGHH! M-My skull!]

    A scream came out.

    "I told you not to talk to Seol-ah like that."

    [Ugh. I¡­ I''m sorry, master.]

    Balzac replied while grabbing the back of his skull.

    "Then I''ll leave the cleaning of the dishes to you."

    KangWoo patted Balzac''s shoulders and stood up.

    Balzac''s yellow eye sockets shook.

    [Ugh. Wh-why do I, Balzac, have to¡­]

    Cleaning up the dishes¡­ It was something he wouldn''t have been able to imagine while on the Ernor Continent.

    But he couldn''t go against his master''s wishes.

    Balzac quickly picked up the table and put on rubber gloves. He grabbed a sponge and put detergent on it.

    <em>ck ck-</em>

    He''d gotten used to it in the past three months.

    Balzac perfectly cleaned up the dishes without leaving any dirt.

    He had to finish cleaning up the dishes quickly.

    ''I also have to pick up theundry.''

    If he didn''t do that, he wouldn''t have enough time to clean up the house in the morning.

    After being forced to do the housework for the past three months, he had a schedule of what to do in his head.

    ''Why me, a Demon King¡­?''

    Demon King Balzac.

    The ruler of death, who had made the Ernor Continent tremble in fear, had basically be a ve.

    He began picking up theundry after finishing the dishes.

    While doing that, his body started to tremble.

    ''I cannot live like this.''

    Balzac''s eyes shone.

    He put theundry down and angrily stood up.

    [Master!]

    "Yes?"

    [I''ve been trying to hold my anger, but I cannot do that anymore!]

    It was a voice with deep anger.

    [I''m definitely going to tell Master today!]

    "What, you don''t want to work?"

    [No! That''s not the problem!]

    <em>Boom.</em> Balzac stomped on the ground.

    [Master!]

    Intense demonic energy came out of him while his eyes shone.

    He extended his hand and showed him what was in his hands.

    [How many times do I have to tell you not to turn your socks inside out while putting them in the washing machine!]

    "Ah."

    [Master probably doesn''t know how important this is while picking up theundry!]

    "Ah, yes. I''m sorry."

    [Hmph. I hope you are more careful next time.]

    Balzac turned around and walked toward theundry.

    He picked up theundry that had dried in the sunlight. The smell of the fabric softener tickled his nose.

    [Good.]

    Balzac let out a smile.

    [It dried up well.]

 Chapter 139: Kim ShiHoons Return (2)

    ''Now that I think about it, my summoning attribute¡¯s cooldown time haspleted.''

    He smirked while looking at Balzac doing theundry.

    A third demonic monster summon¡­

    He''d already done it twice, so he couldn''t help but think about it.

    ''Why is it that guys from the Ernor continent keep appearing?''

    At first, he wanted a kerberos; then a halcyon.

    But the result was that he kept summoning beings from a ce called the Ernor continent that belonged to another world. It wasn''t what he expected.

    ''Since the second one also came from the Ernor continent, the probability of a third one being from there is high.''

    If that was the case, he had to think carefully before summoning another demonic monster.

    First, leaving everything aside, if he summoned Lucifer, everything would be over.

    ''I cannot beat that guy at the moment.''

    The archdukes were strong.

    They were so strong that he couldn''t think of any other word than strong.

    That was clear, seeing how Lucifer was considered a godly being in the Ernor continent.

    ''Although the probability is low.''

    Lucifer wasn''t a demonic monster but a demon. The probability of a demon being summoned was probably extremely low.

    ''But calling Echidna and Balzac demonic monsters is weird.''

    Even if the probability was close to 0, if there was a chance that Lucifer could be summoned, he couldn''t use it without thinking about it carefully.

    Everything he''d worked so hard for could crumble instantly with one mistake.

    ''I cannot let that happen.''

    KangWoo shook his head. Even if it were a desperate situation, summoning a demonic monster was too risky.

    ''Then, I''ll just have to wait for the Demon Cult¡­''

    <em>Ring-</em>

    A bell sound rang through the house, cutting his thoughts short.

    "I''ll go."

    "No. It''s okay."

    KangWoo stood up. He was closer to the door.

    ''Is it Chae YeonJoo?''

    The only person who would visit him at such an hour was probably her since she lived close to him.

    KangWoo opened the door.

    "Huh?"

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    As he opened the door, he saw an extremely handsome young man standing in front of him.

    Among the people KangWoo knew, only one person had such an appearance.

    "So you came back."

    "Long time no see, Hyeongnim."

    KangWoo smiled.

    For the past three months, he''d strangely felt lonely, but Kim ShiHoon, his soul partner, had returned.

    ''It''s nice to see him after such a long time.''

    "I''ve missed you."

    Kim ShiHoon hugged him.

    ''No, I didn''t miss him this much.''

    KangWoo''s expression hardened. He smiled awkwardly and pushed him back.

    "Hahaha. Calm down, ShiHoon."

    "I heard there was a war during this time."

    ''Get off.''

    "I''m d¡­ You returned safely, Hyeongnim."

    ''Hey, bastard, back off.''

    KangWoo put more strength to push Kim ShiHoon back, but he wasn''t able to do that.

    ''Did he eat a bull?''

    It was an incredible strength. KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon in surprise. It was at that moment¡­

    "Huh?"

    Kim ShiHoon looked at the living room. His eyes widened.

    An intense Qi burned from his inside.

    Kim ShiHoon took out the sword.

    "It''s dangerous!"

    [Huh?]

    Balzac was calmly picking up theundry in the living room, but Kim ShiHoon reacted after seeing a skeleton.

    [How dare a human interrupt Balzac while picking up theundry!]

    Balzac was also someone very strong. He concentrated demonic energy on both hands and prepared to fight.

    "Stop!" KangWoo shouted.

    He extended his hand toward Kim ShiHoon, who was running forward, and Balzac, who was trying to counter him.

    ''Fuck, my house!''

    The firstfortable house he''d obtained after ten thousand ears¡­

    That ce was about to be destroyed.

    * * *

    "Oof."

    He sighed in relief.

    Before the two could sh¡­

    Kim ShiHoon was able to stop by a very narrow margin. In Balzac''s case, he stopped because an order to the demonic monster activated.

    "S-sorry. I didn''t imagine he was Hyeongnim''s summoned monster."

    "No, it''s understandable."

    Just taking into consideration that he looked like an undead monster, it would be weird if he didn''t think that.

    "Leaving that aside. Did your training end?"

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    He didn''t exactly know, but there was something he was sure about¡­

    ''He became stronger.''

    A smile appeared on his face. The Qi within him couldn''t bepared to before.

    In terms of talent, he was already in an incredible n. What hecked was the specs to back the talent up, but it seemed like they''d gone up quite a lot.

    He wasn''t sure how many levels he had gained over the past three months, but his physical specs couldn''t bepared to before.

    ''Good.''

    He nodded while making a satisfied expression.

    Kim ShiHoon''s growth had another meaningpared to other people.

    It didn''t matter how much stronger other people became, from KangWoo''s point of view, they were getting strong enough to be able to defend themselves.

    But there was a chance Kim ShiHoon could be stronger than Echidna or Balzac.

    The possibility was real, seeing how much stronger he''d be in just three months.

    "No. I wasn''t able to reach the ce I was aiming for."

    ''What a greedy bastard.''

    He''d made him like that, but he felt proud.

    KangWoo drank the coffee Echidna had brought him and spoke.

    "Then, why did you return?"

    It probably wasn''t because he ''missed him.''

    "¡­"

    * * *

    There was a short silence.

    KangWoo tilted his head while looking at him with a hard expression.

    ¡°Someone came searching for me while I was training."

    "Someone came?"

    "Yes. It was a person wearing a white mask."

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes. There was one possibility he could think of.

    "The Guardians?"

    "Haha."

    Kim ShiHood nodded whileughing.

    "As expected of Hyeongnim.''

    "I can''t think of anyone else trying to search for you."

    Kim ShiHoon was a Guardian¡ªbeings of which there were less than ten members of all around the world.

    There was no way they would leave someone as important as him alone.

    "Yes. A member of Guardians came searching for me."

    "Hmm."

    "It was someone Hyeongnim also probably knows."

    "Hmm? Didn''t you say that person was wearing a mask?"

    "After I said I had no intentions of talking with someone who doesn''t show their face, they took off their mask."

    Kim ShiHoon smiled bitterly.

    KangWoo nodded while his eyes shone. Considering how Kim ShiHoon was, it was an appropriate response.

    "Good. So, who was it?"

    "Grace McCarbin. Hyeongnim, you''ve heard about her, right?"

    "Ah¡­"

    KangWoo let out a short exmation. There was no way he hadn''t heard about her.

    The First Lady, Grace McCarbin¡­

    There probably wasn¡¯t a single yer that didn¡¯t know of her.

    The first and strongest yer¡­

    The main reason the United States was still the strongest country¡­

    Listing all of her achievements would probably require quite a few A4 papers.

    ''So she was a Guardian.''

    It was understandable.

    Leaving KangWoo or Kim ShiHoon aside, she''d grown at an incredible pace.

    It was understandable if the reason behind that growth was her talent as a Guardian.

    ''She might be stronger than the rumors.''

    There was quite a lot of detailed information regarding Grace McCarbin because there were many records of her fighting against monsters.

    But among those, there wasn''t anything about her being a ''Guardian.''

    That meant she''d hidden her rtionship with the Guardians on purpose.

    Then there was a chance she was stronger than what the rumors stated.

    ''How fun.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone with interest.

    After he reached 120 in a stat, he thought there wasn''t any yer stronger than him.

    But after hearing that Grace McCarbin was a guardian, his thoughts changed a bit.

    ''That''s good news.''

    The basic goal of the Guardians and KangWoo was the same.

    As long as it wasn''t someone crazy like Alec, they could stay perfectly as allies.

    It was good news hearing that the allies were stronger than he expected.

    "So what happened after that?"

    "She suggested that I join the Guardians."

    It was something he''d expected.

    "I said I''d think about it since I wanted to ask your opinion."

    "Well done."

    KangWoo smiled. He''d dealt with the matters as expected.

    "Then, is Grace McCarbin in Korea at the moment?"

    "I''m not sure about that, but I told her about you, and she asked if you could alsoe. She seemed to be interested."

    "Good. Did you get her number?"

    "Instead of a number, she told me how to meet them."

    "How to meet?

    KangWoo tilted his head. Kim ShiHoon stood up.

    "Follow me. I''ll guide you there."

    * * *

    KangWoo told Han Seol-ah, Echidna, and Balzac to stay at home, and then he followed Kim ShiHoon to the rooftop of the building where KangWoo lived.

    Kim ShiHoon opened his mouth after taking a nce around.

    "Here seems good."

    "What are you nning to do?"

    "Wait a bit."

    Kim ShiHoon took out an artifact that was the size of a fist. A blue light came out of it.

    He threw the artifact on the floor.

    <em>ck Bzzt-</em>

    "Woah."

    The artifact opened, and a white gate that a person could cross appeared.

    ''It reminds me of a science fiction movie.''

    KangWoo smirked. He began walking along with Kim ShiHoon.

    The two people crossed the gate.

    "Here¡­"

    It was a white space. The ceiling, walls, and even floor were shining with white light.

    He saw a door at the end of a passageway.

    <em>Click-</em>

    He opened the door.

    A white room appeared; there was a giant circr table in it.

    There were two people at that table.

    ''One is Grace McCarbin.''

    KangWoo turned his head.

    She was a blonde woman who seemed to be in her mid-forties. It was the Grace McCarbin he''d seen through pictures several times.

    ''The other person is¡­''

    A woman sitting in a wheelchair.

    Her light-brown hair reached her waist. She was so thin that you couldn''t help but think she''d break if you weren''t careful.

    Her skin was pale as if she were sick. The white dress she was wearing made her look even sicker.

    The woman, who seemed to be in her mid-twenties, had her eyes closed.

    "Nice to meet you."

    She opened her mouth with her eyes still closed.

    "My name is Gaia."

 Chapter 140: Gaia (1)

    "My name is Gaia."

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    Gaia¡­

    The leader of the Guardians and someone who he thought was rted to the system that was sealing his Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    ''I can''t believe I¡¯ve met her with such timing.''

    He¡¯d guessed that he would eventually meet her if he stayed with ShiHoon¡­

    But he¡¯d never imagined that it would be so soon.

    ''I never imagined she would move.''

    She was the leader of Guardians, so he thought he would meet her after he got a bit closer to the Guardians.

    ''Is Kim ShiHoon that important?''

    If KangWoo was right about his observations, Kim ShiHoon''s talent couldn''t bepared to Alec''s.

    That meant that, even among Guardians, Kim ShiHoon could be that special.

    ''Or¡­''

    His eyes sunk.

    ''They''re that desperate.''

    The Gaia system was getting weaker, and they didn''t know when the situation with the Demon Cult would worsen.

    They weren''t in a situation where they could stay still.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo looked at the woman sitting in a wheelchair.

    Unlike her title of ¡®Leader of Guardians¡¯, he couldn''t feel any strengthing from her.

    ''Maybe she isn''t rted to the system?''

    Maybe it was just the name that was simr.

    That was the worst possible oue from all of the options he could think of.

    ''The name ¡®Gaia¡¯ isn''t verymon.''

    He had to hear her exnation first before jumping to conclusions.

    He listened to what she said.

    "So you''re the person Guardian Kim ShiHoon spoke of."

    Gaia turned her head to KangWoo. Her eyes were still closed.

    Gaia''s expression hardened for a moment, but then it rxed.

    "Nice to meet you. I heard about you from Grace. You''re Guardian Kim ShiHoon''s non-blood-rted brother, right?"

    ''She can''t recognize it?''

    There was no need to think deeply about why her expression had hardened for a moment.

    The Guardians subconsciously felt a bit of repulsion toward beings that came from a fissure.

    ''But that feeling isn''t that strong.''

    Kim ShiHoon and Alec also felt repulsion, but they didn''t act based on it.

    That meant that the feeling of repulsion itself wasn''t that clear.

    He was worried that Gaia would be able to figure him out immediately, but that didn''t seem to be the case.

    ''I''m d.''

    If she discovered that he was the ''Fissure''s Nucleus,'' things would''ve be troublesome.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Yes. I''m ShiHoon''s non-blood-rted brother."

    "Woah. A non-blood-rted brother in this period of time¡­ That''s a type of rtionship that''s hard to see nowadays."

    "Hyeongnim is someone more important than family to me. I respect and admire him more than my blood-rted brother," Kim ShiHoon said in a firm voice.

    In reality, his blood-rted brother wasn''t someone worthy of respect, but hate, so he wasn''t exaggerating.

    ''You''re embarrassing me.''

    Why was he saying that in such an intense voice? It almost sounded like a love confession.

    Gaia turned her head to Kim ShiHoon.

    "Fufu. Guardian Kim ShiHoon, you''re really an intense person."

    "Yes? It isn''t that much¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon shook his head while making a shocked expression.

    Gaia smiled.

    "I know. I know how clean and beautiful your soul is¡­ and what is it that you''re trying to obtain by burning your soul."

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent at her words.

    Gaia slowly extended her hand toward him. Her hands lost direction and wandered around. Grace took a step forward.

    "Gaia, that way."

    "Ah. Thank you, Grace."

    Gaia followed Grace''s indication and extended her hand toward Kim ShiHoon.

    ''It seems like she really can''t see anything.''

    Well, there was no point in having her eyes closed all the time for no reason.

    Gaia touched Kim ShiHoon.

    "I know what conflict you''re going through¡­ your hardships and anguish, but I''m on your side. I want to be by your side and support you."

    "Ms. Gaia¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened. His body trembled as if he''d been lightning-struck.

    Gaiaughed.

    "Even if it''s a body as hideous and ruined as this one, I want to help you. Is that too much to ask?"

    "H-hideous? That''s not true!" Kim ShiHoon quickly shouted.

    KangWooughed while looking at them both.

    ''How moronic.''

    Anyway, he''d obtained some information.

    ''A ruined body¡­''

    KangWoo looked at Gaia, who was sitting in a wheelchair. He could somewhat understand what she meant.

    ''She''s hurt.''

    He could know that after taking a closer look. She didn''t seem to have a physical defect she¡¯d been born with.

    She¡¯d probably suffered a huge injury and could not move unless she was in a wheelchair.

    Even though he didn''t know, she probably couldn''t see due to a simr reason.

    ''It seems like it isn''t just the name that''s simr.''

    After seeing she was hurt, he naturally thought of the Gaia System.

    ¡ªThe world''s protection system that was getting weaker. It was understandable that she was hurt like that if she was somehow rted to it.

    "But more than that¡­ Let''s talk about the main issue."

    KangWoo lightly pulled Kim ShiHoon back.

    There was something he had to check.

    "If you want to ept ShiHoon as a Guardian, please give us details about what the Guardians do," He said in a dry tone.

    He couldn''t let Kim ShiHoon join a group that had a goal he didn''t know about.

    To build a good rtionship with them, he first had to know what their goal was.

    "Yes. I''ll exin things to you step by step."

    KangWoo and Kim ShiHoon sat on the chair; Gaia kept talking.

    "Have you heard of the Gaia System?"

    "¡­"

    * * *

    There was silence. KangWoo''s eyes shook.

    ''So she''s going to talk about the main topic immediately.''

    The worst-case scenario about only the name being simr didn''t happen.

    ''I''m not sure what kind of rtionship they have¡­''

    There was clearly a connection between both.

    "Ah."

    Kim ShiHoon let out an exmation after hearing ¡®Gaia System¡¯. He nodded.

    "Yes. I''ve heard of it. When I Awakened as a Guardian, I got a message that said that I was chosen to protect the Gaia System."

    "Yes. Everyone that Awakened as a Guardian received that message."

    "Don''t tell me¡­ Ms. Gaia, you sent that message?" Kim ShiHoon asked while gulping.

    The names ¡®Gaia¡¯ and ¡®Gaia System¡¯¡­ He also thought the two were rted.

    ''Well done, ShiHoon!''

    KangWoo clenched his fist. Kim ShiHoon had asked what he wanted to know the most.

    What was Gaia''s rtionship with the Gaia System?

    "No."

    Gaia shook her head.

    "I didn''t send it."

    "Then¡­"

    "First, I think that I need to give more details about what the Gaia System is."

    Gaia kept talking while smiling.

    "Do Mr. ShiHoon and KangWoo believe in foreign worlds?"

    "Foreign worlds¡­ You mean like those that appear in manhwa?"

    "Yes. The demons that the Demon Cult is summoning are beings from another dimension."

    "Ah."

    "It isn''t just Hell. Numerous dimensions are interconnected. The gates you are used to are passageways that connect dimensions."

    "I see."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded in confusion after hearing words of a scale that were hard to understand.

    Gaia calmly kept talking.

    "You can think of the Gaia System as an entity that protects Earth from invaders from other dimensions."

    "Then, Ms. Gaia¡­"

    "I''m the Gaia System''s¡­ Fufu, how should I describe it? Incarnation? Agent? Fragment?"

    It seemed like Gaia herself couldn''t exactly talk about what she was.

    "Ah, in Japan, there''s a job called ¡®shrine maiden¡¯. It''s someone that serves the gods, right? In Korea, I believe they should be called a ¡®shaman¡¯. They aren''t exactly the same but simr."

    "Incarnation¡­"

    "It isn''t anything that grand. It might be able to influence the system a little bit, but it uses a lot of strength and has a lot of restrictions."

    "¡­"

    "Hmm. It might be a bit hard to understand. Ah, when the Demon Cult incident happened in Korea, I interfered with the system and sent a message to Mr. ShiHoon."

    "Ah. Don''t tell me that¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened. He recalled a sudden quest window that had opened with a clear will behind it.

    Gaia made a self-deprecating smile.

    "That''s the only thing I can do."

    ''I see.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone. He could tell just what kind of rtionship she had with the Gaia System.

    ''The Gaia System''s incarnation¡­''

    But that role and authority were incredibly low. From his point of view, it was a bit disappointing.

    ''If she had more Authority, she would¡¯ve been able to lift the seal.''

    The most disappointing thing was the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core. Just unsealing it would have changed everything.

    ''It seems like I won''t be able to do that easily.''

    He frowned. He didn''t like the situation, but there was nothing he could do about it.

    ''It''s okay.''

    It wasn''t that relying on the Gaia System was the only way to weaken the Ten Thousand Demon Core¡¯s seal.

    While leaving the disappointment behind, he looked at Gaia.

    "Then, is the Guardian''s role to rece the Gaia System''s job and defeat the foreign entities?" Kim ShiHoon asked.

    "Yes."

    ''As expected.''

    KangWoo nodded. The job of the Guardian''s was exactly as he¡¯d thought.

    "But we, the Guardians, have another goal as well."

    ''Huh?''

    "What''s that?"

    "Oof."

    Gaia took a deep breath.

    "The main goal of the Guardians¡­ is to kill the ''The Demon of Prophecy.''"

    ''What''s that?''

    "The Demon of Prophecy?"

    "Yes. Five years ago¡­ On the Cataclysmic Day¡­ a message was revealed."

    She clenched her fists and repeated the message from the Gaia System she''d received that day.

    "In the near future, the ''Demon of Prophecy'' wille to the surface."

    ''The Demon of Prophecy¡­ Huh?''

    "That demon will be the King of Hell."

    ''Huh, wait.''

    Hell''s King will destroy this world and make the Dark devour it."

    ''Don''t tell me¡­''

    "Gather the Guardians and kill the Demon of Prophecy and protect the world."

    ''Is the Demon of Prophecy me?''

    Gaia said thest part of it while her body trembled.

    "¡¯The Demon of Prophecy is the owner of the Demonic Energy Sea and has 666 different Authorities, so gather the Guardians and face him.¡¯ That was the order I received."

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    KangWoo covered his face with both his hands.

    ''It really is me.''

    ¡®Fuck.¡¯

 Chapter 141: The Demon of Prophecy (1)

    "That¡­"

    "Fufu¡­ It might be hard to believe at the moment."

    "N-no," Kim ShiHoon said with a trembling voice.

    Gaia turned to Grace.

    "Grace, please bring me ¡®that¡¯."

    "Wait."

    Grace raised her hand, and blue energy gathered around it.

    <em>ck-</em>

    The blue sphere in the hologram began floating over to the table.

    "What''s that?" Kim ShiHoon asked while looking at the blue sphere.

    "It''s Earth''s status right now."

    Gaia extended her hand and touched the blue sphere. As she did that, a white light surrounding the blue sphere began to shine.

    The light resembled the atmosphere.

    There were holes in that protective shield as if it was mold.

    "This protective shield¡­"

    "Yes, that''s right. You''re looking at the current status of the Gaia System."

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence. KangWoo raised his head and looked at the blue sphere.

    ''Damn.''

    It didn''t look good. No, it was quite serious.

    He wasn''t sure how much it shone before, but there were many holes, and the light itself had be diffuse.

    "Isn''t there a way to restore the Gaia System?"

    To KangWoo, fixing the Gaia System that he had messed up was as important as growing.

    Gaia made a weak smile.

    "There isn''t a way to restore the Gaia System right now."

    It was a short sentence, but KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    "Right now¡­ Then you mean that there might be a way to do itter?"

    "That¡­"

    Gaia blurted out thest part of her sentence. She sighed and kept talking.

    "The Gaia System has a recovery function, but right now, it isn''t working. I hope it will recover someday."

    "But you don''t know when that''s going to be?"

    "Yes¡­"

    She slightly bit her lips.

    "To be honest¡­ I''m not even sure if there''s still a recovery system left. In the worst-case scenario, the Gaia System itself could disappear."

    "¡­"

    It was a desperate situation.

    KangWoo took a deep breath. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say there was no realistic way to recover it.

    There was a heavy atmosphere in the room.

    "But there''s hope," Gaia quickly added.

    "Hope?"

    She clenched her fists and kept talking.

    "The Demon of Prophecy¡­ I believe that if we eliminate that demon, the Gaia System will recover."

    ''That''s not an option, little miss.''

    KangWoo put his hand on his forehead as if his head hurt.

    ''I''m that Demon of Prophecy, fuck.''

    He couldn''tmit suicide for world peace.

    That wasn''t an option for him since he wanted to protect the world for his own well-being and peace.

    ''The belly button can''t be bigger than the belly.''

    World peace was a secondary goal.

    His main goal was to live peacefully with a beautiful girl like Seol-ah.

    "There''s something that I wanted to ask¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon, who had been silently listening, opened his mouth.

    "Yes, say it."

    "Is the reason why Ms. Gaia is hurt¡­ rted to the Gaia System being messed up?"

    "Ah¡­"

    Gaia let out a short exmation. She hesitated to answer for a bit.

    So, instead of her, Grace answered.

    "Yes. Gaia became like this because the Gaia System is getting weaker."

    "G-Grace!"

    "There''s no need to hide it, right?"

    "But¡­"

    Gaia blurted out thest part of her sentence. Grace patted her shoulder and kept talking.

    "It doesn''t matter what the goal of the Guardians is. I''m fighting to restore you."

    A kind smile was drawn on her face. There was worry and love mixed in her eyes.

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent. He lightly touched the sword that was on his waist.

    "Isn''t there a way to make Ms. Gaia recover right now?"

    "There is."

    "Grace. There''s no need to tell him unnecessary¡ª"

    "The reason doesn¡¯t matter, right? Because our ultimate goal is the same."

    "That¡­"

    It was a confusing conversation. Kim ShiHoon kept looking at Grace.

    "Will Ms. Gaia''s body recover if we eliminate the Demon of Prophecy?"

    "We aren''t exactly sure. There''s no guarantee that the Gaia System will recover if we get rid of the Demon of Prophecy, but¡­ that''s probably the best shot we have."

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon clenched his fist. His eyes were trembling while looking at Gaia.

    ''ShiHoon, no.''

    KangWoo grabbed his head while looking at ShiHoon, burning with a strong sense of justice.

    ''You cannot kill the Demon of Prophecy.''

    Just imagining Kim ShiHoon, whom he had taken care of so much, pointing his sword toward him made his head hurt.

    ''Damn.''

    * * *

    KangWoo frowned. The situation was gettingplex.

    ''It isn''t something that can be solved by me remaining silent.''

    There was a revtion¡­ The Guardians were going to try to find the Demon of Prophecy.

    He still wasn''t sure if they had a way to identify the Demon of Prophecy, but he couldn''t remain on the sidelines without doing anything.

    ''What should I do?''

    For a moment, he felt his head had be nk.

    "Could you give me more details about the Demon of Prophecy?" Kim ShiHoon asked while his eyes shone.

    Gaia carefully opened her mouth.

    "I cannot give you exact information¡­ but I can give you a few guesses."

    "Please, tell me."

    ''Why are you doing this, ShiHoon?''

    "I want to know more about the Demon of Prophecy."

    ''That''s me, you bastard.''

    His inner rambling didn''t reach Kim ShiHoon.

    He was so serious that he began wondering why he was so intense about it.

    Gaia also became surprised by his attitude. She shrugged a bit and kept talking.

    "The Demon of Prophecy¡­ is already on Earth."

    "He''s already on Earth?"

    "Yes."

    Gaia nodded.

    "It was nine months ago. The exact date¡­ should be May 22nd."

    ''Fuck.''

    "The Gaia System became overloaded and began crumbling on that day."

    ''She can guess the exact date?''

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    If she knew the exact date, his chances of being discovered increased.

    "From that day onward, the Demon of Prophecy didn''t show any movements?"

    "Yes. ording to our guess, there''s a chance that his original strength has been sealed due to the influence of the Gaia System."

    "If his strength has been sealed¡­"

    "We, Guardians, are investigating the changes that happened from that day onward. If there''s anyone who became unreasonably strong or became involved in the Demon Cult incidents, there''s a chance it has taken the form of a human and begun acting."

    ''I''m fucked.''

    If they investigated KangWoo, it wouldn''t be hard to discover he''d be a yer around that date.

    Taking into consideration how powerful KangWoo was while not being a Guardian, he would have a hard time avoiding being suspected.

    After all, KangWoo''s extremely fast growth rate couldn''t be exined with a simple exnation like ''he has talent.''

    ''At this point, it''s a miracle that I haven''t been found out.''

    He had to find a way for people not to suspect him.

    His head became messy.

    ''What should I¡ª''

    <em>m-!</em>

    ''Huh?''

    He heard a dull sound.

    Kim ShiHoon hit the table and stood up.

    "I see. That''s what happened."

    ¡°What''s wrong with him?¡± He mumbled with a trembling voice. He bit his lip so hard that blood came out of his lips.

    "What''s wrong, Guardian Kim ShiHoon?"

    "I know."

    "What?"

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes shone intensely. He kept talking as if he were chewing something.

    "I think I know who the Demon of Prophecy is."

    ''Huh?''

    "Wh-what does that¡­?"

    Everyone was surprised. Kim ShiHoon''s low voice spread through the room.

    "Satan¡­ that person is the Demon of Prophecy."

    ''Huh, wait.''

    "Satan¡­?"

    "Yes. I haven''t mentioned it to anyone else, but I met that guy three months ago."

    ''So it''s going to go like that?''

    KangWoo''s mouth fell open. To be honest, it was an unexpected development of things.

    "ShiHoon, that¡­"

    "I''m sorry for not telling you before, Hyeongnim. I was worried you''d lose against that guy if you got involved."

    "Guardian Kim ShiHoon, please, give us more details."

    "That day, I received a message from Alec Osborne and went to the hotel''s roof."

    Kim ShiHoon''s exnation kept going on. The more the story went on, the more Gaia and Grace''s expressions hardened.

    "Th-then¡­ The reason Guardian Alec went missing¡­"

    "It isn''t that he was killed by an assassin of the Demon Cult, but he was killed by the Demon of the Prophecy?"

    The two women were stunned.

    Kim ShiHoon nodded.

    "Yes."

    ''ShiHoon¡­''

    "At that moment, I wasn''t sure why Satan attacked Mr. Alec¡­ but I think I can understand it now."

    ''I love you, ShiHoon.''

    "Satan was trying to get rid of the Guardian that presented a risk to him."

    ''Yes! You''re doing well, my child!''

    "Satan is the Demon of the Prophecy."

    "Ah¡­"

    A short exmation came out of Gaia''s mouth.

    <em>m-!</em>

    "Hyeongnim?"

    "Mr. KangWoo?"

    After Kim ShiHoon, KangWoo angrily stood up.

    KangWoo grabbed Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders while looking at him intensely as if he were really angry.

    "That Satan bastard hurt you, too?"

    "Ah, th-that¡­"

    "Say it clearly. Did he try to kill you?"

    "Yes¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon nodded. KangWoo looked like he found the incidents of that day insulting.

    KangWoo turned his head toward Gaia.

    "Can the Guardians only be joined by a Guardian?"

    "Yes? Th-that''s what the general principle is¡­"

    "The situation is quite bad, so it isn''t time to talk about principles."

    KangWoo exploded his energy. Intense and suffocating energy pressured their surroundings.

    "I want to join the Guardians, too."

    He had no other choice.

    ''Since it became like this, I''ll go against Satan!''

 Chapter 142: The Demon of Prophecy (2)

    "W-wait¡­"

    Gaia seemed confused by everything that was said.

    "Guardian Kim ShiHoon, can you confirm that what you''ve just said is true?"

    "Yes."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded without hesitation. Gaia took a deep breath at his answer.

    "You said that Satan looked like a human, right?"

    "To be more precise, it was just the outline of his body. A ck curtain surrounded him, so I couldn''t see it exactly."

    "I see."

    Gaia nodded.

    "First, I understood what guardian Kim ShiHoon is saying. Taking into consideration that guardian Alec was being targeted by the Demon Cult, I think there''s a high chance that Satan was already in the Demon Cult."

    "That means that, in the end, the ultimate enemy is the Demon Cult," KangWoo said.

    The Demon Cult¡­ They¡¯d existed for more than a thousand years and believed in demons. They were evil beings that had epted that strength.

    ''They''re guys that seem like they would get involved with the Demon of Prophecy.''

    He nodded. It kind of sounded obvious that Satan, the Demon of Prophecy, someone who was trying to bring destruction to the world, would join forces with them.

    Gaia made a dark expression.

    "I guess so. Ahh. If he has already entered the Demon Cult, the situation has worsened."

    "Even three months ago, Satan was able to overwhelm Mr. Alec easily. If that was his weakened state¡­ once he recovers all of his previous strength, things could get horrible."

    There was a grim atmosphere in the room.

    KangWoo turned his head toward Gaia.

    "So, even in this situation, are you going to ept only a Guardian as a member?"

    "¡­"

    She remained silent. It didn''t take long for her to make a decision.

    Gaia turned her head around Grace.

    "Grace, bring ¡®that¡¯ out. Please."

    "Okay."

    Grace brought out two boxes.

    As she opened one of the boxes, a white mask and a crystal ball that was the size of a ping pong ball were revealed.

    Gaia touched the table and ced the mask on the table.

    There was a blue shield engraved on the mask.

    "There are many cases in which Guardians have to act secretly, so while doing a mission, everyone must wear a mask. Hmm, to put it bluntly, you could say that this mask represents Guardians."

    "Ah¡­"

    "First, Guardian Kim ShiHoon, can you help us protect the world and help us eliminate the Demon of Prophecy?"

    "Of course."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded with an intense look in his eyes.

    Gaia smiled. She gave the mask in her hands to Kim ShiHoon.

    "I wee you to the Guardians."

    "Thank you¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon epted the mask while making aplex expression. He took the mask and ced it over his face.

    "Ah."

    "Fufu. It isn''t just a mask with a ne design, right?"

    It seemed like there was a special effect on the mask. A short exmation came out of his mouth.

    After the mask, she gave him the transparent crystal ball that was the size of a small ping-pong ball.

    "This is amunication device that''s given to Guardians members. You canmunicate even if you''re inside a gate or on the other side of the world, and if you put it on the floor, you can open a gate that leads to here, ''The Hall of Protection.''"

    "But what if someone takes it¡­?"

    You could open a gate that led to the base from anywhere¡­

    It was an item that could cause a catastrophe if an enemy got their hands on it.

    Gaia lightlyughed at Kim ShiHoon''s worried voice.

    "Just like a legendary item, it''s locked to the holder, so you don''t need to be worried."

    "Ah, I see."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded. On the other hand, KangWoo had aplex expression.

    ''They aren''t considering that there might be a traitor among them?''

    Even if it was an item locked to its owner, if the holder betrayed them, things could worsen instantly.

    From KangWoo''s point of view, it was afortable item.

    ''Well, that''s better for me.''

    They probably weren''t giving out such an important item because they were dumb.

    The mask and the crystal ball were symbols of trust¡ªthat''s how much Gaia trusted in each member.

    Considering that there were two boxes, that probably meant that she was willing to ept him as a member of Guardians.

    If the trust became deeper, KangWoo would probably be able to hide the fact that he was, in reality, the ''Demon of Prophecy'' even better.

    "Next¡­"

    She turned to face KangWoo, holding a second mask in her hands.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    "Yes."

    * * *

    She extended the mask to him.

    "You''re right. In this situation, it doesn''t make sense for us to only ept a Guardian as a member, but it isn''t that I''m willing to ept you as a member because we are in a hurry."

    Her voice was hot. KangWoo remained silent.

    "How you feel toward guardian Kim ShiHoon, and how angry you became when you realized that Satan targeted Kim ShiHoon were the two decisive reasons."

    "ShiHoon is like a little brother to me. Was he called Demon of Prophecy? I''m not sure what his name is, but I cannot stay still after realizing that he tried to kill ShiHoon."

    His eyes were burning with passion, and his voice was strong.

    Considering that they were non-blood-rted brothers, it felt a bit too much, but its effect was impressive.

    "H-hyeongnim¡­"

    "Fufu. You have a really good person as a non-blood-rted brother. To be honest, when I first heard about you through Guardian Kim ShiHoon, I wondered if he didn''t trust you too much, but I was worried for nothing."

    KangWoo felt inwardly ted.

    ''Satan, thank you!''

    If Satan heard the news, he would shake his head, saying ¡®this isn''t it¡¯.

    But from KangWoo''s point of view, everything was flowing in a great direction.

    "Mr. KangWoo, even though you''re not a Guardian, I believe you''re worthy of being called that based on your strong sense of justice."

    ''Yes, yes.''

    "Then, Mr. KangWoo, can you help us to protect the world and eliminate the Demon of Prophecy?"

    "Of course."

    He nodded without hesitation. After hearing he could join the Guardians, he somehow felt a strong sense of justice.

    ''Yes. There aren''t many people that are more correct, just, and clean as me.''

    He nodded at Gaia''s choice.

    "I wee you to the Guardians."

    He received the mask¡ªa mask that had a blue shield engraved in it.

    He put it on.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve be a member of Guardians.]

    [The effect of ''Gaia''s Blessing'' is activating. The blessing has a greater effect on yers chosen as a ''Guardian.'']

    [You aren''t a ''Guardian'' yer. The effect of the blessing is decreasing.]

    [All of your stats have increased by 1.]

    <em>WHOOM-!</em>

    "Huh?!"

    "This¡­"

    The Hall of Protection shook.

    Gaia''s Blessing was a strong buff, but KangWoo wasn''t a Guardian, so he didn''t benefit much from it.

    But¡­

    ''It increases all stats by 1, huh¡­''

    A smile appeared on his face.

    For other yers, a single point to all stats was probably nothing¡­

    But from KangWoo''s point of view, it wasn''t ''just'' a single point to every stat.

    His Demonic Energy stat was so high that it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that it had reached the limit of what a yer could achieve.

    So for him, the difference of a single stat point was huge.

    ''Look at this Demonic Energy!''

    As his stat increased, an explosive amount of demonic energy was created.

    He would''ve probably been found out if it weren''t for the Ruler of Demonic Energy attribute.

    If he melted the demonic energy into his blood using the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style, he would be able to perfectly use it as his own strength.

    ''I think that I could now face Doomguard.''

    The one that protects doom, Doomguard¡­

    He was the leader of the 3rd Squadron of the Demon King''s army and was a ''Great Demon.''

    He wasn''t as strong as Balrog or Lilith since they were at the level of an archduke, but he was strong enough to defeat hundreds of demons at once.

    ''This was an unexpected gain.''

    He almost felt proud of bing a member of Guardians.

    "I hope we get along from now on."

    After receiving themunication crystal, KangWoo grabbed Gaia''s hands.

    "Ah, yes. I also hope we get along."

    Gaia was surprised by the explosive energy only for a short while. She soon made a bright smile.

    "If you have information about the Demon Cult, please tell me immediately."

    "Yes. I''ll give you more details about the mission through themunication crystalter. Ah, also, feel free to visit the Hall of Protection any time you want. It''s lonely being here alone."

    Gaia waved her hand. Her arms were so thin that it seemed like they would break if you weren''t careful.

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes sank.

    "Yes. I''ll be waiting."

    He turned and opened the door. After they left the gate, they were greeted by familiar scenery.

    It was the rooftop of the apartment where KangWoo lived.

    "Hyeongnim, thank you¡­"

    "It was nothing."

    ''The one who''s thankful is me.''

    KangWoo smiled and patted Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders. Kim ShiHoon''s eyes were wet as if he were moved.

    "Hyeongnim¡­"

    "Hmm?"

    Kim ShiHoon raised his head and looked at the sky.

    ''This bastard is too handsome.''

    Just him looking up at the sky made it look like it was a photoshoot.

    "Today¡­ I think that I''ve gotten a new goal."

    "New goal?"

    "Yes."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded while making a serious expression.

    "I fell in love with someone."

    ''What kind of bullshit is this now?''

    KangWoo looked confused. Why was he suddenly talking about love?

    "Don''t tell me¡­"

    "I was sure of it from the first time I saw her. It''s my destiny to protect her."

    "¡­"

    He turned and leaned against the parapet.

    "I can''t forget her frail body."

    Kim ShiHoon clenched his fist.

    "And¡­"

    A strong energy and deep killing intent rose from inside him.

    "I''m going to kill Satan, who made her be like that."

    "¡­"

    "You''ve seen her too, right, Hyeongnim? She couldn''t even properly walk or see."

    ''ShiHoon¡­''

    "That''s all because Satan came to Earth. He ruined the Gaia System and killed a Guardian."

    ''Wait a bit, ShiHoon.''

    "That angers me so much. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve felt something like this."

    ''Why are you doing this?''

    "I want to protect her."

    KangWoo could see Kim ShiHoon''s eyes burning with motivation.

    On the other hand, KangWoo was starting to feel guilty.

    "I want to protect her and make her smile."

    ''I understood, so stop, you bastard.''

    "Hyeongnim¡­"

    ''I didn''t know things would turn out like this.''

    "Thank you for helping me."

    ''No, but¡­ It would be unfair if I stayed longer, rotting in Hell, right? I stayed there for 10 thousand years. For how long do you think I should''ve stayed there?''

    "If it weren''t for Hyeongnim, I wouldn''t feel so confident."

    ''Do you know Lilith? Huh? Do you know her? Any person would go crazy if forced to stay with her for over a thousand years!''

    Kim ShiHoon scratched his head while smiling awkwardly.

    "Haha. It''s kind of embarrassing to say it like this with my own mouth, but I became sure of it thanks to you staying by my side."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo lowered his head.

    ''ShiHoon, I''m sorry.''

    KangWoo''s hands and feet trembled from guilt.

    Kim ShiHoon extended his hand.

    "Hyeongnim, let''s kill the Demon of Prophecy and protect this world together."

    "¡­"

    There was silence. KangWoo''s expression seemed troubled, but that was only for a brief moment.

    KangWoo grabbed Kim ShiHoon''s hand.

    "Let''s do it."

    ''I don''t care anymore.''

    He put more strength in the palm of his hand.

    "Let''s protect this world from Satan."

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan¡­

    That evil being didn''t have enough with ruling the Hell of Nine Skies and had appeared on Earth to take control of it, too.

    He messed up with the Gaia System and was trying to put Earth under his control.

    ''I cannot let him do as he wishes.''

    He began feeling anger.

    ¡®How dare he make the first woman Kim ShiHoon fell in love with be like that.¡¯

    To him, Kim ShiHoon was someone with whom he shared a rtionship thicker than blood. Their souls were connected, so he couldn''t stay still.

    ''I will never forgive you.''

    ¡®¡­In the name of justice!¡¯

 Chapter 143: First Mission (1)

    After that day, Kim ShiHoon decided to return to train with Cheon MooJin.

    In the first ce, the reason why he''d returned from Shangai was that Grace hade to meet him.

    Kim ShiHoon had be stronger after receiving Gaia''s Blessing, so he returned immediately to Shangai.

    - The day I return, I''lle back stronger than master.

    Kim ShiHoon said that confidently. Cheon MooJin, who was next to him, frowned.

    It was a natural reaction since a newbie was trying to ovee him after just a few months of training.

    But he couldn''t deny that Kim ShiHoon was growing that fast.

    - Oof, why did I pick up such a monster in myst years¡­

    Cheon MooJin said in disbelief at Kim ShiHoon''s incredible growth rate.

    Even if he was the Sacrum, he never imagined he''d grow so fast.

    If Kim ShiHoon were the protagonist of a martial arts novel, he wouldn''t have been able to grow so fast.

    But Kim ShiHoon was a yer. If his level went up, his stat increased. And stats gave him a strength that seemed like something was being created out of nothing.

    It had been one week since Kim ShiHoon, and Cheon MooJin left for Shangai.

    KangWoo gathered information about the Demon Cult through meetings with Gaia and Grace.

    And.

    "I''m going to give Mr. KangWoo the first mission."

    ''Finally!''

    KangWoo eximed in excitement at Gaia''s words.

    He''d been desperately waiting for information on the Demon Cult, and the Guardians had finally found something out.

    "What¡¯s the mission?" KangWoo asked while making a serious expression.

    The expression and the eyes were the most important things.

    He would be found out if he looked happy after hearing the Demon Cult had begun moving. He had to make an expression that showed a mixture of worry and anger.

    ''I''m quite confident about these types of things.''

    He was quite confident about controlling emotions.

    That was way easier than controlling the lust and desires of a demon''s body.

    "Recently, the Gaia System has been weakening."

    "Wasn''t that already going on¡­?"

    Gaia shook her head.

    "No, but it wasn''t at this speed. We think there''s probably another reason."

    "Hmm. Can you tell me where that''s happening?"

    "I''m not sure, but we received information that they found traces of the Demon Cult in Korea."

    "In Korea?"

    That was unexpected. The Demon Cult members in Korea had scattered away after Baek KangHyun died.

    ''Did new members appear?''

    He didn''t know, but he wasn''t sure why foreign Demon Cult members would go to Korea to make ns.

    "Yes. They found traces in a gate that was near a city called Daegu?"

    "If it''s Daegu¡­"

    Just like in Sapporo, Japan, there was also a city in Korea that got ruined after the ''Cataclysmic Day.''

    In Sapporo''s case, the city couldn''t recover because the monsters that lived there were too strong, but in Daegu, there was another reason.

    It had been five years since the Cataclysmic Day. No, it was about to be six years.

    Running a country after that was already a miracle.

    Nobody said anything about neglecting a ruined city.

    "Understood."

    "If it''s too much for you to do alone, you could ask guardian Kim ShiHoon¡ª"

    "No, ShiHoon is currently concentrating on training. I cannot interrupt his training."

    "Then how about other Guardians? Grace is in the USA, but I could ask Zhuge Xuan and Ito Shinji."

    Zhuge Xuan and Ito Shinji¡­

    They were the names of the Chinese and Japanese Guardian''s he''d heard of after joining the Guardians.

    They weren¡¯t yers that were publicly known like Alec Osborn and Grace McCarbin. They weren''t even known as world rankers or normal rankers.

    ''ording to what I''ve heard, they seem like good people.''

    But he wasn''t sure if, by ¡®good people¡¯, they meant someone like Alec or Kim ShiHoon.

    It was obvious that Gaia didn''t have an eye for people when he took into consideration how Alec Osborn was.

    ''Well, I guess you can¡¯t say she doesn''t have an eye for people at all.''

    In the cases of Kim ShiHoon and Grace, they both had great talent and qualities as Guardians.

    ''Seeing that she epted me as a Guardian, you couldn''t say she doesn''t have an eye for people.''

    Seeing that she''d gone against the rules to allow him to join, you couldn''t say she doesn''t have an eye for people.

    There probably weren''t many people who could work for world peace with such pure intentions.

    "I''m going to investigate alone first."

    He thought of dragging Zhuge Xuan and Ito Shinji and investigating them but decided not to.

    Since they were both members of the Guardians, they probably weren''t ying around.

    It wasn''t that the Demon Cult was active only in Korea, so it would be more effective if each concentrated on their own areas.

    ''They could also be bothersome while doing the interrogations.''

    To grab the tails of the Demon Cult members that hadn''t been very active, he was nning to interrogate them as much as possible.

    If they were people like Alec Osborn, there was a chance they wouldn''t be able to withstand his justice and that they would react in an unexpected way.

    "Understood. I''ll trust and wait if Mr. KangWoo says it like that."

    "Then I''m going to move immediately."

    Since they''d obtained hints, there was no reason to hesitate anymore.

    KangWoo put on the mask and walked out of the ''Hall of Protection.''

    He exited the gate the same ce he had entered it¡ªthe rooftop of the building where he lived.

    "Echidna, Balzac."

    He called his two summoned monsters.

    He could do justice in his own way in front of his summoned monsters, so he didn''t need to think too deeply before doing anything.

    "What''s wrong, KangWoo?"

    Echidna reached the rooftop first.

    She had a rice cake skewer covered with red sauce in her hand.

    "What''s that¡­?"

    "Balzac made it for me."

    She opened her mouth and ate the rice cake skewer in her hand. <em>Ang</em>. One wouldn''t believe the size of that mouth belonged to a little girl''s body. She ate the entire rice cake skewer at once.

    <em>Crunch-</em>

    "It''s delicious."

    "¡­"

    The silence was finally broken by KangWoo¡¯s shadow.

    A white skeleton appeared from the shadow that wriggled like it was alive.

    [Did you call me, Master?]

    Balzac, someone who used to be called Demon King, a strong and powerful lich, was wearing a cute pink apron with a bunny instead of a ck robe.

    "Balzac, you¡­"

    KangWoo was shocked by the visual.

    Balzac raised his head and looked at the sun.

    [Woah. The weather seems good. Hehehe¡­]

    A thick Demonic Energy rose, and the ruler of death spoke in a low tone.

    [Weather like this is perfect for washing the nkets¡­]

    "No. Let''s leave washing the nkets forter. We have something else to do."

    KangWoo red at Balzac while making a serious expression.

    It wasn''t the time to care about something like washing the nkets.

    "Don''t tell me there isn''t a rice cake skewer for me?" he asked in a serious voice.

    [Hahaha! Master! Who do you think I, Balzac, am?]

    <em>Tap-</em>

    Balzac bounced a finger, the shadow began moving again, and a rice cake skewer appeared.

    [Fufu. I''ve been learning cooking from Ms. Seol-ah these past few days. This is also one interesting world.]

    "Let''s see."

    He took a bite of the rice cake skewer. A spicy but sweet taste spread through his mouth.

    "It''s very well-made."

    [I''ll keep doing my best, but more than that, why did you call me?]

    "Oh yeah¡­"

    KangWoo turned his head to Echidna, who was licking the sauce on her hands.

    "A mission. It''s about time we warm up for the first time in a while."

    Echidna and Balzac''s eyes shone.

    * * *

    KangWoo took Echidna and went to Daegu.

    It was a city that, just like divostok, was destroyed. He didn''t see traces of anyone around.

    ''Authority of Observation.''

    He expanded his demonic energy.

    Investigating in an area where demonic energy was so visible was morefortable.

    ''There doesn''t seem to be any around here.''

    He couldn''t find traces of demonic energy in the area.

    ''Was the information wrong?''

    He thought that for a short while but shook his head. He couldn''t be so sure yet.

    "Let''s enter the gate."

    Three A-rank gates had appeared in Daegu.

    yers could perfectly deal with them at the moment, but that wasn''t the case on the Cataclysmic Day.

    KangWoo entered one of the three gates.

    ''Bingo.''

    As soon as he entered the gate, he could feel demonic energy inside it.

    He walked toward where he could feel the demonic energy.

    "This¡­"

    It was a ce where there was strong demonic energy gathered. He saw a ck inverted cross about a meter tall stuck in the ground.

    There was a fissure around that area as if the space had been broken, and the size of the fissure was getting bigger.

    ''What''s this?''

    It was something he''d never seen while fighting the Demon Cult.

    He was about to approach the ck cross when¡­

    <em>Grrrr-</em>

    "As expected, there''s no way they would''ve left them alone."

    There was a low cry; he turned his head to the source of the sound.

    He saw an ogre and some elite trolls that often appeared inside A-rank gates.

    ''No.''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes. He used the Authority of Observation and looked at the monsters.

    Monsters moved by using the energy that was within mana stones, but instead of mana, he could feel demonic energy from them.

    ''Are they being contaminated?''

    Just like he''d found a demonic energy stone inside El Quero''s head, the monsters were slowly turning into demonic monsters.

    "Prepare to fight."

    "Okay."

    [I''ll follow your orders,]

    The two summoned monsters prepared their attacks when¡­

    "Who are you?"

    A thin, young man who was over two meters tall appeared while making a cheeky smile.

    "Hmm. You don''t seem to be from the Hwarang Squad¡­"

    He didn''t seem surprised by how Balzac looked.

    "Well, I guess it doesn''t matter since I can always kill invaders."

    He made a thick smile and bounced a finger.

    Kiieekk-!

    Thend he was standing on was turned upside down, and a monster with a long tail appeared.

    It wasn''t that big. It was only three meters tall, but its body was covered with ck scales as if it wore armor. There was a green, acidic liquiding out of it.

    The monster looked like an alien from a science fiction movie sharing the same name.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone after looking at that monster.

    ''A Cryshalis?''

    Cryshalis¡­

    It didn''t look that powerful from the outside, but it was a demonic monster that lived in the 8th hell.

    It was a strong demonic monster that could easily eliminate a group of demonic monsters like kerberos.

    ''Are they even able to control a demonic monster that lives in the 8th hell?''

    He couldn''t help but exim in admiration at the Demon Cult''s knowledge.

    A Cryshalis was a very violent demonic monster that not even demons living in 8th hell picked a fight with.

    It wasn''t as intelligent as an ancient demonic monster like a halcyon, but still, it was quite cleverpared to others.

    If the Demon Cult could control such a demonic monster, that meant their knowledge was on another level.

    "The 8th hell, huh?"

    The demonic energy from the demonic monsters of the 3rd hell he''d devoured before weren''t of much help.

    But if it was the 8th hell, the story changed.

    KangWoo smacked his lips.

    "I''ll face that guy."

    For the first time in a while, food worthy of eating had appeared.

    It didn''t look tasty, but that didn''t matter.

    ''I stayed with Lilith for a few thousand years.''

    He almost found the alien cute.

    He felt that he was hearing hallucinations.

    KangWoo made a bright smile and took a step forward.

 Chapter 144: Oops! (1)

    "Hahaha! You guys have lost track of what fear is, huh?"

    The young man, who looked like a Demon Cult member,ughed while spreading demonic energy.

    KangWoo frowned after reading the demonic energy flowing out of him.

    ''He''s weak.''

    It was hard to believe he was controlling a demonic monster of the 8th hell like a cryshalis.

    It was as if a fox were using a tiger as a servant.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Observation and looked at the young man. Since he was weak, he couldn''t resist the Authority of Observation.

    [yer Name: Park YoungChan]

    [Level: 63]

    A yer who''d done the seventh Awakening¡­ Considering that he had demonic energy, he was probably a bit stronger than that.

    ''But it''s still too disappointing.''

    Even though he''d passed the end of all efforts, that was something all talented yers could surpass.

    He was still too weak to be able to control a cryshalis.

    ''I guess it''s better this way.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    To be honest, a Demon Cult member as strong as Anton being able to control demonic monsters and demons wasn''t that impressive.

    Hell worked with an extreme version of thew of the jungle¡ªwhat mattered the most was strength.

    What he wanted to know the most about the Demon Cult were things like¡­

    ''How could someone this weak control a demonic monster as if it were his servant?''

    Demonic monsters weren''t like wild animals from which you were safe if you''d raised them since they were little.

    They would probably kill their owners if they thought that the owner was weaker than them.

    ''If it''s a cryshalis, even more.''

    Even among demonic monsters, a cryshalis was famous for its violence and intelligence.

    It was a being that couldn¡¯t be controlled by regr means.

    "Come, kill those bastards!" Park YoungChan shouted.

    The cryshalis lowered its body and raised its head.

    "Kiieekk!!"

    A horrible scream spread through the ce. Poison came out of it and melted the floor.

    At its shout, the monsters surrounding them started to move.

    ''He¡¯s controlling other monsters through the cryshalis?''

    That was something he could understand.

    The cryshalis was an intelligent demonic monster, so it often made groups of demonic monsters that were under its control.

    "KUOO!"

    "GRRR!"

    A group of ogres that had almostpletely turned into demonic monsters leaped toward him while screaming.

    Was it because they had demonic energy inside them? They were so fierce that one wouldn''t think they were A-rank monsters.

    "KangWoo¡­"

    [Master, your order.]

    The two summoned monsters took a step forward. He nodded while smirking.

    "Kill them. Ah, except that one that looks like a cockroach."

    [I''ll do as youmand.]

    "Hngh! Leave it to me!"

    Echidna opened both arms. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

    [FUS RO DAH!]

    Dragon Language Magic.

    It was the unique magic of dragons. It was among the most powerful types of magic.

    Usually, a hatchling wouldn''t be able to use it. It was so difficult that not even adult dragons could use it without being careful.

    But thanks to KangWoo bing stronger, Echidna was able to obtain a strength that couldn''t bepared to a hatchling, so she was able to use Dragon Language Magic.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    There was a wave of demonic energy surging around her.

    It was an attack that resembled Brass, the strongest one a dragon could use. The wave of demonic energy tore the earth apart.

    The bodies of the ogres that were swept away by the wave of demonic energy were scattered in all directions.

    [Haa¡­]

    Balzac shook his head while his eyes sockets shone with yellow light. He looked at the corpses of the ogres that looked as if they had been torn apart by a mixer.

    [The corpses are important, so you should treat them more carefully.]

    Tap. He bounced his finger, and the ck robe fluttered.

    "What''s that?"

    Park YoungChan''s mouth fell open.

    It was weird that the skeleton wearing a ck robe had a cute apron that didn''t suit him, but that wasn¡¯t what surprised him.

    "GRRR."

    The corpses of the ogres that had been torn apart got up.

    Despite their blood spilling in all directions and their internal organs falling out of their bodies, the ogres were still moving.

    No, they weren''t just moving¡­

    They forcibly connected and restored each other''s broken bodies.

    A flesh golem that had an appearance more horrifying than any other demonic monster was created.

    [Go, my children.]

    Balzac extended his hand, and the flesh golem slowly began moving its body.

    A thickugh left his mouth.

    Demonic energy surrounded him.

    [Kill the lowly beasts that desire life.]

    Once again, the pink apron started to flutter.

    Demonic energy flowed out of his hand and entered the flesh golems.

    "GRRAARR!!"

    They went berserk.

    The flesh golems showed violent movements that one wouldn''t believe were created by sticking different corpses together and leaped toward the other ogres.

    "Wh-what the¡­"

    Park YoungChan''s expression became pale.

    KangWoo checked out his expression rxedly.

    Park YoungChan was biting his lips violently. He put his right hand on top of his left one.

    "Cryshalis!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Kill that bastard!"

    ''Woah.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone. Aplex magic circle was drawn on Park YoungChan¡¯s right hand, who was screaming as if he were about to have a seizure.

    ''Is he controlling it with that?''

    He still wasn''t sure. KangWoo slowly analyzed the situation.

    "Kiieekk!"

    ''So he''s rushing toward me.''

    * * *

    The cryshalis stomped on the ground, lowered its body, and rushed at an impressive speed.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine what the cryshalis was targeting.

    ''As expected.''

    KangWoo smirked. The cryshalis had a small body among demonic monsters, so it had a unique characteristic.

    ''Kiieekk!"

    He pulled his right foot back and kicked it as if it were a football. The cryshalis reacted to his attack with an incredible reflex.

    He used his left foot as an axis to twist his body and used the other foot to smash it. He targeted the cryshalis''s shelled back.

    "KISHAAT!!"

    That time, the cryshalis didn''t dodge the attack. It was because it trusted the natural armor on its back.

    KangWoo lightlyughed while looking at it.

    "How dare a mere bug!"

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Kiieekk!"

    His right foot smashed the cryshalis''s back. Although the cryshalis''s back was hard enough to crush the teeth of a giant demonic monster, it was nothing in front of KangWoo.

    As he used the Authority of Crushing in his right foot, the cryshalis''s back was destroyed, and an acid fluid poured in all directions.

    The cryshalis stopped attacking and backed off.

    "Kiieekk."

    He could feel that it was being extremely cautious of him.

    "What are you doing?! Attack!!"

    "KIIEEKK!!"

    Park YoungChan shouted. His right hand began shining with a dark light. The same light came out of the cryshalis''s forehead.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    ''He''s definitely controlling it through that magic circle.''

    He still needed to investigate how they were doing that, but his immediate doubt was answered.

    ''Now¡­''

    He had to check the limits of the magic circle.

    ''I''m sure it isn''t absolute.''

    He knew that just by seeing how the cryshalis twisted its body after receiving Park YoungChan''s orders.

    KangWoo had been keeping track of the time from the start.

    <em>Paf-! Crack!</em>

    "KISHAAT!"

    The battle kept going on.

    Although the cryshalis was a predator that belonged to the 8th hell, KangWoo had already be stronger as a great demon of the 9th hell.

    He was on another levelpared to it.

    It was a one-sided battle.

    "D-damn."

    Park YoungChan''s expression became pale. He anxiously looked at his right hand.

    The light flowing out of the magic circle was getting weaker.

    "N-no¡­"

    Park YoungChan turned around and tried to escape.

    He heard KangWoo''s low voice.

    "Five minutes."

    He smiled.

    "It seems you can forciblymand it for five minutes at maximum."

    "Ugh!"

    Park YoungChan frowned. His reaction made it clear that he was right.

    The light on his right hand hadpletely disappeared.

    "KISHAAT!!"

    The cryshalis, which had be messed up, turned around to Park YoungChan.

    If it were a normal life form, it wouldn''t have been weird if it had already died, but despite being injured so badly, the cryshalis hadn''t died because it had surpassed the level of a normal life form by a huge margin.

    "SHIAAT!"

    It lowered its messed-up body and shouted aggressively.

    A stronger killing intent than when it had faced KangWoo flowed from the cryshalis.

    ''I guess it''s understandable.''

    It had been forced to fight an opponent it didn''t want to fight in the first ce, and it had almost died because of it.

    If the cryshalis could move ording to its own will, it would''ve probably escaped after the first sh.

    It was forced to show its teeth against a predator it couldn''t win against, so it was understandable how angry it was.

    ''I got some good information.''

    He nodded while looking at the cryshalis emit strong killing intent toward Park YoungChan.

    ''Once the time runs out, it might attack the owner.''

    It was useful information.

    That meant that dragging out the fight would be useful if the situation was overwhelming while fighting a demonic monster.

    ''I should look out for that moment.''

    KangWoo crossed his arms and began walking slowly.

    "D-damn! C-cryshalis, listen to me!!"

    Park YoungChan desperately shouted.

    "Oh, yeah. Do you know the characteristics of a cryshalis?" KangWoo asked him.

    "Wh-what? What nonsense are you saying, bastard?!"

    "It seems like you don''t know."

    KangWooughed. How a cryshalis hunted¡­ A cryshalis had a small body, so he used a certain strategy to neutralize its prey.

    "SHIAAT!"

    "HIIC! D-DON''T COME!!"

    Park YoungChan swung both of his hands. He used a yer''s skill to create a fireball that had the size of a person''s head and shot it toward the Cryshalis.

    But there was no way such a desperate attack would work against it.

    The Cryshalis ran toward Park YoungChan at a dazzling speed. Its sharp teeth targeted the space between his legs.

    "D-don''te¡­"

    <em>Crunch</em>-!

    "AAAGGGHHH!"

    "Oh, fuck."

    KangWoo closed his legs subconsciously. It was hard to watch.

    ''Cryshalis, you cruel bastard.''

    How the cryshalis hunted¡­ it always attacked the target''s reproductive organs first.

    "AAGGHH! ARRGGHH!!"

    Park YoungChan screamed in pain while trying to cover the blood fountain.

    It was a horrible scream that reached his soul.

    "KIIK!"

    "Stop."

    The cryshalis jumped toward Park YeongChan to kill him, but KangWoo violently hit the cryshalis''s back. <em>Crack</em>. Its head exploded while making a chilling sound.

    "Let''s see. Your name was Park YoungChan?"

    "Cough! AAGGHH!!"

    "Ah¡­"

    KangWoo pped as if he''d just realized something.

    "Sorry, my mistake."

    KangWoo squatted in front of Park YoungChan and giggled.

    "I should call you Park GirlChan now."

 Chapter 145: I Wont Forget Your Name (1)

    "Sniff!"

    Tears dripped down Park GirlChan''s eyes.

    A pain that was hard to resist spread through his body.

    He couldn''t return to his senses.

    Bubbles frothed out of his mouth, and he couldn''t stop trembling.

    KangWoo pped his cheeks a couple of times.

    But it didn''t matter how much time passed. It didn''t seem like he would return to his senses.

    ''How troublesome.''

    KangWoo put his hands on top of GirlChan¡¯s head. ck demonic energy fluttered in his hand.

    Authority of Concentration¡­

    It was an Authority that allowed you to reduce pain and increase concentration for a moment.

    Unlike the Authority of Rage, it was a buff-type Authority that only had benefits, but in that situation, there was nothing else he could do about it.

    After all, he couldn''t do any type of interrogation in that state.

    "Oof, oof!"

    Park GirlChan came back to his senses thanks to the Authority of Concentration.

    He looked at KangWoo with fearful eyes.

    "Wh-who are you?! How did you defeat the cryshalis¡­?"

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    ''It seems like he can''t recognize me.''

    The Demon Cult member wasn''t able to recognize him despite him wearing a white mask.

    Usually, even if he didn''t know which of the Guardians he was, he should''ve known he was part of ''Guardians.''

    After all, the mask he was wearing was proof he was part of ''Guardians.''

    ''The Demon Cult members know about Guardians.''

    But the fact that he couldn''t identify him as a member of Guardians probably meant something.

    ''He isn''t someone with a high rank.''

    That meant that the Demon Cult didn''t consider him as someone important.

    "Since when did the Demon Cult begin being active in Korea again?"

    "Th-that..."

    Park GirlChan mumbled while his eyes shook.

    "Ah, wait. Don''t say it."

    Judging by his reaction, it seemed like he would be killed if he tried to say important information about the Demon Cult.

    ''Then¡­''

    KangWoo ced his hand on top of Park GirlChan''s forehead.

    ''Authority of Subordination.''

    It had failed against strong opponents like Anton or Baek KangHyun, but there was a chance it would seed with Park GirlChan.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve seeded in making yer Park GirlChan your familiar spirit.]

    KangWoo looked with tired eyes at the message that appeared in front of him.

    ''I shouldn''t carelessly use it.''

    Even if he was weak, he was a yer who had passed the End of All Efforts.

    Making him his familiar spirit wasn''t easy.

    KangWoo started to warm up after feeling a shoulder-pressuring tiredness.

    It was something that happened because the Authority of Subordination had many restrictions.

    ''But still¡­''

    He could feel his soul connected to him. He concentrated and analyzed his body.

    Inside his body, to be more precise, in his soul, he could feel something foreign.

    ''Is this the restriction?''

    He used his energy to wipe away the foreign energy mixed in Park GirlChan''s soul.

    "Cough! Oof! Oof!"

    GirlChan¡¯s two eyes became teary, his tendon became visible, and his body trembled.

    After trembling for a moment, he became calmer, and his breath normalized.

    ''Does this have an effect simr to the Authority of Subordination?''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    After thinking about it for a while, he shook his head.

    ''It isn''t as powerful as the Authority of Subordination.''

    It seemed like it couldn''t control everything about the target like the Authority of Subordination could.

    But just seeing that the Demon Cult could influence the soul was proof of how advanced their knowledge was.

    ''They''re impressive.''

    He still couldn''t understand how they had managed to get knowledge even he didn''t know despite having ruled over the Hell of Nine Skies.

    "Spill out everything you know."

    "Ah..."

    After twisting his body for a while, Park GirlChan started to spout all of the information inside his head.

    "After Cardinal Baek KangHyun died, no one else became in charge of Korea. The Cult is looking at Korea with great interest, so they sent a new ''Apostle of Evil,'' and they''re currently creating a new branch."

    "They''re looking at Korea with great interest?"

    That was something unexpected.

    There wasn¡¯t an SS-rank gate in Korea.

    * * *

    It also wasn''t like the country became ruined during the Cataclysmic Day, so the S-rank gate was being properly controlled.

    A country like Russia should be better and morefortable for them to act in. After all, the country had been paralyzed, and there was an SS-rank gate in it.

    ''Or maybe the Middle East or Latin America.''

    The Middle East and Latin American countries had also be ruined, and there were SS-rank gates on those continents.

    There was no reason for them to act in Korea.

    "I''m also not sure of the reason, but the Cult thinks of Korea as a very important country."

    "I see. Then is that connected to sticking ck stakes inside a gate?"

    "Not really. Pouring the ''Fissure Seed'' has nothing to do with the country."

    "..."

    KangWoo remained silent.

    ''Not rted, huh?''

    His head started to spin fast.

    Although the Cult thought of Korea as an important ce, that wasn''t the reason why they were pouring ''Fissure¡¯s Seed'' inside the gates. And recently, the Gaia System had started to weaken.

    There was only one conclusion he could reach from those two things¡­

    ''I see.''

    It meant that the n wasn¡¯t specific to Korea.

    If that was the case, he could understand why someone weak like him had gone alone.

    ''There''s a chance this is a worldwide n.''

    They were spreading the ''Fissure''s Seed'' throughout all of the gates.

    It didn''t matter if they failed¡ªthey would just have to spread even more.

    If they used members that were among the weakest, gave them demonic monsters as protection, and made them spread the Fissure''s Seed, they wouldn''t lose many of their forces.

    ''This is the worst.''

    That was what KangWoo was worrying about.

    It wasn''t something that Oh KangWoo alone could solve. Even if you could block the rain with your umbre, you wouldn''t be able to stop the ground from getting wet.

    "Things are gettingplicated."

    <em>Tsk</em>. He clicked his tongue.

    ''I need the power of yers.''

    He needed the entire world to move.

    He could tell the difference between what he could and couldn''t do alone¡­

    And he didn''t have enough power to move the entire world.

    "That''s me."

    KangWoo smiled.

    He grabbed hismunication crystal.

    ''What about the Guardians?''

    Although it was a secretive organization that didn''t like to make itself public, its power and influence were no joke.

    Even if he left everything aside, Grace McCarbin was among the members of Guardians.

    The First Lady¡ªthe first and strongest yer.

    Someone who could make the USA, the strongest country, move.

    If the USA moved, other countries were probably going to follow.

    Even after the Cataclysmic Day, that hadn¡¯t changed.

    The USA was the world''s hub of finance andmerce.

    ''Also, the Guardians aren¡¯t my only resource.''

    Cheon MooJin, Jang HyunJae, Kurosaki Yurie¡­

    He knew many people who could move entire countries.

    "Where are Fissure''s Seeds being spread?"

    "I¡­ I don''t know that."

    "Who is the one behind the ns?"

    "That..."

    He shook his head. KangWoo nodded. There was no way someone at the bottom would know a piece of information like that.

    "Do you know who made the Fissure''s Seed?"

    "I¡­ I''m sorry."

    "Tsk."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue and picked up the stake.

    Since he couldn''t get information from him, he had no choice but to investigate himself.

    ''Authority of Insight.''

    He closed his eyes and concentrated. He''d failed to try to figure out the summoning magic circle, but there was no guarantee it would fail again.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Part of the Authority of Insight has seeded. You''ve learned how to manage the Fissure''s Seed.]

    "This..."

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    Information about the ''Fissure''s Seed'' entered his mind.

    "..."

    He wasn''t sure what the theory behind it was or how they''d made it¡­

    But he learned how to use the Fissure''s Seed.

    ''This seems useless.''

    KangWoo clicked his tongue. He had to get rid of them, so learning how to use them was useless in his position.

    "Huh, wait¡­"

    At that moment, he thought of a new idea.

    KangWoo used the Fissure''s Seed effect that weakened the System in part of his body.

    The stake that looked like an inverse cross became ck fog and disappeared.

    Although it was only for a little bit, the Ten Thousand Demon Core''s seal weakened, and he felt demonic energy flowing out.

    "Yes!!"

    KangWoo clenched his fist. Although its effect was a bit weak, just like when he activated the effect of the Reaper of Souls, the seal was definitely getting weaker.

    ''Mr. Demon Cult...''

    Their knowledge of controlling the fissures¡­

    He didn''t expect that their vast knowledge would be so useful to him.

    ''Thanks for the food.''

    He couldn''t even count how many things he''d gotten while chasing after the Demon Cult.

    At that point, he couldn''t help but think that they were trying to make him stronger on purpose.

    ''Long live the Demon Cult!''

    He couldn''t help but feel in awe of them.

    KangWoo patted Park GirlChan''s shoulder.

    "Okay. Thanks for the information."

    "Th-then are you going to let me¡­ live?"

    "Of course."

    He wasn''t someone evil who didn''t know how to be thankful to someone who''d help him.

    He couldn''t kill someone who''d been so helpful to him.

    "Then, I''ll be going."

    "Ha, haha. Oka... AAAGGGHHH!!!"

    As KangWoo dismissed the Authority of Concentration, a horrifying scream came out of Park GirlChan''s mouth again.

    He once again grabbed the area between his legs, and bubbles frothed out of his mouth.

    "Oh, damn..."

    KangWoo gave him a worried look.

    The scream sounded desperate.

    KangWoo''s expression became sad while looking at him twisting his body and screaming in pain.

    "There''s nothing I can do about this."

    He couldn''t let his benefactor who''d given him important information suffer from such pain.

    KangWoo bit his lip and created Gae Bolg.

    "Ouch. Coff!"

    He slowly stabbed Gae Bolg forward. Park GirlChan immediately died after his heart was pierced.

    "May you rest in peace..." KangWoo mumbled in a voice immersed in pain.

    "Park GirlChan, I won''t forget your name."

    His eyes were tearing up.

 Chapter 146: Gathering Fissure Seeds (1)

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 0.12]

    "What''s going on?"

    KangWoo eximed in surprise after reading the system window.

    He got that message as he absorbed the cryshalis and the demonic energy that flowed out of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    ''A decimal point?''

    It was a stat increment he''d never seen before.

    ''Is it because the cryshalis is kind of vague?''

    To be honest, he wasn''t expecting his stat to go up by one from hunting a cryshalis.

    His Demonic Energy Stat had increased to 122 thanks to Gaia''s Blessing, so it wouldn''t easily go up.

    ''Well, I guess it''s better than not increasing at all.''

    A decimal point was better than nothing.

    Since he''d found a new thing called a ¡®Fissure Fragment¡¯, he didn''t need to feel rushed.

    ''The Reaper of Souls attribute¡­''

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The target isn''t a demon.]

    "As expected, it won''t activate."

    The cryshalis wasn''t a demon, but a demonic monster.

    It was understandable that an attribute that let him absorb a demon¡¯s soul wouldn¡¯t activate.

    "So I''ll have to keep hunting demons."

    He had to keep absorbing demon souls to fulfill the conditions for Demonic Soul.

    "First¡­"

    KangWoo cut the thought. At the moment, growing wasn''t what was most important.

    He took out a small marble ball from his pocket.

    "Ah, can you hear me?"

    [Yes, you can speak.]

    Gaia''s voice could be heard.

    [Were you able to finish the mission?]

    "Yes. I''ve solved the Daegu part."

    [Didn''t you get hurt? If youe to the Hall of Protection¡­]

    "No."

    Gaia seemed worried about his body, but he cut Gaia''s words short.

    Not only hadn''t he gotten hurt; he also didn''t have time to rx while being treated.

    "I obtained an important piece of information."

    "What kind of¡­?"

    KangWoo told her about the ''Fissure Seed.''

    The Demon Cult was nting Fissure Seeds all around the world.

    They had to use all of their forces to bring their ns to a halt.

    [¡­]

    There was silence. Gaia spoke with a heavy voice.

    [Understood. I''m going to contact all Guardians and order them to destroy the Fissure Seeds.]

    "No. You cannot get rid of the Fissure Seeds."

    Eliminate the Fissure Seeds? That would be a huge loss.

    KangWoo spoke in a serious tone.

    "We have to gather them and put them in one ce."

    [Gather?]

    "Yes."

    [But if we do that, the Fissure Seeds would remain¡­]

    "You don''t need to worry about that. If we take the Fissure Seeds stuck on the stakes, they won''t work anymore."

    [Ah, I see.]

    Gaia talked as if she couldn''t fully understand what he was saying.

    [But is there a reason we should gather them instead of destroying them? Wouldn''t it be better to destroy them just in case?]

    "That would be true if our n was just to block this incident."

    KangWoo didn''t hesitate.

    Making things flow in the direction he wanted in that kind of situation was his specialty.

    [Then why¡­?]

    "You need to think more long term. We won¡¯t be able to solve the lingering issue by only acting after the Demon Cult makes its moves.

    [Ah.]

    "Did you ever try to investigate the Demon Cult¡¯s knowledge?"

    [Of course, but it''s such esoteric knowledge that we weren''t able to get results.]

    "The more desperate the situation is, the better it is to have more investigative ingredients. The Demon Cult can do things like this because of all of the knowledge they''ve obtained through the years. Without investigating that, the only thing we''ll be able to do is to deal with their actions."

    [Ah.]

    Gaia let out a short exmation. She spoke in a regretful voice.

    [I didn''t know you had such deep meaning. I''m sorry. I didn''t know you thought so seriously about the Demon Cult.]

    "Haha. This is selfishness. I''m someone who lives on Earth, so I want to do my best to be able to preserve my life."

    [No. You can''t call that selfishness.]

    Gaia cut him short.

    [If it were just to preserve yourself, you could''ve remained hidden. You could''ve stayed down and remained hidden. But Mr. KangWoo, you took a step forward to protect those important to you. You''re fighting while putting your life at risk. You couldn''t call such determination selfish.]

    KangWooughed lightly at Gaia''s words.

    "Haha. That''s embarrassing. You don''t need to praise me so much."

    [You don''t need to be so humble. Just like you said, we''re going to try to gather as much as possible instead of destroying them.]

    "Thanks."

    [No. I''m the thankful one. We will do our best to gather as many Fissure Fragments as possible.]

    "Then I''ll also move to gather them."

    The conversation was cut. A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face.

    "Yes. We should gather them instead of destroying them."

    Gathering the Fissure Fragments to investigate andpletely neutralize their ns?

    * * *

    That was nonsense. Even with the Authority of Insight, he couldn''tpletely decipher the Demon Cult¡¯s knowledge.

    It was knowledge not even the Demon King, who used to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies, could understand.

    There was no way they''d be able to figure something out by investigating.

    "Andpletely neutralize them? That can''t happen."

    He couldn''t let them roam around freely, but that didn''t mean he wanted to neutralize thempletely.

    To KangWoo, the Demon Cult were chefs who prepared delicious food for him.

    ''I''ll eat from them as much as I can before throwing them away.''

    He walked out while saying something that would make the Demon Cult members go crazy if they heard it.

    Echidna and Balzac followed him after clearing out all the demonic monsters around them.

    "Echidna, Balzac, There should be two more gates near this area. See if there''s a stake in either of them. If there is, don''t destroy it and bring it to me."

    "Okay, KangWoo."

    [I''ll do as you order.]

    The two summoned monsters moved ording to his directions.

    KangWoo took out his smartphone after exiting the gate.

    ''I already contacted Gaia.''

    It was time to make the other people he knew move.

    KangWoo contacted Cheon SooYeon, Chae YeonJoo, and Kang HyunJae.

    After exining the situation to the three people, he asked them to gather the Fissure Seeds.

    "With this, the situation in China and Korea has been solved."

    There was only Japan left.

    KangWoo took out the card with the contact information he''d received before¡ªit was the card with Kurosaki Yurie''s contact details.

    ''I''m not sure why she''s doing this for me¡­''

    But it was too good not to use in that situation.

    <em>Ring</em>-

    [It''s Kurosaki Yurie, Mr. KangWoo.]

    ''How did she answer so fast?''

    She''d received the call after one ring.

    "Ms. Kurosaki, hi. It''s the first time we''re talking like this."

    [You''re right.]

    The voice sounded cold.

    It seemed like not having contacted her before was a problem.

    "I''m sorry for not contacting you before. I''ve been busy recently."

    [No. I''m sure Mr. KangWoo had his reasons.]

    It seemed like her mood improved.

    "The reason why I''ve contacted you is¡­"

    He began exining the Fissure Seeds.

    [That¡­ I understood. We''re also going to investigate.]

    "Please."

    [Ah, there''s something I wanted to ask. Is that okay?]

    "Of course."

    [This Demon Cult¡­ Do you know what demon they serve? I''ve tried to investigate but couldn''t find the answer.]

    "Hmm."

    It was a sudden question, but there was no reason to hesitate.

    "They serve Satan."

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan.

    It wouldn''t be good if only Guardians knew about his existence.

    ''It''s going to be better if as many people know about it as possible.''

    He''d already told people close to him, like Cheon SooYeon or Chae YeonJoo, about Satan.

    The more people knew about his existence, the fewer people would suspect him.

    [Hngh. Satan?]

    It was a voice that made it seem like she didn''t like the answer.

    KangWoo tilted his head at her reaction but answered in a confident voice.

    "Yes. The Demon they serve is Satan."

    [Okay. Understood.]

    "Then, please contact me once you''ve gathered Fissure Seeds."

    [Yes. I''ll do as you say, Mr. KangWoo.]

    "Thanks."

    KangWoo was about to cut the call when¡­

    [Oh yeah. There was something I wanted to ask you. Is that okay?]

    "Yes. Of course."

    [It isn''t rted to this, but it¡¯s a personal question¡­ Does Mr. KangWoo know the myth of Cthulhu?]

    "Myth of Cthulhu?"

    The question was so sudden that it caught KangWoo off guard.

    ''That myth where lots of tentacles appear?''

    KangWoo had heard about it because it was overused in many media.

    "Yes. I know it, but why¡­"

    [I have the power to call the strength of a mythical being, so that''s why I''m investigating different myths and legends. I wanted to ask your opinion on a few that caught my attention.]

    "Ah, I see."

    KangWoo remembered her ability¡ªthe power to borrow the strength of a divine being that appeared in Japanese myths.

    ''To be more precise, to summon the power of someone that belongs to another realm.''

    It was an ability he thought was worth researching.

    ''To think that there''s a dimension where gods really existed.''

    There was a chance that Gaia''s real body existed in that ne.

    ''The Cthulhu myth, huh?''

    If that wasn''t a simple personal creation, but a being that really existed in another world¡­

    ''I think it should be good to investigate their strength beforehand.''

    After ordering his thoughts, KangWoo opened his mouth.

    "I''m interested. Can you borrow the strength of a mythical being that isn''t from your country?"

    [No. That''s not the case. I can only borrow the strength of gods that appear in Japanese myths and legends.]

    "Hmm. I see."

    He wasn''t sure if he was happy or disappointed.

    ''I guess it''s a good thing.''

    He didn''t want to see a god full of tentacles.

    [Fufu, I see. It seems like you''re interested. Thanks for your words. Then, I''ll contact youter on.]

    "Ah, yes."

    Kurosakiughed in a way that gave him a bad feeling and mumbled a few words; then she cut the call.

    KangWoo looked at his smartphone with confused eyes.

    ''What a hard-to-understand woman.''

    She''d sent an octopus as a present, and then, she''d asked something strange out of the blue. He couldn''t help but think that she was a bit crazy.

    "Well. I guess it doesn''t matter."

    As long as she didn''t interfere, it didn''t matter if she was a bit crazy.

    For the moment, he didn''t have to focus on Kurosaki Yurie but on the Fissure Seeds that were spreading throughout the world.

    ''The has been cast.''

    A thick smile appeared on his mouth.

    It was time to patiently wait for the harvest.

    ''Now I just have to wait.''

 Chapter 147: Im Satan (1)

    The world moved.

    It might sound a bit exaggerated, but there wasn''t a better way to describe it.

    The first country that moved was the USA, then China, and finally, Korea.

    Every country put huge rewards and ced a lot of effort into gathering the Fissure Seeds.

    It was obvious since the country could be destroyed if they let the Demon Cult act freely.

    Even if they didn''t want to offer rewards, the people began protesting and saying they should.

    That''s why, even though the situation wasn''t good all around the world, the governments were forced to offer rewards.

    Money makes people move¡­

    As money was offered as a reward, even normal yers began moving in search of Fissure Seeds.

    Comment (Nature will reject you): Woah, this time, we''re really profiting off of the Demon Cult. Lol.

    ? yer, you''re finally going to work!

    Comment (Light will burn you!): But why are these guys nting stakes inside the gates?

    ? Are they trying to eat the seeds?

    ? Exhaust Editor: Aren''t they trying to summon another thing?

    ? Butterfly Valley: Ah, I hope I could tell you what I know ;;;

    ? Jerry M: I''m going to reach level 100 today!!

    Comment (I can''t believe my eyes!): I''m d we aren''t just letting them do as they want.

    ? I heard more than 100 have been found all around the world. I''m d they''re being hit back!

    There was a huge reaction on the inte.

    People seemed happy that the Demon Cult¡¯s ns were being ruined.

    That showed how much people feared the Demon Cult.

    "Very nice."

    A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face while he was reading the inte news.

    It had been 10 days since he¡¯d started gathering Fissure Seeds.

    yers who were blind for money began searching day and night for them.

    "As expected, there''s nothing like money."

    There was nothing like money to make people move.

    Due to the massive number of yers participating and how fast the Guardians dealt with the situation, they gathered quite a number of Fissure Seeds.

    ''Although I''m sure it''s not 100%.''

    Even if they were blind for money, yers didn''t go to areaspletely dominated by monsters like the Middle East or Latin America.

    There was a chance that Fissure Seeds nted in those areas hadn''t been found.

    ''This much is okay.''

    He wasn''t sure what the Demon Cult was nning.

    But to KangWoo, having been able to interfere with their ns that much was already a huge victory.

    If they managed to do a massive demon summoning like before, that was also weing news.

    "I should get going."

    KangWoo walked out of the apartment and went toward the rooftop.

    He ced the crystal ball he¡¯d received from the Guardians on the floor.

    A little bitter, a small gate appeared.

    It was a gate that led to the ''Hall of Protection.''

    ''Did they say that the real location of the Hall of Protection is in the USA?''

    It was a device beyond science that allowed you to cross the Antic Ocean. The power of magic allowed such miracles to be reality.

    He took a step forward. His field of vision became distorted, and a weird sensation shook his body.

    But it onlysted for a short while.

    The white passageway he''d be used to appeared in front of him.

    "Ah, you came, Hyeongnim?"

    As he entered the passageway, he was greeted by Kim ShiHoon.

    Kim ShiHoon was in charge of gathering the Fissure Seeds in the Middle East, an area the average yer couldn''t even think of stepping foot into.

    "I''m sorry to have called you during your training."

    "No. Something like that happened, so I couldn''t stay still training. Also, the mission area was quite helpful in terms of training."

    "How is the Middle East?"

    "Quite serious¡­ Compared to how it¡¯s doing, Shanghai seems okay," Kim ShiHoon said with a hardened expression.

    KangWoo nodded.

    Areas like Shanghai and Sapporo were okayparatively because China and Japan hadn''t copsed.

    But countries of the Middle East and Latin America had copsed on the Cataclysmic Day.

    It was obvious that the situation in those areas would be worse.

    "Good job."

    "It''s nothing. Oh, I heard it was you who realized this incident and dealt with it."

    Kim ShiHoon looked at him with eyes full of admiration. KangWoo smirked.

    "I just did what I had to do. After all, I''m also a member of the Guardians now."

    "Haha. If it''s Hyeongnim, you would''ve probably done that even if you weren''t part of Guardians."

    "You won''t be able to obtain anything by ttering me. Let''s go."

    "Yes, Hyeongnim."

    Kim ShiHoonughed and followed KangWoo.

    As they opened the door and entered, they were greeted by Gaia and Grace.

    "Hello, Mr. KangWoo."

    "Yes. How''s the situation?"

    She smiled softly. She moved her thin arms toward the table.

    "It¡¯s as you see."

    The half-transparent globe appeared¡ªthe Earth surrounded and protected by light. That light had be weaker than the first time he¡¯d seen it.

    "The situation has worsenedpared to before when the seeds were nted, but if we hadn''t done anything, the situation would have definitely been worse."

    "Is it getting weaker?"

    Gaia nodded.

    "No. That''s not the case. The damage to the system has been stable since three days ago."

    "I''m d to hear that."

    That probably wasn''t only because they''d gotten rid of the Fissure Seeds.

    After all, they hadn''t been able to get rid of all of the seeds that had been nted worldwide.

    ''Did the Demon Cult achieve what they were aiming for?''

    They hadn''t done any extra moves, so there was a chance that was true.

    The reason didn¡¯t matter. The important thing was that the situation had stabilized for the moment.

    "We can''t rx yet¡­ but thanks to Mr. KangWoo, we were able to reduce the damage."

    Gaia bowed.

    "It''s okay. But more than that, where are the Fissure Seeds being kept?"

    That was his reason for going there that day, after all¡­

    To check where the Fissure Seeds were being kept.

    "Over here."

    Grace pushed Gaia''s wheelchair, and they moved to another gate.

    As they walked out of the gate, they were greeted by intense sunlight.

    They saw and that had a crack through it as if God had used a mace to split thend.

    "Here¡­"

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    In the past, he had done nothing like traveling, but even he had seen that ce in pictures.

    "It''s the Grand Canyon."

    "This is massive¡­"

    It seemed like it was also Kim ShiHoon''s first time seeing it. He looked around with his mouth wide open.

    The Grand Canyon was so massive that it made them lost for words.

    "The secret vault of the Guardians is also beneath this canyon. We''re protecting the Fissure Seeds there."

    "Isn''t it too famous a ce to call it a secret vault?"

    The Grand Canyon was a very famous tourist destination.

    Even though the number of tourists had gone down after the Cataclysmic Day, it was a ce that didn''t go well with the word ¡®secret¡¯.

    Gaiaughed.

    "The Grand Canyon is quite vast. The area tourists can visit is just a very tiny part. This is a ce that tourists can''t reach."

    "Ah.

    He nodded and followed her.

    As they walked along the canyons, Gaia stopped in front of a solid rock wall.

    "Guardian Zhuge Xuan, it''s Gaia."

    [So you came.]

    A voice came out from behind the rock wall.

    * * *

    "What the¡­?"

    Kim ShiHoon looked around, confused, and then something happened that he couldn¡¯t believe.

    <em>Whish-</em>

    A wind blew, and the giant rock wall disappeared. A silver door appeared where the rock wall had been.

    ''This¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes widened. Even he hadn¡¯t been able to sense it.

    Grace opened her mouth.

    "This is Zhuge Xuan''s illusion. There¡¯s nobody as good as him when ites to this."

    "So this is an illusion¡­"

    "Impressive. Right?"

    She smirked and opened the door. A man with long hair who was wearing a suit came out.

    "So you''re the two new members, Oh KangWoo and Kim ShiHoon. Nice to meet you. I''m Zhuge Xuan."

    They exchanged handshakes.

    His exnation began while they entered the vault.

    "This vault is being protected with an illusion I''ve ced. You might be attacked if you wander around, so you should be careful."

    "Zhuge Xuan is investigating the Fissure Seeds."

    "Haha. Although I haven''t been able to obtain many results."

    Zhuge Xual smiled bitterly. He opened a vault that said ''04.''

    "This is where we''re guarding the Fissure Seeds."

    "Woah."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone. There, he saw more than a hundred stakes gathered around.

    He couldn''t help but feel his mouth drooling. He wanted to use the Fissure Seeds right then to weaken the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    ''I must resist.''

    It wasn''t the time to do that.

    KangWoo looked around at the vault''s interior and extended his right hand.

    The ck ring on his right finger became liquid and entered the vault floor.

    For a short moment, KangWoo''s body became blurry.

    "Isn''t there a chance that the Demon Cult could attack this ce?" Kim ShiHoon asked while looking around.

    "Of course there is. There''s a chance they might be able to trace the Fissure Seeds."

    "Then why¡­?"

    "It''s okay," Zhuge Xuan said in a confident voice.

    "My illusion is quite strong. This ce will be safe unless the Demon of Prophecy invades it. No, even the Demon of Prophecy wouldn''t be able to find this ce easily."

    It seemed like he was quite confident in his illusion. Grace continued the exnation.

    "It might sound pretentious, but you can believe him. Although Zhuge Xual isn''t that good at fighting, his illusion capabilities are quite impressive."

    "Haha. That''s from Ms. Grace''s standards. My illusions aren''t that bad for fighting."

    With a light chit-chat, they stopped looking at the vault.

    "Let''s go back."

    "Yes. Seeing that the Fissure Seeds are being well kept makes me feel reassured."

    KangWooughed lightly and returned to the ''Hall of Protection.''

    "Oh, yeah. How about we eat dinner today at my house?"

    "Yes?"

    "At H-Hyeongnim''s house?"

    Gaia and Kim ShiHoon were surprised by the sudden proposal.

    KangWoo smirked.

    "Ah. This isn''t something I should say, but the food at my house is quite impressive."

    "But¡­"

    "I understand Ms. Gaia''s situation. so aren''t things like this good from time to time? It''s just dinner, after all."

    "¡­"

    You could see the hesitation in Gaia''s expression.

    She was the leader of a secret group, so she couldn''t freely move. It was hard for her to participate in dinner.

    "Haha. It sounds like a good proposal."

    Kim ShiHoon followed KangWoo''s words. In reality, he wanted to stay with Gaia for a bit longer.

    "Wh-what should we do, Grace?" Gaia asked in an anxious voice.

    Graceughed lightly and patted her.

    "Isn''t it okay sometimes?"

    "Ugh¡­ but¡­"

    "It isn''t a random person but the house of a Guardian member. As the leader, isn''t it important you know in what conditions the members live?"

    "It''s unfair to say it like that."

    Gaia pouted. Grace''sugh became louder.

    "Then it''s decided."

    KangWoo smiled and turned around.

    ''Seol-ah said she''s making dinner today, right?''

    He gulped and went toward his house. Gaia, Grace, and Kim ShiHoon followed him.

    * * *

    "Hngh. I''m not sure."

    The young man with long hair sighed.

    Zhuge Xuan¡­

    He was a yer who specialized in illusions and someone chosen by the Gaia System.

    He looked tired as he examined the ck stake on the table.

    "Just how did they create an object like this¡­?"

    He was in awe at the Demon Cult¡¯s knowledge.

    "Should I rest for a bit?"

    He grabbed a cup of tea and leaned his back on the chair.

    "Kim ShiHoon, huh?"

    He remembered the Guardian¡¯s face he had met that day.

    Even though they were of the same gender, he couldn''t help but admire how handsome he was.

    "He was someone impressive."

    Just by looking at him, he could feel the immense talent inside him.

    ''The one next to him was called Oh KangWoo, right?''

    He''d be a member of Guardians despite not having been chosen as a Guardian.

    "Hmm¡­"

    Zhuge Xuan frowned as if he didn''t like that. He didn''t like that someone who wasn''t a Guardian had entered the organization.

    "This is why the power of who you know is scary."

    If Kim ShiHoon didn''t follow him as if he were his big brother, he probably wouldn''t have been able to enter the Guardians.

    "Should I start again?"

    He put down the cup of tea. He had a lot of material he could use to investigate.

    He could study it by trying twice if it didn''t work at first. If he failed, he could even try three or four times.

    "Well, seeing that he proposed something like this, he doesn''t seem to be stupid."

    He heard that Oh KangWoo had proposed gathering Fissure Seeds instead of destroying them.

    Zhuge Xual pulled up the chair and ced his hand on top of the ck stake.

    It was at that moment.

    <em>Boom-!!!</em>

    A huge impact shook the vault.

    "Wh-what?!"

    Zhuge Xuan got up. As he raised his hand, aplex magic circle was floating on top of his hand.

    He was able to see outside.

    "Th-this¡­"

    He saw someone wearing a red mask that was wearing the darkness as a curtain.

    The mask inclined.

    The man¡¯s eyes stopped on the illusion.

    Zhuge Xuan''s eyes and the man¡¯s met through the security video.

    A shudder ran through his skin.

    "D-don''t tell me¡­"

    His body trembled. He remembered hearing it from Gaia¡­

    No, even he hadn''t heard of it from anyone. There was only one being he could think of after feeling such huge energy.

    "S-Satan."

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan.

    The one attacking the vault was the strongest and most evil Demon King.

 Chapter 148: Im Satan (2)

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    A huge impact shook the vault.

    Zhuge Xuan tried to maintain his bnce in the middle of the shaking vault. He bit his lips and went to the room he controlled the illusions from.

    ''Damn.''

    He frowned.

    Had his words jinxed it? He¡¯d never imagined that the Demon of Prophecy would really invade the vault.

    ''Don''t tell me¡­''

    Zhuge Xuan frowned. He remembered the faces of the two he''d seen that day.

    The timing was too great to call it a simple coincidence.

    "This isn''t the time for that."

    Zhuge Xuan shook his head. It wasn''t the time to be thinking about something like that.

    "Haa."

    He took a deep breath. His body trembled only for a short while, and he soon regainedposure.

    It was the room from where he could control the illusions that were ced in the vault. He ced his hands over the restricting device while sitting on a big chair.

    "The Demon of Prophecy, huh?"

    He gulped. Zhuge Xuan moved his hands in excitement.

    ''Even if you''re a monster¡­''

    He wasn''t nning to let him do as he wished.

    Grace wasn''t exaggerating when she¡¯d said that even the Demon of Prophecy would have to be careful if he invaded the vault.

    The vault was a territory controlled by Xuan¡¯s illusions.

    He''d created more than dozens of different illusions to protect the vault.

    If it were a war, it was as if the opponent were rushing toward a ce that had high castle walls and was protected by lots of cannons.

    ording to his calctions, not even the Demon of Prophecy would be able to do as he wished there.

    "First¡­"

    Before starting, there were some things he had to do. Zhuge Xuan grabbed a transparent crystal while putting on his mask.

    [I''m asking for support.]

    Leaving his confidence behind, the most important thing was telling Gaia about the situation.

    He could stall for time by using illusions while waiting for support.

    ''No¡­''

    A smile appeared on Zhuge Xuan''s face.

    ''If everything goes okay, I could even defeat the Demon of Prophecy.''

    He looked around the area, but it seemed that there weren''t any other enemies.

    That meant that Satan had decided to attack the vault alone.

    He had jumped into the enemy''s territory alone, so it might be a unique opportunity.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [An unknown energy surrounds the vault. The S.O.S message has been restricted.]

    "Damn."

    All of his excitement disappeared. Zhuge Xuan anxiously bit his lip. He slowly looked at the message that had appeared in front of his eyes.

    ''It isn''t that asking for help is impossible¡­''

    It was being restricted.

    That meant that if he weakened the strength of the Demon of Prophecy, he would be able to weaken the energy surrounding the vault.

    ''In the end, I''ll have to fight.''

    Zhuge Xuan put on the headgear he used to direct the illusions. As if he were ying a VR game, the situation outside entered his field of vision.

    Illusion and headgear¡­ It was abination that didn''t seem like it would work well together, but the synergy between them was better than imagined.

    ''Although the old people will never be able to understand it.''

    His family had specialized in illusions before the Cataclysmic Day.

    He was the heir of his family, so Zhuge Xuan had learned about illusions since he was a kid.

    But he was more talented than other people; that''s why he wasn''t satisfied with learning only what he was taught.

    What he''d tried wasbining illusions and modern science.

    The main family members criticized his decision tobine illusion and modern science, but that didn¡¯t stop him.

    "Should I start?"

    He ced his hand on the keyboard while he was wearing the headgear.

    After investigating for a long time, he''d created a device with modern science that controlled illusions.

    [System Activated. Defense level increased to 2.]

    "Not enough. Increase it to 4."

    [Correction. Increasing defense level to 4.]

    Zhuge Xuan''s hands moved very fast, and typing sounds filled the room.

    ''He''s moving.''

    The demon wearing the red mask began to move.

    <em>Tap. Tap.</em> The demon moved slowly and rxed as if he were taking a walk in a park.

    Zhuge Xuan frowned.

    "So you''re going to act rxed, huh?"

    He didn''t like it. His hands began moving fast.

    "Let''s see how long you can maintain such an attitude."

    [Beginning elimination of the infiltrator.]

    Two magic circles appeared around the demon, and fire began to pour out from the magic circles rising into the air.

    The mes bounced away from the ck curtain and scattered around on the floor.

    The demon didn''t stop.

    An ice spear came out of a third magic circle and targeted the demon.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    As he waved his hand, the ice spear was destroyed.

    The demon didn''t stop.

    The floor split, and rock rose from the ground. The demon stomped on the ground, and the rising rock and earth copsed.

    The demon didn''t stop.

    * * *

    The 37 magic circles began to shine. Traces of light poured toward the demon as if they were a storm. <em>Tap.</em> He lightly bounced his finger, and all of the lights that were pouring toward him disappeared.

    The demon didn''t stop.

    64 magic circles caused a huge explosion. An ear-tearingly loud sound scattered around the pieces of rock.

    The demon walked out of the debris that scattered away as if it were dust. The dark curtain surrounding him was still thick.

    The demon didn''t stop.

    "Increasing defense level to 5."

    Cold sweat dripped from Zhuge Xuan''s forehead. His typing speed increased.

    [Increasing defense level to 5.]

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    One of the walls of the vault was opened. Golems emitting a blue light poured out.

    The group of golems leaped toward the demon.

    The demon lowered its body, stretched out his arms, and extended them as if they were wings.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    Dark swords rose from the ground and pierced the golems.

    All of the golems were destroyed in a single attack.

    "Increase defense level to 6."

    [Increasing defense level to 6.]

    172 magic circles appeared. The magic circles surrounding the demon shone simultaneously.

    Attacks of light targeted the demon.

    ck waves surged out from the demon¡¯s body, and attacks of light exploded.

    "Haaa, haaa."

    Zhuge Xuan''s breath became heavier. He began typing as if he were about to destroy the keyboard.

    The wedges of light that poured in all directions hit each other and merged. The light spread out and created a glorious sight.

    A spear of light over thirty meters long appeared.

    ''Here.''

    He added illusions on top of that. Dozens of light spears appeared.

    Only one was real, but someone who wasn''t specialized in illusions shouldn''t have been able to tell which one that was.

    Spears of light began pouring out.

    ''You won''t be able to block these.''

    He was sure of it.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    A huge explosion shook the Grand Canyon. One of the rock walls crumbled, and a dust cloud scattered away.

    And¡­

    "What the¡­"

    He saw the demon grabbing the light spear.

    Among the tens of illusions, the demon was able to tell the real one.

    <em>Bzzt!</em>

    A fissure appeared on the light spear, and the spear that was over thirty meters long was destroyed.

    The demonughed out loud. He was wearing a mask, so he couldn''t see his expression, but Zhuge Xuan was sure that he was smiling.

    "Haa! Haaa!"

    He breathed heavily. A hot liquid came out of his nose. Blood ran down his lips and entered his mouth.

    "D-defense mechanism, increase to 7."

    [Increasing defense mechanism to the maximum. Activating ''Guardian''s Sword.'']

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    Before the system message could finish, the wall was torn down.

    The illusion room¡¯s wall was destroyed, and the demon wearing a red mask showed himself.

    Zhuge Xuan shuddered,

    "M-monster."

    His body trembled. ¡®Monster¡¯ was the only word he could think of.

    [Who are youparing with something as lowly as a demon?]

    The red-mask-wearing demon said in a low voice.

    [Did you think you could stop me with such toys?]

    The demon extended his hand.

    A huge absorbing force dragged Zhuge Xuan''s body.

    "Cough!"

    [Remember, human¡­]

    Aggressive eyes were ced on Zhuge Xuan.

    [I''m Death, I''m the End. I''m the father of all those that are angry. I''m Anger itself.]

    The mask twisted.

    [I''m Satan.]

    After the demon finished saying that, Zhuge Xuan lost consciousness.

    * * *

    "Yes¡­?"

    Gaia''s voice trembled.

    The tableware she had in her hand fell to the ground. Her hands that were holding themunication crystal ball trembled.

    "What''s wrong?" Kim ShiHoon asked while making a worried expression.

    She was having a good time eating when her expression darkened as soon as she received a call.

    KangWoo, Grace, and Han Seol-ah''s expressions hardened after her sudden change in attitude.

    "Th-the vault¡­ was attacked."

    "Attack? Was it the Demon Cult?" KangWoo asked in a hurried voice.

    Gaia kept talking while making a pale expression.

    "The one who attacked the vault¡­ was Satan."

    "Yes¡­?"

    Everyone was astonished.

    KangWoo, Kim ShiHoon, and Grace''s mouths fell open at the unexpected development of events.

    To think that Satan would move and personally attack the vault.

    It might sound ridiculous, but they never imagined that Satan was going to personally move.

    "S-Satan?!"

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed her shoulder.

    Gaia bit her lip and nodded.

    "Yes¡­ He invaded the vault an hour ago and took all of the seeds."

    "Ugh!"

    Kim ShiHoon hurriedly got up. He turned to KangWoo.

    "Hyeongnim!"

    "Let''s go."

    KangWoo nodded and also got up.

    Kim ShiHoon opened a gate that led toward the Hall of Protection. Grace and Gaia followed him.

    KangWoo walked behind them.

    ''Good.''

    The Authority of Cloning had done its job well.

    Of course, the Satan that had invaded the vault wasn''t his clone.

    There was no way a clone created with an Authority would be able to destroy the vault of the Guardians.

    The clone could only do easy things like eating or talking.

    "Oof."

    Heughed lightly.

    That''s right¡­

    The clone could only do simple actions like eating or talking.

    ''With this¡­''

    He¡¯d obtained all of the Fissure Seeds gathered worldwide and gained the perfect alibi that proved that he wasn''t Satan.

    He followed Kim ShiHoon, Gaia, and Grace through the gate.

    KangWoo''s ''clone'' disappeared through the gate.

 Chapter 149: Demonic Energy From a Deeper Part (1)

    "This¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon''s body trembled. A terrible sight appeared in front of him.

    The stone wall was in ruin, a huge pile of rocks was stacked on top of each other, and he could see another wall that had been torn apart.

    The scene of destruction was grand enough to make him feel overwhelmed.

    It was as if a natural disaster had happened.

    Kim ShiHoon and the other Guardian members had their mouths open in surprise.

    "G-Grace, what exactly happened?"

    Gaia, who couldn''t see anything, pulled Grace''s sleeves.

    Grace couldn¡¯t bring herself to answer; she had her mouth closed.

    "Haa! Haaa! Cough!"

    Zhuge Xuan walked out from between the debris. He was in a bad state due to mana exhaustion, but it seemed like he hadn''t suffered any major injuries.

    "Guardian Zhuge Xuan!" Gaia shouted in an anxious voice.

    Zhuge Xuan bowed while making a hard expression.

    "I''m sorry, Ms. Gaia."

    "A-are you okay?"

    "Yes. I didn¡¯t suffer any major injuries, but¡­"

    Zhuge Xuan turned his head. You could see the canyon, which had crumbled as if an earthquake had happened.

    He bit his lip.

    "I wasn''t able to protect¡­ the Fissure Seeds."

    "Ahh, but I''m d to hear that you didn''t get hurt."

    Gaia sighed in relief. Kim ShiHoon walked toward Zhuge Xuan.

    "What happened?

    "¡­"

    Zhuge Xuan didn''t answer. He looked at Kim ShiHoon and KangWoo with sharp eyes.

    "Where were you two?"

    "Us?"

    "If you''re suspecting the two, there''s no need to do that," Grace said while sighing.

    "The timing was peculiar, so I know what you¡¯re thinking, but these two were with us the whole time."

    "Ah¡­"

    Zhuge Xuan let out a short exmation. He lowered his head while making a dark expression.

    "I''m sorry. It''s just that the timing in which Satan invaded the vault coincided with when they visited the vault, so I couldn''t help but be suspicious of them."

    Kim ShiHoon and KangWoo nodded.

    Just like he said, it was understandable that he''d be suspicious.

    "They aren''t people who''d do something like that," Gaia said in a firm voice.

    Once again, Zhuge Xuan lowered his head.

    "Yes, Ms. Gaia. I''m going to remember that. I apologize to the two of you."

    "No, I think your suspicion is understandable," KangWoo replied.

    "Ahh. If we knew Satan was going to invade, we would''ve stayed in the vault a bit longer."

    "It isn''t your fault, Mr. KangWoo. This is something no one expected," Gaia replied to KangWoo.

    He sighed as if he regretted not having been able to do anything.

    He had a heavy expression.

    ''Yolo!''

    But unlike his expression, he was celebrating on the inside.

    ''Things went better than expected.''

    To be honest, he was worried that he''d moved too fast.

    But Gaia and Grace dealt with the situation better than he expected.

    Not only that, but it seemed like their trust in him increased after the incident.

    ''No. It definitely went up.''

    After that incident, the possibility of ''Satan = KangWoo'' had probablypletely disappeared from Gaia''s mind.

    She probably never thought that in the first ce, but that time, it was a bit different.

    From then on, even if he did something suspicious, she would probably never imagine they were the same person.

    That meant he could act a bit morefortably from then on.

    ''Although I''m not Satan, of course.''

    KangWoo nodded.

    He was definitely another person. He wasn''t Satan, someone evil who routinely did bad things.

    If Satan was evil, KangWoo was justice¡ªthe one who would judge evil.

    It was normal that they wouldn''t be able to find a connection between him and someone like the Demon of Prophecy who wanted to destroy the world.

    ''What trash.''

    The entire world had moved to gather the Fissure Seeds.

    There had been many yers who''d died while collecting the Fissure Seeds, and there were also many yers who''d died while fighting Demon Cult members.

    To think that he''d take away all of the Fissure Seeds they''d gathered through so much sacrifice.

    Satan''s evil deeds make him clench his teeth.

    "Let''s not forget¡­"

    "Mr. KangWoo?"

    "That rxing can be the sharpest sword. It seems like Satan is always waiting for us to lower our guards¡­ I don¡¯t think we should forget this."

    After hearing what he said, every Guardian member remained silent. Everyone clenched their fists as if it enraged them.

    Then they rxed.

    He wasn''t wrong.

    They already knew there was a chance that the Demon Cult would try to ambush them due to the Fissure Seeds.

    But they hadn''t put any other security measures in ce besides Zhuge Xuan''s illusions.

    "I''m sorry. This is all because of myck¡ª''

    "It isn''t only Ms. Gaia''s responsibility. We all made mistakes."

    "Ah."

    "Everyone can make mistakes. What matters is that we get out of it. Although it''s something everyone says, it''s hard to actually do it."

    KangWoo turned around. He touched the crumbling ruins.

    "Satan is strong. We can''t rx because he became weaker after crossing dimensions."

    * * *

    "You''re right¡­"

    Gaia nodded.

    KangWoo turned around. There was one thing members of Guardian had to do in that situation.

    "We must get stronger."

    Everyone nodded at KangWoo''s words. You could feel the determination and will to fight from them.

    ''Yes, we must get stronger.''

    They''d definitely felt how strong Satan was after that incident.

    They couldn''t remain still.

    ''We have to get stronger.''

    ¡®No matter what.¡¯

    KangWoo smiled.

    * * *

    A few days after the Satan incident, Zhuge Xuan and Grace focused on restoring the destroyed vault.

    Since Satan had discovered its location, they couldn''t keep the vault at the Grand Canyon.

    But they were restoring it anyway because of the ''Guardian''s Sword,'' which worked as the vault¡¯s defense mechanism.

    Satan had messed it up, but they had restored it enough so they could use it again. If not, they wouldn''t be able to use one of their most valuable defense mechanisms.

    KangWoo and Kim ShiHoon didn''t take part in repairing it for training reasons.

    Kim ShiHoon went to the Middle East again with Cheon MooJin.

    In the case of KangWoo¡­

    "Should I start?"

    There were more than a hundred stakes in front of him. He smiled in satisfaction while looking at the Fissure Seeds in front of him.

    When he used one, the effect wasn''t that big¡­

    But he had hundreds of them at the moment.

    It was normal for him to be excited.

    "I''m not expecting that much. Let''s just get to 123."

    One stat of difference.

    His Demonic Energy stat had surpassed 120, so even 1 stat made a huge difference.

    "Good."

    The preparations were done. It was about time to move into action.

    KangWoo extended his hand toward the Fissure Seeds.

    He absorbed the seeds into his body just as he''d learned from the Authority of Insight.

    <em>Whir-!</em>

    ck energy flew out of the Fissure Seeds. Although the amount was small, individually speaking, as hundreds gathered, they became an energy that couldn''t be underestimated.

    ''One stat!''

    KangWoo shouted from within and moved the energy toward his heart.

    He could feel the ck energy attacking the system sealing the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    <em>Whom-!</em>

    The surface shook.

    An explosive amount of Demonic Energy rose toward the sky.

    <em>Crack.</em> The ground he was stepping on couldn''t resist that huge energy, and it split.

    An ecstatic power spread through his body.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core has be weaker.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 3.]

    "By three¡­?"

    His mouth fell open.

    He would''ve been happy with the increase of one, but to think that it would go up by three.

    Although it felt good, he couldn''t understand what had happened.

    "What''s going on?"

    KangWoo closed his eyes. He analyzed the demonic energy inside his body. It wasn''t hard to see the reason.

    ''Demonic energy came out from a deeper part.''

    The demonic energy of the Ten Thousand Demon Core was separated into three categories: The surface, the depths, and¡­

    ''The Abyss.''

    The deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    He hadn''t been able to control the demonic energy from the deepest part, even when he¡¯d been in Hell.

    "It seems like demonic energy from the deepest part has finally started toe out."

    Until recently, only demonic energy from the surface part had flowed out, but a tiny bit of demonic energy from the deepest part had started toe out.

    Of course, it wasn''tplete. The demonic energy from the deepest part was only a portion of it.

    ''But¡­''

    What was important was that it had started toe out.

    "I should be able to face Balrog soon."

    He smiled in satisfaction.

    If only demonic energy from the surface hade out, that much growth should''ve taken him at least a couple of months.

    Leaving great demons aside, he felt like he should soon be able to face Balrog or Lilith.

    "It isn''t enough yet."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone. If it were when he first arrived on Earth, he would''ve thought that much strength was more than enough.

    To be honest, just having the strength of a great demon should¡¯ve made him stronger than almost all beings on Earth.

    But the situation had changed.

    ''Archdukes¡­''

    There was a chance he might have to fight them.

    If the archdukes appeared, with Earth''s current strength, they wouldn''t be able to beat them.

    Numbers didn''t matter in front of an archduke.

    The only one who could face an archduke was another archduke.

    Although yers overall were getting stronger, if someone asked him if he thought that they would grow enough to be able to face an archduke, he would shake his head.

    ''Maybe Kim ShiHoon could.''

    Among the yers KangWoo had met, there wasn''t any yer who had the potential to face an archduke one day.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    "It''s too unbnced."

    It was something that happened because the gap between Earth''s and Hell''s power was too big.

    Anyway, what KangWoo had to do was already decided.

    ''I must get strong enough to be able to face an archduke.''

    There was a chance he also had to be wary of gods like Susanoo or Gaia, but the most urgent thing was the battle against the archdukes.

    "After all, Satan has already been reborn."

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan.

    In that situation, he was the opponent he had to be the wariest about.

    Just taking into consideration that he''d invaded the Guardian''s vault, it was obvious that he was already inside the Demon Cult.

    No, it wasn''t just being part of it. There was a chance he was the one controlling it from the shadows.

    "Satan¡­"

    He remembered the face of the demon he''d faced in the past in the 9th hell.

    He naturally clenched his fists.

    "I''ll protect this world."

    He overflowed with a sense of justice.

 Chapter 150: A Hero from Another World (1)

    A week had passed since Satan¡¯s attack.

    While the members of Guardian were focusing on personal training, KangWoo focused on the movements of the Demon Cult.

    "They haven¡¯t moved?"

    "Right. I''ve done everything possible, but they haven¡¯t moved."

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo gulped.

    He''d asked Chae YeonJoo to investigate Asia; then he''d asked Gaia to investigate Europe and the USA.

    But after nting hundreds of Fissure Seeds worldwide, the Demon Cult hadn''t moved again.

    ''What''s going on?''

    Their n to nt Fissure Seeds all around the world hadn''t failed.

    Although the damage was minimized, it was true that the Gaia System had weakened.

    If their goal was to weaken the Gaia System, they should''ve moved again.

    ''I thought they''d do a huge summoning again.''

    He had nned to devour all of the demons brought to Earth by the summoning.

    But the Demon Cult hadn''t made any moves.

    "How weird."

    "Right¡­?"

    Chae YeonJoo nodded.

    The normal thing would be for them to move, but seeing that they were hiding at such a time made them feel anxious.

    "Well, I''m going to keep investigating for the time being."

    "Please do."

    "Oh, also¡­ there was something I wanted to ask you."

    Chae YeonSoo sat next to him. KangWoo tilted his head.

    She pointed to the living room.

    "Your summoned monster¡­ Can you really treat it like that?"

    She was pointing at Balzac, who, as usual, was focused on cleaning.

    The sight of a skeleton wearing a pink apron and a mask wasedy itself.

    "It''s okay."

    [Hahaha! You weaklings! You disappeared without leaving a single speck of dust!]

    Balzac even looked happy while cleaning.

    Chae YeonJoo shook her head in disbelief.

    "Why did you summon such a summoned monster¡­? It''s rare, even among undead monsters."

    "I didn''t summon it because I wanted to."

    To be honest, he wanted an ancient demonic monster like a halcyon.

    Chae YeonJoo sighed and kept talking.

    "Well, leaving that aside, do you remember you mentioned the Demon of Prophecy?"

    "Satan?"

    "Yes, Satan. There was something about him I wanted to ask."

    "Go ahead."

    KangWoo nodded.

    "That Satan guy¡­ you said it took human form, right?"

    "There''s a huge chance he did that."

    "Is there anyone you can think of? Since the Demon Cult has been quiet recently, I was thinking that maybe I could investigate who he has transformed into."

    "¡­"

    They were words that felt like lightning. KangWoo remained silent.

    He opened his mouth while talking confidently.

    "It probably won''t have any importance. It doesn''t matter who he''s turned into. Since he entered the Demon Cult, he''s probably secretly moving through it."

    "Hmm, I see."

    "That''s why, please, investigate the Demon Cult first. Once we get them, we''ll be able to get Satan."

    "Okay."

    Chae YeonJoo sighed and nodded.

    She prodded some more.

    "But aren''t you, in reality, the Demon of Prophecy? To be honest, seeing how strong you became so fast, it''s kind of suspicious."

    ''Fuck, how did you know?''

    He felt like he''d been hit by a stone someone threw as a joke.

    But he wasn''t stupid enough to overreact in that situation.

    "Why? What would you do if I was the Demon of Prophecy?" He asked back yfully.

    Chae YeonJooughed out loud.

    "I''d send you back to Hell as soon as possible."

    ''Please don''t say something as horrifying as that.''

    "It isn''t somewhere I want to go."

    "Tsk. Leaving jokes aside, I''m going to work, so see youter."

    Chae YeonJoo got up and walked out of the house.

    <em>m. </em>The door closed. KangWoo ced his hands on top of his forehead.

    "Haa."

    ''That was close.''

    He acted calmly, but it was true that he''d flinched at her sharp remark.

    He was just starting to calm down again when¡­

    <em>Whir-</em>

    "Hmm?"

    His pocket began vibrating when he got up.

    It was the crystal ball used formunication given to Guardians members.

    "Yes. Did something happen?"

    [It''s a mission. An abnormal symptom in the Gaia System has been detected in Suwon''s S-rank hate. I, Grace, and ShiHoon are going there. So, Mr. KangWoo, pleasee as soon as possible.]

    "Understood."

    KangWoo nodded.

    Seeing how they hadn''t given any missions to him alone, it seemed like they''d been worrying about Satan too much after what happened the other day.

    ''Did I make them too cautious?''

    It was true that, in terms of the Demon Cult, he was morefortable moving on his own.

    But he began wondering if he''d made them too cautious about Satan.

    ''No.''

    When he recalled what Chae YeonJoo had said as a joke, what happened the other day was necessary.

    ''Thanks to that, they don''t suspect me anymore.''

    While Satan was invading the vault, he was eating dinner with them.

    There wasn''t a better alibi than that.

    The fact they were being too cautious made him feel a bit suffocated, but he thought that was also necessary.

    ''It''s better than staying still and being overwhelmed.''

    Taking into consideration numerous factors, it was better.

    "Should I go?"

    KangWoo put on the white mask.

    He turned to Echidna and Balzac.

    ''I guess there''s no need for all of us to go.''

    If he were alone, it would''ve been another story, but Grace, Gaia, and Kim ShiHoon would be there.

    There was no need for him to take both summoned monsters.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    KangWoo opened the window. As he used the Authority of Sky, his body started to float.

    * * *

    "Hey, Hyeongnim!"

    The Suwon Hwaseok S-rank gate. As KangWoo entered the gate he''d visited the most, he was greeted by Kim ShiHoon.

    Kim ShiHoon, Grace, and Gaia were all wearing white masks.

    "Where did it appear?"

    "I''ll guide you."

    Gaia pointed to theke in the middle of the gate with her finger.

    "That''s¡­"

    "What''s¡­ that?"

    They saw a blue gate as they approached where she had pointed.

    "Are demons trying toe to this world?"

    "No, I don''t think that''s the case."

    Kim ShiHoon shook his head.

    "The fissure from where demons appear is ck, but this¡­"

    "Is blue."

    * * *

    Grace also looked at the gate with great interest.

    Everyone was excited¡­

    But KangWoo couldn''t make such an expression.

    ''Wait, this¡­''

    His expression hardened. A blue-colored gate¡­

    It was definitely the one he''d seen while summoning Echidna and Balzac.

    ''Don''t tell me this is a gate connected to the Ernor Continent.''

    He couldn''t make such a conclusion since he''d only experienced it two times, but it was true that there was a chance that it was the case.

    KangWoo couldn''t help but feel anxious.

    ''Fuck, don''t tell me¡­''

    <em>Whir-!!</em>

    Before he could finish his thoughts, a blue light came out of the gate.

    The gate, which was two fingers wide, started to get wide enough so a person could pass through.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "It''s dangerous!"

    The one who reacted first was Kim ShiHoon.

    Kim ShiHoon took out the El Quero de and shouted.

    Grace also took out her rapier.

    There was a tense atmosphere.

    <em>Tap. Tap.</em>

    "#@$%@#¡­"

    A young, blonde, handsome man walked out of the blue gate.

    He was wearing shining silver armor and had a golden sword on his waist. The young man opened his mouth.

    An unknownnguage came out of his mouth.

    "What the¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon made a confused expression while grabbing the sword.

    The blonde young man waved his hand in the air while making a surprised expression.

    "A¡­ Ah. Can you understand me now?"

    "Who are you?" Kim ShiHoon asked in a sharp voice.

    The blonde young man looked at Kim ShiHoon for a while but soon bowed.

    "My name is Reinald. I''m the Emperor of the Arnan Empire."

    "What¡­?"

    It was obvious that they would be surprised by what Reinald said.

    The atmosphere became cold.

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    The only one who understood what was going on was KangWoo.

    ''Why did that bastarde here?''

    His head hurt.

    Reinald¡­

    The hero from another world that crawled out of the Gate when he summoned Echidna.

    It was the person who''d made a scene in front of him.

    "The Arnan Empire? Where''s that?"

    "It''s a country on the Ernor Continent."

    "And just what is the Ernor Continent¡­?"

    Gaia blurted out thest part of the sentence.

    Reinald looked at the white mask she was wearing.

    After looking at her for a while, he began trembling.

    "Ah, it''s you! Yes, I''m sure you''re the person Mr. Tyrion spoke of. The goddess of the other world. The incarnation of Gaia."

    ''What''s wrong with this bastard?''

    He wasn''t sure who Tyrion was, but it seemed like he already knew about Gaia.

    Since Gaia was wearing a mask, it seemed like he''d read some sort of energy in her.

    "I don''t understand¡­ Who are you? And where''s the Ernor Continent?" Gaia asked in a confused voice.

    Reinald opened his mouth.

    "The Ernor Continent is¡­"

    The longer his exnation became, the more surprised people were.

    It wasn''t Hell, where demons lived, but another world.

    Gaia, Kim ShiHoon, and Grace listened carefully to the tales that sounded like something that sounded like a movie that would most likely appear in the science fiction genre.

    ''I''m fucked.''

    In that situation, the only one who couldn''t listen to what Reinald was saying was KangWoo.

    A cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

    Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed they weren''t going to fight.

    No. Rather than that, it seemed like the hero from another world and Earth''s hero would exchange some intense feelings.

    Gaia, Grace, and Kim ShiHoon took off their masks as they talked, but KangWoo didn''t dare to do that.

    ''That bastard probably remembers my face.''

    It wasn''t hard to imagine how Reinald would act if he took off his mask.

    ''Why did hee here?''

    He wasn''t sure why he''d crossed dimensions and gone to Earth.

    The better the atmosphere between the Guardians members and Reinald, the more anxious KangWoo became.

    "But why did Mr. Reinald cross dimensions ande to Earth?"

    Gaia asked what KangWoo was wondering the most.

    "The reason why I came here is¡­"

    Reinald grabbed his sword while making a heavy expression.

    "To eliminate the Demon King Balzac, who escaped to another world."

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    KangWoo grabbed his head with both hands.

    The situation worsened.

    ''Fuck.''

    Things never worked as intended.

 Chapter 151: Determination for Kim ShiHoon (1)

    "Demon King Balzac?" Gaia asked in a trembling voice.

    They already had their hands full with the Demon of Prophecy, so it was understandable that her head hurt when hearing about another Demon King.

    She trembled while making an anxious expression.

    Reinald nodded.

    "Yes. Demon King Balzac. He''s a strong lich who brought disease into the Ernor Continent and created an army of undead."

    "So you''re saying that Demon King came to Earth?" Kim ShiHoon asked while making an anxious expression.

    Reinald nodded.

    "That''s right. ording to the exnation from Mr. Tyrion, Demon King Balzac sold his soul to a demon from another world and used that to cross dimensions."

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    KangWoo''s expression became pale.

    ''I''m fucked.''

    He hadn''t kept Balzac''s existence hidden from those close to him.

    Han Seol-ah had be quite a good friend with him. Chae YeonJoo and Kim ShiHoon had also seen him before.

    Not only that, but even Han Seol-ah''s mom, Kim MiJeong, had gotten used to Balzac, and people could often see them talking.

    ''But ShiHoon and YeonJoo don''t know his name.''

    They just thought of Balzac as a skeleton monster he''d summoned.

    It was understandable. The Balzac they''d seen was a skeleton wearing a pink apron who concentrated on doing housework.

    It was hard to think of him as a ''Demon King.''

    ''But¡­''

    Still, the situation wasn''t good.

    Things would be different if he''d kept Balzac hidden, but that wasn''t the case.

    ''There''s no way I would''ve been able to imagine something like this would happen.''

    It was unfair.

    Who would''ve thought that Reinald would follow Balzac into another world?

    No, in the first ce, he didn''t even care about Reinald.

    ''Why didn''t you just live a good life with, how was she called, Reina? in your world? Why did youe here to bother me?''

    He looked at Reinald with resentment.

    He was meddling too much.

    If peace had arrived on the Ernor Continent after Demon King Balzac disappeared, he should''ve shut up and enjoyed peace.

    ''He even received a love confession.''

    ¡®How dare he record a TV drama before him and then return to Earth after leaving his lover behind?¡¯

    He wanted to tear his head apart and check out his brain.

    While KangWoo red at Reinald with resentment, the conversation kept going on.

    "If it''s a demon from another world¡­"

    "I heard he''s the peak of all demons, the one who has the Sea of Demonic Energy inside of him."

    There was a heavy atmosphere.

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    His head began spinning.

    It seemed like he also knew a bit about him.

    Of course, even if Reinald used him of being a Demon King, he wouldn''t immediately bebeled as one.

    It was obvious that people would trust KangWoo more than someone who¡¯de from another world.

    Rather than that, Reinald would probably find himself in trouble.

    ''But¡­''

    There was a huge difference between no one suspecting anything and an incident that could nt doubt in people.

    It was just like there was a wall between the 0 and 1 that couldn''t be crossed.

    If they started to suspect him, KangWoo''s effort of having obtained a perfect alibi through the Authority of Cloning would be for nothing.

    "So it''s Satan."

    KangWoo quickly opened his mouth. He didn''t have time to think anymore.

    ''I have to make them think it¡¯s Satan, no matter what.''

    Gaia and Kim ShiHoon nodded.

    "Yes. I also think it''s Satan."

    "There''s no one besides him that could do something like that."

    Their support was quite helpful.

    ¡°Is Satan the name of the demon with the Sea of Demonic Energy inside him?" Reinald asked with his eyes shining.

    ''Of course.''

    "Yes. Although I''m not sure what a Sea of Demonic Energy is, if you talk about the peak of evil, there should be no one else but Satan."

    ''Well done, ShiHoon!''

    KangWoo clenched his fist after seeing how Kim ShiHoon was supporting him.

    It was just a slight nudge, but without him having to do much more, they were iming Satan was the culprit, so for KangWoo, it was like blowing his nose without his hands.

    ''Well done, my child!''

    It was normal that he''d cheer for Kim ShiHoon.

    "I see."

    Reinald nodded. After thinking for a while, he turned to Gaia.

    "I see. It wasn''t a coincidence that I met Ms. Gaia here today."

    ''What kind of nonsense is this?''

    KangWoo''s expression naturally distorted.

    Reinald spoke in a serious tone.

    "My meeting with Ms. Gaia was because of Mr. Tyrion''s guidance and revtion."

    ''Bullshit.''

    "I could call it destiny."

    Gaia looked perplexed at Reinald''s words.

    It would''ve been weird if she was calm after hearing someone from another world talk about stuff like destiny.

    "I cannot defeat the Demon King alone."

    ''Then why the fuck did youe here, you dumb bastard?''

    "But if Ms. Gaia and I join forces, we can defeat him. As an apostle of the hero god, Tyrion, I want to help Ms. Gaia."

    "¡­"

    Gaia remained silent after hearing what Reinald said next.

    She was wondering if she could trust him or not.

    He wanted to shout that they should cut the neck of that scammer, but it wasn''t a situation where he could say something like that.

    ''Please refuse.''

    * * *

    At that point, he could only hope for Gaia herself to refuse Reinald''s proposal.

    <em>Whir-!!</em>

    "Ah¡­!"

    At that moment, a golden light started toe out of Reinald''s body.

    The golden light flowed into Gaia, and a short exmation came out of her mouth.

    "Ah. I see."

    ''What is going on?''

    Gaia began nodding as if she''d realized something.

    Kim ShiHoon frowned after her sudden change in attitude.

    "What happened?"

    "Should I say it was a revtion? I received Mr. Tyrion''s will," Gaia said in a confused tone. It seemed like it was her first time experiencing something like that.

    KangWoo looked at the golden light surrounding her as if it were unfair.

    ''What afortable series of developments, fuck.''

    It might have made sense if only light hade out.

    Reinald''s eyes shone.

    "You received Mr. Tyrion''s will?"

    "Yes. He asked me to defeat demons along with Mr. Reinald."

    "Woah, as expected."

    "I''m not sure if it''s destiny, but it seems like we were lucky to have met Mr. Reinald¡­"

    Gaia nodded while making a faint smile.

    A bright smile appeared on Reinald''s face.

    "No. This isn''t luck but destiny."

    "Haha."

    The two apostlesughed.

    Kim ShiHoon''s expression hardened while looking at them.

    Reinald didn''t notice Kim ShiHoon''s mood change and looked at KangWoo.

    "That person¡­"

    "Ah, he''s someone who recently joined Guardians. He isn''t someone chosen by God, but he''s one of the more righteous people."

    "Oh, nice to meet you. I''m Reinald."

    Reinald extended his hand toward KangWoo.

    KangWoo''s expression distorted.

    ''Damn.''

    He would surely be suspected if he didn''t take his mask off.

    KangWoo concentrated the demonic energy in his body while biting his lip.

    ''If it''s just for a moment, I''ll be able to do it.''

    The Authority of Blind, which showed an illusion to a target.

    Since it had such great effects, if the target were powerful, he''d be able to resist it easily.

    But they weren''t in the middle of a battle.

    Reinald was also probably rxing.

    If it were at that moment, even if it was for a very short moment, he''d be able to try and use the Authority of Blind.

    ''I must seed.''

    The risk of what would happen if he failed was too big.

    He used the Authority of Blind as he took off the mask.

    "Nice to meet you. I''m Oh KangWoo."

    "Haha. When I decided to chase Demon King Balzac, I was worried about what I should do, but looking at heroes like this makes me feel relieved."

    Reinald smiled.

    After exchanging a handshake, KangWoo put on the mask again. It seemed like the Authority of Blind had worked.

    "Aah."

    The situation he was worried about was solved. He sighed in relief.

    Was it because he''d used the Authority of Blind against someone who''d received the blessing of a god? He felt that he''d used almost half of his demonic energy.

    KangWoo looked at Reinald in worry.

    ''What should I do with this guy?''

    First, he was sure Reinald was an apostle chosen by a god.

    Strictly speaking, he''d be an ally, so was it correct to get rid of him? He couldn''t help but wonder about that.

    ''It isn''t like he''s crazy like Alec.''

    He couldn''t deny he was a hero that fought against evil.

    He seemed like a good person; he was sure he''d saved the lives of numerous people.

    It was as if he were looking at the Kim ShiHoon of another world.

    Getting rid of him made him feel like trash who''d do anything for his own benefit.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes and fell into his thoughts.

    At that moment, Reinald approached Kim ShiHoon and extended his hand.

    "Nice to meet you, Mr. ShiHoon."

    "Ah, yes."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded while smiling awkwardly.

    KangWoo''s eyes stopped on Kim ShiHoon.

    ''Huh?''

    Kim ShiHoon''s attitude was weird.

    "And, Ms. Gaia, I also got a new revtion from Mr. Tyrion."

    "What?"

    After exchanging handshakes with other Guardian members, he once again approached Gaia.

    He kneeled in front of Gaia, looking like a knight promising loyalty to his king.

    "Mr. Tyrion asked me to protect you."

    Reinald grabbed her hand while smiling.

    Kim ShiHoon''s expression hardened.

    "Mr. R-Reinald?"

    "I knew it from the first moment I saw you¡­ My reason foring here is to protect you."

    Reinald kissed the back of Gaia''s hands.

    Gaia''s face reddened.

    ''Huh? Look at this bastard.''

    KangWoo frowned after awwing Reinald trying to pick up on Gaia.

    It was the first time he''d seen Gaia, yet he was doing things like that in front of her. However, he had a woman magician called Reina in his homnd.

    "Ugh¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon frowned.

    KangWoo looked at Reinald, Gaia, and Kim ShiHoon.

    It wasn''t hard to see that there was a weird atmosphere around the three.

    ''How dare he try to pick up ShiHoon''s girl?''

    In reality, it was hard to call Gaia Kim ShiHoon''s woman.

    After all, Gaia was just Kim ShiHoon''s crush at the moment.

    Anyway, he couldn''t deny that he was trying to interfere with his little brother''s first love.

    ''This can''t stay like this.''

    If he remained still in that situation, he didn''t have the right to call himself ShiHoon¡¯s hyeong.

    ''This isn''t because I think there''s a chance Reinald could discover my identity.''

    It also wasn''t because there was a chance that the Guardians would target his summoned monster, Balzac.

    It was all for Kim ShiHoon.

    That''s right¡­

    ''This is something I must do for ShiHoon.''

    KangWoo nodded.

    ''If it''s for ShiHoon''s first love¡­!''

    He had no other option but to kill and get rid of the hero from another world.

    He had no other option than to stab an ally in the back.

    ''ShiHoon! You just need to believe in hyeong!''

    ¡®If it''s for you, I don''t mind my hands getting dirty!¡¯

 Chapter 152: Demon King Balzac (1)

    "Since we have a lot of empty rooms in the Hall of Protection, why don''t you stay there, Mr. Reinald?"

    "Understood. There are many things I don''t know about this world, so it would be good if I stayed there and learned about it."

    "Hehe. I''m going to help you with that, so you don''t need to worry about it."

    "I''m d I met Ms. Gaia."

    The two apostles were talking as if they''d already be friends.

    It was as if the two apostles chosen by gods were attracted to each other.

    ''I guess there''s a good chance that''s true.''

    It had been only a few hours since they''d met.

    In that short period of time, they already became used to each other. That probably had something to do with Tyrion''s light entering Gaia''s body.

    "¡­"

    It was obvious that Kim ShiHoon would feel anxious while looking at them.

    It seemed like he didn''t dare take a step forward, but he felt too anxious, standing still without doing anything.

    No, it seemed like he couldn''t understand what he was feeling at the moment.

    ''ShiHoon, don''t worry.''

    He put his arm around Kim ShiHoon without saying anything.

    Kim ShiHoon was too good by nature, so it seemed like he wasn''t sure about what to do.

    ''Just believe in Hyeongnim.''

    "Hyeongnim?"

    "Ah, you just seem a bit let down."

    "Th-that''s not true, hyeongnim. Hahaha. It''s just that my head is a bit messed up at the moment," Kim ShiHoon said while scratching his head.

    "Is it because of Reinald?"

    "N-no! It''s nothing like that."

    ''Nothing like that? Don''t joke with me. It''s all over your face.''

    KangWoo smirked and patted his shoulder.

    "Don''t worry. I think Ms. Gaia is interested in you."

    "It¡­ it''s nothing like that!"

    "Hahaha! Why is a man embarrassed about something like that?"

    "Hyeongnim!"

    He felt the way Kim ShiHoon was ring at him while blushing was cute.

    He thought that maybe having a real brother would feel like that.

    KangWooughed and followed Gaia and Reinald.

    "Ah. Where is Ms. Gaia staying?"

    "I usually stay in the Hall of Protection because I have difficulty with my daily life if Grace isn''t there to help me¡­"

    "Ah. Then do I have to stay there with both of you?"

    "Fufu. It''s okay. The Hall of Protection is quite big, after all; it also has everything you need for an extended stay."

    "But still, staying with the two of you at the same ce¡­"

    "You don''t need to worry about that."

    Kim ShiHoon bit his lips while hearing the conversation between Gaia and Reinald.

    It was obvious for him to react like that. After all, not only had they suddenly gotten close, but they were going to live together.

    ''I''ll have to deal with this quickly.''

    Seeing Kim ShiHoon like that made his heart ache.

    ''He¡¯ll also start suspecting something if I keep using the mask.''

    He wasn''t doing this for his benefit, but it was true that leaving Reinald like that was dangerous.

    If he was going to deal with him, it was better to do it as quickly as possible.

    ''Let''s see¡­''

    KangWoo began thinking while narrowing his eyes.

    How to deal with Reinald while avoiding being suspected¡­

    He had to think of a way to do that.

    ''In reality, there''s a very good way to do that.''

    The problem was how he was going to carry it out.

    That''s what he couldn''te up with.

    "Hmm."

    He fell into thought.

    ''Here¡­''

    He narrowed his eyes. It was at that moment¡­

    "Let''s start tomorrow. If Balzac became Satan''s underling, we can probably find Satan through Balzac."

    Gaia seemed troubled by Reinald''s proposal.

    "I''m sorry. I understand your passion, Mr. Reinald, but we don''t have a way to find Balzac. Not only that, but we don''t have a way to track the Demon Cult, the organization he''s part of."

    They couldn''t deny that reality.

    At the moment, the Guardians didn¡¯t have a way to track the Demon Cult.

    Reinald smiled at her words.

    * * *

    "You don''t need to worry about that. I can''t track the Demon Cult, but thanks to Mr. Tyrion''s blessing, I can find where Balzac is."

    "Is¡­ is that true?!"

    They were all astonished by what Reinald said.

    KangWoo wasn''t an exception.

    ''What the?''

    That was an unexpected development of events.

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    ''This isn''t time to be staying still.''

    The story changed if he could track Balzac''s location.

    Reinald spoke while looking at the astonished people.

    "Yes. Once a day, when the sky bes covered with a golden light, I can know where Balzac is and what he''s doing."

    "Woah."

    "Such an ability¡­"

    Everyone eximed in surprise.

    It was an ability that could tell them where Balzac was and the location of other core enemies.

    The eyes of other Guardians members began burning with passion.

    They could take that opportunity to find out where the Demon Cult was hiding.

    ''Hey, you scammer¡­''

    Of course, KangWoo was frowning.

    He wasn''t sure what kind of god Tyrion was, butpared to Gaia, there were too many things he could do.

    He couldn''t help but think that being able to exercise such abilities on Earth, which wasn''t the Ernor Continent, was a scam.

    "We should take it seriously."

    "Yes. We could take this opportunity to expose the Demon Cult."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded while his eyes shone.

    It seemed like he thought it wasn''t the time to be jealous of Reinald.

    "Then, let''s take some time to figure out Balzac''s location and status."

    "Yes. The sky should be covered with a golden light at about sunset.¡±

    "Right, there are not many hours left, so I''ll wait."

    The Guardians became passionate.

    ''Fuck¡­''

    KangWoo ced his hand on top of his forehead as if it hurt.

    ''I need to move immediately.''

    Once he received the revtion, it would be over.

    Making Balzac go somewhere distant wasn''t going to solve anything.

    He didn''t know exactly how much information the revtion gave him, so he couldn''t create any unnecessary variables.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.

    ''I can''t move as I did before.''

    Creating a dummy with the Authority of Cloning and moving was too risky.

    ''I''m not sure what effects Tyrion''s protection has.''

    That was the biggest problem.

    He wasn''t sure how much influence the god named Tyrion could exercise, so moving could be too risky.

    ''Then¡­''

    He had to make someone else move.

    KangWoo began thinking at a fast speed. He was thinking about what he should do in that situation.

    ''Wait¡­''

    His eyes shone.

    He turned and looked at Reinald, who was making ns.

    A handsome young man whose appearance wasparable to ShiHoon¡¯s¡­

    Their personalities were also quite simr.

    ''To be more precise, he''s closer to Alec than ShiHoon.''

    Thanks to his influence, Kim ShiHoon hadn¡¯t be like Alec.

    But Reinald was different.

    Although his nature was simr to Kim ShiHoon¡¯s, KangWoo hadn¡¯t been around to influence him, so he was like a Kim ShiHoon who resembled ''Alec.''

    "Then¡­"

    He mumbled in a low voice.

    He licked his lip.

    ''I can use him.''

    The revtion Reinald received from his god¡ªthere was a way to use that in reverse.

    KangWoo separated from the rest of the Guardians that were in the middle of a meeting and took out amunication crystal.

    It wasn''t the one given by the Guardians but one he''d created tomunicate with his summoned monsters.

    ''Being righteous is tiring.''

    KangWooughed.

    * * *

    "Ms. Gaia, there''s something I wanted to tell you¡­"

    "To me?"

    "Yes. ShiHoon, you too. Come."

    "But, Hyeongnim, it''s going to be sunset soon¡­"

    "It isn''t like we''re going to move as soon as we receive the revtion. Aren''t we going to analyze the Demon Cult based on the information obtained over the next few days?"

    "Yes. That''s true."

    Kim ShiHoon and Gaia seemed surprised by KangWoo''s sudden proposal, but they followed him.

    They went to the Hall of Protection¡¯s training room.

    KangWoo turned around after reaching the huge white room.

    "Why did wee here, Hyeongnim?"

    "I''ve seen the videos of when Satan invaded. Since there''s a chance we might find Satan through Reinald, a battle with Satan might happen."

    "Ah, I see."

    "So I wanted to test it," KangWoo said while touching the ring on his right middle finger.

    "Test what?"

    "If we could handle Satan at the moment."

    "¡­"

    "There''s something I''ve felt after looking at Mr. Reinald¡­ How important being chosen by a god is."

    "Hyeongnim¡­"

    "ShiHoon, you don''t need to feel intimidated. You have the soul of the Martial God inside you. If Reinald can do it, you can do it, too."

    KangWoo picked up his weapon.

    "Now that I think about it, this seems like the first time we¡¯ve sparred against each other."

    "Hahaha, you''re right."

    After realizing KangWoo''s intentions, Kim ShiHoon took out the El Quero de.

    KangWoo turned to Gaia.

    "Ms. Gaia, please try to feel if you can sense what you felt from Reinald inside ShiHoon."

    "So that''s why you called me. Understood."

    Gaia nodded and focused her attention on Kim ShiHoon''s energy.

    KangWoo and Kim ShiHoon''s spar was about to start.

    ''Although this isn''t really why I called you.''

    KangWoo made a faint smile.

    The reason why he''d called both people was to separate them from Reinald.

    He focused on his left eye. What the summoned monsters were seeing was shared with him.

    - Balzac, are the preparations done?

    - Of course, master.

    - Do as nned.

    - Yes.

    - Hngh! KangWoo! I''m also going to do my best!

    - Okay.

    They exchanged a short conversation.

    "Ha-ab!"

    Kim ShiHoon, who had taken the El Quero''s de out, stomped on the ground.

    * * *

    "Ah."

    The Hall of Protection¡­

    A short exmation came out of Reinald.

    He could feel an energy inside his body.

    The revtion was starting.

    - Kyaah!

    - Hahaha! This is quite a good offering!

    "Th-this¡­"

    A girl¡¯s screams reached his ears.

    He saw Balzac.

    He saw a sharp gorge and crumbling rocks.

    It was the ce that was attacked by Satan a few days before Reinald had gone to Earth.

    He saw Balzac holding a frail little girl.

    Balzac opened his mouth while his eye sockets shone with a yellow light.

    - Reinald. You thought I, Demon King Balzac, wouldn''t know you''vee to this world?

    "D-don''t tell me¡­"

    - Hahaha. You probably realized where I was through the revtion.

    Balzac''s creepy voice spread through his ear.

    - KYAAH! S-save me!! Please, help me!

    - Reinald, if you want to save this girl,e here alone.

    After saying that, Balzac violently grabbed the girl''s neck.

    - Cough! S-save me¡­!

    The girl wriggled her legs in pain.

    "You bastard!! What are you doing¡­?!"

    Reinald''s eyes widened.

    The anger blew his reason away.

    "Balzac!" The hero screamed.

    Balzac''s evilugh spread through his ear.

    - Hahaha!! Did you think you''d be able to face me if you had the Protection of Tyrion? Did you think anything would change if you met Gaia''s underlings?

    Intense yellow light came out of the skeleton''s empty eye sockets.

    - Reinald, did you forget who I am?

    Balzac raised his hand, and a huge amount of demonic energy came out of him.

    The ck robe fluttered.

    - I''m Demon King Balzac.

    <em>Flutter.</em>

    There was a pink apron visible under the hem of his robe.

 Chapter 153: Demon King Balzac (2)

    ''That bastard, what''s that?''

    KangWoo could see a pink apron beneath the ck robe.

    The image of an evil demon that had taken hostage a frail girl was destroyed by that pink apron.

    ''Why is he wearing that?''

    His head hurt.

    It was as if karma for having used Balzac as a maid wasing back at him.

    The n he was trying to execute in good spirits was ruined by that apron.

    He was worried about how Reinald would react.

    ''Authority of the Vignt.''

    A half-transparent sphere appeared.

    He used a sphere that could go through the walls to scout the room Reinald was in.

    Reinald was frowning while trembling in anger. He didn''t seem to care about the pink apron.

    ''Haa.''

    Judging by Reinald''s reaction, it seemed like the situation he had feared didn''t happen.

    He was hesitating about whether he should tell Gaia about the situation.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine what decision he''d make.

    ''If it''s Reinald¡­''

    He was probably going to face Balzac alone.

    He would dly jump into a trap if it were to save a little girl''s life.

    ¡ªBecause he was someone heroic.

    He was a hero that had to protect the weak and save the world.

    ¡ªBecause he was Reinald.

    ''As expected.''

    Being just was something very tiresome.

    KangWooughed. He raised his head, and Kim ShiHoon''s sword was swinging at him.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    He countered it with his sword.

    A heavy shock spread through his hand.

    Kim ShiHoon''s physical specs had improved a lot from all of the training he''d done through the past few months.

    The sword danced. As if a dragon was twisting his body, a huge sword energy continuously hit KangWoo.

    <em>ng, ng, ng-!!</em>

    ''At this point, I think he''s already stronger than Cheon MooJin.''

    The apprentice had surpassed the master.

    He smiled while looking at Kim ShiHoon swinging his sword.

    His feeling that, except for him, Kim ShiHoon was the only yer that could face an archduke wasn''t wrong.

    He''d be scarily strong and was still getting stronger.

    ''Good.''

    He changed his weapon to a spear.

    He had started the spar to separate Gaia and Kim ShiHoon from Reinald, but now he couldn''t help but wonder about Kim ShiHoon''s limits.

    ''ShiHoon, I need to work harder¡­''

    The sword and spear shed. The practice room shook while a loud sound echoed out.

    Qi that had be physical gathered around Kim ShiHoon''s sword. It was an energy called ''Qi Enhancement'' in martial arts novels.

    An intense heat swept away the surroundings.

    KangWoo smiled in satisfaction and summoned up more demonic energy.

    ''Because you must also do Reinald''s part.''

    There was a lot of weight on Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders.

    * * *

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    The surface exploded.

    A golden light rushed through a giant gorge that looked as if a god had used a hammer to smash the surface.

    Reinald¡­

    The hero that hade from another world was rushing with all his might to save the life of a little girl.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    A thick fog rose.

    His body began moving at a speed that was near sound and created a sonic boom. The surface split, and his breath became heavier.

    But he couldn''t stop.

    The little girl that had been trapped by the hands of the Demon King¡­

    He was so desperate to save the life of a little girl whose name he didn¡¯t even know.

    ''I hope I''m not toote!''

    He couldn''t help but be bothered by the fact he wasn''t able to tell the other Guardians about what happened, but there was nothing he could do about it.

    The Demon King Balzac was an evil demon who didn''t have tears or blood.

    If he''d told other Guardians members, he would''ve probably instantly killed that little girl.

    He couldn''t let that happen.

    "Mr. Tyrion¡­"

    ¡®Please give me the strength and wisdom to go through this hard situation.¡¯

    ¡®Please save the life of this innocent girl.¡¯

    After a short prayer, he reached the ce he had seen Balzac at.

    "Balzac!"

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    He stopped while screaming loudly.

    A hazy smoke soared into the sky.

    He could see that Balzac was looking at him while grabbing the girl''s neck.

    [So you came.]

    Heughed at him.

    Reinald took out his sword without hesitation.

    The sword ''Del Lain,'' which shone with a golden light, showed itself.

    Golden light spread as if it were exploding from the sword that had received Tyrion¡¯s blessing.

    But¡­

    [Why are you standing still? Didn''t you draw your sword to kill me?]

    "Ugh."

    He couldn''t get himself to swing the sword.

    Reinald red at Balzac while biting his lip.

    He saw the girl that had been trapped by him.

    "¡­"

    It was a girl as beautiful as a doll.

    She had white skin and ck hair, and her eyes shone as if they were jewels.

    She looked like a frail girl that would break if you weren''t careful enough.

    Looking at the girl that Balzac had trapped made him grip the sword even tighter.

    "Balzac, do I cry now?"

    [Yes.]

    There was a short exchange between the girl and Balzac, but it didn''t reach Reinald''s ears.

    "KYAAHH!!"

    The girl that had been trapped by the Demon King Balzac screamed.

    "Mr. Hero, p-please save me!"

    The girl shouted toward Reinald while tears dripped from her eyes.

    "Get away from her, Balzac!"

    * * *

    Reinald shouted in an urgent voice after hearing the girl''s shout.

    Balzacughed at him.

    [Do you want to save this girl?]

    "Get away from her!"

    [HAHAHA!! Pathetic! Why are you getting so enraged by the life of a little girl like this?]

    "YOU BASTARD!!!"

    Reinald''s expression distorted. Golden energy exploded, and the surroundings shook.

    While he was getting angrier, the girl and Balzac kept secretly talking.

    "What should we do now¡­?"

    [Fufu. Now I just have to use my underlings and kill that guy.]

    As long as he had a little girl as a hostage, Reinald couldn''t easily move.

    He just had to make him realize how strong a magician with his safety guaranteed could be.

    Balzac bounced his finger.

    [Wake up, Army of Death.]

    Demonic energy spread from his finger and entered the ground.

    Space distorted, and a ck fissure appeared.

    What emerged from inside there were 12 death knights. The death knights were on top of skeleton horses that were covered with blue mes, and they drew their swords.

    [Knights of Death, tear his skin apart and drink his blood. Cut the body of the lowly mortal with your swords.]

    His eye sockets shone with a yellow light.

    [Kill my enemy.]

    Ba-da-dum ba-da-dum-!

    The death knights raised their swords and rushed through the canyon toward him.

    "HUOOOO!!"

    It was the cry of the dead.

    The cries of the ghosts that spread pain subconsciously to those that were alive spread through the canyon.

    "You bastards."

    Even after hearing their wails, Reinald didn¡¯t tremble.

    The golden light protected his body and mind.

    He prepared his sword.

    "I won''t forgive you."

    The cowardly Demon King that had kidnapped a frail girl and was using her to hide behind¡­!

    He couldn''t forgive or make a deal with him.

    Reinald swung the sword covered with golden light toward the death knights that were charging in his direction.

    <em>m-! Boom!</em>

    Although it was a sh between swords, the sound that resulted from it was a bit foreign.

    The death knights that were covered in demonic energy shed with Reinald.

    While he was fighting fiercely, Balzac cast a magic.

    [Hahaha. I never thought that my ill fate with that bothersome guy would continue in another world.]

    "I also don''t like him."

    The girl Reinald was trying to protect while risking his life cast magic while frowning¡­

    But Balzac stopped her.

    [Don''t hurry things. If that guy feels demonic energy, our ns could get ruined.]

    "Balzac, can you defeat that guy alone¡­?"

    [Hahaha. Who do you think I am? I''m the one who made the Ernor Continent tremble in fear and¡ª]

    "So can you beat him or not?"

    [¡­]

    Balzac''s yellow eyes flickered.

    [Hngh. It isn''t easy to win against him in a frontal battle. After all, that individual is a hero who received Tyrion''s blessing.]

    But¡­

    A creepyugh leaked out.

    [I also received strength from my master. Right now, I can one-sidedly attack him, so there''s no need for you to act.] He said confidently while pouring the magic he''d cast toward Reinald.

    Spears of bone pierced the floor and targeted Reinald.

    "Ugh!!"

    Reinald swung the ''Del Lain'' and blocked Balzac''s attack but couldn''t easily counter.

    If he made a mistake, the little girl''s life could be in danger.

    "Damn¡­"

    The hero''s expression darkened.

    Balzac kept one-sidedly attacking him.

    * * *

    ''Good.''

    A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face, who was looking at the battle with his left eye.

    Balzac''s attacks were one-sidedly hitting Reinald.

    As time went on, you could see the tiredness on his face.

    ''Tsk, pathetic.''

    He was expecting it, but he couldn''t help but feel that Reinald was too pathetic.

    He couldn''t do a proper attack for fear of Echidna''s life, who was acting as if she were a hostage.

    How couldn''t he call that pathetic?

    ''Although it''s true that hostages are used for this purpose.''

    Armed police also couldn''t easily get rid of kidnappers because of that same reason.

    But even considering that, he couldn''t help but sigh at how Reinald dealt with the situation.

    ''Is anything going to change if you keep being one-sidedly hit by the enemies?''

    He wanted to give him a sermon but couldn''t do that.

    Whether he was someone just or stupid, what mattered was that everything was going as KangWoo had envisioned.

    ''Good. Just keep being hit and then die.''

    KangWoo was cheering for Balzac.

    He was doing better than KangWoo had expected.

    Echidna''s act of asking for Reinald to save her was also great.

    He saw Reinald vomiting blood and copsing to the ground.

    ''So it''s about to end.''

    Judging by Reinald''s state, he was starting to see an end to the stupid y.

    He even felt anxious while looking at Reinald, who was doing his best while trying to stand up while blood dripped from his body.

    ''Even if you do that, nothing is going to change.''

    KangWoo smirked.

    The hero who picked up the sword to protect a little girl¡­ A strong opponent¡­ A hero who had fallen to a trap and was about to die.

    It was a situation where the cliche of Awakening could happen, but the world wasn''t such an easy ce.

    ''Life isn''t easy.''

    If you get wounded, you''ll be weak. If you be angry, you''ll be simpler.

    If you drip blood, you''ll be slower. The more desperate you are, the worse your movements will be.

    Awakening in the worst possible scenario was something that only happened in manhwa or novels.

    Reinald copsed to the ground.

    A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face.

    ''So it''s over.''

    He thought they''d cleanly gotten rid of Reinald.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>PAAFF-!!</em>

    A huge light started toe out of Reinald''s body.

    "Huh?"

    ¡®What''s this?¡¯

    KangWoo looked at Reinald in confusion.

    Reinald, who had copsed to the ground, was starting to get up. An explosive amount of golden energy surrounded his body like armor.

    His body which had been covered in wounds instantly recovered. All of the death knights attacking him were swept away with just one attack.

    ''Wait. Fuck.''

    He couldn''t understand what was going on.

    He became uneasy.

    ''Wait. Did he really Awaken?''

    It seemed like the cliche he''d brushed off whileughing at for being too unrealistic was happening.

    KangWoo covered his face with both hands as if his head hurt.

    It was as if the picture he had in his head was being torn apart.

    "How fucking¡­"

    ¡®Easy andfortable is your life?¡¯

 Chapter 154: Hero Reinald (1)

    <em>PAF-!!</em>

    Golden energy exploded.

    The surface was covered by intense light as if the sun hadnded on the ground.

    "Ah, aah."

    Reinald slowly got up.

    His body radiated an intense light.

    - Get up, Reinald.

    "Mr. Tyrion¡­"

    It wasn''t hard to imagine what that energy was.

    Reinald''s expression darkened.

    He couldn''t help but feel bad about the fact that he''d fallen for a trick.

    - Raise your head, my child.

    He could hear Tyrion''s voice.

    It was magnificent and firm. Reinald''s voice trembled.

    "I''m sorry. I made a mistake¡­"

    - You picked up your sword to save a little girl. How could you say that''s a mistake?

    "Ah¡­"

    A short exmation came out of his mouth. Reinald gripped ''Del Lain'' a bit tighter.

    "Thank you, Mr. Tyrion."

    - Fufu. I''m proud of you, my child.

    "I''m also honored to serve you, Mr. Tyrion."

    Strength returned to his trembling legs.

    He stepped on the ground and got up. An explosive amount of strength spread through his body.

    "It seems like Balzac has obtained an even bigger strength after bing an underling of Satan."

    - Satan. Is it a being simr to the Evil God Lucifer?

    Reinald nodded.

    "There''s someone I suspect of being Satan."

    - And who''s that?

    "There was a demon who was trying to make a demon dragon his underling when I first came to this world."

    He tried to remember it. The mean and tricky way of fighting that Balzac showed¡­

    It reminded him of how that demon used to fight.

    It wasn''t just that¡­

    When Reinald received Demon King Balzac¡¯s attack, he felt a simr energy that he¡¯d sensed when he fought against that demon.

    ''I''m certain of it.''

    He remembered the demon¡¯s face¡­

    A young man with sharp eyes.

    Although he looked like a human, his real identity was that of an evil demon.

    - We cannot let him freely roam around.

    "Yes. To protect this world, we have to get rid of Satan. No matter what."

    - Fufu. To do that, you cannot copse here at this ce.

    "Of course."

    - I''m going to lend you my power. Although the price I have to pay is high¡­ I''m going to resist it if it''s for my child.

    "Thank you."

    Reinald nodded. A smile appeared on his face.

    He raised the ¡®Del Lain¡¯.

    He could see that Balzac was still holding that little girl.

    "Put your faith in the light!" He shouted. A golden light came out of ¡®Del Lain¡¯.

    Although he''d been one-sidedly hit by Balzac''s attacks after falling for his tricks, the situation had changed now that he''d received part of Tyrion''s power.

    The light that came out of ¡®Del Lain¡¯ protected the little girl.

    Balzac''s eyes trembled.

    <em>STOMP-!</em>

    He stomped on the ground.

    The impact destroyed the rocks around them, and an explosive amount of strength filled his body.

    Reinald''s body shot forward so fast that a hallucination seemed visible; he reached Balzac in the blink of an eye.

    [Ugh!]

    Balzac quickly used magic.

    A wall made of ck demonic energy appeared in front of him.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    [Cough!]

    ¡®Del Lain¡¯ hit the defensive wall. The wall of demonic energy was destroyed with just one attack.

    Balzac''s body was pushed backward.

    "Are you okay?"

    He held the girl Balzac had as a hostage.

    The girl''s expression distorted.

    Reinald put his hand on her cheek while making a worried expression.

    "Are you hurt anywhere?"

    "N-no¡­"

    She avoided looking at him. There was hesitation in her eyes.

    - Don''t move without the master''s order.

    - I know.

    She could hear Balzac''s voice. Echidna nodded while frowning.

    "I''m¡­ d."

    * * *

    Reinald seemed to be about to cry out of happiness after saving the little girl.

    A handsome blonde young man covered with golden light and a pretty girl that was in his arms¡­

    Death knights were scattered away on the ground, and a lich had copsed before him.

    Of course, the reality was different.

    ''Where do you think you''re touching?''

    Echidna twisted her body and freed herself from her arms.

    The thought that Reinald had touched her body made her feel unpleasant.

    ''KangWoo¡­''

    What she wanted wasn''t someone whose only virtue was looking good on the outside.

    The one who''d saved her from a horrible ce called loneliness¡­

    She couldn''t stand the thought that someone that wasn¡¯t him had touched her.

    "Thank you for¡­ saving me."

    But she hadn''t forgotten her role.

    Echidna bowed while blushing.

    Reinald stood up while making a proud expression.

    "Wait here, please. I''ll be done soon."

    The power Tyrion had lent himsted only for a short while.

    Once that time was up, Tyrion and he would have to pay the price for doing that.

    ''I have to get rid of Balzac before that.''

    He grabbed his sword. He stomped on the ground without hesitation and leaped toward Balzac.

    "KangWoo, can you hear me¡­?"

    As Reinald flew toward Balzac, Echidna called KangWoo while making a hard expression.

    - I can hear you.

    "Should I help Balzac? What should I do?"

    - No, remain still for the moment. Also, get away from there when I send a signal.

    "Okay."

    She didn''t say anything.

    There was no need to doubt KangWoo''s n. She just had to follow them.

    That was her role.

    Echidna cut the call. Her eyes were full of loyalty.

    * * *

    "Damn."

    A curse came out of his mouth.

    KangWoo stopped the sparring for a short while.

    "Let''s take a break."

    "Ahh! Ahh! Understood, Hyeongnim."

    Kim ShiHoon nodded while breathing heavily.

    Although Kim ShiHoon seemed tired, KangWoo hadn''t shed any sweat.

    "As expected, I''m still not a match for Hyeongnim."

    Kim ShiHoon avoided looking at him while feeling regretful. KangWoo patted his shoulder.

    "Hey. What kind of hyeongnim would I be if you''d already caught up to me?"

    "Hahaha. Just wait. I''ll eventually catch up."

    "I''ll be waiting."

    KangWoo smirked.

    His expression darkened after he turned around.

    Although he was smiling on the outside, on the inside, he wasn''t.

    ''Damn.''

    He could see Balzac through his left eye.

    After Reinald awakened, the hostage n had failed, and the situation hadpletely changed.

    The fight was one-sided.

    After Awakening, Reinald was cornering Balzac.

    He was resisting thanks to magic, but it was clear that he would lose against Reinald soon.

    ''If things go on like this, I''ll lose Balzac.''

    He frowned.

    He couldn''t let Reinald get rid of Balzac.

    ''I guess there''s nothing I can do about it.''

    KangWoo raised his head and began to think very fast.

    Although his first n had failed, it wasn''t like he didn''t have another strategy.

    ''Although it''s a bit dangerous.''

    Since things had be dangerous, he had no other choice.

    KangWoo turned to Gaia.

    "Now that I think about it, I guess Reinald should''ve received the revtion by now."

    "Ah, yes. It should already be¡­"

    "Let''s go listen to that revtion."

    KangWoo went to Reinald''s room along with Gaia and Kim ShiHoon.

    Of course, Reinald''s room was empty.

    "Where did Mr. Reinald go?" KangWoo asked while looking around.

    Kim ShiHoon was also looking.

    "Did you hear anything?"

    "No, I haven''t."

    "Wait, Hyeongnim."

    "There are traces of him hurriedly leaving somewhere."

    "Wait, then¡­"

    KangWoo looked at the traces with a hardened expression and moved toward where they led.

    The traces led them toward the room where the gate that was connected with the Grand Canyon was.

    "Hyeongnim, this¡­"

    "Damn!"

    He cursed.

    "Wh-what happened?" Gaia asked with a trembling voice.

    "It seems like he quickly went toward somewhere as soon as he received the revtion."

    "Then¡­"

    He nodded.

    "Yes. Balzac¡­ or maybe the Demon Cult, has used some sort trick to lure Mr. Reinald."

    "H-how could something like that¡­?"

    Gaia''s face turned pale.

    Seeing that Reinald had run off alone, it seemed like the situation was quite urgent.

    The thought that the new ally they''d obtained could disappear made her tremble in fear.

    No, Reinald wasn''t a simple ally.

    Because he was the apostle of a god, he had a huge strength, and he also had the blessing of that god.

    But more than that, thanks to the revtions, he might be able to provide them with information about the Demon Cult.

    The thought of losing him was horrifying.

    "I''m going to go first."

    There was no time to hesitate.

    KangWoo turned and stomped on the ground.

    "Hyeongnim!"

    "Take Ms. Gaia and follow me!"

    After saying that, KangWoo crossed the gate.

    Thanks to the Authority of Speed, KangWoo moved across the canyon at an impressive speed.

    He put on the mask while rushing through the canyon as if it were a t surface.

    He could see Reinald with his left eye.

    He reached the ce where there was an explosion of golden energy.

    "Mr. Reinald!!" KangWoo shouted toward him in a hurried voice.

    "Mr. KangWoo?"

    Reinald was surprised by KangWoo''s sudden appearance.

    "Why did youe here alone without saying anything?!"

    "I''m sorry. Something that I couldn''t say at the moment happened."

    "Just what¡ª"

    "Balzac took someone as a hostage and lured me here."

    Reinald angrily pointed toward Balzac, who was on the floor.

    "Because of that evil demon, an innocent girl was put in a dangerous situation¡­ but she''s okay now. Thanks to Mr. Tyrion''s blessing, I was able to protect this little girl."

    Reinald smiled and was about to turn around.

    "Ugh."

    Suddenly, his body lost strength.

    The golden light that was covering his body disappeared.

    It meant that the strength of the god named Tyrion had disappeared.

    He couldn''t hear Tyrion''s voice anymore.

    ''It''s okay.''

    The situation was over. The Demon King Balzac had copsed and support had arrived.

    He''d even rescued the beautiful girl he''d held as a hostage.

    "Huh?"

    The girl he''d saved was nowhere to be seen.

    Reinald turned around and tried to seek out the girl.

    "Th-the girl that Balzac held was d-definitely here¡­! Mr. K-KangWoo! Haven''t you seen a girl around this¡ª"

    <em>Stab-!</em>

    A dark-red spear pierced Reinald''s body.

    "You''re just making things too tiresome."

    KangWoo twisted the spear he''d used to pierce Reinald''s body.

    Blood poured out of him.

    "Go y being a hero in another novel."

    Heughed at him.

    "Ah, but I don''t think anyone is going to read a novel with you as a protagonist."

    ¡®Serialization canceled.¡¯

 Chapter 155: The Light is Dying (1)

    "Cough!"

    Reinald vomited blood.

    "Mr. K-KangWoo¡­?"

    He looked at KangWoo in disbelief.

    Reinald was horrified at the unexpected development of events.

    He knelt on the ground and blood continued to pour from his mouth.

    "Just why?"

    He couldn''t understand.

    He was a member of the Guardians and had received Gaia¡¯s trust.

    Although KangWoo wasn''t a Guardian chosen by a god, Reinald was sure that he was a hero. After all, he was someone who received a huge amount of support.

    But the price of such trust was high.

    He didn''t have time to defend himself.

    The dark-red spear pierced his stomach in the blink of an eye.

    He received such fatal damage that it wouldn''t be weird if he died at that moment. It was almost a miracle that he was still conscious.

    "Ugh."

    His mouth fell open, and the pain spread through his entire body.

    His consciousness became blurry.

    Reinald did his best to hold onto his consciousness. He couldn''t die there.

    "You¡­"

    "KangWoo, can Ie out now?"

    He heard a girl¡¯s voice.

    Reinald turned to the source of the sound, and his eyes widened in astonishment.

    "What the¡­?"

    He saw the girl he''d tried to save while risking his life.

    A frail-looking girl who was as pretty as a doll¡­

    The girl who''d said thanks to him with tears in her eyes was looking at him with cold eyes that didn''t show any emotion.

    No, he could see that she felt an unpleasant feeling toward him.

    "ShiHoon will soon arrive with Gaia. Leave here before that. Balzac, you too."

    [Understood, master.]

    "Yes. I''m going to do as you say."

    Echidna and Balzac nodded.

    KangWoo looked at Balzac.

    "Are you hurt?"

    [Hahaha. It isn''t light, but I have no problem with moving.]

    Balzacughed as if he was trying to prove he was okay.

    But unlike what he said, his body seemed to be in really bad shape.

    His bones had cracks everywhere, and his robes were tattered.

    A few ribs were broken, and his skull had been crushed.

    If he wasn''t a lich, he definitely would''ve died.

    No. Such damage seemed to be huge, even for a lich. He was having a hard time maintaining his bnce.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    "Don''t act as if you''re okay. Get some rest. Echidna, take Balzac."

    [Master¡­]

    Balzac trembled as if those words had moved him.

    Echidna nodded and went running toward KangWoo. He patted her hair.

    "That guy touched me. I felt really disgusted by it."

    She red at Reinald while pulling on KangWoo''s sleeves.

    Reinald couldn''t understand what was going on.

    "What''s happening¡­ Is¡­ is it a nightmare? Maybe I''m hallucinating¡­"

    He couldn''t believe what was going on.

    To Reinald, the scene was more shocking than the spear that had pierced his body.

    "It¡­ it''s dangerous. You''re being deceived by an evil demon¡­"

    He refused to believe what was happening. He extended his hand toward the girl.

    Echidna snorted while kicking his hand.

    "Hngh. Don''t insult KangWoo. He''s a way better person than you."

    ''It''s kinda embarrassing to hear that.''

    KangWoo smirked.

    ''Yes. I''m a good person.''

    He couldn''t deny Echidna''s words.

    Was there any other person who was trying to protect the world without wanting anything in exchange?

    * * *

    No one could call him evil. After all, he was trying to protect Earth from the Demon of Prophecy, Satan.

    "What does¡­?"

    Reinald was mumbling in confusion when his eyes suddenly widened.

    It seemed like he''d finally understood what was going on.

    "D-don''t tell me¡­ You were all one team?!"

    "It took you quite some time, huh?"

    KangWooughed at him.

    It was something he should''ve realized as soon as he was betrayed by him.

    ''He probably never imagined that a frail girl would deceive someone.''

    The Underdog''s dogma¡­

    It was the stereotype that made one think that the weak must always be good and the strong are probably evil.

    He would''ve never imagined that someone who looked like a frail little girl would deceive him.

    That was proof of how ancient Reinald''s mentality was.

    "D-don''t tell me¡­ you¡­"

    Reinald''s body trembled.

    His consciousness, which was bing blurry, cleared up as if lightning had hit him.

    The only being who could control Balzac and make him use such a dirty technique¡­

    There was only one being he knew that could do something like that.

    "Sa¡­ tan¡­!"

    "Huh? What nonsense are you saying?"

    KangWoo frowned as if he''d heard something unpleasant.

    ''Me, Satan?''

    He couldn''t believe Reinald wasparing him to the evil Demon of Prophecy, who was trying to destroy Earth.

    He wondered if there was an insult more unpleasant than that.

    "How dare youpare me to Satan?" KangWoo said in an angry voice.

    He was okay with everything else, but he wasn''t okay with someone calling him Satan.

    "Don''t try to act as if you aren¡¯t. You evil demon!"

    "You''re quite energetic despite having a hole in your stomach. Huh?"

    KangWoo grabbed Gungnir tighter and twisted it violently.

    "Cough!"

    The wound deepened, and a huge amount of blood poured out.

    It didn¡¯t seem like he could heal from such fatal damage, even with Tyrion''s strength.

    "Mr. T-Tyrion¡­"

    He extended his hands.

    He prayed to Tyrion once again, but a miracle couldn''t happen twice.

    Tyrion didn''t have more strength to send to him.

    "Cough!"

    He coughed up more blood.

    In the end, there was no answer from Tyrion.

    "It seems like the miracle is only going to happen once."

    KangWoo patted Reinald''s shoulder.

    "You''re being taught a lesson because you''ve lived toofortably until now."

    If a god hadn''t chosen him, he wouldn''t have gone to another world.

    KangWoo bent down.

    He extended his hand, grabbed the mask, and took it off.

    "Y-you¡­"

    Reinald''s eyes widened.

    "Ah, aah."

    It was a face he remembered¡ªa face he couldn''t forget.

    Tears dripped from Reinald''s cheeks.

    He understood everything. From the moment he first came to that world, he''d been dancing in the palms of his hands.

    He became desperate; the tears didn''t stop.

    "Well. Let me be frank. I''m sorry."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    He wouldn''t have killed Reinald if he didn''t know about him.

    He felt that Reinald was a bit old-fashioned and stupid, but he was someone good who wouldn''t hesitate to take out his sword to save the weak.

    "But still, there''s nothing I could''ve done."

    There was nothing he could''ve done about it. He didn''t have any ill feelings toward him. Theplex situation had forced him to make that decision.

    "Of course, there might have been a better way. You probably would''ve been able to understand my situation if I had exined things to you."

    It wasn''t like he hadn''t thought about that¡­

    But he couldn''t take the risk of all the trust he''d built until then crumbling.

    "Y-you motherf¡­"

    Reinald red at him.

    It was understandable.

    He couldn''t make any excuses in that situation.

    KangWoo smiled bitterly and ced his hand on Reinald¡¯s chest. The Authority of Waves concentrated in his hand.

    "I''m sorry, Reinald."

    <em>CRACK</em>-!

    The Authority of Waves that wasunched from point nk destroyed his ribcage and exploded his heart in an instant. Reinald died at that moment.

    "I''ll remember you."

    Reinald stopped breathing.

    There was a heavy silence. KangWoo ordered Echidna and Balzac to leave.

    He''d sessfully gotten rid of Reinald, but the situation wasn''t over yet.

    "Hyeongnim!!"

    He heard Kim ShiHoon''s voice, who was running toward him with Gaia in his arms.

    He saw Grace and a few other Guardians he''d never seen before following ShiHoon.

    "This¡­"

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened after seeing Reinald, who had lost his life. KangWoo was kneeling in front of his corpse.

    KangWoo lowered his head.

    "I''m¡­ sorry," He said in a low voice. He clenched his fist and hit the ground.

    <em>Crack</em>. The hard rock cracked, and traces of the fist were left in the stone.

    "Hyeongnim¡­"

    "I waste."

    It was a desperate voice. You could feel how regretful he was from the tone of it.

    "Wh-what happened, Mr. KangWoo?" Gaia asked in a trembling voice.

    KangWoo lowered his head as if he couldn''t find the words to say.

    "Ah¡­"

    A short exmation came out of Gaia''s mouth. She could tell by his atmosphere, even if he didn''t say anything¡­

    That Reinald had already lost his life.

    Her body trembled.

    "How could something like this¡­"

    She had been able to feel some hope after meeting the hero chosen by a god besides Gaia.

    She thought Reinald would be a hero capable of solving their issues.

    But that hope didn''tst even a single day and ended up crumbling.

    ¡ªBecause of an evil demon.

    "I''m sorry. If I hadn''t said anything about sparring¡­"

    "No. It isn''t Mr. KangWoo''s fault."

    Gaia shook her head. It wasn''t his fault.

    It wasn''t him who had tricked Reinald, so no one could say it was his fault.

    ''Yes!'' KangWoo eximed from within.

    He realized Gaia didn''t suspect him.

    ''Yolo!''

    He wanted to dance because of how well he''d dealt with the situation.

    It was as if all the worries he''d felt after Reinald appeared allpletely vanished.

    For a moment, he felt guilty about having killed him, but there was nothing else he could''ve done in that situation.

    ''Good. Now I only have to finish things off well.''

    The final touches were the most important part of anything.

    "So we''ve lost another hero," Gaia said in a sad voice.

    "Yes."

    KangWoo raised his head. The sky, shining with a golden light, began to dim.

    "The light¡­ is dying."

    A single tear ran down his cheek.

 Chapter 156: Hero Gods Blessing (1)

    "Hyeongnim¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon looked at KangWoo, who was tearing up, with aplex expression.

    KangWoo was looking at the lifeless body of Reinald while grabbing his heart. His head was lowered, and his eyes looked serious.

    "Don''t be sad, Mr. KangWoo."

    Gaia took a step forward. She ced her hand on top of KangWoo''s shoulders.

    "The light isn''t dead yet."

    She raised her head along with KangWoo.

    The sky had suddenly turned dark.

    No, it wasn''t just the sky. After the Gaia System became messed up, she''d lost her sight. Because of that, to her, the world was always dark.

    But¡­

    "Look. Mr. KangWoo."

    She extended her hand toward the sky. She couldn''t see, but she knew it¡­

    That there were lots of stars in the night sky.

    "It isn''t over yet, Mr. KangWoo. As long as members of the heroes who are trying to save Earth, the Guardians, survive, the light isn''t dead."

    "Ms. Gaia¡­"

    ''Woah. What a dialogue.''

    To be honest, it was a bit cringey.

    ¡­But he couldn''t look ufortable at that moment.

    KangWoo stood up while nodding.

    "Yes. Ms. Gaia, you''re right."

    He looked at the countless stars in the sky.

    It was a solemn look and atmosphere.

    ''Here.''

    Ehem. He cleared up his voice.

    He needed to look as if he were really sad about Reinald''s death.

    "The light¡­ Isn''t dead yet. I won''t let it die," he said with a wet voice.

    ''Ahh! This is it!''

    It was the look of a hero standing up after oveing pain.

    KangWoo, who stood up in the middle of the starlight, looked as much like a hero as Reinald.

    "Yes. I believe in you. Mr. KangWoo."

    "Hyeongnim¡­"

    Gaia smiled, and Kim ShiHoon was tearing up.

    It seemed like the other members of the Guardians were moved as well.

    ''Yes. This makes it worth all the effort.''

    Although it was cringey, it was worth the cringe.

    He could feel absolute trust from Gaia. No. It seemed like it was admiration, just like Kim ShiHoon.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    The process wasn''t simple, but the result was positive.

    He was able to ovee a crisis from which his identity could have been revealed, and trust in him had increased.

    ''This is all thanks to the good deeds I''ve done in my daily life!''

    He didn''t hesitate to get his hands dirty if it were for the love of his little brother.

    Maybe it was obvious that such good actions would increase the trust others had in him.

    KangWoo knelt on one leg and ced his hand on Reinald''s corpse.

    Although he had died, his eyes were wide open.

    "I hope you can rest."

    KangWoo gently shut Reinald''s eyelids. He wished for him to rest in peace.

    "I won''t forget you, Reinald."

    ''Let''s not see each other ever again, bastard.''

    He was already having a headache dealing with the Demon Cult and Satan, who were doing evil deeds on Earth.

    If the Ernor Continent got added on top of that, the situation would be too troublesome.

    "Let''s re¡ª"

    <em>PAAFF-!!</em>

    He was about to say they should return when golden light began pouring out from Del Lain, Reinald''s sword.

    "What''s going on?"

    It was obvious that KangWoo''s expression would distort.

    He thought the situation had been resolved with Reinald''s death, but things started to get messed up once more.

    [Hero God Tyrion is angry!]

    - Who dares kill my child?!!

    "Ugh!"

    "KYAA!"

    A storm-like voice resounded in their heads.

    Their eyes shook at the huge energy.

    - I asked who killed my child!!

    It was a voice filled with anger. A huge amount of golden energy flowed around Del Lain.

    ''Hero God Tyrion¡­''

    KangWoo''s expression hardened. He could understand why he had the title of ''god.''

    Although he was pouring out his strength while using a sword as a medium, his strength was overwhelming.

    "Mr. Tyrion, please calm down."

    - You''re a daughter of Gaia? Do you happen to know who killed my child?

    <em>Whir</em>. Golden light flickered from Del Lain.

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed while listening to Tyrion''s words.

    ''Wait¡­''

    He was desperately asking who killed Reinald.

    ''Don''t tell me¡­ Does he not know the details of what happened?''

    There was a high chance that was the case.

    If he''d seen everything that happened with Reinald, he should¡¯ve known that he was stabbed by KangWoo''s spear.

    ''Good. It seems like I was able to dodge the worst situation.''

    The worst situation was, of course, Mr. Tyrion pointing him out as the culprit.

    If that happened, even KangWoo would be in trouble.

    ''If he doesn''t know what happened here¡­''

    He couldn''t stay still.

    "The one who killed Reinald was Demon King Balzac."

    - No, it wasn¡¯t him. If it were Balzac, I''m sure I would''ve been able to feel it.

    Tyrion denied his words.

    ''It seems like Balzac isn''t an option.''

    After all, there was a real demon on Earth that was using Balzac as an underling¡­

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan.

    * * *

    "Then I''m sure it was Satan."

    KangWoo didn''t need to say that.

    Gaia said it instead of him.

    - Satan.

    <em>Whir.</em> Del Lain began vibrating.

    - I see. So it was Satan. As expected, that evil demon took away my child''s life!

    "Ugh!"

    There was an explosion of golden light, and the members of the Guardians were overwhelmed by the strength of it.

    [Tyrion''s anger is directed toward ''Satan''!]

    ''Nice!''

    He clenched his fists in celebration.

    ''As expected. Thanks, Satan!''

    At that point, you could say Satan was an all-around cheat.

    Satan, the Demon of Prophecy, had even made a god from another world angry.

    - Subordinates of Gaia, are you also fighting against that evil demon?

    "Of course. Getting rid of the Demon of Prophecy, Satan, is our goal," KangWoo replied.

    You could see the determination in his eyes. There was no hesitation in his voice.

    The sword sympathized with how just he looked.

    - I''m going to lend you my strength! Even if my body disappears because of it!

    [Warning. An excessive involvement of the Hero God Tyrion has been detected. No further intervention is possible.]

    A message window appeared in front of them.

    - UGH!

    They could feel the pain in Tyrion''s voice.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    The System¡­

    It had created the yers, and thanks to something called stats, it could create power out of nothing.

    ''Now that I think about it, Gaia said that, although it was restrictive, she used to be able to interfere with the system a little bit.''

    If those that received a god''s strength could interfere with the system, it wasn''t weird that the god who gave them the strength in the first ce could do that.

    ''It seems not even gods can intervene in the system without consequences.''

    He could more or less tell that by hearing Tyrion''s pain-filled voice.

    He wasn''t sure what the system was or how it worked¡­

    He wasn''t even sure if the Gaia System that had created the yers was the same one as the one that had been damaged because of Satan, the Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡­But it wasn''t hard to understand the current situation.

    Tyrion wanted to give part of his strength to the members of the Guardians¡ªeven if he ended up burning away his life because of that.

    "Mr. Tyrion! A hero god like you mustn''t disappear!" KangWoo shouted hurriedly.

    Of course, his inner thoughts were different.

    ''Just vomit your strength and disappear.''

    Who cares if Tyrion disappeared?

    No, he was the one who threw Reinald to him, so it would be better if he disappeared as soon as possible.

    "How could you sacrifice for mere mortals like us? You mustn''t do that."

    - No! My will is firm!

    "Mr. Tyrion!"

    ''Yes. I knew you were more likely to do it if I said you couldn¡¯t.''

    Was that a characteristic of heroes? The more you tried to stop them, the more passionate they became about doing it.

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    KangWoo stood up while wiping his tears.

    "If that''s the will of a god, we''re going to follow it," he said with a firm voice and intense eyes.

    "I swear it in the name of Gaia. We''re going to make sure Reinald''s sacrifice wasn''t for nothing. We''re going to get rid of Satan, the Demon of Prophecy, his underling, Balzac, and save the world!"

    Tyrion reacted to his intense voice.

    - What''s your name?

    The golden light that flowed out from Del Lain surrounded KangWoo''s body.

    KangWoo knelt on one knee as if he were a knight swearing loyalty to a king.

    "My name is Oh KangWoo."

    - Hmm. I can feel from you a strength I can''t exin.

    KangWoo''s body flinched.

    ''Don''t tell me he feets the Ten Thousand Demon Core.''

    If he had, he would have to change ns.

    "Although KangWoo wasn''t chosen as a Guardian, he has be stronger than anyone based on his own efforts. I''m sure that what you''re feeling is Hyeongnim''s strong will."

    Gaia agreed with Kim ShiHoon''s words.

    "That''s true. Mr. KangWoo is more just and heroic than anyone I''ve seen until now. He was the first one that moved after Mr. Reinald disappeared and the one who was the saddest about his death."

    A Guardian and Gaia''s apostle talked in his favor.

    ''I love you guys!''

    It was the support of the couple he''d helped unite by working as cupid.

    KangWoo clenched both fists.

    - I see. So you were the first one to move and the one who was saddened the most by my child¡¯s death.

    They were able to convince Tyrion, who was prepared to die to avenge the death of his child, Reinald.

    Gaia''s word, since she was also an apostle of a god just like Reinald, was decisive.

    When Tyrion heard her words, Del Lain''s golden light fluttered intensely.

    Just as Gaia trusted Reinald because they were both the apostles of a god, it seemed like Tyrion also trusted Gaia quite a lot.

    - Good. I''ll choose you to take over the role of ¡®hero¡¯.

    ''Yolo!''

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    Golden light poured out of Del Lain.

    - Please, use my strength for justice.

    Tyrion, who was prepared to die, spoke in a serious voice.

    "I will devote myself to the light!" KangWoo shouted in a firm voice.

    An intense light poured into KangWoo.

    <em>- Ting.</em>

    [You''ve received the blessing of the ''Hero God.'']

    [Because of over-interference with the system, the Hero God Tyrion''s divinity will disappear.]

    There was an intense light that made it hard to keep their eyes open.

    The moment an explosive amount of energy entered KangWoo''s body, he became ''connected'' with Tyrion.

    - W-wait¡­

    Before disappearing, Tyrion shouted in astonishment.

    Since he was connected with KangWoo, other people couldn''t hear his voice.

    - Th-this is! The D-Demonic Energy Sea! Don''t tell me you''re the owner of the Demonic Energy Sea!!

    A voice rang in his head.

    It seemed like he''d finally realized KangWoo''s identity.

    ''It''s already toote.''

    He could feel Tyrion''s voice getting weaker.

    That meant he was about to disappear.

    - You motherfucker!! Y-you!! It was you who killed my child!! Aah, how?! How could something like this¡­?!

    KangWoo smiled.

    ''Don''t be too sad. Just like you''ve said, I''ll kill Satan with my own hands.''

    - Nonsense! If you aren''t Satan, then who is?!

    ''It''s too long to exin. Anyway, you don''t have to worry about anything. Just disappear. I''ll protect the world.''

    - YOOUU!!

    Tyrion''s scream spread through his head.

    ''Who said you should pick me?''

    KangWoo couldn''t hold back theughter anymore.

    ''You''re dumb for having been deceived.''

    KangWooughed.

 Chapter 157: Hero Gods Blessing (2)

    - YOU BASTAARRDD!!

    Tyrion''s shout spread through his head.

    Although the voice was filled with anger, the tone was quite low since Tyrion had weakened to the point of vanishing.

    ''Go back and rest.''

    KangWoo made a fishy smile.

    - Ugh! I must inform Mikael¡­!

    ''Who''s Mikael?''

    He frowned.

    It wasn''t that he hadn''t heard that name before.

    It was the name of one of the four archangels along with Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel.

    ''Is Tyrion rted to Heaven?''

    On top of that, he talked about Mikael as if he were his superior.

    ''Do archangels have a higher authority than a god?''

    He couldn''t easily understand what was going on.

    Common sense said that angels had a lower hierarchy than gods.

    He frowned at the unexpected development of events.

    ''I cannot let him contact him.''

    He knew that he would figure out his identity when he epted Tyrion''s blessing¡­

    But he had epted anyway because Tyrion would vanish regardless.

    He couldn''t let him talk around about his identity.

    <em>Whir!</em>

    He used the Authority of Predation on the strength he''d obtained from Tyrion.

    The golden energy started to be devoured by the darkness.

    - Ah...

    As he started using the Authority of Predation, Tyrion began disappearing at a faster pace.

    ''Just disappear.''

    He was starting to get annoyed by Tyrion.

    He thought that Tyrion would disappear as soon as he epted his strength, but he was wrong.

    - Ugh! N-no! I cannot give my strength to an evil demon!

    Tyrion''s shouted as if it were hisst effort.

    The golden energy within KangWoo''s body started to flutter.

    "Ugh!"

    KangWoo frowned after feeling the energy inside him flutter.

    A strong pain spread through his body.

    ''You bastard...!''

    He bit his lip. He did his best to not lose his mind to the pain.

    - Is¡­ Is it up to here?

    Tyrion''s voice was so low that it was hard to hear him. Then, the connection with him was cut.

    It seemed like he''dpletely disappeared.

    But¡­

    "Ugh!"

    <em>WHIR!</em>

    Golden energy pierced through KangWoo''s skin and burst out.

    It was Tyrion''sst effort¡ªhe''d exploded his strength so KangWoo wouldn''t be able to take it.

    ''Damn.''

    It was a mind-boggling pain.

    Tyrion''s energy fluttered within his body. It was a body-tearing, painful sensation.

    It was as if he''d drunk a cup of water with razor des inside.

    ''Fuck, I shouldn''t have cheated.''

    If he knew he would feel such pain, he would''ve given the strength to Kim ShiHoon.

    He was paying the price for having scammed a hero god.

    ''You said he would extinguish immediately.''

    He felt resentment toward the system''s message window.

    "Woah!"

    "Hyeongnim..."

    Kim ShiHoon and the other Guardians eximed in surprise and admiration.

    From the outside, it seemed like KangWoo was awakening after receiving the power of a god.

    "As expected of KangWoo. To think you''d ept so easily the strength of a hero god..."

    ''No, that''s not the case, ShiHoon.''

    "I admire you, Hyeongnim."

    ''It hurts too much.''

    "Compared to Hyeongnim... I am greatlycking."

    ''Save me.''

    He asked Kim ShiHoon for some help in his head, but it seemed like he wasn''t able to hear it.

    KangWoo felt he was about to lose his mind in that situation where he couldn''tugh or cry.

    ''It hurts so fucking much.''

    He was used to suffering from pain.

    ¡ªHe could even smile while his skin was being cut.

    Despite that, he was having a hard time withstanding it.

    A normal person would''ve already died after feeling pain that was as if his entire body was cut into pieces.

    ''Damn.''

    He couldn''t keep regretting it.

    KangWoo closed his eyes and tried to restrict Tyrion''s strength.

    ¡ªBut that didn''tst long.

    ''I can''t control it.''

    It was too different from the strength he''d used up to that point.

    It was as if he''d put electricity into a car that ran on petrol.

    It was fundamentally too different from petrol, so restraining it was impossible.

    ''Then¡­''

    He clenched his fist.

    If he couldn''t restrict it, he had no choice but to devour it.

    The magic inside his blood rose.

    KangWoo turned his head while he struggled.

    Even though Tyrion had disappeared, he could still see the sword Del Lain shining while emitting a golden light.

    ''Authority of Predation.''

    ck energy appeared and surrounded Del Lain.

    The golden light resisted the Authority of Predation.

    ¡­But he ignored those efforts. Like a predator who forcibly devoured struggling prey, he covered that energy with the Authority of Predation.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Using the Attribute ''Mana-craving Demon.'']

    [Warning. There''s a different energy mixed in this Mana. You can''t fully turn it into demonic energy.]

    [Will you still proceed?]

    ''Who cares about that?''

    He didn''t care if he could or couldn''t fully absorb its strength. He felt that his body was about to explode.

    He was starting to regret epting Tyrion''s strength, so he had no mental space to worry about things like that.

    He focused and used the Authority of Predation to an extreme.

    <em>Whir-!</em>

    "Cough."

    Tyrion''s energy fluctuated as if he were about to have a seizure.

    His skin was torn apart, and ck blood leaked from his body.

    As ck blood started pouring out from the cut skin, one of the Guardians shouted.

    "Th-this is Transformation!"

    ''No, it isn''t.''

    "Woah!"

    ''It hurts, you motherfuckers, so don''t just stand there doing nothing. Please use some healing magic.''

    "Seeing that ck blood ising out, it looks like the body is expelling the waste from inside."

    ''My blood is ck.''

    Kim ShiHoon nodded.

    "It''s definitely Transformation. Everyone, please watch the surroundings. Hyeongnim''s body could be in danger if he receives even a small impact."

    ''Hey, ShiHoon, please save me.''

    "Sh-shouldn''t we do something?"

    ''Healing magic...''

    * * *

    "No. That''s a wound formed from the reconstruction of his body."

    ''Use some healing magic on me, you bastard.''

    He couldn''t expect to receive healing magic due to what ShiHoon said.

    At that moment, he felt resentment toward Kim ShiHoon.

    ''AARRGGHH.''

    Since he couldn''t expect to receive healing magic, he would have to absorb Tyrion''s energy as quickly as possible.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve seeded in absorbing part of the Hero God Tyrion''s energy.]

    [Releasing the energy that wasn''t able to be converted.]

    BOOM-!!

    The surface shook.

    A blinding light swept the surroundings.

    "Woah."

    The Guardians eximed in surprise after feeling the holy energy.

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 4.]

    [The quality of the stat has increased, and a section of the passage that leads to the ''Deeper'' part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core has be active.]

    [To fully use it, you must first fulfill the conditions for ''Demonic Soul.'']

    [You''ve reached the maximum of a stat you can have at the moment. Your stat will increase once you fulfill the 1st condition of ''Demonic Soul'' or your leveling up restriction is lifted.]

    Even if he''d absorbed only a part of it, he''d still absorbed the energy of a god.

    His stat reached 129, and he felt a huge strength flowing through his body.

    Tyrion''s sword, ''Del Lain,'' turned into dust and scattered away.

    The golden dust that covered their surroundings was a superb view.

    A brilliant light that seemed to dispel the darkness rose.

    "Haa, Haa!"

    "Hyeongnim!"

    "Mr. KangWoo!"

    KangWoo bent his body while breathing heavily.

    Gaia, Kim ShiHoon, and the other Guardians went running toward him.

    ''Fuck.''

    The pain stopped. Besides that, as a reward for having absorbed the power of a god, he''d obtained a huge reward.

    ''I thought I would die.''

    Although he was used to pain, he¡¯d struggled so much that he¡¯d almost lost his mind. It wasn''t that the impact of having gone through such pain would suddenly disappear.

    On top of that¡­

    ''ShiHoon, I''m disappointed by you.''

    He knew why Kim ShiHoon had said they shouldn''t use healing magic on him.

    To be honest, he would''ve also thought he was going through Transformation if he''d seen what happened from the outside.

    He knew that, but he couldn''t help but feel disappointed.

    Human emotions were quiteplex, after all.

    "I''m d, Hyeongnim."

    "..."

    "Hyeongnim? Did something happen?" Kim ShiHoon asked, worried after seeing his hardened face.

    KangWoo turned his face away.

    "I don''t know."

    ''How could you do that to me?''

    "H-hyeongnim¡­ What''s wrong?"

    "It''s nothing."

    ''I''ve done so much for you; yet...''

    "Your expression says otherwise."

    KangWoo walked past Kim ShiHoon.

    "H-hyeongnim!"

    Kim ShiHoon hurriedly followed him.

    KangWoo snorted.

    ''Hyeong is angry with you.''

    * * *

    All of the Guardians returned to the Grand Canyon.

    Inside the canyon, which had a sullen atmosphere, a small fissure was formed.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    It was a fissure that had a ck and blue color.

    A ck arm emerged from the fissure.

    <em>CRACK-!!</em>

    The fissure widened, and a ck figure pulled itself out.

    He had two horns and bat wings. His tail was long, and his body was muscr.

    He had yellow eyes, and his pupils were torn horizontally.

    A breathtakingly thick demonic energy came out of him.

    "Is this the ce called Earth that Mr. Lucifer talked about?"

    "Malphas, can you see anything around?"

    "No. I can''t see anything around here."

    "Hmm. Father said that there are a lot of humans living in this world."

    Three demons appeared from the fissure.

    The three demons that couldn''t be distinguished based on their appearance looked around the canyon.

    "Well. I guess we''ll soon figure it out."

    "There''s no way Mr. Lucifer lied to us."

    The names of the three demons were Phenex, Malphas, and Halphas.

    They turned around and bowed toward the fissure.

    "Glory to Lucifer."

    The three demons bowed to their owner, the Demon God, Lucifer.

    Halphas took a step forward.

    He grabbed some sand with his hands.

    "I can feel Tyrion''s energy."

    "So it''s true that Tyrion died."

    "Tsk. Who cares about a low-ranking god disappearing?"

    "Yes. What matters is the being that made him disappear."

    Halphas raised his head. He remembered their owner, Lucifer''s order.

    - Find him.

    "Let''s move."

    "Where should we start?"

    "I heard that Gaia''s underlings are on this world. They should have more information."

    "Can we kill them?"

    "She''s a god of ''that camp.'' I''m sure it won''t matter if we kill them."

    "Isn''t Gaia a high-ranking god?"

    "Hngh. Are you scared of killing an underling of a half-dead god?"

    "No way."

    The three demons looked at each other.

    "Then let''s go."

    They opened their wings simultaneously. The three demons rose toward the dark sky.

    They had gone to that faraway world after receiving Lucifer¡¯s orders for one reason¡­

    "Even if Tyrion was a low-ranking god... To think that he''d managed to get rid of him. How impressive."

    "If he weren''t impressive, there would be no reason for us to find him."

    "That''s true."

    "He''s probably going to be of great help to Mr. Lucifer''s ns."

    The three demons let out grimughs.

    "Satan¡­"

    "Let''s find him."

    They had gone to Earth to find the Demon of Prophecy, Satan.

 Chapter 158: Hero Kim ShiHoon (1)

    A week passed after Reinald died at the hands of the Demon of Prophecy.

    The Guardians left the sadness behind, and everyone returned to their routines of investigating the Demon Cult andpleting all sorts of missions.

    The missions the Guardians took were rted to investigating the Demon Cult, eliminating the monsters that walked out of the gates, and all sorts of rescue missions around the world.

    "You want me to go to Latin America?"

    "Yes."

    KangWoo fell into his thoughts.

    Gaia kept exining.

    "A group of indigenous people that have remained in thosends has been attacked recently by monsters. They asked for help from the USA, but there are many refugees, and they''re spread out, so they''recking personnel. I want Mr. KangWoo and ShiHoon to help the indigenous people of thosends reach the US soldiers."

    Although most countries in Latin America and the Middle-east had copsed, it wasn''t that no one lived there anymore.

    Countries like Argentina and Brazil were countries in name only, but there were still many people that lived in those countries that were trying to rebuild them from the ground.

    When a nuclear power nt exploded in Japan due to a huge earthquake in the past, many people remained in that area, so it wasn''t weird that some people still lived in a territory that had be infested by monsters.

    ''I really don''t want to.''

    He didn''t care that there were people living in a dangerous area¡ªthat was a decision they''d made on their own.

    No, even if they had no other choice, KangWoo had no reason to save them.

    ''I didn¡¯t do this to y at being a hero¡­''

    He just wanted to defend Earth from beings that belong to other dimensions.

    KangWoo was doing it because of his own personal ambitions.

    If civilization weren''t on the verge of copsing, he wouldn''t need to go around pretending to be a hero.

    ''On top of that, they¡¯re citizens of a country that has copsed.''

    Even if they died, the situation in the world wouldn''t change.

    Although incidents around the world had increased, people had epted it as something inevitable.

    It was a cruel thought in a humanitarian sense, but KangWoo didn''t think about things like that in the first ce.

    ''Well, maybe it would be different if they died in front of me.''

    How humanitarian someone could be was often influenced by whether they could see it or not.

    Someone dying of hunger in front of you was more shocking than the news that hundreds of thousands of people on the other side of the world had died from starvation.

    He would save them if he could, but he didn''t feel the need to make an effort to save people.

    ¡ªThat was how much morality KangWoo had left.

    ''It isn''t that I have something to gain, either.''

    He''d been able to grow exponentially after absorbing Tyrion¡¯s power.

    The biggest change was that he could use a bit of the demonic energy that was in the deepest part of the Demonic Energy Sea.

    ''The best part is that the number of Authorities I can use has increased.''

    There were many Authorities he couldn''t use unless he used demonic energy from the deepest part of the Sea.

    No. In reality, most of the Authorities that belonged to Great Demons could only be used with demonic energy from the deepest part.

    ¡­But he couldn''t be content with just that.

    He still had a long way to go before he could win a fight against the archdukes.

    ''I also need to be careful of Mikael.''

    He didn''t have time to hang around saving people.

    "Of course, I know this was a dangerous task."

    It seemed like Gaia noticed that KangWoo didn''t like the idea that much.

    "But you could go with Mr. ShiHoon, and if you need, we can send you more members as support¡­"

    "Ah, it isn''t because of the danger," He answered firmly.

    He wasn''t lying.

    Saving people that live in areas infested by monsters¡­

    Leaving the tasks rted to the Demon Cult aside, it was one of the most dangerous missions. No, the average task rted to the Demon Cult wasn''t as dangerous as that.

    Still, he wasn¡¯t too worried about it.

    After his Demonic Energy stat reached 129, KangWoo obtained a strength that was above a great demon, so to him, it wasn''t a hard task.

    "Hmm."

    He crossed his arms and fell into thought.

    It was true that he didn''t want to do it, but it wasn''t like he had something else to do.

    ''The Demon Cult still hasn¡¯t moved.''

    Since his stat growth had been blocked, absorbing the souls of demons and fulfilling the 1st condition of ''Demonic Soul'' was his priority.

    But the problem was that there weren''t any demons.

    Unlike other yers, he didn''t need to train, so he had even fewer things to do.

    ''Should I y being the hero?''

    Gaia, Kim ShiHoon, and the other Guardians thought of him as someone who had inherited the power and will of the Hero God.

    It didn''t matter if it was true or not. He had to show himself doing some heroic things from time to time.

    ''There''s also a chance the recent increase of attacks is because of the Demon Cult.''

    He thought that ying the hero while investigating their movements might not be a bad idea.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Yes, I''m going to take that mission."

    "Ah! Thank you, Mr. KangWoo."

    Gaia smiled brightly.

    Although she looked very frail, her bright smile had something that could stimte the hearts of all men.

    ''ShiHoon, you should be thankful to me.''

    He felt guilty for having gotten rid of the innocent Reinald for the sake of Kim ShiHoon''s love, but after seeing things develop like that, he was kind of proud.

    ''But why hasn''t that guy appeared recently?''

    He had heard that Shihoon had gone to another ce in order to train.

    They''d met in the Hall of Protection a few times, but they''d only exchanged simple greetings.

    He felt that Kim ShiHoon was avoiding him.

    ''Don''t tell me it''s because of that?''

    When Tyrion''s power entered his body¡­

    KangWoo had treated him coldly because Kim ShiHoon hadn''t realized the pain he was going through.

    "Then I''m going to prepare a ne for you. Mr. KangWoo, can you ry the mission to Guardian Kim ShiHoon?"

    "Ah. Yes, of course."

    "Guardian Kim ShiHoon has been looking down recently¡­ so try to ask him what''s wrong," Gaia said in a worried voice.

    KangWoo nodded. He was nning to do that anyway.

    ''ShiHoon, it isn''t because of that, right?''

    He began walking faster in search of ShiHoon.

    * * *

    Kim ShiHoon was in a training room located in the Hall of Protection.

    As KangWoo walked there, he heard an explosion.

    <em>Click-</em>

    <em>Stomp-! m! Boom!</em>

    "Haa! Haa! Haaa!"

    Kim ShiHoon was swinging his sword toward a practice scarecrow.

    The scarecrow, which had been made using a special magic, was tattered like a mop.

    "ShiHoon."

    "H,-hyeongnim?"

    As KangWoo entered the room, Kim ShiHoon''s expression hardened. He kept talking while avoiding looking at him.

    "Did something happen?"

    "There''s something I wanted to talk about with you."

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent.

    KangWoo looked at him quietly and then opened his mouth.

    "Let''s move to a quieter ce."

    "Hyeongnim?"

    He''d dragged Kim ShiHoon to the rooftop of the apartment where he lived.

    As expected from an expensive building, the view from the rooftop was beautiful.

    KangWoo leaned on the railing.

    "Did something happen recently?"

    "¡­"

    "If it''s because of how I¡ª"

    "No. This isn''t because of Hyeognim."

    Kim ShiShoon stood next to KangWoo while smiling bitterly.

    "This is my problem¡­"

    His voice had a sense of loneliness.

    "Then¡­ what''s wrong?"

    "¡­"

    There was a short silence.

    * * *

    After thinking about it for a while, Kim ShiHoon opened his mouth.

    "Do you remember when Mr. Reinald died?"

    "Yes."

    "Well, the truth is¡­"

    He bit his lip and clenched his fists. The railing bent below his grip.

    Kim ShiHoon kept talking in a trembling voice.

    "To be honest, I felt relieved."

    ''Oh, so it was because of that.''

    KangWoo smirked.

    He felt disgusted at himself after feeling relieved that his rival had disappeared.

    It was a Kim ShiHoon-like worry.

    "Don''t worry. It''s normal for humans to feel like that."

    "But, Hyeongnim, you aren''t like that."

    "Not really. If I were in your ce, I would''ve danced."

    "Hahaha."

    Kim ShiHoonughed at hismentary. He probably thought he was joking.

    ''But it isn''t a joke.''

    If it were KangWoo, he would''ve probably danced with happiness,

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon and opened his mouth.

    "Let me ask you something."

    "What is it¡­?"

    "You¡­ why are you so strict with yourself?"

    He''d been wondering about that for quite some time.

    To be more precise, it was from when he saw Kim ShiHoon standing up for Alec while putting his life on the line.

    ''It¡¯s too unnatural to call it a personality trait.''

    Even if he''d listened to his words, Kim ShiHoon could cut the people that had turned into demonic monsters without hesitating.

    That was something Alec or Reinald couldn''t do.

    Kim ShiHoon wasn''t like them but was trying to be like them.

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    Kim ShiHoon narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.

    There was silence.

    "Haha. As expected, I cannot hide things from Hyeongnim."

    Kim ShiHoonughed lightly.

    "When I was a kid¡­ There''s something I heard from my mother."

    Kim ShiHoon looked up to the sky with sad eyes.

    "I''m sorry for giving birth to you."

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon clenched his fists.

    "I really hated those words. I hated them so much that I couldn''t stand hearing it."

    "But¡­"

    "Yes. Of course, she probably doesn''t think like that anymore. No. She probably can''t even remember that she said that to me before."

    He kept talking in a pent-up voice.

    "But that isn''t something I''ve achieved. It isn''t a result I obtained with my hands. I was saved by Hyeongnim."

    He spoke in an intense voice.

    "I wanted to be like Hyeongnim and be of help to those that suffered just like my past self so that¡­ I could say I did it myself."

    ¡°¡­¡±

    "That''s why I can''t stand this selfish self."

    Kim ShiHoon finished talking.

    KangWoo sighed.

    ''Savior.''

    He felt like he finally learned about the human called ''Kim ShiHoon.''

    He didn''t want to be a hero, he didn''t want to receive people''s admiration and cry about justice¡­

    He just wanted to extend a hand to those in need¡­

    So he could be confident about himself.

    ''How dumb''

    KangWoo frowned.

    In a sense, he was dumber than Alec.

    It was a more frustrating, annoying, and childish thought.

    Trying to help other people ovee a childhood trauma was something only someone with middle-school syndrome would think of.

    It was a way of thinking KangWoo couldn''t understand.

    But¡­

    <em>Tap-</em>

    ¡°Hyeongnim?¡±

    He ced his hands on Kim ShiHoon''s head and messed up his hair.

    "Agh! Wh-why are you doing this? Hyeongnim?!"

    "Haa¡­"

    He couldn''t help but sigh.

    He smirked after seeing ShiHoon¡¯s confused look.

    "Fuck. I became quite nd."

    At that moment, he was cheering Kim ShiHoon up.

    It wasn''t because he had something to gain. He also didn¡¯t understand it; he just wanted to see him seed.

    It was a look that didn''t suit him.

    ''It makes me want to vomit.''

    He felt like it was cringe¡­

    But it wasn''t a bad feeling.

    "Hyeongnim¡­?"

    "Let''s go."

    "Wh-where?"

    He patted Kim ShiHoon''s head while smiling.

    "To save people."

 Chapter 159: Hero Kim ShiHoon (2)

    "We''re going to separate into three groups."

    KangWoo, Kim ShiHoon, Han Seol-ah, Echidna, Chae YeonJoo, Kang TaeSoo, Baek HwaYeon, Goo HyeonMo, Cheon SoYeon, and Cheon MooJin.

    Since he''d started, KangWoo decided to drag in as many people as possible and went to Latin America.

    Theynded in the country that was at the top of the continent, Venezu.

    Most of the Latin American countries had copsed after the Cataclysmic Day, but Venezu was the exception.

    It wasn''t because Venezu was a strong country or had an amazing yer¡­

    It was thanks to the USA.

    The USA was using Venezu as a base to eliminate the monsters in Latin America; they were also nning to recover the rest of the Earth.

    ''Of course, they aren¡¯t doing it for selfless reasons.''

    It was obvious, but the reason why the USA was working so hard to take back the countries that monsters had invaded wasn''t that they were selfless.

    On the outside, they said it was for world peace or the advancement of humanity, but everyone knew that, in reality, that was to maintain the title of ''strongest country.''

    ''Well, leaving the reasons aside, it''s true that they''re helpful.''

    If the USA wasn¡¯t around, they wouldn''t have been able to start the job of trying to reconquer the world.

    China, Korea, and other countries had also begun trying to reconquer the world after being influenced by them.

    "We have ten people, so isn''t it too much to divide the groups into three?" Chae YeonJoo asked.

    KangWoo shook his head.

    "The main forces is going to be the army from the US. The indigenous people are scattered around, so moving together won''t be very effective."

    Most of the people remaining in Latin American countries were indigenous people that lived in small towns. When monsters attacked them, they left their towns and escaped from them.

    They were basically living as refugees.

    That''s why saving them wasn''t easy.

    "Then¡­ how are you going to divide the groups?"

    "Judging from the situation, we should divide into groups that focus on hunting monsters and groups focused on guiding the refugees to the US troops," Cheon SooYeon, who was looking at documents, answered.

    Those two were coborating with China and Japan to recover the Middle-east, but after receiving KangWoo''s call, they¡¯d epted since they thought it might be of help to them to learn and have as a reference for the future.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Then, with Mr. Cheon MooJin as a center, SooYeon, Mr. Goo HyeonMo, HwaYeon, and YeonJoo¡­ please be in charge of eliminating the monsters. ShiHoon, you take Seol-ah and TaeSoo, save the indigenous people, and take them to the US soldiers."

    "What about you, Hyeongnim?"

    "I''m going to wander around with Echidna and eliminate monsters, but we''re also going to try to find traces of the Demon Cult."

    "Ah."

    "Do you think this incident might be rted to the Demon Cult?" Han Seol-ah asked.

    KangWoo shrugged.

    "I''m not sure, but if there were sudden attacks of monsters out of the blue in session, it might be worth investigating."

    "Is¡­ isn''t it dangerous?"

    Han Seol-ah grabbed his arm while making a worried expression.

    KangWoo was about to smile but let out a fake cough.

    "Ehem. Well, I''m not going to do anything dangerous, so don''t worry."

    Judging from the number of people, KangWoo and Echidna might look like the ones that were the most exposed to danger, but that wasn''t necessarily the case.

    It had been quite some time since KangWoo''s strength had reached a point that couldn''t bepared to other humans on Earth.

    The only way he''d be in trouble was if an archduke appeared on Earth.

    "Mr. Cheon MooJin¡¯s group is probably the one that''s going to be exposed to the most danger. Oh yeah, if something happens, send me a message. Everyone has the nes Echidna gave you, right? They have trantion and localization magic, so don''t lose them."

    "You don''t need to worry about things like that," Chae YeonJoo snorted and turned around.

    Baek HwaYeon smiled bitterly, "I hope you understand that this is all because she isn''t in the same group as you¡­" she said in a low voice.

    "Baek HwaYeon!!"

    "Oops. Hahaha. Then we''ll be going."

    Cheon MooJin''s group was the first one to move.

    KangWoo approached Han Seol-ah.

    "I heard they were ambushed by monsters, so there are probably a lot of people that were injured."

    "Yes."

    "Don''t heal every injured person. Focus only on those in a bad state and lead them to where the US soldiers are. Take a break when you use half of your mana and focus on refilling it."

    "Fufu. You''re telling me to save up mana just in case, right? You don''t need to tell me that kind of thing anymore."

    Han Seol-ah nodded while smiling brightly.

    "ShiHoon and TaeSoo, if there''s conflict among the people, try to stop them. If there''s a monster trying to ambush the people, stop them. And make sure Seol-ah doesn''t get hurt."

    "Haha! Just believe in me, Hyeongnim! I''m going to make sure no one touches sister-inw!"

    "We''re going to save people as quickly as possible."

    "Okay."

    KangWoo turned around and rose to the sky with Echidna.

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon looked at KangWoo''s back.

    "Let''s go."

    "Yes, Mr. ShiHoon."

    "ShiHoon hyeong, it seems like it''s been a while since we formed a group!"

    "Haha, that''s right. Although EunBi isn''t here."

    "Tsk. We cannot bring a kid who isn''t even twenty years old to such a dangerous ce."

    "That''s right."

    Kim ShiHoon smiled after looking at his party members.

    * * *

    "Thank you! Thank you very much!"

    "Mom!"

    A kid that seemed to be five years old hugged his mother.

    He hadn''tpletely healed, but it was still much better than before¡ªconsidering he''d been about to die.

    Han Seol-ah waved at the kid while smiling brightly.

    The kid¡¯s mother bowed once again.

    It was at that moment¡­

    - WOAAHH!

    She could hear the cheers from outside of the barracks. TaeSoo, who was guarding Han Seol-ah,ughed out loud.

    "It seems like ShiHoon has returned!"

    "Yes, that seems to be the case.

    They saw Kim ShiHoon and the town''s men as they went outside.

    The men all shouted.

    "Everyone! It seems like the US soldiers are going to arrive today!"

    "This person has defeated all of the monsters that were around here."

    Everyone looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    Kim ShiHoon scratched his head while smiling awkwardly.

    The leader of the town approached him and grabbed his hand; you could see tears in his wrinkled eyes.

    "Thank you. Thank you very much¡­ If it weren''t for you, we would''ve all died."

    "N-no¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon didn''t know what to say at those sudden words.

    "Mr. ShiHoon is our hero."

    "¡­"

    After seeing a bright smile, a weird sensation spread through Kim ShiHoon''s body.

    - For giving birth to you¡­

    He could hear a sad voice.

    Kim ShiHoon shook his head.

    "N-no. I''m not¡­"

    ¡®I''m not a hero.¡¯

    He didn''t say thest words and smiled awkwardly. It was hard to express his emotions.

    Kim ShiHoon turned around and walked toward where Han Seol-ah and TaeSoo were.

    "Haha. It''s our hero, ShiHoon."

    "Ugh. I told you to not say things like that."

    "You''ve saved hundreds of lives these past few days. Who else could we call a hero?"

    "I didn¡¯t do it all alone," Kim ShiHoon said while looking at them.

    Han Seol-ah and Kang TaeSoo were moving busily for the native people that had been attacked by monsters.

    "Were you able to make contact with Hyeongnim KangWoo and master¡ª"

    BOOM-!

    "KYAAHH!!"

    A loud sound cut Kim ShiHoon''s words short and spread through the ce.

    A huge impact shook the barracks, and it crumbled.

    "M-Mr. ShiHoon!"

    "What''s going on?!"

    Han Seol-ah and Kang TaeSoo stood up.

    Before they could stand up, Kim ShiHoon had gone running in the direction of the explosion.

    "What the¡­?"

    Kim ShiHoon''s widened.

    There were holes in the ground as if someone had poked through a piece of paper.

    The townspeople began screaming.

    "M-Mr. ShiHoon!! Save us¡­!"

    "Ah¡­"

    A round hole appeared in the town leader''s stomach who had just called him a hero. It was cut in such a clean way that it was as if someone had used a machine.

    Blood poured out; the town leader copsed.

    Kim ShiHoon wasn''t looking at the town leader that had copsed¡ªhe looked at the entrance of the town.

    "Demons¡­"

    He saw two horns, bent, ck wings, and yellow eyes that resembled a reptile''s.

    Three demons that looked as if they were clones were standing at the town¡¯s entrance.

    [Is it that human?]

    [Yes. I can feel the energy of a god.]

    [A servant of Gaia.]

    The three demons talked with each other.

    Kim ShiHoon''s body trembled.

    ''They''re strong.''

    He knew it just by looking at them.

    He felt a chill run through his body.

    [Let''s kidnap him and then ask him where Gaia''s Incarnation is.]

    * * *

    [Halphas. Are you going to do it?]

    [Yes. I want to know how strong Gaia''s servant is.]

    The demon that was in the middle took a step forward.

    "Mr. ShiHoon!"

    "Hyeong ShiHoon!"

    Han Seol-ah and Kang TaeSoo arrived and stood next to him.

    "They¡­"

    "They''re demons."

    Kim ShiHoon bit his lips anxiously.

    His head became nk; he wasn''t sure what to do.

    [Then let''s start.]

    The demon didn''t give him time to think.

    Halphas extended his hand toward him.

    A body of ck demonic energy flew at him.

    "Hyeong ShiHoon!"

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    "Cough!!"

    Kang TaeSoo blocked with his shield. It was just one attack, and after being hit with the ck sphere, TaeSoo bounced back as if he were a piece of paper.

    "Mr. TaeSoo!"

    Han Seol-ah quickly shouted his name and used healing magic.

    White light covered Kang TaeSoo''s body.

    [Hmm?]

    Halphas eyes shone. He looked at the light that covered TaeSoo''s body with interest.

    [This¡­]

    "Ha-ab!!"

    Kim ShiHoon stomped on the ground and leaped forward.

    Blue sword energy stormed from the El Quero de.

    [Hmm¡­]

    Halphas waved his hand. He created ck spheres andunched them toward Kim ShiHoon.

    "Damn!"

    TDDDD-!!

    ShiHoon quickly rolled onto the ground. The ck spheres hit the ce where he''d been standing and exploded.

    Kim ShiHoon dodged Halphas''s attack and swung his sword.

    The fight kept going on.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    Kim ShiHoon was being overwhelmed.

    He couldn''tnd a sessful attack and kept dodging Halphas''s attacks.

    [Is this the strength an underling of Gaia has?]

    [How disappointing,] Malphas and Phenex said, disappointed.

    The conversation between them reached Kim ShiHoon''s ears.

    ''Damn.''

    He frowned and clenched his fists harder.

    During that short time, attacks poured on him once again. A ck sphere brushed past his legs. His cloth tore, and a wound appeared on his skin.

    "Mr. ShiHoon!"

    "¡­"

    Han Seol-ah used healing magic and buffs on him.

    The wound closed, and he recovered vitality, but he knew better than anyone that he was stillcking and wouldn''t be able to win against the demons.

    "Escape with Mr. TaeSoo¡­"

    "Yes?"

    "Take the townspeople and escape!"

    "B-but¡­"

    "NOW!"

    He didn''t hesitate.

    The result wouldn''t change even if two people fought simultaneously.

    He wasn''t sure he''d be able to beat the demon called Halphas, so winning against three demons simultaneously was impossible.

    Kim ShiHoon took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

    "This is the ce where the US soldiers said they''d be. Go there as fast as you can. I''m going to stall for as much time as possible."

    "¡­"

    Han Seol-ah looked at Kim ShiHoon with hesitation.

    Kim ShiHoon shouted aggressively.

    "Go now! Even if we fight together, we''d just die!"

    Han Seol-ah took the paper while closing her eyes.

    TaeSoo was about to say something when she pulled his hand.

    "I''m going to contact Mr. KangWoo immediately."

    Han Seol-ah grabbed TaeSoo and started to escape.

    Kim ShiHoon watched them escape and sighed, relieved.

    [I''ll go.]

    Malphas turned to the escaping Han Seol-ah and TaeSoo.

    "Where do you think you''re going?!"

    Kim ShiHoon stomped on the ground.

    Blue Dragon''s Step¡­ Marks appeared on the ground as if a snake had passed through, and his body shot forward.

    Qi came out from the dantian, moved to his arms, and concentrated on the El Quero de.

    Sword energy rose and targeted Malpha''s head.

    [Ugh.]

    It seemed like he couldn''t ignore the sword energy. Malphas moved back while frowning.

    The El Quero de brushed past his shoulders and chest, a wound appeared on his body, and ck blood poured out.

    Malphas extended his hand, created a ck sphere, andunched it toward Kim ShiHoon.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    "Cough!"

    Kim ShiHoon rolled to the ground from the explosion.

    "Coff!"

    He vomited blood. He had only been hit by one of the ck spheres, but he could feel intense pain spreading through his body.

    He clenched his teeth, used the sword as a cane, and stood up.

    [Woah. Is he trying to say that, even though he''s weak, he''s still a servant of Gaia?]

    [Back off, Malphas.]

    [What about those that escaped?]

    [They aren''t important. The only one that matters is the servant of Gaia.]

    Malphas took a step forward.

    KangWoo looked at the three demons in silence.

    ''I cannot win.''

    He couldn''t even properly face one.

    If they attacked him simultaneously, his chance of winning was close to zero.

    "Haaa. Haaa."

    His body trembled in fear; his two legs shook.

    He wanted to follow Han Seol-ah and TaeSoo in escaping.

    [He''s trembling.]

    Halphasughed at him. He could see Kim ShiHoon''s legs trembling in fear.

    Kim ShiHoon took a step backward.

    "¡­"

    <em>Tap</em>. He hit something with his feet. He lowered his face.

    It was the corpse of the town leader that had said he was a hero.

    ''Once again¡­''

    He wasn''t able to save people.

    - I''m sorry for giving birth to you.

    He heard that voice once again¡ªit was something he was used to.

    He couldn''t get away from that voice.

    "A hero? Bullshit."

    He gripped the sword tighter. He gave more strength to his trembling legs.

    He raised his head and red Halphas.

    ''I¡­''

    He wasn''t thinking of being a hero, nor did he want to be one.

    ''I¡­''

    He wanted to be free from that voice so that, when someone else said that to him, he could shake his head confidently and speak¡­

    ''I¡­''

    It was childish and stupid.

    A kid that admired a hero he saw through the screens was probably better than him.

    He was just a pathetic person that struggled because of a trauma. He was an idiot who couldn''t act his age. He wasn''t able to move away from his unfortunate past.

    ''I¡­''

    He knew that.

    It wasn''t that he didn''t know.

    He knew how stupid his thoughts were.

    But¡­

    Despite that¡­

    [Ho.]

    He raised his sword.

    He took a step forward with his trembling legs.

    ''I won''t run.''

    Kim ShiHoon stomped on the ground.

 Chapter 160: Hero Kim ShiHoon (3)

    ShiHoon stomped on the ground and focused all of his attention on the sword.

    Sword-man Unity¡­ It was as if the sword had be part of him.

    The Qi expanded to the sword, and a mysterious sensation spread through his body.

    "Haa¡­"

    He took a deep breath. The Qi inside his body followed his breath.

    Arms, legs, and sword¡­

    <em>Crack.</em>

    Footsteps appeared on the ground, and he shot forward as if he were sliding.

    [Interesting¡­]

    Halphas smiled. ck spheres shot in all directions.

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes shone sharply. There were dozens of ck spheres beingunched toward him.

    Being hit with even one would probably be fatal.

    ''I cannot block them all.''

    He might be able to handle a few, but there were dozens of them.

    Blocking all of them was impossible.

    ''Should I jump into the air?''

    He shook his head. It seemed like Halphas had read his possible dodging trajectories. Some attacks were beingunched in the air. Since he couldn''t fly, dodging them all in the air would be impossible.

    ''Then¡­''

    He lowered his body to the point that his chest almost touched the ground.

    Heunched himself forward in that state.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    He flew with his body low. Gravity caused his body to slump to the ground while drawing a parab.

    It was at that moment¡­

    ''Blue Dragon''s Flight.''

    He twisted his body and swung his sword toward the ground.

    His body shot up as if gravity had disappeared.

    Halphas was clearly surprised.

    ''Blue Dragon 1st Form.''

    He swung the sword. Blue sword energy rose from the de and targeted Halphas''s head.

    [Good!]

    The tips of Halphas''s mouth went up. The fight he thought was boring had suddenly turned interesting.

    He extended his left hand, and a shield made of demonic energy appeared.

    <em>CLANG-!</em>

    A loud sound spread through the ce. Dust rose from the ground at the strong impact.

    Halphas was pushed back a bit. He opened both arms.

    [Struggle a bit more, Gaia''s servant!]

    A ck sphere the size of a fist appeared from his extended arms.

    [Hahaha!]

    Halphasughed out loud. An explosive amount of demonic energy flew out of his body.

    The ck sphere started to get bigger.

    From 30 centimeters to 50, and then a meter.

    [Come, try to block this!]

    [Halphas, calm down.]

    [What are you going to do if he dies?]

    The other two demons tried to stop him, but Halphas didn''t hear them.

    The spark had already been lit.

    The battle-craving body of a demon had made him lose his mind.

    The ck sphere grew to over two meters in size.

    Kim ShiHoon felt chills. He could feel impressive destructive energy from the ck sphere.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    The ck sphere shot forward.

    Everything that was in its trajectory was dragged into it.

    "Ugh!"

    It had impressive absorbing capabilities.

    A strong wind that resembled a typhoon pushed him from behind.

    He felt that the ck sphere would absorb his body.

    Kim ShiHoon''s face turned pale.

    He couldn''t stand still and try to resist it. The ck sphere was approaching him at a very fast pace.

    "Damn!"

    He bit his lip. He subconsciously knew he wouldn''t be able to dodge it.

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed the sword tighter; the blue sword energy burned with more intensity.

    "Haa¡­ Haa¡­"

    He felt cold sweat dripping from his back.

    He gulped. Once again, fear of dying spread through his body.

    ''Concentrate¡­''

    He spread some Qi to his trembling legs.

    He clenched his fists.

    ''If I can''t dodge¡­''

    <em>sh-!</em>

    He smashed his legs with his fists covered in Qi as if he were striking nails with a hammer. His two legs were nted into the ground.

    He gripped the sword tighter.

    ''I''m going to block it.''

    He raised the sword. Shimmering darkness opened its mouth toward him.

    He exploded the Qi within his body; sword energy rose up.

    "Haa¡­"

    He took a deep breath and then held it.

    He rxed his body and stared at the sphere.

    He''d only have one chance; he wasn''t sure if it was even possible to do it.

    ''That''s not important¡­''

    A smile appeared on his face.

    Since the situation had be quite serious, he somehow felt rxed.

    He felt like he could see someone''s back.

    The person that had appeared when he was about to die at Kim YeongHoon''s hands¡­

    ''Hyeong KangWoo.''

    They weren''t blood-rted.

    He didn''t know who he was or what kind of person he used to be in the past¡­

    But there was something he was sure about¡­

    He''d saved him.

    KangWoo had saved him from the muddy life he¡¯d thought he¡¯d be stuck in forever.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The ck sphere closed in. He swung the sword from top to bottom at a casual speed.

    Slowly, without hurrying things¡­

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve obtained the Unique Skill ''Blue Dragon 1st Form.'']

    A message appeared in front of him. He didn''t care about it. The sword touched the ck sphere.

    [Huh?]

    Halphas''s expression distorted.

    The ck sphere he''d just used was a technique he''d received from the Evil God, Lucifer.

    Even if he was Gaia''s servant, it wasn''t a power a human should¡¯ve been able to counter.

    But¡­

    [Halphas!!]

    [Dodge it!]

    He heard the other two demons screaming at him

    The ck sphere was split into two, and the blue energy that had split the sphere was rushing toward him.

    Halphas subconsciously twisted his body.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    [Ugh!]

    The blue sword energy cut his left arm. Pain spread through the rest of his body, and his expression hardened.

    ''That was dangerous.''

    If he hadn''t twisted his body at that moment, he might have been split into two.

    No, if he hadn''t dodged it, he would have died for sure.

    [How dare a mere human!!]

    He became angry, and his face turned red in embarrassment.

    To think he''d suffer such humiliation in front of his brothers!

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Kim ShiHoon, who had sessfully split the ck sphere, pulled his legs from the ground.

    He didn''t hesitate and leaped toward Halphas.

    Halphas frowned and raised his right arm.

    He''d received an attack because he''d rxed for a moment, but he wouldn''t let such a thing happen twice.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    [Ugh!]

    Kim ShiHoon''s sword turned into light and moved.

    The sword targeting his right arm cut his shoulder.

    Halphas anxiously swung his right arm.

    ''I''m faster.''

    Not only was he faster, but he was also overwhelmingly stronger than him.

    He could clearly see the trajectory of the human''s sword; it was also so weak he could easily deflect it away.

    But¡­

    <em>sh-!</em>

    [How?!]

    His attack didn''t work on ShiHoon.

    Even if he shot a ck sphere, created a demonic energy wall to block his attack, and then tried to counter it, he couldn''t fully dodge it.

    Wounds kept appearing on Halphas''s body.

    And¡­

    <em>Whish-!</em>

    [Ugh!]

    The de, covered with blue light, targeted his neck. Halphas quickly moved back, but it was useless. The sword drew a trajectory he couldn''t understand and was stuck to him.

    The fear of death spread through his body.

    ''Am I going to die at the hands of a human?''

    This was something that shouldn''t happen.

    He was a demon that served the Evil God, Lucifer.

    Losing against a human wasn''t allowed for him.

    [You dumbass!]

    * * *

    Phenex took a step forward. He kicked Kim ShiHoon, who was targeting Halphas.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    After being kicked by Phenex, Kim ShiHoon rolled onto the ground.

    [What do you think you''re doing against a mere human, Halphas?!]

    [¡­]

    Halphas lowered his head. He was silent while trying to cover the section where his left arm was severed.

    Phenex walked toward Kim ShiHoon while clicking his tongue.

    [He''s a servant of a high-ranking god, huh? Even if she''s half-dead.]

    Phenex stomped Kim ShiHoon''s arm.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "AAARRGGHH!"

    Kim ShiHoon screamed in pain.

    Phenex bounced his finger. ck spheres that were about the size of a fingernailunched toward Kim ShiHoon.

    <em>Stab-! Stab! Stab!</em>

    His skin was pierced. Holes that were about the size of a fingernail appeared on his shoulders, chest, stomach, and legs. Blood poured out of him.

    "Cough! Cough!"

    Kim ShiHoon vomited blood, and a few of his organs spilled out from his torn-open stomach.

    A horrible pain spread through his body.

    [Tsk. If I overdo myself, he''s going to end up dying. Halphas, take responsibility and figure out where Gaia¡¯s incarnation is.]

    [Ugh. Okay.]

    Halphas nodded while biting his lips.

    "Haa¡­ Haa¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon''s consciousness was starting to get blurry. A tear dropped from his eyes.

    He was scared. He tried to ovee it, but since things had taken a turn for the worst, his body started to shake.

    He could feel his consciousness bing blurry. He remembered the faces of his mother and party members¡ªeven Kim YeongHoon and Kim JaeHyun.

    "Hy¡­ eong."

    He desperately hoped to be saved.

    He didn''t intend to escape, but things ended up like that.

    Since he was about to die, he felt his mind nking in fear.

    Augh came out of Kim ShiHoon''s mouth.

    He looked so pathetic that even his tears stopped.

    ''I¡­''

    Once again.

    Once again.

    Once again.

    ''I wasn''t able to do anything¡­''

    <em>BOOM-!!!</em>

    A loud sound cut his thoughts short.

    Kim ShiHoon looked in the direction of the sound.

    "Ah¡­"

    A young man wearing a white mask appeared walking through the smoke.

    * * *

    "¡­"

    He looked around.

    The first thing he saw was Kim ShiHoon, who had copsed to the ground.

    His right arm was bent in a weird direction, and blood poured out from all over his body.

    The wound on his stomach was so bad that his internal organs could be seen.

    Leaving aside the fact he was a Guardian, his wounds were so bad that it was impressive that he was still alive.

    <em>Tap, Tap-</em>

    He walked toward Kim ShiHoon and grabbed him by his cor.

    "Kim ShiHoon¡­"

    He wasn''t sad or angry.

    He couldn''t feel anything while looking at Kim ShiHoon, whose wounds were so bad it was almost weird he hadn''t died yet.

    "Who told you to fight however you wanted?"

    For him, Kim ShiHoon wasn''t someone that important.

    He''d made him into his familiar spirit so he could use himfortably.

    He was a being simr to a chess piece.

    He wasn''t worth more than that.

    "Escape first? You''re going to stay behind?"

    He wasn''t soft enough to get angry because he¡¯d almost lost a chess piece.

    He thought Kim ShiHoon was someone with great potential, but he wasn''t so important that his death would be critical to him.

    "Did you want to look cool?"

    The tendons in the hand that was grabbing ShiHoon¡¯s cor became visible.

    The demonic energy he hadn''t controlled fluttered all around.

    "Why? You weren''t scared about anything since everyone keeps calling you a hero?"

    Of course, he wasn''t angry.

    There''s no way he''d get angry because of something like that.

    "Hyeong¡­ nim¡­"

    "If you couldn¡¯t win, you should''ve escaped. YOU IDIOT!!!" He angrily shouted.

    His breath became heavier.

    His eyes turned bloodshot, and his body trembled a bit.

    He lifted his mask and bit his finger.

    Blood from his finger entered Kim ShiHoon''s mouth.

    He used the Authority of Regeneration.

    The wounds closed at a fast pace.

    "You said you wanted to save people, right? You told me you wanted to move away from your childhood trauma. Is this how you''re nning to do that? Huh? If you die like this, will anyone recogni¡ª"

    [Human.]

    Phenex frowned and walked toward KangWoo.

    [Don''t inter¡ª]

    <em>Tap-</em>

    [Huh?]

    KangWoo''s hands, which had just been grabbing Kim ShiHoon''s cor, grabbed the back of Phenex''s head.

    He smashed Phenex''s head into the ground before he could even react.

    <em>SMASH-!</em>

    [Cough!]

    Phenex''s head mmed into the ground. KangWoo raised his feet and stomped his head.

    <em>CRACK-!</em>

    Phenex''s head exploded.

    "I was talking."

    He turned his head.

    The whites of his eyes ckened, and his pupil started to turn yellow.

    His ck eyes were sparkling with madness.

    "Shut up and stay still, you motherfuckers."

 Chapter 161: 1000 Minus 7? (1)

    [Phenex!]

    [What the¡­?]

    Malphas and Halphas were lost for words.

    Phenex''s body was twitching after the head exploded.

    They couldn''t believe what they''d just seen.

    [Phenex, are you joking right now? You seriously almost lost against a human?] Halphas asked with an anger-filled voice.

    Even if it was because he''d rxed, the fact he almost lost against Gaia''s servant didn''t change.

    It was something humiliating for them as followers of the Evil God, Lucifer.

    The fact that the enemy was Gaia''s servant was just an excuse. Because, after all, they were servants of the Evil God, Lucifer.

    Not only that, but Gaia wasn''t able to properly manage her system because she was half dead.

    It made no sense that they would lose against a servant of a half-dead god.

    [Phenex! Get up and stop joking! This isn''t the time to do things like that!]

    Malphas also thought the same thing as Halphas.

    Demons were superior to humans from birth.

    It was as if a tiger had lost consciousness after being hit by a cat, so there was no way they would be able to ept reality.

    [Phenex?]

    But they didn''t get an answer.

    Phenex wasn''t even moving after being hit by a human that had appeared out of nowhere.

    [Phenex! I told you that this isn''t the time to joke around!]

    Malphas frowned and approached Phenex.

    "Hey¡­"

    The human who had stepped on Phenex turned around.

    "I told you to shut up."

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon''s status.

    He hadn''t beenpletely healed, but he wasn''t in danger anymore.

    Considering Kim ShiHoon''s healing abilities, he would probably heal himself if left alone.

    "Hyeongnim..."

    "Sleep. I''m going to tell you the restter on."

    KangWoo put Kim ShiHoon''s body down on the floor.

    His power over his familiar spirit activated, and Kim ShiHoon closed his eyes.

    He heard him breathing normally.

    "Haa¡­"

    He sighed in relief.

    He felt better than when he''d seen an almost-dead Kim ShiHoon.

    He took a deep breath.

    Even if he was feeling relieved, he couldn''t fully control the demonic energy that was moving around his body.

    A desire to fight rose inside him.

    ''Calm down,'' he told himself.

    He covered his face with his hands.

    He slowly opened his eyes and once again saw the demons who''d made Kim ShiHoon like that.

    His head was burning with a cold fire.

    "Damn!"

    He couldn''t help but curse.

    Numerous thoughts crossed his mind, and his emotions intertwined. The one in the middle of it all was Kim ShiHoon.

    "You bastard!!"

    He clenched his teeth. It was the first time he had felt that way since he¡¯d returned to Earth.

    He hadn''t felt something like that since Balrog had turned into dust and disappeared after losing to Archduke Mamon.

    ''Yes¡­''

    It wasn''t that he was angry.

    He just felt annoyed at the situation.

    He was so annoyed that he couldn''t handle it.

    ''Then¡­''

    He looked at the demons that were approaching him.

    There was only one way to get rid of that annoying feeling.

    [Hmm?]

    Malphas, who was approaching KangWoo, frowned.

    He looked into KangWoo¡¯s eyes.

    He couldn''t see his face because he was wearing a mask, but he could see the eyes behind it.

    ''A demon...?''

    ck eyes with yellow pupils¡­

    It was a characteristic most demons had.

    There were some cases where they had white eyes that transformed only when they became angry.

    ''He said Satan is like this.''

    The Archduke of Anger, Satan.

    He heard from Lucifer that he usually had white eyes that turned ck when a fight began.

    He told them to escape if they faced Satan and his eyes were ck.

    ''Don''t tell me¡­ Is he Satan?''

    Malphas shook his head. There was no way that was true.

    Besides Satan, there were also other demons with those characteristics.

    It was just that the amount was low.

    [Hmm.]

    But anyway, it was hard to think of him as a human.

    Leaving the yellow pupils aside, he had never seen a human with ck eyes.

    [You¡­ Are you really a human?]

    There was no answer.

    Malphas clicked his tongue. If there were no answer, he would forcibly make him speak.

    He extended his right arm; dozens of ck spheres appeared.

    "..."

    KangWoo silently looked at Malphas.

    He slowly began to walk.

    Dozens of ck spheres flew toward him.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    He bounced his finger, and a wave of demonic energy spread and deflected the ck spheres away.

    Malphas was astonished by what he saw.

    KangWoo took a step forward, and demonic energy rose from his body.

    Demonic energy started to gather around his heart.

    A passage that connected to the depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Core formed.

    A huge amount of demonic energy began blowing through his body.

    [Wh-what the¡­?]

    KangWoo took a step forward; his body disappeared as if it had melted and appeared right in front of Malphas.

    Malphas quickly raised his arms, but KangWoo grabbed them and ripped them off.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    [AARRGGHH!]

    His arms were ripped off, and horrible pain spread through his body. ck blood poured in all directions.

    Malphas clenched his teeth and stood up.

    A ck sphere about the size of a fist appeared in front of his chest.

    He used the power given to him by the Evil God, Lucifer. The ck sphere grew in size.

    The word ¡®destruction¡¯ was perfect to describe it since it absorbed everything in its surroundings.

    The ck sphere tried to drag KangWoo in.

    "..."

    KangWoo extended his hands and didn''t try to resist its absorbing capabilities.

    KangWoo''s hands touched the ck sphere, and a smile appeared on Malphas''s face.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    [Huh?]

    Nothing happened.

    Although the human''s hands had touched the ck sphere, his body wasn''t dragged into it.

    <em>CRACK-!</em>

    [H-huh? Wh-what the¡­?]

    No. Rather than that, the ck sphere was starting to be devoured by a ck fog that poured out from the human.

    Malphas''s face turned pale.

    The power given to him by Lucifer started to quickly disappear.

    [What are you doing?!] he anxiously shouted.

    * * *

    He couldn''t help but think that something was wrong. A subconscious fear took control of his body.

    ¡ªThe fear that prey feels towards a predator.

    [Th-this can''t be happening!!] He shouted as if he were about to have a seizure.

    He turned his feet and pulled his body back.

    ''I must gain some distance first.''

    He, Halphas, and Phenex specialized in long-range battles.

    Distancing themselves and using the strong demonic energy spheres was how they fought.

    Maintaining a distance was vital in making use of that advantage.

    But¡­

    [Huh?]

    Malphas''s eyes trembled.

    His eyes widened as if he''d seen something unbelievable.

    He did his best to create distance and backed off hundreds of meters in just a second.

    But¡­

    "I told you to stand still, didn''t I?"

    As if he were having a nightmare, KangWoo was still just as close to him.

    He was so close that he could hear his breath.

    [H-hiic!]

    He twisted his body.

    KangWoo extended his hands and grabbed Malphas''s legs.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    [AARRGGHH!!!]

    Malphas''s legs were crushed as if they were going through a press machine.

    KangWoo twisted his hands as if he were squeezing a mop.

    Malphas¡¯s skin tore and burst, spraying ck blood into the air.

    ck smoke leaked from KangWoo¡¯s hands while he was still holding onto Malphas¡¯s legs, and the smoke entered his body through the wounds.

    <em>CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!</em>

    [Wh-what are you d¡­? AAGGHH! ARRGGHH!! P-please. Stop!!]

    A tremendous amount of pain wracked his body.

    Malphas fell to the ground and trembled.

    His eyes rolled back, and bubbles frothed from his mouth.

    He''d lived many years as an immortal but had never felt pain like that.

    It was as if thousands, tens of thousands, of red ants had entered his body and were devouring him from the inside out.

    He never thought he''d be able to feel being devoured in such a crude way.

    [YOU!!]

    Halphas quickly came running.

    He grabbed his arm that had been cut by Kim ShiHoon andunched a ck sphere.

    "Wait for your turn."

    KangWoo bounced his finger, and the ck sphere Halphasunched returned to him.

    Halphas couldn''t dodge his own attack due to the wound he¡¯d received while fighting Kim ShiHoon.

    [AAGGHH!]

    He copsed after being hit with the ck sphere.

    KangWoo''s eyes focused on Malphas.

    [P-please!! S-stop!!]

    The ck smog that was chewing his body spread through his veins.

    Malphas''s body started seizing as if he were being electrocuted.

    No, he wouldn''t have felt so much pain if he had been tortured with electricity.

    He lost his mind at the immense pain.

    Even his loyalty toward Lucifer had no meaning at that moment.

    [I¡­ I''m sorry!! AAGGHH!! S-STOP!!]

    Tears dripped from his eyes.

    He didn''t have the mental space to feel pride anymore.

    Was it because his painful cry had reached KangWoo¡¯s ears? The horrible pain stopped.

    "A thousand minus seven?"

    [Yes? Wh-what does that¡­? AAGGHH!!]

    "I won''t ask many times."

    He looked at Malphas with deep, sunken eyes.

    "A thousand minus seven?"

    [993!! It''s 993!]

    "Well done."

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    He raised his index finger, and the Authority of Predation within his body took a bite of Malphas¡¯s skin.

    [AAGGHH!!]

    A horrible scream spread through the area.

    It was about the size of a nail, but the Authority of Predation amplified that pain.

    His body started to seize again.

    "Next."

    [AAGGHH! S-stop!! Please!!]

    "Keep going."

    [986...! AAGGHH!!]

    "Come on."

    [979!]

    The number started to go down. Every time he said a number, the Authority of Predation took another bite.

    It was a method of torture he''d seen in a manhwa before he¡¯d fallen into Hell.

    By making the target continuously do math, you force them to use their heads, and that makes them feel even more fear and pain.

    "Keep going."

    [419!]

    It was really effective.

    It wasn''t that demons were better than humans at making calctions¡­

    They just had an overwhelming strengthpared to humans.

    [6...]

    Gradually, the counting ended.

    Saliva was leaking out of Malphas''s mouth, and he was about to lose consciousness.

    KangWoo grabbed his head and dragged it close to him.

    "You¡¯ve had enough practice, right?"

    [What¡­?]

    "Now this is where the fun begins."

    A craziness Malphas had never seen or felt before weighed down on him.

    KangWoo slowly opened his mouth.

    "The number of real roots in the two equations P (x) = 0, Q (x) = 0 is 7 and 9 each. The set A = {(x,y) P (x) Q (y) = 0 and Q (x) P (y) = 0 x and y mistake} is A''s infinite set. The set A''s partial set B = {(x,y) (x,y) ¡Ê A and x = y}. If the number of elements is n(B), this changes ording to P(x), Q(x). Find the maximum value of n(B)."

    [What?]

    "Solve that."

    [No, wait. What does that¡ª? AAGGHH!!]

    A horrifying scream spread from his mouth.

    KangWoo smiled.

    "Malphas, do you get it?"

    ¡®This is just a brief taste of Korea''s level of mathematics.¡¯

 Chapter 162: Declaring War (1)

    [Cough... Ugh.]

    A desperate scream left his mouth.

    Malphas''s eyes had rolled back into his head, and he had copsed and was trembling on the ground.

    Saliva dripped from his mouth, and ck blood poured out of his body.

    "Haa."

    KangWoo stretched out his arms as if he were feeling refreshed.

    "I''m finally feeling calm."

    It was as if the annoying feeling had disappeared from his head.

    [Th-the maximum value of n(B)...]

    "What, you haven''t figured out yet?"

    KangWooughed at him.

    It wasn''t a question he was hoping to get an answer to.

    Living for a long time didn''t mean you knew more things.

    Demons weren''t interested in anything besides fighting.

    There were a few that were exceptions, but overall, they were very dumb.

    ''Well, in reality¡­''

    KangWoo also didn''t know the answer to that question.

    He''d searched for a math problem with his smartphone and had said it without thinking too much about it.

    He was an orphan, so academia was something he had never really had the time for.

    "Ah, it was a productive hour."

    He seemed satisfied.

    Things would''ve been more serious if he couldn''t get rid of the sense of annoyance.

    ''That was dangerous.''

    It was hard topare.

    You couldn''tpare it with when a human felt annoyed.

    KangWoo was a demon, and a demon''s body craved strong desires and emotions.

    Demons could fight to the death just because their shoulders touched each other.

    ''That time against Mamon¡­ it was really close.''

    When Balrog almost died, his anger became quite intense.

    ''At that moment...''

    He remembered the past.

    The ground was cracked, the sky was ck, and there...

    "Tsk."

    He clicked his tongue.

    It wasn''t something he wanted to remember.

    "Let''s see¡­"

    KangWoo took out his smartphone, changed to selfie mode, and looked into his eyes.

    He could see his eyes behind his mask.

    ¡ªWhite eyes and ck pupils, they had returned to normal.

    ''It got better.''

    When he became overly excited, the color of his eyes changed.

    He had to be careful when the color of his eyes changed.

    If he wasn''t careful, something simr to what happened that day could happen once more.

    ''Now that I think about it, that bastard Satan was simr to me.''

    When he thought about it, he and Satan had many things inmon.

    He frowned at the unexpectedlymon points.

    "To think I have simrities with the Demon of Prophecy."

    It wasn''t wee news.

    Someone could mistake him for the Demon of Prophecy instead of Satan.

    That was something he couldn''t ept.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo turned and looked at Malphas.

    He was mumbling something while trembling.

    It was as if he''dpletely lost his mind.

    "I don''t think he''s in a state where I could ask him something."

    He was starting to wonder if he''d overdone things.

    KangWoo put his eyes on Halphas instead of Malphas.

    Halphas was lying on the floor, unconscious.

    KangWoo walked toward Halphas.

    "Hey, old man, you cannot sleep here."

    He touched Halphas with the tip of his shoes; Halphas slowly opened his eyes.

    [Cough! Ugh!]

    After waking up, he moaned in pain while grabbing his wound.

    His eyes were full of fear while looking at KangWoo.

    [Y-you...]

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    KangWoo kicked Halphas in the face, and his head became embedded in the ground.

    He spoke in a low voice.

    "You know you aren''t in a situation where you can ask questions, right?"

    [...]

    There was silence. It seemed like he wasn''t dumb enough not to realize the situation he was in.

    KangWoo looked down at Halphas.

    "Who are you?"

    It was his first time seeing them.

    Their strength wasparable to high-ranking demons of the 9th hell¡­

    But he''d never seen them during all the years he¡¯d waged wars in the 9th hell.

    ''Well, I guess it''s possible that I just overlooked them.''

    Just because he was the ruler of the Hell of Nine Skies didn''t mean he knew the faces of all the demons that lived there.

    Hell was big, and lots of demons lived there.

    But there was another problem¡­

    ''They used Lucifer''s power.''

    The ck sphere that had a high absorbing ability¡­

    It was a technique Lucifer used in the past when he fought against him.

    The techniques were too simr to call it a coincidence.

    "You guys¡­ are you servants of Lucifer?"

    [Ugh.]

    Halphas frowned. That short reaction was enough to know the answer.

    ''I don''t remember seeing guys like these among Lucifer''s servants.''

    KangWoo thought of Halphas, Malphas, and Phenex''s faces.

    You couldn''t tell them apart from each other based on their appearances.

    Since they had such a unique appearance, there was no way he wouldn''t be able to remember them if he''d seen them before.

    After all, the war against Lucifer hadsted for a very long time.

    ''Are they new servants?''

    There was a chance that was the case.

    KangWoo stroked his chin and fell into thought. If they were newly-made servants, things would get troublesome.

    ''Has Lucifer recovered his old strength already?''

    You couldn''t say that the three demons were weak.

    * * *

    He could overwhelm them because he''d recently absorbed Tyrion''s strength and obtained massive growth.

    If he weren''t able to use demonic energy from the deepest part of the Demonic Energy Sea, he wouldn''t have been able to win against them so easily.

    ''I don''t think he''s made new servants in the Hell of Nine Skies.''

    The ce Lucifer had fallen to was the Ernor Continent. He wasn''t sure what kind of ce that was, but it probably wasn''t a ce full of demonic energy like the Hell of Nine Skies.

    But if he was to create demons that were that strong despite that, it just showed how strong Lucifer was.

    ''This isn''t good.''

    There was no way he''d just made three servants.

    KangWoo wasn''t sure how many servants stronger than them he had.

    ''They said he fought against angels, right?''

    Then there was a chance he''d made more servants so he could face them.

    "Damn."

    He frowned.

    So many beings from the Ernor Continent were crossing to Earth showed that the dimensional wall separating them had be quite weak.

    He was already feeling annoyed while dealing with the Demon Cult. If the forces of Lucifer started to cross to Earth more frequently, things could get too troublesome.

    ''Please, leave me alone, you bastards.''

    He wanted to enjoy life as a payment for the ten thousand years of struggle he''d gone through, but why was everyone trying to bother him?

    ''Fuck, what did I do to deserve this?''

    He could confidently say he''d lived an honest and good life.

    It wasn''t fair.

    KangWoo sighed and opened his mouth.

    "So, why did you guyse here?"

    [I¡­ I cannot say t...]

    "Do you want to be like him?"

    Halphas looked at Malphas, who had gone crazy from the insane amount of pain he''d gone through.

    The fact they were demons didn''t mean they didn''t feel anything after seeing someone suffer like that.

    No. Demons would probably feel an even bigger fear since they were obsessed with the desire to live as much as possible.

    [W-we came here to find Satan.]

    "What?"

    KangWoo looked at him in surprise.

    ''Is the real Satan here?''

    He felt as if he''d been hit with something from behind.

    "You came here to find Satan?"

    [Yes. Recently, the hero god Tyrion died at the hands of Satan in this world. Lucifer gave us the order to find him and asked us to join forces.]

    "Ah."

    KangWoo let out a short exmation and nodded. He was starting to understand what was going on.

    ''So they were talking about me.''

    For a moment, he thought that the real Satan had appeared on Earth.

    ''No.''

    He shook his head.

    ''Satan is on Earth.''

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan. It had been proved many times that he''d gone to Earth and was currently leading the Demon Cult.

    He''d known for a while that Satan was on Earth.

    ''Of course. Satan is the one who killed Guardian Alec and Tyrion''s apostle, Reinald.''

    He''d almost forgotten about something very important.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed. Satan, Lucifer, and alliance¡­ those three words started to bounce around inside his head.

    "You¡­ how much do you know about Satan?"

    [We don''t know that much. We just know he''s been creating servants in this world and is fighting against Gaia''s servants.]

    ''Ho.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone. The tips of his mouth went up.

    ''This¡­''

    He could use that.

    He quickly thought of a story.

    KangWoo grabbed his stomach and started tough out loud.

    "HAHAHAHA!"

    [Ugh!! Wh-what the...?!]

    He made the demonic energy inside him explode out. He didn''t use the ¡®Ruler of Demonic Energy¡¯ attribute on purpose.

    Halphas¡¯s face became pale after feeling the huge amount of demonic energy flowing from KangWoo.

    "It isn''t that you don''t know exactly, but you don''t know anything at all!"

    [What do you mean...?]

    KangWooughed at him.

    "You say you came here to find Satan when I''m right here in front of you, so isn''t this situation very fun?"

    [Wh-what?!]

    Halphas''s eyes became wider.

    ''This guy is Satan?''

    There was no way.

    Even though he was wearing a mask, the person in front of him was clearly a human.

    Leaving his appearance aside, why was Satan protecting a servant of Gaia and attacking them?

    "Seeing your reaction, it seems like your eyes are decoration. I''ll take this opportunity to get rid of those useless eyes."

    [What... AAGGHH!!]

    He put his finger into one of Halphas''s eyes. A horrifying scream came out of his mouth.

    Blood poured out of Halphas''s eye, and he looked up at him.

    At that moment, he felt that the human in front of him was more like a demon than any demon he''d seen before.

    [D-don''t tell me... A-are you really Satan?]

    "You still don''t know after seeing it? Aah... It seems like the other eye is useless, too."

    [N-no!] He quickly answered.

    He bit his lip and nodded.

    ''He''s Satan.''

    The chilling amount of demonic energy he could summon¡­

    His mad actions, and...

    ''His eyes.''

    How his eyes turned ck when he became angry¡­

    It was a characteristic only very few demons had.

    If that couldn''t prove he was Satan, nothing else could.

    ''How could something like this¡­?!''

    They weren''t able to recognize an archduke and had tried to fight against him!

    He couldn''t even let out a fakeugh at the unbelievable situation.

    [S-Satan¡­]

    "Now we''re finally understanding each other. So, Lucifer asked me to form an alliance?"

    [Y-yes.]

    "What kind of alliance?"

    [He said that the words ¡®let''s get the Sea of Demonic Energy in our hands¡¯, you''d understand.]

    "..."

    Getting the Sea of Demonic Energy¡­

    It wasn''t hard to imagine what they were talking about.

    ''This bastard... is he after me?''

    To be more precise, they were after the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    He couldn''t help butugh. It seemed like dogs who''d lost already once hadn''t learned their lesson yet.

    "HAHAHA! You''re saying some funny things."

    Heughed out loud again.

    ''Didn''t Lucifer learn his lesson yet?''

    It was different from Kim JaeHyun or Baek KangHyun.

    Lucifer knew very well who he was.

    But still, he was nning to face him¡ªthat by itself wasedy.

    ''You know who I am.''

    When KangWoo dered war on the seven archdukes, he was still weak.

    He''d lost tens of times. Despite that, he ended up winning against them.

    This wasn''t simply because he was strong enough to beat the archdukes.

    If ''strength'' were the only reason, he wouldn''t have been able to win against them.

    "Tell this to Lucifer¡­"

    He grabbed his neck and spoke.

    "I already have the Sea of Demonic Energy in my hands."

    [Wh-what does that¡­?]

    "Hahaha! Lucifer, you idiot! It seems like he really doesn''t know anything!!"

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    "Why do you think I created the Demon Cult? The Sea of Demonic Energy is already in my hands! It''s only a matter of time before I absorb it!"

    [...]

    He looked at Halphas with eyes full of madness.

    "Is the territory Lucifer in called Ernor...?"

    [Y-yes.]

    "Good. I was starting to get bored of this world."

    He threw Halphas to the ground.

    "Tell Lucifer this¡­"

    He twisted his mouth upward.

    "I''m going to take the Demon Cult, my servants, and go there."

    [M-Mr. Satan! D-don''t tell me!]

    "Hahaha! Listen carefully, servant of Lucifer."

    Speaking in a voice filled with madness, he spread demonic energy to his surroundings.

    "I, Satan, am dering war on Lucifer."

    KangWooughed out loud.

    ''Fight among yourselveeees!''

 Chapter 163: In The Name of Light! (1)

    [You''re going to regret it¡­]

    "It''s going to be you that regrets it."

    Halphas bit his lip.

    KangWoo could see aplex mix of feelings and emotions in his expression.

    He felt relieved that he''d survived, but he also felt frustrated because the n failed. Also, he was scared to inform Lucifer of what had happened.

    [Mr. Satan!]

    "My will is firm. I will take my underlings, the Demon Cult, and destroy all of Lucifer''s forces."

    [Wh-why?! Why are you suddenly doing this?!] Halphas shouted in confusion.

    It was an obvious reaction.

    They knew it was possible that he''d refused to form an alliance, but why would he dere war out of the blue?

    It was as if Lucifer had sent an envoy to form an alliance, but Satan had suddenly decided to send an army to invade.

    "Hahaha. It seems like you really don''t know anything."

    It was obvious, but he wouldn''t dere war for no reason.

    If Satan had really obtained the ''Sea of Demonic Energy,'' that alone would be reason enough to attack Lucifer.

    "Tell this to Lucifer: This time, I''m going to get your soul and Hell''s Equipment."

    The seven archdukes weren''t allies in the first ce.

    While KangWoo was fighting against the archdukes, they also fought against each other.

    In the end, they coborated with each other, but that alliance wasn''t built on trust¡ªit was built on desperation.

    If one of the archdukes had obtained KangWoo''s strength, they would have no reason to avoid taking on other archdukes.

    After all, they also craved to absorb the other archdukes and obtain even greater strength.

    ''Although it seems like he doesn''t know much about the Ten Thousand Demon Core.''

    If he knew about it, there would be no reason to ask him why.

    Even if Halphas didn''t know, there was no way Lucifer wouldn''t also know.

    ''That guy is definitely going to attack Satan.''

    He''d made all of the necessary preparations.

    If Lucifer heard everything he said, he would be forced to attack Satan first.

    - The sea of Demonic Energy is already in my hands! It''s just a matter of time before I absorb that power!

    He''d said that as if just glossing over it, but the meaning behind those words was clear.

    He''d obtained the Sea of Demonic Energy but hadn''t been able to absorb it fully.

    If it were Lucifer, he''d easily realize the meaning behind those words and attack.

    He''d said enough things so he wouldn''t be able to resist the temptation.

    ''He''s probably going to bite the bait.''

    He wasn''t sure how exactly Lucifer was doing.

    He also wasn''t sure if he had enough forces to send.

    The Demon Cult and Lucifer were forces he had to get rid of, eventually, so there would be no better news than them fighting each other.

    ''Lucifer and the Demon Cult¡­''

    The best possible oue was them fighting each other and him watching from the sides and profiting from it.

    It didn''t matter who won in a fight between them. Either way, he would benefit from it.

    It was like eliminating poison from your body thanks to the effect of another poison.

    "How long are you going to wait around for? Do I have to rip off your other arm before you return?"

    [Ugh.]

    Halphas gulped at the chilling words. He red at KangWoo but soon threw his body into the blue fissure.

    [Satan, and the Demon Cult¡­ You''re soon going to realize how big of a mistake you''ve just made.]

    ''Tell me quikk!''

    He let out a happyugh and saw Halphas disappear through the fissure.

    He almost found Halphas ring at him, without knowing his real intentions, cute.

    Halphaspletely disappeared through the fissure.

    KangWoo took off the mask.

    "Then¡­"

    Since he''d sent a message to Lucifer through Halphas, it was time to enjoy the newly obtained rewards.

    KangWoo turned around to Malphas and Phenex.

    ''It''s too bad that I let one go.''

    There was nothing he could do about it. After all, he couldn''t go personally to Lucifer to send him a message.

    ''This is all an investment for the future.''

    It would be better if he thought about it like that.

    ''Authority of Predation.''

    ck fog started to spread from his hand.

    Phenex and Malphas were devoured by the Authority of Predation. Not even Halphas''s arm was left behind.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The attribute ''Reaper of Souls'' has been activated.]

    "How much more should I obtain?"

    KangWoo mumbled while looking at the message window in front of him.

    <em>Whir-!</em>

    * * *

    When ck demonic energy started toe out from his body¡­

    ''Huh?''

    His eyes widened; a blue message window appeared in front of him.

    [You''ve fulfilled the first condition for Demonic Soul.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat limit has increased to 130.]

    [Since you''ve fulfilled the first condition, the system''s power that is restricting your level has weakened.]

    [Your level limit has increased to 79.]

    [You''ve achieved the eighth Awakening.]

    "Nice!!"

    He clenched both fists.

    It seemed he was able to fulfill the conditions since he''d absorbed the souls of demons that were as strong as a high-ranking demon, even within the 9th hell.

    The messages that followed also made him happy.

    [The passageway that leads to the ''deepest'' part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core has widened.]

    [The more demons you absorb using the attribute ''Reaper of Souls,'' the more the size of the passageway will increase.]

    "Very nice."

    He beganughing.

    Thanks to the passageway that led to the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core having increased in size, the number of Authorities he could use had also increased.

    There were a few Authorities that, unlike the Authority of the de and the Authority of Speed, needed some preparations before he could use them.

    A ''technique'' he could only use with demonic energy from the deepest part¡­

    If he used them, he could fight on par with Balrog. No, maybe above that.

    "Let''s see¡­ What did I get as the eighth Awakening attribute?"

    It was obvious he''d be expectant.

    He opened his status window and checked the attribute.

    [Eighth Awakening Attribute: ??? (Rank: ???)]

    [The eighth Awakening Attribute will unlock after you surpass 130 Demonic Energy stat.]

    "Ah."

    A disappointed sigh came out of his mouth.

    ''They did the same thing with the sixth Awakening attribute.''

    He frowned at the question mark that kept appearing.

    It was as if an author who had obtained an unexpected sess was doing his best to increase the nervousness of the readers.

    ''But it isn''t like I cannot see an answer just like before.''

    Reaching 130 of Demonic Energy.

    The goal and the way to obtain them were clear.

    He had to keep absorbing the soul of demons and increasing the size toward the ''deepest'' part.

    That was probably the way to reach 130 stat.

    "I''m d the level restriction was lifted."

    Just being able to increase the level limit without killing Gaia''s Guardians was great.

    ''Then, there are two ways?''

    He could kill a Guardian to weaken the system that had sealed his power or him to be strong enough to weaken the system.

    "Good."

    There was no need to think what was the best way.

    He didn''t have the need to do something stupid like be stronger by doing team kills.

    "It seems like the first task is to reach 130 stat of Demonic Energy."

    Considering that the condition to unlock the Awakening attribute was rted to the condition to be a Demon God, he needed to unlock it as fast as possible.

    "I don''t think there''s going to be a problem."

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    The harvest he''d obtained thanks to the seed he''d nted on Halphas¡­ He just had to wait until Lucifer took the bite.

    He probably wouldn''t need to wait long.

    ''He''s probably nervous.''

    Satan had obtained the Sea of Demonic Energy he longed for so much.

    Demons always craved more strength, so there was no way he''d be able to stand still and watch the situation unfold.

    He was probably going to move before he was able to absorb all of the Sea of Demonic Energy.

    ''If Lucifer moves¡­''

    There''s no way the Demon Cult would be able to remain still.

    He just had to wait to profit from it in the name of Guardians.

    ''But if¡­''

    He narrowed his eyes. There was a bad scenario.

    ''Lucifer learns the truth.''

    To be honest, he wasn''t that worried about that possibility.

    ''He thinks that Tyrion died because of Satan.''

    That meant Tyrion had used his remaining strength to mention the name Satan.

    At that moment, Tyrion thought that Satan was the owner of the ''Sea of Demonic Energy.''

    Was there a chance Lucifer had discovered that the Demon King of the Hell of Nine Skies had made Tyrion vanish while pretending to be Satan?

    ''Thanks, Mr. Tyrion!''

    As an apostle of the Hero God Tyrion, he couldn''t help but praise him.

    Thanks to him, he''d obtained a way to free himself from all doubts.

    ''As expected of Mr. Tyrion!''

    He had given him strength without hesitating in exchange for revenge for Reinald''s death.

    He was a hero that, while his body was vanishing for interference with the system, had made sure others heard the name of the Demon of Prophecy, Satan!

    "I won''t forget¡­ your sacrifice."

    Thinking of his sacrifice made him tear up a bit.

    Who couldn''t say that someone who, even in hisst moments, did his best to leave a warning behind to be able to protect the world?

    ''Mr. Tyrion, you''re a real hero.''

    A heart as straight as a column¡­

    An indomitable will¡­

    A hero who sacrificed everything for his apostle, Reinald¡¯s death.

    "Ah."

    He let out an exmation.

    ''I discovered it was spring after the flowers disappeared.''

    KangWoo never imagined that Tyrion''s empty ce would be so big.

    On the other hand, he felt that a needle was poking him.

    ''This isn''t because I feel guilty.''

    He had inherited Tyrion''s will and was trying to eliminate Satan, the Demon of Prophecy, so he had nothing to feel guilty about.

    KangWoo stood up.

    Since he was Tyrion''s apostle, he couldn''t stay still while looking at Earth getting destroyed because of the fight between Lucifer and Satan.

    ''I''m going to get rid of both of them.''

    ¡®In the name of light!¡¯

 Chapter 164: The Light Betrayed Me (1)

    "Ugh¡­!"

    "Did you wake up?"

    An exmation came out of ShiHoon¡¯s mouth as KangWoo sat next to him.

    ShiHoon slowly opened his eyes and looked at KangWoo.

    He looked at him as if he''d seen a ghost.

    <em>Tsk.</em> KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    "Yes, it''s me."

    "H-hyeongnim! Ugh!"

    He quickly stood up, but ShiHoon copsed again while grabbing his stomach.

    KangWoo grabbed ShiHoon and lowered him to the floor.

    "Stay still. Your wounds haven''t been fully healed."

    KangWoo''s Authority of Regeneration couldn''t fully heal someone.

    It could heal superficial wounds, but it couldn''t heal tiredness and internal damage.

    He''d received such damage that it wouldn''t be weird if he died, so he wasn''t going to be able to move right then.

    "Why did you keep fighting like a dumbass? You should have sought the opportunity to escape and buy some time. Seol-ah said she would contact me."

    "I''m sorry¡­"

    "Haa."

    He sighed.

    ''Well, I guess it would''ve been hard to escape.''

    There wasn''t one enemy but three.

    There was a chance he wouldn''t have gotten the opportunity to escape.

    But even if he knew that, he couldn''t help but get angry.

    "B-but¡­ rather than that¡­ the demons¡­?"

    "Two died, and one managed to escape."

    To be honest, he''d let him escape.

    "Ah."

    Kim ShiHoon''s expression darkened. He lowered his head.

    "Then, once again, I¡ª"

    "I know what you''re trying to say, but it''s too cringey, so be quiet."

    "¡­"

    "Don''t try to be dramatic and me yourself¡ªit looks too pathetic."

    "E-ehem."

    "You''re always so dramatic. If someone saw you, they''d think you''re probably going through a worse situation than anyone."

    "H-hyeongnim!"

    Kim ShiHoon''s face became red. It seemed like he was embarrassed by it.

    KangWooughed out loud.

    "That''s why you need to stop trying to act cool while shitting yourself. Just be quiet andy down on the floor."

    "H-hyeongnim¡­ You don''t seem to be your usual self."

    Kim ShiHoon gulped at hisments.

    KangWoo smirked.

    "Really?"

    It was true that he''d been crueler with Kim ShiHoon than he usually was¡­

    But that was actually closer to how he really spoke.

    "Mr. KangWoo!"

    "KangWoo hyeongnim! Are you okay?!"

    He saw Han Seol-ah, Kang TaeSoo, and Echidna running toward him.

    "Hmm?"

    He also saw a middle-aged blonde woman running toward them while holding Gaia in her arms.

    It was Grace and Gaia.

    "How did you¡­"

    "I called her."

    KangWoo turned his head to the source of the sound.

    He saw Cheon MooJin, Baek HwaYeon, and the group that was in charge of getting rid of the monsters.

    "Are you hurt?"

    Cheon MooJin walked toward Kim ShiHoon. Kim ShiHoon tried to stand up but copsed again while moaning in pain.

    Cheon MooJin ced his hand on top of his body.

    "The internal damage is quite bad."

    He imbued Qi into Kim ShiHoon''s body while his eyes were closed.

    Kim ShiHoon''s expression, which was distorted in pain, became more rxed.

    KangWoo turned his head from Cheon MooJin, who was healing Kim ShiHoon, and looked at Chae YeonJoo.

    "Did you call Ms. Gaia and Grace?"

    "Yes. Although, to be more precise, it was old man Cheon MooJin."

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo nodded.

    On the surface, the Guardians were a secret organization, but most of the world rankers or the heads of state in each country knew about their existence.

    Cheon MooJin was the head of state in China and a world ranker simultaneously, so it wouldn''t be weird if he had a way to contact Gaia.

    "Mr. K-KangWoo¡­ I heard that demons attacked Mr. ShiHoon. Is he okay?" Gaia asked in a worried voice.

    She couldn''t see, so she had no way of knowing what state he was in.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Thankfully, the wounds have improved quite a lot. I also got rid of the demons."

    "Hmm¡­ but where are the demon corpses?" Grace asked.

    "They became dust and scattered away after I killed them."

    "Ah. Now that I think about it, that happened with Oriax before," Chae YeonJoo said while remembering the past.

    Grace tilted her head.

    "Really? That didn''t happen when I killed a demon."

    Obviously it hadn¡¯t. A demon''s body didn''t turn into dust and disappear after it died.

    Oriax had disappeared because KangWoo had used the Authority of Predation.

    ''But¡­''

    He calmly opened his mouth.

    "It seems like it''s different from each demon. After all, we still don''t know many things about them."

    "That''s true."

    It''s been only a few years since they began fighting the demons.

    They didn''t know many things about the demons, so the other people couldn''t help but believe what he said.

    ''It''s quite easy to set things up.''

    It didn''t matter what happened¡ªhe could easily exin things with an ¡°oh, it''s because that demon is different~¡±

    "Rather than that. Mr. Cheon MooJin, seeing how demons have attacked this town¡­"

    "It seems like the traces we found today were of the Demon Cult."

    Gaia sighed and spoke to Cheon MooJin.

    Cheon MooJin nodded.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    "You found traces?"

    "Yes. Before I heard the news that Dragon Sword was attacked, I found traces of what looked to be the Demon Cult.¡±

    "To be honest, I came here because I heard from Mr. Cheon MooJin that they had found traces of the Demon Cult, and while we wereing here¡­"

    "We heard that Dragon Sword was attacked."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    ''Then they didn¡¯te here for ShiHoon in the first ce.¡¯

    He had found it weird that they''d arrived so quickly, but it made sense if they had been on their way before they heard the news.

    ''But¡­''

    "What traces did you find?" He asked Cheon MooJin.

    "Do you remember the magic circle they used to summon a demon? That¡¯s what I found."

    "There were monsters stronger than the one we fought against in Manchuria, too."

    Chae YeonJoo approached him. She gave KangWoo an item she had in her hands.

    "And we found this in the middle of the magic circle."

    "This¡­"

    It was an inverted cross.

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    ''A Fissure Fragment.''

    ¡ªThe object the Demon Cult had used to weaken the Gaia System.

    ''Judging by its condition, it seems like it hasn''t been long since they installed it.''

    It didn''t have a single particle of dust on it.

    That meant that there were members of the Demon Cult around there that had installed the stake.

    "This seems to be the reason for the uptick in monster attacks recently."

    "The monsters around here were more aggressive than usual."

    Baek HwaYeon nodded at Chae YeonJoo''s words.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo remained silent.

    Kim ShiHoon, who was being healed from his internal wounds, spoke while raising his body.

    "I think that, if that''s the case, it was probably the Demon Cult that attacked the town."

    "I also think that, Guardian Kim ShiHoon."

    ''No.''

    KangWoo shook his head.

    Malphas, Phenex, and Halphas¡­

    He thought of the three demons he''d just faced.

    ''They weren''t rted to the Demon Cult.''

    They were underlings of Lucifer, who hade from the Ernor Continent.

    They weren''t rted to the Demon Cult that was on Earth.

    ''But¡­''

    * * *

    Fissure Fragments, demonic monsters, and magic summoning circles¡­

    He didn''t think that Lucifer''s underlings had done that.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    ''Then¡­''

    Suppose he thought that the two incidents weren''t rted¡­ Then there was only one possible exnation.

    ''The Demon Cult has started moving.''

    Lucifer¡¯s underlings had be coincidentally involved.

    It was probably the Demon Cult that had turned monsters into demonic monsters and made them attack the indigenous people.

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    ''Are you going to do it again?!''

    He was waiting for Lucifer to take the bait.

    But to make sure he didn''t get bored while waiting, the Demon Cult had gotten onto the fishing boat on their own.

    "Seeing that there wasn''t only one magic summoning circle¡­ we should consider the possibility that they''re going to do anotherrge-scale summoning."

    ''Mr. Demoonn Culltt!''

    He clenched his fists.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    His Demonic Energy stat had increased its maximum value 130.

    He was thinking about how he would reach that, but the Demon Cult had solved that problem for him.

    He almost thought of them as lovely for doing that.

    ''Why did you appear just now? Where have you been all this time?''

    To be honest, it was about time they made a move.

    They hadn''t made any moves after nting the Fissure Seeds.

    He was excited enough to want to dance because of the timing that couldn''t have been more perfect.

    He was missing one step before unlocking the eighth Awakening attribute, so he couldn''t help but be happy after learning they were preparing anotherrge-scale summoning.

    ''I always believed in you.''

    He''d been worried that maybe the Demon Cult had gone under after failing the Fissure Seed n, but they didn''t give up.

    He knew that they wouldn''t give up. They would defeat all sorts of difficulties to execute their n of immersing the world in darkness.

    ''I know Mr. Demon Cult is going to seed!!''

    He didn''t know what or how many demons they would summon.

    But in that situation, unless it was an archduke, there wasn''t any demon KangWoo would struggle against.

    ''And the chances of it being an archduke are very low.''

    They said that there was a magic circle drawn that was simr to the one they used to summon Oriax.

    Archdukes didn''t exist in the 9th hell, so there was no way they would be able to ''summon'' one.

    There was a chance they might summon Lucifer, who had fallen to the Ernor Continent, or other archdukes that had arrived in other dimensions, but seeing that, until that point, most of the demons or demonic monsters they had summoned were from the Hell of Nine Skies, the chances of that being the case were very low.

    That basically meant the only thing he had to do was to eat the meal prepared by the Demon Cult chefs.

    ''I won''t forget the taste of this delicious lunch box that the Demon Cult has prepared for me¡­''

    All the praise toward Tyrion had melted like snow after the blessing given to him by the Demon Cult.

    ''You ungrateful person.''

    He recalled all the painful memories of the past ten thousand years.

    He was trying too hard to protect the world and give himself to the light, so he wasn''t able to recognize the real hero.

    Why couldn''t the light give him as many things as the Demon Cult did?

    He felt like crying.

    At that point, he felt that his previous self that hadmented over Tyrion¡¯s vanishing was pathetic.

    ''The one I should serve isn¡¯t the light.''

    It wasn''t time to praise trash like Reinald.

    KangWoo clenched his fist and raised his hand.

    As the day went on, the sky was starting to turn dark.

    ''From today onward, the one I should serve is the Demon Cult!''

    ¡®The light has betrayed me!¡®

 Chapter 165: The Road to Becoming a Hero (1)

    "The Demon Cult¡­"

    Gaia mumbled that name with a worried expression.

    Her body began to tremble slightly.

    "What are you going to do? Should we immediately go to where the magic summoning circle is?"

    "B-but Guardian Kim ShiHoon is¡­"

    "I''m okay."

    Kim ShiHoon stood up.

    You couldn''t say he was fully healed, but he couldn''t stand still and do nothing in such a dire situation.

    He grabbed his sword while putting more strength into his staggering legs.

    "¡­"

    Gaia remained silent.

    She grabbed the skirt of the dress she was wearing.

    "It''s too dangerous."

    She hesitated after seeing Kim ShiHoon''s over-enthusiastic attitude.

    From her point of view, it was normal to hesitate.

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan, had attacked their secret vault, and he''d taken the Fissure Seeds they''d obtained with much effort.

    Not only that, but if it weren''t for KangWoo, he would''ve definitely died.

    It would be weird if she didn''t hesitate in that situation.

    "It would be better if we took more time, analyzed the size of their forces, received help from each country, and then¡­"

    She spoke carefully.

    It was something that made sense.

    South America had turned into monster territory, so even if arge-scale summoning happened, there wouldn''t be many losses.

    Just like they''d done in Manchuria, it would be better if they took time, organized an army, and then moved to face the enemies.

    "Ms. Gaia¡­"

    KangWoo took a step forward.

    He understood why she was hesitating, but he couldn''t stay still and do nothing.

    ''They could try to escape after leaving the demons behind like before.''

    He was able to track them down back then because they¡¯d sent him a dinner coupon.

    ¡­But there was no way they were going to do that again.

    No, considering the damage they''d received before, there was no way they''d try to use the same strategy.

    If they let that ''golden time'' when they''d just begun summoning the demons go, there was a chance the Demon Cult would move somewhere else.

    ''I cannot let that happen.''

    "If we give them time now, we don''t know how much more damage they could cause. We have to attack as quickly as possible."

    "I¡­ know that, but¡­"

    "I know what you''re worried about. You''re afraid we would die like Mr. Reinald or Alec."

    "¡­"

    Gaia remained silent. He''d guessed correctly.

    KangWoo raised the demonic energy from within his body but mixed a bit of Tyrion''s energy with it.

    Since he did that, unlike the usual dark energy, golden energy started to flow out from him.

    The only thing that changed was the color, but the effect from the visual alone was huge.

    "Ah¡­"

    Those around them let out short exmations.

    The sight of KangWoo covered by a golden light was just like that of a warrior of light.

    It was a scene that was very cliche. It appeared in numerous manhwas, novels, and games, but there was a reason for it being that way¡­

    ''The reaction is great.''

    He swallowed hisugh and opened his mouth.

    "We can¡¯t win if we¡¯re afraid."

    "¡­"

    "Of course, it isn''t that I''m being blindly enthusiastic. It isn''t that I became blinded by a sense of justice. It''s a conclusion I reached after defeating those demons not long ago."

    He took out the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea and created Del Lain, the sword Reinald had used before.

    He gripped the sword and stuck it into the ground.

    "The demons are clearly strong enemies, but they aren''t so strong that we should be afraid of them."

    ''Haa, what a nice setup!''

    "But still, it would be better if we took some time and¡ª"

    "The more time passes, the bigger the damage will get. Even though not many people live here, aren''t they still people?"

    His eyes were burning intensely.

    A will that couldn''t be broken was felting out from him.

    "Even if they are a few minorities, we must protect them."

    ''Woah. Even though it was me who said this, that sounded incredible!''

    "Numbers¡­ aren''t important while talking about people''s lives."

    ''Oops! What if Gaia falls in love with me?! Hasn''t this been too cool?''

    He felt proud about the dialogue he''d just improvised.

    Gaia opened her mouth slowly as if she''d been hit with something.

    ''Please¡­''

    KangWoo looked at her nervously.

    ''Don''t say that it''s too cringey.''

    He would probably die of shame if sheughed at him in disbelief.

    He wasn''t joking.

    He''d done his best to look as good as possible, but if sheughed at him, there was no way to make him look good again.

    "I see¡­ I was just a coward."

    ''Oh, fuck. It seems like that isn''t the case.''

    "Mr. KangWoo is right. We''re Guardians¡ªthose that protect this world. We won''t be able to protect anyone if we''re afraid of dying."

    ''Ms. Gaia, thank you for notughing at me.''

    He was moved by the fact she came over without presenting any difficulty.

    He became more rxed.

    "Let''s go to where the magic summoning circle has been found. Mr. Cheon MooJin, please guide us."

    "Okay."

    Cheon MooJin turned around and started to run. The Guardians started to follow him.

    "Hey¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo ced her hand on KangWoo''s shoulder.

    "I feel like throwing up," she said while frowning as if she couldn''t resist anymore.

    "¡­"

    "Tsk."

    The heavy fact poked at his stomach.

    After saying that, Chae YeonJoo left KangWoo alone and followed Cheon MooJin.

    There was a heavy silence.

    He covered his face with his hands, he was starting to feel ashamed.

    ''I also feel like throwing up¡­''

    The road to bing a hero was harsh and long.

    * * *

    They followed Cheon MooJin to where the summoning circle was found.

    Earth''s lungs, the Amazon¡­

    It was a jungle so huge that a normal person would struggle to even walk in it.

    It was harder to move around in than a ce like the Grand Canyon, but still, everyone gathered there was above the level of an average ranker.

    Moving in conditions like that was an easy task for them.

    "Kiieekk!"

    <em>sh-!</em>

    The body of a demonic monster charging toward them was cut by Cheon MooJin.

    Instead of participating in the battle, KangWoo used the Authority of Observation to look at their surroundings.

    ''It really is the Demon Cult.''

    He''d be familiar with the traces of the Demon Cult and followed them.

    ''They aren''t far away from us.''

    The more they followed the traces, the more demonic monsters appeared.

    A thick amount of demonic energy was around the area as if confirming that they were once again preparing arge-scale summoning like in divostok.

    ''But¡­''

    Since he could use demonic energy from the depths of the Demonic Energy Sea, it wouldn''t be hard for him to find out where the demonic energy wasing from.

    KangWoo pointed somewhere.

    "It''s over there."

    "Did you find another trace?"

    "No."

    He''d already prepared an excuse for how he was able to find their location.

    "The strength of Mr. Tyrion is pointing me there."

    It was the second cheat he''d obtained after Satan.

    If he used the name of the Hero God, Tyrion, he could bypass any possible conflict.

    "Let''s go quickly."

    "We don''t know what could happen if we''rete."

    Kim ShiHoon and Gaia agreed with his words.

    Grace, who was holding Gaia, nodded and moved faster toward the ce KangWoo had pointed.

    "Who is it?!"

    "Ugh! How did they figure out¡­"

    ''Bingo!''

    As they went through the thick vines, they arrived at an open space created by cutting down the trees.

    There, they saw members of the Demon Cult wearing ck robes.

    ''Long time no see, guys!''

    He couldn''t help but smile after finding them.

    KangWoo quickly looked around. He wasn¡¯t really after the Demon Cult members or the demonic monsters.

    [Who are they?]

    [Are they the Guardians we¡¯ve heard about?]

    Demons appeared from behind the Demon Cult members.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    ''Nice!''

    They were on another levelpared to the demons they''d summoned before. Among them, he could see a few that were from the 8th hell.

    ''Although the number is a bit low¡­''

    He licked his lip. He looked at how many Demon Cult members were where the summoning ceremony was taking ce.

    ''This probably isn''t the only ce where the summoning ceremony is taking ce.''

    Considering how widespread the demonic energy was, there were probably many summoning ceremonies happening simultaneously.

    There was a chance that more demons were summoned besides the ones he was seeing right then.

    ''You did it, guys!''

    He couldn''t help but exim in surprise at the Demon Cult¡¯s efforts.

    ''You lovely bastards!''

    Although they''d weakened the Gaia System through the Fissure Fragments, it wasn''t hard to imagine how much effort they had to make in order to do arge-scale summoning of demons that were above the 7th hell.

    [Ha! They''re still humans! Nothing will change if a couple of bugs struggle!]

    A demon with four horns and six eyes took a step forward whileughing loudly.

    [Mr. Jaraxas, leave those humans to us¡­]

    [No. It''s been a while since I tasted blood! I''ll go personally.]

    Jaraxas, a demon from the 8th hell¡­

    mes of Hell appeared on both of his arms while he walked forward.

    The demons that looked like his underlings were hesitating.

    Jaraxas''s lieutenant, Ebony Mur, spoke to the other demons while shaking his head.

    [Let him enjoy.]

    [Ah¡­ Yes. We''ll do as ordered!]

    The demons bowed.

    Jaraxas stomped on the ground.

    [The ruler of the Hellfire Road of the 8th hell, Jaraxas, will face you!]

    He opened both arms, and hot air blew around him.

    After seeing the surrounding vegetation dry up instantly, Guardians¡¯ expressions hardened.

    Jaraxas''s mouth went up after seeing that.

    [Come! You filthy mortals!]

    KangWoo took a step forward; a golden sword appeared in his hand.

    The members of the Demon Cult started tough after seeing KangWoo take a step forward alone.

    "Hahaha! I''m not sure how you found out about this ce, but it''s toote now!"

    He looked at Jaraxas''s back cautiously.

    "It''s going to be different from Manchuria! Now, we have the owner of the Hellfire Road, Jaraxas!!"

    <em>CRACK-!</em>

    [Cough! Ugh! H-how¡­?]

    The sword, covered with golden light, cut Jaraxas''s body from his shoulder to his groin.

    Without being able to block a single attack, his body was split into two.

    "Huh?"

    The Demon Cult members¡¯ eyes widened.

    The body of Jaraxas was split into two, became ck fog, and scattered away.

    "Wh-what? The ruler of the Hellfire, Jaraxas, was¡­"

    "Wh-what happened?!"

    ¡®He isn''t here anymore.¡¯

 Chapter 166: The Road to Becoming a Hero (2)

    [Mr. Jaraxas?]

    [How could something like this¡­?]

    It wasn''t just the members of the Demon Cult; there was a hugemotion among the demons as well.

    Rather than being horrified, they were confused.

    If he''d lost after fighting intensely, they could have made a reaction like ''How could Mr. Jaraxas lose against a mere human!'', but that wasn''t the case.

    To think that he would die without being able to defend himself against a single attack.

    They weren''t even able to see Jaraxas¡¯s body, who called himself the ruler of the Hellfire Road.

    [Is this something Mr. Jaraxas intended?]

    [But why would he¡­?]

    They were thinking that Jaraxas was maybe ying a trick on them.

    That''s how shocking it was that Jaraxas had died from a human¡¯s single blow.

    "Mr. K-KangWoo?"

    "Woah. Are you really human?"

    Han Seol-ah and the other people that were following KangWoo opened their mouths in surprise.

    Cheon MooJin couldn''t believe how strong KangWoo had bepared to when they''d sparred.

    The only ones that weren''t that surprised were Gaia and Kim ShiHoon, who knew his strength.

    ''''Hyeongnim has recently received the blessing of the Hero God Tyrion and be his apostle."

    "Then that''s the strength of a god¡­?"

    "Yes."

    Everyone nodded at Kim ShiHoon''s words.

    Hero God Tyrion¡­ They didn''t know who he was, but they thought such strength was as expected from a ''god.''

    Chae YeonJooughed while shaking her head in disbelief.

    The red bracelet started to shine.

    "I''m going to ask for the detailster on. This isn''t time to wonder about how that guy has be so strong."

    "You''re right."

    Cheon MooJin gripped his sword.

    The demons soon realized their situation. They finally epted Jaraxas¡¯s death and started to panic.

    It was obvious that it was a great opportunity to attack.

    Chae YeonJoo began charging toward the demons while sighing.

    "Damn. Now I''m not even surprised if gods or demons appear."

    She could feel how much the world had changed in just a few years.

    "Haaa¡­"

    She once again sighed while clenching her fists.

    She sharply looked at the Demon Cult members.

    ''It doesn''t matter if a demon, angel, or god appears¡­''

    She only had one goal¡­

    She looked at the Demon Cult members shouting something while they were hiding behind the demons.

    As the situation began to turn weird, they were using themunication crystal to shout something and were trying to escape.

    "You won''t be able to escape."

    She clenched her fists; the red chains rose to the sky and surrounded her body.

    Cheon MooJin, Cheon SooYeon, and Goo HyunMo also took out their weapons.

    Kang TaeSoo lifted his shield, and Han Seol-ah applied her strong buffs to the yers.

    Human vs. demons¡­

    The battle between the two forces began.

    * * *

    KangWoo stabbed the sword forward¡ªa sword that was emitting golden light.

    It looked like the sword of the Hero God Tyrion, Del Lain, but in reality, it was a fake created with the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea.

    Although it was a fake, the original weapon was the Key of Demonic Energy Sea¡ªa transcendent-rank weapon.

    The energy emitted from the sword was more intense than Reinald''s Del Lain.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    [Cough!]

    The sword destroyed the demonic energy wall the demons had created.

    He didn''t even need to use an Authority. There was an overwhelming difference in their physical specs.

    Even if he overwhelmed them with strength, the demons couldn''t do anything.

    ''I really got stronger.''

    He could feel how much stronger he''d be in the past few months.

    It couldn''t bepared to when Oriax was first summoned.

    ''But¡­''

    He used the Authority of Predation.

    Before the bodies of the demons could fall to the floor, the fog that stealthily came out of KangWoo''s body began devouring their bodies.

    From what others could see, it looked as if the demon corpses were turning into ck fog and scattering away.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The attribute of ''Reaper of Souls'' has been activated.]

    The demonic energy and demon souls entered his body.

    He could feel that Reaper of Souls had activated, and the passageway to the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core widened a bit.

    ''It isn''t enough yet.''

    He could feel the thirst burning his throat.

    He could feel that he still needed a lot to reach the 130 stat he was trying to get.

    He stomped on the ground and swung the sword.

    ¡®A little bit more¡­ A little bit more¡­¡¯

    He desperately wanted more strength.

    It was a primal desire to be ''stronger.''

    [G-get away!]

    [AAGGHH!]

    <em>-Crunch! Crunch!</em>

    He tore their skin apart, and their gore sprayed over the area.

    A fishy smell stimted his nose.

    "Ha¡­"

    He breathed. ck blood sshed into his white mask.

    Rather than the apostle of a Hero God, the sight of him drunk on their blood was more akin to a demon¡¯s appearance.

    He began annihting the demons with an overwhelming difference in strength.

    It didn''t take him long to fully devour all 12 demons that had been summoned.

    "Ugh!"

    "H-help! Ask for help!" The Demon Cult members anxiously shouted. They picked up themunication crystal and tried to call somewhere.

    Chae YeonJoo was about to rush toward them and attack.

    * * *

    "Wait."

    "Why¡­?"

    "Wait a little bit more."

    KangWoo blocked Chae YeonJoo.

    She narrowed her eyes and looked at the Demon Cult members making calls.

    "Are you going to use them as bait?"

    "Yes."

    He nodded.

    Even if they didn''t do anything, they would send more their way, so there was no need for them to wander around looking for more.

    ''Food delivery service~!''

    He almost considered the Demon Cult members asking for support lovely.

    KangWoo breathed heavily and sighed while grabbing his heart; acting as if he were tired.

    The Demon Cult members¡¯ eyes shone after seeing him act tired.

    "Th-the enemy is tired! Please, send help quickly!"

    ''Nice!''

    A smile appeared on his mask-hidden face.

    Was it because of their hurried shout? He felt a bunch of beings with demonic energy charging his way.

    A smile appeared on his face, and his shoulders shook.

    ''Call them all.''

    They''d already theorized that there was more than one summoning ceremony taking ce.

    He wasn''t sure how many demons would being, but he was sure that number wasn''t going to be small.

    ''The demonic energy was spread quite a lot, after all.''

    He found traces of demonic energy in most of the ces he''d observed with the Authority of Observation.

    There was a chance that a very strong demon had been summoned.

    ''Good.''

    He liked how the situation was going.

    Although it was slow, the passageway to the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core was increasing, and the others were thinking of him as the apostle of Tyrion.

    ''Hero¡­ This isn''t that hard if you can resist being cringed out.''

    He just had to show them a bit of light and say some cringey stuff.

    On top of that, he was considered the apostle of the Hero God Tyrion, so it would be weird if he wasn''t called a hero.

    Even Chae YeonJoo, who said she wanted to vomit after hearing what he said, was looking at him with different eyes, so there was no doubt it had been very effective.

    ''Now, if I sweep away the Demon Cult members¡­''

    It would help him be stronger and reaffirm his ce as a hero.

    The trust that Gaia and the other Guardian members had in him would increase, and he would probably have as much speaking power as Gaia. His goal was to surpass her.

    ''Getting ahold of the Guardians¡­''

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    He''d already ced the track through Tyrion¡¯s name.

    He just had to follow that trackfortably.

    ''Satan! Tyrion! Thank you both a lot!''

    Being free from the usation of him being the Demon of the Prophecy and bing the apostle of the Hero God Tyrion¡­

    He wouldn''t have been able to reach such afortable situation if it weren''t for the sacrifice of Satan and Tyrion.

    It was obvious he would be thankful for them.

    It was at that moment¡­

    "There''s something I wanted to ask you."

    Gaia took a step forward with Grace¡¯s help.

    She clenched her fists and opened her mouth.

    "Why are you guys following the orders of an evil demon like Satan?"

    The Demon Cult members that were asking for help looked at her.

    Gaia''s body trembled.

    "Wh-why¡­ are you trying to destroy such a beautiful world?"

    She bit her lips and shouted as if she were letting out all of her anguish.

    "You killed Mr. Reinald and Alec¡­ and even sacrificed so many people. What are you trying to achieve?!" She shouted loudly.

    Tears dripped from her eyes.

    The people she trusted had died.

    The partners who promised her they''d saved the world with her had been murdered.

    Every time that happened, she''d tried her best to stand up, but it was hard to make the sadness and anger go away.

    Her anger had exploded after seeing the Demon Cult.

    "Gaia, calm down."

    Grace grabbed Gaia while looking at her sadly.

    Her thin shoulders shook, and the tears didn''t seem to stop.

    "Ms. Gaia¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon also seemed sad after seeing her like that.

    "What¡­?"

    "Follow Satan''s orders? What do you mean?"

    The Demon Cult members tilted their heads while looking at each other.

    They looked at Gaia as if she''d just said nonsense.

    It was true that the Demon Cult served demons¡­

    But Satan wasn¡¯t the one giving them orders.

    Satan was used as a symbol to represent all demons, so that part was understandable, but the words she said after that were even harder for them to understand.

    "Who is Reinald? And who¡¯s this ¡®Alec¡¯ you¡¯re talking about?"

    They looked at each other in confusion.

    "¡­?"

    The atmosphere was bing weird.

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    Gaia and Kim ShiHoon were also frowning after seeing the members of the Demon Cult in confusion.

    ''No!''

    The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

    ''Then¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone. There was only one way to solve the problem.

    He grabbed Del Lain and held it high.

    Golden light started toe out of it.

    "How dare you try to deceive me!"

    "What?"

    "Did you think I wouldn''t know you killed Reinald, my child?!"

    "That''s why we''re asking who Reinald is¡­?"

    "Shut up!!"

    He stomped on the ground; huge amounts of energy exploded out, and the surface shook.

    "How could you?! How could you have a human¡¯s skin and be so shameless?!"

    The golden light became more intense.

    The apostle of the Hero God Tyrion used both hands to lift the sword that was shining with a golden light.

    "Ah¡­"

    "That is¡­!"

    An exmation left Gaia and Kim ShiHoon''s mouths.

    It was a golden light that couldn''t bepared to the ones before.

    ¡­And it was a way of talking that was different from how KangWoo usually spoke.

    "Possession."

    They couldn''t help but think that Tyrion had used KangWoo''s body to appear due to the shameless attitude of the Demon Cult.

    Gaia gulped after seeing the angry god.

    "So who the fuck are those guys you''re talking about¡­?"

    "It seems impossible to talk to trash like you!"

    The Hero God Tyrion, who had descended using KangWoo''s body, charged toward the Demon Cult members.

    "Receive the light of judgment!"

    The Demon Cult members were decapitated and blown away by the glowing sword.

 Chapter 167: Its Not Murder If There Are No Witnesses (1)

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    The Demon Cult members were decapitated and blown away by the glowing sword.

    It was a horrifying scene. An angry god was standing there, covered in blood.

    "How dare you¡­"

    It was a voice filled with sadness.

    The golden energy that had appeared suddenly started to die down.

    The Hero God Tyrion had descended by borrowing KangWoo''s body.

    He was breathing heavily while feeling an anger that couldn''t be resisted.

    "Mr. Tyrion¡­"

    "Gaia''s child¡­" Tyrion whispered. He kept talking while looking really sad.

    "Don''t listen to what those evil demons are saying."

    "I¡­ I''m sorry."

    "You shouldn''t listen to demons¡ªthey''re always trying to deceive you with sweet words."

    "I''ll remember that."

    Gaia bowed after hearing advice that seemed honest.

    But there was still a doubt left¡­

    Kim ShiHoon spoke instead of Gaia.

    "Mr. Tyrion, didn¡¯t you die because of what happened before?"

    The blue message which had appeared in front of them¡­

    No, even if it weren''t because of the message window, Tyrion had said he would inherit his strength while risking being extinguished.

    The god they thought had died after giving his strength to KangWoo was talking through him as if nothing had happened, so it was understandable that he would have doubts.

    "¡­"

    <em>Flinch.</em> KangWoo''s body trembled a bit.

    But he hesitated only for a short while. As if he''d expected that question, he began exining.

    "That''s right. To be more precise, it was my ''divinity'' that died. Right now, I''m just a shell of my former self."

    "Ah¡­"

    "I probably won''t be able to descend many more times, but I wanted to tell you this before things got bigger."

    He spoke with an intense look in his eyes.

    "Dear heroes, don''t be fooled by demons. The moment you listen to their words, your minds will be contaminated."

    It was a desperate voice. The golden light around them was starting to get weaker.

    "When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

    The light turned off.

    "Haa! Haa!"

    KangWoo breathed heavily while grabbing his heart.

    He turned his head and looked at his surroundings.

    "What just¡­?"

    "Mr. Tyrion descended through Hyeongnim''s body."

    "What?"

    KangWoo seemed surprised. He looked at his hands as if he couldn''t see what Kim ShiHoon was saying.

    "Don''t you remember anything?"

    "Yes¡­ but more than that, didn¡¯t he die?"

    "He said that his divinity died, but he was still alive within you."

    "Ah¡­"

    A short exmation left KangWoo''s mouth.

    He looked at his body as if he were moved.

    "I see. He was still alive inside me¡­"

    "We realized how much Mr. Tyrion cared for us."

    Gaia talked with a sad tone in her voice.

    "I wasn''t aware of his thoughts, and I¡­"

    "No. I know why Ms. Gaia said something like that."

    KangWoo shook his head.

    "I was also wondering that. Why are they trying to push the world to its extinction?"

    "Mr. Tyrion said we shouldn''t listen to their words."

    "I see¡­"

    He nodded.

    <em>Don''t listen to what a demon says.</em>

    They were words they probably wouldn''t be able to ignore easily since they had been said by Tyrion, who made a huge effort to descend.

    KangWoo''s expression hardened as if he''d understood the meaning behind those words.

    ''Oh, fuck. I almost screwed up.''

    His heart beat faster.

    ''To think that she''d asked questions to the Demon Cult in that situation.''

    He could understand Gaia''s actions.

    She''d lost too many times to Satan, so it would be weird if she didn''t feel anxious at all.

    It was amazing she had been able to resist for such a long time.

    ''But I survived thanks to Mr. Tyrion.''

    Things could have gotten twisted because of the Demon Cult.

    ''Those mean bastards¡­''

    He remembered them reacting as if they didn''t follow Satan or hadn''t killed Reinald or Alec.

    Instead of denying, they made a detailed act while tilting their heads as if they were asking what they were talking about.

    Their acting was so great that they even almost deceived him.

    ''Someone might have thought it really wasn''t them that did it.''

    Tyrion''s loyal apostle¡­

    Even he, the sessor of hero Reinald, had been confused, so it wasn''t hard to estimate how good their acting skills were.

    KangWoo opened his mouth while shaking his head.

    "This isn''t the time to think about why they''ve done such evil things."

    He turned around.

    There was a huge jungle. He could feel demons approaching them through there.

    ¡®Tyrion''s right.¡¯

    ¡®It isn¡¯t the time to think about why the innocent Reinald or Alec died.¡¯

    <em>Boom! Boom!</em>

    "They''reing."

    After saying those short words, KangWoo and the other Guardians took out their weapons.

    [Hahaha! You dumb, Jaraxas! You asked for help because you couldn''t get rid of a human?!]

    [I''ll show you how scary demons are!]

    ¡®Ding ding¡­¡¯

    He heard voices.

    ''It finally arrived.''

    The food delivery he''d been waiting such a long time for had finally arrived.

    KangWoo gulped and raised Del Lain.

    ''They''re here!!!''

    He stomped on the ground and quickly rushed toward the demons that were leaking demonic energy.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    [Cough!]

    A demon¡¯s head was smashed by Del Lain; blood poured in all directions.

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    ''I''m going to pay with a credit card!!''

    The annihtion had just begun.

    * * *

    [Cough! Wh-what the?!]

    [What the fuck?!]

    Desperate shouts were heard.

    It was overwhelming.

    There was no other way to exin it.

    Someone they wouldn''t believe was a human was sweeping them away.

    "Ha-ab!"

    [Ugh!]

    The problem wasn''t just the one person who was at the forefront¡­

    Those that were behind him weren''t weak and worthless at all.

    All of them had a strength that was higher than a demon from the 7th hell. No, among them, a few were even stronger than that.

    [H-human, ask for more support!]

    "U-understood!"

    A Demon Cult member who arrived with them took out amunication crystal.

    ''Four that are at a world-ranker level?''

    The old man with a sword, the red-haired girl with chains, the blond woman with a rapier, and the young man holding a sword that emitted a blue light¡­

    They seemed to be world-ranking yers at just a nce.

    ''And¡­''

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    [AAGGHH!]

    [STOP THAT DEMON!!]

    The human who was wearing a white mask and was wielding a sword that emitted golden light¡­

    ''Just what¡­?''

    He had an overwhelming strength that couldn''t bepared to a world ranker.

    The members of the Demon Cult were so surprised that they couldn¡¯t close their mouths after seeing him one-sidedly annihte the demons from Hell. It was so one-sided that they felt bad for them.

    ''It''s dangerous.''

    If things went like that, the summoning ceremony that was the core of the n could be interrupted.

    ''I cannot let that happen!''

    The amount of money the Demon Cult had invested in the summoning ceremony was huge. The Apostle of Evil, no, even the higher-ups had many expectations riding on the n.

    Failure wasn''t an option.

    "You must resist a bit more!!" he desperately shouted.

    There wasn''t much time left before the main summoning would take ce.

    If ''that¡¯ demon was sessfully summoned, they would be able to eliminate that human easily.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "Resist a bit more?"

    "Haa!"

    The monster that was annihting the demons approached him in an instant.

    He grabbed him by the cor and spoke.

    "It seems like something will happen if you resist, huh?"

    "H-hiic!"

    A scary energy burst forth.

    A fear he had never felt while encountering numerous demons up until that point invaded his consciousness.

    "Ah, aah."

    His mouth fell open, and a fear he couldn''t refuse invaded his mind.

    The eyes he could see behind the mask¡­

    They were too full of madness to say he was a hero fighting demons. His head became nk after seeing KangWoo¡¯s eyes.

    "Now¡­ Say it. What are you waiting for?"

    "I¡­ I can''t¡­"

    "You entered the Demon Cult because you want eternal life, right? You wanted to be immortal, so what''s the point of that if you die here?"

    "¡­"

    "Loyalty to demons? Admiration? What''s the point of those things?"

    It was a sweet-sounding voice.

    "Don''t you want to live?"

    A temptation he couldn''t refuse was dangled in front of him. The will of wanting to live stimted him.

    "You can''t be honest. No one is going to me you. After all, there was nothing you could do in this situation."

    "There''s nothing I could''ve done¡­"

    "Yes. Others would have also probably fallen in a simr manner,¡± KangWoo said in a low whisper.

    He began nodding.

    ''Yes. There''s nothing I can do in this situation.''

    He was a monster who''d annihted those strong demons.

    How could he resist such a monster?

    ''There''s no other thing I can do¡­''

    He nodded.

    He looked at the demons and his partners that had been killed.

    He was scared. He didn''t want to die.

    He felt that he was about to lose his mind from the fear. Somehow, he felt that, to get away from it, he had to listen to his request.

    "I promise you, if you tell me the truth, I''ll guarantee your life. I promise it in the name of Tyrion."

    "Tyrion¡­?"

    It was the first time he''d heard such a name.

    "It''s the name of the god I serve."

    "¡­"

    He remained silent. His thoughts started to race.

    ''As expected. He''s a hero, huh?''

    The cliche of the person who a god had chosen¡­

    But thanks to that, he was able to calm down a bit.

    ''Now that I think about it, the Guardians also serve a god, right?''

    The servants of gods that were interfering with their ns¡­

    It seemed like the monster in front of them was one of those people.

    ''Then¡­''

    The fear inside him disappeared. A smile appeared on his face.

    ''I can live.''

    A servant of a god had made a promise in the name of the god he served.

    He didn''t think that someone who called himself a hero wouldn''t fulfill a promise made in the name of their god.

    ''If I survive¡­''

    If he survived, he could always make aeback.

    He would be able to obtain the eternal life he so desperately wanted.

    "The summoning ceremony¡­"

    The hesitationsted for a short moment. He opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

    * * *

    "Summoning a demon from the 9th hell, huh?"

    A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face after hearing the exnation from the Demon Cult member.

    The 9th hell¡­

    It was the deepest part of Hell¡ªa ce where only the strongest demons were gathered.

    ''Yes. I thought you''d be able to summon.''

    Devouring a demon from the 7th or 8th hell was great, but a demon from the 9th hell was on another level.

    That could be seen just by the fact that he hadn''t been able to fulfill the condition for the Demonic Soul even after absorbing hundreds of souls of demons, but that condition was fulfilled after he absorbed the souls of Malphas and Phenex.

    ''There isn''t much left.''

    He''d killed tens of demons but wasn''t able to reach 130 stat yet.

    ¡­But he felt that there wasn''t much left before he reached it.

    If he killed a demon from the 9th hell and absorbed his soul, he would be easily able to reach 130 of a stat.

    ''Good.''

    His throat burned with thirst.

    KangWooughed. He would soon be able to get rid of that thirst.

    "Thank you for the information."

    He raised the sword and stabbed the Demon Cult member without hesitating.

    <em>Stab-</em>

    "Cough?!"

    The Demon Cult member looked at him in confusion.

    "Wh-why?"

    The promise that he would let him live if told the truth¡­

    How could he easily break a promise made in the name of a god?

    "Y-you told me you would let me live."

    He extended his hand, drenched with blood, toward him. He widened his eyes and shouted.

    "You promised it in the name of the god you serve!!"

    <em>Cough.</em> He vomited blood.

    He couldn''t understand it.

    The heroes he knew, those that served a god, weren''t like that.

    At least they were beings who would fulfill a promise made in the name of the god they served.

    ''Who''s this bastard?''

    He hadn''t even hesitated.

    It was as if a promise made to a god had absolutely no meaning to him.

    KangWoo opened his mouth after seeing his confused look.

    "Ah. I was really about to do that, but I thought about it carefully, you see?"

    He sounded serious.

    "No one will know if you die, right?"

    "Wh-what does that¡­?"

    "If you die, no one will know I didn''t fulfill a promise made in the name of a god."

    "W-wait¡­"

    "Why hadn''t I thought of such a good way until now?"

    "What nonsense¡­?"

    KangWooughed at him.

    He twisted the sword he''d used to stab him.

    "If there isn''t a witness, it''s not a murder!"

    It was as if a ray of light had entered his mind.

    KangWoo trembled in excitement after realizing a new truth.

    ''EUREKA!!''

 Chapter 168: I Dont Know What Youre Talking About (1)

    The battle was over.

    All the demons'' bodies turned into ck fog and scattered away. Not only that, but the Demon Cult members had also paid the price for their crimes.

    There was a short silence.

    KangWoo and the rest were breathing heavily after fighting against the demons.

    "Wave of Light."

    Han Seol-ah opened both arms and cast magic.

    The wings that were drawn on her back started to emit light, and it spread to the other people.

    They looked at her in surprise.

    "This is¡­"

    "Amazing."

    It wasn''t a simple magic that healed wounds.

    They felt that the tiredness and mental stress they''d gotten while fighting was being healed.

    "Since when could you use magic like this?" Kim ShiHoon asked in surprise.

    There were many healers that could heal wounds, but the number of healers that could heal tiredness stacked inside the body was extremely low.

    It was hard to say that mental stress was in the realm of healing.

    "It''s thanks to the attribute I obtained after the eighth Awakening."

    "Amazing."

    It was honestly a surprise.

    That''s how special Han Seol-ah''s healing magic was.

    ''Now that I think about it, the effect of the buff was incredible as well.''

    The reason why he''d been able to face Halphas, one of the three demons, was thanks to the buff she''d applied on him.

    He had never heard about a buff that increased your stats by an absolute value.

    "N-no¡­"

    Han Seol-ah blushed in shyness because of the attention she was getting.

    ¡ªBut there was a smile on her face.

    Not many people disliked being recognized and praised, after all.

    Han Seol-ah looked at KangWoo. She clenched her fists in excitement.

    "Mr. KangWoo, you must be more tired than the rest, so I''m going to use one more magic on you."

    Han Seol-ah grabbed his hand and used another magic.

    To be honest, two out of the three demons had been defeated by KangWoo, so, in reality, she hadn''t said anything wrong.

    "Thank you," KangWoo said while smiling.

    A smile appeared on Han Seol-ah''s mouth.

    She looked at the light flowing out of her and entering KangWoo''s body.

    ''The effect is definitely great.''

    It was as if the tiredness that had been stacked by fighting the demons disappeared.

    After reaching 120 stats, just like the ck Pearl Coat''s effect didn''t apply to him anymore, her buffs also didn''t increase his stats.

    That''s why he thought it would be hard for him to get help from Han Seol-ah while fighting, but it seemed like he''d underestimated her.

    ''Hmm.''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    It wasn''t that she''d received the soul of the Martial God like Kim ShiHoon; she also hadn''t been chosen by the Gaia System like the other Guardians. But still, he could feel an unknown energying from her.

    ''What''s this?''

    He didn''t know what it was.

    KangWoo shook his head while thinking about it.

    There was nothing more stupid than trying to assume an answer to a question he couldn¡¯t even begin to solve.

    ''I''ll have to look closely.''

    That was all he could do for the moment.

    But rather than that, solving the situation at the present was more important.

    "Is it over?" Chae YeonJoo asked.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "I can¡¯t feel anything around here. It seems like it''s over," He calmly answered.

    To be honest, the Demon Cult¡¯s n wasn''t over yet.

    They were probably trying to summon a being from the 9th hell right then.

    ''I can''t pour ashes over cooked rice.''

    It would be better if they ambushed them after they managed to summon a being from the 9th hell.

    ''I guess we could stay here and then give an excuse and start moving.''

    He''d already heard where the summoning ceremony was taking ce.

    He thought it would be okay if they moved once he felt a huge amount of demonic energy.

    ''Good.''

    KangWoo smiled as everything was going ording to his ns.

    It was at that moment¡­

    "Ah¡­"

    A short exmation left KangWoo''s mouth.

    Gaia extended her trembling hands.

    "What''s wrong?" Kim ShiHoon said while making a worried expression.

    Gaia opened her mouth.

    "Ms. Gaia herself¡­ gave us a quest."

    "Yes?"

    "Wait for a moment. I''m going to share it with you."

    She waved her hand in the air.

    A blue message window appeared in front of her.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [S-rank special quest is starting.]

    Quest Details: Block the summoning of a demon from the 9th hell.

    Reward: None.

    P.S: I''m, so¡­ rry¡­ My children. Ah, right now, the only thing I can do¡­ Is¡­ This.

    ¡®What''s this?¡¯

    KangWoo frowned after reading the message that appeared in front of him.

    But he soon realized what Gaia had done.

    ''That fucking troll!''

    He frowned.

    * * *

    She''d just told them through a quest that the Demon Cult hadn''t finished summoning yet and that they were trying to summon a demon from the 9th hell.

    ''Fuck¡­!''

    He could understand why she''d done that.

    She probably couldn''t stay calm while looking at her children rxing while thinking they had defeated their enemies.

    The intentions were nice. If he hadn''t known they were trying to summon someone from the 9th hell, it would have been of great help.

    ''But why¡­?''

    ¡®But why with this timing?¡¯

    Even if her intentions had been good, if the result was a mess, it meant nothing.

    That quest of Gaia¡¯s would be equivalent to flipping the dining table.

    ''Not only that, but there''s no reward.''

    Seeing that there was no reward, it seemed like she didn''t even have the strength to interfere with the system.

    Seeing a god waste her power over things like that hurt his head.

    ''Think¡­''

    He began thinking.

    Since the rest had discovered that the demon summoning ceremony hadn''t ended, he had no choice but to change the n.

    "This¡­"

    "It seems like the summoning isn''t over yet."

    Gaia kept talking while her expression hardened.

    "We must stop the demon from the 9th hell from being summoned."

    "Well, seeing the current KangWoo, is there a need to stop them?" Chae YeonJoo asked.

    She''d seen how he overwhelmingly annihted a group of demons.

    She¡¯d almost felt sorry for the demons, so it was true that she didn''t feel the need to stop them.

    "No, that''s not true."

    Gaia shook her head.

    Up until that point, they were able to eliminate the demons easily thanks to KangWoo''s help.

    Although he was a hero who had received strength from a god, they weren''t sure if he''d be able to fight the demons from the strongest hell.

    "That''s right. We must stop them as soon as possible."

    KangWoo took a step forward. He kept talking in a loud voice.

    "It isn''t like I''m not confident I''ll be able to win against a demon from the 9th hell, but it will be even easier if we stop it from happening."

    "Mr. KangWoo is right," Gaia agreed with him.

    "Then we should first figure out where it''s taking ce¡­"

    "If it''s that, there''s a ce I can think of."

    "Mr. KangWoo?"

    "Yes."

    "After receiving the quest, I''ve been feeling something unpleasant through Mr. Tyrion¡¯s strength."

    He once again used Tyrion''s name.

    It was a cheat that was at an equal level to Satan.

    People reacted after he said he''d felt something unpleasant.

    "Where did you feel it?"

    "Follow me."

    KangWoo turned and began running.

    He took them opposite where the summoning was taking ce.

    ''I need to stall for some time!''

    That was the best thing he could do at that moment.

    He had to stall until the Demon Cult could sessfully finish the summoning ceremony.

    ''You Demon Cult bastards! You better not fail!''

    It was a desperate, mental shout.

    KangWoo took them in another direction.

    ''Come on!''

    Ten minutes passed¡­

    "We''re almost there."

    Twenty minutes¡­

    "Hyeongnim, if things go on like this¡­"

    "It''s over here! We''re going to get there in five minutes!"

    Thirty minutes¡­

    "Mr. KangWoo, is it really in this direction¡­?"

    "We''re really almost there!"

    ''FUUCCKK!''

    He couldn''t help but curse.

    ''When are they going to seed?''

    It was understandable that he''d be annoyed.

    The more they went in the direction he was guiding them, the weaker the Demonic Energy floating around became, and demonic monsters couldn''t be seen anymore.

    Their trust in him could crumble.

    ''Seed, please!''

    He couldn''t misguide them forever.

    He was starting to feel angry about how slow and inefficient the Demon Cult members were.

    ''Please¡­''

    Had his desperate prayers reached the heavens?

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    With a loud sound, a huge pir of demonic energy rose to the sky.

    ''Finally!''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    ''They finally seeded!!''

    "O-over there!"

    "Everyone, quick!"

    They began running toward where the ck pir had appeared.

    KangWoo gulped while looking at the ck pir.

    ''It''s at least a great demon.''

    ¡ªA demon that was among the strongest in the 9th hell.

    His steps became lighter; he was almost starting to feel proud for being able to deceive his allies for 30 minutes.

    KangWoo arrived at where the summoning ceremony was taking ce while his eyes shone.

    "In-intruders!"

    "Ugh! So you finally got here!"

    As expected, they were trying to summon a great demon from the 9th hell.

    Unlike a normal ce, where there were mostly between five and six members, there were at least 50 people.

    ''Good!''

    He raised his weapon while smiling.

    "This is where your evil deeds end!" He shouted.

    ''You did it!''

    Although they werete, they''d been able to seed anyway.

    KangWoo''s smile was hidden behind his mask.

    ''Let''s see who you summoned¡­''

    He looked at the ck fissure.

    And¡­

    "Hahaha! It''s already toote, you damned servants of the gods!!"

    "Now that he''se, you won''t be able to escape death!"

    <em>Tap Tap-</em>

    A giant demon who was five meters tall emerged from the ck fissure.

    He had a muscr body with red skin, goat horns on his forehead, bat wings, and a long tail.

    He was a demon who had an overwhelming destructive presence.

    The members of the Demon Cult knelt.

    "Everyone, worship him! He''s a great demon from the 9th hell!"

    "The Monarch of Destruction, Balrog!!"

    "¡­"

    There was silence.

    The demon that had walked out of the fissure opened his mouth.

    [Is this ce Earth?]

    "Yes!!"

    [Who are you?]

    "We''re loyal servants of demons! Mortals that crave immortality!"

    [Hmm.]

    The giant demon turned his head as if he weren''t interested.

    KangWoo and the demon looked at each other.

    [Huh?]

    "¡­"

    KangWoo was wearing a mask.

    In other words, his disguise was only a thin piece of material covering his face.

    But Balrog had spent a few thousand years with him, so the fact that he was wearing a mask meant nothing.

    [D-Demon King!]

    Balrog knelt.

    [Finally, I''ve met my Demon King again! I heard the news from Doom Guard. You don''t know how much I''ve missed you, Demon King!!]

    <em>Boom!</em> He mmed his forehead into the floor.

    [Demon King!! I, Balrog, came here to be loyal to you again!!]

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    No one said anything.

    There was no way they could say anything.

    KangWoo turned his head.

    He sensed everyone''s eyes on him.

    He slowly opened his mouth.

    "I don''t know what he''s talking about."

    [Aah! Demon King!]

    "I really don''t know anything."

    [Sniff! I''ve really missed you!]

    "I don''t know who this demon is."

    [Demon Kiinngg!!!]

    "¡­"

    There was once again silence.

    He felt everyone staring at him.

    A curse left his mouth.

    "Fuck."

    ¡®I''m fucked.¡¯

 Chapter 169: Warrior of Light Oh KangWoo (1)

    ¡®I''m fucked.¡¯

    There was no better way to describe the situation.

    Balrog had mmed his head to the ground and was crying while saying, ¡°Demon King, I''ve missed you so much.¡±

    The members of the Demon Cult had invested a lot into summoning Balrog, and the Guardians were sent here to stop the Demon Cult.

    As for himself¡­

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    All sorts of insults were lingering around his mouth.

    Everyone was staring at him.

    They were looking at him withplex emotions; they had a mixture of confusion, denial, trust, and doubt.

    Of course, most were trying to deny the situation.

    They thought a demon from the 9th hell was using a mean trick.

    But¡­

    [Demon Kiinngg!!]

    "¡­"

    Balrog was calling to him more desperately.

    You could feel that he was really happy to see KangWoo in his shout.

    It sounded so desperate that it was hard to think of it as a demon¡¯s trick.

    Balrog cried so desperately that even Kim ShiHoon and Han Seol-ah were tilting their heads in confusion.

    ''Why now?''

    He wouldn''t have been in such trouble if he were alone like when Doomguard was summoned.

    The problem was that the people he called ''partners'' were around him at the moment.

    The Guardians, the girl that lived with him, his non-blood rted brother, the guild master sponsoring him, captains of Korea''s special squadron, and even someone who could move the Chinese government¡­

    All of the people important to him were gathered there.

    ''Why now?!!''

    He grabbed his head. His mind nked at the unexpected development of events.

    The trust he''d built through all of his acts¡­

    The title of hero¡­

    He was in a situation where he could lose everything.

    ''It''s my mistake.''

    He had to admit it.

    He should have guessed that something like that could happen when he heard that they were going to summon a demon from the 9th hell.

    He should''ve expected and prepared for it, but greed had blinded him.

    He''dmitted a mistake because of his desire to reach 130 in a stat.

    It was something he could''ve avoided or prepared for.

    It was all because of his mistake.

    ''No, but still¡­''

    He still thought it was unfair.

    * * *

    There were lots of demons in the 9th hell.

    Although the number had decreased after the archdukes¡¯ forces had crumbled, that number was still over a hundred thousand.

    Then¡­

    Why was Balrog summoned among all of the demons?

    ''Fuck my life.''

    KangWoo raised his head. He looked around at their reactions.

    He had to do something before the situation worsened.

    ''The best way¡­''

    Was to tell Balrog about the situation he was in.

    ''As expected, the best way to do it would be by myself.''

    Telling Balrog his situation without anyone knowing.

    If he thought of when he dealt with Oriax, it wasn''t that hard.

    He could send a message to his brain that only Balrog could hear.

    ''The problem is¡­''

    KangWoo bit his lip.

    He sent a demonic energy message to Balrog.

    <em>Swoop-</em>

    The demonic energy that reached the area around Balrog''s head disappeared without leaving a trace.

    It was as expected.

    ''AAGGHH.''

    KangWoo grabbed his head in desperation.

    ''That stupid muscle pig¡­''

    Sending his will through demonic energy¡­

    It was something simr to voice transmission techniques that appeared in martial arts novels.

    The problem was Balrog''s characteristics.

    He had a strong defense against demonic energy applied to his skin.

    Other demons also had it, but in Balrog¡¯s case, it was a little bit more special.

    It was like a self-defense energy.

    Even if another demon used a demonic energy attack on him, he had a passive that gave him a strong demonic energy defensive wall.

    He subconsciously blocked everyone''s energy except for his own.

    But with the amount of demonic energy KangWoo had at the moment, he couldn''t bypass the defensive wall and send him a message.

    ''Why is it youuu?!''

    Why was it Balrog among all the demons in the 9th hell?

    He didn''t need to consciously build a demonic energy defensive wall.

    It was a strong characteristic known as ''Demonic Energy Armor'' among demons.

    He''d never seen any demons besides Balrog who had the characteristic.

    If it had been Doomguard, the situation wouldn''t have be thatplicated.

    He could''ve sessfully sent his will through demonic energy to Doomguard and asked him to cooperate, but he couldn''t do that with Balrog.

    ''Should I approach him and whisper?''

    He shook his head at the sudden thought.

    Everyone that was there had a physical capability that went beyond a normal human¡¯s.

    Even Han Seol-ah, a healer, had her senses way more developed than a normal person, so there was no way he''d be able to send Balrog a message without people like Cheon MooJin figuring it out.

    ''Should I let him know by mouthing it?''

    He didn''t have confidence that Balrog would understand his situation.

    He was wearing a mask, so he couldn''t do it that way.

    ''I mustn''t take off the mask.''

    ¡®I''m wearing a mask, so there was no way that demon was able to recognize me! This is just an evil trick!¡¯ If he wanted to use that excuse, he couldn''t take off the mask.

    KangWoo anxiously bit his lip.

    ''Should I send him a written message?''

    He didn''t have time to do that. Not only that, but Balrog didn''t know how to read Korean.

    ''Damn.''

    He was starting to feel anxious.

    The more Balrog talked about him, the more people''s doubts would increase.

    ''Since it became like this¡­''

    He had to get him first.

    "Everyone, this is that evil demon¡¯s trick. Leaving the question about if I''m the Demon King or not aside, I''m wearing a mask, so how could that demon have recognized me?"

    "Ah, now that you say it¡­"

    "You are wearing a mask!" Kim ShiHoon nodded while shouting.

    "I was thinking that it was weird that a demon suddenly called Hyeongnim the Demon King and praised you, so it was all a mean trick."

    "I was also really surprised."

    It was true that he was surprised.

    "Well, you''d obviously be surprised if a demon you''ve never seen suddenly knelt and called you the Demon King."

    "I don''t know what that demon that''s being called the ''Monarch of Destruction'' is trying to do, but I''m innocent."

    "Hahaha. Of course. Hyeongnim, that demon probably doesn''t even know your name. If we ask, he''ll probably be flustered."

    "N-no¡­ Wait a moment. Let''s first see why he''s making such a show."

    "Ah, understood."

    He felt his heart sink when he heard Kim ShiHoon wanted to ask Balrog his name.

    Using the mask as an excuse, KangWoo was able to bypass the doubts they were having.

    ''Now I just have to let Balrog know about the situation.''

    That was the biggest issue.

    The problem had gone full circle.

    KangWoo started to desperately think.

    It was at that moment¡­

    "B-Balrog! What do you mean by saying that a god''s servant is the Demon King?"

    "You''re mistaken! They are part of the Guardians, servants of Gaia!"

    The Demon Cult members that had summoned Balrog surrounded him.

    The members of the Demon Cult were confused after seeing that the demon they''d summoned was saying that a random human, on top of that, a member of Guardians, their enemy, was the Demon King.

    It was understandable they would be in chaos since it wasn''t justedy, it was almost close to being a tragedy.

    ''Oh, nicely done, guys!''

    His eyes began shining at the help of the Demon Cult members.

    He clenched his fists.

    Thanks to them shouting that he was mistaken, he was able to free himself a bit from the doubtful eyes.

    "Balrog! Monarch of Destruction! Please, raise your head!"

    "That individual isn''t the Demon King! They''re the ones that are hindering us the most in achieving our goals!"

    "Please, defeat those servants of the gods!"

    ''Nice!''

    He began cheering the Demon Cult members on.

    ''Please, notice it.''

    He desperately wished for Balrog to notice KangWoo''s situation and cooperate.

    ''You''ve known me for a long time.''

    He''d spent more than a thousand years with Balrog.

    They could tell everything about each other with just their eyes.

    ''No. I know that you''re very slow at catching things, but please, just this time!!''

    It didn''t matter how positively he thought about him¡ªhe was too optimistic in thinking they knew what each other wanted just by looking.

    If they really knew each other that well, there was no way he would''ve offered the head of the focalore when he said that there was nothing to eat in Hell.

    ''Balrog, please!!'' He desperately screamed in his head, but Balrog stood up as if he were stepping on his hopes.

    Balrog waved his muscr red arm.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    The head of a Demon Cult member exploded after Balrog hit him.

    Balrog screamed at the Demon Cult members that were surrounding him.

    [Who do you think you''re making fun of?!]

    ''Hey, Balrog.''

    [Mistake? That person isn''t the Demon King but a god¡¯s servant?]

    ''Stop.''

    [Ha! I had higher hopes for you humans since you serve demons, but to think you''d be this dumb!]

    ''Please say you were mistaken.''

    <em>BOOM-!!!</em>

    He stomped on the ground.

    A huge vortex of demonic energy appeared around him.

    "Ha-ab!"

    The Demon Cult members¡¯ faces paled.

    Balrog raised his hands, and a whip surrounded by ck mes appeared.

    He began swinging the whip.

    FWOOSH-!!

    "AAGGHH!!"

    Half of the Demon Cult members turned to ash after one simple attack.

    Everyone was astonished by the power of the Monarch of Destruction, Balrog.

    The Demon Cult members looked at him with eyes full of fear.

    [Listen carefully, humans!]

    ''Hey¡­''

    [The one in front of you is the one who rules over the Hell of Nine Skies! The true Emperor!]

    ''Stop, please.''

    [The one who beat the seven archdukes and stands at the peak of all demons!]

    ''Please stop.''

    BOOM-!!!

    The earth shook.

    Balrog''s violent scream reached everyone''s ears.

    [He''s the Demon King, Oh KangWoo!!]

    ''YOU MOTHERFUCKERRR!!!!''

 Chapter 170: Warrior of Light Oh KangWoo (2)

    ''YOU BASTARD!''

    A soundless exmation left his mouth.

    Demon King Oh KangWoo¡­

    The moment Balrog said his name, KangWoo ran out of excuses.

    His head nked as if he''d been hit with a hammer.

    There was a difference between calling him the Demon King and directly calling his name.

    There was a huge difference.

    "How does that demon know Hyeongnim''s name...?"

    "Mr. K-KangWoo? What''s going on?"

    ''Damn.''

    The hero Oh KangWoo, chosen by the Hero God Tyrion, and the 9th hell''s great demon, Balrog, were meeting for the first time.

    It didn''t matter what the truth was. For the others, it was their first time meeting.

    Not only did Balrog know KangWoo''s name, but he had also sworn loyalty to him.

    Balrog knew his name, which shouldn¡¯t have been possible.

    The contradictions that appeared were hard to cover with trust.

    "What''s going on?"

    Cheon MooJin and Cheon SooYeon also looked at Balrog and KangWoo in confusion.

    At first, they thought it was a cheap trick of the Demon Cult.

    ¡­But seeing the reactions from the Demon Cult members and the way Balrog had killed them in the blink of an eye, that didn''t seem to be the case.

    "Mr. KangWoo...?

    Even Han Seol-ah looked at him with trembling eyes.

    His head hurt.

    KangWoo turned his head.

    He saw Balrog looking at him with shining eyes.

    KangWoo¡¯s mind was a mess.

    It was at that moment¡­

    "Ugh! Since things have be like this¡­!"

    "Oh, status of evil! Give me the power to control evil!"

    The members of the Demon Cult that had survived Balrog''s attack started to chant.

    [Hmm?]

    Balrog frowned, and before he could move, a magic circle appeared on the floor with ck lighting out of it.

    [Ugh! Wh-what do you think you''re doing?!]

    The ck light that poured out of the magic circle tied up Balrog''s body, and he was covered in weird patterns.

    ''That¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    Although the forms and sizes were different, the patterns that emerged from the magic circle were ones he remembered.

    ''Can¡¯t that only control demonic monsters?''

    The ck magic circle that had controlled the cryshalis was emitting an ominous light and covering Balrog''s body.

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''They can control Balrog?''

    That had apletely different meaning from being able to control a chrysalis.

    Balrog was a demon that no one, not even his previous self, could forcibly control.

    ''Just how?''

    He couldn''t even understand who or what was leading the Demon Cult.

    [You think you''ll be able to control me?!]

    "AAGGHH!"

    "S-save me!"

    "Damn! H-hurry! Keep chanting!"

    Balrog struggled. The members of the Demon Cult that had been swept away by his movements were destroyed.

    The surviving Demon Cult members continued to desperately try to control Balrog.

    The magic circle shining with a ck light covered the entirety of his body.

    [AAGGHH!!!]

    Balrog screamed in pain.

    He swung the whip covered with ck mes.

    All of the remaining Demon Cult members turned to ashes and scattered away.

    [Haa, Haaa¡­]

    ''Damn.''

    But KangWoo''s expression wasn''t good.

    Balrog, who had gotten rid of the rest of the Demon Cult members, was looking at him with animosity.

    It seemed like he couldn''tpletely free himself from the control of the magic circle.

    [D-demon King¡­ P-please¡­ Forgive...]

    An impulse he couldn''t control covered his mind.

    He swung his whip toward KangWoo.

    "Hyeongnim!"

    "Back off!!"

    KangWoo took a step forward.

    Maybe they would have a chance against other demons, but he was the only one who could face Balrog at that moment.

    He stomped on the ground.

    He created a Del Lain and countered the whip covered in ck mes.

    <em>CLANG-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    A huge shock spread through his arms.

    Balrog, who had closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, hit him with his shoulder.

    "Cough!"

    His waist bent. KangWoo rolled on the ground from the impact.

    ''This crazy pig!''

    The Monarch of Destruction, Balrog¡­

    His power was worthy of that nickname.

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    [AAGGGHH! Who¡­ who is trying to control me?!] Balrog cried desperately.

    He began twisting his body to free himself from the influence of the magic circle that had covered his body.

    His red skin was cut, and ck blood starteding from Balrog''s eyes, nose, and ears.

    "Damn," he cursed.

    If things went like that, Balrog would die while trying to resist.

    ''Just stay still, you dumbass!!''

    He anxiously ran toward Balrog.

    He concentrated the Authority of Divine Power on his fist, and a huge strength spread over it.

    Balrog raised his knee and countered the fist.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The ground shook. Two huge powers shed, and the trees around them were blown away.

    "Cough!"

    Blood spurted out from KangWoo''s mouth after his body was shaken.

    ck blood wet the floor.

    [Ah, aah. Wh-what have I done to the Demon King¡­?!]

    Balrog''s expression paled.

    He began trembling as if he couldn''t ept that he''d attacked KangWoo.

    The amount of blood pouring out of him increased.

    [Ugh! Rather than hurting my king¡­!]

    Balrog raised his hand.

    * * *

    His hand, which was resisting the influence of the magic circle, was trembling a lot.

    ''That bastard¡­''

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    He could easily guess what Balrog was trying to do.

    Balrog put his hand near his head.

    ''Stop, you crazy bastard.''

    He was thinking that he would rather die than be controlled and forced to attack his king from an outside influence.

    It wasn''t something you could think of with average loyalty.

    ¡­But Balgrog probably wouldn¡¯t hesitate.

    ''Fuck!''

    KangWoo turned his head.

    People were looking at him, confused.

    Balrog was trying tomit suicide.

    The situation was worsening.

    There was one way to solve things¡­

    He would have to give up on Balrog.

    If Balrogmitted suicide, he should¡¯ve been able to say it was a trick of the Demon Cult.

    But¡­

    "Damn! Fuck!"

    He cursed.

    Balrog¡­

    They''d fought after he first reached the 9th hell, and after that, he''d supported him for more than a thousand years.

    They''d fought many wars together, and he''d given him many victories.

    "You idiot! You unhelpful bastard!"

    He was an idiot that had stayed by his side even after he dered war on the seven archdukes and had be a target for everything in the 9th hell.

    He was a stupid demon that fought against any opponent without taking into consideration how strong it was.

    He was an idiot that, if KangWoo gave the order to fight, fought, and if he told him to die, he''d dly die.

    "AAGGHH!!"

    He was starting to get more annoyed.

    Even at that moment, Balrog was moving his hand to explode his head.

    There was no way to save this situation if he moved to save him.

    That would be like fully confirming in public that, rather than it being some trick of the Demon Cult, he was really connected to Balrog in some way.

    ''Yes, just die.''

    It was obvious that such thoughts would appear.

    If Balrog died¡­

    If the source of the conflict died, he should¡¯ve been able to solve the situation.

    But¡­

    But¡­

    But¡­

    "Damn! Damn! Damn!"

    He stomped on the ground.

    "BAALROOGG!!!" He shouted. He stepped on the ground and lifted his body.

    He kicked Balrog''s hand, who was trying to make his own head explode.

    "You dumbass!! How many times do I have to say that you have to stop trying tomit suicide every time something bad happens?! Huh?"

    [Ugh. D-Demon King.]

    "That''s going to disappear in just a few minutes, so stop trying to do anything and stay still!"

    [But...]

    KangWoo frowned and spoke in a sharp voice.

    "Since when did you start to say ¡°but¡± to my orders?"

    [I''m sorry!] Balrog quickly answered.

    A battle kept going on.

    Even if Balrog was a strong demon, he wasn''t strong enough, so KangWoo had to resist his attacks for a few minutes, which he wasn¡¯t strong enough yet to do.

    No, if he used a ''technique'' that used demonic energy from the depths of his Sea, he should¡¯ve been able to win.

    But there was no need to do that.

    [Ugh!]

    "Ugh!"

    Balrog wasn''t giving his all.

    He tried to resist the influence of the magic circle by using as little strength as possible to fight KangWoo with.

    It was also the same for KangWoo.

    The fight would be over once the magic circle¡¯s strength ran out, so there was no need for him to use all of his power.

    <em>Swoosh-</em>

    Five minutes passed.

    The magic circle that was covering Balrog''s body turned to ck fog and disappeared.

    The battle stopped.

    <em>Stomp-!</em>

    [Demon King!]

    Balrog knelt and mmed his forehead on the ground, breaking the earth.

    [Please, cut this traitor''s neck!] Balrog shouted while crying.

    "Haa¡­" KangWoo sighed.

    "H-hyeongnim¡­"

    "Mr. KangWoo. This..."

    Gaia and Kim ShiHoon were looking at him in confusion.

    Other people were in a simr state.

    ''Fuck.''

    He couldn''t make any excuses anymore.

    He began thinking about how he could solve the twisted situation.

    ''There''s one possible way¡­''

    It wasn''t perfect¡­

    It wasn''t a detailed n¡­

    You could say that it was close to a bet that was based on the trust he''d built until that moment.

    ''But¡­''

    There was no other way.

    The situation had gotten tooplex, and he wouldn''t be able to exin everything with the sentence, ''It was all the n of an evil demon.''

    ''Damn.''

    He didn''t like strategies like that.

    If someone else heard what he was thinking of saying, they would shout ¡®don''t say nonsense¡¯. And if that happened, he''d have nothing to say.

    ''I believe in you guys.''

    He turned his head and looked at each of his partners.

    No, to be honest, even if they''d trusted him a lot, there was a high probability of it failing.

    ''But if it works¡­''

    Then he would have an easier time moving from then on.

    ''Okay. Let''s do it.''

    Nothing was going to be solved even if he remained silent.

    Since he''d decided on the n, the only thing left was to put it into action.

    "It seems like I can''t hide it anymore."

    KangWoo slowly took off the mask.

    He looked at his partners with sad eyes.

    "I''m the Demon King of the Hell of Nine Skies."

    He gulped, took a deep breath, and kept talking.

    "To be more precise, I was the Demon King."

    He smiled bitterly.

    "That was until Satan made a rebellion."

    * * *

    A real lie was 99% truth and 1% lie.

    This meant that distorting the truth a bit was more effective than telling a 100% lie.

    KangWoo also knew that very well.

    But he didn''t use that strategy of distorting the truth.

    ''To be more precise, I didn''t feel the need to do that.''

    Gaia, Guardians, and all the other people he''d built a rtionship with¡­

    They didn''t exactly know much about ''Hell.''

    Since they didn''t know anything, there was no need to distort the truth.

    That was also why KangWoo had told a 100% lie until that moment.

    ''But¡­''

    The situation had changed.

    Because of Balrog''s trolling, it was hard to keep the same lie as before.

    ''Thinking about it makes me angry.''

    He looked at Balrog, who had his head mmed onto the ground.

    He sighed.

    ''You idiot.''

    Of course, it wasn''t that he was really angry at him.

    Thinking about things from his point of view, he reacted in such a way because he was really happy to see him.

    There was no way Balrog would''ve known that would harm him.

    He wished for him to grasp the situation, but Balrog wasn''t someone who could do that.

    A subordinate who was loyal to the point of almost looking stupid¡ªthat was Balrog.

    ''There also weren''t many hints, either.''

    There was no way Balrog would''ve known that, after KangWoo returned to Earth, he was hiding his identity while pretending to be a hero.

    ''But I must correct the way he tries to take his own life when things get too messy.''

    He was angry with Balrog because he was too loyal to him.

    If Balrog made a mistake, he always said things like he¡¯d made a fatal mistake and would pay with his own life, so he gave KangWoo a lot of stress.

    If someone else had said that, he''d have been able to ignore it, but in Balrog''s case, he couldn''t do that.

    "Mr. K-KangWoo? What does that mean?"

    "H-hyeongnim. You''re the Demon King?"

    Gaia and Kim ShiHoon were surprised at the bomb-like revtion.

    ''I guess it''s understandable.''

    They hadn''t known each other for a long time.

    Thanks to all of the efforts he''d made, both of them trusted him a lot.

    But then, when suddenly revealed himself as the Demon King, it was understandable they''d react in such a way.

    "Yes. I was, in the past, the Demon King that used to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies."

    KangWoo raised his hand. He didn''t use his ''Ruler of Demonic Energy'' attribute, so ck energy rose from his hands.

    "Ho-ob!"

    "D-did you deceive us all this time?"

    Gaia took a step backward while trembling. Grace took out her weapon and red at KangWoo with sharp eyes.

    Kim ShiHoon and Han Seol-ah had expressions that said they couldn''t believe what was happening.

    ''As expected¡­''

    He knew they would react that way.

    No, he thought their reactions would be worse.

    ''Not bad.''

    He thought that things would work out perfectly if it was like that.

    ''Project ¡®Oh KangWoo, Warrior of Light¡¯ is about to begin!''

    He clenched his fist.

 Chapter 171: Warrior of Light Oh KangWoo (3)

    "I''m sorry. I was nning to tell you the truth eventually¡­ But to think things would turn out like this."

    "I can''t understand it," Gaia said while making a shocked expression.

    "How could Mr. KangWoo, a human, be the Demon King of Hell¡­ and what do you mean when you say Satan caused a rebellion¡­?"

    "I''m going to exin it from the beginning."

    He opened his mouth.

    "Five years ago, during the Cataclysmic Day, I was absorbed by a ck gate and fell to Hell."

    "Yes¡­?"

    "What does that¡­?"

    "I''m also not sure why I fell to Hell. I''m also not sure if it was a simple coincidence or if someone did it on purpose, but I can tell you that, on that day, I fell to Hell."

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    KangWoo kept exining.

    "I wasn''t even a yer. I was only a weak human, so I did everything I could to survive. While doing that, some of the demonic energy of Hell entered my body, and¡ª"

    "You became a demon," Gaia said with a trembling voice.

    He nodded.

    Someone who had demonic energy within their body couldn¡¯t stay human.

    You either died because you couldn¡¯t resist the power of demonic energy, became a demonic monster because you couldn¡¯t go against the lust and desires of the body¡­

    Or you became a demon.

    "That''s right. After bing a demon, I fought to survive for a very long time."

    "What do you mean? It''s only been five years since the Cataclysmic Day,¡± Chae YeonJoo said with a hardened expression.

    KangWoo made a bitter smile.

    "It''s been five years on Earth, but much more time has passed in Hell."

    "Just how many years did you spend there that you''re saying such¡ª"

    "Ten thousand years."

    "What?"

    "I was locked in Hell for ten thousand years."

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    Ten thousand years¡­

    It was a period of time that was so long that it was hard to even imagine.

    It was hard to get a grasp on how long that was, so no one was able to say anything.

    [It''s true. Over ten thousand years, the Demon King went from the 1st to the 9th¡ª]

    "Balrog, be quiet."

    [I''ll follow your orders.]

    What Balrog said was of help to him that time.

    Everyone began mumbling after hearing someone who could testify to what he was saying.

    Chae YeonJoo was so surprised that she couldn¡¯t close her mouth.

    "R-really? You spent ten thousand years in Hell?" she asked with a trembling voice.

    "Yes."

    "And¡­ you became the ruler of Hell?"

    "I did, for a bit."

    "Does that mean you aren''t anymore?"

    He nodded.

    Everyone''s attention focused on him.

    ''This is where it starts.''

    From then on, he needed to be careful.

    Everything he''d said until that point was the ''truth.''

    How, five years before, he''d fallen to Hell during the Cataclysmic Day and eventually be the ruler of the Hell of Nine Skies while spending ten thousand years in Hell.

    ''But a real lie¡­''

    Was made by mixing 1% of lies with 99% of the truth.

    KangWoo began telling the story he''d thought of.

    "There are very strong demons called ''archdukes'' in Hell. I fought against them and was holding them back."

    "Holding them back?"

    "Yes."

    He nodded and kept talking.

    "Because they were after Earth."

    "¡­"

    "Among them, Satan was especially very interested in Earth."

    "Th-then did Mr. KangWoo be the Demon King to stop the archdukes from invading Earth?"

    "No, that''s not it."

    He smiled bitterly.

    ''I mustn''t exaggerate the story.''

    He didn''t have to look overly altruistic.

    A setup that went against normal humanprehension ruined the story''s rtability.

    "I''m not a person with a strong sense of justice. I became a Demon King while fighting for my life."

    He kept talking with a calm voice.

    "But still, I couldn''t stand still while looking at them trying to invade the world I was born in. Although it was long in the past, I still had fond memories of Earth."

    "But if Satan ended uping to Earth¡­"

    "Yes. You''re probably thinking right."

    He clenched his fists and bit his lip.

    ''Getting into the mood.''

    The most important thing was his timing and acting.

    He spoke while trembling and used a suppressed voice.

    "I lost against Satan. It didn''t matter how much I tried, I couldn''t win against someone with the Sea of Demonic Energy who had awakened 666 Authorities."

    "Ah¡­"

    "Satan took out my strength and took over as the Demon King. He consolidated his forces, created a huge fissure, and crossed to Earth with the archdukes."

    "¡­"

    "I followed Satan to Earth," He said with sunken eyes and a strong voice.

    "I followed him here to stop him."

    Gaia remained silent.

    You could see the confusion in her eyes.

    ''I guess they''re confused.''

    Of course they were. They wouldn''t think that he and ''Satan'' were the same person.

    KangWoo had created many alibis, so there was no way they''d think that.

    But leaving the fact that Satan and KangWoo were different people, they would probably have a hard time believing in the words of ''Oh KangWoo'', a demon.

    ''From here on¡­''

    They said that trust was contagious.

    One could experience that in their daily life.

    Humans were simple. If you were unsure as to whether you should buy something or not, the chances you would buy it were higher if someone nearby said it was a great item.

    There was a reason why the word ''wingman'' was a thing.

    ''I just have to make things start flowing in my favor.''

    He turned his head to Kim ShiHoon.

    ShiHoon¡¯s eyes were blurry as he looked at KangWoo.

    [Using the Authority of Subordination.]

    [The control over your familiar spirit has seeded.]

    * * *

    "I believe in Hyeongnim."

    "G-guardian Kim ShiHoon?" Gaia asked in a flustered voice.

    Kim ShiHoon nodded without hesitation.

    "Ms. Gaia, think of everything Hyeongnim has done until now."

    "¡­"

    "If Hyeongnim was on the demons¡¯ side, why would he fight so hard against them?"

    "B-but¡­"

    Gaia hesitated.

    She understood what Kim ShiHoon was saying¡­

    But still, could she trust what a demon said without any doubt?

    "I also trust Mr. KangWoo."

    The next person who took a step forward was Han Seol-ah.

    She gave KangWoo a mournful look.

    "At first, after seeing how much Mr. KangWoo liked kimchi stew, I thought he was a weird person."

    Han Seol-ah extended her hand and carefully touched his cheeks.

    "But¡­ now I can understand. So you spent such a long time alone in Hell."

    Tears dripped from her eyes.

    She wasn''t sure what kind of ce Hell was, but she could guess based on KangWoo''s reactions the first time they''d met.

    ''How lonely was he?''

    She bit her lips.

    Among all the people there, she was the one who''d known him the longest.

    She thought of all the times she''d spent with KangWoo.

    ''Yes. That''s why he had such lonely eyes.''

    She saw a deep sadness in KangWoo¡¯s eyes from time to time.

    She was finally able to understand the reason behind it.

    "It''s okay. Seol-ah, after meeting you, I''ve never been lonely."

    KangWoo grabbed her hand.

    ''I didn''t expect this.''

    He didn''t think Han Seol-ah would take such a step forward to defend him.

    But thanks to her support, the flow he''d made through Kim ShiHoon had gotten stronger.

    ''I''m going to twist things even more.''

    He couldn''t stand still and wait since things were already going so well.

    Just like ying hard to get, pushing and pulling were important while in a rtionship; it was also important while lying.

    KangWoo extended the white mask to Gaia.

    "It doesn''t matter what the situation was. It doesn''t change the fact that I''ve lied to everyone."

    He put the mask in her hand.

    "From today onwards, I''m going to quit Guardian. I''m not going to appear in front of you again."

    "Ah¡­"

    "H-hyeongnim!"

    "Mr. K-KangWoo¡­ what are you talking about?!"

    Everyone was astonished by his explosive derations.

    Even though he hadn''t controlled Kim ShiHoon with the Authority of Subordination that time, he quickly came running toward him. Han Seol-ah shouted as if she were about to cry.

    There was no need to mention how Cheon SooYeon, who had publicly said she had feelings for him, reacted. Kang TaeSoo also shook his head in denial.

    "Don''t say bullshit, you bastard! Do you know how much I''ve invested in you?!" Chae YeonJoo shouted with her face turning red.

    After everyone¡¯s heated reactions, all of their attention was ced on Gaia.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    She touched the mask he had returned to her while making a sad expression and biting her lips.

    ''Can I trust Mr. KangWoo?''

    She thought of everything that had happened with him.

    To be honest, she hadn''t known him for a long time.

    It had only been a couple of months¡­

    But she''d learned a lot from the human ''Oh KangWoo'' during that time.

    ''Mr. KangWoo¡­''

    He was the one who got the angriest after discovering that Satan had killed Alec and had targeted Kim ShiHoon''s life.

    He was the one who learned about the Demon Cult¡¯s ns and tried to stop them.

    He was the one who made the Guardians return to their senses after Satan attacked the vault.

    He was also the one who noticed Reinald was in danger and shed tears after he died.

    He always gave her advice when she was about to fall into desperation.

    ''Mr. KangWoo¡­''

    How could she suspect him?

    She tightly gripped the mask he¡¯d given her.

    Her thin hands were trembling.

    "I''ll trust you."

    "Ms. Gaia¡­"

    "It doesn''t matter if you''re a demon or a Demon King¡­"

    Gaia kept talking.

    "No darkness can block the light that''s within Mr. KangWoo."

    The Hero God Tyrion had chosen him.

    A ''god''¡­

    ''There must be a reason for Mr. Tyrion having chosen Mr. KangWoo.''

    When she felt Tyrion''s energy through Reinald, she discovered how much he hated demons.

    Despite that, Tyrion had chosen KangWoo.

    ''There''s no way he wouldn''t know.''

    There was no way Tyrion didn''t realize KangWoo''s identity after connecting to him.

    But the fact that he still remained inside him despite that must¡¯ve meant something.

    ''He probably realized the true light that''s within Mr. KangWoo.''

    She couldn''t help but think that.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­ Please remain as a Guardian. We¡­ need your help."

    Gaia gave him the mask again.

    KangWoo acted as if he was surprised and epted the mask.

    "Thank you for believing in me."

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>Paf-!!!</em>

    The ck demonic energy flowing out of his body started to change color and shine with golden light.

    "Ah."

    A bright light started to shine from KangWoo''s body.

    A short exmation left peoples¡¯ mouths.

    "I''ll save the world along with the Guardians, no matter what."

    They could sense the strong will in his voice.

    KangWoo put the white mask back on while being surrounded by golden light.

    Someone that was born in the dark but had entered the light¡­

    A hero who, despite having the body of a demon, did his best to save the world.

    It was the birth of the warrior of light, Oh KangWoo.

    ''What an incredible production~!!''

 Chapter 172: What? (1)

    After the appearance of Lucifer''s underlings and Balrog, their time in Latin America finally came to an end.

    After confirming that Balrog had lost, the members of the Demon Cult quickly escaped, and after that, the monsters returned to normal.

    The US soldiers moved the indigenous people and began rebuilding Venezu, the area in Latin America they could more or less administrate.

    KangWoo''s group left the remaining job to the US soldiers and Grace and returned to Korea.

    On the way back, there was almost no conversation between KangWoo and the rest.

    One of the reasons was that there was a demon that stood by his side constantly that was over five meters tall, but the biggest reason was that KangWoo had revealed his past.

    Even if they''d said they trusted KangWoo, it would be hard to treat them like before.

    ''I guess it''s simr to hearing that your friend used to be a violent criminal in the past.''

    Although it might be different since he''d be a demon to survive in Hell.

    ''To them, it¡¯s probably like they watched someone eat human flesh to survive on a deserted ind.''

    That was probably the bestparison.

    They could understand KangWoo''s situation, but they had a hard time epting it because of the preconceived notions inside their heads.

    ''Well, I guess time will solve everything.''

    It wasn''t like time solved everything, but KangWoo thought that, in his case, time would naturally make things better.

    What they needed wasn''t time to trust KangWoo but time to order their thoughts and ept a demon as a partner.

    ''Anyway, the situation has improved.''

    ¡®A blessing in disguise¡¯ was the best way to describe the situation.

    When his identity became known because of Balrog, he¡¯d wondered how to ovee the situation, but everything ended up working very well.

    Leaving aside that he was able to solve the crisis, he would be able to move morefortably from that point onward.

    ''The biggest advantage is that I¡¯ll be able to use Balrog morefortably.''

    If he had to keep hiding the fact that Balrog was a demon, he''d have trouble using him.

    Even if he used him, he''d have to put on a show just like he did with Balzac, probably.

    Being able to use Balrogfortably as an ally made the bet worth it.

    ''Although it might look like a small thing, it isn''t.''

    Balrog''s power wasparable to all of the Guardians.

    Although Kim ShiHoon might have the potential to surpass him, that wasn''t the case yet.

    Leaving everything aside, Balrog''s value could be summarized in the following sentence:

    ''Balrog can face the archdukes.''

    Though he probably wouldn''t be able to win against an archduke.

    Even if everyone said that Balrog was as strong as an archduke, it was true that hecked a bitpared to a real archduke.

    But if KangWoo was added to the equation, he could reach a point where he could present a good match for them.

    Being able to use Balrog without taking into consideration what others saw was a huge difference.

    ''Although it''s going to be hard to use Balzac.''

    The image of Balzac being Satan''s underling was too huge.

    If he used Balzac publicly, there was a chance he''d be used of being the actual person who killed Reinald.

    ''That can''t happen.''

    The reason KangWoo was epted as a warrior of light was thanks to the existence of Satan.

    If the fact that he and Satan were the same being was revealed, everything would be over for real.

    All of humanity would probably take out their weapons against him.

    To KangWoo, who dreamed of afortable life, that was something he had to avoid.

    [I''m sorry, my King. I didn''t know your situation, and¡­]

    "Well, you had no way of knowing, so it''s okay."

    They were in a building that was near the apartment where KangWoo lived.

    Balrog was easily five meters tall, so he couldn''t let him into his home. That''s why KangWoo bought a building and modified it so Balrog could stay there.

    KangWoo sat inside a building with a ceiling that was three stories tall.

    Balrog dropped his head as he knelt.

    [I never thought that the Demon King would make a n to deceive humans.]

    "Deceive? What are you talking about?"

    [Hmm? Wasn''t you acting as a warrior of light a n to hit the humans from behind?]

    "Don''t say nonsense."

    KangWoo sighed and shook his head.

    What kind of nonsense was he saying? After all, he was trying really hard to protect Earth.

    KangWoo exined his goal to Balrog.

    [The Archdukes revived¡­? N-no, more than that¡­ Demon King! Why would someone as grand as you protect weaklings like humans?! You must conquer this world and make everyone your underlings!]

    "I''m not interested," he said with a bored voice.

    "We fought for a really long time, and now I want to rest a bit."

    [Hng¡­]

    "Well, you''re a demon, so you probably won''t understand."

    Demons didn''t understand the concept of peace and safety.

    They were a race that lived eternal lives, so they were gically not able to think in such a way.

    ''If they could think that way, they would grow rapidly in number.''

    * * *

    Demons also reproduced and left descendants.

    Among demons, there were also some that were capable of asexual reproduction.

    If they were a race that wanted peace and safety, there would probably be almost a hundred billion demons in Hell.

    ''I''m not sure how angels do it, but demons maintain bnce by killing each other.''

    He wasn''t sure who had made demons, but he couldn''t help but think they¡¯d done a meticulous job.

    Of course, even among demons, there were few that wanted to live a peaceful life, but they were the minority. Most of them liked fighting and stepping on their opponents.

    And Balrog was among that ''most'' group.

    "You aren''t trying to go against my will, right?"

    [Of course not.]

    Balrog bowed his head.

    He instinctively craved destruction and conquest, but there was someone that was above such instincts¡ªthat someone was his master, KangWoo.

    Balrog was someone who wouldn''t hesitate to risk his life if it were for KangWoo.

    [If the Demon King wishes for peace, then I''m going to kill all of your enemies so that they won''t be able to interrupt your rest.]

    "Wah¡­ Well, okay. Anyway, since I finished exining my situation, let me ask a few things."

    [Yes.]

    "Did anything happen while I was gone from Hell?"

    He wasn''t worried about the forces that he''d left behind.

    ''Ancient demonic monsters.''

    What he heard from Doomguard¡­

    He had heard the news that ancient demonic monsters, creatures that never left their territory, had begun trying to expand their areas.

    Since the Demon Cult members had begun summoning demons from the 9th hell, he thought that it would be better if he heard more about that.

    [There''s something I wanted to tell you¡­]

    Balrog''s expression distorted.

    [I think that Amon is nning something.]

    "Amon?"

    He frowned.

    Amon¡­

    Amon had been in Satan''s faction but ended up deserting and joining KangWoo.

    He had low physical capabilities but had a lot of knowledge rted to magic.

    He was also the one who helped KangWoo use Hell''s equipment to create a dimensional rift that led to Earth.

    "What does that mean?"

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    Thick killing intent could be felting out from him.

    Balrog trembled a bit. He raised his head and looked into KangWoo''s eyes.

    He could see the ck pupil and white sclera.

    [I''m also not exactly sure. It isn''t that I have evidence¡­ but after Demon King left for Earth, he locked himself up in his room and hasn''te out since.]

    "But he''s always been like that."

    [But this time is quite serious. I haven''t seen his face since you left for Earth. I even tried to force myself in, but he''d blocked the door with a strong barrier.]

    "He blocked the door?"

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    It was definitely weird.

    ''Well, he wasn''t someone trustworthy from the beginning.''

    The reason why he''d epted Amon as an underling was because only he knew how to use Hell''s equipment to create a fissure.

    "Did he betray us¡­?"

    [I''m not a hundred percent sure, but it''s true that, after he locked himself up, the ancient demonic monsters began acting strange. We''ve even seen the Behemoth moving.]

    The Behemoth¡­

    It was one of the strongest ancient demonic monsters and was also the father of ''Leviathan,'' one of the seven archdukes.

    ''The Leviathan was a crossbreed of an ancient demonic monster and a demon.''

    There was not much known about the Behemoth besides the fact that it was Leviathan''s father.

    KangWoo had never seen him moving during the ten thousand years he was in Hell.

    "Damn."

    He felt uneasy.

    But what was even more unpleasant than that uneasy feeling was that he couldn''t do anything about it.

    ''It''s not like I can return to Hell.''

    He couldn''t summon them and get rid of them, but it was also impossible for him to return to Hell.

    ''Fuck. I don''t even want to return.''

    He''d gone through all sorts of difficulties to return to Earth.

    He really didn''t want to go back to Hell.

    "What about the others? I heard from Doomguard that he''s investigating this."

    [Doomguard and Argus are investigating but haven''t been able to find the exact reason.]

    "Damn."

    He never thought he would have to worry about the Hell of Nine Skies after returning to Earth.

    ''If I knew things would turn out like this, I would''ve killed Amon beforeing here.''

    Although he''d thought that, he knew it didn''t make sense.

    He thought that, after returning to Earth, he would have nothing to do with Hell from that point onward. He''d never thought of the possibility of there being Gates or a Demon Cult.

    ''Right now, the only thing I can do is to grow my strength.''

    He narrowed his eyes.

    There was nothing else he could do to deal with the situation.

    ''I wasn''t able to reach 130 in a stat.''

    The Demon Cult was probably going to back off for a while after failing with Balrog''s summon.

    ''Do I have to wait until Lucifer''s forces attack the Demon Cult?''

    The only thing he could think of at the moment was to wait until Lucifer''s crossed to Earth from the Ernor continent and then ambushed them.

    "Haa¡­"

    He took a deep breath.

    His head hurt.

    ''I hope something moreplicated doesn''t happen.''

    He felt that his head was about to explode.

    [But rather than that, Demon King¡­]

    "Yes?"

    Balrog looked around.

    [Where''s Lilith?]

    "What do you mean? She''s probably in Hell."

    KangWoo shook his head as if he didn''t even want to hear about that.

    [Yes?]

    Balrog tilted his head in confusion.

    [But Lilith came to Earth before me¡­]

    "What?"

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    "What the fuck?"

    ¡®She''s already on Earth? ¡®

 Chapter 173: The Letter She Left (1)

    "W-wait. What does that mean?"

    His vision blurred, his ears heated up, and his head started swimming.

    Words he couldn¡¯t even imagine he¡¯d hear¡­

    "Lilith is already on Earth?"

    Balrog nodded.

    [That''s right. She went around proudly saying that the Demon King finally called her¡­]

    Balrog frowned aggressively.

    Balrog already looked scary, so his scowl made him look like a character from a horror movie.

    He anxiously bit his lip and kept talking.

    [Ugh. That damn girl who acts all high and mighty while just believing in her own looks¡­ Demon King, you mustn''t fall for her temptations.] He said with a voice that showed sincere concern.

    The reply that came back was chilly.

    "Shut up."

    [Yes?]

    "Shut up for a moment."

    KangWoo trembled while grabbing his hair.

    ''No¡­''

    <em>Slip.</em>

    The sound of dozens of tentacles wiggling went through his head.

    A sticky mucus flowed down from the tentacles, and thousands of suckers licked his skin.

    Eighteen eyes and a long tongue simr to a snake''s licked his lips.

    ''Fuck.''

    They were memories of the past¡­

    They were his trauma¡­

    A stigma that was imprinted in his mind.

    They were memories, emotions, and feelings he couldn''t forget or free himself from.

    ''ShiHoon, I''m sorry for calling you stupid.''

    He¡¯d thought ShiHoon was stupid for suffering from past trauma¡­

    But what about him?

    ''Save me.''

    He saw a dark room in his mind¡­

    There wasn''t anything soft in Hell. It had cost him a lot of effort, but he''d sessfully managed to create a bed and was about to get some sleep when¡­

    Tentacles went through the nket. When he desperately lifted it, he saw 18 red eyes looking at him.

    Wet hands lifted his clothes, and mucus dripped over him and trickled down his body.

    As he opened his mouth to shout, a long tongue entered his mouth.

    - My king, I love you.

    ''AAGGHH.''

    Just like a student that had met his bully¡­

    Like a prey that had found a predator¡­

    He felt chills, and his body started to tremble.

    "Li-Lilith¡­ Is¡­ On Earth?"

    Fear took control of his body.

    Memories of the dark nights haunted him.

    One could say that if he hated her so much, he should¡¯ve stopped her from entering his room, but it wasn''t that simple.

    Sleeping with Lilith was not only useful because of the ''alliance'', but although it was just a formality, she was his ''wife'', so it was hard for him to refuse.

    For example, the citizens would be concerned in a country where the king didn¡¯t sleep with the queen at all.

    ¡­Especially if most people in that country loved and praised the queen a lot.

    KangWoo was already struggling to face the forces of the seven archdukes, and he couldn''t let division appear within his army, so he had no other choice but to sleep with her.

    "Ugh."

    He wanted to throw up.

    He covered his mouth with his hands.

    Maybe it was hard to believe from how he had reacted, but it wasn''t that he hated Lilith.

    After all, she was loyal to him.

    ''That was the biggest problem.''

    If she were an enemy, he would''ve killed her with one attack.

    But she was a part of his forces¡ªshe was one of the top five important figures within the army of the Demon King.

    Not only that, she loved him so much that she¡¯d probably even rip her own heart out to gift to him if he wanted it.

    Politically and sentimentally, it was hard for him to reject herpletely.

    ''Yeah, fuck. It''s my problem for being a sucker.''

    He thought about Balrog and Lilith.

    If someone asked him if they were important or not, the answer was that they were obviously important.

    They''d spent over a thousand years together and had gone through all sorts of things.

    If he had even a tiny bit of humanity left, it was obvious he would end up appreciating them after so much time.

    [Is there something wrong?]

    "Haa, it''s nothing. Don''t worry."

    He sighed and shook his head.

    He''d spent a lot of time with Lilith for numerous reasons, and that had given him trauma.

    "But¡­"

    * * *

    He narrowed his eyes.

    ''If she came, it was probably back then.''

    He remembered what had happened in Japan¡ªhow he''d been able to stop Lilith from being summoned.

    The battle with Akiyama, the crazy member of the Demon Cult, and what happened next¡­

    Lilith''s body hadn''t appeared from the fissure, so there was a chance her soul had entered Kurosaki Yurie''s body.

    "Ah."

    A short exmation left his mouth.

    Kurosaki Yurie¡­ He was finally starting to understand her weird actions.

    KangWoo''s expression paled.

    ''Yes. That''s why she did that.''

    Why the granddaughter of the Emperor stood by his side instead of Fujimoto Ryoma¡¯s¡­

    How easily she listened to his requests¡­

    Everything could be exined if Lilith was inside Kurosaki Yurie''s body.

    "Ah, wait."

    A question mark appeared in his head.

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    ''Isn''t this better?''

    He hated Lilith because of her appearance.

    He felt bad judging someone based on her appearance, but in Lilith¡¯s case, it was too much.

    ''I spent a thousand years stuck with her. Let''s see if you could stay calm after such a long time with her.''

    It was as if a giant squid said it loved you.

    KangWoo stood up and clenched his fists.

    ''If Lilith is inside Kurosaki Yurie¡­!''

    The core problem with her would be solved.

    Kurosaki Yurie was a girl so beautiful that she could bepared to Han Seol-ah.

    ''Well, it''s not like I want to do something with Lilith¡­''

    He remembered Han Seol-ah''s face.

    KangWoo nodded while licking his lips.

    ''Anyway, this is good news.''

    He wasn''t sure how strong Lilith was after having entered a human¡¯s body¡­

    But the source of a demon''s power was in its soul.

    Lucifer had recovered his previous strength thanks to his soul and Hell''s equipment, so there was a chance she''d have recovered her old strength.

    Balrog and then Lilith¡­

    ''I hope I''m not creating the Demon King''s army on Earth.''

    He began feeling a bit uneasy, but the situation was overall okay.

    KangWoo took out a smartphone, searched for Kurosaki Yurie''s number, and called her.

    <em>Ring-</em>

    "Hmm."

    It didn''t matter how much he waited, no one answered.

    He tried to call a few more times.

    "She isn''t answering."

    He frowned.

    ''Well, I guess there''s nothing I can do about it.''

    KangWoo turned his body.

    [Demon King?]

    "I have somewhere I have to go, so wait for me."

    [If there''s something you have to do, I''ll follow you,] Balrog said, motivated.

    "No, it''s okay. It isn''t like it''s something that needs a lot of people. Not only that, but if we go with your current body, it would just cause amotion."

    [Hngh.]

    "I¡¯ll call you if something happens, so keep this in your ear."

    KangWoo handed him amunication device that fit Balrog''s ears.

    Balrog epted themunication device politely.

    [I''ll do as you say.]

    He didn''t say anything else and walked out of the building.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Sky and rose into the air.

    ''Kurosaki Yurie is in Tokyo, right?''

    He heard that she was living in the Emperor¡¯s castle.

    He stomped in the air, and his body flew at an incredibly fast speed.

    * * *

    A luxurious castle¡­

    KangWoo reached Tokyo in less than an hour and was standing atop the castle.

    He searched for the door and tried to enter.

    "Wh-who are you?!"

    The bodyguards protecting the castle from the inside quickly surrounded him.

    KangWoo took out a white mask.

    "I''m a member of Guardian. I came here because there''s something I wanted to tell Ms. Kurosaki Yurie."

    "Guardian¡­?"

    "Ah, wait."

    Guardian was a secret organization that wasn''t publicly known.

    ¡­But most of the head states knew about them and were coborating with Guardian, so it was obvious that the bodyguards that were protecting Kurosaki Yurie knew about them.

    "Please, move."

    At that moment, a young man appeared from behind the bodyguards.

    "C-captain Ito."

    "I know that person. He''s a Guardian, so everyone can return."

    "Yes!"

    He was a young man that looked calm and had snake eyes.

    KangWoo remembered seeing that young man in photos.

    "Are you Ito Shinji?"

    Ito Shinji¡­

    A Guardian and one of the people that was chosen by Gaia.

    "Yes, Mr. KangWoo, this is my first time meeting you. I heard a lot about you from Ms. Gaia."

    "There''s something I must say to Ms. Kurosaki Yurie."

    They didn''t have time to make formal introductions.

    KangWoo told him his reason for being there.

    Ito Shinji''s expression darkened.

    "Can you follow me?"

    He followed Ito Shinji, and they entered a room that gave a in impression.

    There were no traces of someone being inside.

    "Here¡­"

    "Is Ms. Kurosaki Yurie''s room."

    "Is she outside?"

    "No."

    Ito Shinji shook his head with a grim expression.

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''Wait, this¡­''

    "Ms. Kurosaki Yurie disappeared about a month ago."

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    His uneasy feeling was right.

    ''Where did she go?''

    If it was about a month ago, it was while he was trying to gather the Fissure Seeds.

    "Do you know where she went?"

    "No. We''ve searched throughout the entire country, but¡­"

    Ito Shinji sighed.

    He went to Ms. Kurosaki Yurie''s drawer and took out a white envelope.

    "It''s a letter that Ms. Kurosaki Yurie told me to give to Mr. Oh KangWoo if you ever came here."

    "What does it say¡­?"

    There was no way they hadn''t read it.

    Someone who was like the leader of the country had suddenly disappeared, so he was sure they had already checked the letter.

    Ito Shinji shook his head while smiling bitterly.

    "It''s written in a way we can''t read. It was probably made so that only you could understand it."

    "Why didn''t you contact me first?"

    "She said that, if we contacted you first, the letter would burn down and disappear. I''m not sure how she''d do that, but we couldn''t carelessly move."

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo grabbed the letter.

    ''What is she nning to do?''

    He ripped away the envelope and took out the letter.

    As he touched the paper, ck letters started to move.

    The letter was written in Korean.

    ''When did she learn Korean?''

    Leaving his doubts behind, he started to read the letter.

    [Dear Demon King.

    Since you¡¯re reading this letter, you probably noticed my identity. If you hadn''t, you would have no reason toe and look for ''Kurosaki Yurie.'']

    ''How perceptive.''

    She waspletely different from Balrog in that sense.

    KangWoo nodded and started to read the following paragraph.

    [First, I want to say sorry for having hidden my identity aftering to Earth by borrowing the body of this human.]

    ''Oh yeah. Now that I think about it, why did she hide her identity?''

    [I didn''t have the courage to stand in front of Demon King¡­ with this filthy appearance.]

    "What?"

    He couldn''t help but curse.

    "What kind of nonsense is this?"

    Filthy?

    Kurosaki Yurie was a beautiful girl by all standards.

    [I''m searching for ways to get out of this filthy appearance to return to the one Demon King used to like.]

    "No."

    [Thus, I havee upon a way.]

    "No, fuck."

    He couldn''t say anything but ¡®no¡¯.

    [Fufufu. Aren''t you already excited? My dear Demon King, Lilith is already excited about reuniting with you.]

    "No, but why¡­? Why? Fuck¡­"

    [There are quite a few humans familiar with demonic energy. They''re going to help me recover my original appearance.]

    "Wh-what?"

    [Now that I think about it, Demon King, you said that the Demon Cult thought of and served Satan as the Demon King. Right? Fufu. I''m going to take this opportunity and make sure they learn who the real Demon King is.]

    "Ah¡­"

    His mouth hung open in surprise.

    [I''m going to infiltrate the Demon Cult and ensure they learn about the real Demon King. And once I recover my original appearance, I''ll meet you again.]

    His hands trembled. He felt like he was about to cry.

    [My dear Demon King, wait a bit longer.]

    [Your Lilith. Chu ?]

    When he saw thest heart, he couldn''t resist anymore.

    <em>Rip-! Rip!</em>

    "AAGGHH!"

    He ripped the letter apart and shouted.

    "WHY?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!!!"

    "Wh-what happened?!"

    He extended his hand and grabbed Ito Shinji''s cor.

    "Fuck! What did I do wrong?!!"

    "Wh-what?"

    "Why me?! Why me? Fuck!! What did I do wrong?!!"

    Why am I the only one who can¡¯t be happy?!!

 Chapter 174: In Search of Her (1)

    "M-Mr. KangWoo?"

    "Haa, Haa¡­"

    He breathed heavily. He looked at Ito Shinji with bloodshot eyes.

    Shinji was frightened at KangWoo''s sudden change in attitude.

    "Wh-what''s wrong? Just what was written in the letter¡­?"

    "CCTV."

    "Yes?"

    "Please, show me the recordings of thest time Kurosaki Yurie was seen."

    "But we''ve already investigated¡­"

    "Please show me."

    <em>WHOM.</em>

    The entire building vibrated. A strong killing intent poured out from KangWoo.

    "Ugh!"

    Ito Shinji''s expression hardened after he felt a huge pressure weighing on his entire body.

    It was a huge energy that he wouldn''t even fathom the idea of resisting.

    "Ah, ugh."

    His hands trembled. He couldn''t breathe properly. Ito Shinji looked at KangWoo in disbelief.

    ''That''s¡­''

    The power of a warrior who''d received the strength of Hero God Tyrion.

    He''d heard the rumors, but seeing the power of a ''god'' made him tremble.

    "W-wait a bit, please."

    Ito Shinji began to move quickly. KangWoo followed him.

    There were dozens of monitors in the room Ito Shinji guided him to.

    It was probably the room where they watched over the Emperor and Kurosaki Yurie from.

    Ito Shinji pointed to one side.

    "Those videos over there are the ones that were recorded when Ms. Kurosaki Yurie disappeared."

    "Yes."

    KangWoo sat down. The Kurosaki Yurie of one month before could be seen on the screens.

    ''Thankfully, it seems like she still had her human form until that moment.''

    Going back to her original aspect couldn''t be that easy, so he still had some hope.

    ''I must find a clue.''

    It was something he had to do, even at the expense of his life.

    KangWoo looked at the video.

    Kurosaki Yurie was going somewhere in the middle of the night.

    She''d easily jumped over the castle''s walls and met up with a man.

    "Wait, stop."

    KangWoo looked at the man she''d met.

    ''His face can''t be seen.''

    He wasn''t sure what magic they''d used, but his face was blurry.

    It didn''t matter how much they zoomed in, they couldn''t see the man¡¯s face.

    "We''ve tried to search for the identity of the man¡­ but as you see, his face ispletely covered."

    "Is other footage the same?"

    "That¡­"

    Ito Shinji slurred out the end of the sentence.

    He sighed and reyed the footage again.

    "It seems like it will be better if you look until the end."

    Kurosaki Yurie met up with an unknown man, the man grabbed her hand, and after that.

    "Ah."

    Kurosaki Yurie and the man disappeared.

    It was as if they''d teleported.

    "After this, we weren''t able to find Ms. Kurosaki Yurie."

    "Damn."

    KangWoo let out a short curse, grabbed his hair, and sighed.

    ''I must find her.''

    It wasn''t just to block Lilith from returning to her original appearance¡­

    ''No. I also want to stop that from happening.

    His head became messy.

    He remembered a part of the letter.

    - I''m going to make sure to spread Demon King''s name in the Demon Cult.

    ''FUCK.''

    That was the biggest problem.

    She wanted to spread his name inside the Demon Cult.

    ''That could seriously mess things up.''

    He had somehow solved the Balrog incident, but what if the members of the Demon Cult began praising him as the Demon King?

    ''If that happens, it will really be the end.''

    Then he wouldn''t be able to use Satan''s name anymore.

    KangWoo anxiously bit his lip.

    ''The chances should be low.''

    He wasn''t sure who was leading the Demon Cult, but they''d probably nurtured the forces of the Demon Cult for more than a thousand years.

    There was no way they''d go under the Demon King just because Lilith said something.

    ''The problem is¡­''

    Lilith was more skillful than imagined.

    He couldn''t rx. After all, it was Lilith who had created a solid force for him when KangWoo became the public enemy of the archdukes.

    She had a great ability to manage and control people.

    KangWoo looked at the footage of Lilith and the unknown man disappearing a couple of times.

    "Is there anything you''ve discovered from that person?"

    "He''s around 170 ~ 175 cm tall and probably weighs around 60kg. As you see, he doesn''t have any wrinkles on his hand, so he''s less than 40 years old."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    They were things that one could guess by looking at the footage, so it was as if they hadn''t learned anything at all.

    ''Damn.''

    170 ~ 175 cm tall, 60kg, 20 ~ 30 years old¡­

    They were the physical characteristics of most young Japanese men.

    ''I can''t make any conclusions based on this.''

    Even though the Japanese poption had decreased after the Cataclysmic Day, they couldn''t point out who the man Kurosaki Yurie had met up with was just based on that.

    ''First, based on the letter¡­''

    * * *

    That man was probably the member of the Demon Cult Lilith had made contact with.

    Ito Shinji kept talking.

    "There''s one clue we could get from the footage¡­"

    "What is it?"

    "Check out this part."

    Ito Shinji reyed the video in slow motion.

    It was the scene when the man waiting for her on top of the building jumped from the rooftop.

    Considering a yer''s superhuman physical capabilities, it wasn''t something impressive.

    "Here."

    Ito Shinji pointed to the man¡¯s stomach.

    Although it was just for a short moment, his stomach became visible through his fluttering clothes.

    And there¡­

    "There''s a wound."

    "Yes. It seems like his stomach was pierced with a sword."

    "¡­"

    "That''s why we''ve searched through the records of all the hospitals¡­ but we haven''t been able to figure out that man''s identity yet."

    Ito Shinji''s exnation ended.

    KangWoo fell into thought while looking at the man''s wound.

    ''Wait¡­''

    The Demon Cult, a wound in the stomach, and someone Kurosaki Yurie would contact¡­

    Those three facts bounced around KangWoo¡¯ head.

    His eyes shone.

    ''Akiyama¡­''

    The person who''d summoned Lilith in the past.

    He''d summoned her for a ridiculous reason, and the other members of the Demon Cult praised him at a level that was almost crazy.

    And¡­

    ''He¡¯s a pervert.''

    He''d summoned Lilith because she was supposedly the ideal woman of all men.

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''The Demon Cult member Lilith contacted was Akiyama.''

    He couldn''t think of anyone else that fulfilled those three conditions.

    "Mr. Ito¡­"

    "Yes?"

    "If you knew this man¡¯s face, could you find his location?¡±

    "Yes? Th-that''s possible, but how¡­"

    "This is the man''s face."

    KangWoo put some strength in the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea that was on his right middle finger.

    The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea could be turned into other things than weapons.

    ¡ªHe could transform it into anything he imagined.

    That''s how useful the Transcendent-rank weapon Key of the Demonic Energy Sea was.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea turned into a ck liquid and created a form in the air.

    What the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea created was the face of Akiyama that he¡¯d recalled.

    "This¡­"

    "There are a few things that make me suspect this man is the culprit. Please start investigating by using this man''s face."

    "W-wait a moment, please."

    Ito Shinji took a picture of Akiyama¡¯s face that was created using the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea and went running toward somewhere.

    "Haa," he sighed.

    KangWoo clenched his fist.

    ''I got a clue.''

    Thanks to him seeing she''d made contact with Akiyama, he''d found a clue.

    He just had to wait for Ito Shinji to find out more about him.

    ''Please¡­''

    His legs trembled anxiously.

    He began looking at the ceiling with a desperate expression.

    ''I hope I''m not toote.''

    * * *

    Dark pupils¡­

    There were remnants of buildings that were destroyed.

    It was the ce where the Demon Cult members had tried to summon Lilith in the past. It was under the Sapporo Station, which had been destroyed after KangWoo and Fujimoto got involved.

    A woman was walking through heaps of rubble.

    "It seems like the preparations are finally done."

    A man with freckles nodded at her words.

    "Yes!"

    "Fufu. Well done, Cardinal Akiyama."

    "It-it was nothing! I can do anything if it''s to recover Ms. Lilith''s original form!" Akiyama said, smiling as he looked at her.

    "How is it going to work?"

    "We''re going to create a huge fissure that connects to the Hell of Nine Skies. We''re going to drag demonic energy from there and recreate the physical body based on the information written in Ms. Lilith''s soul."

    "Hngh? Is something like that possible?"

    "Fufu. This is all thanks to the knowledge given to us by the higher-ups."

    Akiyama proudly kept talking.

    ¡°The Gaia System has weakened, so we can do more things.¡±

    "Is Satan among those higher-ups?"

    "Hmm. I''m sorry. That''s something not even I know. The information about the higher-ups is secret even among the Demon Cult¡­"

    "I see."

    "B-but¡­ Ms. Lilith, once you return to your original form, you''ll probably be able to meet with them!" Akiyama said in a fuss.

    Lilith nodded while smiling. A huge amount of sexual energy came out of her body.

    Akiyama was smiling with his mouth wide open.

    "I''m d. I want to meet up with them. Ah, also¡­ did you finish what I asked you to?"

    "Ah. If it''s that, we''re currently working on it."

    Akiyama nodded.

    What Lilith asked of him¡­ To spread the existence of the real ''Demon King.''

    Akiyama secretly spread the ''Book of Hell'' Lilith had created herself among the Demon Cult.

    "But is there really a Demon King? From what I''ve learned from the Cult, the seven archdukes are maintaining the bnce in the Hell of Nine Skies¡­"

    "Fufu. You''re soon going to learn."

    A thick smile appeared on her face.

    "If the preparations are done, let''s start."

    "He, hehe. Ms. Lilith, you''re finally going to recover your original form."

    "Fufu. The reward¡­ You can expect it," Lilith said while stroking Akiyama''s chin.

    But that was only for a short while. After turning her body from Akiyama, she took out her handkerchief and used it to clean her hands as if she''d touched something dirty.

    "He, hehe."

    Akiyama smiled like he was dumb while looking at Lilith''s back.

    ''Finally!''

    He clenched his fist.

    Soon, he''d be able to control the soul of the Subus Queen.

    ''She''s already this pretty¡­''

    He couldn''t even imagine how beautiful she''d be once she recovered her original form.

    Excited, Akiyama put his hand on top of the magic circle.

    Dozens of Demon Cult members that were there to help him began chanting.

    "Guys! This is the moment where our longsting dreams be a reality!"

    A single tear dripped down Akiyama''s eyes.

    "Stop imagining perverted things, guys!!"

    The ck fissure started to form.

 Chapter 175: Lilith, Descend (1)

    "Then, we will now start the ceremony."

    The magic circle shone.

    A ck fissure appeared, and demonic energy flowed out of it.

    Demonic energy¡­

    It changed the body of a human into a demon, and for demons, it gave them even greater power.

    Of course, just because there was demonic energy in the atmosphere didn''t mean that all demons could use that strength.

    If that were the case, all the demons in Hell would''ve gotten a lot stronger.

    "Jajas, jajas, nastnada jajas."

    They began chanting.

    To use the demonic energy in the atmosphere, you needed to use a high-difficulty technique.

    As the casting took longer, the demonic energy flowing out of the magic circle became stronger.

    ''As expected of the knowledge given to us by the higher-ups.''

    Akiyama''s eyes shone.

    The higher-ups of the Demon Cult were glorious beings who were leading them.

    They said that they''d been alive for thousands of years. The word ¡®knowledgeable¡¯ wasn''t enough to describe them.

    ''I wonder if the Demon King Ms. Lilith is talking about is more glorious than them.''

    From the point of view of a loyal member of the Demon Cult, one couldn''t help but have some doubts about it.

    The knowledge they''d been given was too glorious to outright believe in what Ms. Lilith said.

    How to summon a demon, how to fuse with a demon by summoning it inside your body, how to weaken the Gaia System that was created with the power of a god¡­

    All of it was a ne of knowledge unreachable to humans.

    ''I''m sure Ms. Lilith is mistaken.''

    He hadn''t read the Book of Hell.

    He''d been busy working on the ceremony to return Ms. Lilith to her original form, so he''d just spread it with the help of the Demon Cult branch that was in the middle-east.

    ''I''m going to read itter on.''

    He was wondering what was written in that book and why she''d said he needed to read it to understand the Demon King.

    ''No, that isn''t what''s important right now.''

    Akiyama turned his head.

    There. he saw Kurosaki Yuriem. no. Ms. Lilithying down on the altar.

    "Hehehe."

    It was obvious he''dugh like an idiot after seeing such beauty.

    ''I wonder what reward she will give me.''

    He stroked the red whip he used as a weapon.

    His chest heated up, and an exciting sensation spread to the lower part of his body.

    He imagined her looking down and stepping on him.

    "This is a reward in this industry."

    He began drooling.

    Drenched in delusion, he began casting more intensely.

    Demonic energy started to move toward Lilith''s body.

    The lower part of her body became surrounded by demonic energy.

    "Woah."

    Although it was little by little, skin was being created from the demonic energy covering the lower part of her body.

    The human body of Kurosaki Yurie was slowly turning into a demon''s body.

    <em>KURRRR-!</em>

    "Huh?!"

    "C-cardinal Akiyama! The fissure is acting strangely!"

    "W-we cannot restrict it very well!" His underlings shouted in desperation.

    Akiyama screamed while making a hardened expression.

    "Don''t be flustered! Return to your senses, guys!"

    "Cough! Coff!!"

    One of the underlings that were casting vomited blood and copsed.

    <em>CRACK-!</em>

    The size of the fissure became bigger, and even more demonic energy started toe out of it.

    "Ugh!"

    It was an unexpected situation.

    Akiyama bit his lips.

    "C-cardinal! The fissure has started to explode!"

    "We must block it!"

    They hurriedly shouted.

    The dimensional wall worked as a sort of dam¡ªa very solid one that blocked dimensions.

    What fissures did was pierce that dam for a short while.

    If that fissure increased explosively in size, a huge amount of energy from Hell coulde out at once, and a dangerous situation could happen.

    "Ugh!! D-damn!"

    Usually, he would have ordered them to stop.

    "No! We cannot give up!" Akiyama shouted.

    They''d been waiting for that for a very long time. They''d also experienced numerous failures.

    They couldn''t give up yet.

    "Guys! We''re going to keep pushing forward!"

    ¡®Toward our dream!¡¯

    * * *

    "We''ve found it."

    KangWoo, who had been staying in the castle and helping Ito Shinji, quickly stood up.

    "Where?"

    "Look at this footage."

    Ito Shinji pressed the remote control.

    CCTV footage appeared on the monitor.

    They could see Akiyama riding on a boat on a sea coast.

    "His name is Akiyama Ichiro. It seems he went missing a few years ago. We''ve put out a search warrant throughout the entire country. Thanks to that, we received information that someone sold him a boat."

    "Sold him a boat?"

    "Yes. He bought a giant cruiser that costs millions. ording to the information, he has ridden it along with dozens of other people."

    "Do you know where he went?"

    "Taking into consideration his route, it¡¯s probably Sapporo."

    Sapporo¡­

    It was a ce that hadn''t recovered after an SS-rank gate appeared.

    ''Are they going to the ce where they did the previous ceremony?''

    There was a high chance that was the case.

    In the first ce, the demon they''d tried to summon there was Lilith.

    That ce was probably the best ce to conduct the ceremony and probably had all of the necessary, basic things in ce.

    ''I should have killed him back then.''

    He was starting to regret not having killed Akiyama when he had the opportunity.

    KangWoo stood up.

    "I''m going to go to Sapporo."

    "I''m going to prepare a private¡ª"

    "No, I don''t need it."

    KangWoo stomped on the ground, and his body started to levitate.

    ''¡­Although it would be better to ask for help.''

    He didn''t have time to do that.

    Not only that, but to stop Lilith from talking about the real Demon King, it would be better if he went alone.

    "I''m going to save Ms. Kurosaki Yurie no matter what."

    "We''re going to believe in and wait for Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    Before going, he said something that a ''warrior of light'' would say to calm Ito Shinji down.

    KangWoo opened the window and flew away.

    ''I need to stop Lilith from descending.''

    With a strong, burning desire, KangWoo flew toward Sapporo.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    He broke the sound barrier and shot forward.

    A strong wind surrounded him and blew around him.

    ''Faster¡­''

    Tokyo and Sapporo weren''t that far away.

    KangWoo went to Sapporo as fast as possible.

    ''I can see it!''

    He saw an ind across the sea.

    KangWoo frowned while looking at Hokkaido.

    "Damn."

    He could see a huge amount of demonic energy.

    A stronger amount of demonic energy than when they''d summoned Balrog had shaken Sapporo up.

    ''Weird¡­''

    The demonic energy was running amok.

    He''d seen the ceremonies conducted by the Demon Cult numerous times, but it was the first time he''d seen it like that.

    ''Lilith isn''t the problem.''

    He couldn''t guess what would happen if demonic energy kept running amok like that.

    KangWoo quickly went toward where demonic energy wasing out.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    A demonic energy vortex shook its surroundings.

    "Jajas, Jajas, nastnada jajas!!!"

    There, he saw Akiyama desperately chanting.

    He saw other Demon Cult members as well, but they''d died after vomiting blood.

    KangWoo summoned Gungnir.

    ''Wait¡­''

    His hands stopped.

    He realized that the one restraining the wild demonic energy was Akiyama.

    ''Damn.''

    Closing the fissure was the priority.

    If the fissure exploded in size, anything could happen.

    He turned around to the fissure and saw a woman lying on top of the altar.

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    "Ugh."

    There were tentacles moving around.

    Lilith''s body was getting closer to its original form.

    "AAGGHH!"

    Nightmare images returned to his head.

    His mouth fell open, and his body started to tremble.

    ''I must stop him.''

    He had to close the fissure no matter what.

    KangWoo approached the fissure and summoned up his demonic energy.

    <em>CRACK-!!</em>

    He felt an immense pressure in both of his hands.

    The fissure couldn''t bepared to when Lilith was summoned.

    The vortex of demonic energy running amok was as powerful as a waterfall falling from a copsed dam.

    "Cough!"

    He felt that his body would be crushed by the pressure of the demonic energy.

    Even though KangWoo had a strengthparable to an archduke, blocking such an amount of demonic energy with his body was too much.

    "AAGGHH!"

    He used the Authority of Predation, but it didn''t have much effect. It was like trying to scoop water from a waterfall with a basket.

    The only solution was to block the entrance.

    "Y-you! It''s you, from that time! Cough!" Akiyama shouted.

    KangWoo turned his head to him while frowning.

    "YOU CRAZY BASTARD! COME AND HELP ME!"

    He should¡¯ve also known what would happen if the fissure exploded in size.

    "NO! I can''t do that until the ceremony is over!"

    "You dumb fuck!! If things keep going on like this, we''re all going to die!!"

    "I don''t care! If it''s for her, I don''t mind giving up on my life!"

    "AAGGHH!! YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!"

    The ceremony continued.

    He saw Lilith returning to her original form as he tried to shut the fissure.

    KangWoo shouted to Akiyama with a pale expression.

    "Hey, you pervert!! Stop!! Stop it!! If you die, there won¡¯t be a subus queen or whatever!!"

    "When do you think that a man dies?" Akiyama said with burning eyes and a firm voice.

    "What?"

    "When you lose everything and only have your two balls left?"

    "WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU SAYING?!!"

    "No! That''s not when a man dies!!"

    "DON''T SAY NONSENSE. STOP!!!"

    "A man dies when¡­"

    Akiyama kept going on with the ceremony while vomiting blood.

    "He loses his balls!!!"

    <em>BOOM.</em> He stomped on the ground.

    He kept going on with the ceremony while blood dripped out of his eyes.

    "I''m a crazy guy? A delusional crazy, pervert otaku? A sad person who''s never even grabbed the hands of a woman even once?!"

    "I didn''t say that much, you bastard!!"

    "I! Won''t! Give! Up!! Even if this is a delusion! A useless dream!! I won''t give up on my ideals!!!"

    He raised both hands.

    The demonic energy from the fissure concentrated on Lilith.

    With an explosive amount of energy, dozens of tentacles started toe out from her body.

    "S-STOP!! STOP IT!! L-LILITH IS¡­!"

    KangWoo paled.

    "Today¡­! My ideals¡­! Will cross dimensions!!"

    "STOP, YOU MOTHERFUCKERRR!!!"

 Chapter 176: Lilith, Descend (2)

    "AAGGHH!!"

    A scream mixed with insults left his mouth.

    The fissure was increasing in size, and Lilith was getting closer to how she looked in Hell. Akiyama, whom you could say was out of his mind, was shouting and didn''t stop.

    All of those things were making him annoyed.

    ''Damn! Damn! Damn!!''

    He''d felt relieved when he learned that Lilith had entered Kurosaki Yurie''s body.

    He''d refused her for such a long time because of her appearance and felt guilty because of it numerous times.

    He¡¯d even considered asking her if they could live in separate rooms because of that.

    But even still, he couldn''t get close to her.

    Even if he''d be a demon, his human taste didn''t change.

    ''But still¡­''

    He felt that everything would turn into dust.

    The paradise he''d been craving so much¡­ his paradise garden would get covered in tentacles.

    ''I won''t be able to do it!''

    He bit his lips.

    He looked at the rampaging fissure.

    The fissure was over 30 meters in size. It wouldn¡¯t be weird if a dragon emerged from it, let alone Lilith.

    ¡®I¡¯ll close the fissure¡­¡¯

    ¡®No matter what.¡¯

    The only way to stop Lilith from returning to her original form was to close the fissure.

    "Haa."

    He took a deep breath.

    He concentrated his strength in both of his hands. The huge amount of demonic energy within his blood rose up.

    <em>CRACK-!!</em>

    The sound of rocks being ground to dust was heard.

    KangWoo''s hands were bounced back by the fissure.

    ''Authority of Divine Power.''

    He applied more pressure on the fissure.

    He activated the passageway that led toward the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    A demonic energy of different quality spread through both his hands.

    ''¡­I''m going to close it.''

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The earth shook.

    A huge recoil shook his body.

    The fissure that was increasing in size started to close from the force of KangWoo''s demonic energy.

    It was a scene as impressive as if someone was blocking a broken dam with the palms of his hands.

    "Ugh."

    Blood leaked out of his nose and slid down through his mouth.

    "Haa."

    Akiyamaughed in disbelief.

    ''Who is he?''

    To think that he would close the fissure that was increasing in size without any kind of help while only using pure strength.

    He couldn''t understand it. No, it was impossible.

    Not even an archduke would be able to close a fissure that was increasing in size like that with his brute strength.

    ''Is he really a human?''

    He was even starting to wonder if KangWoo was a living organism.

    It didn''t matter how strong a human was. A person couldn''t stop a natural disaster. Even more so if it was a dimensional disaster.

    Akiyama gulped while looking at him, who''d gone beyond what a living thing should have been able to do.

    ''I can''t give up.''

    He had to finish the ceremony before the fissure was closed.

    Akiyama desperately kept trying to cast.

    He took a glimpse at Lilith, who was surrounded by demonic energy.

    He saw something wiggling inside the demonic energy, but he thought that was part of the process of turning into a demon.

    "Aaaaaagghh!!!"

    He yelled and did his best to control the demonic energy.

    The ceremony would soon end.

    * * *

    "AAGGHH!!"

    KangWoo screamed in pain.

    Blood vessels bulged all over his body.

    He was using his demonic energy to its limit, so he felt his body was about to explode from the inside out.

    If the Ten Thousand Demon Core was a water storage tank, it would be simr to the tank getting ready to burst from being overfilled with water.

    ''But¡­''

    He couldn''t give up at that point.

    KangWoo looked down at the fissure.

    It had shrunk to about three meters.

    Considering that it was originally 30 meters in size, its size had been reduced to a mere 10%.

    <em>Ting.</em>

    [You''ve absorbed demonic energy from the fissure.]

    [Warning. The quality of the demonic energy is poor. Starting the demonic energy refining process.]

    A message appeared.

    He didn''t have time to worry.

    KangWoo clenched his teeth and applied pressure on the fissure.

    And¡­

    <em>Swoosh-</em>

    ¡°Haa! Haa!¡±

    The fissure finally closed.

    KangWoo turned his head while breathing heavily.

    He could see Akiyama smiling.

    "Hehehe. It''s already toote."

    Akiyama was smiling proudly.

    He turned his body to the altar and knelt.

    "Ah! Ms. Lilith! Please, show me your real form!"

    Akiyama''s eyes were burning with lust.

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    The sound of mucus dripping to the ground was heard when Lilith stood up.

    "Huh?"

    Akiyama''s eyes widened.

    Dozens of tentacles wiggled. Eighteen red eyes were looking at him, and a long tongue licked at his lips.

    It was a horrifying monster that wouldn¡¯t even appear in his worst nightmares.

    Akiyama''s mouth fell open in surprise. The real aspect of the subus queen was too different from what he''d imagined.

    "Wh-what?"

    "Fufufu. Thank you, worthless human. Thanks to you, I was able to recover my original form."

    "Th-that''s the real aspect¡­ of the subus queen?"

    His body trembled in shock.

    A thick smile appeared on Lilith''s mouth.

    "Fufufu. It seems like you''re lost for words at my beauty."

    "N-no¡­"

    "Well, I guess it''s understandable since, until this point, you''ve only seen ugly-looking human girls."

    "What the¡­?"

    Akiyama copsed in ce.

    He turned his head to KangWoo.

    "Haa, haa¡­"

    KangWoo looked at Lilith with a desperate expression on his face.

    "I told you to stop, you bastard."

    "Ah¡­"

    Akiyama looked at Lilith with a pale expression.

    A desperate exmation left his mouth.

    Lilith''s hands, which were made of tentacles, touched Akiyama''s forehead.

    "Well done, human. I want to give you a reward, but¡­"

    Lilith''s eyes focused on KangWoo.

    Her mouth tore all the way up to her ears.

    "Haa¡­"

    It wasn''t aparative expression¡ªher smile really reached all the way up to her ears.

    "¡­But since my king is looking, I cannot do that."

    A breathtaking sexual energy emanated from her.

    It was surprising one could feel that despite her having such a horrifying appearance.

    Akiyama''s vision blurred as if he''d seen a ghost.

    <em>CRACK-!</em>

    Sharp tentacles pierced Akiyama''s head.

    He died there without being able to close his eyes.

    After getting rid of Akiyama, Lilith quickly began walking toward KangWoo.

    "D-don''t get any closer.''

    "My dear king, what are you saying?"

    Lilith instantly approached him and embraced him.

    KangWoo had used too much of his strength to close the fissure, so he wasn''t able to escape from her.

    The dozens of tentacles sprouting from all over her body covered KangWoo. A transparent and sticky mucus flowed down off KangWoo''s body.

    "Haha. My¡­ my lovely king."

    "Fuck."

    He could feel her excited breath.

    Her eighteen eyes were directed at him.

    ''Save me.''

    He''d never felt such fear since he returned to Earth.

    KangWoo opened his mouth and spoke with a trembling voice.

    "Long¡­ time no see."

    "I''m sorry, my king. Although I knew you were here, you were craving for my true form so much that I wasn''t able to meet you sooner."

    ''I never wished for such a thing.''

    "But you can rx now, my king. I''ve been able to free myself from that disgusting appearance and return to my normal one."

    ''Please, return to looking like a human.''

    He could feel a burning sensation on his lips.

    "Can you not return¡­ to looking like a human?"

    "Of course I can."

    Lilith flicked her fingers.

    The dozens of tentacles that had appeared all over her body entered her skin, and she returned to looking like Kurosaki Yurie.

    ''Oh!''

    It was obvious that KangWoo''s eyes would shine.

    Lilith took a deep breath and put her hands on her cheeks.

    "I''m embarrassed to show such a sight to the king¡­ but to live among humans, I feel like my original appearance would be a hindrance, so I set things up so I could return to looking like a human."

    "Yes. Living here while looking like a demon would make your daily life harder."

    KangWoo nodded.

    Lilith, who¡¯d taken the appearance of Kurosaki Yurie, smiled.

    "Fufu. That''s right. My original appearance is too beautiful for humans to handle."

    ''What kind of nonsense is that?''

    "Ha. It''s hard to be so beautiful."

    ''No¡­''

    His head hurt.

    ''Wait¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    It didn''t matter the reason, but she was thinking of using her human appearance to be able to live among humans.

    ''That means¡­''

    Most of the time, she would look like Kurosaki Yurie.

    ''Nice!!''

    He clenched his fist.

    Lilith being able to look like a human was an unexpected profit.

    KangWoo nodded and said, "You''re right. Humans can''t handle your beauty."

    "You''re making me blush, Demon King."

    Lilith''s cheeks turned red.

    "I don''t want useless flies roaming around you."

    "Fufu. Are you jealous, Demon King? You''re really cute."

    KangWoo grabbed her waist aggressively.

    "KYAA!"

    "Lilith, I don''t want you to show your real form to other people."

    "Ah, my king¡­"

    "That''s why¡­ stay in this form. Always."

    "B-but this form is too ugly."

    Lilith turned her head around while making a sad expression.

    "Lilith, your appearance doesn''t matter."

    He shook his head, raised his hand, and softly brushed her cheeks.

    He kept talking with a soft voice.

    "What''s important is that you''re Lilith. Not how you look."

    "Ah¡­"

    Tears dripped from her cheeks.

    ''I did it.''

    The tip of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    "I understood. Although it looks ugly¡­ if this is what my king wants, I''ll use the human appearance for my daily life."

    ''I did it!!''

    He wanted to raise both hands and shout in excitement.

    ''I¡­ I finally did it!!''

    He''d been able to free himself from the horrifying tentacles.

    It was the moment when his longsting desire became a reality.

    Lilithughed lightly while looking at KangWoo, who was moved.

    "Fufu. Don''t worry, my king."

    "Hmm? Worry about what¡­"

    "I''ll use my original form when I go to your room."

    "What?"

    "Why are you acting innocent? You know what I''m talking about."

    "No, wait."

    "Fufufu. I''m going to use my original form when we''re alone, so don''t worry about it."

    Lilith twisted her body while smiling brightly.

    "In reality, because of the humans that say that my human form is more beautiful, I was worried that the beauty standard between humans and demons was different. But thankfully, the Demon King prefers my real form. Fufufu. I knew it''d be like that, my dear king."

    He felt as if he''d been hit from the back.

    He felt his head going nk.

    He quickly opened his mouth. He didn''t even have time to think. His honest thoughts came out of his mouth.

    "Y-you''re right. You look prettier now."

    "Yes?"

    Lilith looked at him in confusion.

    "You''re right. From my eyes, you look prettier as a human."

    "Don''t joke, Demon King."

    "Please, trust me."

    "I didn''t know you were someone so jealous.

    "Please¡­"

    Lilith poked KangWoo''s nose with a thick smile.

    "You don''t need to worry. I''m going to use my real form only when I''m alone with the Demon King."

    "No."

    "Fufufu. Now that I think about it, we''re alone at the moment, so I''m going to return to my real form."

    "No, please don''t do that," he anxiously said.

    Despite what he said, Kurosaki Yurie''s skin started to split, and horrifying tentacles began to appear.

    "Lilith, please. Listen to me. You''re more beautiful as a human¡­"

    "Ah, as expected. This is my real self, definitely."

    "You look prettier as a human!!"

    He desperately spread his hand.

    Her face split and 18 eyes appeared.

    "I didn''t know you were such a shy person, Demon King."

    "Lilith! Let me be honest! In reality, you now look just like a horrifying monster!!"

    "How cute~"

    "Please, listen to me!!" he screamed.

    His eyes teared up.

    He was starting to regret telling lies. He should''ve just told her the truth from the beginning.

    But one always regrets when things are already toote.

    "I love you, my king."

    Lilith''s face got close to him.

    "Let''s be together for the rest of eternity."

    As if she were a shy girl, she kissed KangWoo''s cheek.

    "Smooch ??"

    Tentacles that dripped mucus surrounded KangWoo''s body.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>CRACK-!!</em>

    A torrent of demonic energy engulfed the surroundings.

    As if a huge explosion had happened, demonic energy started to spread from KangWoo''s body.

    "KYAA!"

    Lilith''s body was pushed back.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The refinement of the demonic energy from the fissure has ended.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has reached 130.]

    [Unlocking the eighth Awakening attribute.]

    A hero awakened in difficult moments.

    KangWoo''s body was stained with darkness.

 Chapter 177: Eighth Awakening Attribute (1)

    ''Ah.''

    He felt as if rays of light had exploded through his hazy consciousness.

    He felt as if the demonic energy he''d used to close the fissure was instantly refilled.

    His body became full of energy.

    ''Good.''

    He looked at both of his hands.

    130 in a stat¡­

    Every 10 stats, there was a huge difference, so its effect was different from before.

    He hadn''t absorbed the soul of a demon, so it wasn''t that the passageway that led toward the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core had widened, but the absolute amount of demonic energy had increased so much that it couldn''t bepared to before.

    "D-Demon King?"

    He felt Lilith looking at him in confusion.

    He sighed after looking at her.

    "First, return to your human form."

    "But¡ª"

    "Lilith¡­" he said in a low voice.

    He narrowed his eyes. That was as far as he was willing to take things with her.

    "Don''t make me say it twice."

    "I''ll do as you wish."

    Lilith bowed her waist.

    KangWoo smiled bitterly as he looked at her. He''d managed to extinguish the fire.

    ''Although the problem hasn''t been fundamentally solved¡­''

    Even though she''d followed his order, she still thought her original form was more beautiful. That meant that, unless she changed her thought process, she would return to her demon form again.

    Lilith was a demon capable of doing anything if it was to seduce him.

    He felt his head would turn nk if he thought about being surrounded by those horrible tentacles, but he had no mental capacity to think about that for the moment.

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    ''Ugh.''

    The sight of tentacles entering her skin was horrifying.

    ''Let''s take this time to look at other things.''

    While Lilith was returning to her original form, KangWoo took his eyes off her and checked his status window.

    ''Eight Awakening attribute¡­''

    After absorbing demonic energy from the fissure, he''d reached 130 in a stat.

    Thanks to that, he''d unlocked the eighth Awakening attribute, so he couldn''t help but be excited about it.

    [Eighth Awakening Attribute: Archduke yer (Rank: SS)]

    Effect: You can use an archduke''s soul and an archduke''s Authority.

    "This¡­"

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    The exnation was short, but the content was shocking.

    An archduke''s Authority¡­

    The strength of Satan and the other archdukes were in the ''Abyss''¡ªthe deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    Even when he used to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies, he couldn''t use the power within the Abyss.

    ''I can use an archduke''s Authority.''

    That meant he''d be able to do things he couldn''t do while in Hell.

    It was obvious that the tips of his mouth would go up.

    ''It seems like I can use the Reaper of Souls attribute on the archdukes.''

    Being able to absorb the soul of an archduke was a possibility.

    But seeing the new attribute, it seemed like he definitely could absorb the soul of an archduke with the Reaper of Souls.

    ''There''s a chance that the soul of an archduke is rted to the second condition for the Demonic Soul.''

    Judging from the previous patterns¡­ the Awakening attributes and the conditions for bing a Demon God were rted.

    That''s why the eighth Awakening attribute was definitely rted to the second condition of the Demonic Soul.

    ''But¡­''

    He frowned.

    The eighth Awakening attribute was a mind-blowingly strong one.

    He''d also obtained a hint to fulfill the 2nd condition.

    ''The problem was¡­''

    The condition itself.

    Even KangWoo couldn''t help but be a bit overwhelmed at the thought of absorbing the soul of an archduke.

    ''In the first ce, I don''t even know if all the archdukes have been reborn.''

    In the case of Lucifer, he knew he was reborn, but he was in another dimension, so he couldn''t do anything about that.

    "Hmm¡­"

    He took a deep breath and kept thinking.

    ''It isn''t that there''s no way¡­''

    He''d only been able to confirm that Lucifer had been reborn, so dragging him into the world wasn¡¯t impossible.

    In reality, he''d already nted the seeds.

    Causing a stir between Satan''s and Lucifer''s forces¡­

    ''The problem is whether or not Lucifer woulde to this world with that alone.

    The chances of Lucifer invading Earth weren¡¯t low.

    There wasn''t anything more tempting to a demon than the Sea of Demonic Energy Satan had gotten from the Demon King.

    "An archduke, huh?"

    That wasn''t the only problem¡­

    Even if Lucifer went to Earth, would he be able to beat him?

    ''I cannot be sure.''

    It wasn''t that he didn''t have any chance, but still, he couldn''t guarantee 100% that he''d win.

    Even among the archdukes, Lucifer was one of the strongest along with Satan and Baal.

    He was ranked 3rd, to be exact.

    Baal was the strongest archduke; Satan and Lucifer were beneath him.

    He would have trouble fighting Lucifer in a one-on-one battle at the moment.

    ''But¡­''

    If Balrog and Lilith helped him, there was a chance.

    "Hmm¡­"

    He took a deep breath.

    ''There are too many variables.''

    He didn''t like that.

    * * *

    The chances of Lucifer arriving on Earth without his forces were very low. Not only that, but he wasn''t sure he''d be able to face him in a three-one formation along with Balrog and Lilith.

    ''Then¡­''

    He quickly began to think.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    ''I''m going to use the Demon Cult.''

    He was trying to profit from the conflict between two different forces.

    He¡¯d make Lucifer and Satan''s forces fight, and then he''d take that opportunity to cut off Lucifer''s head.

    ''It''s worth trying.''

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    Archduke¡­ After learning through Balzac that Lucifer had been reborn, he subconsciously felt that he would have to face them soon.

    ''Tsk. This reminds me of when I was in Hell.''

    The battle against the archdukes that had gone on for almost a thousand years¡­

    The memories of that long war passed through his mind.

    "My king, the transformation isplete."

    He heard a beautiful voice.

    KangWoo turned his head. There, he saw Lilith, who had returned to looking like Kurosaki Yurie.

    ''Ah, I''m happy.''

    Just seeing that Lilith could return to looking like a human made him feel like a heavy burden had been lifted from him.

    Of course, her not being able to return to her demonic form would be best, but he was happy with her being a human for the moment.

    KangWoo sat on a nearby piece of wreckage.

    "Tell me what happened after you infiltrated the Demon Cult."

    The most important thing was how much she''d spread about his identity among the Demon Cult.

    "I haven''t been able to do anything significant because I was more focused on trying to recover my original body that you love so much; that''s why I didn''t have time to spread Demon King''s name among the Demon Cult."

    That was good news.

    Lilith bowed and kept talking.

    "I''m sorry for not being able to deal with things faster. I''m going to spread Demon King''s name as quickly as¡­"

    "Ah, about that. There are a few things I need to tell you."

    KangWoo began to exin to her his rtionship with the Demon Cult. He also told her about his current situation.

    The more KangWoo''s exnation went on, the paler her face became.

    "I¡­ I''m sorry, Demon King!"

    She bowed down and mmed her forehead on the ground.

    She kept talking with a teary voice.

    "I¡­ I didn''t know about your intentions¡­ and ended up giving information to the enemy¡­"

    "Of course, I have no intention of letting this go unpunished."

    Even though she hadn''t known about his circumstances, Lilith''s mistake was very grievous.

    It was different from Balrog.

    She''d spent quite some time on Earth and knew about KangWoo''s existence and identity.

    Despite that, she''d done things as she wished without considering his will, so he would have a hard time letting it go.

    "I''m going to ept any punishment¡­" she said in a low voice while crying.

    He sighed.

    "Let''s talk about thister on."

    "I''ll¡­ definitely pay for this crime with my body¡­!"

    "No."

    "I''m going to return to my original body right now and offer myself¡­!"

    "Don''t."

    "I''ll put my name as the Subus Queen on the line and¡ª!"

    "Please, don''t."

    KangWoo quickly stopped her from returning to her demon form.

    He kept talking with a tired expression on his face.

    "So, the Demon Cult doesn''t know anything about my identity?"

    "¡­"

    There was silence.

    Lilith hesitated while looking around anxiously, but soon she opened her mouth carefully.

    "Well¡­ I already began spreading the Book of Hell within the Demon Cult¡­"

    "Book of Hell? What''s that?"

    "It''s a book that contains information I wrote down about your thousand-year war with the archdukes since they still believe that the seven archdukes still rule over Hell."

    "A book¡­"

    The best way to make the Demon King known was to spread information about the battles that happened in the 9th hell between the archdukes and the Demon King.

    After all, the one who had defeated the seven archdukes was the Demon King.

    "I guess you couldn''t distribute the book publicly."

    "Yes. After all, they think of the archdukes as some sort of divine entities."

    Then he still had a chance.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    "Where is the book being distributed?"

    "I heard that it''s in the base of the Demon Cult that''s in the middle-east."

    "Oh."

    She even gave him information about a Demon Cult base.

    ''This isn''t bad¡­''

    He''d thought Lilith''s actions were just simple trolling that did nothing that harmed him.

    But even with Guardians searching with all of their forces, they hadn''t been able to find traces of the Demon Cult, so having obtained information about them was, by itself, a huge harvest.

    ''If I knew that things would turn out like this, I would have made her infiltrate a bit more.''

    He thought that using her as a spy wasn''t a bad idea.

    But he soon shook his head.

    ''I guess that''s going to be hard since Akiyama died.''

    The reason why she''d been able to act so quickly was thanks to Akiyama.

    Without him, she probably wouldn''t have been able to move as quickly.

    ''First, I''ll have to go to the Demon Cult''s base in middle-east.''

    It was worth visiting that ce just to check how far the book had been distributed.

    "Now that I think about it, what happened to Kurosaki Yurie?"

    "Since I have gained control over her consciousness, she''s asleep at the moment."

    "Can you wake her up?"

    "Yes, if my king orders it."

    She nodded. It was good news that Lilith had control priority over the body.

    He felt bad about Kurosaki Yurie, who had lost her body, but he didn''t have the capability to think and care about the life of someone he didn''t know.

    ''I''m already struggling with my own life.''

    He wasn''t Alec, so he didn''t feel the need to live while caring about everyone''s lives.

    "What about Kurosaki Yurie''s ability?"

    "Her ability?"

    "Yes. She has the ability to borrow a strength that belongs to another world."

    "Hmm¡­ I don''t know about that. At least, I can''t use that ability."

    "So that''s the ability of Kurosaki Yurie herself, huh?"

    Lilith nodded.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    ''This might be worth paying attention to.''

    Although it wouldn¡¯t be at the moment, there mighte a time when he''d be able to use her ability well.

    Before the Gaia System had weakened due to the Fissure Seeds, the Demon Cult had tried to summon Lilith through her.

    It meant that, since the system had weakened even more, they could summon an archduke or a being even stronger than that if they used her ability properly.

    ''You poor thing.''

    Thinking about Kurosaki Yurie, who''d unfairly lost her body to the Demon Cult, made him tear up.

    Obviously, he''d try to wake her up and make sure she regained at least a bit of control over her body.

    "As expected, people must live by helping each other up."

    He stood up while nodding.

    He wanted to help that innocent girl escape from the hands of the demons right away, but he couldn''t do that at the moment.

    ''Should I go?''

    She¡¯d said the Demon Cult base was in the middle-east.

    Going there was more urgent than anything else at the moment.

 Chapter 178: Demon Delegation (1)

    ''Is it here?''

    There was a small city on the sand in the middle of the desert.

    Although it was referred to as a city, it was a ruin where no one lived. Monsters could be seen roaming around there with a gloomy atmosphere.

    He quickly began walking to the ce Lilith had told him about.

    An intense sun shone over the middle-east.

    "Tsk. So they were hidden in a ce like this. No wonder it was so hard to find them."

    He clicked his tongue.

    The Demon Cult base was in a ce hard to reach, even for the middle-east.

    After the Cataclysmic Day, the countries on Earth that could be called countries had been reduced by half, so if they hid in a ce like that, there was no way they would be found.

    ''Authority of Concealment.''

    He hid the traces of his body and put on a mask.

    His goal was to infiltrate the Demon Cult''s base.

    ''I''m going to destroy themter on.''

    It was the only base where Lilith secretly distributed the ''Book of Hell.''

    There was a chance they would have a connection with other Demon Cult bases.

    ''I also need to check how much the Book of Hell has been spread.''

    ¡­Or maybe they could have a piece of information he could''ve never imagined.

    Anyway, it would be too much of a loss to immediately eliminate the Demon Cult base that he''d barely been able to find.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Observation to find traces of the Demon Cult.

    Finding the traces by itself wasn''t hard¡­

    A base that was under the destroyed city was drawn in his head.

    "I found¡­"

    He stopped mumbling.

    KangWoo''s expression under the mask distorted.

    He checked out the traces of demonic energy he''d just felt again.

    ''As expected¡­''

    He became sure of what he was feeling and narrowed his eyes.

    ''There''s a demon.''

    He wasn''t sure, but it was a demon of the 9th hell.

    That being the case, it wasn''t as powerful as a great demon.

    It was probably in the middle in terms of strength.

    Although it was from the 9th hell, it was a demon who couldn''t be a match for KangWoo, who didn''tck in terms of strengthpared to even archdukes.

    "Hmm."

    He took a deep breath.

    It wasn''t a problem that there was a demon inside the Demon Cult.

    It wasn''t that he was able to block all of the demon summonings that were taking ce all over the world, after all.

    ''But¡­''

    He checked the underground base again.

    The image of demons and Demon Cult members was drawn inside his head.

    ''There''s something strange.''

    There were five demons.

    They were all sitting inside a room. About three Demon Cult members were sitting across from them while talking about something.

    ''Are they in a meeting?''

    That''s how it looked from the outside.

    Rather than demons and Demon Cult members, it looked like business partners negotiating a deal.

    ''Well, it isn''t like demons spend the entire day fighting.''

    But still, seeing five demons sitting with Demon Cult members while talking about something was weird.

    ''I''ll have to check it out.''

    He looked around.

    Although it was a base located underground, there was probably an air vent since people were living inside it.

    He used the Authority of Observation to analyze the structure of the base.

    Finding the vent that led to the outside wasn''t hard.

    "Is this a shitty spy movie? To think I''d have to infiltrate through an air vent."

    Even if he was using the Authority of Concealment, that didn''t mean he could roam freely throughout their base.

    The air vent, where one person could barely fit, was protected by a magic circle.

    "Tsk."

    But that wasn''t a problem for KangWoo.

    He flicked his finger; demonic energy spread and crushed the magic circle.

    He kept moving through the venttion shaft.

    As he moved ording to the structure he''d figured out through the Authority of Observation, he began hearing the voices of demons.

    [I never imagined that there would be humans on this ¡®Earth¡¯ world able to use demonic energy.]

    [Their level of knowledge can''t bepared to the ck magicians of the Ernor Continent.]

    [An average demon from Hell probably can''t match them.]

    ''What?''

    He frowned.

    The demons mentioned the ''Ernor Continent.''

    He felt a strong sense of alienation.

    ''What''s going on?''

    He listened to their conversation.

    "Not true. We''re nothingpared to you, demons from the 9th hell."

    [We aren''t from the Hell of the Nine Skies.]

    "Oh yeah. You are underlings of Archduke Lucifer, right?"

    KangWoo''s eyes widened after hearing the words of the Demon Cult members.

    ''Underlings of Lucifer?''

    He was having a hard time understanding.

    ''Why are Lucifer¡¯s underlings here?''

    He remembered Halphas, Malphas, and Phenex, and the bait he had thrown through them.

    ¡ªA bait that was capable of tempting Lucifer.

    But if those demons were really underlings of Lucifer, why were they talking so rxedly?

    Lucifer''s underlings. Malphas and Phenex. had died at the hands of Satan, leader of the Demon Cult.

    ''What''s going on?''

    His head was starting to feel fuzzy. KangWoo frowned and focused on the conversation.

    * * *

    [He isn''t an archduke.]

    [Mr. Lucifer has gone beyond an archduke''s realm and obtained divinity.]

    [Call him Evil God Lucifer.]

    "Ah, sorry."

    The Demon Cult members bowed their heads.

    It seemed like they didn''t think it was a lie.

    "But why would the underlings of Lucifer, who resides on another world,e here¡­?"

    [To make you pay the price for the crime your leader hasmitted.]

    "Yes?"

    The Demon Cult members tilted their heads in confusion.

    [I''ve heard everything through Mr. Halphas.]

    [Are you nning to act dumb?]

    "I''m sorry, but we¡ª"

    <em>SLAM-!!</em>

    The demon punched the table.

    [How dare you act dumb?! Do we think we wouldn''t know that your leader, Satan, killed Mr. Phenex and Mr. Malphas?!] He angrily shouted.

    "Yes¡­?"

    "Satan?"

    The Demon Cult members looked at the underlings of Lucifer in confusion.

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    KangWoo was barely able to stop a curse from escaping his mouth.

    He figured out what was going on.

    Just like countries sent delegations to other countries, Lucifer had sent his underlings to Earth.

    ''A delegation?''

    Heughed in disbelief.

    Although they were saying that they were going to make them pay for the crimes of Satan, the fact that he''d sent a delegation meant one thing¡­

    ''He wants to avoid going to war with Satan.''

    ¡®He wants to talk it out ande to a solution.¡¯

    ''Lucifer, you bastard¡­''

    He narrowed his eyes.

    It was a short conversation, but the information he''d been able to get was valuable.

    ''It seems he''s in a delicate situation.''

    Demons didn''t have the concept of ¡®let''s talk and solve this situation without fighting¡¯.

    Their conversations always involved blood and flesh.

    ''But he sent a delegation in this situation?''

    Not only that, but Lucifer was attacked by Satan first.

    The fact that he''d sent a delegation to talk things out showed Lucifer''s desperation.

    ''There are two possibilities¡­''

    The first one was that he believed he''d never be able to win against Satan, who had the Sea of Demonic Energy.

    It wasn''t that demons were a dumb race without brains¡ªthey often surrendered if they were at a disadvantage.

    ''But¡­''

    He thought that the probability of that being the case was low.

    The Lucifer he knew wasn''t someone who''d give up his desire to obtain the Sea of Demonic Energy.

    ''Then¡­''

    He narrowed his eyes and thought of another possibility.

    ''Maybe he''s in such a desperate situation that he can¡¯t afford to worry about Satan.''

    He didn''t know exactly what situation he was in.

    Maybe it was because of the archangels that fought against him in the past, or maybe it was because of a god.

    It didn''t matter either way.

    That wasn''t important.

    ''The important thing is that, although he was attacked first, he still tried to talk things out with Satan.''

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    "W-we aren''t sure what you''re talking about."

    "The being we serve isn''t Satan."

    [What?]

    The demons¡¯ expressions distorted.

    It was at that moment¡­

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The ceiling exploded.

    [Wh-what happened?!]

    "Ugh! Wh-what the fu¡­"

    The five demons inside the room and the three Demon Cult members were confused.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    The ceiling crumbled, and something fell from it.

    "Huh¡­?"

    The eyes of the Demon Cult members widened after seeing the being that fell from the ceiling.

    The red mask that symbolized the Demon Cult¡­

    There was a being wearing that mask while surrounded by pitch-ck darkness.

    It was as if a mask was floating in the middle of darkness.

    ''What?''

    They had never seen or heard about a being like that.

    ''Is he another Demon Cult¡­ member?''

    The Demon Cult branches operated separately, so it wasn''t weird that there was someone they''d never seen.

    [You¡­]

    [D-don''t tell me¡­]

    The demons trembled in fear.

    The strong demonic energy pouring out from his body made them subconsciously afraid.

    [I''m Satan,] the demon wearing the red mask said without hesitation.

    [S-Satan!!]

    [Ugh! E-everyone, back off!]

    The demon that was in the middle took a step forward and knelt in front of Satan.

    [Th-this lowly being, Darkin, is greeting the archduke for the first time.]

    [Why are you on Earth? I think that I''ve made my will clear through Halphas.]

    [That¡­]

    The demon, Darkin, carefully opened his mouth.

    He took out amunication crystal that was the size of a person''s head.

    [Mr. Lucifer wants to talk with Mr. Satan.]

    [Talk?]

    [That''s right.]

    [¡­]

    There was silence. Satan grabbed themunication crystal Darkin gave him.

    [Ha¡­ hahaha.]

    A chillyugh leaked out from behind the mask.

    [HAHAHA!!!]

    [Mr. S-Satan! What are you?!]

    <em>CRACK!</em>

    Satan destroyed themunication crystal.

    [Talk? Talk? HAHAHA!!! How funny! Very funny words!]

    Heughed out loud and spread his hand.

    ''Anger,'' the Hell''s Equipment that was like Satan''s symbol, appeared in his hand.

    It was a sword that had a pitch-ck de. A sword of darkness.

    He swung the sword.

    <em>PAF-!!</em>

    Darkin¡¯s head exploded into pieces as the sword reached it.

    [Demons don''t talk!]

    ¡®It''s war!¡¯

 Chapter 179: Demons Dont Compromise (1)

    [Cough!!]

    ck blood poured in all directions.

    Of the five demons, four died instantly from Satan¡¯s attacks.

    [Wh-why are you doing this?!] the demon who had managed to survive Satan''s attack quickly shouted.

    The red mask tilted.

    [Why am I doing this?]

    Heughed out loud.

    [Do demons need a reason to go to war?]

    [Ugh¡­]

    [Talking? Pathetic. It''s something that someone asme as Lucifer would think of.]

    [Satan, don''t insult Mr. Lucifer!!] he shouted while ring at him.

    Satan turned his head.

    [Then prove that he isn''tme.]

    He extended his hand and grabbed the neck of the three-meter-tall demon.

    [We were born to kill and crave blood. Tell this to Lucifer: if you don''t dare toe to this world, just stay as a coward.]

    [You¡­ don''t know the situation he''s in.]

    [Hahaha! You''re right. I don''t know or care about his situation.]

    The yellow eyes behind the mask looked at the demon.

    [But what I know is that he''s in quite a desperate situation. This might be a good opportunity I can take advantage of to get his soul.]

    [This isn''t time to fight among us! Don''t you know that the forces of the Heavens are moving to get rid of us?!]

    ''As expected, it was the Heavens.''

    [They¡¯ll be here after they finish with the Ernor Continent! Do you want all of us to get killed by the Heavens while we fight against each other?!] the demon desperately shouted.

    Satan started tough out loud.

    [Heavens? Is he struggling because of such lowly beings?]

    [Lowly?!]

    The demon kept shouting as if he were about to have a seizure.

    [They aren''t lowly! You know it too, right? How much has the Hell of Nine Skies weakened because of Demon King Oh KangWoo! Because of that guy, Hell is on the edge of copsing! During all those years of war, the Heavens were gaining strength! If we don''t stick together, we won''t be able to win!]

    It was a straightforward speech.

    He had told him about how desperate of a situation demons were in, but Satan didn''t flinch.

    [I killed the Demon King. I also obtained the Sea of Demonic Energy for myself. The Heavens aren''t a menace to me.]

    He kept talking rxedly.

    [Say this to Lucifer: stop hiding from angels ande to find me. Fight me. Take the Sea of Demonic Energy, if you can.]

    [Are you really going to choose the path of mutual destruction?!]

    [Destruction? Funny words.]

    The red mask twisted.

    [Since when did demons care about such things?]

    [¡­]

    [So he isn''t only weak and a coward¡ªhe¡¯s also shameful.]

    He waved his hand.

    The demon''s body got pushed back by the strong impact.

    [Listen well, underling of Lucifer¡­]

    Satanughed.

    [Demons don''tpromise.]

    * * *

    "It seems like I''m finished here."

    He looked at the unconscious demon.

    He had controlled his strength, so the demon would soon open his eyes, and then he''d probably return to Lucifer and tell him what had happened.

    ''Even if Lucifer is in a desperate situation, he probably won''t be able to ignore what happened today.''

    He''d made it very clear¡ªhe wasn¡¯t a calm type of person willing to just talk.

    ''He''s going toe here.''

    He''d received an insult an archduke couldn''t ignore.

    Lucifer would move to kill Satan.

    ''And he will probably fight the forces of Satan, the Demon Cult.''

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    He felt that the picture drawn on his head would soon be a reality.

    ''But¡­''

    He thought about what he''d heard from Lucifer''s underling.

    ''So demons are on the edge of extinction¡­''

    He narrowed his eyes.

    It wasn''t something he could just be happy about.

    Demons were necessary for him to regain his strength and be even stronger.

    They were like nutritious food.

    Losing such nutritious food wasn''t good news for him.

    ''If the Heavens kill all demons, I might be able to live in peace, but¡­''

    The chances were low.

    If the angels were trying to kill all demons, KangWoo would probably also be a target.

    ''Will I have to fight Michael?''

    He couldn''t help but curse.

    ''It isn''t something that''s going to happen soon.''

    Lucifer''s underling said that Earth would be after the Ernor Continent.

    Basically, as long as Lucifer''s forces survived, the angels wouldn¡¯t go to Earth.

    ''And after what happened, they''ll think that Satan killed Demon King Oh KangWoo.''

    He didn''t think he''d be able to deceive them forever, but he was probably going to be able to gain some time.

    He could prepare for it.

    ''I''m going to increase the animosity between Lucifer''s forces and the Demon Cult.''

    He was after Lucifer''s soul.

    It wasn''t going to be easy, but it wasn''t impossible.

    ''And for that n¡­''

    He turned his head.

    "Hiic!"

    He saw the fearful faces of the three Demon Cult members.

    He walked toward them.

    "Y-you¡­"

    "A-are you really Satan?"

    They seemed confused at the sudden appearance of Satan.

    Kangoo smiled and gave a tap to the mask.

    The red mask became a white one with a shield on it.

    "Ah! Th-that mask!"

    "A Guardian?!"

    * * *

    Their expressions showed that they couldn''t understand what was going on.

    "There are a few things I want to ask you¡­"

    His original reason for being there was to check how much the ''Book of Hell'' Lilith had written had spread.

    Meeting Lucifer''s underlings was just a coincidence.

    Now, it was time to achieve his original goal.

    "Ha! We aren''t going to answer something Gaia''s¡ª"

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    One of their heads exploded.

    A thick smile appeared on KangWoo''s face, and he walked toward the other two Demon Cult members.

    "You don''t have the right to choose whether you will answer or not."

    "H-Hiic!"

    The two Demon Cult members looked at each other.

    "Hmm, now that I think about it¡­"

    He narrowed his eyes.

    "I don''t think that I''ll need two mouths¡­" he said in a yful tone of voice.

    "Who wants to speak first?"

    * * *

    "So¡­ you don''t know how much the Book of Hell has spread?"

    The two Demon Cult members nodded.

    "Y-yes. Its content was so stupid¡­ that a few branches took copies of it to screw around with."

    "Do you know where those branches are?"

    "W-we don''t. Even we don''t know the exact locations of the other branches. We''ve just given the copies while meeting in the process of exchanging information or doing a summoning."

    "But you probably know a ce where you can make contact with them."

    "Of course there is¡­"

    The eyes of the two Demon Cult members shook.

    That was answer enough.

    "It seems like you''ll die if you say it."

    "¡­"

    There was silence.

    The two looked at each other.

    "W-we can tell you the country where the secret contact is made!"

    "Where is it?"

    "Ch-China."

    The area was too big.

    It wasn''t a piece of information he could use.

    ''At least I know that the secret connections are being made from inside China''s Demon Cult.''

    He needed to ask Cheon MooJin to investigate China''s Demon Cult.

    ''First¡­''

    He ordered his thoughts.

    ''There''s three pieces of information I got.''

    The first one was that the Heavens¡¯ forces were attacking Lucifer.

    The second one was that the Book of Hell wasn''t properly being distributed, and most people thought of it as a novel, so he didn''t need to worry about that.

    The third one was that there was a secret ce in China the Demon Cult branches used to connect with each other.

    ''Not bad.''

    He thought that he''d obtained enough useful information there.

    "How many Demon Cult members are here?"

    "W-we only have about 50 members. It''s a small branch!"

    "We also have never taken part in a demon summoning!" the two Demon Cult members quickly shouted.

    They knelt in front of KangWoo.

    "W-we''re going to turn ourselves in."

    "We''re going to receive the judgment of thew."

    Although the Guardians weren¡¯t an official governmental organization, they were a group that fought for peace.

    Just like justice couldn''t kill a serial killer if he turned himself in, they had to treat the Demon Cult members humanely.

    Although they had sacrificed numerous people to obtain strength, they still had ''human rights.''

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo took a deep breath.

    He couldn''t easily ignore them as he did before.

    ''Because I''m also a Guardian.''

    Since he had the title ¡®warrior of light¡¯, he couldn''t ignore human rights.

    KangWoo sighed and shook his head.

    He thought that the best thing he could do was treat them with the most respect he could.

    "Haa. I guess there''s nothing I can do about it."

    "Ah¡­"

    "I''m going to let one of you two live.

    "Yes?"

    Their eyes widened.

    "There''s one more thing you guys have to do, but I don''t need two people for that, so I''m going to let one of you two live."

    "W-wait!"

    "Didn''t we surrender to a Guardian?!"

    "Yes, you did."

    KangWoo didn''t say anything and used the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea to create two daggers and threw them at them.

    "What''s¡­?"

    "Kill each other."

    "Yes?"

    "The one that wins will live."

    "Ugh¡­"

    Their eyes widened after hearing the horrifying condition.

    "This goes against human rights¡­"

    "How could someone called the ¡®warrior of light¡¯ ask something like this!"

    "Guys¡­"

    He flicked his finger.

    A huge energy spread and applied pressure on their bodies.

    KangWoo kept talking in a low voice.

    "I gave you the right to choose between two options¡­ not the right to choose between many."

    "¡­"

    There was silence.

    The two Demon Cult members trembled while looking at each other.

    They were moving slowly, but it was obvious that they would soon grab the daggers.

    KangWoo sat on the chair and crossed his legs.

    "Eek!"

    "D-die!!"

    They grabbed the daggers and charged toward each other.

    Blood poured in all directions, and a battle to live took ce.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    ''You shouldn''t move like that.''

    "AAGGHH!!"

    ''Ugh, they really suck at fighting.''

    "Cough!"

    ''Oh, nice!''

    The fight was fierce and bloody.

    KangWoo looked at the fight between them with great interest.

    "Y-you piece of trash!!"

    "How could you do something so horrifying in the name of light?!" the two Demon Cult members that were fighting shouted while crying.

    KangWoo tilted his head.

    ''I gave them plenty of room to survive depending on their skills.''

    He could''ve killed both, but despite that, he''d given them a way to survive depending on their will to live.

    ''How could I make things more humane?''

    He shook his head.

    After listening to their criticism, he thought about how he could have done things more humanely, but he couldn''t think of a more generous way.

    "How unfair."

    They were criticizing him as if he were a piece of trash.

    KangWoo frowned.

    "If anyone listens to you, they will think I''m a piece of trash."

 Chapter 180: Summit (1)

    There was a Demon Cult base that had been diligently constructed below the center of a small city built upon the desert in the middle-east.

    Explosions went off consecutively within the Demon Cult¡¯s hideout there.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    <em>Rumble-!</em>

    "AAGGHH!!"

    "Wh-what''s going on?!"

    The cultists were surprised by the sudden explosions.

    They took out their weapons and began casting.

    "D-don''t tell me¡­"

    "Is it something those demons did?"

    It was something they were afraid was going to happen.

    A few hours before, unknown demons had appeared.

    They weren''t demons summoned by the Demon Cult, but they had suddenly appeared on Earth through a different method.

    It was hard to think of a reason behind the explosions other than that.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    "E-escape!"

    "B-branch manager?!"

    The door opened, and the branch manager appeared with wounds and blood covering his body.

    He had a fearful expression on his face.

    "It''s an a-ambush!! Lucifer''s underlings have ambushed us!!"

    "Lucifer''s underlings?"

    "Why would they¡­?"

    The cultists tilted their heads in confusion after hearing the name of the archduke that came out of nowhere.

    The branch manager said it desperately as if it took all of the effort remaining in his body.

    "It won''t stop with this one attack! Escape and tell all the other members! The demons from the Ernor Continent are going to appear on Earth!!"

    <em>Cough</em>. He vomited blood.

    Blood was leaking from all parts of the branch manager''s body as if he had been stabbed many times.

    "It''s a war! Lucifer''s underlings have dered war on the Demon Cult!!" he screamed to his underlings before falling unconscious.

    "¡­"

    There was a short silence.

    The cultists began looking at each other, but they soon turned their bodies and started to escape.

    More explosions went off, and the Demon Cult¡¯s underground base crumbled.

    Desert sand poured into it, and the entire base shook.

    "W-war!"

    "It''s war!!!"

    The cultists thought of the branch manager¡¯sst words and quickly escaped from the underground base.

    "Haa, haa¡­"

    The branch manager was left alone.

    A young man wearing a white mask walked out from behind him.

    "Well done."

    "Then the promise¡­"

    "I''m going to keep it, of course."

    KangWoo nodded as if asking what the man was talking about.

    The branch manager¡¯s expression lightened.

    "Th-then take me out of here," he said in a desperate voice while watching the debris and sand pouring into the crumbling base.

    KangWoo crouched next to him.

    "Why should I?"

    "Wh-what? Y-you said you would save me¡­"

    "Can you not tell the difference between ¡®I¡¯ll let you live¡¯ and ¡®I¡¯ll save you?"

    "A-ack!!"

    The cultist¡¯s expression distorted.

    KangWoo waved his hand and walked out of the base.

    The cultist was left alone.

    He bit his lips.

    To be honest, he thought that things might go like that.

    ''I can''t die here.''

    He took a ck jewel out.

    A demonic energy stone.

    Thanks to the jewel created through concentrating demonic energy, he was able to obtain an explosive amount of power.

    Of course, if he wasn¡¯t careful, he could turn into a demonic monster, but he didn¡¯t have time to worry about that.

    "Oh, I haven¡¯t seen one of those for quite some time now."

    "Eek!"

    The branch manager was surprised by KangWoo¡¯s sudden reappearance.

    "H-how¡­?"

    "I didn''t think you were going to just roll over and die, so I waited to see what you had up your sleeve. As expected, you had something nice."

    He forcibly took the demonic energy stone from him.

    "N-no!"

    "Well, to be honest, I don''t think it will be of help right now, but it''s still better than not having one. I''ll make good use of it, thanks."

    He patted him.

    The cultist,ying in a pool of his own blood on the floor, screamed out.

    "AAGGHH! YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!"

    <em>BOOM</em>. The underground base crumbled.

    * * *

    <em>Crack-</em>

    "As expected, it doesn''t have much effect."

    He chewed the demonic energy stone while making an expression as if it didn''t have much taste.

    If it were before, a demonic energy stone might have been of great help, but he had grown so much that it didn¡¯t have much of an effect.

    ''As expected, I have to hunt an archduke.''

    There was no other way to obtain an explosive amount of strength.

    Of course, he could kill other demons and try to build his strength little-by-little.

    ''Lucifer''s underlings weren''t bad.''

    Besides the one he let live, he had devoured the corpses of the other four with the Authority of Predation.

    His stat didn''t increase, but the passageway that led to the ''deepest'' part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core had widened.

    He needed to widen the passage even more to use the strength of an ''archduke''ter on.

    ''If something goes wrong, it might explode.''

    Even if he could absorb the soul of an archduke right at that moment, he wouldn''t be able to use its strength immediately.

    The passageway that led to the deepest part wouldn''t be able to handle the pressure and would explode.

    If that happened even once; it would be the end.

    Just like when the fissure exploded when Lilith was summoned, the demonic energy within him would run amok, and his body would explode.

    "I have no other choice but to investigate China."

    He couldn''t stand still and wait for Lucifer to invade Earth.

    He had to keep hunting demons and finish the passageway.

    ording to the information he had, there was a ce the Demon Cult used to talk with other branches in China.

    And since there was a ce that worked as a contact point, there was a chance the Demon Cult had a branch there as well.

    ''But it''s too big¡­''

    China was big.

    Its size couldn''t bepared to Korea¡¯s.

    After all, it was one of the biggest countries in the world.

    Trying to find the Demon Cult¡¯s contact point, which didn¡¯t even constantly operate, was close to impossible.

    He also couldn''t bank on getting help from normal civilians.

    If he used other people, an army of yers would have to move.

    ''It doesn''t seem like something Cheon MooJin can do.''

    In that scenario, the entire world might have to move.

    ''Do the Guardians have such authority?''

    Guardians were definitely well-connected with the authorities of each country¡­

    But that didn''t mean that they could use them as pawns.

    He could make the USA move, but that was only because of Grace arbin influence.

    Guardians not only weren''t able to make the world move, but they also couldn''t even make a single country move without some sort of connection. That was just how things were.

    ''I''ll have to do something about it.''

    A huge organization like the Demon Cult couldn''t be stopped by an organization that didn''t even have 30 members.

    They would have too many restrictions unless they could move the entire world.

    ''Even if some Guardians move as urgently as possible, they probably couldn¡¯t match an army.''

    It wasn''t a matter of their capabilities; it was a matter of numbers.

    It wasn''t a martial arts novel where there was a Beggar Sect or something that hoarded information.

    He couldn''t ignore the strength of numbers.

    "Good."

    Since the n was decided, there was no reason for him to hesitate.

    KangWoo created a gate that led to the Hall of Protection.

    As he entered the Hall of Protection through the gate, he saw a sweat-covered Kim ShiHoon walking out of the training room.

    "Ah, hyeongnim! I heard it from Mr. Ito! You found Ms. Kurosaki Yurie?"

    "Ah, well¡­ yes."

    "If you''d contacted me, I would''ve gone immediately¡­"

    "It wasn''t that hard," he said while making a forced smile.

    In reality, he¡¯d desperately needed help from Kim ShiHoon or other Guardians, but he couldn''t let them meet Lilith.

    "Rather than that, are you staying here now?"

    "Yes. Master said that he didn''t have anything more to teach me, so he said that I should focus on training alone for the moment."

    ''It hadn''t been a year since he began teaching him, yet he doesn''t have anything more to teach?''

    Heughed in disbelief.

    "What about your mother?"

    "She''s gotten better, but she said she wants to live in a quiet and calm ce, so I got her a house in Chuncheon."

    "Don''t forget to visit her often."

    Kim ShiHoon''s mother was the person who''d given him trauma.

    Interacting with her was probably going to help Kim ShiHoon ovee his trauma.

    "Yes, hyeongnim, but what brings you here today?"

    "I came here to meet Ms. Gaia," KangWoo answered and began walking toward Gaia''s room.

    He opened the door and told her the n he''d thought of.

    "A summit?"

    Gaia tilted her head.

    "Yes. Each country''s representative should meet to discuss the Demon Cult."

    "Hmm¡­"

    Gaia made an expression as if it would be hard.

    "The conversation probably won¡¯t be smooth."

    She sighed.

    "Even if the situation is desperate, each country has its own problems, so even if a summit takes ce, you shouldn''t expect a big change to happen."

    It wasn''t easy to make the countries cooperate.

    The countries were struggling to make their own territory safe, so the number of countries that had time to think about the world crisis was extremely low.

    No, even if they could, you could say that no country was willing to suffer losses for world peace.

    "But we can''t stay still and not do anything about it. I want you to create a world summit with the US as the center, please."

    "It won''t be easy."

    It was something beyond the capabilities of Guardian¡­

    But she couldn''t reject a proposal from the warrior of light.

    Gaian nodded.

    "Understood. I''ll try to organize one."

    "Thank you."

    KangWoo nodded.

    * * *

    Dark pupils¡­

    A dark entity wiggled within a deep cave of ice.

    ¡ªA giant, 30-meter-diameter sphere.

    A girl wearing a ck robe and red mask walked toward the sphere.

    "Apostle of Evil Yulia is meeting the higher-up."

    [What¡­ happened?]

    A low voice was heard flowing out of the ck sphere.

    It was a voice that could make you feel chills just by hearing it. It was a voice filled with malice.

    "Numerous big and small incidents happened within the Cult, so I came here to give a report."

    [Say it¡­]

    It was a solemn voice.

    Yulia knelt in front of such a being.

    "First, the higher-up of fire will awaken shortly."

    [I see.]

    "Should I give the order to move ording to the n?"

    The ck sphere wiggled.

    It was agreeing.

    Yulia kept talking.

    "The next report¡­ we failed to summon Balrog. To be more precise, we failed to control Balrog."

    [It doesn''t matter. No one can control him now that the Demon King isn''t present. Just having him cause a bit of stir is enough.]

    "It seems like¡­ Balrog lost to Gaia''s underlings, so I think it will be hard to get the desired effect."

    [Balrog lost to Gaia''s underlings?]

    The ck sphere was shaken for the first time.

    Balrog¡­ He was well aware of the demon.

    Although they had been chosen by a god, he wasn''t a monster a human could face.

    [Hmm. It seems like we need to do something about it.]

    "I feel like a good opportunity will soon happen. I''ll go myself."

    [I trust and will leave things to you. Is that the end of the report?]

    Yulia shook her head.

    "The base in the middle-east has been attacked."

    [Is it an incident worthy of reporting?]

    "I heard that the ones that attacked them were Lucifer''s underlings."

    [What?!]

    The ck sphere wiggled.

    It seemed like it couldn''t believe what it was hearing.

    [It seems like there has been a misunderstanding. I don''t believe that Lucifer would move so carelessly. If he sends a delegation, try to convince them and then send them back.]

    "Yes."

    Yulia bowed.

    [The most important thing is waking Mamon up and proceeding with the n.]

    "Understood. I''ll ask the China branch to keep working on waking up the higher-up of fire."

    She stood up.

    After bowing once more, she opened her mouth toward the ck sphere.

    "All ording to Satan''s wishes."

    A breathtaking demonic energy flowed out of the ck sphere.

 Chapter 181: Summit (2)

    The summit¡­

    A huge summit was created to eliminate the evil Demon Cult, which Satan led.

    It was the first time such arge-scale gathering had urred since the Cataclysmic Day.

    China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asian countries, European countries, Russia, and even the USA¡­

    A summit for the representatives of all countries that could still be called countries was organized in the USA.

    People thought that the gathering was the USA¡¯s idea, but in reality, that wasn''t the case.

    Guardian¡­

    A multinational organization filled with the people that Gaia had chosen.

    Members of the organization were as strong as world rankers or, in some cases, even stronger. In terms of strength, they were an organization stronger than most countries.

    An organization that you could call thest hope of humanity.

    The world gathered with them as the center.

    * * *

    "Ah, Mr. KangWoo. Your necktie is messy."

    Han Seol-ah extended her hand and grabbed his necktie.

    KangWoo, who had never used a necktie, let her do as she wished.

    "Thank you."

    "Fufu. You look much cooler dressed like this."

    "Tsk. I look like an octopuspared to ShiHoon, so¡­"

    "What are you saying? That''s not true."

    She looked at KangWoo wearing a suit while making an expression that looked as if she were asking what he meant.

    It wasn''t that he was as handsome as Kim ShiHoon, but he wasn''t someone whocked in terms of appearancepared to other people.

    First, he had a muscr body, simr to a professional swimming athlete, so the suit fit was incredible.

    The perfect suit fit and sharp eyes made him look like the heir of a big conglomerate that appeared in TV dramas.

    "KangWoo, this clothing is ufortable," Echidna said while frowning.

    Both Echidna and Han Seol-ah were wearing party dresses.

    The dresses might look too fancy at first nce, but they were so pretty that it didn¡¯t seem like overkill at all.

    <em>m-</em>

    "Hey! Are you done?"

    "Yes."

    Chae YeonJoo opened the door and entered.

    She was wearing a red dress that matched her hair color.

    "Ugh, how bothersome. Why are they having a party?" Chae YeonJoo said while frowning as if she found the party dress ufortable.

    A banquet was open the night before the summit so world leaders could strengthen their friendships.

    You could say that Chae YeonJoo was one of Korea''s most important people, so it was obvious she''d have to participate.

    "Well, to be honest, this could be more important than the summit itself."

    Unlike what they expected, the world leaders had epted invitations to the summit with surprisingly little persuasion needed.

    Not even Gaia and KangWoo had expected things to go that easily.

    But still, it was hard to expect unconditional cooperation in stopping the Demon Cult.

    ''I should make as many contacts as possible.''

    Building good rtionships with the most important people in each country was very important.

    It was hard to expect unconditional cooperation from someone just because they were your acquaintance, but still, developing good rtionships was important.

    "Oh yeah, KangWoo, you''re probably going to be really busy."

    "Me? Why?"

    "It seems like there are quite a few people waiting for you," Chae YeonJoo said while smirking.

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''Why?''

    The fact that he used to be the Demon King, how he''d been born in the dark but had epted light and was reborn as Tyrion''s apostle, and how there wasn''t anyone within Guardian as strong as him.

    He''d made sure no one except members of Guardian knew about those things.

    Not only that, he''d put Kim ShiHoon as the one who''d achieved all the things he''d done.

    He''d spread fake information as if it were Kim ShiHoon who''d done everything he did until that point.

    That''s why only members of Guardian or those who knew him personally knew about the ''Warrior of Light, Oh KangWoo.''

    Most people around the world who barely knew Guardian should¡¯ve been more interested in Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon.

    ''I specifically made things that way.''

    The hero who saved Korea, the new sword star, the Student of Sword King Cheon MooJin¡­

    He''d put lots of titles on Kim ShiHoon to increase his poprity.

    So he couldn''t understand why people were waiting for him.

    "More precisely, they''re waiting for you because you''re Kim ShiHoon''s hyeong."

    "Ah."

    "It seems like you weren''t able to hide the rtionship between the two of you," Chae YeonJoo said whileughing lightly.

    KangWoo nodded as if he finally understood.

    "I see, so it was because of that."

    "Well, it isn''t something bad, right?"

    "Yeah, that''s true."

    To build a rtionship with other important people, KangWoo needed to have at least some reputation and authority.

    Rather than being Guardian member B, it was better to be the hyeong of Kim ShiHoon, the hero who was receiving the world''s attention.

    ''This is better.''

    * * *

    Kim ShiHoon didn''t look like a person who was talented in terms of building good rtionships with politicians.

    <em>Tap, tap-</em>

    Kim ShiHoon, Gaia, and Grace entered the banquet hall.

    "Oh!"

    "So they are the rumored¡­"

    As the Guardians showed themselves, the banquet hall''s atmosphere became noisy.

    The ones that got the most attention were Gaia and Kim ShiHoon.

    Famous politicians and yers from all around the world walked toward them.

    Gaia and Kim ShiHoon seemed surprised.

    People also walked toward Ito Shinji, Zhuge Xuan, Grace, and other Guardian members.

    ''As expected, the name ¡®Guardian¡¯ is huge.''

    KangWoo looked at that scene from a distance.

    The biggest armed group of humanity, Guardian.

    If it were on the previous Earth, before yers appeared, no one would have cared so much about an organization with just 10 or so people.

    ''But¡­''

    The situation had changed.

    The Guardians had so much strength that they could erase a country without leaving any trace behind if they wanted.

    World rankers received VIP treatment, in the case of Cheon MooJin, he was the one who had the political power in China.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    ''There''s something strange.''

    To be honest, he wasn''t expecting all the countries to cooperate in hunting the Demon Cult.

    He had also prepared a trump card if talking was impossible.

    But¡­

    ''They seem too carefree.''

    The politicians and yers acted as if they didn''t know the reason behind the summit.

    No matter how peaceful they were, the Demon Cult was freely roaming around, so it was weird for them to be that rxed.

    "Ah, nice to meet you. I''m Emmanuel Amon. I came here to represent France."

    "I heard you''re the non-blood-rted brother of Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon. I heard a lot about you."

    Before KangWoo could solve his doubts, the politicians roaming around started to approach him as well.

    KangWoo bowed while smiling.

    "Thank you foring so far for world peace."

    It was a perfect sales smile.

    "Hahaha! This is all to support Guardian, after all."

    "Of course, we should do as much as possible as a country."

    ''Huh?''

    He couldn''t help but frown.

    Politicians from France, Ennd, Italy, the USA, and even Korea began gathering and started to talk to KangWoo.

    ''Why are they so motivated?''

    Unlike Gaia''s expectations, they began talking as if they were willing to do anything.

    Even though it was the night before the summit, it was too much.

    Usually, they would try to offer the least support possible and get as much benefit as possible.

    Each gave a better condition as if they hade to an auction to buy a product.

    "We were thinking of supporting Guardian by offering the services of the France Special Forces."

    "We can promise to offer a hundred million dors each year."

    "Haha, I feel reassured hearing such things from all of you."

    KangWoo kept talking to people while smiling.

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    As he kept talking with them, he finally understood what was going on.

    "I heard that the Demon Cult members have suffered great losses in Latin America."

    "Haha! It seems like, besides hiding very well, there isn''t anything impressive about them."

    ''This motherfucker.''

    You couldn''t feel any sense of danger from their conversation.

    It didn''t take him long to understand why they could talk like that.

    ''What? There''s nothing impressive about them besides hiding very well?''

    Korea, China, and then Latin America¡­

    All the incidents caused by the Demon Cult had been solved without much effort.

    Civilian losses had only happened in Korea. In China, they had obtained a huge win against weak demonic monsters.

    The Latin America incident had been solved by the members of Guardian and world rankers before the Demon Cult did anything.

    So from their point of view, the Demon Cult just looked like a group of crazy people.

    Not only did they not look like beings that could put the world in danger, but they also didn''t even feel like a menace to each country.

    ''Damn.''

    KangWoo frowned.

    He''d been able to deal with the Demon Cult too perfectly, and that ended up causing a side effect.

    ''This isn''t good.''

    He couldn''t sense any nervousness in their expressions.

    If things went like that, even if Guardian received support, they would move slowly like a turtle.

    ''This¡­''

    KangWoo began having a conflict. He narrowed his eyes.

    His head started to swirl.

    "Ah! Ms. Yulia!"

    "So you came! We were waiting for you! This is the person called Oh KangWoo we told you about before."

    Everyone around KangWoo turned their heads.

    KangWoo looked in the same direction as everyone else.

    "Nice to meet you. I''m Yulia Vilkova, the person who came as Russia''s representative."

    She was a person with surprising beauty.

    She had long, braided brown hair and red lips. Her body looked as if an artisan had sculpted it.

    She was wearing a dress with steep cleavage and was using a perfume that stimted the nose. She was a beauty with a decadent atmosphere around her.

    ''She seems to be between Cheon SooYeon and Lilith.''

    Cheon SooYeon was like a newbie who''d just obtained that sexual energy, and Lilith was someone who''d peaked in that. She seemed to be right in the middle between them.

    "Yes, nice to meet you," he greeted her and looked around.

    ''These guys¡­''

    His eyes shone sharply. All the politicians and yers that had just approached KangWoo were gathered around her.

    Judging by how they were taking a glimpse, it seemed like they''d approached KangWoo by her orders.

    ''It seemed like they''re all part of the same group.''

    She took his hand while making a good-natured smile.

    She kept speaking.

    "Oh, it seems like there''s a VIP room in the banquet hall. There''s something I wanted to talk about with Mr. KangWoo¡­ Could you give me some time?"

    Yulia tilted her head and extended her hand while moving close to KangWoo.

    The unknown and weird scent he felt from her intensified.

    "¡­"

    For an instant, KangWoo''s expression distorted. He narrowed his eyes at the unknown scent.

    KangWoo, who looked as if he were immersed in thoughts, smirked.

    He clenched his fist.

    A tingling sensation ran through his fingers.

    "Of course."

    He grabbed her hand.

    "Then, everyone, let''s go to the room."

    She took the politicians and moved to the VIP room.

    <em>Click-</em>

    "Woah."

    After entering the VIP room, heughed in disbelief.

    ''Hey, isn''t this a bit too much?''

    There were all sorts of delicacies in the VIP room and about 30 beautiful girls that didn''tck evenpared to Yulia.

    As KangWoo sat in the chair, he was approached by the 30 beautiful girls.

    "It''s a shark fin dish. Please, try it."

    "It''s a dish that has foie grass and caviar. Please try it."

    The 30 beautiful girls didn''t seem to care at all about the other people that had entered the room with Yulia. They surrounded KangWoo while they offered him food and tried to act cute.

    ''So you''re determined, huh?''

    He could see that they were trying to get him on their side.

    "These are special kids I''ve personally chosen. I thought they might help Mr. KangWoo, who''s probably really tired because of Guardian work, rx."

    Yulia smiled and sat on a chair.

    KangWoo looked at the girls, delicacies, and politicians surrounding him.

    ''It seems like these fuckers don''t know me very well.''

    <em>Tsk.</em> He clicked his tongue.

    100 million dors, a sum of money that was even hard to imagine, delicacies he''d never even heard of or seen, eye-blindingly beautiful girls.

    "Hahaha."

    He couldn''t help butugh in disbelief.

    KangWoo leaned his back on the sofa made of luxurious leather and smirked.

    ''You won''t be able to tempt me with trash like this.''

    He understood her intentions but found them ridiculous.

    He wasn''t a man so pathetic that he would lose his mind at things like that.

    ''You should have prepared kimchi stew at least.''

    The tips of his mouth went up while heughed at how stupid they were.

    ''I''m an expensive man.''

 Chapter 182: Summit (3)

    ''It seems like it will be easy.''

    Yulia made a cold sneer while looking at KangWoo, who began smiling as soon as he became surrounded by pretty girls.

    ''The scent also seems to be enough.''

    She''d spread a scent with an aphrodisiac mixed in throughout the room.

    The scent she''d developed through ck magic allowed humans to feel the desire that a demon''s body felt.

    It had such a strong effect that it could make even a devoted believer or a monk who had endured numerous hardships lose their minds from lust and desire.

    The politicians and beautiful girls with her had taken a medicine that increased their resistance to the scent, but KangWoo hadn''t taken anything like that, so he was fully exposed to the scent.

    ''I have to slowly increase it over time.''

    If she released the scent all at once, there was a chance his body would feel that there was something wrong, and he could run out of the room.

    "How''s the food?"

    "Ah, it''s very delicious."

    "Fufu."

    The way he nodded looked really stupid.

    ''Tsk, the rumors made him out to be something more.''

    She looked at Oh KangWoo as if he were pathetic.

    Kim ShiHoon''s non-blood-rted brother¡­ Someone whose talent and sense of justice was recognized and who had joined Guardian despite not having been chosen by Gaia as a Guardian.

    ''I heard he''s someone whom Gaia trusts.''

    Until recently, the one Gaia trusted the most was Grace arbin.

    She was ranked 1st among world rankers. Not only that, but she was the one who was taking care of her.

    Most people knew that she had recently started to rely on Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon and his non-blood-rted brother Oh KangWoo.

    ''Is it because she''s blind? As expected, she doesn''t have an eye for people.''

    The sight of Oh KangWoo surrounded by girls and frantically looking around was a spectacle.

    She even thought that maybe she didn''t need to use the scent.

    ''If I knew it would turn out like this, maybe I could''ve tried to make a move on Dragon Sword himself.''

    It was obvious that her opinion of Kim ShiHoon would drop after seeing his non-blood-rted brother act like that.

    She began to regret things.

    ''No.''

    Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon was a yer that people thought was the strongest member of Guardian¡ªhe was their ace.

    There was a rumor that he''d solved most of the Latin America incident alone, so he was someone very important to Guardian.

    Leaving everything aside, he was someone who had won in a fight against Balrog, so being cautious was the correct decision.

    ''Not only that, but I can''t ask for the help of Mr. Satan for a while.''

    The master she served¡­ The peak among the higher-ups of the Demon Cult.

    It wasn''t that Satan hadpletely resurrected yet¡­

    No, he was preparing for something beyond just simple resurrection.

    It was hard to create an opportunity for her to talk with him.

    ''I must cautiously deal with things since I cannot ask for the help of Mr. Satan.''

    As an apostle, she had to deal with the missing higher-ups.

    She couldn''tpletely carry out the n to weaken and disintegrate Guardian.

    Yulia looked at KangWoo, who wasughing while surrounded by pretty girls as if he was at a brothel.

    ''First, I must make this pathetic man into my puppet.''

    There was no need to wonder about what she''d do next.

    She would cause trouble within Guardian by using Kim ShiHoon''s trust in him.

    ''I wonder what expression Gaia, that bitch, will make.''

    She made a fishy smile.

    The organization known as humanity¡¯sst hope disintegrating from internal matters¡­

    Imagining the expression that Gaia''s incarnation would make made her feel a thrill.

    "Fufu. Mr. KangWoo, do you like my kids?"

    "Ah. Wh-what did I¡­? I''m sorry."

    It seemed like KangWoo returned to his senses after hearing her words. She pushed the pretty girls aside.

    It looked like he still had some sanity left.

    ''But it''s just a matter of time.''

    She spread more of the scent inside the room.

    As the scent became thicker, his eyes became more blurry.

    "Ah¡­"

    "It''s nothing. You''ve recently been quite busy trying to fight the Demon Cult, right?"

    "Th-that''s true, but¡­"

    "This is a rest worthy of a hero."

    "But still¡­"

    ''Ugh, are you impotent or what? What a bothersome guy.''

    She frowned at his appearance.

    ''This is why I hate god''s underlings.''

    On the outside, they always looked like good people with a strong sense of justice, but in the end, they became weak like that in the face of lust.

    She''d epted demonic energy inside her body, recognized her lust and desire, and started to want something beyond that, so from her point of view, humans were pathetic beings.

    "Will you be able to act like that after realizing the pleasures that the body of a demon brings?"

    Although what you could feel through the scent was experiencing it indirectly, the sensation wasn''t that different from the one you could feel with a demon''s body.

    She was having fun imagining how that virgin-looking guy would turn out after feeling such sensations.

    "Should I ask them to go away?"

    "Ah~ Oppa. You don''t like us?"

    "But we''re so much better than the Korean girls~"

    After Yulia said that, the girls approached him even more seductively.

    It was obvious that KangWoo would smile.

    "N-no¡­"

    The pathetess peaked.

    Even the politicians around him started tough at how he looked.

    "But¡­ didn''t you say there was something you had to tell me?"

    ''Oh, it seems like he hasn''t forgotten about that.''

    Yulia calmly opened her mouth.

    "It¡¯s not really important. I wanted to talk with you at least once because I admire you."

    "Haha. Admiration is too much."

    "Although you weren''t chosen as a Guardian, you were able to join Guardian because of how much you cared about your non-blood-rted brother. That in itself is worthy of admiration."

    "You''re exaggerating."

    "What do other people think?"

    "O-of course, we were incredibly moved by Mr. KangWoo''s story!"

    "The hyeong who fights for the sake of his brother! I heard that you aren''t even rted by blood. Is that true?"

    "Ah, yes. It''s true."

    "I think that you''ve made an incredible decision."

    * * *

    The politicians around him began to talk as if they had been waiting for their opportunity.

    They began talking about how each country would support KangWoo.

    ''These guys are quite good.''

    She smirked after looking at them jump at him as if they were hungry hyenas.

    They weren''t directly rted to the Demon Cult.

    They were people she''d dragged in by using the mask of a ''Russian ambassador.''

    ''Well, I guess they need to be useful sometimes.''

    She wouldn''t have struggled to drag them in if they weren''t.

    The politicians were there to make KangWoo their puppet and use Guardian as their country''s force.

    She was trying to dismantle Guardian, so their intentions were different, but such details didn''t matter.

    Their middle goal of turning him into a puppet was the same.

    "Oh yeah. You''ve treated me so well, so I feel weird not doing anything."

    KangWoo, whose eyes were shining while listening to the absurd words of the politicians, opened his mouth.

    He took out a bottle of wine from his pocket.

    He took out quite a big bottle of wine from his small pocket, so it seemed like he had a magical device of sorts.

    "This¡­"

    "Haha. It''s a valuable wine I had prepared to drink with my fellow Guardians, but since all of you worry so much about world peace, I wanted to share it with you."

    "Woah."

    "You don¡¯t need to."

    "Hahaha! How did you know that I go crazy for wine¡­?"

    The politicians started to praise KangWoo.

    It wasn''t that they were interested in the wine that KangWoo had prepared¡­

    What they cared about was that he was going to open a bottle of wine he had prepared to drink with his fellow Guardians.

    ''It was so easy that it''s a bit disheartening.''

    Yulia yawned andy back on the sofa.

    She''d prepared a few more things she was going to use depending on his reaction, but it seemed like she wouldn''t need to use them.

    ''I guess Guardians aren¡¯t that big of a deal in the end.''

    She couldn''t see someone capable of going against the Demon Cult.

    She would have to face Dragon Sword to bepletely sure of it, but seeing that he trusted someone like Oh KangWoo made her expectations fall.

    ''It seems like he overestimated Balrog.''

    Satan didn''t talk a lot about what happened in Hell; he also avoided talking about Balrog and Lilith, who were close aids of the Demon King that fought against the seven archdukes.

    It was as if he had trauma.

    ''I guess it''s understandable.''

    He didn''t want to admit it, but she heard that Satan and the other archdukes had lost the war against the Demon King.

    And that Demon King¡­

    ''Disappeared while trying to cross the dimensional wall.''

    The end of the Demon King that had killed the seven archdukes was anticlimactic.

    The Demon King, who had taken control of the Hell of Nine Skies, had tried to spread his hands into another dimension, but the result of that was devastating.

    She heard that the Demon King had rushed in, believing in the source of his strength called the ''Demonic Energy Sea,'' but that he¡¯d ended up being caught by the system and vanishing.

    ''Well. I guess I don''t need to worry about someone that vanished.''

    She needed to focus on the n.

    "Everyone, let''s take a sip!"

    KangWoo poured wine to all the politicians that were inside the room.

    Yulia raised her ss while making a seductive smile.

    "For the eradication of the Demon Cult, and for world peace!"

    "Cheers!"

    <em>Cling.</em>

    The wine sses bumped into each other.

    KangWoo and the politicians took a sip of the wine.

    Yulia also took a sip of the wine that was shining with a beautiful red light.

    ''It tastes good.''

    The taste and scent of the wine were so sweet that the word that she could believe that the wine was rare.

    "Hahaha! It''s really a good day," KangWoo said in an excited voice.

    His eyes had be blurry as if he''d be drunk on the scent created using ck magic, and his movements became sluggish.

    "Oh, yeah¡­ Since it became like this, there''s something I need to tell everyone."

    "Oh, what is it?"

    "Since Mr. KangWoo said it like that, I can''t wait to hear it."

    It seemed like he was about to give out important information on Guardian.

    A thick smile appeared on Yulia''s face.

    "You see¡­"

    KangWoo slurred out thest part of the sentence and looked around.

    It was as if he was wary of the girls around him.

    Yulia waved her hand.

    "You girls wait outside. Enter again when I call you back."

    "Yes."

    The 30 beautiful girls walked out of the room

    Yulia''s eyes shone brightly.

    ''It seems like he has quite important information.''

    Seeing how he still looked around despite the fact that his mind was in tatters, it seemed like it was something quite important.

    "Ehem."

    KangWoo coughed and tried to grab everyone''s attention.

    "The information I''m going to tell you today can''t be told to anyone else¡­"

    "Haha. Of course."

    "There aren''t many people better than us at keeping secrets," she said in a secretive tone.

    "The truth is¡­"

    <em>Gulp</em>. The sound of saliva being forced down the throat was heard.

    There was a weird nervousness going around in the room.

    KangWoo kept talking in a low voice.

    "There''s poison in the wine you just drank."

    "Yes¡­?"

    "Ah, it isn''t exactly poison, but simr. Anyway, if you guys don''t receive an antidote from me regrly, you''ll suffer huge pain."

    "Wh-what does that mean¡­"

    Everyone became confused.

    <em>Crash-</em>

    Yulia dropped the wine ss.

    The blood-red wine wet the carpet.

    "Wh-wh-what¡­?" She asked in a trembling voice.

    "What did you just say?"

    "If you don''t get an antidote from me, you''ll struggle in pain and end up dying. That isn''t hard to understand, right?"

    KangWooy his back on the sofa.

    His eyes were hazy, and his body didn''t seem to have strength.

    Although his body looked as if he were still under the effects of the drug, the words that left his mouth were at a level that was hard to understand.

    Yulia red at him as if she were asking what nonsense he was talking about.

    "Ha¡­ hahaha!"

    "It seems like Mr. KangWoo has a great sense of humor!"

    The politicians that had drunk the wineughed awkwardly while trying to figure out what had happened.

    KangWoo, who was rxing on the sofa, raised a hand.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    He flicked his fingers.

    "AAGGHH!!!"

    The France ambassador, ''Emmanuel Amon'', began rolling on the ground.

    His veins turned ck and bulged, and his skin became pale as a corpse¡¯s.

    He scratched the floor while struggling in pain.

    His nails were torn out, bubbles began frothing out of his mouth, and his eyes teared up.

    ¡°Arghg!¡±

    Emanuel started to vomit.

    He scratched his bloodshot eyes, his skin split, and dark-red blood poured off him.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    KangWoo flicked his finger again.

    Emanuel, who had been struggling in pain, started to tremble while breathing heavily.

    "Wh-what the¡­?"

    "I activated the poison inside of you. If you don''t take the medicine I give you once a week, as you can see, you will die."

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    It was as if they couldn''t understand the situation. They looked around while making confused expressions.

    The silence was so palpable that the movements of their eyes could almost be heard.

    Finally, a politician got up while stomping on the ground.

    "D-do you know what you''ve just done?!"

    "Come on, do you think I would''ve done something like this without knowing?"

    "This is a crime! An international crime! Is Guardian nning to dere war against the world?!"

    "War? I wanted to deal with things as peacefully as possible," he replied in a calm voice.

    After seeing his rxed attitude, the politicians started to get up.

    They began screaming loudly.

    "Does Ms. Gaia know you''ve done this?!"

    "I''m canceling all the support I promised to Guardian. No, I will make sure you pay the price for this crime!"

    "Guardian says that they are thest hope of humanity or whatever, but to think you''d do something like this!! Are you out of your mind?!"

    "Demon Cult! I''m sure this guy is a member of the Demon Cult!!"

    The room erupted into chaos.

    KangWoo leaned back and tilted his head.

    "Haaa¡­" A sigh left his mouth.

    <em>WHOM-</em>

    "Huh?"

    "Wh-what¡­?"

    The entire room shook.

    He lowered his head.

    A strong killing intent poured out of him and pressured everyone in the room.

    "You all talk too much."

    He frowned, crossed his legs, and put them on the table.

    "Just do as I say."

    He spat on the floor.

    "If you don''t want to, just die."

 Chapter 183: Summit (4)

    "¡­"

    Yulia bit her lips and red at KangWoo.

    "It seems that I was wrong about you, Mr. KangWoo. I thought you were a person with a strong sense of justice that worked harder for world peace than anyone else."

    "Don''t bullshit me."

    Heughed in disbelief.

    "If you were trying to tempt me, you should have hidden your intentions a little bit. You tantly tried to use me, so there''s no way I wouldn''t notice."

    "¡­"

    "You should''ve done it in moderation. That was just too much."

    "It''s too bad you misinterpreted my actions."

    "The only thing bad is your head."

    He cursed.

    Yulia frowned at the aggression.

    ''Just how?''

    She knew she''d overttered him, but there was a reason behind why she''d done it that way.

    ''Why didn''t the scent work?''

    She anxiously bit her lips.

    The scent she''d developed allowed someone to feel the lust and desires that a demon felt.

    There was no way a human that had never experienced the lust and desires of a demon¡¯s body would be able to resist it.

    That''s why she''d used such a simple strategy.

    ''Then¡­''

    That meant he''d endured those things with his mental fortitude.

    ''No way.''

    She looked at him in disbelief.

    She knew better than anyone how strong a demon¡¯s cravings were.

    ''He can resist that?''

    It was like shaking a drug in front of an addict or putting water in front of a person copsed in the desert and telling them not to drink it.

    It wasn¡¯t something that could simply be resisted.

    ''Damn.''

    Yulia''s expression distorted.

    She felt as if her n to dismantle Guardian had been destroyed.

    ''What should I do?''

    Her thoughts became cloudy.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    At that moment, one of the politicians kicked the table aggressively.

    It seemed like he was a yer before bing a politician. The table was split with just that one kick.

    He red at KangWoo.

    "You motherfucker!"

    A punch containing highly concentrated blue magic power flew at KangWoo.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "Huh?"

    KangWoo easily caught the fist and smirked.

    "Did youe from a factory? Although your nationalities and races are different, you all say the same thing."

    "L-let me go!!"

    "Ah, I wasn''t thinking of going so far because I just wanted support, but¡­"

    <em>Crack.</em>

    He put strength in his fist and the man¡¯s hand broke.

    "Ah, AAGGHH!!"

    "Think about it," he said in a serious tone.

    Trying to control people by making them drink poisoned wine¡­

    It was a dangerous action that could''ve turned the world upside down, but there was a very good reason why he''d done such a thing.

    "If I let you do as you wish once, I''ll have to keep adjusting myself to you guys. You''ll organize parties and stuff whenever I need to do something. Well, I''m okay. After all, I could eat delicious food and y with pretty girls, but¡­"

    <em>Crack-</em>

    "AAGGHH!!!"

    "You¡¯d get too much screen time if that happened. Extras without names would progressively get more dialogue."

    "Wh-what nonsense are you saying?! Let me go!! You crazy bastard!! You''re a member of Guardian?! You protect world peace?! Do you know who you''ve just touched?! I''m¡ª"

    "See? You''re an extra with no name. Who gave you the right to talk so much?"

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "AAGGHH!!!"

    "It always goes like this."

    He narrowed his eyes.

    "If we were inside a novel, what you''ve just said would''ve taken 27 words. I would have an entire novel from just a few hundred repetitions"

    The man''s hand was crushed as if it had gone through a press machine.

    KangWoo let the hand go, and the man copsed while clutching it to his chest.

    "That¡¯s exnation enough, right?"

    The people looked at him, frightened.

    "What do you want¡­?" Yulia asked in a trembling voice.

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    What he wanted was simple¡­

    From the moment they lured him into that room and tried to make him their puppet, they only had two choices¡­

    "You either obey¡­" heughed, "or you die."

    * * *

    "Yes¡­"

    Emannuel Amon slurred thest part of his word.

    He gulped and read the paper.

    "Then¡­ All 47 countries participating in the summit have agreed to give full support to Guardian."

    "¡­"

    "The specifics are as follows: France will send the 30 members of their special forces ''Napoleon''s War Horse'' to Guardian, Italy will offer 10 million EUR and 17 members of the special forces ''Kaisar,'' Ennd will send 5 of the Knights of the Round Table and famous chef Gordon Ramsay as the restaurant administrator¡­"

    He kept talking while wiping the sweat dripping from his forehead.

    "In China, Mr. Cheon MooJin and Ms. Cheon SooYeon offer themselves alongside 217 martial artists. In Japan, Ms. Kurosaki Yurie offered herself and all of her bodyguards. In Korea, 13 members of the Red Rose Guild and Ms. Chae YeonJoo, all the members of the 2nd Hwarang Squad, ex-web novelists that are famous for their ability to analyze and make strategies, Dirt Spoon and Jerry M., and next¡­"

    Even if they made it short, it was 47 countries.

    Emannuel kept talking for five minutes.

    There were some differences between each country, but it didn''t change the fact that it was way more than they''d initially thought.

    "¡­"

    "H-how?"

    Gaia, Grace, and Kim ShiHoon had their mouths open in surprise.

    They hadn''t expected to receive such support when they organized the summit.

    No, in the first ce, offering such huge support wasn''t easy from a country¡¯s point of view.

    "Everyone¡­"

    They couldn''t believe what was going on.

    Gaia began crying as if a miracle had happened.

    "Thank you."

    She bit her lips.

    All the countries left on Earth had gathered, leaving behind things like ideology, race, and religion.

    If that wasn''t a miracle, what else could it be called?

    Her chest trembled. Tears full of emotion flowed down her cheeks.

    "Th-thank you."

    She had even thrown away her original name after bing Gaia¡¯s incarnation.

    She''d done her best to protect the world from being destroyed by the Demon of Prophecy.

    Numerous people had apanied her, but more people than that had turned their backs on her.

    Important people began disappearing, and new ones entered her life.

    She¡¯d lost her eyesight, the world had be dark, her legs had stopped working, and she¡¯d felt that the world was too big.

    It was as if she''d been left alone in the sea.

    It was too heavy of a burden for a single person to handle.

    Her shoulders trembled; the tears didn''t stop.

    "Ms. Gaia¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed her hands which looked as if they would break at the slightest effort.

    He felt that he had to say something to her at the moment.

    "You aren''t alone."

    "Ah¡­"

    A short exmation left her mouth.

    Gaia felt a warmth flowing through her hands.

    It was an energy hotter and more reliable than anything else¡­

    She felt her face burning. The words he¡¯d said, ¡°you''re not alone¡±, kept echoing through her head.

    Small particles of light began gathering in the darkness.

    Some were small, and others were big, but it seemed as if they were shining in the darkness.

    "Guardian Kim ShiHoon¡­"

    "Haha. This isn''t the time to cry."

    "Ah. Y-you''re right."

    Gaia blushed while coughing and turned around.

    "Once again, I thank you for having made such a hard decision. I won''t say something as egocentric as "we will guarantee the safety of all the troops¡±, but we''ll make sure no one makes a meaningless sacrifice."

    "¡­"

    "The world is still in crisis, monsters still appear inside gates, and the Demon Cult and Satan are trying to destroy the world, but¡­"

    She straightened her back.

    A dignified yet intimidating energy emanated from the slender, frail girl.

    "We will be sure not to waste a single drop of blood."

    ''Haa. What a great line.''

    "Our drops of blood will be the light that shines over the darkness."

    ''Yes! Well said, sister-inw!!''

    "It doesn''t matter how many troops you send or how strong they are¡­"

    ''Numbers don''t matter when it''s about human life!!''

    "Just as little fireflies gather and shine over the darkness, we will stick together and swim through this pitch-ck darkness."

    ''Oh my god, ShiHoon, if it goes on like this, I''ll end up falling for sister-inw as well!!''

    <em>p, p, p-!!</em>

    A thunderous p spread through the room.

    KangWoo smiled when he saw Gaia and Kim ShiHoon holding hands.

    ''Well done, my children.''

    He turned his head and looked at the reactions of those at the summit.

    Some were crying and trembling.

    It wasn''t hard to see why they''d reacted like that.

    ''It seems like they were moved.''

    Weirdly, the ones that were crying the most were the politicians he had poisoned, but that was probably just a coincidence.

    ''To think they''d offer so much support for world peace¡­''

    The countries were giving such support that one couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they wouldn¡¯t suffer because of it.

    Being moved by such sacrifice was inevitable.

    "Sniff."

    The French ambassador couldn''t hold it anymore and began crying.

    "Motherfucker¡­ You piece of trash¡­" he mumbled in a low voice.

    KangWoo let out an exmation.

    ''So he hated the Demon Cult that much.''

    After hearing him mumble louder, he stood up and walked toward Emmanuel.

    "Eek!"

    "So¡­ You had such a big resentment."

    "N-no. You see¡­"

    "Don''t worry. The world has gathered as one. If we stick together, we''ll surely win against the Demon Cult!"

    "Y-yes! Of course!"

    Emannuel quickly nodded.

    KangWoo gripped his hand tighter.

    "Cough!"

    "Let''s fight as one."

    "Agghh."

    "The light will be with you."

    "It¡­ it hurts."

    "I am also hurting. You must resist. You can''t be devoured by resentment.

    "Ugh¡­"

    More tears flowed down his cheeks.

    ''It seems like my words moved him.''

    He had even shed tears, so it seemed like his truth was conveyed.

    Emmanuel couldn''t stop crying.

    He was moaning in pain while twisting his body, but he had for sure been moved.

    ''After all, I have a talent for touching people''s hearts.''

    Anyways, he was touched.

 Chapter 184: Lightning Strikes Twice (1)

    "Damn, Damn it!!"

    The woman let out aggressive curses.

    The name of the woman that had skin as white as snow was Yulia Vilkova.

    She was an Apostle that served the Phase of Evil, someone who had an important role within the Demon Cult.

    She scrunched her beautiful face and bit her lips.

    ''He got me.''

    She''d prepared a group of politicians in order to weaken Guardian.

    The rtionships she''d spent years building had been taken in just an instant, and it was done in a non-funny, pathetic way.

    "Damn it!"

    She''d fallen for an insignificant and trivial trick.

    To think that he would give them a poisoned bottle of wine and try to control them using an antidote¡­

    It was a strategy that would most likely appear in a martial arts novel.

    ''The problem is¡­''

    She clenched her fist.

    It didn''t matter if it was an old-fashioned or cliche strategy.

    ''It''s quite effective.''

    Threatening them with death¡­

    The fear that they might die after suffering huge pain if they didn¡¯t take an antidote within a week was a good method of control.

    She couldn''t expect the corrupt politicians she''d chosen to have the mental strength to ovee such fear.

    They would probably follow his orders, even if it were only to get the antidote.

    "Haa¡­"

    She took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes.

    ''I''ll have to create an antidote first.''

    To use the corrupt politicians that had be ves of Guardian, she would have to create an antidote first.

    "And¡­"

    She touched her stomach.

    As for the most important reason why she had to create an antidote¡­

    ''I drank it as well.''

    She wasn''t sure if the poison he''d used would also affect her.

    After epting demonic energy, her body became closer to a demon¡¯s rather than a human¡¯s.

    ''But still, I can''t just not do anything.''

    Even if she had the body of a demon, that didn''t mean she had poison immunity.

    ''I must go to Tibet.''

    There was one of the top five branches of the Demon Cult within Tibet.

    ''I must go there and develop an antidote.''

    At the same time, she had to get rid of the poison that was left in her body.

    "Haa¡­"

    She took a deep breath.

    Her boiling emotions calmed down, and her eyes sunk.

    "Oh KangWoo, huh?"

    He was a distorted man who didn''t match the organization called ¡®Guardian¡¯.

    He remembered the way he had looked at her.

    It somehow made her feel chills.

    ''He''s definitely hiding something.''

    She started to walk while making an anxious expression.

    She walked out of the White House and went to the airport where a private jet she''d used to get there was already prepared.

    ''I have to go there anyway for the Phase of Fire.''

    She took a jet headed for Tibet and calmed her hands, which were trembling in anxiety for a reason she didn¡¯t know yet.

    * * *

    "Is it okay that we let her go?"

    The White House, where the summit was taking ce¡­

    KangWoo went out to the balcony for some fresh air, and a woman approached him from behind.

    She was a pure and elegant-looking woman, but there was a subtle mischievousness she couldn''t hide in her face and in the movements of her body.

    ''It''s okay. I let her go on purpose."

    KangWoo stretched his arms at Kurosaki Yurie, no, Lilith''s question.

    He watched Yulia¡¯s limousine disappear into the horizon.

    He turned and entered the room.

    It was the private room that the USA had prepared for him. The luxurious pieces of furniture made it resemble a pce.

    He sat on a chair made of expensive leather.

    Lilith approached him, sat on the elbow, and ced her hand on his shoulder.

    "When did you figure out she was a member of the Demon Cult?"

    "From the first moment I met her."

    "Hmm? But I didn''t feel Demonic Energy from her. I checked out all the people participating in today''s summit."

    Lilith extended her left arm, which transformed into a sticky tentacle.

    The tentacle extended and grabbed a cup of coffee that was far away and gave it to KangWoo.

    "The Demon Cult members are capable of hiding the demonic energy inside their hearts. Even I can''t tell them apart just by looking at them."

    "Then, Demon King, how¡­?"

    "I told you not to call me ¡®Demon King¡¯."

    "Ah, hehe. I''m sorry. Then, Mr. KangWoo, how did you figure it out?"

    KangWoo took a sip of coffee.

    "Scent."

    "Scent?"

    "She used a scent that forcibly increases your desires."

    * * *

    It was a simr sensation to when you first epted demonic energy in your body and began transforming into a demon.

    It had been a long time since that happened, but he hadn''t forgotten it.

    As for why he could remember it so vividly¡­

    ''I''m still holding it back.''

    He was holding back the desires that a demon''s body craved¡ªthe craving for blood and destruction; the nightmarish thirst of constantly wanting to fulfill his cravings.

    He was still holding it back.

    He had never stopped holding it back for even a single moment.

    "The only ones who can create the desires of a demon so perfectly are the members of the Demon Cult."

    Considering that the Demon Cult had spread worldwide, he''d already thought of the possibility that they might have already influenced politicians internationally.

    He didn''t need to feel flustered about the Demon Cult taking part in the summit.

    ''It''s a good chance.''

    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that meeting a Demon Cult member at the summit was like winning the lottery.

    KangWoo looked at the hand he¡¯d used to exchange a handshake with Yulia.

    A drop of ck blood dripped from the right index finger.

    He was about to take a tissue and clean it when¡­

    "Ah, I''m going to clean it for you."

    Lilith grabbed KangWoo''s hand.

    She licked her lips as if she were a predator looking at prey; then began licking the blood.

    The ck droops of blood mixed with Lilith''s saliva and disappeared through her mouth.

    A tickling sensation stimted his finger.

    "Aren''t you going to ask me why I¡¯m bleeding¡­?"

    "Fufu. I can more or less imagine why."

    KangWoo smirked at her calm answer.

    It wasfortable that Lilith understood those sorts of things quickly.

    ''If it were Balrog, he would''ve probably made a fuss out of it.''

    He thought of Balrog, who he didn''t dare to bring into the USA.

    "Oh yeah, how should I look over the humans that have taken the poison?"

    "Ah, you don''t need to do that."

    "You don''t need to look over them?"

    Lilith tilted her head but soon let out a short exmation.

    "Ah. I see. Fufufu. Yes, it seems like we won''t need to look over them."

    A thick smile appeared on Lilith''s face.

    She extended her hand and touched KangWoo''s cheeks.

    "That human Yulia is quite dumb. There''s no way beautiful girls will work with the D¡­ No, with Mr. KangWoo."

    "Hmm?"

    That wasn''t true.

    After all, when the pretty girls that Yulia had prepared tried to seduce him, he was barely able to get hold of his reason.

    Eighteen eyes appeared on Lilith''s face.

    The hands that were touching his cheeks turned into horrible tentacles.

    "Mr. KangWoo''s body can''t be satisfied unless it''s me."

    ''No.''

    "You act as if you don''t like it, but your body is honest."

    ''I told you no, fuck.''

    He pushed Lilith away softly.

    Disappointed, Lilith stepped back.

    KangWoo stood up from the chair.

    "We''ve obtained coboration from each country, so we should start preparing."

    "Yes."

    Lilith lifted the hem of the dress and elegantly bent her waist.

    "Everything is as the Demon King wishes."

    * * *

    In the mountains of Tibet¡­

    There was a giant branch of the Demon Cult they''d built using an entire mountain.

    It was a branch thousands of Demon Cult members lived in.

    The interior was made of such modern facilities that it was hard to believe it was a ce where a group of crazy people who believed in a pseudo-religion lived.

    An old priest wearing a ck robe stood next to an operating table inside one of the rooms that looked like an emergency room in a ce with numerous rooms as if it were an ant nest.

    He carefully opened his mouth.

    "There isn''t¡­"

    "What?" Yulia, who was lying on top of the operating table, asked in disbelief while frowning.

    The old priest opened his mouth.

    "We haven''t been able to find poison. We checked Ms. Yulia''s body with ck magic, normal magic, and even modern medical procedures, but we haven''t been able to find anything foreign inside Ms. Yulia''s body."

    "What¡­?"

    Yulia felt as if she''d been hit from the back.

    "There isn''t poison?"

    "We thought that maybe it was some sort of parasite¡­ but there was nothing like that."

    "¡­"

    There was silence.

    Her mind went cloudy.

    A hard-to-exin anxiety spread through her body.

    "Wait¡­"

    Yulia''s voice trembled.

    The alcohol that human Oh KangWoo had given her and everything that happened next passed through her mind.

    "Don''t tell me¡­"

    He''d said he had put poison in the wine and that everyone would die if they didn''t receive the antidote.

    Was there any evidence?

    "The evidence¡­"

    Emmanuel Amon.

    He''d screamed while struggling in pain.

    It was that one case.

    He wasn''t even a yer but a normal human being.

    A high-level yer should¡¯ve been able to cause such reactions just by using some magic power to apply pressure on him.

    Besides that, there was no proof that he''d put poison in the wine.

    "Why¡­?" Yulia mumbled with a trembling voice¡­

    She mumbled in confusion.

    That wasn¡¯t the only thing she couldn¡¯t understand.

    She''d believed him too easily.

    Why had she trusted his words so easily?

    She began remembering what had happened that night.

    ''I don''t know.''

    She couldn''t understand why she''d believed in his words so easily.

    Was it because of his overly confident attitude? His intimidating eyes? How cliche it was to put poison in wine?

    She thought of many possibilities but couldn''t find an answer.

    Yulia frowned and put her hand on her forehead.

    ''Hmm¡­?"

    At that moment, she found something in her hand.

    It was a ck liquid.

    "What''s this?"

    She frowned and took a closer look at the ck liquid.

    <em>Sniff.</em> She sniffed it.

    It smelled a bit fishy

    "Blood¡­?"

    She tilted her head while making a confused expression.

    * * *

    "Prepare¡­ for war?"

    Gaia made a confused expression at KangWoo''s words.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Yes. Now that we''ve received confirmation from all countries, it''s about time we prepare to engage in war against the Demon Cult."

    "B-but¡­!"

    Gaia made a flustered expression.

    "We¡­ still don''t know where they are."

    "I''ve found one at least."

    KangWoo smiled.

    "The Chinese branch is located in the mountainous area of Tibet."

 Chapter 185: Crocodile Tears (1)

    [A summit between 47 countries took ce. The biggest one since the Cataclysmic Day.]

    [The Earth has united under one banner.]

    [Unexpected results... Rather than the benefit of their own countries, the politicians choose world peace.]

    [The countries formed an alliance with the USA at the center. The name of the world alliance is announced as ''Guardian.'']

    The news shook up the world.

    An alliance of such magnitude hadn¡¯t even been formed on the Cataclysmic Day, even though half of the countries had been lost at the ws of monsters.

    The organization, which was made with voluntary support from each country, Guardian, hadpleted its grandunch.

    Although it was called a world alliance, it wasn''t like a real army, and yers had joined as one.

    It wasn''t that they shared an economic, political, or religious system.

    It was as if a massive, worldwide guild had been born.

    Most of the armies around the world were organized with yers at the center, so the birth of a giant guild with strong yers was worthy of being called a ''world alliance.''

    The officially announced leader of Guardian was Grace arbin, and Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon was announced as her right hand.

    There was quite amotion about the announcement of Dragon Sword.

    Even if he were a rising star, people thought he wasn''t someone famous whose strength was very well known like Cheon MooJin, Mahabach, Jason, or Emilia.

    One of the US rankers, Jason, said he couldn''t ept that result and challenged Kim ShiHoon to a duel.

    But¡­

    Poster (Tresha): Did you hear the news??? They say Dragon Sword beat the shit out of Jason!

    ? I thought Dragon Sword would lose, so I didn''t turn on the stream, but is that true?? How did he win?

    ? The Pacer: I saw it. Jason just lost against him.

    ? Butterfly Valley: ording to the rumors, not even Cheon MooJin can win against him.

    ? Dirt Spoon: What? It hasn''t even been a year since Cheon MooJin took Dragon Sword as his apprentice. Right?

    The fight between Kim ShiHoon and Jason was streamed worldwide.

    Kim ShiHoon defeated Jason; the difference in strength was overwhelming.

    It was understandable that themunities were in an uproar at the unexpected development of things.

    Kim ShiHoon''s name became almost as famous as Grace''s and spread worldwide.

    After Kim ShiHoon defeated Jason, everything went smoothly.

    The yers that were gathered under the name ¡®Guardian¡¯ were designated into teams depending on their attributes and qualities and started to do group training.

    The secret organization hidden behind the mask that had been protecting the world in secret started to show itself formally to the world.

    * * *

    "A-amazing. The news is full of news about Guardian and Mr. ShiHoon," Han Seol-ah said in surprise while changing channels.

    She''d formed a party with Kim ShiHoon since he was a newbie, so seeing him be famous worldwide felt unreal.

    "It feels like Mr. ShiHoon has gotten far away."

    "Seol-ah, you''re also part of Guardian now."

    "Ah, y-you''re right."

    Guardian had moved away from being a secret organization formed only by people with the title ''Guardian.'' After they became public, they grew in size quickly.

    A secret organization that protected the world sounded cool, but having more members was morefortable, and it also increased the number of things they could do.

    ''It''s hard to see the benefits of being a secret organization anymore.''

    If a secret organization was to be sessful, then its target, in their case, the Demon Cult, had to be unaware of its existence.

    That way, they would be able to ambush them in secret or something.

    ''But now, we cannot do that.''

    The members of the Demon Cult already knew about Guardian.

    Even a small branch of 50 people had recognized Guardian, so there was no need to think about the other branches.

    In such a scenario, keeping it as a secret organization was dumb.

    The correct thing was to announce their name and evolve.

    "They always talk about the same thing. I wish they would stop showing this."

    Echidna, who was sitting on KangWoo''sp, pouted.

    He smiled and stroked her hair.

    "Why?"

    "Because of this, Re:Zero''sst episode was pushed away..."

    Echidna wiggled her feet whileining.

    ''Is that an anime she likes?''

    Besides training dragon magic, Echidna spent a lot of time watching TV.

    Among the things she watched, what she liked the most was anime.

    Seeing her looking at the TV with shining eyes was one of the small things KangWoo liked to do.

    ''I should get rid of those bothersome guys as quickly as possible.''

    His goal was to spend the days rxing and watching TV.

    As time went on, those days seemed to be getting farther and farther away.

    ''Ancient demonic monsters, archdukes, the heavens¡­''

    On top of that, he had to think of the gods¡¯ dimension where beings like Gaia and Tyrion lived.

    ''If things go on like this, maybe a martial arts world will appear, too.''

    After Gaia, the Guardian that protected the dimensional wall disappeared, the world became messed up.

    To be honest, he felt that he couldn¡¯t be surprised anymore when it came to the types of worlds there were.

    He felt that his desired peaceful life was moving further away with every new dimension that appeared.

    "Hngh."

    He shook his head.

    It was pointless to think about things he couldn''t solve.

    His priority was to deal with what was in front of him.

    "Ms. Gaia, you don''t look good... is there something bothering you?"

    Han Seol-ah walked toward Gaia, who was sitting on the sofa while making a worried expression.

    "It¡­ it''s nothing."

    Surprised, Gaia shook her head.

    KangWoo looked at Gaia, who couldn''t seem to calm down.

    ''I guess it''s awkward.''

    Gaia had begun living in KangWoo''s house after Guardian was announced.

    As Grace, the one who used to take care of her, became busier, she needed someone else who could take care of her.

    Gaia was such an important person that they''d decided to use Grace as the representative instead, and she had to be taken care of by someone they could trust.

    "Ms. Grace and Mr. ShiHoon are busy, so I''m not sure if it''s okay for me to stay herefortably..."

    "It''s okay. It''s not like they''ve done that for ourfort."

    After Guardian was announced, they''d purposely hidden KangWoo and Gaia''s existence.

    The reason why they''d hidden KangWoo was to hide the strongest member of Guardian from the enemies, and they''d decided to hide Gaia to hide Guardian¡¯s weakest point.

    They were hidden for different reasons, but it didn''t change the fact that they both didn''t have much to do at the momentpared to other people.

    "Mr. KangWoo, did you investigate the Demon Cult branch in Tibet?"

    "Yes. I went there a few days ago. As expected, the scale was quiterge."

    There was a chance of him being discovered, so he¡¯d just looked at it through the Authority of Observation, but its scale couldn''t bepared to the base in the middle-east.

    More than five thousand of them lived within the repurposed mountain.

    Considering that there were also numerous demons living inside it, that number was even bigger.

    It was the biggest base they¡¯d ever found.

    "It really will be a war..."

    "Yes."

    He nodded.

    * * *

    Wars, where millions fought, didn''t exist anymore.

    Wars were centered on a small number of superhumans called yers, so five thousand Demon Cult members couldn''t be taken lightly.

    "Mr. KangWoo... You won''t participate this time, right?"

    "I''m going to participate, but I''m not going to be in the forefront," He said in a firm voice.

    Gaia''s face darkened.

    KangWoo kept talking.

    "It''s a necessary thing."

    He wasn''t going topromise on that.

    If KangWoo, Balrog, and Lilith fought, winning the war would be easier.

    No. Unless there was an archduke, they could probably sweep away that Demon Cult branch.

    But¡­

    ''I can''t fight alone forever.''

    Of course, in front of beings like an archduke, when numbers didn''t matter, he would have to fight.

    Still, he couldn''t be in every single fight.

    It would be egocentric to think that he could do everything alone.

    ''And¡­''

    He remembered what the politicians said at the banquet hall.

    They had no fear or nervousness of the Demon Cult.

    That was also the case for the yers that had just joined Guardian.

    They didn''t put much effort into practice.

    As if they were making clear that they''d been forced to be there, all sorts of idents kept happening.

    They weren''t scared of the Demon Cult, so they were going to use the name and prestige of Guardian as much as possible.

    ¡ªThat was what the yers thought.

    In reality, they''d found some cases of people epting money and misusing that prestige.

    ''We''ve won too easily.''

    KangWoo was too strong, so they''d been able to ovee dangerous situations too easily.

    It wasn''t something that could be solved by saying the Demon Cult members were dangerous.

    ''They must know it.''

    If they were so confident about it, it was a matter of time before they self-destructed.

    They must know how strong and scary the Demon Cult and demons were.

    ¡ªEven if a lot of blood was shed because of it.

    "Ms. Gaia, didn''t you also feel it while talking with the politicians?"

    "..."

    "Do you think it''s okay for things to go like this?"

    There was a heavy silence.

    Gaia bit her lips and slowly shook her head.

    "No. I think that it''s dangerous."

    ''I''m d.''

    It seemed like she wasn''t dumb enough to force her ideals in that situation.

    She also knew how serious the situation was.

    "It isn''t just to wake them up."

    He kept talking.

    If the goal was to wake the world up, he could''ve done other things, but he¡¯d decided war was necessary for a different reason¡­

    ''We need to make the forces stronger.''

    The phrase ¡®what doesn¡¯t kill you only makes you stronger¡¯ was nonsense in most cases, but for yers, that wasn''t the case.

    yers became stronger through fighting, and in dangerous battles, they grew even more.

    That didn''t mean they became stronger just by gaining battle experience¡­0

    ''The level limit and experience.''

    Most yers usually overcame the level restriction by hunting a ''strong boss monster'' or when they overcame a life-or-death situation.''

    The battle against demons could satisfy both requirements.

    Demons gave more experience than boss monsters, and since they were also stronger, they would feel their lives at risk.

    Basically, thanks to the war, yers would be able to obtain huge growth.

    ''There should be more than 30 world rankers at least.''

    Thinking about the future battle with Lucifer, they should have at least that many world rankers.

    After all, unless they were a world ranker, an average yer wouldn''t be able to deal significant damage.

    "You said the blood we shed will be light and shine over the darkness."

    "Yes," Gaia answered in a heavy voice.

    KangWoo put his hand on her trembling shoulders.

    "This war is going to prove that."

    * * *

    "All troops, ready!!"

    Two months after Guardian was announced to the world¡­

    The Guardian troops that hadpleted basic training arrived in Tibet.

    Ten thousand yers had gathered from all around the world.

    They were all elite yers that hadpleted the seventh Awakening.

    "Advance!" Grace, who was at the forefront, shouted.

    It wasn''t that they were riding on a horse like in the middle ages, but the scene of so many yers rushing forward was amazing.

    The knight-ss yers at the front were running at a speed that made cars look pathetic.

    "Hey! They said they''ll pay 50 thousand USD per Demon Cult head!"

    "Woah. They''re going to pay so much for crazy cult believers?!"

    There wasn''t any sign of nervousness on the faces of the yers.

    They didn''t respect the formations and just leaped forward to the ce where the Demon Cult members were hiding.

    <em>BOOM-!!!</em>

    Along with a very loud explosion, a cloud of white smoke rose.

    Demonic monsters, demons, and Demon Cult members walked out of the mountain.

    "Damn! H-how did they know...?!"

    "Stop them!"

    [Hahaha! I was starting to get bored of being stuck inside the mountain for the entire day! So this is nice!]

    [I, Malfurion, demon of the 7th hell, will face you!]

    The battle between demons and yers began.

    There were screams, sounds of explosions, heat waves, and frost spreading in all directions.

    "It started."

    Gaia, who was looking at the battle from a safe space along with KangWoo, spoke.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Yes, it has," KangWoo replied in a serious voice.

    The members of Guardian were fighting desperately with all their might.

    The sight of them fighting while bleeding made his heart hurt.

    ''I can''t stand still and do nothing.''

    He didn''t intend to stand still while looking at everyone else fighting.

    The ck smoke that spread from KangWoo''s hands covered the corpses of the demons that had died.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The attribute ''Reaper of Souls'' has been activated.]

    [The passageway that leads toward the ''deepest'' part has slightly expanded.]

    "Everyone is fighting," he said in a voice full of sadness while hearing the system''s notification.

    "The blood they shed won''t be in vain."

    [The attribute ''Reaper of Souls'' has been activated.]

    [The passageway that leads toward the ''deepest'' part has slightly expanded.]

    "By bleeding, Guardian will be stronger."

    [The attribute ''Reaper of Souls'' has been activated.]

    [The passageway that leads toward the ''deepest'' part has slightly expanded.]

    The tips of his mouth naturally began going up.

    "Humanity will move a step forward to protect the world''s peace and for a better future."

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    [The attribute ''Reaper of Souls'' has been activated.]

    [The passageway that leads toward the ''deepest'' part has slightly expanded.]

    He kept hearing the bell sound.

    ''I mustn''t smile.''

    Guardian was fighting against demons.

    He felt his heart burn while looking at them.

    [The attribute ''Reaper of Souls'' has been activated.]

    [The passageway that leads toward the ''deepest'' part has slightly expanded.]

    ''Ah, I really mustn''t smile.''

    Even if it were necessary, it was true that he couldn''t help but clench his fists while looking at them.

    It was obvious that tears would drop from the Warrior of Light Oh KangWoo''s eyes.

    [The attribute ''Reaper of Souls'' has been activated.]

    [The passageway that leads toward the ''deepest'' part has slightly expanded.]

    ''How weird. I''m definitely really sad.''

    He didn''t understand why, but his mouth kept trying to go up.

    Did they say that the most delicious meal is the one you didn''t pay for?

    ''Ah, how sad. My tears won''t stop.''

    He lowered his head while shedding tears as if he didn''t dare to look into the battle.

    He hid his smile

    ''Hahaha.''

 Chapter 186: Phase of Fire (1)

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "Wh-what?!"

    The yers¡¯ eyes widened.

    A giant demon over five meters tall with a massive body rushed toward the panicked yers.

    "It¡­ it¡­"

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    Before the yer in front could open his mouth, the demon¡¯s knee hit his chest.

    The upper half of the warrior-ss yer exploded with just one attack.

    [What are you doing in the sacred battle ce?]

    The demon frowned as if he found it unpleasant.

    He knew that the humans in front of them were underestimating them.

    Heughed in disbelief.

    ''They put their guards down? Mere humans?''

    It was as if a deer was yawning in front of a tiger.

    That was how the humans looked.

    Even if they fought together, they would struggle, so seeing such an attitude made him feel insulted.

    [You''ve insulted me.]

    That was enough reason to kill them.

    The demon started to move. Explosions and screams spread through the battlefield.

    "Wh-what''s going on?!"

    "D-demons are this strong¡­?"

    It was at that moment that fear appeared in the eyes of yers.

    They had reacted high and mighty after hearing news about the Demon Cult.

    Korea, China, and South America¡­

    Weak demons that died without being able to do anything were nowhere to be seen.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    A young man covered with blue energy stomped on the ground.

    He rushed through the battlefield and appeared in front of a demon in the blink of an eye.

    He lowered his body and moved his left leg back before stepping with his right foot and soaring through the air.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    [Cough!]

    The demon that had been sweeping the yers away was cut in half.

    "D-Dragon Sword!"

    "Dragon Sword! Dragon Sword is here!"

    The yers shouted in excitement.

    "You¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon turned around.

    "Haha! As expected, it wasn''t luck that you beat Jason¡­ Cough! Ugh!"

    He extended his hand and grabbed a yer by his cor.

    "What do you think you''re doing?"

    "Eh¡­"

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "What. Are. You. doing?"

    "Cough! P-please let¡­ me go¡­"

    Strong killing intent came out from him.

    Kim ShiHoon looked at the yers with burning eyes.

    "Get out of here."

    "Yes?"

    "We don''t need dumbasses that don''t know how to respect a formation. Get the fuck out, right now."

    "¡­"

    Aggressive insults left his mouth.

    The yers gulped and looked at each other.

    Unlike the rumors, the demons were extremely strong.

    They were in the middle of a battlefield, so there was no way they''d be able to return alive.

    "P-please give us a chance!"

    "We didn¡¯t think demons were so strong!"

    "¡­"

    They were begging in desperate voices as if they were asking for their lives.

    Kim ShiHoon frowned as if he didn''t like it.

    "Haa¡­" he sighed.

    If it were up to him, he really wanted to leave them alone in the middle of the battlefield, but he couldn''t do that.

    ''It isn''t time for that.''

    He bit his lips.

    He turned his head. The situation was bad.

    yers were in a panic since they weren''t expecting demons and Demon Cult members to be that strong.

    "Damn."

    He remembered KangWoo''s words.

    ''Hyeongnim was right.''

    Everything had been solved too smoothly because of Oh KangWoo¡¯s incredible strength.

    The humans that had been protected like a nt in a greenhouse looked pathetic.

    It reminded him of¡­

    Himself.

    * * *

    "¡­"

    He remained silent.

    He could see himself in the humans that were overwhelmed by the strength of demons.

    ''Me too.''

    He looked at his sword.

    His hands were trembling.

    His body could feel the fear. Just looking at a demon was enough to take his breath away.

    The demon with the red mask¡­

    As if it was made from darkness, the demon¡¯s mask floated in the darkness.

    - Struggle. Struggle desperately and remember me.

    A low voice¡­

    Just remembering his voice made his consciousness fade.

    "If this¡­"

    He wasn''t that different from them.

    Heughed in disbelief at how pathetic he looked.

    He clenched his fist, and a thick tendon bulged out.

    ''How long are you going to keep following from behind?'' he asked himself.

    <em>Stomp-!!</em>

    He aggressively stomped on the ground, and blue energy swirled from his dantian.

    "Fight as one!''

    He used his Qi to spread his voice.

    A scream loud enough to cover the entire battlefield made all yers, demon, and Demon Cult members focus on Kim ShiHoon.

    He stomped on the ground and rushed forward, swinging his sword toward a demon that didn''t seem to be a being that a human could ovee.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    ck blood poured in all directions.

    He cut away demons in just one attack.

    yers, who were overwhelmed by the unexpected strength of demons, looked at Kim ShiHoon with intense eyes.

    He raised the sword.

    Blue light spread in circles, and he shouted aggressively from the bottom of his soul.

    "For Guardian!!!"

    "WOAAHH!!!"

    The yers¡¯ screams covered the battlefield.

    * * *

    The battle intensified.

    Demons and yers continued fighting against each other.

    KangWoo, who was looking at the situation from behind, turned his head while tearing up.

    "I was prepared for it, but as expected, it''s hard to watch and not do anything."

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    Gaia called him in a worried voice.

    KangWoo shook his head and turned around.

    "I''m going away for a moment."

    "Yes."

    He walked out of the tent that was located at the rear of the battlefield.

    "Fuck."

    KangWoo shook his head while hitting his cheeks.

    "I almostughed."

    He knew he had to keep acting serious, but he couldn''t help but smile at the constant pinging of the message window.

    He also felt refreshed after seeing all the new Guardian yers who hadn''t taken the issue more seriously.

    ''I hope it weeds out well.''

    He wasn''t sure if making aparison like that was correct, but the war was, in a sense, a ''refining'' job.

    A war to select the yers who, despite feeling fear at the strength of demons, were able to ovee them and fight until the end.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    He lightly stomped on the ground.

    KangWoo''s body rose into the air, and he moved to the top of the mountain from where he could get a clearer view of the battlefield.

    The four he could call his underlings were waiting for him there.

    He didn''t need to act like the Warrior of Light in front of them. They knew the real face of the demon called Oh KangWoo.

    Echidna, Balzac, Balrog, and Lilith¡­

    He walked toward them.

    The one who ran to him first was Echidna, and she grabbed his sleeve.

    "Seol-ah?"

    "She''s in the healing squadron in the rear."

    "Hahaha. My death knight is secretly protecting her, so you don''t need to worry."

    Balzac hit the floor with his wand.

    A creepyugh was heard.

    "It''s the death knight I created using Reinald''s corpse. It''s the best one I''ve made yet. An average 9th-hell demon probably isn''t going to be a match for it."

    "Good."

    He nodded and sat on the rock from where he could see the battlefield.

    Echidna tried to sit on hisp, her eyes shining.

    "Ugh."

    "Fufu. Kid, move back for a moment."

    Tentacles grabbed Echidna.

    She wiggled, but the opponent was Lilith.

    It was a great demon who was even capable of facing an archduke.

    "Let me go."

    Echidna red at her.

    Lilith shrugged her shoulders and ignored her.

    After approaching KangWoo, she spoke in a seductive voice.

    "Mr. KangWoo, do you want a cup of coffee?"

    "Yes."

    He grabbed the cup of coffee and looked at the battlefield.

    ''They''re better than expected.''

    They weren''t that weak in the first ce¡­

    It was just that they''d underestimated demons too much.

    He was worried after seeing them panic after the first confrontation, but thanks to Kim ShiHoon''s performance, the panic had died down.

    ''Well done, my child!''

    He wanted to p because of how proud Kim ShiHoon made him feel.

    Even if he was prepared to see some blood, he didn''t want humans to be annihted by an overwhelming difference.

    Thanks to Kim ShiHoon, they were able to avoid the worst situation.

    "Then¡­"

    If it was that much, the goal to wake yers up had seeded.

    He began seeing a few yers Awakening during the battle.

    It was time to move.

    "Get ready," he said in a low voice.

    Balrog, Lilith and Balzac knelt.

    Echidna looked around, and then she also knelt.

    "While they''re distracted with the battle, attack the interior of the Demon Cult''s base."

    "What should we do with the humans inside the base?" Balrog''s asked.

    "Do you even need to ask?"

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    It was something that wasn''t even worth asking.

    During the ten thousand years he''d spent in Hell, he''d moved ording to one simplew¡­

    "Answer evil with an even bigger evil."

    He calmly opened his mouth.

    Balrog smiled.

    "Answer killing intent with an even bigger killing intent."

    He stood up and looked at the huge Demon Cult base carved into the mountain.

    "Sweep everyone away."

    * * *

    <em>Boom-!!</em>

    <em>m-!</em>

    "AAGGHH!!"

    The sound of screams filled the passageway.

    A thick smell of blood and a horrifyingly loud sound made her senses blurry.

    A woman was running through a passageway that was shaking as if an earthquake was happening.

    "Haa! Haa!"

    Yulia Vilkova¡­

    She was a very important executive of the Demon Cult who had the position of ¡®Apostle of Evil¡¯.

    She managed to walk out of the crumbled tunnel.

    "Damn, damn!!"

    Her beautiful face was distorted.

    The Tibet Temple was one of the five most important branches of the Demon Cult.

    They were on the verge of copsing.

    ''Since things became like this¡­''

    She bit her lips.

    It wasn''t that all the preparations were ready.

    If she moved carelessly, something that couldn''t be reversed might happen.

    But¡­

    ''I have no other choice.''

    It was obvious that, if things kept going on like that, the Tibet base would copse.

    She had no other choice.

    <em>Slide-</em>

    Deep within the mountain, a door leading to the center chambers opened.

    As she opened the door, intensely hot air hit her.

    "I must wake him up."

    The Phase of Fire¡­

    Emperor of the Fire Road¡­

    She had to wake up Mamon, the Archduke of Greed.

 Chapter 187: Phase of Fire (2)

    "An enemy infiltrated?"

    "Y-yes!"

    The priest¡¯s urgent voice responded.

    Yulia raised her hand and frowned.

    Magic spread, and the base''s interior became visible like a CCTV.

    "Ugh."

    Yulia''s mouth fell open after she saw something she could hardly believe.

    ''Why is Balrog here¡­?''

    She couldn''t understand what was going on.

    It might be possible for humans to ambush them, but why was Balrog there?

    ''Wasn''t he killed by the Guardians?''

    She could see the Balrog she''d thought had died at the hands of Guardian roaming inside the base.

    It wasn''t just Barlog who was attacking the base¡­

    ''I''m not sure who that kid and the skeleton are¡­''

    But they had a strength that couldn''t bepared to an average demon¡¯s.

    Not only that, but they didn''t seem to be part of Guardian.

    ''They''re using demonic energy.''

    Guardians had demons as their enemies, so there was no way they were allies.

    No. Leaving that they were using demonic energy aside, there was Balrog and an undead. There was no way they were part of Guardian.

    Basically, that meant that, along with Guardian, there were three forces in total that had infiltrated.

    "Damn! Just what¡­?"

    Yulia hit the table at the unexpected development of events.

    The giant table was split into two.

    "Call the soldiers who were sent outside!"

    "B-but if we do that, Guardian¡­"

    "Are humans like that important?! Our base is being attacked!"

    "U-understood."

    The Priest quickly lowered his head.

    Some of the Demon Cult''s soldiers that were fighting against Guardian changed their direction and went inside.

    ''Not enough.''

    The ck-haired child and the skeleton were a problem, but the biggest issue was Balrog.

    With only that many demons, they wouldn''t be able to stop that monster, who was famous even in Hell.

    She knew that trying to face Balrog and Guardian simultaneously was ridiculous.

    ''I must ask for support.''

    She grabbed themunication crystal.

    She was trying to call the bases around Tibet with the biggest forces.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    AAGGHH-! S-stop him!!

    "What''s going on¡­?"

    She heard explosions and screams through themunication crystal.

    "I, Apostle of Evil, Yulia Vilkova, am asking for support. The Tibet base has been attacked."

    - S-support?! Don''t say nonsense! We''re also being attacked!

    A desperate voice responded.

    The Cardinal screamed at her despite being in a lower position.

    She''d guessed it after hearing the explosions, but it seemed like something had happened there too.

    "Who''s the one attacking? Guardian?"

    - L-Lucifer! Lucifer''s underlings are attacking us!

    "What?"

    Guardian, Balrog, and Lucifer¡­

    Yulia made a confused expression.

    ''What''s going on¡­?''

    Satan said that Lucifer would try to send someone to talk things out¡­

    But to suddenly ambush them out of nowhere?

    "Did you attack Lucifer''s delegation?!"

    - Damn it! We didn''t do anything!! They just attacked us out of nowhere!

    By how desperate the voice sounded, it didn''t seem like a lie.

    Yulia grabbed her head as if it hurt.

    ''Has he gone mad?''

    She''d heard that Lucifer was being attacked by the Heavens and couldn''t properly move at the moment.

    For him to attack in such a situation¡­

    It was like saying they should all die together.

    "D-don''t tell me¡­"

    She recalled Balrog, who was definitely from a 3rd faction.

    Lucifer''s underlings were currently attacking another base¡­

    There weren''t many conclusions she could reach based on those two facts.

    "Balrog has sided with Lucifer!!"

    It was as if lightning had struck her brain.

    She couldn''t think of any other reason.

    ''As for why Lucifer is attacking the Demon Cult¡­''

    He''d be allies with Balrog and concluded that he''d be able to wipe them away easily.

    "Ha, HAHAHA!"

    Sheughed out loud.

    Yulia frowned and stomped on the ground.

    <em>Boom.</em> The entire room shook, and a thick demonic energy started to rise.

    "How dare they¡­"

    There was only one possible reason for Lucifer to be attacking the Demon Cult despite being under attack from the Heavens¡­

    They were definitely trying to get the ''The Root of Evil'' that the Demon Cult had.

    "How dare they touch us?!"

    She was ovee with anger.

    Since things became like that, an alliance with Lucifer wasn''t possible anymore.

    ¡®Now¡­¡¯

    ''It''s war.''

    They had to bring fear to everyone that went against the Demon Cult.

    "Haa."

    * * *

    She got up.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    A loud explosion shook the interior of the base. The mountain shook so much that it seemed like it would crumble.

    "Ugh."

    Although she had said the words ¡®how dare they¡¯, their situation wasn''t very good.

    They might have had a chance if it were the main branch, but nobody in Tibet could face them.

    ''No¡­''

    There was a way.

    ''But¡­''

    She hesitated.

    It wasn''t that all the preparations were ready.

    If she moved too hastily, there was a chance that something irreversible might happen.

    ''There''s no other choice.''

    The decision was made quickly, and Yulia started to move with determination.

    <em>Tssss-!</em>

    "Ah, ugh."

    Every time she took a step, smoke rose from the ground as if her skin was burning.

    She covered her skin with demonic energy.

    Although it was being spent at high speed, thanks to that, she was able to resist it.

    "Phase of Fire¡­"

    She walked through the passageway covered with redva.

    At the end, a sphere shone with a yellow light.

    The Archduke of Greed, Mamon.

    He was asleep within the sphere.

    "Haa."

    She took a shaky breath and ced her hands on the floor.

    Demonic energy flowed out of her hands and spread over the floor.

    A magic circle withplex and geometrical forms started to shine with a dark light.

    "Jajas, jajas¡­"

    She began to chant.

    The sweat dripping from her forehead evaporated before it could touch the ground.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    "Ugh!"

    The preparations weren''t perfect, so a red fissure appeared in the air, and demonic energy started to fluctuate.

    The mountain, no, the Tibetan base of the Demon Cult started to shake.

    ''Please.''

    It didn''t matter if the territory around the area was split or if the volcano exploded and covered China¡­

    What mattered was Mamon opening his eyes.

    If that happened, it would be a sess.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    The yellow sphere split.

    A three-meter-tall figure walked out of it.

    "Ah."

    It was a fat demon that looked like it would even struggle to breathe.

    Something that looked like it should be called a fat ball instead of a demon walked out of it.

    Its appearance was hideous, but she knew who he was very well.

    "Phase of Fire."

    [Pf, hihihi. What? Did you forcibly wake me up?]

    The fat lump opened his mouth, and the sound ofughter came out, but his thoughts werepletely different from his smiling face.

    "I¡­ I''m sorry. I know the preparations aren''t finished, but we were ambushed¡­"

    [Anyway, you forcibly woke me up.]

    "I''m sorry¡­ Cough!"

    A yellow arm sprang out of the flesh in the blink of an eye and grabbed Yulia''s neck.

    <em>Tsss-!</em>

    "KYAAHH!"

    [Hihihi! You damn bitch, I wasn''t able to muster strength properly from the ''Root of Evil'' because of you. Hmm? What are you going to do? Hmm? What are you going to do about this? The n I''ve been waiting for so long to fulfill has been messed up because of you!!!]

    mes covered her entire body.

    Her skin twisted, and her face transformed in a way that was hard to watch.

    A horrible pain overcame her.

    She felt her consciousness about to fly away because of the whirlpool of pain.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "Haa! Haa! Haa!"

    [Puhi. I won''t kill you. Satan seems to like you.]

    Mamon distorted his mouth and threw her away.

    Yulia, who had suffered massive burns, was cast away and rolled on the ground.

    [So, who did you say ambushed us?]

    "Ah, ugh."

    [It seems like you won''t be able to attack.]

    He began tough out loud.

    Mamon began walking forward.

    [Well, I guess I''ll figure it out once I go myself. Damn, my dear time. Once I finish this, I''ll have to hide for about 100 years to recover.]

    He''d been woken up before the preparations were done, so the strength from the ''Root'' he''d been absorbing had been blown away.

    [Annoying, annoying, annoying. As expected, should I kill her?]

    He nced at Yulia, whose body was covered with burn marks.

    He clicked his tongue and turned around. He didn''t want to cause problems with Satan by killing such a worthless human being.

    [Well, it''s just 100 years I guess.]

    For them, who lived for all eternity, 100 years was nothing.

    [It has been a while, so should I warm up a bit?]

    Puhihihi.

    Mamon went up the stairs to where he could hear explosions.

    * * *

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "AAGGHH!"

    [Wh-what the fuck!! Why is Balrog here¡­?!]

    The demon stomped.

    A whip covered with dark mes swooshed through the air.

    <em>Pang-!</em>

    The air exploded, and the bodies of the demons touched by the whip evaporated.

    One demon tried to escape with a fearful expression on its face.

    [You can''t escape.] Balrog said in a low voice.

    He grabbed the body of the demon trying to escape with his whip and pulled it to him.

    [L-let me go!! Wh-what the fuck! Balrog? I never heard of a monster like th¡ª!]

    [How noisy.]

    He frowned.

    [Die.]

    <em>Crack.</em> The demon¡¯s head exploded.

    Balrog looked around.

    [Is there anyone that escaped?]

    [Hehehe. My underlings are probably grabbing their feet.]

    "Haaa. Haa. I didn''t let a single one go."

    [¡­]

    Balrog walked toward Echidna, who was breathing heavily.

    [Dragon, you don''t need to overdo yourself.]

    "I didn''t overdo it¡­"

    [I can feel your tiredness. If you''re doing this to help the King, you don''t need to do it.]

    Balrog kept talking in a low voice.

    [The King doesn''t need any help. He''s someoneplete on his own.]

    "KangWoo was sealed by the system, so he''s different from when he used to be in Hell."

    [Hmm?]

    Balrog tilted his head.

    [HAHAHA!! Yes, he said his strength had been sealed by something called the Gaia System.]

    "Balrog, you weren''t affected? I don''t know the previous KangWoo, butpared to before¡­"

    [Don''t worry, young dragon.]

    Balrogughed.

    [You still don''t know who that person is and what he can do.]

    <em>Tap, tap.</em> He walked through the passageway.

    [Dragon, you will also figure it out as time passes.]

    "¡­"

    [Now that I think about it. You said you''re the daughter of Demon Dragon Cargas, right?]

    Echidna nodded.

    [Then maybe¡­]

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    <em>FWOOSH-!!</em>

    When Balrog was about to say something, giant mes exploded.

    Balrog''s expression hardened.

    [This¡­]

    It was a familiar energy.

    Balrog clenched his giant fists.

    [Pff! Puhihi! I was wondering who it was¡­ So it was you, Balrog.]

    A grotesque ball of fat crawled up from below them.

    [Mamon¡­]

    Balrog''s expression distorted.

    The Emperor of mes, the Demon of Greed, he had numerous titles, but there was one thing that was above them all¡­

    [Hahaha! How fun. To think I''d meet a dog who''s lost its owner in this world.]

    He was an archduke.

    He was one of the seven demons who''d been able to reach the position of ''archduke'' among the countless demons that lived in Hell.

    Although he was weaker than Satan and Lucifer, he was still an ''archduke.''

    [Skeleton, Dragon¡­ Escape.]

    Balrog gripped his whip.

    Considering that they were new members of the Demon King Army, they weren''t bad at all, but that had no meaning in front of an archduke.

    [Go and call the King.]

    "You don''t need to."

    A calm voice was hearding from behind.

    Balrog turned his head.

    KangWoo was walking through the crumbled passageway.

    "Mamon, huh?"

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    "Not bad."

 Chapter 188: Phase of Fire (3)

    ''Fuck.''

    KangWoo cursed while looking at Mamon. He was smiling on the outside, but his insides were burning.

    ''Why is Mamon here?''

    Since it was a base with thousands of Demon Cult members, he thought there might be something they were keeping as a trump card.

    ''I never thought that ¡®something¡¯ would be an archduke.''

    After learning that Lucifer had been reborn, he''d thought of the possibility of the archdukes resurrecting, but he never imagined it would be on Earth.

    ''Just how?''

    He couldn''t understand it.

    There was no demonic energy on Earth, which meant there wasn''t enough strength to renew an archduke¡¯s soul.

    It was as if a tree had grown in the middle of a desert where there wasn''t any grass at all.

    ¡¸Y-you?¡¹

    It wasn''t just KangWoo who was surprised.

    No. KangWoo looked calm on the outside. Unlike him, there was a demon who was trembling in fear.

    [Wh-why are you here? H-how? What the¡­?]

    Mamon was trembling in fear.

    [Y-you definitely died¡­!!]

    "What?"

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''Why is he iming I died?''

    Him dead? What kind of nonsense was he talking about?

    Mamon shouted as if he were having a seizure.

    [Y-you shed with the system!! I¡­ I clearly saw it!! Wh-why are you still alive, you monster!!!] he shouted in a desperate voice, sshing saliva everywhere.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo remained silent.

    His eyes shone sharply, and he thought about Mamon''s words.

    "Ah," he eximed.

    ''So that¡¯s what happened.''

    Heughed in disbelief.

    What happened was very simple¡­

    ''These bastards thought that I died.''

    It wasn''t impossible for them to have thought that.

    He shed with the Gaia System while returning to Earth, and his Ten Thousand Demon Core was sealed.

    The system protecting Earth had used all of its strength to seal it, and that seal was so powerful that he hadn''t been able to unseal itpletely yet.

    The souls of the archdukes had moved into Hell¡¯s Equipment, and most of their senses were blocked, so it was understandable that they might have thought that he''d died after feeling him getting weaker.

    ''Wait, but Lucifer thought I was still alive.''

    Lucifer had definitely gone to Earth to find the ''Sea of Demonic Energy.''

    "¡­"

    He kept thinking.

    It didn''t take him long to find an answer.

    There was one difference between the two archdukes¡­

    ''Lucifer went to the Ernor Continent, and Mamon came to Earth.''

    That meant Lucifer went to the other dimension before he''d shed with the Gaia System.

    Then the situation made sense.

    ''This¡­''

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    ''I can use this.''

    He slowly started to walk toward Mamon.

    "You thought I died? Really?"

    [H-hiic! D-don''te closer!!]

    "Mamon, answer," he said in a cold voice from which no emotion could be felt.

    ''Look into his eyes.''

    It was the basics of trying to deceive someone.

    You couldn¡¯t be intimidated or hesitate.

    With his back straight, he talked as firmly as possible.

    [Th-that¡­]

    "I won''t make it long, Mamon. Serve me."

    It was too risky to fight against an archduke in that situation.

    If he could use him, it would be better.

    ''I have no intention of really using him as an underling.''

    He was different from Balrog and Lilith.

    Mamon was an archduke, and an archduke couldn¡¯t be controlled by anyone.

    If he discovered his strength was sealed, his attitude would changepletely.

    It wasparable to hugging a bomb that could explode at any moment.

    ''Still, I can stall for time.''

    He could earn some time while Mamon served him.

    If he did it correctly, he might even be able to ambush himter on and do a huge amount of damage.

    [Serve you?]

    "Aren''t you bored of the Hell of Nine Skies? A red sky and a deserted surface¡­ That trashy ce with its stale air."

    [¡­]

    "Compared to that, this star is beautiful. Don''t you want to have it? Don¡¯t you want to hold it, control it, and crush it?" he said in a sticky voice.

    Mamon¡¯s eyes were filled with greed.

    "Mamon¡­"

    He extended his hand.

    "Don''t you want to rule this world with me?"

    [I¡­]

    Mamon slurred out thest part of the sentence. His eyes were trembling.

    ''He fell for it.''

    KangWoo was sure of it.

    ''I was able to¡ª''

    <em>Boom-!!!</em>

    At that moment¡­

    The passageway shook, and the earth split. Magma started to pour in all directions.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    * * *

    The ceiling of the passageway crumbled.

    "Ugh!"

    He raised his hand and used the Authority of Waves to turn the falling soil to dust.

    There was a loud explosion, and the falling soil disappeared.

    ''Damn!!''

    KangWoo turned his head.

    He could see Mamon looking at him with his eyes that were buried under the fat.

    [Hmm¡­?]

    The tips of Mamon''s mouth went up.

    He felt KangWoo''s strength when he turned the falling ceiling to dust.

    [Puhihi. You became weaker.]

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    He clenched his fists.

    The negotiations had broken down, and on top of that, the amount of magma was increasing.

    ''Damn.''

    KangWoo frowned.

    He used the Authority of Observation to check the mountain''s interior and sensed the demonic energy deep within.

    ''If I don''t stop him, the volcano will explode.''

    Guardian members and the Demon Cult were fighting outside.

    It was easy to see what would happen if a volcano exploded in that situation.

    ''Everyone would die.''

    Although they were superhumans, they were just mortals in front of natural disasters.

    He was the one who''d led Guardians members to a few deaths, but he didn''t intend them to be basically annihted.

    ''Rather than just bleeding someone a bit, it would be closer to blowing their head away.''

    KangWoo turned his head to Balrog.

    "Balrog, take Lilith, Echidnas, and Balzac. Stop the demonic energy that''s running amok under here."

    [But¡­]

    "I''ll take care of this."

    [Understood.]

    Balrog hesitated a bit after hearing KangWoo would face an archduke alone, but he ended up nodding.

    [Everything as the Demon King wishes.]

    Balrog took Echidna and Balzac and went down.

    He wasn''t sure where Lilith was, but Balrog was for sure going to take care of the demonic energy.

    "Fuck." An aggressive curse left his mouth.

    He turned his body.

    [PUHIHIHI!!!! Demon King, to think that monster became so weak!!! Yes. I didn¡¯t see things wrong that day!!!]

    Mamonughed out loud.

    His body trembled as if he couldn''t hold back theughter.

    The tips of his mouth went up while dripping saliva.

    [Then that means¡­ this is the perfect opportunity to obtain the Demonic Energy Sea.]

    He didn''t need to wait for a hundred years.

    He was going to be able to obtain a strength that couldn''t bepared to the one Satan would get after absorbing the ''Root.''

    [PUHIHIHIHI!!!]

    He grabbed his stomach andughed out loud.

    The saliva that spurted out of his thick lips poured in all directions.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo remained silent while looking at Mamonughing.

    "Ha,¡± he let out a fakeugh.

    He red at Mamon with deep, sunken eyes.

    "Hey, pig, stop giggling."

    He lowered his hands.

    The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea turned into a dark-red spear.

    "Haven¡¯t I beat you enough already?"

    He was a pig who had already lost against him once. Not only that, but he¡¯d desperately begged for his life.

    He found how Mamon wasughing so confidently to be a bit funny.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    He stomped on the ground and shot forward, gripping his spear as he tried to stab the fat ball.

    <em>FWOOSH-!</em>

    [PUHIHI!]

    mes poured out, and his skin was burned, but he ignored it.

    He used the Authority of Explosion and stabbed him, scattering Mamon¡¯s flesh away.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    A zing hand emerged from the Mamon¡¯s shredded flesh.

    KangWoo slipped to the side and dodged it.

    About thirty meters of the hall started copsing from the yellow hand¡¯s iling.

    KangWoo clenched his right fist and used the Authority of Divine Power and the Authority of Waves.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    Flesh exploded again when he punched Mamon, and sticky pus sshed into his skin.

    <em>Tsss.</em> The pus burned his skin.

    His cheeks melted down, and his teeth became visible. His hands melted down to the bone.

    He ignored it.

    He gripped Gae Bolg and, with a strong spin, a huge amount of demonic energy started to spread out.

    Gungnir was created.

    ''Not enough.''

    He added another Authority.

    He mixed the Authority of Destruction and Ice andbined six different Authorities.

    His abilities reached a limit, and a horrible pain spread through his head.

    He gave up on making the calctions. The body that had reached the Extreme Demonic Energy Body reflexively continued doing them subconsciously.

    "Longinus."

    A short spear that didn''t reach even a meter in length appeared.

    It was a spear that was white as snow.

    He pulled his arm back, twisted his body, and threw Longinus with all his strength.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The mountain broke, and thousands of pounds of soil began to pour out.

    That onlysted a moment before immense chilling energy spread and froze the soil.

    The climate twisted, and snow started to pour down from a clear sky.

    [Pu, hi.]

    Mamon trembled. Half of his body was frozen.

    After throwing Longinus, KangWoo fell to the ground. He turned his head.

    "Fuck¡­"

    An aggressive curse left his mouth.

    [PUHIHIHI!!!]

    Mamon¡¯s frozen skin sloughed off, and the horrible ball of fat multiplied.

    His burning flesh poured over KangWoo while he let out a creepyugh.

    [PUHIHIHI!! HIHIHI!!]

    His crazyughter was full of greed.

    KangWoo was burned and devoured by a red sphere.

    The yellow sphere¡¯s name was ''Greed.''

    It was Mamon''s Hell Equipment that devoured and burned everything.

    [AAH! AAHH! The Sea of Demonic Energy! The Sea of Demonic Energy is mine!!!]

    Mamon raised both arms.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    Someone rose from the ground with an explosion.

    Strong blue energy radiated from his body.

    He had a perfect appearance as if gods had carved it.

    "Hyeong¡­ nim¡­?"

    The young man who''de running through the crumbling mountain was trembling as if he couldn''t believe what he was seeing.

    [PUHIHI. Get out of here, human. I''m busy at the moment.]

    He extended his hand toward the yellow sphere KangWoo was trapped within. With the Sea of Demonic Energy in front of him, he didn''t have time to care about a human.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    His hand fell off after being cut with a blue sword.

    "How dare you."

    Kim ShiHoon stood between the sphere and Mamon.

    "Hey, cholesterol, how dare you try to touch my hyeongnim with those dirty hands of yours."

    Blue energy poured out as if it were exploding.

 Chapter 189: Why Did You Do That? (1)

    [Hyeong?]

    Mamon frowned.

    He never heard about the Demon King having a little brother.

    No, he didn''t even know if the word ¡®family¡¯ meant anything to him.

    [Puhihi. If you live for long enough, you truly get to see weird things.]

    To think there was someone who called himself the Demon King''s little brother.

    ''Also¡­''

    On top of that, it was a human.

    [Hihihi. Human, I''m not in the mood for fighting. How about you move?]

    Mamonughed out loud.

    Although he wasughing as if he were having fun, in reality, he was quite annoyed.

    ''How annoying.''

    A strong pain was still left in his body.

    Even with the Demon King¡¯s strength sealed, a battle against him wasn''t easy.

    Especially thatst attack. If he didn''t react fast enough, his entire body would''ve been frozen.

    Although he''d been able to dodge it, half of his body had frozen and been torn apart, so there was no way he could just shrug it off.

    ''Annoying, annoying.''

    He anxiously bit his lips.

    He hadn''t fully healed yet. No, he wouldn''t be able to recover by natural means.

    Even if he got lucky and was able to be healed, there was a chance he might never be able to fully recover his strength.

    That was how severe the Demon King¡¯sst attack was.

    [Puhi! How annoying¡­ really¡­ annoying.]

    He narrowed his eyes.

    He had to steal the Sea of Demonic Energy from the Demon King as soon as possible, but a lowly human was trying to bother him.

    [Hihi, move, human.]

    <em>FWOOSH-!</em>

    mes poured out.

    A road of mes appeared in thend frozen by the Demon King¡¯s attack.

    A sticky fire that was more akin tova targeted Kim ShiHoon.

    "Haa¡­"

    He raised his sword.

    The hot air washed over his skin, but he had no time to envelop himself in Qi for protection.

    ''Damn.''

    The demon in front of him waspletely different from the ones he''d faced until that point.

    <em>FWOOSH-!</em>

    "Ugh."

    The mes hit him.

    His body was pushed back, and he rolled on the ground.

    "Cough! Cough! Cough!"

    He vomited ck fog, and burns appeared on his skin.

    It was an overwhelming strength.

    It was so strong that it was weird to call him a living being.

    Although he''d received only one attack, half of the El Quero de was melted down.

    ''What is this?''

    It was different.

    The demons he''d faced until then weren''t beings like that.

    Even if they were strong, they weren''t as strong as that demon.

    Making aparison was impossible.

    ''Damn.''

    His body trembled, and fear started to spread through him.

    His face paled, and he was starting to have trouble breathing.

    A familiar voice went through his head.

    -I''m sorry¡­

    That voice had been etched within his brain.

    That voice seemed to be saying, ¡°This is your limit.¡±

    That voice was the chain holding Kim ShiHoon back.

    "Shut¡­ up!" he said to the voice.

    He clenched his teeth and stood up.

    It wasn''t the time to be affected by such a voice.

    He grabbed the half-melted sword.

    [Hng?]

    Mamon frowned.

    It''d been a long time since he¡¯d seen a human receive such severe burns still standing.

    [Hihihi.]

    Annoyedughter left his mouth.

    <em>Tap.</em> He bounced his finger.

    Rays of yellow me spread from his body like a around Kim ShiHoon.

    "Ugh!"

    He gulped.

    Gripping his sword with both hands, he raised it to his forehead.

    The Blue Dragon 1st Form he realized when he faced Halphas¡­

    He remembered the sensation he''d felt back then and saw a blue light in the air.

    He followed that light and swung his sword down.

    <em>SLASH-!!</em>

    The attack that had overpowered Halphas¡¯s attack cut through the.

    He stomped and ran through the broken.

    Mamon looked at him with great interest.

    [Woah.]

    To think that a human would be able to counter his attack.

    "Hap!"

    Kim ShiHoon ran toward Mamon and shouted.

    Giant rays of mes targeted him from both sides.

    He quickly dodged the attacks.

    <em>Tss.</em> His skin was burned, and smoke rose.

    "Damn,¡± he cursed.

    Speed was an issue, but the biggest problem was the strength of the mes.

    ''Crazy.''

    He couldn''t find any other word to describe it.

    He felt as if he''d fallen to Hell.

    He dodged the rays of mes and moved.

    [Puhihi.]

    Mamonughed and raised both hands.

    <em>Crack.</em> The floor split, and magma that shone with a yellow light seeped out and poured over Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°Hya!¡±

    * * *

    He expanded his Qi and created a sword shield, a wall as strong as steel, but it was meaningless.

    Steel had no meaning in front of Mamon''s mes.

    "Ugh!!"

    <em>TSSS!!</em>

    His skin was burned, and his bleach-white bones became visible

    ShiHoon¡¯s hand holding the El Quero de melted down.

    "Ugh, ahh."

    <em>ng.</em>

    The sword fell to the ground, and he curled up into the fetal position while holding his melted hand.

    A pain he''d never felt before spread through his body.

    [Hihihi. That''s why I told you to leave.]

    Mamonughed. He began walking toward KangWoo, who had been locked away by ''Greed.''

    He extended his hand toward the delicious meal.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    [Huh¡­?]

    Something grabbed his leg.

    He lowered his head.

    "I said¡­ don''t touch him."

    He grabbed the half-melted El Quero de with his good hand and gathered blue sword Qi around it.

    He swung the sword and hit Mamon¡¯s foot without hesitation.

    <em>Stab-!</em>

    The de enveloped in sword energy stabbed Mamon''s foot.

    [Hi, hihihi!!]

    Mamon let out a burst of craze-filledughter.

    There wasn''t huge damage, but it was enough to make him feel annoyed.

    Mamon raised his injured foot.

    <em>Paf-!!</em>

    "Cough!"

    [You¡¯re only a human, but you¡¯re more annoying than I thought you would be.]

    He kicked Kim ShiHoon and followed after his rolling body.

    Kim ShiHoon doing his best stimted Mamon.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    Mamon stepped on ShiHoon good hand and slowly leaned his massive weight onto it.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "AAGGHH!!!"

    ShiHoon let out a desperate cry.

    His arms were crushed, his skin was torn because of the intensely hot air, and a yellowish discharge leaked from his burns.

    His muscles turned into ash, and his blood evaporated in the hot air.

    A horrible pain spread through Kim ShiHoon''s body.

    [Hihihi, you won''t be able to hold a sword anymore.]

    All his nerve endings had been burned away, and one of his hands waspletely missing.

    There was no way to recover from the wounds unless it was with the Authority of Regeneration.

    No, even with the Authority of Regeneration, it would take him a while to be able to hold a sword again.

    [That''s why you should have just fucked off when I gave you the chance.]

    He made fun of him and turned around.

    With that, it really was all over.

    He could taste the Sea of Demonic Energy without any interference.

    Then¡­

    <em>Crack-</em>

    [¡­]

    Kim ShiHoon crawled up to him with his messed-up arms and bit Mamon.

    Mamon looked at him in disbelief.

    ShiHoon was ring at him while his teeth were closed around Mamon¡¯s foot.

    It wasn''t that he wasn''t afraid¡­

    His eyes were full of fear, and his body was trembling.

    "You¡­ shall not¡­ pass¡­"

    Still, he didn''t retreat or give up.

    If his right hand was useless, he''d do it with his left arm. If both his arms disappeared, he would bite him.

    It didn''t matter if it was pathetic, and it didn''t matter if it wasme or dumb.

    "You motherfucker, you won''t touch Hyeong."

    [Hi, hihi¡­]

    Mamon''s smile deepened, and his eyes started to shine with madness.

    [PUHIHIHI!!!]

    Yellow mes exploded out.

    Mamon raised his hand with a distorted expression on his face.

    [Hihihi!! You just wanted to die! Why didn''t you say so from the beginning?!]

    He had never seen such a persistent human.

    He couldn''t ignore him anymore.

    His arm burst into mes, and he swung it at ShiHoon.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    <em>FWOOSH-!</em>

    He heard something cracking at that moment.

    The yellow sphere was destroyed, and an arm stretched out and grabbed Mamon''s head.

    [Huh¡­?] he mumbled in a confused voice.

    The arm grabbing Mamon¡¯s head pulled his body back.

    [Wh-what?!]

    His eyes were full of astonishment.

    An incredible strength dragged his giant body away.

    He looked at the arm that had emerged from ''Greed.'' Mamon''s mouth fell open.

    [Y-you destroyed a piece of Hell''s Equipment?!]

    It was something that should¡¯ve been impossible.

    It was a piece of equipment that materialized after demonic energy from the Hell of Nine Skies gathered for hundreds of thousands of years.

    It represented the strength of an archduke. It was a weapon strong enough to tear down dimensional walls and distort time.

    The weapon that couldn''t be destroyed had been torn into pieces.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    The fissure that the arm had torn through ¡®Greed¡¯ widened.

    "Mamon¡­"

    KangWoo pulled Mamon''s head closer.

    "Why did you do that?" he muttered in a low voice.

    KangWoo pulled Mamon to him until they were staring at each other face-to-face.

    "Tell me¡­ Why did you do that?"

    [Y-you crazy monster¡­!]

    "I can understand it from someone else. Baek KangHyun? Kim JaeHyun? Yulia? It''s okay. After all, they don''t know anything."

    [L-let me go!!]

    Mamon poured out mes, and KangWoo¡¯s arm took the full brunt of the fire¡­

    But he didn''t let his head go.

    "But you don¡¯t have that excuse."

    KangWoo spoke as if he couldn''t understand why Mamon had made such a stupid decision.

    "You know who I am¡­"

    The whites of his eyes turned ck.

    "You know what I''m capable of."

    His eyes turned yellow.

    "Then¡­"

    His yellow eyes tore horizontally, and ck pupils appeared.

    "Why did you do that?"

    KangWoo ced his other hand over his chest where the Ten Thousand Demon Core was while he continue to hold Mamon¡¯s head.

    <em>WHOOM-!!</em>

    The entire mountain shook.

    The ground twisted, and a thunder-like sound spread everywhere.

    "Why did you do that?"

    There was no answer.

    Mamon looked at him with a pale expression.

    He was trembling like a kid that had been caught doing something wrong by their parents, like prey staring at a predator.

    "Hmm? Answer me."

    A deep smile appeared on KangWoo¡¯s face. He twisted the hand that was ced over the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    <strong>Ten Thousand Demon Core.</strong>

    <strong>Second Door, Open.</strong>

    "Why did you fight against me?"

 Chapter 190: That Day, The Demons Realized (1)

    [UGH, AGH!!] Mamon shouted.

    He summoned as much demonic energy as he could to attack KangWoo.

    A giant hail of fire was created, the floor was split, and red magma poured out.

    A vortex of hot air covered the surroundings.

    But¡­

    <em>Kurr. Kurr-.</em>

    KangWoo¡¯s burning body melted into a ck liquid, and numerous mouths started to appear within it.

    [H=-hiic!]

    Mamon trembled.

    A trauma that was deeply written in his mind returned.

    A fear that hadn''t even disappeared after a thousand years.

    <em>CRACK-!</em>

    KangWoo didn''t look like a human anymore.

    No, it didn''t even look like a biological being.

    [D-don''te!!]

    Mamon took a step backward.

    He knew what those ''mouths'' meant.

    [W-wait! I¡­ I was wrong!]

    He shook his head.

    He knew better than anyone that it was already toote.

    The nightmare returned to him.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    His flesh was being chewed away.

    The mes covering him and the wall of demonic energy had no meaning.

    Mamon looked at his arm being covered with a ck liquid.

    The small mouths were chewing him.

    They were nightmarish mouths that chewed everything away without leaving a trace.

    Considering how much effort he''d made to restore his body, it was understandable he''d be afraid.

    There was only one way to separate the mouths from the rest of his body¡­

    He frowned and burned away his own arm.

    <em>FWOOSH-</em>

    [Damn! Damn! Damn!]

    Not even his characteristic smile was anywhere to be seen.

    Aggressive curses left Mamon''s mouth.

    The ck liquid started to move toward him again.

    He fell backward and rolled away. His body, which was closer to being a ball of fat, rolled like a ball.

    It was a somewhat funny scene, but something unexpected like, ¡®oh, he''s faster than he seems¡¯, didn''t happen.

    In terms of strength, he was among the strongest archdukes, but because of his fat body, his agility was below an average demon¡¯s.

    The ck liquid instantly caught up to him.

    [G-get off!]

    Mamon, who was rolling backward, grabbed an object that had fallen to the ground.

    It was a yellow sphere about 1.5 meters in diameter.

    It was Mamon''s Hell Equipment, ''Greed.''

    After KangWoo had broken out of it, a part of it waspletely destroyed, but its overwhelming strength hadn''t disappeared.

    He grabbed ''Greed'' and extended a wall of mes.

    <em>TSSS-!</em>

    [H-hihihi!]

    The ck liquid pouring toward him was blocked by the wall.

    Mamonughed out loud.

    ''I blocked him.''

    Hell''s Equipment¡­

    The weapon that could be called the peak of the Hell of Nine Skies still had its overwhelming strength.

    [H-hihihi!]

    Aughter full of madness flowed out of his mouth.

    ''He definitely became weaker.''

    In the past, after the battle with Balrog, he''d faced that aspect of the Demon King before.

    Back then, the ck liquid had been voluminous enough to cover the entire sky, but if it was only that big, he thought he should be able to face it.

    Hope appeared in Mamon''s eyes.

    <em>Tss-! Tss!</em>

    [Hihihi! It''s useless!]

    Heughed out loud like a viin that was protected behind bulletproof ss.

    The ck liquid stopped pouring toward the wall.

    ''D-did it work?''

    Mamon took a glimpse at KangWoo.

    [Huh¡­?]

    <em>Kurr, Kurrr-</em>

    The ck liquid was starting to gather in one ce.

    10 meters¡­

    5 meters¡­

    3 meters¡­

    1 meter¡­

    The ck liquid was shrinking.

    A chilling fear began spreading down Mamon''s back.

    He couldn''t help but feel that something was wrong.

    [Wh-what''s going on?]

    It was something he hadn''t seen even when he fought against the Demon King in Hell.

    The ck liquid waspressing to a single point.

    Compared to its size, the demonic energy was unbelievably strong.

    It looked like a fissure for making demonic energy explode. A huge amount of demonic energy started to run amok.

    [I-Iic!]

    * * *

    He swung ''Greed'', and the fire spread as if he''d swung a fan. The mes covered the ck liquid, which disappeared without leaving a trace.

    [Huh?]

    Mamon looked around in confusion.

    [Wh-what? Did it disappear?]

    He took a step forward and flinched.

    He couldn''t see the ck liquid. It was as if it''d been burned away by the mes of ''Greed.''

    [H-hihihi?]

    Mamon looked around in confusion.

    Then¡­

    [Mr. Mamon!]

    [Oh! Archduke!]

    [You finally woke up!]

    A group of about 30 demons approached him.

    [Hihi. Who are you?] Mamon asked while frowning.

    [We''re demons of the 8th hell. After being summoned here, we were waiting for you to be reborn!]

    [¡­]

    [R-right now we''re at a disadvantage in the fight against the humans¡­ So we came here to ask for the strength of an archduke.]

    [Puhihi.]

    Mamon turned his head.

    He waved his hands as if he wasn''t interested.

    [Fuck off. That isn''t important right now.]

    He lowered his body and looked at the ground.

    ''D-did he really die?''

    It wasn''t impossible.

    He was clearly attacked by the mes that came out of a piece of Hell''s Equipment.

    Hell''s Equipment were created by the gathering of the essence of the Hell of Nine Skies. If they received a frontal attack, even an archduke could be destroyed¡ªincluding his soul.

    If it was a weakened Demon King, there was a chance he had been extinguished after receiving such an attack.

    [Hi-hihihi!]

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    [PUHIHIHIHI!!]

    Aughter filled with madness flowed out of his mouth.

    Mamon lowered his body while grabbing his huge belly.

    His shoulders moved excitedly.

    [HIHIHI! You tried to act cool, but you ended up like this! Hihi! Why did I fight against you? Because you became weak!]

    Mamonughed as if he''d forgotten the fear he felt of the Demon King.

    The happiness of oveing the risk of death was hard topare with anything else.

    ''Should I kill some humans in celebration?''

    He''d ignored them because it was too bothersome, but he felt he could handle that.

    [M-Mr. Mamon?]

    The mouths of the demons looking at him widened in astonished expressions.

    Mamon titled his head.

    [Puhi, what?]

    [Y-you see¡­]

    [Mr. Mamon''s face¡­]

    [Huh?]

    He touched his face as if he were asking what they were talking about.

    ck blood was pouring out from his fat-covered nose.

    It wasn''t just the nose¡­

    ck blood poured out from his ears, eyes, and mouth.

    [Wh-what?]

    Mamon anxiously started to touch his body.

    <em>Crack-! Crunch!</em>

    [AAGGHH!!]

    A huge pain covered his body.

    ck blood leaked through his fat-covered body and started to pour out.

    His shoulders, chest, arms, waist, groin, thigh, legs, and feet¡­

    ck blood poured out like a waterfall.

    [H-hiic!]

    His body started to tremble from the pain.

    [N-no¡­] he mumbled.

    What was on the floor wasn''t his blood.

    No, it wasn''t blood in the first ce.

    That''s¡­

    [AAGGHH!]

    The pain was enough to make him go crazy.

    The blood that poured off Mamon started to expand over the floor.

    There weren¡¯t just 10 or 20 meters of it¡­

    About 500 meters were covered by the ck liquid.

    [Wh-what''s this?!]

    [Aagh! M-my legs!!]

    [E-escape¡­!]

    Panic ensued.

    It looked as if the night sky had covered the ground, and mouths appeared from the darkness that began to chew every demon in range.

    A horrible scream rang out with the sound of flesh being chewed and bones being broken.

    [AAGGHH!] Mamon screamed.

    [Wh-why don''t you die?! Why!!]

    He remembered the face of the monsterughing at him.

    Mamon raised ''Greed'' while looking as if he was about to have a seizure. A wall of yellow mes covered his body.

    [H-hihihi! This is a Hell''s Equipment, you motherfucker!!]

    The only thing he could rely on was the Transcendent weapon called Hell''s Equipment.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    The darkness on the floor began moving and spread out like tentacles.

    The darkness covered with the Authority of Divine Power punched through the mes.

    The darkness covered with the Authority of Waves overpowered the mes.

    The darkness covered with the Authority of ughter went through the mes.

    de, Speed, Sky, Blind, Fear, Observation, Range, Wave, Iron Wall, Dark Spear, Earthquake, Iron, ughter, Insight, Protection, Vignt, Trantion, Subordination, Temptation, Regeneration, Explosion, Doll, Thunder, Spation, Energy, Corruption¡­

    Authorities a single being couldn''t have and mustn''t have¡­

    All of the simultaneously used Authorities flickered around him.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    The earth shook, and the entire mountain started to sink.

    A natural disaster¡­

    gue¡­

    Something that went beyond the bounds of a living being¡­

    Hundreds of Authorities activated simultaneously in the 500 meters where the darkness was spread.

    The ground melted, lightning struck, invisible waves sliced demons apart, and a de decapitated them.

    A nightmare that made the Hell of Nine Skies look like peaceful Heaven ensued.

    [A-aah.]

    Mamon opened his mouth.

    He couldn¡¯t even form a sentence.

    The me walls created with ''Greed'' had already been torn away.

    He just stood still without being able to do anything. The other demons were in the same state.

    [A-aah.]

    It was at that moment when the demons remembered the fear of being ruled by the Demon King and the humiliation of staying quiet in a corner of Hell.

    [H-hihihi.]

    Mamon began tough as if he''d lost his mind.

    [HIHIHIHIHI!!]

    - Why did you do that?

    He remembered what the Demon King had asked him.

    - Why did you fight against me?

    He couldn''t answer that. There was no way he could answer that.

    [Satan¡­]

    Mamon''s oversized body trembled pitifully.

    He thought about Satan, who was under the frozennd of ice.

    [We were mistaken.]

    The thousand years they''d spent on Earth¡­

    All the time they had before the Demon King appeared¡­

    They''d forgotten about something in all that time.

    No, even while knowing, they''d tried to ignore it.

    [That monster is¡­]

    The demon of demons.

    The Hell of Hell.

    The predator of predators.

    [Indomitable.]

    <em>CRACK-!</em>

    The darknesspressed instantly and devoured Mamon''s giant body.

    It was Mamon''s second defeat.

    As for the next round¡­

    It didn''t exist.

 Chapter 191: Inside the Abyss (1)

    He was sinking.

    There was an endless darkness, and he was sinking into an abyss deeper than the sea.

    ''Here.''

    He slowly opened his eyes.

    He couldn''t see anything, but he could feel something sticky pulling him.

    He couldn''t think clearly.

    A force he couldn''t defy was dragging his body.

    Drowsiness, powerlessness, and haziness overwhelmed him as if he was being pressured by something.

    ''I''m sinking.''

    The sensation of sinking was the only thing he could feel.

    ''I must get out of here.''

    Through his blurry consciousness, his natural instincts were telling him he had to get out.

    He kicked his feet and waved his hands.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    He heard flesh being chewed and bones being crushed.

    The mouths that appeared in the darkness grabbed his legs.

    ''Ah.''

    He couldn''t feel any pain or sensation.

    He felt his ascending body being pulled back a bit.

    ''It''s dangerous.''

    His instincts told him.

    He wouldn''t have thought it was dangerous if he could feel some kind of pain, but he couldn''t feel anything, even though his skin was being chewed away.

    His sensations were fading away.

    It began with his sight, then hearing, and after that, smell. His senses were being erased.

    <em>Crunch</em>. His skin was being eaten. He could feel my body quickly being pulled down.

    He couldn''t feel pain, only terrible drowsiness.

    He began thinking that letting his body sink might not be that bad.

    ''No.''

    He shook his head.

    He denied the thoughts that had crossed his mind.

    ''I¡­''

    He had to remember. He had to think of it.

    Who was he? He had to remember the life he¡¯d lived and what he¡¯d gone through.

    The ego was a mixture of memories and experiences.

    The moment he lost his memories, he would be dragged down to the endless sea.

    <em>Crunch''</em>

    Countless mouths ate his body.

    He kicked his feet and swam up through endless darkness, but it wasn''t enough.

    He could feel his body being dragged into deeper darkness.

    He extended his hands but could touch nothing. He kicked his feet but couldn''t swim up.

    He was getting dragged into a deeper part.

    "Damn."

    He opened his mouth.

    He could feel it.

    ''I''m in the deepest part.''.

    He was deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Core, so deep that he couldn¡¯t use the energy there yet.

    It was his first time being there since opening the first door.

    His senses were telling him it was dangerous.

    It''d been a while since his body had been torn away.

    The only thing left was the human, Oh KangWoo¡¯s, thoughts.

    ''It''s already toote.''

    He couldn''t go back.

    He''d fallen too deep.

    If more time passed, he would end up melting away and disappearing in the Sea of Demonic Energy.

    ''I should''ve used another way.''

    He began regretting.

    Opening the second door of the Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­

    Even in the past, the only time he''d opened the second door of the Ten Thousand Demon Core was when he fought against Baal.

    Back then, he had a hard time returning, but it wasn''t as difficult as what he was going through.

    ''Going up with my strength is impossible.''

    It didn''t matter how much he tried¡ªgoing up with his strength being what it was could be considered impossible.

    KangWoo turned around.

    He couldn''t see anything. There was just darkness.

    ''If things go on like this¡­''

    It would be his end.

    Suddenly, he thought of something.

    He''d lived an unhappy life when he was suddenly dragged into Hell. There, he spent ten thousand years, and after such harsh times, he was finally starting to be happy, but as soon as he did that¡­

    He would die in vain.

    "Fuck."

    He frowned.

    He''d resisted for ten thousand years. He''d survived while fighting thousands, tens of thousands of times, but yet, he would end up finding death there? Like that?

    He couldn''t let that happen.

    "Let''s do it."

    He turned around.

    His body was still melting down.

    The body was being absorbed by the demonic energy from the deepest part and vanishing.

    ''I don''t need it.''

    How had the archdukes revived?

    Even though their bodies had disappeared, they were able to survive because their souls and minds had been left intact.

    The important thing wasn''t the Ten Thousand Demon Core, his 666 Authorities, or the endless amount of demonic energy.

    Those were only a few things about what made him.

    "If I can''t go up¡­"

    KangWoo lowered his head.

    The deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­

    The Abyss.

    "I''ll just go down."

    He rxed his body.

    As if he''d let go of a bowstring he''d pulled to a limit, his body began sinking at an incredible speed.

    <em>Kurr-!</em>

    The forces dragging him down were surprised by his sudden change in attitude.

    They suddenly tried to push his body up.

    KangWooughed.

    "It''s already toote."

    He ignored the strength pushing him up and moved toward a deeper part.

    Deeper¡­

    Deeper¡­

    Deeper¡­

    And¡­

    Kurr-!

    He went through an invisible wall.

    A huge power shook his body.

    It was the same as before in the sense that it was a ce where light didn''t reach, but he felt it intuitively.

    ''Here it is. The Abyss.''

    The deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core that he¡¯d never been able to reach. It was where the root of it all was.

    * * *

    <em>Crack-</em>

    A huge crack appeared that was over 1 km in diameter. It was bigger than any fissure he''d seen before.

    The huge fissure started to open, and a yellow light poured out from it.

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    ''It isn''t a fissure.''

    His body trembled a bit at what he had thought was a fissure.

    After realizing what it was, he felt a thrill run through his body.

    KangWooughed in disbelief.

    ''This¡­''

    It was an eye.

    It was so big that trying to describe its size was pointless.

    A ck pupil appeared within the horizontally torn eye.

    An eye that was the size of a world cup stadium looked at KangWoo.

    [Why have youe here already?]

    "What¡­?"

    He could ask questions with his mind.

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''What''s this?''

    There was an unknown being in the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    A being he''d never seen or felt was looking at KangWoo.

    He felt chills.

    It was as if he''d seen a being he couldn''t defy. It was as if he''d seen a¡­

    ''God.''

    It was one that couldn''t bepared to Tyrion.

    The huge presence made breathing hard.

    ''Fuck.''

    KangWoo bit his lips.

    Even if it were himself before being sealed by the Gaia System, he probably wouldn''t have been able to go against that being.

    ''Why is such a thing inside me?''

    He couldn''t understand it. His head started to hurt.

    Why was an external, conscious being inside the Abyss, the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core?

    [It shouldn''t be the time of prophecy yet.]

    "What does that mean?"

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    "Who are you? Why are you inside me?"

    It probably wasn''t something ridiculous like a second consciousness.

    ''Do I have a split personality?''

    Did it make sense that someone who lived with firm beliefs like him and whose thoughts and actions matched had a split personality?

    No. It felt too foreign for it to be another personality of his.

    [I''m the source and root of Evil, Father of Demons, and creator of the Hell of Nine Skies.]

    "¡­"

    [To put it simply, I''m a demon god.]

    A demon god¡­

    Kangwooughed in disbelief and put his hand on his forehead as if it hurt.

    "Wait. I''m not sure if you''re the source or root, whatever, but why are you inside me?"

    It was true that he was doing the steps to be a demon god, but he''d only fulfilled half of the second condition.

    He couldn''t understand why a demon god was inside him.

    [You don''t know?]

    "There''s no way I''d know. I''ve devoured countless demons, but I don''t remember eating a god."

    [HAHAHA! It''s obvious you don''t have memories.]

    The giant eyes moved.

    [I was inside you from the beginning. Before you even fell into Hell.]

    "What kind of nonsense is that? Before I fell to Hell, I was¡­"

    [Normal? You were nothing?]

    Haha.

    A thick smile could be felt behind the eye¡¯s tone.

    [Does a normal human have the Authority of Predation? Could a normal human remain sane after absorbing such a huge amount of demonic energy? Do you think you would''ve been able to rule the Hell of Nine Skies in just ten thousand years?]

    "¡­"

    [The answer is simple¡­ It was like that from the start.]

    The horizontally torn pupil turned around.

    [You were abnormal from the beginning.]

    "¡­"

    There was silence.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes as if he didn''t like the answer.

    The self-titled ¡®demon god¡¯ kept talking.

    [Human, do you remember the face of your mother?]

    "What?"

    [Do you remember who gave birth to you?]

    He shook his head.

    He was abandoned by his parents as soon as he was born.

    He''d never seen the face of his mother, nor had he tried to look at her.

    [Let me change the question. Do you really think you have a being called a ¡®mother¡¯?]

    "¡­"

    [At this point, you should''ve understood how much of a foreign being you are.]

    There was no way he wouldn''t have understood such direct words.

    KangWoo''s body trembled.

    He covered his face with his hand¡­

    And¡­

    Laughed.

    "Hahaha! Fuck. You say some funny shit. Huh?"

    [Hmm¡­?]

    "How dare you insult my parents."

    [What?]

    "Why do you care if I have a mother or not?"

    [I didn''t mean it in that sense¡­]

    "Aah. Well, I was kidding. I more or less understood what you meant."

    KangWoo waved his hand.

    "Isn''t this one of those?"

    [What¡­]

    "It''s obvious. You were nning to appearter on and say something like, ¡®everything was my n from the beginning, so give me your body!¡¯ You were trying to say nonsense like that, right?"

    [¡­]

    "Right? You bastard. Seeing how you¡¯re remaining silent, it seems like I was right. I knew it from the moment you began talking about the secrets of my birth."

    [You¡­]

    "What? You expected me to be shocked after learning the truth that I don''t have parents? ¡®I¡­ I was just a puppet?!¡¯ Should I say nonsense like that and make a scene out of it?"

    ¡°Hahaha,¡± heughed out loud.

    "You''re one cheap bastard. Why didn''t you do it yourself if you wanted it so bad? You act very high and mighty for being a pathetic being who remained in hiding until now."

    The tips of his mouth went up, and he raised his head.

    He opened his mouth toward a god whose body was so massive he couldn''tpletely see it at first nce.

    "Go fuck yourself."

    The virginity he''d protected for ten thousand years¡­

    To be more precise, the body that wasn''t touched yet by ''human'' hands¡­

    "How dare you try to take over my body."

    ¡®I can''t give it to you because it''s unfair!!¡¯

 Chapter 192: Inside the Abyss (2)

    [You rude bastard...!]

    The Abyss wriggled.

    The giant eye blinked.

    ''Woah.''

    One couldn''t help but exim in surprise.

    The size of the eye alone was a kilometer in diameter, so he couldn''t even imagine how big the original body was.

    ''It seems like the eye isn''t the real body.''

    The Abyss covered the main body, and that''s why it couldn''t be seen, but its size was really huge.

    It was so massive that it made a mountain look like a toddler¡¯s toy.

    It was a size that made one think of the titans, a race of giants that appeared in mythology.

    ''It doesn''t matter.''

    KangWooughed.

    It didn''t matter how big or strong the opponent was because that wasn''t important.

    [Human, it seems like you don''t know your ce.]

    "Do you know your ce?"

    [What?]

    KangWoo kept talking with a rxed voice.

    "To be honest, I don''t know your situation. I don''t know what you''re nning and how it''s going¡­"

    He got close to the eye.

    "But I know you won''t be able to fulfill the n if I''m not there."

    [...]

    The god remained silent.

    The eye trembled a bit.

    [You don''t know anything...]

    "That''s what I told you. I don''t know, but there''s one thing I do know."

    A giant energy pressured him.

    He didn''t feel fear¡ªthere was no way he''d be afraid.

    "You need me, right?"

    [...]

    "You were with me from the beginning? You¡¯re saying my falling to Hell and obtaining the Authority of Predation was because of your influence. There''s no way you would have done something like that for no reason."

    Heughed out loud.

    "It also isn''t hard to imagine what you want."

    It was obvious.

    The god¡¯s reason for being asleep inside that endless Abyss¡­

    There was no need to think about it too deeply.

    It was like answering an exam question you already knew the answer to.

    "You want to get out of here, right? I''m not sure why you''re here, but you probably need me to get out of this ce."

    [...]

    There was a heavy silence.

    The demon god couldn''t answer, and the giant eye trembled.

    It felt an intense rage¡ªrage that couldn''t be resisted by someone who didn''t have divinity poured out.

    The Abyss wiggled.

    Spears of demonic energy were created.

    It wasn''t tens or hundreds. Rather, there were hundreds of thousands, millions of spears.

    A number that couldn''t be counted.

    The demonic energy spears flew toward KangWoo.

    <em>SLASH-!</em>

    His shoulder, arms, legs, waist, and all of his body were pierced by the spears.

    Although it wasn''t his real body and a fake one created by his mind, he could still feel immense pain.

    It hurt enough to make him think he''d die if a spear hit him at a vital point.

    But¡­

    "What, is that all?"

    He smirked.

    He stood and looked at the Abyss.

    His body had been messed up, but he didn''t care.

    He clicked his tongue while looking at the spears that had covered the Abyss.

    "Keep shitting yourself. Is anything going to change if you create that many spears?"

    He made a smile that made it look like he was making fun of the god.

    What mattered wasn''t strength.

    It didn''t matter how many spears there were.

    What mattered were their positions.

    Who was more desperate?

    "Well, now it''s clear."

    Heughed out loud.

    He looked at the Abyss¡ªa being that you wouldn''t be able to beat with pure strength.

    He wasn''t scared. He was more confident than when he faced Mamon.

    "You can''t kill me."

    [You...]

    An anger-filled voice left the giant eye.

    The ck eye increased in size.

    [Why aren''t you scared?] he asked in disbelief.

    Up until then, every human that stood in front of him had trembled in fear.

    No, it wasn''t just humans.

    There wasn''t anyone who hadn¡¯t trembled. Even the gods held their breaths in front of him.

    [Do you know who¡ª]

    "I don''t. How many times do I have to tell you?"

    He kept talking while frowning.

    "I don''t know who you are. I don''t care, so keep trying to act as important. I have no interest in you."

    [...]

    "Stop wriggling and make a choice."

    He narrowed his eyes.

    "You either send me back¡­"

    He kept talking without hesitation.

    "Or we die here together."

    [...]

    There was silence. The giant eye trembled.

    KangWooughed.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine what choice he would make.

    ''You shouldn''t have tried to use me.''

    Countless demons had tried to use him before, but no one had seeded.

    It wasn''t because he was strong¡ªhe would have died early on in the Hell of Nine Skies if he were simply strong.

    ''Everyone that tried to use me has died.''

    He turned his head.

    He could see the demon god hesitating.

    He licked his lips.

    He didn''t like being unsure of things, but his uncertainty had faded.

    ''You''re also going to be like that.''

    Heughed at the unknown god.

    * * *

    He opened his eyes.

    "It''s a ceiling that I don''t know..."

    A ceiling he''d never seen before was above him.

    He tried to get up.

    "Ugh!!"

    A huge pain covered his body.

    KangWoo copsed without being able to stand up.

    "Demon King, you''ve finally woken up."

    "I told you not to call me that..."

    "Hoho, I''m sorry."

    Lilith smiled brightly.

    KangWoo looked around.

    "Where are we?"

    "It''s Guardian¡¯s Chinese base. The human Cheon MooJin prepared a private room."

    "How many days has it been?"

    "Hmm... It''s been a week since the battle ended."

    He frowned.

    One week¡­ He''d been asleep for quite some time.

    "How are the losses?"

    "769 Guardian forces died."

    "There were fewer losses than expected."

    He thought that at least a thousand people would die.

    ¡°The demons changed direction toward the branch''s interior in the middle of the battle, which changed the tide."

    "What about the results of the battle?"

    "Very good. Uhm... Is it called level? I heard the average level of the yers increased quite a lot. I also heard two that are at the level of world-rankers have appeared."

    He nodded.

    The demons had given them a huge amount of experience.

    ''If they didn¡¯t grow this much, we''d be in trouble.''

    He smiled.

    "What about you?"

    "Balrog has suffered huge damage because he blocked the demonic energy with his body."

    "Hngh. Well, it''s Balrog, so I guess it will be okay."

    Balrog''s natural healing capabilities were almost as impressive as the Authority of Regeneration.

    If he hadn''t died, there was no need to worry.

    "The human Kim ShiHoon still hasn''t regained consciousness. Among the people Mr. KangWoo knows, he''s the one who suffered the most damage."

    "..."

    He frowned.

    He tried to get up, but a huge pain made him copse.

    ''This is why I didn''t want to open the door.

    Making the Ten Thousand Demon Core''s energy his greatly increased his strength, but the recoil was too huge.

    ''I also saw a weird bastard.''

    The unknown god that was inside the Abyss¡­

    If the meeting with him hadn''t gone well, he might have never been able to wake up.

    ''Well, anyways¡­''

    Hey down.

    He slowly raised his hand and gathered his thoughts.

    There were many things he had to think about. The number of things he had to do had piled up, but the important thing was that he was back.

    And¡­

    ''I ate Mamon.''

    He was suffering from the recoil of opening the door, so he couldn''t check how much strength he''d obtained after eating Mamon.

    ''I should open the status window.''

    He''d eaten an archduke, so there was no way his stats wouldn''t have gone up.

    It was normal he''d be expectant about how much his Demonic Energy stat had increased.

    He also became interested in Mamon''s Authority which he hadn''t been able to use until that point.

    "Mr. KangWoo, there''s something I need to report."

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo''s hands stopped right before he could open his status window.

    KangWoo considered telling her to wait for a bit.

    He didn''t think for long.

    He stopped trying to open the status window and turned his head to Lilith.

    ''There''s no point to it, even if I check it now.''

    Because of the recoil from opening the door, he was struggling even to lift a finger.

    Trying to check how strong he''d be in such a state wasedy itself.

    "Yes."

    "I heard Lucifer''s forces shed with the Demon Cult."

    "Oh."

    His eyes shone.

    ''So it finally happened.''

    He had been waiting for that.

    "How did you hear of it?"

    "When Balrog ambushed them, that Yulia girl tried to make contact with another branch of the Demon Cult. I backtracked thatmunication record."

    "Then, when we were ambushing the Demon Cult''s branch, Lucifer''s forces attacked another branch?"

    "Yes."

    "Ha..."

    A fakeugh left him.

    ''Should I say we were lucky?''

    It wasn''t intended, but the timing ended up being incredible.

    "You backtracked themunication, right?"

    "Yes."

    "Did you only find out what they said?"

    "Fufu, no."

    A deep smile appeared on Lilith''s face. She walked toward KangWoo''s bed and sat next to him.

    "I investigated themand room and found the location of five branches. One of them seems like a huge branch with thousands of members."

    "I see."

    KangWoo smiled.

    ''As expected, she does an incredibly clean job.''

    He hadn''t told Lilith to investigate, but she''d concluded that, rather than attacking the interior of the Demon Cult''s base with Balrog, finding clues about the Demon Cult would be better.

    It was a perfect job.

    He couldn''t help but feel proud of her.

    "Well done."

    He touched Lilith''s cheeks.

    Lilith let out an exmation and stuck herself closer to him.

    "What should I do? Should I use Guardian soldiers to attack the other branches?"

    "No."

    He shook his head.

    Since Lucifer''s forces had be involved, there was no need to make Guardian move.

    No, it was the opposite.

    "Make contact with Lucifer''s forces."

    "Ah..."

    "Tell them the location of the Demon Cult branches you''ve just discovered."

    "Fufufu. Understood."

    A deep smile appeared on Lilith''s face.

    She ced her cheeks on KangWoo''s chest.

    "I was worried because the King wasn''t opening his eyes."

    "That doesn''t seem to be the case...''

    "I was really worried. I made the soldiers protecting the King unconscious just to stay and protect the King''s rest."

    "Why did you do that?"

    "Dear King¡­"

    Lilith put her hands on his chest.

    Green tentacles started to appear from her body.

    "Wait, ugh...!"

    One of the tentacles entered his mouth.

    He couldn''t lift a finger at the moment, so there was no way he''d be able to refuse Lilith''s advances.

    "This loneliness, this sadness, these wounds¡­"

    "UGH!!"

    Squeak. Squeak.

    Tentacles surrounded his body.

    He struggled desperately.

    The night went on.

    Another flower fell to the ground.

    "UGH!! AG, IIK!"

    ¡®Th-the tentacles are making me do it!¡¯

 Chapter 193: The Cliche of Getting Stronger by Losing (1)

    "Hngh."

    The next morning¡­

    KangWoo slowly got up after bing free from the nightmarish tentacles.

    He wasn''tpletely recovered, but at least he could move his body a little bit.

    ''Status window.''

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You have an unread message.]

    [Do you want to read it?]

    A blue message window appeared in front of him.

    He nodded without hesitation.

    [You''ve devoured the Archduke of Greed, Mamon.]

    [The attribute ¡®Reaper of Souls¡¯ has been activated.]

    [The attribute ¡®Archduke yer¡¯ has been activated.]

    [You can now use Mamon''s ''Authority of mes.'']

    A thick smile appeared while he looked at the message that appeared in front of him.

    ''An archduke''s Authority¡­''

    It was a stronger and more destructive Authority than others that he couldn''t control even back then when he used to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies.

    The ridiculous firepower Mamon showed in the battle made it clear that the Authority of mes was worth it.

    KangWoo turned his head.

    ''There''s still some left.''

    The system message window hadn''t ended.

    He checked the rest of the message.

    [You''ve fulfilled part of the second condition for Demonic Soul.]

    [You must absorb another archduke''s soul to fulfill all of the conditions for Demonic Soul.]

    [Because you''ve fulfilled part of the conditions, your limit of Demonic Energy has increased.]

    [Your Demonic Energy has increased by 5.]

    [Your Demonic Energy has reached 135.]

    [The passageway that connects with the ''deepest'' part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core is 82.3%plete.]

    ''This...''

    KangWoo''s eyes widened.

    His Demonic Energy stat had reached 135. Soon, the passageway to the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core would beplete.

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    ''I feel like I''ve almost recovered it¡­''

    His previous strength that the Gaia System had sealed¡­

    He felt like he would soon be able to recover his full strength.

    In the Hell of Nine Skies, he could use 100% of the demonic energy from the ''deepest'' part.

    Just with that, he was able to be the Demon King.

    ''But now I''m different from back then.''

    Before awakening as a yer, he didn''t have the power called ¡®Extreme Demonic Energy Body¡¯, and he couldn''t use an archduke''s Authority.

    He didn''t know what effect Demonic Soul had, but that was a strength he didn''t have while in Hell.

    If he could use demonic energy from the ''deepest'' part, he could probably reach a higher ne than before.

    ''Good.''

    He felt that he could face an average archduke alone.

    ''I''m not sure about Baal, but I could perfectly face Lucifer and Satan.''

    That was assuming they had the same strength as before.

    At least he thought he wouldn''t need to risk his life and open the door again.

    ''My body aches.''

    He couldn''t help but feel it''d be great if Mamon appeared in front of him again so that he could test how much stronger he''d be, but Mamon had already died, and it would be hard to contact Lucifer for the moment.

    There was Balrog, but even he was wounded at the moment.

    "Tsk."

    It was too bad, but there was nothing he could do about it.

    KangWooy back on the bed again.

    "Oh, yeah¡­"

    He remembered something.

    KangWoo got up and grabbed his smartphone.

    He called Kurosaki Yurie. To be more precise, Lilith, who was inside her body.

    - Mr. KangWoo, did you sleep well?

    "No..."

    Remembering the previous night gave him chills.

    KangWoo shook his head.

    "Lilith. Where''s ''Greed''?"

    Greed¡­

    It was Mamon¡¯s Hell Equipment, and just like his ''Key of Demonic Energy Sea,'' it was a piece of Transcendent-rank equipment.

    - Yes? By Greed... Do you mean Mamon''s Hell Equipment?

    "Yes."

    - Hmm. I''m sorry, but I didn¡¯t find any Hell Equipment where Mr. KangWoo and Mamon fought.

    "What?"

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''Greed disappeared?''

    He tried to remember what had happened.

    ''Did I devour it along with Mamon?''

    The first thing he thought of was when he opened the second door of the Ten Thousand Demon Core when the darkness devoured Mamon and the other demons.

    ''I don''t think that''s what happened.''

    He shook his head.

    Even if his Authority of Predation was powerful, it couldn''t eat Hell''s Equipment.

    Not only that, but even if it could, he should have gained a strength worthy of that.

    No matter how much he looked at his status window or checked out the system messages, he couldn''t see traces of Hell''s Equipment.

    ''Was it destroyed?''

    He shook his head.

    That wasn''t possible.

    He had destroyed part of the Hell Equipment to free himself, but that waspletely different from destroying it altogether.

    Destroying Hell''s Equipment should¡¯ve been impossible unless the opponent was a god.

    ''No.''

    If it were a god like Tyrion, they would probably get absorbed by Hell''s Equipment.

    "Where did it go?"

    He frowned.

    Since he''d devoured the soul of an archduke, the Hell''s Equipment was an important unit.

    <em>Whir-</em>

    "Hmm?"

    At that moment, the ring on his right middle finger shook.

    The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea¡­

    His Transcendent-rank equipment shook as if it were alive.

    ''Wait.''

    [Equipment Information]

    Item: Key of the Demonic Energy Sea

    Rank: Transcendent (Engraving Complete)

    Type: Growth *The item gets stronger whenever you fulfill a condition.

    Normal Effect: Unique Stat +3, Indomitable, Transformation, ??? *Hasn''t been unlocked yet.

    Special Effect: ???, ??? *Hasn''t been unlocked yet.

    [Effect Exnation]

    Indomitable: It can''t be destroyed by any physical, magic, or soul attacks.

    Transformation: It can transform into any ''weapon'' registered as a skill. It can exercise 34% of the strength of the weapon made by Authority.

    [Items Status]

    * Digestion Status: Is currently preparing to digest the Hell''s Equipment, ''Greed.''

    * Not enough Demonic Energy: It''s missing more high-quality demonic energy. It will begin digesting after you reach ''Demonic Soul.''

    "What''s this...?"

    Heughed in disbelief.

    ''Now that I think about it, this is a growth-type weapon.''

    Its basic capabilities were so great that he had forgotten about that.

    ''To think that it would devour a Hell Equipment.''

    He hadn¡¯t heard of weapons being simr to their owners, so he never thought that it would have an ability like that.

    "Well, I''m d I won''t have to find where it is.''

    He was disappointed he couldn''t immediately use the power of the Hell Equipment, but it wasn''t that it had disappeared, so he felt relieved.

    KangWoo looked at the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea that had the shape of a ring wiggling.

    ''A Transcendent-rank weapon that has absorbed a Hell Equipment.''

    He would be lying if he said he wasn''t expectant.

    * * *

    He thought that an unprecedented weapon might be born, so it was inevitable his heart would tremble in excitement.

    "If it devoured Greed..."

    That meant it could also devour the other Hell Equipment.

    ''I can''t wait to see it.''

    His heart beat faster, just like a child who had received his Christmas gift.

    - Mr. KangWoo? Did something happen? Should I check where the Hell Equipment is?

    "No, it''s okay. There''s no need to do that."

    KangWoo stood up.

    "More than that. Where are ShiHoon and Balrog?"

    He had finished checking everything he''d received from Mamon.

    It was time to check on his underlings.

    He got the locations of Kim ShiHoon and Balrog through Lilith.

    He stood up.

    "First..."

    Balrog and Kim ShiHoon.

    KangWoo hesitated between the two but ended up choosing Kim ShiHoon.

    "Balrog is strong, after all."

    It wasn''t a matter of who was most important.

    In the case of Balrog, as long as he was alive, he would recover for sure.

    ''When half of his body was turned into ashes, he fully recovered.''

    In the case of Kim ShiHoon, it was different.

    He didn''t have an unnaturally effective regenerative ability.

    ''Well, I guess he''s still going to be okay.''

    He was a hero chosen by a god, after all.

    He was the person closer to being a ''protagonist'' than anyone else he''d seen until that point.

    Whenever he was put in a risky situation, he always got up so he wasn''t that worried, to be honest.

    KangWoo opened the door with light steps.

    "M-Mr. KangWoo!''

    As he opened the door, Han Seol-ah walked toward him with an anxious expression.

    "D-did you regain consciousness? Does it hurt anywhere...? No, more than that, you shouldn''t move as soon as you wake up!!"

    It seemed like she''d been very worried while he wasn''t conscious. She spoke with a cracking voice.

    From the dark circles under her eyes, it looked as if she hadn''t slept for a few days.

    It seemed like Lilith hadn''t told her he''d woken up.

    ''Ehem.''

    He was moved.

    He remembered that nightmarish time the previous day.

    ''I''ll offer you my life, my dear!''

    Han Seol-ah was holding him carefully, worried that he might lose consciousness again.

    "KangWoo, are you okay...?"

    Echidna, who hade along with Han Seol-ah, grabbed KangWoo''s sleeves with an anxious expression.

    KangWoo nodded while smiling.

    "How''s ShiHoon doing?"

    "He still hasn''t woken up."

    "Hmm."

    He nodded.

    The wounds he received from Mamon were probably deep.

    "I''m going to go and see ShiHoon."

    KangWoo left the two behind and entered the room where Kim ShiHoon was sleeping.

    He saw Kim ShiHoon sleeping on the bed.

    "..."

    He bit his finger, and ck blood flowed from it.

    He opened Kim ShiHoon''s mouth and made his blood flow into him.

    ''Authority of Regeneration.''

    An Authority of Regeneration that he used with 135 Demonic Energy stat¡­

    Kim ShiHoon''s pale face regained color, and his two melted arms regenerated.

    As if he''d turned back time, as if a god had made a miracle happen, Kim ShiHoon''s body was being regenerated.

    "Ugh..."

    Kim ShiHoon opened his eyes.

    He looked around and made a flustered expression after looking at KangWoo.

    "H-hyeongnim? A-are you okay?!"

    "That''s what I want to ask¡­ Is your body okay?"

    "Ah..."

    Kim ShiHoon sighed in relief after seeing how KangWoo looked.

    "It''s okay. I don''t even have any pain..." he said while smiling.

    "But more than that. What happened with M-Mamon?"

    It seemed like he still hadn''t recovered from the shock of the battle.

    "Mamon died."

    "Ah."

    "It''s all thanks to you, ShiHoon."

    KangWoo patted his shoulder.

    It wasn''t something he said to make him feel good.

    If Kim ShiHoon hadn''t stalled for time, he would have had trouble trying to dodge the worst possible scenario.

    ''Well done.''

    He felt satisfied with the result of his investment in Kim ShiHoon.

    It was obvious he would feel proud.

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon with a satisfied smile.

    ''Now, it would be great if he became a bit stronger...''

    Wasting Kim ShiHoon''s potential in time-wasting stuff was too bad.

    Kim ShiHoon had the potential to be strong enough to face an archduke. No, maybe even more than that.

    ''It won''t be easy.''

    Although his life had been put in danger numerous times, Kim ShiHoon wasn''t able to awaken himself that time.

    ''Even if it''s Kim ShiHoon awakening that easily...''

    "Huh...?"

    KangWoo''s thoughts were cut short by Kim ShiHoon''s trembling voice.

    "H-hyeongnim!"

    He turned his head and looked at his hands with an urgent look on his face.

    "I¡­ I can''t feel my hands..."

    "What...?"

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon in disbelief.

    ''An awakening g, here?''

    The hero who had lost his strength¡­

    The cliche of losing his strength and the hero bing stronger after sessfully oveing such struggles¡­

    It was a story development he''d seen many times before.

    "Haa..."

    KangWoo wasn''t sure if he should act happy or sad in that scene. He grabbed his forehead while making a confused expression.

    ''I bet my entire worth and my left hand at Kim ShiHoon sessfully awakening.''

    ¡®You should fall behind if you''re scared.¡¯

 Chapter 194: A God From Another World (1)

    "Ugh."

    <em>ng.</em>

    Kim ShiHoon dropped the sword.

    His body was soaked with sweat, and he was breathing heavily.

    "Damn."

    A short curse left his mouth.

    Kim ShiHoon extended his hand toward the sword he''d dropped.

    Just grabbing the sword made him sweat.

    ¡°Haa, haa.¡±

    It felt like he was trying to force his way through a blocked passage.

    He bit his lip and grabbed the sword.

    <em>ng-</em>

    The sword fell from his hand, and a clear sound of steel spread through the room.

    "Damn, damn it¡­!"

    He copsed and felt like he was going to cry.

    He looked at his trembling hands.

    Although they were his hands, they felt foreign.

    - For giving birth to you¡­

    He heard that voice.

    It was definitely something his mother had said, but it didn''t sound like her voice anymore.

    - Get stronger, and¡­

    The demon wearing a red mask, and a mocking voice.

    The voice that rang in his head was closer to Satan¡¯s than his mother¡¯s.

    "Shut¡­ up."

    He stood up and frowned.

    He extended his hand toward the sword and bit his lip again, blood wetted his tongue.

    He raised his sword.

    <em>ng-</em>

    The sword fell to the ground.

    * * *

    "Guardian Kim ShiHoon¡­"

    Gaia was looking with a sad expression at Kim ShiHoon within the Hall of Protection¡¯s training room, desperately trying to hold his sword.

    It wasn''t that she could see him, but she could feel how desperate his situation was.

    "Is¡­ is it okay for us to stand still?" Gaia asked with a trembling voice.

    "We should wait."

    "But¡­"

    "If we can''t trust ShiHoon here, who else will trust him?"

    "At least, consoling him¡­"

    "No."

    He shook his head.

    "A pointless constion will make ShiHoon feel more desperate."

    "¡­"

    "We must trust ShiHoon and wait."

    "Yes¡­" Gaia said in a weak voice.

    After being wounded by archduke Mamon, Kim ShiHoon had lost both arms.

    "Guardian Kim ShiHoon¡­"

    Gaia bit her lips.

    In reality, losing both arms wasn''t a problem.

    Since there were yers, they could treat injuries that weren''t possible with modern medicine.

    In reality, thanks to KangWoo, Kim ShiHoon''s brain thought he''d lost both arms.

    His brain still remembered the pain from when Mamon¡¯s mes had melted away both of his arms.

    Kim ShiHoon''s sense in his hands had disappeared; he even struggled to hold a spoon.

    "Ugh¡­"

    Gaia cried at the scene that unfolded in front of her.

    Kim ShiHoon hadn''t left the training room for a few days.

    Even though he had a superhuman body, it wasn''t hard to imagine how hard it was to train without taking a break.

    "It''s okay."

    KangWoo held Gaia''s shoulders while she cried.

    "ShiHoon is definitely going to get through this."

    He turned his head and looked at the training room.

    Kim ShiHoon desperately tried to grab the sword while sweat covered his body.

    A smile appeared on KangWoo''s face.

    * * *

    ''Kim ShiHoon is obviously going to ovee this.''

    It wasn''t just because Kim ShiHoon looked like a protagonist.

    It also wasn''t because he was chosen by a god or that he looked like a hero.

    ''That guy doesn''t know when to give up.''

    He remembered the fight against Halphas and Mamon.

    Although they were enemies Kim ShiHoon couldn''t beat and his life was at risk, he didn''t escape.

    It wasn''t that he didn''t know fear.

    ''He has a strong enough will that death feels pointless.''

    He could feel that ShiHoon was going to ovee the problem.

    ''And¡­''

    He was going to be stronger.

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon with expectant eyes.

    The beginning of the rtionship wasn''t good.

    At first, heined about a guy looking like a protagonist obtaining strength without making much effort, but after spending time with him, his opinion of Kim ShiHoon changed.

    ''To think that I would really think of him as a little brother.''

    Was he in a bad spy movie? Although he was nning to use him at first, he''d be affectionate toward him.

    KangWoo smiled bitterly.

    "Ah."

    At that moment, a short exmation left Gaia''s mouth.

    KangWoo turned his head.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "A revtion¡­ No, I''m not sure if I should call this a revtion¡­ I''m hearing the voice of a different god¡­ Other than Ms. Gaia."

    "Another god?"

    "I''m not sure who it is¡­ but he seems to have a close rtion to Ms. Gaia."

    "What did you say?"

    Gaia kept talking carefully.

    "A god from another dimension¡­ ising here."

    * * *

    A thin woman with long, brown wasying down in a temple atop the clouds that was covered in an intense light.

    A shallowly breathing man with hair resembling a lion¡¯s approached her.

    "How is Ms. Gaia?"

    "Ah, Mr. Uranos."

    A woman wearing a priest''s robe bowed with a dark expression on her face.

    She smiled bitterly and softly touched the unconscious Gaia.

    "She still hasn''t regained consciousness. She opens her eyes from time to time but ends up falling asleep soon after¡­"

    "Hmm."

    Uranos gulped.

    "So she isn''t regaining consciousness even though an archduke who was residing on Earth died?" he mumbled in a bittersweet voice.

    The heroes chosen by Gaia¡­ The Guardians had killed an archduke that had nted roots on Earth, but Gaia''s state hadn''t changed.

    "Her look improved a bit, but¡­"

    "Until we eliminate the cause, she probably won''t improve."

    Gaia had used most of her strength to seal the Demon of Prophecy.

    Due to her over-interference with the system, her Divinity was at risk of disappearing.

    "Haa."

    He couldn''t help but sigh.

    The world Gaia was protecting¡­

    It was a beautiful with a blue color.

    The woman that was taking care of Gaia grabbed her hands.

    "If Mr. Uranos could get involved¡­"

    "That''s not possible."

    Uranos shook his head.

    The woman couldn''t seem to understand.

    "I don''t get it. Why is it that the system blocks the interference of gods in such a dire situation?!" she shouted angrily.

    Uranos shook his head.

    "I don''t know. The rules were made like this, so we have no other choice but to follow them."

    "But¡­"

    "It isn''t that there''s nothing I can do about it," Uranos said in a low voice. "This time, I''ve asked for the help of a god from another world."

    "But if they''re a god, they shouldn''t be able to¡­"

    "Notpletely, but gods from other worlds can bypass the restrictions a bit."

    Hero God Tyrion¡­

    Although he was a lower-tier god, it was easy to understand that he could bypass the restrictions a bit with how he gave power to a human.

    Usually, due to the system restrictions, your divinity would extinguish if you said the wrong thing.

    Interfering with the system was impossible unless you were a high-ranking god like Gaia.

    Although he had been extinguished, seeing that he was able to give such strength to a human that wasn''t an incarnation of a sessor was proof that foreign gods weren''t held to such harsh restrictions.

    The woman''s eyes shone after hearing Uranos¡¯s words.

    "You''re going to ask a god from the Ernor Continent¡­?"

    "No. I''ve asked for the help of a god from a farther dimension. It seems like she knew Gaia before she became like this."

    "Then who¡­?"

    "She''s going to arrive soon."

    Uranos turned around.

    A white fissure opened, and a woman walked out.

    An eye-blinding light shone from the woman with blonde hair.

    "So this is the world Gaia''s in charge of."

    The blonde woman looked around, and Uranos walked toward her.

    "Thanks foring."

    "So you''re Uranos. I heard about you from Gaia."

    She sighed after looking at Gaia¡¯s unconscious form.

    "How did things be like this¡­?"

    "She sacrificed herself to seal the power the Demon of Prophecy has."

    "The Demon of Prophecy¡­?"

    The goddess tilted her head.

    Uranos kept talking with a heavy voice.

    "There''s not much information, but¡­"

    He clenched his fist.

    "A demon called Satan is probably the Demon of Prophecy."

    "Satan? There''s a Satan in this world, too?"

    "He''s probably different from the Satan that''s in your world."

    "Hmm¡­"

    The Goddess fell into thought.

    "If Gaia ends up dying, this world¡­"

    "I won''t let that happen. Even if my divinity disappears because of that," Urano said with intense eyes.

    The Goddess nodded with a heavy expression.

    "Then, what were you trying to ask me? By the way, I also can''t interfere too much."

    "I know. I wanted to ask you for help regarding this¡­"

    Uranos flicked his finger.

    A human with sharp eyes appeared.

    "His name is Oh KangWoo. He''s the human the incarnation of Ms. Gaia trusts the most. I wish for you to give him as much strength as possible."

    "Hmm¡­ What kind of person is he?"

    "To be honest, I don''t know him very well."

    "You don''t?"

    Uranos nodded.

    "After Ms. Gaia copsed, we''ve been having trouble interfering with the system. That human, Oh KangWoo, is someone we got to know through Ms. Gaia''s incarnation, but¡­ I do know that he''s definitely an impressive human."

    A human had killed an archduke¡­

    He didn''t know the details of the battle, but he''d heard from Gaia''s incarnation that the one who had killed the archduke was a human called Oh KangWoo.

    "We want to make this person the hope of our world," Urano said in a firm voice.

    The blonde woman narrowed her eyes.

    "Hmm¡­"

    She slowly opened her mouth.

    "I want to see that human with my own eyes first to see if he''s someone worthy of bing the world''s hope."

    "You''re quite cautious¡­"

    The goddess nodded while making an expression that looked like she''d remembered something unpleasant.

    "I have struggled before because of a trash-like human."

    "Hmm. What kind of person was he?"

    "Lee KiYoung. A true mother fuck¡­ Haa, you don''t need to worry. After all, he isn''t rted to this world."

    The woman shook her head as if she wanted to erase a nightmare.

    "Anyway, I want to see that human Oh KangWoo and check if he''s someone worthy of being trusted. I have a debt with Gaia, so if possible, I want to help as much as possible."

    "I trust you, Goddess Benigore."

    Uranos bowed to Goddess Benigore, who hade from a world far away.

 Chapter 195: I Think I Can Trust You (1)

    "A god from another world¡­?"

    KangWoo frowned.

    He had experienced receiving the will of the higher-ups via Gaia and had also received guidance in the form of quests, but it was the first time he couldn''t understand what was going on.

    ''Why a god from another world so suddenly?''

    He narrowed his eyes.

    Gaia kept talking while trying to listen to the words that resounded in her head.

    "I''m also not sure, but from what I hear, this seems to be the best¡­"

    KangWoo took a deep breath.

    ''Why?''

    He started to have doubts. From the information he had, he couldn''t think of a reason for them to drag a god from another dimension over.

    <em>Whir-</em>

    Before he could answer his doubts, a white gate appeared inside the Hall of Protection.

    A blonde woman walked out of the gate, and an eye-blinding light shone from her.

    "So you''re Gaia''s incarnation, and¡­ you''re Oh KangWoo."

    The blonde woman opened her mouth.

    Although she was just speaking, her huge strength stimted his skin.

    ''She''s in apletely different leaguepared to Tyrion.''

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    "Hyeongnim! That light¡­"

    "Mr. KangWoo, did something happen?!"

    "KangWoo, did something go wrong?"

    "Wh-what?! What happened?"

    "Hyeongnim!! What''s going on?!"

    Kim ShiHoon, who had been locked in the training room, quickly came out.

    Han Seol-ah, Echidna, Chae YeonJoo, and Kang TaeSoo, who had also been training in another room, walked out in a rush and looked at the woman.

    "My name is Benigore. I came here at Uranos¡¯s request to assist you."

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    A god from another world had suddenly appeared.

    KangWoo took a step forward and cautiously spoke.

    "If you''re a god from another world¡­ are you from the Ernor continent?"

    She was probably from the Ernor Continent since they had entered into contact with numerous beings from there.

    Benigore shook her head.

    "No."

    ''No?''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes. He was even more confused.

    "What brings you here? What do you mean by, ¡®you''re going to help us¡¯?"

    "You don''t need to worry so much. It isn''t that I''m trying to harm you all."

    Benigore sighed and began exining the situation.

    The more the exnation kept going on, the harder KangWoo¡¯s expression became.

    ''Gods from other worlds receive less restriction?''

    That wasn''t good news at all.

    No, in reality, it was the worst possible news.

    Uranos had asked help from a god of another world to protect the world Gaia was in charge of.

    That wasn''t something that could be taken lightly.

    It was simr to when a country became bankrupt and asked for help from the IMF.

    That also meant that Gaia and her aids were in a situation where they struggled to even help KangWoo and the other Guardians.

    ''Oh fuck.''

    If gods from other worlds came to help just like Benigore, there would be no problems.

    ''There''s no way that''s what is going to happen.''

    Gods from other worlds woulde to their world to help them in good faith?

    It wasn''t a kid''s manhwa. There was no way something like, ¡®let''s all get along together and live happily ever after¡¯ would happen.

    ''Oh fuck. Then this means that, if gods from other worlds invade Earth, our gods won''t be able to do anything.''

    That wasn''t something that would happen in the short term.

    Gaia was still alive, and the Gaia System that protected Earth hadn''t disappearedpletely.

    Unless it were someone like Benigore, who came with the ''permission'' of Gaia, a God from another world wouldn''t be able to invade without second thoughts.

    ''But if the Gaia Systempletely crumbles¡­''

    Then there was no way to know who would invade Earth.

    ''Hey, you useless bunch of assholes.''

    His head hurt.

    He couldn''t help but feel anger toward Gaia and the other gods who had to protect Earth.

    The situation was like¡­

    * * *

    ''The Economy of the country haspletely copsed, and the country can''t stop foreignpanies from taking control of everything.''

    No matter how much foreignpanies screwed up the people, the country had no capability to protect them.

    In the end, it would be the people who would suffer the consequences.

    ''Oh, fuck. How did they let things be like this?''

    He couldn''t help but curse at the thought of Gaia and her close aids.

    Of course, the main reason they''d be like that was him, but it wasn''t the time to talk about small details like that.

    ''I must make the Gaia System return to its normal state.''

    KangWoo bit his lips.

    He sighed and turned to Benigore.

    The reason why she''d gone there was to give strength to the Warrior of Light, who could be called the Ace of Guardian.

    ''Well, since she''s offered help, I should ept it.''

    He still felt anger when he thought about the worthless gods who''d let the world be like this, but that wasn''t a reason to refuse a gift.

    It was ast resort thing, but he had to ept any possible help.

    "Hmm, so you''re that Warrior of Light, huh?"

    Benigore looked at him with sharp eyes.

    It was as if she were wondering whether she could trust him.

    "His face reminds me of Lee KiYoung¡¯s¡­"

    She felt an unknown sensation of uneasiness from KangWoo.

    He felt simr to the man that had given her trauma.

    ''What? She came all the way here and isn''t going to give me the strength?''

    KangWoo frowned.

    He didn''t know who Lee KiYoung was, but he could feel that she didn''t trust him.

    It was as if she was wondering whether she should give him her strength.

    "Goddess Benigore¡­"

    At that moment, Kim ShiHoon took a step forward.

    "Please, help hyeongnim protect this world."

    He knelt without hesitation.

    Kim ShiHoon kept talking in an intense voice.

    He thought of how KangWoo had helped him ovee his past trauma¡­ Helped him walk out of the swamp he thought he''d never be able to walk out of.

    "Hyeongnim¡­ is the person I respect and trust the most."

    ''Well done, my child!! You know hyeongnim loves you, right?!''

    "Hmm."

    Benigore''s eyes shone at Kim ShiHoon''s sincere words.

    She looked at both of their faces.

    "M-me too!"

    Han Seol-ah was the one who talked next.

    "If¡­ Mr. KangWoo wasn''t here, I wouldn''t have been able to feel happiness like this."

    She grabbed KangWoo''s arms while blushing.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­ Is¡­ is an important person to me."

    ''Daarrlliinngg!!!''

    KangWoo clenched his fist. He felt like he was about to shed a tear.

    "ShiHoon hyeong and sister-inw are right! I, Kang TaeSoo, know him very well, after all!"

    ''TaeSoo¡­ I had forgotten about you, so you''re of great help in situations like this.''

    The support from Kang TaeSoo, who he thought had be air and disappeared, arrived.

    Benigoreughed at Kang TaeSoo''s strong voice.

    "Are you DeokGu?"

    "Hmm? What do you mean?"

    "Ah, I''m sorry. It''s just that there''s someone simr to you in the world I''m in charge of."

    Benigore turned her head.

    After Kim ShiHoon, Han Seol-ah, and KangTaeSoo, it was Echidna who took a step forward.

    "KangWoo is a very good person."

    She grabbed Benigore''s sleeves and looked at her with innocent-looking eyes.

    "Haa¡­"

    Benigore took a deep breath.

    Even if she was a god, her sense of beauty was simr to a human¡¯s.

    Echidna looking up at her carefully was so cute that one couldn''t help but feel the need to hug her.

    ''Echidna, where did you learn such techniques¡­?''

    It was obvious that Echidna was trying to look cute on purpose.

    KangWoo trembled after seeing how much she''d grown.

    As even Echidna took a step forward, everyone''s attention got ced on Chae YeonJoo.

    "What, I have to say something, too?"

    Chae YeonJoo felt everyone looking at her.

    Based on the flow of things, it seemed like she would have to say something.

    She looked at KangWoo with annoyed eyes.

    "To be honest, I don''t like him. He always acts on his own and doesn''t take into consideration other people''s feelings. I honestly don''t understand what''s so good about someone like this," she said in an annoyed voice.

    "Well¡­"

    She snorted.

    "He''s still trustworthy."

    Chae YeonJoo turned her head.

    He could see that her cheeks were turning red.

    ''Are you a character from a manhwa?''

    One couldn''t help butugh at her words which seemed to havee out of aic.

    "HAHAHA!"

    Benigore started tough out loud.

    It was a bigugh that was hard to believe hade out of a goddess. Benigore nodded.

    "If the people around you trust you so much, it seems like you''re someone that''s trustworthy."

    She walked toward KangWoo.

    "I''m going to give you my strength."

    ''NICE!!''

    KangWoo clenched his fist.

    It wasn¡¯t intended, but he was able to convince her thanks to the people around him.

    ''This is all thanks to my good karma!''

    He was so excited that he wanted to dance.

    He tried to hold back from smiling as much as possible.

    ''In this situation, I must look like a hero who''s doing his best to save the world.''

    He shouldn''t act excited at the thought of receiving a gift from a god.

    He had to control his emotions and act as if he would save the world thanks to this strength.

    "Ah, of course. It''s not like I''mpletely free from the system''s restrictions. Although it sounds grand, it isn''t going to be like that."

    ''Noints about gifts!''

    Even if it were a little help, he would nevertheless benefit.

    It was as if the real Santa us had appeared at Christmas and had given him a gift, so there was no reason to refuse.

    "It doesn''t matter what strength you give."

    KangWoo took a step forward.

    He grabbed her hands and pulled her a bit.

    "Ah¡­"

    "What''s important is that Ms. Benigore cares for and is looking over us," he said with a serious expression and an honest voice.

    "As you know, the situation of our world isn''t good. To be honest, it''s surprising that it hasn''t copsed yet."

    The god in charge of the world had almost died while trying to stop the invasion of Satan, the Demon of Prophecy.

    Gaia''s close aids couldn''t help humans.

    "Ms. Benigore, you''re also probably in charge of a world. You probably have beings you need to protect. Although you said it in passing, you told us you had a previous bad experience because of a human that had deceived you, so I understand how much you probably struggled because of that. I also know how burdensome it is to lend your strength to another world."

    "That¡­"

    "I won''t forget it."

    He gripped Benigore''s hands firmly.

    He bit his lips and looked as if he were about to shed tears at any moment, and his voice was a bit shaky, but his eyes looked at hers firmly without wavering.

    "We will never forget this."

    A strong sense of justice was exploding from the Warrior of Light, Oh KangWoo.

    Benigore''s body trembled a bit.

    "As expected¡­"

    A smile appeared on her face.

    "It seems like you''re different.''

    She ced her hand on top of KangWoo''s shoulders.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve received Benigore''s blessing.]

    [All of your stats, except for Demonic Energy, have increased by 10.]

    [The quality of your Demonic Energy is too high, so the amount increased has been reduced.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 3.]

    ''YOLO!!''

    Strong energy flickered around his body.

    "Thank¡­ you."

    KangWoo said in a moved voice while bowing.

    Benigore smiled while looking at him.

    His honest eyes, broken voice, and tears dripping from his eyes were proof that the human in front of her had purer and more beautiful intentions than anyone else.

    "If it''s you, I think I can trust you."

    An eye-blinding shone.

    ''Of course, there isn''t anyone as trustworthy as me!''

    ¡®Hehehe.¡¯

 Chapter 196: A Hero Is Born From Despair (1)

    "Then I''ll be going. I don¡¯t think¡­ I¡¯ll be able to stay in this world much longer," Benigore said with a smile on her face.

    Her body was starting to be transparent.

    The end was getting closer.

    "Be careful," Benigore said while looking at KangWoo shortly before she vanished.

    What was she warning him against?

    She began exining herself.

    "If Gaia''s status keeps getting worse¡­ gods from other worlds are going toe."

    "¡­"

    "I helped you because I have a debt with Gaia, but you better not expect that from them."

    He already suspected as much.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "I''ll remember."

    He knew that nothing would change.

    After all, there was no way to really solve the issue at its core.

    No, there was a way to solve it all, but he couldn¡¯t do it because he was the Demon of Prophecy, the origin of the problem.

    ''I can''t offer my neck to save the world.''

    There were all sorts of people in the world, and some would probably be willing to risk their lives to save everyone.

    ''But¡­''

    He wasn¡¯t like that.

    He¡¯d fallen into Hell and done his best to survive there through miserable and desperate times. Was he supposed to sacrifice himself to save the world after everything he¡¯d gone through?

    ''Nonsense.''

    He was going to try to survive no matter what.

    It was a simple issue.

    If someone from another world arrived, he just had to kill them to dissuade others.

    "Then¡­ please, take care of this world. I''m not sure if we''re going to meet again, but I''m going to pray for you."

    Benigore''s body became fully transparent and disappeared.

    KangWoo smirked. A god praying? It somehow seemed ironic.

    ''The real gods are different from the idea of a God we have.''

    It wasn''t that space was made by one omnipotent God.

    There were numerous gods, and among them, there were fights and rankings. Each god was unique.

    ''They aren''t perfect.''

    They could be fought against and killed, and also¡­

    ''I can eat them.''

    KangWoo smiled and looked at his hands before he shut his eyes and felt the strength the goddess from another world had given him.

    ''Not bad.''

    In reality, it wasn''t as great as he thought a god''s gift would be.

    His Demonic Energy stat hadn''t gone up because it was already too high, but it was still a gift.

    It hadn¡¯t required effort on his part, so he couldn''tin.

    ''No. This is actually great.''

    After hunting Mamon, His Demonic Energy stat had only increased by five points.

    Considering that the higher your stat became, the harder it was to increase it, he wasn''t sure if his Demonic Energy would increase by five once he ate another archduke.

    ''It also isn''t that the other stats are useless.''

    His stats having been increased by 10 was equivalent to him wearing a full range of legendary-ranked equipment.

    KangWoo turned while smiling.

    He looked at everyone watching him; they were bathed in light.

    "Thanks, guys."

    He was able to receive Benigore''s gift thanks to Kim ShiHoon and his other partners.

    ''As expected, you have to be a good person in your daily life, and then you''ll receive good things in return.''

    No one had lied to Benigore.

    It wasn''t that a god could detect lies, but if someone made a hard-to-believement, she would''ve noticed it.

    She hadn''t suspected him because she felt how much the other people trusted him.

    ''To be honest, I''m a bit moved.''

    It wasn''t enough to make him shed tears, but he felt a warm sensation in his heart.

    It hadn''t been long since he''d returned to Earth, but the rtions he''d built in that short period of time couldn''t bepared to the ones he''d made in Hell.

    In Hell, he had many underlings who one-sidedly trusted and followed him, but there was a limit to the emotional bonding aspect.

    "No. Even if we hadn''t done anything, she would have figured out hyeongnim''s true nature."

    ''She shouldn''t.''

    "The goddess probably felt how much of a warm person you are, KangWoo."

    ''She didn''t seem to know.''

    "It¡¯s too bad she couldn''t help us defeat the Demon of Prophecy."

    ''Darling, if she''d done that, I would¡¯ve been done for.''

    "Haha! This is all thanks to Hyeongnim''s good deeds!"

    ''Of course, I''ve tried really hard, after all.''

    Each one of his partners said something.

    It was a moving scene that could have been straight out of a movie, but KangWoo couldn''t help but feel a bit guilty.

    ''Shouldn''t the ending credits appear at this point?''

    If so, things would''ve been cleaner.

    He sighed and turned around.

    "I''ll be going now."

    "KangWoo, where are you going?"

    "I want to test my strength."

    "I''ll go, too," Echidna said while grabbing his sleeves.

    KangWoo nodded and held her hands.

    "¡­"

    He could feel Kim ShiHoon staring at his back.

    He looked at his hands with a dark expression.

    ''ShiHoon¡­''

    It was easy to guess why he was making such an expression.

    ''You''re struggling a lot.''

    A swordsman who couldn''t hold a sword¡­

    It was hard to imagine the pain he was going through.

    While he was struggling, the hyeongnim he respected so much had received a gift from a god.

    ''He''s probably thinking that the distance between us is increasing.''

    It was an undeniable truth.

    KangWoo was getting stronger at a faster pace than he had thought, and he would soon be able to surpass his old self.

    Even if Kim ShiHoon was talented, it was a problem of rtivity in the end.

    ''I need to do something about it.''

    He couldn''t stay still and do nothing.

    He didn''t think that it would make Kim ShiHoon crumble, but he still had to give him a slight push forward.

    "Let''s go."

    He turned with Echidna.

    It wasn''t something he could do yet.

    ''Once a bit more time passes¡­''

    Once Kim ShiHoon became more desperate and got to the point ofplete despair¡­

    ''I''ll take advantage of that moment.''

    * * *

    [Haa, Haa.]

    Balrog breathed heavily while getting hold of his heart.

    All the surfaces around them had melted down, and an intense heat swept around them.

    Balrog copsed to the ground and was trembling in excitement.

    [Ha, hahaha.]

    He could see KangWoo surrounded by yellow mes, and he felt respect.

    [As expected of the Demon King.]

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo couldn''t help but fall into thought despite Balrog''s praise.

    He looked at the yellow mes that were burning in the palms of his hands.

    ''It''s less than expected.''

    It wasn''t that the Authority of mes was less than what he''d expected¡­

    He was disappointed in himself.

    ''To think it would be so hard to control this Authority.''

    He had never experienced using an archduke¡¯s Authority.

    He wasn''t a genius¡ªhe didn''t have the capability to memorize things just by looking at them once like Kim ShiHoon.

    Although he could theoretically use 666 Authorities, there was a reason why he only used the ones he was familiar with.

    [Hmm? Is there something you''re ufortable about?]

    "I didn''t think using Mamon''s Authority would be so hard."

    [But taking into consideration this fight¡­]

    "You didn''t use all of your strength, right?"

    [¡­]

    He hit the nail on the head.

    Balrog sighed and nodded.

    "Be honest. How was it?"

    [I felt that you were weaker than your usual self. Of course, the amount of demonic energy is simr to before, but¡­]

    "It was a bit clumsy, right?"

    [Yes.]

    Balrog kept talking.

    [My wounds haven''t been fully healed, so I can''t tell you precisely, but it was weaker than what Mamon did.]

    "I see."

    He nodded.

    There was no reason to be disappointed. Mamon had used the Authority of mes for tens of thousands of years.

    There was no way he''d be able to use the Authority better than him.

    "I''ll have to keep practicing."

    Up until then, there was no point in him practicing because he couldn''t improve by practicing things over and over, but the situation had changed.

    He might not ever be at Mamon¡¯s level with them, but if he wanted to use the Authority of mes in battle, he would have to practice.

    [If the King orders, I''ll follow.]

    Balrog smiled.

    "Leaving that aside, how are your wounds?"

    [They''ve improved a lot. I think that, in a few days, I''m going to heal naturally.]

    KangWoo bit his finger.

    His flesh split, and ck blood dropped out.

    "Drink."

    [It isn''t bad enough to need the Authority of Regeneration. It will naturally¡ª]

    "Don''t say nonsense. I can tell you experience pain from intense movements."

    [¡­]

    Balrog remained silent.

    He began snorting and looking as if he was about to cry; then he hugged KangWoo tightly.

    [DEMON KIINNGG!!!]

    "Cough! G-get off, you dumbass!!"

    A five-meter-tall giant was hugging him tightly.

    KangWoo was strong enough, so it was okay, but he couldn''t stop the smell from prating his nose.

    A horrible smell poured out from Balrog¡¯s muscles and covered him.

    [Hahaha!! It''s an honor to have been able to serve the Demon King!]

    "Balrog, not fair. Me too."

    Echidna, who had been silently watching, also joined.

    ''Am I in the middle of Heaven and Hell?''

    KangWoo closed his eyes while feeling the difference in texture from both sides.

    Time flowed.

    * * *

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Haa! Haa!"

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s sword rolled to the ground, and he copsed. Tears dripped down from his eyes.

    - I''m sorry¡­

    The voice.

    He could hear that annoying voice.

    He opened his mouth and felt like throwing up.

    The demon wearing the red mask wasughing while looking at him.

    "Ah, ugh," he moaned.

    It had been three months since he¡¯d started practicing and trying to hold the sword again.

    Nothing had changed, and he hadn''t improved at all.

    He still couldn¡¯t properly hold his sword.

    "AAGGHH!!!!"

    He cried in pain and smashed his head.

    KangWoo was moving further away from him to a distance he couldn¡¯t see.

    "AAGGHH!!!"

    <em>BOOM. BOOM.</em>

    He shouted while grabbing his head.

    He grabbed the sword while biting his lips, drawing droplets of blood.

    <em>ng-</em>

    The sword dropped to the floor again.

    * * *

    "It''s about time."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone while hearing Kim ShiHoon crying on the other side of the training room''s wall.

    ''It''s Awakening time.''

    If a Hero was someone that bloomed in the middle of despair¡­

    "I''ll just have to create that despair."

    KangWoo smiled.

 Chapter 197: A Hero Is Born from Despair (2)

    ''What should I do?''

    He sat on the chair while looking into the training room.

    It had been three months.

    Nearly 100 days had passed.

    ''It hasn''t been that long.''

    You couldn''t say that it was short, but it wasn¡¯t that long either.

    Lucifer''s forces and the Demon Cult had been fighting for the past three months, but there hadn''t been much progress.

    Although they''d been fighting, they hadn''t bitten each other''s neck yet.

    ''But¡­''

    For Kim ShiHoon, the past 100 days probably felt like forever.

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon¡¯s sunken eyes.

    He was crying while desperately trying to hold his sword.

    It not only looked desperate, but it also looked pathetic.

    ''He probably hasn¡¯t felt such a wall blocking his path before.''

    It was the first time Kim ShiHoon had fallen like that since he became a yer.

    Thanks to his talent, Kim ShiHoon had grown at a faster pace than anyone else.

    He was the Sacrum, after all.

    He wasn''t sure about stuff rted to martial arts, but ording to Cheon MooJin, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that he had a talent given by the sky.

    In reality, from a ''human'' perspective, Kim ShiHoon had grown at an unbelievable pace.

    Kim ShiHoon also hadn''t gone through the ''ultimate effort'' that most yers went through.

    He wasparing himself with KangWoo, but he had never experienced his growth being blocked in the first ce.

    No, the problem wasn''t that his growth was blocked.

    ''He hit rock bottom.''

    A swordsman who can''t grab a sword¡­

    Kim ShiHoon''s identity was copsing, and he was nothing but trash at the moment.

    "FUCK!!" ShiHoon cursed.

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    He was expecting it to happen, yet he didn''t feelfortable seeing ShiHoon like that.

    He stood up and turned his body away.

    ''I should get ready.''

    It wasn''t something that he could do alone.

    No, to be more precise, the n didn¡¯t include him as an actor.

    KangWoo began moving.

    He first went to go meet Balrog.

    Balzac, who was doingundry, was also there, and so was Lilith.

    [Hahaha, why have you called Balzac, ruler of death?]

    "Please, take off that apron¡­"

    He sighed while looking at the pink apron.

    "My reason for calling you¡­"

    He talked to his three underlings.

    The more he talked, the more intensely Balzac¡¯s eyes shone. Lilith smiled as if she was expectant.

    Eventually, Balzac frowned as if he found it unpleasant.

    [Is that human worth going so far for?]

    He couldn''t understand it.

    KangWoo nodded without hesitation.

    "Of course."

    Kim ShiHoon could grow to be stronger than Balrog.

    It wasn''t a groundless assumption¡ªjust looking at Kim ShiHoon''s status window made it clear.

    ''An SSS-rank attribute.''

    The rank of the first attribute Kim ShiHoon had Awakened¡­

    It was an attribute rank not even KangWoo had been able to unlock after the 8th Awakening.

    ''Archduke yer is SS-rank.''

    A scam-like attribute that allowed him to control the power of an archduke was SS-rank.

    If Kim ShiHoon could fully use the potential of his SSS-rank attribute, there was a chance he might surpass Balrog and be as strong as an archduke.

    ''No, maybe even more.''

    He was a human who seemed to be receiving the blessings of the world.

    He thought he might be able to reach even further beyond.

    [If the King says so, I''ll do so¡­]

    Balrog bowed his head while making an unpleasant expression.

    KangWoo patted his shoulders while crying.

    "If you spend time with Kim ShiHoon, you will also naturally notice it."

    [Hngh. I still don''t feelfortable moving for the benefit of someone who isn''t the King.]

    "It''s for me,¡± he firmly said.

    It wasn''t because he felt pity toward Kim ShiHoon or because of the rtionship they''d built until that point.

    ''I need it.''

    He couldn''t do everything alone.

    He wasn''t a god¡ªhe wasn''t all high and mighty.

    No, not even Gods were all high and mighty.

    He¡¯d learned that through Gaia.

    If Balrog, Lilith, and Echidna hadn¡¯t helped him in the battle against Mamon, the volcano wouldn''t have been stopped from exploding.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine what would''ve happened if the volcano exploded.

    The Guardians would''ve been annihted, and the world that had gathered as one would''ve been torn apart.

    "Even if I didn''t consider ShiHoon as my little brother, I would''ve still done this the same way."

    It was better to have as many strong cards as possible, and Kim ShiHoon was one of the strongest cards.

    "You can do it, right?" he asked them.

    Balrog, Lilith, and Balzac knelt and bowed their heads.

    [Everything as the Demon King wishes.]

    He nodded and turned around.

    It wasn''t hard to get those three to participate in the n.

    Lilith would be in charge of the n, so there was no need to consider its quality.

    ''The problem is¡­''

    He narrowed his eyes.

    It wasn''t enough with just those three.

    He had the protagonist and antagonist, but there wasn''t a heroine.

    He needed someone to spice things up, and he couldn''t do it.

    He was too strong to need help, so that wouldn''t stimte Kim ShiHoon.

    ''Then¡­''

    There was only one possible person.

    KangWoo threw the transparentmunication crystal, and the gate that led to the Hall of Protection opened.

    * * *

    "Yes¡­?"

    She had light-brown hair, extremely white skin, and a thin body that appeared as if it would break at the slightest touch, and she was trembling.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "It''s for ShiHoon."

    "B-but still!"

    Gaia stood up from the wheelchair, lost bnce, and copsed.

    KangWoo spread his hands and grabbed her. He carefully sat her in the wheelchair.

    "How could I do that to Guardian Kim ShiHoon¡­"

    Gaia lowered her head.

    "You know Kim ShiHoon''s current state, right?" he said in a low voice.

    "¡­"

    "Are you going to watch Kim ShiHoon crumble and do nothing about it?"

    "N-no! There''s no way I''d do that!" she quickly shouted.

    She kept talking as if she couldn''t understand.

    "But still, using a strategy like that¡­"

    "Kim ShiHoon''s current problem isn''t physical. His hands fully healed some time ago."

    "¡­"

    "You know that, right? His reason for not being able to hold a sword is psychological."

    Gaia nodded.

    In reality, she also knew it.

    KangWoo had an ability to heal that could be considered almost miraculous, yet Kim ShiHoon still couldn''t hold a sword.

    "ShiHoon must ovee it by himself. We''re just creating a situation that can help him with that."

    "But if Kim ShiHoon crumbles¡­"

    "He won''t," he said firmly.

    If it were a novel, Kim ShiHoon would be the protagonist.

    He wouldn''t give up, no matter what.

    There weren''t many people whose convictions went beyond death.

    "He isn''t someone who''ll crumble."

    "¡­"

    Gaia remained silent.

    "Am I the right choice?" she asked in a trembling voice.

    "You just have to shout a little bit."

    To be honest, he didn''t expect that much from her.

    He¡¯d dragged Gaia into his n because she was the woman hero Kim ShiHoon had fallen in love with and had sworn to protect.

    Gaia seemed like she was bad at lying, so she probably wouldn''t be able to make the situation extreme.

    "Understood¡­"

    Gaia nodded with a heavy expression.

    "I''m going to do my best."

    KangWoo smiled.

    ''And with this¡­''

    The casting of actors was finished.

    Next, it was time to create the scene.

    ''This is quite fun.''

    It felt like looking at things from the perspective of a writer.

    A weird sensation of excitement ran through his back.

    ''I''m going to use it again in the future.''

    KangWoo smiled.

    * * *

    "A walk so suddenly¡­ Did something happen?"

    A man and a woman were walking through a quiet forest with a gentle brook bubbling alongside them and birds singing, Gaia and ShiHoon.

    "N-no. It''s just that you seem to be going through a harsh situation, Guardian ShiHoon."

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent.

    He looked at his hands that were pushing the wheelchair.

    His hands were trembling.

    He wasn''t holding the handle. He was just cing his hands against the handles and pushing them.

    To be more precise, he had no choice but to do that.

    He felt a pain in his chest.

    "I''m, okay," he said in a weak voice.

    "¡­"

    It was clear that he wasn''t okay.

    Gaia extended her hand and grabbed Kim ShiHoon''s.

    "I¡­ also went through harsh moments when I lost both eyes, and my legs couldn''t move anymore."

    "¡­"

    "I felt that I became worthless trash."

    "That¡­"

    "That''s why I understand your current feelings, but¡­"

    Gaia smiled and started to stroke his hands softly.

    "Please, don''t hate yourself."

    "Ms. Gaia¡­"

    "Fufu. It''s funny I''m saying this since I usually rely on other people¡­ but I wish for you to not suffer anymore."

    There was a heavy silence.

    Kim ShiHoon and Gaia¡­

    A strange atmosphere started to blossom between the two.

    "Ms. Gaia¡ª"

    <em>-BOOM!!!</em>

    "Wh-what?!"

    There was a huge explosion.

    A being that emitted demonic energy appeared across the forest.

    "HAHAHA! I finally found you!"

    The being was easily over five meters tall and was covered in horrifying green tentacles.

    It was a breathtaking amount of demonic energy.

    "KIIEEKK!"

    "KRR, KRR."

    Undead started to appear behind the monster.

    "Y-you¡­" ShiHoon stared at the monster, and his voice trembled.

    The tentacle-covered demon shouted.

    [I''m Satan''s loyal servant, Yogsaron!!!]

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    He stomped on the ground.

    The tentacles spread in all directions.

    [Kneel in front of the god of death, human!!!]

    * * *

    ''Woah.''

    KangWoo was using the Authority of Observation from atop a tree about a hundred meters away from where Kim ShiHoon and Gaia were.

    ''Nice setup.''

    Seeing Balrog''s changed appearance, thanks to the help of Lilith, made him want to vomit.

    The undead Balzac made also created a huge effect.

    ''Nice!''

    KangWoo looked at everything with shining eyes as if he were a movie director.

    "KYAAA!!"

    Balrog spread his hands and grabbed Gaia.

    ''Good!''

    The weak heroine being snatched away by a demon¡­

    It was a movie-like scene.

    ''If they cover Gaia''s mouth here¡­''

    They could stop Kim ShiHoon from figuring out what was happening because of her bad acting.

    Then¡­

    "M-Mr. ShiHoon!!! S-save me!! Mr. ShiHoon!!"

    ''Huh?''

    "L-let me go, you filthy demon!!"

    ''What the¡­?''

    She let out a desperate and soulful cry that made your heart sink just by hearing it.

    ''What''s up with her?''

    Gaia''s desperate cry kept going on.

    "Wh-what are you nning to do with me?!! Y-you horrible demons!!"

    ''What''s going on?''

    "Where are you looking?! D-don''t tell me¡­"

    ''Why is she so good at acting?''

    "You dirty servant of evil! Y-you''re nning on doing something filthy to me with those tentacles!! I don¡¯t want to be vited!"

    ''Hey, no.''

    "I don¡¯t want to be vited!!!"

    ''Don''t say it twice.''

    He covered his face with his hands.

    He felt as if she¡¯d hit him on the back of the head.

    ''Sister-inw, why are you doing this to me¡­?''

    It was supposed to be suitable for all audiences¡­

 Chapter 198: A Hero Is Born from Despair (3)

    "M-Ms. Gaia!!!"

    A demon ambushed them out of nowhere.

    Horrifying tentacles were holding Gaia, and she was letting out a desperate cry.

    Kim ShiHoon quickly tried to grab the sword at his waist.

    It was a unique-ranked sword he''d obtained after the El Quero de had melted down.

    <em>ng-</em>

    "Ah."

    The sword fell from his hand.

    He frowned and let out a short exmation.

    Even at that moment¡­

    At such an important moment¡­

    His hand couldn''t hold the sword.

    [E-ehem!]

    Yogsaron, the demon covered with tentacles, coughed.

    He looked at Gaia, flustered.

    It was as if he wasn''t expecting something like that to happen.

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    "AAHH!! M. Mr. ShiHoon!"

    "W-wait a bit, Ms. Gaia!!!"

    Gaia screamed.

    The effect of those fear-filled screams was quite impressive.

    Kim ShiHoon was grabbing his sword so tightly that blood was pouring out from his hand.

    It was just a little bit, but he was able to raise the sword.

    [Hahaha! It''s all pointless!]

    Yogsaron let out killing intent.

    Breathtakingly intense demonic energy pressured Kim ShiHoon.

    [Kill that pathetic human!]

    "Kiieekk!"

    "Krrrr!"

    The demon extended his hands.

    At his orders, a group of undead charged toward Kim ShiHoon.

    ShiHoon swung his sword.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "Ugh!"

    As soon as it touched the undead, the sword fell to the ground.

    The only thing he could do was hold the sword, so there was no way he''d be able to swing it.

    Instead, he let out a flurry of punches.

    He left an afterimage behind, and his body moved as if it were sliding.

    "KIIEEKK!"

    He kicked.

    His body slightly rose, and the spinning kick hit the undead''s temple.

    <em>Paf.</em> The Qi-infused kick made the monster¡¯s head explode.

    He couldn''t use his hands to hold a sword, but it wasn''t that he couldn''t use kicks.

    There were strong physical techniques created to supplement the sword ones in the martial arts of the Martial Arts God, and he could easily get rid of weak monsters by using those techniques.

    [Hmm? Why aren''t you using the sword? Do you just have it for decorative purposes?]

    "Ugh."

    In the end, Kim ShiHoon was a swordsman.

    Maybe if he could use another weapon, things would be different, but without his hands, he couldn''t use even 1/4 of his normal power.

    ''Damn.''

    He quickly rolled on the ground and extended his hands to grab the sword, but it didn''t matter how much he concentrated, there was no way he would be able to hold a sword he couldn''t even properly grab.

    His body was pushed back by the kick of an undead next to him.

    "Cough!"

    He rolled on the ground.

    He extended his hands to grab and rebnce himself, but he couldn''t put strength in his hands; they just bounced away.

    [You''re different from what I thought.]

    The demon¡¯s voice was in his ears.

    [Are you hiding your strength?]

    "¡­"

    He remained silent.

    His body trembled, and his head hurt.

    Hiding his strength?

    There was no way that was true.

    He turned his head and saw Gaia, who seemed tired after screaming so much.

    Her body was weak, and she was so thin that she seemed like she would break if you touched her wrong.

    She was right in front of him, but there was nothing he could do about it.

    [You''re different from what Mr. Satan told me. He said you''re a human who will be as strong as an archduke¡­]

    "Did Satan send you?"

    [Yes.]

    "Why¡­ now?"

    ¡®Why¡­¡¯

    ¡®Why did he have to appear now?¡¯

    Kim ShiHoon looked at his trembling hands.

    [He said youck despair.]

    "¡­"

    [Mr. Satan has high expectations of you.]

    "Why¡­ why me? Why does he have expectations of me?"

    [That''s what I wanted to ask,] Yogsaron said as if he were making fun of him.

    [Why is he interested in a piece of trash like you?]

    "¡­"

    [Human, grab your sword. Prove yourself.]

    "Shut, up."

    [Hahaha.]

    The green tentacles wiggled.

    [If you cannot prove yourself, die. There''s no reason for him to be expectant about a useless person who can''t even grab a sword.]

    <em>Slide-!</em>

    The tentacles shot forward.

    * * *

    They moved at a speed close to the sound.

    Kim ShiHoon stomped on the ground and tried his best to dodge the tentacles.

    The tentacles brushed past his body, his flesh was cut, and blood poured in all directions.

    The tentacles bent and targeted his shoulders.

    He subconsciously raised his sword, but what was in his hands was just air.

    <em>Paf-</em>

    "Ugh!!"

    His shoulder was pierced, and intense pain spread through his body.

    He rolled on the ground and dodged the attacks, ending up next to a sword.

    ¡ªA sword he couldn''t even hold.

    [Grab your sword, human,] the demon said.

    He felt like crying.

    He wanted to grab it more desperately than anyone else.

    He spread his hands.

    <em>ng-</em>

    The sword fell from his hands.

    [Tsk, so you were a piece of trash in the end.]

    "M-Mr. ShiHoon¡­"

    Gaia called out his name in a sad voice, but there was nothing he could do about it.

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    "Ugh!"

    [Are you okay with watching this girl die in front of you?]

    The tentacles grabbed Gaia''s neck.

    Gaia wiggled as if her breath was about to be cut short at any moment.

    "You motherfucker!!"

    He stomped on the ground and desperately leaped forward. He didn''t have time to use any techniques.

    He poured all of his Qi out and charged toward Yogsaron.

    Yogsaron waved his hands as if he were annoyed.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    His body bent, and he bounced away.

    The rough earth and stones grated his skin, and his clothes were torn apart.

    He was right¡­

    A swordsman who couldn''t hold a sword was just a piece of trash.

    "Ugh¡­! M-Mr. ShiHoon!!"

    Gaia, who was being held captive, desperately screamed.

    "P-please escape, Mr. ShiHoon!!"

    "Ms. Gaia¡­"

    Considering the demon was grabbing her neck, her pronunciation was quite precise, but he didn''t have time to think about that.

    Kim ShiHoon looked at Yogsaron with trembling eyes.

    Intense anger spread through his body.

    He extended his hands toward the fallen sword again.

    ''Please¡­''

    Just that once¡­

    Just at that moment¡­

    He didn''t want much more.

    Even if he couldn''t grab the sword ever again, he would be ok.

    ''So please.''

    He needed the power to protect her.

    "Agh."

    He grabbed the sword and put his concentration on each trembling finger.

    He was sweating as if it were raining outside.

    His body refused to grab the sword as if it were whispering to him that he could no longer hold a sword.

    He ignored it.

    "Please¡­"

    His nose bled. The blood passed down his lips and gathered on his chin.

    He tried to do what his head forcibly rejected.

    He raised his sword, held it tight, and¡­

    <em>ng-</em>

    The sword fell to the ground.

    "Ah."

    "Mr. ShiHoon¡­"

    He heard Gaia''s voice and raised his head.

    She was looking at him and making a faint smile.

    "I''m okay. Mr. ShiHoon, please don''t worry about¡­ Ugh!"

    [This girl talks too much.]

    Yogsaron frowned.

    The tentacles tightened around Gaia''s neck.

    She lost consciousness.

    [Huh?] Yogsaron eximed in surprise. He wasn''t expecting her to really lose consciousness, but he quickly regained hisposure.

    He slowly raised his head and looked at Kim ShiHoon with contemptuous eyes.

    [So you can''t hold a sword.]

    "¡­"

    [There''s no need to feel bad, human.]

    He kept talking as if it didn''t matter.

    [This just means this is your limit.]

    "¡­"

    - In the end, you''re just a human that''s only worth this much.¡¯

    - You can''t do anything.¡¯

    - You won''t be able to achieve anything.¡¯

    - You''re just a human.¡¯

    "Shut, up."

    His body trembled.

    He heard a voice.

    - I''m sorry for giving birth to you.

    A nightmarish voice¡­ the voice that devoured his life.

    The trauma was a stigma that was engraved in his mind. The voice told him that he was at his limit.

    He''d done the best he could to deny those voices in his head.

    But¡­

    "Shut up, you mother fucker!!"

    He cried and raised his arms, picking up the sword again between his arms instead of with his hands.

    He stomped on the floor and charged toward the demon.

    A sword swung without actually being held¡­

    There was no way such a thing would work.

    He bounced away and copsed.

    He saw Gaia, the woman he''d sworn to protect, being held hostage by the demon.

    "Move¡­"

    He said words that wouldn¡¯t work.

    "Please, move¡­"

    His senses were faint. No matter how much he tried, his hands just trembled.

    He couldn''t hold the sword.

    A swordsman that couldn''t hold a sword¡­

    Couldn''t do anything.

    "Ah¡­"

    A desperate cry left his mouth, and tears dripped from his eyes.

    A thirst started to spread in his body.

    ''I don''t need anything.''

    He was okay with any price, it didn''t matter what it was.

    He thought he would be okay even if he had to sell his soul to a demon.

    He needed strength¡­

    Strength to protect her.

    "Ah-AAGGHH!!"

    A fire ignited in his mind.

    His sight became blurry.

    Something within his body, a giant ball of strength, started to spread.

    * * *

    "¡­"

    KangWoo frowned.

    He heard Kim ShiHoon crying desperately.

    He''d left his perch in the trees.

    "It''s hard to see."

    It was something he''d nned and executed, but even so, seeing Kim ShiHoon struggling like that was hard.

    ''Should I have waited?''

    He shook his head at the sudden thought that crossed his mind.

    They couldn''t wait, Kim ShiHoon needed a push.

    He needed a desperate situation that would allow him to ovee the despair and grow.

    Humans were cunning creatures. It didn''t matter if they tried their best or how desperate they were, they wouldn''t sincerely move unless they had to face that situation upfront.

    It was just like one didn¡¯t realize how many years of his life he would lose by entering the military until the day when they were actually shipped off arrived.

    Something like despair was hard to understand unless faced.

    ''Even if that despair is fabricated¡­''

    Someone had to put the pressure on him.

    "Ah, AAGGHH!!!"

    He heard Kim ShiHoon''s cry. It was the desperate cry of someone who had hit rock bottom.

    KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    "Done."

    He heard the desperation explode like a volcano.

    If it were the Kim ShiHoon he knew, there was no way he wouldn''t Awaken in that situation.

    ''ShiHoon, stand up!''

    He looked at him with expectant eyes.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    As if he were answering his expectations, a huge strength began spreading through Kim ShiHoon''s body.

    ''Yes. Now take the strength of the Martial God¡­''

    "I don''t need anything!!"

    Kim ShiHoon cried.

    A huge amount of demonic energy spread through his body.

    "Huh?"

    "I don''t need anything! I don''t care if it''s thest time!!"

    ''Hey, wait. What? Why is this guy emitting demonic energy?''

    "I need strength!!"

    ''Oh, fuck. Hey, ShiHoon, what are you doing?''

    The soul of the Martial God was within ShiHoon¡¯s body, but besides that¡­

    His soul was connected to KangWoo''s.

    "If I can save her, I''m willing to do anything!!"

    Horns appeared from Kim ShiHoon''s forehead.

    "No."

    Bat wings appeared from his back.

    "Fuck, wait."

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes turned ck.

    ck pupils appeared in his horizontal torn, yellow eyes.

    "ShiHoon¡­"

    KangWoo grabbed his head with his hands.

    The more Kim ShiHoon''s body changed, the more demonic energy flowed out of his body.

    "Why did you fall, you dumbass¡­?"

 Chapter 199: A Hero Is Born from Despair (4)

    "UGH, AHH!!"

    He grabbed his head and twisted his body as he slowly turned into a demon.

    An intense craving rose from his body, and an intense thirst governed his head.

    A craving for strength¡­

    An intense sense of desire devoured his body.

    ''What''s this?''

    He couldn''t understand it.

    A strength he had never felt before covered his body, an aggressive and destructive energy.

    He instinctively knew it was different from ''Qi.''

    "Haa."

    He took a deep breath, and his head cleared.

    Intense energy flowed inside his body.

    He looked at his hands and saw they were no longer trembling.

    He couldn''t understand why he''d turned out like that. What had made him change so much?

    But¡­

    <em>ck-</em>

    He grabbed his sword. A thrilling sensation spread through his hand.

    He knew his current status was weird, and he also knew he''d diverted from the correct route.

    "I don''t need it."

    All that mattered was that he could grab his sword and save the woman he loved from the hands of the demon.

    He had even thought that it would be okay even if he couldn''t grab a sword anymore.

    His body having turned into a demon¡¯s? He couldugh that off.

    He grabbed his sword and prepared to fight.

    [Huh?]

    A flustered voice left Yogsaron''s mouth.

    With his mouth agape, he looked at Kim ShiHoon slowly turning into a demon.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    Kim ShiHoon stomped on the ground.

    His body shot forward with an intense aura of demonic energy around it.

    ck sword energy flowed from the sword in his hands.

    He twisted his body and smashed the sword down.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    [Ugh!]

    Yogsaron was pushed back.

    He was surprised. After hesitating for a bit, he put Gaia down carefully.

    [I''m not sure what''s going on¡­]

    But it would be dangerous if things kept going on like that.

    The human in front of him emitted an ominous energy that he sensed to be ''dangerous.''

    He clenched his fists, nted his feet, and extended his hands.

    The green tentacles spread out.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    Five tentacles were cut by a single attack.

    Kim ShiHoon twisted his body and dodged the remaining tentacles, which mmed into the ground.

    He jumped onto and ran along the tentacles.

    A ck light cut Yogsaron''s body.

    [Ugh!]

    He quickly moved his back. His corbone was cracked, and ck blood poured out.

    Yogsaron frowned.

    An intense fighting spirit red up within him.

    He ripped off the tentacles stuck to his body as if they bothered him, and his eyes shone like an experienced martial artist¡¯s.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    The sword and fist shed.

    A huge impact that resembled a bomb going off shook their surroundings.

    The trees were cut, the ground exploded, and dirt flew in all directions.

    The tips of Yogsaron''s mouth went up.

    ''Not bad.''

    For him, fighting was his reason for living.

    The sword that was being swung at him made him excited.

    He covered both fists with demonic energy.

    He pulled his foot back, lowered his body, and raised his fists upward.

    The sword blocked the attack, and Kim ShiHoon was pushed back by an overwhelming difference in strength.

    He twisted his body while being pushed back and extended his wings. It seemed like he was stepping in the air.

    He turned his body around as if he were doing acrobatics and focused the entire weight of his body on the sword, swinging it down with the goal of splitting the demon¡¯s head in two.

    Crack-!

    The demon raised his arms and blocked the attack, the sword crushed his demonic energy gauntlet, and ck blood poured out of his split wrist.

    Yogsaron pulled his body back, and his wrist regenerated almost instantly.

    [Ha.]

    Heughed in disbelief.

    He could feel a sense of thrill crawling up his back. The beast''s senses that told him he was facing a strong opponent stimted him, and violent energy spread through his body.

    Demonic Energy spread through their surroundings.

    He extended his hands and tried to tear the tentacles off.

    <em>Stop-</em>

    He heard a voice in his ear.

    His hands halted.

    The intensifying lust for battle died off.

    - Don''t act on your own, Balrog.

    Themunication device he had in his ear transmitted the King¡¯s voice.

    * * *

    "Damn."

    KangWoo bit his fingernail.

    Kim ShiHoon had taken the form of a demon.

    His head hurt at the unexpected developments.

    ''Why did things be like this?''

    In reality, it wasn''t hard to figure out why, but he just wanted to deny reality.

    ''Did I push him too much?''

    Based on Kim ShiHoon''s Awakening patterns, he thought that he would Awaken again once pushed, but maybe he''d gone too far.

    Instead of the Martial God''s strength, he''d epted KangWoo''s demonic energy.

    ''This is bad.''

    It was an unexpected development of events.

    He knew that there was a chance Kim ShiHoon would be influenced by the demonic energy due to the Authority of Subordination, but Kim ShiHoon was different from Echidna or Balzac.

    The main source of his strength wasn''t demonic energy but a power called Qi.

    The power he used waspletely different, so using it like that should¡¯ve been impossible.

    ''Damn.''

    Kim ShiHoon didn''t know that he''d been made a familiar spirit through the Authority of Subordination.

    That was something that shouldn¡¯t have ever been revealed, but from the way things turned out, he was going to suspect.

    After all, he''d learned that there was demonic energy inside his body, an energy he shouldn¡¯t have had.

    ''First, I must eliminate that doubt.''

    Everything would be over if the fact he''d used the Authority of Subordination became known.

    The rtionship with Kim ShiHoon he''d built with so much effort would bepletely ruined.

    KangWoo picked up themunication device.

    "Balrog, repeat what I say. You should make it sound as natural and dirty as possible."

    He saw Balrog nodding.

    ''The best way to eliminate that doubt is¡­''

    He''d just thought it up on the spot, but it seemed quite good

    "Hahaha, as expected."

    Kim ShiHoon had taken the unconscious Gaia to a safe ce.

    Balrog began tough out loud.

    ''Good.''

    He saw Kim ShiHoon looking at Balrog.

    What Balrog should say was already decided.

    ''Let''s use the cheat once more.''

    KangWoo gulped and kept talking.

    "So the ''seed'' Mr. Satan nted finally blossomed."

    ''I believe in you, Mr. Satan!!''

    ¡®Please, solve this fucked-up situation!!!¡¯

    * * *

    [So the ''seed'' Mr. Satan nted finally blossomed.]

    "What¡­?"

    Yogsaron kept talking while making an evil smile.

    That was enough to shock Kim ShiHoon.

    "Seed?"

    Was it because he''d taken Gaia to a safe ce? Kim ShiHoon had recovered part of his reason.

    The ck skin and wings on his back, the long tail that resembled a reptile, and the horn on his forehead¡­

    He clearly looked like a demon.

    "Don''t tell me, all of this¡­"

    [Yes. It''s something that was nned by Satan.]

    Yogsaron smiled.

    [Why did you think Mr. Satan became interested in a mere human? It''s because he knew you had the soul of the Martial God inside of you.]

    "¡­"

    [He nted a seed inside of you¡ªone that would turn you into a demon.]

    "Why?"

    He couldn''t understand it.

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan¡­

    Why did he want to make him fall and turn into a demon?

    "Ah."

    A short exmation left his mouth as if he''dpleted a puzzle.

    Kim ShiHoon''s body trembled.

    He remembered what had happened a few months prior in South America, how KangWoo''s underling, Balrog, was about to be controlled by a magic circle.

    ''The Demon Cult¡­ have a way to control demons.''

    Then there was only one reason why they would want to turn him into a demon.

    "Were you¡­ trying to control me?"

    [Hahaha! Thankfully, you aren''t dumb enough not to understand.]

    Yogsaron began tough out loud.

    His green tentacles wiggled.

    [Yes. This was all to make you into a loyal puppet of Mr. Satan.]

    "¡­"

    [A human that has the soul of the Martial God¡­ Hahaha. Although you''re weak now, it''s certainly interesting.]

    Yogsaron''s eyes shone.

    [How desperate will Gaia be if she sees how you''ve fallen? Huh?]

    <em>Tap-</em>

    Kim ShiHoon took a step backward and grabbed his head as if he didn''t want to believe what was happening.

    "No."

    That wasn''t what he wanted.

    He didn''t want to be a demon, and turning into Satan¡¯s puppet wasn¡¯t his intention.

    The frail woman that looked as if she were going to break if he wasn''t careful enough¡­

    He just wanted to protect her.

    [Hahaha!! Nice! Once you be a puppet, I''m going to make sure you kill her with your own hands!!!]

    "Ah¡­"

    Just thinking about it horrified him.

    Fear spread through his body, and he imagined himself killing Gaia. Just the thought made him want to vomit.

    ''I¡­ I must return to normal.''

    It wasn''t toote yet.

    He could still push the demonic energy out of his body.

    He only hesitated for a short while.

    Kim ShiHoon concentrated on pushing out the darkness that had spread through his body.

    ''Wait¡­''

    He looked at his hands that were still gripping his sword.

    ''If I give up this strength now¡­''

    He might return to not being able to hold a sword again.

    He started to hesitate.

    ''No.''

    He didn''t think for much longer.

    He couldn''t be Satan''s puppet.

    Even if it were for those important to him, he had to give up on that strength.

    "Cough!"

    A horrible thirst shook his body.

    The desire for strength controlled his body.

    "No¡­"

    He felt his consciousness starting to fade.

    He felt that his mind was about to be eaten by desires.

    "Ah¡­"

    Tears dripped from his eyes.

    He couldn''t resist the desires of a demon''s body.

    His field of vision became blurry, and he began thinking that bing a demon wouldn''t be that bad of an idea.

    "Shi¡­Hoon?"

    At that moment, he heard a familiar voice.

    It was as if lightning had struck his head.

    Kim ShiHoon turned around while trembling.

    "KangWoo¡­ hyeong¡­?"

    The person he trusted the most in the world was behind him.

 Chapter 200: A Hero Is Born from Despair (5)

    "ShiHoon? A-are you really ShiHoon?"

    KangWoo''s eyes shook, and it looked as if he were having a bad nightmare.

    "N-no. There''s no way you¡¯re ShiHoon."

    His body trembled, and he grabbed his hair and shook his head.

    He tried to deny reality.

    There''s no way the demon in front of him was Kim ShiHoon.

    "H-hyeongnim."

    "Shut up! How dare you act as if you¡¯re ShiHoon!" he shouted aggressively.

    He brought out Del Lain, the sword that emitted a golden light, and a strong killing intent rose from him.

    He red at Kim ShiHoon and Yogsaron with resentment.

    "Where is he?"

    <em>Boom!</em> He stomped on the ground.

    Golden light started to spread in all directions.

    ''''Where''s Kim ShiHoon, you motherfuckers?!!" he desperately shouted as if he wanted to erase the worst possible scenario in front of him.

    [HAHAHAHA!!!]

    Yogsaron grabbed his stomach and beganughing out loud.

    The tips of his mouth went up as if he found the situation funny.

    He opened his mouth while looking at KangWoo.

    [You can''t recognize your little brother despite him being right in front of you?]

    "Wh-what?"

    [That, over there, is your little brother.]

    He raised his hands and pointed to Kim ShiHoon.

    "That demon is ShiHoon? Don''t say nonsense!" he shouted, but he already knew it.

    He already knew it from the atmosphere that came out of him and how he was looking at him.

    "Hyeong¡­ nim."

    "No¡­"

    He tried to deny it.

    He shook his head with a pale expression on his face.

    He didn''t want to believe the nightmare.

    "Why¡­ why are you¡­"

    "I''m¡­ sorry."

    Kim ShiHoon lowered his head.

    He''d fallen after being deceived by Satan.

    He felt as if his heart were burning after KangWoo saw him like that.

    Kim ShiHoon looked at his own body.

    ''Even now¡­''

    It still wasn¡¯tte.

    He could go back¡­ He could still clean the spoiled water.

    KangWoo also had the body of a demon before epting Tyrion''s strength and bing an Apostle of the Hero God.

    Just like him, he just had to give up on the demonic energy that was inside his body.

    "Ugh¡­"

    A thirst spread through his body.

    He felt as if his throat was being scratched with sharp metal, and his body trembled as if it were being dried up.

    ''I must give it up.''

    He had to let it go¡­

    He had to let the dark energy inside his body go¡­

    It wasn''t hard¡­

    All he had to do was let go of the rope¡­

    It was simple and easy, but¡­

    "UGH, AAAHHH!"

    He struggled in pain.

    The horrible thirst that a demon''s body caused that he''d never felt until that point took control of his body.

    It was like a drug addict was trying to spit a drug out that was already on his tongue.

    It was like pouring a ss of water out in front of someone who was about to die of dehydration under the sweltering sun.

    No, it was worse than that.

    There was a reason why most people that epted demonic energy inside their bodies lost their minds.

    Not only that, but the demonic energy inside his body belonged to the Demon King.

    The desire caused by a demon''s body was eating his body as if it was a curse.

    "Sh-ShiHoon!"

    KangWoo anxiously spread his hands.

    Kim ShiHoon started to convulse.

    "Ah¡­ AAGGHH!"

    He scratched his cheeks with his ws and tore his skin.

    ck blood poured down from his cheeks.

    His body twisted and he grabbed his hair. <em>Crack.</em> His fingers pierced his head.

    His scalp was torn away, and he screamed.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    He raised his sword and smashed his arms.

    He desperately swung his sword to free himself from the desires.

    Blood sshed everywhere, and his bones became visible.

    That onlysted for a moment. As if the time were being rewound, his wounds closed up again.

    Only the pain remained.

    "Get out of me!!!"

    It didn''t stop.

    Tears dripped from his eyes.

    If things went on like that, he would be Satan''s puppet.

    He would end up killing the woman he loved and twisting the neck of the hyeong he admired.

    No, KangWoo was overwhelmingly stronger than him, so the opposite was probably going to happen.

    Either way, it didn''t matter.

    Both results would be catastrophic.

    There was no hope anymore.

    ''I must free myself.''

    He had to be free from Satan''s deceptions and his own horrifying desire.

    He put more strength on the sword.

    He hoped the pain would wash away this mind-blowing thirst.

    "ShiHoon!"

    KangWoo went to him.

    He grabbed the sword and shouted, "Stop it, you idiot!!!"

    "Hyeongnim, I¡­"

    "You can tell meter. First, you should calm down¡­"

    "No."

    He shook his head.

    * * *

    He could feel that the demonic energy was starting to change his body even more.

    It would be the end if he couldn''t stop it from spreading right then.

    He would fully be a demon and turn into Satan''s puppet.

    "I must do it right now."

    "What¡­ what do you have to do?!"

    "I can revert it. It¡­ still isn''t toote," he said in a desperate voice.

    It wasn''t toote. Not yet.

    He grabbed the sword and sawed at his arms again.

    The sharp de cut his muscles and bones.

    A horrible pain spread through his body.

    He began pouring the demonic energy from inside his body out through the wounds.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    The horn that had appeared on his forehead disappeared, and the bat wings were starting to decrease in size.

    "Ugh, agh¡­"

    The more he pushed the demonic energy away, the more intense the thirst became.

    His consciousness became blurry.

    It felt as if the demonic energy that had devoured his body was talking to him.

    - Are you really going to give up?

    The demon''s sweet whisper¡­

    He could see the demon wearing a red maskughing while looking at him.

    "Shut¡­ up."

    He knew it was an illusion.

    The Satan he could see and hear was all fake.

    It was just a nightmare created by that crazy thirst, but even if he knew it was fake, it was hard to resist the temptation.

    <em>Crack.</em> The horn on his forehead started to rise again.

    His field of vision was distorted and covered by darkness.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    It wasn¡¯t hard to guess what he was experiencing.

    ''Not good.''

    He knew how strong the desires of a demon were.

    When he fell into the Hell of the Nine Skies, he struggled a lot while trying to resist those urges.

    ''Was it not enough for me to appear?''

    He was hoping Kim ShiHoon could push those temptations away after looking at him, but it seemed like the stimtion wasn''t big enough.

    ''If Kim ShiHoon keeps living as a demon¡­''

    He already used the Satan cheat, so he had washed away the suspicions about the Authority of Subordination.

    ShiHoon staying as a demon might be helpful, but he shook his head.

    ''No.''

    Kim ShiHoon''s source of strength wasn''t demonic energy.

    That was like putting petrol into an electric car.

    It was hard to imagine what side effect it would have if things kept going on like that.

    ''In the worst-case scenario¡­''

    Kim ShiHoon would die.

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    He couldn''t let that happen.

    ''Then it¡¯s time¡­''

    It was about time to use hisst card.

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    ''This is going to work.''

    He was sure of it.

    He looked at Kim ShiHoon, who was trembling in desperation.

    "Ehem."

    ''First, adjust the vocal tone.''

    He closed his eyes a bit and tried to get the emotions right.

    His little brother who had turned into a demon¡­ His ally had fallen after being deceived by a demon¡­

    The friendship and love that blossomed in the middle of a desperate situation¡­

    The setup was very important.

    KangWoo slowly opened his mouth, extended his hands, and grabbed Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders.

    "ShiHoon! Come back to your senses!!"

    ''The emotions are on point.''

    He spoke in a desperate voice that surprised even him.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Activating the Authority of Subordination.]

    He could hear the notification message bell at the same time.

    ck energy flowed out of KangWoo''s hands and entered Kim ShiHoon''s body.

    "Hyeong¡­ nim."

    "Come back to your senses, bastard!!"

    "I''m¡­ sorry¡­ Hyeongnim¡­ I¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon''s body trembled.

    "Ah."

    At that moment, Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened.

    He felt an unknown sensation rising from inside him.

    He quickly turned his head.

    [Hahaha. Can you feel it? This is the strength of the ''seed'' that Mr. Satan nted inside you.]

    Yogsaron opened his mouth while he watched everything unfold with his arms crossed.

    Kim ShiHoon''s expression darkened in despair.

    "No¡­"

    The desire to destroy, the hatred, and the craziness¡­

    Kim ShiHoon''s hands were moving on their own.

    "N,-no!!"

    He was doing his best to control his own movement, but it wasn''t enough with that.

    The seed that Satan had nted blossomed inside him.

    A horrifying desire to kill was aimed toward KangWoo.

    "What''s wrong?!"

    "H-hyeongnim! P-please get away¡­"

    <em>Stab-</em>

    "Ah."

    The sword in his hands pierced KangWoo''s stomach.

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes and mouth fell open.

    He could feel his hands stained with blood.

    It was the chilling sensation of killing in cold blood.

    "Cough."

    Blood spurted out of KangWoo''s mouth.

    He looked at the sword piercing his stomach in disbelief.

    "H-hyeongnim¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I''m¡­ sorry."

    Tears dripped from his eyes.

    He was hoping everything that was unfolding in front of him was just a nightmare, but the hot blood flowing over his hands was proof that it was real.

    "Wh-what did I¡­?"

    He felt that he was about to go crazy.

    No, he might have already gone mad.

    KangWoo hugged him when he was about to lose his mind.

    "Hyeong¡­ nim¡­?"

    "Haa. Cough! Come back to your senses, you idiot."

    His voice was so weak that it sounded like he would perish at any moment.

    "I don''t know why you''ve be like this."

    "H-hyeongnim¡­ Y-you shouldn''t talk anymore. You¡¯re b-bleeding!" Kim ShiHoon shouted while crying.

    KangWoo ignored him and didn''t let him go.

    "You can do it."

    "¡­"

    "You can beat this."

    KangWoo smiled at him.

    "ShiHoon¡­"

    He ced his hands on his cheek.

    "Thanks for staying as my little brother."

    "Ah."

    Kim ShiHoon''s body trembled.

    Trauma. The trauma that had been carved into his soul¡­

    - I''m sorry for giving birth to you.

    The words that had been applying pressure on him¡­

    Those words that were a nightmare and a curse¡­ Up until then, he''d lived to go against those words.

    Tears dripped from his eyes.

    KangWoo¡¯s words of affirmation; his thanks for being there¡­

    How much had he wanted to hear those words?

    "Agh¡­"

    He could do it.

    Satan''s seed, and the demonic energy inside his body¡­ he could toss it all away.

    Thirst hit him, but he ignored it.

    A craving for strength invaded his mind, but he ignored it.

    ''I¡­''

    His sight became pitch-ck.

    He tore down the darkness from which he couldn''t see anything.

    The darkness disappeared; instead, it became filled with a blue light.

    Kim ShiHoon''s body was surrounded by intense blue light.

    Ting-

    [Your assimtion with Martial God Cheon TaeHwang has reached 51.2%.]

    [All the conditions for Transformation have been fulfilled.]

    [Your body is being restructured.]

    [You''ve learned the unique skill ''Sword Control.'']

    <em>BOOM!-!!</em>

    The ground shook.

    When Kim ShiHoon''s body was surrounded by blue light, KangWoo''s body fell to the ground.

    KangWoo slightly opened his eyes and looked at Kim ShiHoon; the tips of his mouth went up.

    ''Yes! Fuck! This is it!''

    He remembered hisst phrase.

    - Thanks for staying as my little brother.

    ''Woah.''

    KangWoo trembled in excitement while thinking about what he''d said.

    ''I¡¯m so fucking cool.''

    That was why everyone loved him.

 Chapter 201: Survivor of the Magic Tower (1)

    <em>Crack-</em>

    The sound of bones grinding together could be heard.

    ShiHoon¡¯s muscles started to move, and a ck liquid came out of his pores.

    ''Ah.''

    He let out an exmation.

    It was a weird sensation as if he were being reborn.

    It wasn''t a horrible pain like he''d often heard.

    Rather than that, it felt refreshing. It was as if someone was scratching itchy parts of his body.

    Rime went on.

    He slowly opened his eyes and took a deep breath. The air of the forest entered his lungs. A hard-to-exin, clear feeling covered him.

    He felt like his body was as light as a feather and extended his hands to grab the sword that had pierced KangWoo''s stomach.

    Blue light surrounded the sword, and it came out smoothly as if it were alive. KangWoo copsed.

    "Hyeongnim¡­"

    He extended his hands, and KangWoo was surrounded by blue energy as if a psychic were using telekinesis on him.

    He slowlyy KangWoo on the floor.

    The blue energy covered his wound.

    Surprisingly, not a single drop of blood wasing out from where he''d just stabbed him.

    ''I must end things quickly.''

    Having used Sword Control to seal the damage was just a temporary solution.

    To fully heal his wound, he had to take him to the Hall of Protection, return to Korea, and then call for Han Seol-ah.

    [Wh-what the?!]

    He saw Yogsaron¡¯s surprised expression.

    He turned and gripped his sword. He wasn''t trembling anymore.

    "Yog¡­ saron."

    He said the name with resentment.

    The underling of the demon he hated the most¡­

    He was a being who''d put Gaia in danger, and he¡¯d made him stab KangWoo.

    ''I must kill him.''

    There was no reason to keep him alive.

    Strong killing intent surged from ShiHoon.

    [Damn! H-how did you free yourself from the influence of the seed?!]

    He had a confused expression.

    [A human shouldn''t be able to resist a demon''s cravings!]

    "Don''t say nonsense, demon."

    He charged without hesitation while holding the sword.

    Certainly, just like Yogsaron said, the cravings of a demon''s body were strong.

    There probably wasn¡¯t a single drug that could bepared to it.

    ''But¡­''

    One could ovee it.

    He was evidence of that.

    He''d touched rock bottom and barely managed to rise back up, but it wasn''t ''impossible.''

    "I won''t let you do as you wish."

    He took a step forward and thrust out the sword, which left his hands and moved freely across the air as if it were alive.

    ''Blue Dragon 1st Form.''

    Light shone, and blue energy shed through the space and cut Yogsaron''s body.

    [How dare a mere human!!!]

    The battle kept going on.

    It waspletely different from when he was one-sidedly beaten up.

    Kim ShiHoon''s body moved incredibly fast while leaving an afterimage.

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    He felt free, and he was able to do things that he couldn¡¯t do before.

    The fact that he could use sword techniques without holding the sword made it possible for him to do incredible movements.

    [Ugh!! D-damn!]

    As the fight continued, the number of wounds on Yogsaron''s body increased.

    His skin was torn, and the green tentacles were cut.

    Yogsaron anxiously looked around.

    He grabbed a ck sphere from within his body.

    [You¡­ don''t think that things will end like this.]

    He red at him with strong killing intent.

    <em>Crack.</em> He destroyed the ck sphere with his hands.

    A ck fissure appeared and devoured Yogsaron''s body.

    "I won''t let you go!!"

    Kim ShiHoon charged forward.

    Yogsaron waved his hands, and a huge army of undead charged toward ShiHoon.

    "Ugh!"

    Kim ShiHoon could kill each undead with one attack, but there were hundreds of them.

    Even if he''d just Awakened, he couldn''t eliminate such a huge amount of monsters in the blink of an eye.

    ''I should ignore them¡­''

    He was trying to follow Yogsaron, who was about to disappear through the fissure.

    He saw the undead running toward the unconscious Gaia and KangWoo.

    "Damn¡­"

    He couldn''t follow the demon if the price was giving up on those two.

    Kim ShiHoon bit his lip and red at Yogsaron.

    [Don''t forget it, human.]

    Yogsaron and Kim ShiHoon looked at each other.

    [In the end, the demons will win!]

    He extended both hands and spoke in a madness-filled voice.

    [Everything as Mr. Satan wills it!]

    Yogsaronpletely disappeared through the fissure.

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent while watching Yogsaron disappear.

    He looked at where he¡¯d disappeared with sharp eyes but ended up turning his head.

    He had no time to think about the escaped demon.

    "Ugh."

    "Hyeongnim! KangWoo hyeongnim!!"

    "ShiHoon?"

    KangWoo got up.

    Kim ShiHoon quickly went running to KangWoo while crying.

    KangWoo smiled and looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    "I knew that you''d be able to do it."

    "D-don''t get up yet, hyeongnim! Your wound¡­"

    "Why is someone whose arms were regenerated by me worried about that? I''ll be okay as long as I don''t die."

    KangWoo smiled bitterly and healed his wound.

    Even if the wound was closed, it seemed that physical damage was still left.

    KangWoo, who was trying to get up, began staggering.

    "Hyeongnim!"

    "I''m okay, but more than that, what happened? Why did you turn into a demon?"

    "That¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon hesitated a bit.

    After thinking for a while, he told him what Yogsaron had told him.

    "A seed, huh?"

    "I''m sorry. Because of me¡­"

    "No, it''s okay."

    * * *

    He shook his head.

    "I think that we should keep this a secret."

    "Yes¡­"

    "Don''t be so worried."

    KangWoo patted his shoulders.

    He held Kim ShiHoon''s hands.

    "Anyway, you managed to beat it on your own."

    "¡­"

    "You''ve already done it once, so you''ll probably be okay."

    "It isn''t that simple of an issue¡­"

    "ShiHoon, I believe in you."

    "Hyeong¡­"

    Tears appeared in Kim ShiHoon''s eyes.

    He''d feared he might kill someone important to him with his own hands, and in the middle of such fear, KangWoo''s words had been of great help.

    "Hyeong!!!"

    ''Don''t hug me.''

    KangWoo pushed Kim ShiHoon away.

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s expression resembled an abandoned dog¡¯s.

    ''Don''t try to act as if you feel hurt.''

    Why was he aiming for the role of the main heroine?

    "There''s another person you should be hugging."

    "Ah¡­"

    "Eh? M-Mr. ShiHoon?"

    Gaia, who had been unconscious, carefully got up.

    She looked around in confusion, and she didn''t seem to be acting.

    "Ms. Gaia¡­"

    "Guardian Kim ShiHoon! Eh¡­ I mean¡­ what happened?"

    ''Nice, sister-inw!''

    Thankfully, she spoke in a trembling voice as if she knew her role.

    Kim ShiHoon helped Gaia stand up.

    KangWoo smiled while looking at them.

    ''With this¡­''

    The hero had blossomed in the middle of despair, the evil demon had escaped, and the weak heroine had been rescued.

    ''This is what I call a novel ending!''

    Hahaha.

    * * *

    [That human was certainly impressive.]

    A weekter, after Kim ShiHoon''s incident¡­

    After the training session with Mamon''s Authority was over, Balrog opened his mouth.

    KangWoo nodded.

    It wasn''t hard to guess who Balrog was talking about.

    "If he weren''t impressive, I wouldn''t have tried that hard."

    [I''m just impressed by the King''s ability to recognize strong people. To be honest, I didn''t expect that human to be that much stronger in the middle of our act.]

    Balrog remembered the fight with Kim ShiHoon.

    He felt a thrill spread through his body.

    KangWoo smirked.

    "Do you think you''ll be caught up to?"

    [Haha. Even if he''s epted the soul of a god inside his body, I, Balrog, am not so weak that I''d lose against a human brat,] Balrog answered without hesitation.

    KangWoo nodded.

    At that moment, Balrog''s condition wasn''t the best. Not only that, but he wasn''t using his main weapon¡ªhe''d fought Kim ShiHoon with tentacles.

    ''To be honest, he''s be so strong that he should probably be able to beat an average great demon.''

    A smile appeared on KangWoo¡¯s face.

    Kim ShiHoon should be able to deal with chickens like Halphas, Malphas, and Phenex.

    ''I''m proud of you.''

    A proud smile appeared on his face.

    With the Awakening, he''d be so strong that he was strong enough to get into the top five in the army he used to lead in the past.

    ''As expected, trying hard never fails.''

    It had been worth it.

    ''Still, there''s a long way to go.''

    He didn''t have aint regarding Kim ShiHoon''s growth speed, but the thing he had an issue with was how strong Earht¡¯s yers were in general.

    ''I don''t expect them to be as strong as ShiHoon, but it would be great if stronger yers started to appear.''

    The difference in power between demons and humans was too much.

    If KangWoo hadn''t been there, a single archduke would''ve been able to destroy Earth.

    "Hngh."

    It was true that what he wished for was too much.

    ''It has only been six years since yers appeared.''

    The fact that humanity had be strong enough to be able to defeat monsters in six years was already a miracle.

    "I guess I''ll just have to believe in the future¡­"

    He just had to hope yers would grow more through future encounters.

    "Balrog, the break is over."

    For the moment, he had to learn how to control Mamon''s Authority and¡­

    ''Try to fuse this Authority with others.''

    An archduke''s Authority¡­

    There had been no cases of the strength of a Transcendent being mixed with another.

    It was something that had never happened before, and it wouldn''t happen in the future if not for KangWoo.

    It was something that no one would try unless they were a crazy irregr like Oh KangWoo.

    ''For now, it''s impossible.''

    He still couldn''t control the Authority of mes to perfection, so fusing it with another Authority was out of the question.

    Fusing one Authority with another increased how difficult it was to control.

    It was something no one had managed to do before, so he had to be very careful about it.

    ''Still, one day¡­''

    He raised his hands, and a small me danced in his palms.

    He still hadn''t caught up to Mamon''s ability to control the mes, but as time went on, he would catch up to and surpass him.

    ¡­Just like he''d always done before.

    [You were also like this in Hell¡­ but King, you really don''t rest.]

    "There isn''t anyone who doesn''t take a break."

    Most people couldn¡¯t go on without taking a break, and that was also the case for KangWoo.

    He really wanted to have a date with Han Seol-ah, watch TV with Echidna, and go to the inte cafe with Chae YeonJoo.

    "Ah, I really want to rest¡­"

    Thinking about it made him crave those things even more.

    After learning Mamon''s Authority, he''d spent 20 hours a day trying to control it.

    ''No, maybe even more.''

    He had used the Authority of Concentration, which made him feel like time was flowing slower, so, ording to his senses, he''d spent much more time than that.

    His goal in his life was to be a millionaire with no job, so it was hard to resist taking a break.

    ''Fuck, let me take a break.''

    Before returning to Earth, he thought he would enjoy a life of leisure once he got there, but before he noticed, he had to keep fighting with the Earth¡¯s future at stake.

    He was starting to get annoyed.

    ''I should pick a day to rest¡­''

    "Oh, my King, so you need to take a rest?"

    He heard a voiceing from behind.

    He turned his head. Lilith was looking at him with a smile on her face.

    "No," he answered without hesitation.

    He kept talking in a low voice.

    "We don''t have time to rest."

    "Oh, you''re saying that again."

    It didn''t work with her.

    Lilith hugged KangWoo while smiling.

    "Now that I think about it, we haven¡¯t gotten to spend much time together since my arrival in this world."

    ''I''m okay with things staying like this.''

    "I can understand why my King is so tired. You''re missing the nights with me."

    ''I''m going to work like a dog without taking a single day off.''

    He looked at her desperately.

    Had his look worked? Lilith sighed and kept talking.

    "I want to spend an intense night with my king¡­ but it seems like that''s going to be hard today."

    ''Woah, what happened?''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone at the unexpected answer.

    "Did something happen?"

    "There''s something I need to inform you of¡­"

    Lilith kept talking with a calm voice,

    "A survivor of where the forces of Lucifer shed with the Demon Cult has asked for protection from Guardian."

    "A Demon Cult member¡­?"

    "No. He said he isn''t a Demon Cult member. ording to him, he was just kidnapped by them and forced to work like a ve."

    "Then what did he say he was?"

    He asked curiously.

    "He said he''s a magician¡­ from the Magic Tower."

 Chapter 202: Survivor of the Magic Tower (2)

    "The Magic Tower?"

    The Magic Tower¡­

    It was an organization he had never heard about, yet it felt familiar for some unknown reason.

    It felt that they had appeared out of nowhere, just like how an organization called ''The Magic Tower'' appeared in some novels because what would a fantasy novel be without such an organization?

    "They said it''s called ''The Tower of Truth,'' to be more precise."

    "The Tower of Truth¡­"

    He scratched his chin.

    It didn''t matter if the name was ¡®Tower of Magic¡¯ or ¡®Tower of Truth¡¯.

    "What country is this guild from?"

    "They''re arge-scale guild located in Europe. They¡¯re a bit unique¡­ It seems like they have a long history."

    "A long history?"

    It had only been six years since yers appeared on Earth. How long of a history could they have?

    ¡®Wait¡­¡¯

    He narrowed his eyes.

    He recalled Cheon MooJin and Zhuge Xuan.

    ''They said they''d been using martial arts before yers appeared.''

    In the case of Cheon MooJin, although most of it had been lost or modified, he even knew the martial art techniques of Martial God Cheon TaeHwang.

    ''Then¡­''

    That meant the Tower of Truth had existed before the Cataclysmic Day.

    Just like Cheon MooJin used martial arts before that day, there was a chance they were also using techniques that couldn''t be exined with science since before the Cataclysmic Day.

    ''It doesn''t sound impossible.''

    The Demon Cult was an organization with thousands of years of history, after all.

    Magic, incantations, martial arts¡­

    Those things that spread after the Cataclysmic Day had existed since before it as well.

    ¡°Where is he?"

    "We''ve locked him in the Hall of Protection with Ms. Gaia''s permission. Mr. ShiHoon is guarding him."

    He nodded.

    It didn''t matter what organization he was from¡ªthey couldn''t immediately believe his words that he wasn''t a Demon Cult member.

    There probably weren¡¯t any idiots who, while asking for refuge from Guardian, would confidently say he was a Demon Cult member.

    He stood up.

    "Are you going to go?"

    "There''s no better way than talking directly, after all."

    "Fufu, I¡¯ll guide you there."

    "If it''s the Hall of Protection, I''ve been there too many times already.''

    KangWoo smirked and opened a gate that led there.

    ''Now that I think about it, it''s quitefortable.''

    He could go there from anywhere around the world. Not only that, but it could take him to any Guardian base worldwide, so in terms offort, it was top-notch.

    As he walked through the gate, he saw a familiar, white passageway.

    "Hyeongnim."

    Kim ShiHoon, who was protecting the entrance, greeted him.

    He nodded and entered the room.

    There, he saw an old man with white hair and a beard who had been locked away by a magic power restraining device.

    He looked like an old magician from a certain fantasy movie where they go on a journey to find a ring.

    He sat in front of him.

    "Nice to meet you."

    "You¡­"

    "I''m Oh KangWoo from Guardian. There were a few things I wanted to ask."

    "Ugh."

    The old man twisted his body as if the magic power restraining device were ufortable.

    KangWoo opened his mouth while smiling.

    "I hope you can understand, even if the restraining device is a bit ufortable."

    "Ah, yes¡­! O-of course."

    The old man was surprised and bowed his head.

    He carefully opened his mouth.

    "My name is Kadga. I''m a Magician from the Tower of Truth."

    "I''ve never heard of it."

    "The existence of the Magic Tower isn''t publicly known,¡± he said with pride.

    * * *

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.

    "I heard you were kidnapped by the Demon Cult¡­ Tell me specifically what happened."

    "It''s just as you heard. Those dirty demons kidnapped us and treated us like ves¡­! Ugh."

    It seemed like he was overflowing with emotions. He frowned and bit his lip.

    KangWoo felt a desperate emotion flowing in him, and his eyes shone.

    ''He doesn¡¯t seem to be lying.''

    He hadn''t talked while crying as a victim usually did, but he didn''t seem to be acting.

    "Haa. Haa."

    Kadga calmed down and kept talking.

    "We, the magicians of the Magic Tower, have been investigating magic for a very long time in order to study the truth."

    "I heard you''ve been using magic since before yers appeared¡­"

    "Yes, that''s right," he said confidently.

    "I guess you could say it''s a small reward for researching the truth. We were able to do some miracles."

    "I see."

    "While we were researching, we were ambushed by the Demon Cult. They robbed our magic and kidnapped us to make us work like ves."

    "When was that?"

    "Hmm¡­ about a year ago."

    His eyes became teary as if he was remembering a terrible nightmare.

    ''A year ago¡­"

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed after hearing that.

    "Don''t magicians of the Magic Tower have magic useful in battle?"

    "No. That''s not the case. We have strong magics that have been taught from generation to generation, but¡­"

    Kadga lowered his eyes.

    "We weren''t able to beat the demons."

    ''Well, I guess that makes sense.''

    Demons and humans¡­ There was a clear difference in strength between the two races.

    Of course, some humans could cut and y most demons, for example, Kim ShiHoon, but that was an exception.

    "You said your magic was robbed¡­ What did they rob exactly?"

    "We were forced to create a magic item they required. They were very small, ck jewels¡­ They were used to create very weird-looking stakes."

    "I see."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    Demonic Energy Stones and Fissure Fragments¡­

    He understood how they were able to mass-produce those things.

    "We were also forced to enchant numerous equipment and weapons and were basically forced to work as factory workers."

    He clenched his fists in anger.

    "Those damn demons! Magic isn''t supposed to be used for meaningless things like that!!"

    "Calm down¡­ How did you free yourself?"

    "Some unknown demons attacked the factory that we were in. It seemed like there was some kind of internal conflict¡­ We took that opportunity to escape."

    He''d taken advantage of the fight between the Demon Cult and Lucifer''s underlings and escaped.

    Kadga bowed to KangWoo.

    "Please! There are more of us who are still being held by the Demon Cult! Even now, they''re being tortured by those evil demons. Please¡­ Please, save them!"

    "Of course," KangWoo answered without hesitation and smiled.

    ''The Magic Tower¡­''

    The Magic Tower, an organization of magicians that had been searching for the truth for a very long time.

    ''Well, they don''t seem to be quite worthy of pity.''

    He almost felt pity after hearing the circumstances they were forced into, but when he thought about it, there didn''t seem to be the need for that.

    ''If they were ambushed a year ago¡­''

    That meant that, before that, the Magic Tower had remained peaceful.

    ''And the fact that no one knew about their existence¡­ Well, it probably means that¡­''

    They hadn''t done anything on the Cataclysmic Day despite humanity¡¯s struggle.

    They had the power to fight monsters since before yers had appeared, yet they hadn''t done that.

    They hadn''t protected or saved anyone.

    The only thing that mattered to them was ''investigating the truth.''

    ''It''s not like you have to use your strength for the benefit of others just because you have more strength.''

    Still, at least it wasn''t that good, innocent people had been kidnapped and forced to work.

    People who were silent and hadn''t done anything while others were suffering in pain were asking for help.

    It was fun seeing people who were not willing to save anyone desperately asking for help.

    ''Well, I guess it doesn''t matter.''

    He didn''t have to care about whether they were good or not.

    What mattered was their worth¡ªwhether they were useful or not.

    ''They said they can also enchant equipment.''

    They could fortify all sorts of equipment, and not only that, but they could also create all sorts of magic weapons and make scrolls.

    ''Not bad.''

    He was starting to feel disappointed by the average level of yers.

    If they could increase their specs thanks to equipment, they were worthy of being saved.

    ''I could use them.''

    A smile appeared on his face.

    * * *

    ''Good!''

    Kadga eximed in excitement.

    He thought he had finally grabbed a line of hope.

    ''As expected, it was worthing here.''

    An organization made of idiots who did their best to save humanity, Guardian¡­

    He''d heard about their existence, but he¡¯d never imagined things would get solved so easily.

    ''To think that there really are people like this.''

    He couldn''t help butugh in disbelief.

    He couldn''t understand it. He''d never cared about monsters ambushing others after crossing the gates or warring against the Demon Cult.

    ''Tsk, howme.''

    They didn''t understand what was important and didn''t understand the real meaning that the ''Cataclysmic Day'' had.

    The Earth, the world the current humanity was living on, wasn''t able to reach the core of the truth.

    In fact, they didn''t even try to reach it.

    They weren''t trying to understand why gates had opened all around the world and why yers had appeared.

    ''They are probably never going to understand why Earth is special.''

    Earth was different from others.

    ¡®This world¡­¡¯

    "Do you know where your partners are being held?"

    "Ah¡­! O-of course!" Kadga quickly answered.

    He knew where his partners were being held.

    No, to be more precise, he knew where the Tower of Truth¡¯s research materials were being guarded.

    ''Partners¡­''

    The magician couldn''t help butugh at that word.

    What mattered weren''t his partners.

    He didn''t care if they lived as ves under the Demon Cult.

    ''The research material¡­''

    That''s what he needed.

    ''There isn''t much left before we can piece together Hecate''s teachings¡­''

    The God of Magic, Hecate, one of the titans that appeared in mythology.

    They were ambushed by the Demon Cult when they were on the cusp of understanding some of his teachings.

    ''Haa. If I think about everything I suffered because of those bastards¡­''

    He remembered the days he''d spent as a ve.

    ''Magic isn''t supposed to be used for something as trivial as that!''

    Magic was a sacred knowledge that was supposed to be used to research the truth.

    It wasn''t supposed to be used to create magic equipment or enchantment.

    ''It¡¯s over now.''

    Kadga''s eyes shone.

    He''d heard rumors about Guardian.

    Guardian was so strong that they''d won a battle against a giant branch of the Demon Cult in Tibet.

    They were an organization that could be called thest bastion of humanity.

    ''Finally¡­ The day when we''re free from the demons wille!!''

    He clenched both fists.

 Chapter 203: Strangers, I Welcome You To The Palace Of Korea (2)

    "Is that where it is?"

    "Yes."

    They were at an S-rank gate located in Western Europe.

    Unlike Korea, the gate wasn''t being managed, so there were monsters all around it.

    "The factory is located inside that gate."

    "Inside the gate?"

    Kadga nodded.

    KangWoo looked at the S-rank gate with great interest.

    It was the first time he''d seen a Demon Cult hideout located inside a gate.

    "ShiHoon, let''s kill the monsters around here before entering the gate."

    "Yes, Hyeongnim."

    The unit that was going to assist them was called the ''Celestial Wolf Troops.''

    There were about 300 people.

    Those people were under Kim ShiHoon, and even in the Guardian, they were among the strongest.

    Han Seol-ah, TaeSoo, Chae YeonJoo, Baek HwaYeon, and most of the people KangWoo knew were there.

    They were the special unit that had acted like a proper army after Guardian expanded.

    ''Although I''m not sure why it''s called ¡®Celestial Wolf Troops¡¯.''

    It was a bad name that seemed to have been made by a writer who didn''t want to take the time to think of a proper name.

    The one who''d made that pointless name was Kim ShiHoon.

    - D-doesn''t it sound cool?

    He remembered seeing Kim ShiHoon with a proud expression wearing the epaulet with the troop''s mark.

    ''He has a child-like side to him.''

    KangWoo smirked.

    His personality was like a manhwa protagonist¡¯s, and he also seemed to like childish names.

    Although he was in his twenties, he sometimes acted like a teenager who had just entered puberty.

    ''Although I don''t hate it.''

    There was a saying: ¡®When one person does it, it¡¯s romance, but when someone else does it, it¡¯s infidelity.¡¯

    If Reinald or Alec had done it, he would''ve felt disgusted, but since it was Kim ShiHoon, he kind of looked cute.

    There was a weird sense of duality, but he didn''t consider that as very important.

    ''Is there anyone who isn''t like that?''

    How many people lived by absolute beliefs and values?

    Even people like that were often criticized for being inflexible.

    ''It doesn''t matter what your child does¡ªit always looks cute.''

    He saw Kim ShiHoon directing the troops with a bit of awkwardness in his voice.

    Kadga walked toward KangWoo, who was smiling like a proud father.

    "Excuse me¡­"

    "Ah, yes?"

    "Just like I''ve mentioned before, please. Get the research materials that are inside the base."

    He looked at KangWoo with an uneasy expression on his face.

    It seemed like he was really worried about the research materials.

    No, he was more worried about those than the well-being of his allies.

    KangWoo made a good-natured smile.

    "Of course, I told them to be careful and leave them in a safe ce."

    "Ha, haha. Thank you."

    He bowed.

    "Are you really that worried about the research materials?"

    "Yes? Ah, i¡­ it''s nothing! It''s just that it''s material used to investigate the truth."

    "Woah."

    "Yes, we still haven''t made a lot of progress. After all, the truth is moreplex and difficult than anything else."

    He smiled awkwardly while avoiding looking at KangWoo.

    KangWoo looked at Kadga whileughing in disbelief.

    ''He really sucks at acting.''

    Was it because he was someone who''d spent all his life locked away while researching magic?

    Not only acting, but he wasn''t even capable of maintaining a proper conversation.

    He was so bad that it made him wonder if acting as if he had been deceived wasn''t more dangerous.

    ''Studying to find the truth, huh?''

    It''s true that it made him interested, but it was just interest.

    ''It''s not like I''ll be able to understand if I look into it.''

    It would beparable to someone who was bad at mathematics looking at a book full ofplex forms.

    KangWoo had little magical knowledge, so he wasn''t going to be able to understand it by just looking at it.

    ''Maybe Amon would have been able to understand it.''

    There was no one who could match Amon''s knowledge in the Demon King''s army.

    He thought about it for a while but shook his head.

    ''I don''t need him.''

    He already knew the truth.

    Kadga was wrong.

    The truth wasn''tplicated but simple, and it was right next to him.

    [Mr. KangWoo, should we do as nned?]

    He heard Lilith''s voice.

    He didn''t answer, but he nodded. That was more than enough.

    [Everything as the King wishes.]

    He heard a mischievous smile.

    He ignored it and turned his head.

    "Once we''re done killing the monsters around the gate, we''ll start infiltrating. Mr. Kadga, enter with the troops and guide them to where the magicians are."

    "Can I just¡­ indicate the direction? It¡¯s not thatplicated¡­"

    * * *

    "To make things faster, we need your coboration."

    "¡­"

    Kadga bit his lips and nodded.

    It was obvious he didn''t want to do it.

    ''He can''t refuse.''

    While making a deal, the most important thing was who was the most desperate.

    KangWoo had the upper hand.

    He didn''t need to force it to make him do as he wished.

    "Then let''s start."

    He sent a short signal, and the battle began.

    The 300 troops cleared up the monsters that were around the gate.

    Then with Kim ShiHoon leading the way, they followed Kadga and entered the gate.

    He heard screams and swords shing against each other. He also felt demonic energy and smelled blood.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Observation to look inside.

    He didn''t move because he didn''t need to.

    ''I nurtured the forces for a reason.''

    It was so he didn''t have to move in fights like that.

    ''If I''m there, it will just bother the others.''

    Experience was very important for yers.

    If he joined them, the amount of experience they gained would be reduced.

    No, they wouldn''t be able to get any.

    "Okay, now¡­"

    KangWoo looked around.

    He didn''t intend to stay still just because he wouldn''t join the battle.

    He had other things to do.

    KangWoo slowly started to walk.

    * * *

    The fight between the Celestial Wolf Troops and the Demon Cult ended, and the Celestial Wolf Troops won.

    It seemed that it was quite an important facility, even in the Demon Cult, so there was quite a bit of resistance, but they weren''t able to beat the Celestial Wolf Troops¡ªa unit made up of only Guardian¡¯s elite forces.

    The leader of the Celestial Wolf Troops was especially impressive.

    He easily cut through the demons that were protecting the base.

    Although the Celestial Wolf Troops knew about Kim ShiHoon''s abilities, they couldn''t help but open their mouths in surprise.

    The demons of the 7th and 8th hells were dying so quickly that one couldn''t help but feel pity.

    It wasn''t just Kim ShiHoon. Chae YeonJoo was in charge of the middle formations and took advantage of the solid offense to support with long-range attacks, and Han Seol-ah supported everyone with strong buffs and recovery magic.

    Thanks to them, Kim ShiHoon was able to go through the battlefield more easily, and they quickly ended up winning.

    "Kadga!!"

    "Are you safe?!"

    The Magic Tower magicians had been forced tobor as factory workers.

    The faces of about 30 magicians brightened after they saw Kadga.

    They were really thin, and their legs were chained.

    "Ahem! I¡­ I knew a day like this woulde!"

    "We''re finally free from the hands of those damn demons¡­!"

    The magicians that had been saved with the help of the Celestial Wolf Troops hugged each other and cried.

    That onlysted for a short while. Everyone''s attention soon focused on Kadga.

    "We''re d you saved us¡­"

    "You haven''t forgotten about that, right?"

    "Hahaha," Kadgaughed.

    Those people were also magicians, so what they were talking about was obvious.

    "Of course."

    To the magicians, the research material was more important than their own lives.

    The hint of the truth they''d researched for almost a thousand years was in the research material that the demons had taken from them.

    "Everyone,e here."

    As the Celestial Wolf Troops freed the magicians, they followed Kadga.

    Kadga activated the tracking magic that was inside the research material.

    "Huh¡­?"

    The tracking magic didn''t work.

    Kadga looked around, flustered.

    KangWoo walked toward him.

    "Did something happen, Mr. Kadga?"

    "Ah! M-Mr. KangWoo! The research material I asked¡ª"

    "Ah¡­"

    KangWoo sighed and took him somewhere.

    There, he saw a room that had been turned into ashes.

    "Th-this¡­!"

    "Everything was already burned down when I got here."

    "Th-the research material was burned down¡­?"

    It was something that shouldn''t have been possible.

    The Book of Hecate was a book that collected knowledge regarding the truth; it was protected by strong magic.

    Forget about fire, the book could probably even survive being submerged inva.

    Burning Hecate''s book shouldn''t have been possible unless they had the Authority of a demon.

    He ran toward the ashes and began to search through them.

    More than half of Hecate''s book was burned.

    "Ah."

    He became desperate and looked at the remainder of Hecate''s book with trembling hands.

    It was definitely the original copy.

    If it were a replica, he would''ve noticed it for sure.

    No, Hecate''s book wasn''t something that could be replicated.

    It was research material created with changing passwords and patterns that had been put in ce so that it couldn''t be copied.

    If they''d moved it, he would''ve been able to tell where it was thanks to the tracking magic, but he couldn¡¯t feel it.

    Burnt down¡­

    Hecate''s book had been burnt to ashes.

    "Damn! Damn! What were you all doing?! How did you let them burn it?!!!"

    Kadga angrily grabbed KangWoo''s cor and shouted while saliva spurted in all directions.

    "You worthless bastards! Do you know how important the contents of this book were¡­?!"

    "Mr. Kadga, please, calm down."

    KangWoo grabbed Kadga''s shoulders.

    KangWoo bowed his head and spoke in a regretful voice.

    "I''m sorry for not having been able to protect the important research material."

    "Ugh¡­"

    "Instead¡­ I''m ashamed to even say this, but what if Korea helps you recover the material and supports your investigations?"

    "Supports the investigation?"

    "Yes. Even if it''s called research material, isn''t the most important content inside your head? With enough support, replicating the book shouldn''t be impossible."

    "That''s true, but¡­"

    Kadga''s eyes shone.

    As if he hadn''t been cursing KangWoo just a moment ago, he was talking formally to him again.

    "But it will take a lot of money¡­"

    "Don''t worry."

    KangWoo smiled.

    "If you help us a little, we''ll ensure you have enough money to conduct research."

    "A bit of help?"

    "Please make magic equipment for us."

    "Hmm."

    "Don''t worry. The work conditions are going to bepletely different. The work hours will be better than what most big Korean corporations have."

    He could see the doubt on the magician''s face.

    Kadga didn''t think for long.

    The Magic Tower had been destroyed because of the Demon Cult, and Hecate''s book had been burned down.

    To be honest, he couldn''t even ask forpensation for the damage.

    Either way, the members of Guardian had saved them.

    It was hard to refuse support.

    "Okay¡­"

    The 30 magicians nodded.

    KangWoo smiled.

    "Then, let''s go to Korea¡­ Ah, but the problem will be getting it funded."

    "What does that¡­"

    "In reality, I can¡¯t really provide such support alone. First, I need to figure out how worthy the magic items that you can create are and make a proper report."

    "Ehem! The magic we can do isn''t just enchantment. We can also create very useful magic scrolls¡­"

    "I know, but even still, it will take a lot of time to be epted. If it''s fast, about six months; if we''re unlucky, a year."

    "Th-that''s toote!"

    How much effort had they made to reach Hecate''s knowledge?

    They''d just be free from the hands of the demons, so he couldn''t waste any more time.

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo seemed to fall into thought.

    "Ah! There''s a way to get the initial cost of research."

    "Woah."

    "What way¡­?"

    "A credit loan," KangWoo said with a smile.

 Chapter 204: Strangers, I Welcome You To The Palace Of Korea (2)

    "A credit loan?"

    Kadga tilted his head and looked at the other magician.

    It seemed like no one knew what that meant.

    Most of the magicians¡¯ knowledge was passed through generations, so most of them have lived locked in the tower since they were kids and spent their time studying. They were people who dedicated their lives to the investigation.

    That''s why they didn''t know about things like credit loans.

    "What''s that?"

    "It''s my first time hearing about it. What about you?"

    "It''s also my first time¡­"

    The magicians looked at each other, confused.

    There were about thirty magicians, but no one knew what a credit loan was.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    He smiled.

    "A credit loan is lending you money based on your credibility."

    "Credibility?"

    "Lending money?"

    "Yes. The details are quiteplex¡­ but that''s the easiest possible exnation. They lend you money, and in exchange, they receive interest."

    "Ah! It''s like a bank."

    "You''re right."

    KangWoo nodded while smiling.

    A magician spoke in a worried voice.

    "Can we do that? After all, our credibility¡­"

    He trailed off at thest part of the sentence.

    It was obvious.

    They didn''t have a single penny at the moment, and they didn''t have a house to return to or a job.

    There was no way someone in a situation simr to a homeless person would have something like credibility to borrow money with.

    "Ugh."

    "Those damn cultists¡­!"

    The magicians clenched their fists as if the situation angered them.

    The Magic Tower had sold magic items to the members of high society since before the Cataclysmic Day.

    After yers appeared, magic became quitemon, but that hadn¡¯t always been the case.

    They used to earn quite a lot of money just by selling simple artifacts with protection magic against bullets.

    Thanks to that, they earned quite a lot of money throughout the years.

    The Demon Cult had destroyed the Magic Tower, and all of the money inside had been taken away by the Demon Cult.

    "Don''t worry."

    KangWoo gave them documents as if he were prepared for such a situation.

    He''d prepared documents in theirnguage so that they could read them.

    ''Third-party Finance, Garrosh & Cash¡¯ was written across the documents.

    "Garrosh & Cash?"

    "What does third-party finance mean?"

    The magicians tilted their heads in confusion.

    KangWoo exined things to them in a very kindly manner.

    "Third-party Finance is simr to a circle in magic. With a third party, you can ask for more money than the first and second ones."

    "Woah."

    "If it''s a third circle, it isn''t that high¡­"

    "Ah, it isn''tpletely the same as magic. In finance, the third party is the highest step."

    "Ah, I see."

    The magicians nodded their heads.

    They looked at each other.

    Although Guardian had freed them, they hadn''t said thanks properly.

    They bowed their heads as if they were embarrassed.

    Kadga took a step forward.

    "Thanks for introducing us to a third-party financier," Kadga said as if he had been moved.

    He had initially thought of using Guardian to gain freedom and keep focusing on studying the truth through the Book of Hecate.

    Not only that, but when he heard that the Hecate''s Book had been burned down, he acted very rudely.

    Even if he was a magician who wasn''t used to society, he knew that grabbing the person who had saved you by the cor was rude.

    ''Still¡­''

    He started to tear up.

    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that they were bankrupt, yet seeing KangWoo doing his best to help them had moved him.

    He was helping them so they could resume their investigation and was trying to help them obtain the necessary money to do it.

    He was ashamed of having thought of Guardian as a group of suckers.

    "Thank you¡­"

    "It''s nothing."

    He grabbed Kadga''s hands while making a warm smile.

    It was a warm exchange between people.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    KangWoo sighed and kept talking.

    "I''m the one who''s sorry. If I had more authority, I could''ve lent you the money from Guardian¡­"

    "No, it''s okay. I''m just d that we can borrow the money."

    "Do you know how the interest rate works?"

    * * *

    "Hmm¡­ We have to give back more money than the amount we borrow, right?"

    "Yes. It''s easiest to think of it as the payment for having borrowed money."

    KangWoo sighed.

    "You can borrow more money through a third party, but there''s a problem."

    "Problem?"

    "Yes. The interest rate is high."

    "Ah¡­"

    There was a short silence.

    Kadga looked at the other magicians and then opened his mouth.

    "We''ll get money for the investigation from Guardianter, right?"

    "Yes. As soon as the funding is epted."

    "Then there won''t be problems."

    "If you don''t pay the interest quickly, it could create problems for you¡­ Ah, how about this?"

    KangWoo smiled.

    "You just have to increase your magic item creation hours. In Korea, we call this ¡®night shift¡¯."

    "Hmm."

    "I''m going to help you obtain benefits by selling magic items before the money for the research is approved."

    "Woah."

    "Thank you¡­" they eximed in surprise.

    The magicians nodded.

    The magic items they made were expensive.

    Of course, it couldn''t bepared to the money they obtained before yers appeared, but magic items were still valuable.

    They were also confident in terms of quality.

    Some yers could create magic items, but they couldn''t bepared to the ones they made. After all, they had known about magic since they had been born.

    "How much is that interest rate?"

    "The monthly interest rate is 24%. Each month that passes, the interest ispounded."

    "Compounded? What does that mean?" they asked in confusion.

    KangWooughed and exined things to them kindly.

    "You don''t need to worry about that. Just think of it as a type of interest rate."

    "Hmm."

    There was a short silence.

    "Can you give us time to think?"

    "Of course."

    Kadga turned around. The thirty magicians started to talk to each other.

    "Each month 24%¡­ Isn''t that too expensive?"

    "I think that, considering our situation, it isn''t that bad."

    "Won''t we be able to pay it back easily once we begin selling magic items?"

    "I guess¡­"

    He nodded.

    Kadga opened his mouth.

    "Then let''s do that. We''ll do night shifts until the research grant bes avable."

    "Woah¡­"

    "If we do that, we won''t have much time to recreate Hecate''s book, right?"

    "That''s true."

    "Recreating Hecate''s book is the most important thing, after all¡­"

    The magicians fell into thought.

    One of them pped.

    "Ah! Now that I think about it, Mr. Oh KangWoo said he would respect the normal working hours of a Korean multi-national corporation!"

    "He did."

    "I wonder how many hours they work¡­"

    "Fufufu. I have heard about the working hours of corporations before."

    "You?"

    They looked at him, surprised.

    The magician that mentioned it crossed his arms and nodded.

    "Although it was Germany and not Korea¡­ They usually work six hours per day. If you add the night shift, it probably will be about eight hours in total."

    "Hmm¡­ Still, we won''t have enough time to investigate."

    "We¡¯ll have weekends."

    "Ah, you''re right. I hadn¡¯t thought of that."

    The magicians nodded.

    It was worth doing it if they were given a work shift between six and eight hours per day and their weekends guaranteed.

    "I think that it will be better than our current life."

    "Haha, there''s no way it will beparable to living under the domination of demons."

    The magicians reached an agreement.

    Kadga took a step forward as their representative.

    "We''re going to ept the proposal."

    "It''s a good choice. Please sign these documents. You''ll get 300 million USD for research as soon as you enter Korea."

    "¡­"

    Before signing, Kadga grabbed KangWoo''s hands.

    "Thank you, I''ll never forget about you."

    "Hahaha."

    KangWooughed.

    "Let''s do our best for world peace."

    KangWoo grabbed his hands once again.

    * * *

    Time flowed.

    A factory made in Korea dedicated to making magic items was set up.

    The magic items made by the magicians of the Magic Tower were being provided to Guardian.

    They made everything from defensive artifacts to tons of equipment that had all sorts of enchantments, and Guardian was also given scrolls and potions that they could use in dangerous situations.

    The high-quality magic items created by them lifted Guardian up a step.

    <em>Clunk-</em>

    "K-Kadga!!"

    "Are you okay?!"

    Kadga copsed in the middle of making an item.

    The other magicians quickly went toward him.

    Their situation was worse than when they used to be under the control of demons.

    Kadga, who had copsed from overworking, extended his hands.

    "I¡­ I must make more¡­ If not, the interest¡­"

    "Kadga!!!"

    "Get ahold of yourself!!"

    Cries were heard.

    <em>Click-</em>

    The door opened.

    The lights were turned on, and KangWoo walked in.

    "How is everyone doing?"

    "Y-you!''

    "You piece of trash!!!"

    They looked at KangWoo with anger and resentment.

    KangWoo smiled.

    "What''s wrong? You''re the ones that signed the documents."

    "This is fraud!!"

    "It isn''t fraud. I exined things beforehand."

    He started tough out loud.

    "Y-YOU BASTARD!!!!"

    <em>Stomp.</em> Kadga, who had copsed, got up as if he were having a seizure.

    He ran toward KangWoo.

    Tap-

    "Cough!"

    He''d rushed forward without using magic, so the result was obvious.

    ¡ªKadga was instantly overwhelmed.

    "Mr. Kadga, please rx. Haven''t youe to your senses yet after thest time?"

    "Ugh¡­"

    Fear appeared on Kadga''s face.

    "The restoration of Hecate''s book¡­ research into the truth¡­" he mumbled in a weak voice.

    He felt that they were slipping away.

    "You don''t need to struggle so much to find the truth, Mr. Kadga. The truth is something more simple than you imagine."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo turned to the magicians that were inside the factory.

    The insides of the factory resembled a dumping ground, and there was an intense smell of rotten food.

    "Everyone, a person must eat. As long as you aren''t a demon, you need food."

    KangWoo grabbed a pack of ramyeon that was on the floor.

    "To buy food, you need money."

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    "To earn money, you must work."

    He tapped Kadga''s shoulder.

    "Hahaha. How about that, Mr. Kadga? Isn''t the truth unexpectedly simple and close to you?"

    "You m¡ª"

    "If you want to eat at least a meal a day, please work."

    He kept talking as if he were having fun.

    "There''s no bread for those that don''t work."

    "You scammer¡­!"

    "You made us work for the entire day! Even night shifts!! How can you make us work on weekends?!"

    "You said we would work the same hours as someone in a nationalpany!!"

    He heard people cursing him.

    "I didn''t lie."

    KangWoo extended his arms.

    "Didn''t I say you would only work the same hours as someone in a big Koreanpany?"

    "Yes! You definitely¡ª"

    "Yes, this is how much they work. Ah, of course, you''ve worked harder than others, but that''s because you have a huge debt, so there''s nothing you can do about it. After all, this is the path you''ve chosen."

    There was silence.

    "Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you about something¡­ Haha. It''s been a couple of months since you came to Korea, so it¡¯s funny that I only say this now¡­"

    He bowed and smiled.

    ¡°Wee to Korea."

    ¡®Strangers, I wee you to the pce of Korea.''

 Chapter 205: Lucifers Son (1)

    KangWoo took a deep breath.

    His lungs filled with air, and demonic energy spread through his body.

    He slowly closed his eyes and concentrated.

    ''Authority of mes.''

    He used the Authority and used demonic energy from the depths of what he could summon.

    He woke up Mamon¡¯s sleeping soul there.

    A hot energy began to spread through the demonic energy that had been dissolved into his blood.

    "¡­"

    He felt pain.

    It was as ifva was flowing through him instead of blood.

    A yellow light surrounded his body, and he slowly raised his right hand.

    He focused on the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea that was on his right middle finger.

    His ck ring burned.

    Tss-!

    He felt his skin burning as well, and the odor of flesh burning tickled his nose.

    He ignored it.

    ck blood poured from where his skin was melting.

    He ignored it.

    ''Concentrate.''

    He closed his eyes and focused.

    The Authority of mes was running amok in his body.

    They were mes that couldn''t be controlled.

    He tried to smother the mes.

    Mamon''s soul twisted its body as if it were screaming, and it seemed like he was feeling pain.

    He didn''t concentrate¡ªhe didn''t have the mental space to concentrate on that.

    He ignored the resentful scream, and another line of demonic energy flowed out of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    ''Authority of the de.''

    <em>TSS-!!</em>

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The ground he was standing on melted down, and his body started to sink into the boiling earth.

    Cold sweat dripped down his forehead. An immeasurable pain spread through his body.

    He wanted to throw up, and his consciousness started to blur.

    He wanted to let his hand go. He felt chills after feeling his body was about to burn down and disappear.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    He took a step forward and stretched out his right hand.

    The yellow mes surrounding his body began to pour down his arm and gather around the palms of his hands, and the heat was pushed into the ring.

    "Ugh."

    He moaned in pain.

    He couldn''t feel anything in his arm. No, the only thing he could feel was pain.

    The drops of sweat evaporated.

    ¡°Haaa, Haaa,¡± he breathed heavily.

    He knelt down on one knee, head hurting.

    He couldn''t think of anything, and his consciousness was fading away.

    He moved his right hand.

    From the index finger to the middle finger. Little by little. He was okay, even if he could only move his finger 1mm.

    He grabbed the mes that had gathered in his hands.

    <em>TSSS-!!!</em>

    The floor split, andva rose.

    A valley of death that made Hell seem fun spread under his feet.

    He fused the archduke''s Authority with the Authority of the de.

    Combining an archduke''s Authority and another Authority¡­ It was something that no one had done before.

    A miracle took shape.

    He held a sword that was burning with yellow mes.

    There was onest thing to do¡­

    He had to put a name to that miracle.

    He opened his mouth. He had already thought of a name.

    "Inferno."

    Ting-

    [You''ve obtained the skill ''Inferno.'']

    [Techniques registered as skills can be used more optimally.]

    [You''ve achieved something no one has been able to aplish before.]

    [You''ve obtained a hint about the higher quest ''???'' of the ''Road to Bing a Demon God.'']

    ''What''s this?''

    A message appeared in front of him. He frowned while reading it.

    ''The ''Road to Bing a Demon God'' has a higher quest¡­?''

    The road to bing a Demon God probably had different steps like Extreme Demonic Energy Body and Demonic Soul.

    ''I haven''t evenpleted that yet.''

    * * *

    He still hadn''t reached Demonic Soul.

    Until then, he hadn''t been sure if the Demonic Soul was thest step to bing a Demon God.

    To think he would get such a quest out of the blue.

    ''Is this Bleach?''

    Why were there so many steps?

    "Haa."

    He sighed.

    He tried to click on the quest that had ''???'' written.

    "If it''s as I think¡­"

    Ting-

    [You can''t open the ''???'' quest yet.]

    "See, I knew this would happen."

    He couldn''t help but frown.

    He remembered a promise he''d made before.

    "I''m going to twist the one who made this and turn them into a ''?'' shape."

    Even a sudoku had a hint, but he had no hints at all.

    ''That bastard probably doesn¡¯t even know the details.''

    He had no other choice but to give up for the moment.

    "Tsk."

    He clicked his tongue.

    He turned his head from the confusing message window.

    The important thing wasn''t the higher ''???'' quest that looked like a failed puzzle.

    "Let''s see¡­"

    He raised Inferno.

    Although he''d moved it only a little bit, Inferno couldn''t maintain its sword form and started melting.

    ''It isn''t perfect yet.''

    Although it had been registered as a skill, he''d fused a skill he couldn''t control well yet, so the level of perfection was disastrous.

    "Still¡­"

    He stomped the ground and raised the sword to the sky.

    * * *

    [It''s the 8 o¡¯clock news. A volcano suddenly exploded around the Grand Canyon in the USA, Arizona. Scientists say this wasn''t a natural phenomenon. ording to them, this probably happened because of outer interference. Guardian has started to investigate the incident. The governor of the state of Arizona has ordered an evacuation. We''re currently talking with a reporter on location. Reporter Lee HanSeok?]

    [Yes! I''m currently in the Grand Canyon. There''sva flowing through the valley, and the air here is incredibly hot!]

    [What''s the scale of the anomaly?]

    [Theva is flowing in an area about 300 meters long! The heat around here is quite intense! Let me show you how hot it is!]

    The reporter began walking toward theva.

    [AAGGHH!]

    A painful scream was heard.

    <em>Pic-</em>

    KangWoo turned off the TV.

    There was silence.

    "Hmm¡­ Mr. KangWoo, things became quite big."

    "¡­"

    Lilith walked toward KangWoo, who wasying on the bed.

    "Can you move?"

    "No¡­"

    He shook his head.

    After using Inferno, KangWoo entered a state of exhaustion simr to when he''d unlocked the Ten Thousand Demon Core¡¯s seal.

    Lilith sat on the bed.

    "It seems you must think carefully before using that Authority."

    "I didn''t expect it to be this hard."

    He didn''t think its destructive power would be that huge and that he''d suffer such recoil.

    He felt like a huge piece of iron was weighing down his body.

    "Is everything okay in Guardian?"

    "Yes. Magic items are constantly being provided, and the average level has been increasing, too."

    He nodded.

    The magic items were being made by the magicians of the Magic Tower after he¡¯d made a fair contract with them.

    To increase their levels and strength, the members of Guardian were recovering thends in South America and Middle-east that had been lost to monsters.

    Thanks to the equipment provided and the monster hunting, which served as training, Guardian forces were getting stronger each day.

    "It seems like I won''t need to worry about that."

    KangWoo turned andy down as if he were relieved.

    "How''s the battle between Lucifer''s forces and the Demon Cult going?"

    The fight between them was more important than the growth of Guardian.

    He needed them to damage each other as much as possible.

    "They haven''t engaged in an all-out war yet."

    "Hmm."

    He nodded.

    ''I wonder which side has the advantage.''

    The Demon Cult and Lucifer''s forces¡­

    Honestly, he couldn''t even imagine who would have the advantage.

    ''Lucifer''s forces should have the advantage,''

    Leaving everything aside, in Lucifer''s forces, there was Lucifer, the third-strongest archduke.

    Just his presence should be enough to weigh the fight in his favor.

    ''I can''t be so sure about that since there aren''t many things I know about the Demon Cult.''

    He didn''t think that Mamon was their leader.

    There was, for sure, someone stronger than him leading the Demon Cult.

    ''I wonder who it is.''

    There was no way for him to know.

    Trying to make a guess in his situation was dangerous.

    He stopped imagining it.

    The moment he thought, ''he''s probably the one,'' he wouldn''t be able to think of other possibilities.

    A simple guess would be a certainty inside his head.

    "Has Lucifere to Earth?"

    That was the most important thing.

    He had to devour another archduke to fulfill the conditions for Demonic Soul.

    Lucifer''s forces and the Demon Cult fighting were good, but it had absolutely no meaning if Lucifer himself didn''t appear.

    ''There''s probably no point in me devouring the others now.''

    He couldn''t gain any more experience from trash mobs.

    It had no meaning unless it was an archduke.

    "No. We haven''t found any traces of him, so he probably hasn''te yet."

    "Ugh."

    He frowned.

    ''Even after all that, he isn''t going to show himself?''

    Should he have stimted him a bit more?

    Lucifer''s forces had only made small moves, so it was clear that they hadn''t shown all of their strength.

    ''He isn''t someone who would stand still after such provocations.''

    Lucifer, Satan, Baal¡­

    He''d fought against them for the longest.

    Lucifer wasn''t someone who would remain still in such a situation.

    ''Then¡­''

    That probably meant he was in a situation where he couldn''t easily make a move.

    ''How troublesome.''

    He needed to stimte Lucifer more.

    He had to make him so crazy that he didn''t care about the forces of the Heavens anymore.

    ''The issue is how I¡¯m going to do that.''

    He couldn''t think of anything.

    "Damn."

    It had been half a year since he began trying to make them fight.

    He felt frustrated while looking at them skirting around each other.

    "Oh yeah, Mr. KangWoo."

    "Yes?"

    "Lucifer didn''te, but a demon who says he''s Lucifer''s son has appeared on Earth."

    "His son?"

    "Yes. I checked the footage of the Demon Cult¡¯s crumbled base, and there was a demon that said he''s Lucifer''s son fighting against them."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    ''Lucifer''s son?''

    It was something he couldn''t have imagined.

    ''An archduke had a son?''

    It was something that had never happened before.

    Although archdukes had appeared tens of thousands of years before, something like that had never happened before.

    ''Ah, Leviathan had parents.''

    Leviathan was the son of the king of Demonic Monsters, the Behemoth, so he had a family.

    Still, he had never heard of an ''archduke'' having a descendent.

    "¡­"

    There was a short silence.

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth started to go up.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­?"

    ''Lilith¡­"

    He turned his head.

    "I wonder if demons also care for their children."

    KangWoo''s eyes started to shine with madness.

    He licked his lips as if he''d thought of something fun.

    There was strong killing intent emanating from him.

    Viscous demonic energy spread slowly on the ground like tar.

    Madness, killing intent, and maliciousness¡­

    "Yes¡­?"

    Lilith''s body trembled a bit.

    She looked at KangWoo and trembled.

    She slowly opened her mouth.

    "Y-you want to have a child with me?"

    "What?"

    "He, hehe. I¡­ I''m a bit flustered. To think the Demon King would be so¡­"

    "No, what are you saying?"

    "I¡­ I was thinking about it¡­ but it''s a bit embarrassing."

    "Uhm, excuse me?"

    Lilith shook her head with the palms of her hands on her cheeks.

    Her face had be red.

    Her ck hair started to turn into green tentacles.

    <em>Squeak.</em> The tentacles shyly hit KangWoo.

    ''No.''

    He lowered his head while looking at Lilith, who had be immersed in her fantasies.

    He covered his face with both hands.

    ''I tried to say something while setting up the mood for the first time in a while¡­''

    It even sounded cool¡­

    It was a chilling line from a protagonist with a viinous aura.

    ''Why are you doing this to me?''

    ¡®Please, let me be a protagonist.¡¯

 Chapter 206: Lucifers Son (2)

    "Haa."

    He couldn''t help but sigh.

    "It isn''t anything like that, so please calm down."

    "Ah¡­"

    Lilith sighed in disappointment.

    She nodded while making a depressed expression.

    KangWoo gulped and gave her a slight hug.

    "You know this isn''t the time to think of things like that," he said in a gentle voice.

    It wasn''t because he wanted her to feel good.

    ''Things would be troublesome if Lilith wasn''t here.''

    Previously, in the Demon King''s army, and then in Guardian, she was someone very important.

    In terms of gathering and manipting information, her talent was so great that it seemed to have been blessed by some kind of divine being.

    The Demon Cult was quite a secretive organization, but she''d been able to spread Hell''s Book only a month after she''d infiltrated them.

    ''If Lilith wasn''t here¡­''

    He wouldn''t have known how the battle between the Demon Cult and Lucifer''s forces was going. He also wouldn''t have known that Lucifer''s son hade to Earth.

    Without her, it would be as if he''d lost his eyes and ears.

    ''I cannot let her be depressed.''

    It didn''t matter what happened: Lilith would move for him.

    He wasn''t worried about her betraying him, but there was a whole other problem.

    How well one did their job was different when there was a reward right before them.

    Seeing how the attitudes of reserve soldiers had been changed thanks to rewards and made them special forces was proof of the strength of rewards.

    "Demon King¡­"

    "Let''s think about this once everything is done."

    "Ah, my king¡­"

    Lilith''s body trembled.

    Tears flowed down her eyes.

    KangWoo couldn''t help but feel guilty after seeing her tremble.

    ''I didn''t expect her to cry.''

    As the one who''d thrown the bait, he couldn''t help but feel guilty.

    Lilith wiped her tears while smiling and clenched her fist.

    "Fufu. Okay. If Mr. KangWoo says that, I''ll do my best to resist."

    He heard her excited voice, and his regret began increasing.

    KangWoo kept talking while avoiding looking at her.

    "Then, what do you think?"

    "About whether demons also love their children?"

    "Yes."

    Did demons also have maternal and paternal instincts?

    It was a hard topic.

    ''After all, demons don''t need to reproduce.''

    The question was hard to answer because the demon race didn''t need to reproduce.

    They could do it, but they didn''t need to.

    The cases of demons giving birth to children through sexual intercourse were extremely rare.

    Demons weren''t in the category of biological creatures.

    They had been born in the darkness of the Hell of Nine Skies. They were born inside the ''Fissure'' called Hell of Nine Skies, but no one knew why and how they were created.

    One day, suddenly, a ck fluctuation appeared in the air, and that''s how demons were born.

    No one knew what that darkness was.

    Was it demonic energy? The manifestation of a divine being? Were they created by the Hell of Nine Skies? Not even archdukes knew the answers to those questions.

    There were only three facts about the Fissures that were known:

    One, the demons that were born from the Fissures were born as adults.

    Two, only a few demons were born with a special power called ''Authority'', but that didn''t mean that all demons with an Authority were strong.

    ''Just looking at Sabnac was enough to notice that.''

    Although Sabnac had the Authority of the de, he was a demon that struggled in the 1st hell.

    ''The third thing¡­''

    The strength of the demons born from the fissure was decided from the moment they were born.

    There were some exceptions, but the strength and limits of most demons were decided from the moment they were born.

    That meant there were almost no cases of a demon from the 1st hell bing strong enough to enter the 9th hell.

    It was simr to the concept of a golden and silver spoon.

    Even the archdukes had been born to be ''archdukes.''

    Among the seven archdukes, there was only one who hadn''t been one since the beginning.

    ''Baal.''

    He and Baal had many things inmon.

    Through numerous years, Baal had reached the 9th hell from the 1st hell and had managed to kill Beelzebub, the original archduke, and take his ce.

    Except for him, all archdukes had been born with the destiny of bing one.

    ''In the case of the Leviathan, it''s a bit confusing.''

    The Leviathan hadn''t been born from a Fissure.

    Considering that his dad was the Behemoth, the King of Demonic Monsters, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that he was born with that destiny.

    ''Okay, let''s stop talking about the boring setup.''

    * * *

    Four pages of that is more than enough

    Back to the main topic¡­

    "Hmm, I''m also not sure about that, but I know that, if I gave birth to the King''s child, I''d love it with all my life."

    Lilith made a warm smile while touching her stomach.

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    ''It seems like she has the concept of love toward the same blood.''

    The question was if Lucifer was also the same.

    Maternal or paternal instincts weren''t absolute, even for humans.

    There were parents willing to risk their lives for their children, but on the other hand, there were some who killed their children with their hands.

    Love for your blood descendants was rtive.

    ''It''s worth testing.''

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    "Lilith, search for the demon that calls himself the son of Lucifer."

    "Demon King, don''t tell me¡­"

    "You said you would love my kid with your own life, right?"

    Heughed out loud.

    He spoke in an excited voice that made him sound like a kid that was about to go camping.

    "Let''s see if that''s also the case for Lucifer."

    "¡­"

    * * *

    <em>Boom-!</em>

    <em>Crack!</em>

    "AAGGHH!"

    "S-stop him!"

    Screams spread.

    The passageway became full of explosions and the smell of blood.

    A demon walked through the passage.

    "How boring¡­"

    He narrowed his eyes while looking around as if he didn''t like what he saw and covered his mouth and yawned.

    The name of the demon who''d destroyed everything around him was Lucis.

    He had six wings, dark skin, and silver hair that reached his waist. Based on the size of his face, he didn''t look that different from a human.

    Unlike other demons, he wasn''t that big. His skin wasn''t grotesque or have too many muscles; he didn''t even have tentacles.

    One would think at first nce that he was someone doing a very high-quality cosy.

    "AGH!"

    "E-escape!"

    The faces of the Demon Cult members had turned pale as if they''d seen a monster.

    They were more fearful of Lucis than the other monster-like demons.

    It wasn''t hard to see why.

    "Hngh, you pieces of trash."

    Lucis raised his hand, and ck darkness gathered around it.

    It was the power of his dad, Lucifer, the archduke of ''Arrogance.''

    He''d inherited part of his strength.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    He spread his hands, and a ck sphere was shot forward.

    A ck hole absorbed everything around it.

    The darkness absorbed the bodies of the cultists trying to escape.

    Tsk. He clicked his tongue while looking at them die without being able to offer much resistance.

    "Rakisguard, did you find Satan¡¯s location?" he asked while turning his head. The demon kneeling in front of him shook his head.

    [I''m sorry. I grabbed the person who was supposed to be the one in charge of this ce and tortured him¡­ but I wasn''t able to get Satan''s location.]

    "Again?"

    Lucis stepped on Rakisguard''s head while frowning.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    "You useless bastard. How many chances do I have to give you?"

    He hit him aggressively.

    Although Rakisguard was bleeding, he didn''t dodge Lucis''s attacks.

    "Damn."

    Lucis cursed while kicking Rakisguard.

    Rakisguard slowly opened his mouth.

    [Mr. Lucis, it''s taking us too much time.]

    "¡­"

    [If Mr. Lucifer hears that we''vee here¡­]

    "Shut up."

    His eyes shone sharply.

    "I won''t go back before getting Satan''s head."

    Lucis clenched his fist.

    He remembered his dad, Lucifer.

    ''If I take Satan''s head¡­''

    He was probably going to be recognized.

    "How''s the situation in Ernor?"

    [It isn''t good¡­ Raphael''s forces are applying too much pressure on Mr. Lucifer''s forces.]

    "¡­"

    There was silence.

    Lucis turned.

    "Let''s go to the next ce."

    [Mr. Lucis¡ª]

    "Rakisguard¡­"

    He turned his head, and his silver hair began shining.

    "Don''t make me say it twice."

    [Yes¡­]

    Rakisguard got up.

    As he got up, his five-meter-tall body made the ceiling crumble.

    "Satan¡­"

    A strong killing intent appeared in Lucis''s eyes.

    ''You rude bastard.''

    From what he heard back then, Satan used to be an archduke that was in a higher position than Lucifer.

    He''d probably made such a dumb decision because of that.

    ''To think that he''d dere war on us.''

    He couldn''t remain still at such provocation.

    Even Lucifer became angry when he heard the news.

    The only reason why he hadn''t moved despite that was because of Raphael''s forces.

    ''If dad can''t move¡­''

    He just had to protect Lucifer''s pride.

    He heard that Satan had gotten hold of that power called the Sea of Demonic Energy, but he wasn''t worried.

    ''I''m the son of the Evil God, Lucifer.''

    The situation was different from when in Hell.

    Lucis walked with a firm decision in his eyes.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "AAGGHH!"

    "AHH! S-save me¡­!"

    As they walked down the passageway, he saw the cultists being annihted by his underlings.

    "Hngh," he snorted.

    He knew it just based on his underlings.

    ''With his underlings being so weak, there''s no need to even think about the strength of their leader.''

    He didn''t know about what had happened in Hell.

    He''d been born after Lucifer went to the Ernor continent. He was born when Lucifer, one of the archdukes of the Hell of Nine Skies, made love to a human woman.

    That''s why he didn''t know who Satan was or how strong he was.

    He thought he didn''t need to know.

    ''Even if he''s strong¡­''

    He probably wasn''t going to be able to win against his dad.

    Lucis looked at his hands that were closer to a human¡¯s than a demon¡¯s.

    ''I must prove it¡­''

    He had to prove his strength and worth.

    If not, he wouldn''t be recognized as a ''demon.''

    Lucis began walking.

    Then¡­

    [I heard you are Lucifer''s son, so I came here expectantly, but you''re just a brat.]

    "Ugh!"

    He quickly turned around.

    ck darkness appeared where there definitely hadn''t been anything before.

    He saw a demon wearing a red mask.

    Darkness surrounded by a veil.

    "You¡­"

    [I heard you were searching for me.]

    Haha.

    A chillingugh leaked out from behind the mask.

    "Y-you¡­"

    [Yes.]

    The darkness that surrounded the demon spread out like a veil.

    [I''m Satan.]

    ¡®In other words, a cheat code.¡¯

 Chapter 207: When You Say No, But Your Body Is Honest (1)

    "Sa¡­ tan¡­?"

    Lucis''s eyes widened.

    He''d been searching for him since secretly going to Earth.

    An archduke from the demonic realm was in front of him.

    "Ha¡­ haha."

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    The one who hadn''t appeared at all after dering the war hade out on his own.

    He couldn''t help butugh in disbelief.

    A strong killing intent came out from him, and he raised his hand. A pitch-ck darkness gathered around it.

    "I was wondering where you were hiding, so you finally crawled out."

    [Hoo.]

    The eyes behind the mask were shining.

    The mask twisted as if he found the situation interesting.

    [So you aren''t afraid.]

    "Is there a reason to be afraid?"

    [You''re saying some funny things.]

    Satanughed.

    A chilling sound flowed out of the mask.

    A reason to be afraid?

    He was an archduke, someone that was among the strongest in the Hell of the Nine Skies.

    There wasn''t a reason not to fear him.

    Of course, the title of ¡®Archduke¡¯ wasn''t as prestigious after they''d lost against the Demon King, but they still couldn''t bepared to the average demon.

    [Hey, brat, you don''t know me?]

    "I know about you. You used to be an archduke of the Demon World, and you''re leading an organization called Demon Cult."

    [It seems like you don''t.]

    "What?"

    [If you really knew about archdukes, you wouldn''t be able to remain so calm. Didn''t Lucifer teach you anything?]

    "Ha, how dare a rat who hid after dering war say my father''s name."

    [A rat¡­ Doesn''t that also apply to Lucifer?]

    His eyes narrowed.

    A strong killing intent surged from him.

    [Why did a brat like youe here instead of him?]

    "My father isn''t needed for killing someone like you."

    [You''re an arrogant brat.]

    The mask twisted.

    [No, maybe you''re just stupid?]

    "Let''s see how long you can keep such a calm attitude."

    Lucis lowered his body.

    Strong demonic energy started to gather around his hand.

    Lucis looked at Satan calmly.

    ''He isn''t a big deal.''

    The presence he could feeling from him and the pressure¡­

    It couldn''t bepared to when he''d met his dad.

    He felt that his guess of Satan being an idiot who just liked to bluff seemed right.

    ''I can do this.''

    Such a thought crossed his mind.

    He gulped.

    He lowered his body and raised his hand. He put a lot of strength in his legs to throw the darkness with all his strength.

    At that moment¡­

    [Now that I think about it, you don''t look like a demon.]

    "¡­"

    His body trembled.

    - You don''t look like a demon.

    - You''re different from a Demon.

    - I can''t believe you''re Lucifer''s son.

    He¡¯d heard those things a lot.

    He''d be tired of listening to those words.

    "Shut up."

    He red at Satan.

    An appearance that was closer to a human¡¯s than a demon¡¯s.

    That was the result of having mixed human-demon blood.

    - He isn''t a demon.

    - He''s just a clumsy mutt.

    - Why was Mr. Lucifer with such a worthless human¡­?

    - Look at that guy. Why does he look so ugly and weak?

    Although he was half demon and half human, he''d been raised along with demons since he was little.

    He''d learned their values, beliefs, thoughts, and how he looked to demons.

    It was as if humans were looking at someone born as a hybrid with a bug¡ªhe was grotesque to them.

    He cursed.

    Himself, his mother, and everyone that was ignoring him¡­

    He needed to prove that he was the son of the Evil God; that he had Lucifer''s blood running through his veins.

    He''d gone there to prove that.

    ''Kill Satan¡­''

    He was going to kill Satan, the demon that was the object of every demon¡¯s fear, with his own hands.

    There should¡¯ve been no better way to prove himself than that.

    [A half-human, half-demon mix¡­?] he asked in surprise.

    * * *

    Lucis frowned.

    "Didn''t you lose against a human?"

    [¡­]

    "I heard it from dad. The Demon King, who defeated all seven archdukes in Hell, used to be a human."

    Satan remained silent.

    Lucis kept talking with a cold voice.

    "In the end, aren''t archdukes idiots who lost against a human?"

    [You''re one noisy son of a bitch. Lucifer would cry blood if he heard you talking.]

    "What?"

    [Ah, ehem.]

    Satan coughed in surprise.

    After returning to his normal way of speaking, Satan kept talking in a low voice.

    [Your dad also lost against the Demon King.]

    "That''s something from the past. Now, it''s different," he said confidently.

    [Hey, you rude double-standard bastard¡­ Ah. Haa. Haa.]

    "¡­"

    Lucis frowned.

    "It seems like you''re out of your mind."

    [No archduke is sane,] he said whileughing confidently.

    Lucis''s eyes shone sharply.

    There was no point in talking anymore.

    "Let''s stop talking here. You talk too much for an archduke."

    [Hoo.]

    "If you''re really an archduke¡­"

    <em>WHOOM.</em>

    A huge amount of demonic energy gathered around him.

    Dozens of ck spheres rose around Lucis''s body.

    "Prove it with your strength."

    [Ha, HAHAHA!!!]

    Satanughed out loud at his words.

    [Okay, if you want it that badly, I''ll show you¡­]

    Demonic energy spread like a ck curtain.

    The red mask distorted.

    [Who I am.]

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    The ground shook.

    Satan opened both arms.

    [Come. Show me your worth. Your existence.]

    Lucis frowned.

    "It isn''t me who has things to prove."

    [You talk too much,e.]

    "You''re the one who''s going to need to prove things, Satan."

    [Okay,e on.]

    He raised both arms.

    The ck sphere began rotating.

    "Rakisguard! Open your eyes and look carefully!" he shouted to his watching underling.

    [Stop talking and¡ª]

    "Today! Here, I, Lucis, will show you!!"

    [Excuse me?]

    "I¡¯ll show you whether or not the being you serve is a worthless mixed breed or the demon who will follow Evil God Lucifer!"

    [Can you hear me?]

    "See it! Feel it! Realize it!"

    [Stop, I''m having a hard time maintaining this concept.]

    <em>BOOM!</em>

    Lucis stomped on the ground.

    <em>Crack.</em> A fissure appeared over the ground, and intense energy spread.

    His silver hair that reached his waist was flickering.

    Lucis slowly opened his mouth while talking coldly.

    "With this battle, I''ll show¡ª"

    [Fuck, you''re making me cringe, so stop talking and fight. I''m having a hard time trying to maintain the atmosphere. Why are you making me struggle so much, you bastard?]

    "¡­"

    [Do you know how much I cringe every time I do this? Huh? I''m so ashamed that I struggle whenever I think of this while sleeping.]

    "What¡­?"

    [Hey, this is that, right? You were born as a mixed race and grew up being discriminated against, am I correct? Are you a teenager? What the fuck do you want to prove and why? Why are you doing this to me? Just let the atmosphere flow.]

    Satan was struggling.

    Lucis frowned after seeing him with an attitude that made him look like he had a double personality.

    "So words aren''t going to work with you."

    [Then please, fight me.]

    "Don''t worry."

    He readied himself.

    "Even if you regret it, you can¡¯t get away now."

    He stomped the ground and extended his hand.

    ck spheres flew toward Satan.

    Satan''s eyes shone.

    [Oh fuck, finally,] he said in a moved voice.

    Satan spread the curtain covering his body.

    The ck spheres Lucis shot out were blocked by the curtain.

    "Ha!"

    He opened both arms, and six ck wings pped.

    Hundreds of feathers shot out, and the demonic energy feather poured down like rain.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    "Huh?!"

    Satan''s body scattered away into the air.

    He appeared in front of Lucis in the blink of an eye and spread his hand to grab Lucis¡¯s face.

    Then, holding his face, he threw him like a baseball.

    <em>CRACK-!!</em>

    White dust rose from the ground, and Lucis''s body went flying.

    "Cough!"

    He quickly got up.

    "Huh?"

    Lucis''s eyes filled with confusion.

    When he got up, Satan was already in front of him.

    <em>"Paf!"</em>

    <em>Cough-!</em>

    He kicked Lucis''s head like a ser ball.

    A vein exploded from inside his nose, and he started to bleed.

    "W-wait¡­"

    He raised his hand.

    He couldn''t understand what was going on.

    Even if he was against an archduke, he was still Lucifer''s son.

    Despite that, why was there such an overwhelming difference in their strength?

    [Oh, fuck. I''m feeling refreshed.]

    It seemed rxing to him.

    "Damn!!"

    His expression distorted.

    His silver hair fluttered, and he gathered demonic energy from within his body.

    "AAHH!!"

    Giant spheres that were around ten meters in diameter appeared in his hands. The giant balls of demonic energy started to drag everything around into them.

    "Die!!" he shouted andunched his attack forward.

    But¡­

    <em>sh-</em>

    A ck light cut the sphere.

    The ck sphere was split into two too easily.

    A red mask appeared from behind the demonic energy that was scattering away.

    Satan stepped on his head.

    "Cough!"

    He copsed and his head was stuck to the ground¡­

    Next, Satan stepped on Lucis''s neck.

    [Master Lucis!!]

    The demon called Rakisguard came running.

    Before he could charge toward Satan, a giant demon appeared next to him and weighed him down.

    [Cough!]

    [How dare you interfere.]

    The demon who''d weighed down Rakisguard, Balrog, frowned.

    A beauty with ck hair walked from behind him and searched for something on Rakisguard.

    "Ah, Mr. K¡­ Satan, Here is what you''ve been looking for."

    She gave him a ckmunication crystal.

    KangWoo, no Satan, frowned while looking at themunication crystal.

    [Fuck¡­]

    He sighed.

    He grabbed themunication crystal the beauty with ck hair gave him.

    [Haa,] he let out a sigh.

    [I don''t want to do this anymore¡­] he mumbled in a tearful voice but soon shook his head.

    There was no other choice.

    ''Haa, fuck.''

    His head hurt.

    The wise man''s time weighed on him.

    It was as if a bearded man who had sumbed to capitalism said ¡°nyaa¡± at the end of each word to promote a video game.

    He felt ashamed.

    ''Life is too hard.''

    How long did he need to live like that?

    <em>Whir-</em>

    Light flowed out of the ckmunication crystal.

    He saw the face of a demon through the round and mirror-likemunication crystal.

    The eyes of the demon looking at him through themunication crystal widened.

    [You¡­]

    "Ahem."

    ''First, getting into the mood.''

    Satan spoke in a chilling voice.

    [I''m Death, I''m The End. I''m the father of all those that are angry. I''m anger itself.]

    ''Good. That didn''t sound bad at all.''

    Only a red mask was visible in the middle of a vast darkness.

    [I''m Satan.]

    ''YES! THIS IS IT. This is what I call an archduke! This is Satan!''

    Unlike how he was feeling, his mouth moved naturally.

 Chapter 208: Satan, The Reason Why That Demon Doesnt Stop (1)

    - What the¡­? Lucifer said from the other side of themunication crystal.

    He saw Satan wearing a red mask with Lucis under his feet.

    - Satan, what are you doing? Why is Lucis there? He said in a voice filled with killing intent while narrowing his eyes.

    Satan stepped on Lucis even harder.

    "Cough!"

    Lucis pped like a fish out of water.

    [I''m not sure. Why don''t you ask your son?] he said in a calm voice.

    Lucifer''s expression hardened.

    It wasn''t that Satan had gone to the Ernor Continent and kidnapped Lucis.

    If something like that had happened, there was no way he wouldn''t have noticed it.

    Then, there was only one other possibility¡­

    - Rakisguard¡­

    [Mr. Lucifer!! I¡­ I''m sorry!]

    Rakisguard, who had been restrained by Balrog, lowered his head.

    It was easy to guess what had happened based on his reaction.

    Lucis had gone to Earth on his own, fought Satan, and lost.

    He had lost from the moment he decided to fight Satan.

    Lucis might not have known it, but Lucifer how ''foreign'' the archdukes were.

    He knew that there was no way his son would be able to beat them.

    Lucifer frowned.

    - How pathetic.

    "D-dad¡­"

    Lucis trembled as if he were shocked and bit his lips.

    He felt aplex mixture of fear, regret, and anger.

    [Okay, then.]

    Satan kept talking in a rxed manner.

    His eyes behind the mask were shining with madness.

    [You know why I haven''t killed this brat, right?]

    He had captured his opponent¡¯s son.

    There probably wasn''t anyone dumb enough to not understand that.

    - Kill him, Lucifer replied in a cold voice.

    [Oh¡­?]

    - I have no intention of taking care of a son who acted without knowing his ce.

    It was a cold way of speaking.

    It was as if there wasn''t any emotion mixed into it.

    His cold eyes were directed toward Lucis.

    - So, is this the limit of a mixed breed?

    "Ugh¡­"

    Lucis bit his lips; tears flowed down his eyes.

    He couldn''t breathe properly.

    Mix-breed¡­

    The words that were like a curse to him stimted him.

    Up until that point, countless demons had called him that.

    That adjective of his had never changed, but it was the first time he''d heard his father calling him a mixed breed.

    ''It¡­ hurts.''

    He felt that his heart was going to be torn apart. It hurt.

    He felt his consciousness bing fuzzy.

    While he was feeling hazy, he heard a spookyugh.

    [Lucifer.]

    - ¡­

    [Isn''t he your son?]

    - That doesn''t mean anything.

    His eyes were cold, and Lucifer talked in a dry voice.

    - Since when are descendants important for a demon?

    [Hmm.]

    - Satan, don''t try to use silly tactics. Were you expecting love toward someone of the same blood from a demon that doesn''t need to reproduce?

    It was an obvious question.

    Demons didn''t need to reproduce in the first ce, so it would be ironic if they felt affection toward their blood descendants.

    [Then¡­]

    Satan looked at Lucifer.

    [Why did you have a child?]

    - ¡­

    Lucifer remained silent.

    His words were contradictory.

    If his son weren''t important and meaningless, he wouldn''t have had Lucis.

    If he was an ident, he would''ve been able to get rid of him easily while she was still pregnant.

    It would be too hopeful to think that an archduke would feel remorseful about killing a baby.

    - It was an ident¡­

    [An ident, huh?]

    Satanughed.

    [Lucifer.]

    Lucifer didn''t answer.

    Satan raised his hand whileughing out loud and a ck de aimed at Lucis''s head.

    He looked at Lucifer''s face through the mirror.

    - You¡­!

    He saw him frowning without being able to maintain hisposure.

    He opened his mouth in a hurry, but it seemed like he had realized something, so he closed it again.

    Satan burst intoughter.

    [HAHAHA!!!]

    Did demons feel affection toward their kin?

    His low-probability bet turned out to be a sess.

    If Lucifer really didn''t think much of Lucifer, he would''ve cut the conversation. No, he wouldn''t have epted the call in the first ce.

    From the moment Lucifer received the call and started to give excuses, the result had already been decided.

    [You did something quite cute. Are those the feelings of a dad?]

    - ¡­

    "F-father¡­" Lucis said in a tearful voice.

    "I''m¡­ sorry."

    - Shut up, Lucifer replied in a cold voice.

    He looked at Lucis with a troubled expression on his face.

    Was that how it felt to see your son make a mistake and be a death row prisoner?

    * * *

    - What is it that you want?

    In the end, they returned to the starting point.

    Lucifer admitted that Satan had the power in their conversation.

    Satan kept talking in a rxed voice.

    [You already know what I want.]

    - War¡­

    [Yes, Lucifer, let''s have a war full of blood, flesh, destruction, and madness. Let''s kill each other and fill our stomachs.]

    - It seems like you''ve be crazier after going to Earth, Lucifer answered in disbelief.

    The Satan he knew wasn''t that crazy¡ªyou could at least reason with him.

    - Do you know what situation the demons are currently in? he said in an anger-filled voice.

    - Ernor, Hwan, and even the you''re living on, Earth.

    He hadn''t heard of one of the three worlds mentioned.

    - Heavens¡¯ forces want to eliminate demons from all worlds connected to the Hell of Nine Skies.

    He kept talking as if he were chewing something.

    - The Hell of Nine Skies will be separated from all the worlds. You know what that means, right?

    He looked at Satan with sharp eyes.

    - We won''t be able to return to the Hell of Nine Skies.

    [¡­]

    Satan remained silent at Lucifer''s words.

    His body trembled as if he couldn''t hold back theughter.

    He grabbed his stomach and let theughter out.

    [Why does that matter?]

    - What?

    [What does it matter if we can''t return to the Hell of Nine Skies?]

    - Are you out of your mind?

    [That''s something I want to ask.]

    The red mask distorted.

    [Were we ever sane?]

    - ¡­

    Crack.

    "AAGGHH!!"

    He stepped on Lucis''s arms.

    The arms twisted, and ck blood poured out.

    Lucifer''s expression hardened when he heard the screams.

    Although he was trying to act as if it didn''t affect him, you could tell it did based on his expression.

    - Satan¡­

    Lucifer kept talking with a voice that had a strong killing intent in it.

    - Stop.

    [You know what you must do for me to stop, right?]

    Satan opened both arms.

    The darkness devoured the light around him as if it had suddenly be night.

    [Come here and kill me. If not¡­]

    He stepped on Lucis''s arm, which deformed and twisted.

    A horrifying scream spread through the ce.

    - I told you to stop.

    He sensed a chilling from the other side of themunication crystal.

    Satan burst intoughter and kept calmly speaking.

    [Your son is going to die here.]

    - ¡­

    Lucifer remained silent and gave Satan a disgusted look.

    - Disgusting.

    [Hmm?]

    - Aren''t you ashamed of using a cheap hostage strategy?

    It was a childish provocation.

    [Since when did we care about things like that?]

    He kept talking with deep, sunken eyes full of madness.

    [Were you expectingpassion in a fight among demons? Were you expecting morality? A fair and beautiful fight? Were you expecting a fair fight with rules in ce?]

    Nonsense.

    [Wake up, Lucifer. We aren''t like that. We never fought like that. Do you remember the battle against the Demon King? What did we do back then? Did we fight fairly using only our fighting power?]

    They didn''t do that.

    They''d used tactics like kidnappings, conspiracies, misunderstandings, and reality distortions.

    They¡¯d forced a soldier of the Demon King''s army to hug a bomb and charge toward his allies.

    They¡¯d spread gues and curses to kill the demons that served the Demon King.

    Sometimes, they cut the Demon King''s underlings into pieces and sent them to him.

    [Why are you trying to pretend to be nice? You¡¯re asking for mercy and concession? I''m the disgusted one. What was it that made you be so pathetic?]

    - ¡­

    [Do you want to me me? Are you cursing me for kidnapping your son and threatening you?]

    Satan lowered his head toward themunication crystal.

    The eyes behind the mask were shining with a yellow light.

    [Come here, Lucifer. Be crazy with anger, be blind with resentment. Fight me, and¡­]

    He let out a chillingugh.

    [Kill me.]

    <em>BOOM!!!</em>

    The giant throne Lucifer was sitting in was destroyed.

    - I''m going to say it one more time, Satan¡­ he said in a suppressed voice.

    He felt that Lucifer was trying his best to be as calm as possible.

    - If I give up on everything and go there, you will be the angels'' next target.

    He kept talking in a low voice.

    - Don''t expect the angels to go to Hwan before going there to target you. Satan, you''re going to be their next target. I''ll make it so.

    He was threatening him.

    Themunication crystal couldn''t withstand Lucifer''s demonic energy and started to crack.

    It was clear how much anger he was feeling at the moment.

    - There''s going to be no winner in this fight. It doesn''t matter who wins or losses, we''re both going to lose it all. Do you still want to fight me despite that?

    [¡­]

    Satan didn''t answer.

    He raised his feet and stepped on Lucis''s other arm.

    <em>CRACK!</em>

    Lucis¡¯s pained scream was enough of an answer.

    [Who do you think I am? I''m death, the end, anger itself. I''m Satan. It doesn''t matter if it''s an angel or a god. Tell them all toe here. Come here and fight me. It doesn''t matter what you say because I''m not going to stop.]

    ¡®Why¡­?¡¯

    ''Because it''s not my problem!!''

    ¡®RIP Satan!! ¡®

 Chapter 209: Seduction Skills (1)

    [Eight o¡¯clock news. A giant gate has appeared in Africa. Unlike a normal gate with colors that go from lowest-ranked, white, to ck, this one had a deep blue color. The gate disappeared soon after appearing. All the monsters, animals, and vegetation around that area have died.]

    [Guardian is investigating a possible connection between this and the Grand Canyon volcano incident, but they said they hadn''t been able to find any for the moment.]

    [Since the blue gate appeared, explosions have been seen around the world. Most of them have urred in areas absent of human habitation, so there haven''t been civilian losses, but it seems we''re going to be careful of what''s happening.]

    "It seems like everything is going ording to n."

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up while he watched the TV.

    Using Lucis as a provocation had been a sess.

    Lucifer had gone to Earth and engaged in an all-out war with Satan and the Demon Cult.

    The battle was obviously an overwhelming victory for Lucifer''s forces.

    He wasn''t sure how Lucifer''s forces were finding the Demon Cult¡¯s hideouts, but they were good at it.

    The entire world had a hard time finding where the Demon Cult had their bases, and Lucifer''s forces were not only finding them, but they were smashing them with overwhelming strength.

    They were acting as if all the calmness until that point had been for that.

    They were one-sidedly being beaten in such a way that one could even feel pity for them.

    ''I wish the Demon Cult offered a bit more resistance.''

    He didn''t think it was all the Demon Cult could offer and that it was their end.

    Although they might not be able to reverse the situation, he at least wished they would offer some resistance.

    ''Not everything goes as intended.''

    Unlike his expectations, they were being one-sidedly beaten up, but he didn''t feel that anxious anymore.

    KangWoo looked at his hands.

    He''d grown strong enough to fight against archdukes.

    He didn''t need to try to exhaust Lucifer any longer.

    ''I''m also preparing a hidden card.''

    KangWooy on the sofa.

    Anyway, the only thing he had to do was watch the fight between Lucifer and the Demon Cult from a distance.

    "KangWoo, I want to watch anime. Today is the day Konosuba airs."

    Echidna walked toward him.

    She sat on her exclusive ce, his legs, and spread her short hands.

    He smiled and gave her the remote control.

    "Hngh! Hngh!"

    She changed the channels while snorting, but her expression soon became filled with despair.

    "It was canceled again¡­"

    She lowered her head.

    Most shows had been dyed because of the Gate Lucifer had used to invade Earth.

    "Everything is going to calm down soon."

    "Okay."

    Echidna turned and grabbed KangWoo''s cor.

    "KangWoo, I learned more dragon magic. I can use three of them now."

    "Woah, you learned another one?"

    He stroked her hair.

    Most hatchlings couldn''t use dragon magic.

    In most cases, you had to be at least an adult dragon.

    Even if she''d be connected with KangWoo and could receive his strength, without some effort, you usually couldn''t do the impossible.

    "Maybe you''re going to be able to use Brass soon?" he asked yfully.

    "Hngh! Hngh! I''m going do my best!"

    "Well¡­ It doesn''t seem to be something you can do by making an effort."

    Heughed lightly.

    Based on what he heard from her, only a few dragons could use Brass.

    Maybe she''d be able to do it in the near future, but she was just a hatchling at the moment, and it was a technique that was too difficult for her.

    "KangWoo, KangWoo! Are you still busy these days?" Echidna carefully asked.

    He''d been very busy trying to control the archduke''s Authority over the past few months, so it was a normal reaction.

    KangWoo stroked her hair while making a bitter smile.

    "Yes, but I think that things are going to get sorted soon."

    Once he devoured Lucifer, he would be able toplete the immediate goal.

    Of course, he would have had to train a bit to control Lucifer and Mamon''s Authorities, but he probably wouldn''t need to hurry like he was doing.

    "I see¡­"

    She lowered his head while making a sad expression.

    He stroked her hair and kept talking.

    "Then, once this is finished, should we go on a pic together?"

    "A pic?"

    "Yes. With Seol-ah."

    "Hngh! Hngh! Okay! Yes!"

    Echidna nodded in excitement.

    KangWoo smiled.

    ''This is what I call healing.''

    He thought that if things turned out well and he had a child with Seol-ah one day, that was what it would probably feel like.

    KangWoo smiled while imagining it.

    "Can we go with Lilith and Balrog too?"

    "Why¡­?"

    "They aren''t that friendly with Seol-ah. Lilith and Balrog are very nice, and I want everyone to get along."

    "¡­"

    He fell into thought.

    In reality, Balrog and Lilith weren''t that close with the people he''d met on Earth.

    The problem was that Balrog and Lilith knew him too well.

    What kind of person he was, how he''d lived in Hell¡­ They knew everything.

    ''How troublesome.''

    He''d warned them about what not to say, but he still found it troublesome.

    Still, it wouldn''t be good if Lilith, Balrog, Kim ShiHoon, Han Seol-ah, and the others weren''t well-acquainted with each other.

    ''I''ll have to think about thister.''

    It was important to keep a good rtionship between allies if he wanted a cohesive force.

    A day when Balrog and Kim ShiHoon had to coborate or Han Seol-ah had to cure Lilith might eventually arrive.

    "I have things to do, so I''ll be going out, and¡­ where¡¯s Seol-ah?"

    "She went out with the redhead."

    "With Chae YeonJoo?"

    "Yes. They''ve been hanging out together a lot."

    "Hmm."

    He nodded and got up.

    Chae YeonJoo and Han Seol-ah¡­

    At first nce, they were like oil and water.

    ''Well, maybe that''s why they became friends.''

    He started to move.

    * * *

    <em>Tap-</em>

    He began walking through a dark cave with a lot of humidity and sloshed through the stagnant water.

    The metallic odor of blood filled the passageway.

    "Cough¡­ Cough."

    He heard a weak cough.

    KangWoo was wearing the red mask.

    "You''re a tough one, huh?"

    "¡­"

    Lucis was being restrained by the Authority of Blockade.

    There were wounds all around his body, and his state was dreadful.

    He red at KangWoo with sharp eyes.

    "Kill me."

    "I won''t."

    "KILL ME!!"

    "Hahaha. There''s no way I''d kill you."

    He smirked, spread his hand, and pulled Lucis''s hair.

    "Don''t ask for death. Letting you live or die is my decision."

    "¡­"

    He frowned.

    KangWoo turned his head and saw Balzac.

    Balzac was wearing a ck robe with blood all around it.

    He wasn''t even wearing the cute apron he liked to wear.

    "He isn''t giving up, huh?"

    [I''m sorry, Mr. Satan.]

    He bowed.

    [I''ve used all sorts of ck magic¡­ but I haven''t been able to break him.]

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo fell into thought.

    ''How unexpected.''

    He wasn''t expecting Lucis to be that persistent.

    ''How troublesome.''

    He frowned.

    If Lucis didn''t give up, he wouldn''t be able to execute his n.

    ''Haha.''

    Lucis began tough out loud.

    "Kill me. I''ll never surrender to you."

    "Hmm¡­"

    At first, he thought he was just bluffing, so those results were totally unexpected.

    ''Well, I guess there''s no other choice.''

    Authorities like the Subordination or Fear ones didn''t work on him.

    He''d even weakened him with the Authority of Blockade, but the result was the same.

    It was as if Lucis was proving he really had the blood of an archduke. None of the controlling Authorities worked on him.

    ''What should I do?''

    He sighed.

    ''Should I change ns?''

    It wasn''t impossible, but he didn''t like the idea.

    He felt he was about to lose against a character whose only characteristic was how much they talked.

    It was an unpleasant feeling.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "Mr. Satan, so you were here."

    Lilith entered the cave, looked at Lucis, and frowned.

    "That brat still hasn''t broken?"

    "Yeah."

    "Hmph. To think that you''d inconvenience Mr. Satan¡­"

    Lilith frowned as if she didn''t like that.

    She walked toward KangWoo and touched him in a sensual manner.

    "You''re quite tired because of that brat, right?"

    "Not really¡­"

    "In times like these, I should f¡­ satisfy Mr. Satan''s needs."

    A deep smile appeared on Lilith''s face.

    "Now that I think about it, it''s been a while since I spent the night with you. How about that?"

    "Save me."

    Lilith''s sudden proposal¡­

    Was it because she''d spent a lot of time going around gathering information about Lucifer and the Demon Cult? It seemed like she had quite a lot of lust stuck inside her.

    "Fufufu."

    <em>Squeak- Squeak.</em>

    Her beautiful, brown hair started to turn into green tentacles.

    Her face started to split, and 18 eyes appeared.

    KangWoo subconsciously took a step back.

    Then¡­

    "A-ahh!!"

    ''Huh?''

    Lucis''s eyes widened.

    ''What?''

    He looked as if he''d just seen a ghost, and his body was starting to tremble.

    There was no way a demon would be scared after seeing a ghost, so he wasn''t sure why Lucis had reacted like that.

    ''Is he also afraid of Lilith''s appearance?''

    He was starting to feel a bit of empathy when¡­

    "O-oh my god¡­ Such a beauty¡­"

    "What?"

    "Wh-why is¡­ such a beautiful woman following a piece of trash like him?"

    "What the fuck?"

    He felt betrayed.

    Lilith snorted while looking at Lucis.

    "Hmph, it seems like you can recognize beauty even though you''re just a kid."

    ''No.''

    "Go drink some more breast milk from your mother, kid."

    ''What''s going on?''

    He felt troubled.

    What he saw didn''t match what Lucis was saying.

    Lucis bit his lip and shouted.

    "You''re being deceived!"

    "What do you mean?"

    "A woman as beautiful as you¡­ doesn''t go well with a piece of trash like that!"

    "If you call my King trash one more time, I''ll tear off that mouth of yours."

    "Ugh!"

    Tears dripped from Lucis''s eyes.

    "Please,e to your senses. I¡­ I fell in love at first sight. I want to protect you," he said in a trembling voice.

    ''What? Fell¡­ in what?''

    "Fufufu! You''re saying some cute things."

    ''What¡­? Things are going to flow like this?''

    He was so surprised that he found it difficult to close his mouth.

    KangWoo grabbed his head in confusion.

    At that moment, Lilith put her lips over his ears.

    "Demon King, you said you''ve been having trouble trying to break that kid, right?"

    "Y-yes¡­"

    "Fufu. I guess there''s nothing you can do about it. I, Lilith, will solve that for you."

    She elegantly took a step toward Lucis.

    "You fell in love at first sight?"

    "Y-yes¡­"

    "Fufufu. Now that I have taken a closer look, you look cute, so¡­ show me how you feel."

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    Tentacles spread from Lilith''s body and surrounded Lucis.

    "A-ahh! H-how beautiful¡­ Y-you¡­"

    "Call me Lilith."

    "Ah, Ms. L-Lilith¡­ Aah!"

    "Fufufu!!!"

    "Ugh, E-eek!"

    "¡­"

    <em>Thud-</em>

    KangWoo fell to the floor.

    Something he couldn''t believe, something he didn''t want to believe, was happening in front of him.

    A man who looked like he was wearing cosy was moaning while the tentacles slithered over his body.

    "Ugh."

    He covered his mouth and lowered his head.

    "BLAARRGGHH."

 Chapter 210: What Are You Talking About? (1)

    "Haa, it''s hard to deal with a brat."

    He walked out of the cave and tried to get hold of his consciousness. While he was doing that, Lilith came out and sighed.

    KangWoo turned his head.

    "Did it work¡­?"

    "Of course."

    Lilith smiled.

    "It might be impossible right now¡­ but as time goes on, he will be a puppet that follows all of my orders."

    "Well done."

    He nodded.

    Turning Lucis into his puppet was something that upied an important ce in his current ns.

    Nothing seemed to work from control-type Authorities to Balzac''s ck magic, so Lilith''s way of doing things working was something unexpected.

    ''The process was a bit¡­''

    It was something that was horrifying to witness.

    ''Well, at least it was effective.''

    He had his mouth closed while making a bitter look.

    Lilith walked toward him.

    "Demon King, please. Don''t misunderstand me," she said in a sad voice.

    "What¡­?"

    "I cut all the tentacles I just used. I also didn''t use my body. S-so¡­" she mumbled while making a worried expression.

    "I¡­ I didn''t cheat!"

    "¡­"

    That thought had never crossed his mind.

    He had never imagined that thinking that was even a possibility.

    "Ugh¡­ I didn''t want to do something like that with a man that isn''t the Demon King, but¡­"

    "Ah, yes. Thanks."

    KangWoo nodded while making an awkward expression.

    Certainly, from Lilith''s point of view, it was like having seduced an unknown, random brat, so it wasn''t weird that she''d react like that.

    "It''s okay. I trust you."

    He wasn''t lying when he said that.

    Balrog and Lilith¡­

    He''d spent a lot of time with those two demons.

    There was no way he wouldn''t trust and value them.

    He was cruel to his enemies, but he couldn''t do the same to his allies.

    That wasn''t something a King would do, but it was more something a mindless idiot would do.

    "Aah."

    Lilith hugged KangWoo with shining eyes.

    Was it because she was in her human form? He didn''t feel repulsion.

    "Oh, we don¡¯t have time for this."

    Lilith backed off while shaking her head.

    "There''s something I wanted to report."

    There was a reason why she''d gone there to find him.

    "There''s a problem¡­"

    "What happened?"

    "There''s a Demon Cult branch I''m closely watching. It''s a giant base¡­ simr to the one in Tibet, and there are more than a thousand members."

    "Aha."

    "I''ve been leaking some information and tried to make Lucifer''s forces fight with them in a frontal battle¡­ but the n didn¡¯t work out.''

    "Keep talking."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    "The Demon Cult is trying to avoid a frontal battle."

    "Hmm."

    "Just like when Mamon came out, I was hoping for them toe up with something¡­ but if things continue like this, I think they''ll end up leaving and throwing away this base."

    "¡­"

    He remained silent and fell into thought.

    ''I don''t like this.''

    He''d tried to cause a fight between Lucifer''s forces and the Demon Cult to weaken them, but it seemed that his n wasn''t going as expected.

    ''What''s going on?''

    He even thought that he might have overestimated them.

    ''No.''

    He shook his head.

    After returning to Earth, he''d fought against the Demon Cult numerous times.

    There was something he was sure about¡­

    ''They''re hiding something.''

    There were probably more than one or two things they were hiding.

    He didn''t even need more evidence.

    They''d woken up Mamon, but even then, he didn''t feel that it was Mamon who was leading them.

    If Mamon was their leader, there was no way they''d be able to recover so easily.

    There was someone else, for sure.

    ''Is Satan the one who''s really leading the Demon Cult?''

    Such a thought crossed his mind, but he shook it from his head.

    "Anyways¡­"

    He couldn''t stand still.

    "I guess there''s no other choice."

    He stood up.

    "What are you going to do?"

    "They serve a being called Phase of Evil. Most of them don''t know who that Phase of Evil is."

    One of the abnormal things about the Demon Cult was that they served the ''Phase of Evil'', but no one knew exactly who the Phase of Evil was. They didn''t even know if it was a demon or a human.

    That Phase of Evil had probably organized things like that to stay under the radar, but it had a weird structure, considering it was a group full of crazy people.

    ''It''s as if they were serving a king they can''t see.''

    He didn''t know why that being had remained hidden, but he could use that.

    "That''s true."

    "Then¡­"

    KangWoo raised the red mask he¡¯d gotten more used to using than the Guardian one.

    "I''ll just have to be their King."

    His smile was covered by the mask.

    * * *

    "W-we can''t win."

    "Why is an archduke¡­? Is¡­ isn''t there any news from the higher-ups?"

    In a certain region in Africa, there were dozens of people gathered around under a giant base built under the desert.

    Despite the hot weather outside, the people were wearing ck robes.

    The members gathered there were ones that had the rank of Cardinal, at least.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    "H-how could it be that, even in a situation like this, there are no words from the higher-ups?! Just¡­ what should we do now?!"

    "And Ms. Y-Yulia?"

    "We also can''tmunicate with Ms. Yulia."

    There was a heavy silence.

    The only thing heard were sighs.

    "What is the Phase of Evil doing during a crisis like this¡­?" someone mumbled.

    Everyone started to tremble.

    The Phase of Evil¡­

    The being they served and believed in.

    The king they served was hidden under a veil.

    Even amidst a crisis like that, the king hadn''t appeared in front of his soldiers, so it was obvious that they would feel overwhelmed.

    "We should retreat."

    "Yes. I think that retreating would be the¡­"

    Crack-!

    At that moment, a ck fissure suddenly appeared in the air.

    "Wh-what?!"

    "What''s going on¡­"

    The cultists looked at the fissure that had suddenly appeared.

    <em>Tap- Tap</em>

    A demon wearing a red mask appeared with a darkness that covered his entire body like a curtain.

    The being that emitted an overwhelming pressure slowly walked toward them.

    "E-eek!"

    "L-Lucifer?!"

    They''d felt a huge amount of demonic energy they''d never been able to feel before, so they naturally thought of that name.

    The cultists trembled in fear.

    The demon wearing a red mask walked toward them.

    [You can even recognize your master?]

    "Yes¡­?"

    [Tsk, pathetic.]

    The unknown being standing in front of the table waved his hand.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    The body of a Cardinal sitting at the head of the table was pushed back.

    An overwhelming amount of demonic energy applied pressure on them.

    He pulled a chair back and sat.

    "You¡­"

    "D-don''t tell me¡­"

    [You asked what the Phase of Evil is doing?]

    As if cutting their doubts, he spoke in a low voice.

    [Here. I''m right in front of you.]

    "Ah, ahh!"

    The red mask twisted.

    [I''m your father, the creator of darkness, the ruler of the abyss.]

    A sticky demonic energy surrounded the cultists.

    [I''m Satan,] he said in a sharp tone.

    "Ah, ahh!!"

    "Phase of Evil!!''

    "S-Satan!!"

    The cultists knelt.

    They were thrilled.

    Satan¡­

    No one on Earth didn''t know about him.

    The cultists trembled after realizing the identity of the Phase of Evil they''d been serving.

    [You''re trying to escape?]

    "Th-that."

    The faces of the cultists paled.

    Satan spread his hand, and a strong, absorbing force dragged the head of a cultist to him.

    <em>Paf-</em>

    The head exploded, and the smell of blood filled the entire room.

    [A demon doesn''t retreat.]

    "Ah¡­"

    "S-sorry!"

    The cultists lowered their heads.

    [Why is it that you serve a demon?]

    Satan got up.

    [There''s only one reason why people serve demons¡­ It has been that way since the beginning,] he said in a voice full of madness, desire, and lust.

    [Eternal life? What''s the point in living an eternal life as a ve? Desire? A desire that can''t be fulfilled is just a curse. You don''t serve demons for a reason like that.]

    <em>Stomp.</em>

    [Power! The strength to step over others and rise to the top! Wasn''t that what you were after?!] he shouted.

    The cultists trembled and felt chills.

    [Escape? Make a deal? There''s nothing of that sort for a demon! Lust, fight! Achieve! Kill the enemy and eat their flesh! Drink their blood! That''s what we live for!!]

    "Aah."

    It hadn''t been a minute since he''d appeared. Yet he was able to drag everyone''s attention thanks to an overwhelming charisma.

    The cultists found their mouths agape at such an overwhelming presence.

    Satan took out something from inside his cloak.

    <em>ng-</em>

    Dozens of ck jewels got put over the table.

    "Th-this¡­"

    "Demonic Energy Stones¡­?"

    [Eat them,] Satan said.

    [I''ll give you my strength. Fight. Kill the fake archduke who''s making fun of the Demon Cult.]

    The eyes behind the mask were burning.

    [Die for me.]

    "Aah!!"

    "Satan!!"

    "Phase of Evil!!!!"

    The cultists started to go crazy.

    The tips of Satan''s mouth went up behind the mask.

    * * *

    <em>Tap- Tap-</em>

    A figure ran through a giant ice cave with hurried steps.

    Their robe uncovered a face distorted by heavy burns.

    The person with such a horrifying appearance ran while taking a deep breath.

    Suddenly, a ck figure appeared in front of her.

    The ck figure was beating as if it were a giant''s heart.

    The woman, Yulia, shouted.

    "Mr. S-Satan!!!"

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    A loud sound shook their surroundings, frost fell to the ground, and the ck figure began moving.

    [What''s going on?]

    "Y-you see¡­" Yulia stammered.

    Satan''s body, surrounded by darkness, started to wriggle.

    [Speak. If you woke me for an insignificant reason, your soul will¡ª]

    "Mr. Satan¡­" Yulia gulped.

    "Satan has appeared."

    [¡­]

    There was a heavy silence.

    [What¡­?]

    What did she mean?

 Chapter 211: Son (1)

    [What nonsense¡­ are you saying?] he said in confusion.

    The darkness surrounding Satan started to move.

    "S-someone is impersonating you."

    [Me?]

    "Y-yes!" Yulia nodded with her face pale.

    A breathtakingly strong pressure fell over the area.

    [Who dares to impersonate me, Satan?] A voice filled with confusion and anger echoed out.

    He couldn''t understand it.

    "I¡­ I don''t know."

    [Yulia, how have you been running the Cult?]

    "I¡­ I''m sorry! It''s because of the battle against Lucifer''s forces¡­"

    [Lucifer''s forces?]

    What nonsense was that?

    "Lucifer has appeared and is attacking the Demon Cult."

    [What?]

    "Th-this is just a guess¡­ I think that the person impersonating Mr. Satan caused this battle."

    [¡­]

    Satan remained silent, and he felt his body going numb.

    He wanted tough in disbelief but couldn''t do that because he was still absorbing the ''Root of Evil.''

    [Just who¡­?]

    Who was impersonating an archduke?

    That wasn''t possible unless you had strengthparable to one.

    It wasn''t that the Demon Cult members were dumb. If they''d tried to impersonate him with average demonic energy, they would''ve figured it out for sure.

    [Don''t tell me¡­]

    A certain possibility crossed his mind.

    The darkness covering Satan''s body fluctuated.

    [Demon King¡­?] he said in a fearful voice.

    It was a possibility he didn''t want to think of.

    [No, he''s dead.]

    He would''ve shaken his head if he had one.

    When he came to Earth, he felt the presence of the Demon King disappearing because of the dimensional wall.

    In reality, he hadn''t felt the presence of the Demon King for almost a thousand years.

    Then¡­

    There''s no way he would''ve resurrected.

    [There''s no way.]

    It was as if he were trying to convince himself.

    "Mr. Satan¡­?"

    Yulia was surprised.

    She had served Satan for hundreds of years, but it was her first time seeing him like that.

    No, it was the first time she''d seen Satan feeling ''fear.''

    [What are the other Phases doing?]

    "Mr. Belphegor and Mr. Bloodseeker are still absorbing the root of evil, and Mr. Kalgia¡­"

    [Is he still investigating the Demon of Prophecy?]

    "Yes."

    The darkness fluctuated.

    There wasn''t anyone who could move.

    [Hmm.]

    Whoever was impersonating him wasn¡¯t important at that moment.

    Rather than finding the culprit, dissuading Lucifer was more important.

    [I guess I have no other choice¡­]

    The darkness surrounding Satan started to fluctuate.

    He had no other choice.

    As if he were cutting off his flesh, part of the darkness surrounding Satan fell off.

    * * *

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    "Yes?"

    Lilith had entered the room.

    KangWoo, who was checking the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea while sitting on the bed, nodded.

    "The fight with the Demon Cult base in Africa has begun."

    "What''s the situation?"

    Lilith smiled.

    "Lucifer''s forces are winning by an overwhelming difference¡­ but they''ve also suffered great losses."

    It was too bad that someone like Mamon hadn''t appeared, but the strength of a Demon Cult base with almost a thousand members wasn''t bad.

    They were able to damage Lucifer''s forces to the point he''d thought.

    "And Lucifer?" he asked with expectant eyes.

    The most important thing was how much Lucifer''s forces had weakened because of it.

    Lilith answered without hesitation.

    "He clearly seems tired."

    "Good."

    KangWoo smiled while nodding.

    It wasn''t that archdukes had infinite stamina.

    The more they fought, the more their health decreased and tiredness stacked in their mind.

    It might have been different if he had used a strategy of attacking and backing off to recover vitality, but engaging in constant battles as someone that had lost his mind should have been tiring, even for him.

    ''Is his son that important?''

    It was hard to believe he was the Lucifer he knew.

    It seemed like Lucifer had changed after going to the Ernor continent.

    ''I guess it doesn''t matter.''

    It didn''t matter if he''d changed or not.

    He needed an archduke''s soul, and Lucifer was tired enough that he could use his soul.

    That was the important thing.

    "How''s Lucis doing?" he asked Lilith while licking his lips.

    Lilith answered while making a mischievous smile.

    "He isn''t right in his mind. If I ordered it, he''d probably even give up on his life."

    "That isn''t enough."

    KangWooughed.

    "He should be able to give up on something more important than his life."

    "Oh¡­"

    Lilith''s eyes shone.

    She touched KangWoo''s cheeks as if she were under the influence of drugs.

    "What my King is thinking¡­ it''s probably already possible."

    "Then it''s okay."

    Lilith wasn''t exaggerating.

    Lucis had probably already be her ve.

    "What about the others?"

    "Balrog and Balzac are preparing, but Echidna¡­ I think that you should leave her out of this n."

    "Why?"

    As he asked her, Lilith started to twist her body.

    Her hair had turned into tentacles.

    "How can we make such a cute kid fight?! I wish I could use my tentacles as well¡­"

    "Please, don''t do anything to my Echidna."

    "Fufu. Haa, I wonder if this is how it would feel if I bore your baby¡­"

    It seemed like Echidna was popr among both Han Seol-ah and Lilith.

    ''That''s good.''

    Echidna was probably going to be able to be the bridge between Han Seol-ah, Kim ShiHoon, and the other people he''d met on Earth and Balrog and Lilith¡ªbeings with whom he''d gotten involved with while in Hell.

    It might not be necessary for the moment, but it was for the long term.

    ''To live as a rich unemployed!''

    He had to eliminate as many factors that could cause him problems.

    "Then, don''t tell Echidna for the moment."

    KangWoo stood up.

    In reality, he didn''t want to show Echidna that ''n.''

    ''Don¡¯t tell the others, either.''

    That was why he hadn''t made Han Seol-ah, Kim ShiHoon, Chae YeonJoo, and others participate in the n.

    They still didn''t know him that well.

    They weren''t prepared to ept it.

    "Let''s go."

    "Yes, Mr. KangWoo."

    <em>Click-</em>

    He opened the door.

    "Ah."

    He saw Han Seol-ah making a surprised expression in front of the door.

    She trembled a bit while holding a tray with a cup of coffee.

    "A-are you leaving already?" Han Seol-ah asked while taking a glimpse at Lilith.

    He''d already exined Lilith to her, but it seemed like she still felt awkward around her.

    "Fufu. Yes. I have a secret meeting with Mr. Kang¡ª"

    "Don''t say nonsense."

    He softly hit Lilith''s head, extended his hand, grabbed the cup of coffee Han Seol-ah had prepared, and drank it in one go.

    Hot coffee went down his throat.

    "I''ll be going."

    * * *

    "Ah, yes¡­"

    She was making a lonely expression.

    KangWoo thought and then remembered what Echidna had told him.

    "Once this is done¡­ Should we take Echidna and others out?"

    "Ah, y-yes! I want to go!"

    Han Seol-ah nodded.

    Her reaction was simr to Echidna''s.

    KangWoo smiled and nodded.

    "Hng¡­"

    Lilith looked at Han Seol-ah with great interest.

    [It seems like that human girl has fallen for the charms of the Demon King.]

    [Shut up,] he replied coldly so Lilith couldn''t do anything dumb.

    Lilith was speaking directly into his head.

    "Take care."

    "Yes."

    "Ah¡­ Ms. Kurosaki, no, Lilith, you also take care.

    "Fufu. Let''s talk againter, Ms. Seol-ah."

    They walked out of the house.

    Lilith opened her mouth after looking at the door closing.

    "You said wing patterns have appeared on Ms. Seol-ah''s back, right?"

    "Ah, yes. There were two at the beginning, but now there are 4."

    The angel wing patterns that were on Seol-ah''s back were bing more visible as time passed.

    "Hmm. I feel like I''ve heard about this from Amon before¡­"

    "From Amon?"

    "Yes. He said something about it while talking about angels¡­ but I wasn''t interested at the moment, so I don''t remember very well."

    To her, what other people that weren''t KangWoo said wasn''t something she was interested in.

    "¡­"

    He became interested since it was something rted to Han Seol-ah, but he started walking again.

    It wasn''t time to think about her.

    "Then¡­"

    He stomped on the ground and flew.

    "Let''s begin."

    * * *

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The earth was torn apart, and a horrible scream was heard.

    "S-stop him!!"

    "AGH!!"

    "M-monster."

    A vast grasnd in Africa had been torn apart in such a way that it was even embarrassing to call it Hell.

    A demon with 10 ck wings on his back, a horn on his forehead, and ck skin was walking on top of the torn-apart and distortednd.

    Although he wasn''t that big, his appearance wasn''t that different from a human¡¯s.

    His face was distorted like a monster¡¯s.

    The demon, his horrid face resembling a goblin¡¯s, was walking along the ruined surface.

    <em>CRACK-!!</em>

    "AAHH!!"

    As he swung his hand, a ck sphere was made in the air.

    Dozens of Demon Cult members were dragged in by its huge absorbing power, and the chilling sound of bones being crushed was heard.

    "Haa¡­"

    A left Lucifer¡¯s mouth, the demon who was crushing the Demon Cult.

    [Mr. L-Lucifer¡­]

    [You should rest a bit¡­] The demon that was following him said in a worried voice.

    Lucifer shook his head.

    "I won''t rest."

    His son, Lucis, had been kidnapped by Satan, so there was no way he was going to take a break.

    Lucifer looked at his hands.

    ''Is it because I came to Earth?''

    His strength was lower than when he was on the Ernor Continent.

    Since he''d be an Evil God, he was stronger than in the past when he was just an archduke.

    As time went on, as if he were getting used to Earth, his strength started returning, but he didn''t have time to wait for that at the moment.

    ''I guess there''s nothing I can do about it.''

    Even if he''d be weaker, he could exercise as much strength as he could in the past when he used to be in the Hell of Nine Skies.

    He wasn''t sure how strong Satan had be after absorbing the Sea of Demonic Energy from the Demon King, but there was no way to know that without fighting him.

    "We''re moving to the next ce."

    He was about to turn around¡­

    "M-Mr. Lucifer!!"

    An underling came running toward him.

    Lucifer turned around and frowned.

    His eyes widened.

    [Mr. L-Lucis is over there. He¡¯s unconscious!]

    "What¡­?"

    He quickly ran toward him.

    His underling was definitely carrying Lucis on his back.

    "Move!"

    He''d endlessly fought after hearing that his son had been kidnapped, so Lucifer''s patience had bottomed.

    He couldn''t make the correct decision and was losing his rationality.

    His son was in front of him, so he couldn''t think of anything else.

    He hugged Lucis.

    "Lucis! Come back to your senses!"

    "F-father¡­?"

    Lucis''s eyes widened.

    Lucifer sighed in relief.

    "You stupid¡ª"

    "I¡­ I''m sorry, father."

    "Where''s Sata¡ª"

    <em>Stab-</em>

    He felt something sharp piercing his heart.

    "Cough."

    He vomited ck blood.

    Lucifer looked at Lucis in disbelief.

    "Son, wh-what are you doing?"

    The tips of Lucis¡¯s mouth went up.

    "Father, I''m inheriting your ce."

    "Cough."

    He copsed with his eyes wide open and saw a ck fissure in the distance.

    A demon wearing a red mask appeared from behind the ck fissure.

    "Sa¡­tan."

    ¡°Hahaha.¡±

    He heard the sound of a demonughing from a great distance away.

 Chapter 212: Im Satan (1)

    "Sa¡­ tan."

    Hahaha.

    He heard a demon¡¯sugh.

    "You¡­"

    Anger he couldn''t resist rose from inside.

    His head was hurting. Rather than the physical pain from being stabbed, the fact that Lucis did it hurt more.

    His sight blurred, and he felt his consciousness and rationality fading away.

    Madness filled his head.

    "SA¡­ TAANN!!!"

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    He pushed Lucis aside and stomped on the ground.

    His ten wings opened up, and his voice was filled with madness.

    His body shot forward before his voice even reached Satan, and he raised his hand, summoning a ck sphere into it that he then crushed.

    [Looking good,] Satan, no, KangWoo, who was behind the mask, said.

    ''So it worked.''

    Lilith had brainwashed Lucis, and it was a psychological attack using him.

    Lucifer was already tired after fighting against the Demon Cult, so the damage caused by it was huge.

    Even at first nce, it was clear that he was weaker than the Lucifer he fought against while in the Hell of Nine Skies.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    He raised his hand and looked at Lucifer¡¯s fist.

    ''Sky Break.''

    Two Authorities shed.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The ground shook.

    A sound simr to the one caused by an earthquake spread through the surroundings.

    He stomped on the ground and jumped into the air, waving his hand and shooting des from the darkness that covered his body.

    "YOUUU!!!" Lucifer shouted.

    Demonic energy flickered and spread.

    The swords KangWoo shot were deflected away by the demonic energy and fell to the floor.

    ''He''s still an archduke despite having been weakened, huh?''

    Among the seven archdukes, Lucifer was ranked third.

    He was strong even if he was tired or wounded.

    ''But¡­''

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    He could beat him.

    "You piece of trash!!! Crazy bastard!! How could you do something like this?!" Lucifer shouted as if he were about to have a seizure.

    It was a normal reaction based on the situation.

    He''d made a son stab the chest of his father, and there was nothing more evil than that.

    He couldn''t help butugh after seeing ''Lucifer'' say that.

    [¡­]

    KangWoo remained silent.

    He couldn''t help but get angry at Lucifer''s words.

    - Mr. KangWoo¡­

    - I''m sorry.

    A memory of the past brushed through his mind.

    He remembered a moment from before he was called Demon King when he was battling against the seven archdukes.

    He remembered the words that his underlings said before dying.

    Back then, Lucifer''s forces were overwhelmingly stronger than his.

    He thought of his underlings that were forced to hug bombs and run toward their allies.

    The memories he''d tried to forget came back to his mind.

    [Bullshit,] he said in a low voice while looking at Lucifer trembling in anger.

    He didn¡¯t believe the phrase, ¡®you reap what you sow.¡¯

    In most cases, the person that reaps and the one that sows are different.

    Still, hearing the demon, who had used his underlings to execute a lot of shady tactics, say something like that made him frown.

    [Didn''t I say it before?]

    Who cared about morals in a fight between demons?

    Who makes concessions andpromises?

    If you make a concession, you die; if you make apromise, you lose.

    To survive, you need to be without scruples.

    Answer evil with greater evil¡­

    A killing intent with a bigger killing intent¡­

    The moment you forgot that, you would get devoured.

    [What were you expecting in a fight between demons?]

    "Satan, I''m going to kill you."

    It seemed like he couldn''t hear his voice anymore.

    Lucifer was emitting a strong killing intent and frowning.

    ''Yes, this is more like it.''

    Heughed while looking at the anger-filled Lucifer.

    Seeing Lucifer lose his mind was fantastic.

    Rather than hurting him, that was better.

    The angrier someone became, the simpler their actions became.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes and analyzed Lucifer''s movements.

    ''He''sing.''

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    Lucifer kicked the ground, and his wings spread out.

    Thousands of feathers flew toward him.

    ''Authority of Insight.''

    The eyes behind the mask shone.

    The trajectories of the thousands of feathers entered his mind.

    He lowered himself and started to run.

    As if he were running through bombs, he ran while dodging the feathers infused with demonic energy.

    He spread his right hand, and the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea took the form of a red spear that he grabbed and threw.

    "You shouldn''t have touched my son," Lucifer said while looking at him intensely.

    * * *

    He pped, and a ck sphere appeared and deflected the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea away.

    Lucifer put his hand inside the ck sphere and grabbed a weapon¡ªa spear appeared in his hand.

    ''Arrogance.''

    It was Lucifer''s Hell Equipment, and it represented his strength.

    It was a powerful weapon that defined his existence.

    Lucifer pulled his body back and rushed at KangWoo while gripping Arrogance in his hands.

    <em>sh-!!</em>

    At that moment, a fire whip hit Lucifer.

    He turned his head and frowned.

    "You¡­"

    [I''m Mr. Satan''s loyal underling, Yogsaron,] A demon covered with green tentacles said in a low voice.

    ''Yogsaron?''

    It was a name he''d never heard before.

    Lucifer shook his head after thinking about it for a while.

    It wasn''t the time to think of things like that.

    "Soldiers of Arrogance¡­"

    He gave an order to his underlings.

    "Punish the demon who dared to point a sword at me, Evil God Lucifer."

    [Yes!!]

    [Die!!]

    Lucifer''s underlings rushed forward while shouting, but there weren''t that many.

    Due to the constant fighting against the Demon Cult, their numbers had been reduced.

    [Balzac¡­]

    [Yes, Satan. Please give me an order.]

    A skeleton wearing a ck robe appeared from the ck fissure where Satan had appeared.

    He touched the ckmunication crystal whileughing in a chilling way.

    He''d asked him to give him an order, but in that situation, there was only one thing that KangWoo, no, Satan would ask of him.

    [Kill them all.]

    [Everything as Mr. Satan wishes.]

    Demonic energy exploded from themunication crystal.

    The bodies of the demons that had died during the war started to get up.

    "GRRRR!!"

    <em>Tap- Tap-</em>

    A knight appeared from the fissure and went to the front as if he were leading the army of undead.

    [Hahaha,] Balzacughed evilly.

    His empty eye sockets shone with a yellow light.

    [Go, Reinald.] He said the name of his death knight.

    The death knight sitting atop a skeleton horse unsheathed his sword.

    "UOOOO!!" the ghost shouted.

    The undead army and Lucifer''s forces shed.

    "Satan¡­"

    Lucifer narrowed his eyes.

    "So you''re going to take this to the end."

    [If not, I wouldn''t have started it from the beginning.]

    KangWoo kept talking with a rxed expression on his face.

    Everything was going as nned.

    ''The problem is the angels that are trying to get Lucifer.''

    He wasn''t that worried about that, either.

    ''Angels aren''t going to be able to tell that I''m a demon.''

    He was sure of that.

    Thanks to the attribute ''Ruler of Demonic Energy'' he''d awakened as a yer, he became able to hide the traces of demonic energypletely.

    Neither Hero God Tyrion nor the goddess Begonia from another world could tell he was a demon.

    Tyrion learned that only after he became connected with him, but he would have no reason to do such an exchange with an angel.

    ''In the end, the one angels are going to target¡­''

    They were probably going to target the ''Phase of Evil'', the one who still hadn''t appeared.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    Just like he''d done with Lucifer and the Demon Cult.

    As a member of Guardian, the warrior of Light, Oh KangWoo, he just had to make them fight and profit from it.

    ''Although I''ll have to hide Balrog and Balzac.''

    His underlings were connected to his soul, so they could also profit from ''Ruler of Demonic Energy.''

    Deceiving angels wasn''t the problem, but even if Balrog and Balzac could hide their demonic energy, the problem was their outer appearance.

    Balrog looked like a demon that appeared in drawings, and Balzac was a skeleton.

    Just because they wouldn''t be able to feel demonic energy from them didn''t mean they were safe.

    Echidna and Lilith were safe since they had a human form, but he would have to hide Balzac and Balrog very well.

    ''But it''s still going to be a profit.''

    There was nothing better for him than angels actively moving to catch the Phase of Evil instead of him.

    He would have to thank Lucifer for bringing the angels to Earth.

    ''Very nice.''

    He couldn''t help but smile after seeing everything going as intended.

    [Let''s end this.]

    KangWoo spread his hand, and a huge amount of demonic energy gathered.

    "¡­"

    Lucifer red at him while holding ''Arrogance.''

    The fight was about to enter itsst phase.

    Then¡­

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    ''What?''

    Something flew from the sky and mmed into the ground.

    KangWoo and Lucifer looked at the unknown thing that came flying in out of the blue.

    [I''m death.]

    ''Huh?''

    It was a demon wearing a red mask with darkness that covered its body like a certain.

    [I''m the end.]

    ''Hey, wait¡­ Fuck.''

    His mouth fell open.

    The red mask covered with darkness kept talking.

    [I''m the father of everyone angry and anger itself.]

    ''What the¡­?''

    [I''m¡­]

    ''What''s going on?''

    Yellow eyes opened up behind the red mask.

    [I''m Satan.]

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    There was silence.

    The being wearing a red mask turned his head.

    [Lucifer, I came here to talk. I''m not sure what happened, but it seems like there was a misunderstanding. I don''t have any intention of fighting with ¡­]

    Satan, who was talking, flinched a bit after looking at the situation.

    KangWoo and Satan looked at each other.

    [What''s going on? Who are you¡­?] he asked in a confused voice.

    At that moment, he remembered what he''d heard from Yulia.

    [I see! You''re the one that''s pre¡ª]

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    KangWoo aggressively stomped on the ground, spread his hands, and pointed at Satan.

    [Ha! How dare you pretend to be Satan! Aren''t you afraid of dying?!]

    [What? Pretend? What non¡ª]

    [Shut up!]

    [No, but you''re¡ª]

    [How dare you talk as if you were me, Satan!]

    He spread his hand and used the Authority of mes toward Satan.

    [I''m Satan!!!!] he shouted in an angry voice.

 Chapter 213: Im Satan (2)

    ''AGH, Fuck. What''s going on?!!''

    He felt confused.

    After seeing Satan appearing, he said what I could, but still.

    He couldn''t understand how things were flowing.

    ''Is that bastard the real Satan?''

    What kind of funny coincidence was that?

    The red mask surrounded by darkness¡­ The concept was exactly the same.

    He didn''t want to think he was Satan, and he hoped it was just a prank from Lilith.

    ''There''s no way.''

    He shook his head.

    Lilith knew not to do such a thing, so there was no way she would do something like that.

    ''Then¡­''

    The demon in front of him was really Satan.

    ''He said he wanted to talk with Lucifer; that there was a misunderstanding.''

    Based on that, there was one thing he could conclude¡­

    Who wanted to avoid confronting Lucifer''s forces?

    ''The Phase of Evil.''

    The one leading the Demon Cult¡­

    The one who made the Demon Cult¡­

    The one who was creating an endless amount of conflict and someone who could be called the root of evil.

    He couldn''t help but believe Satan was one of those Phases of Evil.

    "Ha."

    He couldn''t help butugh in disbelief.

    He''d used the name of Satan as a cheat code to ovee hard situations, and he hadn''t imagined that he really was one of the beings who led the Demon Cult.

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    He felt like he''d found a bug while using the cheat.

    He didn''t know how to react. He''d used it so many times that he didn''t know how to patch it.

    ''I can''t let him do as he wishes.''

    Still, there was something he was sure about¡­

    He couldn''t stand still and watch the real Satan do as he wished.

    Leaving everything aside, he couldn''t let people find out about two things:<ol><li>

    He was the Demon of Prophecy.</li><li>

    He''d killed Alec and Reinald.</li></ol>

    That was something in another dimension to when it was revealed he was the Demon King.

    He was able to talk that out, but those two things were different.

    If it was revealed that Satan really existed and people learned he was just acting like him¡­

    ''It''ll be the end.''

    There was no need to think too deeply.

    Everything he had worked so hard to build on Earth would crumble.

    He had to stop the real Satan froming out to the world at all costs.

    No, he had to stop himself from being revealed as the ¡®fake¡¯.

    ''Wait¡­''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    He had the red mask and darkness surrounded him like a curtain.

    He looked at the Phase of Evil, whom he thought was the real Satan, and he felt the demonic energying out from him.

    ''Isn''t he weak?''

    Not only was he not as strong as Lucifer, but he didn''t even reach Mamon in terms of strength.

    It was weird even to call him an archduke.

    If the situation hadn''t turned out like that, he would''ve considered him an apostle, not the Phase of Evil.

    ''This¡­''

    He began thinking.

    ''There are two possibilities.''

    Either Satan hadn''t recovered his strength fully, or the one in front of KangWoo wasn''t the real body.

    ''Either way¡­''

    There was one conclusion:

    At that moment, Satan was weak.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone. He clenched his fist and licked his lips.

    ''I can do it.''

    No, he had to.

    If not, things would get troublesome.

    ''Damn, how did things turn out like this¡­?''

    That wasn''t the only problem.

    When he lifted my head, Lucifer also looked surprised.

    "What''s going¡ª"

    [Y-you''re Satan? What nonsense¡­]

    From Lucifer''s point of view, the one who''d killed his underlings, kidnapped his son, and provoked him in all sorts of ways had been his point of focus, so it was understandable for him not to understand what was going on.

    There was no need to talk about what state Satan was in. As soon as he arrived to clear up the misunderstanding with Lucifer, he saw someone pretending to be him. The worst thing was that he was saying he was the fake one.

    No, as he realized everything that was going on had happened because of someone pretending to be him, he couldn''t help but think the situation was unfair.

    The three demons fell into confusion.

    The one who acted first was, as expected, KangWoo.

    [Ha! What kind of nonsense is this?! I''ve lived a long time, but to think a day when I would see someone pretending to be me woulde!]

    [No, what bullshit are you¡ª]

    [How dare you make a poor excuse!] he shouted.

    Satan became confused after seeing the fake one trying to make him out to be the fake.

    He frowned aggressively.

    ''Damn.''

    Things were getting troublesome.

    The best way to prove he was the real Satan was to show his Hell Equipment, ''Anger'', but that wasn¡¯t his real body.

    He''d given up on part of the ''Root of Evil,'' and created some sort of fragment to go there and talk with Lucifer.

    He couldn''t use the Hell Equipment.

    At that moment¡­

    [Look at this! This is ''Anger,'' proof that I''m the real Satan!]

    [What¡­?]

    Satan''s eyes widened.

    There was clearly a pitch-ck sword of darkness in the hands of the demon that was pretending to be him.

    [How did you, n-no! That''s a fake one!!] he quickly shouted.

    He was surprised for a brief moment, but it was clear that it was fake.

    After all, the real ''Anger'' was inside his body.

    But¡­

    "What a boring show¡­"

    * * *

    Lucifer narrowed his eyes.

    KangWoo alsoughed in disbelief.

    [I''m surprised. Where did trash like thate from?]

    He shook his head in disbelief.

    From Lucifer''s point of view, it was clear who he trusted more.

    ''It''s obviously me.''

    There was no need to think about it.

    A Satan that didn''t have demonic energyparable to an archdukepared to a Satan who exuded breathtakingly intense demonic energy and had ''Anger'' in his hands.

    A Satan who was trying to work things outpared to someone who said they should kill each other like a real demon.

    It was obvious who he would believe more.

    "You, get out of here. I''m not sure why you''re trying to act like Satan, but right now, I want to kill you just for doing that."

    [No, but I''m the real Satan¡­]

    "I told you to fuck off¡­"

    Lucifer emitted a strong killing intent.

    Satan grabbed his head.

    [I''m¡­ I''m Satan¡­ Why don''t you believe me.]

    He couldn''t believe what was going on.

    After he opened his eyes in the middle of the darkness inside the Hell of Nine Skies, he''d never felt like that before.

    Not even when he lost against the Demon King had he felt something like that.

    He would''ve preferred to lose due to not being strong enough.

    If he''d been forced to take a knee after a fierce battle, he wouldn''t have felt like that.

    Satan red at the one pretending to be him.

    ''Who are you?¡¯

    He couldn''t help but ask that.

    Someone with such an intense amount of demonic energy that was strong enough to pretend to be him.

    ''¡­''

    There was only one person he could think of.

    That person¡­

    ''No.''

    He trembled.

    He remembered a giant mouth with hundreds of sharp teeth.

    The face of the predator who devoured demons and even ate the archdukes rose up in his mind.

    The face of someone who wasn''t a human, a demon, or even a god.

    That person was just¡­

    A monster.

    He was twisted and full of evil. He was someone that went against allprehension and understanding.

    ''The Demon King is dead.''

    The dimensions close to the Hell of Nine Skies were Ernor, Hwan, and Earth.

    He''d been hit by a distortion of space and time.

    ''I set it up to be so.''

    In hisst moments, he''d given Amon an order before nting him in the Demon King¡¯s army.

    If he lost against the Demon King and he really tried to return to Earth like he always said¡­

    Make sure he was torn apart by the dimensional wall.

    ''Did he betray me¡­?

    Amon¡­

    He remembered that hunchbacked, wrinkled demon.

    There was no one as capable as him when it came to ck magic¡ªnot even a god.

    His ck magic could interfere with thews of the universe that was otherwise known as the ''system.''

    ''No.''

    He knew Amon wasn''t a trustworthy underling, but leaving that aside, Satan had felt the energy of the Demon King being apart by the system.

    ''But¡­''

    He turned his head and looked with trembling eyes.

    There, he saw a Demon wearing a red mask just like him with eyes full of madness and evil.

    ''He lived?''

    <em>Tap-</em>

    [It seems like there''s no need to talk anymore.] KangWoo kept talking in a low voice.

    He turned his head and spoke to Lucifer.

    [There''s no way we can let someone interfere in our sacred battle, right?]

    "Nonsense¡­"

    It wasn''t a sacred battle in the first ce.

    Lucifer narrowed his eyes.

    "But I also don''t like interference."

    [Like I said¡­]

    [Then let''s deal with the one bothering us first.]

    KangWoo and Lucifer turned simultaneously and rushed toward Satan.

    The ''Anger,'' KangWoo swung, and Lucifer''s ''Arrogance'' hit Satan simultaneously.

    <em>Paf-!!</em>

    [Cough!!]

    It was just a duplicate, not the real body, and it wasn''t even as strong as Mamon.

    He couldn''t even use Hell¡¯s Equipment, so there was no way he would be able to resist the coborative attack of two beings that were at an archduke''s level.

    [AAAHHH!!!]

    They kept exchanging blows, and the wounds in Satan''s body deepened.

    [Damn it! Listen to me, Lucifer!!!]

    <em>sh-! Boom!</em>

    [AAGGHH!!]

    Satan''s fake body started to crumble at KangWoo and Lucifer''s coborative attack.

    Satan''s energy weakened.

    [I''m!! Satan!!!] he desperately cried.

    Satan felt he was about to go crazy due to the situation.

    "I don''t know who you are, but thanks," Lucifer said in a cold voice.

    His eyes shone coldly.

    Lucifer turned and looked at Lucis.

    "Thanks to you, I was able to recover my reason."

    He was so surprised because of the person trying to bother them that he felt his head had calmed down.

    What he had to do was clear.

    [AAGGHH!!] Satan screamed.

    <em>Stab-! sh!</em>

    The two pieces of Hell''s Equipment cut him.

    Satan felt he was about to go crazy after seeing that a fake version of ''Anger,'' the Hell¡¯s Equipment that had apanied him his whole life, was overwhelming him.

    He felt anger and resentment.

    [I''m Satan!! I''m the real Satan!!!]

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    The ck sword stabbed him while he was screaming.

 Chapter 214: That Worked? (1)

    ''Done.''

    He felt a sensation in his hands.

    It was Satan, to be more precise, he''d pierced the being he thought was a fragment of his.

    It was obvious that a smile would appear on his face.

    ''That was dangerous.''

    To be honest, for a moment, he''d be too flustered.

    He''d been just as surprised when Balrog hade out and called him Demon King, but¡­

    He looked at Satan''s body that had be some sticky, ck liquid.

    It seemed like his guess that he was a duplicate was right.

    If it were Satan''s real body, he wouldn''t have melted down.

    ''I was able to smother the mes for the moment.''

    He hadn''t killed the real Satan, so he hadn''t solved the real problem.

    Satan would keep calling himself Satan, and he would be hunted for it.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWooughed, and his eyes shone.

    To think that Satan was really on Earth.

    On top of that, he was the one who was leading the Demon Cult from the shadows.

    ''If I y my cards correctly¡­''

    He thought that he could use that to his advantage.

    Just like pus from a wound slowly built up, once the crimes he hadmitted stacked up enough, they could be solved by ming them on Satan as long as he didn¡¯t really die.

    He could use him.

    ''This isn''t time to do that.''

    KangWoo turned while looking at Satan''s melted duplicate.

    The situation wasn''t over because he''d gotten rid of Satan''s duplicate.

    There was another really important main event.

    ''Why is that bastard Lucifer so quiet¡­''

    He tried to find Lucifer, who had suddenly disappeared.

    "Huh?" he said in a confused voice.

    Lucifer was nowhere to be seen.

    [Lucifer¡­!]

    He turned his body.

    He saw Lucifer looking at him with cold eyes while holding Lucis.

    "Let me go! I! I gave my soul to Ms. Lilith¡­!"

    "Remain still."

    He knocked Lucis out.

    Lucifer sighed and waved his hand in the air.

    A blue gate appeared.

    [Damn!!]

    KangWoo stomped on the ground, and he shot forward at just above supersonic speed, creating a sonic boom and a strong gust of wind.

    ''Damn!''

    He bit his lip.

    Lucifer escaping wasn''t something he had nned.

    Lucifer and Lucis began disappearing through the gate.

    He spread his hands and grabbed Lucifer''s arms.

    [Are you nning to escape?]

    "I came back to my senses¡­" Lucifer answered in a cold voice.

    Unlike his anger-filled look before, he looked way calmer.

    [Can''t you let me go?]

    KangWoo aggressively pulled on Lucifer¡¯s arms.

    A bit of Lucifer''s body was pulled back from the gate.

    "Satan¡­"

    Lucifer red at him.

    He heard a voice filled with strong killing intent.

    "I''ll be back."

    [¡­]

    "I''ll return and destroy everything you have. I''m going to make sure you regret what you''ve done for the rest of eternity."

    Rather than a threat, it was closer to a curse.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Divine Power and pulled the arm more.

    Lucifer pulled back, and his arm was severed.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    [Lucifer¡­]

    His arm fell off like a lizard¡¯s tail, and ck blood poured out.

    "Satan, remember¡­"

    Before he disappeared through the blue gate, Lucifer spoke in a low voice.

    "I''ll be back."

    Lucifer''s bodypletely disappeared through the gate.

    "¡­"

    There was silence over the battlefield.

    [E-eek!!]

    One of the demons Lucifer had abandoned charged toward KangWoo, who slowly raised his hand, grabbed the demon''s horn, and crushed it.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    * * *

    The demon fell to the ground and screamed.

    KangWoo raised his foot.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    Cranial fluid exploded over the ground.

    "Damn¡­ Fuck!!"

    He couldn''t help but curse.

    He grabbed his hair.

    ''I shouldn''t have let him go.''

    He was flustered.

    He hadn¡¯t acted fast enough and had forgotten about the most important thing.

    ''I made a mistake.''

    If he had returned to his senses faster and dealt with things faster, he could''ve killed Lucifer there.

    His being confused by Satan''s sudden appearance was just an excuse¡ªhe could''ve dealt with the new variable and killed Lucifer.

    "Damn."

    He wasn''t able to do that and had made a mistake due to his surprise.

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''Well, It isn''t that Ipletely lost.''

    It would take more time, and unless Lucifer were stupid, he would make better preparations.

    None of it would matter because Lucifer wasn''t aware of a critical fact.

    ''In the end, his anger is directed toward Satan.''

    The misunderstanding hadn''t been cleared, no, it had deepened.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    Satan was on Earth, and Lucifer had escaped to Ernor.

    ''How should I cook those guys?''

    He was sure he''d be able to use them, but he couldn''t think of a way to do that.

    It would be impossible to do anything if Lucifer didn''t do anything.

    ''He''ll be back.''

    He was sure of it.

    There was no way Lucifer was just going to run with his tail between his legs, he would be back after making preparations.

    "And¡­"

    That anger would get directed at Satan.

    "Not bad¡­"

    It would take more time and effort, but considering that was the consequence of making a mistake, it wasn¡¯t bad.

    "Lilith¡­"

    "Yes, Mr. KangWoo?"

    As he called her name, she appeared.

    He slowly turned around.

    "You saw everything, right?"

    "Yes."

    Lilith nodded.

    She kept talking.

    "I''ll torture all of the cultists and figure out Satan''s location.

    "No, you won''t be able to do that."

    He wasn''t even sure if the Phase of Evil was Satan.

    There was no way they''d be able to figure out his location.

    "Then¡­"

    "What we killed is Satan''s duplicate. His real body should be alive somewhere."

    Lilith''s eyes shone, and she made a wicked smile.

    "So Satan is probably going to move first."

    "Someone is pretending to be him, so there''s no way he would wander around and do nothing about it."

    He''d been humiliated.

    He wasn''t sure why he couldn''t move his main body, but he was definitely going to do something about it.

    "What if he doesn''t move?"

    It was simple¡­

    "We just have to make him move."

    It didn¡¯t matter how.

    He slowly spread his hand and took off the red demon mask that was covering his face.

    A chilling wind touched his skin.

    "How many of them survived?"

    "About 739 cultists survived; everyone else escaped."

    "Grab those at Cardinal rank or above and brainwash them. I don''t care what strategy you use¡ªck magic, beauty, torture, whatever. Make them surrender and spread them through the Demon Cult."

    He needed agents inside the Demon Cult to figure out Satan''s movements.

    A chilling smile appeared on Lilith''s face.

    KangWoo began to walk away.

    <em>BOOM-</em>

    Balrog knelt in front of him.

    [I''ve restrained all of Lucifer''s underlings.]

    He looked at the demons that were behind Barog.

    The demons, who had been overwhelmed by Balzac''s undead army, were looking at KangWoo and trembling in fear.

    [W-we surrender!]

    [W-we swear loyalty to Mr. S-Satan!] they desperately begged.

    KangWoo turned and looked at them.

    Balrog opened his mouth.

    [There are¡ª]

    "There''s no need."

    KangWoo passed by Balrog as if he weren''t interested.

    If they were Demon Cult members, it might have been different, but there was no need to keep Lucifer''s underlings alive.

    He put away the red mask.

    "Kill them."

    [Yes.]

    Balrog nodded.

    If there was a way to go to the Ernor Continent, there might have been a use for them, but since they couldn''t return there, there was no need for them.

    It was better to kill them and then turn them into undead if he wanted to use them as soldiers.

    ''Those that betray once¡­''

    Always end up betraying again.

    <em>sh-!!</em>

    [AGH!!]

    [H-help me¡­!] he heard Lucifer''s underling shouting.

    He ignored them.

    KangWoo walked to where Satan''s dead body was along with Lucifer''s torn-apart arm.

    There was a ck liquid over the floor

    He sighed.

    ''I guess it won''t be enough with this.''

    He thought of the conditions for Demonic Soul.

    To achieve the conditions, he had to absorb the body of an archduke with the Authority of Predation.

    He thought that he''d be able to fulfill it after eating Lucifer.

    ''This is the biggest disappointment.''

    He still regrettedmitting such mistakes.

    The n to devour Lucifer could be executedter on, but he had another problem.

    The problem was that he hadn''t been able to fulfill the conditions for Demonic Soul.

    "I guess the price is cheap when I consider the mistake."

    Things could''ve gone wrong, and a situation that couldn''t be reversed might have happened.

    Not having fulfilled the condition for the Demonic Soul was the cheapest price because making a mistake in a fight between demons usually meant death.

    "Tsk," he clicked his tongue.

    There was no point in making a fuss over spilled water.

    ''I should consume these at least.''

    He sighed and used the Authority of Predation.

    The Authority of Predation covered Satan''s duplicate and Lucifer''s arms.

    ''Fuck. I guess not a single stat will increase with this.''

    He couldn''t help but be disappointed.

    <em>Crunch-</em>

    The Authority of Predation consumed Satan''s fragment and Lucifer''s torn-apart arm.

    Ting-.

    [Activating the attribute ''Archduke yer.'']

    [You have absorbed parts of souls inside Satan''s body and part of Lucifer''s arm.]

    [A weak ''Divinity'' has been detected in both souls.]

    [The ''quality'' has increasedpared to the existing archduke.]

    [Trying to devour a possible SSS-rank soul.]

    [Sess!]

    ''Huh?''

    [The passageway that connects with the ''deepest'' part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core has been 100%pleted.]

    [You''ve fulfilled all of the conditions for Demonic Soul!]

    ''Eh?''

    <em>WHIR-!!!</em>

    A thick demonic energy exploded out of him.

    The demonic energy from his heart spread through his entire body.

    [Starting the Awakening to Demonic Soul.]

    "¡­"

    KangWoo''s mouth fell open.

    ''That worked?''

 Chapter 215: Demonic Soul (1)

    Darkness fell.

    The thick demonic energy that leaked out of his skin covered the surroundings.

    The scarily thick demonic energy poured from where the Ten Thousand Demon Core was located within his heart.

    He could feel it¡­

    ''Demonic energy from the deepest part¡­''

    If the Ten Thousand Demon Core could be separated by floors, it would belong to the middle floor.

    The demonic energy there spread through his body, and he moved his finger.

    There was no reaction.

    ''I wonder what it means to have achieved ¡®Demonic Soul¡¯.''

    It was more confusing than Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    While thinking, KangWoo started to feel the changes inside his body.

    It was many times more effective than he had imagined.

    Demonic energy that moved on its own spread throughout his body.

    The changes began.

    ''Ah.''

    It was hard to exin how it felt.

    His spine shuddered, and the hairs on his neck stood on end.

    It was as if he were climbing.

    He felt like he''d gone up a mountain so high that he couldn¡¯t see the ground anymore.

    Things he previously thought were obvious, things he considered clear, he suddenly thought weren''t like that.

    ''What''s going on?''

    It felt clearly different from when he''dpleted the Extreme Demonic Energy Body.

    There wasn''t an explosive change in strength, nor had his body gone through a change.

    ''Isn''t it just getting stronger?''

    It was different from hisbat capability simply increasing.

    It wasn''t getting the strength to overwhelm and step on his opponents.

    ''This¡­''

    He found the correct word.

    It didn''t take long.

    A certain word passed through KangWoo¡¯s head as he was curled up on the ground.

    ''te.''

    A te¡ªan object used to hold something else.

    Demonic Soul, that unknown strength, had turned him into a te.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    He heard the familiar bell sound and raised his head.

    A blue message window appeared in front of his eyes.

    [You''ve sessfully awakened Demonic Soul!]

    [The te capable of holding Divinity has beenpleted!]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased by 2.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has reached 140!]

    ''A te that can hold Divinity¡­''

    He thought he understood what Demonic Soul did.

    ''Is this the road to bing a Demon God?''

    First, it was his body that changed.

    Then, it was his soul.

    In both changes, there was one goal¡­

    Divinity.

    The power that made gods, gods.

    It was something that went beyond thews of physics and made it possible to exercise ''miracles.''

    ''And¡­''

    It was the ability to influence the system.

    "¡­"

    He slowly opened his eyes.

    It was the same world, but it felt different.

    It was a confusing way to say it, but it was hard to find a better way to say it.

    He moved his finger, raised demonic energy, and used an Authority.

    There was a passageway perfectly connected to the ''deepest'' part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    It was as if he''d built a giant water pipe in the sea.

    He could use demonic energy as naturally as when he used to be in the Hell of Nine Skies.

    <em>sh-!!</em>

    ck des soared from his fingers.

    He turned his hand, and droplets of darkness fell as if they were blood.

    One of the droplets hit the ground.

    <em>CRACK-!!</em>

    ck des broke from the earth in a diameter of about 20 meters from where the droplet fell.

    Earth des¡­

    Although it was a skill he already used, when he used demonic energy from the deepest part, it feltpletely different.

    "It''s been a while."

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    He remembered when he used to be at the top.

    [Ah, ahh.]

    Balrog felt excited.

    He was an underling of the Demon King, so his soul was connected to him.

    He could feel his strength.

    * * *

    He realized his master had fully returned to when he used to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies.

    He knelt and mmed his head onto the ground.

    [Demon King, you''re back.]

    "What nonsense is that?"

    KangWoo smirked.

    It was funny.

    "I''ve been here all this time."

    [¡­]

    Balrog remained silent.

    He felt ashamed for having used the words ''you''re back.''

    It was stupid.

    Balrog knew who he was and what he was capable of.

    He hadn¡¯t reached the peak of the Hell of Nine Skies because he was strong.

    In terms of strength, Baal was stronger than him.

    Even during the ''Final Battle,'' Baal was stronger than the Demon King.

    But in the end¡­

    The one who won was the Demon King, his master.

    They''d suffered numerous losses throughout a battle thatsted a thousand years, and many underlings and partners died.

    ''But¡­''

    The Demon King won in the end.

    He didn''t surrender, he didn''t make concessions, and he didn''t yield.

    He had epted a challenge he had no chance of winning at the time.

    [Ah, ahh.]

    Balrog''s body trembled, and tears dripped from his eyes.

    He shuddered from his endless faith, trust, and fanaticism.

    The Demon King was right¡ªhe hadn''t returned, he was always there.

    [DEMON KIINNGG!!!]

    Balrog rushed toward KangWoo and hugged him with both his arms.

    [I, Balrog, am honored for having been given a chance to serve the Demon King!!]

    Due to their overwhelming difference in height, KangWoo''s head reached his armpit.

    "Fuck! Back off!!"

    KangWoo trembled at the horrible scent.

    KangWoo looked at Balrog with a tired expression.

    He was looking at him with shining eyes that didn''t match his body.

    ''You dumb muscle pig.''

    That was the best way to describe him.

    Still, it wasn''t that he didn''t like seeing him. They''d spent too much time together for that to be the case.

    [Now it will be easier to face Satan and Lucifer.]

    "No, that probably won''t be the case."

    He shook his head and narrowed his eyes.

    "Those guys have Divinity."

    [Divinity¡­?]

    "Yes."

    Just because they had Divinity didn''t mean they were strong.

    Having more Divinity meant that you had a better chance of being stronger, but unlike stats, it didn''t necessarily trante into strength.

    An example of that was Hero God Tyrion¡ªKangWoo was sure he''d be able to beat him.

    ''But¡­''

    That didn''t mean that he could take them lightly.

    While they were in the Hell of Nine Skies, they didn''t have Divinity.

    If they had, there''s no way he wouldn''t have noticed it when he devoured them.

    ''They obtained it here.''

    Judging by the situation, both demons had gone back to a distant past by at least a thousand years.

    During that time, not only had they recovered their bodies, but they''d reached a higher point than they had in the Hell of Nine Skies.

    ''What happened?''

    He couldn''t understand it.

    A thousand years wasn''t that many years for them.

    For tens of thousands of years, they weren''t able to surpass the limits of being ''archdukes.''

    The only one that had been able to go beyond his limits was Baal, but it was suddenly different outside of Hell.

    Both Satan and Lucifer had obtained Divinity.

    They had been able to go beyond the wall that had stopped them from growing.

    ''How?''

    He couldn''t imagine how they were able to do that.

    His head felt fuzzy. He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    ''The important thing is that I can¡¯t think of an obvious reason.''

    He raised his hands.

    <em>FWOOSH-!!!</em>

    Yellow mes rose.

    Mamon''s Authority still felt awkward. It was bad.

    Demonic Soul was just a te.

    ''It¡¯s an empty te that hasn''t been filled.''

    Unlike what he''d expected, there wasn''t an increase in power.

    ''More¡­''

    He had to be stronger.

    Craving and desire burned his throat.

    <em>Ting.</em>

    [''Thest step to bing a ¡®Demon God'' has been generated.]

    [Information]

    * Condition 1: Reach 150 Demonic Energy stat.

    * Condition 2: ???

    * Condition 3: ???

    "Why so many? Fuck."

    Before, there were two conditions, but he had three for bing a Demon God.

    The only good thing was that it was the st'' step to bing a Demon God.

    "Last, huh?"

    For some reason, he didn''t feel that it was thest.

    KangWoo remembered when he¡¯d created ''Inferno.''

    There was still a higher Demon God quest marked with a ''???'' back then.

    "Well, I guess it''s better for it to be there than not¡­"

    It was true that he was expectant.

    Bing stronger and being able to do something you couldn''t do before was an incredible experience; it was something demons craved, even if it cost them eternal life.

    "Oh, yeah¡­"

    He looked at his right middle finger.

    The ring was wriggling as if it were alive.

    ''It said that it would begin digesting after reaching Demonic Soul.''

    He still had a lot of questions regarding the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea.

    ''It ate a Hell''s Equipment.''

    Something he hadn''t been able to eat with the Authority of Predation had been eaten by the ring, so it would be weird if he weren''t curious about it.

    He opened the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea¡¯s status window.

    [Equipment Information]

    Equipment Name: Key of the Demonic Energy Sea

    Rank: Transcendent (Engraving Complete)

    Type: Growth * It will be stronger whenever a certain condition is fulfilled.

    [Equipment Status]

    * Digesting: Currently, it''s digesting ''Greed.'' Extra effects are temporarily disabled.

    ''Hmm?''

    KangWoo frowned and poured demonic energy into the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea.

    ''It isn''t changing.''

    He frowned.

    Without the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea, he couldn''t use his hidden card, ''Inferno.''

    "Hngh¡­"

    It wasn''t that he couldn''t fight against an archduke without Inferno, but the hidden card he''d practiced for so much having been blocked was quite an unpleasant feeling.

    ''I''ll have to stay low-key for the moment.''

    KangWoo thought of the things he had to do.

    ''I need to reach 150 Demonic Energy stat.''

    His Demonic Energy stat had already be too high. To increase it any further, he would have to devour the body of an archduke.

    ''¡­Or maybe eat a ridiculously high amount of demons.''

    Anyway, it was clear that, for the moment, he didn''t have a way to increase it.

    "Tsk," he clicked his tongue.

    Considering that he''d missed Lucifer, he''d obtained a lot of things, but thinking about the future made his head hurt.

    "Let''s return."

    He began to walk away and raised his head to look at the blue sky and the warm sun.

    It had been two years since his return to Earth.

    It had been seven years since the ''Cataclysmic Day.''

    He''d finally recovered his strength from the ten thousand years he¡¯d spent in Hell.

 Chapter 216: Oh KangWoo, User Guide (1)

    <em>Click-</em>

    The door opened.

    KangWoo, who was reading a report about Guardian that he received from Gaia, turned his head.

    A pure-looking woman was smiling and looking at him.

    Her expression went from pure to mischievous with a simple smile.

    "What happened?"

    "There''s something I want to report."

    He turned and looked at Lilith.

    "I finished brainwashing three Cardinals, so I sent them back to the enemies."

    "Already?"

    KangWoo looked at her in surprise.

    It had been only a week since that disastrous fight against Satan and Lucifer had ended.

    They were cardinals of the Demon Cult, and he didn¡¯t think they would surrender so easily.

    A deep smile appeared on Lilith''s face.

    "Fufu. Mr. KangWoo, you know how good my honey-trapping techniques are."

    "You used honey-trapping techniques...?"

    He couldn''t understand it.

    In the case of Lucis, he had the same sense of beauty as a demon, but that wasn''t the case for the Cardinals.

    Even if they had epted demonic energy into their bodies, they were still normal human beings.

    No, even if they epted demonic energy and their bodies became more demonlike, their values and tastes shouldn¡¯t have been that different from a human''s.

    ''I''m like that, after all.''

    "Yes. Fufu. As expected, my appearance worked very well, even among humans."

    "...?"

    What kind of nonsense was that?

    "I created a copy of my body and locked them away with tentacles for three days."

    "..."

    "Aah, to think they''d fall so easily with just a copy... Humans are so simple."

    Lilith flicked out her snake-like long tongue and licked KangWoo''s cheek.

    "Still, my real body and feelings are only directed toward you, Mr. KangWoo."

    "Ugh..."

    KangWoo covered his mouth.

    Most of the Cardinals captured that time were old men full of wrinkles.

    Thinking about what they had to go through made him want to puke.

    ''I''m d I left this to Lilith.''

    He might have seen something horrifying if he wanted to check things out and see how they were doing.

    "Did they reveal anything?"

    "I still don¡¯t know Satan¡¯s exact location, but..." Lilith stroked her chin, "Every Cardinal that was brainwashed was sent to the same base."

    "Same base? Where?"

    "It¡¯s in Russia, and it¡¯s the biggest one yet. It''s a giant base with at least ten thousand cultists."

    "Ten thousand, huh?"

    It was the biggest branch of the Demon Cult they''d found until then.

    "If it''s that big, shouldn''t it be the main base?"

    "No. Based on the information I got from the Cardinals, that doesn''t seem to be the case."

    "I see."

    He nodded.

    ''Does that mean Satan is in the main base?''

    He still didn''t know for sure.

    "Keep track of Satan''s movements for the moment."

    There was no way he''d remain still¡ªhe was definitely going to move.

    ''I must wait.''

    If he rushed things, there was the possibility of Satan running away like Lucifer did.

    He couldn''t let that happen.

    He had to catch him when he showed his full self.

    "Is that all?"

    "Yes. I''ll let you know immediately when I learn something new."

    "Good job."

    "Fufu, it''s for my King, after all."

    Lilithughed.

    KangWoo gulped.

    He couldn''t hate her despite everything she did to him.

    ''She''s not only good at doing her job, but she''s also loyal.''

    Wouldn''t it be weird if he hated her?

    KangWoo smiled bitterly and turned around.

    "Ah, you didn''t forget tomorrow, right?"

    "Yes, of course. I also contacted Balrog beforeing here."

    KangWoo decided he would make a connection between the people he''d met on Earth and those he''d met in Hell the next day.

    A friendly meeting¡­

    In reality, it was just a day they would use to eat and drink.

    "Then let''s meet again."

    "Hmm?"

    Lilith tilted her head, and the tips of her mouth went up.

    Her hair started to turn into tentacles.

    "W-wait¡­"

    "Oh, it would be disappointing to return so soon."

    "Save me."

    "You know that it''s the job of the King to reward the achievements of his underlings... right?"

    "Ugh."

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    A long tentacle stretched out and closed the door.

    * * *

    <em>Tang, Tang, Tang-</em>

    The sound of a kitchen knife hitting the cutting board was heard, and the ingredients were cut so precisely that it looked like a machine had done it.

    "Ugh..."

    Han Seol-ah looked at the closed door.

    ''I wonder what they''re talking about.''

    Lilith had entered the room, and she wanted to know what she was talking about with KangWoo.

    "Haa."

    She sighed.

    She sadly lowered her head and kicked the ground.

    ''I feel like, recently, I haven''t been able to talk with Mr. KangWoo.''

    After Archduke Mamon appeared, KangWoo became even busier than before.

    Their chances to talk had gone down due to his Guardian job, personal training, and the many people he had to take care of.

    ''It¡¯s a bit...''

    She felt lonely.

    Although they lived in the same house, she felt they were drifting apart.

    "..."

    Han Seol-ah put the ingredients she''d just cut into a pot.

    The kimchi stew she could prepare with her eyes closed was boiling while emitting a delicious smell.

    She sat on the chair and fell into thought.

    She thought about KangWoo.

    ''I wonder what Mr. KangWoo thinks of me.''

    They''d been living together for two years.

    It was enough time to make even enemies fond of each other.

    Not only that, but she had been interested in him from the beginning.

    It would be weird if she weren''t¡ªhe''d saved her from a life that would have been hell.

    Despite that, he never asked anything of her and just wanted her to stay with him.

    On one hand, she thought it looked like a bad TV drama when the girl fell in love just because her life was saved, but he''d done so much for her that it would''ve been weird if she weren''t moved.

    ''No¡­''

    She shook her head.

    Maybe she liked him just because he¡¯d saved her?

    It wasn''t that simple.

    She pictured his sharp eyes.

    He was someone who didn''t hesitate to do what had to be done.

    He exuded such confidence that everything seemed like it would be ok if you stayed by his side.

    ''But¡­''

    At the same time, his eyes sometimes looked too dark.

    He looked so desperate and miserable that it looked as if his body would break, and he looked extremely lonely.

    They were twopletely different appearances.

    It was as if he were forcing himself to run with a bearing that didn''t move.

    On one hand, she trusted him, but she also wanted to look over him.

    She had been sure of his feelings for some time.

    She wasn''t sure if KangWoo knew, but he''d made it obvious.

    Thanks to that, they were as close as family.

    "But..."

    She wasn''t able to close the gap between them any more than that.

    It seemed like the situation would end if only she took a step forward, but nothing was happening.

    Han Seol-ah pouted and angrily kicked a cushion that was at her feet.

    "H-he even asked me to marry him."

    Her face turned red.

    The first day they met, he grabbed her hand and asked her to marry him.

    At first, she thought he was quite a unique person, but after hearing about his past, she understood everything.

    He''d met a person for the first time after spending ten thousand years in Hell.

    ''It¡­ it kind of feels like destiny?''

    He''d been locked away in Hell for ten thousand years, and the first person he met when he crossed dimensions to Earth to protect it from the Demon of Prophecy, Satan, was her.

    If that wasn''t destiny, then what was it?

    <em>Boil-! Tsss!</em>

    "Kyaa!"

    She heard something flowing out of the pot.

    Han Seol-ah ran toward it and turned off the fire.

    "Haa, haa. C-calm down."

    She tried to calm down, bit her lips, and tried to get herself together.

    Seol-Ah turned her head to look at the door again.

    It was still closed.

    Although it had been an hour since Lilith entered, they still hadn''te out.

    She suddenly began feeling anxious.

    - If you don''t be more active, that guy will probably realize your feelings.

    She remembered what Chae YeonJoo had told her a few days prior.

    ''More active...''

    Han Seol-ah clenched her fist.

    She''d never dated a man, so she wasn''t sure about what to do. but she wanted to challenge it at least.

    <em>Click-</em>

    "Fufu~ I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Mr. KangWoo~!"

    At that moment, Lilith walked out of the room.

    "Oh?"

    Her eyes met with Han Seol-ah¡¯s, and a deep smile appeared on Lilith''s face.

    Seol-ah''s body stiffened.

    Her eyes looked as if she knew everything.

    She walked toward Han Seol-ah and whispered in her ears.

    "Swaying the Demon King''s emotions won¡¯t be easy," she said in a bittersweet tone.

    "I tried for a very long time... but failed."

    "Ah..."

    Lilith wiped her wet eyes and made a bright smile.

    "If you seed, tell me your secret."

    "Th-that¡­"

    How should she answer?

    Han Seol-ah hesitated.

    Her rtionship with Lilith was still awkward.

    No, even if they were close, it would be hard to answer.

    It was obvious that they both wanted the same man.

    ''Ms. Lilith spent almost a thousand years with Mr. KangWoo.''

    She felt envious and took a glimpse at Lilith.

    She had a neat appearance and a bit of sexual energy emanating from her.

    Although they were both women, she couldn''t help but exim in surprise.

    She had seen Kurosaki Yurie before in the news, but she looked more beautiful than before.

    ''She said her real body is more beautiful.''

    It was hard to imagine a more beautiful appearance than that.

    ''To think that she failed to move Mr. KangWoo''s feelings despite being so pretty...''

    His self-confidence vanished.

    "Then, I''ll be rooting for you."

    She waved her hand and turned away.

    Although she said that, she seemed sure that Han Seol-ah would fail.

    As Lilith walked out of the house, Seol-ah anxiously bit her lips.

    <em>ck-</em>

    "Mr. K-KangWoo?"

    "..."

    She saw KangWoo sitting on the bed when she opened the door.

    His eyes looked nk, and his cheeks were hollow.

    Did a soldier that had gone through war look like that?

    He looked like a broken watch or a wooden doll that was so messed up it could barely move.

    ''He''s probably tired.''

    He''d really been busytely, so it was obvious he''d look like that.

    Han Seol-ah looked disappointed.

    It didn''t matter how much she looked at him¡ªit didn''t seem like he could talk at the moment.

    ''How... can I sway Mr. KangWoo''s feelings?''

    She sighed and quietly closed the door.

 Chapter 217: Oh KangWoo, User Guide (2)

    There was a vast and beautiful field of vegetation surrounding a bigke.

    People sat around a mat that was filled with all sorts of luxurious foods and drinks while looking nervously at Balrog and Lilith.

    No, to be more precise, they were looking at Balrog, who was over five meters tall, cautiously.

    "Fufu, I feel like this is my first time talking with everyone. Nice to meet you. My name is Lilith. I supported Mr. KangWoo for a long time while in the 9th hell," Lilith said with a smile on her face and a ss in her hands.

    Kim ShiHoon, Chae YeonJoo, and Cheon MooJin looked at her in confusion.

    "You''re a demon within the body of Kurosaki Yurie?"

    "Yes."

    "Then what happened with Kurosaki Yurie?"

    "She''s... asleep for the moment."

    Lilith ced her hand on her chest.

    "She fused with a demon, so she hasn''te back to her senses, but as time goes on, we''re naturally going be able to share a consciousness."

    "Hng..."

    "A demon and a human sharing a body...?"

    Cheon MooJin looked troubled.

    He couldn''t help but feel sorry for Kurosaki Yurie, whose body had been taken over by a demon, but ming her didn''t seem right.

    It wasn''t that she''d taken Kurosaki Yurie''s body because she wanted to. Not only that, she had no connection to her from the beginning.

    She also hadn''t lost her consciousnesspletely, so although it didn''t feel right, he couldn''t say anything.

    "Then, just like Mr. KangWoo, these people..."

    Gaia nervously turned her head.

    She was the incarnation of Gaia, so from her perspective, it wasn''t easy to ept them.

    KangWoo spoke in a serious voice.

    "It isn''t that they were able to ovee demonic energy itself like me, but they''re going to be helpful in defeating the Demon of Prophecy."

    "I... see."

    Gaia nodded in confusion.

    KangWoo had thrown away the body of a demon and epted the Hero God''s energy inside him, but were pure demons trustworthy?

    ''Maybe Mr. KangWoo is also being deceived?''

    There''s no way such a thought wouldn''t cross her mind.

    [You don''t need to worry.]

    Gaia heard Balrog''s voice.

    [I''ve offered my soul to the King. I''ll do anything for him.]

    He sounded confident.

    Gaia felt that there wasn''t any hesitation in his voice.

    She grabbed her skirt and opened her mouth.

    "Mr. KangWoo isn''t the Demon King anymore... so are you still loyal to him despite that?"

    [Hahaha!]

    Balrogughed.

    [Of course, after losing to Satan, he''s lost the position as Demon King. But at least for me, he''ll always be the King.]

    "..."

    Gaia remained silent.

    He didn''t sound like he was telling a lie.

    Gaia smiled.

    "Okay, I''ll believe in you, Mr. Balrog."

    [Hahaha, unlike before you seem quite calm,...]

    "Kyaa! Sh-shh! Silence!"

    Gaia''s face reddened.

    KangWoo opened his mouth while he looked over everyoneughing.

    "I asked everyone toe today to present to you my two underlings and to rx a little bit. We haven¡¯t had a chance to rx like this since Guardian was built. Think that you''vee here to have a good time and enjoy it."

    "Hyeongnim, thanks for arranging a meeting like this."

    Kim ShiHoon smiled.

    It seemed like he liked the idea of being there with Gaia and KangWoo.

    KangWoo smirked and grabbed his chopsticks.

    "Seol-ah did the cooking, so say thanks to her."

    "As expected from sister-inw! How did you prepare so much food?! It''s also all very delicious...!"

    "Ah, I¡­ I just made it because I wanted to!"

    Han Seol-ah''s face reddened.

    A smile blossomed on her face.

    Echidna grabbed a kimbab with her chopsticks while sitting on KangWoo¡¯sp.

    "KangWoo, aah!"

    "Hmm?"

    The kimbab approached his mouth.

    KangWoo smirked and opened his mouth.

    He liked the taste of cheese mixed with the other ingredients of the kimbab.

    "Is it delicious?"

    "Yes."

    "Hngh! Hngh!"

    Echidna snorted as if she were waiting for something.

    KangWoo grabbed a kimbab and gave it to her.

    "<em>Crunch</em>. It''s delicious. As expected, Seol-ah is the best.''

    "Fufu. Echidna also helped."

    "The ones I made exploded," Echidna said while pouting.

    Han Seol-ah couldn''t handle how cute she looked and took her from KangWoo and hugged her.

    "KYAA! How can you be so cute?!"

    "Seol-ah, I can''t breath."

    Echidna struggled as if she were being suffocated by something big.

    It was as if he were looking at sisters or maybe a mother and daughter.

    "Fufufu, the atmosphere is better than I imagined."

    Lilith approached him while smiling.

    <em>Flinch.</em>

    KangWoo trembled a bit.

    He remembered the trauma from the previous day and dripped cold sweat while his face paled.

    "Mr. KangWoo, ah~"

    "Ah, aah."

    * * *

    He wasn''t sure if he was eximing in fear or eating food, but a kimbab entered his mouth.

    He mechanically chewed.

    "Ugh..."

    Kim ShiHoon gulped while looking at him in envy.

    ''Huh, why?''

    Did he begin liking Lilith?

    "H-hyeongnim¡­"

    ''What?''

    "Ehem. I¡­ I''m just doing this because of the atmosphere."

    ''What atmosphere.''

    "Say, ¡®aah¡¯."

    ''What the fuck?''

    Kim ShiHoon approached him while blushing.

    He turned his head as if he were embarrassed while he grabbed a kimbab with his chopsticks.

    ''Don''t be embarrassed, you idiot.''

    KangWoo''s expression paled.

    "I''m tired of kimbab..."

    [Fufu. It seems like you don''t know the King¡¯s tastes, human.]

    ''Don''t make things even moreplicated.''

    As Balrog joined Lilith and Kim ShiHoon, he felt pressured.

    He extended his hands to Han Seol-ah, who was hugging Echidna, but it seemed like she couldn''t see him anymore.

    ''Dear...''

    The distance between Heaven and Hell was but a meter, but Balrog and ShiHoon were bothering him.

    "What does that mean...?"

    [Just like you''ve heard. I heard you also swore loyalty to the King... but it''s stillcking.]

    "Nonsense."

    "Hey, guys¡­ We came here to get along..."

    [Well, we served the King for a different amount of time, so I guess there''s nothing that can be done. Hahaha! It''s hard to get to know him in such a short span of time.]

    "Ha, you''re talking like you know everything about Hyeong KangWoo."

    "Excuse me? Can you hear me?"

    The atmosphere intensified.

    Kim ShiHoon and Balrog were looking at each other with sharp eyes.

    <em>WHOOM</em>. Their energies that could easily cut a demon from the 9th hell shed.

    The ground shook a bit.

    [I''m going to tell you about the food that the King likes!]

    ''But you don''t know.

    Balrog used his giant hands to stab something with a chopstick¡ªit was the sashimi set that Chae YeonJoo had brought, more specifically, the head of a fish used for the spicy stew.

    [The King enjoys the heads of beings like this!]

    ''Not at all.''

    [See? Look how happy he looks!]

    ''I''m not happy at all.''

    [Hehehe. Come on, eat this, my King.]

    ''That isn''t something that should be eaten, you son of a bitch.''

    He pushed away the fish head.

    A fishy smell spread through their surroundings.

    "H-hyeongnim¡­ Rather than that, eat this!"

    [My King!]

    "Ah..."

    He wished both of them would just shove off.

    KangWoo covered his face with his hands and buried it between his knees.

    * * *

    "M-Mr. KangWoo..."

    Han Seol-ah looked at KangWoo running from Balrog and ShiHoon.

    ''I also wanted to do it...''

    She used the chopsticks to turn the kimbab around.

    "Fufu. Did everything work well yesterday?"

    "N-not¡­ yet..."

    "Hngh. You''recking courage. Still, I wished for your sess."

    "..."

    Han Seol-ah remained silent and carefully opened her mouth.

    "Uhm... Is Ms. Lilith okay with that?"

    "Yes? What?"

    "I mean... If... Mr. KangWoo and I¡­ w-work well..."

    She couldn''t easily express herself.

    Lilithughed.

    "It doesn''t matter."

    "Yes?"

    "A King is supposed to have multiple women."

    "..."

    It was a way of thinking that she couldn''t easily ept. After all, she was born and raised in Korea.

    "Fufu, I was joking."

    "Ah... Right?"

    "Yes. I''m going to be honest¡­"

    Lilith smiled bitterly while looking up at the sky.

    "I thought I would be okay if anyone could make the King feel less lonely."

    "..."

    "Ms. Seol-ah, have you heard about anything the King went through when he was in Hell?"

    "No."

    She shook her head.

    Lilith kept talking with deep, sunken eyes.

    "He now talks as if it was nothing... but he really experienced a lot of pain."

    "..."

    "Fufu. Although he talks like that, he''s quite affectionate. Do you know why the King engaged in a war against the archdukes?"

    "No."

    "It was because of that massive guy."

    "Mr. Balrog?"

    Lilith nodded while making a bittersweet smile.

    "To save him... He made all the archdukes his enemies¡ªthat''s how affectionate he is, so..."

    He had probably hurt a lot.

    What she felt was hard to express in words.

    Han Seol-ah remained silent.

    She felt envious.

    It was as if she knew a KangWoo she didn''t know.

    "Fufu. I hope you seed today."

    Lilith got up and waved her hands.

    Han Seol-ah stood up while looking at her walk away.

    ''Not anymore.''

    She didn''t want to hesitate any longer.

    She realized she''d begun the race wayter than her and took a breath before turning around.

    ''I''ll probably fail.''

    Obtaining KangWoo''s heart¡­

    After talking with Lilith, she realized how hard that was.

    ''She''s so pretty and thinks about Mr. KangWoo so much, yet...''

    If Lilith hadn''t been able to obtain KangWoo''s heart, she didn''t think she had a chance.

    But¡­

    "I want to make sure he at least knows..."

    Han Seol-ah walked toward where KangWoo had escaped while her eyes were shining.

    As she walked into the forest, she saw KangWoo taking a break andying on a tree.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    "Ah, yes? Did something happen?"

    "Th-there''s something I want to tell you¡­"

    Han Seol-ah closed her eyes and felt her head spinning.

    ''H-how should I tell him?''

    She''d received love confessions numerous times, but it was her first time trying to make one.

    ''First¡­''

    She spread her hands and grabbed KangWoo''s.

    "Hmm?"

    "I¡­ I..."

    Her eyes flittered about, and her head felt fuzzy.

    ''Wh-what Mr. KangWoo likes¡­ H-how could I use that¡­?''

    Her lips moved the best they could.

    "I want to make kimchi stew for Mr. KangWoo for the rest of my life."

    ''You stupid idiot!!!''

    Why did she propose that out of the blue?

    No, it wasn''t even a proposal¡ªit was closer to a joke.

    Han Seol-ah wanted to scream in embarrassment.

    ''He''ll probably think I''m a weird woman. He''ll probably say, ¡®what are you saying so suddenly¡¯?''

    All sorts of negative thoughts crossed her mind.

    Han Seol-ah wanted to escape.

    Then¡­

    "Ehem."

    ''Hmm?''

    "Sniff. Fuck... I''m d I was born. Sob"

    KangWoo copsed on the floor and talked in a moved voice.

    She saw tears in his eyes.

    "I''m going to make you happy, dear."

    "..."

    He looked into her eyes while grabbing her hands.

    She remembered what Lilith had told her¡­

    - It won''t be easy. I tried to move the Demon King''s feelings for a long time... but I failed.

    ''What?''

    ¡®Is it really this easy?¡¯

 Chapter 218: Lights Observer (1)

    "There hasn''t been any movement yet?"

    He frowned while looking at Lilith''s report.

    "Yes."

    "Hmm¡­"

    He fell into thought.

    ''It should be about time for them to move.''

    He was sure one of them was going to move soon, but unlike what he expected, neither of the two demons had moved.

    ''I need to increase my Demonic Energy stat.''

    He had to reach 150 Demonic Energy to surpass his previous self.

    His growth had already reached a limit. From then on, if he wanted to increase his stat, he needed someone at the level of an archduke to make it move, but unlike what he expected, they weren''t showing any movement, which annoyed him.

    ''Should I attack the base?''

    That was an option, but after thinking about it for a while, KangWoo shook his head.

    ''Let''s wait a bit more.''

    Just because it was a base with more than ten thousand members didn''t mean there was necessarily someone at the level of an archduke.

    For example, there were many Cardinals within the African base, but there wasn''t anyone with a presence at the level of an archduke¡¯s.

    ''I don''t know how many of those Phases there are in the first ce.''

    Mamon and Satan¡­

    Those two were probably at the same level as the Phase of Evil, but he wasn''t sure if they were the only two.

    ''I wish there were more.''

    To get a more constant influx of demonic energy, it would be better if there were many beings that were at that level.

    Even if they weren''t archduke¡¯s reborn, if they were a being at that level, he would be able to get some stats from them.

    ''I''m not sure if someone that isn''t an archduke can be called a Phase of Evil.''

    Up until that point, besides the beings from the 9th hell, the only ones at the level of archdukes were gods.

    KangWooy on the seat and fell into thought.

    <em>Whir-</em>

    At that moment, themunication crystal given to Guardians on top of his table began shining.

    He extended his arm and grabbed it.

    [Ah, hyeongnim!]

    "What''s wrong?"

    He heard Kim ShiHoon''s voice.

    [I heard Ms. Gaia just received a revtion.]

    "A revtion?"

    [Yes. I think that you shoulde.]

    "I''ll be there right away."

    He stood up, and KangWoo''s eyes shone sharply.

    Thest time Gaia received a revtion, a goddess from another world, Benigore, came to their world.

    ''I wonder if a god from another dimension wille.''

    For the moment, Earth was like a country that had been dered bankrupt.

    The gods of Earth had no way to protect Earth, so they asked for help from other people.

    ''Thanks to that, my stat increased by three.''

    It didn''t matter if it was a god from another world besides Ernor or Hwan.

    He had to use whoever he could since the gods of Earth had no strength to defend the they were in charge of.

    "Tsk, those useless bastards."

    Although their job was to defend Earth from forces from other worlds, they were asking for help from others.

    How could there be such ame god?

    "Are you going to go to the Hall of Protection?"

    "Yes."

    "I''ll go with you."

    "No, stay here."

    He shook his head.

    ''I can¡¯t put all my eggs in one basket.''

    Although he''d been able to hide traces of her demonic energy thanks to his Ruler of Demonic Energy, there was no need to tempt fate.

    "I''ll be waiting so I can move immediately in case something happens."

    "Let Balrog know, too."

    "Ok."

    He put themunication crystal on the floor, and a white gate appeared.

    <em>Fwoosh-</em>

    He walked forward and felt the familiar teleport sensation.

    He saw Kim ShiHoon.

    "Ms. Gaia?"

    "Over here."

    Kim ShiHoon guided him while making a worried expression.

    As he followed ShiHoon, he saw Gaia trembling in her wheelchair.

    She looked like a possessed shaman.

    He could understand Kim ShiHoon''s worried expression.

    "Aah, ah."

    Gaia, whose body was trembling, started to breathe heavily.

    "Haa, haa. Y-you came."

    "Of course. Did you receive a revtion from Gaia?"

    "No. Once again, it wasn''t from Ms. Gaia."

    Gaia shook her head.

    "Is a god from another worlding?"

    She shook her head once again.

    "No. The revtion said they would send support for what''s about to happen¡­ but unlike before, they aren''t gods."

    "Then?"

    "They said they asked for the support of Ernor¡¯s¡­ Light Watchers."

    "Light Watchers?"

    "I''m not sure who they are."

    "¡­"

    KangWoo frowned.

    ''If they''re going to give a revtion, they should at least give more details.''

    It seemed like they were asking for as much help as possible.

    It was an irresponsible course of action that could end up causing more damage than helping.

    ''In the end, we have to deal with theirck of foresight.''

    He once again sighed at how ipetent the gods were.

    ''How can you call this a country?''

    He wasn''t sure who was causing all of the chaos, but to think that they''d drag forces from other worlds.

    He couldn''t help but sigh.

    "Are they going toe to the Hall of Protection?"

    "No¡­ They said that the Light Watchers have something they need to investigate on Earth, so they''re going to Africa."

    "Africa¡­?"

    "Yes. Do you remember that ce where we found the traces of arge-scale battle?"

    "Ah."

    Of course he knew¡ªit was the ce where Lucifer and Satan had shed.

    "Let''s go."

    KangWoo turned his body without hesitation.

    * * *

    The grasnd had been destroyed by an intense battle.

    A group of five people wearing white apostle robes with angel wing patterns drawn on the back walked out of a blue gate.

    The blonde man that was at the front turned his head.

    "So this ce is¡­"

    "Earth."

    "It seems like the density of mana is lowpared to Ernor."

    The group wearing white apostle robes looked around with sharp eyes.

    "Apostle Ludwig, the contact with the apostles¡¯¡­"

    "Mr. Raphael said he already made contact with them."

    "Is there a need to help them? The apostles of a ruined goddess shouldn''t be able to help us in the quest of defeating evil."

    "Don''t say that. They''re also people who serve the light. The thicker the darkness gets, the more we need every source of light we can," Ludwig said in a firm voice.

    "I¡­ I''m sorry."

    The apostles lowered their heads.

    Then¡­

    "Nice to meet you."

    Three people¡ªKangWoo, Kim ShiHoon, and Gaia¡ªappeared from a white gate.

    He bowed and smiled.

    "Nice to meet you, apostles of Gaia. I''m Light''s Watcher, Ludwig."

    He seemed well-educated and had a polite voice. He looked at Gaia and bowed.

    "My name is Gaia."

    "Oh¡­ Have you taken the name of the goddess you serve?"

    "I''ve abandoned my real name."

    "That''s impressive¡­"

    Ludwig nodded.

    "I heard from Mr. Raphael that Ms. Gaia is currently¡­"

    "She isn''t conscious."

    "I see," Ludwig said while sighing.

    Tears appeared in his eyes.

    "To think that such a generous goddess would be in such a state¡­ How sad."

    "Thanks for worrying, but we have lots of heroes who have gathered with the goal of protecting this."

    "Hahaha, how trustworthy."

    Ludwig smiled brightly¡ªit was a smile that freshened the surroundings.

    The calm atmosphereing from him made them lower their guard.

    ''Light Watchers, huh¡­?''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes and looked at them.

    The angelic patterns that were drawn on the backs of their robes¡­

    ''They don''t seem angels.''

    In that case, they were people who served them.

    KangWoo took a step forward and asked, "What''s a Light Watcher?"

    "Ah, I''m sorry. We didn''t exin well. We''re apostles that serve Mr. Raphael."

    ''As expected.''

    They really were rted to angels.

    KangWoo nodded and looked at Ludwig.

    ''I''m really not sure¡­''

    It was his first time seeing beings rted to angels.

    He couldn''t feel how strong Ludwig and the other Light Watchers were.

    ''Well, I guess I''ll slowly be able to figure it out.''

    First, he needed to be sure they couldn''t see through the Ruler of Demonic Energy.

    Then, rather than turning them into enemies, it would be better to have them on his side.

    "I heard there was something you needed to investigate¡­"

    "Ah, yes. We''ve been looking for traces of Lucifer."

    "Lucifer?"

    "Yes."

    Ludwig nodded.

    "That is the name of the evil demon that''s currently fighting with Mr. Raphael. He suddenly disappeared a few days ago."

    "Are you saying that Lucifer is currently on Earth?"

    "We aren''t sure, but I can definitely feel his traces here."

    Archduke Lucifer¡­

    Gaia and Kim ShiHoon''s expressions hardened after hearing he''d gone to Earth.

    KangWoo was the only one who frowned in confusion.

    ''Didn¡¯t that bastard return to Ernor?''

    He narrowed his eyes.

    He¡¯d seen Lucifer escaping through a blue gate; he even tore apart one of his arms while trying to get hold of him.

    ''No. I''m sure he went back.''

    It seemed like he''d gone into hiding from the angels.

    ''Well, I guess it isn''t bad news.''

    He didn''t mind if the angels found Lucifer.

    He could always make Raphael and Lucifer fight and then just take advantage of the result of that fight.

    "As beings that serve the light, let''s do our best to eliminate evil beings."

    Ludwig extended his hand and smiled.

    Gaia nodded and grabbed his hand.

    "Thanks for worrying about other worlds."

    "Even if this is another world, demons are beings that need to be eliminated."

    "Ah¡­ Yes. O-of course."

    For a moment, Gaia turned to KangWoo but then naturally nodded.

    She probably concluded that it would be better if he didn''t learn that KangWoo used to be the Demon King who ruled over the Hell of Nine Skies in the past.

    "We''re also going to help."

    KangWoo also sped Ludwig''s hand.

    ''This isn''t bad.''

    It didn''t matter if they liked demons or not; what was important was that he hadn''t recognized him.

    ''He also seems like a good person.''

    He seemed to be gentle.

    Since he was an apostle of an archangel, KangWoo could understand why he hated demons so much.

    ''He seems like he should be able to be a trustworthy ally.''

    "Ah. Besides Lucifer¡¯s whereabouts, there''s another thing we''re investigating¡­ A being called Demon of Prophecy¡­ Mr. Raphael coborated with Earth''s gods and taught me a method of finding him."

    ''No, it will be impossible to coborate with him.''

    For some reason, he found his way of speaking unpleasant.

    That mask-like smile¡­

    It was obvious that the smile was a cover for his evil intentions.

    He couldn''t even imagine how many atrocities he had probablymitted with the excuse that he was looking for demons.

    ''That fucking fallen angel''s seed¡­''

    Intense anger spread through his body, he clenched his fists, and his body trembled.

    It was hard to contain his disgust.

    ''As long as I still have eyes to see with, I won''t let you do as you wish!''

 Chapter 219: Pure White Executioner, Ludwig (1)

    "The Demon of Prophecy¡­?"

    "¡­"

    Gaia and Kim ShiHoon''s expressions understandably darkened.

    The Demon of Prophecy¡­ the owner of the Sea of Demonic Energy who had 666 Authorities.

    It was the being who had destroyed the Gaia System and allowed foreign beings to invade Earth.

    He''d killed a Guardian and had assassinated a hero called Reinald.

    He was the Root of Evil¡­ Satan.

    Since they were hearing about him from someone of another world, they couldn''t help but be surprised.

    "Ah, is there anything you know about the Demon of Prophecy?!"

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed Ludwig''s shoulders while making an excited expression.

    Ludwig nodded and made a heavy expression.

    "Mr. Raphael said that he didn''t know about the Demon of Prophecy before talking with the gods from Earth. I heard what that being did¡­ and it was truly horrifying."

    He shook his head as if he didn''t want to think of that.

    "I heard he also killed the apostle of Hero God Tyrion."

    "Ah¡­"

    Reinald¡­

    The group let out an exmation after hearing that name.

    KangWoo, who had cried when Reinald died, frowned.

    "Are you going to help us find Satan?" Kim ShiHoon, who had a deep trauma regarding that demon, asked in an excited voice.

    Ludwig nodded.

    "Yes. Ah, before that¡­ Mr. Raphael said there''s a chance Satan isn''t the Demon of Prophecy."

    "He did?"

    "Wh-what does that mean?!"

    Gaia''s, Kim ShiHoon, and KangWoo''s expressions hardened after hearing those shocking words.

    KangWoo''s expression paled.

    Ludwig kept talking.

    "Mr. Raphael said that the Satan he knew didn''t have the Sea of Demonic Energy. In the worst-case scenario, there''s a chance Satan is his underling¡­"

    "There''s no chance."

    KangWoo opened his mouth.

    "Why do you think that? We shed against Satan once in the past. At that time, he said with his own mouth that he had obtained the Sea of Demonic Energy. There''s no doubt Satan is the Demon of Prophecy."

    Ludwig nodded.

    "I see. If Satan himself said he has the Sea of Demonic Energy¡­ Then he''s definitely the Demon of Prophecy."

    "¡­"

    There was a short silence.

    KangWoo opened his mouth.

    "How are you nning to find the Demon of Prophecy?"

    "This."

    Ludwig spread his hands, light gathered around them, and a white sword appeared.

    "It''s the Holy Sword, Ludwig."

    "Ludwig¡­?"

    "Yes."

    Ludwig nodded.

    He turned his head and smiled toward Gaia.

    "Just like her, I''ve abandoned my real name. This sword is my life and reason for existing."

    Ludwig touched the white sword.

    "This sword can only be used by a pure soul that hasn''t been tainted by evil. It has a great ability to find evil. Using this word, we''re going to be able to find the exact location of the Sea of Demonic Energy."

    He touched the sword very proudly.

    Kim ShiHoon took a step forward.

    "Then let''s use it¡­"

    "No. I''m sorry, but we cannot use it immediately."

    Ludwig shook his head while making a bitter expression.

    "It seems like the sword still hasn''t gotten used to this world. The Holy Sword can''t maintain its light."

    "When will you be able to use it?"

    "In about a week? After that, I think it will be possible to use it," Ludwig said with a smile on his face.

    "Why don''t you tell me about Earth in the meantime? I''m ashamed to say this¡­ but, to be honest, I''m very interested in this world."

    Ludwig''s eyes shone.

    A smile appeared on Gaia and Kim ShiHoon''s faces after seeing how pure he looked.

    "Hahaha. I''ll guide you,¡± Kim ShiHoon said.

    The two walked toward the gate that led to the Hall of Protection, and the four Light Watchers followed them.

    * * *

    "I had a good time sightseeing. Earth''s civilization¡­ Haha. It''s hard to find the correct words to express my opinion. It was impressive."

    Ludwig smiled.

    Tall buildings that reached the sky and a city covered in gray¡­

    It was a civilization so advanced that the capital of the Arnan Empire seemed almost barbaric inparison.

    "Next, I''m going to present to you the foods of Earth."

    "I''ll be waiting. We¡¯ll return to the grasnd after that."

    "Are you talking about Africa?"

    "Yes. We have to find Lucifer''s trail there."

    He nodded without hesitation.

    Gaia opened her mouth.

    "It''s alreadyte today. How about you sleep in the Hall of Protection and keep working tomorrow?"

    "No, we can''t take a break while we''re in the middle of the important task of getting rid of evil."

    "Can''t we help you with something?"

    "Don''t worry," he said in a firm voice.

    Gaia''s expression hardened at his sharp voice that cut like a knife¡¯s edge, but she soon regained her smile.

    "Understood. Since you say it like that, there''s nothing to be done. We''re going to give you amunication crystal, so please contact us if you need anything."

    "Thank you."

    Everyone was about to go their own way.

    Kim ShiHoon took a step forward and gave Ludwig a small pendant¡ªit was a cross that an angel was hugging.

    "This¡­"

    "You were looking at it closely, so I bought it in secret. It''s a gift tomemorate your visit to Earth."

    "Woah."

    Ludwig let out an exmation.

    "Thank you! I thought it was a pretty pendant, but to think you would gift it to me¡­"

    "It''s nothing."

    "No. At least, for me, it means a lot. Thank you, Mr. ShiHoon."

    The two men shook hands.

    Gaia smiled after seeing that, although they''d just met, they got along very well.

    It seemed like they could be friends. After all, Kim ShiHoon had very few people he could call his friend.

    "I''ll contact you when we find traces of Lucifer."

    Ludwig bowed respectfully.

    A white gate opened, and the four Light Watchers entered.

    They saw the grasnd they first looked at after arriving on Earth.

    Ludwig opened his mouth.

    "They were very nice people."

    "Yes. I''m thankful that Gaia''s apostles are quite coborative."

    "Hahaha. They also seemed quite strong."

    Ludwig smiled.

    "It seems like we''re going to be able to use them in our fight against demons."

    "Ah¡­ I¡­ I see¡­"

    The apostles seemed flustered.

    Ludwig nodded.

    "Yes! At first, I was worried we wouldn''t even be able to use them as bait, but they were better than expected."

    "Hmm."

    "M-Mr. Ludwig."

    "Yes?"

    One Apostle carefully began speaking.

    "W-won''t it be a problem if we use Gaia''s Apostles in such a way? Gaia is still a higher god¡­"

    "Ah, the word ¡®use¡¯ seems wrong."

    Ludwig smiled and touched the pendant he''d received from Kim ShiHoon.

    "Sacrifice¡­ Yes, it''s a sacrifice. To get rid of all the evil that exists in this world, we need sacrifices."

    "¡­"

    "The Guardian members will probably feel proud to lose their lives while fighting against demons. Yes, they definitely will."

    "I¡­ I see."

    "Everyone, don''t forget this¡­" Ludwig said in a firm voice to the other apostles, "To destroy evil, we must use any possible means and methods¡ªeven if the lives of many have to be sacrificed¡­ Yes, even if the Earth is destroyed, we must eliminate the Demon of Prophecy, Satan, no matter what. Everyone knows that, right?"

    "O-of course!"

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan. The demon a god had predicted wasn¡¯t a danger to only the Earth.

    Raphael said that, after destroying Earth, there was a high chance that the next target would be the angels on Ernor.

    ''I cannot let that happen.''

    To make him less worried, they had to eliminate the Demon of Prophecy at all costs¡ªeven if he had to push Gaia''s underlings into a corner.

    "Hahaha! I''m d. Don''t worry, the souls sacrificed to eliminate evil will be looked after by the Heavens."

    A smile appeared on Ludwig''s face.

    His beautiful, blue eyes¡ªwhich resembled the sea¡ªsparkled with madness.

    The apostles trembled while looking at Ludwig and remembered his nickname.

    Pure White Executioner, Ludwig¡­

    * * *

    ''FUUCCKK!''

    Curses that couldn''t leave his mouth bounced around in his head, which felt like it was about to burn up.

    KangWoo was grabbing his head while sitting in a dark room.

    ''Damn it.''

    He anxiously bit his lips.

    ''To think they''d have a way to find the Sea of Demonic Energy.''

    He still wasn''t sure if the holy sword had a way to see through Ruler of Demonic Energy.

    Of course, there was a chance that its capabilities of detecting demonic energy were good, and that if he used the Ruler of Demonic Energy and hid its traces, Ludwig wouldn''t be able to detect it.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    There was a chance he could be found out, so he couldn''t stand still.

    ''I must do something.''

    He had a week before the holy sword was used, and he had to do something before that.

    "¡­"

    He remained silent and began thinking about different possibilities.

    ''Should I transform into Satan and ambush them?''

    That seemed like a good idea. It was what he had done to attack the vault and how he had killed Reinald.

    ''I can''t keep doing that.''

    Even a lizard''s tail could be caught if it was too long.

    If he kept doing things the same way, then there was a chance someone would notice something was off.

    Basically, they could suspect that the timing in which Satan appeared was too good.

    ''It isn''t good.''

    If he kept using the same strategy, there was a chance people would suspect him.

    Ludwig had said there was a chance Satan wasn''t the Demon of Prophecy, so he couldn''t use the same strategy.

    "Then¡­"

    He kept thinking and remembered something Ludwig had said.

    - This sword is one that can only be used by a pure soul that hasn''t been tainted by any evil at all.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    ''Yes, there was that way!!''

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    If only a pure soul could use that sword¡­

    ''I just have to make him fall!''

    Pure white was the easiest thing to stain, after all.

 Chapter 220: How To Corrupt A Saint (1)

    "That''s right. That way exists."

    KangWoo nodded.

    Of course, Raphael''s apostle, Ludwig, had already fallen.

    "Yes. He has definitely already fallen."

    For some reason, he didn''t like the way heughed¡ªheughed like a viin wearing a mask.

    Leaving aside that he appeared out of nowhere, KangWoo didn''t like how easily he got along with everyone.

    ''How dare he approach ShiHoon.''

    He was definitely trying to take advantage of ShiHoon.

    "I''m not going to let you."

    He clenched his fists, and his lips trembled.

    He wasn¡¯t trying to make Ludwig fall¡ªhe was just trying to expose what he was hiding beneath his mask.

    His goal was to make sure everyone saw his true face.

    "Yes¡­ Of course."

    He nodded.

    He could see the sky out of the window.

    ''It isn''t that I''m bad¡­''

    He wasn''t ashamed of anything because Ludwig''s true face was definitely a twisted one.

    "Then, should I move?"

    He felt light.

    KangWoo stood up whileughing and ced his hand over his ear, calling someone.

    - Yes, Demon King?

    Lilith''s voice was heard.

    "There''s something I want to ask you."

    - Fufu, you don''t need to ask. Giving me an order is enough.

    KangWoo smirked and opened his mouth.

    "First, can youe here?"

    - Of course.

    The call was cut.

    Just 30 secondster, the door of his room opened, and Lilith appeared.

    ''How did she get here so fast?''

    It was so fast that be began wondering if she actually lived next door.

    ''Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t seen the next-door neighbor in some time¡­''

    He narrowed his eyes and looked at Lilith.

    Lilith knelt and lowered her head.

    "I received your call, My King. Fufu. What do you need to ask of me? If it''s night service¡­"

    "No. It''s nothing like that," he quickly answered.

    KangWoo tried to calm down while he organized his thoughts.

    How to corrupt a saint¡­

    He had thought of a way to reveal Ludwig''s true identity.

    "I''m going to create a dungeon."

    "A dungeon¡­?"

    "We have a week, and it must be as horrifying andrge as possible."

    "But¡­"

    A week¡­

    It wasn¡¯t nearly enough time.

    It wasn''t like they had arge-scale army like in the Hell of the Nine Skies.

    Although they could use Balzac''s undead army, creating arge-scale dungeon in such a short period of time was almost impossible.

    "I''m going to participate."

    "Ah, fufu. Then the story changespletely."

    Lilith smiled brightly.

    If the Demon King helped, it waspletely doable.

    Not only that, but he had recovered all of the strength he used to have in the Hell of the Nine Skies, so if he took part in constructing the dungeon, the story changedpletely.

    "I''m going to start creating the blueprint. What do you want the theme to be?"

    "Hmm¡­"

    Numerous thoughts crossed his mind.

    ''This is more fun than expected.''

    He wanted to create a dungeon to uncover Ludwig''s true face, but after starting to n the dungeon properly, things became quite fun for him.

    He felt like a kid building a castle with legos.

    ''Is this why demon kings don''t leave their castles?''

    He began understanding why such a trope existed.

    Heughed a bit and kept thinking.

    A dungeon that went well with the concept of Demon King¡­

    ''It needs to be the scariest thing possible.''

    A ce capable of making one fall into despair and breaking their mind¡­

    A dungeon that recreated the worst possible nightmare¡­

    A ce that not even the most respected saint could resist falling in¡­

    "Fufufu, take your time to think about it."

    Lilith smiled mischievously and sat next to KangWoo.

    She spread her hands and slowly stroked him.

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    ''Yes.''

    There was no need to think about it too deeply.

    The scariest and most terrifying thing he could think of¡­

    A dungeon that recreated a nightmare¡­

    "I know the perfect theme."

    He''d already decided on a concept.

    "Tentacles," he said in a firm voice.

    Lilith''s eyes widened.

    "Oh, Demon King!"

    Lilith shyly shook her head with her hands on her cheeks.

    * * *

    "I had fun today. The food on Earth is quite impressive. We can use ice magic to create ice cream, but we don''t have a great variety of vors. Was it¡­ mint chocte? It was really delicious," Ludwig said while smiling brightly.

    "That''s a vor people on Earth can''t agree on¡­" Kim ShiHoon said while giving an awkward smile.

    "What? Really? But it was quite delicious¡­"

    Ludwig tilted his head as if he couldn''t understand it.

    Kim ShiHoon smiled bitterly while seeing how innocent he looked.

    "Your words, Mr. Ludwig¡­"

    "Please, call me Ludwig."

    "Are you sure?"

    "Hahaha. Hasn''t it been a week since Mr. ShiHoon presented me with Earth''s civilization? Once we can figure out the location of the Demon of Prophecy through the holy sword, support will arrive from the Heavens¡­ and the time I can spend with Guardian will go down."

    Ludwig extended his hands.

    "Before that happens, I wanted to make a friend among the Earth¡¯s people."

    "Ah¡­" A short exmation left Kim ShiHoon''s mouth.

    After hesitating for a moment, he smiled and grabbed Ludwig¡¯s hands.

    "Yes, I guess this is fate, so let''s get along, Ludwig."

    "Let''s get along."

    Both people exchanged a firm handshake, and there was an awkward atmosphere.

    Kim ShiHoon blushed and scratched his cheeks.

    ''A friend¡­''

    It was an awkward sentence.

    He had never had a friend other than KangWoo before because his hyeong, Kim YeongHoon, had ensured as such.

    He had always lived a lonely life.

    ''I wonder if hyeongnim would disapprove.''

    There was a chance he wouldn¡¯t approve of him hanging around others like he was a middle-school student when he could have been practicing.

    "¡­"

    He thought about it for a while and nodded.

    The KangWoo he knew wouldn''t get mad for something like that.

    "Then let''s prepare to return. It¡¯s today, right?"

    He didn¡¯t specify what he was talking about, but the meaning was clear.

    Ludwig nodded.

    "Yes, it''s today. The holy sword will soon be done adapting to this world.

    "I should gather the Guardians¡­"

    "No," he shook his head.

    "Using the holy sword requires a lot of concentration. The fewer people there are around, the better."

    "Hmm¡­"

    "I don''t want it to be the case, but there''s a chance that one of the Guardians is harboring demonic energy, so I will use the holy sword with just the Light Watchers around."

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent and thought of KangWoo, someone who was born a human but ended up having the body of a demon for reasons that were outside of his control.

    ''He''ll be okay.''

    KangWoo had thrown away his demonic strength; the energy filling his body was a holy one bestowed upon him by Hero God Tyrion.

    ''It''s¡­ going to be okay.''

    He suddenly felt uneasy.

    Kim ShiHoon opened his mouth while looking at Ludwig.

    "What if¡­ There''s a demon within Guardian?"

    "I''ll kill it."

    "What if that person has be a demon due to circumstances that are¡ª"

    "ShiHoon¡­" Ludwig said with a smile on his face.

    "It doesn''t matter why he became a demon. A demon is a being that must be killed. We must tear apart every single one of them."

    "Even if someone was forced to be a demon¡­? You know that, if demonic energy enters your body, you be a demon whether you want it or not, right?"

    "Yes, that could happen."

    Ludwig nodded and continued to smile.

    "That doesn''t matter to us. Even if someone was forced to be a demon, we must kill them all," he said without hesitation.

    Every single one¡­

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon looked at him in confusion.

    ''Weird.''

    Something about his reasoning was weird and twisted.

    "That¡ª"

    "Ah, isn''t that Mr. KangWoo?"

    Ludwig pointed.

    He saw KangWoo entering Baskin Robbins, the ice cream shop they''d just visited, and Han Seol-ah was at his side.

    He saw the two of them carefully holding hands.

    "Ah, you''re right."

    "Who''s the person next to him?"

    "That¡¯s Ms. Han Seol-ah. She''s hyeongnim''s girlfriend."

    Kim ShiHoon looked at both of them while narrowing his eyes.

    For some reason, he felt a bit jealous.

    "Huh¡­?"

    At that moment, Ludwig''s eyes widened.

    "D-don''t tell me? No. There''s no way. Why¡­ why someone from Earth¡­?"

    "What''s wrong¡­?"

    "H-hahaha!! To think that something like this would happen!!" Ludwig said in an excited voice.

    He quickly turned around.

    "I''ll be going."

    "Huh?"

    Before Kim ShiHoon could say anything, Ludwig opened a gate that led toward the Hall of Protection.

    He quickly woke up one of his underlings there.

    "Call Mr. Raphael right now," Ludwig said while standing in front of the gate that led toward Africa.

    He took a step forward without hesitation, and¡­

    "Huh¡­?"

    Once again, a confused voice left his mouth.

    The gate that connected the Hall of Protection with Africa was a gate that they''d been using for a week, but¡­

    "Where are we?"

    "M-Mr. Ludwig¡­! Wh-where are we?!" the priests anxiously shouted.

    Ludwig raised his head.

    They were in a giant cave, and there was endless darkness, simr to that of the Abyss, in front of them.

    "Eek!"

    One of Ludwig''s underlings raised his hand, pouring white light into the cave.

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    "Huh¡­"

    His expression hardened.

    Illuminated along the cave walls were hundreds, thousands of tentacles.

    <em>Squeak- Squeak, Squeak!</em>

    The thousands of tentacles began moving, leaking yellow pus and transparent fluid.

    A horrifying scent overcame their sense of smell.

    "Ah, aah."

    Their mouths fell open.

    <em>Tap.</em>

    A priest copsed, and¡­

    "H-huh?"

    They realized the very floor they stood on was made of tentacles.

    "E-escape¡­ Cough!! Ugh!!"

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    The tentacles spread, entered the priest¡¯s mouth, passed through their throat, invaded their stomach, and twisted their body.

    <em>Paf!</em>

    "Ugh! Ugh!!"

    His stomach exploded, and tentacles poured out.

    "AGH!!"

    "R-run!"

    A horrifying scream spread through the ce.

    Ludwig looked forward into the darkness with a hardened expression.

    "Where are we¡­?"

    <em>Ting!</em>

    [You''ve entered the SS+ rank dungeon ''Lilith, ? Demon King''s love, whotoldyoutoputanamelikethisfuckitwasalreadymade.'']

    A blue message window popped out.

 Chapter 221: How To Corrupt A Saint (2)

    "Wh-what''s this?"

    An unknown message appeared in front of him.

    Before he could finish reading the message, the darkness covering the entire cave wriggled.

    The tentacles that rose from the sides were targeting his head.

    He quickly ducked, and the tentacle passed over his head.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    Instead of him, the tentacles grabbed another Light Watcher standing next to him.

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    Liquid flowed through the tentacle, the tip of the tentacle split, and a sharp bump appeared.

    "E-eek! H, help me!! Help me!!"

    A desperate scream left the Watcher¡¯s mouth.

    He twisted his body and shed tears, and a dense fear that went beyond death engulfed his body.

    He struggled and reached out as if hoping for help, but¡­

    <em>Squeak-!</em>

    "Ah-agh!!! M-Mr. Ludwig!!! Mr. Ludwig!!! H-help me!! Mr. Ludwiigg!!!"

    "¡­"

    The tentacle stuck to the Watcher¡¯s face, and dozens of sharp bumps wiggled as if they were savoring his skin.

    His skin was cut, and dozens, hundreds of bumps turned his skin inside out before drinking his blood from the open wounds.

    <em>Growl-</em>

    Yellow pus poured out of the bumps into the Watcher¡¯s skin.

    There was a terrible smell, and immense pain spread through his body.

    "AAGGHH! AAGGHH!!"

    "Priest Xeras!!"

    Ludwig quickly spread his hand, and white light gathered around it.

    A sword that shone with intense holy energy appeared. A sword that was like his name, life, and goal¡­ Holy Sword Ludwig.

    He grabbed the sword and swung it.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    The sword touched the tentacles, and a tentacle that was as thick as the thigh of an adult male was severed by the Holy Sword.

    It was a sword that received the blessing of a high elf¡ªa race that didn''t appear unless Ernor was on the verge of copsing.

    A power that destroyed the demonic things spread through the ce, and the white light spread like poison.

    The tentacle that was grabbing the priest''s head exploded.

    "Ah," a sound that was close to a moan came out of the priest¡¯s mouth.

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    His skull was opened like a tin can, and yellow pus poured out from it. His skin was rotting, and his eyes were wide open.

    The priest was already dead.

    Ludwig''s expression distorted, and he took out amunication crystal.

    It was themunication crystal he''d received from Gaia, who told him to use it if they needed help.

    ''Damn.''

    <em>Zzzzt- Zzzzt.</em>

    Themunication crystal turned gray as if it were being filled by fog.

    There was a static background noise, and someone''s voice could be hearding out from it¡ªthe voice of a man.

    - Who¡­ What''s¡­ going¡­ on?

    "It¡¯s Ludwig. It seems like someone has interfered with the gate. I think we''ve fallen into a demon¡¯s trap."

    - What''s¡­ situat¡­?

    "I''m okay, but my subordinate died. If this goes on, it could be dangerous. I''m requesting support from Guardian. We''re going to try to figure things out as we escape."

    - Can¡­ Come outs¡­ ide?

    "If this continues, we won''t be able to leave. It seems like a demon is controlling this entire space."

    - Where¡­ are you?

    "I''m not sure. It seems like we''re inside a dungeon."

    - We''re g¡­ ZZZT!!

    The noise worsened.

    A tingling noise was heard; Ludwig frowned and threw themunication crystal.

    He looked at the profound abyss, turned around, and shouted.

    "Let''s advance!!!"

    If they stayed there, they would definitely die.

    They had to move to a ce free from the tentacles.

    "Yes? A-advance?"

    "Wouldn¡¯t it be better to return¡­?!" Two priests, who were blocking the tentacle''s attacks, anxiously shouted.

    Ludwig bit his lip and screamed, "There''s no ce to escape to!"

    "Ah, aah."

    The priests turned their heads after hearing those words.

    The gate from where they''de had disappeared.

    Their expressions darkened.

    Ludwig gripped the holy sword and took a step forward. He raised the divine energy that was inside his body and emitted an aura of white light.

    It was the strength of an angel.

    If demons had demonic energy, angels exercised miracles through divine energy.

    He concentrated that strength on the divine energy.

    He swung his sword from top to bottom.

    <em>FWOOSH-!!</em>

    A white light cut through the tentacles.

    As if he were Moses splitting the Red Sea, a pathway appeared through the tentacles.

    "Now!"

    "AAHH!!!"

    The Light Watchers charged forward, threw their robes away, and concentrated the divine energy on their hands.

    A white light burnt and spread in all directions like fire.

    <em>Tsss-!!</em>

    The tentacles were burnt away by the white light, smoking and letting off a terrible smell.

    "Ugh!"

    "Don''t stop!!"

    The horrible smell caused the priest to halt for a moment and hold his nose.

    A tentacle brushed past where he was standing, and he lowered his body and concentrated divine energy on his back.

    <em>p-!</em>

    * * *

    White wings pierced out of his back, and he used all his strength to p his wings, quickly freeing himself from the tentacles.

    He flew into the darkness.

    [HAHAHA!!]

    Augh imbued with faint demonic energy reached Ludwig, and he frowned.

    "As expected, this is the doing of a demon."

    He wasn''t sure how the demon had realized their existence or how they''d managed to infiltrate and manipte a gate inside the Hall of Protection, but that doubt onlysted for a short while.

    ''First, I have to kill the demon.''

    There were no doubts in his ideals.

    If a demon had dragged them into a trap, the only thing they had to do was to kill them.

    [Nice to meet you, human.]

    "¡­"

    He didn''t answer.

    The opponent was a demon¡ªsomeone with whom it wasn''t worth talking.

    He raised his holy sword and got into a fighting position.

    [Hahaha. Shouldn''t we at least know each other''s names?]

    The demon with a body covered in green tentaclesughed.

    "I have no name to reveal to a demon," he said firmly.

    [Hahaha! I like your attitude!]

    The demonughed out loud.

    Every time heughed, the darkness fluctuated.

    The demon raised his two fists that weren''t covered by tentacles.

    [Still, it¡¯ll be better if you know the name of the one that''s going to kill you.]

    The tips of the demon''s mouth went up.

    [I''m Yogsaron.]

    "¡­"

    It was a demon he''d never heard of.

    Ludwig frowned.

    It didn''t matter who the opponent was, what mattered was that the opponent in front of him was a demon.

    ''All demons¡­''

    Had to be killed.

    <em>Whir-!</em>

    The holy sword began emitting light, and he rushed forward with the sword.

    Despite how big he was, the demon easily dodged his attack.

    With the left leg as his center of bnce, he turned his body, crouched, and used his sticity to shoot forward.

    [Hahaha.]

    "E-eek!"

    He dodged the attack and then grabbed one of the priests by the neck, pushing their body forward like he was using them as a shield.

    "M-Mr. Ludwig¡­!"

    <em>Stab-!!</em>

    "Cough!!"

    Ludwig cut the priest¡¯s body apart without hesitation.

    It didn''t matter if he was his subordinate or an ally who served the light.

    ''If it''s to kill a demon¡­.''

    He had no time to consider such meaningless things.

    The sword cut through the priest¡¯s body and into Yogsaron''s shoulders.

    The green tentacle was severed, and his muscr body became visible.

    Ludwig¡¯s hand was injured by the recoil of hitting something hard and armor-like.

    [Hahaha!! No hesitation, huh?! You don''t care even if it''s your subordinate?]

    "Demon, shut up," Ludwig said in a low voice.

    Although he''d killed a subordinate that had served him for a long time, there was no remorse on his face.

    There was no way he''d feel such emotions.

    Obviously, someone who served the light would try to eliminate demons; it didn''t matter how much he had to sacrifice if it was to kill a demon.

    <em>ng-</em>

    He raised his sword, and rays of light cut through the darkness.

    His body emitted light, and wings pped on his back, making him look angelic.

    [How interesting.]

    Yogsaronughed.

    [The Demon King is going to like this.]

    "Demon King¡­?"

    Ludwig frowned after hearing such ominous words.

    "Are you talking about Satan?"

    [Hmm? Hahaha!!!!]

    Yogsaron began tough out loud.

    [Satan?? Satan? Do you think I, Yogsaron, would serve such a weakling?]

    "¡­"

    Ludwig''s eyes shook, and his thoughts ran together.

    If the Demon King wasn''t Satan¡­

    ''Who?''

    Who was the being who had the ominous title of ¡®Demon King¡¯?

    [Come, servant of light. I''m going to show you the true strength of darkness.]

    Before Ludwig could continue his line of thought, Yogsaron cut through the light and leaped forward.

    * * *

    ''Good.''

    Outside of the dungeon¡­

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up while he looked inside the dungeon through the magic device that Lilith had installed.

    It had been 30 minutes since Balrog and Ludwig had begun fighting, and Ludwig was starting to be pushed back.

    ''Still, he''s quite strong.''

    After he fulfilled the conditions for the Demonic Soul, he''d recovered all of his previous strength.

    Balrog was connected to him through his soul, so he could fight on par with an archduke.

    Despite that, he''d resisted Balrog for 30 minutes.

    Not only that, but he had been able to leave wounds on him.

    Even if he was the apostle of an archangel, it was impressive that he had such strength.

    ''It''s probably because of that sword.''

    The Holy Sword, Ludwig¡­

    He looked at the sword that was emitting a holy light.

    Ludwig had shown more strength than expected.

    ''But¡­''

    In the end, that was his limit.

    <em>ng-!</em>

    "Cough! Huff! Huff!"

    Ludwig knelt, holding his chest and letting out heavy breaths.

    KangWoo smiled and looked at him.

    ''Should I begin?''

    He put away themunication crystal.

    Instead of that, he took out a ck sphere.

    A tentacle stuck to Ludwig''s back.

    After feeling that it had ''connected''. KangWoo nodded.

    Now, his voice would spread through Ludwig''s mind.

    ''The effect is important.''

    Its effect was different from hearing it with your ears.

    Hearing with his head rather than ears¡­

    The effect of it spreading through his body was important.

    ''So¡­''

    It was time to say what he''d prepared.

    KangWoo seemed excited.

    ''I always wanted to say this.''

    He even felt that it was unfair he''d never had the opportunity to say it after bing a Demon King.

    "Ehem¡­"

    He stretched his head and popped his neck.

    ''Getting into the mood¡­''

    He closed his eyes and pulled demonic energy from his body.

    A phrase that went well with someone that was about to fall¡­.

    That one thing you desired when on the brink of despair¡­.

    "Do you want strength?"

    A grotesque and eerie voice spread through Ludwig''s head.

    It was a dark and wet voice that sounded as if it wereing from the darkness.

    "What¡­?"

    Ludwig looked around after hearing a voice flowing right into his head.

    KangWoo clenched his fists.

    ''YES!!! Fuck!!! Saying stuff like that right before someone falls is perfect!''

    Excitement spread through his body.

    ''Woah.''

    ¡®Do you want strength?¡¯

    He heard his own phrase echoing in his ears.

    ''So cool.''

    ¡®I wish Darling could see this.¡¯

 Chapter 222: How To Corrupt A Saint (3)

    <em>ng-!</em>

    White mes poured in all directions.

    The sword and fist collided, and a huge pressure tore his hands apart, but that onlysted for a short while.

    His divine energy slowly healed his wounds.

    "Ugh," He moaned, took a few steps back, lowered himself, and raised his sword again.

    Once again, they attacked each other.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    A cut appeared on the demon¡¯s arm, and ck blood poured out, but¡­

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    The demon ignored the wound and countered, shaking him with a huge impact as if he was being hit by a battering ram.

    His vision swirled, he flew through the air, and then he rolled over the ground.

    His entire world was spinning, and he coughed up crimson blood.

    "Haa, haaa¡­"

    His breath became heavier, and he raised his head to look at the demon who called himself Yogsaron.

    They had been fighting for thirty minutes.

    His vitality was about to bottom out, the strength in his hands was gone, and his legs were shaking.

    His intense light was starting to die down.

    He felt that he''d lost.

    "Ugh."

    He frowned. He couldn¡¯t ept defeat.

    The demon in front of him was still moving in perfect condition.

    ''All demons¡­''

    Had to be killed.

    It didn''t matter what he had to sacrifice.

    ¡ªThat''s what he''d known since birth.

    The memories of the past returned to him.

    Demons¡­

    Whenever he thought about those disgusting beings, he felt nauseous.

    "I''ll¡­ kill you," he said in a low voice.

    His eyes were full of madness.

    He was trying to hypnotize himself.

    He put more strength in his trembling legs and stood up, gripping the holy sword with both hands and preparing to fight again.

    [Amazing.]

    A surprised exmation left Yogsaron''s mouth.

    He felt indomitable will, an obsession close to madnessing from him.

    He closed his mouth and clenched his fists.

    The heat of the battle made his body feel hot.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    They shed.

    They exchanged rapid blows over the course of a second in midair, and it would have been almost impossible for an observer to make out what was happening.

    The holy sword swung at the demon and drew ck blood from the hand that blocked it before being deflected away by the Demonic Energy Armor.

    He twisted with the recoil and pped his wings to correct his posture before again swinging his holy sword, intending to crush the demon¡¯s head.

    [It¡¯s too bad¡­]

    Yogsaron stomped on the ground, causing the floor to copse.

    His thigh muscles inted, and the tentacles were torn away.

    He swung his fist into the sword¡¯s swing again.

    <em>BOOM-!!!</em>

    A huge explosion shook the cave, and an intense light swept away the darkness.

    Ludwig was pushed back by the impact, and he rolled on the ground.

    [This is your limit.]

    Yogsaron looked at Ludwig with deep, sunken eyes.

    "Cough! Cough!"

    Ludwig scrambled around on the floor and coughed out more blood.

    He tried to lift himself, but he couldn¡¯t put any strength into his arms.

    He copsed, and his face fell into the dirt.

    "Ah, ugh¡­"

    He struggled and twisted his body like he was trying to deny reality, but he simply did not have the strength to stand again.

    Ludwig raised his trembling head to see the demon looking down on him.

    He subconsciously knew¡­

    ''If this goes on¡­''

    It was the end.

    He would die in a faraway world without having done anything and without having achieved anything.

    ''No¡­''

    Ludwig''s eyes filled with desperation.

    He wasn''t afraid of dying¡ªdying in a fight against a demon was something one could be proud of.

    It was the most secure way to get to the Heavens, which was what every Light Watcher wanted.

    But¡­

    ''At least¡­''

    He couldn''t die there.

    He had a reason for wanting to survive.

    ''I have to tell Mr. Raphael.''

    He thought of the ''seed'' he''d found by coincidence before being trapped there.

    He¡¯d seen someone trapped in the body of a woman that was living as if she were a human.

    He couldn''t help but tremble while thinking about her.

    He clenched his fists, ground his teeth, and tried to stand again.

    His body was trembling and gave out again before he could fully raise himself.

    "Ah, aah,¡± he desperately cried while the demon walked toward him.

    * * *

    The light around him faded, and darkness fell.

    Then¡­

    - Do you want strength?

    "What¡­?"

    He heard a familiar voice in his head.

    He turned his face, but he couldn''t see anything.

    - There''s no need to speak out loud.

    ''Who¡­ are you?'' he asked the voice within his head.

    - I''m death. I''m the end. I''m the father of all those that are angry and anger itself.

    Like a singer, like a poet reading a poem, the voice talked.

    - I''m Satan.

    ''Sa¡­ tan¡­?''

    Ludwig frowned after hearing that name.

    Anger toward Satan boiled up from within.

    - I came here to make you a proposal.

    ''Get out of here. I''m not going to listen to what a demon has to say.''

    Ludwig shook his head.

    There was no need to listen to what a demon had to say, especially Satan.

    ''He''s the Demon or Prophecy.''

    He was the Demon of Prophecy who would bring destruction to the world.

    It wasn''t just Earth, he was also worried for Ernor and Hwan.

    A god had prophesized that all worlds connected with the Hell of Nine Skies would be destroyed.

    There was no need to listen to such a being.

    -Hahaha!!

    An evilugh spread through his ear.

    - As expected from a Light Watcher.

    ''Shut up. I won''t listen to you.''

    - Hahaha.

    - Can you really do that in this situation?

    ''¡­''

    Ludwig remained silent and raised his head.

    He saw Yogsaron walking toward him.

    It seemed like he thought he''d already won, or maybe it was because he wanted him to feel fear of death, but he was walking really slowly.

    Still, there was something he was sure of¡­

    When the demon reached him¡­

    He''d die.

    ''It doesn''t matter.''

    - Oh, I''m sure you do care.

    Ludwig bit his lips

    ''I''d rather die than make a deal with a demon.''

    - Hahaha! Good! That''s a good way of thinking! But¡­

    - Can you still say that despite knowing the truth?

    ''What?''

    - If you don''t reveal the truth¡­ Raphael could die.

    ''What do you mean?''

    Ludwig''s eyes shook.

    ¡®Truth?¡¯

    What sort of truth was he mentioning that could lead to Raphael¡¯s death?

    - Didn''t you realize something after hearing Yogsaron? Can you not figure out why I¡¯m trying to make you a deal?

    ''What the¡­?''

    - I''m not the Demon of Prophecy.

    ''¡­!''

    Ludwig''s eyes widened, and his body trembled.

    The possibility of the Demon of Prophecy not being Satan¡­

    It was something Raphael had said, so hearing it from Satan''s mouth made his body tremble.

    ''Then¡­''

    That meant Gaia''s underlings were being deceived by the real Demon of Prophecy.

    "Ugh."

    Ludwig anxiously bit his lips.

    ''If you aren''t the Demon of Prophecy¡­ Do you mean that being called the Demon King is the Demon of Prophecy?''

    - Thankfully, it seems like you aren''t an idiot.

    Satanughed in a low voice.

    - That''s right. I was trapped by the Demon King and forced to be his subordinate.

    ''¡­''

    There was a short silence.

    A demon strong enough to make an archduke his subordinate¡­

    He couldn''t even imagine who such a demon could be.

    ''Is the Demon King¡­ Baal?''

    - No. It isn''t Baal.

    ''Ha¡­''

    His thoughts became even fuzzier.

    The demon that the angels were most worried about wasn¡¯t even the Demon King?

    ''How can I believe what you¡¯re saying?''

    - Use the sword.

    Ludwig lowered his head.

    He saw a sword emanating a white light.

    Holy Sword Ludwig¡­ A sword with a sacred energy capable of finding the Sea of Demonic Energy.

    "Ugh¡­"

    [What? Are you thinking of putting up some sort of final stand?] Yogsaron said in a mocking voice

    He then stopped and crossed his arms.

    [Then try to do it. I''ll wait.]

    "¡­"

    Ludwig bit his lips and raised the holy sword.

    In reality, he needed to be in a certain ce and focus all of his attention on it to seed, but he had no other choice at the moment.

    He closed his eyes and focused his attention.

    He found the Sea of Demonic Energy.

    "Ah¡­"

    His mouth fell open.

    He couldn''t believe what had happened.

    Ludwig trembled after he realized the ''truth.''

    "The Sea of Demonic Energy¡­"

    - It seems like you''ve found it.

    Satanughed.

    "It''s inside Guardian?"

    He didn¡¯t know who had the Sea of Demonic Energy, but it was in the Guardian base at the moment.

    Then¡­

    That meant¡­

    - What if¡­ There''s a demon within Guardian?

    He remembered Kim ShiHoon''s words.

    ''Gaia''s subordinates¡­''

    They had been perfectly deceived by the Demon of Prophecy.

    They''d been deceived so perfectly that they''d even epted him as a member of Guardian.

    No, maybe they hadn''t been deceived.

    ''What if every Guardian¡­''

    What if they had all sided with the Demon of Prophecy?

    "Ah, no."

    Raphael had told him to coborate with Gaia''s subordinates after receiving a support request.

    To think that the Demon of Prophecy would be inside Guardian¡­

    ''I have to reveal the truth.''

    He had to tell the Guardians, who were being deceived by the Demon of Prophecy.

    He had to tell Raphael, who had asked him to coborate with Guardian without knowing the truth.

    He couldn''t even think how many lives would be lost if he didn''t reveal that truth.

    In the worst-case scenario, something he didn''t want to think of might happen.

    ''Mr. Raphael could die.''

    There was no way to know if the darkness that had devoured Guardian wouldn''t spread to Raphael.

    "Ugh, aah¡­"

    <em>Crack.</em>

    He clenched his fists.

    He widened his eyes and swung his fists like he was trying to grab the air. He desperately stood with every bit of strength he had.

    [Ha, is that yourst stand?]

    He heard Yogsaron''s disappointed voice.

    Ludwig''s eyes filled with despair.

    - So, let me ask again¡­

    At that moment, he heard Satan''s voice.

    - Will you make a deal with me?

    "¡­"

    There was silence.

    He didn''t need to think too much.

    "I¡­"

    Ludwig spoke in a firm voice that hadn¡¯t changed.

    "Refuse to make a deal with you."

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The target has resisted, the Authority of Subordination has failed.]

    He gripped his holy sword tighter.

    White light poured out of the sword and covered his body.

    "Satan, you misunderstand who I am," Ludwig said while ring at the demon in front of him.

    Even if he lost everything¡­

    Even if everything was destroyed¡­

    "I would never make a deal with a demon."

 Chapter 223: How To Corrupt A Saint (4)

    "Woah."

    KangWoo let out a short exmation after reading the message that appeared in front of him.

    "Impressive."

    He''d pushed him into a corner, and not only that, but he''d also restricted his options.

    He''d revealed some of the truth to him and dragged him to the floor.

    ''But¡­''

    Even in that desperate situation, he''d rejected his proposal and caused the Authority of Subordination to fail.

    ''Amazing.''

    He couldn''t help but be impressed by Ludwig¡¯s pure and firm ideals.

    "But¡­"

    He shrugged.

    He¡¯d thought the chances of him refusing were low, but on the other hand, that also meant that, although low, he thought there was a chance he might refuse, so obviously¡­

    He''d already made the necessary preparations for such a situation.

    "That''s it."

    The demonughed.

    * * *

    "I would never make a deal with a demon," he said as if even the thought of it was disgusting.

    Ludwig used his holy sword to prop himself up.

    He knew it wasn¡¯t the correct decision to make in his situation.

    For the future, for Raphael, and for Ernor, the correct thing would be to bend his ideals.

    ''But¡­''

    Ludwig''s eyes shone sharply.

    He knew demons very well¡ªhe knew how evil and clever they were.

    ''A deal?''

    Heughed in disbelief.

    Satan hadn''t mentioned the price he would need to pay.

    He didn''t need to.

    ''It¡¯s obvious.''

    He was nning to take everything from him.

    If the price to pay was everything he had, his decision didn¡¯t matter¡ªit wouldn''t change the fact that he''d die.

    He wasn''t stupid enough to not realize that.

    Even if he managed to walk out of that ce, the situation wouldn''t be over.

    He''d be Satan''s puppet before he could convey what he discovered to Raphael, and he would end up dying at the hands of his allies that also served the light.

    ''I cannot let that happen.''

    Ludwig''s eyes shone.

    It was true that he had to tell Raphael what he''d just learned, but borrowing the strength of a demon to do that would be counterproductive¡ªthat would just make him receive a more tragic ending.

    ''Then¡­''

    Ludwig gulped and closed his eyes.

    He focused his attention on Holy Sword Ludwig¡ªthe sword he¡¯d even thrown away his name for.

    "I''ll offer my life," he said to the sword.

    Whir-.

    The holy sword vibrated and emitted a white light.

    Ludwig tried to get hold of his breath and raised his head.

    His body began shining with intense light, and he spoke the name of the technique that he needed to give his life to use.

    "Hope."

    <em>Whir-!!!</em>

    The vibration became more intense, and an explosive amount of light covered his body from the sword.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    The skin on his back tore, and four wings appeared.

    They weren''t fake wings like the ones he had before¡ªthey were ''real'' angel wings.

    An intense light filled their surroundings.

    "Cough, Coff!"

    His body went taught as a huge amount of divine energy flowed through it.

    It had already gone beyond the amount of divine energy a human''s body could ept.

    "Ugh, AAHH!!"

    He swung the holy sword while such intense light illuminated the cave.

    <em>sh-!!</em>

    He split the darkness.

    * * *

    [Demon King¡­]

    Balrog¡¯s voice sounded through the ck sphere.

    His voice was stiff.

    [It seems like our ns have gone a bit awry.]

    "I can see that."

    Their first n was to make Ludwig fall and simultaneously gain control of him through the Authority of Subordination¡ªthe n to turn an apostle of an angel into his puppet.

    "That''s too bad."

    KangWooy his back on the chair.

    It was a n he had thought of over the past week while making the dungeon with Lilith.

    It was the n that had the best possible oue.

    ''It seems like it has failed.''

    Making Ludwig unable to use the holy sword was simple¡ªhe had to kill him. That was it.

    If someone was dead, they couldn¡¯t use the holy sword, but KangWoo wanted more than that.

    If he wanted to free himself from the repetitive pattern he was stuck in, he had to obtain an even greater return than the effort it cost to make Ludwig fall.

    ''That''s why I was nning to use the Authority of Subordination.''

    Ludwig would have been useful in all sorts of ways if he could have obtained him at the height of his power, but at that point, it would be hard to use him.

    [Are you going to kill him?] Balrog said with intense killing intent.

    "Hmm¡­"

    He fell into thought.

    KangWooy his back on the chair and recalled his conversation with Balzac.

    - Hmm. That person, Ludwig¡­ What a shame.

    ''A shame?''

    - Yes. Other than Master''s little brother, I''ve never seen a human with such a wonderful body¡­ He seems to be better than Reinald.

    * * *

    ''So?''

    - Hahaha. If I could turn him into a death knight¡­ An incredible piece of art would probably be born. A death knight of the highest¡­ no, maybe something beyond a simple death knight. I might be able to turn him into an abyss knight.

    ''What''s up with that strong-sounding name?''

    - They''re beings of a higher ne than death knights. It''s a being you can only make with someone who has suffered an unfair death. The strength of such a being¡­ Hahaha, even Mr. Balrog wouldn''t have an easy time facing one.

    ''Hmm¡­ It won''t bete if we turn him into one after using the Authority of Subordination, so let''s wait for the moment.''

    The short conversation went on in his head.

    While thinking about it for a while, KangWoo opened his mouth.

    "No, don''t kill him."

    [But if this goes on¡­]

    "It''s okay."

    [He knows too much,] he said in a worried voice.

    KangWoo smiled.

    "Balrog¡­"

    [Yes, My King?]

    "What do you think is the best way to make a saint fall?"

    [Well, there are many ways¡­]

    "What if, no matter what strategy we used, it was impossible to make him fall?"

    [¡­]

    Balrog remained silent.

    What was the best way to make an infallible saint fall?

    There was a contradiction in that sentence that made it impossible to answer.

    "Look carefully."

    KangWoo smiled.

    "I''m going to teach you how."

    * * *

    <em>sh-!!</em>

    The darkness split, and the cave¡¯s wall was torn apart.

    Light flowed in.

    ''This is¡­''

    He saw the ruined grasnds and recognized the familiar ce.

    ''This is where we first arrived.''

    Ludwig''s eyes shone.

    He turned and looked at Yogsaron.

    For some reason, he wasn''t moving at all.

    ''This is my chance.''

    He wasn''t sure why he wasn''t moving, but that didn''t change the fact that it was the perfect opportunity.

    Ludwig clenched his jaw, stomped on the ground, and pped his four wings.

    His body shot forward at incredible speed.

    ''I must tell him¡­''

    He had to tell Raphael everything he''d heard there.

    Tentacles followed after him, but he was faster.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    He escaped from the dungeon, and his body rolled over the dirt.

    ¡°Haa¡­ Haaa¡­¡±

    He let outbored breaths.

    The side effects from pushing the holy sword to its limits were taking their toll on his body

    He felt that he didn¡¯t have much time left.

    ''Quickly¡­''

    He had to return to Ernor.

    Then¡­

    "Mr. Ludwig!!"

    "Are you okay?!!"

    Kim ShiHoon, KangWoo, Gaia, Chae YeonJoom, Grace, and other important Guardian members were running toward him.

    It seemed like the support he''d asked for had arrived.

    "Ugh¡­"

    Ludwig looked at them cautiously.

    The Demon of Prophecy was currently deceiving them.

    He had to tell them the truth.

    "You''re currently being d¡ª"

    "Wait¡­"

    The young man with sharp eyes at the front raised his hands.

    He kept talking with a hard expression on his face.

    "Everyone, stop."

    "Wh-what''s wrong? Hyeongnim?!" Kim ShiHoon anxiously asked.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo frowned and opened his mouth.

    "It''s toote."

    "Yes? What does that¡ª"

    "Ludwig is already being controlled by a demon."

    "What¡­?"

    "Is¡­ is that true, Mr. KangWoo?!" Gaia hurriedly asked.

    KangWoo nodded with a heavy expression.

    "Yes. It''s already toote¡­"

    He clenched his fists aggressively and stomped on the ground.

    "Damn it! Damn it! If only we''d arrived faster¡­!"

    Ludwig looked at him in confusion.

    ''What''s he talking about?''

    He wasn''t being controlled by a demon.

    He''d refused Satan''s proposal, but¡­

    It was toote?

    "H-Hyeongnim! What do you mean?! Ludwig is¡ª"

    "No."

    KangWoo shook his head.

    He took amunication crystal from his pocket.

    "To be honest, I thought it was already toote from the moment I heard this message¡­"

    A voice sounded from the crystal.

    [It¡¯s¡­ Lud¡­ Wig. Gate¡­ someone¡­ demon''s trap¡­ I¡­ already¡­ lost¡­ everyone¡­ escape¡­ if this¡­ controlled by demon¡­]

    It was Ludwig¡¯s voice mixed with a lot of interference, and it seemed like he had expected to die soon. If anything, the message was closer to ast testament.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine that it was already toote for Ludwig just from hearing the message.

    KangWoo grabbed Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders.

    "ShiHoon, I''m sorry. I couldn''t bear to show you this message earlier."

    "Ah¡­"

    "Mr. Ludwig¡­ has already fallen."

    KangWoo lowered his head as if he couldn''t get himself to look at the Ludwig in front of them.

    Ludwig looked at him with his mouth wide open.

    ''What the¡­?''

    His thoughts tumbled around in his head.

    What he heard through themunication crystal was definitely his voice, but¡­

    He''d never said that.

    ''What''s going on?''

    Ludwig''s expression paled.

    He remembered the conversation he had as soon as he entered the dungeon.

    - Who¡­ what''s¡­ going¡­ on?

    "It¡¯s Ludwig. It seems like someone has interfered with the gate. I think we''ve fallen into a demon¡¯s trap."

    - What''s¡­ situat¡­?

    "I''m okay, but my subordinate died. If this goes on, it could be dangerous. I''m requesting support from Guardian. We''re going to try to figure things out as we escape."

    - Can¡­ Come outs¡­ ide?

    "If this continues, we won''t be able to leave. It seems like a demon is controlling this entire space."

    - Where¡­ are you?

    "I''m not sure. It seems like we''re inside a dungeon."

    - We''re g¡­ ZZZT!!

    Those words¡­

    ''How did they¡­''

    [It¡¯s¡­ Lud¡­ Wig. Gate¡­ someone¡­ demon''s trap¡­ I¡­ already¡­ lost¡­ everyone¡­ escape¡­ if this¡­ controlled by demon¡­]

    ¡®Change like this?¡¯

    "Ah¡­"

    Ludwig''s body trembled.

    He looked at KangWoo with a pale expression on his face.

    "Ludwig has already fallen," he said in a firm voice.

    "I must¡­ kill him with my hands."

    What was the best way to make an infallible saint fall?

    It was actually rather simple.

    ''The truth doesn''t matter.''

    ¡ªAll that mattered was that it sounded like the truth.

 Chapter 224: Holy Sword Ludwig (1)

    "You son of a¡­"

    Ludwig trembled, his mouth open in surprise.

    His head was burning from the anger boiling up within him.

    "Ugh, aah¡­"

    He put both hands on his cheeks.

    He couldn¡¯t even form proper words, and his head felt fuzzy.

    ''It''s over.''

    He could see it based on the expressions of the other Guardian members, and from Kim ShiHoon¡¯s desperate expression.

    He couldn''t understand how he''d edited his words in such a way, but even for him, the result was impressive.

    ''It doesn''t matter who hears it¡­''

    It sounded like thest testament of someone shortly before they fell to a demon.

    He had said it was already toote for him and that others should escape while they could.

    Who wouldn''t think he''d fallen after hearing such a message?

    "N-no!"

    He shook his head and pointed at KangWoo.

    "This is all that piece of trash¡¯s doi¡ª"

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    At that moment, a tentacle stuck to the back of his head began moving¡ªit was the tentacle KangWoo had used to speak directly to his mind.

    The tentacle, which had split into dozens of tendrils, began moving through his body.

    Rather than trying to attack, the tendrils flowed beneath the surface of his skin, pushing upwards, and it looked like grotesque blood vessels were pulsing under his skin.

    And¡­

    "As expected, you''re being ''controlled.''"

    KangWoo lowered his head.

    Green vessels had be visible throughout Ludwig''s body.

    Objectively speaking, Ludwig looked to be in an abnormal state.

    There was no better word to describe it than ¡®corrosion¡¯.

    "No, that''s not¡ª"

    "Shut up, you evil demon!¡± KangWoo screamed at him in disgust, and his lips trembled.

    "I already know that Ludwig isn''t there anymore. Hepletely disappeared after you took control of his body!"

    "Everyone¡­"

    "Mr. Ludwig¡­ How did things¡­?"

    "Everyone, please listen to me¡­"

    "We¡­ Will never forget you, Mr. Ludwig¡­"

    "Fuck."

    Ludwig felt that he was about to go crazy.

    He raised his head and saw how everyone else was looking at him.

    Their eyes were full of pity and sadness.

    "Ludwig¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon closed his eyes and his body went taught like he was trying to get over the shock.

    Everyone''s reaction was different, but they all had something inmon¡­

    Rather than him, they believed what KangWoo was saying.

    "Ha, haha," Ludwigughed in disbelief.

    He didn''t even know what to say in such a situation.

    There was a saying that a single sentence was enough to use someone, but it took dozens of documents to prove innocence.

    He really felt the saying was applying to him.

    ''There''s no going back.''

    Such a thought crossed his mind, and anger filled his body.

    He looked at KangWoo, whose face had turned pale, and saw the tips of his mouth curling up.

    ''Oh KangWoo¡­''

    The puzzle pieces in his head clicked together, and he realized something.

    Who had interfered with the gate of the Hall of Protection.?

    Who had received the signal he sent from the dungeon?

    Who had infiltrated Guardian despite having the Sea of Demonic Energy?

    "So it was you¡­"

    Ludwig''s body trembled, and his eyes widened.

    Anger close to madness began taking control over his body, he lost his rationality, and he felt like he was about to explode.

    "So it was you!"

    That was the only possible exnation.

    It didn''t matter what he said, from the moment everyone concluded he''d fallen, leaving the truth aside, in their minds, he had already fallen.

    All his efforts to cast aside Satan''s attempt to make him fall didn''t matter anymore.

    "OH KANGWOO!!!"

    He let madness take control of his body and stomped on the ground.

    Ludwig gripped his holy sword, and eye-blindingly intense light followed his movements.

    Although he''d used most of his strength to escape the dungeon, he couldn''t give up yet.

    "AAGGHH!!"

    He had to tell Raphael the truth about the Demon King and the woman named Han Seol-ah.

    At the moment, though, those things didn¡¯t matter.

    ¡ªKangWoo was right in front of him.

    The demon who had infiltrated Earth¡¯s protective group, Guardian, was insulting him.

    He was a monster wearing a person¡¯s skin.

    KangWoo¡¯s trickery just kept reying in his mind.

    "DIEE!!"

    He swung his holy sword.

    <em>ng-!!</em>

    Kim ShiHoon blocked the sword that was covered in intense light and opened his mouth while making an anxious expression.

    "Ludwig¡­"

    "Move!! You''re all being deceived by him!! You''re being controlled by that demon!!"

    "Ugh."

    "You fucking idiots!! How can you call yourselves the Guardians of Earth?!!"

    "Ludwig¡­!" Kim ShiHoon mumbled in a desperate voice while looking at him.

    It hadn''t been long since he met him¡ªonly about a week.

    He''d just shown him the Earth''s civilization he was eager to find out about, and it was still too soon and weird to call their rtionship ¡®friendship¡¯, but¡­

    "Damn it, Damn it, Damn it!!" Kim ShiHoon cursed.

    Although his body was covered in intense light, Ludwig had a horrifying aspect at the moment.

    His eyes were shining with madness, his breath had be heavier, and the green blood vessels that showed a demon was controlling him were more apparent than ever.

    That all meant one thing¡­

    Ludwig had passed the point of no return.

    ''Hyeongnim¡­''

    As if asking for an answer, Kim ShiHoon turned to look at him.

    KangWoo shook his head with his eyes closed.

    His bodynguage was saying that it was already toote for him.

    * * *

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon gripped his sword tighter, and KangWoo grabbed his shoulders.

    "ShiHoon, let me¡ª"

    "No," he answered in a low voice, suppressing his sadness.

    "I''ll do it. This¡­ is something I must do."

    He was looking at a fallen saint.

    It was a side of Ludwig he hadn¡¯t seen before¡ªa side of him that had lost his mind to anger.

    He saw the pendant he''d given him on his neck.

    Kim ShiHoon closed his eyes and felt like he was tearing up.

    ''I must do it.''

    Even if it was painful, no¡­ he had to do it because it was painful.

    He couldn''t let another person do it.

    ''Ludwig¡­''

    He didn''t know which demon had caused him to fall, but it wasn''t hard to imagine.

    From what he knew, there weren''t many demons capable of making someone like Ludwig fall.

    ''Focus.''

    He eliminated the useless thought and cast aside his emotions, focusing only on what he had to do,

    His eyes sank deep and became simr to KangWoo''s.

    "Haa¡­"

    He took a deep breath, gripped his sword with both hands, and lowered his body.

    He stomped on the ground and rushed forward.

    "AAGGHH"

    Ludwig was causing a stir while being tainted by madness.

    "Don''t worry, Ludwig," Kim ShiHoon said shortly.

    "YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!!!"

    "I''ll end your pain with my own hands."

    "PLEASE, LISTEN TO ME!!!" Ludwig shouted as if he were about to have a seizure.

    For a moment, a hopeful thought crossed ShiHoon¡¯s mind.

    ¡®Could he maybe free himself from the demon¡¯s influence?¡¯

    ''Don''t think about nonsense.''

    He remembered KangWoo''s words¡­

    It was already toote for him.

    There was probably a reason why KangWoo had said such a thing.

    KangWoo was more impressive and went beyond what he thought, so if he said it, it was probably true.

    "I''m sorry."

    After saying so, he stretched his hands forward, and his sword moved through the air as if it were alive.

    He closed his eyes and focused.

    ''Celestial Dragon 1st Form.''

    A light shed, and the sword pierced Ludwig''s body.

    Red blood scattered on the ground, and the smell of iron stung his nose.

    "Cough!"

    "Ludwig¡­" Kim ShiHoon cried.

    Ludwig''s body copsed, and he caught himself with one arm as he fell to the ground.

    "I''ll remember you."

    "Ah, ugh¡­"

    Ludwig''s eyes teared up.

    <em>ng-</em>

    The holy sword fell to the ground.

    Kim ShiHoon and Ludwig¡­

    The two of them silhouetted by the light was a moving scene.

    KangWoo nced at the holy sword that had fallen to the ground while lowering his head and acting as if he were tearing up.

    <em>Gulp.</em>

    ''I''m sure it will be over Myth-rank.''

    He couldn''t help but feel excited.

    ''What if it increases my unique stat?''

    If Holy Sword Ludwig could increase one''s unique stat, something funny like it increasing his Demonic Energy could happen.

    After all, Han Seol-ah''s skill, ''Graceful Light,'' had increased his Demonic Energy stat, so it wouldn''t be impossible.

    KangWoo carefully walked toward the holy sword and grabbed it.

    <em>Ting-!</em>

    [Holy Sword Ludwig rejects a disgusting soul!!]

    <em>Whir.</em>

    A white light came out, and he couldn''t help but frown.

    How could such a message appear? After all, there weren''t many souls as pure as his.

    ''It seems like the system isn''t trustworthy.''

    <em>Ting-!</em>

    [The disgusting soul is tainting Holy Sword Ludwig with darkness!]

    ''No.''

    [The holy sword is vomiting in disgust!]

    ''What kind of sword vomits?''

    [The divine energy of Holy Sword Ludwig is starting to vanish!]

    ''No, fuck. What¡­?''

    [The holy sword is starting to disintegrate! The high elf''s blessing ''Light That Detects Demons'' function has been ruined!]

    ''Okay. I won''t force things, so stop it, you bastard.''

    KangWoo frowned while holding the sword.

    Holy Sword Ludwig was really vomiting divine energy through the sword''s point.

    He didn''t care that the demonic-energy-finding capability was screwed up, but if things went like that, the Myth-ranked weapon could disappear.

    "ShiHoon¡­"

    "Hyongnim¡­"

    KangWoo put his hands on ShiHoon''s shoulders and handed Holy Sword Ludwig to him.

    The sword stopped vomiting divine energy.

    "Ah¡­"

    "From what I know, the name of this sword is also Ludwig."

    "Yes¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon nodded.

    The first day they met Ludwig, they''d heard its name.

    KangWoo spoke in a firm voice.

    "Take this sword. Only you have the right to wield it."

    "Hyeongnim¡­ I¡­ wasn''t able to save him."

    "Yes, you weren''t able to save him."

    Thanks to that¡­

    "Since you couldn''t save him, take this sword and save even more people with it."

    "KangWoo hyeongnim¡­"

    "Don''t forget his sacrifice."

    He looked at the crying Kim ShiHoon and Ludwig''s corpse.

    Ludwig, the saint who had fallen after being deceived by an evil demon¡­

    His eyes were staring straight ahead in death as if, in his final moments, he found it all unfair.

    He closed Ludwig''s eyes.

    "Ludwig will always be with you."

    "Ugh¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon lowered his head, and tears flowed down his cheeks.

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed the pendant on Ludwig''s neck while holding the holy sword.

    "Yes¡­"

    He put the pendant around his own neck.

    "I won''t forget it."

    He stood again, an intense light burning in his eyes.

    Light Watcher, Ludwig¡­

    Although he''d fallen at a demon¡¯s hand, his strong will and beliefs managed to reach Kim ShiHoon.

 Chapter 225: Abyss Knight (1)

    ''Can he use that?''

    He took a glimpse at Kim ShiHoon, who held the holy sword and had a sad expression on his face.

    In reality, you couldn''t say that Kim ShiHoon''s soul was pure.

    Just taking into consideration what kind of person he was, you could say that he had a pure soul, but he was a familiar spirit connected to him through the Authority of Subordination.

    His soul was deeply connected to his.

    ''It seems like it isn''t vomiting divine energy anymore.''

    Unlike how it vomited divine energy as if it were having a seizure before, it looked quitefortable.

    Rather than epting Kim ShiHoon as its owner, it was as if it were saying, ''Yes, I can at least resist this much.''

    ''Damn it.''

    He thought he''d be able to get a Myth-ranked weapon, but he never imagined that weapon would be a sword with an ego.

    ''Well, the result still isn''t bad.''

    After the fight with Mamon, the sword Kim ShiHoon had been using was a Unique-ranked one.

    ''To be honest, it wasn''t a weapon that matched Kim ShiHoon.''

    To a real swordsman, the rank of the sword didn¡¯t matter¡ªsuch phrases were nonsense.

    The higher your strength became, the higher the rank of weapon you needed to channel such strength.

    ''Tsk, that''s too bad, but I guess there''s nothing I can do about it.''

    KangWoo clicked his tongue and turned his head around.

    After all, he already had the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea¡ªa Transcendent-rank weapon.

    He didn''t need to desperately hang on to the holy sword.

    ''When is this going to finish digesting?''

    KangWoo took a glimpse at the ring that wasn''t reacting.

    It wasn''t that he desperately needed a weapon, but not being able to use something he normally could was ufortable.

    "ShiHoon, let''s go back."

    "Yes, Hyeongnim¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon nodded, a heavy expression on his face.

    KangWoo turned and began walking.

    ''Angels, huh¡­?''

    He narrowed his eyes.

    In reality, he had no intention of fighting against angels.

    For example, if Ludwig didn''t have the power to find the Sea of Demonic Energy, he wouldn''t have done anything to him.

    ''There''s no reason to fight.''

    As long as they didn''t notice him, he had no reason to make the angels his enemies.

    That''s what he thought.

    "Hngh.

    ''They''re probably going to keeping.''

    Ludwig had died, and not even KangWoo knew which demon had made him fall, but there was something he was sure about¡­

    ''I cannot stop here.''

    The goal of the angels was to eliminate demons from the Hell of Nine Skies from all dimensions.

    Even if it was something that happened in another world, there was no way they wouldn''t react to the death of a Light Watcher.

    ''Also, there''s no way Ludwig''s worth to Raphael is low.''

    Although it was another world, he was the one that was sent to help Earth''s gods.

    No organization sent a low-ranking being as a representative.

    That meant that, even for the Heavens, Ludwig was someone quite important.

    ''Then¡­''

    He kept thinking.

    The more important Ludwig was to Raphael, the easier things became.

    ''Of course, that''s as long as the Heavens don''t have another object with the same capability as Holy Sword Ludwig¡­''

    He''d learned that there were objects that could find the location of the Sea of Demonic Energy, which was a huge problem for KangWoo.

    ''The chances aren''t high¡­''

    No, he was sure the probability was close to zero.

    He remembered Ludwig''sst moments and how desperate he was to tell Raphael the truth.

    ''If there were other items besides Holy Sword Ludwig¡­''

    Ludwig wouldn''t have been so desperate.

    If Raphael could find the location of the Sea of Demonic Energy, he wouldn''t have tried so desperately. If that was the case, he would learn the truth even if he didn''t try that hard.

    He had to be careful about unexpected variables, but at that point, it would be okay to think there was no other item capable of locating the Sea of Demonic Energy.

    ''This¡­''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    A storyline started to be drawn in his head.

    The Heavens¡¯ forces that were formally going to start intervening on Earth and the Demon of Prophecy, Satan¡­

    If he could direct both factions, it wasn''t aplicated n.

    ''Good.''

    A smile appeared on his face.

    Having a reliable ally was always good news.

    "Mr. ShiHoon¡­"

    Gaia seemed to be upset at how ShiHoon was crying.

    She turned her wheelchair to the source of the sound, probably to console Kim ShiHoon.

    "Ms. Gaia¡­"

    KangWoo held Gaia''s shoulders.

    "Right now, it''s better to leave Kim ShiHoon alone."

    "Ah¡­ but¡­"

    "It''s okay. He isn''t the type of person to copse from such matters."

    "¡­"

    She trembled.

    She was shocked that the Heavens she''d ced so much trust in would copse so easily.

    "Who would do something like this¡­?"

    "There''s only one being I can think of¡­"

    "¡­"

    Gaia closed her mouth.

    An immense darkness came to her mind.

    She felt she could see a red mask appearing in the middle of an endless darkness with a bottomless abyss.

    "How many more cruel things does he have to do before he''s satisfied¡­.?" she said in a sad voice.

    KangWoo put a bit more strength into his hands that were over her shoulders.

    He lowered his head and spoke in a trembling voice that made it sound like he was trying to hold back his anger.

    "I won''t forget what happened today."

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    "I''m going to make him pay for it."

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan¡­

    There was no need to think deeply about who had made Ludwig fall.

    The culprit of everything was the demon among demons¡ªthe definitive evil that would make the world crumble.

    Satan had spread so many seeds of despair that counting them all was difficult.

    "You''ll be able to do it¡­"

    Gaia nodded while holding back her tears.

    KangWoo made a faint smile while taking his hands off her shoulders.

    * * *

    [Hehere. Such an impressive ingredient¡­ As expected from Master.]

    It had been a week since Ludwig died after falling victim to Satan.

    Balzac smiled while looking at the corpse that KangWoo had brought him.

    KangWoo sat on a chair inside the researchb while making a tired expression.

    He had built a researchb for Balzac inside Balrog¡¯s residence. It resembled ab belonging to a ck magician or a mad scientist.

    "It was pretty hard to bring it here."

    KangWoo sighed.

    Switching Ludwig''s corpse for a fake one had been harder than initially thought.

    Just as KangWoo expected, Heavens¡¯ forces arrived on Earth after Ludwig''s death.

    It wasn''t that Raphael or other angels had arrived on Earth, but quite a lot of Light Watchers hade to Earth to find out the truth about Ludwig''s death.

    Unlike Ludwig, they acted on their own; they didn''t try to coborate with Guardian.

    ''That''s understandable.''

    From their point of view, Guardians were also suspicious.

    They couldn''t easily trust them, even if they weren''t the culprits.

    After all, Guardian wasn¡¯t able to do anything before Ludwig fell for a demon¡¯s trap.

    Not only that, but in the end, it was Kim ShiHoon who killed Ludwig.

    Even if there was footage of the fallen Ludwig, the diplomat they''d sent had died, so it was understandable they wouldn''t be able to trust people from that world.

    ''I''ll have to solve this.''

    It wasn''t good for Guardian and the Heavens to suspect each other.

    They weren''t enemies, and they had to get together and fight against a strong enemy called ¡®Satan¡¯.

    Swapping the corpse with a fake one was tiresome for KangWoo.

    "So¡­ how is it?" KangWoo asked whileying on the chair.

    He''d gone through a lot to get Ludwig''s corpse.

    Balzac had told him about the abyss knights that were above death knights, so he had feltpelled to.

    [Woah. Aah, good. It''s really¡­ impressive.]

    He softly touched Ludwig''s corpse.

    "Is it that impressive?" KangWoo asked in a bit of a drunken voice.

    [Yes. This¡­ Something beyond our imaginations might happen as a result of this.]

    ¡®Woah.¡¯

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    Ludwig¡­

    Just taking into consideration his fight against Balrog, it was clear he was someone strong.

    Even if he was the apostle of an archangel, being able to face Balrog was something worthy of respect.

    ''Is it really that impressive?''

    He couldn''t help but be suspicious.

    From KangWoo''s point of view, the extraordinary thing wasn''t Ludwig himself but his holy sword.

    He believed Ludwig had been able to fight on such a level due to his equipment, not his skills.

    [No. His body isn¡¯t the impressive bit.]

    "Hmm? Then¡­?"

    [I can feel a huge resentmenting from this soul. I can''t even imagine what kind of unfair death he encountered.]

    "¡­"

    KangWoo went silent after hearing Balzac''s words and nodded while making a heavy expression.

    ''It''s understandable.''

    Ludwig''s beliefs were real.

    He was someone who, even while being controlled by a demon, had warned Guardian and asked them to run.

    The one who''d managed to make such a saint fall was Satan, so it was hard to imagine what kind of horrible things he had to go through.

    ''I cannot stand still and do nothing about it.''

    How much would he suffer because of Satan?

    KangWoo clenched his fists.

    ''It''s time to seek revenge.''

    A firm determination was imprinted in his mind.

    * * *

    There was a huge cavity in the middle of the transparent ice; in the center of it, a ck sphere of about 30 meters in diameter floated.

    Part of the ck sphere fell off, and a woman with bandages all over her body walked toward it and kneeled.

    "Mr. Satan¡­"

    [What¡­?]

    The ck sphere moved.

    Satan moaned as if he were trying to hold back the pain.

    ck blood poured from the ce that seemed to have been cut with a knife.

    "Raphael''s apostles are starting toe to Earth."

    [Rahpael¡­?] Satan asked in disbelief.

    [Is it to chase Lucifer?]

    "No. I''m not exactly sure¡­ but it seems like a demon killed Raphael''s apostle."

    [Ha¡­] Satanughed in a mocking voice.

    Raphael¡­

    He was one of the four archangels of the Heavens.

    Satan was very aware of them.

    [What kind of stupid demon provoked Raphael?]

    Satanughed in disbelief.

 Chapter 226: Everyone Does That, Right? (1)

    "Can you create an abyss knight immediately?"

    [Hmm¡­ There''s a bit of a problem.]

    Balzac opened his mouth after looking at Ludwig''s corpse.

    KangWoo frowned.

    "What problem?"

    [There''s too much divine energy left inside his body. We''ll have to wait until the divine energy naturally disappears. I cannot proceed like this.]

    Balzac made a troubled expression.

    "Hmm."

    KangWoo fell into thought and walked toward Ludwig¡¯s body.

    "divine energy, huh?"

    Humans, monsters, and even gods like Tyrion that had divinity used the energy of nature called magic power.

    demonic energy was an energy that had destructive characteristics, and it originated from the Hell of Nine Skies.

    Then there was divine energy, which was theplete opposite of it.

    Of course, the three energies were the same in the sense that they could be channeled into power to break and destroy things¡ªit wasn''t that you would heal someone if you swung a weapon with divine energy.

    Although their properties were different, they were all, fundamentally, energies.

    ''I wonder what will happen.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone with great interest.

    In the case of magic power, he had the attribute ''Mana-craving Demon'' that transformed it into demonic energy, but he''d never absorbed divine energy before.

    ''I wonder if I can transform divine energy into demonic energy.''

    It would be good news knowing that he could absorb divine energy from strong people like Ludwig.

    [First, we should wait until it naturally disappears from his body¡­]

    "No."

    KangWoo spread his hands over Ludwig¡¯s body, and blue smoke poured over the corpse from his hands.

    ''Authority of Predation.''

    Sharp teeth floated within the dark-blue fog.

    Rather than a beast¡¯s teeth, they looked like toothy suction cups.

    He modified them so they would absorb Ludwig''s divine energy and leave Ludwig''s body intact.

    <em>Slurp-</em>

    The small teeth bit Ludwig''s body and began absorbing the divine energy within.

    <em>Whir.</em> White light poured out of Ludwig''s body and entered KangWoo''s body.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Ugh."

    KangWoo frowned.

    He felt his skin wrinkling where divine energy entered, and his body felt like it was burning from within.

    ''Is the demonic energy reacting?''

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    If they were opposite energies, he couldn''t forcefully absorb them.

    He tried to stop absorbing divine energy.

    Then¡­

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your divine energy has increased by 1.]

    "What?"

    He suddenly got an unexpected message and was surprised.

    "A stat increase?"

    Heughed in disbelief.

    ''No, well, I absorbed divine energy, so I guess it makes sense for divine energy to increase.''

    Still, he was the Demon King, so he felt weird having divine energy.

    ''Should I call this falling? What should I call it?''

    If an angel obtained demonic energy, people said they''d fallen, but what would they call the opposite case?

    ''Well, anyways¡­''

    What he called it wasn¡¯t that important.

    KangWoo fell into thought while looking at the stat that had suddenly appeared.

    ''Should I try to stack more of this or not?''

    Was it going to be poison, or would it benefit him?

    He wasn¡¯t sure.

    Although it was true that they were opposite energies, it wasn''t that they intensely reacted against each other.

    It wasn''t hard to restrict the demonic energy and simultaneously absorb divine energy.

    ''First, I should see what happens when I absorb it.''

    He needed to see how both energies reacted after being absorbed.

    If it hindered him from moving the demonic energy within his body, there was no need to have it.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your Divine Energy stat has increased by 1.]

    [Your Divine Energy stat has increased by 1.]

    He kept absorbing Ludwig''s divine energy.

    Was it because his stat was high? He could see his divine energy stat increasing very fast.

    He closed his eyes and moved his demonic energy.

    He saw a trace of light flowing into the endless abyss.

    It was as if he''d found a species that had the ability to produce its own light in the middle of a bottomless abyss.

    He felt it was fascinating and beautiful.

    ''Is this divine energy?''

    He raised his hand, and a small but white light gathered.

    He felt his heart floating with a gentle sensation.

    Holy energy¡ªa non-precise way of describing it was the best way to express it.

    ''I feel like I''ll look impressive if I surround myself with it.''

    * * *

    If he covered his body with demonic energy, he gave the impression of being destructive and aggressive, so divine energy would have the opposite effect¡ªhe would exude a warm and trustworthy atmosphere.

    ''This should be useful.''

    It was only close to an optical illusion.

    It had nothing to do with a person¡¯s real characteristics or qualities, and it was more akin to wearing different clothes.

    Still, in human rtionships, how you looked and the clothes that you wore were quite important.

    Swindlers always looked neat for a reason, after all.

    Who would invest in the new coin you were promoting if you wore old and rusty clothes?

    ''Of course, I''m not a swindler.''

    He was very far away from the act of deceiving others, but leaving that aside, he couldn''t help but think that divine energy would be helpful to him.

    Thinking about how he had to build a positive rtionship with angels from then on, divine energy was something that was absolutely necessary.

    ''I cannot rely only on the ¡®Ruler of Demonic Energy¡¯ attribute.''

    ¡®Ruler of Demonic Energy¡¯ made that demonic energy feel like magic power, and he couldn''t cause an effect simr to divine energy with it.

    Since he had confirmed that they could detect demonic energy with the power of something like Holy Sword Ludwig, having divine energy would probably be useful.

    ''There''s a chance I could interfere with demonic energy detection with divine energy.''

    The chances of that being possible weren''t high.

    There was no way he''d be able to hide his demonic energy with only Ludwig¡¯s divine energy.

    After all, pouring a bucket of freshwater into the ocean didn¡¯t mean you could call it a river.

    If he used it with the ¡®Ruler of Demonic Energy¡¯, it seemed like some results could be achieved.

    ''It also seems like it won''t hinder my control of demonic energy.''

    That was the most important thing.

    If he consciously regted his demonic energy, he could avoid it shing with divine energy.

    It was the same as when he used the Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style while walking.

    [D-did you just absorb divine energy?] Balzac asked in confusion as if he''d just witnessed something unbelievable.

    "Ah, yes."

    He nodded.

    He couldn''t understand why Balzac was so surprised.

    ''If you can control demonic energy, it isn''t hard to have both energies simultaneously.''

    He thought that even Balzac should be able to do it.

    [Just what¡­ There''s no way such a thing¡­]

    Balzac put his hands on top of his skull in confusion.

    KangWoo tilted his head and ced his hands on top of Ludwig''s corpse again.

    "Then, I''ll take all of his divine energy for the moment."

    [W¡­]

    Before Balzac could finish talking, the Authority of Predation surrounded Ludwig''s body.

    Thin and long teeth pierced the corpse.

    "Haa."

    A heated breath left his mouth.

    He was epting divine energy while regting his demonic energy, and it was a difficult task that stimted his brain.

    ''This is quite fun.''

    It felt like ying a well-thought-out puzzle game.

    KangWoo epted divine energy while smiling.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your Divine Energy stat has increased by 1.]

    [Your Divine Energy stat has reached 73!]

    ''73, huh?''

    Although it looked like a lot at first nce, that wasn''t the case in reality.

    ''Did most of it vanish in the process of absorbing it?''

    Ludwig''s stat had probably easily surpassed the 100 mark.

    Considering that each point made a bigger difference the higher the stat was, 73 wasn¡¯t high.

    ''Well, I guess there''s nothing I can do about it.''

    The Authority of Predation couldn''t even fully absorb demonic energy with 100% efficiency, so there was no chance it would be able to perfectly absorb divine energy, which was something it hadn¡¯t done before.

    ''Should I test it a bit?''

    He began wondering what would happen if he used both energies simultaneously.

    KangWoo raised his left arm, concentrated, and used both energies.

    <em>WHOOM-!!!!</em>

    Theb shook.

    The two energies began pouring out in all directions as if a chemical reaction was happening.

    "Ugh," he moaned.

    The skin of his left arm split and ck blood poured out.

    Then for a moment¡­

    ''Gray?''

    He saw a gray energy he''d never seen before gathering around his left arm.

    Before he could think about that gray energy, he felt an intense pain spread through his left arm.

    "Oh, fuck."

    It hurt a lot.

    It was even hard to resist for KangWoo, who was used to pain.

    He restricted his demonic energy and stopped it from shing with the divine energy.

    ''Is it hard to mix both energies?''

    He was curious about the gray energy he''d just seen, but he couldn''t carelessly try to mix them.

    ''It hurts too much.''

    The pain was almost unbearable.

    [Ha¡­ What was that¡­ D-did you really absorb all of Ludwig''s divine energy?] Balzac opened his mouth and asked in disbelief.

    "Yes. It wasn''t that hard."

    [What are you talking about? Divine energy and demonic energy are opposing energies. Unless you can control all of the demonic energy in your body, there''s no way you could stop them from¡­]

    Balzac''s words were cut short.

    His body began trembling.

    [Don''t tell me, Master¡­ Do you always regte your demonic energy?]

    "Huh? Isn''t that obvious? Everyone does that, right?" he asked in confusion.

    Demonic energy was destructive, after all.

    The energy inside the Ten Thousand Demon Core was too huge, so he couldn''t control it perfectly, but he was always controlling and restricting the demonic energy he was capable of using at the moment.

    If he didn''t do that, everything would end up being consumed by the Ten Thousand Demon Core, and¡­

    He would die.

    [¡­]

    Balzac remained silent.

    Regting all your demonic energy? What kind of nonsense was that?

    ''How could something like¡­''

    It was equivalent to controlling all of the blood that flowed inside your body.

    ''What the¡­?''

    Balzac shuddered.

    He looked at his master, KangWoo, who was looking at him while tilting his head in confusion.

    ''What''s up with this monster?''

    He was an iprehensible existence.

    A deep fear was imprinted in Balzac''s bones like a stigma.

 Chapter 227: Love Advice (1)

    "Let''s see¡­"

    KangWoo picked up the documents he''d received from Kim ShiHoon.

    The documents mentioned the recent movements of Guardian and countries worldwide; they also talked about the work required to regain control of monster and cult-infested areas.

    "China and Japan have almost fully recovered."

    There were SS-rank gates in Shanghai, China, and Sapporo, Japan; that''s why no one lived around those areas.

    As the size of Guardian increased, the process became faster.

    After the Cataclysmic Day, half of the poption of Earth had disappeared, so in reality, there was no need to explore and reim those territories.

    ''The problem is the average level.''

    After the size of Guardian increased, lots of people joined them, so it was necessary to push them into dangerous areas to help them grow.

    If humanity couldn''t handle fighting against monsters, there was no way they''d be able to beat demons.

    "Next."

    He turned the pages to the next document and read the information he was actually interested in at that moment.

    It was information on the movements of Raphael''s apostles, the Light Watchers.

    "Not yet¡­?"

    They were moving on their own without coborating with Guardian. The Light Watchers were still trying to find the culprit behind Ludwig''s death, but they hadn''t shown any movement yet.

    ''I was hoping they¡¯d move more actively.''

    He needed the Light Watchers¡¯ help to keep Satan¡¯s forces in check, but they weren''t moving at all. He wasn''t sure if they were waiting for someone or were investigating using other routes.

    ''Are they waiting for an angel?''

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    They probably thought they wouldn''t be enough to face Satan, the one who''d made Ludwig, the owner of the holy sword, fall.

    ''If they are here to investigate¡­''

    That meant that, soon, the main army that consisted of angels would arrive on Earth.

    There was a chance that Raphael, one of the four archangels, woulde to Earth as well.

    "Well, should I wait until angelse to Earth¡­?"

    The angels were important allies¡ªthey had to fight alongside the Guardians against Satan, the Demon of Prophecy.

    Fighting against Satan when they weren''t there yet would be dumb.

    ''Even if I can beat them¡­''

    It was a matter of cost and benefit.

    He didn''t have a reason to face Satan alone.

    ''Not only that¡­''

    Satan had Divinity.

    He wasn''t sure where he''d obtained it, but he needed to be prepared for unexpected variables.

    <em>Knock, knock-</em>

    He heard someone knock on the door.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    ''Darling!!''

    KangWoo coughed and then opened the door.

    He saw Han Seol-ah with a cup of coffee.

    "Mr. KangWoo, are you busy?"

    "No. I finished most of the urgent things."

    Except for looking at documents, he didn''t have anything to do until angels arrived on Earth.

    A smile appeared on Han Seol-ah''s face after hearing that.

    "Then¡­"

    "Should we go out to walk?"

    "Ah¡­ Y-yes!"

    Han Seol-ah nodded.

    It was an awkward but fresh atmosphere.

    It was the first time KangWoo felt such emotions since he was born.

    ''I''m d I returned.''

    If he were still in Hell, he wouldn''t have been able to feel such emotions.

    "Where do you want to go? Using the Hall of Protection, we could go to most countries¡­"

    "No. I just want to walk around a park that''s nearby."

    "A park? But we could go anywhere¡­"

    Physical distance and money didn¡¯t pose any problems.

    KangWoo was among the wealthiest people in the world, after all.

    It didn''t matter if it were a luxury hotel or a 3-star restaurant¡ªthey could go anywhere.

    "Fufu, it''s okay. Let''s leave that for next time."

    Han Seol-ah grabbed KangWoo''s hands while smiling brightly and pulled him a bit.

    They opened the door and walked out, and cool air brushed past his cheeks.

    They walked through the park and discussed all sorts of things.

    It wasn''t that they were talking about anything important¡ªthey just talked about Echidna, a TV program they''d enjoyed recently, and where they wanted to visit.

    Usually, he only talked about important things with Balrog and Lilith, so it felt refreshing.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    ''This¡­''

    He began thinking that he had perhaps been able to endure so many years in Hell for that moment.

    "Should we take a seat?"

    "Ah, yes."

    They found a bench to sit on, and he looked around.

    The night park was full of families, couples, and students.

    ''Authority of Fear.''

    KangWoo used the Authority of Fear for a very brief moment.

    The faces of the people around the park paled, and they ended up walking away from the park.

    A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

    "Everyone suddenly went away¡­"

    "You''re right," KangWoo said while shrugging.

    Han Seol-ah sighed as if she had realized who the culprit was.

    They sat together on the bench in a moment of silence.

    "Now that I think about it. KangWoo, is there any ce you want to visit?"

    "Hmm, I''m not sure since I don''t know much¡­"

    You needed to have done things before to know what you wanted to choose as entertainment.

    Before returning to Earth, the only forms of entertainment he could think of doing were eating, reading free novels, and reading manhwa. He never thought, ¡®Oh, I want to visit that ce¡¯.

    "You''re the same as me."

    Han Seol-ah lightlyughed.

    * * *

    She''d also had some harsh high-school days, so she wasn''t used to doing things for entertainment¡¯s sake.

    "I previously wanted to go to Disnend with you, KangWoo¡­"

    "¡­"

    She narrowed her eyes and pinched KangWoo''s sides.

    KangWoo remained silent after remembering what had happened in Japan.

    He couldn''t find any excuses.

    "You will go with meter on, right?"

    "Of course¡­"

    "Hehe."

    Han Seol-ah spread her hands and smiled.

    She carefully hugged KangWoo''s arms.

    He felt a soft sensation spreading through his arms.

    ''Oh, my god¡­''

    KangWoo''s widened and shook.

    Han Seol-ah ced her head on his shoulders.

    "Let''s stay like this for a bit."

    ''We could stay like this forever.''

    KangWoo gulped.

    He felt such sweet sensations, and it was a bit awkward.

    ''Fuck, how do I deal with this situation if I don''t know anything?''

    All he¡¯d done for the past ten thousand years was fight.

    Even after returning to Earth, that lifestyle continued.

    He''d never experienced something like that.

    ''What should I do?''

    His thoughts felt fuzzy.

    ''Should I set a wedding date?''

    It seemed like there was no other choice but that.

    ''Damn it. I didn''t buy a ring yet.''

    He felt anxious and couldn''t help but me hisck of preparation.

    ''Where should we go for our honeymoon? Hawaii? What about educating our children? Should we send them to private school?''

    "Mr. KangWoo?"

    "No. Private isn''t good. It would be better to send them to a normal school for primary school."

    "Yes¡­?"

    "Was it called social media¡­? I heard that you''d get bullied if you don''t do that. I wonder when I should buy a smartphone for them."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "When should I pay a deposit for a house?"

    "Excuse me? Mr. KangWoo?"

    Han Seol-ah waved her hand at KangWoo, who''d fallen into thought, but her words didn''t reach him.

    * * *

    ''Why is he acting like this¡­?''

    Han Seol-ah looked at KangWoo in confusion.

    He talked about old age and educating children while making a scary expression.

    "Hmm."

    Han Seol-ah looked at him with a troubled expression but held him tighter.

    A warm sensation spread through her chest.

    "Hehehe."

    She smiled.

    After her confession seededst time, she''d been having dream-like days.

    ''Although it''s too bad that we don''t have much time to spend together¡­''

    Still, being connected with the person you liked felt good.

    She looked at her own hands.

    ''I need to work harder.''

    She didn''t want to stay by his side while being one-sidedly protected.

    After all, the world''s destiny rested on KangWoo''s shoulders.

    ''At least a bit¡­''

    She wanted to lighten that heavy burden.

    Afterying her head on KangWoo''s shoulders for a bit, Han Seol-ah let his arm go.

    She really wanted to stay like that for a bit longer, but it was time for her to return.

    After all, she had a skill she was training.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­"

    KangWoo was still mumbling about things while making a confused expression.

    Han Seol-ah pouted and clenched her fist.

    ''In situations like this¡­''

    She¡¯d recently learned that she had to be a bit more active in situations like that.

    Han Seol-ah looked around and took a deep breath.

    She looked around and kissed him on his cheeks.

    "D-did you return to your senses?"

    "¡­"

    She blushed, and Han Seol-ah avoided looking at him.

    "Let''s go back."

    KangWoo nodded.

    The two walked across the park and reached the entrance of the building.

    "Go first."

    "Why? Is there anywhere you want to go?"

    "No, it''s just that I wanted to take in a bit more fresh air." Han Seol-ah said while fanning her reddened face.

    KangWoo thought about it for a while but ended up entering the apartment first.

    "Haa."

    Han Seol-ah sighed while putting her hands on her bright-red cheeks.

    She felt the sensation on her lips.

    <em>Tap, tap-</em>

    She heard footsteps and turned her head toward the source of the sound.

    "I''m d¡­" the woman said, a smile on her face.

    It was Kurosaki Yurie, no. Lilith, who was inside her body.

    "Ah¡­"

    Han Seol-ah let out an exmation.

    Lilith¡­

    She knew about her and KangWoo''s rtionship.

    Her feelings became heavy.

    "Congrattions. You''ve obtained the Demon King''s¡­ feelings."

    "¡­"

    "Fufu. It makes me want to learn your secret."

    She felt the emotions hiding behind Lilith''s smile.

    Han Seol-ah hesitated.

    In reality, she had nothing to say to Lilith.

    It was a simple matter¡ªshe''d seeded, and Lilith had failed.

    That was it.

    ''But¡­''

    Lilith had spent a thousand years next to KangWoo, so she couldn''t ignore her feelings.

    After thinking about it for a while, Han Seol-ah opened her mouth.

    "I¡­ I think you should be a bit more active."

    "Yes?"

    "That¡¯s what I did."

    She had taken the first step¡­

    Just with that, she was able to check KangWoo''s emotions.

    ''Ms. Lilith''s attitude was probably too passive.''

    ¡ªJust like how she used to be.

    If not, there''s no way KangWoo would have ignored the feelings of such a beautiful woman.

    "A bit more active¡­?"

    "Yes. I think that you should show him your sincere and honest feelings."

    "Oh."

    Lilith''s eyes shone.

    Han Seol-ah grabbed her hand¡ªthey were really beautiful hands.

    "To be honest, I''m still not sure if this is right, or wrong¡­ but Ms. Lilith, do you remember what you told me before? Mr. KangWoo wants to heal his wounds. I¡­ I don''t think I can do that alone¡­"

    ¡®Because I don''t know Mr. KangWoo''s past.¡¯

    Han Seol-ah struggled but said those words.

    She''d asked KangWoo numerous times, but he''d always avoided talking about it on purpose.

    "Ms. Seol-ah¡­"

    "I wish¡­ for Ms. Lilith to also be able to convey her feelings."

    Han Seol-ah smiled brightly.

    "Be a bit more active and honest. If you do so, I''m sure Mr. KangWoo will recognize you. Ah, that''s right. You said you could return to your previous form, right? I''m sure he''d like that even more."

    "Ah¡­"

    "I''m also going to root for you."

    Lilith''s body trembled a bit, and she hugged Han Seol-ah.

    "Thank you. A bit more active¡­ I see. You''re right. I feel like I''ve been too passive up until now."

    A smile appeared on Lilith''s face.

    Her long, ck hair rose into the sky.

    "Just like Ms. Seol-ah, I''m going to summon my courage and take a step forward."

    Her floating hair slowly transformed into green tentacles.

 Chapter 228: Error (1)

    "Ha, ha, ha."

    Heavy breathing was heard, and his clothes were soaked in a cold sweat.

    A ck figure shot forward at an incredible speed.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    He aggressively opened the door of the building and saw an abnormally tall ceiling.

    [Demon King?]

    Balrog, who was training alone in the big space, tilted his head.

    "Please, let me hide here for a bit."

    [Did something happen?]

    "Somehow¡­ I feel uneasy."

    KangWoo kept talking with a hardened expression on his face.

    After he returned from hanging out with Seol-ah, he looked over the documents he''d received from Kim ShiHoon once more; then, right when he was getting ready to sleep¡­

    He heard a viscous liquid dripping along with something moving through the wall, so he quickly got up.

    ''I know this sound¡­''

    He felt a familiar uneasiness.

    A premonition-like sense was telling him to escape.

    KangWoo left his house without hesitation and went to where Balrog was staying.

    [Hahaha! You used to do this also in Hell.]

    Balrog walked toward him, smiling.

    ''Don''tugh. That''s even scarier.''

    Balrog ced his hand on KangWoo''s back.

    [If you wanted to see me, you could have just said so¡­ If it''s the King''s order, I, Balrog, will go anywhere.]

    ''What nonsense are you saying?''

    His mouth fell open in disbelief.

    Balrog cleaned the sweat off with a towel the size of a nket as if he were satisfied that KangWoo was there to see him.

    "Ha."

    KangWoo wanted to say something, but he just sighed as if he were too tired to say anything.

    He turned his head and looked around.

    ''It feels like I''m inside Gulliver''s Travels.''

    All of the equipment inside was specifically built for Balrog, who was five meters tall.

    Since all of the furniture in the room was meant for Balrog¡¯s size, he felt like a small person who''d gone to a country full of giants.

    He jumped off the ground andnded on top of a giant sofa.

    "Is there anything you find ufortable?" he asked him in passing.

    Balrog smiled.

    [There''s nothing.]

    "Still, isn''t living alone ufortable¡­?"

    Balrog had countless underlings beneath him in Hell, but they were on Earth.

    ¡ªHe had no underlings or a worthy partner.

    Just because he was a demon didn''t mean he had no emotions or that he couldn¡¯t feel loneliness.

    <em>-Hop.</em>

    Balrog sat on the sofa. The sofa swayed, and for a brief moment, KangWoo''s body floated in the air.

    He opened his mouth.

    [It''s okay. After all, the Demon King is here.]

    "¡­"

    [I was more lonely in Hell after you left, Demon King.]

    "Why¡­?"

    He couldn''t understand it.

    If he had disappeared, since Balrog was second inmand, he would have been the one in charge of the demon king''s army.

    ''Balrog probably became the demon king.''

    Since they''d killed all the archdukes, except for the ancient demonic monsters, there probably wasn''t anyone capable of putting his position as demon king at risk.

    He had obtained the power to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies, so KangWoo couldn''t understand why he''d struggled in Hell.

    [It¡¯s because you weren''t there, Demon King.]

    ''You''re going to give me goosebumps.''

    He felt chills at Balrog¡¯s calm reply.

    KangWoo increased the distance between them in disgust.

    Balrog pped as if he''d remembered something.

    [Oh, yeah. Demon King, how about you try this?]

    He walked toward the giant refrigerator and opened it before taking a giant silver container out of it.

    "Draft beer¡­?"

    It was a giant draft beer container they often used in shops.

    Balrog nodded and brought out two of the giant containers.

    [Didn''t we enjoy a feast with humans where we burned the corpse of a beast and enjoyed eating it?]

    "Don''t tell me¡­ Are you talking about the barbeque we had at the pic?"

    [Oh, so that act of cruelty is called a ¡®barbeque¡¯. To think that they''dugh while eating the corpse of prey they hunted¡­ Humans really are something.]

    "No, I mean¡­ If you put it like that, you''re right, but¡­"

    [Anyway, I tasted beer for the first time back then. The sensation of it hitting the upper part of my mouth¡­ It was a surprising taste I hadn''t been able to experience in Hell.]

    "You have a sense of taste?" KangWoo asked back in surprise.

    A demon''s taste buds were almost non-existent because, after all, they didn''t need to eat or drink, so there was no way they would have taste buds.

    To them, eating the corpse of another demon was like a victory ceremony.

    [Hahaha. After I got used to it, it wasn''t bad, but I still can¡¯t understand the vor of the kimchi stew the Demon King enjoys so much.]

    "How dare you insult kimchi stew."

    [Hahaha! I''m sorry.]

    Balrog smiled brightly.

    * * *

    KangWoo smiled as he recalled memories of the past while they were still in the 9th hell.

    He remembered that the conversations he had with Balrog while engaging in war against the Archdukes were entertaining.

    <em>Crack- Pshh!!!</em>

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    Balrog tore the top off the draft beer container, and the beer overflowed from it.

    Balrog picked up the other huge draft beer container and gave it to KangWoo.

    [From what I''ve seen, humans did it like this. Ehem, ch¡­]

    "Leaving the cheers aside, what are you going to do about the floor?"

    [Ah, that''s okay. Balzac will clean it upter.]

    "You¡¯re just going to leave everything to him¡­?"

    [Hehe. Aren''t I in a higher position than him? Also, I''m not sure who he learned from, but he seemed quite used to doing housework.]

    "It''s probably born talent."

    Balrog burst intoughter.

    KangWoo sighed and bounced his finger.

    The Authority of Ice activated, and a cold beer cup was created that he poured some of the alcohol into before raising it.

    <em>Cheers-</em>

    It was an unexpected toast.

    Although it had nothing to do with the battle that was going to happen, he didn''t feel like he was doing a useless thing.

    He remembered when he''d first met Balrog.

    "Haa! It''s quite refreshing. Are there any snacks?"

    [If you want, I''ll go to a Demon Cult base right now and take a demon¡¯s head¡­]

    "No thanks. Fuck, I just can''t talk with you."

    KangWoo shook his head and took a sip of beer, and the carbonation passed through his throat.

    There was a refreshing sensation, and the uneasiness he was feeling was swept away.

    [This reminds me of the past.]

    "The past?"

    [Yes. When I first met you, Demon King.]

    "¡­"

    KangWoo remained silent after he heard that. Coincidentally, he was thinking the same thing.

    - I''m Balrog.

    He remembered their first dialogue.

    - I see the rumors that a human had been able to climb up to the 9th hell were true.

    He raised his head and saw him drinking from the beer can.

    - I came here because there''s something I wanted to ask.

    His body was covered with wounds, and his eyes were dark, like the eyes of a dead fish rather than the eyes of a demon.

    - Kill¡­ Me¡­

    "¡­"

    The memory was cut short.

    KangWoo swallowed the beer, his mouth closed.

    A bitter taste spread through his mouth.

    [I still remember your reply, Demon King.]

    "Really? It''s been so long that I can''t remember it."

    [You said, ''Don''t act as if you know what I¡¯ve been through. Back the fuck off.'']

    "Come on. There''s no way I said something like that."

    [In reality, there were more insults. At the time, I didn''t know how to speak Korean, and I could only use demonnguage.]

    "¡­"

    There was silence.

    KangWoo coughed and avoided looking at him.

    ''How weird. There''s no way I said something like that.''

    They said it was easy for past memories to be misremembered.

    KangWoo shook his head and served more beer.

    <em>ng-</em>

    He once again clinked sses with Balrog.

    ''This isn''t bad.''

    Drinking while talking about the past¡­

    He never imagined he''d do it with Balrog, but it didn''t feel bad.

    ''One day, when everything''s over¡­''

    Those kinds of days would be normal.

    He continued drinking his beer.

    * * *

    [Deemon Kiinngg~~]

    "Ugh."

    [Sniff. Demon King, do you know how lonely I was without you?]

    "How is it possible that a demon got drunk?"

    [Drunk? Hahaha! There''s no way I, Balrog, would be drunk from alcohol like this!]

    "You bastard, you''re drunk right now!"

    [Come on, there''s no way. See? I can even walk straight!]

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    Balrog stepped on a table and crushed it; then he hugged KangWoo with his muscr arm.

    Perhaps it was because he was training before KangWoo visited, but an immense smell hit him.

    "Ugh."

    He couldn''t breathe.

    <em>Click-</em>

    "Balrog, have you seen KangWoo? I asked Ms. Seol-ah, but she said he suddenly went out¡­"

    The door opened, and Kim ShiHoon entered.

    Kim ShiHoon''s expression hardened after he saw Balrog hugging KangWoo.

    "ShiHoon, help me¡­"

    KangWoo extended his hands, and Kim ShiHoon trembled.

    "Balrog¡­ you¡­"

    Chilling killing intent rose up.

    ''ShiHoon, help me¡­''

    KangWoo looked at ShiHoon with hopeful eyes while he was being restrained by Balrog.

    "How could you do something so n¡­ I mean, rude¡­"

    ''ShiHoon?''

    "Balrog, pick up your weapon."

    ''What nonsense is this?''

    "I challenge you to a duel."

    ''Excuse me?''

    [Hahaha! Good for me!]

    ''What''s good?''

    <em>BOOM.</em> Balrog got up.

    [Let''s see who¡¯s more fit to be the King''s subordinate, human.]

    "That''s exactly what I want."

    ''Stop, you crazy bastards.''

    KangWoo grabbed his head at the unexpected development of events.

    Then¡­

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    He heard a liquid dripping.

    KangWoo''s face turned pale.

    "Fufufu. I was wondering where you were. I¡¯ve finally found you."

    "Ah¡­"

    "I listened to a piece of advice from Ms. Seol-ah today. I see¡­ it seems like I was too passive until now."

    "What? Passive? You?¡±

    "Yes. I realized I must be more active inmunicating my feelings toward the Demon King."

    "No, that''s not it."

    "Come here, my love."

    Lilith hugged him.

    Balrog and Kim ShiHoon took out their weapons and began fighting.

    There was a huge vibration, and the building shook.

    ''Will days like this keep happening before everything''s over?''

    He felt that he was in the middle of a nightmare and freed himself from the tentacles, desperately moving away.

    He tried to enter the secretb in Balrog¡¯s building.

    - Bzzt. Scanning finger.

    - Error. Error.

    - Stopping device.

    - Stopping.

    "Wh-what? Why isn''t it opening?"

    There was liquid over the scanning device, so the door wasn''t opening.

    "I can''t open the door!"

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    "N-no!"

    A tentacle wrapped around his body as if it were stopping him from escaping.

    "This is crazy. I have to get out of here. Wait. I can''t?"

    AAAHHH!

 Chapter 229: The Truth Cant Be Extinguished (1)

    "Angels arrived?"

    "Yes, I just received a revtion."

    Gaia nodded.

    She had called the Guardians to the Hall of Protection.

    The most important members of Guardian, such as Kim ShiHoon, Grace, Chae YeonJoo, and Cheon MooJin, were gathered in the conference room.

    Kim ShiHoon looked over the documents, which detailed the Light Watchers¡¯ movement over a map.

    "The Light Watchers we''ve been watching have also begun moving."

    "It seems they decided to make a base in Africa," Chae YeonJoo said after taking a glimpse at the documents.

    Kim ShiHoon nodded.

    "Yes. They''re currently building a base where the confrontation between Lucifer and Satan took ce. It seems like they''re considering a long-term battle against Satan."

    "Considering what I can see in the pictures, it seems like they''re building a fortress."

    Chae YeonJooughed in disbelief.

    As angels started to go to Earth, the Light Watchers also began moving.

    "How are they building this? Even if we take all of the Light Watchers into consideration, there don''t seem to be more than a hundred."

    "The angels are also helping¡­ but most importantly, can you see this?"

    "What''s this rock?"

    "I think that it''s a golem that moves with magic. It seems like they''re using this golem to build arge-scale fortress."

    Chae YeonJoo tilted her head in confusion.

    They''d moved so many people that it was hard to believe their main goal was to kill Satan.

    "The goal probably changed," KangWoo answered.

    "It seems like they concluded that taking care of the Demon of Prophecy is more urgent than Lucifer."

    "Yes¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo nodded.

    If they''d moved so many people, they couldn''t help but think they were more concerned about the Demon of Prophecy.

    "Considering they''re building a fortress there, it seems like they haven''t given up on Lucifer."

    "It seems like their goal is to destroy all demons¡­"

    "Isn''t that better for us?"

    The meeting kept going on.

    Most of the topics were things KangWoo was already aware of, so he wasn''t able to get new information.

    "There''s a problem."

    Gaia opened her mouth.

    "ording to the revtion¡­ Mr. Raphael has refused to coborate with Earth''s gods."

    "¡­"

    "It seems like he doesn''t trust us," Gaia said in a heavy voice.

    Their expressions darkened.

    There was no need to think too deeply about why they had lost Raphael¡¯s trust.

    "Ludwig¡­"

    The other Guardians remained silent as that name left Kim ShiHoon''s mouth.

    The saint that had fallen to Satan, the Demon of Prophecy¡­

    It seemed like Ludwig was an apostle Raphael cared for deeply¡ªhe was quite shocked because of his death and was extremely angry.

    Thanks to that, Raphael couldn''t help but be angry at the Guardians, who had not been able to protect him.

    It was obvious.

    If youpared it to a country, it would be as if a country had sent help after receiving a support request, but the soldiers they''d sent to help had been kidnapped by a terrorist and then killed.

    Even if the fault were on the terrorists, they would still be angry at the country they had tried to help as well.

    "This isn¡¯t the time to hesitate," Gaia said in response to the grim atmosphere.

    "Ms. Gaia''s representative, Mr. Uranos, is currently trying to convince Mr. Raphael, and it isn''t that hepletely refused to coborate. More than that¡­"

    Gaia hesitated for a moment and then kept talking.

    "Mr. Raphael said he wants to meet Guardian Kim ShiHoon."

    "Me¡­?"

    "Yes."

    Kim ShiHoon was surprised at the sudden mention of his name.

    "It seems like Mr. Ludwig had given a report about Guardian Kim ShiHoon. Not only that, but the holy sword chose you, so he said he wants to meet and talk with you."

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent and lowered his head while making a grim expression.

    It was as if he were asking if he had the right to meet Raphael. After all, he wasn''t able to do anything while Ludwig was falling due to Satan''s actions.

    He hesitated for a bit and then raised his head.

    "I''ll go," he said in a firm voice.

    If he avoided it, it would be like ignoring Ludwig''s death.

    If he really were sad because of his death and was feeling guilty¡­

    If he''d really inherited Ludwig''s sword and shared his same beliefs¡­

    He couldn''t ignore Raphael''s proposal.

    "I''m going to convince Mr. Raphael."

    "Guardian Kim ShiHoon¡­"

    Gaia extended her hand while making a worried expression.

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed her hand.

    They weren''t coborating yet, so sending Kim ShiHoon into Raphael''s territory would be dangerous.

    In the worst-case scenario, he might take the holy sword and make him pay the price of not being able to protect Ludwig.

    If things went wrong, there was a chance they might end up bing enemies.

    "It''s okay, Ms. Gaia."

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed her hand tighter.

    At that moment, Gaia''s face reddened.

    "I''m going to convince Mr. Raphael and make him coborate with Guardian."

    "But¡­"

    "I know what Ms. Gaia is worrying about, but if I don''t go¡­ I think there''s a chance this rtionship won''t recover at all."

    "¡­"

    Gaia remained silent.

    Kim ShiHoon''s role was undeniably important.

    Satan was strong.

    As the Demon of Prophecy, he had a huge power called the Sea of Demonic Energy, and he could freely use hundreds of different Authorities.

    Although Gaia had used all of her Divinity, she couldn''t stop him.

    ''Of course, I heard Ms. Gaia sealed most of his strength, but¡­''

    It had been two years since Gaia used her Divinity to seal the Sea of Demonic Energy.

    Even if Satan was the Demon of Prophecy, there was no way he''d be able to unseal it in just two years, but still¡­

    ''The Sea of Demonic Energy¡­''

    It was an undeniably impressive power, and they couldn''t rx just because it was sealed.

    ''We need the help of angels.''

    After Gaia used most of her Divinity, the gods of Earth could not interfere with what was happening on Earth.

    Help from the Heavens was necessary in such a situation.

    "I''m going to trust Guardian Kim ShiHoon¡­"

    Gaia nodded and smiled.

    Kim ShiHoon stood up.

    "Hyeongnim, I''ll be going."

    After Gaia, he walked toward KangWoo.

    KangWoo patted Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders.

    "I''m sure you''ll be able to do it."

    If possible, he''d have wanted to go and see Raphael along with Kim ShiHoon, but what Raphael wished for was to talk with Kim ShiHoon alone.

    If a third party went along with him, there was a chance things would turn out wrong.

    ''Of course, it''s not like I''m going to watch from a distance and do nothing.''

    * * *

    After the meeting, KangWoo followed Kim ShiHoon to Africa and saw the angels that were in the process of building their base.

    ''They really are building it like a fortress.''

    He felt they were determined to find the Demon of Prophecy and kill him.

    <em>Whir-</em>

    Themunication crystal vibrated at that moment.

    It wasn''t the one used tomunicate with Guardian¡ªit was the one he used with Lilith.

    "What''s wrong?"

    [There''s something I need to inform you of.]

    "What happened?"

    [I noticed that the cultists have started moving.]

    "Right now¡­?"

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    The timing was too good.

    [What should I do?]

    "Stay still for the moment."

    He didn''t have the mental space to think about the Demon Cult at the moment.

    Raphael and Kim ShiHoon''s meeting¡­

    He had to ensure a coborative rtionship was built thanks to their meeting.

    [Yes.]

    The call was cut.

    "Then¡­"

    KangWoo closed his eyes and used an Authority.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Activating Authority of Subordination.]

    [Sharing senses with your Familiar Spirit.]

    He looked at the angels through Kim ShiHoon''s eyes.

    They were wearing silver armor, a gentle light leaked out of them, and in the middle of them¡­

    ''Is that Raphael?''

    He saw an angel with eight wings, haloed by light.

    At around five meters tall, his height was simr to Balrog¡¯s.

    ''He looks kind of like a human.''

    Although his size couldn''t be called a human''s, his outer appearance was very simr.

    Not only that, but he was good-looking.

    His blond hair resembled a lion''s mane, and he could feel a sense of wildness from his angr face.

    "Fuck, how unfair."

    He thought it would''ve been nice if demons looked like humans like angels did.

    He recalled Lilith and quickly shook his head.

    Kim ShiHoon knelt in front of Raphael, who was sitting on a giant chair.

    - So you''re the human who inherited Ludwig''s sword?

    - Yes.

    He heard Raphael and Kim ShiHoon''s conversation.

    He couldn''t feel animositying from him, and it didn''t seem to be a bad start.

    ''To obtain a bit more trust¡­''

    [Sending strength to your Familiar Spirit.]

    [You''ve sent divine energy to Familiar Spirit ''Kim ShiHoon.'']

    He sent the divine energy that he had to Kim ShiHoon.

    - You even have divine energy.

    "Nice."

    Raphael''s voice had brightened.

    It seemed like, if it was a human who''d received divine energy, he was more trustworthy than others.

    - I came here for my friend Ludwig¡­ To ask forgiveness for his death.

    "Nice."

    KangWoo nodded after hearing Kim ShiHoon''s sincere words.

    Saying that they''d gone there to receive help from the angels from the beginning wasn''t a good idea.

    First, untangling the negative emotions that hade about from Ludwig''s death was more important.

    "Well done, my child!"

    He was cheering for Kim ShiHoon; that was all he could do.

    From then on, it all depended on Kim ShiHoon.

    ''Authority of Fake Color.''

    He used an Authority to create two bars that emitted a bright light.

    "Good luck, ShiHoon!"

    He waved the light sticks.

    - I see, so that''s what happened¡­

    - Yes. When I arrived, he''d already¡­

    The conversation went smoothly.

    At that point, it seemed like they would be able to receive Raphael''s help easily.

    - M-Mr. Raphael!!

    - What happened?

    - A demon apostle has appeared!

    "What?"

    KangWoo frowned at the unexpected development of events.

    He saw a woman covered in bandages.

    - Apostles of light¡­ I''m Yulia, a servant of the darkness, a servant of Satan.

    - So you appeared before us without any fear¡­

    - I came here to tell Mr. Raphael the truth.

    - The truth?

    Yulia, who was kneeling in front of Raphael, kept talking.

    - We weren''t the ones to make your apostle fall. The true culprit of that was¡­

    She turned her head and looked at Kim ShiHoon with eyes full of resentment.

    - The Guardians.

    There was a heavy silence.

    "Ha."

    KangWoo''s expression distorted.

    "These bastards¡­"

    KangWoo clenched his fists.

    "How dare they try to fabricate a lie?!"

    He felt anger as he watched their obvious ill intent.

 Chapter 230: The Truth Cant Be Extinguished (2)

    "Those pieces of trash¡­"

    His hands trembled, and he felt his anger rising.

    KangWoo frowned.

    "Guardians made Ludwig fall?"

    That wasplete nonsense.

    The Demon Cult didn''t know what had happened inside that dungeon, what kind of conversation was exchanged, and how Ludwig had died.

    There was absolutely no proof.

    What they were doing was incitement and fabrication¡ªthey were just throwing out a random fantasy they had thought up.

    ''They''re trying to make him distrust us.''

    Thanks to what happened with Ludwig, the angels had started to distrust Guardian, and the Demon Cult was trying to take advantage of that.

    Instead of providing evidence and logic, they tried to prove themselves through lies.

    "Ha."

    Heughed in disbelief.

    It was a foolish attempt.

    ''But¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed.

    ''It''s still not good.''

    He wasn''t sure what kind of fake scenario they wouldy out to enforce their lies, but the most important thing was what would happen if Raphael believed them.

    There were many things about Ludwig''s death that weren''t clear, so Guardian also didn''t have a way to counter their lies.

    ''The biggest thing is¡­''

    Kim ShiHoon had killed Ludwig.

    Even if he''d already fallen at that point, it didn''t change the fact that he''d killed him.

    "I wonder what they''re going to say¡­"

    He fell into thought while looking at Yulia.

    ''They probably won''t just talk without showing anything.''

    It didn''t matter if they''d really made Ludwig fall or not.

    Satan and the Demon Cult were both forces of darkness¡ªthey weren''t beings that could reach an agreement with Ludwig.

    "What I¡¯m guessing is that¡­"

    He narrowed his eyes.

    ''Authority of Insight.''

    ''As expected.''

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    ''So you''re going to do that, huh?''

    He got up.

    "Balzac¡­"

    He put his finger on his ear and called his underling.

    - Did you call me, Master?

    "Are the preparations done?"

    - Of course.

    There was no need to ask what he was talking about.

    KangWoo nodded.

    "Send it right now."

    He cut the conversation.

    ''I can''t stand still and do nothing.''

    Incitement and provocation¡­

    They were trying to spread false information to worsen the rtionship between Guardian and the angels, and he couldn''t stand still while they did that.

    ''Instead¡­''

    It could be a great opportunity.

    KangWoo raised themunication crystal as he walked.

    "Lilith¡­"

    [Yes, Mr. KangWoo?]

    A reply came immediately.

    "Have you heard any information about the situation?"

    [If it''s about Satan''s apostle entering the angel''s base, I just received the news. I''m sorry, I should''ve been more careful¡­]

    "No, it''s okay. Rather than that¡­"

    He quietly opened his mouth.

    "There''s one thing I wish you could help me with."

    Lilithughed lightly at KangWoo''s words.

    [Anything the King orders.]

    * * *

    "What¡­?"

    A breathtaking sense of pressure emanated from his five-meter-tall body, and he stood straight with wide shoulders and bulging muscles. His armor shone with golden light, and eight wings sprouted from his back.

    Archangel Raphael frowned at the Demon Cult apostle¡¯s words.

    "Nonsense!"

    Kim ShiHoon stood up and stomped on the ground.

    A white light began gathering as he spread his hand and summoned a greatsword.

    Holy Sword Ludwig¡­

    The Myth-ranked Weapon that had the strength of Archangel Raphael and the blessing of a high elf began to pour bright light out of it.

    "Wait¡­"

    Raphael raised his hand.

    He looked at Yulia with deep, sunken eyes.

    "What does that mean?"

    Yulia lowered her head.

    "It''s just like I said¡ªthe Demon Cult and Satan have nothing to do with this incident. This is something that was caused by Guardian."

    "Ha!" Raphaelughed in disbelief.

    He looked at Yulia as if she was speaking nonsense.

    "Do you think I''ll just believe you?"

    Her words made no sense, and there was no way he would believe something like that.

    It would be hard to believe from one of his apostles, let alone one of Satan¡¯s apostles.

    There was no need to think about it.

    "Fufu."

    The tips of Yulia''s mouth went up, and she slowly stood.

    * * *

    "¡­"

    Yulia seemed confident.

    Raphael frowned when he saw her unashamed, confident demeanor.

    She seemed too confident to be an apostle of Evil who had walked straight into an archangel¡¯s base.

    "Then, Mr. Raphael, are you sure Guardian wasn¡¯t involved in this?"

    "That¡­"

    "That''s probably not the case, right? In the end, the one that killed Ludwig was¡­"

    She slowly raised her finger and pointed at Kim ShiHoon.

    "That human over there."

    "Shut up!!" Kim ShiHoon angrily shouted.

    He red at her.

    "Ludwig¡­ was already at a point¡­ of no return," he said as if he were chewing the words.

    He remembered Ludwig¡¯s grotesque veins and pained appearance, and he remembered hisstmunications in the dungeon of begging them to escape and not go there.

    "There was nothing I could''ve done."

    Kim ShiHoon lowered his head.

    Yulia smiled brightly.

    "There was nothing you could''ve done? Do you have any proof of that? Wasn¡¯t everyone there a Guardian?"

    "¡­"

    "Answer. Was there anyone there that wasn¡¯t a Guardian member? There was nobody, right? Then¡ª"

    "Stop."

    Raphael raised his hand and red at Yulia.

    "Apostle of Evil, are you trying to y tricks on me?"

    "Mr. Raphael, I''m sorry if you feel that way."

    Yulia turned her head and kept talking.

    "Still, don''t you think that it''s weird? They said that Ludwig suddenly fell into a demon¡¯s trap at that moment, but¡­ how did he end up falling for that?"

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    "We thought the situation was strange, so we took a glimpse at Light Watchers¡¯ reports."

    Yulia''s eyes shone.

    "ording to the report, Ludwig used the gate in the Hall of Protection that the Guardians use to get here. Fufu. Isn''t that too much of a coincidence? To think he''d get dragged to another ce while using a gate inside the Guardians¡¯ base¡­"

    "You bitch¡­!!"

    Kim ShiHoon couldn''t hold back the anger anymore and stood up, and the holy sword in his hands began shining intensely.

    He was about to leap forward when Raphael opened his mouth.

    "Wait¡­"

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    A huge amount of pressure weighed down on Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders, and he fell to his knees.

    "¡­"

    Raphael closed his eyes and began to organize his thoughts.

    Five minutes¡­ Ten minutes¡­

    Raphael kept thinking in the heavy silence.

    He slowly opened his mouth.

    "Still, I can''t trust what you''re saying¡ª"

    "I knew you were going to say that."

    Yulia cut Raphael''s words short.

    Yulia took out something she had prepared¡ªit was a ckmunication crystal.

    "That''s¡­"

    "This isn''t the ce for a lowly servant like me anymore."

    She smiled brightly.

    "I think it would be better if you cleared up the misunderstanding by yourselves."

    <em>Whir-</em>

    A light started toe out from the ckmunication crystal that spread to form a hologram, and pitch-ck darkness appeared.

    A floating red mask showed up.

    "You¡­"

    [I didn''t think that we would ever talk like this.]

    "Don''t tell me¡­ Satan?"

    [My appearance has changed a lot, but yes, I''m Satan.]

    Yellow eyes became visible from behind the mask.

    [I''m Satan.]

    "¡­"

    Raphael closed his mouth.

    "Sa¡­ tan."

    Kim ShiHoon''s expression distorted, and immense anger rose up within him.

    ¡®How dare the one that made Ludwig fall¡­¡¯

    ¡®Try to put the me on Guardian!¡¯

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Ugh, ah."

    He pushed back Raphael''s divine energy, straightened his knees, and stood.

    "What¡­?"

    Raphael''s eyes widened as if he wasn''t expecting a human to be able to withstand his energy and stand up.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    Kim ShiHoon stomped on the ground.

    "SATAANN!!!" he screamed and charged forward.

    Then¡­

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    "ShiHoon!!!"

    Someone grabbed Kim ShiHoon''s arms.

    "H-hyeongnim?"

    "Calm down. If you move, you''ll just be doing what he wants."

    KangWoo appeared after smashing through the ceiling of the fortress and was able to stop Kim ShiHoon.

    "You''re the hyeong of that human, Kim ShiHoon¡­"

    It seemed like Raphael had already heard about KangWoo, so he wasn''t that surprised.

    "I''m sorry for listening in on your conversation."

    KangWoo bowed.

    Raphael answered with deep, sunken eyes.

    "No. It''s okay. I wasn''t expecting you guys to send that human alone, after all."

    Raphael was aware of the ufortable rtionship between angels and the Guardians.

    [Things are flowing in an interesting manner.]

    Satan, who was looking at the scene unfold, began tough out loud.

    "You¡­"

    KangWoo red at Satan.

    Satan spoke in a rxed voice.

    [Then let''s go back to the main topic.]

    "Say it¡­"

    [I didn''t put a hand on the human you call ¡®Ludwig¡¯. If you''re still suspicious¡­]

    Satan spread his hand.

    A thick darkness started to distorted and take shape, and a ck sphere appeared.

    [This is my demonic energy. Go ahead and follow it. If there are traces of it inside the Hall of Protection, then you will know that I was involved, but if there''s none¡­]

    He began tough out loud.

    [It will prove that the Guardians did it!]

    "¡­"

    There was silence, and Raphael''s eyes shook.

    He couldn''t think of it as one of Satan¡¯s simple tactics.

    An angel''s ability to track demonic energy was quite advanced, after all, and there was no way Satan didn''t know that.

    ''If he¡¯s willing to go this far¡­''

    It was true that he couldn''t help but have some doubts.

    No, there were lots of weird things regarding Ludwig''s death.

    It was true that he had died after using a gate that was located in the Hall of Protection, and when he ''fell'', the only ones to witness it were Guardians.

    Doubt started to appear in Raphael''s eyes.

    "You¡­"

    KangWoo also frowned.

    It was as if he''d been hit unexpectedly from behind.

    [How about that?]

    Satan''sugh was heard.

    [Isn''t it pretty suspicious?]

    * * *

    A giant ck sphere hovered in a cave covered with transparent ice and shrouded in darkness.

    One of Satan¡¯s fragments was wearing a mask and draped in curtain-like darkness.

    [Hmm¡­]

    There was a ckmunication crystal in front of him.

    [What''s going on?] Satan mumbled ufortably.

    [Why aren''t you making the connection, Yulia?]

    The expected time had already passed, but still, there was no reactioning from themunication crystal.

    [Why is it taking so long?]

    Satan tilted his head in confusion.

 Chapter 231: The Truth Cant Be Extinguished (3)

    Hurried steps echoed through a huge, icy cave that was covered in darkness.

    "Mr. S-Satan!!!"

    A man wearing a ck robe ran in, and a huge, ck sphere of about 30 meters in diameter shook.

    The darkness leaking from the sphere began to move, and a red mask appeared at the end of the darkness.

    [What do you want?]

    "Y-you see¡­"

    The priest seemed to be struggling to talk.

    His eyes were shaking, and he opened his mouth after taking a deep breath.

    "Our signal¡­ was hijacked."

    [What?]

    The darkness shook as if Satan couldn''t understand what the priest was saying.

    The signal was hijacked? What did that mean?

    "Right now, the ''Mirror of Darkness'' that Ms. Yulia has is connected to another being."

    [Wait. Then¡­ why hasn''t Yulia called?]

    He still couldn''t understand it.

    If the signal was hijacked, and the ''Mirror of Darkness'' was connected to someone else, there was no way Yulia wouldn''t have noticed it.

    She would''ve tried to contact him another way or destroyed the Mirror of Darkness.

    "You see¡­"

    The priest wasn''t sure how he was supposed to exin it.

    No, as if he''d given up, he exined things as they were happening.

    "Someone iming to be Satan¡­ has appeared."

    [Again¡­ that bastard again?] Satan asked back as if he were about to go crazy.

    Someone iming to be him¡­

    He couldn''t understand what kind of resentment he had toward him, but he always imed to be Satan and made things go from bad to worse.

    If he thought about all the ns that the impersonator had screwed up, he thought his rationality would be blown away.

    [Even Yulia was deceived?]

    "Yes. It seems like Ms. Yulia hasn''t realized what''s happening because what that being is saying is simr to what we originally nned."

    [He''s saying something simr to what was nned?]

    "Yes. He''s talking and trying to put the me for killing Ludwig on the Guardians. Simr to what we''d¡­ No, to be honest, he seems to be doing a better job."

    [¡­]

    There was a short silence, and Satan''s eyes shook.

    ''There''s no way.''

    He knew a few things about the being iming to be him.

    Although he didn''t want to admit it, he could only think of one being who could do something like that, and the chances of him helping him were¡­

    Zero.

    ''He''s a monster.''

    He was the nightmare of Hell¡ªa tyrant that had appeared in Hell and brought a change to thendscape that had remained the same after the seven archdukes reached an agreement.

    There was no other demon that craved as much as him.

    He had a craving that was close to madness, obsession. Memories of the war of thousands of years came back to his mind.

    Satan''s body trembled, and he quickly sent a signal.

    [Turn the signal back here.]

    "Th-that¡¯s not possible. Ms. Kalgia and the other priests are doing their best, but the magic pattern is tooplex, so we cannot turn the signal back."''

    The priest gulped and kept talking.

    "The only thing we can do at the moment is try to get some of the signal and get a grasp on what''s happening¡­"

    [Ugh, okay. Turn it on.]

    "Yes!"

    The priest in front of Satan started to manipte the crystal in front of them.

    They saw Raphael, Yulia, and the angels.

    And¡­

    [What¡­?]

    Satan''s eyes widened.

    A human appeared in the video, and Satan was horrified after seeing a young man with sharp eyes.

    [Why is the Demon King¡­ Wait, then¡­ who''s imitating¡­?]

    He became confused.

    At that moment, the countless Authorities of the Demon King passed through his mind.

    [D-don''t tell me!]

    His body started to tremble.

    [Authority of Cloning¡­]

    Satan''s eyes sank.

    He began thinking at a fast speed.

    [Find him.]

    "Yes¡­?"

    [He can¡¯t maintain the Authority of Cloning over a far distance. He probably created a clone near the angel''s fortress and is trying to set things up that way.]

    He''d suffered from that tactic a few times, and Satan''s body trembled in anger.

    [How long do you think you''ll be able to do this?]

    He thought it was a good chance.

    He wasn''t sure why the Demon King was trying to act like him, but¡­

    ''This is thest time.''

    He would make sure everyone knew the truth.

    If he was lucky, he might be able to turn Raphael''s attention to the Demon King instead of him.

    ''The mask he''s wearing¡­''

    He was going to take it off himself, and then he was going to destroy everything he''d built.

    He would give him an end worthy of the title ¡®Archduke of Revenge¡¯.

    [Move as many soldiers as possible!! Find where the signal is being manipted from! Kill his clone!]

    The clone created with the Authority of Cloning wasn''t very strong.

    If they could find it, they would probably be able to overwhelm it easily.

    ''This time¡­''

    ¡®It''s your turn to suffer.¡¯

    Satan''s yellow eyes shone while he looked at the Demon King through the video.

    * * *

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    Raphael slowly opened his mouth.

    "Why should I believe your words?"

    [¡­]

    Satan didn''t answer.

    After maintaining the silence for a while, he opened his mouth.

    [Raphael, you''re free to believe what you want. As long as I have the Sea of Demonic Energy, you and I are destined to kill each other, but¡­]

    He made a chillingugh, turned his head, and looked to where KangWoo was standing.

    [It''s just that I don''t want pieces of trash wearing a mask and mentioning my name.]

    "Satan¡­"

    KangWoo frowned.

    He turned his head to Raphael.

    "Mr. Raphael, you don''t believe in what that evil demon is¡ª"

    "Human, shut up."

    "So you are doubting¡­"

    KangWoo sighed after seeing Raphael''s reaction.

    "Fine. Just like Satan said, feel free to use his demonic energy to search the Hall of Protection.

    "Are you that confident?"

    "We know why you suspect us and how much you cared for Ludwig, but we''re innocent. Ludwig fell at Satan¡¯s hand."

    "¡­"

    Raphael remained silent, and doubt appeared on his face.

    He was stuck between Satan and KangWoo¡¯s words.

    To be honest, he couldn''t believe either of them.

    "Ludwig¡­"

    He called the name of his apostle¡ªa human that was more dedicated to light than any human he''d ever seen.

    He had an incredible talent, an indomitable will, and strong beliefs; he was a very important apostle.

    There weren''t many humans capable of throwing away their family and friends for the light.

    Having lost such a loyal apostle was painful, even for Raphael.

    ''At least your revenge¡­''

    He wanted to do it with his own hands.

    Raphael looked with sharp eyes at KangWoo, Kim ShiHoon, and Satan.

    ''Who¡­?''

    Who was lying?

    ''There¡¯s only one way to check the truth¡­''

    He got up.

    "I''m going to use your demonic energy to check."

    [Good choice.]

    Raphael began to walk slowly.

    Yulia raised both hands while making a fishy smile.

    A Demonic Energy Stone that Satan had prepared appeared in her hands.

    Kim ShiHoon''s expression hardened when he saw it.

    "Hyeongnim¡­ is that okay? If Satan did something in the Hall of Protection¡­" Kim ShiHoon said in a worried voice.

    He was sure it wasn''t them who made Ludwig fall because, after all, every member of Guardian was present when they got the message.

    Still, if Satan was so confident, he''s probably done something.

    "This is all because I wasn''t¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon mumbled as if he were ming himself.

    When Ludwig fell¡­

    If he hadn''t killed him¡­

    If he had been able to restrain him somehow¡­

    They wouldn''t have been subject to such unfair suspicions.

    ''If we end up suffering because of one of Satan''s tactics again¡­''

    He felt like he wouldn''t be able to stop ming himself.

    "ShiHoon, don''t worry¡­"

    KangWoo grabbed ShiHoon¡¯s shoulder, bit his lip, and spoke in a firm voice.

    "Even if they try to cover the truth with their lies¡­"

    How much could you cover the sun with the palm of your hands?

    Was the burning light not visible because it was dark?

    "The truth can¡¯t be extinguished."

    It just burned.

    * * *

    [What¡­?] Satan mumbled in confusion.

    [Just why?]

    He''d never made Ludwig fall.

    Not only that, but no member of the Demon Cult had touched him, so the culprit was probably the Demon King.

    Then¡­

    ''Why¡­?''

    How could he be so confident?

    If they used the Demonic Energy Stone that had his demonic energy, the angels should be able to figure out that there weren¡¯t traces of his demonic energy inside the Hall of Protection.

    In that case, the Guardians would be med, and just like he wished, Raphael would get rid of the culprits.

    ''There''s no way he doesn''t know that.''

    He couldn''t help but feel uneasy.

    Satan quickly shouted, [Find his clone!!]

    They had to stop him before he did something.

    "Eh, Mr. S-Satan¡­"

    [Right now!!]

    "You see¡­"

    A priest wearing a ck robe was trembling.

    [What happened¡­?]

    "W-we just received a report. They''ve figured out where the magic was being manipted from."

    [Then get that clone and turn the signal here, quickly.]

    "That¡­"

    His face was pale, and his body was trembling. It was as if he couldn''t understand what was going on.

    "Th-they weren''t able to find the clone."

    [Are they sending the footage from somewhere else¡­?]

    Satan''s expression distorted.

    [It doesn''t matter.]

    It was too bad that they hadn''t been able to locate where the clone was, but that was good enough for the moment.

    The Demon King had somehow intercepted the signal and was using it, so if they could figure out where he was doing that from¡­

    [Destroy that ce and cut the signal to the ''Mirror of Darkness.'']

    They could solve the problem by destroying itpletely.

    Since they couldn''t stop the hacking with software, they just had to destroy the hardware that was doing it.

    It didn''t matter what advanced magic device they were using. If they destroyed it, it wouldn''t be able to function anymore.

    "Y-you see¡­"

    The priest kept talking in a confused voice.

    "Th-there''s no signal connected at all¡­"

    [What¡­? What does that mean?]

    "That footageing out of the ''Mirror of Darkness'' was¡­"

    <em>Gulp.</em>

    "Pre-recorded."

 Chapter 232: The Truth Cant Be Extinguished (4)

    [What¡­?] Satan mumbled in confusion.

    How could the footage have been previously recorded?

    What did that mean?

    [They''re talking right now! You¡¯re saying this is pre-recorded?!]

    Satan turned his head toward the footage that was being reyed in the crystal.

    Raphael was definitely talking with the fake Satan, but¡­

    Everything that the fake Satan was saying was pre-recorded?

    "We¡­ we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on."

    The priest wearing a ck robe also seemed confused.

    Although it seemed impossible, there was one way it could have been done¡­

    ''How could something like that be possible¡­?''

    The priest''s eyes trembled.

    There was only one way to make pre-recorded footage like that work in a conversation¡­

    "If¡­ if they calcted the entire conversation beforehand¡­ and recorded based on that¡­ It¡­ it''s possible."

    [What¡­?] Satan asked back in surprise.

    What kind of nonsense was that?

    [He calcted¡­ the entire conversation with Raphael¡­?]

    "Yes. If he did that and spoke based on how he thought Raphael would react¡­ It¡­ it isn''t impossible."

    Although it was the priest who said that, he grabbed his forehead in confusion.

    Although it was theoretically possible, how could something like that happen?

    How could they calcte what the other party would say and when?

    It also wasn''t a simple conversation¡ªRaphael and Fake Satan''s conversation had been going on for more than five minutes.

    How could he have calcted the entire conversation over such a long period of time?

    ''Just how¡­?''

    It was a dangerous bet. If there were only one second that made it look like pre-recorded dialogue, the jig would be up.

    [Ugh¡­]

    Satan''s voice trembled.

    If it was pre-recorded footage, there was no way to cut it; he also couldn''t send soldiers into the angel''s base.

    If he did that, all of his efforts to make the angels fight the Guardians would fail.

    No. Things might not end there. There was a chance of a full-fledged battle between them and the angels taking ce if he did that.

    It was checkmate.

    [Demon King¡­] Satan mumbled as he watched the video.

    * * *

    "It''s a Demonic Energy Stone with Mr. Satan''s demonic energy."

    Yulia raised her hands from her kneeling position, and demonic energy started to flow from the ck jewel.

    Raphael slowly walked toward her.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    A loud sound came out of the ''Mirror of Darkness.''

    "Huh?"

    Raphael, Kim ShiHoon, KangWoo, and Yulia all looked at themunication crystal.

    The Satan wearing a red mask inside the video turned his body.

    [What''s wrong?]

    [Ugh. Mr. S-Satan!!] someone quickly shouted.

    Someone else appeared in the video¡ªa demon covered in green tentacles.

    There was the sound of something being crushed.

    "What¡­"

    Raphael frowned at the unexpected development of events.

    He couldn''t understand what had just happened.

    [H-he escaped!] a demon that seemed like Satan''s underling quickly shouted.

    Satan''s eyes trembled behind the mask.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    The wall behind them crumbled, and someone appeared from the destroyed wall.

    "Ah, aah."

    [Ugh¡­ I''ll¡­ never¡­ by¡­ your¡­ hands¡­]

    His skin had a blue, corpse-like color, there were thick, dark circles under his eyes, and his cheeks were sunken.

    Ludwig was emitting thick demonic energy.

    [Ha¡­] Satanughed in disbelief.

    [I didn''t expect things to go on like this.]

    "Mr. Satan¡­?"

    Yulia looked confused¡ªlike she had been hit from behind.

    "Mr. S-Satan, what''s going on?! Who''s that¡­?!"

    She sounded confused.

    She''d never seen Ludwig, so she didn''t recognize the fallen Ludwig.

    "Mr. Satan!!!"

    [To think that I''d make such an unbelievable mistake¡­]

    Satan ignored her as if he couldn''t hear her voice.

    He was feeling troubled by what just happened.

    [Tsk. It seems that the n failed.]

    Satan shook his head while clicking his tongue.

    He was trying to make Guardian the culprit for having made Ludwig fall, but Ludwig suddenly appeared while he was doing that.

    Now, nothing he said would amend the situation.

    "Sa¡­ tan."

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    Raphael red at Satan.

    An intense light shot out of him and shook the fortress.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    He stomped on the ground.

    "What did you do to Ludwig¡­?!"

    Raphael''s eyes shook, and a certain thought popped up in his mind.

    * * *

    There was a forbidden magic that allowed you to raise the dead as an evil being that went against thews of nature¡ªa magic that created an undead.

    The sight of Ludwig, someone who loved and served the light more than anyone else, having fallen and be undead, was a great shock to Raphael.

    "SAATAANN!!!"

    Raphael''s scream spread throughout the entire ce, and anger close to madness was felt from his voice.

    Yulia''s expression paled.

    "Mr. Satan¡­! Wh-what does that mean?! N-no. Why is Ludwig t¡­"

    She was anxiously shouting when she noticed something.

    Yulia''s mouth fell open.

    "Wait¡­ Where''s that¡­?"

    Satan was staying in a ce covered in transparent ice, and there was no ''wall'' that could be broken in the first ce.

    "Wh-what¡­?"

    Yulia started to tremble.

    She realized something had gone wrong.

    That wasn¡¯t where her master, Satan, was staying.

    "Who¡­ are you?" she asked in a trembling voice.

    That demon wearing a red mask wasn''t her master¡ªit was something different.

    "Ha," KangWooughed in disbelief.

    He frowned after seeing Yulia''s shameless attitude.

    "Howme."

    It couldn''t bemer than that.

    Satan''s evil n had failed.

    From the moment Ludwig appeared as an undead, Satan ran out of excuses.

    His evil machinations wouldn¡¯t work anymore.

    "How¡­ how dare you¡­!"

    Raphael angrily spread his hand and gathered a huge amount of light around it that took the form of a spear.

    He grabbed the spear and shouted at Satan.

    "How far¡­ how far do you have to go with my apostles until you¡¯re satisfied?!!"

    Raphael''s shout shook the entire base.

    [Hmm¡­]

    An exmation left Satan''s mouth.

    He shook his head as if he were troubled and spread his hand.

    [Cough!]

    He grabbed Ludwig''s neck.

    [L-let me go!!]

    Ludwig was desperately struggling.

    Darkness flowed from Satan''s body and covered Ludwig¡¯s body.

    [Ah¡­ aah.]

    Ludwig let out a moan that seemed like it would be cut short at any moment, and he trembled as if he were having a seizure before being coveredpletely by the darkness.

    [Since it¡¯s like this¡­ I guess there''s no other choice.]

    Satan shook his head, and his eyes were full of madness as he looked at Raphael.

    [Haha. Do you think you''re about to go crazy?]

    "¡­"

    [Do you feel you''re about to lose your rationality due to anger? Does your head feel hot, is your sight blurry, and is your heart beating faster?]

    "You¡­!"

    [Ha, HAHAHA!!!!]

    Ludwig''s body rolled on the ground.

    It was as if he was throwing a toy.

    Raphael''s eyes turned white, and anger devoured his rationality.

    Satanughed.

    [That''s ''Anger.'']

    "Did you do¡­ this on purpose?" Raphael''s voice trembled.

    There was one thing he could conclude from Satan''s action:

    He couldn''t help but think that everything was prepared from the beginning.

    He''d sent an apostle to negotiate and let Ludwig free on purpose, acting as if it were a mistake and talking as if the n had failed.

    [HAHAHA!! It was a simple coincidence. No, should I call it a mistake?]

    Satanughed out loud while grabbing his stomach.

    His reaction confirmed something for Raphael.

    "Why¡­ Why did you do something like this¡­?"

    Was there a reason to ask why?

    His goal was obvious: Anger.

    He wanted to provoke him and make him lose his mind.

    Raphael''s expression distorted.

    "That was a good try, Satan."

    "You¡­ are going to regret it."

    For having angered him and turning a Light Watcher into an undead¡­

    Satan smirked.

    [I''m going to leave the worthless acting behind, Raphael.]

    "¡­"

    [Come here. I won''t run or hide.]

    Satan straightened his body.

    [This is my deration¡­]

    A huge darkness spread like a curtain.

    [I''m going to cover the light in my darkness!! I''m going to destroy the entire world! You worthless beings, remember my name!]

    "N-no!! This isn''t it!!!" Yulia anxiously shouted.

    What was he talking about?

    She quickly tried to approach the ckmunication crystal, but KangWoo appeared in front of her and kicked her.

    <em>Paf-</em>

    "KYAA!!"

    Yulia was pushed back.

    KangWoo red at her with sharp eyes.

    "How dare you try to make an excuse."

    "Ah, aah."

    Yulia''s expression paled.

    KangWoo spread his hand.

    ''Authority of Fake Color.''

    He created a sword that let off an immense, golden light.

    Del Lain¡­

    It was the Sword of the Sun that Hero God Tyrion had left him.

    "To those that have been tainted by darkness¡­"

    He raised the golden sword¡­

    "Let them receive light¡¯s judgment."

    The sword¡¯s de fell downward.

    <em>sh-!!</em>

    Yulia¡¯s bandage-covered head was severed and rolled on the ground.

    "Hyeongnim¡­ this."

    Kim ShiHoon walked toward him.

    KangWoo turned his body.

    "I told you before¡­"

    He grabbed Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders.

    "The truth¡­ can¡¯t be extinguished."

    An intense, golden light covered his body.

    * * *

    - Come here. I won''t run or hide.

    [No¡­ I said no.]

    The footage was disyed in a dark ce.

    Satan''s body trembled as he watched it.

    - This is my deration¡­

    [Just what is¡­]

    - I''m going to cover the light in my darkness!! I''m going to destroy the entire world! You worthless beings, remember my name!

    [Ah¡­ Aah¡­]

    The voice flowed out from the being that looked and sounded like him and wasn¡¯t him in the video.

    An exmation left Satan''s mouth.

    [Please, please¡­ stop.]

    - I''m death. I''m the end. I''m the father of everyone that''s angry, and I''m anger itself.

    [Please, stop¡­]

    - I''m Satan.

    [Ugh, AAHH!!]

    He let out a desperate shout.

    [Stop him!!!]

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    The giant, 30-meter sphere fluctuated, and the entire cave shook as if it were about to copse.

    [Stop that crazy bastard right now!!!]

 Chapter 233: The Truth Cant Be Extinguished (5)

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    There was an explosion after Satan finished speaking, and Raphael''s expression distorted.

    "What''s going on?"

    "It¡­ it''s an ambush!"

    "Is it Satan''s subordinates?"

    The Light Watcher nodded.

    Satan''s subordinates had begun appearing and were surrounding the fortress.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    "Ah¡­! A-already?!"

    Magic began pouring out toward them.

    Although their base was the size of a fortress, it was still in the process of being built, so there was no way it could block the magic that was pouring in from all directions.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    A huge crack appeared on the ceiling, and white stones began falling.

    Raphael quickly spread his hand toward the ceiling, and the light from his sacred spear deflected the stones away.

    "Ah¡­"

    Despite that, a piece of debris the size of a person was flying toward Raphael''s underlings.

    A priestess was trembling in fear, and Raphael quickly spread his hand.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Be careful."

    Before Raphael could do anything, a young man with sharp eyes who was holding a golden sword pulled the priestess back.

    ¡ªIt was KangWoo.

    The stone shattered over the floor.

    "Th-thank you¡­"

    The priestess hesitated for a short while but lowered her head.

    KangWoo walked past her and looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    "Yes, hyeongnim."

    As if he knew what he was trying to say, Kim ShiHoon took out his holy sword.

    "Ugh! When did they grow so much¡­!"

    "Change the golem to battle mode!!"

    They saw the Light Watchers and angels moving as they walked outside.

    "It''s an order from the Phase of Evil!"

    "Wipe them away!"

    The cultists were surrounding the fortress that had copsed after being attacked with magic¡ªthey were desperately moving to find the Demon King¡¯s clone.

    "So they finally showed their true colors."

    "Hyeongnim, I''ll take care of the guys to the left first."

    KangWoo nodded.

    As if they''d decided on it beforehand, Kim ShiHoon and KangWoo each went to a different side.

    ''Let''s see¡­''

    He stomped on the ground and looked at the demons that were around them.

    He clicked his tongue.

    ''Tsk, there''s no one worth devouring.''

    It was obvious that they had improvised because the strongest demon was barely from the 5th or 6th hell.

    ''It seems like they were really in a hurry.''

    There was no way the Demon Cult forces were only that strong, and they probably thought they had to stop the Satan in the video before he could say anything else.

    ''Well, even though I haven''t prepared anything else¡­''

    KangWoo turned his head.

    After Yulia died, the footage in the ''Mirror of Darkness'' had ended.

    Everything went on as he''d expected, better than he expected.

    ''I didn''t know it would go so well.''

    He wouldn''t have even bothered showing up if he knew it would go so well.

    He had only appeared to take care of the situation if Raphael reacted unexpectedly.

    ''I guess it wasn''t necessary.''

    Pre-recording the video as if they were talking wasn''t hard to do.

    After all, a conversation was all about flow.

    It was like a third party listening to a conversation between two people with that person only being able to hear one of them.

    It was simr to listening to a friend that was in the middle of a phone conversation.

    One could easily guess the conversation from just hearing their friend.

    ''The basics of conversation is to give and take.''

    He could always say things that would cause a certain reaction in the other party and force the flow of the conversation in a certain way, but the problem was the timing. Thankfully, Raphael''s reaction was within what he''d expected.

    ''The situation improved thanks to that.''

    Thanks to the incident, he''d made it clear to Raphael that ''KangWoo'' and ''Satan'' were two separate beings.

    He''d created a perfect alibi, just like when he''d attacked the Guardian vault.

    Thanks to that, Raphael wouldn''t even imagine the possibility that KangWoo was Satan.

    The possibility that was the casepletely disappeared from his head.

    ''And that¡­''

    Would increase his trust in him.

    "Good."

    A fishy smile appeared on his face, and he began walking.

    The demons surrounded him.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "Cough!"

    He cut the demons, and ck blood poured from them.

    "Stop the enemies!"

    "Wipe away Satan''s subordinates!"

    Angels soon began attacking.

    Raphael was in the middle of their formation.

    He swept away the demons like an angry bull with his immense, glowing spear.

    KangWoo took a glimpse at Raphael, who was fighting the demons, and frowned.

    ''Strong.''

    An intense divine energy was pouring from Raphael.

    Comparing Ludwig to him was likeparing a firefly to the sun.

    ''It¡¯s not like they were gathering strength while the war of thousands of years was taking ce.''

    He remembered what Lucifer''s subordinates had said before.

    * * *

    It was a giant war that had taken ce in the Hell of Nine Skies.

    While the war that had shaken up Hell was taking ce, the angels had constantly been getting stronger.

    ''If it''s that much¡­''

    A faint smile appeared on his face.

    ''I think I might be able to stop the unexpected variables.''

    If the enemy were someone with such huge power, he would''ve been in trouble, but the angels weren''t his enemy at the moment¡ªthey were important partners and allies in the fight against Satan.

    ''Still, it''s too bad if I consider the divine energy stat.

    If he started coborating with angels, he would have trouble stacking divine energy.

    Of course, he might be able to use the Authority of Predation while no one could see him and make it seem like they were turning into dust and disappearing.

    ''It''s too dangerous.''

    He couldn''t do that in front of Raphael.

    He wasn''t sure how strong he was at the moment, but he didn''t think such a trick would work in front of him.

    ''What would happen if I faced him in a one-on-one fight?''

    He wasn''t sure what would happen.

    He wasn''t a martial arts master, so he couldn''t tell if he could win against an enemy he had never fought against.

    Either way, he was sure it wasn''t going to be an easy fight.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    "Cough! Ugh, aah."

    At that moment¡­

    He was fighting the demons charging toward him while thinking about something when he heard a sound and turned toward it.

    He saw a demon the size of a basketball that had four eyes and was twisting his body in pain.

    "Huh?"

    He tilted his head.

    He hadn¡¯t done anything to that demon yet.

    "GRRR!!"

    A beast-like growl emanated from the demon, and a chilling demonic energy poured from it.

    KangWoo''s eyes narrowed. The demonic energy felt familiar.

    ''Is it a Familiar Spirit of Satan?''

    He smirked.

    [YOOUU!!]

    The demon¡¯s voice changed as it let out an anger-filled shout.

    A demon barely belonging to the 6th hell charged toward him at an incredible speed.

    ''But¡­''

    In the end, it was just a Familiar Spirit.

    Even if Satan''s strength were incredible, he wouldn''t be able to harm him from a distance while exercising his strength through a Familiar Spirit.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    He spread his hand and grabbed the demon¡¯s neck.

    The four madness-filled eyes looked at KangWoo.

    [How dare you¡­!]

    "Satan."

    KangWoo smiled brightly.

    "Do you think you''re about to go crazy?"

    [¡­]

    "Do you think you''re about to lose your rationality? Does your head hurt, are your eyes bing blurry, and is your heart beating faster?"

    [You son of a¡ª]

    "Ha, HAHAHA!!" Heughed out loud and twisted the demon that Satan was possessing.

    "Remember, Satan¡­" he said to the Duke of Anger.

    "That''s Anger."

    [UGH, AAAHHH!!]

    Satan let out a madness-filled scream.

    [I''m going to kill you, Demon King. I''ll tear you apart and kill you as painfully as possible!!]

    "Why don''t you try?"

    After all¡­

    "You can''t beat me. You know that."

    He began tough.

    "You know who I am."

    <em>Crack-</em>

    ck blood poured out.

    KangWoo twisted the demon''s body like he was twisting a chicken''s neck, and then he turned his head.

    He saw Kim ShiHoon swinging the holy sword and Raphael annihting the demons.

    Light Watchers and angels were supporting him, and the battle didn''tst long.

    It was an improvised squadron, so it didn''t take them long to win.

    ''Okay, then¡­''

    KangWoo slowly began walking.

    Kim ShiHoon went running toward him and followed him from behind after wiping the demon blood from his sword.

    ''Are you a dog?''

    He saw Kim ShiHoon looking at him with bright eyes and couldn''t help butugh at how trusting his eyes looked.

    He turned his head and walked toward the destination.

    "¡­"

    He saw Raphael standing with a nk expression while holding his spear and emitting a bright light.

    "Mr. Ludwig¡­ was a good person."

    "¡­"

    "I''m sorry for not being able to protect him."

    He bowed.

    Raphael slowly turned his head.

    "Ludwig is still in immense pain."

    "¡­"

    "Even after death, he wasn''t able to go to the Heavens. His soul and body have fallen and are suffering."

    He could see the sadness in Raphael''s eyes.

    "To be honest¡­"

    He turned and looked at Kim ShiHoon and KangWoo.

    "I don''t have good emotions regarding the Guardians. I regretted having epted to help Mr. Uranos many times."

    There''s no way he''d have a positive opinion because they were unable to do anything to help Ludwig.

    "But¡­"

    Raphael''s body trembled.

    An immense energy poured from him and devoured the surroundings.

    "If it''s to annihte demons¡­"

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan¡­

    If he could kill that cruel and evil demon¡­

    "I''ll do anything."

    He could endure the death of his beloved apostle.

    Raphael walked toward KangWoo and Kim ShiHoon.

    He looked at KangWoo, who had used himself to save his apostle when there was an ambush.

    Then, he looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    Other than Ludwig, no one had been able to control the holy sword.

    He was really angry because of Ludwig''s death.

    "Please¡­"

    Raphael extended his hands.

    "Lend me your strength."

    There was a short silence.

    KangWoo took a step forward and grabbed Raphael''s hand.

    "Of course."

    Raphael and KangWoo¡­

    Angels and Guardians¡­

    Two lights joined as one.

    An intensely bright light shone like it was burning, and although it was night, an intense light filled the vast wilderness.

 Chapter 234: All-Out War (1)

    "So something like that happened¡­"

    Gaia nodded, a heavy expression on her face.

    "To think that Mr. Ludwig¡­"

    She heard that Satan had taken Ludwig''s corpse from the angels and turned it into an undead and that his soul was still inside the body and was suffering.

    Just imagining that made Gaia tremble in fear.

    ''If Mr. ShiHoon or KangWoo fell into such a state¡­¡¯

    "¡­"

    She bit her lips.

    She didn''t even want to imagine it.

    "We''re going to save him," Kim ShiHoon said in a firm voice.

    He clenched his fists.

    Giving Ludwig eternal rest¡­

    Although they''d known each other for a short time, he thought that was the least he could do for someone he called ¡®friend¡¯.

    Gaia made a faint smile.

    "Yes. I''m going to believe in you, Guardian Kim ShiHoon."

    She took a deep breath and spoke in a calm voice.

    "It seems like, thanks to Satan''s mistake, we were able to gain help from the angels."

    Ludwig''s incident was heart-wrecking, but looking at it objectively, they''d gained a lot thanks to that.

    They were able to make the angels stop suspecting Guardian and even coborate with them.

    The Guardians had to face the Demon of Prophecy, Satan, no matter what, so that was certainly good news.

    "Yes. However, it isn''t a full coboration. When we proposed coborative training, Mr. Raphael said he and the angels would move on their own."

    "Hmm¡­"

    Gaia nodded.

    "That could be good news for us."

    If they formed a full-fledged alliance, there could be disagreements over who would be the head.

    Besides that, Guardian also had separate groups for training. Grace arbin and Cheon MooJin lead the main troops, and Kim ShiHoon was in charge of the elite troops¡ªthe ''Celestial Wolf Troops.''

    There was a chance that a full-fledged war would soon go into effect against the Demon Cult, so changing the strategies they were using could be worse for them.

    Fighting together but moving based on each side¡¯s judgment¡­

    That was probably the best thing they could do at the moment.

    "That''s right."

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­ Did you tell Mr. Raphael¡­?"

    "I didn''t say anything."

    "As expected."

    Gaia nodded.

    KangWoo hadn¡¯t revealed his identity.

    On the Cataclysmic Day, he''d fallen into Hell and had spent almost ten thousand years there.

    Thanks to that, he ended up having a demon¡¯s body.

    Of course, there''s nothing he could''ve done about it, but the angels probably wouldn''t even try to understand him.

    "I don¡¯t understand¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon frowned.

    KangWoo hadn''t be a demon of his own volition.

    Also, he''d cast aside his demonic energy and epted the strength of light.

    ''There''s no one more just and fair than hyeongnim.''

    He couldn''t help but feel anger after seeing the hyeongnim he loved and respected be chained to his past.

    "Well, from an angel¡¯s point of view, a demon is a demon."

    That was the case for Ludwig and Raphael¡ªit was incredible how much they hated demons.

    It didn''t matter what the reason was, but it was clear that they wanted to get rid of them.

    "Then¡­"

    "Yes. I think you should avoid talking about me, Balrog, and Lilith as much as possible."

    "Understood."

    Gaia nodded.

    "But he didn''t talk about receiving help from other archangels?" she asked as if she couldn''t understand it.

    Even angels were careful about that demon that was supposedly going to bring chaos and destruction to the world, so it was hard to understand why other archangels hadn''te and only Raphael was there.

    "I asked him that¡­ but he avoided answering."

    KangWoo remembered his conversation with Raphael.

    He¡¯d said the chances of Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and other archangels joining the war were low.

    ''I''m not sure why.''

    He wasn''t sure what was more important than catching the Demon of Prophecy.

    ''Well, since we can''t forcibly call them, I guess this much should be enough.''

    If more archangels began appearing, the n could get too distorted.

    Just Raphael was more than enough.

    "Then, please call and gather the Guardians in South America or the Middle-east."

    "The war against the Demon Cult¡­"

    "Yes. It''s going to happen soon."

    He nodded.

    ''This time, I''ll have to move.''

    * * *

    Even if he had other priorities, he couldn''t ignore it anymore.

    He''d heard through Lilith that there were huge movements in one of the big cult branches, so he was sure that a full-on war against them would take ce.

    "Yes. I''ll gather the forces in Africa, where Mr. Raphael''s forces are¡­"

    "No. The war probably isn''t going to take ce there."

    KangWoo shook his head.

    Based on where they thought Satan was hiding, there was only one ce the war could take ce.

    "The war''s probably going to happen in Russia."

    Thend of cold¡ªa ce covered with snow and ice.

    There was a chance that an all-out war was going to take ce there.

    "I''ll move the forces toward Russia. It might be good if we installed a few more gates."

    "I''ll take the Celestial Wolf Troops and train for fighting in the cold weather," Kim ShiHoon added.

    Even if yers were beings with superhuman strength, they couldn''t ignore the strength of nature.

    After all, there were cases of yers that copsed because they couldn''t get used to the jungle weather of South America.

    "I''ll also have to ask the Magic Tower for more protective gear."

    The Magic Tower was a factory of magic equipment in Korea, and those within always worked very hard.

    Normal protective gear restricted the yer''s movements too much.

    If you imagined a warrior whose main stat was Agility was wearing winter clothes, they''d be lucky if they didn''t roll in the snow.

    "Ah¡­ Now that I think about it, Mr. Kadga says he needs some vacations; he submitted a petition."

    Gaia gave him a few documents.

    KangWoo threw them away without hesitation.

    "This is all for world peace, so there''s no way they''re going to get vacations."

    "But still¡­"

    "Ms. Gaia¡­"

    KangWoo grabbed her hand.

    "I''m sure Mr. Kagda will understand. After all, we have no other choice."

    "¡­"

    Gaia nodded while making a troubled expression.

    "We''re soon going to be able to defend Earth from Satan," KangWoo said and lightened up the mood with a bright smile.

    He didn''t know if it was really going to be thest battle.

    There were still many things he didn''t know about Satan, after all, and he still didn''t know everything about the Demon Cult yet.

    Still, he was sure that the cultists that had been troubling yers all around the world were going to decrease greatly after the battle.

    "Fufu. If it weren''t for you two, such a day wouldn''t havee."

    Gaiaughed lightly while covering her mouth.

    She wasn''t saying that to lighten the mood.

    KangWoo and Kim ShiHoon¡­

    Those two that had been the ones to join Guardian thetest had be very important people that they needed.

    "Thank you¡­"

    Gaia bowed.

    Kim ShiHoon was surprised and tried to stop her.

    "If you''re so thankful, you should show some sweet scenes with Kim ShiHoon. Don¡¯t you both realize each other''s feelings?" KangWoo said, a smirk on his face.

    "Yes¡­ Yes?"

    "Hyeongnim!!"

    Gaia''s face reddened.

    Kim ShiHoon hurriedly ran toward him.

    KangWoo easily dodged Kim ShiHoon and patted him on the shoulder.

    "I''ll be able to feel relieved only after I see things work well for my little brother."

    ''More importantly¡­''

    He remembered Kim ShiHoon asking Balrog for a duel.

    ''Someone, please take him.''

    For some reason, he kept aiming to get the role of the main heroine.

    He wished for Kim ShiHoon and Gaia''s love to blossom from the bottom of his heart.

    ''Ms. Gaia, good luck!''

    ¡®Love and peace from the bottom of my heart!¡¯

    He put his hands on Gaia and Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders.

    "Then, I''m going to stop bothering you. Please proceed with nning the strategy and prepare for war."

    They say that love blossoms under hard circumstances.

    He wished for war against the Demon Cult to bring them closer.

    ''Please¡­''

    After patting them on their shoulders desperately, KangWoo turned around.

    "Mr. KangWoo, good job."

    Lilith, who was waiting outside, followed him from behind.

    KangWoo walked past her and asked, "Did you get any information?"

    Rather than preparing for war, he¡¯d told Lilith to research the Demon Cult as much as possible.

    "First, as expected, I''ve confirmed that the most movement ising from Russia''s branch."

    "I already heard that."

    Russia''s branch had more than ten thousand members.

    "ording to the Cardinal we captured¡­ It seems like two Phases of Evil have reached Russia''s branch."

    "Two? Satan and who?"

    "No. It seems like Satan hasn''t appeared yet."

    She shook her head.

    "Woah."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    ''That means¡­''

    Including Satan, three Phases of Evil would participate in the war.

    ''It seems like the effect was good.''

    He wasn''t sure why they hadn''t moved until then, but they all started to move for some reason.

    That probably showed how desperate they were and that they would put everything they had into the war.

    ''Well¡­''

    Leaving aside whether he was the Demon of Prophecy or not, Satan had publicly dered war on Raphael.

    He''d confidently said he would destroy the world, so it would be weird if they didn''t show any movement.

    "So¡­ do you have any information on the two?"

    "I''m going to show you a photo."

    Lilith tapped the air with her finger, and a screen appeared.

    He saw a human holding a rusty sword and covered in a blood-stained bandage.

    "He¡­"

    "He''s called Bloodseker. From what I hear¡­ It seems like he came from another world."

    "Another world? Are you talking about Ernor?"

    "No," Lilith answered while shaking her head.

    "I heard he came from Hwan."

    "Ah¡­ That¡­"

    He''d heard about that world during the fight against Lucifer.

    ''I wonder what kind of world that is.''

    Ernor gave the feeling of a fantasy world.

    For some reason, he felt that Hwan was a ce simr to the worlds that appeared in martial arts novels.

    ''What is this? Mixed nuts?''

    Did they think it would taste good if they mixed everything up?

    He clicked his tongue at thecent setting of the world.

    ''I wonder what kind of world it is.''

    He couldn''t tell.

    Beings from Ernor got involved in Earthly matters so much that it felt like it was just the next town over, but no one from the Hwan Continent had gotten involved with Earth.

    "The other one?"

    "It''s him."

    She passed the screen as if it were a slide.

    This time, someone KangWoo knew very well appeared.

    "Belphegor."

    He was the Archduke of Sloth.

    A purple demon about three meters tall was sitting in a wheelchair, and a demon that seemed to be his subordinate was pushing the wheelchair.

    ''That bastard is still sitting.''

    It wasn''t that Belphegor couldn''t move.

    His two legs worked very well. To make things worse, he was actually quite fast.

    It was just that he was toozy to move with his legs.

    ''How envious.''

    KangWoo''s dream was to be rich enough to not do anything, so he couldn''t help but feel envious of Belphegor.

    "Archduke¡­"

    KangWoo opened his status window.

    His Demonic Energy stat had stopped going up at 140.

    KangWoo was starting to feel hungry.

 Chapter 235: All-Out War (2)

    Darkness akin to ck clouds flowed down from a high mountain over a snow-covered field.

    The darkness devoured the sunlight, making the immediate area around the mountain seem like night.

    Inside the mountain, they''d managed to hollow it out and create a base to harbor over twenty thousand people and demons.

    [Yawn.]

    A demon, Belphegor, yawned while looking at the people all around him.

    He was sitting on a chair that looked like a wheelchair and frowned as if he didn''t like what he was seeing.

    [Why was the n pushed forward so much?]

    You could feel the annoyance in his voice.

    "I heard something happened."

    A low voice came out from someone that was covered in bandages¡ªit was an unpleasant voice that resembled a hook with an iron.

    Belphegor looked at the Bloodseker, the person standing next to him.

    [Something?]

    "I heard that the Demon King has appeared."

    SLAM-!!

    Belphegor got up after hearing what he said.

    [What?]

    The Bloodseker''s eyes shone as he got up.

    ''Belphegor stood up?''

    He''d never seen someone as sloth as Belphegor, not even on the Hwan or Earth.

    Although he had a perfectly working body, he moved in a wheelchair because he didn''t want to be bothered with moving. He also never took the time to listen to the reports that the apostles gave him.

    He''d stopped himself from reconstructing his body while his soul was locked inside his Hell Equipment because he couldn''t be bothered doing so.

    He also hadn''t taken the proper time to absorb the Root of Evil to obtain ''Divinity,'' so one could easily see how much of a sloth he was.

    [What nonsense is that?]

    That Belphegor got up.

    His face paled.

    It looked so pathetic that one couldn''t think he was an archduke, and there was fear in his voice.

    The Bloodseker frowned.

    "Is the Demon King that strong?"

    To be honest, he had almost heard nothing about the Demon King after all the time he had been working with the Demon Cult.

    He had just heard that Satan, Belphegor, and Mamon struggled against him in the past.

    [Is he that strong? That strong?]

    Belphegorughed in disbelief.

    "Isn''t he still a human?"

    Before bing an archduke, the Bloodseker used to be a human, so he knew the body of a human was fundamentally different from a demon''s.

    He had to put up a lot of effort to be able to get the power they had since birth.

    ''It took a lot of time.''

    He moved the demonic energy inside his body.

    To stand on the same ground as those that had been born with the destiny of being an absolute being called an ''archduke,'' he had to spend thousands of years practicing the demonic arts.

    He had absorbed the blood of thousands, tens of thousands of humans.

    ''But still¡­''

    In the end, he wasn''t able to go beyond Satan¡ªhe hadn''t been able to go beyond his limit.

    [A human?]

    Belphegor''s eyes trembled.

    He extended his hand and grabbed the Bloodseker''s cor.

    [Listen carefully. He''s a monster. A monster that has lost his mind!!]

    A human?

    Who would dare ignore the Demon King just because he was a human?

    No, to be honest, he''d ignored him at first.

    Demon King¡­ To be more precise, before he was called that¡­

    When he dered war against all archdukes, he''d ignored him because he couldn''t be bothered with that, and then¡­

    All seven archdukes lost.

    They were all devoured because of one monster.

    [Aah, how could something like this¡­ He¡­ he died! I felt it!!!]

    He''d felt his energy disappearing through the dimensional wall.

    Although his soul was trapped in a piece of Hell''s Equipment at the time, he''d clearly felt it.

    He''d been overly excited for a moment at the thought of bing free from that monster, but¡­

    ¡®He''s alive?¡¯

    [Ugh, aah.]

    Belphegor trembled in fear.

    The Bloodseker clicked his tongue while looking at him.

    ''He reminds me of a martial artist that has seen the Heavenly Demon.''

    Where he used to live in Hwan, there was a being who awakened fear in all people.

    The Heavenly Demon¡­

    Those that met that being were devoured by fear and lost their minds, just like what was happening to Belphegor.

    ''The Demon King is on par with the Heavenly Demon?''

    Nonsense.

    Bloodseker shook his head.

    Since his arrival on Earth, he''d met numerous rulers from Hell¡ªfrom Satan, to Belphegor, and Mamon, but they all felt worthlesspared to the Heavenly Demon.

    He was a god, someone that was on top of all demons.

    ''Even if the Demon King is strong¡­''

    There was no way he could bepared to the Heavenly Demon.

    There was a reason he''d used a forbidden technique and escaped from Hwan.

    He¡¯d realized he might never be able to be a ruler if he stayed there.

    ''One day¡­''

    * * *

    His eyes began shining with madness.

    He was following Satan because he couldn''t go beyond his limitations as a human, but he had the dream of killing them all and getting to the top, and to make that dreame true one day, he had to win the war at all costs.

    [W-we must run.]

    "What?"

    The Bloodsekerughed in disbelief.

    How strong was the Demon King that he was reacting in such a way?

    [I''ll go back¡­]

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    Belphegor had turned around when, suddenly, a darkness spread and grabbed his shoulder.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    He was shoved back into his wheelchair.

    A being wearing a red mask walked toward him, covered in darkness resembling a curtain.

    [Belphegor, sit down.]

    [Sa¡­ tan¡­!]

    Belpegor red at the being wearing a red mask.

    [What happened?! The Demon King is alive?! What nonsense is that?!!] he screamed.

    Satan put more strength on the hand that was holding Belphegor''s shoulder.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The huge mountain shook.

    [Ugh!]

    Belphegor moaned in pain.

    Satan kept talking while making a confused expression.

    [I''m also not sure.]

    [What¡­?]

    [I''m not sure how the Demon King was able to resurrect himself,] he said as if he were chewing something.

    The resurrection of the Demon King¡­

    After they reached Earth and found the Root of Evil, they hadn''t considered him a possible variable.

    That was obvious because he''d disappeared into the dimensional wall.

    One could safely go beyond the dimensional wall using Hell''s Equipment, but Satan had ordered Amon to make the Demon King sh with the energy that administrates dimension.

    Even a god shouldn''t have been able to survive that, but the Demon King had managed to survive.

    He hadn''t died.

    [¡­]

    There was a short silence.

    [What are you nning to do now?] Belphegor asked in a low voice.

    [We''ll have to fight,] he answered without hesitation.

    <em>BOOM.</em> Once again, Belphegor stood up.

    [Fight? Satan, are you out of your mind?!]

    [Is there any other way?]

    Satan red at Belphegor with cold eyes.

    One couldn''t reach an agreement with the Demon King¡ªthey''d realized that after fighting against him for a thousand years.

    That guy was¡­

    Crazy.

    [W-we should make him coborate with our n¡­]

    [He just thinks of us as food. You know that. Don''t you remember what happened to us, the seven archdukes, before?]

    [He never bares his teeth at his subordinates!]

    [Ah, so you''re going to be his subordinate?]

    Satan narrowed his eyes.

    Bing a subordinate of the Demon King¡­

    That was something they couldn''t do.

    It didn''t matter how scary he was¡ªthey were still archdukes.

    The blood of a ruler has been flowing inside them since birth. They couldn''t even fathom the idea of them being under someone.

    [Ugh¡­]

    [Forget about that. We have to kill him before he recovers his strength.]

    [Recover his strength?]

    [I investigated him a bit¡­]

    Satan kept talking in a low voice.

    [It seems like, unlike us, he arrived on Earth two years ago.]

    [Two years¡­]

    Belphegor''s eyes shone sharply as if he knew what Satan was trying to say.

    [It seems like he''s been increasing his strength while hidden among humans.]

    [That means¡­]

    [Yes.]

    Satan nodded.

    [He probably lost his strength because of the dimensional wall.]

    [¡­]

    Belphegor remained silent.

    The Bloodseeker, who had silently been listening, joined the conversation.

    "But weren''t angels going to participate in this war?"

    [Raphael¡­]

    The darkness surrounding Satan fluctuated.

    Because of the Demon King''s maniption, they couldn''t avoid a frontal confrontation with the angels.

    If they''d followed the original n, it was something that should''ve happened many years in the future.

    [There''s something I just thought of¡­]

    He thought of a way to face Raphael and kill the Demon King simultaneously.

    It should''ve been impossible before, but there was something he could do.

    Satan looked at the cultists and demons

    [Leaving that aside, where''s Kalgia?]

    "I''m not sure. The connection was cut short after it went to investigate the Demon of Prophecy."

    [Again?]

    Satan shook his head.

    [Well¡­ I guess this much should be enough.]

    Kalgia wasn''t going to be helpful in a war anyways.

    Kalgia was someone who specialized in summoning and ck magic¡ªsomeone simr to Amon.

    [Satan¡­ Can you really kill that Demon King?]

    [If things go ording to the n¡­] Satan said firmly.

    [And if we manage to kill him¡­]

    [¡­]

    Belphegor remained silent.

    He gulped.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine what Satan wanted to say.

    [We will be able to get the Sea of Demonic Energy.]

    [Exactly.]

    Belphegor''s eyes filled with greed.

    It was a reward so sweet that it could make him stop being a sloth.

    [Good. Tell me that n.]

    Belphegor took a seat again.

    ''Two years¡­''

    It was a short amount of time, even for a human who didn''t have eternal life.

    ''It''s possible.''

    He thought there was a chance they could pull it off.

    ''It''s only been two years.''

    A very short amount of time.

    ''Even if it''s that monster¡­''

    There''s no way he''d recovered his strength in just two years.

 Chapter 236: How To Tame Light (1)

    "There are quite a lot, huh?"

    KangWoo walked out of the executive barracks and looked at thebined army of Guardians, angels, and Light Watchers.

    A huge snowstorm raged over the mountain where thebined army was located.

    The weather was so harsh that it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine the cold instantly freezing urine before it could even hit the ground.

    Even if yers had superhuman bodies, they would obviously struggle in such weather, but there were no signs of struggle in their forces.

    "Finally, we''re going to be able to face the Demon Cult properly."

    "Once this is over, we will be able to return to our homes, right?"

    "I''m going to marry Anna if I survive this war."

    "Smith¡­"

    "Good luck! I''m sure you''ll be able to survive!"

    Not only were they not feeling cold, but they could even chitchat.

    The magicians of the Tower of Truth were a part of Guardian, and thanks to the equipment they''d made by sacrificing their holidays, the Guardians were able to brave the weatherfortably.

    KangWoo''s expression hardened when he heard their conversation.

    ''Smith¡­ are you going to be okay?''

    It was a death g.

    While leaving the poor guy behind, he entered the barracks again.

    Gaia, Kim ShiHoon, Chae YeonJoo, Cheon MooJin, Han Seol-ah, and Echidna, among others, were waiting for him there¡ªthe elite members of Guardian.

    "Ah, Mr. KangWoo."

    Han Seol-ah walked toward him with a smile on her face.

    "I prepared dinner, so, please, take a seat."

    There was kimchi stew in the middle of the meeting table.

    Usually, they would have to eat war rations, but they''d used their rank advantage to have a proper meal.

    ''After all, a person needs to eat proper food to be able to fight well.''

    Saliva started to gather in KangWoo''s mouth.

    "Thank you. There are quite a lot of people, so it was probably hard to prepare."

    "No. Echidna and Mr. ShiHoon helped me, so I almost didn''t do anything. I just taste-tested it."

    "Hngh! KangWoo, I learned how to prepare kimchi stew!"

    Echidna smiled confidently.

    KangWoo smirked and patted her, and Echidna rubbed her cheeks in her hands as if she were a cat.

    He sat down.

    There was a bowl the size of a washbasin with kimchi stew in front of him.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him in surprise.

    "Do you like kimchi stew that much?"

    "Of course. There''s nothing in the world that canpare in taste."

    Kimchi stew was the truth¡ªit was a wonderful thing.

    KangWoo grabbed the chopsticks.

    Chae YeonJooughed in disbelief.

    "Well, it isn''t that I don¡¯t find kimchi stew delicious¡­"

    But it wasn''t delicious enough to say it was the best food in the world.

    From what she''d heard from Han Seol-ah, he ate kimchi stew at least 10 times a week, and what was even funnier was that he ate enough kimchi stew for four or five people.

    Even if one loved a certain food, it was surprising that they would be able to eat so much.

    ''Well¡­''

    Chae YeonJoo grabbed the spoon and narrowed her eyes.

    She looked at KangWoo eating kimchi stew.

    ''I guess¡­ it''s understandable?''

    She thought of his past.

    Ten thousand years¡­

    His craving had built for an unthinkable amount of time.

    It was understandable if she considered that, during those times, he hadn''t been able to eat, drink, or enjoy anything.

    ''Well, if he likes it so much¡­''

    Chae YeonJoo coughed.

    ''Should I also try to make it?''

    It wasn''t that she was interested in him, but when thinking about how much help he''d given her, maybe it wasn''t a bad idea.

    She hid her cheeks and looked at Han Seol-ah.

    <em>ck-</em>

    KangWoo turned his head and picked up the bowl without caring about where she was looking.

    First, he grabbed a long kimchi and put it into a rice bowl; then, he grabbed a piece of pork meat with a delicate bnce of meat and fat and surrounded it with kimchi.

    He scooped arge spoon of rice and put it into his mouth, and the sour taste of kimchi and pork juice spread through his mouth.

    "Haa¡­!"

    His body trembled in excitement.

    After repeating the process several times, he put a bowl of rice in the kimchi stew.

    He only put some of the rice in the kimchi stew. He took a spoon of rice, ced kimchi and meat on it, and ate it.

    A satisfying taste spread through his mouth.

    If you take a spoonful of rice, cover it in water, and then eat it along with kimchi stew, it catches the sour taste of kimchi and creates a unique vor.

    "Haa¡­ Thanks for the food."

    "You¡¯re probably tired from all the battle preparations, so I prepared more food than usual."

    "Thank you, ah. I''m going to clean out the food."

    After cleaning his te, KangWoo washed the dishes and then stood up.

    "Oh, Seol-ah, Can you prepare more kimchi stew? A lot more¡­ Enough for about 100 people."

    "Are you going to eat all of it¡­?"

    "No. I want to take it to someone."

    Han Seol-ah tilted her head and prepared more kimchi stew with help from KangWoo, Echidna, and Kim ShiHoon.

    KangWoo had stockpiled a lot of ingredients, so they had enough ingredients necessary to prepare kimchi stew.

    He then took thepleted kimchi stew and put it in a giant box and used temperature-controlling magic to regte the temperature of the kimchi stew.

    "I''ll be going."

    He went to the angel base, separate from the Guardian base, with enough kimchi stew to feed over a hundred people.

    The Light Watchers had quite harsh looks on their faces.

    It seemed like they''d also found a way to protect themselves against the weather, so it wasn''t that they were upset because of that.

    There was probably only one thing that could make them look so upset¡­

    ''As expected.''

    KangWoo looked around and saw that the Light Watchers were eating some unknown soup.

    The angels were each taking care of their weapons and talking about the war against the demons that would soon take ce.

    "What brings you here?"

    An angel with six wings walked toward him.

    The armor he wore was more luxurious than what the other angels had. Not only that, but he had more wings than the others as well.

    The light shining from him was also on another level.

    "I''m Mr. Raphael''s loyal subordinate, Shargiel."

    The angel with short, silver hair introduced himself.

    Shargiel''s expression wasn¡¯t a very kind one.

    It wasn''t just Shargiel, all the other Light Watchers and angels were giving him a simr look.

    Although they''d decided to form an alliance at Raphael''smand, they still had animosity toward Guardian.

    ''This can make things troublesome.''

    The battle against the Demon Cult was going to take ce soon, and animosity between allied factions could pose a problem.

    If they had further conflict that gave birth to or intensified their distrust¡­

    * * *

    ''I won¡¯t be able to use them as I want.''

    The role the angels had in the war was very important.

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up.

    ''Is he Raphael''s right-hand man?''

    That seemed to be the case.

    KangWoo put down the giant box of kimchi stew.

    "That''s¡­"

    "Kimchi stew."

    "Kimchi stew?"

    Shargiel frowned in confusion.

    "I''ve been taking some nces at the angels and Light Watchers over the past few days¡­ and it seemed like they needed this."

    "It''s okay. We don''t need food."

    "Of course, that might be the case for angels¡­" he said firmly.

    KangWoo raised his hand and pointed to the Light Watchers.

    "But can''t you see how exhausted they look? Why do you think that is?"

    "It¡¯s probably because they feel sadness and anger at Ludwig¡¯s death¡­"

    "Of course, that''s probably one of the reasons, but the biggest reason is probably¡­"

    He opened the box¡¯s lid.

    The Light Watchers who smelled the kimchi stew suddenly had a new light in their eyes.

    Shargiel eximed in surprise.

    "Ah¡­"

    "Humans need something to eat."

    "We know that. That''s why we prepared¡ª"

    "What they¡¯re eating couldn¡¯t even be called military rations."

    Shargiel closed his mouth at KangWoo''s and made a troubled expression as if he couldn''t understand KangWoo''s words.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    ''I knew it.''

    Just like demons, angels had a body that didn''t require food.

    Thanks to that, they didn''t understand how important food was to humans.

    It was obvious.

    Just like humans couldn''t understand the sensation of pping wings, angels couldn''t understand the ''desire'' to eat food.

    They couldn''t understand how important taste was to people.

    There was no way a human could be satisfied by cheap oatmeal.

    If that were enough, the concept of cooking and preparing food would''ve never been born.

    Humans subconsciously craved delicious food.

    ''But¡­''

    The Light Watchers in Raphael''s camp were apostles that served angels, and the hierarchy was clearly defined¡ªthere was no way a private couldin to a sergeant about the army''s food.

    The Light Watchers were silent about that; naturally, it was slowly exhausting them.

    ''I wonder how they usually spend their days.''

    When the Light Watchers arrived on Earth, they looked normal.

    That was probably because, on Ernor, they could get delicious and nutritious foods without considering the angels.

    With their arrival on a foreign world, their food supply had vanished.

    "¡­"

    Shargiel remained silent.

    He seemed surprised and confused and quickly turned his head to look at the priests.

    They hurriedly spoke.

    "N-no!''

    "Oatmeal is more than enough!"

    "How could we lust over food as beings that serve the light?"

    Although everyone denied it, it was clear that they were just giving excuses.

    "I see. It seems we haven''t taken good care of the Light Watchers."

    Shargiel nodded.

    After hearing his answer, the Light Watchers walked toward KangWoo.

    "You. How dare you make such usations!"

    "We''re beings that serve the light. We don''t need food from a world like this¡ª"

    <em>ck-</em>

    As they walked toward him toin, KangWoo wafted the scent of kimchi stew toward them with the lid.

    A delicious smell spread over the apostles.

    "W-we don''t n¡­"

    Their expressions hardened.

    "Everyone¡­"

    KangWoo smiled brightly.

    "You can eat as much as you want. Even Mr. Shargiel said the angels couldn''t take good care of your needs, right?"

    "W-we cannot¡­"

    "A soup as red as blood¡­ We cannot eat something like this!" the apostles shouted.

    "Don''t be like that. Give it a try," KangWoo said in a cordial voice.

    "Ugh¡­"

    "You can always try it and then make a decision, right?"

    His words were as sweet and tempting as a demon¡¯s, but the Apostles couldn''t reject them.

    After all, they hadn''t been able to eat a proper meal since their arrival on Earth almost a month prior.

    "¡­"

    The apostles looked at each other; then one finally took a step forward.

    He grabbed a spoon and tried some rice and kimchi stew.

    "A-Ahhh!!"

    His eyes widened.

    "T-to think there''s food¡­ a-as delicious as this!!"

    The apostle trembled in excitement.

    Although it was true that Han Seol-ah''s cooking skills were great, they weren''t enough for someone to react like that.

    Rather than the stew being that good, it was more that their situation was that dire.

    They hadn''t been able to eat proper food in over a month thanks to the angels, so anything would''ve tasted great to them.

    "It''s an Earth food called kimchi stew."

    "Ooh!!

    "Kimchi stew¡­!"

    The apostles quickly began devouring the kimchi stew.

    As their empty stomachs began filling, the looks in their eyes started to change.

    "Ehem¡­"

    "We''re partners who are going to fight against demons together¡­ We''re really sorry."

    Instead of their previous resentment, their eyes were full of trust and confidence toward KangWoo and Guardian.

    "Hmm."

    "Just what kind of food is that¡­?"

    Even angels began wondering about the kimchi stew and started trying it.

    Their taste buds were weak, but they still reacted to the spicy taste of the kimchi stew, so they felt surprised.

    "We''ll provide you with food until the war breaks out in earnest."

    "Ah¡­"

    Shargiel¡¯s face reddened, he was also eating the kimchi stew out of curiosity.

    "Thank you. It seems like¡­ I was mistaken about Guardian."

    Their animosity started to melt down.

    KangWoo smiled while looking at the angels and apostles.

    ''As expected. To gain someone¡¯s trust¡­''

    ¡®There''s nothing like kimchi stew.¡¯

    KangWoo nodded while making a proud expression.

 Chapter 237: Who Dares To Judge Me? (1)

    About ten thousand people were moving across the snowy peak.

    They were Guardians¡ªthest hope of humanity.

    Elite yers from all around the world were starting to move toward where they thought the main Demon Cult branch was located.

    The closer they got to the war starting, the darker their expressions became.

    They recalled theirst battle against the Demon Cult in Tibet.

    They''d underestimated the strength of demons, so they''d struggled a lot after facing reality.

    It was true that they''d gotten stronger after constantly recovering lost territories, but still, the war felt different.

    It was obvious. After all, they were moving to fight against the Demon of Prophecy¡ªsomeone that was trying to destroy the world.

    Thankfully, no one had deserted.

    Lots of conversations were exchanged, and everyone was feeling a huge mix of emotions, but time still went on.

    "Here''s¡­"

    "The Demon Cult Base."

    The Guardians nervously looked at the tall mountain.

    To be precise, it wasn''t the main branch of the Demon Cult¡ªit was just the ce they thought the biggest branch was located in.

    Regardless, after Satan gathered his strength and forces around the branch, it was as if it were the main one.

    There were estimated to be more than ten thousand cultists within.

    They had also probably summoned demons, so there was a chance that the Guardians would be facing much more than ten thousand individuals.

    "Everyone, prepare for battle!" the young man standing in the front, Kim ShiHoon, shouted.

    His voice spread over the surroundings via qi.

    The Guardians nervously grabbed their weapons.

    "A d-demon!" one of the Guardians that had long-range vision abilities shouted.

    Everyone followed the Guardian¡¯s finger.

    ''There''s a disgusting amount of them,'' KangWoo thought.

    There were huge artificial doors located all around the mountain.

    As one of the giant doors opened, tons of cultists and demons appeared.

    ''There''s probably around twenty thousand.''

    There were more demons than expected.

    KangWoo frowned as he looked over them.

    "GRRRR."

    "KIIEEKK!!"

    Demons that were interspersed among the cultists let out chilling battlecries.

    There was a demon with tens of eyes, a demon with snake hair, and a demon with its internal organs spilling out of a gaping wound in its stomach.

    It seemed like they''d chosen the creepiest-looking ones to stand at the front.

    "Ugh."

    "Wh-what''s that¡­?"

    "It wasn''t that bad before."

    The Guardians hesitated when they saw the horrific-looking demons.

    "Wake up! Don''t let their appearance frighten you!" Kim ShiHoon said in a firm voice.

    That was easier said than done.

    Sight influences most of the other senses, after all.

    It was hard to stay calm when faced with such horrifying demons. Their appearance alone was nauseating.

    On top of that¡­

    "What''s up with this smell?"

    "Eek!"

    "Bleh!"

    The disturbance spread like a gue.

    A horrible scent spread through the air¡ªthe odor of rotten pus.

    It was hard to withstand, even for those who were used to fighting monsters.

    "Wake up!"

    <em>BOOM.</em>

    Cheon MooJin stomped and shouted.

    Light returned to the yers¡¯ eyes.

    "Focus! Do you want yourst moments to be filled with vomit?!"

    The yers gulped at Cheon MooJin''s words.

    "KIIEEKK!!"

    "Wipe away the dirty servants of light!"

    The cultists finally began moving.

    A priest wearing ck robes was controlling the demons.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes and looked at them.

    ''It seems like the Phases haven''t appeared yet.''

    None of the demons could be considered at the level of an archduke.

    KangWoo wasn''t at the front but at the rear.

    His job wasn''t to lead the battle.

    His role was to face demons that reached the level of an archduke¡ªdemons that couldn¡¯t be beaten with just numbers.

    KangWoo looked at the battlefield.

    "KUUOO!!"

    BOOM-!!

    A giant demon that was dozens of meters tall swung his club and screamed.

    A magic circle shone where it swung its club, and a huge explosion sted out.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    Something broke, and snow cascaded down in ever-increasing amounts.

    It was an avnche.

    Kim ShiHoon raised his sword.

    "Use the scrolls!!"

    They''d already thought of such a tactic being used against them, and each of the Guardians used the scrolls that had been provided ahead of time, creating a defensive wall of fire around them.

    "Agh!"

    "D-damn it!!"

    Of course, a few members were taken by the avnche.

    Kim ShiHoon stomped, sparing a nce at the soldiers buried beneath the snow.

    "Advance!"

    Kim ShiHoon''s scream announced the start of the battle.

    The yers quickly began running up the snow-covered mountain.

    The Demon Cult forces took out their weapons as if they''d been waiting for that.

    The war started in earnest.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    "Blue Dragon''s Dance!"

    Kim ShiHoon swung his sword while shouting the technique''s name on purpose¡ªit was a tactic they had prepared beforehand.

    Dozens of sword energies spread from him and cut through the bodies of the demons.

    As the picturesque young man annihted demons, fighting spirit soared among Guardian forces.

    "Kill them!!"

    "Those dirty bastards!"

    Raphael took a step forward, red at the demons, and raised his hand.

    Light began gathering around his hand, and a spear appeared.

    "To those that have been tainted by darkness¡­"

    <em>BOOM.</em> He aggressively stomped on the ground.

    His eight wings extended outward.

    "Let light judge them."

    "Let light judge them!!!!"

    The angels opened their wings and soared into the sky, rushing down toward the demons who were shing with Guardian forces.

    As angels and demons¡ªtwo fundamentally opposing forces¡ªshed, the battle that could havee straight from a myth went on.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    <em>Fwoosh-!</em>

    "AGH!!"

    "DIIEE!"

    The wounded began piling up on both sides.

    * * *

    Although the Demon Cult had the advantage in pure numbers, Guardian had someone that was much stronger than the demons.

    Kim ShiHoon and the Celestial Wolf Troops cut a clean path through demon forces.

    ''He''s doing a great job.''

    KangWoo smiled in satisfaction as he looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    The demons were being pushed back thanks to Kim ShiHoon and the Celestial Wolf Troops.

    ''If things go on like this¡­''

    He licked his lips.

    ''They''ll have no choice but toe out.''

    Numbers didn''t matter while fighting an archduke, but if two beings of archduke level fought and one of them had an army to back them up, that changed things.

    It wasn''t that archdukes were invincible.

    Even if the attacks were weak and small, they couldn¡¯t ignore the damage that would build up, and the archduke with the army would inevitably win.

    They would definitely appear before their forces were wiped out.

    "It should be about time they moved their heavy asses¡­"

    Then¡­

    He saw something strange.

    KangWoo frowned.

    "What are they doing¡­?"

    He saw about 500 cultists that had thrown away the ck robes and were wearing nothing.

    They raised their hands into the sky while kneeling on the ground.

    "Praise to the darkness!!"

    "Let the light fall!!"

    Their madness-filled voices spread through the battlefield, garnering the attention of Guardian forces, and¡­

    <em>Crack-!</em>!

    Their flesh tore apart, their intestines popped from their bodies, and their cranial fluid poured over the ground.

    It was a horrible and disgusting scene.

    Their corpses intertwined, and ck demonic energy rose up.

    The demonic energy from the 500 corpses gathered up, and a monster with a huge body appeared.

    "GRAAARRR!!!!"

    It was a monster with red skin.

    KangWoo frowned.

    "A barbatos."

    It wasn''t an ancient demonic monster like Halcyon that could think, but it was still a demonic monster from the 9th hell.

    Usually, demonic monsters didn''t leave their nests, but a barbatos was an exception¡ªit was notorious for roaming around and attacking anything in sight.

    "Fuck¡­"

    A curse left KangWoo''s mouth.

    The barbatos had another characteristic as well¡­

    ''I''m really going to puke.''

    Its body was made of corpses, and every time it moved, yellow pus poured down like a waterfall.

    A horrible odor filled the battlefield.

    "UGH!!!"

    "Wh-what''s that?"

    "Ugh! BLEH!!"

    ''This¡­''

    It was the wrong opponent.

    The Guardians could hardly take the odor wafting from the horrific demonic monster they had never seen before.

    On top of that, the ''physical specs'' of a demonic monster were higher than a demon¡¯s.

    KangWoo spread his hand and pulled a golden sword from nothingness.

    It was a bad opponent for him to stand still and just watch.

    <em>BOOM-</em>

    "What a disgusting monster."

    It seemed like Raphael thought the same thing as KangWoo, and he took a step forward with his spear in hand.

    An archangel emitting a white light joined the battlefield along with the apostle of the hero god that was emitting a golden light.

    "Huh?"

    "Woah!"

    The Guardians¡¯ eyes widened at the sudden appearance of light.

    The faces of the Angels and Light Watchers brightened.

    "To those that have been tainted by darkness¡­"

    "To those that have been tainted by darkness¡­"

    KangWoo and Raphael, two heroes, one with a golden light and another with a pure-white light, opened their mouths together.

    "Let the light judge them!"

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    KangWoo stomped on the ground.

    Raphael flew into the sky.

    Del Lain crushed the barbatos''s head, and the spear of light pierced its body.

    The seemingly vigorous barbatos died instantly.

    [So you finally appeared.]

    A ck fissure appeared from the barbatos¡¯s corpse, and a curtain-like darkness poured out of it that had a red, floating mask at the end of it.

    "Satan¡­"

    KangWoo raised his sword.

    "I came here to judge you."

    [You motherfucker¡­! Haa¡­ Haa!]

    Satan''s voice trembled after he saw KangWoo.

    He was trying to calm down, but it was hard.

    [Raphael!] Satan shouted.

    [The human standing next to you is, in reality, the Demon King!]

    Before Raphael could say anything, KangWoo spoke in a tired voice.

    "Are you telling such lies again¡­?"

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    He stomped on the ground and red at Satan.

    "Satan!! Everyone knows about your wrongdoings!"

    [What? You son of a¡­]

    "I haven''t forgotten! We haven''t forgotten that you''ve killed the Guardian Alec!! You also killed Reinald, the descendant of Hero God Tyrion!!"

    [Alec? Rei¡­ What? Who are they?]

    "You even bare your teeth against other demons, and you tried to fill the Sea of Demonic Energy with that terrible ambition of yours!!"

    [Hey, no¡­ You have the Sea of Demonic Energy¡­]

    "You made Saint Ludwig fall and did a horrible thing that goes against thew of life!!"

    [You crazy bastard!! Weren''t you the one who made Ludwig fall?!] Satan screamed.

    [I don''t know who Alec and Reinald are!! I didn''t even know that the Light Watchers were on Earth!! Raphael, listen!! Everything was nned by that¡ª]

    "Shut up, Satan!"

    <em>BOOM-!!!</em>

    The mountain shook at KangWoo''s anger, and an intense golden light that made it seem as if the sun had descended on Earth spread.

    The Light Watchers couldn''t help but kneel at such a magnificent sight, and tears flowed from their eyes.

    After starting to talk with the Guardians, they learned about KangWoo''s real identity as an apostle of Hero God Tyrion¡ªa light that eradicated darkness.

    As if proving that, KangWoo''s body was covered by a light that emanated with divine energy.

    KangWoo raised Del Lain.

    "How dare you insult me! How dare you doubt me?! How dare you judge me!!"

    ¡®I''m justice!¡¯

 Chapter 238: May Anyone Win (1)

    [You son of a¡­]

    Satan was at a loss for words due to his anger.

    The darkness fluctuated.

    He turned his face and looked at Raphael and the Light Watchers¡¯ expressions.

    ''Damn.''

    They didn''t believe him at all; they were looking at KangWoo with confidence and trust.

    [Ha¡­] Satanughed in disbelief.

    Gaining the trust of an angel was no easy task.

    The angels were a race of stubborn and inflexible beings.

    ''How did he gain their trust?''

    He couldn''t understand it.

    Raphael and his angels didn''t have a positive opinion of the Guardians.

    Their doubt had been eliminated due to the Demon King¡¯s machinations, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that they had been unable to protect Ludwig.

    ''Despite that¡­''

    The Angels and Light Watchers were looking at KangWoo as if he were their partner.

    No¡­ If he exaggerated a bit, they seemed loyal to him.

    Anyway, it didn''t change the fact that it wasn''t normal.

    "SATAANN!!"

    Raphael''s eight wings extended.

    Satan frowned.

    ''I guess there''s nothing I can do about it.''

    No matter what he did, he wouldn''t be able to make Raphael doubt the Demon King instead of him.

    Satan raised his hand, and the darkness fluctuated like a wave and took the form of a pitch-ck sword in his hand.

    Anger¡­

    It was the Hell Equipment that represented him.

    "Let Light judge them!"

    Raphael threw his spear made of bright, white light.

    Satan positioned the pitch-ck sword and blocked the attack.

    <em>BOOM-!!!</em>

    Light and Dark shed, and a huge impact shook the surroundings.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    An intense fight happened in the middle of the snowstorm, and the ferocity of their battle split the earth.

    [That dumbass¡­!] Satan said in an anger-filled voice.

    The dumb angel was being yed by the Demon King, and just watching it was making him feel sick.

    He pulled his arm back, and darkness gathered around the pitch-ck sword.

    He swung the sword upward.

    <em>Crack-!!!</em>

    * * *

    The earth split even further, and darkness rose from the ground like a fountain.

    Raphael spun his spear and blocked the darkness, and then they shed once again.

    An ear-tearing sound shook the battlefield.

    [Haa.]

    Satan''s eyes were shining with madness.

    Since things hade to that, he couldn''t just keep dodging and receiving attacks¡ªhe needed to be more determined.

    He had to renew his killing intent.

    He looked at the Demon King wearing that disgusting mask while covered by a golden light.

    - That''s called anger.

    He heard the Demon King''s voice in his memories¡ªhow heughed and made fun of him.

    ''How dare you¡­''

    ¡®How dare he say something like that to the Archduke of Anger.¡¯

    Anger filled his body, his head heated up, and his body temperature rose as well.

    Behind the red mask, Satan''s pupils and iris turned ck, and an elongated pupil appeared within his yellow eyes.

    [Good,] he said in a voice filled with madness.

    He gripped ''Anger'' with both of his hands and pierced the surface of the Earth.

    [Let''s kill each other, Demon King.]

    The crack in the ground widened even more, mounds of dirt scattered into the wind, and huge pirs of rock jutted from the crevice as if they were thorns.

    Then¡­

    <em>WHOOM-</em>

    It sounded as if nature itself was screaming.

    A secondndslide began that quickly grew in size.

    Bat-like wings unfurled, and he flew into the sky.

    ''Demon King¡­''

    He looked at the Demon King with deep, sunken eyes, then he looked down at the giant ck jewel gripped within his own hands.

    It was a fragment of the Root of Evil that he¡¯d brought with him.

    ''If I use this¡­¡¯

    There was a chance he could win if he used the Divinity within the Root of Evil.

    Satan''s eyes shone.

    [Come!] he shouted as he raised his pitch-ck sword.

    * * *

    "I¡¯m not stupid enough to answer your challenge, you idiot."

    KangWoo smirked.

    ''That bastard still has middle-school syndrome, huh?''

    He crossed his arms and watched Raphael rushing toward Satan.

    Satan and Raphael continued fighting.

    KangWoo watched from a distance.

    ''Not yet.''

    There was no reason for him to move yet.

    Of course, coborating with Raphael and fighting against Satan could be good because it was obvious that two-on-one was better than one-on-one.

    "Still, this is better if I want to avoid getting hurt."

    KangWooughed.

    If he joined the fight, then he already knew who Satan would primarily target.

    Satan''s anger would obviously be directed toward him, and he would prioritize attacking him instead of Raphael.

    If that happened¡­

    He and Satan would be the only ones getting hurt.

    ''I cannot let that happen.''

    Everything had to go as he wanted.

    He had to consider the worst possibility that Satan might have be stronger than he had been in the Hell of Nine Skies and that there was a possibility of Satan severely wounding him if they fought.

    ''Also, there¡¯s the possibility of Raphael betraying me.''

    The chances of that happening were low.

    Thanks to ¡®Ruler of Demonic Energy¡¯, Raphael hadn''t been able to see the traces of demonic energy he''d hidden.

    It didn''t seem like he fully trusted him, but at least he didn''t imagine he was actually a demon.

    ''Still¡­ you never know.''

    What if Raphael realized his identity in the middle of the battle?

    What if he walked toward him while he was wounded?

    As long as he was a demon and had the Sea of Demonic Energy inside him, he wouldn''t be able to fully trust a demon.

    ''On top of that¡­''

    He narrowed his eyes and remembered Satan shouting toward Raphael and him with confidence.

    ''He probably has something up his sleeve.''

    He wouldn''t be so confident if he didn''t have a hidden card, and KangWoo wouldn¡¯t allow himself to be the victim of that card.

    If someone was to be the victim, it had to be Raphael.

    "Come on, destroy each other."

    KangWoo smiled.

    None of the countless Authorities he had allowed him to see the future, so he had to take every possibility into consideration and¡­

    ''I have to do everything I can to ensure my victory.''

    He didn''t care who won the fight.

    If Satan killed Raphael, that meant archangels were beings that couldn''t be trusted.

    If Raphael killed Satan, KangWoo could react to however Raphael acted after that.

    It was the same when Lucifer fought against the Demon Cult.

    He had no reason to move on his own.

    ''Solving everything with my own strength is stupid.''

    It was something only a dumb person would do.

    Maybe it would make sense if there was no other way, but more than half of it could be solved if he did nothing, so why would he make a useless effort?

    ''Should Ie up with an excuse?''

    There was a chance of Raphael asking him why he hadn¡¯t helped in the fight against Satan, so he just had to be careful about that possible question.

    Preparing for that wasn''t that hard.

    ''There''s Belphegor and that guy called Bloodseker, right?''

    Although they hadn''t appeared yet, he could use them.

    "So¡­"

    There was one thing he had to do.

    ''Authority of Fake Color.''

    KangWoo used the Authority of Fake Color to create light sticks that he swung around in his hands.

    ''y! y!''

    ¡®Raphael oppa!¡¯

    ¡®Satan oppa!¡¯

    ''May anyone win!''

    * * *

    A spear of light followed him, and he swung his sword, letting out a wave of ck demonic energy along the sword¡¯s trajectory.

    ''Why?''

    He let out a heavy breath.

    Satan deflected Raphael''s attack while making a confused expression.

    Although he was fighting against Raphael, his mind was in another ce.

    ''Why isn''t heing?''

    The Demon King wasn''t there.

    He thought that the battle would take a two-on-one format, and he was expecting Raphael and the Demon King to attack him simultaneously, so obviously¡­

    He''d prepared a strategy based on that.

    ''Why aren''t youing?''

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    The pitch-ck sword collided with the spear.

    Satan pulled his hand back and swung his sword down, letting out more des of demonic energy along the trajectory of ¡®Anger¡¯ that rained down.

    ''Authority of Extinction.''

    Satan''s Authority could annihte anything it touched.

    The Authority of Extinction was within the des of demonic energy that were raining down.

    "It''s useless!"

    Raphael pulled his spear back and, as if he were stepping on air, rushed forward and threw the spear.

    Thousands of illusions appeared where the spear was going to fall.

    No, they weren''t illusions.

    Thousands of spears made from light appeared in a circle.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The des and spears shed, and thunder shook the sky.

    The huge impact swept everything away, and the dark clouds were blown away.

    The sunlight shone down on them.

    [Damn, damn it!] Curses left Satan''s mouth.

    His n had been ruined.

    He felt the Root of Evil he had ced inside him.

    He needed to have both the Demon King and Raphael within its attack range, and he still couldn''t fully control the power of the Root of Evil, so he didn''t have many chances.

    A trump card was called a trump card for a reason, after all. If he could freely use it, he would''ve done so at the beginning.

    ''Why¡­?''

    KangWoo wasn''ting.

    Although the battle against Raphael continued, no one appeared.

    [Come, Demon King!!] he screamed.

    [Fight with me!!]

    Why was the Demon King not trying to finish him off after driving him into a corner?

    He thought he was about to go crazy.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    [Raphael! Where''s the Demon King?!]

    "You''ve lost your mind."

    Raphael clicked his tongue.

    Demon King?

    What nonsense was that?

    "Aren''t you the Demon King?"

    His eyes shone sharply.

    The Demon of Prophecy that had the Sea of Demonic Energy inside him¡ªsomeone who had 666 different Authorities¡­

    If such a demon wasn''t the Demon King, then who was the Demon King?

    [Damn it! Oh KangWoo! Where''s that son of a bitch?!]

    "Did you think I would need a human to aid me in fighting you?¡±

    Raphaelughed in disbelief.

    He knew that the human Oh KangWoo had inherited the strength of Hero God Tyrion, but that didn''t mean an archangel should expect a human¡¯s help in fighting a demon.

    "I''ll avenge Ludwig''s death with my own hands!" Raphael shouted.

    [Fuck.]

    Satan thought he was about to go crazy.

    He didn''t even know Ludwig''s face.

    ''Where are you, Demon King?''

    Satan quickly started to look for the Demon King.

    At that moment, he saw an eye-catching light.

    Between the crumbled rocks, in a ce where he wouldn''t catch anyone''s attention, he noticed the Demon King watching them.

    [Th-that son of a bitch¡­!]

    He was waving neon light sticks and having fun while watching the fight.

    He was just sitting in a safe ce after inciting their fight.

    [Y-you piece of trash¡­ How dare you!!]

    His anger had crossed the threshold.

    Satan grabbed his own nape.

    [Ugh.]

    For a moment, his sight became blurry, and he felt that everything was spinning.

    Satan''s body copsed.

 Chapter 239: You Arent Prepared Yet (1)

    "Agh!!"

    "Cough!"

    A giant wave of snow and dirt swept the yers away.

    Kim ShiHoon quickly picked up his sword and shouted, "Use the second scroll!" in a hurried scream.

    A transparent barrier surrounded the yers as they used their second set of scrolls, but it wasn''t as effective as the first set.

    The protective shield was destroyed, and some yers were swept away by thendslide.

    Kim ShiHoon turned his face.

    "Damn it!"

    The secondndslide had just hit them.

    They''d already used the me barrier, so the secondndslide wounded many more people than the first.

    "Doesn''t he care that his subordinates are getting wounded?"

    Kim ShiHoon bit his lips.

    Unlike the first time, it wasn''t just the Guardians that were affected.

    No, the cultists had suffered more than them.

    He saw the cultists being swept away by the falling dirt, stones, and snow.

    "AGH!"

    "H-help me!!"

    Kim ShiHoon watched the cultists being swept away.

    His eyes widened when he realized where thendslide was moving.

    "There''s¡­"

    Thendslide was headed straight to where the Guardians and the Hwarang Squad were located¡ªthe ce where they tended to the wounded and gave orders.

    Also¡­

    "Ms. Gaia¡­!"

    Gaia was there as well.

    Kim ShiHoon fell into confusion and felt his mind going nk.

    - Come back to your senses.

    He heard KangWoo''s voice at that moment.

    It wasn''t his real voice, obviously¡ªit was an illusion, or it was him trying to hypnotize himself.

    He took a deep breath and calmed down.

    ''I have to stop it.''

    He had to stop thendslide before it reached the camp.

    ''Even knowing that¡­''

    How could a human stand against a natural disaster?

    There was a huge difference between causing a natural disaster and stopping it.

    You could easily cause andslide with an explosion, but stopping one was almost impossible for a human¡ªeven if he was someone who had inherited the strength of the Martial God.

    "Ugh."

    Kim ShiHoon stomped on the ground.

    ''I have to do it.''

    Not being able to do it? Rather than worrying about such things, he needed to move quickly.

    ''Celestial Dragon''s Rush.''

    He put more strength in his legs as if he were squeezing the strength from his body and followed thendslide.

    ''It¡¯s not moving very fast.''

    The farther down he went, the less steep the cliff became.

    They¡¯d used the second set of scrolls to create a wall that slowed thendslide, making its scale much smaller.

    ''I can catch it.''

    Thend fluctuated as if it were a wave.

    Kim ShiHoon stomped on the ground and spread both hands.

    ''Sword Control.''

    The weapons of the yers that had died fighting rose into the sky, and the dozens of swords served as a sort of bridge for him.

    "Ugh¡­"

    He had never controlled so many swords at once before, and it felt like his brain was melting.

    The qi inside his body started to fluctuate.

    ''I have to do it.''

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes shone sharply.

    If he didn''t do it, Gaia would be hit by andslide.

    <em>Tap, tap-!</em>

    He stepped on the swords and rushed through the air.

    His head started hurting even more, and his vision blurred.

    "Ugh, aah!!"

    He began thinking about how to use the qi, how to use Sword Control, and the wonders of the movement techniques.

    <em>Calm down-</em>

    He heard KangWoo''s voice again.

    He nodded and bit his lips.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The proficiency of ''Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style'' has increased!]

    A system message appeared, but he ignored it.

    He tried to control his breathing as he rushed over the swords.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    ''I caught up!''

    He saw the bodies of the demons that the wave of dirt and stones had pulped.

    ''Farther forward!''

    He had to get in front of thendslide¡¯s path.

    Kim ShiHoon kicked the air.

    There was nothing he could step on and the bridge of swords had run out.

    ''Then¡­.''

    He looked down and saw the wave of dirt and stones and stepped down on them.

    The huge pressure in the dirt tried to pull him down.

    "Haa¡­"

    * * *

    He took a deep breath and focused his qi on his legs.

    ''I have to read it.''

    He had to read the flow of the dirt and move ordingly.

    He stepped on a ce that was a bit more solid.

    Running on the wave of dirt was much more dangerous than running on top of water.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "Haa, haa," heavy breathing left ShiHoon¡¯s mouth.

    Finally, ahead of thendslide, he found a ce where thendslide¡¯s path narrowed.

    Their rearguard was just past that.

    ''I have to protect them.''

    It didn¡¯t matter how much it cost.

    He raised his sword.

    <em>Whir-!</em>

    The sword began emitting white light, and ShiHoon held the sword in front of him as he prepared himself.

    He raised the sword over his head and focused his qi.

    Then¡­

    [It seems like you''re Kim ShiHoon.]

    A demon sitting in a wheelchair appeared in front of him.

    Kim ShiHoon''s expression distorted.

    ''Damn.''

    The situation wasn''t good.

    He couldn''t focus on the demon that had suddenly disappeared.

    [Tsk. You''re trying quite hard. Don''t you get tired?]

    Belphegor, the demon with purple skin that was sitting in a wheelchair, started tough out loud.

    He yawned.

    [Anyway, I heard the Demon King cares a lot about you.]

    Belphegor spread his hand, casting out thick demonic energy like a that covered ShiHoon.

    "Ugh!"

    Kim ShiHoon gulped.

    ''Damn it!''

    He began feeling anxious.

    If he didn''t stop thendslide, the Hwarang Squad would get destroyed, but if he blocked it, he would get killed by that demon.

    It was the worst possible scenario.

    "Hyeong¡­!"

    He closed both eyes.

    KangWoo''s face came to his mind.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    [Hmm?]

    A giant hand appeared and grabbed the.

    <em>Crack.</em> The of demonic energy was torn away.

    "Balrog¡­?"

    [It seems like you''re in trouble.]

    Balrog smiled.

    A thrilling sensation spread through Kim ShiHoon''s body.

    At that moment, even Balrog''s horrifying appearance looked cool.

    "Where did that guy¡­"

    [Ah, that disabled guy over there that''s sitting on a chair is Belphegor. Despite looking so pathetic, he''s an archduke.]

    [What? Disabled? You son of a¡­]

    Belphegor frowned.

    Balrog patted Kim ShiHoon''s shoulders.

    [I''ll take care of that guy. You do what you have to do.]

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon fell into thought.

    After a little consideration, he nodded.

    "I''ll leave it to you, Balrog."

    His timing had been messed up by the archduke¡¯s interference.

    He needed to go further down to stop thendslide.

    Kim ShiHoon turned and rushed down the mountain.

    [Okay, then¡­]

    Balrog faced the archduke.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    The tips of his mouth went up as he clenched his fists.

    [Should we begin?]

    * * *

    "So you''re that Demon King."

    "Huh?"

    He heard a voice from behind while he was waving the light sticks.

    KangWoo slowly turned.

    He saw someone covered with blood-stained bandages, and the person carried a rusty sword with blood-colored demonic energy swirling around it.

    "Ah, you''re Bloodseeker?" KangWoo asked while smirking.

    The monster covered in blood-stained bandages nodded.

    "Yes."

    "You''re one chilly-looking bastard. Is that rusty sword part of your getup?"

    "What?"

    "It kind of looks cool. It''s as if you were saying, ''I don''t rely on weapons''¡­ or something like that. The concept seems cool."

    He nodded.

    He liked its aesthetic.

    "Ha."

    The Bloodsekerughed in disbelief.

    "You''re crazier than they said."

    "This is our first time meeting, yet you''re saying bullshit like that. You shouldn''t call someone you¡¯ve never met before ¡®crazy¡¯, You bastard."

    KangWoo frowned.

    Bloodseeker¡¯s eyes filled with anger.

    He readied his rusty sword whileughing in disbelief.

    "It seems like it''s impossible to talk with you."

    "You should say something like that after saying something properly, you bastard. After mumbling nonsense, the only thing you said was ¡®yes¡¯, ¡®what?¡¯, and ¡®ha¡¯. How can you say it''s impossible to talk with me when you''ve only said those things?"

    He felt as if it truly were unfair.

    The Bloodseker gripped his sword tighter.

    ''This is the Demon King?''

    He couldn''t believe it.

    Shouldn''t the Demon King be someone with a heavier atmosphere?

    After meeting scary beings like Belphegor and Satan, he couldn''t help but be disappointed.

    ''He seems no different from the bastards of Hao Bang.''

    His way of talking was light, and he also cursed a lot.

    Rather than a Demon King, he felt like a gangster.

    The Bloodseker looked at KangWoo with disappointed eyes.

    "I heard you reached the peak of demons with the body of a human, so I was expecting something great, yet¡­"

    "Ah, yeah. Since you mentioned a human body or whatever, there''s something I wanted to ask¡­" KangWoo crossed his arms. "You''re also a human, right?"

    There weren''t many things he knew about Ernor, but he knew even less about Hwan.

    He wasn''t even sure if that was a ce where humans lived.

    ''His body seems to be of a human.''

    He was covered in bandages, so he couldn''t be sure.

    The tips of Bloodseeker''s mouth went up.

    "Yes. To be more precise, I used to be ''human.''"

    <em>BOOM.</em> He swung the rusty sword.

    "But I''m not anymore. I studied the demonic arts for more than a thousand years to go beyond the limits of a human."

    He made a fishy smile.

    "There''s no way you could even imagine how long of a time that is. A thousand years¡­ Do you even know how much of an effort I made to go beyond the limits of the body?"

    From what he''d heard, the Demon King had obtained a power called the Authority of Predation¡ªhe''d epted demonic power without much effort.

    Wasn''t that too unfair? Compared to him, he''d trained for a very long time to polish his demonic arts.

    ''That was also the case for archdukes.''

    They had huge power since birth without having made any kind of effort.

    They were born to be rulers.

    How unfair was that?

    "There''s a limit to the power you can obtain without making any effort. Today, I''m going to show you that."

    The Bloodseker summoned up his demonic energy from within.

    He''d heard all sorts of warnings while talking with the archdukes, but he couldn''t ept it.

    ''There''s no way someone that was born as a human can use demonic energy better than me.''

    He''d invested almost a thousand years into learning how to control and regte his demonic energy.

    If he was fighting someone else that had been born as a human, there was no way he''d lose.

    ¡ªThat''s what he thought.

    "A thousand years?"

    KangWoo smirked.

    "You shouldn''t try topare things that aren¡¯t even in the same league."

    He got up and spread both hands, summoning a sword made of hellfire.

    "You aren''t prepared yet."

 Chapter 240: Defeated Soldier (1)

    [Ha.] Belphegorughed in disbelief and looked at Balrog.

    [Balrog, did you lose your mind?]

    Belphegor frowned and rested his chin on his hands, sitting in his chair in a rxed manner.

    He narrowed his eyes.

    Balrog¡­

    He was vicemander of the Demon King¡¯s army, and he was one of the demons that the Demon King liked the most.

    His strength couldn''t bepared to other great demons. It was also widely known that he could even give archdukes a run for their money.

    But¡­

    [You dare to face me, Belphegor, alone?]

    In the end, he wasn''t an archduke.

    There was a gap between archdukes and other demons that couldn¡¯t be ovee.

    Even if he''d received the Demon King¡¯s strength, even if he was the strongest among the great demons¡­

    That was it.

    He couldn''t beat an archduke.

    Archdukes were beings that were born to be absolute rules.

    Even in the Hell of Nine Skies, except for the ancient demonic monsters, no beings could fight against them.

    [What? Are you scared?] Balrog asked, a smirk on his face.

    [Ha.]

    Once again, Belphegorughed in disbelief.

    He lowered his head and tried to hold back hisughter.

    [It seems like you lost your mind after winning the thousand-year war.]

    Belphegor extended his hands toward Balrog.

    [Balrog, remember this¡­]

    He kept talking.

    [It was the Demon King who won, not you.]

    [You''re right.]

    Balrog waved his hand, and a whip covered with a dark-red me appeared from a ck fissure.

    He grabbed the whip, and the tips of his mouth went up.

    [And you lost.]

    [¡­]

    Belphegor remained silent and red at Balrog.

    The memories of the bitter defeat returned to him.

    It was extremely unpleasant.

    [It seems like you''ve forgotten how scary the world is due to the Demon King¡¯s coddling¡­] Belphegor said in a mocking tone.

    [You''re just a defeated soldier who couldn''t protect his owner.]

    [¡­]

    A defeated soldier¡­

    Balrog''s eyebrows twitched when he heard that.

    [Did youpletely forget about Beelzebub? Didn''t he used to be your owner?]

    Belphegorughed.

    Beelzebub¡­

    The Archduke of Gluttony.

    Among the archdukes, he was the only one who''d lost his position to another demon.

    Baal had killed Beelzebub and taken his ce.

    Before the war of a thousand years, the biggest war had been between Baal and Beelzebub.

    He''d lost his position as an archduke, and even the Hell Equipment recognized Baal as its new owner.

    Beelzebub''s subordinates were torn apart and eaten by Baal''s subordinates.

    All of them, save one, had died in immense pain.

    There was one demon who managed to survive Baal.

    At that time, Beelzebub¡¯s most loyal demon was called ''Balrog.''

    [Aah, I still remember how you looked when you lost your owner. You were a loser whose meaning had been stripped away, and you looked like a rotten corpse.]

    [¡­]

    [Hahaha. Did you go and find the Demon King that day to suffer the most miserable death a demon could?]

    The first day Balrog and the Demon King met¡­

    It was quite a famous encounter, even in the 9th hell.

    At that moment, demons thought that the most miserable death possible was death at the hands of a human.

    He was so remorseful at not being able to protect his owner that he craved death.

    [But to think that human would end up bing the Demon King¡­]

    Who would have imagined that the human he went to see to have a miserable death would be the Demon King?

    That was something no one could have imagined.

    Belphegor shook his head as if he didn''t want to remember that.

    [I''m still curious about something. The Demon King should have been weaker than you at the time, but why did you decide to serve him? Hmm? Did you really wish to have a new owner that badly? I wonder what Beelzebub would think if he saw you now.]

    [Belphegor¡­]

    [Pff, hahaha!! To think that you''d change owners so fast after the one you swore loyalty to died.]

    <em>Tsk tsk.</em> He clicked his tongue.

    [This is why raising a dog isn¡¯t worth it.]

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    The surroundings shook, and Balrog''s huge body rose into the air.

    He swung the ck whip covered with a dark-red me with an unbelievable speed.

    [Hngh,] Belphegor snorted.

    His Authority activated from his outstretched hand.

    ¡ªThe Authority of Stopping.

    The Authority that could slow down time within a certain area restricted the strength of the whip.

    The whip, which had initially been moving at a speed faster than sound, slowed down to such a speed that one could easily grab it.

    <em>Tap-!</em>

    Without hesitating for a moment, he dropped the whip, pped his wings, and shot toward the ground, smashing into it fist-first.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    Rocks scattered in all directions.

    * * *

    Belphegor''s expression distorted.

    His Authority of Stopping had a condition¡ªit could only slow time in ces he could see.

    Since his sight was blocked, the Authority of Stopping was dismissed.

    Balrog appeared from between the rocks, and a huge fist that resembled a boulder hit Belphegor''s head.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The chair Belphegor was sitting on was pushed back at a huge speed.

    Before the fist touched him, he managed to use the Authority of Stopping by a narrow margin and was able to protect his face.

    [Ugh!]

    Still, he wasn¡¯t able to fully mitigate the blow.

    ck blood dripped from Belphegor¡¯s mouth after he was hit by the demonic energy contained within Balrog¡¯s fist.

    With his back straight, Balrog spoke in a subdued voice.

    [Your tongue is long. It seems that, although your body iszy, your tongue isn''t.]

    [¡­]

    Belphegor¡¯s face twisted.

    He felt ashamed that Balrog, someone who wasn''t the Demon King or an archduke, had managed to hit him first.

    [You worthless, defeated soldier¡­!]

    Belphegor extended both hands and created a de of time with the Authority of Stopping that couldn¡¯t be seen or heard.

    It was an intangible sword that could twist time and cut through any target, and it sliced down toward Balrog.

    <em>sh-!</em>

    Balrog lowered his body as if he were crouching down.

    As the intangible sword touched him, the flow of demonic energy in that area became extremely slow.

    Balrog closed his eyes.

    Belphegor''s attack couldn''t be seen, so using his eyes would only bother him.

    He dodged the attacks using only the sensations he could feel through demonic energy.

    The movements his huge body made were so fast that they were hard to believe, and he quickly dodged Belphegor''s attacks and appeared before him.

    He clenched his right fist.

    As if it were alive, the whip on the floor quickly flew toward him and wrapped around his fist, which began burning with a dark-red fire.

    He twisted his body and pulled his fist back.

    [Do you think that''s going to work?!]

    Belphegorughed at him.

    He created a defensive wall with the Authority of Stopping.

    Everything that moved within five centimeters of his skin would start to move at an extremely slow speed.

    It was a defensive wall one could call ¡®definitive¡¯.

    [Sky¡­]

    Balrog He stretched his left foot forward and stepped firmly on the ground, as he pulled his shoulder back and lowered himself.

    He concentrated all of his strength on a single point before unleashing his fist in a disy of explosive power.

    [Break.]

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    It was one of the techniques his master, KangWoo, had taught him.

    Although it was just a punch, the theory and thought behind it was quiteplex.

    You needed to regte the demonic energy that flowed from your waist to the shoulder; the moment you punched, you had to make it explode all at once.

    Of course, if he used such a technique, Balrog would also be swept away by the recoil.

    However, Balrog had a characteristic no other demon had.

    Demonic Energy Armor¡­ There was a strong armor made of demonic energy that covered his skin, even if he wasn¡¯t aware of it.

    That unique characteristic protected his fist, and¡­

    [Cough!!!]

    Belphegor''s body bent like a bow.

    Along with the chair, Belphegor''s body rolled on the ground, and copious amounts of ck blood poured out of him.

    [How?]

    Belphegor looked at Balrog in confusion.

    Even if the strength in Balrog''s fist was powerful, it shouldn''t have been able to pass through his Authority that controlled the flow of time.

    That wasn¡¯t supposed to happen.

    [Damn it, damn it, damn it!!]

    Belphegor cursed while holding his hand, and Balrog slowly walked toward him.

    ¡®Defeated soldier¡­¡¯

    That sad nickname echoed through his head.

    - Don''t try to act like someone who''s gone through things. Back the fuck off.

    The memories of the past came back to him.

    - I wasn''t able to protect my owner.

    - What does that have to do with me?

    - I came here in search of you to pay for my crime.

    - What nonsense are you talking about?

    Since he didn''t seem to understand it, he exined how humiliating it was for a demon to die at the hands of a human.

    KangWoo hadughed in disbelief after listening to the exnation.

    - Ah, so you came here to die?

    - Yes.

    - Haa. I should''ve known when I saw your eyes.

    Heughed in disbelief and continued walking, ignoring Balrog.

    - Leave the drama for TV shows.

    - ¡­

    - Don''t bother me. Just fuck off. I''m busy at the moment.

    - You¡­ aren''t afraid?

    - What?

    - This is the 9th hell. It''s a ce governed by the archdukes. It''spletely different from the hells you''re used to.

    - I already know that. I heard it all beforeing here.

    - No, you don''t know it. You¡­ don''t know how scary the archdukes are. If you knew, there''s no way you wouldn''t be afraid.

    - Hey, you bastard, stop caring about what I do or don''t know.

    He lightly stomped on the ground and flew toward him; then he grabbed his cor.

    Balrog was finally able to look into his eyes.

    He looked into the ck pupils on top of his white eyes.

    - Ah¡­

    A thrilling sensation spread through his body.

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes were shining with a stronger craving than any demon¡¯s, no, rather than craving, it was closer to obsession.

    Chills ran through Balrog¡¯s body.

    Balrog already knew the name of the craving and ambition reflected in his eyes.

    - I don''t care if there are archdukes here or whatever¡­

    He kept talking.

    - What I have to do won''t change, after all.

    Answer evil with greater evil.

    A killing intent with a stronger killing intent.

    He had to devour everything in the world and take steps forward.

    - If you''re done talking, then fuck off. I have no time to waste with a defeated soldier like you. If you want to suffer a humiliating death, throw yourself into a group of demonic monsters.

    [HAHAHA!]

    Balrog, who was walking toward Belphegor, suddenly burst intoughter after remembering what had happened at that time.

    [Balrog¡­!]

    [Ah, it''s just that I remembered something from the past!]

    Balrog smiled.

    He raised his me-covered fist and curled his finger toward Belphegor as he spoke.

    [Belphegor, stand up. Hasn''t the fight just begun?]

    [Ugh.]

    He red at Balrog intensely before he ced his hands on the ground and pushed himself up.

    He ced his hands on the chair he was sitting in.

    [Balrog¡­]

    A thick demonic energy swept away the surroundings.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The wheelchair began to change form, breaking into fragments that joined back together in what looked like white, bone-like armor.

    [You made me stand¡­ I¡¯ll make you regret that.]

    Belphegor''s body was covered with the armor, ''Sloth'', from which a strong fighting spirit rose.

 Chapter 241: Defeated Soldier (2)

    Belphegor stood up after ''Sloth'' covered his body.

    A breathtaking amount of Demonic Energy that couldn''t bepared to before surged out of him.

    Balrog''s expression hardened.

    ''So now it''s finally starting.''

    While clenching his fist, which was covered with a dark me, he got in position.

    He''d been able to face Belphegor until then because of his fluke.

    If he fought with everything he had, the story changedpletely.

    [Let''s see if you really became strong enough to be able to say something like that.]

    Belphegor slowly raised his hand, creating more intangible des.

    The number waspletely differentpared to before.

    There were more than a thousand des.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    Every de that hit the ground tore the earth apart.

    Although it was weird to see the ground being torn apart due to time affecting it, it wasn''t that weird if you thought about it.

    The Earth rotated¡ªendlessly.

    The ''Power of Stopping,'' slowed down whatever it touched, so it made sense that the ground would be torn up like that.

    ''If that de touches me¡­''

    Even if Balrog had the Demonic Energy Armor, he wouldn''t be able to avoid being critically wounded.

    He spread his demonic energy and closed his eyes.

    He focused on the changing flow of demonic energy and dodged the des.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    [Ugh.]

    Even if he did a good job, it was almost impossible to dodge over a thousand attacks.

    His skin was torn apart wherever the intangible des touched him.

    [Die, Balrog!]

    Belphegor spread his arms wide.

    The power of the Authority that tampered with time spread like a curtain.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    Thend that was swept away by thendslide was overturned, leaving a huge crater.

    Balrog bit his lips while dodging the des pouring down on him.

    ''As expected of an archduke.''

    Up until then, he''d faced countless demons that had Authorities, but Belphegor was on apletely different level from them.

    Balrog stomped on the ground.

    If he stopped even for a second, he''d get devoured by the Authority of Stopping.

    If that happened, it would be the end. His body would explode if it got caught up in time.

    Balrog kept moving and looking at Belphegor.

    ''There''s a chance¡­''

    The Authority of Stopping wasn''t absolute.

    Although it was so strong it almost felt like a scam, it had many restrictions.

    For example, one couldn''t use it beyond what they could see

    ''It¡¯s slow.''

    That was its biggest weak point.

    If he moved faster, dodging the Authority wasn''t actually that hard.

    The archduke had created thousands of them to counter its weak point, which was the slow speed of the attacks.

    <em>BOOM-! WHOOM!!</em>

    Balrog kept moving endlessly.

    Then¡­

    ''Now!''

    An opening appeared.

    Another weak point was that he couldn''t move while he used the Authority.

    It was the perfect chance to counterattack.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    He lowered his body andunched himself forward. An intangible de brushed past his body.

    His skin was cut open, and his muscles were torn apart, but he ignored the attack and clenched his fist, gathering demonic energy around it in a sort of armor-like gauntlet.

    ''Wait for the perfect opening¡­''

    He had to attack him sessfully.

    Balrog shot forward at the speed of sound, and he swung his fist covered with a Demonic Energy Armor.

    He was aiming for Belphegor''s head.

    He didn''t put strength in his arms for a brief moment as it reached the protective aura around Belphegor¡¯s body.

    The moment he touched the Authority of Stopping, he would make his Demonic Energy Armor explode.

    As the demonic energy spread, it would block Belphegor''s sight.

    The Authority of Stopping could influence the area Belphegor''s sight reached. If, the moment the Authority was activated, he could block his sight by making demonic energy explode, he could sessfullynd an attack.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    ''Yes!''

    He felt a sensation in his fist.

    Balrog''s eyes shone, but¡­

    [Aah, so you were trying to use a trick like this.]

    Belphegor made a sarcasticment.

    The white armor that was covering his body spread around.

    It was as if a spider had opened its legs¡ªas if a predator had opened his mouth.

    The armor spread and wrapped around Balrog''s arm.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    [Ugh!!]

    His arm was torn apart, and ck blood poured from his wounds.

    Belphegor clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.

    [Tear him apart and kill him.]

    He gave an order to someone, and Balrog soon realized who he''d given that order to.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    The white armor that was covering his body changed its shape.

    Eight arms appeared that resembled the arms of a skeleton.

    The hands gripped Balrog¡¯s body and began pulling him in different directions.

    [AAGGHH!!] A painful scream left Balrog¡¯s mouth.

    <em>Crack.</em> A fissure appeared in the Demonic Energy Armor that was protecting his body.

    The Hell''s Equipment, ''Sloth''¡­

    How that Equipment worked was simple¡­

    It wasn''t that it could deal overwhelming damage or had some special capability.

    Rather than that, ¡®Sloth¡¯ could do whatever its owner asked of it.

    If he didn''t want to use his feet to move, it could be a chair with wheels. It could be armor if he wanted it to protect his body. If he wanted to kill an opponent, it would be a weapon and move on its own.

    While ''Sloth'' was moving, its owner didn''t have to do anything.

    [Ugh!!]

    * * *

    The eight arms pulled him and applied huge pressure on his body.

    It was simple, but it certainly wasn¡¯t weak.

    ''Sloth'' was a Hell''s Equipment that could perfectly cover for the weakness of being unable to move that Belphegor''s Authority of Stopping had. At the same time, it could apply huge pressure on Balrog.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    His bones broke, his skin split, and blood poured out.

    Balrog''s eyes were bloodshot, and his muscles inted like they were about to explode.

    Still, he couldn''t free himself from the strength of ''Sloth''.

    Belphegorughed at him.

    [Hngh. You bragged so much, yet this is your limit.]

    <em>Tsk tsk.</em>

    He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    [Did you really think you would be able to beat an archduke?]

    It was an unbelievable thought.

    Not only that, but thanks to having absorbed the Root of Evil, he''d gotten stronger than before.

    He was just the subordinate of the Demon King, so there was no way someone like that could beat him.

    Belphegor looked at Balrog as if disappointed, but his eyes soon shone.

    [Ah, now that I think about it¡­ Using you might be more effective than using Kim ShiHoon.]

    [More effective?]

    [For calling the Demon King to where I want him.]

    Belphegorughed at him.

    Balrog smirked.

    He wasn''t sure what they were nning, but it was pointless.

    [Do you think a hostage n would work against him?]

    [It will. Balrog, did you forget why the Demon King started a war?]

    [¡­]

    [Hahaha. Although he''s a crazy bastard, he does really care for his subordinates. Ah, is it because he''s crazy? Anyway, if you''re held hostage, I''m sure not even the Demon King would be able to do whatever he wants.]

    Belphegor smiled.

    If they had Balrog as a hostage, the chances of their n seeding increased.

    They would be able to kill that monster, the Demon King.

    [Then¡­ before taking you to the Demon King, should I pull apart your arms and legs?]

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    [UGH!! AGH!!]

    [Hahaha!! You''ll be able to see your owner dying in front of you once again!]

    A scream left Balrog''s mouth.

    The arms of ''Sloth'' were pulling his arms and legs.

    ''If it goes on like this¡­''

    Balrog bit his lips, even while being in huge pain.

    ''I''ll probably¡­¡¯

    His eyes sank.

    He imagined the battle against Belphegor, and a chilling fear ran through his spine.

    ''Lose.''

    There was no doubt about it.

    The archdukes were beings that were fundamentally different from the normal demons.

    It didn''t matter how much one tried or struggled, it was impossible for an average demon to be able to beat an archduke.

    ''Oh well¡­''

    If it were simple, there''s no way the position of an archduke would''ve changed only once since the Hell of the Nine Skies was created.

    The archdukes were born as archdukes from the beginning¡ªthey were absolute beings that were born to be rulers.

    There were only two beings that were able to break through that rule¡­

    ''Baal and the Demon King.''

    During the long history of the Hell of Nine Skies, only those two were able to break that mold.

    ''No¡­''

    Balrog smiled.

    He clenched his fist and raised demonic energy from inside his body.

    Only?

    ''Already two have won.''

    The chances weren''t zero.

    Archdukes weren''t invincible¡ªthey''d lost in the past.

    It didn''t matter how arrogantly they behaved and talked.

    ''The Demon King beat them.''

    KangWoo had beaten them.

    Of course, it wasn''t that they didn''t suffer losses. No, they''d suffered countless losses.

    Numerous subordinates died, and there were a few that the Demon King really cared about.

    All¡­

    Had died.

    - Balrog¡­

    A memory of the past came back to him from when he''d already spent a lot of time with KangWoo.

    Just like when he''d met him for the first time, KangWoo also looked like a corpse.

    - I''m tired.

    It was what he''d said while sitting over countless corpses.

    He remembered that time.

    They''d gone through numerous, desperate situations, but still¡­

    By oveing a huge difference, even under the worst possible conditions, he''d stood and stepped forward, and in the end¡­

    He won.

    ''Then¡­''

    He could also ovee the pain.

    No, as someone that served the Demon King, he had to ovee it.

    He had to make the impossible possible.

    If he couldn¡¯t, he didn''t have the right to serve him¡ªto walk next to him.

    He couldn''t lessen the burden on his shoulders.

    - Don''t overdo things. I don''t need your help.

    That''s what KangWoo would say if he looked at Balrog¡¯s situation.

    He would ask why he hadn''t asked for help.

    In reality, asking for help wasn''t hard¡ªhe had themunication device KangWoo had given him and told him to use it whenever he needed help.

    He would probably appear in the blink of an eye if he called him.

    And¡­

    ''He''ll probably try to carry the burden on his own.''

    Once again, he would walk alone with such a heavy burden on his shoulders, and then he would reach a really high ce¡ªjust like he always did.

    Just like he''d done numerous times over the past thousand years.

    He would walk farther and farther.

    [I''m tired.]

    [What?]

    [I''m tired of not being able to protect my owner.]

    Balrog smiled.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    The sound of something breaking and tearing apart split the air.

    What was torn apart wasn''t Balrog''s arms and legs¡­

    [What the¡­?]

    A fissure began appearing in ¡®Sloth¡¯s¡¯ arms.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    Balrog''s giant body fell to the ground with demonic energy covering it.

    He resembled a medieval knight with the way demonic energy covered his body.

    He pped the bat wings that were on his back.

    Balrog''s two eyes widened.

    His pupils, which could be seen from behind the full-ted armor, were yellow.

    His ck eyes were torn horizontally¡ªsimr to KangWoo¡¯s

    [Now¡­]

    He remembered when he drank with KangWoo.

    At that time, a smile appeared on his face¡ªhe seemed happy.

    It was a smile he hadn''t been able to see in Hell.

    ''I''ve already failed once¡­''

    He hadn''t been able to protect his owner.

    That wasn''t going to happen twice.

    [I''m going to protect my King.]

 Chapter 242: Defeated Soldier (3)

    [Damn it! What the¡­?!]

    Belphegor''s expression hardened.

    He held the destroyed ¡®Sloth¡¯ in his hands.

    He sent demonic energy into it, and ¡®Sloth¡¯ changed form and recovered its original state.

    Unlike other Hell Equipments, ¡®Sloth¡¯ wasn''t indestructible.

    If it was destroyed, it could be restored immediately; then it could transform and destroy the opponent.

    ''Even so, there''s no way Balrog could destroy a Hell''s Equipment.''

    If he could destroy Hell''s Equipment, that meant he could rival an archduke.

    ¡®Sloth¡¯ wasn''t an equipment that an average demon could destroy, but Balrog had destroyed it using only his strength.

    Which meant¡­

    ''That guy¡­''

    It meant Balrog really had enough power to rival an archduke.

    [How dare you¡­]

    Belphegor''s eyes red in anger¡ªhis pride as an archduke had been stepped on.

    Not even the Demon King had made him feel that way.

    Although the Demon King was a human, he had the scam-like Authority of Predation, so just like an archduke, one could say he was naturally born.

    In Balrog¡¯s case, it was different.

    There was a rumor in hell that it was impossible for average demons to beat him, but that was it¡­

    [How dare a defeated soldier like you try to take an archduke¡¯s position!!]

    Balrog didn''t have an Authority.

    Although he had a power called Demonic Energy Armor, that was more like a characteristic¡ªit wasn''t an Authority.

    Balrog was destined to forever be under the archdukes.

    To think that someone who had to crawl on the ground dared to bare his teeth against an archduke¡­

    There''s no way Belphegor could ept something like that.

    [Die!!]

    He spread the Authority of Stopping.

    The strength of the Authority spread like a curtain and pressured Balrog from all sides.

    ¡®Sloth¡¯ returned to its original state, and the eight arms rushed toward Balrog.

    [Haa¡­]

    Balrog took a deep breath. A ck armor¡ªa strength he had never experienced before¡ªwas covering his body.

    ''Is this thanks to the Demon King?''

    Balrog narrowed his eyes.

    His soul was connected to KangWoo''s.

    After KangWoo obtained greater strength, Balrog also became stronger.

    ''I''m sure it isn''t only that.''

    He smirked.

    The only thing that KangWoo could give him was demonic energy.

    Just because his demonic energy increased didn¡¯t mean he could suddenly use a new power like he was doing.

    The power was something created by his loyalty toward the Demon King and the increased amount of avable demonic energy.

    It was created from both of those factors.

    ''Well, either way. It doesn''t matter.''

    Balrog turned around.

    He clenched his fists and felt the ck armor''s power surrounding his body.

    It didn''t matter why he''d awakened such a strength¡­

    What mattered was that it enabled him to fight against Belphegor.

    In addition to that¡­

    ''My King¡­''

    He saw an image of KangWoo walking alone, far up above, carrying an overbearing weight on his shoulders.

    It was always like that.

    KangWoo always walked on a lonely road that no one else could follow.

    ''Now¡­''

    Balrog''s eyes shone sharply.

    <em>CRACK-!!</em>

    The Demonic Energy Armor covering his body moved, and demonic energy poured out of

    ''I''m going to walk with you.''

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    Balrog''s body, which was covered by ck armor, shot forward at an incredible speed.

    The Authority of Stopping spread like a curtain and pressured him from all sides.

    ''Down.''

    There was only one way he''d be able to dodge.

    Balrog raised his right arm, and ck armor covered it where his skin had been torn.

    ''How interesting.''

    Although it was armor made of demonic energy, it moved as naturally as if it were his own arm.

    Balrog smirked and smashed his fist down.

    The earth seemingly exploded, and Balrog passed through the dirt and rubble, moving through the ground at an incredible speed.

    The earth rippled like waves.

    <em>Paf-!</em>

    The soil scattered away.

    As he emerged, the eight arms of ''Sloth'' applied pressure on him.

    Balrog''s eyes shone sharply.

    ''If I could destroy it once, I can do it twice!''

    He ignored the arms and rushed forward.

    [E¡­ eek!!]

    Belphegor''s expression distorted.

    Balrog was rushing forward as if he were a train, so he created a defensive wall with the Authority of Stopping.

    TSSSS-!!!

    Demonic energy exploded outward from Balrog¡¯s armor and blocked Belphegor¡¯s vision.

    The Authority of Stopping was dismissed.

    [N-no¡­!]

    [Sincere¡­!]

    Balrog twisted his body and pulled his arm back to the limit.

    <em>ck.</em>

    The ck armor covering his arm spread, leaking demonic energy.

    He stepped forward with his left foot and released the punch that had been pulled back to its limit.

    [Punch!!]

    <em>CRACK-!!</em>

    He punched Belphegor''s head with all the strength he had.

    * * *

    <em>Ting-.</em>

    [Your subordinate ''Balrog'' has obtained the ''Overlord''s Armor.'']

    "Hmm?"

    A blue message window appeared in front of him.

    KangWoo tilted his head.

    "What''s this?"

    He''d heard the news that Balrog had obtained a new technique.

    It was good news, of course, but the timing was a bit weird.

    ''Don''t tell me¡­''

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    He¡¯d ordered Balrog to figure out Belphegor''s location and report to him.

    ''Did he start fighting him?''

    If not, receiving such a message made no sense.

    "That damn muscle pig."

    He frowned and felt anxious.

    Balrog was strong.

    ''But¡­''

    That was it.

    If he faced Belphegor in a one-on-one, he would most likely not be able to resist and end up losing.

    "Damn." KangWoo cursed and anxiously bit his lips.

    Balrog was his ''Subordinate,'' but he wasn''t someone he''d used the Authority of Subordination on, so he couldn''t see through his eyes.

    ''Authority of Observation.''

    The spectrum of what he could see increased¡ªit was as if he had an aerial view.

    He looked at where Balrog and Belphegor were fighting.

    "Haa¡­"

    He was finally able to sigh in relief.

    ''You idiot.''

    He clearly told him to report to him as soon as he saw him.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue and turned his head.

    "Ah, ugh. Agh¡­"

    The monstrous person was covered in blood-stained bandages, and his body trembled while he gripped his sword that had been snapped in half.

    "Just¡­ how?"

    The Bloodseker looked at KangWoo in confusion.

    He''d heard a lot about the Demon King, and he knew how much of an incredibly strong and foreign being he was.

    "Cough! Cough!"

    The Bloodseker vomited blood.

    ''To think that he''d be¡­ this overwhelming''

    He wasn''t able to defend himself even once.

    His demonic arts, which he''d trained for almost a thousand years, weren''t able to reach the Demon King.

    <em>Tap, tap-</em>

    The Demon King walked toward him, and Bloodseeker raised his head to look up at him.

    Other than the sharpness in his eyes, he didn¡¯t have many unique features¡­ but to him, that face looked scarier than any other.

    "Ugh, AGH!"

    The Bloodseker screamed as if he were having a seizure.

    He leaped forward, his rusty, broken sword gripped in his hands.

    The demonic energy that he had trained for a thousand years wrapped around the rusty sword in a blood-red color.

    Blood arts¡­

    It was a demonic art that allowed him to turn his grudge to demonic energy.

    He''d gone through a lot to be able to control it, and he had resisted the voices of the deceased and withstood horrible nightmares.

    Even Satan had recognized his strength and given him the position of a ''Phase.''

    ''But then¡­''

    How could he lose in such a way?

    "DIEE!!"

    He targeted KangWoo''s head with the rusty, broken sword, and it looked like KangWoo was about to be cut in half.

    KangWoo smirked and raised his arms, grabbing the rusty sword with his bare hands.

    <em>Tap-</em>

    "Haagh!!"

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes while touching the demonic energy that was shining with a bloody-red color.

    ''So this is how they stack demonic energy in Hwan?''

    He was interested in it and tested it with his demonic energy to find out how it was made.

    He nodded his head.

    "Is it about turning negative emotions into demonic energy? To think something like this is possible¡­"

    To think he''d be able to turn the grudges inside the blood into demonic energy.

    It was certainly interesting.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue as he checked the demonic energy¡¯s structure.

    "How ineffective."

    Extracting the grudges in the blood and turning them into demonic energy was quite ineffective.

    There''s no way that turning something like a negative emotion into something that could exercise physical strength would be easy.

    Actually, it was quite bad.

    ''The Celestial Dragon''s Psyche Style is better.''

    At least that allowed you to concentrate the widespread energy into your dantian and use it more effectively.

    Compared to that, the blood art was quite ineffective.

    "Wh-what?"

    "Your martial art is trash."

    "W-wait¡­ How did you figure out I turned grudges into demonic energy¡­?"

    The Bloodseker¡¯s eyes trembled.

    Turning grudges into demonic energy was something he''de up with, but still¡­

    How¡­?

    "You were able to figure that out just from touching the demonic energy?''

    He seemed confused, and KangWoo smirked.

    "It isn''t that hard. Although they''re slightly different, it doesn''t change the fact that they''re all fundamentally demonic energy."

    "¡­"

    "If you check how the demonic energy is arrayed, you can easily figure it out."

    "What¡­?"

    What was he talking about?

    "If I check how demonic energy moves inside your body, I can easily figure out its structure and theory."

    "Wh-what? There''s no way something like that is possible."

    The Bloodseker moved demonic energy through his blood.

    If KangWoo was really doing it like he said, he needed to watch the flow of demonic energy through tens of thousands of blood vessels.

    When straightened, a human¡¯s blood vessels could reach up to 120,000km.

    That was enough to go around the Earth twice.

    He had been able to analyze the demonic energy moving over such a distance in an instant?

    "It''s possible if you try it hard enough."

    KangWoo smirked.

    "Nonsense!! There''s no way something like that is possible with will alone!!" the Bloodseker shouted as if he were about to have a seizure.

    "No. It''s possible. Bastards that never even tried it are always the ones that react like this."

    <em>Tsk tsk</em>. KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    ''The youngsters these days don''t know what effort is.''

    He shook his head.

    "How could you lie like¡ª"

    "Did you ever have a sea inside your body?"

    "What?"

    "If you did, you would realize how much work it takes to stop it from overflowing."

    A seemingly bottomless Sea of Demonic Energy¡­

    "There are only three embankments, but even those don''t work properly. If I don''t regte it actively, the sea will overflow, and I''ll die."

    "¡­"

    "That''s why, at all times, while eating, shitting, sleeping, when I''mughing and having fun, when I''m crying because I''m sad, or when I''m angry because of something that happened¡­"

    Even while breathing¡­

    He had to control and regte his demonic energy at all times if he wanted to survive.

    "Doing this kind of thing isn''t that hard."

    "¡­"

    The Bloodseker couldn''t understand what he was talking about, but what he said was true.

    If he really had a sea inside his body constantly trying to overflow¡­

    "Just why?"

    Why hadn''t he given up?

    Why do something so crazy for all eternity?

    It was a crazy thing to do; it wasn''t something that someone right in his mind would do.

    It would be like being intoxicated every single second.

    There''s no way a human would be able to handle such pain.

    "Why are you asking something so obvious?"

    KangWooughed in disbelief.

    Why had he not just given up? Was there a need to exin why?

    "I didn''t want to die."

    "Ah, ugh."

    The Bloodseker''s body trembled.

    He looked into the Demon King''s eyes and saw the intense craving within.

    ''This¡­''

    It was a craving he knew. No, it was something that all living beings knew.

    I want to live.

    I don''t want to die.

    Desperately resisting to thest breath¡­

    Even if he had to struggle¡­

    He was going to survive.

    He read the craving in his eyes.

    "¡­"

    The Bloodseker remained silent.

    A thousand years vs. ten thousand¡­

    It wasn''t a matter of difference in time¡ªthe quality was different.

    The voices of the deceased? Who cared about that?

    The Demon King beat death at every moment. Numerous times every single second.

    "You¡­"

    He remembered Belphegor''s words.

    The Bloodseker''s body trembled.

    "You''re crazy."

    "I told you¡­"

    KangWooughed.

    "You aren''t ready yet."

    <em>Crack</em>. The Bloodseeker¡¯s head exploded.

    KangWoo looked up into the sky.

    The battle between Satan and Raphael was still going on.

    "Satan¡­ although he suddenly copsed at the beginning, he''s doing quite a good job."

    As if he were struggling with blood pressure, he grabbed the back of his neck and rolled on the ground.

    Although Raphael was one-sidedly beating up Satan at one point, he had returned to his senses and was fighting Raphael intensely.

    He''d definitely be stronger than when he used to be in Hell.

    "So¡­"

    The tips of KangWoo''s mouth went up, and he looked at the fight between the two.

    "I wonder who''s going to win."

    The result would soon make itself known.

 Chapter 243: The Truth Comes To Light (1)

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    The pitch-ck sword and spear shed and shook the sky.

    "Ah, aah."

    "Mr. Raphael¡­!"

    The angels and Light Watchers clenched their fists as they watched Satan sh with Raphael.

    "Mr. Shargiel¡­"

    "Sh-should we still watch and do nothing?"

    Shargiel remained silent.

    He raised his head and looked into the sky.

    He couldn''t interfere in their battle.

    The difference in strength was too high.

    ''Titan¡­''

    He remembered the story of a giant they said used to rule over the world long ago in the era of myths.

    Satan and Raphael were fighting so intensely that it looked like a fight between the giants that appeared in those myths.

    "There''s nothing we can do about it."

    Shargiel shook his head and anxiously bit his lip.

    ''Mr. Raphael¡­''

    He wished for the light to win.

    "Leave the Demon of Prophecy to Mr. Raphael. We need to deal with the other demons."

    Shargiel turned around.

    There were still many cultists left.

    ''Those demons¡­''

    He red with hatred at the Demon Cult and gave an order to the angels and Light Watchers.

    "Kill them all. If they side with darkness, it doesn''t matter if they''re young or old. Let the judgment of light fall onto all those tainted by darkness!"

    "Let light judge them!"

    "Let light judge them!"

    The angels grabbed their weapons and flew toward the cultists.

    Shargiel breathed heavily while making a tired expression.

    He had fought against thousands of demons in the forefront, so he had be very tired.

    ''If it happens here¡­''

    Seraphim had taken part in the mythic years.

    He thought of the angel that had sacrificed himself to seal a huge darkness.

    Shargiel shook his head.

    ''It isn''t time to think of things like that.''

    Even at that moment, some demon forces were devouring the light.

    He gripped his sword that was shining with a silver light.

    "Let light judge them."

    He stomped on the ground without hesitation.

    * * *

    In the air, where Satan and Raphael were shing¡­

    [AAGGHH!]

    An angry scream left Satan''s mouth.

    He swung his sword while having lost his mind because of ''Anger.''

    Raphael managed to block his attack.

    The Authority of Extinction was a destructive Authority that destroyed everything it touched, and it was putting him in danger.

    [Ugh.]

    Satan''s strength was incredible.

    Raphael gulped.

    ''This¡­''

    It was the strength of the Demon of Prophecy.

    Raphael kept fighting while swinging the spear of light, and he calmly blocked all of Satan''s attacks.

    Each time he blocked an attack, a huge impact shook his body.

    ''Where did he gain such strength?''

    The war of a thousand years was a long war they said had taken ce in Hell.

    They didn''t know who had caused that war and who had won, but what angels knew was that, thanks to that war, Hell had almost been destroyed.

    Angels thought that was an opportunity, and led by Michael, they increased their strength.

    ''But¡­''

    Lucifer and even Satan had be stronger than before.

    Raphael looked at Satan with a troubled expression.

    It wasn''t strong enough that he couldn''t handle him.

    No, even if that had been the case, he couldn¡¯t back off.

    "Ludwig¡­" he mumbled.

    Raphael pointed his spear at Satan with a re on his face.

    "Satan! Free Ludwig!"

    Ludwig had fallen after bing an undead.

    An honest servant of light couldn''t meet such a tragic end.

    [I don''t know! I don''t know who that bastard is and where he is!!]

    "How dare you tell such a lie!" Raphael angrily replied.

    To think he''d try to act dumb¡­

    Wasn''t it Satan who''d told him toe at him and that he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape?

    "What nonsense are you nning?!"

    [No! No!! I didn''t make Ludwig fall!!]

    "Nonsense! I saw with my own two eyes how you made Ludwig fall!"

    [That wasn''t me!!]

    It didn''t make sense.

    Raphael''s expression distorted.

    "How shameless can you demons can be?!"

    [I TOLD YOU IT WASN''T ME!!!]

    Satan twisted his body as if he were about to go crazy.

    He scattered away the ck sword energy and screamed in agony.

    [Demon King,e out! You fucker!! I''m going to reveal the truth here!! I''m going to take off your disgusting mask!!]

    Satan spread his sword energy to find the Demon King he couldn''t see.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    A destructive power that was close to a natural disaster split the earth.

    Everyone, both Demon Cult and Guardians, were swept away by that attack.

    "Stop!"

    Raphael spread his wings as he held the spear of light, and his eight wings let off a bright illumination.

    It was unleashed at an incredible speed.

    ''Why is he trying so desperately?''

    Raphael couldn''t understand it.

    The Satan he''d watched in the video was too different from the one before him.

    ''Don''t tell me¡­''

    * * *

    Was the Satan that appeared in that video not Satan?

    "Ugh."

    He was confused.

    ''Don''t listen to him.

    Hadn''t Michael said that one mustn''t listen to what a demon said?

    Their tongues were like a flower with a deadly poison.

    If that sweet scent deceived you, the poison would spread through your body and end up killing you.

    [Ugh.]

    Raphael looked at him while making a confused expression.

    "¡­"

    He remained silent, and he became even more confused.

    ''There''s something different.''

    The difference between the Satan he''d seen in the video and the one in front of him was too big.

    There was the Satan that was full of evil energy in the video and the one that was in front of him, who looked pathetic.

    Satan''s desperate cry made Raphael even more confused.

    ''Maybe¡­''

    He began to doubt.

    ''What if the one I saw wasn''t really Satan?''

    What if he was being deceived by the one he said was the true Demon King?

    What was the truth?

    ''Is Oh KangWoo the Demon King?''

    Raphael shook his head.

    It wasn''t that he fully believed in the human called Oh KangWoo, but he was with him when they watched the footage of Satan.

    There was no way he wouldn''t be able to feel the demonic energy of someone called ¡®Demon King¡¯.

    He couldn''t believe he was the Demon King.

    [AGH!! Oh KangWoo, you piece of trash!! Come out!!!] Satan desperately cried.

    "¡­"

    He felt the anger and desperation in his voice.

    ''What if all of that was acting?''

    What if everything was a y?

    Raphael closed his eyes.

    He felt Satan¡¯s attacks weakening.

    ''Oh, Light¡­''

    Raphael looked at Satan with a troubled expression.

    ''Please, give me an answer.''

    The truth scared him, obscured in darkness as it was.

    He couldn''t see it at all.

    * * *

    "The angels are doing a good job."

    KangWoo smiled in satisfaction.

    The angels were fighting more intensely against the demons, not afraid of dying.

    It wasn''t that he couldpletely trust angels, but it was good news as long as they could protect the Guardians as much as possible.

    ''It seems like they''re also leveling up like crazy.''

    The unique capability of leveling up that yers had was still happening in the middle of the battle.

    "Hmm?"

    At that moment, KangWoo looked at Raphael.

    His movements had be slower.

    ''He doesn''t seem tired.''

    The lighting out of Raphael''s wings was still shining intensely.

    "Tsk."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    "Is he being deceived by a demon?"

    Satan was an evil being¡ªhe was desperately trying to tell lies and hide the truth.

    "Pathetic."

    How could the words of a demon so easily shake up an archangel?

    ''I guess I have no other choice.''

    As an apostle of the Hero God, he couldn''t stand still and looked at the light being corrupted.

    ''The entire truth¡­''

    He was going to reveal it all.

    KangWoo grabbed hismunication crystal.

    * * *

    "Satan," Raphael said in a low voice while holding his spear.

    "Do you have proof that Oh KangWoo is the Demon King?"

    [Haa, haa. Proof? Proof?]

    Satan''s eyes trembled.

    The proof that Oh KangWoo was the Demon King?

    There was no need to think too deeply about it. The Sea of Demonic Energy that was inside him was the proof.

    ''But¡­''

    The Demon King hadn''t been found out while being next to Raphael; that meant he had a way of concealing his demonic energy.

    There was a chance that couldn''t be proof of what he was saying.

    ''Damn it.''

    To make his n work, he needed to drag the Demon King there.

    He grabbed the base of the Root that was inside him.

    ''Ah.''

    At that moment, a certain thought crossed his mind.

    He remembered the Demon King waving light sticks while looking at their fight.

    [Look at what that guy is doing at the moment! He''s looking at us fighting, making fun of¡­]

    Satan raised his hand and pointed at where the Demon King was standing.

    The eyes behind the mask trembled.

    [Huh?]

    ¡®Where''s that bastard?¡¯

    Where he pointed, there were only traces of red blood.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    <em>Tap, tap.</em>

    A being tainted by darkness walked out of the remnants.

    Raphael''s eyes shook after seeing who he was.

    "Lud¡­ wig."

    He saw Ludwig''s body covered by horrifying green tentacles, and the corpses of angels were held in his hands.

    "Ah!"

    Ludwig kneeled, opened both arms, and looked at Satan.

    "Great Satan!!"

    [Huh?]

    "My owner, my king!"

    [No, wait.]

    "Just like you''ve ordered, I am drowning the surface in the blood of angels!"

    [Hey, you fuck¡­]

    Ludwig ripped apart one of the dead angels he was holding.

    The wings were torn apart, and its feathers scattered away. White blood wet the floor.

    "Sa¡­ tan."

    Raphael''s body trembled.

    The sight of the fallen Ludwig was horrifying, and he couldn¡¯t sense and divine energy within his body.

    A tear dripped from Raphael''s eyes.

    His loyal apostle. A child that was so loyal to light had be like that, yet he had hesitated at a demon¡¯s lies.

    ''Michael was right.''

    Anything a demon had to say was trickery.

    Raphael grabbed his spear tighter.

    He wouldn''t hesitate anymore.

    [Ha, haha.]

    Satanughed in disbelief.

    [Oh fuck¡­ Haha.]

    He grabbed his head with his hand and raised his sword again with an emptyugh.

    [Yes! I made Ludwig fall!]

    His yellow eyes behind the red mask teared up.

    [HAHAHA!!! Yes! Fuck, I was the one who did everything!! HAHAHA!!!]

    A tear dripped down from behind the mask.

    Finally¡­

    The truth had been revealed.

 Chapter 244: You Still Dont Know Me? (1)

    [Hahaha! Yes! It was all nned by me!!] Satan screamed out in agony.

    KangWoo, who was looking at him, nodded.

    ''He finally admitted it.''

    It seemed like he had finally reached a point where he couldn''t lie anymore.

    Despite trying to act dumb, his true colors finally showed.

    ''I knew it.''

    It was impossible to hide the truth.

    Even if Satan tried to cover the truth with lies, it was as futile as trying to block the sun with the palms of your hands.

    The truth had finallye to light.

    "SATAANN!!"

    Anger brimming from his very core, Raphael charged toward Satan.

    KangWoo sat with his legs crossed while using the Authority of Concealment.

    ''It would be perfect if I had some popcorn.''

    They said that the most entertaining forms of entertainment were watching fires and fights.

    Although he''d never watched a movie in a cinema, he could guarantee it wouldn''t be more entertaining than what was going on in front of him.

    ''Huh?''

    He turned around.

    "Lud¡­ wig¡­"

    He looked at Kim ShiHoon, who had re-joined the battle after stopping thendslide pouring toward the Guardians¡¯ rear base.

    Kim ShiHoon stood in front of Ludwig while holding the Holy Sword.

    Ludwig looked at Kim ShiHoon with nk eyes.

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo fell into thought.

    ''Should I make Ludwig retreat?''

    To be honest, Ludwig''s role in his strategy was already over.

    The best thing would be to order him to retreat if he wanted to use himter.

    "Damn it, damn it, damn it!!" Kim ShiHoon screamed.

    Seeing the first friend he had made as an undead was making him suffer.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    ''Making Ludwig retreat could be worse.''

    An Abyss Knight was quite useful because of its strength.

    After a simple test, he realized it had strengthparable to Kim ShiHoon¡¯s, but¡­

    That was Ludwig¡¯s limit.

    Kim ShiHoon had a bright future; he would keep getting stronger, but Ludwig couldn''t advance any further.

    ''Pushing Kim ShiHoon all the time could bring worse results.''

    Up until that point, Kim ShiHoon had just suffered because of Satan¡ªhe hadn''t been able to ovee Satan''s evil ns.

    ''If things keep going on like this¡­''

    Even if it were Kim ShiHoon, he would end up breaking, and he would me himself even more for not being able to do anything.

    ''That could be troublesome.''

    The carrot and whip needed to be bnced.

    Granting his friend, who had been turned into an undead at Satan¡¯s hand, eternal rest would be a great opportunity for ShiHoon to stop ming himself.

    ''So this is it for Ludwig.''

    - Master¡­

    At that moment, he received a call from Balzac.

    - Should I order Ludwig to escape?

    "No, let him fight."

    - Hmm.

    Balzac didn''t seem to understand why.

    - Understood. Then I''ll order him to deal as little damage as possible.

    "You don''t need to. Make him fight with everything he has."

    - Will that be okay¡­? he asked in a worried voice.

    KangWoo nodded without hesitation.

    Based on the situation, the one who was at a disadvantage was Kim ShiHoon.

    Although they were simr in terms of strength, Kim ShiHoon had just finished stopping andslide with his sword.

    It was incredible he''d gotten there without having exhausted his body.

    ''Still¡­''

    KangWoo smirked.

    ''Kim ShiHoon''s going to win.''

    He didn''t have a reason to think that¡ªit was just a guess based on his intuition.

    You could call it trust.

    ''That¡¯s just the way he is.''

    It wasn''t just because his talent was incredible. ShiHoon¡¯s will was also incredibly strong.

    ''He''s a reckless person who¡¯s even willing to borrow my strength.''

    He would win at all costs.

    "You don''t need to worry about ShiHoon.":

    - Understood, then¡­

    "Don''t show yourself. Just use the undead to gather the angel corpses."

    There were numerous angels taking part in the war.

    It would be better if Balzac didn''t appear.

    - Everything as the King wishes.

    Themunication ended.

    KangWoo raised his head.

    Satan and Raphael were shing in the sky.

    "How long are they going to keep fighting for?"

    It was about time they reached a conclusion.

    ''Should I join?''

    The moment he began wondering if he should join the fight¡­

    <em>BOOM-!!!</em>

    "Huh?"

    A strong torrent was heard, and KangWoo frowned and looked toward it.

    ''That''s¡­''

    Satan was holding something that was the size of his fist.

    A huge amount of demonic energy fluctuated with a ck object at the center.

    ''What''s that?''

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    It wasn''t a Demonic Energy Stone¡ªit felt too foreign for it to be that.

    He narrowed his eyes.

    <em>Badump. Badump.</em>

    His heart beat fast. He felt his lips dry and a huge craving in his neck.

    ''Why does it feel so familiar?''

    Darkness swirled around it.

    It was definitely something he''d never seen before, even when he was in the Hell of Nine Skies or after he''d returned to Earth.

    But¡­

    For some reason¡­

    ''I recognize it¡­''

    His head hurt.

    The demonic energy inside the Ten Thousand Demon Core fluctuated.

    Just like he always did, he reigned it in.

    ''Calm down.''

    He had to maintain his rationality.

    The moment he let it go, he would get devoured by his demonic energy.

    KangWoo took a deep breath and held his chest.

    He looked at the fluctuating darkness.

    "Ugh! What''s that?!"

    It wasn''t just Raphael who was surprised.

    He felt a huge fear from the darkness Satan had taken out.

    ''That''s¡­''

    His two eyes widened.

    ''Why is that here¡­?''

    His body trembled.

    A long time ago, in the mythic era¡­

    In the times of gods and giants¡­

    There was an item known as the ''First Darkness'' that the heavenly gods Seraphim, Gaia, and Celestial Dragon Tae MooGeuk divided into three pieces and sealed away.

    The Root of Evil¡­

    That fragment of the ¡®First Darkness¡¯ was fluctuating in Satan''s hands.

    "Sa¡­ tan¡­ You bastard¡­"

    Raphael''s expression paled.

    Satan vomited blood as he held the ¡®First Darkness¡¯.

    [Ugh, agh, ah.]

    A huge amount of demonic energy was fluctuating in his hands.

    Satan couldn''t handle that crazy strength.

    [Damn it!] Satan cursed aggressively.

    In reality, he wasn''t nning to use it like that, but since he couldn''t see the Demon King, he had to at least get rid of Raphael.

    ''I don''t have time.''

    The duration he could control the strength inside the Roof of Evil for was just a few seconds.

    He had to end it before the time ran out.

    ''First, I must eliminate Raphael.''

    After that¡­

    ck blood spurted out of Satan''s mouth.

    His red mask turned ck.

    For his n to work, he had to face the Demon King and Raphael simultaneously, but that n had gotten twisted.

    The Demon King hadn''t appeared and was making fun of him from a distance.

    ¡ªThe n had failed.

    ''It isn''t over yet.''

    Satan''s eyes shone.

    He knew what kind of crazy bastard the Demon King was, and he''d already thought of the worst possible scenario.

    He had thought of what would happen if the Demon King didn''t die after he used the Root of Evil.

    ''If I can drag the Demon King to that ce¡­''

    He would win.

    Satan epted the wavering demonic energy into his body and raised ''Anger.''

    A huge vortex of demonic energy was created.

    [Die, Raphael.]

    "Where did you get such a horrifyingly evil thing?!" Raphael shouted.

    The eight shining wings and the holy spear of light targeted Satan.

    <em>BOOM-!</em>

    A loud, nightmarish sound boomed through the sky.

    * * *

    KangWoo returned to his senses after hearing that loud noise.

    "Was that Satan''s hidden card?"

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes at Satan.

    As long as Satan wasn''t stupid, he thought he would surely have a hidden card.

    ''That¡¯s also why I sent Raphael first.''

    KangWoo looked at Satan with sharp eyes.

    As expected, Satan revealed one of his hidden cards.

    ''Was that¡­ how the archdukes were able to recover their strength in a ce without demonic energy like Earth?''

    To be honest, it surprised him.

    He knew they probably had a hidden card.

    Just like a sprout didn''t grow in a drynd, there was no way the Demon Cult could have grown so much in a ce with no demonic energy like the Earth, but¡­

    ''I didn''t expect it to be this strong.''

    Satan was able to overwhelm Raphael as the darkness surrounded him.

    If he''d faced it upfront, he wouldn''t have been able to beat him without using the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    "Well, he doesn''t seem to be in a good state either."

    Satan was vomiting blood while fighting against Raphael.

    There was probably a strength not even archdukes could control within that ¡®Darkness¡¯.

    "As expected."

    He began to crave that strength, and saliva gathered in his mouth,

    His heart began beating faster, and his body felt hot.

    ''I wonder how it would feel¡­''

    ¡®To eat that.¡¯

    "Haa."

    KangWoo took a deep breath and tried to control his craving.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    "Cough! Ugh!"

    He heard something being crushed and raised his head while wetting his dry lips.

    ''Is it over?''

    Raphael was shouting in pain after being pierced by the pitch-ck sword.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    ''Is he dead?''

    He saw Raphael losing a lot of white blood.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    ''He''s alive.''

    Raphael was pping his wings.

    Although he''d been critically wounded, he hadn''t died.

    KangWoo turned his head to Satan.

    [Haa! Haa! Cough!]

    Satan kept vomiting ck blood.

    Although he targeted Raphael''s vital point, he failed to hit it and pierced another part of his body.

    Satan frowned.

    ''I can¡¯t push it further than this.''

    It was too bad he couldn''t finish Raphael, but using more of the Root of Evil¡¯s strength was too dangerous.

    [Ugh.]

    Satan looked around and saw the Demon King sitting on top of some debris.

    Although he was hiding his body while using an Authority, he could perfectly see through it at that moment.

    ''Demon King¡­''

    Satan red at him.

    Hisst card¡­

    It was something he had kept for the worst scenario.

    <em>WHOOM-!</em>

    He used the fluctuating ¡®Darkness¡¯ to create a ck fissure.

    "Agh!"

    "R-run!!"

    Demons and yers screamed as they tried to escape the Darkness.

    It was as if a small ck hole had appeared.

    Satan threw his body into the ck fissure.

    "Ha¡­"

    KangWooughed in disbelief when he saw the ck fissure.

    "So that''s what you''re going to do?"

    It was like Satan was saying that he would have to follow him into the fissure if he wanted to kill him.

    KangWoo slowly got up and looked at the ck fissure.

    "It''s obvious that it''s a trap."

    The way Satan had looked at him made it obvious.

    ''What a cute bastard.''

    He really sucked at acting.

    "Okay, then¡­"

    KangWoo didn''t think any further and turned away.

    An obvious trap set by the enemy¡­

    ''There''s no reason to answer it.''

    Why would anyone fall for such an obvious trap?

    ''I can keep using Satanter¡­''

    His thoughts were cut short.

    KangWoo lowered his body while holding his heart.

    "Ah, ugh."

    His eyes widened.

    A strong craving he''d never experienced before was burning within his heart.

    "Fuck. What''s this?"

    His body trembled.

    A horrifying craving stimted his neck.

    ¡®Eat it-.¡¯

    He heard someone''s voice.

    ¡®Crunch it, devour it-.¡¯

    It was a voice he couldn''t refuse.

    His consciousness blurred.

    "Oh, fuck."

    KangWoo lowered his body and nted his hands on the ground in an effort to hold himself back.

    "What''s this?"

    It was a craving so intense that it was like a nightmare.

    It wasn''t that a ck dragon that had been sealed away had been set free. What was going on?

    KangWoo desperately tried to control the demonic energy running amock inside him.

    ''Damn it.''

    His legs began moving on their own as if he''d turned into a puppet.

    KangWoo''s expression distorted.

    ''I can''t go against it.''

    He knew he didn''t have the strength to control his actions.

    "Fuck."

    KangWoo didn''t try to defy it anymore.

    ''If I can''t go against it¡­''

    He would at least enter on his own.

    Ignoring the craving pushing him, he jumped into the fissure.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [You''ve entered the nightmare of the ''First Darkness.'']

    A blue message window appeared.

    [''Divinity'' has forcibly interfered with the system.]

    [Your level has been set to 1.]

    [All of your stats have been set to 1.]

 Chapter 245: You Still Dont Know Me? (2)

    In a huge cave of transparent ice¡­

    ''Here.''

    He raised his head and looked around.

    Although a pitch-ck cave was in front of him, a demon¡¯s eyes could see faintly through the darkness.

    KangWoo began walking and looking around.

    "Ugh!"

    A foreign sensation twisted his legs, and he felt something was wrong.

    ''What''s going on?''

    Then he finally saw the blue message window.

    His expression distorted.

    He read that someone with Divinity had forcibly tampered with the System, and¡­

    "Level 1¡­"

    It wasn''t just his level that had gone down.

    KangWoo opened his status window with a hardened expression.

    [Status window]

    yer Name: Oh KangWoo

    Level 1 [First Awakening]

    First Awakening Attribute: Authority of Predation (Rank: ???)

    Strength: 1 Agility: 1

    Vitality: 1 Magic Power: 1

    Divine Energy: 1 Demonic Energy: 1

    Intelligence: 1 Wisdom: 1

    "Fuck."

    He naturally cursed.

    ''What nonsense is this?''

    All his stats had forcibly been set to 1.

    He felt powerless.

    Since he had the body of a demon, although his stats were set at 1, his base physical specs were better than the average human¡¯s, but that was it.

    His body had gotten so weak that he was barely stronger than the average human.

    ''This¡­ is the power of Divinity?''

    He''d heard that Divinity was a strength that allowed one to tamper with the providence of the universe, the System, but still, that was too much.

    ''It wasn''t even like this when I arrived on Earth.''

    Even then, all of his stats weren''t set at 1.

    "What''s going on¡­?"

    The Gaia System protected an entire, yet she couldn''t seal his strengthpletely and used almost all of her Divinity. Howe his strength was sealed in such an unbelievable way?

    ''It makes no sense.''

    Leaving the ¡®First Darkness¡¯ or whatever aside, it wasn''t a number that should be possible.

    It was as if he were trying to put together puzzle pieces that didn¡¯t match.

    <em>Tap, tap-</em>

    KangWoo heard some steps from behind that sounded like they had just walked out of the water.

    KangWoo lowered his body and turned around.

    He saw something walk out of the darkness.

    "¡­"

    Its head was split in half, and cranial fluid flowed from it ck blood poured from its entire body.

    It was a horrible undead that looked like it could have been created by Balzac.

    "Ah, ugh."

    A hand that was dripping rotten pus moved toward KangWoo.

    It was as if¡­

    It was trying to hug him.

    "Ha." Heughed in disbelief.

    It wasn''t an undead.

    There''s no way it was an undead.

    After all, the demon walking toward him had disappeared long ago.

    "D-Demon¡­ King."

    "¡­"

    A desperate voice was calling him.

    The demon walked toward KangWoo.

    He already knew the name of that demon.

    "Paimon."

    It was the demon that had been his subordinate.

    He used to be a very timid demon with an attitude that certainly wasn¡¯t demon-like at all; that''s why Balrog used to criticize him a lot.

    He remembered that he easily got depressed after being scolded by Balrog, but just a few shoulder pats were enough to lift his spirits.

    ¡®Even a demon that smiles like that doesn¡¯t look cute.¡¯

    Paimon¡­

    He remembered him.

    ''You idiot.''

    When they were about to get trapped by Satan''s army, he hugged a bomb and ran toward the enemy''s lines to buy some time.

    That had been the death of him.

    One who used to be timid¡­

    An idiot Balrog always used to scold.

    - Please, escape!

    "Ha¡­"

    - Hehe. You must win¡­ no matter what.

    "Fuck."

    <em>Tap, tap.</em>

    He raised his head¡ªthere was more than one set of footsteps walking toward him.

    He heard steps all around him.

    "Agares¡­"

    He was a demon whose facial expression always remained stoically unchanging¡ªa quite boring fellow.

    Mamon had burnt him to death.

    "Verdin, Kaljas¡­"

    They were very noisy guys that had been trapped and brainwashed by Asmodeus.

    He remembered killing them with his own hands.

    "Demon¡­ King."

    "Ah, aah."

    The voices sounded like they were in agony.

    They were walking toward him while dripping blood.

    It was a scene that could havee straight from a cheap B-list zombie movie.

    "So that''s what happened¡­"

    He sighed.

    He figured out why his level had been set to 1 and how Satan could do something not even the system protecting an entire world could do after using almost all of its Divinity.

    ''This ce¡­''

    It wasn''t real.

    It was somewhere between an illusion and reality¡ªa ce worthy of being called a nightmare.

    ''That''s why it said that I was entering a nightmare.''

    He felt that he had finally put the puzzle together.

    KangWoo raised his hand and tried to use the Authority of des.

    "Tsk."

    He couldn''t use the Authority.

    The Ten Thousand Demon Core inside his heart was silent.

    ''No¡­''

    He shook his head.

    He couldn''t feel the Ten Thousand Demon Core at all.

    It was as if the soul of the human ¡®Oh KangWoo¡¯ had left his body and been trapped in a nightmare.

    The only things he had were his Authority of Predation and his Demonic Energy stat that was set at 1.

    KangWoo sighed and bit his finger.

    <em>Crunch. </em>He felt pain.

    ''It seems like I can feel pain.''

    In that case¡­

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    ''Does that mean that I die in real life if I die in the nightmare?''

    It was bothersome.

    "Haa." KangWoo sighed.

    Even at that moment, demons that used to be his subordinates were walking toward him.

    He looked at each of their faces and remembered the long war they had participated in together.

    - Balrog¡­

    He saw himself sitting atop a mountain of corpses and crying.

    - I''m tired.

    "Fuck."

    He felt his face turning red and shook his head at the memory.

    ''I was crazy.''

    How much of a shameless memory was that? It was a dark history he wouldn''t mind forever forgetting.

    "Oh, fuck. How embarrassing."

    The one who''d said to leave emotions to TV drama had made a full series of them.

    There was no darker past than that.

    ''What did Balrog say at that moment?''

    He remembered he''d said something very cringey.

    <em>Tap, tap-</em>

    While he was trying to remember the past, he heard the sounds of steps.

    KangWoo looked into the darkness and saw a demon wearing a red mask that was walking toward him and surrounded in darkness.

    [How was the reunion with your deceased subordinates?]

    The demonughed.

    KangWoo coldly spoke his name.

    "Satan¡­"

    [It''s been a while since west talked like this¡­ Just the two of us.]

    Satan red at KangWoo.

    [I saw all of the crazy things you did. Thanks to that, all of my ns were ruined.]

    Satan¡¯s voice was filled with anger.

    * * *

    [I don''t know how you survived the dimensional wall¡­ but it all ends today.]

    Satan raised his hand, and a pitch-ck sword appeared within his grasp.

    "Where is this?" KangWoo coldly asked.

    [This is where the ¡®First Darkness¡¯ is.]

    "How am I supposed to understand that, you idiot?"

    [¡­]

    Satan''s body trembled.

    He took a deep breath to try to hold down his anger.

    [The Root of Evil¡­ The resting ce of Demon God Bauli¡¯s corpse.]

    Demon God Bauili¡­

    After hearing the words ¡®demon god¡¯, KangWoo remembered the giant eye that reached a kilometer in size.

    ''Is it the same guy?''

    The unknown being that was in the Abyss of the Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­

    He still didn''t know if that was Bauli or not.

    He decided to stop thinking about that.

    ''Let''s leave that forter.''

    It wasn''t time to think about that.

    First, he needed to solve the situation that was right in front of him.

    KangWoo looked at the dead that were crawling toward him.

    "It doesn''t seem to be a ce that exists in reality."

    [It''s a ce that mixes reality with illusion.]

    Satanughed.

    [Although it isn''tpletely real, your soul will disappear if you die here.]

    That was something he''d been expecting.

    KangWoo nodded.

    Satan frowned. [You seem quite calm.]

    He couldn''t understand it.

    [Right now, you don''t have the endless demonic energy of the Ten Thousand Demon Core. You don''t have the hundreds of different Authorities or the blessing of a System.]

    It was just the soul of the human Oh KangWoo.

    The only things he had left were the Authority of Predation and his Demonic Energy stat set at 1.

    [Have you epted your defeat?]

    The winner was already decided.

    The moment you stepped into that ce, your body¡¯s strength didn''t matter anymore.

    After the Demon King devoured Satan''s body, Satan learned how to use his strength without his body.

    He''d been absorbing the Root of Evil for a few thousand years. Not only that, he''d learned how to use his strength in that ce.

    That wasn''t the case for the Demon King¡ªthe source of his strength was the Ten Thousand Demon Core''s endless demonic energy and the hundreds of different Authorities he had.

    Since only his soul was left, he was more powerless than a normal human.

    "¡­" KangWoo didn''t answer.

    Satan smirked.

    [Well, that¡¯s okay.]

    He began to walk slowly. He didn''t intend to kill him quickly.

    [I''ve suffered a lot because of you.]

    How he¡¯d lost and put the ¡®archduke¡¯ title to shame was a terrible memory.

    He didn¡¯t want to remember how KangWoo had devoured his body and how he had barely escaped with his soul intact.

    [Even on Earth¡­]

    His anger boiled up and Satan grabbed the back of his neck.

    The countless provocations had made him suffer.

    It was time to get that sweet revenge.

    There was only one thing he could think of as a suitable act of vengeance¡­

    [Die after being eaten alive by your subordinates.]

    <em>Tap-</em>

    Heughed and pointed his finger.

    "Ugh, aah."

    Paimon walked toward KangWoo.

    Agares, Verdin, and Kaljas also grabbed his clothes.

    Paimon hugged him with an arm that was dripping pus, and tears dripped from his ruined eyes.

    "Ah, ugh. Demon¡­ King. It¡­ hurts.

    "¡­"

    "It hurts¡­ a lot."

    "¡­"

    He remained silent.

    It wasn''t really Paimom¡ªit was just a doll imitating Paimon that the nightmare had created.

    It was a cheap act to try to make him fall into despair.

    "Sa¡­ve, me."

    He knew it was fake, so there was no way such a thing would make him fall into despair.

    "Ah, aah. Demon¡­ King."

    It was already over.

    His dark past was already done with.

    There was no way he would despair at that point because of such an illusion.

    "It hurts, it hurts."

    "My body is burning."

    "It''s hot, it''s hot."

    The hands of the deceased grabbed him.

    A horrible smell wafting from the rotten pus stimted his nose.

    "¡­"

    He wasn''t angry or sad.

    It wouldn''t have been different even if they were the real corpses of his subordinates.

    He''d caused a war, after all.

    Leaving the reason behind, he''d fought against all the archdukes.

    Wouldn''t it be weird if no one had died?

    It didn¡¯t matter how they died. In a war, there would inevitably be some that die.

    For example, he had killed countless demons.

    It wasn''t that demons had no emotions¡ªthey also had individuals they valued.

    "Demon¡­ King. It¡­ hurts."

    That''s why it didn''t matter.

    - I''m tired.

    Once again, he remembered the past. He remembered when he had copsed and started crying.

    It was a dark past that disyed cheap emotions.

    ¡ªA cliche that was everywhere.

    ¡ªAn episode that made him cringe.

    "Ah, aah."

    The dead were grabbing him, and strong killing intent surged from him.

    "You, you, you¡­"

    "Killed¡­ us."

    "If it weren''t for you¡­"

    Their eyes were full of resentment.

    <em>Crack.</em> Paimon grabbed his shoulder; his sharp ws pierced his skin.

    "Die, die!"

    Agares grabbed his leg tighter. Some of the skin on his thigh tore.

    "It''s all because of you!"

    "If you hadn''t caused a war¡­!"

    The voices of the deceased were getting more intense.

    Verdin and Kaljas each grabbed one of his arms.

    <em>Crack.</em> His arms twisted.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo looked coldly at his subordinates that were tearing his body apart.

    He opened his mouth.

    "I remember."

    He finally remembered what Balrog had said.

    - Do you remember what you told me when you first met me?

    - Demon King, regardless of what happens, you told me there''s only one thing you must do.

    Answer evil with greater evil.

    A killing intent with a greater killing intent.

    He would devour everything in the world and take a step forward.

    "Fuck, it''s more cringe than I remember."

    Thinking about it made his head hurt.

    <em>Crack-</em>

    He opened his mouth and bit Paimon¡¯s neck.

    <em>Crunch.</em> He devoured Paimon''s skin from where rotten pus was flowing out.

    Stat 1.

    He used demonic energy to activate his Authority.

    ''Authority of Predation.''

    <em>Crunch.</em> He turned Paimon''s corpse, no, he turned the illusion that was made with the Root of Evil into demonic energy.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased to 27.]

    [You''ve devoured the Root of Evil.]

    [You''ve fulfilled the second condition of thest step to bing a ¡®Demon God¡¯.]

    A noisy message popped up.

    His demonic energy began increasing at an explosive rate.

    [Hmm?]

    Satan frowned.

    KangWoo was eating them instead of being devoured by the dead.

    [What are you¡­?]

    <em>Crunch, crunch-</em>

    "D-Demon King¡­"

    "S-save me."

    The bodies of the dead were quickly devoured.

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased to 48.]

    A ck liquid came out of KangWoo''s body.

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased to 87.]

    The liquid pouring from his body had countless teeth floating within.

    [Your Demonic Energy has increased to 129.]

    Paimon, Agares, Verdin, and Kaljas''s bodies were devoured by the sharp teeth.

    [There''s no way¡­]

    Satan''s eyes widened.

    He saw the Demon King devouring the illusion that was created by the Root of Evil.

    [Just how?]

    The Demon King didn''t have anything at the moment.

    The only thing he had left was a 1 point in Demonic Energy.

    Although he had the Authority of Predation, there was no way he''d be able to eat the Root of Evil with a single point of Demonic Energy.

    The rtion between demonic energy and the Authority of Predation¡­

    To put it simply, it was the size of the mouth.

    The more demonic energy you had, the more things you could eat, and the easier they were to eat.

    At the moment, the Demon King''s Demonic Energy stat was at 1.

    ''But¡­''

    ¡®He can eat the Root of Evil?''

    It was like eating a piece of gold with a mouth with a toothless mouth.

    "It seems like you haven''t learned anything."

    <em>Tsk tsk</em>, he clicked his tongue.

    His body started to regenerate.

    [D-don''t tell me you¡­!]

    "Are all archdukes specialized in putting awakening gs on people? Fuck. If someone fights with you, even a dead person would wake up again and be stronger. You¡¯re a pathetic bunch of idiots."

    Whenever he did something, they said things like ''What the?!'' or ''Just how?''

    At that point, he would feel sorry if he didn''t Awaken.

    ''Well, although it isn''t an Awakening¡­''

    He wasn''t Kim ShiHoon, so it wasn''t like he Awakened whenever there was a dangerous situation.

    Really, it was just due to Satan¡¯s mistake.

    "Even after all the things you''ve gone through. You still don''t know me?"

    He stepped on the corpses of his subordinate and stood.

    The white parts of his eyes had turned ck; his pupils turned yellow as if he were a reptile, and a ck dot appeared in the middle of the pupils.

    "If you wanted to kill me¡­"

    The tips of his mouth went up.

    "You should have made it 0."

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has reached 150.]

 Chapter 246: You Were Unlucky (1)

    [Ugh¡­!]

    Satan frowned and stomped on the ground, still gripping his pitch-ck sword.

    The darkness trembled and began spreading in a circr shape.

    He raised his sword and targeted the Demon King''s head.

    ''I have to kill him as soon as possible.''

    He began feeling anxious¡ªsomething had gone wrong.

    He didn''t have time to think about sweet revenge or whatever.

    ''Just why?''

    He couldn''t help but question what had happened.

    He still didn''t know him after suffering so much at his hand? He should''ve made it 0?

    ''Nonsense.''

    He had been very careful with his ns.

    In the past, he had lost due to his carelessness while fighting against the Demon King.

    He''d stood back and rxed not because he¡¯d rxed but because he¡¯d won.

    [Damn it!]

    He''d made sure he couldn''t use the Ten Thousand Demon Core, and he¡¯d also blocked his hundreds of Authorities.

    Due to the thin line that was connected to his body, there was a tiny amount of demonic energy left, but did that really matter?

    ''What else should he have done?''

    After all that, the Demon King wasn''t too different from a lion that had lost its teeth.

    If he''d done that much, wasn''t it okay to take some time to get the sweet revenge?

    Considering all the suffering he¡¯d gone through at KangWoo¡¯s hand, wasn''t it okay to take some time to enjoy his revenge?

    ''Can I not even do that¡­?''

    Satan swung his sword while clenching his teeth.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    The Demon King¡¯s body was split in half¡­

    But only for a short while.

    <em>Crunch-</em>

    The ck liquid leaking from the Demon King began devouring the surrounding darkness, and his body was restored.

    Satan kept cutting away.

    His arms, his head, his legs, and then his head again¡­

    He cut through the Demon King¡¯s body again and again, but it kept restoring itself.

    [Extinction.]

    The Authority of Extinction could make everything it touched crumble. In terms of power, it was one of the strongest Authorities.

    The Authority that could even endanger an archduke spread through his de, ¡®Anger¡¯, and sword energy poured down like rain.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    The Demon King was cut to pieces and his parts scattered away.

    ck blood poured in all directions, and his inner organs and muscles littered the ground.

    ''He¡¯s dead.''

    It was an amount of damage not even the Demon King should be able to survive.

    The Authority of Extinction had reduced the Demon King¡¯s body to particles.

    [¡­]

    Satan remained silent¡ªhe''d won.

    The Demon King had been hit with the Authority of Extinction, an attack he wouldn¡¯t have even been able to survive at his peak.

    He didn''t even have the Ten Thousand Demon Core at the moment, so there was no need to think about it.

    ''Still¡­''

    Satan trembled.

    He felt an ominous sensation, a strange sense of incongruity as if he was looking at a y gone wrong.

    ¡°Did all of your suffering make you develop PTSD?¡±

    [¡­!!]

    The voice came from right next to him. Satan¡¯s eyes widened and he swung his sword again.

    <em>Crack-!!</em>

    The Demon King¡¯s body was cut into pieces again while it was in the middle of restoring itself.

    [Haa, haa¡­] Satan''s breathing became heavier.

    His ominous sensation was spot-on¡ªthe Demon King hadn''t died yet.

    ''How?''

    He was confused.

    He couldn''t understand how the Demon King was able to devour the Root of Evil without the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    He couldn''t understand how he¡¯d survived the Authority of Extinction.

    ''It doesn''t make sense.''

    Satan felt like he was about to lose his mind.

    Even if the Demon King was a monster-like being, it made no sense¡ªit went beyond logic.

    Satan gulped and gripped his sword.

    [How¡­?]

    "You see¡­"

    He heard that voice again and subconsciously swung ''Anger.''

    The Demon King''s head was cut in half, white cerebral fluid scattered away in all directions, and¡­

    "Your choice of location was bad."

    Only the Demon King¡¯s split mouth moved on his split head.

    Satan''s expression paled.

    Someone being able to talk when their head was split in half caused a fear that was hard to handle, even for an archduke.

    [Mons¡­ ster,] he cried out as he saw the Demon King still regenerating.

    His regeneration continued despite his head being split open and his body being torn to pieces.

    If that didn''t make him a monster, then what else could he be called?

    "If you wanted to kill me, you should''ve trapped me in a ce without any demonic energy whatsoever."

    KangWoo spread his hands and smiled.

    A liquid filled with sharp teeth flowed out of his hands and devoured the darkness surrounding them, and his torn-apart body continued to quickly regenerate.

    It was Satan''s mistake.

    * * *

    Leading him to the Root of Evil, to the corpse of a demon god, had been a dumb decision.

    Regting his stats? Sealing the Ten Thousand Demon Core?

    It made no sense.

    ''This ce¡­''

    KangWoo licked his lip.

    His heart was beating fast, and an intense craving was burning through his body.

    ''It''s full of things for me to eat.''

    It was a ce full of demonic energy.

    No¡­ It was a ce that was made of demonic energy.

    The ce was so perfect that it was almost as if Satan had prepared a banquet for him.

    ''Thanks for your support.''

    On top of helping him grow through the Demon Cult, Satan was also serving him such an amazing banquet.

    At that point, he couldn''t help but wonder if Satan wasn''t, in reality, his ally.

    "As expected, you¡¯re the only one I can rely on!"

    KangWoo lightly approached Satan and patted his shoulder.

    Satan quickly swung his sword, and KangWoo''s body scattered away again.

    [Y-you¡­ son of a¡­]

    Satan trembled and looked at KangWoo.

    The trap he''d set up for the Demon King had ended up helping him?

    ''There''s no way¡­''

    The Root of Evil wasn''t made of normal demonic energy.

    Rather than that, the Root of Evil was a demon god¡¯s scattered corpse.

    It was demonic energy that contained Divinity.

    It had taken him a thousand years to absorb that special demonic energy.

    Even if the Demon King had the Authority of Predation¡­

    ''So easily?''

    There was no way he''d be able to eat it so easily.

    [Just how¡­?]

    No, he shouldn''t have been able to eat it.

    [How are you able to eat the Root of Evil?!] he angrily shouted.

    ck sword energy swept away the surroundings like a vortex, and the darkness fluctuated.

    KangWoo''s regenerating body scattered away again.

    [Haa, haa, haa¡­]

    He kept swinging his sword.

    He didn''t want to ept it. He wanted to think it was just a nightmare.

    "I just could."

    The pieces of the Demon King began moving and gathering together.

    He could see that he wasughing.

    [You just¡­ could?]

    It was nonsense.

    KangWoo shrugged.

    "No, I''m telling the truth. I was just able to eat it."

    One reason was that he was very good at controlling and regting demonic energy; another reason was probably because of the scam-like power of Authority of Predation.

    More than that¡­

    "I also don''t understand it very well."

    Although it had a grandiose name like Root of Evil, he was able to eat it too easily.

    It was as if¡­

    It was his from the beginning.

    [¡­]

    "You did a better job with preparation than expected. Well, I knew it was a trap¡­ but I never imagined you could pull off something like this."

    A ce where reality was mixed with illusion¡­

    To think that he''d take out his soul and then seal his strength¡ªit was a method he''d never even thought of.

    It was true that he was quite flustered after finding out that his stats had gone down to one and that he couldn''t even use the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    "But¡­"

    KangWooughed and raised his hand.

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    The ck liquid that had scattered away to the surroundings kept getting bigger.

    As the ce itself started to be devoured by the Authority of Predation, a huge amount of demonic energy began entering his body.

    It was different from normal demonic energy.

    It wasn''t like the demonic energy located in the depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Core, either.

    ''This¡­''

    The deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core was a ce that KangWoo''s hands hadn''t been able to reach yet.

    ''Abyss¡­''

    It was simr to the demonic energy around that giant eye¡ªthe quality that demonic energy had waspletely different from normal demonic energy.

    "You were just unlucky."

    Unlucky¡­

    Was there a better way to describe the situation?

    It wasn''t perfect, but Satan had put off a lot of effort into making his n work.

    If it had worked, KangWoo¡¯s deceased subordinates would have devoured him there.

    <em>BOOM-!!</em>

    The space started to shake.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The nightmare of the ''First Darkness'' is crumbling!]

    A message appeared.

    To be precise, it wasn''t crumbling.

    It was being thoroughly eaten.

    [Aah.]

    A desperate exmation left Satan''s mouth.

    He felt that the nightmare was crumbling and that everything was returning to normal.

    From a ce where reality and illusion were mixed to the real world¡­

    Satan wasn''t dumb enough to not realize what that meant.

    [The Divinity''s interference in the system has disappeared.]

    [Your level and stats have returned to normal.]

    "It seems like they came back."

    KangWoo got up and smirked.

    He saw a ck sphere that was about 30 meters in diameter in the middle of a giant space surrounded by ice.

    "So this is your real body?"

    KangWoo ced his hand on the ck sphere, sent his demonic energy into it, and checked what it was.

    ''It fused with the corpse of the demon god.''

    He saw Satan inside the Root of Evil and could finally understand why Satan was so confident within the nightmare.

    Unlike other archdukes, Satan had given up on restoring his body. Instead, he''d fused his soul into the Root of Evil.

    That meant¡­

    ''That was his home ground.''

    Satan was stronger than any other demon within that nightmare because he''d mixed his soul with it.

    [Ugh, aah.]

    The huge ck sphere let out an exmation.

    [How, why, whhhyyy?!!!]

    A desperate and agonizing scream spread through the cave.

    He''d fused his soul into the Root of Evil more than a thousand years prior to being able to absorb its strength and had given up his body for it, but¡­

    Everything he''d built up until that point had too easily crumbled in the Demon King¡¯s hands.

    [I was just unlucky?!]

    He had put a lot of thought into the n, but to think that the reason why it failed was that he was ''unlucky''¡­

    [Ugh¡­ sniff.]

    His sadness overflowed.

    After losing to the Demon King and falling to Earth, he''d dreamt of his reincarnation for almost a thousand years, but the Demon King had suddenly appeared, and while iming to be him, had med him for crimes he hadn''tmitted.

    He had held back his anger and thought he''d barely been able to seed in his revenge, but instead of revenge, he ended up helping him.

    [Why¡­ why are you doing this to me¡­?]

    If there was a God, he wanted to ask him that.

    [Sniff. What¡­ what did I do so wrong¡­?]

    If, at least, he''d suffered a loss worthy of an archduke¡­

    He wouldn''t be so sad about it.

    [Fuck. I''m¡­ Satan¡­ Not any other random demon¡­ but¡­ Satan¡­]

    He was the Archduke of Anger¡ªthe strongest archduke after Baal.

    [Sniff]

    He couldn''t help but cry at the sorrow he felt.

    <em>Tap, tap-</em>

    KangWoo slowly walked toward him and looked back at the ck sphere.

    "So¡­ if I eat this, I can devour the Root of Evil and Satan''s soul at the same time," he mumbled.

    He made a satisfied smile and nodded as he spread his hand toward the ck sphere.

    The Ten Thousand Demon Core had returned, so a huge amount of demonic energy surged out of his body.

    As that ck liquid gathered together, a mouth big enough to devour the ck sphere appeared.

    [N-no¡­! S-stop!! Please, stop!!]

    "Mr. Satan, thanks for preparing more delicious food for me."

    <em>Crunch-!</em>

    The giant mouth bit into the ck sphere.

    ''Should I call this a ¡®buy one get one free¡¯ event?''

    ¡®Beep, it''s a special offer.¡¯

 Chapter 247: Stay Dead (1)

    [Ugh, aah!!]

    He heard Satan¡¯s agonized scream.

    Ignoring it, he kept using the Authority of Predation.

    <em>Crunch. Crunch.</em>

    A giant mouth with thousands of white teeth devoured the ck sphere.

    ck blood poured out from a widening fissure.

    It was grotesque enough to have been pulled straight from a horror movie.

    KangWoo, who had the role of said movie¡¯s ¡®main monster¡¯, put more demonic energy into the Authority of Predation.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    The shell protecting the ck sphere waspletely destroyed, and a thick smile appeared on KangWoo''s face.

    He¡¯d broken the egg''s shell.

    ''Now the only thing left¡­''

    Was to devour all the demonic energy that the shell had been protecting and not leave a speck behind.

    "Haa, haa." His breathing became heavier, and he felt an intense craving.

    He was drooling.

    KangWoo stopped moving briefly before he devoured the Root of Evil.

    He narrowed his eyes.

    ''Weird¡­''

    There was something he couldn''t understand.

    ''Why is this so easy for me to eat?''

    It was the same question Satan asked.

    KangWoo remained silent and fell into thought.

    ''Did he say it''s the corpse of a demon god?''

    He began thinking about something he couldn''t have while trapped in the nightmare.

    ''That demon god is probably the guy trapped in the Abyss.''

    He remembered the thing confidently revealing it was the Demon King.

    Even at that moment, KangWoo could feel the being inside him intensifying his craving.

    - Eat it.

    A voice spread through his ear.

    His lips dried, and a horrible craving stimted his neck.

    - Eat it, and don''t leave anything behind!

    "Ugh."

    He frowned and clicked his tongue as if he didn''t like it.

    "What a noisy bastard."

    If he''d used the term ''corpse'', that probably meant someone had killed him in the past.

    His body had been torn into pieces.

    He still couldn''t understand why that demon god was inside him, and he didn''t know what his goal was or what he was, but¡­

    "I was nning to eat it anyway."

    He smirked.

    It didn''t matter if he had the demon god inside him or not.

    He could more or less guess what his goal was. After all, the demon god had probably been the one to force him into that strange ce.

    ''I don''t like it.''

    The sense of losing control of his body was unpleasant.

    KangWoo closed his eyes.

    - Eat it right now!

    The voice through his head, and the craving intensified through his body.

    ''Slowly¡­''

    KangWoo closed his eyes and tried to regte the intense craving that was burning inside his body.

    The craving soon began to die down.

    ''Yes.''

    His thoughts began moving faster.

    The only thing that the demon god could do at the moment was intensify his craving or try to get more control of his body.

    Although he wasn''t used to it at the beginning, as time went on, he started to regain control.

    He was confident in his ability to control the lust and demonic energy trying to run amok inside his body.

    "Okay, then¡­"

    He raised his head.

    He could still hear a noisy voice spreading in his ear and a burning desire, but he ignored it and took a deep breath.

    He used the Authority of Predation, crushed the shell, and ate the entire sphere.

    <em>Crunch-! Crunch!</em>

    There was a chilling sound, and demonic energy entered his body.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Warning, warning.]

    [The demonic energy that has ''Divinity''. You can''t control it fully at the moment!]

    A message appeared in front of him.

    He ignored it.

    No, to be more precise, he wasn''t in a situation where he could think about it.

    "Ugh."

    He let out an exmation and bent forward.

    As if he''d poured water onto drynd, a huge amount of demonic energy started to flow into the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased to 153.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased to 165.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has increased to 172.]

    Messages kept appearing, and his Demonic Energy stat was going up at an incredible pace.

    ''It''s dangerous.''

    KangWoo bit his lip.

    He couldn''t be happy with the speed at which his stat was going up.

    In the deepest ce in the Ten Thousand Demon Core, the demonic energy within the Abyss started to rapidly fluctuate.

    ''The doors are about to fall apart.''

    The three doors that were protecting the entrance of the Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­

    He felt that cracks were starting to appear in one of them.

    KangWoo''s expression became pale.

    ''If it goes on like this, I¡¯ll get devoured.¡¯

    He didn''t need to think anymore.

    The moment the doors were forcibly destroyed, he would be devoured by the demonic energy.

    If that happened¡­

    * * *

    ''I''ll die.''

    If the Ten Thousand Demon Core fully opened while he was unconscious, what would happen next wasn¡¯t hard to imagine.

    His body, with only the craving of ''eating'' left, wouldn''t stop until he ate every living thing on the.

    No, he probably wouldn''t stop there.

    - Ha, hahaha!! Yes!! Finally, the time hase!!

    He heard theughing voice of the demon god in his ear.

    - Although only one of the three doors has been destroyed¡­ Well, I guess it isn''t bad to announce the beginning of the prophecy.

    He began talking.

    - The time of the prophecy hase! All living beings, tremble in fear!

    He felt something trying to rise from the Abyss along with the voice.

    Huge¡­

    A giant with a body so huge that he couldn¡¯t even guess the size of it¡­

    The hands of that giant emerged from the Abyss.

    - I''m death, I''m the end, I''m¡­

    "Fuck. There was another bastard like Satan?"

    KangWoo beganughing while breathing heavily.

    - Oh? You still have some consciousness left?

    The demon god asked in surprise, letting out a lowugh.

    - This is when your job ends. From now on, I''ll take control of your body¡­

    "Cut the bullshit."

    KangWoo started tough.

    He¡¯d expected the demon god was after that.

    Everything was so obvious that it was boring.

    "I told you¡­"

    He remembered when he''d entered the Abyss.

    "Don''t joke with me."

    - ¡­

    "The time you''re dreaming about will nevere. I don''t care about the prophecy or whatever. You''re going to be locked there forever."

    - Do you know who I am¡­?

    "Do you know me?"

    There was no way.

    He probably had a n, considering he''d talked about something like being a puppet or roles.

    But¡­

    He wasn''t aware of who he''d tried to make into his puppet.

    He wasn¡¯t aware of what kind of person KangWoo was or everything he had gone through.

    "Huh? Do you know me?"

    ¡®You don''t, right?¡¯

    "If you don''t, then shut up and stay dead."

    A huge amount of demonic energy rose, and his consciousness became blurry.

    ''If I can''t ept it¡­''

    ¡®I''ll throw it.¡¯

    He couldn''t fully control the fluctuating amount of demonic energy, so he ced his hand on the chest, and changed the flow of the demonic energy within his Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    ''I can''t send it out.''

    He wasn''t sure where he was, but if he let it go, a catastrophe would probably happen.

    ''Then¡­''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    If he couldn''t let it out, there was only one ce he could send it¡­

    ''I''ll store it in the deepest part of the Core.''

    ¡ªThe ce where the demon god was resting.

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has decreased to 168.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has decreased to 159.]

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has decreased to 153.]

    He stored the fluctuating demonic energy in the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    It was as if he was stepping on a garbage bag.

    It was too bad that he couldn''t use that strength, but he had no choice.

    ''It''s better than dying.''

    It wasn''t that he''dpletely throw it away, after all.

    Once the time came, he would be able to use it.

    - What the¡­?!

    The demon god started being pushed back down into the Abyss.

    - How could something like¡­?

    The demon god¡¯s voice weakened.

    KangWoo didn''t hesitate and forced it down again, strongly.

    - N-no!

    Once again¡­

    - Just what are¡­?

    And then, with all his might¡­

    - ¡­

    All the demonic energy he''d absorbed through the Authority of Predation was shoved down, and the door that led to the Abysspletely closed.

    [Your Demonic Energy stat has decreased to 150.]

    ''This much is enough.''

    One of the conditions to be a demon god was to reach 150 in the Demonic Energy stat.

    There was probably a reason why it said 150.

    ''Is the limit I can control at the moment 150?''

    If he had more than that, he couldn''t control it ''perfectly.''

    The moment one couldn''t perfectly control their demonic energy, it became poison.

    "Anyways¡­"

    KangWoo straightened his body.

    Even if it was at 150, his Demonic Energy stat used to be at 140, so it had increased by 10 points at once.

    ''I''ve also fulfilled two conditions.''

    There was only one condition left to be a demon god.

    He wasn''t sure what that was yet, but having fulfilled two out of three was good.

    <em>ck-</em>

    The ck sphere hadpletely disappeared, and he picked up the pitch-ck sword that had been left behind.

    ''Anger''¡ªSatan''s Hell Equipment.

    KangWoo looked at the ring on his right middle finger.

    "It seems like it hasn''t fully digested ¡®Greed¡¯ yet."

    There was no reaction when he sent demonic energy into the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea.

    ''Can I keep putting things inside?''

    There was no way to know without trying.

    Just to test, he put the Key of the Demonic Energy Sea close to ''Anger''.

    <em>Crunch-!</em>

    The Key of the Demonic Energy Sea reacted and devoured ''Anger''.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [The Key has absorbed ''Anger''.]

    [The time necessary to digest has increased.]

    "As expected, it will take longer."

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    Leaving aside the fact that it would take longer, there was no special penalty, so it really didn''t matter.

    ''It¡¯s not that I depend on the weapon anyway.''

    He could create weapons bybining Authorities.

    "Okay, then¡­"

    KangWoo turned his head.

    Then¡­

    - You¡­

    Someone''s voice spread through his head, full of anger and resentment.

    It wasn''t the demon god''s.

    KangWoo frowned.

    "Satan?"

    - Ugh, ah.

    It was a low voice that seemed like it would fade at any moment.

    KangWoo shrugged his shoulders.

    ''He hasn''t been digested yet?''

    Well¡­

    It was a soul that had been fused with the corpse of the demon god, so it would be weird if it were digested too easily.

    ''Well, anyways¡­''

    It was a matter of time.

    Satan¡¯s soul would be cut into pieces and scattered into the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    - Do you¡­ think you''ll¡­ be okay¡­ after doing¡­ something like¡­ this?

    "Huh?"

    - For how¡­ long¡­ Do you think your lies¡­ won''t¡­

    "What are you saying?" KangWoo asked, a frown on his face.

    - All the things¡­ you''ve put the me¡­ on me¡­ one day¡­

    "What did I me you for?"

    He tilted his head in confusion.

    - What¡­?

    "You were the one who did all those things. You killed Alec, killed Reinald, and even made Ludwig fall."

    - What¡­ nonsense?

    "Ha." Heughed in disbelief.

    ''There should be a limit to how shameless someone can be.''

    The truth about who was behind all those crimes had been revealed; Satan had also admitted to it.

    "Don''t try to me an innocent person."

    - Hey¡­ you¡­ son of a¡­

    "Haa¡­ Howme, Satan¡­ At this point¡­ shouldn''t you ept it?"

    - You¡­ mother¡­ fucker¡­

    "There''s no point in talking with you anymore."

    Talking with someone who didn''t want to admit his crimes would just cause him stress.

    "Then¡­"

    Satan had died, but that didn''t mean that everything was over.

    No. Things would only get more serious from then on.

    "Should I go out?"

    KangWoo turned his body and walked out of the icy cave.

    - Ah, aah.

    He could still hear Satan''s voice lingering around his ear like an echo.

    Satan knew the Demon King was someone like that, but¡­

    - Still, isn''t this too¡­

    He was in a seemingly endless sea of demonic energy.

    Satan cried.

 Chapter 248: A Danger That Isnt Over Yet (1)

    <em>ng-!!</em>

    The clear sound of steel spread through the surroundings, and a huge impact spread through his hand that was holding the holy sword.

    "Ugh!"

    Kim ShiHoon''s was pushed back, and his feet were embedded into the earth.

    "Haa, haa¡­"

    His hands trembled around the hilt of the sword.

    "Ludwig¡­"

    He raised his head and looked at Ludwig.

    His skin was as pale as a corpse¡¯s, and his body was covered in green tentacles and demonic energy.

    It was too different from the Ludwig he remembered.

    "Damn it."

    Kim ShiHoon bit his lips.

    His hands trembled, and he was so tired that he felt he was about to faint at any moment.

    He¡¯d used too much qi to stop the secondndslide.

    ''No¡­''

    Kim ShiHoon tried to hold onto his fading consciousness.

    ''I can¡¯t copse yet.''

    He couldn''t feel any human emotion in Ludwig''s eyes anymore. Leaving his former friend in such a state would be wrong.

    ''I have to end it with my own hands.''

    It had no meaning if he wasn''t able to finish it himself.

    "Haa¡­" He took a deep breath and tried to squeeze his dantian to pull out more qi.

    "Ugh, aah."

    "¡­"

    Ludwig was screaming like a monster.

    His friend resembled a zombie pulled straight from a b-list horror film.

    ''I always thought such scenes were toomon.''

    There was a reason why some things were cliche.

    The fallen Ludwig was imprinted in Kim ShiHoon''s mind.

    "AAGGHH!!"

    Ludwig charged forward.

    Kim ShiHioon pressed his lips together and raised his sword.

    A white light shone from Holy Sword Ludwig.

    ''Blue Dragon''s Dance.''

    White sword energy swirled from the holy sword and swept the area like a vortex.

    Ludwig held a greatsword he had gotten from somewhere and charged toward the vortex of sword energy.

    <em>ng-!!!</em>

    mes poured in all directions.

    The sound of a hammer hitting steel spread to the surroundings many times a second.

    "Grrr!"

    Ludwig swung his greatsword horizontally.

    He didn''t use any special orplex techniques¡ªit was just an attack that used overwhelming power.

    "Ugh!"

    ShiHoon lowered his head, and the attack brushed past him.

    Just the pressure of his sword was enough to cut his skin and make him bleed.

    ''I can¡¯t win a head-on battle.''

    Ludwig was faster and stronger than him. On top of that, demonic energy continuously poured out of him, increasing his destructive power even more.

    A direct battle in that situation was suicidal.

    "¡­"

    ShiHoon remained silent and took a deep breath.

    If a direct fight was impossible, then he had only one choice¡­

    ''Sword Control.''

    He raised his hand, and the weapons scattered over the battlefield rose into the sky.

    His qi rapidly decreased.

    "Ugh, aah."

    Kim ShiHoon started to tremble.

    His head hurt, and he felt like vomiting.

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Warning.]

    [You don''t have enough qi. If you continue to use qi, you will enter a state of ¡®Qi Overflow¡¯.

    "Ugh¡­"

    His vision blurred.

    His fingers trembled, and he began feeling pressure on his body.

    ''What do you want me to do?''

    He raised his head while clenching his fists.

    He didn''t have time to think about Qi Overflow or whatever.

    <em>ng-! ng! ng!</em>

    He shot the floating weapons downward toward Ludwig as if they were bullets.

    "AGH!!"

    Ludwig swung his greatsword in a brute attack that relied only on instincts.

    <em>ng.</em> The greatsword annihted a spear¡­ an iron mace¡­ a scythe¡­ an axe¡­ they were all destroyed before they could harm Ludwig.

    "Cough."

    Kim ShiHoon began vomiting.

    He¡¯d used too much qi and entered a state of Qi Overflow.

    He felt his insides churning, and his blood burnt like it wasva.

    "Ah, ugh."

    He spread his hands and tried to pick up his holy sword from the ground.

    <em>ng-</em>

    He couldn''t put strength into his hands anymore.

    "¡­"

    A memory naturally came back to him.

    He recalled when Mamon had severed his hands and he had lost his ability to hold a sword.

    Fear surged in.

    "H-hyeong¡­" he called out.

    He turned his head and began looking for him.

    ''In situations like this¡­''

    He thought of the hyeong who''d be closer and more important than his blood-rted family.

    It was always like that.

    In situations like that, KangWoo always appeared and helped him.

    ¡ªWhen he''d fallen from the seed Satan had nted inside him, when he''d copsed after losing both arms to Mamon, when Lucifer''s subordinates almost killed him, and¡­

    ''When Kim YeongHoon almost killed me.''

    KangWoo always helped him in his times of greatest need.

    "Ha, haha," Kim ShiHoonughed.

    He lowered his head.

    "I¡¯m such a¡­ dumbass¡­"

    He was a pathetic piece of trash, an idiot who was overly fearful of everything.

    He knew it from the beginning¡ªhe had just ignored it.

    He''d just turned his eyes from what he didn''t want to see.

    ''I¡­''

    * * *

    Not even once had he ever stood up on his own.

    He''d always received help.

    His talent, effort, beliefs, and will¡­

    He knew they would have meant nothing if KangWoo wasn''t there.

    "¡­"

    Kim ShiHoon spread his hands and grabbed the holy sword.

    ''Stand up.''

    He stood up with trembling legs.

    ''If not now¡­''

    When would he ever be able to stand on his own?

    <em>Ting-</em>

    [Warning, warning.]

    [You''re entering a state of ¡®Qi Overflow¡¯.]

    "Shut up."

    He cast aside the message window and pointed his sword at Ludwig.

    ''KangWoo hyeong¡­''

    He saw KangWoo''s lonely back as he walked ahead down a solitary road while carrying an immeasurable burden on his shoulders.

    "Now¡­"

    For how long was he going to simply follow and watch KangWoo¡¯s back?

    Kim ShiHoon stood up while putting more strength in his legs.

    There was no help from KangWoo or the Martial God.

    For the first time¡­

    After losing so many times¡­

    He stood up on his own.

    "I''m going to walk with you."

    He took the first heavy step and ran toward KangWoo, who was walking far ahead of him.

    * * *

    "Cough! Cough!"

    Red blood poured out in all directions.

    His legs trembled, and he felt like his eyes were about to close.

    "Ah, ugh, ah."

    "¡­"

    He held onto his consciousness and raised his head.

    Ludwig was ahead of him, holding his hands over his chest.

    Holy Sword Ludwig had pierced his heart.

    " Kim¡­ ShiHoon¡­?"

    It seemed like his rationality returned for a brief moment.

    Ludwig raised his trembling hand toward ShiHoon.

    "You¡­ should¡­ be careful¡­ The one behind¡­ everything¡­"

    It seemed like Ludwig wanted to say something.

    Kim ShiHoon lowered Ludwig''s body to the floor.

    It wasn''t hard to imagine what he wanted to say.

    "I know, Ludwig."

    "¡­"

    "I''m going to kill Satan with my hands."

    "No¡­ that''s not¡­"

    "Rest in peace."

    He didn''t want Ludwig to suffer any longer¡ªhe twisted the holy sword that had pierced Ludwig''s heart.

    Ludwig''s body turned to dust and scattered to the wind.

    "Ugh¡­"

    He put more strength in his legs and tried to stand up as he looked around.

    ''Is it almost over?''

    The war had entered itsst stage.

    Thebined forces of angels, Light Watchers, and Guardians had managed to corner the cultists.

    Even the demons that had resisted until the end were starting to copse one by one.

    "¡­"

    The long fight against the Demon Cult was reaching an end.

    Kim ShiHoon let go of the holy sword, which turned into particles of light and entered his body.

    He went up the mountain with trembling legs.

    Shargiel¡­

    He saw an angel with short, silver hair running somewhere.

    "Mr. Raphael! Please, wake up! Mr. Raphael!!" Shargiel shouted while holding Raphael, who had copsed to the ground.

    Kim ShiHoon walked toward him.

    "Was he hit by Satan?"

    "Yes¡­"

    Shargiel nodded while biting his lips.

    Kim ShiHoon clenched his fists.

    "What happened with Satan?"

    "He created a ck fissure and escaped, and¡­ the apostle of Hero God Tyrion followed him."

    "Wh-what?"

    Kim ShiHoon''s eyes widened.

    The news struck him like lightning.

    "H-hyeongnim followed Satan by himself?!"

    "Yes."

    He felt as if the world was copsing.

    Kim ShiHoon trembled.

    Even if KangWoo were strong, following Satan alone would be suicidal.

    "Damn it!!"

    He quickly looked around, but he couldn''t see the ck fissure.

    "Where did that ck fissure appear?"

    "It already disappeared¡­"

    "Where was it?!"

    He grabbed Shargiel''s cor.

    Although he was in a bad state, he couldn''t stand still and do nothing.

    ''I must save him.''

    Exhaustion? Qi Overload?

    Who cares?

    If it were for KangWoo, he wouldn''t mind destroying his body.

    "It appeared there¡­"

    Shargiel pointed while looking at Kim ShiHoon''s desperate expression.

    Then¡­

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    A ck fissure appeared in the air as if a ss pane was breaking.

    Kim ShiHoon, Shargiel, the angels, and Guardians all looked toward the fissure.

    "Ugh!"

    "It¡­ it isn''t over yet?"

    Everyone¡¯s expressions fell to despair.

    "Hyeongnim!!"

    Kim ShiHoon rushed toward the fissure.

    A white light began gathering, and a sword formed.

    He looked at the ck fissure anxiously.

    <em>Crack-!</em>

    The fissure got bigger.

    From inside it¡­

    "Cough! Cough!"

    "H-hyeongnim?!"

    KangWoo appeared, and he was covered in wounds.

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed KangWoo, who looked as if he were about to copse at any moment.

    Shargiel also quickly walked toward KangWoo.

    "Hyeongnim, are you okay?!"

    "Ugh¡­ Yes."

    KangWoo''s expression distorted.

    Although he said he was okay, he didn¡¯t look ok.

    His clothes had been torn apart, and ''red blood'' was pouring from his body.

    "Did¡­ you kill Satan?" Shargiel asked while making a hard expression.

    Angels and yers alike tensed.

    The war¡¯s primary goal¡­

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan.

    "¡­"

    KangWoo''s mouth remained closed.

    There was a heavy silence on the battlefield that had been noisy until then.

    "Satan¡­"

    He clenched his fists and bit his lips.

    "Escaped."

    KangWoo lowered his head as if he were struggling to talk.

    "Ah, aah."

    Everyone around them let out exmations of surprise.

    After so many sacrifices and losing so much blood¡­

    Satan hadn''t died.

    The Demon of Prophecy was still alive.

    The danger hadn''t ended yet.

 Chapter 249: After The War (1)

    [Guardians¡­ have broken through the Demon Cult''s main branch! Will humanity finally get some peace¡­?]

    [The Demon Cult''s leader, Satan, escaped. The danger isn''t over yet¡­]

    [About the heroes of victory, Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon, First Lady Grace McCarbin, and the angels.]

    [Who''s the golden-lit hero who suddenly appeared on the battlefield?]

    [The identity of the golden-lit hero¡­ Revealed to be Dragon Sword¡¯s non-blood-rted hyeong, ''Oh KangWoo''.]

    After the war against the Demon Cult ended, news spread like wildfire, and the world couldn¡¯t help but talk about it.

    People praised Guardian, and they were excited about news rted to the heroes that had been the protagonists of the war.

    The Demon Cult was considered the biggest threat after the Cataclysmic Day, so they would obviously react like that.

    The support each country offered to Guardian increased, and the number of yers who wanted to join also increased considerably.

    It felt like they were finally enjoying a treatment worthy of the title ''Guardians of the World.''

    After the Demon Cult was defeated, the average level of yers increased, and territories that monsters had conquered were recovered. People eximed in happiness, saying that the era of peace had finallye.

    Of course, some people said that they couldn''t rx yet. After all, the leader of the Demon Cult, Satan, had escaped, but that didn''t appeal to the masses.

    People only saw what they wanted.

    After all, it was better to hear that the Demon Cult, which used to kidnap innocent people to use them as offerings, had disappeared. They didn¡¯t want to think the Demon Cult could still be hiding out somewhere.

    Regardless of the truth, countries worldwide lived in a time of peace they hadn''t been able to enjoy since the Cataclysmic Day.

    Comment (Tresha, writing a new novel): Hey, I heard that the Demon Cult base waspletely wrecked this time!

    ? Completed Jerry M: LOL, justice finally served.

    ? Newbie Four Coefficient: Woah, Korea¡¯s publicity team is great. I heard Dragon Sword yed the main role again.

    ? Butterfly Valley, failed diet: Didn¡¯t the angels do the heavy lifting?? Without them, they probably would¡¯ve gotten swept.

    ? Dirt Spoon, soon to finish: But there''s that Oh KangWoo guy, too. I heard he followed Satan and fought until the end.

    ? Newly Born U Jin: I heard from people in academia that Oh KangWoo is the true hidden ace of Guardian.

    "Hmm¡­"

    KangWoo was reading thementaries on the news.

    Most of the messages were congratting the victory, but some people were discussing the hero that emitted a golden light.

    There had been some pictures of him posted all around the media, and there were lots of people talking.

    "I guess it¡¯s about time for me to be known."

    He didn''t think he could remain hidden until the end.

    Although not being known wasfortable, there was a limit to that.

    The only good thing was that he was receiving less attention than Dragon Sword Kim ShiHoon and the angels.

    ''I didn''t show myself for a long time.''

    Except when he killed Barbatos and during thest moment, he hadn''t appeared on the battlefield.

    He probably wouldn''t receive more fame than necessary.

    "Good."

    KangWooy on the bed; the ends of his mouth went up.

    The Demon Cult had lost.

    He''d told the Guardians that Satan had escaped, so the danger wasn''t over, but he knew the truth.

    "Blurp."

    He''d killed Satan and devoured him without leaving anything behind.

    On top of that, Satan¡¯s dying screams had mostly faded.

    ''I can finally take a break.''

    He felt that he''d finally put away the baggage bothering him.

    ''Although I''m sorry for ShiHoon¡­''

    Since he''d told ShiHoon that Satan had escaped, he''d been undergoing harsh training.

    In his mind, he never knew when he would be able to get his revenge.

    ''I guess there''s nothing I can do about it.''

    He had a reason for telling everyone that Satan had survived.

    ''He has to remain as the Demon of Prophecy.''

    If everyone thought that Satan had died but a god gave a message saying, ¡®The Demon of Prophecy is alive,¡¯ it would be him who got into trouble.

    The Demon of Prophecy had to be Satan, and he couldn''t die.

    ''That way¡­''

    KangWoo smiled.

    ''I can keep using him.''

    The Satan cheat had be a very important one for him.

    KangWoo hummed while thinking about when and how he should use Satan again.

    <em>Sniff-</em>

    He heard the weak sound of someone crying from somewhere.

    He ignored it.

    "The only disappointing thing¡­"

    He narrowed his eyes.

    The n had gone better than he''d expected.

    If there was one disappointing thing, it was¡­

    ''Raphael survived.''

    Not only that, but he said he would call for extra forces to search for Satan.

    That meant that there was a chance another archangel would arrive on Earth.

    "Hngh."

    He didn''t like it.

    It was true that he had a good rtionship with angels for the moment, but he never knew when it would turn sour.

    ''I guess I have no choice but to ept the help.''

    Hero God Tyrion''s Apostle, Oh KangWoo.

    The best possible decision at the moment would be to use that to coborate with them.

    ''I still haven''t been able to eliminate all of the archdukes. If Angels get involved, things will get unnecessarilyplicated.''

    After he killed Satan, things finally became better, so he didn''t want to create any more big issues.

    KangWoo sped his hands together behind his head andy back.

    ''Are there four left?''

    The remaining archdukes were Leviathan, Asmodeus, Lucifer, and¡­

    ''Baal.''

    KangWoo''s expression twisted.

    "Ha¡­ fuck."

    He couldn''t help but curse.

    ''If they were only as strong as when I faced them before, it wouldn''t be a problem¡­''

    He narrowed his eyes.

    The war of a thousand years¡­

    The archdukes had be stronger than they were back then.

    Leaving Mamon and Belphegor aside, Satan had be clearly stronger than before.

    ''Did he say there''s two more Roots of Evil left?''

    The demon god had begun saying all sorts of nonsense after he ate one of the three.

    ''Archdukes and angels¡­ I can''t rx yet.''

    * * *

    He''d be stronger.

    Although he couldn''t yet use the power called Divinity, he''d be stronger than when he was in Hell.

    ''The problem is¡­''

    Just as he''d be stronger, there was a chance others had be quite strong as well.

    ''The risk of opening the door has increased too much.''

    Increasing his usage of demonic energy from the Ten Thousand Demon Core was some kind of ultimate attack.

    It was one that was always risky, but that level of risk has increased too much.

    ''The amount of demonic energy has increased too much.''

    Because he''d devoured Satan and the Root of Evil simultaneously, his demonic energy had gone beyond the point at which he could control it.

    It had reached a point where one could say it was a miracle that he could still maintain the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    ''If I open the door now¡­''

    There was a chance he''d be devoured by the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    "Tsk."

    It was good news that he''d be stronger, but having such a scam-like ability like opening the door of the Ten Thousand Demon Core unavable to him was unpleasant news.

    ''First, I must improve my ability to control demonic energy.''

    KangWoo took out a jewel that was the size of a fist.

    "So I can eat this."

    The ck jewel was the condensed corpse of Belphegor.

    Having the Authority and soul of an archduke and not being able to eat it proved that his ability to control demonic energy had peaked.

    ''I should think more on thister.''

    KangWoo stood up from the bed.

    There was only one way to improve his ability to control demonic energy¡­ It was something he was still doing even while taking a break on the bed.

    ''If I keep trying¡­''

    Even while eating,ughing, and spending peaceful days, one part of KangWoo''s mind was regting the fluctuating demonic energy inside him.

    ''In the end, I''ll be able to reach a higher ne.''

    He raised his head. An intense craving burned in his throat.

    He''d gone past his previous self, but it wasn''t enough¡ªthere was no way he''d be satisfied with that.

    He wanted to reach an even higher ce.

    He wanted to walk further and further.

    After all, he had never stopped even once.

    "Alright, should I go out today with darling¡­?"

    Click-

    "Mr. KangWoo."

    "Haa."

    He became short of breath, his body trembled, and cold sweat dripped down his back.

    KangWoo''s expression hardened when he saw Lilith.

    Lilith tilted her head and walked toward him.

    "You don''t look good¡­ did something happen?"

    "N-no¡­ It''s nothing. More importantly¡­ why are you here?"

    "Ah. I finished part of the investigation you asked me to do before."

    "You already finished?"

    She shone in fields other than fighting, so KangWoo hadn¡¯t told her to participate in the battle.

    He''d asked her to infiltrate the Demon Cult and figure out the locations of other branches while the battle was going on.

    The Demon Cult had branches all around the world, so they wouldn''t disappear just because he''d eliminated the biggest branch.

    Topletely wipe them away, he had to eliminate the remaining branches as well.

    "I''ve found the locations of 19 small and medium-sized branches."

    "Good job."

    KangWoo let out an exmation and looked at her.

    He hadn''t said that just because of courtesy.

    It had only been a week since the war had ended¡ªthe only one capable of getting so much information in such a short period of time was probably Lilith.

    She''d likely gone through a lot of things.

    "Fufu. It''s for the King, after all, this much is nothing," Lilith said while smiling.

    KangWoo started to feel guilty about having be surprised when he saw her enter.

    ''I''m sorry¡­ I''m¡­ really sorry¡­''

    He felt like he''d done something he shouldn''t have to someone as loyal as her.

    KangWoo lowered his head in guilt.

    "Mr. KangWoo¡­ are you going to personally act on it?"

    "No. They¡¯re small and medium branches, after all. Make the Guardians move so yers can level up. Ah, no¡­ Give me the information. I''ll give it to Ms. Grace and tell her to move the members."

    It was KangWoo''s way of showing his appreciation for her work. After all, she probably hadn''t taken a break since the war began.

    It seemed like Lilith understood his intentions. She smiled and grabbed his arm.

    A soft sensation spread through his arm.

    "Thank you, Demon King."

    "Now go and get some rest."

    "Ah, there''s one more thing I need to report¡­"

    KangWoo looked at her while tilting his head.

    She lowered her head as if she were sorry.

    "I haven''t been able to find thest Phase of Evil."

    "Hmm¡­ Do you know who it is?"

    "He''s a ck magician named ¡®Kalgia¡¯."

    "A ck magician¡­ He''s the one who used to be Satan''s subordinate, right?"

    "Yes."

    KangWoo''s eyes shone.

    ''Phase of Evil¡­''

    Since he used to be Satan''s subordinate, he was probably only as strong as the Bloodseker or Belphegor.

    ''There''s probably not much I can obtain.''

    He remembered Kim ShiHoon''s face.

    ''He could be a valuable experience for Kim ShiHoon.''

    Unlike him, who had almost reached a limit to his growth, Kim ShiHoon could still grow a lot more.

    After facing Ludwig, he was able to go up a step again.

    "Tell me as soon as you find him."

    "Yes."

    "Also, don''t forget to take a break."

    KangWoo patted Lilith.

    Lilith twisted her body and blushed.

    "Fu, fufufu."

    ''Oh, fuck.''

    Her hair had begun moving on its own, and it wrapped around his finger.

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    He couldn''t help but think he''d stepped on a mine.

    "No, I shouldn''t. Haa, Haa¡­"

    Lilith started to breathe heavily and calmed herself down.

    "Huh¡­?"

    KangWoo was surprised at her reaction, and he looked at her with his eyes widened.

    Lilith turned away.

    "I''ll be going."

    "Ah¡­ Y-yes."

    <em>Bang-</em>

    Lilith quickly walked out of the room.

    "¡­"

    There was a heavy silence.

    KangWoo looked at the door while making a confused expression.

    "Don''t tell me¡­"

    A thrill spread through his body.

    "D-did Lilith finally realize it?!"

    Did she realize that he really hated her tentacles?

    ¡®Finally¡­¡¯

    ¡®Finally¡­¡¯

    ¡®Finally!¡¯

    "I finally have hope!¡±

    KangWoo clenched his fist and raised it.

    Tears dripped from his eyes.

    He could see¡­

    The end of the nightmare.

    * * *

    "Haa, I almost got too excited."

    Lilith raised her head after walking out of the apartment.

    She quickly began walking somewhere.

    "Fu, fufufu."

    She started tough out loud.

    "Please, wait for me. My King, my love."

    <em>f-</em>

    A tentacle appeared from her chest in her excitement, and yellow plus exploded from it.

    "I''m going to give you a memory you won''t be able to forget."

    A thick smile appeared on Lilith''s face.

 Chapter 250: After The War (2)

    "H-hey!!"

    "Jungleeerrr!!!!"

    "Missing in action!"

    "The opponent''s tower is still fine, so what''s our jungler doing?!!!!"

    Screaming and loud keyboard clicks resounded through the room, and the pungent odor of cigarettes intertwined with the aroma of all sorts of food.

    A red-haired girl wearing a baseball cap and a young man with sharp eyes sat in the lower seats.

    "Hey, the blue is mine."

    Chae YeonJoo, the woman with red hair, said while frowning.

    She was using a phoenix character made of ice.

    KangWoo, sitting next to her, didn''t seem like he could hear her. He attacked the blue golem with a character that shot small, poisonous needles.

    A thick tendon appeared on Chae YeonJoo''s forehead.

    "Hey, you bastard! Don''t eat the blue!!!"

    "But my mana recovers faster when I eat it."

    "Why would you need it?!"

    "I need to throw out more mushrooms."

    Chae YeonJoo gripped the back of her neck at his words.

    "Ugh, I feel like I''m going to die. My blood pressure¡­"

    She held back her tears and pressed the ¡®tab¡¯ key.

    She looked at KangWoo''s item.

    "You went AD¡­?"

    "Yes."

    "You motherfucker! You suddenly asked me toe to a cyber cafe, yet you do something like this. What kind of shitty trolling is this?!"

    Chae YeonJoo grabbed KangWoo''s cor and shook him.

    When she took her hands off the keyboard, an enemy hero ganked and killed her character.

    "Agh!" She screamed.

    Chae YeonJoo looked at the gray screen while holding back her tears.

    "You¡­ bastard¡­"

    "Hey, this character seems terrible. Why is the mushroom damage so low?"

    "It''s your head that''s bad!"

    Suddenly, the enemy forces destroyed their base.

    ''Defeat'' appeared on the screen in red letters.

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo trembled.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    "We lost again. Ah, I''m going to get one more order of ramyeon. I''ll also order a coca c, mandu, and a fish-cake bar. YeonJoo, do you want something?"

    "Hey, why did youe here?!"

    "Why did Ie here?"

    What nonsense was that?

    "To eat ramyeon, obviously."

    "Ah¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo copsed on the chair while grabbing the back of her neck.

    Intense anger stimted her.

    "Y-you bastard¡­ I missed a meeting for this¡­"

    It had been 10 days since the war ended.

    Although the world was going through an unprecedented peaceful time since the Cataclysmic Day, the situation of arge-scale guild like Red Rose was different.

    She had to deal with the aftermath of the war, pay money to the family of the deceased, and help the wounded.

    Of course, most of it was handled with the money that was sent to Guardian from all around the world.

    Still, she was the leader of a guild.

    She was busy moving and making sure the guild members that had taken part in the war were given the best possible reward andpensation.

    All that and she''d taken time off to meet KangWoo.

    KangWoo smirked and kept talking.

    "It''s been a while since I wanted toe here."

    "What, an inte cafe¡­?"

    "It''s where we first met. Now that I think about it, it was a rough first meeting¡­ but well, thanks to that, I received a lot of help, so I wanted toe here with you given the opportunity."

    He''d received a lot of help from Chae YeonJoo.

    In the first few months, when he''d be a lot weaker thanks to the Ten Thousand Demon Core having been sealed, she¡¯d enabled him to get through the roughest moments fairly easily.

    ''We both were after something, but I can''t deny that I''ve received a lot of help.''

    The entrance permission to the S-rank gate, or giving him unique-rank equipment as support¡­

    Lilith had been doing the necessary research he neededtely, but before he met her, it was Chae YeonJoo who did it.

    "Agh, ugh, that¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo was trembling with her mouth hanging open as if he¡¯d said something unbelievable.

    Her cheeks turned as red as her hair.

    "I¡­ I was trying to use you as well."

    "As expected."

    It was a textbook answer¡ªit was a Chae YeonJoo-like answer.

    KangWoo smirked and turned his eyes to theputer again.

    "¡­"

    Chae YeonJoo red at KangWoo as if she found it upsetting.

    For some reason, she looked like Han Seol-ah.

    "Haa, what am I going to do with you?"

    She sighed.

    Surprisingly, she wasn''t feeling annoyed.

    No. Instead, her heart was beating faster, and the ends of her mouth were trying to go up.

    ''Have I lost my mind?''

    Chae YeonJoo shook her head.

    ¡®To think that my heart would beat faster at something that virgin said.¡¯

    ''But still¡­''

    * * *

    A noisy inte cafe¡­

    It was a ce she often went to enjoy ying video games before she Awakened as a yer.

    In the end, going to such a ce with KangWoo wasn¡¯t that unpleasant.

    ¡®We haven¡¯t been talking much as ofte either¡­¡¯

    He''d be too distant and gone up to a ce she couldn''t even dare to look.

    When she first met him, she knew a day like that mighte someday.

    She realized he would go so far away that she wouldn''t even dare to catch up, but she was feeling bittersweet because that day came sooner than expected.

    She couldn''t even call him whenever she was bored.

    YeonJoo looked at KangWoo, who was eating another ramyeon.

    ''All because¡­ he holds a heavy burden.''

    He had to stop the world from being destroyed by the Demon of Prophecy.

    The scale of the burden was so big that she couldn''t help butugh in disbelief.

    She was the leader of arge-scale guild, so her baggage was also quite heavy, but still, it couldn''t bepared to KangWoo''s.

    "I''m also going to order ramyeon¡­"

    "Fuu. Fuu. Slurp! Right? One should eat ramyeon while in an inte-cafe!"

    "Although people don''t usuallye to an inte-cafe to eat ramyeon."

    Chae YeonJoo looked at the monitor while making a bittersweet smile.

    The time she was spending with him made her feel excited.

    She looked at the monitor while trying to hide her blushing cheeks.

    There¡­.

    [Your rank has decreased to Bronze II.]

    "You motherfucker!!!!"

    Her voice spread through the inte cafe.

    "You asshole!!"

    * * *

    <em>ck-</em>

    "I''m home."

    He opened the door and entered his apartment.

    Han Seol-ah, who was sitting in the living room, tilted her head.

    "You''re early. Didn''t you say you were going to hang out with YeonJoo?"

    "Ah¡­ She suddenly got up and left," KangWoo said while scratching his head in confusion.

    ''She was looking at me as if I''d killed her parents.''

    He couldn''t understand what the point of rank in video games was. Wasn''t the purpose to enjoy ying?

    KangWoo smirked as he recalled what happened in the inte cafe.

    ''Still, it was fun.''

    Especially the ramyeon¡ªit was delicious.

    The vor of the ramyeon eaten while ying couldn''t bepared to the vor of ramyeon eaten at home.

    ''Is it simr to eating popcorn while watching a movie?''

    He had never been to the cinema, but for some reason, he felt it should be simr.

    "What did you say to YeonJoo¡­?"

    Han Seol-ah looked at him suspiciously.

    "I really don''t know. She seemed angry because we lost a game."

    "Hmm."

    Han Seol-ah scratched her cheeks as if she found it confusing.

    She had also never yed video games before, so she couldn''t understand Chae YeonJoo''s attitude.

    "KangWoo, does that mean you¡¯re free today?"

    "Yes. We were supposed to eat dinner together, but she just walked off."

    Since his ns were canceled, he naturally gained some free time.

    Echidna snorted in excitement.

    "Hngh! Hgnh! Then let''s watch some anime!"

    She grabbed KangWoo''s cor with shining eyes.

    KangWoo smirked and patted her.

    "Hmm?"

    KangWoo tilted his head while patting Echidna.

    "Did you grow?"

    Echidna''s body had grown quite a lot.

    She nodded and continued talking.

    "It''s as if¡­ after the war, my body was filled with strength, so my height and this ce grew," Echidna said while pointing toward her chest.

    Was it because she was standing next to Han Seol-ah?

    ''It''s just a cliff.''

    To be honest, he couldn''t tell the difference.

    ¡®Should I use the Authority of Insight?¡¯

    "KangWoo, do you prefer a younger look¡­?"

    "No way."

    He shook his head.

    Although he''d be a demon, that didn''t mean he''d lost the basic moral values of a human.

    ''Echidna¡­''

    It was true that he couldn''t see her as a member of the opposite gender.

    He knew that her real age was a couple of hundred years old, but due to her mannerisms and appearance, he couldn''t think of her as a member of the opposite gender.

    That''s why he hadn''t reacted despite Echidna''s constant tries to appeal to him.

    "Hngh! I''m d."

    Echidna snorted, relieved, and nodded.

    ''Still¡­''

    KangWoo looked at her.

    ''It''s because of me, right?''

    Her growth was probably rted to him.

    "Hmm¡­"

    He fell into thought.

    ording to Echidna''s exnation, it would take her a couple of hundred years to grow from a hatchling into a full-fledged dragon.

    ''Did the time get brought forward because of me?''

    He wasn''t sure whether that was good or bad news.

    After all, he had never heard about dragons.

    ''I should ask Lilith to investigate a bit.''

    KangWoo sat on the chair.

    As always, Echidna sat on hisp.

    Was it because she''d be taller? He couldn''t see forward very well.

    "I''m going to get as fat as Seol-ah soon!"

    "F-fat¡­"

    "Come on, Seol-ah isn''t fat at all."

    After Echidna said it while clenching her fists, Han Seol-ah''s expression paled.

    KangWoo smirked as if he thought it was nonsense.

    "I¡­ got¡­ fat?" she mumbled in a soulless voice.

    It seemed like she didn¡¯t hear him.

    "N-now that I think about it¡­ I haven¡¯t been going into gates as much recently¡­"

    "Excuse me? Ms. Seol-ah?"

    "Mr. KangWoo eats a lot, so I feel like I''ve been eating a lot too¡­"

    "Can you hear me?

    "Th-things can''t stay like this! Mr. KangWoo, I''m going to diet! Tonight, there''s no kimchi stew! From now on, Mr. KangWoo also won''t eat dinner!"

    "Cough!"

    KangWoo''s eyes widened at her lightning-like words.

    KangWoo did his best to change her mind as he dripped in a cold sweat.

    "¡­"

    After the vortex-like incident passed, KangWoo sat quietly on the sofa and looked at the living room.

    The life he''d always dreamt of was right in front of him.

    ''I hope the days like this continue from now on.¡¯

    KangWoo smiled and closed his eyes.

    * * *

    ck. k. A low sound echoed out.

    <em>Tang.</em> Lilith cut something with a knife.

    A liquid simr to crimson blood dripped out.

    "Fu. Fufu."

    She smiled while looking at the dripping red liquid.

 Chapter 251: After The War (3)

    Click-

    A giant door that was almost five meters tall opened up, and a muscr giant with red skin entered. No, he was closer to a monster.

    [Hmm?]

    Balrog had returned from training in the special training room built for him when he tilted his head.

    There was an unexpected guest.

    [What brings you here, Lilith?]

    "I came here to borrow the kitchen. My house is next to the Demon King''s, so there''s a chance I''d be found out," Lilith calmly replied.

    Balrog frowned at her words.

    [To think you''d modify someone else''s house as you please.]

    The house KangWoo had built for Balrog didn¡¯t naturally have a kitchen.

    Not only was there no way Balrog would prepare his own food, but a demon didn''t need to eat in the first ce.

    Lilith had created a kitchen by modifying his house.

    "Fufu. This is also all for the Demon King."

    [What do you mean¡­?]

    Balrog''s eyes shone as she mentioned KangWoo.

    Lilith moved her knife while clicking her tongue.

    <em>Tang. Tang.</em> A liquid red as blood poured out.

    "Did you already forget what the Demon King told us before?"

    [Hmm?]

    Lilith kept talking while making a thoughtful expression.

    "He always used to say that he wanted to eat kimchi stew."

    [K-kimchi stew!]

    Balrog''s eyes widened.

    One had to tear away the skin of a dead beast and take out its inner guts.

    After killing an animal with a knife in a very cruel way, you only left behind the meat pieces that were the mostfortable to eat; then you boiled that in a liquid that was red as blood, and then you finally ate it. A food truly worthy of a ''Demon King.''

    After returning to Earth, he had eaten it a couple of times, but was it because he wasn''t as cruel as the Demon King? He couldn''t understand that vor.

    [Lilith, don''t tell me¡­]

    Balrog red at her while trembling.

    Lilith licked the red liquid that was on the knife.

    "Fufu. This time, I will make that thing called kimchi stew and offer it to the Demon King."

    [¡­]

    Balrog shuddered.

    After swearing to protect the Demon King, he''d awakened the ''Overlord''s Armor'', so he was hoping to monopolize the King''s love and attention, but to think that she''d do something like that¡­

    [Ugh!]

    Balrog clenched his fists.

    [Was it not enough to seduce the King using your appearance?!]

    It was unfair.

    Lilith had a breathtaking appearance worthy of being called the subus queen.

    Even in Hell, she used her appearance to receive his love and attention.

    ''The way she acts by trusting her face¡­!''

    Even if he offered the head of a demon to receive the appreciation of the King, he couldn''tpare to Lilith.

    Whenever the Demon King saw Lilith, he trembled in excitement.

    Lilith turned her head while making a bittersweet smile.

    "It seems like¡­ The Demon King doesn''t care about appearance."

    That was easy to see just by seeing how he''d epted the feelings of that human girl called Han Seol-ah.

    To the King, having a beautiful appearance had no meaning.

    The skin of the body wasn''t enough to move his emotions.

    To move his feelings, she had to go a step forward.

    "I''m going to keep practicing cooking, so you just have to keep practicing that Overlord''s Armor or whatever the name of that useless technique is."

    [Ugh¡­]

    Balrog clenched his fists while biting his lip.

    He was starting to feel jealous.

    ''If only I¡­''

    If he also had a beautiful appearance like Lilith¡¯s that could seduce the Demon King.

    [Haa.]

    He sighed.

    Balrog turned his body.

    ''I''ll do what I can.''

    What the Demon King wanted from him was probably different from Lilith.

    What he could do was keep getting stronger so he could be the King''s shield and sword.

    [Later¡­]

    Balrog turned his head.

    [Tell me how to make kimchi stew.] He said in a very low voice.

    Lilith burst intoughter while covering her mouth.

    "Fufu. Okay. Stop looking like an abandoned dog. Even if I tell you¡­"

    Would he like it more than the one she made for the Demon King?

    [¡­]

    Balrog remained silent at her question.

    There was no need to think about it. If they all made the same kimchi stew, he''d obviously preferred one that a beautiful woman like Lilith prepared.

    [Damn it¡­!]

    Balrog cursed and went to the training room.

    He picked up themunication crystal the Demon King had given him and called someone.

    There was a limit to training alone.

    - Hello?

    [Human, I have a proposition.]

    Through themunication crystal, the voice of a familiar young man could be heard.

    [Hang out with me.]

    The red muscles that felt a battle getting closer swelled as if they were about to burst.

    * * *

    "Let''s see¡­"

    KangWooy on the sofa and read the report he''d received from Gaia.

    [Report of the Great Russian War.]

    [Number of yers dead - 3812.]

    "Tsk¡­"

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    About ten thousand top yers had joined Guardian; after one battle, almost half of the yers had died.

    ''Although it was a veryrge-scale battle.''

    He wasn''t omnipotent.

    There was no way he''d be able to stop everyone from dying in arge-scale war.

    From the moment he prepared for a war to happen, he expected some people to die.

    ''Still¡­''

    It was sad to see that almost half of them had died.

    It was true that, after that war, the number of people wanting to join Guardian increased, but picking out people and making them grow would take time.

    ''The good thing is¡­''

    There hadn''t been major losses among the main forces of Guardian, the Celestial Wolf Troops, and the 1st Squadron that Grace led.

    Most of the people that died were ones that had been swept away by the secondndslide.

    [Names and levels of deceased yers.]

    * yer Name: Kwon OhJin (Level: 78)

    * yer Name: Hakigaya Hachiman (Lv: 82)

    * yer Name: William Smith (Leve: 76)

    ¡­

    ''Smith?''

    A certain name caught his attention.

    "Smith, you¡­"

    * * *

    ¡®Without being able to propose to Anna¡­¡¯

    KangWoo sighed and prayed for Smith.

    ''Why would you say something like that¡­?''

    One could say that it was destiny.

    KangWoo picked up his phone while making a bittersweet smile.

    - Ah, yes. Mr. KangWoo, do you need something?

    Park HyunWoo¡ªsomeone that had been scouted from the Red Rose Guild because his talent was recognized.

    He had been ced in charge of sending reparations to the family of the deceased yers and managing the money that governments from around the world sent them.

    "It''s about the yer called William Smith that passed away."

    - Wait a moment. Ah, there he is. He''s an English yer. Is he someone you know? Park HyunWoo carefully asked.

    "No, it''s nothing like that, but I wanted to ask if you could deal help his family sooner."

    He''d died and left behind a woman with whom he''d promised to get married.

    He wouldn''t have cared if he didn''t know who he was, but he wanted to do as much as possible since he''d noticed him.

    ''Well, I''m usually not someone who cares about things like this¡­''

    But people often did things they didn''t frequently do when they were in a good mood.

    That was how it felt.

    The things rted to Lilith and Satan had been solved, so he wanted to do things he didn''t usually do.

    - Wait a moment. Hmm¡­ It seems like the family has already been contacted.

    "Really?"

    - Yes. Ah, I was wondering where I heard the name ¡®Smith¡¯, but someone called Anna came to the Guardian base and took all the reparation money. Smith had written in his testament that he would leave everything to Ms. Anna.

    "I see¡­"

    For some reason, he felt that something was wrong.

    - Yes. To be more precise, Ms. Anna and her husband came and took the reward money.

    "Yes?"

    Husband?

    - I heard that Anna and Smith were childhood friends¡­ There wasn''t any other special thing written in the testament. Is there a problem?

    "No. I mean¡­ No, it''s nothing."

    KangWoo cut the phone call.

    He remembered his face and how he told his subordinates he would propose to Anna once the war ended.

    ''SMIITTHH!!!''

    It was the cruel taste of reality.

    It didn''t matter how much he thought about it. He couldn''t help but think that Smith had been deceived by Anna.

    ''I guess that life is cruel.''

    He thought he was d that Smith had died without knowing.

    KangWoo put away the list of the deceased for a moment and prayed for him.

    "Well¡­"

    To be honest, it didn''t matter that much.

    Who cared if Smith''s life was messed up?

    ''It''s okay as long as I''m fine.''

    KangWoo has been looking back at his life.

    He wanted an ideal life where there was nothing for him to worry about¡ªthe life of a rich person that could stay at home and do nothing, someone that could do anything he wanted without anyone saying otherwise.

    Working was fulfilling?

    You were the happiest while working?

    ''Nonsense.''

    The people who said that were probably the ones who, if they won the lottery, would quit work before anyone else.

    "Yawn."

    KangWooy on the sofa and stretched his arms.

    ''Of course¡­''

    Things hadn''t ended yet.

    There were still some branches of the Demon Cult left.

    The rtionship with the angels was also awkward. Not only that, but there was also the demon god.

    ''There are also many things I have to do right now.''

    He needed to practice Satan''s Authority, the ''Authority of Extinction'', and at the same time, he needed to increase the amount of demonic energy he could control.

    There were many things he had to do.

    "But¡­"

    Didn''t he deserve some time to enjoy life?

    KangWooy on the sofa and closed his eyes.

    <em>Ring-</em>

    "Did they already arrive?"

    Echidna, Seol-ah, and her mother had gone out to buy some clothes, so he had been left alone.

    KangWoo tilted his head and walked toward the entrance door.

    He opened it.

    <em>Click-</em>

    "I''ve wanted to see you. My King, my love¡­"

    <em>SLAM-!!</em>

    He quickly closed the door.

    "Haa, haa, haa¡­¡±

    His hands trembled over the doorknob.

    ''Why¡­ why so suddenly?''

    The Lilith in front of him wasn''t Kurosaki Yurie but the demon with green tentacles and 18 red eyes.

    ''Fuck. Why, just why does she look like that again?''

    She probably realized he had a deep trauma regarding that aspect of her, otherwise it made no sense that she hadn''t shown it to him recently.

    ''The light¡­''

    The end of the nightmare should havee.

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    "Fufufu. Demon King. It seems like you''re still quite a shy person."

    A green tentacle entered through the crack in the door.

    "Wh-what''s wrong?" KangWoo asked while taking a step backward.

    Lilith gave him a pot she was holding in her hands.

    "Fufu. I tried to make it myself."

    She smiled and blushed as a horrible smile that seemed like it would most likely belong to some nightmare formed on her face.

    "This¡­"

    A familiar scent came from the pot.

    KangWoo received it with shining eyes.

    "It''s kimchi stew."

    "Fufufu. In Hell, you often said you wanted to have it."

    "That''s true, but¡­"

    After returning to Earth, he''d been eating it at least once a day.

    Lilith shyly kept talking while twisting her body.

    "I heard that Ms. Seol-ah cooks well¡­ but I wanted to make it for the Demon King at least once. That''s why I''ve been practicing."

    "Ah¡­"

    A short exmation came out of his mouth. He understood why she hadn''t been contacting him recently.

    KangWoo saw there were some bandaids on her tentacles.

    ''What kind of setup is this?''

    He smirked.

    He didn''t know where she''d heard of such a thing, but KangWoo knew there was no way kitchen knives could wound her.

    "Thank you."

    KangWoo grabbed the pot while smiling and sat on the table.

    Lilith followed him.

    Seeing her looking at him with shining eyes made him feel guilty.

    ''I suddenly feel sorry.''

    He began feeling sorry after closing the door right in front of her.

    "Then¡­ I''m going to eat it."

    "If you want more, just tell me. I have more in my house."

    "Haha, okay."

    <em>ck.</em>

    KangWoo began eating the kimchi stew.

    ''Woah.''

    KangWoo''s eyes shone while eating the kimchi stew.

    ''How delicious.''

    It was delicious evenpared to the stew that Han Seol-ah prepared.

    KangWoo looked at Lilith in surprise.

    For a demon who had almost no sense of taste, she probably had to go through a lot to make something so delicious.

    ''How admirable.''

    He couldn''t help but smile.

    <em>Squeak-</em>

    "Huh?"

    At that moment, he felt something weird in his mouth.

    It was as if he were eating an octopus instead of meat.

    "What did you put in the kimchi stew?"

    "Ah, that¡­ You see¡­"

    Lilith''s smile deepened.

    ''Oh, fuck. Wait¡­''

    KangWoo''s expression hardened.

    For some reason, he felt uneasy.

    An ominous feeling spread through his back.

    "It''s my secret recipe."

    <em>Wink-</em>

    Nine of her eighteen eyes winked.

    The ominous sensation worsened.

    ''No¡­''

    KangWoo''s hands trembled.

    ''There''s no way¡­''

    He looked at the bandages that were on Lilith''s green tentacles.

    There was no way a demon could get wounded by a kitchen knife, but¡­

    What if she cut them on purpose?

    "N-NO!!"

    <em>SLAM!</em>

    KangWoo mmed the table and stood.

    ¡®No¡­¡¯

    ¡®There¡¯s no way¡­¡¯

    ¡®Don''t tell me¡­¡¯

    ¡®Even if it¡¯s her¡­¡¯

    KangWoo lowered his head and looked at the pot.

    There¡­

    "Ugh."

    She covered her mouth.

    He naturally remembered a certain phrase.

    ''Reality¡­''

    ¡®Is a bitch.¡¯

    "BLEH."

 Chapter 252 - Ancient Demonic Monster (1)

    Chapter 252

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±

    He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated.

    ¡®Authority of mes.¡¯

    FWOOSH-!

    Yellow mes rose. He¡¯d gotten used to Mamon¡¯s Authority.

    mes poured out from the tips of his fingers and devoured the surroundings.

    The earth and the rocks melted down, and a river of magma began to flow.

    ¡®Authority of des.¡¯

    An Authority was added on top of the Authority of an archduke.

    He could normally fuse six Authorities. With some effort, he could fuse up to seven, but he could only fuse one Authority to the Authority of an archduke.

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    His vision blurred, and his head heated up.

    The problem wasn¡¯t the amount of demonic energy required¡ªit was an issue of control.

    ¡®And¡­¡¯

    It couldn¡¯t bepared to the first time he¡¯d tried to fuse the two Authorities.

    Back then, he struggled to maintain ¡®Inferno¡¯ for even three seconds. His efforts over time had allowed him to maintain it for 30 seconds.

    ¡®As long as possible¡­¡¯

    He slowly opened his eyes and concentrated.

    He couldn¡¯t breathe properly, his legs were trembling, and he felt an intense pain in his chest.

    ¡®A little bit more¡­¡¯

    It was an amount of demonic energy that threatened to explode at any moment.

    He was used to controlling that much demonic energy.

    ¡®I can do more.¡¯

    He was dripping cold sweat.

    His body swelled from the demonic energy fluctuating through it, and an intense pain shot through him.

    He felt he would faint the moment he even rxed a little bit, but still¡­

    Despite that¡­

    ¡®More.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t stop.

    He¡¯d never once stopped.

    He didn¡¯tpromise. He didn¡¯t yield. He didn¡¯t hesitate.

    His goal was a higher ce, a much higher ce.

    He had to keep going forward and forward.

    FWOOSH-!!!

    TSSS.

    A sword emitting yellow mes appeared.

    The unstable mes had formed a solid shape.

    [The usage of the skill ¡®Inferno¡¯ has improved!]

    [The damage output of ¡®Inferno¡¯ has increased, and the demonic energy control difficulty has decreased.]

    ¡°Haa.¡±

    He rxed after reading the message window that appeared in front of him.

    The ming sword melted down and disappeared into the air.

    Ting-

    [You¡¯ve obtained the ¡®???¡¯ hint in the higher quest of the ¡®Road to Bing a Demon God.¡¯]

    ¡°Again?¡± KangWoo mumbled while making a bored expression.

    It¡¯d been a month since he started training his demonic energy control.

    He was finally starting to obtain some results, and he kept receiving some kind of hint.

    ¡®You should at least eliminate an ¡®?¡¯ every time I obtain a hint.¡¯

    He cast the message window aside as if it were annoying him.

    ¡°Okay, then¡­¡±

    Since training with Mamon¡¯s Authority was over, it was Satan¡¯s turn.

    KangWoo used the Authority of Extinction.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    His head began to hurt again.

    Although he¡¯d only used one Authority, he still wasn¡¯t used to Satan¡¯s Authority.

    ¡°A bit more¡­¡±

    ¡°Mr. KangWoo.¡±

    ¡°Huff!¡±

    KangWoo¡¯s expression paled when he heard a voice behind him.

    He turned around, trembling.

    He saw a beautiful girl with ck hair and a clean look standing there.

    ¡°Wh-what happened?¡± he asked while trying to calm down.

    Lilith lowered her head and kept talking.

    ¡°I came here because there¡¯s something I needed to report.¡±

    ¡°Is it about Kalgia?¡±

    Thest remaining Phase of Evil, Kalgia¡­

    Guardian and Lilith had been looking for him for the past month, yet they hadn¡¯t been able to find him.

    Lilith shook her head.

    ¡°No. I¡­ It¡¯s not about Kalga.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    KangWoo felt the conversation would get long, so he stepped on the ground lightly.

    The earth split, and rocks rose from the ground.

    Lilith offered a beverage to KangWoo after he took a seat on one of the rocks.

    It was the blue beverage they sold in the market.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes and looked at Lilith.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t put anything weird in here, right?¡±

    ¡°Fufufu, no.¡±

    Lilith shook her head while covering her mouth.

    ¡°After what happenedst time, I learned my lesson. I won¡¯t do anything like that again.¡±

    ¡°Well, as long as you understand¡­¡±

    KangWoo trembled after remembering what had happenedst time.

    Just thinking about it made his insides churn.

    ¡°So¡­ what happened?¡±

    ¡°Demonic monsters have been appearing in the gates, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    KangWoo nodded while making a heavy expression.

    The Demon of Prophecy, Satan¡­

    After he forcibly crossed dimensions to Earth, the Gaia System, the protective wall that defended Earth, had gone awry.

    The dimensional wall had weakened a lot.

    Thanks to that, aside from the summoning done by Demon Cult members, demonic monsters or demons were starting to appear inside the gates.

    ¡®That piece of trash.¡¯

    * * *

    Just thinking about it made him clench his fists in anger.

    How many people had shed tears of blood because of his evil n to take control of Earth?

    Even though he¡¯d gone into hiding, the Gaia system hadn¡¯t been able to recover.

    There¡¯s no way that a wound done by a sword would go away after the sword was broken, after all.

    It was the same for the Gaia System.

    Although he¡¯d stopped the Demon Cult from messing up Earth any further, it wasn¡¯t that the wounds they had caused instantly healed.

    ¡°Did a strong one appear this time?¡±

    If she was reporting it to him, it seemed like a strong one had appeared.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the exact details yet¡­ but it seems like an ancient demonic monster appeared in the gate that¡¯s located in the USA state of Florida.¡±

    ¡°An ancient demonic monster¡­?¡±

    KangWoo frowned.

    Ancient demonic monsters¡­

    Although most demonic monsters didn¡¯t have any intelligence, there were extremely few of them that could think on their own.

    Although they could think, that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t have the characteristics of a demonic monster, so they rarely moved from their base.

    ¡®I¡¯ve only heard about demonic monsters.¡¯

    Still, he¡¯d never seen one.

    There were two main reasons for that: the first reason was that he didn¡¯t need to fight them; the second one was that the risk factor was too high.

    The physical specs of a demonic monster were higher than a demon¡¯s.

    It was just like a human¡¯s physical abilities were lower than a lion or a tiger¡¯s.

    Ancient demonic monsters were so strong that they could easily fight against an archduke.

    ¡®Now that I think about it, I heard that ancient demonic monsters were showing strange movements.¡¯

    He remembered what Doomguard and Balrog had told him, but still, he never imagined that an ancient demonic monster would appear in a gate.

    He was again reminded of how weak the Gaia System had be.

    ¡°What appeared?¡±

    ¡°It seems like¡­ It¡¯s Halcyon.¡±

    ¡°Halcyon?¡±

    He had heard about it before; he had also tried to summon it before.

    ¡®Ah, now that I think about it¡­¡¯

    He¡¯dpletely forgotten about summoning demonic monsters.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    He fell into thought.

    ¡®I wonder what would appear if I tried to summon one now.¡¯

    The amount of demonic energy he had was higher than when he used to rule over the Hell of Nine Skies.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He remained silent.

    He couldn¡¯t think what would be summoned, and he recalled what Goddess Benigore had told him.

    ¨C Gods from other worlds receive less restriction from the system.

    Gods from outside¡ªouter gods.

    Gods that weren¡¯t from close worlds like Hwan or Ernor but were from distant alien worlds.

    ¡®Fuck, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m really going to summon one, right?¡¯

    He couldn¡¯tpletely brush off the possibility.

    It was something that Goddess Benigore had warned him about. Not only that, but the Gaia System had be so weak that even ancient demonic monsters were crossing dimensions.

    ¡®If I summon a god¡­¡¯

    It was the end.

    There was no need to think about it.

    Even if he was strong enough to beat a god¡­

    If that happened, the Gaia System would getpletely destroyed, and a catastrophe would happen.

    ¡®Let¡¯s not use that for the moment.¡¯

    If he controlled the amount of demonic energy, it probably wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but there was no need to take the risk on purpose.

    After all, he didn¡¯t need any weak forces anymore.

    ¡°What about the damage?¡±

    ¡°For the moment, other than the party of six that first discovered it, there have been no casualties. One of them has been fatally wounded, but for some miraculous reason, he was able to survive.¡±

    ¡°First, take control of the gate.¡±

    ¡°Fufu. Already done. I also stopped the news from being leaked to the news outlets.¡±

    As expected of Lilith, she dealt with that sort of thing quickly.

    KangWoo nodded.

    ¡®An ancient demonic monster¡­¡¯

    To be honest, he had nothing to gain by hunting an ancient demonic monster at the moment.

    The amount of demonic energy he could control had reached a peak, so he couldn¡¯t use the Authority of Predation anymore.

    ¡®Let¡¯s think of this as an investment forter on.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t devour the ancient demonic monster, but he couldpress it like Belphegor to use itter on.

    ¡®And¡­¡¯

    Even if he had nothing to gain, he couldn¡¯t let the ancient demonic monster run amok inside a gate.

    If it went out of the gate, it was obvious that a catastrophe would happen.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°How should I form the group?¡±

    ¡°Just me and Balrog are more than enough.¡±

    If the ancient demonic monster were as strong as an archduke, having more members would be worse.

    He¡¯d considered Kim ShiHoon, but Balrog was more suited to it than him.

    ¡®Hiding how I turn the corpse into a jewel would be quite bothersome, after all.¡¯

    Kim ShiHoon didn¡¯t know he had the strength to get stronger by eating demons.

    Usually, he could use the Authority of Predation secretly to make the corpse scatter away into dust, but he couldn¡¯t do that at the moment.

    ¡°Understood. Then I will make a hate that leads there through the Hall of Protection.¡±

    ¡°Ah, have you heard anything about Halcyon?¡±

    It was the first time he would be fighting against an ancient demonic monster, so it would be better to get as much information as he could.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Lilith put her finger on her lips and fell into thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it before¡­ but from what I heard, it¡¯s a demonic monster that looks quite horrible.¡±

    ¡°It looks horrible?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I heard that, even in Hell, it looks quite disgusting.¡±

    ¡°Ha.¡±

    Heughed in disbelief.

    ¡®Fuck, just how ugly does it look?¡¯

    How did a demon have to look to be called the most disgusting in Hell?

    ¡®I¡¯m not sure about the beauty standard of demons.¡¯

    For example, Lilith was considered the prettiest in Hell.

    ¡®What if it looks like a human?¡¯

    ¡°Lilith, when you look at humans, d you find them disgusting?¡± he asked just in case.

    ¡°What? No. No way.¡±

    Lilith shook her head.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t that I can tell who¡¯s considered pretty or ugly, but I don¡¯t find them disgusting.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡®I guess it¡¯s probably the same way a person looks at an animal.¡¯

    One couldn¡¯t tell who was a good-looking or an ugly lion.

    It was probably that kind of thing.

    ¡°Well, it really doesn¡¯t matter how it looks.¡±

    He smirked.

    ¡°Are you really okay? From what I heard, there are a few demons that have lost their minds after seeing Halcyon¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± KangWoo said while holding Lilith¡¯s shoulders.

    It didn¡¯t matter if Halcyon looked disgusting and horrible.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had pretty thorough training in that area,¡± he said confidently.

 Chapter 253 - Ancient Demonic Monster (2)

    Chapter 253

    He saw a pitch-ck darkness that didn¡¯t reflect any light.

    ¡®It¡¯s sinking.¡¯

    He could feel himself sinking into the bottomless darkness.

    ¡®Here.¡¯

    He narrowed his eyes.

    The first thought that crossed his mind was that he was in the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core¡ªthe world that was full of demonic energy from the Abyss.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He remained silent and shook his head.

    ¡®No.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t a grandiose world like that¡ªit was a simple dream.

    ¡®Is it a lucid dream¡­?¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t sure. He often had short dreams when he slept, but for some reason, that dream felt quite real.

    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯

    Something became visible amidst the darkness.

    ¡ªA memory of the past.

    The memories of what he¡¯d gone through in Hell passed through his mind.

    Squeak-

    He heard something dripping in mucus move.

    ¡®What?¡¯

    He turned his head.

    Something moved within the darkness and surrounded his body.

    ¡®Ugh.¡¯

    He tried to resist and pull his demonic energy from within to use an Authority, but¡­

    ¡®Cough!¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t the real world. It was simply a dream.

    There was no demonic energy or Authority.

    The ce was really just a pure ¡®dream¡¯.

    Squish-

    Something with a viscous texture was surrounding his body.

    ¡®This¡­¡¯

    It was a familiar texture¡ªsomething that had created trauma in him.

    ¡®Why¡¯s this¡­?¡¯

    The tentacles slithered into his through his orifices as if they were trying to cut his consciousness.

    It was a horrible nightmare¡ªa fragment of the past he didn¡¯t want to remember.

    Squeak-

    The darkness split, and 18 red eyes appeared in the darkness.

    An woman¡¯s evilugh could be heard.

    ¡®Ugh, ah.¡¯

    He extended his arm, but it was useless.

    He fell toward the darkness into a nightmare from which he couldn¡¯t free himself.

    Deeper and deeper he went.

    ¡®Ah, aah.¡¯

    He struggled and desperately iled his limbs.

    He screamed, but no sound came from his mouth.

    The light vanished within the darkness.

    Crack.

    Something broke.

    ¡°AAAHHH!!!¡±

    He threw aside the nket and stood up.

    His entire body was covered in sweat, and the clothing sticking to his skin felt unpleasant.

    ¡°Haa, Haa.¡±

    He breathed heavily, raised his head, and looked around.

    He saw a familiar room.

    ¡°Wh-what happened?¡± KangWoo mumbled while cleaning up the sweat.

    It was a crazily realistic dream.

    He remembered his times in Hell¡ªsomething he¡¯d almost forgotten after he became used to life on Earth.

    ¡®Damn it.¡¯

    He closed his eyes and tried to erase the bad memory from his head.

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    For some reason, he really wanted to see Han Seol-ah.

    ¡®If only in Hell¡­¡¯

    If only there was a woman like her.

    No, if Lilith appeared like how people imagined a subus¡­

    ¡®It would have been a bit better.¡¯

    Appearance was important.

    It wasn¡¯t a matter of being beautiful or not.

    At least, one shouldn¡¯t have 18 eyes and a body covered by tentacles that oozed pus.

    Most humans and demons relied primarily on sight.

    ¡®If there was at least one beautiful woman, maybe life in Hell wouldn¡¯t have been that bad.¡¯

    Heughed in disbelief at the thought that crossed his mind.

    To be honest, it was a disgusting and lowly thought, even to him.

    But what could he do?

    Although it was a lowly thought, he needed something to ease his mind at the time.

    ¡®Only those that don¡¯t have any porn saved may cast judgment upon me.¡¯

    Craving someone of the opposite gender was normal. It was in one¡¯s nature, after all.

    He wasn¡¯t thinking of denying that.

    ¡°Well¡­ Hell isn¡¯t a ce like that in the first ce.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t thinking of ming Lilith.

    All demons in Hell looked like that, so there was nothing she could¡¯ve done about it.

    ¡®It¡¯s also something that¡¯s already in the past.¡¯

    Still, remembering the times in Hell made him tremble as if he were about to have a seizure.

    KangWoo shook his head and raised his nket.

    ¡°Fufufu.¡±

    As he raised it¡­ he saw something there.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to hunt Halcyon today, right? I came secretly at night to give strength to the Demon King.¡±

    Hehe.

    Lilith put out her tongue and gave a cute smile. nine of the eighteen eyes winked at him.

    Green tentacles had covered his body within his dream.

    ¡°Ah, aah.¡±

    KangWoo lowered his head while covering his eyes with his two hands.

    A desperate cry leaked from his mouth.

    The nightmare¡­

    Wasn¡¯t over yet.

    * * *

    [Demon King, you seem tired.]

    ¡°Shut up¡­¡±

    KangWoo replied to Balrog while making an annoyed expression.

    Thanks to the terrible thing he suffered until early in the morning, he had almost no mental strength left.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± he said while shaking his head as if trying to brush off the nightmare.

    Balrog smiled.

    [Is there any preparation I need to make?]

    Balrog flexed his arm as if he were bragging about his muscles.

    ¡®It¡¯s being regted well,¡¯ he said with a smirk on his face.

    The gate that was located in the USA, Florida¡­

    Thanks to Lilith, nobody else was visible around the gate.

    [Halcyon¡­]

    Balrog¡¯s expression hardened while he thought about what was beyond the gate.

    A sense of nervousness was flowing out from his body.

    ¡°What, does it being an ancient demonic monster make you nervous?¡±

    KangWoo tilted his head while looking at the nervous Balrog.

    Although they¡¯d never fought against an ancient demonic m, seeing Balrog so nervous was rare.

    [Haa.]

    Balrog sighed.

    [It¡¯s because of Halcyon¡¯s horrible appearance¡­ I¡¯m not afraid of fighting it, but I¡¯m scared of seeing that disgusting face again.]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes at what Balrog said.

    ¡°Did you face Halcyon before?¡±

    If that weren¡¯t the case, Balrog saying he was afraid of seeing it ¡®again¡¯ made no sense.

    [Yes¡­]

    Balrog nodded while making a heavy expression.

    [Yes¡­ It was about 900 years ago. I went out to investigate with my subordinates and entered a Halcyon¡¯s territory. At that moment¡­ I was able to see it.]

    ¡°Wait, 900 years ago?¡±

    If it was 900 years ago, it was when he¡¯d started ordering Balrog around.

    He didn¡¯t remember hearing a report saying Balrog had met a Halcyon.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you report?¡±

    [Ah¡­] he mumbled in a low voice.

    Reporting to your higher-up was one of the musts as a subordinate; not reporting something delicate on purpose could even lead someone to be executed.

    [I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Demon King!]

    Balrog noticed he¡¯d made a mistake and lowered his head.

    KangWoo scratched his head while looking at him.

    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t trying to me you. I just wanted to know why.¡±

    Although not reporting was something serious, it was something that had happened 900 years ago.

    There was no need to punish him at that point.

    ¡®But why did he do it?¡¯

    There was probably a reason why he hadn¡¯t made a report.

    Considering his personality, there was a chance it was quite an important reason.

    [That¡­]

    Balrog sighed and kept talking.

    [That¡¯s because of how disgusting Halcyon looked.]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    [You were really busy, so I didn¡¯t want to distract you with that disgusting being¡­]

    KangWoo frowned.

    It was too weak of an excuse.

    ¡®Well, I guess it makes sense considering the situation back then.¡¯

    If it was 900 years ago, it was when the conflict against the archdukes was just starting.

    Ancient demonic monsters didn¡¯t leave their nest, so there was no need to be cautious or think about them.

    ¡®This just makes me wonder more.¡¯

    Just how disgusting did Halcyon look for Balrog to say something like that?

    KangWoo looked at the gate with great interest.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    [I¡­ I¡¯ll pay for the crime with my life.]

    ¡°Don¡¯t say nonsense.¡±

    He gave Balrog a kick and began walking.

    As he crossed the gate, an immense forest appeared before him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The thick scent of blood wafted into his nose.

    ¡°It seems like it¡¯s been going on a rampage.¡±

    He saw the corpses of monsters throughout the forest.

    ¡®Oh well.¡¯

    The opponent was an ancient demonic monster.

    It was a monster that could even face an archduke, so, for monsters, it was as if a catastrophe had appeared.

    Because of the characteristics of a demonic monster, there was a chance it had killed all the monsters around to create a base.

    [Demon King¡­]

    ¡°I know.¡±

    KangWoo readied his demonic energy.

    He prepared the Ten Thousand Demon Core so that he could use an Authority at any moment.

    Balrog also raised his fists and readied his demonic energy.

    ck-

    Armor formed around his fist¡ªit was like a gauntlet that knights in the middle ages used.

    That was the new power called ¡®Overlord¡¯s Armor¡¯ Balrog had obtained.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, aren¡¯t you going to use the whip?¡±

    [It doesn¡¯t suit the Overlord¡¯s Armor very well, so I¡¯ve been mostly using my fists recently.]

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    KangWoo nodded.

    It was true that Balrog¡¯s main weapon was the whip, but that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t good at using his fists.

    ¡®I guess he¡¯s going to do whatever¡¯s the best for him.¡¯

    Just like he couldn¡¯t give martial arts advice to Kim ShiHoon, the same thing applied to Balrog.

    He was an alreadyplete warrior.

    If he¡¯d thrown away his main weapon, the whip, his choice was probably correct.

    ¨C Sniff¡­

    At that moment, he heard the sound of someone crying in the forest.

    KangWoo created a sword with the Authority of des.

    ¡°It¡¯s over there.¡±

    He felt an intense amount of demonic energy from the crying voice.

    He slowly began walking.

    ¡®Halcyon¡­¡¯

    The demon that looked so disgusting that it made even demons scared¡­

    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how it looked.

    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯

    It didn¡¯t matter how disgusting it looked.

    There was no romance in Hell.

    He¡¯d already seen the worst in Hell in terms of horrifying things.

    Even if it looked like it had been made by attaching many different corpses, he was sure he could eat it with the Authority of Predation while smiling.

    ¡®Come on¡­¡¯

    ¡®Show yourself.¡¯

    KangWoo cut the vines that were blocking their path with his longsword.

    There¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    [Ugh! You still look disgusting!]

    Balrog clenched his fists while frowning.

    ¡°Sniff, sniff.¡±

    A white-haired woman was crying, there were bat wings on her back, two horns on her forehead, and a long tail came out of her ass area, and¡­

    She had an impressive¡­

    Chilling¡­

    Beautiful appearance.

    ¡°Hey, Balrog¡­¡±

    His body trembled.

    Halcyon¡¯s appearance was so beautiful that it made one feel a thrill.

    To be honest, Han Seol-ah, or Echidna, couldn¡¯t be a match for her.

    If he had to make aparison¡­

    She looked like how people would often imagine a ¡®subus queen.¡¯

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    All those years he¡¯d spent in Hell passed through his mind.

    Not only had he been unable to see a woman, but he also couldn¡¯t see even a person.

    The wife he got was Lilith.

    He cried every night after being harassed by tentacles.

    It was an empty and dry ce where he didn¡¯t have any form of entertainment.

    He¡¯d been supporting all of that; he¡¯d been resisting, but¡­

    But¡­

    ¡°Ah, aah.¡±

    He grabbed his head.

    ¨C Have you seen a Halcyon before?

    ¨C Yes.

    ¡°Ugh, ah.¡±

    ¨C Why didn¡¯t you report?

    ¡°Hey, you¡­¡±

    ¨C Because Halcyon I saw was too disgusting.

    ¡°You motherfucker!!!!!¡±

    Tears dripped down KangWoo¡¯s cheeks.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you report it, you motherfucker?!!!!¡±

 Chapter 254 - Halcyon (1)

    Chapter 254

    ¡°AAGGHH!¡±

    He screamed in pain.

    It was unfair.

    He couldn¡¯t handle the emotions he was feeling at the moment.

    ¡®Why.¡¯

    Balrog was someone who had reported everything. Why hadn¡¯t he reported that?

    ¡°Why¡­ why¡­?¡±

    He began feeling anger, resentment, and confusion toward Balrog.

    ¡°Do you think that appearance is disgusting?¡±

    [Of course. There¡¯s no way there¡¯s a more disgusting demonic monster than that.] Balrog answered without hesitation.

    KangWoo fell into trouble.

    He began thinking that maybe he was under an illusion, so he used the Authority of Resistance, but the beauty of Halcyon was still blinding.

    ¡®Fuck.¡¯

    He remembered what Lilith had said.

    She¡¯d said she couldn¡¯t understand human beauty standards, but she didn¡¯t find them disgusting.

    ¡®But¡­¡¯

    He looked at Halcyon.

    She had the perfect bnce of human and demon.

    It was the seductive appearance of a subus that often appeared in manhwa.

    ¡®Although she¡¯s t-chested¡­¡¯

    Who cared?

    For example, Echidna was also t, like a wastnd.

    ¡°Do you find how humans look disgusting¡­?¡±

    If he found Halcyon disgusting, he should¡¯ve found how humans looked disgusting.

    [No. I can¡¯t differentiate what humans are beautiful, but I don¡¯t find them disgusting.]

    ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    He became even more confused.

    ¡°Then why does Halcyon¡­?¡±

    [Isn¡¯t that horrible life-form ¡®mixed¡¯?]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    mes finally sparked in KangWoo¡¯s head.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    He finally understood.

    ¡®If how a demon looks at a human being is like how we look at fish¡­¡¯

    From a demon¡¯s point of view, Halcyon was as if a demon had been fused with a fish.

    Imagine if there was a creature with the head of a fish and the body of a human.

    Of course, it¡¯s true that, from a human point of view, it didn¡¯t matter how it was mixed¡ªit probably wouldn¡¯t be as disgusting as a demon found it.

    They weren¡¯t human¡ªtheir values and standards were different from people¡¯s.

    ¡®No.¡¯

    He more or less understood what happened.

    He understood that, from a demon¡¯s point of view, a ¡®mixed¡¯ life form could look as disgusting as a creature with tentacles that oozed yellow pus.

    But¡­

    But still¡­

    Even if he understood¡­

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but find the situation unfair.

    How was it different from having spent 30 years in prison for them to free you and say, ¡®oops, it seems you were innocent all along¡¯?

    The only difference was that, instead of 30 years, he¡¯d spent ten thousand years in prison.

    ¡®Yes. Let¡¯s say that there¡¯s nothing I could¡¯ve done for the first nine thousand years¡­¡¯

    If Balrog had made the proper report, he could¡¯ve spent at least 900 years with someone with such blinding beauty as Halcyon.

    ¡°Sniff.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but cry.

    It was unfair.

    He remembered all the nights he¡¯d struggled with Lilith.

    ¡®If I knew there was a demonic monster as pretty as Halcyon¡­¡¯

    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean he would¡¯ve tried to forcibly put his hands on Halcyon.

    In the first ce, Halcyon was too strong, and secondly, he would never put his hands on someone just to satisfy his needs.

    But still¡­

    ¡®I could¡¯ve at least tried to make her an ally.¡¯

    At that moment, he didn¡¯t feel he needed an ally.

    Just seeing her from a distance would¡¯ve been enough to make him shed tears of happiness.

    [As expected, it seems like you also have difficulty facing that disgusting demonic monster.]

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    [I¡¯ll¡­! Ugh! F-for the Demon King¡­!]

    ¡°I said ¡®no¡¯, you motherfucker¡­¡±

    ¡°Ugh, BLEH!!]

    Balrog¡¯s puked out everything he had inside.

    He was a demon who didn¡¯t need to eat, so instead of vomiting, a ck, sticky liquid came out of his mouth.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    KangWoo grabbed his hair.

    ¡°Fuck my life.¡±

    It was something that was in the past already.

    Even if he found it unfair, he couldn¡¯t turn back time.

    He couldn¡¯t change the past.

    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±

    He looked at Halcyon, who was bent down and crying.

    It wasn¡¯t the time to think about if Halcyon was beautiful or not.

    ¡®Why is she crying?¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t understand it.

    KangWoo slowly walked toward her.

    He heard her mumbling something.

    ¡°Sniff¡­ Y-you¡­¡±

    She looked at KangWoo.

    ¡°Wh-who are you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She shook as if she were scared.

    There were tears in her eyes, and her body was trembling.

    ¡®What?¡¯

    She waspletely different from his image of an ancient demonic monster.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how he should react.

    ¡°Ah, I¡­ I understand. Y-you¡¯re also trying to m-molest me, right?¡±

    Halcyon¡¯s voice trembled.

    She slowly got up.

    * * *

    A dark-red demonic energy came out of her.

    ¡®What¡¯s up with her?¡¯

    He frowned.

    He couldn¡¯t understand Halcyon¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°S-sniff. Wh-why are you trying to h-harass me? I¡­ I¡¯m scared.¡±

    ¡®Right now, you look scarier.¡¯

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know where I¡­ I am. E-everyone is trying to h-harass me.¡±

    ¡®Does she really have intelligence?¡¯

    He heard that ancient demonic monsters had intelligence, but it was hard to say that of Halcyon.

    ¡®Should I see if I can talk with her?¡¯

    KangWoo opened his mouth and spoke in a low voice.

    ¡®Are you Halcyon?¡¯

    ¡°Huh¡­? D-do you know me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡±

    It seemed like he could talk with her.

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re also trying to harass m-me, right? E-everyone hates me, anyways. Th-that¡¯s probably what you want. Y-you¡¯re going to bother me.¡±

    No.

    ¡®It¡¯s impossible to talk with her.¡¯

    KangWooughed in disbelief and looked at Halcyon.

    It was as if he were looking at someone with a victimplex.

    Her reaction made him think what they said about ancient demonic monsters having a mind was a lie.

    ¡°Sniff. E-everyone is too m-mean. I¡­ I didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±

    She shed tears.

    ¡°It¡­ it isn¡¯t like I¡­ I wanted to l-look like this.¡±

    Halcyon shook while crying.

    Her eyes started to turn white, and grotesque tendons became visible around them.

    Her white hair began floating, and¡­

    BOOM-!!

    She stomped on the ground and sent the earth flying.

    Halcyon¡¯s body shot toward KangWoo in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Why¡­ is everyone?!!¡±

    She raised her arms and extended red ws toward KangWoo¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Tsk.¡±

    Paf-!

    He raised his leg and kicked Halcyon¡¯s stomach.

    BOOM-!!

    She rolled a hundred meters away and stood up again, swinging her ws upward.

    A dark-red demonic energy was shot toward him.

    ¡®Authority of Defense.¡¯

    He raised a wall of demonic energy and blocked the attack, but her dark-red demonic energy tore the wall down, so he lowered his body and dodged the attacks.

    ¡°Wh-why is it that everyone hates me?!!¡±

    Paf-!!

    Halcyon flew hundreds of meters in less than a second and kicked KangWoo.

    He bounced away into the ground.

    He felt like he¡¯d been kicked by something weighing a couple of tons.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes as ck blood spurted from his mouth.

    ¡®Even if she looks like that¡­¡¯

    An ancient demonic monster was an ancient demonic monster.

    Her physical specs couldn¡¯t bepared to an archduke¡¯s.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    The ends of his mouth went up.

    It wouldn¡¯t have been that fun if Halcyon didn¡¯t look like a frail girl.

    ¡®Now¡­¡¯

    He finally believed her to be a monster.

    KangWoo lowered his body.

    Halcyon rushed toward him and swung her ws.

    ¡°Sky Break.¡±

    He pulled his right arm back, took a step forward with his left leg, and swung his fist.

    A huge amount of demonic energy shed.

    A huge, 30-meter crater formed as dirt and stone went flying.

    It was as if mythological giants were shing.

    BOOM-!

    The forest was nowhere to be seen anymore, and it was as if it had been struck by an earthquake

    ¡°Haa, haa, haa!¡±

    Halcyon flew while breathing heavily.

    KangWoo followed her and reached toward her.

    She was trying to fly away, so KangWoo grabbed her leg and smashed her into the ground.

    ¡°Cough!¡±

    With a huge explosion, screaming came out of Halcyon¡¯s mouth.

    ¨C Tap, tap.

    He walked toward her.

    ¡°H-how?¡±

    Fear appeared on Halcyon¡¯s face.

    KangWoo walked toward her, a cold expression on his face.

    The physical specs of an ancient demonic monster were clearly superior to those of an archduke, but¡­

    If the target ofparison was him, it was another problem.

    Halcyon probably had better physical specs than him, but he had an incredible amount of Authorities and an overwhelming amount of demonic energy.

    ¡°Well. It wasn¡¯t bad.¡±

    KangWoo looked at the wound he¡¯d received from Halcyon.

    The part that she had wounded wasn¡¯t recovering.

    ¡®Is it poison?¡¯

    There was no way to know.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue while looking at the wound.

    ¡®How bothersome.¡¯

    Crack. He tore down the part of his skin that Halcyon¡¯s ws had hurt.

    ck blood poured out, but that was only for a few moments.

    As if one were looking at a video in reverse, his body started to regenerate.

    ¡°Wh-who a-are you?¡± Halcyon asked in a fearful voice.

    Tears were falling from her eyes.

    ¡°Who knows?¡±

    He had no reason to tell her.

    KangWoo slowly raised his hands.

    ¡®Authority of mes.¡¯

    A fire that seemed like it would devour the entire world began gathering around his hand.

    ¡°Eek! S-sniff. I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. P-please don¡¯t harass me. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He had no intention of killing her¡ªthere were many things he wanted to ask her.

    ¡®Seeing her current state¡­¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t sure if it would be worth asking her a few things.

    ¡°Tsk, although her face is pretty¡­¡±

    Who would¡¯ve guessed that Halcyon was so crazy?

    ¡®Still, this is better.¡¯

    He began thinking he was d he hadn¡¯t met Halcyon before.

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    Halcyon raised her head.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m pretty?¡±

    At that moment, tears began to drip from her eyes.

    ¡°Ah, ugh, aah.¡±

    Halcyon touched her cheeks with her hands while trembling.

    ¡°H-he said I¡¯m pretty.¡±

    Her eyes looking at KangWoo became full of a chilling madness.

    ¡°I¡­ I finally heard that I¡¯m prettyy!!!¡±

    Her hair began floating into the air.

    ¡°KYAHAHAHA!!!¡±

    The ends of her mouth went up, and a burst of madughter came out of her mouth.

    ¡®What the fuck?¡¯

    KangWoo looked at her in disbelief.

    ¡®Why is she acting like this?¡¯

    A chilling sensation spread through his back.

 Chapter 255 - Halcyon (2)

    Chapter 255

    The first sensation she¡¯d felt after being born was fear.

    ¨C Eek!

    ¨C Wh-what¡¯s that monster?!

    When she first opened her eyes, she saw a demon looking at her in disgust.

    The demon was frowning while looking at her as if she were a detestable being.

    ¨C Damn it! Bleh!

    ¨C Bleh!

    They were vomiting while looking at her.

    Unlike them, she didn¡¯t have numerous eyes or skin covered by tentacles or moss.

    ¨C It¡­ it doesn¡¯t look like a demonic monster?

    They called her a demonic monster.

    ¡ªA demonic monster that wasn¡¯t a demon.

    ¡ªA beast that wasn¡¯t self-aware and didn¡¯t have thoughts.

    ¡ªA being that lived by relying on their instincts.

    ¨C I¡­ I¡¯ve never seen a demonic monster that¡¯s so disgusting¡­

    They were looking at her in disgust and talking in fearful voices.

    ¡®I¡­¡¯

    She lowered her head and prayed.

    She desperately prayed.

    She begged them not to bother her. To not hurt her.

    ¡®I didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡¯

    ¨C Die!

    ¨C Y-you disgusting bastard! Kill it!

    Attacks poured toward her from every direction.

    She couldn¡¯t understand why they hated her so much, but there was something she was sure about: being hit by their attacks hurt a lot.

    She escaped. Was it because she was born as a monster? Her running speed wasn¡¯t slow.

    She desperately ran.

    ¨C Follow it!

    ¨C We cannot let it grow!

    They followed her, stomped on her, and tore at her skin.

    It hurt.

    She felt immense pain over and over again.

    ¡°Please, d¡­ don¡¯t bother me,¡± she begged in desperation.

    ¨C What¡¯s wrong with this demonic monster?

    ording to them, a demonic monster was a being with no consciousness that relied on their instincts¡ªa beast-like being.

    They didn¡¯t feel despair or fear.

    They were monsters that wouldn¡¯t hesitate to attack if they thought you were their enemy.

    That was the ¡®demonic monster¡¯ they referred to.

    ¡°S-sniff.¡±

    So what?

    She wasn¡¯t like that.

    She wasn¡¯t crazy; she didn¡¯t want to tear down and eat her enemies.

    She was just scared about what they said and how they looked at her.

    It didn¡¯t matter how much she tried to escape¡ªthey always followed her.

    It was the same with others, even if it was someone she hadn¡¯t seen before. All of the demons puked after seeing her and tried to attack.

    Life was fear and pain.

    Everyone in the world cursed her.

    It was a never-ending nightmare.

    In the end¡­

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re also trying to bother me, right?¡±

    She lost her mind.

    There was no way she would be able to resist while staying sane.

    Surrounded by fear and madness, she killed everyone close to her.

    She realized that, if she didn¡¯t kill, she was the one who would get killed.

    ¡°U-ugh.¡±

    She created a habitat and realized that if she stayed inside the borders she¡¯d built, other demons didn¡¯t go after her.

    But¡­

    ¡°Snif!!¡±

    The wound didn¡¯t close.

    How they¡¯d pointed at her. How they looked at her in disgust¡­

    She desperately craved someone to look at her without fear. Someone who wouldn¡¯t find her disgusting, but it didn¡¯t matter how much time passed.

    A hundred years¡­

    A thousand years¡­

    Even ten thousand years.

    No one like that appeared.

    She was always a target of fear and disgust.

    It was a never-ending nightmare.

    ¡°Sniff.¡±

    She cried and stayed crouched behind fence she¡¯d built.

    Even if she cried, nothing would change.

    Just like that¡­

    Too many years passed.

    * * *

    ¡°KYAHAHAHA!!!¡±

    The crazy sound ofughter spread to the surroundings.

    She crawled onto the floor and grabbed KangWoo¡¯s pants.

    ¡°Is¡­ is that true? A-am I really pretty?¡±

    It was a desperate voice.

    She looked at him like a desperate person seeing salvation.

    ¡°Ah, well. That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    KangWoo looked at her with a confused expression.

    He reacted reflexively.

    She had reacted unexpectedly. He could feel a sense of madness from it.

    ¡°Ah, aah.¡±

    Halcyon cried while touching her face.

    It was as if she were under the effects of a drug.

    She seemed to be feeling excitement and thrill. Laughter mixed with madness came out of her.

    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯

    KangWoo thought of a certain possibility.

    He could still see Balrogying on the floor while vomiting.

    A scenario of a possible exnation came to his mind.

    ¡®It seems like it¡¯s the first time she¡¯s heard she¡¯s pretty.¡¯

    Taking into consideration that, from a demon¡¯s perspective, Halcyon looked more disgusting than anything¡­

    In a world full of demons, there was a chance she¡¯d never heard that.

    ¡®It probably isn¡¯t just that¡­¡¯

    She wouldn¡¯t react like that just because she had never been called ¡®pretty¡¯.

    ¡®Trauma.¡¯

    There¡¯s a chance that her appearance being so horrible to other demons had left a certain trauma on her.

    No. If that wasn¡¯t a trauma, there¡¯s no way she¡¯d have reacted like that.

    She was probably cast aside and became the target of the demons.

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    The ends of his mouth went up.

    * * *

    ¡®I can use this.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t hard to guess what Halcyon had probably gone through.

    ¡®It¡¯s obvious.¡¯

    He could guess and imagine it.

    Using those things wouldn¡¯t be hard.

    ¡®The important thing is¡­¡¯

    How valuable would she be to him?

    There was no need to think too deeply about that.

    ¡®Even right now, it¡¯s all a profit.¡¯

    There were many things he wanted to ask Halcyon.

    How had she, an ancient demonic monster, arrived on Earth? Why were other ancient demonic monsters acting strange? What was up with the ¡®King of Demonic Monsters¡¯, the Behemoth¡¯s, attitude?

    ¡®Not only that¡­¡¯

    After reaching 150 Demonic Energy, for the moment, he couldn¡¯t use the Authority of Predation to absorb the demonic energy of a target.

    Of course, he could alwayspress the corpse, just like he did with Belphegor, but¡­

    It wasn¡¯t that increasing his ability to control demonic energy was quick. He was increasing it slowly through training, so continuing to stack condensed demonic energy wasn¡¯t very effective.

    For example, he wasn¡¯t sure when he¡¯d be able to eat Belphegor.

    ¡®Well, it might be different if I Awaken¡­¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t Kim ShiHoon, so nning the future based on Awakening wasn¡¯t good.

    ¡°Sniff, sniff. I¡­ I¡¯m d. I¡¯m really d¡­¡±

    Halcyon was crying, moved.

    KangWoo calmly looked at her.

    ¡®Basically¡­¡¯

    Rather than killing her and turning her into a Demonic Energy Stone, it was better to turn her into an ally.

    Although she didn¡¯t have an Authority, her physical specs were better than an archduke¡¯s.

    ¡®Good.¡¯

    KangWoo smirked.

    He¡¯d decided on a goal and knew how to achieve it.

    There was no reason to hesitate.

    ¡°Y-you aren¡¯t lying. R-right?¡±

    Halcyon looked at him anxiously.

    KangWoo extended his hand toward her while making a kind smile.

    He put his hand on her cheeks.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    KangWoo hesitated for a moment.

    Halcyon¡¯s expression paled.

    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve taken a closer look, maybe not that pretty.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    A short exmation came out of Halcyon¡¯s mouth¡ªit was one that had disappointment and relief mixed together.

    KangWoo smirked. As expected.

    ¡®In this situation, saying she¡¯s pretty can be a minus.¡¯

    It was a simple problem.

    Imagine there¡¯s someone who heard they¡¯re ugly throughout their life.

    Could they trust someone who appeared suddenly and said they¡¯re beautiful?

    ¡®There¡¯s no way.¡¯

    It doesn¡¯t matter if it was a human, a demon, or a demonic monster, any emotional life form would have that instinct.

    They would naturally be wary about the person who was saying something that didn¡¯t make sense.

    ¡°R-right? Th-there¡¯s no way I¡¯d be pretty¡­¡±

    Tears dripped from Halcyon¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m a disgusting¡­ and dirty¡­¡±

    Her voice became progressively weaker as if she were struggling to find words.

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes shone.

    ¡®Now.¡¯

    When a mental breakdown was about to happen¡­

    It was his chance.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± he said firmly.

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t disgusting and ugly. Well, I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯ve heard until now, but at least, for me, that¡¯s not the case.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Now that I take a closer look, you aren¡¯t bad. You¡¯re not disgusting and ugly at all.¡±

    KangWoo smirked and cleaned up her tears.

    There was no need to exaggerate. No, exaggerating would only make things worse.

    What Halcyon really wanted wasn¡¯t for someone to tell her she was beautiful.

    ¡®What she really wants is¡­¡¯

    For someone to tell her that she¡¯s not disgusting.

    ¡°Ah¡­

    That¡¯s it.

    It was something that seemed small¡ªthat didn¡¯t seem like much¡ªbut for her, that would be something that saved her.

    ¡°Sniff, sniff.¡±

    Tears dripped from her eyes.

    She was trembling in excitement.

    ¡°Thank you. Really, thank you.¡±

    She cried and clutched his clothes.

    KangWoo looked at her.

    ¡®Not yet.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t enough.

    It was a 99%plete puzzle; there was still onest remaining piece.

    He took out hismunication crystal and mumbled in a low voice.

    ¨C Balrog, stand up.

    Balrog, who was still vomiting, staggered into a standing position.

    [Ugh! D-Demon King, it¡¯s dangerous!!]

    After seeing Halcyon stuck to KangWoo, he quickly stomped on the ground.

    The Overlord¡¯s Armor, one made of ck demonic energy, gathered around his fist.

    ¡°Ugh¡­!¡±

    Halcyon closed her eyes, and body started to tremble again.

    Balrog¡¯s fist covered with Overlord¡¯s Armor wasn¡¯t one she could defend against after bing tired of the fight against KangWoo.

    KangWoo slowly raised his hand.

    BOOM-!!

    Right next to Halcyon¡¯s head¡­

    If he had been 0.1 secondste, her head would have exploded.

    [D-Demon King?]

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a dangerous situation, so stay still.¡±

    Halcyon looked at him in surprise.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    She grabbed his clothes harder with a short exmation because Balrog was frowning as if he couldn¡¯t stand looking at Halcyon.

    [Demon King¡­ you aren¡¯t affected by that monster?]

    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯

    It was the question he was waiting for.

    KangWoo kept talking in a calm voice. It was about time toplete the puzzle.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Halcyon looked at him anxiously.

    ¡°Unlike what I¡¯ve heard from you, I don¡¯t find her that disgusting.¡±

    Thest piece¡­

    ¡°Are my eyes weird? I even find her a bit pretty.¡±

    [Ha¡­]

    ¡°It seems like she looks like this only to my eyes.¡±

    KangWoo shrugged his shoulders and then looked at Halcyon.

    He could see a change in her eyes.

    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯

    The only one who didn¡¯t think she was disgusting¡­

    If he was special, if he was the only one who didn¡¯t see her as disgusting¡­

    ¡°Tsk. Let¡¯s stop for the moment, Balrog. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°E-excuse me!¡±

    Halcyon raised her head.

    He could sense desperation on her face.

    It was obvious.

    If there was only one person who could take her out of her nightmare, only a single person who didn¡¯t find her disgusting¡­

    ¡®Even if she had to offer everything¡­¡¯

    She would desperately cling to that savior.

    ¡°P-please take me! I¡­ I¡¯ll do anything. I¡­ I won¡¯t cry. So, P-please, don¡¯t abandon me. I won¡¯t do that anymore. I¡­ I¡¯ll do anything you ask. S-so please¡­¡± she desperately begged.

    He could see a mad sense of desperation in her eyes.

    KangWoo slowly turned his face.

    ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯

    A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

    Of course, what he did probably wasn¡¯t morally correct.

    Leaving a demon¡¯s point of view aside, she was really beautiful indeed, and him being the only one to whom she wasn¡¯t disgusting was a lie, but¡­

    He had no intention of telling her the truth.

    The reason why he¡¯d gone through such things wasn¡¯t to save her or take her from her nightmare.

    ¡®What I need is someone who only listens, follows, and thinks about me. Someone who can die for me.¡¯¡¯

    He needed someone like that.

    ¡°Well, okay.¡±

    KangWoo smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Excitement rose from Halcyon¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 256 - As Expected, Theres No Romance In Hell (1)

    Chapter 256

    ¡°Oh¡­ KangWoo¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my name.¡±

    ¡°C-can I call you M-Mr. KangWoo from now on?¡±

    She looked at him with shining eyes as if she were an abandoned dog that had just gotten adopted.

    KangWoo smirked and nodded.

    Halcyon¡¯s expression brightened.

    She was clenching her fists and trembling in excitement.

    ¡®Ah, I¡¯m feeling guilty¡­¡¯

    Still, he was a person, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty after seeing her so happy.

    His shoulders were starting to feel heavy.

    ¡®Besides that¡­¡¯

    There was something he had to do.

    ¡°I have a condition.¡±

    ¡°C-condition?¡±

    Her eyes were trembling in fear.

    KangWoo kept talking calmly.

    ¡°Be my subordinate. To be more precise, a familiar spirit.¡±

    With a demonic monster like a Halcyon, it didn¡¯t matter how much demonic energy he had, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use the Authority of Subordination on her.

    That wouldn¡¯t be a problem if Halcyon wanted to be his subordinate.

    If that were the case, the chances of the Authority of Subordination seeding increased greatly.

    ¡®This is why I took the time to do all of that.¡¯

    If he took her out in her current state, she¡¯d immediately realize that it wasn¡¯t just KangWoo who didn¡¯t find her disgusting.

    From her point of view, the number of saviors would greatly increase.

    All the emotions that she was currently feeling would probably decrease as well.

    ¡®Before that¡­¡¯

    He needed to make things sure.

    He needed to put the chains called the Authority of Subordination on her¡ªone that could make her not able to go against his orders.

    ¡°Familiar¡­ spirit?¡±

    Halcyon¡¯s eyes widened.

    She nodded without hesitation.

    ¡°Y-yes! I, I¡¯ll do it! I¡­ I¡¯ll be your familiar spirit!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He wasn¡¯t sure if she said that while knowing what bing a familiar spirit meant.

    In the cases of Balrog and Lilith, it was different¡ªthey weren¡¯t chained by the Authority of Subordination.

    Kim ShiHoon and Echidna were chained to it, however.

    ¡®Those two¡­¡¯

    They couldn¡¯t go against his orders.

    He couldn¡¯t give them any order that went against their survival instincts, but besides that, they couldn¡¯t go against his orders.

    For example, he¡¯d controlled Kim ShiHoon numerous times.

    ¡®Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯

    It didn¡¯t matter to him if she knew what a familiar spirit was or not..

    A scammer didn¡¯t need to think about what would happen to the person signing the contract.

    ¡®¡­Although I¡¯m not a scammer.¡¯

    At least he hadn¡¯t lied to her.

    It was true that he found her beautiful, and the condition for him to take her was to turn her into his familiar spirit.

    Who would dare to call him a scammer?

    ¡°Good.¡±

    KangWoo extended his hand and touched Halcyon¡¯s shoulders.

    Demonic energy rose from within him.

    ¡®Authority of Subordination.¡¯

    Whir-!

    An immense amount of demonic energy flew out of him.

    The demonic energy was so thick that it didn¡¯t feel like a liquid and flowed into Halcyon¡¯s body.

    Halcyon closed her eyes and epted the demonic energy without offering any resistance.

    A chain was put on her soul.

    Ting-

    [The target has epted the ¡®Authority of Subordination¡¯ without offering any resistance.]

    [The chances of the ¡®Authority of Subordination¡¯ working on the target have been slightly increased.]

    [The Authority of Subordination has seeded. ¡®Halcyon¡¯ has been registered as your Familiar Spirit.]

    ¡®Good.¡¯

    He felt that his soul was connected to her.

    A smile appeared on KangWoo¡¯s face.

    He had gotten another important ally that could face an archduke after Balrog and Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°Ah, aah.¡±

    Halcyon let out an exmation while holding her chest.

    KangWoo looked at her as she was trembling.

    ¡®She really doesn¡¯t have a chest.¡¯

    It was enough to make him think that Echidna¡¯s chest was quite big.

    He shrugged his shoulders and turned around.

    ¡®That¡¯s none of my concern.¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t that he liked t chests¡ªjust like any other man, he liked morous bodies, but it didn¡¯t matter if Halcyon was t or big-chested.

    ¡®I already belong to someone.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t help but smile after thinking about Han Seol-ah.

    He already had a perfect woman like her, so he did not need anything else.

    ¡°Th-thank you. Thank you. Sniff.¡±

    Halcyon cried.

    KangWoo made aplex expression.

    It felt weird being thanked for having turned her into someone that couldn¡¯t go against the orders of her owner.

    ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s leave presentations forter.¡±

    There was another important thing that had to be resolved.

    ¡°There are a few things that I want to ask.¡±

    ¡°Ask¡­?¡±

    Halcyon tilted their head.

    ¡°How did you get here?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Halcyon looked around.

    She kept talking in a low voice.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure. My memories before getting here¡­ are fuzzy.¡±

    ¡°Your memories are fuzzy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    She couldn¡¯t lie because of the Authority of Subordination.

    ¡°Since when are your memories fuzzy?¡±

    ¡°That¡­ It¡­ it hasn¡¯t been that long. A-about a year? I¡­ I¡¯m not exactly sure. I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    She lowered her head as if she¡¯dmitted a capital crime.

    ¡®A year ago¡­¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t a short time, but it wasn¡¯t long for demons and demonic monsters¡ªbeings that had eternal life.

    KangWoo tried to remember the past.

    If it was a year before, it was about when Balrog had been summoned to Earth by the Demon Cult.

    ¡®If her memories became fuzzy at that point¡­¡¯

    There was one thing that he could think of.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can remember?¡±

    ¡°N-no. That¡¯s not it. Although a little, there are a few things that I can remember.¡±

    ¡°Tell me everything you can think of.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t remember well¡­ B-but I was walking toward somewhere.¡±

    ¡°You were going somewhere?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was as if I was under hypnosis¡­ I felt that I had to go somewhere. Th-that¡¯s why I kept walking toward somewhere.¡±

    ¡°And you were already here when you noticed?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes! Th-that¡¯s right! When I came back to my senses, I was already here!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo remained silent.

    He turned his head toward Balrog, who was puking beside him.

    ¡°Balrog, since when did ancient demonic monsters begin acting strange?¡±

    [About a year ago¡­ From that point, the ancient demonic monsters began moving out of their nests.]

    ¡°What are the confirmed ancient demonic monsters?¡±

    [Vulcatus, ouroboros, raksasha, of course, Halcyon, and¡­]

    Balrog hesitated for a moment.

    [We¡¯ve also confirmed that Behemoth has moved.]

    * * *

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Behemoth¡­

    The king of demonic monsters and father of Archduke Leviathan.

    Even KangWoo hadn¡¯t heard many things about him.

    ¡®If Behemothes, things might get troublesome.¡¯

    Leaving other ancient demonic monsters aside, not even KangWoo could take Behemoth lightly.

    ¡®Her consciousness became fuzzy, and she was going somewhere¡­¡¯

    And when she came back to her senses, she was already there.

    He began organizing what he¡¯d heard from Halcyon.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo frowned.

    ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯

    Hecked information.

    ¡°Do you remember why your consciousness became fuzzy?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure. It¡­ it was too sudden¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you know something about other demonic monsters like Behemoth?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve never seen him. I¡­ I¡¯m sorry for not being of help!¡±

    Halcyon was crying while saying, ¡®Please, don¡¯t abandon me¡¯.

    KangWoo ced his hand on top of his forehead.

    ¡®Something is going on.¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t sure if that had happened at someone else¡¯s influence or not, but after the archdukes and he disappeared from Hell, something began to change.

    ¡°Damn it.¡±

    A short curse left his mouth.

    After clearing up Satan, he thought he could finally rx, but he ended up hearing ominous information.

    ¡®Although I already knew that.¡¯

    He already knew that ancient demonic monsters and Behemoth had begun moving strangely, but he hadn¡¯t thought that much about it because it was something that was happening in Hell.

    The situation had changed.

    He wouldn¡¯t care if it was something that was happening in Hell, but if it were on Earth, that was a whole other story.

    ¡°How annoying¡­¡±

    The biggest problem was that there wasn¡¯t anything he could do.

    He had no way to go to Hell, so there was no way to find the culprit. Not only that, but there was no way to stop the things that were happening.

    ¡°Balrog, is there a way to contact Hell?¡±

    The Demon King¡¯s army was still in Hell.

    Since Balrog and Lilith had disappeared, he wasn¡¯t sure what had happened to them, but he was sure they hadn¡¯t been eliminated easily.

    [There¡¯s none.]

    Balrog shook his head.

    KangWoo sighed.

    ¡®I guess the only thing I can do is wait.¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t sure if it was something that could be solved by waiting.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back¡­¡±

    KangWoo turned his body after thinking about it for a while.

    He couldn¡¯t see any solution at the moment.

    ¡®The only solution¡­¡¯

    Was to keep finding the ancient demonic monsters that appeared in gates and kill them.

    ¡®I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be as easy as with Halcyon.¡¯

    She was the exception.

    In the case of other ancient demonic monsters, there probably wouldn¡¯t be a solution unless one of them died.

    ¡°Tsk.¡±

    He clicked his tongue.

    ¡®I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡¯

    It seemed like the only thing he could do was deal with them as they began appearing on Earth.

    ¡®I need to increase my ability to control demonic energy faster.¡¯

    Since it became like that, the best solution was to devour the ancient demonic monsters through the Authority of Predation and increase his strength.

    To do that, he needed to surpass the barrier of 150.

    ¡°C-can I really follow?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    As he nodded, Halcyon began following him.

    She smiled happily while grabbing the ends of his clothes.

    ¡®I¡¯ll probably have to exin things to Seol-ah as soon as I get there.¡¯

    KangWoo went in the direction of his house while making a confused expression.

    * * *

    ¡°Mr. KangWoo¡¯s new familiar spirit?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Is it a case simr to Echidna¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes.¡±

    Although it wasn¡¯t exactly the same, it didn¡¯t change the fact that they were both his familiar spirits.

    There was no big difference.

    Han Seol-ah looked at Halcyon with great interest.

    ¡°Eek!¡±

    Halcyon hid behind KangWoo.

    It was simr to how Echidna first reacted.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Echidna was looking at Halcyon with an expression that showed she was annoyed.

    She grabbed KangWoo¡¯s arm and spoke to Halcyon.

    ¡°KangWoo¡¯s mine. Don¡¯t try anything funny, newbie.¡±

    ¡®Are you a superior that prays on the newbies?¡¯

    KangWoo patted her while making a fakeugh.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to make her sleep in my room.

    ¡°In Mr. KangWoo¡¯s room?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Look at her state¡­¡±

    Halcyon was trembling, making a pale expression while holding onto KangWoo.

    ¡®There¡¯s also her personality issue.¡¯

    There was a certain characteristic of ancient demonic monsters¡­

    Just like cats, they liked to create a nest and stay there.

    It was the first time she¡¯de to his house, so it was the time when she would probably be the most afraid.

    ¡°Ah, I see. Then how about dinner?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need food.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Then I¡¯ll bring in a nket and a pillow.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    KangWoo turned to Halcyon.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, yes!¡±

    As soon as he entered his room, Halcyon followed him.

    After entering his room, her expression brightened.

    ¡°You should be tired, so let¡¯s sleep.¡±

    After the battle with Halcyon and everything they talked about, he was tired.

    KangWooy the nket on the floor so she could sleep.

    Halcyon nervously looked at him.

    ¡°C-can¡¯t we sleep together¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    It was an unexpected proposal.

    Halcyon quickly lowered her head.

    ¡°N-no! I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ I was presumptuous a-and said something strange! I¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo looked silently at her, who was crying as if she¡¯d said something horribly wrong.

    He sighed.

    ¡®It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t like the idea.¡¯

    If they asked him if he liked or hated the idea, the answer would probably be the first option.

    Who would hate the idea of sharing the bed with a beauty like Halcyon?

    ¡®I feel sorry for Seol-ah.¡¯

    He felt that he would be doing something wrong.

    After thinking about it for a while, KangWoo spoke in a low voice.

    ¡°Only for today¡­¡±

    He¡¯d made her his familiar spirit through the Authority of Subordination, so sleeping with her for one night was nothing.

    ¡®After all, it¡¯s just sleeping together.¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t at risk of not being able to handle his desires.

    If he couldn¡¯t resist such a temptation, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle the desires that a demon¡¯s body brought.

    ¡°Th-thank you!¡±

    Halcyon clenched her fists while making a bright expression.

    He smirked at how innocent she looked.

    Tap-.=

    He turned off the light andy on the bed.

    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±

    Halcyon smiled whileying next to him.

    Whileying on the bed, KangWoo began thinking about everything that had happened that day.

    ¡®Since it became like this, I can help but think that it¡¯s too bad.¡¯

    If Balrog had reported things properly and he¡¯d met Halcyon 900 years ago, maybe life in Hell would¡¯ve been better.

    ¡®Akiyama, you were right.¡¯

    He remembered the crazy Japanese Demon Cult member that had summoned Lilith.

    ¡®There was romance in Hell.¡¯

    It was just that he hadn¡¯t been able to find it.

    Even in Hell, there was a hidden jewel.

    ¡°Hehe¡­ Mr. KangWoo.¡±

    Halcyon approached him.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t get too close¡­¡±

    Then¡­

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    He felt a strange sensation on his thigh.

    It was something that made no sense.

    It was something that shouldn¡¯t be there.

    ¡®What the fuck?¡¯

    KangWoo raised the nket.

    He lowered his head and looked at the hard thing he felt pressing against his thigh.

    ¡°Wait¡­¡±

    His face paled.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    KangWoo kept talking, his mouth open in surprise.

    ¡°Were a man¡­?¡±

    Boing.

 Chapter 257 - Revelation (1)

    Chapter 257

    ¡°M-men¡­?¡±

    Halcyon tilted its head.

    At that moment, as if they¡¯d understood something, they quickly kept talking.

    ¡°Ah¡­! I¡­ I¡¯m both g-genders.¡±

    ¡°Both genders?¡±

    What nonsense was that?

    ¡°I¡­ I can pick whatever gender I¡­ I want.¡±

    ¡®What kind offortable setting is this?¡¯

    Even among demons and demonic monsters, just like humans, there were genders.

    There weren¡¯t many cases, but demons and demonic monsters could have children.

    He had never heard of someone who had both genders.

    ¡®Anyways¡­¡¯

    He could calm down after hearing that Halcyon could choose any gender.

    ¡°W-would you prefer me to choose to be a woman¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    He didn¡¯t hesitate to answer.

    That appearance and a man? He didn¡¯t even want to think about that.

    ¡°Th-then wait a bit! It¡­ it won¡¯t take long!¡±

    ¡°Okay, right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll be able to change it in about a hundred years.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    A hundred years?

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Halcyon smiled brightly.

    For someone that had eternal life, a hundred years wasn¡¯t that much time.

    That meant¡­

    ¡®She has to live with that thing for a hundred years.¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s expression paled.

    ¡®No.¡¯

    KangWoo grabbed his head.

    Halcyon, who wasying on the bed, looked at his face.

    ¡°Is¡­ is there a problem?¡± Halcyon carefully asked.

    KangWoo remained silent.

    A problem?

    Everything was a problem.

    He could still feel that sensation on his thigh.

    He didn¡¯t have time to wonder about that when he was fighting. When he looked more carefully, it was firmly stretching out his clothes like they were animal leather.

    ¡®No, just¡­ why¡­?¡¯

    He was even feeling a bit of anger.

    ¡®Why?¡¯

    Why did he have one with that appearance?

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    The difficulty of sleeping together had suddenly increased.

    Of course, he wasn¡¯t nning to do anything besides sleeping¡ªthat wasn¡¯t the problem.

    ¡®Damn it.¡¯

    KangWoo grabbed his head in confusion.

    He¡¯d already been put into simr situations a few times.

    For example, Kim ShiHoom sometimes looked at him in a strange way.

    ¡®No.¡¯

    He shook his head.

    It was different.

    Between Kim ShiHoon and Halcyon, there was a clear difference.

    One could always brush off Kim ShiHoon, saying it was a joke, but in the case of Halcyon, it was different.

    ¡®If this keeps going on¡­¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s expression paled.

    While he was sleeping¡­

    ¡®A thought simr to, ¡®wouldn¡¯t something like this be okay?¡¯ might appear in his mind.

    ¡°No!!¡±

    ¡°Kyaa!¡±

    KangWoo got up while sweating and breathing heavily.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Halcyon let out an exmation while looking at KangWoo breathing heavily.

    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡±

    ¡®What?¡¯

    Halcyon nodded and blushed.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m okay.¡±

    ¡®I¡¯m not.¡¯

    ¡°If¡­ if Mr. KangWoo wants to do it that badly¡­¡±

    ¡®No, I don¡¯t want to do it.¡¯

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡®No.¡¯

    Halcyon lowered his head while blushing.

    The sensation on his thigh became more clear.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    KangWoo covered his face with his hand.

    ¡°Fuck my life¡­¡±

    ¡®Why me?¡¯

    ¡®I also want to be happy.¡¯

    He subconsciously began crying.

    * * *

    ¡°KangWoo, did something happen¡­?¡± Han Seol-ah asked while looking at him, worried because of the dark circles on his face.

    The next day¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With his mouth closed, KangWoo looked at Han Seol-ah.

    He extended his hands and grabbed hers.

    ¡°K-KangWoo?¡±

    ¡°Darling¡­¡±

    ¡°Y-yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°You know I only have you, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Han Seol-ah tilted her head at his sudden change in attitude.

    KangWoo dragged her in and hugged her.

    ¡°K-kyaa!¡±

    Han Seol-ah¡¯s face reddened.

    She quickly turned her head. Thankfully, there wasn¡¯t anyone nearby.

    ¡°K-KangWoo, you¡¯re so¡­¡±

    The ends of her mouth went up.

    She wasn¡¯t sure why he reacted like that, but it didn¡¯t feel bad.

    Han Seol-ah put her forehead on KangWoo¡¯s shoulders.

    It felt like he would be able to hear her heart beat faster.

    ¡°Haa. I¡¯ve finally calmed down.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    As KangWoo let her go, Han Seol-ah gave a short exmation as if she was disappointed.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You look very tired.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo remained silent.

    * * *

    It was tooplex to exin what had happened.

    ¡®How should I say it?¡¯

    How could he tell the woman he was dating that he was surprised that Halcyon had something he shouldn¡¯t have?

    KangWooo forced a smile and avoided answering.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ If you¡¯re troubled, you don¡¯t need to force yourself to answer.¡±

    Han Seol-ah smiled after seeing he seemed troubled.

    ¡°Ah. More than that, KangWoo, you had something to do today, right? I received a message from Ms. Gaia.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡±

    He¡¯dpletely forgotten about it due to Halcyon incident. It was the day he¡¯d arranged to meet with Gaia, Kim ShiHoon, and Raphael.

    ¡®Did they say he hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet?¡¯

    Raphael was still recovering after being critically wounded in the fight against Satan.

    Seeing how he¡¯d requested a meeting, it seemed like he¡¯d gotten better.

    ¡®I really don¡¯t want to see him.¡¯

    If possible, he wanted to avoid meeting angels as much as possible.

    Anyway, they were allies who were also chasing after Satan, The Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to meet the angel called Raphael¡­ right? I¡¯m just wondering. How do angels look?¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t look that different from humans.¡±

    Although their body size wasn¡¯tparable to a human¡¯s.

    ¡°They¡¯re like¡­ giants with wings?¡±

    That was probably the bestparison.

    ¡°How interesting.¡± Han Seol-ah said.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    KangWoo remembered Han Seol-ah¡¯s back and the wing pattern tattoo there.

    ¡®Should I ask an angel?¡¯

    Although it didn¡¯t seem like there was anything wrong with her body, it was true that, nevertheless, he was still worried.

    The pattern was simr to angel wings, so there might have been something they knew.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    He thought about it for a while, but he ended up shaking his head.

    ¡®Let¡¯s not for the moment.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t fully trust angels yet.

    Although it had been over a year since that pattern appeared, nothing wrong had appeared with her body.

    ¡®Is it just because of her attribute?¡¯

    He narrowed his eyes.

    After yers Awakened, they often went through changes in their bodies.

    ¡°Seol-ah, wait.¡±

    ¡°Yes? Ah¡­ Kyaa!¡±

    KangWoo turned her around and lifted her t-shirt.

    There was a calm silver lighting out of it.

    Her back would probably be shining if they were in a dark ce.

    ¡®The light is bing more intense.¡¯

    ¡°K-KangWoo? I¡­ I¡¯m okay¡­ but¡­ it¡¯s a bit¡­ embarrassing, f-from so early¡­¡±

    Han Seol-ah lowered her head while blushing.

    ¡°A-at least in my room¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there anything that has changed since this pattern appeared?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    Han Seol-ah turned her head. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.

    She finally understood why KangWoo was looking at her back.

    Her face became so red that one might think white smoke would appear from her head.

    ¡°Th-there haven¡¯t been any changes!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Then it seemed like, temporarily, they could leave things as they were.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be going to the Hall of Protection. When Halcyon wakes up, try talking to him.¡±

    She saw KangWoo putting down her t-shirt.

    She couldn¡¯t see any second intention in his eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Han Seol-ah looked at KangWoo.

    For some reason¡­

    She didn¡¯t like what had happened.

    ¡°There¡¯s no kimchi stew for the next week¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? Wh-why? Why would you do such a horrible¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already made my decision.¡±

    Han Seol-ah turned herself away.

    ¡°At least tell me why!!¡± KangWoo shouted as if the situation wasn¡¯t fair.

    His voice spread through the house in vain.

    * * *

    ¡°Did youe, Mr. KangWoo?¡±

    ¡°Hyeongnim, we¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡±

    As he entered the Hall of Protection, he saw Gaia and Kim ShiHoon.

    KangWoo nodded.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± KangWoo said in an energy-less voice.

    He looked at Gaia.

    ¡°Where are we going to meet Mr. Raphael?¡±

    ¡°In their base located in Africa, likest time.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Raphael¡¯s body¡­¡±

    ¡°I heard he¡¯s improved a lot.¡±

    KangWoo nodded while smiling.

    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±

    In reality, he wished for him to stay in bed a bit longer, but he couldn¡¯t show his honest thoughts.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get going.¡±

    It was close to the time of the meeting.

    KangWoo turned his body to the gate that led to Africa.

    Kim ShiHoon followed him while pushing Gaia¡¯s wheelchair.

    ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    The angel base was being built in the middle of the wilderness.

    Raphael, a giant that was five meters tall, raised his hands while sitting on his chair.

    ¡°Is your body okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s improved a lot. What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯mpletely healed,¡± KangWoo said while turning his arm.

    ¡°Why did you call us?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    What was all that about?

    Raphael kept talking.

    ¡°Earth¡¯s god contacted me. I¡¯ve been told you had toe here because there was something we must listen to.¡±

    ¡°Earth¡¯s god¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you all know who I¡¯m talking about.¡±

    Raphael¡¯s eyes rested on Gaia.

    KangWoo and Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    Whir-!!!

    At that moment, intense light beganing out of Gaia.

    ¡°Ah, aah.¡±

    She let out an exmation, her eyes wide open.

    Gaia¡¯s body started to tremble.

    ¡°Ms. Gaia!¡±

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    He¡¯d seen it a few times.

    ¡®A revtion.¡¯

    It was how Earth¡¯s gods used to contact Guardians.

    ¡°My children¡­¡±

    A weak voice came out of Gaia¡¯s mouth.

    KangWoo¡¯s expression hardened.

    ¡®It¡¯s different from before.¡¯

    It was the god that was talking directly.

    Considering whose incarnation Gaia was, it wasn¡¯t hard to guess the voice¡¯s owner.

    ¡®Gaia.¡¯

    It was not the voice of the incarnation, but Gaia¡¯s real voice.

    ¡°Haa, haa¡­ Th-there¡¯s something I must tell you¡­¡± the stuttering voice said.

    Raphael, KangWoo, and Kim ShiHoon looked at her.

    ¡®What¡¯s she trying to say?¡¯

    KangWoo red at her as if he disliked what was happening.

    There¡¯s no way he¡¯d have a positive opinion of Gaia.

    While returning to Earth, she was the one that had made him go through all sorts of things. She was a useless god that wasn¡¯t able to protect Earth from the hands of Satan, the Demon of Prophecy.

    She was so useless that she had to ask for the help of angels and gods from other worlds.

    ¡°Satan¡­ isn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy¡­¡±

    ¡°Wh-what¡­?!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean!¡± Kim ShiHoon and Raphael shouted simultaneously.

    Their expression had paled.

    ¡®Fuck.¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s face also paled.

    ¡®What nonsense is that god trying to say?¡¯

    He¡¯d gone through a lot of things to obtain the Satan coin.

    ¡®Is this coin going to be worthless?¡¯

 Chapter 258 - Revelation (2)

    Chapter 258

    ¡°There¡¯s no way!¡±

    Raphael got up.

    ¡®Good! Well done, Raphael!¡¯

    KangWoo nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Satan himself said that he¡¯s the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    He¡¯d burst intoughter while admitting that everything that had happened had been ording to his n, and his eyes had been filled with anger and madness.

    Who would try to doubt Satan was the Demon of Prophecy after seeing something like that?

    ¡°H-he isn¡¯t¡­ Satan¡­ isn¡¯t the Demon of¡­ Prophecy,¡± Gaia said in a weak voice.

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed her shoulder and shouted.

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re for sure mistaken! T-to think that individual isn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy¡­!¡±

    The big war that had happened in Russia¡­

    Raphael suffered a critical wound in that war, and even KangWoo almost lost his life.

    Even so, they hadn¡¯t been able to catch Satan.

    They hadn¡¯t been able to beat him.

    That demon, full of anger and madness, was probably hiding somewhere as he nned the world¡¯s destruction.

    ¡®But¡­¡¯

    To say at that point that Satan wasn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy¡­

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon lowered his head.

    A huge sense of powerlessness weighed on him.

    Gaia extended her hand and hugged him.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. My child. Ah, I ced too much of a burden on your shoulders,¡± Gaia said in a sorrowful voice.

    ¡°B-but¡­ Satan, that being¡­ isn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy. He isn¡¯t the one Seraphim and I saw¡­ The Demon of Prophecy wasn¡¯t him,¡± she said in a fearful voice.

    After calming down, Raphael spoke.

    ¡°If Satan isn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy¡­ Then who is it?!¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Gaia lowered her head.

    Raphael frowned.

    It was the same for KangWoo and Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you saw it before?¡± Kim ShiHoon asked her as if he were trying to counter her.

    ¡°It¡­ it¡¯s hard to exin precisely. Th-that person had a darkness that was too huge¡­ I¡­ I wasn¡¯t able to get a grasp on him.¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s a chance Satan¡­¡±

    ¡°N-no.¡±

    She shook her head.

    Gaia breathed heavily while trying to calm down.

    ¡°That person had a darkness that resembled the Abyss¡­ it seemed bottomless.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was a heavy silence.

    Everyone felt confused at the scale of things that were being said.

    Gaia trembled.

    ¡°M-my children¡­ b-be careful of the Demon of Prophecy¡­ the monster of the Abyss will¡­¡±

    The light surrounding Gaia started to fade.

    Then, Gaia, who was sitting in the wheelchair, fell to the side.

    ¡°Ms. Gaia!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon quickly ran toward her and grabbed her.

    ¡°Shi¡­ Hoon¡­?¡± Gaia asked while making a pale expression.

    She was trembling as if she were about to copse at any moment.

    ¡°Wh-what happened¡­¡±

    ¡°First, take a break. I¡¯ll exin it to youter,¡± Kim ShiHoon said in a low voice, holding her in his arms.

    Gaia¡¯s eyes closed.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Once again, there was a heavy silence.

    Raphael grabbed his forehead as if his head hurt.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡±

    He seemed troubled.

    ¡°Mr. Raphael, is there any other demon you can think of?¡± KangWoo asked him.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raphael remained silent and avoided looking at him.

    After seeing that Raphael was avoiding looking at him on purpose, KangWoo¡¯s eyes shone.

    ¡°So there¡¯s a demon you can think of.¡±

    ¡°I cannot say it¡­¡± he said in a firm voice.

    ¡°This is something Michael is investigating, so forget about it, human.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo was about to say something but didn¡¯t.

    He narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°Haa¡­ What should I do now?¡± Raphael mumbled and sighed.

    ¡°What we have to do is the same thing we were doing until now,¡± KangWoo answered in a firm voice.

    It didn¡¯t matter who the Demon of Prophecy was, in the end, there was only one thing they could do¡­

    ¡°We must find Satan,¡± KangWoo said in a firm voice.

    ¡®If we cannot find Satan, things won¡¯t advance.¡¯

    He recalled Satan, who was surrounded by a horrible power called the Abyss.

    ¡°Even if he isn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy, seeing how he can control demonic energy from the Abyss, he¡¯s definitely connected to the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    ¡°Now that you say it, you¡¯re right¡­¡±

    Raphael nodded.

    Although the number of hurdles they had to go through had increased, what they had to do was clear:

    They had to climb the mountain and eliminate the evil in front of them.

    ¡®To do that¡­¡¯

    * * *

    Raphael narrowed his eyes.

    He looked at Kim ShiHoon and Oh KangWoo; then he took a glimpse at his subordinates that were working inside the base.

    To eliminate evil¡­

    For light to win¡­

    ¡®Whatever.¡¯

    It didn¡¯t matter what the cost was.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to support you as much as we can¡­¡±

    KangWoo bowed.

    Getting help from the angels was needed to fight a strong being like Satan.

    ¡°Did you find any clues on Satan?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been healing my wounds and focusing on building the base, so I haven¡¯t been able to do much. I¡¯ll start now.¡±

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I heard from Ludwig that you were trying to find Lucifer. What happened with that?¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡±

    Raphael sighed.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same for Lucifer¡ªhe threw away his forces and went into hiding.¡±

    ¡°Maybe¡­?¡±

    KangWoo gulped.

    ¡°Is there a chance Lucifer is the Demon of Prophecy?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raphael remained silent.

    He seemed troubled, but after a while, he ended up shaking his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that Lucifer has Divinity, but¡­ it isn¡¯t him. I know because I fought against him. He doesn¡¯t have the Sea of Demonic Energy.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He seemed confident.

    There was nothing to be said because, after all, Raphael was the one who¡¯d fought the most against Lucifer.

    ¡°Then we¡¯re going to go back at the moment¡­ We will inform you as soon as we get information on Satan.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    Raphael nodded.

    Kim ShiHoon held Gaia.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡±

    KangWoo turned away, and their steps were heavy.

    * * *

    BOOM-!

    ¡°FUCK!!!¡±

    He hit the wall.

    Even though he hadn¡¯t used demonic energy, a giant hole appeared in the wall.

    ¡°Damn it, damn it, damn it!!¡±

    Aggressive curses flowed from his mouth.

    He frowned.

    ¡®That fucking troll!!¡¯

    Thinking about Gaia made him angry.

    She had poured ashes on a ready dinner table and turned the table upside down.

    ¡°Haa¡­¡± he sighed.

    He remembered how she was struggling to speak.

    ¡®That useless bastard.¡¯

    It was as if she¡¯d defaulted after being unable to protect Earth properly. Somehow, he¡¯d managed to organize and deal with the situation, but to think she¡¯d bother him like that.

    ¡®I struggled so much.¡¯

    He¡¯d put a lot of effort into revealing Satan¡¯s true identity.

    ¡®But still¡­¡¯

    Everything had been in vain.

    Thanks to the revtion of god or whatever, the tower he¡¯d built with so much effort had copsed almost instantly.

    ¡°The Demon of Prophecy¡­¡±

    ¡ªThe one who would make the world copse.

    ¡ªThe one being that all gods said must be stopped.

    KangWoo grabbed his hair.

    ¡®If it wasn¡¯t Satan, then who was it?¡¯

    There¡¯s no way he was the Demon of Prophecy.

    It was only logical¡ªhe was the Warrior of Light whom the Hero God had chosen.

    Was he in a B-rank novel aiming for a cliche turn of events?

    ¡®Yes, there¡¯s no way.¡¯

    It didn¡¯t matter how much he thought about it¡ªhe wasn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy.

    There was no need to think too deeply about it, considering everything he¡¯d done until that point.

    He had been at the forefront of eliminating demons.

    Why had he killed all of them as if he were a starving beast?

    ¡®It was obviously to protect the world.¡¯

    It was to make all those tainted by evil receive the judgment of light.

    Who was it that had revealed all of the evil doings of Satan and weakened the Demon Cult?

    It was him.

    For him to be the Demon of Prophecy¡­

    ¡®Nonsense.¡¯

    There was definitely someone else¡ªsomeone that had been making fun of the gods from behind and ying with the world¡¯s destiny.

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t even Lucifer, then who¡­?¡±

    Who was the Demon of Prophecy?

    He felt a huge pressure on his shoulders, and he couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    Then¡­

    ck-

    The door opened, and a woman with long, ck hair entered.

    ¡°Is there anything wrong, KangWoo?¡± Lilith asked in a worried voice.

    KangWoo shook his head and sat on the sofa.

    After separating from Kim ShiHoon and Gaia, he¡¯d walked toward Balrog¡¯s house.

    He¡¯d bought and reformed an entire building to ensure Balrog could livefortably in it.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ but more than that, where¡¯s Balrog?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s currently investigating something in the Middle East.¡±

    ¡°The Middle East?¡± KangWoo asked while tilting his head.

    Lilith nodded.

    ¡°Yes. You asked me to investigate Kalgia before.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    He remembered.

    Kalgia¡­ Thest remaining Phase of Evil of the Demon Cult¡ªsomeone who hadn¡¯t appeared in the war.

    ¡°Did you find him?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a ce that seems likely, so I asked Balrog to investigate¡­ I¡¯m almost sure it¡¯s where Kalgia is.¡±

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes shone.

    There was no way to solve the bad news from Gaia, but this wasn¡¯t bad news.

    ¡®First, I must eliminate the Demon Cult.¡¯

    He could think about the Demon of Prophecyter on.

    ¡°Should I tell Balrog to bring Kalgia¡¯s head?¡± Lilith asked.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ wait.¡±

    KangWoo fell into thought.

    ¡°Tell him just to figure out their location for the moment.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to kill him by yourself?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    He shook his head.

    There was something he¡¯de up with regarding Kalgia.

    ¡°ShiHoon is going to kill Kalgia.¡±

    It was about time he threw a bait to the protagonist, who hadn¡¯t been appearing recently.

 Chapter 259 - The Whole World Will Be Destroyed (1)

    Chapter 259

    In the middle of a desert¡­

    An old man who was so thin that he looked like a skeleton was walking through the endless sand, supporting himself with a cane.

    A sandstorm hit the old man.

    Tap-

    He swung his cane, which emitted ck demonic energy that touched the sandstorm.

    Pang-!

    The sandstorm exploded and scattered away.

    The old man, who¡¯d just stopped a natural disaster with one simple movement, turned his body while making a calm expression.

    He started to walk again¡­ Nonstop.

    Soon,pletely copsed ruins appeared in front of him.

    The old man looked around with sharp eyes, and¡­

    ¡°Aah¡­¡±

    A short exmation came out of him.

    He trembled in excitement, leaned over, and dug through the sand.

    A book with a ck cover appeared from the sand.

    ¡°He, hehe¡­¡±

    A chillingugh came out of him.

    ¡°Finally, finally¡­!¡±

    He trembled while holding the book in his hands.

    ¡°I¡¯ve found the truth!¡±

    Heughed in a simr manner to how Archimedes would have shouted ¡®eureka!¡¯

    He cheered.

    A mad energy poured from the old man.

    ¡°He, hehe.¡±

    He turned his body to the desert.

    Earth¡­

    A where innumerable humans lived¡ªa star where countless evil and crazy things happened.

    To him, this, and all the people that breathed and lived on it, were a target of hate.

    ¡°Now¡­¡±

    The ends of the old man¡¯s mouth went up.

    ¡°The end is going toe.¡±

    * * *

    ¡°Hngh. You care more about that human than I thought,¡± Lilith said in surprise.

    After spending so many years with KangWoo, she learned how much he cared for his subordinates, yet she¡¯d never seen him caring for someone and ensuring they grew.

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit jealous,¡± Lilith said yfully and grabbed KangWoo¡¯s arms.

    KangWoo smirked.

    ¡°Rather than caring, it¡¯s a matter of effectiveness.

    Even if he killed Kalgia with his own hands, there wasn¡¯t much he could gain from it.

    Taking into consideration their current strength, there were only three that could fight against a Phase of Evil on their own¡­

    ¡®Halcyon, Balrog, and Kim ShiHoon.¡¯

    The strongest one was Halcyon; then Balrog and Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡®The one who can profit the most from hunting Kalgia is¡­¡¯

    There was no need to think too deeply.

    There was one big difference between Balrog and Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡®Kim ShiHoon is a yer.¡¯

    He¡¯d received the blessing of the system.

    Basically, he could obtain experience and level by killing Kalgia, but that wasn¡¯t the case for Balrog and Halcyon.

    Levels and experience didn¡¯t apply to them.

    It was inevitable that the growth expectancy between them was different.

    ¡®Well, thinking about Balrog¡¯s recent doings, maybe that¡¯s not the case.¡¯

    Recently, Balrog had awakened a new power called ¡®Overlord¡¯s Armor¡¯.

    That was, in reality, something that didn¡¯t make sense.

    ¡®After all, the limit of a demon is decided the moment they¡¯re born.¡¯

    An archduke was born as an archduke, a demon of the 9th hell was born in the 9th hell, and a demon of the 8th hell was born in the 8th hell.

    Surpassing that wall with their own strength was almost impossible.

    Somehow, Balrog had gone beyond that wall.

    He¡¯d ovee his limits and killed Belphegor.

    It wasn¡¯t only because Balrog had be stronger thanks to his demonic energy stat increasing.

    One couldn¡¯t kill an archduke just because their avable demonic energy had increased.

    ¡®From now on, he¡¯ll probably grow more.¡¯

    Someone who¡¯d gone beyond a limit could see and imagine beyond that.

    Just like he¡¯d already done, Balrog would probably keep getting stronger.

    That was why Balrog had been focusing on training.

    ¡°Anyway, can you make the preparations?¡±

    ¡°Yes. As soon as I¡¯ve figured out the location, I¡¯ll send a message so they can move.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t send ShiHoon alone¡­ So try to send an army along with him.¡±

    There was no way Kalgia was moving alone.

    There was a chance that the remaining forces of the Demon Cult were gathered around Kalgia.

    ¡®After all, he¡¯s thest remaining Phase of Evil.¡¯

    From the Demon Cult¡¯s point of view, he was theirst hope.

    Then, to make sure Kalgia fought Kim ShiHoon in a one-on-one, it was necessary that he was apanied by an army,

    ¡°Everything as the Demon King wishes.¡±

    Lilith lifted her skirt slightly and lowered her head.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo silently looked at her.

    He remembered the recent incident with Halcyon.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I wanted to ask.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You said you can¡¯t tell human beauty, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡°Do you find them a bit disgusting?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lilith remained silent.

    Even if they looked at humans as beings that were like fish, if someone asked if they found a fish beautiful, the answer would most likely be a ¡®no¡¯.

    ¡®For example, fish are quite ugly.¡¯

    Although it depended on the species, the ones that lived in the deepest part of the sea looked like demons.

    ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t find them beautiful or pretty, at least,¡± Lilith answered while making a troubled expression.

    If she¡¯d said it like that, then that probably meant she found humans quite disgusting.

    ¡°Then does that mean that I also look like that?¡±

    ¡°Fufu,¡± Lilithughed lightly.

    She extended her hand and touched KangWoo¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t important. It doesn¡¯t matter how the Demon King looks. Even if you looked like a Halcyon¡­ I would love you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    * * *

    ¡°Do you remember when you saved me from the hands of Asmodeus? Countless demons said how much they loved me. They used to say they were willing to risk their lives for me, but¡­¡± She touched his cheeks.

    It was as if she were touching an important treasure.

    ¡°Only you were willing to confront and stand before the archduke.¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. You wanted the forces that followed me.¡±

    Lilith smiled.

    ¡°Still, I was happy. It made me think that, even if the world copsed, I¡¯d be happy if you were there.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Fufufu. Then I¡¯ll be going. I¡¯m going toe back once I finish the research.¡±

    Lilith turned away.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± KangWoo said while looking at her walk away.

    Lilith turned and smiled; then she closed the door.

    Tap. Once the door closed, there was only silence left.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    He grabbed his hair in confusion.

    ¡®Well, first¡­¡¯

    He took a deep breath and shook his head.

    He couldn¡¯t focus on Lilith at the moment.

    ¡°Should I try to increase my control of demonic energy?¡±

    KangWoo got up.

    He wasn¡¯t just giving prey to Kim ShiHoon to make him stronger, after all.

    ¡®I must increase my forces as much as possible.¡¯

    The future became uncertain after the Satan coin copsed.

    ¡®There¡¯s only one thing I must do, either way¡­¡¯

    Just like when he¡¯d fall into Hell, when he¡¯d entered the 9th hell for the first time, or when he dered war on the archdukes, just like he always did¡­

    ¡®To a higher ce.¡¯

    He had to devour everything and keep advancing to an even higher ce.

    * * *

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be going.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon, who was standing in the front, turned.

    The gate that led to the Middle East was in the Hall of Protection.

    The Celestial Wolf Troops, Kim ShiHoon¡¯s forces, stood in front of it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be acting on our own.¡±

    The silver-haired Angel walked toward them.

    Shargiel¡ªRaphael¡¯s 2nd-inmand and the angel sent to help and keep an eye on Guardian.

    Behind Shargiel were angels that one could say were the elites among Raphael¡¯s forces and the Light Watchers that were their servants.

    ¡°Yes, that would be helpful,¡± Kim ShiHoon said while making a relieved expression.

    Although he was in charge of this n, he still felt awkward with angels.

    Leading in such a situation would be ufortable, so them moving on their own would be easier.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shargiel turned around.

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon took a deep breath.

    Unlike his usual self, he felt a sense of pressure and weight over his shoulders.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, where¡¯s KangWoo?¡± Chae YeonJoo asked while turning her head.

    She was also acting as a member of the Celestial Wolf Troops.

    Because of her personality, rather than being a member of the troops, she felt like a party member.

    ¡°Hyeongnim said he couldn¡¯te because he¡¯s busy with something.¡±

    ¡°Busy with something?¡±

    Chae YeonJoo frowned.

    ¡°So what does he have to do now?¡±

    It seemed she didn¡¯t like that he wasn¡¯t taking part in the n.

    Kim ShiHoon shook his head while making a bitter smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but¡­¡±

    He remembered how sorry KangWoo looked because he couldn¡¯t participate in the n¡ªhis expression had been dark and serious.

    ¡°It seems like he thinks there¡¯s something big going around.¡±

    To think that someone who hated evil as much as KangWoo wouldn¡¯t participate in the n to eliminate thest remaining Phase of Evil¡­

    There was probably something big that they weren¡¯t aware of.

    ¡®Hyeongnim¡­¡¯

    Kim ShiHoon thought of KangWoo, who was probably busy elsewhere.

    He was someone who always thought of other people, someone who didn¡¯t care about sacrificing himself, someone with a strong sense of justice.

    He was the hyeong he respected the most.

    If he hadn¡¯t told him what was going on, it was probably something really hard and painful.

    Light particles began gathering around his hand, and a sword formed.

    ck-

    He grabbed Ludwig and swore an oath.

    ¡°I¡¯ll finish the Demon Cult instead of Hyeongnim.¡±

    * * *

    Click-

    ¡°Woah, I can really do this.¡±

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes shone while looking at the item he¡¯d created using the Authority of Projection and the Authority of Subordination.

    The Authority he¡¯d prepared for that moment¡­

    In front of him, what Kim ShiHoon saw appeared in front of him as if it were a TV monitor.

    ¡°Hngh, it¡¯s a bit troublesome.¡±

    KangWoo looked sleepy.

    For the past few days, he had continuously worked to increase his control of demonic energy without a break.

    ¡®This isn¡¯t something that can be recovered with the Authority of Regeneration.¡¯

    Even a Demon King couldn¡¯t do anything against the mental tiredness that being on the verge of death numerous times each second caused.

    ¡®To be honest, I¡¯m really sleepy.¡¯

    Still, he couldn¡¯t miss such an opportunity.

    KangWoo extended his hand toward the object he¡¯d prepared for that moment.

    Tss-

    He grabbed a can of beer and ate some of the popcorn he¡¯d prepared beforehand.

    ¡°Go, ShiHoon!¡±

    He waved his fluorescent sticks.

    ¡°Good luck, my little brother!!¡±

 Chapter 260 - The Whole World Will Be Destroyed (2)

    Chapter 260

    ¡°KIIEEKK!!¡±

    A horrible scream spread.

    ¡°Haa.¡±

    He took a deep breath and held Ludwig tighter, leaping forward and swinging the sword upward. A white sword aura spread from the trajectory of his attack.

    The demonic monsters rushing toward him were cut in half.

    sh-!

    ck blood sshed in all directions.

    He turned his body slightly and dodged the blood; then ran forward.

    ¡°AAGGHH!!¡±

    ¡°Kill them!!¡±

    Screams were heard from all directions.

    Countless demonic monsters rushed toward the disarrayed Celestial Wolves.

    Crack-!

    At that moment, red chains spread out and cut through the demonic monsters.

    A woman with short red hair kicked the body of a demonic monster and rushed forward.

    ¡°Where is that Kalgia bastard?!¡± Chae YeonJoo yelled.

    ShiHoon raised his hands and pointed somewhere.

    Remnants of a building turned into ruins.

    A passageway leading underground was revealed.

    Although it had been destroyed in an ambush, it used to be a ce where one of the branches of the Demon Cult was located.

    ¡°I heard it¡¯s over there.¡±

    ¡°Hngh, quite far.¡±

    In reality, the distance wasn¡¯t that far.

    ¡°Kiieekk!¡±

    ¡°Ugh, these bastards!¡±

    Chae YeonJoo crossed her hands.

    The chains that were spread away like a covered the body of a demonic monster.

    Tsss.

    With the smell of burning flesh, smoke arose.

    ¡°Why are there so many demonic monsters¡­?¡± She asked in a surprised voice.

    The thousands of demonic monsters made the way seem much longer than it actually was.

    ¡°They seem to be thest remaining forces of the Demon Cult.¡±

    ¡°Considering that, there aren¡¯t any cultists¡­¡±

    Chae YeonJoo narrowed her eyes and looked around.

    Just like she said, there were only horrible-looking demonic monsters around them.

    The cultists or Cardinals that controlled them couldn¡¯t be seen anywhere.

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent.

    ¡®It¡¯s definitely weird.¡¯

    It was weird that, despite there being so many demonic monsters, not one cultist was visible.

    There were two possibilities he could think of¡­

    ¡®They used the demonic monsters as bait to escape¡­¡¯

    Kim ShiHoon looked at the passageway where they said that Kalgia was.

    ¡®Or they gathered the cultists together and are preparing something.¡¯

    He felt an ominous feeling on his back and believed it was probably thetter option.

    ¡®There¡¯s something¡­¡¯

    It was a guess based on feeling and not logic, but he became sure of it because of the ominous energy he could feeling from the underground passageway.

    He gripped his holy sword tighter.

    ¡°Ms. Chae YeonJoo¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°It will take too much time to advance after clearing everything up. I¡¯ll go through the wave of demonic monsters.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Chae YeonJoo looked at Kim ShiHoon as if he were saying nonsense.

    There were about 300 meters of distance to the passageway. There were easily over a thousand demonic monsters blocking their way.

    ¡®He¡¯s going to go through that?¡¯

    Was that something that someone right in their mind could say?

    Whir-!

    ¡°Hey, wait! Are you really¡ª?¡±

    BOOM-!

    Kim ShiHoon stomped on the ground.

    Intense light spread through the surroundings.

    ¡°Th-that crazy bastard¡­!¡±

    One step¡­

    He swung his sword. The leg of a demonic monster that was more than three meters tall was cut, and the monster copsed.

    Two steps¡­

    He stomped on its head and rose into the sky, holding his sword in a reverse grip as he smashed it down.

    As if the gathered strength exploded, white sword aura spread and cut down the demonic monsters.

    Three steps¡­

    He squeezed his body through the gaps and leaped through a crowd of demonic monsters.

    ¡°Haa.¡±

    He gripped the sword with both hands and raised it, and white light rose like a pir.

    ¡°Celestial Dragon.¡±

    He opened his mouth and pulled the qi from inside his dantian.

    An explosive amount of light filled their field of vision.

    ¡°1st Form.¡±

    BOOM-!!

    The sword aura spread out for almost 30 meters and wiped out the demonic monsters.

    About a hundred demonic monsters disappeared without a trace.

    It was as if a mythological giant had swung their sword.

    ¡°Ha¡­¡±

    ¡°Wh-when did he get such strength¡­?¡± Cheon MooJinughed in disbelief.

    Chae YeonJoo¡¯s mouth fell open.

    To think that he¡¯d be able to create a gap through more than a thousand demonic monsters¡­

    It was a power that was hard to imagine came from a human. It was such an unbelievable state that it was better to call him a monster.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to hesitate! Now¡¯s our chance!¡± he quickly shouted toward the troop members looking at him in disbelief.

    The Celestial Wolves Troops members, who had finally returned to their senses, began rushing toward the road that Kim ShiHoon had opened.

    ¡°WAAAA!¡±

    ¡°Go through them!!¡±

    They formed in a wedge shape with Kim ShiHoon at the forefront, cutting through the sea of demonic monsters with incredible ability in order to break through.

    ¡°KIIEEKK!!¡±

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Kim ShIHoon frowned.

    An incredible amount of demonic monsters were blocking their path.

    ¡®Not enough.¡¯

    If he were alone, he¡¯d somehow have been able to do it, but with the Celestial Wolves Troops, it was hard.

    ¡°Ms. YeonJoo! Master! Please, try to gather the elite yers around here!¡±

    ¡°Ugh! But if we do that¡­¡±

    Cheon MooJin made a troubled expression.

    If only they went to the front and went through the demonic monsters, the other members would get surrounded.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Kim ShiHoon said while looking somewhere.

    There were angels with white wings attacking the demonic monsters where he was looking.

    ¡°To those tainted by darkness!¡±

    ¡°Let light judge them!¡±

    They were annihting the demonic monsters.

    Among them, Shargiel and a few angels went toward Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the enemy leader¡­?¡±

    ¡°Over here!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon pointed to the underground passageway.

    Chae YeonJoo, Cheon MooJin, and Shargiel turned toward the passageway.

    The elites of the Celestial Wolves Troops and high-ranking angels worked together to pierce through the group of demonic monsters.

    BOOM-!

    * * *

    The underground passageway crumbled.

    A wide ce appeared from the copsed walls.

    ¡°Jajas, Jajas, Nastanada Jaja¡­¡±

    ¡°In-intruders!¡±

    Hundreds of priests were doing some ceremony while wearing ck robes.

    Without hesitation, Kim ShiHoon rushed forward.

    sh-!

    ¡°Cough!¡±

    ¡°AGH!¡±

    The priests were cut down at an incredible speed.

    Kim ShiHoon started to feel anxious.

    ¡®Something¡¯s wrong.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t know why the ceremony was being done by the hundreds of demon cultists, but there was something that was clear¡­

    ¡®I cannot let them seed.¡¯

    He was sure of it.

    His steps became quicker, and he cut through priests blocking his way.

    ¡°You dirty demon worshippers!¡±

    It was the same for Shargiel.

    After sensing a chilling demonic energy, Shargiel opened his wings and flew toward theplex magic circle.

    ¡°Die!¡±

    Shargiel flew toward the old man who seemed like he was leading the ceremony.

    Kalgia raised his head.

    ¡°Hehehe.¡±

    A chillingugh came out.

    He thumped on the ground with a crane.

    BOOM-!

    ¡°Cough!¡±

    Demonic energy spread in a circle, and Shargiel bounced away.

    Shargiel¡¯s body hit the wall as if he¡¯d been hit with a giant hammer.

    ¡°Hehehe. Gaia¡¯s subordinates and angels¡­ What an interesting audience we have gathered here.¡±

    Kalgia burst intoughter and turned around.

    The huge amount of demonic energying out of him applied pressure on their surroundings.

    ¡°Ugh! Wh-what¡¯s up with that bastard¡­?¡±

    Chae YeonJoo frowned at the huge pressure being applied to her.

    She was trying to control the red chains and attack Kalgia, but her body wasn¡¯t listening anymore.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    ¡°M-my body¡­¡±

    It was the same for the rest.

    Because of the huge amount of demonic energy that was applying pressure on the surroundings, yers and angels started to fall to the ground.

    sh-!

    Among them, the only thing that could still move was Kim ShiHoon.

    He cut through hundreds of the demon cultists and leaped forward.

    ¡°Stop him!¡±

    ¡°Make sure he can¡¯t stop our ceremony!¡±

    The cultists started to use ck magic toward him.

    Hundreds, thousands of ck magics poured down on Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°1st Form.¡±

    He cut the ck magic and advanced.

    Every time he took a step forward, dozens of demon cultists fell.

    BOOM-!

    ¡°Haa, haa¡­¡±

    Even if he was strong, there was no way he¡¯d be okay after being attacked by so much ck magic.

    The wounds on his body increased, and blood poured out of him.

    ¡®Damn it.¡¯

    He bit his lip and red at Kalgia.

    For some reason, he had burst intoughter.

    Then¡­

    BOOM-!

    ¡°G-Guardian Kim ShiHoon!!¡±

    ¡°Ms. Gaia¡­?¡±

    The wall copsed, and Gaia appeared.

    A middle-aged blonde woman could be seen carrying Gaia on her back.

    Grace McCarbin had gone all the way there while carrying Gaia on her back.

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s expression hardened at Gaia¡¯s sudden appearance.

    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous¡­¡±

    ¡°W-we must stop the ceremony!!!¡± Gaia shouted while making a pale expression.

    ¡°I¡­ I received a revtion! Th-that person right now is trying to¡­!¡±

    ¡°Ha, hahaha!!!¡±

    Kalgia burst intoughter.

    ¡°Gaia¡¯s incarnation, it seems like you¡¯ve finally realized it!¡±

    He took something from his robe.

    ¡°It¡¯s already toote! You cannot stop the ceremony!¡±

    He held up a ck book.

    ¡°I finally realized! We¡¯ve been deceived all this time! We were deceived by the name ¡®Satan¡¯!¡±

    He opened the book, and an intense amount of demonic energy came out.

    ¡°Woah, wooaahh!!¡±

    ¡°Oh, truth¡­!!¡±

    ¡°Finally, our true leader¡­!¡±

    The priests, as if they¡¯d lost their minds, knelt andughed.

    ¡°What¡¯s¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon frowned at their sudden change in attitude.

    Kalgia kept shouting.

    ¡°This book contains the entire truth! This book is a sacred book that came from Hell! The truth is written here!¡±

    The book¡¯s title was ¡®Book of Hell¡¯.

    He shouted in a mad voice.

    ¡°Satan was the fake king! He wasn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy that even made the gods tremble in fear! There was another real demon, the ruler of Hell!!¡±

    BOOM!

    He smashed his crane into the ground.

    ¡°Come! Please, descend to this ce!!¡±

    A crack appeared in the air, and a ck fissure appeared.

    ¡°Ruler of Hell! King of the demons that rules over the Hell of the Nine Skies!!!!¡±

    CRACK!

    The ck fissure got bigger.

    ¡°HAHAHA!! IT¡¯S ALREADY TOO LATE! YOU CANNOT STOP THE CEREMONY!¡±

    He opened both arms and burst intoughter.

    ¡°See with your own eyes the moment the whole world is destroyed!¡±

    CRACK!!

    ¡°Come, Demon of Prophecy! Follow that prophecy and destroy the world!!!¡±

    BOOM-!!!

    The entire ce shook.

    Smoke rose into the sky and sank.

    In that ce¡­

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    KangWoo appeared,ying on the sofa with a can of beer in one hand and popcorn in the other.

    He opened his mouth while making an expression that looked like he¡¯d just woken up.

    ¡°What the?¡±

    He looked around.

    His eyes widened.

    ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡±

 Chapter 261 - Crazy Situation (1)

    Chapter 261

    To be honest, he¡¯d fallen asleep because he¡¯d trained without taking a break in order to increase his control of demonic energy.

    After seeing Kim ShiHoon had created a pir of light and was going through the demonic monsters, he¡¯d rxed.

    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯

    He¡¯d only closed his eyes for a short while.

    After feeling that his body was being dragged somewhere, he opened his eyes; then something unbelievable was in front of him.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Kalgia looked at KangWoo while making a confused expression.

    Rather than the Demon of Prophecy, he looked like someone who yed around with no job.

    No charisma could be felting from him.

    ¡°Did the summoning fail¡­?¡±

    He mumbled in confusion for a short while but shook his head.

    ¡®I did everything the Book of Hell stated.¡¯

    He¡¯d never imagined he¡¯d beying on the sofa while holding a beer and popcorn, but based on his outer appearance, everything was as the Book of Hell described.

    That human with sharp eyes¡­

    ¡®That person is¡­¡¯

    The one who¡¯d revolutionized Hell in just ten thousand years and had reached the peak among all demons.

    The Demon of Demons¡­

    Hell¡¯s Hell¡­

    Predator of Predators¡­

    The one who had the Sea of Demonic Energy inside him and had forced the archdukes to kneel with all of his Authorities.

    ¡®The Demon of Prophecy.¡¯

    Kalgia nodded.

    It didn¡¯t matter how he looked¡­

    From what he¡¯d researched, the Demon of Prophecy matched the Demon King.

    He was able to do this summoning after tracing the Sea of Demonic Energy that the Demon King had. He¡¯d used everything the Demon Cult had saved up for thousands of years to do that.

    ¡®There¡¯s no way we failed.¡¯

    The summoning had been carefully calcted.

    ¡°Aah!¡±

    Kalgia knelt.

    ¡°Demon of Prophecy¡­!!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes widened after seeing Kalgia call him ¡®Demon of Prophecy¡¯.

    ¡°What nonsense¡­¡±

    ¡°We were waiting for you to descend!!¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I discovered the truth! The truth that Satan has been hiding all this time! Come! See this! It¡¯s the book where the truth is written!¡±

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes trembled.

    The book Kalgia held¡­

    It was the book called Book of Hell Lilith had written and spread among the Demon Cult members before she met him.

    ¡®What the fuck is going on?¡¯

    The situation was soplex that he couldn¡¯t understand what was happening.

    The beer and popcorn fell from his hands.

    ¡°I realized it after reading this book! You¡¯re the Demon of Prophecy all the gods are scared of!¡±

    ¡®No.¡¯

    ¡°The one true evil being that will cause and bring destruction to the whole world.¡±

    ¡®Uhm, excuse me? Fuck.¡¯

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Satan we have to serve!¡±

    ¡®Stop.¡¯

    ¡°Demon of Prophecy!!¡±

    ¡®Stop you, motherfucker.¡¯

    ¡°Please, punish those humans and bring an end to this world!!!¡±

    ¡®Stop, you crazy bastard!!!¡¯

    KangWoo grabbed his hair.

    The situation¡­

    He finally understood what had happened.

    ¡®Lilith¡­¡¯

    Before he met with Lilith, she¡¯d distributed the Book of Hell within the Demon Cult.

    At that time, nothing much had happened.

    After all, from the Demon Cult¡¯s point of view, it was just like a novel.

    There was no way Satan, the being they served, had been defeated by a human in just ten thousand years who had reached the peak of all demons.

    Who would believe in such a thing?

    ¡®That¡¯s what should¡¯ve happened.¡¯

    KangWoo red at Kalgia, the ck magician who seemed to have lost his mind.

    ¡®Fuck.¡¯

    Someone who believed in such a trashy novel had appeared.

    And to make things worse, the one who¡¯d believed in that was thest remaining ¡®Phase of Evil.¡¯

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo turned his head.

    * * *

    ¡®Oh, fuck.¡¯

    He felt lots of stares directed at him.

    There, he saw Gaia, Kim ShiHoon, Chae YeonJoo, Cheon MooJin, and members of the Celestial Wolves Troops.

    There were also Shargiel and angels staring at him.

    ¡°H-hyeongnim¡­?¡±

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s face had turned pale, and his voice trembled.

    He was trembling as if he were looking at his worst possible nightmare.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He remained silent.

    No, there was nothing he could do besides be silent.

    There was only one way to describe the situation¡­

    ¡®I¡¯m fucked.¡¯

    Was there a better way to describe it?

    KangWoo¡¯s expression paled.

    Unlike when Balrog appeared, it couldn¡¯t be solved with something like the Warrior of Light or whatever.

    The situation had be so messed up that there was nothing he could do about it.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Kalgia looked around.

    It was normal for him to react like that.

    One of Gaia¡¯s subordinates that had gone there to interrupt the ceremony had called out ¡®hyeong¡¯ while looking at the Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡°What¡¯s¡ª¡±

    Paf-!

    KangWoo extended his hand.

    Kalgia¡¯s head exploded, and his cerebral fluid scattered away.

    ¡®Shut up.¡¯

    Letting Kalgia talk would only make the situation worse.

    ¡°H-hyeongnim!! What¡¯s going o¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey!! S-say something! Th-this isn¡¯t true, right? Something has gone wrong, right?!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon and Chae YeonJoo shouted in confusion.

    Of course, they knew that KangWoo was a demon in the past, but¡­

    But him being the Demon of Prophecy meant that he was the one who would bring destruction to the world.

    ¡°Ugh¡­! That human¡­ has deceived us!¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon refuted Shargiel.

    ¡°Something has gone wrong!! There¡¯s no way Hyeongnim is the Demon of Prophecy!!¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth! Isn¡¯t it obvious after seeing that?!¡±

    Shargiel pointed toward KangWoo.

    ¡°Everyone should¡¯ve realized how evil the demonic energy that came out from the ceremony was!¡±

    It was true.

    When the ceremony was at its peak, a huge ck fissure appeared in the air, and a breathtaking amount of demonic energy came out of it.

    ¡°The one that appeared from there is that human! Even the Phase of Evil called him the Demon of Prophecy! What more evidence do you need?!¡±

    Shargiel red at KangWoo.

    ¡°Even Ms. Gaia has said it!! Satan wasn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy! Then that person is the cause of everything! He manipted Satan and did everythi¡ª¡±

    ¡°You bastard, what nonsense are you saying?!¡±

    Chae YeonJoo stomped on the ground, red magic power rose from her body, and her chains rose into the air.

    ¡°That guy might not be the good and honest hero you imagine, but still¡­!¡± She shouted out.

    ¡°He isn¡¯t a bastard capable of doing such horrible things!!¡±

    If KangWoo was the Demon of Prophecy, it would be correct to assume that everything that Satan had done until that moment was at KangWoo¡¯s orders.

    He was the one who revealed that Satan was connected to the Demon of Prophecy, after all.

    Then, if Satan really was a subordinate of the Demon of Prophecy.

    The one who killed Alec, the one who cruelly killed the hero Reinald, and the one who¡¯d made Saint Ludwig fall had been KangWoo.

    ¡°You¡¯re all being deceived by that demon!! Can¡¯t you s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°I said, ¡®shut up¡¯.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon pointed his holy sword toward Shargiel.

    ¡°What do you know?¡±

    The tip of the sword trembled.

    ¡°What do you know about Hyeong, you bastard?!!!¡± Kim ShiHoon shouted.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know everything Hyeong has done until this moment; how much of a burden he was carrying on his shoulders, yet you dare to say things like that!¡±

    ¡°Everything was a lie¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up!!¡± Kim ShiHoon shouted.

    It was clear, based on his expression and his voice filled with confusion and anger, that not even Kim ShiHoon waspletely sure about the situation.

    ¡°Hyeongnim! Please, say something!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon turned his head to KangWoo¡ªthe one whom he admired and loved.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Please¡­ Hyeongnim¡­¡± Kim ShiHoon said in a sad voice.

    He seemed like he would copse at any moment.

    KangWoo remained with his mouth closed while looking at Kim ShiHoon.

    Unlike his nk expression, there was a huge storm within his mind.

    ¡®Fuck, what should I say in this situation?!¡¯ he inwardly shouted.

    He felt like his head was about to explode. He was surprised at how he could remain so calm on the outside.

    ¡®FUUCCKK!!!!¡¯

    He was truly fucked.

    He was so fucked that there didn¡¯t seem anything he could do about it.

    ¡®What should I do?¡¯

    He needed a way to free himself from the shit-like situation.

    ¡®Should I say the Demon Cult summoned me by mistake?¡¯

    That was the first thought that crossed his mind.

    KangWoo bit his lip.

    ¡®No.¡¯

    He shook his head.

    The situation had gotten too big to cast aside and call a mistake.

    Of course, people like Kim ShiHoon, Chae YeonJoo, and Gaia would probably believe him.

    KangWoo looked at Shargiel.

    Not only Shargiel, but other Angels were looking at him with hatred.

    ¡°Wh-what?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he the non-blood-rted hyeong of captain Kim ShiHoon?¡±

    ¡°Ah! The one surrounded by golden light!¡±

    ¡°Then why¡­¡±

    What about the other yers?

    They were all making confused expressions.

    ¡®There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be able to deceive everyone.¡¯

    Leaving yers aside, angels suspecting him was the worst possible scenario.

    The problem wasn¡¯t just Raphael, there were other archangels and even gods supporting him.

    It would be like bing the enemy of the entire world.

    ¡®Damn it.¡¯

    KangWoo frowned.

    ¡®Think.¡¯

    He had to think of something¡­ a way to solve the situation¡ªhow to turn the tables, even in the worst-case scenario.

    ¡®I can do it.¡¯

    There¡¯s no way there wasn¡¯t a way out.

    He was used to those kinds of situations, and he had always ovee them.

    ¡®A way¡­¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes widened.

    He felt excitement running throughout his body.

    ¡®Yes.¡¯

    The ends of his mouth went up, and he clenched his fists.

    If he thought about it, the answer was quite simple¡­

    There was no need to think too deeply about it.

    ¡®I see.¡¯

    There was one way to solve the situation.

    ¡°Hyeongnim!! Please, say something!!¡±

    He raised his head and looked at Kim ShiHoon, who was screaming at him.

    Tap-

    He leaped forward and raised his fist.

    Paf-!!

    ¡°Cough!!¡±

    Without hesitation, he punched ShiHoon in the face.

 Chapter 262 - Crazy Situation (2)

    Chapter 262

    Paf-!

    ¡°Cough!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s went flying, rolled across the ground, and hit a wall.

    ¡°G-Guardian Kim ShiHoon!!¡±

    Although Gaia couldn¡¯t see anything, she hurriedly shouted after figuring out more or less what was happening.

    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon was sent flying by KangWoo¡¯s attack.

    People were trembling in fear at the unexpected development of events.

    ¡°Hyeongnim¡­?¡±

    Even the people watching were shocked, so it was hard to imagine how shocked the one who was blown away was.

    Kim ShiHoon was looking at KangWoo with trembling eyes.

    His cheek hurt. No, it wasn¡¯t just hurting.

    His cheekbones would¡¯ve been crushed if his body hadn¡¯t subconsciously moved.

    ¡°Wh-why are you doing this, Hyeongnim?!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo didn¡¯t answer.

    One couldn¡¯t see or sense any emotioning from him. He looked down on ShiHoon with deep, sunken eyes.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve finally shown your true colors!¡± Shargiel said in a confident voice.

    It looked as if he was sure his guess had been correct.

    He gripped his sword even tighter. His six wings pped, and he flew toward KangWoo.

    ¡°Stop, you bastard!!¡±

    Chae YeonJoo quickly spread her chains, but there was no way she¡¯d be able to stop the 2nd inmand of Raphael¡¯s army.

    The chains pulled her body.

    ¡°Ugh!!¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, please!!¡±

    ¡°Even you¡­!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon blocked Shargiel.

    It wasn¡¯t enough with only Chae YeonJoo¡¯s strength, but if it was Kim ShiHoon, the story was different.

    Shargiel frowned.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t youe back to your senses yet?!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon remained with his mouth closed.

    He couldn¡¯t think of anything to say.

    ¡®No.¡¯

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes widened.

    He remembered the name of the sword he was holding. To be more precise, he thought of his friend whose name was the same as the sword.

    ¡°H-Hyeongnim is being controlled!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shargiel frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s just like what happened with Ludwig! A demon is controlling Hyeongnim!!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was a heavy silence.

    Shargiel snorted.

    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s someone capable of controlling the Demon of Prophecy?¡±

    ¡°What I want to say is that Hyeongnim isn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°So what do you want me to do?!¡± Shargiel shouted.

    He trembled while clenching his fists.

    ¡°So, in the end, what did you do with Ludwig?! What did you do with the saint that fell at Satan¡¯s hand?!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you kill Ludwig with your own hands?!!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s expression paled.

    It was true.

    He couldn¡¯t save KangWoo just because he was being controlled.

    If they couldn¡¯t reverse the situation, if he¡¯d fallen like Ludwig, in the end¡­

    He needed to be killed.

    ¡°Hyeongnim¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo once again didn¡¯t answer.

    He wouldn¡¯t be able to save him if he was being controlled.

    He needed to find another reason.

    ¡°Please, say something, Hyeongnim!! It doesn¡¯t matter what happens. I¡¯m on your side!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo slowly raised his arm.

    ck. A ck sword appeared in KangWoo¡¯s hands¡ªthe weapon he often used.

    Despair appeared on Kim ShiHoon¡¯s face.

    ¡°Hyeong¡­¡±

    ng-!!

    KangWoo rushed forward, going for ShiHoon¡¯s neck without hesitation.

    Kim ShiHoon raised his holy sword.

    They exchanged rapid blows in just a second.

    He blocked the ck sword going for his neck; then pulled his arm back and blocked the following attack targeting his left shoulder.

    He lowered his body and pulled one foot back, sweeping his sword to gain some space, but that onlysted for a brief moment.

    KangWoo rose into the sky. No, to be more precise, he rushed forward while stepping into the air.

    ShiHoon stomped on the ground. He used Sword Control and made swords all around him begin levitation, stepping on the swords to imitate flight.

    Their battle became three-dimensional in nature.

    CLANG-!!!

    * * *

    A steel sound rang.

    Fireworks poured out in all directions.

    One was attacking, and the other one just blocked.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    There was no need to think about the result of that one-sided battle.

    You couldn¡¯t win a fight with defense alone.

    Kim ShiHoon was pushed back.

    Sharp eyes targeted his vital point.

    He was able to dodge by a narrow margin, but he was still cut by the pressure, and blood spurted in all directions.

    ¡°Hey, you crazy bastard! Stop!¡±

    Chae YeonJoo entered the fight. Red chains spread and applied pressure on him like a.

    KangWoo turned his body half-around and swung his arm like a windmill.

    The chains were cut in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Why are you doing this?!¡±

    Cheon MooJin also rushed forward.

    BOOM-!

    Although two yers at world-ranker levels had rushed toward him, it wasn¡¯t enough.

    They were able to stop him only for a brief moment.

    ¡°Hyeong. Please, stop¡­!!¡± Kim ShiHoon shouted.

    He saw Shargiel giving an order to his underlings.

    ¡°Kill that demon!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon quickly turned around.

    He¡¯d been blocking KangWoo¡¯s attacks, so he couldn¡¯t stop Shargiel.

    ¡°N-no!¡±

    He quickly extended his hand.

    He wasn¡¯t worried about Shargiel¡¯s subordinates hurting KangWoo.

    In fact, he feared the opposite.

    ¡°Die!!¡±

    ¡°Kill the Demon of Prophecy!¡±

    ¡°To those tainted by dark, let light judge them!¡±

    The angels rushed toward KangWoo.

    KangWoo turned, an emotionless expression on his face.

    He raised his hands, and¡­

    sh-!!

    ¡°Cough!!!¡±

    ¡°N-NOOO!!!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s screaming spread.

    The bodies of the angels rushing toward KangWoo were bisected, and white blood poured in all directions.

    Their inner organs covered the ground.

    ¡°Ah, aah¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon knelt, his face paling.

    It was already toote. There was no going back.

    KangWoo had killed an angel with his own hands¡ªthe trust rtionship was broken.

    At that moment, all angels had be their enemies.

    ¡°HEY, YOU CRAZY BASTARD!!!¡±

    Chae YeonJoo stomped on the ground, her red hair pped in the air, and she pulled her left arm back.

    SLASH-!

    The red chains gathered around, twisting and intertwining.

    ¡°Ugh¡­!¡±

    Blood started to leak out of her mouth because she¡¯d increased her magic power to the limit.

    Her body was under huge pressure.

    At that moment, sadness was visible in her eyes.

    To think that she would use it in a ce like that on KangWoo¡­

    She¡¯d never imagined she would use her hidden card in a situation like that.

    ¡°Red Lotus, 1st Form.¡±

    sh-!

    The red chains covered her left arm.

    When she reached the 10th Awakening and became a world-ranker, she¡¯d unlocked the ¡®Red Flower¡¯ attribute.

    She concentrated that strength on her left arm.

    ¡°Ah, ugh.¡±

    She moaned at the huge pain that was spreading through her left arm.

    Chae YeonJoo bit her lips.

    It had been over a year since she¡¯d awakened the Red Flower attribute, but no one knew about that strength yet.

    Not only was she not able to properly use it, but it also created too much pressure on her.

    ¡®One day¡­¡¯

    Chae YeonJoo looked at KangWoo.

    He had gone to a far-away ce, but she had been striving to follow him.

    ¡®Bypleting this¡­¡¯

    She had wanted to see how surprised she was.

    She wanted to brag like when they¡¯d first met while just saying, ¡®Trust this noona.¡¯

    That¡¯s why she hadn¡¯t said anything.

    She¡¯d secretly practiced a lot.

    Chae YeonJoo closed her eyes.

    ¡°Come back to your senses, asshole!!!!¡±

    She swung her left arm.

    Her chains opened just like a flower, the chains with sharp thorns hit KangWoo, and¡­

    Pang-

    Crack!

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    With just one light hand movement, the attack she¡¯d been keeping a secret for a year, one she¡¯d been practicing without anyone knowing, was easily cast away.

    Chae YeonJoo¡¯s eyes widened.

    KangWoo extended his hand.

    ¡°Cough!!¡±

    He grabbed Chae YeonJoo¡¯s neck.

    She twisted her body in pain and wriggled her legs.

    ¡°Oh¡­ KangWoo¡­¡±

    Chae YeonJoo looked at him with sad eyes.

    She remembered the first time she¡¯d seen her in that noisy inte cafe.

    She had been really angry back then, not being able to believe there was a person like him.

    After that, she had been surprised.

    To think that there was someone who could be so strong in such a short period of time.

    She¡¯d thought that she should use that possibility, and¡­

    ¨C You¡¯re doing a good job.

    When she was struggling with a huge sense of shame, he¡¯d said that she was doing a good job.

    ¨C Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m going to help you.

    He had said that he would help her.

    ¡®And¡­¡¯

    He really kept that promise.

    He¡¯d fulfilled his promise of getting her revenge on the Demon Cult.

    Who other than KangWoo would have been able to wipe out the worldwide Demon Cult?

    ¡°Come¡­ back to your senses¡­! Cough!¡±

    Still being held in KangWoo¡¯s hands, Chae YeonJoo spoke in a desperate voice.

    Tears dripped from her eyes.

    Rather than feeling hurt that her attack, which she¡¯d struggled so much to practice, was cast away so easily, the fact that KangWoo was the one holding her neck hurt most.

    Despite that¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo didn¡¯t answer.

    He turned his emotionless face toward Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°Hyeong¡­¡±

    The situation was too messed up.

    Tears dripped from Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Hyeong. Please, say something. Please¡­¡±

    He lowered his face.

    ¡°Say anything¡­¡±

    Tears gathered on his chin, and he had difficulty properly holding his sword.

    ¡°Please, Hyeong¡­¡± he desperately pleaded.

    He extended his hands toward him, and¡­

    ¡°Cough! Cough! Cough!¡±

    KangWoo threw Chae YeonJoo to the floor.

    KangWoo covered his mouth with his hands.

    ¡°Pff.¡±

    Laughter leaked out from between his fingers.

    ¡°Pff, HAHAHA!!!!¡±

    A madugh came out of him.

    Kim ShiHoon looked at him with trembling eyes.

    KangWoo¡¯s emotionless eyes were full of ¡®ecstasy¡¯.

    ¡°HAHAHA!! Ah, I was trying to hold back, but you¡¯re making it hard for me!!¡±

    ¡°KangWoo, Hyeong¡­?¡±

    Kim ShiHoon looked at him in confusion due to the sudden change of attitude.

    KangWoo slowly walked toward him.

    ¡°Wonderful. How could mortal bugs burn so beautifully? Ah, is it because they¡¯re mortal?¡±

    ¡°H-hyeong¡­ What do you mean¡­?¡±

    KangWoo covered his face with his hands.

    Hahaha.

    Theugh he¡¯d been holding back came out.

    ¡°KangWoo, huh¡­?¡±

    He burst intoughter again.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    KangWoo tilted his head and spoke as if he couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Do you still think that I¡¯m Oh KangWoo?¡±

 Chapter 263 - Crazy Situation (3)

    Chapter 263

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes widened, and his hands trembled on the hilt of his sword.

    ¨C Do you still think that I¡¯m Oh KangWoo?

    He¡¯d said that as if making fun of him.

    ¡°Ah, aah.¡±

    Why hadn¡¯t he thought of that?

    Why hadn¡¯t he imagined that?

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    There¡¯s no way KangWoo would attack him; there¡¯s no way he¡¯d tear the body of an angel apart and grab Chae YeonJoo¡¯s neck.

    He wasn¡¯t that kind of person.

    He was a kind and good person. He loved and admired him more than his blood-rted family.

    ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡±

    That KangWoo had suddenly changed.

    The answer wasn¡¯tplicated. There was no need to think about it.

    It was a simple issue.

    It was so simple that he couldn¡¯t help butugh in disbelief.

    The person standing in front of him¡­

    Wasn¡¯t KangWoo.

    ¡°Who are you, you bastard?!!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon shook his hand. The weapons that were scattered away on the ground began floating.

    There were dozens of weapons.

    He moaned in pain because he¡¯d reached a limit.

    ¡°AAGGHH!!!¡±

    He ignored it. There was no time to think about that.

    The anger he was feeling made his body move.

    The dozens of weapons flew toward KangWoo, no, the Demon of Prophecy who had taken the shape of KangWoo.

    CLANG-!!

    White mes poured in all directions.

    The weapons that were blocked by the ck wall fell to the ground.

    ¡°Hmm, who do you think I am?¡±

    KangWoo began tough and looked at the others.

    You could see the confusion and fear in their eyes.

    He inwardly celebrated.

    ¡®FUCK YEEAAHH!!!¡¯

    He wanted to clench his fists and shout, ¡®hurray¡¯!

    ¡®Done, it worked!¡¯

    It was an incredible setup, even if he thought about it.

    A perfect scenario¡ªsimple and effective.

    If him having appeared when the Demon of Prophecy was summoned was a problem¡­

    He just had to act as if it wasn¡¯t ¡®Oh KangWoo¡¯ who was summoned.

    ¡®Although, I feel a bit sorry.¡¯

    He saw Chae YeonJoo coughing on the floor and Kim ShiHoon, who had clearly been crying.

    Although there was nothing he could¡¯ve done about it, he still felt guilty for having pushed both to a corner.

    ¡®YeonJoo, I¡¯m sorry.¡¯

    She¡¯d taken out a technique he hadn¡¯t seen before, but he¡¯d cast it aside too easily.

    ¡®She seemed to have prepared it quite thoroughly.¡¯

    The chains had spread out as if a red flower was flourishing.

    Considering that he had never heard of it even though he¡¯d met up with Chae YeonJoo quite frequently, that meant she¡¯d practiced it quite a lot in secret.

    Although the strength of the technique was huge, its foundation was bad.

    KangWoo was on a different level when it came to controlling energies, so for him, there were a lot of problems with it.

    ¡®Hgh.¡¯

    KangWoo frowned.

    He remembered her confused and despairing face when he easily overwhelmed her technique.

    Despite that, he¡¯d grabbed her neck and hurt her a lot.

    ¡®I¡¯ll pay you back, I promise.¡¯

    If he could, he wanted to beg for forgiveness.

    ¡®And¡­¡¯

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°How¡­ how dare you¡­!¡±

    His face showed a mixture of emotions: he was feeling anger, relief, resentment, and despair at the same time.

    There was no need to think about the target of anger and resentment. He probably felt relieved after realizing that KangWoo wasn¡¯t the ¡®Demon of Prophecy¡¯.

    ¡®Fuck. I¡¯m sorry, ShiHoon!¡¯

    The one he felt the sorriest to was, without any doubt, Kim ShiHoon.

    His heart hurt after seeing his little brother wounded.

    ¡®There¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡¯

    It sounded like an excuse, but it wasn¡¯t a lie.

    In order to turn the situation in his favor, he needed to show everyone that he was the ¡®Demon of Prophecy¡¯ who was pretending to be Oh KangWoo.

    He had to push Kim ShiHoon to a limit to make it feel real.

    ¡®It also hurts hyeong a lot.¡¯

    Every time he hit Kim ShiHoon, he was worried he would end up killing him.

    ¡®Thanks for resisting.¡¯

    Kim ShiHoon was able to withstand his attack, so he was able toplete the scenario.

    ¡®I never thought the day when I pretended to be me woulde.¡¯

    There was nothing he could do about it.

    He had no other choice if he wanted to revert the situation.

    ¡®Now¡­¡¯

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    Leaving aside his guilt, the situation had almost seeded.

    ¡°How dare you pretend to be Hyeong¡­!¡±

    The sight of Kim ShiHoon trembling in anger was very protagonist-like.

    He was emitting a strong killing intent toward the demon that was pretending to be the hyeong he respected so much.

    KangWoo once again burst intoughter.

    ¡°Pff! HAHAHA! Good! Those are the eyes I was looking for! I can understand why Satan likes you.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon red at him and gripped his sword.

    Since he knew the being in front of him was a demon that wasn¡¯t KangWoo, he didn¡¯t need to hesitate anymore.

    Swoosh-!

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s body blurred as he began moving at speed beyond the speed of sound and created a huge sonic boom.

    He raised his qi up to a limit and targeted KangWoo¡¯s head.

    ¡°Come on, why are you doing this?¡±

    ng-!!

    He blocked the attack with the pitch-ck sword that appeared in his hand and kept mocking him.

    ¡°I¡¯m your hyeong you respect so much, right? Is it okay to attack your hyeong in such a way?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!!¡±

    ¡°Pff, hahaha!¡±

    * * *

    He burst intoughter and blocked Kim ShiHoon¡¯s attack.

    ¡®Hngh.¡¯

    Unlike how rxed he appeared, KangWoo was dripping cold sweat inside.

    ¡®When did this guy get so strong?¡¯

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon with great interest.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if he was using more strength than his current limits or would be stronger, but blocking his attack wasn¡¯t easy.

    ¡®You¡¯re growing quite well, ShiHoon.¡¯

    He smiled proudly.

    He¡¯d like to pat him on the back, but it was hard to do that with what was going on.

    KangWoo looked around.

    The first part of his n had seeded.

    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t erase all doubts with just that.

    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s good enough for ShiHoon, but I¡¯m sure the angels will still suspect.¡¯

    Even if he insisted he was a demon that wasn¡¯t Oh KangWoo, there was no way they¡¯d believe him.

    Angels didn¡¯t trust them a lot.

    It was, after all, a rtionship built for convenience.

    It was hard to expect them to trust him like Kim ShiHoon and Chae YeonJoo.

    ¡®I need stronger evidence.¡¯

    He needed better evidence that showed that Oh KangWoo wasn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡®If it¡¯s as I expect¡­¡¯

    He¡¯d soon be able to get that opportunity.

    KangWoo kept waiting and pushed Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon, who was attacking, grabbed his hand in pain.

    He¡¯d gone beyond his limit, so his hands were starting to tear down.

    ¡°Haa, haa.¡±

    He breathed heavily.

    ¡°Cough! Cough! Ugh¡­¡±

    At that moment, Chae YeonJoo got up from the floor.

    She red at KangWoo while holding her bruised neck.

    ¡°So¡­ that bastard isn¡¯t KangWoo but someone else, right?¡±

    A strong killing intent also appeared in her eyes.

    Kim ShiHoon silently nodded and he quietly bit his lips.

    ¡®It isn¡¯t enough.¡¯

    He red at the demon that was smiling while looking at him.

    The demon was stronger than he could have imagined.

    They couldn¡¯t beat him with the angels and yers present there.

    ¡°Mr. Shargiel!¡± Kim ShiHoon called out.

    ¡°Another¡­ demon?¡±

    Shargiel made a confused expression.

    ¡°Shargiel!!¡± Kim ShiHoon shouted.

    It was then that Shargiel looked at Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°Call Raphael right now!¡±

    ¡°He¡­¡±

    Sharigel¡¯s expression had hardened.

    He still hadn¡¯t fully recovered after fighting Satan.

    To be honest, he could barely move at the moment.

    ¡°Quick!!¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    Shargiel bit his lips.

    Kim ShiHoon was right.

    They needed backup if they wanted to beat the demon.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Shargiel closed his eyes and tried tomunicate with Raphael.

    A golden circle appeared over his eyes.

    ¡°Hngh. Trying to call for support? Well, not bad.¡±

    The demon that looked like KangWoo started tough out loud.

    Kim ShiHoon took out amunication crystal from his pocket.

    ¡®If he isn¡¯t KangWoo¡­¡¯

    They should be able to contact KangWoo.

    ShiHoon sent qi into themunication crystal.

    Whir-

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    Themunication crystal shone, and a specific ring sound could be heard.

    ¨C What¡¯s wrong?

    He heard KangWoo¡¯s voice.

    Everything was okay, but¡­

    ¡°Wh-why¡­?¡±

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes trembled, and his face paled/

    ¡°Huh? If you called someone, you should talk.¡±

    The voiceing out from themunication crystal wasing from the demon that was pretending to be KangWoo.

    ¡°Wh-Why¡­ D-do you have Hyeong¡¯smunication crystal¡­?¡±

    ¡°Pff, HAHAHA!!¡±

    KangWoo burst intoughter while holding his stomach.

    ¡®Finally!¡¯

    It was the situation he was waiting for.

    If he wasn¡¯t KangWoo, he was sure Kim ShiHoon or Chae YeonJoo would definitely try to contact him.

    ¡®Okay, then¡­¡¯

    It was about time to proceed with the second step.

    He¡¯d only finished the preparations while fighting Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Why do I have thismunication crystal? No, let me ask something simpler¡­¡±

    ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡±

    ¡°Your important hyeong¡­¡±

    KangWoo slowly turned around.

    ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon began to tremble.

    If someone else had KangWoo¡¯smunication crystal¡­

    ¡°Pff, HAHAHA!!!!¡±

    A madugh spread out.

    The Demon of Prophecy, pretending to be KangWoo, burst intoughter.

    Tap-

    A screen appeared in the air and disyed footage.

    ¡°Ah, aah.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon fell to his knees when he saw the video, and despair filled him.

    ¨C ShiHoon¡­

    The video was extremely static, but he could still see KangWoo, who was tied up in steel chains, slowly raise his head.

    One of his eyes was missing. It was as if they¡¯d taken it out on purpose. KangWoo mumbled in a weak voice.

    ¨C Es¡­ cape.

    ¡°N-NOOOOO!!!!!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s desperate scream rang out.

 Chapter 264 - Saving Oh KangWoo (1)

    Chapter 264

    The video was full of noise, and KangWoo was chained to a cross-like pir.

    It wasn¡¯t just that he was chained to it.

    Chains that seemed to have been made of demonic energy were piercing KangWoo¡¯s skin and holding him against the pir by his shoulders, arms, thighs, and corbone.

    Blood leaked from his pierced skin, and KangWoo¡¯s face, which was missing an eye, was full of pain and fear.

    ¨C ShiHoon.

    ¡°Ah, aah.¡±

    In such a horrible situation¡­

    ¨C Es¡­ escape¡­

    He kept mumbling the word ¡®escape¡¯.

    ¡°Hmm? It seems like you still haven¡¯te to your senses.¡±

    The Demon of Prophecy that was pretending to be KangWoo made a fishy smile and bounced his finger.

    ck-

    ¨C Cough, ugh!

    Thorns appeared from the chains that were holding KangWoo, making it seem like they were looking at a cactus.

    The 10 chains that were holding him started to move, and the thornscerated his skiing, bringing out more blood and pus from his fresh wounds.

    ¡°Agh!¡±

    He looked like he was desperately trying to resist the pain.

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s mind nked.

    ¡°STOP, YOU BASTARD!!¡±

    He rushed forward and made his energy explode.

    A scream simr to a beast¡¯s came from his mouth.

    ¡°PFF, HAHAHA!!¡±

    The Demon of Prophecyughed.

    It was as if the situation was fun to him

    ¡°AAAHHH!!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon rushed toward him while trying to kill him, but his body had already reached a limit. The demon easily flicked his finger and made ShiHoon go rolling across the ground.

    ¡°Ugh, aah,¡± he moaned in pain.

    He crawled on the ground with a desperate look on his face.

    ¡°Nice brotherly love. Haha. Really¡­¡±

    The Demon of Prophecy let out a breath full of heat.

    ¡°Beautiful.¡±

    Squeak.

    Liquid dripped from somewhere.

    Kim ShiHoon turned his face toward the Demon of Prophecy¡ªhis skin split as if he didn¡¯t need to look like KangWoo anymore.

    It was as if bugs were crawling beneath his skin, which shortly fell to the ground.

    The demon that was pretending to be KangWoo¡­

    ¡°Ah, aah.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes widened.

    He understood why Gaia had said that she didn¡¯t know who the Demon of Prophecy was.

    The horrible demon was formed of a ck liquid simr to tar, an Abyss that devoured all light.

    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s that¡­?¡±

    Chae YeonJoo trembled.

    A demon?

    Could that be called a Demon?

    It had no eyes, nose, or mouth; it was only sticky darkness.

    ¡°Y-you damn slime¡­¡±

    Chae YeonJoo looked at its appearance and mocked it by calling it a slime, but her lips had turned pale.

    She subconsciously knew that the monster¡­

    Wasn¡¯t just a slime.

    [Do you want to save this human?]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Hahaha.

    He pointed toward the floating screen.

    There was no need to answer.

    Even the Demon of Prophecy knew how important KangWoo was to ShiHoon.

    Tap-

    The Demon of Prophecy threw a ck jewel that was about as big as two fingers and spoke with augh.

    [If you want to save him, use that jewel. It will teleport you toward where that human is.]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    [I am wondering¡­]

    Squeak.

    The ck liquid moved.

    [How beautifully you¡¯ll burn.]

    It was a vague question and answer.

    After he said that, the wall next to them flew apart, and an angel with eight wings appeared.

    It was Raphael.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    Raphael was moaning in pain. It seemed like he¡¯d forced himself to move, but that was too much of a burden on him since he still hadn¡¯t fully recovered.

    He was breathing heavily. Compared to when he fought against Satan, the light from his wings was weak.

    [Oops, it¡¯s about time I go.]

    The Demon of Prophecy turned around.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you escape!¡±

    BOOM-!

    Raphael rushed forward and swung his arm toward the ck liquid called the Demon of Prophecy.

    Crack. Some of the skin on Raphael¡¯s left shoulder was cut.

    ¡°Ugh¡­!¡±

    Raphael!¡±

    Shargiel quickly approached him.

    Raphael was no different from a sick person who had gotten up from the hospital bed¡ªit was impossible for him to fight against the Demon of Prophecy.

    [Is this the extent of an archangel¡¯s strength?]

    Raphael¡¯s eyes trembled.

    He looked at the demon whose body was a ck liquid.

    ¡°Who¡­ are you? Even in the mythical records, there¡¯s no being like you¡­¡±

    [Mythical records?]

    * * *

    The Demon of Prophecyughed.

    [History has forgotten about many things.]

    A ck fissure formed behind the Demon of Prophecy, and he slowly walked toward it.

    Before he entered and disappeared, the Demon of Prophecy spoke as if he were whispering.

    [Human, I¡¯ll be waiting for you.]

    The Demon of Prophecy disappeared into the darkness.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    With his mouth closed, Kim ShiHoon grabbed the jewel on the floor, but he¡¯d reached a limit, so his sight was blurry.

    ng. The holy sword in his hands fell to the ground, became white dust, and scattered away.

    * * *

    ¡°Haa, haa¡­ Woah, fuck.¡±

    KangWoo breathed out heavily after escaping through a gate he¡¯d created by using an Authority.

    ¡°Things almost got fucked up.¡±

    That was close.

    No, it wasn¡¯t just close. It was almost all over for him.

    He was saved because of Kim ShiHoon, Chae YeonJoo, and Gaia¡¯s trust in him.

    ¡°From now on¡­¡±

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    It was truly about to begin.

    Up until then, he¡¯d somehow managed to solve the crisis. It was time for him to create a detailed n.

    ¡°Haa.¡±

    KangWoo sighed and sat on the floor.

    It was something not even he was expecting, so he needed time to organize his thoughts.

    ¡®I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have some time.¡¯

    He¡¯d given them a jewel while saying they should use it if they wanted to save him.

    That jewel was something he¡¯d created with Lilith. It was what they¡¯d used to create the gate that led to the dungeon of Ludwig¡¯s fall.

    ¡®I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t use it immediately.¡¯

    After all, it was obvious that it was a trap.

    There was also a chance they wouldn¡¯t use it at all.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After thinking about it for a while, KangWoo shook his head.

    ¡®They¡¯lle.¡¯

    He knew Kim ShiHoon.

    Even if he knew it was a trap, even if it were a burning hole, he would for sure jump into it to save him.

    ¡®That¡¯s just how he is.¡¯

    KangWoo smirked.

    He once again started to feel guilty, but he shook his head and continued thinking.

    ¡®Let¡¯s organize the situation first.¡¯

    His eyes shone sharply.

    Leaving the process aside, the result wasn¡¯t bad.

    Considering that it had appeared out of nowhere, he¡¯d obtained quite a lot of things.

    ¡®The timing was also perfect.¡¯

    It was just after Gaia had appeared and trolled, saying Satan wasn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡®It was something I needed either way.¡¯

    The value of the Satan coin had dropped at Gaia¡¯s revtion.

    He was already thinking about who would rece Satan and be the new ¡®Demon of Prophecy.¡¯

    KangWoo put his hands on his forehead and thought of Gaia.

    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense to make someone else the Demon of Prophecy anymore.¡¯

    Let¡¯s say he tried to make Lucifer the Demon of Prophecy¡­

    There was a chance Gaia would appear again and say he wasn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡®That useless bitch.¡¯

    Thinking about Gaia made him angry, but he could do nothing about it.

    Even if he didn¡¯t like her, she was the main god that protected Earth.

    If she ended up dying, there was a chance that the world would end up copsing.

    ¡®If gods from other worlds appear in masses¡­¡¯

    There was no need to think too deeply about it.

    It didn¡¯t matter how strong he was, Earth would be destroyed.

    The home he¡¯d been craving for ten thousand years would disappear without leaving any traces behind.

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±

    He sighed, shook his head, and tried to refocus.

    It was time to focus on the Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡®The Demon of Prophecy¡­¡¯

    It should be someone whose identity was unknown.

    Just like the shadow character that appeared in detective manhwas, he had to be someone whose exact form and identity weren¡¯t known.

    At the same time¡­

    ¡®I mustn¡¯t hide him too much.¡¯

    He had to keep giving them clues that expressed that the Demon of Prophecy was someone real that existed.

    Comparing it to the detective manhwa mentioned before, he had to make sure the audience knew that there was a criminal behind all of it in the end.

    ¡°Howplicated¡­¡±

    KangWoo grabbed his forehead.

    He had to spread the evidence of the existence of the Demon of Prophecy while hiding his identity.

    It was a hard task, but that was the best possible way to avoid being an object of suspicion to the gods.

    ¡®Hiding its existence¡­ but drop hints about it¡­¡¯

    He narrowed his eyes.

    His head started to spin fast.

    ¡®There¡¯s a way.¡¯

    His eyes shone sharply.

    He¡¯d already thought of something¡ªthat¡¯s why he¡¯d given Kim ShiHoon the ck jewel.

    ¡°First¡­ I should contact Balrog and Lilith.¡±

    As things becameplicated, they were the first ones he¡¯d thought of.

    Whether he liked them or not, they were the ones with whom he¡¯d been with the longest.

    ¡®Echidna and Halcyon¡­

    He fell into thought.

    He didn¡¯t have much experience working with them.

    He¡¯d worked together with Echidna when they¡¯d killed Reinald.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if Halcyon was going to be capable of acting.

    ¡®Still, I have no other choice.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t do everything alone.

    He needed more actors.

    ¡®Okay, then, I should gather Balzac, Halcyon, and Echidna.¡¯

    He was worried about Han Seol-ah but shook his head.

    It would be better if as few people as possible knew about what was going on.

    Unlike others, Han Seol-ah¡¯s soul wasn¡¯t directly connected to his, so hiding the truth was the correct answer.

    KangWoo got up.

    ¡®What I have to do¡­¡¯

    If he wanted to conduct a y, he needed a stage that matched.

    He wasn¡¯t sure when Kim ShiHoon would use the ck jewel, so creating the stage from scratch wouldn¡¯t be effective.

    Thankfully, he already had one that he¡¯d used before.

    He moved toward the dungeon he¡¯d created before.

    Ting-

    [You¡¯ve entered the SS+ rank Dungeon ¡®Lilith ? Demon King¡¯s love houwhotoldyoutoputanamelikethisfuckitwasalreadymade.¡¯]

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was silence.

    He grabbed his head.

    ¡°Ah, fuck.¡±

    He had to rebuild the stage.

    * * *

    BANG-!!

    There was a huge construction that resembled a fortress.

    A loud sound spread from within it.

    Crack.

    The table Kim ShiHoon hit was split into two.

    ¡°What do you mean¡­?!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon red at Shargiel.

    Shargiel sighed.

    ¡°The angels won¡¯t participate in this rescue mission.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was a heavy silence.

 Chapter 265 - Saving Oh KangWoo (2)

    Chapter 265

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    Kim ShiHoon wanted to say something but ended up closing his mouth.

    In reality, he knew very well why Shargiel had made such a decision.

    ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s too obvious that it¡¯s a trap.¡±

    He was firm.

    There was no need to think too deeply about that.

    It wasn¡¯t that they had to find the ce where KangWoo was locked up and try to rescue him¡ªthe Demon of Prophecy had told them where KangWoo was.

    It was an invitation from the enemy.

    There was no need to exin how dangerous that was.

    Going there was like jumping into a fire.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Still¡­

    Kim ShiHoon closed his eyes.

    ¡®I must go.¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s life was at risk.

    Even if it was a fire or a valley of death, he had to go.

    ¡®¡­¡¯

    The sight of KangWoo chained and screaming silently came to his mind.

    If it were up to him, he¡¯d go right then to try to save him.

    Crunch.

    He clenched his teeth.

    He had to resist.

    If he went alone, rather than saving KangWoo, he¡¯d just end up dying in vain.

    ¡°Was it a lie when you said you¡¯d support us?¡±

    ¡°The situation is different. We cannot coborate in a reckless n like this.¡±

    There was nothing Shargiel could do.

    They were facing the worst possible situation.

    ¡°We must wait until Mr. Raphael recovers and other archangels arrive.¡±

    ¡°It will be toote.¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s toote, I can do nothing about it. Trying to save that person is just going to be likemitting suicide.¡±

    ¡°Hyeong threw himself into the fissure while risking his life in order to chase Satan. Is it that an angel¡¯s beliefs can¡¯t even reach a human¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°The situation is different¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t,¡± he cut Shargiel off.

    He showed him the ck jewel in his hands.

    ¡°I also know that this is an enemy trap, but it is the only way to save Hyeongnim.¡±

    ¡°Give up. Just like Ludwig, he¡­¡±

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t fallen. You saw it in the video, right? Although he¡¯s being tortured horribly, he hasn¡¯t been turned into an undead.

    ¡°Although we may not be able to see it, we can¡¯t be sure of that. We also don¡¯t know what happened after that.¡±

    ¡°Hyeongnim is a Warrior of Light who¡¯s been chosen by Hero God Tyrion. Along with Ms. Gaia, he¡¯s like the leader of Guardian. Losing Hyeongnim is like losing all Guardians.¡±

    While trying to control his anger, Kim ShiHoon kept talking.

    He had to convince the angels to help. No matter what.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was a heavy silence.

    Shargiel closed his eyes and fell into thought.

    To be more precise, he was just pretending to think because the answer was already decided.

    ¡°It¡¯s not possible.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°We angels won¡¯t participate in this rescue mission.¡±

    ¡°I said that this could make Guardian fall apart.¡±

    ¡°Still, we can¡¯t coborate in something so reckless.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we must kill the Demon of Prophecy?¡±

    ¡°We must, but not now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite cheap of you,¡± he said as if mocking him.

    Kim ShiHoon looked at him with sharp eyes.

    ¡°It seems like your beliefs on getting rid of evil changes depending on the situation.¡±

    ¡°I just know the difference between courage and recklessness,¡± Shargiel replied in a low voice.

    His attitude was different from his usual self.

    Km ShiHoon clenched his fists.

    ¡°Please, let me meet Mr. Raphael.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡±

    ¡°Fuck!!¡±

    BOOM!!

    He stomped the ground.

    The marble floor cracked.

    Kim ShiHoon put his hands on his forehead and breathed heavily.

    ¡®Resist.¡¯

    Although he¡¯d already exploded without being able to hold back his anger, he couldn¡¯t keep getting angry there.

    He knew that. if he kept confronting the angels, their chances of saving KangWoo would decrease.

    ¡®Even if it¡¯s for Hyeong¡­ I must resist.¡¯

    He had to resist, even if he wanted to crush that stubborn angel¡¯s head.

    If he turned the angels into their enemy¡­

    Leaving KangWoo aside, all of humanity would disappear.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± he said while holding back his anger.

    Shargiel lowered his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can understand Guardian Kim ShiHoon¡¯s feelings. We also lost Ludwig, but holding back your anger and nning for¡ª¡±

    ¡°If you aren¡¯t going to help, I¡¯ll be going back.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon cut Shargiel off and turned away.

    Since he¡¯d discovered they wouldn¡¯t help, he had no reason to keep listening to his nonsense.

    He walked out of the fortress; the vast wilderness of Africa appeared beside him.

    Before he opened the gate that led to the Hall of Protection, his head went nk.

    ¡°Damn.¡±

    He clenched his fists.

    ¡°Damn it, damn it, damn it, fuck!!!! Those damn pigeon-like bastards!¡±

    He clenched his fists while cursing.

    He screamed like a beast while holding his head.

    ¡°Haa, haa, haa.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon raised his head.

    ¡°I must save¡­ him.¡±

    Tap, tap. He slowly began walking.

    There was no time to waste.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent, and a gate that led to the Hall of Protection opened.

    * * *

    ¡°I¡­ see.¡±

    Gaia nodded while making a heavy expression.

    It seemed like she¡¯d been expecting that oue.

    ¡°Mr. ShiHoon, still¡­ you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    He gave a firm answer. There was no hesitation in him.

    Gaia kept talking in a sad voice that made it seem like she knew he¡¯d answer like that.

    ¡°It¡¯s an enemy trap¡­¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    * * *

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°You might not be able to return.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon smiled.

    He grabbed Gaia¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Hyeong¡­ is the person that saved me from hell. He¡¯s the first person who recognized me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll save him ande back. No matter what.¡±

    ¡°Sniff¡­¡±

    Tears dripped from her eyes.

    Kim ShiHoon scratched his cheeks while looking at her.

    ¡°Are you filming a TV drama or what?¡±

    Chae YeonJoo¡¯s voice mixed withughter was heard.

    ¡°Ms. Chae, YeonJoo¡­?¡±

    ¡°When are we going? We don¡¯t have much time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking as if I didn¡¯t know that. Stop saying bullshit and tell me when we¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent at her sharp words.

    He needed her help.

    ¡®If Balrog was here¡­¡¯

    Kim ShiHoon kept his mouth closed.

    He had tried to contact Balrog after he came back from middle-east, but it was of no use.

    It wasn¡¯t just Balrog¡­

    Echidna and the woman called Halcyon, whom he hadn¡¯t met before, had also disappeared.

    ording to Lilith, those four had been looking for Satan and lost to the Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡°Understood. We¡¯re going tonight. Please, gather as many people as possible until then.¡±

    If they kept dragging time, they would end up losing momentum.

    ¡°Tonight?¡±

    Chae YeonJoo snorted.

    ¡°Is there a need to wait so much?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°I feel like everyone is already here.¡±

    She looked toward the other passageway that Kim ShiHoon hadn¡¯t used.

    People were waiting there.

    ¡°I was wondering when you wereing¡­ Well, seeing that they aren¡¯t here. It seems like they¡¯ve refused.¡±

    Members of the Thousand Sword Gate were following Cheon MooJin.

    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?! You gave me all sorts of work to do and went away; then you suddenly say that KangWoo was kidnapped?!¡±

    Even Cheon SooYeon was there.

    After Cheon MooJin left her leadership position and joined Guardian, she¡¯d been spending really busy days managing the Thousand Sword Gate¡¯s martial artists.

    ¡°I¡¯mte. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    In the other passageway, he saw Kurosaki Yurie. To be more precise, Lilith, who was inside her body, hade with Japanese yers.

    Although there weren¡¯t many, considering that there weren¡¯t many high-level yers in Japan, they¡¯d brought almost all of their forces.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte. The government has been bothering us too much.¡±

    Even Jang HyunJae of the Hwarang Squad appeared. Behind him were also Baek HwaYeon, Goo HyunMo, and other famous Korean yers.

    ¡°Sh-ShiHoon hyeong! Give me more details! What do you mean that KangWoo hyeong was kidnapped¡­?¡±

    Park Deok, no, even Kang TaeSoo hade.

    Not only that, but the American yers led by Grace McCarbin were also there. There were also members of the Celestial Wolves Troops.

    ¡°If it¡¯s Oh KangWoo, he¡¯s the person the captain talked about so much during the training. Right?¡±

    ¡°That hyeongnim he¡¯s talked about so much that one would think he was in love?¡±

    The Celestial Wolves Troopsughed while looking at Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    ¡°It seems like Mr. KangWoo has built rtionships with many people. Ah, of course, It¡¯s also thanks to Mr. ShiHoon.¡±

    Gaia smiled.

    ¡°Everyone¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon started to tear up.

    The angels had refused to coborate. It was as if the bitter feeling of having been rejected assistance from the angels had vanished.

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that the angels had betrayed Guardian.

    Looking at it logically, their proposal of waiting until Raphael recovered and other angels arrived made more sense.

    Everyone there had just made a stupid decision.

    Just one person¡­

    To save one person¡¯s life, everyone was willing to jump into a fire that was obviously a trap.

    There was no need to curse the angels for deciding not to jump into the fire with them.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Still¡­

    He was happy.

    To think that there were so many people who wanted to save KangWoo.

    ¡°Hyeong¡­¡±

    He raised his head and began tearing up.

    He couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ¡®See, I told you that it couldn¡¯t be hidden.¡¯

    When KangWoo tried to hide his achievements to push him even further, he said that the world would end up recognizing him¡ªthat they weren¡¯t going to remember him, but Hyeong.

    Tap-

    Lastly, a woman with ck hair walked toward him with staggering steps.

    ¡°Ms. Seol-ah¡­?¡±

    Kim ShiHoon was shocked after looking at her.

    She had dark circles under her eyes, and her skin was pale.

    She seemed to be struggling even to walk and was trembling. It showed how shocked she was after hearing that KangWoo was kidnapped.

    ¡°I¡¯ll also go.¡±

    Her reaction was understandable.

    The day KangWoo disappeared, Echidna and Halcyon also disappeared.

    ording to Lilith, they had been kidnapped by the Demon of Prophecy along with Balrog.

    She was living with three of the four, so for her, it probably felt as if the sky had copsed.

    ¡°Ms. Seol-ah¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon dropped thest part of the sentence.

    He knew KangWoo¡¯s state thanks to the video.

    They¡¯d carved out one of his eyes, and chains had pierced his body.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if it was okay to show such a sight to his partner.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­up.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I said, ¡®shut up¡¯.¡±

    Han Seol-ah raised her head, and he felt a sense of madness in her eyes.

    She grabbed Kim ShiHoon by the cor.

    ¡°Shut up and guide me to where KangWoo is.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent.

    He felt that he shouldn¡¯t try to dissuade he anymore.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon gripped the ck jewel.

    Oh KangWoo¡­

    All the connections he¡¯d built through time had be intertwined in aplex way and gathered there.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Crack.

    A ck fissure appeared in the air.

    Kim ShiHoon stepped in without hesitation.

    Ting-

    [You¡¯ve entered the SS+ Rank Dungeon ¡®Abyssal Depths Yes!ThisIsIt!ItShouldAtLeastHaveSuchNameToSoundCoolOhWaitFuck.¡¯]

 Chapter 266 - Saving Oh KangWoo (3)

    Chapter 266

    [Demon King, they¡¯ve entered.]

    ¡°How many?¡±

    [There are¡­ at least three thousand people.]

    ¡°What?¡±

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes widened.

    Balrog smirked.

    [It seems like you built a connection with more people than expected.]

    ¡°Ha.¡±

    Heughed in disbelief.

    To think that thousands of people would jump into a trap.

    ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯

    His name had started to appear in mainstream media, so he started bing famous among the public and yers.

    He couldn¡¯t hide anymore, even if he tried.

    That probably showed how many things he¡¯d done after returning to Earth.

    ¡°But still¡­ I didn¡¯t think thousands woulde.¡±

    KangWoo leaned his back against the chair.

    The chair was made of tentacles that oozed a sticky liquid. It was so horrible that looking at it made one want to puke.

    ¡®Well, although it¡¯s fake¡­¡¯

    It was one of the stage props that would make things feel more real.

    The chair Lilith made looked so horrible that not even KangWoo wanted to sit on it.

    ¡®With what it was made with¡­¡¯

    He decided not to think too deeply about it.

    The tentacles that formed the chair kept poking him, so he constantly moved his ass.

    He wasn¡¯t sure why, but the chair was trembling.

    ¡°Well, anyways¡­¡±

    KangWoo thought of what Balrog had told him¡ªthe fact that more people than expected had entered the dungeon.

    ¡®Not bad.¡¯

    One could say that it was better.

    After all, it was better to have a bigger audience.

    ¡°Balrog, can we see those who have entered?¡±

    [Of course. Please wait a bit.]

    Balrog brought the ckmunication crystal over, and KangWoo was able to view the dungeon¡¯s interior with it.

    Three thousand people had entered it, so it looked as if the interior of the dungeon were about to explode.

    ¡®I¡¯m a bit moved.¡¯

    He felt moved after seeing how many people had gathered to save him.

    ¡®This is all thanks to my value as a person.¡¯

    KangWoo nodded while making a satisfied expression.

    It felt as if his efforts to save the world were beingpensated.

    Although, in reality, rather than his values, his friendship with Cheon MooJin, Gaia, and Chae YeonJoo, among others, was probably why so many people had gathered. He decided not to think too deeply about it.

    ¡°Hmm¡­?¡±

    KangWoo was looking at the yers who¡¯d been wounded by the traps that had activated when someone caught his eye¡ªit was a yer who was dealing with the wounded.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Her glossy ck hair had turned into a wiry mess, and there were also dark circles under her eyes.

    Her eyes had reddened, and her face looked tired.

    Although she usually looked calm, there was a sense of madness in her eyes.

    ¡°Dear¡­¡±

    KangWoo¡¯s expression seemed more depressed than at any time before.

    From the first moment he started to make the n, he knew Han Seol-ah would react like that.

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±

    He sighed.

    There was nothing he could do about it if he wanted to definitively separate ¡®Oh KangWoo¡¯ and the ¡®Demon of Prophecy¡¯, but he couldn¡¯t help the sadness he felt.

    ¡°KangWoo, Seol-ah¡­¡± Echidna, who was watching the video along with him, mumbled sadly.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Echidna knew KangWoo¡¯s situation, but there¡¯s no way that looking at Han Seol-ah like that was easy.

    KangWoo wasn¡¯t often in the house because of the many things he had to do, so Echidna spent most of her time with Han Seol-ah.

    She¡¯d probably spent more time with her than with KangWoo.

    ¡°Sh-she really s-seems to be struggling.¡±

    Halcyon hadn¡¯t known Seol-ah for long, so he talked in aparatively calm voice.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯llfort you.¡±

    Halcyon carefully extended his hands toward KangWoo.

    His cheeks touched the t chest.

    Her tip, no his tip, as he was still in the process of bing a she, went up.

    It was true that Han Seol-ah was the one tofort him when he had been trembling in fear after waking and not seeing KangWoo nearby, but from Halcyon¡¯s point of view, KangWoo was the only person that mattered.

    Only KangWoo existed in his world.

    Besides him, nothing mattered.

    ¡°Haa. Everyone, start preparing. You all know the n, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Y-yes! Of course! I¡­ I¡¯ll make s-sure to be of help to Mr. K-KangWoo!¡±

    Halcyon clenched his fist.

    His long, silver hair danced.

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes and looked at Halcyon.

    ¡®You¡¯re the one who I¡¯m the most worried about.¡¯

    He was the strongest of his subordinates, but the core of the n wasn¡¯t who was the ¡®strongest¡¯.

    ¡°KangWoo¡­ You must treat Seol-ah wellter on. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    KangWoo patted Echidna.

    Although there was nothing he could¡¯ve done about it, he needed to repay Seol-ah for making her feel that bad.

    ¡®ShiHoon and YeonJoo, too.¡¯

    Besides them, there were many people he was sorry to. For example, TaeSoo, and Gaia, among others.

    ¡®Well, first, I must solve this incident.¡¯

    If he wanted to have the leisure to repay themter, he first had to turn off the fire that was burning his feet.

    ¡°Balrog, show me the map of the dungeon again.¡±

    [Yes.]

    Balrog showed him the structure of the dungeon.

    He only had a few days to create the dungeon, so Balrog and Lilith¡¯s help had been huge.

    Thanks to the experience of having built a dungeon previously, they¡¯d created many parts of it with great detail.

    ¡®If I had to do this alone¡­ Haa.¡¯

    KangWoo shook his head.

    The dungeon was five times bigger than the one they¡¯d created before.

    KangWoo¡¯s demonic energy had increased a lot, so they were able to create quite a big dungeon.

    He couldn¡¯t even think about how much he would¡¯ve struggled if he¡¯d had to do it alone.

    ¡®Although¡­ there was a mistake in the name.¡¯

    Just like when Ludwig got to the dungeon, thanks to the trap that activated as soon as they entered, it seemed like there wasn¡¯t anyone who cared about the dungeon¡¯s name.

    ¡°Echidna, you go over there. Halcyon, here. Balrog, you wait over there.¡±

    The dungeon was created like abyrinth, resembling a spread.

    There was no way three thousand people could move together, so they were definitely going to divide into groups.

    What KangWoo wanted to do was to drag Kim ShiHoon, Chae YeonJoo, and Gaia to him at the center of it all.

    ¡®To make it feel real, traps and middle bosses should obviously appear.¡¯

    It couldn¡¯t look too easy or too hard.

    * * *

    They had to win after a harsh battle.

    Balrog, Echidna, and Halcyon would be in charge of the bnce.

    [Hmm. Demon King, I have a question.]

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    [Who are you going to reveal as the Demon of Prophecy?] Balrog asked while tilting his head.

    He¡¯d heard everything from KangWoo.

    Since he¡¯d failed to make Satan the Demon of Prophecy, he had to choose another demon, but KangWoo hadn¡¯t said anything about that.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to reveal it.¡±

    [Yes?]

    ¡°I¡¯ll hide the identity of the Demon of Prophecy inside thisbyrinth.¡±

    [But¡­]

    Balrog seemed confused.

    ck angel wings and a red demon mask were prepared within thebyrinth¡ªthe props KangWoo had said he needed.

    ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯ll see.¡±

    KangWooughed.

    There was a way to hide the identity of the Demon of Prophecy and show its existence clearly.

    From the moment Kim ShiHoon entered the dungeon, 90% of the n had already seeded.

    ¡°Ah, Balrog, suggest an angel name.¡±

    ¡°An angel name?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Any name that ends with ~el.¡±

    Balrog fell into thought.

    ¡°Michael or Gabriel¡­¡±

    Those were names that already exist.

    ¡°How about Rakiel¡­?¡±

    ¡°Woah, it sounds nice. Where did you hear it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not sure. It suddenly came to my mind, but I can¡¯t remember it clearly.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s more than enough.¡±

    KangWoo shrugged.

    Rakiel¡­ it didn¡¯t sound bad.

    ¡°Everyone, y your roles well, and change into the disguises that Lilith prepared for you. Make sure no one recognizes you. Everyone has the voice-change artifact, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Lilith prepared it for us.¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s by mistake, ensure no one is seriously wounded.¡±

    In reality, it would be better if they killed a few people to make everything feel more real, but not even KangWoo could kill the people that hade to save him.

    ¡°Then¡­ start.¡±

    After taking themunication crystal connected to the ones ced all over the dungeon, he gave the orders.

    Halcyon, Echidna, and Balrog each moved to their positions.

    Then¡­

    ¨C Ugh! Wh-what¡¯s that tentacle dragon?!

    ¨C A s-subus¡­?

    ¨C You idiot! There¡¯s no way a subus looks like that!

    ¨C D-damn it! Wh-what¡¯s up with that muscle monster?!

    Screams spread out from all around the dungeon.

    He saw that the squadrons were struggling because of the middle boss.

    ¡®Okay. Then, ShiHoon.¡¯

    KangWoo looked at the video that showed ShiHoon.

    ¨C We¡¯re advancing.

    ¡®Woah, they¡¯re recklessly advancing.¡¯

    ¨C C-captain! This is a trap area¡­

    ¨C We¡¯re advancing.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    ¨C Haa! Haa! L-let us take a break¡­

    ¨C We¡¯re advancing.

    ¡®Hey, don¡¯t overwork us. If you keep going like this, someone will die.¡¯

    ¨C Undead!! Undead that were made with the corpses of angels¡­!

    ¨C We¡¯re advancing.

    ¡®Hey, you crazy bastard!¡¯

    Kim ShiHoon was advancing at a crazy speed while sweeping away the traps and monsters blocking him.

    ¡®Stop it, you idiot!¡¯

    He¡¯d ced the traps carefully to ensure people didn¡¯t die, but if they were so reckless, it was inevitable that some might end up losing their lives.

    Wounded people began appearing in Kim ShiHoon¡¯s squadron.

    ¨C C-captain¡­ Th-the wound¡­

    ¨C Everyone who¡¯s injured, go back. We¡¯re advancing without taking a break.

    ¡®Hey, ShiHoon¡­¡¯

    He expected the rescue n to take at least three days, but the dungeon was being cleared at an incredible pace.

    ¡®Stop.¡¯

    He was thinking about controlling the situation in a rxed manner, but he anxiously started to look for his disguise.

    He didn¡¯t have enough time, so there were many things he hadn¡¯t been able to prepare.

    ¨C We¡¯re advancing.

    ¡®Take a break. If you keep going like this, you¡¯ll exhaust your qi and die.¡¯

    ¨C We¡¯re advancing.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    BANG-!!

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    Eight hours after they began clearing the dungeon, Kim ShiHoon broke down the wall and reached thest room.

    * * *

    ¡°Haa, haa¡­¡±

    ¡°Y-you crazy bastard¡­¡±

    Pained moans sounded from all around.

    Chae YeonJoo, covered in wounds, copsed in ce.

    It was the same for Cheon MooJin¡ªhe knelt while vomiting blood.

    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon blocked his mouth.

    He¡¯d pushed his body to the limit, so crimson blood was leaking out of him.

    Still¡­

    ¡°KangWoo¡­ hyeong¡­¡±

    With a stagger, he walked forward.

    At that moment¡­

    ¨C p, p, p.

    ¡°So you finally arrived.¡±

    Someone unknown appeared from a passageway¡ªsomeone that had ck angel wings and was wearing a red demon mask.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    He seemed different from the Demon of Prophecy, whose body was made of a ck liquid.

    Although they looked simr, their atmosphere and voices werepletely different.

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes shook after seeing that someone that wasn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy had appeared.

    ¡°I¡¯m Rakiel, one of the Four Heavenly Kings Hell, the one who rules Corruption.¡±

    ¡°Rakiel¡­?¡±

    Kim ShiHoon frowned at the mention of a name he hadn¡¯t heard before.

    He turned around. Everyone else also seemed confused.

    KangWoo, no, Rakiel was smiling behind the mask.

    ¡®It¡¯s obvious that you haven¡¯t heard it before.¡¯

    He¡¯d just made it up, after all.

    KangWoo had just nodded at a name that Balrog had made up for him.

    ¡®The name doesn¡¯t matter anyways.¡¯

    What mattered was that Rakiel was a virtual being that KangWoo had created.

    The real one wouldn¡¯t appear, and thus he wouldn¡¯t cause any problems like Satan had.

    ¡®Four Kings of Hell. How cool!¡¯

    He felt proud of what he¡¯d thought about.

    A way to prove the existence of the Demon of Prophecy while hiding his identity¡­

    The best way to do that was to create a subordinate that served him.

    ¡®There¡¯s no danger of me being discovered.¡¯

    In situations where he needed to use Satan, he could just use the virtual card called ¡®Rakiel¡¯ he had created.

    Rakiel wasn¡¯t the ¡®Demon of Prophecy¡¯, but he was a ¡®subordinate of the Demon of Prophecy¡¯, so there was no danger of Gaia appearing out of nowhere and trolling.

    ¡®Now, I can just hide the identity of the Demon of Prophecy and keep using Rakiel¡¯s name whenever I need to use someone.¡¯

    There wasn¡¯t a risk of being discovered as the Demon of Prophecy anymore.

    ¡®Yes, this is it!¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s body shook in excitement.

    A coin that was going to rece Satan¡¯s coin¡­

    ¡®It was something that I could create.¡¯

    As if creating something out of nothing, he just had to create a coin he couldfortably use.

    KangWoo nodded in satisfaction. The peak of the setup wasn¡¯t simply creating the ¡®Rakiel¡¯ coin.

    ¡°Four Kings of Hell¡­?¡±

    Kim ShiHoon mumbled it with a hardened expression.

    Something shed past his mind.

    ¡°D-don¡¯t tell me that Satan¡­¡±

    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re fast, huh?¡±

    ¡°So Satan is also part of the Four Kings of Hell!¡±

    Satan¡¯s name had already fallen pretty much as far as possible, so it was the perfect time to make itpletely fall.

    It wasn¡¯t what he intended, but it was revealed that Satan wasn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy but his subordinate, so there was no way they¡¯d be able to doubt that.

    KangWoo threw a prop he¡¯d prepared beforehand to Kim ShiHoon.

    Tap, roll-

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed something that was on the floor.

    His eyes widened.

    ¡°Th-this¡­!¡±

    ¡°How dare youpare me with someone like Satan.¡±

    The thing the monster with ck wings had thrown to the floor as if it were trash¡­

    It was Satan¡¯s head.

    ¡°He¡¯s the weakest among the Four Kings of Hell.¡±

    KangWoo, no, the king that ruled ¡®Corruption¡¯ along with the Four Kings of Hell.

    He was someone who used to be an angel but whose eyes had turned ck after deciding to serve the Demon of Prophecy.

    Rakiel burst intoughter.

    ¨C Sniff. Please¡­ Please stop, you motherfucker¡­

    He heard a faint voice but ignored it.

 Chapter 267 - I Lived A Good Life (1)

    Chapter 267

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°S-Satan is the weakest?¡±

    Kim ShiHoon and Chae YeonJoo looked at Rakiel in disbelief.

    Satan¡­

    The Guardians knew how strong that demon was.

    Even heroes that could¡¯ve dominated an era had died at the hands of Satan.

    Even leaving all his wrongdoings aside, Satan had fought against Raphael and won.

    Not only that, but Raphael still hadn¡¯t recovered from his wounds.

    Satan had proven to everyone how strong he was, but¡­

    ¡°W-wait! I¡­ I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a mistake!¡± Chae YeonJoo shouted in disbelief.

    To think that Satan would die so easily. And for him to be the weakest among the demons that served the Demon of Prophecy?

    She couldn¡¯t easily believe that.

    ¡°That guy also wore a mask, so we don¡¯t know its face! Check it again!¡± Chae YeonJoo anxiously shouted at Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon remained with his mouth closed.

    Just like she said, it was the first time they¡¯d seen Satan¡¯s face.

    There was nothing special.

    His face looked like a standard demon¡¯s, so one might wonder why he wore a mask, but¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s Satan¡¯s head.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t simple intuition.

    Previously, Satan had imnted a ¡®seed¡¯ on him in order to corrupt him.

    The demonic energy was exactly the same as the energy he¡¯d felt at that time.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was silence.

    Rakiel crossed his arms and looked at them.

    ¡°Can you now believe in what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s¡­ Hyeongnim?¡±

    Kim ShiHoon threw Satan¡¯s head like it was trash

    What mattered at the moment wasn¡¯t Satan or the Four Kings of Hell.

    Anyway, they¡¯d been expecting the Demon of Prophecy to be there.

    Just because a strong enemy had appeared didn¡¯t mean they could forget their goal.

    ¡°Hyeongnim? Are you talking about this guy?¡±

    Raphael smirked and flicked his finger.

    The darkness surrounding them like a curtain was lifted, and KangWoo, who was chained to a cross, appeared.

    ¡°Ah, ugh¡­¡±

    ¡°H-Hyeongnim!!¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    KangWoo¡¯s body lookedpletely messed up.

    His body was covered in wounds from all of the torture he had received.

    ¡°K-KangWoo!!!¡±

    Han Seol-ah lost her rationality and rushed toward KangWoo.

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed her shoulder.

    ¡°Let me go!¡±

    ¡°Calm down.¡±

    ¡°Let me go!! K-KangWoo¡­ Mr. KangWoo is¡­!¡± Han Seol-ah screamed while crying.

    Kim ShiHoon bit his lip and pushed her back.

    In reality, he also wanted to rush toward KangWoo, but¡­

    ¡®Calm down.¡¯

    Chilling killing intent appeared in Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes.

    It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what would happen if he rushed forward without being able to control himself.

    ¡­They would probably lose KangWoo forever.

    ¡°ShiHoon¡­¡±

    ¡°Hyeong¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon closed his eyes.

    He didn¡¯t want to see his wounded hyeong.

    Kim ShiHoon tried to control his breath and slowly opened his eyes.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if he could say he was d for it, but he didn¡¯t notice any evil demonic energying from KangWoo¡¯s body.

    ¡®We can still¡­¡¯

    They could save him.

    It wasn¡¯t toote like with Ludwig.

    Kim ShiHoon gripped his holy sword tighter.

    He saw Rakiel giving him a rxed look and started to hesitate.

    ¡®Can I win?¡¯ he began wondering.

    It was a demon that had made fun of Satan, calling him weak.

    The chances of winning were close to 0.

    ¡°Hmm? I¡¯m surprised. I thought you¡¯d lose your rationality and rush forward like crazy.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Or is it that your hyeong wasn¡¯t that important after all?¡±

    Rakiel burst intoughter and mocked him.

    He ignored it.

    Kim ShiHoon took a deep breath and raised his sword.

    ¡®Even if the chances are close to zero¡­¡¯

    He had no reason not to pick up the sword.

    He remembered everything he¡¯d gone through with KangWoo and how he was just saved by him whenever there was trouble until that moment.

    It was time to pay it back.

    ¡®If he saw me now¡­¡¯

    He would probably grab him by the cor and curse him.

    Kim ShiHoon smirked and opened his mouth.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to do as nned.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Gulp.¡±

    The yers gripped their weapons nervously at Kim ShiHoon¡¯s words.

    The goal of the mission was to rescue KangWoo¡ªthere was no need to fight and beat Rakiel.

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon lowered his body.

    BOOM-!!

    Shadow Body Arrow.

    He shot forward toward Rakiel as if he were an arrow.

    * * *

    ¡®Good.¡¯

    KangWoo smiled while blocking Kim ShiHoon¡¯s attack.

    He looked at the yers around him.

    ¡®It was a sess.¡¯

    It seemed like the angels hadn¡¯t taken part in the n, but it didn¡¯t matter.

    If so many yers had seen him, even if they were suspicious about KangWoo, they would have no choice but to trust him.

    ¡®Now¡­¡¯

    The identity of the Demon of Prophecy had fallen into the Abyss.

    He¡¯s created a card called ¡®Rakiel¡¯ that would make things easier for him in terms of doing things.

    The Warrior of Light Oh KangWoo had been freed of any suspicion.

    He would have shouted ¡®hurray¡¯ if it weren¡¯t a situation like that.

    ¡®Now the only thing left is¡­¡¯

    He just had to wrap up the situation.

    ¡®What¡¯s up with this?¡¯

    He was nning to watch Kim ShiHoon fighting with Kalgia while drinking beer, but because of a mistake, he got all the way there in the blink of an eye.

    ¡®Anyway, the result was overall positive.¡¯

    They say that thend hardens after it rains.

    Although it had been dangerous, having obtained a card that could rece Satan was a positive.

    ¡®Still¡­¡¯

    Heughed in disbelief while looking at Kim ShiHoon, who was attacking as if he were an angry bull.

    ¡®He¡¯s really a monster.¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t believe it while looking at the wounds that were appearing on his body.

    The dungeon¡¯s difficulty was set taking into consideration Kim ShiHoon.

    Leaving him aside, Kim ShiHoon was overwhelmingly stronger than the rest, so it was obvious.

    He¡¯d thought that, no matter how many people there were, it would take them three days at least to reach him, but they¡¯d gotten there in just eight hours. The biggest reason for that achievement was definitely Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯

    KangWoo looked at Kim ShiHoon in disbelief.

    At that level, one couldn¡¯t justugh and brush it off while saying he¡¯s the protagonist.

    Kim ShiHoon could probably win against an archduke with the strength he was disying. If it was one with a low ranking like Mamon or Belphegor, his chances were pretty decent.

    ¡®How¡¯

    Three years¡­

    It¡¯d only been three years since Kim ShiHoon Awakened as a yer.

    He¡¯d surpassed archdukes in just three years.

    KangWoo had spent nine thousand years in Hell to be able to face archdukes.

    Of course, it was true that KangWoo had helped him. Not only that, he was born with a lot of talent, and the soul of Cheon TaeHwang, the Martial God, was inside him.

    This growth speed, rather than being phenomenal, was bizarre.

    ng-! ng!

    The sound of shing steel spread around.

    The white lighting out of the holy sword illuminated the surroundings.

    ¡°Haa, haa!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon breathed heavily.

    * * *

    Every time he swung his sword, his body shook from the impact.

    ¡°We¡¯ve struggled so much to reach this ce, I won¡¯t let everything rest on your shoulder, ShiHoon!¡±

    After saying that, Chae YeonJoo also joined the fight.

    After Chae YeonJoo, Cheon MooJin, Jang HyunJae, Park HwaYeon, and Goo HyeonMo, among others, also joined.

    All of the yers that were above the level of a ranker were surrounding him.

    Attacks poured from all directions.

    Because of the sh of strong energies, the entire dungeon shook.

    BOOM-!!

    A very loud sound, simr to how a lightning storm would sound, shook the surroundings.

    Although he had received the attack of yers at ranker level up front, a small bruise had appeared, but as they began to stack up, they would end up bing huge.

    ¡°If it¡¯s this¡­!¡±

    After seeing that Rakiel was defending rather than attacking, hope began appearing in the yers¡¯ eyes.

    ¡°Give us¡­ Hyeong¡­!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon stomped on the floor. While floating in the air, he raised both of his hands.

    A pir of light came out from the holy sword that he was holding¡ªan intense light that seemed like it would cut the world into two pieces.

    ¡°HAHAHA!! Good, very good!!¡±

    Rakiel burst intoughter.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    The ends of his mouth went up.

    Whileughing, he extended both arms.

    The wings of the fallen angel spread.

    ¡°Not enough.¡±

    He lowered his body; a sound could be heard from the feathers forming his 10 wings.

    A chillingly thick demonic energy rose from Rakiel¡¯s body.

    ¡°Dangerous¡­!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon felt something had gone wrong and quickly shouted.

    ¡°ckout.¡±

    BZZT-!!

    ¡°Cough!¡±

    ¡°KYAA!¡±

    Screams spread out.

    As Rakiel spread his wings, ck lightning spread to the surroundings.

    Dozens, hundreds of little traces of lightning moved through the ground and hit the yers.

    ng. The yers hit by the lightning dropped their weapons, and their bodies trembled.

    Their eyes rolled back, and bubbles frothed out of their mouths.

    With just one attack, half of the yers lost their ability to fight and copsed.

    ¡°Tsk tsk. So they¡¯re just bugs in the end.¡±

    Rakiel clicked his tongue as if he found them pathetic.

    ¡°Shut¡­ up¡­!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon got up while trembling.

    Was it because he¡¯d received an attack up front? His entire body was trembling.

    Rakiel kicked Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°Ack!¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t the time of prophecy yet.¡±

    ¡°Time of Prophecy?¡±

    ¡°Once the time arrives, you¡¯ll naturally figure it out.¡±

    He made a fishy smile.

    After he said ¡®Time of Prophecy¡¯, the expressions of the yers around them hardened.

    ¡®To be honest, I also don¡¯t know.¡¯

    He had just said random things that came to his mind.

    ¡®Well, I guess saying one or two mysterious things is more than enough.¡¯

    Weren¡¯t all four Kings of Hell like that?

    Rakiel spread his wings and raised both hands.

    ¡°Keep struggling, humans! And fall into despair!¡±

    ¡®Very cool concluding phrase.¡¯

    ¡°Soon, the end wille!¡±

    ¡®Yes, this is it!¡¯

    ¡°The time of Prophecy is¡­¡±

    PAF-!!!

    He was about to say the finishing words when a light suddenly went flying in his direction.

    ¡®Eh?¡¯

    What¡¯s going on?

    KangWoo raised his head, wondering if Kim ShiHoon had Awakened again, but there was no lighting from Kim ShiHoon.

    ¡°How dare you¡­ To my KangWoo¡­!¡±

    ¡®Darling?¡¯

    Han Seol-ah was ring at him.

    There was an intense lighting out of her.

    Twelve white wings appeared on her back.

    BZZT-!!

    ¡®What¡¯s¡­¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes widened.

    Although the wings were blurry and their shapes couldn¡¯t be seen clearly, their strength could not be taken lightly.

    Light spread out of her, and smoke started to rise from her body.

    Not only that¡­

    ¡®This¡­¡¯

    Kim ShiHoon got up.

    Like when he¡¯d drunk KangWoo¡¯s blood, all the wounds Rakiel had caused were healing.

    He looked at Han Seol-ah with a surprised expression, but that onlysted for a short while.

    While biting his lips, he raised his holy sword.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    KangWoo twisted his body in pain.

    He couldn¡¯t return to his senses at the unexpected development of events.

    Behind him, Kim ShiHoon dropped the weapon and made a spin kick.

    Paf-!

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s kick, which was covered by intense blue energy, hit his head.

    ¡°Agh, fuck!¡± he cursed.

    Rakiel¡¯s body rolled to the ground.

    He grabbed the back of his head and turned.

    ¡®Oh, fuck. That hurts a lot!¡¯

    That shout wasn¡¯t acting.

    A crack might have appeared on his skull if he hadn¡¯t subconsciously used the Authority of Defense.

    ¡°Now!¡±

    As Kim ShiHoon shouted, Chae YeonJoo nodded.

    She took out a white crystal.

    It wasn¡¯t just her¡ªall of the other yers also took out white crystals as well.

    They were the crystals given by Guardian that led to the ¡®Hall of Protection¡¯.

    Dozens of crystals started to shine. The lights got intertwined in the air like a.

    ¡°Quick, grab Hyeongnim!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Chae YeonJoo spread her red chains, freed KangWoo¡¯s body, which was being held in the cross, and grabbed it.

    ¡°We¡¯re retreating!¡± Kim ShiHoon shouted.

    All the yers that had recovered thanks to Han Seol-ah nodded.

    Without hesitating, they threw their bodies into the Hall of Protection.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon grabbed Han Seol-ah, who¡¯d lost consciousness after emitting intense light.

    He looked at Rakiel, who was struggling in pain.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the Time of Prophecy is or why that slime bastard is interested in me, but¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°At least you¡­¡±

    An intense killing intent could be seen in Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to rip each of those chicken wings apart and put them in your mouth.¡±

    After saying that, Kim ShiHoon also jumped into the gate.

    There was silence in the ce where the intense fight had just happened.

    ¡°He¡¯s gotten better at cursing.¡±

    KangWoo frowned while looking at the wounds caused by the light.

    They weren¡¯t healing easily.

    ¡®What was that?¡¯

    What just happened felt like a dream.

    His head hurt.

    ¡°Hng. First¡­¡±

    KangWoo got up.

    ¡°Well, things didn¡¯t go as nned, but I guess this much was enough.¡±

    At first, he was nning to say a few mysterious things and retreat, but things had gotten a bit twisted.

    Still, it wasn¡¯t that things had gone wrong.

    Thanks to the light that hade out of Han Seol-ah, the Guardians had managed to save Oh KangWoo.

    ¡°Haa.¡±

    KangWooy in the dungeon, which had been pretty much destroyed.

    He concentrated his consciousness on the ¡®clone¡¯ he¡¯d created.

    ¡®Now¡­¡¯

    It was time to give the finishing touch.

    * * *

    ¡°Aah, ugh¡­¡±

    ¡°H-hyeongnim!! Come back to your senses, hyeongnim!!¡±

    ¡°Hey! A-are you okay? Healer! Fuck, bring a healer right now!!¡±

    Loud sounds could be heard all around the ce.

    KangWoo slowly opened his remaining eye and got up.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    An intense pain spread through his body.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move! Stay still!¡±

    Chae YeonJoo spread her hand and held his body.

    KangWoo smiled.

    ¡°It seems like I¡¯m alive.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re alive! So just keep your mouth shut!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo slowly extended his arms.

    With trembling hands, he grabbed Kim ShiHoon¡¯s hands.

    ¡°H-hyeong¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon shed tears while looking at KangWoo¡¯s messed-up body.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°H-hyeong! P-please. Don¡¯t talk! Th-the blood¡­!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Fuck! I said to bring a healer!¡±

    ¡°Ha, haha.¡±

    KangWoo looked at the sky while making a bittersweet smile.

    ¡°I¡­ lived a good life.¡±

    ¡°H-hey!! Don¡¯t say nonsense! Hey!! Oh KangWoo! You bastard!! Come back to your senses!!!¡±

    KangWoo closed his eyes as he listened to YeonJoo¡¯s screams.

 Chapter 268 - Visit (1)

    Chapter 268

    ¡°Ha¡­ That son of a bitch.¡±

    A beautiful girl with short, red hair stood in front of a high-rise building and sighed.

    She began to kick pebbles around on the ground but couldn¡¯t contain her anger and swung her fist toward the wall.

    Paf.

    Her fist left a noticeable imprint on the orderly brick wall.

    Tap-

    A young man with astonishing beauty approached her while pushing a wheelchair.

    A thin woman with light brown hair sat in the wheelchair.

    ¡°Ah, Ms. YeonJoo, so you were already here.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know that I live here?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°I came out here because of you guys. In reality, I just have to take the elevator.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon, the man who was pushing the wheelchair, made a lightugh.

    ¡°Is KangWoo okay? It¡¯s only been a week, so I¡¯m unsure if we can visit yet¡­¡± Gaia said in a worried voice.

    Chae YeonJoo snorted.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see how fast his body regenerates? The body bastard who said he¡¯d lived a good life began regenerating like a monster. It was so impressive that even the healer taking care of him was surprised.¡±

    ¡°W-we already knew that Hyeongnim had an incredible regenerative ability.¡±

    ¡°No, but why did such a bastard say bullshit like that? Ugh! Just thinking about that makes me angry. That son of a b¡­¡±

    ¡°M-Ms. YeonJoo.¡±

    ¡°What! Do you have a problem?!¡±

    Kim ShiHoon flinched at Chae YeonJoo¡¯s intense eyes.

    He recalled how he¡¯d screamed while holding KangWoo.

    He looked and acted as if he were about to die, but soon after a healer started taking care of him, his body regenerated as if nothing had happened, so it was understandable that he reacted like that.

    ¡®I had forgotten about Hyeongnim¡¯s regenerative capabilities.¡¯

    Kim ShiHoon scratched his cheeks while remembering how he¡¯d shouted.

    ording to KangWoo, his blood ended up having a strong regenerative capability due to how much he¡¯d struggled in Hell.

    He¡¯d drunk KangWoo¡¯s blood before when he was almost about to die. At that time, his body regenerated, so he already knew about it, but seeing how messed up KangWoo¡¯s body became made him forget.

    ¡®Although it seems like only the external wounds are healed¡­¡¯

    Even if his body had healed, KangWoo stayed in aa for five days.

    That meant that KangWoo¡¯s regenerative ability wasn¡¯t omnipotent.

    After he almost died at the hands of Halphas, his wounds ended up healing, but he still couldn¡¯t move properly for a while.

    ¡®That means¡­¡¯

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s expression darkened.

    If KangWoo¡¯s body became that ruined despite his impressive regenerative ability, it meant he¡¯d been hurt without any reprieve.

    His anger and resentment toward Rakiel were only building.

    ¡®I¡¯ll at least get that bastard¡­¡¯

    He would tear each of his ten wings apart and force him to eat them.

    ¡°Haa.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon took a deep breath.

    Gaia carefully spoke.

    ¡°Uhm. Mr. ShiHoon¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes?¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any angels around¡­ right?¡±

    ¡°Right, there aren¡¯t.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon extended his senses and looked around.

    After the previous incident, their rtionship with the angels had be awkward.

    There was no way they¡¯de to see how KangWoo was doing.

    Gaia nodded and opened her mouth.

    ¡°Then¡­ have you heard anything about Balrog or Echidna?¡±

    Balrog, Echidna, Halcyon, Lilith¡­

    Those four were KangWoo¡¯s direct underlings. They were beings that were closer to evil.

    Of course, Gaia, Kim ShiHoon, Han Seol-ah, and Chae YeonJoo had learned that KangWoo had suddenly been dragged to Hell and was forced to be a demon, so they were able to ept them, but that wasn¡¯t the case for angels.

    Angels would surely try to eliminate them.

    ¡±Ah, I heard that KangWoo hyeongnim¡¯s subordinates were found where the middle bosses of the dungeon were. Lilith managed to rescue them, and they¡¯re currently being healed at Balrog¡¯s residence.¡±

    ¡°Their wounds¡­¡±

    ¡°I heard that they were in a severe state when they were first found, but it seems like they¡¯re okay now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±

    Gaia smiled.

    Unlike KangWoo, they weren¡¯t beings that had epted the light after throwing their demonic energy, but she knew they were more loyal to KangWoo than anyone else.

    Since KangWoo was walking the path of light, they were naturally going to follow him.

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m a bit envious,¡± Kim ShiHoon said in a bitter voice.

    Gaia tilted her head.

    ¡°You¡¯re envious?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Hyeongnim became wounded after he moved with his subordinates. I can understand how much he believes in them just by seeing that he hadn¡¯t told us anything.¡±

    ¡°Th-that¡¯s probably not the case! Mr. ShiHoon, your duty was to eliminate thest remaining Phase of Evil. That¡¯s probably why he didn¡¯t call you.¡±

    ¡°Haha. Still¡­ it¡¯s just that I think he talks morefortably and frankly with his subordinates.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon wanted to say that he also wanted to be his subordinate. He scratched his head while smiling awkwardly.

    Gaia tried to reply that wasn¡¯t the case.

    At that moment¡­

    ¡°I know how much you want KangWoo¡¯s ass, so stop.¡±

    ¡°A-ass?¡±

    ¡°You look like a lovestruck teenage girl.¡±

    Chae YeonJoo rolled her eyes, and then she spat on the floor.

    Kim ShiHoon opened his mouth while making a flustered expression.

    ¡°It¡­ it¡¯s nothing like that! It¡¯s just that I really admire Hyeongnim! And if it¡¯s someone that I love¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon took a glimpse at Gaia.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    It seemed like Gaia knew what would be said next, so she blushed and raised her hands to cover her cheeks.

    Chae YeonJoo frowned.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    She shook her head as if she couldn¡¯t stand looking at them; then she asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t anyone elseing?¡±

    ¡°TaeSoo, Cheon SooYeon, and master said they wanted toe¡­ but we thought that so many people visiting while KangWoo is still in recovery would be bad, so we decided to pick different dates.¡±

    ¡°Ah, really? I also told HwaYeon and old man HyunJae toeter.¡±

    Chae YeonJoo turned and nodded.

    She grabbed a basket of fruits that were on the floor.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get going. It¡¯s weird to keep talking outside.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to hear what happened in great detail.¡±

    ¡°Haha. Hyeongnim just started recovering, so don¡¯t be too harsh on him.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. He¡¯s done wrong to me, so¡­¡±

    Chae YeonJoo hit her chest as if it still angered her.

    Chae YeonJoo, Kim ShiHoon, and Gaia went toward KangWoo¡¯s apartment.

    As they knocked on the door, a kind-looking woman opened it.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°We came to visit.¡±

    Chae YeonJoo raised her fruit basket.

    ¡°How are you doing? After that¡­ light came out of your body¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. To be honest, I don¡¯t remember much from that day¡­ but I¡¯m doing okay.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Han Seol-ah replied with a smile on her face.

    Chae YeonJoo visited the house often, so they had been close for a while.

    After KangWoo became busier, she spent more time with Chae YeonJoo than KangWoo.

    * * *

    ¡°Wait¡­¡±

    Han Seol-ah carefully closed the door and came out.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry. You came all the way here, but I don¡¯t think Mr. KangWoo has reached a state where he can meet other people.¡±

    ¡°Why? Did he say that his body still hurts? I talked to him yesterday, and he said he¡¯s doing okay.¡±

    ¡°He said he wants to rest for a bit more¡­¡±

    ¡°That bastard¡­¡±

    Chae YeonJoo¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°No. If Hyeongnim said he wants to take a break, we should respect his decision. I already talked to him via telephone, so contact me once he¡¯s improved.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±

    As Han Seol-ah apologized and bowed, Chae YeonJoo shook her hands.

    ¡°Tsk¡­ Then do you want to go to my house? It¡¯s on the 5th floor.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±

    ¡°Grace said she¡¯s going to take care of today¡¯s work, so I cane as well.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon and Gaia nodded.

    Han Seol-ah returned to the apartment after guiding them to the elevator.

    ck-

    As she opened the door, she saw KangWoo on the bed.

    ¡°Ah, Mr. KangWoo,y back down.¡±

    As KangWoo tried to get up, Han Seol-ah ran toward him.

    KangWoo nodded while smiling bitterly.

    ¡°I still feel heavy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve suffered from some major injuries, after all. It¡¯s already a miracle that you were able to recover like this¡­¡± Han Seol-ah answered sadly as if she¡¯d remembered how KangWoo looked when Rakiel had been holding him captive.

    KangWoo quickly waved his hand.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be that worried.¡±

    ¡°No. KangWoo, you need to take better care of your body,¡± Han Seol-ah firmly replied.

    KangWoo smiled bitterly andy on the bed.

    ¡®To be honest, I¡¯m really okay.¡¯

    The wounded body was the fake he¡¯d created using the Authority of Cloning.

    Not only was he okay, but he was also feeling suffocated after staying in bed for over a week.

    ¡®But still¡­¡¯

    There was nothing he could do about it.

    KangWoo clicked his tongue.

    ¡®People would suspect me if I wandered around after being severely wounded.¡¯

    As the person who¡¯d nned the ¡®Rescue Oh KangWoo¡¯ n, he had to be careful about the details.

    He was nning to regenerate the external wounds slowly, but people around him cried so much that he was forced to use the Authority of Regeneration to heal the clone¡¯s body.

    ¡®ShiHoon and the other people already knew about the Authority of Regeneration.¡¯

    He¡¯d fully regenerated Kim ShiHoon¡¯s arm after it had melted down, after all.

    More than that¡­

    ¡°Cough, cough!¡±

    ¡°M-Mr. KangWoo!¡±

    Han Seol-ah quickly approached him and held his body.

    After holding him carefully as if he were a wounded baby, she carefully ced her hands on his chest.

    A white light came out of Han Seol-ah¡¯s hand and covered his entire body.

    KangWoo¡¯s mouth rxed.

    He felt happy at the sensation that was spreading through his body.

    ¡®I even became able to receive such care from darling.¡¯

    It was like hitting two birds with one stone.

    To be honest, he wanted to stay like that for a month or two.

    ¡®Well, I cannot do that.¡¯

    The Four Kings of Hell and Fallen Angel Rakiel¡­

    He couldn¡¯t stay still and do nothing after making up so many things.

    Not only that, but he couldn¡¯t absorb Belphegor¡¯s demonic energy, and he wasn¡¯t able to discover thest condition to bing a demon god.

    He had no way of knowing thest condition, so he had to increase his control of demonic energy to absorb Belphegor¡¯s demonic energy.

    ¡®There¡¯s also a chance that both are rted.¡¯

    He had a lot of things to do, so he couldn¡¯t stay still and do nothing.

    ¡®But still¡­¡¯

    There was no reason for him not to enjoy the situation.

    ¡°A-are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Haa. I¡¯m d to hear that.¡±

    ¡°Leaving that aside, Seol-ah, how have you been feeling since that day?¡±

    ¡°D-did you hear?¡±

    ¡°Yes. ShiHoon told me.¡±

    Not only that, but he¡¯d seen it with his own eyes. Other than just seeing it, he¡¯d felt as if he were a vampire hit with the sunlight. The light had made his body burn.

    ¡®What was that?¡¯

    He had no way of knowing, but it was definitely a strength that was beyond logic, and that strength was connected to the angelic pattern on Han Seol-ah¡¯s back.

    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m also not sure. At that moment¡­ I just thought that I had to save you, Mr. KangWoo.¡±

    ¡°So you can¡¯t use it now?¡±

    ¡°I cannot.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°B-but you don¡¯t need to be worried! I haven¡¯t had any problems since then!¡±

    Han Seol-ah raised her thin arms and showed off her muscles.

    KangWoo nodded.

    ¡®I¡¯m d, but¡­¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t help but be worried.

    The strength she showed was¡­

    ¡®Probably¡­¡¯

    It was a strength that was beyond his max demonic energy output.

    It was a mind-blowing strength.

    ¡®I should investigate that.¡¯

    The wings that had appeared on Han Seol-ah¡¯s back were blurry.

    That meant that, if the wings¡¯ forms became clearer, she might be able to use even greater strength.

    ¡®It makes no sense.¡¯

    He was really surprised by it.

    He couldn¡¯t understand it. She had shown more strength than he could muster, even though he was stronger than the peak he had reached in Hell.

    He was thinking that when he felt something soft on his cheeks.

    Han Seol-ah had put her hands on his cheeks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mr. KangWoo, I¡¯m okay.¡±

    She got up after saying that.

    ¡°Wait a bit.¡±

    After walking out of the room, she came back with porridge.

    ¡°I found a good abalone, so I made this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hurt enough to eat porridge. I think kimchi stew would be¡­¡±

    ¡°Shh. You still haven¡¯t recovered, so be quiet,¡± Han Seol-ah said in a strict voice.

    KangWoo nodded while making a sad expression.

    Han Seol-ah took a spoon of porridge and then started blowing on it.

    ¡°Say, ¡®ah~¡¯¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a baby. I can eat on my own.¡±

    ¡°Say, ¡®ah¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    KangWoo opened his mouth and ate a spoon of porridge.

    ¡®It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    KangWoo made a happy smile.

    It was true that the porridge was delicious, but the situation also made him feel happy.

    ¡®Have I ever received such care¡­?¡¯

    KangWoo smirked after thinking of the past.

    ¡®No way.¡¯

    When he grew up at the orphanage, when he left it and began working, and then during the ten thousand years he¡¯d spent in Hell¡­

    He couldn¡¯t remember someone ever taking care of him in such a manner.

    ¡®This feels good.¡¯

    He was feeling a sense of happiness that was hard to exin.

    ¡°Fufu. You ate it all.¡±

    Han Seol-ah cleaned his mouth with a handkerchief.

    KangWoo felt as if he¡¯d be a kid. He opened his arms after being dragged into the strange atmosphereing out of Han Seol-ah.

    ¡°Hug me.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Han Seol-ah smiled while covering her mouth.

    ¡°I never imagined you¡¯d look like this, Mr. KangWoo.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit disgusting, right¡­?¡±

    ¡°No. What are you talking about?¡±

    Han Seol-ah hugged KangWoo.

    ¡°I also liked the current Mr. KangWoo.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It tickled a bit.

    To be honest, it made him want to puke.

    ¡°I¡­ prefer this to your usual self¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Fufu. Yes¡­ I¡¯d like to take care of you like this. Forever.¡±

    ¡°Darling?¡±

    Han Seol-ah mumbled as if she were dreaming.

    Sheughed while giving a mysterious atmosphere; then she let KangWoo go from her hug.

    She put away the pillow and sat on the bed.

    ¡°Mr. KangWoo¡­¡±

    She lightly pped her thighs.

    ¡°This is a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°Hurry.¡±

    KangWoo felt that he couldn¡¯t say no, so he changed his position.

    A soft sensation spread through his body as he put his head on her thighs.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    For some reason¡­

    He felt that he was about to cry.

    ¡°You had dinner, so you should take a rest.¡±

    Han Seol-ah softly touched KangWoo¡¯s cheeks.

    Although his body didn¡¯t need to sleep, he started feeling sleepy.

    Then suddenly¡­

    ¡°Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t ShiHoon and YeonJooe? They said they were going to visit today.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Han Seol-ah let out a short exmation.

    ¡°They contacted me and said they were busy and couldn¡¯te today.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes. So, Mr. KangWoo, don¡¯t worry about anything, and get some sleep.¡±

    Han Seol-ah touched KangWoo¡¯s checks as if she were touching an important treasure.

    A kind smile lit up her face.

 Chapter 269 - Whos He? (1)

    Chapter 269

    Soft¡­

    It was a warm and lumpy feeling.

    He was sitting inside a bathtub full of warm water and nuzzled into something that gave a soft sensation.

    A delicious smell stimted his nose.

    He extended his hands and touched that soft thing.

    ¡®Big¡­¡¯

    It was even hard to grab it with one hand.

    ¡°Ugh¡­!¡±

    As he touched the soft thing, he heard a moan wet with water and something trembling, but he didn¡¯t back off or escape.

    ¡®Ah¡­¡¯

    He rubbed his head on the soft thing and enjoyed that sensation.

    It was a sense of softness that he hadn¡¯t experienced before.

    His life had been full of painful moments. It was full of desperation and struggles.

    ¡®For what.¡¯

    Why had he tried so hard?

    He tried to remember. It was a memory of when he used to be in Hell.

    He almost died numerous times. No, it was surprising that he hadn¡¯t died.

    The thought ofmitting suicide had crossed his mind more than once.

    Then¡­

    ¡®Why did I resist?¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t remember.

    It felt fuzzy, as if part of the drawing had been cut out.

    The soft sensation that touched the skin of his face was warm. He curled his body up as if he were a kid, a baby on his mother¡¯s bed.

    ¡°Ha.¡±

    He heard a noise again, but once more, that soft sensation didn¡¯t disappear.

    The soft sensation spread through his body.

    ¡®Ah.¡¯

    A tear dripped from his eyes. It was as if a castle that was built throughout the history of time had crumbled.

    A sensation shook his body that was hard to resist.

    ¡°M-Mr. KangWoo¡­?¡±

    Someone was calling him.

    He wanted to feel that warm sensation more, so he ignored those words.

    How long had it been since he¡¯d felt such a peaceful sensation?

    No, that wasn¡¯t the correct expression.

    After all, he¡¯d never felt it before.

    ¨C At the time, Demon King, you said it like this¡­

    He heard a voice¡ªit was a familiar voice.

    ¨C You had to go to a higher ce. A much higher ce.

    Further and beyond.

    ¡°Ah, ugh.¡±

    He felt a huge pressure through his body.

    Alone, while carrying all of his baggage¡­

    He walked forward.

    He looked around and couldn¡¯t see anything.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ tired.¡±

    Too many had died.

    ¡®I¡¯m tired of this.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t want to carry the weight anymore. He couldn¡¯t handle it.

    ¡®I¡­¡¯

    He wasn¡¯t perfect. He had never been perfect.

    He wasn¡¯t a superhuman or a god.

    He just had desperately struggled.

    He wanted to stop, stand still, and take a breath.

    All of the eyes watching him and the weight on his shoulders didn¡¯t allow him to do that.

    No matter how tired he was¡­

    Forward and forward.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A warm feeling surrounded him.

    Tears dripped from his eyes. He began crying like a beast.

    He felt a warm hand touching his hair and saw a white lighting from her hands and entering his body.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    An unbelievably kind voice spoke to him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    The hands that were touching his hair went down his back.

    That sweetness made him feel drunk, and his consciousness went fuzzy.

    He let that fuzzy feeling take over his body.

    His consciousness flickered.

    * * *

    KangWoo got up.

    It¡¯d been 10 days since the rescue n.

    He couldn¡¯t keep staying still while receiving Han Seol-ah¡¯s care.

    ¡°My condition seems great.¡±

    He didn¡¯t understand why, but his body felt light.

    KangWoo tilted his head.

    If he¡¯d really been wounded, one would think that he¡¯d fully recovered.

    ¡®I wasn¡¯t hurt in the first ce.¡¯

    He¡¯d spent 10 days in bed to make the rescue n feel more real.

    Not only was he not wounded¡­ he didn¡¯t even have a single scar.

    The only damage he¡¯d received was the light that came out of Han Seol-ah, but since it onlysted briefly, he managed to heal quickly.

    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯

    In his confusion, he took hold of his demonic energy.

    His eyes widened.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening.¡±

    He felt the demonic energy calmly flowing through his body.

    Heughed in disbelief at that foreign sensation.

    ¡®Why is it so calm?¡¯

    To think that it would flow calmly. It wasn¡¯t that it was the qi that appeared in martial arts novels. Those kinds of expressions didn¡¯t suit demonic energy.

    ¡®Bullshit.¡¯

    Demonic energy should go wild like a crazy woman wearing a flower pendant.

    It was as if the demonic energy moving through like a torrent had suddenly met a calm river. It was moving in such a calm way that it felt foreign.

    ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be a difference in the output¡­¡±

    KangWooughed in disbelief.

    There wasn¡¯t a difference in output, but the demonic energy was calm.

    There was only one possible conclusion¡­

    ¡®Is it because my control of demonic energy has increased?¡¯

    What was happening?

    KangWoo scratched his head in confusion.

    ¡°Did I eat some kind of elixir in the night?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help butugh at what he said.

    It wasn¡¯t that eating an elixir was fun.

    One couldn¡¯t increase their control over demonic energy ¡®just¡¯ by eating an elixir.

    ¡°It¡¯s good, but¡­¡±

    He still wasn¡¯t at a point where he could absorb Belphegor¡¯s demonic energy.

    Considering how much of a dangerous task it was to increase one¡¯s demonic energy, it having increased after a short nap was great news.

    ¡®I wonder what happened.¡¯

    He was tilting his head when the door opened.

    ck-

    ¡°D-did you wake up, Mr. KangWoo?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I just got up.¡±

    Han Seol-ah entered the room.

    ¡®¡­?¡¯

    His eyes widened when he saw her.

    ¡°Did something happen? Your cheeks seem red.¡±

    ¡°Yes? Ah, it¡¯s nothing!!¡±

    Han Seol-ah quickly shook her head.

    She took a deep breath and walked to her with expectant eyes.

    ¡°D-does it still hurt somewhere? If so, today as well, I¡¯ll¡­¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m okay.¡±

    Han Seol-ah¡¯s expression turned grim.

    KangWoo smirked.

    ¡°Thanks for taking care of me. I¡¯m really feeling better.¡±

    ¡°Is¡­ is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    KangWoo nodded.

    ¡°I can¡¯t stay in bed and do nothing. It¡¯s about time I start to move.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡­ it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Han Seol-ah lowered her head as if she¡¯d remembered something.

    Her cheeks reddened, and it felt like steam wasing out of her head.

    ¡°Uhm¡­ Mr. KangWoo¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ said that you spent ten thousand years in Hell¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    * * *

    KangWoo remained silent.

    He slowly nodded.

    ¡°Could you tell me about that¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    He said it in a bit of a cold manner, and Han Seol-ah trembled a bit.

    KangWoo calmly kept talking.

    To be honest, talking about it wasn¡¯t hard.

    He was sure that, if it were Han Seol-ah, she¡¯d understand what he¡¯d gone through and ept him as he was.

    Even so. No, it was precisely because of that¡­

    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Why not¡­? I want to know more about you, Mr. KangWoo.¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯ll feel sympathy.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°If you hear it, you¡¯ll feel sympathy.¡±

    KangWoo smiled bitterly.

    It wasn¡¯t that he was trying to look cool.

    His past, the years he¡¯d spent in Hell, was like a soap opera.

    ¡®It was an amazing shitshow.¡¯

    Considering how desperate and miserable it was, one could perfectlypare it to other stories.

    They were memories that were hard to mention out loud.

    ¡®Considering the shit storm that will probably happen if I recall those things¡­¡¯

    He felt that he was going to puke while talking.

    There was a chance he might even cry.

    ¡®That isn¡¯t something that I should do at my age.¡¯

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that age and mental maturity were co-rted.

    It was easy to find people that didn¡¯t act their age.

    If you had a demon¡¯s body, the constant cravings stopped your mind from maturing.

    For example, he wasn¡¯t as knowledgeable as an old man who had gone through many things in his life.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Han Seol-ah made a sad expression.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make that expression. They aren¡¯t fun or interesting stories.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to say, but I¡¯m too embarrassed to say them out loud¡­ I don¡¯t want to remember them at the moment.¡±

    Han Seol-ah sighed.

    ¡°If you say so, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t given up yet. I¡¯m definitely going to hear everything about you, Mr. KangWoo,¡± Han Seol-ah said while looking at him with a firm expression.

    KangWoo scratched his head at her sudden deration.

    ¡°Rather than that, where are Halcyon and Echidna?¡±

    ¡°I heard they¡¯re being taken care of by Ms. Lilith.¡±

    He already knew that, but he asked just in case.

    ¡®They¡¯re probably really desperate at the moment.¡¯

    Those two relied on him too much.

    It was true that they were his subordinates, but the biggest reason was their innate personalities.

    He¡¯d told Balrog to make them stay at home, so they were probably really annoyed at the moment.

    ¡®I should leave that forter.¡¯

    There were other things he had to do.

    KangWoo began walking.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I think that I should meet up with the angels.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Anger appeared in Han Seol-ah¡¯s eyes because they¡¯d decided not to cooperate in his rescue mission.

    KangWoo smiled bitterly and spoke.

    ¡°I also heard what happened, but we cannot deny that they¡¯re our allies. Not only that, but it¡¯s hard to say that it was a good decision that so many people came to rescue me. just one person.¡±

    ¡°Th-that¡­!¡±

    ¡°Still¡­ thank you.¡±

    KangWoo grabbed Han Seol-ah¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Thanks to you, I survived.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t alone. Also¡­ thinking about everything I received from Mr. KangWoo, that much was nothing.¡±

    Han Seol-ah looked at him with intense eyes.

    KangWoo coughed and turned around.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back before night.¡±

    As if he wanted to hide his embarrassment, he quickly started to walk away.

    Whir-

    He opened a gate on the apartment¡¯s rooftop and moved toward the Hall of Protection.

    The Hall of Protection had many gates that led to different ces worldwide, so using it was quite convenient.

    ¡°H-Hyeongnim?!¡±

    ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    ¡°Are you feeling okay?!¡±

    As soon as he entered the Hall of Protection, he was greeted by Kim ShiHoon.

    He smirked after seeing his excitement.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m fully recovered.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t understand why, but he was feeling better than before.

    ¡°Haa. I was really worried. I heard you were hurting so much that you couldn¡¯t ept visitors¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    KangWoo tilted his head.

    He had never said something like that.

    ¡°I¡¯m d that you¡¯ve recovered. Why did youe here instead of taking a break?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fully healed, so I should exin what happened. Also, I need to think about future ns.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Kim ShiHoon remained silent.

    He was thinking about how to reply.

    ¡°Call Gaia, too. I¡¯d rather exin things once.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Understood. Should I also call Ms. Chae YeonJoo?¡±

    ¡°No. Raphael doesn¡¯t know YeonJoo that much. I think that it would be better if only we went.¡±

    ¡°Are you nning to meet the angels¡­?¡±

    Kim ShiHoon made an unpleasant expression.

    KangWoo gave him a bitter smile.

    He¡¯d reacted the same way as Han Seol-ah.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but we¡¯re still allies with the angels.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°ShiHoon¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ I know.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon bit his lips and nodded.

    He knew it, but¡­

    ¡°Haa.¡±

    He took a deep breath.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring Gaia.¡±

    Kim ShiHoon turned around.

    KangWoo smiled in satisfaction while looking at Kim ShiHoon¡¯s back.

    ¡®This much should be enough.¡¯

    The distance they had with the angels was perfect.

    After all, he was a demon, so he couldn¡¯t fully trust them.

    They needed to coborate up to a certain point, but both sides being cautious and only coborating when something happened was the rtionship KangWoo wanted with the angels.

    ¡°Mr. KangWoo! Y-your body. Is it okay¡­?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that as we go.¡¯

    KangWoo smiled when he saw Gaia¡¯s worried face.

    * * *

    ¡°The Four Kings of Hell¡­¡±

    Raphael ced his hand on his forehead.

    It was an unexpected development of events.

    ¡°Did the Demon of Prophecy¡¯s forces be that strong already? To make things worse, ¡®that¡¯ hasn¡¯t been resolved yet¡­¡±

    He bit his lips.

    His head hurt at the thought of the demons¡¯ strength.

    ¡°Could you tell me what happened?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    KangWoo calmly began talking.

    He exined how he went to investigate Satan; then he told him how he¡¯d found traces and how the Demon of Prophecy ambushed him.

    The more he talked, the darker Raphael¡¯s expression became.

    ¡®Good.¡¯

    KangWoo smiled.

    ¡®He believed it.¡¯

    It seemed he wasn¡¯t suspecting he was the Demon or Prophecy.

    ¡®I¡¯m finally going to be safe!¡¯

    Judging by Raphael¡¯s expression, the n had been a sess.

    He would no longer be suspected as the Demon of Prophecy, and he¡¯d also created afortable card called ¡®Fallen Angel Rakiel¡¯.

    ¡®Good! Rakiel coin, let¡¯s go!¡¯

    Thinking about using the Rakiel card made him excited.

    ¡®I should¡¯ve done this from the beginning.¡¯

    How much had he struggled because of Satan¡¯s sudden appearance?

    KangWoo nodded.

    ¡°So, what was the name of the demon from the Four Kings of Hell you met?¡±

    ¡°Fallen Angel Rakiel,¡± KangWoo said without hesitation.

    ¡°Rakiel¡­?¡±

    ¡®Yes. It¡¯s probably your first time hearing the name.¡¯

    After all, he¡¯d made it up.

    Heughed.

    BOOM-!

    Raphael¡¯s eyes suddenly went as wide as saucers, and he stood up with great urgency.

    ¡°R-Rakiel was there?!!¡±

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    ¡°Wh-why?!! Why is that fallen constetion on Earth¡­?!¡±

    ¡®What the fuck?¡¯

    ¡°D-don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    Raphael¡¯s expression paled.

    ¡°D-did the seal¡­ disappear?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo remained silent.

    ¡®No¡­¡¯

    He grabbed his head.

    ¡®Who the fuck is Rakiel¡­?¡¯

    Something had gone wrong.

 Chapter 270 - Me Again? (1)

    Chapter 270

    ¡°Do you know¡­ Rakiel?¡±

    Kim ShiHoon¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    KangWoo¡¯s mouth fell open, and he was at a loss for words.

    ¡®What the¡­?¡¯

    His head started to hurt.

    He¡¯d created the concept of ¡®Fallen Angel Rakiel¡¯ without thinking too much about it.

    He¡¯d thought about what concept to use to create the ¡®Four Kings of Hell¡¯ and thought, ¡®Oh, yeah, there should be at least one fallen angel,¡¯ and created him in five minutes, but¡­

    Raphael was familiar with him?

    ¡®That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s expression paled.

    Raphael made a troubled expression.

    ¡°I can¡¯t understand it. How did Rakiel¡­ If Seraphim¡¯s seal was broken, then that means other fallen constetions¡­¡±

    ¡°Raphael?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Raphael raised his head.

    ¡°Who¡¯s Rakiel?¡± Kim ShiHoon asked.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    There was a short silence.

    Raphael closed his eyes and fell into thought.

    After thinking about it for a while, he sighed and kept talking.

    ¡°Talking about Rakiel isn¡¯t usually allowed, but since you already met him, I guess there¡¯s nothing that can be done.¡±

    With deep sunken eyes, Raphael spoke.

    ¡°Rakiel is a fallen angel that fell into demon god Bauli¡¯s temptations during the mythical era. Right now¡­ he¡¯s one of the ¡®Evil Constetions¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The scale was so big that KangWoo wasn¡¯t even sure where to start asking questions.

    ¡®The mythical era? What the fuck¡¯s going on?¡¯

    His mind turned nk.

    ¡°Your expression tells me that you need a bit more exnation¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯d know anything when you suddenly start throwing around terms like ¡®demon god¡¯ and ¡®mythical era¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I see. Did the titan¡¯s records disappear from Earth? Hmm¡­ It seems like the exnation will get longer.¡±

    While making a troubled exnation, Raphael kept talking.

    ¡°At first, there was chaos.¡±

    ¡®Checking the scale of things, yes, there should have at least been chaos.¡¯

    ¡°And inside that chaos¡­¡±

    ¡®Light and darkness were born?¡¯

    ¡°Light and darkness were born.¡±

    ¡®Fuck. They really were born.¡¯

    KangWoo looked at Raphael in disbelief.

    It was also the same for Kim ShiHoon.

    The scale had gotten so huge that he wasn¡¯t sure how to react.

    He would¡¯ve cast it aside as nonsense if someone other than Raphael was exining it to him.

    Ignoring their reaction, Raphael kept talking calmly.

    ¡°Titans were born from that light and darkness.¡±

    ¡°Titans¡­¡±

    ¡°Each titan created creatures and a surface where they should live.¡±

    ¡°Are those angels and demons?¡±

    ¡°Humans, too. No, It seems like the best way to describe it would be ¡®all things¡¯. After all, Ms. Gaia and the other gods were created by the titans.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°One of those titans is Demon God Bauli.¡±

    KangWoo grabbed his head.

    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯

    He¡¯d used the Rakiel name once and stories about the ¡®mythical age¡¯ came out because of it.

    KangWoo began organizing his thoughts.

    Titans¡­

    It was an unbelievable story.

    ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯

    He recalled a magician that was providing Guardian with all sorts of valuable magic equipment.

    When he ran to console the magician struggling with his workload, he¡¯d said something amidst his tears.

    ¨C AAHH! If this goes on, ¡®Hecate¡¯s Book¡¯ will¡­!

    He¡¯d asked who Hecate was.

    ¨C In the mythical era, he was the titan standing at the peak of all magic. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that all magic originated from him. Our job is to study his knowledge. We search for the true magic¡­

    ¨C No. Your job is to pay out your debt.

    ¨C You scammer!!

    ¨C That¡¯s why you should¡¯ve been more careful. Come on. It¡¯s time to go back to work.

    ¨C AAHH!! YOU DEMON!

    ¨C I¡¯m a demon indeed, hahaha.

    ¡®Hmm.¡¯

    At that moment, he thought that the magician was saying nonsense, but what he said had acquired a new meaning.

    There was no need to go to Hecate.

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    He thought of the being that was in the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    The being that was so huge that he couldn¡¯t even estimate its size.

    ¡®If he¡¯s a titan¡­¡¯

    To be more precise, if he was Bauli, the story made sense.

    After confirming that Raphael wasn¡¯t saying nonsense, KangWoo focused.

    ¡°Demon God Bauli felt hatred toward the creatures other titans made.¡±

    ¡°Was he menstruating?¡±

    ¡°Menstruating?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Please, keep exining.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. No one knows why the demon god began having such resentment, but a conflict started to emerge between the demon god and the strongest creatures created by the titans¡ªthe gods.¡±

    ¡°It seems like the scale of the story is getting too big¡­ So, who¡¯s Rakiel?¡±

    ¡°Rakiel was a being that stood on the side of the demon god and tried to destroy the world alongside him.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ those beings that stood with the demon god¡­¡±

    ¡°We call them ¡®Evil Constetions¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo remained silent.

    At that point, it didn¡¯t surprise him anymore.

    The scale was so massive that he just wanted to say, ¡®Ah, really?¡¯ and then forget about it.

    ¡°So¡­ who won that war? Ah, there¡¯s no need to ask.¡±

    If Bauli had won, the world would¡¯ve probably been destroyed.

    Raphael nodded.

    ¡°Heavenly God Seraphim, Ms. Gaia, and the Celestial Dragon joined forces and managed to kill the demon god. They separated the demon god¡¯s corpse into three pieces and ced each in a different world.¡±

    ¡®And I just ate one of those three.¡¯

    He could more or less understand, but it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t have any more questions.

    ¡°I have three questions,¡± KangWoo said in a sunken voice.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You said it was a war between Demon God Bauli and the other creations of the titans¡­ but what were the other titans doing?¡±

    Bauli was a criminal that was trying to kill their creations, so it made no sense that they didn¡¯t do anything.

    Raphael spoke in a heavy voice.

    ¡°There was an invasion from another dimension.¡±

    ¡°Another dimension?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s not much we know about them, but the titans¡­ called them ¡®beings of the void¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Then the other titans¡­¡±

    * * *

    ¡°They were fighting those void beings. Many titans died at that time. Bauli took advantage of that opportunity to move.¡±

    ¡®What a piece of trash¡­¡¯

    KangWooughed in disbelief.

    It was as if he¡¯d tried to rob a burning town instead of helping to extinguish the fire.

    KangWoo frowned and kept talking.

    ¡°Then¡­ my second question.¡±

    KangWoo swept his hair back and opened his mouth.

    Since he¡¯d heard of the mythical age, there was something he couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Why did you think that the Demon of Prophecy was Satan?¡±

    If the angels knew about the myth, the one they should suspect was Demon God Bauli.

    After all, no one matched the nickname of ¡®Demon of Prophecy¡¯ better than the demon god.

    ¡®They didn¡¯t suspect Bauli because he¡¯s dead?¡¯

    Nonsense.

    KangWoo shook his head.

    If they were talking about the dead, Satan was also dead.

    A god-like being didn¡¯t fully die until their soul was extinguished.

    Gaia, Seraphim, and the Celestial Dragon had failed to extinguish Bauli¡¯s soul.

    ¡®As a proof of that¡­¡¯

    Bauli was alive inside the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    He couldn¡¯t understand why he was there, but there was one thing he was sure about:

    The demon god wasn¡¯t dead yet, and the gods should¡¯ve been more aware of that fact than anyone.

    ¡®Wait, then¡­¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes shone.

    ¡®The Demon of Prophecy wasn¡¯t me but him?¡¯

    There was a good chance that was the case.

    Considering the newly-obtained information, it seemed that Bauli was the Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡®Huh¡­ There¡¯s something that doesn¡¯t match up.¡¯

    Gaia had clearly said she didn¡¯t know who the Demon of Prophecy was, but she definitely knew that Bauli¡¯s soul hadn¡¯t disappeared, so there was no way Gaia would¡¯ve said something like that.

    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that she doesn¡¯t know.¡¯

    KangWoo shook his head.

    Even if she didn¡¯t know, he was the first one she should¡¯ve suspected.

    Then why¡­?

    Why had Gaia said she didn¡¯t know who the Demon of Prophecy was?

    ¡°Haa. That¡¯s the most confusing thing at the moment.¡±

    Raphael took a deep breath.

    ¡°The one who told us about the Demon of Prophecy is Uranos.¡±

    He¡¯d heard that name before¡ªhe was the god in charge of protecting Earth in Gaia¡¯s ce.

    KangWoo nodded.

    ¡°At first, we also suspected Bauli, but from what he heard¡­ The Demon of Prophecy is apletely separate being from Bauli.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo¡¯s mouth remained closed; he looked at Gaia, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

    She didn¡¯t seem that surprised, and it was as if she already knew about the mythical age.

    ¡°Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ I remember hearing that the first moment I received a revtion.¡±

    If Gaia¡¯s incarnation said it, then it seemed that what Raphael knew wasn¡¯t wrong.

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes shook.

    ¡®It isn¡¯t Bauli?¡¯

    Then who¡­

    ¡®Ah.¡¯

    KangWoo grabbed his hair.

    Assuming Bauli wasn¡¯t the Demon of Prophecy, then there was only one choice¡­

    ¡®It¡¯s me.¡¯

    The Sea of Demonic Energy and 666 Authorities¡­

    The only ones who matched those conditions were Bauli and him.

    ¡®Wait, then¡­¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes widened.

    It felt as if he¡¯dpleted the puzzle.

    ¡®Fuck¡­ so that¡¯s what happened.¡¯

    Bauli knew about the ¡®prophecy¡¯, and he was expecting Gaia and the other gods to try to kill him.

    ¡®That¡¯s why¡­¡¯

    That was why he created a puppet called ¡®Oh KangWoo¡¯ and hid inside him.

    From Gaia¡¯s point of view, it was probably really annoying.

    Bauli should¡¯ve been the Demon of Prophecy, but the Prophecy was pointing to apletely random being.

    Even if both were using the same body, they were clearly different beings.

    In that case, it was true that there would be a problem with the Prophecy.

    It was like trying to find the way with a brokenpass.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo¡¯s mouth remained closed.

    The thought of being used by another being made him annoyed.

    ¡®Although it seems like things won¡¯t work as he nned.¡¯

    He recalled how Bauli was trying to crawl out after saying that it was the time of the Prophecy.

    The moment he absorbed his body, he nned to take control of him, but¡­

    ¡®He failed.¡¯

    The puppet he¡¯d created to hide from the Prophecy had stopped him from crawling out of the Abyss.

    KangWoo closed his eyes and organized his thoughts.

    It didn¡¯t matter who the Demon of Prophecy was¡ªwhat mattered was Rakiel.

    ¡°Haa. I can understand why you¡¯re confused,¡± Raphael mumbled.

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t Bauli or Satan¡­ Even I¡¯m not sure, but since Rakiel follows the Demon of Prophecy, it seems that Bauli is indeed the Demon of Prophecy¡­ but that means he somehow came back to life without any clues that point to such a thing.¡±

    ¡°Then,st question¡­¡±

    He cut Raphael¡¯s words off and remembered what Raphael had said when he mentioned Rakiel¡¯s name.

    ¡°What does ¡®the seal has been lifted¡¯ mean?¡±

    Raphael¡¯s eyes shook.

    There was a hesitation in his eyes.

    It was as if he were wondering if it was something he could tell him.

    KangWoo opened his mouth.

    ¡°We¡¯re on the same boat anyways. I know that you don¡¯t fully trust us yet, but if you keep hiding information, we won¡¯t be able to fight a strong opponent.¡±

    ¡°Hngh.¡±

    Raphael sighed.

    ¡°After killing the demon god, mighty Seraphim used his Divinity as a price to seal the ¡®Fallen Constetions¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Then if Rakiel appeared, that means¡­¡±

    ¡°That the seal has been broken.¡±

    ¡°That¡­!¡±

    KangWoo acted as if he were surprised.

    Although he was making a serious expression, he was shouting in excitement on the inside.

    ¡®Ah, fuck. I was worried for nothing.¡¯

    Raphael might not have known it, but Rakiel¡¯s seal hadn¡¯t been lifted yet.

    After all, he hadn¡¯t appeared in the first ce.

    That meant he could use Rakiel¡¯s name.

    ¡®I thought that I wouldn¡¯t be able to use that coin anymore.¡¯

    Just like when Satan appeared, if Rakiel suddenly appeared, things would get troublesome.

    He nodded.

    ¡®It seems like I still¡­¡¯

    ¡°Ugh. In the end, what Mr. Mikael was worried about¡­¡±

    ¡®Hmm?¡¯

    ¡°What does that mean¡­? He was worried?¡±

    ¡°Haa. That¡¯s right. We saw indications that the seal was getting weaker.¡±

    ¡°Indications?¡±

    Raphael nodded.

    ¡°A few years ago, mighty Seraphim¡¯s strength suddenly weakened, so¡­ we were expecting the seal to be broken.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°Still, how could it happen already¡­? How could mighty Seraphim¡¯s strength disappear so easily?¡±

    KangWoo nodded.

    He tried to act calm, but he wasn¡¯t.

    ¡®How could this be?¡¯

    What was going on?

    He thought that he¡¯d finally be able to rx, but¡­

    Rakiel¡¯s seal was weakening?

    ¡®This is a coincidence?¡¯

    KangWoo shook his head. There was no way it was a coincidence.

    ¡®Wait¡­¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes widened as he thought of something.

    ¡°When did that seal suddenly begin weakening?¡±

    ¡°Three years ago.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo lowered his head.

    If it was three years prior, then that was when the Demon Cult suddenly became more active, and demonic monsters started appearing from the gates.

    The Gaia system had been pretty screwed up, and Earth became exposed to foreign entities.

    ¡®Once again¡­¡¯

    ¡®It was all my fault?¡¯

    It was also when a certain human had returned to Earth after ten thousand years.

 Chapter 271 - The Road The King Has Walked (1)

    Chapter 271

    ¡°Since the existence of Rakiel has been confirmed, I¡¯ll ask for support from the Heavens. Uriel will soon arrive.¡±

    ¡°Another Archangel wille?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Raphael nodded.

    ¡°If Rakiel¡­ and other fallen constetions are free, then me alone won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It made sense.

    No, it was weird that only one archangel woulde.

    ¡®Still¡­¡¯

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    ¡®I still have some time.¡¯

    It didn¡¯t matter which archangel came to Earth.

    ¡®The seal hasn¡¯t been lifted yet.¡¯

    No matter how much they tried, they wouldn¡¯t be able to find Rakiel.

    ¡®While they¡¯re wasting time¡­¡¯

    He had to make preparations.

    No, he could also think of a way to use the situation.

    ¡®It¡¯s too much of a waste to throw the Rakiel card away so soon.¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s brain began moving quickly.

    If he knew that Rakiel was real and that his seal hadn¡¯t been lifted yet, he could use that.

    ¡°Gaia¡¯s Incarnation, I¡¯m going to give you some advice.¡±

    ¡°Yes, great Raphael?¡±

    ¡°Be more careful about your allies than your enemies. Be prepared to doubt those you love.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    Gaia¡¯s expression hardened.

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why Rakiel is called a fallen constetion, his words are sweet. Soon¡­ No, there¡¯s a chance that, even now, someone is being tempted.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°During the war against the demon god, many angels were deceived by him and ended up falling.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be wary.¡±

    While straightening her back, she spoke in a firm voice.

    ¡°I believe in the Guardians. These people¡­¡±

    She extended her hands and held Kim ShiHoon and KangWoo¡¯s hands.

    It seemed like she felt relieved. She smiled slightly.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t people that would fall for a demon¡¯s deception.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Raphael sighed.

    Gaia smiled.

    ¡°I know what¡¯s worrying you. I¡¯m also going to be cautious just in case. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    ¡°I hope that belief stands true.¡±

    Gaia lowered her head.

    KangWoo and Kim ShiHoon also lowered their heads after her.

    There was nothing else that needed to be discussed with Raphael.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be going back.¡±

    KangWoo turned his body.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After they left, Raphael looked over the base and shut his eyes.

    ¡°Haa.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    ¡®To think that it¡¯d be Rakiel¡­¡¯

    Raphael bit his lip.

    Although Gaia said not to worry, Raphael knew everything the fallen constetion had done, so he couldn¡¯t do that.

    ¡°Shargiel.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Look over the Guardians. It¡¯s okay if you do it until Uriel gets here.¡±

    ¡°Rather than being so anxious, why don¡¯t you eliminate Guardian?¡±

    Shargiel¡¯s eyes shone sharply.

    Rakiel was capable of easily making angels fall, so there was no way a human would be able to resist.

    Rather than turning their backs to such a weakness, getting rid of them might be better.

    Raphael shook his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s a hasty choice. That¡¯s your biggest problem.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Just concentrate on watching over them.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shargiel bowed.

    He knew Shargiel¡¯s personality, so he couldn¡¯t help but give him an uneasy look.

    He shook his thoughts aside and stood.

    ¡°Then, before Uriel arrives, I will investigate Rakiel.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Did you hear how he fell?¡±

    Shargiel shook his head.

    ¡°No¡­ I just heard that the demon god tempted him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to investigate what kind of temptation it was.¡±

    To face the darkness, one had to understand it.

    ¡®There are too many things I must do.¡¯

    He had to investigate Rakiel and return to the arms of the light to heal his wounds.

    Raphael once again sighed.

    * * *

    There was a reason for everything.

    Although it might look like a coincidence, if you took a closer look, you would likely find an underlying reason.

    After KangWoo separated from Gaia and Kim ShiHoon, he ran somewhere.

    The reason behind it all¡­

    No, the starting point.

    ¡°Balrog, you bastard!!!¡±

    BOOM-!

    He annihted a ten-meter-high custom-made wall and jumped into the air, using the Authority of Sky to step on the air and spin.

    Paf-!!

    [Cough!!]

    It was an impressive sh kick.

    Balrog managed to protect his chin, but still, his body ended up floating into the air and falling to the ground.

    [D-Demon King?!]

    ¡°You son of a¡­! A name! I asked you to suggest a name! But why did you suggest that one?! Why?!¡±

    [Cough! Wh-why are you doing this? Demon King?!]

    Balrog¡¯s shouts spread.

    KangWoo tried to calm down and took a deep breath.

    ¡°Haa, haa. You¡­ Where did you hear the name ¡®Rakiel¡¯?¡±

    [What¡­?]

    ¡°I said, ¡®Where did you hear the name ¡®Rakiel¡¯?¡¯¡±

    [Hmm. I don¡¯t remember¡­]

    ¡°Remember it.¡±

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes shone sharply. Balrog shook and desperately nodded.

    [I¡­ I¡¯ll remember!]

    Seeing such a giant trembling in fear was weird, but it wasn¡¯t time to think about things like that.

    ¡°Haa.¡±

    KangWoo sat on the sofa as if his head hurt.

    ck-

    ¡°KangWoo, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Mr. KangWoo! I missed you!¡±

    A door opened, and Halcyon and Echidna appeared.

    As soon as Halcyon saw KangWoo, he went running toward him.

    ¡°I was really lonely while¡ª¡±

    Halcyon¡¯s words, who was speaking with a smile, were cut short.

    It seemed like he¡¯d noticed that KangWoo¡¯s expression was serious.

    ¡°Uuh¡­¡±

    ¡°KangWoo¡­ what happened?¡±

    After Echidna and Halcyon, Lilith appeared.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Hngh.¡±

    KangWoo grabbed his forehead while thinking about how to exin theplex situation.

    ¡°You see¡­¡±

    He briefly exined to them what Raphael had said.

    ¡°Ha.¡±

    Lilith alsoughed in disbelief.

    She looked at Balrog with sharp eyes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know Rakiel?¡±

    [Wh-what? You do?]

    ¡°I also didn¡¯t know he was an evil constetion, but I have heard that name before. No, you also heard it with me.¡±

    [I¡­ I don¡¯t remember when¡­]

    * * *

    Balrog let the end of his sentence drop while scratching his head.

    Lilith grabbed her forehead as if it hurt.

    ¡°You muscle pig¡­¡±

    ¡°Lilith, do you also know about Rakiel?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve heard that name before.¡±

    ¡°From who?¡±

    ¡°Amon.¡±

    Amon¡­

    KangWoo¡¯s eyebrows frowned as that name was mentioned.

    Amon was a demon that used to be Satan¡¯s subordinate.

    No other demon was more knowledgeable about ck magic in Hell than he was. He was also the one who¡¯d opened the fissure that led toward Earth by using Hell¡¯s Equipment.

    ¡°Amon knew Rakiel?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I definitely heard that name from Amon.¡±

    ¡°What did he say?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t give any details¡­ He just mentioned it in passing. He asked if we knew about Rakiel.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    She narrowed her eyes.

    He felt that something was wrong.

    ¡°Lilith, Balrog. Have you ever heard about Bauli?¡±

    ¡°Bauli?¡±

    Lilith and Balrog looked at each other.

    The two demons shook their heads.

    ¡°No. I haven¡¯t heard it before.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ what about titans or void beings?¡±

    ¡°That also¡­¡±

    Lilith dropped the end of her sentence while making a troubled expression.

    ¡®Lilith also doesn¡¯t know about the mythic age.¡¯

    KangWoo knew better than anyone how impressive Lilith¡¯s informationwork was, but even she didn¡¯t know about the mythic age.

    ¡®That means that information about the mythic age hasn¡¯t spread in Hell.¡¯

    That was weird.

    How could Amon know information not even Lilith was aware of?

    ¡°Balrog, beforeing here, did you see Amon acting suspiciously?¡±

    [Leaving acting suspiciously aside, I never saw him leave hisb after you returned to Earth. If that¡¯s acting suspiciously¡­ Yes,] Balrog said while stroking his chin.

    ¡®He didn¡¯t leave theboratory?¡¯

    Hecked information.

    He couldn¡¯t find the connection between him and the demon god.

    ¡°Lilith¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Demon King?¡±

    ¡°Figure out if there¡¯s a way tomunicate with Hell. Doomguard or Marbas¡ªeither of them is okay. I need to contact someone that has a higher rank thanmander.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow your orders.¡±

    Lilith bowed.

    KangWooy on the sofa.

    He needed to organize the situation.

    ¡®There¡¯s no need to think about things like this right now.¡¯

    The mythic age, titans, void beings, etc¡­

    Even if he thought about those things, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find an answer.

    Instead, he needed to think about things he could actually act on.

    ¡®It would be better if I avoid using the Rakiel card.¡¯

    If he was in a situation where it was the only way out, he would use it, but he couldn¡¯tfortably use it anymore.

    Since he knew the seal was weakening, he had to consider the possibility that Rakiel would suddenly appear.

    Also, Uriel was going toe.

    It wouldn¡¯t be weird if even more archangels came to Earth.

    They were probably going to do their best to find Rakiel.

    ¡®They won¡¯t be able to find him.¡¯

    They were for sure going to investigate all the people they found suspicious.

    For example, the person who was kidnapped by Rakiel but somehow managed to survive¡­

    If they couldn¡¯t get the desired result, their investigative range would spread even toward the people around them.

    ¡®Leaving Lilith, Echidna, or Halcyon aside¡­¡¯

    Even if Balzac and Balrog could hide their demonic energy, they could do nothing about their aspect.

    ¡°Balzac¡­¡±

    ck.

    The door of theboratory opened, and a skeleton walked out.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He was wearing a pink hood; a pink apron was covering his ribs.

    Even the duster was pink.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    [Hehe. Did something happen, Demon King?]

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to ask. What happened?¡±

    [There was too much dust in theboratory. Fufufu. Dear King, what do you want to order of me now? Should I create an undead with the corpse of a saint? should I turn all of the light¡¯s servants into puppets¡­]

    ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that while wearing such attire. I can¡¯t concentrate.¡±

    [Hahaha! What¡¯s wrong with them? Aren¡¯t they neat clothes?]

    ¡°No¡­ Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    KangWoo couldn¡¯t keep talking and turned his eyes away.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I wanted to ask.¡±

    [Yes.]

    ¡°Do you know how to do ck magic?¡±

    [Of course.]

    ¡°Can you create ¡®skin¡¯ that looks like a human¡¯s? You can use a corpse if needed.¡±

    [Hmm. Are you talking about the tentacle decorations that Miss Lilith made before?]

    ¡°No. It must be more detailed than that. If you wear it, you should look like a human, and it should allow you to move as one.¡±

    [It might take some time¡­ but it¡¯s possible. How many should I make?]

    ¡°Just for you and Balrog.¡±

    [Mr. Balrog? Hmm. Taking into consideration Mr. Balrog¡¯s size¡­]

    ¡°I can shrink his body, so don¡¯t worry about that, but still, try to turn him into the biggest human possible.¡±

    [Understood.]

    KangWoo looked at Balrog, who seemed confused at his words.

    [D-Demon King, making me smaller? What¡¯s¡­]

    ¡°I¡¯ll use an Authority to change your body. It might not be possible to fight afterward, but try to get used to it so that you can live a normal life.¡±

    [Is there a need for me to look like a human¡­?]

    ¡°It¡¯s just in case angels catch your tail.¡±

    [Angels? I just have to annihte them¡­]

    ¡°Balrog¡­¡±

    KangWoo narrowed his eyes.

    Balrog shivered a bit and mmed his forehead onto the ground.

    [I¡¯m sorry.]

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    KangWoo turned his eyes from Balrog and lifted his bangs.

    ¡®The biggest problem is the demon god.¡¯

    KangWoo thought about the tale he¡¯d heard from Raphael.

    He understood what the demon god within his Ten Thousand Demon Core wanted.

    ¡ªHe was targeting his body.

    ¡®I can¡¯t eliminate him.¡¯

    Just keeping him in ce was already hard enough.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He thought about it for a while, but there was only one conclusion he could reach.

    ¡®I must increase my control of demonic energy.¡¯

    Whether it was to stop the demon god from crawling out, to absorb Belphegor¡¯s demonic energy and increase his stat, or to stop something unexpected from happening, increasing his level of control was critical.

    ¡®And to make sure¡­¡¯

    KangWoo¡¯s eyes deepened.

    He recalled a mountain made of an endless amount of corpses.

    He remembered how much he¡¯d suffered.

    ¡®I don¡¯t lose anyone else¡­¡¯

    He needed to increase his control of demonic energy as quickly as possible.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    KangWoo closed his eyes.

    There was only one method that came to mind.

    ¡®But that way¡­¡¯

    He hesitated a bit, but that onlysted for a short while.

    ¡°Balrog¡­¡±

    [Yes, Demon King.]

    ¡°I will be undergoing metamorphosis.¡±

    Balrog¡¯s eyes widened.

 Chapter 272: The Road The King Has Walked (2)

    Chapter 272: The Road The King Has Walked (2)

    <em>BOOM!</em>

    Balrog got up and red at Oh Kang-Woo.

    [No,] he said in a firm voice he hadnt used until then.

    Balrog bit his lip.

    [Not molting.]

    "Balrog."

    [You promised!]

    <em>BOOM!</em>

    Balrog stomped on the ground.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    The floor couldnt withstand the impact and cracked.

    [You promised me that you would never do it again!!]

    The atmosphere of the room suddenly became cold.

    Echidna and Halcyon flinched.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    "Are you refusing to obey my order?"

    []

    There was silence. Balrog clenched his fists and trembled.

    [There has to be another way.]

    "There isnt. Thats why Im doing it."

    [The situation is not that urgent.]

    "Its not, but we dont have all the time in the world either."

    [You have already be far stronger than when you were in Hell.]

    "And so have my enemies."

    []

    Balrog closed his eyes.

    [... It is dangerous.]

    "I know."

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    Balrog once again stomped on the ground.

    [Then why?! Why are you trying to molt?!]

    "Balrog."

    Kang-Woos eyes sank deep, and he opened his mouth. He spoke in a voice tinged with sadness. An emotion hed been suppressing leaked out through his words.

    "Weve lost far too much."

    []

    "I refuse to lose anything else," he calmly said.

    Balrog frowned and clenched his fists.

    Lilith walked toward Balrog.

    "Give up, Balrog. You know how stubborn our king is."

    [... Are you fine with this?]

    "Hohoho."

    Lilith smiled widely; a chilling bloodlust leaked out of her.

    "Of course not," she said reluctantly.

    []

    Liliths hands were trembling a bit, and it looked as if she were about to cry at any moment.

    Balrog sighed.

    [I understand. When are you nning to do it?]

    "Right now."

    Since hed decided to use it, there was no reason to push it back any further.

    [Where?]

    "Remember where we sparred before? Lets do it there."

    [That ce is too dangerous. How about where that Guardians secret vault used to be?]

    "The Grand Canyon?"

    [Yes. Let us do it there.]

    "Ngh. Its a bit of a hassle since we have to go through the Hall of Protection."

    [Even so, that is the safest ce.]

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    "Okay."

    [In that case, I will make the preparations.]

    Balrog turned away. He took Lilith with her to go around the house and collect things.

    "Kang-Woo." Echidna trotted over to him and pulled on his clothes. "Whats molting?"

    "I-I would also like to kn-know." Halcyon furiously nodded next to her.

    Kang-Woo answered with a troubled expression, "Its a form of training."

    "Training?"

    "Yup. Its the fastest way to improve my demonic energy control."

    Echidnas anxious eyes calmed down after hearing the word training.

    "Can Ie watch you train too, Kang-Woo?" she asked, her eyes shining.

    "No." Kang-Woo firmly shook his head.

    Echidna flinched.

    He patted her head and continued, "Seol-Ah is alone in the house. Echidna and Halcyon, go home today and stay with her."

    "... Okay." Echidna couldnt insist any further, and she nodded.

    Just then

    [How about you take them with you since it has be like this?]

    "... Balrog."

    Kang-Woos eyes shone sharply.

    Balrog continued calmly, [The little dragon and Halcyon are now your retainers. They have the right to know.]

    "The right to know, my ass? You think I dont know what youre trying to do?"

    [Of course, I still wish for you to change your mind, but you know it is not good to hide this from your retainers.]

    "What isnt good? Having them join us ispletely meaningl"

    [It is not meaningless.] Balrog shook his head. [The little dragon is strong enough to use dragon tongue magic, and Halcyon is stronger than me.]

    "Hah, trying to use logic, are you?"

    [You know that it is the right decision to prepare for possible variables.]

    ""

    Kang-Woo was at a loss for words.

    "... Fuck."

    He didnt want to admit it, but Balrog was right.

    Kang-Woo became significantly weaker right after molting. To cover all bases, taking Echidna and Halcyon with him was the correct choice.

    [Not just that, taking only me would bring about discord among the retainers.]

    That was also right.

    One of the most important things when managing subordinates was to never favor any in particr. If he only took Balrog, then Echidna and Halcyon would obviously feel a sense of alienation. Perhaps discord was a bit excessive, but it would at least sow the seeds for it.

    [Do you want to see the king train?]

    "Yeah, I wanna see!"

    "I-I would like to s-see it as well."

    [You heard them.]

    Echidna and Halcyon nodded.

    Kang-Woo shook his head.

    "... Do as you please."

    He gave up and just turned around.

    Balrog smirked and spoke to them.

    [In that case, you guys help us prepare as well.]

    "What should we prepare?"

    [Changes of clothes, lots of water, and towels to dry off the body.]

    "?"

    Echidna couldnt understand why they needed things like that to train, but she nodded.

    As Halcyon, Echidna, and Balrog moved together, they quickly finished their preparations.

    "Then, lets go."

    Kang-Woo activated the gate that led to the Hall of Protection, intending to use the gate within the Hall of Protection to travel to the Grand Canyon.

    "I feel like Ive beening here pretty often," Kang-Woo mumbled while looking at the canyon.

    There werent many people in the area, so he often used it for training.

    As he slowly began to walk, Echidna followed him.

    "Kang-Woo, Ive been training a lot. I can use five dragon tongue magics now. Thats more than what an adult dragon can do," she said, like a child who wanted to be praised.

    Kang-Woo smirked and patted her head.

    "Good job. Oh, it looks like youve gotten taller too."

    "Hm! Im gonna be as fat as Seol-Ah soon too."

    "Uhh Mm."

    "I asked Seol-Ah how she managed to get so fat, but she got angry at me"

    "Dont say things like that from now on."

    His kimchi stew was on the line.

    After begging Echidna, Kang-Woo started to walk.

    Halcyon grabbed Kang-Woos other arm.

    <em>What do you want?</em>

    "M-Master Kang-Woo. I-Ive also been training!"

    <em>Dont lie.</em>

    Demonic beasts didnt train. No, to be more precise, there was really no point in them training. Their physical specs were so incredible that they were already at their peak, so there was no point in them doing physical training.

    As Kang-Woo looked at him in disbelief, he began to p his wings.

    "B-bridal training! Ive been doing bridal training!"

    <em>You arent a bride.</em>

    "M-Marriage! Thats the only thing left!"

    <em>Theres still that thing between your legs.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes shook uneasily.

    [Enough chit-chat.]

    Balrog grabbed Halcyon and Echidna by their napes and dragged them back.

    "... Wh-what are you doing?"

    Halcyons eyes shone sharply. He exuded intense bloodlust.

    "I-I had just m-managed to talk to Master Kang-Woo a-after so long"

    He ground his teeth and pped his wings in annoyance.

    "D-Dont bother m-me, or I-Ill blow your h-head off."

    It seemed as if Halcyon wasnt joking. He had even taken out his ws.

    [You are a being a bother to the king,] Balrog calmly said.

    ""

    As Kang-Woo was mentioned, Halcyon remained silent.

    "N-not fair"

    He bit his lip in frustration.

    Kang-Woo looked around.

    "This ce should be okay."

    [... We should go a little deeper.]

    "What, you wanna burrow into the rock or something? This is enough."

    Nobody else was nearby, after all.

    They could not feel the presence of even the smallest organism around them within this narrow canyon. Kang-Woo went into a small cave within the rock and took a deep breath.

    "Ill be counting on you."

    [Yes, my king.]

    Balrog stood in front of the cave and readied a bucket of water, clean clothes, and towels.

    "Wh-what are you doing?"

    [... You will see,] Balrog firmly said. [Our job is to make sure no one touches the king until the molting is over.]

    "Then are we gonna be protecting Kang-Woo?"

    Echidnas eyes shone. He was always protecting her, so she seemed quite interested in protecting him.

    Balrog slowly nodded.

    [You can begin.]

    "... Okay."

    Kang-Woo was about to say something to Echidna and Halcyon, but he sighed and nodded.

    He suddenly recalled his conversation with Han Seol-Ah.

    <em>"Why not? I-I also want to know more about you, Kang-Woo."</em>

    <em>"Because youll pity me."</em>

    <em>"What?"</em>

    <em>"If I tell you, youll pity me."</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    "Fuck."

    He cursed and began taking off his clothes.

    "Hm! Hm!"

    "<em>G-Gasp!</em> P-Picture! I must take a picture!"

    The audience was noisy.

    Kang-Woo threw all of his clothes besides his boxers to the side.

    <em>Is this some sort of humiliation y?</em>

    He saw the two girls looking at him with intense eyes and smirked.

    <em>Right, then</em>

    He closed his eyes and summoned forth his demonic energy and more and even more. Then

    "<em>Cough!</em>"

    His body bent like a bow, his head hurt, and his sight became blurry. The demonic energy he had drawn out to his utmost limit began to run amok. A giant, endless ck sea appeared before him. Three doors were stopping that giant sea. It was the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    He walked toward one of the Doors and slightly opened it.

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    "Kang-Woo?"

    The canyon shook.

    Kang-Woo bit his lip so hard that his teeth tore his skin.

    The demonic energy that had been like a calm river stream had be like rapids and was tearing him apart. And

    "BLEEEEEEEEGHH!!"

    He vomited ck blood as an unfathomable agony dominated his mind.

    <em>Crack! Crunch!</em>

    His bones twisted and broke, visibly piercing his skin. His blood vessels tangled as his muscles exploded.

    A huge amount of blood poured out of him.

    "A-Arrgghh."

    He trembled and extended his arm as if trying to grab the air. His fingers bent backwards. His skin was turned inside out as if he were molting.

    "A-Aaaaaaaaaaahh!!"

    An ungodly amount of pain spread through him, and he twisted and screamed.

    <em>I have to control it.</em>

    The demonic energy was tearing apart his entire body.

    Hed slightly opened a Door of the Ten Thousand Demon Core intentionally to forcibly create a situation that made him break past his limits.

    If he couldnt go beyond this limit if he couldnt control this rampant demonic energy

    He would die.

    "Kargh, argh, kurgh!"

    His body shook as if he were about to have a seizure, and his tongue hung from his mouth. He soiled himself in his pain and wet the ground. He vomited and spat out all his teeth.

    This was probably how a person would turn out if they were put in a microwave.

    Blood poured everywhere as his body was torn apart.

    "Fuck."

    It hurt.

    It hurt. It hurt. It hurt.

    He couldnt think of anything else besides that it hurt. It was as if only pain existed in the worldit was all he could feel. To free himself from that pain, he crawled on the floor disgustingly.

    "A-Argh."

    A tear dripped from his eyes. His consciousness was fading, his vision distorting.

    Balrogs, Echidnas, and Halcyons faces were swirling together as if various paint colors were getting mixed.

    Only pain existed in his world.

    "Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!"

    He screamed and tensed his body.

    While his consciousness became governed by pain, a certain thought crossed his mind.

    To survive, he instinctively controlled his demonic energy.

    He entered a state of non-self. He suppressed his demonic energy little by little, as if disentangling a horribly tangled ball of yarn.

    As if smoothing a tangled thread, he slowly began to regain control of the demonic energy.

    One step at a time

    Forward

    And forward

    * * *

    "K-Kang-Woo!!!"

    "Master Kang-Woo!!"

    The two tried to approach Kang-Woo, their faces pale.

    [Stop.]

    Balrog stood in their way.

    "Y-you! H-How could you say that when hes in that state?!"

    Halcyon bared his ws and teeth.

    Echidna copsed to the floor while trembling.

    [If you touch the king right now, he will die.]

    Halcyon stopped moving at Balrogs words.

    "Wh-Whats h-happening?"

    It was nothing like training. Even self-harming didnt look this horrid.

    "Th-This is molting?"

    Balrog calmly nodded.

    [Molting is the act of forcibly bringing about a state of non-self by intentionally making ones demonic energy run rampant.]

    "Isnt that dangerous?"

    [It is like turning your body inside out, so of course it is. In the worst-case scenario, he could die. Even if he survives, he has to endure the worst amount of pain that an organism can possibly experience.]

    "Wh-Why would he go so far?"

    [The king said it himself.]

    Balrog made a bitter smile.

    [To never lose anything ever again.]

    ""

    Balrog turned and saw Kang-Woo crawling on the floor and screaming. Kang-Woo soon lost consciousness.

    [Come to think of it, the two of you do not know the road the king had walked in Hell, do you?]

    ""

    [It was neither one of dominance nor one of glory.]

    Balrog approached the copsed Kang-Woo and picked him up. A long trace of ck blood and excrement had been made behind him.

    [That road]

    Balrog grabbed a water bucket and poured it on Kang-Woo.

    The blood and excrement were washed from his body, flowing down the path Kang-Woo had crawled.

    [That foul and wretched road filled with filth is]

    The ce the water flowed over looked like a road.

    [... The road the King has walked.]

    There was a breathtakingly heavy silence.

    "Balrog"

    At that moment, Kang-Woo, who had been unconscious in Balrogs arms, opened his eyes with difficulty.

    [Please rest, my king.]

    "A-Arrgghh."

    Kang-Woo grabbed Balrogs shoulders with shaking hands. As if gathering thest remaining strength he had, he opened his mouth. He wanted to tell him this at the very least: "Thats cringe <em>cough!</em>"

    [M-my king! Are you saying that you are hurting so much to the point that you are cringing?!]

    "No, Im saying youre crin"

    [I know what you are trying to say, my king. My heart is hurting just as much as you.]

    "Son of a thats not saying Fuck cringe what the fuck is a road filled with filth"

    Kang-Woos body trembled.

    "BLEEEEEEEEEEGHHH!!"

    [Urrrrggghhh.]

    He vomited in Balrogs face and passed out.

 Chapter 273: The Road The King Has Walked (3)

    Chapter 273: The Road The King Has Walked (3)

    "Argh, fuck."

    <em>Kaaagh, ptooey.</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo spat out the vomit that had gathered in his mouth. Although hed healed his wounds with the Authority of Regeneration, he could still feel the pain.

    "It hurts so fucking much."

    He was used to pain, but it was still hard to withstand. It was worse than being shredded by a giant blender.

    Kang-Woo shook his head.

    <em>This is exactly why I didnt want to do this.</em>

    One of the reasons was that it was dangerous, but decisively, it hurt too much.

    He was still trembling in pain.

    [Good job.]

    Balrog walked toward him and gave him a bottle of water.

    Kang-Woo reached out to grab it, but his hands were trembling so much that he couldnt.

    Balrog held the back of Kang-Woos head with his muscr hand. He smiled with his hideous face.

    [I will help you.]

    "Fuck off."

    [Hahaha. There is no need to be embarrassed.]

    "No, f"

    [Alright! Come into my arms and]

    "Arghh! S-Son of a bitch! You smell like Urpp."

    [Oh,e to think of it, your vomit did not seem to have fully washed off.]

    "What? You f W-Wash it off right now!"

    Kang-Woo struggled, and Balrog smiled at him.

    [I am fine.]

    "So what?"

    [It is a reward in our line of work.]

    "The fuck are you talking about?"

    He twisted his body and was barely able to free himself from Balrog. He couldnt walk properly, so he rolled on the ground. His head ended up hitting somethingEchidnas leg.

    ""

    "Oh, Echidna? Please help me. Get me away from the muscle pig," Kang-Woo said while making a tired expression.

    Then something transparent fell on his cheeks. With his mouth closed, Kang-Woo looked up at Echidna.

    Transparent tears were flowing down her cheeks.

    ""

    "<em>Sniff, sniff sniff</em>."

    Echidnas shoulders were trembling.

    Kang-Woo sighed.

    <em>I mean</em>

    He had expected this to happen. Hed tried to remain as calm as possible and even joked a bit, but there was no way she wasnt shocked after seeing the molting process.

    "Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo"

    Echidna hugged Kang-Woo and rubbed her head against his chest.

    He smiled bitterly and patted Echidnas head.

    "M-Master Kang-Woo. Wh-What was"

    Even Halcyon was trembling.

    "Th-That was m-molting?"

    "Yeah."

    He nodded.

    Molting was a sub-technique of opening the Doors that involved intentionally letting the Ten Thousand Demon Core run wild and attain great power.

    <em>I guess its a bit weird to call it a technique.</em>

    Molting was like a failed version of opening the Doors. There was absolutely no merit in molting, a technique close to self-harm.

    While trying to use it effectively, he discovered a new effect

    While struggling on the borderline of life and death, he had awakened a state of non-self. In martial arts terms, it would be simr to intentionally creating the conditions for reaching enlightenment.

    <em>The only problem is that theres a chance I could die.</em>

    He didnt know if he was just lucky or if he was just tenacious, but he had survived up to this point despite having used it multiple times.

    <em>Although it hurts like hell.</em>

    No matter how much he used it, he couldnt get used to the pain.

    Kang-Woo shook his head.

    "This is training?" Echidna asked while bawling her eyes out.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly. It was definitely hard to see it as training.

    <em>But still, theres nothing I can do about it.</em>

    Normal training was meaningless for him.

    Of course, he could slowly improve his demonic energy control by using the Authorities of the princes of Hell or by merging it with other Authorities.

    <em>But that would take too much time.</em>

    If he did that, it would take him several years until he was able to absorb Belphegors demonic energy.

    If the only price to pay for getting stronger was pain he was willing to withstand as much pain as he needed.

    "Well, it hurts a lot, but it gets easier to handle over t"

    "Dont lie!" Echidna said, tears flowing down her cheeks.

    ""

    She recalled how Kang-Woo had been twisting in pain as if having a seizure and how he was shedding tears while screaming.

    <em>Just</em> pain?

    Pain was everything.

    Humans cried even if a knife slightly cut their skin, so there was no imagining the level of determination one needed to have to use molting despite knowing all the pain he would have to endure.

    Echidna cried while hugging Kang-Woo.

    <em>- Hm! Ive been training a lot too.</em>

    She felt ashamed of how confidently shed said that.

    "Kang-Woo"

    Echidna touched Kang-Woos cheeks. She couldnt even imagine how much it must have hurt.

    She recalled Balrogs words: <em>"This is the road the King has walked."</em>

    Echidna at least knew more about Kang-Woos past than Han Seol-Ah.

    She knew how hed gone from the First to the Ninth Hell despite having been born with a human body and how hed dered war against the seven princes of Hell, rewriting the history of the Nine Hells and turning it upside down.

    "I-I didnt know."

    Tears dripped from Echidnas eyes. She just knew the usual Kang-Woo and how strong, confident, and clever he was.

    Thats why, obviously

    "I never imagined you to have lived like this"

    She thought that Kang-Woo would have easily defeated any demon of the Ninth Hell or a prince of Hell with a smile on his face. She had thought that he had won without any sort of danger or pain, but

    "<em>Sniff, </em>waaaaaaahh!"

    His road had been neither one of dominance nor of glory. He hadnt fought enemies in a cool way like an anime protagonist. It was miserable and shameful.

    He had pitifully struggled to survive while trying his absolute best to survive and to protect whatever he had in his hands.

    Thats how hed lived.

    "Im sorry Im sorry."

    She wasnt sure what she was sorry for, but for some reason, guilt weighed down on her. She felt as if shed acted childishly without knowing his hard past and how much hed struggled in pain.

    "Haaa."

    Kang-Woo sighed and red at Balrog.

    <em>This is why I didnt want her toe.</em>

    It was true that hed lived a wretched life, but he did not want to emphasize it or have people pity him for it.

    <em>The road the king has walked? Bullshit.</em>

    He was annoyed at Balrog for inting his past for no reason. It just made Kang-Woo look like some boomer who was lecturing the young about everything he had gone through in life.

    "You shouldve just listened when I told you not toe"

    Kang-Woo patted Echidnas back and smiled. To be honest, it didnt feel bad. There was no way that it would feel bad to have someone worry about you.

    "I can move a bit now."

    Kang-Woo got up and rotated his waist around.

    The lingering pain had disappeared.

    <em>Right then</em>

    He closed his eyes and checked his body. He lightly drew out his demonic energy. His expression brightened.

    <em>Its effect is as great as always.</em>

    High risk, high return.

    Since hed put his life as a guarantee, the reward wasnt bad. He could feel that the demonic energy flowing through his body had be much more docile than before.

    <em>But</em>

    <em>Tsk</em>.

    He clicked his tongue.

    <em>Its not good enough.</em>

    He couldnt absorb Belphegors demonic energy yet.

    <em>A few more times and I should be good.</em>

    His demonic energy control had improved more than expected, likely because of how much it had already somehow improved from lying in bed for ten days straight at home.

    <em>Man, I wish it could just get boosted from a good nights sleep like back then.</em>

    If he did, he wouldnt need to perform such a shitshow.

    "Balrog, lets go again."

    [ Are you still not satisfied?]

    "I have to do it a few more times."

    He needed to raise his control to the point that he could effortlessly open the Doors.

    <em>Theres no better technique than that in worst-case scenarios.</em>

    Opening the Doors gave one an enormous amount of benefits in exchange for putting ones life as coteral. He could wipe out most enemies easily just by opening the First Door.

    "N-No!" Halcyon quickly approached him and shook his head. "Y-Youre going to do that again?!"

    "Once isnt enough."

    Kang-Woo probably had to do it two to five times.

    <em>Urgh, just thinking about it makes me feel like shit.</em>

    He didnt even want to imagine doing that shitshow of crying and pissing five whole times.

    No, honestly

    <em>Im scared as fuck.</em>

    He trembled. He tried to act as if he was fine, but there was no way he was. Just thinking about enduring that insane agony and searing pain was enough for him to hurl.

    Not only that, molting was not a safe training method. Although he might be able to handle the pain, if he was unlucky, there was a chance he could die.

    "N-No! I-Ill do better! S-So"

    Halcyon bawled his eyes out, and so did Echidna. Kang-Woo put his hand on his forehead, seeing the sight that he had expected.

    Halcyon extended his nails.

    "I-If youre really going to do it, th-then I will also feel your pain!"

    <em>The hell are you talking about?</em>

    "U-Urghh!"

    "Holy fuck!"

    Kang-Woo quickly stopped Halcyon from harming himself. Halcyon had deeply stabbed his leg with his sharp nails.

    <em>Jesus Christ.</em>

    There was no need to do something so insane.

    Kang-Woo looked at Halcyon in disbelief.

    "Urgh! P-Please dont h-hurt yourself."

    "Haaa."

    Kang-Woo didnt know what to do.

    As Kang-Woo sighed, Balrog walked toward him.

    [How about you do it a few dayster, my king?]

    " A few days?"

    [Yes. I will not try to stop you, but I believe there is no need to be in such a rush when we are not in any immediate danger.]

    "Hmm, but still"

    [If you do it right away, you may lose focus.]

    Kang-Woo remained tight-lipped.

    It made sense.

    <em>Well, rather than hurrying things and dying, I guess ying it safe is better.</em>

    Bauli was not showing signs of crawling out of the Abyss of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    Since hed decided to train while putting his life in danger, it would be better to ensure his body was in perfect condition, at the very least.

    "Okay. Then lets do it once every three days."

    He could practice Satans Authority, which he hadnt gotten to do yet, while he rested.

    [Fuuu.]

    Balrog sighed in relief and looked at Kang-Woo.

    <em>"Weve lost far too much." </em>Kang-Woos words echoed in Balrogs head, and a bitter taste went through his mouth.

    <em>One day, once everything is over I hope you achieve happiness.</em>

    Balrog made a bitter smile as he felt tearsing to his eyes.

    * * *

    "Fuuu, fuuu."

    He hadpleted his fifth molting. Due to some dys, he had managed to molt five times in twenty days.

    "Done."

    Kang-Woo smiled. He could feel that his demonic energy had risen beyond recognition. He picked up the gem containing Belphegors demonic energy.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    He ate it.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have eaten the Prince of Sloth, Belphegor.]

    [Activating the Trait Reaper of Souls.]

    [Activating the Trait Prince yer.]

    [You can now use Prince Belphegors Authority of Stillness.]

    <em>Nice.</em>

    A smile appeared on Kang-Woos face.

    [Demonic Energy has risen to 154.]

    His Demonic Energy stat, which had been stagnant for a while, had also risen.

    <em>It only went up by four even when I ate a prince of Hell.</em>

    Still, it had risen. And the biggest gain was

    [Raising the rank of Trait Ruler of Demonic Energy to SSS in ordance with the improved demonic energy control.]

    [Demonic energy can now be converted to sacred power on top of mana.]

    [Demonic energy can now be used from a distance. However, its effectiveness decreases dramatically the further the distance.]

    <em>Shiiiet.</em>

    He clenched his fists.

    It was an unexpected gain. He could now exude as much golden sacred power as he wanted, just like how an apostle of Tirion, God of Heroes, should.

    And he was able to use demonic energy from a distance.

    <em>Thats the best thing.</em>

    To put it simply, he could now use Authorities that could only be used from the body, such as the Authority of des, from a distance.

    <em>Meaning, Ill also be able to use Inferno from a distance.</em>

    He could even use a powerful technique hed made bybining the Authority of a prince of Hell and the Authority of des from a distance.

    <em>And</em>

    Kang-Woo extended his hand toward a lizard on a rock twenty meters away.

    As he emitted demonic energy and centered it around the lizard, a huge amount of demonic energy started toe out of the lizard. The lizard looked almost like a demonic dragon that had lived for thousands of years.

    Kang-Woo converted his own demonic energy into sacred power, and he started to exude golden light. From the outside, it looked as if a warrior of light was fighting an evil demonic dragon.

    "I can use this."

    Kang-Woo made a thick smile.

    There was no need to even think about where to use it.

    He wasnt a swindler. As always, he was walking the path of justice and light. He could confidently look into the sky and say he wasnt ashamed of anything he had done, but

    "Man, I shouldnt be acting like this."

    Laughs kept leaking out.

    "Its so fucking nice."

    For some reason, his heart was beating faster.

    "Huehuehuehuehuehue."

 Chapter 274: Overturned (1)

    Chapter 274: Overturned (1)

    Oh Kang-Woo had finally returned to his normal daily routine. He had attained more than expected after five molting sessions, so he decided to give himself a gift.

    "Ah"

    He rxed on the bed and sunk into the soft mattress. It was as if hed be one with the bed, unmoving and unbreathing. He was so stuck to the bed that he might as well have used the Authority of Immobility.

    He pulled the nket right up to his neck, rxing in the warmth of the custom-made duck-feather nket hed specially ordered for this very day.

    "Aaah," he let out a short exmation. "This must be what they call happiness."

    A slow smile crept onto his face while he mumbled nonsense. It wasnt that he was falling asleep, but he felt happy beyond belief while lying in bed doing nothing.

    <em>Yeah, this is the life of a wealthy bum.</em>

    The seat of a demon king who ruled over the Nine Hells and the seat of an overlord who ruled the entire world were both meaningless.

    While they got up early to have meetings and a bunch of other shit, he could stay in bed and roll around while scratching his balls. Being a king was nothingpared to being a bum.

    <em>Im so fucking happy. This is what you call the good life.</em>

    He squirmed around his sheets while shivering in excitement.

    <em>m!</em>

    "Kang-Woo."

    At that moment, someone interrupted his rest. It was a ck-haired little girlno, she was on the verge of bing a finedy. She trotted toward the bed and shook him.

    "Youre gonna have the whole day off, right?"

    ""

    He didnt answer.

    "Youve been having it hard all this time, right, Kang-Woo? Ill y with you for the whole day."

    <em>Hm! Hm!</em>

    She shook his body while snorting.

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes as if he were deeply asleep. Hed just managed to get a free day, so he refused to get out of bed. He kept his eyes closed, just like a father trying to hide from his daughter who wanted to ask him to y with her on a Sunday.

    "Kang-Woo. I know youre not sleeping."

    Echidna pulled his arm, raised the nket, and tickled his side. That was not working, so she even jumped on top of him and bit his earlobe.

    "Urrrrgggghhhh." He could not endure her biting his earlobe, so he rose from the bed while sounding like a zombie.

    "Hehe."

    Echidna made a victory smile.

    Kang-Woos eyes widened.

    "Why are you bothering me so much?! Im not stepping one foot off this bed today!" he desperately cried.

    Echidna turned her head to the side and spoke in a sad voice.

    "But" She trembled as if she were a heartbroken heroine. "If I dont go this far you wont ever be interested in me!"

    ""

    Kang-Woo wondered what in the world Echidna was talking about. As he was looking up at her in disbelief, she smiled and made a V-sign with both her hands.

    "Its from a popr meme[1]."

    "Whats a meme?"

    "A buzzword. You dont know about memes when youve been on Earth for so long?"

    "Theres a bit of a generational gap."

    A gap of about ten millennia.

    Kang-Woo quickly reached out to Echidna, who was on his chest. He hugged her and tickled her sides.

    "Ahn! Wh-What are you doing, Kang-Woo?!"

    It was rare to see Echidna flustered. Kang-Woo smiled and tickled her armpits. "You dared to interrupt the kings rest, so you must be prepared to face the consequences."

    Although it was so cringe that he would vomit despite having said it himself, the words casually left his mouth so that he could y along with the situation.

    Echidna narrowed her eyes.

    "Kang-Woo, thats cringe."

    ""

    "I didnt know you were that kind of person."

    "Come on, shouldnt you be ying along?"

    "Im disappointed."

    Echidna snorted.

    Kang-Woos eyes trembled as if he were a protagonist who had just been betrayed.

    Then both Echidna and Kang-Woo burst intoughter.

    "Urgh."

    Kang-Woo got up from bed.

    "Kang-Woo, are you feeling okay?" Echidna carefully asked while pulling on his clothes.

    She had been trying her best to be fine, but her expression was soon dyed with sorrow and worry. She probably wondered if he had died or something.

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    "Impletely fine. I gained a lot too."

    "Kang-Woo, promise m"

    "Okay. I wont use it again unless its absolutely necessary."

    Kang-Woo patted her head. Echidna nodded while crying a bit.

    Molting was definitely a high-risk, high-return gamble; it was as insane as going all in consecutively in a casino. He would definitely die if he kept spamming it.

    "Promise?"

    "Yeah, promise."

    Kang-Woo went out to the living room with Echidna.

    Halcyon came running when he saw Kang-Woo.

    "Master Kang-Woo! Youre up!"

    Halcyon embraced Kang-Woo, his eyes shining like a beast.

    "Youre already up?" Han Seol-Ah asked, worried. "You could have rested a bit longer"

    "Because of this little troublemaker." Kang-Woo pinched Echidnas cheek.

    Seol-Ah red at her.

    Echidna flinched and hid behind Kang-Woo.

    "Well, I cant stay in bed all day." Kang-Woo smiled and sat on the couch. Even a bum had a daily schedule. Since the sun was up in the sky, he had to fill his stomach with warm stew. It was more than worth giving up on bing one with the bed.

    "Darling." Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah with shining eyes.

    Seol-Ahughed. She already knew what he wanted without him saying another word.

    "Just a few minutes. Ill have it ready in a sh."

    "Oh, Ill help."

    "Its okay. You can stay resting." Seol-Ah shook her head. "I heard you underwent some harsh training for the past twenty days, so you can leave everything to me for today."

    She hadnt heard the details of the training, but it had been so brutal that Echidna had bawled her eyes out in Seol-Ahs arms. She wanted to let Kang-Woo get some good rest for today.

    "Well if you insist."

    Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly and nodded. Being taken care of by someone else still felt awkward.

    "Then Kang-Woo, lets watch anime while we wait." Echidna pulled his arm.

    "N-No. Master Kang-Woo is g-going to stay with m-me."

    As if he didnt intend to lose, Halcyon pulled the other arm.

    ""

    Although he had flowers in both arms, one had yet to bloom, and the other had both a pistil and a stamen.

    <em>What is this?</em>

    It didnt feel right. He should be happy to be put in such a situation, but he was not for some reason.

    Kang-Woos arms were being pulled around.

    "Kang-Woos mine."

    "Y-Yours? Th-There you go again with your n-nonsense. D-Dont lie. I-I dont like liars."

    ""

    Seol-Ah remained silent while looking at Halcyon and Echidna. She narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, her eyes gleamed.

    "Kang-Woo."

    "Yeah?"

    Seol-Ah spread out her arms. Although she was wearing a baggy sweater, a certain area was heavily emphasized.

    Kang-Woos eyes widened. It was not hard to imagine what she wanted from him.

    "W-Were in front of the children"

    Kang-Woo had remained a virgin, at least with humans, for ten millennia. He averted his eyes from her gaze, thinking that this was a bit too much.

    Seol-Ahs eyes narrowed.

    "Kang-Woo?"

    "M-Mhmm."

    He looked around. Echidna and Halcyon had stopped pulling his arms and were tilting their heads.

    "Youre not going toe?" Seol-Ah asked in a low voice. For some reason, her voice was scary.

    He felt chills running through his skin. Kang-Woo couldnt resist anymore and approached Seol-Ah. As he lowered his head and adjusted his height, Seol-Ah hugged his head.

    "Good boy."

    ""

    It felt very weird for his head to be caressed. After she had nursed him in the past, her attitude had changed a bit. He could feel some sort of big sister energying from her. Such a feeling should be weird since he was almost four hundred times her age, but it did not feel that way for some reason.

    It was as if Seol-Ah was older than him.

    <em>In terms of age, Echidna is way older than Seol-Ah.</em>

    Purely in terms of age, Halcyon was actually the oldest one here. Ancient demonic beasts have been alive for a very long time.

    "Mm."

    "Fufu. Do you feel good?"

    Seol-Ah patted his back.

    There was no need to even ask. Kang-Woo enjoyed the soft sensation spreading through his cheeks.

    Seol-Ah raised her head and looked at the other two girls, whose facial expressions had hardened.

    "Heh."

    "Urgh!"

    She was making a smug smile.

    Halcyons face went red. He pped his wings in a fit and bit his lip.

    "H-How dare y-you t-treat Master Kang-Woo like a child"

    He cked his teeth while ring at Seol-Ah.

    "H-How e-enviI-I mean, the insolence"

    He ground his teeth, and extended his nails to scratch the wall in a fit, cutting the walls as if it were tofu.

    "Urghh."

    Still, he couldnt attack Seol-Ah because he knew that Seol-Ah was important to Kang-Woo. Halcyon stomped on the ground in frustration and groaned.

    Seol-Ah smiled and pped her hands together. "Oh, right. Why dont we go to the supermarket together, Kang-Woo?"

    "The supermarket?"

    "Were out of pork, so we need to go buy some."

    "Hmm? I checked yesterday, and there were still a ton lef"

    "Were out."

    Seol-Ah smiled.

    Kang-Woo gulped and nodded.

    "Right. Lets go, Kang-Woo. In the meantime, you two can look over the house," she said firmly to Echidna and Halcyon.

    Seol-Ah slightly pulled Kang-Woos clothes and walked toward the door, humming.

    ""

    "Urghhh."

    The two left behind red at them as Seol-Ah and Kang-Woo left.

    * * *

    " Wouldnt it have been better if we had brought them as well?"

    "Its been a while since weve been alone together." Seol-Ah smiled while slightly sticking her tongue out.

    Kang-Woo smirked at her attitude, which wasnt like her usual self.

    <em>Its probably because</em>

    It seemed hed made her worry.

    It was no wonder. Although she had not been told the details of the molting process, she likely had an idea of how serious it was from seeing Echidna and Halcyon.

    "Alright. Since were here, lets take our time looking ar"

    As he grabbed Seol-Ahs hand and was about to go, he stopped in his tracks. His eyes narrowed.

    "It has been a while." The silver-haired angel, Shalgiel, was blocking his path. He stared at Seol-Ah with an intense gaze and said, "There is something I must tell you."

    1. Its from a gag post in 2018 about what seemed to be a guy venting about their little sister who hates him, but slowly turns into a weeb post about a tsundere little sister who had been acting that way to get his attention all this time. The phrase that Echidna used was widely spread across many forms of Korean media.

 Chapter 275: Overturned (2)

    Chapter 275: Overturned (2)

    Oh Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and asked, "What could it be about for you to bring this many soldiers?"

    There were ten angels in front of him, and easily dozens more were hiding along the alleyways. Practically the entirety of Raphaels forces was here. The energying from the angels wasnt normal, either, which meant that theyd brought only the elites among Raphaels forces.

    Kang-Woo frowned due to the air they were giving off; it was as if the angels hade ready for war.

    ""

    Shalgiel silently looked at Han Seol-Ah.

    Seol-Ah hid behind Kang-Woo, flinching. Shed only seen angels from a distance in the war against the Demon Cult back in Russia.

    "I knew it but why?" Shalgiel opened his mouth in disbelief and grabbed his forehead while feigningughter.

    "Shalgiel."

    "Ah, my apologies." Shalgiel shook his head at Kang-Woos call.

    "What is it that you must tell me?"

    " Before that, may I first ask what the nature of your rtionship with this woman is?" he asked while pointing to Seol-Ah.

    "Shes my lover," Kang-Woo calmly said.

    "Hah." Shalgielughed in disbelief and red at Kang-Woo in obvious rage. "A human lover I can see that you know absolutely nothing, Kang-Woo."

    ""

    Kang-Woo was bing irritated with Shalgiel for evading his question and having such an attitude.

    <em>Calm down.</em>

    He quelled his irritation. It was very important to maintain a good rtionship with angels. He couldnt let emotional outbursts influence his actions.

    <em>Especially now.</em>

    Uriel would soon arrive on Earth.

    Kang-Woo forced a smile and calmly said, "Could you exin what it is that I dont know?"

    "Have angel wing symbols appeared on this humansI mean, thisdys back?"

    "!"

    Kang-Woos eyes widened. It was the same for Seol-Ah, who had been listening next to him. She looked at Kang-Woo as if she were asking if hed told anyone about it.

    "How did you know that?" Kang-Woo asked in a sharp voice.

    It was true that hed considered asking the angels about it, but it had been nothing but a consideration; he had not told them yet.

    Shalgiel calmly exined, "While investigating Guardians, I coincidentally learned about her."

    ""

    Kang-Woo didnt intend to ask him why hed been investigating them. It was understandable that theyd try to see if the organization theyd allied with was trustworthy.

    "So, what do the angel wings mean?" Kang-Woo asked.

    ""

    Shalgiel closed his eyes. There was a bit of hesitation in his expression.

    He sighed.

    "It is a soul."

    " A soul?"

    "The soul of Lady Seraph lies within her."

    "The fuck you say?"

    Kang-Woo unconsciously ended up cursing from Shalgiels absurd words. He looked at Shalgiel with his mouth agape.

    <em>Is he crazy?</em>

    There was a limit to how random someone could be.

    Kang-Woo red at Shalgiel as if Shalgiel were talking out of his ass, but he didnt seem to be lying. There was no way someone would joke in a situation like this.

    <em>By Seraph, he means</em>

    Hed heard that name before.

    Celestial Goddess Seraphthe angel who had defeated Bauli alongside Gaia and the Heavenly Dragon. The Constetions of Evil were all sealed away because she had sacrificed her own Divinity.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah.

    She didnt seem to know how to react to what Shalgiel had just said.

    <em>Seraphs soul is inside Seol-Ah?</em>

    There had actually been clues about what it could have been.

    <em>Back then</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the brilliant light that hade out of her back in the dungeonthe light that had burned him. The power had been far stronger than the maximum power output that he, who had be stronger than his past self in Hell, could release.

    <em>If Seraphs soul is behind that power</em>

    It was enough of an answer to satisfy him, but that was all there was to it. He was not satisfied with the underlying cause.

    "Why is Seraphs soul inside Seol-Ah?"

    " Do not speak her name disrespectfully. It is not one that you can use however you want."

    "Is that important right now?" Kang-Woo frowned.

    Shalgiel groaned. "As for why her soul is inside a human womanand in a human from another dimension, no lessI do not know either. Oh But I have a theory as to why the soul is in a different dimension."

    " What is it?"

    "We have confirmed that Lady Gaias power had also weakened significantly when Lady Seraphs seal had significantly weakened. It likely has to do with the Demon of Prophecy."

    "Then"

    "Yes. I believe Lady Seraphs soul had fallen through the giant hole made between the dimensions."

    ""

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    It was simple. To make aparison, Huan, Aernor, and Earth were like threeyers of breakwater that protected against the forces of the outer world. If oneyer copsed, it would naturally affect the other twoyers as well.

    "So, what is it that you want to say?" Kang-Woo asked.

    It was honestly hard to believe, but there was no way an angel would say something so absurd as Seol-Ah possessing Seraphs soul without any proof. They had likely brought it up after investigating very thoroughly.

    Now, it was time to hear why he was talking about this.

    Shalgiel said, "We need her help."

    " Help with what?"

    "Lady Seraphs power is weakening each second. Before that powerpletely disappears we have to return the soul to its rightful ce."

    "That means"

    "Yes. We need the soul that she possesses. If everything goes as nned there is a chance that Lady Seraph will be revived within her."

    ""

    There was silence.

    Seol-Ah looked back and forth between Kang-Woo and Shalgiel, not having fully understood what had just been said.

    Kang-Woo slowly opened his mouth.

    "What will happen to Seol-Ah if Seraph is revived?"

    "Well" Shalgiel slurred. After organizing his thoughts, he calmly spoke again. "She will share her consciousness with Lady Seraph. You could think of it as coexisting"

    "We refuse," he said firmly.

    Kang-Woo red at Shalgiel.

    <em>Coexisting, my ass.</em>

    There was no way the soul of the Celestial Goddess could coexist with a mere human.

    Even thinking about Lilith, who had entered the body of Kurosaki Yurie, Kurosaki Yurie had fallen into an indefinite slumber after her soul had been pushed aside by Liliths.

    <em>But coexist, you say? You think Im sharing my consciousness with Bauli without a care in the world?</em>

    Bauli had not been able to take control of Kang-Woos body due to Kang-Woos exceptional demonic energy control. If he had been nothing but a puppet like Bauli had hoped, his soul would have been devoured already.

    "Uhm Kang-Woo. What is going on?"

    "You dont have to pay it any mind." Kang-Woo pulled Seol-Ah close to him. He said to Shalgiel, "If you have nothing else to say, we will be on our way."

    ""

    Shalgiel stared at Kang-Woo.

    "As expected of a human," he mumbled and clicked his tongue. "Surround them."

    The angels hiding around them appeared and surrounded Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah.

    " What is the meaning of this?"

    Kang-Woos eyes narrowed.

    Shalgiel spoke in a heavy voice. "It was my mistake for having the tiniest expectations for a human."

    ""

    "We will be taking that woman," he said firmly as if he would notpromise for anything else.

    Kang-Woo grimaced.

    <em>Endure it.</em>

    He clenched his fists. His hands were shaking. He took a deep breath and quelled his overflowing rage.

    <em>If I let my emotions run wild, its over.</em>

    He had done his best to maintain a coborative rtionship with the angels, even going as far as to do that shitshow with Ludwig. It had all been to ensure Guardians and the angels would work together.

    <em>We need the angels.</em>

    To be more precise, he couldnt afford to antagonize them. They had been growing in power while the Ninth Hell had been at war for a thousand years. Raphael, Uriel, Gabriel, and their leader Michael possessed great power. Not only that, but their goal was the same as Kang-Woosto eliminate all demonic beings from the world and bring forth peace.

    <em>I cant do that alone.</em>

    He wasnt a godhe couldnt be everywhere all at once.

    Earth was in an extreme crisis; the Demon of Prophecy and the Four Heavenly Kings were not the biggest issue.

    <em>Earth is being invaded by the Nine Hells itself.</em>

    It was clear to see with demonic beasts and even Halcyon, an ancient demonic beast, appearing within the Gates. Even if the Demon Cult and the summoning rituals did not exist, Earth was bing more and more exposed to the outer world.

    It wasnt just the Nine Hells. Earth currently had no defenses to block invasions from any other world. If they antagonized the angels in such a situation

    <em>It would be the end.</em>

    Kang-Woo might be able to survive, but Earth wouldnt be able to withstand a full-fledged war.

    <em>And most importantly</em>

    Angels were connected to godstheyde to Earth after receiving a request from Uranus. Fighting them also meant that they would be crossing the gods backing the angels.

    "Fuuu." Kang-Woo took a deep breath and calmly said, "I want to talk to Lord Raphael."

    "Lord Raphael is currently recovering in the Embrace of Light. Besides, nothing would change even if you talk to him."

    " Are you forcing Seol-Ah to sacrifice herself?"

    "If it is necessary."

    Shalgiel raised his hand. A few angels approached and grabbed Seol-Ah.

    "Kyaaa!"

    Kang-Woo raised his brows. He pushed away the angels grabbing Seol-Ah. Although hed pushed them slightly, the angels were blown away.

    "Are you going to resist to the very end?" Shalgiel said in irritation. "I am sure you are aware of your current situation."

    ""

    "Or would you like to take this chance to check if Lord Uranus also feels the same way?"

    Shalgiel knew about the rtionship between Guardians and the angels very wellthey werent on equal terms.

    The angels had simplye to help because they had been asked to. Although their objective to eradicate demons was the same, there was no need to even discuss the power dynamic between the two sides.

    ""

    Kang-Woo stopped in his tracks.

    Shalgiel smirked.

    The angels walked toward Kang-Woo and grabbed his shoulders, pushing him down.

    Kang-Woo didnt resist and kneeled.

    "K-Kang-Woo"

    Seol-Ahs voice trembled. She looked at the angels with uneasy eyes and gulped.

    "I still dont understand entirely what is going on, but youre saying that you need my help, right?"

    "Yes. If Lady Seraph is revived, humans will not have to fear demons any longer."

    "Ah" Seol-Ah let out a short exmation, then she nodded and smiled. "If so, then I can do it as long as it ensures Kang-Woos safety."

    There was a short silence.

    ""

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes.

    The situation was simple. Their rtionship with the angels couldnt get ruined, and Seraphs seal was getting weaker. If Seraph was revived and consolidated the seal, a deity would join them as their ally.

    Not just that, since Seraph was of the same rank as Gaia, she could possibly restore a portion of the protective barrier surrounding Earth. At the very least, she would be able to prevent beings of the outer world from invading Earth.

    If Seol-Ah, just one person, sacrificed herself, Kang-Woo could obtain the peaceful life hed yearned for for ten millennia.

    So it was an easy choice to make.

    "Haaa." Kang-Woo sighed deeply. "You fucking pigeons have gone too far."

    " What did you say?" Shalgiels eyes shone sharply. He was not fully used to the humannguage, but he could easily tell that Kang-Woo had insulted them.

    "Dont try to act like you didnt hear me, dumbass. Are you the lead of a loveedy or something?"

    "You insolent!"

    mes poured out of Shalgiels eyes. As he was about to unsheathe his sword, he bit his lip and opened his mouth instead.

    " I understand your anger. I am sure you are even more disconcerted since this human woman is your lover."

    He held in his rage.

    "This sacrifice is for the greater good. This world and all of its people could be protected from the hands of demons with the sacrifice of one mere human."

    ""

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    He got up.

    "Huh? Huuuh?"

    A flustered murmur came out of the angel that was holding him down.

    Kang-Woo reached out and grabbed the angels head.

    "Hey, you."

    He stared right at Shalgiel.

    "I was solo for ten fucking millennia, okay? Its been so excruciatingly painful having no one by my side to embrace me. There wasnt even porn for me to watch, man. Do you know what I had at the very least? Huh? Do you?"

    He had pus-spewing green tentacles.

    "The world is in danger? The seal is about to break?"

    He didnt give a fuck.

    <em>Crush.</em>

    The head of the angel he was holding exploded.

    White blood and brain matter wet his hand.

    "I cant live without my darling, you bastards."

    The alliance with the angels that hed built through so much effort was overturned.

 Chapter 276: My Way (1)

    Chapter 276: My Way (1)

    "Wh-What the!!"

    Shalgiels eyes widened as he saw his subordinates head explode.

    His vision slowed down, and everything unfolded in slow motion; he clearly saw the skull shatter, the brain burst, and the white blood pour. He quickly extended his hand, but it had been toote.

    He red at Oh Kang-Woo. Biting his lip, he shouted, "H-how dare you!! Are you out of your mind, human?!"

    Kang-Woo had done more than just kill a single angel. Hed broken the rtionship between two organizations and had pushed a star to ruin.

    It was as if a diplomat from a superpower hade to a weak nation after receiving a request for assistance and died there. It could even lead to a war between the angels and humans.

    "What do you expect me to do?"

    Despite having done something absolutely insane, Kang-Woo was calm.

    No. It was as if he hadnt even hesitated.

    Kang-Woo extended his hand, and the heads of the angels holding Seol-Ah also exploded.

    "K-Kang-Woo?!" Seol-Ah eximed.

    Kang-Woo pulled Seol-Ah toward him after she was freed from the angels, embracing her with one hand.

    "You son of a" Shalgiel ground his teeth at the unexpected development of events. "I see, so this is your answer."

    There was no mistaking Kang-Woos intentionshe was going to choose war for the sake of a single human. He had been blinded by emotions and had sacrificed the greater good.

    It was a choice so stupid and ignorant that Shalgiel should have expected such from a human.

    "I feel ashamed for the bit of hope I held for humanity."

    Without hesitation, Shalgiel unsheathed his sword.

    Raphael had high hopes for humans, but that wasnt the case for Shalgiel.

    He remembered his time in Aernor beforeing to Earth. Forget focusing on eradicating demons, they were too busy fighting for their own interests and ambitions, despite Evil God Lucifer being alive.

    Earth was no different. Even if the world and cultures were different, in the end, they were humans.

    "Hope, my ass," Kang-Woo said. "Big words from a guy who brought all these people."

    Just the fact that Shalgiel had brought nearly a hundred subordinates proved that he had never intended to solve this peacefully.

    Kang-Woo couldnt help butugh in disbelief at Shalgiels words. He provoked Shalgiel with a beckoning wave.

    "Try to take her if you can."

    A smile crept onto his face. Since hed decided to flip the table, there was no need to put on a performance. He didnt need anyplicated calctions or schemeshe could just run as wild as he wanted.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    The buildings around them shook, and a breathtakingly dense demonic energy surged from Kang-Woo.

    "What?"

    Shalgiels eyes widened. The human was enveloped in ck demonic energy.

    <em>No.</em>

    His body trembledhed never felt demonic energy this thick before.

    Even Satan wasnt at this level.

    "Wh-What in the world?"

    Shalgiel grabbed his head in chaos.

    Kang-Woo was one of the core members of Guardians; he was the apostle whod inherited the power of Tirion, God of Heroes. Despite that, he was able to emit such powerful demonic energy?

    "N-No way."

    He recalled that evil ritual and how it had summoned Kang-Woo.

    "Y-You are"

    The thought that they had been deceived crossed his mind, and his mouth fell open in shock.

    "Youuuuu!!"

    Shalgiel gripped his sword tighter as an intense white light poured from his weapon.

    <em>We had all been deceived.</em>

    He, Raphael, Guardians everyone had been dancing in that demons hands.

    <em>Then</em>

    Shalgiel looked at Seol-Ah. To be more precise, he was looking at Seraphs slumbering soul within her.

    "Sh-Shit. So that was it!!" Shalgiel eximed.

    Kang-Woo must have already known everything. He had known that Seraphs soul was inside the human woman, so he had seduced her.

    Just like

    Rakiel.

    "Kill that demon!!" Shalgiel cried out.

    The delicate woman that the demon was holding

    He felt like he could see Seraph crying in the Demon Kings grasp.

    "We must save Lady Seraph from that demon at all costs!!" he desperately shouted.

    Kang-Woo chuckled.

    "Man, now that I think about it, this paints a funny picture."

    He started tough out loud.

    From an outside point of view, it definitely looked like an angel was being held hostage by a demon.

    <em>How fun.</em>

    He smiled and felt that he could use it.

    "Darling. Im sure youre confused, but just give me a few minutes."

    "H-Huh? K-Kang-Woo?"

    Seol-Ah was trembling as if she couldnt understand what was happening. She knew that Kang-Woo was a demon, but she never thought that hed kill an angel so easily. After all, he had always been the one to emphasize the importance of their alliance with the angels.

    <em>A-All for me</em>

    There was no need to think too deeply about why Kang-Woo was doing something so absurd.

    Seol-Ah bit her lip. She would be lying if she said that she wasnt happy, but she was more worried about Kang-Woo.

    <em>Kang-Woo.</em>

    She started to tear up.

    She couldnt understand anything about Seraph or the seal, but she could understand that Kang-Woo was trying to protect her even if that meant he had to give up on many of the things hed worked hard for.

    He didnt mind causing a war if that meant hed be able to save her.

    <em>"Do you know why the king had dered war on the princes of Hell?</em>

    <em>"It was because of that massive ball of muscles over there."</em>

    She finally understood what Lilith had said in the past.

    <em>Ba-dump, ba-dump.</em>

    Her heart started to beat faster, and she started to feel thirsty, her chest feeling hot. She momentarily thought that she shouldnt be feeling this way, but

    "Haaa."

    She let out a breath full of yearning and looked at Kang-Woo with hazy eyes. She couldnt see it, but the wing symbols on her back flickered ck for a very short moment.

    Without noticing that change, Kang-Woo shouted toward the angels, "You can say goodbye to Seraph if you take one more step!"

    "Kuh!"

    The angels stopped moving.

    Kang-Woo burst intoughter.

    "Shiiiet, this actually works?"

    "You wicked demon!"

    "Yes, I am a demon~"

    <em>Kekeke</em>.

    Kang-Woo burst intoughter.

    <em>Crack!!</em>

    He swung his hand horizontally. The Ruler of Demonic Energy Trait, which had risen to SSS rank, activated. A storm of ck des appeared in the air and engulfed the angels.

    "Kurgh!"

    "Gaaah!"

    Screams echoed, and Kang-Woo hummed.

    "L-Lord Shalgiel!"

    "Kuh! Sh-Shit!!"

    Shalgiel trembled in bewilderment. The human with Seraphs soul was being held hostage, so there was nothing they could do.

    "Huehuehuehuehuehue!"

    The demon king continued tough and move his hands. ck des appeared wherever he gestured, and attacked the angels.

    Not only would they have lost when fighting the demon king head on, he even had a hostage, hindering their actions. There was no need to wonder who would win.

    "Shit! All forces, attack at once!!"

    Shalgiel stomped on the ground and leaped forward. They wouldnt stand a chance just standing around as they were all killed. They had to end things quickly so that the demon king couldnt think about using the hostage.

    "Haap!"

    He held up his sword, which was shining with brilliant sacred power, and rose up into the air by pping his six wings. He meant to split the demons head in two, but

    "Are you sure you wanna do that?"

    Kang-Woo grabbed Seol-Ahs neck. Of course, he had no intention of hurting her.

    <em>But</em>

    "Kuh!"

    Shalgiels sword stopped, and Kang-Woo burst intoughter.

    "Pfft! Kahahahah!"

    It was truly ironic; the one that Kang-Woo was protecting while bearing the risk of war was being used to make his enemies powerless.

    Shalgiels face turned red.

    "Y-you son of a bitch!"

    "Yeah, yeah~ Im a son of a bitch, Im a scumbag, Im a filthy demon, I disgust you, h h h. Say whatever you want~"

    Those were all things hed heard during the thousand-year war.

    Kang-Woo slowly walked toward Shalgiel. Even while walking, he waved his hands and massacred the angels. Slowly approaching, he lightly pped Shalgiels cheek.

    "Are you angry? Huh?"

    "Y-you!"

    "If youre angry you know what to do, right?"

    <em>Kakakaka.</em>

    Once again, he burst intoughter.

    Any sign of logical thought disappeared from Shalgiels eyes. Without even infusing sacred power into his sword, Shalgiel charged at Kang-Woo.

    "Aaarrrggghhh!!!"

    "Shiiiet, it worked like a charm."

    Kang-Woo smirked and narrowed his eyes as he dodged.

    <em>Authority of the Beholder.</em>

    His senses expanded, and he saw everything around him in a birds-eye view. He counted the remaining angels.

    <em>Twenty-three.</em>

    Hed really killed a lot.

    Kang-Woo leisurely waved his hand again.

    It wasnt enough.

    He kept killing the angels who were standing still and unsure of what to do.

    <em>Its so damn easy.</em>

    It was so easy to the point of being boring. No wonder hostage situations were so difficult to resolve, especially since there was no way theyd be able to give up on the hostage.

    "Kuh!"

    He even saw a couple of angels trying to escapethey pped their wings and rose into the air.

    Kang-Woo flicked his fingers toward them.

    A ck spear appeared in the air and pierced through them.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    <em>I cant let even a single one escape.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes sank.

    <em>Now that Ive made aplete mess</em>

    He had to fix it however he could. His head was already hurting from how he could possibly fix this, so he couldnt leave things like this.

    <em>We have to avoid war at all costs.</em>

    He couldnt let the already-small Guardians forces be reduced due to this.

    Kang-Woos eyes shone sharply as he looked at Shalgiel, who was charging at him in madness.

    <em>If I want to find a way</em>

    He needed more information.

    "Arrgghh!! Y-You son of a biiiiiitch!!"

    "Right, now that Ive taken care of the rest"

    Kang-Woo let go of Seol-Ah and jumped into the air. He grabbed Shalgiels head and rammed it into the ground.

    "Kurgh!"

    Shalgiel screamed.

    "Y-You"

    Shalgiel looked up at Kang-Woo from the ground with eyes full of rage, resentment, and malice. His face was so distorted that it was hard to believe he was an angel.

    "Alright, there are a lot of things that I want to ask you," Kang-Woo said.

    "Kuh! Do you seriously believe I will answer a demons questions?"

    "I do."

    Kang-Woo nodded without hesitation. He lowered his head and whispered in Shalgiels ears, "Because, you see, if you dont answer my questions Seraphs soul will be annihted right here and now."

    The demon smiled brightly.

 Chapter 277: My Way (2)

    Chapter 277: My Way (2)

    "Y-You bastard"

    Shalgiels eyes were trembling. He could see from Han Seol-Ahs reaction that she was truly in love with him. Although he himself had pressured her, she had also been willing to sacrifice herself for the human Oh Kang-Woo.

    <em>But</em>

    To think that someone who imed to be her lover would take her hostage as soon as he showed his true colors. The bloodlusting out of Kang-Woo was telling Shalgiel that he was not lying.

    He was really trying to kill that woman.

    Shalgiel trembled.

    <em>How evil!</em>

    He cked his teeth. Although demons were known to be like that, hed never seen trash like him before.

    <em>Not even Demon God Lucifer had ever harmed the woman he loved!</em>

    There was no line that the demon Oh Kang-Woo wouldnt cross. Kang-Woo was crazy and out of his mind. He was even more of a demon than a demon. He was a cold person who controlled the world as he pleased.

    "Kuh"

    "What? Do you think Im lying?" Kang-Woo smiled wickedly. He yanked Seol-Ah, who was standing in a daze, and embraced her.

    "y along for a bit," he whispered.

    "Wh-What are you trying to do to her?!" Shalgiel quickly shouted.

    Kang-Woo licked Seol-Ahs cheek.

    "Now that I think about it, annihtion might not be enough. How about we try something different?"

    "Wh-What?"

    "Think about it. Arent you intrigued?" He roughly grabbed Seol-Ahs well-endowed chest and smiled as filthily as he could. "What do you think would happen if Celestial Goddess Seraph conceived a demons child?"

    "Wh-Wha!"

    Shalgiels eyes widened. Just thinking about it made him want to vomit.

    Although she had not awakened yet, Seraphs soul was certainly lying dormant within that womans body. In other words, if that woman conceived a child

    "A-Aaaahh."

    Shalgiel was in so much despair that he could not even form words.

    Kang-Woo smiled and took a nce at Seol-Ah.

    "Ah"

    Seol-Ahs cheeks reddened, and she shyly shook her head.

    "O-Oh, Kang-Woo"

    <em>Hm?</em>

    "Wh-What are you saying in a ce like this?"

    <em>Uhm, excuse me? Darling?</em>

    She jumped in embarrassment with her hands on her cheeks.

    Kang-Woo felt anxious.

    <em>What the fuck?</em>

    Seol-Ah wasnt helping at all. Kang-Woo understood how confusing this had to all be for her, but she was not dense enough to not understand what was going on.

    But despite that

    " I-Im fine with it."

    <em>Youre fine with what?</em>

    It seemed she wasnt nning on ying along. He took his hand off her chest and covered her mouth. Her breaths, which were very heated for some reason, tickled his fingers.

    <em>Fuck, I hope he hasnt realized.</em>

    He shot Shalgiel an anxious look. Thankfully, Shalgiel still seemed to be in shock.

    Kang-Woo sighed in relief.

    "So what will you do?" Kang-Woo asked subtly.

    Shalgiel looked down.

    "Promise me," he said reluctantly, "that you will noty a finger on Lady Seraph."

    "Hmm~ Im not sure if I can. Shes far too beautiful for me not to do anything, you see."

    "You bastard!!"

    "Hahahaha! Alright. Dont get so angry. I promise. Oh, you might not be able to believe me, but I am a man of my word," he said in a halfughing tone.

    Shalgiel clenched his eyes shut and asked in a trembling voice, "What do you want to ask?"

    <em>Great.</em>

    A smile appeared on Kang-Woos face.

    Shalgiel had dered his loss. All that Kang-Woo needed now was to collect evidence needed for a twist.

    "First, how much does Raphael know about this incident?"

    " H-He already knows everything. He also has a notion of your true identity," Shalgiel answered while averting his gaze.

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    Shalgiels voice was uneasy, his hands were trembling, and his teeth were cking.

    <em>Come on.</em>

    He wouldnt be able to fool anyone like that.

    <em>Crack!!</em>

    "Aaarrrggghhh!!"

    Kang-Woo grabbed one of Shalgiels wings. He rammed Shalgiels head into the ground with his foot and pulled on the wing, ripping it out with the sound of crushing bone. White feathers fell like snow.

    "Shalgiel."

    Kang-Woo grabbed his silver hair and brought his face closer to Shalgiels.

    "I said that I would keep my word, didnt I? But youre not keeping yours? Hm? What should I do with you?"

    "Kurgh, urgh."

    Shalgiels body trembled, and his lips paled from the pain surging through his body.

    He closed his eyes and opened his mouth.

    "Lord Raphael is currently recovering from his wounds within the Embrace of Light. Todays events are purely of my own ord."

    "Good, thats better. That aside, what is the Embrace of Light?"

    "It is a capsule filled with sacred power. Anyone who enters will be able to heal their wounds quickly, but"

    "It must be isted from all contact with the outside world."

    " Correct."

    Shalgiel nodded.

    Kang-Woo licked his lips with great interest.

    "Then, are you saying that he has been treating his wounds since our meeting?"

    " Yes."

    "Shalgiel, what did I just say?"

    "Kuh!"

    Shalgiel flinched.

    He bit his lip and said, "He has been researching."

    "Researching?"

    "He has been looking through materials on why Rakiel fell, how Demon God Bauli was able to tempt him and how Rakiel managed to make other angels fall, among other things."

    "Research, huh?"

    Kang-Woos eyes shone. An outline of a n was taking form in his head.

    "When is Urieling to Earth?"

    "I-I do not know that either."

    Shalgiel shook his head. He didnt seem to be lying.

    Kang-Woo asked him a few more questions about the angels, but not even Raphaels right arm, Shalgiel, knew much about their internal affairs.

    "Well, Ive heard more than enough."

    Kang-Woo smiled widely. He wasnt exactly sure what he needed to do, and he didnt have a fully thought-out n, but he had grasped on to a sliver of hope.

    Considering that hed overturned everything while being prepared to really go to war, it was an incredible achievement.

    " And what about your promise?" Shalgiel looked at Seol-Ah with trembling eyes.

    Kang-Woo grabbed his shoulders. "Dont worry, man. Well have three kids and live happily ever after."

    "Th-That is not what you promised!!"

    Shalgiels eyes widened. He twisted around as if he were having a seizure.

    "You bastard!! How dare you try to defile Lady Seraph with your filthy member?!"

    "You motherf It isnt dirty. I clean it every single day, just in case."

    <em>Though nothing has happened yet.</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned. He didnt say thatst part.

    "Th-Thats right! Its not dirty! Ive seen it before!" Seol-Ah shouted.

    "Huh?"

    Suddenly, the atmosphere became chilly.

    "A-Ah! U-Uhmm I-Its not what you think. U-Uhh!" Seol-Ah quickly began shaking her hand as if shed only just realized what she had just said.

    "When did you"

    "I-I misspoke. Please forget I said anything."

    "No, wait"

    "I-Its your fault for falling so deeply asleep, r-right? You think so too, right, Kang-Woo?"

    "I dont."

    "Th-Things like this are bound to happen if we live together. Th-thats right. It was an ident! An ident!"

    "Lifting my clothes while I was sleeping was an ident?"

    "Of c-c-c-c-c-course! It was beyond my control!"

    Seol-Ah furiously nodded.

    ""

    There was a heavy silence.

    Shalgiel looked at both of them in confusion at what the hell was going on, his mouth agape.

    "Uhh Mm."

    Kang-Woo was also troubledhe felt that all his acting had been blown away at once.

    <em>I wont ask Seol-Ah to act ever again.</em>

    She was like a ticking time bomb.

    He missed the Oscar-winning Gaia.

    "Sorry, man," he said to Shalgiel apologetically. "I at least wanted to give you a cool send-off."

    Kang-Woo wanted him to die while saying something cool like "Mark my words, you will receive the judgment of light one day!" or something along those lines, but things had gone awry.

    Kang-Woo patted Shalgiels shoulder as if truly sorry.

    "Goodbye, man. I wont forget you."

    "Wait What in the world is"

    <em>Stab.</em>

    He pierced Shalgiels chest with his hand, grabbed his heart, and squeezed it so hard that it exploded.

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath and activated hismunication crystal orb.

    <em>- What can I do for you, Master?</em>

    "Vaal Zahak. Bring over your Undead and collect all the angel corpses here."

    After giving a shortmand, he cut themunication.

    ""

    His eyes met Seol-Ahs.

    She looked around and bit her lip.

    "Kang-Woo"

    It was as if she wasnt sure what to do and was surprised that Kang-Woo had acted so differently from the Kang-Woo she knew.

    Kang-Woo grabbed her hands and calmly said, "Stay here for now and go back with Vaal Zahak once he arrives, okay?"

    "Wh-What about you?!"

    "I have something I have to do first, so Ill be heading off to do that."

    ""

    "I know you dont understand what just happened. Im sure you must be confused out of your mind."

    Shed seen Kang-Woos true face for the first time, so there was no way she wouldnt be surprised.

    He said, "You said before that you wanted to know more about me, right?"

    "Ah, yes! I-I do."

    "Once this is over, Ill tell you. So for now, stay here and go back with Vaal Zahak."

    ""

    Seol-Ah nodded.

    Leaving her behind, Kang-Woo immediately opened a gate leading to the Hall of Protection.

    <em>Its a race against time.</em>

    He needed to move quicker than anyone else to clean up the mess he had made.

    * * *

    "I guess he really had brought as many forces as he possibly could."

    Kang-Wooughed in disbelief as he looked over the empty angel fortress. There were neither gatekeepers guarding the entrance nor any patrol guards within the fortress.

    "Tsk."

    He clicked his tongue and used the Authority of Stealth. He jumped and infiltrated the fortress. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he looked around and activated the Authority of the Beholder.

    <em>I want to find Raphael, whos apparently in the Embrace of Light, but</em>

    There was something that he had to find before thathe went to Raphaels study. There were countless books piled up.

    "Are these all rted to Rakiel?"

    He had expected Raphael to not have been able to research much since not much time had passed, but there were far more materials than he had thought.

    He looked at Raphaels notes lying on the table. The research progress of Rakiels fall was neatly recorded by date.

    ""

    He narrowed his eyes.

    <em>This is</em>

    A slow smile crept onto his face, and he felt shivers of excitement.

    Just then

    <em>Whoom.</em>

    The white crystal orb on the table shone.

    [Hey! Raphael!! Its Uriel. What the hells taking you so long to answer?]

    Kang-Woo heard the clear and sonorous voice of a little boy.

    [Hihi, I heard you got floored by Satan, but you actually got hurt for real? Im curious. Turn on the feed already!]

    ""

    Kang-Woo silently listened to Uriel moring all by himself.

    [Anyway, things here are pretty much over, so Ill be heading to Earth once the portal to Earth forms in about a week. Everythings okay over there, right?]

    Kang-Woo licked his lips when he heard the cheerful voice. His eyes shone.

    <em>Come to think of it, I guess there was no need to even think about it.</em>

    <em>Kekeke</em>.

    A vulgarugh left Kang-Woos mouth.

    <em>It wouldve been so simple if Id done this from the start.</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly extended his hand. Just like hed said, there was no need to think or hesitate. He just had to do things his way. He would do what he did best and had always done masterfully.

    <em>ck.</em>

    [Oh, you finally answered the call. Hey! Raphael!! What have you been doing?!]

    Kang-Woo slowly opened his mouth.

    "Lord Uriel"

    [Huh? Shalgiel? Why are you picking up instead of Raphael?]

    Shalgiels voice wasing out of Kang-Woos mouth.

    "My apol It is already toote for Lord Raph"

    [What? What do you mean?]

    "Rakiel has corrupted Lord RaphKurgh."

    [Hey! Wh-What? What are you talking about?!]

    "Sh-Shit! This ce is already <em>Cough!</em> Lord Uriel stay aw"

    <em>Beep.</em>

    Themunication was cut. The tips of Kang-Woos mouth curled up.

    "Now, lets set the stage."

 Chapter 278: Setting The Stage

    Chapter 278: Setting The Stage

    In the northern reaches of Aernor, a giant ind over 20 km in diameter floated in the sky. Pure-white pces were built all over the ind, and hundreds of angels flew around in the sky.

    It was the ind of angels, SantAngelo. The ind was directly connected to the celestial realm and acted as the base of all angels.

    <em>BOOM!</em>

    A loud explosion was heard within a breathtakingly beautiful castle.

    "Shit! Form the goddamn Gate already!!"

    "L-Lord Uriel"

    A boy with short blue hair was yelling at angels far taller than him. He was only as tall as an average human, his height unlike an angels average height of three meters. If one didnt know any better, it would look like a little boy was scolding grown adults, but that was not the case.

    "W-We apologize."

    The angels lowered their heads without even daring to go against the boy.

    The blue-haired boy, Uriel, pped his eight wings.

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    Blue lightning spread in all directions with the sound of thunder.

    Biting his lip, Uriel said, "Is apologizing all you can do? Huh? We cant even check Raphaels condition. What have you upper angels been doing until things turned out like this?"

    He looked like a young boy throwing a tantrum, but the upper angels just lowered their heads and gulped. The six wings behind their backs were trembling.

    Upper angels possessed the highest authority after the archangels. Their role was to constantly keep tabs on the schedules and status of the archangels, who were scattered across the world to do their own missions. To make aparison, the upper angels were like the secretaries of CEOs. It was their duty to know what each archangel was doing at all times.

    "Sh-Shalgiel has not been reportingtely because he has been executing the mission given to him by Lord Raphael, so"

    "So youre ming Shalgiel?"

    Uriel red at him.

    The upper angels remained silent in frustration. It was true that Shalgiel had not contacted them after he had begun his investigation of Guardians. On top of that, Raphael had been too busy researching and recovering to contact them, so there was no way for them to know what was happening on Earth.

    " We apologize."

    The upper angels could not make any excuses due to Uriels turbulent mood. Uriel kicked the ground in irritation. The floor of SantAngelo, which was protected by all sorts of magic circles, caved in.

    "Open the Gate right now. Im going to Earth."

    "About that"

    The upper angels made troubled expressions.

    Forming a Gate leading to Earth had be fairly easy now that Gaias protection had been severely damaged, but they needed more time to create a Gate for an archangel like Uriel to pass through. This was due to the protections characteristic to reject otherworldly beings possessing great power. Even if they had the permission of the gods of Earth, they needed time if they wanted to get Uriel through safely.

    "We need more time."

    " How much more time?"

    "It will take a week at the very least."

    "You cant do it any faster?"

    "If we rush, there is a high chance that your powers will be limited due to Lady Gaias protection."

    "Shit! Im in a goddamn hurry!" Uriel anxiously shouted.

    Even so, crossing to Earth while risking having limiters ced on his powers was too dangerous.

    He thought about sending his subordinates, but he shook his head.

    <em>Theyll just die in vain.</em>

    Rakiel wasnt stupidhe would have most definitely made the necessary preparations for scouts. Not just that, forming a Gate for his subordinates to go through would only dy his chance to cross over to Earth.

    Even if the protection on Earth was currently a mess, creating a Gate to another world wasnt that simple.

    <em>Rakiel.</em>

    Uriel started to feel uneasy. Rakiel was the Constetion of Corruption and had corrupted countless angels and gods during the era of myths. Uriel wasnt sure when exactly Rakiel had broken out of Seraphs seal and crossed to Earth, but facing him while having limiters on his power waspletely illogical.

    "Has Lord Raphael been corrupted by Rakiel?" an upper angel carefully asked.

    Uriel grimaced.

    "Nonsense," he said firmly while shaking his head. "Even if hes the Constetion of Corruption, he cant make Raphael fall so quickly."

    It made no sense.

    Even if the legends about Rakiel in the era of myths were incredible, Raphael was one of the archangels, who were more powerful than the average god.

    <em>For Raphael to have fallen despite not even a month having passed since hest contacted us</em>

    Uriel snorted.

    The voice he had heard through themunication crystal had been no doubt Shalgiels, but there were countless magics that could imitate ones voice.

    <em>I smell a ploy.</em>

    He narrowed his eyes, and a ferocious energy flowed out of him. It was only obvious what sort of trick the Constetion of Corruption was ying after having crossed to Earth.

    "Tsk."

    Uriel clicked his tongue. Whether it was a trick or not, he couldnt help but worry. He couldnt sit idly by after knowing that themunication crystal that Raphael should have had had fallen into Rakiels hands.

    "Raphael"

    He anxiously bit his lip and shook his foot in irritation.

    <em>Be safe.</em>

    Although Raphael was old-fashioned and sometimes drove Uriel mad, they wererades-in-arms who had fought together in battle.

    They often fought due to the differences in their personalities, but among the archangels, they were the closest friends. It was only obvious since Michael was practically unapproachable and, in the case of Gabriel, she was far too wacko for anyone to get along with.

    "Fuuu."

    In any case, Uriel did not believe that Raphael had fallen, but he was still worried for him. He wanted to go to Earth immediately to find out the truth, but he only became more frustrated because he couldnt.

    "Five days," Uriel said.

    "Pardon?"

    "Open the gates within five days, whatever you have to do," he said while baring his teeth.

    The expressions of the upper angels hardened.

    Creating a Gate that connected dimensions already required enormous amounts of effort. On top of that, if they wanted to let a being as powerful as Uriel pass through without any limiters on his power, they needed to spend day and night converting enormous amounts of sacred power intoplicated forms. The number of copsed angels from overwork could easily surpass a hundred.

    Faces pale, the angels quickly mentioned, "No matter how quickly we work"

    "If its not ready in five days," Uriel firmly said as if he would not ept any objections, "Ill rip off two wings from every single one of you myself."

    ""

    Ripping off two of their six wings meant that they would be demoted from upper to intermediate angels. The angels nodded frantically as if there were a motor attached to their heads.

    Even if they were fighting to eradicate evil, they were living beingsthey also had emotions and ambitions.

    "Y-Yes, my lord!"

    Uriel turned away after he heard their answer.

    ""

    After he turned around, Uriels expression darkened.

    <em>Somethings wrong</em>

    He knew that there was no way that Raphael wouldve fallen. No matter how amazing Rakiel was, Raphaels conviction and will were not so weak for him to be corrupted so easily.

    <em>But</em>

    Uriel bit his lip and clenched his fists. A faint sense of uneasiness spread throughout his body.

    * * *

    "First off" Oh Kang-Woo looked around and organized the n in his head. "I should call Lilith and Vaal Zahak."

    His n would be hard for him to carry out alone. Among his retainers, Vaal Zahak and Lilith could be called pros in setting stages.

    <em>They did a great job making the stage for the incident with the Four Heavenly Kingsst time.</em>

    However, they would go for a different theme this time; he couldnt reuse the same stage.

    <em>Uriel will apparentlye to Earth in a week, but</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes narrowed. Considering that he had blown the situation to a much greater degree, he had to consider the chance that Uriel would arrive sooner.

    <em>At least he cant cross over right away.</em>

    Hed asked Shalgiel how angels were able to cross from Aernor, the world they were based in, to Earth.

    Creating a Gate that connected dimensions required many hands, and for an archangel to cross it, hundreds of angels had to work on it.

    <em>So that was why Lucifer was so weak despite having Divinity.</em>

    There was a way to cross quicker, which was to ept the limiter ced by Gaias protection.

    Lucifer had likely been weak because he had crossed dimensions as quickly as possible to save his son.

    <em>But its still not enough time.</em>

    They had to finish all the preparations before Uriel arrived on Earth. The good thing was that they wouldnt need to prepare arge-scale stage like the one they had used before.

    "Three days should be enough."

    If Uriel arrived on Earth quicker than that while epting the limiter, then the n would fail.

    <em>Though the chances of that happening are low.</em>

    Kang-Woo hoped Uriel wasnt that stupid.

    <em>Click.</em>

    Soon, Vaal Zahak and Lilith arrived.

    [I have answered your summons, Master.]

    "I escorted Seol-Ah to Balrogs residence just now. What is going on, my king?"

    The fortress was empty, so Vaal Zahak and Lilith were able toe to Raphaels research room faster than expected.

    "We dont have a lot of time, so Ill be quick."

    Kang-Woo exined everything to them as quickly as possible.

    [Wha T-To think she would possess Seraphs soul] Vaal Zahak eximed in surprise, his eye sockets shining.

    "It is hard to believe."

    Lilith touched her lips while narrowing her eyes. It felt very seductive. Kang-Woo shook his head to eliminate such useless thoughts.

    "We have toplete the stage before Uriel arrives."

    "Are you thinking of creating a dungeon likest time?"

    "Yeah."

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    ""

    Lilith narrowed her eyes.

    "It may be safer to just go to war with the angels instead," she calmly said.

    It was the first time she had objected to Kang-Woos n, showing how reckless it was, as well as its high chance of failure.

    "You understand that this ispletely different from before, do you not, my king?"

    They were not the lead roles who would be on the stage. No matter how much they could try to convince Uriel that Raphael had fallen, everything would fall apart the moment Uriel decided to trust Raphael.

    "Uriel will believe Raphael," Lilith said.

    It was only obvious. They had traversed through many battlefields side by side for thousands of years. There was no way that Uriel would believe that Raphael had fallen so easily.

    "I know." Kang-Woo nodded. He also knew that making this n seed would be difficult. "In the worst-case scenario Im considering war."

    " I see you have no intention of giving up Seol-Ah."

    "You know very well how Ive lived until now."

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    Making a bittersweet smile, Lilith nodded and looked down at the floor.

    "My king," Lilith said carefully.

    "Hm?"

    "What would you do if I were put in the same situation?"

    "What are you talking about now?"

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. What he would do if Lilith was in the current situation instead of Seol-Ah was so obvious that it was a waste of time to even think about it.

    "If it were you using you as a hostage wouldnt work, so thats out of the question. Corrupting you also wouldnt fit that well either Mmm. I would either try to make some sort of conflict among the angels or create a third member of the Four Heavenly Kings. If that all fails, I guess wed have to go to war."

    ""

    The possibility of giving up on her wasnt even in his head.

    "Ah"

    Lilith trembled. She clenched her fists and jumped in excitement.

    Yes. The demon king that she loved was this kind of person.

    "Fufu. I see. Fufufu."

    Lilith covered her mouth and twisted around as if it was difficult to hold back her giggles. Her long ck hair swayed as if it were dancing.

    "So, what is the n?" she asked.

    "Well"

    Kang-Woo exined the stage he had in mind.

    The more he exined, the more Liliths and Vaal Zahaks eyes shone.

    "Hah" After listening to it all, Lilith eximed in surprise. "Mm. I guess it is very like you to think of a n like this, my king No, maybe it is a bit too cruel, even for you"

    She couldnt help but feel sorry for Raphael.

    Lilith smiled brightly.

    "But it is worth a try."

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    If Lilith, who was basically the chief of staff, agreed to it, it meant that the n was more than possible enough to try.

    "In that case, lets get ready. Vaal Zahak, you collected all the angels corpses, right?"

    [Of course.]

    Kang-Woo got up.

    It was about time to set the stage his way.

    * * *

    Three dayster, Kang-Woo sighed while putting down an old book on the table.

    "Fuuu."

    The stage had been fully set.

    "Now, then"

    His eyes gleamed with anxiety. He looked at the stage he had created in the research room for this n.

    A blue message window appeared in front of him.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The dungeon has been formed.]

    [Please set the name of the dungeon.]

    <em>Finally.</em>

    The time hade.

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath and opened his mouth. He had never been more nervous for anything in his entire life.

    "Fallen Angels Nightmare."

    [Setting the dungeon name to Fallen Angels Nightmare.]

    <em>Alright!</em>

    Humans were learning creatures.

    Kang-Woo clenched his mouth shut; he did not even let out a single breath.

    <em>Badump, badump.</em>

    His heart was beating fast.

    Just then

    <em>Click.</em>

    "My king~ have a cup of coffee."

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Changing the dungeon name to Fallen Angels Nightmare My King Have a Cup of Coffee.]

    "Motherfucker!!"

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Changing the dungeon name to Fallen Angels Nightmare My King Have a Cup of Coffee Motherfucker.]

    "This stupid ass system!! Why does the dungeon name have to be set verbally?!"

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Changing the dungeon name to Fallen Angels Nightmare My King Have a Cup of Coffee Motherfucker This Stupid Ass System Why Does the Dungeon Name Have To Be Set Verbally.]

    "You fucking son of a bitch! Hey!"

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Changing the dungeon name to Fallen Angels Nightmare My King Have a Cup of Coffee Motherfucker This Stupid Ass System Why Does the Dungeon Name Have To Be Set Verbally You Fucking Son of a Bitch Hey.]

    "Nooooooo!!!"

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Changing the dungeon name to Fallen Angels Nightmare My King Have a Cup of Coffee Motherfucker This Stupid Ass System Why Does the Dungeon Name Have To Be Set Verbally You Fucking Son of a Bitch Hey Nooooooo.]

    "Aaah Fuck Stop Fucking stop"

    Kang-Woo covered his face with his hands.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Changing the dungeon name to Fallen Angels Nightmare My King Have a Cup of Coffee Motherfucker This Stupid Ass System Why Does the Dungeon Name Have To Be Set Verbally You Fucking Son of a Bitch Hey Nooooooo Aaah Fuck Stop Fucking Stop.]

 Chapter 279: Fallen Angelâ€™s Nightmare (1)

    Chapter 279: Fallen Angel¡¯s Nightmare (1)

    "There hasnt been any news of Uriels arrival, right?" Oh Kang-Woo asked while holding themunication crystal orb.

    [Not yet, it seems,] Liliths voice came out of the orb.

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    "When he arrives, hell most likely appear in Africa."

    Both Ludwig and Raphael had first appeared there.

    He wasnt sure if they could open a gate anywhere they wanted, but the chance that the Gate would open in the same ce was very high.

    <em>Even if he doesnt end up there</em>

    If he wanted to figure out the truth about the call, hed have toe to Raphaels fortress in Africa.

    "Gather more forces and keep watch twenty-four seven. You can even use Guardians members. We have to find him as soon as he arrives."

    [Understood.]

    After saying that, Lilith cut the call.

    Kang-Woo sighed and got up. Hed also sent Halcyon and Echidna to help Lilith, so the house was awkwardly silent.

    <em>Knock, knock.</em>

    He heard a careful knock on the door. Since Halcyon and Echidna werent home, there was only one person it could be.

    "Come in."

    " Are you done with your call?"

    Han Seol-Ah opened the door and carefully peeked in.

    When Kang-Woo nodded, she walked over and sat on the bed.

    ""

    There was an awkward silence.

    Kang-Woo stared vacantly at Seol-Ah while sitting on a chair.

    He had given her a general exnation of the situation after he had finished making the stage and was standing by at home. He had told her that the soul of Celestial Goddess Seraph was within her, that the angels were trying to use that to revive Seraph, and that her own soul may fall into a deep slumber like Kurosaki Yurie.

    " Kang-Woo."

    "If youre gonna say what you saidst time, dont even think about it."

    When Seol-Ah had first heard the exnation, she had asked Kang-Woo to let her be sacrificed and revive Seraph, since that was the best way for Kang-Woo to live in peace.

    "And besides, youre basing your decision on the wrong premise. If Seraph is revived, forget my peace, theyll try to kill me."

    After all, he was the Demon of Prophecy. No, even if he could hide that he was the Demon of Prophecy, it would be of no use since he was still a demon. He needed to prevent the oue of antagonizing a goda god powerful enough to govern an entire world, at that.

    <em>Of course</em>

    Reviving Seraph for the sake of the star known as Earth was the right choice. Her power would surely help protect Earth, but

    <em>Fuck that.</em>

    There was no point if the god who would protect Earth took action to eliminate him.

    <em>Whats the point of a safe and peaceful world if I cant live in it?</em>

    Kang-Woo had no intention of sacrificing himself for world peace. If he had ideals like that, he wouldve killed himself a very long time ago.

    <em>After everything I went through to survive.</em>

    He had to stop this world from ending, but sacrificing himself to achieve that was out of the question. The same went for if he was lucky enough to be acknowledged by Seraph; the happiness he would attain would be half-baked without Seol-Ah.

    "Everything Ive ever done has been for me to stay happy."

    He had struggled through ten whole millennia just to be happyall for a joyous, fun, and asionally sad and depressing life that was, ultimately, full ofughs.

    "If you die, I wont be happy."

    ""

    Seol-Ah kept her mouth shut in a daze, and then she giggled.

    "Okay. I wont ever say it again."

    Seol-Ah nodded as if truly happy.

    Kang-Woo finally felt relieved.

    "Seraph, huh? Oh, maybe thats why."

    "Why what?"

    "Back when you were kidnapped. After we managed to get you back, Ive been having these dreams."

    "Dreams?"

    "Yes. Dreams of being enveloped in cozy light. And" Seol-Ah groaned. "Im not sure if I should be saying this, but after I started having those dreams, I started to feel as if you were younger than me. N-No, not younger, but more like I want to look after you. Ive only ever seen you as cool and amazing, but Ive been seeing you as cutetely "

    ""

    "A-Anyway, Ive been feeling this way."

    Kang-Woo crossed his arms and nodded.

    <em>That does seem like Seraphs influence.</em>

    After she awakened Seraphs power, the power seemed to have also somewhat influenced her personality. ording to Shalgiel, Seraph was the Goddess of Parental Love, so it was understandable why Seol-Ah hadtely begun to see Kang-Woo as younger than her.

    "Then how about I call you Seol-Ah noona from now on?"

    "<em>Gasp</em>."

    Seol-Ahs eyes widened, and she started to tremble.

    "N-No!" She strongly refused. Blushing, she shouted, "I might die!"

    Kang-Wooughed out loud.

    "Oh Right! I almost forgot!" Seol-Ah pped her hands together and said with sparkling eyes, "C-Come to think of it, when I-I ahem, lifted your clothes to look at your I think that was Seraphs influence as well."

    She looked at him with intense eyes and clenched her fists.

    ""

    Kang-Woo remained silent, thinking back to that time.

    <em>Thats low, Seol-Ah.</em>

    He averted his gaze from Seol-Ah while thinking that he would never make her put on a performance.

    "Y-you dont believe me?" Having noticed that, Seol-Ah puffed her cheeks and softly hit him.

    Kang-Woo burst intoughter.

    Just then

    <em>Whoom.</em>

    Themunication crystal orb rang.

    Kang-Woo got up and grabbed it.

    [My king.] It was Lilith. [Uriel has arrived.]

    ""

    Kang-Woos eyes shone, and a smile crept up. The time had finallye.

    "Keep me updated on his live location."

    After saying that, he cut the call.

    Seol-Ah looked at him with a hardened expression.

    " Are you going?"

    "Yeah."

    He had caused this trouble, so it was also his responsibility to patch it up.

    "Let me also"

    "No." He firmly shook his head. "Seraphs existence cant be revealed to the angels."

    If that happened, even if the n seeded, what had happened with Shalgiel would happen again.

    ""

    Seol-Ah nodded while making a bitter expression. She also knew why she couldnt allow other angels to see her.

    " Please be careful."

    Seol-Ah grabbed Kang-Woos hands.

    Kang-Woo smiled and nodded. Then he turned around and opened a gate that led to the Hall of Protection. At the same time, he sent a message to Gaia, Kim Si-Hun, Cha Yeon-Joo, Grace McCubbin, and Tian Wuchen, among others.

    <em>I have to bring the others as well.</em>

    He would not be the lead character on this stage. He would be but a spectator, and the more spectators there were to watch a show, the better.

    <em>And</em>

    His eyes narrowed, his expression hardening. There was something else that he needed to do no matter what besides being a spectator.

    * * *

    " Fuuu."

    The boy with short blue hair sighed and slowly opened his eyes. He saw a blue sky and an open expanse.

    <em>So this is</em>

    Earth.

    "Its not much different from Aernor," he mumbled in a low voice.

    After looking up at the sky for a while, he shook his head. This was not the time. He took out a piece of paper on which the location of Raphaels temporary base was written.

    <em>Raphael</em>

    Uriel anxiously spread his wings. He wanted to bring his army as well, but there had not been enough time.

    <em>Iming now.</em>

    Uriel quickly flew into the air in search of hisrade-in-arms, whom he wasnt exactly sure what had happened to, but Uriel was sure that something had happened nheless.

    "Hm?"

    At that moment, he saw a group of humans wandering around the fortress. His eyes widened, and hended where they were like a bolt of lightning.

    <em>Crackle!!</em>

    Blue electricity swept their surroundings.

    "Who are you?" he said in a voice full of bloodlust. He quickly scanned the group.

    <em>Humans.</em>

    There were six of them.

    The one at the front was a young man with sharp eyes. Behind him was an impressively handsome young man. In the middle, a brown-haired woman was seated in a wheelchair, and a middle-aged blonde woman was pushing it. Behind them was a woman with short red hair and an old man with a sword at his waist.

    The sharp-looking young man took a step forward.

    "We are Guardians."

    "Guardians?"

    Uriel had heard of them. They were the protectors of Earth who had allied with Raphael.

    Uriel first doubted whether their identity was true or not, but he nodded after taking a closer look at the woman in the wheelchair.

    "You have the incarnation of Gaia with you."

    "Greetings, O Great Angel."

    Gaia politely bowed her head.

    Uriel asked while keeping his guard up, "Why are you all here?"

    "Before that who are you? I dont believe I have ever seen an angel like you among Lord Raphaels subordinates."

    The sharp-looking man was also looking at Uriel warily.

    Uriel groaned and opened his mouth.

    "Im Uriel."

    "Ah!"

    The sharp-looking guy let out an exmation and lowered his head.

    "My apologies. I had known that you were an angel from your wings, but I was a little cautious due to recent strange events."

    " Strange events?"

    "We have not been able to contact Lord Raphael or Shalgiel. They had not even shown up to our usual meeting, so we came here because we were worried."

    "Oh."

    Uriels expression hardened. He understood why the Guardians members were roaming around the fortress and anxiously bit his lip.

    "Since when has contact with them been cut off?"

    "About five days ago."

    " Shit."

    Uriel frowned.

    The sharp-looking young man said in a worried tone, "Has something happened to Lord Raphael?"

    " No, nothing at all."

    "Your expression says otherwise."

    "I said its nothing!" Uriel shouted in irritation, but he soon grabbed his forehead.

    <em>If its Guardians</em>

    Their strength had been detailed in Raphaels report. Most of them were only as strong as intermediate angels and below, but a few of them apparently surpassed upper angels.

    From what he had heard, one of them had inherited the Holy Sword Ludwig and another was the apostle of Tirion, God of Heroes.

    "Are the humans Oh Kang-Woo and Kim Si-Hun among you?"

    " I am Oh Kang-Woo."

    "I am Kim Si-Hun."

    " I see." Uriel nodded.

    The situation had changed. If they were stronger than an upper angel, it was a different story.

    "Can you help me?"

    Uriel had been in such a hurry that he hadnt been able to bring along his subordinates. He was in desperate need of these humans help.

    "Is it about Lord Raphael?"

    " Yeah."

    "We nned to investigate regardless, so there is no problem at all," the human Oh Kang-Woo said in a calm voice.

    And so, Uriel and Guardians began moving to the angel fortress in Africa.

    "What in the"

    "I-Is this really the same fortress?"

    The beautiful fortress that had exuded serene light was nowhere to be seen. Instead, dark energy enveloped it. The destroyed sections of the fortress and all the corpses scattered around made the atmosphere of the fortress even darker.

    "Kang-Woo hyung-nim."

    " It seems something really did happen."

    "Kang-Woo, this is" Gaia slurred.

    "Gaia, have you received any revtions from the gods?"

    "No Nothing."

    Kang-Woo and the other Guardians members seemed shocked at the fortresss changed atmosphere.

    Uriel bit his lip, his anxiety growing.

    "Lets enter. Follow me."

    Uriel took a step forward, and the fortress gates slowly opened.

    Then

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have entered the SS+ rank dungeon Fallen Angels Nightmare My King]

    "Kurgh!! Kuh Gaaaaaahh!!!"

    As the blue message window appeared, the human who revealed himself to be Oh Kang-Woo screamed in pain as his body bent like a bow. His eyes rolled back as if he were having a seizure.

    "H-Hyung-nim!!"

    Si-Hun quickly ran toward Kang-Woo.

    Uriel also turned to look at the human who had suddenly copsed on the ground and was having a seizure.

    The blue message window in the air disappeared.

 Chapter 280: Fallen Angelâ€™s Nightmare (2)

    Chapter 280: Fallen Angel¡¯s Nightmare (2)

    "Kurgh, <em>cough!!</em>"

    Oh Kang-Woo bent like a bow and trembled.

    " What the hell? Whats wrong with him?"

    "H-Hyung-nim!!"

    Kim Si-Hun quickly ran over to Kang-Woo and shook him.

    Kang-Woo, who suddenly had a seizure, stood up while grimacing.

    "Haaa, haaa."

    "Wh-What was that, hyung-nim?"

    Si-Hun grabbed Kang-Woos arm and supported him with a worried expression on his face.

    "I-Im not sure either, but the moment I entered this ce memories of that day came back to me and" Kang-Woo answered while making a confused expression.

    "Memories of that day?"

    "When I was tortured by Rakiel," Kang-Woo answered in a dark tone.

    "Ah"

    Si-Huns expression hardened.

    Kang-Woo had been tortured so horribly that it had been hard to even look at him, so it wouldnt be weird for him to have developed PTSD.

    "This ce is full of Rakiels demonic energy," Kang-Woo mumbled while breathing heavily.

    " This is Rakiels demonic energy?" Uriel asked while biting his lip.

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    "Shit."

    Uriel made an anxious expression. There was a thick demonic energy emanating from the entire fortress. If it was Rakiels demonic energy, then that meant a disaster had urred.

    <em>Theres no way.</em>

    Uriel shook his head.

    It had only been a month. There was no way that Raphael had fallen in such a short period of time.

    <em>I have to check.</em>

    Uriel carefully strode forward.

    Kang-Woo hurriedly extended his hand. "Please wait! We should figure out what happened before"

    "Theres no time," Uriel immediately denied his suggestion.

    They didnt know what had happened to Raphael, so they had no time to sit around while thinking of a n.

    <em>Raphael.</em>

    Uriel quickened his pace.

    Then

    "Grrk, grrk."

    They heard staggering footsteps and growling. Something was walking toward them from the fortresss dark hallway.

    "Thats"

    Kang-Woos and Si-Huns eyes widened.

    Cha Yeon-Joo squinted to take a better look. A trembling voice came out of her.

    "A Ghoul?"

    A monster with a horrible stench, rotten skin, and viscous pus flowing out of it was roaming and staggering through the hallway.

    "W-Wait, those clothes Isnt that the uniform of the Watchers of Light?"

    Although the clothes had been discolored due to the rotten flesh, they were definitely the white ceremonial robes worn by Raphaels apostles.

    Yeon-Joo extended the chains from her bracelet and whispered, "What the Why have Raphaels apostles be Undead?"

    "I dont know." Kang-Woo shook his head.

    Uriels expression hardened. He recalled what Shargiel had said.

    <em>"My apol It is already toote for Lord Raph"</em>

    "Shit Shit" Uriels wings shook anxiously. He walked toward the Ghouls. "Wheres Raphael?"

    Although there was no way that the dead could answer, he asked anyway. As he raised his right hand, the hand crackled with fearsome lightning.

    "Where the hell is Raphael?!"

    "KIIEEKK!!"

    <em>Crackle!!</em>

    The blue lightning burned the Ghouls wearing ceremonial robes to the ground in the blink of an eye, leaving only ck ash.

    "Wha"

    The lightnings power was frightening. Raphael was impressive, but Uriel seemed to be beyond him.

    <em>I guess there are sses even among archangels.</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He had not seen Uriels full power yet, but he could feel far thicker and stronger energy from Uriel than Raphael.

    "Shit" Uriel cursed while wiping out the Ghouls in the hallway.

    Forget Raphael, not even a single angel was in sight.

    <em>Where the hell are they?</em>

    They looked all over the ce, but they only came across Undead.

    Kang-Woo, who was silently walking behind Uriel, opened his mouth.

    "Come to think of it, I heard that Lord Raphael had been doing research on Rakiel."

    "Research?"

    "Yes. He had said that only by learning how Rakiel fell and how he had been tempted by Demon God Bauli would we be able to face Rakiel."

    ""

    Uriel silently nodded. Considering Raphaels personality, it was perfectly possible hed been investigating stuff like that.

    <em>Oh, in that case</em>

    Uriels eyes shone.

    "Lets look for Raphaels research room first."

    "Will we be able to find Lord Raphael there?"

    "Im not sure about that either, but Raphael always writes down his research records."

    Uriel had seen it many times during their thousands of years together.

    Uriel had a fiery personality and hated frustrating things, so he couldnt even think of writing down the plethora of research he had done on demons by hand, but Raphael always left records behind without question.

    "If we find those notes, well be able to find out what happened in the past month."

    "Okay."

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    Uriel and Kang-Woo looked all over the base to find Raphaels research room.

    Uriel said, "If it were him"

    Raphael would most definitely have made his research room close to his office.

    After reaching Raphaels office, Uriel looked around.

    <em>I knew it.</em>

    There was a door next to the office.

    "Were going in."

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Uriel nervously opened the door.

    " This is a lot," Kang-Woo eximed in surprise.

    The room was so full of books that it looked like a library.

    "Is this all material regarding the era of myths?" Kang-Woo asked

    "Probably. Rakiel was active during the war against the demon god."

    " There are a lot more books than I had expected."

    "Thats how the war had been. But the records themselves arent exactly urate. Much of it is guesswork," Uriel said while clicking his tongue.

    Rather than records, they were closer to novels.

    Kang-Woo nodded. He felt as if he could understand why Raphael had gathered so many materials about the era of myths.

    "He must have been trying topare all the materials to find the true record."

    "Raphael is the best at that kind of stuff." After giving a short reply, Uriel started looking around the room.

    Not only were there far too many records, but the books were also scattered all over the ce as if a battle had taken ce. Therefore, it was hard to find Raphaels notes.

    Then

    " Huh?"

    Kang-Woo picked up a book lying in the corner of the room. White liquid had been sttered on its cover and had dried.

    "Lord Uriel, this"

    ""

    Uriel remained silent.

    The white liquid was

    <em>Angel blood.</em>

    He closed his eyes, then opened the book with trembling hands.

    As expected, it contained notes in Raphaels handwriting.

    - Day 1 of researching Rakiel

    The Constetion of Corruption has been spotted on Earth. I have decided to investigate the reason behind why Rakiel fell before I face him. I did not gain much on this first day. I focused on requesting SantAngelo to send me materials regarding the era of myths.

    - Day 2 of researching Rakiel

    I have begun researching. The only one of us who has actually witnessed the war firsthand is Lord Michael. It was truly an unfathomablyrge war. How could Demon God Bauli have expanded his forces?

    - Day 5 of researching Rakiel

    I do not understand. The Demon God desired the end of every creation designed by the Titans. In other words, he had been trying to erase all life, so why would Rakiel possibly have betrayed the angels to join the Demon God?

    - Day 7 of researching Rakiel

    No matter how many records I go through, I cannot figure out the reason. The past Rakiel was one of Lady Seraphs most trusted subordinates, along with Lord Michael. He was capable, powerful, and honorable. Lady Seraph herself had mentioned that Rakiel would take her ce if she were to die in the war.

    He had all the glory he could possibly want, so why did he betray us?

    The notes clearly showed Raphaels confusion.

    Uriel frowned. He couldnt get much information from the first week of notes.

    <em>What the hell happened, Raphael?</em>

    He anxiously bit his lip and flipped the page. And then his eyes widened.

    - Day 10 of researching Rakiel

    I found a clue. Maybe Rakiel had betrayed us because

    "The hell?"

    The page that should have contained information had been ripped out.

    Uriel frowned. He quickly turned to the next page and saw that the records continued.

    - Day 13 of researching Rakiel

    I have figured out the reason. Just how could this possibly I am so shocked that my head is in a daze. What of everything that I have learned my whole life? We we might have been believing in a false myth this whole time.

    " What?"

    Uriels hands were trembling, and his uneasy feelings were intensifying.

    - Day 17 of researching Rakiel

    Rakiel came to see me. I asked him if everything that I had found out was the truth. He had already known everything from the start, and

    Once again, the page was torn.

    - Day 18 of researching Rakiel

    Something has to be wrong. There is no way This is impossible.

    Aaaahh. W-We have all been deceived.

    We were made for fools this entire time!!

    - Day 19 of researching Rakiel

    Ive noticed today that my wings are turning ck.

    Am I losing my mind? Or am I falling like Rakiel? I do not know.

    But but

    Aaaahh, where where did it all go wrong?

    The final page

    - Day 20 of researching Rakiel

    Rakiel came to see me again. No, maybe it was not him who hade to see me. I do not remember. My wings have been dyedpletely ck. Have I fallen? I do not know. If this is what falling feels like, I would not mind falling more and more.

    My notes end here. I will now do what I have to do. What only I can do

    ""

    Uriels hands were trembling as he gripped the book. His lips paled.

    The event that he did not even want to imaginesomething that could not have possibly happenedhad urred.

    "No."

    He quickly shook his head.

    "It cant fucking be!!"

    Hed read all the notes, but he still had no idea why Raphael had fallen. The section of the notes that would have detailed why had been torn out, but there was something he was sure about

    Raphael had lost his mind.

    "Lord Uriel? What was written in"

    "Dont touch it!!"

    Uriel knocked the book out of Kang-Woos hands.

    The pages scattered as the book fell to the ground. Uriel noticed a phrase on the final page of the notes that seemed to have been written down in a hurry.

    <em>Gaze not into the abyss, for if you do</em>

    <em>The abyss also gazes into you.</em>

    Kang-Woo said, "This is"

    "Shit! Shit! Something must be wrong! It cant be true"

    Uriel grabbed his hair, closed his eyes, and thought of Raphael.

    He and Raphael had beenrades-in-arms for thousands of years. Raphael was old-fashioned, but he resented demons more than anyone else. There was no way someone like him would have fallen in such a nonsensical way.

    "We have to find Raphael"

    "Uhm, Lord Uriel. There seems to be a gap here," said Si-Hun, who had been searching through the research room while Uriel had been reading the notes.

    As Uriel turned his head, he saw a small gap between two bookshelves.

    "Move."

    Uriel quickly walked toward it and pulled the bookshelves apart from each other.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Just like a secret door that often appeared in films, the bookshelves swung backward and revealed a new space. And within it was

    "A-Aaaahh."

    "Urpp!"

    "Wh-What the fuck is that?!"

    Uriels exmation and Yeon-Joos curse were heard.

    Si-Hun covered his mouth as if about to hurl.

    Kang-Woo looked at it with a hardened expression.

    Inside the secret space of the research room was

    "NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

    Uriels desperate scream spread.

    There were cylinders full of an unknown liquid.

    Within those hundreds of cylinders

    Raphaels subordinates floated, fused with the bodies of demonic beasts. They had been turned into Chimeras.

 Chapter 281: Fallen Angelâ€™s Nightmare (3)

    Chapter 281: Fallen Angel¡¯s Nightmare (3)

    "NOOOOOOOO!!!!" Uriel cried.

    Oh Kang-Woo took a step back and smirked so that Uriel couldnt see him.

    <em>Did it work?</em>

    He turned to look at the stage hed set.

    Shalgiel was inside a cylinder filled with an unknown liquid.

    Kang-Woo was honestly astonished.

    <em>I said to make him hideous, but this is a bit</em>

    Shalgiels organs were exposed and had been forcibly fused with the body of a demonic beast. It was hard to look at it.

    He understood why Lilith and Vaal Zahak had confidently said to leave it to them.

    <em>Still, it makes me feel a bit bad.</em>

    Even if it was Kang-Woo, it was impossible for him to feelfortable looking at such a thing. It was as if hed dug up a corpse and disrespected the dead, so he couldnt help but feel a bit bad.

    <em>But</em>

    He narrowed his eyes while looking at the screaming Uriel.

    The first thought that came to Kang-Woos mind was that it couldnt be helped, which was partially true. After all, for Uriel to believe the fact that Raphael had fallen, the trust that they had built over thousands of years needed to be broken, which required Uriel to behold a shocking sight.

    <em>And most importantly</em>

    He had to kill Raphael, no matter what, if he wanted to turn things in his favor. Of course, Raphael didnt know that Seraphs soul was within Han Seol-Ah. Raphael hadnt given the order to forcefully bring her; that was something Shalgiel had done on his own.

    <em>But</em>

    Even so, Raphael had to be killedhe had to be a fallen angel and receive the judgment of light.

    <em>Raphael ordered Shalgiel to investigate Guardians in the first ce.</em>

    If Shalgiel suddenly died in such a situation, there was no need to think about who Raphael would suspect first. Even if Kang-Woo tried to make Rakiel the culprit, there was no way Raphael would believe it.

    <em>I have no ill feelings regarding Raphael.</em>

    It wasnt personal, but it just ended up that he couldnt let Raphael live.

    ""

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes.

    The world was a cruel ce.

    Just as most murders were due to mary conflicts rather than emotional ones, people harmed each other based on cost and benefit. Of course, there werews, morals, ideals, conscience, and many otherplex mechanisms to stop those things, but

    <em>Fuck them.</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head.

    <em>If I can avoid a war with the angels just by feeling a bit bad</em>

    He would dly plunge his hands into the filth however many times it tookno, he would even roll around in it with a smile.

    That was how he had lived, as well as how he had kept winning. He was neither a hero in anime with a zing sense of justice nor a kind person like Kim Si-Hun.

    He had struggled to survive in a ce bustling with demonic beasts and demons for ten millennia; he would not be guilt-tripped over morals and personal conscience after what he had gone through.

    "No Theres no way," Uriel mumbled in confusion.

    Kang-Woo smiled while looking at the blue-haired boy.

    <em>I guess I managed to get through the first hurdle.</em>

    If Uriel had thought that this was a demons trick and trusted Raphael to the very end, it would have been a problem, but he could not feel an ounce of trust for Raphael in Uriel, who was crying in front of the cylinder.

    <em>Doubt is a poison.</em>

    Once it poisoned a person, even if they tried to convince themselves otherwise, it would continue to eat away at them. For example, lets say that someone learned that their childhood friend is a serial killer

    How would they react?

    <em>They would probably try to deny it at first.</em>

    They would probably think there was no way that their friend would do something like that. But what if evidence of it came out one after another? No, what if they saw the scene of the crime with their own eyes?

    "Why why would Raphael" Uriel knelt and mumbled in a sorrowful voice.

    He was now past the stage of denial and was now wondering why Raphael had done such a thing. Kang-Woo smiled while looking down at Uriel.

    <em>It worked.</em>

    The firm trust that existed between Uriel and Raphael had been torn apart.

    Kang-Woo pulled down the corners of his mouth with all his might. He might have burst intoughter if he wasnt in such a situation.

    <em>Now, then.</em>

    The first act couldnt have been any better. Now it was time to prepare the second act.

    "Lord Uriel, what in the world is"

    ""

    "C-Could Lord Raphael have"

    "Shut up!!" Uriel eximed. He sprang up and grabbed Kang-Woos cor. "What the fuck do you know about Raphael to say shit like that?!"

    ""

    Kang-Woo hadnt said anything, but Uriel had reacted so severely, which meant

    <em>You already know.</em>

    Uriel was frantically trying to deny it, but Kang-Woo wouldnt let him off so easily.

    " You are right."

    "Right about what?"

    "I do not think that Lord Raphael had done this either."

    ""

    Kang-Woo dangled a thread of hope in front of him.

    Hope appeared in Uriels eyes.

    Even though all the evidence was in front of them, there was a human who defended Raphael in such a situation.

    <em>Hell rely on that.</em>

    No, he would console himself, thinking that he was right all along: it had been the fabrications of a demon and Raphael had been nothing but a scapegoat.

    <em>If he wants to hold on to even a bit of hope Ill give it to him.</em> Kang-Woo snickered in his mind.

    He said, "There is no evidence that Lord Raphaelmitted this atrocity."

    "Th-Thats right! Thats exactly my thought!" Uriel furiously nodded.

    "Lord Uriel, could you tell us what was written in Lord Raphaels notes?"

    "Huh? Well"

    "Its okay. I can more or less guess what they were about."

    ""

    Uriel anxiously bit his lips and closed his eyes. He then repeated what was written in the notes.

    Cha Yeon-Joo, who was silently listening, screamed. "Fuck! Raphael didnt do this, my ass!! The notes clearly show that he went bonkers!"

    "Watch it, Cha Yeon-Joo."

    "Screw that! Are you high, Oh Kang-Woo? Or does Raphael kiss your ass or something?! Just look at this! How can you still say that Raphael didnt do this when he did this kind of shit to his subordinates?!" Yeon-Joo shouted in rage.

    Uriels expression crumpled aggressively.

    "How dare you, human woman!"

    "What do you want me to say? Im sorry for interrupting your little angel circle-jerk session, but"

    "Cha Yeon-Joo!" Kang-Woo angrily shouted.

    Yeon-Joo flinched.

    He said, "I told you to watch it."

    "U-Uhh"

    "The notes? Handwriting can be easily forged. The Chimeras? Has anyone here seen Lord Raphael make them with their own eyes?"

    ""

    "Dont believe only in what you see. Rakiels energy is all over the ce for a reason. Theres a chance that he might have orchestrated this whole situation."

    "N-Ngh. Y-You dont have to get so angry"

    Yeon-Joo pouted due to Kang-Woos attitude, which was different from usual. She found it a little unfair.

    ""

    Uriel looked at Kang-Woo with a nk expression.

    A human he had met for the first time had said what he wanted to say, which he had doubted people would believe.

    He gulped.

    "Y-Yeah. Thats exactly what I wanted to say." Uriel furiously nodded again. "Since Rakiel is involved, theres a chance this whole situation was fabricated."

    Kang-Woo said, "I agree, but"

    "B-But wh-what?"

    Uriel looked at Kang-Woo with trembling eyes.

    His eyes were filled with trust for the human named Oh Kang-Woo. It was only obvious, since a sturdy rope had appeared that he could grab on to when he had been desperately looking for even a sliver of something.

    Uriel warily looked at Yeon-Joo but then took a step toward Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>He doesnt seem to be as stiff as Raphael.</em>

    Uriel was close to an immature child.

    <em>How weird.</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head. He wouldve understood if a demon had such a personality. After all, a demons body amplified ones desires and thus forcibly halted mental maturity, which was necessary because demons didnt have the concept of lifespan.

    If it werent like that, Hell would be a ce full of sages devoid of any desire who lived in peace. Or, Hell would be full of beings with no desire to live and who did nothing but lie still.

    <em>Do angels also have some kind of restriction?</em>

    They also didnt have a lifespan, so it would make sense.

    <em>Well, regardless</em>

    That wasnt important at the moment. What mattered was that Uriel was an easier angel to trick than hed thought.

    "First off, the only thing we are sure about is that Lord Raphael is in a predicament."

    ""

    "Considering that all of his subordinates have been killed, the fortress has be a den of the dead, and Lord Raphael is nowhere in sight. In the worst-case scenario we will have to take into ount the possibility that he has already been killed by Rakiel."

    "Thats true."

    Uriel nodded while making a depressed expression. He seemed to be somewhat resigned to the idea.

    Kang-Woo nced at Uriel.

    "Let us look around the fortress a little more."

    Uriel nodded, and the initiative was naturally passed to Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo stepped out of Raphaels research room.

    The location of the ys second act was already decided.

    <em>Its going smoothly so far.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled.

    In the end, what mattered were the emotions. Uriel had fallen into despair, but thanks to Kang-Woo, hed started to regain hope. Based on his reaction, he seemed to be hoping that Raphael had died honorably in battle against Rakiel rather than for Raphael to have fallen.

    <em>I guess thats just how angels are.</em>

    That seemed to be the case for Raphael and Uriel.

    Kang-Woo couldnt understand why they cared more about honor than their lives.

    <em>Well, regardless</em>

    It was clear that Uriel cared a lot for the honor of hisrade-in-arms.

    Kang-Woo licked his lips.

    <em>Now that hes climbed back up with the rope of hope Ive given him its time to push him back down.</em>

    * * *

    Raphael slowly opened his eyes in a space filled with brilliant light.

    <em>The treatment is more or lessplete.</em>

    He slowly raised his arms. In a ce known as the Embrace of Light created through thepression of sacred power, he had fully treated the wounds he had received from Satan. He had originally nned to slowly treat his wounds over a long period of time since the Embrace of Light was isted from all forms of contact, but the situation had changed.

    <em>Rakiel.</em>

    Raphael had no more leeway now that he had discovered that the being who had corrupted countless angels and gods in the era of myths was on Earth.

    <em>But I am d at least Uriel hase to help.</em>

    He was confident that, with Uriel, hed be able to defeat Rakiel.

    <em>I should get out of here.</em>

    He slowly raised his hands.

    The space, which was filled with light, cracked. Like a bird breaking through the shell of its egg, he broke through it and got up. He saw the outside world for the first time in ten days.

    "Hm?" A confused voice came out of Raphaels mouth. "What in the world?"

    As soon as he emerged, he felt suffocatingly dense demonic energy. The problem was that he felt that the demonic energy wasing from him.

    "What the"

    As he looked around his body, his eyes widened.

    "M-My wings"

    His wings, which usually shone with pure-white light, had been dyed ck. No, to be more precise

    <em>Demonic energy was painted over them?</em>

    Thick demonic energy was covering his entire body as if he had been coated with it.

    <em>Thud.</em>

    "A-Aaaahh."

    "Uriel?" He turned his head toward the sound.

    "H-how could this have"

    "See?! What did I tell you?! I told you that hed been tempted by that son of a bitch Rakiel!!"

    He saw the heroes who were protecting Earth and

    "R-Raphael"

    Uriel in despair, as if all of his hopes had been shattered.

    "RAPHAEEEEEL!!!" Uriel screamed in agony.

    "?"

    Raphael looked around while making a confused expression.

    <em>Wha</em>

    What in the world was going on?

 Chapter 282: Those Tainted By Darkness, Receive the Judgment of Light (1)

    Chapter 282: Those Tainted By Darkness, Receive the Judgment of Light (1)

    "This is"

    "Wh-What is that?"

    Uriel, who had been wandering around the fortress with Kang-Woo in search of Raphael, found a grotesque object in a secret room. It was a sphere that looked like a cocoon a pupa would emerge from in its mature form.

    Seeing the sphere radiating with suffocating demonic energy, Uriel''s hope that he had been desperately holding on to was bing drastically weaker. He wondered at first if it could be the Embrace of Light based on how it looked, but the sphere enveloped in green tentacles did not look like the Embrace of Light in the slightest.

    Crack.

    The sphere was starting to break.

    "H-Huh?"

    "Get back!" Kang-Woo shouted as he unsheathed Del Lain.

    Kim Si-Hun also gripped his holy sword as he stepped back and lowered his stance.

    Breathtaking anxiety hung in the air.

    "Please, please"

    Uriel bit his lip and clenched his fists. His face was full of desperation as he stared at the sphere.

    ''Please let Raphael not be in there.''

    The uneasiness that he had felt when he had firste to be aware of the incident ran down his spine. He extended his hand in desperation. His fingers trembled as he thought of the future he did not want to imagine.

    ''N-No.''

    Uriel held back his rising instinct.

    An angel''s instincts werepletely different in nature from those of normal living beings. They were immortal, so they, of course, had constraints that allowed them to retain their sanity.

    Just like how a demon''s body amplified desires, an angel''s body brought out obsessions. The obsessions were different between each angel; for example, Raphael was obsessed with eradicating demons. To be more precise, his entire army was. If it was for killing demons, they would sacrifice humanity and their own allies without a hint of remorse. They only thought about and acted on killing demons.

    "Kuh" Uriel grunted.

    If Raphael was obsessed with eradicating demons, then Uriel was obsessed with affection.

    Uriel was obsessed over rtionships with others: between lovers, friends, subordinates, brothers, and others. His obsession with affection was why Uriel could live for eternity, and it was also the constraint that he could not escape from as an angel.

    ''It''s dangerous.''

    Not being able to control his instincts was extremely dangerous.

    Just as a demon became a demonic beast if they were unable to control their desires, an angel''s wings would turn ck and the angel would end up falling from grace if their obsession turned into madness.

    And once an angel fell from grace, it was irreversible.

    ''Raphael''

    Uriel looked at the sphere in desperation. He feared that the rtionship he had built with Raphael asrades-in-arms would crumble.

    Uriel wouldn''t despair so much if Raphael had been killed in honorablebat, but this was different. He would have to kill his traitorousradehis fallen friendwith his own hands. Itpletely went against his instincts. His fear and desperation went far beyond what a human could possibly imagine.

    ''Please.''

    Crack.

    As if crushing those hopes, what emerged from the ck sphere was a ck-winged Raphael.

    "RAPHAEEEEEL!!!"

    A desperate cry spread.

    "Uriel?" Raphael tilted his head. "What is going on? What in the world is"

    "Th-That''s what I want to know, Raphael!! Just why why did you be like this?!"

    "Huh? What do you"

    "You said you despised all demons! You said that everyone who had been tainted by the demonic had to be killed! So why why have you of all people be a demooooooon?!"

    "What in the world have you been talking about?"

    Raphael looked down at himself.

    He was exuding a thick demonic energy. It was as if there was a filter made of demonic energy covering him. The energy within him was no doubt sacred power, but the moment he drew it out, it felt like demonic energy.

    ''No way''

    Raphael''s eyes widened. The gears in his head started to turn once again after having been halted by the confusing situation.

    "N-No!!" Raphael quickly shook his hands. "There has been a misunderstanding!"

    Wham!!

    At that moment, the floor exploded.

    The golden hero Oh Kang-Woo, the apostle of Tirion, God of Heroes, red at him with a frown on his face.

    "I believed in you."

    "What?"

    "When we read the notes detailing your fall into madness, even when we saw your subordinates turned into Chimeras I still believed in you."

    "Notes? Chimeras? What are you talking about?"

    "I! I believed that you wouldn''t have fallen!" Kang-Woo cried.

    "Just wait a damn second."

    Kang-Woo was the only one who defended Raphael when Cha Yeon-Joo was certain of his fall and when Uriel had no idea what to say, so everyone knew why he was acting this way.

    "Ra phael"

    Transparent tears flowed down Uriel''s cheeks.

    He''d spent thousands of years with Raphael.

    Although they''d fought many times due to differences in their personalities, Uriel had always cherished his rtionship with Raphael. No, he couldn''t not care about it, considering his obsession was affection.

    ""

    Uriel stood still while biting his lip. If Raphael had fallen, there was nothing he could do about it. It was his duty to send Raphael to eternal rest.

    "Thanks for everything," Uriel muttered.

    "W-Wait, Uriel! You are being deceived! I have not fallen from grace!"

    " Okay." Uriel smiled lifelessly. "Thanks for saying that, at the very least."

    Crackle!.

    Blue lightning gathered between his eight wings, and he weakly spread out his arms. He lightly bent over and then quickly leaned back. His eight wings, infused with blue lightning, spread out.

    "Shit!!"

    Raphael quickly moved back in dismay; bolts of lightning struck where he had been standing.

    "Uriel!! You are being deceived!!"

    ""

    Uriel clenched his eyes shut and slowly raised both of his lifelessly hanging hands.

    "Argo  La  Fulmine."

    A huge amount of sacred power rose from him. His specialty was divine magic based on sacred power.

    Blue lightning gathered in his hands andunched toward the sky.

    "F A L L !"

    He imbued power into his voice, just like dragons using dragon tongue magic.

    Once that happened

    Crackle!!

    Raphael raised his hands and unleashed his sacred power to create a spear of light.

    ''What the f!''

    Raphael''s eyes widened. His spear, Luperien, which contained far thicker sacred power than Holy Sword Ludwig, had been dyed ck. It was also exuding suffocatingly thick demonic energy.

    ''What the hell is happening?!''

    He couldn''t understand why the energying out of him felt like demonic energy.

    ''There is no demonic energy within me.''

    He looked through the energy within him, but as expected, he could not feel even a drop of demonic energy. In other words, the demonic energy covering him was being exuded by someone else.

    ''How?''

    Before he could keep thinking, bolts of lightning poured down on him.

    "Kurgggghhhh!!"

    He spun his spear to block the bolts. The demonic energy pouring out of Luperien stormed to protect him like a shield.

    Tsssss.

    The searing heat from each bolt burned his hands.

    ''He is serious.''

    Raphael bit his lip. He could tell from that attack that Uriel was truly trying to kill him.

    ''Since it hase to this''

    Raphael looked around. He saw that the protectors of Guardians were ring at him with weapons in their hands.

    ''I will subdue Uriel first.''

    He couldn''t understand why he''d be a fallen angel after ten days of treating his wounds, but if Uriel, of all people, was attacking him, that meant it was already toote to convince him with words.

    "Haap!"

    Gripping his spear, he rushed toward Uriel, who was in the midst of casting.

    Uriel used non-casting magic, causing lightning to spread out like a and block Raphael''s path, but Raphael swung Luperien and tore the apart.

    ng!

    Raphael struck the ground with the tip of his spear and used the force generated tounch himself into the air.

    "Argo  La  Fulmine."

    Uriel used that short time to finish his chant. He spread open his eight wings and crossed his arms to make an X.

    "S U R G E !"

    Crackle!

    Thousands of lightning bolts rose from the floor as if a dragon were ascending into the sky.

    As Raphael was about to raise his spear to block the attack

    "Yeon-Joo!"

    "Got it!"

    Slide.

    Dozens of red chains surrounded Raphael and wrapped around him. He grimaced.

    "Mere chains will not"

    "Si-Hun!"

    "Okay, hyung-nim!"

    "Kuh?!"

    Following Yeon-Joo''s red chains, the two heroes rushed forward.

    Despite running on chains as thin as two fingers, neither Si-Hun nor Kang-Woo lost bnce. Raphael quickly broke the chains wrapped around him, but Kang-Woo jumped, aiming to kick Raphael''s head before he could fully free himself.

    Thunk!

    A barrier of demonic energy formed around Raphael, blocking Kang-Woo''s kick. Si-Hun caught up to Kang-Woo in the meantime and swung his holy sword.

    ng!

    "Kuh!"

    Si-Hun''s sword bounced off the thick demonic energy wrapped around Raphael.

    "Hyung-nim! The demonic energy barrier is too thick!"

    "Shit."

    Kang-Woo bit his lip in anxiety.

    Like Si-Hun had said, the demonic energy surrounding Raphael was too thick.

    "What the"

    Raphael''s mouth fell open in surprise. Although he hadn''t done anything, the demonic energy around him had moved on its own to block their attacks. Raphael clenched his hair as if he were going insane.

    ''Now that it hase to this''

    He could only take a gamble.

    "Uriel! You are being deceived by a demon! Think of all the battles we have fought together!" Raphael shouted.

    "Ngh"

    "Do you really believe I have fallen from grace?! You know the power of obsession better than anyone!"

    "Sh-Shut up! Shut up!"

    "Get yourself together! I have no intention of attacking you!"

    ""

    As if he were trying to prove that, Raphael raised both of his hands.

    tter.

    Luperien fell to the ground.

    "Ngh"

    Uriel''s eyes shook.

    Hesitation, doubt, and hope intertwined.

    He closed his eyes.

    ''No.''

    It was a trick.

    He looked at the ck wings and the suffocatingly thick demonic energy emanating from Raphael. It was obvious that Raphael had fallen.

    ''No.''

    He bit his lip. His overwhelming obsession and yearning swayed him. He had spent thousands of years with Raphael. They had fought on many battlefields and tasted countless victories and defeats.

    Raphael was more hisrade-in-arms, whom he had gone through life and death with, than just another archangel.

    ''He isn''t the Raphael I know anymore.''

    The blue-haired young man shed tears, grabbed his hair, and shook his head.

    ''But''

    Deep inside his consciousness, Uriel still

    Pierce!!!

    " Huh?"

    Red blood spattered.

    Uriel slowly opened his eyes.

    "Cough! Cough!"

    A ck spear had suddenly shot out of Raphael and pierced a young man trying to protect Uriel.

    "Y-You"

    "Lord Uriel"

    Kang-Woo, who had protected Uriel from danger, copsed and leaned on Uriel, embracing him.

    "Be caref"

    "H-Hey! G-Get a hold of yourself, human!!"

    Kang-Woo vomited red blood and lost consciousness.

    "O-Oh Kang-Woo!"

    "Hyung-nim!"

    Yeon-Joo and Si-Hun screamed.

    "Ra phael."

    Uriel turned his head in anger. He looked at Raphael, who had his mouth agape and his two eyes wide open.

    "N-No! Th-That was not me!!"

    Raphael quickly waved his hands and looked down at the ck spear that had suddenly appeared out of thin air. He cast aside the spear and quickly pped his wings, summoning the sacred power within him.

    Rumble!!!

    Pitch-ck darkness burst out of him.

    "No!"

    Dozens of spears materialized from the darkness and shot out at random like cannons.

    "I did not do this, goddammit!! I swear!!"

    ""

    Uriel carefully ced Kang-Woo on the floor. His short blue hair spiked all over. Any sign of hesitation was gone from his beautiful face; all that was left was a deep resentment toward demons.

    "Those tainted by darkness"

    Crackle!

    An enormous amount of lightning wrapped around Uriel.

    "Receive the judgment of light."

 Chapter 283: Those Tainted By Darkness, Receive the Judgment of Light (2)

    Chapter 283: Those Tainted By Darkness, Receive the Judgment of Light (2)

    <em>Urgh, fuuuuuck.</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo grimaced as he copsed.

    <em>That hurt like a bitch.</em>

    Hed pierced himself with a demonic energy spear, so there was no way it wouldnt hurt. On top of that, hed used the Authority of Coloring to change the color of his blood while controlling demonic energy from a distance, so his head was also hurting.

    <em>Its harder than I thought.</em>

    Using demonic energy from a distance wasnt hard to do when hed used it on that lizardst time, but since the target was an archangel, it was really hard.

    <em>I have to use more demonic energy than the sacred power hes emitting.</em>

    That was the main issue.

    Kang-Woo was currently coating Raphaels sacred power with demonic energy.

    <em>It wouldve been dangerous if I hadnt molted.</em>

    Kang-Woo had overwhelmingly more demonic energypared to the amount of sacred power that Raphael possessed; it was only obvious considering he possessed the Demonic Sea, an infinite pool of demonic energy. However, simply having more demonic energy wasnt enough to pull off something like this.

    One could have a water tank as massive as the sea, but if the hose was only two centimeters wide, the water could not extinguish a huge fire. If he had not raised his demonic energy control through molting, he would not have been able to fully conceal Raphaels sacred power.

    <em>But still</em>

    A smile crept onto Kang-Woos face. He slightly opened one eye and looked around; Uriel and Raphael were fighting with everything they had.

    <em>I did it.</em>

    He could no longer see the affection for arade-in-arms in Uriels eyes as Uriel showered Raphael with lightning bolts.

    <em>In a one-on-one Raphael is a bit stronger.</em>

    That was not exactly true; it was just the fundamental difference between a mage and a warrior.

    A mage could exert massive firepower under the premise that they were given enough distance and time, but they could not use their power to its full potential if the warrior closed the distance.

    Whatever type of magic it was, higher-tier magic required casting, so it was unavoidable.

    <em>Thats also why Amon was undervalued despite his power.</em>

    ck magic was the worst in one-on-one battles.

    Of course, if at war, Amon could exercise power beyond that of an entire army. Individual power mattered the most in Hell, so mages were not rated highly.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    He knew a mages advantage inrge-scale battles very well because he had faced Amon back when Amon was still under Satan. He had also fought alongside Amon when they were at war with Baels forces.

    <em>If a mage wasplemented by a wonderful vanguard who could buy them time to cast</em>

    They could exercise firepower unfathomable for a mere warrior.

    Kang-Woo looked at his lovely little brother, who would fulfill the role of vanguard.

    Si-Hun, who had been restlessly staring at Kang-Woo, clenched his sword and stepped forward.

    "Shit! Yeon-Joo! We have to prioritize taking down the fallen angel instead of treating hyung-nim!"

    "Wh-What?! Cant you see how serious his wound is?! We have to at least perform first aid"

    "Hyung-nim has strong regenerative abilities. Right now, our priority is to take down Raphael."

    <em>Good.</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded while making a satisfied expression.

    <em>Hes grown a lot.</em>

    Si-Hun hade a long way from being nothing but a kind-hearted pushover.

    "Kuh!"

    <em>You should kill that temper of yours a little, Yeon-Joo. A girl shouldnt have such a bullish personality</em>

    " The hell? I suddenly feel unpleasant."

    <em>You got this, Yeon-Joo noona!</em>

    Tilting her head while frowning, Yeon-Joo also joined the fight. Tian Wuchen and Grace McCubbin soon joined them.

    With Si-Hun and three World Rankers joining in, the flow of the battle changed little by little. Uriel gained more and more time to cast, and he poured powerful magic at Raphael.

    "Shit! Shit!! Who is it?! Who the hell has done something like!" Raphael shouted like a madman.

    No one was listening to him anymore.

    <em>Its about to end soon.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled.

    "URIEEEEL!!!" Raphael screamed. He continued to say that he was innocent and was being framed, but it was pointless because he was still exuding demonic energy from all over.

    Uriel furiously poured attacks on Raphael as if he had decided not to listen to him, and

    "<em>Cough</em>, kurgh."

    The majority of Raphaels body had turned into ck ash as he had been struck by around three thousand bolts of lightning.

    "Uriel"

    He lonesomely extended his hand out and stammered as if he were trying to say something.

    Kang-Woo stared at him.

    <em>This should be enough.</em>

    He moved the demonic energy that was surrounding Raphael and covered his body. Before Raphael could say anyst words, Kang-Woo used the Authority of Predation.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    <em>Its a bit scary to use in front of Uriel, but</em>

    Now that even his Authority of Predation could be used from a distance after his molting, he was confident that he could fool even Uriels eyes.

    "Raphael"

    Thankfully, due to Uriels shock at having killed his friend with his own hands, he didnt seem to care about Raphaels body disappearing as darkness devoured it. It looked from the outside that he was turning into dust and scattering as if a certain bald man had snapped his finger in a certain superhero film, so there was no way Uriel would think that Raphael was being eaten by someone.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have eaten Archangel Raphael.]

    [Explosively raising Sacred Power.]

    [Sacred Power has risen to 112.]

    <em>Dayum, thats an archangel for you.</em>

    His Sacred Power stat, which had been at 73, had risen to 112 in a sh.

    Considering how difficult it was to increase ones stat after it surpassed 100, it truly was an explosive boost.

    [You have fulfilled the primary condition of Chaos, the advanced quest of Road to Bing a Demon God.]

    [However, the power of Chaos can only be used in its entirety after fulfilling every condition of Road to Bing a Demon God. A fatal penalty will be ced on the body if used before that.]

    <em>Eh?</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes widened.

    The advanced quest Road to Bing a Demon God, which had been just question marks until now, had finally been revealed.

    <em>For Gods sake, I dont even know the third condition of the final step.</em>

    It was as if he had cleared Stage 4 before Stage 3. Not just that, he couldnt enjoy the rewards given by clearing Stage 4 because he hadnt cleared the one before that yet.

    <em>Dammit, I dont need that shit, so just give me a hint for the third condition.</em>

    He cursed at the system, but there was no way he could expect an answer. He didnt even know what the system was in the first ce.

    <em>It doesnt seem to be Gaias power.</em>

    There was no way Gaia was helping him grow stronger. It was possible that it was a being above her, a being without form that existed simply as a phenomenon of nature.

    <em>I cant really picture what that could be, though.</em>

    Regardless, no matter how many times he hadined to the system, he had never gotten an answer. Casting aside the blue message window in front of him, he focused back on his performance.

    "<em>Cough! Cough!</em>"

    "Hyung-nim!!"

    Kang-Woo vomited red blood, and Si-Hun quickly embraced him.

    <em>Good, good.</em>

    He felt like this was the perfect time for the ys finale.

    Kang-Woo turned to look at Uriel, who was staring nkly at the empty space where Raphael had turned to dust and vanished.

    <em>Mm.</em>

    Kang-Woo felt both guilt for making Uriel kill hisrade-in-arms as well as joy that his n had been a great sess.

    <em>In any case, I managed to avoid the worst-case scenario.</em>

    Hed managed to clean up the mess hed made. He couldnt stop the corners of his mouth from rising in relief. It was only natural since he had ovee the risk of going to war with the angels after only having recently wiped out the Demon Cult.

    He would have stood up and startedughing if he could.

    <em>Calm down.</em>

    He couldnt ruin this perfect scenario. Kang-Woo closed his eyes and acted as pained as possible.

    "H-Healer! Are there any healers here?!"

    " There arent. Lets move hyung-nim to the Hall of Protection first."

    Si-Hun picked up Kang-Woo.

    <em>Oh my.</em>

    Kang-Woo felt like he was about to puke, but he instead coughed while desperately maintaining his act.

    <em>And now, I just have to go back, get treated, and receive ten days of care from Seol-Ah.</em>

    Everything was perfect. Kang-Woo smiled while crying tears of happiness.

    Then

    " Wait, human."

    <em>Hm?</em>

    Uriel walked toward him, and Kang-Woo flinched.

    <em>Fuck, he didnt catch on to anything, did he?</em>

    "<em>Cough! Cough!</em>"

    Kang-Woo vomited more blood on purpose.

    " Put that human down."

    <em>Fucking why? Youre not trying to stab us in the back after all that, are you?</em>

    "Lord Uriel?"

    "Healing magic isnt my specialty but theres something I can use."

    <em>Oh.</em>

    Thankfully, it seemed like his worries were unfounded.

    Si-Hun nodded and put Kang-Woo down.

    "Um  Babra  Ariande."

    Uriel cast a spell.

    <em>Well, I was fine after receiving Seol-Ahs healing, so Im sure itll be fine.</em>

    Thanks to Han Seol-Ah, Kang-Woo had found out that even healing spells using sacred power were able to heal demons.

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes infort.

    <em>Right, lets see how an archangels healing magicpares</em>

    <em>Tap.</em>

    A strange sensation touched his lips.

    "<em>Gasp</em>."

    Si-Huns eyes widened, and a confused voice came out of Yeon-Joo, "Wh-What?"

    <em>The hell?</em>

    Kang-Woo opened his eyes just to witness that Uriel was kissing him.

    Blue hair that resembled the sky, skin as white as a pearl, and long eyshes were in view.

    <em>Huh?</em>

    What the fuck?

    "That should be enough for first aid. Now you wont die as long as you get some good rest."

    Uriel stood up, his face reflecting his mixed feelings.

    "Wh-What did you j-j-j-j-just do?" Kang-Woo stammered.

    "I told you, first aid. But it only activates through mouth-to-mouth contact, so it cant be helped."

    Uriel wiped his mouth while frowning.

    ""

    Kang-Woo remained silent and clenched his fists so hard that blood flowed down them.

    Anyone else wouldve been able to brush it off whileughing. It was just first aid, no different from CPR. So, there was no need to pay it any mind.

    <em>Fuck.</em>

    If it werent for the fact that it was his first kiss with someone other than Lilith

    <em>Fuuuuck.</em>

    If only he had actually been severely hurt and was actually in real danger

    <em>Why fucking why?</em>

    He hadnt even kissed Seol-Ah yet, since he had wanted to do it in the right mood after umting virgin power for ten whole millennia.

    "<em>Sniff</em> Urgh Fuck Fuck my life Shit."

    The curtains closed.

    It had truly been a tragic y for the leads, supporting roles, and spectators alike.

    * * *

    After recovering from his wounds thanks to Uriels help, Kang-Woo refused Si-Huns proposition to take him home and returned to his house at full speed.

    "Darliiiiing!!"

    <em>m!</em>

    He opened the front door. Seol-Ah, who had been anxiously waiting on the living room couch because she hadnt been able to participate in his n, sprang up.

    "Wh-Whats wrong, Kang-Woo?" she asked in bewilderment, seeing that Kang-Woos eyes were wet.

    "Hurgh Im sorry"

    "Huh? A-About what?"

    "My first"

    "?"

    His shoulders were shaking as he hugged her.

    Of course, he wasnt still sulking because Uriel had kissed him to heal his wounds. No matter how much of a numbskull he was when it came to rtionships, he wouldnt despair over Uriel having kissed him for first-aid purposes.

    Despite that, he was acting like this for two reasons.

    First was because he was still overjoyed that the Raphael incident, which he had honestly believed had a low chance of sess, had seeded. Second was that he was hoping to use this to advance his rtionship with Seol-Ah, which had been stagnant so far.

    To put it simply, he wanted to make her jealous.

    "What do you mean by first?"

    "My first kiss was" Kang-Woo said while making a sad expression mixed slightly with a yful smile.

    " What did you say?"

    <em>Hm?</em>

    But

    "Which fucking bitchAh, Im sorry. Who did something like that to you?"

    <em>Huh?</em>

    Kang-Woo slightly looked up to see Seol-Ahs eyes devoid of life and shining with a dreary light.

    <em>Whys she so scary?</em>

 Chapter 284: Nice Boat (1)

    Chapter 284: Nice Boat (1)

    "Uhh Mm. Well"

    Oh Kang-Woo slightly moved away from Han Seol-Ahs arms and made a troubled expression.

    It was true that he wanted to see her be jealous, but he wanted to see her be jealous cutely, not while emitting an aura that seemed to belong to a horror film.

    <em>Whats going on?</em>

    He tilted his head in confusion at how different Seol-Ah was from usual.

    "Who did that to you?" Seol-Ah asked again while smiling. Although she was smiling, there was still a chilling bloodlust in her eyes.

    Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly and said it was a joke.

    "What?"

    "I was just in a good mood, so I just thought of ying a prank. The n went really well, you see."

    "Aaah, I-I see."

    Seol-Ahs eyes returned to normal. She put her hands on her red cheeks while mumbling, "Oh, my."

    Kang-Woo sighed softly when he saw shed returned to her usual self.

    "So, uhm What about the n?"

    "Hmm? It worked. We wont have any trouble with the angels anymore."

    "No, not that." Seol-Ah shook her head and then said, "You told me that you would tell me more about yourself, Kang-Woo. I want to hear more in detail about the n that you talked about as well."

    ""

    Kang-Woo remained tight-lipped. Come to think of it, he did indeed remember telling her that after showing her his true self.

    ""

    There was a heavy silence, and hesitation appeared in Kang-Woos eyes.

    Only Lilith and Balrog knew the true self hidden behind his facade. Even for Kang-Woo, no, because he was Kang-Woo, it was difficult to reveal the truth. Although not as much as Kim Si-Hun, Seol-Ah also thought of Kang-Woo as a hero who did his best for the safety of this world.

    <em>And</em>

    There were also a few things that she couldnt know, such as the fact that he had turned Si-Hun into his Familiar, that he had killed Alec Osborne and Reynald, and that he was actually the Demon of Prophecy.

    <em>But then theres nothing for me to say.</em>

    He grabbed his hair. After going through all that he had done aftering to Earth, they were nothing but things that he couldnt tell Seol-Ah.

    <em>Oh, fuck.</em>

    Regret btedly swept over him for all the atrocities that he hadmitted.

    "Uhh you see"

    Kang-Woo averted Seol-Ahs gaze.

    Her eyes narrowed, and she extended her hands and grabbed Kang-Woos.

    "You said you would tell me everything."

    She was emitting a weird aura that made it difficult to deny her.

    "Ngh," Kang-Woo sighed.

    ""

    To be honest, he was scared about how she would react when she came face to face with the true self behind his facade.

    "I dont expect you to tell me everything at once, Kang-Woo. Even though I would like that I can tell from your face how hard that is for you."

    Smiling bitterly, Seol-Ah pulled Kang-Woos hands. Kang-Woo walked to the couch as she pulled and sat down with her.

    "So, exin to me this incident, at the very least. Its rted to me, after all."

    ""

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes.

    <em>But this incident is no joke either.</em>

    Raphaels screams still lingered in his ears. Leaving aside his excuse that there was nothing he couldve done about it, what he had done this time had been cruel, even by his standards.

    "Is that also too hard?"

    Seol-Ah teared up.

    Kang-Woo felt that the light was starting to disappear from her face. He grabbed his forehead.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    There was no other choice. It was obvious that such a thing would happen from the moment he killed Shalgiel in front of her.

    "No, its okay. Ill exin it to you."

    "Ah!"

    Seol-Ahs expression brightened.

    "Okay I exined to you before that Seraphs soul lies within you, right?"

    "Yes."

    "Because of that, I had no choice but to"

    Kang-Woo slowly began exining that he had to kill Raphael by any means necessary and that the only way to kill him while avoiding a war with the angels was to make it seem like Raphael had fallen from grace. He couldnt tell her every single detail, but he told her the purpose of the n, why it had been necessary, and as much of the process as he could possibly tell her.

    ""

    Seol-Ahs mouth fell open in surprise, unable to say a word. Kang-Woo anxiously bit his lip.

    <em>Im sure its hard to ept.</em>

    To be honest, what hed done to Raphael couldnt be excused.

    Not only had Kang-Woo killed all of his subordinates and turned them into Chimeras, hed also made it so that Uriel, therade-in-arms whom Raphael had spent thousands of years with, would kill him.

    It waspletely different from the case with Satan, who had tried to act like the victim to fool others. Raphael had truly done nothing wrong, and he had died an unjust death full of tears of blood.

    <em>Maybe I shouldve toned it down a bit.</em>

    He was swept with regret as soon as he told her the full story. He sighed after putting the facts out in the open for her to see.

    Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah, whod fallen into thought.

    "Im sure its hard for you to take in, but"

    "So that angel did kiss you?"

    <em>Hm?</em>

    Seol-Ahs eyes narrowed, and he saw her clench her fists and tremble.

    She said, "How dare that bitch"

    <em>Hes a guy.</em>

    Kang-Woo feignedughter. "Uhh, are you fine with everything else besides that? Its a bit weird for me to say, but I did a lot of scummy things."

    "Ah" Seol-Ah slurred.

    What Kang-Woo had done could not be defended, no matter what she said. She honestly couldnt believe that such things had been done by the kind and gentle Kang-Woo that she knew.

    "Im not sure." Seol-Ah opened her mouth after a while. "I dont intend to condone what you did. Even now, I think you went way too far, but I understand why you did it. It was all to hide my existence, wasnt it?"

    "Well yeah."

    "In that case, I cant speak for other people, but its not my ce to say anything to you," Seol-Ah said in a calm voice.

    Kang-Woo looked at her in surprise.

    <em>Thats a bit unexpected.</em>

    He didnt think she was the type of person who would be okay with such a thing.

    <em>Maybe I dont know Seol-Ah that well.</em>

    To be honest, he wasnt expecting her to react so calmly. He thought that she would be shocked and fall into dejection.

    <em>I guess she isnt just kind.</em>

    Kang-Woo remained tight-lipped. He felt a sense of difference that was hard to exin with words.

    "Still Im really d that you decided to tell me, Kang-Woo." Seol-Ah giggled. "Ive been feeling sad because you never tell me anything."

    " I cant really share these kinds of things easily."

    "Well I understand."

    Seol-Ah tilted her body.

    "But"

    While holding Kang-Woos hands, she gazed at him.

    "From now on, I hope you wont hide anything from me and show me your true self."

    She let out a hot breath and slowly reached out to grab Kang-Woos arm. Then she touched his cheek.

    "Im ready to ept everything about you, Kang-Woo. Whatever youve done, whatever you will do in the future I will always be on your side. Yes, always. Forever Whatever happens, forever and ever."

    ""

    Kang-Woo trembled a bit. He wasnt sure why, but for some reason, a chill ran down his back. He looked at Seol-Ah.

    She was blushing and giving him a bit of a lustful look.

    "Seol-Ah? Youre acting a bit wMmph."

    Seol-Ah took him by surprise, pulling his neck in with both arms and kissing him. She ferociously slithered her tongue into his mouth and explored it. She moved without hesitation, like a starved predator that had found its prey. Not only that, but she put her hands into his clothes and touched his chest.

    "Haaa."

    ""

    Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah in surprise, his mouth agape.

    She smiled at him.

    "Fufu. Like I had thought It feels good," she said, sounding high. She lustfully licked her lips.

    At that moment, at least, Kang-Woo felt that Seol-Ah was sexier than Lilith, the Subus Queen.

    "Uhh Mm."

    Kang-Woo stammered as if he had been smacked in the back of the head with a hammer.

    It was true that he mentioned the kiss with Uriel because he wanted his rtionship with Seol-Ah to advance, but he had awakened something demonic in Seol-Ah instead.

    "How was that, Kang-Woo?"

    "H-Hm?"

    "It was far better than that Uriel angel, right?"

    "Its not even worth apari"

    "It was better right?"

    "Of course."

    He nodded.

    Seol-Ah smiled in satisfaction and rested his head on her two massive peaks.

    An inexplicably soft sensation wrapped around Kang-Woo.

    "Youre tired, arent you?" Seol-Ah asked.

    "H-Huh?"

    "Just a minute. Ill make you some kimchi stew."

    Seol-Ah let him go and went to the kitchen.

    Kang-Woo looked at her with a nk expression.

    <em>I mean Im d that she epted me even after hearing that, but</em>

    Forget epting, she was about to devour him.

    Kang-Woo watched Seol-Ah with a nk expression.

    <em>Lilith?</em>

    Yes, he felt as if he were looking at Lilith.

    Kang-Woo shook his head.

    <em>Nah, theres no way.</em>

    He knew very well how kind and delicate a woman Seol-Ah was. She was also under the influence of the Goddess of Parental Love, Seraph, so there was no way that she would, like Lilith, show an obsession close to madness.

    <em>She probably became confused after hearing something so shocking.</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded and got up. Forgetting everything else, his priority was kimchi stew. If he ate Seol-Ahs kimchi stew, all of his confused emotions were bound to disappear.

    <em>Tap.</em>

    "I made a lot."

    "Thanks."

    Kang-Woo gulped while looking at the kimchi stew in a pot asrge as a wash basin.

    <em>Slide.</em>

    Instead of sitting across from him, Seol-Ah sat next to him.

    "Hm?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head.

    "I just wanted to take a closer look. Seeing you eat makes me feel happy, Kang-Woo."

    "Really?"

    Kang-Woo paid it no mind and gulped down the kimchi stew.

    It might have been because he had not taken any rest after the incident with Shalgiel, but the kimchi stew that he was having after a long time was extremely delicious.

    "Good boy."

    Seol-Ah patted Kang-Woo while he was eating the entire pot of kimchi stew and gave him a beautiful smile.

    That night, with the excuse that she was worried about his chest wound, she asked to sleep next to him. She kindly patted his hair and back while holding his head.

    Although his body didnt need to sleep, he started to feel sleepy for some reason.

    <em>Swoosh.</em>

    As he closed his eyes, he saw a beautiful sunset in the sky and heard waves in the distance. He saw Seol-Ah, who was lying in a white boat, hugging his head.

    [Finally its just the two of us, Kang-Woo.]

    Her voice echoed throughout his mind like an illusion.

    <em>What in the world?</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head.

    It was surely a beautiful dream, and he should be smiling with joy, but

    For some reason

    He felt chills run down his spine.

 Chapter 285: Nice Boat (2)

    Chapter 285: Nice Boat (2)

    "<em>Yawn</em>."

    Oh Kang-Woo opened his eyes from the ray of sunlight seeping in through the window.

    "What was that?"

    He thought about the previous nights dream.

    He had dreamed about being on a boat in the ocean over the sunset, and he was being embraced by none other than Han Seol-Ah. It was a very happy dream, but his clothes were drenched in sweat as if it had been a nightmare.

    <em>Was I that nervous?</em>

    Although he wasnt showing it, he honestly felt very bad about what he had done this time. If their rtionship with the angels copsed, it wouldnt just be his problem; Guardians, yers, and the entirety of humanity would be dragged into the mess he made if it escted to war.

    "Ngh."

    Kang-Woo lifted his nket.

    "?"

    His clothes were in disarray. His pants were halfway down, and his shirt was unbuttoned.

    <em>Whats this?</em>

    He touched a red mark on his chest; there were several of them. They looked simr to when the suckers of Liliths tentacles attached to him.

    " Had Lilith stopped by?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head and got up. He tidied up his clothes and was about to leave the room when

    "Hmm, something like that happened?"

    He heard Liliths voice from outside.

    Kang-Woo nodded. Like he had thought, Lilith had stopped by. He was just about to open the door when he stopped to eavesdrop on the conversation.

    "Yes. I heard he kissed Kang-Woo."

    "Hah. That fucking pigeon Oh my, hoho. My apologies. I got a little worked up."

    "No, I was thinking the same thing."

    "My, my. I guess we were thinking the same thing, Seol-Ah."

    "Yes. I would like to tear the wings off that damn angel Uriel, or whatever his name is, and shove them down his thrOh, I-Im sorry. I ended up saying something weird."

    "No need to worry~ I did the same thing."

    They were speaking very calmly to one another, but it was unsettling for some reason.

    Kang-Woos mouth fell open.

    <em>Seol-Ah and Lilith?</em>

    Based on the atmosphere of their conversation as well as its content, they seemed to have be very close to each other.

    "So what will you do, Seol-Ah?"

    "Hoho. It had been for no other purpose than first aid, so I wont be doing anything."

    "Oh, but your eyes tell me otherwise."

    "Ah."

    What was she nning on doing exactly?

    "I guess you caught me," Seol-Ah remarked.

    "Fufu. Didnt you know that I was the chief of staff in the demon king army? I have a good eye for that kind of thing."

    "Actually, Ive been thinking of asking for your help regarding th"

    <em>ck!</em>

    Kang-Woo swung open the door.

    "Top of the mornin to ya!"

    "Oh, good morning, Kang-Woo."

    "Hohoho. You seem to be chipper first thing in the morning, my king."

    Lilith and Seol-Ah waved to Kang-Woo. Lilith got up and bowed her head.

    "Congrattions on the ns sess. After you left, I checked on Uriel and it seems he has beenpletely deceived."

    "Uhh, mm."

    Kang-Woo nodded in puzzlement. As he turned his head, he saw Echidna and Halcyon on the living room couch, hugging each other while trembling in fear.

    <em>Why the hell</em>

    Echidna quickly walked toward Kang-Woo.

    "Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo. Seol-Ah is acting wei"

    "My, what are you talking about?" Seol-Ah asked.

    As Echidna was desperately trying to tell Kang-Woo something, Seol-Ah grabbed her hand. She then hugged Echidna and smiled.

    "S-Seol-Ah."

    "Come with me for a second."

    Seol-Ah dragged Echidna into her room.

    Echidna sent S.O.S. signals to Kang-Woo with her teared-up eyes.

    "K-Kang-Woo"

    <em>ck.</em>

    The door closed. Nothing could be heard inside.

    ""

    Kang-Woo remained silent as he stood in ce. His head was in a jumble. As he staggered toward the couch and sat down, Halcyon scooted over to him.

    Lilith, in the form of Kurosaki Yurie, approached Kang-Woo with elegant steps and stood across from him.

    "I havee in hopes of hearing about how we will be settling this affair."

    "Mm."

    Kang-Woo nodded and organized his jumbled thoughts. The n itself had been very important, but settling the chaos afterward was just as important.

    <em>The angels will probably be in an uproar.</em>

    One of the four archangels had died. Not only did the angels not know who the Demon of Prophecy was, they were also beingpletely made for fools by one of the Four Heavenly Kings following the Demon of Prophecy.

    <em>I have to make good use of this situation.</em>

    If he took this opportunity to consolidate their rtionship with the angels, he would be able to make his moves far more easily. In the first ce, if Raphael had fully trusted Guardians, he wouldnt have ordered Shalgiel to investigate them, and then Shalgiel wouldnt have learned of Seol-Ahs existence.

    "Whats Uriel doing?"

    "He is currently gathering the corpses of Shalgiel and the other angels. He is also clearing out the rest of the Undead loose within the fortress by himself."

    "I see."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He tapped on his thigh with his finger. Halcyon stared at Kang-Woos finger with his mouth open.

    "What do you personally think about the state Uriel is in?"

    "Mm"

    Lilith fell into silence as if she were organizing her thoughts.

    "I believe he is in severely critical condition."

    "Critical?"

    "Yes, he seems to have suffered considerable psychological shock. His face was as white as a sheet. Moreover, his process of clearing out the Undead is extremely temperamental."

    "Are angels usually that emotional? Raphael and Shalgiel only looked like demon-killing machines."

    "I am not sure either, but just as demons have desires, angels may also have some constraints that allow them to sustain their eternal life."

    "Could be. Theyd all be devoid of emotions if that werent the case."

    Kang-Woo nodded. The bodies of demons amplified desire for a reason; like all living things, they had evolved to survive. To prevent their emotions from being worn down with the passage of time, they had no choice but to ce the constraint of amplifying their desire on their bodies.

    "Well I guess it isnt bad news."

    Kang-Woo smiled. The bigger the shock, the thinner ones psychological defenses became. For example, he had been able to easily make Halcyon their ally because he/she possessed deep trauma.

    <em>If I make good use of it</em>

    His rtionship with Uriel would surpass members of an alliance and be allies in the truest sense.

    <em>Its more likely than with Raphael.</em>

    Kang-Woo had kept his distance from Raphael because of Raphaels obsession with eradicating demons, but Kang-Woo did not see that same obsession in Uriel.

    "I should make some time to go see him."

    "What will you have us do?"

    "Making fake bodies for Vaal Zahak and Balrog takes immediate priority. Their movements will be highly restricted in their demon bodies."

    "I understand."

    "Also, try to figure out if theres a way to hide Seol-Ahs power."

    If angels could see Seraph in Seol-Ah just by looking at her, it would be a problem to recklessly ally with the angels. A person could only be hidden for so long.

    Lilith bowed.

    "Haaa."

    Kang-Woo leaned back on the couch. With the whole ordeal involving Shalgiel done and over with, he was finally able to take a breather, and there wasnt anything he had to do in a hurry at the moment.

    <em>If I manage to drag Uriel to my side</em>

    Life on Earth would be very peaceful.

    "Right, I should go."

    "Are you going to Uriel?" Lilith asked.

    "Yup."

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    Emotions were bound to be eroded by the flow of time. Just as one forgot painful memories over time, it was best to approach Uriel while his despair was at its peak.

    "Keep up the good work." Kang-Woo looked at Lilith apologetically.

    She was without a doubt his busiest subordinate. She was investigating how to make contact with Hell, was tasked with setting his stages, had to figure out how to hide Seol-Ah from the angels, and had many other tasks.

    Not only that, but she was also in charge of gathering and distributing various pieces of information.

    She was doing practically everything. Although she was technically not doing everything on her own since she had her puppets that she had seduced with her charms

    <em>Im sure she barely has time to rest.</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and slowly extended his hand to stroke Liliths hair.

    "Thanks for everything."

    "Oh my."

    Lilith blushed as Kang-Woo acted differently from usual. She asked teasingly while smiling seductively, "Are you thinking of praising me with only words?"

    ""

    Lilith giggled. She took a step closer to Kang-Woo and whispered, "I heard from Seol-Ah, that an insolent angel stole your lips."

    "That was purely for healing."

    "Then may I ask for healing of my mind, exhausted from overwork?"

    ""

    It waspletely devoid of logic, but he didnt know how to refuse. Lilith had indeed been working a lot.

    ""

    She wrapped her arms around Kang-Woo while looking at him gently. She got on her tiptoes and puckered her lips. Her lips, shining faintly red, stimted him.

    Kang-Woo gulped. He wasnt dumb enough to not realize what she wanted as a reward.

    "Oh, right. I should return to my original fMmph."

    Kang-Woo pulled Lilith in without hesitation. His eyes shone in desperation.

    <em>Before she goes back to normal!</em>

    He had to calm Lilith down.

    Kang-Woo hugged Lilith like a warrior whose life depended on it. Although he felt guilty about Seol-Ah, he had no other choice if he wanted to live.

    "Haaa. Haaa."

    He panted heavily and snuck a nce at Lilith.

    "Aah"

    Her mouth was wide open in surprise. It seemed she hadnt imagined that Kang-Woo would act first.

    She trembled in excitement.

    "Fu fufufufufu."

    <em>Wh-Why are youughing like that?</em>

    "It seems Seol-Ah has melted down your heart enough. Hohoho. Good, very good."

    Liliths eyes were shining with lust. Her ck hair floated up in the air and twisted around. Sticky liquid flowed out of the ends of her hair.

    Kang-Woo flinched and turned around.

    "Theres no time to waste."

    "Yes, my king."

    Lilith smiled.

    Kang-Woo opened a gate to the Hall of Protection. Before stepping into it, he turned his head.

    "Oh,e to think of it" He tilted his head and asked, "Why did you take off my clothes at night?"

    He recalled the events of this morning.

    "I beg your pardon?" Liliths eyes widened as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

    "I only talked with Seol-Ah as soon as I arrived."

    " What?"

    Kang-Woos eyes widened, and he shifted his gaze to the door of the room Seol-Ah had dragged Echidna into.

    The door was still closed.

    * * *

    " What in the world?"

    Kang-Woo walked while scratching his head. His head was in a jumble.

    <em>I should ask Seol-Ahter.</em>

    There was no time to focus on that. He passed through the gate leading to Africa in the Hall of Protection.

    "Right, then"

    He had two objectives foring to the fortress.

    First, he needed to develop a closer rtionship with Uriel.

    <em>Second</em>

 Chapter 286: Homo Shit What the Gay Is Happening?

    Chapter 286: Homo Shit What the Gay Is Happening?

    The fortress that used to shine with pure white light had been engulfed in unknown darkness.

    "Grrk! Grrrrk!"

    Growls could be hearding from within the darkness.

    <em>St, st.</em>

    Dozens of Undead were limping, leaving behind bloody footprints. Their skin was rotten, their eyes dull, their lips pale.

    ""

    A boy with hair as blue as the clear sky stood in the hallway in front of the Undead, his lips pursed.

    "Grrrk!!"

    Seeing a living being, the Undead growled and bared their teeth. Saliva ran down between their yellow teeth.

    <em>Rush!</em>

    As if they hadnt just been limping, the horde sprinted across the hallway at immense speed. The boy grimaced and stepped forward. Although dozens of Undead were rushing toward him, there was no fear on his face.

    "Argo  La  Fulmine," he cast in a low voice.

    <em>Crackle.</em>

    Blue lightning gathered in the palm of his hand.

    "S W E E P !" he spit out.

    <em>Crackle!!</em>

    Blue lightning filled the hallway like a wave, the walls of the fortress burning ck.

    "Grrrk?!"

    In the blink of an eye, the blue electricity engulfed the Undead. Thousands of lightning bolts turned the Undead into ck ash, scattering them into dust.

    ""

    The young man remained tight-lipped after defeating dozens of Undead with just one attack. Despite disying power fitting for a god, he still wore an expression that couldnt be more sorrowful.

    "Raphael" Uriel, the blue-haired boy, mumbled in a sad voice. He copsed in the darkness-filled hallway and looked down at his hands.

    <em>I killed myrade with my own hands.</em>

    A friend with whom he had gone through countless battles

    "Shit, shit"

    Weeping echoed through the hallway. His obsession with affection and yearning for rtionships ate away at him.

    <em></em>

    He did not even feel danger from his obsession; he simply wanted to let his instincts and yearning take him away.

    "Kuh."

    Uriel bit his lip and lowered his head.

    Would he have still been in this state if his loyal subordinates were present?

    There was no way to know.

    " Its a pointless thought."

    SantAngelo had ended up using a lot of resources because he had rushed his crossing into Earth. Hundreds of upper angels had copsed because of how much sacred power theyd used to form the Gate to send just him, so it would probably take at least a month for his entire army to arrive.

    <em>"You must be Uriel, the one who was newly given the seat of archangel."</em>

    <em>"Who the hell are you?"</em>

    <em>"Tsk, considering your stature resembles that of a human you must have some human blood mixed within you."</em>

    <em>"So what? Isnt that the same for that crazy bitch Gabriel?"</em>

    <em>"There is no need to be so irritated. I did not say that to discriminate against you. No, there is no need for discrimination between those who eradicate evil together."</em>

    <em>""</em>

    <em>"My name is Raphael, child."</em>

    <em>"You son of a bitch!"</em>

    It was hard to say their first meeting was a good one, but

    <em>"Fuuu. I am quite tired. Are you okay, child?"</em>

    <em>"Shut up."</em>

    After they had gone through countless battles and went against the rise of the Evil God they had be like brothers.

    ""

    Uriel closed his eyes. An irresistible storm of emotions raged within him. He slowly raised his trembling hands the very hands that had killed his friend

    <em>Tap.</em>

    "What are you doing here?"

    "!"

    Uriel quickly got up.

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    Blue lightning rose, and he turned his head toward the voice.

    "Ah"

    It was the young man with sharp eyes, the one who had thrown himself in harms way to save him after Uriel had almost been deceived by the fallen Raphael.

    " How is your injury?"

    "It has be much better thanks to you, Lord Uriel."

    Oh Kang-Woo smiled.

    Uriel felt relieved, but that was only for a short while.

    "Why are you here? I believe I clearly said that I would be the one to purify the fortress and collect the corpses of the angels," Uriel said in a sharp voice.

    ""

    "If you came here to express your sympathy, then screw off. I might look like this, but Ive lived more than a hundred times longer than you."

    "If I may, how old are you?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "In human years, I should be around three thousand years old. Im not exactly sure since Ive never kept track."

    Kang-Woo shrugged and smirked. He ignored Uriels words and slowly walked toward him and sat next to him.

    Uriel narrowed his eyes.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Is age that important?"

    " What?"

    "Did you know that most of a humans mental development is done during their teenage years? Basically, if youre a moron during those years, youll stay one for the rest of your life."

    " What are you trying to say?"

    "I am saying that age and mental maturity are not rted."

    "Hah, big words from a human that can barely live a hundred years. Ive lived for three thou"

    "Even if"Kang-Woo interjected, causing Uriel to flinch"youve lived for ten millennia, things that hurt still hurt. You still have a hard time, and you suffer. Even if you can put a plug in so that the flow doesnt leak, you cannot stop the flow itself."

    ""

    "Do you think it is cool to pretend everything is ok? Do you find it amazing when one is able to suppress their emotions even when their parents or friends have died?"

    "Thats"

    "Its okay to cry when you want to."

    ""

    There was a heavy silence.

    There wasnt any conversation; time just flowed.

    An hour passed, and Uriel slowly opened his mouth.

    "To be honest, we didnt really get along that well."

    Kang-Woo listened without a word.

    Uriel said, "The body of an angel subconsciously brings about obsessions. It forcibly makes angels obsess over something so that their minds dont break down over the passage of time."

    ""

    "Raphaels obsession was to kill all those tainted by evil."

    "Interesting. I thought all angels were like that."

    "Only Raphaels retainers are like that. Although demons are our mortal enemies, there arent many angels who are that desperate to kill all demons."

    Anyway, Uriel kept talking.

    "We fought practically every single day I even had to save him a few times because he jumped straight into enemy lines, unable to control his instincts He was a real son of a bitch."

    Uriel lowered his head, transparent tears gathered around his eyes, and his shoulders trembled. He clenched his fists and spoke in a shaky voice: "But still he shouldnt have died like that. He didnt fight for thousands of years to suffer such a death"

    ""

    Kang-Woo didnt say anything and just kept listening to Uriel.

    <em>Fuck.</em>

    He didnt outwardly show it, but his thoughts were in quite a state of disarray at that moment.

    <em>Maybe I shouldnt havee.</em>

    To think he was there to console someone whod killed hisrade because of a n hed executed. Even if he didnt mind feeling guilty, this was a bit too big of a hurdle to jump over.

    Being unable to bear seeing Uriel cry in silence, Kang-Woo stood up. "Wait here for a moment."

    " What?"

    Without replying, Kang-Woo turned away, went back to the Hall of Protection, and then to his house. He called over Han Seol-Ah, who had been chatting with Echidna, and

    " Whats this?" Uriel asked.

    "Its a food from Earth called kimchi stew."

    Urielughed in disbelief as he looked at the steaming pot. "Sorry, but angels dont need to eat to"

    "I know."

    Kang-Woo put down the kimchi stew in front of Uriel and then took out a bowl of rice hed brought along with it.

    "But you can still eat, right?"

    ""

    "Eating always makes you feel better when youre depressed."

    Uriel looked at Kang-Woo in disbelief and thenughedhe couldnt help butugh at the nonsensical situation. He poorly grabbed the chopsticks Kang-Woo gave him and tried the kimchi stew.

    ""

    He couldnt taste much vor; all he could feel was that it was hot.

    Kang-Woo, who was eating next to him, said, "I know that angels dont have very developed taste buds."

    "Then why did you prepare this?"

    "Isnt it at least better than curling up and crying?"

    " You said its okay to cry when you want to."

    "Thats different. After all, youre not suppressing it."

    Kang-Wooughed lightly and started to eat the kimchi stew.

    Uriel looked at him and smirked.

    "Yeah"

    To be honest, it wasnt a bad feeling.

    Angels didnt have any opportunities to gather and eat.

    <em>If I focus, I can taste it.</em>

    Their taste buds werent developed because they barely used them, but it wasnt as if theycked the sense of taste.

    As he concentrated on the food inside his mouth, he could taste its sour and savory vor.

    <em>Its good.</em>

    Uriels eyes widened at the taste hed never experienced before.

    "Its better than I thouHm?"

    <em>Munch, munch.</em>

    While he was focusing on the taste, the kimchi stew was already almost gone.

    "What the f"

    "Whats the matter?"

    "Why did you eat it all?!"

    "Firste, first serve."

    "I thought you wanted to eat together to cheer me up!"

    "I mean, you can barely even taste it, so whats the point?"

    "You son of a bitch!!"

    Uriel got angry and quickly moved his hands to put what little remained of the kimchi stew on top of the rice.

    <em></em>

    Before he noticed, a smile had been drawn on Uriels face. He looked at Kang-Woo, who was voraciously eating the kimchi stew.

    Uriel ate a spoonful of rice covered with kimchi stew, and a warm sensation that he had never experienced before spread through him.

    * * *

    "So this is where you gathered the bodies."

    Kang-Woo looked at the corpses neatly ced outside the fortress.

    Shalgiel and the angels who had been turned into Chimeras by the fallen Raphael had been saved thanks to Kang-Woo and Uriel.

    Kang-Woo turned to Uriel and asked, "What are you going to do with the bodies?"

    "After the fortress is purified, Im going to cremate them."

    "Cremate?"

    "Yeah. We cremate angels when they die so that they can return to the light."

    Kang-Woo nodded. He felt like the right time hade.

    <em>Right, then</em>

    It was time for him to fulfill his second objective.

    "How about you leave that to me?"

    "To you?"

    "I learned how to honor the death of great heroes from Lord Tirion. Its simr to the process of cremation. We use mana to burn the bodies."

    ""

    Uriel remained silent and stared at Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo was the apostle of Tirion, God of Heroes, and one of Earths protectors. His consideration moved Uriel.

    "R-Really? Then Ill leave it to you."

    If he had learned it from Tirion, then it was worth trusting. Although Tyrion was a lower god, his conviction and sense of justice were worthy of praise.

    "Thank you."

    Kang-Woo smiled.

    <em>Yes!!</em>

    Although he didnt show it, he wanted to dance from joy. There was only one reason why he wanted to send off Shalgiel and the other angels.

    <em>I cannot let their sacred power go to waste.</em>

    He smiled and used the Authority of Predation. Of course, he had converted the demonic energy to mana.

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    Golden energy poured from his hand and covered the angels corpses.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Sacred Power has risen to 113.]

    The body turned to dust and scattered with the joyous message chimes.

    Of course, it only looked that way, and their bodies were actually being eaten.

    <em>But what does the truth matter?</em>

    A smile crept onto his face.

    That was right, the truth had never been important.

    <em>Its fine as long as it looks like the truth.</em>

    Kang-Woo used the Authority of Predation on over a hundred corpses.

    [Sacred Power has risen to 118.]

    <em>Like I thought, it gets harder to raise the higher it gets.</em>

    Either way, it did go up.

    Kang-Woo nodded while making a satisfied expression.

    <em>Right, then, I should bid the kid farewell.</em>

    He had now fulfilled both of his objectives, so it was time to go back.

    <em>Darliiiiiiing! Here Ie!</em>

    Since that was over with, his life would be far more rxing.

    Kang-Woo turned to Uriel, a smile on his face.

    "And thats that."

    "Th-Thanks."

    "Not at all. Although it was only for a short time, they were also myrades."

    "Ah"

    At the word <emrades</em>, Uriels expression brightened.

    Kang-Woo continued while smiling, "In that case, I will be excusing mys"

    "Wh-What?"

    <em>Hm?</em>

    Uriel became extremely bewildered as soon as Kang-Woo mentioned that he would be leaving.

    "Is something wrong?" Kang-Woo asked.

    <em>Whats up with this kid? Whats the matter now?</em>

    "N-No, well"

    Uriel shifted uneasily while averting Kang-Woos gaze. He pouted and said in a low voice, "Y-Youre going back already?"

    ""

    <em>Wha?</em>

    "S-Stay a bit longer! Ah! Thats it! Help me purify the fortress!!"

    <em>You said you were gonna do that by yourself.</em>

    Uriel trotted to Kang-Woo and pulled his arm.

    He could feel Uriels will to not let him go. No, rather than will it felt more like obsession.

    <em>What the fuck?</em>

    Kang-Woos mouth fell open.

    <em>What the hell is happening?</em>

    Something had gone wrong.

 Chapter 287: Festering Wound (1)

    Chapter 287: Festering Wound (1)

    "In that case, I will help out for an hour or two. I also have some things I have to take care of today."

    Actually, Oh Kang-Woo had absolutely nothing to do today. He just wanted to go back home as soon as possible and get all lovey-dovey with Han Seol-Ah.

    "R-Really? Thats a relief. There are too many Undead for me to wipe out on my own," said Uriel.

    <em>Ive seen you wipe out dozens of them with just a wave of your hand.</em>

    "Ahem. It will probably take a couple of months for my army to arrive You can help me locate Rakiel in the meantime, right?"

    <em>Im gonna y with my darling, damn pigeon.</em>

    Kang-Woo tried his best to suppress the words froming out of his mouth. He had been nning on having tons of dates with Seol-Ah after this was over, so this felt like a hammer to the back of the head.

    Kang-Woo anxiously bit his lip and said, "Guardians can handle the Rakiel investiga"

    "You said were allies. I cant just stand around doing nothing."

    He was right. Kang-Woo couldnt think of any way to refute him.

    "In that case, I will have Kim Si-Hun pair up with y"

    "No, Im gonna go around with you."

    <em>But fucking why though?</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at Uriel in frustration. Why why did it have to be him?

    <em>I mean, its not a bad thing.</em>

    He would be able to gain a lot from helping Uriel purify the base and investigate Rakiels traces.

    First, he could make the angels indebted to him, which would obviously be quite useful for their rtionship in the future. Hed be able to make the angels move as he wished at least once. However

    <em>Fuuuuuck.</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his hair. He knew it would be useful and that it was necessary, but

    <em>I wanna aaaaaaay!</em>

    If everyone was able to do things because it was useful and necessary, no one would ever fail in dieting. There were countless things that people didnt want to do despite knowing that they had to.

    It would be one thing if the real Rakiel had done it, but Kang-Woo did not want to waste time tracking down a Rakiel that didnt actually exist.

    <em>But it doesnt feel right to just reject it.</em>

    Kang-Woo sighed and opened his mouth.

    "I also have a lot to do, so I would only be able to help out about two to three days a week Is that alright with you?"

    "Well, if youre busy, then I guess it cant be helped."

    Thankfully, Uriel seemed to havemon sense.

    "In that case, lets just have a light purification session today. I wille tomorrow or the day after to help out with investigating Rakiels traces."

    "Okay!" Uriel energetically nodded, a smile on his face.

    ""

    Kang-Woo covered his eyes.

    <em>Fuck</em> he inwardly cursed.

    * * *

    A month passed, and the days had been busy for Kang-Woo. He went on dates with Seol-Ah and also stayed at home, ying with Echidna and Halcyon.

    Not only that, but he also went on a trip with Lilith, who had been swamped with work. Lilith had screamed in joy, and Kang-Woo had screamed for other reasons.

    Of course, he didnt just y around.

    He asionally took some time to improve his demonic energy control and chased Rakiels traces with Uriel.

    <em>Though itspletely pointless</em>

    There was no Rakiel in the first ce, so chasing after his traces was pointless. Hed suggested to Uriel that they give up since they hadnt been able to find anything, but Uriel had tly refused for some reason.

    In any case, they began cultivating a friendship from all their time together, and Kang-Woo had more or less achieved his objective.

    "Hup."

    Kang-Woo got up from bed.

    "Theres that mark again."

    For some reason, whenever he slept with Seol-Ah, he woke up with red marks all over his body. There were also some wet areas.

    He had asked a few times, but she never gave him an answer. He also became extremely sleepy whenever he was in Seol-Ahs embrace for some reason, so he couldnt even stay up to check what was happening.

    <em>Thats that, but</em>

    Kang-Woo circted his demonic energy through his body.

    <em>I knew it.</em>

    When he slept with Seol-Ah, there were times when his demonic energy control improved. He didnt know the exact reason, but when he slept with her, his demonic energy control improved far more than when he trained.

    <em>Could it be Seraphs influence?</em>

    He wasnt sure yet. Whatever the reason, after he had realized it would improve his control, Kang-Woo slept with Seol-Ah more often. As if his life were a fantasy webnovel, he got stronger just by sleeping, so there was no reason for him not to.

    <em>But it kinda feels like my stamina gets reduced each time.</em>

    It hadnt been like that at first, but hed recently started to feel that his body was stiff when he woke up. It was as if someone had squeezed him dry.

    <em>I wonder if it has something to do with my improved demonic energy control?</em>

    It was a possible exnation. It was nowhere near molting, but training to improve demonic energy control consumed massive amounts of his stamina. If he subconsciously trained while sleeping, it was obvious that his stamina would decrease.

    <em>Im not sure why it only happens when I sleep with Seol-Ah, though.</em>

    Kang-Woo had be used to it happening, so he soon paid it no mind and turned on his smartphone.

    <em>Ill just read some news.</em>

    He clicked on the news tab.

    [The arrival of an era of peace. South America restorationplete.]

    [Completion of the construction of the first South American city in Venezu since the Day of Cmity. Guardians promote living in the city by promising great benefits to its residents.]

    [International organization, Guardians. Despite having achieved greatness, concerns over their excessive authority rise]

    [The world enters an economic boom after the copse of the Demon Cult. Economic growth dwarfs the Industrial Revolution and]

    [The danger is yet to be over. Eras of peace are when one must be most vignt.]

    After the Demon Cult copsed, the world economy started to improve at an explosive rate with Guardians and the USA at the center.

    Of course, there were still dangers like Rakiel, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the Demon of Prophecy. Guardians purposefully did not hide their existence. No, they could not hide it because too many eyewitnesses had seen the Demon of Prophecy appear in the appearance of Oh Kang-Woo.

    The entire world had been up in a buzz after the appearance of a great evil that dwarfed the Demon Cult, but as time passed and civilian casualties became nonexistent, public interest slowly faded.

    A few people had even imed that Guardians had spread fake news so they could keep taking money from countries around the world.

    <em>Theres nothing that can be done about this.</em>

    That was just how the masses were, after all.

    Even if news of a certain country developing nuclear weapons became public, if there was no immediate danger, peoples interest in those topics faded, and this was exactly what was happening now.

    There had been much fear in the air when the Demon Cult was active since there had been many civilian and yer casualties, but there was no longer any visible threat.

    "I might as well leave it like that for the moment."

    The enormous authority that Guardians possessed was not yet at risk of being stripped away. If the public wanted to forget, letting them forget was also an option.

    <em>ck.</em>

    Echidna opened the door and entered the room.

    "Kang-Woo, Seol-Ah says that food is ready."

    Kang-Woo nodded and stood up.

    "Kang-Woo" Echidna pulled on his clothes and looked at him in worry. "Are you okay?"

    "Hm? About what?"

    " Nothing."

    Echidna shook her head and dragged Kang-Woo by his clothes to the living room.

    "Ah, good morning, Kang-Woo," said Seol-Ah.

    "Morning. But you always wake up earlier than me, Seol-Ah. I dont sleep for very long Are you okay?"

    Kang-Woo usually slept four hours on average. It was quite a long time considering that he did not need sleep, but that was not the case for Seol-Ah. Although Seraphs soul was inside her, she still had a human body, so she needed more sleep.

    "Fufu. Im okay," Seol-Ah said while smiling. Her skin and hair did not look dry at all. Rather, they were shining as if she were taking some good tonic.

    <em>Well, Im sure its fine.</em>

    At least it didnt seem like she was lying.

    He pulled a chair back and sat down.

    The breakfast menu was obviously kimchi stew.

    "Hm?"

    However, the contents were different.

    "Eel and garlic?"

    "Its been nothing but pork, so I thought of changing things up a little since you might get sick of it."

    "Come on, theres no way Id get tired of kimchi stew."

    "Still, isnt it nice to change things up from time to time?"

    "Well, I guess everything goes well with kimchi stew."

    Kang-Woo picked up his chopsticks.

    While they were in the middle of eating, the front door opened, and Halcyon entered.

    Kang-Woo had used an Authority to hide his horn and bat wings, so he looked like a knockout female beauty.

    <em>Although </em>that <em>is</em><em>still attached.</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    "M-Master Kang-Woo."

    "Where have you been?"

    "L-Lilith told me to c-call you. Uhmm Th-The bodies areplete."

    Kang-Woos eyes shone. He recalled the order hed given to Vaal Zahak.

    "Okay, Ill be right there."

    Kang-Woo quickly finished his kimchi stew and got up.

    "Seol-Ah, Echidna, do you wannae too?"

    He needed the opinions of many people to see if the disguise made for Vaal Zahak and Balrog could fool others.

    "Yes, of course."

    "I wanna go too. Im curious."

    The two of them nodded.

    Kang-Woo got up from his chair.

    * * *

    The first thing he saw when he arrived at Balrogs house was a ck-haired young man. The young man with thick, dark circles under his eyes looked a little sickly and temperamental.

    " Who are you?"

    "Huhuhu. What do you think, Master?"

    The ck-haired young man, Vaal Zahak, bowed as if he were a waiter in a luxurious restaurant. The chain attached to his monocle shook slightly.

    "Is it not perfect?" he asked.

    "It would be, if it werent for that goddamn pink apron."

    "Huhu. That is not possible."

    Vaal Zahak proudly pped his pink apron.

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    "I-Is that really Vaal Zahak?" Seol-Ah asked in surprise.

    "Yeah. What do you think? Its not weird, is it?" Kang-Woo asked.

    " I wouldve never guessed it was him based on his appearance."

    "Hm! He looks like a butler from an anime!" Echidna also looked at the changed Vaal Zahak with shining eyes.

    Vaal Zahaks slick tuxedo under the pink apron and his expensive-looking monocle made him look like a butler from Japanese anime and manga.

    <em>He stands out for a different reason now.</em>

    Kang-Woo feignedughter but nodded in satisfaction. If he used his Ruler of Demonic Energy on top of this topletely conceal his retainers demonic energy, no one would be able to tell that Vaal Zahak was a demon.

    "A-Are you really Vaal Zahak?" Seol-Ah asked.

    "Of course, madam."

    Vaal Zahak touched the pendant on his neck. A ck light momentarily covered his body, and he returned to his usual skeleton self.

    "Whoa, thats pretty convenient!" Kang-Woo said.

    "It took us quite a while to develop this magic tool."

    Vaal Zahak puffed his chest out with great pride.

    Kang-Woo looked around.

    "Wheres Balrog?"

    <em>ck</em>.

    Speak of the devil, a door opened. There, Kang-Woo saw a brown-haired young man walking with Liliths help.

    ""

    "B-Balrog?" Seol-Ah stuttered.

    The man was over 190 cm tall, with toned muscles and a face bursting with masculine beauty. The muscle pig Balrog had turned into arge young man as if he had gone through a metamorphosis.

    "B-Balrog?" Kang-Woo looked at him in disbelief.

    To be honest, he thought that a human Balrog would look like a professional wrestler, but he had beenpletely off the mark. Balrog looked like a supermodel who could easily take the front cover of any fashion magazine.

    "My king!"

    After seeing Kang-Woo, Balrog walked toward him with a smile, but

    <em>Tumble!</em>

    "Urgh!"

    He tripped. Unlike Vaal Zahak, Balrog was originally five meters tall, so he had a hard time getting used to his shortened legs.

    "Are you okay?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Kuh To think I would have to show such disgrace to my king"

    "I mean, your limbs are shorter now, so of course that would happen."

    Kang-Woo helped Balrog up.

    Although Balrog had be smaller, he was still quite massive due to his height and wide shoulders.

    "My king"

    Kang-Woo looked up at Balrog, who was blushing from being embarrassed that he had shown such a disgraceful side.

    Due to the size difference, it looked as if Balrog were on top of him.

    ""

    Kang-Woo suddenly felt a chill, so he threw Balrog, whom he had been supporting.

    "Kurgh!" Balrog yelped.

    <em>Fuck.</em>

    He even thought that Balrogs usual muscle-pig self looked better.

    Kang-Woo organized his thoughts and opened his mouth.

    "There doesnt seem to be anything awkward about your disguises. To be honest, youve exceeded my expectations. Good work, Vaal Zahak."

    "You tter me," Vaal Zahak said as he cked his teeth. "I was able to make it a much better quality thanks to Lady Liliths help."

    "Really?"

    Kang-Woo turned his head toward Lilith.

    Lilith waved her hands and smiled. She slowly walked toward him.

    "I was not able to fulfill your other orders yet, but I have made some progress on how we can conceal Seol-Ahs energy."

    "If youre tired, you can take a short break. I can keep Uriel in check. Seol-Ah wont be in danger of being found out as long as were careful."

    "Fufu. I will do my absolute best in anything as long as youmand me to do it."

    Lilith made a bright smile.

    For some reason, Seol-Ah nodded and even took notes for some reason. It was as if she were a student at a lecture.

    Lilith said, "Oh, right. I visited the Hall of Protection for a short moment, and I have a message for you from Gaia."

    "A message?"

    "Yes." Lilith licked her lips. "She would like you to go to Venezu with Si-Hun."

 Chapter 288: Festering Wound (2)

    Chapter 288: Festering Wound (2)

    "Ah, hyung-nim!!"

    As soon as Oh Kang-Woo arrived at the Hall of Protection, Kim Si-Hun, who seemed to have just finished training, waved at him.

    <em>Oh dayum.</em>

    Kang-Woo was surprised when he saw Si-Huns shirtless body.

    The male body couldnt get any more perfect than that. Kang-Woo felt more like he was looking at a work of art that an artisan crafted with their heart and soul than at a human body.

    <em>Why cant I get like that?</em>

    Kang-Woos body was also perfect without any b, but he still couldntpare to Si-Hun.

    <em>Is it because of that Heavenly Martial Physique or whatever it is?</em>

    Kang-Woo felt like it was unfair for some reason.

    " Is something wrong, hyung-nim?"

    "No, Im just kind of annoyed for some reason," Kang-Woo replied, frowning.

    Si-Hun fretted while not knowing what to do.

    Kang-Woo asked, "More importantly, are you ready?"

    "Yes. I just have to take a shower and change clothes. Please wait a moment," Si-Hun said, a smile on his face.

    Just then

    "Kuh T-To think you would m-make the king wait. Y-Youve be arrogant, human." A brown-haired giant staggered toward them.

    "?"

    Si-Huns eyes widened.

    "Who might you be?"

    "Balrog," Kang-Woo answered.

    "Pardon? That gentleman is Balrog?"

    "Yup."

    Kang-Woo nodded and gave Si-Hun a quick exnation.

    "Its absolutely seamless. I wouldve never guessed him to be Balrog just by looking at him," Si-Hun eximed. "I mean, the person himself seems to be struggling a lot, though."

    It wasnt easy to get used to a significantly different stride length.

    Balrog frowned and kept walking around.

    "I-I am fine. I will limate soon enough."

    "You couldve just stayed home. Theres no need for you toe with us."

    "I cannot do that!" Balrog shouted and gave Si-Hun a sharp look. "I do not believe that this human will aid you properly."

    "What did you say?"

    Si-Huns eyebrow went up. Sparks flew in the air as the two of them red at each other. A thick bloodlust lingered in the air.

    <em>Whats wrong with you guys?</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at Si-Hun and Balrog in disbelief. He couldnt help but sigh.

    "Its nothing but a show. It honestly doesnt matter whether youe with us or not," Kang-Woo said while clicking his tongue.

    A show. That was the best way to describe what they had to do in Venezu.

    <em>Were apparently recruiting immigrants.</em>

    Most of South America had been fully restored. Leaving aside massive jungles like the Amazon, Guardians had managed to eliminate most of the monsters that had been living in the old human cities. This was all thanks to the yers average level having increased after the yers had battled the Demon Cult.

    <em>Demons give a lot of EXP.</em>

    Not just that, but with World Rankers like Si-Hun, Jason, Grace McCubbin, and others taking the lead in wiping out the monsters, the yers had managed to restore most of South America.

    <em>The problem is</em>

    No one wanted to live in South America. Theyd managed to rescue the natives who had been silently living all over the South American regions, but that was nowhere near enough people.

    Although theyd managed to drive the monsters back into the Gates, danger still lingered. The n erected to counter such worries was to build a city with guaranteed safety. The first city of this kind had been built in Venezu, and Si-Hun and Kang-Woo had been invited as special guests to promote and affirm the safety of the city.

    "I understand Si-Hun, but why did they invite me?"

    "Because you became famous during thest battle."

    "But still, I didnt participate in the restoration of South America."

    "Hahaha. I praised you a bunch during the operation, and they said that they wanted to meet you"

    <em>So it was because of you.</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned in irritation but soon shrugged it off while sighing.

    "Well, its important," he said.

    Although it was nothing but a showno, it was important exactly because it was a show. Keeping up appearances was important for an international organization that received money from all around the world like Guardians.

    "Then lets get going."

    Kang-Woo began walking.

    If it was something that had to be done, the best course of action was to deal with it as quickly as possible.

    * * *

    "Whoa Its better built than Id expected!" A short exmation came out of Kang-Woos mouth.

    Although the Venezun city wasnt that big, the European-style buildings and clean roads made it very beautiful.

    <em>It also has a bit of a fantasy atmosphere.</em>

    Although it was a modern city, it was a city that looked like it belonged to a fantasy novel.

    "This is the first step of Guardians," Si-Hun said in a proud voice.

    Guardians ultimate goal was to protect Earth from the otherworldly beings that threatened humanity and to create spaces where humanity would be able to live in peace as they had before the Day of Cmity.

    The city that would be the first step toward that was Valencia, built in Venezu.

    "Haha. I wanted to show this city to you at least once, hyung-nim," Si-Hun said while bursting intoughter.

    This city was the result of the South America Restoration Operation he had been involved in, so it was understandable that hed be proud.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head while looking around Valencia. "But did Guardians have enough money to build an entire city?"

    It was true that Guardians had grown into a massive organization after receiving funding from countries all over the world, but still, building a city like this was a whole other story.

    <em>Guardians is closer to a fighting group.</em>

    It was only obvious since their main objective had been to eradicate the Demon Cult.

    Si-Hun nodded as if he understood what Kang-Woo wanted to say.

    "The USA apparently provided the money and infrastructure necessary to build the city."

    "Ah, as expected."

    If that were the case, he could understand it.

    The USA, with its colossal Department of Defense budget, had stayed the strongest country in the world even after the Day of Cmity. If the USA had been involved in the construction, building a city of this level would have been a piece of cake.

    Kang-Woo could easily guess why they would go so far as to build an entire city.

    <em>They must be trying to use this opportunity to raise their influence in South America.</em>

    It was a possible exnation.

    Most South American countries had been ruined, which left vast amounts ofnd that did not belong to anyone. From the USAs perspective, there was no way they would miss the chance to expand their territory.

    <em>Well, leaving their intentions aside</em>

    It was only obvious that a country would take action for its own benefit.

    Kang-Woo looked around. "I see a lot of people wearing the Guardians uniform."

    All over the ce were yers wearing ck uniforms with white shields drawn on them.

    "Guardians maintain this citys security. The mayor of Valencia is also from Guardians."

    "Wha"

    Kang-Wooughed in disbelief.

    It wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that the city was owned by Guardians.

    <em>Why?</em>

    Kang-Woo could not think of why Guardians had practically been given ownership of the city despite the USA having funded its development.

    "Oh, could it be that"

    "Yes, thats right. This city is being managed by the American yers of Guardians."

    "As I thought." Kang-Woo nodded.

    Guardians was an organizationposed of yers from all around the world. If the American yers belonging to Guardians managed the ce, both entities could benefit.

    <em>Regardless, it means that this city is owned by Guardians in name.</em>

    Even if the city was a gathering of American yers, since the two of them also belonged to Guardians, they had a say in what happened in the city.

    "Shiiiet."

    The secret organization that used to only have a few members had grown to be a massive international organization that even owned a city.

    Although it was Kang-Woo who had set the foundation, the ones who managed it and made it grow so big were Gaia, Grace, and Si-Hun.

    <em>No wonder the news was saying that some people are worried that were gaining too much power.</em>

    It certainly wasnt an authority that a normal organization could gain.

    <em>That aside</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at the streets of Valencia. There were people who had immigrated from all around the world. Most were American, but there were also a few Asian people.

    <em>Somethings</em>

    He felt a strange sense of uneasiness.

    Just then

    "Thank you foring such a long way." A middle-aged man with a fancy mustache walked toward them. The man, wearing a slick suit, bowed toward them. "I am Samuel Hayden, mayor of Valencia."

    He extended his hand and smiled at them. His hair was slicked back with gel, and his mustache was groomed beyond perfection.

    "Nice to meet you. I am Kim Si-Hun."

    "I am Oh Kang-Woo."

    "Haha. Ive heard a lot about both of you. Although you arent rted by blood, you have a deepradery that goes beyond that Even among Guardians, youre very well known."

    "Haha, Im ttered" Si-Hunughed awkwardly while scratching his head.

    "And who is this fine gentleman next to you?" the man asked while looking at Balrog.

    "Hes my secretary," Kang-Woo answered.

    "Ah, I see." Samuel turned away as if he wasnt interested in Balrog. "Let us go to the city hall. We have a very busy schedule ahead of us."

    He guided them to a luxurious limousine.

    As Si-Hun and Kang-Woo headed to the limousine, people eximed in surprise after recognizing them.

    "Woooow!"

    "I-Its Sword Dragon!"

    "A-And the Golden Hero!"

    Si-Huns poprity in particr didnt seem to have a limit.

    ""

    Kang-Woo remained quiet. Once again, he felt an uneasiness and narrowed his eyes.

    <em>ck.</em>

    "Please, get in."

    Samuel opened the limos door, and they saw the inside was adorned with luxurious curtains and decorations. It was as if theyd entered a hotel room. There were so many things decorating the interior that it was hard to see out the window.

    ""

    Once again, Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    "Let us depart." At Samuels words, the limousine started to move.

    * * *

    That afternoon passed by chaotically.

    The word <em>show</em> was the best way to describe their experience. Dozens of reporters took Kang-Woos and Si-Huns photos.

    Kang-Woo and Si-Hun were shown around Valencia and were told how safe and beautiful the city was. At the same time, the pair also appeared in a talk show where they talked about Guardians goals and future ns.

    <em>It feels as if Im an idol in a variety show.</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue while looking at the girls screaming around the broadcasting station. Although some were interested in Kang-Woo, their main interest was Si-Hun.

    "KYAAAAAA!!"

    "I-Its really him! Its Sword Dragon!"

    "Please give me an autograph!"

    Si-Hun made a troubled expression because he was surrounded by women as soon as he left the building.

    "Mm."

    Kang-Woo groaned.

    He already knew it would happen. He had been the cause of Si-Huns massive poprity, but being shown the massive difference between them at point nk was

    "Its kind of Yeah, this is"

    It took a while for him to find the right word.

    "Yeah, thats it."

    A lightbulb turned on in his head, and he pped his hands together.

    "Like shit."

    Although he had a beautiful darling like Han Seol-Ah, there was no way hed feel good when he saw women from all over the world rushing to someone other than himself.

    "Hey, Si-Hun, enough of that, ande h"

    He extended his hand to Si-Hun, who was making a troubled expression. As soon as he grabbed Si-Huns hand

    <em>Snap, snap, snap!!!</em>

    "KYAAAAAAAA!!"

    "Yes! This is it!! This is the perfect angle!"

    "Whos the top, and whos the bottom?!"

    "Sword Dragon is obviously the bottom!"

    "No, the older one being the bottom is"

    "Whos that brown-haired man over there? A rival? A love triangle?"

    The women screamed like mad after seeing Kang-Woo and Si-Hun hold hands. It was as if the temperature in the area had gone up by ten degrees.

    ""

    Kang-Woos mouth fell open; their dense desires overwhelmed him. Their desires were so strong that they could even make Mammon, the Prince of Greed, kneel.

    <em>What the fuck?</em>

    Were they in Hell?

    "Si-Hun, lets go somewhere quieter."

    He couldnt think of anything other than that they needed to get away from this ce as soon as possible.

    "Ah, h-hyung-nim!"

    Kang-Woo pulled Si-Hun along and ran in the opposite direction as if they were eloping lovers.

    The screams intensified.

    "W-Wait!"

    Samuel and his bodyguards hurriedly ran after them, but they were chasing after Si-Hun and Kang-Wooone was humanitys strongest yer and the other was the demon king who had dominated the Nine Hells.

    The two disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    "Sh-Shit!"

    Samuel cursed aggressively and quickly grabbed hismunication crystal orb to make a call.

 Chapter 289: Festering Wound (3)

    Chapter 289: Festering Wound (3)

    "Phew, this should be far enough."

    Oh Kang-Woo sighed and looked back. There wasnt anyone following them, and they couldnt hear the crazed screams anymore.

    "H-Hyung-nim."

    Kim Si-Hun, who had been dragged along by the hand, averted his gaze while blushing.

    <em>What? Why the fuck are you blushing?</em>

    Si-Hun gripped Kang-Woos hand tighter while slurring, "This is a bit too sudden"

    <em>Dont grab me harder, dude.</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned and pulled his hand away. He could see the disappointment on Si-Huns face.

    "Why did you do that?" Si-Hun asked.

    "I just didnt want to be there," Kang-Woo said in a tired voice.

    "Hahaha, so did I, but we should still go back. We still have things on our agenda."

    "The only thing left is the party at the city hall."

    All the hard stuff was done; the only thing left was the social gathering where one drank alcohol while building political connections.

    <em>And once we go there</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    What would happen in a social party was clear. Influential figures from all around the world would stick to Si-Hun like flies to get whatever they could out of him, and the majority of them would be women to take advantage of the male instinct.

    <em>I refuse to witness something like that.</em>

    Kang-Woo did not even want to imagine the sight of Si-Hun being surrounded by dozens of knockout beauties because he was far too envious.

    <em>Si-Hun is mine. Back the fuck off.</em>

    Kang-Woo ced his hands on Si-Huns shoulders and said, "Arent you sick of meeting people, too?"

    "I-I am, but"

    "Right then. Ditch the evening schedule and hang out with me instead."

    "Ah"

    Si-Huns eyes widened, hesitation evident in his eyes. His smartphone andmunication crystal orb were being bombarded by Samuels calls.

    ""

    The hesitation was short-lived.

    Si-Hun slowly nodded. "O-Okay!"

    His eyes were shining as if he thought that opportunities like that werentmon.

    Kang-Woo smiled and called Balrog, who had fallen behind because he was still getting used to his human body. "Yeah, Balrog. Were at"

    Panting heavily, Balrog soon arrived at the alley. "Haaa, haaa. So this is where you were."

    "How was it over there?"

    "There was a huge uproar. Samuel, I believe his name was? He was yelling to gather forces to find you two immediately."

    "No wonder"

    Si-Hun was a VVIP from Samuels point of view. It would be weird if he were okay after such a person disappeared on his own.

    "Well, lets not mind the small stuff." Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Lets have a drink, just the three of us."

    "W-Will that really be okay, hyung-nim?"

    "Why wouldnt it be?"

    In terms of power dynamic, they were definitely on top; Samuel could not force them to do anything.

    "Lets go." Kang-Woo turned around and narrowed his eyes while walking through the deserted alley.

    <em>And</em>

    To be honest, he hadnt been nning on going this far. However

    <em> Somethings bothering me.</em>

    He wanted to figure out the cause of the uneasiness he had been feeling all this time.

    The three of them went deeper and deeper into Valencia while walking down the alleyways. After twenty minutes of walking

    ""

    "This is"

    "A slum?"

    A horrible stench attacked their noses. The eyes of the people walking through the streets were lifeless. It waspletely different from the Valencia theyd firstid eyes upon.

    <em>They mustve been trying to hide this.</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. Looking at it from Samuels position, it was certainly not something he would like to show.

    <em>I mean its unavoidable.</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. There was no city without a slum. The state of the slum in Valencia was a bit severe, but considering the city had only been made recently, it could not be helped.

    "Kuh"

    Si-Huns expression crumpled, likely because he had recalled promoting Valencia as a safe and beautiful city.

    Kang-Woo patted his shoulder.

    "You didnt know, so it couldnt have been helped. Also, issues regarding slums can be resolved over time."

    Kang-Woo walked along while thinking that he should bring up this matter to Gaiater.

    " Master Kang-Woo."

    At that moment, Balrog called out to him in a low voice.

    "I know."

    Kang-Woo nodded. It wasnt hard to guess what Balrog was about to say. He slowly looked around.

    <em>Hostility.</em>

    The eyes of the lifeless slum inhabitants wearing rags for clothes were filled with hostility.

    " Lets go somewhere else."

    Kang-Woo moved along, feeling that nothing good woulde out of staying in the slum. As they walked out, a few bars came into view.

    "Before we go in"

    Kang-Woo snapped his finger, and darkness lightly covered Si-Huns and Kang-Woos faces.

    <em>Authority of Blindness.</em>

    He and Si-Hun had be too widely known for them to enter a bar without caution. After hiding their faces with the Authority, Kang-Woo entered a bar with a huge beer drawing on the outside of it.

    "Wahahahaha!"

    "Fuck! So you see!"

    As expected from a bar, it was extremely noisy inside.

    Taking a seat in a corner, they ordered three cups of draft beer. The beers came out in just a minute, and they chugged them down.

    "Kaaah!" The carbonation of the beer made Kang-Woo tremble. "That hits the spot."

    Kang-Woo couldnt help but feel happy drinking some beer after freeing himself from that stifling and boring schedule.

    Balrog also heartily drank the beer. "Kaaah, this is nice. Maybe its because this is a human body, but I feel like the alcohol is having a bigger effect."

    " Dont drink too much," Kang-Woo warned as he narrowed his eyes, recalling what happened when Balrog got drunkst time.

    They burst intoughter.

    <em>Yeah, this is far better.</em>

    Not going to the social party that they werent made for had been the right decision.

    "Come to think of it, I think this is the first time Ive drunk alcohol with you, hyung-nim."

    Si-Hun also drank, having taken a liking to the atmosphere as well. His expression changed, and it seemed hed decided not to care about Samuel anymore.

    "Right, lets drink to our hearts content!" Kang-Woo burst intoughter and raised his beer mug.

    Drinking with Han Seol-Ah was nice, but drinking with the boys had its own charm.

    <em>In a sausage party</em>

    Romance talk could not be left out.

    "So, how is it going with Gaia?" Kang-Woo asked while smiling.

    "<em>C-Cough!</em> Wh-What are you talking about, hyung-nim?"

    Coughing, Si-Hun averted Kang-Woos gaze.

    "Come on. Youre the one who proudly said that it was love at first sight. So, how is it going?"

    "Ahem"

    "Tsk, youre devoid of guts. How will you ever win a womans heart like that?" Balrog added.

    "What? You son of a"

    They chit-chatted loudly. Kang-Woo smiled faintly as he watched Balrog and Si-Hun argue with each other.

    <em>Nice.</em>

    The atmosphere was so good that the uneasiness he had felt here in Valencia was fading. Kang-Woo raised the new beer mug that they had ordered.

    Just then

    "Kyaaaaaa!"

    "Hahaha! Why are you ying so hard to get?"

    <em>Shatter.</em>

    A womans scream echoed throughout the bar as a beer mug shattered.

    Kang-Woo shifted his eyes to the source of the sound.

    A group of men sitting at a table were grabbing a female employee. She was a very beautiful Hispanic woman with bronze skin.

    "Hm? Stop ying hard to get with me and just sit the hell down!"

    "I-I dont want t"

    "Fucking bitch!"

    <em>p!</em>

    The womans head turned violently along with the loud sound.

    A scream rang through the bar.

    Si-Huns eyes widened as Kang-Woos narrowed.

    "What the"

    ""

    The first thing Kang-Woo noticed wasnt the mans giant stature or the woman who had just been pped. It was the uniform the man was wearing. Kang-Woo could clearly see the ck uniform with the pure-white shield drawn on it.

    "If it werent for us, youd still be running from the monsters, bitch. How dare you y games with me?"

    "<em>Sniff, sniff</em>"

    "Am I right or wrong? Huh? We saved you, did we not?"

    "Y-You did"

    "Youre goddamn right! So youd better fucking do what we say!"

    <em>p!</em>

    The loud sound echoed once again.

    The sounds of weeping andughing were heard at once.

    <em>Rattle.</em>

    Si-Hun stood up from his chair. He muttered, "Those bastards"

    "Sit down."

    " Pardon?"

    "I said, sit down," Kang-Woo said calmly.

    "Wh-What do you mean, hyung-nim?! Cant you see that"

    "Balrog."

    "Yes, Master Kang-Woo."

    Balrog stood up and grabbed Si-Huns shoulders.

    Kang-Woo put one leg over the other and looked around.

    <em>Ohhh.</em>

    After he took a look around, he understood everything.

    <em>I see how it is.</em>

    He finally understood the source of his uneasiness after arriving in Valencia.

    <em>Whistle~!</em>

    "Hey! Baon! I fucking called dibs on that bitch!"

    "Todays my turn, so fucking back off!"

    "Fuck! Why is that bitch the only decent one in this damn bar?!"

    "What about the men? Theres not a single hot one!"

    "Owner! Get out here! Why dont you do a better job at hiring people?!"

    "Kahahaha!"

    The men let out crazedughter.

    Not only did it seem as if they were used to doing such a thing, but it seemed they were enjoying it. The bar was full of women, and the male yers were pping and talking dirty to them without any filter.

    "Hello?" Kang-Woo took out his smartphone and called someone while staring at the Guardians uniforms that the male yers were wearing. He waited for a reply.

    "Hey! Baon! My eyes are getting bored, so rip her clothes off or something!"

    "Kekeke. Just a second, dammit."

    Therge man known as Baon tore off the Hispanic womans clothes.

    <em>Rip</em>.

    The woman screamed as her bronze skin wasid bare. The men were leering at her bare cleavage.

    "Those bastards!" Si-Hun stood up, unable to suppress his rage any longer, but Balrog pressed down on his shoulders.

    "I told you to stay still, human."

    "How can you still say that when"

    "It is the kings order," Balrog said in a calm voice.

    Si-Hun flinched. He anxiously bit his lip, looked at Kang-Woo, and opened his mouth.

    "Hyung-nim, what are you"

    "Stay still," Kang-Woo said as he continued to hold his smartphone.

    Si-Huns expression crumpled. "Hyung-nim!"

    "Kim Si-Hun." Kang-Woo red at Si-Hun with deep, sunken eyes. In a chillingly cold voice, he said, "I told you to stay still."

    Si-Hun flinched.

    "S-stop!"

    "What are you crying so goddamn much for, bitch?! Dont you already know what you were in for the moment you decided to work here?"

    The men snickered. Their filthy desires and madness filled the bar.

    ""

    Kang-Woo waited with his mouth shut and his smartphone in his hand.

    Time passed Five minutes Ten minutes

    The woman stopped resisting and poured alcohol for the men with her clothes half-torn. Her face was bruised from being struck by the man known as Baon.

    " Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed.

    He put his smartphone back in his pocket.

    <em>I had my doubts, but</em>

    It had ended up being the worst-case scenario that he had imagined.

    Kang-Woo slowly stood up.

    "Kahaha! So I!"

    He walked toward Baon, who had the woman in one arm and was roughly fondling her breasts.

    "Excuse me," Kang-Woo said in a careful voice, "I would like to ask you something."

    "And who are you?" Baon red at Kang-Woo while frowning.

    "What? You wanna join? Shes mine for the night, so go somewhere else. If youre really desperate, go find a girl in the slum."

    He shooed Kang-Woo away as if he didnt want to be bothered anymore.

    Kang-Woo shook his head.

    "No, not about that"

    Baon red at him in irritation.

    "Fucking hell, this city is busting with native women, so whats your fucking deal? Oh Could it be?"

    His lips curled upward.

    "Are you trying to y hero or something?"

    ""

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    "Pfft! Hey, this fucker is for real!"

    "Bwahahaha! Man, how long has it been?"

    "Hohoho! Wow, there are still people like this left in Valencia? Looking at you now, youre quite a cutie. Why dont you go for a round with this older sister here?"

    The men and women looking over in excitement burst intoughter.

    "Hey, mister."

    <em>Rattle.</em>

    Baon stood up from his chair.

    "You seem to be here as a tourist If you have no idea whats going on here, then just kindly fuck off, why dont you?"

    "Whats wrong with it here? Didnt you see Sword Dragon taking that fuckingmercial today?"

    "Bwahahaha! That bullshit about this being a safe and beautiful city? I mean, I guess this ce is paradise for people in Guardians!"

    Crazedughter filled the bar.

    Kang-Woo looked around in silence.

    "Right, do you get what sort of ce this is now, Mr. Hero?" Baon raised his hand and lightly pped Kang-Woos cheek. "I dont know where an otaku like you came from, but at least choose your battles wisely, okay?"

    "Haaa" Kang-Woo sighed.

    It was just like the man said.

    <em>I get what kind of ce this is now.</em>

    He also got that people like these could not be reasoned with.

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    Baon smiled wickedly. "What? Are you mad? This is the problem with fucking otak"

    Kang-Woo extended his hand, grabbed Baon by the head, and

    <em>m!!!</em>

    He smashed Baons face into the table.

    "Kyaaaaaa!"

    "Wh-What the fuck?!"

    Baons nose was crushed, and his front teeth were ripped out.

    Once again, Kang-Woo asked carefully, "Excuse me."

    <em>Boom.</em>

    He smashed Baons face onto the table again.

    "I would like"

    <em>Boom.</em>

    He then smashed Baons face into a beer mug. It shattered, the sharp fragments piercing Baons cheeks.

    "To ask you"

    <em>Boom.</em>

    Blood spattered in all directions; Baon was not screaming anymore.

    " Something."

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The thick table made of hardwood split in half, and Kang-Woo threw Baon aside as if he were trash. He then took a seat in his ce.

    "Would you care to answer, motherfuckers?"

 Chapter 290: Festering Wound (4)

    Chapter 290: Festering Wound (4)

    "Wh-What?"

    The man who had been drinking with Baon stared at Oh Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly.

    "Crazy son of a bitch!"

    He grabbed a bottle of alcohol off the floor and raised his arm high. The bottle shone with faint blue light after being infused with mana. The man swung it down at Kang-Woos head.

    <em>Tap.</em>

    "Huh?"

    Kang-Woo easily caught the mans hand and twisted his arm. The bottle fell to the ground. Then he pulled his arm back and threw the man across the bar.

    "Kurgh!!"

    <em>Thud!</em>

    The man was bashed into a wall.

    "Fuck!"

    "Who the fuck is this guy?!"

    Two men sitting at the adjacent table raised their weapons: a mace with sharp spikes and a metal ball linked with a chain. Before they could even swing their weapons in rage, Kang-Woo grabbed the bottles of alcohol rolling on the floor and threw one at each of them.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    "Arrgghh!!"

    The knee of the man wielding the mace was destroyed.

    "You son of a bitch!"

    A metal ball the size of a human head flew toward Kang-Woos head. Kang-Woo caught the chain and pulled.

    "Huh? Huuuh?"

    The extremely muscr giant of a man was pulled toward Kang-Woo with extreme force. Kang-Woo grabbed the back of the mans head and smashed it into the ss shards strewn all over the floor.

    "Wh-What the fuck? H-Hey, th-that crazy fucker isnt going to!"

    Screams echoed out, ringing Kang-Woos ears.

    ""

    A smile crept onto Kang-Woos face. It was a familiar sensation; it was weing. He hadnt felt this much delight ever since he had left Hell. His heart was beating faster, and his blood was boiling.

    "A-Aaaaaaahh!" the man whose head had been smashed into the floor cried out in pain. He trembled in fear as he stared at the ss shards right in front of him.

    "I-Ill talk!! Ill tell you anything!!" he desperately screamed.

    "Its okay." Kang-Woo snickered. "There are a bunch of others I can ask."

    "Ah"

    <em>Crush!</em>

    "Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!"

    He dragged the mans head across the ss shards all over the floor. The shards pierced his cheeks, eyes, nose, and mouth.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    Kang-Woo approached thest man who had been drinking alcohol with Baon. He was the one who, while snickering, had called this ce a paradise for people in Guardians.

    A strange stench tickled Kang-Woos nose. He looked down and noticed the man had wet himself.

    "K-Kyaaaa!"

    "Wh-What the fuck?!"

    The Guardians yers who had been ridiculing and jeering at Kang-Woo quickly shot up from their seats and tried to run out of the bar.

    "Balrog, Kim Si-Hun." Kang-Woo called out.

    <em>Bam!</em>

    Balrog aggressively shut the door to the bar and looked at the yers with apathetic eyes.

    "You cannot leave without the kings permission."

    "What? Who the fuck do you think you"

    The woman who had ogled Kang-Woo earlier grimaced. She took a small knife from her belt and swung it, but before the knife could even reach Balrog

    <em>tter!</em>

    "Kyaa!"

    A pained scream left the womans mouth. A hand had suddenly appeared from the side and twisted the arm she had been holding the knife with.

    "Who the fuck"

    She was cursing when her face suddenly stiffened, and it wasnt because of how good-looking the young man twisting her arm was.

    "H-Huh?" A fearful exmation left her mouth. "S-Sword Dragon?"

    Sword Dragon Kim Si-Hun.

    He was the second-inmand after Grace McCubbin, but he was by far the most famous yer in the world. He was ring at her while frowning aggressively.

    "Th-There seems to have been a misundersta"

    <em>Bash</em>.

    As the woman was talking with an awkward smile, Si-Hun punched her in the stomach hard. She blew back and vomited in midair.

    "Take a seat, please," Si-Hun coldly addressed everyone in the bar.

    The yers who had been trying to escape flinched.

    Every yer who had been present in the war against the Demon Cult, or had participated in the South America restoration operation, knew of Si-Huns immense power.

    The bar, which had been as chaotic as a warzone, had frozen in an instant due to Sword Dragons appearance.

    "Now, then."

    Kang-Woo walked toward the trembling man who had pissed himself. He had more or less understood the situation, and it was time to hear why it had happened in the first ce.

    <em>I have more or less of an idea.</em>

    Regardless, it would be better to hear it directly from them.

    "Id like to ask you a few questions"

    "A-Anything!"

    The man who had been snickering and ridiculing Kang-Woo had made aplete 180.

    Kang-Woo shrugged and asked, "Are you all really part of Guardians?"

    ""

    "If you dont want to talk, Im fine with"

    "Y-Yes! Were all part of Guardians!" the man quickly replied.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    "How long have you been doing this?"

    " Pardon?"

    "How long have you been doing this kind of shit to the natives?"

    "W-Well"

    The man averted his gaze. Seeing that he couldnt even make an excuse, the answer was obvious.

    <em>From the very beginning.</em>

    It had likely been like this ever since Valencia had been built during the operation to restore South America.

    <em>So this is what happens when there isnt an enemy like the Demon Cult to fear.</em>

    It had been many months since the war against the Demon Cults main force had ended.

    Humanity was enjoying a time of peace it hadnt been able to experience since the Day of Cmity. There were no strong opponents, and the average level had explosively increased.

    Guardians had gained too much power.

    <em>And</em>

    Stagnant water is bound to go bad.[1] The people in this bar were not especially evil or atrocious. Great power usually led to a liberation of desires; it gave them the chance to do things that they thought about or had dreamed of.

    It was also the reason why politicians became corrupt so easily. iming that they had been scumbags from birth was ame excuse. They were neither evil nor had they been corrupted. They had simply be able to do what they had not been able to.

    "Tsk." Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>I shouldve expected it.</em>

    He had not believed for even a moment that every single member of Guardians had joined the organization purely for the sake of world peace and the safety of humanity. Human desires were not driven that way. Altruistic people were praised because most people were not like that.

    Hence, all yers in Guardians were given a hefty sry, authority, and various types of hazard pay for risking their lives.

    <em>I shouldve done something about this earlier.</em>

    It was his mistake. He shouldve made stricter rules to stop them from abusing their authority, but he hadnt. Not having the time was just an excuse. He had just been putting it off forter because it had been such a hassle.

    "I-Im sorry!" The trembling man lowered his head. "Baon was my superior, so despite knowing it was wrong, I wasnt able to do anyth"

    "No, I honestly dont really care about what you guys did."

    " Pardon?"

    The man looked up at him in confusion.

    Kang-Woo kept talking, his eyes calm.

    "I said, I dont really care about what you did."

    Kang-Woo wasnt a hero or an apostle of justice. He had absolutely no desire to go around saying bullshit about saving all the weak.

    "Whether you harass, beat, or knock down a powerless woman"

    He couldnt care less. No matter how much someone whom he had no rtion to suffered, it was none of his business. He was not the least bit interested.

    "The problem is"Kang-Woos eyes sank, and he slowly extended his hand and grabbed the man by the neck"that youre all part of Guardians."

    Guardians was an organization Kang-Woo had cultivated in preparation for the imminent invasion of outer worlds. If he were to make aparison, they were like hounds that bit the legs of enemies, buying him enough time to shoot his bow.

    However, the hound had gotten sick. The festering wound was slowly eating away at the hound from the inside.

    Although it was his mistake for not holding the leash tighter

    "I cant just let it slide."

    He had to cut out the rotten pus before it was toote.

    The man stuttered, "Wh-What do you"

    "Balrog."

    Kang-Woo stood up.

    Balrog, who was guarding the door, bowed.

    "I await yourmand."

    "Kill them all."

    "Yes, my king," Balrog answered without hesitation. He reached for his pendant, and ck light flickered. And then

    "Wh-What the hell is that?!"

    "A d-demon?!"

    A huge demon appeared.

    "Fuuu."

    The Lord of Destruction took a deep breath, and armor appeared on both of his arms.

    Kang-Woo snapped his finger and activated the Authority of Silence to ensure that no sound leaked from the bar.

    "Graaaaaaaaaahh!!!"

    Demon Roar. The savage bellow ruptured the yers eardrums.

    Balrog moved, and soon after

    "Arrgghh!"

    "H-Help!"

    Hell descended onto Earth.

    Every time Balrog swung his fist, the head of a yer wearing a Guardians uniform exploded.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    The Hispanic woman trembled while holding up her torn clothes and watched with wide eyes.

    Kang-Woo approached her and put his jacket around her.

    "Youll forget all of this when you wake up."

    He ced his hands on the womans forehead. Her eyes went blurry, and she fell into a deep slumber.

    "H-Hyung-nim."

    Si-Hun walked toward him, trembling as if he had never expected Kang-Woo to order their deaths.

    "I think this is a bit too"

    "Si-Hun," Kang-Woo calmly said. "A festering wound will only grow bigger if it isntpletely cut out."

    ""

    Si-Hun remained silent and bit his lip as if there were many things that he wanted to say.

    Kang-Woo sighed softly. "You know, when we first arrived in Valencia"

    " What about it?"

    "I felt something was off."

    " You did?"

    Kang-Woo nodded. "There were tons of people on the streets."

    There were many ck, white, and even Asian people.

    "But I couldnt see a single South American native that you guys rescued."

    ""

    "Thats not all." Kang-Woo took out his smartphone. "I called the branch of Guardians in charge of the security here to tell them theres been a disturbance in this bar, and I asked them to mobilize the troops."

    "Then you stayed absolutely still back then because"

    "No one called me back for ten whole minutes."

    ""

    Si-Huns eyes widened.

    The Guardians members who shouldve been in charge of this regions security hadnt taken any action. Meaning

    "Could every single Guardians member in Valencia be"

    "Maybe it isnt just Valencia."

    Kang-Woo slowly began walking.

    "W-Wait! Then does that mean Samuel, even despite knowing this, he" Si-Huns expression paled, and the worst possible scenario passed through his mind.

    "I told you"Kang-Woo made a bitter smile"a festering wound only gets bigger."

    ""

    It hadnt only gotten bigger; the rotten pus had spread all across Valencia.

    "Lets go."

    Kang-Woo opened the door and walked out of the bar. The scent of blood mixed with the chilly night air and stimted his nose. He saw a soaring building across the shining red-light district.

    It was Valencias city hall, as well as where they would find Samuel Hayden.

    1. This is amon Korean proverb, stating figuratively that people and organizations will be stagnant or degraded if there is no stimtion or change.

 Chapter 291: Press It

    Chapter 291: Press It

    "Shit, shit!" The man with hair slicked back with gel and a well-groomed mustache cursed in a way that didnt match his appearance.

    Samuel Hayden disheveled his slicked-back hair and clenched hismunication crystal orb.

    "Why did this"

    As soon as he had heard that Kim Si-Hun would being, he had dispatched his forces and kept away all the native people from the routes that Si-Hun would be traveling. He had decorated the limousine windows so that they wouldnt be able to see outside and had nned routes as far away from the slum and entertainment district.

    The broadcasting stations employees and the bodyguards had all been bought off by him, and everything seemed to be going ording to his n.

    However

    "Those crazy bitches!"

    Hed never expected so many women to crowd together at the broadcasting station.

    He had permitted their entry because he had simply thought they were just fans who hade to see a celebrity, but they had knocked down the bodyguards like some crazy group of cultists and had caused Si-Hun to run away.

    It was still fine up until that point; he could brush it off as an unexpected variable. The problem began after Si-Hun and Oh Kang-Woo ran away.

    "Why, just why?"

    Communication with them had been cut.

    Normal people would have contacted him first to find a ce to regroup. Hed already exined that the party would be held in the city hall, so they shouldvee to the city hall, even if they couldnt contact him.

    But they hadnt appeared at all, no matter how long Samuel waited for them around the city hall. It had been apletely unexpected variable.

    One could ask him why he prepared for a situation like this in advance, but if one thought about it logically

    Who would imagine a VIP theyd invited to suddenly break from their schedule to run off somewhere else? It would be equivalent to a famous celebrity being invited to a foreign country, but they cancel all the ns scheduled andpletely ghost the team. This wasnt some B-list romance film. Samuel had never expected Si-Hun, who was rumored to be kind and upright, to act this way.

    <em>That crazy son of a bitch.</em>

    The unexpected variable had not been Si-Hun but the actions of Kang-Woo, the man who was apparently the apostle of Tirion, or Tyrande, or whoever the hell he was.

    Although Kang-Woo was apparently a gods apostle, his achievements in the battlefield couldnt bepared to Si-Huns.

    The man, whom Samuel had also invited because Si-Hun apparently treated him like his biological older brother, hadpletely ruined the n.

    <em>Dont tell me they went to the slum</em>

    He anxiously twisted his mustache.

    Their going to the slum was the worst possible scenario. Not even he could control that ceno, he had given up on controlling it. If Si-Hun reached the ce that exposed the true face of Valencia

    <em>Itd be over.</em>

    Considering Si-Huns personality, he would not stand for such injustice. He would sh apart the paradise Samuel was trying to build in Valencia.

    "Kuh"

    Samuel clenched his eyes shut. Just then, hismunication crystal orb rang. He quickly opened his eyes and clenched the orb with two hands to the point that the orb could break.

    [Yo~ Whats the status?] A rxed voice came from the crystal.

    "I-It is terrible. Kim Si-Hun is not picking up, and we have no idea where he even is. Worst-case scenario, he might have seen the slum"

    [Hahaha. I guess it really did turn out like that.]

    " Pardon?"

    Samuels eyes widened as he heard theughter from the crystal. The person was talking as if he had expected this to happen.

    <em>Boom</em>.

    "Wh-What do you mean?!" Samuel shouted while mming his hands against the table.

    [Dont get so angry. I just thought something like this might happen in the worst-case scenario~]

    The voice from the crystal had a humorous tone.

    [Yeah Now that itse to this <em>that </em>should be good,] the person mumbled as if they had thought of something.

    Samuel bit his lip in anxiety.

    "Wh-What should we do now? At this rate, our n will"

    [Aah, dont worry.]

    The voiceing out of the crystal was still calm, which made Samuel feel more at ease. If they were so calm, then they most definitely had a n in mind.

    [Theres a way to turn this around.]

    <em>I knew it.</em>

    Samuels eyes shone.

    [So]

    The person kept talking, and as they talked, Samuels expression became more and more distorted. He clenched his fists from how ridiculous it was.

    "Do you really think that will work?"

    [Heroes are simple people.]

    "No, but still, this is!"

    [Isnt it good?]

    The personughed.

    "Even if that works, the n will"

    [The n isnt important right now. Would you scramble to grab your wallet when your house is burning down?]

    ""

    [Be honest with yourself. Its not the n youre worried about, is it?]

    The person snickered. Samuel remained tight-lipped. It was just as they had said. It would be a shame for his paradise n to fail, but he would be able to try again anytime if they managed to get through this hurdle.

    The problem was

    [Its okay. Havent you heard of Koreas stic surgery skills? Get through this mess, and youll be able to change your face and start anew.]

    "Thats"

    [Hahaha. Trust me. Ill make sure not even your parents will be able to recognize you.]

    ""

    Samuel remained silent and grabbed a small remote control with a red button on it from a safe.

    " I will trust you."

    [Dont worry. You know what Kim Si-Hun is like. This n is foolproof.]

    Samuel nodded at that calm voice. Putting his uneasiness aside, he gripped the remote control tighter.

    * * *

    "Where in the world have you been?!" Samuel shouted.

    The three young men who hadpletely ghosted him after running away from the broadcasting station were sitting in his office.

    "Haa, leaving the party aside, please think about my position when you suddenly disappear like that. You could have at least contacted me."

    ""

    Samuel scolded Si-Hun while sighing.

    Si-Hun red at Samuel in silence and then let out what was on his mind while clenching his fists.

    "Samuel."

    "Ah yes? What is it?" Samuel asked while tilting his head.

    "I saw the slum of Valencia tonight."

    ""

    Samuel flinched, and he cursed unconsciously. He fretted while not knowing what to do.

    He gulped and said, "Fuuu. I-I guess you ended up seeing it. I actually nned to discuss it with you."

    "You were?"

    "Yes, about the problem regarding the yers currently residing in Valencia. They have been causing many problems while lording over the natives because they had saved them through the South America restoration operation."

    ""

    "I have been trying my best to control them, but it hasnt been enough."

    Samuel lowered his head.

    "It had not been like this from the beginning. We are still not sure who has been inciting the yers to do such things, but things have been like this ever since a radical racist discrimination group had been stirring up the yerstely."

    "So what youre saying is it was not like this in the beginning?"

    Si-Huns clenched fists were trembling. Not noticing that, Samuel nodded with his eyes shining.

    "Yes, of course."

    "And what have you done to deal with this situation, Samuel?" Si-Hun asked.

    "I have set up a force of Guardians yers that can maintain security. But there are not many instances of reports. They hide like rats whenever we go on patrol, so it is difficult to deal with them."

    ""

    Filled with chilling bloodlust, Si-Hun shut his eyes tight before slowly opening them again. He bared his teeth like a ferocious beast.

    "Thats odd."

    " I beg your pardon?"

    "We didnt get a single call from the security forces that you mentioned when we made the report."

    "!"

    Samuels eyes widened.

    <em>H-He made a report?</em>

    Samuel knew how strong Si-Hun was. He would be able to wipe out hundreds of yers from that area even if they attacked him all at once, so why would he bother making a report to the security forces?

    <em>Sh-Shit.</em>

    Samuel felt cold sweat dripping down his back.

    "We even heard directly from them about when the atrocities against the natives had begun. Recently? Are you saying that what has been happening from the very beginning has only happened recently?"

    ""

    Samuel shut his eyes tight. The worst-case scenario was happening right in front of his eyes.

    <em>I have no other choice.</em>

    Samuel gripped the remote control in his pocket.

    "If you dont have any more excuses"

    White light gathered in the air.

    Si-Hun stood up and extended his hand, summoning Holy Sword Ludwig, the pure-white sword exuding brilliant light.

    "W-Wait!!" Samuel quickly held up his hand. "D-Dont move!"

    "Hah. You finally show your true c"

    "I-Ill press this if you take another step!!"

    "?"

    Si-Hun looked at Samuel as if he were asking what nonsense he was talking about.

    Breathing heavily, Samuel shook the remote control in his hand.

    "You see this, dont you? Its the detonator for every control apparatus installed in all the Gates across South America."

    "Wh-What?"

    Si-Huns eyes widened.

    A Gate control apparatus, simply put, was a device that ced a magical barrier on the entrance of the Gate so that monsters would be unable toe out. Although blocking them entirely was impossible, it was enough to buy enough time to prepare countermeasures before monsters came out of the Gate.

    If such devices exploded simultaneously, all of the monsters theyd managed to push back into the Gates would juste back out.

    "Crazy son of a bitch!" Si-Hun shouted. "Dont you know what will happen if you press that?!"

    It hadnt been long since they had fully restored South America. Not only would their efforts to reim South America go down the drain, but the natives who had yet to fully move in would be ughtered by the massive wave of monsters. Thousands would be sacrificed at most, and hundreds at the very least. The billions of dors that had gone into the operation would go up in smoke.

    Considering how much effort it would take to reim South America after that, it would be like severely regressing the progress that Guardians had allowed humanity to take.

    "Hah."

    A smile crept onto Samuels face.

    Although Si-Hun was shouting at him, he wasnt taking a single step.

    <em>It worked!</em>

    He hadnt been sure if a threat like this would work, but he had be sure of it when he saw Si-Huns reaction.

    "Ha Hahaha." Samuel unconsciouslyughed and bared his teeth as his eyes filled with madness.

    <em>"Heroes are simple people."</em>

    He remembered the voice hed heard before. Just like they had said, Si-Hun had been a simple person.

    <em>Despite the ones that would die only being worthless natives!</em>

    He was ovee with delight. He was filled with hope that he would be able to turn this worst-case scenario around.

    <em>Ill be an international criminal after this, but</em>

    He would just need to get stic surgery like he had been promised and start anew.

    "Now, whats your y, Mr. Sword Dragon? Hm? Will you cut me down and sacrifice the lives of those poor natives?"

    "Kuh!"

    Si-Hun bit his lip. The sword in his hands felt far heavier than usual. The moment he swung it, thousands of innocent people would die. His hands trembled from the lives of so many innocents weighing down on him.

    "Pfft, bwahahahaha! I cant believe that fucking worked!! What an exhausting life you all live!!" Samuelsughter spread through the room. "Huh? Why dont you do something instead of just standing there?"

    Samuel slowly increased the distance between them to avoid identally dropping the remote control due to a surprise attack.

    "Im going to list my demands now. First, lower your weapon. And then, get me a helicopter. Oh, plus thirty million dors in cash."

    Samuel was so sure of his victory that he even demanded money that had not been in his n.

    <em>Youll have to pay for having dared to meddle in my n.</em>

    He could live without doing anything for the rest of his life with thirty million dors.

    "Y-You scumbag!"

    Si-Hun red at Samuel while trembling. He was overflowing with rage, but

    "What are you doing? Huh? Drop your fucking weapon!!" Samuel said.

    " Shit."

    <em>tter.</em>

    Si-Hun closed his eyes and dropped Holy Sword Ludwig. Since thousands of lives were at stake, he had no other choice.

    " Hah." Kang-Woo feignedughter as he was sitting down, watching the exchange between Si-Hun and Samuel.

    <em>Thats fun.</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked as if he found them cute, and he looked at Samuel. No, to be more precise, he looked at Samuels table.

    <em>I knew it.</em>

    He found the item he had been thinking of andughed in disbelief.

    <em>What a fucking shitshow.</em>

    He clicked his tongue and turned his head.

    <em>- Balrog.</em>

    <em>- Yes, my king.</em>

    He used an Authority to send a sound transmission directly into Balrogs mind. It had not been possible in the past because of Balrogs special characteristic, Demonic Armor, but his demonic energy control had gotten so much better than even his past self in Hell that he was able to get through Balrogs Demonic Armor with ease.

    - Send a message to Lilith.

    - I am listening.

    - Tell her to

    Kang-Woomanded, and Balrog subtly nodded.

    <em>Right, then.</em>

    He slowly got up. It was about time to end this stupid y.

    "Hey, you! I told you not to m"

    "Press it."

    " What?"

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly approached him.

    "I said, press it."

    He raised one of the corners of his mouth.

    "D-Dont you know what will happen if I press th"

    "All the Gates will explode and monsters will pour out, I bet. And the natives that are in relief from finally being free of the danger of monsters will be massacred."

    "Th-Thats right! If I press this, thousands of"

    "So what, man? What does that have to do with me?"

    "Wh-What?"

    Kang-Woo snickered. "Why should I care whether they die or not?"

    "H-How could a hero say something like that?!"

    "Enough of this fucking bullshit."

    He didnt care about meaningless humans with whom he had no rtionship.

    "Just kill them. Im not the one killing them, am I? Why are you putting this crap on me when youre the one with the detonator? People would think Im the culprit if they didnt know any better, dont you think?"

    ""

    "What are you doing?"

    Kang-Woo walked toward Samuel and grabbed his hand. He brought Samuels finger right on top of the button and smiled fiercely.

    "Press the fucking button."

 Chapter 292: Trap Card (1)

    Chapter 292: Trap Card (1)

    "C-Crazy son of a bitch!"

    Samuel Haydens expression paled.

    He could tell from the fierce smile of the man, who was pushing down on his finger to make him press the button, that it was for real. The man would not care one bit if thousands of people were to actually die.

    <em>This is the man that Sword Dragon treats as his older brother?</em>

    Samuel couldnt understand it.

    He had taken part in the South America restoration operation, so he knew very well that Kim Si-Hun was undoubtedly kind and just. He would never turn away from those in danger and would do everything he could to save them. He was the typical hero protagonist in literature and animation.

    <em>So why does he hang around with this lunatic?</em>

    "Why arent you pressing it?" Oh Kang-Woo said in a low voice.

    "Ugh"

    Samuel trembled. Kang-Woos eyes, as deep as the abyss, were staring right at him. Inexplicable fear encroached upon him.

    <em>If I press this</em>

    He would die in the most wretched and horrifying way possible, but that would also be the case if he didnt. Even if he surrendered, he wouldnt be able to avoid paying for the crimes he had alreadymitted.

    <em>Its over.</em>

    Hed been pushed right up to the edge of a cliff.

    The n had failed, and it was far toote to go back.

    He bit his lip.

    <em>If Im going to die either way</em>

    Spite filled his eyes as he shut them tight.

    "N-No!!"

    Si-Hun quickly rushed forward and reached for Samuels remote control.

    <em>Yeah.</em>

    Samuel smiled wickedly. He was at least happy that someone was moving ording to his wishes. Nothing was more miserable than no one caring about what he had sacrificed his life to do.

    <em>Fuck everyone.</em>

    Samuel pressed the button without hesitation. As he thought about the imminent explosions and the disaster

    " Hm?"

    Samuels eyes widened.

    "Wh-What the hell?"

    Nothing had happened.

    There were numerous Gates near Valencia that yers used to level up and collect mana stones. Although they werent high-ranking Gates, there should have at least been some shy explosions. However, absolutely nothing had happened.

    <em>Crackle!!!</em>

    "Gaaaaahh!"

    No, something did happen, but it wasnt at all what Samuel had expected.

    An intense electric current spread through his body as soon as he pressed the red button, and smoke rose from him. His limbs shook like crazy, and he copsed on the spot.

    " Huh?"

    Si-Hun suddenly froze as he ran toward Samuel. He still had his arm outstretched, unable to understand what had just happened.

    "Wh-What just"

    Si-Hun walked toward Samuel with a dumbfounded expression on his face and pressed his index and middle finger against Samuels neck.

    <em>Theres no pulse.</em>

    The powerful electric current from Samuels remote control had killed him immediately.

    Regardless of what kind of person he was, Samuel Hayden was strong enough to be the mayor of a city like Valencia. If the current was capable of killing him, it meant that

    <em>The detonator had been made under the pretense that Samuel would press it.</em>

    Si-Huns head was in a jumble.

    <em>What?</em>

    He couldnt understand what was going on.

    Si-Hun turned to Kang-Woo, who was smiling bitterly as he looked down at Samuels corpse.

    " So this is how theyre gonna y it."

    Dead men told no tales, so it was the ideal measure to take.

    "Tsk."

    Kang-Woo turned around and headed to the couch in Samuels office. Balrog was sitting on it while concentrating with his eyes closed, his lips moving slightly.

    "Haaah."

    Kang-Woo sat on the couch.

    Si-Hun walked toward him,pletely dumbfounded.

    "H-Hyung-nim, what just"

    "Do you know who made the Gate control apparatus being used for all South American Gates?"

    "N-No." Si-Hun shook his head.

    "A mage named Khadgar, contracted with Guardians. What hecks in brains he makes up with skill."

    "Oh, yes. Ive heard of him."

    "Do you think we wouldve made absolutely no countermeasures for a terror attack?"

    "Ah" Si-Huns expression brightened. "I-I see! I would expect nothing less from you, hyung-nim!"

    Si-Hun nodded while making a bright smile.

    "I see you were so firm for a reason! Haha! Ipletely misunderstood you without even knowing that."

    Si-Hun nodded in session while smiling. He was tearing up a little from relief. The fact that they were able to stop Samuels terror attack likely had a part in his feeling of relief, but he likely felt even more relieved that Kang-Woo wasnt cruel enough to sacrifice thousands of people without remorse.

    "Im so d."

    Si-Hun continued to tear up.

    ""

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue when he saw Si-Huns reaction.

    <em>Actually</em>

    He had made no such countermeasures. He had simply said whatever came out of his mouth. Not even he had expected the control apparatuses to not explode when Samuel pressed the button. Moreover, Samuels death had beenpletely outside his expectations. If he knew, Kang-Woo wouldve used the Authority of Regeneration and stopped him from dying instantly.

    <em>Im not sure whether its a good or bad thing.</em>

    It was good in the sense that Kang-Woo was able toe up with an excuse to satisfy Si-Hun, since he was not yet ready to ept Kang-Woos true self. But

    <em>I honestly hoped for the explosion.</em>

    He stared at Si-Hun crying in relief.

    Si-Hun was a good person; he was righteous and kind-hearted. Although Kang-Woo had molded him through countless battles into someone who would cut down his enemies without hesitation

    <em>He still exerts himself too much to protect as many powerless people as possible.</em>

    It was not a good thing by Kang-Woos standards. It was hard enough even for Kang-Woo to protect the things around him despite having be more powerful than himself back in the Ninth Hell, so there was nothing more demented than Si-Hun struggling to protect people that he had absolutely nothing to do with.

    Kang-Woo had honestly hoped for Si-Hun to be stimted by this incident to abandon the things that he did not need without hesitation.

    <em>Well, even so</em>

    This was just how Si-Hun was. It was his nature. Kang-Woo had no intention of denying that or forcing him to change.

    Si-Hun was good-natured. Taking into consideration his wretched life before Kang-Woo hade across him, the fact that he was still this good-natured was worthy of respect and admiration rather than ridicule.

    <em>Stay that way.</em>

    Kang-Woo would take measures so that it would be okay for Si-Hun to be like that.

    "That aside, I cant understand. What was he so confident in for him to"

    "He probably thought it would work. I purposefully hid the fact that the control apparatuses have measures in ce against terror explosions."

    "Ah, if he had known that"

    "He would have found a way to bypass it."

    It was a lie. There had never been any such measures from the very beginning.

    "I see," Si-Hun nodded as if he understood. "Then did Samuel die also because of"

    "I killed him. Because I hated his guts."

    That was also a lie. What had killed Samuel was the trap hidden within the detonator.

    "Hahaha. You really have no mercy, hyung-nim."

    "I cant let a scumbag who tried to kill thousands of people live."

    Yet another lie. As long as they were people he had absolutely no rtion with, Kang-Woo couldnt care less about those thousands of lives.

    "Fuuu, but Im d things were resolved smoothly," Si-Hun remarked.

    "Yeah."

    "I will go and report everything about Valencia to Grace. I will make it so that the bastards who had harassed the natives receive their due punishment," Si-Hun said in a chilling tone.

    Kang-Woo smirked after feeling the intense bloodlust in Si-Huns voice.

    "Okay. Ill stay in Samuels office to investigate if there are any others involved in this incident, so you go ahead to the Hall of Protection first and report what happened."

    "Okay, hyung-nim."

    Si-Hun nodded. There was a firm determination in his eyes.

    <em>I guess theyre gonna be going through hell.</em>

    Seeing Si-Huns expression, it seemed like the Guardians members in Valencia would soon be in trouble.

    Kang-Woo turned his head.

    "What about you, Balrog?"

    "I will regroup with Lilith. She is almost here."

    "Okay, then go."

    Balrog and Si-Hun left.

    Finally, only Samuels scorched body and Kang-Woo were left in the room.

    "Right, before I begin"

    Kang-Woo looked at the shelf in Samuels officeit was filled with luxurious liquor.

    <em>Good, time to set a badass mood.</em>

    He had a cheap-ass pte from only drinking beer and soju, but hard liquor was best for moods like this.

    Kang-Woo picked one at random and poured a ss.

    Maybe it was because it was expensive liquor, but an intense aroma filled the air.

    "Nice."

    He sat down with one leg over the other and sipped the ss of alcohol while trying to look as cool as possible.

    "Fuck, thats bitter!"

    <em>Pfft.</em>

    He spat out the hard liquor.

    * * *

    "Pfft, bwahahahaha!!"

    A man sitting on a luxurious chair in a dark room burst intoughter. He snickered while leaning back on the chair.

    "Man, I didnt think itd work so well."

    The man watched the footage that had been recorded by themunication crystal orb. This footage was the true objective of this n as well as the precious result.

    <em>"Press the fucking button."</em>

    "Holy crap! What a fucking line!"

    The manughed while pping. Everything had gone as hed nned. No, even better.

    "I never expected him to react that way."

    The man had honestly fretted that the two men would stupidly let Samuel escape.

    <em>Well, that would have also been usable in its own way.</em>

    After all, the main objective of this n had been to prove Guardians ipetence.

    <em>This wont necessarily prove that, but</em>

    Considering he had clearly said that he did not care if thousands of people died, it was actually even more impactful than ipetence.

    <em>If this footage spreads</em>

    Guardians would bepletely tossed aside by the public. They wouldnt be able to keep their disgusting title of being the protectors of humanity.

    "Bwahahahahaha!!"

    The man grabbed his stomach and burst intoughter. Thanks to Oh Kang-Woos idiotic intervention, things had turned out much better than nned.

    "All thats left is to let the Americans know that I seeded."

    He continuedughing and transferred the video to a USB.

    Just then

    <em>- Fuck, thats bitter!</em>

    "Hm?"

    He saw Kang-Woo spitting out liquor.

    "Tsk tsk, he has no idea how expensive that is."

    The man clicked his tongue.

    "I mean, what would I expect from a man who grew up in an orphanage?"

    He shrugged as he recalled the records from when he had investigated Oh Kang-Woo.

    "Well, this should also be useful. Im sure the people would absolutely love to see this son of a bitch drinking liquor from a dead terrorist."

    He focused on the footage again.

    <em>- Fuuu.</em>

    Kang-Woo in the footage sighed, and

    <em>- Fucking hell, what a fucking embarrassment after trying to act cool.</em>

    He turned his head to look right at the camera secretly installed in the table.

    " Huh?"

    <em>- Can we cut that out? Lemme try again. Ill make it look really good this time, I swear.</em>

    "Wh-What?"

    There clearly wasnt anyone else in the room.

    "Wh-Who is he talking to?"

    The man got goosebumps. Kang-Woo, who was looking his way, smiled. An inexplicably shilling sensation ran down the mans spine and throughout his body.

    <em>What the hell?</em>

    Something was going wrong.

    <em>- Hey, are you listening? Maybe theres amunication crystal somewhere here. Ah, here it is.</em>

    <em>Whoom.</em>

    Themunication crystal orb on the mans table vibrated.

    "H-Huh?"

    The man ced his hand on the crystal orb before he had even realized it.

    [Whats wrong? Did you think everything was going as you nned?]

    Kang-Woos voice came out of it, and the mans expression hardened.

    [This kind of shit is my specialty, you dumb fuck. Did you seriously think Id fall for it?]

    "Wh-What the fuck?"

    The man trembled.

    Then

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    He heard a viscous liquid dripping from behind him.

 Chapter 293: Trap Card (2)

    Chapter 293: Trap Card (2)

    "Wh-What in the"

    The man got goosebumps from hearing something mucus moving. He didnt know what it was, but he knew that something was there.

    "Wh-Whos there?!"

    He quickly searched for his weapon. He grabbed the cane atop the table. The cane shone with a blue light, and white frost gathered.

    "Hmm."

    The flirtatious voice of a woman flowed across the dark room. The man gulped as his groin reacted to the irresistible sexual urge.

    The womans voice sounded. "Jason Hemet. Youre that American World Ranker who challenged Si-Hun to a duel and lost miserably."

    "Kuh!"

    Jason Hemets expression crumpled. After he lost that duel against Sword Dragon Kim Si-Hun, which had been streamed to the entire world, he had be aughingstock.

    Everyone knew how unbelievably strong Sword Dragon was now, but back then, not many people knew about him. And so, after experiencing inexplicable humiliation, he joined Guardians with the desire for revenge, and he finally got his chance, but

    "H-How"

    How had he realized his n? No, he hadnt just realized it; Jason had dug the trap and had concealed his presence like a predator, waiting until his prey let their guard down and fell into his trap.

    [Its simple.]

    Oh Kang-Woos voice came out of the crystal orb.

    [Valencia was made with the USAs full support.]

    He kept talking with a calm voice.

    [So isnt it weird that the citys security has be this bad?]

    From the USAs point of view, Valencia was an important territory that would act as a foothold for them to upy freend, such as Mexico, Columbia, and other countries that had been ruined since the Day of Cmity. There was no way that they would just leave the country to rot after building it.

    [It isnt that security wasnt good.]

    It had just been neglected so that it would get bad, for another purpose.

    [For example, it couldve been done to keep in check Guardians, which had gotten too powerful. Well, Im sure there are a lot of reasons. Even if Grace McCubbin is American, she couldnt be controlled, so Im sure people higher up wanted to prevent Guardians from getting too big.]

    They had been waiting after digging a trap. They had built a ce where people could set free their wildest desires and had let loose prey, the natives, into the city so that the yers could do whatever they wanted to the natives without fearing any consequences. They had likely even bribed some yers to get in on the act to instigate the other yers to do the same.

    "Th-Thatsplete nonsense"

    [Things that are hard to understand usually get much simpler to understand once you think about who gets the most out of it.]

    The detonator Samuel Hayden had was fake, which meant that someone had deceived him. Why would that person have wanted Samuel to pressure Kang-Woo and Si-Hun with a fake detonator?

    <em>If their goal had never been a terror attack</em>

    Rather, if the goal had always been to fabricate proof that there had been a terror attack, it made sense.

    From there, he had to think about the organization that would benefit the most from such a thing. Considering who had invested the most in the city, the answer was simple.

    [Well, Im not saying Guardians isnt at fault.]

    They probably hadnt forcibly corrupted the Guardians members, but humans were corrupted all too easily from just a simple incitement. A person could reach their lows far easier than one thought as long as they were given the chance to do things that they hadnt been able to do, without any consequences.

    [Its my mistake. I shouldve trained my hounds properly.]

    <em>Tsk.</em>

    Jason heard Kang-Woo click his tongue.

    ""

    Jason remained silent and anxiously bit his lip.

    "I-I already have the footage I need. If I leak this" he anxiously said with much difficulty.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    But before he could finish talking, the sound hed forgotten about grew louder. Jasons expression paled, and he quickly turned around.

    "Frozen Nova!"

    An intense frost storm raged from Jasons cane. A sharp ice crystal formed from the blue gem at the tip of the cane.

    "Hohoho."

    A womans seductive giggle echoed through the room.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    The sound of the sticky mucus grew louder.

    "Wh-What the"

    Jason paled. Based on the voice, he had expected a knockout beauty to appear, but what appeared from the other side of the dark room were horrifying green tentacles.

    "Urpp!"

    Jason covered his nose and mouth to block the horrible stench. Hed faced countless monsters before, but the green tentacles before his eyes felt more hideous than anything else he had seen before.

    The squirming tentacles gathered together.

    "Although I amcking inbat prowess"

    Eighteen red eyes stared at Jason, and the creature licked her lips with a tongue as long as a snakes.

    "Surely you dont think I cant face a single mere World Ranker?"

    The green tentacles extending from Lilith wriggled fiercely.

    "A mere World Ranker, you say?" Jason bit his lip. He recalled all of the criticisms hed heard after he lost to Si-Hun. "Damn monster bitch!"

    <em>FWOOSH!</em>

    A frigid frost storm raged, and an ice spear several meters long shot at Lilith.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    A green tentacle wrapped around the ice spear in midair.

    "Urgh!"

    Jason burst out with as much mana as he could. Ice spikes rose from the floor, the walls, and the ceiling and shot toward the tentacle monster.

    "Monster bitch? What a rude human."

    The eighteen eyes narrowed. For Lilith, who had always been praised as beautiful, being called a monster was a first.

    She raised her hand in intense rage. Her hair shot out and turned into green tentacles.

    <em>Spurt!</em>

    Yellow pus poured out of the tentacles and spread out like a tent.

    The ice spikes all over the room evaporated as soon as they were touched by the yellow pus.

    "Urpp!"

    Jason blocked his mouth as a horrible stench filled the room.

    "Bleeeeeeghh!!"

    He threw up, unable to take the stench any longer. Liliths eyes widened, and she tilted her head.

    "Oh, was my perfume too strong for you?"

    The aroma caused the lust of a demon to run out of control just by smelling it, but it seemed like it had a different effect on humans.

    "Regardless"

    If the mage had given up on casting and was vomiting, there was no need to think about how things would end.

    With a thick smile on her face, Lilith walked toward Jason.

    "Kuh!"

    Jason took out anothermunication crystal from his pocket, quickly imbued mana into it, and shouted, "Ambush, ambush! Get the hell over to my study right now!!"

    The building that he was in had yers standing by twenty-four seven to be able to immediately respond to attacks. Jason wasnt sure how shed infiltrated his room without them noticing, but they would be able to buy him enough time to escape.

    <em>Tzzzzz.</em>

    As if betraying his expectations, the crystal only returned static that would y from a broken radio. He could hear terrified screams within the static.

    <em>- Arrgghh!!</em>

    <em>- Wh-What the hell is that monster?!</em>

    <em>- H-Help m</em>

    <em>Crack.</em>

    He heard bones being broken, and the chilling sound of flesh and muscle being torn apart reached him through the crystal.

    <em>- Lilith.</em>

    A low voice he hadnt heard before came through themunication crystal. The voice contained a fierce, beast-like energy.

    <em>- Im done here.</em>

    "Hoho, okay."

    The tentacled monster known as Lilith nodded, and a smile formed on her face. He couldnt help but feel chills when he saw her smile stretch across her face, ear to ear.

    "Im almost done here as well."

    An intense red light shone from Liliths eyes. She activated her specialty, mind-control magic.

    "U-Urrhh."

    Jasons eyes widened as he was met with that red light head-on. He grabbed his neck as if he was having trouble breathing. An instinctive fear took over him.

    "A-Aaaaaaaahh!!"

    <em>tter.</em>

    He dropped his cane and wet his pants.

    "S-Stay away!!"

    "Hohoho."

    The tentacled monster slowly walked toward him.

    <em>Squelch, squelch.</em>

    Transparent mucus stained the ground.

    Lilith reached out, and her green tentacles began wrapping around Jasons body.

    "E-Eek!"

    "Dont worry. I wont kill you." Lilith licked her lips with her long tongue. "After all, I have a lot of things I want to ask you."

    Jasons limbs trembled as if he were having a seizure. His eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.

    "Haaa. Being so beautiful is a sin."

    Lilith sighed and shook her head.

    This was why she didnt like reverting to her true form; people were so shocked by her beauty that they immediately lost consciousness, so she could not even interrogate them.

    []

    In the studys video feed, she saw Kang-Woo looking this way with a worried expression. Lilith smiled, easily figuring out what he was concerned about.

    "There is no need to worry. No matter what happens, you will always be the only one in my heart, my king."

    [No Thats not what I]

    "Fufu, so there is no need to be jealous."

    Lilith caressed the crystal orb in delight.

    [Fuck!]

    She saw Kang-Woo in agony as he clenched his hair.

    "I will interrogate this man to confirm the people who were involved in this incident."

    [ Please.]

    The footage was cut.

    Lilith ced her hands on her cheeks while rolling her foot.

    "Haaa, he is as cute as always."

    She couldnt resist how lovely the jealous Kang-Woo looked. She wanted to devour him, and she would if it were up to her.

    "I mean I had my fill on our tripst time, so."

    She would be able to resist for the time being.

    "Well, then"

    She made a bright smile and pped Jason, who was unconscious, to wake him up.

    "Now, now. Wake up, sleepyhead."

    She woke him with a voice as gentle as that of a mother waking up her child.

    "Urmm."

    Jason slowly opened his eyes, and

    "Gyaaaaaaaaaaahh!!!"

    The nightmare began.

    * * *

    A blue Rift appeared on the roof of Seouls 63 Building, which used to be the tallest building but had long since lost that title.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The Rift grew as if the air itself were splitting.

    "Haaa, haaa."

    The breath of the being that hade out of the Rift was filled with desire. They hurriedly looked around and smiled while ring their nostrils.

    "A-Aaaahh! Finally! Finally!"

    The being let out an exmation as they twisted their body. They shot up into the sky as they pped their wings. ck feathers fell from the ceiling of the 63 Building.

 Chapter 294: Lost Octopus (1)

    Chapter 294: Lost Octopus (1)

    <em>Whoom.</em>

    ck light flickered around Oh Kang-Woos middle finger. He looked down at his ck ring, which was vibrating subtly.

    <em>Its been like this for a while now.</em>

    After fulfilling one of the conditions for Chaos, the advanced quest of Road to Bing a Demon God, the Key of the Demonic Sea had begun to change.

    He didnt know if the digestion of the Hell Armament was about to beplete or if there was another reason, but the Key of the Demonic Sea, which had remained dormant for a while, had started to show some changes.

    <em>Well, I guess its a good thing.</em>

    Although he didnt need a weapon, being unable to use Transcendent-grade equipment that could ease the burden of using numerous Authorities simultaneously was unfortunate.

    <em>Im also curious about what this thing is.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at the Key of the Demonic Sea. It was a convenient weapon that could change into any shape. Although it had some limits, it could replicate the power of weapons made through merging Authorities.

    Not only that

    <em>Its a weapon that eats Hell Armaments.</em>

    Hell Armaments represented the power of the princes of Hell. If all seven of those transcendental weapons gathered, they could easily tear open a Rift between dimensions and bend space and time.

    " I wonder what itll be."

    The secret behind why the Key of the Demonic Sea could devour Hell Armaments could possibly be more important than the Road to Bing a Demon God quest. After all, the demonic energy within the Hell Armaments could not even be eaten by the Authority of Predation.

    "Well, whatever the case"

    There was nothing he could do at the moment but wait for results.

    Kang-Woo stopped giving the Key of the Demonic Sea any more attention and grabbed a cup of coffee.

    Just then

    <em>Knock, knock.</em>

    "Darling?"

    When he turned his head toward the opening door, he saw Lilith smiling in the doorway.

    She bowed and entered the room.

    "Whats up?"

    "I havee to report what I had learned by interrogating Jason."

    Lilith handed Kang-Woo several documents. It was a list of names of politicians and billionaires from all over the world who had been involved in the Valencia incident. Most were Americans, but there were also influential figures from other countries.

    "Thats a lot."

    "It seems there have been many people dissatisfied with Guardians quick rise in power."

    "I bet. Its a bit too much power for one organization to have."

    It was only obvious, considering a group made up of yers possessed enough power surpassing some countries, to be able to influence the entire world.

    "But," Kang-Woo continued as he handed the documents back to her. "We need this much power, at the very least, to prepare for whats ahead."

    No, they needed even more power to defend against the imminent invasion of the outer worlds.

    "Hoho." Lilith smiled. She bowed and said, "There is no need to worry. I will make it so that this world bows down to you, my king."

    "I dont want or need anything like that."

    Kang-Woo shook his head in disapproval. He hated hassles; the one that the world should be bowing down to needed to be Guardians, or more specifically, Kim Si-Hun. Although Kang-Woo had appointed Si-Hun to be the figurehead, he couldnt just y around behind the shadows either.

    <em>I feel like Im moving further away from my dream.</em>

    To illustrate that point, he was stuck looking over documents as soon as he had woken up. He sighed as he felt himself getting further away from his dream of bing a wealthy bum. If it were up to him, hed just spend the entire day flirting with his darling.

    "Whats the status in Valencia?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Si-Hun is cleaning up the entire city with the Sirius Corps. He captured a bulk of Guardians yers that hadid their hands on the natives, and they will be undergoing trial in a months time."

    "Itd be difficult to secure evidence, though."

    There werent many crime prevention measures, such as CCTV cameras, in ce yet in Valencia. If the issue went to court, many yers would get away scot-free due tock of evidence. Whatever they were charged with, it was easy to im ones innocence if there was no evidence for their crimes to be backed up with.

    "Hoho. The victims tears are evidence enough."

    Lilith smiled widely. Even if she had to fabricate evidence, she was nning on winning the case.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and nodded.

    "Then give this list to Si-Hun too."

    The public leaders of Guardians were Grace McCubbin and Si-Hun. There was a need for Si-Hun himself to punish the culprits for his influence and for public awareness of him to rise even higher.

    <em>As well as molding the press so that the public would be fine with the culprits receiving harsher sentences.</em>

    He had to make them fear Si-Hun so they wouldnt dare to do something like that again.

    <em>I guess Ill be busy for a while again.</em>

    Kang-Woo had to do some things of his own while Si-Hun cracked down on the influential figures that had been involved in the Valencia incident.

    <em>Ill have to make rules.</em>

    He had to do the things that hed been putting off.

    If it were up to him, hed make cruel and unbending rules like those hed established in Hell, but he wasnt in Hell anymore, so he couldnt implement such rules.

    <em>I should get other people to help me.</em>

    Gaia had said that she would make the rules herself, ming herself for her indolence after Si-Hun had told her about the incident. However, there was no way that a girl who could just barely lead a group of ten individuals would be proficient in making rules for such a massive organization.

    As for Kang-Woo, he had gotten used to the rules of Hell, so he was having a hard time drawing a line. He was in desperate need of help from others.

    <em>I should ask Wuchen and Yeon-Joo.</em>

    Although the groups led by Tian Wuchen and Cha Yeon-Joo werent asrge as Guardians, they had the know-how after having ledrge groups for so long.

    "And there is one more thing I have to report."

    "Hm? Besides this?" Kang-Woo asked as he tilted his head.

    "Yes. I have found traces of demonic energy in the downtown area of Seoul."

    " What?"

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    "Although the traces themselves are very faint judging by how widespread they are, it seems that whatever is leaving behind the demonic energy is going around the entire city."

    "Mm."

    Kang-Woo crossed his arms.

    Traces of demonic energy had been found in downtown Seoul. Now that the Demon Cult hadpletely broken apart, there werent many things that could leave such traces.

    "I guess a demonic beast mustve escaped from a Gate."

    "Yes, I believe so as well."

    Beings of the Nine Hells have asionally crossed into the Gates ever since the Gaia Systems defensive mechanisms have been broken.

    Demonic beasts like the Hellhound had been categorized as variant monsters that didnt have mana stones among yers. It was highly likely that one of such demonic beasts had managed toe out of a Gate.

    <em>Demonic beastsing out of Gates have pretty much be amon urrence.</em>

    Hed received simr reports quite a few times. If it had just been about the traces of demonic energy, Lilith wouldnt have bothered to report it to Kang-Woo.

    <em>Meaning, the locations of said traces must be the problem.</em>

    If a demonic beast wandered around downtown Seoul, there would be a high risk of there being many civilian casualties.

    Seoul was where Si-Hun lived. The Hall of Protection was located in Washington DC, so Seoul was the city that Guardians paid most attention to after it. Kang-Woo honestly couldnt care less if people he didnt know died out, but amotion in Seoul at a time like this would be bad.

    "I guess we should deal with it," Kang-Woo mentioned.

    "Fufu. In that case, I will personally take care of it."

    "Please."

    Si-Hun was in Valencia, and Kang-Woo had to discuss appropriate rules to ce with Gaia, Yeon-Joo, and others. Having Lilith take care of it personally was the best course of action. She was exceptional in terms of searching, so she would be able to hunt down and kill the demonic beast in a sh.

    "Understood, please leave it to me," Lilith replied with a smile.

    She clenched her fists while snorting as if she were Echidna.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly.

    <em>This is why I cante to hate her.</em>

    To be honest, he still wanted to keep his distance from her because of her hideous appearance, which he would never be able to get used to, but he couldnt do that because of things like this.

    "Fufu. Will you go on a trip with me again if I manage to resolve this issue without a hitch?"

    "!"

    Kang-Woos expression hardened. He recalled how hed rewarded her thanks to all the work shed been doing and what he had gone through in the famous Japanese onsen.

    "Urpp."

    He covered his mouth, and his face paled.

    "Are you okay, Master Kang-Woo?"

    Lilith stroked his back in worry. Although she looked like Kurosaki Yurie at the moment, her hand touching his back felt sticky for some reason.

    "I-Im fine. Lets set aside the travel ns for a bit. There are still a ton of things we have to do, and I also have ns with Seol-Ah."

    " I see."

    Lilith nodded while making a sad expression. Her expression had noticeably darkened when Han-Seol-Ah was mentioned.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    "Umm"

    Seol-Ah opened the door and peeked into the room, holding a tray full of delicious fruits.

    "You were in the middle of a meeting, right? Have some fruit."

    "Thanks, darling."

    Kang-Woo grabbed the tray from Seol-Ah with a bright smile, as if he had found a ray of light within the endless darkness.

    ""

    Lilith frowned when she saw this side of Kang-Woo. She ced her hand on her chest. It started to hurt.

    <em>He has</em>

    Tears slightly formed around her eyes.

    <em> Never smiled like that to me.</em>

    A feeling that she had never felt before burned her heart.

    Lilith shook her head.

    <em>What am I thinking?</em>

    In the end, she was the legal wife. The vows of love that they had pledged were still vivid in her memories.

    <em>Maybe</em>

    Worries that Kang-Woo might have forgotten about the vows they had made surged.

    <em>Theres no way.</em>

    Her masterful tentacle techniques always caused him to scream in such a lovely way, even during theirst trip. There was no way the king didnt love her.

    <em>But still</em>

    Lilith pouted. She would prefer if he gave her a bit more attention.

    "In that case, I will be excusing myself."

    "Why?" Kang-Woo asked. "Stay for a bit longer and have some fruit."

    "Hohoho. The faster I resolve this, the earlier I will be rewarded by you, Master Kang-Woo."

    Lilith lightly waved and walked out of the room.

    <em>ck.</em>

    The door closed.

    "Haaa."

    Lilith softly sighed. Her mind was in a mess.

    <em>Now isnt the time.</em>

    She hadnt hurried just to receive Kang-Woos love.

    The traces of demonic energy around Seoul had spread at tremendous speed over just a few days. At this rate, a massive incident would break out at any second.

    <em>Its as if its searching for something.</em>

    Lilith narrowed her eyes and set off. And

    * * *

    " What?" Kang-Woo asked while aggressively frowning.

    Balrog, who was on his knees in front of him, pped his lips in hesitation but then bit his lip and lowered his head.

    "Lilith has disappeared."

 Chapter 295: Lost Octopus (2)

    Chapter 295: Lost Octopus (2)

    "What the fuck are you talking about?" Oh Kang-Woo murmured in a low voice.

    He had been with Cha Yeon-Joo, Gaia, and Tian Wuchen for the past few days, making rules for Guardians, but he couldnt help but curse when he heard out of nowhere that Lilith had disappeared after he came back home.

    Kneeling, Balrog lowered his head.

    "After she had gone to hunt down the traces of demonic energy after you hadmanded her to find the traces and eliminate the source contact with her had been severed."

    " Wait just a second."

    Kang-Woo called Lilithsmunication crystal orb.

    Just like Balrog said, Lilith was not picking up.

    He narrowed his eyes and focused his mind.

    Lilith was his retainer; although they were not linked through the Authority of Subordination like him and Kim Si-Hun, they were still connected by the soul.

    He closed his eyes in search of traces of her soul. He even used the Authority of the Beholder, but he wasnt able to feel anything.

    ""

    He anxiously bit his lip.

    <em>Lilith lost to a demonic beast?</em>

    Based on the circumstances, there was a chance that the demonic beast had been an ancient demonic beast like Halcyon, and Lilith could have been defeated by them.

    "Is Lilith"Balrog slurred, his eyes trembling in chaos"dead?"

    "No." Kang-Woo firmly shook his head. "If she had died, a portion of my soul that had mixed with hers would have returned to me."

    He couldnt tell where she was, but their soul link had not been severed.

    "Shes alive," Kang-Woo said while clenching his fist.

    Balrog sighed in relief.

    Lilith was alive, but Kang-Woo still couldnt contact her or figure out where she was.

    <em>In other words</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes narrowed. Now that it hade to this, there were only two possibilities.

    <em>Either Lilith intentionally severedmunication on purpose</em>

    He shook his head. The chances of her having done that were very lowno, he was sure that it was nonexistent.

    <em>Or</em>

    He didnt want to believe it, but considering the situation, it was the most likely exnation.

    Kang-Woo said in a low voice, "I think Lilith has been kidnapped."

    ""

    Heavy silence fell, and Balrogs expression aggressively crumpled.

    He knew Lilith very well.

    Although she wasnt as strong as him, she was highly specialized in infiltration and escape through a diverse array of bewitching magic. She was careful enough to have been able to avoid the courtships of Asmodeus, the Prince of Lust, so it was hard to believe that she had been kidnapped without being able to send even a single S.O.S. signal.

    "How could this have"

    Balrog grabbed his forehead while making a confused expression.

    Kang-Woo shut his eyes tight. His tightly clenched fists trembled. Veins popped out on his forehead and the back of his hands.

    <em>Rumble.</em>

    The entire building shook as if an earthquake were happening.

    Balrog, who had been in confusion, came back to his senses and ced his hand over Kang-Woos shoulders.

    "My king!"

    The shaking didnt stop.

    <em>Shatter!</em>

    The cup of coffee on the table fell to the ground, and the coffee spilled over the floor with ss fragments.

    "Kang-Woo?"

    "Whats wrong, Kang-Woo?"

    <em>Creak</em>.

    After hearing the ss break, Han Seol-Ah and Echidna opened the door and entered. Halcyon also peeked over from behind them.

    "<em>Gasp</em>."

    "M-Master Kang-Woo?"

    Suffocatingly dense demonic energy surrounded him. Both Seol-Ah and Echidna paled from the colossal amount of power exerting pressure on their whole bodies.

    Halcyon stepped forward and extended his hands, his white hair fluttering from the pressure of the powerful wave of demonic energy. He frantically blocked the demonic energy exuding from Kang-Woo.

    Balrog ced his hands on Kang-Woos shoulders and shook him.

    "My king, please return to your senses!!"

    "Ah."

    Kang-Woo returned to his senses as Balrog desperately shouted at him. He looked around the room, which had be a mess, and said in a low voice, "If they were able to kidnap Lilith, theyd be at least prince-level."

    Under the assumption that Lilith hadnt been kidnapped on purpose, it would be impossible to kidnap her unless they were at least as powerful as a prince of Hell.

    "The possibility of it being an ancient demonic beast is also low."

    If Lilith was not dead, there was only one reason why she couldnt be tracked.

    <em>Someone is disrupting the tracking with magic.</em>

    Ancient demonic beasts fought purely with overpowering physical prowess. Although they possessed intelligence, they were not intelligent enough to be able to use magic. Like Halcyon, most of them overpowered their enemies with their overwhelming raw strength.

    "In that case, a prince of Hell might have"

    "Yeah. Its possible."

    Not every prince of Hell had shown themselves; only four had appeared so far, and three of them had been killed. Including the ones that they had yet to see, four were still alive.

    "Leviathan can be excluded. He cant use magic," Kang-Woo said.

    "What about the Constetions of Evil that Raphael had mentioned?"

    "Not likely. Even if their seal broke and they came to Earth, they have no reason to kidnap Lilith."

    "In that case, we would have to begin our investigations under the assumption that it was a prince of Hell," Balrog expressed while nodding.

    "Call Kim Si-Hun."

    "Kim Si-Hun is currently in the USA"

    "Call him," Kang-Woo said in a firm voice.

    Balrog groaned and nodded. He had seen this side of Kang-Woo several times back in Hell.

    <em>Once he bes like this</em>

    He couldnt be reasoned withnothing could stop the king. He had also been like this when he had caused the thousand-year war, which he had almost no chance of winning at the time.

    "Right, then." Kang-Woo stood up. He mumbled, "Lets move."

    He turned away. He could feel the gazes of Halcyon, Echidna, and Seol-Ah, but he paid them no mind. He couldnt afford to.

    <em>How dare they</em>

    He was not mad. Even if Lilith was kidnapped or put in a situation where she could die at any second, he would not be furious. The emotion he was feeling was closer to irritation than rage.

    <em> Take whats mine?</em>

    Lilith was hisshe was his loyal and capable subordinate. Not even he could match Liliths information-gathering capabilities. Purely in terms of capability, she surpassed Si-Hun.

    <em>But</em>

    His possessionhis subordinate who should be dedicating her life to working for him had been taken from him. The problem wasnt simply that she had been kidnapped. This was a provocation and a deration of war directed right at him.

    "Shit," Kang-Woo cursed aggressively.

    Once again, he did not mind that Lilith had been kidnapped. She was just another convenient pawn to use without any worry of betrayal, just like Si-Hun.

    "Fuck."

    He ground his teeth. For some reason, he could not erase the sight of Liliths smile from his head.

    "Fuck, fuck, fuck!!"

    The appearance that had caused him trauma, the stench from her oozing pus, and her face covered in hideous tentacles For some reason, he felt an unbearable desire to see her.

    "Kang-Woo, whats wrong?"

    Echidna, who hadnt heard what had happened, approached Kang-Woo. She was about to pull on his clothes when she flinched.

    "Kang-Woo?"

    She stared into his eyes, which were staring into nothingness while he was in deep thought. The whites of his eyes were dyed ck, his irises yellow, his pupils torn horizontally. He was emitting such overpowering bloodlust that she wondered if he really was the Kang-Woo she knew.

    "U-Urghh"

    Echidna trembled. Seol-Ah grabbed her by the shoulders and stepped back while lightly hugging her. She realized instinctively that Kang-Woo shouldnt be touched for the time being.

    <em>ck.</em>

    Kang-Woo opened the room door and left, which lifted the air of the room.

    "Haaa." Halcyon finally let out his held breath.

    Seol-Ah approached Balrog. "Umm Balrog, what happened? I think I overheard that Lilith was kidnapped."

    "Its just as youve heard. Communication with Lilith was severed while she was chasing after the traces of demonic energy in Seoul. We dont yet know who kidnapped her or why."

    "O-Oh no"

    Seol-Ah turned pale.

    If a beautiful woman like Lilith was kidnapped one couldnt help but imagine things beyond her just being physically restrained.

    "I am also worried about that." As if hed read her mind, Balrog said in a serious tone, "The king didnt bother mentioning it, but Lilith is excessively beautiful. Honestly, we would have to take into ount what you are imagining."

    "!"

    Seol-Ah shut her eyes tight to shoo away the horrifying thought.

    "I will also help look for Lilith!"

    She didnt know how to find traces of demonic energy or where to even begin searching, but she wanted to be of at least a little help to Lilith.

    <em>Lilith</em>

    Seol-Ah had been able to be an item with Kang-Woo thanks to Liliths help. Lilith had given her the courage to confess to him. Theyd also be quite close after chatting about things she didnt know about Kang-Woo, such as what he liked and disliked, and many other things. She couldnt let Lilith go through something so insufferable.

    "Thank you."

    Balrog nodded while making a bitter smile. He knew she wouldnt be of much help, but they needed as much help as they could get.

    Just then

    "Ah," Seol-Ah eximed as if shed remembered something.

    "What is it?" Balrog asked.

    "C-Come to think of it. There was a box ced in front of our door without any address or sender written on it this morning."

    "What?"

    "I thought it had just been sent to us by ident, so I left it at the security office W-Wait just a moment!"

    Seol-Ah quickly walked out of the room. She ran into Kang-Woo and told him to stay right here before returning with a box in her hands not long afterward.

    "This is"

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he stared at the box.

    It was an unknown box that had arrived shortly aftermunication with Lilith had been severed. It was hard to see it as a simple coincidence.

    <em>Rip!</em>

    Kang-Woo quickly tore open the box. In it was a ck crystal orb.

    "Amunication crystal orb"

    Crystal orbs made by processing mana stones did not require electricity, so they were used very often in daily life.

    Kang-Woo raised the crystal orb.

    "Fuuu," he nervously sighed. "All of you stay outside."

    He couldnt predict what state she would be in. If she happened to be in the worst possible scenario in his imagination, then he should be the only one to see it.

    ""

    Seol-Ah was about to say something but then nodded and dragged Echidna and Halcyon into the room. With a heavy expression, Balrog also nodded and followed behind them.

    <em>Lilith.</em>

    Her appearance was not leaving Kang-Woos head.

    Kang-Woo activated the crystal orb, and a video appeared in midair as if it were a hologram. Within the video, he could see Lilith restrained within darkness.

    "Lilith!" Kang-Woo called out. As he had expected, Lilith had been kidnapped by someone.

    <em>- My king</em>

    He could hear Liliths heartrending voice. Hearing that, he felt like his heart was being ripped apart, but at the same time, he felt relieved when he saw that she wasnt hurt.

    <em>- Aaah! My king!!!</em>

    It seemed this was a live feed; after seeing Kang-Woos face, Lilith urgently called out to him.

    <em>- I apologize. I apologize, my king.</em>

    She sobbed. She was so sad that yellow pus, instead of tears, was flowing out of her eyes.

    ""

    <em>- It is okay! I have not gone through anything that you are fearing!</em>

    <em>Wriggle, wriggle.</em>

    Countless tentacles shot out of her body.

    <em>No.</em>

    The atmosphere that had been so grimthe cliche scene of the protagonist raging after seeing the kidnapped heroinewas taking a weird turn.

    <em>- Aaah, my king!</em>

    Yellow pus poured down from her eighteen red eyes, which were locked on Kang-Woo.

    <em>Fucking wait.</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists. He bit his lip, trying his best to suppress a certain thought in his head while desperately trying to maintain the grim mood.

    <em>- There is no need to worry.</em>

    Liliths voice was filled with sadness.

    <em>- No matter what happens to me</em>

    <em>No.</em>

    The tentacles twisted hideously.

    <em>- Even if my body is vited!!</em>

    <em>Stop.</em>

    Like mold, red holes formed all over her purple skin.

    <em>Please</em>

    <em>- I! At least my heart!</em>

    Lilith screamed in a desperate voice.

    <em>- Will never submit!!</em>

    <em>Poof!</em>

    The ends of her tentacles exploded, and yellow pus poured out of them as if her tentacles were fountains. The yellow pus sshed onto the crystal orb, making the feed blurry.

    "Aah." Kang-Woo covered his face with his hands. "Please, please fucking stop Why are you doing this?"

    Kang-Woo clenched his hair and lowered his head.

    <em>Youre making me not want to save you.</em>

    Tears flowed down his cheeks.

 Chapter 296: Lost Octopus (3)

    Chapter 296: Lost Octopus (3)

    "Fuuu."

    Oh Kang-Woo sighed and shook his head.

    Although his will to save Lilith had decreased by half, he couldnt ignore a loyal subordinate who had apanied him for hundreds of years.

    <em>Who could have</em>

    He narrowed his eyes.

    The first question that had popped up in his mind when he had first heard of Liliths kidnapping was who the culprit could be.

    <em>The likeliest culprit is</em>

    The Prince of Lust, Asmodeus.

    He was the prince of Hell who had frantically tried to get his hands on Lilith ever since they were in Hell.

    If Asmodeus had also managed to go back into the past and be revived like the other princes of Hell, that was reason enough for him to kidnap Lilith.

    <em>But</em>

    There was something he couldnt understand. The feed on the crystal orb was live. If Asmodeus really had kidnapped Lilith, there was no way he would send Kang-Woo a crystal like this. It made more sense to think that someone else had sent the crystal for some other purpose.

    "Lilith."

    <em>- </em>Sniff<em>. M-My king.</em>

    Lilith looked at Kang-Woo, pus leaking from her tentacles.

    Doing his best not to vomit, he asked in a low voice, "Who kidnapped y"

    <em>Tap.</em>

    Just then, someone walked out of the darkness that was holding Lilith captive.

    <em>Rakiel?</em>

    The first thing he saw were ck wings and a stature slightlyrger than a humans. It was only obvious that Kang-Woo would first think of the Constetion of Corruption, Rakiel.

    <em>Rakiel kidnapped Lilith?</em>

    It was even more unbelievable than Asmodeus sending the crystal orb. Rakiel was currently sealed by Seraphs power. No, even if the seal had broken and he had crossed into Earth, there was no reason for him to kidnap Lilith out of nowhere.

    <em>Whats going on?</em>

    As Kang-Woos confusion was reaching its peak

    <em>- Are you watching?</em>

    The ck-winged beingpletely revealed himself.

    "Ah" A short exmation left Kang-Woos mouth.

    It was a face hed seen before, and just the fact that he recognized the face meant that it obviously wasnt Rakiel.

    "Fuck Come to think of it, you had ck wings too."

    Kang-Woo feignedughter and red at the half-human, half-demon.

    "Lucis."

    He was the son of Lucifer, the Prince of Pride, as well as the half-breed between Lucifer and a human woman.

    <em>- Im relieved you still remember me.</em>

    Lucis smiled wickedly.

    There was no way Kang-Woo would have forgotten. He had said some bullshit about having fallen for Liliths true form at first sight, and he was a depraved boy who had stabbed his loving father in the stomach.

    <em>Theres no way Id forget a bastard like that.</em>

    Although he had been slightly instigated, Lucis had ultimately made the conscious decision to stab Lucifer. There was no way that Oh Kang-Woo, the icon of light and justice, would do something so depraved as making a son stab his father.

    "Son of a bitch. Im surprised you had the gall toe back to Earth after doing something as depraved as stabbing your father."

    <em>- What?</em>

    Lucis looked at Kang-Woo with a nk expression for a moment before his face crumpled.

    <em>- What the hell are you talking about?! Its all your fault that I stabbed my father, Satan!!</em>

    "Hah," Kang-Wooughed in disbelief as he raised his hand to swipe up his hair. He stared Lucis down. "And now youre even trying to pin me as Satan?"

    <em>- Do you really think I wouldnt recognize you after you hide in a human body?!</em>

    Lucis screamed in anger.

    <em>- After that incident, I talked a lot with my father and learned that Lady Lilith used to be a loyal subordinate of the demon king. But back then, she was clearly following Satans orders.</em>

    ""

    Kang-Woo looked back on the past.

    <em>Oh, right</em>

    This was still back when he was impersonating Satan while wearing the red demon mask. Hed made Lilith and Balrog call him Satan, so it was understandable that Lucis would make such a mistake.

    <em>- And after making some deductions, I was finally able to realize the truth.</em>

    Lucis red at Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo could more or less guess what Lucis had concluded.

    <em>If Lilith, who used to serve the demon king, is suddenly serving Satan, and if Satan was in the form of a human instead of his former demon form</em>

    The first thing that one would think would be that the demon king had made his subordinate pretend that he was Satan. At least, that was the most logical conclusion.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. There were still some variables. The first was that Lucifer fully believed that Kang-Woo was Satan.

    <em>At the very least, there is no way Lucifer thinks that I impersonated Satan.</em>

    Every action had an impetus. Lucifer didnt know Kang-Woos circumstances, so in his mind, there was no way the demon king would pretend to be Satan in the first ce.

    The demon king that Lucifer knew was the crazed predator who had driven the entire Ninth Hell into war. From Lucifers perspective, just like how there was no reason for a billionaire to shoplift from a small convenience store, there was no reason for the demon king to pretend to be Satan. There was no way for Lucifer to possibly imagine that the demon king was trying to save Earth for kimchi stew.

    <em>I built things up immactely, too.</em>

    Not only had Kang-Woo told Lucifers subordinate, who hade in search of the demon kings Demonic Sea, that Satan already possessed the Demonic Sea, he had also proven to Lucifer directly that he was Satan by showing him Satans Hell Armament.

    <em>In other words, rather than thinking that the demon king is impersonating Satan</em>

    It was more likely that he would think Satan had acquired the demon kings body.

    ""

    Kang-Woo looked elsewhere in silence.

    The second variable was how Lucis looked in the video feed. His eyes were zing with pure, innocent love for Lilith. He was truly in love with Lilith; the effects of the brainwashing still lingered, and his love had evolved into madness.

    If that was the case If Luciss love had evolved into madness

    <em>All humansno, all living beingssee what they want to see and believe what they want to believe.</em>

    That was the nature of all living beings. Add madness, and there was no more need to even question it.

    <em>- Satan, I know that youve taken the body of the demon king and are controlling Lady Lilith.</em>

    <em>I knew it.</em> Kang-Woos eyes shone.

    It was a simple line of thought.

    Everyone in Hell knew that Lilith was deeply in love with the demon king. If she was being controlled by Satan and the man that she loved was already dead, then it was only obvious that Lucis would also hope for his love to bear fruit.

    <em>In other words, Lucifer and that brat still think Im Satan.</em>

    It was alling together, and he was finally starting to understand why Lucis had kidnapped Lilith.

    "So what if I have?"

    <em>- I will free Lady Lilith from your evil grasp!</em>

    ""

    Kang-Woo grabbed his forehead as if it hurt from the obvious answer. The Lilith inside Luciss head was a poor and weak woman who had been brainwashed by Satan and was being forced to serve him.

    <em>Fuck.</em>

    He had never expected that the seed he had sown would bite him in the ass like this.

    "Wheres Lucifer?"

    <em>- Hmph. Father has nothing to do with this matter.</em>

    "What?" Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>This wasnt orchestrated by Lucifer?</em>

    If that wasnt the case, then that meant Lucis had kidnapped Lilith on his own.

    <em>How did that brat possibly manage to do that?</em>

    Lilith had even managed to escape from Asmodeuss grasp. Although Lucis was Lucifers son, he was still farckingpared to a prince of Hell.

    <em>Hm?</em>

    Just then, Kang-Woo noticed the ck wings on Luciss back.

    <em>Eight?</em>

    When hest saw Lucis, Lucis only had six wingsexactly the same amount as Shalgiel.

    He wasnt sure if, like angels, a demons power was indicated by the number of wings they had, but considering how Lucifer had ten wings on his back, it was likely.

    <em>If Lucis has eight wings, hes on the same level as Raphael and Uriel.</em>

    Considering the overwhelming difference in power between Shalgiel and Raphael, he couldnt understand why Lucis had eight wings.

    <em>- Huhu. Dont think that Im the same powerless self as before, Satan.</em>

    Lucis smiled wickedly.

    <em>- You have no idea how many trials Ive ovee to gain her love.</em>

    ""

    Kang-Woo wasnt sure what trials Lucis was talking about.

    <em>But one things for sure</em>

    Lucis had be iparably stronger than before. In other words, just like what Lucifer had dered when Kang-Woo saw himst, he was making very ample preparations to take his revenge. He was not just bing stronger but also helping his son grow.

    <em>Well, that answers all of my questions for now.</em>

    There was only one thing left to take care of.

    <em>- If you dont free her</em>

    "You can shut up now. I have nothing else I need to hear from you," Kang-Woo interjected. "Lets speak more in person."

    <em>- What?</em>

    Lucis frowned.

    Kang-Woo put his hand on themunication crystal orb, closed his eyes, and focused. The overwhelming level of demonic energy control that he had disyed when he forced the Demon God back into the Abyss was once again showing itself.

    <em>Authority of the Beholder.</em>

    He reverse-tracked the very thin connection of demonic energy between the crystal orbs. He was able to clearly see where Lucis was holding Lilith.

    "Stay right there, you fucking brat."

    Kang-Woo waved his hand.

    <em>Split!</em>

    A crack formed in the air, creating a ck Rift. Without even thinking about calling Balrog, Kang-Woo threw himself into the ck Rift.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have entered the Dimensional Crack connected to the continent of Aernor.]

    A blue message appeared in front of him. He ignored it and moved forward.

    "Ah!"

    He saw Lilith, still restrained by the darkness.

    "M-My king!!"

    "Kuh! How many times must I tell you?! You are being brainwashed by Satan! The demon king is already dead!!"

    He heard Luciss boisterous voice. As he was shouting at Lilith, his eyes widened once he saw Kang-Wooing out of the ck Rift.

    "H-How did you"

    "Haaa, fucking hell." Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

    He couldnt help but get angry after finding out that the matter that he had been so anxious over had been nothing more than a childish game.

    "Move."

    "Kuh!"

    Lucis bit his lip at the overwhelming amount of demonic energying out of Kang-Woo. He created a spear of darkness and pointed it at Kang-Woo.

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    ck lightning danced at the tip of the spear.

    "Aaah, my king!!"

    Lilith shed tears when she saw Kang-Woo. Yellow pus sttered everywhere, exuding a horrendous stench. Her tentacles wiggled and grew longer.

    ""

    <em>Flinch</em>.

    Kang-Woo stopped in his tracks. He couldnt help but grimace at the tremendous stench filling the entire space.

    "Ah I dont wanna save her" He unwittingly said his honest thoughts while clenching his hair and lowering his head.

    "You scumbag" Lucis clenched his jaw and red at him.

    He couldnt help but be heartbroken as he saw the yellow pus flowing from Liliths eyes. Not only had Satan brainwashed her, but he was also trying to abandon her.

    "Are you blind?! Cant you see her tearsher sorrowful tentacles?!"

    "I can. I can see them all too fucking well."

    "Then how how could you say something like that?!"

    "Thats what I want to ask. How the fuck can <em>you </em>say something like that?"

    "Satan" Lucis bit his lip and surged with rage. "I know exactly why you took the demon kings body and brainwashed this poor woman! I know it all, Satan!!"

    "I dont think you do."

    "Didnt you do it to obtain her love?!"

    "The fuck dyou say?"

    ck lightning crackled in all directions.

    "Thats how desperate you were for her love!! Because Lilith is! Shes more beautiful than anything else in the world!"

    "Stop"

    "But!"

    "I said stop"

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Lucis stomped on the ground.

    "Your love is twisted, Satan!! There is no point in false love!!"

    "Please dont say cringe lines like that."

    "I will take this opportunity to reveal the whole truth to her!!"

    Lucis waved his hands, and the darkness that was restraining Lilith moved forward.

    He then said solemnly, "Satan, this is yourst chance. If you truly love her"

    ""

    "Reveal the whole truth here."

    Kang-Woo turned his head to look at Lilith, who was restrained by the darkness. Yellow pus was spewing out of her as if she were a fountain, and her green tentacles were wriggling grotesquely.

    "Lilith" He anxiously called out her name. He kneeled and lowered his head. "Im sorry. Im actually Satan. The demon king was torn apart by the dimensional wall as he crossed over to Earth and died. Ive been deceiving you all this time."

    Kang-Woo revealed the truth in a voice filled with sorrow. Lucis poked Lilith as if telling her that it was exactly like he had said.

    "Ah" Lilith shortly eximed.

    She wiped the pusing out of her eyes with her tentacles and smiled.

    "It is okay. I believe in you, my king. I do not know why you are lying, but I" Lilith said with a firm voice, "I love you."

    ""

    There was a heavy silence.

    Kang-Woos shoulders trembled a bit.

    "<em>Sniff Sniff</em>, urghhh."

    Tears dripped down his cheeks.

    "Im Satan"

    "No, my king."

    "Im telling you, Im Satan"

    "You are not Satan."

    "Urgh <em>Waaaahh</em>." He wept while grabbing his head. "Im fucking Satan"

    <em>Please just believe me.</em>

 Chapter 297: Lost Octopus (4)

    Chapter 297: Lost Octopus (4)

    "See, Lady Lilith?! He admitted himself that hes Satan!" Lucis shouted energetically.

    The demon king had died, so in his perspective, it was as if the lover of his crush had died. Lucis would obviously think of it as a chance of his lifetime. Consoling Lilith, who was in a sense of loss due to the demon kings death and Satans deception, would drastically raise his chances that love would bloom between them.

    "Shut up! The demon king is Satan? That isplete nonsense!!" Lilith screamed.

    She red at Lucis, and her green tentacles explosively expanded. She was instantly freed from the darkness restraining her, and the tears flowing down her cheeks had disappeared as if they had never been there in the first ce.

    Kang-Woo lowered his head and narrowed his eyes. The tears flowing down his cheeks had alsopletely disappeared.

    <em>I knew it.</em>

    Kang-Woo sighed and got up. With that, everything had be clear.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed and slowly walked forward.

    "Kuh!"

    Lucis blocked his path.

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    ck lightning poured out from the end of his spear.

    "Stop right th"

    Kang-Woounched forward before Lucis could even finish his sentence. He was so fast that it looked as if his body had extended in a long line.

    <em>Wham!!</em>

    "Kurgghhh!!"

    Kang-Woo punched Lucis right in the face, sending him flying without even giving him a chance to use the spear covered in dancing ck lightning.

    "<em>Cough! Cough!</em>"

    Lucis helplessly rolled across the ground before quickly standing again.

    "Shit!"

    He extended both arms forward, and a ck sphere crackling with lightning gathered in both of his hands.

    "I will protect"

    His eight wings spread wide open.

    <em>Rumble.</em>

    The entire space filled with darkness shook.

    " Lady Lilith!!" Lucis said in a tone filled with powerful will.

    From the way he was speaking, it almost seemed as if he were a protagonist trying to save the captured heroine.

    What should being out of Kang-Woos mouth wasing from Lucis instead.

    "Bullshit." Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and slowly raised his hand.

    He exerted perfect control over the Ten Thousand Demon Cores demonic energy after molting five times while risking his life and sleeping with Han Seol-Ah.

    "Inferno," he said.

    The Authority of ze of the Prince of Greed, Mammon, merged with the Authority of des.

    FWOOSH!!

    A sword burning with yellow mes appeared in Kang-Woos hand.

    "Wh-What the" Luciss expression hardened.

    He could feel an immense heat emanating from the yellow sword. The heat was so intense that it seemed to be distorting the space around it.

    "Thats"

    His eyes widened. Lucifer had told him about the different Authorities possessed by the princes of Hell to the point that Lucis was sick of it. Among them was the Prince of Greed, Mammon. Lucis had heard that, in terms of firepower, Mammon could overpower even the high-ranking princes of Hell.

    "Why why would you have Mammons"

    He couldnt understand it. A princes Authority was their own unique power, and not even the almighty demon king could control them, but

    "Wh-What? How"

    Lucis was looking at the yellow sword burning in Kang-Woos hand. He couldnt breathe. Although he was dozens of meters away, his skin was burning.

    "Satan, h-how are you able to use the Authority of ze?!" Lucis cried out.

    Kang-Woo smirked and gripped Inferno tighter.

    "It isnt just the Authority of ze."

    " What?" Lucis asked back while narrowing his eyes at the absurdity.

    "I wouldnt be able to keep such a neat shape with just the Authority of ze. Its absolute trash in terms of the amount of demonic energy it guzzles."

    Kang-Woo looked at Inferno in satisfaction.

    Thanks to his improved control over demonic energy, he was able to perfectly merge the Authorities of the princes with other regr Authorities.

    It was something he couldnt have even imagined when he was still in the Nine Hells. He recalled molting several times to be able to use the Authorities of the princes of Hell.

    <em>I guess I really have gotten stronger.</em>

    He had not felt it since it had been a while since he had fought at full power, but facing Lucis allowed him to feel the overwhelming difference between them.

    <em>Im not sure how he managed to get stronger, though.</em>

    Luciss eight wings were not for decoration. Kang-Woo wasnt sure what sorts of trials hed gone through, but hed most certainly be stronger. But of course, Lucis was still several levels weaker than Raphael and Uriel. He was only about as strong as Belphegor, one of the weaker princes of Hell.

    Still, considering how long Belphegor had ruled in the Ninth Hell, Luciss growth was impressive.

    Kang-Woo slowly walked toward Lucis with Inferno in his hand.

    Lucis desperately shot ck spheres at Kang-Woo. If they were not in a dimensional crack right now, the barrage of attacks would have leveled the entire area in a radius several hundred meters wide.

    <em>I cant believe it feels so trivial.</em>

    Kang-Woo had still been able to face Belphegor on his own during his days in the Ninth Hell, but it had been nowhere near as simple.

    <em>It feels like Im fighting a little kid.</em>

    He had never imagined a day woulde when he would be able to overpower an absolute being like a prince of Hell.

    His heart beat faster, and his blood was boiling.

    The primal instinct of all animals to get stronger brought him intense pleasure. Kang-Woo smirked. The feeling of omnipotence the unending thrill of having the entire world under his foot fired him up.

    "Twilight."

    Just like Uriel, he spoke and materialized an image in his head. It was of a giant ze engulfing the world whole. In the past, it wouldve just been imagination, but he could tell that he had now earned the freedom to make that imagination a reality.

    <em>Whoosh.</em>

    He lightly swung Inferno. He had not used any martial art techniques like Kim Si-Hun. It had simply just been a haphazard sh.

    <em>FWOOSH!!!</em>

    Thepressed mes tore apart space itself along the trajectory of the swing. A yellow crack was formed in the air as if space itself had been injured, and an enormous amount of mes spewed out of it.

    The mes devoured the hundreds of ck spheres being shot at Kang-Woo, and they began to burn the dimensional crack itself.

    As if the sun were setting over the horizon, the world was dyed in twilight.

    "Gaaaaahh!!" Lucis screamed.

    The mes filled the space with an unbearable heat that made it feel as if the entire world were burning.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have learned Twilight, a derivative skill of Inferno.]

    [Your proficiency in Inferno has reached its maximum limit.]

    [Raising the rank of Inferno from SS to SS+.]

    <em>Oh, whats this now?</em>

    It was an unexpected harvest. His irritation from having been trolled by a brat died down a little.

    "Kuh! Kurgh!"

    Lucis was rolling on the ground as his skin was burning.

    <em>Hell die at this rate.</em>

    Kang-Woo dismissed Inferno. It didnt matter to him if Lucis died or not, but he still had things he wanted to ask him. He walked toward Lucis, who was huddled up on the ground. Almost half of him had turned into ash after being directly hit by Inferno.

    "Tsk."

    Kang-Woo used the Authority of des to cut his finger and make himself bleed. He then let the blood flow into Luciss mouth to treat Luciss destroyed body with the Authority of Regeneration.

    The singed areas bubbled up and his body was restored.

    "My king!"

    Lilith ran toward him while shedding tears. She wrapped Kang-Woo in her tentacles and smiled brightly.

    "I knew you woulde to save m"

    "Lilith," he said in a low voice.

    Lilith, sensing his rage, flinched.

    "Yes? Wh-What is the matter, my king?"

    He red at her, his mouth shut tight.

    Lilith gradually averted her eyes from his gaze.

    "Why did you do that?" he asked while biting his lip.

    "I am not quite sure what you m"

    "Why did you do that?" Kang-Woo reached out and grabbed her shoulders. His hands were trembling.

    ""

    "That brat has certainly be iparably stronger than before. Im sure you wouldnt have stood a chance against him in a head-on battle since hes be almost as strong as a prince of Hell."

    Lilithsbat prowess was nothing special. Saying it bluntly, she was weak. If she were up against Shalgiel, she would just barelye out victorious after a fierce battle. It was impossible for her to beat Lucis, who had be as powerful as a prince of Hell.

    "But"Kang-Woo red at her fiercely"you couldve escaped."

    ""

    She was capable of running from even Asmodeus, so there was no way she couldnt have been able to run from an immature brat drunk on his own power.

    ""

    ""

    There was a moment of heavy silence. Lilith, her head lowered, shed tears.

    "But" She slowly raised her head as she wept. "You have never smiled like that at me."

    " What?"

    "For the hundreds of years that Ive been devoted only to you after everything that I have done only while thinking of you!" Lilith shouted. "Not once not even once have you smiled at me like the way you do at Seol-Ah."

    ""

    Kang-Woos mouth fell open.

    <em>What kind of shitty melodrama is this?</em>

    He felt as if hed be the protagonist of a morning TV drama. He was surging with rage from the thought that she had willingly been captured by the enemy for a reason like that.

    Lilith was lucky that it had been Lucis. If it had been someone like Asmodeus, she would never have been able toe back to Kang-Woo. It had been far too reckless of her. No, leaving everything aside, her actions had crossed the line.

    "What the f"

    "<em>Sniff Sniff.</em>"

    His aggressive curse was cut off. He could tell from Liliths trembling shoulders how afraid she was right now.

    ""

    Lilith was not an idiot. She knew how dangerous her actions had been and that she had crossed the line, but the reason she had willingly surrendered to Lucis to get Kang-Woos love and attention had to have been because she had been that desperate.

    <em>"You have never smiled like that to me," </em>Liliths voice echoed in his mind.

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes.

    It was fine even if it was a cheap melodrama or a morning TV drama. He still tried his best to understand Liliths childish and cringey line.

    The man whom she had loved for hundreds of years and pledged vows of love with, albeit for political reasons, had suddenly epted someone else as his lover. Despite that, she understood and loved him. She had even given the woman who had taken her ce as his lover advice on what would make him happy.

    She had also taken on an ungodly amount of work to be of help to him and taken on all the annoying and difficult work that he didnt want to do. Despite all that, he still did not give her even an ounce of interest and only paid attention to his new lover. Not only had he been having an affair right in front of her, but he was even rubbing salt into her wounds.

    <em>Oh, fuck.</em> Kang-Woos eyes widened.<em> Im a fucking scumbag.</em>

    Forget the kidnapping scheme; he would have literally nothing to say even if she were to stab him in the stomach multiple times with a kitchen knife.

    Of course, Lilith was also to me for not believing him when he had clearly said hundreds of times that her human form was more beautiful, but it was understandable when he considered her position. No one would believe it when someone told them that they looked hideous and the form that they considered to be worse than a cockroach was way more beautiful.

    Even a person who had been told they were beautiful for merely decades would say that was nonsense, but Lilith had been around demons who told her that she was beautiful for hundreds of thousands of years. It would obviously be hard to believe even if the man she loved said it.

    "I didnt hope for much." Lilith made a sad smile and grabbed Kang-Woos hands, which were ced on her shoulders.

    ""

    "Just once even for a moment" Her tears poured down her cheeks and dropped on the back of Kang-Woos hands. "I want you to smile at me like you do at Seol-Ah."

    ""

    Kang-Woo kept his mouth shut. He had wanted to question her about this incident, but he couldnt bring himself to after thinking about her circumstances. Rather, he felt as if he was to me.

    <em>But still</em>

    He felt that he should say this, at the very least.

    "Just"he embraced Lilith"dont ever"

    His hands were trembling. He recalled the unbearable feelings that he had felt when he first heard that she had disappeared.

    "Do anything like this again."

    "Ah" A short exmation left Liliths mouth.

    She could feel from his trembling hands how much he had been worried about her.

    "I-I apologize. I just" Lilith squirmed.

    Only now had it dawned on her what she had done. She had basically betrayed the king whom she loved more than anything.

    "I know," Kang-Woo said.

    He stroked Liliths head. His hands were covered in sticky mucus, but at this moment, he couldnt care less about the hideous tentacles and the pus. Thinking about everything he had done to her so far, it was not even worth considering.

    Kang-Woo grabbed Liliths cheeks and lifted her head. He made a bright smile.

    "A-Aaaahh." Lilith trembled.

    The smile she had yearned for so much was being directed at her. Shivers spread through her entire body.

    "My king My king <em>Sniff</em>."

    Her surging passion caused her to put more strength into the tentacles embracing Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo watched her cry in silence.

    He was overwhelmed by the guilt of not giving her something so simple as a smile, which had driven her to such desperation. Her hideous appearance was nothing but an excuse. In terms of appearance, Kang-Woo looked like a fish to her, but she had loved him devotedly for hundreds of years despite it.

    <em>I just never tried to understand her even once.</em>

    He had never cared about how she felt when she looked at him and how much she loved him. He had never once looked at the woman named Lilith beneath the hideous appearance.

    "Lilith."

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath. To be honest, he still found the stench disgusting, and the tentacles covering her body were as hideous as ever. But that was not all there was to her.

    "Ah"

    He grabbed Liliths chin. Her eighteen eyes widened, and she trembled. Kang-Woo slowly tilted his head. For the first time in hundreds of years, without being forced in any way, he kissed her first.

 Chapter 298: Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name)

    Chapter 298: Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name)

    "Ah"

    A short exmation left Liliths mouth. Her purple skin reddened.

    "Ah, ah, aah!"

    Lilith closed her eyes and jumped in ce as she clenched her fists and wiggled her tentacles. She didnt know how to react.

    Pus poured out in all directions from the ends of her tentacles.

    <em></em>

    Oh Kang-Woo closed his eyes. Even if he tried to ignore it and desperately endure it

    <em>Fuck</em>

    He wasnt sure if hed made the right decision.

    <em>Did I dig my own grave?</em>

    He was swept with regret, wondering that maybe he had made the wrong decision while he was drunk on his own emotions. No matter how precious her feelings were to him, he could not bring himself to ever get used to those tentacles.

    "<em>Sniff. Sniff</em> I love you I love you so much, my king." Lilith smiled brightly. "Hehe. This is the first time you kissed me first, my king."

    Kang-Woo remained silent with aplicated emotion as he stared at Lilith, who couldnt be any happier.

    <em>Im thankful, but</em>

    No matter how much he tried to ignore her outer appearance and look at the person within

    <em>Its too much.</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes to the stench stimting his nose.

    If shed looked like Kurosaki Yurie, he couldnt have been any happier, but what he was going through was so hard to withstand that his emotions cooled down pretty quickly.

    <em>Wait.</em>

    A certain thought crossed his mind, and Kang-Woos eyes shone sharply.

    <em>What if I</em>

    Although he had treated her far too harshly until now, he had ample justification to do this at this moment in time.

    "But still, I cant let this go unpunished."

    "Ah"

    "Lilith, what youve done is akin to having betrayed me."

    "Th-That" Liliths eyes trembled.

    Regardless of her reason, it did not change the fact that she had nned this to deceive him. It wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that she hadmitted treason. Even execution would be an appropriate punishment.

    " I apologize."

    Lilith lowered her head without even thinking about making excuses. Her shoulders trembled, and she anxiously shifted her feet.

    "I will ept any punishment," she said while gulping.

    Kang-Woo could feel she was even willing to take her own life ifmanded.

    <em>Good.</em>

    Kang-Woo opened his mouth slowly while making a nervous expression.

    "From now on, I forbid you from being in your demon form in front of me."

    " Pardon?"

    "Stay in the form of Kurosaki Yurie whenever you are with me."

    "N-Not that!!" Lilith quickly shouted.

    The demon king had finally made a move on her, but staying in that ugly and unsightly form mightpletely extinguish any sparks of love that had been formed at this moment.

    "Please, my king! A-Anything but that!"

    She was scared she might be abandoned if she stayed in her human form.

    <em>It took me hundreds of years to win his heart despite looking this beautiful!</em>

    It had taken hundreds of years to win the demon kings heart in her demon form, which was praised by all demons and would even make lower demons go mad with lust when they saw her. If she returned to her human form, his feelings would surely die down over time.

    "You said youd ept any punishment, did you not?" Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and red at her.

    <em>Flinch</em>.

    Lilith trembled.

    "I understand," she nodded while making a heavy expression. Her tentacles disappeared, and she returned to the form of Kurosaki Yurie.

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists while maintaining a solemn expression.

    <em>YOLOOOOOOOO!!!</em> he eximed in silence.

    He would have danced right here and now if he could.

    <em>Fuck yes! It worked!!!</em>

    Tears dripped down his cheeks. To be honest, Kang-Woo wanted to tell Lilith the truth; he wanted to tell her that he hated tentacles and her pus even more.

    <em>But she didnt believe me the hundreds of times I said that her human form was far more beautiful.</em>

    He had told her to the point that he had be absolutely sick of it, but even after that, she simplyughed it off. She had even shaken her head and giggled when he had taken a day to tell her seriously.

    <em>At this point, I honestly dont think shes acting like this because she doesnt know.</em>

    Lilith wasnt an idiot, so she probably knew that he wasnt joking after having been told so many times. In other words, it was more urate to say that she was denying it despite knowing that Kang-Woo was telling the truth.

    <em>Well</em>

    It wasnt like he couldnt understand Lilith. One might think she was crazy by human standards, but that was not the caseshed lived for more than ten millennia. He wasnt sure how old she was exactly, but rumors of Lilith had already spread throughout the Nine Hells when Kang-Woo had first fallen into Hell.

    After only being told she was beautiful for all that time, her appearance had been denied by the one she loved most. It would be weirder if she had epted it easily.

    <em>But its all over now.</em>

    A smile appeared on Kang-Woos face.

    "M-Must I really stay by your side in such an ugly appearance?" Lilith asked in a sad voice.

    "Yeah. You must always be in this form whenever youre with me."

    "Even during n-nightly service?"

    "Absolutely. Always. No matter what," he emphasized three times.

    Tears flowed from Liliths eyes.

    "Wh-Why such a pointless punishment?! How could you do this when you went absolutely crazy over my tentacle techniques?!!"

    Kang-Woo barely managed to stop himself from cursing.

    "Regardless, this is my punishment for you. Unless it isnt for unleashing your power duringbat, you must always be in human form."

    "Urgh"

    "You arent thinking of glossing over such a serious crime, are you?"

    Her lips moved slightly as if she were trying to say something, but she lowered her head.

    "I understand."

    <em>Wham!</em>

    Just then, a huge noise sounded out. Kang-Woo and Lilith looked toward the source of the sound.

    "Wh-What are you talking about?!" Lucis, who had been healed by the Authority of Regeneration, red at Kang-Woo with an expression full of despair. "How could you do something so horrible to Lady Lilith?!!"

    Lucis shook his head as if he couldnt stand to look at her.

    ""

    Kang-Woo looked at him in disbelief. He considered burning him into a crisp again with the Authority of ze, but then he smiled as if hed thought of something better.

    "Do you hate Liliths human form that much?"

    "Obviously! This is an insult to Lady Liliths beautiful tentacles!"

    "Then I guess you ultimately only love Lilith for her looks."

    "Wh-What?"

    "Tsk, tsk, after all your talk about true love Pathetic."

    "Kuh!" Luciss face aggressively crumpled. "N-No!! Im truly in love with"

    "Then why did you react so sensitively? The only thing different about her is merely her appearance."

    "Well"

    "It just means that you care more about her outer appearance than whats within."

    "Y-Youre wr"

    "Prove it if Im wrong."

    Lucis remained silent, and his face paled.

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction and looked down at him.

    "You dont have the right to love her, you brat."

    "U-Urgh." Lucis lowered his head, and tears dripped down his cheeks.

    Kang-Woo snickered as he looked at Lucis, who was crying in dejection like a loser.

    <em>Thats enough joking around.</em>

    It was about time to get to the main point.

    "Right, brat. There are a few things that I want to ask you."

    "D-Do you seriously think Ill"

    "Lilith," Kang-Woo quietly called out.

    The quick-witted Lilith nodded, converted a few of her hair strands into tentacles, and wrapped Luciss body.

    "<em>Gasp!</em>"

    Luciss eyes widened. His eyes turned hazy as he twisted to get free.

    Kang-Woo smiled wickedly.

    <em>Ive already confirmed that hes still under the brainwashing effect.</em>

    If the effect had disappeared, there was no way hed havee to Earth in secret to save Lilith without telling his father.

    "Argh, urghh." Lucis drooled.

    "First off, wheres Lucifer?"

    "Father is in the middle of a trial."

    "A trial?"

    Kang-Woo recalled Lucis saying through themunication orb that he had be stronger after oveing a trial.

    "And what is this trial?"

    "The trial is a space made by the Demon Gods heart. It involves growing ones power there."

    The Demon Gods heart.

    Kang-Woos eyes narrowed.

    "What kind of space is it exactly?"

    "A ce where the flow of time is different. A space free from thews of physics."

    Luciss answers were choppy due to the brainwashing effect, but Kang-Woo could more or less understand what he was saying.

    <em>Is it the same kind of space as that nightmare of the Primordial Darkness?</em>

    He recalled the ck space that he had followed Satan into. Lucis had said that the flow of time was different there, so it was understandable that Lucis had be so strong in such a short period of time.

    <em>If Lucis became this strong</em>

    He couldnt even guess how much stronger Lucifer had be.

    <em>The son of a bitch had Divinity when he first came to Earth</em>

    Kang-Woos expression turned anxious.

    Although he himself had be overwhelmingly stronger than his past self, so had Lucifer. Kang-Woo couldnt fathom how serious of a wild card Lucifer would be while Lucifer was preparing for his revenge in the trial, the space made from the Demon Gods heart.

    <em>Ill have to keep this guy for now, then.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Lucis. As long as he had Lucis, Lucifer wouldnt be able to act freely. For now, he had acquired some solid insurance.

    <em>Theres no need to be in a rush.</em>

    He narrowed his eyes. It was dangerous to be indolent, but there was no need to be in a rush either.

    <em>If I y my cards right, I could use Lucifer as well.</em>

    The gears in his head started to quickly turn.

    He did not have a detailed n yet, but he surmised that he would be able to use Lucifer in the future if he used Lucis correctly. Kang-Woo couldnt help but smile.

    <em>This is what you get for not raising your son right.</em>

    Luciss trolling was enough to make Kang-Woo shudder. He got goosebumps from imagining having a son like Lucis.

    "Lilith, brainwash him even more thoroughly than before. Ensure hes willing to stab his father or cut open his throat if you order him to."

    "Yes, my king." Lilith bowed.

    The brainwashing shed already applied to him was still in effect, so it wouldnt be hard to intensify it.

    Kang-Woo turned away while making a satisfied expression.

    Just then

    "Hm?"

    Kang-Woo saw the eight wings on Luciss back and the ck lightning crackling between them. A thought crossed his mind like a bolt of lightning.

    <em>Wait just a minute.</em> Kang-Woos eyes widened.

    "Fuck yeah. I can use this."

    Heughed in disbelief from not having thought of it sooner.

    <em>He can be used for more than just keeping Lucifer in check.</em>

    "Pfft, huehuehuehue."

    A vulgarugh unwittingly flowed out of his mouth.

    "My king?"

    "Step aside for a second."

    Kang-Woo walked toward Lucis and tightly gripped his shoulders.

    "Listen carefully, Lucis."

    "U-Urrh?"

    "Your name is no longer Lucis."

    "Name?"

    "From now on, your name is"

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    "Rakiel."

 Chapter 299: That Was Barely Anything

    Chapter 299: That Was Barely Anything

    With the self-made kidnapping plot right after the Valencia incident wrapped up, Oh Kang-Woo was finally able to take a break.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed in exhaustion while sprawled out on the couch. Hed been so busy that he hadnt had time to properly sleep in nearly a week.

    <em>Im missing out.</em>

    He frowned as he remembered how his demonic energy control improved just from sleeping with Han Seol-Ah.

    Although it did not rise unconditionally, it still rose far more than when he trained for a whole day to raise it, so it was beneficial for him to sleep with Seol-Ah every day.

    "I mean"

    Kang-Woo smiled. Annoying things had happened one after another, but he had gained a lot out of them.

    <em>First, I was able to filter out the stagnant water within Guardians.</em>

    To him, Guardians was like a hound. Although it might not be able to kill the enemy, it could at least bite their leg to buy enough time for him. Considering that the sess rate of hunting a boar lowered to below half if you hunted without a hound, managing Guardians well was important.

    <em>And</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes shone. He thought about the demon with ck wings, Lucis.

    <em>This is really big.</em>

    He still wasnt sure why Lucisor, to be more precise, his father Luciferhad ck wings. Lucifer had been ruling as a prince of Hell since before Kang-Woo had even arrived in Hell. Regardless, what mattered was that Luciss wings were exactly the same as the ones that fallen angels had. It was also a huge plus that Lucis, who was a half-breed between demon and human, was indistinguishable from angels.

    <em>There might be angels who recognize his face, so I should modify it a little.</em>

    Hed heard from Raphael that only Michael had ever seen Rakiels face, meaning that even if he made Lucis act as Rakiel, no one would be able to tell.

    <em>Rakiel Coin to the moon!</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt help but smile.

    The bad thing about the Satan Coin was the fact that Kang-Woo and Satan existed simultaneously in the same ce, which made it very restricting.

    Although he could create a fake body with the Authority of Cloning, it could only do extremely simple tasks, to the point that one would immediately be able to tell that it was a fake once someone picked a fight with it.

    <em>But if I brainwash Lucis into being Rakiel</em>

    That meant both Kang-Woo and Rakiel could be in the same ce. Not only that, it would not affect Kang-Woo in the slightest even if Lucis was found out to not be Rakiel.

    <em>Its an immortal coin.</em>

    It was a perfect coin that couldnt fail. Even if it did fail, it wouldnt affect him at all, so there was no reason for him not to cheer.

    <em>But of course, this brat is a bit too weak to y the role of Rakiel properly.</em>

    Kang-Woo could somewhatpensate for that by controlling demonic energy from a distance, just like hed done during the incident with Raphael. Since Lucis was at least as strong as a low-ranking prince of Hell, Lucis would be able to fight far better than Kang-Woos clone.

    <em>And most importantly</em>

    Kang-Woo looked toward the kitchen.

    "Im so d nothing bad happened, Lilith," Seol-Ah said.

    "Hoho. Thank you for worrying about me."

    "Not at all. I wanted to help save you as well, but Kang-Woo left without saying a word"

    "Im happy enough knowing that the king treasures me so deeply."

    "Oh,e to think of it, when you were kidnapped, Kang-Woo was"

    He saw Lilith, in the form of Kurosaki Yurie, chatting with Seol-Ah. Although it was just a normal kitchen, the two women sitting and chatting radiated such a gorgeous aura that the scene felt as if it were straight from the front cover of a magazine.

    He couldnt help but clench his fists in delight. He felt as if he were about to cry.

    <em>Fuck yeah This is it. This is the life.</em>

    The best thing he had received from the past few incidents was undoubtedly that hed been freed from the tentacles that had traumatized him for such a long time. Just that alone was incredible enough.

    "Kang-Woo, are you crying?" Echidna, whod been watching TV while sitting on hisp, tilted her head.

    Kang-Woo silently patted Echidnas head as he smiled. He was filled with an inexplicable sense of joy.

    "Its gettingte, so I will get going. Oh, right. I ced the report regarding Lucis in your room earlier."

    "Okay, thanks." Kang-Woo smiled brightly and waved.

    Lilith smiled back at him and bowed.

    "Fufu. Your room was also a little messy, so I tidied it up."

    "Mm. Was it that messy?"

    "Just a little." Lilith turned to Seol-Ah and winked.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head but paid it no mind.

    <em>They seem to be on the same wavelength about something.</em>

    They had been getting very close recently, so it wouldnt be weird if they shared things he wasnt aware of.

    "I will see you tomorrow." Lilith opened the front door and walked out.

    Kang-Woo checked the timeit was 11:00 p.m. It was still too early to fall asleep, but he really wanted to relieve all the fatigue that he had umted in the past week.

    <em>Theres also the demonic energy control issue.</em>

    He wasnt sure how strong Lucifer would be through the trial, so he had to be as strong as possible. Besides molting, sleeping with Seol-Ah was the fastest way to improve his demonic energy control.

    "Seol-Ah."

    "Yes, Kang-Woo?" Seol-Ah walked toward him while making a kind smile as if she knew exactly what he wanted. "Shall we sleep together tonight?"

    "Yeah."

    "Fufu. Just a moment. Ill go wash up." Seol-Ah went to take a shower while humming.

    Kang-Woo gulped and went into his room first.

    The report Lilith had mentioned was on his desk, and the room had been tidied up like a hotel room.

    " Right, then."

    Kang-Woo poured a little bit of demonic energy into a ck crystal orb at the corner of his deskit was themunication crystal orb that Lucis had sent him. It had originally been for two-waymunication, but he had modified it to be able to record videos.

    <em>Its been bothering me for a while.</em>

    Kang-Woo wanted to check what happened whenever he slept with Seol-Ah.

    Things that he couldnt understand always happened. For example, his clothes were always partly taken off, and there were marks on his chest and thighs, among other weird things.

    <em>Its also weird that I dont remember anything whenever I sleep with Seol-Ah.</em>

    He would usually be very sensitive to anything that happened even when he was asleep, but he had absolutely no memory of anything during the time that he was asleep with Seol-Ah for some reason.

    <em>I also have to figure out why my demonic energy control improves.</em>

    As long as he figured that out, hed be able to apply it to his usual training routine. Kang-Woo put the crystal orb on record mode and ced it on the table.

    <em>ck.</em>

    "Im back, Kang-Woo."

    The door opened, and Seol-Ah entered in her pajamas. Shed just taken a shower, so her slightly wet hair and red cheeks gave off an alluring air.

    "Ahem," Kang-Woo coughed.

    "I heard that youve been very busy recently Are you feeling okay?" Seol-Ah asked in a worried voice while putting her hand on top of his.

    "Well, nothings wrong in particr. My body actually doesnt require sleep."

    "But arent you still tired?"

    "Thats inevitable."

    Although he was physically fine, he couldnt do anything about psychological fatigue. He was keeping the Ten Thousand Demon Core in check at all times, so psychological fatigue would only keep piling up.

    Although sleep wasnt mandatory, he needed it to some extent.

    " Im worried." Seol-Ahid her head on his shoulder and gripped his hand tighter.

    Kang-Woo felt a warm andfortable sensation spread from his hand to his entire body.

    <em>Darliiiiiiiing!</em>

    Kang-Woo held back his desire to scream. He wanted to hug her and jump, but the air was too serious for him to do something like that.

    <em>Still, darling is the best.</em>

    It was difficult to feel the samefort and warmth from anyone else but her. Kang-Woo frantically forced down the ascending corners of his mouth and embraced her with one hand.

    "Dont worry. Im not working hard enough to the point that Id break down."

    "Still" Seol-Ah pinched Kang-Woos thighs while slightly pouting. "Youve barely been hometely. Do you have any idea how lonely Echidna has been?"

    "Only Echidna?"

    "Ngh W-Well" Seol-Ah blushed.

    Kang-Wooughed and then gave her a light kiss on the lips. The air around them was so sweet that he felt as if he were receiving death threats from men all over the world.

    "Lets go to bed."

    "Okay." Seol-Ahs eyes shone. She snorted in excitement and then spread her arms out wide. "Alright,e here."

    "Ahem. Its a bit embarrassing every time, so why dont we just"

    "Now," she said in a firm voice as if she wouldnt take no for an answer.

    Kang-Woo ended up lying in bed in her arms.

    <em>Ah.</em>

    An inexplicably soft and warm sensation spread through his body. Though he couldnt even remember his childhood, it was as if a deeply imprinted loneliness was being healed.

    <em>Im getting sleepy again.</em>

    Kang-Woo felt his eyelids be heavier as if he had taken sleeping pills. Before he fell asleep, he looked toward the crystal orb lying on the table.

    <em>Tomorrow</em>

    He woulde to know everything.

    * * *

    "Urghhh"

    After he woke up the next morning, Kang-Woo checked his body first.

    <em>Like I thought.</em>

    His clothes were loosened, and there were red marks around his chest.

    <em>My demonic energy control has also gone up.</em>

    As he closed his eyes and focused, he could feel that his control had improved.

    "Good."

    Kang-Woo grabbed the crystal on the table and activated it by pouring a small amount of demonic energy into it.

    <em>- Fufu. Youre already asleep.</em>

    He could see himself sleeping in Seol-Ahs arms.

    <em>- How cute.</em>

    Seol-Ah softly giggled as she patted his head.

    "Ahem."

    Kang-Woo focused on the video while blushing.

    <em>Right then, lets see what happens</em>

    Right as he was getting nervous

    <em>- Yawn.</em>

    <em>Hm?</em>

    Seol-Ah yawned, and then she closed her eyes. All that could be heard were the sounds of breathing.

    <em>What?</em>

    That was it?

    Kang-Woo watched the video with a strange sense of disappointment.

    Thirty minutester

    <em>Whoom.</em>

    Twelve faint wings appeared on Seol-Ahs back. At the same time, demonic energy leaked out of Kang-Woos body.

    The demonic energy and the light from her back intertwined in the air.

    <em>I guess it really was because of Seraphs energy.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes shone as he watched the demonic energy and the white light intertwine.

    "Hmm. Seraphs energy is the more active one."

    The demonic energy did not move an inch as if it were asleep, whereas the white light moved busily as if it were coveting the ck demonic energy.

    <em>Pop, pop.</em>

    The ripples from the energy disheveled his clothes, and red marks appeared around his body.

    "So this is why the red marks appeared."

    His clothes seemed to loosen when his energy entangled with Seraphs.

    The white light that had been swirling around the demonic energy focused on a specific part of it, as if it were attacking a weak point. The ck demonic energy started to get sucked into the white light. As if it were resisting the white lights attack, the ck demonic energy huddled up and then drooped lifelessly. It then retreated back into Kang-Woos body.

    <em>What the hell happened?</em>

    Regardless of how many times he watched it, he couldnt understand why the two energies shed.

    <em>At the very least, its clear that my demonic energy control rose due to my power intermingling with Seraphs.</em>

    The power within Seol-Ah was that of the Celestial Goddess. He still wasnt sure why Seraphs soul had entered her, but Kang-Woo couldnt deny that the god possessed power beyond his imagination. It was possible that his control had forcibly risen so that it wouldnt be devoured by that power.

    <em>Its simr to how molting instinctively raises my demonic energy control to keep me alive.</em>

    It could be considered casual molting.

    "In any case, its a huge plus."

    There could possibly be side effects, but he had not felt any so far, and it did not risk his life like molting did.

    <em>I dont think Id be able to use this for training, though.</em>

    But if his demonic energy control could improve just by sleeping with Seol-Ah, there was no reason not to do it. Demonic energy control was absolutely necessary for him since he possessed a ticking time bomb, the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    "Well, that was barely anything."

    To be honest

    <em>I was hoping that maybe something a bit dirty was going on</em>

    He had been ignoring it since he wasnt sure if the kind and gentle Seol-Ah would do such a thing, but since he was a man, he had been having dirty thoughts.

    "Tsk."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in a strange sense of disappointment.

    * * *

    "Oh, Lilith?" While Kang-Woo was watching the recording in his bedroom, Seol-Ah called Lilith. "Yes, I did as you said. I wouldnt have known if you hadnt told me."

    <em>- We arent strangers anymore, so we should help each other out. It caught my attention while I was cleaning the room.</em>

    Liliths voice came out through the smartphone.

    Seol-Ah asked in worry, "But what if he finds ou"

    <em>- No need to worry.</em>

    Lilith giggled and continued.

    <em>- Doctoring footage is my specialty.</em>

 Chapter 300: Key of the Demonic Sea

    Chapter 300: Key of the Demonic Sea

    "Lets leave it here for today," Oh Kang-Woo said as he slowly looked around the humid jungle with the stench of monster corpses lingering in the air.

    "A-Already?" Uriel, the blue-haired boy, turned his head in surprise.

    <em>What do you mean, "already"?</em>

    They had scoured the Amazon jungle for traces of Rakiel for over eight hours today.

    <em>What an absolute waste of time.</em>

    Rakiel wasnt on Earth.

    Kang-Woo was the one whod been using his name, so he knew it better than anyone else.

    They were going all around the world in search of nonexistent clues, so there was no better way to waste his time.

    "Ahem. L-Lets search a bit more. Ah, how about we take a break before resuming our search? Oh, lets eat that kimchi stew thing. You brought it with you, didnt you?"

    "Ngh."

    Kang-Woo groaned while staring at Uriel, who was searching for a good ce to eat. Since he was stuttering, Uriel also seemed to know that searching for Rakiel here for any longer was pointless.

    <em>Whys he acting like this despite knowing its pointless?</em>

    Uriel had been contacting him more frequently as ofte.

    No, to be more precise, ever since Kang-Woo had bought him a smartphone after suggesting they take a day off while touring Seoul, Uriel had not stopped contacting him.

    <em>Why is an angel so goddamn good at using a smartphone?</em>

    Kang-Woo took his smartphone out and looked over all of the messages Uriel had sent him through KakaoTalk this morning.

    Yuriel : [What are you doing today?]

    Yuriel : [You finished all the Guardians work a few days ago, right?]

    Yuriel : [Then search for traces of Rakiel with me today.]

    Yuriel : [Shouldnt you be up by now? Why arent you reading my messages?]

    Yuriel : [That aside, this smartphone thing is fascinating.]

    Yuriel : [Things you want to say can be sent immediately like a letter. Its way better than amunication orb!]

    Yuriel : [Things likenguage can be easily learned through magic.]

    Yuriel : [Maybe I should supply this to everyone in SantAngelo.]

    Yuriel : [But I guess itd be difficult since there wouldnt be any wifi, I think it was called? Its better thanmunication orbs in every way except this.]

    Yuriel : [Why is wifi so slow in Africa? Im trying to watch videos on this MyuTube thing, but it keeps buffering.]

    ""

    There were over a hundred messages like this.

    <em>Hes acting like some kid begging for attention.</em>

    Hed thought Uriel just looked like a kid, but he also seemed to be one mentally as well.

    <em>The characteristic of angels is "obsession," or so Ive been told.</em>

    Rather than obsession, it felt more like he was sending messages simply because he was so fascinated by a smartphone, but

    <em>It gets annoying when he sends them without rest.</em>

    Uriel kept sending messages as if he were desperate for attention.

    If Kang-Woo had known that something like this would happen, he wouldnt have done something as insane as giving him a smartphone.

    " I never thought hed be able to use it so well," Kang-Woo mumbled so that Uriel wouldnt be able to hear him.

    He had never expected an angel who lived in a world without even any electronic devices, let alone a smartphone, would be able to adapt to a smartphone so quickly.

    <em>What the hell is with that ID, though?</em>

    The addition of Y could be glossed over since he could have just made a typo when typing his name, but Kang-Woo could not understand why he had added a heart mark. He had asked Uriel, but apparently that was a typo as well. Hed even taken a profile picture. Though he wasnt quite on Halcyons level, he looked like a girl due to his androgynous looks.

    <em>I feel like Im texting a girl working at a shady establishment or something.</em>

    An establishment where employees wearing angel costumes jailbaited people.

    <em>I dont even have a profile picture.</em>

    Heughed in disbelief. He didnt find out untilter, but it seemed that the level of civilization in Aernor wasnt as low as he had expected.

    Although they didnt have something like a smartphone, they had magic tools that could rece most electronic devices used on Earth. Since angels were mainly active in Aernor, angels also frequently used such magic tools.

    <em>I mean, at least Im getting closer to him.</em>

    It was absolutely necessary to build good rtionships with the angels. Unlike the immovable Raphael, Uriel was much easier to control. As long as he kept growing their rtionship

    <em>Hell definitely be more helpful than Guardians.</em>

    If Guardians was like a hound, Uriel and the other angels were like a trained tiger; taming it was extremely difficult, but once trained to the point that it could be controlled, the beast was strong enough to kill the prey all on its own.

    "Haaa."

    It was only obvious that training such a fierce beast would be tiresome.

    Compared to Raphael, who seemed impossible to tame, the situation with Uriel was far better.

    <em>I can at least get through to him.</em>

    Raphael, from his manner of speech to his thought process, was way too much of a boomer, which had resulted in Kang-Woo not being able to get through to him.

    "Alright, all done!" Uriel eximed in a bright voice.

    Hed used magic to cut giant trees all around the jungle to make a table and chairs.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly.

    "You didnt have to make something this extravagant."

    "Hehe. Its better to eat infort if possible. Besides, it wasnt that hard to make." Uriel grinned and took a seat.

    Kang-Woo sat across from him and opened his magic bag, taking out a container of kimchi stew Han Seol-Ah had made. He took out a pot and poured the contents of the container into it.

    "When will the other angels being?"

    "Mm. I pushed them a bit too hard to send me here, so itll probably take more time than I thought."

    Kang-Woo frowned a bit at Uriels answer.

    <em>I guess Ill be doing this for a while, then.</em>

    Uriel didnt want to be with anyone other than Kang-Woo for some reason. Kang-Woo had sent Kim Si-Hun to him once because it was a waste of time, but after Uriel had harshly rejected Si-Hun, Kang-Woo had to step up again.

    <em>Hes not some baby bird asking for his mommy.</em>

    Not only did he have wings on his back, but he also behaved like a pigeon.

    Kang-Woo put his hands on his forehead as if it hurt.

    Seeing that, Uriels eyes widened.

    "Wh-Whats wrong? Are you hurt?"

    "N-No. Its nothing."

    "I noticed youve been doing that a lottely Are you sure you arent hurt?"

    "Haha. I assure you, Im fine."

    Kang-Woo smiled and shook his head as he looked into Uriels worried eyes.

    <em>Its because of you, dammit.</em>

    There was no way Kang-Woo wouldnt be stressed from going all around the world in search of nonexistent traces of Rakiel. If not for this, he would be currently tasting paradise in his darlings arms.

    <em>Ah, my blood pressure</em>

    The back of his head hurt again. Knowing the fact that it was necessary only made him more angry, just like how a person did not want to wake up on a Monday morning despite knowing that they needed to go to work.

    "A-Are you sure youre okay?" Uriel gave him a worried look.

    Kang-Woo had been frequently grabbing the back of his head while groaningtely, so Uriel wondered if something was wrong with him.

    "I told you, Im fine." Making a forced smile, Kang-Woo finished emptying the container of kimchi stew into the pot.

    The container, infused with instion magic, had kept the kimchi stew steaming hot. Kang-Woo salivated as he looked at the steaming kimchi stew.

    "Ive noticed a lot of this being in the stewtely. It didnt used to be there," Uriel said as he grabbed something that looked like a chestnut from the kimchi stew with his chopsticks. "Its called garlic, right? Is this a staple ingredient in kimchi stew?"

    "No, I wouldnt say itsmon."

    Seol-Ah had recently started putting garlic in the kimchi stew.

    Kang-Woo put garlic and kimchi above a bed of rice.

    "But its okay, since its still delicious. Garlic is also good for restoring stamina."

    "Really? It must be for nutrition purposes, then. But someone of your level doesnt really need their stamina replenished, do they?" Uriel asked while tilting his head.

    The Kang-Woo he knew was stronger than Shalgiel but weaker than Raphabout as powerful as Belphegor. Even someone far below him, Tian Wuchen, rarely expended stamina during daily life. That was also why the stronger the individual, the less sleep they needed.

    "Ive been experiencing a lot of energy expendituretely."

    " Doing what?"

    "Nothing worth mentioning."

    It was difficult for Kang-Woo to exin to Uriel that he was expending stamina because he was going through casual molting as the energy of the Demonic Sea intermingled with Seraphs energy while he was asleep.

    <em>Because Im not sure why its happening either.</em>

    He didnt know why it was happening, but he wasnt stopping it since it was of great benefit to him. Also, sleeping in Seol-Ahs embrace felt good.

    ""

    Uriel bit his lip anxiously and fell into thought as he stared at Kang-Woo.

    Not noticing his expression, Kang-Woo ate the kimchi stew.

    "<em>Slurp, munch.</em>"

    It was as delicious as always.

    * * *

    "I will get going, then."

    "Ah, okay."

    Uriel waved his hand, a lonely expression on his face. It seemed like he wanted to stay with Kang-Woo a bit longer, but he really had to let him go now.

    <em>I hope his subordinates arrive soon, Kang-Woo thought.</em>

    Only then would Uriel stop chasing him around like an abandoned dog.

    "Lets try investigating from Russia again in three days time."

    "Ah! O-Okay!" Uriel nodded while making a bright expression.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly from how tantly excited Uriel looked. Dealing with Uriel was certainly far easier than dealing with Raphael.

    <em>Is this what they call a blessing in disguise?</em>

    He had gotten headaches in the past from the possibility of having to go to war against the angels, but now their rtionship had be even stronger than before. Although it wasnt an alliance rtionship between two organizations like it had been before, making an ally out of Uriel, who was far stronger than an army, was extremely meaningful.

    "Ill text you when I get home." Uriel waved his hand.

    Kang-Woo nodded and headed home to where his darling was waiting for him.

    * * *

    <em>ck.</em>

    "Im back~"

    Kang-Woo opened the front door and saw the home hed been so dearly missing. Seol-Ah was sitting on the living room couch all by herself, staring nkly at the air. Chills went down Kang-Woos spine due to her sittingpletely still in the living room without even having the TV on.

    "Ah."

    Life returned to Seol-Ahs eyes when she noticed Kang-Woo. The chilling sensation quickly disappeared and was reced by warm,forting energy.

    She approached him with a bright smile on her face. She ced her forehead on his corbone and gently embraced him as if he were a precious treasure.

    "Yourete today. I was waiting for you."

    "Where are Halcyon and Echidna?"

    "They went to Balrogs house to train."

    "Theyve been training hardtely."

    "Fufu. I think the shock from seeing your trainingst time sparked their desire to train." She was probably referring to the molting. "What kind of harsh training was it exactly for them to be acting like this?"

    "Oh" Kang-Woo slurred.

    Molting was actually far too brutal to call training. Echidna and Halcyon had bawled their eyes out when they saw it, so it was only obvious how Seol-Ah would react.

    "Its nothing worth mentioning."

    He averted his gaze while smiling awkwardly, just like he had done with Uriel.

    ""

    Seol-Ah hugged him tighter in silence. Her eyes were shaking.

    "Ill go take a shower."

    " Okay."

    Seol-Ah sounded gloomy, likely having been hurt by the fact that Kang-Woo was hiding things from her.

    <em>Im sorry, darling.</em>

    But even so, he could not tell her about molting. There was no way that he could package the process that involved his body turning inside out while pissing and shitting as harsh training.

    She would obviously cry as much as Echidna had, so he just couldnt tell her.

    <em>I might have to use it again, after all.</em>

    Staying silent was the correct decision.

    Kang-Woo entered the bathroom and turned on the hot water, filling the room with steam.

    <em>Whoom!</em>

    Just then, ck light poured out of the Key of the Demonic Sea on his right middle finger.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The Key of the Demonic Sea has sessfully digested three Hell Armaments!]

    [You have sessfully acquired the first key, Predation!]

    <em>Creak, creak.</em>

    The sound of gears turning was heard from the Key of the Demonic Sea. Five geometric symbols appeared on the rings surface, and one of them shone dimly with white light.

    Kang-Woos eyes shone.

    <em>Finally!</em>

    The Key of the Demonic Sea had returned.

    Before he even had a chance to check the new power that he had gained, another system window popped up.

    [You mustplete a prerequisite quest to acquire the second key of the Key of the Demonic Sea, Skyfall.]

    <em>A prerequisite quest?</em>

    [Key of the Demonic Sea prerequisite quest - Beginning of Chaos.]

    [Sow the Seed of Corruption within a being of at least an archangel or above.]

    "What the fuck is this?" Kang-Woo frowned as he looked at the message window.

    He had received an absurd quest out of nowhere.

    "How the fuck am I supposed to"

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The prerequisite quest has been sessfully achieved.]

    "What?"

    [You have acquired the second key of the Key of the Demonic Sea, Skyfall.]

    "The fuck?"

    It was already achieved?

 Chapter 301: I Havenâ€™t Done Anything

    Chapter 301: I Haven¡¯t Done Anything

    "The hell is this?"

    Oh Kang-Woo looked in disbelief at the Key of the Demonic Sea on his right middle finger. As if proving that the message saying that it was sessful was not a lie, faint white light poured out from the second geometric symbol of the five.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have acquired the second key, Skyfall.]

    [The status window information for Key of the Demonic Sea has been updated.]

    "Kuh."

    Kang-Woo frowned. Great power flowed up from the ck ring on his middle finger and prated his body.

    <em>Whats happening?</em>

    It felt as if he were being burned alive.

    <em>ck.</em>

    Clicks echoed within his head, as if cogs were turning or a key was turning a lock. There was no need to even think about what the Key of the Demonic Sea was connected tothe Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    The Key of the Demonic Sea connected with the three giant Doors holding the Demonic Sea.

    Kang-Woos eyes widened.

    <em>Whoom!</em>

    Demonic energy surged from his body along with the sensation of the Key of the Demonic Sea linking with the Ten Thousand Demon Core. The total amount of demonic energy had not increased, but he could feel that it had be far more dense, just like when he had achieved the Ultimate Demonic Body.

    "Kargh, kurgh."

    He curled up as the shower head showered him with a warm stream of water. It was difficult to withstand the extreme changes urring from the connection between the Key of the Demonic Sea and the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The third condition of the final step of Road to Bing a Demon God has been partially fulfilled.]

    Yet another message appeared, and Kang-Woos eyes shone.

    <em>So the Key of the Demonic Sea was the clue for the third condition.</em>

    Hed been trying very hard to find a clue about the third condition, but there had been a reason why he hadnt made any progress.

    "Haaa, haaa," Kang-Woo panted heavily.

    The demonic energy within his body had be more concentrated. It hadnt be as concentrated as the demonic energy within the Abyss, the deepestyer of the Ten Thousand Demon Core, but it was at least more concentrated than the demonic energy from the deep end.

    <em>Its about between the Abyss and the deep end.</em>

    The more concentrated his demonic energy was, the more power he could exert with the same amount of demonic energy.

    "This is huge."

    Being able to exercise more power with the same amount of demonic energy was invaluable.

    There was a huge difference in power between Inferno made with demonic energy from the shallow end and Inferno made with energy from the deep end.

    If demonic energy control allowed him to use more demonic energy at one time, the concentration influenced the quality of the demonic energy itself.

    "Thats a Transcendent-grade weapon for you."

    He unconsciously smiled. No, he wondered if the Key of the Demonic Sea should be considered just Transcendent grade. After all, it had eaten three Hell Armaments of the same grade as it.

    Kang-Woo mumbled while looking down at the ck ring on his middle finger, "Status window."

    [Equipment Information]

    Equipment Name: Key of the Demonic Sea

    Grade: Transcendent (Imprinted)

    Type: Growth *The equipment will grow stronger whenever certain conditions are fulfilled.

    First Key: Predation

    Second Key: Skyfall

    Basic Effect: Unique Stat +3, Indomitability, Transformation, Abyss, ??? *It has not been unlocked.

    Special Effect: Predation, ??? *It has not been unlocked.

    [Effect Description]

    Indomitability: The equipment cannot be destroyed by any physical, magical, or spiritual attacks. However, it will be destroyed by power free from the restrictions of the system.

    Transformation: The equipment can transform into any weapon registered as a skill. It will exert 57% capacity of weapons made using Authorities.

    Predation: The equipment can absorb and digest armaments Transcendent grade and above. The capacity of Transformation will rise with each sessful digestion.

    Abyss: The equipment raises the concentration of demonic energy. Additionally, the effect rises with the acquisition of each key.

    "Wow," he naturally eximed.

    The Key of the Demonic Sea had be far stronger than when he had first acquired it.

    <em>Especially the Transformation capacity.</em>

    It had only been 34% when he had first acquired it, but it had risen by a bit more than 1.5 times.

    Now, even if he created Inferno with the Key of Demonic Sea while using other Authorities, he would be able to use Inferno at nearly 60% capacity. Although it would be a sham, he would be able to use two prince Authorities at once.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    He heard the chime of a bell while he was still reading intensively through the equipment status window. He cast aside the Key of the Demonic Seas status window and saw a new message.

    [You mustplete a prerequisite quest to acquire the third key of the Key of the Demonic Sea, Abysm.]

    <em>Another quest?</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    [Key of the Demonic Sea prerequisite quest - Falling Wings.]

    [Make a being of an archangel or above fall from grace. The fall will be acknowledged even if it is temporary.]

    "Another absurd quest."

    The quests seemed as if they were being squeezed out of an author struggling from exhaustion of material. They were so absurd that it pretty much threw probability out the window.

    ""

    Kang-Woo waited a bit while standing still.

    He was lowkey hoping that the quest would be achieved without him doing anything like the previous one, but no additional message windows popped up.

    <em>Meaning, I managed to sow the Seed of Corruption, but they havent fallen yet.</em>

    Based on the system messages, that seemed to be the case.

    Kang-Woo crossed his arms and fell into thought.

    <em></em>

    He couldnt help but ask the question beforemencing the quest.

    <em>Why did the second quest seed?</em>

    Sowing a Seed of Corruption in a being of at least an archangel or above? He didnt even know what the Seed of Corruption was in the first ce.

    <em>I mean, I can more or less guess what it is based on its name, but</em>

    The problem was that he had no idea who he had sown it into or when he had even done it.

    "Raphael?"

    Kang-Woo shook his head at the sudden name that came to his mind. He recalled the angel attacking his friend while screaming madly.

    <em>Its not him.</em>

    Kang-Woo dried his body with a towel and walked out of the bathroom. It was true that Raphael had fallen, but he was already dead. Also, the reason he had fallen was not Kang-Woo but his own crazed obsession with evil. Kang-Woo had nothing to do with it, so there was no way that it wouldplete the quest.

    "Ah."

    His eyes met Han Seol-Ah in her pajamas. Realizing he waspletely nude, he quickly tried to close the door.

    "You havent fully dried yourself yet."

    "Huh? Y-Yeah." He nodded like an idiot.

    Seol-Ah took the towel from him and wiped off the moisture still on him as if she were used to seeing his naked body. She softly giggled and turned around.

    "Put your clothes on ande to the living room. Ill dry your hair for you."

    ""

    Kang-Woo stared at her with mixed feelings as if not knowing what to say, and then he came out into the living room after putting clothes on.

    Holding the hair dryer with one hand, Seol-Ah lightly patted the couch, indicating Kang-Woo to sit down.

    <em>Whirrr.</em>

    "Your hair has gotten a bit long. Ill cut it for you tomorrow. I give my mother a haircut all the time, so Im confident I can give you a nice haircut," Seol-Ah said while touching Kang-Woos hair.

    "Mm" Kang-Woos eyes narrowed.

    He thought about the recording hed seen a few days beforehow his demonic energy became entangled with the pure-white energy from Seol-Ah.

    <em>Could it be Seol-Ah?</em>

    A chilling thought passed through his mind.

    Kang-Woo bit his lip.

    <em>It mightve happened because she slept with me.</em>

    From the recording, it only looked as if Seol-Ahs energy was harassing his energy, but it did not change the fact that they had been aggressively intertwined.

    It wouldnt be weird if she were influenced by his demonic energy.

    <em>No but still, Seol-Ah?</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion. He thought of Seol-Ahs kind smile and warm energy. It was hard to believe that a woman who was the epitome of the word <em>angel</em> was on the verge of being corrupted.

    "Seol-Ah," Kang-Woo called.

    "Yes?"

    "Show me your back for a moment."

    "Ah J-Just a moment, please."

    After realizing what he was trying to look at, she took off her pajamas.

    <em>Hallelujah.</em>

    Although her back was facing him, he couldnt help but gulp from seeing the Cerberus heads that could be seen on each side.

    <em>Fucking calm down.</em>

    He shook his head to get a hold of himself. Now was not the time for that. Kang-Woo searched Seol-Ahs back.

    <em> The outward appearance seems unchanged.</em>

    Although the symbols on her back had be far more vivid than before, that was it; the faint pure-white light showed absolutely no signs of corruption.

    "Im gonna touch it."

    Kang-Woo extended his hands and touched the wing symbols on her back.

    "Hngh."

    Seol-Ah moaned erotically while flinching. He did his best to ignore it.

    <em>Authority of Insight.</em>

    He slowly closed his eyes and read the flow of sacred powering out of her back. He hadnt noticed it before, but he could feel how colossal the energy within her was.

    <em>So this is Seraphs power.</em>

    He recalled the light that had burned him when he had been cosying as Rakiel. He could now understand why her wings back then had been so faint to the point they were transparent. Compared to the power within Seol-Ah, what she had shown then had been nothing but the tip of the iceberg.

    <em>If I had taken it full force</em>

    He would most definitely have been vaporized. He got goosebumps, but he calmed his beating heart and refocused to search around Seol-Ahs energy, which was brimming with sacred power.

    <em> Theres nothing there.</em>

    He had not been able to find even the smallest trace of demonic energy, even with the same level of demonic energy control that had pushed Demon God Bauli back into the Abyss.

    <em>Is the Seed of Corruption not the same as demonic energy?</em>

    He wasnt sure because he didnt know what it was in the first ce, but one thing was for sure.

    <em>At the very least, my demonic energy hasnt influenced Seol-Ah while we were sleeping together.</em>

    If that were the case, he would have found at least a tiny bit of demonic energy within her. It was his own demonic energy, so there was no way he wouldnt be able to find traces of it.

    Kang-Woo opened his eyes narrowly.

    <em>If my demonic energy hasnt influenced her</em>

    The chances of the Seed of Corruption having been sown in her would be drastically lowered.

    " Its no wonder."

    There was no word more unfit for Seol-Ah, who was so kind that not even Kim Si-Hun could hold a candle to her, than corruption.

    <em>Then who could it be?</em>

    ""

    Kang-Woo remained silent.,

    If it wasnt Raphael or Seol-Ah, then there was only one person that it could be.

    <em> Uriel.</em>

    If it wasnt either of them, then the only other person he could think of was Uriel.

    <em>Its more than likely.</em>

    Uriels mental state had gotten drastically more unstable after Raphaels death.

    Uriels obsession was affection. Considering how Uriel had acted toward Kang-Woo recently, it was no exaggeration to say that his obsession was nearing dangerous levels.

    <em>Theres no one else but Uriel.</em>

    The only person who was as mentally unstable as Uriel right now was Halcyon, who was currently much more stable than she had been before.

    There was no more doubt in Kang-Woos mind.

    <em>The Seed of Corruption was sown in Uriel.</em>

    "C-Can I put my clothes back on now, Kang-Woo?"

    "Oh, yeah. Its fine."

    Seol-Ah dressed back up.

    <em>Vrrrr.</em>

    Just then, Kang-Woos smartphone vibrated. Seol-Ah picked it up to pass it to him.

    "Kang-Woo, you have a te"

    Her hand stopped just as she was about to hand him his smartphoneshe saw that hed received over a hundred messages from someone with the ID Yuriel .

    She opened the chat without realizing it.

    Yuriel : [Thanks for being with me today.]

    Yuriel : [You said you were free in three days, right?]

    Yuriel : [Its boring being alone.]

    Yuriel : [What are you doing now?]

    Yuriel : [I want to eat that kimchi stew thing again.]

    Yuriel : [Oh, why dont I take this chance to move to Seoul? The inte connection here is way too slow.]

    Yuriel : [Hey, answer me.]

    Yuriel : [I miss you.]

    Yuriel : [ Its too quiet here.]

    Yuriel : [Yeah, I think itd be best to live around your area. Wouldnt that be better for you too?]

    ""

    Seol-Ah froze with the smartphone in hand. The light in her eyes instantly disappeared. Not noticing this, Kang-Woo was off in his thoughts.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    "Hm?"

    He heard the chime of a bell.

    [The Seed of Corruption has begun to bloom.]

    [The prerequisite quest has sessfullymenced!]

    "Eh?"

    What was this?

    <em>I havent done anything.</em>

 Chapter 302: The Seed Of Corruption Is Growing Rapidly

    Chapter 302: The Seed Of Corruption Is Growing Rapidly

    "What?"

    Oh Kang-Woo looked at the message window in confusion.

    The quest had not beenpleted, but it hadmenced without him even having done a thing.

    <em>Did I do something?</em>

    However much he thought about it, he had not done anything.

    "Hm?"

    Just then, he saw that Han Seol-Ah was holding his smartphone.

    "Oh, thanks."

    Kang-Woo grabbed his smartphone from her and checked his messages. He couldnt help but frown.

    <em>So this is what happened.</em>

    Uriel had sent him an explosive amount of messages.

    After going through the messages, Kang-Woo was able to tell why the Seed of Corruption had bloomed out of nowhere.

    <em>This must be why.</em>

    Likely because he was sure that the Seed of Corruption had been sown in Uriel, the messages that were no different from what Uriel sent on the daily felt meaningful in some way.

    " Kang-Woo."

    "Hm?"

    At that moment, he heard Seol-Ahs voice calling him. He turned around and saw her smiling brightly at him. He could feel her characteristic warmth from her smile.

    "Who is Yuriel?"

    "Did you see the messages?"

    Seol-Ah lowered her head while giggling.

    "Im sorry. It popped up on the disy, so I ended up pressing it by mistake."

    "No, I mean theres no need to apologize." Kang-Woo smirked. "Its Uriel."

    "Uriel is the angel who has been spending time with youtely, right?"

    "Yeah. Oh, and apparently this heart mark at the end was a typo."

    "Its fascinating how an angel can use a smartphone."

    "Hes better at it than you think. Take a look at this. He has a profile picture when I dont even have one."

    Kang-Woo clicked and zoomed in on Uriels profile picture.

    As Seol-Ah was looking at the profile picture in fascination, she said with a slightly sunken voice, "Come to think of it hes the one you kissed before, right?"

    "Oh, yeah."

    Kang-Woo naturally grimaced as a memory that he wanted to forget popped up. Although it was an unpleasant memory, it hadnt been that bad considering how it had turned out. After that incident, Seol-Ah had be more assertive in terms of skinship, and their rtionship had developed into one that casually exchanged kisses.

    <em>We havent been able to get any further than that, though</em> Kang-Woo sighed.

    He was absolutely hopeless in terms of romance, so he had no idea what to do to make some more progress in their rtionship.

    "Hmm." Seol-Ah narrowed her eyes and looked down at the smartphone in Kang-Woos hand.

    She slowly put her hand on his thigh. Kang-Woo flinched.

    "You seem to be very close with Uriel," she said in a chilling voice.

    Kang-Woo shook his head in denial. "No way. Im basically being forced to hang with him. Hes a massive bother."

    "Ah, is that so?"

    "Yeah. Hes more enjoyable to talk to since he isnt as uptight as Raphael, but our rtionship is purely business."

    " Does Uriel feel the same way?"

    "Well" he slurred and scratched his head. "Probably not. Its a bit weird for me to say this myself, but hes really taken to me for some reason."

    Uriel was like a baby bird following its mother.

    "I see." Seol-Ah nodded while making an awkward smile.

    Kang-Woo stood up. "In any case, you dont have to worry about a thing."

    He was able to easily guess why Seol-Ah was asking about Uriel so much.

    "Youre worried about something like the incident with Shalgiel happening again, right?"

    " Pardon?" Seol-Ah flinched. "Ah Y-Yes."

    "Ill make it so that something like that will never happen again, so you dont have to worry."

    " Okay," Seol-Ah replied in a low voice. She looked like she had many things to say, but she kept her mouth shut after her lips quivered a little.

    "You have what you got from Lilith, right?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Yes. She said its an item that can conceal the sacred power in my body" Seol-Ah pulled forward the pendant on her neck.

    "Dont forget to wear it at all times."

    They had yet to test whether or not it couldpletely conceal Seol-Ahs sacred power, but it should theoretically be able to conceal Seraphs soul as long as she was just seen with no physical contact. None other than Lilith had said it, so it was credible information.

    "Okay, I will."

    "Right then" Kang-Woo said while standing up. He had been nning on sleeping with Seol-Ah, but the situation had changed. "Seol-Ah, Im sorry, but lets sleep separately for a few days."

    "Pardon? Sleep s-separately?" Seol-Ahs eyes widened, and she trembled.

    "Theres something I have to focus on," Kang-Woo replied as he nodded.

    <em>If the Seed of Corruption is blooming in Uriel</em>

    He had to draw up a n immediately. No, he first had to decide where to take this.

    <em>Should I make Uriel fall from grace or should I stop it?</em>

    ""

    Kang-Woos eyes sank.

    Each choice had its pros and cons.

    <em>Making him fall would be the correct decision if I want toplete the quest and fulfill the final condition of bing a Demon God.</em>

    But if he did that, his n to earn the angels cooperation through Uriel would crumble. It was a simple yet difficult decision. Since he had high hopes for the angels, he could not make a rash decision.

    <em>Ill think some more in my room.</em>

    Kang-Woo turned his head and saw Seol-Ah trembling as she looked at him.

    "K-Kang-Woo."

    "Hm?"

    "Umm Y-You didnte to dislike sleeping with me right?"

    Seol-Ah grabbed his clothes with eyes filled with anxiety. Even her teeth were cking.

    Kang-Woo smirked and shook his head. "Of course not. I just got some things I have to do urgently."

    "R-Right? Theres no way you would dislike it, right?"

    "?"

    Seol-Ah was being more sensitive than he expected.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head and answered, "Of course I want to sleep with you too, darling."

    "Then! We could just sleep together cant we?"

    "Haha. I have a lot to think about. I probably wont be sleeping at all tonight."

    "Then what about tomorrow?"

    "Probably not tomorrow either."

    He needed to focus for the moment on whether to make Uriel fall from grace or to stop it. Sleeping with Seol-Ah was like killing two birds with one stone since he would improve his demonic energy control while also feeling good, but his body did not require sleep, so it was perfectly fine for him to skip a couple days of sleep.

    ""

    Seol-Ah subtly trembled while squirming her feet. She had a very uneasy look on her face. Kang-Woo smiled and stroked her hair.

    "Just bear with it for a couple days, darling."

    " Okay," Seol-Ah nodded while making a sad expression.

    Kang-Woo turned around and went into his room.

    <em>ck.</em>

    He closed the door.

    ""

    Seol-Ah stared nkly at his closed door. She just stared

    And stared

    And stared

    And stared

    * * *

    "Right, then."

    After he entered his room, Kang-Woo sat in his chair and looked down at the Key of the Demonic Sea on his right middle finger.

    <em>Clear the quest or maintain good rtions with the angels?</em>

    He couldnt decide rashly, but his mind was already more or less made up.

    " Its a huge waste to give up on the quest."

    He wouldnt be hesitating so much if giving up on the quest only meant that the Key of the Demonic Sea wouldnt grow any stronger. However, like the message window had indicated, strengthening the Key of the Demonic Sea was connected with the final condition of Road to Bing a Demon God.

    <em>Giving up on strengthening the Key of the Demonic Sea is also giving up on the third condition to bing a Demon God.</em>

    No matter how long he thought about it, the pros and cons were not bnced. The angels cooperation was important but nowhere near as important as bing stronger.

    <em>I cant give up a gun for a hound.</em>

    He counted on his own power the most.

    <em>Im not exactly sure what the road to bing a Demon God is, but</em>

    Considering the massive boost in power after achieving the Ultimate Demonic Body and Demonic Soul, it couldnt hurt to get it. No, he had to get it at all costs.

    "Which means I have to make Uriel fall from grace"

    Kang-Woo raised his smartphone and slowly read through Uriels messages again.

    Yuriel : [The hell? Why arent you answering when you read it?]

    Yuriel : [Is this the thing known as leaving someone on read?]

    Yuriel : [Why arent you sending anything?]

    Yuriel : [Im starting to get annoyed.]

    Yuriel : [Hey, answer me.]

    Yuriel : [Sorry. Im sending too many messages, arent I?]

    Yuriel : []

    <em>Wouldnt it be fine if I just leave him be?</em>

    Reading through the messages was a spectacleit felt like Uriel would fall even if Kang-Woo left him be.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The Seed of Corruption is growing rapidly!]

    A message popped up to confirm his thoughts. Kang-Woo shook his head andughed in disbelief.

    "I dont even have to lift a finger."

    It felt like the quest wouldplete itself just by lying around in bed doing nothing.

    <em>Its a bit anticlimactic, though.</em>

    It was a bit too good. Everything was going smoothly without him lifting a finger.

    "Darliiiiing!"

    Kang-Woo ran out of his room with a bright smile. If there was nothing for him to do and Uriel would fall from grace all on his own, there was no need to stay up all night thinking of a n.

    "K-Kang-Woo?"

    "Hmm? You werent asleep?"

    "Ah no." Kang-Woo grabbed Seol-Ahs hands as she was standing nkly in the living room. "Come. Lets sleep together."

    "Didnt you say that you had something to do?"

    "Yes, but after thinking about it some more, I dont think Ill have to step up."

    "R-Really?" Seol-Ah smiled brightly.

    His heart beat faster as he saw her smiling as if a flower had fully bloomed.

    "Okay, then lets sleep together," Seol-Ah replied.

    She gripped his hands tighter and walked toward his room.

    * * *

    "Wha"

    Kang-Woo grabbed his head after waking up the next morning. He read the blue message window in front of him.

    [The Seed of Corruptions growth has halted.]

    "What the fuck is wrong now?"

    The Seed of Corruption had suddenly stopped growing on its own.

    Kang-Woo grabbed his smartphone and sighed.

    "Haaa."

    He was back to square one. If he wanted to make Uriel fall

    "Ill have to tell my darling that Ill be busy."

    He had no choice but to take action himself.

 Chapter 303: The Secret That Oh Kang-Woo Had Been Hiding

    Chapter 303: The Secret That Oh Kang-Woo Had Been Hiding

    "Why did you leave me on read yesterday?!" Uriel angrily shouted.

    Having gone to the angels fortress in Africa in search of Uriel, Oh Kang-Woo gave a bitter smile.

    "There was a bit of a situation."

    "What situation?"

    "Well"

    Kang-Woo, who couldnt say that he had been waiting for Uriel to fall from grace, slurred while smiling awkwardly.

    Uriels eyes sharpened.

    "Tell me what"

    "More importantly, Lord Uriel," Kang-Woo interjected. "There are a few things that I want to ask. Is that okay?"

    " What is it?" Uriel pouted and nodded.

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    It seemed like he hadints due to what happened the day before, but it didnt seem like he would ignore Kang-Woos request.

    "Do you know of something called the Seed of Corruption?"

    ""

    There was a heavy silence.

    Uriels eyes widened.

    "Where did you hear that?" he asked in a low voice.

    "I came across it while I had been investigating Rakiel on my own time," Kang-Woo answered while making a calm expression.

    Uriel groaned. "You know that all angels are instinctively obsessed with something, right?"

    "Yes."

    "If that obsession bes uncontroble, their wings start to turn ck, and if it worsens from there and enters the territory of madness"

    "You fall from grace."

    "Yeah." Uriel nodded. "The Seed of Corruption refers to the stage right before the fall. In other words, the stage where the wings flicker ck sometimes."

    "Can the individual know if the Seed of Corruption has been sown in themselves?"

    "No, they cant. Im sure that others wouldnt be able to tell either. The flickering happens in the blink of an eye, which is why one must be even more cautious. It only takes an instant for an obsession to be madness."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>So they themselves dont know.</em>

    Uriel didnt seem to be lying.

    <em>In that case, Uriel doesnt know hes falling either.</em>

    Based on his reaction, that seemed to be the case.

    Considering Uriels personality, Uriel wouldnt be so calm if he knew he was falling.

    "What kind of changes happen when an angel falls from grace?"

    With demons, if they couldnt control their desires, they turned into mindless demonic beasts, but based on records regarding Rakiel and having witnessed Raphaels fall, it didnt seem like fallen angels lost their ability to reason.

    "The biggest difference is that the wings turn ck and their sacred power turns into demonic energy. Oh, and they be far stronger in exchange for being unable to use divine magic."

    In other words, they gained power in exchange for technique. It was simr to demons bing demonic beasts where they lost their intelligence in exchange for overwhelming physical prowess.

    "Is that all? You dont lose your mind or anything?"

    "No, but since their obsession borders on the line of madness, their actions turn very extreme. Thats why, even if they can still reason, we kill them."

    Uriels expression darkened as he said thathe was probably thinking about his friend hed killed with his own hands.

    "Can an angel who fell from grace rise back up?" Kang-Woo asked, recalling from the system window that the fall would be acknowledged even if it was a temporary one.

    Uriel shook his head.

    "Its usually impossible, but they can be brought back to normal right at the moment of the fall. As for Raphael it was toote for him." Uriel looked down in sorrow. As he wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, he said, "But why are you asking me about that all of a sudden?"

    "Oh, I was just curious about it since I came across it during my Rakiel investigations," he calmly answered.

    All hail the Rakiel cheat code.

    "Rakiel is a bit different in the sense that he fell from grace of his own ord."

    "What was Rakiels obsession?"

    "I dont know. Its never been recorded."

    Kang-Woo nodded. He had expected the answer.

    "Lord Uriel, you said that you were obsessed with affection, right?"

    "Y-Yeah."

    "Then you must be having a hard time since youve been alone all the timetely. And with what happened to Lord Raphael."

    Uriels expression darkened. "I-Im fine. I can easily control my instinctive urges."

    <em>Bullshit.</em>

    It was easy to see that his obsession was worsening. If not, the Seed of Corruption wouldnt have been sown in him.

    "Is that why youve been sending me so many messages?"

    "N-Not at all!" he shouted.

    Kang-Wooughed.

    Uriel turned his head as if he were sulking.

    <em>Ive heard everything I need to.</em>

    His curiosity regarding the fall from grace had been more or less resolved.

    <em>In that case</em>

    Kang-Woo licked his lips.

    <em>Like I thought, that should be the best way to go about it.</em>

    Only now when he was sure that Uriels obsession was directed toward him would the n that he had in mind work.

    <em>I cant just lie around doing nothing.</em>

    After the Seed of Corruption inside Uriel had stopped growing, he realized he couldnt just wait around. It was an undeniable fact that Uriels obsession with affection was directed toward Kang-Woo after losing Raphael and being left all by himself.

    Kang-Woo needed to pull some strings if he wanted to turn that obsession into madness.

    "Shall we go search for traces of Rakiel?"

    " I thought you said you were busy."

    "Its okay. My investigations into Rakiel havent been going anywhere, so I decided to put it on hold for the time being."

    "R-Really?" Uriels expression brightened.

    Kang-Woo nodded and stood up. "Lets go to Russia today, where Lord Raphael fought against Satan."

    "Okay!" Uriel smiled and nodded.

    Kang-Woo smirked as he saw Uriels eight wings wagging as if they were tails.

    <em>Corrupting a brat starved for attention is a piece of cake.</em>

    * * *

    "This is where Raphael and Satan fought?" Uriel asked.

    "Yes. To be more precise, its where we fought against the Demon Cults main force."

    Just from looking at the snowy mountain with traces of destruction everywhere, anyone was able to tell how fierce the battle had been.

    " I certainly feel traces of demonic energy everywhere."

    Uriel ced his hand on the ground and closed his eyes. Although it had been months since the battle, there were still traces of demonic energy left.

    "But itll be hard to find traces of Rakiel like this."

    There were traces of demonic energy all over the ce, so it was impossible to tell whether they had been left by Rakiel or the battle.

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    "That is why I suggested wee here. If Rakiel is hiding somewhere, there should be no better ce than here."

    "Oh, you have a point."

    There was no better ce to hide a tree than a forestit made sense.

    "Before we begin our investigations" Kang-Woo smiled as he took out a container of kimchi stew. "We should fill our stomachs for the hard work ahead."

    "Pfft, isnt it just because you want to eat?"

    Uriel, also happy about eating with Kang-Woo, put his hand over a rock while grinning.

    <em>Crackle!!</em>

    The rock was carved cleanly by blue lightning as if it were being sliced by a sharp sword.

    "Lets eat."

    Uriel sat in front of the cut rock.

    There was no way an angel with underdeveloped taste buds would be so happy at the idea of eating food. Uriel simply enjoyed the sensation of eating with someone else. It was something he hadnt been able to feel with his fellow angels.

    "Hihihi."

    As evidence of that, instead of eating, Uriel seemed more interested in looking at Kang-Woo eating.

    Just then

    "Hm?"

    Kang-Woos hands suddenly stopped while he was eating the kimchi stew. He stared nkly into the air and then grabbed his head.

    "Whats wrong?"

    Uriel had seen Kang-Woo do that many times while they had been searching for traces of Rakiel.

    Kang-Woo shook his head and smiled awkwardly. "Its nothing."

    "Nothing, my ass. Youve been doing that all the time. Staring at nothing and grabbing the back of your head Are you sure theres no problem?"

    "Hahaha. I just have some things on my mind."

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    Kang-Woo shook his head, put kimchi on a bed of rice, and had a spoonful.

    ""

    Kang-Woos face darkened.

    "Hey, whats wrong? Isnt this like your favorite food?"

    "I dont really have an appetite today." Kang-Woo scratched his head as if he were also confused.

    Uriel stared at Kang-Woo restlessly. An uneasy feeling crept down his spine.

    "Lets eat." Kang-Woo smiled brightly and ate the kimchi stew.

    " Okay." Uriel muttered. He then asked while eating the kimchi stew, "Come to think of it why did you join Guardians?"

    "Me?"

    "Yeah. The incarnation of Gaia told me that youre not a chosen protector."

    "Haha. Thats right."

    "Then why are you trying so hard to fight, and with nothing in return? Ive been searching on the Inte, and most people have only been trying to fill their stomachs while believing its finally a time of peace."

    "Im not sure." Kang-Woo ced his hand on his chin and pretended to be in thought.

    <em>Its finally here!</em>

    Uriel had taken the bait without his having to do anything.

    <em>I need to say it as calmly as possible while looking intive.</em>

    He had built up enough affinity with Uriel, so deceiving him was a piece of cake.

    "I dont have any grandiose goals like Si-Hun, nor do I have firm convictions like Lord Raphael."

    "Then why?"

    Kang-Woo directed a faint smile that looked like it would break at any moment toward Uriel. Uriel flinchedit was that sensation again. He could feel a sense of time that far exceeded anything that a human, who had not even lived a quarter of his own lifetime, could have experienced. His eyes were mixed with an unfathomable tangle of emotions.

    Kang-Woo slowly opened his mouth. "I had someone important to me. Yes, they were very precious to me."

    ""

    "I wasnt able to protect them." Kang-Woo clenched his fists and trembled a bit, his veins bulging under the skin of his fists.

    "Who was it?"

    "He was a person who protected me when I entered a Gate while knowing absolutely nothing back when I had first awakened as a yer. His name was Lee Ki-Young."

    Kang-Woo said the first name that crossed his mind. It didnt matter if that person existed or not. The truth wasnt important; what mattered was that it sounded like the truth.

    "He helped me a lot. If it hadnt been for him I wouldnt be here. But Ki-Young hyung died at the hands of a demon-worshiping guild known as Andras. No, to be more precise I killed him after he had been encroached by demonic energy and became a demonic beast."

    <em>Boom.</em>

    Uriels heart beat strongly. He knew better than anyone else how painful it was to kill someone precious to oneself with ones own hands. After all, he had been forced to kill Raphael, his old friend, with his own hands.

    "And now I have people just as important to me."

    "That Kim Si-Hun human?"

    "Him among many others." Kang-Woo smirked and looked up into the air as he spoke in a longing voice, "I dont really care what happens to this world, but I dont want to lose any more people precious to me."

    Kang-Woo made a smile that looked as if it would break at any moment. Uriel could feel the fear in his voice. Uriel remained silent and saw himself after having lost Raphael, in Kang-Woo.

    <em>Thats right.</em>

    Kang-Woo inwardlyughed. He could see Uriels fluctuating emotions on his face, as well as the blossoming of trust and sympathy toward him.

    <em>Of course hed sympathize.</em>

    Just like how people who had experienced harsh breakups sympathized with people who had also gone through the same thing, it was only instinct for a living being to sympathize and console someone else who had gone through simr misfortunes.

    <em>Now, Uriel</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at Uriel, whod fallen into thought.

    <em>Cling to me more.</em>

    The empty void that Raphael had left

    <em>Fill it with me.</em>

    Only then would his n seed.

    Kang-Woo leisurely waited for Uriels answer.

    Uriel slowly opened his mouth as he looked at the smiling young man. "I dont know much about you, but I think I know why Lord Tirion chose you as his apostle."

    "Haha. You tter me. I was just lucky."

    "You think a gods choice depends on luck?" Uriel looked at him with serious eyes.

    Hed heard about Kang-Woo in detail from Gaia and how hard hed fought against the demons, as well as the aplishments he had made and the legend he had built.

    ording to Gaia, if it werent for Kang-Woo, Earth wouldve already be riddled with demons. Hearing his achievements, Uriel couldnt help but agree. Although it was not widely spread among the public, Kang-Woo had been the decisive factor in taking down the Demon Cult.

    <em>He doesnt want to lose any more people precious to him.</em>

    Uriel closed his eyes and remembered Raphael, his friend hed spent thousands of years with, and how much he had despaired after killing him.

    <em>Hes the same as me.</em>

    They were not different in any way. Uriels heart resonated. The difference between the usual Kang-Woo and his smile that would shatter at any moment gave him mixed feelings. Uriel held Kang-Woos hand without holding back the wave of emotions he was feeling.

    "Ill help you too."

    ""

    "Ill lend you my strength so you dont have to lose anything else."

    "Haha" Kang-Woos eyes teared up, and a dryugh left his mouth. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

    "A-Ahem."

    "Haha. This is the first time Ive told this to anyone."

    "You didnt tell Kim Si-Hun?"

    "Yes. I didnt want him to worry. Ive never even mentioned it to my lover."

    "R-really? Then Im the first?"

    "Yes."

    Uriels expression brightened.

    The fact that he was the first to hear the truth that Oh Kang-Woo had been hiding made him feel happy, and he felt his face reddening.

    "R-Right, then, lets get on with the investigation!" Uriel quickly stood up.

    Kang-Woo smirked and nodded. "Yes, of course."

    Kang-Woo put the empty kimchi stew pot away and stood up. He followed after Uriel and investigated the traces of demonic energy all around them.

    Then

    "Huh?"

    Uriels eyes widened. He found traces that were more recent than the other traces around them. The demonic energy signature was capable of making him, an archangel, shudder.

    "Th-This isnt simply recent"

    It had literally been left moments ago.

    "Watch ou"

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    ck lightning poured down like rain the moment he stood up with a pale face. Uriel spread his wings and flew to the side while grabbing Kang-Woo.

    "Wh-What the?!"

    "Shit! So this is where Rakiel was hiding!!"

    It was good that theyd finally found Rakiel, but the problem was that it was Rakiel who found them first.

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    "Hmm, I was wondering what insects were scurrying around here."

    A being with silver hair that reached far down his shoulder, ten ck wings, and armor made of wriggling green tentacles slowly walked toward them. He smiled while looking at Kang-Woo.

    "Kekeke, Im surprised you are still alive. I didnt think youdst this long."

    Uriel did not understand what he meant by that.

    "Rakiel"

    Uriels fists trembled, and blue lightning danced off of him.

    "Kang-Woo! Ill buy you time, so contact Guardians!" he said while standing between Kang-Woo and Rakiel.

    However, there was no reply.

    " Kang-Woo?"

    Uriel turned his head.

    "A-Arghh."

    There, he saw Kang-Woo holding his head and groaning in pain.

    "Wh-Whats wrong?"

    Uriels expression paled. He had seen Kang-Woo like this before, when he saw Rakiels demonic energy in the angel fortress when they first met.

    "A-Aaaaahh!"

    Kang-Woo knelt and copsed while clenching his head. His mouth frothed, and his eyes rolled back.

    "Oh Kang-Woo!!"

    Uriel grabbed Kang-Woo, who was scrunched up on the ground, and

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    "Huh?"

    He undoubtedly felt demonic energy from Kang-Woos body.<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    </blockquote>

 Chapter 304: Like A Zombie Movie Death Flag

    Chapter 304: Like A Zombie Movie Death g

    "Why is demonic energy"

    Uriels eyes trembled, but the demonic energy could only be felt for a brief moment. Oh Kang-Woos golden energy set the demonic energy aze as they shed.

    "<em>Cough!</em>"

    Kang-Woo bent over like a bow and coughed blood. It was dark red, proving he had not been encroached upon by demonic energy and was purely human.

    "A-Arghh."

    Blood poured from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. So much blood to the point that it was a wonder if humans had this much blood poured on Uriels body.

    "Wh-What the" Uriels voice trembled.

    His eyes wide open, he held the bleeding Kang-Woo.

    "Sh-Shit!"

    He chanted divine magic. It wasnt time to think about why demonic energy was flowing out of Kang-Woos body. Uriel kissed Kang-Woo without hesitation even though blood was stilling out of his mouth.

    <em>Whoom!!</em>

    Radiant sacred power entered Kang-Woos body. It was the strongest healing divine magic Uriel could use. The magic that only activated through mouth-to-mouth healed Kang-Woo, but

    "<em>Cough!</em>"

    Once again, dark red blood spurted out of Kang-Woos mouth.

    "Wha Wh-Why?"

    Uriels face paled.

    Although it had a bothersome condition of requiring mouth-to-mouth contact, it was a highly advanced divine magic. It made no sense that it didnt have any effect.

    "Kehehe, its pointless."

    A chillingugh reached his ears, and Uriel turned his head. He saw Rakiel making a sly smile as he looked at the copsed Kang-Woo.

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    Uriels sky-blue hair slowly rose up, and blue lightning danced around him.

    "What did you do to Kang-Woo?"

    It was the second time that he had seen Kang-Woo like this. To make matters worse, demonic energy had even flowed out of him this time.

    <em>Theres no way this is a coincidence.</em>

    Rakiel had definitely done something.

    "Pfft, bwahahahaha!" Rakiel burst intoughter, and thick demonic energy burst out of him.

    Rakiel swept up his silver hair and said, "Fascinating. Since when have angels cared for humans this much?"

    "Rakiel" Uriel said in rage. "I asked you what you did."

    Blue lightning swept through the surroundings like a storm.

    A barrier of demonic energy blocked the lightning storm.

    Rakiel leisurely answered, "I didnt do anything."

    "You didnt do anything?"

    <em>Split.</em>

    Cracks formed on the ground Uriel stood on.

    "If you didnt do anything, then why is this human emitting demonic energy?!" Uriels rage-filled shout echoed throughout the mountain.

    Rakiel made a sly smile. "Pfft, I guess you have a point."

    "Rakiel!"

    "Jeez, dont get so angry. Youre scaring me."

    Rakiel hugged himself and trembled.

    Uriel bit his lips. He felt that something was strange at that moment.

    <em>What?</em>

    Uriel bit his lip. Just then, a strange feeling passed through his mind.

    <em>What?</em>

    Uriel stared at Rakiel while narrowing his eyes. He was soon able to figure out what the source of his strange feeling was.

    <em>His eyes</em>

    They were off. Although Rakiel was smiling, his eyes were empty. It was as if someone was controlling him.

    <em>What in the</em>

    "Do you want to know why that human is acting like that?"

    Uriels thoughts didntst long. He drew out his power again as Rakiel continued his mocking.

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    A blue bolt of lightning shot toward Rakiel.

    "Whoa!"

    Rakiel pped his wings in an exaggerated motion and dodged the bolt.

    "Kehehehe." He snickered while grabbing his stomach. "I get how much you care for that human now, so stop bing so hot and bothered. What are you gonna do if that human dies because youre so busy dealing with me?"

    "Kuh" Uriel grimaced.

    Just like he said, Kang-Woo was in such a serious condition that he could die at any moment.

    "Have you heard that I had kidnapped that human before?"

    Uriel had heard that, while he was chasing after Satan, Kang-Woo had been ambushed by Rakiel.

    "Back then" Rakiel said as he hummed, "I pulled a small prank."

    "A prank you say?"

    "Yup." He snickered. "I poured a tiny amount of my demonic energy into him."

    "What?" Uriels eyes widened.

    There was no way Uriel wouldnt know what epting demonic energy meant for a human.

    <em>Hell either be a demon, or</em>

    It would be better if he just became a demon.

    <em>Hell be a demonic beast.</em>

    They were monsters with no sense of reason. Their bodies became distorted to the point that they wouldnt have a proper form and would live only for flesh and blood.

    "Th-Thats nonsense!" Uriel shook his head. "Theres no way a gods apostle would be a demonic beast just because he took in a bit of demonic energy!!"

    If people could be turned into demons or demonic beasts simply because demonic energy flowed into them, the world would already be in the hands of demons. The greater the power one possessed, the more exceptional their ability to resist demonic energy was.

    "Youre right." Rakiel nodded. "It certainly hadnt been enough to just pour in some demonic energy. That annoying golden light kept burning it away."

    He pointed to Kang-Woo whileughing. Just like he said, the golden light from Kang-Woos body was burning away the demonic energy.

    "But" a smile crept onto Rakiels face, "I am Rakiel."

    Just that alone could exin everything. Even if Kang-Woo was a gods apostle, as long as he was fundamentally a human, there were limits to his power. Rakiel, the star of Corruption among the Constetions of Evil and one of the elite soldiers of the Demon God, would easily be able to turn a human into a demonic beast if he wanted to.

    "Hehe. No need to be so frustrated." Rakiel shrugged his shoulders. "I will admit. That human is formidable. I never expected him to resist the encroachment for months after the incident."

    " What does that mean?"

    "It means exactly as it sounds.

    "I dont know how he is managing to do it, but that human has been resisting the encroachment and staying as a human. Kehehe, I must apud his endurance."

    "Resisting you say?"

    Uriel thought of the past few months hed spent with Kang-Woo. His strange behaviors of sometimes staring into the air or suddenly grimacing while holding the back of his neck.

    <em>Was all of that him resisting the encroachment of demonic energy?</em>

    "But it seems the transformation ismencing, albeit very slowly. Mm. Lets see Id guess he has mostly lost his sense of taste by now."

    " What?"

    "Mm? Im sure you know demons also have underdeveloped taste buds like angels. Im sure that human has also realized while eating every day that he is slowly bing a demonic beast."

    Uriels face paled. He recalled Kang-Woo saying earlier today that he did not have an appetite with a serious face.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    <em>Tap.</em>

    Uriel knelt. He wasnt dumb enough to deny reality when all of the information was right in front of him.

    Uriel embraced the copsed Kang-Woo.

    "Youve been enduring it by yourself all this time."

    He had been suppressing the encroachment of demonic energy, likely while coughing up blood like this.

    Uriel bit his lip; his shoulders trembled. He would be lying if he hadnt expected nothing was wrong. He had known that Kang-Woo was hiding something from his asional strange behavior and how he brushed it off as nothing while smiling awkwardly.

    "But I"

    Hed only thought of himself. Despite having acted all high and mighty while bragging about having lived thousands of years, he had not once looked at Kang-Woo. He had only tried to fill the void in his heart that Raphael had left behind with Kang-Woo and be consoled for his sorrow, thinking it couldnt be helped since obsession was an angels instinct.

    "I!"

    Uriel hugged Kang-Woo tight.

    "Kehehe, what a tearjerker."

    "Rakiel"

    Uriel put Kang-Woo down on the ground and slowly stood up. His blue hair floated up, and intense blue lightning poured from him.

    "No need to be so impatient. It is not yet time for us to fight."

    "Thats what you think," Uriel said as he put strength in his legs to shoot toward him.

    Rakiel smiled. "Are you sure you want to leave that human to his own devices?"

    ""

    "Kehehe, it would be difficult for him to neutralize the encroachment on his own."

    "Kuh" Uriel bit his lip and closed his eyes.

    He wanted to charge straight toward Rakiel, but he couldnt ignore what he just said. If he left Kang-Woo alone, he would be a demonic beast.

    "Rakiel"

    "Hehe. I will get going. Oh, and there is no need for you to look for me. I wille to you when the time of prophecy arrives. Well then, I will be looking forward to seeing if that human is still human until then."

    "RAKIEEEEEEELL!!"

    <em>Crackle!!</em>

    Uriel raised his hand in rage and quickly shot out blue bolts of lightning, but Rakiel deflected the bolts with ease.

    Rakiel turned around and leisurely disappeared.

    "A-Arghh."

    Just when Uriel spread out his wings to chase after Rakiel, he froze after hearing Kang-Woos groans.

    "Shit, shit, shit!!!" Uriel cursed and approached Kang-Woo.

    Since he had found out that Kang-Woos symptoms were due to demonic energy encroachment, it was simple to treat.

    <em>Whoom!!</em>

    He ced his hands on Kang-Woos chest. Pure-white light flowed into Kang-Woos body. Uriels sacred power was neutralizing the demonic energy.

    "Ah" Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes.

    He looked around aftering back to his senses, and then discovered the pool of blood that he had made. Kang-Woos expression hardened.

    There was a heavy silence.

    Kang-Woo sighed. He averted his gaze from Uriel while making a bitter smile. "I guess it ended up like this."

    "You" Uriel looked at Kang-Woo with sharp eyes. "Why didnt you say anything?"

    ""

    "Answer me." Uriel grabbed Kang-Woos cor and screamed, "Why didnt you say anything?!!"

    Kang-Woo grabbed Uriels hands on his cor while making a fragile expression.

    "I told you. That I didnt want to lose anything else."

    Uriel let go of his cor. "Is that why youve been enduring it by yourself like an idiot?"

    Uriel had never experienced demonic energy encroachment before, but after witnessing Kang-Woo in agony and spewing blood, it was not hard to tell how long Kang-Woo had suffered all by himself. Kang-Woo had gone through it all by himself, while Uriel had been forcing him to fill the void left by Raphael.

    "Dont screw with me," Uriel mumbled. Tears dripped down his cheeks.

    "Lord Uriel?"

    "Dont screw with me!!" Uriel grabbed Kang-Woos shoulders. "Who gave you the right to fuck around all by yourself?!"

    It was a scream directed at himself, not Kang-Woo.

    "Just you wait." Uriel bit his lip. "I wont let you be a demonic beast."

    ""

    "Ill stop it! No matter what it takes!"

    He thought of Raphael, his old friend whom he had killed with his own hands.

    <em>Grit.</em>

    He refused to feel the despair and failure he had felt back then ever again.

    "Oh Kang-Woo," he said while looking at the young man he had known only for a few months but was already filling the space Raphael had left behind. "Ill protect you."

    * * *

    <em>Shiiiiiiiiiieet!! That was fucking awesome!!</em>

    <em>- Ill protect you.</em>

    <em>Holy crap, youre gonna make me fall for you.</em>

    Kang-Woo cheered in his mind.

    <em>It was perfect. Urielpletely fell for it.</em>

    He needed to push Uriels obsession to borderline madness to resume the Seed of Corruptions growth.

    <em>A friend turning into a monster, and the protagonist trying to protect him</em>

    Just that phrase was enough to paint the whole picture in his head. It would also obviously be super effective on Uriel, who had killed Raphael with his own hands.

    <em>Huehuehuehuehue.</em>

    He suppressed hisughter as best he could. It was too early to celebrate.

    <em>This is where it really begins.</em>

    The foundation was perfect. He had built up an affinity with Uriel in the past few months, and their affinity had even skyrocketed with the serious conversation they had earlier. And now, he had managed to create a tear-jerking scene thanks to his newly acquired Rakiel Coin.

    <em>Time to add even more spice.</em>

    Hed already decided on what to say.

    "Lord Uriel."

    "What is it?"

    "If I on the very small chance" He grabbed Uriels hand while crying. A single tear dripped down his face, and he made a frail smile. "I be a demonic beast"

    ""

    He tightened his grip and prepared the staple death g of all zombie movies.

    "Please kill me with your own hands."

    <em>Shiiiet! Hell yeah! This is it! You cant go without this line!</em>

    His shoulders unwittingly shook in excitement.

 Chapter 305: I Should Make Kimchi Stew

    Chapter 305: I Should Make Kimchi Stew

    Yuriel : [Did you get home safe?]

    Yuriel : [We dont know when the encroachment will happen again, so stay safe.]

    Yuriel : [And Im going to live in Seoul, so find me a house.]

    Me: [What about money?]

    Yuriel : [Come on, youre rich! You can have a few of the magic tools here.]

    Me: [LMAO I was joking.]

    Yuriel : [How can you joke around in such a situation?]

    Yuriel : [Anyway, contact me right away if something happens. You know you cant neutralize demonic energy with mana, right? Sacred power is better, so make sure you contact me!]

    Me: [Okay.]

    "Cute little son of a bitch."

    Oh Kang-Woo smirked while looking at his smartphone.

    After the demonic energy was neutralized with Uriels sacred power, they decided to stop investigating, and each returned to their home after Kang-Woo had barely managed to convince Uriel to not follow him.

    Kang-Wooy on the bed when he got home.

    <em>The message that the Seed of Corruption is growing hasnt appeared yet.</em>

    Based on Uriels current condition, it was only a matter of time.

    <em>I should keep working to make him more obsessed.</em>

    The closer he got to Uriel, the more his obsession would grow.

    <em>And once that obsession reaches madness</em>

    Uriel would fall from grace.

    "Mm"

    Kang-Woo crossed his arms and fell into thought.

    <em>He said the fall could be reversed at the moment of its urrence.</em>

    If that was the case, then stopping it would be beneficial to him. After all, ording to the quest, a temporary fall was good enough.

    <em>Still, I feel a bit sorry for the kid.</em>

    Kang-Woo had also grown attached to Uriel after spending all those months together. Uriel followed him everywhere like an abandoned puppy, so there was no way he wouldnt get attached. Although Kang-Woo had cringed when Uriel said that he would protect him, he would be lying if it didnt move him.

    <em>Just a bit longer, kid. I swear Ill make it up to you once its all over.</em>

    He needed to prevent Uriel from falling permanently if he wanted the angels cooperation in the future. Kang-Woos thoughts stopped at the sound of an iing message.

    Yuriel : [But do we really need to keep it a secret? Why dont we just tell that Kim Si-Hun human and, umm You said you had a lover, right? Han Seol-Ah, was it? Why dont we just tell them everything thats going on?]

    "Absolutely not."

    He couldnt imagine the consequences he would face if he told them. Kang-Woo immediately replied that it needed to be kept secret no matter what. Uriel kept insisting that they should tell the others, to which Kang-Woo kept turning down t.

    Me: [If you tell anyone, I will stop hanging out with you, Lord Uriel.]

    Yuriel : []

    Uriel finally agreed after Kang-Woo put the foot down. Kang-Woo put down the smartphone and sighed.

    "I should get this done as quickly as possible."

    Based on Uriels reaction, he would most definitely end up telling other people. He had to finish everything before that happened.

    <em>I dont have a lot of time.</em>

    The friend slowly turning into a demonic beast and the protagonist struggling to save him He needed to make a perfect TV drama around these two characters.

    <em>Although I might be able to improvise a few things, I need to n out the general script.</em>

    Kang-Woo got out of his bed and sat at his desk.

    Just then

    <em>Knock, knock.</em>

    "Umm Kang-Woo?" Seol-Ah entered in her pajamas. "D-Did everything go well?"

    "Oh, yeah. Its going well."

    Seol-Ahs expression brightened, and she blushed and grabbed his hand.

    "Then can we"

    "Sorry. Like I told you this morning, I wont be able to sleep with you for the next few days."

    He wasnt just nning on making Uriel fall. He also needed to drive him to the brink of falling from grace and then bring him back to normal. It was too bad he couldnt sleep with Seol-Ah, but he needed to focus on the n first.

    " I-I see."

    Seol-Ah lowered her head with a dark expression on her face. The two of them had begun sleeping together about a month and a few weeks ago, and Seol-Ah seemed to have be very into it.

    <em>I want to sleep with you too, darling.</em>

    Kang-Woo did his best to resist the temptation by shaking his head.

    "Yeah, Im sorry. Oh Why dont you take this chance to stay with your mother for the time being?"

    Seol-Ahs mother, Kim Mi-Jeong, was taking care of Seol-Ahs older brother, Han Tae-Hyun, who had practically be mentally disabled. No matter how much of a scumbag he had been, she couldnt just leave him be since he was her son. Kang-Woo had lifted the forcedmand he had nted in Tae-Hyun with the Authority of Fear, but thetter could no longer function like a regr person due to the deeply instilled trauma.

    "Thats" Seol-Ahs expression hardened as she slurred.

    It seemed like, unlike her mother, she still hadnt been able to forgive her brother.

    <em>Well, I dont me her.</em>

    Tae-Hyun had tried to offer her up to his guild, so it was only natural. Kang-Woo had even put some Guardians members around Seol-Ahs mother for security, just in case.

    "Im sorry. Forget I said that."

    "Not at all. Its all thanks to you that I can even have trivial worries like this," Seol-Ah answered while making a bright smile. "Ill get going, then. Please dont overwork yourself."

    "Okay." Kang-Woo waved and closed the door. "Now then"

    He sat on the chair and re-read the messages hed exchanged with Uriel.

    <em>Lets begin.</em>

    * * *

    The days after were very hectic. Kang-Woo spent all day with Uriel to get even closer to him.

    "Kuh! <em>C-Cough!</em>"

    "K-Kang-Woo!"

    And of course, he sprinkled in some encroachment performances here and there while vomiting blood. Every time that happened, Uriel frantically poured his sacred power into Kang-Woo while bawling his eyes out.

    "Lord Uriel, if I be a demonic b"

    "Shut up!"

    ""

    "Ill protect you, so dont you dare say shit like that. Got it?"

    Uriel did his best to fully chase out the demonic energy from Kang-Woo.

    Based on what hed learned after contacting SantAngelo in Aernor, there were two ways to resolve it. One was to eliminate Rakiel, and the other was for Kang-Woo to grow strong enough to be able to burn off the demonic energy within him.

    "Shit, shit!" Uriel cursed after hearing the two options.

    It was only obvious, since he knew very well that either option was realistically impossible.

    Uriel rented a suite in the apartment where Kang-Woo and Cha Yeon-Joo lived with Kang-Woos help. At first, he had insisted on living in the same house as Kang-Woo, but they hadpromised on him living three floors down.

    Yuriel : [Hey, what are you doing?]

    Yuriel : [Come down.]

    The closer they became and the more often Kang-Woo experienced the demonic energy encroachment, the more severe Uriels obsession became, proving the n was going smoothly. But because of that, Kang-Woo had barely been home and was spending all his time with Uriel to get rid of the demonic energy within him.

    <em>But Im almost there.</em>

    Kang-Woo opened the door to his room as he read Uriels message. He knew things would be over soon thanks to the system messages.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The Seed of Corruption is growing.]

    [The prerequisite quest is close topletion!]

    <em>Finally.</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists. He had been faking the encroachment for two weeks straight, and it was time to end the boring drama.

    <em>ck.</em>

    As he came out of his room, he saw Seol-Ah sitting on the living room couch. She had be unrecognizably haggard in these past two weeks. Kang-Woo felt a pain in his heart.

    <em>Im sorry, darling.</em>

    He recalled the conversations he had with Seol-Ah over the past two weeks.

    <em>"Umm Kang-Woo, what would you like to have for dinner tonight?"</em>

    <em>"Oh, sorry. Im having dinner with Uriel tonight."</em>

    <em>"Ah okay."</em>

    <em>"Kang-Woo umm, what time will you being h"</em>

    <em>"Sorry, darling. Im gonna be sleeping over at Uriels tonight."</em>

    <em>" Okay."</em>

    <em>"Will you be staying out tonight as well?"</em>

    <em>"Yeah, I think so."</em>

    <em>""</em>

    "Haaa."

    He couldnt help but sigh after thinking about their exchanges.

    <em>I never thought shed get this bad.</em>

    Ever since they became lovers, he knew that Seol-Ah found the time they spent together to be very joyful. And so did he, but this was so important that he hadnt been able to give her any attention.

    Kang-Woo walked toward her.

    " Kang-Woo?"

    "Im sorry for not being able to spend any time with youtely, darling." He hugged Seol-Ah, who had thick dark circles under her eyes.

    Her expression brightened. "Then what about tod"

    "Just give me a little more time. Its almost over."

    "Ah" Her bright expression darkened again.

    Kang-Woo gave her a light kiss and turned around. He wanted to spend some more time with Seol-Ah, but he could feel his phone vibrating from Uriels messages.

    "Ill get going, then. Eat without me. I think Ill be spending time with Uriel untilte today."

    " Okay." Seol-Ah nodded while smiling awkwardly.

    Kang-Woo opened the front door with a bitter smile on his face.

    <em>Ill have to settle this by today.</em>

    He himself would not be able to hold on for much longer either if he kept dragging this on. He had already thought of the finale. Since a message saying that the quest was almostplete had appeared, there was no reason for him to hesitate any longer.

    <em>Its for sure gonna work this time.</em>

    The finale hed prepared was like this: Hed go to a deserted mountain and contact Uriel, asking for his help in a faint voice that sounded like he was on the verge of death.

    <em>Uriel will fly over immediately.</em>

    Once Uriel arrived, hed put the green tentacles he received from Lilith on his right arm and act as if he were turning into a demonic beast.

    <em>And then for my final line</em>

    <em>- Im begging you. Before I turn into a monster kill me.</em>

    <em>Shiiiet! Thats the one!</em>

    It was a fantastic line, if he said so himself. It would surely work since Uriels obsession for Kang-Woo was growing with each day.

    <em>As for the climax lets go with the power I inherited from Tirion growing stronger after all the sacred power I got from Uriel which then chases out the demonic energy.</em>

    A hero powering up in a crisis It was awfully cliche, but since he couldnt be an actual demonic beast, it was the best he could do.

    <em>Alright, Ill go with this.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled and searched for where he should set the stage for the finale.

    * * *

    <em>ck.</em>

    ""

    Seol-Ah stared at the front door, which had just closed. Her face had be so thin over the past two weeks that she was almost unrecognizable, and thick dark circles had formed under her eyes.

    "Oh Right." Seol-Ah got up. "I should make kimchi stew for Kang-Woo."

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    She staggered to the kitchen, grabbed the pot, and took out kimchi and pork from the refrigerator.

    "Im sure hes tired from how busy hes beentely, so Im sure hell love it if I make a lot."

    Seol-Ahughed softly. She grabbed a kitchen knife and cut the kimchi.

    <em>Thump.</em>

    <em>Thump.</em>

    <em>Thump!</em>

    She swung down the kitchen knife as if she were chopping firewood. Deep knife marks formed on the cutting board, and red fluid from the kimchi sttered all over the ce. However, that was only for a moment.

    "" Seol-Ah began to tear up. "<em>Sniff, sniff.</em>"

    Tears flowed down her cheeks.

    Just then

    <em>Ding, dong.</em>

    "Huh?"

    The bell rang.

    <em>Bang, bang, bang.</em>

    She heard someone banging on the door.

    "K-Kang-Woo?"

    She knew that there was no way Kang-Woo would ring the doorbell, but she was in no condition to have such thoughts.

    <em>ck!</em>

    She opened the door.

    "Ah"

    "The hell? Wheres Kang-Woo?"

    When she opened the door, she saw a young blue-haired boy standing in a crooked posture.<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    </blockquote>

 Chapter 306: Eh?

    Chapter 306: Eh?

    "Ah Uhmm." Han Seol-Ah was left flustered by the unexpected guest.

    Uriel looked around and frowned. "Kang-Woo isnt here, right?"

    " Yes."

    "Ugh. He said hes on his way, so where the hell is he?" Uriel turned around whileining.

    "P-Please wait!" Seol-Ah called out in a hurry.

    " What?" Uriel looked at her with sharp eyes.

    Hed heard a lot about Seol-Ah through Kang-Woo. Of course, Kang-Woo had only said good things about her, but Uriel couldnt help but have an unfavorable opinion of her.

    <em>She doesnt even know what Kang-Woos going through.</em>

    He felt a strange sense of superiority and a negative sentiment toward her.

    "Kang-Woo seems to be very tiredtely. Could you tell me what is going on?"

    Uriel clicked his tongue. "Its none of your concern."

    "Im Kang-Woos lov"

    "Yeah, I know that you two are dating."

    ""

    "Hmph, whats the point if youre dating? You dont even know a thing about him." Uriel snorted and turned his head.

    Seol-Ahs eyebrows went up.

    "What do you mean?" she said in a low voice.

    Uriel found it absurd andughed at the faint rage he felt in her voice. "Whats it to you? You think itll change anything?"

    "I asked you what you meant."

    "Dont ask me, ask Kang-Woo. What? Did he not tell you?"

    Uriel had hit the mark. Just like he said, all Kang-Woo did when she asked him was smile awkwardly and say that everything was fine.

    "Hmph, I knew it."

    " Please tell me. Why are the two of you together so oftentely?"

    "Kuh."

    Uriel red at Seol-Ah. He was offended by the fact that the woman who considered herself to be Kang-Woos lover was doing absolutely nothing while Kang-Woo was going through such pain. Of course, he knew that there was nothing she could do even if she did know.

    Kang-Woo had told him not to tell her anything so that she wouldnt be worried, but

    <em>At least stay in your goddamnne if you cant do anything.</em>

    He was surging with irritation. He felt like he wouldnt be able to calm his rage until he gave her a piece of his mind.

    "You want to know why?"

    "Yes, I do."

    "Its simple." Uriel pointed to her. "You cant protect Kang-Woo" He then pointed to himself. " And I can."

    " Pardon?"

    Seol-Ahs eyes trembled. She couldnt understand what he meant, but what she knew for certain was that Kang-Woo was currently in a situation where he needed someones protection.

    "I-I cant protect him? What does that"

    "It means exactly how it sounds. You cant do anything for Kang-Woo. You cant protect him or even make him happy."

    "Th-Thats not true!" Seol-Ah shouted as chilling bloodlust pooled in her eyes. "What are you talking about when you dont even know anything about us?!"

    Uriel had only known Kang-Woo for a couple of months. No, the time wasnt important. She was Kang-Woos lover; they had shared both body and mind, but Uriel was telling her that she couldnt protect Kang-Woo or make him happy.

    "Haaa, haaa," she panted heavily.

    What drove her crazy the most was that she knew it was trueshe didnt have the strength to protect him or make him happy.

    "Hmph, I might not have known Kang-Woo for as long as you have," Uriel blurted out. "But I know for a fact that youre of absolutely no help to him."

    ""

    <em>Split.</em>

    Something in her heart started to crack, and her face paled.

    "Ah" Uriel realized hed gone too far and said something he shouldnt have.

    <em>Dammit.</em>

    He didnt want to antagonize his friends lover, but hed lost his rationality because he had spent so much time seeing his precious friend in immense pain.

    "Sorry. I didnt mean to go that f"

    <em>Brrrr.</em>

    As Uriel was in the middle of apologizing, something rang from inside his pocket. Uriel quickly took out his smartphone. There was only one person who knew his number.

    "Where the hell are you?" Uriel asked in a whiny voice, but his eyes widened from hearing Kang-Woos voice.

    He sounded as if he would die at any moment.

    "Shit!"

    Uriel quickly turned and jumped through the window frame, spreading his eight wings and quickly flying away.

    Seol-Ah nkly stared into the air.

    "Ha haha." A distortedugh left her mouth.

    * * *

    "Im begging you. Before I turn into a monster kill me."

    "Dont fuck with meeeeeeee!!"

    The friend, Kang-Woo, was telling the protagonist, Uriel, to kill him while grabbing hold of his hideous tentacle arm. Uriel was crying as he looked at Kang-Woo. The drama that Kang-Woo had been filming with Uriel had entered its climax just like he had wanted, but

    <em>The hell?</em>

    Even though Kang-Woo was spasming while vomiting blood

    <em>Why isnt the quest beingpleted?</em>

    Even though he was pouring out demonic energy while holding onto his tentacle arm

    <em>Why isnt this son of a bitch falling?</em>

    He had evenpleted the climax scene of his golden energy powering up and fully chasing out the tentacle arm.

    "<em>Sniff.</em> Im d. Im so d."

    Even after that, Uriel did not fall from grace. He was bawling his eyes out while hugging Kang-Woo, his eight wings as pure-white as ever.

    Kang-Woo looked down at Uriel with a hardened expression.

    <em>My n failed?</em>

    He wasnt entirely unfamiliar with failure; he wasnt some sort of omnipotent god, so he couldnt seed in everything.

    He knew. He understood it, but still

    <em>I never thought that this one would fail.</em>

    To be honest, he was a bit bewildered.

    Ever since he hade to Earth, this was the first time that a n he had prepared so thoroughly had failed so miserably.

    <em>What happened?</em>

    He couldnt understand it.

    <em>Where did it go wrong?</em>

    He was sure Uriels target of obsession was him. As evidence of that, Uriel was crying as he was hugging him right now.

    It wasnt like the Seed of Corruption had stopped growing either; the message window had clearly said that the quest was close topletion.

    <em>Then what the hell did I miss?</em>

    He couldnt help but feel irritated that thest two weeks had gone to waste.

    "Wh-Whats wrong? Is the demonic energy still" Uriel said while looking up at him with worry.

    Kang-Woo shook his head. "No, I dont feel any more demonic energy within my body for the time being."

    He put his n on hold for now. If he couldnt make Uriel fall from grace despite pushing him this far, it simply meant that he had gone about it the wrong way from the start. There was no reason for him to fake the demonic energy encroachment anymore.

    "Really?"

    "Yes. As proof" Kang-Woo took out a cookie from his pocket and ate it. He smiled brightly. "My sense of taste is back to normal."

    "Ah!" Uriel smiled brightly.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he looked down at Uriel.

    <em>I haventpletely failed yet.</em>

    There was nothing more horrible than being dragged down into the pits of despair after tasting hope. Since the Seed of Corruption hadntpletely disappeared, he would be able to try it as many times as he liked.

    <em>But my pride is a bit hurt.</em>

    Kang-Woo would be able to give Uriel a despairing experience far more shocking than encroachment if he really wanted to.

    <em>Im a bit worried for the kid, though.</em>

    He wasnt sure if Uriels mind would be able to handle it.

    <em>You shouldve just fallen on this run.</em>

    Irritation swept over him again. He even thought about just making him fall by forcing demonic energy into him.

    <em>I wouldve done it already if I could.</em>

    Unlike humans, angels didnt fall just from demonic energy being forced into them. Only by pushing their obsession to the limit of madness would an angel fall from grace.

    "Im d. Im so d." Uriel smiled brightly while crying.

    Kang-Woo was swept over with huge remorse and fatigue. He felt like an adult picking on a child like his life depended on it. A sense of dejection spread through him.

    <em>Haaa, what the fuck am I doing?</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head. He decided to think about it moreter. He just wanted to go home and rest.

    "Lets go back home," he said.

    "Okay! Youreing to my ce, right?"

    "Haha, no. Im too tired, so I want to rest at home for today."

    "Ah" Uriels expression darkened, but he nodded. "Okay. Im going to report this matter to the celestial realm. I also have to hear about whats going on in Aernor through the regr meeting."

    "Your subordinates will also being to Earth soon, right?"

    "Yeah! Theyre all good guys. Ill introduce them to you when they get here."

    Uriels obsession had alleviated significantly due to the fact that Kang-Woo had been able to escape the demonic energy encroachment.

    "Haha, thank you very much."

    Kang-Woo and Uriel went their separate ways. Uriel headed not to the house that Kang-Woo had prepared for him but to the fortress in Africa.

    "Haaa."

    Kang-Woo hadnt expected his n to fail, so his steps felt very heavy as he returned home.

    <em>But since there was no message saying that the growth was halted, I still have a chance.</em>

    He opened the front door, thinking that he should take a long break before preparing for his next n.

    <em>Its been a while, so Ill sleep with my darling tonight.</em>

    Just the thought was enough to make him smile and put him in a good mood. He had been waiting so long for this very moment!

    "Hm?"

    The house was dark.

    Echidna and Halcyon would usuallye running at this time, but they were nowhere to be seen. Kang-Woo racked his brain and nodded after figuring out why.

    <em>Halcyon and Echidna went to the Grand Canyon with Balrog for special training.</em>

    That meant Seol-Ah was all by herself.

    "Darling~?" he carefully called out to her, but there was no answer.

    <em>Is she asleep?</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at her closed bedroom door and tilted his head.

    <em>Mm, I shouldnt wake her up.</em>

    It was too bad, but it seemed like hed have to sleep alone for tonight.

    <em>Well, Im gonna be taking a long break anyway.</em>

    He wanted to go on dates with Seol-Ah and rx as much as he could, just the two of them. Traveling was also a nice option.

    "Ill just go to sleep tonight."

    Leaving his disappointment behind, Kang-Woo went into his room.

    He hadnt been able to sleep for the past two weeks because of Uriel, so his eyelids felt heavy.

    <em>Tomorrow, with Seol-Ah</em>

    Kang-Woo fell asleep as all sorts of thoughts went through his head.

    * * *

    At dawn the next day

    "Urgh."

    Kang-Woo opened his eyes as he felt a ray of sunlight shine through his window. Although hed been able to sleep only for four hours, that much was enough to wipe away his fatigue.

    "I wonder if darling is still sleepi"

    <em>nk.</em>

    "Huh?"

    He couldnt move. He turned his head to see white chains wrapped around him.

    <em>Eh?</em>

    What the fuck are these?<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    </blockquote>

 Chapter 307: Letâ€™s Go!

    Chapter 307: Let¡¯s Go!

    "What the hell is this?"

    Oh Kang-Woo looked around in confusion. He put more strength into his limbs to move.

    <em>nk, nk.</em>

    All he heard were the sounds of chains hitting each other.

    <em>I cant muster up any strength.</em>

    Kang-Woos expression hardened. He couldnt circte his demonic energy as he wanted. It was as if he were under the effects of his Authority of Sealing.

    "Shit what the hell is happening?"

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    He couldnt even cut his arm off to free himself like he had done back when he had been restrained by the Authority of Sealing, since the unknown white chains had bound his entire body.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. It wasnt like he had absolutely no way to break out.

    <em>If I open a Door</em>

    If he forcibly made the demonic energy of the Ten Thousand Demon Core run wild by opening a Door, hed be able to break the chains in an instant.

    <em>Calm down.</em>

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath. Opening a Door was not some technique he could use willy-nilly. He at least needed to figure out what was going on before he used it.

    <em>nk, nk!</em>

    "Kuh. Shit why the hell are they so thick?"

    He used the Authority of des using the very small amount of demonic energy that he could still move.

    The ck de made contact with the chains.

    [This is Demon-Binding Light made with the Divinity of the Celestial Goddess. It cannot be destroyed physically.]

    " What?"

    Kang-Woos eyes widened from seeing the message window pop up in front of him. He wasnt surprised by the fact that it couldnt be destroyed physically.

    <em>Made with the Divinity of the Celestial Goddess?</em>

    What nonsense was that?

    Before he could continue that line of thought, he felt a presence right outside his room.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    "Oh, Kang-Woo. Youre up."

    " Seol-Ah?"

    Seol-Ahs eyes were blurry as if out of focus. She staggered toward Kang-Woo and sat on the bed. She gently caressed his cheeks lovingly.

    "Whats g"

    Kang-Woo was about to say something when she pulled on his neck and kissed him; her tongue explored his mouth as if she were a starved beast devouring its food.

    <em>Hallelujah.</em>

    What the hell was happening? Was this a dream? Was he having that thing called a wet dream or whatever it was called? He couldnt believe he was having a wet dream despite having lived for ten millennia.

    Kang-Woo had kissed Seol-Ah many times, but his kisses had never been this intense. Not even his kisses with Lilith had been this intense.

    "Haaa." Seol-Ah exhaled in a stupor.

    She smiled and slowly tilted her head.

    "Mwah."

    From the neck to the ear, Seol-Ah kissed him all over as if she were a bird pecking at him. Kang-Woos eyes widened as his mouth fell open.

    <em>What the fuck is going on?</em>

    This was fucking amazing.

    <em>No, no. Its not fucking amazing.</em>

    He forcibly severed his train of thought. He was certainly loving what was going on, but not the situation as a whole.

    " What are you doing, Seol-Ah?" he asked in a low voice.

    Seol-Ah was clearly acting very weirdly. She was not the gentle, kind, and shy woman that he was used to.

    <em>It feels different from Lilith.</em>

    Lilith knew exactly how to seduce a man (although the tentacles made it meaningless) and perfectly calcted her moves to take advantage of her knowledge. However, all that he felt from Seol-Ah was not seduction but madness and obsession to make every inch of Kang-Woos body hers.

    <em>Wait.</em>

    Madness and obsession?

    Kang-Woos expression hardened.

    "Kang-Woo" Seol-Ah opened her mouth with a trembling voice. "You see, that rude angel kid said that I didnt know anything about you. Isnt that absurd?"

    Her hands covered Kang-Woos cheeks.

    "I wouldve understood it if it had been Lilith, but that wasnt the case. How dare he, when he met you farter than I have when he doesnt even live with you or are lovers with you!"

    Seol-Ahs voice was starting to carry a hint of madness. As she stared at Kang-Woo, her eyes started to shake violently.

    "But for him to say that I dont know anything about you Fu Fufu. Thats not the end of it. He said that Im not able to protect you so I cant make you happy, you know?"

    Kang-Woo heard her grinding her teeth.

    <em>Rumble.</em>

    Colossal energy flowed out of her. The power contained within the wave of energy could not even be fathomed by even Kang-Woo.

    <em>Holy fuck.</em>

    Kang-Woos face paled.

    "You also think thats absurd, right, Kang-Woo?"

    ""

    "I cant make you happy? That cant be, right?"

    She smiled faintly and hugged Kang-Woos head. Two soft mounds of flesh touched his head.

    "Now" she whispered seductively, "You can do as you wish, Kang-Woo."

    The temptation spread like poison.

    Seol-Ah giggled. "Ill protect you from now on, Kang-Woo."

    She licked her lips and let out a heated breath. "You dont need to do anything from now on. Theres no need for you to be weighed down by the obligation to save the world anymore."

    "Umm Darling? There seems to have been a misunderstanding."

    "Just lie still."

    "I cant get up anyway since Im tied up."

    "Fufu. You can just stay like that from now on. Ill do everything for you."

    Her eyes were hazy as if she were high. Light poured out of the twelve white wings that had sprouted from her back. They flickered ck like a broken lightbulb. Kang-Woos face paled; the questions in his mind had finally been answered.

    <em>Fuck</em>

    He fucked up.

    <em>Uriel wasnt the one with the Seed of Corruption.</em>

    He had beenpletely mistaken. He had felt that something was wrong from the moment that the n he had prepared so thoroughly had failed.

    <em>It was Seol-Ah.</em>

    Kang-Woos mouth fell open in shock. It wasnt that he hadnt suspected her. He had checked if the shing of his energy with Seraphs energy had caused any negative effects on Seol-Ah at the very beginning.

    <em>That was where I fucked up.</em>

    The entangling of energies itself had not influenced Seol-Ah in any way. However, the problem had been that due to the entanglement, the energy of Seraph within Seol-Ah had grown bigger. In other words, Kang-Woo had not realized that Seol-Ahs body was transforming from that of a human to an angel.

    <em>And because its an angels body</em>

    It had instinctive constraints that allowed one to keep their sanity in eternal life, just like demon bodies.

    <em>Seol-Ahs target of obsession is</em>

    There was no need to even think about what it was.

    "Fufu. Kang-Woo~" Seol-Ah hugged him tighter and kissed him.

    <em>Fuuuuuuuck!</em> Kang-Woo screamed in his head.

    His head had never been this jumbled before. The problem wasnt just that Seol-Ah was falling. The biggest problem was

    <em>I dont know if I should like it or not!</em>

    To be honest, he liked it.

    He had practically lived like a virgin for ten millennia except for his time with Lilith, so there was no way that he would dislike such a fantasy-like situation.

    <em>Is it okay if it isnt suitable for all ages anymore? Should we go straight to the moon like this?</em>

    All sorts of thoughts crossed through Kang-Woos mind. His instinctive desires and sense of reason were shing with each other. He could hear them debating against each other in his head.

    <em>- Lets fucking go! Weve waited ten goddamn millennia for this!!</em>

    <em>- Calm down. Take a deep breath, and take off your pants.</em>

    <em>What the fuck?</em>

    They were both on the same side.

    "What do you think? You like it too, dont you?"

    "Ah, yes. Of course." He nodded furiously.

    "In that case"

    Seol-Ah kissed him once again.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The prerequisite quest has beenpleted.]

    [You have acquired the third key of the Demonic Sea, Abysm.]

    A blue message window appeared in front of him, and the third symbol of the ring on his right middle finger shone.

    "Ah"

    Seol-Ahs eyes shifted to the ring, and her expression crumpled.

    "Whats this ring?"

    "Huh?"

    "Its not something that rude kid gave you, is it? Is it?" She bit her lip temperamentally. "Please give me an answer now."

    "Its a weapon I made. It can change into all sorts of forms."

    Kang-Woo changed the form of the Key of the Demonic Sea for Seol-Ah to see.

    "Oh, I-I see. Im sorry Kang-Woo."

    Seol-Ah blushed and lowered her head.

    "Yes, theres no way that you would be wearing a ring that someone else gave you. Yes, theres absolutely no way." She nodded and smiled.

    ""

    "Oh, now that were on the topic, wh-why dont we also get couple rings? No, lets get them. Ill go buy them in a bit." Seol-Ah kept talking without even giving Kang-Woo time to answer.

    Kang-Woos expression got harder over time.

    [The fall has begun! The fall will be permanent if it is not stopped right now!]

    A warning window appeared in front of him.

    Hesitation appeared in Kang-Woos eyes.

    It was time to choose between the current assertive and wild Seol-Ah and the kind Seol-Ah with a beautiful smile, the one he had first met when he first came to Earth.

    " Hah." Kang-Woo feignedughter.

    It was not even worth thinking about. He also liked the current Seol-Ah to the point that he had almost cheered in delight.

    <em>But</em>

    The one he had met after ten millennia in Hell and the one who was best with a gentle and soft smile was the human Han Seol-Ah.

    <em>I will stop the fall.</em>

    He had made up his mind, but the problem was that he didnt know how.

    Kang-Woo used what little demonic energy he could move to contact Lilith.

    <em>- Lilith!</em>

    <em>- My king? What is wrong?</em>

    Kang-Woo quickly exined the situation to her.

    <em>- Hah Seol-Ah did?</em>

    <em>- Get over here and help me.</em>

    <em>- </em>

    There was silence.

    Liliths voice spread through his mind.

    <em>- I dont think I will be of much help to you, my king. If shes powerful enough to restrain you, then I wouldnt even be able to withstand a simple wave of her hand.</em>

    <em>- Oh Shit, then</em>

    <em>- You cant open a Door either.</em>

    <em>- What am I supposed to do, then?</em>

    <em>- Listen carefully, my king. You said that an angel falls from grace when their obsession reaches the border of madness, right?</em>

    <em>- Yeah.</em>

    <em>- In that case</em>

    Lilith kept talking.

    <em>- You need to start with alleviating that obsession.</em>

    <em>- How am I supposed to do that?</em>

    <em>- Its simple.</em>

    She said without hesitation.

    - Do it with Seol-Ah.

    - Yeah, that will definitely What? Do what?

    <em>- Oh, you. You know exactly what I mean.</em>

    What was he supposed to know?

    <em>- If she thinks that the target of her obsession is fully hers, that obsession will naturally be alleviated.</em>

    So what was he supposed to do?

    <em>- Hurry! There is no time, my king!</em>

    Huh? Huuuh?

    <em>- Do it now!</em>

    ""

    Kang-Woos mouth was agape with a dumbfounded expression. He saw Seol-Ah mumbling something as if she were a broken radio.

    <em>Do it?</em>

    For real? Was it really okay?

    "Fuuu." He took a deep breath in and mustered up the resolve.

    <em>Yeah, lets go.</em>

    He was Oh Kang-Woo, a man roughly ten thousand years old.

    <em>Lets fucking go! Yeah!! I can fucking do it! I have all the knowledge I need!</em>

    He had bought an external hard drive with 1TB of storage without Seol-Ah knowing for a reason.

    <em>Lets go, lets go, lets go!!</em>

    To the moon!

 Chapter 308: The Moon Goes Down

    Chapter 308: The Moon Goes Down

    <em>Calm down for now. Dont get too excited.</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo gripped his trembling chest and took deep breaths. It was a historical moment that took ten millennia to arrive. He had honestly hoped to enjoy the opportunity in a more romantic atmosphere, but such idiotic thoughts had long since gone out the window now that the opportunity was actually in front of him.

    An intense heat spread through him.

    <em>Seol-Ah.</em>

    He looked over at Han Seol-Ah, who was eyeing him with a mad gleam in her eyes. He felt like she would devour him if he did nothing, but he couldnt let that happen.

    <em>The goal above all else is to stop Seol-Ahs fall.</em>

    He had no dirty intention of taking advantage of the situation to go to the moon with her.

    <em>Yeah, this is just CPR.</em>

    It was nothing more than medical treatment to stop Seol-Ahs fall from grace. He had no choice but to do it. He was nning on taking a very wholesome stance, just like a doctor saving their patient or a devotee praying to their god.

    "Did something good happen, Kang-Woo?" Seol-Ah asked.

    "Huh? Ah, mm."

    His mouth seemed to have curled up without him even realizing it. He coughed while averting his gaze from Seol-Ah. The gears in his head turned in overdrive.

    <em>I cant act rashly right away.</em>

    Everything had a course that needed to be taken. He couldnt just dive straight into it.

    <em>First, Ill satiate Seol-Ahs desires with sweet words.</em>

    Now that Kang-Woo knew that her body was closer to that of an angel and that the target of her obsession was him, it was not hard to guess what her desires were.

    <em>Just like with Uriel</em>

    No, it was actually easier than with Uriel, since his obsession over affection had not developed enough to make him fall from grace.

    Kang-Woo slowly opened his mouth, "Seol-Ah."

    "Yes, Kang-Woo?"

    "Youve been lonely since I havent been able to spend much time with youtely, right?" he said in a warm voice.

    Seol-Ah nodded and hugged his head.

    "Yes I was so, so lonely. But theres no need to worry anymore. After all, there is no way that will ever happen again."

    Seol-Ah smiled widely and embraced Kang-Woo with her twelve wings flickering ck.

    "From now until the end of time well always be together," she whispered sweetly.

    Kang-Woo nodded calmly. "Yeah, lets be together forever."

    "A-Aaaahh!" Seol-Ah trembled. She then eximed in ecstasy, "So you wanted that too!"

    Kang-Woo lifted his arms wrapped in chains and asked, "Sorry, but could you undo these?"

    "Th-Thats"

    "I want to touch you, Seol-Ah."

    "Ill undo them right away.

    <em>Clunk.</em>

    His arms were freed from the chains. Kang-Woo caressed Seol-Ahs back.

    "Hehehe," she smiled.

    Although it was only a little, he noticed that the flickering had slowed down.

    <em>Okay.</em>

    His actions were proven to be effective. If so he pulled Seol-Ah toward him and kissed her. Although his kiss wasnt as intense as hers, it was still intense enough for their emotions to be properly delivered to each other. Seol-Ahs wings were pping in delight.

    "Seol-Ah."

    "Y-Yes, Kang-Woo?"

    "What did you hear from Uriel?"

    "" Seol-Ahs expression crumpled when she heard the name. She said in a voice filled with bloodlust, "He said that I cant make you happy because I cant protect you."

    She bit her lip. "Isnt that ridiculous? He talked as if he were your lover when your lover is m-me. Dont you agree, Kang-Woo?"

    Seol-Ah stared at him in madness.

    "Yeah. That brat was out of line. He knows nothing about our rtionship," Kang-Woo said without hesitation.

    He understood what Uriel had meant, but he couldnt defend Uriel at the momenthe had to take Seol-Ahs side no matter what.

    "Th-Thats right! A kid who doesnt know anything about our rtionship said that!" Seol-Ahs expression brightened, and she nodded furiously.

    <em>Good.</em>

    Things were off to a good start.

    <em>Now</em>

    It was time to smooth things over.

    "I dont really understand why you being unable to protect me leads to me being unhappy, though."

    "Because thats how much danger youre in"

    "No," Kang-Woo firmly shook his head.

    His saying that he actually wasnt in any danger and that Uriel was wrong would bepletely pointless, since that was not the answer she truly wanted.

    "Me being in danger and you being unable to make me happy arepletely unrted," Kang-Woo stated.

    Hed dealt with all sorts of crazy beings while ruling over the Nine Hells as the demon king.

    "Its true that Im in danger and so is the fact that I might die at any second."

    "Th-Then"

    "But no matter how much danger Im in, Ive never once thought that I was unhappy."

    Dealing with such crazy beings was simpleyou just had to give them what they wanted to see and hear.

    "Seol-Ah." He touched her cheeks and did his best to avoid cringing. "Just being with you makes me happy."

    "Ah"

    "Theres no need for you to protect me. You just have to stay by my side."

    "L-Liar!! Youve wanted to be with that kid angel more than with me this whole time!" Seol-Ah eximed temperamentally. "Ive waited for you every single day untilte at night even until past midnight, but you never came back. I had waited for you without missing a single day, but not even once! You must be lying when you say that youre happy just from being with me!"

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    An explosive noise akin to thunder sounded. The apartment shook as if it were about to copse. No, Seoul itself was shaking due to her influence.

    Kang-Woos face paled.

    <em>Just how fucking strong is she?</em>

    He was truly shocked by Seraphs power, which was strong enough to shake an entire city.

    Seol-Ah put her hand on Kang-Woos shoulder and continued, "You have to look only at me. Love only me, talk to only me, and touch only me. Understood?"

    "Seol-Ah."

    "You dont have to worry." Her crazed eyes shifted to Kang-Woo. She pushed him back down on the bed and got on top of him.

    "Ill do anything you want, Kang-Woo. You can just stay right here without doing a thing. If you do" Seol-Ah slowly caressed Kang-Woos cheek.

    "Ill make the kimchi stew you love every single day and feed it to you right here. Ill change your clothes for you. You dont even have to go to the bathroom. Oh, Ill move the TV to your room so that you dont get bored. Ill buy you a bed table so you can use theputer here as well. And, and, and" Seol-Ah leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Ill even let you do the thing that lovers do any time, as much as you like. Fufu. I may not look like it, but I practiced it a bunch without you knowing. I can show you an amazing time even while youre lying still."

    Kang-Woo remained silent, and all sorts of thoughts crossed his mind.

    <em>Itd be fine if I just let her fall, wouldnt it? Hm? A Demon God and a fallen Celestial Goddess sounds like one hell of a couple, doesnt it?</em>

    Whether her wings were ck or white, wasnt it fine as long as she was fundamentally Seol-Ah?

    Kang-Woo frantically kept his rampaging urges in check and looked at her back with deep, sunken eyes. Her wings were flickering just as fast as before.

    <em>Calm down. Calm down.</em>

    He realized that Seol-Ah was in a far worse state than he had thought.

    <em>In that case</em>

    He just had to use something better.

    "Im sorry, Seol-Ah. I didnt know you were having such a hard time."

    "<em>Sniff, sniff</em>"

    "Ill admit it. Its true that Ive been giving more attention to Uriel than you."

    "Urgh." Seol-Ah frowned aggressively.

    Kang-Woo forced himself back up and embraced her. "But you know why I had to do that, Seol-Ah."

    "B-Because you prefer being with that brat over me"

    "Do you really think so?" he asked in a deep voice.

    He was sure that she knew that wasnt the caseshed just been ignoring it due to her obsession with keeping him tied up to monopolize him.

    "Do you really think I left you alone because I prefer to be with Uriel?"

    "If thats not the case"

    "If you really think so" Kang-Woo slurred. He needed to take a strong and firm stance. "I think I would be very disappointed."

    "N-No! I didnt think so at all!" Seol-Ah shook her head, her face pale.

    She had made aplete 180 in an instant, but it didnt matter.

    Kang-Woo smiled and continued. "But I do feel its my responsibility that I drove you to the point that you had thought that way. I think Ill have to show you trust."

    "No, this is all that b-brats fault. You havent done anything wr"

    "No, its my mistake. I shouldve told you this earlier to make sure you can trust me fully."

    "Pardon? What do you mean?" Seol-Ah asked.

    Kang-Woo put his hand into his pocket. A tiny bit of darkness separated from the Key of the Demonic Sea on his right middle finger. A white ring was made in the blink of an eye, with the name Han Seol-Ah engraved in ck writing on it.

    "Ive actually prepared this a month ago but I havent been able to find the right time to hand it to you."

    " What?"

    He took out the white ring and extended it toward Seol-Ah.

    "Seol-Ah," He unveiled the trump card that would allow him to fully reverse the situation. "Lets get married."

    "!"

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    An ungodly wave of power shook everything around them. Seol-Ah stuttered, her face turning a concerning shade of red.

    "Wh-WhaHuh? M-Married? Huh?"

    Kang-Woo smiled, thinking that it had worked.

    <em>But thats not enough.</em>

    Just words alone would not be able to stop her fall from grace.

    <em>Now, rather than talking with words!</em>

    It was time to talk with their bodies. He had to melt away the distrust and madness dirtying her heart with his body heat.

    <em>"Lets go, lets go, lets go!! Im so ready to go this time!</em>

    He had waited far too long and had desired this moment far too much.

    Finally finally after ten millennia no, for the first time in his life

    <em>Its different from what I did with Lilith!</em>

    It was far too painful to consider being attacked by a tentacle monster spewing pus as experience.

    <em>No tentacles! Two eyes! No pus! Phenomenal!</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly reached out to her while suppressing his tears as much as he could. Just then

    "<em>Sniff, sniff</em>"

    Along with Seol-Ahs tears

    [The energy of Skyfall is weakening!]

    [The fall will soon be canceled!]

    <em>Huh?</em>

    What the fuck?

    "Kang-Woo!"

    But they havent done it yet.

    "Y-Yes! I-Id love to!"

    Wait just a goddamn minute. This aint it, chief. Why are you doing this? We still havent talked with our bodies yet, Seol-Ah. This isnt something that can just be resolved with words.

    <em>N-No.</em>

    Kang-Woo reached out in desperation. Something was going terribly wrong.

    <em>It cant seed already weve only just talked!</em>

    They still havent gone to the moon!

    <em>Fall! Fall again! Not like thiiiiiis!</em>

    [The Seed of Corruption is disappearing!]

    <em>Fuuuuuuuuuuck!!! Nooooooooo!</em>

    "Lets"tears dripped down Seol-Ahs cheeks"get married."

    "Ah" Kang-Woo looked at her twelve wings as they reverted to their usual white color, and cried.

    [You have sessfully prevented the fall!]

    <em>No Not this I didnt want this.</em>

    Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah cried while hugging each other until the moon went down and the sun came up.

 Chapter 309: Was It Rakielâ€™s Doing?

    Chapter 309: Was It Rakiel¡¯s Doing?

    "Kargh Hurgh!!"

    "Lady Gaia!!"

    A woman, lying down on an altar in the middle of a giant castle made in a space filled with white light, grimaced in pain. Her brown hair, wet with sweat, slid down from above the altar. The faint light flowing out of her shook greatly.

    "Gather the gods immediately! Divinity we need Divinity!" anxiously shouted Uranus, the man with red hair akin to a lions mane.

    The nearby servants lowered their heads.

    "W-We apologize. All the gods from Olympus, Valha, Takamagahara Their Divinities have all reached their limit. If we borrow any more Divinity from them, they will also"

    "Shit! Are you suggesting we just stand by and watch as Lady Gaia is annihted?! This world is over as soon as she disappears!" Uranus angrily shouted.

    The Earth losing its head god would mean that there would be no one left who could manage the Gaia System, a portion of the providence granted to Earth. If that were to happen, otherworldly invasions would be permitted, and the restrictions binding the gods wouldpletely disappear. All that would await them after that was the end. Unless a being with at least the same level of Divinity as Gaia took control of the system, Earths destruction would be inevitable.

    "<em>Cough! Cough!</em> Do not get agitated my child."

    Just then, Gaia slowly got up from the altar.

    Uranuss eyes widened. "L-Lady Gaia!"

    He knelt on one knee and lowered his head.

    Gaia clenched her chest in agony. She said with a heavy voice, "Contact my incarnation. There is something I must tell my children."

    * * *

    "Urgh."

    Oh Kang-Woo got up, feeling the rays of sunshine beaming on his face through the window.

    <em>Theres more than usual.</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head as he looked at the red marks that had appeared on his body.

    It had been three days since he stopped Han Seol-Ahs fall from grace. He was still sticking to her all day to give her unstable mind proper care. Of course, they also slept together.

    He had first thought about avoiding sleeping with her since he didnt know how his demonic energy would influence her, but he changed his mind as soon as he noticed her extreme sorrow when he brought it up to her. He couldnt afford to take the immediate risk to avoid a risk that he wasnt even sure would happen or not.

    "My demonic energy control shot up again," Kang-Woo said with a smile.

    Other than the fact that he got to sleep with Seol-Ah, there were too many other benefits to it for him to give it up.

    <em>My stamina goes down, but</em>

    It was an extremely easy price to pay, considering how much his demonic energy control improved with each session.

    "Darling~"

    "Oh, good morning, Kang-Woo."

    As he came out of his room, Seol-Ah approached him with a smile. She was trotting toward him when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. She lowered her head in sadness as if remembering something.

    "Uhmm I-Im so sorry about back then. I still have no idea why I acted that way."

    "Haha. How many times are you going to say that? I told you its okay."

    "But still" Seol-Ah blushed.

    She still could not understand what hade over her to bind Kang-Woo in chains.

    <em>No matter how much I wanted to be with Kang-Woo</em>

    She was swept with regret for having gone too far. Kang-Woo thankfully forgave her, but if he hade to avoid her due to what had happened, she would have regretted it for the rest of her life.

    <em>But thanks to that</em>

    Seol-Ah touched the white ring on her left ring finger.

    "Hehehe."

    Although shed touched, stroked, and licked it hundreds of times already, she couldnt help but smile every time she looked at it.

    She recalled what Kang-Woo had said to her while holding her hands when they had first met.

    <em>"Three kids sounds good."</em>

    She said, "Ill do my best, Kang-Woo."

    "Hm? On what?"

    "Ive been practicing super hard!"

    "?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head. Seol-Ah lightly kissed him and hummed as she turned around.

    "Oh, right. Seol-Ah, how is it handling that power? You havent felt Seraphs consciousness or will or anything like that, have you?" Kang-Woo asked worryingly.

    "No, nothing like that," Seol-Ah said as she slightly raised her hand.

    <em>Whoom.</em>

    An immense wave of power spread out as twelve wings appeared on her back. Although it was weakerpared to when shed fallen, she was still emitting enough power to easily wipe out a prince of Hell.

    "This is Lady Seraphs power, right?" Seol-Ah asked.

    "It is."

    "I still cant believe that her soul is inside me"

    "It isnt something to be happy about. You dont know when shell take control of your consciousness, so you need to avoid using her power as much as possible," Kang-Woo stated with worry, and Seol-Ah shook her head.

    "No, I want to use this power." Her voice carried determination. "Ive always been protected by you. I dont want things to stay that way."

    She smiled. "I will protect you from now on, Kang-Woo."

    ""

    Kang-Woo kept his mouth shut and groaned.

    The benefits of Seol-Ah being able to control Seraphs power couldnt be overstated.

    <em>Since a god on the same level as Gaia would be added to the roster.</em>

    Although it seemed she still had a long way to go to fully control that power, she was as strong as Balrog and Kim Si-Hun now.

    <em>Not only that, but shes a support.</em>

    She wouldnt be that strong if she tried to fight in the vanguard like Balrog and Si-Hun. Her power truly shone when she was giving support from the back: boosting recovery, reducing consumption of energies like mana and Qi, and giving buffs that boosted brain processing speed and hardened ones mental state. Not just that, there were no stats that she couldnt buff.

    <em>Even Si-Hun was surprised.</em>

    Kang-Woo had once made Si-Hun duel Balrog twice, before and after being buffed. Si-Hun had just barely lost to Balrog without being buffed but had managed to overpower Balrog in less than five minutes after being buffed.

    Considering how strong Si-Hun and Balrog were, a buff making such a difference was absolutely unreal.

    <em>Even considering the dangers of using the power, giving it up would be a waste.</em>

    If the one with this power had been anyone else but Seo-Ah, he would have done whatever it took to make that person his Familiar. That was how valuable she was at the moment.

    <em>Plus, its only been three days since she managed to consciously use the power.</em>

    There was a huge chance that her buffs would be even better. Plus

    "I feel like I get better at using this power every time I sleep with you for some reason, Kang-Woo."

    Seol-Ah controlled the white light flowing out of her hand in fascination. Kang-Woo nodded. He also used to be curious about that.

    "Right? I wonder why that happens when all we do is sleep?"

    A weird sense of silence fell momentarily. Seol-Ah froze and smiled awkwardly.

    "Ho hoho. Your guess is as good as mine. I wonder why, when all we really do is sleep."

    " Darling?"

    "Right, hurry, Kang-Woo. Breakfast is ready."

    "Oh, okay."

    Seol-Ah pulled him into the kitchen by the arm.

    As he reached the dining table, he saw a steaming pot of kimchi stew and three sets of spoons and chopsticks.

    "Hm? Are Echidna and Halcyoning back today?"

    Even then, the number didnt match.

    "No. Lilith is going to be joining us in a bit."

    <em>Ding dong.</em>

    Speak of the devil, the bell rang.

    "Ill be right there~"

    As Seol-Ah opened the front door, Lilith entered the apartment. Just as Kang-Woo hadmanded, she was in the form of Kurosaki Yurie.

    <em>Hell yeah!</em> Kang-Woo clenched his fists.

    He would wee her with open arms as long as she was in that form.

    "Good morning. Did you sleep wellst night, Seol-Ah?"

    "Oh, yes. I was very happy."

    "Hohoho. You shouldnt monopolize the king too much. From time to time, I will also"

    "Of course. Oh, but in exchange, please teach me the technique you told me about"

    "Oh my, already?"

    The two women had made some kind of deal without Kang-Woo knowing. He paid it no mind and asked, "Are you here to eat?"

    "Oh, right. I was nning to, but something came up."

    "What happened?"

    "I will exin on the way. We will have to go right now." Lilith opened a Gate that led to the Hall of Protection in the middle of the living room. "There is something off about Gaia."

    * * *

    A woman with brown hair was lying on a bed in a room with almost no other furniture. Anyone could tell from just looking at her that she was in terrible condition: her cheeks were hollow, her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and she was panting heavily.

    "Haaa, haaa, haaa."

    "Gaia"

    Next to her bed, Si-Hun held Gaias trembling hands and lowered his head as if he were praying.

    It had been 30 minutes since Gaias condition had suddenly worsened. Si-Hun was bing more and more anxious with each second. He raised his head to look toward the middle-aged woman across from him, Grace McCubbin. She was publicly the leader of Guardians, but she had been Gaias caretaker since before Si-Hun had taken over that role for her.

    "Grace, what should we"

    "There is nothing we can do. This is not the first time this has happened."

    " Its happened before?"

    "Yes." Grace gently swept back Gaias hair, which was drenched with sweat. "Its exactly the same as back when she received the revtion about the Demon of Prophecy."

    The Demon of Prophecy

    Si-Hun frowned aggressively when he heard those words, and an immense bloodlust poured out of him.

    <em>m!</em>

    "Si-Hun!"

    " Hyung-nim."

    Kang-Woo mmed the door open and entered the room.

    "Hey! What happened?!"

    "I came as soon as I was contacted. Whats wrong?"

    Cha Yeon-Joo and Tian Wuchen arrived shortly after. And

    "I heard the news. The incarnation of Lady Gaia is in a weird condition?" Uriel also entered the room.

    All the super elites of Guardians and an archangel were gathered in one ce. A nervous atmosphere filled the room.

    "Haaa, haaa."

    "Are you okay, Gaia?" Kang-Woo asked as he walked toward her.

    Gaia nodded with great difficulty and tried to raise herself into a sitting position, but she copsed to the side.

    "Gaia!" Si-Hun helped support her.

    " Thank you, Protector Kim Si-Hun."

    Gaia faintly smiled and sat back up.

    "I received a new revtion."

    A heavy silence overtook the room.

    Kang-Woo listened to her words with caution.

    <em>Just what is it about for her expression to be this dark?</em>

    "I do not know the exact time frame, but"

    Gaia shut her eyes tight and bit her lip. The nervousness in the room worsened.

    "Lady Seraphs soul has fallen into the hands of darkness."

    <em>Wham!!</em>

    Kang-Woo mmed his fist down as soon as Gaia finished her sentence. He then spoke without hesitation

    "Was it Rakiels doing?"

 Chapter 310: Letâ€™s Do It

    Chapter 310: Let¡¯s Do It

    No matter how much anyone thought about it, there was only one being who could even be capable of corrupting Celestial Goddess Seraph.

    "Im not sure either," Gaia said as she shook her head. "However, Im sure that it has something to do with the Demon of Prophecy."

    "In that case, there is no question about it," Oh Kang-Woo said, a serious expression on his face. "Rakiel must have been the one who corrupted Lady Seraph."

    It was obvious, since Rakiel was the Constetion of Corruption and a loyal subordinate of the Demon of Prophecy.

    "W-Wait. What are you talking about?" Uriel looked around in confusion.

    He already knew very well that the power of Seraph keeping the Constetions of Evil sealed was gradually weakening. Her soul, which had gone missing a few years ago, needed to be found to restore that power. The other angels were searching across the entire continent of Aernor as they spoke, but

    <em>Lady Seraphs soul has fallen into the Demon of Prophecys hands?</em>

    Uriels face paled. If that was true, then it was a massive deal.

    "Shit, shit! Thats impossible Theres no way that Lady Seraphs soul has fallen into the Demon of Prophecys hands!" Uriel shouted aggressively.

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    Blue lightning sparked around him.

    "Calm down, Lord Uriel." Kang-Woo grabbed his shoulder.

    "Ah" Uriel lowered his head as if he were embarrassed. He said in a low voice, "Sorry."

    "Its okay. Im just as confused as you are."

    Kang-Woo also swept up his hair as if he couldnt understand what was going on.

    Gaia, who had been listening in silence, opened her mouth. "It seems I havent properly ryed Lady Gaias revtion. Lady Seraphs soul has not been corrupted."

    " What?" Uriels eyes widened. "Then are you saying that she sided with the Demon of Prophecy despite not having been corrupted?"

    " Yes, ording to Lady Gaia."

    "Nonsense!"

    <em>m!</em>

    He stomped on the ground.

    "Lady Seraph had been willing to be annihted in exchange for sealing the Constetions of Evil! And youre saying that, of her own free will, she sided with a demon out to destroy the world? How does that make any sense?!"

    He red at Gaia.

    Kim Si-Hun stood between them. "Please calm down, Lord Uriel. Gaia has only ryed the revtion that she received. Do you think arguing with her would change anything?"

    "Ugh"

    "Its okay, Si-Hun." Gaia sighed. "I didnt hear the details either. There is a high chance that Lady Gaia does not know either."

    ""

    "The important thing is that Lady Gaia hase to a decision due to this."

    " A decision?" Kang-Woo asked while frowning.

    <em>What decision could that useless god possibly make?</em>

    He couldnt help but feel uneasy.

    <em>Just please stay useless.</em>

    His head was already hurting because of Rakiel, so what was she trying to do now?

    "Yes, Lady Gaia has said that we need to restore the impaired Gaia System."

    ""

    <em>What?</em>

    "W-Wait." Kang-Woo raised his hand. "There was a way to restore it?"

    His mind was set aze with fury.

    <em>What the actual fuck?</em>

    If there had always been a way to restore the Gaia System, then there had been absolutely no point in Kang-Woo going through all that shitshow.

    <em>You fucking bitch.</em>

    The rising of the Demon Cult, the trespassing of the Nine Hells, the connection with Aernor, and even the interference from several other worlds all had happened because there had been no way to restore the Gaia System, which had been broken by the Demon of Prophecy.

    <em>But now she decides to mention that theres a way to restore it? Fucking hell! Thats the first fucking thing you shouldve told us!</em>

    Kang-Woo was so angry that it felt like his head was about to explode. He, of course, wasnt the Demon of Prophecy, but if he were, the thought of wanting to destroy the world would cross his mind.

    "Yes, but it is not a permanent solution."

    "Ah" A short exmation left Kang-Woos mouth.

    <em>She still shouldve told us.</em>

    They were in no situation to discuss whether it was a permanent fix or not, but if ones house was burning, they should at least try to piss on it to put it out.

    "Why did she never tell us about it if she knew how to fix the Gaia System all this time?"

    <em>Yeah, Yeon-Joo, well said.</em>

    Cha Yeon-Joo also frowned in disbelief, and so did Si-Hun, Tian Wuchen, and Grace McCubbin. They didnt say it outright, but they were just as bbergasted.

    Gaia sighed deeply.

    "I also asked Lady Gaia regarding that matter. After all, she had said that there was no way to restore the protection until now."

    "What did she say?"

    Gaia remained silent for a moment, clenching her fists before slowly opening her mouth. "After hearing her exnation I understood why she had kept quiet about it all this time."

    "So, how do we do it?"

    Gaia exined, "When the Demon of Prophecy went through the Earths protection and came here, Lady Gaia said that a huge Rift appeared in the barrier. Its a wound of sorts. If we enter the Rift and destroy its core, we will apparently be able to close it, albeit temporarily."

    " That still doesnt exin why she had kept quiet about it all this time," Yeon-Joo stated while narrowing her eyes.

    Entering a Rift and destroying its core certainly sounded dangerous, but it still didnt make sense why she would keep quiet about the Rift despite it having caused Earths protection to fall apart.

    "Is it because the one who destroys this Rift Core can nevere back or something?" Kang-Woo asked while narrowing his eyes.

    If that was why

    <em>Ill have to split that bitch Gaias head open.</em>

    The true threats alwaysy within rather than outside. If she really had been hiding the truth because she did not want to force someone to be a sacrifice, he would actually need to consider getting rid of Gaia.

    <em>Surely she cant be that useless.</em>

    At that point, it was no longer a matter of her being useless or not. She would just be a straight-up nuisance.

    "No, nothing like that. We would apparently have more than enough time to escape before the Rift closes after we destroy its core. However we would be stuck in the dimensional crack for all eternity if we dont manage to escape."

    Kang-Woo sighed in relief.

    <em>Thank God shes not that dumb. In that case, why didnt she tell us?</em>

    He gave Gaia a questioning look.

    Gaia opened her mouth, a heavy expression on her face. "This Rift does not appear under normal circumstances. Earths protection is frantically sealing the Rifts, so its impossible to enter Rifts like we do Gates."

    "Then"

    "Yes, to enter this Rift" Gaia said with a trembling voice, "Earths protection must be temporarily lowered."

    There was a heavy silence.

    Kang-Woo put his hand on his forehead.

    "Fuck"

    The only good thing about this was that Gaia had not been as useless as he had expected.

    <em>This could seriously fuck us over.</em>

    To put it simply, they had to go to surgery to save a patient, but they could proceed with the surgery only if they stopped the patients heart beforehand.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    If they failed, it was the end.

    Even if they seeded, if they didnt manage to do it in time, all sorts of otherworldly beings would invade Earth.

    As soon as the Gaia System was suspended, they had to enter the Rift, destroy the core, ande back out as soon as possible to reactivate the Gaia System. And despite the massive risk they would have to shoulder, it would only be a temporary fix.

    " I can understand why she kept quiet about it."

    It wasnt something a sane person would consider. Leaving the danger aside, the risk was unfathomable.

    "Yes, but with Lady Seraph having fallen into the hands of the Demon of Prophecy, Lady Gaia has said that this is the only way to restore the Gaia System."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. The choice was up to him.

    <em>The situations actually nowhere near as perilous as Gaia thinks.</em>

    He was the only one who knew why Seraph was siding with darkness despite not having been corrupted. There was nothing Gaia needed to be worried about.

    <em>But</em>

    It was ultimately a matter of time. As long as the Gaia System continued to weaken, the end was inevitable. Kang-Woos original n had been to get stronger and raise Guardians to the point that they would be able to protect Earth from otherworldly interference.

    <em>But if this n works</em>

    He would be able to dy that end. Kang-Woo closed his eyes and wondered what he should do. The scale in his head was not tilting in favor of either side.

    "Is halting Earths protection really that big of a deal? Whats so bad about turning it off for just a bit and then back on?" Yeon-Joo asked while tilting her head.

    She didnt exactly know Earths circumstances and what the Gaia System was.

    Si-Hun said, "The Earths protection is"

    "Let me exin," Gaia cut him off. She then exined to Yeon-Joo the Earths current situation and the otherworldly beings that would invade as soon as its protection disappeared.

    "Wh-What?" The longer the exnation went on, the paler Yeon-Joos face became. "Wait. If thats the case, then isnt this n absolutely insane? If were not able to close the Rift quickly enough after we deactivate the protection"

    "In the worst-case scenario, Earth could be invaded by an otherworldly army."

    Yeon-Joo remained silent. She had already experienced the hell of the entire Earth being invaded by an otherworldly army.

    "Youre saying that something simr to what happened on the Day of Cmity might happen again, right?"

    " Yes." Gaia nodded.

    Once again, there was a heavy silence.

    "But that actually isnt the biggest problem," Gaia said.

    " Then what is?"

    "Not even Lady Gaia knows where the Rift is."

    "Wh-What? Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!"

    If the same analogy of the surgery was used again, then forget stopping the heart; they couldnt even perform the surgery since they had no idea where the injury was.

    "Lady Gaia said that three days was the absolute limit. If we dont find the Rift, destroy its core, and escape by then, a catastrophe of the same level as the Day of Cmity will happen again."

    "How the hell are we supposed to find it in three days?!"

    Finding a Rift that they had no idea where it could be in just three days was just absurd.

    " Gaia. I agree with Yeon-Joo. This operation is far too reckless," Si-Hun said while also shaking his head.

    Gaia smiled bitterly while nodding. "Yes, I think so too. Ill do my best to tell Lady Gaia. Please forget about this and"

    "Wait," Kang-Woo interrupted. "If we know where the Rift is the sess rate would skyrocket, wouldnt it?"

    "Oh, yes. Of course."

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists.

    The scale in his head tilted instantly.

    <em>The Rift that had formed when the Demon of Prophecy hade to Earth</em>

    He knew exactly where it was.

    "Lets do it."

    The restoration of the continuously weakening Gaia System was in his hands.<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    IM FINALLY DONE WITH THIS GODDAMN FIXING!!! GOD THAT WAS THE WORST 310 CHAPTERS OF MY LIFE. IM NEVER DOING ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN</blockquote>

 Chapter 311: Into the Rift

    Chapter 311: Into the Rift

    ¡°What? You want to do this?¡± Cha Yeon-Joo asked in absurdity.

    There was a limit to being insane; even if Guardians possessed enough authority to exert control over countries all over the world, the chances of closing a Gate that they didn¡¯t even know where it could be was far too low. It was like finding a needle in a desert, so it was difficult to do even if they mobilized every single yer in the world to find it.

    ¡°If my thoughts are correct, I can pinpoint where the Rift is to an extent,¡± Oh Kang-Woo said calmly.

    He of course did not know to an extent; he knew exactly where it was.

    <em>¡®The E-rank Gate that I first met Seol-Ah in.¡¯</em>

    He was sure that the Rift was in the Gate inhabited by Goblins.

    <em>¡®But I can¡¯t just say that outright.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t afford to answer that he knew because he was the Demon of Prophecy if they happened to ask how he knew.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t be the one to find the Rift.¡¯</em>

    It needed to be found by someone else. Only then would he be able to escape suspicion.

    ¡°How can you pinpoint where the Rift is, hyung-nim?¡± asked Kim Si-Hun while tilting his head.

    Kang-Woo slowly answered after taking some time to settle, ¡°You know that demonic beasts appear in Gates, don¡¯t you, Si-Hun?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, of course.¡±

    Unlike monsters that had mana stones within them, demonic beasts moved with the power of demonic energy. These beasts were known as variant monsters within the Gates, and were considered a form of<em>disaster</em>.

    Demonic beasts appeared in all Gates, regardless of rank. In other words, demonic beasts of around the Fifth to Sixth Hell appeared within C-rank Gates. Not just that, since they did not drop the expensive energy sources that were mana stones, many yers naturally avoided them, to the point that they avoided hunting in that Gate even after the demonic beast had been subjugated.

    ¡°If we assume that demonic beasts started to appear in Gates because the Demon of Prophecy crossed into Earth, it¡¯s highly likely that it is due to the influence of those Rifts,¡± Kang-Woo surmised.

    ¡°Oh, if that¡¯s the case¡­¡± Si-Hun¡¯s eyes shone as if he had noticed what Kang-Woo was trying to get at. ¡°The Rift must be within one of the Gates that a demonic beast had been reported in.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Kang-Woo answered while nodding.

    Not even he knew exactly if there was a connection between the two, but the important thing was to package it as something that resembles the truth. However, it was not without its ws.

    ¡°But there are tons of Gates with unconfirmed demonic beast appearances. It¡¯s not like every single Gate on Earth has been checked.¡±

    Yeon-Joo pointed out the w in his deduction. Like she had said, the only Gates with confirmed demonic beast appearances were the ones with high yer traffic. Earth had not yet been able to reim all thend that had been taken by monsters, and there were hundreds of Gates that were restricted to yers. Since the operation was unbelievably risky, simply relying on probability was suicide.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I have a proposition,¡± Kang-Woo suggested.

    Since he had expected such a rebuttal, he continued without hesitation. He turned his gaze toward Gaia.

    ¡°Gaia, could you tell the gods to turn off Earth¡¯s protection for three hours instead of three days?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ That should be possible,¡± Gaia answered.

    ¡°If we¡¯re unable to find the Rift within those three hours, let¡¯s give up on this operation.¡±

    Silence fell. Si-Hun, Yeon-Joo and Uriel fell into thought.

    ¡°Three hours should be enough to somewhat resist the otherworldly interference, right?¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    ¡°Since they had brought up three days in the beginning, if it¡¯s three hours¡­ There may be some consequences, but I believe it¡¯s more than possible. But¡­¡± Gaia continued in worry. ¡°Would we really be able to¡­ find it in just three hours?¡±

    ¡°We have to,¡± Kang-Woo replied withposure. ¡°We can¡¯t just stand around while the Demon of Prophecy and his subordinates slowly grow stronger.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°I also agree with Kang-Woo,¡± the blue-haired boy interjected while raising his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know why Lady Seraph decided to take the Demon of Prophecy¡¯s side, but¡­ If that is what they had nned to happen, I can¡¯t just let it be.¡±

    Uriel still couldn¡¯t believe that Seraph had taken the side of demons, but he did not doubt the revtion of a goddess that possessed top-grade Divinity.

    <em>¡®I have to buy time.¡¯</em>

    He needed enough time to let Michael know of the situation and think up a countermeasure. Restoring Earth¡¯s protection and returning Gaia¡¯s power to an extent would buy more than enough of that time.

    Gaia clenched her small fists while shutting her lips tight.

    She said while softly nodding, ¡°... I understand. In exchange, I will tell Lady Gaia to reactivate Earth¡¯s protection after three hours pass, no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded. He slowly got up and slowly turned around.

    <em>¡®Now, then¡­¡¯</em>

    It was time to prepare for the operation.

    ***

    There was not much action that Kang-Woo himself needed to take for this operation. yers of Guardians had been dispatched in parties to every Gate that had been reported of demonic beast appearances. Of course, a party had also been dispatched to the E-rank Gate through which Kang-Woo had first arrived on Earth. Even though Kang-Woo had not done anything, Si-Hun had gone to that Gate himself because it had been deemed a dangerous Gate with more than five demonic beast appearances.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way that Si-Hun wouldn¡¯t be able to find the Rift.¡¯</em>

    Although there was a chance that the Rift wouldn¡¯t be found since each Gate differed in interior size, there was absolutely no need to worry in Si-Hun¡¯s case; he could use Sword Control, albeit limited, to fly into the sky to look around.

    ¡°Right, then.¡±

    With themencement of the operation imminent, Kang-Woo raised his right hand to take a look at the ck ring on his middle finger. The three of the five geometric symbols were shining faintly.

    <em>¡®To acquire the fourth key¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the message windows that had popped up back when Han Seol-Ah had fallen from grace. He had not been able to check them at the time, but message windows were able to be checkedter.

    [You mustplete a prerequisite quest to acquire the fourth key of the Demonic Sea, ¡®Greed¡¯.]

    [Prerequisite Quest: ¡®Light-Craving Demon¡¯]

    [Create one or more techniques thatbine sacred power and demonic energy.]

    ¡°Holy fuck, what a fucking name for a quest.¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but cringe no matter how many times he looked at it. He sighed as he read the quest description.

    He had thought at first that it was actually simplerpared to what he had to do to acquire the second and third keys because he was sure that there was no one better than him when it came to controlling energies within himself, whether that be sacred power or demonic energy.

    It was not wrong; his control over demonic energy was so impressive that he had even forced the Demon God back into the Abyss of the Demonic Sea, and that control was improving even more through sleeping with Seol-Ah.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    That had not been the case after actually trying it out. Combining sacred power and demonic energy was impossible; it was like being told to make a cold fire.

    <em>¡®I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be this difficult.¡¯</em>

    It was possible to maneuver them so that they did not sh with each other, and to use each of them separately. However, creating a technique thatbined them was impossible. The power aside, it was not feasible since they violently rejected one another as soon as they came into contact.

    ¡°What an annoyance.¡±

    Kang-Woo wondered if it was possible to clear the quest in the first ce.

    <em>¡®There is¡­ one way.¡¯</em>

    There was a way tobine the two energies. If he just made them sh by force instead of trying to mix them together, the power generated from such an attack would be unreal.

    <em>¡®But the problem is whether or not that would count as a technique.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was just adding two chemicals that reacted aggressively with one another and throwing it. And like he had expected, the system did not acknowledge such a thing to be a technique.

    ¡°... I¡¯ll have to leave it aside for now.¡±

    He honestly did not know how. There could be a way if he raised his demonic energy control some more, but if it could be raised so easily, he would never have had to go through that shitshow known as molting.

    ¡°Mm¡­ Come to think of it, the symptoms are kind of simr to molting.¡±

    When he had tried to mix demonic energy and sacred power by force, pain akin to his skin being ripped off radiated through his entire body like what had happened with molting. It had been so bad to the point that he was worried that Seol-Ah would fall again if she ever saw him like that.

    <em>¡®The effects of mixing demonic energy and sacred power is¡­ simr to molting.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo fell into thought with his arms crossed. It was very stifling to feel like something was about toe to mind, but wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and stood up.

    This was not the time to be thinking about this. He looked over the details of the operation onest time and waited for Gaia¡¯s call.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    ¡°Kang-Woo,¡± Seol-Ah called.

    ¡°Yeah, darling?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all gathered in the living room.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Kang-Woo stood up and went out his room door. He was supposed to investigate whether a Rift had appeared in an SS-rank Gate in the Middle East, but he obviously did not go there.

    <em>¡®Since the Rift will be found in the E-rank Gate that Si-Hun is in.¡¯</em>

    ¡°My king. I, Balrog, havee in ordance to your summons to act as your swor¡ª¡±

    ¡°Kang-Woo!¡±

    ¡°Master Kang-Woooooo!¡±

    A little girl and a woman(?) ran toward Kang-Woo while cutting off Balrog, who had been speaking in seriousness while kneeling.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, guys. How did your training go?¡±

    ¡°Kang-Woo, I trained super hard,¡± Echidna said while looking up at him with sparkling eyes.

    Kang-Woo smirked and patted her head.

    ¡°Waaaaahh! I¡¯ve missed you, Master Kang-Woo!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±

    Kang-Woo lightly pushed back Halcyon, who had run at him with terrifying speed. He gave it no concern and wrapped his arms around Kang-Woo¡¯s neck.

    Kang-Woo quickly turned his head.

    <em>¡®Fuck.¡¯</em>

    He could see the light disappearing from Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Urgh¡­ Ngh. D-Did you m-miss me too, Master K-Kang-Woo?¡±

    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em>

    ¡°H-Hehehe. W-Would you like to sleep with m-me since it¡¯s been a while?¡±

    <em>¡®You¡¯ll die if you do.¡¯</em>

    Not by Kang-Woo, but by his darling, currently holding a kitchen knife.

    ¡°Ahem,¡± Kang-Woo coughed while pushing off the clinging Halcyon.

    The light in Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes gradually returned. She put down the kitchen knife.

    ¡°Now¡­ The operation is about to begin. Gather around. I have something to exin to all of you.¡±

    Kang-Woo sat on the couch, and across him stood Seol-Ah, Balrog, Echidna and Halcyon. They were the ones who more or less knew about Kang-Woo¡¯s true self, unlike Si-Hun and the other Guardians members. They were the ones that would join him in closing the Rift.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Lilith and Vaal Zahak?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Lilith is regting information from the Hall of Protection, and Vaal Zahak is keeping an eye on Lucis.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    ¡°Balrog, have you seeded in what I told you to dost time?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have almost perfectly adapted to this human body,¡± Balrog answered while manifesting the Overlord Armor on his right arm.

    Kang-Woo nodded again and continued, ¡°You guys will be¡­¡±

    He slowly exined the details of the n.

    <em>Whoom!</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯smunication crystal rang. It was from Si-Hun.

    <em>- Hyung-nim! A purple Rift that we¡¯ve never seen before has appeared!</em>

    ¡°Got it,¡± Kang-Woo answered concisely and turned to his four party members. ¡°Let¡¯s head out.¡±

 Chapter 312: Satellite World (1)

    Chapter 312: Satellite World (1)

    In the suburbs of Seoul was an E-rank Gate very popr among low-level yers, bustling with Goblins that even an adult man could hunt as long as they had a weapon. However, that was mostly in the past; the rank of the Gate had been adjusted to S after the appearance of demonic beasts known as variant monsters.

    The appearance of variant monsters was a problem in and of itself, but the bigger problem was that each of these demonic beasts were so strong that World Rankers needed to get involved. Even Sword Dragon Kim Si-Hun, the strongest yer in humanity and assumed to be far above World Rankers, had to be mobilized once.

    ¡°Hyung-nim! Over here!¡± Si-Hun shouted to Oh Kang-Woo, who had brought his subordinates.

    Kang-Woo, after hearing him, followed Si-Hun¡¯s voice. No, he did not even have to follow his voice to know where to go.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s been three years.¡¯</em>

    Faint nostalgia hit him; the memories of feeling despair when he saw the message windows and Goblins in front of him, frantically running toward where he had heard Han Seol-Ah¡¯s scream, and shedding tears from the beauty of a woman he had met after ten millennia and asking her to marry him¡­

    All sorts of memories shed through his mind.

    ¡°Kang-Woo, this ce is¡­¡± Seol-Ah whispered, having remembered where this ce was.

    Kang-Woo softly nodded. ¡°Yeah. This is where we first met.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Seol-Ah¡¯s face reddened, and she smiled. ¡°Hehe. Back then, I¡¯d never thought we would end up together like this.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± he smirked. ¡°Come to think of it, what did you think of me on our first meeting? You know, your first impression of me.¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah fell into thought while lightly cing her right index finger on her lips. She was looking back on her first meeting with Kang-Woo.

    ¡°At first, I thought you were a weirdo.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But back then¡­ You tore off your clothes and treated my wound, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. I did.¡±

    Kang-Woo recalled doing that when he had seen that Seol-Ah¡¯s leg was injured.

    ¡°It was from that moment,¡± Seol-Ah remarked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    A smile bloomed on Seol-Ah. ¡°From that moment¡­ I fell in love with you.¡±

    ¡°Darling¡­!¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s cheekbones ascended. His face burned hot from thinking of himself back then.

    <em>¡®Screw three kids.¡¯</em>

    They needed at least five.

    <em>¡®After all, both Seol-Ah and I¡¯ll be living far too long.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t stop smiling while thinking of his rosy future ahead.

    Cha Yeon-Joo, who had joined them after meeting at the Gate entrance, stared daggers at them. She frowned and spat on the ground.

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    All couples should die by being skewered with bamboo spears and burned alive.

    ***

    <em>Crackle! Spark!</em>

    ¡°... It¡¯s certainly a color we¡¯ve never seen before,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve never seen a purple Rift before,¡± Si-Hun replied.

    A purple Rift was in the air where Kang-Woo had firste to Earth and met Goblins. He carefully approached the Rift, picked up a rock near it and threw it in. The rock disappeared into the Rift as if it had been sucked inside.

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡­ happened,¡± Si-Hun mumbled while staring at the purple Rift. He then said while looking down at his watch, ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left, hyung-nim.¡±

    They had found the Rift right away, but they only had three hours for this operation. They had to close the Rift as soon as possible to minimize otherworldly influence on Earth.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside right n¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Kang-Woo grabbed Si-Hun¡¯s shoulder as he was approaching the Rift impatiently. He turned his head to say, ¡°All of you, stay back.¡±

    After getting everyone to step away from the purple Rift, he carefully approached it.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s no different from regr Rifts just from its outer appearance.¡¯</em>

    He needed to confirm whether it was just the color that was different, or if there was some other fundamental difference.

    <em>¡®What energy has it been made with?¡¯</em>

    For instance, ck Rifts were made with demonic energy. Kang-Woo slowly extended his hand and touched the purple Rift.

    <em>Whoom!</em>

    Just then, the purple Rift fluctuated. A powerful force pulled him in.

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    Kang-Woo tried to pull out his arm while biting his lip, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. He created a ck de with the Authority of des and swung down on his arm without hesitation.

    <em>sh!</em>

    He cut off his arm, ck blood spewing everywhere. He turned to look behind him; thankfully, Uriel had not arrived yet. He slightly grimaced from the pain shooting up from his arm.

    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± Si-Hun shouted.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m f¡ª¡±

    <em>Whoom¡ª!</em>

    Just as Kang-Woo was about to say that he was fine, the purple Rift expanded explosively and engulfed him.

    ¡°Shit, Kang-Woo hyung!¡±

    Si-Hun jumped into the Rift after Kang-Woo.

    ¡°My king!¡±

    ¡°Kang-Woo!¡±

    Balrog and Seol-Ah quickly approached the Rift.

    ¡°What¡­ the hell?¡± Yeon-Joo mumbled.

    Before they even had time to be shocked, the purple Rift expanding at tremendous speed swallowed everything around it whole. The E-rank Gate that had once been like a sanctuary for low-level yers was swallowed by the purple Rift.

    ***

    ¡°Kuh.¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes. He narrowed his eyes from the pain shooting up from his arm. He raised himself up from the ground and looked around.

    ¡°Where¡­¡±

    He was in a deste area. The sky was ash-colored, and the ground was so dry that it was split everywhere. Giant rocks that seemed to be from wreckages were scattered all over the ce.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have entered ¡®Shade¡¯, a satellite world of the Triad!]

    ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± Kang-Woo cursed as he read the message window that had popped up in front of him. First and foremost¡­

    <em>¡®Authority of Regeneration.¡¯</em>

    He grabbed his arm on the ground and ced it on his severed arm stump. The wound regenerated instantly as it bubbled.

    ¡°Now, then¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly read the message window in front of him again, and his eyes narrowed into slits.

    <em>¡®What is this supposed to mean?¡¯</em>

    He had no idea what the Triad or satellite world was. They were strange names that an author trying to act cool for no reason would havee up with.

    <em>¡®I seriously have no idea what Triad means. As for the satellite world¡­ Is it like the satellites that orbits?¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t make anything out of these terms, but he could assume that there was a world known as the Triad, and he had entered one of the worlds that orbited it.

    ¡°Fucking hell, we¡¯re really raising the scales. Are we writing some kind of odyssey or something?¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled. He recalled the novel that had published over a thousand chapters over the span of ten years back when he had still been on Earth.

    <em>¡®That aside¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and looked around. He could not see a single one of hisrades that he was sure had been engulfed with him.

    <em>¡®Authority of the Beholder.¡¯</em>

    He looked for traces of those that had been linked to him by the soul, such as Si-Hun, Balrog, Echidna and Halcyon.

    ¡°... Shit.¡±

    However, as if he was looking at a screen filled with static, he could not pinpoint their locations. The only thing he could feel was that they were still alive.

    <em>¡®Seol-Ah is fine too.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had crammed the Authority of Protection plus other Authorities into the ring that he had given Seol-Ah. He was easily able to check that her life was not in danger even from far away.

    ¡°... I guess I have to find them myself.¡±

    Aside from that, he needed to destroy the Rift Core, the key objective of this operation. Realizing that he did not have a lot of time, he soared into the air using the Authority of the Sky.

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­?¡±

    Just then, Kang-Woo saw Seol-Ah among the rocks scattered about. She quickly approached him with a smile as soon as she saw him.

    ¡°So this is where you were!¡± she eximed.

    ¡°Darling?¡±

    ¡°Phew. I was so scared after being separated from you.¡±

    Seol-Ah approached Kang-Woo and embraced his arm. A soft sensation enveloped his arm.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression hardened for an instant, but he quickly regained hisposure.

    ¡°Have you found anyone else?¡± asked Seol-Ah.

    ¡°No, not yet.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Seol-Ah sighed in disappointment.

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anyone else either.¡±

    ¡°How long has it been since you woke up?¡±

    ¡°I just woke up as well. Behind that rock over there. I happened to see you as I was looking around in confusion,¡± she remarked as she pointed at a rock behind her.

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded. He raised his head and looked around the area in detail one more time. He checked the distance between the rock that Seol-Ah had pointed at and where they were right now.

    ¡°... I see,¡± he mumbled while nodding as if he was thinking about something very deeply.

    ¡°Um, Kang-Woo.¡±

    Seol-Ah embraced his arm even tighter and called him with a trembling voice. She twisted around as if she needed to pee and leaned on him while panting heatedly.

    ¡°I was¡­ so scared because I was separated from you,¡± Seol-Ah said seductively. She reached into his clothes. ¡°How about we do it for a bit¡­ before we go find the others?¡±

    ¡°N-Now? Right here?¡± Kang-Woo asked, his face dyed with bewilderment.

    Seol-Ah nodded. She then answered restlessly, ¡°Yes. I¡­ can¡¯t hold it any longer.¡±

    Kang-Woo gulped. He looked around, and then grabbed her shoulders.

    ¡°In that case¡­¡±

    Their lips grew closer.

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah closed her eyes. She pushed her breasts on Kang-Woo and wrapped her arms around his neck.

    <em>Slip.</em>

    Seol-Ah¡¯s shadow moved like a living organism along the ground. It traveled up Kang-Woo¡¯s body and slowly reached for his head. A sharp de came out of the shadow and aimed for the back of his head.

    ¡°But, you know¡­¡± Kang-Woo suddenly opened his mouth while tilting his head for a kiss.

    ¡°Yes? What is it, Kang-Woo?¡± asked Seol-Ah, flustered.

    The corners of his mouth curled up as he stared at her.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve done a better job.¡±

    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not that small.¡±

    ¡°What do you m¡ª¡±

    <em>Crack.</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s hands that had been on Seol-Ah ¡®s shoulders suddenly grabbed her neck.

    He pulled her away from him and continued, ¡°My darling¡¯s aren¡¯t that small, dammit.¡±

 Chapter 313: Satellite World (2)

    Chapter 313: Satellite World (2)

    Kurgh! Cough!

    Han Seol-Ah struggled in pain from being strangled. No, to be more precise, something that had the form of Han Seol-Ah was struggling. Her skin melted down, leaving behind a quivering darkness. It was a unique and grotesque lifeform, as if it was made of shadows.

    Oh Kang-Woo smirked. Are you a Detective Conan criminal?

    The lifeform looked exactly like that.

    !! the lifeform eximed in an unknownnguage.

    Kang-Woo used the Authority of Language to interpret the aliennguage.

    L-Let me go! Kuh!

    Well, I guess you have some form of intelligence.

    That made things much easier. Kang-Woo pulled the ck shadow toward him and his eyes narrowed into slits.

    Who are you, and where are we?

    Kuh!

    The ck shadow averted Kang-Woos gaze. Kang-Woo ferociously bared his teeth. A savage bloodlust that a mortal being could not dare hope to endure flowed out from him.

    E-Eek! the ck shadow eximed in fear.

    It trembled. ck shadows spurted out from its mouth as if it was frothing.

    <em>I should tone it down a bit.</em>

    Aside from having almost perfectly turned into Seol-Ah, the ck shadow seemed to becking in purebat prowess. It seemed to be as strong as a demon from the Fifth or Sixth Hell at most. There was no way that it would be able to endure the energy exuding from Kang-Woo, who had reached a point that those without Divinity could not dare face, and even made the princes of Hell feel like ants.

    Kang-Woo lowered the energy he was exuding a little.

    Hurgh! Haaa! Haaa!

    Now, tell me. Who are you?

    ...

    The ck shadow quivered. It said in a voice filled with rage, Thats what I want to know. Are you the same as <em>them</em>?

    I dont know what youre referring to, but I believe Im the one asking the questions.

    Kang-Woo added more strength into his hands. The shadow groaned in pain.

    Urrhh

    I dont have time to waste, so tell me now.

    The ck demonic energy flowing from Kang-Woos body wrapped around the shadow. He forcibly made the shadow submit by using the Authority of Fear.

    The shadow spoke soon after, W-We are the residents of this world.

    Residents?

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. This satellite world was known as shade, and the shadows were its residents.

    <em>They live here?</em>

    Kang-Woo looked around. The sky was ash, and the ground was arid. It was as horrid as the Nine Hells. He could not believe that there were beings that actually lived here.

    You must have quite the vitality if you can live in a world like this, Kang-Woo remarked.

    The ck shadow flinched, and thick bloodlust rose from it. You You bastards were the ones who made our world like this! How dare you say such a thing after trampling on ournd? Y-You scumbags!

    What the hell are you talking about?

    Kang-Woo had not even been aware of a world like this, so he could not understand what the shadow was trying to say.

    Shit Shit! I will not let you bastards have your way! the ck shadowshed out. Death to all outer worlds!

    The shadows eyes widened, and its body shook madly as if it were having a seizure.

    What the f!

    The shadow hung down before Kang-Woo could do anything. Kang-Woo quickly bit his thumb to make blood and used the Authority of Regeneration, but the drooping shadow did not regenerate.

    <em>Itmitted suicide somehow.</em>

    It had been his first time meeting such a being, so he had not been able to prepare in any way. Kang-Woo grimaced andid the drooping shadow on the ground.

    Shit.

    Hecked information. All he knew was that this world was known as Shade, and these ck shadows were its residents.

    <em>Based on what it said, this world seems to have been attacked by one of the otherworldly beings.</em>

    However, Kang-Woo had no idea who it was nor why. He looked up to look at the ash-colored, deste world. He did not know what Shade used to look like, but it was highly likely that it had at least been capable of sustaining life.

    <em>Who was it?</em>

    Kang-Woo had no idea who could have destroyed a world so horribly.

    Tsk, he clicked his tongue.

    It would only be a waste of time for him to keep thinking about it.

    <em>For now</em>

    Kang-Woo extended his hand toward the shadow on the ground.

    <em>Authority of Predation.</em>

    ck smoke came out of his hand and engulfed the shadow. <em>Crunch, crunch.</em> The Authority of Predation devoured the shadow without a trace.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have acquired the unique ability of the Shade species, Mimicry.]

    [You are able to change your appearance into that of a different being for a limited time.]

    <em>This is</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes widened. He had gotten an unexpected profit.

    <em>This should be extremely useful.</em>

    As long as he had this ability, there was no longer any need for costumes. None of his demonic energy, sacred power nor mana had risen, but this was a valuable ability in a different way. He tried changing into Kim Si-Hun by using Mimicry.

    Wow.

    The transformation was so perfect that even he was impressed. It was so perfect that even Si-Hun himself would be confused. Kang-Woo canceled Mimicry.

    <em>This isnt the time.</em>

    Finding his scatteredrades took priority.

    I dont think theyd be in any real danger

    The Mimicry of the Shades, which was what Kang-Woo had decided to call the shadows, would likely not be seen through by anyone, but even in the worst-case scenario, the Shadesbat prowess was terribly low. It was the same as trying to assassinate someone with a de made of cotton. Considering thebat prowess of every member currently in the Rift, they would have absolutely no trouble against the Shades.

    <em>Even so, I should find them as soon as I can.</em>

    Kang-Woo flew up using the Authority of the Sky. He saw someone not that far away. It was Han Seol-Ah.

    <em>Im notpletely sure yet, though.</em>

    Considering the Shades unique ability, it was too soon to make assumptions. Kang-Woo quickly flew toward Seol-Ah.

    ... Kang-Woo?

    In her hand was Kang-Woos severed head. ck shadow flowed down from the severed area like blood.

    <em>Holy fuck.</em>

    Kang-Woo flinched from seeing the head of a being that looked exactly like him. He felt like he could see behind her an ocean with a twilighting down on it for some reason. He instinctively checked to see whether or not his head was intact.

    Are you really Kang-Woo? Seol-Ah asked in doubt.

    She seemed to have been attacked by a Shade that had turned into Kang-Woo. She cautiously approached him and pulled up his shirt.

    Ah

    Seol-Ah smiled brightly as soon as she saw the red marks on his chest.

    Kang-Woo!

    She hugged him.

    <em>Its the real darling.</em>

    The two of them, who had both affirmed each others identities in their own way, silently embraced each other for a moment.

    Kang-Woo then asked, Have you seen anyone else?

    No. I saw a weird monster that took the form of you as soon as I came to my senses, so Seol-Ah continued in embarrassment. I cut off its head in disgust.

    ... Oh, I see.

    Kang-Woo stared at her with mixed feelings. He had managed to stop her fall from grace, but it seemed like its influence still remained somewhat.

    <em>I can only hope she gets used to the body of an angel.</em>

    Now that Seol-Ahs body had be closer to that of an angel due to Seraphs influence, Kang-Woo could only hope for her to learn how to control her obsession. Not even he knew how to artificially control a racial characteristic.

    Lets search for the others for the time being, Kang-Woo suggested.

    Okay.

    He took Seol-Ah with him to find the others. They were fortunately able to find the others as soon as they began their search; it seemed like Seol-Ah hadnt been the only one who had not been far away.

    Fucking hell, what are these things? Theyre giving me goosebumps, Cha Yeon-Joo said while frowning in disgust.

    You werent able to tell? asked Kang-Woo.

    How can I when they look the exact same? I got chills the moment I felt bloodlust from it.

    Yeon-Joo had also been attacked by a Shade mimicking Kang-Woo, but she had easily blocked its attack and tore the Shade apart.

    Hehe, but I feel super refreshed for some reason, Yeon-Joo said while stretching, as if refreshed from tearing apart the Shade that had taken Kang-Woos form.

    Kang-Woo frowned while staring at the multiple corpses in his form on the ground.

    <em>But why are they all mimicking me?</em>

    The Shades that had attacked Balrog, Echidna, Halcyon and even Si-Hun had all taken his form.

    <em>Sniff</em>. Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo

    Echidna shed tears while grabbing Kang-Woos clothes. She seemed to have been considerably shocked when the Shade mimicking him had attacked her.

    Kang-Woo patted her head. Were you surprised?

    Yeah. I thought you had abandoned me. I thought I was going to be alone again.

    Tsk, Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and flicked Echidnas forehead.

    Ouch.

    Theres no way that would happen, he dered.

    Echidna smiled.

    But hyung-nim, arent these Shades acting strangely? Si-Hun mentioned.

    I thought so too. They were as desperate as prey being chased by a predator, Balrog agreed.

    The Shades actions certainly left questions.

    Si-Hun said while nodding, Despite having such a perfect transformation ability They attacked as soon as they approached us. Rather urgently, on top of that.

    They would have had a much better chance if they actually took their time.

    Kang-Woo nodded at Si-Hun and Balrogs opinions. It definitely seems like something is happening in this world.

    Mm

    Whatever the case, we cant just stand around here.

    They needed to find and destroy the Rift Core as soon as possible. Finding the core itself was not difficult.

    Did Gaia give you that?

    Yes. She said that it would lead us to the core, Si-Hun said while using the pure-white crystal orb that he had received from Gaia.

    A white light poured out from the crystal orb and pointed in a certain direction. Once they followed the light, they could see a ball of purple energy.

    <em>Thats the Rift Core.</em>

    It was about thirty meters in diameter. The massive sphere was distorting the space around it.

    So we just have to destroy that, huh? Kang-Woo expressed.

    It was a piece of cake. He used the Key of the Demonic Sea to create Inferno. He slowly raised the sword wrapped in mes.

    Twilight.

    A terrifying heat that felt as if it would burn down the world itself poured out from the sword. Kang-Woo swung it down without hesitation.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    Just then, the purple sphere split. The hand of a giant demonic beast came out of it and flicked the mes away.

 Chapter 314: King of Demonic Beasts

    Chapter 314: King of Demonic Beasts

    It was a giant bull with arms like that of a human. Its ck mane like that of a lion fluttered. The monster, which made the 30-meter Rift Core look tiny, lightly flicked Infernos mes and snorted.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    ck mes fumed from its nostrils.

    What the

    Oh Kang-Woo grimaced. Thick demonic energy that intimidated even him poured out from the monster.

    Th-Thats! Balrog slurred with his eyes widened.

    Kang-Woo looked toward him and asked, What is that thing?

    Balrog remained silent with his face pale. He finally muttered while looking up at the giant monster, That is Behemoth.

    What?

    Behemoth was the father of Leviathan, one of the seven princes of Hell, as well as the king of demonic beasts. He was so powerful that trespassing into his territory was suicide, even for the princes of Hell.

    Why is Behemoth here? Kang-Woo said with his eyes narrowed.

    The being that should be in the Nine Hells was here for some reason.

    <em>Come to think of it</em>

    He had heard before from Balrog that Behemoth had been moving beyond his territory.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    He had never even imagined meeting the king of demonic beasts in a ce like this.

    <em>Should I fight him? </em>Kang-Woo thought as he looked up at the gigantic demonic beast.

    If he had been the same as his past self in the Ninth Hell, he wouldnt even have dared to think about facing Behemoth; that was how synonymous the name "Behemoth"<em></em>was to death. If Behemoth did not stay within his territory, all demons in Hell would have died by his hands.

    <em>But now</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists. His blood boiled. His demonic instincts rampaged from the thought of battling Behemoth, who was considered a monster even within myths.

    He wiped the drool off his mouth. The instinct eating at him was not a desire for battle.

    <em>Beef is an absolute delicacy.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes burned with desire. He was getting chills down his spine from the demonic energy pouring out from Behemoth, but that only stirred his desires even more.

    <em>Hanwoo No, not hanwoo, but still Expensive and delicious beef</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt even imagine how delicious it would be if he ate that monster whole. Since he was considered the strongest in Hell, Kang-Woo was sure that he would be satisfied at the very least.

    <em>Even the demonic energy pouring out from him</em>

    Devouring Behemoth would obviously raise his Demonic Energy stat, which was stuck at 154, explosively. 160 would be a given, and he could even aim to get 170.

    M-Master Kang-Woo.

    Just then, Halcyon approached Kang-Woo and grabbed his clothes.

    Yeah? Kang-Woo answered as he turned his head toward Halcyon.

    W-We have to run, Halcyon expressed, his face pale.

    He desperately pulled on Kang-Woos clothes as if he had seen a ghost.

    R-Right now! We have to run now! Halcyon screamed.

    Kang-Woos eyes narrowed into slits, and looked toward Behemoth. Behemoth, who had fullye out of the Rift Core, raised his head. He inhaled deeply as he looked up at the ash-colored sky. And

    !!!

    It was far too colossal to call sound. A roar so powerful that it could easily rupture ones eardrums shook the entire world.

    Kyaaaaaaa! Cha Yeon-Joo screamed while blocking her ears.

    Arrgghh!!

    The others did as well. Echidna copsed on the spot while trembling, and Kim Si-Hun and Balrog crouched while blocking their ears. The only people who were fine were Kang-Woo and Han Seol-Ah no, they were not fine either.

    Fucking hell.

    Kang-Woos expression hardened. The demonic energy within him boiled. It had only been for a moment, but the shock had been great enough for him to lose control over his demonic energy. Considering how powerful just his roar was, Kang-Woo could not even imagine how strong Behemoth would be inbat.

    <em>What the fuck?</em>

    Kang-Woo looked up at Behemoth in shock. He had beenpletely mistaken; he had been arrogant because he had gotten stronger than his past self.

    <em>Forget eating him.</em>

    He had taken the title of the king of demonic beasts far too lightly. He had forgotten one simple fact because he had be far more powerful than the princes of Hell; he was nowhere near a match for Behemoth.

    Fuck!

    <em>A monster like this was in Hell?</em>

    Kang-Woo had heard countless legends regarding Behemoth, but he had never expected him to be this powerful. He was doubtful that even a god possessing Divinity would be a match for him.

    The monsters gaze shifted to Kang-Woo.

    <em>Grrrrrrr</em>.

    Behemoths gaze was so powerful that Kang-Woo felt like he was being set aze just from being seen by him. The apex predator of Hell was staring Kang-Woo down.

    <em>If I open the Doors </em>Kang-Woo thought.

    He would be no match for Behemoth while fighting under normal circumstances. However, if he opened the Doors of the Ten Thousand Demon Core and released the seals of the Demonic Sea

    <em>No.</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head. He recalled why he had entered this Rift in the first ce. It had not been to defeat Behemoth; it was purely to close the Rift and restore the broken Gaia System.

    Run!!

    Kang-Woo made a swift decision. He grabbed the arms of Echidna and Yeon-Joo, who were both copsed on the ground, and turned around without hesitation.

    He was not above running away; he was very used to it. After all, the majority of his life in Hell had involved running away. He had been cowardly, unsightly, and desperate, which had ultimately led to his survival.

    <em>And</em>

    In the end, he had won. He had trampled on and killed every single being that had made him run away.

    Kang-Woos eyes narrowed, and exchanged gazes with the king of demonic beasts. The king of demonic beasts and the king of demons each engraved the appearance of the other in their heads.

    <em>Just you wait, beef. One day Ill put you in my kimchi stew.</em>

    Kang-Woo turned his head. Run back to where we were!

    He was sure that the entrance leading to Earth would be where they had first opened their eyes in Shade.

    But hyung-nim, the Rift Core is still

    We dont need to care about that anymore, so just run!

    Si-Hun turned his head as if he couldnt understand what Kang-Woo was talking about.

    Ah, he shouted.

    The 30-meter Rift Core had beenpletely destroyed after Behemoth had crawled out of it.

    <em>Boom! Rumble!</em>

    The ground was copsing.

    Graaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!

    Behemoth charged toward Kang-Woo while roaring.

    Hurry! Kang-Woo urged.

    Okay!

    Wings of Brilliance! Seol-Ah shouted while spreading out her arms.

    Blinding light poured out from her and flowed into her party members. Their movements became much quicker.

    Thanks, darling!

    Look over there, Kang-Woo!

    As they were running without even looking back, Seol-Ah pointed somewhere. Kang-Woo looked to where she pointed to see a group of demonic beasts reaching the thousands. The demonic beasts were running wild as they devoured the ck shadows.

    ...

    <em>- Are you the same as </em>them<em>?</em>

    <em>So this is what the shadow meant.</em>

    It seemed like the Shades had been under attack by the demonic beasts before Kang-Woo and his party members hade to this world.

    <em>This world must have entered the influence of the Nine Hells.</em>

    He could understand why Shade looked so simr to Hell.

    <em>Shit, so this is why demonic beasts have been appearing in Gates.</em>

    Kang-Woo finally understood what the Triad and the satellite world was.

    <em>If the Triad is referring to Earth, Aernor and Huan</em>

    Satellite worlds were small worlds within its vicinity. And one of such worlds having been invaded by the Nine Hells meant Earth would also soon be one with the Nine Hells.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    Kang-Woos expression was filled with anxiety. His worst fears had be reality. His mind was turned into mush from seeing what he had only been thinking about actually happening before his very eyes.

    <em>Thank God we came here.</em>

    If they had not entered the Rift because they judged that the risk of temporarily halting the Gaia System was too big, a catastrophe would have been upon them soon after.

    Grrrrrrr!

    H-Hyung-nim!

    Kuh! Please go on ahead without me! I will stop him here! Balrog shouted as he turned around.

    Kang-Woo, who had been running while holding Yeon-Joo and Echidna, jumped into the air and kicked Balrog in the face.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kurgh!

    Dont give me that shit and run, dammit! This isnt a goddamn TV show! Kang-Woo yelled.

    Balrog stared at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly while rubbing his cheek, and then nodded with a smirk.

    As you wish, my king.

    He then also started to run from Behemoth.

    Hyung-nim, I see the Rift over there! Si-Hun shouted.

    As they got closer to where they first opened their eyes, they could see the purple Rift. Possibly because the Rift Core was destroyed, the purple Rift that had been ten metersrge was growing smaller at a noticeable rate.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    Si-Huns eyesight was just abnormally good; the Rift was still very far away. Kang-Woo looked behind him at Behemoth, who was charging toward him at tremendous speed. Every single step Behemoth shook the Earth as if the Big Bang was urring.

    <em>Motherfucker.</em>

    Behemoth was far too fast. He was also far too big in the first ce. Just like how ants could never be as fast as humans no matter how quickly they moved their legs, Behemoth, who was over a hundred meters tall, got closer to them at an rming pace with each step.

    How the fuck did that son of a bitch even make Leviathan?!

    Kang-Woo was curious who Behemoths partner had been. He ran for his life while cursing.

    Skreee!

    Grrrrr!

    Just then, demonic beasts from the group stood in their way. Kang-Woo grimaced.

    <em>We cant just run away.</em>

    Not only were they being chased by Behemoth, but they would have zero chance of escaping if demonic beasts were blocking their path as well.

    Si-Hun! Balrog!

    Yes, hyung-nim!

    Please leave this to us!

    Si-Hun and Balrog charged toward the group of demonic beasts. The two warriors ran amok like starved beasts in a flock of sheep.

    Seol-Ah, focus your buffs on those two instead of me!

    Okay, Kang-Woo!

    Yeon-Joo, Halcyon, Echidna! You three secure a path to the Rift!

    What about you?! Yeon-Joo asked.

    I will

    Kang-Woo turned around, facing the giant bull charging toward him while shaking the earth. His eyes sharpened.

    ... Stop that bastard.

    A-Are you insane?!

    This is the best chance we have, so just shut up and clear a path!

    There was still a long way to the Rift leading outside. If they did not stop Behemoth here, Behemoths attacks would stop them from being able to reach the Rift on time.

    Grrrrrrrrr.

    Fuuu, Kang-Woo exhaled deeply.

    He rxed his body, tense from anxiety. Behemoths ferocious roars were getting closer.

    <em>Ill stop him, whatever it takes.</em>

    Kang-Woo raised his right arm high. He created an axe fuming with chilling energy.

    <em>Leviathan.</em>

    He grabbed the axe handle, put strength into his legs, and pulled his arm back.

    <em>Authority of Extinction.</em>

    He used Satans Authority. ck light formed on Leviathans edge. He rotated his body and threw Leviathan.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    Space itself was torn along Leviathans trajectory.

    <em>Its not enough.</em>

    Kang-Woo knew very well that this would be nowhere near enough. He barraged Behemoth with skills through the Key of the Demonic Sea. However

    <em>ng, aang!</em>

    Graaaaaaahhh!

    Nothing he could dish out was powerful enough to prate Behemoths skin. Kang-Woo aggressively bit his lip.

    <em>I dont have enough firepower.</em>

    Behemoths physical specs were absolutely insane. His skin had even been perfectly fine after flicking aside Infernos mes. There was no way that Kang-Woo would be able to prate his defenses by just continuing to barrage him with attacks.

    Fuck. Kang-Woo grimaced.

    His avable choices were slowly but surely being reduced to opening the Doors.

    <em>Thats the worst choice.</em>

    Kang-Woo was not able to retain his reason once he opened the Doors, meaning there was a chance that he would continue fighting Behemoth without passing through the shrinking Rift.

    <em>And Id be stuck in this world forever.</em>

    That would be the absolute worst oue. He shut his eyelids tight. There was no way to deal any proper damage to Behemoth using normal means.

    <em>In the end</em>

    He would have to open the Doors. Conflict boiled over within his head.

    <em>Wait.</em>

    Just then, a thought popped up in his head.

    ... Fuck.

    Kang-Woo unconsciously chuckled. He did not like to make such gambles, but he could instinctively feel that there was no other way but this at the moment.

    <em>Fucking hell, I dont really like doing shit like this.</em>

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath and spread out his arms wide.

    Fuuu.

    And then, he breathed out.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    White light poured out from his left hand, and ck light from his right.

    Fuck it. Lets give it a shot.

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes. There was no other time than now to test his uncertain hypothesis that relied purely on his senses.

    <em>Molting.</em>

    Kang-Woo slightly opened the Door of his Ten Thousand Demon Core. At the same time

    <em>Crash!</em>

    He sped his hands together.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You havepleted the prerequisite quest of the Demonic Sea, Light-Craving Demon.]

    [You have acquired the fourth key of the Demonic Sea, Greed.]

    [You have learned Chaos - Burst, a Bottom-rank skill of Chaos.]

    A gray energy formed around his two sped hands.

    Come at me, you fucking bull.

    <em>Lets see the marbling on you.</em>

 Chapter 315: I Am

    Chapter 315: I Am

    Oh Kang-Woo sped his hands together. He forced together the two energies that were violently rejecting one another.

    <em>Molting.</em>

    And then, he slightly opened one of the Doors of the Ten Thousand Demon Core. It did not take long for him to feel a response.

    <em>Crunch! Crunch!</em>

    Kargh, hurgh!

    Kang-Woos vision flickered along with unimaginable pain. His skin was tearing open along with the chilling sound of breaking bone.

    <em>Fuuuuuuuuck.</em>

    He writhed in pain that he could never get used to, being put on the threshold of death.

    <em>Please let me be right.</em>

    He had realized not long ago that the opposing force frombining demonic energy and sacred power felt simr to when he used molting.

    Kurgh, kargh!

    He twisted around. Molting could not be considered a technique; to put it simply, it was a failure that had no positive effects, destructive capabilities, or degree of perfection. The only reason why he used it was because it improved his demonic energy control in exchange for being put on the verge of death. To give aparison, it was like ingesting a deadly poison to raise ones poison resistance.

    <em>But</em>

    Molting was indeed a failure. To be more precise, it was a technique that he had not been able to perfect.

    Haaa, haaa, haaa, Kang-Woo panted heavily.

    The demonic energy of the Ten Thousand Demon Core surged. He added sacred power to the extremely rampant demonic energy. The amount of sacred power added to his near-infinite demonic energy was like pouring a bucket of water into a gigantic sea. However, its effect had been far above his imagination.

    [You have learned Chaos - Burst, a bottom-rank skill of Chaos.]

    A message window popped up. Kang-Woo smirked.

    Graaaaaahh!

    <em>Boom! Boom! Boom!</em>

    A giant bull charged toward him while shaking the earth. Two horns the size of a building, wrapped in ck mes, pointed at Kang-Woo.

    Huuup, Kang-Woo inhaled.

    He imbued the gray energy that he had created by sping his hands together, on his right fist. The energy that he had never felt before raged within him; it was violent, disordered, and wild, truly befitting the name <em>Chaos</em>.

    <em>I never thought thered be energy more insane than demonic energy.</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked. The energy formed bybining sacred power and demonic energy was running wild, trying to separate like water being poured into boiling oil.

    But still

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes, gleaming with a strange sense of delight.

    <em>This things really rousing my pride.</em>

    The corners of his mouth went up as he stared at the gray energy on his right hand. He was extremely used to keeping in check energy that would burst as soon as he let up for even a moment. He had done so for ten whole millennia without rest.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    H-Hyung-nim!

    Kyaaaah! M-Master Kang-Woo!

    My king!

    Kang-Woo could hear Kim Si-Hun, Halcyon and Balrogs shouts.

    <em>Focus.</em>

    He ignored them. He took a very deep breath and lowered his stance. He pulled back his right fist imbued with the gray energy. Twisting his body even slightly raised the burden on his body in folds.

    <em>And here</em>

    Boom!

    Kang-Woo aggressively stomped on the ground and used a technique that could be considered a martial art technique despite him having absolutely no knack for martial arts.

    <em>Skybreaker.</em>

    He stepped forward with his left foot, twisted his waist, and swung his right fist with all his might.

    Graaaaaaahhh!

    The hundred-meter king of demonic beasts and the king of demons that wasnt even two meters tall shed.

    !!

    Sound disappeared. The ground copsed hundreds of meters, and the atmosphere around them burned up so hot that it was bubbling. An overwhelming recoil shot Kang-Woo away like a cannon.

    Kurgh!

    He was shot back as he destroyed the ground that he skid over.

    Hyung-nim!

    Si-Hun quickly ran to catch Kang-Woo as he was blown back.

    Kuh, Kang-Woo grimaced while scrunched up and clenching his right arm.

    His right arm that had been imbued with the gray energy had beenpletely mangled. He instinctively used the Authority of Regeneration.

    Fuck.

    The wound was not regenerating. Kang-Woo tried to get up while biting his lip, but lost his bnce.

    A-Are you okay, hyung-nim?! Si-Hun shouted while tightening his hold on Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo was not only injured on his right arm; a fragment of Behemoths horn was piercing his chest. Si-Hun quickly grabbed the fragment and pulled it out, Kang-Woos blood pouring out like a fountain.

    <em>Rip!</em>

    Si-Hun tore his clothes without hesitation to apply pressure on Kang-Woos wound.

    Haaa, haaa.

    The Authority of Regeneration was activated as soon as the horn fragment had been taken out, but the deep wound that had been formed by it could not be healed.

    Cough, cough!

    Hyung-nim!

    Kang-Woo vomited ck blood. He stood up while being supported by Si-Hun. He was not the only one who was injured.

    Graaaaaaaaahhh!!

    Behemoth thrashed about, his left hornpletely broken off. Kang-Woo looked down at his right fist, which had been fully healed with the Authority of Regeneration, in surprise.

    <em>I never thought his horn would break.</em>

    Kang-Woo had heard countless legends about Behemoth, especially about his horns, which had been known to be able to kill even gods. One of Behemoths horns, which had not even suffered the tiniest scratch during his entire existence, had been destroyed.

    Grrrrk! Grrk!

    Behemoth struggled in pain that he had never felt before and scratched the ground with his intact right horn like a giant excavator. Kang-Woos eyes shone.

    <em>This is my chance.</em>

    He felt like he would be able to kill Behemoth if he pushed himself a little more.

    My king! We have secured an escape route!

    Kang-Woo! The Rift is getting smaller! Please hurry!

    Just then, he heard Balrog and Han Seol-Ahs voices. Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    There was not much time. No, time was not the only issue.

    Seol-Ah! H-Hyung-nims injury is!

    The deep wound from being pierced in the chest by Behemoths horn fragment was not being healed by the Authority of Regeneration, causing him to bleed profusely.

    <em>My injury is too serious.</em>

    Behemoth had not been the only one to have received a critical injury. Kang-Woo would need to use <em>Chaos - Burst</em> again to kill Behemoth, but there was a high chance that he would be unable to control the energy if he used such a technique at his current physical state.

    Lets Run.

    Kang-Woo trampled on his boiling desire to devour Behemoth right here and now. Running away was a wise decision.

    Cough! Kuh, argh.

    Kang-Woo clenched his chest, and vomited ck blood again.

    <em>- A-Arrgghh.</em>

    Just then, he heard someones faint groan, but he was in no position to pay it any mind.

    Si-Hun! Bring Kang-Woo here quickly! Seol-Ah shouted, her face pale from having seen how badly Kang-Woo was injured.

    Si-Hun nodded. Hold on tight, hyung-nim.

    He supported Kang-Woos back with one arm and put his other arm under Kang-Woos knees, a positionmonly known as the princess carry. Si-Hun used the Heavenly Dragon Movement Technique to its absolute limit. Just then

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    Graaaaahhh!

    The split ground crumbled, and the thrashing Behemoth shot ck mes toward them. An intense heat was chasing after them.

    <em>We have to run.</em> Si-Hun thought.

    Kang-Woo would die for sure if he was struck by those mes.

    Aaaaaaahhh!

    Si-Hun ran on the copsing ground. In front of him was the crumbling earth, and behind him were enormous mes being shot out by Behemoth.

    <em>Shit!</em>

    Si-Hun bit his lip anxiously. He wanted to create a bridge using Sword Control, but there were no weapons that he could create a bridge with.

    <em>Crumble!</em>

    Kuh!

    Kang-Woo! Seol-Ah shouted.

    Si-Hun ran out of things to step on, and was pulled down by gravity.

    Shit, shit, shit! he cursed.

    He refused to die so pathetically in a ce like this.

    Raaaaaaaahhh! Si-Hun screamed like a madman.

    <em>If there are no weapons</em>

    He just needed to create them. He drew out his Qi to make objects in the form of swords. They had been made in a hurry, so they were poor in both form and power, but that did not matter since what he needed right now were not weapons but footholds for him to step on.

    <em>Boom! Boom! Boom!</em>

    Si-Hun soared in the air while stepping on the swords in the air made with Qi. He looked as if he was running in midair.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Raising assimtion with Martial God Tian Taihuang from 51.2% to 60.8%!]

    [Raising proficiency of Heavenly Dragon Movement Technique!]

    [You have learned Void Steps!]

    [You have learned the basics of Formless Sword!]

    Message windows popped up in front of Si-Hun., but he did not have the leeway to care.

    Hurry!!

    The purple Rift was shrinking more and more; it was now only three metersrge. The party members were in front of the Rift, anxiously looking at Si-Hun and Kang-Woo.

    Go on ahead of us! Si-Hun shouted.

    It was stupid to huddle around the Rift when it was getting smaller by the second.

    ... I leave the king to you, human, Balrog remarked as he jumped out of the Rift with his eyes clenched shut.

    The others also looked back in anxiety as they went through the Rift.

    Haaa, haaa! Si-Hun panted heavily.

    The Rift was now only two metersrge.

    <em>I can do it.</em>

    1.8 meters

    <em>Just a little more.</em>

    1.5 meters

    <em>Just a little faster!!</em>

    1.11 meters

    Kuh!

    Si-Hun threw himself into the tiny Rift. <em>Thump. </em>The Rift closed the moment both he and Kang-Woo went through it.

    ***

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    The deste world with a gray sky and aridnd was crumbling.

    [The end of the satellite world Shade has begun.]

    Hmm, a low voice echoed within the copsing world. To think he would destroy Behemoths horn Hah, he sure is unfathomable.

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    A hunchback wearing a robe akin to a straw mat and holding a cane exuding ck light was walking through the copsing world. As he was leisurely walking on the violently shaking earth, he stopped in his tracks; it was the ce where Kang-Woo had coughed blood.

    Oh? Eyes shone from within the old robe. Hahaha! Wow, the demon king is impressive, but so are you, in your own right.

    The being put his hand on the ck blood that Kang-Woo had coughed out, and grabbed a ck gem made of crystallized demonic energy that had melted down to the size of a fingernail.

    <em>- U-Urrgghh.</em>

    A groan came out from the back gem.

    <em>- I-I am</em>

    I know very well who you are. The being snickered in an extremely displeasing way. It is an honor to see you again, Lord Satan.

 Chapter 316: The Goddess Opens Her Eyes

    Chapter 316: The Goddess Opens Her Eyes

    [The Rift has been sessfully closed.]

    [The Gaia System has been partially restored.]

    Haaa, haaa, Kim Si-Hun panted heavily aftering out from the Rift.

    He had just barely managed to get out on time.

    Kang-Woo! Han Seol-Ah shouted as she ran toward them with her face pale.

    She put her hands over Oh Kang-Woos chest spewing ck blood.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Blinding light poured out. The injury that couldnt be healed with the Authority of Regeneration was being quickly healed. Kang-Woos grimace slowly rxed.

    Haaa, Kang-Woo exhaled.

    Seol-Ah grabbed his cheeks. Kang-Woo!

    Im fine now, heughed softly while getting up.

    He was still hurting all over, but it was nothing that he couldnt endure. Kang-Woo held up Behemoths horn fragment that had been stuck in his chest.

    <em>A horn with god-killing powers</em>

    He put it in his pockets, expecting to have a use for it in the future. He looked around.

    Were outside the Gate.

    Yes. I think after the purple Rift swallowed the E-rank Gate whole The Gate itself vanished, Si-Hun expressed.

    Isnt this the first time that a Gate has vanished?

    Yes, thats right, SI-Hun replied as he nodded.

    Kang-Woo thought of the Gate that had disappeared without a trace for a moment, and then took a look at the message windows in front of him.

    <em>I did it.</em>

    Although Behemoths appearance had beenpletely outside of his calctions, he had sessfully destroyed the Rift Core. Kang-Woos expression stiffened after reading the messages.

    <em>Its only a partial restoration, huh?</em>

    ording to Gaia, it was only a temporary measure; it would notst forever.

    <em>The Rift Core</em>

    Kang-Woo remembered hearing that term when he first came to Earth.

    <em>The Rift Core that we destroyed is probably nothing but an offshoot.</em>

    He had a feeling that it was just a byproduct that had fallen off from himself as he was being torn by the Gaia System. There was ultimately only one way for the Gaia System to be fully restored.

    <em>I have to die.</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled. He was the true Rift Core. His death would lead to theplete restoration of the Gaia System.

    <em>No fucking way.</em>

    There was no need to even think about it. World peace? Saving Earth?

    <em>Fuck all that.</em>

    He had held on for ten whole millennia for this opportunity, so he wouldnt stand for his own death, even if it led to world peace.

    <em>Im gonna survive.</em>

    Just as he had always done.

    Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo Echidna hugged him while bawling her eyes out.

    Kang-Woo smirked and stroked her hair.

    Were you worried?

    Yeah

    Its okay now. I told you that I would never leave you behind, didnt I?

    Echidna pouted. Youre a liar, Kang-Woo.

    Huh? Why?

    You hit and yelled at Balrog for trying to stay behind, but you always try to stay behind yourself.

    Uhh Mm.

    Come to think of it, Kang-Woo had indeed done so many times.

    The king has always been like that, so it is nothing new, young dragon, Balrog said as he approached them. He then continued in slight anger while helping Kang-Woo up and supporting him, He always tells us not to do anything unnecessary but shoulders everything by himself.

    Echidna pped her hands together. Oh, then are you like that, Kang-Woo?

    Like what? Kang-Woo asked.

    The kind of person who lies with their mouth but is honest down there.

    What? Where did you learn something like that?

    I saw it in your external hard d

    <em>Wham!</em>

    ck light shot out; Kang-Woo used the Authority of Haste and shot toward Echidna, hugging her and tumbling on the ground. He rolled for about twenty meters.

    Huff, huff, Kang-Woo panted heavily.

    Cold sweat flowed down from the back of his neck and wet his back. Echidna, who was in his arms, looked up at him with innocent eyes.

    Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You

    She must have found his secret stash folder.

    Wh-When did you

    There were many days that she could have found it in, since he had left his room unattended many times. Kang-Woo looked down at Echidna with a face much paler than when he had been facing Behemoth.

    Hm? Echidna looked up at Kang-Woo while tilting her head in confusion. Is it supposed to be a secret?

    ... No.

    So it is.

    <em>Hm!</em> Echidna snorted energetically. She pulled on Kang-Woos clothes while smiling.

    Kang-Woo, I wanna go with you to that ce in Japan called Akihabara.

    ...

    Youll Come with me, wont you? Just the two of us, of course.

    Kang-Woo bit his lip.

    <em>When did such a pure and innocent child be so cunning?</em>

    Kang-Woos heart fell from witnessing the puberty of the five-hundred-year-old little girl.

    <em>I have to be stern here.</em>

    He could not let her have her way. He needed to let her know who was on top in their rtionship, and what would happen if she tried to control her master.

    Kang-Woo grabbed Echidnas shoulders and said with sunken eyes, Echidna.

    Or should I tell Seol-Ah and Lilith about it?

    How does a morning flight sound?

    With a passport, of course.

    ***

    Kang-Woo! Did you do it?

    Uriel ran toward him as soon as they returned to the Hall of Protection. He looked at Kang-Woo in worry, and then lowered his head.

    Sorry. I headed out as soon as I was contacted, but The Gate had already closed by the time I got there.

    Its okay. Were also at fault for entering without waiting for you.

    Things would have gotten far more troublesome if Uriel had been with them.

    Was the operation a sess? What happened in there? Uriel asked.

    I will exin everything inside.

    Kang-Woo and his party members headed to the inner area of the Hall of Protection with Uriel. They were obviously headed to the room that Gaia was in. Gaia weed them as soon as they opened the door.

    Youve done it! she eximed, but her face stiffened soon after. A-Are there any casualties?

    Kang-Woo hyung-nim had been critically injured, but hes no longer in any danger after Seol-Ah healed him. Everyone else is safe, Si-Hun stated.

    Ah Transparent tears flowed down her cheeks. <em>Sniff</em> I trusted you all. Im so so relieved.

    Gaia also knew how dangerous this operation was, so she couldnt help but cry from hearing that everyone had returned safely.

    Please dont cry, Gaia, Si-Hun said as he wiped her tears for her.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and sat next to her. How is the condition of Earths protection?

    There was no question more important than this at the moment.

    Its only temporary, but It has been greatly restored. Lady Gaias power will be returned to an extent for a while, and demonic beasts will no longer appear within Gates.

    What a relief, Kang-Woo expressed.

    It seriously was a relief. The fundamental issue had not been resolved, but they had sessfully dyed the encroachment of Earth by the Nine Hells like what had happened with Shade.

    In that case, I will report everything that has happened in the Rift, Kang-Woo said.

    He exined everything without leaving anything out. Gaia was shocked from hearing about the appearance of Behemoth, but was brought to tears from hearing that Kang-Woo had stopped him by himself.

    All of you Thank you all so much.

    As Gaia was thanking them repeatedly, she suddenly cut off her words with a nk face. She seemed to be getting another revtion.

    Lady Gaia says that she would express her gratitude to all of you at ater time since she is currently in the middle of recovery.

    Oh, I see, Kang-Woo replied, expressing disinclination.

    <em>I dont have any words to share with a useless troll.</em>

    However, she was still a goddess. Kang-Woo nodded while clicking his tongue. Just then

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Huh?

    G-Gaia!

    White light poured out of Gaias body. It was aforting light of a different kind from Seraph, akin to a vast expanse. And

    Ah.

    Gaia opened her eyes.

    Gaia? Si-Hun called.

    H-Huh? Gaia touched her eyes in disbelief.

    She slowly stood up from the wheelchair while trembling. Her two legs stepped on the ground on their own.

    Silence fell. Gaia looked down at her normally-functioning legs, and then looked at Si-Hun with her brown eyes.

    Si Hun?

    Gaia.

    A-Aaaahh.

    She caressed Si-Huns cheeks with shaking hands. Tears flowed down her cheeks.

    <em>Sniff. Sniff.</em> Gaia fell to her knees, unable to handle the surge of emotions. Waaaaaaaaaaahhh!

    She bawled her eyes out. Gaia, who had been nothing but a normal girl before bing an incarnation, had epted the destiny of saving the world even while even abandoning her own name. And then, she lost her eyes and legs.

    It was difficult to imagine the insane burden and solitude she must have felt, as well as the despair of losing her eyes and legs.

    Si-Hun, Kang-Woo said as he put his hand on the shoulder of Si-Hun, who had been nkly looking at the crying Gaia. Well go now, so console her the best you can.

    Si-Hun did not answer. Kang-Woo took everyone else out of the room.

    <em>Sniff Sniff.</em>

    Gaia.

    Si-Hun got on one knee and embraced her slender body. There was no need for conversation. He grabbed her chin and slowly raised it up.

    Ah

    Si-Hun carefully matched lips with the flustered Gaia.

    ***

    Three days had passed since Gaia had opened her eyes. Si-Hun had brought many things into her room so that she could adapt to normal life again. Her room had been filled with all sorts of things that Si-Hun had bought for her, such as a desk and chair, various cosmetics and even her ownputer.

    Fuuu.

    Si-Hun stood in front of Gaias room door in the middle of the night with a small box in his hand.

    <em>Would it be rude to enter thiste at night?</em>

    It was getting close to midnight, but he wanted to give her this gift that he had secretly prepared, no matter what. Si-Hun carefully opened the box; inside it was a white pair of heels that would look very good on Gaia.

    A-Ahem.

    His face reddened as he looked down at the box. He once again took a deep breath.

    <em>Since its a surprise gift, the way I give it to her should also be a surprise.</em>

    Si-Hun had gotten her many things, but they had been nothing but supplies necessary for daily life. These heels were the first gift that he would give Gaiathe exchange of gifts between lovers. His heart beat faster.

    <em>I should surprise her.</em>

    Si-Hun thought about knocking, but thought against it. He carefully opened Gaias room door.

    Yahoo!

    There, he saw Gaia raising her arms up while staring at herputer screen in her chair. On her screen was

    All hail Hitomi! All hail ero manga!!

    <em>Thump.</em>

    The box in Si-Huns hand fell to the floor. Gaia quickly turned to where the sound came from.

    Huh? her face paled. S-Si-Hun?

 Chapter 317: Itâ€™s a Beautiful Name

    Chapter 317: It¡¯s a Beautiful Name

    Deathly silence continued. Gaia and Kim Si-Hun were seated together on the bed, and were staring into nothingness as if they would die instantly if they were to say anything. The one who broke the silence that felt like it wouldst forever was Gaia.

    <em>Step.</em>

    I have no choice She stood up and walked to her desk, and said while grabbing the dagger that Grace McCubbin had given her as a gift for self defense, ... But to kill myself.

    Gaia!!

    Si-Hun moved at the speed of light and grabbed Gaias hand holding the dagger from behind her.

    L-Let me go! I-I cant bear to live any longer after experiencing such humiliation!

    Kuh! Si-Hun grunted.

    He looked at her in shock while desperately stopping her frommitting suicide with all his might.

    <em>How is she so strong?</em>

    Gaia, who was shining with dim light, was unnaturally strong, to the point that she was easily able to overpower Si-Hun, who had an assimtion rate of over sixty percent with Martial God Tian Taihuang. He bit his lip in anxiety.

    <em>It must be because Lady Gaias power has been restored.</em>

    That was the most likely, since the woman that he was holding from behind was Gaias incarnation. She had regained her power as an incarnation after Gaias power had been restored.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    There was no other way than to persuade her with words.

    I-Impletely fine with it!

    Please dont lie!! Gaia shouted with her face as red as a tomato. <em>Sniff</em> Wh-Why did this have to

    She red at Si-Hun with teary eyes. I-Its your fault foring in without knocking.

    Yes, its all my fault.

    Urgh!

    Gaia pounded Si-Huns chest with her fist. Her hands were so slender that her veins were easily visible, but the power imbued within her fists was no joke.

    <em>Kurgh!</em>

    Si-Hun crouched while clenching his chest. Gaia was beating the crap out of him while bawling her eyes out.

    <em>At this rate</em>

    He would actually die. Si-Hun grabbed her wrists and yanked her toward him.

    Please calm down, Gaia. I really am fine with it.

    ...

    Rather Im happy to have learned this side of you.

    Y-You are? Gaia said with her eyes widened.

    Si-Hun smirked and nodded. Yes. To be honest I would have never expected you to have such interests.

    U-Urgghh. Gaia lowered her head in dejection. W-Were you disappointed?

    Not at all, Si-Hun softlyughed. I told you, didnt I? Im happy to have learned this side of you.

    Gaia sat back on the bed while pouting. Perhaps because the lowest side of herself had been exposed, her expression had be much lighter than usual.

    I-I also had a normal life before bing Lady Gaias incarnation.

    <em>Thats normal?</em>

    Si-Hun had many questions, but knew to keep them to himself. He brought the chair over and sat in front of Gaia.

    The blushing Gaia in the dimly-lit room looked highly alluring. Si-Hun fell into deep thought while staring at her.

    <em>Come to think of it</em>

    He did not know much about her; he didnt know about her life before she had be an incarnation, what she liked, her hobbies. Absolutely nothing.

    <em>Hah.</em>

    Si-Hun chuckled in his mind. He swept his hair back with sunken eyes.

    <em>After all that talk about falling in love with her at first sight</em>

    He had never once thought about getting to know her.

    <em>Hyung-nim would smack me if he found out.</em>

    Si-Hun smirked while thinking of Oh Kang-Woo.

    I want to know more, Si-Hun expressed.

    ... Pardon?

    I want to know more about you, Gaia.

    Gaia averted her gaze with reddened cheeks. Y-You wont find it very interesting.

    Id still like to know.

    Si-Hun stood up from the chair and sat next to her on the bed again. He slowly reached out to grab her slender hand.

    First, Id like to know your real name.

    Gaia lowered her head in silence. Her name, which she had abandoned when she had decided to be Gaias incarnation

    My name is

    Her voice trembled. At this moment, she was not the incarnation of a goddess, but just a regr woman. She slowly spoke as if she was revealing a long-kept secret.

    ... La.

    Si-Hun smiled brightly and put her hand on Gaiano, Las cheek.

    Its a beautiful name.

    He leaned in while smiling, and they kissed.

    ***

    What a relief.

    Hm? About what?

    About Gaia, Han Seol-Ah said while smiling and sping her hands together. Im sure she must have had a hard time Back when she had first lost her sight and legs.

    Im sure she would have, Kang-Woo replied while nodding.

    He was moved back when he saw Gaia bawling her eyes out, since he had gotten quite attached to her over the years; the incarnation, not the goddess.

    <em>I want my sister-inw to be happy.</em>

    Only then would Si-Hun continue to stick to her without being led astray.

    Now that Earths protection has been restored Wed be able to live in peace, wont we? Seol-Ah mentioned.

    We do have some leeway now.

    Kang-Woo nodded. Although it was not permanent, they had managed to buy some time. Since he also knew the truth behind Gaias worries of Seraph having turned to the dark side, he did not need to make any rash decisions.

    <em>But that doesnt mean I can just roll around doing nothing.</em>

    The time he had bought was finite; if he kept doing absolutely nothing, the Gaia System would once again begin to copse.

    <em>And</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes sank as he recalled the gigantic bull snorting ck mes.

    <em>Helle back one day.</em>

    Kang-Woo needed to make ample preparations starting now.

    First off

    He opened the status window to check the Key of the Demonic Sea. After having acquired the fourth key <em>Greed</em>, he only had one key left to acquire.

    [You mustplete a prerequisite quest to acquire the fifth key of the Demonic Sea, Heresy.]

    Like he had thought, there was another quest.

    [Prerequisite Quest: Demon of the Heavens]

    [Learn a Chaos technique of at least low-rank.]

    ...Ngh. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes in irritation.

    He had sessfully managed to win in his previous gamble and learned a bottom-rank Chaos technique, but it had been nothing but a coincidence among coincidences. His right hand had exploded like fireworks from being unable to control even <em>Chaos - Burst</em>, so it was far beyond him right now to learn a technique above that.

    <em>But was that seriously only just a bottom-rank technique?</em>

    It was hard to believe, since such a technique had destroyed Behemoths horn that contained god-killing powers.

    <em>If I can use higher-ranking techniques</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt even imagine what he would be capable of.

    ... I guess I have no other choice than to train diligently.

    It was a huge risk to use the Chaos techniques since he also needed to slightly open the Doors of the Ten Thousand Demon Core to activate molting, but it was absurd to neglect it after having witnessed its astounding power. He needed to make the technique fully his, no matter the risk.

    <em>Besides, I need to clear the quest too.</em>

    There were several reasons for him to learn Chaos techniques.

    <em>Fortunately, it doesnt require much sacred power.</em>

    Compared to Kang-Woos boundless demonic energy, the amount of sacred power he had was pathetically small. Forget bnce, one wouldnt even be able to tell that he had sacred power unless they took an extremely close look. However, since the Chaos technique was enhanced by sucking in the flowing demonic energy within him, the imbnce between sacred power and demonic energy was alleviated.

    That aside Kang-Woo sighed.

    Seol-Ah, who was lovingly staring at Kang-Woo next to him, asked, Whats wrong, Kang-Woo?

    I just have something thats annoying me.

    Not everything was going his way.

    <em>The Authority of Extinction is malfunctioning.</em>

    After having been wounded deeply in his chest, the Authority of Extinction had be unstable. The Authority stopped from time to time as if a call was cutting out.

    <em>Is it because of the wound I got from Behemoth?</em>

    That was most likely the case, since it had be like this after getting stabbed by his horn.

    <em>Ill keep the Authority of Extinction sealed for now.</em>

    It was a shame that an Authority of a prince of Hell had be unavable to him, but he could not afford to use an unstable Authority.

    <em>How irritating.</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt help but be pissed off after losing his use of not a regr Authority but that of a prince of Hell.

    Kang-Woo. Seol-Ah approached him and hugged his head.

    An unbelievably soft sensation pressed on his cheeks.

    <em>Oh sweet jesus.</em>

    Kang-Woos irritation melted away in a sh.

    Seol-Ah continued while giggling, Dont make such a scary face. The operation was a sess, wasnt it?

    Yeah, youre right.

    Lets just forget about everything for today and enjoy ourselves, Seol-Ah said while caressing Kang-Woos head that she was embracing. Lets invite Balrog, Lilith and Yeon-Joo over and have a simple party. What do you think?

    Lets have beef on the menu,Kang-Woo replied.

    He was craving some beef after thinking about Behemoth.

    Hohoho. Okay, Ill make whatever you want. Right, could you go buy some beer with Echidna? Balrog was saying that he really wanted some.

    That guy really shouldnt be drinking, he said while nodding with a smirk.

    As he went into his room to get ready to go out, he saw a ck object on his desk.

    Oh,e to think of it, I had this.

    Kang-Woo looked down at Behemoths horn fragment. Despite it only being a single fragment of the shattered horn, it was over a meter long.

    How should I use this?

    It was far too much of a waste to leave a horn fragment containing god-killing powers unused.

    <em>But using it to make a weapon for myself is a bit of a waste.</em>

    He possessed the Transcendent-grade weapon, Key of the Demonic Sea, which was far more valuable than Behemoths horn fragment. Kang-Woo fell into thought while tapping the horn fragment.

    <em>Who should I give it to?</em>

    He thought of possible candidates, but it didnt take him too long for the perfect person toe to mind.

    Yeah.

    There was only one person at the moment who was in need of such an item.

 Chapter 318: Oppa~

    Chapter 318: Oppa~

    You want to make me a weapon? Cha Yeon-Joo asked with her eyes open wide.

    She was more confused than thankful for the unexpected offer.

    Why so out of the blue?

    Well, I was thinking about it, and Oh Kang-Woo slurred.

    He had thought about many candidates such as Balrog, Halcyon, Echidna and Kim Si-Hun. However, Balrog already had his Overlord Armor, while Si-Hun had the holy sword Ludwig. Halcyons style of fighting did not require weapons, and Echidna need not even be mentioned.

    <em>The only ones left are Tian Wuchen and Cha Yeon-Joo.</em>

    Kang-Woo owed Yeon-Joo more, and was also closer to her than Wuchen. As the deciding factor, Yeon-Joo had participated in thest operation.

    ... I just thought its best that you have it, Kang-Woo said as he raised Behemoths horn fragment in his hand.

    Yeon-Joos eyes widened, and she averted her gaze as her cheeks flushed red.

    R-Really?

    She also knew how powerful the horn of the monster known as Behemoth was since she had witnessed the gigantic bull covered in ck mes charging while decimating everything in his path.

    Yeah. You should be the one to use it, Kang-Woo stated.

    Ahem. If you say so, Ill use it.

    Yeon-Joo touched Behemoths horn fragment while humming in a good mood. Just lightly touching was enough to send sparks up her hand; she could feel the immense power emanating from the horn.

    But are you sure youll be able to process this thing? My weapon is a bit special, Yeon-Joo asked in worry.

    Kang-Woo nodded while smirking. Yeah, its more than possible.

    Yeon-Joos weapon was chains with sharp thorns on them.

    <em>The fragment is a bit too small to make chains from scratch, but</em>

    He could imbue his demonic energy in the fragment and coat the chains with it.

    First, take out all of your chains, Kang-Woo said.

    Okay.

    Yeon-Joo extended both of her hands out and slightly twisted her wrists.

    <em>tter</em>.

    Chains poured down from the bracelets on her wrists. Kang-Woo stared at her wrists in fascination.

    Is that also one of the bracelets functions? Kang-Woo asked.

    No, this is one of my Traits. I can store chains in an equipment of my choosing and use them freely.

    Aha, Kang-Woo expressed, and lightly grabbed her wrists.

    Wh-What are you doing? Yeon-Joo asked, her eyes sharp.

    Stay still.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and read the flow of Yeon-Joos mana.

    <em>She has better control of it than Id thought.</em>

    He had imagined her mana flow to be rampant like her beast-like personality, but it was far more tranquil than he had expected.

    <em>Using this mana flow as the base</em>

    Kang-Woo mapped out a design of her weapon in his head. This was his first time creating a weapon for someone else, but the fundamental technique itself was simr.

    <em>Ill make it morefortable and stronger.</em>

    Weapons just needed to be easy to use and powerful; addingplex and difficult-to-use functions to them was pointless. Kang-Woo took Yeon-Joos hands and slowly massaged them.

    Wh-What the hell are you doing, y-you son of a bitch?! Yeon-Joo shouted with her cheeks as red as her hair.

    It was a natural response, since the one who had said that he would make her a weapon was suddenly taking her hands and massaging them.

    I told you to stay still, Kang-Woo stated.

    Y-You!

    Kang-Woo ignored Yeon-Joos resistance and observed her hands.

    <em>The weapon should be a bit lighter Since she controls the chains using mana instead of strength, I should raise its mana sensitivity as high as possible.</em>

    He more or less hadpleted the design in his head. Kang-Woo extended his hand toward the pile of chains, and closed his eyes with Behemoths horn fragment in his other hand.

    <em>Fwoooom!!</em>

    Great amounts of energy moved. The horn fragment that contained god-killing powers melted down by yellow mes.

    <em>Authority of ze.</em>

    Mammons Authority was useful in many ways. Behemoths horn fragment glowed red and melted, covering Yeon-Joos chains.

    Yeon-Joo nkly stared at Kang-Woo, who was making her weapon under immense concentration. She bit her lip as her expression showed a hint of anger, but it soon grew softer, and she went back to staring nkly at him.

    All done.

    ... Huh?

    I said its done.

    O-Okay. Yeon-Joo nodded while coughing.

    Momentster, her eyes widened due to the message window that had popped up in front of her.

    What is it? Kang-Woo asked.

    U-Uhmm Yeon-Joo stuttered. The equipment grade rose from Legendary to Mythic.

    Mythic?

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>I guess Transcendent was pushing it.</em>

    It would have been a different story if the chains had been made purely out of Behemoths horn, but its quality fell since it had only been made from a fragment.

    Thats a shame, Kang-Woo expressed.

    A-A shame? Are you insane? This is of the highest grade even among Mythic-grade equipment! M-My god. Just from coating it with a horn fragment

    Yeon-Joo read through the message window that Kang-Woo couldnt see over and over again. Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>Just a fragment, huh?</em>

    Such an expression did not suit a being like Behemoth.

    <em>I mean, I guess it is surprising, since all I did was coat the chains with the horn fragment.</em>

    Even if the material was not Transcendent-grade, the god-killing powers infused within the horn would not have disappeared.

    C-Can I try using it? Yeon-Joo asked.

    Of course. We didnt meet all the way here for nothing.

    They had met in the mountains in the vicinity of Seoul that Kang-Woo frequently used to train so that Yeon-Joo could test out the power of her newly-made weapon.

    Alright. Yeon-Joo nodded in excitement.

    The mana flowing through the chains was on a whole other levelpared to before; it was as if invisible wings had been added to them.

    <em>What the hell?</em>

    Yeon-Joos eyes widened. She used the Trait that she had unlocked on her Tenth Awakening.

    Red Lotus, First Form.

    <em>Thrash!</em> The chains moved.

    ***

    W-Wow, Yeon-Joo expressed.

    The scene before her eyes thrilled her. She hadpletely destroyed an entire mountain. She had reached a stage far higher than her previous self just from switching weapons.

    What the

    Do you like it? Kang-Woo asked.

    I dont just like it! This is insanely amazing!

    Yeon-Joo hugged Kang-Woo before she had realized it from the uncontroble burst of emotion within her. Kang-Woo hugged her back.

    I hadnt been able to use even the first form of Red Lotus properly, but I can perfectly use it up to the third form now! This is absolutely insane!

    Yeon-Joo burst into brightughter. She was jumping up and down with Kang-Woo in her arms. And then

    Kyaaaaaahh!

    She btedly came back to her senses and pulled away from him while screaming. She wrapped her arms around herself and red at Kang-Woo.

    Wh-Where do you think youre touching?!

    She was overreacting all by herself.

    Calm down, woman, Kang-Woo said whileughing from the absurdity. Anyway, Im relieved. You dont feel any side effects, do you?

    ... Yeah, Impletely fine.

    Yeon-Joo hugged the chains as if she was never willing to part with them. Kang-Woo nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the delighted Yeon-Joo.

    <em>I guess I made the right call to give it to Yeon-Joo.</em>

    He couldnt help but smile from seeing how happy she was.

    Hehehe, Yeon-Joo giggled while hugging the chains.

    Kang-Woo closed his mouth.

    <em>Whats happening?</em>

    As he looked at how happy Yeon-Joo was, he felt an irresistible desire to tease her. He had never felt this way before, so even he was slightly surprised. However, his surging desire was pushing him to tease her. Kang-Woo did not resist the desire.

    I have a condition for making those chains for you, Kang-Woo mentioned.

    What? What condition? Yeon-Joo asked in surprise.

    From now on, you have to say <em>Oppa~</em> with a cute pose whenever you address me.

    What the fuck did you say? Yeon-Joo grimaced.

    Kang-Woo continued calmly, If you dont like it, give that back to me.

    Y-You son of a bitch!

    Yeon-Joos eyes set aze. She aggressively flung her chains at Kang-Woo.

    <em>Grab.</em>

    However, no matter how powerful her weapon had be, she was still no match for Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo easily grabbed the chains and smirked.

    What? Youre not gonna do it?

    O-Of course not, you fucker!

    Then I guess Ill take these back.

    Kang-Woo yanked on the chains.

    Kyaaah! Yeon-Joo was dragged along with the chains while screaming. Y-Youre just joking, right? Youre actually not taking them away, are you?

    No, I really am.

    N-No!

    Yeon-Joo frantically hugged the chains. It would have been a different story if she hadnt tasted the power of the chains, but since she had, she couldnt give them up. Kang-Woo smiled wickedly.

    Then you know what you have to do, dont you?

    Y-You!

    Yeon-Joo shook in rage. She red at him in fury.

    So? Whatll it be? Kang-Woo asked while snickering.

    Y-You fucking demon!

    Yeah, Im a demon.

    Scumbag! Dipshit! Baldy! Pervert!

    Im not a baldy, Kang-Woo retorted. That was the only one he couldnt stand for. Its not hard, is it? Anyone else wouldve happily done it if it meant they could get their hands on a Mythic-grade weapon.

    Yeon-Joo kept her mouth shut. She trembled with her face pale and teary-eyed.

    Haaa, haaa!

    She bit her lip while clenching her fists to the point that veins were popping out. She took a step back, put her palms on her cheeks, making a V sign, and winked.

    Oppa~

    Kang-Woo was shocked. Yeon-Joos voice sounded so cute that he couldnt believe it hade from her.

    Deathly silence fell.

    Pfft!! Kang-Woo covered his mouth with one hand and crouched. Kffp! Kahahaha!!

    He burst intoughter. He trembled while grabbing his stomach.

    Kahahahahahahah!!!

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists from the thrill. It had far surpassed his wildest expectations.

    <em>This is so fucking fun! Why hadnt I done something so fun earlier?!</em>

    Heughed to the point of shedding tears.

    Yeon-Joos eyes lost their light.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kurgh.

    Kang-Woo flew into the air after being smashed on the sr plexus, and rolled across the ground.

    ... Lets die. Yeon-Joo staggered toward Kang-Woo. Her eyes that had lost all sense of life were terrifying. Now that itse to this, lets just die together.

    A lioness engulfed in madness charged at him.

 Chapter 319: Protector of Light

    Chapter 319: Protector of Light

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo? Wh-What happened?¡±

    Han Seol-Ah quickly went up to Oh Kang-Woo as soon as he came back home. She searched his ragged face in worry. However, he was not injured anywhere; his hair was just a mess.

    Kang-Woo answered while smiling bitterly, ¡°I was attacked by a lion on my way home.¡±

    He recalled the lioness engulfed in madness, charging at him with her red mane fluttering. He was easily able to dodge such attacks, but¡­

    <em>¡®I felt like I shouldn¡¯t dodge them for some reason.¡¯</em>

    He could tell that he would suffer even more down the line if he didn¡¯t keep his mouth shut and take the beating.

    <em>¡®Regardless¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked after recalling the memory of Cha Yeon-Joo calling him<em>Oppa</em>while making a cute pose.

    ¡°Pfft! Kek!¡± He couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    Seol-Ah tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Did something interesting happen?¡±

    ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing. More importantly, did anything new happen?¡±

    ¡°Oh, we got a call from La.¡±

    ¡°La?¡± Kang-Woo tilted his head from the name he had never heard before.

    Seol-Ah grinned and answered, ¡°It¡¯s Gaia¡¯s real name. Si-Hun told me.¡±

    ¡°Mm. But didn¡¯t she abandon her real name after bing an incarnation?¡±

    ¡°That was to ept Lady Gaia¡¯s Divinity better, but since she has already epted most of the Divinity that she could receive as an incarnation, she can use her real name now.¡±

    ¡°Aha.¡± Kang-Woo nodded.

    Seol-Ah giggled and said excitedly, ¡°Listen to this, Kang-Woo. La was nning on continuing to use the name Gaia, but Si-Hun insisted she use her real name. Isn¡¯t it kind of romantic?¡±

    Kang-Woo smirked and asked, ¡°That aside, didn¡¯t you say that La contacted us?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Seol-Ah nodded with her cheeks red. ¡°Umm¡­ The real Gaia apparently wants to meet you.¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. It was obvious who Seol-Ah was referring to.

    ¡°Just me?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No, she also called the other Protectors. And¡­ Also that brat.¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes filled with chilling bloodlust. She still seemed to have some ill feelings toward Uriel.

    <em>¡®Man, I have a bad feeling about this.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo grimaced. He had never had any good experiences associating with Gaia until now.

    <em>¡®How is she gonna troll me this time?¡¯</em>

    He had suffered from her trolling multiple times; she was the one who had made his Satan Coin plummet, as well as ruined many other ns of his.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t wanna go.¡¯</em>

    However, there was no way he couldn¡¯t go. Kang-Woo sighed.

    ¡°Okay,¡± he nodded while shutting his lips tight anxiously.

    ***

    ¡°Wee, my children.¡±

    Aforting voice was heard as soon as Kang-Woo entered the Hall of Protection. Gaia¡¯s will had descended into Earth by borrowing La¡¯s body through Deific Manifestation.

    <em>¡®Fuck.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo grimaced unconsciously. The enormous amounts of power flowing out from Gaia¡¯s body prickled his skin. She had descended using La¡¯s body before, but this could not even bepared to back then.

    <em>¡®This is the power of one of the highest gods.¡¯</em>

    Cold sweat trickled down the back of Kang-Woo¡¯s neck. He was smothered by the breathtaking energy as soon as he entered the room. The Divinity of Gaia, who had recovered her power, was powerful enough to make Kang-Woo anxious.

    ¡°Greetings, Lady Gaia,¡± Kim Si-Hun, who was standing at the front, said while kneeling on one knee.

    With him in the middle, the other Protectors such as Zhuge Xian, Ito Shinji, Grace McCubbin, and others that were lined up next to Si-Hun, also kneeled on one knee. Kang-Woo lined up at the far end, hoping to stay hidden. He could feel his heart beating like crazy.

    <em>¡®This is scary as hell.¡¯</em>

    It felt as if he was a murderer called to the scene of his own crime. Kang-Woo anxiously stared at Gaia.

    <em>¡®What should I do if she recognizes me?¡¯</em>

    The possibility of that was low since she herself had said that she did not know who the Demon of Prophecy was; she also had not recognized him back when she had descended before. However, now that her power had returned after Earth¡¯s Protection had been restored, it could be a different story.

    <em>¡®If I get exposed as the Demon of Prophecy here¡­¡¯</em>

    Everything would obviously be over. The sturdy tower of trust that he had built with difficulty would crumble.

    <em>¡®Fucking please¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists, desperately hoping that Gaia wouldn¡¯t say anything. However, contrary to Kang-Woo¡¯s hopes, Gaia slowly opened her mouth.

    ¡°First, I would like to thank all of you,¡± she said while smiling gently. ¡°If it were not for you all, this star would have been fully exposed to otherworldly interference and been destroyed.¡±

    ¡°It could not have happened without your guidance, Lady Gaia,¡± Si-Hun answered calmly.

    Gaia smiled. ¡°Protector Kim Si-Hun.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Come closer.¡±

    Si-Hun expressed slight bewilderment, but approached her.

    ¡°Sessor of the Heavenly Dragon. You have no idea how reassured I am to have you with me.¡±

    ¡°N-Not at all¡­¡±

    ¡°Fufu. There is no need to be so humble. I have been reported of all your aplishments through La.¡±

    Si-Hun lowered his head while blushing. Gaia gently caressed his cheeks.

    ¡°I am nothing but sorry for this child. Although it could not have been helped, I made her shoulder far too heavy of a burden.¡± She sighed in sorrow. ¡°But my heavy heart has be at least a little lighter, seeing how happy this child has be from having met you.¡±

    ¡°Lady Gaia¡­¡±

    ¡°Fufu. This child may have some quirks, but please give her as much love as you can.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Si-Hun nodded without hesitation.

    ¡°And¡­¡± Gaia then shifted her gaze toward Uriel. ¡°I thank you, wings of Seraph. Thanks to your assistance, we were able to chase out the darkness from this star.¡±

    ¡°I only did my duty.¡± Uriel bowed while maintaining his dignity as an archangel instead of his usual childlike self. He then added, ¡°From what I have heard, the restoration of your power is not permanent¡­ Is that true?¡±

    Gaia nodded with a darkened expression. ¡°It is. As long as the Demon of Prophecy lives¡­ Earth¡¯s protection will never be fully restored.¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders flinched from the sudden mention of the Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡°But do not fret. TIme has been bought thanks to your help,¡± Gaia expressed.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Trust me. I will personally stop the darkness fromying its hands on this star. Of course, it will notst forever, but¡­ I havee up with a n in preparation for it.¡±

    Silence fell. There was nothing else to say when the goddess in charge of managing Earth was going so far.

    ¡°What is this n that you are referring to, Lady Gaia?¡± Si-Hun asked, breaking the silence.

    Everyone here was likely curious about it.

    Gaia nodded and replied, ¡°I have called you all here today to give you the details of that n. But before I get into it¡­¡± Gaia looked toward the Protectors with sunken eyes. ¡°I have something to announce to all of you.¡±

    She slowly turned her gaze toward Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®Wh-What?¡¯</em>

    Why was she looking at him? Kang-Woo¡¯s expression stiffened, and he averted his gaze.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t think she knows I¡¯m the Demon of Prophecy.¡¯</em>

    So why was she looking at him so intently?

    ¡°Oh Kang-Woo, is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Kang-Woo slowly nodded.

    He was acting like he was perfectly fine on the outside, but a storm was raging within his head.

    <em>¡®Don¡¯t call me. Don¡¯t even look at me. Please just pay me no mind. Screw off.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Gaia in desperation.

    ¡°Come here,¡± Gaia said.

    ¡°... Yes, Lady Gaia.¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly got up and walked toward her. Just like she had done to Si-Hun, she gently touched his cheek. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened, cold sweat flowing down his back.

    <em>¡®Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.¡¯</em>

    He was scared shitless. He was at risk of being found out as the Demon of Prophecy just from being in the same room as her, but she was now making direct contact with him. It would not be strange if she found out that he was the Demon of Prophecy here and now.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s seriously a goddamn nuisance.¡¯</em>

    The pains that he had gone through because of Gaia shed before his eyes like a panorama.

    <em>¡®If it weren¡¯t for you¡­¡¯</em>

    Everything would have been resolved with just his Satan persona without ever having needed to create the Rakiel persona. The Demon of Prophecy would have never needed to be revealed. No, Earth would have never needed to be in danger in the first ce.

    <em>¡®You useless, frustrating, dumb, dim-witted bitch.¡¯</em>

    She let the Gaia System be broken, unnecessarily wasted her Divinity and asked for help from other worlds at random, andpletely ruined his ns that were going well several times.

    <em>¡®Fucking troll.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists while suppressing his rage.

    ¡°Despite not being a chosen Protector, you worked harder than any other Protector to protect this star.¡±

    <em>¡®Yeah, I worked hard as fuck, all because of you.¡¯</em>

    Gaia grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders, which irritated him even more.

    ¡°Thank you¡­ very much.¡¯

    <em>¡®Oh yes, I¡¯m sure you would be thankful.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo slightly rolled his eyes. He understood why Gaia had asked to see him; it was for thepletely meaningless act of a chief gathering their subordinates and naming one of them employee of the month, telling the other employees that they could also be praised like this if they worked hard.

    <em>¡®Enough with the bullshit.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was not so easy to please. He lightly snorted and lowered his head. Just then¡­

    ¡°Henceforth, I have decided to select you as a Protector on the same level as Protector Kim Si-Hun.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    <em>¡®The fuck she say?¡¯</em>

    <em>Whooom!</em>

    Bright light poured out from Gaia¡¯s hands and flowed into Kang-Woo.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [You have received ¡®Gaia¡¯s Blessing¡¯.]

    [Raising all stats dramatically!]

    [Demonic Energy has surpassed 160. You can now partially use demonic energy from the Abyss.]

    [The title ¡®Protector of Light¡¯ has been generated.]

    [All beings of godhood will recognize you as a retainer of Gaia!]

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes filled with shock from the messages before his eyes.

    <em>¡®My Demonic Energy stat surpassed 160, and¡­ I can use demonic energy from the Abyss?¡¯</em>

    Not just that, all beings of godhood would recognize him as the Protector of Light.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way I¡¯d get exposed now.¡¯</em>

    Who in their right mind would suspect a retainer of Gaia to be the Demon of Prophecy?

    <em>¡®Yes, this is it! My life haspletely turned around now!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo unconsciously raised his two arms high up in the air.

    <em>¡®Lady Gaiaaaaaaaaa!! I believed in you!!¡¯</em>

    He could swear on his life that he had never doubted Gaia for even a millisecond.

    <em>¡®Shiiiet, Protector of Light, huh? Awesome! Lady Gaia sure has an eye for people!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had been right all along.

    <em>¡®You are¡­ the hope of humanity.¡¯</em>

    He had not once thought of Gaia as useless despite everyone else having thought so. He always believed that Gaia was the true hope of humanity as well as its savior.

    <em>¡®Yes, I knew it all along.¡¯</em>

    He was simply being rewarded for his faith.

    ¡°I will¡­ dedicate myself to the light.¡±

    Tears flowed down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks.

 Chapter 320: Goddessâ€™s Rage (1)

    Chapter 320: Goddess¡¯s Rage (1)

    Thank you for bing my child. Gaia smiled faintly. She then continued solemnly, From now on, I, Gaia, swear on my Divinity that I will spare no support and love for Protector Oh Kang-Woo.

    The blinding light that entered Oh Kang-Woo burst out, and a golden light enveloped him.

    I will dedicate my life to you, Lady Gaia, Kang-Woo answered.

    Gaia stroked Kang-Woos hair with a smile filled with parental love.

    You do not have to speak so formally. You are now nothing short of my child.

    Lady Gaia

    For the first time since the primeval chaos, the Protector of Light was born in a way that would never have been imagined by any transcendental being.

    <em>Huehuehuehuehue!!</em>

    Kang-Woo suppressed hisughter with all his might. He had be a hero that was vouched for by Gaia, a goddess of the top rank! He had never expected to gain such an insane asset.

    Congrattions, hyung-nim. Kim Si-Hun grabbed his hand with a bright smile.

    Seeing that, Uriel grabbed Kang-Woos other hand and let out a snort.

    Rather, its more of a surprise that you werent a Protector until now. You shouldve be a Protector way earlier than this, he grumbled.

    Si-Huns eyebrows twitched. It could not have been helped since Lady Gaia was unwell.

    He then pulled on Kang-Woos hand that he was holding. It was like having flowers (stamens) in each hand. Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>Stop it, you sons of bitches.</em>

    He aggressively shook them off.

    Gaia covered a hand over her mouth and let out a hushed giggle. Since the Protector selection isplete, I will get to the main topic at hand.

    Yes, Lady Gaia. Kang-Woo nodded.

    He was highly interested in what Gaia had to say, and just as worried.

    Protector Kim Si-Hun and Oh Kang-Woo, my lovely children. I would like to entrust a very special mission to you two.

    Special

    Mission?

    Kang-Woo and Si-Hun expressed confusion from the sudden proposition.

    Gaia nodded. My powers have been partially restored, but As you all know, it is not permanent. In the end At this rate, I will go back to being unable to move an inch like before.

    ... Yes, we know.

    There is a way to dy that process. This does not resolve the fundamental issue either, but It will buy much more time than the previous operation.

    Will we be destroying a Rift likest time? Kang-Woo asked.

    Gaia slowly shook her head. It is different. No I guess it is notpletely different. She then continued with a low tone, I want you two to go to the continent of Aernor to find and destroy the sealed corpse of the Demon God.

    Heavy silence fell. Both Kang-Woo and Si-Hun naturally turned agape.

    <em>What?</em>

    What Gaia had just said was absolutely insane.

    <em>Its not like we can just go to Aernor whenever we want.</em>

    Kang-Woo had gotten so used to the word Aernor that it no longer sounded like the name of another world. Based on what he had heard from Echidna, it was a ssic fantasy world with dragons, fairies, knights and mages.

    <em>The only different thing is</em>

    The civilization of Aernor was highly advanced. They still had a monarchy, but general civilization was fairly advanced due to the advancements in magic tools.

    <em>No, thats not whats important right now.</em>

    Kang-Woo quickly raised his head back up. The important point was that Aernor was not on Earth, but was another world entirely.

    What Do you mean?

    I knew you would be confused. It is only natural, since I told you to go to another world out of nowhere. Gaia nodded with a bitter smile. She then pointed at Uriel and continued, However, I am not sending you to and that you can never return from. You could say that it is simr to how the Wings of Seraph over there is on Earth right now.

    Kang-Woo and Si-Huns faces rxed slightly.

    <em>I guess its something along the lines of going to a foreign country that you cant juste and go however you wish.</em>

    Although Aernor was another world, many beings from that world hade to Earth, such as Reynald, Lucis and Lucifer, and Uriel; they were all residents of Aernor.

    <em>But even so, another world?</em>

    It was definitely not somece that one could go with light feelings.

    ... Is there a reason why we absolutely have to go?

    If there wasnt, I would not be sending my lovely children to another world. Gaia nodded with a heavy expression. You all may not know this, but Earths protection is not confined just to the star known as Earth. It is deeply intertwined with the protection of the respective stars Aernor and Huan.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. His hypothesis when he had first heard that Seraphs seal was weakening had been confirmed.

    The protection of Aernor and Huan have also be unstable due to the impaired protection of Earth, Gaia mentioned.

    Is that connected to destroying the corpse of the Demon God?

    Gaia nodded. Aernors protection is not as specialized as Earths protection in blocking otherworldly interference; it is more specialized toward stopping the Demon Gods revival. If the Demon Gods corpse ispletely destroyed Aernors protection can be used to block otherworldly interference.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes again. He more or less understood what Gaia was trying to say.

    <em>But</em>

    He had two questions.

    First, are the protections of each star not being managed by the respective ruling god of each world? Do you have the authority to modify Aernors protection, Lady Gaia?

    ... Good question. Gaia stared at Kang-Woo in slight surprise. She nodded soon after and answered, Long story short, I do. When Seraph sealed the darkness by sacrificing her Divinity, she passed her authority over to me.

    In that case, I have one more question. This one was what Kang-Woo actually did not understand. If there was a way to destroy the Demon Gods corpse, why have you not done it until now?

    Even if they were Protectors, they were still only human. Although that was no longer the case now that Kang-Woo had also be a Protector, Gaia did not know that. Asking Kang-Woo and Si-Hun to destroy the Demon Gods corpse that even the gods had no choice but to seal was absurd.

    Gaia also answered this question without hesitation, After the Demon Gods corpse on Earth disappeared, Baulis Divinity has be unstable. Now We should be able to annihte his corpse.

    Kang-Woos eyes sharpened.

    <em>So thats why he tried to take over my body.</em>

    Bauli had tried to get his hands on Kang-Woos body as soon as Kang-Woo absorbed the Demon Gods corpse. If that had been to get his hands on the other portions of his corpse, it made sense for him to have acted so hastily.

    <em>In that case</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>This could be a good opportunity.</em>

    Eliminating the Demon Gods corpse was necessary in the sense that he would be eliminating future risk factors in advance.

    <em>Theres also the option for me to eat it instead of destroying it, but</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head.

    <em>Its far too dangerous.</em>

    It was not that he didnt want the enormous demonic energy contained within the Demon Gods corpse, but it was way too risky.

    <em>As long as Bauli is within me, I cant eat his corpse.</em>

    If he did, Baulis influence would grow bigger and could give him the chance to take over Kang-Woos body. He could obtain immense power by eating the corpse, but at the risk of his body being taken over; it was not even worth considering whether to take that chance or not.

    <em>No matter how strong I be</em>

    It was meaningless if he would lose control over his body.

    I understand. I will go to Aernor with Si-Hun.

    H-Hyung-nim. Si-Hun looked at Kang-Woo in bewilderment.

    Kang-Woo calmly continued, However, it is far too dangerous for just us two to go by ourselves. We need more help.

    I will leave it entirely to you two to choose who to take with you. My incarnation will also join you. It will be difficult for me to manifest through her like I am now, but I will be able to assist you through revtions.

    Kang-Woo nodded. When will we be departing?

    For you to cross through Aernors protection without receiving any form of restrictions, it will take about half a year. I would like you to train to grow stronger until then.

    Understood.

    Half a year It was a long yet short amount of time.

    <em>Its a bitter than Id expected.</em>

    Kang-Woo wanted to eliminate the risk factor that was Bauli as soon as possible, but it could not be helped.

    Hyung-nim Si-Hun called out to him anxiously.

    Sorry for deciding without consulting you, Si-Hun.

    Not at all. I was nning on following whatever you decided on. But Si-Hun asked in worry, What will happen to Earth while were gone?

    I will take care of that, Gaia dered strongly. Now that Earths protection has been restored, I will not let otherworldly beings do as they wish on Earth.

    <em>Fwoooom.</em>

    Great power flowed out from Gaia.

    Although my incarnation will be with you all I am not as powerless as I have been before.

    There was nothing more reassuring than the deration of a goddess with top-rank Divinity.

    Oh Kang-Woo No, my lovely child. Thank you for epting my unreasonable request. Gaia approached Kang-Woo while smiling gently. May your path be filled with the blessing of li

    As she was expressing her best wishes to Kang-Woo while caressing his cheek, her expression slightly crumpled.

    She mumbled with a hint of hesitancy in her words, What? Why?

    Her voice was filled with confusion. Kang-Woo stared at her in wonder of what was going on, but flinched after hearing her mumbles.

    Why are there traces of demonic energy

    ...!

    Kang-Woos eyes widened.

    <em>Fuck.</em>

    He was fucked. He clenched his chest without hesitation and copsed on the spot.

    Kurgh! Cough, cough!

    H-Hyung-nim?!

    Si-Hun quickly ran up to him.

    Kang-Woo, could you be

    Uriels eyes shook. His expression stiffened after approaching to see Kang-Woo copsed on the ground. He was used to seeing such a scene.

    Shit, shit!! It still hasnt disappeared yet?! Uriel shed tears while shouting.

    He put his hands on Kang-Woos chest and poured sacred power into him. Kang-Woo, who had been seizing up, gradually rxed.

    Wh-What is going on, Wings of Seraph? Gaia asked with a trembling voice.

    Uriel answered sorrowfully with his head lowered, This is Rakiels doing.

    What? Gaias eyes widened.

    Kang-Woo hurriedly extended his arm as if to shut Uriel up.

    L-Lord Uriel Dont

    ... Im sorry, Kang-Woo. I cant hide it any longer.

    Uriel revealed the secret that only he and Kang-Woo knew, about what Rakiel had done to Kang-Woos body in the two weeks that Kang-Woo had been captured by him.

    A-Aaaahh, Gaia shook.

    <em>Crack</em>. The ground she was standing on split.

    How How dare he

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    The entire Hall of Protection shook.

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    The power of the enraged goddess distorted space itself.

    How dare the mere Constetion of Corruptiony a hand on my child?!

    The rage of Gaia, the goddess in charge of one of the worlds of the Triad, pointed toward the Constetion of Corruption.

 Chapter 321: Goddessâ€™s Rage (2)

    Chapter 321: Goddess¡¯s Rage (2)

    <em>Holy shit, what?</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo, who had been scrunched up while clenching his chest, flinched. He was honestly a little confused.

    <em>Whats with the overreaction?</em>

    He had only just been selected as a Protector; although Gaia had swore on her Divinity that she would spare no support and love for him, it was a little out of nowhere.

    <em>Why does she love me so much?</em>

    It was as if he had been adopted, and his adoptive mother was showing him a little too much love as soon as he entered the household. Although it was not a bad feeling, he was still confused nheless.

    Are you okay, my child?! Gaia approached Kang-Woo, who had copsed on the floor in pain.

    She was looking down at him on the verge of tears; no, she was actually crying a little.

    <em>What the actual fuck?</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes were filled with confusion, but continued his performance.

    Cough! Cough! I-Im alright

    How can you say that when youre like this?! Gaia embraced Kang-Woo while shouting, trembling while shedding tears. Please Please do not die I cannot lose another child after Alec.

    It had been a while since Kang-Woo had heard that name. Everything made sense as soon as he heard it.

    <em>I guess shes the type to love the humans that she has chosen as Protectors to death.</em>

    If that was not the case, there was no way that she would mention Alec Osborne, who had died by the hands of Satan years ago. The fear in her voice, her genuine concern for her incarnation, La, as well as her attitude toward Kim Si-Hun all showed that she treated the humans that she had selected as Protectors as her real children.

    <em>So thats why she even went as far as to swear on her Divinity.</em>

    Kang-Woo did not quite know how deep of a meaning that held, but he felt like they had not been empty words. A portion of her Divinity would likely be annihted if she were to break the vow.

    <em>She really decided to treat me like her own son. No wonder, considering everything I did for her.</em>

    In Gaias perspective, Kang-Woo was nothing short of her savior. She likely had great interest in him even before she had selected him as a Protector.

    <em>This is</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes, lowering the ascending corners of his mouth with all his might.

    <em>... Amazing, isnt it?</em>

    Kang-Woo had seen her in apletely different light, other than simply being a troll. He was more than satisfied with bing a retainer of a god, but she had even decided to treat him like her own child. It was honestly far better than what he had expected.

    <em>Kuh, who the fuck dared to call Lady Gaia a loser?!</em>

    He wanted to beat the shit out of the people who had dared to call Gaia useless. She was more perfect than his wildest dreams.

    <em>If thats the case</em>

    Kang-Woo needed to stir Gaia up even more.

    Haaa, haaa, Kang-Woo panted heavily while clenching his chest. He took a deep breath in and slowly got up. ... Im fine now.

    Gaia stared at him with sunken eyes. Why did you not say anything?

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    Tell me, my child, she said, as if scolding him.

    Kang-Woo smiled in a way that looked as if it would shatter into pieces at even the slightest touch.

    I was scared of losing them. Kang-Woo averted Gaias gaze and stared at Si-Hun, who was staring at him in shock. I have gained too much.

    Silence fell. With a grimace, Gaia shouted, You Idiot!

    <em>Smack!</em>

    Gaia strongly flicked Kang-Woos forehead. She then continued with a hardened face, I will hold off on the mission of sending you to Aernor for now. I cannot leave such a dangerous mission in your hands in that state.

    No, you must. Kang-Woo shook his head. He grabbed Gaias hands and stared at her with zing eyes, speaking with certainty, I have to go.

    Gaias eyes shook.

    It will take months just to open a Gate leading to Aernor. We cannot dy it, Kang-Woo stated.

    But you

    Lady Gaia. Kang-Woo tightened his grip on her hands and said again, I have to go.

    Gaia remained silent. She also knew very well that they had to go to Aernor to eliminate the Demon Gods corpse and acquire Aernors protection. If it had not been urgent, she would not have entrusted this mission to Si-Hun and Kang-Woo in the first ce.

    My child

    Gaias eyes shook. She caressed Kang-Woos cheek and lowered her head before she said, I am truly sorry For having you shoulder such a heavy burden.

    She wanted to chase away the demonic energy within Kang-Woo this instant, but the fact that there were still traces of demonic energy within him despite having been chosen as a Protector meant that it had already spread to the point of it being nearly irreversible. If she forcibly tried to eliminate the demonic energy by using her Divinity, Kang-Woos life would be put at risk. There was only one way to eliminate the demonic energy within him, and that was to kill Rakiel, the root source.

    Gaia asked, her voice filled with bloodlust, The Constetion of Corruption is currently on Earth, correct?

    Uriel answered, Yes. He is plotting some sort of scheme here on Earth.

    I see. Gaias eyes narrowed. Breathtaking energy flowed out from her and weighed down everything around her. Wings of Seraph, can I entrust you with the mission of locating Rakiel while I prepare the Gate leading to Aernor?

    Of course. Uriel nodded without hesitation.

    He had been searching for Rakiels traces whenever he had time, despite it not being his duty. He kneeled on one knee while spreading open his eight wings.

    In exchange, I have a request, Uriel mentioned.

    Speak, Gaia replied.

    I would also like to go on the mission that you have entrusted to Kang-Woo, he said while looking in Kang-Woos direction.

    I will allow it, Gaia answered without hesitation.

    There was no reason for her to refuse a powerful and reliable being like Uriel to join the mission.

    Constetion of Corruption Gaia mumbled while recalling Rakiel, who was hidden somewhere in this star.

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    I swear on my Divinity! I, Gaia, Goddess of the earth will bestow upon you the most horrifying and agonizing death imaginable!

    <em>Rumble.</em>

    Bloodlust blossomed from Gaias eyes.

    The price you will pay forying a hand on my child will not be cheap.

    The rage of the goddess with top-rank Divinity shook the earth.

    ***

    Pfft, huehuehuehuehue!

    Kang-Woo unleashed theughter that he had suppressed as soon as he came back home. He crouched while holding his stomach.

    <em>- The price you will pay forying a hand on my child will not be cheap.</em>

    <em>Shiiiet, Im falling in love.</em>

    He couldnt help but smile as he kept recalling Gaias words.

    <em>Its perfect.</em>

    The picture he had been hoping for had been fully painted.

    <em>The hero being corrupted by demonic energy, and the goddess trying to save him</em>

    It was now no longer weird that demonic energy could be felt from him; in other words, the chances of his true identity being found out had been lowered even further. His performance had even deepened her affection toward him.

    <em>That aside</em>

    Kang-Woo sighed from the moment that had freaked him out.

    <em>That was dangerous.</em>

    He regretted having trusted in his Ruler of Demonic Energy too much.

    <em>I cant believe she detected my demonic energy.</em>

    Despite having been extra careful in hiding it, he had still not been able to conceal it in its entirety.

    <em>I guess thats a god of the top rank for you.</em>

    Kang-Woo entered his room while clicking his tongue. Han Seol-Ah, Echidna and Halcyon seemed to have gone out somewhere.

    <em>Now, what to do?</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. Although he had managed to me it on Rakiel, the problem was what he would do from now on.

    I spammed this son of a bitch too much.

    He had used Rakiels name a bit too many times, to the point that it was difficult to resolve everything that he had made up.

    I think its about time I sell.

    The Rakiel Coins value had risen as high as it possibly could. He was no longer in any situation to go all in on the Rakiel Coin.

    <em>But its a bit dangerous to sell since the real Rakiel is still alive.</em>

    Kang-Woos head was in jumbles. Although wiping his hands clean off from the persona was not difficult, it was a difficult decision to make, in the case that the real Rakiel were to appear one day.

    For now Ill see how things go.

    He was not in a rush. Rather, he would be able to gain even more of Gaias favor if he were to pretend to be even more dedicated to his duty without losing hope in such a situation.

    <em>Man, this is why you need good connections.</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt feel any more reassured, now that he had the head god of Earth supporting him. He would no doubt have a bright future ahead of him as long as he used Gaia properly.

    <em>Ill trust you, Lady Gaia!</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists and raised them up high into the sky.

    ***

    <em>Whoosh.</em>

    Dust blew across a destend. Silence lingered between the distorted and split boulders. A being with ten ck wings slowly got up.

    ... Rakiel, someone said from behind the being.

    The being known as Rakiel slowly turned his head. There, a hideous monster whose face was covered in rotten mold was ring at him.

    Are you out of your mind?

    Rakiel looked up at the sky dyed in darkness without a word. ... No, I have been out of my mind until now.

    Hah! the monster chuckled, and then shouted, The Constetion of Corruption has gone mad after his seal hade undone! You bring shame to Lord Bauli!

    Rakiel stared at the monster with sunken eyes. Constetion of Agony. No matter what you say, I will not change my mind.

    He spread out his ten wings, and ck lightning sparked between them. The monster known as the Constetion of Agony gritted his teeth.

    You dare betray us?! he eximed in fury, but smirked momentster. Kehehe. Rakiel, even if you do return to the light, do you seriously believe anyone will listen to what you say?

    ...

    Who would possibly trust the words of a fallen angel? Hm?! Your sin of corrupting hundreds of thousands of beings just to get your hands on Seraph will never lighten! the monster said mockingly.

    Rakiel flew up with a heavy expression. ... I know.

    He knew that he hadmitted an unforgivable sin.

    But

    Exactly because of that

    I will atone for my sins.

    Rakiel, who had flown up into the sky, disappeared into a blue Rift.

 Chapter 322: Turn Delicious, Moe Moe Kyun (1)

    Chapter 322: Turn Delicious, Moe Moe Kyun (1)

    ... You dont know where the Demon Gods corpse is?

    Oh Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes, tilting his head as he stared at the silver-haired young man tied to a chair.

    Ahh, urhh.

    Lucis, who was wrapped in sticky green tentacles, nodded with his mouth open. Kang-Woo grimaced.

    You expect me to believe that? You said that you trained with Lucifer there. How does it make any sense that you dont know where it is?

    Ahh I-I dont know, Lucis answered faintly.

    Lilith, who had been standing behind Lucis, approached Kang-Woo.

    My king. It seems he really doesnt know.

    ...

    Kang-Woo frowned as if his head hurt. He sat down on a chair while leaving the drooling Lucis be.

    <em>This changes things.</em>

    Kang-Woo had taken on the mission to go to Aernor so readily because he had expected Lucis to know where the Demon Gods corpse was, but all that Lucis was saying was that he did not know. The difficulty of the mission that he had expected to be easy had skyrocketed.

    <em>Gaia said that she doesnt know either</em>

    Kang-Woo leaned back on the chair and fell into thought. If no one knew where the Demon Gods corpse was, then the duration of their trip could be indefinite. In the worst case scenario, they would have to waste several years just to find the corpse.

    <em>Would Bauli know?</em>

    The thought crossed Kang-Woos mind, but he shook his head.

    <em>Thatd be insane.</em>

    No matter how important it was to find the Demon Gods corpse, letting out Bauli that he had imprisoned in the Abyss was crazy.

    <em>Im sure hes waiting for the opportunity to take control of my body.</em>

    Not even Kang-Woo knew until when he would be able to suppress Bauli, so he could not afford to let him out of the Abyss.

    ... Fuck. Kang-Woo sighed and clicked his tongue.

    Since Lucis, whom Kang-Woo had believed to know where the corpse was, knew nothing, there was no way to know where it was.

    It seems we have no other choice but to look for it after we arrive in Aernor, Lilith mentioned as she slowly walked toward the chair that Kang-Woo was sitting on.

    She seductively put one leg over the other and sat on the armrest.

    This trip might take longer than Id expected, expressed Kang-Woo.

    Fufu, I do not mind wherever I go, as long as I am with you, my king.

    But I mind.

    Kang-Woo grabbed his head. The thought filling his head weighed him down. The most critical issue regarding his mission in Aernor was

    <em>Would Aernor have kimchi stew?</em>

    There was no way that another world would have kimchi stew.

    <em>This is a serious issue.</em>

    The issue was on par withno, far more important than restoring Earths protection.

    <em>... I should make ample preparations.</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded while making a serious face.

    Is something on your mind? Lilith asked.

    No, its nothing, Kang-Woo replied while shaking his head.

    Hmm That aside, Master Kang-Woo. Did you make some sort of promise with Echidna?

    Hm?

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion at the sudden question. Soon after, he recalled the events of what had happened right aftering out of the Rift.

    Echidna has been in a great mood since morning training.

    Ngh.

    Even when I asked her, she only smiled without answering Has something happened?

    I promised Echidna that I would go to Japan with her, just the two of us.

    Oh my. Lilith covered her mouth with her eyes wide open. My king Were you into little children?

    Of course not.

    Kang-Woo firmly shook his head and frowned to hint at Lilith never to say something so unpleasant ever again. Although Echidnas age had far surpassed that of a child, Kang-Woo did not see her as a woman in the slightest due to her outward appearance.

    Hohoho. I know, since you love my

    <em>Squelch</em>. Liliths hair curled together to form tentacles. Yellow pus dripped from the suckers.

    Ahh, its a little embarrassing to say it myself.

    Wha

    What the fuck was she even thinking about?

    Tags: Tentacle.

    What the hell does that mean?

    Fufu. I said it in a roundabout way because I was embarrassed.

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    Lilith, you havent forgotten what we promised, have you?

    ... Ngh.

    Lilith flinched; her tentacles turned back to hair. She pouted and poked Kang-Woos chest with her finger.

    That aside, my king. Have you not been neglecting me too muchtely? Neglect y is fine every once in a while, but it gets a little lonely, she said as ifining.

    Kang-Woo smirked. It was true that he had not been giving Lilith any attention.

    <em>I guess I should also give Lilith some of my timeter.</em>

    If he did not allow her to satiate her desire every now and then, an incident simr to what had happened with Lucis might ur again.

    <em>But first</em>

    Kang-Woo got up and headed to the demonic dragon that was likely waiting for him excitedly.

    ***

    Wow! Wooow!

    Echidna, who had arrived at Akihabara, the sanctuary of otakus, jumped around like a little kid.

    Kang-Woo! Kang-Woo! Look at that! Its Love Live!

    <em>Hm! Hm!</em> She pulled on Kang-Woos sleeve while snorting. Kang-Woo smirked while looking at her.

    <em>Well, considering all the anime she watched at home</em>

    It seemed like she had beenpletely engrossed in otaku culture.

    <em>I shouldve taken her here sooner.</em>

    Seeing how excited she was, he regretted noting to y with her here sooner.

    Kang-Woo asked while patting Echidnas head, Do you like it?

    Hm! Hm! Yeah! Its the best! Echidna nodded in excitement. Over here, Kang-Woo!

    Echidna took Kang-Woos hand and dragged him deeper into the district.

    <em>It sure is amazing.</em>

    It was different from other cities and towns just from the air it gave off, to the point that he felt like this would be how another world would be like. Giant anime posters were everywhere, and loud music filled the streets.

    <em>I cant believe its still like this after the Day of Cmity.</em>

    Humanity itself had been swept into a giant war with monsters after the Day of Cmity, wiping out many businesses rted to art such as anime, manga and novels. After all, there was no one crazy enough to read fantasy novels when monsters were outside their homes. However, this district was one of the few that had managed to go back to its former state after the Demon Cult had beenpletely eradicated.

    Is there somewhere you want to go? Kang-Woo asked as he matched his walking pace with Echidna, who was dragging him along.

    Echidna thought as she put her finger on her lips, looking around.

    I wanna do that and I wanna try going there too.

    Haha, we can do it all. We have plenty of time today.

    Hm! Hm! Echidna snorted while thoroughly taking a look around.

    And then, she suddenly pointed to a store.

    There!

    In front of the store was a woman wearing an extremely frilly maid outfit that looked as if no one should be wearing.

    <em>What the hell is that?</em>

    Kang-Woo was bewildered. He knew very well what maid outfits were, and what they symbolized. Why was a woman wearing an outfit symbolizing very touting in the streets?

    Master~ Come visit our cafe~

    <em>M-Master?</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes widened in shock. He trembled.

    <em>N-No way</em>

    An electric current traveled down his spine and along his limbs.

    <em>I-It must be a ce where you do </em>those <em>kinds of things!</em>

    Kang-Woo felt as if he had been struck by lightning. There was no ce other than <em>that</em> kind of ce where someone would be touting for business while calling people Master, wearing clothes symbolizing very.

    <em>She wants to go in there with me?</em>

    Had Echidna gone mad? Had her stormy adolescent brain finally overloaded and lost its function?

    W-Wait. You want to go in there?

    Yeah! Ive always wanted toe here!

    You have?

    There are ces where I can wear the maid outfit and roley!

    Roley?!

    <em>No!! Over my dead body!</em>

    I dont remember raising you that way, Echidna!!

    ... Huh? Echidna tilted her head as if she couldnt understand, but pulled Kang-Woo along with her. Youre acting weird, Kang-Woo. Just give it a try.

    N-No

    Kang-Woo was dragged by Echidna while trembling.

    <em>What the hell?</em>

    Was he just behind the times? Had he gotten way too old? Had human culture be so open toward such things?

    <em>Then why have I</em>

    For ten millennia

    Kang-Woo unwittingly shed tears. An unbearable sense of shame filled him. He was dragged into the maid cafe by Echidna while being lost for words.

    N-No matter how I think about it, this is insane, Kang-Woo muttered while trembling before opening the doors to the maid cafe.

    No matter how open things had be, this was not okay. Roleying as ve and master with a girl who was five hundred years old but looked like a high school girl?

    <em>Th-This world hase to an end! Its gone to the dogs!</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head with a pale face, but Echidna showed no signs of stopping.

    <em>Now that itse to this</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists. He had no choice but to wipe out this immoral and vulgar establishment himself.

    <em>No matter how chaotic the world has be, how dare they!</em>

    <em>ck</em>. He swung open the door, and what he saw was

    Wee, Master~

    ...?

    Despite being an atrociously vulgar business, the interior was decorated in quite an adorable way. It was so open to the point that there were not even dividers. Kang-Woo was shocked once again.

    <em>E-Even public y?!</em>

    Humanity was truly heading toward its end. Kang-Woo was trembling in shock.

    Kang-Woo, over here.

    Wee, Master~ mydy~ My, youre so cute!!

    Hm! I wanna wear a maid outfit too.

    Sure, just a second!

    The maid approached Kang-Woo and Echidna with a smile and took Echidna somewhere. Soon after, Echidna came back while wearing a maid outfit, puffing out her nonexistent chest proudly.

    Hm! Kang-Woo, what do you think?

    Oh, uhm. Well

    Oh right. I shouldnt be calling you Kang-Woo here. Echidna pulled on Kang-Woos arm and said in embarrassment, Master Does it suit me?

    What? Has the y already begun, without leaving him any time to stop it?

    Kang-Woo stood still with his facepletely frozen. He had no idea what to do.

    Master, mydy~ Your drinks are here~!

    Just then, a maid appeared to put their drinks on their table.

    She then said with a smile, Now, lets all do it together~

    <em>What?</em>

    They were all gonna do it together?!

    Th-This abomination of!

    Kang-Woo drew out his demonic energy, unable to endure it any longer.

    Lets chant the magic spell~!

    What?

    What spell?

    Repeat after me~

    What the fuck was this maid talking about?

    Turn delicious~ Moe moe kyun!

    The fuck you say?

    Turn delicious~ Moe moe kyun! Echidna happily followed after the maid and chanted the spell while making a heart with her hands.

    Kang-Woo nkly stared at Echidna.

    You do it too, Kang-Woo!

    ... What?

    She wanted him to do it too? Kang-Woo chanted the spell while making a heart with his hands like the maid instructed, with a facepletely frozen.

    Turn delicious. Moe moe kyun, he chanted as if weeping like a spirit of the dead heading to the River Styx. Ahh

    He just wanted to die. He stared at Echidna, who was taking a video of him with her smartphone while giggling.

    <em>Where</em>

    From where had it all gone wrong?<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    </blockquote>

 Chapter 323: Atonement (1)

    Chapter 323: Atonement (1)

    That was so much fun, Kang-Woo, Echidna said as she held Oh Kang-Woos hand while smiling.

    Time flew by when having fun; It had be dark before they had realized it, and stores were closing one after another. Their time in Akihabara hade to an end.

    Kang-Woo smirked while nodding. Although he had been a little bewildered by the maid cafe they had visited in the beginning, he had a much better time afterward.

    Letse again next time, he said as he gently stroked Echidnas hair.

    Okay! Echidna answered brightly.

    Seeing her radiant smile eased Kang-Woos mind.

    Shall we go home? he expressed.

    Although he had mentioned passportsst time, they had not flown here; after all, they could literally go anywhere in the world through the Hall of Protection via Gates that had been installed all over the world. Kang-Woo went to an area with no people to open a Gate leading to the Hall of Protection. Just then, Echidna hugged his arm as if dangling on it.

    ... Thank you, she said softly while smiling, If it werent for you I wouldve never known happiness like this, Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo turned his head to look down at her. Her smile momentarily felt extremely beautiful to him.

    ...

    Kang-Woo scratched his cheek. He was not used to feeling such emotions.

    ... Lets go home.

    Okay!"

    Echidna held his hand even tighter. Although Kang-Woo was not used to such a feeling, it did not feel bad at all.

    ***

    The day after his trip with Echidna, Kang-Woo arrived at the Hall of Protection after getting a call from Kim Si-Hun. Si-Hun, who had juste out of the training room, looked haggard.

    Whats up with your face? Kang-Woo asked while frowning.

    If a superhuman like Si-Hun was in such terrible condition, it meant that it was about something serious.

    ... Hyung-nim, Si-Hun called with a trembling voice. He bit his lip while on the verge of tears. I called you because I would like to ask you something.

    ... What is it?

    Lady Gaia probably doesnt know this, but You used to be a demon, right?

    Yeah, I used to be.

    Kang-Woo actually was still a demon, although Si-Hun thought that Kang-Woo had returned to being a human after bing the apostle of the God of Heroes.

    Is it dangerous even for a former demon to be encroached by demonic energy?

    Si-Hun stared at Kang-Woo with desperation, hoping for him to answer <em>no</em>.

    <em>Aha.</em>

    Kang-Woo finally understood why Si-Hun was so haggard.

    <em>Cute little bastard.</em>

    Si-Hun had been worried about him. Kang-Woo fell into thought while suppressing the corners of his mouth from curling up.

    <em>How should I handle this?</em>

    He thought whether or not he should specially tell Si-Hun, who had be aplete mess, but lightly shook his head.

    <em>Si-Hun is too close to La.</em>

    After Grace McCubbin had be the public leader of Guardians, Si-Hun had been staying in the Hall of Protection and assisting La in her ce. Although La no longer needed protection now that Gaia had regained her power, Si-Hun still assisted her for various things in the Hall of Protection.

    <em>I feel sorry for Si-Hun, but</em>

    He could not afford to shoulder the risk of the truth being exposed in this situation.

    ... Yeah. My body has practically be that of a human, Kang-Woo answered.

    Th-Then, if the encroachment of demonic energy continues, will you be a demon like before?

    No. Kang-Woo shook his head in sorrow.

    Si-Huns face paled. There were only two oues for a human that had been encroached by demonic energy. If they did not be a demon

    A-Are you saying Youll be a demonic beast?

    Si-Hun now knew the difference between demons and demonic beasts very well. Demons possessed intelligence, but demonic beasts

    Im not sure either, but considering the symptoms Its likely, Kang-Woo replied while smiling bitterly.

    Th-That cant be!

    Si-Hun quickly approached Kang-Woo and grabbed his shoulders. His head was in jumbles.

    <em>Wh-Why?</em>

    Why did Kang-Woo of all people have to endure such suffering? Si-Hun knew how difficult to endure the encroachment of demonic energy was, since he also had the seed of Satan within him once.

    <em>After all that hyung had sacrificed</em>

    Kang-Woo had sacrificed more than anyone else to protect Earth, so why? Si-Hun grit his teeth. The shame of being powerless, sympathy toward Kang-Woo, and his rage toward Rakiel for causing all of this intermingled and heated his mind. Among the countless emotions swirling in his heart, there was just one emotion that stood out among the others.

    Why didnt you tell me? Si-Hun asked.

    ...

    That angel knew! He even said that you two searched for Rakiel together! So So why?

    It could have been jealousy, or a sense of inferiority; the thought of him being worth less to Kang-Woo than an arrogant angel caused him to have strange thoughts.

    <em>Did he trust that angel more than me?</em>

    If that hadnt been the case, there was no way that only Uriel would have known about Kang-Woos condition. Si-Hun bit his lip while trembling. He knew that the emotion he was feeling was childish, but

    Why Why didnt you tell me?

    It was difficult to suppress his overflowing emotions.

    I! I can also!

    Si-Hun could also protect Kang-Woo; he had worked extremely hard to grow stronger to be able to protect his hyung. No matter how difficult the training was or how life-threatening the danger he was in, he had endured it all with the pure thought of wanting to repay Kang-Woo.

    ... Si-Hun. Kang-Woo looked at Si-Hun in sorrow. He carefully grabbed Si-Huns hands that were on his shoulders. I want you to be happy. I want you to smile without a care in the world.

    Hyung

    Although were not rted by blood, I still consider you to be my little brother. Kang-Woo smiled while patting Si-Huns shoulder. Big brothers dont rely on their little brothers.

    Kang-Woo turned away from Si-Hun, who was staring at him nkly.

    You dont look too well. Training is done best in moderation. Overtraining will only hurt you.

    Kang-Woo walked away while waving. <em>ck</em>. He closed the door.

    ***

    Urpp!

    Kang-Woo crouched while covering his mouth at home aftering out of the Hall of Protection.

    <em>Aaarrrggghhh.</em>

    He was cringing so hard that he felt like he was about to be shriveled up into oblivion.

    Bleeeeegghh, Kang-Woo retched while having his hand on a wall. Haaa, haaa.

    Those lines had been disgusting, even for him.

    <em>It wasnt like I could tell him that Id done it to corrupt Uriel.</em>

    He had absolutely no logical exnation for his actions, having left him no choice but to rely on emotions instead.

    But well

    Kang-Woo had taken a peek at Si-Huns expression right when the door was about to fully close; it seemed like the emotional operation had been a sess.

    <em>He looked like some maiden in love.</em>

    That was how moved Si-hun had been.

    Urgh, I wont be able to look Si-Hun in the eyes for a while.

    Those cringey lines would pop up in Kang-Woos head every time he saw Si-Hun, so there was no way that he would be able to endure the cringe.

    <em>Vrrrr.</em>

    Just then, Kang-Woos smartphone vibrated. Speaking of the Devil, it was Si-Hun.

    What the hell is it now?

    Si-Hun had not had enough of the cringe lines and called him again. Kang-Woo frowned.

    Fuck

    He shut his eyes tight. He wanted nothing more than to ghost on everyone and vanish along with Han Seol-Ah, but he couldnt afford to ignore the call.

    <em>Why me?</em>

    Kang-Woo answered the call with a trembling hand.

    Yeah, Si-Hun?

    [H-Hyung-nim!]

    ...?

    Si-Hun was acting in a waypletely different from his expectations. Kang-Woo would have yeeted his smartphone if Si-Hun had called him to say something cheesy like he could rely on him, but that did not seem to be the case. He seemed to be shocked by something.

    Whats wrong?

    [H-He appeared in the H-Hall of Protection.]

    He? Kang-Woo frowned.

    [R-Rakiel! Rakiel hase to the Hall of Protection all by himself!]

    ...!

    Kang-Woos eyes widened.

    <em>What?</em>

    Why would Rakiel be there? Kang-Woo cut the call and quickly called Lilith.

    Lilith!

    <em>- My, whats wrong, my king?</em>

    Where Wheres Lucis?!

    <em>- Hes right next to me.</em>

    ... What?

    Kang-Woos voice trembled.

    <em>What the hell?</em>

    If it was neither Lucis or Kang-Woo

    Could it be The real Rakiel?

    Kang-Woo clenched his hair inplete chaos.

    <em>Why would he just barge in out of nowhere?</em>

    There was only one reason why the Constetion of Corruption would appear in the Hall of Protection, where Gaias incarnation was.

    <em>Holy fuck.</em>

    Leaving aside how Rakiel had managed to find the Hall of Protection, he had just barged in through the front door without giving them any time to prepare. Kang-Woo had known that the seal on Rakiel was weakening and that he would being to Earth in the near future, but he had never expected him to act so rashly.

    <em>I should</em>

    As Kang-Woo was about to head to the Hall of Protection right away, he stopped in his tracks.

    Wait.

    His eyes narrowed. The gears in his head turned rapidly.

    <em>Something doesnt add up.</em>

    No matter how much he thought about it, he couldnt make much sense of Rakiels actions. If he had known toe to the Hall of Protection, he would have also known that it was Guardians headquarters. Despite that, he had walked in all by himself with no subordinates to assist him. Worst of all, Gaias incarnation was in that Hall of Protection.

    <em>Wait a fucking minute.</em>

    Unsettling thoughts swirled around his head. He bit his lip in anxiety.

    Kang-Woo? Whats wrong? Seol-Ah asked while opening his room door anding in.

    Kang-Woo grabbed Seol-Ahs hand and said, Darling, I dont have time to exin, but I need you to follow me for a second.

    This was not the time to take ones time to exin matters. Seol-Ah expressed confusion, but nodded in silence. The two of them headed to the Hall of Protection.

    There was Gaia, who was exuding immense energy as if she had already manifested within La, Si-Hun, who was already assuming a fighting stance with Ludwig in hand, and

    O Goddess of the earth. There was a ck-winged angel kneeling in front of Gaia. I havee to atone for my sins.

    Rakiel ced his head on the floor. Kang-Woo grabbed his head in panic. The worst-case scenario he had pictured in his mind was happening before his very eyes.

    <em>Fucking son of a bitch.</em>

    This was not good at all.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    Kang-Woo grimaced from the unexpected turn of events. He red at Rakiel with sunken eyes.

    <em>You want to atone for your sins?</em>

    The corners of his mouth curled up, and he licked his lips.

    <em>Over my dead body.</em>

 Chapter 324: Atonement (2)

    Chapter 324: Atonement (2)

    Let me ask you something, the hideous monster with pus flowing from his face said while staring at Rakiel.

    It was the Constetion of Agony, arade who had stood with Demon God Bauli alongside Rakiel in the battle against the gods of the Triad.

    <em>No.</em>

    Rakiel shook his head. The term <emrade</em> was not appropriate among Constetions of Evil. They had absolutely no sense of camaraderie for one another; they had simply fought together because they had been on the same side.

    Why have you turned toward the light all of a sudden? the Constetion of Agony asked.

    Rakiel remained silent. He then asked back with empty eyes, Why did you serve the Demon God?

    ... What?

    I wanted Seraph. I wished to have her in my hands. Rakiels eyes gleamed sharply. The Demon God used that obsession of mine. He turned my obsession into madness, and made me ept his demonic energy.

    It was a past that he could never revert. He was an angel that had fallen for the temptations of a demon.

    I stained my hands with an immeasurable amount of the blood of myrades at hismand. My sins can never be washed away.

    Rakiel bit his lip.

    Only after the Demon God had died and the woman that I had desired sacrificed herself to seal the darkness was I finally able to understand.

    He had been controlled by the Demon God, and he hadmitted an irreversible sin after being tricked by the Demon Gods whispers and drunk on the infinite power and desires that his demonic energy gave him.

    I will atone for my sins.

    Rakiel clenched his fists.

    ***

    You want to atone? Gaia asked as she looked down at Rakiel, who was bowing while lowering his head.

    Her pupils were shaking as if she was suppressing her surging emotions with all her might.

    Yes, Rakiel answered shortly.

    <em>Hah. </em>Gaiaughed in absurdity. It was a very cynical response for a goddess that was considered the goddess of parental love, just like Seraph. Rakiel flinched, but closed his eyes and lowered his head.

    <em>... It is only natural.</em>

    He would have reacted the same way if he was in her shoes. After all, he was none other than the Constetion of Corruption.

    Do you have any idea what you are saying right now? Gaia asked in exasperation.

    Yes, I do.

    In that case, you must have gone mad. You would never have dared to even talk about atoning for your sins if you were in your right mind.

    Rakiel could not refute her in any way; he could only lower his head in silence. Gaia narrowed her eyes.

    Tell me the truth. Why have you so confidently appeared before me? Have you taken the humans of this star hostage?

    My desire to atone is not a lie. I swear it on my Divinity.

    ... What?

    Gaia wavered for the first time. She knew very well how great of a meaning that a vow with ones Divinity on the line held. However

    Even so, do you truly believe you will be forgiven for your countless sins?

    <em>Grit</em>. Gaia red at Rakiel while exuding immense energy. Rakiel slowly raised his head.

    I do not, he said calmly.

    Rakiel knew that he would never be forgiven for the sins that he hadmitted and that the blood on his hands would never be washed away.

    <em>But</em>

    He clenched his fists. Although he knew better than anyone else that he would not be forgiven

    <em>At the very least</em>

    He wanted to apologize from the bottom of his heart; he at least wanted to be understood why he hadmitted such grave sins.

    <em>And if possible</em>

    He wanted to atone for them, although it might be toote. He wanted to clean up even a little of the mess that he had made.

    Then why have youe to see me? Gaia asked, her tone still as cold as before.

    At the time, I was being controlled by the Demon God. He dominated my mind and made it so that I would corrupt my preciousrades.

    Hah, so you are saying that you have done nothing wrong?

    Rakiel shook his head. No. That is not what I am trying to say. Although my mind had been taken over by the Demon God, I still remember all the sins that I hadmitted. And I know that such sins cannot be forgiven from just saying that I had been controlled.

    He continued while biting his lip, But I thought that I should at least apologize from the bottom of my heart for every sin, for the countlessrades that had died because of me.

    Rakiel was speaking in a low voice, his eyes shaking intively. Gaia kept her silence from seeing Rakiels appearance. She knew he was telling the truth.

    <em>Fwoom!</em>

    Enough of your lies! Kim Si-Hun shouted while infusing his holy sword with Qi.

    His deeply instilled rage filled the room.

    <em>That human</em>

    Rakiel momentarily expressed surprise from seeing the human that he had never met before. He could feel the zing rage in the humans eyes.

    ...

    Rakiels thoughts were jumbled.

    <em>I see my sins have been thisrge.</em>

    An immeasurable amount of time had passed since the war between the Demon God and the gods of the Triad. Not even the father of that mans father would have experienced the war, so Rakiels heart grew even heavier from witnessing the intense rage from the human.

    Wait, my child, Gaia interrupted while raising her hand to stop Si-Hun.

    As Si-Hun turned his head toward Gaia to say something, he was left speechless from seeing Gaias eyes, which were as chilling as frost.

    You just said that you remembered all of your sins, did you not? she asked.

    Rakiel nodded. I did.

    Although the memories were from when he had been controlled by the Demon God, he vividly remembered what he had done.

    Confess your sins to me, the goddessmanded.

    Rakiel hesitated for a short moment. It was as if a murderer had been told to recite his exact crimes. He hesitated not because he did not remember, but rather because he remembered it all too well; he regretted the fact that he had said that he remembered his sins.

    <em>No.</em>

    Rakiel shook his head. Although his self-remorse was eating him away, that was all the more reason to say it himself.

    I was not able to ovee my obsession toward Lady Seraph. I lost to the Demon Gods temptations and epted his demonic energy, he confessed. I corrupted myrades at hismand, and burned countless angels to death. No Not just angels.

    Tears flowed down Rakiels cheeks. The tears of a fallen angel was just as transparent as that of a human.

    I have corrupted humans fairies all with my own hands. I tempted them, and trampled over them.

    Rakiels shoulders trembled. His confession sounded more like he was weeping.

    I am truly truly sorry for all the sins I havemitted.

    Rakiel felt as if his heart was being put on fire. The memories from back then,ughing as he stared at the beings that had failed to ovee their desires and killing his own kind from being controlled by the Demon God, were vividly reying in his head. The fragments of such memories were slicing up his brain.

    If I had been able to escape from the Demon Gods influence I would have never had such thoughts.

    Rakiel knew very well that making an excuse like he had been controlled was cowardly, but there was no other excuse to make; he had actually been controlled. If it had not been for the Demon God, he would have never fallen from grace in the first ce.

    <em>Bauli</em>

    He recalled the Titan enveloped in the chasms of darkness. His rage zed as greatly as the self-remorse weighing down on his shoulders.

    I am sorry.

    <em>Boom.</em> Rakiel mmed his head on the floor.

    I am sorry.

    <em>Boom. </em>The floor of the Hall of Protection cracked.

    I am sorry.

    <em>Boom.</em> ck blood flowed down from Rakiels forehead; he seemed to be purposefully suppressing the demonic energy that naturally flowed out from him.

    I will dly ept any punishment. If you will have my head, I will cut it off myself, he said while crying, ovee by regret and rage.

    He saw a hazy illusion of a past memory. In the illusion, he saw Seraph and himself, who was kneeling on one knee,ughing together.

    I am truly

    Rakiel unconsciously stretched his hand forward, but the illusion dissipated as soon as he stretched his hand out. Tears flowed from his eyes.

    ... Sorry, he said faintly.

    ... Is that all you have to say? Gaia asked.

    Rakiel slowly raised his head. Yes, that is everything.

    Deathly silence fell.

    Have you truly confessed every single one of your sins?

    Yes, I have, Rakiel answered while nodding, his heart slightly lighter than before.

    You have, you say? The goddess surged with rage. How shameless can you be?!

    <em>m!</em> She stomped on the floor while her eyes zed in fury. The ground shook.

    What about you having dared to kidnap my child and torture him?

    ... Pardon?

    Rakiels eyes widened in confusion.

    No, not only did you kidnap my retainer, you even tried to turn him into a demonic beast by sowing your demonic energy into him!

    I am not sure I follow

    Hah! I never had any expectations from the beginning, but how can one be so shameless?!

    The goddesss rage burst out.

    P-Please wait, Lady Gaia. Rakiel stared at Gaia as if he had no idea what she was talking about. I have never kidnapped your retainer, nor have I tried to turn him into a demonic beast.

    No matter how many times he searched through his memories, he had no memory of having done such a thing. Just like Seraph, Gaia was known for treasuring the retainers that she had chosen like they were her own children. Even if Rakiel had been controlled by the Demon God, he had never done something as insane as kidnapping a retainer of a top-ranking god and torturing them.

    Hah Hahaha! Gaiaughed in exasperation. You are truly something else! You dare lie to me so tantly when the one that you had kidnapped is right before your eyes?!

    ... What are you t

    Kurgh! Cough! Cough!

    Before Rakiel even had a chance to ask what Gaia was talking about, a young man with sharp eyes, who had been standing next to Gaia, copsed. Gaia approached the man in astonishment.

    M-My child!

    Cough! Cough!

    Oh Kang-Woo vomited ck blood; hideous green tentacles grew from the ends of his fingers as if he was a character in a certain parasite manga.

    Lady Gaia Kang-Woo said faintly. Please forgive Rakiel.

    Wh-What? Gaias eyes widened.

    Although he had made me this way C-Cough! H-He had not been in control.

    ...

    A-And Kang-Woo grabbed Gaias hand. He is p-powerful. Even if you have r-regained <em>Cough</em>! Your power I-It is dangerous Kurgh! <em>Cough</em>!

    My child

    Tears flowed down Gaias cheeks. Even while he was being encroached by demonic energy and was turning into a demonic beast, he was worried for her.

    Do not worry, my child, Gaia stated as she got up. I will save you no matter what.

    <em>Rumble.</em>

    Immense energy flowed out from her, aimed straight at Rakiel.

    ... Huh?

    Rakiel nkly stared at Gaia and the human man in her arms.

    <em>What? What was going on?</em>

 Chapter 325: Atonement (3)

    Chapter 325: Atonement (3)

    <em>What?</em>

    What in the world was happening? Rakiels face was dyed with confusion. He could instinctively tell that something was going wrong. No, anyone would be able to tell just from seeing the enraged goddess before their eyes.

    <em>I kidnapped that human and tortured him?</em>

    No matter how thoroughly he rummaged through his memories, he did not recall anything of the sort; it could not have even happened in the first ce. He had prepared to cross over to Earth as soon as his seal had been broken, and had been frantically searching for Gaias location as soon as he had arrived on Earth. He could swear by the gods that he had neverid a hand on any human on Earth.

    <em>What is happening?</em>

    Rakiel stared at Oh Kang-Woo. The sharp-eyed man was twisting in pain while clenching his chest, the symptomsmonly seen in a human that had been forcibly injected demonic energy.

    <em>Who are you?</em>

    Who in the world could that human possibly be for him to lie about having been kidnapped by Rakiel? Rakiels head was in a mess; waves of chaos crashed into his mind.

    P-Please wait a moment! I-I have never kidnapped that hum

    <em>m!</em>

    A wall was smashed while Rakiel was frantically shaking his head, and a blue-haired boy with eight wings came through it.

    <em>An angel?</em>

    Rakiel had never seen him before. Eight wings would mean that he was an archangel, so he could surmise that the angel was one that had risen to the rank of archangel after he had been sealed. The blue-haired boy stared daggers at Rakiel.

    Hah, you even changed your face a little, the boy said while snorting.

    Rakiel could not understand what he was talking about.

    The boy said while instilling bloodlust into his voice, What? You want to atone after all that youve done? Youve never kidnapped a human? Uriel gritted his teeth. You cant even remember what you did just a few months ago?

    What are you t

    And right after Lady Gaias power was restored, no less.

    Uriel red at Rakiel with disgust. Although one could not be certain that the restoration of Gaias power and Rakiels sudden change in attitude were rted, the timing fit just right; it looked as if Rakiel had assumed a submissive attitude as soon as the power of the head god of Earth had been restored.

    You scumbag!

    Rakiels cunning attitude made Uriels teeth ck. Uriel was sure that Rakiel was trying to take advantage of Gaias benevolent nature.

    You shouldve behaved yourself if you were gonna pull something like this.

    <em>Spark, crackle!</em>

    Blue lightning danced around Uriels wings.

    Did you seriously expect to be forgiven After you corrupted Raphael and tried to turn Kang-Woo into a demonic beast?!

    Raphael? Who is th

    Shut up!! Uriel shouted, unable to endure Rakiels shameless attitude any longer.

    Conversation no longer held any meaning. Since Uriel had witnessed Rakiels evil deeds with his own eyes, he could not be given any chance for atonement.

    <em>Raphael.</em>

    Uriel recalled his old friend, looking down at the hands that had killed him. The specter of Raphael asionally haunted him, asking why he had killed him, and if he thought nothing of their friendship. Uriel recalled the bloodied Raphael. His rage zed as strongly as the self-remorse weighing down on his shoulders.

    <em>I will avenge you.</em>

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    Uriel raised his hand, blue lightning gathering around it. He imbued power into his words and materialized magic.

    P O U R !

    A blue lightning cloud formed on the ceiling of the Hall of Protection. Lightning struck along with a blinding sh. At the same time, Kim Si-Hun charged forward.

    Heavenly Dragon sh!

    Light poured from his sword along with his shout. His eyes boiled with rage.

    Si-Hun eximed in fury, I will not let you of all people off with a painless death!

    His gentle face crumpled like that of a Yaksha. A goddess, archangel and hero poured the fallen angel with attacks to eradicate him.

    <em>Wha</em>

    Rakiel stared at the attacks with his mouth agape.

    What in the

    Things about corrupting Raphael, kidnapping and torturing Gaias retainer

    Why must I endure such

    Rakiel was frustrated. He would have understood if they were enraged by the sins he hadmitted; even if he had been controlled by the Demon God, it did not change the fact that he hadmitted sins that he could never be forgiven for. He would have epted their rage and let them take his life with the sce, albeit shallow, that he had apologized from the bottom of his heart.

    <em>But this is</em>

    He was being made to atone for sins that he had nevermitted. He could endure anything else, but not this.

    <em>I have to resolve the misunderstanding.</em>

    Rakiel no longer had any attachments to life after he had been unsealed; he had no intentions to live on shamelessly aftermitting such heinous sins. However, he could not stand for this. He refused to die while being framed for something he did not do.

    Kuh!

    Rakiel raised his two hands. ck lightning shot up to block the blue lightning struck down from the sky. He formed a long spear made from ck lightning and swung it up diagonally, shing with Si-Huns sword.

    <em>Boom!</em> An explosive sound echoed.

    ... Kurgh. Si-Hun was blown ck while grimacing, his hands numb from the impact.

    Hah! Youve finally shown your true colors! Uriel shouted as if he had known this would happen.

    Rakiel answered in frustration, Listen to me! I have not done anyth

    I told you to shut up!

    Blue lightning struck down again, which Rakiel reflexively deflected.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    This would not go anywhere at this rate.

    <em>I have no choice.</em>

    If he did not subdue them, he would not even be able to hold a proper conversation with them.

    Fuuu, Rakiel took a deep breath.

    ck lightning crackled between his ten wings, and his immense demonic energy stirred. The energy that had once been sacred power but changed after his obsession became madness surged. Divinity, the power that only those that had reached godhood could use, flowed from him.

    ... I am sorry, Rakiel said to Si-Hun, who was charging at him, while clenching his spear.

    He had no other choice if he wanted to resolve the misunderstanding. He twisted his body around and swung down his spear; the spear edge infused with Divinity shed with Si-Huns sword, and

    Wh-What?

    Si-Hun jumped back in surprise. The condensed sword energy that had been wrapped around the holy sword was annihted. He aggressively frowned.

    Thats

    It was the power of Divinity.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    His Qi scattered as soon as the Divinity touched it; it could not be any more overpowered. Si-Hun was bewildered after witnessing the power of Divinity for the very first time.

    But

    It was only for a moment. Si-Huns eyes gleamed sharply.

    <em>Theres a way around it.</em>

    He would be fine as long as he avoided the spear edge infused with the mysterious power. Si-Hun lowered his stance.

    <em>I dont stand a chance head on.</em>

    If his Qi was scattered just from being touched, he had no way of facing Rakiel head on.

    <em>Formless Sword.</em>

    Si-Hun focused his mind and created invisible swords in the air, and increased his distance from Rakiel while moving the swords with Sword Control. Although there was no chance that such a strategy would work one-on-one

    I G N I T E !

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    Blue lightning struck Rakiel.

    Kurgh! Rakiel grimaced.

    <em>It will not be easy to subdue them.</em>

    He gripped his spear tighter. Although they were not a threat to him, he could not go easy on them either.

    <em>But</em>

    Rakiel was sure that he would have no problem subduing the two of them.

    You fool.

    The goddess stepped up as if to trample on his certainty.

    Kurgh!

    Gaia, who hade around to Rakiels back while he had been focused on Si-Hun and Uriel, extended her hand toward him. An immense but intangible power weighed him down.

    Did you seriously believe you had a chance against me when you only possess Lower Intermediate-rank Divinity? Gaia said.

    ...

    Rakiel bit his lip in anxiety. Gaia was right. She was a goddess of the top rank; a being in charge of a star. Although she was nowhere near her true power at the moment, that did not change the rank of her Divinity. She was in a whole other league from a mere fallen angel.

    <em>But</em>

    Rakiel kept his mouth shut and clenched his fists. He had a way to turn the situation around.

    <em>The power of the Demon God.</em>

    It was the power that Bauli had sown into him, as well as the power that had dominated his body. If he used the power of the Demon God, who possessed Divinity of transcendent rank surpassing the top rank, he would be able to break through this crisis, albeit only momentarily.

    ... Shit.

    However, Rakiel would have to give up on resolving the misunderstanding with Gaia if he did that. He shut his eyes tight.

    <em>Wham! Bash!</em>

    Kuh! Kurgh!

    He was barraged with attacks from Gaia, Si-Hun and Uriel even while he was hesitating.

    Cough! Urgh

    He no longer had any more time to hesitate. He was on a forked road.

    <em>N-No</em>

    Rakiel could not afford to die while falsely used of a crime he did notmit.

    <em>Shit, shit, shit!</em>

    Rakiel stepped back in anxiety.

    Ah.

    Just then, a human that was looking his way came into view. It was the human that had imed to have been kidnapped and tortured by him, as well as apparently turning into a demonic beast after having been injected with demonic energy.

    You Rakiel frowned.

    He had not been able to think properly at the time due to the sudden flow of events, but the man known as Oh Kang-Woo was highly suspicious.

    <em>In that case</em>

    Rakiel came to a decision. He ced his right hand on top of his heart.

    <em>Ba-dump.</em>

    His heart beat strongly. The demonic energy that the Demon God had sown within him spread across his body aggressively.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    Pitch-ck demonic energy swept the surroundings.

    ***

    Hm?

    The eyes of Kang-Woo, who had copsed on the ground, twisting while grabbing his right arm as if suppressing the Dragon of the Darkness me, sparkled. A chilling sensation traveled down his spine. The space around them was distorting as soon as pitch-ck demonic energy had burst forth from Rakiel.

    <em>The hell is this?</em>

    A powerful force pulled him in as space was being torn.

    K-Kang-Woo!

    Han Seol-Ah quickly embraced him. The torn space was approaching them as if to swallow them whole with its giant entrance.

    <em>Hmm.</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. Rakiel was looking his way, and space had been torn apart as soon as he had unleashed his power.

    <em>I see how it is.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled, having easily figured out Rakiels intentions.

    <em>He wants to take me.</em>

    Kang-Woo also wanted nothing more. He smiled and grabbed Seol-Ahs arm as she was embracing him.

    Its okay, so dont worry and follow me, darling.

    K-Kang-Woo?

    Kang-Woo jumped into the torn space while staring into Seol-Ahs wide eyes.

    ***

    The space waspletely ck and endless in a single direction, as if it was a giant tunnel. Kang-Woo was rather familiar with such a space.

    Riiing.

    [You have entered a Dimensional Crack connected to the continent of Aernor.]

    It was the same ce where Lucis had held Lilith hostage.

    Haaa, haaa, Rakiel, who had dragged Kang-Woo into the dimensional crack, panted heavily.

    He red at Kang-Woo; the human that had been twisting on the floor while clenching his right arm earlier, was leisurely smiling.

    Who are you?

    Rakiel was able to figure out from the humansplete change in attitude that all this had been orchestrated by him.

    Who are you, and why have you framed me for crimes I have nevermitted?! Rakiel screamed like a madman.

    Me? Kang-Woo pointed at himself while snickering.

    He had been asked who he was countless times to the point he was sick of it. He used to hesitate to answer, but he no longer had the need to.

    I am

    The demon of demons, the Hell of Hells, the predator of predators or not.

    ... The Protector of Light.

    Immense demonic energy exuded from Kang-Woo.

    Oh, fuck. Hold on.

    He made a mistake: he did a re-do.

    ... The Protector of Light.

    Brilliant golden energy exuded from Kang-Woo and illuminated the dark space.

    ...

    Rakiels mouth fell open. Deathly silence fell.

    What? Kang-Woo asked shamelessly.

    ...

    What? Got a problem?

    ...

    Fucking bitch.

 Chapter 326: Atonement (4)

    Chapter 326: Atonement (4)

    Y-You!

    Rakiel trembled. The human was tantly making fun of him. There was no way that a self-proimed Protector of Light would exude demonic energy by mistake.

    Who the hell are you?

    Rakiel stared daggers at Oh Kang-Woo. He had felt a familiar feeling as well as chilling fear when Kang-Woo exuded demonic energy. That was how enormous the demonic energy that he had released had been, but

    <em>Its gone.</em>

    The demonic energy had vanished without a trace when Kang-Woo had exuded golden energy. No, it had beenpletely reced with sacred power, an energy of theplete opposite nature to demonic energy.

    <em>Thats impossible.</em>

    Rakiel ced his hand on his forehead. The being that had released enough demonic energy to give him chills had also instantly released sacred power of the same amount. Since it was impossible for the body to contain both sacred power and demonic energy, there was only one possibility.

    ... I see. That ability must be how you managed to fool Lady Gaia.

    Rakiels eyes set aze. An ability to mask demonic energy as sacred power If even Gaia had been unable to see through such an ability, it was not weird for her to have been deceived. However, that did not answer all of Rakiels questions.

    Why was it me? Rakiel asked while biting his lip.

    Why had the human framed the crimes on him of all people?

    <em>Is it rted to my sins of the past?</em>

    Rakiel clenched his fists. The weight of his heinous crimes was crushing his shoulders. That was the most likely reason, since the human had likely not done such a thing for no reason. It was likely because the human held some sort of personal grudge against him. Rakiel stared at Kang-Woo while steeling his resolve.

    Oh, the thing is Kang-Woo grabbed his forehead as if his head hurt and sighed. It just happened to ovep.

    ... What?

    I mean, I never intended to do this from the beginning, you know? Kang-Woo was not that much of a scumbag. But

    Kang-Woo exined the entire circumstance to Rakiel; how he had needed a name for his fallen angel persona, and the name that his subordinate had rmended him happened to be Rakiel.

    Man, small world, huh? Who wouldve thought that name was already taken? Kang-Woo expressed frustration. So, if you want to me someone, me it on Balrog, not me. Its all his fault, okay?

    Y-You

    Rakiels face crumpled aggressively. He momentarily grabbed the back of his head from the overflowing rage, but focused his gaze back onto Kang-Woo.

    You bastaaaaaaaard!!

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    The dimensional crack shook. ck lightning sparked between Rakiels wings as he drew out all of his demonic energy.

    Come on, bro. A man can make mistakes. Youre so heartless, Kang-Woo said.

    One needed to just take it as a life lesson and move on. <em>Tsk, tsk.</em> Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head. Seeing that only amplified Rakiels rage, and he screamed like a madman. ck lightning struck all around them.

    K-Kang-Woo.

    Support me from behind, darling.

    Kang-Woo stepped in front of Han Seol-Ah, who was staring at Kang-Woo in worry. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Rakiel, who was enveloped in ck lightning.

    <em>I guess hes not one of the Demon Gods chief officers for nothing.</em>

    Rakiel was strong; no, to be more exact, he had gotten stronger. Kang-Woo had thought that he would be more than a match for Rakiel from back when he saw him facing Kim Si-Hun and Uriel. However, after he had ced his hand on his chest like when Kang-Woo opened the Doors of the Ten Thousand Demon Core, he had gotten far stronger than before.

    <em>A head-on battle is out of the question.</em>

    Kang-Woo would be no match for Rakiel, who had unleashed the Demon Gods powers, without opening the Doors. From what he could feel, Rakiel was on the same level as Behemoth.

    <em>But I cant afford to open the Doors.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes gleamed sharply. Rationally speaking, opening the Doors was the right call. The only technique that would be effective against a being that had reached godhood was the Chaos techniques. Both choices required him to shoulder a massive risk.

    <em>But of course</em>

    That only applied when he was fighting one-on-one.

    <em>I didnt bring darling along for no reason.</em>

    Kang-Woo nced back. Seol-Ah was concentrating while sping her hands together. Seol-Ahs buffs and healing-rted divine magic had be beyond impressive after awakening the soul of Seraph. Kang-Woo had already confirmed their effects through Si-Hun. Although he would be no match for Rakiel one-on-one, it was a different story if he was being supported by Seol-Ah. Furthermore

    Kurgh, cough! Cough!

    <em>He doesnt seem to have long.</em>

    Rakiel looked to be in terrible condition.

    <em>In that case</em>

    Kang-Woo turned around, and ran away without hesitation.

    Kuh!! You son of a biiiiiitch!!

    Huehuehuehuehuehue!! Catch me if you can! Kang-Wooughed vulgarly on purpose to taunt Rakiel.

    The more enraged Rakiel got, the better; there was nothing easier than facing a beast without reason.

    <em>Crackle! Spark! Crackle!</em>

    <em>Holy fuck.</em>

    Bolts of ck lightning shot toward the running Kang-Woo. Chills ran down the back of his head from the blinding speed of Rakiels attacks.

    <em>Thats way too fast.</em>

    Although Kang-Woo was running at supersonic speed, Rakiel was urately shooting lightning bolts at him. Kang-Woo just barely managed to dodge the bolts by tumbling on the ground.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    The ck lightning infused with Divinity struck the ground, making a hole that was hundreds of meters deep.

    Damn rat! Rakiel eximed while gripping his spear.

    He twirled the spear like a windmill and thrusted it in the direction of the running Kang-Woo.

    ck Lightning - Thunderbolt.

    <em>Split!</em>

    The ck lightning shot from the end of the spear toward Kang-Woo while tearing up the space in its path. Kang-Woo flinched.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    The attack was far too fast for him to avoid. He raised his hands in a hurry.

    <em>Authority of Invulnerability.</em>

    Kang-Woo gathered demonic energy into the form of a shield that was more the size of a wall.

    Aegis.

    He grabbed Aegis with two hands, lowered his stance, and poured the demonic energy of the Ten Thousand Demon Core into Aegis. However, it was nowhere near enough to block an attack infused with Divinity head on.

    Blessing of the Celestial Goddess!

    Just then, Kang-Woo heard Seol-Ahs sonorous voice. The giant shield made of demonic energy was enveloped by brilliant light, and the ck lightning struck the shield momentster.

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    Gurghh!

    The enormous impact shook Kang-Woo. Unable to handle the immense pressure, he was pushed back despite his legs digging into the ground. <em>Sizzle! </em>The ungodly heat of the ck lightning burned his hands as he was holding Aegis. His flesh melted in an instant, and he could see his bones.

    <em>Fuck, I cant even use the Authority of Regeneration right now.</em>

    Kang-Woo grimaced. He did not have the leeway to treat his wounds. Attacks imbued with Divinity annihted all forms of energy. The only way for Kang-Woo, who was still not able to use Divinity, to block an attack imbued with Divinity was to pour even more demonic energy than what the Divinity was annihting.

    What in the Rakiel expressed shock.

    He could not believe that Kang-Woo was blocking an attack imbued with Divinity by pouring stupid amounts of demonic energy. It was theoretically impossible to block an attack imbued with Divinity without Divinity of ones own. It was as insane as deflecting a giant water cannon with the swing of a single de.

    Kurgh!

    Although Kang-Woo was blocking Rakiels attack in an unreal way, it was only a matter of time until Kang-Woo reached his limit. Rakiel drew out even more power while staring at Kang-Woos melting flesh.

    Healing Ray!

    As soon as Seol-Ah cast another skill, Kang-Woos melting hands began to revert to normal as if time was being rewound. Kang-Woo smiled brightly.

    <em>Darliiiiiiing!</em>

    He knew that it had been the right call to take Seol-Ah with him.

    ... Huh? Rakiel expressed confusion. He stared at Seol-Ah in disbelief. Why How?

    He trembled.

    Lady Seraph No, it cant be.

    Rakiel had gone pale. Kang-Woos eyes shone.

    <em>Oh,e to think of it</em>

    Rakiel had mentioned that he had fallen for the Demon Gods temptations to make Seraph his. Kang-Woo smiled wickedly.

    <em>What an interesting turn of events.</em>

    It was an unexpected profit.

    Kang-Woo asked slyly, What? Is there a problem?

    Wh-Why Why is Lady Seraph here?!

    Hm? Were together obviously because were lovers.

    What? Rakiels eyes widened. He stared at Seol-Ah nkly, even ceasing his attack at Kang-Woo. Lovers you say?

    Yup.

    Kang-Woo walked up to Seol-Ah and embraced her with one arm as if showing off. Seol-Ah was slightly bewildered, but epted his embrace with reddened cheeks.

    A-Aaaahh.

    Rakiel trembled. The world reflected in his eyes was falling apart. He lost strength in his legs and fell to his knees.

    L-Lady Seraph was a-alive?

    Revived, to be more exact, by borrowing the body of a human.

    Rakiel gritted his teeth, and chilling bloodlust filled his eyes.

    She is not someone you may darey your hands upon.

    That noble and beautiful angel

    Dont you darey your filthy hands on her!! Rakiel bellowed while crying.

    The woman that he had wanted to the point that he was willing to let his wings darken and sacrifice countlessrades The target of his obsession, who was more high, noble and beautiful than anyone else He felt like he was going insane from the fact that she had fallen into the hands of an irrelevant and vulgar demon.

    ... What did you say?

    The one to reply to Rakiel had not been Kang-Woo. Seol-Ahs expression turned cold, ring at Rakiel while frowning aggressively.

    Ah Rakiel froze from seeing her bloodthirsty re.

    Why do you believe that Kang-Woo canty a hand on me? Seol-Ah brought Kang-Woos hand to her chest as if telling Rakiel not to talk nonsense, and then raised her left hand for Rakiel to see. We are already engaged to each other. Weve promised to never be apart from one another.

    Seol-Ah then slightly turned and hugged Kang-Woo. So, dont you dare say such nonsense again.

    She got on tiptoes and kissed Kang-Woo as if to show Rakiel. Rakiel turned pale.

    A-Aaaahh.

    His heart felt as if it was burning to ashes. His vision was getting blurry, and his head was getting hot. The events ying out before his eyes felt so unrealistic that he felt like he was dreaming.

    No.

    This couldnt be happening.

    No

    His world was shattering into pieces. The essence of his being that he had kept precious was being destroyed by something.

    N

    No, my ass, Kang-Woo said while snickering. Just acknowledge it already. Everything youve done until now has all been for naught.

    Rakiel froze.

    Kang-Woo continued his mockery, What was it you said? That I canty my filthy hands on her? I would think that you had lived an incorruptibly pure life if I hadnt known any better.

    Y-You

    You want to atone for your sins? You were being controlled by the Demon God? Enough of your bullshit. Kang-Woo chuckled from the absurdity. Why did you fall for his temptations in the first ce? Wasnt it because you wanted to fuck Seraph? Huh? But after all this time, you say that you were being controlled? That it wasnt your will at all?

    ...

    Enough with the pity show, dickhead. You seem to be trying to sugarcoat it as best you can, but youre just trying to kill yourself after lightening the load of your self-remorse since every single one of your advances on Seraph failed, arent you? Arent you?

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head in disappointment. Theres a limit to how unsightly you can be.

    Rakiel trembled. Kang-Woos razor-like words were slicing away at him. And then, something inside him snapped.

    A-Aaaahh! Raaaaaaaaaaahh!! Rakiels sense of reason blew away, and madness took its ce. Y-You fucking bastaaaaaaaaard!!!

    His fury surpassed its critical point. Rakiel charged at Kang-Woo while exuding bloodlust no, he tried to charge at him.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    My child!

    Hyung-nim!

    Kang-Woo!

    The dimensional crack opened, and Gaia, Si-Hun and Uriel appeared. Rakiel paid them no mind; he was only looking at Kang-Woo.

    ... Huh? Rakiel expressed confusion once again.

    Cough! Kurgh!

    The demon that had been mocking him to no end was on the floor while twisting around.

    N-No Kang-Woo muttered while shedding tears, and got on his knees toward Rakiel. P-Please, not Seol-Ah Please

    ...

    Kurgh! Y-You can kill me! But Please, not Seol-Ah!

    Rakiel, as if the fury that had been filling his mind had blown away, looked down at the begging Kang-Woo nkly.

    My child! Gaia rushed toward Kang-Woo and hugged him while giving Rakiel a deathly re. You bastaaaaard!!

    Rakiel remained silent while listening to the goddesss rage-filled shout. H-Haha.

    <em>tter.</em> The spear in his hand dropped to the ground. Heughed crazily, like a person who had blown off all of his life savings on gambling. Transparent tears flowed down his cheeks.

    Hurgh, <em>sniff</em>, urghh.

    The fallen angels sobs echoed throughout the tunnel.

 Chapter 327: Atonement (5)

    Chapter 327: Atonement (5)

    Do not dream of a painless death, Constetion of Corruption, Gaia said as she red at Rakiel in fury. White energy burst out from her, causing her light brown hair to surge into the air. I will have you pay the price forying a hand on my child.

    Gaia unleashed her Divine Essence. The power of the goddess of the earth descended onto the mundane realm through her incarnation. Gaia had not wanted to unleash her Divine Essence because it would ce a burden on Las body, but now was not the time when she was up against Rakiel.

    H-Haha.

    All Rakiel could do as he stared at the goddess who had unleashed her power wasugh nkly. He cried from his eyes that had lost their light.

    Its over, he mumbled.

    Rakiel had lost everything; the woman that he had desired, the atonement that he had wished for, and even hisst remaining honor had all been defiled by the words of a demon.

    A-Aaaahh.

    Rakiel lowered his head and groaned while grabbing his head. The demonic energy within him rampaged. He did not suppress it; no, he no longer had enough reason to suppress it.

    <em>Crack! Crunch!</em>

    Rakiel was bing closer to a demonic beast from being unable to control his demonic energy. His ten ck wings contorted, turning into arms. His skin distorted, and his blood vessels and muscles bulged out.

    Grrrrrrrr!! Rakiel growled like a beast.

    He had fallen from an angel to a demon, and now he had even fallen as far down as a demonic beast. Gaia frowned from seeing Rakiel, who had fallen as far as he possibly could.

    ... How unsightly you have be.

    Rakiel was Corruption, one of the four Constetions of Evil, as well as the being who had massacred countless angels and humans in the war between the gods and the Demon God. The final form of the Constetion of Corruption that had spread enough despair to be recorded in myths could not be any more unsightly.

    Tch, hespletely be a monster. Uriel grimaced.

    Kim Si-Hun said coldly while gripping the holy sword, Whether he be a fallen angel or a demonic beast, our duty does not change.

    <em>Hyung-nim</em>

    He turned his head to look back at Kang-Woo, who was wincing in pain while in Han Seol-Ahs arms. The demonic energys influence seemed to be growing stronger within him.

    <em>To save hyung-nim</em>

    They needed to kill Rakiel and eliminate the demonic energy that he had sown into Kang-Woo.

    ... Hyung. Si-Hun clenched the holy sword so hard that it could break, and steeled his resolve. I will save you.

    Si-Hun charged forward.

    ... What are you acting all cool by yourself for? Uriel chased behind Si-Hun while pouting in dissatisfaction, sparks of blue lightning making the ends of his blue hair stand up.

    Kuh Its dangerous Kang-Woo muttered as he reached out in desperation.

    Gaia approached him and grabbed his hand.

    My child. She smiled warmly like a mother to her child. Worry not.

    Ah

    You have protected me all this time. She stood up as she smiled, then continued, This time I will protect you.

    Her energy was as overwhelming as an insuperable mountain. Gaia followed behind Si-Hun and Uriel toward the fallen demonic beast.

    ***

    Kieek, grrk, grrrrk.

    Rakiel, who had turned into a demonic beast, copsed. He was pitifully shaking on the ground while covered in gruesome wounds.

    Haaa, haaa. What a fucking persistent son of a bitch.

    Fuuu. We finally defeated him.

    Of course, neither Uriel nor Si-Hun felt any sense of sympathy for him. It was only obvious since Rakiel had not only corrupted Raphael, Uriels friend, but had also kidnapped and tortured Kang-Woo.

    Hyung-nim Si-Hun quickly turned toward Kang-Woo after defeating Rakiel. Ah

    Kang-Woo, who had been in pain from the encroachment of demonic energy, was looking down at himself wide-eyed.

    H-Hyung-nim! Are you okay?!

    ... Yeah. Kang-Woo nodded while smiling faintly. Thanks, Si-Hun. The demonic energy haspletely disappeared.

    Ah Si-Hun trembled in delight, and hugged Kang-Woo as he sobbed. Hyung! Im d. Im so d.

    Kang-Woo smirked and patted Si-Huns shoulder.

    My child.

    ... Lady Gaia.

    How are you feeling?

    Kang-Woos expression hardened. Gaia seemed to be in serious condition.

    A-Are you alright? he asked.

    Kuh Do not worry about me. I am simply paying the price for using too much Divinity, Gaia said while grimacing.

    It was a limiter applied to all gods; the more they interfered with the mundane world, the faster their Divinity would be consumed.

    But still I am relieved. Gaia, who had been wincing in agony, smiled while looking at Kang-Woo and caressed his cheek.

    Lady Gaia

    Fufu. As long as you are safe I cannot ask for nothing more. Gaias breaths became even morebored. Haaa, haaa. It seems I will be unable to manifest through La for a while.

    ...

    While I recover my Divinity in the divine realm Can I leave Earth in your hands? she asked faintly as if she would disappear any second.

    Yes, of course. Kang-Woo nodded without hesitation and grabbed Gaias hands. This time, I will protect you.

    Ah Gaias face brightened. She slowly closed her eyes while giggling. My child. I am truly d to have met you.

    With that, Gaia lost consciousness. Kang-Wo lifted up Gaia no, La. She was burning up while sweating profusely as if she had caught the flu, likely the side effects of Deific Manifestation.

    Si-Hun, Kang-Woo said as he handed La to Si-Hun. Im sure La will be having a hard time with the side effects of the manifestation Look after her.

    Okay, hyung-nim.

    Ill take care of the rest. You can go on ahead.

    But

    Si-Hun hesitated for a moment, but nodded soon after.

    Kang-Woo looked toward Uriel as well, calmly saying, You can leave as well, Lord Uriel.

    No. Youve only just recovered, so Ill also Urgh. Uriel winced.

    He was hurt all over from the desperate battle against Rakiel.

    Im fine now. There is no need for you to worry, Kang-Woo remarked.

    ... Really?

    Yes, he answered with a smile.

    Uriel, who was staring at Kang-Woo in dissatisfaction, nodded and left through the Rift that he, Gaia and Si-Hun had created.

    Kang-Woo, Seol-Ah called as she approached him.

    She lowered her head in mixed feelings while looking down at Rakiel, who had turned into a demonic beast.

    Kang-Woo carefully asked, ... Were you disappointed?

    This had been the first time that he had shown this side of himself to Seol-Ah. She thankfully said nothing when Gaia and Si-Hun had been here, but she had likely been shocked.

    ... No, Seol-Ah replied as she shook her head. She continued while grabbing his hands, I decided to be with you despite knowing this is your true self. Was I of help to you this time?

    Yeah. I would have had a much harder time if it hadnt been for you, darling.

    They were not empty words; Kang-Woo would not have been able to face Rakiel one-on-one if it hadnt been for Seol-Ahs buffs and healing magic.

    Fufu. Thats more than enough for me. Seol-Ah embraced Kang-Woo while smiling brightly.

    Kang-Woo said while patting her head gently, I still have some stuff to do, so you can go home first. I wont be long.

    Okay. Ill be waiting for you. Seol-Ah nodded, expressing slight disappointment.

    After she turned around and left through the Rift, only Kang-Woo and Rakiel remained in the silent darkness.

    Grrr, grrrr.

    Rakiel looked up at Kang-Woo with eyes filled with spite. Kang-Woo slowly walked toward him and trampled on his head without hesitation.

    <em>Smash!</em>

    Gaaaaaahh!!

    I didnt expect you to turn into a demonic beast.

    However, the situation had been resolved much more easily thanks to that.

    O-Ohhh Kang Woo.

    Hm? You still retained your intelligence despite having be a demonic beast? Kang-Woo looked down at Rakiel with great interest.

    I-I will curse you.

    Countless sons of bitches already have. Kang-Woo crouched down while snickering. He locked eyes with Rakiel and continued, Though theyre all dead now.

    Rakiel red at Kang-Woo in silence.

    Do you feel no shame? Rakiel asked

    Hm?

    Deceiving a goddess and your ownrades living on through wretched lies Do you truly feel no shame?

    There you go again with your bullshit.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. It was an interesting question.

    <em>He has a point.</em>

    Considering all that he had done to deceive Gaia, it was not strange at all for Rakiel to think this way. He had pretended to be encroached by demonic energy and rolled on the ground quite pathetically. However

    Who cares?

    ... What?

    Who cares if its pathetic and shameful?

    Kang-Woo didnt care even if he was unsightly and dishonorable.

    If I can get what I want just by doing that

    He would be pathetic and shameful as many times as he needed to. Kang-Woo had even once be Baels subordinate to lower thetters guard. He had gotten on his knees and oinked like a pig to prove his loyalty. He had licked Baels feet, and smashed his own head on the ground. He had survived and endured that way, and in the end He had won.

    Does the concept of honor not exist for you?! Rakiel eximed.

    Kang-Woo snickered. Fuck, man. I never thought Id hear that from a dude who fell from grace because he was too horny.

    Nothing of the sort! My love was pure!

    Pure, huh? Is that why you fell for the Demon Gods temptations? Kang-Woo retorted while clicking his tongue. Dont try to force a tear jerking scene. This isnt some Korean film.

    Kang-Woo grabbed Rakiels head and brought it closer to his.

    You were nothing but a horndog.

    G-Ghhh!!

    Rakiels eyes set aze. He could not refute Kang-Woo; there was no way that he could, since it was a fact that he had fallen for the Demon Gods temptations.

    Rakielshed out in a fit of rage, Kuh! How long do you think your lies willst?!

    All that he could do was criticize Kang-Woo. However, Kang-Woo only tilted his head in confusion.

    Satan said the same thing. Why do you think theyre lies?

    What?

    You did it all, didnt you? You corrupted Raphael, kidnapped the Protector of Light and sowed demonic energy into him. It was you who did all that, so where are the lies that youre talking about?

    Rakiels face paled. You crazy bastard.

    Think about it. The corners of Kang-Woos mouth curled up. Only you and I know the whole truth.

    <em>Gurgle</em>.

    ck mucus flowed down Kang-Woos hand and covered Rakiel.

    But if you die

    Countless mouths with sharp teeth formed within the ck mucus.

    ... And I forget

    <em>Crunch</em>.

    Chilling sounds of crunching bones echoed. The mouths within the ck mucus devoured Rakiel like a pack of piranhas. Kang-Woo smiled crazily.

    ... No one will know, will they?

    The cackles of a demon filled the tunnel.

 Chapter 328: Ninth Awakening (1)

    Chapter 328: Ninth Awakening (1)

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    ck blood poured as bones were chewed and flesh was torn. The Authority of Predation devoured Rakiel without leaving a single mound of flesh.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have sessfully devoured the Constetion of Corruption!]

    [Devouring the Constetion of Corruptions Divine Essence.]

    [A fragment of Transcendent-rank Divine Essence has been detected. Would you like to devour it?]

    "Transcendent-rank Divine Essence?

    Oh Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He recalled how Rakiel had suddenly gotten stronger during his battle against Gaia.

    <em>So that was thanks to this.</em>

    It was not difficult to guess who the fragment of Transcendent-rank Divine Essence came from.

    <em>Demon God Bauli.</em>

    The power was likely one that he had sown into Rakiel.

    Mm

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes again. He could more or less understand the situation.

    <em>Rakiels Divine Essence is around Lower Intermediate-rank without the Demon Gods help, and he possessed a portion of the Demon Gods Divine Essence.</em>

    If that was the case, he needed to make a decision.

    <em>Should I eat only Rakiels Divine Essence, or eat the Demon Gods Divine Essence along with it?</em>

    He did not have to think for very long, since he had thought something simr back when he had received the mission to go to Aernor from Gaia.

    I dont have to go out of my way to risk danger.

    The Divine Essence of the Demon God was more valuable than anything else in the world, even if it was merely a fragment.

    <em>But I dont see a need to eat it while risking my body being taken over.</em>

    It was apletely different case from improving his demonic energy control through molting. Although molting was a high-risk high-return training method, he had already gone through it dozens of times in Hell, and even in the worst-case scenario, it would only end with him dying.

    <em>But this doesnt end with just me dying.</em>

    Although Kang-Woo had no idea what Bauli had in store, it was an undeniable fact that everything around Kang-Woo would get caught up in it as soon as his body was taken over.

    <em>I dont need a ticking time bomb in my hands.</em>

    There was absolutely no merit to having power if it was uncontroble. Kang-Woo absorbed the Divine Essence of only Rakiel, excluding that of the Demon God.

    [You have devoured the Divine Essence of the Constetion of Corruption.]

    [The Divine Essence absorbed through the Authority of Predation is interfering with the limits of the system.]

    [Raising level cap from 79 to 86!]

    What? Kang-Woo became wide-eyed from seeing the message that had popped up in front of him. Oh Ipletely forgot that I was a yer.

    It had been so long since he had been stuck on his level cap that he had even forgotten he was a yer. In novel terms, it had been roughly 165 chapters since his level cap has been broken.

    <em>I had pretty much half given up since it didnt break even after bing a Protector.</em>

    Kang-Woo had thought at first that the Gaia System was what had been preventing him from leveling; after all, his cap had broken after killing Alec Osborne. However, he had realized from the unchanged level cap even after bing a Protector that the Gaia System was not the only problem.

    <em>The Gaia System is but a tiny portion of a colossal system.</em>

    It was highly likely that the power that the gods called <em>providence </em>was putting a cap on his level.

    <em>Come to think of it, the other gods aside from Gaia also had limiters ced on them by the system.</em>

    Although they were not limited in the form of a level cap like Kang-Woo, they were also unable to use their powers recklessly in the mundane realm.

    <em>Although its different from god to god, it doesnt change the fact that they have limits ced on them.</em>

    The only beings that were free from the systems restrictions were the <em>outer gods</em> that the goddess Benigoa had mentioned.

    <em>So why</em>

    Why had his level cap been broken from absorbing Rakiels Divine Essence? Kang-Woo fell into thought while narrowing his eyes.

    Oh, I get it, he said as he snapped his finger.

    It had not been difficult to figure out the reason.

    <em>Divinity has the power to interfere with the system.</em>

    If that was the case, it also made sense that Divine Essence also alleviated the restrictions of the system somewhat. Divine Essence could be considered a ssification of rank that only those that wielded Divinity could earn. In terms of magic, Divinity was like mana, and Divine Essence was like the mana circles.

    <em>Lower Intermediate-rank is about 3rd-Circle.</em>

    He was not sure if it was urate, but it was likely something along those lines.

    <em>If Lower Intermediate Divine Essence gives me this much</em>

    Kang-Woos desires surged. He wondered how far his level cap would break if he absorbed Transcendent-rank Divine Essence. No, he might be able to gain far more than just that.

    Tsk, Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    He created a dagger with the Authority of des and stabbed it into his left corbone without hesitation. <em>Crack, crack.</em> He forcibly twisted the dagger; his flesh ripped apart, and ck blood poured out.

    Haaa, Kang-Woo sighed.

    The searing pain of his corbone suppressed his surging desire.

    <em>I cant believe Im still not used to it yet.</em>

    Controlling his desire was still hard to do despite ten millennia having passed. Kang-Woo did his best to think about other things. Thankfully, message windows popped up just in time.

    [Your level has risen to 86 due to the umted EXP.]

    [You have reached Level 80 and have achieved your Ninth Awakening.]

    [You have acquired a new Trait.]

    Whoa.

    The news was so great that it quelled his surging desire almost instantly.

    <em>Traits are absolutely amazing.</em>

    It was no exaggeration to say that he had surpassed his former self in Hell thanks to the power of Traits. Even his Key of the Demonic Sea had been crafted with the power of one of his Traits. The only SSS-rank Trait Kang-Woo had at the moment was Ruler of Demonic Energy. Considering how useful the Trait had been, he couldnt help but hope for another of the same rank.

    Right, lets get another SSS! Kang-Woo eximed energetically while opening his status window to check his Ninth Awakening Trait.

    [Ninth Awakening Trait - Chaos Control (Rank: ???)]

    [This Trait raises the control and destructive power of the yers Chaos techniques.]

    This is

    Kang-Woos eyes widened. Although its description and effect was simple, its contents were not simple in the slightest.

    <em>... Jackpot.</em>

    He had wished for an SSS-rank, but had gotten something even better.

    <em>I absolutely need this.</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists. He needed to raise his proficiency in Chaos techniques to acquire the fifth key of the Demonic Sea. No, even if it wasnt a quest, he needed to learn the insanely powerful Chaos techniques.

    <em>A Bottom-rank skill was able to destroy Behemoths horn.</em>

    Although it came with its risks, it was not as risky as opening the Doors of the Ten Thousand Demon Core. It was more than good enough to have in hand as a trump card duringbat.

    <em>This must be what its like to have pigeon meat!</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt help but smile after gaining profits that far exceeded his expectations, to the point that he was considering forgiving Rakiel for kidnapping and torturing him.

    Now, then

    It was time to test out what he had earned. Kang-Woo focused, drawing out both demonic energy and sacred power at the same time. His left hand was wrapped in white light, while ck light enveloped his right.

    <em>Chaos - Burst.</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly sped his hands together. The two energies shed against each other along with enormous repulsive force.

    [Activating the effect of Trait Chaos Control.]

    The repulsion of the two energies lessened along with the activation of the Trait. Kang-Woo stretched out his arms forward with his hands sped together.

    !

    A giant explosion that engulfed even its own sound shook the dimensional crack, vaporizing the ground as if a nuclear bomb had blown up. Its destructive power was truly outstanding.

    Kurgh! Kang-Woo grimaced.

    His two hands had disappeared without a trace down from the elbow.

    <em>Its still like this even after using the Chaos Control Trait?</em>

    The effect of the Trait was certainly exceptional, but the side effects of Chaos Techniques were far too big.

    <em>Even so</em>

    Kang-Woo felt like he hade to an understanding of the basic principles of Chaos techniques. Kang-Woo healed his two arms with the Authority of Regeneration, which took much longer than usual, likely due to the Chaos techniques side effects.

    <em>What if I lessen the power a little?</em>

    Kang-Woo more or less understood its principles. This time, he infused sacred power and demonic energy respectively, on the index and middle finger of the right hand. He stretched his arm out and flicked his finger.

    [You have learned the Bottom-rank Chaos technique, Chaos - Bullet.]

    Although the degree of explosion had been nowhere near Chaos - Burst, it was much better in terms of practicality.

    Alright. Kang-Woo smiled.

    His heart raced from the fact that a whole new realm was before his very eyes. He would train in seclusion if he could.

    Mm

    Kang-Woo thought about Han Seol-Ah.

    Ill just go home.

    He had spent far more time than expected while practicing the Chaos techniques. If he stuck around here any longer, Kim Si-Hun and Uriel woulde running, wondering what had happened to him.

    <em>Darling must be worried about me too.</em>

    There was still plenty of time until he set out for Aernor, so he also had plenty of time to train.

    Oh Come to think of it

    Kang-Woo pped his hands together as if he had thought of something. He remembered what he had to do before going to Aernor.

    <em>Shit, I almost forgot.</em>

    He had been so excited that he hadpletely forgotten.

    Kang-Woo turned around and walked out of the Rift, the light in his eyes slowly fading.

    ***

    E-Eek!

    S-Stay away!

    Screams echoed as soon as Kang-Woo entered through the door of the giant workshop and walked past the mages leisurely.

    Wh-What do you want?! Wh-Why are you here?! Khadgar, the head of the mages affiliated with Guardians, eximed in desperation.

    His face was haggard as if he had stayed up several nights, and his eyes no longer held any light.

    Were at our limit! W-We really will die if we work any more!

    They were working like Egyptian ves to provide Guardians with high-quality magic items.

    Kang-Woo replied in all seriousness while staring at Khadgar, I have a final request.

    Final Request?

    Yeah. If you do what I ask, Ill free you all.

    Khadgars eyes widened. He then asked while stuttering, Wh-What is the r-request?

    Kang-Woo slowly answered, Well

 Chapter 329: Preparations to Leave (1)

    Chapter 329: Preparations to Leave (1)

    After Rakiel, the Constetion of Corruption, died, preparations to go to Aernor began at full throttle. La, after having recovered from the aftereffects of Deific Manifestation, worked to form a Gate that the team could pass through without any restrictions while keeping contact with Gaia. In the meantime, Oh Kang-Woo and Kim Si-Hun selected party members to go to Aernor with them.

    Iming with you, no matter what, Han Seol-Ah remarked firmly while grabbing Kang-Woos hand as if she would not ept no for an answer.

    She was exuding chilling energy as if chaos would ensue if Kang-Woo did not ask her toe with him.

    I was gonna take you with me anyway, Kang-Woo replied while smirking.

    Going to Aernor while leaving Seol-Ah behind had not even been an option for him.

    <em>I cant leave behind someone with Top-rank Deific Essence.</em>

    Although she was not able to fully wield Serahs power, Seol-Ahs abilities were still beyond impressive. She was not very useful in terms ofbat prowess, but she possessed buffs and healing magic so exceptional that it didnt matter in the slightest.

    <em>And</em>

    Just sleeping with Seol-Ah improved his demonic energy control severalfoldpared to simple training. She was like an EXP potion that allowed one to level up automatically in terms of RPGs, so there was no way that Kang-Woo would leave her behind.

    <em>I mean, I dont n to be apart from darling even if that wasnt the case.</em>

    Seol-Ah had already be the most important portion of his life; he would not be apart from her, even if the world would end due to it.

    Phew, Seol-Ah sighed in relief.

    She had been slightly worried since Kang-Woo was one to frequently act on his own.

    What would you have done if I said no? Kang-Woo asked teasingly.

    If you did The light in Seol-Ahs eyes disappeared momentarily, exuding thick, chilling bloodlust. Im not sure.

    Right? Im not sure how it would feel to be apart from you either, Kang-Woo replied whileughing.

    No. Seol-Ah shook her head. She continued in a low tone, Im not sure What I would do.

    <em>Huh? Whats happening? Youre scaring me, darling.</em>

    Kang-Woo, Seol-Ah called out.

    Uhh Yeah?

    Seol-Ah reached out to slowly caress Kang-Woos shoulders, neck, and thigh in order.

    Do you think limbs are necessary?

    <em>I beg your pardon?</em>

    Just think about it. If you dont need to use them Theres no need to have them, is there?

    <em>What are you talking about?</em>

    Oh my, weve gone off topic. If you said that you werent going to take me with you I wouldve been sad. Yes, very sad.

    I-I see. Kang-Woo nodded in puzzlement.

    He wasnt sure what he was feeling, but one thing was for sure.

    <em>I cant leave darling behind.</em>

    He felt as if something irreversible would happen if he did. Kang-Woo nodded and slowly turned his gaze toward Echidna and Halcyon, who were staring at him with sparkling eyes, fists clenched and eager to say something.

    Of course, you guys will being too, said Kang-Woo.

    Hehehe, I-I knew y-you would say that!

    Hm! Hm! Ive been waiting for you to say that!

    Halcyon and Echidna smiled brightly.

    Echidna, you said you didnt know much about Aernor, right? Kang-Woo asked.

    Yeah. Id been cooped up in myir, so I dont know that much. Echidna lowered her head while flinching. ... Sorry.

    No, its okay. Kang-Woo had several other people to ask about Aernor. But are you sure?

    Hm? About what? Echidna asked.

    If youe to Aernor with me, you wont be able to watch any of the anime you love so much.

    Hm! Being with you is way better! Echidna answered without hesitation while snorting.

    Kang-Woo smiled at hermendable answer. As he was patting Echidnas head, Halcyon carefully approached him with a red face.

    <em>Screw off. Come back in a hundred years.</em>

    M-Master Kang-Woo.

    Halcyon hugged Kang-Woos arm tightly with trembling hands. Somethingrge touched the back of Kang-Woos hand.

    <em>Jesus.</em>

    The sensation of Halcyons Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon was shooting up his arm. Kang-Woo quickly pulled his arm away and coughed, then stared at Lilith, who was looking at him while giggling, and Balrog, who had his arms crossed with a stiff face.

    Youre not thinking of leaving us behind, are you? Lilith asked with her eyes narrowed.

    I will not let you go by yourself this time, Balrog stated firmly.

    He was referring to when Kang-Woo had crossed from Hell to Earth by himself. Kang-Woo sighed while staring at his two subordinates.

    Of course not Where would I go without you two?

    He had already be practically inseparable with Lilith and Balrog. Even if he tried to rip himself away from them, they would find a way to follow him somehow, like they had done already.

    Kang-Woo remarked while clicking his tongue, Balrog. Train Halcyon and Echidna like you had donest time. Take Vaal Zahak with you too.

    Will Vaal Zahak being as well?

    Hes from Aernor, after all. He was also known as the demon king there, so Im sure he knows a lot about Aernor.

    Understood.

    And Kang-Woo turned to Lilith. Lilith, amplify the effects of Seol-Ahs pendant before we leave for Aernor.

    Rakiel had mistaken Seol-Ah for Seraph as soon as Seol-Ah used her power. In other words, she was fine in daily life, but she would be found out as soon as she used buffs or healing magic. Considering what they would have to do in Aernor, Seol-Ahs identity had to be hidden even when she was using her power.

    <em>Uriel will being with us, after all.</em>

    To be honest, Urieling with them to Aernor was not wee news. Si-Hun and La knew that Kang-Woo had been a demon in the past, and that he had demon subordinates like Balrog and Lilith. However, Uriel considered Kang-Woo to be purely human, so he couldnt make any rash decisions with him there.

    <em>Its a hassle in many ways.</em>

    Even so, it was difficult to do something to Uriel when he had an army of angels behind him.

    <em>Theres no need to cause unnecessary battles.</em>

    It could not be helped if there was no other way, but waging an all-out war against angels just because of a hassle was idiotic.

    Mm In that case, you will have to help me out a little, my king. I made the item by applying how you hide your demonic energy, but to amplify its effects, I need to have a good grasp of the extent of both you and Seol-Ahs powers.

    How can I help? Kang-Woo asked.

    Oh, its nothing special, Lilith said while smiling with her mouth covered. You said that the demonic energy and sacred power from you two intermingle as you sleep, did you not? I will just be taking part in that process.

    Ah Seol-Ah reddened, her toes squirming with her head lowered. She stammered, U-Umm Th-Thats

    Kang-Woo asked while tilting his head, Are you saying youll watch as Seol-Ah and I sleep?

    Yes.

    Mm.

    Kang-Woo nodded as if he understood why Seol-Ah was embarrassed.

    <em>I mean, we dont do anything in particr other than sleeping, but Im sure shes embarrassed to show others of us sleeping together.</em>

    However, he felt that she was being excessively embarrassed when all they did was sleep while holding hands.

    <em>But considering Seol-Ahs personality</em>

    It was not weird for her to be that embarrassed.

    Thats fine, but dont change into your demon form, okay?

    Ngh. Lilith flinched. She sighed in disappointment and nodded. Yes, I understand.

    Seol-Ah remained silent.

    Fufu. Theres no need to worry, Seol-Ah, Lilith said as she approached Seol-Ah, who had her head lowered.

    Lilith met eyes with her and whispered something in her ear. Seol-Ahs face reddened like a tomato.

    Youre so cute. Ill teach you all kinds of things. Lilith smiled as she lightly embraced Seol-Ah.

    ... I-Ill be in your care, Seol-Ah replied in a very small voice.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion, unable to follow what the two women were talking about.

    <em>Well, Im sure its nothing.</em>

    Although Seol-Ahs obsession and possessive nature had gotten extreme due to the strengthening of Seraphs influence, she did not show that side to Lilith. It was as if Seol-Ah was fine with it as long as it was Lilith, like a junior yielding to their superior. Whatever the case, there was no need to worry at all about Lilith.

    Right then, lets all make preparations from today onward, Kang-Woo stated as he turned around.

    He took out his smartphone and called Si-Hun.

    [Oh, hyung-nim?]

    Yeah. I have everyone we need.

    Kang-Woo named every single member that would being with them. Of course, since Si-Hun and La both thought that Vaal Zahak was a servant of Satan, Kang-Woo altered his name a little.

    [Vernaak?]

    Si-Hun tilted his head in confusion from hearing a name that he had never heard of.

    Yeah. He used to be one of my subordinates back in Hell, and he apparently knows a lot about Aernor. Hes very capable too.

    [He wasnt at the picst time, though.]

    He couldnte back then due to circumstances.

    [He lived at Balrogs house? I never knew despite having gone there pretty frequently to train with Balrog.]

    Hes a bit of a hikikomori[1], so he doesnt like to go outside.

    In actuality, Kang-Woo had ordered Vaal Zahak to stay out of Si-Huns sight, but Si-Hun had no way of knowing that.

    Ill introduce him to you next time.

    [I understand.]

    Have you recruited anyone?

    [Mm. Master said that he would stay here, and the same goes for Grace. As for Tae-Soo I dont think it would be a good idea.]

    I guess thats true.

    Although Kang Tae-Soo was leveling hard after having entered Guardians, he had only just entered the ranks of Ranker.

    [Theres no one in particr besides me and La.]

    Got it.

    Since their travels to Aernor would be filled with all sorts of dangers, they couldnt just take anyone with them. Finding sufficiently strong yers that they could trust deeply was not easy.

    In the end, the members of the Aernor exploration team had ended up being mostly Kang-Woos subordinates; it was only natural, considering the massive difference between regr yers and Kang-Woos subordinates. Even Echidna, the weakest of them, was now able to use dragon tongue magic of fully mature dragons.

    Lets finalize the roster, then, Kang-Woo said as he sent the finalized list of members to Si-Hun. Send this to La.

    [Okay, hyung-nim.]

    Kang-Woo hung up.

    <em>I guess its time for me to get some work done too.</em>

    <em>Bam! Bam!</em>

    As he turned around while thinking, someone banged on the door to the point that it would break. Kang-Woo opened the door to see a red-haired woman ring at him while panting heavily.

    Take me with you too.

    It was Cha Yeon-Joo.

    1. Hikikomori is a Japanese term referring to someone with severe tendencies of social withdrawal.

 Chapter 330: Preparations to Leave (2)

    Chapter 330: Preparations to Leave (2)

    You want toe with us? Oh Kang-Woo asked, taken off guard by Cha Yeon-Joos statement.

    It was not that he hadnt thought about her when he was thinking about members for the Aernor exploration team; Yeon-Joo was very capable as well as trustworthy, but there was just one reason why he had not asked her.

    What about your guild? he asked.

    Yeon-Joo had a guild to manage. Not just that, Red Rose had be big enough to be thergest guild in Korea. It would be a different story if it was just a short mission, but he felt bad to take her on a mission that he had no idea how long it would take.

    I quit, Yeon-Joo said.

    ... What?

    I quit my guild master position.

    What the hell are you talking about?

    Kang-Woo became wide-eyed by her sudden response. She had quit her position as guild master? It waspletely absurd, considering Red Rose possessed enough authority as Guardians, albeit restricted to Korea.

    Yeon-Joo crossed her arms and snorted. Well, to be exact, I didnt quit I put Hyun-Woo in charge temporarily.

    Kang-Woo stared at her dumbfoundedly. Although she had said that she had temporarily left it to Park Hyun-Woo, she did not sound like she had any intention of returning to the position.

    Are you sure you can quit just like that? he asked.

    What does it matter? I was pretty much a figurehead anyway. Yeon-Joo shook her hand as if she wasnt interested. I was never the right person for the job. This just happened to be the perfect opportunity for me to quit.

    ...

    So take me with you to that Aernor ce or whatever it was called, she said while leaning toward Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo smirked. You didnt quit so you coulde with me, did you?

    Wh-What?

    Yeon-Joo reddened. She stammered for a bit, but then grimaced like a Yaksha.

    D-Dont screw with me, you son of a bitch! Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Why would I quit my position for the likes of you?! I just quit because I was sick and tired of it! she shouted while panting heavily.

    Kang-Woo snickered, being able to read her like a book.

    You!

    Yeon-Jo raised her hand. <em>Thrash! </em>Chains poured out of her bracelet and shot toward Kang-Woo, which he easily caught.

    He muttered, Are you sure?

    ... About what?

    No one knows when well be able toe back from this mission. No, being able toe back alive isnt even a guarantee.

    Not even Kang-Woo knew what would happen during their mission to eliminate the Demon Gods corpse. Although he was confident in his strength, the world was far too big.

    Will you stille with us despite that? he asked, his eyes sunken deeply.

    Yeon-Joo stared at him in silence, but she did not take long to answer.

    Yeah.

    Kang-Woo smiled as he heard the firm will in her answer. He stretched his hand toward her. Ill be in your care.

    A-Ahem. Likewise

    Right, arent you forgetting something?

    What?

    Kang-Woo said while pointing at the chains that Yeon-Joo had released, Shouldnt you be calling me <em>oppa</em>?

    N-Ngh!

    Yeon-Joo reddened again. She fumed like a steam engine and swung her fist at Kang-Woo.

    You fucking pervert!

    The furious lioness made a mess of the house. Kang-Woo avoided her attacks while snickering.

    <em>Well, Im d.</em>

    He had been hoping for Yeon-Joo toe with him; after all, unlike Han Seol-Ah and Lilith, Yeon-Joo felt more like a female friend. No, leaving aside gender, she was the only person that Kang-Woo could speak to like a true friend.

    Seol-Ah stared at Kang-Woo, who was running around while snickering, in silence.

    Something in her squirmed as she saw his mischievous side, something that he had never shown her. Her eyes lost their light.

    ... Yeon-Joo.

    Huh? What? I have to teach that pervert a lesson, so lets talkter, Yeon-Joo answered while frowning.

    Seol-Ah extended her arm toward Yeon-Joo.

    <em>Fwoom!</em>

    Huh? Huuuh? Wh-What the hell is this?

    Chains of light flowed out from Seol-Ah and restrained Yeon-Joo. They were the Demon-Binding Light that had bound Kang-Woo back when she had fallen from grace.

    <em>Step, step.</em> Seol-Ah slowly walked toward Yeon-Joo.

    Wh-Whats wrong?

    Lets talk for a bit.

    Seol-Ah smiled, and dragged the restrained Yeon-Joo to her room by the shoulder.

    H-Hey! W-Wait! Oh Kang-Woo! Shes acting weird! Help me!

    No, its nothing weird. I just want to talk, so dont worry and lets take our time. Seol-Ah dragged Yeon-Joo along as she let out a lifeless giggle.

    Having instinctively felt danger, Yeon-Joo shouted, K-Kang-Woo! Oh Kang-Woo, you son of a bitch! Stop just staring nkly!! H-Hurry up and stop Seol Argh! K-Kang-Woo! No, o-oppa!!

    <em>ck</em>. Seol-Ah closed the door to her room after having dragged Yeon-Joo in it. <em>Click</em>. The sound of the door locking was heard.

    Awkward silence fell. Kang-Woo, who had been running from Yeon-Joo, stared at the door nkly.

    Uhh Mm. He scratched his head awkwardly. He then turned his head and said energetically, Right, lets get ready to go.

    Yeon-Joos solitary screams flowed out through the seams of the door.

    ***

    After that, Kang-Woos life became chaotically busy. The main thing that he focused on was to practice the Chaos skills through his Ninth Awakening Trait, Chaos Control. The training was extremely difficult due to the techniques insane level of power and highlyplex level of control required.

    His arms and legs were blown off countless times due to the repulsion between demonic energy and sacred power, and his life had also been at risk a few times. Because the difficulty of the training was as high as that of molting, Kang-Woo trained in very remote ces.

    He had gotten significantly more used to using the Chaos skills thanks to Chaos Controlpared to when he had first learned them. However, he had not been able to learn any Low-rank skills toplete the fifth quest of the Key of the Demonic Sea because training Chaos skills was so dangerous that he could not do it often.

    <em>I shouldnt rush.</em>

    Although there were times when he was extremely annoyed by the fact that he had not been able to get past the Bottom-rank, he did not push himself to train the Chaos skills. After all, there was nothing more pathetic than dying from training too hard due to impatience.

    Due to this, Kang-Woo had not put all his eggs into one basket that was Chaos skill training. He improved his demonic energy control by sleeping with Seol-Ah, and practiced the Authorities of the princes of Hell from time to time. He also did not forget to tighten Earths security as well as preparing all the items needed for his trip to Aernor.

    Fuuu.

    Youve gotten much better, hyung-nim.

    Dont lie to me.

    Kang-Woo had also been learning swordsmanship from Kim Si-Hun while helping him train. Of course, since he had never learned any systematic martial arts and possessed only average-level talent, he had not been able to gain much from the training. Although Kang-Woos demonic energy control was amazing enough to even shock gods, he did not know how to do much else aside from his highly unpolishedbat skills.

    <em>Fucking hell, novels say swordsmanship polished through experience is better than martial arts.</em>

    It wasplete bullshit; although his skills gained throughbat experience would not lose to regr martial arts

    <em>Kim Si-Hun, this son of a bitch</em>

    Si-Hun did not possess regr martial arts. Kang-Woo had gotten absolutely floored back when he had faced Si-Hun purely through technique without relying on his Authorities.

    <em>Motherfucking genius.</em>

    Kang-Woo once again realized through learning martial arts from Si-Hun that Si-Hun truly possessed an astonishing level of talent.

    <em>Why are his skills improving more when hes the one teaching me martial arts?</em>

    Si-Hun was improving more than Kang-Woo despite Si-Hun being the one to teach Kang-Woo. He had said something about having attained enlightenment after exining in words what he had done all this time just by feeling.

    Screw it. Fuck this! Kang-Woo eximed while throwing the sword temperamentally.

    Si-Hun approached while surprised. H-Hyung-nim. Dont be like that and lets try it for a bit longer. Im telling you, your learning speed is by no means slow.

    Si-Hun was talking like a food delivery man telling the customer that they were almost there despite being miles away. Kang-Woo sighed and picked up the sword again.

    Haaa, this is driving me insane. Dont people with lots ofbat experience usually pick up on this stuff super quickly?

    Thatbat experience is actually whats holding you back. Bad habits have been so ingrained into your muscles that your swordsmanship has be highly deformed.

    Practice made permanent, not perfect.

    You will reach far higher heights once you fix those habits, Si-Hun remarked.

    Easier said than done.

    Kang-Woos habits had been ingrained into him for ten whole millennia; he would not be having this much trouble if he could just fix them.

    Haha, I have faith that you can do it, hyung-nim.

    Urgh. Kang-Woo frowned in frustration. Thats enough swordsmanship training. Lets move on to your cultivation technique training.

    Oh, okay, hyung-nim.

    Kang-Woo was not one-sidedly getting trained by Si-Hun; he was using his astounding knowledge of energy control to teach Si-Hun how to circte his Qi more efficiently.

    I told you, thats not how you do it, Kang-Woo expressed.

    U-Uhh

    Stop trying to rely on your instincts, and move your Qi through extremely thorough calctions.

    Ngh

    Their roles reversed once it came time for cultivation technique training. Si-Hun frowned, seemingly unable to understand what Kang-Woo was saying. Kang-Woo smirked as if telling Si-Hun that this was how he had felt during their swordsmanship training.

    You have hundreds of thousands of meridians. Based on how you circte your Qi, the effect generated ispletely different for the same amount of power.

    Understood.

    Of course, Kang-Woo was not doing this out of childish revenge. There was no one more skilled at controlling energy within oneself than Kang-Woo.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Si-Hun closed his eyes and focused; translucent swords formed in the air. Formless Sword, the technique that Si-Hun had acquired after his assimtion with the Martial God surpassed 60%, had be far more precise than before.

    Lets wrap it up here. Kang-Woo stood up after having supervised Si-Huns training. We should finish getting ready. We leave tomorrow.

    ... Its already tomorrow. Time flew by so fast, Si-Hun replied.

    Well, weve been busy.

    Gaia had taken four months to form a Gate that led to Aernor. The number of people also contributed to the long wait; it had taken much more time due to the strength of each member. But now, that all hade to an end; Gaia had sessfully formed a Gate that wouldnt put limiters on anyone.

    Lets go.

    Ah Hyung-nim.

    Yeah?

    I would like to ask you for a favor.

    What kind of favor? Kang-Woo asked while tilting his head in confusion.

    My mother wants to meet you at least once.

    Your mother?

    Si-Huns mother had suffered through all kinds of discrimination and disdain as Kim Jae-Hyuns mistress.

    <em>And</em>

    She had also sown the seed of trauma within Si-Hun.

    Why so out of the blue? Kang-Woo asked.

    She said that she wanted to express her gratitude for everything that youve done for us.

    Si-Huns mother, after having been abandoned by Jae-Hyun, had copsed from healthplications, but had been treated in a hospital amodated by Kang-Woo (or Red Rose, to be more exact), and had be far better.

    <em>It had been to earn Si-Huns trust, but</em>

    Whatever the case, debt was best repaid.

    Sure. Kang-Woo nodded happily.

    He felt like he had a need to meet Si-Huns mother, for the trauma that was still haunting Si-Hun to this day.

    <em>Though it also feels like its about time.</em>

    Kang-Woo and Si-Hun had first met four years ago. To be honest, this meeting should have happened ages ago.

    <em>Even so</em>

    It was better to sort everything out before they left for Aernor.

    Thank you very much, hyung-nim.

    Si-Hun took Kang-Woo to a home somewhere in Seoul. Although the two-story home did not scream wealth, it soothed ones soul.

    This is my home, Si-Hun remarked.

    Come to think of it, this is my first timeing to your home.

    Hahaha. I mostly stay in the Hall of Protection.

    Si-Hun opened the door while smiling. Kang-Woo could not feel any traces of life in the home.

    Oh, my mother is saying that she stepped out for a bit to buy ingredients, and will be back soon.

    I guess we can wait, then.

    Kang-Woo, who had been thinking about going on a house tour, saw a pot of something in the kitchen. After having seen the ck substance in a giant pot, he frowned while pinching his nose due to the stench.

    What the hell is this culinary crime?

    Its my mothers kimchi stew.

    What the hell is this criminally delicious-looking kimchi stew?

    It looked extremely delicious.

    Oh, thats what you meant, Si-Hun said.

    I can already feel my mouth watering, man.

    <em>Hahaha</em>. Kang-Wooughed while patting Si-Huns shoulders.

 Chapter 331: Preparations to Leave (3)

    Chapter 331: Preparations to Leave (3)

    I-I-I-I-I-Im so sorry! I thought having just kimchi stew by itself would make the dining table a bit empty, so I went to the market to buy some more ingredients and lost track of time!

    A middle-aged woman with short light brown hair, beautiful enough to be worthy of being Kim Si-Huns mother, lowered her head. She was likely at least in her forties considering Si-Huns age, but she could even be mistaken to be in her thirties, to the point that no one would use the term <em>middle-aged</em> to describe her if they did not know any better.

    No, its alright. Oh Kang-Woo shook his head and shed a smile.

    Although he was smiling, his eyes were pointed at the abomination on the dining table.

    <em>Thats supposed to be kimchi stew?</em>

    Why was it ck?

    <em>How could she do such a thing to kimchi stew?</em>

    It was worse than sacrilege. Kang-Woo wanted to flip the table, but he couldnt bring himself to in front of Si-Huns mother.

    I-Ill whip something up right away! the mother eximed.

    <em>Please dont.</em>

    Just by looking at the state of her kimchi stew, Kang-Woo could not expect anything from her other dishes.

    No, its okay. I dont have an appetite.

    Oh Is that so?

    Yes, so theres no need for you to worry about it. More importantly Kang-Woo slurred as he looked toward Si-Hun, gesturing him to hurry up and introduce him to the mother.

    Si-Hun got back to his senses and walked toward the two of them.

    This is my mother, he introduced.

    My name is Jeong Seo-Ha.

    Mother, this is

    Yeah. Ive heard a lot about Kang-Woo. Seo-Ha grabbed Kang-Woos hands while smiling brightly. Thank you for taking care of my son.

    Not at all. I simply did my duty as his hyung, Kang-Woo replied.

    Seo-Has expression froze from the mention of <em>hyung</em>. She then sent Si-Hun a gaze filled with guilt. Why dont we have something to eat first?

    I-Im fine. Like I mentioned before, I dont really have an appetite

    Oh, thats right. I heard you love kimchi stew. What a shame, Seo-Ha said while staring at the ck kimchi stew in disappointment. She then turned to Si-Hun after a short moment of silence. Si-Hun, could you give us a moment? I have something I need to talk with Kang-Woo about in private.

    Huh? Si-Hun looked at her in confusion.

    Its nothing serious, so dont make that kind of face.

    No, but

    Please, for me.

    Si-Hun reluctantly nodded and went up to the second floor. Kang-Woo stared at Si-Hun climbing up the stairs, and then used the Authority of Silence to block all sound from escaping the living room. Si-Huns superhuman senses would allow him to hear a conversation in the living room from the second floor with ease.

    <em>What could she have to say to me?</em>

    He had no idea, but since Si-Huns mother wanted to talk in private, Kang-Woo felt like he shouldnt let Si-Hun hear.

    What did you want to talk about? Kang-Woo asked.

    Oh. Seo-Ha, who had been thinking about something absorbedly, turned around. Let me make you a cup of coffee first.

    Oh, thank you very much.

    Kang-Woo nodded softly, unable to refuse a cup of coffee on top of kimchi stew. Seo-Ha headed to the kitchen. <em>Click, ck.</em> The fragrance of coffee flowed all the way to the living room. As Seo-Ha was making coffee, Kang-Woo slowly took a look around the living room again.

    <em>Its a nice ce.</em>

    He was not talking about extravagance nor that it looked pricey. Despite Seo-Ha mostly living by herself in this home, the ce was very clean and tidy. No, <em>clean </em>was not the right word to describe it.

    <em>It feels homely.</em>

    The feeling of cozinessing from the entire home felt quite nice.

    <em>ck.</em>

    Here you go, Seo-Ha said.

    Thank you very much.

    Kang-Woo sipped the coffee that she had made; it tasted normal, unlike her kimchi stew.

    <em>All hail instant coffee.</em>

    The guaranteed sweetness enveloped his tongue.

    First of all Seo-Ha stood up and politely bowed toward Kang-Woo. Thank you very much.

    ...

    If it hadnt been for you, Si-Hun and I would have never dreamed of having such a life.

    Si-Hun has great talent as a yer. Even if it hadnt been for me, he would have been able to earn enough for the hospital bills and this house all on his ow

    No, thats not what I meant. Seo-Ha smiled faintly. If it hadnt been for you Si-Hun never would have been able to smile like that.

    Kang-Woo remained silent, thinking about what he should say. Seo-Ha bowed toward Kang-Woo again.

    Thank you so very much.

    Kang-Woo could hear how heartfelt she was. In the end, he said the same thing that he had said earlier.

    I simply did my duty as his hyung.

    Hohoho, Seo-Ha giggled. Im relieved to see that you truly care for Si-Hun.

    But of course. Although were not rted by blood, I consider him to be family.

    Seo-Ha stared intently at Kang-Woo, and then sighed in relief. She continued, To be honest, I was very worried. You didnt build your friendship with Si-Hun through normal means, did you? I was worried because of that, but those worries have faded now.

    ... I beg your pardon? Kang-Woo froze. Her words had been branded on his brain. What do you

    Im not sure if its hypnosis or some other kind of magic, but you used some sort of coercive method to win Si-Hun over, didnt you?

    ...! Chills ran down his back. Kang-Woo red at Seo-Ha. Im not quite sure what you mean.

    Hohoho. Its okay. I wont tell Si-Hun.

    She was talking as if she knew everything. Kang-Woos mind was in jumbles.

    <em>She knows.</em>

    She knew that Kang-Woo had attacked Si-Hun and made Si-Hun into his Familiar.

    <em>But how?</em>

    Questions kept leading to other questions. The truth that he had kept secret all this time and thought would never be revealed, had been found out so easily.

    ... How long have you known? asked Kang-Woo.

    I had an inkling ever since Si-Hun told me about you. Seo-Ha put the cup of coffee down on the table and continued, That boy never refers to anyone as <em>hyung</em>, especially someone that he has only met recently.

    Kang-Woo swept back his hair.

    <em>I didnt expect this.</em>

    No, there was no way he could have, since there had been no way for him to know back when he made Si-Hun into his Familiar, the trauma that Si-Hun possessed, as well as how well Si-Huns mother knew Si-Hun.

    Heavy silence fell. Kang-Woo downed the cup of coffee, thinking up dozens of possible excuses he could make. If he wanted to, he was confident that he could use whatever reason to satisfy Seo-Ha. He could even argue that she couldnt base anything off just from the fact that Si-Hun addressed him as <em>hyung</em>. However

    <em>ck</em>. Kang-Wooid the cup down on the table.

    Why didnt you say anything despite knowing that?

    Kang-Woo did not make any excuses nor try to call it out as a lie; he had a feeling that he shouldnt, at least to Seo-Ha of all people.

    Seo-Ha remained silent, and then opened her mouth while staring into empty space. Imitted an unforgivable sin to that boy.

    Kang-Woo could feel the voidness in her voice. He could easily tell what the sin that she was referring to was.

    <em>Si-Huns trauma.</em>

    The words that his own birth mother had said to him,<em> Im sorry for giving birth to you</em>, had been engraved in Si-Huns soul.

    Kang-Woo had no idea how painful hearing those words were, since he had no memory of his parents.

    Back then I was so tired, and felt so sorry for Si-Hun that I ended up saying those words that I should have never said Transparent tears flowed down Seo-Has cheeks. I should have never said those words to him of all people

    Her words were filled with sorrow. Kang-Woo did not say a word; no, he couldnt. He could not understand, sympathize, nor console her in any way, so he remained silent.

    Thats why When I saw that boy smiling so brightly I couldnt say a word. Even if it was a lie I just wanted my son to be happy.

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    Thank you. Thank you so much, Seo-Ha said while bowing repeatedly.

    She continued to thank Kang-Woo for making her son happy. Again, and again, and again.

    ***

    Kang-Woo walked home after separating from Si-Hun.

    His mind was in shambles. All kinds of thoughts tangled with one another. He frowned while recalling Seo-Ha, weeping while thanking him.

    <em>Why was I so happy?</em>

    He couldnt understand why he had been so happy to be thanked for making Si-Hun happy, even if it had been built on a lie.

    Kang-Woo was unable to decipher his own emotions. No, he had a guess why; he just didnt want to admit it.

    <em>I felt like I was being pardoned for my sin.</em>

    He couldnt help butugh from the shallow thought. He was trying to lessen his guilt by thinking that although he had forcibly turned Si-Hun into his Familiar, it was okay since he treasured him.

    <em>Despite the person in question knowing absolutely nothing about it.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly.

    ... Goddammit.

    He clicked his tongue and sat down on a bench in front of the apartmentplex before heading inside.

    <em>Tomorrow</em>

    They would be leaving Earth. Although they were not leaving forever, he was sure that it would be a long journey.

    Fuck.

    Unnecessary emotions filled Kang-Woo. He looked up at the night sky.

    Ah

    He thought about all that he had been through sinceing back to Earth. He met Han Seol-Ah, Kim Si-Hun, Cha Yeon-Joo, Echidna, Kang Tae-Soo He had met so many people and made just as many connections. Even his connection with Balrog and Lilith remained even aftering back to Earth.

    It might not have been the best start; the first step might have been askew, leading to his connections to others being tangled messily. Despite that, he considered such connections to be precious.

    <em>Bzzt.</em>

    Kang-Woos vision became blurry. He was shown a in filled with corpses, and himself copsing to his knees and crying there.

    It might sound funny, but he also had things that he had treasured back in Hell; he had the same tangled connections there.

    <em>Theyre all dead, though.</em>

    He had new connections now, ones that he had been unable to protect in the past.

    <em>This time</em>

    It would be different. He would make sure that it was.

    Fucking hell. Ive be such a goddamn softie. Why the fuck am I shooting a drama all by myself in the middle of the night?

    Kang-Woo frowned. He stood up, and walked.

    ... Lets go.

    He set out, like he had always done. Forward.

    [Part One - END]

 Chapter 332: Kimchi

    Chapter 332: Kimchi

    Oh Kang-Woo opened his eyes. He felt this way all the time whenever he slept with Han Seol-Ah, but his body felt light. His mind was extremely clear, and the demonic energy within him was as quiet as a docilemb.

    <em>This is why I can never quit sleeping with darling.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled from the feeling of refreshment clearing his mind. Although he did not need sleep, he always made sure to sleep at least three to four hours anyway because of this very feeling of refreshment.

    <em>And</em>

    Kang-Woo drew out his demonic energy by habit.

    <em>Oh, my demonic energy control didnt improve today.</em>

    Kang-Woo expressed disappointment. His demonic energy control did not unconditionally improve just from sleeping with Seol-Ah; it was a random urrence, about a twenty to thirty percent chance.

    Thats still phenomenal.

    Considering that Kang-Woo possessed enough demonic energy to face beings of godhood despite himself not being able to use Divinity, just being able to improve his control over it was already amazing enough. However

    ... There have been more and moretely.

    Kang-Woo frowned from seeing the red spots all over his upper body. Ever since Lilith joined their chambers with the excuse of needing to make a magic tool that would conceal Seol-Ahs powers, he saw more and more red spots on him every time he woke up, to the point that it was abnormal.

    <em>Its sometimes on a very specific area too.</em>

    Kang-Woo lifted his pants and checked between his legs.

    Kurgh.

    After red spots began to form on that specific area, the physiological phenomenon that hade to him every morning without fail, stopped. Kang-Woo looked down at his lifeless Franois miserably.

    Youre not dead, are you?

    <em>Youre still alive, right, Franois?</em>

    Kang-Woo worriedly rubbed the red spots lightly that had formed around his thighs.

    Kang-Woo~ He heard Seol-Ahs voice from across the door. Its time to get up~ The meeting time ising up~

    Got it, Kang-Woo answered as he got up. He looked around the room while stretching. ... Ive grown quite attached to this ce.

    The 350 square-feet room felt more familiar to him now than his grand demon king castle. He sentimentally slid his hand over his table, and turned his gaze toward his very expensiveptop.

    I shouldnt forget this.

    Kang-Woo opened his bag and packed hisptop. He did not need a charger; since there was no way that 220V outlets would exist in Aernor, he had hisptop modified so that it would be powered by mana instead. There was only one reason why he would go so far as to take theptop with him.

    Kang-Woo grabbed the rectangr item the size of his palm and put it in his pocket. It was an indispensable weapon that he had spent months perfecting between his training times, which would be of great help in his mission in Aernor; an external hard drive with a whopping 120 terabytes of storage.

    <em>Also known as</em>

    Noahs Ark; the item that would save humanity on the brink of extinction. It contained all the mysterious knowledge regarding the birth of life.

    ... Alright.

    Kang-Woo ced the external hard drive in his breast pocket, where he would be able to feel its warmth through his heart.

    Kang-Woo? Seol-Ah called from outside his room.

    Ill be right out.

    Kang-Woo left his room to see Seol-Ah, Lilith, Echidna, Cha Yeon-Joo, Halcyon, Balrog, and Vaal Zahak already gathered.

    <em>Oh, I guess hes Vernaak now.</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the young man wearing a monocle, exuding a gloomy air. Vaal Zahak, who was wearing human skin made using magic, was using the alias <em>Vernaak</em> due to several circumstances.

    What did you pack? Lilith asked.

    Nothing in particr. I was just in my thoughts since we wont being back here for a while, Kang-Woo lied.

    Hohoho. Youre being unusually sentimental.

    The quick-witted Lilith scanned Kang-Woo up and down. Kang-Woo took a step back and ced his hand on his left bosom.

    Hm! Hm! Ill show you myir when we get to Aernor, Kang-Woo!

    Echidna was hyper, considering this to be a trip that she was going with Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo smirked and nodded. Yeah. We should definitely go there.

    Although the mission was not so leisurely that they could call it a trip, if they sessfully eliminated the Demon Gods corpse, it was not a bad idea to tour another world beforeing back to Earth.

    Wh-What should I do, Master Kang-Woo? Sh-Should I wear a mask? If I e-expose such a hideous face, I might be a nuisance to you Halcyon bit his nails anxiously.

    Kang-Woo flicked Halcyons forehead and said, Nonsense. You already experienced it here, didnt you? No one will be disgusted by how you look.

    B-But!

    No one will, so theres no need to worry.

    Although Kang-Woo was unsure of Aernors beauty standards, they would not be disgusted by Halcyons looks. They would more likely be horrified by Liliths true form.

    Wow, look at all these beauties around you. Youre gonna get a harem at this rate. Yeon-Joo nced at him sourly.

    Kang-Woo shrugged. I cant help being a chick ma.

    Big words for a virgin.

    Kang-Woo took severe emotional damage. He took out a mana stone that led to the Hall of Protection while frowning.

    Lets go.

    A white Gate that had be all too familiar formed. Kang-Woos party took their own bags and entered the Gate.

    Ah, hyung-nim!

    Is that everyone?

    Kim Si-Hun and La were waiting for them in the Hall of Protection after finishing their own preparations. Kang-Woo walked up to them while waving.

    Is everyone ready? he asked.

    Yes!

    Another world Its a bit nerve-wracking. Seol-Ah took deep breaths with her hand on her chest. Just that slight movement caused something to shake.

    Seeing that, Yeon-Joos expression stiffened, her gaze shifting to her own chest.  Fucking mid dif[1].

    Someone had fed the mid.

    How are you feeling, La? I heard that you werent in the best condition because you epted so much of Lady Gaias power Kang-Woo asked.

    Oh, Im fine. Though its true that I pushed myself a bit to ept enough of Lady Gaias power to be able tomunicate with her even in Aernor, but its nothing I cant handle, La answered while energetically clenching her fists.

    Kang-Woo nodded in relief.

    <em>La is the key to this whole operation.</em>

    Even if they managed to sessfully eliminate the Demon Gods corpse without the help of Gaias incarnation, they had absolutely no way of manipting the protection of Aernor.

    Ah La suddenly stared off into space. She then said, Lady Gaia has told us to make sure toe back safely.

    Kang-Woo got down on one knee in front of La and lowered his head. Lady Gaia. Just like how you saved me, I will do my best to save you this time.

    <em>Riiing</em>.

    [No, my child. I should be apologizing to you for entrusting such a dangerous mission to you.]

    [You have been blessed by the Goddess of Earth!]

    [You have recovered from all fatigue, and perfect physical condition will be maintained!]

    Powder made of white light sprinkled down on Kang-Woos party. Kang-Woo smirked with his head still lowered.

    <em>Nice.</em>

    Gaia did not seem to have discovered Kang-Woos true identity. Rather, it seemed like her trust and affection toward him had be far deeper than before. Kang-Woo felt like he could lower his worries regarding her sudden trolling, like she had done in the past.

    [Find the high elves once you arrive in Aernor. They will guide you.]

    <em>High elves, huh?</em>

    Kang-Woo peeked a nce at Si-Hun and recalled the Holy Sword Ludwig that was currently in his possession.

    <em>Come to think of it, Ludwig used to have a high elves blessing.</em>

    There was a chance that high elves possessed a special ability of detecting all that was demonic.

    <em>... Im a bit worried.</em>

    If they were able to detect the Demonic Sea within him, it would result in all sorts of troubles.

    <em>But its not like I can afford to avoid them.</em>

    Since Lucis had no idea where the Demon Gods heart was located, there was no other way to locate it than to rely on the high elves since they couldnt just randomly roam all over Aernor in search of it.

    I understand. Kang-Woo nodded.

    [May the light guide you.]

    The powder made of light that had been sprinkling on their heads vanished. Kang-Woo got up and checked the time on his smartphone.

    <em>It should be</em>

    It was about time that what he had prepared would arrive.

    <em>Tap! Tap! Tap!</em>

    However, what had arrived was not what Kang-Woo had been waiting for.

    Hey, hey! You gotta take me with you too! Uriel shouted while hurriedly running. He sighed in relief after seeing that the party had not left yet, and then red at Kang-Woo. You didnt forget about me, did you?

    Of course not. We were waiting for you, Kang-Woo answered.

    ... Didnt you guys gather way too early for that?

    Pardon?

    Even Kang-Woo had been a littleter than the scheduled meeting time.

    Tch, Seol-Ah clicked her tongue from behind.

    Kang-Woo more or less had an idea of why Uriel had beente.

    La walked forward and said, Since weve all gathered, lets g

    Wait, Kang-Woo interjected. My order still hasnt arrived yet, so lets wait a little longer.

    ... Your order?

    Yes. Its a necessity for our mission to Aernor.

    Kang-Woos party members tilted their heads in confusion while staring at the serious Kang-Woo.

    What is it? Yeon-Joo asked.

    <em>Vrrrr</em>. Just then, Kang-Woos smartphone vibrated.

    <em>Its here.</em>

    Speak of the Devil, and he woulde; it was truly perfect timing.

    Youll see, replied Kang-Woo while turning around, and walked to one of the Gates of the Hall of Protection.

    It was the one that led to the Grand Canyon, the ce that Balrog, Kang-Woo and others often used as a training area since they could let loose as much as they wanted there.

    What did you As Yeon-Joo was talking, her mouth fell open after going through the Gate. ... What the hell is all this?

    An enormous number of boxes were piled up to the point that one would think they were at a warehouse or a harbor. Yeon-Joo approached one of the boxes and checked the english text written on it.

    Kimchi Yeon-Joo froze. Dont tell me, you

    I told you. Its a necessity, Kang-Woo replied while smirking, and triumphantly revealed what was in the boxes. A hundred thousand tonnes of pork and kimchi, various vegetables and spices. I also prepared ten thousand tonnes of tuna, beef, eel and mackerel since it might be tiring to have just pork all the time.

    Kang-Woo trembled from delight. Aaaahh

    It was perfect. This was the definition of heaven. Although he had prepared it himself, it could not have been any more perfect.

    Yeon-Joo stared at the gigantic pile of boxes with her mouth agape. How are you nning on taking all this with you?

    I prepared this, answered Kang-Woo as he took out a bag.

    It was a magic item that he had asked from Khadgar in exchange for his freedom. It was the ultimate item that could not only store an enormous number of ingredients, but could even maintain their freshness as well!

    Thats not the end of it. Kang-Woo had even prepared for the worst-case scenario and prepared live pigs as well as seeds for various vegetables and spices. Hahahahahaha!!

    He could not help butugh. He clenched his fists and shouted toward the sky, Never again Never again will I make the same mistake!

    This time, it would be different; Kang-Woo recalled the vow that he had madest night.

    Fuck. Yeon-Joo grabbed her head.

    <em>Why Why the fuck did I quit my guild master position to follow this goddamn lunatic who sold his soul to kimchi stew?</em>

    She felt like she was going to cry. It felt like her heartfelt decision had been stained after kimchi stew had been poured on it.

    You fucking kimchi stew maniac

    Yeon-Joos voice spread throughout the empty space in vain.

    1. Mid dif refers to a term in MOBA such as League of Legends where one midner is weaker/stronger than the midner of the opposing team.

 Chapter 333: Continent of Aernor (1)

    Chapter 333: Continent of Aernor (1)

    The party traveled through the blue Gate. Their vision was distorted and they ended up in a silent darkness as if they had been thrown into space. Oh Kang-Woo was reminded of when he had entered the dimensional crack.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The only thing different from back then was that it was not an endless tunnel; they were slowly but surely nearing the end of the tunnel. Their vision turned back clear as they were enveloped in the blue light.

    Argh, I feel dizzy, Cha Yeon-Joo said, putting her hand on her forehead after going through the blue Gate.

    This is the continent of Aernor? Kang-Woo said as he looked around.

    The Gate had been opened in a gigantic forest.

    <em>I cant really tell based on the surroundings.</em>

    He was not a botanist, so he had no idea of whether these trees could only be found on Earth or Aernor.

    Uhh Mm. Kang-Woo? Han Seol-Ah called out to him.

    Hm? What is it, darling?

    Over there

    Kang-Woo turned toward the direction where Seol-Ah pointed.

    Wha Kang-Woo unconsciously chuckled. I guess were not on Earth.

    Seol-Ah had been pointing at a giant tree that had pulled out its own roots from the ground and was walking.

    Damn, it even has eyes and a mouth, Kang-Woo expressed.

    Oh! Th-Th-Th-Th-Thats! Yeon-Joo pped her hands together as if she had realized something. Thats Maokai!

    ... What the hell is that? Kang-Woo asked.

    It could even be a world tree if grown to its full potential!

    No matter how Kang-Woo look at it, the tree did not seem like it would grow asrge as a world tree.

    <em>Anyway</em>

    He was at least sure that such a tree did not exist on Earth.

    <em>A monster like that hasnt been discovered in Gates either.</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the walking tree while having his arms crossed. It was not the only tree that was moving; there were thousands of trees that were baring their sharp teeth as they pulled out their roots. Any normal person would have run away in shock.

    I will take care of them, hyung-nim.

    Stand aside. I will be the one to take care of them.

    Si-Hun and Balrog stood in front of Kang-Woo while ring at each other, just like dogs that wanted to be praised. Kang-Woo smirked and waved his hand.

    Sure, go for it. Oh, why dont you guys make a bet about who can kill more of them? Kang-Woo suggested.

    Oh?

    Sounds good.

    Balrog and Si-Huns eyes shone from the intriguing suggestion.

    You are arrogant, Balrog said.

    Right back at you, answered Si-Hun.

    They were emitting bloodlust at each other instead of the tree monsters.

    Whoever wins gets a dedicated one-day training session with hyung-nim.

    <em>What?</em>

    Kehehehe, deal.

    <em>Deal, my ass, you fucker. Who do you think you are to put me up as a prize?</em>

    What the hell are you two talking ab

    <em>Wham!!</em>

    Si-Hun and Balrog charged toward the tree monsters before Kang-Woo even had a chance to stop them.

    <em>Crunch! Crush!</em>

    Skreeeee!

    Sounds of trees being smashed along with the screams of monsters were heard from their surroundings in an instant.

    Kang-Woo grabbed his hair as if his head hurt, and then turned to Uriel. Lord Uriel, do you know where we are?

    Mm. We seem to be in the Nightmare Forest in the southern region of the continent.

    Hmm.

    Kang-Woo fell into thought with his arms crossed, wondering what should be done first. They needed to find the high elves.

    Do you happen to know where the high elves are? he asked.

    No, Im not sure either, Uriel answered while shaking his head. Angels have a policy of staying away from Aernor matters as much as possible. We usually stay in a fortress called SantAngelo and onlye out to perform missions.

    Does that mean you know barely anything about the continent?

    Yeah. I know the generalyout, but I barely know anything about how the people of Aernor live and where the high elves are.

    They were in a pickle.

    <em>This brat is fucking useless.</em>

    Kang-Woo had gone far out of his way to prepare Seol-Ahs pendant, human skin for Balrog and Vaal Zahak to wear, and many other things just to keep things hidden from Uriel during their Aernor mission, but Uriel was of absolutely no benefit.

    <em>Oh.</em>

    A thought popped up in Kang-Woos mind.

    In that case, could you go back to that fortress and ask about the high elves? Since Holy Sword Ludwig had been blessed by the high elves, other angels might know where they are.

    Wh-What? You want me to go to SantAngelo? By myself?

    SantAngelo, the fortress of the angels, was located high above the northernmost region of Aernor. Just flying there from the Nightmare Forest, located in the southern region, would take an enormous amount of time.

    Yes, please. We barely know anything about this ce, so we would appreciate it if we could get help from the angels.

    Ngh

    Uriel bit his lip; his expression clearly showed that he did not want to part from Kang-Woo.

    Just then, Seol-Ah hugged Kang-Woos arm and said, Youre right, Kang-Woo. Im honestly a little scared. Trees suddenly moved and attacked us, and we have no idea where this ce is and what we should be doing.

    Seol-Ah stuffed herself in Kang-Woos embrace and gave Uriel a look as if telling him to go away already.

    Urgh!

    Uriel red at Seol-Ah while baring his teeth, but he could not object since he had been just as confused when he crossed over to Earth. For them to adapt to a world that they knew nothing about, Uriel needed to be the one to provide them with the information.

    Urghhh. Oh! Then Kang-Woo, you shoulde with m

    No, I cant. I am the leader of this party.

    Kuh

    It was a fair point. The leader of the party that was responsible formand could not be absent.

    I-In that case, Ill just call them

    I believe it would be wise to go there directly to give an official report regarding this mission as well as about us.

    It was more efficient to call them if it was just to ask for information regarding the high elves, but Kang-Wos true objective was to get this nuisance of an angel out of his hair temporarily.

    Urgh, fine. In that case, Ill head to SantAngelo to get information regarding the high elves. Uriel nodded in dejection.

    Kang-Woo smiled and grabbed Uriels hands. Thank you very much. There would be nothing better than having the help of the angels in this operation.

    Uriels cheeks reddened as he was joined with Kang-Woo by hand. Seol-Ah stared icy daggers at Uriel.

    Ahem, alright. Ill go make an official report to Lord Michael and request for reinforcements.

    Thank you very much. Kang-Woo smiled.

    Uriel spread out his wings and flew up into the air.

    Ill call you as soon as I arrive in SantAngelo, so make sure you keep your crystal orb with you at all times!

    Okay.

    With that, Uriel disappeared. As soon as he disappeared, Balrog unleashed his true form as if he was waiting for it and began to wipe out the tree monsters even faster.

    Graaaaaaahh!! I refuse to lose to the likes of you! I will not lose my one-on-one training session with my king!

    Balrog seemed to have been falling behind Si-Hun in his human form. He rampaged like a beast and wiped out the monsters at incredible speed.

    Hahaha We certainly cant show that to Lord Uriel, said La while scratching her cheek.

    Kang-Woo mentioned while staring at her, This needs to be kept a secret, even to Lady Gaia.

    La answered while nodding, Yes, of course. Oh, but shouldnt we tell her one day? Im sure that Lady Gaia will understand your circumstances.

    We should, but not now. Lets tell her together once we finish this mission.

    Kang-Woo had fallen into Hell in the past and turned into a demon against his will, and had been the demon king until he lost to Satan. He had managed to ovee demonic energy and turned back into a human with the help of Tirion, God of Heroes, and even the demons that served as his retainers back in Hell were with him. Although there was no need to tell Uriel, he needed to tell Gaia sooner orter.

    <em>Well, Im pretty sure shell buy it, considering the trust Ive built with her.</em>

    However, one never knew how anything would turn out. One could never be too careful.

    Hehe. Its so much nicer now that the bothersome brat is gone. Seol-Ah smiled brightly.

    She still seemed to bear hostility toward Uriel. Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and turned around.

    Vernaak.

    Yes, Master Kang-Woo.

    Vaal Zahak no, Vernaak approached.

    Do you happen to know where the high elves are? Kang-Woo asked.

    Although he had no idea if it was true or not, Vernaak was apparently the demon king of Aernor. In other words, he likely knew much about this continent, and possibly even knew about the location of the high elves.

    My apologies. I also have not heard about the location of the high elves. Vernaak shook his head, contrary to Kang-Woos hopes.

    Hmm.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. Although Echidna also used to live in Aernor, there was no way that she would know where they were since she had never left herir.

    This is a bit of a predicament.

    Kang-Woo frowned. They needed the help of the high elves to find the Demon Gods heart, but they had no way of knowing where the high elves were.

    <em>What a catch-22.</em>

    They had to go through too many hoops to do anything.

    <em>I guess theres no other choice but to gather some information in a city.</em>

    It had not even been thirty minutes since they arrived in Aernor; there was no need to be hasty.

    In that case, do you know if there are any cities near the Nightmare Forest, Vernaak? Kang-Woo asked.

    None near the Nightmare Forest. As for a city closest to the forest Mm, there is a city called Velen north of here.

    How far is it?

    Two weeks by carriage. After we get out of the Nightmare Forest, that is.

    Really?

    Kang-Woo leisurely turned around. Two weeks by carriage was by no means short, considering how developed Aernors civilization was. Not just that, it was two weeks after getting out of the Nightmare Forest. If they were a normal party, they would have had to go by foot, but

    Echidna.

    Kang-Woo had a retainer that could fly.

    <em>Itd be faster if I flew by myself, but</em>

    It was better for every party member to go together since not all of them could fly.

    Yeah? Echidna asked.

    Turn back to your true form and take us to Velen.

    Hm! Hm! Got it! Finally having gotten something to do, Echidna clenched her fists and nodded. Just a second, Kang-Woo.

    ck light poured out from Echidna, which turned even brighter as she grew bigger. Once the ck light disappeared, all that was left was the intimidating demonic dragon. It had been a while since Kang-Woo had seen Echidnas true form.

    Huh? Is it just me or have you grown? Kang-Woo asked.

    [Hm! Its all thanks to you.]

    Likely having been influenced by Kang-Woos growth in power, Echidna was far bigger than what she used to be when he first met her.

    Right, lets go.

    Kang-Woos party climbed on to Echidnas back and grabbed hold of her scales that popped out like thorns on her back.

    Urgh Yeon-Joos face paled. She said anxiously, D-Dont fly so rough this time, okay, brat?

    She seemed to have recalled the nightmare of when she got on Echidna for the very first time.

    [Im not a brat,] Echidna said angrily as she spread her wings out.

    She soared into the sky at incredible speed.

    Kyaaaaaaaahh!! Yeon-Joo screamed.

    <em>Lets see.</em>

    Kang-Woo hid Echidna using an Authority and looked down at the forest that was stretched out endlessly, befitting the name of Nightmare Forest.

    Eh?

    The forest was being destroyed at breakneck speed.

    Kurgh! Move! I will be with hyung-nim!

    My kiiiiiiiiiiiing!!

    Si-Hun and Balrog were running amok to the point that the entire forest would be destroyed. Kang-Woo could feel their zing passion from all the way up in the sky.

    [Oh,e to think of it, I forgot to wait for th]

    Go. Kang-Woo said, while sensing their zing passion, Just go.

    [Huh?]

    Leave them behind, please.

 Chapter 334: What the Hell is this Food Waste?

    Chapter 334: What the Hell is this Food Waste?

    Wind blew past them at great speed. The city came into view just a few hours after Echidna took flight.

    <em>That ce must be Velen.</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo looked down at the city with great interest. Although it was nothingpared to civilization on Earth, Aernors civilization was nothing to scoff at either.

    <em>Its not as bad as the Middle Ages, at the very least.</em>

    The streets were clean, andmps were installed to illuminate the streets during the night. It felt more like a rural European town instead of a fantasy world.

    Take us down near the city, Echidna, Kang-Woo said.

    [Hm! Okay!]

    Echidna began her descent while pping her wings. Although the sudden appearance of a dragon in the citys vicinity would usually cause panic, nothing happened thanks to the Authority of Concealment.

    Bleeeeeeghh! Cha Yeon-Joo threw up on the ground as soon as theynded, and red at Echidna in resentment.

    [Hmph.] Echidna returned to her human form while snorting.

    Do you all have your interpretation devices? asked Kang-Woo.

    Yes.

    Kang-Woo ced a sticker that looked like a nausea skin patch behind his ear. This was also one of the magic items that Kang-Woo had squeezed out of Khadgar.

    Lets go, Kang-Woo said.

    The party walked toward the city entrance.

    ID, please, a guard at the entrance said.

    Here you go, Kang-Woo replied while holding out a tree branch at the security guard.

    Of course, there was no way that he had prepared ID in advance.

    Oh, youre a mercenary. Please keep in mind that you will be disposed of in ordance with Velensws if you cause amotion, the guard mentioned firmly.

    Kang-Woo took back the tree branch and canceled the Authority of Blindness.

    Understood, he answered and then headed into the city.

    Although Uriel was not with them, there were still ten of them, and each of them drew much attention due to their extraordinary looks.

    Wow Th-Theyre goddesses.

    L-L-L-Look at that man! How can a man be so handsome?!

    Cerberus! Cerberus has appeared!

    Kang-Woo ignored the fuss around them and took a look around Velen.

    <em>Whats with this ce?</em>

    The scenery felt somewhat familiar. Kang-Woo recalled a city that felt simr to this ce.

    <em>Valencia.</em>

    He could feel the same thing from this ce as that corrupt city in South America.

    Hyung-nim, this ce Kim Si-Hun, having felt the same thing, whispered to Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo took a thorough look around the citys streets while narrowing his eyes.

    <em>Its certainly weird.</em>

    It was not that there wasnt anyone on the streets, since even now, the citizens were making a huge fuss while looking their way. However, if one took a good look at the people, they were dressed extravagantly and were wearing expensive-looking essories.

    <em>As for the rest</em>

    Kang-Woo could not describe them as anything more than miserable. A negative and unsettling energy was enveloping the city, and he could even faintly smell rotting flesh from the alleyways.

    <em>I guess its because theres a ss system.</em>

    Kang-Woo did not know whether Velen had always been like this, or if this was how all of Aernor was like.

    Lets move.

    He interrupted his long thought. The gap between the rich and poor, as well as how much themoners were suffering, was none of his business. They had only one goal for havinge to this city.

    <em>To find out the location of the high elves as well as general knowledge regarding Aermor.</em>

    They just needed to focus on that goal.

    Shouldnt we get some money first, Kang-Woo? Han Seol-Ah asked.

    I guess youre right. Kang-Woo nodded.

    Whether they got food, amodations or items, they needed money to do so.

    <em>I have no idea about Aernors currency, but</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled therge amount of pure gold that he had brought; he had already confirmed that gold was also very expensive in Aernor.

    In that case, lets exchange the gold we brought into Aernor currency.

    Thankfully, Velen was full of institutions simr to banks that allowed for the exchange of gold into currency. The unit of currency was <em>Arnan</em>, and the rate of currency seemed to be about the same as the Korean won; one won was roughly 1 Arnan.

    <em>Makes things easy.</em>

    Kang-Woo had thought that there would be some mimunication when the unit of currency changed, but they fortunately did not need to worry.

    In that case, lets exchange the gold for about one billion Arnans.

    A hundred million Arnans per person would be more than enough to travel around Aernor. Kang-Woo exchanged a small portion of the pure gold that he had brought into currency.

    Let me know if you need more, he said as he distributed 100 million Arnans to each person.

    Although carrying around a hundred million was certainly nerve-wracking, fortunately, there was a card in Aernor that allowed one to store money issued by banks.

    <em>I never expected there to be debit cards in another world, </em>Kang-Woo thought as he looked down in surprise at the magic tool in card form. Aernor waspletely different from the concept of another world that he had in mind.

    But why is the currency called Arnan? Are there no other nations in Aernor besides the Arnan Empire or whatever it was? Cha Yeon-Joo asked.

    There are, but the Arnan Empire is so powerful and magically advanced that other nations also just use the Arnan as the currency, Vernaak answered.

    Whoa. Yeon-Joo fiddled around with the card in fascination.

    Shall we find amodations first? Vernaak suggested.

    Sounds good.

    They would not be able to gain all the information they needed in just one day; Kang-Woo nodded and looked around the area for amodations. There was an extravagant-looking inn next to a castle that seemed to belong to the lord of the territory.

    <em>No.</em>

    Kang-Woo, who was about to head there, narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

    <em>Since my objective is to gather information, anywhere else is better than there.</em>

    The ces he had in mind were those that had a bar on the first floor and lodgings on the second floor and up. The quality of the amodations would obviously fall behindpared to the extravagant inn, but it would most definitely be a better ce to gather various kinds of information.

    Kang-Woo got off of the main street and found an inn with a bar on the first floor and lodgings from the second floor and up, just what he had wanted.

    Haaa, this is driving me insane.

    How is Princess Iris doing these days?

    How else? Shit! If only it werent for that bitch

    Watch your mouth, dammit! Even if there arent any nobles here, you need to be careful!

    Oh, right. My bad.

    Just like Kang-Woo had hoped, he heard interesting information before even opening the door of the inn.

    <em>I guess there are some issues in the Arnan Empire.</em>

    If there were not any, there was no way that people would be badmouthing the imperial family despite this being a backwater bar.

    <em>Ill take my time collecting more info.</em>

    It was important to know how Aernor was running since they were here now. Kang-Woo went upstairs and unpacked first.

    Its a bit worn down, but its a lot cleaner than I expected, said Seol-Ah, who had ended up using the same room as Kang-Woo.

    And the fact that they even have a debit card I knew that Aernors civilization was fairly developed, but its a lot more developed than I thought.

    Hoho. Im d we dont have to spend a lot of time adjusting.

    Kang-Woo sat on the bed and said, Yeah. We dont know how long well have to stay here, after all.

    Seol-Ah sat next to him and leaned on him while embracing his arm. The sensation of somethingrge yet soft shot up his arm.

    <em>Cerberus has appeared!</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled what someone had shouted on the street earlier.

    Seol-Ah giggled and said, I wouldnt mind living here forever, as long as Im with you.

    Your mother would cry.

    Ngh.

    Hahaha. Well, even so, Id say Earth is better.

    Seol-Ah nodded and asked seductively, Are we going to bed for the day then, Kang-Woo?

    Kang-Woo shook his head in disappointment. Its a bit early for that.

    Urghh.

    Seol-Ah pouted cutely. Kang-Woo smirked and got up.

    Lets go.

    Okay, Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo roughly unpacked, gathered his other party members and announced, Go around the city in groups and gather information about this continent. Anything is fine, whether it be information about Arnans politicalndscape, or even better, information about high elves.

    He then made the groups himself since it was obvious what would happen if they were left to make their own groups.

    Seol-Ah, Yeon-Joo and Echidna are group 1. Si-Hun and La are group 2. Lilith and Vernaak are group 3. Balrog and Halcyon are group 4.

    What about you, Kang-Woo?

    Ill gather information from this bar.

    He was intrigued by the conversation about Princess Iris that he had happened to overhear at the bar entrance.

    Lilith nodded and turned her head to Vernaak. Let use back as soon as possible after gathering useful information.

    Yes, madam, Vernaak replied while courteously bowing.

    He really looked the part since he was also wearing a butler outfit and a monocle.

    <em>Although hes a skeleton.</em>

    A pink apron-wearing skeleton, that was.

    ***

    The party members aside from Kang-Woo dispersed to gather information. Kang-Woo, who was left all alone, walked down to the bar on the first floor. Curses andints boisterously filled the air. Despite this being a bar, Kang-Woo could easily tell how miserable the citizens lives were usually, just from theck ofughs.

    <em>I might as well eavesdrop as I get some drinks in me.</em>

    He couldnt eavesdrop while drinking water when he was in a bar; he needed to order alcohol to avoid suspicion.

    <em>They apparently have beer in Aernor as well.</em>

    Kang-Woo got thirsty after thinking about a cold ss of beer. He realized that he had not taken a break for the past few months because he had been so busy preparing for the Aernor mission.

    <em>I feel sorry for the others.</em>

    He made excuses in his mind that it couldnt be helped since drinking in leisure was part of his act to gather information, and headed to the counter.

    Kang-Woo sat down and ordered, A beer and any food that you have.

    A lukewarm beer and a few slices of ham arrived soon after.

    <em>Fucking hell.</em>

    Kang-Woo grimaced as soon as he put the slice of ham in his mouth.

    <em>Why is it so damn salty?</em>

    It was as if it had been soaked in salt. He was able to chill the beer using an Authority, but he couldnt do anything about how salty this ham was.

    <em>Ive lost my appetite.</em>

    Kang-Woo spit out the ham and frowned.

    The boy who had been serving beer flinched. He quickly bowed and said, Ah Umm, I-Im so sorry! My sister isnt the best cook If it wasnt to your liking, Ill get you something else.

    No, its fine. Kang-Woo waved his hand and took something out from his jacket. Just pour this in a pot and heat it up for me.

    He had taken out a vacuum seal bag containing Seol-Ahs kimchi stew. It was one of his favorite items since it was easily portable and could be heated up just as easily.

    Ah, food from outside is

    Kang-Woo ced two 50,000 Arnan bills into the boys pocket.

    I will get it heated up for you in a sh! the boy answered energetically and ran into the kitchen with the vacuum seal bag.

    Kang-Woo sipped the beer that he had chilled with the Authority of Freezing and looked around.

    <em>Right then, lets listen in on what everyones saying.</em>

    He perked up his ears to overhear everyones conversations.

    Urgh. Have you heard? Taxes are rising again next year.

    Shit, Viscount Velen is insane! With the empire going to the shitter

    Haaa. How do they expect us to survive when were already barely holding on?

    Comints could be heard from everywhere. Kang-Woo honed his sense of hearing while waiting for the kimchi stew. As he was organizing the iing auditory information in his brain

    <em>m!!</em>

    Attention!! Put your hands over your heads and kneel!!

    Where are the ten people that had just checked into this inn?!

    Knights wearing armor destroyed the door and poured into the bar.

    V-Viscount Velen. What b-brings you here? the boy serving beer asked cautiously.

    The man being addressed as Viscount Velen frowned aggressively and kicked the boy.

    Arghh!

    How dare a meremoner talk to me?

    Viscount Velen trampled on the head of the boy in displeasure.

    Hm?

    The mans expression froze. Red liquid from the pot that the boy had been holding had sttered on his shoes.

    What the hell is this food waste? Viscount Velen said while scraping his shoes on the floor in disgust.

    Did you just say Food waste?

    A man with sharp eyes stood up while dragging his chair back.

 Chapter 335: Legend of the High Elves (1)

    Chapter 335: Legend of the High Elves (1)

    Kimchi stew is! A sacred food!

    Louder.

    KIMCHI STEW IS!! A SACRED FOOOOOOOD!!

    Put more heart into it.

    Hurgh K-Kimchi stew

    Tears flowed down Viscount Velens swollen cheeks. The bar had be an absolute mess. Knights that had been recruited usingrge amounts of money were all sprawled on the floor with all their limbs broken, and the bar that had been shabbily but neatly decorated was in shambles.

    Do it right. Oh Kang-Woo frowned in displeasure.

    Viscount Velen yelled the words again with his face pale.

    Tsk, Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and brought over a chair to sit in front of Viscount Velen.

    He then ced his foot over the hands of the viscount, who was crying with his head on the ground.

    Bastards like you are a waste of page space. Were you all made from a factory or something? How do you all say the exact same shit?

    Whether it be Earth or Aernor, every single extra had the exact same personality and tone of speech, as if the author could not be bothered to give them any interesting characteristics.

    <em>Are they like Nurse Joy?</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Viscount Velen in exasperation. <em>Crunch</em>. He trampled on the back of the viscounts hand. Screams echoed out.

    Stricken by fear, Viscount Velen said, P-Please listen to me. There is a reason why I

    No, dont say anything. Just keep your mouth shut.

    It was a waste of page space.

    I can tell who you are and why you got off your fat ass toe all the way here without you telling me.

    There was only one reason why the lord of a territory woulde all the way to a shabby inn.

    <em>For gold.</em>

    Kang-Woo had purposefully revealed the enormous amount of gold that he possessed when he had gone to exchange it at the bank. It had not been because hecked caution.

    <em>Theres no need to be cautious.</em>

    Kang-Woo leaned back on the chair. He would not lose even if this entire city no, this entire nation were to attack him all at once. A nation made up of mere humans would be no match for him, who used to have the entire Nine Hells under his foot.

    Not only that, Kang-Woo had gotten stronger than his former self; there was absolutely no need for him to be cautious over a mere lord of a territory when he had defeated a being of godhood that possessed Divinity, with just his demonic energy.

    Th-There seems to be a misunders

    I told you to shut up, my fucking friend.

    A-Apologies!

    Kang-Woo put one leg over the other and crossed his arms. His n of covertly gathering information in the bar had gone out the window because of this fatass.

    <em>What should I do now?</em>

    He wondered if he should go somewhere else. As he was left with his thoughts, he shook his head.

    <em>No, I should make use of this opportunity.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at the trembling Viscount Velen. He could gather information at a bar anytime he wanted; it would be more effective at the moment to rip high-quality information off of a man in a leadership position.

    Let me ask you a few things, Kang-Woo expressed.

    Y-Yes! A-Anything!

    What are your thoughts on Princess Iris?

    Pardon? Viscount Velen became wide-eyed at the unexpected question. I-I believe she is worthy of respect. She is fair and just, and is taking care of the empires citizens in the ce of the bedridden emperor.

    <em>I can hear the gears turning in your head from here, man.</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked. Viscount Velen seemed to have mistaken Kang-Woo for someone associated with the imperial family.

    She is fair and just, you say? Kang-Woo asked.

    A-Ahem! Y-Yes, thats correct! Viscount Velen answered between coughs.

    It was obvious to anyone that he was lying.

    <em>I guess I have my answer just from his reaction.</em>

    Princess Iris did not have a very good reputation amongmon folk, and even among the nobles. Since the emperor was bedridden, it was highly likely that Princess Iris was the one handling political affairs.

    <em>In that case, could Princess Iris be why the Arnan Empire is in such a terrible state?</em>

    Kang-Woo could not be sure; whatever the public thought, one could never have the whole truth unless they met with the person directly.

    <em>I mean, its none of my business.</em>

    He already had his hands full in search of the Demon Gods corpse; he did not have the leeway to meddle with the empires affairs.

    <em>But it doesnt hurt to know.</em>

    Since he was in this world, it was better to know how it was turning.

    In other words, youre saying that you nobles are having a st thanks to the ipetent princess.

    N-Not at all! I would not dare say such a thing about Her Highn

    Bullshit. Kang-Woo chuckled. I actually had an inkling from the moment I heard what the guard said.

    The guard at the entrance of the city had told them that they would be disposed of in ordance with Velensws if they caused amotion.

    <em>That was weird.</em>

    It wasnt thews of the empire, but Velensws. In other words, Viscount Velen had createdws of his own preference to be followed in his territory. It made no sense that a mere lord of a remote territory would have enough authority to wieldws however they wanted.

    <em>This nation is going to the shitter.</em>

    Kang-Woo did not know why, but he could clearly see the signs of the empires imminent copse. It could not be called anything else, since a mere viscount was acting like a king in his own remote territory.

    Tsk, Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in displeasure.

    Aernors bad political state was not good news for him in the slightest.

    <em>It might be a hassle while going around.</em>

    Although he had not been to any other territories yet, if they were no different from Velen, it would be an extreme hassle to gather information about the high elves while going around the continent. The closer the nation got to copse, the more the people in power would get ahead of themselves.

    Kang-Woo asked some more questions after that, and Viscount Velen answered them all while kneeling. However, there was no other useful information.

    Well, then.

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his hand.

    <em>Time to wrap things up.</em>

    He needed to extinguish the fire that was the hugemotion before it grew any bigger.

    Eek! Seeing Kang-Woo raising his hand, Viscount Velen clenched his eyes shut and mmed his head on the floor while trembling in fear. P-Please, spare my life!

    Sheesh, dont get the wrong idea. Kang-Woo crouched down in front of the viscount and grabbed the back of the viscounts neck. Do I look like the kind of person to kill people left and right?

    Ah O-Of course not! You are the paragon of righteousness and generosity! Viscount Velen sucked up to Kang-Woo as much as he could for his own survival.

    <em>Good, very good.</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked and slowly drew out the Authority of Fear.

    You know that you cant tell anyone about what happened here, right?

    Of course I do! I will take it to my grave!

    It was a lie; Viscount Velen would most definitely spill to everyone about Kang-Woo as soon as he let him go.

    And youll pay for this bars repairs, right?

    Yes! I will even have it fully remodeled!

    It was a lie; Viscount Velen would likely have the boy and his older sister beheaded to vent his anger.

    Oh, and while you do that, lower the damn taxes. Capiche? Youve stuffed your face enough, so I dont see why you have to collect more.

    Yes, sir! I will abolish the ns to raise taxes next month!

    It was all too obviously a lie.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woo was not displeased, since he did not hate people that could be unsightly without a second thought for the sake of their survival.

    Good, good. Youve made the right choice. Kang-Woo nodded.

    Darkness enveloped Kang-Woos hand that was holding Viscount Velens neck. He activated the Authority of Fear, an Authority that turned the target insane by dropping their soul into the pits of fear that they could never escape from.

    Live a long life, Kang-Woo stated. Im sure even a pitiful life like yours will have an upside one day.

    A-Aaaahh.

    Viscount Velens eyes widened. He trembled crazily while wetting his pants. He screamed with thest remaining sense of reason that he had.

    Oh. Kang-Woo canceled the Authority after having thought of something. He realized that he had not asked the most important question. Without having his hopes up, he asked while sighing, Well I doubt that youd know, but do you know anything about high elves?

    Kang-Woo had asked just in case, but he doubted that a mere lord of a remote territory would know something that even Uriel and Vaal Zahak did not.

    Oh Yes! I know something about high elves! Viscount Velen eximed.

    Yeah, I didnt think you w Wait, what did you say?

    T-To be more exact, I know a mage that knows much about high elves. He spent decades researching high elves, so Im sure he would know a lot about them.

    Kang-Woos mouth fell open from the unexpected profit.

    And where is this mage?

    H-He lives in a small tower located a few days away from Velen in the direction of the Nightmare Forest. His temper is like no other, but since he had once been the head imperial mage, Im sure that theres no one more knowledgeable about high elves than that geezer.

    Hah Kang-Woo chuckled.

    He recalled seeing the small tower that Viscount Velen was talking about while flying here on Echidnas back.

    <em>What a score!</em>

    It felt like having gotten an SSR character after rolling a free gacha pull without a speck of hope. Although there was no guarantee that mage would know where the high elves were, it would be better than blindly searching for information.

    Wow. Thanks, man. I never expected to get such valuable information in a ce like this, Kang-Woo said.

    Hehehe. I-Its nothing, Viscount Velen answered with a smile.

    He seemed to have been relieved after having been of help.

    Umm In that case, I will excuse myself

    Viscount Velen did not know what Kang-Woo had been trying to do to him earlier, but he could instinctively tell that it had been extremely dangerous. He got up while thinking that Kang-Woo wouldnt do anything to him since he had been of help to him.

    Kang-Woo smiled and activated the Authority of Fear again while grabbing the head of Viscount Velen, who was staring at him with a pale face. Come on, where do you think youre going? Were not done here, are we?

    Kang-Woo broke Viscount Velens mind with the Authority of Fear.

    A-Aaaahh.

    Viscount Velens eyes lost their light. Kang-Woo snickered. It was true that Viscount Velen had been a big help to him; one could argue that he had given Kang-Woo core information for their Aernor expedition. However

    <em>This and that are twopletely different things.</em>

 Chapter 336: Legend of the High Elves (2)

    Chapter 336: Legend of the High Elves (2)

    Does that mean there is a mage that knows about high elves in the tower that we passed on our way here? Lilith asked.

    Oh Kang-Woo nodded. Yeah. Well, its a whole other issue whether he actually knows or not.

    Hmm. Liliths eyes shone. She seductively caressed her lips and continued, Regardless, it does not change the fact that it is an unexpected discovery.

    They could not have hit a bigger jackpot than this. Even a blind squirrel could find a nut once in a while, but this was like finding a lifetimes worth of nuts.

    Will we be heading there right away? Lilith asked.

    Yeah. Kang-Woo nodded. Since they had found information about a being who knew about high elves, there was no reason to hesitate. Ill count on you to take care of things here, Lilith.

    Kang-Woo turned around. The boy who had served him his food and drink, a woman who seemed to be his older sister, and the customers of the bar were staring at him while trembling. Although he could not make it so that it never happened, he could at least alter their memories a little.

    Yes, Master Kang-Woo. Lilith nodded and walked toward them.

    Although there had been a short fuss, they soon turned silent after Lilith lightly snapped her finger.

    Before we go to the tower Kang-Woo turned toward his party members who had gathered after receiving his call. He asked, Have you guys found any useful information?

    Nope. How could we have gathered anything useful after only an hour? Cha Yeon-Jooined.

    They had been summoned back to the inn after barely having done anything, so there was no way that they had gathered any useful information.

    All that we noticed was that the peopleck energypared to the level of civilization. The streets were super gloomy. Oh, and security isnt all that great either. A few men tried to drag Seol-Ah away while we were walking around, Yeon-Joo mentioned.

    What? Kang-Woo frowned in displeasure.

    <em>How dare theyy their hands on my darling?</em>

    He looked behind Yeon-Joo to see Han Seol-Ah slightly trembling in shock.

    Are you okay, darling?

    ... I was so scared, Kang-Woo.

    Seol-Ah walked up to Kang-Woo and entered his embrace. Kang-Woos expression crumpled as he stared at Seol-Ahs shaking shoulders.

    <em>Nothing probably happened considering Seol-Ahs strength, but</em>

    Being physically strong and being resilient to clear impure intentions werepletely different things. Taking Seol-Ahs personality into ount, she likely did not have any resistance to such tant vice.

    Kang-Woo hugged Seol-Ah even tighter and asked softly, Where are those sons of bitches?

    Uhh, mm. Well Yeon-Joo hesitated.

    You didnt let them go, did you?

    I mean Uhh, we did, but

    You let them go? You shouldve at least broken their arms and l

    Their dicks were ripped off.

    Yeah, at least their d What?

    <em>Ripped what off?</em>

    Seol-Ah got pissed and ripped their dicks off.

    ...

    <em>I beg your pardon? Seol-Ah?</em>

    Ah, Y-Yeon-Joo! Y-You said you would keep that a secret!

    Seol-Ah, who had been in Kang-Woos embrace, sprang up while as red as a tomato. She waspletely fine as if she had never been trembling in fear in the first ce.

    Kang-Woo reflexively closed his legs.

    Seol-Ah shouted, Y-Youve got it wrong, Kang-Woo! I-I didnt do anything. It was Yeon-Joo

    What? Youre ming it on me? What the fuck?! Yeon-Joo yelled. Youre the one who ripped it all off before I even had a chance to stop y

    Thats enough of that. Kang-Woo shook his pale head.

    He looked at Seol-Ah.

    <em>Darling I havent done anything bad, right? Im all good, right?</em>

    He stared at Seol-Ah with shaking pupils. Seol-Ah, who met his gaze, smiled.

    <em>Alright, I think Im good.</em>

    What about you guys, Si-Hun and Balrog? Anything?

    We have not been able to gather anything of value. Balrog shook his head.

    Kang-Woo turned toward Kim Si-Hun, who seemed to be in thought.

    Si-Hun stated, Im not sure if this information is worth anything, but

    Anything is fine, Kang-Woo replied.

    I heard that the princess of the Arnan Empire is passing through a city not far from here.

    Princess Iris?

    Yes, thats right. Im not sure why an imperial princess is all the way out in this remote region, but Shes apparently going back to the imperial capital while taking a detour to this area.

    Hm. Kang-Woo nodded.

    <em>Princess Iris, huh?</em>

    He had wanted to meet her at least once.

    <em>It would be nice if I could form an amicable rtionship with her.</em>

    Kang-Woo was aiming for her immense power; he couldnt care less whether she was wicked, a saint, or an absolute fucking bitch. There was no one more useful than her as long as he was able to bring her to his side.

    <em>Ill put it aside for now.</em>

    Although it would be nice if he had her as an ally, it did not mean that she was a necessity. He had no need to go out of his way to bring her to his side.

    Well then, lets move, Kang-Woo expressed.

    Lilith was on the verge of finishing up. Kang-Woo got up, packed his things and headed toward the tower that Viscount Velen had mentioned.

    ***

    Kang-Woos party arrived at the run-down tower. Kang-Woo lightly knocked on the door. The door was very worn down and weeds were growing from between the bricks; it was so dreary that it was a wonder if someone actually lived here.

    Anyone home? Kang-Woo asked.

    There was no reply. Kang-Woo lightly clicked his tongue.

    I havee in hopes of asking you something.

    He had already confirmed with the Authority of the Beholder that someone was inside.

    Kang-Woo continued calmly, I would like some information regarding high elv

    <em>Wham!</em> The door swung open aggressively, and out came an old mage that looked as if he would appear in a fantasy film about a ring. The mage red at Kang-Woo temperamentally.

    ... Who are you all? the mage asked, and then sniffed them with his eyes narrowed. Hah. You dont seem to be from Aernor.

    The mage scanned Kang-Woo and the others in surprise. Kang-Woo was just as surprised.

    <em>He found out as soon as he saw us.</em>

    And by smell, no less. Kang-Woo was highly curious about how the mage had found out.

    Yes, youre correct, Kang-Woo answered while nodding.

    The mages eyes were dyed with even more suspicion.

    You want to know about high elves?

    Yes.

    ... Why?

    May wee in and exin ourselves slowly?

    ...

    The wary mage slowly nodded. Unlike its shabby outer appearance, the towers interior was rather clean. The mage took them to a study filled with books.

    My name is Dous. It was a long time ago, but I used to work under His Imperial Majesty as a mage.

    I am Oh Kang-Woo.

    Dous lightly grabbed the hand that Kang-Woo had extended.

    So, why do you want to know about high elves? Dous stared at Kang-Woo in suspicion.

    Kang-Woo remained silent for a short moment and calmly scanned Dous while the gears in his head turned rapidly.

    <em>Now, what should I say to alleviate his suspicion and gain information?</em>

    He thought up a few ideas. Number one; to tell Dous the truth that they were looking for the high elves for their mission to eliminate the Demon Gods corpse.

    <em>No goddamn way hed believe that.</em>

    It sounded so insane that it would be a relief if Dous did not consider them to be crazy.

    <em>Number two.</em>

    Simply because of curiosity?

    <em>Its too vague.</em>

    Kang-Woo continued to think. He thought up a few other ideas, but none of them were good enough.

    <em>How about I just force him to talk using the Authority of Fear?</em>

    He thought about it for a moment, but shook his head.

    <em>Its too risky.</em>

    The Authority of Fear was not omnipotent. The chances of its sess fell drastically even if the target possessed even a little demonic energy resistance. Worst case scenario, Douss mind would breakpletely and they would not be able to gain any information from him.

    <em>Besides, he used to be the head imperial mage, so theres no way that hed be weak.</em>

    Using forceful methods was far too risky.

    <em>In that case, the only things I can do are to alleviate his suspicion with a believable reason, or eliminate his caution altogether.</em>

    Either one did not seem easy.

    <em>No, thetter</em><em>actually might be possible.</em>

    Kang-Woo could form a bond with Dous and lower his caution.

    <em>This mage has a very high interest in high elves.</em>

    If he did not, there was no way that he would have spent decades researching them. No, his great interest in high elves was obvious from how he had run out of the tower immediately after Kang-Woo had mentioned high elves.

    Kang-Woo organized his thoughts and slowly answered, Because we are highly interested in them.

    ... You are?

    Yes. Hm, I guess you could say that we like them.

    Oh? Dous began to show interest. He coughed and then asked, Are there records of high elves even in your world?

    Somewhat.

    Most of them were out of imagination, but one could technically call them records.

    How interesting, Dous expressed in great interest. He then asked excitedly, What kind of records? How are high elves recorded in your world? Have the differences between elves and high elves been clearly defined? How have their appearances been recorded?

    He was like an otaku talking about their favorite anime with a fellow otaku. Kang-Woo smiled widely.

    <em>Nice.</em>

    Dous had taken the bait.

    Hahaha. Ill go through everything with you slowly, Kang-Woo said.

    He recited all the information that he knew about elves from a fantasy novel he had read long ago. They have been recorded to possess great beauty, a long lifespan, and eternal youth.

    Hmm. Thats more or less based on the truth.

    Also Kang-Woo fervently continued, They are depicted to have exceptional archery skills in other novels.

    Hm, I see.

    They have also been recorded to have great affinity with spirits and are vegetarian because they cannot eat meat.

    ... Hmm. I see.

    However, the longer Kang-Woo exined, the less interested Dous became. Kang-Woo could instinctively tell that these were not the kind of records that Dous had in mind. Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>What the hell?</em>

    What was he doing wrong? He had talked about the depictions of elves in fantasy novels and films, but Dous was not interested in the slightest. It felt as if the n drawn within Kang-Woos head was falling apart.

    Just then, La interrupted, A moment please, Kang-Woo. She took Kang-Woo outside and whispered, Are you trying to relieve Douss suspicion by talking about high elves and forming a bond with him?

    La had figured out Kang-Woos intentions in a sh.

    Yes, but it doesnt seem to be going very well, Kang-Woo replied.

    He had talked about the depiction of high elves in all the films, fantasy novels and anime that he had seen, but Dous did not seem to be interested in them at all.

    La narrowed her eyes. Please wait. If my suspicions are correct I believe I can resolve this.

    You, La?

    Yes. Please trust me, La responded with certainty.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder. How?

    Fufu. Thats a secret. You can only know after you figure out why Dous is so interested in high elves.

    Are you saying that you know why?

    Well You could say that I can tell from his eyes. There can be no other reason why he is so passionate over high elves.

    ...?

    Regardless, please leave it to me, La stated as she took out aptop from her bag. It was one powered by mana, just like Kang-Woos. I will go talk in private with Dous.

    La asked the other party members to wait outside and walked inside by herself with herptop in hand.

    <em>What is she trying to do?</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the tightly-shut door in confusion. Just then, Douss exmations rang out from beyond the door.

    Whoa! Whoooaaa!! B-By the heavens!

    Kang-Woos curiosity grew even more.

    <em>Authority of Transparency.</em>

    Unable to handle the curiosity, Kang-Woo saw through the door by turning it transparent in his eyes to see what was happening inside. La had opened herptop and was showing Dous something on the screen.

    <em>Lets see.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at theptop screen. It was disying a manga, with the title on the screen written <em>The Lustful Night of an Elven Lady and an Orc ~A Night Drenched in Carnal Desire~</em>.

    ... Huh?

    <em>Drenched in what?</em>

    Hoho, it just came out," La mentioned.

    Amazing! Simply amazing!

    <em>Umm, excuse me? La?</em>

    This is what I was born for <em>Sniff</em>. The days that I had spent researching must have been for this moment.

    I also felt it the moment I saw you, Dous. That this was fate.

    <em>What the fuck are you two talking about?</em>

    Wh What are these works of masterful art called in your world?

    They are called ero manga.

    <em>Excuse me Sister-inw.</em>

    Amazing Phenomenal! How could they have portrayed such minute details?

    Here, there are plenty more.

    Woooow!

    <em>Why are you doing this to me?</em>

    Unlike that young man earlier You sure know your stuff. Hmph, who gives a shit about nitpicky details like that?

    Its because Kang-Woo isnt very well-versed in these kinds of things.

    <em>Nor do I want to be.</em>

    Hehe. If its you, I dont mind showing the results of my research. Here, take a look at these. They are books that I hired the most talented artists of the empire to draw.

    My, Dous. Your collection is no joke either.

    Huhu, I dedicated my entire life to collecting them.

    <em>Stop.</em>

    Yes If youre asked what goes best with elves

    Is there even a need to ask? What else but

    <em>Please stop.</em>

    Orcs!

    Orcs!

    <em>Stop, you crazy sons of bitches.</em>

    <em>p!</em>

    <em>Dont high-five.</em>

    Kang-Woo, what do you think La is talking about with Dous? Seol-Ah asked while tilting her head.

    Kang-Woo raised his head in silence and nkly stared off into the empty space.

    <em>I wonder how long we can stay appropriate for all ages?</em>

 Chapter 337: Legend of the High Elves (3)

    Chapter 337: Legend of the High Elves (3)

    Hahaha! Quite therade you have here! Dous said as he smacked Oh Kang-Woos shoulder while chuckling aftering out of the tower.

    Kang-Woo nodded while smiling awkwardly. He stared at La and Dous with mixed feelings.

    La, what did you do to persuade Dous? He seemed a bit hard to please, Kim Si-Hun whispered as he approached La.

    La giggled lightly and replied, Dous fortunately harbored a great deal of faith for Lady Gaia as well.

    <em>Liar.</em>

    He lowered his suspicions as soon as I exined to him how great and benevolent Lady Gaia is.

    <em>You didnt even say a thing about Gaia.</em>

    Oh, then did you reveal to him that youre Lady Gaias incarnation? Si-Hun asked.

    No, I didnt. I just told him that I am one of Lady Gaias loyal devotees.

    A bond born from serving the same goddess, huh? I can understand why he lowered his guard all of a sudden. Si-Hun nodded with a smile.

    Kang-Woo averted his gaze from La in silence.

    <em>Si-Hun It looks like youre gonna live your life being whipped by La.</em>

    Kang-Woo lightly clicked his tongue. Although he despised lies, he could understand Las circumstances of not being able to reveal the truth.

    <em>I guess this is what you call lying in good faith.</em>

    It couldnt be helped; yes, there was no other way. Anyway

    Im proud to have La as myrade, Kang-Woo responded to Dous while smiling brightly.

    Dous smiled back. Right, you wanted to know about high elves, correct?

    Yes, thats right.

    Kang-Woos eyes shone. They were finally getting into the main subject at hand.

    What do you want to know exactly? Dous asked.

    Their location.

    Mmmh Dous groaned as if he could not answer.

    Do you not know where they are? Kang-Woo asked.

    I do not. To be exact, there is no way to know. However, I do know the conditions that they appear in.

    Conditions?

    Kang-Woos face, which had been dyed in disappointment, brightened again. Dous scratched his head as if he didnt know where to begin his exnation.

    Mm. It seems I have to exin some things about high elves first.

    Please take your time.

    Okay. Dous nodded. First, do you know the difference between elves and high elves?

    Uhh Mm. Arent they kind of like elven nobility or royalty?

    Not exactly. Dous firmly shook his head. To make aparison, they are actually closer to gods. ording to records, high elves were beings of godhood that possess Divinity. Among them, elder high elves were of the same level of godhood as Celestial Goddess Seraph, or even higher.

    Hah, Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>High elves are deities?</em>

    He had never even expected it. One would normally consider a high elf to be something like the king of elves.

    <em>I guess theyre not kings, but gods that the elves serve.</em>

    If that was the case, it made sense that barely anyone knew of their location.

    Wait, then does that mean there is no physical way to meet with the high elves? Kang-Woo asked.

    Although it was not the case for all beings of godhood, deities such as Gaia and Uranus stayed out of the physical world in order to be as free as possible from the influence of <em>providence</em>. Even a goddess as powerful as Gaia had only influenced the physical world through La via Deific Manifestation.

    No. Mm Well, I guess its not exactly untrue. Dous shook his head ambiguously. Although high elves do not reside in the physical world, they can manifest here by borrowing the power of the world tree to form a body.

    I see.

    Kang-Woo sighed in relief. If they were able to descend into the physical world through a body, it meant that it was not impossible to meet them.

    Dous opened a book on the desk and continued, When the Arnan Empire was first founded, a high elf descended to bless the first emperor personally.

    Does that mean high elves are like the Arnan Empires guardians?

    Im not sure, but You could say that they are the guardians of the imperial family. As proof of that, all those who carry the blood of the imperial family are extremely handsome and beautiful.

    Kang-Woo recalled Reynalds face. The blond heros dazzling looks had been on par with Si-Huns.

    Then How can we meet those high elves?

    Kang-Woo had a rough idea of what kind of beings the high elves were from Douss exnation, but the most important thing was where they were. They needed that information to meet with the beings that would guide them to the Demon Gods corpse.

    There is a legend rted to the high elves, Dous mumbled. When this world reaches the brink of copse, the protector of the world tree will manifest before the savior. And, the protector of the world tree is referring to a high elf.

    Wait a minute. Does that mean

    Yes, Dous smirked. It means there is realistically no way to meet them.

    Kang-Woo frowned aggressively. They had ultimately gone back to square one. Dous patted Kang-Woos shoulder while chuckling.

    Do not be so disappointed. ording to the records, elves and high elves are not that much different in terms of appearance. Although we cannot meet high elves, we at least have elves! Dous looked toward La while snorting.

    Is there truly no other way? An elf that canmunicate with the high elves, perhaps? Kang-Woo asked.

    There was actually no need for them to meet with a high elf in person; just like how La ryed Gaias will through Deific Manifestation, there could possibly be someone among the elves that could ry the high elves will through a simr method No, there needed to be.

    Mm. Probably not. I can proudly say that there is no one in this world who knows elves better than me, and I have never heard of an elf that couldmunicate with the high elves, Dous responded as if hammering the final nail in the coffin.

    The faces of Kang-Woo and the expedition team froze.

    Hyung-nim, then

    We have no choice but to look for the Demon Gods corpse without the high elves help, Kang-Woo said while sighing.

    They did not necessarily need to find the high elves first to find the Demon Gods corpse. Although it was an ignorant method, they could just search every nook and cranny of the continent.

    <em>Though I have no idea how long it would take.</em>

    They would be searching through an entire star. Even if Kang-Woos party could freely soar across the skies, it would not be easy at all.

    <em>And</em>

    Considering the Demon Gods corpse had never been found until now, it was safe to assume that it would not be visible just by looking down from above.

    <em>It could either be in the deep seas, a deep cave, or</em>

    In the worst-case scenario, it might not exist in the physical world, just like the high elves.

    Shit, Kang-Woo cursed.

    He ced his hand over his forehead as if his head hurt. Kang-Woo was not the only one deep in thought; La had also realized the gravity of the situation and was biting her lip with a gloomy expression. The air in the study grew heavy in an instant.

    Kang-Woo Han Seol-Ah carefully ced her hand above the contemting Kang-Woos hand. No matter how long it takes, Im fine with it.

    Seol-Ah smiled brightly. Echidna also trotted over and sat on Kang-Woosp.

    Hm! Im fine with it too, as long as Im with you, Kang-Woo!

    The two of them consoled Kang-Woo to lighten the mood as much as possible. Kang-Woo smirked and patted Echidnas head. Echidna swayed her legs while humming in joy.

    Yeah, we have to find it, no matter how long it takes.

    They needed to, even if it would take years, or even decades. It was only a matter of time until Earth would be invaded by outer worlds if they did nothing.

    <em>The problem is</em>

    Kang-Woos expression was as gloomy as ever despite Seol Ah and Echidnas consolement. To be honest, he didnt mind however long he would need to stay in Aernor for, as long as he was with hisrades. It was different from Hell, where he had nothing good to eat, drink, and enjoy.

    <em>Its just that theres a time limit.</em>

    ording to Gaia, the protections of the three stars of the Triad were dependent on each other. If they did not manage to find and eliminate the Demon Gods corpse, Earths protection would fall apart, and it would affect the protection of the two other stars soon after. A building was bound to copse without its supporting structures.

    <em>But Gaia said that she would be able to hold on for a few years at the very least.</em>

    But if interpreted in another way, they only had a few years until Earths protection copsed.

    Haaa, Kang-Woo sighed.

    The air in the study was as heavy as ever. Kang-Woo fell into thought with his head lowered.

    <em>We need a way to find the Demon Gods corpse.</em>

    However, he could not think of any, no matter how much he thought. Even Lucis, whom Kang-Woo had trusted to know where it was, did not remember; neither did the angels, and not even Gaia. The expedition team did not even have a single clue to go off of.

    <em>Is there no other choice but to depend on Bauli?</em>

    Kang-Woo thought about bringing the sleeping Bauli up from the Abyss, but shook his head. It was way too risky.

    <em>What should I do?</em>

    His mind had be a tangled mess.

    Oh.

    Just then, a thought struck his mind like a lightning bolt.

    <em>Yeah.</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled unbeknownst to himself.

    <em>Why didnt I think of that?</em>

    He almost burst intoughter from his own stupidity. It was a rather simple problem to solve, to the point that he felt pathetic for not having thought of it sooner.

    <em>It was right in front of me!</em>

    There was no need to even think about it. The solution was stupidly simple. Kang-Woo recalled the legend that Dous had mentioned.

    <em>- When this world reaches the brink of copse, the protector of the world tree will manifest before the savior.</em>

    <em>If a high elf will only appear if this world is on the brink of copse</em>

    A smile filled with malice was stered on the demons face. <em>Snicker</em>. He was unable to suppress hisughter.

    <em>... I just have to bring Aernor to the brink of copse!</em>

    Truly a 5Head moment.

 Chapter 338: Hero Maker (1)

    Chapter 338: Hero Maker (1)

    Kang-Woo? Whats wrong? Han Seol-Ah asked.

    Nothing. Oh Kang-Woo shook his head while pulling down the corners of his mouth with all his might.

    <em>Pfft, huehuehuehuehue.</em>

    He had almost let out a vulgarugh after having thought up a fantastic idea.

    <em>Yes, this is the best way to go.</em>

    No matter how one thought about it, searching every nook and cranny of the continent for the Demon Gods corpse was insane. However, there was no one but the high elves who could guide them to the corpse. In other words, they needed to do whatever it took to meet with the high elves.

    <em>Everything will resolve itself as long as I bring this world to the brink of copse.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled brightly. Of course, just because he had made up his mind to bring Aernor to the brink of copse did not mean he would massacre civilians or partially destroy the continent.

    <em></em>Brink<em> is the keyword here.</em>

    The high elves would appear when Aernor was on the brink of copse, not when it was already copsing.

    <em>Putting it on the brink of copse isnt that hard.</em>

    Kang-Woo could already think of multiple ways that he could.

    <em>Ill need some time to put them into action, but</em>

    The time taken would still be far shorter than randomly searching for the Demon Gods corpse.

    <em>Alright.</em>

    Kang-Woo felt like a weight had been taken off his shoulders now that his worries had been resolved. He smiled brightly.

    Whats with that unpleasant smile? Cha Yeon-Joo, who had been staring at Kang-Woo, frowned. She felt chills for some reason from seeing the radiant smile on Kang-Woo. She sighed and asked, So, what are we gonna do? Are we seriously gonna search the entire continent?

    Looking for a needle in a desert would be easier than searching for the Demon Gods corpse located who knows where in the continent.

    Nope, Kang-Woo answered.

    Then how?

    Have you thought of something? La asked while tilting her head in wonder.

    Kang-Woo gazed at La, Yeon-Joo and Kim Si-Hun.

    <em>Even so</em>

    He could not tell the three of them the n that he had in mind.

    <em>Maybe Lilith.</em>

    Kang-Woo was a bit reluctant to tell even Seol-Ah. Although he trusted her, he did not want to show such a side of himself to her.

    <em>Darling is also horrendous at acting.</em>

    Considering what had happened long ago with Shalgiel, it was probably better to just not tell her his n.

    <em>The fewer people know, the better.</em>

    He was trying to drive the entire continent into the pits of hell to make the high elves manifest; although he would be careful to avoid casualties, they would be inevitable. Whatever he did, Aernor would suffer in some way or another. Since it was far too radical of a n for a Protector of Light to pull, it was best left hidden.

    Ill exin outside, Kang-Woo answered while stealing a nce at Dous.

    La nodded.

    Thank you for the valuable information, Dous, Kang-Woo mentioned.

    Not at all. I should be the one thanking you for the valuable experience. Dous shook Kang-Woos hand while smiling in satisfaction. If you ever need my help, feel free to give me a call anytime. Here is mymunication crystal code.

    Dous handed Kang-Woo a mana code, simr to a phone number on Earth, while chuckling in joy. His temperamental nature that they had seen was nowhere to be found.

    <em>Regardless of the process, Im d we managed to get a good ally thanks to La.</em>

    Although Dous was no longer active, he would be a very valuable ally to have since he used to be the head imperial mage. Kang-Woo registered Douss mana code in his crystal orb and stood up.

    Come to think of it, you said that you were from Earth, correct? Dous asked.

    Oh, yes. Thats right.

    Hmm. Dous stroked his beard. The empire isnt in the best state at the moment, so I advise you not to travel around too much.

    Is it because of Princess Iris? Kang-Woo asked.

    Dous remained silent. He bit his lip with aplicated expression. I know how the public sees her, but I at least want you to know that it is not entirely her fault. Everything was orchestrated by No, never mind. Tsk, just take it as the ramblings of an old man. Anyway, have a safe trip.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He felt like he could vaguely understand why such a distinguished mage lived in such a shabby tower.

    <em>Im curious about whats going on in the empire, but</em>

    Kang-Woo relinquished his thoughts. Since they had exchangedmunication crystal codes, he could ask Dous anytime he wanted.

    <em>And</em>

    If things went ording to his thoughts, he was bound to learn about the empires circumstances even if he didnt want to.

    <em>Right now, I need time to organize my thoughts.</em>

    Kang-Woo could not afford to exact such a grand n with weak foundations. First, he needed to perfect his n to make the high elves manifest into the physical world. Since it was not so simple to pull off, he could not just think up the perfect n here and now.

    <em>I have to consider all variables, roles and methods.</em>

    Kang-Woo had a mountain of work to do; he could not afford to waste time here.

    In that case, well be on our way, Kang-Woo remarked.

    But isnt it alreadyte? If you dont have a ce to stay around here, how about you spend the night in the tower? Dous asked.

    Oh.

    Kang-Woo turned around and looked outside the window. Three moons were shining in the night sky.

    <em>Time flew by so quickly.</em>

    Things had been so hectic that he had not even realized that the sun had set.

    <em>Come to think of it, it hasnt even been a day since we arrived in Aernor.</em>

    Kang-Woo hadpletely forgotten because so many things had happened already.

    <em>I guess theres no need to rush.</em>

    They had managed to get through the crisis without a hitch thanks to Viscount Velens super carry.

    <em>Thanks, man! I owe you!</em>

    They would never have met Dous if it hadnt been for Viscount Velen, and if it hadnt been for Dous, they would have done all sorts of pointless things in search of the high elves that did not even exist in the physical world.

    <em>Shieeet, he carried us so hard. All hail the viscount!</em>

    Kang-Woos endless awe and respect for Viscount Velen set his heart aze.

    I understand. In that case, we will stay here for the night, Kang-Woo answered.

    Hahaha. Although its nothing much, use this tower however you like. And La.

    Dous gazed at La passionately. La nodded with a smile.

    Okay. I will bring you another sacred relic in the evening, she answered.

    A-Ahem. I will look forward to it. Dous stood up while smiling like a puppy. In that case, I will clean up the room on the upper floor. You seemed to have something that you needed to discuss among yourselves, so go ahead.

    Thank you very much, expressed Kang-Woo.

    Although it was filled with impure desires, he was thankful for Douss hospitality. Kang-Woo smiled while lowering his head. Dous closed the door and left.

    Now, then La looked toward Kang-Woo. What do you have in mind about our n of action going forward?

    The other party members also focused on Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo ryed the fake n that he had thought up.

    <em>No, its not exactly fake.</em>

    To be exact, it was half of the true n.

    Im thinking of making contact with the high elves, he stated.

    Pardon?

    What the hell, Kang-Woo? Were you not listening to that old mage? He said that there arent any high elves in this world. Yeon-Joo stared at Kang-Woo in confusion.

    No, think about it. Kang-Woo nced at Yeon-Joo, Si-Hun and La in order.

    <em>This is the most crucial point.</em>

    He needed to package one among the infinite possibilities as the truth, and make them believe that there was no other possibility.

    Dous said that the high elves will appear when this world is on the brink of copse, Kang-Woo mentioned.

    Yeah but what about it?

    Yeon-Joo, do you think the Demon of Prophecy will sit idly by as we try to eliminate the Demon Gods corpse?

    Ah.

    The faces of Yeon-Joo, La and Si-Hun stiffened. The Demon of Prophecy was the pinnacle of all demons, feared even by the gods, that would bring ruin to the universe. Although his identity was veiled in secrecy, he surely existed.

    He will make his move, Kang-Woo dered.

    The Demon of Prophecy was trying to bring ruin to all worlds, but if the Demon Gods corpse was eliminated, Aernors protection would be freed from keeping the corpse in check and put a hard stop to his objective.

    He will appear, no matter what. Even if he himself doesnt, one of the Four Heavenly Kings definitely will, Kang-Woo continued.

    I see. Come to think of it, youre right, hyung-nim. There is no way that evil demon would just sit idly by as we go on this expedition. Si-Hun agreed while making a serious face.

    Si-Hun had forgotten since the Demon of Prophecy had not made his move for months after Rakiels death, but his forces were still very powerful.

    <em>The Four Heavenly Kings</em>

    Since Satan and Rakiel were dead now, only two remained. No, since the Demon of Prophecy was still alive, they still had at least three powerful enemies that they needed to face.

    <em>Shit, </em>Si-Hun cursed in his mind.

    His limbs trembled just from thinking about the Demon of Prophecy. He clenched his fists and bit his lip.

    La grabbed Si-Huns trembling hands and turned to Kang-Woo, saying, I see. I understand what you are trying to say, Kang-Woo. Youre saying that the high elves will sense danger and manifest once the Demon of Prophecy takes action, right?

    Thats right, Kang-Woo responded.

    In that case Las eyes shone. ording to the legend, the high elves would manifest in front of a <em>savior</em>. We should find that savior first.

    No. Kang-Woo shook his head.

    Looking for a savior that they had no idea who it could be was just as insane as looking for the Demon Gods corpse.

    La tilted her head in confusion and asked, Then what should we do?

    Were not going to look for a savior. Kang-Woo turned toward Si-Hun, who was looking back at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly, and grabbed his shoulders. He smiled and continued, Were going to make one.

 Chapter 339: Hero Maker (2)

    Chapter 339: Hero Maker (2)

    Make a savior? La asked, wide-eyed.

    Oh Kang-Woo nodded while smiling. Yes.

    The others stared at him in confusion at how he had said somethingpletely absurd so confidently.

    What do you mean, hyung-nim?

    Think about it, Si-Hun. If it were up to you, who would you give the title of the continents savior to?

    Well

    Kim Si-Hun fell into thought for a moment. A savior of a continent frequently appeared in novels, cartoons and films, so it was not difficult to conjure up an image in his head.

    I guess it would be someone chosen by a god who confronts great evil and protects the people? Si-Hun answered.

    Right?

    Oh.

    Si-Huns eyes widened. He came to realize why Kang-Woo, who was smiling joyfully, had said something like that.

    Si-Hun, youre

    He had been chosen by Gaia, was confronting a great evil known as the Demon of Prophecy, and had protected countless people.

    The perfect fit for <em>a hero from another world</em>.

    W-Wait!! Si-Hun shouted in bewilderment. He understood Kang-Woos point, but Th-The same could be said for you, hyung-nim!

    Kang-Woo had also been chosen by Gaia and was fighting against great evil. No, considering Kang-Woos aplishments, Si-Hun could not even hold a candle to him.

    No, it cant be me. Kang-Woo shook his head without hesitation.

    If one just looked at the conditions of being a savior, there was no one more fit for the position than Kang-Woo. However

    <em>I cant be the hero.</em>

    He had something else to do something very special that he could not tell his other party members.

    <em>And</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. High elves apparently possessed the ability to locate the Demon Gods corpse, and Holy Sword Ludwig, which had been blessed by them, used to have the ability to locate the Demonic Sea.

    <em>Its too dangerous for me to be the savior.</em>

    Worst-case scenario, his identity would be exposed. There was no need to risk the breakdown of trust that he had built ever since before he had be the Protector of Light.

    But why? No matter how I think about it, youre far better suited for

    Because youre the master of the Holy Sword Ludwig.

    Kang-Woo could not tell Si-Hun the true reason why he could not be the savior; he needed a good excuse.

    Although it had been broken back when Ludwig had been corrupted, that sword used to be imbued with the blessing of the high elves. If a high elf will appear before a savior, wouldnt it be natural that they would appear before the master of the holy sword?

    Si-Hun bit his lip.

    Kang-Woos logic was hard to refute. It certainly was better for Si-Hun, the master of the Holy Sword Ludwig, to be the savior.

    I vote for Si-Hun too, Cha Yeon-Joo expressed.

    Yeon-Joo? said Si-Hun.

    First off, your looks are onpletely different levels. Kang-Woo is Well Whats the best way to describe it? She put her hand on her forehead and searched for the right expression, and then pped her hands together. Oh. He kinda looks like trash.

    Excuse me?

    <em>Trash?</em>

    Kang-Woo red at Yeon-Joo.

    Yeon-Joo rified while snickering, No, Im not saying youre ugly. How should I say this? You look like you have a bad personality Its your eyes.

    Id say the same thing about you, Kang-Woo rebutted.

    Yeon-Joo also did not look like a very nice person.

    Whatever the case, its true that Si-Hun looks the part more, isnt it? said Yeon-Joo.

    Urgh. Kang-Woo nodded while groaning.

    Although he did not want to admit it, it was an undeniable fact that Si-Hun visually looked far more like a hero than Kang-Woo did.

    <em>Are my eyes that sharp?</em>

    Kang-Woo unconsciously touched his eyes. Han Seol-Ah, who had been sitting next to him, grabbed his hand.

    Fufu, dont worry, Seol-Ah said with a smile. Theres no one in the universe that looks tastier than you.

    Ahem. Thanks, darl

    <em>Hm? Tastier?</em>

    My, Im sorry. I misspoke. <em>Hohoho</em>. Seol-Ah giggled.

    Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah in confusion, and then turned back to Si-Hun.

    Anyway, you get it now, right?

    Mm. Even if I take the visual aspect as a joke I guess I cant argue with the holy sword aspect. Si-Hun, who had been in thought, nodded. So what do you have in mind specifically?

    Making a savior was easier than looking for one who knows where, but it was still difficult in the absolute sense.

    Ive thought of something, Kang-Woo responded.

    A specific scene had popped up in his head the moment that he had first thought of the n.

    Kang-Woo stared at Si-Hun and asked, Si-Hun, you said that Princess Iris would be passing somewhere around here, right?

    He recalled the piece of information that Si-Hun had given him a while ago.

    Oh, yes. Thats right, Si-Hun replied.

    Lets tail her.

    Tail the princess?

    You know that the empire isnt in the best state right now, right? If the political situation is this unstable, people are bound to harbor grudges for the people in leadership. You never know, Princess Iris might get attacked by a rebel army.

    Actually, Kang-Woo did know; she would most definitely be attacked.

    <em>Because Ill make it so.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes shone sharply.

    <em>A hero will appear within the crisis!</em>

    It was the perfect first step for a hero that would save the continent.

    Hahaha. I doubt a rebel army would appear out of nowhere like that, hyung-nim.

    Well, I was half-joking. I had another objective in mind.

    Another objective?

    To be a hero praised by the entire continent, you need a dependable backer. Whether you kill an evil demon or wipe out a horde of monsters attacking a town, its pointless if no one knows about it.

    Thats

    It was true. No matter how many hero-like things one did, they would never be a hero if their aplishments were not spread across thend.

    Are you suggesting we establish a connection with the imperial family? Si-Hun asked.

    Yeah. Kang-Woo nodded. Of course, we wont be able to form a connection with her just by tailing her. Our objective this time is to gather as much information about Princess Iris as possible, and then find a way to establish that connection.

    I see.

    Si-Hun nodded. It was certainly not a bad idea. One needed reliable backings to be a hero, and there was no one more reliable than a member of the imperial family.

    And the imperial family is apparently blessed by the high elves as well, so it would be a good idea to form a good rtionship with them, Si-Hun mentioned, recalling what Dous had said earlier.

    Kang-Woo smiled and put his hand on Si-Huns shoulder.

    Im counting on you, man. I know you can do it.

    Hyung-nim

    Si-Hun looked at Kang-Woo with trembling eyes; he could feel the deep trust in his voice.

    <em>Hyung-nim has put his trust in me.</em>

    He could not think of anything besides needing to seed, no matter what it took.

    Kang-Woo patted Si-Huns shoulder and responded, Dont worry. Well support you as best we can.

    He already had experience making someone a hero. He was confident that he could do it even better this time.

    Have you heard when Princess Iris would be crossing through this area? Kang-Woo asked.

    I heard it was about a week from now.

    Alright.

    Kang-Woo nodded in satisfaction.

    <em>A week, huh?</em>

    It was more than enough time to prepare.

    ***

    A week flew by in an instant. Each party member spent that time getting ustomed to Aernor in their own way.

    <em>Well, it was more like enjoying leisure.</em>

    Kang-Woo had taken his party members to various cities and towns to purchase clothes that didnt make them stand out, and just walked around the streets to sightsee.

    After a weeks time, they hade to find out that Velen had been one of the better cities in the Arnan Empire to live in. As for the other cities, eighty percent of its territory had been turned into slums. The streets were filled with women selling their bodies, and copsedbor workers that were nothing but skin and bones.

    <em>Its terrible.</em>

    It was so bad to the point that Kang-Woo almost had no idea how the empire was still running.

    Hyung-nim.

    Si-Hun bit his lip from seeing the atrocity. Even Kang-Woo was frowning at the sight, so there was no question about how Si-Hun would be feeling about it.

    Dont pay it much mind, Si-Hun, Kang-Woo stated.

    But

    Si-Hun stared at the slum pitifully. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>Theres no way hed listen to me even if I tell him that its none of his business.</em>

    Considering Si-Huns personality, that would only make him more passionate.

    Youll be able to change it once you be the hero.

    Will I?

    People will gain hope. So, dont worry about them and focus on what you have to do.

    Kang-Woos words were notpletely groundless. The process of making Si-Hun a hero also included changing the corrupt empire.

    <em>Theres a bit of a problem, though.</em>

    Kang-Woo would only be able toe up with a detailed n after meeting Princess Iris in person.

    Now, lets get going. Kang-Woo turned around, his back toward the slum.

    He had found Princess Iriss current location through Lilith; she was passing through a narrow canyon before arriving in this city.

    <em>And in that canyon</em>

    Princess Iris would be attacked by the Undead army prepared by Vernaak.

    <em>As for the setting, lets go with a ck mage having joined forces with the rebel army to cause a rebellion.</em>

    The only thing that mattered was to put Princess Iris in danger, and for Si-Hun toe and save her.

    Kang-Woo looked toward Vernaak and whispered, Is everything ready?

    Yes, my king. The Undead are in ce and will attack the princess at your signal.

    Good.

    The n was perfect. All that was left was to give the signal at the right time.

    Lets move.

    Kang-Woo and the party left the city in advance; to appear at the perfect timing, they needed to go toward the canyon early.

    But hyung-nim, is there really a need for us to go to the princess? It might cause problems if were discovered.

    Si-Hun, who had no idea about the n to put Princess Iris in danger using an Undead horde, tilted his head in confusion.

    Well

    While Kang-Woo was trying to think of a suitable excuse, Liliths voice suddenly echoed in his head.

    <em>- My king, Princess Iris is getting attacked.</em>

    <em>- What? I havent given the signal yet. Did they happen to find one of the Undead in hiding?</em>

    <em>- No, its not that</em> Lilith continued in slight bewilderment. <em>- Its not the Undead that weve hidden. Humans in masks are attacking the princess.</em>

    What? Kang-Woo said out loud without realizing it.

    <em>- It seems to be an actual rebel army.</em>

    ...

    Kang-Woo chuckled at the absurdity.

    <em>An actual rebel army appeared?</em>

    This hadnt been in the Demon of Prophecys prophecy.

 Chapter 340: Hero Maker (3)

    Chapter 340: Hero Maker (3)

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo and his party sped toward the canyon as soon as Kang-Woo was contacted by Lilith. It would result in a massive hup in their n if the princess were to die.

    <em>Shit!</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>An actual rebel army?</em>

    There could not have been a worse coincidence.

    <em>What are the fucking chances?</em>

    Probability seemed to be nonexistent in this world. Rage surged within Kang-Woo, but only momentarily. He recalled what he needed to do first and foremost. He closed his eyes and gave Lilith amand.

    <em>- Protect the princess so that she doesnt die.</em>

    <em>- Yes, my king. However, I dont think you need to worry about that. The princesss knights are doing their part.</em>

    <em>- Really?</em>

    That was the only good news among all this. Kang-Woo expressed slight relief and sped up even more using the Authority of Haste.

    <em>ng! ng!</em>

    Kuh! Maintain formation!

    Protect the princess!

    As soon as Kang-Woo arrived, he could hear the sound of shing metal and smell the metallic scent of blood filling the canyon. He turned around.

    <em>I think Im too early.</em>

    He had ended up getting separated from his party members after running with all his might; there was no one in the party that could keep up with Kang-Woo running at full speed.

    Lilith, whats the situation?

    Its still under control.

    Kang-Woo looked down at the battle between the knights in silver armor and the masked men in the narrow canyon.

    <em>Theyre severely outnumbered.</em>

    There were only about thirty silver knights while there were easily over five hundred masked men.

    Arent there way too few of them for escorting an imperial princess? Kang-Woo mentioned as he watched over the battlefield.

    Not only were the silver knightscking in number, their skills also were not up to par for a group in charge of protecting an imperial process.

    Lilith nodded. I agree. Well Theyre notpletely ipetent, but they certainly arecking in skill.

    Hm.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. Even though the empire was nearing its impending doom, such ipetence seemed highly unlikely.

    <em>Ill leave that forter.</em>

    He needed to focus on the current situation.

    Death to the witch!

    We do not need an ipetent princess!

    Desperation could be felt from the voices of the masked men. They were charging to their deaths at the knights while gripping a diverse array of weapons. Kang-Woo frowned as he looked down at the battle.

    This is

    Something about the rebel armys desperation bothered him, as if a cog in a machine had been misced. Kang-Woo fell into thought while tapping on the bridge of his nose with his finger.

    <em>The pieces areing together.</em>

    However, the hypothesis in his head was nowhere near a level for him to considerplete. Hecked far too much information.

    <em>But still Just in case.</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and contacted Vernaak.

    <em>- Vernaak.</em>

    <em>- Yes, Master.</em>

    <em>- I have a favor to ask.</em>

    Kang-Woo ryed amand to Vernaak while watching over the battle that was getting fiercer.

    Hyung-nim!

    Kim Si-Hun arrived as soon as Kang-Woos conversation with Vernaak was over. His expression stiffened as he looked down at the battle between the rebel army and the silver knights.

    Kuh, I cant believe something like this happened

    Si-Hun summoned Ludwig while biting his lip. He grasped the sword that was shining brilliantly.

    Hyung-nim, lets g

    No, wait. Kang-Woo grabbed Si-Huns shoulder. ... Not yet.

    Pardon?

    Lets wait a little longer.

    Kang-Woo looked down at the battlefield calmly. Although the knights were being pushed back, they were holding on well.

    <em>We need to appear when theyre on the verge of death.</em>

    They needed a better timing to amplify the effect of a hero appearing in a crisis.

    Si-Hun. Now that things have ended up like this, were gonna have to move up the n.

    Are you referring to the hero n that you mentioned before?

    Kang-Woo nodded. Go down there at the perfect time and save the princess.

    Kang-Woo had been nning on giving Si-Hun this spiel after the Undead attackmenced, but the timing had gone slightly awry due to the sudden appearance of the rebel army.

    <em>Either way, it doesnt really matter.</em>

    After all, telling this to Si-Hun had always been the n.

    Si-Hun, what do you think is the most importantponent that makes a hero? Kang-Woo asked in all seriousness.

    Whatever the case, the hero-making operation needed to begin now. Si-Hun was left bewildered by Kang-Woos sudden question.

    He folded his fingers one by one and answered, Im not sure Righteousness? Courage?

    No, no, no! Listen, Si-Hun. Kang-Woo grabbed Si-Huns shoulders. The most importantponent of a hero is

    Yes? Si-Hun swallowed his saliva in anxiety.

    Kang-Woo continued, Style.

    Im sorry?

    You know, like how cool they look. Style makes a hero.

    Just think about it. If a 150 kg ugly bastard goes down there to save the princess and her knights, do you think he would be a hero? I guarantee you that the son of a bitch would be framed as the mastermind of this entire incident.

    It was sad, but it was an undeniable truth. Ones looks were more important than what people thought.

    But of course, thats of no concern to you, Kang-Woo added.

    <em>Since youre handsome as fuck. Jeez, youre even more handsome up close. Why the fuck are you so handsome, goddammit?</em>

    Kang-Woo was getting irritated just thinking about it. He shook his head to disperse the rage that was gradually rising as he stared at Si-Hun.

    Well, anyway, Im saying that style is important.

    Oh I see.

    So, what do you think you should do?

    Uhhh Si-Hun slurred nkly.

    Kang-Woo pounded his chest in frustration. Since you dont need to care about looks, you just need to focus on your performance!

    My performance?

    Yeah, man! Kang-Woo nodded while smirking.

    A heros entrance needed to be paired with the right performance, and Kang-Woo had the perfect one in mind.

    <em>At times like this</em>

    The gears in Kang-Woos head went into overdrive.

    ***

    <em>Pant! Pant!</em>

    Th-This way, Your Highness!

    There was a woman in the narrow canyon filled with the thick stench of blood. She was blindingly beautiful, had morous wavy blonde hair, and was wearing a dress withces hanging on it. She was Iris von Arnan, the woman who had be the highest authority of the empire after the emperor had fallen ill and was now bedridden.

    Kyaah!

    However, it was no simple feat to run in a narrow canyon in a dress and heels. She fell down shortly after.

    Your Highness!

    The maids that had been taking care of her quickly ran toward her. They tried to help Iris up, but she could not stay on her feet because she had rolled her ankle as she fell.

    <em>Huff, huff.</em>

    Iris put her hand on her swollen ankle while panting heavily. Sharp pain shot up her leg, and tears flowed down from her eyes.

    Why What did I do so wrong to deserve this?! she screamed in anger.

    She picked up a rock on the ground and threw it to vent her rage.

    Y-Your Highness We have to hur

    Shut up!!

    Iris pped away the hand of one of the maids. She lowered her head while crying. She was not stupid enough to not have realized that it was far toote to escape.

    <em>Sniff</em> Why Why

    All that she could do was toment in vain.

    Your Highness

    Iriss maids looked at her in pity.

    Iris said sorrowfully, If only If only Brother[1] were here

    Tears flowed down her cheeks. She clenched her fists while biting her lip.

    There she is!

    The witch!

    The masked members of the rebel army had reached the ce where Iris and her maids were.

    <em>Schwing</em>. Light reflected on the sharp sword.

    Kyaaah!

    Iris screamed with her eyes shut tight. The masked men with swords in hand snorted.

    Hah! The witch that brought the empire to ruin sure can scream!

    I guess she cares about her own life, at the very least.

    Their words were filled with clear malice.

    Its because of greedy and ipetent members of the imperial family like you that the great Prime Minister Fidelio has such a hard time.

    The empire wouldnt have turned out like this if he were the one to lead it.

    Iris flinched. She red at the masked men while biting her lip.

    Youre wrong

    Her lips fluttered. Countless words that she wanted to say were on the verge of leaving her mouth, but she couldnt let them.

    <em>Besides</em>

    There was no one in this world that would listen to her.

    Yeah, Iris muttered, having given up.

    <em>Rather than living like this</em>

    If she had to keep wandering within the inescapable valley of despair for the rest of her days

    <em>Its better to just die.</em>

    No one knew what she was going through; the only person that had always protected her was gone. What remained after his death was nothing but hell.

    Kill me. Just kill me already! Iris yelled madly.

    The masked men only snorted at her screams of desperation.

    As you wish, well kill you!

    For the revolutionary army! For a new empire!

    The masked men raised their swords.

    Ah Iris expressed.

    She trembled subtly as she shut her eyes tight. Only one thing was on her mind; the appearance of a blond man enveloped in golden light.

    <em>Brother</em>

    Tears flowed down Iriss cheeks. The sword of one of the masked men swung down on her neck. Just then

    <em>ng!</em>

    Kurgh!!

    A young man fell down from the sky and parried the masked mans sword. Hended on the ground crouched with one knee and hand on the ground. At the same time, great winds blew, and flower petals fluttered across the bloody battlefield out of nowhere.

    Wh-Who are you?! a masked man yelled in bewilderment.

    The young man who had fallen from the sky slowly lifted himself up. He ignored the masked man and stretched his hand out toward Iris, who was on the ground.

    Are you hurt anywhere?

    Kim Si-Hun had made his appearance.

    ***

    Shiiiet, thats it! expressed Kang-Woo, who was watching the situation unfold from above. He pped while snickering. Nothing better than a superheronding on the first appearance!

    There was nothing more stylish than blocking an attack while falling from the sky. Kang-Woo jumped in ce while pulling up a hologram of Si-Hun and Iris by using an Authority.

    Man, too bad I dont have any popcorn to go with this.

    He should have brought that with him to Aernor as well. Kang-Woo watched the hologram while clicking his tongue.

    <em>- Are you hurt anywhere?</em>

    Dayum, nice line delivery.

    Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at Iris, who was hazily looking up at Si-Hun.

    Alright.

    It was time to make a hero.

    1. Brother isnt really used to address someone in English, but since the author is trying not to use the name of the person, Ill just have it like this.

 Chapter 341: Would You Look At This Bitch?

    Chapter 341: Would You Look At This Bitch?

    Brother? Iris von Arnan muttered in bewilderment. She had ended up calling the man enveloped in blinding light in front of her, her brother before she had realized it. Ah.

    However, after her thoughts settled and she took a closer look at the man in front of her, she realized that the man was apletely different person from her older brother. The man had ck hair and eyes, and was handsome enough to be a work of art, to the point that she wondered if he had been blessed by the high elves as well.

    Wh-Who are Iris asked in a trembling voice.

    Kim Si-Hun took her hand and helped her up while smiling faintly. I came here after I heard the noises while I was passing by with my party members. Thank goodness Im not toote.

    Iris flinched. It did not seem like this man knew who she was. The man red at the masked men.

    Why would you attack this poor woman? Si-Hun asked.

    Hah, poor woman, you say?

    Do you have any idea who that woman is?

    Thats Iris von Arnan! The witch who brought the empire to ruin!

    The masked men eximed in fury.

    Ngh Iris lowered her head in pallor from their screams.

    She knew very well her reputation among the public, and a portion of the spreading rumors were true.

    I see, youre the Imperial Highness. Si-Hun purposefully expressed surprise.

    The masked men snorted and approached Si-Hun. Step aside. The empire can only regain its peace once that witch is dead.

    Im sorry, but I cannot.

    Si-Hun raised his shining sword, firmly expressing that he would not step aside. He turned his head toward Iris, who was trembling behind him.

    Dont worry. He stretched out his hand and ced it on her cheek. I will protect you.

    Ah

    Iriss eyes widened. It had been far too long since someone had said that they would protect her. Her eyes unwittingly teared up. She shuddered all over.

    <em>Nghh.</em>

    Unlike Iriss reaction, Si-Hun was having mixed feelings.

    <em>Is this really gonna work?</em>

    In Si-Huns opinion, a woman being told by someone who had literally fallen from the sky that they would protect her would only raise her caution instead of trust.

    <em>Im doing it because hyung-nim told me to, but</em>

    He honestly did not have much hope in the n.

    <em>But Ill stick to it, since its for hyung-nim.</em>

    Si-Hun had unconditional trust for Kang-Woo.

    <em>Dont worry, hyung.</em>

    Si-Hun gripped his sword handle and poured his bloodlust toward the masked men. This operation was crucial for establishing a connection with Princess Iris, as well as the very first step for him to be a savior.

    <em>For hyung</em>

    He could not afford to let the n fail. Si-Hun red at the rebel army with zing eyes.

    K-Kuh!

    S-Such eyes

    Si-Hun was powerful enough to face the princes of Hell. His assimtion rate with the Martial God had almost reached 70% during the past few months of training, so there was no way that mere soldiers of a rebel army would be able to handle his bloodlust.

    <em>Tap.</em>

    Si-Hun leaped forward with a step so quiet that one would not be able to hear it unless they concentrated, but unlike that faint sound, his body shot forward so quickly that it looked as if his body was being stretched.

    <em>Heavenly Dragon Foot Technique.</em>

    It was one of the martial arts techniques of Martial God Tian Taihuang; Si-Hun moved as if a dragon was soaring across the sky. He sliced the sword of one of the masked men without hesitation with his holy sword.

    Wh-What the fuck?!

    The masked men were shocked by how Si-Hun had reached them in the blink of an eye and sliced a sword clean in two. Si-Hun kicked a masked mans stomach with his right leg.

    Kurgh!

    The masked man rose slightly into the air and tumbled to the ground. Si-Hun rode the momentum and continued to swing his sword. <em>ng! ng! </em>The weapons of the masked men were sliced in two, one after another.

    Y-You monster!

    He must be the witchs puppet!

    Kill him!

    The masked men did not back down even after witnessing Si-Huns prowess. They depended solely on their numbers which reached five hundred. The masked men approached Si-Hun while getting into a military formation that they seemed to have practiced thoroughly.

    Tsk.

    However, such a strategy was utterly ineffective against Si-Hun.

    Heavenly Dragon Lightning Strike.

    A blue dragon appeared from the shining holy sword. Si-Hun jumped toward the center of the formation without hesitation while flying in the air using Void Steps. He gripped his sword with both hands and swung it down while falling, as if he was chopping firewood.

    <em>Crackle!!</em>

    The blue dragon that was leisurely flying in the air opened its mouth. It d itself in lightning and descended to the ground.

    Kurgh!!

    Aaaarrgghh!

    The masked men screamed. The ones that had been struck by the lightning head-on copsed on the spot. The unexpected tight formation by a rebel army had been destroyed from a single attack from Si-Hun. Si-Hun stood up from the crater that had been formed as if a meteor had crashed down. The brilliant light flowing from the holy sword enveloped his body.

    A-Aaaahh.

    They were no match for Si-Hun. After realizing that they were inpletely different leagues, the soldiers of the rebel army lost their morale and trembled on the spot with their mouths agape.

    <em>This should be enough.</em>

    Si-Hun loosened his grip on the sword handle while staring at the rebel army stricken by fear. They had already lost their will to fight, so Si-Hun did not see the need to ughter them.

    <em>Its a bit ufortable.</em>

    Si-Hun frowned as he stared at the terrified men. He was not physically ufortable; it was just that using his powers on fellow humans, albeit a rebel army, did not feel right to him.

    Kuh! Kurgh!

    Wh-What the?! This is

    Just then, the corpses of the rebel army sprawled on the ground, rose. Their eyes were gray, and they were staggering. Si-Huns eyes widened.

    Undead?

    It was not just the corpses of the rebel army. Skeletons wielding weapons also appeared from all around the forest.

    Whats going on?

    Si-Hun fell into confusion. Why were there Undead monsters all of a sudden? He scanned the group of Skeletons with sharp eyes; they came out of the forest and stood in front of the rebel army as if protecting them. Such behavior from Undead monsters only meant one thing.

    Sons of bitches

    Si-Hun bit his lip. His resentment toward the demonic that had grown ever since his first encounter with Satan surged.

    Youve joined forces with demons.

    If that was not the case, nothing could exin why Undead monsters would protect the rebel army instead of attacking them. Si-Hun regretted going easy on them because they were fellow humans.

    Y-Youre wrong!

    Urgh! Wh-What the hell is wrong with these Skeletons?!

    The rebel army grew confused as well. The resentment dyeing Si-Huns face momentarily faltered as he saw the masked mens genuine confusion.

    Just then, Kang-Woo, who had been watching from above, came down the canyon. I knew something was off.

    Hyung-nim?

    Kang-Woo continued while staring at the rebel army and the horde of Undead, Si-Hun, I think theyve joined forces with demons.

    There are demons in Aernor as well?

    Have you forgotten where Lucifer came from? Kang-Woo mentioned with sunken eyes.

    Ah, Si-Hun expressed. He nodded and red at the rebel army and the Undead. I see.

    There was likely a group simr to the Demon Cult in Aernor as well.

    Si-Hun.

    I know without you telling me, hyung-nim.

    Si-Hun raised his sword while emitting chilling bloodlust. Kang-Woo above all others had assured that the rebel army had joined forces with demons. They had done something they should have never done, for the sake of overthrowing the nation. In that case, there was only one thing for Si-Hun to do.

    <em>Formless Sword.</em>

    Swords made out of pure-white sword energy formed around Si-Hun. He lowered his stance and charged toward the rebel army and the Undead.

    ***

    Are you okay, Your Highness?

    Si-Hun approached Iris, who was on the ground, after clearing out the Undead that had appeared from the forest. She was trembling slightly, possibly from seeing Si-Huns astoundingbat prowess.

    I-Im alright Urgh!

    Iris tried to stand, but grimaced from the sharp pain shooting up her ankle. Si-Hun quickly ran up to her and helped her up.

    Ah

    Iris blushed. She looked around warily, and then asked hesitantly, M-May I ask who you are?

    My name is Kim Si-Hun.

    Kim Si-Hun.

    She engraved the name in her mind. Although such a name did not exist in the Arnan Empire, she paid it no mind.

    <em>I heard the Eastern Federation uses such names.</em>

    He even had ck hair and eyes, so Iris was sure that he was from the Eastern Federation. If that was the case, it also made sense why he had not called her a witch since he likely did not know of the exact situation in Arnan.

    A-Ahh.

    However, whether Si-Hun was from the Eastern Federation or not did not matter at the moment. She stared at Si-Hun dreamily, shivers traveling down her spine.

    I see. Then may I call you Sir Si-Hun?

    You dont have to address me so formally, Your Highness.

    N-No! I will call you Sir Si-Hun! Iris responded brightly.

    Kang-Woo smirked from seeing Si-Hun and Iris.

    <em>This exceeds my expectations.</em>

    Thanks to Si-Huns fantastic looks as well as his perfect rescue timing, Operation Knight In Shining Armor has been a huge sess.

    <em>Getting her support will be a piece of cake.</em>

    Seeing how Iris was acting, they could even hope for her full support for everything instead of just having her as a backer.

    <em>Right, then.</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. It was time to squeeze out some information from the imperial princess about the things that were bothering him in regard to the rebel army.

    Princess Iris, there are a few things I would like to ask you.

    Who the hell are you? Iris red at Kang-Woo as soon as he approached her. Stop bothering us and screw off.

    She was staring at him in disgust as if he were a bug. She hid behind Si-Hun as if she would throw up just from Kang-Woo getting closer to her.

    <em>Huh?</em>

    Would you look at this bitch?

 Chapter 342: Who Should I Allow to Win?

    Chapter 342: Who Should I Allow to Win?

    <em>What the hell?</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo was left momentarily shocked from theplete opposite treatment that Iris had given himpared to Kim Si-Hun. He recalled how the citizens of the empire had referred to her as a witch.

    <em>So that means</em>

    This was how Iris usually treated people.

    <em>I guess it wouldve been bad if we didnt do this n.</em>

    If they had not gained the princesss favor by having Si-Hun save her in her time of need, there would have been massiveplications in their n.

    Did you not hear me telling you to screw off? Are you deaf or something?

    Iris was staring at Kang-Woo coldly. Kang-Woo was more dumbfounded by her attitude than angry.

    What do you think youre saying to my hyung-nim?

    Si-Hun reacted first to Iriss rudeness. He red at Iris, who was hiding behind him, with a hint of bloodlust. Kang-Woo was more bewildered by Si-Huns action than Iris was.

    <em>Jesus, Si-Hun. Stop that. Youll spoil the affinity that you have with her.</em>

    Ah, mm, I-Im sorry. I never thought that he would be your older brother

    Iris quickly lowered her head, but her eyes were still filled with wariness and hostility. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and stared at her.

    <em>Somethings off.</em>

    It was hard to consider her attitude as one that simply arose from her personality.

    <em>Her reaction is a bit too extreme for that to be the case.</em>

    It was understandable that Iris would not consider Kang-Woo and Si-Hun to be brothers since they were not blood-rted. However, she likely at least knew that they wererades since she had seen them conversing.

    <em>So why is she so hostile toward me?</em>

    It was weird. Iris should have had absolutely no reason to be so hostile toward Kang-Woo. Considering her attitude toward Si-Hun, she should have naturally been kind to Kang-Woo as well.

    <em>Her having a shitty personality doesnt exin it.</em>

    Something continued to bother Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo stared at Iris sharply.

    <em>Could it be?</em>

    He recalled what Dous had muttered before.

    <em>- I at least want you to know that it is not entirely her fault.</em>

    <em>Something mustve happened.</em>

    Kang-Woo did not know the details yet, but he was sure that something had caused her personality to be this twisted.

    <em>Wait.</em>

    Kang-Woo fell into thought as he tapped the bridge of his nose. He had a feeling that what had bothered him about the rebel army and Iris were rted.

    It was not based on logic, but simply a hunch.

    May I continue my questions, Your Highness? Kang-Woo asked.

    What is it? Im tired, so make it quick, Iris answered disrespectfully.

    Si-Hun frowned in displeasure, but Kang-Woo stopped him by giving him a look. He couldnt care less if she was disrespectful or downright cussing him out; there was something far more important than that.

    Where were youing back from?

    What? Iris became wide-eyed from the unexpected question, but answered while turning her head away, I went to the founding emperors grave to pray in hopes that he would help resolve the empires crisis.

    It was a pointless gesture; no, that was not the issue.

    <em>Would a princess with that kind of personality willingly go to a grave to pray?</em>

    With only a few dozen knights, no less?

    <em>Im starting to get the full picture now.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled. The fog in his mind was getting cleared up. The questions in his mind were getting answered.

    <em>I see what happened.</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded and turned around. He looked down at the corpse of one of the masked men. To be exact, he looked down at the sword in the masked mans hand.

    <em>Their weapons are unnaturally good.</em>

    Not just their swords, but the round shields on their wrists and the armor they were wearing practically looked brand new.

    <em>And</em>

    The rebel army had assumed such perfect formations as if they had been professionally trained. It had been easily broken because they had been against Si-Hun, but those who were just slightly above average would have had a difficult time breaking through it.

    <em>That makes no sense.</em>

    There was no way that a rebel army made up of regr citizens who had left their jobs behind to overthrow the nation due to poverty and hunger would be able to have high-quality armaments and assume airtight formations.

    Tsk, Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    There was no need to even think deeply about it; the simplest answer to aplicated question was usually the correct one.

    <em>If it makes no sense for a rebel army to possess high-quality armaments and assume borate formations The answer is simple. It means they were never part of the rebel army in the first ce.</em>

    Even if they were part of the rebel army, Kang-Woo was sure that they had at least been backed by someone.

    <em>Who it could be is still a mystery, but</em>

    They had manipted these men toe here and kill the princess.

    Who made you go to the grave? Kang-Woo asked.

    Iris froze. She lowered her head in pallor and muttered, I-I went there of my own ord.

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    Iris responded fiercely, Im the imperial princess. Who would dare make me go anywhere?

    Oh, I guess youre right.

    Kang-Woo nodded with a smile. It was cute how she was trying her best to maintain her pride. It was like seeing a child getting on their tiptoes to grab something high up without any help.

    What? Is that all you have to ask? Iris asked.

    Yes, thats all. Kang-Woo nodded and turned around.

    He had a few things that he had wanted to ask, but this was enough for now. There was no reason for him to find out at the moment who had made the princess turn out this way.

    <em>Besides</em>

    The answer woulde to him sooner orter. Kang-Woo gave Si-Hun a look.

    Si-Hun nodded and said to Iris, We will escort you to the capital, Princess Iris.

    Sir Si-Hun?

    We cant afford to leave you alone after what happened here.

    <em>Sniff</em>. Th-Thank you so much.

    Iris was reacting in a waypletely different from her attitude toward Kang-Woo. She shed tears from being moved deeply.

    I will make sure to reward you handsomely once we get to the capital! Iris eximed while clenching her fists.

    Kang-Woo chuckled at the absurdity.

    <em>Come on</em>

    Kang-Woos feelings were getting hurt. He shook his head and turned around.

    Hup. Si-Hun lifted Iris in a princess carry.

    Ah Iris turned her head away,pletely red in embarrassment.

    I will introduce you to my otherrades besides Kang-Woo hyung-nim.

    I dont ca A-Ahem. Okay. Im looking forward to meeting them. Iris giggled.

    Umm Your Highness, one of Iriss maids called out.

    What is it now? Iris, whose time with Si-Hun had been interrupted yet again, asked in irritation.

    Well About the report for this incident

    Iris turned gloomy in an instant. She continued while trembling, Yeah, o-of course we should report it. Report that I was attacked by a rebel army, and that Sir Si-Hun came to my rescue.

    Yes, Your Highness.

    Something was amiss. Kang-Woo, who had been watching their interaction in silence, smiled and turned his head.

    <em>I knew there was something off. This is gonna be interesting.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes glimmered as he licked his lips. If the situation was what he thought it to be

    <em>Ill have to think a little bit.</em>

    There was no need to rush. It would not be toote to act after taking his time to think.

    <em>Besides</em>

    It waspletely up to Kang-Woo to choose who woulde out victorious in the Arnan Empire, which was approaching its imminent demise. The rest were trash that would have no choice but to acknowledge the choice that he made and submit willingly.

    <em>Now, then</em>

    Kang-Woo thought leisurely with his arms crossed. Either Iris, who was sticking very close to Si-Hun, or the mastermind who had tried to kill Iris here

    <em>Who should I allow to win?</em>

    <em>Snicker</em>. The demons eyes shone as if he was ying a fun game.

    ***

    Kang-Woos party headed to the capital with Princess Iris. Although Iriss carriage had been destroyed from the rebel armys attack, it was easily fixed at a nearby city. Kang-Woos party bought a few more carriages and set off to the capital. They could have flown there on Echidna, but they did not.

    <em>Iris might faint from shock.</em>

    It was not difficult to imagine how that immature princess would react if she saw a dragon. Not just that, Echidna was a demonic dragon; she could not be shown to others recklessly.

    Although Iris had acted coldly to everyone besides Si-Hun at first, she opened up to them over time. She smiled every now and then, and they even chatted during meals. However, there had been something that Kang-Woo had not expected at all.

    Kyaaaaaaaaahh! Iris screamed and threw down her spoon on the ground. S-Spicyyyyyyyyy! She red at Kang-Woo, who was eating kimchi stew, teary-eyed. How can you eat something like this?!

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes.

    <em>Just let it go.</em>

    The spiciness could not be helped. Kang-Woo was not ignorant enough toin to a person of another world why they couldnt eat something so delicious.

    <em>Tap.</em>

    Kang-Woo, bring me some water.

    Go get it yourself, Your Highness.

    I hurt my ankle.

    Are you still going on about an injury that was already fully healed days ago?

    Argh! You talk too much!

    Yes, I have a big mouth. What are you going to do about it?

    Water! Water!

    Si-Hun, Her Imperial Highness wants some wat

    Kyaaaahh! D-Dont call Sir Si-Hun!

    A fuss broke out between Iris and Kang-Woo. The other party members did not even pay it any mind, having gotten used to it. This was what Kang-Woo had not expected.

    <em>Why is she sticking so much to me instead of Si-Hun?</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned as if his head hurt. For things to go ording to his n, Iris, who had fallen in love with Si-Hun at first sight, needed to grow closer to him to form a hero-princess bond. However, after a few days of spending time together, Iris was sticking only to Kang-Woo instead of Si-Hun and was chatting her mouth off.

    <em>And dont even get me started on the reason.</em>

    Iris stole nces at Si-Hun from time to time, wondering if Si-Hun was actually getting her water, but Si-Hun was not even paying any mind to Iris and was having the time of his life chatting with La. Seeing that, Iris sulked, and so did Kang-Woo.

    <em>This is driving me fucking insane.</em>

    Iris was only talking to Kang-Woo because of the stupid reason of being too embarrassed to talk to Si-Hun. The problem was that Iriss personality was so twisted that her methods of conversations consisted ofmands. Since there was no way that Kang-Woo would follow thosemands willingly, it resulted in arguments.

    <em>And an even bigger problem</em>

    Iris seemed to enjoy having such arguments. She, who had never met anyone in her life as an imperial princess who would defy her, was enjoying the new responses that Kang-Woo was giving her.

    <em>Fucking hell, are you some nobledy in a bishojo game? The kind that goes </em>Y-Youre the first person to ever treat me this way!<em>?</em>

    Haaa Kang-Woo sighed.

    <em>Please let us arrive at the capital soon.</em>

    Even if it was part of the n, it was exhausting to deal with a sassy princess all day. Kang-Woo turned to look at Han Seol-Ah for some mental healing.

    <em>Huh?</em>

    He could feel thick bloodlust in Seol-Ahs eyes as she looked this way.

    Hurry up with the water!

    <em>Holy fuck. We have to get to the capital soon. Like, right now. Please, the n will get fucked at this rate.</em>

 Chapter 343: Paying For Oneâ€™s Sin

    Chapter 343: Paying For One¡¯s Sin

    At this pace, well reach the capital by tomorrow.

    Oh Yeah, youre right.

    Iriss expression darkened. She lifelessly walked to the carriage with slumped shoulders. Oh Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he watched her. He had realized a few things about Iris during their few days together.

    <em>She hasnt beenpletely irredeemable from the start.</em>

    Although she was a little immature, she was asionally delicate. However, she spoke disrespectfully to her maids and Kang-Woo as if it waspletely natural. Kang-Woo wondered what had caused her personality to be so twisted.

    <em>Well, Im sure Ill find out tomorrow.</em>

    Kang-Woo stared with sunken eyes at the pale, trembling Iris. The problem was not what sort of trauma she had suffered.

    <em>Public opinion of her is worse than what I had expected.</em>

    Opinions regarding Princess Iris in the Arnan Empire literally could not get any worse. The people were tantly showing their detest of her to the point that it seemed excessive.

    <em>An ipetent, greedy and egocentric princess.</em>

    The people pretty much considered her the epitome of corruption.

    <em>I have a feeling that someone spread such rumors intentionally.</em>

    However, it was hard to absolve the princess of any fault. Considering how Iris treated her maids and everyone other than Kim Si-Hun, she could not be treated as a victim of false malicious rumors. As for how she treated the people below her

    Siesta!! I told you to clean the inside of the carriage! Iris yelled while hopping madly.

    <em>Jesus Christ.</em>

    She was usually fine, but she turned hysterical whenever anything rted to the capital was mentioned. Whatever the reason, the people of the empire as well as Kang-Woos party members did not have a good impression of her due to her hysteria.

    <em>Thats a problem.</em>

    At this rate, it would throw a wrench in the n to support the princess and raise Si-Hun as a hero, to the point that it would have been easier for Si-Hun to be hailed as a hero if they had taken the rebel armys side instead.

    <em>Ill have to think about it.</em>

    Kang-Woo stood up. There was only one day left until they reached the imperial capital.

    ***

    Wow, so this is the capital? Han Seol-Ah expressed in amazement.

    Kang-Woo, who was in the same carriage, looked around in surprise.

    I knew that they had made great advancements in magic, but this exceeds my expectations.

    It could not even bepared to a tiny city like Velen. Five-story buildings were erected along the road that the carriage was traveling down, and the sidewalks were extremely clean, having been made with pure white marble.

    <em>So this is</em>

    It was the capital of Arnan, the most prosperous city in Aernor. Its size truly befitted its reputation. Kang-Woo looked out the window to check the expressions of the passersby.

    Tsk.

    It was no different in the capital; likely having been notified of the princesss arrival, the people were ring at the carriage that Iris was in with hostility. It felt like a riot would ur with the slightest push, but it did not because a crowd of imperial soldiers came out to protect the carriage. Kang-Woo and his party were able to reach the golden imperial castle with the imperial soldiers escorting them.

    S-Sir Si-Hun. Umm How long will you be staying in the imperial castle for? Iris asked cautiously after getting off the carriage.

    Si-Hun momentarily fell into thought.

    <em>Its all an act, though.</em>

    He had already talked it over with Kang-Woo beforehand.

    Since were not in a rush May we stay here for a while? Si-Hun asked.

    Ah! O-Of course! Iris answered happily.

    She guided the party into the imperial castle while smiling brightly. Just then

    Oh, are these the good people that had saved you from the rebel army, Your Highness? An old man in white vestments walked over to them slowly. He grabbed Si-Huns hand and said softly, Thank you very much for saving Her Highness. Fuuu. My heart sank when I found out that she was attacked by rebel forces

    The old man in priest vestments sighed in relief while teary-eyed.

    I only did what I should have done, Si-Hun replied.

    Hahaha. You are as heroic as Ive heard.

    The old man went up to every single one of Kang-Woos party members to shake their hands and bow to them.

    Oh, Ive forgotten to introduce myself. I am Prime Minister Fidelio, Her Highnesss advisor. Fidelio politely bowed to Kang-Woos party. He turned to the maids in the area and continued, They are the heroes that have saved Her Highness. Guide them to the VIP rooms.

    Yes, Prime Minister.

    It seems well have to hold a grand party soon. I will have to tell the other nobles of your heroics. Fidelio smiled and approached Iris. Are you hurt anywhere, Your Highness?

    Ah, uhh Iris turned pale as soon as Fidelio approached her. She lowered her head while trembling. I-Im fine.

    Phew. You have no idea how anxious I was when I heard that you went to the founding emperors grave while I was away.

    Im sorry, Iris muttered.

    It was not difficult to guess which of the two held more power in the imperial pce just from seeing Iriss attitude.

    Kang-Woo stared at Prime Minister Fidelio with sharp eyes. He had expected to find the mastermind of the incident sooner orter once he arrived at the imperial pce, but he had not expected to find them so soon.

    <em>It was you, huh?</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked. The fog in his mind had cleared uppletely.

    ***

    Kang-Woos party unpacked as soon as they were guided to the VIP rooms. They were each given one room, and every single one of them was luxurious enough to make their mouths agape.

    Haaah. Kang-Wooid down on the soft bed. Lilith.

    Yes, Master Kang-Woo.

    Lilith appeared from the shadow on the ground as if she had expected Kang-Woo to call her. She alluringly sat down on the bed next to Kang-Woo and leaned toward him. She knew why Kang-Woo had called her even without being told.

    What will you do, my king?

    Im thinking about it, Kang-Woo answered.

    I think we will get through to that Fidelio human better than the princess.

    Thats true.

    It was easier to work together with the prime minister, who practically had the empire in his grasp, than the ipetent princess. It was none of Kang-Woos business whether or not Fidelio actually tried to have the princess killed.

    The problem is Kang-Woo slurred.

    The blessing of the high elves, correct?

    Yeah. Kang-Woo nodded.

    The blessing of the high elves was apparently passed down to members of the imperial family. Kang-Woo could not be sure if that would influence the appearance of a high elf before the savior.

    <em>Its hard to say that theyre not rted.</em>

    Considering a high elf appeared before the founding emperor himself, it was hard to be sure that it had nothing to do with the manifestation of the high elves in the physical realm. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.

    <em>It would be a piece of cake to cooperate with Fidelio and make Si-Hun a hero.</em>

    All they had to do was raise up the rebel army and kill Iris, just like what Fidelio had originally nned. If they did, Si-Hun would easily acquire the title of hero who had executed the corrupt imperial family and brought peace to the empire. They had plenty of justification to do so since Iriss reputation among the people of the empire could not be any lower.

    <em>As for the other choice</em>

    Taking Iriss side and eliminating Fidelio; even if they did, it would be very difficult for Si-Hun to be hailed as a hero.

    <em>There are too many problems.</em>

    First of all, the impression of Iris that the people of the empire held was the absolute worst. They needed to change that impression for the better, but it was difficult to do it through normal means.

    <em>Its not like Iris ispetent.</em>

    No, even if she waspetent, peoples impressions of her would not change if her twisted personality did not change as well. They needed to fix her twisted personality as well as allow her to break free from peoples opinion of her being a witch.

    Its hellish.

    Kang-Woo could barely see a future for that path. Considering Iriss hysterical behavior, she would not be easily persuaded, and there was a mountain of work they would need to do for her witch image among the public to be wiped clean.

    <em>Is it really worth doing all that for the blessing of the high elves that might not even have an influence?</em>

    Kang-Woo put one leg over the other while lying down on the bed and bobbed the top leg up and down. Lilithid down next to him and embraced him.

    How about we cooperate with Fidelio and imprison Iris instead of killing her? Lilith suggested.

    I dont know, that might be even worse. In the high elves point of view, we would pretty much be imprisoning someone that they blessed.

    It was better for her to die by Fidelios hands.

    Mm May I voice my opinion? Lilith asked.

    Of course.

    I believe we should help that princess.

    Iris?

    Lilith nodded. Even if it would be a hassle, isnt it better to pick the one that has a higher chance of manifesting the high elves?

    True.

    Kang-Woo nodded. If he had to choose, it was more beneficial to him to take the side of the imperial family blessed by the high elves. Although he would have to work his ass off for a profit that he was not sure he would even gain, it was not something that he could not handle.

    <em>Its only bothersome; its not impossible.</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    Lilith giggled seductively and continued, And You would be paying for your sin.

    Sin?

    It would be better for you to go see yourself. Lilith smiled softly without giving a concrete answer. You will find out once you go to where the princess is right now.

    Mm, Kang-Woo expressed while nodding.

    <em>Well, it doesnt hurt to take a look.</em>

    It could be a clue to fix Iriss twisted personality. Kang-Woo did as Lilith said and headed toward Iriss chambers. Although there were imperial soldiers guarding the hallways, he was easily able to get past them using the Authority of Stealth.

    <em>Sniff Sniff.</em>

    Once he was right in front of Iriss chambers, he heard sobbing from across the door.

    Brother

    Kang-Woo could hear a sorrowful voice.

    <em>Brother?</em>

    Kang-Woo used the Authority of Transparency while tilting his head. The room beyond the door was reflected in his eyes. Iris was holding a small picture frame while scrunched up in her bed.

    <em>Who is it?</em>

    He had not heard from her over the past few days that she had a brother. Kang-Woo repositioned himself to take a better look at the picture frame in Iriss hands. An extremely handsome blond man came into view; it was a familiar face.

    Reynald?

    Kang-Woos eyes widened.

    Ohhh I see. Kang-Woo nodded with a long face.

    The pieces of the puzzle had been ced. Reynald von Arnan, the prince of the Arnan Empire and the hero overflowing with justice, had met a wretched death by the hands of Satan, the Prince of Wrath.

    <em>Its our fault for failing to stop Satan earlier.</em>

    Kang-Woos heart became heavy when he thought about Reynald.

    <em>He was a good guy</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists to the point that veins popped out. Although the main reason for his demise was him having gone off on his own, Kang-Woo was also at fault for not having warned him about Satan in advance.

    Haaa So this is what she meant.

    Kang-Woo lowered his head in sorrow. He finally understood what Lilith had meant.

    <em>- You would be paying for your sin.</em>

    <em>Paying for my sin, huh? Yeah, Ill pay for it.</em>

    The opportunity to pay for the sin of failing to save Reynald from Satan had arrived.

 Chapter 344: (Hellish) Party (1)

    Chapter 344: (Hellish) Party (1)

    I see. Kim Si-Hun nodded with a heavy expression.

    He sighed in pity. After finding out that Iriss brother was Rend, Oh Kang-Woo gathered his party members and told them of her circumstances.

    I never thought that Satans actions would have influenced another world as well

    Si-Hun bit his lip in frustration. Satan, the Prince of Wrath, had been the decisive factor for Si-Huns resentment for the demonic. Just thinking about Satan made Si-Huns blood boil. Kang-Woo grabbed Si-Huns arm to calm his thick bloodlust.

    Calm down, Si-Hun.

    Oh, Im sorry, hyung-nim. Si-Hun looked down at his hands while smiling awkwardly. Even after a year since Satan died I cant seem to forget.

    There was no way that he would ever be able to, since Si-Hun had never actually won against Satan even once. The one who had killed Satan was none other than Rakiel, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

    <em>- I am death. I am the end. I am the father of all wrath, and I am wrath itself.</em>

    Si-Hun recalled the golden eyes staring at him. A chill traveled down his spine, and he clenched his fists.

    <em>- I am Satan.</em>

    The memory of back when he had first met Satan, and him kneeling powerlessly without being able to do a thing lingered in his head. Si-Hun still trembled in fear whenever he thought of that memory. He became so scared that he could barely do anything.

    Si-Hun. Kang-Woo clenched Si-Huns arm even harder. He smiled and said, Dont make that kind of face. Satan is dead.

    Yes Youre right.

    Si-Hun nodded, still with an awkward smile. He put his hand over Kang-Woos hand on his arm.

    <em>Its warm.</em>

    He could feel Kang-Woos warmth chasing away the chill that had spread throughout his body. Si-Hun took a deep breath and calmed his mind.

    Then does that mean Princess Iriss personality is rted to Reynalds death? Si-Hun asked.

    But how does it make sense that someone bes that much of a bitch just because their older brother died? Cha Yeon-Joo interjected in irritation. She pounded her chest in frustration andined, My God, I barely held in my urge to smack that bitchs head. How did her personality get so twisted?

    Although the other party members did not insult Iris like Yeon-Joo had, they seemed to have the same opinion just from looking at their faces.

    I dont like Iris. She keepsing onto you, Kang-Woo. Echidna pulled on Kang-Woos arm while grinding her teeth.

    Echidna seemed to have been bothered by the fact that she had barely been able to talk to Kang-Woo on the way to the capital because of Iris. It was cute how she was pouting in dissatisfaction.

    I-I agree! To M-Master Kang-Woo She was so! So!

    Halcyon clenched his small fists while trembling.

    Balrog also nodded in agreement and remarked while grimacing,She is far too disrespectful to the king. If it had not been for the kingsmand, I would have long since ripped her head off.

    Lilith grinned. I think shes cute.

    Thats cute to you? Yeon-Joo chuckled.

    Lilith simply giggled without a response.

    Yes, I think shes cute too. Han Seol-Ah answered in Liliths ce unexpectedly. I would like to get along with her.

    Seol-Ah giggled while covering her mouth. She was smiling, but her eyes were not. Chills ran down Yeon-Joos spine.

    Y-Yeah. Yeon-Joo nodded in puzzlement.

    Kang-Woo groaned.

    <em>Pretty much everyone hates her.</em>

    Everyone other than Lilith was practically grinding their teeth. It was a little awkward since Kang-Woo had decided to take Iriss side.

    <em>Fixing Iriss personality takes absolute priority.</em>

    However, that was easier said than done.

    I agree with Yeon-Joo. I dont think she became like that just because of Reynalds death, Kang-Woo stated.

    Her attitude toward Fidelio was far too extreme for that to be the case.

    <em>I have a feeling that Fidelio had something to do with it.</em>

    If that was the case, it was good for Kang-Woo since it would be naturally resolved once they took Fidelio out of the picture.

    <em>But</em>

    A different thought crossed his mind, but he shook his head. It was still too soon for him to be sure of such a guess.

    How about I go talk to her? Si-Hun suggested while raising his hand.

    No, I got this. Si-Hun, you focus on deepening your bond with the princess while keeping the same distance from her as now, Kang-Woo responded.

    Mm. I understand.

    It would be right to leave it to Si-Hun to fix Iriss twisted personality, but he could not trust Si-Hun to take care of it.

    <em>Considering Si-Huns personality</em>

    He would be the worst person for such a delicate matter. Since it would be a bother to tell him every single line for him to recite, it was better for Kang-Woo to just take care of it himself.

    Then will we be staying in the imperial pce? Yeon-Joo asked while pouting.

    Kang-Woo fell into thought for a moment, and then answered, No, that would be inefficient.

    This n did not need so many people to execute.

    <em>No.</em>

    This many people would actually be a detriment to the n to raise Si-Hun up.

    <em>Its not like theres a certain date for when a high elf will manifest.</em>

    They couldnt just wait while twiddling their thumbs, relying only on a n to have a high elf manifest. To make the most use of their time

    Lets split the party into two, Kang-Woo stated.

    Split the party

    Into two?

    Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah became wide-eyed.

    While the first party works on making Si-Hun a savior, the second party will look for information rted to the Demon Gods corpse, Kang-Woo remarked.

    W-Wait, that means

    The faces of a few party members paled. If the party was split into two, it meant that half the members of the party would be separated from Kang-Woo.

    I-Im going to stay with you, Kang-Woo! Seol-Ah shouted urgently.

    Kang-Woo smirked. I already have five people in mind for the second party. Balrog, Yeon-Joo, Echidna, Halcyon, and La.

    They were all people that would not be of much help for this n. Lilith was one of the very few party members that he could share his true n to, and as for Vernaak, he could add more realism to the n by making use of Undead. There was no need to even mention Si-Hun.

    <em>Seol-Ah is a bit of an odd one out.</em>

    Kang-Woo sighed in relief after seeing Seol-Ah smiling brightly. As for her, she required special care from him because she had already fallen from grace once before.

    <em>Shes still mentally unstable.</em>

    The only ones who could control Seol-Ah at the moment were Kang-Woo and Lilith. Since both he and Lilith were in the first party, Seol-Ah also needed to be with them.

    Ah

    Wh-What the hell?! Why me?!

    Joy and sorrow intermingled from Kang-Woos choice. Yeon-Joo sprang up in anger while grinding her teeth.

    Why? You dont want to be separated from me? Kang-Woo asked.

    O-Of course not! Its just a hassle to travel all over the ce!

    Kang-Woo turned around while snickering. Youre the leader of the second party, Balrog.

    Understood. Balrog nodded withoutints.

    He seemed to know that there was nothing for him to do even if he stayed here.

    Kang-Woo Echidna pulled on Kang-Woos clothes, teary-eyed.

    Kang-Woo patted her head. Were not gonna be separated for very long. Besides, you can fly over in a sh in your true form, cant you?

    Urgh. Okay. Echidna nodded while pouting. She then snorted while clenching her fists. Hm! Ill find tons of information for you, Kang-Woo.

    Okay. Ill look forward to it.

    Although Kang-Woo answered with a smile, he did not have high expectations for them.

    <em>Theyd be lucky to even find a single clue.</em>

    There was a reason why Kang-Woo had gone with the bothersome choice of bringing Aernor to the brink of copse to make the high elves manifest. It was near impossible to locate the Demon Gods corpse with no information whatsoever. Kang-Woo had split the party into two because he wanted to focus on supporting Si-Hun for the true n.

    <em>Next up</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and recalled what Fidelio had said.

    <em>- It seems well have to hold a grand party soon. I will have to tell the other nobles of your heroics.</em>

    <em>A party, huh?</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled widely.

    <em>A perfect stage.</em>

    ***

    Balrog left the imperial castle along with the second party. Iris was bewildered to hear the news at first, but was relieved after hearing that Si-Hun had remained.

    Kang-Woo made several preparations for the party, and one of them was figuring out the exact situation that Aernor was currently in. In regards to that, he received help from the second party that was currently traveling around the continent.

    <em>An era of peace, huh?</em>

    If the situation of Aernor could be summarized in one phrase, it was exactly that. The forces worshiping Evil God Lucifer had been reduced to only a few due to the sudden disappearance of Lucifer a few years ago. Even Demon King Vaal Zahak, who had invaded several kingdoms in the northern region, had been subjugated through Reynalds heroic sacrifice, or that was what the public believed. The continent had entered an era of peace for the first time since the appearance of Evil God Lucifer.

    <em>It doesnt feel like an era of peace, though.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly. The situation in Arnan was not good enough for them to enjoy the era of peace.

    <em>But one good thing about it is</em>

    The fear of demons was still rooted deep within the people of the continent. Surprisingly, life in Arnan was far betterpared to when they were at war.

    While Kang-Woo was organizing the information that he had gathered about the current situation in Aernor, someone knocked on his door. <em>ck</em>. The door was carefully opened.

    Are you ready, Kang-Woo? Seol-Ah asked.

    Oh, yeah. Kang-Woo paused his thoughts and turned his head toward Seol-Ahs voice. Wow.

    He could not take his eyes off of Seol-Ah in a pure-white ball gown.

    Does it look good on me? she asked while looking down at her gown that had a bit too manyces.

    You look absolutely gorgeous. Kang-Woo gave her a thumbs up.

    Seol-Ah smiled.

    Shall we go? Kang-Woo stood up and lightly grabbed Seol-Ahs hand.

    Today was the day of the party that Fidelio had mentioned. The imperial castle was bustling with nobles that had arrived since morning. They were showering Si-Hun with gifts to gain his favor after hearing of his overwhelmingbat prowess.

    Kang-Woo smiled while looking down through a window of the imperial pce.

    <em>Today</em>

    A (hellish) party for Si-Hun wouldmence in the imperial pce.

 Chapter 345: (Hellish) Party (2)

    Chapter 345: (Hellish) Party (2)

    Are you the rumored hero?

    Ive heard many things about you. Is it true that you defeated five hundred soldiers of the rebel army all by yourself?

    I would like to hear more about that. Oh, I am Tyrande Westwood of Westwood Viscounty.

    Oh, umm

    Kim Si-Hun was put on the spot as he was being given the full attention of nobles that hade from all over the empire. The rumor that Si-Hun had wiped out five hundred soldiers of the rebel army plus Undead monsters that ck mages had summoned, spread quickly throughout the nation.

    Since the Arnan Empire was currently in a state of disorder, nobles greatly valued those with highbat prowess. Hence, their interest in Si-Hun rose, and they approached him with all sorts of strategies such as gifts and beauty traps usingdies of each noble house to recruit him as a knight of their house.

    Damn, his poprity is through the roof.

    Oh Kang-Woo snickered as he watched the nobledies stuck all over Si-Hun. Each house seemed to have gone all out, because each and everydy was considerably beautiful.

    <em>Well, theyre nothingpared to Si-Hun.</em>

    He felt sorry for the noble houses that had made great preparations to recruit Si-Hun into their house, but thedies were farckingpared to Si-Hun in terms of looks.

    <em>A hero who defeated five hundred rebel army soldiers, huh?</em>

    It was nowhere near enough of an aplishment to be a hero. As proof of that

    <em>The ranks of nobles approaching Si-Hun arent that high.</em>

    The true powers of the empire, such as those from duke and marquess houses, were simply observing Si-Hun from afar as if they were window shopping for clothes. Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>Watch him while you still can.</em>

    Because they would not be able toy eyes on Si-Hun so easily in the future. Kang-Woo drank a ss of champagne on the table andughed softly. The refreshing carbonation and the sweet taste of champagne lingered on his tongue.

    That aside, Im jealous, Kang-Woo unconsciously muttered as he watched Si-Hun surrounded by about ten nobledies.

    He had expected something like this to happen when he first executed the n to make Si-Hun a hero, but he could not help but feel jealous when it was happening right before his eyes.

    Youre jealous?

    <em>ck</em>. Han Seol-Ah, who was standing next to Kang-Woo, put down her champagne ss on the table and smiled.

    <em>Huh?</em>

    No, thats not what I Kang-Woo tried to defend himself.

    You just said that you were jealous.

    <em>Fuck.</em>

    Hahaha. It was just a figure of speech.

    <em>Please spare me.</em>

    All I need is you, darling.

    You say that, but arent there a bit too many women around you? Lilith, Yeon-Joo, and

    But youre the best out of them. Kang-Woo embraced Seol-Ah by the waist and lightly kissed her.

    Her eyes that had been gleaming sharply rxed from just a single kiss. Seol-Ah caressed her lips with her hand and giggled.

    Hehehe. I was just joking.

    <em>It didnt feel like a joke.</em>

    Kang-Woo coughed and reached for the various scrumptious-looking foodsid out on the table.

    The food here isnt bad. You try some too, darling.

    Oh, okay. Seol-Ah continued while staring vacantly at Kang-Woo, Sure looks tasty.

    <em>Youre talking about the food, right?</em>

    Oh right, Kang-Woo. Tonight

    So this is where you were! Iris walked toward Kang-Woo with big strides while interrupting Seol-Ah. She pulled on Kang-Woos arm and said, Are you just gonna let Sir Si-Hun suffer all by himself like that? Ill go with you, so get those women off of him.

    Seol-Ahs eyes narrowed. She red at Iris coldly, and then smiled toward Kang-Woo.

    Ill excuse myself first, Kang-Woo, Seol-Ah said as she turned around.

    Iris displeased her, but she knew that it would cause trouble for Kang-Woo if she were to pick a fight with Iris.

    <em>What a relief.</em>

    Kang-Woo was worried about Seol-Ahs mental state, which was getting unstable againtely, but it was not to the point that she was unable to make rational decisions.

    <em>Ill have to give her some more attention.</em>

    As Seraphs influence grew stronger, so did Seol-Ahs obsession for Kang-Woo due to the unique racial characteristic of angels. Kang-Woo had managed to quell that obsessionst time by proposing to her, but it seemed like its effect was weakening. He needed to engrave deeper into Seol-Ahs mind that she was the most important person in his life.

    Hey, Kang-Woo! Are you ignoring me? Iris yelled at him in irritation as he momentarily thought about Seol-Ah.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and turned toward her, answering, No, Im listening, Princess Iris.

    Hmph. It looked like you were distracted by something else.

    Hahaha. How could I dare show such disrespect toward you, Your Highness?

    Whats with you all of a sudden? Iris stared at Kang-Woo warily.

    More importantly, are you not one of the key people of this party? You should interact with the other nobles instead of someone like me.

    In other words, Kang-Woo was telling Iris to fuck off.

    Iris red at him. What? Are you refusing mypany?

    She was as temperamental and domineering as always when she wasnt around Si-Hun.

    Kang-Woo sighed and answered, You must havee to me because you have no one to talk to. I understand, Your Highness.

    Ngh! Y-Youre wrong! Iris shouted while stomping her feet aggressively.

    <em>Wrong, my ass.</em>

    It was obvious that she hade to Kang-Woo because no one would give her any attention, since she was considered the worst amongmoners and nobles alike.

    <em>Whatever the case</em>

    This was a good opportunity.

    In that case, could you tell me more about the nobles over there? Kang-Woo asked while staring at the nobles who were looking at Si-Hun from a distance instead of fighting for his favor.

    There was a good chance that they were the true powers of Arnan.

    Mm. Okay. Iris nodded. The one seated over there drinking coffee is Marquess Bera. He runs a huge ve market in the northeast region of the empire. And

    As Iris was exining the nobles one by one to Kang-Woo, her eyes stopped on one woman. She seemed to be in her forties with silver hair in an updo, and her eyes reflected an inexplicable sense of sorrow.

    Mm, who was she again? Iris tilted her head in confusion.

    It did not seem the woman was of high peerage.

    Well, thats pretty much it, Iris expressed.

    Thank you very much. Kang-Woo nodded.

    Iriss information would prove very useful, especially during this party.

    <em>I already see a few evils that I need to eliminate.</em>

    To allow Iris to gain more power, Kang-Woo couldnt eliminate only Fidelio. He also needed to eliminate Fidelios backers; in other words, the nobles that were sucking the empire dry.

    Princess Iris, it seems Si-Hun is finally free, Kang-Woo mentioned as he pointed at Si-Hun, who had barely managed to run away from the nobledies. He picked up a random dish on the table and said, Come to think of it, this dish happens to be Si-Huns favorite. Why dont you take some to him?

    It was a smoked fish with some vegetables on the side; he had no idea what sort of fish it was, but Kang-Woo had enjoyed it quite a lot while he was chatting with Seol-Ah earlier.

    Oh, I-I see Sir Si-Hun likes elroy as well. Iris stared at the dish in Kang-Woos hand in surprise. The fish seemed to be called elroy. She muttered softly while trembling, Just like Brother

    Your Highness? Kang-Woo called.

    Hm? N-Never mind! Ahem. Yeah, he likes elroy, huh? Iris nodded in session and took the dish from Kang-Woo. Im off to see Sir Si-Hun, so stay right there!

    Iris cautiously walked toward Si-Hun. Kang-Woo smirked and turned around. Of course, he had no intention of staying here like she had asked.

    <em>I have my targets.</em>

    It was time to execute his true n that he had not divulged to Si-Hun, Seol-Ah nor Cha Yeon-Joo.

    <em>Now, then</em>

    It was time to ring the bells of demise.

    ***

    No, Im not a fan of fish

    K-Kang-Woo said to take it to you because he was sure that you would like it.

    Oh, did he?

    Si-Huns eyes shone. He took the dish from Iris while smiling. The fact that he did not like fish was of no matterpared to the fact that Kang-Woo had rmended it.

    I would dly eat anything that hyung-nim rmends.

    Si-Hun smiled and tried the fish known as elroy. Although it was a bit fatty, he was still able to eat it without issue because it did not have the characteristic fishy taste of fish.

    <em>As expected of hyung-nim.</em>

    This must have been the reason why Kang-Woo had rmended a fish dish to him despite knowing that he did not like fish. Si-Hun smiled while thinking of Kang-Woo.

    Iris stood restlessly in front of him. Umm Sir Si-Hun, are you thinking about bing a knight of a certain noble house?

    Oh. Si-Hun recalled the nobles that hade to see him before the party had even begun. He smiled bitterly and shook his head. No, not at all.

    Th-Then what will you

    My goal is to eradicate demon worshipers with my party members.

    It was truly a goal befitting a hero. Although his true goal was a little different, he had chosen this goal after consulting with Kang-Woo because it sounded the most hero-like.

    <em>And</em>

    Si-Huns eyes sharpened. He had not lied just to deceive Iris.

    <em>If Aernor also has an organization like the Demon Cult</em>

    He would execute them himself with his sword. The seed of resentment that had sprouted when he had knelt before Satan still had not vanished.

    <em>They might have something to do with the Four Heavenly Kings.</em>

    The Constetions of Evil had apparently been sealed in Aernor. Rakiel, who had been one of them, had crossed to Earth, but there was no guarantee that the other constetions had as well. No, since Earths protection had been restored and Gaia had regained her power albeit temporarily, there was a high chance that they were still in Aernor.

    <em>No matter what</em>

    Si-Hun clenched his fists. Whatever happened, he would not let them do as they liked. Kang-Woo, La, and his other party members

    <em>I wont lose them.</em>

    Si-Hun came to a resolution and looked at Iris, who trembled from seeing his eyes full of conviction.

    Brother, she unconsciously muttered.

    Pardon?

    N-Nothing. Iris shook her head fervently while as red as a tomato. She gulped and continued, I will give you my support, Sir Si-Hun.

    The Arnan Empire could not overlook forces that worshiped demons either, since no one knew when a being like Demon King Vaal Zahak would attack the continent again.

    Thank you very much, Princess Iris. Si-Hun bowed with a bright smile.

    Iris blushed. She lowered her head, rolled her feet and carefully mentioned, Umm, Sir Si-Hun. You canfortably call me Iri

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    Kyaaah!

    Wh-What the?

    Just as Iris was in the middle of saying something, amotion arose.

    Kurgh! Urgh!

    Marquess Bera?!

    Whats wrong?

    Marquess Bera, the noble who possessed thergest ve market in the empire, suddenly copsed while convulsing. The nobles around him approached him, and then

    <em>sh!</em>

    Kyaaaaaaah!!

    A green tentacle shot out from Marquess Beras back and decapitated one of the nobles who was walking up to him. Horrifying screams filled the party venue.

    Skreeeeee!!

    Kyaaaaaah!!

    H-Help me!!

    Guards! Where are the guards?!

    At the same time, demonic beasts appeared from all around and began to randomly ughter nobles around them. Hell descended on the party venue that had been filled withughter.

 Chapter 346: (Hellish) Party (3)

    Chapter 346: (Hellish) Party (3)

    What the hell?

    Kim Si-Hun stared at the green tentacles in surprise. They looked familiar; they were the tentacles that were on Yogg-Saron, Satans subordinate, and he had also seen them when he had charged into the dungeon where Rakiel had been to rescue Oh Kang-Woo. Si-Hun did not hesitate for long.

    Sir Si-Hun! Iris eximed.

    Si-Hun summoned Holy Sword Ludwig and charged toward Marquess Bera, who had turned into a hideous monster. He flew into the air while leaving afterimages that looked as if he was being stretched.

    <em>sh!</em>

    He split Marquess Bera in two with a single sh. Yellow pus sshed all over the ce as the green tentacle was cut. Si-Hun fluidly dodged the pus; it sshed on the floor of the imperial pce, which melted as soon as it came into contact with the pus.

    Wh-Whoaaa!

    The eyes of the nobles shone after watching Si-Hun cutting down the demonic beast with a single sh.

    P-Please save me!

    Tyrande Westwood, one of the nobledies that had approached Si-Hun earlier, quickly ran toward Si-Hun. Behind her was a hideous Undead that looked as if eight legs were forcibly attached to it. As she was running with her face pale, a middle-aged man next to her yanked her.

    Youre just a bitch from a mere viscounty! the man shouted as he threw Tyrande down toward the demonic beast. He waved at Si-Hun. Please help me first!

    <em>Crush!</em>

    Grrrrrk!

    Argh! Kurgh!

    However, the demonic beast ran right past Tyrande for some reason and attacked the middle-aged man first. It wrapped its eight legs around the man and bit down on his neck with its rotten teeth. Crimson blood sprayed everywhere.

    Shit!

    Si-Hun quickly shot a wave of sword energy to cut down the demonic beast, but the man whose neck had already been ripped apart by the demonic beast could no longer stand. Not just the man, but screams sounded out from all over the party venue. Si-Hun grimaced.

    <em>There are too many of them.</em>

    Si-Hun could face these demonic beasts easily, but protecting the people from the demonic beasts was a whole other issue. It was impossible for him to eliminate the countless demonic beasts at once all by himself.

    <em>What are the guards doing?</em>

    It had been over a minute since themotion in the party venue sounded out, but there were no signs of guards arriving. Considering this venue was within the imperial pce, that was absolutely impossible; there was no way there would be no guards in an area where so many nobles were gathered.

    <em>If theyre noting despite that, it means</em>

    The guards had likely been attacked by demonic beasts as well.

    Hyung-nim

    Si-Hun looked around for Kang-Woo, but he was nowhere to be found. He could not see Han Seol-Ah, who had also attended the party, either.

    <em>I have to do it alone.</em>

    Si-Hun gripped his sword tight. He could not let the demonic beasts run amok any longer.

    Huuu.

    He took a deep breath and spread the Qi in his dantian throughout his body. Every single one of his meridians were filled with enormous amounts of Qi.

    <em>Dont be shackled by form.</em>

    Si-Hun did not have any techniques that would be able to wipe out the countless demonic beasts in the party venue all at once, since he was but a swordsman who yed demonic beasts with a sword.

    <em>If my sword is the problem</em>

    Si-Hun closed his eyes and imagined the shape of a sword. A transparent sword made of Qi formed in his mind.

    <em>Ill abandon the shape of a sword.</em>

    Si-Hun manipted the Formless Sword. It was but a weapon formed with his Qi; it did not necessarily have to be in the shape of a sword. It was such a simple thought that he had no idea why he hadnt thought about it earlier, but that simple thought brought about a massive change.

    <em>sh, sh, sh!</em>

    H-Huh?

    Wh-Whats going on?

    Hundreds of hands made of blue sword energy spread throughout the venue, tearing apart the hundreds of demonic beasts that had invaded the venue.

    Graaaaaaaaaahh!

    A few demonic beasts dodged the blue hands and charged toward Si-Hun. Si-Hun lowered his stance. If they were aiming for him instead of the people, there was no need for him to use Formless Sword.

    <em>Heavenly Dragon</em>

    Si-Hun brought the sword to his waist as if to perform a sword draw technique. He twisted his hips with his right leg as the axis and swung Ludwig.

    <em>sh!</em>

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Pure-white condensed sword energy surged from Ludwig. The ten-meter-long sword energy horizontally shed the demonic beasts charging at him in half.

    <em>Fuuu.</em> Si-Hun took a deep breath and raised himself up.

    Wow

    How can a person be so powerful?

    The nobles who had witnessed Si-Huns true power could not keep their mouths closed. Facing five hundred rebel army soldiers was nothingpared to what they had just witnessed, since they knew after experiencing the war against demons, just how powerful and terrifying demonic beasts were.

    Its not over yet, Si-Hun remarked quietly as he stared at the nobles who were walking toward him.

    He walked to Iriss side as if protecting her and stared at the wall of the venue. He could feel thick demonic energy from across it.

    <em>Crash!</em>

    Grrrrrr!

    Skreeeee!

    Just as Si-Hun had thought, the wall shattered, and demonic beasts poured into the venue from it. Although there were not as many as before, each of them was much stronger. They scanned Si-Hun from a distance instead of rushing in recklessly. Si-Hun gazed at the demonic beasts with sharp eyes.

    <em>Theyre all Undead.</em>

    There had not been a single demonic beast that had attacked the venue that was alive. They were all hideous monsters that looked as if they had been made by forcibly stitching dead demonic beasts together. They were more difficult to face because they did not stop their charge even if they were decapitated or dismembered. They needed to be shed into bits to the point that they could no longer move.

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    Just then, themunication crystal in his pocket vibrated. After raising the crystal to check who it was, Si-Hun eximed, Hyung-nim?!

    Kang-Woos voice flowed out from the crystal.

    [Si-Hun. Im in the VIP room, but]

    Have the demonic beasts attacked that area as well?

    [Yeah.]

    Like Si-Hun had thought, the party venue had not been the only ce that was attacked.

    Hyung-nim, where could these demonic beasts havee from?

    [I have no idea. Kuh! These sons of bitches!]

    A-Are you okay, hyung-nim?!

    [Ill take care of things here, so you protect the princess. Got it?]

    Understood, hyung-nim. Si-Hun nodded and put the crystal back in his pocket. He turned to the nobles who had survived the first wave of demonic beast attacks and remarked, Everyone, please gather around me.

    G-Got it!

    <em>Sniff!</em> Waaaaah!

    What the hell are the guards doing?!

    The surviving nobles gathered around Si-Hun without hesitation. Si-Hun walked forward and adjusted his grip on his sword. He had not been able to save every noble because they were far too dispersed, but that was no longer the case.

    <em>Fuuu</em>.

    Si-Hun had consumed a considerable amount of Qi from using Formless Sword, but he was still fine. He could fight.

    Sir Si-Hun

    Please stay right behind me, Your Highness.

    Si-Hun stood right in front of Iris and focused. He red at the demonic beasts. Facing these demonic beasts was not an issue for him. Although they were much stronger than the ones from the first wave, considering the fact that Si-Hun was strong enough to face the princes of Hell, demonic beasts of this level were nothing to him.

    <em>The problem is</em>

    He needed to fight while keeping the princess and the nobles safe. Fighting while protecting someone was far more difficult than fighting all by oneself.

    <em>Even so</em>

    Si-Hun gripped his sword tighter. It had been none other than Kang-Woo who had asked him to do it.

    Grrrrrr!!

    The demonic beasts that had only been watching began to charge. Si-Hun cut down the demonic beasts.

    ***

    Aaaahh. My subordinates Vernaak groaned.

    He was watching a live feed of Si-Hun cutting down the demonic beasts.

    Kurgh. After all the time I had taken to create those Undead Chimeras

    Come on, you can always make more. Ill help you out. Kang-Woo lightly patted the dejected Vernaaks shoulder.

    Although half of the Undead demonic beast army that they had diligently made for the past few months before crossing to Aernor had been wiped out, it had been a necessary sacrifice.

    Ahem. I understand, Master.

    More importantly, its almost time, my king, Lilith expressed.

    Got it.

    Kang-Woo turned around. It was time for the main event of the (hellish) party that he had nned for Si-Hun. It was time to make the seed of demise sprout in Aernor.

    <em>Lets do this.</em>

    Kang-Woo leisurely walked toward the party venue.

    <em>Ive been wondering which coin to invest in this time.</em>

    He had thought about Vaal Zahak at first. The demon king that the hero Reynald had defeated invading the continent once more was not a bad plot. However

    <em>Its too weak.</em>

    Unlike what Vaal Zahak had boasted about, he had not been as infamous in Aernor as he had made himself out to be.

    <em>It would be weird to create apletely new being as well.</em>

    Kang-Woo could also make up apletely new character like he had done with Rakiel. He had not revealed the group known as the Four Heavenly Kings for nothing.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. Even if it was the same song, it being sung by a world-renowned singer versus a street performer waspletely different. It was simply a matter of public recognition.

    <em>It would be difficult to plunge the entire continent in fear if I used apletely new character.</em>

    He needed to be a being that everyone in the continent knew and feared.

    <em>Well I say all that, but theres only one person who fits the bill.</em>

    There was no need to think too deeply about it. Kang-Woo covered his face with his hands and used the ability he had acquired back in Shade.

    Mimicry.

    Kang-Woo was enveloped in ck shadow. He grewrger, and ten ck wings sprouted from his back. Although they were ck wings, they were different from those of a fallen angel. His hair grew longer, and his teeth grew sharper. Goat horns sprouted from his forehead, his skin turned light purple, and a long tail extended from around his butt. Treacherous crimson eyes shone.

    Kang-Woo had transformed into Lucifer, the Prince of Pride, who was known as the Evil God in Aernor.

    <em>Alright.</em>

    Kang-Woo snickered at how perfect the transformation was. He walked toward the party venue where Si-Hun was fighting the demonic beasts.

    <em>Lets begin.</em>

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath.

    [!!]

    A demon roar that transcended sound itself shook the party venue. Hundreds of demonic beasts moved to clear a path for Kang-Woo and bowed down.

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    Y-Youre

    Kang-Woo could see Si-Huns eyes quivering. He smirked and spoke as if humming.

    [It is nice to see you again, humans.]

    He slightly bowed with his right hand on his chest as if he were a butler greeting his master.

    [I am the almighty. I am the mocker. I bring demise to mortals, and am the master of the demonic, enchanted by pride.]

    <em>Shiet, I spent a whole week thinking about this fucking line, you know? Huh? Do you sons of bitches have any idea?</em>

    [I am]

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his torso.

    [... Lucifer.]

    Silence fell on the party venue. Suffocating fear spread throughout the pce from the return of the Evil God.

    <em>Good, good!</em>

    The n was a massive sess. Kang-Woo suppressed hisughter with all his might.

    <em>Yes, thats it! This was the reaction I wanted to see!</em>

    He couldnt help but shrug in satisfaction from seeing the people stricken by fear.

    D-Dear! Just then, a middle-aged woman who had been hiding in a corner called out to him. Dear! Where have you been all this time?!

    The woman trembled as if unable to believe what she was seeing. She ran up to Kang-Woo and embraced him with tears in her eyes.

    <em>Sniff</em>. Ive missed you. Ive been waiting for the day that we would meet again, my love.

    Kang-Woo looked down at the woman with silver hair.

    [Pardon me?]

    <em>Who might you be?</em>

 Chapter 347: Advent of the Evil God (1)

    Chapter 347: Advent of the Evil God (1)

    <em>What the fuck?</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo looked down dumbfoundedly at the silver-haired woman embracing him. She looked familiar; it was the middle-aged woman who had been staring into nothingness in sorrow while Iris had been introducing the nobles. She was just a nameless noble that not even Iris, who was quite knowledgeable about nobles, knew.

    <em>But</em>

    Dear? My love?

    <em>Wha</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt understand what was going on. His thoughts were in jumbles, and his eyes quivered. He could not see any hint of lies in the middle-aged womans eyes. He naturally thought about Lucis.

    <em>He was born between a demon and a human.</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled hearing something regarding Lucis when they first met, about how he had been discriminated against because he was a half-breed.

    [Wait.]

    If that was the case, that meant Kang-Woos eyes widened.

    <em>Holy fuck. For real? Shes Lucifers wife?</em>

    Kang-Woo felt dizzy as if his head had been smashed with a hammer. It was a bad joke. He had of course known that Lucifers partner was a human since Lucis was a half-breed. He had also considered the possibility of her still being alive.

    <em>But</em>

    How could he have possibly known that she would be in this party venue? There could not have been a worse coincidence. The back of his head hurt.

    Dear? Whats wrong?

    <em>You, maam.</em>

    [I am simply happy to see you.]

    He suppressed the words of confusion from leaving his mouth as best as possible and embraced the middle-aged woman. Although he had no idea how things were turning out, he needed to y along for now.

    <em>I cant afford to fail here because of such a stupid reason.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes set aze with passion. The gears in his head turned in overdrive.

    The middle-aged woman smiled brightly and mentioned, Finally The time must havee!

    <em>What time?</em>

    [Youve done well to wait this long.]

    H-Hohohoho!! Ive waited so long to take my revenge against the nobles of this corrupt and depraved empire!

    <em>Oh thats what you meant. I dont know when you guys talked about it, but it seems youve waited a long time. Plus, your fucking husband is nowhere in sight. You mustve gone through a lot.</em>

    [I will be hosting a party just for you tonight.]

    Aaaahh! My love!!

    The middle-aged womanughed maniacally while trembling.

    <em>Man, thisdy isnt right in the head either. I mean, I guess anyone who marries a prince of Hell would be.</em>

    [I love you, darling.]

    Darling?

    <em>Oh, fuck. Should I not have called her that?</em>

    Hohoho! Thats so out of style!

    <em>Out of style? Whats so out of style about it? Darling is the most affectionate way you could address your lover! You wouldve been decapitated in seconds if my darling heard you say that. Got it,dy?</em>

    [Hahaha. Things like this are good every now and then.]

    Haaa. My love But I love it the most when you call me by my name.

    <em>Pardon me? Your name? What is your name, maam?</em>

    Its been so long, so please call me by my name, my love.

    <em>So what is that name of yours?</em>

    [Well]

    Hurry. Do you have any idea how worried I was when you just vanished without a word?

    <em>Well, tell me your fucking name, then.</em>

    [About that]

    My, what are you so embarrassed about after all weve done?

    <em>Wow, it seems you two have a very healthy rtionship. Congrattions. However, I dont think you did a very good job on the child-raising aspect. Anyway, whats that name of yours?</em>

    [...]

    Whats wrong, dear?

    <em>Thats my line. Whats wrong with you, maam?</em>

    Please hurry up and call me by my name.

    <em>I dont know.</em>

    Hurry~

    <em>I really dont know.</em>

    Jeez, are you teasing me? I wouldve been fine with it normally, but I cant endure it this time.

    <em>Please, just endure it. Act your age, for Gods sake. You have a child.</em>

    Hurry! Call me by my name!

    <em>For fucks sake.</em>

    My love!! Hurry!!

    <em>I dont knooooow! I dont know, for fucks sake! I dont even know who you are! Why the fuck are you even here?! Argh, fuck My head.</em>

    Kang-Woos head felt like it was about to explode. All sorts of curses swirled around his head. He had used the Authority of the Beholder in hopes of finding out her name like he could do for yers, but no status window popped up.

    <em>Ahh, I wanna hear it. Please lemme hear that goddamn bell chime.</em>

    Kang-Woo bit his lip as he stared at the middle-aged woman yelling at him to call her name.

    <em>Since itse to this</em>

    He had no choice; he needed to muster up the resolve.

    Please call me by my

    <em>Whip</em>. Kang-Woo yanked the middle-aged womans waist toward him. He leaned down and kissed her aggressively with tongue action.

    Ah

    The eyes of the middle-aged woman widened. She became teary-eyed while trembling subtly.

    Kang-Woo swept back her silver hair and said gently, [Im sorry.]

    What do you mean, d

    Kang-Woo shushed her with his finger.

    [Do not say a word.] He stared at her in sorrow. [I left you without a word. I have left you with a scar in your heart.]

    <em>Hahaha. What the fuck am I even talking about?</em>

    Lucifer

    [I! I dont have the right to call your name.]

    Lucifer!

    <em>Whoa, whoa. One kiss is enough, maam. Calm down. Please, calm down.</em>

    <em>Sniff</em>.

    Kang-Woo gently grabbed the crying middle-aged womans shoulders and asked, [Could you step aside for a second?]

    Yes, my love.

    The middle-aged woman modestly bowed and stepped back. She then red at the nobles while grinning mockingly.

    Hah. Kim Si-Hun chuckled in absurdity after hearing Lucifers conversation with the middle-aged woman.

    Although he knew that he should not be acting in such a way before the Evil God, he couldnt help butugh at the spectacle he was shown.

    Lucifer. Si-Hun emitted bloodlust while baring his teeth. So you were behind all this.

    The sudden demonic beast attack, the demolished party venue, and everything else had all been nned by Lucifer.

    <em>I heard he had suddenly vanished a few years ago, but</em>

    He hadunched an attack out of the blue. Si-Hun frowned. It had been such perfect timing that it was hard to exin it as simply a coincidence.

    <em>If its not a coincidence</em>

    There was only one answer.

    Are you serving the Demon of Prophecy as well?

    There were only two of the Four Heavenly Kings remaining after the deaths of Satan and Rakiel, and Si-Hun was certain that Lucifer was one of them.

    [Who knows?] Lucifer smiled widely without answering the question.

    Si-Hun raised his sword. Well, it doesnt matter whether youre one of the Four Heavenly Kings or not. It did not change the fact that he was an enemy that Si-Hun needed to kill. Si-Hun gripped the holy sword tighter. Those tainted by darkness Receive the judgment of light!

    Si-Hun shouted the words of Ludwig, who had suffered a miserable death after having been corrupted by Satan. He charged toward the culprit of the incident using his foot technique, and swung down on Lucifers head as if chopping firewood.

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    Lucifer slightly raised his hand. ck demonic energy gathered in front of it and blocked the holy sword pouring light. The holy sword and demonic energy shed, forming a powerful shockwave. Si-Hun, who had been in the air, was flung backward. He twisted around mid-air and nimblynded on his feet.

    Kuh. Si-Hun bit his lip anxiously.

    That impact should have formed a crater dozens of meters wide, but

    <em>Theres not even a scratch on the ground.</em>

    It meant that Lucifer hadpletely offset the damage. No, that was not the right word to describe what had happened.

    <em>He absorbed the impact.</em>

    Si-Huns face turned pale from Lucifers great power. He regretted having separated from his other party members.

    [Young hero. It is not yet time for us to battle.]

    What are you talking about?

    [I mean that this party is not for you.] Lucifer grabbed the shoulder of the middle-aged woman next to him. [Today is meant only for her revenge.]

    [You have no idea what she had to suffer in Arnan,] Lucifer mentioned faintly.

    What happened? Si-Hun asked as he looked toward Iris.

    Iris shook her head in pallor. I-I dont k-know either

    Si-Hun remained silent. It did not seem like she was lying. What in the world could have

    Si-Hun bit his lip and stared at the middle-aged woman. Since she had married a demon, one who was known as the Evil God no less, he was certain that it was no simple circumstance.

    [I will have her expl]

    No, Lucifer. Tell them yourself.

    [Huh? Me?]

    Tell them what those filthy and wicked nobles made me go through!

    Lucifer remained silent and then grabbed his head as if it hurt. He was panting and slightly trembling.

    [Im sorry. Just thinking about what you had to go through I can barely contain my rage.]

    Dear

    The middle-aged woman grabbed Lucifers clothes while teary-eyed.

    Lucifer covered her with his ck wings and continued, [The reason matters not. Besides It can never be undone.]

    Youre right. Even if we tell them the reason, theres no way that those wicked beings would ever listen. The middle-aged woman nodded.

    Lucifer slowly walked forward. The moonlight shone down on him through the cracks of the destroyed party venue walls. He raised both his arms as if he was praying to God.

    [I dere in the name of Lucifer, the Prince of Pride!]

    His thunderous voice shook the entire imperial castle. No, it was not just the castle.

    Wh-What?

    L-Lucifer?

    As in E-Evil God Lucifer? Wh-What?! What the hell is happening?!

    Lucifers voice spread throughout the entire imperial capital. The people who had been asleep in their homes quickly opened their windows and turned toward the source of the sound. There, they saw a giant ck Rift dozens of meters tall above the imperial castle. Green tentacles spraying yellow pus wriggled out from the ck Rift.

    [Tonight, the Arnan Empire will drown in blood! And Aernor will meet its demise!!]

    The eyes of the middle-aged woman widened from Lucifers deration.

    D-Demise?

    <em>What? What the fuck is it now?</em>

    You never told me about that!

    <em>Yes, I really havent.</em>

    Leaving the empire aside, if you destroy the c-continent

    <em>What? Werent you going about revenge and whatnot earlier? Whats wrong this time?</em>

    Where is our Lucis supposed to live?!

    <em>Oh Stop it. Just stop, maam.</em>

    Answer me, Lucifer!

    <em>Just fucking stop, please.</em>

    [Fuck my life,] Lucifer muttered so that no one could hear him.

 Chapter 348: Advent of the Evil God (2)

    Chapter 348: Advent of the Evil God (2)

    [Dont worry, my dear.] Lucifer calmed down the middle-aged woman while smiling. [I have already thought of a ce for our Lucis to live.]

    Wh-Where? The woman looked up at Lucifer with shaking eyes.

    Lucifer whispered while staring at Kim Si-Hun, [There is a world known as Earth.]

    Earth The woman tilted her head in confusion from a word that she had never heard of before.

    [We will start anew there.]

    Another world

    The woman gulped from what she had never even thought about. It was certainly not a bad idea.

    I see, that was an option! She nodded her head in delight.

    Earth, you say? Si-Hun bared his teeth fiercely. He clenched the sword handle as if he were trying to break it and shouted, I will not let you have your way!

    There was no way that he would allow the demon toy his hands on Earth on top of Aernor. Si-Hun infused Ludwig with his Qi and elongated the condensed sword energy. Lucifer raised his hand as he stared at Si-Hun, who was about to charge toward him at any second.

    [I believe I told you that this party is not for you.]

    What the hell are you talking about after pulling all this shit?!

    Lucifer pointed at the ck Rift above the imperial castle while smiling. Hideous green tentacles were wriggling out from it. Undead demonic beasts that had attacked the party venue were also pouring out from it.

    Wh-What the

    The problem was that they were not heading toward the castle, but toward the imperial capital. Si-Hun was not dumb enough to not know what that meant.

    You crazy son of a bitch!!

    It was not hard to imagine what would happen if those demonic beasts were left to run amok in the capital; countless people would be eaten alive by the demonic beasts. Although the capital could not be considered peaceful, many people lived in it, and Hell would befall them in an instant.

    Those people have done nothing!!

    That was true; if Lucifer was truly nning on taking revenge for that middle-aged woman, his targets should naturally only be the nobles.

    [Youre absolutely right.] Lucifer nodded. [They did nothing.]

    [All they did was bber unsightlyints. All they do is sit in bars and shout that the world is going wrong, as if that would change anything.]

    They looked down at the world in arrogance.

    [No one took action.]

    They did not think, resist, nor act.

    [Not even when they were pathetically spending their days like livestock. That is their sin.]

    Lucifer slowly turned around. <em>Split</em>. A three-meter-tall Rift formed in front of him. He walked toward it.

    Where do you think youre going?!

    Si-Hun could not afford to let Lucifer go. He quickly charged toward him, but

    [Do you have the leeway to face me?]

    Si-Hun stopped in his tracks.

    [There are still many beasts remaining in the castle.] Lucifer nced at the demonic beasts that were bowing their heads toward him. [Imand you, my retainers.]

    He slowly raised his hand and pointed at Princess Iris behind Si-Hun.

    Eek! Iris eximed while crouching.

    Lucifer ordered without interest, [Kill her.]

    Skreeeee!!!

    Grrrrr!!

    The demonic beasts that had been bowing down stood up and charged toward Iris while baring their teeth.

    Kuh!

    Si-Hun turned away from Lucifer and swung his sword at the demonic beasts.

    [Well, then] Lucifer waved his hand with his back toward Si-Hun. [I will be waiting for the day we meet again.]

    Lucifer disappeared into the ck Rift.

    ***

    Oh Kang-Woo walked out into a dark in outside the capital.

    [Fuuu,] he sighed.

    He was still in the form of Lucifer because there was still plenty of time until Mimicry would be undone.

    [I guess the first step was a s]

    Lucifer, why have we left already?

    <em>For fucks sake, why did you follow me,dy?</em>

    Kang-Woo turned toward the voice.

    <em>How did she even manage to follow me?</em>

    The ck Rift that he had created using an Authority was one meant for demons, which only those with demonic energy could pass through. However, this woman had managed to pass through it without issue, meaning

    <em>I knew she wasnt just a normal human.</em>

    Kang-Woo could feel thick demonic energy from her. The fact that she had not turned into a demon or demonic beast despite having such demonic energy meant that she had perfect control over it.

    <em>A ck mage, huh?</em>

    He had heard that there were people in Aernor who possessed demonic energy but could still maintain their human appearance.

    Werent you going to tear the nobles apart in front of me?

    The middle-aged woman stared at Lucifer, unable to understand why he had left the venue right when they were about to exact their revenge. Kang-Woo fell into thought while staring at her.

    <em>Should I kill her?</em>

    Si-Hun was no longer here, so it would be a piece of cake to end the facade and eliminate her.

    <em>No.</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head. He couldnt afford to get rid of the valuable pawn that was Lucifers wife.

    <em>Im sure shell be of useter on.</em>

    He had no idea where the real Lucifer was nor what he was doing. This woman could be able to be the link between Kang-Woo and Lucifer.

    [No, it is not yet the right time.]

    What do you mean?! We could have killed them all right then and there! the middle-aged woman shouted angrily.

    Horrifying bloodlust poured out from her crumpled face.

    <em>Witch.</em>

    The woman wrapped in madness perfectly matched the word that popped up in Kang-Woos mind.

    <em>A witch, huh?</em>

    He smiled and approached her. He swept back her silver hair and caressed her cheek.

    [Calm down.]

    Kang-Woo continued softly, [Death is nothing.]

    Pardon?

    [ I said, death is nothing.] <em>Snicker</em>. Kang-Woo continued as his eyes filled with madness, [Only life is true agony.]

    Ah

    The woman trembled, and her eyes opened wide. She could easily understand what Lucifer was trying to say.

    [Are you truly okay for your revenge to end so easily?]

    N-No! I cant let it end like this, after everything Ive been through! the woman answered while nodding furiously.

    Kang-Woo smiled. [In that case, trust me and wait just a little longer.]

    Okay. Ill wait. I will wait as long as I need to, my love.

    The middle-aged woman entered Kang-Woos embrace, and they kissed passionately once again.

    Lucifer

    The woman slightly pulled down her dress with her eyes hazy.

    <em>Whoa, whoa. Calm down, maam. Calm down.</em>

    Hngh, Lucifer

    <em>Calm down! Fucking calm doooooooown!</em>

    [Im sorry. Its time for me to go.]

    What do you mean, you have to go? A-Are you going to leave me again?

    Lucifer turned around, his eyes filled with sorrow. [Im sorry I cannot stay by your side.]

    D-Dont go, Lucifer! Take me with you!

    [I cannot do that.]

    Why?

    [I cannot tell you right now.]

    Lucifer lightly trembled, and then turned around to embrace her fiercely again.

    [One day I will tell you everything.]

    Lucifer

    Transparent tears flowed down the womans cheeks. Lucifer gradually began to turn into ck smoke.

    L-Lucifer!

    The woman grabbed Lucifer in surprise, but he only slipped through her grasp. Lucifer, who was disappearing in smoke, reached his hand out toward her, their hands ovepping in the air.

    [Until we meet again]

    Okay! I will wait, Lucifer! No matter how long it takes, I!

    Luciferpletely vanished without being able to hear the final part of her sentence.

    ***

    Haaa, haaa!

    Si-Hun, who had cut down hundreds of demonic beasts, panted heavily. The demonic beasts with green tentacles were far stronger than the ones from the first wave that had attacked the party venue.

    The guards! The imperial guards have arrived!

    Where the hell have you been?!

    Several people might have died if the imperial guards had note as reinforcements. Si-Hun quickly turned around after having managed to kill every single demonic beast in the castle. The crisis was not over yet.

    <em>The capital is in danger.</em>

    The demonic beasts that had poured out from the Rift in the air were heading to the capital.

    Your Highness! We must stop the demonic beasts from reaching the capital!

    O-Okay! I understand! Iris nodded and turned her head toward the guards. Imperial guards, hear me! Set out from the castle immediately and protect the citiz

    While she wasmanding the imperial guards, her expression suddenly froze and she turned pale.

    Huh? Wh-Why?

    Iris grabbed her head, unable to understand. She began to tremble.

    Your Highness? Si-Hun frowned.

    Iris stuttered, I-Imperial guards S-Stay here and protect the c-castle.

    What are you saying?! Si-Hun yelled with his eyes wide.

    The demonic beasts were heading to the capital, but she wanted to leave the imperial guards here?

    Argh

    Iris bit her lip in pallor. She averted her gaze from Si-Hun and lowered her head, her hands clenching on her dress shaking.

    Th-There might still be demonic beasts remaining in the castle. I-Imperial guards p-protect the castle.

    Si-Hun bared his teeth from the absurdity. Your Highness!

    He clenched his teeth while ring at Iris, but she only lowered her head in pallor.

    <em>Shit!</em>

    Si-Hun could not afford to waste any more time. He quickly turned around and ran toward the bridge connecting the imperial castle and the capital. The demonic beasts that were trying to head to the capital were gathered there. They were crossing the bridge extremely slowly for some reason.

    Skreeeee!!

    Kuh!

    Si-Hun blocked the bridge to the capital and raised his sword. Hundreds of demonic beasts hade out from the Rift.

    <em>Ill protect them.</em>

    Si-Hun quickly nced back. The citizens of the empire hade out due to the hugemotion and were staring at Si-Hun facing the demonic beasts in surprise. Si-Huns heart set aze.

    <em>Whatever it takes!</em>

    <em>Fwoosh!!</em>

    White light burst out from Si-Hun, dyeing the darkness white.

    ***

    Shit, shit, shit! An old man in white vestments was swearing in a luxurious room. He shouted with a shaky voice, E-Evil God Lucifer Wh-What the hell is going on?!

    His expression crumpled.

    She wants to let the imperial guards out in a situation like this? Crazy bitch!

    <em>Pant, pant</em>. Fidelios shoulders trembled in fury. He clenched the transparent orb in his hand so hard that it could break. It was a magic tool imbued with telepathy magic. Unlike amunication crystal that only transmitted sound, this was an advanced magic tool that could transmit ones voice directly into a targets brain. If Fidelio had not taken quick measures, Iris would have sent the imperial guards to the capital.

    It seems Fidelios eyes narrowed. It seemed he would have to give Iris another <em>lesson</em>.

    Fuuu, Fidelio sighed and leaned back on a chair.

    It felt like his n that had been going smoothly was going awry as ofte.

    And those morons that joined forces with a ck mage What in the world

    The rebel army that he had supplied with various armaments and training instructors had joined forces with a ck mage out of the blue, but they had failed in the one job they had despite that.

    <em>Useless sons of bitches.</em>

    Fidelio frowned as if his head hurt. Just then, someone knocked on his door, and the door slowly opened.

    Youre Fidelio turned toward the uninvited guest that had entered his room.

    Oh, Im d you see youre alright. The young man with sharp eyes extended his hand toward Fidelio while smiling brightly. Weve met before, havent we? My name is Oh Kang-Woo.

 Chapter 349: Walking Past the Back (1)

    Chapter 349: Walking Past the Back (1)

    Ohh, youre Sir Kim Si-Huns brother. Fidelio grabbed the hand that Oh Kang-Woo had extended with a smile. He shook his head with a dark expression and said, Ive heard what was going on. <em>Fuuu</em> If Sir Si-Hun had not been in the imperial castle, I cant even imagine the atrocity that would have urred here.

    Did you not attend the party, Prime Minister Fidelio? Kang-Woo asked.

    Hahaha. I had some work to do. As an elder, it is my duty to shoulder the work for the young princess, Fidelio mentioned while chuckling as he nced at the pile of documents on the table.

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>Oh, of course youd be busy.</em>

    After all, he was controlling the entire continent through the princess. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and used the Authority of the Beholder; the transparent orb that Fidelio had been holding before he entered the room came into view.

    <em>He mustve used that tomand her.</em>

    Kang-Woo had been able to feel the mana connected to Iriss body the moment her expression froze in the party venue. The thread of mana had been connecting her and that transparent orb.

    Haaa. Ive heard about the situation in the party venue, as well as Her Highnesss decision Fidelio continued while sighing, Please do not think badly of Her Highness because she did not send the imperial guards to the capital. Im sure she was scared due to the sudden crisis.

    Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>Youve got some brains, Ill give you that.</em>

    Fidelio had so naturally pinned Iris as the culprit who had stopped the imperial guards from taking action. Considering Kang-Woo hade to visit Fidelio without warning, it had been a very quick judgment on Fidelios part.

    I understand. My party is stopping the demonic beasts from reaching the capital, Kang-Woo expressed.

    Phew, what a relief. I cant even imagine what wouldve happened if you all werent here

    Not at all. More importantly, Im d to see youre alright, Prime Minister.

    Hahaha. Thank you for worrying about an old man like me. Fidelio smiled gently and bowed.

    Kang-Woo let go of Fidelios hand and turned around. Now that Ive confirmed that youre safe, I will excuse myself.

    Are you leaving already?

    Since Kang-Woo had more or less figured out what sort of person Fidelio was, there was no more reason for him to stay here.

    I cant leave Si-Hun fighting all by himself.

    But Ive heard that youre not a great fighter

    But I know how to fight, at the very least. Though Im nothingpared to Si-Hun.

    Ohh, I see. Fidelio nodded. He continued as his eyes shone, I would like to have a meal with Sir Si-Hun one day.

    It was obvious what Fidelio had in mind. Kang-Woo was sure that Fidelio was made aware of Si-Huns astoundingbat prowess that he had shown in the party venue.

    <em>The situation has changed for him.</em>

    Although defeating five hundred rebel army soldiers all by oneself was very impressive, it was not to the point that Fidelio would do anything to get his hands on Si-Hun. As proof of that, Fidelio had not approached Si-Hun nor anyone in Kang-Woos party after offering them their VIP rooms. However, wiping out Evil God Lucifers subordinates was apletely different story.

    Haha, Understood.

    Kang-Woo softlyughed and turned around. Even if Fidelio had not asked for it, he had been nning on arranging a meeting between the two.

    <em>Soon.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled widely.

    ***

    The news of the advent of Evil God Lucifer stirred the entirety of Aernor. Not only had the Evil God, who had vanished without a trace a few years ago,e back, his deration of the continents demise was enough to relight the fear that had been deeply rooted in the hearts of the continents residents.

    Si-Huns name spread throughout the continent like wildfire at the same time as the fear of Lucifer surged within the people. He was the hero who had protected the imperial capital from demonic beasts. Just seeing him stopping the horde of demonic beasts from crossing the narrow bridge between the castle and the capital had been enough to capture the hearts of the people. However, the expression of the hero himself was not bright at all.

    Haaa, Si-Hun sighed. He stared at Kang-Woo in worry. Hyung-nim

    We had expected this to happen, Si-Hun.

    They had already expected that the Demon of Prophecy would not stand idly by as Kang-Woos party continued their Aernor expedition.

    But thanks to that, the conditions have been fulfilled, Kang-Woo expressed.

    Conditions?

    I told you in the beginning, didnt I? Once the continent is sent to the brink of copse after the Demon of Prophecy takes action, the high elves will appear.

    Oh.

    Si-Hun hadpletely forgotten about the high elves because of the appearance of Evil God Lucifer.

    He groaned and asked, When will they appear?

    How should I know? But its an undeniable fact that the conditions have been partially fulfilled.

    Evil God Lucifer had dered the continents demise, and Si-Hun had gained fame exceeding that of Reynald. They had met the fundamental requirements for a high elf to manifest.

    <em>Though its stillcking.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes shone sharply. He did not hope for a high elf to appear after barely having done anything. It had only been a few days since Evil God Lucifer had descended. Also, there had not been many casualties from this incident. It was far toocking of a situation for the continent to be considered on the brink of copse.

    <em>But weve taken the first step.</em>

    This operation had been a huge sess. Although there had been an unexpected variable midway, it had been a huge sess purely in terms of results. Si-Huns name had spread throughout the continent, and people were praising him one after the other.

    <em>Maybe I shouldve tried to build it up better.</em>

    Whatever the case, the result had been beyond perfect despite the n having only just begun.

    <em>Now then</em>

    It was time to prepare for the next part of the n.

    Si-Hun, youll have to go around.

    Go around? What do you mean?

    You know, like congresspersons going on election campaigns for votes. There are a bunch of rumors about you, but barely anyone has seen you in person.

    Thats true.

    Show your face to the people, and make bullshit small talk with merchants about how hard life is nowadays and that youll change this nation for the better.

    Haha I think I know what you mean. Si-Hun nodded while smiling awkwardly. But wouldnt that be dangerous to do when we have no idea what Lucifer is nning?

    Were doing it exactly because we dont know what hes nning. We cant let him have his way, can we? Besides, Lucifer probably doesnt know that were trying to use his advent to manifest a high elf either.

    I guess youre right. Si-Hun nodded.

    If he were Lucifer, he would likely have no idea about what Kang-Woo was nning.

    Using Lucifers advent to our advantage Si-Hun nodded in session. As expected of you, hyung-nim.

    Anyone could have thought of such a n if they racked their brain even a little, but Si-Hun had not even thought to pull off such a thing due to having been so intimidated by Lucifer.

    Si-Hun continued with a smile, You dont seem to be scared of Lucifer at all, hyung-nim.

    Huh?

    That was obvious, since Lucifer had not actually appeared.

    I didnt even think to use this crisis as an opportunity because I was scared of losing morerades like in the past against Satan.

    Hahaha. That just goes to show how much I trust you. Im scared too, man.

    <em>I didnt even manage to get any sleepst night.</em>

    Anyway, get out of the castle and go around the empire. You can go around with Balrogs party if you want to.

    Huh? Youre noting with me, hyung-nim? Si-Hun asked, wide-eyed.

    He subtly trembled at the fact that he would be separated from Kang-Woo. Si-Hun looked at Kang-Woo pitifully as if he were an abandoned puppy looking up at its owner.

    <em>What the hell, man? You didnt say much when you were separated from La. Why are you like this with me?</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head with an awkward smile. I have things left to do here.

    Ah

    <em>Dont make that face, Si-Hun. Youre making me cringe No, scratch that.</em>

    I dont want to separate from you either, but I dont think I can go with you this time, Kang-Woo mentioned.

    Its okay, hyung-nim. Si-Hun responded in all seriousness. Ill do my best so I dont disappoint you.

    Okay, man.

    <em>My cute little bro.</em>

    Ill trust you, Si-Hun.

    Kang-Woo patted Si-Huns shoulder and stood up.

    ***

    Si-Hun left the imperial castle as per Kang-Woos instructions. Iris tried to stop him while in tears, but Si-Hun left without looking back after promising her that he woulde back soon.

    <em>Fufu</em>. Are you feeling lonely after being separated from your little brother? Lilith giggled while having her hand on Kang-Woos shoulder.

    Lonely, my ass. Im d I have one less person to care about, Kang-Woo answered bluntly.

    Lilith held in herughter while covering her mouth. You say that, but even this morning, you were just standing in front of Si-Huns room

    Shut up.

    My, I apologize.

    Lilith giggled innocently; she seemed to have grown quite fond of teasing Kang-Wootely.

    More importantly, have you finished with the investigation? Kang-Woo asked.

    About Lucifers wife?

    Yeah. Kang-Woo nodded.

    She had been the one variable that he had not expected in the previous operation. No, it would have been impossible for him to have expected it. He needed to figure out who she was in advance.

    My apologies. I have not yet been able to create an effective informationwork in this world. Could you wait a little longer?

    Yeah, its fine. Im not in a rush. But wouldnt she be a noble of high peerage if she was invited to the party?

    Well She seems to have forged her identity. After some investigation, even her invitation letter seems to have been forged.

    Hmm. Kang-Woo nodded.

    <em>Well, Im sure I can just leave it to Lilith.</em>

    In that case

    Kang-Woo got up from the chair.

    Are you nning on going to see Iris? Lilith asked.

    Yeah.

    The reason why Kang-Woo had remained here was to fix the princesss twisted personality and to devise a n to change her witch image among the public.

    <em>Ill have to take care of that shitty personality of hers first.</em>

    Iriss hysteria had be even worse after the previous incident. Since her true personality was exactly like that of the rumors, he wasnt able to devise a n to rectify it.

    Im off, then, Kang-Woo said to Lilith, and then left the room.

    His mind was full of thoughts about Iris.

    <em>Did Fidelio ce some sort of brainwashing magic on her?</em>

    It was a possibility, considering how she had been trembling in fear. Kang-Woo used the Authority of Stealth and headed to Iriss room.

    <em>Shatter!!</em>

    Out! Get out!!

    Just then, a hysterical voice echoed throughout the hallway. Kang-Woo headed to the source of the sound and saw a woman leaning on the wall of the hallway, crying.

    <em>Sniff, sniff</em>

    It was Siesta, one of Iriss maids. She was crying while having one hand on her swollen right cheek.

    <em>What the hell?</em>

    Kang-Woo watched over the situation while frowning.

    I-Im sorry, Your Highness

    Siesta bowed in front of Iriss room door while crying, and then turned around.

    <em>Is she acting like this because Si-Hun went away?</em>

    Kang-Woo entered Iriss room whilepletely dumbfounded, but his expression froze soon after.

    <em>Sniff</em> Hurgh. Waaaaahh. Iris was crying while on her knees on the bed. No more I-I cant take any more <em>Sniff</em>. Brother Brother

    Her clothes were loose as if they had been ripped apart, and her hair waspletely disheveled. Her cheeks were bruised as if she had been punched. Kang-Woo could see sheets stained with some sort of fluid under the nket that Iris was using to cover herself with.

    Hah, Kang-Woo feignedughter.

    A chill ran down his spine. It was not hard to deduce who had done this to her.

    <em>Fidelio Youre far crazier than I had thought.</em>

 Chapter 350: Walking Past the Back (2)

    Chapter 350: Walking Past the Back (2)

    Oh Kang-Woo had thought brainwashing magic to be the most likely. If not, he had also thought of the possibility of Fidelio having taken advantage of Iriss unstable mental state and put her through chronic hypnosis.

    <em>Turns out it was nothing like that.</em>

    Fidelio was controlling Iris through simple and primitive violence. It was so simple that Kang-Woo felt like an idiot for having thought ofplicated possibilities for this long.

    <em>Crazy old fucker.</em>

    Even though Fidelio held the true power in the empire,ying ones hands on an imperial princess was absolutely insane.

    Hurgh <em>Sniff</em>. Waaaahh.

    Kang-Woo stared at the crying Iris. After taking a closer look, there was fluid smeared on her mouth, and it reeked like organic waste.

    <em>... It reeks?</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at the fluid staining the bed sheet again while tilting his head.

    <em>Oh.</em>

    It was vomit. Kang-Woo used the Authority of Transparency to take a look at Iris, who had covered herself with a nket. Although her top was loose, her bottom was left untouched.

    <em>Fuuu</em>, Kang-Woo sighed in relief, unbeknownst to himself.

    However, he grimaced and shook his head moments after.

    <em>No, this isnt something to be relieved over.</em>

    Just the fact that Iris had been struck to the point that she vomited was crazy enough. It did not change the fact that Fidelio hadid his hands on an imperial princess. Kang-Woo recalled how pale she had gotten whenever the imperial capital was mentioned, and how she had trembled as if she was freezing.

    <em>I see. I see why now.</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly closed his eyes. He recalled the sorrowful Dous. His words echoed in Kang-Woos head.

    <em>- I at least want you to know that it is not entirely her fault.</em>

    Kang-Woos thoughts were jumbled. An unpleasant feeling lingered around him.

    Wh-What? Whos there?

    Possibly having heard Kang-Woos feignedughter, Iris wiped her tears and looked around.

    Kang-Woo turned away from her, thinking that she wouldnt want others to see her in this state. Just then

    Oh Kang-Woo?

    ...!

    Kang-Woos eyes widened.

    <em>How?</em>

    He was currently using the Authority of Stealth. It would have been a different story if he had been noticed by someone with extremely heightened senses like Kim Si-Hun, but there was no way that Iris would have been able to sense him.

    Youre Oh Kang-Woo arent you?

    Kang-Woo turned his head. He saw that Iriss eyes were shining gold.

    <em>The blessing of the high elves.</em>

    There was nothing but the power to detect the demonic, which was passed down through imperial blood, that would have allowed Iris to be able to detect him.

    Yes, I am.

    Having no choice now that he was discovered, Kang-Woo dispelled the Authority of Stealth. Kang-Woo appeared in the dark room.

    Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Why are you

    Iris stared at Kang-Woo with shaking eyes. She red at him with slight bloodlust while pulling in the nket to cover her bruises.

    Since when were you here? she asked.

    I only just arrived.

    Deathly silence fell.

    Iris mumbled while lowering her head, Get out. She screamed while holding back her tears, Out! Get out!! Get out right now!!

    Kang-Woo felt pity from her mad screams.

    Kang-Woo looked up to the ceiling.

    <em>What should I do? How should I handle this? Should I console her first? Ah, you mustve been in such agony until now. Fidelio, that fucker, hes a piece of shit. That must be why your personality is so shit. Yeah, I understand it all. It cant be helped since you had to go through something like this.</em>

    She must have gone through a very hard time.

    <em>Fuck that.</em>

    Such empty words were a pointless form of consolement. Consoling her right here and now would be nothing but a way for him to lighten the burden in his heart.

    <em>Considering the state shes in</em>

    The problem would not be resolved even if Kang-Woo were to eliminate Fidelio. Her memories of Fidelio would not vanish just because the person himself did; Kang-Woo was sure of it just from the fact that Iris was barely able to look at Fidelio in the eyes. Her fear of him had already been deeply rooted in her soul.

    <em>It wont disappear.</em>

    The fear that had been branded on her soul would not disappear. She would have to live on with that horrifying agony for the rest of her life. It was already far toote for Kang-Woo to do anything about it.

    Kang-Woo stared at the trembling Iris; she was bawling her eyes out while scrunched up. Did that mean she would have to live this way forever? Would she have to stay imprisoned by fear, covered in unheble scars for the rest of her life?

    Kang-Woo slightly opened his eyes. There was one way to eradicate the deeply-rooted fear in her heart.

    <em>But</em>

    Conflict momentarily shed in his mind. It was difficult to eradicate her trauma through normal means; in other words, the method that he had thought of was not a normal means. Hence, the aftereffects would be massive. Kang-Woo closed his eyes.

    <em>What should I do?</em>

    Should he leave Iris to be imprisoned by fear for the rest of her life?

    <em>Or</em>

    Should he erase the fear in her heart while letting her suffer the aftereffects?

    Why Why Iris muttered.

    She was trembling with her hand on her swollen right cheek.

    Kang-Woo did not have to think for very long. He slowly opened his eyes.

    Did Fidelio do this? he asked despite already knowing the answer.

    What does it matter to you? Didnt I tell you to get out?! Go away! Get out!! Iris screamed like a wounded beast.

    She picked up amp next to her bed and threw it at Kang-Woo. He easily deflected it. <em>Shatter! </em>Themp broke, and transparent ss shards scattered across the floor.

    Please, please Iris sobbed, transparent tears flowing down her cheeks. She begged, Get out.

    Kang-Woo did not listen; he slowly walked toward her. <em>Step, step.</em> The small sound of footsteps filled the room.

    And then what? Kang-Woo stared at her with deeply sunken eyes. Whatre you gonna do after I get out?

    What?

    Iriss eyes widened. She was more shocked by the content of his sentence than the fact that he was talking to her disrespectfully.

    <em>Did you think I was gonna console you? Empathize with you? Would shit like that be able to save you?</em>

    I asked you what you were gonna do after I left.

    Y-You! Iris frowned.

    Are you just gonna take it lying down while trembling in fear? Is trembling pathetically all youre capable of doing?

    Iris remained silent. She bit her lip and said in a shaky tone, Then What do you want me to do? More tears flowed down her cheeks. She screamed, What was I supposed to do?!

    Kang-Woo chuckled. What did you do until now, then?

    What?

    I get that you suffered at Fidelios hands, but what did you do to get away from it?

    I

    Are you gonna say that you werent able to? Because Fidelio held all the power? Kang-Woo smirked. No, theres no fucking way. All that power wouldnt have gone straight to Fidelios hands, would it?

    Th-Thats because Brother

    Yeah, I get that it happened because Reynald died, but had there been absolutely no one who offered to help you, who held the most right to that power as the one next in line for the throne?

    Iris refrained from answering.

    Well, fine. Lets say that it ended up that way after you kept yielding to Fidelio. But even so, you couldve at least told Si-Hun about it, couldnt you?

    Iris had seen Si-Huns impressivebat prowess with her own eyes, meaning she also knew that he was capable of saving her. However, she did not tell her; she did not beg to grab hold of that opportunity.

    Why? Because you were scared? Of Fidelio? Did you not even attempt to grab on to a sliver of hope because of a crappy reason like that?

    Kang-Woo recalled his miserable and wretched days in Hell. Even though he had been scared, he had fought through it. He drank the blood of demons and devoured their flesh. He abandoned everything purely for the sake of victory.

    Iris continued to remain silent.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he stared at her.

    <em>Bullshitting is so damn hard.</em>

    His argument was a facy.

    <em>Theres no way she wouldve been able to resist.</em>

    What he had said to Iris was like telling a victim of domestic, school, or any other forms of violence why they did nothing to stop their parents, teachers, or any other perpetrator from beating them up. People became powerless when fear was rooted deep in their hearts.

    <em>But</em>

    That fact would not solve anything. Sympathizing with such logic would not eliminate the fear that had rooted itself in Iriss heart. Kang-Woo needed to make Iris think of her own ord that she had been mistaken all this time, or she would remain a scarred victim her whole life. For her to ovee her fear, she needed to stand on her own two feet.

    All you did was vent your anger on others, Kang-Woo stated.

    Iris had simply tried to make herself feel better by taking her pent-up rage out on the weak.

    Y-Youre wrong. Iris shook her head.

    You justined about how much you were suffering, thats all.

    Youre wrong!! Iris shouted.

    A glint of bloodlust shone in her eyes. Hatred began to sprout from within her.

    <em>Good.</em>

    Kang-Woo had waited for this response.

    What am I wrong about? he asked.

    W-Well Iris was lost for words. She trembled while biting her lip. She lowered her head and mumbled, Then What should I have done? What am I supposed to do?

    Kang-Woo tilted his head and asked back, What do you want to do?

    Tell me what you want to do most right now.

    You know what it is.

    Kang-Woo did indeed know; he was not stupid enough not to. However

    I wanna hear you say it.

    Iris had been under Reynalds protection her whole life. Even after Reynald had died, she was curled up behind his back, trembling in fear.

    <em>At that rate, shell never be able toe out from there.</em>

    Silence fell. Iris shut her eyes tightly while trembling.

    She whispered, ... enge.

    <em>I cant hear you.</em>

    I want to take revenge, Iris answered with her head lowered.

    Really? In that case beg.

    What?

    Kang-Woo continued with deeply sunken eyes, I said, beg for my help. Get on your knees, put your head on the floor and plead for it.

    Kang-Woo was forcing her to abandon everything for the sake of victory. Iriss expression froze.

    What? Your pride wont stand for it?

    Iris closed her eyes. As she was about to say something

    <em>Shatter!</em>

    Wh-What? Why are you

    A voice was heard from the door, belonging to an old man who was wearing casual clothes instead of his usual white vestments. Fidelio red at Kang-Woo after dropping the bottle of alcohol that had been in his hand.

    Your Highness, what is the meaning of this? Fidelio asked.

    A-Aaaahh

    Iris turned pale, her teeth ttering as she trembled.

    Thats what I want to ask you, Kang-Woo interrupted. He slowly reached out to touch Iriss swollen cheek. What have you done to Iris?

    Fidelio flinched. After racking his brain, he answered calmly, It was a lesson.

    <em>A lesson?</em>

    You could call it tough love. You know how Her Highness acted during the incident at the imperial castle, Fidelio continued.

    Th-Thats! Iris expressed.

    Be quiet.

    Fidelio red at Iris, who then lowered her head as she was about to say something.

    Tough love, you say? Kang-Woo responded.

    <em>You call a beating to the point of her vomiting a lesson?</em>

    Silence stretched out for a moment.

    Pfft. Laughter managed to squeeze out from Kang-Woos mouth. He let it burst out without restraint, grabbing his stomach. Bahahahahahahahaha!!! Fuck, man. You have a better sense of humor than I thought.

    Fidelio lightly bit his lip and then responded calmly, This is not for outsiders to get involved in. I had no choice but to do it to guide Princess Iris toward the right path. He continued while grabbing his chest as if the act had truly hurt him, I did not want to do something so brutal to Her Highness either. But I had no choice but to be tough on her All because I love her!

    Jesus fucking Christ.

    <em>Thats quite the poker face you have there.</em>

    Kang-Woo was genuinely impressed by how Fidelio could bullshit so hard in such a situation. His bullshittery was honestly a work of art.

    Fidelio red at Kang-Woo in displeasure. He turned to Iris and said, Tell him yourself, Your Highness. Tell him why I had no choice but to hit you.

    Princess Iris. Fidelio continued while aggressively clenching his fists, Go ahead and tell him.

    U-Umm

    Iris looked at Kang-Woo in pallor. Kang-Woo simply waited for her to speak without a word.

    Iris continued while trembling and with her head lowered, Y-Yes. Prime Minister Fidelio was g-giving me some tough love all for my sake. He has done nothing wr-wrong.

    She bit her lip, shuddering pitifully.

    You heard Her Highness. Fidelio approached and aggressively gripped Kang-Woos shoulder. Even if you are one of Her Highnesss saviors, I cannot let this slide.

    Kang-Woo paid him no mind.

    Im sure you know how grave a sin it is to trespass on Her Imperial Highnesss chambers.

    Kang-Woo ignored Fidelio. His attention was only on Iris, who was trembling in pallor. There was no point in him trying to give her any more of a helping hand. It was all up to her now.

    Iris, Kang-Woo called.

    <em>If you want to win, abandon it all. What remains of your pride, the fear pushing you down, and that back youre hiding behind Everything.</em>

    Iriss teeth ttered. Her fear of Fidelio and the horrifying memories dominated her mind.

    <em>Brother</em>

    The dependable back that had always been protecting her Iris had spent her days in joy while hiding behind that back. Once that back vanished, she was left fully exposed to hands stained with greed.

    <em>- What did you do until now, then?</em>

    Iris could not refute the fact that she had done nothing.

    <em>- Had there been absolutely no one who offered to help you?</em>

    There had been. Dous and the members of Reynalds party, who had gone on countless adventures together with Reynald, had offered their help, but Iris did not ept their help; she simply shrunk down in fear.

    <em>- Why? Because you were scared?</em>

    She was scared. Scared of the retaliation worsening, and of more pain. Hence, she said nothing; she was unable to say a word. She did not fight; she gave up on fighting.

    <em>- Did you not even attempt to grab on to a sliver of hope because of a crappy reason like that?</em>

    A-Arrgghh. Iris grabbed her head. Urgh Arghh

    She saw Reynalds back. For the very first time, she slowly walked past the back that had always protected her.

    H Iris looked up at Kang-Woo with quivering eyes. H-Help.

    Kang-Woo snickered. Thats a rather rude way of begging someone for help.

    Iris slowly put her forehead on the floor. She said again while weeping, P-Please help me. Please Please help me!

    <em>Very good.</em>

    Your Highness, what are you say

    Kang-Woo grabbed the wrist of Fidelios arm that was on his shoulder.

    Tough love, was it?

    <em>You had no choice because you love her, right?</em>

    Fidelio.

    <em>I have a confession to make.</em>

    I love you too, motherfucker.

    <em>Bash!!</em>

    Kang-Woo pulled on Fidelios arm and punched him in the face.

 Chapter 351: Walking Past the Back (3)

    Chapter 351: Walking Past the Back (3)

    Oh, fuck, Oh Kang-Woo expressed.

    <em>Hes not dead, is he? Thatd be bad.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at the fist he had used to punch Fidelio.

    <em>Dammit, I held back quite a lot on that.</em>

    He had held back to a level that he would use to wipe off dust from his hands; no, even more than that. He had not even used a single speck of demonic energy, but

    Kurgh! Guuuu

    Hey, you good? Whoa, you lost a few teeth. Your nose is a bit crooked too, I think.

    Y-You bastaaaaard!!

    But for real, I held back a lot on that, okay? Come to think of it, Im older than you. Why are you talking down to me, fucker?

    Fidelio red at Kang-Woo.

    <em>ck!</em>

    Oh, whats with these guys?

    As Kang-Woo turned around while snickering, twelve knights wearing ck armor appeared out of nowhere and surrounded him. Sharp swords were pointed at his neck, eyes, heart and groin. Kang-Woo whistled.

    Holy shit, thats some badass armor. But I think you guys messed up the timing for your appearance a little.

    <em>You shouldve appeared before I fucking decked Fidelio in the face. Just look at him, hes crawling on the floor with blood pouring out from his nose.</em>

    Also, do you mind not pointing your sword there, my guy? My Franois is trembling in fear.

    <em>Hes already lifeless enough as it is, you fucking sons of bitches.</em>

    You son of a bitch Fidelio got up on his feet. He red at Kang-Woo with bloodlust, but then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Do you seriously believe this will go unpunished?

    Fidelio had regained hisposure much faster than Kang-Woo had expected. He had not managed to take control over the empire by a fluke.

    Princess Iris, Fidelio called.

    E-Eek! Iris eximed while flinching as Fidelio red at her.

    She crouched with tears flowing down her cheeks.

    It seems you will need a harsher lesson once this is over.

    N-No N-No more

    Iris trembled while stuffing her head between her knees.

    Enough of that shit. Kang-Woo smirked and stepped forward. Youve way overused that trope.

    <em>That shit has overstayed its wee.</em>

    Halt, said the knight in ck armor, who was pointing his sword at Kang-Woos groin.

    Hey. Kang-Woo slightly twisted his torso and clenched his fist. I told you He turned 180 degrees while using his left leg as the axis and drove his fist forward. The ck knight calmly tried to block the fist with his sword. Not to point your sword there.

    <em>Bash!</em> Kang-Woo swung his fist and destroyed the sword before smashing it into the ck knights sr plexus, and the knights upper body vanished. Left with only his lower body, the knight copsed.

    Wh-What the?!

    Kuh!

    The shocked knights widened their distance from Kang-Woo. Fidelio aggressively frowned.

    I see you were hiding your strength, he said.

    Its amon cliche, you know?

    The cliche of the protagonist hiding their strength.

    <em>Oh fuck, right. Im not the protagonist. If I had to give myself a role, Id be more the antagonist. Oh, well.</em>

    Shadow Knights, Fidelio called.

    Whoa, theyre called shadow knights? Thats cool as fuck. I wanna try saying that too, said Kang-Woo.

    Kuh. Let us see how long you can keep that leisurely attitude for! Fidelio pointed at Kang-Woo. Kill that man!

    Dude, please stop with the respectful speech.

    <em>You sound like Frieza.</em>

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Blue aura enveloped the ck knights swords. Kang-Woos expression crumpled.

    The hell? Not ck aura? Come on, you should be staying consistent with your color scheme. Wheres your sense of style?

    Your arrogant attitude ends here, said the ck knights to Kang-Woo, who waspletely unfazed despite them having unleashed their aura.

    Kang-Woo smirked. Zat so?

    He snickered and took one step forward.

    Kill h

    Kang-Woo teleported; he vanished and appeared right in front of a ck knight. Kang-Woo used the momentum tond an uppercut. <em>Bash!</em> The knights head flew off along with his spine from the massive impact. Kang-Woo took the copsing ck knights sword.

    You see, Ive been practicing martial arts like my life depended on ittely.

    <em>Im gonna have you all by my practice dummies.</em>

    Haap! The ck knights charged toward Kang-Woo.

    Two had died, and now ten remained. Kang-Woo dodged a sword swung at his neck by leaning back.

    So

    He recalled Kim Si-Huns teachings.

    <em>- Your worst habit is that you aim for the vitals far too much, hyung-nim.</em>

    <em>Obviously, since demons wont die just from getting their limbs chopped off.</em>

    <em>- Once you fix that habit, your sword swings will be much smoother.</em>

    Like this, right?!

    Kang-Woo bounced back and swung his sword. He did not focus on killing his opponent; he simply went with the flow of his martial arts.

    <em>ng!</em>

    Wow.

    The sword that had been swung at him was deflected. Simply swinging his sword as per the flow of the Heavenly Dragon Sword Technique had easily blocked the attack aimed at him.

    <em>This is awesome.</em>

    Kang-Woo felt like he was reciting a script that he had practiced in a y. He was only swinging as he was taught, but none of the knights attacks were reaching him.

    <em>- You rely too much on weapons, hyung-nim. You keep trying to attack only with your sword.</em>

    <em>Yeah, because Ill be the one to die if I dont. The constitution of demons is no joke.</em>

    <em>- Your martial arts will improve by leaps and bounds once you be proficient in using your knees, legs, shoulders and elbows.</em>

    Kang-Woo pushed away a knight who was charging toward him with his shoulder. He dealt a low kick, and the knights stance crumbled.

    <em>Stab!</em> Kang-Woo thrusted his sword into the copsed knights neck.

    I think Im getting the hang of this.

    He was feeling something that he had not been able to feel from fighting an insanely talented genius like Si-Hun.

    What in the world are you all doing?! Fidelio shouted.

    The ck knights approached Kang-Woo anxiously.

    But to be honest Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and threw the sword aside. This isnt really for me.

    Fighting like this was extremely bothersome.

    Lets just do it the easy way.

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his hand and snapped his finger.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    des sprouted from the ground with Kang-Woo at the epicenter.

    Just get split in half, will you?

    The des shot into the knights groins and out of their mouths. Their bodies were split vertically into two, and all copsed simultaneously. The stench of blood filled the room.

    Kyaaaaahh!! Iris screamed at the horrifying scene.

    Wh-What in the Fidelio stared at Kang-Woo with his mouth agape.

    Kang-Woo had massacred the shadow knights in just one attack, and with just the snap of his finger, no less. Fidelio could feel his pants getting wet.

    Fucks sake, thats disgusting. Kang-Woo frowned. Lilith.

    Yes, Master Kang-Woo.

    Lilith appeared from Kang-Woos shadow as if she had expected his summons.

    Clean up these bodies.

    As youmand.

    Kang-Woo approached the shaking Iris.

    Wh-What are you? H-How did you kill the shadow knights? Iris asked.

    Hm? Youre being rather rude again.

    Urgh Iris bit her lip. You mentioned that you were a bad fighter.

    Oh, that? I lied.

    Now, get it together and drink this.

    Kang-Woo bit his thumb to spill blood and stuffed his thumb into Iriss mouth.

    Mmrp! Iris expressed surprise from Kang-Woos sudden action, but became wide-eyed once she saw that her wounds inflicted by Fidelio hadpletely healed. H-How

    Ill exinter. Follow me.

    Kang-Woo turned around. They left Iriss chambers and went to Kang-Woos room while Kang-Woo dragged Fidelio along, grabbing what little remained of his hair.

    Kurgh! L-Let me go! Do you have any idea what youre d

    Oh shit, some strands fell out.

    Y-You bastaaaaaard!!

    Come on, man. Its not like you had that many left. Having none at all is better than dearly holding on to a few strands.

    Y-You abominable! You call yourself a human aftermitting such atrocities?!

    Fucks sake, youre so intolerant. Did losing your hair make you this way? Anyway, take a seat here.

    Kang-Woo dragged Fidelio into his room and seated him on a chair.

    <em>Authority of Sealing.</em>

    <em>tter</em>. ck chains bound Fidelio to the chair.

    K-Kang-Woo. What are you nning on doing? asked Iris, who had followed Kang-Woo after changing clothes.

    Her eyes were shaking heavily in worry and anxiety. It was no exaggeration to say that Kang-Woo had dered war on the entire empire the moment that he attacked Fidelio. Even if he and Si-Hun were strong, would they be able to take on the full force of the empire?

    <em>Its impossible.</em>

    There was no way that two people would be able to face an entire nation. Although they had party members, there were merely ten of them altogether.

    Im not gonna do anything, said Kang-Woo as he turned to look down at the trembling Iris. You are.

    What? Iris asked, wide-eyed. Wh-What does that mean?

    Kang-Woo scanned her while narrowing his eyes.

    <em>Still not enough.</em>

    Although Iris had managed to ovee her fear of Fidelio for the very first time, it was nowhere near enough. She was still afraid of him to the point that she could barely look at him, despite him being strapped to a chair and unable to move an inch.

    <em>This wont do.</em>

    It was nowhere near enough. Her fear of Fidelio was still rooted deeply within her. She had only taken the first baby step; she was unable to stand on her own. She could barely walk or move forward.

    You said that you wanted to take revenge against Fidelio, didnt you? Kang-Woo asked.

    Y-Yeah. I mean Yes! I-I want to take revenge! shouted Iris with her fists clenched.

    In that case, I will give you a choice.

    A choice?

    Iriss eyes shook.

    Kang-Woo continued, You have two choices. He put up two fingers. First is that you let me take revenge for you. If you choose this, you will stay like this forever.

    Stay like what?

    I mean, even if you manage to get your revenge, youll never be able to escape from your fear of Fidelio.

    Iriss expression froze. She was easily able to understand Kang-Woos abstract expression.

    <em>If I let Kang-Woo take revenge against Fidelio for me, I</em>

    Iris bit her lip and clenched her clothes. She recalled her days of being beaten by Fidelio after Reynald disappeared. Fidelio had struck her using the excuse of it being a lesson. There was once she had been beaten so hard that her cheekbones had fractured.

    U-Urghh.

    Iris couldnt stop shaking just from recalling that memory. She felt nauseous. Her fear of Fidelio overpowered her hatred toward him.

    <em>I would keep having nightmares of him beating me for the rest of my life.</em>

    Iris was not even able to escape reality through her dreams. She panted heavily.

    Wh-Whats the second choice? she asked.

    Youll be taking revenge with your own hands, answered Kang-Woo.

    If I do that Will I really be able to ovee my fears? Will the nightmares stop?

    Iris grabbed on Kang-Woos clothes in desperation.

    Kang-Woo answered calmly, Yes, but there will be side effects.

    Side effects?

    You could break. No, you will most definitely be broken.

    What do you mean?

    I mean, as the price for oveing your fears, you will no longer be yourself.

    There might be another way if they took their time to search for one. Iris might even forget the horrifying memories one day over time. However, at the very least, the method that Kang-Woo had thought of and was nning on doing, would change Iris permanently.

    Silence fell. Iris lowered her head and fell into thought. She honestly could not understand what Kang-Woo was trying to do nor what he meant by she would not be herself anymore. However

    I want to do it myself, Iris said with difficulty. She then continued as her eyes glinted with an unbendable will, If I can be freed from this fear this nightmare I could even sell my soul to a demon.

    Hah, Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>What a coincidence.</em>

    He slowly closed his eyes.

    Very well.

    <em>If thats what you have chosen If you truly wish to sell your soul to free yourself from that fear Ill buy it. Ill pull out the fear within you by the roots. Ill make it so that youre never gued with nightmares Even if it breaks you.</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes. He raised his hand and patted Iriss head.

    In that case

    A ck droplet dropped from the ring on Kang-Woos right middle finger, which turned into a ck dagger about twenty centimeters long.

    Kang-Woo handed Iris the dagger and said, Stab him with your own hands.

    Pardon? Y-You want me to kill him?

    No, I didnt say that. Lets start from the thighs. After that, well slowly gouge out his arms, calves, toes, fingers, ears, eyes, and tongue. One by one, slowly. Dont worry. Ill make it so that he wont die until were all done.

    <em>Until your deeply-rooted fear disappears</em>

    You can take it slow.

    <em>Until your fear turns into hatred</em>

    What are you doing? Take the dagger.

    <em>Until your hatred turns into madness</em>

    Go on. Stab him.

    <em>Until you go insane.</em>

 Chapter 352: Broken

    Chapter 352: Broken

    A-Aaaahh

    Iris trembled as she clenched the dagger that Oh Kang-Woo had given her. She looked down at the sharp dagger in her hands. Her fear of Fidelio overtook her hatred for him.

    <em>I-Im supposed to stab him with this?</em>

    Her head was in jumbles. She had honestly imagined killing Fidelio with her own hands. No, she had imagined doing things way worse than that countless times, but

    Haaa, haaa, haaa, Iris panted heavily.

    Her heart beat faster. She could not even look in Fidelios general direction. She wanted to throw aside the dagger in her hands.

    <em>Why Why?</em>

    Despite all the hatred she had for Fidelio

    <em>Why Why isnt my body moving?</em>

    Iris aggressively bit her lip. She gripped the dagger tighter and forced herself up. She looked up and stared at Fidelio, who was shaking while bound to a chair.

    <em>tter!</em>

    Then, the dagger in her hands fell to the ground. Iris copsed and panted heavily.

    Wh-What? Wh-Why? Iris expressed confusion.

    Kang-Woo looked down at her.

    <em>Well, its to be expected.</em>

    Iris had never even held a de before, so there was no way that she would be able to stab someone just because she was told to.

    <em>Especially in a situation like this.</em>

    Kang-Woo could see that Iris could barely look Fidelio in the eyes even now. The fear that had deeply rooted itself in her soul was getting in her way.

    <em>At this rate</em>

    She would not be able to stab Fidelio. Kang-Woo walked toward the trembling Iris and crouched next to her.

    What are you doing? Didnt you say that you wanted to take revenge?

    U-Uhmm Iris gulped while stammering. She slowly handed Kang-Woo the dagger. Actually, c-could you do it for me, S-Sir Kang-Woo? I-Im fine with just watching.

    She had changed her mind after actuallying face to face with her fears. She averted herself from her trauma that was Fidelio.

    No, Kang-Woo responded firmly as she handed Iris back the dagger. You have to do it yourself.

    U-Urghhh.

    Iris bit her lip as the hands that held the dagger shook.

    If you cant stab him

    Mmrp!! Mmmrrpp!

    Kang-Woo extended his hand toward the chair that Fidelio was bound to. <em>Clunk</em>. The chains loosened.

    W-Wait!! I have what you want Mmrp!

    The loosened chains bound Fidelio once again.

    Kang-Woo stared at Iris coldly with eyes devoid of emotion. ... I will unchain him.

    N-No!

    Iris extended her hands out. She could easily imagine what would happen if Kang-Woo were to unchain Fidelio in this situation.

    <em>Once again</em>

    Iris would fall into that hell again no, an even worse hell would be in store for her. Iris lowered herself to the floor and grabbed the hem of Kang-Woos pants.

    D-Dont. Im begging you. N-No, I beg of you, sir. Please Please dont, Iris pleaded while crying.

    Kang-Woo did not waver in the slightest from her desperation. Anyone could beg while grabbing on to ones pants. Such an act was meaningless.

    In that case Kang-Woo caressed the prostrated Iriss cheek. Stab him.

    Iris flinched. She trembled while biting her lip.

    Yes, sir.

    Iris stood up while crying. She tightly gripped the dagger that Kang-Woo had given her. She took multiple deep breaths.

    <em>I-I can do it. No, I have to do it.</em>

    If she didnt, Kang-Woo would actually release Fidelio. The sound of her ttering teeth echoed within her mind like thunder. She panted heavily, and her heart was beating so hard that it could burst. She shut her eyes tightly, turned to Fidelio, and slowly opened her eyes.

    Haaa, haaa, haaa!

    There was fear. There was a monster. There was a demon where she had opened her eyes to look. Her eyes shook. She could barely face him.

    <em>- Your Highness.</em>

    The demons voice echoed inside her head.

    <em>- Please do not be sad. This old man will protect you in ce of His Majesty and Prince Reynald.</em>

    She should never have taken his hand.

    <em>- This is a lesson.</em>

    She heard the demons cackles. The memories of pain and agony returned to her.

    U-Urgghh!

    Iris bent forward like a bow. With the fear spreading throughout her body like a gue, something extremely tiny showed itself. It had been there this entire time; it had just been buried underneath the fear. It was hatred.

    You son of a bitch! Iris muttered, her eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

    She raised the dagger toward the old man, the hideous monster before her eyes, and stabbed.

    <em>Pierce!</em>

    Mmmrp!! Urp! Urppp!!

    <em>tter! tter!</em> The chains binding Fidelio shook violently. Iris could feel Fidelios squirms through the dagger that had pierced his right thigh.

    Kyaaaaahh!! Iris screamed.

    The unfamiliar and unpleasant sensation of stabbing flesh traveled to her from the dagger, and it made her freeze. She fell on her butt with the dagger still in Fidelios thigh. Kang-Woo appeared from behind her as she crawled backward.

    Good job, he said as he put his hand on her shoulder to stop her retreat.

    I-It felt so weird. It felt m-mushy, and it was squirming

    Yeah. Kang-Woo put his hand on the back of her hand as if soothing her, and slowly guided her hand to the dagger. You can do it again, right?

    Yes.

    Iris nodded and grabbed the dagger that she had stabbed into Fidelios thigh. She felt the unpleasant sensation of a struggling living being.

    <em>Im scared. ImscaredImscaredImscaredImscaredImscaredImscared.</em>

    Tears flowed down her cheeks. She gripped the dagger and pulled it out. Blood spewed out from Fidelios thigh and sttered on her.

    Urpp!! Bleeeeegghhh!! Iris puked with her hands on the ground.

    Kang-Woo lightly patted Iriss back as she emptied her stomach.

    The first time is always the hardest. Thats true for everything in this world. Once you get through the first time, itll be much easier than you think the subsequent times.

    Haaa, haaa, haaa.

    Now, pick up the dagger again.

    Iris gripped the dagger that Kang-Woo handed her.

    A-Ahhhhhhh!

    She raised the dagger high again and stabbed Fidelios thigh. <em>Pierce</em>. A chilling sensation traveled up her hands.

    <em>Aaaahh.</em>

    Kang-Woo was right. The first time she had done it was hard, but the second time was not as bad.

    Fi delio!

    Iris pushed down her fears and pulled out the dagger.

    <em>Stab! Stab! Stab!</em>

    Fidelio! Fidelio! Fidelioooooo!!

    She stabbed Fidelios thigh again and again with all her might.

    Mmrp!! Mrp!

    She could hear Fidelios muffled screams and see his face dyed with fear.

    Heh. Iris smiled.

    The fact that Fidelio was making the face that she had used to make all the time thrilled her.

    <em>Whats happening?</em>

    She could not understand. No, there was no need for her to understand.

    <em>It feels good.</em>

    Iris pulled out the dagger and stabbed Fidelios thigh again. Kang-Woo gently held her hand.

    You shouldnt be picky, he remarked.

    Pardon?

    Iris turned around to see Kang-Woo smiling at her. For a moment, she felt like she saw the face of a demon on Kang-Woos. She saw a dark, boundless abyss.

    A-Aahh.

    Iris trembled. The fear that she had felt for Fidelio all this time felt like nothingpared to true fear before her eyes at this moment.

    Now, dont just stab his thigh. Try stabbing him wherever you want, said Kang-Woo.

    Wh-Where I want?

    Yeah. The demon gave Iriss back a gentle push. He brought his mouth close to her ear and whispered, Release as much of your hatred as you want.

    Iriss eyes turned hazy from Kang-Woos sweet whispers. She swung the dagger madly.

    IF ONLY!!!

    Blood sttered as fingers were cut and fell on the ground.

    IT WERENT FOR YOU!!!

    Iris stabbed Fidelios cartge and twisted the dagger with all her might. The cracking of bones sounded out.

    YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!

    The umtion of fear was being converted to hatred. Iris continued to swing the dagger while releasing her hatred. The sensation of cutting flesh no longer felt unpleasant to her, nor the dark-red blood sttering all over her.

    <em>Im not scared anymore.</em>

    The corners of Iriss mouth slowly rose. She could finally understand what the thrilling sensation traveling down her spine was.

    <em>This is fun.</em>

    It was fun beyond belief. She felt like she could burst out intoughter at any moment.

    <em>I cant believe Ive been missing out on something this fun!</em>

    Iris could now understand why Kang-Woo had stared at her in pity. He had likely been frustrated beyond belief.

    Haaa Iris sighed in ecstasy as she stared at Fidelio, who had be a rag covered in cuts.

    <em>Its over.</em>

    Whoever said that vengeance made one feel empty was aplete dipshit; revenge was sweeter than anything in the world.

    Thank you Sir Kang-Woo, Iris said to Kang-Woo, her eyes hazy as if she were high.

    Kang-Woo smiled. What are you talking about? Were not done yet.

    Pardon me?

    <em>Its not over? </em>Iris thought.

    Weve only just begun.

    Kang-Woo bit open his thumb and dripped blood on the bloodied Fidelio.

    Urpp!! Mmmmrpp!

    Then, Fidelio jumped as if having a seizure and his wounds healed in the blink of an eye.

    Wh-Wha Iris expressed while wide-eyed.

    Kang-Woo picked up the dagger on the floor and handed it to Iris.

    Now then

    <em>Lets start over.</em>

    The second time will be easier.

    <em>And even more the third time.</em>

    ***

    A few days passed. <em>ck</em>. Kang-Woo opened the door to a room, and was met with a thick scent of blood.

    H-Hehehehe.

    Kang-Woo could hear a crazy giggle.

    Oh, Sir Kang-Woo~ Iris, who was fully covered in blood, turned toward Kang-Woo and smiled as her eyes gleamed with madness. She walked over to Kang-Woo and asked, Have I done well? Have I?

    Kang-Woo smiled brightly and patted her head. Yeah, you have.

    Hihi, Iris giggled in joy and embraced the dagger that Kang-Woo had given her.

    There was no longer any fear reflected in her eyes.

 Chapter 353: Escape (1)

    Chapter 353: Escape (1)

    Hehehe, Iris giggled crazily.

    Oh Kang-Woo could see the madness in her eyes.

    Kang-Woo sighed with deeply sunken eyes. Her eyes no longer reflected fear of Fidelio, but

    <em>Did I make the right choice?</em>

    He was conflicted. Even he knew that this was not the best oue. It might have been better for Iris to live on while suffering from nightmares.

    <em>- If I can be freed from this fear this nightmare I could even sell my soul to a demon.</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled how desperately Iris had begged him while trembling. He closed his eyes. This had been her choice, and what she had wished for.

    <em>I could have erased her memories using the Authority of Subordination, but</em>

    Kang-Woo thought for a moment, but shook his head.

    <em>Its too dangerous.</em>

    The blessing of the high elves on Iris had been powerful enough for her to recognize him under the Authority of Stealth. Making a contract of subordination with her would be far too dangerous.

    Youre not afraid of Fidelio anymore, right? he asked.

    Yes! Iris answered brightly.

    Her radiant smile, despite her being covered in blood, was chilling.

    <em>Even so</em>

    With this, Iris hadpletely been freed from Fidelios grasp.

    <em>This has negative effects in its own right, but Its at least better than spending the rest of her life being shackled by fear.</em>

    Sir Kang-Woo, where should we gouge out today~?

    Iris grinned while staring at Kang-Woo with a chilling glint in her eyes. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>Is this really for the better?</em>

    He had indeed aimed for this to happen, but he had not expected her to break this badly in the span of just a few days.

    <em>I guess it goes to show the extent of the fear she had for Fidelio.</em>

    On top of that, her baseline gentle and kind nature had likely amplified the effects. Just like how the burst of emotion was stronger the more one bottled them up, the bloodlust that had been suppressed underneath her gentle nature plus her fears had set aze beyond control.

    <em>I never thought itd get this bad.</em>

    Kang-Woo regretted pushing her so far.

    <em>Im sure shell get better over time.</em>

    Time could not be rewound. The good news among all this was that Iris was very obedient, meaning that Kang-Woo was able to control her.

    <em>I think its about time that we stop.</em>

    Although Iris had been broken beyond repair, stopping now was better than continuing.

    No, thats enough.

    Im sorry? Iris asked while wide-eyed as she looked back and forth between Kang-Woo and the unconscious Fidelio. Umm What do you mean by

    I mean, you can stop now.

    Oh.

    Iris subtly trembled. She fiddled with the dagger in disappointment.

    Kang-Woo smirked and continued, Revenge isnt all about stabbing, shing and breaking, you know? You should be taking back what was stolen from you, one by one.

    What was stolen from me? Iris asked in wonder.

    Your power as an imperial princess, and your reputation. They were all taken from you by Fidelio, werent they?

    Thats

    Conflict glinted in Iriss eyes. Although it was true that her power as a member of the imperial family had been taken away by Fidelio, he was not solely responsible for her infamy as a witch. Rather, she was more responsible for it because she had vented her stress on her servants.

    Iris. Kang-Woo caressed the conflicted Iriss cheek. He asked gently, It was all Fidelios fault, wasnt it?

    Ah, yes! O-Of course! It was all because of that human garbage! Iris energetically answered while furiously nodding.

    Kang-Woo nodded with a smile. Good. Now, its time for you to break free from your false charges and get ready to be the empress.

    Empress

    Iris nkly stared at Kang-Woo. The word did not seem real. Her father, Emperor Leopold von Arnan, was getting sicker each day. He actually should have died long ago, but he was being forcibly kept alive with magic. Like Kang-Woo had said, Iris would without a doubt be the empress soon.

    <em>Empress? Me?</em>

    Iriss heart beat faster. She could not breathe properly; it felt as if a heavy weight was pressing down on her chest.

    Its impossible. You know what the people of the empire say about me, Sir Kang-Woo.

    The opinions of the people were actually of no consequence to Iris bing the empress, since she was the only one who carried the blood of the imperial family. However, the false usations against her were almost impossible to break away from. Although there was no proof to such usations, Iris knew very well how difficult it was to change an opinion that was considered to be the truth by many.

    You can leave that to me, responded Kang-Woo.

    He smiled. He had already thought of a way to wipe her infamous reputation as a witch clean. He turned around to look at Fidelio, who was unconscious while covered in blood.

    Umm Sir Kang-Woo. Iriss eyes shone chillingly as she clenched the dagger. Shall we End him now?

    She red at the unconscious Fidelio with bloodlust. It was aplete flip in attitude from the beginning when she could barely look in Fidelios general direction. Kang-Woo stared at Iris with mixed feelings, and then slowly shook his head.

    No, said Kang-Woo.

    No?

    We wont kill Fidelio.

    What? Wh-What do you mean we wont kill him?! Iris stared at Kang-Woo in bewilderment. Not killing Fidelio was absurd. She bared her teeth, raised the dagger menacingly and shouted, N-No! I have to kill that human garbage myself!

    Kang-Woo firmly shook his head despite Iriss crazed defiance. Iris.

    Ngh

    I told you that we wont kill him.

    B-But

    Iris stared at Kang-Woo as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment. To her, Fidelio was her mortal enemy that had put her through hell. No, not just her, but he had sucked the life out of countless citizens of the empire. Iris could not ept the fact that such a person would not die for his sins.

    F-Fidelio needs to die, Iris replied cautiously, pleading to Kang-Woo to change his mind.

    Kang-Woo smirked and asked, Really? Why do you think so?

    Well There was no need to even mention it. Iris red at Fidelio in madness. Because nothing else befits the human garbage.

    No matter how Iris thought about it, Fidelio did not deserve to live. Kang-Woo softlyughed at how bold Iris had be after just a few days.

    Do you seriously believe that? he asked.

    Pardon?

    If you truly want to take revenge on Fidelio, he shouldnt end that way.

    I dont understand.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head toward Iris. He patted her head and spoke to her as if he were a teacher teaching a child. If he dies, thats the end of it.

    No matter how painfully and miserably one died, it would all end once they died. Their pain, suffering and sorrow would end at the moment of their death.

    Now, think about what you had to suffer in his hands. Didnt you think every day that you would be better off dead?

    Ah.

    Iris opened her eyes wide. Kang-Woo was right. She had longed for death in the endless swamp of despair. She had thought that death was the only form of salvation for her.

    Why would you kill him and be done with it? Kang-Woo smiled widely. Death was nothing. Keeping him alive would be more agonizing for him.

    Only life was true agony. Iris felt chills running down her spine.

    <em>Aaaahh, this person is truly terrifying.</em>

    No, she was not even sure if he was human.

    <em>It doesnt matter.</em>

    Iris couldnt care less whether Kang-Woo was a human, monster, or even a demon. What was important was that he had saved her and had guided her toward salvation. He had not protected her like Reynald or Kim Si-Hun had, nor had he given her a ce to hide behind. He had given her a push so that she would be able to stand on her own two feet.

    Okay. I will do as you say, Sir Kang-Woo. Iris nodded while staring at Kang-Woo hazily.

    Good. Well be busy for a while.

    Kang-Woo needed to eliminate those on Fidelios side and form a line of support only for Iris. He needed to reconstruct this broken empire.

    <em>Only then will I be able to focus on Lucifer.</em>

    There was a high chance that people would not fear the advent of the Evil God as much as Kang-Woo hoped in such a situation. People couldnt care less about an Evil God or a Demon King when their daily lives were already a living hell.

    <em>People tremble in fear when they have something to lose.</em>

    And when that fear turned into despair, the continent would reach the brink of copse.

    Ill even give you an opportunity to spend some quality time with Si-Hun, so do your best to earn it, Kang-Woo expressed while lightly patting Iriss shoulder.

    Since she had fallen in love with Si-Hun, there would likely be no better reward than this.

    <em>Though I feel sorry for my sister-inw.</em>

    Although Kang-Woo felt bad for doing this to La, there was no better bait than Si-Hun to have perfect control over Iris.

    Ah Iris eximed shortly. I understand. I will do my best.

    She smiled while gently grabbing Kang-Woos clothes. The smile felt awkward for some reason.

    ***

    Fidelio regained his consciousness within the room filled with a scent of blood.

    G-Gaaarghh, he groaned unpleasantly through his wrinkled lips. Kurgh! Hurgh! Huff!

    Fidelio panted heavily as he trembled from the lingering pain.

    <em>H-Hes insane.</em>

    He recalled the young man with the sharp eyes. He could not describe the man with any other word than that.

    <em>He and Iris are both insane.</em>

    No, the man Oh Kang-Woo had already gone far past the realm of insanity.

    <em>Hes a demon.</em>

    Fidelio swallowed his saliva mixed with blood. His teeth ttered and he shed tears. He felt like he was swimming across an endless sea of nightmares.

    <em>I have to run away.</em>

    He needed to get away from that demons grasp. But how?

    A-Arghh. The chains binding him ttered noisily as Fidelio struggled frantically. A-Aaaahh.

    He twisted around with all his might to get away from that crazed monsters grasp. The chains dragged on his skin, widening his wounds and blood flowing out from them.

    Raaaaaahh!!

    Fidelio was in excruciating pain, but his fear of the demon was greater. Fidelio thrashed about as if he was having a seizure. And then

    <em>Clunk.</em>

    Huh?

    The chains covered in blood loosened slightly. Fidelios eyes widened. As he moved left to right, he could feel the chains slightly loosening.

    <em>F-Finally!</em>

    He had finally grasped an opportunity. Fidelio thrashed about even more aggressively to bleed more. The ecstasy of being able to escape overtook the pain of his flesh being ripped apart.

    <em>I have to run away.</em>

    Before that demon came back As soon as possible

    <em>I have to run!!!</em>

    Fidelio was freed from the chair.

 Chapter 354: Escape (2)

    Chapter 354: Escape (2)

    Huff, huff!

    Fidelio managed to make it outside of the imperial castle through a secret passageway and was running across a forest.

    <em>I-I did it!</em>

    He looked back; there were no pursuers.

    <em>I did it!</em>

    A sensation of thrill ran down Fidelios spine. He smiled as he was hit with an unbearable feeling of ecstasy.

    That crazy son of a bitch

    Great hatred soon reced his ecstasy. Fidelio bit his lip and clenched his fists. He recalled how Oh Kang-Woo hadmanded Iris to stab him while smiling coldly.

    U-Urghh.

    Fidelio trembled. His boiling hatred was cooled by an even greater sense of fear.

    Shit, shit!

    He anxiously bit his nails and turned to look back at the imperial castle. He had spent years working hard to be the true ruler of the empire in ce of that moronic and ipetent princess. He only needed to take a few more steps, but

    <em>Just like that</em>

    It had been taken away by a brat that hade from who knows where, all too easily.

    Kuh!

    Fidelio bared his teeth and clenched his fists to the point that veins popped out.

    <em>For now I have to run.</em>

    Kang-Woo had massacred the shadow knights that Fidelio had selected and raised with his heart and soul, with just the snap of his finger. Not just that, he had a brother that had faced hundreds of demonic beasts by himself. Fidelio had no chance facing them head-on.

    <em>I have to wait for my chance.</em>

    Fidelios eyes sharpened. Although those two were powerful, there were only two of them; they would be no match for overwhelming numbers.

    I should make use of the rebel army.

    The gears in Fidelios head turned quickly. Considering the situation, Kang-Woo had most definitely taken Iriss side.

    The fool.

    Fidelio couldnt help but smile. He couldnt believe that Kang-Woo had decided to side with Iris of all people. Even if Iris could be easily controlled, it was far too reckless.

    <em>Thats bitchs reputation is far beyond irreparable.</em>

    With the addition of the false rumors that Fidelio had spread along with her usual behavior, Iriss reputation could not be any worse among nobles andmoners alike. Even ves badmouthed her.

    <em>Ill make you regret siding with her.</em>

    Fidelio bit his lip as his eyes set aze with hatred. He was nning on pushing Kang-Woo into the pits of hell by using Iris. Although Kang-Woo had done nothing to the people of the empire, it did not matter.

    <em>The public are nothing but beasts.</em>

    The truth did not matter to them; they would believe anything that was exciting and entertaining. Just by letting loose a rumor that Iris and Kang-Woo were in a romantic rtionship, the public would spread it all on their own. If Fidelio added a little more spice on top of that, Kang-Woo would be an aplice to the witch in less than a month.

    <em>However strong you are I wonder if youd still be able to stand with the princess after making the entire empire your enemy?</em>

    Fidelio smiled while imagining his sweet revenge. Although it was difficult to manipte the truth, it was more than doable for him. After all, he had done it countless times to get to his current position.

    <em>When ites to agitation and fabrication No one has me beat.</em>

    Fidelio snickered and once again looked back at the castle. He had ended up getting a horrifying memory from the experience, but he felt like the fear encroaching on his mind was waning as he imagined his revenge.

    <em>I have to run for now.</em>

    He had prepared safe houses all over the empire just in case. Fidelio limped away.

    ***

    Fuuu, Fidelio sighed in relief.

    He had sessfully escaped to the Velen Viscounty located in the southern region of the empire by using a magic circle in a safe house near the capital. Viscount Velen was one of Fidelios supporters, so there was no ce better than this to hide out.

    Have you heard the news?

    Of course I did. Its been huge for the past few days.

    How could such a thing have

    The streets were noisy. People were discussing things in all seriousness in bars, markets, and everywhere else.

    <em>Whats going on?</em>

    Fidelio frowned. He knew very well of the circumstances in Velen; the fact that people who barely had the energy to speak from working their asses off to survive were making such a fuss was highly abnormal.

    <em>I should figure out whats going on.</em>

    Fidelio pulled down the hood of his robe and entered a bar.

    Get me a beer and something to eat.

    Yes, sir! a server boy energetically answered.

    He brought out lukewarm beer and thinly-sliced ham.

    Kurgh, ptooey!!

    Fidelio spit out the extremely salty ham. The boy lowered his head while smiling awkwardly.

    Fidelio drank the lukewarm beer and asked the boy, Has something special happened? The streets are rowdy.

    Something special? Could it be that you still havent heard the news?

    What news?

    Fidelio tilted his head in confusion. The boy ran somewhere in a rush and brought over a newspaper.

    Its a scoop among scoops among scoops!

    Fidelio took the newspaper from the enthusiastic boy and read the headline.

    [Has Prime Minister Fidelio been supporting the advent of the Evil God all along?]

    [Additional evidence discovered of Prime Minister Fidelios connection to Evil God Lucifer.]

    [Prime Minister Fidelio makes an official appearance <em>I willply wholeheartedly with the investigation.</em>]

    What?

    Fidelios eyes widened. He saw himself on the first page of the imperial newspaper, lowering his head while surrounded by countless journalists.

    Wh-What the hell?

    What in the world was happening? He was connected to Evil God Lucifer? Even though he had wanted to rule the empire, he had never considered something as insane as joining forces with a demon.

    No, thats not important right now.

    Fidelio shook his pale head.

    <em>Why</em>

    Why was he, who had been hiding out in his safe house for the past few days, in the newspaper surrounded by journalists?

    <em>C-Could it be a disguise?</em>

    Fidelio shook his head. It was beyond the level of a disguise. Although there was magic capable of changing ones appearance, he had never seen one that urate. Fidelio himself could not tell the difference, so it was no question for other people. He felt as if his doppelganger had appeared.

    Haaa, haaa, Fidelio panted heavily.

    Something was going horribly wrong.

    <em>Wham!</em> The door of the bar swung open.

    All of you! Come outside right now!

    The broadcast has begun!

    <em>Broadcast?</em>

    Fidelio turned his head. There was only one thing in the empire known as the broadcast; it referred to a special magic tool made to deliver the words of the emperor to the people, and it could not be used without the permission of the imperial family.

    Come to the za! a man shouted.

    People swarmed out of the bar. Fidelio stared at them nkly, but then sprang up from his seat soon after.

    I-It cant be.

    Fidelio grew pale. The worst possible oue popped up in his head.

    N-No! Fidelio shouted as he followed the others to the za.

    The za was already filled with thousands of people. There was a giant crystal orb in the middle of the za, and a video feed was shown from the light that came out of it.

    [Everyone.]

    Fidelio himself was in that video feed.

    [I will reveal the whole truth to everyone, right here and now.]

    He was kneeling on a tform with a haggard expression, seemingly tired from the long investigation.

    Wh-What the? What is he trying to do?

    [I had cast brainwashing magic on Princess Iris to control her from the shadows.]

    What?

    [I had also spread false rumors to have her be unjustly branded as a witch.]

    What the fuck are you talking about?

    [On top of that, I had a ck mage attack the princess.]

    Y-Y-You

    [No, that is not all.]

    The grave sins that Fidelio hadmitted left his own mouth.

    [It is also true that I have connections to Evil God Lucifer and his forces.]

    S-Stop.

    [No, it is not simply a connection.]

    Stop it.

    [I also had a great part in his resurrection. It was truly an excruciatingly long ordeal.]

    I told you to stop.

    [Oh, why would I help in the Evil Gods resurrection, you ask? Why else but this?]

    Y-You

    In the video feed, Fidelio sneered as he had his head lowered while kneeling. He continued, [Because I am one of Lord Lucifers servants.]

    You motherfuckeeeeeeeeerr!!

    At the same time, the kneeling Fidelio stood up.

    <em>Rumble! Crack! Crush!</em>

    The chains binding him exploded.

    [Pfft, bwahahahahaha!!] Fidelio burst outughing. [Idiotic humans! How could you have been fooled so easily?!]

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    Goat horns sprouted from Fidelios forehead, and bat wings spread out as they ripped through the skin of his back.

    [Even if you have found out the truth, it is already toote!]

    Fidelio, who had turned into a demon, raised his arms high and released demonic energy. The imperial guards around him coughed up blood and copsed.

    [This continent will meet its end by Lord Lucifers hands!]

    Fidelio, the demon who had been controlling the empire in the form of a human, stomped aggressively.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    [Tremble in fear! Fall into despair! Meet your deaths before the great evil!]

    Fidelio pped his bat wings and flew up into the sky.

    [The time of the end is near!]

    And with that, Fidelio disappeared into a ck Rift.

    The za grew silent. The people could not even mutter amongst themselves from being unable toprehend what they had just witnessed.

    M-My God.

    Why did such a thing

    As time passed, more and more people muttered, and was the trigger for various curses and screams.

    Ah

    Fidelios mouth was agape amidst the chaos. He looked up nkly into nothingness with lifeless eyes.

    <em>Wha What is this?</em>

    The question continued to be posed in his mind over and over again. Fidelio remained trembling while standing still in the middle of the za. He could not follow the current situation. An hour passed, and then two, and three; he remained standing in the za despite everyone else having left. Only he was remaining in the darkness past midnight.

    <em>Step, step.</em> Fidelio heard someone walking toward him. He turned to see who it was, and then his eyes widened.

    Y-You

    It was Oh Kang-Woo, the young man with the sharp eyes.

    Youuuuuuuuuu!!

    Fidelios rage ate away at his sanity. He charged at the young man in a craze, but of course

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kurgh!

    Fidelio, who was about to punch Kang-Woo, was blown back. Kang-Woo walked toward the copsed Fidelio.

    Sheesh, I cant believe you were Lucifers servant. You really shocked me. Kang-Woo raised his hands in shock.

    Fidelio red at Kang-Woo in hatred while biting his lip.

    You bastard! Do you seriously expect people to believe such an absurd lie?!

    Yeah, I do. Kang-Woo snickered and aggressively stomped on Fidelios head. After all, people only see what they want to see. They couldnt care less about the truth.

    Fidelio knew it just as well; people believed anything that was exciting and entertaining.

    Ah

    Fidelios face grew pale. He finally understood what sort of person the human no, the demon Oh Kang-Woo was.

    Youre Fidelio trembled.

    Kang-Woo smiled and crouched next to Fidelio.

    Fidelio averted his gaze from him.

    He did not know how Kang-Woo had pulled off such a perfect disguise, but it was obvious who had won.

    Kill me.

    Fidelio had lost before he could even have done anything.

    Pfft, Kang-Wooughed and pped Fidelio on the back of his head. What are you, a general who lost after fighting valiantly? Youre nothing but a shitty mutt who ran with his tail between his legs.

    Kuh. Fidelio grimaced.

    Kang-Woo snickered. Dont worry. I told you, didnt I? I wont kill you.

    Are you saying Youll let me live?

    Of course, man. Kang-Woo nodded with a smile.

    He could see a sliver of light in Fidelios eyes. He was likely hoping to escape once again.

    <em>After all, he escaped once before.</em>

    <em>Kekeke</em>. Kang-Woo suppressed hisughter from bursting out. This was perfect; rather than giving up hope within inescapable despair, it was far more painful to struggle in vain while holding onto hope.

    <em>Thats why I set you free.</em>

    Kang-Woo put his hand on Fidelios head with a smile. Did you know?

    Kn-Know what?

    That demons dont have a lifespan.

    ...?

    They dont die, even if they dont eat, drink or sleep.

    What are you trying to say?

    Do you know Kang-Woo continued in a chilling tone, What happens when a human turns into a demon?

    Kurgh! Aaargh! Fidelio grunted in pain.

    Something was flowing into him something ck and impure.

    The brain remembers how it feels to eat, drink and sleep, but the body doesnt.

    Because the body was that of a demon.

    Humans that have turned into demons are forever haunted by endless hunger and thirst until they eat and drink something. However, those sensations dont kill them.

    No matter how much they wanted to die No matter how agonizing it was, they could not die.

    Heres a brain teaser for you. If that human who turned into a demon was imprisoned where no one could ever find them with their limbs severed What do you think would happen? Kang-Woo asked. They would live forever while suffering from endless hunger and thirst as if they were in a desert with no oasis within unending despair.

    Fidelio flinched. He looked up.

    Ah

    He saw a demon with ck scleras, golden irises, and horizontal pupils like that that of a goat, looking down at him.

    Congrattions, Fidelio.

    <em>You wont die from old age.</em>

 Chapter 355: Uncomfortable Lunch (1)

    Chapter 355: Ufortable Lunch (1)

    Oh Kang-Woo was enjoying a rxing afternoon doing nothing after having to do nothing but work recently. He had his eyes closed on the bed with his head on Han Seol-Ahs thighs as she stroked his head.

    Fufu. Does it feel good? Seol-Ah asked.

    Yeah.

    Seol-Ah giggled as she looked down at Kang-Woo humming every time she stroked his head.

    <em>How cute.</em>

    She gulped as she looked down at him. It had been a while since they had enjoyed themselves in Aernor. It felt as if her anxious heart was calming down a little.

    <em>Kang-Woo.</em>

    Seol-Ah carefully ced her hand on Kang-Woos cheek. His warmth traveled up her hand and made her shiver.

    <em>Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo.</em>

    mes of passion zed from within her heart, and her powerful impulses fanned the mes. Uncontroble obsession made her throat dry. She wanted Kang-Woo; she wanted to monopolize him. She wanted there to be no one but the two of them in the world.

    Haaa, Seol-Ah sighed in delight.

    She shut her eyes tight and quelled the mes zing within her heart.

    <em>What am I thinking?</em>

    She shook her head to shoo away the thoughts that even she herself found to be chilling. She was not stupid enough to not know the catastrophe that would ensue if she were to do such a thing.

    <em>Kang-Woo is doing his best to protect us.</em>

    She was already unable to be of much help, so she couldnt allow herself to get in Kang-Woos way.

    <em>And</em>

    Seol-Ah looked at the ring on her left ring finger and smiled in joy. Shivers of thrill spread throughout her body.

    He Hehehe, sheughed unbeknownst to herself.

    Although they could not hold a ceremony due to the situation they were in, they were already engaged. Seol-Ah couldnt hold back her smile as she thought about it.

    What is it? Kang-Woo asked.

    Nothing. Im just so happy right now. Seol-Ah smiled, but turned slightly serious soon after, having remembered what had happened recently. But I was so shocked. To think that kind-looking elderly gentleman was Lucifers retainer

    I was just as surprised. I didnt expect him to be capable of such a thing. Kang-Woo nodded with a serious expression.

    Seol-Ah continued in worry, Will it be alright?

    Her question held many meanings. Evil God Lucifer as well as a demon who served him had appeared, the empire had been run by a demon this entire time, and they had no idea what the Demon of Prophecy had nned. They had far too many fires to put out before they could eliminate the Demon Gods corpse and restore Earths protection.

    Its okay. Kang-Woo smiled.

    It was not because he himself was the Demon of Prophecy or because the Evil God that had appeared this time was a fake. There were many beings in the way of their expedition, such as Demon God Bauli, the Constetions of Evil, Lucifer and Behemoth. Since that was all that Kang-Woo knew, there was likely much more that he did not.

    <em>But</em>

    In the end, he woulde out victorious. As it had been for the past ten millennia, he would win once again and always in the future.

    Kang-Woo

    Seol-Ah smiled as she saw how certain Kang-Woo was. Just hearing him say that it was okay was enough to make the burdens in her heart vanish.

    Dont worry at all, darling.

    Kang-Woo turned around while lying down. He stuffed his face between Seol-Ahs thighs and tickled her stomach. The fat on her slender waist was very soft.

    Kyaaah! Seol-Ah jumped and lightly smacked Kang-Woos head. Jeez, Kang-Woo! What are you doing all of a sudden?!

    She was scolding him, but she was smiling as if she couldnt be happier. Brightughter filled the room.

    You sure act like a child every now and then, Kang-Woo.

    Seol-Ah lightly pinched Kang-Woos cheeks after he turned back around.

    Do you dislike it? Kang-Woo asked.

    Not at all, Seol-Ah answered firmly as if telling Kang-Woo not to be absurd. I love you, Kang-Woo.

    Seol-Ah leaned down and kissed Kang-Woo.

    Hehehe, Kang-Woo giggled yfully.

    Others would shank him out of jealousy if they saw such a scene, but he didnt care.

    <em>This is the life.</em>

    He was not surrounded by tentacles spewing pus nor subordinates crazed with battle. He was not under a red sky nor on aridnd. Kang-Woo could not stop the corners of his mouth from rising.

    Just then, Seol-Ah pped her hands together as if she had remembered something. Oh, right. Kang-Woo, Si-Hun called this morning.

    Kang-Woo had been in the middle of formting a n to revive the empire with Iris in the morning.

    Oh, is he doing well? Kang-Woo asked in happiness.

    Seol-Ah nodded with a smile. He joined Las group and has been to many different cities.

    How did the people react?

    Fufu. Im sure you already know the answer to that.

    Kang-Woo smirked and nodded. He could already expect how the people of the continent would react to Kim Si-Hun even if Seol-Ah didnt tell him.

    <em>Theyd obviously love him.</em>

    Si-Hun was a hero who had appeared amidst the chaos of the empire. He was extremely handsome, powerful enough to face hundreds of demonic beasts by himself, well-mannered and good-natured. Considering Si-Hun matched almost every single criterion there was to be a hero, there was no way that the people would dislike him.

    <em>Especially when</em>

    The people were shocked after having just learned Fidelios true identity. They were in desperate need of a hero to depend on when their fear of Lucifer was engulfing the continent whole.

    But There seems to have been a bit of trouble, Seol-Ah expressed.

    Trouble? asked Kang-Woo, tilting his head in wonder.

    Yes. There was an incident where a few citizens with weapons in hand attacked Si-Hun.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and stood up from Seol-Ahs thighs. It wasnt just a single urrence, right?

    Ah Yes. It apparently happened three times in total as he was going around different cities.

    Seol-Ah stared at Kang-Woo, surprised that he knew.

    Tsk, Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    He had expected Si-Hun to be attacked while he was traveling around various cities, but hearing that it actually happened displeased him.

    Do you think it had something to do with Lucifer? Seol-Ah asked.

    No, probably not. Kang-Woo shook his head.

    It was highly unlikely that the people who had attacked Si-Hun had anything to do with Evil God Lucifer.

    Then why would they

    Because powerless citizens werent the only people that he saved.

    Si-Hun had not only killed the demonic beasts swarming toward the imperial capital, but the ones rampaging in the party venue as well. Considering that Si-Hun had rescued Fidelio as well as the corrupt nobles that were sucking the citizens of the empire dry, they would naturally hold a sense of resentment toward him.

    <em>Its like if someone stopped a monster rampaging in the National Assembly building from killing the corrupt politicians.</em>

    Si-Hun would have been praised as a hero for doing so if the state of the empire had been good, but unfortunately, the people of the empire considered the nobles to be no different from demons.

    <em>No, maybe worse.</em>

    The people might think that it was only natural for demons to be that way since it was their nature, but that was not the case for nobles.

    <em>The people probably wanted the nobles to have a taste of their own medicine.</em>

    Whether it be by the hands of demons or by starvation, death was all the same. People likely thought that it would have been better for the nobles whom they resented so much to die with them.

    <em>I need to root out the evil as soon as possible.</em>

    At this rate, there mighte citizens who join forces with demons when the empire reaches the brink of copse. Kang-Woo needed to clean up the empire as soon as possible.

    Oh I see. Seol-Ah nodded in understanding.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and continued, But its okay. Most of them think highly of Si-Hun.

    Thats a relief. We need to make this n a sess as soon as possible so we can get out of here, said Seol-Ah while narrowing her eyes.

    Why? You dont like it here?

    Kang-Woo tilted his head as if he couldnt understand. They were getting the best treatment here in the imperial pce that one would usually receive in a five-star hotel.

    No, thats not it. Seol-Ah leaned her head toward Kang-Woo and sniffed him. I knew it. She had felt a strange sense of uneasiness when she had kissed Kang-Woo earlier. She said while pulling on the bed sheet, You seem to have been with that princess again today.

    <em>Rip</em>. Not only did the bed sheet tear, Seol-Ah was also letting out sacred power without restraint.

    <em>Huh? Whats with her all of a sudden?</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at his body in confusion. Seol-Ahs eyes shone coldly.

    Youve been with that princess a lottely, havent you? Not just that, she hasnt been rude to you unlike before.

    Oh You see, umm

    Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly. It was hard to exin to Seol-Ah what had happened between him and Iris.

    Seol-Ahs expression froze. The powerful impulse that she had felt before shook her once again. Nothing happened with that princess, right, Kang-Woo?

    Yes, nothing happened.

    <em>Thats technically not true, but it wasnt anything that you should be worried about.</em>

    Hmm. But why did the princess be so humble all of a suddentely? She seems to have been staring intently at you as well.

    <em>Hahaha, thats because I intimidated her after she was getting ahead of herself.</em>

    Are you going to be with Princess Iris tomorrow as well?

    <em>Yeah, were up to our necks with work to clean up Fidelios shit.</em>

    Seol-Ahs eyes sank deeply. She muttered as if she was holding something back with all her might, Okay Youre busy, so I guess it cant be helped. White light shone from her back and formed twelve beautiful wings. Im lonely because I havent been able to spend any quality time with youtely, but Im fine. I can handle it.

    <em>Your attitude says otherwise.</em>

    Haaa, Seol-Ah sighed feverishly. She caressed Kang-Woos neck and said, I love you, Kang-Woo.

    <em>Why are you saying that while caressing my neck?</em>

    Uhh, yeah. I love you too, darling.

    Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly. Seol-Ah smiled and stood up; the twelve wings that had been on her back had disappeared before he had realized it.

    Ill go prepare lunch. You can lie down and rest for a bit longer.

    That was music to Kang-Woos ears. Although the imperial pce always preparedvish feasts, nothing beat Seol-Ahs kimchi stew.

    Kang-Woo said as his mouth was watering, Okay. Thanks, darl

    <em>ck.</em>

    Just then, the room door opened.

    Umm Sir Kang-Woo. Iris peeked into the room from behind the door and spoke restlessly, Would you like to have lunch together?

    Kang-Woo momentarily felt as if winter hade in the room. No, Im gonna have lunch with Seol-Ah tod

    No. Seol-Ah smiled and continued, Lets all have lunch together, Iris.

 Chapter 356: Uncomfortable Lunch (2)

    Chapter 356: Ufortable Lunch (2)

    <em>ck, ck.</em>

    The sound of silverware hitting echoed in the silent room. Han Seol-Ah, Oh Kang-Woo and Iris sat side by side at a long table that could fit twenty people. Yes, not across from each other, but side by side. Very close together, on top of that.

    Three people sitting extremely close together at such arge table certainly was an awkward sight to behold.

    Eat as much as you want, Kang-Woo. If youre still hungry, Ive made more, said Seol-Ah while holding out kimchi stew that she had made by borrowing the pce kitchen.

    Our head chef made this grilled elroy, Sir Kang-Woo, said Iris while holding out a grilled fish as if not to lose to Seol-Ah.

    Seol-Ah slightly pushed away the dish that Iris was holding and remarked, Im sorry, but Kang-Woo isnt a fan of fish.

    <em>No, Id say Im a pretty big fan. You make me kimchi stew with saury in it all the time, darling.</em>

    Kang-Woo kept his mouth shut to prevent the words from leaving his mouth because he was certain that he was better off staying quiet in this situation.

    He was enjoying it quite a lot at the party though, replied Iris while narrowing her eyes.

    Although she had ovee her fear of Fidelio, her twisted personality would not be unwound so easily just because of that. Iris was still domineering toward everyone except Kim Si-Hun and Kang-Woo, but Seol-Ah paid no concern to her attitude.

    My, is that so? He must have forced it down, then.

    Maybe you just dont know Sir Kang-Woo that well.

    Nonsense.

    <em>Hohoho.</em> Seol-Ahughed, and Iris red at her. Kang-Woo simply lowered his head lifelessly from the war of nerves that was urring with him in between.

    <em>Is this Hell? Did something go wrong while I was crossing to Aernor and end up in the Nine Hells?</em>

    Kang-Woo felt like he was in the middle of a blizzard. He carefully had a spoonful of the kimchi stew that Seol-Ah had made for him.

    <em>Fuck.</em>

    He could barely taste the delicious kimchi stew. It felt as if he was eating right next to two ticking time bombs.

    <em>Why are you two doing this to me?</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Iris bitterly. He also held bitter feelings for Seol-Ah for going out of her way to eat with Iris when she could have just refused, but Iris had been the trigger for this misfortune.

    <em>I thought you fell in love with Si-Hun at first sight. Why do you keep sticking to me?</em>

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. He wondered if Iris had turned out this way because of the extreme measure he had used to help Iris erase her fear of Fidelio.

    <em>But still, Si-Hun is far better than me in all aspects.</em>

    The difference in their looks aside, their attitudes could not be any more different. Kang-Woo had never treated Iris kindly; even in the process to help her ovee her fear, he had pushed her as far down as possible to make her reach rock bottom. He had not consoled her nor empathized with her pain. Rather, Si-Hun had been the one to console her; Kang-Woo had made Si-Hun ask how Iris was doing every single day to have him score some points with her.

    <em>Si-Hun was doing pretty well.</em>

    Kang-Woo had once eavesdropped on their call on themunication crystal, and Si-Hun had consoled her with words that would even make a fellow man fall for him. On the other hand, Kang-Woo had criticized Iris about why she had just let herself be beaten up, made her beg him for his help, and all sorts of other shit.

    <em>So why</em>

    Sir Kang-Woo, please have some of this grilled elroy before it gets cold. I had the head chef procure elroy of the finest quality just for you.

    <em>Why are you doing this to me?</em>

    Kang-Woo had some of the grilled fish that Iris persistently held out to him. As expected, he could barely taste it.

    See? Look how unwell Kang-Woosplexion looks, Seol-Ah remarked.

    Im pretty sure thats because of the red soup that he ate earlier.

    Hmph. Itsughable how you talk about Kang-Woo when you dont know a thing about kimchi stew.

    <em>What?</em>

    Were people not allowed to talk about Kang-Woo if they didnt know what kimchi stew was?

    <em>Mm, is that how it works?</em>

    It kind of made sense. Kang-Woo tilted his head and thought about the most useless things possible to get as far away from the war of nerves between the two women as possible.

    <em>Kimchi stew. Kimchi stew. Kimchi stew is delicious. I can never get sick of it. Why is kimchi stew so good when its just a mixture of kimchi and meat?</em>

    While Kang-Woo was off in kimchi stewnd, the conversation between the two women continued.

    Come to think of it, you must be awfully lonely, Princess Iris.

    Lonely? Me?

    Seol-Ah nodded with a smile. Since your beloved Si-Hun isnt here.

    My heart ached for you when I saw you bawling your eyes out when Si-Hun left Seol-Ah sighed with her hand on her chest.

    Iris raised an eyebrow. Really? I had no idea.

    You seemed to care deeply for Si-Hun.

    Yeah, since Sir Si-Hun is like a brother to me.

    My, thats the first time Im hearing of it. Seol-Ahs eyes shone, and she continued, Then I guess you were quite the brocon.

    Brocon?

    Its a term for a person who holds excessive love for their biological brother.

    Mm, I dont know about that. I did love my brother, but only as a brother.

    Iris and Seol-Ah locked eyes with each other. Kang-Woo thought he saw sparks crackling in thin air.

    <em>I wonder what the secret to the taste of kimchi stew is?</em>

    He wondered if there was some sort of hidden truth contained deep within. Kang-Woo continued to stare into nothingness.

    Seol-Ah pped her hands together and smiled radiantly. My, thats truly a relief, then. Since Si-Hun isnt your actual brother, you dont have to stop yourself from loving him beyond the level of a brother. Seol-Ah nodded in session. She energetically clenched her fists and continued with good intentions, Dont you worry, Princess Iris. I will do my best to help so that you two can get closer.

    Iris giggled and answered, Hohoho, theres no need for you to poke your nose into something thats none of your business.

    Sparks crackled in the air again.

    Kang-Woo grabbed his hair. However much he wanted to think about useless things, this was not the time.

    <em>I have to put an end to this.</em>

    This was the first time that he was able to rx ever since arriving in Aernor. Starting tomorrow, his schedule was once again full with cleaning up the evil in the empire, reviving the nation, and all sorts ofplicated tasks.

    <em>I wouldve just been on myptop by myself all day if I knew this was gonna happen.</em>

    Noahs Ark was still left unused in his breast pocket.

    Ill just have them both, Kang-Woo remarked.

    He brought the grilled elroy and kimchi stew in front of him. Although it was a ton of food, he was confident that no one could beat him in terms of eating.

    <em>Slurp! Munch, munch!</em>

    Kang-Woo ate the food as if he were inhaling it. The food was disappearing at an extremely fast pace, and the food that could have easily fed ten people had vanished in a sh.

    <em>tter.</em>

    Fuuu. Thanks for the food. They were both delicious, said Kang-Woo after putting down the empty dishes on the table.

    <em>Though I could barely taste anything.</em>

    You mustve been starving, Kang-Woo. Would you like some more?

    Seol-Ah raised a napkin in a sh and wiped the sauce off of Kang-Woos mouth.

    No, Im fine, darling.

    Is that so? Then lets go back to our room. We should continue where we left off.

    Seol-Ah leaned on Kang-Woo while smiling seductively. An extremely warm and soft sensation traveled up his arm.

    <em>Huh? What were we doing earlier?</em>

    Kang-Woo searched through his memories. He recalled Seol-Ah whispering that she loved him while caressing his neck, as well as the inexplicable sense of fear that he had felt.

    <em>You want to continue that? No thanks. Im scared.</em>

    Unfortunately for you, Sir Kang-Woo has business with me today, so that wont be possible, Iris interjected.

    <em>And whats with you? I told you that we should start tomorrow. I wanna take a break today. No, Im gonna. I havent taken a single break ever since getting to Aernor. The Noahs Ark in my heart hasnt even seen the light of day yet. Khadgar Im sorry, man. So this is how you felt.</em>

    Silence fell on them once again. Seol-Ah and Iris, who had been ring at each other with chilly eyes, turned to face Kang-Woo at the same time.

    Lets go back to our room now, Kang-Woo.

    How can we postpone such crucial work for tomorrow? The citizens of the empire are suffering even at this very moment, Sir Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo remained silent. He needed to follow one of them, but it was thankfully not a difficult choice to make.

    <em>Darling or Iris</em>

    One was his beloved darling, who was seemingly implying that they were going to be doing something erotic back in their room, and the other was a princess with a screw loose who was trying to get him to do work that he was nning on doing tomorrow. It was a given who he would choose.

    I promised darling that I would stay with her today, so lets leave work for tomorrow, said Kang-Woo as he took Seol-Ahs hand and stood up.

    Iris aggressively bit his lip as she trembled in rage.

    <em>For fucks sake, since when did you care for the citizens so deeply? Si-Hun will be back soon, so just endure it until then and stop bothering me,dy.</em>

    Kang-Woo thought that Iris was sticking so closely to him because Si-Hun was absent.

    <em>Si-Hun I need you. Please take this girl away from me. Having two wives isnt bad, is it? Youre a protagonist, for Gods sake. You shouldnt stick with just one heroine. Ill put in a good word with La.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes shone with desperation as he thought about his brother, who was traveling around the empire.

    Hoho, in that case, well be on our way. See you next time, Your Highness. Seol-Ah waved leisurely while smiling like the victor.

    Iris red at Seol-Ah and then asked Kang-Woo, Come to think of it, you two are lovers, correct?

    Oh, yeah. We are. Kang-Woo nodded.

    Hmm. Iris looked back and forth at Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah with narrow eyes. Well, such a rtionship doesntst forever.

    Iris snorted. Seol-Ahs face slightly crumpled. She repeatedly opened and closed her fists, and then belt down.

    Oh no.

    Whats wrong, darling?

    I dropped my ring by ident.

    What?

    <em>How could you have possibly dropped a ring that you were wearing by ident?</em>

    Hohoho. Im sorry, Kang-Woo. I ended up dropping the precious <em>engagement ring</em> that you gave me.

    Seol-Ah smiled brightly and held out the ring that Kang-Woo had given her as if showing it off.

    Iris grimaced aggressively as she trembled.

    Well then, Princess Iris. Seol-Ah approached Iris. Well be on our way. Ill do my best to help you so that your rtionship with Si-Hun works out well, so you dont have to worry at all.

    Seol-Ah then brought her mouth close to Iriss ear and whispered something. She seemed to have used some sort of divine magic because Kang-Woo wasnt able to hear a word of it.

    Good day, then. Seol-Ah smiled as she waved her hand.

    She dragged Kang-Woo along by the arm and headed out the door. <em>m</em>. The door closed.

    Iris, having been left alone, nkly stared at the closed door.

    Uuu She fiercely bared her teeth and grimaced. Urghhh!

    <em>Wham! </em>Iris violently kicked the table. The words that Seol-Ah had whispered into her ear echoed in her mind.

    <em>- How dare you have your sights on my Kang-Woo?</em>

    Haaa! Haaa!

    <em>- Know your ce, bitch.</em>

    Han Seol-Ah!

    Iris aggressively clenched her fists. <em>Wham!</em> She kicked the innocent table once again.

 Chapter 357: Supporter

    Chapter 357: Supporter

    Youre not sure? Oh Kang-Woo asked.

    Yes I-Im sorry, Sir Kang-Woo, answered Iris while dragging her feet across the ground with her head lowered as if she hadmitted a grave sin.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head. I mean, its nothing worth apologizing for.

    The first step that they needed to take to revive the empire was to clear out the corrupt nobles that were sucking the citizens dry.

    <em>Its not as easy as it sounds.</em>

    The Arnan Empires current political system was one of a centralized government with the emperor as the centralized power and various nobles managing their respective territories. Kang-Woo was not nning on starting a revolution, so it would be a problem if he just beheaded nobles left and right.

    An unmanaged territory was far worse than one managed by a corrupt noble. The weak were not virtuous by nature; they would rip each other apart to take charge of the vacancy left by the noble. Considering the nightmare that nations run over by anarchy faced, punishing all nobles in the current imperial system was insane.

    <em>I cant deprive the nobles of all their power either.</em>

    Back when Kang-Woo had just entered thebor force after justing out of the orphanage, he had heard a middle-aged man shouting in the streets that politicians needed to work without pay.

    <em>What a fucking joke.</em>

    There of course needed to be modifications made to a certain extent, but providing people of power with the corresponding level of power and rewards was a necessary evil. There was absolutely no one in the world idiotic enough to do such work without pay.

    <em>Its the same concept as a ss president.</em>

    There were very few people who actively raised their hands to be the ss president. The reason was simple; they were given responsibility and work, but gained nothing out of it. If nobles had all their power taken from them, they would not do the work they were obligated to do.

    <em>In that case, Ill have to somehow distinguish between the corrupt nobles and the nobles that only use the rights vested in them.</em>

    The problem was that Iris was not knowledgeable enough about the empire to sort the nobles into those two categories. Although she was not an idiot, she had far too little information to work with due to Fidelios intentional concealment of such information from her. At this rate, Kang-Woo would not be able to eliminate the corrupt nobles in Fidelios faction.

    I know a few of them through rumors, but theyre nothing but rumors, Iris cautiously remarked.

    Kang-Woo nodded. He could not act on simple rumors.

    <em>I need someone whos knowledgeable about the empires politicalndscape.</em>

    However, such people had either moved over to Fidelios side or been unceremoniously transferred due to Fidelios death grip over the empire.

    <em>Do I have no choice but to ask Fidelio directly?</em>

    Kang-Woo was reluctant to do so. Fidelio was a clever man; the moment that he found out he held valuable information, he would do anything it took to use it to his advantage.

    <em>I do have a way to make him talk, but</em>

    It was difficult to gain surefire information using such a method. After all, the one who would be saying the information was Fidelio himself; he would be using his own standards to name the corrupt nobles.

    <em>It would be like gathering a bunch of pieces of shit and asking them who is worse.</em>

    Kang-Woo was in dire need of someone who knew very well about the empires politicalndscape.

    Do you happen to know someone well-versed in this topic? Kang-Woo asked.

    Mm. Just a second, please. Iris closed her eyes as if she was organizing the information in her head. She then eximed and opened her eyes. I do.

    Who?

    He used to be the imperial head mage. Im sure he would be very knowledgeable about the situation in the empire.

    ...

    Kang-Woo remained silent. He had a feeling that he knew who the imperial head mage that Iris was referring to.

    <em>That perverted son of a bitch is well-versed in politics?</em>

    He recalled the face of the mage that had almost changed the age rating of the novel with La. Just recalling him made Kang-Woo sigh.

    Haaa.

    Kang-Woo thought for a moment to see if he had any other options, but there was no way that he would think of something so conveniently.

    Let me give him a call and

    No, its okay. Kang-Woo shook his head and took out a crystal orb.

    Iris became wide-eyed. You knew about Dous?

    Well I happened to make his acquaintance.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly. To be honest, he also weed having Dous as a supporter.

    <em>Since theres no one who knows about high elves better than him.</em>

    Making Kim Si-Hun the hero of the continent, saving Iris if that could be called saving, and reviving the empire was all to have a high elf manifest in Aernor. A schr of high elves such as Dous would no doubt be of great help to their n.

    [What is it?] Douss voice came out of themunication crystal.

    Kang-Woo took a nce at Iris. He said, Dous.

    <em>Its time for you to stop watching ero manga and work.</em>

    ***

    Y-Your Highness Dous, who rushed to the capital as soon as he received Kang-Woos call, froze as soon as he saw Iris. His wrinkled face was filled with regret, guilt and rage. ... I heard about Fidelio.

    The news that he was Lucifers servant had already long since spread throughout the continent to the point that even Dous, who lived alone in the magic tower, heard about it.

    I knew he was a greedy and evil man, but to think he was a servant of the Evil God! Dous kneeled in front of Iris and lowered his head. Im sorry. I should have been here to protect you, no matter what happened.

    The past never returned. No matter how quickly one regretted their actions, it was already toote. Dous stared at Iris pitifully. The Iris that he knew was a kind and delicate girl. Even if Fidelio had run away, he expected her body and soul to be broken to the point that it would be impossible for her to get through daily life due to the trauma that Fidelio had inflicted on her.

    No. Im fine, Dous, Iris stated.

    ... Your Highness?

    Dous became wide-eyed. Iris, whom he had thought would be in agony from the daily nightmares of Fidelio, lookedpletely fine.

    Though I still get angry whenever I think of what I had to go through because of that motherfucker.

    Y-Your Highness?

    Dous flinched from the deep madness and thick bloodlust that he was feeling from Iris. The kind and delicate girl that he knew was no longer there; she had been reced with a ferocious beast covered in bloodlust.

    <em>What in the world</em>

    How could the girl who used to tremble in fear just from looking at Fidelio in the eyes have changed so much? Dous stared at Iris in perplexity.

    Her Highness has ovee her fear of Prime Minister Fidelio with her strong will, Kang-Woo informed.

    Its all thanks to Sir Kang-Woo. Iris smiled brightly and embraced Kang-Woos arm.

    Mm. Im not entirely certain what happened, but Dous slurred.

    He was not sure why Iris, who always used to treat anyone but Reynald bluntly and temperamentally, was so close to Kang-Woo, but

    I am truly relieved.

    Dous smiled. It was far better to see Iris happy, albeit a little aggressive, than trembling in fear.

    Thank you foring back, Dous, Iris remarked.

    Not at all. I should be the one thanking you for calling back this useless old man who failed to protect you, Your Highness.

    Dous got on one knee and lowered his head. Kang-Woo smiled as he looked at Dous.

    <em>Thank God he didnt say that he was going back to his secluded life.</em>

    Iris had practically no supporters, so Dous would be a reliable ally as well as her strength.

    More importantly, why have you called me? Dous asked.

    He had still not been informed of the specifics of the situation.

    Kang-Woo handed Dous the list of nobles of the empire he had received from Lilith and stated, We would love to throw a party for you if we had enough time, but considering the circumstances, we have to get started right away.

    Although he felt sorry for ving Dous away as soon as he came all this way, this was not the time to feel sorry.

    <em>I have to get to those damn corrupt nobles before they cut off all ties with Fidelio.</em>

    As soon as Fidelio was discovered to be the servant of Evil God Lucifer, the nobles of Fidelios faction were erasing all evidence of their ties with Fidelio like a lizard cutting off its own tail to escape a predator. They were lowering taxes and distributing goods to the people of their territory in hopes that they would not get caught up in the storm.

    <em>I wont let them get away.</em>

    There was no way that a human who discovered the sweet taste of desire for the first time would reflect on and atone for their sins in the true sense.

    <em>No, even if they do, the sins that they have alreadymitted dont disappear.</em>

    They had already dropped countless citizens into the pit of despair. Kang-Woo would not let them act like they had turned over a new leaf.

    Please pick out the nobles that had sided with Fidelio in this list. Oh, even if they didnt side with Fidelio, please pick them out anyway if they had ever tyrannized the citizens.

    Mm, Dous groaned as if he was in a predicament.

    Kang-Woo was worried that Dous did not know much about the empires politicalndscape as he had hoped, but Dous had fortunately groaned for a different reason.

    Its going to be a lot, Dous expressed.

    Thats fine.

    Punishing corrupt nobles en masse would temporarily brew chaos, but it was far better than leaving them be.

    <em>Ill punish them to an extent.</em>

    Considering the circumstances, Kang-Woo needed to be flexible. He knew that wishing only for virtuous nobles to manage territories was nothing but a naive ideal.

    Understood. In that case, I will first pick out the nobles that sided with Fidelio, Dous said as he quickly worked through theplex pile of documents as if proving that he used to be the head imperial mage. First, Duke Delfio and Marquess Vander. Theyre the worst of the bunch.

    Dous organized the documents containing the details of each noble at breakneck speed. Viscount Velen, whom Kang-Woo had met on his first day in Aernor, was among the pile of documents for the nobles in Fidelios faction.

    Ive picked out the sons of bitches in Fidelios faction first, Dous remarked.

    There are quite a lot, Kang-Woo mentioned.

    ... He wasnt a demon for nothing. Dous sighed and continued, He either purged or demoted every noble that went against him.

    Are you among his victims?

    ...

    Dous did not answer, but his silence was enough of an answer.

    How should we deal with these nobles? Kang-Woo turned his head toward Iris.

    Iris answered without hesitation, Execute them.

    Thick bloodlust emanated from her eyes. Dous expressed shock, not having expected Iris to make such an extreme choice.

    A-All of them? he asked.

    Yes. All nobles that have any sort of connection to Fidelio must die, Iris answered firmly, then looked toward Kang-Woo with sparkling eyes like a dog waiting to be praised.

    Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly and nodded. It is a suitable punishment for what they have done.

    ... Are you sure it will be alright? Each of their private armies are a force to be reckoned with.

    That doesnt matter. Kang-Woo shrugged.

    Kang-Woos party was so powerful that nothing but a deity would be able to face them. The likes of private armies of nobles were of no consequence to them.

    We should first punish the nobles connected to Fidelio and think about what to do after

    <em>ck!</em>

    The room door suddenly opened while Kang-Woo was talking. An unbelievably handsome man entered the room.

    Si-Hun?

    Sir Si-Hun?

    Kang-Woo was left wide-eyed as he stared at Kim Si-Hun. He had heard that Si-Hun would being back soon, but he had not expected him to be this quick.

    <em>Alright, perfect timing, man.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Iris, who was looking up at him with sparkling eyes. He had been waiting for someone who would be able to pry Iris off of him.

    <em>Si-Hun.</em>

    Kang-Woo gave Si-Hun a look and pointed at Iris. This was the perfect chance for him to score some points with Iris. Possibly having understood Kang-Woos message, Si-Hun approached the group without hesitation.

    <em>Yes, good! Now, if you embrace Iris and say some shit like </em>Ive missed you, Your Highness,<em> shell fall head over heels for you!</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction while imagining Si-Hun and Iriss heartfelt reunion. However, unlike what he had hoped, Si-Hun stormed right past Iris.

    <em>Huh? He walked past her?</em>

    <em>Grab!</em>

    Ive missed you, hyung-nim.

    ...

    <em>Not me, you stupid son of a bitch.</em>

 Chapter 358: Ruining Our Great Work

    Chapter 358: Ruining Our Great Work

    <em>Why me, you dumbass?</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo turned anxiously to look at Iris. For his n to seed, it was a necessity for the hero and the imperial princess, in other words, Kim Si-Hun and Iris, to maintain an amicable rtionship.

    <em>You have to make the high elf take as much of an interest in you as possible, dammit. Do I really have to spell everything out for you?</em>

    Kang-Woo had discovered from when Iris had seen through his Authority of Stealth that the blessing of the high elves imbued in Iris was considerably powerful. There was a high chance that the high elves would have great interest in the one that they had blessed.

    <em>Even if they dont treat her like their own child like Gaia does to her retainers</em>

    They would at least treat Iris better than other people. Kang-Woo felt as if the ideal hero-princess picture in his mind was falling apart.

    <em>I might have to make some aggressive moves.</em>

    Kang-Woo would have to push a little more aggressively for Iris and Si-Huns rtionship to bloom. Iris already had feelings for Si-Hun, so it would not be difficult to do as long as Si-Hun cooperated.

    Yeah. I missed you too, Si-Hun. Kang-Woo pushed aside his thoughts for now and patted Si-Huns shoulder. He had actually missed Si-Hun as well after all these weeks. How did your interactions with the citizens go?

    They were extremely passionate. Haha, I felt like Id be an idol or something. Si-Hun scratched his head in embarrassment.

    Kang-Woo smirked. <em>Cute son of a bitch.</em>

    No idol could everpare to Si-Hun in terms of looks, so seeing him so embarrassed was rather cute. Kang-Woo patted Si-Huns shoulder and turned toward Iris.

    You should greet the princess as well, Si-Hun.

    Oh, Si-Hun eximed, having only just realized that he was told to form good rtions with the princess. I apologize, Your Highness. I was so distracted that I failed to see you.

    Hoho. I-Its alright! I already knew that you two are very close. Iris, who had been staring nkly at the two of them, hurriedly smiled and bowed to Si-Hun.

    Seeing that, Kang-Woo chuckled. <em>Well, well. You got jealous, huh?</em>

    From Iriss reaction, she seemed to have been saddened by the fact that Si-Hun hade to Kang-Woo before her.

    <em>I was a bit worried, but it seems it was needless.</em>

    Her jealousy was good news, especially if it was to the point that she was bothered by the fact that Si-Hun had taken care of his older brother, despite them both being men. It showed the extent of Iriss feelings for Si-Hun.

    <em>Should I stimte those feelings a bit more?</em>

    Kang-Woo approached Si-Hun and lightly hit his shoulder. I was bored without you around, Si-Hun.

    H-Hyung-nim

    I heard you were attacked a few times. Are you okay?

    Of course.

    Haha! Okay. Im d youre unhurt, Si-Hun.

    Kang-Woo purposefully unted his intimacy with Si-Hun.

    Ngh

    Like Kang-Woo had thought, Iris was biting her lip in frustration while staring at him and Si-Hun. Kang-Woo smiled widely.

    <em>Man, I might actually get two sisters-inw at this rate. Ill have to think of a way to persuade Later.</em>

    That aside, Si-Hun. Im sorry to say this as soon as youvee back, but Kang-Woo prioritized what they needed to do first and foremost. He handed Si-Hun the documents that Dous had sorted. Capture everyone in these documents and bring them to me.

    Me? Si-Hun expressed.

    Kang-Woo nodded. The people of the empire thought worse of the nobles than they did demons. To revive the nation as well as publicize Si-Hun as a hero, Si-Hun himself needed to step up to punish the nobles.

    Who are they? asked Si-Hun.

    Nobles that sided with Fidelio.

    Si-Huns eyes turned menacing as soon as Fidelio was mentioned. It had been exposed while he was traveling the nation, but it had been such a massive incident that he had also heard about Fidelios true identity; he was the servant of Evil God Lucifer. The nobles that had sided with him likely did not know that Fidelio was a demon, but their actions had been no different from that of demons.

    ... I guess Ill have to head out right away. Si-Hun stared at Kang-Woo in disappointment, his eyes seemingly asking Kang-Woo if he coulde with him this time.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and shook his head; he had far more things to do.

    <em>Moreover</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt be bothered to. It was far too much of a hassle. He was already far too busy to spend any time with his darling, so he did not want to take on any more bothersome work.

    <em>The little brother is supposed to take on all the chores, Si-Hun. If youve got a problem, just get older than me.</em>

    I understand. I will punish them myself. Si-Hun summoned his holy sword while exuding bloodlust.

    Kang-Woo shook his head. No. Bring them to me without killing them.

    Pardon? Si-Huns eyes widened in confusion.

    Iris needs to dere their execution herself in front of the people. Oh, since we have to give a speech to let the public know of every single one of their crimes, make sure to record any evidence you find with a crystal.

    S-Sir Kang-Woo? Iris expressed confusion this time.

    Hearing that she needed to give a speech before the citizens, she looked at Kang-Woo anxiously.

    I told you that I would let you take back whats yours. Kang-Woo ced his hand on Iriss shaking shoulders. Nothing will change from before if you just leave everything to Si-Hun.

    Iriss image of witch had considerably disappeared after the reveal of Fidelios true identity, but there was no way that the people of the empire would amicably view a princess that had been controlled by a demon. Her reputation as a witch had simply been reced by that of an ipetent princess.

    <em>I need to show them that Iris is punishing the nobles personally.</em>

    Only then would the people praise and acknowledge her.

    I-Ill do my best!

    No, thats not enough. You have to do well. Anyone can do their best.

    Urgh Iris lowered her head in dejection.

    Kang-Woo chuckled. Dont worry. Ill help you write your speech and teach you how to present it.

    Kang-Woo had done it many times while he had ruled over Hell as the Demon King. He was very knowledgeable in grabbing peoples attention.

    Okay! Iris answered energetically.

    Ill leave it to you then, Si-Hun.

    I understand, hyung-nim. Si-Hun bowed and turned around.

    Kang-Woo felt a little guilty as he looked at the back of his little brother, who was leaving for business as soon as he came back.

    At least take a break for today, Kang-Woo suggested.

    I cannot. Theres a chance that some of these nobles are associated with Lucifer. I am not feeling unwell in the slightest, so I will head out immediately.

    Uhh, mm. Got it.

    Thank you for worrying about me, hyung-nim.

    ...

    Kang-Woo grew even more guilty.

    <em>Ngh. Well, it cant be helped. He says that hes fine. I didnt force him in any way. Yup, yup.</em>

    In that case, let us move on. Kang-Woo handed Dous the remaining pile of documents. It was the list of nobles that had no direct rtions with Fidelio. Please pick out the nobles that had conducted wrongdoings unrted to Fidelio.

    Mm. This is moreplicated. Understood. Dous nodded and began to sort through the documents. Marquess Bera. He runs arge ve market in the northeastern region of the empire. He had no rtion with Fidelio because he was so far out along the border, but he is known for his evil conduct.

    Oh, you dont have to worry about him. Hes already dead.

    Dead? Ohh During the party venue incident?

    Yes.

    Dous nodded in understanding and continued to sort through the documents. Mm, but the nobles with no direct rtions with Fidelio are difficult to charge with sins. After all, not many arepletely free of sin.

    Dous picked out a few more while groaning. Kang-Woo picked up the pile and handed it to Iris.

    Princess Iris, Kang-Woo called respectfully.

    Ah, yes!

    Please read through these documents and decide how you will deal with the nobles.

    I understand. Iris nodded. And then Death, death, death.

    She held up the golden seal that symbolized the authority of the imperial family and stamped it on every single document without hesitation. Kang-Woos mouth fell open.

    <em>What the I told you to decide after reading through them, youngdy.</em>

    Kang-Woo was about to say something, but sighed while shaking his head. He could not bring himself to say anything since he himself had been the one to make Iris this way.

    Wha muttered Dous all of a sudden, so silently that no one but Kang-Woo could have heard it.

    Dous looked down at a single document, and then took it out of the pile to stuff in his pocket.

    <em>Grab.</em>

    Wait. Kang-Woos eyes narrowed after grabbing Douss wrist. What was that just now, Dous?

    Oh, y-you see Dous broke into a cold sweat.

    Youre not trying to pardon a noble just because you have personal ties with them, are you?

    N-Not at all! I simply sorted it elsewhere because their action wasnt enough to be considered evil toward the people!! Dous shouted.

    Then why did you put it in your pocket?

    W-Well

    Douss eyes quivered. Kang-Woo took the document out of Douss pocket.

    Baron Lisanagi, Kang-Woo read.

    Like Dous had said, the noble was only using the powers vested in him. No, his territory was so small that he did not have much power in the first ce, so it certainly was ambiguous to sort him as evil.

    Why did you take him out of the pile, Dous? Kang-Woo red at him while emitting bloodlust.

    Dous trembled, being faced head-on with the bloodlust of the Demon King.

    He stuttered, B-Baron L-Lisanagi is a phenomenal p-porn artist. He gulped.

    ... Pardon?

    <em>A phenomenal what artist?</em>

    He draws excellent porn H-He is like a god in our industry! H-He mustnt be sentenced to death!

    ...

    Kang-Woo remained silent, and his eyes red up.

    For a reason like that

    <em>For a stupidly pathetic reason like that</em>

    The floor of the imperial pce that he was standing on cracked like a spider web with him at the epicenter.

    ... Youre trying to ruin our great work?! Kang-Woo expressed rage as he mmed his fist down on the table.

    Is your brain down in your groin?! Youre thinking about porn in this situation? Hah! You should be embarrassed!

    M-My apologies. Dous lowered his head.

    Kang-Woo turned away from Dous in exasperation.

    <em>What the hell is he thinking?</em>

    He had not expected Dous, whom he had trusted, to stab him in the back like this.

    <em>If only I wasnt helped by him in the past</em>

    Kang-Woo would not have left Dous be. He turned around while quelling the rage within him.

    I will go get some water.

    He felt he would be unable to handle his boiling blood from spread throughout his body if he stayed here any longer. Kang-Woo opened the office door.

    ... Sir Kang-Woo.

    Just then, Iris approached him. She put her hand in his left breast pocket and took out a document that had been neatly folded and ced in there before anyone had realized it. It was the documents containing Baron Lisanagis personal details.

    You forgot to leave the document here, said Iris.

    ...

    <em>Oh.</em><blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    How many people got the reference for the barons name?</blockquote>

 Chapter 359: Spamming Underplots

    Chapter 359: Spamming Underplots

    The n to root out the evils of the empiremenced. Kim Si-Hun went to each and every noble of Fidelios faction that sucked the citizens of the empire dry, and subdued them.

    The nobles tried to stop Si-Hun by arming their knights, soldiers and even the people of their territory, but it was a pointless effort. Si-Hun barged into the territory all on his own, neutralized the citizens who had been forced to fight, and forced out the corrupt nobles.

    The other nobles who had heard about Si-Huns actions tried to run without putting up resistance or making any excuses, but it was near impossible to run from the extremely fast Si-Hun with exceptionally heightened senses.

    Not just that, as if letting out the rage that had been suppressed all this time, the citizens stepped up to help Si-Hun by telling him in real time where the nobles ran to. Hence, the nobles of Fidelios faction, who had literally be the public enemy of the entire empire, were soon thrown in jail and could do nothing but wait for the sentence that Iris would give them.

    Fufu. He sure is working hard. I wonder if its to make himself look good to you, Master Kang-Woo? Lilith giggled as she organized the report.

    Oh Kang-Woo turned toward her. How is the progress?

    They have almost all been captured. The status of the nobles that had been demoted by Fidelio are also being restored.

    Make sure you keep an eye on them as well. Just because they didnt take Fidelios side doesnt mean theyre clean.

    Fufu. After whats happening right now? Even if they have evil desires, they wouldnt dare act on them as long as Si-Hun is here.

    I guess thats true. Kang-Woo nodded. Regardless of whether it was of their own will or someone elses, the nobles would no longer be able to do whatever they wanted. That aside, have you found out who that woman is yet?

    Kang-Woo recalled the woman who had made the Lucifer Coin prices plummet as soon as it skyrocketed.

    Lilith shook her head. No, not yet. However, I am acquiring more and more informants in Aernor as well. I should be able to gain some information about her soon.

    Really? How did you get informants?

    Fufu. Would you like to know?

    Lilith smiled widely and turned a portion of her hair to a green tentacle. It wriggled up Kang-Woos arm while spewing sticky mucus. Kang-Woo turned pale.

    ... No.

    <em>I dont wanna know.</em>

    Hoho. Well then, I will be on my way to expand my informationwork more. Lilith lightly waved her hand and turned around.

    Kang-Woo was about to ask who she was using as informants, but decided not to.

    <em>It doesnt do me any good to know.</em>

    He felt sorry for the poor victims of Liliths tentacles, but it was none of his business.

    <em>As long as its not me, its all good.</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt care less about who they were. He nodded and turned away from Lilith.

    Oh right, Master Kang-Woo, Lilith mentioned.

    H-Hm? Kang-Woo flinched and turned back toward Lilith.

    Balrog ising back today, apparently.

    Oh, really?

    Kang-Woos eyes shone. Balrogs party, who had been traveling throughout the nation along with Si-Hun, had separated from Si-Hun again to investigate the entire continent.

    <em>Its been about a month.</em>

    Time flew by after everything that Kang-Woo had to do.

    <em>I might as well go out to greet them.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled and stood up.

    ***

    Kang-Woo!

    Echidna ran toward Kang-Woo with a radiant smile and jumped into his arms. As if proving that she was a dragon, she was squeezing his waist with immense force despite her small stature.

    <em>Youre gonna break my spine, Echidna.</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled and patted Echidnas head. Howve you been?

    Hm! Hm! Kang-Woo! Kang-Woo!

    Echidna was breathing heavily with her face buried in Kang-Woos embrace, having no leeway to answer.

    <em>Since when were dragons a breed of dog?</em>

    Echidna was taking in Kang-Woos scent to an excessive degree. She rubbed her nose around Kang-Woos sr plexus area and shouted happily, Hm! Sniffing Heaven [1]!

    <em>What the hell does that mean?</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head from the unfamiliar phrase. Balrog walked up to him before he had a chance to ask Echidna what it meant.

    Have you been well, Master Kang-Woo?

    Yeah. And you?

    Kang-Woo waved at Balrog happily. He couldnt help but smile for some reason after seeing Balrog after a month.

    U-Urgh! M-Move! Halcyon yanked away Echidna, who had been rubbing her face on Kang-Woo.

    He looked like a frail girl on the outside, but he was an ancient demonic beast; he was far stronger than the princes of Hell in terms of physical strength, so there was no way that Echidna would be able to handle such power.

    Ack!

    Echidna red at Halcyon after being thrown back. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and lightly conked Halcyons head.

    What do you think youre doing? Kang-Woo scolded.

    Hng Halcyon became teary-eyed as he grabbed his forehead.

    Kang-Woo walked past him and grabbed Echidnas hand to help her up. He lightly brushed off the dirt on her butt and asked, How did it go?

    I was lonely because you werent with me, answered Echidna.

    No, not that. Did you manage to find anything?

    <em>I dont really have my hopes up, though.</em>

    Kang-Woo had told them to find clues regarding the Demon Gods corpse, but it had been nothing but an excuse to send them away to prepare a stage for Si-Hun so that he could monopolize the achievements.

    Well, I didnt really have my hopes u

    We did find something a little suspicious, Cha Yeon-Joo interjected.

    What? Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. Something suspicious?

    Yeon-Joo shrugged. Im not really sure. I didnt really see anything off about it, but Balrog thought it was a huge deal.

    Kang-Woo turned toward Balrog. Balrog slowly closed his eyes and took something out of his pocket. It was a box the size of a palm; Kang-Woo opened it.

    Sand? It was red sand. As Kang-Woo was about to ask what was so special about it, he suddenly froze. This is

    Yes, you are correct. Balrog nodded. It is dirt from the Nine Hells.

    Kang-Woo scooped up the red sand from the box and licked a little of it. He detected the bitter taste of blood and a minuscule amount of demonic energy within it. It was the dirt that made up thend of the Nine Hells.

    ... Fuck.

    Kang-Woo frowned. His head was in jumbles. Why would dirt containing demonic energy exist in Aernor?

    Where did you find this?

    A town in the northern region of Aernor.

    A town?

    I say town, but it was not one inhabited by people. It had be a ruin as if it had been attacked by monsters.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He touched the red dirt in the box again.

    Were there any demons or demonic beasts in the area? he asked.

    None, answered Balrog.

    How far was the dirt spread?

    About a hundred meters.

    And nowhere else?

    Yes, but the demonic energy itself was spread throughout the town.

    ...

    Kang-Woo remained silent. A ruined town and the affected area spanning over about a hundred meters There was extremely little information, but there were not many possibilities to choose from.

    ... Someone mustve performed a summoning ritual, Kang-Woo surmised.

    There was a good chance that the residents of the town had be sacrifices of the summoning ritual that the Demon Cult used to perform on Earth.

    Yeon-Joo grimaced and asked, Does that mean theres an organization like the Demon Cult here as well?

    Kang-Woo shook his head.

    <em>The Demon Cult The likes of the Demon Cult</em>

    He firmly replied, The Demon Cult couldnt do something like this.

    Yeon-Joo frowned as if she couldnt follow. What do you mean? The Demon Cult bastards sacrificed people to perform summoning rituals all the time.

    Thats where youre wrong. Kang-Woo continued with sunken eyes, The Demon Cult made considerable investments for just one summoning ritual.

    However, not once had thend of the Nine Hells been transported, nor had the summoning spanned a hundred meters, not even when Balrog had been summoned.

    But these guys managed to perform such arge-scale summoning by using people from a mere town as a sacrifice, Kang-Woo remarked.

    There would be a few dozen people, at the very least, in a town located near the border of the empire, and it would not exceed three hundred.

    <em>Especially if there hadnt even been a single report regarding the incident</em>

    It meant that the town had been an extremely small one with not even a governing lord.

    <em>With such a small number of people</em>

    They had seeded in such arge-scale summoning with regr people who farmed for a living in a remote town as sacrifices, not even yers or other powerful individuals. Not even Kang-Woo would be able to do such a thing.

    ...

    Kang-Woo licked his lips. The bitter taste of blood from the red dirt lingered in his mouth. His boiling blood traveled throughout his body. <em>Ba-dump, ba-dump.</em> His heart beat rapidly. He felt anxiety, uneasiness, displeasure, and

    Interesting.

    Kang-Woo smiled. Shivers of thrill ran down his spine. He had not gotten this feeling in a very long time. His demon instincts were stirred. An unknown enemy A prey that was hiding within the darkness, waiting to strike The desire to find and devour that prey made Kang-Woos blood boil.

    <em>I wonder who it could be?</em>

    He had no idea; he had nowhere near enough information.

    <em>Well, it doesnt matter.</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked and cooled down his boiling blood. It did not matter who it was, what they were nning, nor how much power they were amassing.

    <em>Besides</em>

    Kang-Woo woulde out victorious in the end. He had always done so, and would continue to do so in the future.

    Is that all that youve found? Kang-Woo asked.

    Yes. We were not able to find anything else, answered Balrog.

    Mm. Let Lilith knowter so she can investigate it as well.

    As youmand.

    Balrog bowed deeply. Kang-Woo fell into thought as he looked down at Balrog.

    <em>I want to head to that town this instant, but</em>

    Kang-Woo had things that he needed to do. He let go of his desire and shook his head.

    <em>If Balrog says that he wasnt able to find anything else</em>

    Kang-Woo wouldnt be able to find anything either, even if he went. Focusing on the task at hand was the right call.

    <em>Although its almosting to an end.</em>

    Making Si-Hun the hero of the continent, returning the authority of the imperial family to Iris, reviving the empire, and giving the people something to lose

    <em>Im still one step short.</em>

    Si-Huncked just one decisive factor that would not be supplemented just by subduing corrupt nobles and saving citizens from demonic beasts.

    <em>Si-Huncks legitimacy.</em>

    To the people of the empire, Si-Hun was literally a hero who had fallen from the sky. He was being praised at the moment because he had aplished such incredible feats, but there were bound to be people who would criticize him for that factor. It was only natural, since Si-Hun was not a citizen of Arnan. To make aparison, it was as if a national crisis in Korea had been resolved by a foreigner who had appeared out of nowhere.

    <em>Hed be treated the same way as General MacArthur.</em>

    Although General Dous MacArthur was considered a hero among Koreans, he was not as famous as Korean heroes.

    <em>Anyway</em>

    Although Si-Hun was being sufficiently treated as a hero at the moment, there was a way to have him be hailed even more as a hero.

    <em>A way to resolve Si-Huns legitimacy as well as raise peoples opinions of Iris at the same time.</em>

    La, I have something to tell you, said Kang-Woo.

    Ah, okay. What is it, Kang-Woo? As La was thinking hard about what she had heard about the summoning, she turned her head as Kang-Woo suddenly called her.

    Well, I have to ask for your understanding, to be more exact.

    My understanding?

    Kang-Woo grabbed Las shoulders and continued, I want Si-Hun and Iris to be engaged.

    1. This was much more explicit, but I was ufortable tranting it that way since a child is saying it.

 Chapter 360: Engagement Announcement

    Chapter 360: Engagement Announcement

    Pardon? La stared at Oh Kang-Woo wide-eyed, unable to understand the out-of-the-blue statement. She stuttered, Wh-What do you mean?

    Im not talking about a real engagement, Kang-Woo mentioned.

    Oh. La fell into thought for a moment with her hand on her chin, and then nodded as if she understood what Kang-Woo meant. You must be thinking of solidifying Si-Huns foothold in the empire by announcing his engagement with Iris.

    She had been able to figure out Kang-Woos intentions with ease.

    Correct. Kang-Woo nodded.

    Marriage was an excellent political move; it had been used many more times in history for political purposes rather than for love, especially among those in power.

    Kang-Woo said, Si-Huncks legitimacy at the moment.

    I get what you mean, La agreed.

    Kim Si-Hun was already considered a hero by the majority of the continent, but his announcement of engagement with the imperial princess would consolidate his position even more.

    But wouldnt that make the other nations wary of him? La asked.

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    Si-Hun needed to be the hero of Aernor, not the hero of the Arnan Empire. His engagement with Iris might be a bad move in that aspect, since the fact that he was not affiliated with any nation at the moment was a weapon in its own right.

    Mm, Kang-Woo expressed. It was a valid argument, but Although there are other nations in Aernor, the Arnan Empires status is farrger than any of them.

    It was easy to see, considering the entire continent was using the currency known as the Arnan.

    Also, it isnt just for Si-Hun to be acknowledged by the people of the empire, Kang-Woo added.

    Youve even thought about the high elves.

    Yes.

    As long as Iris was blessed by the high elves, it was fair to assume that she had more of a connection with them than anyone else.

    From the perspective of the high elves, they would want nothing more than Si-Hun and Iris to get together, Kang-Woo said.

    High elves were beings of godhood that possessed Divinity, so they likely possessed intelligence just like Gaia. Kang-Woo did not know how much interest they had in the matters of Aernor, but they probably would not think negatively of the matrimony between the one that they had blessed and the savior of the continent.

    Have you told Si-Hun and Iris? Gaia asked.

    No, not yet.

    Im fine with it as long as Si-Hun is okay with it as well. I would have qualms about it if it were an actual engagement, but Its fake anyway. La smiled gently.

    <em>She sure gets it.</em>

    No matter how Kang-Woo looked at it, La was far better than Gaia. Kang-Woo smiled and bowed to La.

    Thank you very much for understanding.

    As long as he acquired Las approval, the rest was easy. Si-Hun would do anything that Kang-Woo asked of him, and Iris had feelings for Si-Hun.

    <em>They can take this chance to get closer to each other.</em>

    Kang-Woo felt sorry for La, but the ultimate goal was for Iris and Si-Hun to get together for real. Iriss current mental state was highly unstable, and there was nothing better to heal the mind than getting together with the one you love.

    <em>I feel bad for her too.</em>

    Although it had ultimately been Iriss choice, Kang-Woo felt guilty about pushing her to the point that her mind hadpletely broken. There was no better opportunity than this to get rid of the nuisance that had been bothering himtely as well as to atone for his actions.

    <em>Si-Hun, a protagonist has gotta have at least two heroines. Shes a bit loco, but Im sure you can make it work.</em>

    Kang-Woo headed to the imperial pce while smiling in satisfaction.

    ***

    An engagement?

    Iriss eyes shook. She was reacting more strongly than La.

    <em>No wonder.</em>

    It was only obvious since she had feelings for Si-Hun. She was likely cheering inside her head.

    I say engagement, but its not a real one.

    Kang-Woo gave her a short exnation. He naturally could not tell her that it was to manifest a high elf, so he told her instead that it was necessary to revive the empire.

    Oh Iris expressed.

    Kang-Woo smirked and put his hand over her shoulder. You dont have to be so disappointed.

    Pardon?

    Although its fake, youll be engaged to each other. Youll have far more opportunities to be together, just the two of you.

    They needed to be together very often to fool everyone around them.

    Lets try to make the fake engagement into a real one. Ill help you the best I can, Kang-Woo said with a smile.

    Iris fell silent. She seemed to be confused by the sudden suggestion of an engagement, especially since it was a fake one.

    What did Sir Si-Hun say? she asked.

    Hes okay with it. He said that his heart was pounding from the fact that he would be engaged with you, even if it is fake.

    Kang-Woo did not forget to add some MSG. Iriss gaze wavered even more.

    His heart pounded?

    It means that Si-Hun has at least some feelings for you.

    Si-Hun had actually said nothing of the sort, but it didnt matter. Kang-Woo needed to do at least this much to act as the cupid that would progress their stagnant rtionship.

    I see. Iris lowered her head, conflicted.

    Kang-Woo smiled brightly and cheered Iris on. From what I see, you two suit each other very well. Dont be too disappointed that its fake and do your best. Anyway, save it as a surprise announcement for the people around the end of your speech.

    Iris stared at Kang-Woo, who stood up to leave, with mixed feelings and then asked, Umm Sir Kang-Woo.

    Hm?

    I would like to ask you something. She averted his gaze while twiddling her fingers. If I be engaged to Sir Si-Hun Will my time with you lessen?

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    I guess it would, yeah.

    Regardless of whether it was true or not, everyone in the empire, nobles andmoners alike, would think that Si-Hun and Iris truly were engaged. If Iris were to stick to Kang-Woo in that situation like she was as ofte, bad rumors were bound to spread.

    Well, its nothing but good for you, since youll be able to spend that much more time with Si-Hun.

    Kang-Woo lightly patted Iriss shoulder and turned around. <em>ck</em>. He opened the door and left the room.

    Iris, who was left in the room by herself, stared at the closed door in silence.<em> Crunch, crunch</em>. She temperamentally bit her fingernails while continuing to stare fixated at the door.

    <em>- Hohoho. Im sorry, Kang-Woo. I ended up dropping the precious </em>engagement ring<em> that you gave me.</em>

    Han Seol-Ahsugh suddenly fluttered in her ears.

    <em>Crunch! </em>Blood flowed down from the fingernail that she was biting.

    Engagement.

    Iris stood up as she swayed. She continued to say that word repeatedly in madness.

    ***

    Now, dont be nervous. You memorized the speech, right? Kang-Woo asked.

    Yes, in full, Iris replied.

    Just be confident.

    The day that Iris would sentence the nobles that Si-Hun had captured arrived. The za was filled with people who hade to watch the ruling, and the broadcast that had been used during the Fidelio incident was also on. Iris looked down at the za anxiously, and then slowly walked forward.

    Look! Its Princess Iris! someone yelled.

    However, the reception was not great.

    Tsk. What could a princess that was controlled by a demon possibly do?

    Anything but an innocent ruling

    Everyone gathered in the za was looking up at Iris with worry and uneasiness. Iris shut her eyes tight.

    <em>Im not scared.</em>

    She clenched her fists.

    <em>This is nothingpared to back then.</em>

    Iris slowly opened her eyes and opened her mouth in front of the magic tool that amplified sound.

    Citizens of the empire. Iris continued, I am an ipetent princess.

    Deathly silence fell. Everyone looked up at her in confusion, not having expected the princess herself to say such a thing.

    I was deceived by a demon in human clothing, and simply watched as the empire grew diseased.

    The mumbles among the people grew louder.

    I will not make excuses. Iris raised her head high. I was ipetent and powerless. I abandoned my duty as an imperial princess and averted my eyes from my suffering subjects. But no longer. No longer will I avert my eyes from my duty.

    Iris extended her arm toward the nobles tied up in the za and shouted firmly, I will make the parasites that have gued the empire until now pay for their crimes! She yelled toward the imperial guards, Death to these parasites!

    The za fell silent for a moment, and then

    Waaaaaaaaaahhh!!!

    The people gathered at the za cheered at Irisspletely unexpected decision.

    ***

    Its going very well.

    Kang-Woo smiled as he looked down at the cheering citizens. They were all cheering for Iris, whom they all thought to be an ipetent princess, personally sentencing the corrupt nobles to death.

    <em>Its usually unthinkable.</em>

    No matter how grave a crime noblesmitted, they were usually never executed unless they had instigated a rebellion. They were usually exiled or put under probation.

    <em>Im sure there would be bacsh from other nobles, but</em>

    It did not matter since they had Si-Hun. As long as he stood by Iriss side, the nobles could notin in any way. The execution progressed smoothly. The nobles who had not expected to be sentenced to death were noisy, but they were all soon beheaded.

    Waaaaaahhh!!

    All hail Princess Iris!

    All hail Sir Kim Si-Hun!!

    The people gathered at the za cheered while shouting Si-Hun and Iriss names every time a noble was executed. Si-Hun, who was standing next to Iris, waved at the people while smiling awkwardly.

    And I have something else to say to you all, Iris mentioned.

    Kang-Woos eyes shone.

    <em>Oh, shes finally announcing it.</em>

    The engagement between Si-Hun and Iris, the final step of the hero n that he hade up with ever since hearing about the legend of the high elves, was about to be announced.

    I, Iris von Arnan, have promised to marry the hero that had saved the empire from crisis.

    Waaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!

    <em>Jesus, look at that reaction. Theyre going wild when the heros name hasnt even been mentioned yet.</em>

    The name of the hero whom I will be spending the rest of my life with is Iris slowly turned her head. ... Oh Kang-Woo.

    <em>Mhm. Yeah.</em>

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    Huh?

    <em>What? Oh Kang-Woo?</em><blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    </blockquote>

 Chapter 361: Madness Bends to Even Greater Madness (1)

    Chapter 361: Madness Bends to Even Greater Madness (1)

    What the fuck? Oh Kang-Woo muttered.

    <em>Why did she say my name?</em>

    His eyes shook. He quickly looked toward Iris; she was looking his way with a very wide smile, quivering as if she couldnt be any happier than this moment.

    You motherf

    The back of his head rang with pain, and his mind was in jumbles. He asked himself why, but he was able toe up with an answer soon enough. It was simple so simple that he felt stupid for not having realized it sooner.

    <em>Iriss feelings have switched from Si-Hun to me.</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt understand why he had been unable to pick up on the changes in Iriss affections.

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists. He knew exactly why. He was highly sensitive to emotions; he was well-versed in reading them as well as controlling them. After all, he was a demon. He had spent ten millennia in a world run by desires.

    However, he was unskilled in reading others affections for him no, he was unable to feel it. One could say that he had be insensitive or broken. He had not felt such a thing for far too long. His life had been one of endless desperate battles to extend his survival; everything unrted to victory had been atrophied. He was unable to pick up on subtle changes in ones affection unless that affection was clearly transmitted to him verbally. Hence, he had missed the changes in Iris, and had made an error.

    <em>Shit. I thought Id gotten better.</em>

    Kang-Woo thought that he had learned much about it after meeting Han Seol-Ah, but he had been sorely mistaken. He could hear mumbling from all around the za.

    Oh Kang-Woo?

    Who is that?

    Wouldnt the hero who saved the empire be Sir Kim Si-Hun?

    The people who had been cheering just a few seconds ago were looking at each other in confusion due to the mention of apletely unexpected name. It was only natural; although Kang-Woo was fairly well-known on Earth, only a handful of people knew about him in Aernor because he had purposefully concealed his identity.

    <em>This is bad.</em>

    Kang-Woo bit his lip while staring at the mumbling people. This was the worst possible situation. He had purposefully hidden his identity because he was trying to focus the attention of the high elves on Si-Hun. If the attention of the empires citizens were to be focused on Kang-Woo, so would the attention of the high elves. Worst-case scenario, they would find out that he was the Demon of Prophecy.

    <em>I mean, I guess Ill still be fine since I have Gaias guarantee.</em>

    After Kang-Woo became the Protector of Light, he would be recognized as Gaias retainer by all those who possessed Divinity. Hence, not even the high elves would easily be able to figure out his true identity.

    <em>But</em>

    It did not change the fact that Iris had ripped apart the n that he had pictured in his mind. The gears in his head turned quickly. He needed to resolve this situation, even if he needed to use unreasonable means.

    Sir Kang-Woo Iris approached Kang-Woo while teary-eyed. She smiled and then whispered, Please give me a ring as well.

    Her eyes were filled with twisted desires.

    <em>Authority of Subordination.</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and linked his consciousness with that of Kim Si-Hun, who was standing next to Iris. Si-Hun was left flustered by the train of events that hadpletely derailed from the original n.

    <em>- Si-Hun.</em>

    H-Hyung-nim?

    <em>- You dont have to speak out loud.</em>

    <em>- Whats going on? The n was supposed to be</em>

    <em>- Iris acted on her own.</em>

    <em>- Then</em>

    Si-Hun was staring at Kang-Woo, not knowing what to do.

    <em>- Just do as I say.</em>

    Si-Hun was about to say something, but refrained from it and nodded. He listened to Kang-Woos instructions, and then grabbed Iriss hand as she was walking toward Kang-Woo.

    Princess Iris. People will get the wrong idea if you call me by that name, he expressed.

    H-Huh? Iris stared at Si-Hun, unable to understand what he was talking about.

    You should only call me that when were by ourselves.

    Si-Hun smiled gently and caressed Iriss cheek. He pulled Iris along and stood in front of the voice amplification magic tool.

    As you all know, I am not a citizen of Arnan. Si-Hun calmly continued, In my hometown, children are given two names.

    Kang-Woo was having Si-Hun spout absurd bullshit.

    <em>Theres no other way.</em>

    He was trying to scoop back up water that had already been spilt, so it was naturally very clumsy.

    <em>But even so</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes lit up. In the end, people only saw what they wanted to see, listened only to what they wanted to listen to, and trusted only what they wanted to trust.

    <em>And they want Si-Hun and Iris to be a couple. If thats the case, itll work.</em>

    Even if it was unreasonable and didnt make sense, Kang-Woo was certain that it would work for sure.

    I received names from both my mother and father. The name that Princess Iris has said is the one that my mother has given me.

    Ohhhh, the people gathered at the za expressed.

    Instead of it sounding more like they understood, their expression gave off more of a feeling that they were wondering if that meant Si-Hun and Iris were getting engaged.

    Si-Hun smiled brightly. Yes, Princess Iris and I have gotten engaged.

    Waaaaaaaaahhh!!

    <em>Whistle! Whistle!</em>

    The people who had been confused began to cheer while whistling again.

    Urgh, n-no! I!

    Just as Iris was about to shout something while fiercely frowning, Kang-Woo stepped up.

    Iris,e here for a second.

    Sir Kang-Woo?

    Kang-Woo pulled Iris by the wrist in a way that would attract as little attention as possible. He made Iris step down from the tform while Si-Hun was distracting the people, and then red at her in anger.

    What the hell do you think youre doing?

    U-Umm Iris lowered her head while stuttering. She started toe up with a poor excuse like Kang-Woo had. You said that I needed to be engaged to a hero of the empire for the nation to be revived. You are just as great of a hero as Sir Si-Hun, but people dont know that yet, so I thought I would take this chance to tell them of your aplishments

    Because Iris knew nothing of Kang-Woos circumstances, she seemed to have been bothered by how no one knew of his achievements.

    Kang-Woo frowned. When did I tell you to do that kind of shit?

    I-Im sorry. Iris lowered her head in dejection.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he looked over at the people of the za who were waiting for Iris toe back up to the tform.

    Well talk about thister. Get back up there and finish your speech.

    Okay. Iris nodded while on the verge of tears.

    Thankfully, she managed to get through the rest of her speech without any issues. The people chanted Si-Hun and Iriss names, and the two of them came down from the tform while showing how close they were to everyone. Kang-Woo went back to his room after watching the speech to the very end.

    <em>Its my fault for not realizing sooner, but</em>

    Iris was ultimately responsible for acting on her own.

    <em>I should scold her sternly.</em>

    It had been difficult for Kang-Woo to be stern with Iris due to her unstable mental state, but it would be bad if something like this happened again. Kang-Woo put his hand on his forehead as if it hurt.

    How did this happen?

    Nothing would change even if he knew Iriss feelings for him. He had no intention to be with another woman as long as Seol-Ah was with him.

    Hmm?

    Just then, something popped up in his head.

    <em>Seol-Ah?</em>

    Come to think of it, Seol-Ah had been nowhere to be seen from around the midpoint of the speech. Kang-Woos face turned pale.

    Wait.

    He quickly got up and ran toward Iriss room. <em>Wham!</em> He swung open the door.

    Fuck.

    Iris was nowhere to be seen in the empty room.

    ***

    A blonde woman slowly opened her eyes in a pitch-ck room, tied to a chair.

    H-Huh? Iris looked around as if she couldnt understand what was going on. Wh-Where am I?

    She tried to get up from the chair, but she heard the sound of chains ttering. Only then did she realize that she had been chained up.

    Wh-What the?

    A chill ran down Iriss spine. Shebed through her memories.

    <em>After the speech I separated from Sir Si-Hun and went back to my room, and then</em>

    She had no memory of anything after that.

    Ngh! Urgghhh!

    Iris twisted and turned madly, but she could not escape from the shining chains.

    <em>Creak.</em> A door opened.

    Wh-Whos there?! Iris turned her head toward the sound to see a woman ring at her coldly. Han Seol-Ah?

    Seol-Ah approached her slowly. Youve done something quite interesting this time.

    Ngh

    I believe I told you before Seol-Ah yanked on Iriss hair and said with a voice filled with bloodlust, ... That you should know your ce.

    Urgh! Iris bared her teeth ferociously. She leaned toward Seol-Ah as if trying to leap at her and shouted, Shut up! Sir Kang-Woo loves me far more than the likes of you!

    Iris recalled her memories with Kang-Woo and the feelings that they shared while stabbing Fidelio. The emotions and pleasures that she had felt were not hers alone; she was sure that Kang-Woo had also felt the same way.

    I can no longer live on without Sir Kang-Woo.

    Iris red at Seol-Ah in madness. Kang-Woo had saved her no, he had given her a push for her to be able to stand on her own. He had taken her out of Reynalds shadow, which she had been hiding within all this time.

    Silence fell. Seol-Ah bent forward and grabbed her stomach.

    Pfft. Theugh she was suppressing spilled out. Kang-Woo loves you more, you say? The corners of Seol-Ahs mouth rose as if mocking Iris. Thats enough of your delusions, Iris. I cant believe you still have the gall to say that after seeing this.

    Seol-Ah waved her left hand with the ring on her ring finger in front of Iris.

    Iriss face froze. Seol-Ah slowly walked up to her, raised her hand and slowly caressed Iriss cheek.

    To be honest, I was fine with Lilith, Echidna, and even Yeon-Joo. I could endure it if it were them, Seol-Ah expressed.

    Iris was unable toprehend what Seol-Ah was talking about.

    But The light in Seol-Ahs eyes disappeared, and those eyes pointed toward Iris. ... Not you. I cant let someone like you be with Kang-Woo.

    Ngh! Wh-Why am I the only one?! Iris shouted while frowning.

    Seol-Ah slowly lowered the hand that was caressing Iriss cheek. Because Seol-Ahs hand traveled from Iriss cheek to her chin. You And then to her neck. ... Dont love Kang-Woo. And then to her chest.

    What? Iris froze,pletely dazed by Seol-Ahs iprehensible answer. What are you talking about?!

    Seol-Ah giggled. What am I talking about, you ask? Im sure you know that better than I do.

    Youre wrong! I lov

    You love him? Seol-Ah shook her head. No. You dont love Kang-Woo. Seol-Ah looked Iris straight in the eyes with her own eyes filled with thick bloodlust. Youre just trying to use him.

    What?

    I dont know what happened for you to have ended up this way, but You just want Kang-Woo because you need someone to depend on.

    Iris had been protected by someone all her life. By Reynald, Si-Hun, and

    You simply chose Kang-Woo to rece your deceased brother.

    Y-Youre wrong! Iris screamed.

    There was no way that she had chosen Kang-Woo to rece Reynald. She had barely managed toe out from the shadow to stand on her own two feet, so there was no way that she was trying to hide within someone elses shadow again.

    Im wrong? Seol-Ah burst intoughter. Really? Do you really think so?

    Silence fell once again. Iris trembled in pallor.

    No No. I love Kang-Woo. I didnt want him so I could hide behind him. Wh-Who do you think you are to be spouting bullshit like that?! Iris shouted madly as she red at Seol-Ah with bloodlust.

    Seol-Ah crouched while licking her lips to be with Iris at eye level.

    It doesnt matter even if you dont know. Honestly, it doesnt matter even if Im wrong, and you truly do love Kang-Woo. After all

    Seol-Ah slowly extended her hand. An enormous amount of energy poured out from her.

    Eek! Iris trembled in pallor.

    Seol-Ah smiled widely. Pure-white wings sprouted from her back. Madness so thick that it couldnt even bepared to that of Iris poured out from her.

    You wont be able to love Kang-Woo anymore.

    The twelve wings on Seol-Ahs back radiated blinding light.

 Chapter 362: Madness Bends to Even Greater Madness (2)

    Chapter 362: Madness Bends to Even Greater Madness (2)

    What do you

    Iriss eyes quivered. Fear took over her body and paralyzed her sense of reason. She felt as if she was in a nightmare no, as if she hade face to face with her nightmare.

    A-Aaaahh.

    Her legs tied to the chair shook, and she lost all strength in her lower body. She could feel her dress getting wet, but she was not in any condition for her face to get red from humiliation.

    <em>Im gonna die.</em>

    The only thing on Iriss mind was death. Even without the radiant twelve wings on Han Seol-Ahs back, the woman in front of her was more terrifying than anything she had ever experienced.

    <em>Im gonna die. Im gonna die. Im gonna die.</em>

    At this rate, she would die. The bloodlust aimed at her blew away all other thought.

    Fufu. Dont worry. Seol-Ah smiled widely. Theres no way I would kill you, Iris.

    She ced her hand on top of Iriss head while smiling crazily. Pure-white light poured out from her hand.

    Ah

    Iriss eyes turned hazy. She could feel her body being taken over by the colossal light pouring out from Seol-Ahs hand.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Golden light burst out from Iris as if putting up resistance. Seol-Ah expressed surprise as the golden light and white light shed in the air.

    This must be the power of the high elves. It was more powerful than Seol-Ah had expected. But It wont be able to block this.

    Seol-Ah added more power while giggling softly.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Just then, the door that had been protected by white light exploded. Seol-Ah turned her head in surprise.

    K-Kang-Woo?

    A man with sharp eyes had barged into the room while destroying the door. It was the man that Seol-Ah loved more than anything else.

    Oh Kang-Woo remained silent after entering the room, and frowned as he stared at the shing of golden and white light.

    Stop, he stated.

    Kang-Woo, I was

    I told you to stop.

    Seol-Ah flinched. Kang-Woos tone of voice was so cold that she almost doubted that it hade from him. She was stricken with fear.

    Kang-Woo, I

    I know.

    Kang-Woo knew exactly what Seol-Ah was about to do, and why she had done something like this. He narrowed his eyes.

    <em>Seraphs power has grown stronger.</em>

    The obsession that had grown stronger, along with the power of the angels within Seol-Ah, was taking control of her. Kang-Woo walked up to Seol-Ah. Resolving the most urgent matter took priority.

    Kang-Woo, please listen to m

    Just stay still for now, darling.

    There was only one way to resolve this matter; Kang-Woo yanked Seol-Ah toward him and french-kissed her.

    Ah

    Seol-Ahs eyes widened as the thrill traveled from her tongue throughout her body. And then

    Huh? Wh-What was I just

    Seol-Ah looked around in confusion. The obsession that had taken control over her slightly died down, and her sense of reason came back.

    K-Kang-Woo. I-Im sor huh? Wh-Why did I

    Kang-Woo embraced the panicking Seol-Ah and remarked, Just focus on calming down. Close your eyes, take deep breaths, and empty your mind. Dont think about anything else.

    Seol-Ah did as Kang-Woo said. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. The twelve wings that had sprouted from her back slowly faded and thenpletely disappeared.

    Kang-Woo

    Seol-Ah became teary-eyed; only now had she finally remembered what she had done. She trembled and was having difficulty breathing.

    <em>What did I try to do to Iris?</em>

    Her mind was in jumbles, and she was feeling nauseous. Since when had she be twisted to the point of no return?

    Its okay. Its all right. Kang-Woo gently patted Seol-Ahs back as he embraced her. Driving the panicking Seol-Ah into a corner was not wise. Its not your fault, Seol-Ah.

    It truly was not Seol-Ahs fault.

    <em>I shouldve given her more attention.</em>

    Kang-Woo had known that Seraphs power within Seol-Ah was growing stronger as well as her obsession for him.

    <em>I also knew that that obsession was impossible to suppress.</em>

    If the instinct of angels were the same as that of demons, there was no way that Seol-Ah would be able to control the power of the colossal being that was Seraph. Rather, it was a miracle that Seol-Ah had been able to endure it for all this time without much happening.

    <em>Sniff</em> K-Kang-Woo. I-Im so scared. Wh-Whats happening to me? Seol-Ah asked while trembling.

    She knew that something precious to her was getting twisted somehow. Kang-Woo also knew that feeling very well; the horrifying fear and anxiety of his entire being changing when he devoured a demon and epted demonic energy for the first time.

    Its okay. Theres nothing to be scared of.

    Kang-Woo calmly consoled Seol-Ah. Seol-Ah yanked herself out of his embrace and shook her head.

    Wh-What do you mean theres nothing to be scared of?! I was What I was about to do to Iris was

    Seol-Ah stared at Iris in pallor; Iris had passed out with her head lowered. The chains binding her had disappeared.

    Have I Seol-Ah stared at Kang-Woo in fear. She asked anxiously, ... Gone insane?

    Kang-Woo remained silent. Honestly speaking, she was not in a normal state.

    <em>But</em>

    The same could be said for him. Had he stayed sane after killing demons and devouring their flesh and blood?

    <em>Of course not.</em>

    Kang-Woo was insane. He was broken and twisted ever since he had first fallen into Hell. Even so, he had gone forward without looking back as he had always done.

    Darling. I havent told you much about my past, have I?

    Pardon?

    Ill tell you a little of it.

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly and told Seol-Ah about when he had first fallen into Hell, and how he had turned into a demon after devouring one.

    Bing apletely different being with the senses of a humanes with its corresponding price, he stated.

    Does that mean Tears dripped from Seol-Ahs eyes. She asked in fear, Ill be like this forever? I can never go back to normal?

    Kang-Woo firmly nodded. Yeah. You can never go back.

    Seraph could no longer be separated from Seol-Ah. A body that had already be close to that of an angel could never return to the way it was. Seol-Ah would have to live with her crazed obsession for the rest of her life.

    No way

    Seol-Ah copsed as despair took control over her. Kang-Woo grabbed Seol-Ahs hand and raised her up.

    <em>Its dangerous to leave her like this.</em>

    Kang-Woo could not leave Seol-Ah in this state. Her circumstances were different from that of his; he had slowly changed into a demon over a very long time period, but everything for her had changed in an extremely short period of time. It was no wonder that there would be correspondingplications.

    <em>But thankfully</em>

    There was a very simple way to resolve Seol-Ahs obsession.

    But that doesnt really matter, does it? Kang-Woo stated.

    Im sorry? Seol-Ah stared at Kang-Woo, not able toprehend what he was saying.

    I said, youre fine the way you are.

    Wh-What are you talking about, Kang-Woo?

    Your obsession is me, isnt it?

    Seol-Ah turned red from the direct question.

    Kang-Woo caressed her red cheeks and continued calmly, Then theres no problem, since I wont ever be apart from you.

    Ah, Seol-Ah expressed.

    Her eyes widened, and sparks ran throughout her body.

    As long as the target of your obsession is me, theres no problem at all.

    All madness was born out of deficiency; whether it be demons or angels, their madness arose when they did not get what they wanted. In that case, the solution was simple.

    I ask you to trust me just a little more. Thats all I need. Kang-Woo caressed the ring on Seol-Ahs left ring finger. Do you think I gave this to you for no reason?

    Kang-Woo Seol-Ah muttered in a trembling tone. Her shoulders shook as the corners of her mouth rose as far as they could. Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo. She hugged him as she repeated his name. Im sorry. Im sorry

    Seol-Ah rubbed her face in his embrace. Kang-Woo smirked and patted her head.

    <em>I guess that partly takes care of it.</em>

    If the instincts of demons and angels were the same in nature, the way to control them should also be the same.

    <em>Lets start by having her ept it.</em>

    Seol-Ah needed to ept the changes to her body and senses. Rejecting and suppressing them would only make them more rampant. Demonic instinct was like a water hose; forcibly closing the end would cause the pressure to rise and eventually explode, just like how Seol-Ah ended up now.

    <em>It needs to be controlled, not stopped.</em>

    Continuing the analogy from earlier, ces for the water to flow out would need to be made. To do that, Seol-Ah needed to ept and understand the flowing water, which was her instinctive impulse.

    Im sorry. Im sorry. Im sorry, Seol-Ah continuously apologized.

    Kang-Woo shook his head and stated, No, its okay. Well It wasnt really as I had intended it, but the result wasnt a bad one.

    Kang-Woo looked toward the unconscious Iris. The energy of the high elves that he could feel from her had be iparably thicker than before.

    <em>She mustve awakened.</em>

    It was the most likely conclusion. Iris had pulled out the power out of survival instinct aftering face to face with Seraphs colossal power.

    <em>What a score.</em>

    The power of the high elves growing stronger in Iris was worth celebrating. With this, her connection to the high elves had grown stronger.

    No, thats not what Im apologizing about, Seol-Ah expressed.

    Huh?

    <em>Then why are you apologizing?</em>

    Im sorry, Kang-Woo. Seol-Ah grabbed Kang-Woos arm while panting heatedly. I cant hold myself back anymore.

    <em>I beg your pardon? Hold what back?</em>

    Come with me, she stated.

    H-Huh?

    Seol-Ah pulled Kang-Woo by his clothes. They passed through the destroyed door and went into her room.

    Wait, darling.

    <em>Its not that, is it? We shouldnt. Were gonna be scolded for abusing our all-ages rating. Were gonna get told to fuck off to Noblesse</em>[1]<em> if were gonna do shit like this.</em>

    <em>ck</em>. Seol-Ah snapped her finger and a white barrier, far stronger than the one on the door of the room that Iris was chained in, formed on the door.

    Dont worry. Seol-Ah smiled gently and hugged Kang-Woos head. She pushed him onto the bed and got on top of him. Ive practiced plenty.

    Huh? Huuuh?

    Huh?

    Huuuuuuuuuh?

    1. Noblesse is a section in the Korean webnovel website Joara, which includes mature novels.

 Chapter 363: So What Tier Were You Again?

    Chapter 363: So What Tier Were You Again?

    The sky was blue, and the chirping of birds sounded like the singing of angels. The sunlight that shone from between the clouds lit the room.

    Aaaahh, Oh Kang-Woo expressed.

    This was life. The ten grueling millennia that he had suffered through in Hell were likely for this very moment no, it must have been. He looked up at the sky from the windowsill in mncholy.

    What the fuck are you doing? Cha Yeon-Joo, who hade to his room because it was past noon, frowned.

    Kang-Woo, who simply looked out the window without looking at her, remarked, Its a beautiful day is it not?

    Its raining.

    Can you not hear the chirping of birds?

    I said its raining, you moron. There arent any birds.

    They sound like angels singing

    Hah, Yeon-Joo chuckled in sarcasm at Kang-Woos nonsense.

    Kang-Woo smirked and looked at her pridefully as if she was an ignorant girl. Yeon-Joo frowned aggressively.

    What? she asked fiercely, feeling displeasure from the look that Kang-Woo was giving her.

    Kang-Woo grinned while paying no mind to her response and said, How do I look like to you right now?

    Like a dumbass.

    Dont you feel anything new about me?

    Id guess your brain was switched out for a new one.

    Kang-Woo would usually not take such cutting remarks idly by, but he was different now. He smiled as if he was a saint who could embrace everything in the world and nodded.

    Yeah, I guess it couldve been, he replied.

    Yeon-Joos mouth was left agape, and she rubbed her arms as if she got goosebumps.

    What the hell is wrong with you? Did you take a bullet to the head?

    It was a pointless question. There was no way that there would be guns in Aernor, and even if there were, they would never be able to pierce through Kang-Woos head. No, even if a bullet managed to, Yeon-Joo knew that Kang-Woo would be perfectly fine.

    Wait

    Yeon-Joos eyes narrowed. Kang-Woo looked as if he had a screw loose, and the bed was so disheveled to the point that Yeon-Joo wondered how he had slept. There werent many things that could exin this situation.

    Well, well. Yeon-Joo stared at Kang-Woo ridiculously. I was wondering why a guy like you, who doesnt even need sleep, was nowhere to be seen in the morning, but you sure went at it.

    The back of Yeon-Joos head hurt just from imagining what Kang-Woo had likely experiencedst night. She was boiling with rage for some reason, and was surging with the desire to p the grinning Kang-Woos face. <em>Crack.</em> Yeon-Joo kicked a nearby chair to vent her frustration, and it shattered.

    Kang-Woo, did someone stop by? Han Seol-Ah arrived with a boiling pot in hand. There was no question what was inside.

    Ngh! Yeon-Joo flinched.

    She knew very well how mentally unstable Seol-Ah wastely. Yeon-Joo did not even want to imagine the chaos that would ensue from Seol-Ah seeing that she and Kang-Woo were together alone in his room.

    This is w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-well Yeon-Joo backed away while stuttering.

    Oh, youre here too, Yeon-Joo? Seol-Ah ced the pot on the table while smiling. Great timing. Come eat with us.

    Eh?

    Yeon-Joos eyes widened. Such behavior from Seol-Ah was unimaginable from how she had recently been, exuding bloodlust whenever Kang-Woo was involved with any women. She was acting like herself when Yeon-Joo had first met her.

    Did you sleep well, Kang-Woo? Seol-Ah asked as she approached Kang-Woo with a smile and kissed him softly on the cheek.

    Yeah, Kang-Woo energetically nodded.

    Fufu. The food is ready, soe to the table, Seol-Ah said while gently patting Kang-Woos head.

    Yeon-Joo stared at the two of them dumbfoundedly and sighed. Sheesh. You two sure were made for each other.

    She thought, <em>All couples, just fucking die.</em>

    Oh? Youre not gonna join us? Seol-Ah asked.

    I dont wanna get in the way.

    Dont be like that ande take a seat. Seol-Ah smiled brightly and grabbed Yeon-Joos hand.

    Yeon-Joo, after thinking for a bit, ended up taking a seat. Seol-Ah sat next to Kang-Woo and opened the lid to reveal kimchi stew filled with eel and garlic[1].

    Huh? Yeon-Joo expressed.

    <em>Eel?</em>

    Hohoho. Eat tons and regain your energy, Kang-Woo, Seol-Ah remarked.

    Thanks for the meal, darling.

    Wait, wait, wait. Yeon-Joo quickly waved her hands. Eel in kimchi stew?

    She had never heard of such abination.

    Whats wrong with it? We have it like this all the time. Kang-Woo tilted his head as if he couldnt understand what the problem was.

    Yeon-Joo remained silent and slowly turned her head toward Seol-Ah. She was filling Kang-Woos bowl with the kimchi stew with a very wide smile.

    You Yeon-Joo stared at Kang-Woo pitifully.

    What? Kang-Woo asked.

    No, never mind. She shook her head and sighed.

    Kang-Woo had some of the kimchi stew and asked Yeon-Joo, Come to think of it, what brings you here?

    Oh, right. Yeon-Joo recalled the reason why she hade to Kang-Woos room in the first ce. Iris woke up.

    Oh, really? Kang-Woo put down his bowl and asked, How is she doing?

    Shes acting a bit weird. She was trembling a ton as soon as she woke up, like she was terrified by something.

    Seol-Ah slightly flinched. She turned to look at Kang-Woo in guilt.

    Oh, and I could feel some sort of strange energy from Iris. She emits a golden aura from time to time.

    Mm. Kang-Woo nodded.

    It was most likely because the power of the high elves dormant within Iris had awoken due to Seol-Ah.

    But why did that little brat pass out in the first ce? Did something happen? Yeon-Joo asked.

    Just a little something. Kang-Woo avoided answering the question while smiling awkwardly. There was no way that he could tell Yeon-Joo that the angelic instincts in Seol-Ah had gone out of control and caused her to kidnap and threaten Iris. Ill go see herter.

    No. Seol-Ah shook her head. She grabbed Kang-Woos hand and continued, Ill go, Kang-Woo.

    You? Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah, conflicted.

    No matter how he thought about it, it would only bring negative results.

    Seol-Ah continued with an expression filled with guilt, I feel like I would have to apologize to her personally.

    Hmm

    Although it did not seem like a good idea for the kidnapper herself to visit the victim, he couldnt bring himself to refuse when Seol-Ahs eyes were filled with a firm will.

    Okay. Ill leave Iris to you, darling.

    Seol-Ahs mental state had be very stable after their <em>interaction</em>st night.

    <em>But who knows when shell rpse?</em>

    Kang-Woo knew very well how powerful the impulses brought about by instincts were. As long as Seraph was inside Seol-Ah, her obsession may go out of control at any time.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woo scanned Seol-Ah. Her face was filled with guilt and worry for Iris; she was the same kind Seol-Ah that he had known for a very long time.

    <em>I shouldnt have anything to worry about for the time being.</em>

    He should not make any rash decisions, but Seol-Ah did not seem like she would lose control in the immediate moment.

    Apologize? Did you do something to Iris, Seol-Ah? Yeon-Joo asked.

    Oh U-Uhmm

    What? Did you scold her or something? Yeon-Joo snickered.

    Seol-Ah scratched her cheek while smiling awkwardly.

    She deserves it, considering all of her shit that we had to endure. Yeon-Joo shook her head while waving her hand. Anyway, I came to tell you that, but a certain someone was as lifeless as a 0/14 ADC against a dimir with 23 kills. No, maybe Tahm Kench is a better reference in this situation[2].

    What does that mean?

    Hmph, nothing a troll who steals the CS from an ADC would know.

    Kang-Woo raised an eyebrow. Although he had no idea what Yeon-Joo was saying, it felt extremely unpleasant. He narrowed his eyes and poked at her weakness.

    Big words for a Bronze yer.

    ...

    I was curious, so I looked it up. Youre treated no better than an insect.

    N-Not true!! I just have terrible luck in teams! Just looking at skill alone, Im!

    So what tier are you again?

    Y-You son of a bitch!

    Yeon-Joo trembled in anger. She wanted to refute Kang-Woos ims, but she copsed in despair from the irrefutable fact. Kang-Woo felt great satisfaction. He snickered once the displeasure he had felt earlier disappeared.

    Well, thats enough of that. Lets eat before the stew gets cold, Kang-Woo said.

    Urgh! Just you wait! Ive just been cking off. If I actually put my mind to it, I can easily escape Bronze!

    Id say its practically hopeless, considering youre still stuck in that tier despite your physical prowess.

    Kang-Woo chuckled. He had more or less of an idea after ying a few times with Yeon-Joo that there was no way that she would be in such a low tier with her superhuman reaction speed.

    Shut up!! You dont know shit! Yeon-Joo eximed.

    <em>That fiery temper of hers is probably whats holding her back. Well, it has nothing to do with me.</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked and had more of Seol-Ahs kimchi stew.

    Kaaah.

    It was delicious. Whether it was eel or anything else in it, kimchi stew was kimchi stew. Kang-Woo got up after emptying three bowls of rice in an instant.

    Ill take care of the cleanup, Kang-Woo stated.

    No, Kang-Woo. Let me.

    You made it, so I should be the one to clean. Kang-Woo ced his hand on Seol-Ahs shoulder as she was about to get up. Besides, you were gonna go visit Iris, werent you?

    Ah

    Seol-Ah nodded with a gloomy expression after recalling what she needed to do. Kang-Woo levitated the pots with the Authority of the Sky and turned his head to Yeon-Joo.

    Right, then. Lets go wash the dishes.

    Why me?

    You had some too.

    You ate ten times more than me!

    Yeon-Joo frowned aggressively, but followed behind Kang-Woo anyway while grumbling. Kang-Woo smirked and headed to the imperial kitchen with Yeon-Joo.

    <em>Smash!!</em>

    Just then, something fell through the ceiling of the imperial castle. Kang-Woo pulled Yeon-Joo behind him by the shoulder and extended his arm forward, creating a shield shining gold.

    Wh-What the?! Yeon-Joo shouted.

    Kang-Woo paid her no mind and focused on the being that had fallen from the sky.

    Uriel?

    Kang Woo

    A bloodied angel was stretching out his arm toward Kang-Woo.

    Hurry

    Uriel staggered toward Kang-Woo and kept himself up while grabbing Kang-Woos shoulders. The angel, whose entire body was tattered beyond belief, squeezed out a warning.

    Run away.

    1. Freshwater eel is known in Korean culture to boost sexual desire, and I believe garlic does as well.

    2. I am toozy to exin this. People who dont y LoL dont need to know, and those who y LoL know anyway.

 Chapter 364: Go To Sleep, Brat

    Chapter 364: Go To Sleep, Brat

    Uriel was covered in blood. Since angel blood was white, he looked like he belonged in an R-18 game. Despite that, Oh Kang-Woo could tell that Uriel was on the verge of death.

    His eight wings had all been bent violently as if someone had scrunched up wings made with origami. His left arm was hanging down as if someone had forcefully stretched it out, and his left foot was bent backward. His blood vessels were protruding out from his temple and neck, reaching all over his body like a spider web.

    Uriel copsed. Kang-Woo put his arms under his armpits and supported him.

    Kang-Woo remained silent. To be more exact, he had nothing to say. He lifted Uriel up as his eyes sank. There were many things that he wanted to ask, but now was not the time.

    Yeon-Joo, go get Seol-Ah.

    Y-Yeah! Okay!

    Cha Yeon-Joo quickly nodded and ran somewhere. Kang-Wooid Uriel down in the hallway. He wanted to take him to the bed, but there was no time. <em>Crunch</em>. He bit open his finger, allowing his blood to flow.

    Kang-Woo momentarily wondered if it was possible to heal an angel with the Authority of Regeneration. He thought that it made no sense to be able to heal an angel with the blood of a demon.

    <em>Theres no time to think about shit like that.</em>

    Blood was nothing but the medium to activate the Authority of Regeneration; none of the people whom Kang-Woo had treated had been encroached by demonic energy nor had been influenced by it.

    <em>I have to try.</em>

    He needed to administer first aid at the very least. Kang-Woo ced his bleeding finger in Uriels mouth and activated the Authority of Regeneration.

    Haaa, haaa, Uriel panted.

    Thankfully, it had an effect. His skin regained its healthy color, and his mangled limbs returned to normal.

    <em>Its not enough.</em>

    His ability was not specialized in healing; it was nothing more than first aid.

    Kang-Woo!

    I brought Seol-Ah!

    Yeon-Joo brought Han Seol-Ah just in time. Seol-Ah checked the state that Uriel was in with worry and ced her hands on his chest. <em>Whoooom! </em>White light burst from Seol-Ah.

    Urgh Cough! Cough!

    Uriel coughed up a fistful of blood. His expression rxed a little, and his breathing became lessbored. His bent wings went back to their normal state.

    Phew, Seol-Ah sighed in relief. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead from having used a significant amount of power in a short period of time. Hes out of immediate danger. If I use a little more power

    Kang-Woo grabbed the swaying Seol-Ahs shoulder and stated, This is enough.

    But

    Ill take care of the rest, he remarked as he lifted Uriel and took him to a room with a bed. Uriel was twisting and turning while sweating profusely. Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo, please leave the room.

    It was not good for there to be a crowd in a room with a patient in it.

    Yes, Kang-Woo, Seol-Ah replied.

    Ill let La and Si-Hun know, said Yeon-Joo.

    The two of them left the room, bringing silence to the room; the only thing that could be heard was Uriels arrhythmic breathing.

    Kang-Woo looked down at Uriel in silence.

    <em>Who could it have been?</em>

    Who could have possibly driven an archangel to the brink of death?

    <em>The summoning ritual in the north</em>

    From what he had heard, SantAngelo, the floating ind of the angels, was located in the northernmost region of the continent.

    <em>Could there be a connection?</em>

    Kang-Woo could not be sure whether there was a connection between the traces of a summoning ritual in the north and Uriels injury, but he was sure that it was by no means a coincidence.

    Ngh Urgh!

    Uriel twisted and turned on the bed. Kang-Woo bit open his finger again and ced it in Uriels mouth. It was pointless for him to guess on his own; he would only get the full picture once Uriel was up.

    Kang Woo?

    Uriel, who had been twisting and turning while unconscious, slightly opened his eyes. He tried to prop himself up, but

    Urgh!

    Please stay still. It hasnt been long since your injuries were healed.

    Uriely back on the bed.

    What happened? Kang-Woo asked.

    He felt sorry about barraging someone who had only just regained consciousness with questions, but he did not have the leeway to wait until Uriel had fully recovered.

    Uriel lightly bit his lip and said while trembling, SantAngelo was attacked.

    Kang-Woo nodded. He had expected it; considering where he had sent Uriel off to in order to get away from him, it was simple to guess. The problem was

    By who? Kang-Woo asked.

    Who could have possibly attacked SantAngelo, the angels abode?

    Im not sure. Uriel shook his head in pallor.

    Kang-Woo had not expected such an answer.

    You dont know?

    Im sure that They were demons. No, there werent just demons, but demonic beasts as well.

    Demons and demonic beasts It was far too vague.

    But they werent like the demonic beasts I know. How should I say it? They possessed intelligence? They followedmands perfectly In any case, their assault on SantAngelo was highly organized.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He finally got some useful information. Demonic beasts that possessed intelligence and were powerful enough to face beings as powerful as the princes of Hell only meant one thing.

    <em>Ancient demonic beasts. </em>Kang-Woo aggressively frowned. <em>Why are ancient demonic beasts in Aernor?</em>

    He couldnt believe that those uncontroble monsters would follow someones orders and work together. It was impossible to make any guesses just from the information about the appearance of ancient demonic beasts.

    <em>And</em>

    There was one more thing that Kang-Woo didnt understand.

    Did you get injured this badly from fighting the demonic beasts? he asked.

    Uriels injuries were far too abnormal to have been from battle. One normally died before being injured in such ways.

    <em>Someone tortured him on purpose.</em>

    There was no other way to exin Uriels injuries.

    Uriels expression froze as he trembled like Iris in the past in front of Fidelio. His behavior was far off from his usual confident and prideful demeanor.

    I dont know. Uriel slowly shook his head. He had a mask on. He wasnt that big, smelled putrid, and was really really strong.

    If an archangel was saying that, the opponent likely was considerably powerful.

    Hmm, Kang-Woo expressed. How would he bepared to Rakiel?

    Im not sure, since Lady Gaia had fought him with us. But in my opinion He wasnt as strong as Rakiel. However, he was far more difficult of an opponent.

    Kang-Woos eyes sank. Why was he a more difficult opponent?

    He had a strange ability.

    An ability?

    Im not sure if its magic or not, but I suddenly felt pain all over my body. Because of that I lost without even being able to put up a decent fight.

    <em>Pain, huh?</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded. He could understand what Uriel meant by the opponent being weaker than Rakiel but harder to face. Pain was not something one was able to ovee through sheer will.

    Does that mean SantAngelo has been destroyed by demons? Kang-Woo asked.

    No. Lord Michael and Gabriel have likely returned to SantAngelo and are fighting the demons. Im not sure if they can win, but the <em>blessing </em>hasnt been cut off, so SantAngelo hasnt been destroyed.

    There seemed to have been some sort of buff ced on the ce.

    I see. Kang-Woo nodded. He had more or less figured out the situation, as well as what he needed to do now. Get some rest.

    W-Wait! Youre not thinking of going to SantAngelo, are you?

    Of course I am.

    Angels were his precious allies. No, regardless of the angels, the enemies that he had no idea of their identity had finally shown themselves. Kang-Woo could not just let them run amok.

    I-Its too dangerous! Uriel hurriedly grabbed Kang-Woos clothes.

    Kang-Woo chuckled. He slowly raised his hand and ced it on Uriels head.

    Go to sleep, brat.

    <em>This hyung of yours will take care of it.</em>

    <em>Whoom. </em>Golden light flowed out from Kang-Woos hand.

    What are

    Uriels vision became blurry, and he passed out on the bed.

    Well, then.

    <em>Lets go check it out.</em>

    ***

    <em>Boom! Crash!</em>

    Sounds of explosions echoed throughout the dimly shining floating ind, which was covered in mes.

    I guess angels are nothing much.

    Beings in red demon masks were sitting at the peak of a giant mountain under the floating ind in mes. One of the beings wearing the red demon mask snickered. His entire body was radiating a smell so putrid that it would destroy the nose of anyone near him.

    A female giggle leaked from another being under a mask. Hohoho. What do you expect from a bunch of pigeons hiding under Seraphs skirt?

    Silence, the being sitting in the middle stated. He sounded robotic as if he was devoid of emotions.

    The putrid being turned around. That aside, is it really okay for us to listen to what that hunchback says?

    Im sure hes cooking up some sort of scheme, but its beneficial for us to cooperate with him in order for us to fulfill our wish.

    Hmph, we wouldnt have had to go through this if Rakiel didnt go up and die like a dumbass. The putrid being clicked his tongue.

    The being with the robotic voice turned around and raised something shining ck; it was wriggling around like it was a living organism. He put it in his pocket.

    We have already found what we need. Pull out.

    Hm? What about the remaining pigeons?

    We have no more time to waste.

    Hah, so much for being known as the Constetion of Despair. The putrid being snickered.

    The being known as the Constetion of Despair remained silent.

    Anyway, have you still been unable to contact Lucifer? The sexy voice of a woman flowed out from the other being in the red mask again.

    The Constetion of Despair shook his head. The Evil God seems to have no intention of joining us.

    Hmm, what a shame. I wanted to have a taste of Lucifer.

    The putrid being snorted. Tsk. Yeah, we know youre horny twenty-four seven, Constetion of Lust. Werent you ying around with a prince of Hell before?

    Asmodeus? I got sick of him, so I killed him. The Constetion of Lust giggled.

    Just then

    Somethingsing. A being of childlike stature with nk eyes turned his head and looked in a direction where nothing could be seen.

    Something?

    The Protector of Light. Gaias child ising this way.

    Protector of Light, huh? The putrid being snickered. Perfect. Ill take this chance to eliminate one of Gaias retainers.

    Do as you like, replied the Constetion of despair in monotone and turned around.

    <em>Crack</em>. A ck Rift appeared in front of him, and he slowly walked into it.

    Hmm. Im not that interested in Gaias child, so Im leaving too~

    The Constetion of Lust waved as she went into the Rift. Beings wearing red masks walked into the Rift one after another. Only the putrid being remained at the peak of the tall mountain.

    The Protector of Light. The being snickered. I wonder how long youll shine for under unimaginable pain?

    The Constetion of Agony, the being radiating rancid smell, licked his lips in anticipation.

 Chapter 365: I Donâ€™t Understand

    Chapter 365: I Don¡¯t Understand

    <em>Bang!</em> Oh Kang-Woo leaped into the air and flew at supersonic speed using the Authority of the Sky. The heat generated from the friction between his skin and the air set his surroundings aze. Despite flying at such insane speed, he still was not able to reach the northernmost region of the continent quickly.

    <em>Its further than I thought.</em>

    Kang-Woo shut his mouth tight. Uriel had flown this long distance just so he could tell Kang-Woo to run away, while his body was aplete mess, no less. Kang-Woo couldnt help but chuckle.

    <em>Dumb brat.</em>

    Uriel was nothing but a puppet being deceived and used by Kang-Woo. The fact that his puppet had risked his life to let him know of danger was pitiably pathetic. Kang-Woo felt that Uriel was a goddamn idiot, but he was furious for some reason. Could it be because he found Uriels moronic actions pathetic beyond belief? He did not know, nor did he have any need to know.

    <em>Boom!!</em>

    Kang-Woo sped up even more. Once he drew out the full extent of his demonic energy, a stream of darkness tore through space like a meteor falling from the sky. He reached an endless mountain range so rugged that it did not seem habitable. Beyond it was an ocean, and atop it was a shining floating ind covered in mes. And

    Someone wearing a red demon mask with his back to the floating ind was staring at Kang-Woo flying in his direction. He descended from the sky and stood in front of Kang-Woo. The man smelled so foul that Kang-Woo thought his nose was going to fall off.

    You must be the Protector of Light.

    The being in the red mask snickered. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. The man knew that he was the Protector of Light.

    <em>That means</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the message window that had appeared when he had be the Protector of Light, that all beings of godhood would recognize him as a retainer of Gaia. In other words, the man in the red demon mask in front of him was a being of godhood, meaning there werent many possibilities of who the man could be.

    Like I thought, youre a Constetion of Evil, Kang-Woo stated.

    He had expected it as soon as he saw Uriels injuries, since there werent many beings that could drive an archangel so far into a corner. Considering who could possibly attack SantAngelo head-on, it narrowed down the number of possibilities even more.

    <em>The elite guards of the Demon God.</em>

    They were the vestiges of the era of myths; beings that possessed great power and have existed far before even the princes of Hell.

    <em>They could be considered gods of sorts.</em>

    Since they possessed Deific Essence, it was right to think so.

    <em>I have no idea how theyre able to use their powers freely, though.</em>

    All gods including Gaia were not able to use their powers to their full extent due to the restrictions from the system, but the Constetions of Evil were different; they did not seem to be under any restrictions whatsoever despite possessing Deific Essence.

    <em>Whatever the case</em>

    It was not the time to worry about that.

    Oh? Did you hear about us from Gaia? The being in the mask stared at Kang-Woo in surprise. He slowly bowed while cackling. I am the Constetion of Agony.

    What? Constetion of Agony? I thought youd be the Constetion of Filth because you smell like shit.

    Kang-Woo couldnt believe that his guess had been wrong.

    <em>Wait.</em>

    Then you smell this bad because you dont wash?

    <em>This motherfucker doesnt have a shred of conscience.</em>

    Fucking wash yourself, man. What the hell do you have to do to smell this bad?

    The Constetion of Agony stared at Kang-Woo nonsensically. I was wondering what kind of person the Protector of Light would be, but it seems youre intellectuallycking.

    The only thingcking here is your sense of hygiene. No, but seriously, what the fuck is this smell? Be honest, you fucker. Did you wipe after you took a shit or not? No, wait. You son of a bitch, could it be

    A horrifying thought popped into Kang-Woos mind. A shiver ran down his spine.

    Did you shit yourself?"

    "..."

    Fuck! I fucking knew it! You disgusting fu

    The Constetion of Agony extended his arm before Kang-Woo could finish his sentence. ck wedges that looked like giant nails pierced out from the ground, riddling the surroundings with them in an instant. Kang-Woo lightly jumped, but the wedges extended to chase after him. He created a golden shield, and the wedges collided with it.

    Crash!

    The wedges went straight through the golden shield without losing any momentum and aimed for Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo twisted his body in midair to dodge the wedges.

    Tsk.

    As he had thought, blocking attacks imbued with Divinity head-on was difficult. He would be able to block it if he used ridiculous amounts of demonic energy, but it was highly inefficient. It was like blocking a red-hot skewer with an extremely thick block of styrofoam.

    <em>Divinity really makes all the difference.</em>

    The only thing Kang-Woo could use to take Divinity head on was Chaos attacks.

    <em>But</em>

    If interpreted differently, it meant Kang-Woo had a chance as long as he didnt take on his opponent in a contest of strength. Kang-Woo used the Authority of Blink and teleported short distances in session, making it look as if he was appearing and disappearing all over the ce.

    Ge Bulg.

    Kang-Woo teleported right behind the Constetion of Agony and stretched his right arm downward. The Key of the Demonic Sea on his right middle finger turned into a dark red spear. He grabbed the Key of the Demonic Sea and thrusted it forward without hesitation.

    <em>ng!!</em>

    A barrier of demonic energy infused with Divinity blocked the attack. The Key of the Demonic Sea was pushed back as sparks flew.

    Kuh! The Constetion of Agony quickly turned his head.

    It did not seem like he had blocked the attack consciously.

    <em>If thats the case</em>

    Kang-Woo lowered his stance and used the Authority of Blink in session while matching his movements to that of the Constetion of Agony.

    <em>ng! ng!</em>

    Kang-Woo thrusted the spear on the same spot of the barrier over and over again as if he was breaking through ice with an ice pick.

    Gungnir.

    Kang-Woo added one more Authority; the dark-red spear grewrger.

    <em>Authority of ze.</em>

    He then added a princes Authority. Bright-yellow mes enveloped the spear edge, its heat melting the earth and creatingva. Kang-Woo thrust the spear.

    <em>Fwoosh!!</em>

    Gaaaaaaaaahh!

    The spear pierced the Constetion of Agonys back. He curled up while screaming. Kang-Woo pulled out the spear and prepared to thrust it once again. He grabbed the spear with both hands and stomped on the ground to charge forward.

    Hyaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!

    Just then, the Constetion of Agony screamed ear-splittingly. A chill ran down Kang-Woos spine. He quickly jumped back and threw the spear at the Constetion of Agony.

    ck wedges spurted from the Constetion of Agonys back, making him look like a hedgehog. They flew out from his back in all directions, shing with the spear that Kang-Woo threw.

    <em>Crash!</em>

    The collision caused a deafening explosion. The fragments of the destroyed wedges pierced Kang-Woo.

    <em>Cough!</em>

    Kang-Woo coughed up blood. Holes had formed all over him as if he had been hit with a grenade. He widened his distance from the Constetion of Agony while using the Authority of Regeneration.

    What in the The Constetion of Agony stared at Kang-Woo in shock.

    Although Kang-Woo was Gaias retainer, he was ultimately a human. The Constetion of Agony couldnt believe that he was being pushed this far by a mere mortal who did not even possess Divinity. The attack that had pierced his back was so strong that he would have most definitely died if it had contained Divinity.

    Tsk, I guess he wont die in one blow.

    Kang-Woo spit blood after recovering from his injuries and narrowed his eyes. He had felt it during his battle with Rakiel, but beings of godhood were truly difficult to face. The power of Divinity was so strong to the point that it was illogical.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled. His heart beat rapidly as he shivered in delight. He had not gotten this feeling in a very long time.

    <em>This is fun.</em>

    It was so fun that he was about to go insane. It had been a while since Kang-Woo had met an opponent that even stood a chance against him. It had been a while since he had met an enemy that at least squirmed when he trampled on them.

    <em>Were there any?</em>

    He could not think of any among those that he had faced after regaining his power. There was Rakiel, but he had been defeated by Gaia before Kang-Woo could even get fired up.

    <em>Oh, I guess there was Behemoth.</em>

    However, Kang-Woo had not managed to have a proper battle with him either. Kang-Woos demonic instincts set aze. His desire to battle prey, trample on them, achieve victory and devour their entire being, was boiling.

    Ill have to clean him up a bit before eating him, though.

    Kang-Woo drew out his demonic energy while smiling. Since the Constetions were mistaking him for the Protector of Light, he did not forget to transform the color of his demonic energy into gold. They likely saw the energy as a mixture of mana and sacred power.

    How dare a mere mortal

    The Constetion of Agony frowned. A lowly puppet of a god that should be worshiping the gods while on his knees was baring his teeth at him. Although there was a slight difference, he was also a god that possessed Deific Essence. The Constetion of Agony found the situation absolutely absurd.

    Kehehehe! How interesting! Very interesting!

    The Constetion of Agony burst intoughter while grabbing his stomach, and slowly raised his hand. His delight only rose the more arrogant Gaias puppet became.

    Protector of Light.

    Although the Constetion of Agony could not feel a shred of justice from Kang-Woo despite having such a grand title, it did not matter. Since the Constetion of Nightmares had said so, there was no doubt that the man in front of him was the Protector of Light.

    Ill make you feel something good, the Constetion of Agony said.

    Feel good? What the fuck?

    <em>The only person who can make me feel good is my darling.</em>

    ...

    The Constetion of Agony frowned for a moment, and then spread his arms wide. He decided to pay no more mind to the demented Protector and activated his Authority that had allowed him to rise to the position of the Constetion of Agony.

    Puppet of Gaia! This is He brought his hands together and manifested his Authority using the power of Divinity. He linked his senses with that of the disrespectful human. ... Agony!

    <em>Crack! Crunch!</em>

    The sound of cracking bones left the Constetion of Agonys body. His flesh was ripped apart, his bones broke, and each of his nerves were twisted. There was no way that a mere mortal would be able to endure pain of this level; even an archangel with eight wings had copsed on the spot while crying in pain. The Constetion of Agony sent the pain that he was feeling through self-harm to Kang-Woo.

    Kahahahaha!!

    The Constetion of Agonyughed in delight. He could not stopughing from the thought of watching in leisure as the lowly human, who had dared to be disrespectful to him, writhed in pain. All the mortals that had faced the Constetion of Agony had all died while twisting and turning on the ground, crawling in their own piss and shit.

    Feel true agony! Feel despair as your bones break, your flesh is ripped apart, and your blood vessels burn!

    The extreme pain was not one that a living organism would be able to handle. The only being that was able tough under such immense pain was the Constetion of Agony. He had never seen a single enemy on the battlefield that hadnt writhed under such pain.

    Do you feel it?! That very pain is the curse of life! It is living sin

    <em>Bash!!</em>

    Kurghh!!

    Kang-Woo punched theughing Constetion of Agony right in the face. The red demon mask was shattered, and the Constetion of Agony tumbled backward.

    Youre so fucking loud.

    Kang-Woo frowned while shaking off the Constetion of Agonys blood from his hand. He looked down at the Constetion of Agony in confusion. The pain of breaking bones, ripping flesh, and burning blood vessels

    <em>Whats so fucking painful about that?</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt understand.

 Chapter 366: Crybaby

    Chapter 366: Crybaby

    Wh-What?!

    The Constetion of Agonys eyes widened. A face covered in hideous pus was revealed from the broken mask, and he stared at Oh Kang-Woo as if he couldntprehend what was going on.

    You can move?

    The Constetion of Agony had linked his senses with that of the human through his Authority. He was sure that the human was feeling as much pain no, even greater pain than what he himself was feeling. There was no way a living being could endure such pain unless they also possessed as much resistance to pain as him. Pain was a very effective weapon even against those of godhood, but

    How can you move under that much pain?! the Constetion of Agony screamed madly.

    Kang-Woo smirked and answered calmly, Because it doesnt hurt. This much pain is more than tolerable.

    Tolerable you say?

    The Constetion of Agonys eyes shook. He had harmed himself to a significant extent because he had wanted to see the disrespectful human writhing pathetically in pain, but the human was enduring it just fine.

    I mean, if I had to say whether it hurts or not, it definitely does, Kang-Woo expressed. There was no way that breaking bones, tearing apart flesh, and burning blood vessels did not hurt. But its nothing I cant handle.

    Kang-Woo shrugged. He was as calm as if his finger had been slightly nicked with a box cutter. It was not the type of pain that was the problem, but its intensity.

    Rather, its better than the usual, Kang-Woo continued while lightly stretching.

    It did not feel all that bad, just like how light punches felt more rxing than painful.

    What? The Constetion of Agonys mouth fell open.

    He could not understand what was going on. Pain was feared by all, mortal and immortal beings alike. Not even death was more terrifying than pain.

    U-Urghh!!

    The Constetion of Agony grimaced. This could not be happening no, it should not be happening. He ced his hand on his eyelids.

    Lets see how long you can keep up that absurd act for!

    <em>Crush! Ooze.</em>

    The Constetion of Agony squashed his own eyeballs. The excruciating pain of ones eyes being crushed and pulled out was sent straight to Kang-Woo. Kang-Woos eyebrows slightly rose.

    The Constetion of Agony burst outughing. Kehe, hahahaha! Yes! Theres no way that youd be fine!

    Kang-Woo was acting like he waspletely fine, but the Constetion of Agony knew that he was just enduring the pain with all his might.

    No, not that. Kang-Woo chuckled. You just destroyed your eyes. Whats up with that?

    <em>How are you gonna fight?</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the Constetion of Agony, surprised by his ridiculous action. When he had first felt pain in his body, Kang-Woo had thought that the Constetion of Agonys ability was to make a target feel pain.

    <em>Is that not it?</em>

    When the Constetion of Agony squashed his own eyeballs, Kang-Woo also felt pain in his eyes as well.

    Ohhh, I get it. Kang-Woo nodded as if he understood.

    <em>Its not an ability that makes someone feel pain, but an ability that links ones senses with that of others.</em>

    He finally understood what sort of Authority the Constetion of Agony possessed. He couldnt help butugh.

    Then do you attack by hurting yourself? Kang-Woo asked.

    <em>What a dumbass Authority.</em>

    Attacking through self-harm was certainly a novel idea, but it had far too many demerits. Ones ownbat ability would fall from the injuries they themselves made through self-harm. Not just that, the Constetion of Agony had squashed his eyes of all things. Sight was a very important sense; although one could sense the enemy through sensing Qi like in martial arts novels, it did not seem like the Constetion of Agony possessed such an ability.

    Kuh, you can still act that way? The Constetion of Agony frowned.

    His eyes were regenerated at an incredible rate as soon as he took his fingers out of his eye sockets.

    Kang-Woos eyes lit up. Oh, I see.

    His regeneration speed was as fast as that of a slime.

    <em>No wonder.</em>

    Kang-Woo had thought that it was a ridiculous fighting method, but it made sense with the absurdly fast regeneration speed that the Constetion of Agony had shown that surpassed even the Authority of Regeneration. It was almost as if he was immortal.

    Try to endure this as well! The Constetion of Agony shouted.

    <em>Crunch! Crack! Crunch!</em>

    The sound of bones breaking could be heard from all over the Constetion of Agony. His body was being deformed everywhere like a child ying with y-doh.

    Oh? This hurts a bit. Kang-Woos eyes shone. The pain that came from ones body being deformed like kneading dough was considerably higher than before. But its still nothing I cant handle.

    Kang-Woo had felt pain of this level countless times to the point that he was sick of it.

    What?

    The Constetion of Agony was widening his eyes so much that it looked like the corners were about to rip. The pain just now was hard to endure even for him, who possessed a resistance to pain. No, it was so bad that even he wanted to stop harming himself right this second. He couldnt believe that a mere human, who did not even possess Bottom-rank Deific Essence, was able to handle pain that not even he, the Constetion of Agony who had been the subject of fear among countless angels and humans during the era of myths, was able to handle.

    What are you? What the fuck are you? The Constetion of Agony asked.

    Kang-Woo smirked. I mean, even so

    He did not like being in pain. Kang-Woo leaped toward the self-harming Constetion of Agony. He slightly twisted mid-air, brought his arms above his head and used an Authority.

    <em>Inferno.</em>

    The Key of the Demonic Sea changed form to create a greatsword burning with yellow mes.

    <em>Fwoosh!!!</em>

    Incredible mes burned along the greatswords edge. Kang-Woo swung down the sword.

    Gaaaaaaaahhh!! the Constetion of Agony screamed.

    Yellow mes engulfed him; the pain of being burned was added on top of the self-harm.

    Nghh.

    Kang-Woo also slightly grimaced. The pain was sent right to him as soon as he attacked the Constetion of Agony.

    <em>This is a bit difficult. I should end this quickly.</em>

    Kang-Woo continuously swung Inferno.

    Its pointless human!

    The Constetion of Agony stopped hurting himself and scrunched up. He was regenerating at an absurd rate even while being engulfed in mes. Not just that, demonic energy infused with Divinity covered him as protection.

    <em>ng! ng!</em>

    Inferno bounced off of the demonic energy. Kang-Woo infused even more demonic energy into the Key of the Demonic Sea.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The demonic energy barrier protecting the Constetion of Agony was slowly being broken. Kang-Woo did not stop.

    When you dont have Divinity

    One just needed to break the opponents Divinity with stupid amounts of demonic energy. Kang-Woo continued to swing the greatsword. The demonic energy barrier was finally broken, and Inferno shed the Constetion of Agony.

    What the?!

    The Constetion of Agony was shocked. Breaking through the power of a god in such a barbaric way was like piercing through a boulder with a water cannon.

    Kurgh, gaaaaaahh! The Constetion of Agony twisted and turned as the continuous attacks shed him apart. He drew out Divinity while biting his lip. I told you that its pointless, humaaaaaaan!

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Sharp wedges shot out from all over the Constetion of Agony as protection. Kang-Woo dodged the wedges and widened the distance from the Constetion of Agony, who had managed to fully recover in that short moment.

    Hmm, Kang-Woo expressed.

    The Constetion of Agonys regeneration speed was truly impressive. He twirled Inferno while under thought.

    I guess Kang-Woo nodded. He had no choice but to admit it. I cant kill you in a physical fight.

    There actually was a way; if Kang-Woo used a Chaos skill, he would be able to tear apart the Constetion of Agonys Divinity and deal great damage to him.

    <em>But</em>

    Even that would be pointless before that absurd regeneration speed. It was so fast that the Constetion of Agony would even be able to fully regenerate within seconds, even if all that was left of him was a finger.

    <em>I want it.</em>

    The Authority of Regeneration could not evenpare to it.

    <em>Huff, huff!</em> The Constetion of Agony panted heavily.

    He once again scrunched up and protected himself with a demonic energy barrier infused with Divinity. Kang-Woos eyes shone sharply.

    <em>To face that son of a bitch</em>

    He would have to obliterate the Constetion of Agony before he even had a chance to regenerate, or continue to hurt him until his regenerative ability was exhausted.

    <em>Neither one would be easy.</em>

    Divinity was severely getting in Kang-Woos way. He had used so much demonic energy to get through the Constetion of Agonys Divinity that dealing a decisive attack was highly difficult.

    Fuck, fuck, fuck!! the Constetion of Agony cursed.

    He did not expect to be pushed so far by a mere mortal with no Deific Essence.

    <em>If I unleash the Demon Gods power</em>

    The Constetion of Agony quickly shook his head to chase away the momentary thought. Unleashing the Demon Gods Deific Essence against a mere human was enough of an embarrassment for him to be aughing stock for eternity among the other Constetions.

    The Constetion of Agony stared at Kang-Woo in conflict. Since his strongest weapon, pain, was not working, he was not confident that he would be able to beat that human in a head-on battle. He continued to hesitate.

    Kurgh!

    The Constetion of Agony bit his lip. He could tell that he would have no way toe out victorious without unleashing the Deific Essence.

    <em>Against a mere human!</em>

    The Constetion of Agony attempted to unleash the Demon Gods Deific Essence while frowning, but

    Huh? It did not work. The immense power within his heart was not budging in the slightest. The Constetion of Agony expressed confusion. Wh-What the hell?

    Oh, I know. Just then, Kang-Woo pped his hands together and nodded. He smiled as if he was very satisfied with the idea he hade up with. Come to think of it, your ability isnt to make others feel pain, but to share your senses with them, right?

    If their senses were shared, it meant that Kang-Woos pain would also be sent to the Constetion of Agony.

    <em>If thats the case</em>

    Kang-Woo had a very easy way to face the Constetion of Agony.

    You were going off about true agony and shit earlier, werent you? Kang-Woo smiled widely. Ill specially show you a whole new world, man. He ced his hand over his heart while snickering and said, Molting.

    What are you d Just as the Constetion was about to ask what Kang-Woo was doing, his eyes popped open. A-Aaaahh.

    He felt pain. Iprehensible and unimaginable pain that he had never experienced took over his body and tore it apart.

    Argh, urgh, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!

    <em>It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.</em>

    All other thoughts were erased as horrifying pain engulfed the Constetion of Agony.

    S-Stop!! Stoooooooooop!!! The Constetion of Agony extended his arm in desperation while screaming madly.

    Kang-Woo smiled. What a fucking crybaby.

    <em>I havent even gotten started, man.</em>

 Chapter 367: Dope

    Chapter 367: Dope

    Pain took over the Constetion of Agonys body and mind, and all thought was shredded.

    A-Aaaahh.

    The Constetion of Agony raised his head with his mouth agape. It hurt; that was the only form of thought allowed to him. It hurt so much that he despised himself for being able to breathe in such a situation.

    I havent even gotten started, man.

    The Constetion of Agony heard someones voice, but he couldnt remember who it was; his thought process no longer functioned well enough for him to be able to search through his memories, but he could at least understand the horrifying truth contained in those words.

    Havent gotten started? the Constetion of Agony muttered.

    It did not make sense. He couldntprehend the nonsense. Havent gotten started? He had long since passed his limit of pain tolerance.

    <em>What the hell is this?</em>

    What could this possibly be for it to hurt this much? The Constetion of Agony could affirm that he had never felt this level of pain before despite having lived since the era of myths. It hurt so much that all the pain he had felt thus far only felt like a tickle.

    <em>How can a human endure such pain?</em>

    No, forget being human, even beings of godhood would sumb to such immense pain. They would be convulsing uncontrobly while crawling all over the ground.

    Gaaah, argh, urghh.

    The Constetion of Agony bent like a bow as he flopped around on the ground while foaming at the mouth. He was at least not peeing and pooping all over the ce because bowel functions did not exist for a being of godhood.

    Stop Stop the Constetion of Agony begged.

    He could do nothing but beg before such overwhelming pain. The pain tolerance he was so proud of as well as his Upper Intermediate-rank Deific Essence werepletely useless.

    Kurgh! <em>Cough!</em> A-Aaaahh.

    What are you going all insane for? Its only been a minute.

    A minute? One minute?

    That was impossible. The Constetion of Agony felt like he had spent an eternity in pain, but it had only been one minute? He despaired with his eyes wide open. He hade back to his senses after hearing that it had only been one minute. The fact that this pain might go on endlessly terrified him more than the pain itself.

    <em>I-I have to sever it.</em>

    The Constetion of Agony needed to sever the link between him and that crazy human. He needed to stop sharing their senses. If not

    <em>Th-The pain will never end.</em>

    A-Argghhh.

    The Constetion of Agony got up. He calmed down his insanely trembling hand and extended his arm forward.

    <em>Stop the Authority.</em>

    The Constetion of Agony severed the link of demonic energy between him and the human No, he tried to.

    Where the fuck do you think youre running off to?

    Oh Kang-Woo smirked. Despite being under the immense pain of molting, he sensed that the Constetion of Agony was trying to sever their link.

    <em>I wont let you just run away after setting the stage.</em>

    Kang-Woo snickered. He let his demonic energy permeate into the Constetion of Agonys demonic energy that was trying to leave his body. The two energies resisted each other fiercely, but only for a moment. The Constetion of Agonys demonic energy within Kang-Woo gradually started to mix with Kang-Woos. Kang-Woo began to control the Constetion of Agonys demonic energy within him.

    Kurgh! Gaaaaaaaahhh! the Constetion of Agony screamed, sensing that the demonic energy he had been trying to retrieve was going against him. He stared at Kang-Woo inplete iprehension. Wh-What? What the hell did you do?

    The human had forcibly stopped the Constetion of Agony from stopping his Authority and was controlling his demonic energy. Such a thing should not be possible. The Constetion of Agony fell into panic.

    H-How?

    He could barely talk; he was unable to form proper sentences.

    Kang-Woo answered leisurely, How else? I took control of your demonic energy and seized it.

    You took control of my demonic energy and seized it? B-Bullshit!! How could you possibly meddle with someone elses energy?! the Constetion of Agony screamed madly.

    Not all demonic energy was the same; the same went for mana and sacred power. All power had its own unique properties and characteristics. Even if they brought about the exact same phenomenon through the same principles and were fundamentally the same, they were different. Just like how each human was different despite being of the same species, demonic energy also possessed its own pattern and properties based on the one who wielded it.

    I mean, it wasnt that hard. Kang-Woo shrugged.

    Controlling demonic energy of unique patterns and properties was not even that difficult for him, since he had always done so for thest ten millennia without rest.

    Kang-Woo continued, Its doable as long as you control it in very small units.

    What?

    You can control other peoples energies if you control them in units so small that their unique patterns and properties dont show.

    What in the world are you talking about?

    Controlling energy in units so small that its pattern and property didnt show was absurd; it was like saying there were no differences between different materials once they were broken down into subatomic particles. In the first ce, demonic energy was not used in such a way; just like how one did not move their muscles by consciously firing off every single muscle fiber, one did not use demonic energy in such a minutely detailed manner.

    Such a thing

    It was impossible. Such an insane act must not be possible.

    What are you? What the hell are you?

    The Constetion of Agony had neither heard nor imagined such a thing. How could such a human exist? There was no way that this human was Gaias retainer. No one would be able to tame that monster, even if they were a god managing an entire star.

    What the hell are you?!

    The Constetion of Agony trembled in fear and his teeth cked noisily. This was the second time he had felt this much fear for someone. He could barely breathe. His vision was blurring, and he was feeling extremely nauseous.

    Didnt you already know? Im Lady Gaias loyal retainer, the Protector of Light, Kang-Woo dered.

    Bullshit!!

    The fuck, man? Why did you even ask if you werent gonna believe me? So much for being nice.

    Kang-Woo frowned in displeasure and red at the Constetion of Agony.

    U-Urgh.

    The Constetion of Agony did his best to take back control of his demonic energy within Kang-Woo while biting his lip. Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>I should get ready for it as well.</em>

    He leisurely stretched andid down on the ground with his arms and legs stretched out. It had been about five minutes since beginning molting; it was about time the worst arrived.

    Reveal your identity this inst

    Hey, vomit-looking-ass old man.

    Wh-What did you say?

    You were alive since the era of myths. Youre obviously older than me, so whats wrong with calling you an old man? Anyway, you should get ready, Kang-Woo remarked.

    Ready?

    Well, its not like getting ready will do anything for you.

    Kang-Woo sighed and closed his eyes.

    <em>Crack! Crunch!!</em>

    Gaaaaaaahhh!!

    Shit, that fucking hurts!!!

    The sound of bones breaking and shrieks echoed from the peak of the mountain.

    ***

    Can you hear me, old man?

    A-Arghhh, urgh.

    Get up, old man. Hello?

    <em>Youll catch a cold if you sleep in a ce like this.</em>

    Kang-Woo carefully poked the copsed Constetion of Agony with the end of his foot.

    <em>Squish.</em>

    Ah, fuck.

    Rotten pus got on the end of his shoe. Kang-Woo felt like he stepped on poop that happened to spill out from an overflowing toilet. He couldnt feel any more disgusted.

    Get the fuck up, man!

    Kang-Woo turned the Key of the Demonic Sea into a hammer and swung it at the convulsing Constetion of Agony.

    <em>Boosh!</em>

    Pus sttered everywhere.

    Fuck! Thats disgusting!

    Kang-Woo grimaced from the putrid smell exuding from the Constetion of Agony, who waspletely unresponsive even after being bashed with a hammer.

    Ahhh Uhhh

    Kang-Woo could no longer see a sense of intelligence in the Constetion of Agonys eyes.

    Aww, man I had so much information I needed to get out of him.

    Kang-Woo scratched his head due to theplications. He had not expected someone known as the Constetion of Agony to be so shocked from one molting session that his sense of reasonpletely flew away.

    <em>Maybe I shouldve killed him with Chaos skills, even if it took some time.</em>

    Kang-Woo was btedly swept over with regret. One always regretted their decisions when it was toote.

    Fuuu, Kang-Woo sighed. There was another problem.

    Conflict reflected in Kang-Woos eyes as he looked down at the Constetion of Agony.

    Ahhh He grabbed his head. Should I eat this thing or not?

    The Constetion of Agony was so goddamn filthy that Kang-Woo honestly did not want to use the Authority of Predation. Leaving the filth aside, the smell he was exuding was unbearable.

    <em>Are you sure he isnt the Constetion of Filth?</em>

    Kang-Woo unconsciously sighed. It felt like he had identally dropped his meal into the toilet; he would not mind if it was any other meal, but this meal was made with the finest and most expensive ingredients.

    <em>I should eat it for sure, but</em>

    He did not want to. He absolutely despised the idea. Kang-Woo looked down at the Constetion of Agony with hesitation, but not for long.

    Haaa, fuck me.

    It was absurd to give up on devouring a Constetion of Evil just because they were filthy.

    <em>Authority of ze.</em>

    Fwoosh!

    Kang-Woo burned the Constetion of Agony with yellow mes.

    A-Aaaahh.

    The Constetion of Agony did not show any response in particr despite being burned alive. He was alive, but he was no different from a corpse. Kang-Woo took a deep breath and used the Authority of Predation.

    <em>Crunch! Crunch!</em>

    Urpp!!

    An inexplicably putrid smell assaulted his nose and churned his insides. All sorts of swear words stormed within his head.

    Motherf Urgh!

    Kang-Woo rolled on the ground while grimacing as if it was more agonizing than the molting. Just then, he suddenly heard a voice.

    Are you okay?

    Kang-Woo turned his head in surprise. Although he had been using the Authority of Predation, he couldnt believe that he hadnt been able to notice someone approaching this close to him. It was aplete blunder on his part.

    <em>Hm?</em>

    Kang-Woo turned around to see an angel with ten wings.

    <em>If he has ten wings, that means</em>

    From what Kang-Woo had heard, there was only one other angel aside from Rakiel who had ten wings. Kang-Woos eyes shone. His thought process elerated beyond what was humanly possible.

    Kang-Woo looked down at himself; he was covered in blood and exposed flesh because he had just gone through molting. Since he had changed the color of his blood with the Authority of Coloring just in case, his blood was red.

    <em>I can use this situation.</em>

    You are The angel with ten wings and short blond hair slowly walked toward Kang-Woo, and his eyes widened for a short moment. A retainer of Lady Gaia.

    The man spoke calmly, but Kang-Woo felt an inexplicable sense of scrutiny and callousness under his courteous attitude.

    <em>Cough!</em> Kurgh Y-Yes, I am. Kang-Woo nodded while clenching his chest.

    The blond angel approached closer. Youre hurt rather badly.

    Im alr <em>Cough!</em>

    You should lie down for a bit.

    The blond man slightly lowered his guard after realizing that Kang-Woo was hurt. Kang-Woo nodded andid down on the ground.

    Kang-Woo asked carefully, And you are

    My name is Michael. I have heard about you from Uriel, Mr. Oh Kang-Woo.

    I see. <em>Cough!</em>

    Michael looked around in silence. There were traces of a fierce battle all around them, but there were no signs of the enemys corpse.

    <em>Cough! Cough!</em> Kang-Woo twisted around while coughing up blood.

    Something that had been under Kang-Woo slid toward Michael.

    This is

    Michaels eyes widened. It was a fragment of the mask worn by those who had attacked SantAngelo. If a fragment of the mask was here, it only meant one thing.

    Did you perhaps see who had attacked SantAngelo?

    Yes I di <em>Cough!</em>

    Kang-Woo coughed up even more blood. Michael hesitated for a moment, and then frowned as if he was conflicted. However, it did notst long.

    Drink this. Your injuries will heal.

    Michael took something out from his clothes and handed it to Kang-Woo. It was a vial containing a liquid of various colors like an aurora. Kang-Woo took the vial with shaking hands and drank the liquid.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have ingested the Repayment of the Dragon God.]

    [Healing all injuries and fatigue.]

    [All stats have permanently risen by 5, and your quality and control of mana has dramatically increased.]

    [You have learned dragon tongue magic.]

    <em>Dope.</em>

    Kang-Woo suppressed the corners of his mouth from rising with all his might.

    <em>I just did it to see what he would do, but what a fucking score.</em>

    Haaa, haaa.

    How are your injuries? Michael asked.

    Th-They all healed in an instant.

    Kang-Woo raised his shirt to show Michael as if he couldnt believe it. Although he was covered in blood, not a single wound was visible.

    <em>Its a given, since I wasnt injured in the first ce.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at himself as if he couldnt believe it while keeping himself from smiling.

    <em>Now then</em>

    It was time for Michael to tell Kang-Woo why he had used such a treasure to save him.

    Who attacked SantAngelo? Michael asked.

    <em>I knew it.</em>

    Kang-Woo answered without hesitation, It was Evil God Lucifer.

 Chapter 368: He Doesnâ€™t Wash

    Chapter 368: He Doesn¡¯t Wash

    Evil God, you say? Michaels expression froze, and then nodded as if he was convinced. He sighed. I heard that Lucifer began to make his move again, but I never imagined he would attack SantAngelo with ancient demonic beasts.

    I was just as surprised as you when I first heard about it from Uriel, Oh Kang-Woo remarked.

    Come to think of it, Uriel seemed to have headed to you. How is he?

    Hes fortunately no longer in critical condition.

    Michaels expression rxed slightly. What a relief. He looked around and then asked, Did you face Lucifer all on your own, Kang-Woo?

    Yes.

    Im surprised. Even if youre a retainer of Lady Gaia, Lucifer has acquired Divinity and has earned the title of Evil God.

    Michael scanned Kang-Woo skeptically with narrow eyes. He seemed to know how disadvantageous someone without Divinity was against someone with Divinity.

    Kang-Woo slightly lowered his head and answered with a trembling voice, Honestly I cant really say that I faced him by myself, since I was pretty much made a fool of by him.

    Are you saying that Lucifer let you live on purpose?

    Thats right. As for the reason, I dont know either.

    Michael fell into deep thought under silence. He slowly looked up to look around, and then asked in a low tone, Kang-Woo, did Lucifer have something in particr? For example, an item that looked suspicious

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes at Michaels question.

    <em>A suspicious item, huh?</em>

    Although he had devoured the Constetion of Agony without leaving a single mound of flesh, he did not see any suspicious item that Michael was referring to. No matter how thoroughly they looked around, they could not even find a trace of a suspicious item. If Michael was asking such a question despite that

    <em>This son of a bitch must know something.</em>

    He did seem to be trying to hide something, Kang-Woo replied.

    Did you happen to see what he was trying to hide? Do you remember what it looked like?

    <em>He took the bait instantly.</em>

    Mmm. I didnt really see it in detail either.

    Was it something dark that was squirming as if it was alive?

    Kang-Woo obviously had not seen such a thing.

    Oh,e to think of it, I remember seeing something simr during my battle with Lucifer.

    Could I ask what it is? Kang-Woo asked.

    I apologize. I cannot tell that to an outsider

    Im only asking because I might be able to confirm if the item is what youre referring to if I have some more information, but if it is ssified to outsiders It cant be helped.

    Kang-Woo sighed and shook his head as if it truly was a shame.

    Michael expressed hesitance.

    He weighed the scales; on one side was telling Kang-Woo about the item, and on the other was being given details from Kang-Woo about the item that Lucifer had. Michael did not think for very long.

    That dark item is the legacy left by Demon God Bauli that had been secretly kept in SantAngelo.

    Baulis legacy?

    Kang-Woos eyes widened. He had not expected to gain such valuable information here.

    <em>By Baulis legacy, could he mean</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists as his expectations rose. If this item known as Baulis legacy could be a clue to finding his corpse, there was no need to keep on with this shitshow.

    Is it rted to the Demon Gods corpse? Kang-Woo asked.

    No, it is not.

    <em>Tsk, too bad. </em>Kang-Woo expressed slight disappointment.<em> I mean, I guess nothing in life goes as you want all the time.</em>

    He was satisfied enough with having acquired the treasure known as the Repayment of the Dragon God as well as having managed to deceive Michael.

    Does that mean this thing known as Baulis legacy has been stolen?

    Michael nodded with a heavy expression. Yes, so I need to know if the item that Lucifer was hiding really is that legacy or not. After all there were more than one being that had attacked SantAngelo.

    In other words, there had been far too many thieves that it could not be determined who took the most valuable item.

    <em>Jeez.</em>

    The situation was truly fucked in Michaels point of view. A horde of ancient demonic beasts and beings in red demon masks suddenly attacked their fortress and stole the legacy of the Demon God they had been safekeeping. Not just that, he had no idea who the culprits were nor who possessed the legacy now.

    <em>Its fucked.</em>

    It was far too gone at this point; the angels had already lost to the Constetions of Evil the moment SantAngelo was attacked and the legacy was stolen.

    <em>One of the Constetions of Evil must have that legacy of the Demon God or whatever.</em>

    Since the Constetion of Agony did not have it, it was likely a different Constetion. However, Kang-Woo had no idea who, or even how many Constetions of Evil there were.

    <em>I only have one choice to make.</em>

    Kang-Woo would need to choose who to tell Michael had the Demon Gods legacy. It was the right choice to say that the Constetions of Evil were the culprits. If he framed Lucifer for the crime, the Constetions of Evil would naturally be free from suspicion; it would be like helping the enemy. In their point of view, they would havepletely gotten away with it since the angels would be taking action while being sure of someone else entirely to be the culprit.

    <em>But</em>

    If Kang-Woo framed Lucifer, the dangers of this worlds copse would grow more dire, possibly being able to move up the high elves manifestation into the physical world.

    <em>They each have their pros and cons.</em>

    One would interfere with the enemys ns, and the other would move up his own n.

    Kang-Woo stared at Michael with deep, sunken eyes. Michael looked desperate; the Demon Gods legacy seemed to be a very important item.

    <em>Now, what to do?</em>

    Kang-Woo momentarily closed his eyes to think, and then slowly opened them back up.

    I think Lucifer is the one who stole the legacy. I thought about it, and Im sure I saw the squirming darkness on Lucifer, Kang-Woo said.

    So the Evil God stole the legacy.

    Michael clenched his fists as his eyes gleamed with rage.

    <em>Hes apparently been fighting Lucifer for a very long time.</em>

    It was not bad at all; the more Michael resented Lucifer, the quicker Kang-Woos n would progress.

    Yes. I believe the Evil God was behind everything, Kang-Woo dered.

    Michael remained silent from hearing Kang-Woos words devoid of uncertainty. He bit his lip and clenched his fists, veins protruding from the back of his hands, and his shoulders subtly shook.

    Michael sighed deeply and stated, I honestly had others in mind as the culprits of this incident when SantAngelo was first attacked.

    Others?

    Yes. Michael swept back his blond hair that looked as if it were made of gold and continued, I thought the Constetions of Evil were the culprits.

    Kang-Woo remained silent. Michaels guess was correct. The ones who had summoned ancient demonic beasts, massacred angels, and stole the Demon Gods legacy from SantAngelo were indeed the Constetions of Evil, the elite guards of the Demon God. However

    I only saw the Evil God, Kang-Woo stated firmly.

    He severed any form of suspicion that Michael had for the Constetions of Evil and focused them on Lucifer.

    Michael nodded. I know. There is no way that the Prince of Pride would join forces with others. He sighed with a heavy expression and continued while biting his lip, He hadid low for quite a while after ending up with the witch, but It seems things have ultimatelye to this.

    Kang-Woos eyes shone. Do you happen to know the identity of that witch?

    No. Lucifer had hidden her so well that I have no idea which human it is. However, I do know that Lucifers attitude had changed quite a lot after meeting that witch.

    His attitude changed?

    Yes. Before, he was all about taking revenge against the Demon King and bringing the Nine Hells to this continent, but he had gotten much less rowdy after meeting the witch.

    Hmm. Kang-Woo nodded.

    <em>Did something change in him after meeting thatdy?</em>

    He had no idea; in the first ce, Kang-Woo could not figure out why a prince of Hell would marry a human woman.

    <em>Whatever the case</em>

    It was not the time to worry about that at the moment.

    <em>Crackle!!</em>

    Just then, Kang-Woo heard sparks of lightning. He turned around to see Uriel flying this way from afar. He seemed to have flown all the way here as soon as he was healed.

    Kang-Woo! Urielnded on the ground and ran toward Kang-Woo, his face red with fury. He shouted, I told you to run!! Why did youe here?!

    He did not even notice Michael standing next to Kang-Woo.

    Ahem, Michael softly coughed.

    <em>Gasp</em>. L-Lord Michael?

    Uriel shrank back while fumbling,pletely unlike how prideful he usually was.

    Michael smiled and asked, How are your injuries, Uriel?

    O-Oh, theyre fine now. Kang-Woo treated me.

    Uriel slowly approached Kang-Woo and carefully pulled on Kang-Woos clothes. Kang-Woo lightly hit Uriel on the head.

    Ouch! Wh-Why did you hit me?!

    You shouldve just rested. Why did you fly all the way here?

    W-Well, because I was worri

    Uriels eyes widened as he was about to say that he had been worried about Kang-Woo. He had realized that Kang-Woo was speaking to him casually instead of with respect.

    A-Ahem! Uriel blushed.

    <em>Why the hell are you blushing?</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned. He had spoken casually without much thought, but Uriel had gotten overly embarrassed about it. He wondered if he should go back to speaking respectfully, but shook his head while sighing. This was not the time to be worrying about that.

    Come to think of it, what happened to that guy in the red mask? Did you see his face? Uriel asked while looking around at the traces of battle in the area.

    Michael answered in Kang-Woos ce, The invader in the red mask was apparently Lucifer. And he stole the legacy as well.

    Wh-What?

    Uriel clenched his fists, and his eyes widened. He bit his lip and trembled. His blue hair soared into the air as sparks cracked between the strands.

    <em>Are you a Super Saiyan? Your hair stands up when you get mad?</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled and turned around. First off, lets head to SantAngelo. We might be able to gain more clues once we investigate the scene of the crime.

    Very well. Michael nodded with a heavy expression.

    Although SantAngelo was normally restricted to humans, it was not the time to nitpick over such trivial things at the moment.

    <em>With this </em>Kang-Woo thought.

    Lucifer had attacked the party hosted at the imperial pce to massacre nobles, tried to kill powerless and innocent civilians en masse, joined forces with the Constetions of Evil, and attacked SantAngelo to steal the Demon Gods legacy. He had truly be a being fit for the worlds copse.

    But Kang-Woo, Uriel asked as he tilted his head in confusion. Did Lucifer always smell that bad? I dont remember him smelling that bad in the past.

    <em>Oh, right.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes momentarily reflected perplexity. There would obviously be discrepancies in information since the one Uriel had met was actually the Constetion of Agony.

    <em>Oh, fuck. What should I do?</em>

    Apletely unexpected problem arose. Kang-Woo turned the gears in his head toe up with an answer about the smell.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    However, he could note up with a way to exin why Lucifer would smell so bad, no matter how much he thought about it. In the end, he decided on this answer.

    The son of a bitch Kang-Woo gulped. ... Doesnt seem to wash himself.

    Silence fell. Uriel grimaced in disgust. With this, Lucifer had be a being fit for the worlds copse, who had attacked the party hosted at the imperial pce to massacre nobles, tried to kill powerless and innocent civilians en masse, joined forces with the Constetions of Evil, attacked SantAngelo to steal the Demon Gods legacy, and smelled so bad because he never washed up.

    <em>Lucifer You gotta wash yourself, man.</em>

 Chapter 369: Time to Take Off Your Masks

    Chapter 369: Time to Take Off Your Masks

    The white floating ind above the ocean in the northernmost region of the continent, which used to be covered in radiant and beautiful light, was now covered in ck smoke and piles of ashes.

    Kuh! Uriel bit his lip from seeing the sorry state of SantAngelo.

    He was forcibly suppressing his rage while clenching his fists.

    How devastating. Oh Kang-Woo looked around the ruins of SantAngelo.

    The ancient demonic beasts that had attacked the ind seemed to have been taken care of, but the traces of fierce battle still remained.

    Kang-Woo jumped across a crumbling wall and looked around. He hade all the way to SantAngelo for two things; one was to obtain clues by investigating the scene of the crime like he had suggested to Michael, and the other

    Where are the corpses of the demonic beasts that attacked SantAngelo? he asked.

    It was to devour all the wasteful leftovers. Although Kang-Woo had be so powerful that he could not hope for any form of growth by eating average prey, it was a different story if those prey were ancient demonic beasts.

    <em>Even better if I eat them while Im still digesting the Constetion of Agony.</em>

    The Constetion of Agonys powers that Kang-Woo had devoured with the Authority of Predation had not been absorbed yet; he hadcked the time to do so because Michael had appeared right after he had eaten the Constetion of Agony. It was better to just digest everything all at once instead of dividing it into separate digestion sessions.

    Gabriel is likely gathering all the corpses in a single area, Michael answered.

    I see.

    Although Kang-Woo had no idea who Gabriel was, the fact that the corpses were being gathered in a single area was good news for him. It would make things far less annoying.

    Could you take me to exactly where Lucifer attacked? Kang-Woo asked.

    Since the corpses were in the middle of being gathered, the digestion would have to wait. In the meantime, Kang-Woo would fulfill his primary goal. Kang-Woo followed Michael to the ce where the Demon Gods legacy had been stored.

    Here it is, Michael stated.

    Kang-Woo could feel suffocatingly colossal amounts of sacred energy within the space.

    Kurgh!

    Kang-Woo crouched while clenching his chest as soon as he set foot into the dome-shaped storage space.

    <em>What the hell?</em>

    He felt like his entire body was burning. Demonic energy beyond his control rampaged within his blood as if it was tearing him apart from the inside. Kang-Woo grimaced.

    <em>So this is the ce where the Demon Gods legacy was sealed.</em>

    The sacred energy within this space seemed to have stimted the dormant power of the Demon God within Kang-Woo. He could feel the Demon God, imprisoned in the Abyss, writhing.

    <em>- A-Aaaaaaaahhh!</em>

    <em>Shut the hell up, man.</em>

    Kang-Woo forcibly suppressed the Demon Gods rampaging energy. He felt the Demon Gods voice waning after a few deep breaths.

    Whats the matter?

    Whats wrong, Kang-Woo?

    Michael and Uriel turned to Kang-Woo.

    Nothing. It seems the injuries I suffered from Lucifer havent fully healed yet, Kang-Woo replied while grimacing in pain.

    Michaels expression stiffened. ... You must have been in critical condition, considering youre still hurt even after drinking the Repayment of the Dragon God.

    R-Repayment of the Dragon God?! Uriel shouted in surprise.

    Michael nodded while expressing sorrow. I couldnt just leave Lady Gaias retainer to die.

    Lord Michael

    Uriel looked at Michael as his eyes glistened with ears, deeply moved. It seemed the liquid that Michael had given Kang-Woo was far more valuable than Kang-Woo had thought.

    <em>No wonder.</em>

    There was nothing that raised ones stats permanently other than the blessing of a god. Not just that, it had raised the quality and control of his mana, and he was even able to learn dragon tongue magic; there was no such treasure but this in the world.

    <em>Though raising mana control does nothing for me.</em>

    It was not because the fundamental source of his power was not mana. Whether it be demonic energy, mana or sacred power, all forms of power were fundamentally the same in the sense that they contained the users will and properties. If ones control over mana rose, so did ones control over demonic energy naturally.

    <em>But the fact that it didnt rise means </em>Kang-Woo could only think of one reason. <em>Its beyond a level that would rise with just the Repayment of the Dragon God or whatever.</em>

    It was not difficult to understand; in the first ce, ones control over energy was not quantifiable. After spending time with Han Seeol-Ah, Kang-Woos demonic energy control had gone beyond impressive and was now straight up abnormal. Hence, it was not something that would rise just by drinking an elixir of sorts.

    <em>Well, even so</em>

    It had not been without benefits. Since his stats had risen permanently by five, the amount of demonic energy that he could use rose dramatically, and so did his mana and sacred power.

    <em>My other stats have risen as well.</em>

    Although Kang-Woo had be so strong that stats no longer meant anything to him, he always weed growth.

    <em>Ill have to research dragon tongue magicter too.</em>

    Although it would not be of much help to him, he might find something that would be of help to Echidna.

    Fuuu. Impletely fine now, Kang-Woo stated as he stood back up after organizing his thoughts.

    Uriels expression dyed with relief. Kang-Woo lightly patted Uriels shoulder while smiling and looked around. He had not noticed when he first set foot into the area because of the Demon Gods rampage, but traces of battle were all over the ce.

    <em>This is</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes narrowed. Although not much could be gathered just from the traces, he could be sure of one thing.

    <em>The one who stole the legacy wasnt the Constetion of Agony, at the very least.</em>

    The Constetion of Agony was not able to make such marks. To make such marks in a ce protected by so much sacred power that would even stimte the Demon God, one would need to be

    Hm? Why are you smiling? Did you figure something out? Uriel asked.

    Kang-Woo pulled down the corners of his mouth that had unconsciously risen and shook his head. No, nothing.

    His heart beat rapidly, and an overwhelming hunger suffocated his stomach. He felt like the saliva gathering in his mouth would flow down uncontrobly. His desire to abandon all of his ns and to find the culprit who stole the Demon Gods legacy rampaged.

    <em>I have to endure it.</em>

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath and suppressed his boiling desire and impulse with all his might. It was obvious what would happen if he were to be blinded by his desires.

    <em>The fact that I cant use Divinity is a massive minus.</em>

    Kang-Woo had bridged the gap between him and the Constetion of Agony through stupidly absurd amounts of demonic energy, but he would be no match for someone who was able to make such marks on sacred power this colossal.

    <em>I would only have three things to work with.</em>

    Kang-Woo only had three things that would be effective against enemies with the powerful weapon known as Divinity.

    <em>I could open the Doors.</em>

    That was a definitive no; the risk of opening the Doors was far too great. It was better not to open them unless it was absolutely necessary.

    <em>The other two would be to use either demonic energy from the Abyss, or Chaos skills.</em>

    Neither one was appealing. Although Kang-Woo was able to use demonic energy from the Abyss, it was highly restrictive, and the risk associated with using Chaos skills was unreal. Power that one did not have full control over would only hurt its user.

    <em>The best option would be for me to learn to use Divinity.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at himself. It was not like he didnt possess Divinity; within the darkness of the Ten Thousand Demon Core were beings of godhood that he had devoured thus far. No, even without them, the Ten Thousand Demon Core contained the Demon Gods Deific Essence, so there was no way that Kang-Woo did not possess Divinity.

    <em>The problem is that I cant use it.</em>

    For Kang-Woo to be able to use Divinity, he himself would need to acquire Deific Essence.

    <em>I guess I have no choice but toplete the </em>Road to Bing a Demon God<em> quest.</em>

    There was only one condition remaining; Kang-Woo would acquire Deific Essence as long as he learned a Low-rank Chaos skill.

    <em>But I cant just make it happen right away.</em>

    Hence, it was not wise to chase after the Constetions of Evil who had stolen the Demon Gods legacy. He needed to do what was within his capacity first.

    There doesnt seem to be any information I can get from this ce, Kang-Woo stated.

    I see. Michaels expression stiffened in disappointment.

    Kang-Woo turned to him and continued, I would like to ask you something.

    Oh, of course. What is it?

    You are able to make contact with the gods of the divine realm to an extent, right, Lord Michael?

    Michael knew about the gods of other dimensions such as Gaia, so he likely possessed a method to contact them.

    I am. Michael nodded as Kang-Woo had hoped.

    In that case, are you able to contact the high elves as well?

    No. They do not reside in the divine realm, so I have no way of contacting them.

    I see. Kang-Woo calmly nodded.

    He was not particrly disappointed since Dous had said that there was currently no one who was able to reach out to the high elves, even if they were the leader of the angels or other gods.

    <em>I wonder how long they can stay in hiding where no one can find them?</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled and looked down at his hand. If they couldnt be found, he would just make them crawl out of hiding themselves. He had almost finished making the preparations for it.

    <em>Rather, thanks to this incident</em>

    It had lessened the work he needed to do. The attack of SantAngelo, the massacre of angels, and the theft of the Demon Gods legacy

    <em>Theres no better crisis than this.</em>

    It was a fantastic opportunity in many ways, so there was no way Kang-Woo would just leave it unused.

    If you are able to make contact with the gods of the divine realm, I would like to ask you for a favor, Kang-Woo mentioned.

    A favor? Michael tilted his head.

    Kang-Woo smiled widely.

    <em>I dont like the fact that Im helping them out, but</em>

    It couldnt be helped; it was all for framing Lucifer as the culprit.

    I would like you to

    ***

    A being in a red mask was standing alone on an aridnd covered in red sand. He was staring in one direction as if he could see something in thin air.

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    A woman with ck squirming tentacles spewing yellow pus approached him. Her eight eyes like that of a spider were gleaming seductively.

    Did you hear? The Constetion of Agony is dead, apparently, the woman said in a sexy voice.

    The woman with ck tentacles licked her lips with her snake-like tongue. She was the Constetion of Lust, the being who had created demons of unparalleled beauty known as subuses. She was Proserpine, the Subus Queen; her beauty was on another levelpared to regr subuses In demon standards, of course.

    I have heard, the man in the red mask replied expressionlessly.

    Hmm. Proserpine hummed in joy and turned, the fabric that was just barely covering her body fluttered down. Michael probably killed him, right?

    Most likely.

    Fufu. What should we do? Michael found out about us, Proserpine asked as her eyes shone.

    It matters not, the man in the red mask replied expressionlessly. He took something out from his pocket; it was a dark object squirming as if it was alive. No, you could say that it is better for us. It was about time we revealed ourselves to the world.

    Hmm. Why? You didnt let us go anywhere as we pleased all this time.

    The situation has changed. The man in the red mask raised the squirming object. Now we need fear.

    It was time to let others fear of the Constetions of Evil fester. Whether it be humans, angels, or gods, they all needed to be in fear of the Demon God; they needed to tremble like infants and bow down with their heads on the ground.

    Only then will we be able to resurrect Lord Bauli.

    Once the entire continent was enveloped in fear, the legacy would bepleted after the negative emotion was absorbed in its entirety.

    And for that, we need fear to be directed toward us.

    Fear in general was not enough; it needed to be directed toward the Demon God. Since the Constetions of Evil had once stood by the Demon God to massacre countless beings in his name, it would not be difficult for the fear to be directed toward the Demon God.

    Is that why you sacrificed the Constetion of Agony? Proserpine asked with a wide smile. Fufu. I know you sealed the Constetion of Agonys Deific Essence.

    The man in the red mask turned around without answering.

    Kyahaha! Proserpine burst intoughter. Well, I never liked him anyway, so I couldnt care less. But She slowly walked up to the man and caressed his chest with her ck tentacles. She winked with four of her eyes and remarked cutely, I wont stand for it if you do the same to me, okay?

    The man in the red mask maintained his silence. He walked past Proserpine and stood on the widely spread rednd.

    Now He spread his arms out in front of the rednd. Children of the Constetions.

    <em>Grrrrrrk.</em>

    The rednd shook, and thousands of demonic beasts wearing red demon masks shot out from the sand. They were the Demon Gods army, created during the era of myths.

    The man in the red mask said to the demonic beasts, It is time to take off your masks.

    It was time to plunge the world into inescapable despair. The man in the red mask reached for his own mask and took it off, revealing a hideous diagonal sh scar across his face. He had pale skin and thick purplish dark circles under his eyes. Thend of the Nine Hells under him was dyed ck just from the evil energy flowing out from his entire body.

    He was Tai Wuji, once known as the Heavenly Dragon, as well as one of the three heroes who had killed the Demon God alongside Gaia and Seraph. However, he was now known as the Constetion of Despair.

    How are the gods reacting? Tai Wuji asked as he approached a boy who was staring nkly up into the sky.

    Since Michael had a close rtionship with the gods, he would most definitely have let the gods know that the Constetions of Evil have begun to make their move.

    The gods are the boy with nk eyes muttered. ... Enraged.

    Tai Wuji nodded as a smile appeared on his expressionless face.

    <em>Rage, huh?</em>

    It was rage toward the Constetions of Evil, and by extension, the Demon God.

    <em>But soon enough</em>

    That rage would be despair, and that despair would be fear, nourishing the Demon Gods legacy.

    Yes. They can stay enraged while they still c

    The gods are Enraged at Lucifer.

    <em>Huh?</em>

    Michael told the gods that the one who attacked SantAngelo and stole the legacy was Lucifer.

    The gods werepletely off the mark.

 Chapter 370: Yeah, No

    Chapter 370: Yeah, No

    What are you talking about? Tai Wuji asked while frowning. The culprit who stole the legacy was Lucifer? It was far too out of left field. Are you saying that Michael mistook the Constetion of Agony for Lucifer?

    That was impossible; Michael had fought against Lucifer for a very long time, so there was no way that he would be unable to distinguish between him and the Constetion of Agony.

    I dont know. The boy with nk eyes shook his head.

    Tai Wuji remained silent. He was having a hard time understanding what was going on. In that case, has the fear of the angels

    They are all toward Lucifer, along with the fear of the humans. With the way things are now, the negative emotions cannot be absorbed.

    Tai Wujis eyebrows flinched. He was able to understand the fear of the humans for Lucifer since he had made his appearance in the empire not long ago, but how could even the fear of the angels be directed at him as well? The one who had massacred the angels at SantAngelo and stole the legacy was him, not Lucifer.

    What the hell is going on? Tai Wuji muttered with his eyes narrowed.

    Regret momentarily crossed his mind; maybe it would have been a good idea to attack SantAngelo without putting masks on.

    <em>Provided we were guaranteed to seed.</em>

    Since Tai Wuji had been unsure if he really would be able to steal the Demon Gods legacy, he and the other Constetions of Evil had worn masks. If they had failed while they were bare-faced, the situation would have been much worse than now. Tai Wuji set aside his regret and returned to his usual expressionless face.

    What will you do? the boy asked.

    Theres only one thing we need to do, Tai Wuji replied calmly.

    He did not know why the angels thought Lucifer had been the one to steal the legacy, but it did not change their objective.

    <em>To plunge the continent in fear, and to direct that fear toward the Demon God.</em>

    To perfect the Demon Gods legacy and create the<em> Key of the Demonic Sea</em>, they needed an enormous amount of negative emotions.

    <em>Not a difficult task.</em>

    Plunging the continent into fear with its inhabitants fearing for their demise, and each person not even daring to utter the Demon Gods name it was far too easy. Humans and angels were weak, and the gods were not able to intervene in any way.

    Tai Wuji turned to look across the endless ocean. Across the ocean was Aernor.

    <em>And</em>

    He looked up. Across the dimensional wall, there was Huan, Tai Wujis home world, and the world managed by Gaia. These three worlds were known as the Triad, and

    They will soon bow down before Lord Bauli, the Constetion of Despair muttered.

    ***

    Unfortunately, Oh Kang-Woo had not been able to fulfill his secondary goal because the corpses of the ancient demonic beasts were being investigated by the angels. Hundreds of them were swarming around the corpses to investigate all sorts of things, so it was not easy to swipe the corpses.

    Kang-Woo decided toe back once the angels were about to dispose of the corpses, and went back to Arnan for now. There was a massivemotion in the imperial pce due to Uriels appearance and Kang-Woos disappearance.

    Find him!! Find him even if you have to scour the entire continent!!

    Iris was nagging at the imperial army, and Kim Si-Hun had already set out to the north along with Balrog to chase after Kang-Woo. So had Halcyon and Echidna No, everyone except for Lilith and Vernaak had already set out for the north.

    Feeling a phantom headache, Kang-Woo put his hand on his forehead while he read the imperial notice that whoever found him would receive an astronomical reward and be granted a noble peerage.

    <em>What a fucking mess.</em>

    It was his fault for leaving without a word, but this was far too much of an overreaction.

    Wee back, Master Kang-Woo. Lilith elegantly walked up to Kang-Woo while he was looking down at the imperial notice.

    She was giggling while covering her mouth with her hand as if she found the situation highly entertaining.

    Kang-Woo sighed and remarked, You shouldve stopped them.

    Hohoho. You know how unyielding Si-Hun can be. I barely managed to convince him to take Balrog and the others with him when he was about to chase after you all by himself.

    Call the others back first.

    They would only have an awkward encounter with the angels who were in the middle of cleaning up after the situation if they were to arrive in the north right now.

    Lilith nodded with a smile. I already have.

    She seemed to have expected Kang-Woo to give her such an order. Kang-Woo was about to scold her that she shouldve stopped everyone from going if she knew this was going to happen, but he shook his head; after all, he was ultimately at fault for heading to SantAngelo without a word.

    Oh right, Master Kang-Woo. Lilith walked up to him, clung to his arm and leaned on him. Her hands were slightly trembling. Please let us know before you leave next time.

    Kang-Woo remained silent and imagined how he wouldve felt if the roles were reversed; if Han Seol-Ah had charged into enemy lines before he had known it.

    Im sorry. Kang-Woo gently patted Liliths head.

    She smiled widely. Fufufu. I believed you woulde back.

    Well I had something to tell you in private, so I guess it kind of worked out.

    Something to tell me?

    Kang-Woo nodded. Lilith was one of the very few people who knew his true n, so it was a good idea to let her know what was going on. He told her about what had happened with the Constetion of Agony and the angels back in the north.

    Mm, Lilith expressed while putting her index finger on her lips. As youve said, its nothing but good for the Constetions of Evil.

    It couldnt be helped.

    To focus all attention on Lucifer, Kang-Woo needed to take the heat off of the Constetions of Evil. Lilith nodded; it was better to focus on one prey than to divide ones focus on two and risk losing them both.

    In that case, are you nning on continuing to conceal the appearance of the Constetions of Evil? Lilith asked.

    Until the high elves appear, at the very least.

    He could also im that the Constetions of Evil were working with Lucifer, but considering the Constetions of Evil were putting in the work, attention would naturally end up focusing on them instead of Lucifer.

    <em>Though it might not matter who I use since either would drive the continent to its copse.</em>

    Whoever the fear was directed at, it did not matter to Kang-Woo as long as the continent was ced on the brink of copse.

    <em>No.</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head after thinking momentarily. He was unable to control the Constetions of Evil. He needed to be inplete control for him to create shy and exciting situations with minimal casualties.

    <em>And</em>

    Having multiple targets to fear might have a negative effect. Emotions could not be set aze endlessly; it would wear down and fade over time. For fear to be concentrated, there could not be more than one target for that fear.

    <em>No matter how I think about it</em>

    Just Lucifer was good enough as the evil being that would bring copse to the continent.

    Until then, Ill keep the focus entirely on Lucifer while concealing the Constetions of Evil as best I can. Lilith, once your informationwork isplete, regte information so that the Constetions of Evil arent brought to light.

    As youmand, Master Kang-Woo. Lilith slightly raised the hem of her skirt and bowed elegantly. But

    Lilith stared at Kang-Woo in worry. She had heard from him about his battle with the Constetion of Agony, as well as the fact that the culprit who had stolen the legacy possessed power on another level to that of the Constetion of Agony.

    My king.

    Lilith stared at Kang-Woo while hesitating to speak. Her expression was heavy as if she didnt know how to bring it up. Kang-Woo was easily able to figure out what she was worried about.

    What? You think Im gonna lose to them? he asked.

    N-No, thats not it, Lilith stuttered as she turned away.

    Kang-Woo was actually on the money. Although he was the Demon King who had ruled the Ninth Hell, his enemies were gods that had acquired Deific Essence. In terms of pure power, Kang-Woo was hopelessly outmatched.

    Come to think of it, I remember you making that face before. Kang-Woo smirked and lightly ced his hand over Liliths frozen mouth.

    Are you talking about the time right before your battle against Bael?

    Yeah.

    At the time, Kang-Woos difference in powerpared to Bael had been overwhelming. Even when Kang-Woo managed to defeat Bael, he had not managed to surpass him.

    Lilith. Kang-Woo smiled. And what happened at the end?

    Bael had been an absolute monster so overwhelmingly powerful that Kang-Woo had not managed to surpass him even to the very end. However

    Which one of us won?

    Kang-Woo had won. He overcame the despairingly overwhelming difference in strength and managed toe out victorious.

    My king

    Liliths eyes widened. Shivers ran down her spine and throughout her body. The ends of her hair unconsciously turned into tentacles, and they turned red as if they were burning.

    Lilith looked up at Kang-Woo. Although he was talking as if it had been nothing, she remembered the pain, suffering and humiliation that he had to endure for that victory.

    <em>Ah</em>

    This was the kind of person Kang-Woo was. No matter what happened, whatever was blocking his path, he would always walk forward.

    Ahh, my king. Lilith breathed heatedly as she became aroused. She put her arms around Kang-Woos neck and kissed him passionately. She whispered sexily, I would like to go back to my true form, just for today. I want to make love to you in my true form, not in this ugly shell.

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly and stroked Liliths hair, which was slowly turning into tentacles. He could feel the genuine passion in her eyes. He did not hesitate to answer.

    Yeah, no. Go back.

    <em>Over my dead body.</em>

 Chapter 371: Did You Forget It Because It Barely Appeared?

    Chapter 371: Did You Forget It Because It Barely Appeared?

    Ill be in my room because I have something to do, so let me know when Si-Hun and the others arrive, Oh Kang-Woo stated.

    Tch. Lilith clicked her tongue in disappointment, but only for an instant. She smiled brightly and nodded. Yes, Master Kang-Woo. I will contact you as soon as they arrive.

    <em>I saw you click your tongue. No chance Im gonna let you touch me with your tentacles.</em>

    Kang-Woo turned away from the sullen Lilith and quickly walked away.

    Sir Kang-Woo!

    Iris approached him on his way to his room and bawled her eyes out while grabbing his hands. After consoling her that he was alright and telling her to stop worrying about him and focus on her duties, Kang-Woo finally managed to reach his room.

    Okay. Kang-Woo lightly stretched and drew out his demonic energy, which spread throughout the room and solidified as if it was coating the walls. Ge Bulg.

    Kang-Woo created a dark-red spear and threw it as hard as he could at the wall. <em>ng!</em> The spear bounced off the wall coated with demonic energy along with a clear metallic sound.

    This should be good enough.

    Kang-Woo lightly knocked on the coated wall and walked toward the center of the room. He took a deep breath in and focused his mind.

    <em>Ill deal with the digestion first.</em>

    He had not melted down the Constetion of Agonys power that he had absorbed with the Authority of Predation yet. He had been nning on digesting it along with the powers of the ancient demonic beasts, but he ended up having to digest just the Constetion of Agony after failing to acquire the corpses.

    <em>Well, it cant be helped.</em>

    It was far better than getting greedy while risking his rtionship with the angels getting sour. Besides, he would have a chance to acquire the corpses in the future. Although the demonic energy within the corpses would dissipate over time, he had no other choice.

    Now, then. Before Kang-Woo began, he uttered the words that he hadnt said in a very long time. Status Window.

    He could not remember thest time he had opened it no, he had almost forgotten about its existence. Since it had been a long time, he had decided to check his status.

    [Status Window]

    Pyer Name: Oh

    Lev: 86 [Nin Awakening]

    ... The hell is this?

    His status window was filled with unknown letters. Kang-Woo looked down at his status window, warped as if it was filled with static, and frowned.

    <em>No way Did you forget it because it barely appeared? Have you been writing away without thinking of stats and hiding it now because you were put in a pickle?</em>

    What the hell are these ck letters?

    Kang-Woo looked down at the warped portions of his status window. However, no matter many times he opened and closed it, the letters did not disappear.

    <em>I dont think theyre doing any harm, at the very least.</em>

    Since he had no idea something like this had been happening before opening his status window, it likely was not influencing his powers in any way. After thinking for a while, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    <em>I have no idea.</em>

    In the first ce, the system, which was known as the providence of the universe, was a highly abstract thing. Since Kang-Woo had no clues or anything to guess from, it was beyond him to figure out why this had happened.

    Ill set it aside for now.

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and meditated.

    <em>Ssh.</em>

    He saw a ck sea. It was the endlessly stretching Demonic Sea. It surged, whirled, split, united, upturned, and burst. It was irregr and unrestricted, a chaotic sea of infinite demonic energy.

    <em>I cant believe Ive gotten used to seeing this insane sea.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly as he observed the raging ck sea. Although it looked highly unstable, this was merely the shallow end. As one went deeper toward the Abyss, the ferocity of the demonic energy became more severe.

    <em>Well, then.</em>

    Kang-Woo went down toward the sea of demonic energy, and ced his foot on the raging surface.

    <em>Fshhh!</em>

    The sea of demonic energy froze along with a disturbing noise. Kang-Woos abnormal demonic energy control had quelled the violently raging sea. He walked on the surface of the sea that had be as hard as concrete. There was a monster pierced by countless teeth on the surface of the sea.

    <em>- A-Aaaahh.</em>

    The Constetion of Agony was groaning with his mouth open.

    Kang-Woo smirked. Youre still like that? What a crybaby.

    He shook his head. The Constetion of Agony had been reduced to this state after experiencing molting only once.

    Where the hell is your backbone?

    Kang-Woo walked toward him while clicking his tongue.

    <em>- A-Aaaahh. </em>The Constetion of Agony looked toward Kang-Woo. <em>- Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!</em>

    <em>Crack, crunch.</em>

    The Constetion of Agony screamed while twisting his body madly. He frantically struggled to get away from Kang-Woo as far as he could.

    Its pointless, man.

    The Constetion of Agony had already been sucked into the Demonic Sea by the Authority of Predation. There was no way that a mere Constetion of Evil would be able to ovee the force of the Demonic Sea when not even the Demon God was able to.

    <em>- Y-You You, you, you</em>

    The Constetion of Agonys dangling eyeball that had been mangled by the sharp teeth stared at Kang-Woo. He repeated his words like a broken radio.

    <em>- A-Aaaahh. I see. I see.</em>

    He nodded what remained of his head as if he was convinced of something.

    Kang-Woo frowned. What are you talking about?

    He approached the Constetion of Agony and grabbed his head.

    The Constetion of Agony muttered while sobbing,<em> - It was you. You were the Demon of Prophecy. </em>He trembled in extreme fear.<em> - You were! The Demon of Proph</em>

    The fuck are you talking about?

    Kang-Woo grimaced at the Constetion of Agonys iprehensible words. He likely did not know Kang-Woo well enough to be spouting such bullshit.

    You see, Im

    <em>Rip. </em>The corners of Kang-Woos mouth tore all the way to his ears, and sharp teeth pierced out from the skin over his cheekbones.

    The loyal retainer of Lady Gaia, and

    Kang-Woos jaw dislocated, his mouth opening beyond what was humanly possible, just like a snake swallowing arge prey. His mouth reached all the way down to his sr plexus. Despite that, Kang-Woo was speaking as clearly as before.

    The Protector of Light.

    <em>Munch! Crunch!</em>

    The Constetion of Agony was eaten alive by the abnormally wide mouth. He was squashed, pierced, twisted, and contorted.

    <em>Grrrrk.</em>

    The body of the Constetion of Agony was broken down into bits within Kang-Woos stomach and dissipated into the ck sea.

    <em>Buuuuurp</em>.

    Another evil being had disappeared thanks to the Protector of Light (Type: Darkness).

    ***

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [You have devoured the entirety of the Constetion of Agonys Deific Essence.]

    [A portion of the Deific Essence is sealed.]

    [The Deific Essence devoured by the Authority of Predation is interfering with the systems restrictions.]

    [Raising the level cap from 86 to 89!]

    Eh?

    <em>Only three levels?</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned aggressively. He saw the message that a portion of the Deific Essence was sealed.

    <em>No wonder he was so weak.</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. He did indeed think that the Constetion of Agony had been way too weak for his grandiose title. Other than the fact that the Divinity within his demonic energy made his defense extremely solid as well as his absurdly fast regenerative speed, he had been nothing special.

    I didnt manage to get my Tenth Awakening Trait.

    Kang-Woo sighed in disappointment. He had been looking forward to leveling up to get his Tenth Awakening Trait the most, but he had been one level short of reaching Level 90.

    <em>I had a feeling that it would be a clue to earning Divinity.</em>

    Since the battle with the Constetion of Agony made him painfully aware of how important Divinity was, he was even more disappointed.

    Tsk, Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    <em>I guess Ill hope for better next time.</em>

    There was nothing that he could do at the moment. He could try to go out of his way to acquire the ancient demonic beasts corpses, but it was pointless.

    <em>There arent any ancient demonic beasts that possess Divinity.</em>

    Even if there were, Behemoth would be it.

    Lets see In that case

    His excitement had died down due to having been one step short of reaching his Tenth Awakening, but there was one additional thing that he had managed to acquire.

    <em>Dragon tongue magic.</em>

    It was the knowledge that he had gained after drinking the treasure known as the Repayment of the Dragon God. Kang-Woo organized the knowledge of dragon tongue magic swirling around in his head. His eyes shone with curiosity.

    <em>Manifesting magic by using the power imbued within words, huh?</em>

    It was an extremely interesting method. Dragon tongue was obviously the keystone of dragon tongue magic, and dragon tongue itself was the beginning and end of all magic.

    <em>Thenguage wasnt created formunication purposes in the first ce.</em>

    Dragon tongue was a magical form in the form ofnguage. One could only use dragon tongue by adjusting ones intensity, pitch, pronunciation, and speed of ones speech to a degree of perfection.

    Normal magic and skills also required activation words or to be cast, but in those cases, it was mainly used for materializing an image, or the symbol of the magic or skill itself.

    <em>It can also be used for the coolness factor, like Reynald.</em>

    Kang-Woo was reminded of the kind-hearted young man who had gone out of his way to shout his skill right before he was about to attack.

    <em>He was a kind-hearted fellow, but to think he died so pitifully.</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head as sorrow swept over him.

    <em>Thats why activation words should be short and concise. It should also never give away what the attack does. For example, Rasengan is better than Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol.</em>

    In any case, dragon tongue did not stop at simple activation words that allowed one to manifest an image, but the magical form itself.

    <em>In other words, as long as the mana required for the manifestation of magic is supplied</em>

    Simply saying the dragon tongue was enough to activate the magic.

    Silence fell in the room. Kang-Woo stroked his chin and got up from his chair.

    This is pretty fun.

    Possibly because his hopes had not been high, he was having a lot more fun than he had expected. It was not because he was after the power of dragon tongue magic; however strong it was, it would not be as good as the Authorities of the princes of Hell. If he simply wanted strong techniques, he wouldnt go out of his way to research dragon tongue magic. He was not interested in how powerful or useful dragon tongue magic was.

    <em>The way to imbue power intonguage</em>

    Kang-Woo was curious about its principles.

    Mmm.

    Kang-Woo smiled and stretched. His motivation was through the roof for some reason.

    <em>Maybe its because my growth has been stagnant for a while.</em>

    The Chaos skills and demonic energy from the Abyss were so difficult to control to the point that they could lead to his death; he seemed to have unknowingly umted stress due to such dangers.

    Kang-Woo decided to take this chance to research dragon tongue magic. Thankfully, he wouldnt be researching it alone; he had someone he could discuss dragon tongue with.

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    Themunication crystal orb vibrated. Liliths voice flowed out of it as soon as Kang-Woo put his hand over it.

    [Master Kang-Woo. Just now]

    Yeah, I know.

    Kang-Woo turned to face the door.

    <em>Rumble.</em>

    He could feel vibrations simr to a rhinoceros charging. He lifted the demonic energy protecting the room.

    <em>Bam!</em>

    The door was destroyed.

    Kang-Wooooooooooooo!

    Echidna jumped into Kang-Woos arms.

    ***

    ... I cant?

    Yeah. You cant use dragon tongue, Kang-Woo.

 Chapter 372: But I Can

    Chapter 372: But I Can

    Kang-Wooooooooooooo!

    Whoa, there.

    Oh Kang-Woo caught Echidna as she jumped into his embrace. Echidna looked up at him while teary-eyed.

    Why, why did you disappear without a word?! she shouted.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly. He was most certainly at fault for this incident. If he had been in their shoes and either Kim Si-Hun, Han Seo-Ah, Echidna or anyone else acted on their own, he would have been furious. The fact that he was short on time was just an excuse; he could have concisely contacted them before heading out.

    <em>Was I more hot-headed than I thought?</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt tell. He might have been more impacted by Uriels critical state than he had initially thought. In any case, he was in the wrong.

    Im sorry, Kang-Woo apologized while patting Echidnas head.

    Echidna was about to say something, but refrained from doing so and simply clenched Kang-Woos clothes without a word.

    <em>Sniff, sniff.</em>

    <em>Sheesh, you sure are full of snot and tears.</em>

    <em>Blow!</em>

    Wha

    <em>Why are you blowing your nose on my clothes?</em>

    <em>Blow! Blow!</em>

    <em>Stop that, youngdy. Youre getting snot all over my cl</em>

    <em>Bloooo!</em>

    Kang-Woo grabbed Echidnas shoulders and lightly separated her from him. Soon after

    Hyung-nim!

    <em>What is it this time, man?</em>

    Why, why did you disappear without a word?!

    <em>Are we gonna go through this each time per person? Keep that up and well be able to fill up todays chapter.</em>

    Sorry. I was so out of it that I didnt think to contact any of you guys, Kang-Woo replied.

    Haaa. Jesus, do you have any idea how worried I was?

    Si-Hun sighed in relief and then red at Kang-Woo. Seeing his eyes filled with rage, Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>Cute little son of a bitch.</em>

    Si-Hun really felt like a little brother. Kang-Woo was finally able to escape after consoling every single one of his party members who had chased after him to the north. Seol-Ah slowly approached Kang-Woo after he finally managed to resolve the mess.

    Are you really okay, Kang-Woo? she asked.

    Yeah, I told you I am.

    Seol-Ah carefully reached out to touch Kang-Woo. She smiled brightly and nodded. Okay, Ill trust you.

    <em>But why are you touching my limbs if you trust me?</em>

    Kang-Woo suppressed his thoughts from leaving through his mouth and turned around. He walked up to Echidna, who was sitting down on the bed with her eyes all puffy from crying so much.

    Can you help me for a bit? he asked.

    Hm? Me?

    Echidna looked around to see if Kang-Woo had been talking to someone else, and then jumped up in surprise. She had always been the one to be helped by Kang-Woo, but the time hade for her to be able to help him. A fresh and exciting feeling ran down her spine and throughout her body.

    Echidna gulped and nodded energetically. Hm! Yeah, I can help! But with what?

    Echidna looked up at Kang-Woo with sparkling eyes.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and continued, I want you to teach me stuff about dragon tongue magic.

    Dragon tongue magic?

    Yeah.

    Do you want to use dragon tongue magic, Kang-Woo?

    Kang-Woo nodded. To be more precise, he was trying to understand the construct and principles of dragon tongue rather than to be able to use it.

    Momentary silence fell. Echidna sat back down on the bed and rolled her feet covered by pink bunny socks. The bunnys ears were pping up and down.

    Echidna then answered with a sad expression, You cant.

    I cant?

    Echidna carefully nodded. Yeah. You cant use dragon tongue, Kang-Woo.

    Hm, Kang-Woo expressed. Why not?

    Because youre not a dragon.

    <em>Oh. Only dragons could use it? I mean, I guess that makes sense since its called dragon tongue.</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled while putting his hand on his forehead. It was an obvious reason, but he still felt frustrated nheless.

    <em>It feels like I was forced to stop shitting midway.</em>

    He understood it in his head, but he still wanted to question it for some reason.

    Dragons have their own unique vocal organs, Echidna remarked.

    She opened her mouth and pointed inside it. She had three vocal chords.

    <em>Three, huh? Why did I never know this? No, itd be weirder if I knew. In what world would I ever look at someones vocal chords?</em>

    This organ usually fully forms once you be a mature dragon, but mine was fully developed early thanks to you, Kang-Woo, Echidna said while smiling.

    Kang-Woo groaned and clicked his tongue. Then does that mean dragon tongue cant be used without that vocal organ?

    Yeah. You wont be able to pronounce the words at all.

    Dragon tongue was a technique that crammed the entirety of a magic form into anguage. If one was not able to pronounce the words, there was no way for one to be able to use them.

    Hmm, Kang-Woo expressed.

    <em>I mean, I was never interested in using it anyway.</em>

    He only needed to understand the principles of imbuing power into words.

    Can you use it for me? Kang-Woo asked.

    Echidna nodded. Sure, just a second.

    Since they couldnt use it in the room, they separated from the rest of the party and headed to a remote mountain near the area.

    Echidna took a deep breath and opened her mouth wide. [D O V A H K I I N!]

    The roar was so thick and abnormal that one would hardly believe that it came out from a little girl. The thunderous roar leveled the ground, and sharp des of wind shed everything in the area. The forest was sliced into tiny little pieces as if it had been ced in a giant blender. It was like a natural disaster had stormed by.

    <em>Whistle</em>.

    Kang-Woos eyes shone with great interest. It had been far stronger than he had expected.

    <em>When did she grow this much?</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Echidna like a proud father. She had be far more powerful than when they first met.

    Haaa, haaa. What do you think, Kang-Woo? Echidna asked while panting and looking up at Kang-Woo with sparkling eyes.

    Kang-Woo chuckled and patted her head.

    Hm! Hm! Echidna smiled widely while snorting with excitement.

    <em>So cute.</em>

    Kang-Woo could understand how fathers felt as they watched their daughters grow.

    <em>That aside</em>

    Kang-Woo fell into thought while tapping on his chin with a finger.

    <em>Demonic energy moved as soon as Echidna talked in dragon tongue.</em>

    He was able to tell the difference after watching from right next to Echidna. For regr magic, the entirety of the magic form was constructed first, and then the activation word was uttered to manifest the magic. In other words, it was a form of trigger word. But in the case of dragon tongue, the demonic energy moved at the same time that the activation word was uttered, and the magic manifested as soon as the activation word was finished.

    <em>Amazing.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes shone. If he had to make aparison, it was like the difference between a bow and a gun. Regr magic was like a bow; the archer took out an arrow, aimed at the enemy, pulled the bowstring, and let the arrow loose. Kang-Woo also used skills made by merging Authorities in that manner.

    <em>But</em>

    Dragon tongue magic was different. Dragons simply ced their finger on the trigger of the ready-to-fire gun that was dragon tongue, and simply pulled the trigger by saying the activation word to fire the gun.

    <em>Dragon tongue is usually far faster.</em>

    The difference in speed would be wider the more advanced the magic became. Low-rank magic barely required any former preparation. They were almost instinctual, so they usually did not even require activation words.

    <em>Normal magic is better in that aspect.</em>

    However, more time was required to manifest magic the higher its rank was. If one was able to manifest magic just by uttering the activation word, the difference would be massive.

    Imbuing power into words, huh? Kang-Woo muttered.

    It was as ambiguous as before. As he was lowering his head while in thought, Echidna approached him.

    Dont worry about it too much, Kang-Woo. You already use magic super fast even without something like dragon tongue.

    That was indeed true; Kang-Woo barely used activation words for his skills. His demonic energy control was so abnormally high that it took him under 0.1 seconds to prepare skills made by merging Authorities. However

    That 0.1 seconds makes all the difference.

    Even if more zeroes were added and it only took 0.0001 seconds, that short time difference decided the result of a battle between the truly powerful. If Kang-Woo became able to use magic just by saying the activation word, he would be allowed more time to focus on other things.

    Ill give it a try, at the very least, Kang-Woo remarked.

    I told you, its impossible since you dont have the vocal organ.

    Echidna pulled on Kang-Woos clothes as if questioning why he wasnt listening to her. Kang-Woo smiled and turned his head.

    <em>Now, think. Would the reason really have to do with the vocal organ?</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head. No matter how he thought about it, that did not seem to be the fundamental problem.

    <em>That may be the case purely in terms of dragon tongue magic.</em>

    Dragon tongue was created and advanced by dragons; it was only natural that Kang-Woo would not be able to imitate them since he did not possess their vocal organs.

    <em>But</em>

    The key of dragon tongue, that fascinating power, was not such a superficial aspect.

    <em>Imbuing power into words.</em>

    That was the core of dragon tongue and its foundation. Dragon tongue was simply a result that was derived from the concept of imbuing power into words.

    <em>If thats the case</em>

    There was no reason that Kang-Woo would not be able to use it.

    Fuuu, Kang-Woo inhaled as he recalled how Echidna had roared.

    You can be so stubborn sometimes, Kang-Woo. Dragon tongue was developed and advanced over hundreds of thousands of years. Its not something you can just

    [D O V A H K I I N!]

    The roar that hade out from Echidnas mouth came out from Kang-Woos mouth this time. The ground was leveled as a storm of demonic energy raged. However, the energy that was tearing apart the surroundings suddenly dissipated as if a fuse had been cut.

    Huh? Echidnas eyes widened as she looked back and forth at the leveled ground and Kang-Woo. Wh-What? How did you do that, Kang-Woo?

    Although it had gotten cut midway, Kang-Woo had definitely used dragon tongue. Echidna rushed toward Kang-Woo and pulled on his clothes.

    Hmm. Kang-Woo frowned as he stared at the leveled ground.

    He was not interested in the fact that he had managed to use dragon tongue.

    <em>Why did it stop midway?</em>

    He was more focused on why it had only been partially sessful.

    <em>Because my vocal organ is different.</em>

    Echidna had been right in that aspect. The form that had been crammed in the word had not manifested correctly because it had been said through a different vocal organ.

    I got the hang of it now, Kang-Woo said.

    Wh-What?

    Echidna looked up at Kang-Woo in confusion. How could he have gotten the hang of it after just one try? It was impossible, even if Kang-Woo possessed the vocal organ of a dragon. Even a mature dragon took a few months at least and decades at most to learn just one dragon tongue magic.

    What are you talking about, Kang-Woo? Echidna asked with a trembling voice.

    The fundamental concept of dragon tongue magic is imbuing power into words, right? In that case, you dont need to pronounce the words like dragons do.

    Kang-Woo pointed his hand at the peak of the mountain and uttered, Dovahkiin.

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    A natural disaster several times more destructive than what Echidna had shownid waste to the entire mountain. Kang-Woo smiled at the destruction he had caused and shook his head.

    No. I dont even need to cling to dragon tongue. If the skill is fundamentally to imbue power into words, I can just say whatever I want, cant I?

    He could just imbue his will into the words he uttered and mix it with his energy. As long as those conditions were fulfilled, that in itself would be magic.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The skill dragon tongue magic is evolving into Soul Speech!]

    [You have aplished an unprecedented feat!]

    [Dramatically raising your demonic energy control!]

    Echidna simply stared at Kang-Woo with her mouth agape in silence. Kang-Wooughed.

    I cant, you say?

    <em>But I can.</em>

 Chapter 373: Haunted House (1)

    Chapter 373: Haunted House (1)

    Silence fell. Echidna turned away from Kang-Woo and sat down while hugging her knees with her head buried between them.

    Uhhh

    Cheater, Echidna said while pouting. She red at Kang-Woo and said again, Youre a cheater, Kang-Woo.

    Oh Kang-Woo smiled and tried to pat her head.

    Rawr! Echidna stuck her head forward and bared her teeth.

    She was likely trying to scare him, but

    <em>So cute. I wanna tease her, but Mm. I shouldnt.</em>

    It was not the time for that.

    Dont touch me! Echidna shouted sharply.

    Kang-Woo retracted his hand while smiling bitterly. Echidna wasnt acting like herself, but he could understand why.

    <em>It makes perfect sense.</em>

    Echidna had trained like crazy to learn dragon tongue magic, and even more after she had seen Kang-Woo while he was molting. Seeing Kang-Woo using dragon tongue, which she thought that he would never be able to use, in not even a day was likely a huge shock to her.

    No, Kang-Woo had not stopped at dragon tongue; he had gone beyond that and evolved the technique to something known as Soul Speech. He could pretty much guess what Echidna felt when she saw that.

    <em>She probably felt that her efforts until now were denied.</em>

    She could have also felt ridiculed, or that her efforts would nevere to anything no matter how hard she tried. She was likely being weighed down by despair aftering face to face with a wall that she could never cross.

    Kang-Woo looked down at the crouching Echidna in silence. He wanted to tell her something.

    <em>This isnt a matter of talent.</em>

    It wasnt a matter of time either.

    <em>Absolutely not.</em>

    Such things were not enough to learn dragon tongue and reach the realm of Soul Speech in less than a day.

    Urghh. Echidna bit her lip and lowered her head; tears welled up in her eyes.

    Silence fell once again. Kang-Woo was making all sorts of unreasonable excuses in his head. This was not a matter of talent nor time; it was a matter of the difference in the weight they were shouldering, as well as the path that they had walked until now.

    Kang-Woo possessed abnormally high demonic energy control to the point that it was monstrous; it was enough to even make a being of godhood faint in shock. The reason was awfully simple.

    <em>Because I would die if I couldnt control it.</em>

    Kang-Woo had lived for all this time while frantically struggling to survive. He would not havee this far without that struggle. He had spent every second of every day in fear of death if he let himself go even for a single moment. Those days piled up to months, years, and had reached ten millennia.

    Tsk, Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    Even so, he had no intention of arguing with Echidna about how she knew nothing and quibbling over how much he had suffered. Pity,passion, and sympathy were meaningless at this point for him.

    I knew you were amazing, Kang-Woo. I did, but

    Echidna lowered her head in sorrow. She likely had a lot on her mind.

    Kang-Woo smiled and turned around. Lets go back.

    Trying to console her would be no different from making fun of her. She needed time to ept it.

    Okay. Echidna slowly nodded.

    She stood up while slouching lifelessly, and then nkly stared up at the sky. Then suddenly, she pped both of her cheeks. She walked up to Kang-Woo and slightly pulled on his clothes.

    Im sorry for yelling at you earlier, Kang-Woo.

    Hm?

    Kang-Woo stared at her unexpectedly.

    <em>I thought itd take her a few days.</em>

    Her recovery had been faster than he had expected.

    <em>I guess shes grown.</em>

    It seemed Echidna had not only grown physically, but mentally as well. Kang-Woo smiled and nodded. He raised his hand and ruffled Echidnas hair.

    Have you calmed down now? he asked.

    Yeah. Its only natural you would do something like that, Kang-Woo.

    <em>What does that mean?</em>

    I dont know much about your past, but Balrog tells me about it from time to time.

    Echidna put her arms around his waist in silence. The silence continued between them for a while.

    Echidna then broke the silence. Dont push yourself too hard, Kang-Woo.

    I didnt really push myself this time. Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly.

    That was a lie; even if his demonic energy control was abnormally exceptional, it had been an extremely dangerous gamble to attempt to unearth the foundations of dragon tongue in just a day. It was no different than disassembling a machine that he had no idea how it was designed and reassembling it to his liking. Worst case scenario, forget Soul Speech, the dragon tongue could have gone out of control and he could have gotten greatly injured.

    <em>Well, thats what Ive always done.</em>

    Kang-Woo grabbed Echidnas hand. Lets go back. Iris said that she would prepare a feast for dinner to celebrate everyones safe return.

    But of course, it would be the imperial chefs who would be preparing it.

    Hm! Hm! I like Iris!

    <em>You said that you hated her before.</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled and walked back to the castle.

    ***

    A week had passed since the Constetion of Agony had died. Kang-Woo had been so busy that he had no time to test out his newly acquired Soul Speech. Matters regarding the empire, angels, and gods were happening so fast, though he had been the one to instigate it.

    Fuuu. Kang-Woo sighed and stretched his shoulders.

    He drank some of the coffee that Han Seol-Ah had brewed for him.

    Are you okay, Master Kang-Woo? Lilith asked in worry.

    Kang-Woo had not slept for a week straight.

    Im physically fine, but Im kind of getting fatigued mentally, Kang-Woo replied in a tired tone.

    Liliths informationwork had been more or less perfected, so they had been racking their brains toe up with various overblown rumors regarding Lucifer to foster fear among the people. He was even trying to monitor the movements of the Constetions of Evil as well as investigating Lucifers wife, so even creating a clone with the Authority of Cloning was not enough to divide the work to a manageable degree.

    How is fostering fear for Lucifer going? Kang-Woo turned to ask Lilith.

    If he did not have her help, he would have given up long ago.

    It is going smoothly. Please take a look at these, Lilith replied as she showed him a few photos.

    They were photos taken around the Arnan Empire. One of them was an empty bar; although there had been some people while Fidelio had still been in power, not even a single rat could be found anymore.

    No one is leaving their homes because of their fear for Lucifer, Lilith remarked.

    Very good. Kang-Woo smiled.

    He felt sorry for the bar owners, but the fear of Lucifer having taken root deep within the hearts of the people was good news.

    <em>I should provide them with money and foodter.</em>

    Since he had practically incapacitated the empires economy, he was nning on taking responsibility for the incident after it was all over.

    That aside, this much of an effect in just a week is beyond my expectations. I guess the news of the attack on SantAngelo was big.

    The angels wanted to hide the fact that SantAngelo had been attacked, but there was no way that Kang-Woo would let that ammunition go unused. He used Liliths informationwork to spread the news all over the continent that the sanctuary of the angels had been desecrated and plundered.

    Theres that too, but Lilith smiled widely. The fact that the gods had taken action left a bigger impact.

    Oh, that? Kang-Woo smiled.

    Aernor was mostly polytheistic. Considering there were several gods that possessed Deific Essence and there were apostles that did their bidding, it was only natural. The majority of the continent worshiped Celestial Goddess Seraph and God of Heroes Tirion, but many people worshiped other gods as well.

    A week ago, a revtion was simultaneously received by apostles of multiple gods.

    <em>- Evil God Lucifer will bring copse to the continent!</em>

    The revtions contents had been short but powerful. Not just that, the warning had been from not one, but multiple gods simultaneously. It was only natural that it would bring chaos to the entire continent. The people locked their doors and trembled in fear of the Evil God and his subordinates that mighte to invade at any second.

    Its going well. Kang-Woo smiled widely.

    The message that he had sent the gods through Michael had arge effect. Once public fear of the continents copse was fostered, it would not be long until the high elves manifested into the physical world.

    <em>But Id have to do more for that to happen.</em>

    There was a limit to what simple rumors and fear could do. Only through the right incidents and Kim Si-Hun solving them would it perfect Kang-Woos n.

    Hohoho. Do you know what Lucifer is being referred to among the humanstely? Lilith asked.

    Hm? Kang-Woo tilted his head.

    Lilith continued while giggling, Hes known as the Lord of the Flies. A demon of filth and disease.

    <em>Oh. Sheesh, Lucifer. Thats why you should wash yourself more often, man.</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in pity. Lord of the Flies was an extremely filthy titlepared to his former title, Evil God.

    <em>You brought this on yourself. I didnt do anything wrong. Trust me, bro.</em>

    Kang-Woo turned to Lilith and asked, Anything else?

    Oh, right. Come to think of it, I happened to receive a bit of a suspicious report.

    A suspicious report? Kang-Woo asked while narrowing his eyes.

    Lilith nodded. People have been continuing to go missing in a certain city Well, its notrge enough to be a city, but its a fairly sizable town.

    Missing? Kang-Woo frowned. People going missing was not something that could be ignored, but it was not something that would be found suspicious by Lilith either. Did they just go missing?

    No. I wouldnt be reporting it to you if that was the case. Lilith shook her head.

    Then what?

    Mmm How should I say this? Lilith searched for a fitting term while cing a finger on her lips. A haunted house I guess?

    A haunted house?

    <em>What the hells with that out of the blue?</em>

    A giant mansion apparently appeared near the town. People who found it suspicious entered the mansion, but

    They never came back out, or something like that?

    Yes.

    It was a staple horror movie trope.

    Mm. Kang-Woos eyes shone. It was far too interesting to leave it be. Bring Si-Hun over.

 Chapter 374: Haunted House (2)

    Chapter 374: Haunted House (2)

    Constetion of Fear.

    Yes, Master of Despair.

    Will this really be able to change the flow of fear?

    Hahaha. There is no need to worry. Human feares from the unknown. No matter how much they fear the Evil God People merely know his <em>name</em>.

    Oh?

    Give it some time. Soon The entire continent will be plunged into fear of the Constetions.

    ***

    ... It certainly is worth an investigation. Kim Si-Hun, who had been told of the missing people in a town on the outskirts of the empire, nodded.

    It was far too optimistic to think that there was no rtionship between the mansion that suddenly appeared outside the town and the disappearing people.

    Lets set out right away. Oh, are you in the middle of anything? Oh Kang-Woo asked as he stood up from his chair.

    He had spent an entire week buried under a pile of paperwork, so he wanted to move around.

    I had ns with some nobledies, but I didnt want to attend anyway, so I will cancel them, Si-Hun replied as he sighed.

    The greater the peoples fear of Lucifer grew, the more popr Si-Hun became. He was starting to be revered as the hero who would save the continent from the hands of the filthy Lord of the Flies. Those of power from all over the continent were flocking to the empire to make connections with Si-Hun.

    Got it. In that case, bring La with you on the way and brief her on the incident as well, Kang-Woo stated.

    Will La being with us as well?

    Yeah.

    La was Gaias incarnation; they might be able to gain some sort of clues if the power of a god were to make contact with the suspicious mansion.

    <em>Not all gods are righteous and kind, after all.</em>

    There were likely some gods that were cheering at the appearance of Evil God Lucifer, or were trying to take advantage of the chaos ande up with ways to raise their own Deific Essence. Some might be enraged at Lucifer on the outside, but were thinking otherwise.

    <em>We can only trust our beautiful and intelligent Lady Gaia. Yup, yup.</em>

    Got it. Ill be right back. Si-Hun left the room.

    Kang-Woo turned to Lilith and said, Lilith. You get ready too.

    Pardon? Me too?

    Liliths eyes widened, not having expected for Kang-Woo to nominate her as well.

    Theres no one more skilled than you in search and detection. Plus, youre the one who found out about the incident.

    Rather, there was no reason not to take her.

    <em>I shouldnt take any more than this.</em>

    There was nothing more foolish than bringing a crowd to investigate a suspicious incident.

    Uhh Mm. Lilith slurred with an awkward smile and then nodded. I understand. In that case, I will guide you to that mansion.

    Kang-Woo had expected her to love getting the opportunity to go somewhere with him, but her reaction had been a lot more lukewarm.

    <em>Is something going on with her? Well, Im sure Ill find out eventually.</em>

    Kang-Woo stood up.

    ***

    Yeah, Kang-Woo muttered.

    They arrived at the town located on the outskirts of the empire. The small town that would likely have a town chief instead of a governing lord was covered in fog. The streets were deserted, and the sound of horses neighing,monly heard in the continent, could not be heard at all. No one would be able to tell that the town was inhabited if not for the lights visible through the windows.

    Kang-Woo continued, This is suspicious as fuck.

    <em>Is this Lothric Castle</em>[1]<em> or something?</em>

    That is where the town chief lives. He is also the one who first reported the incident, Lilith said as she pointed at a house.

    It was a house that the town chief resided in, but it was no different from the other shabby houses around it.

    I dont really feel any vitality in this town. La frowned as she looked around.

    She carefully grabbed Si-Huns hand, unsettled by the ominous aura surrounding the entire town.

    Lets enter, Kang-Woo said as they headed to the chiefs house.

    <em>Knock, knock.</em>

    <em>Creak.</em> The door slightly opened, and an elderly man with a very wrinkly face peeked out. He red at Kang-Woo and the others with caution.

    Who are you?

    Wevee to investigate the missing cases.

    The old man scanned Kang-Woo, Lilith and La warily, but he gasped while widening his eyes as soon as he saw Si-Hun.

    C-Could you be!

    The old man trembled as if he couldnt believe his eyes.

    Si-Hun bowed while smiling awkwardly. My name is Kim Si-Hun.

    I-I knew it! You were the Sword Emperor[2]!

    Pardon?

    <em>Sword what?</em>

    The emperor of swords! The hero who chased away the Evil God! Aaaahh, I cant believe someone as great as the Sword Emperor woulde to help this small town!

    The town mayor shook while bawling his eyes out, and Si-Hun also shook for a different reason.

    Pfft! S-Sword Emp Pfft! Kang-Woo suppressed hisughter with all his might.

    He couldnt believe that Si-Hun hade to be known as the Sword Emperor. He was so <em>jealous</em>.

    Wh-What a f-fantastic title, Si-Hun.

    <em>Kehehehe</em>. Kang-Woo smacked Si-Huns shoulder repeatedly as giggles seeped out from his mouth.

    Si-Hun was shaking in silence. Despiteing up with cringe names like <em>Sirius Corps</em>, he seemed to be unable to handle a shockingly cringe name like <em>Sword Emperor.</em>

    P-Please stopughing, hyung-nim! Si-Hun shouted.

    Kahahahaha! Why? Its a great title that the people gave you, isnt it?

    Ugh Si-Hun couldnt bring himself toin in front of the town mayor about why people had given him such a cringe title, and could only bite his lips.

    Si-Hun pouted in silence.

    La came up to him and grabbed his hand. It just means that the people hold you up in high regard, so theres no need for you to be so embarrassed.

    But

    Hohoho. Ive taken a liking to it, at least.

    R-Really?

    Yes. La smiled. Sword Pfft! Emperor. What a great title.

    Si-Huns expression crumpled even more. Kang-Woo, unable to hold it any longer, burst intoughter.

    <em>Dayum, sister-inw. You sure know how to tease people.</em>

    ***

    ording to the town mayors exnation, the mansion had appeared five days ago. People started to disappear when three young men of the town entered the mansion and never came back. After that, an ominous fog engulfed the entire town, and people began to disappear one by one. There were currently twenty-eight people that had gone missing; considering the size of the town, it did not seem like a coincidence at all.

    After hearing the details, Kang-Woo and the others headed to the mansion.

    Wow, Kang-Woo expressed after seeing the mansion from up close. Windows were shattered, the door was rotten, and the walls were crumbling in certain areas. This is the perfect ce to shoot a horror film.

    It was so tantly ominous that Kang-Woo couldnt help but chuckle. He shrugged and walked toward the mansion. The ce was trying to be so tantly scary that Kang-Woo was not scared by it at all.

    Lets go in, he stated.

    <em>Creak</em>. Kang-Woo opened the door, but he had no idea how it was still attached to the hinges. In front of them was a hallway that smelled of mold and faint blood.

    I certainly sense unsettling energy, Si-Hun uttered as he narrowed his eyes and searched the hallway.

    He summoned the holy sword in advance and ced it on his waist.

    <em>Bam!!</em>

    Just then, the door that they entered the mansion from suddenly mmed shut, and the entire mansion fell dark instantly.

    Dayum, Kang-Woo expressed.

    <em>Theyre really pulling out all the stops, huh?</em>

    Kang-Woo snickered as if he was highly entertained. He lightly snapped his fingers, and then two mes appeared to light the hallway, which made the hallway look even more ominous.

    The hallway was full of mold, rusted metal, and unknown ck moss. Kang-Woo frowned as an unpleasant smell filled his nose. He looked around the hallway and noticed that it was forked.

    Lets split up into two and investigate the interior. Make sure to call with themunication crystal if you find anything.

    The mansion was muchrger than he had expected. The hallway was not that wide either, so traveling as a whole group of four would be inefficient.

    Understood. Si-Hun nodded and went down the right hallway with La.

    Kang-Woo turned around and went down the other hallway.

    Kang-Woo noticed that Lilith was not following him. Whats wrong? Did you find something?

    Lilith bit her lip without answering. I-Its nothing, my king.

    She swallowed her saliva and hugged Kang-Woos arm tight.

    <em>Huh? Shes been acting weird for a while now.</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Lilith while narrowing his eyes, thinking of a possibility.

    Lilith, could it be youre scared?

    O-Of course not! Theres no way I would be scared just because I entered a run-down mansion like this!! Lilith shouted.

    Kang-Woo smiled. Her reaction only solidified his suspicions. Man, how unexpected. I never thought youd be scared of something like this.

    He had been with her for a thousand years, but this was the first time he had seen her act this way.

    I told you, Im not scared! Lilith shouted as her face was as red as a tomato.

    Kang-Woo softlyughed. If youre so scared, should I investigate on my own?

    N-No. Like I said, Im not scared in the slightest. Lilith pulled on Kang-Woos arm. Lets go, my king.

    Okay, okay.

    She was obviously pushing herself, but he paid it no mind.

    <em>This is new.</em>

    It had been a while since he had seen this side of Lilith; no, it had been the first time.

    <em>I never thought shed be scared of stuff like ghosts.</em>

    It was entertaining to see a flustered Lilithpared to how rxed she always was. Kang-Woo suppressed hisughter and continued investigating the mansion. Their steps echoed throughout the hallway.

    Urgh.

    Liliths expression was getting darker by the second. Kang-Wooughed in silence while looking at her reactions.

    <em>Whats so scary about this?</em>

    Ghosts had no way of harming them even if they appeared, so he couldnt understand her reactions.

    <em>But its fun to watch, at the very least.</em>

    Kang-Woo could now understand why people loved watching horror films with others who couldnt handle it, and watching their reactions to the scenes. He thought that having brought her was worth it just for her reactions alone.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Just then, arge drawer that had been in the hallway suddenly fell. One of the cabs opened, spilling what looked to be human eyeballs, intestines, and blood.

    Kang-Woo chuckled. What a cute contrapt

    KYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! Lilith screamed.

    She held Kang-Woos arm tight and leaned her head on his shoulder. A sloppy and sticky sensation traveled up his arm.

    <em>Huh? A sloppy and sticky sensation?</em>

    Hyaaaaaaaaaahhh!

    Liliths hair floated and turned into green tentacles spewing pus that wrapped around Kang-Woo. Tears flowed down Liliths eighteen eyeballs.

    KYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! Kang-Woo screamed.

    M-My king!

    Liliths green tentacles dug into his clothes. No, not just his clothes, but they even dug into his mouth, nostrils and ears.

    Urrrrggggghhhhh.

    <em>What the actual fuck?</em>

    I-Im so scared!!

    <em>Me too. Im fucking scared too.</em>

    S-Save m

    <em>Urrgghhh.</em>

    1. Lothric Castle is a location in <em>Dark Souls III</em>.

    2. Tian Wuchens title was also Sword Emperor, but that is a direct trantion of the titlemonly used in wuxia novels. However, Si-Huns title is one that phically spells out the English words S<em>word Emperor</em> in Korean, which sounds very cringe.

 Chapter 375: Haunted House (3)

    Chapter 375: Haunted House (3)

    In the mansion surrounded by ominous fog, one of the rooms was filled with a thick scent of blood and rotten trees. Translucent wraiths roamed the room.

    [Ah Aahh.]

    [Kill, kill, kill.]

    [Rip off the ears, pull out the eyes, cut off the nose, crush the tongue.]

    [Kill, kill, kill.]

    [<em>Giggle, giggle.</em>]

    The wraiths roamed around the room while singing a chilling song as they danced andughed. Despite being translucent, they could not be any more hideous. Their heads were split in two as their brains trickled down, their eyeballs were dangling out of their eye sockets, and their tongues reached all the way down to their corbone.

    They did not possess sharp ws or fangs. They were made purely to instill fear into humans; fear of the unknown, of beings that were between the boundary of life and death that the living had never experienced. Hence, these beings were far more terrifying than any demon or demonic beast.

    A-Aaaahh.

    A young man was tied to a wall in the room where the wraiths were dancing. He was trembling uncontrobly, fear having takenplete control over him. His eyes were missing from his sockets, his ears had been forcibly ripped off, and his nose had been cut off by something sharp. The rest of his body was not fine either; forget fingernails, none of his fingers were present.

    K-Kill me.

    The young man no longer wished to live. He simply wished for death that would end the excruciating pain and endless fear.

    [<em>Giggle.</em>]

    [<em>Giggle.</em>]

    The wraithsughed as they danced around the young man.

    P-Please!! Pleaaaaaase!!

    He struggled frantically. Although he could no longer see because he had no eyes and couldnt even hear properly because his ears had been ripped off, he could tell that these wraiths would not kill him.

    A-Aaaaaaahhh!!! he cried out in madness.

    His head was filled with the wraithsughter.

    [Fun, fun, fun.]

    [Scream more for us.]

    [Be even more afraid.]

    They sang while dancing merrily.

    [Your ears were ripped off.]

    [I guess you wont be able to hear!]

    [Your eyes were pulled out.]

    [I guess you wont be able to see!]

    [Your nose was cut off.]

    [I guess you wont be able to smell!]

    [<em>Giggle. Giggle. Giggle.</em>]

    [Lets not cut off his tongue.]

    [Lets not, because he has to scream.]

    The mans mind was being slowly broken down as the wraiths roamed around him and giggled. Something flowed out from the man; a thick ck energy. It was negative emotion. The wraiths absorbed the materialization of extreme fear.

    A-Aaaaaaaaahhh!!

    The mans screams filled the room. He was not the only one. A total of twenty-eight humans were tied up in the room as they screamed in fear while surrounded by wraiths.

    [<em>Giggle. Giggle.</em>]

    The wraithsughed inside the room filled with despair. Just then, one of them raised its head, and the other hundreds of them followed suit.

    [People have entered.]

    [Kill, kill, kill.]

    [Who will it be this time? How will they scream this time?]

    The wraiths danced whileughing in joy. They moved to search for their new prey.

    [What should we cut first this time?]

    [What should we rip off first this time?]

    Their giggles were full of malice. Once the wraiths flew to where their prey were

    [Huh?]

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    The hallway was filled with green tentacles, and sticky mucus covered the floor, walls and ceiling. They had never seen such a realistic manifestation of nightmares before.

    [What? What? What?]

    [Whats this?]

    The wraiths trembled as they instinctively felt fear. They stopped dancing and singing.

    <em>Squelch.</em> Something came out from between the green tentacles.

    U-Uuuurrrrhhh.

    It was a young man with ck hair, the prey that the wraiths had been waiting for. The man who had escaped from the green tentacles raised his head and stared at the wraiths flying around the hallway.

    [A human hase.]

    [Prey hase.]

    The wraiths started to sing and dance again once they saw their prey.

    Kyaaaaaaahhh! My king! Gh-Ghosts! Ghosts have appeared!!

    The green tentacles filling the hallway fiercely squirmed as a womans screams were heard from somewhere. The man was sucked back into the tentacles after having barely escaped from them.

    Urgh, urggggghhhh.

    The man was being squished between tentacles with just his right arm exposed, which was frantically shaking. He scratched the floor with his right arm, but then it lost its strength and flopped on the ground. He used what remained of his strength and wrote a message on the ground with the pus on his fingers.

    <em>- The culprit is Lili</em>

    Kyaaaaaaaaahhhh! Th-Theyreing this way! The ghosts areing this way!

    However, his desperate efforts were cut short by the womans screams. Even his right arm was sucked in between the tentacles. The wraiths stopped dancing and tilted their heads in wonder.

    [Whats going on? Whats happening?]

    [Could it be arade sent by the Constetion?]

    [Who? Who?]

    The wraiths approached the monster that was hunting the human.

    Kyaaaaahhh! Ahh

    The shrieks of the woman suddenly stopped as if she had fainted. The green tentacles filling the hallway stopped moving and flopped to the ground.

    <em>Squelch.</em> The man that had been sucked in between the tentacles slowly stood up and lifted his head with nk eyes.

    [The human came back out.]

    [Hes still alive, hes still alive!]

    [Lets capture him and kill him, kill him.]

    The wraiths danced joyfully again after finding out that the prey they had thought had been stolen by another monster was still alive.

    So it was you guys, said the man with sharp eyes. You did all this.

    The fear that the man should be feeling froming face to face with the wraiths could not be felt, only zing fury. The wraiths tilted their heads in wonder, unable to understand.

    [We didnt do anything though?]

    [We havent done anything yet.]

    They haventid a finger on the man in front of them, at the very least.

    You didnt do anything you say?

    The mans voice shook. Darkness so thick that it couldnt even bepared to the evil energy of the wraiths filled the hallway.

    <em>Rumble</em>. The entire mansion shook. The man slowly walked toward the wraiths.

    You sons of bitcheeeeeeeeees!! the man roared like a beast.

    The wraiths trembled after being exposed to suffocating demonic energy. Overwhelming fear took control over them.

    [Whats wrong? Whats wrong?]

    [We havent done anyth]

    Do you have any idea?!

    <em>Boom! </em>The man shot forward and grabbed the head of the wraith closest to him. It was impossible for a physical being to grab the body of a wraith, but the man grabbed it with ease.

    [H-Huh?]

    [Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!]

    Before the wraiths could even figure out what was going on, the wraith that had been grabbed shrieked. ck energy invaded its translucent body and ripped the wraith apart from the inside out.

    How hard I worked?!

    The man ran at the speed of sound to grab more wraiths and ripped them apart mercilessly.

    To get away from those tentacles?!

    A horrifying massacre ensued. Although there was no spige of flesh and blood, the bodies of the wraiths were most certainly being ripped apart. The remaining wraiths quickly began to run away.

    [No, no.]

    [We havent done anything.]

    [We havent done anything wrong.]

    They made excuses while frantically running away, but it was pointless.

    Raaaaaaaaaaahhh!

    The roars of a wounded beast echoed throughout the mansion. True hell had fallen on the haunted house that had been made to instill fear into humans.

    ***

    [Were sorry. Were sorry.]

    [We were wrong. We were wrong.]

    The wraiths trembled in fear. The devil wearing human skin was walking toward the wraiths that had been driven into a corner.

    [Gyaaaaaaaahhh!!]

    A wraith was ripped apart with every step the human took. The wraiths that had been created to instill extreme fear into humans were dying while stricken with fear.

    [Monster. Monster. A monster has appeared.]

    [Spare us, spare us.]

    The wraiths ran away in fear by going through the walls. A few wraiths managed to survive the Demon Kings rage and escape the mansion. Kang-Woo did not go out of his way to chase after them, since he had more or less managed to vent his anger.

    Fuuu, haaa. Kang-Woo took a deep breath in and out. He slowly looked around the destroyed mansion and saw that there were no more wraiths.

    Ah. He only managed to return to his senses now. He frowned and scratched his head. I shouldve captured a few of them.

    He needed a few of them alive to figure out how this mansion came to be.

    <em>Though its weird to think about capturing wraiths alive.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked around. He had killed all the wraiths that he could see while blinded by rage, so not a single wraith remained. He thought about chasing after the ones that had escaped, but he could no longer sense their presence, possibly because they were spirits.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    He btedly regretted his decision, but what was done was done. None of his hundreds of Authorities had the power to resurrect an annihted soul.

    Ngh. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    H-Hyung-nim! What was that sound just now?!

    Likely having heard the roars that Kang-Woo had made while massacring the wraiths, Kim Si-Hun and La quickly ran to him.

    Oh, umm

    Kang-Woo scratched his head awkwardly while thinking of a way to exin this. He couldnt tell them that he had gotten so enraged about being subjected to Liliths tentacles because of the wraiths that he had killed them all.

    Wraiths suddenly attacked us all of a sudden, Kang-Woo mentioned.

    Wraiths?

    Si-Hun looked around while wide-eyed, but wraiths were unable to leave a corpse since they had a spiritual form. All that he could feel were subtle traces of deathly energy.

    Did you defeat them all, hyung-nim?

    They werent that strong, Kang-Woo replied.

    Honestly, he did not know; he had massacred any that he could see, so he had not properly gauged their strength.

    <em>Well, even so</em>

    He was sure that they would have been no match for Si-Hun and the other party members.

    <em>It didnt seem like they were specialized inbat.</em>

    They did not have any weapons. They were extremely hideous and were exuding chilling, deathly energy, but that was it.

    I see, Si-Hun remarked.

    Lets look around a little more.

    Although all the wraiths had disappeared, they could still acquire some information from the mansion itself. Their expectations were met soon after their search.

    A-Arghh.

    As they searched each room along the hallway, they heard a voice. It was clearly that of a person,pletely different from the voices of the wraiths. Kang-Woo forced open the door.

    This is

    He frowned aggressively as soon as he saw what was inside. Although he was used to seeing horrible sights, he couldnt help but feel unpleasant at the sight he had to behold.

    What the Si-Hun muttered.

    Since it was hard to watch even for Kang-Woo, it was worse for Si-Hun. He was gripping the holy sword extremely tight with eyes wide open.

    Oh Gaia. La shut her eyes tight and prayed to Gaia.

    A-Aaaahh.

    Kang-Woo stared at the people who had be ragdolls as if they had endured gut-wrenching torture. There were twenty-eight of them; there was no need to even think about who they were.

    <em>The missing townspeople.</em>

    The townspeople had been dragged into this mansion by the wraiths and been tortured.

    Hyung-nim.

    Just a second.

    Kang-Woo bit open his thumb and healed one of the people using the Authority of Regeneration.

    E-Ehehe. K-Kill me. Kill me. Please Kill me.

    Its toote. Kang-Woo shook his head as he looked down at the person he had treated.

    It was not a physical issue; their minds had already broken beyond repair. Nothing but fear could be seen in the eyes of those who had been captured by the wraiths.

    Kuh! Si-Hun clenched his fists in frustration and stomped his feet.

    La approached the panting Si-Hun and held his hand.

    Si-Hun

    The two of them bit their lips while staring at the horrifying sight miserably.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    He could not afford to wallow in his emotions like the two of them, nor did he have a reason to. What he needed right now was information.

    <em>Why? </em>That was the only question he had in his mind. <em>Why are they still alive?</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the missing townspeople tied to the walls. They had been hideously wounded; their eyeballs had been pulled out, their ears had been ripped off, and they had been sliced all over the ce. Despite all that, they were still alive.

    <em>They were forcibly kept alive.</em>

    They had not been kept alive so that they could be continuously tortured; their wounds were so severe that it was actually a wonder why they hadnt died. They were screaming and trembling in fear, but they were still alive. The wraiths had used some sort of means to prevent the people they had kidnapped from dying.

    <em>But why?</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt understand. It was too difficult to figure out. It was understandable that kidnapped people could be tortured; wraiths being cruel and merciless made sense.

    <em>But</em>

    This was apletely different situation. The wraiths had kept dying people alive. They had prevented people who should have died from dying.

    Umm Kang-Woo, La said.

    Kang-Woo turned around.<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts</blockquote>

 Chapter 376: I Did It

    Chapter 376: I Did It

    Pleasee here for a second, La said.

    What is it? Oh Kang-Woo walked over to where La was while tilting his head.

    Kim Si-Hun, who had been untying the survivors from the walls with a heavy expression, also walked over. La was pointing at a ck symbol drawn on the wall.

    <em>The hell is this?</em>

    There was a giant hexagram that looked as if it had been drawn with a rough brush on the wall, and it was exuding thick demonic energy.

    <em>No.</em>

    It wasnt just demonic energy; miniscule amounts of Divinity could be felt from it as well, as if a being of godhood had drawn it.

    This is the symbol of the Demon God, La exined. This hexagram was the symbol of Demon God Bauli and the Constetions of Evil during the era of myths when they almost brought this world to extinction.

    Isnt it a bit too ordinary for that? Kang-Woo asked.

    Thats because the myth hasnt been passed down well enough on Earth. In Aernor, this hexagram is still considered a symbol of demons and fear.

    Oh, I also heard about it while I was traveling around the continent. Just using this symbol would be reason enough for you to be sentenced to death immediately, Si-Hun added.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>The symbol of the Demon God.</em>

    Considering this symbol was on the wall, it wasnt hard to guess who had made this mansion.

    <em>The Constetions of Evil mustve made their move.</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned. He could understand that they had made their move, since they had already attacked SantAngelo to steal the Demon Gods legacy. It meant that they were done hiding and were going to take full action from now on.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt understand their actions. He had no choice, but he had ended up assisting the Constetions of Evil. He had framed someone else as the culprit of the attack on SantAngelo and took thempletely off of the list of suspects.

    <em>In their perspective, it shouldve been an absolute score.</em>

    Should they not be cheering while pping since the police were chasing after someone else entirely after they hadmitted a heinous crime?

    <em>Why are they just tantly advertising that theyre the culprits?</em>

    It was so undisguised to the point that Kang-Woo was thinking someone was trying to frame the act on the Constetions of Evil.

    <em>But theres no reason for anyone to do such a thing.</em>

    No matter how hard he thought about it, there werent any forces that would benefit from framing the Constetions of Evil.

    Could it have been the Constetions of Evil? La asked carefully.

    Si-Hun nodded. Since the Demon God had died long ago, I believe they would be the culprits. I dont know why they would do such a thing, but

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he listened to their opinions. Both La and Si-Hun thought that the Constetions of Evil were the culprits. In other words, most of the people who knew about the hexagram would also think the same, and there werent many people in Aernor who didnt know about this hexagram.

    <em>... Wait. </em>Kang-Woos eyes shone. A theory popped up in his head like a lightning bolt. <em>What if their objective isnt to hide their identity, but to let it be known?</em>

    If that was the case, the story would change.

    <em>But why?</em>

    Why would they need to do such a thing? It was true that the Constetions of Evil were powerful; each one of them possessed Deific Essence, and were free from the systems restrictions. However, they were overwhelmingly outnumbered. They had no reason to unt their return.

    Kang-Woo, over here Just then, La called Kang-Woo again. Kang-Woo turned around to see La, her face stiff while touching the victims heads. Somethings wrong with the townspeople.

    What do you mean?

    Mental recovery magic doesnt work on them as if their minds have beenpletely emptied. I dont think their minds have just been broken.

    Emptied Las choice of words caught Kang-Woos attention. Kang-Woo looked around and recalled the wraiths that had been roaming around the mansion. They had kept the people that should have been dead, alive for some reason.

    Ah, Kang-Woo expressed.

    The puzzle was finally starting toe together.

    <em>The wraiths hadnt been specialized forbat.</em>

    Although one wouldnt even be able tond a blow on the wraiths unless they were powerful enough, they were certainly too weak to be retainers of a Constetion of Evil.

    <em>What if their purpose wasntbat from the very beginning?</em>

    Chains were installed on the walls of the two thousand square feet room, spread out in a way that it would be easy to chain people. Kang-Woo had thought of something as soon as he had entered the room.

    <em>Its like a factory.</em>

    A factory made to generate something from the kidnapped people. Kang-Woo asked La something to confirm his suspicions.

    La.

    Ah. Yes, Kang-Woo?

    Do you happen to know anything about magic that can extract power from negative emotions like fear, sorrow and despair?

    Mm La fell into thought while grabbing her chin, and then answered, Yes, Ive heard of such magic. In the past back when Demon God Bauli was still alive, he had usedrge-scale magic by absorbing negative emotions from the Triad.

    What kind of magic?

    I dont know in that much detail. La shook her head while expressing embarrassment.

    Kang-Woo lightly clicked his tongue, but he did not mind the inconvenience.

    <em>I more or less get it now.</em>

    Kang-Woos eyes lit up. It was as if the strewn-about pieces of a puzzle had finallye together. He could now understand the actions of the Constetions of Evil that used to be iprehensible.

    <em>So their goal had been to let themselves be known to the world from the start.</em>

    And this factory had been to acquire a source of unlimited negative emotions.

    Hah, Kang-Woo unconsciously chuckled.

    He covered his wide grin with his hand. If they had done something like this to let themselves be known

    <em>It means they never caught a lucky break from the start, huh?</em>

    Kang-Woo wanted to burst intoughter right here and now. He had been bothered by the fact that the Constetions of Evil were likely benefiting from him naming Lucifer as the culprit for the SantAngelo attack.

    <em>I wont stand for someone catching a lucky break from my choice.</em>

    Even if it led to both of their demise, he would do whatever it took to stop random people from catching a lucky break from his actions.

    <em>Why, you ask? Because it sucks! Its unfair! For example, lets say you bought someone a lottery ticket and they ended up winning. That person thenes to you to thank you for buying the ticket for them. You would for sure feel like shit. So, that doesnt make me a piece of shit. Thats just how humans are.</em>

    Hyung-nim? Si-Hun called.

    Oh, dont mind me. Kang-Woo waved his hand and turned around.

    He more or less understood the situation. He did not know what for, but the Constetions of Evil were collecting negative emotions such as fear, sorrow and despair.

    <em>Theyre not just collecting them.</em>

    The entire continent was already filled with fear, directed at Lucifer, Lord of the Flies. If their objective was just to absorb negative emotions, they could just absorb it from anywhere in the continent.

    <em>But they tried to let their identities be known by going out of their way to make this contraption.</em>

    There was only one exnation.

    <em>They cant absorb fear directed at Lucifer.</em>

    If that wasnt the case, there was no reason at all for them to let themselves be known.

    Dayum.

    <em>What an interesting turn of events.</em>

    Kang-Woo snickered. He had discovered their objective and their means of fulfilling it.

    <em>In that case, Ill make good use of it.</em>

    He had been trying to think of a good event for Lucifer, Lord of the Flies. Kang-Woo slowly walked up to the hexagram on the wall and put his hand on it.

    <em>Try your best.</em>

    <em>Fwoosh</em>. The hexagram set aze and disappeared.

    <em>Though it wont change anything.</em>

    Even if they were gods that possessed Deific Essence, no one was a match for Kang-Woo in distorting the truth.

    H-Hyung-nim? Why did you burn the symbol? Si-Hun asked in confusion.

    Kang-Woo smiled and turned around. There was no need to exin himself.

    There must be more mansions like this, Kang-Woo stated.

    There might be a chance that they were not in the form of mansions. As long as they had decided to make themselves known, they would do whatever it took to amplify fear directed at them.

    Find them all. Find and burn them all.

    Kang-Woo smiled widely.

    ***

    Is it going well? an expressionless man with a diagonal sh scar on his face asked in a monotone.

    A translucent being bowed to the man. He answered confidently, Yes, of course.

    Proserpine, who was lying down, said uninterestedly, You say that, but the negative emotions dont seem to be gathering that much.

    Ngh The Constetion of Fear, the translucent being, froze.

    Like she had mentioned, the collection of negative emotions was slower than expected.

    We could just go on a ughter trip, cant we? Why are we making things soplicated? Proserpine suggested.

    Hmph. Please be quiet if you dont know anything. The Constetion of Fear snorted and continued, Do you have any idea how difficult it is to change ones target of fear once it has been engraved?

    The entire continent was plunged into fear of Lucifer. If they just went on a killing spree like Proserpine had suggested, people would just believe it was Lucifer who did it. Hence, it was meaningless; their fear needed to be directed at the hexagram.

    Dont rush me and wait a little longer. The gods will soon react, the Constetion of Fear said.

    A human called Kim Si-Hun, known as the hero of the continent, was traveling across the continent to destroy the mansions. The Constetions already knew that he was a retainer of Gaia. Since he was an apostle of a god, he would not be idiotic enough not to know what the hexagram symbolized.

    <em>And once the news reaches the gods</em>

    They would not be able to focus only on Lucifer like they were now. After all, the hexagram symbolized the being that had once driven the gods toward extinction.

    Theres been a response, said the boy with nk eyes.

    The Constetion of Fear turned around in delight. Hehehe. As expected.

    He nced at Proserpine as if boasting.

    Hmph, Proserpine snorted and turned around.

    Now then, let us see what theyre saying.

    The Constetion of Fear ced his hand on the boys shoulder and interfered with the <em>providence </em>using his Divinity. He did not interfere with much; he was just using a tiny amount of the blessing given to the beings of Earth, one of the Triad.

    <em>Riiing</em>.

    [The gods of the divine realm are trembling anxiously.]

    Good.

    The Constetion of Fear smiled as he stared at the blue window in front of him. He had expected such a response.

    [The gods of the divine realm are feeling fear of copse.]

    Hehe, plunge into fear.

    [The gods of the divine realm are enraged by the atrocitiesmitted by Evil God Lucifer!]

    Yes, be enra Huh? Lucifer?

    Why was that guys name being mentioned again?

    [The gods of the divine realm are enraged by the atrocitiesmitted by Evil God Lucifer!]

    W-Wait! The Constetion of Fear reached for the intangible blue window. He shouted in frustration, I did it!

    [The gods of the divine realm are enraged by the atrocitiesmitted by Evil God Lucifer!]

    It wasnt Lucifer!! The Constetion of Fear pounded on his chest in frustration.

    [The gods of the divine realm are letting their apostles know of Lucifers atrocities!]

    No!

    [The gods of the divine realm are mocking Lucifer as the Lord of the Flies!]

    I did it!!! The Constetion of Fear shouted, frustrated by the absurd situation.

    But of course, there was no way that his words would be able to reach the gods in the divine realm.

    [The gods of the divine realm discuss that they need to eliminate Lucifer as soon as possible!]

    [The gods of the divine realm are devising a solution.]

    [The gods of the divine realm are gathering Divinity. They are using a branch of the World Tree.]

    [Elder high elf, Elune expresses her will to manifest!]

 Chapter 377: Time for a Feast

    Chapter 377: Time for a Feast

    Iris is sick? Oh Kang-Woo frowned after hearing the news from one of Iriss maids, who hade running to tell him.

    The maid nodded after taking some deep breaths. She answered while tearing up, Haaa, haaa. Yes. Shes been saying that she was dizzy since yesterday, but once I checked up on her today, she had a huge fever

    Kang-Woo walked past the maid and toward Iriss room. <em>Wham!</em> He violently opened the door to see Irisying in her bed while sweating profusely.

    Haaa. Haaa. Sir Kang-Woo?

    Iris looked up at Kang-Woo in a daze. Thick blood vessels resembling tree roots had protruded from her skin. Iris forcibly tried to prop herself up.

    Stay still, Kang-Woo said as he gently pushed her back down on the bed.

    He used the Authority of Insight to search her body.

    <em>Whats going on?</em>

    He couldnt find anything wrong with her. Kang-Woo bit open his thumb.

    Drink.

    <em>Cough! Cough!</em> Sir Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo forcibly pushed his thumb into the flustered Iriss mouth. He used the Authority of Regeneration, but nothing happened. Kang-Woo grimaced.

    <em>She isnt sick.</em>

    He was sure of it. Kang-Woo looked down at Iris anxiously, and then called for help. This was not an issue he could resolve alone.

    Iris is sick? Han Seol-Ah, who heard the news, approached them.

    She froze after seeing the blood vessels protruding all over Iriss skin like tree roots. She caressed Iris and closed her eyes.

    <em>Fwoom.</em>

    White light flowed out from Seol-Ah and into Iris.

    I Seol-Ah shook her head in confusion. ... Dont know. Neither revitalization nor healing magic are working.

    Seol-Ah was panicking since this had never happened before.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>If both my Authority of Regeneration and Seol-Ahs divine magic arent working, that means</em>

    Iris was not in this condition due to a disease or an injury.

    <em>In that case</em>

    There was one thing he could think of. Kang-Woo called La using hismunication crystal. After getting the call, La immediately came to Iriss room and thoroughly checked her condition.

    La nodded. These are signs of her bing an incarnation.

    An incarnation?

    Yes. I experienced the same thing when I first epted Lady Gaia into me.

    An incarnation Kang-Woo did not even need to question whose incarnation Iris was about to be. Kang-Woo smiled.

    That means he slurred.

    Yes. La nodded. A high elf is trying to manifest while borrowing Iriss body.

    <em>Hell yeah.</em> Kang-Woo clenched his fists after hearing the wee news. <em>Theyre finally getting off their fat asses.</em>

    Making the high elves manifest by driving the continent to the brink of copse The deranged n was nearing itspletion.

    When will the high elf manifest? Kang-Woo asked.

    Im not sure either. Iris would first have to be an incarnation, but no one knows how long that will take.

    How long did it take for you?

    About a month.

    <em>A month, huh?</em>

    But I cant guarantee itll take that long for

    I know, Kang-Woo interjected.

    In the first ce, bing an incarnation of a god was notmon, so it was near impossible to predict a time.

    Kang-Woo stood up. In that case, theres nothing wrong with Iris, right?

    Yes. Shes just like this because shes in the middle of epting Divinity.

    Kang-Woo sighed in relief.

    Sir Kang-Woo? Iris called Kang-Woo faintly.

    Kang-Woo lightly patted her head. Dont worry and get some rest.

    As if having been relieved by those words, Iris slowly closed her eyes. Kang-Woo left the room with La and Seo-Ah.

    The n was a sess, said La with a bitter smile.

    The n to make a high elf manifest by making Kim Si-Hun a hero, which seemed absurd in the beginning, was on the verge of seeding. La wanted to cheer, but could not bring herself to, considering the state Iris was in. She knew better than anyone how agonizing the process of bing an incarnation was.

    Yes. Kang-Woo nodded.

    He did not feel anything in particr.

    <em>After all, I knew it would seed.</em>

    He had done so much more than what La realized. He disguised himself as Evil God Lucifer to attack the empire, framed him as the culprit who attacked SantAngelo, and distorted information to amplify fear. If the high elves did not manifest after going this far, he would have given up and found another way.

    <em>Now, then.</em>

    All that was left to do now was what he had been forced to postpone until this point. Kang-Woo smiled. It was what he had been desperately waiting for, even more than the manifestation of the high elves; he had longed for it all this time.

    <em>Ba-dump, ba-dump.</em>

    His heart beat like crazy from the anticipation. Thrills ran throughout his entire body.

    Haaa, Kang-Woo breathed heatedly.

    He had been holding back all this time, but he could not hold it back anymore. He clenched his chest as he panted heavily.

    <em>How long have I been like this?</em>

    Kang-Woo searched through his memories.

    <em>SantAngelo.</em>

    It was when he had seen the space protected by colossal sacred power destroyed by someone. No, it could have been from back when he had discovered the red sand from the Nine Hells. zing impulses were taking control over him to the point that he could barely hold it back anymore.

    Kang-Woo said impatiently, I have something to do, so Ill excuse myself.

    Oh, I understand. Ill let the other party members know, Seol-Ah replied as she nodded.

    Kang-Woo turned around and walked tedly. He exited the imperial pce to see a vast garden, which he walked past.

    Master Kang-Woo, someone called.

    Kang-Woo turned to see a young man with brown hair.

    Balrog.

    He was currently wearing human skin, but inside was arade whom Kang-Woo had fought alongside for a thousand years, as well as his loyal subordinate.

    Silence fell. Balrog stared at Kang-Woo, and then closed his eyes.

    I see you can barely hold it in, Balrog slowly remarked.

    <em>You got me. </em>Kang-Woo snickered. <em>This dim-witted son of a bitch is only quick-witted in times like this. I guess the time we spent together doesnt go anywhere. Youre really something else, man Not even Lilith was able to tell.</em>

    Ive been holding it back all this time, Kang-Woo said calmly.

    He was acting calm, but he felt like his desires were about to explode at any second.

    Balrog opened his eyes. It had been a while since he had seen his king like this; as if his king had thrown aside his human skin and returned to his true demon form.

    <em>Its at least the first time Ive seen him like this on Earth.</em>

    It only meant that he had been desperately holding it back all this time.

    Were you not able to alleviate it a littlest time? Balrog asked.

    No, that only made it worse. It ended so anticlimactic while I was getting fired up.

    Kang-Woo recalled the Constetion of Agony. The battle had ended in such a dull manner. The fire zing within his heart had been doused with ice water, as if an engine had been revved up but was just left to be. He felt like the desires he had been holding back all this time were about to explode. He instinctively knew that he could no longer hold it back.

    <em>Ive held it back for quite a while.</em>

    Considering how he had been like back in Hell, he had managed to miraculously hold it back for this long.

    <em>How long has it been?</em>

    How long had it been since he had been able to fight with everything he had? Kang-Woo searched through his memories, but could not remember.

    <em>At least</em>

    He had not been able to ever since he had regained his powers as the Demon King. No, even before that, he had never used every ounce of his strength. Obsession was the instinct of angels, and desire was that of demons. Their limitless desire allowed them to maintain their sanity for their immortal lifespan.

    Among the countless forms of desire there were, Kang-Woos desire was simple: to eat. To fight enemies stronger than him, to emerge victorious and to devour them as his spoils of battle. This very desire was what had allowed him to stay sane for the past ten millennia as well as what had allowed him to survive.

    Argh, urgh.

    Kang-Woo panted heavily. A horrifying thirst tore apart his throat, but his desire could not be fulfilled; it would not be resolved just by devouring average demons and demonic beasts. He needed even stronger prey that would fire him up.

    <em>Its times like this that Im jealous of Seol-Ah.</em>

    Seol-Ahs desire, her obsession toward Kang-Woo, was able to be resolved easily. However, Kang-Woo was different. There werent many prey that would be able to fire him up anymore.

    <em>Thats why</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled. That was why he had been waiting for his n to bepleted.

    Will they being today? Balrog asked.

    Who knows? But they wont just be taking it lying down.

    Kang-Woo had made use of the ns of the Constetions of Evil and had thoroughly ruined them. The entire continent was plunged into fear of Lucifer, not the Constetions of Evil.

    <em>They wouldnt stand for it unless theyre morons.</em>

    Kang-Woo turned around, his eyes filled with anticipation.

    Balrog.

    Yes, my king.

    Balrog got on one knee and looked up at Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo did not possess the signature features of a demon such as goat horns, bat wings and a ck tail, but Balrog could tell that the man in front of him was, without a doubt, the king of demons.

    Dont get in my way.

    Balrog stayed silent. He bowed his head and answered, As youmand, my king.

    Kang-Woo slowly walked past Balrog. For some reason, the Constetion of Agonys Deific Essence had been sealed. Having a taste of a small piece of meat was more agonizing than being starved. Unbearable thirst and hunger were taking control over Kang-Woo.

    Haaa.

    Kang-Woo licked his lips and gulped. He looked up at the sky. He couldnt sense the Constetions of Evil at all, but he could tell that they would being to punish the mortals that had ruined their ns.

    Now

    It was time for a feast. Kang-Woo smiled.

    ***

    Thousands of translucent wraiths appeared at the imperial pce garden in the dead of night.

    [Kill, kill, kill.]

    [Capture the humans and skin them little by little.]

    [Lets dance to their screams.]

    The thousands of wraiths danced while singing a chilling song. Among them was a spirit exuding powerful deathly energy, whonded on the garden.

    [Oh Kang-Woo and Kim Si-Hun, was it?]

    He mumbled the names of the retainers of Gaia that had ruined his n. The Constetion of Fear rested his giant scythe, made from vengeful spirits, on his shoulder. Although there were two retainers of Gaia, he already knew who the main culprit who had ruined his n was.

    [Kim Si-Hun.]

    He was the hero who was being revered as the Sword Emperor.

    [How dare he]

    <em>Whoooom.</em> The scythe made from vengeful spirits exuded deathly energy. The Constetion of Fear slowly walked toward the imperial pce in front of him. Just then

    Come on What the hell? someone said.

    The Constetion of Fear turned to see a man with sharp eyes. The man clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and red at the Constetion of Fear.

    Just one? the man remarked in dissatisfaction, as if he had excitedly gone to a buffet only to see that there wasnt arge selection of food to choose from.

 Chapter 378: You Chicken?

    Chapter 378: You Chicken?

    [You must be one of Gaias puppets.]

    The Constetion of Fear scanned Oh Kang-Woo with dreary eyes. The Deific Essence that he had acquired as the God of Fear analyzed the power of Gaia within Kang-Woo.

    <em>The Protector of Light.</em>

    It was a ridiculous title. The Constetion of Fear raised his scythe and looked around. He did not feel any other presence in the area.

    <em>Whats going on?</em>

    If the human had been anticipating for him toe, he had expected for there to be a group of humans waiting to strike around the area. However, unlike his expectations, there was not a single presence within this giant garden other than Gaias retainer.

    <em>Could he be thinking of facing me by himself?</em>

    That was absurd. The Constetion of Fear shook his head. However reckless the man was, he would never think of facing a god by himself. He should have at least brought Kim Si-Hun, the other retainer of Gaia.

    <em>Has hee to stall for time?</em>

    The Constetion of Fear shook his head while frowning. If that was the case, they would have been better off just running away together; there was no reason for just one of them to stay behind.

    [Where are the others?]

    Not here, Kang-Woo replied.

    [Not here?]

    The Constetion of Fear chuckled at the humans firm response.

    <em>They must be hiding somewhere while aiming for an opening.</em>

    It was a pointless effort. He, who was the cluster of countless vengeful spirits, did not have such a thing as an opening.

    Dammit I never thought only one woulde, Kang-Woo said in disappointment.

    However, the Constetion of Fear could see the humans eyes zing.

    [...?]

    Only then did the Constetion of Fear realize something was wrong. The humans reaction was far too abnormal despite being before the God of Fear. He was not trembling in fear nor plunging into despair; his fighting spirit was not zing either.

    <em>What is it?</em>

    The Constetion of Fear sensed something unknown from the humans eyes. No, it was not unknown he knew what it was very well. However, he couldnt understand why the human had such eyes at this moment. The Constetion of Fear doubted his senses. If he was correct

    <em>Hes ted.</em>

    The human was ted, like a starved beast having found a prey to feast on.

    <em>Why?</em>

    How could the human be looking at him with such eyes? He could not understand. During all his life, the Constetion of Fear had never seen tion in any of the eyes of mortals that he had faced.

    <em>Has he gone insane?</em>

    That was the only conclusion that the Constetion of Fear coulde up with. He lowered his giant scythe. He had gone out of his way to take action himself to punish the mortals that had ruined his n, but he hade to face a deranged human. He had lost interest.

    Where are the others? the human asked the same question that the Constetion of Fear had asked him.

    The Constetion of Fear, finding the situation stupid, answered, [Not here.]

    Not here?

    The human seemed truly disappointed. No, he was biting his lip in frustration and stomping his feet.

    [Tsk.]

    The human seemed to have actually gone insane. The Constetion of Fear did not wait any longer. He had too many mortals to exact divine punishment on to waste any more time on one crazy human.

    [Kill him.]

    The Constetion of Fear raised his scythe and pointed at the human tomand the thousands of wraiths. They had been singing and dancing while looking forward to the ughter until a few minutes ago, but they had frozen while staring at the human.

    [...?]

    Time passed, and the Constetion of Fear tilted his head in confusion.

    <em>Whats happening?</em>

    The wraiths were not moving. They were usually thirsty for blood, but they were simply staying in ce without charging at their prey.

    [Ah, aaaahh.]

    No, they were not just staying still. They were trembling in fear.

    [What?] The Constetion of Fear widened his translucent eyes.

    His purple eyes that were the only clearly visible part of his body dyed with confusion.

    Oh,e to think of it The human smiled as he turned to look at the wraiths all around him. You guys know me, dont you?

    [Ah, aaaahh.]

    The wraiths trembled. They, who had been created solely for the purpose of instilling fear into humans, were the ones trembling in fear.

    [Its that human. From back then.]

    [No, no. Hes not human.]

    [A demon. A demon.]

    [A demon mad for revenge.]

    [Hell try to kill us again.]

    [Hell try to rip us apart.]

    The wraiths screamed while trembling in fear.

    Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly as if he was sorry and remarked, I mean, back then I had my reasons.

    [We havent done anything.]

    [We didnt do anything to him.]

    Well Its hard to exin.

    Kang-Woo averted his eyes from the gazes of the victimized wraiths while scratching his head. He did indeed have a reason for mercilessly massacring the wraiths.

    Its because

    Kang-Woo carefully selected his words to exin himself as thoroughly as possible, in a way that would hurt the wraiths that had been massacred due to Kang-Woos fit of rage, as little as possible.

    You guys look hideous.

    [...]

    The wraiths fell silent. Since Lilith had let loose her tentacles because she had gotten scared of the wraiths hideous looks, it was technically not wrong.

    <em>But I sound like a scumbag for exining it that way. Im feeling a bit guilty.</em>

    [Youre so harsh, so harsh.]

    [Demon! Evil demon!]

    I mean

    <em>I am indeed a demon, but</em>

    He did not want to hear that from wraiths that kidnapped and tortured humans.

    [Hah.] The Constetion of Fear chuckled at the absurd situation. [What do you think youre all doing?]

    He exuded chilling bloodlust not at Gaias retainer, but his own retainers. The thousands of wraiths flinched. The Constetion of Fear drew out Divinity and swung his scythe.

    [Gyaaaaaaaahh!!]

    One of the wraiths was pierced by the giant scythe. It was violentlypressed as it screamed, and was sucked into the scythe.

    The god said furiously, [Did you not hear me telling you to kill that human?]

    The garden shook from the gods fury. The wraiths shook uncontrobly.

    [I willmand you again.] The Constetion of Fear pointed at Kang-Woo with his giant scythe again. [Kill the retainer of Gaia.]

    However

    Once again, only silence could be heard in the vast garden.

    [What?]

    The Constetion of Fears eyes widened at the iprehensible situation. The wraiths were not moving.

    [Ah, arghh.] They were simply groaning while staying in ce, not knowing what to do.

    <em>Theyre not obeying mymands? Even after I used Divinity?</em>

    The Constetion of Fears thought became jumbled. He was more confused than enraged.

    <em>This cannot be.</em>

    Wraiths were beings of the Underworld, so they were more sensitive to death and fear than anything in the world. However, they were in fear of someone else more than the God of Fear himself.

    <em>This is wrong.</em>

    He could not think of it as merely a mistake. The Constetion of Fear turned around and scanned the human in front of him more thoroughly. Other than his sharp eyes and his ferocious appearance, he did not look like anything else but human. He could also feel Gaias power and golden mana within the human. However, he could not feel any Deific Essence, which any god would possess.

    To be frank, in terms of pure power, the difference between them was overwhelming to the point that it was despairing for the human. That was how much of a difference there was between one who could wield Divinity and one who couldnt. To make aparison, it was like a naked human against a human with full-te armor and powerful enchanted weapons. It could be possible with a horde of people, but it was not a gap that could be ovee by oneself.

    <em>But why? Why are they so afraid of him?</em>

    [...]

    There was a discrepancy between his logic and instinct. The Constetion of Fear locked eyes with the human again. The human was still staring at him like a starved predator that had found a prey to feast on.

    The Constetion of Fear felt chills running down his back. It was fear, an emotion that he knew all too well.

    <em>This man is dangerous.</em>

    He did not know exactly why, but his instincts were telling him so. It did not take him long to choose whether to follow those instincts or his logic.

    <em>Theres something about him.</em>

    The Constetion of Fear no longer underestimated the mortal in front of him. Through the reactions of the wraiths and his own instincts, he had be sure that the human had something up his sleeve.

    <em>I have to avoid him.</em>

    As long as he had no idea what that human was hiding, he could not face him. He was not idiotic enough to face someone blindly just because they did not possess Deific Essence.

    <em>I should go back and find out.</em>

    The Constetion of Fear narrowed his purple eyes. He needed more information before he could fight that human. He slowly widened the distance from that human in silence.

    Kang-Woos eyes shone. He expressed, Wow. Dayum, you really surprised me.

    His enemies usually ran straight at him while shouting, <em>You lowly mortal!</em> around this time. It was not because they were stupid and thoughtless, but because Kang-Woo was objectively at an overwhelming disadvantage. He had been made painfully aware of how much of a disadvantage one without Deific Essence was in against one with Deific Essence.

    <em>But I never thought he would avoid the battle.</em>

    The Constetions of Evil did not know who he was, what he could do, and what he had done thus far. Hence, he had been sure that the Constetion of Fear would charge at him. He thought that his enemy would find the disrespect from a lowly and weak mortal without Deific Essence unforgivable.

    [Oh Kang-Woo, was it?] The Constetion of Fear continued calmly, [I wille back for your head.]

    He had made the deration while exuding as much bloodlust as possible to conceal the humiliation of running away from a mortal without Deific Essence.

    Kang-Woo burst intoughter as the Constetion of Fear turned around.

    Pfft, pwehehehehehe!!

    The Constetion of Fear stopped in his tracks due to the flippantughter.

    Kang-Woo continued while wiping his tears, Jesus, thats some bravado youre exuding while running with your tail between your legs. Do you seriously think that makes you any less pathetic?

    [Kuh. Y-You bastard]

    Werent you the God of Fear? Huh? Are you seriously running away like a scared little mutt?

    [Silence!! I am not running away!] The Constetion of Fear shouted.

    There was a slight urgency mixed into his voice. Even though he was trusting his instincts, there was nothing more humiliating than a god running away after feeling fear from a human. The Constetion of Fear tried to turn around again while suppressing his boiling rage.

    You chicken?

    <em>Flinch.</em> The Constetion of Fear froze. He did not know what that word meant, but it felt extremely unpleasant to hear.

    [Do not forget, human. This is nothing but a]

    You chicken?

    [Strategic retreat]

    You chicken?

    [I am falling back at the moment, but I wille back for your head.]

    So what youre saying is, youre a chicken, right?

    Silence fell. The Constetion of Fear grabbed the back of his neck.

    [You son of a]

    The fear he had felt from the human was slowly being eaten away by his boiling rage.

    ***

    Tai Wuji.

    A seductive voice filled the ck space. Proserpine approached Tai Wuji, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the thick darkness.

    What is it? Tai Wuji responded expressionlessly.

    Proserpine took out a ck orb from between her well-endowed breasts.

    She smiled and answered, Theres been contact from Lucifer.

 Chapter 379: Monster of the Demonic Sea (1)

    Chapter 379: Monster of the Demonic Sea (1)

    [Fuuu, fuuu,] The Constetion of Fear took deep breaths.

    To be more exact, he was not breathing, but letting out deathly energy made out of vengeful spirits to quell his boiling rage. He clenched his scythe to calm his trembling hands.

    <em>Its nothing but a cheap taunt.</em>

    He knew that, and he was not foolish enough to fall for it. However

    Youre actually scared? Come on, man. Arent you a god, at least in name only? Hm? Youre not actually trying to run away because of one puny human, are you?

    <em>Th-Th-That son of a</em>

    All sorts of curses swirled around in the Constetion of Fears head. He would not have been this angry if the human had mocked him in any other way. However, it was hard to endure when he was being ridiculed in such a primitively childish way.

    [...]

    The Constetion of Fear clenched his scythe so hard that it could break. Before serving Demon God Bauli, he was revered as the god of the Underworld. He had been a god since birth, and was worshiped by all wraiths and vengeful spirits. He was not able to endure such cheap mockery.

    <em>Id only be caught into his plot if I stay any longer.</em>

    The Constetion of Fear shut off his ears. He turned away from the frozen wraiths and flew into the air.

    Hah, Oh Kang-Woo chuckled, honestly impressed.

    <em>Hes still not charging at me after that?</em>

    He knew very well that such childish taunts would not work against a regr opponent. However, his opponent was not regr in the slightest; he was a god, and Kang-Woo was merely a gods retainer.

    <em>At the very least</em>

    That was the case in the Constetion of Fears perspective. To make aparison, it was like a private pping a colonel in the face and mocking him that he was too chicken to fight back.

    Why the fuck is he so scared?

    Kang-Woo rolled his feet while frowning in displeasure. His n to make the opponent charge at him first had failed. In that case

    Close. Kang-Woo slowly raised his arm and used Soul Speech.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    The entire garden shook. Darkness shot out from the surroundings and gathered to form a dome, as if a giant ck bowl had been ced over them.

    [What the]

    The shocked Constetion of Fear quickly flew up and swung his scythe at the darkness covering the sky.

    <em>Split!</em>

    An opening formed in the darkness, but only for an instant.

    <em>Squelch, squelch.</em>

    The darkness, as viscous as tar, squirmed as if it was alive and resealed the opening that the scythe had formed. It had been so fast that the Constetion of Fear did not even have the time to get out.

    [Kuh.] The Constetion of Fear grimaced. [Bastard! What did you do?!]

    He turned around while clenching his scythe. He would be able to make an opening to escape the dome of darkness if he had time, but he doubted he would have that leisure when the enemy who had formed this dome was inside with him.

    <em>I have no choice.</em>

    The Constetion of Fear made a quick judgment.

    [You seem to be eager to die by the hands of the God of Fear.]

    He could tell that he could no longer avoid a fight. He clenched his scythe while exuding chilling deathly energy.

    Kang-Woo scoffed. The fuck? Youve been trying to run away all this time, but look at you putting on airs now that you cant. Well, regardless

    He slowly lowered his arm and smiled in absolute ecstasy.

    <em>Ive been waiting for this moment for so long.</em>

    He had been suppressing his desire with all his might after the battle with the Constetion of Agony, which he had been so excited for, ended so anticlimactically. He was looking forward to a desperate battle with his life on the line a frontal assault against a being of godhood.

    Fuuu, Kang-Woo took a breath so deep that his lungs were on the verge of bursting, and released the desire that he had been suppressing all this time. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!!

    The demon of demons, the Hell of Hells, and the predator of predators roared. He stomped his feet and jumped as he was filled with delight.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    The ground caved in a dozen meters as Kang-Woo leaped toward the Constetion of Fear. He stretched his right arm back midair.

    <em>Leviathan.</em>

    The Key of the Demonic Sea transformed into an ax covered in freezing air. He grabbed the ax and threw it.

    <em>aang!</em>

    The ax was deflected along with a clear metallic sound. The Constetion of Fear had not blocked it; the attack had simply been deflected by the power of Divinity within the countless spirits that made up his body.

    <em>Yes.</em>

    The corners of Kang-Woos mouth rose so high as if they were ripping. Irresistible pleasure set him aze.

    <em>This is it.</em>

    A battle against a being of godhood an illogical and unfair fight. Kang-Woo had been waiting for this feeling of vain and despair. He had been wanting a prey that would push him to his limits that not even he was aware of.

    Pfft, hahahahaha!!

    Kang-Wooughed as he used the Authority of the Sky to fly through the air at supersonic speed. The ax that had been deflected off of the Divinity returned to his hand. It changed form into a sword, and Kang-Woo swung it down at the Constetion of Fear.

    [Crazy human]

    The Constetion of Fear swung his scythe, dumbfounded. The scythe of vengeful spirits and the Key of the Demonic Sea shed.

    <em>ng!</em>

    The Key of the Demonic Sea was deflected once again. The sword that had shed with the scythe d in Divinity shattered into pieces. Kang-Woo used the repelling force to twirl, and transformed the Key of the Demonic Sea into a spear. The dark red spear dodged the scythe and aimed for the Constetion of Fears neck.

    [Not good enough!]

    The Constetion of Fear fell back and swung his scythe, pouring out hundreds of vengeful spirits in its path.

    Kurgh!

    Kang-Woos skin that had made contact with the vengeful spirits turned ck as if it had rotted. He fluidly fell back and stretched his left arm downward.

    Stab him to death. Kang-Woo used Soul Speech.

    His demonic energy responded to his words imbued with his will; countless ck needles shot up from the ground.

    <em>aang!</em>

    Sharp sounds as if an iron te was being hammered nonstop echoed throughout the dome. However, none of the thousands of ck needles were able to break through the Constetion of Fears barrier of Divinity; it had only made it a little thinner.

    The Constetion of Fear swung his scythe at Kang-Woos head. Kang-Woo ducked to dodge; he thought that he had dodged itpletely, but hundreds of vengeful spirits poured out from the scythes path like rainfall.

    Kurgh, argh.

    Kang-Woo took the brunt of the vengeful spirits on his back, and they ripped his flesh apart. Rather than falling back, he walked toward the Constetion of Fear as he was being ripped apart by the vengeful spirits, and grabbed him with his right hand. Although the Constetion of Fears body was made of translucent spirits, Kang-Woo was able to grab him with ease.

    [Its no use!]

    The Constetion of Fear swung down his scythe while shouting, cutting off Kang-Woos right arm.

    <em>Ssh.</em> Red blood spewed out like a fountain.

    [Hmph. It seems you were all bark and no bite.]

    The Constetion of Fear snorted and trampled on Kang-Woos severed right arm.

    <em>Crunch.</em> Kang-Woos left leg was bent at an unnatural angle.

    The Constetion of Fear cut off Kang-Woos right leg as well, and swung down the scythe at Kang-Woo, who only had a working left arm remaining. The scythe pierced his stomach and embedded itself on the ground.

    [Anyway]

    The Constetion of Fear frowned as he thought of the ck barrier around them and the techniques that the human had used.

    <em>Im sure I dont feel any demonic energy from him.</em>

    The Constetion of Fear tilted his head in confusion. He had a feeling that something was off; there was no way that the humans attacks were befitting a retainer of Gaia.

    <em>Regardless</em>

    The power that the human had been hiding was nothing special.

    [The likes of a gods apostle dared to mock a god,] the Constetion of Fear said leisurely.

    Contrary to his worries, there was an insurmountable gap between a being who possessed Deific Essence and one who did not. Not a single one of the humans attacks had managed to break through his barrier of Divinity, and the human had not been able to block a single one of his attacks imbued with Divinity. The result of the battle had been decided from the beginning.

    <em>Were my instincts wrong?</em>

    The battle had been so anticlimactic that the Constetion of Fear couldnt help but think as such.

    [Die.]

    The Constetion of Fear pulled out his scythe while thinking that his instincts had dulled, splitting the human in half from his belly to head.

    [Fuuu,] the Constetion of Fear sighed as he turned around. He needed to find a way out of this barrier now. [Lets s]

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Just then, he heard the sound of a viscous liquid. He looked down to see that it had been from his leg. The Constetion of Fear aggressively frowned after seeing the source of the sound. The right arm of the human that he had cut off was still grabbing his leg.

    [Youre unpleasant to the very end.]

    The Constetion of Fear slowly reached down to grab the humans right arm. Just then

    <em>Crunch!!</em>

    A giant mouth shot out from the right arm and ate the Constetion of Fears arm whole.

    [Gaaaaaaaaahhh!!] the Constetion of Fear screamed.

    Although it had only been a mere fragment of the hundreds of thousands of vengeful spirits that made up his body, a splitting pain spread throughout his entire body.

    [Wh-What the hell?!]

    The Constetion of Fear jumped back in shock.

    <em>Munch, munch.</em>

    The giant mouth that hade out from the humans right arm ate the arm made of vengeful spirits as if it was a delicacy.

    <em>What in the</em>

    The Constetion of Fears eyes shook. He had existed ever since the era of myths, but he had never seen something like that. He trembled. The fear that he had felt a while ago as he looked at the human returned.

    <em>Squelch, squelch.</em>

    [...?]

    The Constetion of Fear heard more sounds of a sticky mucus. He turned toward the source of the sound.

    [What?]

    <em>Slurp</em>. Eating spirits is a first for me.

    There, the human that should have died from being split into two was getting back up. He was chewing on something while looking like he couldnt be any happier.

    It doesnt taste all that bad.

    Kang-Woo smiled extremely widely, the corners of his mouth actually tearing open to reach behind his ears. Saliva was dripping from the sharp teeth of a beast that had protruded out from his cheekbones.

    [What the hell is that?]

    The Constetion of Fears eyes widened. Something that should not be happening was happening before his very eyes.

    Now, then.

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his arm. The right arm that had been severed at his elbow crawled toward him and stuck back on the severed area. He put his hand over his heart.

    Time for round two.

    Ten Thousand Demon Core

    First Door, open.

    ***

    Lucifers voice flowed out from the ck orb.

    [I heard that you had contacted me.]

    I did. Tai Wuji nodded.

    Before he had stolen the Demon Gods legacy, he had contacted Lucifer to ask him if he had any intention to join forces with the Constetions of Evil.

    [I refuse,] Lucifer responded without hesitation.

    Tai Wuji nodded, having expected the response.

    Youve changed quite a lot. I had high hopes for you since you had managed to acquire Divinity despite being a mere demon.

    Lucifer remained silent.

    Tai Wuji stared at the ck orb expressionlessly.

    That aside, it seems the retainers of Gaia are mistaking us for you.

    [Mistaking?]

    Its nothing for you to bother with, since we will be correcting that mistake today.

    [Are you nning on killing Gaias retainer?]

    Tai Wuji simply nodded without a word.

    [Gaia will not stand for that.]

    What could she possibly do with her damaged Deific Essence? Tai Wuji replied with his signature monotone voice.

    Lucifer narrowed his eyes and asked, [Who was Gaias retainer again? It was a human named Kim Si-Hun, correct?]

    There is one other.

    [Who?]

    A human named Oh Kang-Woo.

    Silence fell.

    [What?]

    Tai Wuji could see Lucifer flustered from across the ck orb. Tai Wuji stared at Lucifer while slightly tilting his head.

    [Oh Kang-Woo? No, no, wait. It cant be.] Lucifer expressed panic. He asked impatiently, [Can I see that humans face?]

    Of course.

    Tai Wuji slightly turned his head. A boy with nk eyes approached and opened his right hand. On top of it appeared the blue window known as the <em>System Window</em> among yers. On it was a picture of Oh Kang-Woo, back when he had epted Gaias light and became the Protector of Light.

    [Ah.] Lucifers eyes widened after seeing Kang-Wos face. [Wh-Why? Satan surely had]

    Satan had said that he had taken the Demonic Sea from the Demon King. Although it was impossible through normal means, Lucifer had known about Satans final n to make the Demon King sh with the dimensional wall to annihte him. Lucifer had thought that Satan had acquired the Demonic Sea back then, but

    [Why Why]

    Why was the Demon King still alive? Lucifer trembled; he scanned the picture of the Demon King on the blue window in pallor. If the Demon King had be a retainer of Gaia, it meant that he had regained his strength to the point that he could fool a god of the highest rank.

    Whats wrong? Tai Wuji asked.

    Lucifer did not answer him and asked instead, [You went to go kill Gaias retainers?]

    Yes. The Constetion of Fear went personally to exact punishment with his own hands.

    Deathly silence fell. Lucifer said with a shaking voice, [Run away.]

    What?

    [I said to run away! Right now!!!]

    Lucifers shout echoed from the ck orb.

    Tai Wuji frowned dumbfoundedly. Surely you dont mean from Gaias retainer? Even he, who was mostly devoid of emotions, couldnt help but chuckle at Lucifers words. He is but a mere human without Deific Essence. He is not even an incarnation. He is but one of Gaias puppets.

    If one was not an incarnation, it was impossible for them to borrow Deific Essence from the god that they worshiped. Although the human had received Gaias blessing, that was it. There was an insurmountable wall between those who possessed Deific Essence and those who did not.

    [God damn it!! Youd be better off fighting Gaia or Seraph!!] Lucifer clenched his fists in pallor. He shouted, [Deific Essence? Incarnation? That doesnt mean anything to that monster!! Just shut up and run! Run as far away as possible before that monster devours you all and bes stronger!!!]

    Lucifers roars echoed.

 Chapter 380: Monster of the Demonic Sea (2)

    Chapter 380: Monster of the Demonic Sea (2)

    Silence fell. Tai Wuji stared at Lucifer iprehensibly.

    <em>Wed be better off fighting Gaia or Seraph?</em>

    Gaia was greatly hurt at the moment, and Seraph had been annihted at the price of sealing the Constetions of Evil. Lucifer probably was not referring to the two of them in their current state; he had likely meant that the Constetions would have been better off fighting Gaia and Seraph in their prime.

    What kind of nonsense is that?

    Tai Wuji, a fellow god of the Triad, knew better than anyone how powerful gods of the highest rank were. No one but Titans, the creators of the gods, would be a match for them, but

    <em>Hes telling us to run away from a mere human with no Deific Essence?</em>

    [Shit! What are you doing?! Hurry up and tell the one who went to kill Oh Kang-Woo to No, its probably toote for him. The rest of you should run, at the very least. You mustnt be devoured by him!] Lucifer shouted impatiently.

    He was more worried about them being eaten by the human named Oh Kang-Woo than for their lives. Tai Wuji frowned.

    <em>He doesnt seem to be lying.</em>

    He could not understand why Lucifer was reacting to such an extent.

    <em>Oh Kang-Woo</em>

    Tai Wuji needed to see for himself what kind of human he was.

    Thank you for the advice. Tai Wuji stood up.

    [S-Stop! Wait, Heavenly Dragon!] Lucifer yelled.

    Tai Wujis eyebrows slightly wrinkled. He ced his hand over the ck orb and said, Do not call me by that name.

    <em>Crack</em>. The ck orb shattered into pieces.

    ***

    [I see, you werent human.]

    The Constetion of Fears purple eyes lit up while clenching his scythe. The humans body was regenerating while squirming as if it was made of liquid. No matter how one looked at him, he could not be called anything else but a monster.

    <em>How did a monster like that be Gaias retainer?</em>

    The Constetion of Fear looked at Kang-Woo in confusion.

    <em>In any case</em>

    The Constetion of Fear took a deep breath and d himself with Divinity. Even if the being in front of him could regenerate and was not human, there was nothing to fear. He looked down at his left arm that had been eaten by the giant mouth. The purple vengeful spirits gathered around the severed area to create a new arm.

    [Fuuu.]

    The Constetion of Fear was not human either, and also possessed regenerative capabilities on par with that monster. If that was the case

    <em>As long as Im careful of that mouth, I have the overwhelming advantage since I have Divinity.</em>

    Yes, thats more like it. Kang-Woo snickered in delight.

    It had been a while since he had this much fun. He didnt have to conceal himself with lies nor try to fool the enemy with tricks. He could rampage as much as his desires wanted.

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his head, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could feel the giant current of demonic energy raging from his heart throughout his body. He had opened one of the three Doors that sealed the Demonic Sea, but he had not lost his reason nor turned into a ck slime unlike when he had faced Baek Kang-Hyun.

    <em>Im different from back then.</em>

    It was a given, since not only had he regained the power he had back in Hell, but had far surpassed it. Kang-Woo controlled the energy of the Demonic Sea that was flooding him through the Door. The deathly violent current of demonic energy was moving ording to his will.

    <em>Opening two Doors is still a bit of a stretch.</em>

    Kang-Woo could do it, but he was not confident that he wouldnt be swept by the colossal current of the Demonic Sea. It was a shame, but he decided not to pay it much mind. Although he had only opened one of the Doors, it was astonishing enough that he had be able to control the massive energy influx from opening one Door.

    <em>Though Ill probably still suffer from the side effects.</em>

    Kang-Woo did not care; he was more than capable of handling a risk of that level if he could devour a god.

    Haaa, Kang-Woo exhaled and opened his eyes.

    <em>Inferno.</em>

    Kang-Woo extended his arm to create a sword zing with yellow mes and jumped into the air.

    [Dance, sing.] The Constetion of Fear drearily chanted a spell, and then swung the giant scythe.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    A portion of the hundreds of thousands of vengeful spirits making up his body was pulled out and gathered into hundreds of spheres, which then shot toward Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo changed directions in midair; the foot technique that he had learned from Kim Si-Hun was a great help. He twisted around like a dancing dragon while stepping on the air and swung down Inferno with both hands. The Constetion of Fear raised his scythe to block the attack.

    <em>aang!</em>

    Inferno was deflected once again along with a clear metallic sound.

    [I told you that it was no use!] the Constetion of Fear shouted while bursting with Divinity.

    Kang-Woo smiled. He raised the deflected Inferno and swung it at his own arm.

    [What?]

    <em>sh!</em>

    Kang-Woos arm was cut off by the zing sword as the Constetion of Fears eyes were dyed with confusion. ck blood spewed out like a fountain and sshed on the Constetion of Fear.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    [Gaaaaahh!]

    Countless mouths appeared from the blood and bit off parts of the Constetion of Fear. Neither the Divinity barrier that he had been so proud of nor his hundreds of thousands of vengeful spirits meant anything. The hundreds of mouths that had appeared from Kang-Woos blood were gnawing at the Constetion of Fear at an rming pace like a pack of piranhas.

    [Kurgh!]

    The Constetion of Fear looked down at himself in pallor. His entire body had fortunately not been covered with blood because he had instinctively jumped back after sensing that something was wrong. He severed the body parts covered in blood with his scythe.

    [<em>Huff, huff!</em>] the Constetion of Fear panted heavily.

    He had felt it earlier, but it was abnormally painful. The mouths had been so painful that cutting off the body parts covered in blood felt better.

    <em>I-I cant let that bastards blood get on me.</em>

    The Constetion of Fear stepped back in pallor. He had once faced the Constetion of Agony, but the pain that he had experienced back then had been nothingpared to being eaten by those mouths.

    <em>Ill keep my distance and attack from far away.</em>

    It would be over the moment that he was covered in that monsters blood.

    [Sound the requiem!]

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    The Constetion of Fear raised his scythe up high after widening his distance from Kang-Woo. The purple sphere made of vengeful spirits poured down like rainfall, leaving absolutely no space to dodge.

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    The deathly energy within the vengeful spirits exploded once they hit the ground. A giant purple storm tore apart the surroundings as it formed a crater several hundred meters wide.

    [Is he dead?] the Constetion of Fear mumbled as he looked down at the destroyed ground.

    He could see the monster having been torn into little pieces, having been unable to dodge his attack. Just then, he heard someone cackling.

    Thanks for the resurrection g.

    The Constetion of Fears face stiffened as he turned toward the source of the sound.

    <em>Squelch, squelch.</em>

    The ck blood spilled all over the ground was gathering in one ce; the monsters limbs and intestines were regenerating while squirming.

    [What in the world]

    The Constetion of Fear got goosebumps. Although he himself was a cluster of vengeful spirits, not even he was able to regenerate after being torn into little bits.

    [How]

    How was he supposed to kill that monster? No, was that monster even able to be killed? The Constetion of Fear trembled as he stared at the inexplicable monster.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    The Constetion of Fear clenched his scythe anxiously. That had been his strongest attack; if the monster did not die from that, then he had no other choice.

    <em>Ill have to unleash the Demon Gods Deific Essence.</em>

    [Fuuu.]

    The Constetion of Fears purple eyes shone. He focused while raising his scythe. To unleash the Demon Gods Deific Essence no, to be able to unleash it while staying alive, he needed to focus his entire being on the act.

    <em>Whoosh!!</em>

    Enormous energy suddenly flowed out from the Constetion of Fear. The vengeful spirits making up his body shone purple and swirled around like a vortex.

    Im sorry, but

    Kang-Woo leaped forward without hesitation. He used the Authority of Blink to appear right in front of the Constetion of Fear, who was drawing out enormous amounts of energy.

    Im not the kind of person to wait for transformations.

    Kang-Woo smiled as he stretched out his right arm. He thought about waiting leisurely to see what the Constetion of Fears trump card was, but he sensed that the energy flowing out from the Constetion of Fear was dangerous even for him after opening a Door.

    <em>Ssh! </em>Kang-Woos ck blood spewed out as he cut off his right arm.

    [Kuh!]

    The Constetion of Fear halted his attempt to unleash the Demon Gods Deific Essence and quickly jumped back. However, a few drops of Kang-Woos blood got on his shoulder.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    [Gaaaaaaahh!!]

    Dozens of mouths once again appeared from the blood. The Constetion of Fear cut off his arm with his scythe while screaming.

    [<em>Huff, huff,</em>] he panted heavily as he stared at Kang-Woo in pallor. [H-How]

    The Constetion of Fear had not tried to unleash the Demon Gods Deific Essence in the middle of battle without considering Kang-Woos interference. A barrier made of the Demon Gods power, powerful enough to buy him more than enough time to unleash the Deific Essence, was formed during the process.

    <em>So why</em>

    The Constetion of Fear looked at the monster in front of him iprehensibly. That monster had managed to pass through the Demon Gods barrier with ease. He had not destroyed or ripped through it; he had simply gone through it as if it had never been there in the first ce.

    Hm? What? Kang-Woo asked.

    Based on his reaction, it seemed like he had no knowledge of the barrier. The Constetion of Fear grimaced, unable to understand what was going on.

    <em>Since itse to this, Ill have to unleash the Deific Essence right away while risking annihtion.</em>

    It was the worst possible situation. The Constetion of Fear fell into thought while clenching his scythe.

    Whats wrong? Were not done yet. Kang-Woo smiled widely and continued, I wanna y some more.

    He had not had enough yet. Although he had stopped the Constetion of Fear from using his trump card, the Constetion of Fear could still fight. Kang-Woo wanted to experience this joyous battle for a little longer. Kang-Woo charged at the Constetion of Fear while smiling.

    Just then

    <em>sh!</em>

    The barrier surrounding them was torn, and a middle-aged man with a diagonal sh scar across his face slipped through. He stood between Kang-Woo and the Constetion of Fear with a sword shining blue in hand. The man simply stared at Kang-Woo, who was charging at the Constetion of Fear, expressionlessly.

    [C-Constetion of Despair.]

    The Constetion of Fears eyes widened. The situation was straight out of a scene of a protagonisting to save a heroine in danger. The Constetion of Despair raised his sword and swung it at the charging Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo could not feel killing intent from the swing; it was only meant to keep Kang-Woo at bay.

    Kang-Woo smiled widely. The Constetion of Fear extended his arm, getting a bad feeling.

    [Wai!]

    Kang-Woo jumped straight into the path of the sword swing before the Constetion of Fear could finish his sentence.

    What? Tai Wuji, who had not expected Kang-Woo to jump straight into his swing, expressed confusion.

    The Heavenly Dragons sword sliced Kang-Woos head clean off, and

    <em>Ssh!</em>

    Blood sttered from the base of Kang-Woos neck like a fountain toward the Constetion of Fear behind Tai Wuji.

    What in the Tai Wuji muttered, having not expected the monster that Lucifer had warned him about, to die from just a warning swing.

    He turned around to look at the Constetion of Fear, who was covered from head to toe by the ck blood.

    [N-No NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!] the Constetion of Fear screamed in terror.

 Chapter 381: Monster of the Demonic Sea (3)

    Chapter 381: Monster of the Demonic Sea (3)

    The Constetion of Fear screamed in terror as he shook the ck blood off of himself with his one remaining arm, but

    [N-No.]

    There was no way that he would be able to shake off all the blood that he had been drenched with. The Constetion of Fear reached out to Tai Wuji as his purple eyes shone.

    Why are you making such a fuss? Tai Wuji frowned as if he could not understand.

    It was just some blood; it was nothing for a god to make such amotion over. However, it did not take long for his question to be answered.

    <em>Wriggle, wriggle!</em>

    The ck blood that the Constetion of Fear was drenched with shook and squirmed like a living organism. And then, countless mouths appeared from it.

    What the

    They resembled shark teeth. The mouths had no lips, and within the wide mouths were sharp teeth tightly spaced together. Rather than a mouth, it was more apt to describe it as opening the zipper of a bag and seeing countless fangs inside. They did not have tongues nor uvs, just mouths that existed to eat the prey and teeth to tear the prey apart. The countless mouths that appeared from the squirming ck blood began to devour the Constetion of Fear.

    [Gyeeeeeeeeehh!! Kyeghh! Eeeeeekk!]

    The screams were truly unsightly for a god to make. The Constetion of Fear copsed on the ground while writhing, crying and despairing. He stretched out his arm, begging to be saved, to get out of the clutches of this monster. His fingers were trembling desperately.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    However, even those shaking fingers were eaten up by the mouths of the monster that had swarmed him like an army of ants.

    Kyaaah! Wh-What the hell is that? Proserpine, who had arrived after Tai Wuji, shouted in shock after hearing the Constetion of Fears screams. She asked while stuttering, I-Is that the monster Lucifer talked about?

    Tai Wuji did not answer. His eyes subtly shook as he stared at the monster that was eating the Constetion of Fear. Despite having barely any emotions remaining, not even he was able to stay emotionless after seeing what was happening before him. He had never imagined there to be a being that was able to eat a god.

    Fuuu.

    Tai Wuji took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes and concentrated. He had no idea what that monster was, but there was only one thing he needed to do.

    <em>I cant let any more Constetions die.</em>

    He could not have cared less about the Constetion of Agony because he had been so ipetent, but that was not the case for the Constetion of Fear. Although his n this time had failed, he was usually very capable.

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    Tai Wuji drew out Qi from his dantian. However, his dantian was different from those of other martial artists. He had managed to surpass the Profound Realm and reached the Transcendent Realm, practically turning his entire meridianwork into a dantian.

    The blue light enveloping Tai Wujis sword grew brighter. Darkness mixed with the blue light, enveloping the sword in dark blue mes.

    sh, Tai Wuji chanted as he swung the sword.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The mouths that were eating the Constetion of Fear were set aze by the dark blue mes. The thousands of ck mouths wriggled as they were burned by the mes, and fell away from the Constetion of Fear.

    [Hurgh, urgh.]

    The Constetion of Fear, having be like a tattered rag, twisted and turned. His translucent body had be even more faint, and even his purple eyes, which were the only vivid part of his body, were also fading.

    [A-Arghh.]

    The Constetion of Fear fainted before he could even utter a word.

    Seeing that, Proserpine frowned. Is this thing still alive?

    Although it was ambiguous to call a god made up of countless vengeful spirits <em>alive</em>, Tai Wuji nodded. In terms of whether his Deific Essence was still intact or not, he was alive.

    What the hell is that? Proserpine asked while narrowing her <em>two </em>eyes.

    Although she usually possessed eight eyes, she was transformed into an elf at the moment for a certain reason. Her dreamlike blue-violet braided hair made her look beautiful beyond belief.

    I dont know. Tai Wuji shook his head.

    It was a monster that devoured gods in the literal sense. Despite having existed since the era of myths, he had never heard of such a being.

    It was only natural. Power had its own unique properties and characteristics, and that was especially true for Deific Essence. Devouring unique powers and mixing them with ones own was like, by human standards, being transfused blood of a different type. No, that was not descriptive enough; it was like being transfused oil instead of blood.

    <em>Theres no way it could survive.</em>

    Tai Wuji stared in conflict at the monster being burned by the dark blue mes. The monster made of ck mucus was flinching as it melted, and seeped into the ground.

    Is it dead? Proserpine asked while narrowing her eyes.

    Tai Wuji could no longer see the ck mucus monster that had taken his attack head on.

    He clenched his sword in silence, and then answered, No, not yet.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    They heard something sloshing as if confirming Tai Wujis answer. They turned toward the source of the sound.

    Wow. Kang-Woos head, which had been cut off by Tai Wuji, was looking up at them while smiling.

    The blood from the severed head connected with that of his body. The headless body slowly stood up and leisurely walked toward the head. It picked up the head and connected it to the neck stump, and then the sh wound disappeared as if two bodies of waterbined into one.

    Two more, huh? Kang-Woo snickered in irresistible joy as he smiled extremely wide.

    An Undead? Proserpine stared at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly. There was nothing but an Undead that would be fine even after being beheaded. No, that doesnt seem right.

    She shook her head in confusion. She could not feel an ounce of deathly energy from Kang-Woo for him to be an Undead. Forget deathly energy; she could only feel desire so hot that she felt like she was being burned just looking at him.

    It doesnt seem like we have the leeway to figure out what he is, Tai Wuji stated calmly as he lowered his stance.

    His eyes were no longer dyed with disturbance from when he first saw Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo nodded and replied, Exactly. We dont need to waste any more page space saying shit like Wh-Who the hell are you?, right?

    <em>Id bet wed get up to about ten chapters if we collected every single moment like that thus far.</em>

    Lets just enjoy the moment, Kang-Woo remarked.

    Kang-Woo stared at Tai Wuji while breathing heatedly. He had realized it as soon as heid eyes on him.

    <em>Its him.</em>

    The culprit who had destroyed the space under SantAngelo that was being protected with colossal amounts of sacred power and stole the Demon Gods legacy. Kang-Woo did not have proof, but he was sure, because

    <em>I dont know.</em>

    The power of the man in front of him could not be fathomed even after Kang-Woo had opened a Door.

    Yeah, this is more like it.

    Kang-Woos heart was beating so hard that it could burst. He had eaten one of the Constetions to the point that the Constetion was in tatters, but Kang-Woos hunger had not been sated yet. He wanted a stronger and more delectable prey. His sense of reason was being eaten away by his zing desire, but he did not care; he decided not to deny them, at least for this moment.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    He aggressively stomped on the ground and charged at Tai Wuji while turning the Key of the Demonic Sea into a sword. He did not imbue any Authorities into it since he knew that none of the Authorities he possessed would even leave a scratch on the god before him.

    <em>ng! ng! ng!</em>

    Tai Wuji calmly blocked Kang-Woos attacks with his sword.

    Mm. His eyebrows curved after exchanging a few blows. He tilted his head as if he couldnt understand something, but only for a moment. He returned to his expressionless self and swung his sword while saying in monotone, Trivial.

    In the eyes of Tai Wuji, a god who had risen to the highest realm of martial arts, Kang-Woos swordsmanship was beyond poor, and simply rubbish. Kang-Woo swung his sword horizontally, which Tai Wuji easily blocked by grabbing Kang-Woos wrist and twisting it, disarming Kang-Woo. Tai Wuji pointed his sword at Kang-Woo.

    I know. Kang-Woo cackled and threw himself at Tai Wujis sword.

    He had never intended to fight with swordsmanship from the beginning. He grabbed Tai Wujis de and cut his hand with it, spewing ck blood from his palm.

    Kuh. Tai Wuji quickly jumped back.

    He had seen what would happen if one made contact with that blood.

    Hmm, so we just have to be careful of that blood, right? Proserpine remarked.

    She joined the battle, firing magic spells at Kang-Woo from a distance. Thousands of arrows made of ck demonic energy poured down at Kang-Woo, which pierced all over his body like a hedgehogs quills.

    Yeah, thats all you need to be careful of. Easy, right? Kang-Woo replied.

    He turned into ck mucus. The arrows piercing him all fell to the ground, and Kang-Woo turned back to his original form.

    What the Proserpine stared at Kang-Woo iprehensibly.

    He was an immortal monster.

    I see. Tai Wuji nodded as if he understood. He had figured out a way to face the monster that Lucifer had warned him about. Proserpine, buy me some time.

    Okay.

    Proserpine would have normally warned him not to order her around, but she knew that this was not the time. She used all the spells in her arsenal to limit Kang-Woos movements.

    If youre an immortal monster Tai Wuji gripped his sword with both hands and dered expressionlessly, I just have to annihte you without a trace.

    <em>Fwoosh!!!</em>

    Scorching dark blue mes set Tai Wujis sword aze.

    Heavenly Dragon

    He raised his arms up over his head. The dark blue mes pouring out from the sword grewrger at an incredible pace. Condensed sword energy several kilometers tall was formed.

    ... sh.

    The condensed sword energy several kilometers tall condensed into a single point in an instant. Tai Wuji swung down the sword.

    !

    It did not even make a sound. The gruesome destruction continued without end. If it had not been for the ck barrier around them, the entirety of Arnan would have been blown away no, it would have split the entire continent of Aernor in half. The dark blue mes raged as if it would swallow up the entire world whole.

    Crazy son of a bitch! Were you trying to kill me too?! Proserpine yelled.

    She had been partially caught in the dark blue mes, her beautifully braided hair now aplete mess.

    I had it under control, Tai Wuji answered as he turned around.

    There was not even a trace of the monster that Lucifer had referred to in the area where everything had been obliterated.

    Hes surely dead now, right? Proserpine asked while looking around.

    Tai Wuji nodded. He had annihted the monster without leaving a single drop of blood. Even if the opponent was an immortal monster, they would not be able to survive this explosion.

    Lets go back.

    Tai Wuji turned around and grabbed the ragged Constetion of Fear. Although Kim Si-Hun, the main culprit who had ruined their n, was still alive, he had a feeling that they should fall back for today.

    Haaa, my hairs a mess, Proserpine grumbled as she tidied her disheveled hair.

    Tai Wuji swung his sword in the air.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    Space itself was split, forming a ck Rift. The two of them slowly walked in, and the ck Rift slowly closed like an elevator door.

    <em>Krrrrk!!</em>

    Just then, two hands formed in the air and forcibly stopped the Rift from fully closing.

    What?

    Wh-What the hell is it now?!

    Tai Wujis eyes widened, and Proserpine yelled in shock.

    Where are you going? A stammering voice sounded out.

    ck smoke gathered around the two hands in the air. The smoke turned into small drops of blood, which then gathered into ck mucus. A head, legs, and torso appeared in mismatched form as if a child had yed around with y-doh.

    <em>Squelch, squelch.</em>

    The mismatched body slowly returned to its normal form, along with the sloppy sounds of mucus. The head that had been attached to the thigh slowly slid up. The eyes, nose and mouth were still not in their right ces.

    What the Tai Wuji muttered as he unconsciously stepped back.

    The thing forcibly keeping the closing Rift open was, without a doubt, the monster that he had just annihted.

    <em>That doesnt mean anything to that monster!! Just shut up and run! Run as far away as possible before that monster devours you all and bes stronger!!!</em>

    Lucifers screams popped into Tai Wujis mind.

    Were not done yet.

    A horrifying monster that looked as if it had been born from the Demonic Sea itself was smiling at him.

    Lets y for a little longer.

 Chapter 382: Monster of the Demonic Sea (4)

    Chapter 382: Monster of the Demonic Sea (4)

    Oh Kang-Woos consciousness was fuzzy. His sense of reason was flickering like a candle that was about to go out.

    <em>Its not over yet.</em>

    He couldnt let it end yet. Kang-Woo added more strength into his hands and forcibly widened the gap in space.

    What the said the man across from him.

    Kang-Woo could see the shock in the mans eyes.

    <em>Who was he again?</em>

    His consciousness flickered again.

    U-Urghh.

    Kang-Woo lowered his head as he held on to his sense of reason the best he could. He could feel the ck sea flooding him through the wide-open Door.

    <em>This is a bit bad.</em>

    Kang-Woo barely managed to stay conscious. He thought about why things had ended up this way, but did not have to think for long. After all, he knew this would happen from the moment that he opened a Door.

    Kang-Woo could not die while a Door was open. Even if he was beheaded, his heart exploded, was split in half, or even all the blood in his body evaporated, he would not die. Since the power of the flooding Demonic Sea reconstructed his body, he would continue to resurrect unless the entire Demonic Sea itself was annihted.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woos consciousness flickered once again. He could not quite remember where or who he was. His consciousness became more fuzzy the more the Demonic Sea reconstructed his body. His sense of reason was disappearing, and his intelligence was evaporating. All that was left of him was endless hunger.

    <em>More. More, more, more, more. I wanna eat, I wanna eat. Im hungry. Hungry, hungry, hungry. I havent eaten all of that spirit yet. That man with the dark blue sword looks good too. Oh, so does that elf next to him.</em>

    Haa, aaah, Kang-Woo exhaled.

    <em>Squelch</em>. The surface of Kang-Woos body pulsed as if a rock was thrown in ake. His limbs, head and torso lost their form and turned into ck mucus. Countless mouths appeared from the pulsing ck mucus.

    What in the someone expressed.

    <em>No, no. Those three arent enough. Youve been holding it back all this time, havent you? You havent eaten until you were fully sated since youve left Hell, right? Lets eat just a little more. Arent you hungry?</em>

    ...

    Kang-Woo heard a voice a sweet and lovely voice.

    <em>Now, now. Eat, eat, eat. Three is nowhere near enough. Eat some more. Devour this entire world. Its not even your world, right? Its none of your business even if this world ends, right? So, lets eat them all. Humans, angels, demons, monsters, elves, dragons, and gods. Lets eat them all.</em>

    ...

    <em>Growl.</em>

    Horrifying hunger took over Kang-Woo. His vision was getting distorted. He heard the voice once again.

    <em>What do you think? Why dont you open another Door?</em>

    Y Kang-Woo bent forward like a bow and quelled his body that was starting to turn into ck mucus. He answered the sweet voice in his head. Youve gotta be joking.

    Kang-Woo stood up within the ck sea that was flooding him. His disfigured body returned to its normal form. He wondered whose voice he had heard. It was not the Demon God. If it was not him, there was only one other it could have been.

    <em>My desire.</em>

    The essence of demons, as well as the origin of the being that was Oh Kang-Woo. It was likely the voice of his desire that he had allowed to run wild.

    <em>It was you. You were the Demon of Prophecy.</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled what the Constetion of Agony had said to him. He was the being that would bring all worlds to ruin. If he was consumed by the Demonic Sea, would that prophecy be fulfilled?

    <em>Well That will never happen.</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled. If that was the case, the universe would have long since ceased to exist.

    What are you? someone asked.

    Kang-Woo turned toward the voice, seeing a half-dead Constetion of Fear as well as the middle-aged man holding him.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he looked at the middle-aged man. Bro, you said earlier that it was pointless to ask something like that.

    <em>Why do all these characters have the same lines? This is why you get med for having a repetitive plot.</em>

    Who cares about that? Kang-Woo raised his right hand. The Key of the Demonic Sea that had been flung away by Tai Wuji returned to him and transformed into a dark red spear. Enough caring about boring shit like that and lets have some more fun.

    Tai Wujis face stiffened.

    He fell into thought as he touched the hilt of his sword, and then threw the Constetion of Fear at Kang-Woo as if to divert the attention of a wild beast by throwing food at it.

    Hah. Kang-Woo asked while chuckling, Are you giving him for me to eat so that Ill give up on you?

    Tai Wuji did not answer.

    Well, fine. Kang-Woo slowly walked toward the ragged Constetion of Fear and picked him up.

    There was a risk of him losing his sense of reason if he were to fight for any longer. Kang-Woo despised things that he could not control. He did not use demonic energy from the Abyss because there were still things about it that he did not know, or Chaos skills because he could still not fully control them. He was not above making gambles if it was absolutely necessary, but there was no need to risk his life when there was no reason to make a gamble.

    Lets meet again, said Kang-Woo.

    He raised the ragged Constetion of Fear. His mouth split open extremely wide like that of a snake and swallowed the Constetion of Fear whole.

    I will remember you, Tai Wuji muttered.

    Kang-Woo smiled as he rubbed his stomach after devouring the Constetion of Fear. You wont be able to forget, even if you wanted to. Because Ille find you.

    Tai Wuji turned around and walked into the ck Rift. Proserpine was staring at Kang-Woo nkly. He was a monster that she had never seen before, even during the era of myths.

    Ah Proserpine trembled slightly as vivid fear and her desires intermixed.

    Proserpine, Tai Wuji called.

    Yeah.

    She turned around and walked into the Rift as well. Only Kang-Woo remained within the area enveloped by the ck barrier.

    Haaah.

    Kang-Woo pounded on his full belly after having devoured the Constetion of Fear. He would take care of the digestionter.

    Disappear. Kang-Woo used Soul Speech to lift the Demonic Sea barrier.

    The ck barrier that had been covering the imperial garden melted and flowed into Kang-Woo. The garden that he had fought gods in was back to being full of flowers like the battle had never taken ce. It was only possible because the Demonic Sea had absorbed all the impact and destruction.

    <em>If it hadnt been for the barrier</em>

    Forget the garden, the entirety of Arnan might have been blown off the face of the continent.

    Hehehe, Kang-Woo giggled.

    The battle had personally been satisfying enough to blow away the disappointment that he had felt when facing the Constetion of Agony.

    Haaa, he exhaled.

    Kang-Woo slowly walked off. The battle had been a sess; now, it was time to pay the price.

    Is it over?

    Kang-Woo heard a deep voice. He turned to see Balrog walking toward him in his human form.

    Yeah, it is, Kang-Woo answered.

    Were you satisfied?

    Kang-Woo smirked. More or less.

    Balrog approached Kang-Woo and carefully touched Kang-Woo as he stood still. What a relief.

    Despite saying that, Balrog did not seem relieved in the slightest.

    Did the others find out? Kang-Woo asked.

    Of course they did.

    It was no wonder; although the area had been protected by a barrier, thousands of wraiths had appeared in the imperial garden. There was no way that Kim Si-Hun and the other party members wouldnt have found out that Kang-Woo had fought a Constetion all by himself.

    What did they do? Kang-Woo asked.

    Im sure you can imagine. Balrog smiled bitterly.

    They would most certainly have tried to join the battle if Balrog had not stopped them.

    Thanks.

    Balrog looked down at Kang-Woo in silence, and then carefully lifted him up. Kang-Woo drooped down lifelessly in Balrogs arms like a corpse.

    How severe do you think it will be? Balrog asked.

    The aftereffects? Who knows? Worse than molting, probably, Kang-Woo answered calmly.

    However, Balrog knew how hard Kang-Woo had tried to say that as calmly as possible.

    Balrog aggressively bit his lip, and ck blood trickled down to his chin. He clenched his fists, which were slightly shaking.

    Why did you fight by yourself? Balrog asked, despite knowing the answer.

    I told you. Because I couldnt hold back my

    Enough of your lies!! Balrog shouted as if he couldnt hold it back anymore.

    Deathly silence fell.

    I know that youve been holding back your desire for a long time. I know that it was getting hard for you to hold it back, and that it had gotten worse after the previous incident. But even so If it was you, my king Balrogs voice trembled. You could have held it in.

    Kang-Woo did not answer.

    You could have held it in but you just didnt.

    Balrog lowered his head. He knew why Kang-Woo did not hold himself back. Because Kang-Woo always shouldered everything on his shoulders, even if the weight broke his shoulders. He always moved forward.

    Balrog.

    I know. Yes, I know very well.

    Balrog knew that he was just grumbling. It was like a child that was conining at their father foring home toote because of work. He knew that, but he couldnt stop himself from saying it.

    It was because of Uriel, was it not? You were worried that we would also end up mangled by the power of a god, just like that angel.

    Uriel had faced the Constetion of Agony, and had ended up in such terrible condition that it was a wonder why he had not died. Balrog could tell what his king thought after seeing that.

    Thats why you made an excuse to fight by yourself.

    Kang-Woo had fooled himself by making some convenient excuse like that he could no longer hold back his desire.

    My king

    Balrog raised Kang-Woo and carefully embraced him. As the one who had been by Kang-Woos side the longest, he knew very well how dangerous opening the Doors was, as well as the unimaginable pain that Kang-Woo would experience after.

    Kang-Woo would <em>only </em>end up experiencing unimaginable pain because he could control it; if he were to open too many of the Doors to the point that he could not control the massive influx of power, he would be devoured by the Demonic Sea, never able to get out.

    Balrog.

    Kang-Woo raised one of his arms that he could barely move with all his might and ced it on Balrogs head. He wondered since when Balrog knew. It might have been from the very beginning, and he was simply just ying along with Kang-Woos games.

    <em>Son of a bitch. Why are you so perceptive about stuff like this when you look like even your brain is all muscles?</em>

    Kang-Woo lightly hit Balrogs head.

    Weve lost too much. He smiled faintly and continued, I dont want to lose anything else anymore.

    And with that, Kang-Woo slowly closed his eyes.

    Balrog trembled. He gritted his teeth as he looked down at Kang-Woo in his arms. An overwhelming sense of worthlessness weighed down on him. He did not want to be baggage; he did not want to be one of the weights on Kang-Woos shoulders, but

    H-Hurgh.

    Sounds of sobbing seeped out as Balrog bit his lip. His shoulders trembled subtly. However much he struggled, his king was walking far too ahead of him.

    Hurghhhh

    Balrog embraced his king while continuing to weep silently.

 Chapter 383: Water Comes Out Of Even a Dry Rag If You Wring It Hard Enough

    Chapter 383: Water Comes Out Of Even a Dry Rag If You Wring It Hard Enough

    <em>Boom! Boom!</em>

    The sound of banging on the door rang out.

    Haaa, aahh.

    Suppressed groans seeped out from the seams of the door, and then

    Aaarrrggghhh!!

    The groans turned into terrifying screams.

    <em>ck, ck, ck.</em>

    The door handle shook noisily. Balrog stood in front of the door and firmly held onto the handle. He crouched with his back to the door as if he was preventing something from getting out, and clenched his fists hard while listening to the screams through the door.

    Balrog lowered his head while biting his lip. His heart felt like it was being carved with a knife every time the screams rang out.

    Kang-Woo!

    Balrog looked up to see a woman running through the hallway. It was Han Seol-Ah, his kings woman as well as the human whom the soul of the Celestial Goddess indwelled.

    You cannot. Balrog extended his arm to stop Seol-Ah from opening the door.

    Seol-Ah red at Balrog fiercely. Move.

    Balrog firmly shook his head.

    <em>Rumble.</em>

    Suffocatingly powerful energy poured out from Seol-Ah. The unfathomable amount of sacred power weighed down on Balrog.

    Kurgh, <em>cough</em>!

    Balrog grimaced. His muscles expanded as if they would burst. He could barely breathe within the immense pressure, but he still did not move.

    Move Seol-Ah demanded.

    Twelve wings sprouted from her back. Balrog bit his lip. Her power truly was terrifyingly immense.

    <em>With power like that She would be of help to the king.</em>

    It was an undeniable truth. Balrog was confused, frustrated, and enraged. He had spent the past millennia struggling just to be able to walk alongside his king, but a human that was not even thirty years old had far surpassed him just because she possessed the soul of the Celestial Goddess. He could not help but think that it was unfair.

    Balrog gritted his teeth and remarked, You cannot pass.

    He stood his ground firmly despite being under immense pressure. He could not let her pass, since his king was on the other side of the door.

    The light in Seol-Ahs eyes disappeared. Emotion disappeared from her face as she slowly reached for the door handle.

    I told you that you cannot.

    Balrog grabbed Seol-Ahs wrist. Blood vessels were protruding from all over his body, showing how much strength he was using just to move within the immense energy.

    Seol-Ah looked down coldly at the crouched Balrog.

    Why? Why am I not allowed to enter when Kang-Woo is suffering that badly?

    Because there is nothing you can do for him.

    I am confident in healing magic. At the very least, Ill be able to lessen his pain, Seol-Ah remarked while pouring out sacred power and fluttering her twelve wings.

    Balrog shook his head with sunken eyes. No, there is nothing you can do.

    I havent even tried yet!

    We have. We have tried everything. Countless times.

    After the king had molted, they had tried everything possible to lessen his pain, but it had all been pointless; they had only worsened his condition.

    Stay put. Please, just stay put, Balrog said desperately.

    Seol-Ah lowered her head while biting her lip. She asked with a trembling voice, Why Why did Kang-Woo fight on his own?

    The pressure weighing down on Balrog disappeared as Seol-Ahs twelve wings faded.

    Balrog sighed. He stared at her for a moment in silence, and then replied, Like how angels are driven by obsession, demons are driven by desire. I am sure you know what it is like since you have epted Seraphs power.

    Kang-Woos desire?

    Yes.

    Balrog looked around. The fact that Kang-Woo still possessed the body of a demon needed to be hidden at all costs, especially from Kim Si-Hun and Gaias incarnation. Thankfully, the two of them had gone to take care of the thousands of wraiths that had been released from the barrier.

    The kings desire is to battle powerful foes and partake in their flesh.

    Partake in their flesh?

    <em>Flinch</em>. Seol-Ahs expression hardened.

    Balrog nodded. You could say that he craves it.

    Seol-Ahs eyes darkened. So, who was the Constetion that Kang-Woo fought?

    Balrog shook his head. I dont know.

    Hmm.

    Seol-Ah stared at the door while narrowing her eyes. Just then, Balrog saw Lilith quickly running toward them.

    B-Balrog! She clenched Balrogs cor and shouted sharply, The king fought the Constetions by himself?! What the hell happened?!

    Lilith was panting heavily, as if she had run here at full speed after hearing the news from afar.

    Balrog remained silent.

    Lilith clenched Balrogs cor harder as she frowned even more aggressively.

    Balrog. What the hell were you doing while this was happening? she asked furiously.

    Balrog averted his gaze. Lilith burst with rage and raised her hand to attack him, but Seol-Ah stopped her.

    P-Please calm down, Lilith. It apparently couldnt be helped because of Kang-Woos desire.

    Desire? Lilith frowned, but not because she was not aware of what Kang-Woos desire was. She turned to Balrog and asked, What is she talking about?

    It was absurd that Kang-Woo had fought by himself because he was unable to hold back his desire. If he was unable to control his desire, there was no way that this world would be in one piece. As far as Lilith knew, there was no demon who was in perfect control over their desire like Kang-Woo.

    Balrog simply lowered his head in silence.

    The lip that he was biting was shaking in frustration. Seeing that, Lilith was more or less able to figure out what had happened.

    Hah, she feignedughter and red at Balrog in disdain. She said while suppressing her fury, Even after getting that new power you call Overlord Armor or whatever, you havent changed one bit from the past.

    Balrog could not raise his head.

    What are you talking about? Seol-Ah asked while looking back and forth at them, unable to understand.

    Hmph, Lilith snorted lightly. She swept her hair back and said, Its nothing for you to worry about. This is our problem to deal with.

    Her arms fell to her sides lifelessly.

    Lilith cautiously asked Balrog, He opened a Door, right?

    Yes. Balrog nodded.

    Lilith sighed. This was the second time that she had seen Kang-Woo open a Door. The first time was when he had faced Mammon, and the second time was now.

    <em>Though I heard that he had also used it once before I arrived on Earth.</em>

    Regardless, this was the second time that she had seen it herself.

    She felt the same way after the ordeal with Mammon, but she couldnt help her rage from surging at Kang-Woo, who put his life on the line as if it were some token coin in an arcade. She felt like she was burning from the inside, and she teared up as she bit her lip aggressively.

    <em>I shouldve realized it sooner.</em>

    Whatever the reason, she needed to stop Kang-Woo from acting on his own. If there was no one to stop him, he would continue to try to shoulder everything by himself.

    Argh!

    <em>Bang!</em> Lilith stomped on the ground in frustration. Seol-Ah, likely having been influenced by Lilith, also yelled in rage.

    Balrog smiled bitterly while looking at the two of them.

    He remarked, I have a request.

    What is it? Seol-Ah asked coldly.

    I would like you two to keep silent about this incident even after the king wakes up.

    A heavy silence fell.

    Lilith narrowed her eyes and replied, I dont think I can do that. I understand how the king feels, but we need to make sure he never does this kind of thing again.

    Although Lilith knew why Kang-Woo had made such a reckless decision to fight a Constetion by himself, she could not let him do such a thing again. If she did, there was no point in her serving him by his side. Even if she were to perish from a single attack of a Constetion, she at least needed to be a shield that could block that one attack. She could not afford to stay as baggage that always needed to be protected.

    I beg of you.

    Balrog bowed deeply. One could feel his strong determination despite him bowing. Lilith stared at him, and then turned around.

    Hmph. Ill be with the children, so take care of things here by yourself.

    She was referring to Echidna and Halcyon. Balrog smiled faintly as he watched Lilith walking away. Seol-Ah was highly anxious due to Kang-Woos endless screams past the door, but Lilith took Seol-Ah with her. Only Balrog remained in the hallway in front of the rattling door.

    Haaa he sighed deeply.

    He could feel the door that he was leaning on rattling. His kings screams did not stop. Balrog shut his eyes tight, blocked his ears and lowered his head while praying for the time to pass quickly.

    ***

    Are you really alright? Balrog asked.

    I told you, Im fine, Kang-Woo answered half-heartedly on the bed.

    He still couldnt move because of the side effects, but it was true that the pain had subsided significantly. Balrog sighed as he looked down at Kang-Wooying on the bed.

    <em>Sigh</em>. In that case, please get some rest.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and nodded.

    <em>He looks like hell give me a beating if I fight on my own again.</em>

    He thought that he should probably bring Balrog along next time to avoid a lecture.

    <em>Click.</em> Balrog opened the door and left the room. Kang-Woo rxed on the bed.

    Well, in any case

    It had been the most fun he had in a long time. Kang-Woo smiled while recalling his battle against the Constetions. Balrog had made Kang-Woo out to be some advocate of self-sacrifice, but it had partly been due to his own personal selfishness as well. Kang-Woo felt much better after his desire to hunt powerful foes and eat them, which had been left unsated for a long time, subsided significantly.

    <em>No, thats not it.</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head and smiled. Although it wasying dormant now, he had a feeling that his desire had grown stronger.

    <em>That guy</em>

    Kang-Woos heart beat rapidly when he thought about the middle-aged man with the diagonal sh scar on his face. The feeling of his blood boiling and the impulse of wanting to go after the man right this second was hard to endure.

    Hehehe, Kang-Woo giggled.

    Thankfully, their battle would be inevitable. Even if that man did not take action, Kang-Woo would.

    <em>I wonder how delicious he is?</em>

    His mouth was watering already. Kang-Woo rxed on the bed while looking forward to the day that he would meet the man again.

    <em>ck.</em>

    Umm Kang-Woo.

    Oh, darling?

    Seol-Ah entered the room. Kang-Woo weed her with a smile, but she did not look very happy.

    How are you feeling? Seol-Ah asked.

    Well I can barely move, but Im not in pain anymore. Ill be back on my feet if I rest for a few days.

    Considering the broken ability that was opening the Doors, side effects of this level were nothing. Seol-Ah sighed in relief.

    I brought you some fruit, she said as she held up a tray that was filled with fruit sliced to a size easy to eat.

    There were also some fruits exclusive to Aernor.

    Thanks. Kang-Woo smiled while his eyes shone.

    He had been wanting to eat something sweet.

    Here, ahhh~

    Seol-Ah grabbed a piece of fruit and brought it close to Kang-Woo. Since Kang-Woo couldnt move at all due to the side effects, he was fed by Seol-Ah like a baby bird.

    Come to think of it, I heard about your desire from Balrog, Seol-Ah remarked.

    Huh? My desire?

    Yes. I heard you craved for peoples bodies and were driven by the desire to partake in them.

    I mean, thats true, but

    <em>Why did she put it so weirdly?</em>

    Seol-Ah put the fruit tray down on the table and caressed Kang-Woos body.

    It bes dangerous for you if you dont act on your desires, just like my obsession, right?

    Yeah, but I managed to resolve it somewhat this time.

    Although Kang-Woo had not been able to eat the other Constetions, he had managed to devour the Constetion of Fear. Not just that, the battle itself had been very satisfactory.

    It was resolved? Seol-Ahs eyes widened as they shook while staring at Kang-Woo. She asked carefully, Was there a woman among the Constetions?

    Oh, there was one. Kang-Woo nodded.

    It had been a beautiful elf named Proserpine.

    The light in Seol-Ahs eyes faded. She muttered something with her head lowered, and then got on the bed.

    Hello? Seol-Ah?

    Kang-Woo looked up at Seol-Ah in confusion. Seol-Ah looked down at him as her lips quivered.

    F-Fufu. Yes. It must be my fault for being unable to satisfy your desire, right? I understand.

    No, I dont think you do.

    Come to think of it, you cant move right now, can you?

    Seol-Ah licked her lips.

    Umm, I think theres been some sort of

    <em>Click.</em>

    As Kang-Woo was about to say that there had been some sort of misunderstanding, he heard the door locking.

    Huh?

    <em>What was that?</em>

    ***

    Where the hell is that son of a bitch Oh Kang-Woo?!

    Oh, Yeon-Joo.

    Is Kang-Woo in there?

    Yeah, but hes sleeping now.

    Hmph. Step out of the way. Not only did that bastard fly off by himselfst time, he

    Oh, its okay. Thatll never happen again.

    Hm? What do you mean?

    Fufu. Seol-Ah giggled while covering her mouth. Wateres out of even a dry rag if you wring it hard enough.

 Chapter 384: Itâ€™s Nothing

    Chapter 384: It¡¯s Nothing

    Kang-Woo, arent you hungry? Echidna asked as she looked down at Oh Kang-Woo while sitting next to the bed.

    Kang-Woo shook his head. No, not really. Seol-Ah fed me to the point that my stomach almost burst, so I dont have an appetite.

    Echidna pouted as if she did not like his answer.

    No. You can eat more.

    What do you mean?

    <em>Why are you the one to decide that?</em>

    Hm! I brought tons of stuff from the imperial kitchen!

    Echidna took out a heap of fruit that she had ced next to her feet. There were so many that Kang-Woo felt his stomach hurting just from looking at them.

    No, I seriously am full, Kang-Woo remarked.

    But I wont have any other chances to feed you.

    Kang-Woo had been stuck in bed while unable to move due to the side effects of opening a Door for the past few days. The party members were taking shifts to nurse Kang-Woo, who couldnt even move his limbs. Echidna thought that she wouldnt have the rare chance to feed Kang-Woo again if she missed this chance, so she started to cut the fruit that she had brought with a fruit knife while snorting.

    The fruit that had been the size of Echidnas palm was being skinned at insane speed and was reduced to the size of a pinky fingernail in a sh.

    Why would you peel a fruit like

    I peeled it all! Echidna said excitedly.

    You sure did.

    <em>The problem is that theres nothing to eat.</em>

    Echidna brought the fruit to Kang-Woos mouth while her eyes shone brightly. Kang-Woo dodged with just his head since his limbs werent moving, but Echidna managed to get the fruit in Kang-Woos mouth after much struggle.

    Uuurrrggghhh.

    Hehehe, Echidnaughed as if she was the happiest person in the world.

    Kang-Woo felt goosebumps from her smile. In the end, he was freed only after being forced to eat all of the fruit that Echidna had brought.

    <em>Click.</em>

    Brat, its time to switch.

    Cha Yeon-Joo opened the door; Echidnas shift seemed to have finished. Echidna stared at Kang-Woo as if she was disappointed, but then turned to Yeon-Joo and assumed a weird stance.

    Hello, way of the sword![1]

    What?

    Yeon-Joo stared at Echidna in perplexity.

    Echidna pouted and turned her head away. Youre no fun, Yeon-Joo.

    Seriously, what even is that?

    Yeon-Joo looked at Kang-Woo in frustration, but Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly as if he did not know either.

    Ille back next time, Kang-Woo, Echidna said as she walked away from the two dumbfounded people and out the door.

    An awkward air filled the room.

    Whats with her? Yeon-Joo asked.

    I dunno. Must be puberty.

    That aside, you look goddamn terrible, Mr. Oh Kang-Woo, Yeon-Joo said as she poked Kang-Woo.

    Ill admit, I did push myself a bit.

    A bit? You call this a bit? Yeon-Joo red at him. Youre so goddamn patronizing, you know that? Hm? Are we nothing to you?

    Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly. It was only natural for him to be scolded this way since he had faced enemies that had tantly barged in, all by himself.

    Yeon-Joo sighed. She lowered her head and muttered, Sorry.

    Her clenched fists were trembling. Although she was scolding Kang-Woo, she also knew very well that she would be of no help whatsoever in a battle against gods that possessed Deific Essence.

    Dont worry about it. I get it, Kang-Woo replied calmly.

    There was a clear difference in power between himself and his party members, and especially between him and Yeon-Joo, who arguably was the weakest among them. To put it bluntly, she would be of no help; it would be a relief if she wasnt a nuisance.

    Knowing that fact better than anyone, Yeon-Joo lowered her head in sorrow. She said sadly, It wasnt like this when we first met.

    She was able to proudly fight alongside Kang-Woo when they had first met, but Kang-Woo had reached heights so high that she couldnt dare reach. Forget standing alongside him, she had be one of the weights on his shoulders.

    Should I just go back? Yeon-Joo asked while touching her bracelets. Her voice was so lifeless that it was hard to believe that it hade out of her.

    Kang-Woo smirked. Stop trying to put on airs.

    What?

    Well, I guess Id expect nothing less from a Bronze yer.

    Son of a bitch!

    Yeon-Joo got on top of the bed in fury. She grabbed Kang-Woos cheeks and pulled them.

    Urrrrhhhh.

    After the fuss, the two of them got off of each other while snickering.

    Come to think of it, did something happen between you and Seol-Ah? Yeon-Joo asked.

    <em>Flinch</em>. Kang-Woo trembled while breaking out into a cold sweat.

    What? What happened?

    I-Im sorry. Im sorry.

    Kang-Woo fell into terror while scrunched up. Yeon-Joo stared at the trembling Kang-Woo with her mouth agape.

    <em>What the hell? What in the world did she do?</em>

    This was the first time that she had seen Kang-Woo like this.

    Ah Whatever the case, get some rest.

    Yeon-Joo sat next to the bed in perplexity, ced her hand on Kang-Woos forehead, and slowly patted it.

    Whats up with you all of a sudden? Kang-Woo asked.

    Yeon-Joo shot him a fierce look and said, Shut up.

    Kang-Woo smirked and let Yeon-Joo pat him.

    <em>Its not bad.</em>

    It feltpletely different to see a mild side from a lioness that constantly growled. Kang-Woo closed his eyes and enjoyed Yeon-Joos hands in silence. He slowly fell asleep.

    ***

    Mm?

    Kang-Woo opened his eyes. The room waspletely dark. He carefully moved his body and noticed that his limbs, which had not budged until now were moving a little.

    <em>Im slowly recovering.</em>

    It was a good sign since he had mountains of things to take care of. Kang-Woo used his still stiff limbs to raise himself.

    Lay down for a bit longer, hyung-nim.

    Kang-Woo heard a voice from next to him. He turned his head to see a man so dazzlingly handsome that it looked as if he was shining within the darkness.

    Kang-Woo smirked. Is it your turn this time?

    Kim Si-Hun nodded with a faint smile. Yes. I just switched in.

    You guys dont need to do this.

    Not at all. We should at least stay by your side until you fully recover, Si-Hun remarked firmly.

    Kang-Woo groaned. He was not used to being taken care of by people; he had mixed feelings about it.

    Si-Hun looked down at Kang-Woo on the bed in silence.

    <em>Youre gonna stare holes into me, man. Why are you staring so intently and making me ufortable?</em>

    Kang-Woo averted his gaze from Si-Hun, who was staring at him with deeply sunken eyes.

    After some silence, Si-Hun stated, Come to think of it, its been a while since weve been alone together like this.

    Has it?

    Yes, it has. Si-Hun nodded with a smile and then turned his head to look up at the ceiling. I met Balrog beforeing here. His clenched fists trembled. He seemed extremely mad at himself.

    Hyung-nim. Si-Hun lightly bit his lip. Theres this one thing that I keep thinking about.

    About what?

    About what would have happened in my life if I had never met you.

    Kang-Woo could feel the sorrow in Si-Huns voice. He replied calmly, Nothing much wouldve changed.

    He was telling the truth; Si-Huns talent had long since been affirmed. Although he hadcked confidence, he would have ovee it by himself and broken through his unfortunate circumstances.

    <em>Rather</em>

    Si-Hun might not have attained what he should have attained because of Kang-Woo, and because he was forcibly made into Kang-Woos Familiar.

    I dont know about that. Si-Hun slowly shook his head. I cant even imagine a life without you anymore, hyung-nim.

    <em>The hell are you talking about?</em>

    Hyung-nim. Si-Hun slowly reached out and grabbed Kang-Woos hand. Thank you. And Im sorry.

    Si-Hun lowered his head, and his shoulders subtly trembled. Kang-Woo remained silent. He could see the ovep between Si-Hun and Balrog; the sight of them trembling due to their powerlessness.

    <em>Did he figure it out?</em>

    The reason why Kang-Woo had fought the Constetions by himself while using his desire as a convenient excuse.

    <em>Fuck.</em>

    It was not even funny. Kang-Woo recalled the day that he had first met Si-Hun when he had forcibly turned the absurdly talented Si-Hun into his Familiar. Si-Hun still did not know the truth; he did not know how their rtionship came to be. Seeing Si-Hun weeping because he had not been of any help at all made Kang-Woo curse in his head. It was like a hostage thanking a hostage taker. The unpleasant feeling made Kang-Woo feel sick.

    <em>If I knew this would happen</em>

    If Kang-Woo had known that he would be this close to Si-Hun

    Kang-Woo shut his eyes tight. It was already far toote for regret. There was no way to fix the rtionship that had gotten off on the wrong foot from the very beginning. Kang-Woo frowned aggressively while staring at the weeping Si-Hun.

    <em>What the fuck? Why am I feeling this way?</em>

    Kang-Woos head was in jumbles. He would never have felt this way over something like this back in Hell. Rather, he would have been happy about the fact that Si-Hun knew nothing and that he had Si-Huns undying trust.

    <em>I should be feeling that way, but Why do I feel so unpleasant?</em>

    Kang-Woo stared up at the ceiling in silence. His mouth opened before he had even realized it.

    Si-Hun.

    Yes, hyung-nim?

    Do you remember the day we first met?

    Of course I do. Si-Hun nodded with his eyes open wide. He smiled faintly while recalling the memories of that day. Back then, I would have never thought that I would be this close to you.

    Hahaha, Kang-Wooughed. However, it sounded extremely forced. Back then, I

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists, and he trembled. Vivid fear that he had not experienced even during his battle with the Constetion of Fear took control over him.

    Yes? Si-Hun waited for Kang-Woo to finish his sentence while tilting his head.

    Silence fell. Kang-Woo shook his head while smiling awkwardly. No, its nothing.

    He swallowed the unfamiliar feeling; it was bitter.

    1. This is a line from the anime/manga <em>Kaguya-sama: Love is War</em> where Fujiwara Chika greets Shirogane Kei.

 Chapter 385: God of Splendor (1)

    Chapter 385: God of Splendor (1)

    Oh Kang-Woos limbs began to move little by little, starting from his fingertips. His joints could now move fluidly, and he did not feel any fatigue weighing him down, nor did he feel powerless.

    Hup. Kang-Woo got out of bed.

    He felt light, as if he had taken a hot shower after a workout.

    <em>I think my demonic energy control improved again.</em>

    It could have been because he had reached the brink of death after opening a Door, or it might have been because Han Seol-Ah had driven him to the brink of death(?) afterward. In any case, Kang-Woos demonic energy control, which had already been absurdly high, had improved even further.

    <em>I guess it was worth it.</em>

    High risk, high return; he had taken a massive risk, so it was only natural that he was rewarded a corresponding amount in return. Not only that, Kang-Woo had managed to reach the point that he was in because he had risked his life countless times in the past.

    <em>Now that I think about it, I must be extremely lucky.</em>

    Although it couldnt be exined simply by luck, he had indeed gambled with his life countless times.

    Come to think of it, I wonder how my demonic energy control would be in stat form?

    Kang-Woo was curious. His Demonic Energy stat was currently 167. Although the Demonic Energy stat partially influenced demonic energy control, it was not an exact estimate.

    The Demonic Energy stat was more like a quantitative value that reflected the amount of demonic energy that Kang-Woo was able to use freely. Although he suffered from the side effects afterward, he was able to control the massive influx of demonic energy that came with opening a Door. Considering that, his demonic energy control would be far above 167 in stat form.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    Hm?

    Just then, Kang-Woo heard a familiar chime of a bell. A blue window appeared in front of him.

    [Quantifying yer Oh Kang-Woos demonic energy control.]

    [Error. Error.]

    [Quantific of  has faed.]

    The hell is this?

    Kang-Woo chuckled as he looked at the message window in front of him. The broken characters were covering the message window; they were the same characters on his status window.

    <em>Does it mean that it cant be expressed by the System?</em>

    It seemed like a usible guess. Kang-Woo was not sure whether to be happy or upset by it. He was happy since he felt like he had be so strong that he had be like a glitched character in an RPG, but that also meant that he might not be able to receive privileges from the System.

    <em>Will I be able to get my Tenth Awakening Trait?</em>

    If Kang-Woo was not able to, he would make the face of the one who had made the System exactly like those broken characters.

    <em>Click.</em> Lilith opened the door and entered the room. She flinched when she saw Kang-Woo out of his bed. She quickly ran toward him and grabbed his arm.

    You shouldnt be up yet. Rest for a little longer, she remarked.

    No, Im fine now. Kang-Woo shook his head as he casually moved around.

    Lilith touched his arm with a worried expression. Are you really alright? Youre not pushing yourself again, are you?

    Kang-Woo smirked and answered, I told you, Im fine.

    Lilith sighed deeply. Jeez Youre making my life so hard, my king. Your life isnt yours alone anymore, you know?

    What does that mean?

    It means that if you die, Ill die with you, Lilith replied calmly.

    It sounded insane, but not a single ounce of madness could be heard in Liliths voice; it was calm as if it was natural.

    Thats a bit Kang-Woo slurred.

    Do you think Seol-Ah wouldnt? Lilith asked.

    Kang-Woo remained silent. Lilith aside, Han Seol-Ah would most definitely choose death dly without hesitation if Kang-Woo were to die or disappear.

    Im sure Balrog and Echidna would do the same, Lilith expressed.

    Come on, I doubt Echidna would.

    Are you sure about that?

    He was not. Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and nodded. Okay, fine. Im sorry.

    Kang-Woo knew that he had many things on his shoulders, as well as that they would alle crumbling down if he were to die.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woo turned his head in sorrow. If a time came when he needed to risk his life again, what would he do? There was no need to even think about it.

    <em>I would risk my life again.</em>

    As he always had.

    Lilith stared at Kang-Woo sadly. She sighed deeply and shook her head.

    Come to think of it, did anything in particr happen while I was in bed? Hows Iris? Kang-Woo asked.

    She hasnt awakened as an incarnation yet. As for while you were still asleep Nothing except that Uriel and Michael came to visit.

    Really?

    Yes. Oh, and Uriel said to tell you to call him as soon as you wake up.

    Got it.

    Kang-Woo made a mental note to contact Uriel once he took care of all the urgent tasks. The signs of a high elfs manifestation had been confirmed, so he needed to release information about the Constetions of Evil to the angels to figure out what they were scheming and where.

    Any signs of the Constetions and Lucifers movements? Kang-Woo asked.

    None. Lilith shook her head.

    Kang-Woo frowned lightly.

    <em>Maybe I pushed them too far.</em>

    Kang-Woo would be able to find them only if they made their move, but it was difficult toy out his next n since they werent taking action at all.

    Oh. There was an odd urrence, Lilith mentioned.

    Odd how? Kang-Woo tilted his head.

    Well The streets of the empire are regaining their vitality. There are more people in the streets, and the frozen economy is beginning to go back to normal.

    Mm.

    Kang-Woo frowned. The citizens of Aernor, who had been plunged into fear, regaining their vitality could not be considered strange. It was not like fear could be extended for all of time, and people forgot about such emotions when they were busy enough getting by each day.

    <em>But</em>

    There was no way that Lilith wouldnt know that. If she thought that it was odd, it meant that the fear that had spread throughout the empire was disappearing at an abnormal rate.

    Would it mean that the peoples trust in Si-Hun has be that strong? Kang-Woo posed.

    Its more than possible. After all, rumors have already spread that Si-Hun had taken care of the thousands of wraiths that had appeared at the imperial pce all by himself.

    Kang-Woo stroked his chin. He doubted the guess despite posing it himself.

    <em>I mean, it doesnt matter anymore.</em>

    The conditions for the high elfs manifestation had already been fulfilled. There was no need to amplify peoples fear of Lucifer or to manipte information anymore. As long as the operation concluded smoothly, there was no need for him to take action.

    <em>That should be it, but</em>

    He felt unpleasant as if he had not wiped after taking a shit.

    <em>Somethings up.</em>

    Kang-Woo turned to Lilith and said, Look into that as well.

    Understood. Lilith bowed deeply. Please dont push yourself and rest a little longer. There might still be some side effects remaining.

    Lilith caressed Kang-Woos arm worryingly before turning to leave.

    Kang-Woo smiled and nodded. Okay.

    But of course, he had no intention of resting. After all, he had things to do.

    Haaa. Ill be excusing myself then, my king.

    Lilith sighed and turned around. <em>Click</em>. The door closed. After being left alone in the room, Kang-Woo did some light stretches and closed his eyes.

    <em>Lets see.</em>

    He was already bursting with anticipation. He meditated to see into himself and could see the Constetion of Fear devoured within the Demonic Sea. Unlike the Constetion of Agony, he was not conscious; he was simply floating on the surface, seemingly with no intellect as if he had be a mindless wraith.

    <em>Hopefully, Ill reach my Tenth Awakening this time.</em>

    He had only one more level to go to reach 90 and achieve his Tenth Awakening. Even if it had be extremely difficult for him to level up, there was no way that it wouldnt rise even by one level after devouring a god.

    <em>Im a bit anxious because of the broken characters earlier, though.</em>

    However, there was nothing that Kang-Woo could do about it. There was no way that he was able to interfere with the System, which had existed since the era of Titans, a past far before the era of myths.

    Now, then.

    Kang-Woo concentrated. He slowly melted the Deific Essence of the Constetion of Fear.

    Haaa, aaah.

    Sparks ran throughout his entire body. He could feel immense power being swallowed up by the ck sea.

    [You have absorbed the Constetion of Fears Deific Essence!]

    [The absorbed Deific Essence is partially lifting the Systems restrictions.]

    [Your level cap has risen from 89 to 93.]

    [You have achieved your Tenth Awakening. A new Trait will be granted!]

    <em>Hell yeah.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled. Thankfully, he had managed to avoid a scenario where he was not given a Tenth Awakening Trait. The message windows continued.

    [Converting the absorbed deathly energy into demonic energy.]

    [Demonic Energy has risen by 5.]

    [Demonic Energy has reached 172. You can now use more of the demonic energy from the Abyss.]

    Very nice.

    He had not expected his Demonic Energy stat to rise since the Constetion of Fear used a different form of energy entirely, but it had risen regardless. Kang-Woo opened and closed his fists while smiling in satisfaction. Possibly because he had risen to soaring heights, he could not feel a significant increase in power just because he had acquired more demonic energy.

    <em>Ill still take it.</em>

    If he was able to use more demonic energy freely, it also meant that he would be able to use more demonic energy when he needed to take risks. It was not bad at all. Not just that, a rise in his Demonic Energy stat had not been his primary goal in the first ce.

    Lets see what my Tenth Awakening Tr

    Just as he was about to open his status window excitedly, another blue window popped up in front of him.

    [You have acquired the Tenth Awakening Trait Deific Essence Usurpation.]

    [As per the Trait, you can obtain a portion of the Deific Essence you absorb.]

    [You have notpleted Road to Bing a Demon God yet. Downgrading the absorbed Deific Essence.]

    Hm?

    Kang-Woos eyes widened. He had acquired a Trait that would allow him to take the Deific Essence that he had absorbed as his own. Although the Deific Essence had been downgraded because the quest <em>Road to Bing a Demon God</em> had not beenpleted yet, the implications of the Trait were highly impactful.

    <em>Acquiring Deific Essence means that Ill be able to use Divinity.</em>

    Finally!

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists. He had experienced firsthand how unfair and illogical a battle against a being with Divinity was while he did not possess Divinity. Although he had managed to ovee the difference with his absurd amount of demonic energy, it did not change the fact that it was an extremely inefficient battle. Kang-Woo stared at the message window with shining eyes.

    [You have acquired Lower Intermediate-rank Deific Essence via the Trait Deific Essence Usurpation.]

    <em>Lower Intermediate, huh?</em>

    It was insanely low, considering he had devoured three Constetions of Evil. It seemed like the penalty for not havingpleted the <em>Road to Bing a Demon God</em> quest seemed to be higher than expected.

    <em>Regardless</em>

    Considering how ignorantly he had fought gods so far without having Deific Essence, it was a massive improvement.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    A foreign power that Kang-Woo had never felt before filled him up. It felt familiar for some reason.

    <em>This is</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. It was familiar to the unknown power that had sealed his Ten Thousand Demon Core via the Gaia System.

    A power that can interfere with the <em>providence</em>, huh?

    Kang-Woo felt the power of Divinity circting within him with sparkling eyes.

    <em>m!</em>

    K-Kang-Woo?

    Before Kang-Woo even had a chance to test it out, La barged into his room. Possibly because she had been with the other party members, Seol-Ah, Kim Si-Hun, Cha Yeon-Joo, and the others were behind her.

    What was

    She was looking at Kang-Woo in disbelief. She seemed to have felt the energy of Kang-Woo acquiring Deific Essence because she was Gaias incarnation.

    Kang-Woo turned toward La. Just then, another message window popped up in front of him.

    [A Deific Name most apt for yer Oh Kang-Woo will be granted due to the yers acquisition of Deific Essence.]

    <em>Deific Name? Is it like the names </em>Constetion of Agony<em> and </em>Corruption<em> or whatever?</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the message with great interest.

    <em>I wonder what Ill get? It probably wont be Demon God since I haventpleted the quest yet. God of Predation? God of the Demonic Sea?</em>

    [Granting yer Oh Kang-Woo the Deific Name God of Lies.]

    What the fuck?

    God of Lies?

    <em>What the fuck are you on about?</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned in displeasure.

    <em>What do you mean, God of Lies? Ive never once lied in my life. What a fucking joke.</em>

    Kang-Woo Did you perhaps acquire Deific Essence? La asked with a trembling voice.

    Kang-Woo nodded without hesitation and replied, Yes, I have. The system message says that Im the God of Splendor.

    [Granting yer Oh Kang-Woo the Deific Name God of Lies.]

    Haha. God of Splendor Its a bit embarrassing.

    [Granting yer Oh Kang-Woo the Deific Name God of Lies!]

    It must be because Lady Gaia chose me as the Protector of Light.

    [Granting yer Oh Kang-Woo the Deific Name God of Lies!!!]

    Kang-Woo looked at the blinding golden light pouring out from himself as if he were in disbelief.

    I never knew that light was so warm.

    Kang-Woo smiled while lightly touching his shining gold body.

 Chapter 386: God of Splendor (2)

    Chapter 386: God of Splendor (2)

    I I cant believe it.

    La stared at Oh Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly. Deific Essence was usually an innate quality. It hade to be back when Titans had created gods in the very distant past, to grant them the power to interfere with the providence when taking care of the creations.

    There, of course, were Titans such as Demon God Bauli, who had granted Deific Essence to beings to drive all creations to extinction, but it did not change the fact that Deific Essence was granted by Titans.

    Is it that shocking that I acquired Deific Essence? Kang-Woo asked while tilting his head.

    He knew how difficult it was to acquire Deific Essence, but despite that, many enemies around him possessed it. Not just that, some beings who did not innately possess Deific Essence managed to acquire it, such as Lucifer.

    It is. Its extremely rare for someone who isnt an incarnation to acquire Deific Essence, La answered as if she couldnt believe what Kang-Woo was saying.

    Kang-Woos eyes shone with interest. Then that means its not unprecedented, right?

    Mm. There have been a few. La nodded with an awkward smile. There have been less than five urrences since the era of myths, though. La turned to look at Kim Si-Hun. Martial God Tian Taihuang, whose soul is within Si-Hun, was one of those urrences.

    Really? Si-Hun looked down at himself in surprise, having heard it for the first time.

    La nodded. Yes. Martial God Tian Taihuang was the disciple of Heavenly Dragon Tai Wuji. Since he was a human that the Heavenly Dragon himself raised, its not strange that he acquired Deific Essence. However, youre different, Kang-Woo.

    As far as La knew, Kang-Woo had not been raised or trained by anyone.

    Youve fought by yourself, risen by yourself, and even acquired Deific Essence by yourself. A case like yours ispletely unprecedented, La remarked.

    There was no being besides Kang-Woo since the era of myths who had risen to the top from the bottom. He did possess Gaias blessing, but La knew better than anyone else that one could not acquire Deific Essence simply by being blessed by a god.

    In any case, that means there have been beings that had acquired Deific Essence, Kang-Woo said.

    He smiled and looked away from La.

    <em>Risen by myself, huh? </em>Kang-Woo recalled what La had said. <em>Have I risen by myself?</em>

    He wasnt sure, since he had possessed the Authority of Predation ever since he had fallen into Hell. No matter how he thought about it, he had not started from the bottom in the truest sense.

    <em>But</em>

    That did not mean Kang-Woo had risen to where he was now with just the Authority granted to him; he was at least sure that no one else could be like him because he had not <em>only </em>acquired Divinity.

    <em>I</em>

    Kang-Woo possessed a dark, deep, and endless sea within him, which Deific Essence could neverpare to. He had been controlling and keeping it in check all this time. A god was nothing before that unending sea; even one of the Titans that had created those very gods had been imprisoned within the greatest depths of that sea. Kang-Woo had achieved far too much to say that he had risen to the top with someone elses power.

    Hyung-nim.

    Si-Hun was staring at Kang-Woo. His eyes were hazy and filled with sorrow, but only for a moment. Si-Hun hugged Kang-Woo while congratting him.

    Han Seol-Ah approached Kang-Woo and asked, How did you acquire Deific Essence?

    Well Im still a bit confused right now, so Ill exin in more detailter, Kang-Woo said to his party members, who had swarmed into his room.

    It had not even been ten minutes since he had be the God of Splendor. He was so curious about testing out the power that he did not have the leeway to do anything else.

    Oh Okay. I understand, Kang-Woo. Seol-Ah nodded in slight disappointment.

    The other party members were also dying to ask Kang-Woo all kinds of questions, but they decided to leave it forter.

    La said before turning around, Ill let Lady Gaia know about this.

    Her expression was bright as she said that. Whatever the reason, Kang-Woo bing the God of Splendor was worthy of celebration since a literal god had pretty much been added to their party. Kang-Woos existence would be the ray of light that would chase away the darkness that had befallen Aernor after the advent of Lucifer, the Lord of the Flies.

    Okay. Ill leave it to you, Kang-Woo replied.

    Phew. I honestly still cant believe it, La expressed.

    Haha. I might have be a god, but Im still nothingpared to Lady Gaia.

    It was more or less the truth since Gaia was far above him in terms of their Deific Essence ranks.

    Not necessarily. La shook her head with a smile. Those who acquire Deific Essence instead of being born with it barely receive any restrictions from the System. Considering that, you might have more influence over the System right now than Lady Gaia.

    That was the first time Kang-Woo was hearing of this. His eyes shone sharply.

    <em>Is that why the Constetions of Evil arent restricted by the System?</em>

    He was not sure about that, but the fact that he wouldnt be restricted by the System was wee news since it would be a problem if he wasnt able to use the power of Deific Essence that he had just earned.

    <em>ck.</em>

    The door closed. Kang-Woo sat down in a chair while humming.

    <em>Well, then.</em>

    He used the power of Divinity as his eyes shone like a child opening his Christmas present.

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    A formless energy that could not be detected with any sense spread throughout his body. The Divinity began to naturally mix with the enormous demonic energy within him.

    <em>Oh, this is pretty cool.</em>

    It was different from demonic energy, mana, and sacred power. Those three energies usually did not mix, especially demonic energy and sacred power. However, Divinity melted into the demonic energy as if the two energies had been one from the very beginning.

    <em>In the first ce, I cant do anything with just Divinity.</em>

    Unlike the other energies, Divinity itself did not trante to physical power. Demonic energy, mana, and sacred power were fundamentally the same because the manifestation of those powers resulted in a physical effect. Whether it be using Authorities with demonic energy, creating fire and ice with mana, or creating a spear of light with sacred power, the ultimate result was physical.

    To make aparison, it was like gunpowder. Guns, cannons, and missiles were all different, but they were the same in that they all used gunpowder and brought about a physical result. Although there was mind control magic and Authorities specialized in detection, they were a result of a physical manifestation of energy being used differently.

    Condensed demonic energy, mana, and sacred power were also tangible for a simr reason; a mountain of gunpowder became a powerful weapon in its own right without needing to be processed. However, Divinity did not possess such physical qualities.

    <em>But once the Divinity mixes with demonic energy</em>

    Kang-Woo used an Authority to create a dark red spear. The spear that had been made using demonic energy imbued with Divinity contained immense power.

    <em>I guess its simr to an enhancer or auxiliary.</em>

    Kang-Woo lightly swung the spear imbued with Divinity joyfully. Just then, an unexpected result arose.

    <em>Hm?</em>

    The spear that was made with demonic energy was enveloped in golden light without Kang-Woo even having intended for it. No, that wasnt the only anomaly.

    What?

    He could not feel the demonic energy at all. Not a single ounce of demonic energy was flowing out of the spear; it was to the point that even Kang-Woo himself had been fooled.

    <em>What the hell?</em>

    He looked down at himself in surprise. He bit open his thumb to confirm something. Despite not having used the Authority of Coloring, <em>red </em>blood was flowing out from his finger.

    Hah, Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>It even has an effect like this?</em>

    It felt as if his active skills had turned into passive skills. Of course, once he willed himself that he did not want to hide his demonic energy, the golden light disappeared, and the dark energy took its ce.

    Wow, Kang-Woo expressed.

    <em>I guess thats the God of Splendor for ya.</em>

    Golden light naturally poured out of him without even needing to use Authorities just because Divinity was mixed into the demonic energy. It made his life so much easier.

    [Granting yer Oh Kang-Woo the Deific Name God of Lies]

    Lets see. Since Im the God of Splendor now, I should make some skills that fit the title.

    Kang-Woo fell into thought while stroking his chin.

    [The System has identified an error.]

    [The detected error does not exist.]

    [The Deific Name of yer Oh Kang-Woo is God of Lies!]

    No, mboyant skills might degrade my status as the God of Splendor.

    Kang-Woo turned around after having made up his mind.

    [It is God of Lies!]

    Lets just go with naturally exuding faint amounts of power.

    Kang-Woo enveloped himself in faint brilliant light and walked off.

    [Its God of Lies, you motherf]

    <em>Fwish.</em>

    Kang-Woo waved the annoying blue window away.

    ***

    A man with a hideous diagonal sh scar on his face was sitting cross-legged in the darkness. He was thinking with his eyes closed.

    <em>That monster</em>

    The terrifying monster looked as if it had been born from the Demonic Sea itself. Tai Wujis mind was scrambled whenever he thought about that monster, but it was not just the monsters power that was making his thoughts so convoluted.

    <em>How did he use the Heavenly Dragon Sword Technique?</em>

    That monster had used the sword technique that he had never taught to anyone else but his disciple.

    <em>It wasughably terrible, but It was without a doubt the Heavenly Dragon Sword Technique.</em>

    Not only that, it was good enough that it couldnt have been performed without someones teachings.

    Silence fell. Tai Wuji turned to look at the boy with nk eyes. Constetion of Nightmares.

    Mm, the boy replied.

    Check if there is someone with the soul of Tian Taihuang near the monster.

    Tai Wuji mentioned the name of the dear disciple that he had raised, taught, and killed with his own hands.

 Chapter 387: Beauty Trap (1)

    Chapter 387: Beauty Trap (1)

    A man was sitting cross-legged on top of a hill of red sand amidst aridnd where no life could be felt. He slowly stood up and unsheathed the sword strapped to his waist. Dark blue mes eerily traveled up from the base to the tip.

    Huup.

    Tai Wuji took a deep breath and recalled an image of his enemy. A monster made of ck mucus appeared out of nowhere on top of the hill of red sand.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    The monster was so disfigured that it looked like y-Doh squashed by a child. Sharp teeth could be seen within his smiling mouth.

    <em>He does not die.</em>

    Tai Wuji fell into thought as his sword zed with dark blue mes. He was thinking about how to kill the monster that he had seen.

    <em>He didnt die even after Ipletely vaporized him.</em>

    It was impossible; even a god possessing Deific Essence would die if their physical body was destroyed, and the same went for wraiths that possessed a spiritual form like the Constetion of Fear. There was no being that could survive after the physical vessel that held their Deific Essence was annihted.

    <em>In other words</em>

    The source of his power did note from his physical body, but somece else.

    Huuu, Tai Wuji sighed deeply.

    No matter how much he guessed what the reason could be, it was meaningless unless he thought of a countermeasure.

    <em>He does not die.</em>

    Not only was he unkible, but the monster possessed a weapon so powerful that it could easily tear apart protection made with Divinity.

    <em>How about sealing?</em>

    Tai Wuji shook his head. The monster had devoured the Constetion of Fear whole; there was no way that he could seal such a monster. They would need as much power as what Seraph had used to seal the Constetions of Evil at the cost of her own Deific Essence, but there was no one among the Constetions with that powerful of a sealing ability. The monster couldnt be killed, ignored, or sealed. There was practically no way to deal with him.

    <em>No, wait.</em>

    Tai Wuji narrowed his eyes and recalled the memories of his battle against the monster again.

    Why did he fall back?

    He had not thought about it because of the state of things at the time, but the monster had surely avoided a battle against him.

    Tai Wuji frowned. He couldnt understand why a monster crazed enough to swallow the entire world whole would suddenly fall back.

    <em>Because I used the Constetion of Fear as bait?</em>

    That was a possibility; Tai Wuji had nned to escape from the monster while he was focused on the Constetion of Fear. However

    <em>He fell back too easily.</em>

    The monster had epted Tai Wujis offer as if he had been waiting for it. Thinking about it in hindsight, it was certainly strange.

    He may not bepletely immortal.

    Tai Wuji shook his head again. There was no way to describe someone who could survive their entire physical form being vaporized as other thanpletely immortal. That was likely not the issue.

    <em>Maybe</em> Tai Wuji gripped his sword handle in deep thought. <em>... It is his mind that isntpletely immortal.</em>

    The monster had initially possessed full intelligence, but after he had regenerated just from a single drop of blood, Tai Wuji could only feel madness from the monster.

    <em>His mind is degraded the more he regenerates.</em>

    If that was the case, the monsters iprehensible actions made sense.

    <em>He was weaker than me in all aspects.</em>

    Tai Wuji was sure of that one thing. It would be no issue for him to kill that monster multiple times over if he wanted to, but he had fallen back regardless because the monster did not die.

    His mind

    That was likely the key to facing that monster. Tai Wuji fell into thought again while gripping his sword. He recalled the monster again and again, analyzing the monsters gaze, actions, speech, and voice with his transcendent senses. Tai Wuji opened his eyes after some time, shining sharply.

    <em>Im sure of it.</em>

    The more the monster regenerated, the more he lost control over himself. Madness and desire would take the ce of his degraded sense of reason and intelligence.

    A smile appeared on Tai Wujis expressionless face. The monster was not unkible; even if it was an immortal being that would endlessly regenerate, there was a limit to it.

    <em>His weakness is his mind.</em>

    He gripped his sword tighter. The vanity he had felt when facing the monster as if he was looking into an endless abyss, had disappeared. Since he had figured out the monsters weakness, there was only one thing he needed to do next.

    If his mind is his weakness

    Tai Wuji would just need to kill the monster over and over again until his mind was destroyed, reducing him into nothing but a mindless beast.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    The dark blue mes enveloping the sword flickered. The imaginary monster made of ck mucus in front of Tai Wuji bared its teeth. He swung his sword at the monster, slicing it up into dozens of pieces, but it regenerated in a sh.

    Huuu, Tai Wuji inhaled.

    He drew out Qi from his dantian and swung his sword again, slicing the monster countless times. The monster repeated the cycle of being shed and regenerating. A small amount of the monsters blood got on Tai Wuji while he was swinging his sword.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    Excruciating pain traveled from where the blood sshed. Although the enemy had been made using Tai Wujis imagination, the injury he had suffered was real. Enemies created using his transcendent senses were both imaginary and real at the same time, at least to Tai Wuji himself. If he allowed himself to be attacked by the imaginary enemy, his brain would register the attack as real and inflict injury on his body. If he allowed himself to be fatally wounded, he would die.

    Hup.

    Tai Wuji cut off the portion of his body with blood sshed on it without hesitation. If he did not do so, that blood would feast on him endlessly. The blood containing countless teeth fell to the ground. Tai Wuji scanned the monster after widening the distance; the monster was still moving fine.

    Heavenly Dragon Rampage.

    The countless shes tore the monster apart. An endless cycle of death and regeneration continued. The monsters movements slowly turned simple. Its sense of reason had disappeared, and only madness remained.

    <em>Kiiihhh</em>

    The movements of the monster with no intelligence were simple. It began to eat everything around it, driven by madness.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Dark blue mes set the monster aze. The monster that had lost its reason began to devour itself. It broke down and copsed.

    Tai Wuji sighed deeply.

    He sheathed his sword and lifted the concentration that he had maintained to the point that his brain was overloading. The copsing demon disappeared from before his eyes.

    Its not easy.

    Tai Wuji looked down at himself. He was covered in wounds. It was certainly difficult to kill an endlessly regenerating immortal monster without rest.

    <em>I need an easier way to gnaw at his mind.</em>

    Tai Wuji narrowed his eyes.

    Tai Wuji.

    Just then, a boy with nk eyes approached him while dragging his feet. Tai Wuji turned around. In the boys hand was a ck object pulsing as if it was alive, the Demon Gods legacy.

    What is it? Tai Wuji asked.

    The Demon Gods legacy is absorbing fear.

    What?

    Tai Wuji frowned. The Constetion of Fears n had failed; fear was surely directed at Lucifer instead of the Demon God.

    What happened? Tai Wuji asked.

    The boy shook his head. I dont know.

    Tai Wuji remained silent. If the Constetion of Nightmares did not know, there was no way for him to know.

    But there are traces of interference, the boy mentioned.

    Interference?

    Yeah, but I dont know who.

    Silence fell. Tai Wuji took the Demon Gods legacy that the boy handed him. The pulsing darkness was aggressively absorbing the negative emotions spread throughout the continent.

    <em>I dont know what happened, but</em>

    The growth of the Demon Gods legacy was a good thing. Tai Wuji ced the Demon Gods legacy in his pocket.

    <em>I have one more card to y against that monster now.</em>

    Not even that monster would be a match for him once the Demon Gods legacy was perfected.

    And I finished investigating the human that possesses Tian Taihuangs soul, the boy remarked.

    Tai Wujis eyes brightened. Who is it?

    Kim Si-Hun.

    By Kim Si-Hun, you mean

    Yeah. Gaias retainer. The same as Oh Kang-Woo.

    Tai Wuji remained silent as the gears in his head turned at a rapid rate. The monster posing as Gaias retainer, and the human that had inherited Tian Taihuangs soul It was by no means a coincidence that they used the same martial arts.

    <em>This is</em>

    Tai Wuji lightly clenched his fists. He could strongly feel that there was something about it that would be able to affect the monsters weakness, his mind.

    <em>Not bad.</em>

    Tai Wuji nodded expressionlessly. His bitter loss had been a blessing in disguise, as he was gaining clues to victory one by one.

    <em>You wont be able to forget, even if you wanted to.</em>

    The monsters voice echoed in Tai Wujis mind. Thick bloodlust poured out from Tai Wuji.

    <em>Of course</em>

    He never intended to forget in the first ce. He had been sharpening the de of revenge in his mind all this time. Tai Wuji passed the boy and walked down from the hill of red sand as he organized the n that he had thought of.

    <em>To make contact with Kim Si-Hun, I have to divert the monsters attention.</em>

    However, that was easier said than done. Tai Wuji fell into thought as he walked.

    Hm?

    Just then, a woman came into his view. It was Proserpine, the elf with braided blue-violet hair, the god of subuses, as well as the being with the Deific Name <em>Constetion of Lust</em>. She was nkly staring into nothingness.

    <em>Shes been like that ever since back then.</em>

    After meeting the monster, Proserpine was killing time while postponing her mission to infiltrate the ranks of the elves.

    What is it? Tai Wuji asked in a low voice.

    Proserpine looked away from the nothingness and at Tai Wuji. She snorted and turned away. None of your business.

    I dont think you have any right to say that when youre acting in a way that makes it my business.

    Proserpine bit her lip. She looked away from Tai Wuji and stared into the nk space again. Her thoughts were full of the terrifying monster.

    <em>Who could it be?</em>

    <em>Ba-dump, ba-dump.</em>

    Her heart beat rapidly. An inexplicable feeling of fear and desire intertwined whenever she thought of the monster.

    Proserpine sighed heatedly.

    Just like the suspension bridge effect, her fear of the monster was turning into feelings of love as more time passed.

    <em>I want to</em> Proserpine licked her lips as she grew more aroused.<em> ... Have a taste of him.</em>

    The goddess of lust recalled the monster as her eyes filled with desire.

    Hah, Tai Wuji chuckled as he stared at Proserpine. Then, he thought of an idea. I have a favor to ask.

    Hm? What favor? Proserpine frowned in annoyance.

    Tai Wuji exined his n.

    So youre telling me to divert that monsters attention, right? Proserpine confirmed momentster.

    Yes.

    Hmm.

    Proserpines eyes shone. Her initial annoyance was nowhere to be found, reced with anticipation to the point that she was panting heatedly.

    Do you think you can do it? Tai Wuji asked.

    Do you even have to ask?

    He is strong.

    Tai Wuji would be able to, but Proserpine couldnt face that monster by herself.

    Fufu, Proserpine giggled. Who do you think I am?

    She slowly stood up and released lustful energy. Her blue-violet hair soared into the sky and turned into squirming ck tentacles. Her skin was split, revealing eight eyes. She smiled seductively as she licked the pus flowing out the ends of her tentacles.

    Why would the goddess of lust fight with her fists? Ill seduce that monster with my unparalleled beauty.

 Chapter 388: Beauty Trap (2)

    Chapter 388: Beauty Trap (2)

    It had been a week since Oh Kang-Woo had be the God of Splendor. Since then, Kang-Woo has focused on getting used to controlling the power of Divinity.

    "Huuu,¡± Kang-Woo took a deep breath.

    He slowly raised his right arm, and the Key of the Demonic Sea began to turn into a shining golden sword. Satan would not be able to close his mouth from the shock if he were toe back from the dead and see this. After all, it was a replica of Satan¡¯s Hell Armament <em>Wrath </em>except that it was shining gold. No, its form wasn¡¯t the only simr thing.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    Space itself was severed along the path of the sword¡¯s swing and then closed back up. The demonic energy mixed with Divinity had torn apart space itself. Not only did the two swords look the same, but the energies that they exuded were also almost identical. No, since it contained Divinity, Kang-Woo¡¯s sword contained far more energy than Satan¡¯s Hell Armament.

    <em>¡®Well, even so... It wouldn¡¯t be of much use against that guy.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked. No matter how powerful the sword was, the Constetion of Despair possessed martial arts that Kang-Woo could not surpass. He would not be able to win with weapons.

    "It should be about time he took action.¡±

    Kang-Woo transformed the Key of the Demonic Sea back into a ring. He had no intention of avoiding a fight against the Constetion of Despair just because he didn¡¯t stand a chance in a battle with weapons. Rather, he could barely sleep from the anticipation of being able to fight him soon.

    <em>¡®It was so fun.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s battle with the Constetion of Despair had been so fun that the desires he had been suppressing until now felt like they had been nothing. He had realized his limit; he had used every ounce of his strength and even went as far as to open one of the Doors, but he couldn¡¯t even imagine defeating the Constetion of Despair.

    "Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed ecstatically.

    His heart was beating like crazy. How long had it been since he had faced an opponent that he had an utterly miniscule chance of winning against? It was only the third urrence, the first being when he had first fallen into Hell, and the second time being when he had first met Bael.

    "For God¡¯s sake, this is driving me insane.¡±

    Kang-Woo tightly held his trembling hands into a fist. It felt like he was in love at first sight. The desire that had been lit within him was zing to the point that he could barely handle it. Kang-Woo thought about the Constetion of Despair¡¯s face like some lovesick teenage girl.

    Balrog was misunderstanding something. He thought that Kang-Woo had reluctantly fought against the Constetions by himself for the sake of hisrades under the guise that he couldn¡¯t hold back his desire.

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    "People would think I¡¯m a fucking saint if they didn¡¯t know any better.¡±

    Kang-Woo snickered. It was partly the truth; he did not want to see Kim Si-Hun, Han Seol-Ah, Balrog, and all of his other party members getting hurt. He did not even want to imagine them dying. However, he did not reluctantly stand on the battlefield by himself like some shonen manga protagonist; he was not that kind of person.

    <em>¡®You could say that two of my objectives ovepped, or that it was like killing two birds with one stone.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wanted to fight against a Constetion of Evil, and he wanted to experience his limit. He wanted to let his zing desire take control and rampage to his heart¡¯s content. He could have held it in, but he didn¡¯t.

    It was just like going on a diet. People knew that they wouldn¡¯t die even if they didn¡¯t eat unhealthy foods, but they let their desire take control over them and eat to their heart¡¯s content. It was not that they weren¡¯t able to hold themselves back, but because they purposefully didn¡¯t.

    Kang-Woo was the same. He wanted to eat until his stomach burst as a reward for suppressing his desire for all this time. That was why he had fought a Constetion of Evil by himself, unencumbered by anything or anyone, to devour to his heart¡¯s content.

    <em>¡®Because there will be times in the future when I don¡¯t want to hold myself back but have to.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly. He knew that the time woulde, and he had already made up his resolve for the day.

    <em>¡®One day...¡¯</em>

    A time woulde when there would no longer be prey that he would be satisfied with. Battles full of madness and desire that would drive him to his utmost limit would cease to exist. He was not talking about world peace; one day, he would be so powerful that there would no longer be any enemy that would be able to fire him up.

    <em>¡®I think it took me about three or four years to get to this point.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the day that he returned to Earth after his power was sealed by the Gaia System. It had not even been five years since then. In that short time, he had grown absurdly powerful to the point that his past self back when he ruled over the Nine Hells felt cute.

    Although Kang-Woo had received help from the System and hade across several lucky urrences, it had been ultimately all him. Even now, he was getting stronger at an uncontroble rate.

    <em>¡®The Demonic Sea is getting bigger.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had already devoured three Constetions of Evil. Even after his return to Earth, he had easily devoured over thousands of demons and demonic beasts. No, the deciding factor was that he had devoured one of the three corpses of the Demon God. It would have been weirder if the Demonic Sea had not grownrger.

    <em>¡®No, it¡¯s not just that.¡¯</em>

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    Kang-Woo looked down at himself with sunken eyes. He hade to learn something new after acquiring Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®Even if I don¡¯t use the Authority of Predation...¡¯</em>

    The Demonic Sea was expanding all on its own as if space itself was expanding. Kang-Woo was confident that he would be able to control the endlessly growing Demonic Sea since his demonic energy control was also rising.

    <em>¡®The problem is that at this rate...¡¯</em>

    There would no longer be any prey that would be able to fire him up. His desires would not be sated, and he would only be left with an endless void. He was already prepared for it and was even confident that he would be able to endure it. He just wanted to, at the very least, experience things that would give him stimtion and allow him to reach his limits a few more times.

    <em>¡°You know, my king...¡±</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled Lilith¡¯s voice. She had once said this to him in an extremely angry voice.

    <em>¡°You¡¯re like a moth to a me.¡±</em>

    He had no idea where she had learned a phrase like that when moths didn¡¯t even exist in Hell. He couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    "I can¡¯t argue with that. I did manage to get through a lot of life-threatening moments.¡±

    Back when the Demonic Sea had first been formed, Kang-Woo had been on the boundary between life and death every millisecond of each day. Even after he had formed the Ten Thousand Demon Core to be able to contain the Demonic Sea, he had willingly put himself on the brink of death several times through the repeated use of molting. After getting used to molting, he began to open the Doors entirely. He had managed to just barely survive so many times that he would not be able to say anything even if Lilith were to p him.

    <em>¡®Well, even if I were to redo things...¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would not change a thing.

    He lightly shook off the dirt on him and turned around. Aftering out of the forest that he had gone in to train, he headed to the imperial pce.

    "Ah, Kang-Woo!¡± Seol-Ah greeted him with a smile as soon as she saw him and walked up to him. ¡°Are you done with your training?¡±

    "Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo nodded.

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    His training to be able to use Divinity was mostlyplete. It had not been that difficult since Divinity acted like an enhancer or auxiliary to another form of energy, so all he needed to do was check how much stronger his attacks became.

    "Where are Si-Hun and Balrog?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    "They¡¯re still training.¡±

    "Still? They¡¯ve been at it since dawn.¡±

    After the previous incident, they had been abnormally obsessed with training.

    "Well...¡± Seol-Ah slurred as she smiled bitterly.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>¡®I should have a word with them.¡¯</em>

    Although he was not one to talk, training to abnormal degrees was not good for one¡¯s body. They would do better to train in moderation.

    "Huh? You¡¯re back, Kang-Woo?¡± Cha Yeon-Joo said as she walked toward him.

    Her hair was also damp as if she had been training until just now. Her hair, wet with sweat, clinging to her nape looked oddly sexy.

    "What?¡± Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo.

    She covered her chest, misunderstanding Kang-Woo¡¯s gaze.

    Kang-Woo chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to even hi

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Yeon-Joo kicked him in the balls at the speed of light. Kang-Woo was able to dodge, but he purposefully got hit since he felt like dodging would be a bad idea.

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    "Ack!¡± Yeon-Joo was the one to copse instead of Kang-Woo while grabbing her shin. She red at Kang-Woo fiercely. ¡°You goddamn monster...¡±

    Yeon-Joo bit her lip in frustration after seeing that Kang-Woo was perfectly fine after being kicked in the balls. Rather, Seol-Ah was far more shocked.

    "A-Are you okay, Kang-Woo?!¡± Seol-Ah reached out to him in pallor.

    Kang-Woo bent his hips backward to dodge her hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine, darling.¡±

    <em>¡®Rather, it won¡¯t be fine if you touch it.¡¯</em>

    "My, you¡¯re back earlier than expected. I thought you woulde back a littleter.¡± Even Lilith hade out to see him.

    "Divinity was easier to control than expected,¡± Kang-Woo answered while shrugging.

    Yeon-Joo spat on the ground. ¡°That aside, your Deific Name <em>God of Splendor</em>... What¡¯s up with that?¡±

    "What¡¯s wrong with it?¡±

    "I thought you¡¯d be something like the <em>God of Lies</em> because you lie every chance you get.¡±

    "What do you take me for?¡± Kang-Woo shook his head at the absurdity.

    There was no way he was something like the God of Lies.

    <em>Riiing, riiing.</em>

    <em>¡®What the fuck is it this time? Give it a rest already.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo swiped away the blue window in front of him without even looking at its contents.

    "But honestly, I still can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve be a god... You look the same as always,¡± Yeon-Joo remarked as she scanned Kang-Woo from head to toe.

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    The overpowering pressure that one would feel from a god could not be felt at all in Kang-Woo. No one would have been able to tell that Kang-Woo had acquired Deific Essence or whatever it was if it hadn¡¯t been for La.

    "I mean, gods are different from our notion of them,¡± Kang-Woo responded with a smile.

    Omnipotent gods that one normally associated with the word <em>god </em>were different from gods that possessed Deific Essence. They were not omnipotent or omniscient; they simply possessed the unorthodox power known as Divinity.

    "So, does our great God of Splendor n on choosing any apostles?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    "Why? You wanna be one?¡±

    "Can I be as strong as Kim Si-Hun if I be an apostle?¡±

    "You¡¯ll have to call me oppa in exchange.¡±

    "Fuck off. Forget it.¡± Yeon-Joo turned her head while grimacing in disgust.

    Kang-Woo snickered. To be honest, he had no idea how to make someone his apostle. No, even if he could, he had no intention of making anyone his apostle.

    <em>¡®Besides, it¡¯s not like Yeon-Joo will be as strong as Si-Hun even if she bes my apostle.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun had not be that powerful because he was Gaia¡¯s retainer. His talent far exceeded even that of Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®If any of them were to acquire Divinity after me, it would be Si-Hun.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled while thinking about Si-Hun.

    "Right, Master Kang-Woo. Could you tell me about those Constetions of Evil in more detail? I can¡¯t seem to get a lead on them,¡± Lilith asked.

    Kang-Woo nodded and answered, ¡°The man known as the Constetion of Despair was a middle-aged man with arge diagonal sh scar on his face.¡±

    He slowly exined everything about the Constetion of Despair whom he had seen that day.

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    "Didn¡¯t you say that there was a woman as well?¡± asked Seol-Ah, who had been listening in silence, her eyes narrowing.

    Kang-Woo nodded. ¡°Yeah. Her name was Proserpine, but I don¡¯t know what Constetion she is.¡±

    "Hmm.¡± Seol-Ah looked at Kang-Woo with sunken eyes. ¡°Was she pretty?¡±

    "Oh, yeah. Extremely pretty.¡± Kang-Woo casually nodded.

    The Proserpine whom he had seen back then had possessed blinding beauty.

    <em>¡®First and foremost, she¡¯s an elf.¡¯</em>

    It was an irrevocable rule that elves needed to be beautiful.

    <em>¡®But why are subuses so fucking...¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was getting a headache just thinking about it. He trembled as his trauma came back to him.

    "She was pretty?¡± Seol-Ah asked.

    "That¡¯s the first I¡¯m hearing of it,¡± Lilith stated.

    "Hmph, I guess her mid was pretty strong, unlike a certain person,¡± Yeon-Joo remarked.

    <em>¡®Huh?¡¯</em>

    The three women were ring at him quite fiercely.

    "No, I mean...¡± Kang-Woo looked at the three women as if he was being falsely used.

    <em>¡®What¡¯s wrong with calling a pretty woman pretty?¡¯</em>

    \x3C!--sse-->\x3C!--/sse-->

    "She was pretty, but

    "Hohoho, that¡¯s no question.¡±

    Just as Kang-Woo was about to continue, a woman¡¯s voice cut him off. Kang-Woo turned to the source of the voice, and saw...

    "No.¡±

    ... Tentacles. ck tentaclesing out from all over the body, eight eyes, and green pus flowing out from the ends of the tentacles.

    "What?¡±

    <em>¡®Who the fuck are you?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared while trembling at the woman who had appeared out of nowhere.

    "K-Kang-Woo...?¡± Seol-Ah stared at him with shaking eyes. She continued in pallor, ¡°Is your fetish... N-No, such a thing...¡±

    Tears were gathering at the corners of Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes.

    "No,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t have that kind of fetish.¡¯</em>

    "Hah! Master Kang-Woo! What about that unsightly bitch is pretty?¡± Lilith yelled nonsensically.

    "She¡¯s not pretty,¡± Kang-Woo said.

    "Please take a good look! Her tentacles are ck!!¡±

    "I said she¡¯s not pretty.¡±

    "Hmph, her tentacles are dry, and there¡¯s no gloss to them whatsoever! And most of all...!¡±

    "Fucking listen to me.¡±

    "She only has eight eyes!!¡±

    "No shit.¡±

 Chapter 389: Beauty Trap (3)

    Chapter 389: Beauty Trap (3)

    "Hmm. You look surprisingly normal usually. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re the same monster as back then.¡± Proserpine scanned Oh Kang-Woo from head to toe while licking her lips with her snakelike tongue.

    She could no longer see the hideous monster that looked as if it had manifested straight out of a nightmare. Rather, he was faintly exuding golden light, as what one would normally expect from the Protector of Light.

    <em>¡®But...¡¯</em>

    Proserpine smiled widely. She knew very well that the monster had only be the Protector of Light by deceiving Gaia. She had seen with her own eyes the hideous and terrifying monster hidden under that unattractive human shell.

    <em>¡®Really...¡¯</em>

    Proserpine trembled. She couldn¡¯t forget about it no matter how much she tried. The monster made of viscous mucus, and the countless mouths deep within the darkness... The image of the monster that looked as if it had been born from the Demonic Sea that the Demon God had searched desperately for back in the era of myths had been engraved into her brain.

    "Haaa,¡± Proserpine exhaled heatedly.

    She became aroused. Although she had been granted Deific Essence by the Demon God, she was a subus in nature; one so powerful that she was known as the goddess of lust. She had been forgotten among the subuses because she had been sealed by Seraph for a long time, but her instincts did not go anywhere.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure it would feel wonderful... if I make love to that monster.¡¯</em>

    Subuses charmed their prey with their unparalleled beauty and illusion magic to make their prey fall in love with them. The slow extraction of life force from the prey that was madly in love with them was how subuses hunted. The stronger the prey, the more life force they possessed. Considering that, there was no better prey than the immortal monster in front of her.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll be able to feast on high-quality life force for the rest of my life.¡¯</em>

    Since the monster possessed abnormal regenerative capabilities, he would also possess infinite amounts of life force. Proserpine felt as if she had found an endless spring. She stared in arousal at the monster in human skin. She needed to make that monster fall in love with her to be supplied with infinite amounts of life force, and that was her specialty.

    "Hmm. What do you think? This is my true form.¡± Proserpine swept back her ck tentacles while smiling seductively. Kang-Woo frowned miserably. ¡°Fufu. You seem to be lost for words at my beauty.¡±

    ¡°... I certainly am lost for words.¡± Kang-Woo grabbed his forehead as if he was having a headache.

    He was left so whished that he was lost for words.

    <em>¡®Why tentacles again?¡¯</em>

    Chilling fear traveled down his back as he recalled his trauma.

    "Urgh!¡± Lilith bit her lip anxiously.

    She had ridiculed Proserpine, but Proserpine was so blindingly beautiful that even Lilith was getting concerned.

    Lilith pulled on Kang-Woo¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Master Kang-Woo. I can¡¯t stand this.¡±

    "Wh-What?¡±

    Lilith proudly walked forward and turned back to her true form. Squirming green tentacles and eighteen eyes appeared.

    ¡°... Huh?¡± Proserpine stared at Lilith in bewilderment.

    She had never expected there to be another subus by the monster¡¯s side.

    "L-Lilith?¡±

    "Th-That¡¯s Lilith?¡±

    Han Seol-Ah and Cha Yeon-Joo were left in shock after seeing Lilith¡¯s true form for the first time. Lilith red at Proserpine while covering her mouth with one of her green tentacles.

    "How dare you covet my dear husband?¡± Lilith remarked.

    "Hmph. I don¡¯t know where a bitch like you came from, but this is none of your business. Why don¡¯t you scurry off somewhere else?¡± Proserpine said back.

    Their bloodlust shed in midair.

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo was left with his mouth agape, dumbfounded. He groaned in despair. ¡°Two tentacles...¡±

    He trembled. Just seeing those sticky tentacles caused his heart to beat aggressively and leave him in pallor.

    "Not one, but two...¡±

    Kang-Woo wept while staring at Lilith and Proserpine confronting each other. He felt like he hade back to the Ninth Hell.

    ¡°... Kang-Woo.¡± Seol-Ah became teary-eyed while looking at Kang-Woo. ¡°Was that... the case?¡±

    <em>¡®What? What¡¯s the case?¡¯</em>

    "Was I... not your type of woman?¡±

    <em>¡®What?¡¯</em>

    "What in the world are you talking about?¡± Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah in confusion.

    It was as if she was asking if his type of woman had been someone with tentacles this entire time.

    "Of course n

    "I¡¯m sorry for hiding it all this time, Seol-Ah.¡± Lilith grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s arm in sorrow. She continued as her tentacles squirmed, ¡°What Master Kang-Woo truly loves are... these tentacles.¡±

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not.¡¯</em>

    "I didn¡¯t have the heart to tell you all this time because you can never have them,¡± Lilith remarked.

    "N-No way...¡± Seol-Ah slurred.

    <em>¡®I said it¡¯s not.¡¯</em>

    "What the hell are you talking about?¡± Kang-Woo red at Lilith in frustration. ¡°When did I ever say that I liked tentacles?¡±

    He needed to hammer the nail in the coffin this time for sure.

    "I hate tentacles. Those multiple eyes and the pusing out from all over your body are nothing but hideous to me.¡± Kang-Woo continued while grabbing Lilith¡¯s shoulders, ¡°So, please... Please stop. You¡¯re far more beautiful in your Kurosaki Yurie form.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Lilith¡¯s expression stiffened. She became teary-eyed and lowered her head. ¡°R-Really?¡±

    "Yeah.¡±

    <em>¡®I swear on my mother¡¯s life. I mean, I¡¯m an orphan, but yeah.¡¯</em>

    "Hmph, don¡¯t lie.¡± Proserpine snorted.

    "Excuse me?¡± Kang-Woo said.

    <em>¡®Who are you to judge whether I¡¯m lying or not?¡¯</em>

    "This is nothing but a facade you¡¯re putting on, isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s no way a monster like you would like the form of ugly humans.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent and then looked toward Yeon-Joo. Lilith and Seol-Ah aside, Yeon-Joo barely knew anything about the truth.

    ¡°... Facade? What is she talking about?¡± Yeon-Joo asked while frowning.

    "She seems to know about my past,¡± Kang-Woo replied without hesitation.

    "Oh.¡±

    She hadpletely forgotten that Kang-Woo had been a demon before he had be the apostle of the God of Heroes.

    Yeon-Joo muttered as if she couldn¡¯t even imagine it, ¡°... Right. You spent ten millennia in Hell.¡±

    Ten millennia was such a long time that she couldn¡¯t even imagine what it would be like.

    "But wouldn¡¯t your tastes change if you lived that long?¡± Yeon-Joo asked while tilting her head.

    Kang-Woo cursed unbeknownst to himself. Even if he were to live for a hundred millennia, the day that he would be into tentacles would nevere.

    ¡°...¡± Seol-Ah¡¯s face froze.

    She reyed Yeon-Joo¡¯s words inside her head.

    <em>¡®If Kang-Woo has lived for ten millennia...¡¯</em>

    It wouldn¡¯t be strange at all for his values to change. He might find Lilith and Proserpine, whom Seol-Ah found to be hideous, to be beautiful beyond belief.

    <em>¡®He was also married to Lilith.¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah¡¯s doubts grewrger. Kang-Woo had spent almost a millennia with Lilith. There was no way that they would have been together for that long if he hated her. Seol-Ah bit her lip anxiously while having no idea about Kang-Woo¡¯s circumstances back then. The fear of Kang-Woo being taken away from her by someone else spread throughout her body.

    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah shook her head in pallor. Just the thought of Kang-Woo ending up with another woman made her feel nauseous. Her vision blurred, and an unbearable thirst suffocated her. Seol-Ah slowly turned to look at Proserpine, and the light in her eyes disappeared.

    <em>¡®She... has to die.¡¯</em>

    Proserpine was trying to take Kang-Woo from her. She couldn¡¯t be left to live. She needed to die in the worst possible way so that she could never covet Kang-Woo ever again. Seol-Ah needed to make her struggle under immense regret and despair.

    "Well, whatever the case, I have no interest in you, so bring me the other guy,¡± Kang-Woo said while shaking his head.

    It was true that he had no interest in Proserpine. Although she was a Constetion of Evil, she was the same as Lilith; she was not specialized inbat.

    <em>¡®I guess there¡¯s meaning in that I can absorb Deific Essence from her, but...¡¯</em>

    She did not look appetizing in the slightestpared to the Constetion of Despair.

    <em>¡®Anyway...¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes sharply. Whatever the reason was, a Constetion of Eviling here of their own ord was something to wee.

    <em>¡®Since I¡¯ll be able to squeeze some information out of her.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo lightly rolled his feet. An immense wave of golden energy pulsed from him and surrounded everything. Even if Proserpine was not specialized inbat, a battle against one that possessed Deific Essence could level the entire imperial capital if he did not put up a barrier.

    "Come on, what¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re scaring me,¡± Proserpine said seductively while winking at Kang-Woo. She turned to look at Lilith and said confidently, ¡°Is it because of that subus? Fufu, if that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no need to worry at all.¡±

    Lilith was also extremely beautiful, but she could not bepared to Proserpine herself. No, it wasn¡¯t only an issue of looks.

    "If you make love to me once... I¡¯ll bestow you with pleasure that you¡¯ll never be able to forget.¡±

    Proserpine slightly lowered her clothes to show off more of her purple shoulders and cleavage.

    ¡°... Urp.¡±

    Kang-Woo almost vomited out the kimchi stew that he had eaten this morning from Proserpine¡¯s seduction.

    <em>¡®Fuck.¡¯</em> He couldn¡¯t stand it much longer. <em>¡®I¡¯ll just apprehend her and squeeze all the information she has.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head as if he was sick and tired of this and extended his right hand, turning the Key of the Demonic Sea into the form of <em>Wrath</em>. He grabbed the two-meter greatsword with one hand with ease.

    ¡°... Hm?¡± Proserpine¡¯s eyes widened. She could feel Kang-Woo¡¯s clear hostility toward her. ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re quite shy.¡±

    Proserpine looked at Kang-Woo as if he was cute while smiling widely.

    "Shy, my ass,¡± Kang-Woo responded.

    He leaped toward Proserpine and swung the Key of the Demonic Sea down at her head. Proserpine¡¯s head split into two.

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo frowned and clicked his tongue. ¡°A clone, huh?¡±

    There was no way he would be able to kill a god that possessed Deific Essence with one strike, nor would Proserpine be immortal like Kang-Woo when he opened the Doors.

    ¡°... I can¡¯t believe you attacked me.¡±

    Proserpine, whose head had been split into two, turned into ck tentacles. Her face, which appeared amidst the tentacles, was dyed in shock, but only for a moment.

    "Fufu. How interesting.¡± Proserpine licked her lips in delight and said ecstatically, ¡°You¡¯re the first man to ever reject me.¡±

    She stared at Kang-Woo in anticipation as if she was thinking joyfully about how to make him hers.

    "I¡¯ll make you mine, no matter what.¡±

    Proserpine burst intoughter. The ck tentacles melted into the ground and disappeared.

    ¡°...¡± Seol-Ah stared at the disappearing clone while clenching her fists. ¡°You¡¯re going to... make Kang-Woo yours?¡±

    Chilling bloodlust lingered around her eyes. She bit her lip while gritting her teeth.

 Chapter 390: I Will Show You The Truth

    Chapter 390: I Will Show You The Truth

    ... What the hell just happened? Cha Yeon-Joo muttered.

    Proserpine had appeared and then disappeared in a sh, Lilith had revealed her true form for the very first time, and Oh Kang-Woos fetish that he had been hiding all this time had been exposed. Yeon-Joos head was hurting from overload.

    "No, Im not into tentacles. Kang-Woo flicked the panicking Yeon-Joo on the forehead.

    "Ack! Yeon-Joo shouted while gripping her forehead.

    Kang-Woo ignored her and stared at the area where Proserpine had disappeared from.

    <i>I dont know what she was thinking to confront me like this, but...</i>

    It was great for him.

    <i>Even if it was a clone, a part of it must have been connected to her main body to an extent for her to be able to control it.</i>

    It was the same concept as radio waves. Kang-Woo ced his hand on top of the area where the ck tentacles had melted down. He could feel traces of Proserpines demonic energy. He smiled.

    <i>This is more than enough of what I need to reverse track Proserpines location.</i>

    Of course, it would be impossible within normal standards. Proserpine specialized in nonbat magic like Lilith, and she had perfectly prepared for the possibility of being reverse-tracked. However...

    <i>I can do it.</i>

    Kang-Woos level of demonic energy control was far above logical limits. No matter how thoroughly she had prepared to conceal her whereabouts, as long as she had shown herself to him, it would be impossible for her to avoid his trace.

    <i>Rather, her preparations have made it easier for me.</i>

    Proserpine was likely thinking that there was no way Kang-Woo would be able to trace her, which was good for him. Having the upper hand in information meant that he would have the initiative. Considering how important it was to possess the initiative inbat, Proserpines error had granted Kang-Woo a priceless chance.

    ... North.

    Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes. The demonic energy connected via Proserpines clone was pointing north, at an area not far from SantAngelo.

    <i>Theyve been right under our noses.</i>

    He had never expected them to have been hiding out near the stronghold of the angels. The flow of demonic energy was suddenly cut off at a certain point. The trace of demonic energy disappeared as if space itself had been severed.

    <i>Tch. A barrier, eh?</i>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and took his hand off the ground. He had reverse-tracked demonic energy the length of about half of the entire continent, but he was not tired in the slightest.

    <i>Thats a bit of a problem.</i>

    The fact that he had no idea what the area being protected by a barrier was like inside was fairly bothersome. It waspletely different from when Kang-Woo had faced the Constetions of Evil at the imperial pce; the enemies had invaded his home turf back then, but this was theplete opposite. He needed more information.

    <i>It would be difficult to ambush if the area is protected by a barrier that severs space itself.</i>

    Although Kang-Woo had the initiative, he would not be able to ambush them.

    "Hmm. He crossed his arms and fell into thought.

    Kang-Woo wanted to reach his limits and feel stimtion. The desire to devour the man known as the Constetion of Despair right this second was making him restless.

    <i>But...</i>

    That did not mean that he could barge into enemy lines with no n at all. Wanting to feel stimtion and acting recklessly werepletely different things.

    <i>Ill have to make a stage where I can fight him to my hearts content.</i>

    Everything else would only be a nuisance to him.

    <i>I need bait that will allow me to figure out the extent of their forces.</i>

    Kang-Woo needed a scout of sorts. It was easier said than done; if they were too weak, they would not even be able to figure out the extent of the enemys forces. He thought of Kim Si-Hun as the perfect candidate, but he did not want to use Si-Hun as bait. He could not use Vernaaks undead demonic beast army either since their numbers had diminished severely after being used for the imperial pce attack.

    <i>... Maybe the angels.</i>

    Kang-Woo could not think of anyone better. He turned around after organizing his thoughts and saw Lilith, who was sulking after returning to her human form, Yeon-Joo, who was staring at him with conflicting thoughts, and...

    "Darling? Kang-Woo called.

    "Ah, yes? Han Seol-Ah, who had been mumbling something with her head down, looked up. She approached Kang-Woo while smiling as kindly as usual. What a strange woman she was. Theres no way you would be seduced by another woman, Kang-Woo.

    "Well, youre right about that.

    <i>Especially if that woman is a tentacle monster.</i>

    "Hehe. Right? Seol-Ah hugged Kang-Woo tightly with a smile.

    Kang-Woo smirked and turned to Lilith. Lilith. I found their whereabouts.

    "Did you track her using the trace she left behind? Lilith asked with shining eyes.

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    "What should we do? Should I direct my informationwork there? Or should I go there to investigate myself? Lilith asked.

    "No, it would be pointless. The ce is protected by such a powerful barrier that its interior cant be investigated.

    The barrier was powerful enough to sever space itself, so it was far too dangerous even for Lilith to investigate inside.

    "Then... Lilith slurred.

    "Ill be going to SantAngelo for a bit.

    "Ah, Lilith expressed and then nodded with a wide smile. She seemed to have figured out Kang-Woos intentions. I understand. In that case, I will let Balrog and the children know so that theyre ready to depart at a moments notice whenever.

    "Make me a Gate that connects to the northern region of the continent first. Thats where they are.

    "I understand. Lilith nodded.

    Kang-Woo separated from Seol-Ah, who was hugging him. Ill be back in a bit, darling.

    ... Seol-Ah expressed anxiety for a short moment but then nodded. She grabbed Kang-Woos hand with a worried expression and continued, Okay, Kang-Woo. In exchange, please promise me that you wont face the Constetions by yourself this time.

    Kang-Woo nodded with a light smile. He had never nned to act alone from the beginning.

    <i>After all, I doubt there would be only Constetions in that barrier.</i>

    The Constetions of Evil had summoned ancient demonic beasts to attack SantAngelo. It was foolish to think that they did not have an army. Kang-Woo neededrades who would be able to get rid of the nuisances so that he would have his alone time with the Constetion of Despair.

    "I promise.

    Kang-Woo nodded and turned around. <i>Boom!</i> He jumped into the air and shot toward SantAngelo with an explosive sound.

    ***

    "Haaa, haaa, Si-Hun panted heavily.

    His body felt heavy as if he was being weighed down by massive boulders. He caught his breath and lifted his head.

    "Huff, huff. Balrog was also panting heavily while drenched in sweat.

    The two of them had been training aggressively since dawn, so they were borderline exhausted.

    ... Lets stop here for today, Si-Hun suggested.

    "No, not yet. Balrog shook his head and stepped forward.

    He lost his bnce and swayed to the side. Seeing that, Si-Hun slowly shook his head.

    "We cant do anymore. You know that.

    ... Balrog remained silent.

    He copsed to the ground and slowly caught his breath. It looked like he was trying to train some more after taking a short break.

    "Balr Si-Hun was about to call Balrog to say something, but stopped himself and turned away from him.

    <i>I wonder if hyung-nim is back?</i>

    He had heard that Kang-Woo had gone to a remote mountain to train how to use Divinity. Si-Hun wiped off his sweat with a towel and gulped down some water.

    "Kaaah.

    There was nothing more refreshing than a cold ss of water after training all day from dawn.

    ...

    However, that refreshing feeling onlysted for a moment. Si-Huns expression turned grim again. He looked down at his hands.

    <i>I wonder when Ill be able to catch up to hyung-nim?</i>

    No, that was not the problem; Si-Hun at least wanted to be able to reach even a fraction of Kang-Woos strength.

    "Hyung...

    Si-Hun thought of Kang-Woo. A sense of vanity, as if he was trying to take hold of the shining sun, swept over him.

    "No.

    Si-Hun shook his head. He shouldnt be having such weak thoughts.

    <i>I should be thinking of how I can lessen his burdens even a little.</i>

    The weight on Kang-Woos shoulders had likely gotten even heavier after bing the God of Splendor. Considering that fact, getting sad just because it was getting harder to catch up to him was ridiculous.

    <i>After all hes done for me...</i>

    Kang-Woo had saved him. Si-Hun, who had been saved from a hellish cycle akin to a swamp he could never escape from, had received so much from Kang-Woo that he couldnt dare to name them all.

    <i>And...</i>

    Si-Hun smiled as he recalled what Kang-Woo had said to him a while ago.

    <i>Thanks for staying as my little brother.</i>

    Those words lit up his world which had been shrouded in darkness formed by his horrendous trauma. Kang-Woo might not have meant anything much by it, but it had been nothing short of a saving grace to Si-Hun.

    ... I guess Ill go see hyung.

    Si-Hun smiled faintly. He wanted to see Kang-Woo after recalling those words. Just then...

    "You must be Tian Taihuangs vessel.

    ...!

    Si-Hun suddenly heard a voice. He summoned the holy sword and quickly turned around.

    "Who...? Si-Hun slurred.

    He was a middle-aged man who had a diagonal sh scar across his expressionless face. The man disappeared as he shed the air with his sword shining dark blue.

    "Kurgh!

    Si-Hun was blown back. Tai Wuji caught up to him in a sh and swung his sword.

    <i>Heavenly Dragon Rampage.</i>

    Tai Wuji had no intention of taking his time; if he took more than the necessary time, the monster woulde here.

    <i>aang!</i>

    Sparks flew as their swords crossed. Si-Hun fixed his broken stance and blocked all of Tai Wujis strikes.

    "H-Heavenly Dragon... Sword Technique? Si-Hun stared at Tai Wuji in shock.

    The swordsmanship of the man was no doubt the martial art of the Martial God. Tai Wujis eyes widened as he stared at Si-Hun, who had blocked all of his attacks.

    ... No, it would not be apt to simply call you a vessel.

    Tai Wuji scanned Si-Hun from top to bottom with shining eyes. The man in front of him was by no means a mere vessel for Tian Taihuangs soul.

    "You may be able to acquire Deific Essence within ten... no, five years.

    It was shocking. Even Tian Taihuang, one with talent blessed by the heavens, had taken over a hundred years to acquire Deific Essence despite Tai Wuji having taught him himself.

    <i>...</i>

    A miniscule amount of desire arose from his heart devoid of emotions. It was a desire not of the Heavenly Dragon nor the Constetion of Despair, but simply one of a martial artist.

    <i>If I raise him right...</i>

    The human might be able to reach heights that not even Tai Wuji could dare to reach.

    ...

    Tai Wuji cut off such thoughts. He was no longer the Heavenly Dragon; he was the Constetion of Despair that had risen from the dead via the power of Demon God Bauli. Striking a blow on the monsters mind by using Kim Si-Hun was of greater priority.

    <i>I was nning on taking his head, but...</i>

    Tai Wuji narrowed his eyes. He had sensed a very miniscule anomaly within Si-Huns Qi when they had crossed swords.

    <i>He has demonic energy.</i>

    Tai Wuji could feel the demonic energy that he felt when he faced the monster.

    <i>... Could it be?</i>

    Tai Wujis eyes sank. Si-Hun gripped his sword anxiously while Tai Wuji was deep in thought.

    ... Shit.

    They had not even crossed swords for one second, but Si-Hun was sure of it.

    <i>I cant win.</i>

    The opponent was far too monstrous for him to handle.

    <i>I have to call hyung.</i>

    There was no one but Kang-Woo who would be able to face the man in front of him. Si-Hun reached for themunication device in his pocket.

    "I see, Tai Wuji remarked. You werent just a vessel, but that monsters puppet.

    ...?

    Si-Hun could not understand what the middle-aged man was talking about. Then, Tai Wuji appeared in front of him in a sh and grabbed his neck.

    "Kurgh! Si-Hun grimaced.

    Tai Wuji ced his hand on Si-Huns heart.

    "What... are... Si-Hun stared at him as his eyes shook.

    "I will show you the truth, said Tai Wuji in a low voice.

    And then...

    "Ah.

    Si-Huns eyes widened.

    <i>Well be very good allies.</i>

    Si-Hun saw a brightly smiling young man. He was all too familiar with that face.

    "A-Aaaahh.

    The memory that had been shrouded in darkness was brought to the light.

    This ontent is taken from frewebnove(l).

 Chapter 391: Found You

    Chapter 391: Found You

    Kang-Woo! A blue-haired boy happily ran over as soon as Oh Kang-Woo arrived in SantAngelo.

    Kang-Woo greeted Uriel with a smile. Have you been well?

    Uriel shook his head. Its been a bit hectic because of the damage we suffered back then.

    He was referring to the attack on SantAngelo by Lucifer, the Lord of the Flies.

    Uriel looked back at SantAngelo in sorrow and then turned to look up at Kang-Woo to ask, Come to think of it, I heard the news. You fought against a Constetion of Evil all on your own, right?

    Yeah, it just happened.

    Just happened, my ass! What if I lost even

    Uriel lowered his head while biting his lip. He thought about Raphael, who had been corrupted at the hands of Rakiel, the Constetion of Corruption. Kang-Woo smiled faintly in silence.

    Uriel looked up and asked, Oh, and I heard that you had acquired Deific Essence. Is that true?

    Yeah.

    A-A human who isnt even an incarnation acquired Deific Essence Uriel touched Kang-Woo all over in disbelief. Whats your Deific Name?

    God of Splendor.

    Hehe. It suits you. Uriel nodded while grinning.

    Kang-Woo had been chosen as the Protector of Light by Gaia herself. There was no better name than <em>God of Splendor</em> for him.

    Thats Oh Kang-Woo? a woman asked.

    Kang-Woo turned to the source of the voice to see a blonde woman whom angel wings could not suit any better. She had eight wings on her back, just like Uriel. The woman chugged a bottle of alcohol while walking Kang-Woos way. She reeked of alcohol.

    Gabriel, Uriel muttered.

    Hihi. I was wondering who you were chatting away so happily with, but hes rather ordinary, Gabriel said as she took out a rectangr box from her pocket.

    Inside the box was a long pipe. She stuffed tobo leaves into the pipe and lit it.

    Fuuu, haaa. Dayum, thats nice.

    Kang-Woo stared dumbfoundedly at the woman with a bottle of alcohol in one hand and a pipe in the other.

    <em>Thats supposed to be an angel? I mean, I couldnt care less if she wants to drink and smoke, but you should at least keep up appearances.</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt help but chuckle. It felt weird to see a woman with looks far surpassing Han Seol-Ah leisurely enjoying alcohol and tobo.

    <em>Well, shes at least better than Raphael and Michael.</em>

    Kang-Woo preferred the easygoing Gabriel far more than the overly serious Raphael or the excessively courteous Michael.

    He slightly turned his head toward Gabriel and replied, Arent I at least better than ordinary?

    Hm? Gabriels eyes widened and then burst intoughter. Hahaha! Yeah, I guess you do look like a bit of a scumbag!

    Jeez, I dont think you should say that to someone you just met.

    Well, dont sweat the small stuff. Want a drink?

    Give it here. Kang-Woo gulped down the bottle that Gabriel handed him. Pfft!! Kang-Woo spat it right out. What the fuck?

    <em>This isnt drinking alcohol.</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned and looked at Gabriel, who was bursting withughter.

    Its a bit strong, she remarked.

    How strong? he asked.

    96%.

    Are your taste buds nonexistent?

    <em>Thats more than most rubbing alcohol.</em>

    Gabriel sucked on her pipe again afterughing.

    Isnt this your first time meeting each other? Uriel said as he stared at the two of them while dumbfounded.

    They were getting along very well despite this being their first time meeting. Kang-Woo turned around and walked past Gabriel.

    Wheres Lord Michael? he asked.

    Mm. Hes a bit busy right now Oh,e to think of it, you should know about it too, so this is perfect timing, Uriel stated.

    Know about what?

    Just a second. I was nning on contacting you about this.

    Uriel turned around and took out amunication device. Kang-Woo thought that Uriel was going to contact Michael with it, but Uriel turned to Kang-Woo.

    Lord Michael said that he would take this opportunity to introduce you to them, he remarked.

    To whom?

    The incarnations.

    Kang-Woos eyes narrowed. He knew what incarnations were, but the problem was the timing of their appearance.

    Why incarnations all of a sudden? he asked.

    The gods made incarnations in bulk this time.

    <em>I guess it wasnt just Iris.</em>

    It meant that just like Iris was being made into an incarnation for a high elf to manifest into the physical world, the other gods had also made incarnations.

    <em>I pretty much understand the situation, but</em>

    Unlike Kang-Woo, the gods were unable to use their power as they liked because they were bound by the Systems restrictions. The only way for them to influence the physical world was to make incarnations and apostles. To make a simpleparison, it was like rerouting ones IP to bypass firewalls. Just like how ones inte speed was slowed after bouncing ones IP, a god manifesting into the physical world through their incarnation considerably restricted their power.

    <em>I heard that it consumes quite a lot of Divinity just to make one apostle.</em>

    Incarnations and apostles were different in that Deific Essence could be granted to incarnations. For example, Kang-Woo was Gaias apostle, while La was Gaias incarnation.

    <em>Gods can each only make one incarnation.</em>

    And once that incarnation died, arge portion of the corresponding gods Divinity would be lost. Worst-case scenario, their Deific Essence rank would be lowered, or it could be annihted.

    <em>The fact that they made incarnations in bulk despite those risks means</em>

    The gods were likely trying to intervene in this incident.

    <em>I dont like it.</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned. The more the gods interfered, the less he would be able to act to his hearts content. It was not wee news at all for him since he was desperately anticipating his battle with the Constetions.

    <em>They wont try to steal my prey, would they?</em>

    They had better not, since Kang-Woo would kill them even if they were the incarnations of gods.

    Take me to the incarnations, Kang-Woo said.

    Okay, Uriel replied.

    Uriel took the lead as Gabriel followed from the back while staring at Kang-Woo with interest.

    <em>Click.</em>

    They entered a meeting room within SantAngelo. The meeting room about a thousand square feet wide was quite elegantly designed. As soon as they entered, they caught the attention of everyone in the room. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and scanned everyone in the meeting room.

    <em>There are about thirty of them.</em>

    If they were all incarnations, then it was a considerablyrge number. Kang-Woo could feel the power of Divinity from every single one of the incarnations wearing various priest garments; they seemed to have been granted Deific Essence from their respective gods.

    Michael, who was among the people in the room, approached Kang-Woo and said to the people, This is Lady Gaias apostle, Oh Kang-Woo.

    So that person is Lady Gaias apostle.

    The incarnations narrowed their eyes as they scanned Kang-Woo from head to toe. They seemed to be more wary of Kang-Woo than weing him.

    A young man stood up and approached Kang-Woo. He had blond hair, a neat appearance, and seemed very gentle.

    The man extended his hand toward Kang-Woo and said courteously, Its nice to meet you, Protector of Light. My name is Anduin. I was chosen as the incarnation of Lady Lumeria, the Goddess of Peace, and have been given the great honor of standing against great evil.

    <em>Why are you talking like that? Are you Reynald?</em>

    Kang-Woo suppressed his groan. It was far easier to speak toid-back people like Gabriel than some chuunibyou hero like this man. He swallowed such thoughts and lightly bowed.

    Yes, its nice to meet you too, Sir Anduin. I am Oh Kang-Woo, an apostle of Lady Gaia.

    Anduin looked around for someone; it was not difficult to guess who he was looking for.

    Si-Hun isnt here today, Kang-Woo expressed.

    Oh, I see. Anduin nodded.

    He did not look disappointed; it seemed he did not particrly want to meet Kim Si-Hun.

    Kang-Woo looked around the meeting room and asked, Have you all be incarnations recently?

    Yes, thats right, Anduin responded. It was likely after the incorrigible demon Lucifer attacked SantAngelo. Lady Lumeria could not stand idly by as the continent was plunged deeper into fear, so she has given me the honor of being her disciple for her to exercise her power as well.

    I see.

    <em>Thanks for the exposition. Yeah, characters like you are important for the plot. The period is simr to Iris.</em>

    However, Iris was still in bed without having be an incarnation yet.

    <em>Maybe its because of the difference in Deific Essence.</em>

    It was either because the Deific Essence of the high elf trying to manifest through Iris was considerably high-ranked, or because the Deific Essence of the gods manifesting through Anduin and the other incarnations was low-ranked. It might also be both.

    We have decided to form an organization that we have named <em>Godly Pantheon</em>, its source purpose being to eradicate the demons threatening the continent per the will of the gods.

    <em>Godly Pantheon, huh?</em>

    It was simr to Guardians, although the two organizations were different in that they served different gods.

    <em>I wonder if it will go well?</em>

    Although Aernor was polytheistic, it seemed difficult to run an organization of people that each served different gods. Kang-Woo quickly scanned the thirty incarnations; they did not seem in disagreement with joining the organization known as Godly Pantheon.

    <em>Well, regardless</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt care less as long as they didnt meddle with his n.

    And with that said Anduin bowed deeply. Thank you for everything youve done thus far, Gaias apostle.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion. It was as if he was being told to clock out for the day since he was finished with his work. Im not sure what you mean

    Anduin continued firmly, Even if the continent is in grave danger, we cannot entrust the fate of Aernor in the hands of a goddess of another world. We will fight with our strength from here on out. We would like to ask you and Sir Kim Si-Hun to step back.

    The thirty incarnations drew out their Divinity as if they had prepared for this beforehand. They were trying to intimidate him.

    Kang-Woo fell silent. He raised his head and looked up at the meeting room ceiling. The corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.

    <em>I found my scout.</em>

 Chapter 392: Thereâ€™s No Need To Lie

    Chapter 392: There¡¯s No Need To Lie

    Were sorry to have ced such a heavy burden on you all this time. Anduin bowed deeply again.

    Oh Kang-Woo smiled.

    <em>I see how it is.</em>

    He more or less got an idea about why they were acting like this all of a sudden, as well as why the gods had made incarnations while taking the risk of their Deific Essence being demoted or annihted, and why all the incarnations that served different gods had rallied together.

    <em>Because their prey is about to be stolen from them.</em>

    Kang-Woo had orchestrated everything so that Kim Si-Hun could be the hero of the continent. Si-Huns status in Aernor likely could not be tolerated by the gods or the apostles that served them.

    <em>For example</em>

    How would the Korean public react to a crime that could not be resolved by the Korean police, being resolved with ease by foreign police authorities?

    <em>Theres no need to even think about it.</em>

    The public would naturally curse the ipetence of the Korean police and demand reform, which was exactly what was happening right now in Aernor.

    The churches, which had been raising taxes from the people with excuses that they would save the continent from the hands of demons, had not been able to do a single thing against Lucifers evildoings. It was only natural since everything had been nned by Kang-Woo. Si-Hun had appeared and resolved everything before they even had a chance to resolve anything.

    As a result, Si-Hun had gained fame far surpassing that of any church. The more Si-Huns fame grew, so did the distrust of the people toward the churches. The people would naturally ce more faith in the hero who was saving them from real danger than the ipetent gods who werent doing anything.

    <em>Cant entrust the fate of Aernor in the hands of a goddess of another world, huh?</em>

    It was absolute horseshit. They simply did not want the power that they had amassed so far to disappear. Hence, they joined forces to chase away the outsider who was a threat to their power.

    Kang-Woo softly chuckled. Even in the despairing situation of Lucifers advent and the unsealing of the Constetions of Evil, desire did not stop. They were acting exactly like demons to the point that Kang-Woo thought humans, gods, and demons were not so different after all.

    <em>That aside, I didnt expect the gods to be this assertive.</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head. Making an incarnation was far more dangerous than it sounded. The gods Deific Essence could be demoted in rank or even be annihted just from the incarnations death. Despite that, did the gods have a reason to let the churches keep their power while taking such risks?

    <em>To protect the world from copse?</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head. It was far too optimistic of a thought. He continued to think calmly. Why were the gods so afraid of the copse in the first ce?

    <em>Is Deific Essence rted to faith?</em>

    Kang-Woo had thought of Deific Essence simply as a great power given by the Titans. After all, most gods had been born with Deific Essence given to them by the Titans; it was not something gained through religious faith. Even Kang-Woo had acquired Deific Essence without anyone worshiping him religiously.

    <em>Im not sure.</em>

    Even if he was the God of Splendor, he did not have any apostles or a religious organization worshiping him. He had simply been given the right to control the unorthodox power known as Divinity.

    <em>In any case</em>

    What was important was that the gods were backing the Godly Pantheon to the point that they had taken risks to make incarnations and that they were also trying to exclude Kang-Woo and Si-Hun.

    <em>This is</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled as his eyes gleamed like that of a starved beast.

    <em>Very good.</em>

    He had been searching for the perfect scout. Although they were not quite up to par, since they could use Divinity because they were incarnations, they still qualified as scouts.

    What the hell are you talking about?! Uriel red at Anduin. Youre going to do as you like when we should all be joining forces?

    Sparks crackled from Uriels soaring hair. He slowly walked toward Anduin while exuding a ferocious aura.

    Uriel. Michael extended his hand to stop Uriel. Calm down.

    B-But!

    Uriel bit his lip in frustration and stared daggers at Anduin. Michael pulled Uriel back by the shoulder and then looked at Anduin and the other incarnations with sunken eyes.

    Is that truly what the Godly Pantheon believes? he asked.

    Yes, it is. Anduin nodded without hesitation.

    Michael slightly frowned and then nced toward Kang-Woo, who was also staring at Anduin in perplexity.

    ... Haaa, Kang-Woo sighed. He nodded as if it couldnt be helped. I guess we have no choice if that is the will of the gods. I cant deny that we are outsiders.

    We hope you dont take this personally. The decision has been made for both you and Sir Kim Si-Huns sakes. We have made you two carry far too heavy of a burden on your shoulders.

    I see. Kang-Woo nodded and continued with a smile, I am relieved to see that so many incarnations have gathered. With this, I think we can entrust our mission to you all.

    Hahaha. I appreciate your understanding.

    Anduin extended his hand toward Kang-Woo with a smile. Kang-Woo shook Anduins hand and smiled brightly.

    Oh, right, Kang-Woo remarked. Come to think of it I happened to obtain information about where the forces of evil are hiding.

    Pardon?

    I-Is that true?

    Anduin and Michael asked with their eyes widened. Michael, who had been searching fervently for the forces of evil after Lucifer stole the Demon Gods legacy kept in SantAngelo, was especially shocked.

    Kang-Woo nodded. I was able to figure out their location while fighting the Constetions of Evil not long ago.

    Wha

    Are the forces of evil unaware of this? Anduin asked with shining eyes.

    If their enemy was unaware that they possessed this information, they would be able to ambush the enemy while they had their guard down. Ambushes brought about enormous strategic benefits to the point that they made it possible to emerge victorious over enemies three times asrge in number. Anduin, who had experience fighting demons as a member of a church, was well aware of this.

    Kang-Woo nodded. He continued calmly, Yes, they are unaware. However, it is enemy lines. You should not approach it hastily.

    Michael gulped. Kang-Woo is right. We should dispatch a survey team to figure out the extent of their forces.

    There is a possibility that the forces of evil would prepare for an ambush at that rate, Anduin replied as if he were hearing nonsense.

    Michael fell into thought for a moment and then shook his head. Even so, ambushing the enemy without knowing the extent of their strength is far too reckless.

    ... Anduins expression stiffened, but only for a moment. He returned to his usual gentle expression and nodded. I understand. We will postpone the ambush.

    Anduin stepped back and walked closer to Kang-Woo. In that case, could you tell us where the forces of evil are located, Protector of Light?

    ...

    Kang-Woo remained silent. He could feel the desire in Anduins eyes. Kang-Woo smiled.

    Yes, of course.

    <em>Of course I will. After all, only then will I be able to use you.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly. There was no question of what decision Anduin would make once Kang-Woo told him where the Constetions were.

    <em>I didnt lie, okay?</em>

    Kang-Woo had told the god-honest truth. He had found out where the forces of evil were hiding, the Constetions of Evil had no idea about it, and he had told Anduin that they shouldnt approach the area hastily.

    <em>But even so Im sure youll go anyway.</em>

    After all, it was a great chance for them to retake the faith of the people that had turned to Si-Hun, and to recover the lost power of the churches. Rather, they would be able to obtain glory far more brilliant than before.

    <em>What reason could there possibly be for me to lie?</em>

    Things would go exactly as Kang-Woo wanted just by telling the truth.

    <em>Well, I guess I didnt tell them one thing.</em>

    Their ambush would not work as long as the barrier that severed space itself was up. The concept of an ambush itself was meaningless.

    <em>But I mean I dont need to go out of my way to tell them that. Not saying the whole truth doesnt make it a lie.</em>

    Kang-Woo snickered.

    The forces of evil are located He pointed out the location where the Constetions of Evil were hiding on the map that he had prepared. ... Here.

    ***

    Kang-Woo positioned himself so that he could look down at a deste valley between two giant mountains.

    Lilith, are you ready?

    Yes, almost. Ill be done in just a bit, my king, Lilith replied as she drew aplicated magic circle on the ground.

    Kang-Woo perched on arge rock and stared at the soldiers of the churches who were heading toward the valley.

    They sure brought a lot.

    In Aernor, the power of the churches wasparable to that of the emperor. It was only natural; the power of religion was already powerful enough on Earth, where gods had no actual influence, but gods in Aernor exercised their influence through their incarnation and apostles. The existence of gods had already been proven, so no one doubted them.

    <em>But there is a difference between the two worlds in the notion of gods.</em>

    Gods of Aernor were not considered almighty beings; they were considered more to be powerful superhumans than gods.

    <em>I guess theyre treated more like Greek gods.</em>

    Regardless

    Break the barrier once they get close, Kang-Woo said.

    Yes, my king, Lilith responded with a smile.

    Since the barrier that the Constetions were hiding within was isting the space within from the rest of the world, there was no normal means to approach or see within it. To instigate a battle between the forces of the churches and the Constetions of Evil, the barrier needed to be destroyed at the perfect timing.

    My king, are you sure you dont need <em>Paimons Eyes</em>?

    Paimon was one of the demons he had devoured.[1]

    His eyes were very useful, so he had handed them to Lilith to use. Paimons Eyes were able to detect traces of demonic energy and quantify the enemys forces. It was the perfect item to use at times like this.

    Theres no need. Kang-Woo shook his head while smiling. Im more urate.

    Although it was a great item to use at times like this, it was no match for Kang-Woos capabilities.

    Lilith smiled softly and nodded. I understand.

    Okay,e sit if youre all done. Lets watch together.

    There was nothing more entertaining than watching a fire or a fight. Kang-Woo looked down at the army advancing to the valley while munching on some popcorn that he had made himself using ingredients simr to corn.

    Hoho. Its so nice being alone with you like this, my king.

    Lilith got closer to Kang-Woo while cing her head on his shoulder as if she had no interest in the battle. Kang-Wooughed and turned his head toward the soldiers. They had almost arrived at the valley.

    <em>That should be good.</em>

    Kang-Woo ced his feet on the magic circle that Lilith had prepared and drew out enormous amounts of demonic energy.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    Cracks resembling spider webs formed in the air along with the sound of the barrier shattering.

    Wh-What the?!

    Kang-Woo could hear Anduins voice from a distance. Countless demonic beasts began to pour out from the crack in space, which was getting bigger and bigger. Kang-Woo looked down in amusement at the churches soldiers engaging with the demonic beasts.

    <em>Now, kill each other.</em>

    1. It was written in Chapter 245 that Paimon was one of Kang-Woos subordinates in Hell; this will be pending until the author gets back to us.

 Chapter 393: For Aernor

    Chapter 393: For Aernor

    <em>ng! ng! ng!</em>

    H-Hurry up and heal!

    Arghh!

    H-How did the forces of evil notice our approach?!

    This isnt the time to bother with that!

    Anduin stood at the forefront and swung the rays of light that poured out from both of his hands. The demonic beasts that were rushing toward him were swept into the storm of light imbued with Divinity and were reduced to ashes.

    All incarnations, scatter and eliminate the demonic beasts!

    Anduin bit his lip as he looked around to see the apostles being ughtered by the demonic beasts pouring out from the Rift.

    <em>How did demonic beastse pouring out at such perfect timing?</em>

    They were trying to ambush the forces of evil, but they ended up being the ones to be ambushed instead. Anduin clenched his fists and burst the heads of the demonic beasts that were charging at him while roaring. There were far too many demonic beasts for him to focus on resolving the countless questions in his head.

    Haaaaaaaah! Anduin swung down his mace while shouting.

    Dozens of demonic beasts were blown into the air after getting struck with the mace.

    ***

    The son of a bitch sure is strong despite looking like a priest, said Oh Kang-Woo.

    <em>Is he some sort of melee priest?</em>

    Kang-Woo was impressed by Anduin, who was bursting the heads of demonic beasts left and right at the forefront. He had expected Anduin to be a healer or buffer because of his gentle looks and long robe, but he was acting no different from any other warrior.

    I guess they live up to their title of incarnations. They fight demonic beasts very well, said Lilith as she looked over the battlefield with shining eyes.

    Kang-Woo nodded. He had expected things to turn out this way.

    <em>After all, the incarnations can use Divinity.</em>

    Although they were not able to use the power to its full extent since their Deific Essence was only borrowed from the gods, it was Divinity nheless. Considering how powerful La had be after Gaia recovered a significant portion of her power, it was unthinkable for thirty incarnations to be defeated by such demonic beasts.

    Fights sure are fun to watch, Kang-Woo said leisurely.

    <em>Crunch</em>. He looked down at the battlefield excitedly while munching on a fistful of popcorn.

    Ah, you shouldnt be doing that, Kang-Woo mumbled in frustration as he watched over Anduin and the other incarnations. Ah, ah! What the hell is that son of a bitch doing?

    One of the incarnations had advanced too deep into enemy lines and had gotten isted from the rest. An enormous number of demonic beasts swarmed the incarnation like hundreds of Japanese honeybees attacking a giant ho.

    Demonic beasts invaded the formation of the churches army through the vacancy of the incarnation. Another incarnation tried to fill that vacancy, but they ended up getting isted from the group as well. The demonic beasts that had fallen back due to Anduins attacks began to attack ferociously again.

    Sheesh, I could do better than that.

    Kang-Woo was backseating while clicking his tongue as he stared at the fumbling incarnations that werent even able to properly use such a broken power like Divinity. He looked exactly like a middle-aged man watching a ser game from his couch and berating the yers.

    Lilith lightly giggled while covering her mouth. Will you participate?

    No. Its a hassle.

    Kang-Woo scanned the demonic beasts uninterestedly. They certainly were powerful enough to be able to inhabit the Ninth Hell, but they were no longer appetizing enough for Kang-Woo, who had acquired Deific Essence.

    <em>Rather, I would get even more hungry if I eat those small fry.</em>

    Those demonic beasts were like konjac jelly with almost no caloric value. Eating such things when his hunger and desire were at their peak would only sour his mood.

    That aside Kang-Woo looked down at the battle with sunken eyes. How did they summon that many demonic beasts?

    It wasnt just their numbers; every one of them was on the strong side even among the demonic beasts of the Ninth Hell. There were easily over ten thousand of them, possibly even a hundred thousand. Such arge number of demonic beasts was hard to see even in the Ninth Hell.

    <em>Did they mass-breed demonic beasts or something?</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder. It was possible since demonic beasts had high reproductive potential, unlike demons.

    <em>But they wouldnt have been easy to control.</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he stared at the demonic beasts. To mass-breed demonic beasts, they would have to be gathered into one area like fish in a tank and prompted to breed. Not even Kang-Woo would be able to perfectly control demonic beasts, monsters with only killing and madness in their minds.

    <em>Maybe one of the Constetions is specialized in controlling demonic beasts.</em>

    It would have been highly difficult to procure this many demonic beasts if that were not the case.

    An enormous amount of energy spread from Kang-Woos feet to the ground around him.

    <em>Authority of the Beholder.</em>

    The entire valley was drawn within his head as if he had gained a third eye on his forehead. He could vividly see the churches army fighting the demonic beasts and hear Anduins bellows. Kang-Woo was not interested in the soldiers; he focused his senses past the crack in the barrier that had formed in the air. He could feel the demonic beasts that were crouching within the barrier.

    <em>There are ancient demonic beasts as well.</em>

    Kang-Woo had seen the ancient demonic beasts when SantAngelo had been attacked. He could see themmanding the hundreds of thousands of unintelligent demonic beasts.

    <em>It seems I made the right choice not to charge in blind.</em>

    The forces of the Constetions of Evil were muchrger than Kang-Woo had expected. Although numbers were of no consequence to him considering how powerful he had be, it would certainly be an annoyance; it would be like having a bunch of flies flying around him.

    <em>The nuisance will have to be cleaned up.</em>

    As for who would be cleaning them up, the soldiers of the churches would honorably sacrifice themselves for the task. If any remained, Balrog and his otherrades would finish them off.

    <em>Once the flies are disposed of, only the Constetions will remain.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled widely. <em>Boom, boom.</em> His heart beat strongly. He could imagine the Constetion of Despair, who was likely watching over the battlefield from across the crack in the barrier.

    He suppressed the impulse to storm in through the crack right this second. His hunger and thirst were so powerful that they were on the verge of overpowering him. He gulped to quell his overflowing desire.

    But arent the incarnations being pushed back way too easily? Lilith asked.

    Ill say. The Constetions havent evene out yet. This wont do. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he looked down at the soldiers being pushed back.

    He had more or less figured out the extent of the Constetions forces, but the soldiers needed to do more for him; they needed to reduce the demonic beast armys numbers as much as possible.

    <em>I guess their Deific Essences are low in rank.</em>

    The difference between them and La was far toorge that it wasughable to even call them incarnations.

    At least pull your weight as incarnations, Kang-Woo muttered as he frowned in disappointment.

    Even if they were incarnations of lower gods, he couldnt believe that they were being pushed back by mere demonic beasts when they were able to use the broken power known as Divinity.

    I can certainly tell that it hasnt been very long since theyve been chosen as incarnations, Lilith mentioned.

    Theres that too, but the fact that they cant work together is the bigger issue.

    Despite the grandiose name of their organization Godly Pantheon, it was ultimately made up of those who believed in different gods. The incarnations continued to be isted from the group after not following Anduins orders, and the apostles were not able to prepare countermeasures for the demonic beasts attacks because they were all fighting as if it were a free-for-all. Poor teamwork was worse than fighting by oneself.

    Kang-Woo shook his head in disappointment. I need them to at least draw out the Constetions.

    The key to this n was for him to confirm how many more Constetions there were besides the Constetion of Despair and Proserpine. However, the incarnations were falling apart so easily that Kang-Woo was worried that the battle would be over before the Constetions even showed up.

    Shall we intervene? Lilith asked.

    Im not sure.

    Kang-Woo looked down at the battlefield while deep in thought. At this rate, the Constetions would note out unless he were to take action.

    <em>Boom!!</em>

    Just then, a massive explosion rang out.

    Haaaaaaaap!!

    The hundreds of demonic beasts surrounding Anduin were caught in the giant burst of light and turned to ash. Anduin smashed his mace into the ground and panted heavily.

    Haaa, haaa, haaa.

    The battle was taking a turn for the worse. Anduin looked toward the apostles who were being toyed with by the demonic beasts. zing emotions surged from his heart.

    We cannot Anduin continued faintly with his head lowered. We cannot fall here.

    Sir Anduin The expressions of the incarnations who heard him stiffened.

    Heavy silence befell the battlefield momentarily. Anduin pulled himself up while clenching his mace as his legs trembled.

    If we were to fall here, the powerless people of the continent would be the next victims, Anduin stated with a trembling voice.

    He had indeed been greedy. He could not bear the cold gazes of the people toward the church as Kim Si-Hun continued to perform great aplishments. Thinking about it now, he realized that he had made a truly idiotic choice. He should have attacked the enemy base with the help of Oh Kang-Woo, Kim Si-Hun, and the angels.

    <em>Its toote for regret.</em>

    Anduin shut his eyes tight. He knew that it was toote and that he had made the wrong choice. However

    <em>I need to protect them.</em>

    He bit his lip to the point that it bled. He could not turn his back and run, since the fate of the continent was on his shoulders. He was the hope of countless lives.

    O Goddess of Peace, Lumeria, Anduin prayed sincerely as he kneeled and sped his hands together. Grant me the courage to break through the darkness.

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    Radiant light shone from his body. Enormous energy burst from him.

    A-Aaaahh.

    Anduins eyes widened. He was surging with Lumerias power. Anduin, who was now enveloped in light, stood firmly.

    Sir Anduin

    W-Wow

    Anduin could see the apostles staring at him wide-eyed. He gripped his mace to the point that it could break. He knew that although they hade together as one through the Godly Pantheon, they were not able to work together since they each served different gods.

    We have each sworn our loyalty to different gods, he stated.

    ... The incarnations remained silent.

    However!

    <em>Boom! </em>Anduin stomped on the ground as blinding light enveloped him.

    We share amon goal: to save the continent and to purge evil from this world. Everyone Please. Please work together as one, Anduin pleaded.

    The incarnations looked at each other and then lowered their heads.

    I apologize, Father Anduin.

    ... We seemed to have forgotten the most important thing.

    The incarnations teared up. Anduin could feel their overflowing emotions. He gripped his mace tight and turned around.

    One for all, all for one! Anduin raised his mace high. Fight!

    His bellow echoed throughout the battlefield bursting with the forces of evil.

    For Aernor!

    Anduin charged at the horde of demonic beasts while exuding blinding light.

    Yeaaaahhhh!!

    At this moment, the apostles who each served different gods joined as one.

 Chapter 394: The Light Will Burn You

    Chapter 394: The Light Will Burn You

    For Aernorrrr!

    The forces of the churches wiped out the demonic beasts with Anduin at the forefront. A wave of brilliant light swept across the battlefield.

    Anduin lifted his mace high. Die, depraved forces of evil!

    He swung down his mace as he bellowed. The shining mace split the earth, setting the hundreds of demonic beasts alight in its path.

    Yeaaaahhhh!! The apostles were filled with morale as they watched Anduin wiping out hundreds of demonic beasts with one strike.

    They continued their charge at an overwhelming pace.

    Haaaaahh!!

    Countless demonic beasts turned into ash every time Anduin swung his mace.

    <em>With this power With this great power granted to me by Lumeria Ill be able to protect them.</em>

    He would be able to protect the people of the continent suffering in fear from the schemes of the forces of evil. Anduin imagined himself being praised as a hero as he killed the demonic beasts. He would be even more popr than Kim Si-Hun.

    <em>No, this isnt the time.</em>

    Anduin shook his head. It was not the time to think about such pointless things. He had already made one terrible choice.

    <em>Its still not toote.</em>

    This was his chance to make up for the error he had made, blinded by his desire and temptation. Anduin swung his mace at the forces of evil as his eyes shone brightly.

    L-Lady Lumeria has manifested

    The Goddess of Peace has manifested.

    The apostles of the Church of Lumeria gasped as they watched the shining Anduin wiping out the demonic beasts.

    ...

    The incarnations of the other churches clenched their fists in silence, likely having been influenced by Anduin. They looked at each other and then followed after Anduin to charge at the demonic beasts. The demonic beasts that had filled the valley were unable to handle thebined forces of all the churches.

    Haaa, haaa! Anduin panted heavily.

    He could barely catch his breath; he felt like he was about to copse at any second. His vision blurred, and he was staggering. His condition could not be any worse, but his eyes were gleaming with hope. But then

    <em>Crack.</em>

    A man walked out from a ck Rift. The middle-aged man with a diagonal sh scar on his face stared expressionlessly at thebined forces of the churches.

    Tch, what the hell are these?

    ... Incarnations of the gods.

    Said a woman with ck tentacles and a boy with nk eyes as they walked out from behind the man.

    Youre Anduin slurred as he stared at the beings that hade out from the Rift.

    His limbs trembled as he suffocated within the energy that they were emitting.

    Incarnations? Have the gods started to make their move? asked the woman with ck tentacles while frowning, paying no attention to Anduin at all.

    The boy with nk eyes nodded.

    Jeez, why now of all times? Ive been busy thinking of a way to appeal myself to my darling.

    The woman with ck tentacles red in displeasure at Anduin, who got goosebumps because of the womans hideous looks.

    Quiet, said the man with the scar.

    The woman simply snorted at his words and asked, More importantly, what happened with what you want to do? Was it Tian Taihuang? You said that you were going to meet the human who possesses your disciples soul.

    I told you to be quiet, Proserpine. Tai Wuji red at Proserpine.

    ... Proserpine shrugged and averted her eyes from his gaze.

    Although she didnt know everything about him despite being fellow Constetions of Evil, she at least knew that she shouldnt test Tai Wujis patience right now.

    Lumerias incarnation. Tai Wuji stared at Anduin with sunken eyes.

    Anduin flinched. He retched while grabbing his chest, having a hard time breathing. He trembled without being able to do anything in the face of unfathomable evil.

    Seeing that, Tai Wuji said expressionlessly, Pathetic.

    He unsheathed his sword from his waist, and dark blue mes traveled up the de.

    A-Aaaahh, Anduin muttered in fear.

    He copsed to his knees on the spot. The light of hope in his eyes dyed with despair.

    ***

    Kurgh! <em>Cough, cough!</em>

    Dark red blood permeated the ground. A blond young man crawled along the valley that had been destroyed as if a natural disaster had passed by. He was Anduin, the incarnation of Lumeria as well as the leader of the Godly Pantheon.

    Urgh

    Tears flowed from his eyes. Thebined forces of the churches had been defeated so one-sidedly that it was an understatement to call the power of their enemy overwhelming.

    H-How can someone be so

    Anduin lowered his head while biting his lip. It had been an utterly miserable defeat.

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    Just then, he heard footsteps.

    ... Huh? Anduin looked up. He quickly shouted at the young man walking toward him, S-Sir Oh Kang-Woo! You must be careful! There is a man who possesses unfathomable strength among the forces of

    I know, Kang-Woo answered with a smile.

    ... Pardon?

    I saw it all from up there. Dayum, hes such a delight. Hes the best, muttered Kang-Woo as his eyes gleamed with madness.

    He exhaled heatedly. He shivered in ecstasy as he recalled the Constetion of Despair wiping out the soldiers of the churches.

    <em>Hes insanely powerful.</em>

    Kang-Woo wasnt even sure that he would be able to defeat him.

    Ha Haha, Kang-Wooughed.

    Irresistible desire fired him up.

    You were watching? Anduin asked.

    Oh, yeah. Thanks, you were a lot of help. Kang-Woo softlyughed and continued, I was able to find out the extent of the Constetions forces, and even managed to confirm a Constetion that I didnt know about. Not just that, you reduced the number of demonic beasts for us. Man, you went above and beyond.

    Kang-Woo nodded consecutively. He had made the right call to use the incarnations as scouts as well as bait. Not only had they allowed Kang-Woo to figure out the extent of the enemys forces, but they had also culled a considerable number of the demonic beasts that would have been a nuisance to him.

    Wh-What are you talking about? Anduin asked with a trembling voice, unable toprehend what Kang-Woo was saying.

    Kang-Woo looked down at him with a smile. What do you think Im talking about?

    ... Silence fell for a few moments. Anduins face paled, a thought popping up in his head. Could it be you used us as bait?

    Hm? Kang-Woo tilted his head. Pfft, bwehehehehe! What do you mean, bait? Youre the ones who came here on your own. Huh? I told you not toe here hastily, didnt I? Didnt I?

    U-Urgh!! Anduin turned red with fury. Y-You nned for this to happen from the very beginning!

    Kang-Woo smiled and grabbed Anduins head. Thats not true, is it, my friend?

    ... What?

    Youre the one who nned it all. All I did was give you the information necessary for you to make the choice.

    Bull! You didnt say a word about there being this many demonic b

    I sure didnt, because I didnt know.

    ...

    All I told you was where the forces of evil were hiding. Im sure you know this, deep down in your heart. Kang-Woo looked around the valley at the piles of corpses of apostles and incarnations. You drove everyone here to their deaths of your own ord.

    ... Anduins face paled. He shook his head and stuttered, N-No.

    Kang-Woo cackled. No, it was your fault, he said firmly to the incarnation who was trying to avert his eyes from the truth. You killed them all.

    ... Anduins teeth cked noisily. I-I

    You realized that you were wrong? You tried to right your wrongs? Kang-Woo lifted the copsed Anduin by his hair. You think your sins would be forgiven as long as you realize that you were wrongter? Is everything forgiven once you promise yourself that youll never do it again after driving your subordinates to their deaths?

    N-No, I

    No, my ass. You heard me and Michael warning you not toe here.

    ...

    But you still did regardless, with an entire army behind you, no less.

    Thats

    I didnt force you to. You made the choice. You took the risk and came here to regain the honor of the churches and the trust of the people that had been stolen from you by Kim Si-Hun. Isnt that right?

    ... Anduin bit his lip in silence.

    He found Kang-Woos eyes, which looked as if they were looking into his soul, very unpleasant.

    Did you think you would look cool if you risked your lives for the people? Did you think they would revere you?

    M-My intentions were purely for

    It doesnt matter. What matters is that your choices have consequences. Dont try to cover up your sins with pointless heroics. You killed them. You killed every single person here.

    ...

    Deathly silence fell. Anduin grabbed his head and trembled.

    A-Aaaahh, he groaned while grimacing. Transparent tears flowed down his cheeks. H-Hurghhh.

    Ahh Kang-Woo expressed.

    <em>Youre making me feel bad, man.</em>

    Regardless of the process, Anduin had been of much help to him, so Kang-Woo felt bad seeing Anduin crying so miserably.

    <em>You sure have softened, Oh Kang-Woo.</em>

    He was impressed by himself. Kang-Woo patted Anduins shoulder to console him.

    Come on, man. Dont cry so much.

    ...

    To be honest, its not entirely your fault. If you want to get to the nitty-gritty of it, I guess I incited you toe here by hiding the fact that an ambush would be pointless since there was a barrier.

    ... What?

    Oh, and I was also the one who broke the barrier right when you arrived and caused the demonic beasts to pour out.

    Y-You

    So, you know, cheer up! Dont be so down since its not entirely your fault!

    Y-You son of a bitch!

    Anduin trembled with his mouth agape. He raised his trembling arm and swung it at Kang-Woo, but it dropped without even reaching him.

    Hm? The hell? This is the thanks I get after I consoled you since it wasnt entirely your fault?

    Kang-Woo frowned as if he couldnt understand. Why was Anduin losing his temper when Kang-Woo consoled him while he was ming himself for the whole thing?

    A-Aaaahh, Anduin groaned. He coughed up blood as the life in his eyes was slowly dissipating. Th-The

    Anduin drew out what remained of his power. He bit his lip and raised his right arm. Radiant light emitted from his hand.

    He said resentfully to the demon wearing human skin in front of him, The light will burn you.

    Kang-Woo smirked. The hell are you on about?

    He grabbed Anduins shining right hand. Blinding golden light far brighter than Anduins light burst out.

    I am that very light, bro.

 Chapter 395: Itâ€™s Nothing

    <h4>Chapter 395 - It¡¯s Nothing</h4>

    [You have devoured a portion of the Deific Essence of Lumeria, Goddess of Peace.]

    A blue message window popped up. The corpses of the incarnations killed by the Constetion of Despair melted down into the darkness. The Deific Essences of thirty individuals were pushed into the Demonic Sea.

    [Activating the Trait ¡®Deific Essence Usurpation.¡¯]

    [Deific Essence has been promoted from Lower Intermediate-rank to Intermediate-rank.]

    ¡°I guess they were lower gods like I had expected.¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo frowned as he read the message window. He had absorbed thirty Deific Essences, but his rank had only risen to Intermediate-rank. Not only that, but his level cap did not rise either.

    <em>¡®I mean, I¡¯m not surprised.¡¯</em>

    The Deific Essences that incarnations possessed were not the whole Deific Essences of the gods. Kang-Woo should be satisfied with just his Deific Essence rank rising.

    <em>¡®Intermediate, huh?¡¯</em>

    He wondered how high the Constetion of Despair¡¯s Deific Essence rank was.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s at least High-rank or above.¡¯</em>

    He might even possess Top-rank Deific Essence like Gaia.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed as his desire squirmed.

    <em>¡®Just a little longer.¡¯</em>

    He had confirmed the enemy¡¯s numbers, and their forces had been reduced significantly as well. He was a little worried about Proserpine and the boy with nk eyes, but he was sure that Kim Si-Hun, Balrog, Han Seol-Ah, and La would be able to take them on. They did not even have to win.

    <em>¡®Holding on until my battle with him ends is more than enough.¡¯</em>

    They should be more than capable of doing that. Kang-Woo looked around the devastated battlefield and then turned around.

    ¡°Lilith,¡± he called.

    ¡°Yes, my king.¡±

    ¡°Gather the others.¡±

    ¡°Will you be attacking right away?¡±

    ¡°After I contact Michael.¡±

    ¡°Mm... Would the angels take action right away?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they would if I tell them that the forces of evil might retreat if we don¡¯t strike now.¡±

    It was more than possible that the Constetions of Evil would change the location of their hideout after being discovered. Since their barrier had been broken, there was no need for them to hide in this valley.

    <em>¡®We have to strike right away.¡¯</em>

    It would be a problem for Kang-Woo as well if they were to run. They needed to attack the Constetions as soon as possible.

    ¡°I understand. I will have them gather in your room.¡±

    Lilith bowed deeply and went into the ck Rift connected directly to Arnan¡¯s imperial pce. Kang-Woo followed behind her and ended up in a familiar VIP room, the room that he was using in the pce.

    <em>¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo checked the power of his promoted Deific Essence while Lilith was gathering the party members. Since Divinity was able to mix with any form of energy, it did not take long to check.

    <em>¡®I wonder if I¡¯d be able to face him without opening the Doors if I have Divinity?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and thought about the Constetion of Despair. The man had massacred the incarnations with such power that even the word<em>overwhelming</em>was an understatement. Kang-Woo got chills as he thought about the man¡¯s sword zing with dark blue mes.

    ¡°I would probably...¡±

    Kang-Woo looked up at the ceiling.

    <em>¡®Lose.¡¯</em>

    It was not even a question. It was not even a matter of the difference in their Deific Essence ranks. Even if Kang-Woo possessed Top-rank Deific Essence, he would not be able to defeat the Constetion of Despair; he was just that powerful.

    <em>¡®Martial arts sure is amazing.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had reached extraordinary levels of demonic energy control, but the same could be said for the Constetion of Despair¡¯s stage of martial arts. There was no way for Kang-Woo to face him without opening the Doors.

    <em>¡®No. Even if I open the Doors, I won''t be able to beat him.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would not lose since he couldn¡¯t die, but he would not be able to win either.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Kang-Wooughed unconsciously.

    He ced his hand on his crazily beating heart. Within it was a ck sea that was struggling to break out into the world at any moment.

    An unbeatable enemy...

    <em>¡®How wonderful is that?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled as excruciating hunger set him aze. It felt as if avish feast that he was not allowed to eat was in front of his eyes.

    <em>¡®What should I do?¡¯</em>

    All sorts of thoughts stormed in his head as he suppressed the desire to rampage to his heart¡¯s content.

    <em>¡®How can I win?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought of countless measures, but they were cut down all too easily by the dark blue sword, which only fired up Kang-Woo even more. He continued his thoughts while being set aze by his hunger and the dark blue mes.

    <em>¡®Maybe...¡¯</em>Kang-Woo looked down at his chest.<em>¡®Maybe...¡¯</em>

    Someone knocked on the door. Kang-Woo ceased his thoughts and turned his head. Hisrades who had been contacted by Lilith entered his room.

    <em>¡®It feels like it¡¯s been a while for some reason.¡¯</em>

    He looked at his party members one by one. He had been busy beyond belief after Proserpine infiltrated the imperial pce as well as the appearance of the Godly Pantheon.

    <em>¡®Darling doesn¡¯t look too good either.¡¯</em>

    Possibly because they hadn¡¯t talked for the past few days, Seol-Ah¡¯s expression was dark, and her face was a little emaciated. She was staring at Kang-Woo with shaking eyes. As Kang-Woo was about to talk to her...

    ¡°Prepare to attack? What are you talking about all of a sudden?!¡± Cha Yeon-Joo¡¯s voice echoed throughout the room.

    The otherrades behind her likely felt the same way; they were just not saying it. Kang-Woo lowered his head in silence. He mmed his hands on the table and pretended to be suppressing his rage.

    ¡°The Godly Pantheon... acted on their own,¡± he said.

    ¡°... What?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°By Godly Pantheon, do you mean the gathering of the incarnations that you talked about before?¡± La asked.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Kang-Woo nodded while putting on a distressed expression and clenching his fists. ¡°Back when we met in Sant¡¯Angelo, Lord Michael and I agreed with them that we should attack them after making ample preparations, but the Godly Pantheon ignored that.¡±

    ¡°Meaning...¡±

    ¡°Yes. The soldiers of the churches attacked the base of the forces of evil.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    A heavy silence fell. La trembled subtly and shut her eyes tight as if she didn¡¯t want to imagine it.

    She asked, ¡°The soldiers...¡±

    ¡°They were... wiped out,¡± said Kang-Woo.

    It was like a bolt from the blue. The joy that they had felt when they had heard the news about incarnations bing their allies had been utterly shattered.

    ¡°Wh-What? Those fucking trolls... Why did they charge into enemy lines all by themselves?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡± Kang-Woo shook his head in confusion. ¡°They surely said during the meeting a few days ago that they would wait until we were ready...¡±

    They felt as if they had been betrayed. No, since the churches had acted on their own after they had agreed to stand by, it was a clear betrayal.

    ¡°Haaa.¡± Yeon-Joo frowned as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing.

    ¡°Then... What should we do now?¡± Seol-Ah asked seriously, understanding the gravity of the situation.

    ¡°We have no choice but to attack before they run away,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    ¡°...¡± La nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right... There¡¯s no other chance than now. We have to attack as quickly as possible before the enemies fully recover from the churches¡¯ attack.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Kang-Woo agreed.

    He liked that he could always get through to La.

    La stood up and took a deep breath in. She drew out her power and stated, ¡°Let¡¯s go right away, Kang-Woo.¡±

    Although it was only a portion, the power of the Top-rank goddess Gaia was nothing to scoff at. Suffocatingly powerful energy surged from La.

    ¡°... Kang-Woo. Since we¡¯re going to enemy lines, will that woman from before be there as well?¡± asked Seol-Ah as she narrowed her eyes.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Kang-Woo answered.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Chilling bloodlust filled Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes momentarily. She asked while touching her lips, ¡°May I fight her on my own?¡±

    ¡°Not on your own.¡± Kang-Woo shook his head firmly.

    Seol-Ah was also able to use Divinity because she had epted Seraph¡¯s soul, but her abilities were specialized toward buffing and healing rather thanbat. Having her fight Proserpine on her own was highly inefficient.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s also dangerous.¡¯</em>

    Even if Proserpine was not specialized inbat, Kang-Woo could not have Seol-Ah fight a Constetion of Evil by herself.

    ¡°Go with La and the others. I¡¯ll leave Lilith inmand. You don¡¯t have to win. Just focus on buying time.¡±

    ¡°With everyone? What about you, then...?¡±

    ¡°I have someone to face,¡± said Kang-Woo calmly.

    Si-Hun, who had been looking at Kang-Woo, flinched.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Kang-Woo turned to Si-Hun while tilting his head. ¡°Is something wrong? You don¡¯t look good at all.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Si-Hun smiled awkwardly.

    As Kang-Woo had said, Si-Hun¡¯s expression was extremely gloomy. Even if he was nervous about facing the Constetions, there was no way that Si-Hun would make such a face. Rather than nervous, it was more apt to say that he looked as if he was in despair.

    ¡°...¡±

    Silence continued. Si-Hun bit his lip as he stared at Kang-Woo. A memory popped up in his head.

    <em>¡°We¡¯ll be very good allies.¡±</em>

    It was a familiar face and voice, but everything about it felt unfamiliar. It even felt grotesque. Si-Hun¡¯s head was spinning as if he felt nauseous.

    ¡°... Hyung... nim.¡±

    Si-Hun¡¯s memories continued. This time, it was of the middle-aged man with a diagonal sh scar across his face.

    The man said expressionlessly,<em>¡°You¡¯ve been deceived by that monster all this time.¡±</em>

    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em>

    <em>¡°Everything he has shown you thus far has been nothing but a facade to hide the abominable truth.¡±</em>

    <em>¡®That¡¯s impossible. Why would hyung-nim do such a thing to me?¡¯</em>

    <em>¡°To use you, of course. I¡¯m sure even you realize the extraordinary talent you possess.¡±</em>

    <em>¡®Hyung-nim is strong. There¡¯s no way he would need to use me.¡¯</em>

    <em>¡°I wonder about that? Are those of great wealth ever satisfied with the wealth they have? Desire is endless, especially if that man is a demon in nature.¡±</em>

    <em>¡®Hyung isn¡¯t a demon anymore.¡¯</em>

    <em>¡°Hah, what a funny joke. No one befits the word</em>demon<em>more than that monster.¡±</em>

    <em>¡®Shut up.¡¯</em>

    <em>¡°Will you continue to be deceived by him? Do you n on living as his puppet forever?¡±</em>

    <em>¡®I told you to shut up.¡¯</em>

    <em>¡°I will give you a chance to take your revenge. Soon, that monster wille to face me. When that timees...¡±</em>

    <em>¡®Please, don¡¯t say anything else.¡¯</em>

    <em>¡°Stab him.¡±</em>

    ¡°...¡± Si-Hun stared at Kang-Woo, who was looking at him worriedly.

    His vision blurred. The current Kang-Woo and the Kang-Woo that Si-Hun had seen that night ovepped; they mixed and were squashed.

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    Si-Hun felt his entire world shaking¡ª no, crumbling. He unconsciously ced his hand on his chest. The memory of the day that Kang-Woo turned Si-Hun into his puppet by cing his hand on Si-Hun¡¯s heart came back to him.

    Si-Hun was able to tell now. The Kang-Woo he had known until now... Everything Kang-Woo had shown him... had all been a lie. He had been used by him all this time.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Si-Hun?¡± called Kang-Woo while frowning at Si-Hun, who was simply staring at him nk-eyed.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Si-Hun smiled as he looked like he would fall apart any second.

 Chapter 396: Prelude to War

    Chapter 396: Prelude to War

    Alright, lets depart as soon as I contact the angels. You guys can stand by in front of the Gate, Oh Kang-Woo said as he stood up.

    The party members nodded and left the room.

    Oh, and Si-Hun, Kang-Woo called Kim Si-Hun, who was about to leave.

    Y-Yes? Si-Hun stared at Kang-Woo whilepletely flustered.

    His eyes were shaking and his lips were quivering.

    Kang-Woo asked while tilting his head, Im not going to eat you up or anything. Whats been with you since earlier?

    Ah, hahaha. Its nothing. Im just not feeling very well. Si-Hun scratched his head while smiling awkwardly.

    Kang-Woo smirked. I guess even you get like that sometimes. Are you nervous?

    Yes, since well be fighting the Constetions of Evil head-on.

    Kang-Woo put his hand on Si-Huns shoulder and patted it lightly. Dont worry too much and lighten up. Ill protect you when ites down to it.

    Si-Hun remained silent.

    Come to think of it, you said that people have gathered to join your fight, right?

    Oh, yes. Si-Hun nodded in slight embarrassment.

    After Si-Huns name had spread throughout the continent, people who wanted to join the heros adventure gathered in the empire. Most of them were swordsmen, but there were many mages, priests, and elementalists as well.

    Kang-Woo had told Si-Hun to choose the most skilled among them and set up a task force simr to the Sirius Corps back on Earth. Although he had been worried that it would be a group of people wanting to y hero, the warriors who had gathered to join Si-Huns adventure were more skilled than he had thought. There were even people who were head and shoulders above the rest.

    Bring them all as well, Kang-Woo stated.

    Understood. Si-Hun nodded. He knew that their help was more imperative now than ever. In that case, Ill be taking my leave, hyung-nim.

    Sure.

    Si-Hun bowed and left the room.

    <em>Now, then.</em>

    Kang-Woo took out amunication crystal orb. Since he had exined the situation to his party members, it was now time to have the angels participate in the operation. He called Uriel.

    [Whats up, Kang-Woo?] Uriel answered ecstatically.

    Kang-Woo responded as if he was suppressing his rage, The Godly Pantheon messed up.

    [What?]

    Kang-Woo repeated what he had exined to his party members. Uriel cursed and ran straight to Michael. Kang-Woo ended the call as soon as he got confirmation that the angels would head to the enemys base right away as well. All he had left to do now was go to his party members who were waiting for him.

    My king, Balrog called as soon as Kang-Woo opened the door.

    Kang-Woo turned his head. Were you waiting for me?

    Yes.

    Why? You shouldve just waited with the others in front of the Gate.

    Balrog remained silent as he stared at Kang-Woo with sunken eyes. He said with a low voice, Kim Si-Hun is

    Balrog, Kang-Woo interjected. Shouldnt you be waiting in front of the Gate?

    Balrog closed his eyes. You knew.

    Kang-Woo smirked. Its hard not to when its that obvious.

    He recalled Si-Huns expression that had been on the verge of falling apart. There was no way that he wouldnt know after seeing that.

    Hah, Kang-Woo feignedughter.

    He had been prepared for this day toe since he knew that it would happen one day.

    <em>The day that everything came undone.</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes.

    What will you do? Balrog asked.

    Im not gonna do anything, Kang-Woo answered without hesitation.

    Balrogs eyes widened as if he had not expected that answer. You will be able to erase his memories if you use the Authority of Subordination again.

    I know.

    Or you could just make him believe that those memories were an illusion. He would believe you without question.

    I know.

    If even that is unsatisfactory, I believe you could tell him the truth. I believe Kim Si-Hun would underst

    I know.

    Kang-Woo stared at Balrog with deeply sunken eyes. Balrog flinched. He could feel the unending abyss within his kings eyes. It felt as if he was being devoured by the ck sea.

    Kurgh

    Balrog could barely breathe. He felt like a colossal energy was weighing down on him. He quickly lowered his head.

    I apologize. I was out of line.

    As long as you know. Kang-Woo softlyughed and drew his energy back in.

    Balrog was able to breathe again. Kang-Woo turned around.

    Lets go.

    Balrogs lips quivered as if he wanted to say something, but sighed and stood up. Kang-Woo walked in front of Balrog. He had a bitter taste in his mouth, so bitter that his tongue was numb.

    ***

    A boy with nk eyes on a destend covered in red sand turned his head.

    Hesing. The boy trembled slightly. The monster of the Demonic Sea ising.

    Tai Wuji remained silent.

    He ced one hand on the handle of his sword strapped to his waist, and the other in his pocket to grab the darkness that was squirming as if it was alive.

    Tai Wuji asked as he looked down at the object, What of our forces?

    Theyve been reduced significantly.

    Tai Wuji turned to look at the army of demonic beasts gathered on the red earth. As the boy had said, the numbers of the demonic beasts had been reduced significantlypared to before.

    Have you still not managed to get in touch with that hunchback? Proserpine asked while biting her lip.

    The boy nodded.

    Shit. What the hell is that son of a bitch doing? she mumbled while frowning. She turned to Tai Wuji and stated, Lets retreat for now. Give me a little more time and Ill be able to charm that monst

    No. Tai Wuji shook his head.

    Proserpine red at him with her eight eyes as her ck tentacles squirmed aggressively. What? You think I wont be able to charm him?

    Thats not what I mean. Tai Wuji looked up in the air. He could see cracks forming on the barrier that they had just repaired. Theyre here.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    Brilliant golden light seeped through the cracks in the barrier. Dozens of Rifts shining with golden light formed in the air, and out of them walked out angels, humans, and an army made up of the retainers of the gods. The first toe out was a boy with blue hair and eight wings.

    Shit Theres so goddamn many of them.

    <em>Crackle, crackle!</em>

    The blue-haired boy frowned. Blue electricity sparked from both of his hands.

    Hihihi. Its better that way, isnt it? This is gonna be fun! A woman with a bottle of alcohol in one hand giggled. She chugged down the half-full bottle. Kaaahh! That hits the spot!

    Crazy bitch. The blue-haired boy shook his head in exasperation.

    So it was you, Heavenly Dragon. An angel with short blond hair red at Tai Wuji.

    Tai Wuji also knew the angel very well. Michael.

    Michael took out a thick book of hundreds of pages, with each page shining radiantly.

    Th-These are the reduced numbers? A red-haired woman stared at the demonic beast army in surprise.

    There were easily thousands of them. If these were the numbers remaining after the battle against the soldiers of the churches, she couldnt even imagine how many there had been originally.

    Huuu, huuu. Fuck, I should never havee to this goddamn world. The red-haired woman grimaced as she panted heavily as if trying to calm herself.

    Although she was panting heavily, her heart was surprisingly as calm as it could be. It was as unmoving as gum stuck on asphalt Not even a dandelion seed would move an inch from how calm she

    What the fuck? Im feeling like shit all of a sudden, someone said.

    Cha Yeon-Joo frowned and picked her ears as if she had heard wrong. She looked around with fierce eyes and saw Han Seol-Ah walking toward her.

    Seol-Ah, did you just sw

    Haaa. Seol-Ah ignored Yeon-Joo as she stared daggers at one person.

    It was the woman with ck tentacles for hair.

    <em>Grind, grind.</em>

    Seol-Ah red at Proserpine with bloodlust while gritting her teeth.

    Youre going to steal my Kang-Woo?

    It was unthinkable. She could not stand for it ever. Enormous energy weighed down on everything around her as chilling bloodlust oozed from her gaze.

    Ahem, Yeon-Joo quickly looked away from Seol-Ah.

    She could instinctively tell that she shouldnt talk to Seol-Ah right now.

    Tai Wuji stared in silence at the armying out from the golden Rifts.

    There were so many of them that he did not know where they had alle from, but he was not focusing on anyone else but the monster wearing human skin.

    Youvee. Tai Wuji red at the monster while gripping his sword.

    He subtly trembled. He had no idea whether it was because he was thrilled about the battle that was about to take ce, or if it was his unconscious fear of the monster. If there was one thing he knew

    <em>I cant avoid a battle against him.</em>

    The battle between them almost felt inevitable.

    Yeah, I have, Kang-Woo said as he walked forward with a smile.

    His heart beat crazily with each step he took. He stared at his enemy ecstatically.

    All eyes focused on Kang-Woo the moment he walked forward. It was only natural since the man who seemed to be the enemy leader was staring straight at him, and so were the archangels.

    Hm? Kang-Woo expressed confusion as all the attention was focused on him.

    <em>The hell?</em>

    Friends and foes alike were all staring at him.

    <em>Is this</em>

    The atmosphere called for him to make some sort of battle cry.

    <em>Fuck, I cant think of anything when Im put on the spot like this.</em>

    He had never used a battle cry when he hadmanded demons in Hell since they fought all on their own even without him saying anything.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    Kang-Woo turned to Yeon-Joo. Hey. The battle cry you didst time was pretty good. Why dont you do it this time as w

    Come on, dont be like that. Yeon-Joo snickered and continued, Our Great Lord Kang-Woo should be the one to sound the battle cry in times like this. Something concise yet powerful, something that will send our morale through the roof!

    She was getting her revenge from the time in the Manchurian in when Kang-Woo had left her in charge of an entire army and disappeared somewhere. Yeon-Joo stared at him joyfully as if telling him to have a taste of his own medicine.

    Shit, Kang-Woo cursed lowly.

    He had a feeling that he wouldnt be able to avoid it. The gears in his head turned in overdrive.

    <em>Oh,e to think of it</em>

    He recalled watching a movie with Echidna whilezing on the couch. He had no idea what it meant, but it was an extremely cool battle cry.

    <em>Yeah, lets go with that.</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded and stomped his feet.

    <em>Boom!!</em>

    The ground shook. Enormous golden light surged out from Kang-Woo as if the sun had appeared atop the red earth. It was a magnificent sight to behold.

    Kang-Woo raised a golden sword high and shouted, Avengers!!

    He then lowered the sword and pointed it at the enemies.

    Assemble.

 Chapter 397: Could You Stop Calling Him Darling?

    Chapter 397: Could You Stop Calling Him Darling?

    The fuck? Cha Yeon-Joo stared at Oh Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly. Crazy son of a bitch!! Why did you giarize?!

    Hm? Kang-Woo tilted his head.

    <em>Whats the problem?</em>

    Yeon-Joo put her hand on her neck as if she was getting a headache.

    God, that son of a bitch will be the end of me.

    It probably would have been better for her to do it. However, as if to say that her worries had been unfounded

    Yeaaaahhhh!!!

    See? They love it, Kang-Woo said.

    The hell? Why did that raise their morale?

    Yeon-Joo stared dumbfoundedly at the angels and humans charging at the demonic beast army in a ze of passion. They had not reacted to the battle cry, but rather the radiant golden light.

    Fuck it, I dont care anymore.

    Yeon-Joo decided to pay it no mind and turned toward the countless demonic beasts charging their way while roaring.

    <em>tter!!</em>

    Chains with sharp thorns on them twisted and turned as if they were alive.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    She stomped her feet and unleashed the chains on the demonic beasts. The chains fiercely pierced the demonic beasts charging at her.

    Fucking cheater Yeon-Joo looked at Kang-Woo in displeasure even while killing demonic beasts.

    Kang-Woo walked forward while ignoring herment.

    Finally

    He faced the despair that he had been waiting for all this time like a lovesick girl.

    Tai Wuji unsheathed the de strapped to his waist while staring at the monster with sunken eyes.

    Tai Wuji and Oh Kang-Woo locked eyes.

    Youve acquired Deific Essence, said Tai Wuji in a low tone.

    He could feel the Divinity mixed into the radiant golden light that the monster was emitting.

    Kang-Woo smiled. Thanks to you.

    He didnt understand what Kang-Woo meant by that. Deific Essence was not something that could be acquired so easily thanks to someone else.

    <em>No.</em>

    Tai Wuji shook his head. The monster had eaten the Constetion of Fear whole.

    <em>If its that monster Its more than possible.</em>

    He could finally understand why Lucifer had been that desperate. That monster was an iprehensible being.

    <em>I have to kill him here.</em>

    If he didnt, the monster would be a hindrance to the revival of his master, Demon God Bauli.

    Nothing will change even if you have acquired Deific Essence, dered Tai Wuji.

    Kang-Woo smirked and nodded. I know, bro.

    He was already aware that he was no match for Tai Wuji just because he had Deific Essence now. Kang-Woo felt as if he was staring at an insurmountable wall as he looked at Tai Wuji. He felt breathless and he was trembling. Tai Wuji looked no different from a human in terms of outer appearance, but he was as overpowering as a giant dragon that covered the entire sky.

    <em>Yeah, this is more like it. This is exactly what I wanted to feel.</em>

    Kang-Wooughed as if he couldnt be any happier. He gripped the golden sword tight and stomped on the ground.

    <em>Wham!!</em>

    He shot toward Tai Wuji like a golden arrow splitting the earth.

    ***

    O Almighty Gaia, prayed La while sping her hands together.

    She borrowed the power of a goddess as an incarnation. A portion of Gaias Deific Essence seeped into her, the massive power causing a storm around her.

    Urgh, La grimaced.

    The more Deific Essence she borrowed, the more burden was ced on her. The great power felt as if it would cause her to burst like a balloon overfilled with air.

    <em>Its not enough.</em>

    La would be facing the Constetions of Evil, the elite guards of the Demon God, beings who had massacred countless gods during the era of myths. Kang-Woo had asked them to buy as much time as they could, but buying time against Constetions of Evil was extremely difficult in and of itself.

    Grant your unworthy incarnation your power.

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    La shone brightly; it was white,pletely different from Kang-Woos light. Befitting the Deific Essence of the Goddess of Parental Love, just looking at the light was enough to warm the heart. La slowly turned to Lilith, the one inmand of the operation.

    First, Lilith said calmly as she looked around the battlefield. Balrog, Si-Hun, and the two children, please take care of them.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    A massive demonic beast twenty meters tall appeared along with an explosive sound. It was Ouroboros, an ancient demonic beast in the form of a snake. The angels gazes turned fierce the moment Ouroboros appeared. They emitted bloodlust at the demonic beast that had ughtered countless angels during the attack on SantAngelo.

    Ouroboros was not the only ancient demonic beast.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    The ground split as giant demonic beasts rose one by one while trampling on the demonic beasts in the area. One of them was a demonic beast covered in mes, who burned the angels that approached him to a crisp. It was Bul-Kathos, an ancient demonic beast enveloped in powerful mes that were on par with Prince Mammons Authority of ze.

    Got it, said Balrog as he walked forward while cracking his neck.

    Will Kang-Woo praise us if we kill them all?

    R-Really? Then Ill k-kill them all.

    Echidna and Halcyon also stared at the ancient demonic beasts with great interest.

    Kim Si-Hun, who had been staring at Kang-Woo whilepletely still, turned without a word.

    Lilith tilted her head in wonder for a moment but turned away from Si-Hun after checking that he was charging toward the ancient demonic beasts along with Balrog and the others.

    Lilith turned to La and Han Seol-Ah and said, We will be facing that Constetion.

    She was pointing at the monster covered in ck tentacles.

    La frowned as she saw Proserpines hideous looks. ... Is she a Constetion of Evil?

    Yes, replied Lilith. She red at Proserpine and bit her nails anxiously. How dare a bitch with no gloss on her tentacles whatsoever

    Not only that, but she only had eight eyes. Lilith couldnt believe that Proserpine dared to proim herself as the Goddess of Subuses.

    <em>Unforgivable.</em>

    Her looks probably were good enough back in the era of myths but were nothing now.

    Grannies past their prime should know their ce, Lilith muttered.

    What did you say? Proserpine narrowed her eyes sharply, having heard Lilith. Her tentacles squirmed fiercely. Im past my prime?

    Far past, I would add. You look easily above a few dozen millennia old.

    <em>Hohoho,</em> Lilith giggled while covering her mouth.

    Since Proserpine had been active since the era of myths, she was indeed older than a few dozen millennia old.

    Hmph, age isnt everything in beauty, you know? Proserpine argued.

    My, but being young is better for sure. Wouldnt you agree, granny?

    You arrogant bitch Proserpines eyes widened in fury.

    She could endure anything else, but as the Goddess of Subuses, she could not stand her beauty being mocked.

    Now, Seol-Ah. You cant lose Kang-Woo to a granny like that, can you? Lilith asked.

    Seol-Ah nodded, her eyes filled with bloodlust.

    Proserpine feignedughter in exasperation. Hah. I guess I should deal with you all before I capture my darlings heart.

    To make the monster hers, she needed to purge the parasites clinging to him first. Proserpine extended her tentacles while ring at Lilith and Seol-Ah.

    Im not sure whats happening, but La slurred.

    She enveloped her hands with white light. She could at least tell that the <em>darling </em>Proserpine was referring to was Kang-Woo, and that she was trying to take him away from Seol-Ah and Lilith.

    She frowned in displeasure. NTR lovers must be exterminated.

    <em>Bam!</em>

    La extended her arms forward and shot a giant ball of light at Proserpine.

    Hmph, Proserpine snorted as if it were nothing.

    Although she was not specialized inbat, she was not so weak that she would lose to a mere incarnation with borrowed Deific Essence. However

    Blessing of the Celestial Goddess, Seol-Ah chanted.

    What?!

    Proserpine had not expected Seol-Ah to be an unexpected variable. Twelve wings sprouted from Seol-Ahs back. Once she imbued her power into La, her half-baked Deific Essence gained its full form. The powers of Celestial Goddess Seraph and Gaiabined.

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    The light was bright enough to blind the eyes. An intense wave of heat set everything in the area aze.

    Kyaaaaahhh! Proserpine screamed as her tentacles were burned by the intense heat.

    She had expected Gaias incarnation, but could not have imagined a human who possessed Celestial Goddess Seraphs power to join the battle.

    <em>H-How?!</em>

    Proserpines mind stormed with fear and rage. There was no way that she would ever forget the cursed Celestial Goddess Seraph. She had spent hundreds of millennia sealed in a pitch-ck space due to Seraph sealing the Constetions of Evil at the cost of her Divinity.

    Kurgh! Proserpine grunted and turned her head.

    She was about to ask Tai Wuji for assistance, but he did not seem to have the leeway to do so since he had begun his battle against the monster of the Demonic Sea.

    <em>I-I have to run.</em>

    Proserpine bit her lip anxiously. There was also the Constetion of Nightmares, but that brat was not specialized inbat either. She needed to hide somewhere until Tai Wuji disposed of the monster. She turned around without hesitation.

    Where do you think youre going? La said as she chased after Proserpine.

    Behind her was also Han Seol-Ah with twelve wings. Proserpine grimaced aggressively.

    ***

    Argh, urgh Proserpine groaned as she blocked pus from spewing out of her severed tentacles. Shit, shit, shit!

    She cursed as she stomped her feet.

    <em>Crazy bitches.</em>

    Gaias incarnation and the human with Seraphs power had stuck to her to no end. There had been chances for her to run away a few times, but Lilith had blocked those chances before Proserpine could use them.

    Haaa, Proserpine sighed.

    She had no choice but to unleash the Demon Gods Deific Essence. It had been highly risky, but she had sessfully managed to incapacitate Gaias incarnation and sessfully run away.

    Urgh, Proserpine groaned and copsed on the spot. She had escaped to the mountains quite a distance away from the valley. This ce should be safe.

    Proserpine hugged herself as she trembled. She could barely move due to the side effects of unleashing the Demon Gods Deific Essence.

    <em>Ill stay here until Tai Wuji wipes them all out.</em>

    Even if she were to stay out of the battle, Tai Wuji was there. However strong the monster of the Demonic Sea was or howrge the army of angels and humans was

    <em>Tai Wuji will win.</em>

    He was so powerful that his defeat was not even imaginable.

    Proserpine muttered in disappointment while hiding herself between two rocks, But I prefer that my darling doesnt die.

    Just then

    Could you stop calling Kang-Woo your darling?

    What?! Proserpine quickly turned to the source of the voice.

    There, a woman with twelve wings was looking down at her.

    You see, Kang-Woo The woman walked forward while ring at Proserpine with lifeless eyes. ... Can only be touched, cared for, embraced, hugged, patted, fed, teased, kissed, and loved by me. Hes mine.

    The twelve pure-white wings flickered ck.

 Chapter 398: It Was A Lie After All

    Chapter 398: It Was A Lie After All

    You! Proserpine red at Han Seol-Ah while biting her lip. She did not expect Seol-Ah to follow her all the way here. I guess you just left Gaias incarnation to die, huh?

    Proserpine had managed to escape after unleashing the Demon Gods Deific Essence and greatly injuring Gaias incarnation. If Seol-Ah had just left the incarnation toe here, it meant that Gaias incarnation would not survive.

    No, Seol-Ah smirked and shook her head. Ive already given La first aid so that she wouldnt die.

    <em>In that short of a time?</em>

    Proserpine bit her lip right as she was about to say that out loud.

    <em>Its possible for Seraph.</em>

    Although the human did not seem to be able to use Seraphs power to its full extent, first aid would be simple even if she were able to use a portion of it. Proserpine panted heavily while grasping her wound. The injury that she had inflicted on Gaias incarnation was quiterge. If the human had only administered first aid

    Gaias incarnation must be writhing in pain right now, Proserpine remarked.

    No need to worry. Lilith is taking good care of her. And Seol-Ahs eyes lit up crazily. Im sure La will understand. Its for the sake of killing a Constetion of Evil of all demons, after all.

    Seol-Ah approached Proserpine while humming.

    Proserpine chuckled as her hand that was grasping her injury trembled. Hah. Do you seriously think you can kill me?

    Celestial Goddess Seraph had a fatal weakness. She possessed powerful buffs that could make an ordinary farmer into the greatest warrior, and healing magic so powerful that it seemed as if she could bring the dead back to life. No, she actually could revive the dead with the magic spell <em>Resurrection </em>if she were to use the entirety of her power. However, her abilities were so specialized toward buffing and healing that herbat prowess wasughably bad.

    <em>In other words, she cant do anything on her own.</em>

    Proserpine stared at Seol-Ah with narrowed eyes. Although she was in terrible condition, she wouldnt lose to a woman akin to a scarecrow with nobat ability.

    Ill make you regret your arrogance ofing here by yourself! Proserpine shouted as she extended her arm.

    ck tentacles shot toward Seol-Ahs neck, but

    <em>Grip.</em>

    Seol-Ah easily caught the tentacles aiming for her neck. She twisted the tentacles and pulled them with all her might.

    Kyaaaaaahhh! Proserpine screamed. Wh-What?

    Proserpine stared at Seol-Ah iprehensibly. If the human had inherited Seraphs soul, herbat ability should have been terrible.

    You dared to covet Kang-Woo

    Seol-Ah looked down at the tentacles in her hand with disgust. Her wings continued to flicker ck.

    <em>Rumble.</em>

    Darkness poured out from the wings and filled the surroundings along with a thunderous sound.

    ... With these filthy tentacles.

    Thousands of ck feathers shot at Proserpine.

    Kyaaaaaahhh! Proserpine screamed while scrunching up.

    Thousands of feathers poured on Proserpine like a machine gun, tearing her skin and severing her tentacles.

    Haaa, haaa, Proserpine opened her eyes while panting heavily after the storm of feathers died down. Fortunately, she was not greatly injured.

    <em>N-No.</em>

    It was not fortunate. It meant one thing if she was only lightly injured after allowing herself to be attacked whilepletely defenseless.

    <em>She avoided my vitals on purpose.</em>

    Chills ran down Proserpines spine. She was ovee with fear as Seol-Ah looked down at her chillingly.

    Ill make it so that you can never even think aboutying a hand on Kang-Woo, Seol-Ah muttered as she slowly walked toward Proserpine.

    Proserpine flinched. She gulped while trembling.

    <em>Wh-What should I do?</em>

    She might have had a chance if she was in perfect form, but she was currently suffering from the side effects of unleashing the Demon Gods Deific Essence, so there was no way for her to face that insane human right now. Not only that, but she did not even have the strength to run anymore.

    Ngh Proserpine bit her lip.

    She needed to think of a way out of this situation.

    <em>Come to think of it, she seemed to be madly obsessed with that monster.</em>

    Her obsession was abnormally high, exactly like the men that had been charmed by Proserpine. She did not have to think very hard about why that was.

    <em>If she possesses Seraphs soul</em>

    Proserpine knew about angels being driven by their obsessions. This female humans obsession was likely the monster himself. If that was the case, her crazy obsession was understandable since there was no way that a mere human would be able to control an angels instincts, let alone Seraphs.

    <em>Shit, I sure have stirred up the hos nest.</em>

    Proserpine frowned aggressively. It was unavoidable since there was no way for her to have known that Seraphs soul dwelled within that human.

    <em>But I still have a card to y.</em>

    Proserpines eyes lit up. If that human was unable to handle the instincts of an angel, she would just use it against her.

    Hmm, you wont let mey a hand on him, you say? asked Proserpine while smiling seductively.

    Seol-Ah casually nodded as she walked toward her. Yes. I wont let youy a hand on him.

    Ho Hohohohoho!! Proserpine burst intoughter while covering her mouth with one hand and staring at Seol-Ah as if she were unable to contain her joy.

    Whats so funny? Seol-Ah red at theughing Proserpine.

    Proserpine twisted her body bewitchingly and answered, I mean~ I just thought it might be a bit toote for that.

    Deathly silence fell.

    Seol-Ah asked while her eyes lit up crazily, What do you mean by that?

    Hohohoho! Proserpine burst intoughter again. She licked her lips with her snakelike tongue and asked, You havent been sleeping with darlingtely, have you?

    Seol-Ah remained silent.

    Kang-Woo had been away for the past few days, so they had not been able to spend the night together.

    Man, what a shame. You wouldve been able to see his disappointed face if you did.

    What? Seol-Ah narrowed her eyes sharply. Kang-Woo being disappointed? Her heart beat strongly after hearing Proserpines words that were implying something. What are you talking about?

    I wonder what Im talking about? Proserpine giggled leisurely.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Seol-Ah spread out her twelve wings and shot toward Proserpine, violently grabbing her by the hair.

    Kyaah!

    I asked you what you were talking about.

    W-Wait! Th-That hurts! Let me go and then well talk!

    Tell me now. Seol-Ah looked down at Proserpine terrifyingly.

    Proserpine was smiling despite screaming. It seems darling hasnt told you. Well, I doubt he had the heart to.

    A few days ago Darling came to me.

    Kang-Woo went to see you?

    Proserpine replied leisurely, Yeah. I left my traces on my clone back then.

    She had never done such a thing, but now was not the time to sweat the small stuff.

    Then

    Seol-Ahs expression froze. She knew that Kang-Woo had headed to SantAngelo after following the trace left behind by Proserpine. However, what if Kang-Woo went somewhere else before heading to SantAngelo?

    Dont lie, Seol-Ah said ferociously as she clenched Proserpines hair harder.

    Hohoho! Why do you think its a lie?

    Theres no way Kang-Woo would do such a thing.

    Why? Arent all men the same?

    Kang-Woo is different.

    No, hes the same, Proserpine replied while shaking her head firmly. She continued craftily, His rtionship status seemed to be all over the ce, too. Im sure he did it with that Lilith bitch. His rtionship with that red hair seemed suspicious too.

    Lilith is different.

    Lilith had spent a thousand years with Kang-Woo. She had given Seol-Ah all sorts of advice on how to advance her rtionship with Kang-Woo, and they had even promised together that they would stay by Kang-Woos side forever. Seol-Ah could never be jealous of Lilith of all people. After all, the one who hade between Kang-Woo and Lilith had been her; she had stolen Kang-Woo from Lilith, who had been devoted to Kang-Woo for thest thousand years.

    The first time is always the hardest. It gets easier the more you do it, wouldnt you agree? Proserpine asked suggestively.

    Seol-Ah clenched her fists. Proserpine was not wrong, but

    Theres no way Kang-Woo would do such a thing.

    Seol-Ahs strength left her hands.

    Fufu, Proserpine smiled widely as she widened the distance between them. She caressed her stomach and continued, Then who was it that entered me that night?

    Proserpine continued while giggling, Do you know what darling said to me that night? He said that no one had ever made him feel that good. You cant me him. I wouldnt be known as the Constetion of Lust if I was the same as other women. She burst out lustful energy and licked her lips seductively. He talked about you too. He said that you were no fun because youre so inexperienced.

    Wh-What?

    Seol-Ahs eyes widened and flinched as if Proserpine had hit the mark. She did indeed have no experience with anyone other than Kang-Woo.

    Hohoho! You do look like youd be bad at it. Proserpine mocked her and sighed in relief in her mind at the same time.

    <em>I knew shed be bad at it.</em>

    She was not the Constetion of Lust for nothing. She could tell just from the way Seol-Ah smelled that she was inexperienced. Seol-Ah was trembling in shock.

    <em>Hoho, it seems to have worked.</em>

    She could tell that her n had seeded.

    <em>Once I hammer the nail in the coffin</em>

    That humans obsession would turn into fury, and then

    <em>Shell use that fury to go tear the monsters groin apart.</em>

    One would normally doubt what they had been told, but that human was not in a normal condition at all.

    <em>I doubt she can even think properly.</em>

    People often believed even the craziest of things if their desire reached the breaking point. It could often be seen in impulsive gamblers who did iprehensible things. The same could be said for obsession; once ones obsession reached its breaking point and turned into madness, one would barely have any leeway to make logical thoughts.

    Th-Thats enough of your lies!

    As Proserpine had expected, Seol-Ah shouted in madness while clenching her hair. Proserpine smiled widely.

    Fufu. Its been a while since I had that much fun as well. She slowly ced her hand on her stomach. Oh, and She giggled as she caressed her stomach. I think Im pregnant.

    What did you say?

    Fufu. Im pregnant. Proserpine looked down at her stomach lovingly. With my darlings precious child.

    Seol-Ahs eyes widened. She was shocked to the point that blood vessels had protruded all over her body. Proserpine looked down victoriously at the despaired Seol-Ah.

    <em>Alright, now</em>

    Liar, Seol-Ah said chillingly.

    The atmospherepletely changed.

    H-Huh? Proserpine looked at Seol-Ah perplexedly.

    She had a feeling that something had gone wrong.

    Liar

    The light in Seol-Ahs eyespletely disappeared. Her eyes as dark as the abyss were staring right at Proserpine.

    Liar Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar.

    Wh-What the Proserpine got goosebumps.

    The humans mad obsession had not changed into fury; it had simply amplified into even greater madness.

    W-Wait! C-Calm down! It was just a prank

    Proserpine instinctively tried to get away, but

    <em>Crack.</em>

    Ack!!

    Seol-Ah flew toward Proserpine at the speed of light and got on top of her. She moved her arms without hesitation as her wings flickering ck fluttered.

    <em>Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!!</em>

    Kyaaaaahhh!! Proserpine screamed horrendously.

    Seol-Ah tore Proserpine apart alive, and

    Heh. Just as I thought, it was a lie after all.

    She looked down at the crevice she had made with her bloodied hands.

    She muttered, Theres nobody inside.

    Seol-Ah giggled brightly.<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    Bless the people who dont know what show this is from</blockquote>

 Chapter 399: Stab Him

    Chapter 399: Stab Him

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Thunderous explosions rang out as Oh Kang-Woo was blown away. He violently tumbled across the ground while leaving a line on the ground along his path, then sprang back up. He raised the golden sword made with the Key of the Demonic Sea and swung it at Tai Wuji, who appeared in front of him out of nowhere. The two swords collided.

    <em>Bang!!</em>

    Another explosion rang out.

    <em>Cough!</em>

    Kang-Woo panted heavily. His sword imbued with Divinity was cleaved into two all too easily. He jumped back.

    Dayum, Im seriously no match for him.

    Kang-Woo smiled widely as he healed his torn hands with the Authority of Regeneration. He had infused Intermediate-rank Divinity into the Key of the Demonic Sea, but it was not enough to endure Tai Wujis sword.

    <em>But its at least better than before.</em>

    Unlike their first confrontation when the Key of the Demonic Sea shattered as soon as it shed with Tai Wujis sword, it could now handle a few blows.

    <em>Thats good enough.</em>

    It was a meaningful change since it made it far easier for him to handle a battle against the despair in front of him. Kang-Woo restored the sword to its original form while smiling. He gripped the sword shining with golden light.

    Tai Wuji stared at Kang-Woo with sunken eyes. He remarked while tapping on his sword handle, Youve changed from back then.

    The man in front of him waspletely different from the horrifying monster that seemed like it had been born from the Demonic Sea. The man looked magnificent; sublime, even.

    It does not suit you, Tai Wuji stated.

    He recalled the first time he came across the monster. He had been the furthest thing from being magnificent and sublime; he had only exuded madness so powerful that it could devour the entire world whole.

    I havent opened any Doors yet, Kang-Woo replied.

    Doors? Tai Wuji tilted his head, unable to understand what the monster was talking about.

    Kang-Woo smirked. Dont rush me, man. Ill open them soon enough.

    He lightly swung his sword. He was well aware that he would not be able to face Tai Wuji without opening the Doors no, he was not certain that he would be able to win even after opening the Doors. He would not be able to lose since he couldnt die; it did not mean he would be able to win. Despite that, Kang-Woo was not opening them yet for one simple reason.

    <em>I cant use it infinitely.</em>

    Just because Kang-Woo didnt die while the Doors were open did not mean he waspletely immortal. As he continuously died and his physical body was harmed, his mind would gradually be eaten up by the Demonic Sea. Even if he didnt die, just having the Doors open quickly ate away at his mind. Kang-Woo would open the Doors after shaving Tai Wujis endurance as much as possible.

    <em>And</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled. Sparks ran all over his body every time he shed swords with Tai Wuji. The chilling sensation of the fact that he could be beheaded the moment he let his guard down stimted him.

    Haaah, Kang-Woo exhaled heatedly.

    He felt like he was going insane from the secretion of endorphins. The stimting feeling of death being right around the corner could not be felt while the Doors were open. He wanted to relish in this feeling for just a little longer.

    Tai Wuji frowned. He was able to read what the monster was feeling from just his eyes full of anticipation. He said emotionlessly Youre insane.

    He couldnt imagine someone acting this way when they could die at any time.

    <em>Its as if hes living to die.</em>

    Tai Wuji gripped his sword while suppressing the displeasure surging from deep within his heart. He stared at the monster with cold eyes.

    <em>That madness of yours will end today.</em>

    Fuuu, Tai Wuji inhaled deeply.

    He gripped the sword tightly and stomped his feet.

    <em>Heavenly Dragon ws.</em>

    Tai Wuji swung his dark blue sword swiftly, resembling a dragon swinging down its ws. The sword was divided into five as it aimed for the monsters neck. It was not an illusion; each sword sh contained enough power to split an entire mountain in half. The shes resembling the ws of a beast aimed for Kang-Woo.

    Yeah, thats more like it.

    Kang-Woo snickered as he swung his sword at the five condensed sword energies aiming for his neck. Sound so splitting that it could rupture ones eardrums rang out as the ground underneath the two of them caved in.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    A giant sinkhole several hundred meters deep was formed. The demonic beasts and humans fighting in the area quickly ran away. Kang-Woo and Tai Wuji casually continued their battle while stepping on thin air as if they couldnt care less that the ground had copsed.

    Hup! Tai Wujis eyes shone as he saw an opening.

    He swung down his sword and cut off Kang-Woos right arm which had been holding the golden sword. Tai Wuji smiled faintly. Just then, Kang-Woo grabbed his right arm with his left and threw it at Tai Wuji.

    <em>Stab!</em>

    Kurgh!

    The golden sword pierced Tai Wujis stomach.

    Kang-Woo snickered. It sure is nice to be able to use Divinity.

    Back when he did not have Divinity, he had to attack the same spot multiple times to be able to deal some damage due to the barrier of Divinity that his enemies possessed. However, now that he was able to use Divinity, he was able to get through the Divinity barrier, which was always up like a passive skill, with ease.

    What the Tai Wuji grimaced. He had not expected the monster to attack by throwing his arm that was holding his weapon. Such an attack could not be performed by a sane person.

    Tai Wuji looked down at his bleeding stomach. The injury itself was not serious. He grabbed the monsters right arm and threw it down on the ground. The monster without a right arm was staring at him leisurely. He saw the monster cing his left hand on his chest.

    <em>Thats</em>

    Chills ran down Tai Wujis back. It was the same sensation that he had felt back when he had faced the monster at the imperial pce. It was the fear that one would feel when staring into the abyss.

    <em>I have to stop him from doing that.</em>

    Tai Wuji did not know what that motion meant, but he was sure that he would see that horrendous monster again if he didnt stop him.

    <em>In that case</em>

    There was no better time to use the card that he had prepared. Tai Wuji slowly turned his head and sent a telepathic message to the young man who was staring at their battle nkly.

    <em>Now is the time.</em>

    The young man flinched.

    <em>Stab him.</em>

    Kim Si-Huns eyes quivered after getting the telepathic message.

    ***

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    The ground was being distorted. Si-Hun stopped cutting down the demonic beasts in front of him and turned to where the deafening sound came from. He could see the shing of golden light and dark blue light.

    Si-Hun shut his eyes tightly in silence. The memories came back to him once his eyes were closed. He could see himself copsed in a dark alleyway and a smiling young man on top of him. The mans face was familiar and unfamiliar to him at the same time.

    <em>Well be very good allies.</em>

    The mans voice was imprinted in his mind along with his eyes twisted with malice. He had never seen that side of his hyung before.

    <em>Youve been deceived by that monster all this time.</em>

    Tai Wujis words echoed in his mind. Si-Hun had told him to shut up, but he already knew deep down that he had been used and betrayed by the hyung that he had trusted unconditionally. No, it could not even be called a betrayal, since the way that he felt about Kang-Woo was not the same as how Kang-Woo felt about him.

    <em>He never thought of me as his little brother from the beginning.</em>

    All that Kang-Woo cared about was Si-Huns talent. He was nothing more than a useful puppet to Kang-Woo.

    <em>Theres this one thing that I keep thinking about, </em>Si-Hun recalled his own words back when he had been sitting next to the bedridden Kang-Woo. <em>About what would have happened in my life if I had never met you.</em>

    Si-Hun could not even imagine what would have happened if he had never met Kang-Woo. He could see nothing but a void.

    <em>I cant even imagine a life without you anymore, hyung-nim.</em>

    What would have Kang-Woo felt after hearing those words? Would he haveughed at him? Would he have mocked him, who was saying such a thing while having no idea that he was being controlled? It was likely.

    <em>No, no. Dont think so pessimistically. He might have gotten attached to me after all this time. He might even care deeply for me now.</em>

    Si-Hun recalled a novel about a protagonist kidnapping a child to raise them as an assassin but ended up falling in love with them. Kang-Woo might also have ended up caring for him like his own brother just like the protagonist of that novel.

    Argh, urgh. Si-Hun felt as if his head would explode. He teared up unconsciously. A-Aaaahh.

    His entire world had changed after meeting Kang-Woo. His world, which had been full of despair, had lit up brightly before he had realized it. And that world had now copsedpletely.

    H-Hyung Hyung

    Si-Hun lowered his head while clenching his hair. The fact that the Kang-Woo he had known thus far had been a lie That his gaze, actions, words, and everything had been a lie The pain brought about by them was unbearable.

    <em>Now is the time.</em>

    Si-Hun heard a voice and quickly looked up to see Tai Wuji looking down at him.

    N-No Si-Hun mumbled miserably since he knew what Tai Wuji would tell him to do.

    <em>Stab him.</em>

    However, Tai Wuji brought him despair nheless as if to trample on his hopes.

    Haaa, haaa, Si-Hun panted heavily.

    The sword in his hands felt hot to the touch. He could instinctively tell that there was no turning back. It was time to make his decision.

    Si-Hun held the sword tightly and leaped into the air. He ran across the sky by making steps using Formless Sword.

    <em>Well be very good allies.</em>

    That voice was not leaving Si-Huns head. It would likely never disappear. Si-Hun felt nauseous from the horrible sense of betrayal. His vision blurred. He felt like he could barely hear anything around him. The world around him felt like it was crumbling. No, his world might have already been destroyed the day that he met Tai Wuji.

    H-Haaah.

    Si-Hun imbued his sword with power as the Qi from his dantian filled his entire body. And

    <em>Pierce.</em>

    He stabbed without hesitation.<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    I mean Lets face it. We all know who he stabbed.</blockquote>

 Chapter 400: Why Did You Do That?

    Chapter 400: Why Did You Do That?

    Kim Si-Huns mother was a barmaid, and one at a luxury bar that only served VIPs, at that. She had caught the attention of Si-Huns father, and they ended up sleeping together. That was how Si-Hun was born.

    Si-Hun had no idea why a man like his father did not force his mother to abort the baby that had been an ident. Whatever the case, Si-Hun and his mother used to live with his father when he was very little.

    He remembered being fairly close to his older brother at the time. He did not remember when, but he had once made a bet with his older brother about who would be able to juggle a ser ball longer. At the time, his older brother had been full of confidence, but Si-Hun had ended up winning the bet by about five times the length of time. That had been his first time touching a ser ball.

    On that day, his older brother changed and the endless harassment began. At the time, Si-Hun had no idea why his older brother tormented him. He was just frustrated and sad. Only after he grew up did he realize that his brother tormented him out of jealousy. After realizing that fact, Si-Hun did everything worse than his brother on purpose. Whether it be studying, sports, or art, he praised his older brother for being good at everything.

    The harassment then turned into mockery. His older brother called him the son of a prostitute. Si-Hun had no idea what that word meant when he first heard it, but the day he learned what it meant, he beat up his older brother to the point that his teeth fell out. A while after the incident, Si-Hun learned that his older brothers cheekbones had almost shattered.

    That incident marked the beginning of hell. Si-Hun and his mother were kicked out of the house. His mother tried her best to find a workce to earn money, but she was not able to because of his fathers interference. Poverty was more despairing than all else, but Si-Hun was happy just to be together with his mother. Although he was hungry and tired all the time, he was happy. Or at least, that was what Si-Hun had thought.

    One day, Si-Hun saw his mother sneaking out of the house. He followed after her and saw that she hade to his fathers house and was begging for her and Si-Hun to be forgiven. His older brother came out of the house andughed while kicking her. He spat on her while cackling. Si-Hun was not able to do anything to stop it.

    On that day, his mother came back home with her face all bruised up and a handful of bills in her hand. She cried as she looked at Si-Hun and apologized to him while bawling her eyes out.

    <em>Im sorry for giving birth to you.</em>

    Si-Hun found those words hurtful. They hurt so badly that he thought he would never be able to forget them.

    <em>Cough</em>

    Si-Hun heard someone coughing up blood. He could feel the trembles of the person that he stabbed through the sword. He looked up.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Assimtion with Martial God Tian Taihuang has reached 87%.]

    [You have mastered Formless Sword!]

    [You have realized a portion of the principle of Minds Sword!]

    Haaa, haaa, Si-Hun panted heavily.

    He felt like his head would explode. The Qi surging from his dantian and the principles of martial arts filled his brain. He twisted the de. The wound widened along with the cracking of bones, and ck blood flowed out from it.

    Why? Tai Wuji looked down at the sword that had pierced his heart and then back at Si-Hun.

    His eyes were wide open as if he couldnt understand.

    Si-Hun shut his eyes tightly without answering.

    In the end, youve decided to remain as a puppet, Tai Wuji stated coldly.

    He raised his sword as he stared at Si-Hun in disgust. Si-Hun did not answer this time either.

    Pathetic.

    Tai Wuji grabbed the de that pierced his heart. Cracks formed on Holy Sword Ludwig, and itpletely shattered in his hands. Tai Wuji turned around and swung his sword.

    <em>sh!</em>

    Kurgh!

    The sword zing with dark blue mes cut Si-Hun from his corbone to his stomach, spewing dark red blood like a fountain. As Si-Hun fell to the ground like a bird that had lost its wings

    <em>Tap.</em>

    Someone raced across the sky and caught Si-Hun.

    Ah Si-Hun expressed.

    He raised his head and saw Oh Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo was looking down at him with deeply sunken eyes. Si-Hun could see an endless ck sea within Kang-Woos eyes.

    Why did you do that? Kang-Woo asked.

    Si-Hun smiled faintly as he looked up at Kang-Woo. I guess you knew.

    Kang-Woo had known that Si-Hun had regained his memories. Si-Hun couldnt help butugh after finding that out. He felt the heavy emotions weighing down on his heart lifting.

    Why did you do that? Kang-Woo asked again.

    Si-Hun organized his thoughts toe up with an answer. He slowly raised his trembling hand and grabbed Kang-Woos arm.

    Even if everything youve shown me until now was a lie

    Even if Si-Hun was nothing more than a puppet

    To me

    Tears flowed down Si-Huns cheeks. He recalled the day that La was captured by Satans subordinate, and what Kang-Woo had said to him back when he was on the verge of losing his sanity and bing a demon.

    <em>Thanks for staying as my little brother.</em>

    Kang-Woo probably had no idea how much those words had saved him. Even if those words had been a lie and had been nothing more than a trick to keep him as a puppet

    Your lies were more precious to me than any truth.

    Kang-Woo remained silent. He feignedughter. You dumbass.

    Si-Hun was truly an incorrigible dumbass.

    Youre making me cringe, dude, Kang-Woo mentioned.

    ssic Si-Hun; he was an expert at saying cringe lines.

    Haha, Si-Hunughed brightly.

    He looked satisfied as if all his weights had been unloaded off his shoulders. Kang-Woo lightly smacked theughing Si-Hun on the back of his head.

    Why are youughing, dumbass? he asked.

    Si-Hun was truly a dumbass. He was thanking the one who had used him after turning him into a puppet whileughing. Kang-Woo wondered if Si-Hun even had a brain in that head of his.

    Seriously Kang-Woo slurred.

    Si-Hun was so idiotic that Kang-Woo was boiling with rage.

    Youve tamed him well. He doesnt bite his master even without a leash on him, said Tai Wuji as he looked at Si-Hun in contempt.

    Kang-Woo said in a low tone, So you were the one who restored Si-Huns memories.

    Thats right. Tai Wuji smirked. How utterly pathetic. I did not expect the one to inherit the Heavenly Dragons martial arts to be this moroni

    Hey, Kang-Woo said as he turned to Tai Wuji. I get it, so shut up for a second.

    Tai Wuji frowned. Kang-Woo turned his head back to Si-Hun. He gathered some of the blood spewing from his severed right arm with his left hand and poured it into Si-Huns mouth.

    Hyung.

    You shut up too.

    After administering first aid with the Authority of Regeneration, Kang-Woo lightly patted Si-Huns body. A golden barrier enveloped him, and he was lowered slowly to the ground.

    Haaa, Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

    He closed his eyes. For some reason, his irritation was through the roof, to the point that he could barely handle it.

    I mean, I was gonna kill you anyway even without this, but Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes to reveal ck scleras, yellow irises, and horizontal ck pupils filled with fury. He turned to Tai Wuji and remarked, You just gave me another reason to tear you apart.

    Tai Wuji raised his sword in silence. Kang-Woo could feel unconceble anxiety in Tai Wujis eyes. Kang-Woo took a deep breath to the point that his lungs could burst. And

    Raaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!

    The kings roar shook the earth. Angels, demons, demonic beasts, and humans all held their breaths.

    Kang-Woo bent forward and shot explosively toward Tai Wuji.

    Hup. Tai Wuji positioned his sword forward.

    Kang-Woo ended up right in front of Tai Wuji in the blink of an eye and extended his remaining left arm. Tai Wuji raised the sword to cut off the left arm.

    Move, Kang-Woo spoke in Soul Speech.

    The words imbued with power distorted thews of physics, allowing Kang-Woo to ovee space itself and move behind Tai Wuji. He grabbed Tai Wujis neck, raised his right leg high, and swung it down as hard as he could.

    <em>Boom!!!</em>

    The repelling force caused Tai Wuji and Kang-Woo to shoot toward the sky. They passed the blue sky and the clouds as the scenery changed rapidly. In the end, they went past the atmosphere and reached outer space. The two monsters ended up in a dark void where no life could survive.

    Kurgh! Tai Wuji turned and swung his sword, cutting off Kang-Woos left hand that was holding him by the back of the neck. Red blood poured out from both of Kang-Woos arm stumps, but they stayed floating in space due to the absence of gravity.

    Did you think anything would change if you came all the way here? Tai Wuji snorted.

    Any normal life form would die as soon as they reached outer space, but Tai Wuji was a god, one who possessed Top-rank Deific Essence, no less. It was possible to breathe, speak, and move freely in outer space with the power of Divinity.

    Something does change, Kang-Woo replied.

    He looked up and saw only darkness. He tried to take a deep breath but naturally, nothing entered his lungs. Having his breathing cut off was slightly unpleasant, but such trivial issues did not matter.

    Here

    The corners of Kang-Woos mouth rose. No, they did not just rise; the corners ripped, and his cheeks tore open as if they had been sliced with a knife. Sharp teeth of a beast protruded out from between them.

    I can go as wild as I like.

    Kang-Woo cackled. The red blood flowing out from his arm stumps slowly turned ck.

    Haaa. Kang-Woo exhaled what remained of the air in his lungs and then chanted, First Door, open.

 Chapter 401: Moth

    Chapter 401: Moth

    The Door opened and out flooded the ck sea. Immense power surged into Oh Kang-Woo. He felt like he was about to burst like a balloon overfilled with air.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    His skin turned into ck mucus and then returned to normal. Kang-Woo crouched and then stomped on thin air.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    A ck wave spread out spherically. He was no longer emitting radiant golden energy; he was surrounded by darkness as thick as the abyss.

    Youve finally shown your true colors, Tai Wuji remarked lowly.

    No way could sound be transmitted in outer space, but Tai Wuji couldmunicate by infusing his voice with Qi. He gripped his sword tighter and stared at the monster enveloped in darkness.

    <em>Thats the monster of the Demonic Seas true form.</em>

    He had a feeling that he could understand what the monster meant by opening the Doors. He got goosebumps when the monsters body had turned into mucus momentarily.

    Fuuu, Tai Wuji breathed in by using his Qi infused with Divinity.

    He was not breathing in oxygen, but its effect was simr. He got fired up as he used Void Steps to move in outer space.

    <em>Swish!</em>

    Tai Wuji disappeared in a sh and appeared in front of Kang-Woo as if he had teleported.

    <em>Heavenly Dragon Rampage.</em>

    Tai Wujis dark blue sword split into thousands of des that filled the entirety of outer space.

    <em>sh! sh!</em>

    Kang-Woo was split in half, and those halves were split in half. The dragons rampage continued to sh Kang-Woos body over and over again.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    What are you doing?

    However, Kang-Woos fragmented body turned into ck mucus. He extended his arm which had returned to its normal shape, and a giant mouth appeared from the hand. Tai Wuji frowned.

    You know its pointless, remarked Kang-Woo as he swung the extended arm horizontally, the giant mouth aiming for Tai Wuji.

    Tai Wuji reflexively raised his sword, shing with the monsters teeth.

    !

    Although there was no sound, the shockwave was powerful enough to bend space. Intense heat was created from the shing of monsters who had surpassed the limits of living organisms. Tai Wuji grimaced.

    <em>Its ufortable.</em>

    He had experienced many battles since the era of myths, but he had never fought in outer space before. Not only were there any footholds, but his limbs were not moving as he wanted them to, making the battle extremely ufortable.

    <em>Moreover</em>

    Tai Wuji narrowed his eyes. He was able to make do with everything else, but as a martial artist, not being able to hear sound became a fatal disadvantage.

    <em>I need to change locations.</em>

    Tai Wuji turned upside down and leaped toward Aernor to go back to where they had been. He fell toward the ground like a meteor.

    Where do you think youre going? Kang-Woo stomped his feet.

    ck mucus spread out like a and fired at Tai Wuji.

    Kuh, Tai Wuji grunted.

    He gave up on getting to the ground due to the speed at which the ck mucus was following him and turned around. He raised his sword.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The sword zing with dark blue mes split the ck mucus.

    <em>Ssh!</em>

    Tai Wuji could hear the ck mucus being shed because they had entered the atmosphere. He gave up on going any lower and turned to face Kang-Woo.

    <em>Bam!</em>

    Thick clouds underneath him evaporated along with the sound ofpressed air bursting. Tai Wuji raised his sword and severed the monsters head and limbs, stabbed his heart, and carved out his organs.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    I told you Its useless, the monster said as he smiled.

    Tai Wuji snorted as he looked at the monster. I wouldnt say its useless. He continued as if mocking the monster, I wonder for how long you can keep up that immortality?

    Although he had failed to damage the monsters mind using Kim Si-Hun, it did not change the fact that the monsters immortality was unstable.

    Kang-Woo remained silent. You He smiled. You knew, huh?

    Tai Wuji seemed to have figured out what the weakness of the Doors was. The more Kang-Woo died, the more his sanity was devoured by the Demonic Sea. Tai Wuji knew that Kang-Woos control over the Demonic Sea would fall apart and that he would disappear into the ck sea.

    Haaah, Kang-Woo exhaled heatedly. His heart beat rapidly along with sparks of thrill spreading all over him. Yeah, this is more like it.

    If Tai Wuji thought that Kang-Woos immortality was infinite, he would just give up on the fight since fighting an immortal enemy that never died was pointless. However, if Tai Wuji knew the limits of Kang-Woos immortality and that it did notst forever

    <em>He wouldnt give up.</em>

    Kang-Woo spread his arms out and split himself in half from the tip of his chin to his groin. ck mucus filled with sharp teeth and wide-open mouths burst out from the split areas and shot toward Tai Wuji.

    Fuuu, Tai Wuji inhaled.

    He sheathed his sword and crouched. He pulled his butt back, widened his stance, and concentrated his Qi into a single point.

    <em>Ill end it with this attack.</em>

    Heavenly Dragon Extinction, he muttered as he unsheathed his sword.

    Dark blue light split the world in half. A wave of dark blue light swept along the path of the sh like a tsunami. The dark blue light in the form of a dragon devoured the ck mucus.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The ck mucus engulfed by the dark blue dragon turned to ash and dissipated in the air.

    I will kill you Tai Wuji charged while stepping on thin air and stabbed the monster who had split in half. He red at the monster coldly and continued, ... Until you can no longere back to life.

    Heh. The monster smiled as he was covered in dark blue mes and extended his arms which were smoking from the cycle of melting and regenerating. Im ready when you are.

    Tai Wuji frowned at the monsters answer.

    He looked up to see the monsters expression; he was smiling ecstatically while being burned alive by the mes as if he were eager to die.

    <em>Hes just like a moth to a me.</em>

    Crazy bastard, Tai Wuji muttered again.

    There was no other way to describe this monster than that. He frowned in displeasure. He could not be any more disgusted by the monster.

    <em>sh!!</em>

    Tai Wuji cut the monster again and shed before the ck mucus could regain its form.

    <em>sh! sh! sh!</em>

    He cut the monster over and over again to the point that he lost count of how many times he had swung his sword. The monster ended up in little pieces.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    The monster no longer had the appearance of a human. The fragmented ck mucus wriggled, and each piece of the monsters body trembled intermittently.

    A-Aaaahh, Kang-Woo groaned.

    He was being cut apart before he could even get a hold of himself. He could only repeat the cycle of being shed and regenerating. His remaining sanity was getting devoured by the Demonic Sea.

    <em>Just as I thought</em> Kang-Woo stared fixedly at Tai Wuji. <em>Hes strong.</em>

    The despair that he was facing was insanely powerful. Kang-Woo was dying over and over again without even having a chance to counterattack. At this rate, he would end up being devoured by the Demonic Sea without being able to do anything.

    <em>In that case, how about it?</em>

    Kang-Woo heard a voice; it was the same voice that he heard every time he opened the Doors. The voice was sweet enough to melt his brain. His desire surged to fill the space of his devoured sanity. A powerful sense of hunger set him alight. It felt like he was on fire; no, he felt like he had be fire itself. Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>Think.</em>

    He needed to think of a way to defeat that despair. He needed a way to surpass his limits. He continued to think while being torn apart by Tai Wujis sword. He couldnt face Tai Wuji with normal means that entailed no risks whatsoever.

    <em>In that case, Ill have to take risks.</em>

    Kang-Woo needed to jump into the mes burning him alive of his own ord. If he didnt he wouldnt be able to reach Tai Wuji. He spread out his arms and then sped his hands together.

    <em>Chaos.</em>

    Burst.

    !!!

    A massive explosion that devoured even sound itself engulfed the surroundings.

    Kurgh!! Tai Wuji grunted as he was swept into the explosion.

    The sword that he had instinctively swung had slightly melted from the heat. If he had not swung his sword to block the explosion, it would have been himself that melted. Chills ran down Tai Wujis back. He looked up at the monster.

    Argh, kurgh, urgh! Kang-Woo grunted in pain while clenching his chest.

    Tai Wuji had been the one attacked, but Kang-Woos condition was worse off. He had used a Chaos skill while a Door was open; his control over the Demonic Sea that had already been running out had bottomed out.

    Haaa, haaa, Kang-Woo panted heavily.

    His vision was blurring. His sanity had reached its limit and was screaming at him. The ck sea was engulfing him whole.

    <em>Cough!</em> Kang-Woo coughed up blood.

    You Tai Wuji red at Kang-Woo. I see. He nodded as if he understood. Youre like a moth.

    He could tell from the monsters condition how much risk the monster had shouldered with thatst attack. The monster had caused that explosion while resolving himself to die. He had jumped into the mes without hesitation.

    <em>Crazy bastard.</em>

    It was not something a sane person could do. Not even Tai Wuji, who had survived countless battles, was able to perform such suicide attacks so nonchntly.

    Hah, Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>A moth, huh?</em>

    He recalled what Lilith had said to him angrily long ago.

    <em>You know, my king Youre like a moth to a me.</em>

    Tai Wuji happened to say the same thing.

    Pfft, Kang-Woo couldnt help butugh.

    He slowly raised his hand no, what he raised could not even be called a hand. His body, which had been devoured by the Demonic Sea, had turned into something like ck y kneaded hideously.

    Youre wrong about that. Kang-Woo shook his head. He was nothing like a moth to a me. That sounded like he was living the the sake of dying. Im not doing this shit to die, motherfucker.

    He was not living or taking risks for the sake of dying. He had never once risked his life while desiring to die.

    Kang-Woo ced the hand that he had raised on his heart.

    <em>In that case, how about it?</em>

    Kang-Woo heard the voice again. He closed his eyes. He was not jumping into the mes to die.

    <em>Im jumping into the mes to be fire itself.</em>

    Fire so colossal that it could burn the entire world whole.

    <em>How about you open another Door? </em>the voice continued.

    Kang-Woo smiled and answered the voice without hesitation, Sure.

    <em>Lets open another one.</em>

    The second Door opened.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The System has identified an error.]

    [An error has been detected in yer Oh Kang-Woos Deific Name.]

    [The new Deific Name has been identified.]

    [Granting yer Oh Kang-Woo with the Deific Name Voracity.]

    [Promoting Deific Essence from Intermediate-rank to Top-rank.]

 Chapter 402: Flames of Voracity

    Chapter 402: mes of Voracity

    What the

    Tai Wujis expression froze. Something changed once the monster, who had barely been able to maintain his form, ced his hand over his heart.

    <em>What happened?</em>

    Tai Wuji stared at the monster iprehensibly. Once he stopped attacking, the monster slowly returned to his human form. Nothing had changed about him, at least in outer appearance.

    Tai Wuji gulped. His teeth were cking and his hands and feet were trembling. He could barely even breathe properly. He was sure that nothing had changed; he had been one-sidedly driving the monster into a corner, but for some reason, he was feeling extremely scared.

    Haaa, haaa, Tai Wuji panted heavily.

    He bit his lip while tightly gripping his slightly melted sword zing with dark blue mes. He lowered his stance anxiously. He thought that his emotions hadpletely dried up, but at this moment, he couldnt breathe as if he was a frog that hade face to face with a snake.

    Hah, aaaahh. The monster raised his head.

    The clear sounds of bones cracking rang out from his body. The monster touched himself all over and then smiled.

    The second one is manageable too, I guess. I wonder if its because my Deific Essence rose? Oh Kang-Woo mumbled.

    Tai Wuji could not understand what the monster meant by the second one, but he was able to understand what he said after.

    <em>His Deific Essence rose?</em>

    That was impossible. Tai Wuji shook his head as if there was no way. The monster had eaten the Constetion of Fear and stolen his Deific Essence. However, he had done nothing this time that could have raised his Deific Essence. If his Deific Essence rose despite that

    <em>It means that he</em>

    It was only possible if the monster was of the same rank as him or beyond that.

    Tai Wuji bit his lip anxiously. He focused Qi into his eyes and scanned the monster. Hup!

    Tai Wuji opened his eyes widely. After seeing into the monsters body, he could see a ck sea as endless as the abyss.

    <em>No, thats not the important part.</em>

    Tai Wuji trembled and gulped in pallor. The ck sea was not the issue. He could see the monster scrunched up at the center of the ck sea, and he was burning no, he was not burning.

    <em>Hes bing fire itself.</em>

    The monster was bing a voracious fire that could burn down the entire world.

    What in the Tai Wuji could not finish his sentence.

    His thought process paused due to the sense of fear running down his back. Just then, the monsters mouth split open.

    Now then, lets get back to it. The monster smiled.

    Tai Wuji hurriedly raised his sword and enveloped the de in dark blue mes.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    ck fragments of bone flew out from the monsters body along with the chilling sounds of bones breaking. Countless bone fragments enveloped the surroundings like a tsunami.

    This is

    Tai Wuji looked around with shaking eyes. ck bone fragments covered everything around them. He felt like he was inside a giant beasts stomach. He gripped his sword tighter.

    <em>ck, ck.</em>

    Each fragment was about the size of an index finger. Seeing countless bone fragments wriggling as if they were alive was unimaginably grotesque. It felt like they were surrounded by millions of cockroaches.

    This time you wont be able to run, someone stammered.

    Tai Wuji turned to the source of the voice and saw a mouth.

    What the f Tai Wuji swore unconsciously.

    The monster was covered in ck bone fragments. White teeth could be seen between the wriggling bone fragments. It looked as if the monster had be one giant mouth.

    Chills ran down Tai Wujis back. He quickly adjusted his grip on his sword.

    Heavenly Dragon

    He raised the sword over his head and focused his entire Qi on his sword. The condensed sword energy lengthened by a few hundred meters and shed with the bone fragments around him.

    <em>Crackle!!</em>

    Sparks flew from the fragments. Tai Wuji condensed the sword energy even further into a single point; the sword contained enough power to split the entire continent in half.

    He shouted while swinging the sword down, sh!

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    The sh containing immense power traveled in a straight line, vaporizing the smoke storming around them due to the intense heat. Even space itself was distorted. It was truly apt to call the attack an absolute sh that was able to cut anything in the world, and that very attack with everything Tai Wuji had was shot at the monster who had turned into a giant mouth.

    And then It disappeared.

    What?

    Tai Wujis eyes widened. Something iprehensible had happened before his eyes. His sword sh that not even Demon God Bauli had been able to take lightly back in the era of myths had disappeared as if it had evaporated. It was as if it had never been used in the first ce.

    No No, Tai Wuji mumbled as he trembled uncontrobly. He continued in a voice filled with fear, It didnt disappear.

    Tai Wuji stared at the monster with shaking eyes.

    <em>Crunch, munch.</em>

    The monster was chewing in delight. Tai Wujis face was dyed in shock.

    He ate it?

    How could someone eat the attack of Heavenly Dragon Tai Wuji, one of the gods of the Triad along with Gaia and Seraph, and an attack performed with all his might, no less?

    How could

    Chills ran all over Tai Wujis body. He panted heavily as he stared at the monster.

    <em>Munch, gulp.</em> The monster in the form of a giant mouth turned back into a human. He smiled and pounded on his stomach as if he had enjoyed avish feast. <em>Burp.</em> Dayum, that was delicious. I love this refined taste of Qi so much.

    Kang-Woo licked his lips with a grin.

    Tai Wuji was not able to close his mouth from the shock. You bastard. How did you

    He had seen the monster eating the Constetion of Fear whole, but this was a different issue entirely. Eating a physical body and eating an attack made of pure energy werepletely different. All forms of power were fundamentally physical; if the monster was able to eat power such as Heavenly Dragon sh that could distort space itself, it meant that there was practically no way to kill this monster.

    What the fuck?! Tai Wuji swung his sword like a madman,unching a mass of dark blue sword energies at Kang-Woo.

    Nice, said the monster. His body split in half from his corbone area to his belly button, and from there came out a giant mouth. After the main dishes dessert.

    The dozens of condensed sword energies disappeared into the monsters mouth.

    Kurgh! Tai Wuji grunted.

    He leaped toward the monster and stabbed him directly with the dark blue sword.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    Half of the Heavenly Dragon Sword, the de that Tai Wuji had used since the era of myths, was eaten by the monster. Tai Wujis face was dyed in shock.

    Impossible

    He lost strength in his legs and his arms fell to his sides lifelessly. The fact that the monster didnt die was not the issue; the issue was that attacking the monster itself was meaningless. Whatever attack he poured at the monster, they simply disappeared into the monsters mouth.

    Tai Wuji turned around in fear and began to run away.

    Shit! Shit!

    However, there was nowhere for him to go since he was surrounded by ck bone fragments. The monster slowly walked toward him.

    Whats wrong? Im sure theres more you can do, said the monster in a voice filled with madness, like the growls of a starved beast.

    His eyes were zing with desire, and he was staring at Tai Wuji as if criticizing and reproaching him.

    Fight harder. Drive me deeper into a corner. Go past your limits and try to trample me until the very end.

    The monster was staring at Tai Wuji in desperation. Tai Wuji clenched the broken Heavenly Dragon Sword and bit his lip. The words of the monster gave him goosebumps rather than humiliation. He was scared.

    Haaa, the monster sighed deeply and shook his head in disappointment.

    He slowly raised his hand, and ck bone fragments gathered on top of it.

    <em>Thats</em>

    Tai Wujis eyes widened. Each of the bone fragments gathered on top of the monsters hand contained power. Tai Wuji knew what those powers were.

    <em>Demon... Authorities?</em>

    Authorities that only select demons possessed were imbued within each of the bone fragments.

    How

    How could one possess that many Authorities?

    <em>Crack, crunch.</em>

    The bone fragments collided on top of the monsters hand. Tai Wuji gulped.

    <em>There are at least over six hundred of them.</em>

    It was an absurd number. The hundreds of bone fragments each imbued with a different Authority gathered while colliding violently against each other. And then

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The united Authorities turned into mes; the voracious fire that Tai Wuji had seen with the monster that could engulf the entire world whole.

    <em>mes of Voracity.</em>

    Those words popped up in Tai Wujis head unbeknownst to himself. He believed that there was no better name for mes that could set the entire world aze. The mes of Voracity burning on top of the monsters hand traveled up his arm and then spread throughout his body. Just like that, the monster became one with the mes of gold and ck.

    Tai Wuji stepped backward. The monster had be fire itself, and only the monsters teeth remained within it.

    <em>I cant win.</em>

    Tai Wuji could not see himself winning no matter how many times he constructed an image of that monster with his transcendent senses.

    <em>In that case</em>

    Tai Wuji loosened his grip on his sword.

    Huuu, he exhaled deeply and bit his lip.

    He could no longer fight or run.

    <em>I have no choice.</em>

    He had sworn to himself that he would never use it even if he were to die, but there was no way to face that monster other than to be a monster himself.

    You wanted to fight some more, correct? Tai Wuji asked coldly.

    The monster, who had been walking toward Tai Wuji, stopped in his tracks and stared at Tai Wuji in anticipation.

    I will fulfill your wish, said Tai Wuji as he ced his hand over his chest and closed his eyes.

    He knew that there was no other choice, but he was still reluctant to do it. He was about to abandon the martial arts that he had trained his whole life and be a monster.

    <em>In the end</em>

    Tai Wuji slowly opened his eyes again and raised his head in sorrow. He had walked down the path of martial arts for ages, but he had not managed to reach the end of the path.

    <em>Kim Si-Hun, was it?</em>

    Tai Wuji wondered if that human would be able to ovee the insurmountable wall that he had been stuck on and reach the end of the path of martial arts. He had no idea, but it was now pointless to wonder. After all, the moment he made this choice, he would never be able to reach it for the rest of his life.

    Tai Wuji let go of his sword. Unleash.

    <em>Rumble!!!</em>

    The Demon Gods Deific Essence was unleashed, and immense demonic energy stormed around Tai Wujis body.

    <em>Crack, crunch!</em>

    Goat horns appeared on Tai Wujis forehead, bat wings sprouted from his back, and a reptilian tail grew from above his butt.

    Hurgh, argh. Tai Wuji trembled from the immense power surging from himself. A-Aaaahh.

    Irresistible pleasure ran down his back and throughout the rest of his body.

    Why did I

    Why had he denied this power for all this time? He had been turning his back on such great power because of his moronic resolution of wanting to reach the end of the path of martial arts.

    Haha Hahahahaha!! Tai Wuji burst intoughter while grabbing his stomach.

    He was boiling with immense desire, and the world around him felt different. He felt so much joy that he had no idea why he had not be a demon this entire time.

    Die! Tai Wuji shouted while clenching his fist ecstatically.

    He had a feeling that he would be able to defeat the inexplicable monster in front of him with this immense power.

    <em>Boom!!</em>

    Tai Wuji leaped forward, and the bone fragments that he stepped on exploded. He punched the monster in the face, and then

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    Huh?

    Tai Wujis arm disappeared. He looked down nkly at his arm which had be a stump from the elbow down. His mind was a mess after experiencing something iprehensible.

    <em>Munch, munch</em> Huh? The monster who had been chewing spat and frowned in displeasure. The hell?

    The monster extended his arm and aggressively grabbed Tai Wujis horn while narrowing his eyes.

    Why did the taste change?

    <em>Did he go bad?</em>

 Chapter 403: The Battle Is Already Over

    Chapter 403: The Battle Is Already Over

    What the hell did you do? Oh Kang-Woo asked as he frowned.

    Tai Wuji tastedpletely different from before. He had tasted as refined as the finest cuisine, but his energy suddenly turned crude and disorderly. Rather than change, it was more apt to say it had deteriorated.

    Kang-Woo covered his face with his hands and pushed the zing mes away to see.

    The hell? He frowned after seeing what Tai Wuji had be. He saw bat wings on his back and goat horns on his forehead. Kang-Woo expressed in disappointment, ... No way. Did you be a demon?

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth aggressively.

    What the f he cursed as he stomped his feet in dissatisfaction. Why Why did you be a demon, you dumbass?!

    Kang-Woo had been satiating himself within the priceless pleasure and madness brought by the great battle, but

    If you became a demon

    If Tai Wuji put down his sword and reduced himself to a demon

    The battle is already over.

    Kang-Woo stared at Tai Wuji in disappointment no, despair.

    <em>Just a little longer If we had fought for just a little longer</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at himself. He was covered in the mes of Voracity, the gold and ck fire created through the merging of every single Authority that he had gained through the eating of demons.

    <em>I wouldve been able to perfect it.</em>

    The mes covering Kang-Woo were getting weaker. A feeling of vanity swept over him like a wet nket. He looked down in disappointment at the mes of Voracity, which had been reduced to a small ember.

    The Authority of ze used by Prince Mammon could not even bepared to the mes of Voracity, made through the merging of all the Authorities within the Demonic Sea, sacred power, and demonic energy. Not even the explosion that he had created through the Chaos skill could bepared to it.

    Kang-Woo stared in disappointment as the mes powerful enough to burn the entire world to a crisp disappeared from his fingertips. He clicked his tongue.

    <em>Well, at the very least</em>

    Kang-Woo lightly waved his hand, and it turned into gold and ck mes.

    <em>It hasnt disappearedpletely.</em>

    He was able to mimic the mes of Voracity to an extent.

    <em>This is good enough for now.</em>

    mes of this level were more than enough to face Tai Wuji; no, he honestly did not need the mes of Voracity to face Tai Wuji anymore.

    <em>With the way he is now</em>

    Kang-Woo was confident that he would be able to defeat him even with the second Door closed. That was how weak Tai Wuji felt to him.

    What the Tai Wuji stared at Kang-Woo iprehensibly as his eyes shook. Why?

    He had surely be stronger; he was surging with power that had rushed into him through the unleashing of the Demon Gods Deific Essence. He now possessed enough power to vaporize an entire star.

    <em>So why</em>

    Why was he still no match for that monster? Tai Wuji trembled and bit his lip as he clenched what remained of his other arm after the monster ate it.

    What do you mean the battle is already over? Tai Wuji asked while ring at Kang-Woo.

    The battle was not over yet. He had gained power iparable to what he had before unleashing the Deific Essence. He should be the one saying that the battle was already over.

    I mean exactly what I said, Kang-Woo answered uninterestedly. He stared at Tai Wuji, who had be a demon, deplorably and continued, You were stronger before you turned into a demon.

    Before turning into a demon, Tai Wuji had been magnificent and thrill-inducing. However

    Now, youre nothing but a strong dumbass.

    Bullshit!

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Tai Wuji aggressively stomped his feet. Suffocating power poured out from him; it was the power that Demon God Bauli had granted him. The Transcendent-rank Deific Essence only possessed by Titans, beings that have existed since before the era of myths, was now in his hands.

    <em>A strong dumbass, you say?</em>

    That was impossible. Tai Wuji refused to believe it was possible since he had to let go of the martial arts that he had spent all his life training to gain this power. He gritted his teeth and extended his remaining arm toward Kang-Woo.

    Thats impossible!!

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    A storm of ck waves, formed by the immense demonic energy Tai Wuji had earned through unleashing the Demon Gods Deific Essence, shot at Kang-Woo. The wave of demonic energy was so powerful that it could vaporize the entire continent of Aernor. However

    Whats so impossible about it, man? Kang-Woo mentioned.

    <em>Poof.</em>

    The wave of demonic energy vanished without a trace. It brought about no change whatsoever as if one had poured a bucket of water into an ocean.

    Kang-Woo spat in dissatisfaction. See? It tastes like shit.

    Tai Wujis expression dyed in shock. The surging sense of vanity drained him of his strength. He copsed down to his knees and lowered his head with nk eyes.

    Just why?

    Do you still not understand? Kang-Woo stared at Tai Wuji in disdain. Did you seriously think you were beating me because you were strong?

    Kang-Woo smirked and shook his head. The reason why he had not been able to surpass Tai Wuji was not just because Tai Wuji was strong. If that was the only reason, Kang-Woo would have won the moment he opened the first Door of the Demonic Sea since the power contained by the Demonic Sea was nearly infinite.

    <em>But</em>

    He was not able to surpass Tai Wuji; he had lost so miserably that he had no choice but to open the second Door while risking his life. In the first ce, Tai Wuji was not able to defeat him because he was strong.

    No, theres no way thats the case, Kang-Woo remarked.

    Tai Wuji had only been able to overpower Kang-Woo so one-sidedly because the realm of martial arts that he reached through endless training had been so incredibly high.

    <em>I barely know martial arts.</em>

    He had learned a little from Kim Si-Hun, but what he had learned was barely the tip of the iceberg. Compared to Tai Wujis knowledge of martial arts, it was fair to say that Kang-Woo knew nothing about martial arts.

    <em>Even if I dedicate my life to martial arts</em>

    He would never be able to reach the realm that Tai Wuji had reached; that was how impressive Tai Wuji had been.

    But you threw all that away? Kang-Woo sighed deeply and clicked his tongue.

    The moment Tai Wuji abandoned his sword and became a demon, he practically challenged Kang-Woo to a battle of pure strength using demonic energy.

    <em>And</em>

    There was no way Kang-Woo would lose in such a battle.

    Fucking dumbass, Kang-Woo said in condemnation with no intent to mock Tai Wuji in any way.

    Tai Wuji looked down at himself nkly in shock. He had gained this power by giving up everything that he had umted until now.

    <em>But</em>

    He had lost the hope of being able to defeat that monster exactly because he had given everything up. His head was burning up, and he was having trouble breathing due to the horrible sense of regret. His vision blurred as he was filled with uncontroble fury.

    Shut up.

    Tai Wuji stood up. He did not acknowledge no, could not acknowledge his blunder. He had no choice but to be a monster himself to face that monster. There had been no other way than to let go of his sword.

    Let us see how long you can pretend to be in leisure, said Tai Wuji as he stood up while fluttering his bat wings.

    Kang-Woo chuckled. What, are you going so far as to fabricate your memories now?

    There was no way Tai Wuji wouldnt know that the gap between them had widened after he became a demon. Kang-Woo could easily guess why Tai Wuji was not acknowledging the fact that he had made the irreversible blunder of abandoning his martial arts.

    Sick bastard, Kang-Woo red at Tai Wuji in contempt and shook his head in disappointment. You just fabricate any memory that you dont like, huh?

    Tai Wuji was just consoling himself that he was not wrong and that he had made the right choice. It could not be any more pathetic. Tai Wujis shamelessness disgusted Kang-Woo.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [I mean, youre not one to talk]

    Im disappointed in you, Tai Wuji.

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    The mes of Voracity covered his fists; the gold and ck mes burned fiercely as if they wanted to eat some more.

    How can one who barely knows himself ever hope to know his enemies? Kang-Woo said as if criticizing Tai Wuji.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Like I said, youre not one to t]

    <em>Bam!</em>

    Kang-Woo stomped his feet and swung his fist, and the mes of Voracity extended in the direction of his swing.

    Grrrrrrrrr!! Tai Wuji growled like a beast and raised his arm.

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    He burst with demonic energy while protecting himself with his bat wings.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Kurgh!

    However, the surging demonic energy was all too easily devoured by the mes of Voracity and disappeared.

    <em>What an insane technique! </em>Tai Wuji thought.

    He stepped back in shock. The mes that the monster had made were monstrous beyond belief. Attacks were meaningless before those mes because they devoured everything in their path. It was as useless as shooting a water gun at a giant tsunami.

    The mes of Voracity grewrger after eating the demonic energy and continued to aim for Tai Wuji.

    <em>To get through those mes and kill that monster</em>

    There was no other way than to attack with power that the mes of Voracity could not absorb all at once.

    <em>But how?</em>

    Tai Wuji had not been able to ovee those mes with either the strongest sword attack he had or the power he had acquired after unleashing the Demon Gods Deific Essence.

    <em>There isnt a way.</em>

    Tai Wuji lowered his head. However much he thought, he could not think of a way to kill that monster. Just then

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    Huh?

    Tai Wujis eyes widened. He could feel something squirming on his chest.

    <em>Could it be?</em>

    His eyes shone as he took out the object with his one remaining arm.

    A-Aaaahh.

    In his hand was a ck lump squirming as if it was alive. The lump was absorbing the energy that was fiercely reverberating around them.

    The Key of the Demonic Sea

    The Demon Gods legacy was on the verge of beingpleted. Tai Wuji stared at the pulsing ck lump with shaking eyes. A ray of hope lit up his eyes.

    <em>If its the Demon Gods legacy With this ck lump that contains Demon God Baulis power Ill be able to kill that monster.</em>

    Tai Wuji grasped the ck lump while smiling ecstatically.

    Ha Hahahahahaha! he burst intoughter.

    He could feel the overwhelming power from the Demon Gods legacy. Power even greater than what he had obtained after unleashing the Demon Gods Deific Essence flowed into him. It was so massive that he felt unbeatable. He had a feeling that he would be able to extinguish that monsters mes with ease.

    Tai Wuji tried to pull in the ck lump while bursting intoughter, but

    Huh?

    It was not budging. The ck lump was squirming in his hand as if it was unhappy. Immense pressure spread his fingers apart.

    W-Wait!

    The Demon Gods legacy escaped Tai Wujis grasp and moved on its own in the air.

    N-No

    The ck lump flew toward Kang-Woo like a dog running to its owner. Tai Wujis face dyed with despair.

    Nooooooooo!!

    Kang-Woo caught the ck lump that flew toward him. It squirmed in Kang-Woos hand happily like a dog begging to be pet by its owner.

    The hell is this thing? Kang-Woo tilted his head.

 Chapter 404: Stay In There Forever

    Chapter 404: Stay In There Forever

    The hell is this thing? Oh Kang-Woo tilted his head as he stared at the ck lump in his hand.

    It was squirming happily like a dog begging to be petted by its owner.

    <em>Huh?</em>

    It felt extremely familiar for some reason as if he had found the missing half of a precious item. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he stared at the ck lump in his hand.

    Wh-Why

    Tai Wuji copsed to his knees in despair. After experiencing a moment of hope, the despair that came after was soul-crushing.

    How many goddamn times are you gonna say that? Kang-Woo asked.

    <em>Are you trying to fill the page space?</em>

    Why do you have so many goddamn things to ask? Just ept things as they are.

    Kang-Woo smirked and walked toward Tai Wuji. Seeing the state he was in, extending the fight any longer seemed meaningless.

    <em>Im notpletely satisfied, but</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled as he recalled the sense of despair and vanity he felt when he first met Tai Wuji. The sparks of pleasure that he felt could not bepared to anything else.

    <em>I wonder how many more times Ill be able to experience something like this?</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly. It had been an extremely long time since he had faced his limits. He faced the despairingly insurmountable wall and then surpassed it like he had always done. The pleasure that came with surpassing his limits was so sweet that he felt like his brain was melting.

    Haaa, Kang-Woo sighed.

    His mind was unexpectedly clear despite opening two Doors.

    <em>What in the world is happening to me?</em>

    Kang-Woo had no idea; he had long since be an unprecedented being. He was growing at an unfathomable rate. Not even he knew what would be waiting for him at the end of the road.

    Well, I guess it doesnt matter.

    He didnt care much about what would be waiting for him at the end. He would just move forward like he had always done.

    Lets end this, Kang-Woo stated as he slowly walked toward Tai Wuji, who had his head lowered while on his knees.

    He raised his arm that burned fiercely with the mes of Voracity. Just then

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    The ck lump on his hand squirmed. It slowly moved toward the ck ring on his right hand. Then, Kang-Woos field of vision turned ck.

    <em>What the hell?</em>

    He suddenly saw an endless ck sea and was pulled into it.

    <em>Wriggle!</em>

    The sea pulsed, and the world distorted. Something was trying to crawl out from the deepest part of the ck sea.

    [Finally, finally!]

    The sea split in half. The first thing that Kang-Woo saw was the giant eye that spanned a kilometer, which he had seen before. Dozens of such eyes within pulsating darkness appeared from the split sea. It was a Titan sorge that no words could describe its size.

    <em>Youre</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the Titan with deeply sunken eyes.

    The Titan shouted ecstatically, [The key that will free me has finally appeared!]

    The Titan smiled and extended his arm toward Kang-Woo. Once he did, the ring on Kang-Woos right hand was pulled out. The Key of the Demonic Seabined with the ck lump and slowly fell toward the Titan.

    [Kehe, kahahahahahaha!!]

    The Demon Gods crazedughter shook the Demonic Sea. Kang-Woo slowly looked down at the massive Titan and smiled.

    Youre trying to crawl out again? Im surprised you dont get tired of it, Kang-Woo remarked mockingly.

    The Demon God blinked; just that was enough to cause massive waves in the sea.

    [He Hehehe. Cursed puppet. Do you have any idea how long the time of prophecy has been dyed because of you?]

    How should I fucking know? Forget that. Kang-Woo pointed at the falling Key of the Demonic Sea while staring at the Demon God. Why dont you return whats mine first?

    [Hah! The Key of the Demonic Sea is yours, you say?]

    The Demon God feignedughter.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    The Demon God stomped his feet, shaking the entire Demonic Sea.

    [I am the true owner of this key!]

    The Demon God burst intoughter as he looked at the ring slowly falling toward him. His hand was getting closer to reaching the Key of the Demonic Sea.

    [Finally I can get out of the Abyss of the Demonic Sea.] He had been imprisoned here for far too long. He cackled as he stared at Kang-Woo. [I will make good use of your body.]

    Jesus, man. Kang-Woo frowned. He had felt this when he met the Demon God for the first time, but Why are each of your lines so goddamn shitty?

    <em>Are you from the DC Universe?</em>

    And you call yourself a final boss? Huh? Try to at least sound badass. Theres no tension in the story whatsoever because youre being such a dickhead. Come up with some kind of cool persona like Tai Wuji. Barking like a mutt does nothing for you.

    Kang-Woo looked down at the Demon God in dissatisfaction. Having the character that was supposed to be the mastermind spoutingme lines like thatpletely killed the tension in the air.

    The Demon God was lost for words. Rage filled his massive eyes. [A mere puppet dares]

    There you go with the crap lines again.

    [Your leisurely attitude ends now!]

    Jesus Christ. You never learn.

    Kang-Woo sighed in disappointment. The Demon God extended his arm toward the Key of the Demonic Sea while gritting his teeth.

    [Come!]

    His thunderous voice shook the ck sea. Kang-Woo looked down at him in silence and then slowly extended his arm as well.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    The mes of Voracity burned on his hand, and then the Key of the Demonic Sea that had been falling toward the Demon God stopped.

    [What?]

    The Demon Gods eyes shook. The ck lump peeked out of the Key of the Demonic Sea and looked around like a lost puppy looking for its owner. It looked back and forth at Kang-Woo and the Demon God.

    [Over here! I am your master!] the Demon God shouted.

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly and waved around the mes of Voracity as if he were waving food at a dog.

    <em>Wriggle. </em>The ck lump twisted around in confusion.

    What are you thinking so hard about? Kang-Woo said as if persuading the ck lump. I am the master of this Demonic Sea.

    <em>Wriggle. </em>The ck lump twisted as if it were tilting its head.

    [Bull! I am the master of the Demonic Sea!]

    Big words for a dickhead whos stuck here and cant even get out. Kang-Woo snickered.

    Darkness was wrapped around the Demon Gods legs like tentacles to prevent him from getting out through the split sea. He was still imprisoned in the Abyss and was unable to get out of the Demonic Sea.

    Im sure you can see Well, I guess you cant see since you dont have eyes. Regardless, you can tell who the master of this sea is, cant you? Kang-Woo asked the ck lump.

    <em>Wriggle.</em> The ck lump moved up and down as if it were nodding.

    It slipped back into the ring and slowly floated up toward Kang-Woo.

    [N-No!] the Demon God shouted anxiously. He red at Kang-Woo in fury. [How dare a mere puppet proim to be the master of the Demonic Sea?!]

    What~? Kang-Woo said while putting one hand behind his ear. I cant hear you because youre stuck so far down in the Abyss like a fucking loser~!

    [You son of a bitch!!]

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    The Demon God twisted and turned like a madman, which Kang-Wooughed at as he watched.

    The Demon God shouted while ring at Kang-Woo, [I am your creator! I made you, and I raised you!]

    Wait, what? Then You were my mom?

    [That is not what I meant!!]

    Mom. Kang-Woo looked down at the Demon God with trembling eyes. I wanted to meet you so much, Mom.

    [Son of a bitch!! I told you that is not what I meant!!]

    Oh, sorry. I guess youre my dad, right?

    [Aaarrrggghhh!!] The Demon God pounded on his chest in frustration.

    He raised his colossal fist and swung it at Kang-Woo. It contained power so unfathomable that it could easily destroy a world. Kang-Woo did not dodge it no, there was no need for him to.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    The fist stopped right before it hit Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo smirked as he looked at the fist that was at least a few kilometers wide.

    What? Youre not gonna kill me? If youre so mad, why dont you just do it?

    [U-Urghh.]

    Pfft! Bwehehehehe!! Kang-Woo burst intoughter while gripping his stomach. Yeah, I guess you cant. After all, if I die and my body is annihted, youll be stuck here forever.

    The Demon God remained silent.

    Oh, but youll still be stuck here forever even if you dont kill me.

    [Shut up.]

    What a dipshit. If I were in your shoes, I would have punched me at least once out of irritation.

    [I told you to shut up.]

    Well, I guess Id die if I got hit by you even once. Why dont you just kill me? Hm? Do you not even have a shred of pride? Just close your eyes and swing your fist! And then, you can just rot in here for the rest of your life.

    [I told you to shut up!!] the Demon God shouted crazily as he stared daggers at Kang-Woo. [You are nothing!!] He clenched his fists tightly as he twisted around to get out of the Abyss. [You are nothing without me!!!]

    I could say the same to you.

    [Do you seriously believe youd be able to maintain control of the Demonic Sea without me?!]

    What does that matter? Youll never be getting out of here anyway.

    [You are nothing but my puppet!!]

    Kang-Woo licked his lips.

    <em>A puppet, huh?</em>

    That could be true. Based on what the Demon God said, he seemed to have created him for real. He did not know how it happened since he had no memories of the past. However, he knew that he was a doll created by the Demon God. It was likely because of him that Kang-Woo fell into Hell and possessed the Authority of Predation from the beginning.

    So? So what? Should I say shit like <em>I-Ive been a puppet all along?!</em> while bawling my eyes out for you? Or does something like<em> Th-Thats impossible!</em> while falling into despair feel better for you? Fuck you. Who the hell do you think you are?

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his hand, and the Key of the Demonic Sea enveloped by the Demon Gods legacy was put on his right middle finger again.

    I am the master of the Demonic Sea.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em> mes surged around them.

    I am not your puppet, you son of a bitch.

    The mes of Voracity swallowed up the Demonic Sea to grow bigger.

    And I am Iron M Oh Kang-Woo.

    [What?]

    Sorry, it was a bit embarrassing to say.

    Kang-Woo raised his hand with the Key of the Demonic Sea on it.

    [The Demon Gods legacy has been absorbed into the Key of the Demonic Sea.]

    [All functions of the Key of the Demonic Sea have been unlocked.]

    [The Key of the Demonic Sea has chosen the God of Voracity as its owner!]

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    The Demonic Sea shook. An unfathomable amount of power surged into Kang-Woo.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Kang-Woo was set aze with golden mes.

    [N-No]

    The Demon God reached out his arm, but the Abyss that stuck itself to his legs did not let him go.

    [Aaarrrggghhh!!] The Demon Gods screams echoed throughout the Demonic Sea.

    The split sea slowly began to close.

    Stop bothering to try toe out. Kang-Woo snickered as he looked down at the struggling Demon God. Just stay in the forever.

    Kang-Woo snapped his finger. mes of Voracity poured out of the Key of the Demonic Sea. They devoured the sea and created a long road, and Kang-Woo followed the road out of the Demonic Sea.

 Chapter 405: To My King

    Chapter 405: To My King

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The nightmarish voracious mes powerful enough to engulf the entire world zed.

    Why Tai Wujis eyes shook.

    Oh Kang-Woo suddenly turned into a giant ck sphere the moment the Demon Gods legacy stuck to him. Tai Wuji had no idea what was happening inside, but there was one thing he knew.

    Why do I feel his energy from

    Tai Wuji could vividly feel from within the ck sphere Demon God Bauli, his former enemy but now master to whom he had pledged his soul, imprisoned within an endless abyss. He could hear him struggling and roaring. Tai Wujis face paled from imagining an absurd possibility.

    <em>Its as if hes been devoured by the monster.</em>

    The Demon God was bellowing miserably within the monster.

    Why Why Why? Tai Wuji continued to ask.

    He had no idea what the monster was, why the Demon God, whom he had been trying to revive, was inside the monster, and why the Demon God was unable to get out. The shing of the information flowing into his brain and the logic that was already in there made him nauseous.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    And then, the ck sphere slowly split open. Tai Wuji looked up with shining eyes, hoping that it was his master who hade out of the sphere.

    What a persistent fellow, said the one who hade out of the sphere.

    However, what came out of the sphere was not hope but bottomless despair.

    A-Aaaahh. Tai Wuji trembled with his mouth agape.

    He hoped that all of this was a lie and just a bad dream.

    Now, then. Kang-Woo ced his hand on the trembling Tai Wujis shoulder. Time to eat the rest.

    <em>Split.</em>

    Kang-Woo widened his mouth and ate Tai Wuji whole before his hopes could be fulfilled.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    Chilling sounds of bones breaking echoed.

    ***

    Haaa, haaa! Cha Yeon-Joo panted heavily.

    <em>Skree!</em>

    A demonic beast that looked like a giant scorpion charged toward Yeon-Joo and shot its tail at her. However, the scorpion did not have a stinger at the end of its tail, but something that looked like a crocodiles mouth.

    Guh! Yeon-Joo quickly twisted her body.

    <em>Snap!</em>

    The demonic beasts tail just grazed her and mmed into the ground. Arge hole formed on the ground as if it had been dug with an excavator.

    Shit! Yeon-Joo cursed.

    <em>tter!</em>

    Chains poured out from her bracelets and coiled around the scorpions tail. She grabbed the chains like a certain spider hero and jumped behind the demonic beast.

    <em>Energy Drain.</em>

    The demonic beasts life force was rapidly absorbed through the chains. As long as she stayed like this, the demonic beast would be a dry corpse after some time.

    Grrrrrkk!

    Kyaaaah!

    However, the demonic beasts struggles were fiercer than Yeon-Joo had expected. The demonic beast violently swung its tail while trying to aim for Yeon-Joo with the crocodile mouth at the end of its tail. Yeon-Joo was flung around like the striking head of a il.

    Urpp! She covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from vomiting.

    She was slowly losing her grip on the chains.

    <em>Not good</em>

    Just as warming signals rang out inside her head, someone caught her.

    Balrog?

    It was Balrog, who was currently in the form of a tall brown-haired young man to hide his demon appearance. He reached for the chains before answering Yeon-Joo.

    Hey, wait

    Energy Drain did not distinguish between friend and foe. If Balrog touched the chains, his life force would also be drained. However, he ignored Yeon-Joos warning and grabbed the chains.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Balrog stomped his feet aggressively and pulled the chains.

    <em>Skreeeee!</em>

    The scorpion which was about a dozen meters tall was dragged toward Balrog. Balrog lowered his stance and raised his fist.

    <em>Ker-thunk.</em>

    A ck gauntlet formed on his hand by summoning the Overlord Armor, and he swung down his fist like an ax.

    <em>Smash!!</em>

    The giant scorpions head was crushed with just one blow. Green fluids sttered all over the ce.

    Are you okay? Balrog let go of the chains and turned toward Yeon-Joo.

    Yeon-Joos mouth refused to close after witnessing such absurd strength.

    <em>Skreee!</em>

    More demonic beasts charged toward them. Balrog lightly twisted and swung his arm. Just that light motion was enough to mangle the demonic beasts and blow them back.

    Uhhh They were called ancient demonic beasts, right? How did they even get here? Yeon-Joo asked cautiously.

    Balrog clicked his tongue and shook his head. This isnt good.

    What do you mean?

    Kim Si-Hun and Gaias incarnation have been incapacitated. The kings woman has left the battlefield as well.

    Wh-What? Yeon-Joos eyes widened. She asked as her voice and lips trembled, Are they dead?

    No, theyre not. Balrog shook his head, at which Yeon-Joo expressed relief. Balrog continued in irritation, But weve been put in a bad spot because of that.

    Leaving Gaias incarnation aside, Kim Si-Huns absence severely impacted theirbat ability. There werent many people who were able to face ancient demonic beasts and there were far too many regr demonic beasts. Most importantly

    The Constetion of Nightmares has joined the battle.

    The participation of the boy with nk eyes, who didnt seem to have any use inbat, hadpletely flipped the momentum of the battle. Not only could the Constetion of Nightmares control demonic beasts, but he could also cast powerful buffs on them like Han Seol-Ah.

    In addition to that, Halcyon and Echidna had also left the formation to retrieve La, who was injured during her battle against Proserpine, and Kim Si-Hun, who was left in the middle of the battlefield while enveloped in a golden barrier.

    The line would have been broken long ago if not for the angels, Balrog said calmly.

    However, the contents of his words were not things to take lightly. It meant that Balrog was here because he was going from ce to ce to hold the copsing line as best as he could.

    W-Will we be able to hold out, then? Yeon-Joo asked anxiously after hearing the gist of the situation.

    Balrog shook his head. I dont know. One thing I know for sure is that we have to hold the line until the king returns.

    Balrog charged forward, and Yeon-Joo quickly followed behind him.

    Gaaaaaahhh!

    Arghhh!

    H-Help me!

    Screams echoed from all around them. A swarm of demonic beasts was massacring the humans and angels.

    <em>Bash! Crush!</em>

    <em>Roaaaar!</em>

    Balrog arrived at the copsing line and charged forward while wiping out demonic beasts with Overlord Armor gauntlets on both arms fuming like a steam engine. Chains spread out like a and blocked the demonic beasts escape route.

    [<em>Skreeeeeeeeeeee!!</em>]

    Just then, a giant snake rose as the ground shook and split. Ouroboros, a twenty-meter-long snake red at Balrog as it flicked its snakelike tongue.

    Step back, Balrog said calmly to Yeon-Joo and raised his fists.

    [Grrrrrr.] Ouroboros stared at Balrog with its slit pupils. It stammered, [You face me dare by yourself?]

    Its sentence structure was also a little off. Although it possessed intelligence because it was an ancient demonic beast, it did not seem to possess full intelligence.

    [A human impertinent you are.]

    Ouroboros twisted its giant body and swung its thick tail.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Balrog blocked the tail but was pushed back, lines forming on the ground as his feet dragged. However, that was only for a moment; Balrog grabbed Ouroboross tail with both arms and smirked.

    I never imagined I would hear such a thing from a mere demonic beast.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    Balrogs hands dug into the flesh of Ouroboross tail.

    [Graaaaaaaaahh!]

    A demonic beast should.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Balrog stomped his feet and lifted Ouroboros with his absurd strength.

    Stick to roaring like a beast!

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    Balrog flung the twenty-meter snake away.

    [<em>Skreeeeee!</em>]

    Ouroboros writhed in pain.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Just then, a giant demonic beast covered in mes jumped out from behind the copsed Ouroboros. It was Bul-Kathos, a fire demonic beast referred to as the final form of demonic beasts like the Hell Hound and Cerberus. The giant lion red at Balrog as its mane made of fire fluttered.

    Balrog remained silent.

    He was facing two ancient demonic beasts. Not only that, but they were many times stronger than usual thanks to receiving the power of the Constetion of Nightmares. It would be difficult to face even one, but now there were two of them.

    <em>This wont be easy.</em>

    That was an understatement; Balrog would not be able to win. He slowly walked forward.

    H-Hey! I-Its dangerous! Yeon-Joo shouted.

    Balrog continued to walk forward firmly. He knew that he was no match for them both, but he walked forward regardless; no, he needed to.

    Balrog saw his kings familiar back. He turned around to see Yeon-Joo shouting at him. He could see his past self no, his current self in her.

    <em>Was this how you felt?</em>

    If they failed to hold this line, the demonic beasts would invade the heart of their formation in an instant. There were the copsed Gaia and Kim Si-Hun there, and likely Lilith as well.

    Kehehe, Balrogughed softly.

    He had never felt this way before. He turned forward again to see Ouroboros and Bul-Kathos ring at him. Just seeing those two was enough to make him hold his breath. He was filled with anxiety and fear. However

    <em>Just like the king always does</em>

    He walked forward, toward the two ancient demonic beasts.

    <em>Ker-thunk.</em>

    The gauntlets on his arms slowly grew bigger. The sounds of cogs turning echoed within him. He raised his hand and touched his pendant. His human skin disappeared and he grew bigger, bursting muscles taking the ce of his weak human body. Goat horns and bat wings grew from him as well.

    Hurghhh.

    Balrog was in his demon form for only a moment. ck armor began to wrap around him. They covered his chest, shoulders, stomach, thighs, and legs one by one. Metallic sounds echoed from between the gaps in the armor. Cogwheels filled the joint areas of the armor as if Balrog was wearing a robotic suit.

    <em>Pshhh!</em>

    White vapor burst out from the gaps in the armor as the cogwheels turned quickly.

    Victory Balrog slowly clenched his fist. To my king.

 Chapter 406: Iâ€™ll Show You A Whole New World

    Chapter 406: I¡¯ll Show You A Whole New World

    <em>Pshhhhh!</em>

    White vapor burst out from the gaps in the armor. Balrog clenched his fists as his entire body surged with power. He lowered his stance and pulled one leg back.

    <em>Boom!!</em>

    Balrog shot forward like a cannon toward the forehead of Bul-Kathos, the lion with a ming mane. He twisted in midair, pulled his right fist as far back as possible, and punched with all his might.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    [Grrrrrr!]

    Bul-Kathos scrunched up while growling in pain after getting hit right on the forehead. mes poured out from its mane as it shook its head. The Overlord Armor covering Balrog glowed red hot.

    Kurgh, Balrog grunted as he retreated.

    His skin under the Overlord Armor was melting from the intense heat. Intense pain as if he was being seared on a hot iron spread throughout his body. Ouroboross giant tail whipped him before he even had a chance to get a hold of himself.

    Hup!

    <em>Crash!</em>

    Balrog reflexively raised his arms to block the tail. His feet dragged along the ground while leaving marks.

    [Werent human you,] Ouroboros stammered.

    [Why has a demon sided with the humans?] Bul-Kathos spoke clearly.

    I am simply following my kingsmand, Balrog answered concisely as he retook a battle stance.

    [King?]

    [Who King?]

    Bul-Kathos and Ouroboros tilted their heads in wonder. Balrog pulled his right arm back without answering them.

    <em>Ker-thunk.</em>

    The sound of gears interlocking with each other rang. White vapor fumed from Balrogs elbow.

    Sky

    <em>Bam!</em>

    He stomped his feet and punched forward.

    Breaker.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    The white vaporpressed into a sphere and shot out like a cannon. Bul-Kathos opened its mouth widely and let out a me breath like a dragon would. The vapor and the mes shed.

    <em>Tsssss!</em>

    Intense heat swept everything around them. The heat and vapor mixed to create a heat storm, melting everything in the area.

    Arghhh!

    <em>Skreee!</em>

    A massive hole was formed in the eye of the heat storm. Humans, angels, and demonic beasts all ran away to not get caught in the storm.

    Kurgh. Balrog scrunched up, having difficulty handling the heat as well.

    [<em>Hisssss!</em>]

    Ouroboros widened its giant mouth and charged at Balrog, purple liquid dripping from its sharp fangs.

    Kuh!

    Balrog quickly grabbed Ouroboross fangs and stomped on its bottom mouth to prevent it from swallowing him.

    <em>Tssssss!</em>

    Gurgh, argh.

    Ouroboross powerful venom melted the ck armor around Balrogs hands, exposing his skin. He screamed as horrible pain traveled up from his hands.

    A-Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

    He focused the power of the Overlord Armor on his arms, and the melting gauntlets were restored. Cracks formed on Ouroboross fangs.

    [How my fangs did you] Ouroboros stammered in bewilderment.

    Balrog roared as his eyes lit up, Raaaaaaaaahhh!!

    He pulled out Ouroboross fangs and purple venom poured out like a fountain. He quickly leaped away and tumbled to the ground.

    [<em>Skreeeeeeeeee!!</em>] Ouroboros screamed.

    Haaa, haaa. Balrog stood up while panting heavily as the Overlord Armor on his hands melted and regenerated repeatedly. Kurgh

    Balrog staggered as his vision blurred; he felt his strength leaving his body. The Overlord Armor was manifested through his blood. The more the armor was damaged, the more blood he lost to restore it.

    <em>Huff, huff,</em> Balrog caught his breath to calm down his trembling.

    He had pulled out Ouroboross fangs, but there was one more enemy to worry about. Bul-Kathos was ring at him while growling ferociously.

    <em>This isnt good.</em>

    He had known that facing two ancient demonic beasts would be difficult, but it felt nearly impossible after actually facing them. There was no way that he would be able to face them both at once without taking risks.

    <em>I have to put my life on the line.</em>

    Just like what his king always did. Balrog chuckled as he recalled himself getting angry at his king, who constantly risked his life without a second thought.

    <em>... I can see now that you had no choice.</em>

    Kang-Woo had not risked his life for the sake of dying; he had simply done it because there was no other choice.

    ... Hah, Balrogughed unbeknownst to himself.

    He was trembling and was having a hard time breathing. Fear crawled down his back and spread throughout his whole body. This was likely what his king had felt all this time while fighting.

    <em>I thought I knew him well.</em>

    Balrog had known nothing. The weight on his kings shoulders now felt unfathomable to him.

    Kehehehehe, he chuckled softly.

    The fear sending chills all over him did not feel bad at all. He felt as if he was getting closer to his king.

    Fuuu.

    Balrog took a deep breath and slowly brought his right arm toward his mouth. And then

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    He bit into his forearm as hard as he could, ck blood pouring out like a fountain.

    Come to me.

    The spewing blood flowed down the ck armor.

    Devour my flesh and be an unbreakable shield.

    <em>nk, nk, nk, nk.</em>

    The sound of nging metal echoed. The Overlord Armor grew bigger as it absorbed Balrogs blood. ck armor wrapped around the ck armor. Balrog was situated within a giant armor as if he were piloting a giant robot. The armor grew over ten meters tall.

    <em>Rumble. Boom.</em>

    A dense metallic sound echoed with each step Balrog took. He lowered his stance as he spread out his arms.

    <em>Pshhhhhhh!!</em>

    An enormous amount of vapor burst out of the armor and spread like fog. Balrog stood up and leaped fiercely toward the ancient demonic beasts.

    <em>Boooooom!</em>

    Raaaaaaaaahhh! Balrog roared as he charged forward.

    Now that he was wearing the giant Overlord Armor, he was the same size as the ancient demonic beasts.

    [Grrrrrr!]

    [<em>Hissssss!</em>]

    Bul-Kathos and Ouroboros cried out fiercely. Ouroboros swung its giant tail like a whip.

    <em>Snatch!</em>

    [<em>Hiss?</em>]

    Balrog caught the tail and pulled the Giant Ouroboros toward him while leaning back.

    Haaaaah!

    Balrog twisted his body as he swung Ouroboros around. Bul-Kathos quickly dodged the swing.

    Kehehe, my main weapon was a whip until a while ago, Balrogughed softly as he added strength to his arm and flicked his wrist.

    <em>Smash!</em>

    Ouroboros bounced and snapped Bul-Kathos like a whip.

    [<em>Roaaaaaar!</em>]

    Bul-Kathos collided with the giant Ouroboros and was flung into the air. It tumbled on the ground aggressively as it screamed in pain.

    Haaaaah!

    Balrog smashed Ouroboros down on Bul-Kathos repeatedly. Hazy smoke rose as the two ancient demonic beasts bodies made contact.

    [Skreeeeeee!!] Ouroboros screamed as it burned from Bul-Kathoss mes.

    The impact from being smashed into the ground as well as its flesh burning was difficult to endure even for a powerful demonic beast that had existed since ancient times.

    <em>Wham!</em>

    Balrog raised his arms over his head and smashed down Ouroboros with all his might. The two ancient demonic beasts screamed as they got entangled.

    <em>Huff, huff, huff,</em> Balrog panted heavily. His vision was distorting and his body was screaming at him. Hah.

    However, he could stillugh. He couldnt care less about the state he was in.

    [Demon, surrender, forgive!]

    [Graaaaahh!]

    Balrog ran toward the two shouting ancient demonic beasts. He grabbed Ouroboros by the neck with one hand and Bul-Kathos by the tail with the other and raised them.

    [What are you]

    Ill show you a whole new world.

    [W-Wai]

    Balrog shoved Ouroboross head up Bul-Kathoss ass.

    [Gaaaaaahhh!!]

    Crazed screams echoed. Ouroboross head melted from Bul-Kathoss heat, and Bul-Kathos was poisoned by Ouroboross venom that was pouring out from its broken fangs.

    Kahahahahaha! Balrog burst intoughter as he trampled on the screaming entangled ancient demonic beasts. He suddenly staggered and crouched as he wasughing. Kurgh.

    <em>I guess Ive reached my limit.</em>

    He had used far too much blood to draw out the power of Overlord Armor to its maximum output. He looked down at his right forearm that he had bitten and saw that there was no blood pouring out of it, showing just how much blood he had used up.

    Balrog looked up. He had dealt with Ouroboros and Bul-Kathos, but there were still an uncountable number of demonic beasts left. Not only that, but the Constetion of Nightmares remained.

    Kurgh, urgh.

    <em>nk, nk. Creak.</em>

    The Overlord Armor was quickly reducing in size as if it were a machine powering down. There was no other way to bring out the Overlord Armor again but to rip out his heart to make more blood.

    Kehehe. That doesnt sound too bad either, Balrog remarked as he ced his hand over his heart.

    If he could shine brightly like a radiant fire for just a moment by ripping out his heart, it would be worth it.

    <em>Step.</em>

    Someones quiet steps echoed.

    What doesnt sound too bad, you moron?

    Balrog heard a familiar voice. He was filled with thrill and delight.

    My king.

    Balrog looked at Kang-Woo with shaking eyes. Kang-Woo slowly walked toward him and lightly smacked him on the back of the head.

    How dare you try to die without my permission?

    Kehehe. I simply followed your example, my king.

    Kang-Woo frowned in displeasure. Ive never been as reckless as you, dammit.

    Kahahaha! I could easily name ten instances off the top of my head that I had seen with my own eyes.

    Forget ten, he had seen it hundreds no, thousands of times.

    Tsk, Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>This son of a bitch sure fought shily.</em>

    Balrog had taken off the human skin that had been prepared for him and had fought with all his might. Kang-Woo slowly extended his hand. Golden light poured out from his hand and wrapped around Balrog. It probably looked to others like he was finishing off a copsed demon.

    <em>This probably wont be enough.</em>

    This would be nowhere near enough to clean up Balrogs massive shit. He needed something so attention-grabbing that would blow away all thoughts about Balrog from the minds of the humans and angels.

    Kang-Woo slowly walked past Balrog and toward the middle of the battlefield. He stared at the corpses of the two ancient demonic beasts with deeply sunken eyes. No, he stared past the corpses and at the entire battlefield.

    <em>ng! ng!</em>

    Arghhh!

    H-Help me!

    Die, damn demonic beasts!!

    Kang-Woo could hear the ringing sounds of metal, explosions, and peoples screams. He could smell blood and the excrement flowing out from the corpses. He could see angels and humans fighting against the demonic beasts.

    The elites of the continent that had followed Kim Si-Hun into the battlefield were stricken with fear as they were torn apart and eaten alive by the demonic beasts. The wings of angels who had jumped into the battlefield with nothing but revenge on their minds were drenched with the ck blood of demonic beasts. The enormous number of demonic beasts were endlessly craving ughter while walking over the corpses of fellow demonic beasts.

    Madness surged, rampaged, and entangled.

    Fuuu. Kang-Woo took a deep breath.

    He lightly jumped up and slowly floated up into the air.

    <em>Now</em>

    It was time to end the war.

    [<em>Skreeeeeeeee!</em>]

    Giant demonic beasts charged at the floating Kang-Woo, causing the ground to shake. Kang-Woo slowly closed his eyes.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Golden light radiant enough to light the entire world illuminated the entire bloodied battlefield.

    Ah

    People stopped fighting and looked up at the light.

    <em>tter.</em>

    The weapons that they dropped fell to the ground.

    This light

    The angels, who had been so blinded by revenge that they were charging at the demonic beasts with no regard for their own lives, also looked up nkly at the light. All eyes on the battlefield were focused on Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his arm and stated, Those tainted by darkness He lowered the arm that he raised. Receive the judgment of light.

    The demonic beasts charging toward Kang-Woo were suddenly covered by great mes the moment that Kang-Woo lowered his arm. Hundreds of thousands of demonic beasts were reduced to ashes before they even had a chance to scream.

    A-Aaaahh, the people expressed.

    This was the advent of the God of Splendor, which would be recorded in the history of Aernor for all of time.<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    Man, I thought Balrog was gonna go Gear Fourth when he bit his forearm.

    Brooo these ancient demonic beasts just got Hancocked. If you dont move, your head is going up his ass. Man, I enjoyed the first half of that movie so much.

    I lowkey thought Kang-Woo was gonna do Cobys speech on Marineford to stop the war lmao</blockquote>

 Chapter 407: Itâ€™s Only Thanks To You That I Managed To Come This Far

    Chapter 407: It¡¯s Only Thanks To You That I Managed To Come This Far

    The war against the Constetions of Evil came to an end and the one who had be the most famous after it was without a doubt Oh Kang-Woo. He was a hero who had appeared on the battlefield while it had been plunging into despair. He was enveloped in radiant light and had eradicated the entire demonic beast army in an instant.

    The people of the continent worshiped Kang-Woo as the God of Splendor. After finding out that he and Kim Si-Hun were brothers, their fame skyrocketed. Even a church had been formed to worship the two of them like gods.

    O Messiah.

    O Savior of Light.

    The people bowed in the direction of Arnans imperial pce that Kang-Woo was residing in, at least three times a day. Kang-Woo sighed as he stared at his devotees praying while gathered around the pce.

    ... Shit. He frowned while groaning.

    <em>This wasnt my intention.</em>

    Si-Hun needed to be the target of worship as per his original n, but Kang-Woo ended up bing more famous instead.

    Haaa, Kang-Woo sighed.

    He had no choice but to do something to divert the peoples attention from Balrog to himself, but it had worked a little too well. He had made a mistake.

    <em>I got too worked up.</em>

    He had gotten a bit too enraged after seeing Balrog on the verge of death and used way more power than necessary to kill the demonic beasts.

    The n has gone a bit awry, Kang-Woo mumbled while leaning on his chair.

    In the first ce, he had appointed Si-Hun as the savior instead of himself to fool the high elves, who were able to detect all that was demonic.

    <em>But I dont think Id get caught now.</em>

    Considering the abilities that he had gained after awakening as the God of Splendor, even a high elf might not be able to figure out his true identity.

    <em>Even so</em>

    It was wise to take as little risks as possible. It would not end with just his n failing if the manifested high elf found out his identity.

    Kang-Woo stood up from the chair and looked at the mirror on the table. He could see his familiar face, one with sharp eyes and a ferocious appearance.

    ... He remained silent and closed his eyes.

    <em>I wonder how long I can remain human for?</em>

    Kang-Woo ced his hand on his chest while smiling bitterly and felt the ck sea within his heart.

    <em>I didnt suffer side effects from opening the Doors this time.</em>

    Nothing happened after he closed the Doors of the Ten Thousand Demon Core; he did not feel pain as if his soul was being torn apart or pressure as if his entire body was being squashed.

    Shit.

    He could not wee the fact that there had been no side effects. It was like feeling no pain when one smashed down a hammer on their finger. After all, the fact that there were no side effects meant that something important within him had broken.

    Ngh.

    Kang-Woo grabbed his forehead. Side effects urred after opening the Doors because he forcibly pushed the immense power flooding into himself back into the Ten Thousand Demon Core. However, there had been no side effects this time.

    <em>Im being eaten away by the Demonic Sea.</em>

    It was even possible that he was bing one with the Demonic Sea.

    I should leave it for the absolute worst-case scenarios.

    Whatever the case, it was true that his body was changing in unexpected ways. Although it couldnt be helped if the situation called for it, he should refrain from opening the Doors as much as possible from now on.

    <em>Well, I can face most enemies even without opening the Doors now.</em>

    Kang-Woo lightly snapped his finger.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    Gold and ck mes zed from the end of his finger. It was the mes of Voracity. He was not able to turn his entire body into mes like he had been able to while the Doors were open, but being able to use it was more than enough.

    It was so powerful that the Authority of ze felt like childs y. In terms of power, only the Chaos skills would be able to hold up to it, but using the mes of Voracity was nowhere near as risky as the Chaos skills.

    <em>The only downside is that it stimtes my desire.</em>

    However, Kang-Woo was more than able to handle the risk since he was confident in being able to keep his desire in check.

    Someone knocked on the door.

    Come in, Kang-Woo said.

    <em>Creak. </em>Han Seol-Ah entered the room. She carefully approached Kang-Woo, embraced him, and then kissed him.

    How are Si-Hun and La? Kang-Woo asked.

    They still havent woken up yet.

    Same for Balrog?

    Balrog woke up a little while ago.

    Kang-Woo nodded. Si-Hun and La had been the most gravely injured in the war. He had healed them using the Authority of Regeneration, but they were not regaining consciousness because their injuries were mostly internal.

    That aside, what happened with Proserpine? I heard you chased after her, Kang-Woo asked.

    He had heard that the Constetion of Lust had run away after injuring La. Since the Constetion of Nightmares had also run away once Kang-Woo arrived, two Constetions had survived the war. Although they wouldnt take action in particr since their leader Tai Wuji had died, Kang-Woo did not like the fact that risk factors remained.

    Oh Seol-Ah lowered her head with a dark expression. Im sorry, Kang-Woo. I chased after her, but she managed to escape.

    Really? Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    It was unfortunate, but it was already amazing enough that they had forced a Constetion of Evil to run away.

    Umm Kang-Woo. Seol-Ah hugged Kang-Woo tighter.

    Hm?

    I have something to ask you.

    What is it?

    Have you met Proserpine privately after our first encounter with her?

    ...? Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder, unable to understand why she was asking such a question. No, I havent met her since the encounter at the imperial pce.

    Hehe, Seol-Ah giggled after hearing his answer. She leaned her head on Kang-Woos shoulder. Thats a relief.

    Hm? What is?

    Nothing at all, Seol-Ah said as she let go of Kang-Woo. Ill be getting back to La and Si-Hun.

    Okay. Right, how is Iris doing?

    She hasnt regained consciousness either.

    Tsk. Okay.

    Iris had been unconscious for almost a month but was showing no signs of waking up.

    <em>Is the high elf even gonna manifest?</em>

    Kang-Woo was slightly anxious, but there was nothing else that he could do besides waiting.

    In that case, Ill see you in the evening, Kang-Woo.

    Seol-Ah put her arms around Kang-Woos neck and kissed him. Kang-Woo could feel her tongue entering his mouth.

    Mmph, Seol-Ah moaned.

    Kang-Woo gulped. Seol-Ah felt far sexier than usual.

    Hehe. I love you, Kang-Woo.

    Me too.

    Seol-Ah turned around while slightly flushed. Kang-Woo walked with her out to the door and went back into his room.

    <em>That aside</em>

    Kang-Woo raised his right hand, extended his fingers, and stared at the ring on his right middle finger.

    Whats with this thing?

    He saw the message window saying that all powers of the Key of the Demonic Sea had been unlocked after the Demon Gods legacy was absorbed into it as well as that it had chosen him as its owner.

    <em>But why have there been no changes whatsoever? It doesnt feel like it weakened in any way at least.</em>

    In terms of its capacity, it had gotten better; however, it was nowhere near as grand as what the message window had mentioned about its powers being fully unlocked. Kang-Woo looked down at the Key of the Demonic Sea and then back up. There was something else that he needed to do.

    I should get to digesting him, he muttered while softly pounding his chest.

    Things had been so hectic after the war that he had no time to digest Tai Wuji. Kang-Woo bent down and ced his hand on the ground. Golden light spread out from his hand and lit up the room.

    Alright.

    Kang-Woo walked toward the center of the room after creating a barrier and closed his eyes. He could feel Tai Wujis energy within the Demonic Sea. He focused his mind and controlled the demonic energy.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have acquired Top-rank Deific Essence.]

    [Raising the level cap.]

    [Level cap has risen from 93 to 100.]

    [You have reached the Eleventh Awakening and obtained a new Trait.]

    Hell yeah. Kang-Woo smiled as he looked at the message window in front of him.

    <em>Though I was hoping for it to rise a bit more.</em>

    He thought absorbing Top-rank Deific Essence would get him up to his Twelfth Awakening, but unfortunately not.

    <em>At least I managed to get a new Trait.</em>

    Traits were extremely useful for his growth. Kang-Woo checked the new message windows in anticipation.

    [You have obtained the new Trait Chaos Domination.]

    [Your control over Chaos skills has risen.]

    Hmm. Kang-Woo tilted his head while stroking his chin.

    It seemed to be an advanced version of his Ninth Awakening Trait Chaos Control.

    Its good, but

    He didnt feel good about it. He would not have much need for Chaos skills anymore now that he had the mes of Voracity. It boasted great power, but it came at a corresponding risk.

    Well, Ill still give it a try.

    Kang-Woo drew out both demonic energy and sacred power and forcibly mixed the opposite powers.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    Just the mixing of the two powers caused everything around him to shake due to the immense power. Kang-Woos eyes shone as he was forming Chaos.

    <em>The recoil has lessened.</em>

    The two energies that used to collide against each other crazily were now heeding his control. Kang-Woo smiled widely as he stared at the gray energy. Just then

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    What the

    The mes of Voracity appeared all of a sudden and began to devour the gray energy like a starved beast that had found its prey. The voracious mes swallowed the Chaos energy whole.

    <em>Whats with this thing?</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned as he tried to control the mes of Voracity, but it did not budge for some reason.

    <em>Fwoosh!!!</em>

    Kurgh!

    The mes zed ferociously once they finished eating the Chaos energy. The fire grew so massive that not even Kang-Woo was able to handle it. He reflexively extended his arm.

    <em>Rumble!!</em>

    The barrier made with the power of the Demonic Sea shook. The mes of Voracity that had eaten the Chaos energy floated around him as if it were alive.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have learned Chaos - ze, an Intermediate-rank Chaos skill.]

    A blue window appeared in front of Kang-Woo. And then

    [All conditions of Road to bing a Demon God have been fulfilled.]

    Hah, Kang-Woo chuckled.

    Rather than thinking<em> finally</em>, he was thinking <em>just like that? </em>instead. The mes of Voracity floating around him was quivering as if it was giggling.

    ... Well, regardless. Kang-Woo smiled.

    He had finallypleted the <em>Road to bing a Demon God</em> quest.

    <em>It took so god damn long.</em>

    He had obtained many things throughout the quest, but it had taken an ungodly amount of time to fulfill all the conditions. In terms of novel chapters, it had taken over three hundred chapters.

    Dayum, at least its finally over.

    Kang-Woo smiled as he waited for the reward that he would receive. A message window appeared momentster.

    [The Road to bing a Demon God quest has beenpleted, but yer Oh Kang-Woo cannot obtain the Demon Gods Deific Essence because he already possesses the Deific Essence of Voracity.]

    What the fuck?

    After the time it had taken and the shit he had gone through to fulfill every single condition, he wouldnt be getting any rewards since he had already acquired Deific Essence?

    Motherf Kang-Woo grabbed the back of his neck as he boiled with rage. Fucking garbage System! Just you wait, motherfucker. I know you expressed emotions before. You have an ego, dont you? In that case, Im gonnae find you, got it? You can hear me, cant you? I said Im gonnae find you. I dont know what the fuck the providence of the universe and the System are, but Im gonna twist your head into a god damn question mark, you son of a bitch.

    Kang-Woo threatened the System in the same way that he had pledged to do a very long time ago.

    Youre a fucking useless, moronic, sorry excuse for a Sys

    [yer Oh Kang-Woo has not been properly rewarded forpleting the Road to Bing a Demon God quest. Hence, an alternate reward will be given.]

    tem, but its true that youve helped me a lot thus far. I wouldnt have been able to gain these Traits and levels if not for the System. Im always grateful to you. Its only thanks to you that I managed toe this far.

    Kang-Woo smiled warmly as he stared at the blue message window.

 Chapter 408: Why Is It Cute?

    Chapter 408: Why Is It Cute?

    [...]

    A blue message window with just ellipses appeared as if the System was lost for words. Oh Kang-Woo coughed as he stared at the message window. A question popped up in his head.

    <em>What in the world is this System?</em>

    Gods like Gaia had referred to the System as the <em>providence</em>. The Gaia System that had sealed Kang-Woos power when he first came back to Earth was a portion of the <em>providence </em>granted to Gaia, the chief god of Earth.

    <em>In other words</em>

    A mere portion of the providence had been enough to seal the Demonic Sea within him.

    <em>I mean, its different from back then.</em>

    That was an understatement; Kang-Woo was growing at an explosive rate ever since he had arrived on Earth, and the Demonic Sea was also expanding endlessly. The height that he had reached back in Hell could not even bepared to his current self.

    <em>But even so</em>

    It did not change the fact that the Demonic Sea had been sealed with just a small portion of that providence.

    [Calcting an alternate reward]

    <em>Just seeing these message windows makes it seem like some sort of machine, but</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the message window that was filling up a bar like the loading screen of a game. It was not expressing any emotion at the moment, but

    <em>It has an ego.</em>

    The System could think and make decisions, but it felt more like artificial intelligence rather than a real person.

    <em>I wonder what it could be?</em>

    Kang-Woo continued to think. Gaia had said that beings of other worlds were not able to meddle with Earth due to the Gaia Systems protection.

    <em>Thats not the only thing it can do.</em>

    Protection was merely but a portion of the providences capabilities. The providence created yers and granted them power. It restricted the actions of gods and prevented them from recklessly intervening in the physical world. Its power was not only restricted to Earth and Aernor; it spanned throughout the entire universe and kept all worlds in check.

    <em>As if its aw that someone made intentionally.</em>

    [Excessive prying into the Law of Titans has been detected.]

    [Additional prying will result in the demotion of Deific Essence.]

    A message window popped up along with a familiar bell chime. It was red, unlike the usual blue.

    Oh? Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>Theyre warning me not to dig any deeper, huh?</em>

    It was an interesting response. Kang-Woo stared at the red warning window with great interest. There was no need for him to risk his Deific Essence getting demoted by trying to earn information.

    <em>I got a general idea from that message.</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the words <em>Law of Titans</em>. Titans were the creators of the gods as well as the entire universe.

    <em>Titans are more like gods than the actual gods.</em>

    Beings like Gaia and Tirion who possessed Deific Essence were different from the gods that one usually associated the word to. Gods were neither omnipotent nor omniscient; they were nothing but superhumans with a personality.

    <em>Theyre like the immortals of martial arts novels.</em>

    It was not an exactparison since those like Kang-Woo who acquired Deific Essence through growth and achievements were extremely rare. Most gods were born with Deific Essence.

    <em>Theyre closer to the gods of Greek mythology.</em>

    It just so happened to be Gaia, one of the gods of Greek mythology, who was the chief god of Earth.

    Theres no way its a coincidence.

    There was likely some sort of connection between Gaia and Greek mythology.

    <em>In any case</em>

    The important thing was the words <em>Law of Titans</em> themselves. It was not difficult to figure out who had made the System just from those words.

    <em>The Titans, like Bauli.</em>

    If that was the case, Kang-Woo could understand how just a mere portion of the power was able to seal the Demonic Sea.

    Titans, huh?

    Kang-Woo raised his head. His eyes glinted with madness as he stared into nothingness. A chilling smile lit up his face and he licked his lips. Titans the beings who had created the gods and the universe

    <em>I wonder how they taste?</em>

    Kang-Woo gulped. His heart was beating like crazy. His body temperature rose as his blood circted quickly. Suffocating thirst and gut-wrenching hunger took control over him.

    No, this isnt the time.

    Kang-Woo shook his head and quelled his surging desire while taking deep breaths. Even if he acted true to his desire, he had no way of finding out where the Titans were and if they even existed.

    <em>And</em>

    Kang-Woo thought about Demon God Bauli, the Titan who was roaring madly while imprisoned in the Abyss. Kang-Woo had acted impertinently to him while as rxed as he could be, but

    <em>I wouldnt stand a chance whatsoever if we were to fight.</em>

    The only reason why Bauli did not kill Kang-Woo was because he needed his body. If Kang-Woo fought Bauli for real, he would 100% lose.

    <em>You are nothing without me!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled what Bauli had shouted at him. He knew that there were no lies in Baulis words.

    <em>If not for Bauli</em>

    The Demonic Sea would fall apart because the keystone of the Demonic Sea was not Kang-Woo but Bauli.

    I should be prepared for this as well.

    He needed to bear in mind that he might need to face Bauli head-on in the future. Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and clicked his tongue.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    Just then, he heard the bell chime that he had been waiting for.

    [The reward of the Road to Bing a Demon God quest has been changed to the Trait The Revered.]

    [The yer can convert faith directed at Oh Kang-Woo into Divinity and absorb it. The yers Deific Essence will be promoted once a fixed amount of Divinity has been umted.]

    Kang-Woos eyes shone as he read the blue message window in front of him.

    Faith, huh?

    He looked down from the imperial pces window and saw the people of the continent praying while on their knees. They were worshiping both him and Kim Si-Hun like gods after the war. The people of the continent had named the church that they had created the <em>Church of Splendor</em>. It was the perfect name to worship Kang-Woo, the God of Splendor.

    Kang-Woo looked down at the devotees of the Church of Splendor while licking his lips.

    Not bad at all.

    No, it wasnt just not bad; it was an incredible ability. Unlike demonic energy, sacred power, and mana, there was no way to umte Divinity. Kang-Woo was only able to umte it by eating those who possessed Deific Essence with the Authority of Predation.

    <em>If I can change peoples faith into Divinity</em>

    He would have a way to receive Divinity. It was as if a caveman, who only hunted for food, learned how to farm.

    <em>Meat is the best, but</em>

    Procuring a stable supply of sustenance when he had no idea when he would be able to find his next prey was worthy of wee.

    <em>But how am I supposed to convert it?</em>

    The basic usage instructions of a Trait usually flowed into ones mind once they learned it, but the method to convert faith into Divinity did not enter his brain no matter how long he waited. Then, a message window popped up as if to answer his question.

    [Faith can be converted into Divinity through the Key of the Demonic Sea.]

    The Key of the Demonic Sea?

    Kang-Woo raised his right hand while tilting his head. Why did a function like that form on the Key of the Demonic Sea out of the blue?

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    The hell?

    Something popped out of the ck ring; it was the ck lump known as the Demon Gods legacy. The ck lump, which had note out of the ring since Kang-Woo came out of the Demonic Sea, traveled up Kang-Woos arm to his shoulder and rubbed itself on his cheek. Unlike the sloppy sounds that it made every time it moved, it was as soft as a bouncy ball.

    <em>Squeak, squeak, squeak!</em>

    The ck lump quivered in joy. Two yellow dots appeared on the lump.

    <em>It even has eyes?</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the ck lump in confusion. He felt as if he had been smacked on the back of the head with a sledgehammer after finding out that this was the Key of the Demonic Seas true form. The ck lump tilted its head in wonder as it stared at the wide-mouthed Kang-Woo.

    Grrrk?

    You can even make sounds? Kang-Woo asked.

    The ck lump jumped up and down on Kang-Woos shoulder. Kang-Woo grabbed his forehead in confusion and stared at the ck lump. It was slightly smaller than a ser ball; its glossy skin and how it made waves on its skin whenever it moved made it look exactly like a generic slime.

    Grrrk! Grrrk!

    Hah, Kang-Woo chuckled due to the absurdity.

    <em>The hell is this? Did the author just force this thing into the story since protagonists of other fantasy novels all have cute pets? If you were gonna make one, at least put some thought into it. This thing is just a ck slime.</em>

    Kang-Woo red at the ck lump in silence.

    It flinched and lowered its head like a dog getting scolded by its owner.

    <em>The hell? Why is it cute?</em>

    Grrrk

    The ck lumps yellow eyes shook. Kang-Woo slowly reached for the ck lump and touched it.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    The sound was unpleasant, but its texture was not sloppy at all. Since it was soft and squishy, it felt nice to touch. It felt like a water balloon.

    Grrrk, grrrk.

    The moment Kang-Woo touched the ck lump, it narrowed its eyes as if it were smiling and rubbed itself on his hand.

    Ahh.

    Kang-Woo had no choice but to admit it. He clenched his fists in frustration.

    <em>This thing is cute.</em>

    Why are you so damn cute for a slime?

    Kang-Woo frowned due to the discrepancy between what he saw and the logic in his head.

    <em>No, it doesnt matter if its cute or not.</em>

    The ck lump had a role to y.

    Absorb the faith of those people over there, Kang-Woo said to the ck lump.

    Grrrk! The ck lump nodded as if saying to trust it.

    Kang-Woo fell into thought while looking at the ck lump.

    <em>Come to think of it, the Demon Gods legacy was able to absorb fear.</em>

    The Constetions of Evil hade to Kang-Woo and Si-Hun in the first ce because the fear that should have been directed toward them had been directed to Lucifer instead.

    <em>Fear and faith, huh?</em>

    Gods were objects for those to ce their faith in, as well as beings to be feared and worshiped.

    <em>Oh, thats why its able to absorb faith.</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded as if he understood now. The Demon Gods legacy had been able to absorb emotions and convert them into Divinity from the very beginning, and it had simply been made avable through the power of the System.

    Hmm, Kang-Woo looked at the ck lump while nodding.

    It was time to witness how an immaterial concept like faith was able to be converted into Divinity.

    <em>Squelch, squish.</em>

    The ck lump came down from Kang-Woos shoulder and bounced toward the window.

    <em>Split.</em>

    And then, the ck lump opened up to reveal a hideous mouth filled with sharp teeth. The mouth grew bigger and bigger to a size that could easily swallow a person whole, and it ferociously bit the air.

    <em>Crunch, crunch!</em>

    Chilling sounds rang out. The ck lump worked hard to eat something that couldnt be seen.

    ...

    Kang-Woos mouth was agape as if he couldnt believe it. The ck lump that had been so cute had turned into a hideous monster in the blink of an eye.

    [Converting the absorbed faith into Divinity through the Key of the Demonic Sea.]

    Grrrk!

    The ck lump jumped onto Kang-Woos hand after devouring the faith. Kang-Woo could feel Divinity flowing into his body as the ck lump rubbed itself on the ring.

    Hmm.

    As expected, it wasnt a lot.

    <em>Theres only about three hundred people at most whoe to the imperial pce to pray, after all.</em>

    Most of all, there was no way that an immaterial concept like faith could be converted into energy with 100% efficiency.

    Well, in any case Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction. Church of Splendor, huh?

    There was no better name for a church that worshiped the God of Splendor.

    <em>Looks like Ive gained a magnificent food source I mean, some magnificent devotees.</em>

    The seeds had been sown; all Kang-Woo needed to do now was to add just the right amount of fertilizer and water so that the crops could grow well.

    Hehe, Kang-Woo giggled as all sorts of ns popped up in his head.

    He turned his head to the ck lump, which was looking up at him with sparkling eyes as if it wanted to be praised.

    Come to think of it, I should give you a name.

    He couldnt keep calling it <em>ck lump</em>.

    Hmmm Kang-Woo fell into thought and then snapped his finger as if he had thought of a great name. Yeah. He raised the ck lump with his hands. Your name will be Slushy.

    Grrrk!

    Slushy bounced up and down as if it were happy.

 Chapter 409: Iâ€™m Sorry

    Chapter 409: I¡¯m Sorry

    Now, then

    Oh Kang-Woo stood up after a while. He couldnt be ying with Slushy forever.

    <em>I might as well visit Balrog.</em>

    Since Han Seol-Ah said he had regained consciousness, Kang-Woo should check up on him.

    <em>I mean, Im sure hes fine.</em>

    It was Balrog of all people; there was probably no need for him to worry. But even so

    Tsk, hes such a handful. Kang-Woo turned around whileining about how weak Balrog was for being unconscious for a few days just from losing a little blood. He grumbled while putting on a coat, Sheesh, Whats the point of being a giant when you have no backbone?

    Unlike his grumbling, Kang-Woo could not help himself from smiling.

    Grrrk? Slushy tilted its head as it looked up at Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo reached out his hand toward Slushy. You cane too.

    Grrrk!

    Slushy jumped onto Kang-Woos arm and bounced up to his shoulder. They headed to Balrogs room together. Kang-Woo easily passed through the magic barrier erected to hide Balrogs demon form and entered the room. An extremely muscr demon was lying in a bedrge enough to fill the entire VIP room.

    I guess they had a bed size big enough for you, Kang-Woo said as he snickered at the sight of Balrog lying in bed.

    Oh, my king! Balrog eximed.

    Just stay in bed, man.

    Kang-Woo lightly flicked his finger at Balrog as he was trying to get up. An invisible pressure weighed down on Balrog.

    Kurgh!

    Stop being such a baby.

    Kang-Woo walked up to Balrog and yfully punched his shoulder. Lilith giggled as she watched in silence.

    Mmm What were they called again? Oh, right. You act like what the earthlings call <em>boomers</em>, Master Kang-Woo, she remarked.

    What? Kang-Woo stared at Lilith in puzzlement.

    <em>Me? A boomer? What are you talking about? Im only a little over ten millennia years old. Im still in my prime.</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Lilith as if he had been wrongfully used.

    Hohoho. More importantly, what is that thing on your shoulder? Lilith asked.

    Oh. Kang-Woo lightly shrugged. Slushy fell in surprise and bounced on the ground. Its the Demon Gods legacy.

    ... This thing?

    Lilith chuckled as if it was ridiculous. It was a natural response; there was no way that anyone would think of a ck slime when they thought about what the Demon Gods legacy would look like.

    Grrrk? Slushy looked around and then jumped on Lilithsp.

    Oh, my. Fufu, what a cute little thing, Lilith remarked as she patted Slushys head.

    Slushy squirmed around while extending itself as if stretching its arms. It looked like tentacles hade out of it.

    My, my. Liliths eyes shone. She embraced Slushy while smiling widely. No wonder it is called the Demon Gods legacy.

    ... Whats the reason?

    <em>What convinced you exactly?</em>

    Kang-Woo turned away, not wanting to ask any further, and sat on Balrogs bed.

    Are you feeling better? he asked.

    ... I am ashamed to be in this condition. Balrog lowered his head due to the humiliation. His eyes then widened as if something hade to mind. Come to think of it, how can you move around, my king? Im sure you opened the Doors this time as well

    Oh, the thing is

    Kang-Woo exined his current condition to Balrog and Lilith. Their expressions hardened.

    Thats

    Dangerous.

    Kang-Woos body had changed in a way that not even he was aware of. Although the change itself was good, it was not something to be relieved about.

    You should never open the Doors again, Balrog said as he grabbed Kang-Woos arm and stared at him as if to beg him.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly. Ill take care of myself, so dont worry about me, man.

    ... Balrog bit his lip and then sighed deeply. ... I will trust that you will.

    It doesnt look like you do.

    Can you me me, considering what youve done thus far?

    Kang-Woo had no way to refute that.

    Well You look fine, he said as he looked down at the bedridden Balrog while smiling.

    You know that my constitution is the thing Im most proud of.

    Yeah, I can see that, Kang-Woo remarked as he looked at Balrogs bulging muscles as if he was genuinely impressed.

    He turned to Lilith, who was patting Slushy. Right, Lilith. I have a favor to ask you.

    Anything for you, my king.

    Could you gather information about the Church of Splendor?

    The Church of Splendor? Liliths eyes widened in wonder. Are you referring to the new religious group that worships you and Si-Hun like gods?

    Yeah. I want you to gather as much information as possible about its size, who leads the devotees, and stuff like that.

    I understand, but may I ask why you want to investigate the Church of Splendor all of a sudden? Lilith tilted her head as if she couldnt understand.

    Kang-Woo had acquired Deific Essence, but its power had no direct corrtion to religion. If they were corrted, there was no way that the strongest god of Earth would be Gaia.

    Its for farming, Kang-Woo answered.

    Farming?

    Something like that.

    Kang-Woo smiled widely, but it felt somewhat creepy.

    Hmm Lilith expressed and then nodded.

    Kang-Woo stood up from the bed and said to Balrog, Get some more rest.

    Are you leaving already?

    What more do you want than meing to visit you? Kang-Woo replied curtly.

    Lilith giggled. I see youre letting Balrog rest in silence.

    Im not.

    Hoho. Okay, we can just leave it at that.

    Kang-Woo walked away from the giggling Lilith to the door.

    Oh right, Master Kang-Woo, Lilith called as Kang-Woo was about to leave through the door. I heard from Seol-Ah earlier. It seems he has woken up.

    ... Kang-Woo remained silent.

    He did not even need to ask who Lilith was referring to.

    <em>Your lies were more precious to me than any truth.</em>

    The faint voice echoed in Kang-Woos head. He felt stifled as if a giant rock was pushing down on his chest. He had no idea what to say when he met Kim Si-Hun. He found the conversation that he would need to have with Si-Hun far more difficult than his battle against Tai Wuji and his confrontation with the Demon God in the Demonic Sea.

    ... Okay.

    Lilith asked in worry, Will you be going?

    Yeah. Kang-Woo calmly nodded.

    He couldnt avoid him forever.

    ... Lilith stared at Kang-Woo with sunken eyes. She slowly walked toward him and ced her hands on his cheeks. Do not be afraid, my king.

    ...

    Him? Afraid? Liliths words felt far too unfamiliar to Kang-Woo. His lips quivered as if he was about to refute something, but he shut his mouth. Seeing that, Lilith giggled.

    Ill be off, then. Kang-Woo turned around and left the room. Slushy followed after him while bouncing. Haaa. He sighed while grabbing Slushy and raised it into the air.

    Grrrk?! Slushy flinched.

    Kang-Woo ced it on his shoulder and walked with heavy steps.

    Shit.

    This was likely how a criminal felt when walking into a courthouse.

    <em>How did I even get this way?</em>

    He felt stuffy as if he had eaten dozens of sweet potatoes without anything to drink. He would never have felt this way in the past.

    <em>I must be changing.</em>

    Not only was his physical body changing, but his mind was as well.

    Tsk.

    He had no idea how it would turn out. It might end up being nothing special once it came down to it. However, even so He had no idea.

    <em>Fuck it.</em>

    Kang-Woo gave up on thinking; such thoughts did not suit him at all.

    <em>ck.</em> He opened the door.

    Oh, Kang-Woo. I was just about to contact you, Seol-Ah greeted.

    Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead; it seemed like she had been using healing magic on Si-Hun and La until just now. Kang-Woo greeted Seol-Ah by lightly nodding and entered the room.

    ... Ah, Si-Hun expressed while lying in bed.

    ...

    ...

    Kang-Woo and Si-Hun remained silent, unable to say a word to each other. An awkward air filled the room.

    Did something happen between you two? Seol-Ah asked while tilting her head, having no idea about what had happened between them.

    Darling. Could you go to Las room for a bit? Kang-Woo asked.

    Mmm. Okay.

    Seol-Ah was about to ask something but nodded soon after once she saw Kang-Woos eyes. She quietly closed the door and left.

    Are you feeling better now? Kang-Woo asked.

    Oh, yes. I still have some internal injuries, but Ill be fine, Si-Hun replied as he touched the area that Tai Wuji had shed.

    The wound hadpletely disappeared without leaving any scars thanks to the Authority of Regeneration, but the pain remained.

    Urgh. Si-Hun clenched his chest as he was trying to get up from the bed.

    Kang-Woo frowned. Just stay the hell in bed.

    ... Si-Hun lightly nodded andid back down.

    Silence filled the room again.

    ... Hyung-nim. Si-Hun broke the silence first. To be honest, I felt betrayed at first.

    ...

    Si-Hun smiled faintly. I thought a lot about why you did such a thing and whether my memories of that night were real or not.

    They were. I did everything that you remember about that night.

    Haha, Si-Hunughed softly and nodded as if he felt refreshed. He slowly looked up and stared nkly at the ceiling. I wont ask you why, since its already in the past.

    ... Kang-Woo was lost for words.

    The sin that he hadmitted on Si-Hun was far too grave to be glossed over in such a way.

    <em>Fucking moron.</em>

    Kang-Woo got angry at how ridiculous Si-Hun was being. How nice did someone have to be to think something that moronic?

    You god damn pushov

    Hyung, Si-Hun interjected as he turned to Kang-Woo. He smiled as he locked eyes with Kang-Woo. Thank you for staying as my older brother.

    ...

    Kang-Woos mind turnedpletely white as if he had been struck on the head with a sledgehammer. Feignedughter and curses entangled along with countless emotions.

    ...

    Silence fell once again. Kang-Woo lowered his head and thought about what to say. Whatever he said and whatever excuses he made, it would be meaningless.

    After much thought, he carefully said, ... Im sorry.

    That was the bittersweet phrase he hade up with.

    Si-Hun softlyughed. He looked back up at the ceiling and said, Hyung-nim. Would you like to go on a trip?

    What?

    <em>Whats with that out of the blue?</em>

    We havent been able to take a break even once aftering to Aernor. I think it would be a good idea for everyone to go on a little trip.

    Hmm.

    Kang-Woo fell into thought. The war against the Constetions of Evil was over, and Iris had yet to wake up.

    <em>Its not a bad idea timing-wise.</em>

    Kang-Woo honestly had a ton of things he needed to do. He needed to test the power of <em>Voracity</em>, which had risen to Top-rank in Deific Essence, and train the new Chaos skill and mes of Voracity that he had learned. People had not yet forgottenpletely about Balrog, who had run wild during the war, and most of all, he needed to put his focus on the Church of Splendor, his new farnd.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly. He had so much to do, but hisrades also needed a break after working restlessly for all this time. Unlike himself, humans were unable to work without rest. Also, this was Si-Huns effort to eliminate the awkward air that had formed between them.

    Yeah, sounds good. Kang-Woo nodded with a smile.

    With that, their trip had been decided.<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    Lilith seriously is the best girl in this novel Take care of her more, Kang-Woo :(</blockquote>

 Chapter 410: Kang-Woo, Did You Mate With Seol-Ah?

    Chapter 410: Kang-Woo, Did You Mate With Seol-Ah?

    <em>Bam!</em>

    A door burst open early in the morning.

    "Hm! Hm!" Echidna snorted in excitement. She burst into Oh Kang-Woos room with a huge bag. "Kang-Woo! Kang-Woo! Its morning! Wake up!"

    The party had nned to go on a trip today. Echidna, who was as excited as an elementary schooler on the day of a field trip, had barged into Kang-Woos room fully prepared.

    "Mmm What? What time is it?" Kang-Woo woke up while rubbing his eyes. He looked at the clock next to the bed and saw that it was only a little past 6 AM.

    "I told you that we were leaving at ten."

    "Hm! You need time to get ready!"

    "I could even move houses if I have four hours." Kang-Woo chuckled.

    Forget four hours, he could even move the entire imperial pce somewhere else in five minutes with his ability.

    <em>Well, at least its nice to see.</em>

    He could tell that he had made the right choice to agree on the trip with how excited Echidna was. As he was about to pull away the nket and get out of bed, he realized a crucial fact; he waspletely naked, and his Franois was pitching a tent underneath the nket.

    <em>Oh shit. Im fu</em>

    "Urmm. Whats happening?" Han Seol-Ah, who had been sleeping next to him, got up while rubbing her eyes.

    Kang-Woos expression hardened. Seol-Ah was naturallypletely naked as well. After seeing what was going on, Seol-Ahs eyes widened in pallor.

    "Huh?" Echidna tilted her head while staring at the two of them.

    She scanned them and then pped her hands together as if she had figured out what happened.

    "Kang-Woo," she called.

    "Y-Yeah?" Kang-Woo answered anxiously.

    He felt like a parent who had gotten caught by his child in the act.

    Echidna, who likely had no idea what that felt like, asked casually, "Did you mate with Seol-Ah?"

    <em>Whoa there, dear child. What the hell are you saying in an all-ages novel?</em>

    Deathly silence fell.

    "Grrrk."

    "Mmrp!"

    Slushy jumped up and stuck to Echidnas face and then looked back at Kang-Woo as if it were saying that it would leave the rest to him.

    <em>Slushy, you son of a bitch I love you, man.</em>

    "Now, darling!"

    "Okay!"

    Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah jumped out of bed and put on their clothesid on the ground at supersonic speed to the point that sonic booms rang out with each motion.

    "Urghh!" Echidna smacked Slushy down on the ground.

    <em>St.</em> Slushy ttened on the ground after it had done its job.

    "Right, then. Lets go. Wow, how much did you pack?" said Kang-Woo as he walked over to Echidna, fully clothed.

    Echidna stared at Kang-Woo iprehensibly. "Kang-Woo, why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Mating isnt a big de"

    "Now, now. Lets stop talking about that."

    <em>Any more and well be censored.</em>

    "Whats wrong with showing a p****...?"

    <em>See? Were already getting censored.</em>

    Kang-Woo grabbed Echidna by the shoulders, turned her around, and left the room with her.

    The flushed Seol-Ah ran past them and shouted, "I-Ill go prepare breakfast, Kang-Woo!"

    Kang-Woo went back into the room with Echidna, dragging her by the arm.

    "Alright, alright. Why dont we take a look at everything you prepared?"

    "Hm! I packed a bunch of stuff since you said we were gonna have a barbecue party!"

    Echidna began to show off everything in the giant bag, seemingly having forgotten about what had happened a few moments ago. Kang-Woo sighed in relief.

    ***

    "Wow Like you said, the scenery is to die for, hyung-nim," Kim Si-Hun remarked in astonishment.

    They were on top of a massive mountain. The most striking part about the peak was that it was covered in dreamlike flowers that illuminated blue as if they were fireflies. Such a sight did not exist on Earth no, it was hard to witness even in Aernor.

    Kang-Woo had chosen a volcano known as Caldesann as their pic spot. Although it was restricted to the people of the continent due to its steep terrain and the powerful monsters that inhabited it, none of such things mattered to Kang-Woo.

    "Its awesome, isnt it?" Kang-Woo smiled as he looked around.

    The luminescent flowers containing faint amounts of mana were shining blue, the wind was blowing refreshingly despite it being the peak of a giant mountain, and the weather was so nice that they could even take a nap. Kang-Woo had chosen the perfect ce for a pic if he could say so himself.

    "How did you find a ce like this?" Si-Hun asked as he nodded.

    "I happened to see it while I was flying to SantAngelo a while ago."

    Kang-Woo had no leeway to enjoy the view at the time due to the incident with Uriel and the Constetion of Agony, but this ce naturally came to mind once they decided to go on a trip.

    "Haha, it sure is nice." Si-Hun stretched as heughed.

    Seeing that, Kang-Woo alsoughed.

    "Mm. But it doesnt seem to be an ordinary ce," Balrog mentioned as he got down on one knee and touched the flowers.

    He was in hisfortable demon form since only the party members were present.

    "Pretty cool, right?" Kang-Woo nodded as if agreeing with Balrog.

    A ce like this where it was covered in flowers containing mana would be difficult to find even in Aernor. No, it was their first time even seeing flowers like these in Aernor.

    "Well, I dont think it makes a difference," Kang-Woo added.

    "That I agree." Balrog nodded.

    Whatever dangers existed on this mountain, Kang-Woo couldnt care less since the possibility of there being something too dangerous for him to handle was nearly nonexistent.

    "What do you think, darling? Do you like it?"

    "Yes. Its beautiful."

    Seol-Ah looked around as if she was blown away by Caldesanns scenery. Kang-Woo smiled.

    <em>Im d I left it as a surprise.</em>

    He had kept the pic location a secret because he was hoping for reactions like this. He had simply told his party members that he had found an amazing ce for a pic.

    "Hm?"

    Just then, Kang-Woo saw Echidnas expression as stiff as a rock; it was hard to believe considering she had been so excited this morning. It was as if she was dissatisfied with the pic spot.

    <em>Whats going on?</em>

    Echidna, who always smiled wherever she went as long as she was with Kang-Woo, was not smiling at all.

    <em>Did I do something wrong?</em>

    Kang-Woo was rather surprised by the lukewarm reaction despite having been highly confident in the location.

    <em>Whats so wrong about this ce?</em>

    A scenery like this was extremely difficult to find.

    "Haaa" Cha Yeon-Joo sighed deeply as she stared at Kang-Woo as if he was pathetic. "Do you seriously not know why shes like that? Tsk, tsk. What do you expect from the ten-millennia virgin?"

    <em>Whatd you call me, bitch?</em>

    "Whats wrong with this ce?" Kang-Woo asked in frustration.

    Was this not the perfect ce to have a pic? He had even wiped out the monsters in the area the day before so they wouldnt be interrupted.

    "Im severely disappointed in you, Kang-Woo." Even La criticized him.

    Kang-Woo stared at the two of them as if he was being wrongfully used.

    "I trusted you I was so looking forward to the trip" La muttered.

    "Wha"

    <em>Why are you two doing this to me?</em>

    "What the hell is the problem?"

    "Each party member prepared this as soon as you told us about the trip," La answered as she rummaged through the bag that she brought and took out

    "A swimsuit?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Yes!" La stomped on the ground while ring at Kang-Woo and shouted, "Wouldnt the beach be the obvious choice with these members?! Do you even have eyes, Kang-Woo?!"

    <em>Thats a bit hurtful, La.</em>

    "Look at Seol-Ah and Lilith! How could you make a brainless decision like going to a mountain when these two are here? Are you okay in the head?!"

    <em>Thats extremely hurtful, La.</em>

    "Huh? What about me?" Yeon-Joo asked while pointing at herself.

    <em>You stay out of this.</em>

    "A-Aaaahh," Kang-Woo groaned.

    Chills ran down his back. He clenched his fists as if he had been enlightened. He looked at the swimsuit in Las hand; just from the size, he could tell that it was Seol-Ahs.

    <em>And A bikini! Allow me to say it twice because its important. A bikini!! To think I made such a blunder</em>

    Kang-Woo lowered his head. He could not refute Las criticisms in any way. Mystical flowers that glowed blue? Perfect weather? None of that mattered.

    <em>Im a moron.</em>

    How could he not have realized the truth when it had been right in front of him this whole time? Kang-Woo bit his lip in anger.

    "Haaa. I had high hopes for you, but youve disappointed me, Kang-Woo." La sighed.

    "No." Kang-Woo shook his head. "Its not toote."

    "Pardon?" La tilted her head in confusion. "Are you saying that youll change locations?"

    Kang-Woo shook his head. That was an option, but there was an even easier option.

    "Im going to create ake here."

    "Pardon?"

    Kang-Woo walked past the dumbfounded La and ced his hands on the ground. Radiant golden light burst from his body.

    <em>Rumble!!!</em>

    The earth split and upturned. The entire mountain was split in two, and from there

    <em>Pshhhhhh!</em>

    Hot spring water that had been lying dormant within the volcano was forcibly drawn out through Kang-Woos power. An enormous amount of hot spring water filled with sulfur shot upward like a geyser.

    <em>And now</em>

    He drew out his Top-rank Deific Essence. He eliminated the sulfur from the hot spring water and lowered the temperature of the water to the point that it was cool. Then, hebined the split mountain.

    "Alright."

    A perfectke had been formed. Although it was nothing but a giant pool of water that contained no life, it didnt matter.

    "What do you think, La?" Kang-Woo smiled as he turned to La.

    "..."

    La simply stared at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly with her mouth agape, but only for a moment. She slowly walked up to Kang-Woo and raised her right hand.

    <em>p!</em>

    A clear sound rang out as Kang-Woo and La pped their hands together.

    "..."

    Yeon-Joo looked back and forth at Kang-Woo and theke that had formed on the peak of the mountain out of nowhere. She covered her face with her hands and recalled a fact that she had tried her hardest to forget.

    "Why" She wept in sorrow. "Why the hell did I end up falling for this dumbass?"

    Her sobs continued for a while longer.<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts</blockquote>

 Chapter 411: Dragon of Caldesann [Bonus Image]

    Chapter 411: Dragon of Caldesann [Bonus Image]

    "A-Aaaahh," Oh Kang-Woo expressed as sparks traveled around his body.

    "Wh-What do you think, Kang-Woo?" asked the flushed Han Seol-Ah.

    She was wearing a white bikini that suited her very well. Two huge objects filled Kang-Woos vision. He had seen her naked in bed many times, but seeing her in a swimsuit outside was amazing in its own right.

    <em>Fuck. Im so d Im alive.</em>

    Kang-Woo gave Seol-Ah a thumbs-up while tears flowed down his cheeks.

    "I-Its a little embarrassing if you react that way," she muttered while covering herself with her arms, but she smiled widely despite her embarrassment.

    "So this is a swimsuit? Hmm. What a strange culture. Humans wear things that are no different from underwear in public?" Lilith said in fascination as she pulled on the string of her ck bikini.

    "Thats the point," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "Really?" Lilith tilted her head as if she was having a hard time understanding.

    "Haaa, haaa. Good Very, very good," La muttered as she rapidly pressed the shutter of a giant camera that she had pulled out of nowhere.

    Her heavy panting made her look extremely shady.

    <em>Gaia Are you sure you want someone like her as your incarnation?</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled as he stared at La, who had also changed into a swimsuit.

    "Please get out of the way, Kang-Woo. I need Seol-Ah to be in full view."

    "Ah, yes, maam."

    Kang-Woo took a step back.

    "Ahem," Kim Si-Hun coughed as he peeked nces at La in her swimsuit.

    Kang-Woo stared at Si-Hun pitifully.

    <em>Si-Hun Your future wife is a bit weird. I think theres a pervy old man inside her.</em>

    However, there was no way Si-Hun, who was blinded by love, could see such a thing. Si-Hun walked over to La and chatted with her affectionately.

    Then, Halcyon and Echidna approached Kang-Woo.

    "M-Master Kang-Woo. I"

    "Why dont we have swimsuits?"

    "Well, there are very important reasons." Kang-Woo calmly nodded. "First, Echidna."

    "Yeah?"

    "You cant wear a swimsuit."

    <em>Itll affect the novel ranking.</em>

    "You can wear one once youre older," Kang-Woo continued.

    "Is there an age limit for swimsuits?" Echidna asked.

    "Yup."

    <em>Fifteen and up.</em>

    "But Im older than Seol-Ah."

    "You still cant."

    "Its unfair."

    "Life is usually unfair, Echidna."

    Kang-Woo patted Echidnas head with a warm smile. Echidna tilted her head, unable to understand theplicated truth of life.

    "M-Master Kang-Woo. Wh-Why cant I wear a swimsuit?" Halcyon asked.

    "You"

    Kang-Woo slightly looked down at Halcyons lower body; more specifically, he imagined the magnum dong under Halcyons clothes. Kang-Woo was swept over with dizziness.

    "You just cant," Kang-Woo replied.

    "I-I just cant? Wh-Why only me?"

    <em>If I say you cant, then you just fucking cant.</em>

    "Its unfair!" Halcyon shouted.

    <em>I feel the same way, man. I feel the same way.</em>

    "Hmph, you made an entireke just to see some swimsuits? Youre fucking crazy." Cha Yeon-Joo walked over to Kang-Woo while shaking her head.

    She was wearing a hoodie, but she was wearing a red bikini underneath.

    "Mmm." Kang-Woo nodded as he stared at her.

    "What?" Yeon-Joo red at him.

    "No, I just thought it suited you better than I expected."

    Yeon-Joo was quite slim so she looked very good in a swimsuit.

    "H-Hmm~ Really?" Yeon-Joo turned her head away while blushing and smiled. "I guess you have eyes, at the very least."

    Kang-Woo smirked at the smug Yeon-Joo and said as he turned around, "Anyway, go have some fun in theke. Ill be preparing the barbecue."

    "Urgh."

    "No fair, Kang-Woo."

    Kang-Woo turned away from theining Halcyon and Echidna. As he was about to get the barbecue set that was packed in a bag

    "Ah" he muttered.

    "My king, is this the barbecue set?" Balrog asked.

    "Huhu. I, Vernaak, have prepared the meat and vegetables already."

    A red giant in massive swim trunks and a skeleton wearing a pink apron came into view.

    "God" Kang-Woo covered his eyes. They hurt as if they were rotting. "Fuck off Ill take care of it myself."

    "That is uneptable! How could I dare call myself your subordinate if I let you do everything yourself?!"

    "We will assist you!!"

    "Please Just fuck off"

    Kang-Woos sobs echoed throughout Caldesanns peak.

    ***

    <em>Tsssss!</em>

    The meat on the grill sizzled mouth-wateringly. Kang-Woo distributed the meat to each of his party members.

    Si-Hun put down his te and came up to him. "Ill take over, hyung-nim."

    Kang-Woo shook his head. "Forget it and eat some more with La."

    "But"

    "Hurry up and go talk her down."

    Kang-Woo pointed at La, who was rapidly pressing the camera shutter without eating any meat.

    "Daaaaaayumt! <em>Huff, huff.</em> P-Please give me just one sexy pose, Lilith!"

    Si-Hun smiled awkwardly. "H-Haha. La seems a bit excited."

    "I doubt even her parents would be able to recognize her when shes like that."

    <em>Though I dont know if theyre alive.</em>

    "A-Ahem," Si-Hun coughed as he walked over to La.

    Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>Shespletely different from when I first met her.</em>

    It might be a bit too severe of a change, but it was not a bad one. After all, it meant that she trusted him and the other party members.

    "You have some too, Kang-Woo," Seol-Ah said as stuck next to Kang-Woo.

    "Im eating as Im grilling."

    "You havent been eating at all since earlier, though." Seol-Ah pouted. She grabbed a piece of meat with her chopsticks and held it out in front of Kang-Woo. "Here, ahhh~"

    Kang-Woo ate the meat. As expected of meat that he grilled himself, it melted in his mouth.

    "What was this meat called again?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Im not sure. I believe it came from an animal called Triton. Ive never seen them, though."

    "I see." Kang-Woos eyes shone.

    Seeing that, Seol-Ah smiled faintly. "Shall I put some in your kimchi stew?"

    "Thats my darling."

    <em>You know me so well.</em>

    "Hohoho. Give me just a moment. I brought the ingredients just in case."

    Seol-Ah walked to where the bags were while humming. Kang-Woo watched her walk away and then looked at the other party members. None of them would ever get tired from just a little fun in the water, and they were having fun chatting while eating the grilled meat.

    <em>How nice.</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly. It was such a sweet feeling that he felt as if his brain would melt.

    "Hm?"

    Just then, Echidna entered Kang-Woos field of vision.

    "<em>Munch, munch.</em>"

    She was eating with a dark expression as if she were deep in thought. Rather than enjoying the taste of the meat, it looked more like she was just chewing for the sake of it.

    <em>Whats up with her?</em>

    Echidna had been acting weird since a while ago. As Kang-Woo was about to stop grilling the meat and go to her, Balrog beat him to it.

    "What is wrong, young dragon?" Balrog asked as he sat next to Echidna.

    Because he was in his demon form, he towered over her even while seated.

    "Nothing." Echidna shook her head.

    "It doesnt look like nothing. Your expression has been dark since earlier.

    "If you have something on your mind, tell me. I, Balrog, will hear you out." Balrogughed heartily.

    Echidnas lips quivered with her head lowered. She then looked to see if anyone was around.

    <em>Ill give them some space.</em>

    Kang-Woo gathered the other party members somewhere else with the excuse that they needed to help make the kimchi stew. He wanted to hear what was on Echidnas mind, but it seemed like the better choice to step out.

    <em>Echidna is overly dependent on me.</em>

    That could partially be the reason why she was not able to talk to Kang-Woo about it.

    Balrog chugged down an entire barrel of beer.

    "Kaaahh." He wiped his mouth and said, "The only thing that is good for you to keep inside is loyalty, young dragon."

    Echidna pouted and grumbled, "You talk like an old man, Balrog."

    "Kahahaha! Im far past the age where I can be called an old man, even by dragon standards."

    "Ive been here before."

    "Oh?" Balrogs eyes widened.

    Kang-Woo, who was also listening from a distance, widened his eyes in surprise.

    "Are you saying this isnt your first time on What was this mountain called? Oh, Caldesann?"

    "Yeah. I came here with my dad when I was little," Echidna muttered.

    She recalled the days with her father, who had suddenly disappeared one day and left her. Her expression darkened.

    "Hmm. I see."

    Balrog nodded as if he had understood why Echidna had been so down.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    He broke open yet another barrel of beer.

    "Have a drink, young dragon. Hehe. This thing known as alcohol is great in times like this."

    Balrog lightly patted Echidnas back. His hand was so big that it could cover her entire back.

    "Its too big." Echidna softly giggled while pouting.

    "In that case, please use this." Vernaak walked up to them and handed Echidna a transparent ss.

    "Thanks, Vaal Z I mean, Vernaak."

    Just as Echidna was about to take the ss that Vernaak handed her

    <em>Whaaaam!!!</em>

    "Wh-What the?!"

    The mountain shook all of a sudden.

    [Who dares disrupt the sacred Caldesann?!]

    A thunderous voice shook the entire mountain. The ground split and from between it emerged a giant dragon with red scales. The enraged dragon covered in intense mes looked down at the intruders that had made a mess out of Caldesann.

    "Huh?" Echidnas eyes widened. She muttered with her mouth agape in disbelief, "Dad?"<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    </blockquote>

 Chapter 412: Iâ€™ll Be Taking Your Daughter

    Chapter 412: I¡¯ll Be Taking Your Daughter

    [Echidna?]

    The red dragon looked down at Echidna with shaking eyes. Silence fell.

    "Hah," Oh Kang-Woo feignedughter.

    This dragon seemed to be Echidnas father who had left Echidna by herself in the past.

    <em>Demonic Dragon Kargath, was it?</em>

    He recalled the message window that he had seen a long time ago.

    <em>I never thought Id meet him in this way.</em>

    "Hmm." Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    He did not have a positive impression of Kargath. How could he, when Kargath was the reason why Echidna had gone through such misfortune?

    <em>But still</em>

    That was not reason enough to beat him to a pulp in front of Echidna. Kang-Woo decided to try to converse with Kargath first.

    "You must be Karg"

    [You bastaaaaaaards!! What are you trying to do to Echidna?!!]

    Caldesann shook from Kargaths enraged roar before Kang-Woo could even finish his sentence. Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>Whats up with this son of a bitch? What are we trying to do to Echidna, he said?</em>

    Kang-Woo could not understand why Kargath was so enraged. He turned to Echidna.

    <em>Why is he so</em>

    Next to Echidna was a red giant who had his hand on Echidnas back, and in front of her was a skeleton wearing a pink apron.

    "Huh?"

    <em>Oh, mmm. I can see why hes angry.</em>

    Any parent would be enraged if they saw their daughter next to a demon and an Undead with no prior information.

    <em>But Was he not a demonic dragon?</em>

    If that was the case, there was no way Kargath would be acting so sensitively from seeing Echidna with a demon and an Undead. Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion and scanned Kargath with the Authority of Insight.

    <em>He doesnt have demonic energy?</em>

    Kang-Woo wondered if Kargaths demonic energy had disappeared like himself after he had be the God of Splendor, but he could not feel Deific Essence from Kargath either. He was confused by the iprehensible situation.

    [Step away from Echidna this instant!]

    Kargath stomped his feet while roaring. He drew out a massive wave of mana and shot it at Balrog.

    "D-Dad, no!" Echidna shouted hurriedly.

    She stood up and stepped in front of Balrog. The mana st quickly changed direction.

    <em>Crash!</em>

    The mana st collided with theke and created a massive pir of water.

    [No? Wh-What do you mean, Echidna?]

    Echidna clenched her fists and continued, "Theyre my friends. Dont hurt them."

    She red at Kargath, whose face turned as white as a sheet.

    [Friends? H-Have you been brainwashed by that demon?] he asked desperately as if he found it hard to believe.

    "No." Echidna shook her head. She looked up at Kargath while biting her lip. She said in a low voice as if pulling out the emotions that she had suppressed all this time, "Dad Where have you been all this time?"

    Her shoulders were trembling and her eyes were filled with rage and sorrow. Kang-Woo couldnt imagine how much of her emotions she had suppressed to stop herself from saying that until now.

    Kargath remained silent for a long time. [Im sorry.]

    He lowered his head.

    "Why Why did you disappear without a word? Why did you abandon me?"

    [I did not abandon you!!] Kargath quickly shouted. [I did not.]

    "Then!!" Tears flowed down Echidnas cheeks as she bit her lip aggressively. "Why Why"

    Echidna fell to her knees as she wept, the tears pooling at the tip of her chin. Balrog wiped her tears with his hand.

    [How dare a filthy demon touch my daughter?!]

    "Do you truly believe you have the right to say that?" Balrog slowly stood up and sneered at him. "Kargath Yes, I remember hearing about you from Amon. A dragon cursed by the Dragon God for breaking a taboo due to his greed for Deific Essence."

    Balrog red at Kargath and continued, "Foolish dragon, do you know the demon named Lucifer?]

    [Are you a subordinate of the Evil God?]

    "No. That is not what Im trying to say." Balrog slowly shook his head. He lightly patted Echidnas shoulder and continued fiercely, "Im trying to ask if you knew that not even the Evil God abandoned his child."

    Kargath flinched. He took a deep breath, mes lingering around his mouth, and then said, [I had no choice. It was the only choice I could make to lift the curse that the Dragon God ced on our family.]

    Kang-Woo thought about what Kargath meant by a curse but was easily able to figure it out.

    "In other words, you were cursed by the Dragon God because you fucked up, so you left your daughter to ask the Dragon God for forgiveness and get the curse lifted, right?"

    He might not have necessarily asked for forgiveness; he might have made a deal with the Dragon God or even made threats. However he did it, it did not change the fact that he had left Echidna to lift that curse.

    "Well, it seems like you managed to get the curse lifted since I dont feel any demonic energy from you, but"

    Echidna had suffered from istion while Kargath had left her to lift the curse.

    [Silence!] Kargath roared fiercely and continued in desperation, [You know nothing about the fate of a demonic dragon!! Demonic dragons are not acknowledged by any dragon! They are ostracized and exterminated! I could not afford to pass on such a fate to my daughter.]

    Kang-Woo smirked. "Wow, I would think that the Dragon God cursed you because he fucking hated you if I didnt know any better."

    He approached Echidna, whose shoulders were trembling with her head down, and ced his hand on her head.

    "It sure is nice to be able to say that you had no choice."

    Phrases like it was all for your sake, it couldnt have been helped, and that there was no other way They were all so sweet that they couldpletely erase ones bitter regrets.

    "To be honest with you, I have no idea what to feel," Kang-Woo remarked.

    He could not even imagine the feelings of a parent since he did not have children or parents. The concept of family was aplete enigma to him.

    "But" Kang-Woo patted the crying Echidna. "Do you seriously believe Echidna wanted that?"

    He stared at the crying girl. To her, Kargath had been everything. She did not care about the fact that she was a demonic dragon or that she would be ostracized by other dragons. Kargath had made her the loneliest dragon in the world to save her from istion; it was truly ironic.

    [You know nothing!] Kargath eximed.

    "Thats why I said I have no idea, man."

    There was no need for Kang-Woo to know about what Kargath had felt and the resolve he had to make to leave Echidna or what sort of tearjerking story was hidden underneath. None of that mattered.

    "What matters is that"

    Kang-Woo pulled Echidna toward him by the shoulder. Echidnas eyes widened as she was pulled into Kang-Woos embrace.

    "Kang Woo?" She looked up at him with shaking eyes.

    Kang-Woo said to Echidna while embracing Echidna, "... Echidna is my Familiar."

    [What did you say?] Kargaths eyes widened.

    He knew very well what the word <em>Familiar </em>entailed.

    [H-How dare you?! Youve been enving Echidna?!]

    "Whoa there, dont get the wrong idea. At least say that I subordinated her."

    [Get away from Echidna!] Kargath roared madly.

    Kang-Woo grinned and looked toward Echidna. "You heard him. What should I do?"

    Echidna hesitated as she trembled and bit her lip. She then slowly grabbed Kang-Woos clothes and wept. "Dont go away. Dont leave me alone again"

    Kang-Woo smiled widely. "Oh man, what do we have here?" He turned to Kargath. "It looks like youll be the one to be abandoned this time."

    [You bastaaaaaaard!]

    Kargath raised his head and charged at Kang-Woo in fury.

    Kang-Woo extended his arm toward Kargath andmanded in Soul Speech, "Kneel."

    <em>Boom!</em>

    [Kurgh!]

    The massive Kargath was pushed down by an unknown power. He stared at Kang-Woo in shock.

    [H-How can a human use S-Soul Speech?] he muttered as if he couldnt understand. He shouted desperately while twisting and turning, [My child! Come here! You are being deceived by that human!!]

    "Urgh." Echidna bit her lip and turned to face Kargath. "Dad" She stood up straight and continued after much silence, "I was so so lonely when you first disappeared."

    [Thats]

    "I was okay with being a demonic dragon. I didnt care even if I was ostracized and hunted down. All I wanted was to be together with you, Dad. But why Why did you disappear without a word?"

    More tears flowed down Echidnas cheeks.

    [Echidna] Kargath said with a trembling voice.

    Echidna raised her head after crying for a while and said as if she was releasing her pent-up emotions, "Im not gonna go to you, Dad. The ce where I belong is here now."

    She gripped Kang-Woos clothes tighter. Kang-Woo smiled as he ced his hand on Echidnas shoulder. "You heard her."

    He cackled.

    Cha Yeon-Joo watched in silence.

    She knew exactly what was going on. She knew that Echidna had chosen Kang-Woo over Kargath of her own ord and that Kargath was reaping what he had sown.

    <em>But</em>

    She stared at the despairing Kargath and the cackling Kang-Woo who had his hand on Echidnas shoulder.

    <em>Why does that son of a bitch look like the viin here?</em>

    [N-No!! A-Anything but my daughter!]

    "Maybe this wouldnt be happening if you treated her better when it mattered~"

    <em>Dude.</em>

    [A-Aaaaahh!! Wh-What are you nning on doing to my daughter?!]

    "Hahaha! I can at least guarantee that shell have way more fun with me than she ever had with you."

    <em>Oh Kang-Woo, you son of a bitch.</em>

    "Ill send you pictures from time to time. Ones of her smiling very happily, that is."

    <em>You crazy bastard.</em>

    "Pfft! Bwehehehe!! Right then, Ill be taking your daughter!"

    Yeon-Joo stared at Kang-Woo in shock. "Hes"

    <em>A fucking scumbag.</em><blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    What are your thoughts on Kargaths decision? I agreed with his decision at first, but why was he inside this random mountain if he got forgiveness from the Dragon God? Maybe he returned home after getting the Dragon God to lift the curse but saw that Echidna had disappeared, and ended up shutting himself in this mountain after years of searching for her.

    If thats the case, I kind of feel bad for him I dont believe he made that decision for himself; I want to believe that he made that choice for the sake of her future. However, Echidna was only a little girl (by dragon standards) at the time and doesnt fully appreciate his choice now that she is happy with her new family.</blockquote>

 Chapter 413: Church of Splendor

    Chapter 413: Church of Splendor

    The pic on Caldesann came to an anticlimactic end due to Kargaths appearance. Everyone was disappointed, but they knew that they couldnt continue the pic. The party members promised to do something like this again next time and packed their things.

    Oh Kang-Woo ced several restrictions on Kargath so that he couldnt try anything funny and returned to the imperial pce. Kang-Woo would normally have killed him to eliminate any risk factors, but he couldnt bring himself to kill Echidnas father in front of her.

    "Kang-Woo." Echidna entered Kang-Woos room while he was unpacking.

    She came up and hugged him without a word. She was acting reserved, simr to when Kang-Woo first met her.

    Kang-Woo gently patted her head.

    After hugging him for a while, Echidna muttered cautiously, "I dont wanna be alone anymore."

    Kang-Woo smirked. "Ill make it so that you cant leave my side no matter how much you dont want me to."

    "Hihi." Echidna giggled and buried her face in Kang-Woos embrace. "Im sorry. The pic was ruined because of me."

    "Its fine. We can always go again when we have a chance."

    Going to a pic was no big deal; although it would be hard now since they were so busy, they could go on all the pics they wanted until they were sick of it once they finished what they needed to do.

    "Okay!" Echidna shouted brightly and nodded cutely. She then grabbed his clothes and asked carefully, "Kang-Woo, can I sleep with you tonight?"

    "Mmm Just a second."

    Kang-Woo needed to ask Han Seol-Ah if it was okay since they usually slept together every night. Just as he was about to call her

    "I think its fine," Seol-Ah said as she entered the room as if she had heard their conversation from outside. "Its been a while since I slept with Echidna."

    She lightly hugged Echidna and ced her head on Echidnas chin.

    Echidna turned around and asked in anticipation, "Are you gonna sleep with us too, Seol-Ah?"

    "Yeah, sure." Seol-Ah smiled and patted Echidnas head.

    "Hm! Hm! Okay! Lets all sleep together!"

    Echidna jumped on the bed and snorted in excitement. Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah softlyughed and stared at each other.

    "Hm! Im gonna stay upte tonight!" Echidna shouted with shining eyes, lying between Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah.

    However, she fell asleep after not even ten minutes of excitement. Kang-Woo smirked and closed his eyes after lying down. It was a short trip, but he had a feeling it would be a longsting memory.

    ***

    "Here is my report on what I have investigated about the Church of Splendor," Lilith said as she entered Kang-Woos room with a few pages of documents in hand.

    A few days passed since the trip. Kang-Woo took the documents that Lilith handed him and nodded.

    "First, this is the current size of the Church of Splendor."

    Lilith pointed at a specific portion of the document. There was a map that seemed to be one of Aernor and the Church of Splendor was marked with a yellow highlighter.

    "Its forces are spreading at an extraordinary rate with the Arnan Empire as the epicenter."

    "You say that, but it doesnt look like it has spread much beyond Arnan, has it?" Kang-Woo remarked.

    "It hasnt even been a month since it was formed, after all."

    "Oh, right." Kang-Woo nodded as if he had forgotten.

    The Church of Splendor was indeed growing at an extraordinary rate; it was only natural with Kang-Woos miraculous feat during the war and Kim Si-Huns fame. Even so, it was difficult for the Church of Splendor to take over the other religious organizations of Aernor, a polytheistic world.

    <em>Its the same as Christianity failing to spreadrgely throughout Japan.</em>

    Faith wasplex; people usually did not wee change, especially in the case of religion. It would take a long time for someone who already believed in one religion to switch to another.

    "Considering that, its pretty fast," Kang-Woo said.

    The Church of Splendor was growing so quickly that it could even be considered a contagious disease.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. After listening to Lilith, he noticed something strange after taking a look through the documents again.

    "Isnt it spreading a little too quickly?"

    It was theplete opposite question from the one that he had asked before. He could not help but think that the church was growing a little too quickly once he took a look at the map again after taking into ount Aernors religious circumstances.

    "Yes, youre right," Lilith agreed. "Its because the Church of Splendor took over some existing religious organizations."

    "They joined my religion?"

    "Yes. The remnants of the Godly Pantheon made derations along the line that they had received revtions to follow the God of Splendor, causing a massive influx into the Church of Splendor."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo fell into thought as he stroked his chin.

    <em>The gods gave revtions to follow me?</em>

    He shook his head after some thought.

    "Thats hard to believe."

    The gods had likely received significant penalties because of the mass deaths of the incarnations. There were likely even some gods whose Deific Essence was annihted.

    <em>But theyre transferring their forces to a different god in that situation?</em>

    It was far too optimistic to think that they had made a necessary sacrifice for the sake of Aernors future. For gods born with Deific Essence like Gaia and Tirion, Deific Essence was the only way for them to influence the physical world. In other words, Deific Essence was no different from their limbs.

    <em>Cutting off their limbs and giving them to another god?</em>

    It was bullshit. Kang-Woo snickered. He had a feeling about what was going on.

    "After all the shit they went about the glory of the Godly Pantheon and all, theyve pretty much given up on it."

    The gods took the brunt of the penalty after their incarnations were killed at the hands of Tai Wuji. Those who worshiped gods with low Deific Essence had likely lost most of the blessings and power that they had received from that god. Not only had the power of the churches weakened after Si-Huns appearance, but the people who had acted as the leaders of the churches had ended up dying during the war. The remnants had no choice but to find another way to live.

    <em>And so they chose the Church of Splendor as their lifeline.</em>

    It was far too wise of a decision for Kang-Woo to insult them as a bunch of leeches since he would have made the same choice if he had been in their shoes.

    "Yes. Because of that, there have been some issues urring in the Church of Splendor," Lilith stated.

    "Well, I would assume so."

    Kang-Woo nodded as the puzzle pieces matched inside his head. The remnants of the Godly Pantheon were absorbed into the Church of Splendor. No, <em>absorbed </em>was not the right word to use.

    "Theyre probably working to devour the Church of Splendor as we speak."

    "Hoho, exactly."

    Kang-Woo crossed his arms and shook his leg. The Church of Splendor was easily being devoured by the remnants of the Godly Pantheon no doubt because of the Church of Splendor itself.

    "Maybe I shouldve made some apostles or an incarnation," Kang-Woo muttered.

    The God of Splendor, the one whom the devotees of the Church of Splendor worshiped, did not have any apostles or an incarnation. There were not even devotees to whom Kang-Woo had indirectly granted power; it was only natural since the religion was made spontaneously by the people of the continent who praised Kang-Woo and Si-Hun.

    In other words, the Church of Splendor had no one in administrative positions whom Kang-Woo had appointed. To the Godly Pantheon, there was no better religious organization for them to devour.

    "They sure used their heads," Kang-Woo smirked.

    Members of the Godly Pantheon had administrative experience in their respective churches, so it was likely a piece of cake for them to use the people of the continent, who had gathered purely for the sake of worship, for their benefit.

    <em>I mean, it wouldve been no business of mine what they did with the Church of Splendor before, but</em>

    The situation had changed. After all, the pure faith of the Church of Splendors devotees could be converted into power for him. Kang-Woo now had a reason to grow the Church of Splendor. The Church of Splendor would grow even if he just left it to be, and the remnants of the Godly Pantheon would benefit from its growth as well.

    <em>But</em>

    There was a huge problem.

    <em>They dont have an ounce of faith in me as a god.</em>

    The remnants of the Godly Pantheon had simply stuck to the Church of Splendor like a pack of hyenas to regain the power that they had lost after the influence of the churches had severely weakened; they did not have any form of faith in Kang-Woo. It was truly ironic that the leaders of the Church of Splendor did not believe in the God of Splendor.

    "Shall I kick them out?" Lilith asked casually.

    Kang-Woo shook his head. "No, its better to have experienced people in administrative positions than some randos."

    "But why? They dont believe in you, Master Kang-Woo." Lilith tilted her head in wonder.

    Kang-Woo stood up while smiling. The solution was simple.

    "In that case, Ill make them believe."

    It was time for him to give a sermon.

    ***

    A boy with nk eyes was walking along a destend under a red sky.

    "Wee back," an unpleasant voice like nails on a chalkboard sounded out.

    Darkness clumped together in midair and walked out a hunchback demon with a staff.

    "Yeah." The boy with nk eyes nodded. He turned to the hunchback demon and asked, "How is the progress on the world tree?"

    "It is proceeding ording to n. We will see results in a little longer," replied the hunchback demon as he hit the ground with the end of his staff.

    The boy nodded. "Oh, right. Something pretty interesting was formed. Have you heard?"

    "Are you referring to the Church of Splendor?"

    "Yeah." The boy nodded with a faint smile.

    "What will you do?" the hunchback demon asked.

    "I wonder what I should do?" The boy looked up at the red sky and fell into thought. He then answered uninterestedly, "Mmm. Im toozy to think about it."

    "I understand. In that case, I will take measures myself." The hunchback demon bowed deeply. He cackled and then asked, "How did you feel about seeing the Demon King after all this time?"

    The boy remained silent. Then, the corners of his mouth slowly rose; they went past his cheekbones, all the way to his earlobes. "Kihi!"

    Madness filled the boys nk eyes. Enormous demonic energy poured out from him.

    <em>Crack, crack!</em>

    Goat horns sprouted from the boys forehead and bat wings pierced out of his back.

    "Haaah," the boy exhaled in ecstasy as he recalled the Demon Kings radiant mes of Voracity. He muttered, "He looked very very delicious."

    "Kekeke." The hunchback demon nodded. "I am d to hear that, Lord Bael."<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    OH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT</blockquote>

 Chapter 414: Do You Believe In The Light?

    Chapter 414: Do You Believe In The Light?

    "We must put our faith in the God of Splendor!!"

    "Lord Oh Kang-Woo will save Aernor from the darkness!"

    The za was sting with the shouts of people in white clerical clothing with voice amplification magic tools in hand.

    "Hoho, they sure are going at it." Lilith giggled.

    Kang-Woo nodded as he chuckled. "Man, its only hitting me now aftering here myself."

    It felt like he was in some sort of cult rally, but its effect was huge.

    "All hail Oh Kang-Woo! All hail Kim Si-Hun!"

    "Blessed be the God of Splendor!"

    Kang-Woo could feel the fanaticism in their cheers. Slushy, who was on his shoulder, was bouncing up and down as if it couldnt wait to gobble up all the faith in the air.

    <em>So this is where the Church of Splendor is based.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked around. The Church of Splendor was not based in the capital but in the city where the Godly Pantheon had been based; to be more exact, the Church of Lumeria where Anduin had been a member had changed to the base of the Church of Splendor.

    <em>I guess the Goddess of Peace was dumped.</em>

    Kang-Woo feignedughter due to the absurdity. The Church of Lumeria had held the most influence in Aernor, which was why Anduin had been the leader of the Godly Pantheon. However, the base of the Church of Lumeria was now being used as the base for the Church of Splendor. Kang-Woo was astonished by how quickly the apostles of the Goddess of Peace had changed ship.

    "Shall we take a look around the base?" Lilith suggested.

    "Sure." Kang-Woo nodded.

    He looked around the buildings that had be the base of the Church of Splendor with Lilith. There was no one to recognize him since he had changed his appearance with Mimicry.

    "I can see they threw a shit ton of money into making these buildings."

    Kang-Woo whistled as he looked around. Although it was not as extravagant as the imperial pce, the buildings could still hold their own. It felt like he was witnessing the buildings of the Catholic church in the Middle Ages when their power was at its peak.

    "Oh my, look over there, Master Kang-Woo."

    Lilith pointed somewhere as she was looking around. Thousands of people had gathered to pray in front of a giant mural; it was one drawn of Kang-Woo turning the demonic beast army into ash in an instant.

    <em>When the hell did they draw something like that?</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the mural in disbelief. It had only been a month since the Church of Splendor had formed; he couldnt believe that such a massive mural had been drawn in that short of a time.

    "O God of Splendor"

    "Grant us light."

    Kang-Woo could hear the people gathered in front of the mural praying. Slushy chewed slightly, absorbing the faith in the air little by little. He could feel Divinity flowing into him through Slushy.

    <em>Pretty sweet.</em>

    It was like being fed while doing nothing in bed. Kang-Woo smiled as he was earning Divinity for free without having done anything.

    <em>But its still not that much.</em>

    No matter how quickly the Church of Splendor was expanding throughout the continent, it was only a little over a month old. Also, there was a limit to how much Divinity he could earn since the ones in leadership did not believe in Kang-Woo in the slightest.

    "Are you all praying sincerely?" someone asked.

    A group of people entered through a door. Unlike the priests in white clerical clothing shouting in the za, these people were wearing extravagant vestments.

    "Cardinal Mihile!"

    "Whoaaa!"

    "We will be counting on your guidance today as well, Cardinal Daylen!"

    People cheered as the one known as Cardinal Mihile entered alongside several other cardinals.

    "Haha. Theres no need to rush, dear devotees," Mihileughed brightly as he ced a thick book on the podium and stroked the cover.

    <em>Cardinal, huh?</em>

    Kang-Woo scanned the cardinals standing on the tform with great interest. They all looked like kind elderly gentlemen from just a nce.

    "Can I leave todays sermon to you, Cardinal Ian?" asked Mihile as he turned.

    The cardinal known as Ian was a middle-aged man with hollow eyes and ck hair, a rare hair color in Aernor.

    "No. I apologize. My throat hurts too much today," Ian replied as he rubbed his throat.

    Mihiles eyebrows rose slightly.

    "Ah"

    "To think we cant hear Cardinal Ians great words"

    Many people expressed disappointment.

    Mihile reassured them as he opened the book. "Hahaha. It cant be helped since Father Ian isnt feeling well. In that case, I will ry to you all the words of light in his ce."

    The devotees cheered passionately as Mihile stood in front of the podium. He raised his hand to calm the devotees down as if it were an everyday urrence, and silence fell in an instant.

    "Today, I would first like to talk about hardship and adversity," Mihile began. "There will be times in your lives when you will experience suffering and hardships, but it is especially in such times when you must never lose faith. Your faith in Lord Oh Kang-Woo symbolizes your acknowledgment of his supreme authority, and it will help you ovee any adversity. We must always believe in our god Oh Kang-Woo and trust that he will guide us to the right path."

    <em>Wow, would you take a look at this son of a bitch? </em>Kang-Woo was impressed by Mihiles sermon. <em>He sure is getting into it, huh?</em>

    Experience sure spoke for itself; despite the sermon being about a simple subject, it was impactful enough to pull people in.

    "Verse 19 states that although righteous people will experience suffering, He will save us from adversity."

    <em>I wont, though.</em>

    "If you take a look at chapter 27 verse 2, Lord Oh Kang-Woo says that we must love our enemies who give us adversity and suffering."

    <em>The hell are you talking about? You should kill your enemies.</em>

    Kang-Woo listened to Mihiles sermon while chuckling. It was so well-structured that he couldnt believe that it had been made in just a month.

    <em>Theyve prepared so well.</em>

    Kang-Woo softlyughed as he passed around the book that the Church of Splendor was giving out. He couldnt hold in hisughter for the entire sermon.

    <em>Im shocked that someone with no faith whatsoever can spout shit like that.</em>

    He had not felt an ounce of faith in Mihile. Slushy on his shoulder had been drooling while staring at the devotees listening to the sermon, but it showed no interest in the cardinals on the tform.

    "I will roll the question over to you all. How would you describe your feelings about Lord Oh Kang-Woo? Do you worship him?" Mihile closed the book. "That will be all for todays sermon."

    Thunderous apuse rang out along with cheers. Mihile smiled in satisfaction as he stared at the Church of Splendors devotees. The cardinals climbed down the tform.

    "Lets go," Kang-Woo stated.

    "Yes, my king."

    Kang-Woo snapped his finger and activated the Authority of Stealth to conceal himself and Lilith, then followed behind the cardinals.

    "I have some business to attend to, so I will excuse myself." Cardinal Ian bowed and turned around.

    Once he got far enough away, the other cardinals attitudes changed abruptly.

    "Fuuu. Why has Ian been acting that waytely?"

    "Hes tantly ignoring us at this point."

    They stared at Ian in displeasure as he was getting further away.

    Mihile raised his hands to silence them. "Now, now, calm down. What if the devotees hear?"

    "Hmph. I doubt those unenlightened bunch would even be able to understand what were saying."

    "Hahaha! Right you are."

    The cardinalsughed heartily.

    "Haaah. I was honestly worried about what would happen once I heard the news that Sir Anduin was killed, but life sure does find a way for you to live on."

    "It must be the blessing of the gods."

    "Hehe. Some nobody up and became the God of Splendor? Where in the world did that kind of absurd rumore from?"

    "Who cares, as long as we benefit from it?"

    The cardinals nodded repeatedly and snickered.

    "Long live the God of Splendor!" one of the cardinals shouted and spread his arms.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Just then, light manifested.

    "Thank you, everyone." A being enveloped in splendid golden light walked toward the cardinals. He ced his hand on his chest and said affectionately, "To think you would have so much faith in the light I have been truly moved."

    The cardinals gasped in shock. Kang-Woo, who had undone Mimicry, looked the same as the mural.

    "Why are you all so surprised?" Kang-Woo tilted his head as if he couldnt understand. "Ivee to visit the Church of Splendor after hearing about it recently."

    "I-I see."

    The cardinals nced at each other as they were sweating profusely. They all focused their gaze on Mihile, who calmly walked forward and bowed.

    "I deeply appreciate your visit. My name is Mihile. Although I amcking, I have taken on the role of delivering your words to the devotees."

    "Hahaha. Im honored to receive such faith when Ive only just earned Deific Essence and be a god." Kang-Woo nodded with a bright smile.

    Seeing his reaction, the other cardinals sighed in relief; they seemed to be assuming that Kang-Woo had not heard their earlier conversation.

    "In that case," Kang-Woo said as he took a step forward. "I would like to take this chance to deliver my words to you all directly."

    The cardinals nodded with an awkward smile, being given the chance to hear a sermon directly from a god.

    "First" Kang-Woo slowly raised his hand. "I would like to talk about hardship and adversity."

    Kang-Woo threw a fast punch. He held back as much as possible, but it was still not enough for cardinals, who had lost the powers granted to them by their gods, to handle.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    Mihile was punched directly in the face.

    "G-God of Splendor!"

    "Wh-What are you!"

    The other cardinals shouted in shock. Kang-Woo grabbed the cardinal next to him by the hair and smashed his head into the wall.

    <em>Wham!</em>

    "Arrrggghhh!"

    "There will be times in your lives when you will experience suffering and hardships."

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    The arm of one of the cardinals was twisted severely.

    "Gaaaaaaaahhh!"

    "But it is especially in such times when you must never lose faith."

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The teeth of one of the cardinals fell to the ground.

    "Verse 19 states that although righteous people will experience suffering, the light will save them from adversity."

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Kang-Woo grabbed the fleeing Mihile by the leg and smashed him down onto the ground.

    "Chapter 27 verse 2; we must learn to love our enemies who give us adversity and suffering."

    "S-Save u Aarrgghh!"

    Kang-Woo trampled on Mihiles knees as he was crawling away. Mihiles screams rang out along with the sound of his bones breaking. It did not take long for all the cardinals to be copsed on the ground. All of their limbs were twisted in abnormal directions.

    "Sister Lilith," Kang-Woo called.

    "Yes, God of Splendor." Lilith appeared behind Kang-Woo and bowed modestly.

    "Please treat the cardinals."

    "Yes, my lord."

    Lilith took out a potion emitting golden light. It was a special healing potion made with a drop of the God of Splendors blood. Once Lilith poured the potion on the cardinals, their bodies immediately returned to normal.

    "Now then, everyone." Kang-Woo smiled. "Let us continue the sermon."

    "W-Wait"

    <em>Crunch! Crack!</em>

    The God of Splendors sermon continued.

    "Aaarrrggghhh!!"

    "Bleeeeeghhh!"

    The cardinals cheered as if they were deeply inspired after hearing the words of a god. Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction.

    "Everyone," he called.

    "Urrrhhh," the cardinals groaned like Undead.

    "Do you believe in the light?"

    "Kurgh! D-Do you seriously think youll get away with what youve done to"

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed and shook his head. "It seems you stillck faith."

    Kang-Woo grabbed Mihile by the hair and clenched his other hand into a fist.

    "S-Stop! W-Wait"

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    Mihiles cheekbone shattered. Unable to handle the massive pressure, one of his eyeballs popped out of the socket. Horrible violence continued on end.

    "Everyone," Kang-Woo called again. "Do you believe in the light?"

    "Yesss"

    "W-We do."

    Kang-Woo turned his head to look at Slushy. It was facing away from the cardinals as if it waspletely uninterested in them. It meant that faith could not be detected in them.

    "Aaaahh." Kang-Woo shook his head in pity. "It truly breaks my heart that I must put my devotees through such suffering."

    He couldnt believe that it was this difficult to deliver the words of a god. His heart ached every time he swung his fists.

    <em>But</em>

    He needed to endure it. For the sake of delivering the words of the light and for true faith to bloom

    <em>I have to ovee this pain.</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists and bit his lip. He had resolved himself for it, but his heart still hurt nheless.

    "Hurghh" Tears flowed down Kang-Woos cheeks. He reached down and grabbed Mihiles eyeball that had popped out. "Everyone Do you believe in the light?"

 Chapter 415: This Is The End Of The Line, Damn Swindler

    Chapter 415: This Is The End Of The Line, Damn Swindler

    "Do you believe in the light now?" asked a young man enveloped by radiant light in a brightly lit room.

    "Y-Yes!!"

    "We believe!!"

    The cardinals in extravagant vestments nodded furiously. Their faces were filled with fear and suffering. The young man softly patted the ck lump on his shoulder that was drooling with its mouth wide open. It was proof that faith could be felt in them.

    "Haha," Oh Kang-Wooughed and nodded in satisfaction. "What a relief It seems my words have reached your hearts."

    He could vividly feel their belief as they looked up at him. He was moved by how his teachings had allowed zing passion to be lit in their hearts.

    "Dont you agree, Cardinal Mihile?" Kang-Woo asked leisurely.

    "A-Aaaahh." Mihiles face turned pale as he nodded like a bobblehead.

    Kang-Woo lightly patted Mihiles shoulder. "Thank you for guiding the devotees in my ce thus far."

    "N-Not at all. I-It is only natural for me to do as a d-d-d-devotee of the Church of Splendor," Mihile replied desperately.

    Kang-Wooughed lightly. "Haha. Come to think of it, I heard you were once a devotee of Lady Lumeria, the Goddess of Peace."

    "Oh, y-yes. Th-Thats correct."

    "Even if it was because of a revtion sent by her, to think you would work so hard to deliver the words of light to the people of the continent I have been truly moved."

    "Ah, h-h-haha. Th-Thank you very much."

    "In that case, could I ask you to continue to do your best to grow the Church of Splendor even more Not just limited to Arnan, but throughout the continent?"

    Kang-Woo grabbed Mihiles hand tightly. Mihiles hands were trembling severely, likely because Kang-Woos words moved him.

    "Eek!!" Mihile shrieked, looking like he was about to pass out at any moment.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder. "Whats wrong, Father Mihile?"

    "N-Nothing at all! I will do my best to spread the words of the God of Splendor throughout the continent!" Mihile screamed with conviction.

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction. "Im very d to hear that, Father Mihile."

    Kang-Woo couldnt help but be moved by Mihiles dedication despite Kang-Woo only having acquired Deific Essence a month ago. His eyes teared up with certainty that the Church of Splendor would be expanded at an even greater pace from today onward.

    "In that case, could you gather the devotees for a moment, Father Mihile?" Kang-Woo asked.

    He needed to take direct action for the expansion of the Church of Splendor to take off at an even greater pace. People would naturally ce greater faith in something that they could see than what they couldnt.

    "O-Of course!" Mihile nodded furiously.

    The cardinals quickly turned around and ran to the massive prayer room where the devotees were gathered. Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at their backs.

    "I guess that resolves the faith issue."

    Lilith, who had been watching the whole time, approached Kang-Woo in worry. "Are you sure this was the right decision, Master Kang-Woo?"

    It had been far too forceful of a method. Kang-Woo would be the one in a predicament if the cardinals were to bber about the sermon that Kang-Woo had subjected to them.

    "Its fine." Kang-Woo nodded leisurely. "I ced an Authority on them so they cant talk about it."

    Kang-Woo knew very well that he would be the one in trouble if that were to happen, so he had restricted the cardinals with the Authority of Fear during the sermon.

    "Hoho. I never thought to instill faith in people using such a method. How fascinating," Lilith remarked.

    "Well, its technically not faith."

    It was likely closer to an emotion akin to self-protection brought about in a situation of extreme terror. There were different kinds of faith.

    <em>It doesnt matter.</em>

    After all, his main source of faith was the regr devotees, not the cardinals. He couldnt care less whether or not they had faith in him or feared him, as long as they obeyed hismands.

    "Right then, lets get on with the second sermon."

    Kang-Woo slowly walked to the prayer room. It was time to deliver the words of the God of Splendor to the regr devotees this time.

    <em>Murmur, murmur.</em>

    "L-Lord Oh Kang-Woo himself has manifested?"

    "Is that true?"

    "A-Aaaahh. To think I would live to see the day"

    Kang-Woo could hear people mumbling as he headed to the prayer room where the mural was drawn. It had not been long since he had told the cardinals to gather the devotees, but the prayer room was packed with people to a point that couldnt bepared to from earlier. The cardinals seemed to have gathered as many people as possible through something like a broadcast.

    <em>Its about the same amount of people as when Iris announced her marriage.</em>

    There were so many people that it looked like the entire city had gathered.

    "Grrrk! Grrrk!"

    Slushy bounced ecstatically; it seemed to have been impressed by the dense amount of faith that every single person was exuding. Kang-Woo scanned the people before climbing up the tform. There was a massive amount of people, but

    <em>Its still not enough.</em>

    It was nowhere near enough to fill the belly of Kang-Woo, whose Deific Essence had reached Top-rank. The conversion of faith to Divinity was highly inefficient in the first ce. If the Authority of Predation could bepared to a nuclear power nt, converting faith to Divinity would be simr to a sr power generator. Since the power conversion efficiency was so inefficient, he needed as much faith as possible.

    <em>The people of this city wont be enough.</em>

    This many people had shown up only because it was where the Church of Splendor was based; he could expect nowhere near these numbers in other cities.

    <em>Not just that, its quality is poor as well.</em>

    It was only natural since the Church of Splendor was formed because of the miraculous power that Kang-Woo had shown during the war against the Constetions of Evil. To put it in other words, that was the only reason. Before then, forget the God of Splendor, no one even knew Kang-Woos name; actually, they knew the name itself.

    <em>It was leaked because of Iriss bullshit during her marriage announcement.</em>

    Back then, Kang-Woo had Kim Si-Hun y the blunder off by saying that <em>Oh Kang-Woo</em> was the other name that Iris called him when they were alone together. It had been resolved without issue at the time, but the issue resurfaced after Kang-Woo came to be known as the God of Splendor.

    <em>We managed to bury it again somehow.</em>

    Barely anyone cared about it in the first ce, and the smallmotion died down after Si-Hun rified that Oh Kang-Woo was actually his older brothers name. Although that created confusion regarding Iriss past statement, not many people paid it any mind since people cared more about the birth of the light that would save the continent from darkness rather than who the princess would be marrying.

    <em>Regardless</em>

    Kang-Woos name had only been spread widely because of the miracle that he had shown during the war.

    <em>I need to show them more proof.</em>

    He needed to show them that he was the light that would save the continent and that the people of the continent needed to ce their faith in him as their god.

    Kang-Woo slowly walked up the steps to the tform.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Blinding light poured out of his body as he climbed. The mumbling devotees fell silent after witnessing the overwhelming splendor.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    "The light"

    "The light has manifested"

    The devotees eyes widened. This was the light that eradicated darkness that they had only heard about through rumors. The ones who were witnessing the light with their own eyes were frozen in shock.

    "Greetings, devotees of light." Kang-Woo raised his arms aftering up to the tform. Blinding light spread throughout the enormous prayer room. "I will bless all who have gathered here today in the name of Splendor."

    Kang-Woo activated the Authority of Vitality as he filled the room with light. The widely spread demonic energy filled the ten thousand people gathered to the brim with energy. Although it was nothingpared to Han Seol-Ahs buffs, this was more than enough for now.

    "W-Wo!"

    "Im brimming with power"

    The devotees of the Church of Splendor expressed surprise. All of their fatigue vanished and they were filled with energy as soon as the light touched them.

    "O God of Splendor!"

    "Save us from the darkness!"

    The devotees all kneeled and began praying as if they had nned it. There were even those crying from being so moved among them.

    <em>Now, then</em>

    Kang-Woo looked for something while looking down at them. He had sessfully managed to clear the first condition with the wide-area buff.

    <em>But This isnt enough.</em>

    The elimination of fatigue and surge of power could not be called a gods miracle.

    <em>In times like this</em>

    Actions spoke louder than words. After all, the cardinals who were filled with disbelief were now filled with unwavering faith in Kang-Woo after his sermon.

    "O dearmb who follows the light"

    Kang-Woo, who had been looking around, quickly found his target. He was staring at a woman who was desperately praying while hugging a child who looked to be about five years old. The child did not seem to be in good condition because they were coughing severely in pallor even after receiving Kang-Woos blessing.

    "P-Pardon? A-Are you talking to me?"

    The middle-aged woman quickly looked up as Kang-Woo walked toward her.

    "Yes, I am." Kang-Woo nodded as he reached out to the child. The womans eyes were filled with hope and fear. "Your child seems to be sick."

    "Y-Yes! All of a sudden, since a few days ago P-Please look after this poor child!" the woman yelled in desperation.

    Kang-Woo slightly bit open his thumb to make blood. His red blood carried a golden tinge.

    "Ah" The woman flinched.

    Kang-Woo gently patted the womans back and held out his thumb toward the child.

    "Let my blood guide the youngmb toward the light," Kang-Woo said.

    The drop of blood fell into the childs mouth, and then the severely coughing child began to heal at an extraordinary rate.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    "H-How can this be?"

    The devotees expressed disbelief while wide-eyed. After witnessing a miracle, they quickly ran toward the tform while pushing each other aside.

    "O-O God of Splendor!"

    "Please grant the blessing of light to my wife as well!"

    "M-My husband was greatly hurt in the mines a while ago! Please"

    There were not many people who would be able to stay still after witnessing a miracle happen right before their eyes. Chaos fell in the prayer room.

    "Be silent," Kang-Woo said.

    The rowdy prayer room fell silent immediately. The immense power flowing out of Kang-Woo weighed down the devotees running toward him.

    "There is no need to worry, devotees of light," Kang-Woo said as if calming down the devotees. "The blessing of light will be with you all."

    "A-Aaaahh," the devotees expressed as they prayed while crying.

    "Sister Lilith," Kang-Woo called.

    "Yes, God of Splendor."

    Lilith walked forward with perfect timing and took out a potion that had been used while Kang-Woo was giving the cardinals a sermon. Arge amount had been consumed for the sake of instilling faith into the cardinals, but there was more than enough for everyone here since he had made them in bulk beforeing to the Church of Splendors base.

    "Please distribute the holy water to the devotees," Kang-Woo stated.

    "As the lightmands." Lilith bowed deeply.

    <em>I knew it was the right choice to bring Lilith with me.</em>

    They had only devised a general n beforeing here; Kang-Woo had mostly been adlibbing this entire time, but Lilith was matching his pace perfectly. Such perfect teamwork would not have been possible if it had been Seol-Ah or any other party member.

    <em>I should give her a gift or somethingter.</em>

    Kang-Woo turned toward the devotees while smiling in satisfaction.

    "Aaaahh. O God of Splendor."

    "I will follow the light!"

    Kang-Woo could now feel something beyond faith in the devotees eyes.

    <em>Yeah, this is more like it.</em>

    Their faith was more like fanaticism now. Kang-Woo had hoped for the Church of Splendor to be more like a cult.

    <em>It might cause trouble with the other religious organizations if they be a little overzealous in their beliefs, but</em>

    Kang-Woo couldnt care less if they caused a religious war or interrogated heretics.

    <em>As long as I can squeeze out faith from them, thats all I need.</em>

    Kang-Woo burst outughing in his head. He could see Slushy on his shoulder drooling as it felt the fanatical faith from the devotees.

    <em>Alright, this should do for n</em>

    <em>Crash!</em>

    The door burst open and a man walked up to the tform with big strides. The gazes of the surprised devotees turned to the man who suddenly appeared.

    "Cardinal Ian?"

    The hollow-eyed ck-haired man gritted his teeth and shouted, "This is the end of the line damn swindler!" He pointed at Kang-Woo and turned to the surprised devotees.

    Ian shouted while frowning, "Dear devotees of light, you are all being deceived! That man is not the God of Splendor! His His true identity is" He said while ring fiercely at Kang-Woo, "The king of demons and all that is evil."

 Chapter 416: Water Always Knows The Answer

    Chapter 416: Water Always Knows The Answer

    ...

    Deathly silence fell within the massive prayer room. The devotees, who had been going wild after witnessing the God of Splendors miracle, looked at each other in confusion.

    Father Ian?

    Wh-What do you mean?

    The devotees were left flustered. None of them would have believed it If the one spouting nonsense that the God of Splendor was a swindler had been some random person, but it was Cardinal Ian. He was one of the founding members of the Church of Splendor alongside the other cardinals like Mihile who had received revtions from the gods.

    The fact that Ian, who had the support of the devotees to the point that he could be the leader of the church, was iming that the God of Splendor was a swindler would naturally cause the devotees to be confused.

    All of you, please calm down. Oh Kang-Woo slowly extended his hands toward the rowdy devotees. A golden light was brought down on them like a tent. Kang-Woo smiled faintly as if he was not flustered in the slightest and looked at Ian. Cardinal Ian, was it? Ive heard a lot about you.

    That was a lie. He had seen Ian when he first entered the prayer room, but he had never heard anything about him other than when the other cardinals talked behind his back.

    There seems to have been a mistake

    Shut up, abominable demon! Ian firmly shook his head as if he did not find it worth his time to entertain Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woos eyebrows slightly flinched.

    <em>What the hell is going on?</em>

    He was as calm as he could be on the outside, but his mind was in jumbles.

    <em>How does he know?</em>

    Kang-Woo slightly bit his lip as he reyed the memories of every action he had taken after the war.

    <em>Nothing.</em>

    No matter how hard he thought about it, he had done nothing that could have possibly revealed his identity. Most of his battles against the Constetions of Evil had urred within a barrier made by the Demonic Sea, and traces of his demonic energy hadpletely disappeared after earning Deific Essence.

    <em>Did he see Balrog changing into his true form during the war?</em>

    That was the only thing that Kang-Woo had failed to perfectly conceal.

    <em>No, no.</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head. He had taken action to quickly resolve that matter.

    <em>Besides, just because Balrogs identity was revealed wouldnt make him think that Im the Demon King.</em>

    It would be a massive jump in logic.

    <em>What could it be, then?</em>

    Ian would have had no way of realizing Kang-Woos true identity.

    That demon is the Demon King who ruled over the Nine Hells! Ian shouted.

    ...

    Silence fell the more Ian shouted. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and scanned Ian. He could think about how Ian had figured out his identityter. Putting out the fire that Ian had set was of higher priority.

    <em>Well, considering the situation </em>Kang-Woo looked at the devotees expressions and smiled faintly. <em>It doesnt look like Ill have to do anything.</em>

    In other words, the situation would resolve itself without him needing to do anything.

    What kind of nonsense is that?!

    The God of Splendor has shown us the miracle of light before our very eyes!

    There is no way that he would be the Demon King!

    The devotees strongly refuted Ians ims. Some were directing hostility, and even bloodlust, at him. They might have believed Ians ims before Kang-Woo had shown them a miracle, but they had seen a severely ill child being healed to perfect condition right in front of them. Even someone with the title of cardinal would not be able to convince them with just his words, no matter how influential his sermons were.

    <em>People in suffering need miracles that they can see rather than vague words of light.</em>

    The evil one here us you, Cardinal Ian!

    He dares disrespect the God of Splendor!

    Hostile screams filled the prayer room. The woman who was shouting that her husband was in serious condition was swinging the thick holy scripture threateningly.

    Kuh Ian bit his lip anxiously as he looked at the crazed devotees. He clenched his fists and shouted, Those tainted by darkness, receive the judgment of light!

    He decided to take matters into his own hands after judging that he wouldnt be able to convince the public. Thick sacred power flowed out of him; he was quite powerful, to be expected of someone possessing the title of cardinal. He formed a spear made of light and fired it at Kang-Woo.

    Kyaaaaaaaahhh!

    G-God of Splendor!

    The devotees ran in front of Kang-Woo while screaming to take the attack for him, but

    <em>Scatter.</em>

    The spear of light being fired at Kang-Woo turned to dust in midair as if the spear itself was refusing to attack him.

    H-How Ian trembled while wide-eyed.

    He gritted his teeth and prepared his next attack. Kang-Woo extended his arm toward Ian.

    <em>Authority of Stillness.</em>

    He activated Prince Belphegors Authority. Irresistible power stopped Ians movements.

    Devotees of light, quell your rage, Kang-Woo remarked to the devotees, who had let madness take control of them. They flinched and stepped back. There seems to have been a misunderstanding.

    Kang-Woo walked toward Ian, who could not move at all due to the Authority of Stillness. Kang-Woo lightly ced his hand on Ians shoulder and said in sorrow, Cardinal Ian. I have faith in you.

    Aaaahh

    O light

    The devotees kneeled while tearing up. The God of Splendor was not enraged at Ian, who had not only insulted him by iming he was the Demon King but even attacked him. Instead, he was saying that he had faith in him.

    Devotees of light, Kang-Woo said as he turned to the devotees. You must not forget the words of light. He slowly raised his hand and pointed at the holy scripture on the podium. Chapter 27 verse 2; learn to love your enemies who give you adversity and suffering.

    Hurgh. I will keep it in mind for the rest of my life!

    We will trust and follow only the path of splendor!

    The devotees bowed their heads while hugging the holy scripture. Hearing the God of Splendor putting the words of light into action was highly impactful to the devotees, who had only read it through the holy scriptures. Kang-Woo turned away from the devotees while smiling gently.

    I will resolve this misunderstanding with Cardinal Ian. In the meantime, I will have the other cardinals guide the devotees prayers.

    U-Understood! Cardinal Mihile shouted as he bowed deeply.

    Kang-Woo grabbed the immobile Ian by the shoulder and dragged him down from the tform and into the bathroom next to the prayer room. He ced a barrier with demonic energy and then undid the Authority of Stillness.

    <em>Huff, huff!</em> Ian stepped back as he panted heavily. Bastard! How long will you keep up this wicked faade?

    He yelled in anger and raised his fist to punch Kang-Woo, but Kang-Woo easily caught it.

    Kurgh! L-Let go of me!

    Ian tried to get out of Kang-Woos grasp, but could not ovee Kang-Woos grip strength.

    Cardinal Ian, Kang-Woo called with a gentle smile. Where did you hear that false information?

    Hah, false information, you say? Ian red at Kang-Woo and bared his teeth. I saw you ruling over the Nine Hells with my own eyes! You were sitting on a giant throne with hundreds of thousands of demons at your heel!

    ...

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>He saw me back when I was in Hell?</em>

    He could understand Ians attitude if that were true. Even if he had entered the Church of Splendor to make use of its rise in poprity, he was still a priest; he followed the light and resented all those dyed in evil. It was only natural for him to be enraged by the fact that the God of Splendor was the Demon King.

    <em>Well, even if hes a priest, hes nothing more than a leech who stuck to a different god after abandoning the one he used to believe in.</em>

    Ian was fundamentally no different from Mihile since the only reason they stuck to the Church of Splendor was to regain their power that had been vanishing after the Godly Pantheon fell apart. Their actions of writing holy scriptures and giving sermons based on that was no different from a scam.

    <em>Even swindlers have a conscience, is that it?</em>

    Ian delivered the words of a god that he didnt even believe in for the sake of keeping his power but was enraged when the god turned out to be the Demon King. It was truly ironic.

    <em>Regardless</em>

    Kang-Woo did not care about the reason behind Ians actions.

    Who showed you? Kang-Woo asked.

    Who dared to show Ian his days of ruling over Hell as the Demon King? That was all that mattered.

    Hmph, do you seriously believe Ill tell you?! Ian snorted and turned his head away.

    Kang-Woo stared at Ian with deeply sunken eyes and ced his hand on Ians head.

    <em>Authority of Fear.</em>

    Kang-Woo activated the Authority that would control Ians mind. However

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    ... Hm?

    Kuh! Did you think that your evil schemes would work on me?!

    ck sparks flew from Ians head. Ian red at Kang-Woo ferociously while gritting his teeth. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>He resisted the Authority?</em>

    Even though the Authority of Fear had a high chance of failure, it should not have been possible for Ian to resist it considering their unfathomable gap in power.

    <em>If thats the case</em>

    It meant that someone else had provided Ian with a measure to resist mind-control Authorities, and it was likely that the individual had told Ian about Kang-Woos true identity.

    Haha, Kang-Woo softlyughed.

    Wh-Whats so funny? Ian stared at him with trembling eyes.

    Kang-Woo swept up his hair.

    <em>If mind-control Authorities wont work</em>

    He had no choice but to make Ian talk of his own ord without relying on Authorities, and it was simple to do so.

    Cardinal Ian. Kang-Woo smiled gently. Have you heard of this saying?

    Wh-What saying?

    Ian trembled. Kang-Woo walked to the bathroom sink and turned on the faucet. In terms of water facilities, Aernor was not much different from Earth. Water poured into the sink.

    Kang-Woo ced his hand over the stream of water and remarked, Water always knows the answer.

    ... What?

    Ian tilted his head. He had never heard of such a saying.

    Hahaha, Kang-Wooughed. He approached Ian and grabbed him by the hair. No need to worry.

    He stuffed Ians head into the sink filled with water.

    Kurgh! Urpp!! Urgh!

    Ian iled aggressively.

    Kang-Woo added more strength to his hand and continued, Youll find out what it means soon enough.<blockquote>

    erigiiis Thoughts

    What a great saying. It should be added to the scripture.</blockquote>

 Chapter 417: I Swear In My Deific Name of Splendor

    Chapter 417: I Swear In My Deific Name of Splendor

    "Kurgh, Urgh! Urpp!"

    "Right then, can you tell me who showed you that footage now?"

    "I-I canno"

    <em>Ssh!</em>

    "Kurp! <em>Gurgle! Gurgle!</em>"

    "Hahaha, youre unyielding. I like that about people."

    "Kurgh!" Ian grunted in pain as he coughed up water and trembled. His eyes looking up at Oh Kang-Woo were dyed in fear. He averted his gaze from Kang-Woo and remarked, "I-I dont k-know."

    "You dont know?"

    "Yes. I-I dont know who showed m"

    Kang-Woo grabbed Ian by the hair and smiled in a way devoid of malice. "In that case, I will help you remember."

    "W-Wait"

    <em>Ssh!</em>

    Bubbles came up from under the water. Kang-Woo counted down slowly and then pulled Ians head out.

    "Right, did that jog your memory?"

    "<em>Huff! Huff! Huff!</em>" Ian trembled as he panted heavily.

    Kang-Woo could easily tell that Ians eyes dyed in fear were directed not only toward him.

    "Cardinal Ian," Kang-Woo called.

    "U-Urgh." Ian flinched.

    Kang-Woo smiled gently and ced his hand softly on Ians shoulder. "Theres no need to worry."

    "..."

    "Nothing will happen to you as long as you answer me honestly."

    "Th-thats"

    "I swear in my Deific Name of Splendor. Im sure you know what it means for a god to pledge with their Deific Essence on the line."

    "B-but"

    Ian gulped and looked up at Kang-Woo in doubt.

    Kang-Woo smiled. "Oh, the footage youve seen was indeed of me. However look at me now."

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    Golden light poured out from Kang-Woos hand.

    "A-Aaaahh." Ians mouth fell open from witnessing the Deific Essence of Splendor right in front of him.

    He had seen Kang-Woo emitting light toward the devotees earlier, but seeing the splendid light up close was in a league of its own.

    "O-O light" Ian stuttered as he reached for the golden light.

    It was warm and beautiful, on another levelpared to the sacred power that he had witnessed all his life. Demon King? That was out of the question. How could the king of all evil possess such radiant light? Ian trembled.

    <em>Maybe I was mistaken.</em>

    How could anyone doubt that Kang-Woo was the God of Splendor after seeing this light? Ians eyes shook; he even thought that the torture Kang-Woo had subjected him to had been for his sake.

    <em>Yes</em>

    Ian ced his hand on the splendid light as he remembered the words that he had emphasized again and again during his sermons.

    <em>Hardship and adversity.</em>

    As long as one believed, they would be saved.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    Ian stared at the light in front of him in a daze, unable to close his mouth. He was sure that the God of Splendor had done all this to guide him to salvation. The light of hope filled his eyes.

    <em>Hah.</em> Kang-Woo smiled faintly as he looked down at Ian. <em>Humans sure are fascinating.</em>

    He could feel trace amounts of Ians faith in him. Ians attitude logically did not make sense; how could someone have faith in someone who had tortured him just a few moments ago?

    <em>Well, I guess it makes sense in this case.</em>

    Kang-Wooughed softly. Ian had been forced on the boundary between life and death again and again through Kang-Woos torture. A ray of hope was ced in front of him when both his body and mind were at their limits; there was no way that he wouldnt grab hold of it, even if the chance of salvation was minuscule.

    "A-Are you truly the God of Splendor?" Ian asked.

    "Thats right," Kang-Woo affirmed without hesitation. "Lady Gaia already knows that I used to be the Demon King."

    "Ah" Ians eyes widened. ording to what he had heard through the Godly Pantheon, Oh Kang-Woo and Kim Si-Hun were both retainers of Gaia. "Then Lady Gaia has"

    "Yes. She has epted me as her retainer even after knowing everything," Kang-Woo answered calmly with his hand on his chest. His voice carried faint sorrow.

    "..."

    Ian remained silent. He could tell why there was sorrow in Kang-Woos voice.

    <em>He must have felt guilty.</em>

    Ian was sure that Kang-Woo felt guilty about the fact that he used to be the king of all that was evil.

    "I apologize. Without even knowing that, I" Ian lowered his head.

    Kang-Woo gently patted Ians shoulder and said, "There is no need to worry, devotee of light. Anyone can stray from the path of light. So have I."

    "O God of Splendor"

    "Right then, can you tell me who showed you my past?"

    "Th-Thats"

    "Do not worry, devotee of light. I swear in my Deific Essence of Splendor that I will protect you."

    "..." Ian expressed hesitation for a while. He then clenched his fists and answered, "The one who showed me was a hunchback old man."

    "... A hunchback old man?"

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. The word <em>hunchback </em>reminded him of a certain demon.

    <em>But Amon isnt a human.</em>

    Ian had referred to the person as an old man.

    "Was he human?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Pardon? Y-Yes, he was." Ian nodded in confusion, not knowing why Kang-Woo was asking such a thing.

    Kang-Woo scanned Ian with deeply sunken eyes.

    <em>He doesnt seem to be lying.</em>

    If that was the case, it meant that the hunchback whom Ian had met was a human, not a demon.

    <em>Or</em>

    He might have been a demon in human skin.

    <em>Theres a good chance that its Amon.</em>

    Kang-Woo could not think of anyone but Amon who possessed footage of his past in the Nine Hells and was a hunchback.

    "That old man showed me the footage and said that the <em>time of prophecy</em> would arrive if I didnt expose the God of Splendors faade."

    "..."

    Kang-Woos eyebrows slightly flinched.

    <em>He even knows that Im the Demon of Prophecy?</em>

    Kang-Wos head hurt. He recalled Amon as he swept up his hair. Amon used to be one of Satans subordinates and one who managed to reach extraordinary heights in ck magic. He had made a Gate that led to Earth using the Hell Armaments that Kang-Woo had gathered.

    Kang-Woo gathered information about Amon from his memories, but there was one thing that he remembered most of all.

    <em>I could never figure out what was on his mind.</em>

    Amon was unpleasant and abnormal. He had sworn his loyalty to Kang-Woo and praised his name after bing his subordinate, but Kang-Woo knew that he had never been genuine. To Kang-Woo, Amon was more of a business partner whom he cooperated with for each of their benefit rather than a subordinate.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo remained silent. He thought about why Amon was acting like this and how he had managed to figure out his true identity but ceased thinking momentarily after.

    <em>I cant figure anything out with the information I have now.</em>

    Hecked far too much information; there was no way for him to guess Amons goals.

    <em>One thing I know for sure is</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked as he looked down at Ian.

    "... Son of a bitch, he dares to taunt me?"

    Amon had purposefully leaked his identity to Kang-Woo through Ian. Kang-Woo couldnt help butugh.

    "Pardon? Wh-What do you mean?" Ian asked dumbfoundedly.

    Kang-Woo did not answer; he simply covered his face with one hand and suppressed hisughter. Thick and crazed bloodlust swirled around him.

    <em>He would have easily been able to keep himself hidden.</em>

    If Amon was able to change his form into a human, he would not have had to stay as a hunchback. There was no way that Amon was stupid enough to not realize that Kang-Woo would easily figure him out just from the facts that the culprit was a hunchback and that he possessed footage of Kang-Woos days in Hell. If Amon kept his hunchback form, it meant that

    <em>Hes daring me to catch him, is that it?</em>

    Amon was tantly taunting Kang-Woo.

    "Pfft, hahahahaha!" Kang-Woo burst intoughter.

    Although they had been nothing but partners, Kang-Woo couldnt help butugh at the fact that his past subordinate was taunting him.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    Enormous energy poured out from Kang-Woo and shook the Church of Splendors base no, the entire city that it was based in.

    "A-Aaaaaaahhh!" Ian screamed as he crouched.

    Kang-Woo paid it no mind.

    "Alright, Ill y ball."

    He licked his lips as his eyes glinted. There was likely nothing he would be able to do at the moment; there was no way that a demon as clever as Amon would have left any clues for Kang-Woo to chase him with.

    <em>I dont know where you are and what youre nning, but</em>

    Kang-Woos heart beat rapidly. He had a feeling that there was something unfathomable lying dormant, waiting for him; something even greater than Tai Wuji.

    "Haaah," Kang-Woo exhaled heatedly and pulled down the rising corners of his mouth with all his might.

    He could feel his powerful hunger setting aze no, it was bing fire itself.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Gold and ck mes ignited, filling the barrier with intense heat.

    "Kurgh, argh!" Ian struggled on the ground in pain.

    Kang-Woo smirked and condensed the mes to the end of his finger. The mes of Voracity shrunk down to the size of a candlelight and flickered on top of his finger.

    "Thank you for being honest, Cardinal Ian," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "<em>Huff, huff!</em> A-Ahem. Then"

    "Yes. Theres no need to worry."

    Kang-Woo nodded with a bright smile. And then

    <em>Stab!</em>

    "Kurgh, kuh!"

    He stuffed the mes of Voracity into Ian.

    "Kurgh, gaaaaaaaaahhh!" Ian screamed as he twisted and turned.

    The mes of Voracity within him was burning him from the inside.

    "Wh-Why?!" Ian looked up at Kang-Woo in shock as if he couldnt understand. "Y-You swore on your Deific Essence"

    A pledge with ones Deific Essence on the line was not to be taken lightly; once a god broke a pledge after swearing on their Deific Essence, their Deific Essence would be demoted or annihted as per the <em>providence</em>.

    "Hahaha," Kang-Wooughed. "Yes, I did indeed swear on my Deific Essence." His smile grew wider, turning into madness. "My Deific Essence of <em>Splendor</em>, that is."

    Ians eyes widened as if he had realized something. "N-No way"

    <em>Why why why</em>

    Ian fell into despair as that one word echoed inside his mind. He stood up using all his strength and raised his fist to punch Kang-Woo.

    "Y-You bastaaaaaard!!"

    "Pfft! Bwehehehe, this is why you should always read the fucking contract before signing, dipshit."

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Ian was engulfed by the mes of Voracity before he even had a chance to punch.

 Chapter 418: The Awakened Princess

    Chapter 418: The Awakened Princess

    The rapid growth of the Church of Splendor got explosively faster after the God of Splendor manifested at the base of the church and performed a miracle. The devotees of the Church of Splendor in other nations besides Arnan were also making branches of the church of their own ord.

    The main factor that influenced the explosive growth was of course the holy water made with the God of Splendors blood, which could heal any injury or cure any illness of those who drank it. The devotees prayed sincerely day and night just to procure the holy water distributed only to the most devoted members of the church.

    <em>Crunch, crunch, crunch.</em>

    Slushy burped as it bounced up and down after absorbing the overflowing faith across the entire continent from the windowsill. After absorbing arge amount of faith, it rolled toward Oh Kang-Woo and stuck to his arm. The Divinity converted from faith flowed into him through the Key of the Demonic Sea.

    Kang-Woo, who had been sitting while looking through the document that Mihile had sent him, smiled in satisfaction.

    "Its be quite a lot," he remarked.

    It had been worth taking action personally.

    <em>Well, it still cant bepared to devouring Deific Essence with the Authority of Predation, though.</em>

    That could not be helped since eating Deific Essence to collect Divinity would naturally give more Divinity than converting faith into Divinity.

    <em>But at least with this, I have a stable and endless supply of Divinity.</em>

    It was like depositing a sizable sum of money in a bank and earning interest. Although it was not much at the moment, Kang-Woo was able to earn Deific Essence for free without much work.

    "A few decades of this and itll sum up to an enormous amount," Kang-Woo mumbled as he patted Slushy, who was dozing off as if it had gotten tired from eating faith.

    If a few decades passed like this, he would be able to gain enough Divinity as what he had gotten after devouring the Constetion of Fear; it would unfortunately not be as much as what he had gotten after eating Tai Wuji. It was an incredible amount considering Kang-Woo had not been able to defeat the Constetion of Fear without opening a Door back when he had faced him for the first time.

    Not only that, but the future of the Church of Splendor was very bright since it had not yet spread throughout the entire continent.

    <em>But</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. Desire was endless; he couldnt have cared less when the means did not exist, but now that he was collecting Divinity through the Church of Splendor, he was dissatisfied with how little he was collecting each time.

    "Id prefer to have something more impactful."

    Kang-Woo could not think of anything that would be even more impactful than the holy water.

    <em>At this point, bringing the dead back to life would be the only way.</em>

    However, that was impossible even for Kang-Woo.

    "... If not that, Id need the appearance of some sort of viin."

    After the death of the Constetions of Evil, there had been no appearances of beings that could be a threat to the continent. Lucifer was cooped up who knows where, and Amon had not taken any action since his taunts.

    <em>I mean, I could pretend to be Lucifer again, but</em>

    It would be inefficient to go out of his way to raise peoples faith in that manner. No matter how perfect the n was, he needed to take into ount every variable that could risk the exposure of his identity. It was not worth going through the risk just to be able to collect a little more Divinity from the Church of Splendor.

    At the moment, the amount of Divinity that he was earning from the Church of Splendor was nice to have but not to the point that he depended on it. The cease in supply would not have a significant impact in the slightest.

    <em>Ill wait a little longer.</em>

    Since Amon had gone out of his way to taunt Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo was hoping for him to take some sort of action. He got out of his chair and left his room. The moment he opened the door, he happened to see Cha Yeon-Joo walking along the hallway.

    "Well, well, well, if it isnt the great God of Splendor?" Yeon-Joo waved as she snickered.

    "Where are you off to?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "To check up on the princess,"

    "Iris? Why all of a sudden?"

    "La asked me to check up on her since its weird that she still hasnt woken up."

    "Hmm."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He hadpletely forgotten about Iris due to matters regarding the Church of Splendor, but Iris had not woken up for almost two months.

    "Thats true," Kang-Woo remarked.

    As La had said, it was far toote. Although Elune, the leader of the high elves ording to Dous, possessed Top-rank Deific Essence like Gaia, it was still far toote.

    <em>La said it would take around a month.</em>

    Although the time taken for one to ept Deific Essence and be an incarnation varied between people, one couldnt help but wonder if there was some sort of issue when it had almost been two months.

    "Ill go with you," stated Kang-Woo.

    He followed Yeon-Joo to check on Iris.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Once they slowly opened the door, they could see Iris lying in bedpletely still like a dead person. One would think she was indeed dead if not for her shallow breaths and the faint green energy flowing out from her.

    "H-Have youe to see the princess?"

    The maids who had been nursing Iris quickly bowed once Kang-Woo and Yeon-Joo entered. They could not hide their anxiety as they looked at Kang-Woo, who was being treated with more respect than any noble after the war.

    Kang-Woo nodded and asked, "May we check Princess Iriss condition for a moment?"

    "O-Of course!"

    "We will leave you to it! Please call us back once youre finished!"

    The maids backstepped toward the door while bowing repeatedly. Although Kang-Woos party members were considered VIPs, it was unreal to leave them alone with a member of the imperial family without any guards. However, Kang-Woo currently had as much, if not more, influence than the emperor himself.

    The maids quickly left the room and closed the door. Kang-Woo walked toward Iris, who was lying still in bed.

    Yeon-Joo scanned Iris and remarked, "Nothing seems to be off about her from a nce."

    "Thats the problem," Kang-Woo responded.

    There was no way to know why Iris had not woken up yet if nothing was wrong.

    "Hmm." Yeon-Joo poked the sleeping Iris and said, "Actually, theres something Ive been curious about all this time."

    "What is it?"

    "Is it okay for her not to eat and stuff?"

    "Apparently, its fine since nutrients are automatically generated while one is epting Deific Essence."

    "Really? Then, uhhh What about the bathroom?"

    "..."

    <em>Huh?</em>

    "That I dont know," Kang-Woo said.

    "..." An awkward silence fell. Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo and got between him and Iris as if protecting Iris. "I wont stand for it if youre imagining weird stuff."

    "Youre the one who brought it up first. Besides, what the hell would I be imagining?"

    <em>Is La influencing you?</em>

    "Ngh. Whatever the case, she sure has it rough. Shes pretty much a vegetable with no signs of waking up."

    Kang-Woo nodded as he sighed. "Yeah, we need her to wake up so we can get back to Earth as soon as possible."

    Although they had gotten used to life in Aernor, there were still many things that they missed about Earth. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and ced his hand on Iriss forehead. Just then

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The faint green light flowing out of Iris suddenly grew thicker.

    "A-Arghh," Iris groaned as her fingers slightly twitched.

    "H-Huh?" Yeon-Joo, who had been poking the sleeping Iris, expressed confusion.

    Kang-Woo turned to her and said calmly, "Go bring La. Seol-Ah, too."

    "O-Okay!" Yeon-Joo nodded quickly and ran out the door.

    Kang-Woos eyes widened as he was checking Iriss condition.

    <em>Her ears are getting longer.</em>

    They were just like those of the elf Kang-Woo had seen among Reynalds party.

    <em>Is the incarnation process finally over?</em>

    The opportunity to gain information about the location of the Demon Gods corpse had arrived atst after almost two months of waiting. Kang-Woo bit open his finger and poured blood into Iriss mouth just in case. He used the Authority of Regeneration, but nothing about Iris changed.

    "A-Arghhh!"

    Iriss movements grew bigger.

    <em>Bang!</em>

    The door swung open fiercely and entered the party members one by one.

    "Kang-Woo!" Han Seol-Ah shouted.

    "I brought them all!" Yeon-Joo said.

    "Hyung-nim! What was that energy just now?" Kim Si-Hun asked.

    "Just a moment, Kang-Woo." La walked forward and closed her eyes after grabbing the groaning Iriss wrist.

    Her white light and Iriss green light mixed.

    "This is" Las eyes shone. "A sign of Deific Manifestation."

    They had seen Deific Manifestation multiple times in La.

    Kang-Woo nodded and asked, "Does that mean a high elf is trying to manifest here by borrowing Iriss body?"

    "Yes. Not only that, they are very powerful It might be Lady Elune, whom Dous had mentionedst time."

    "I see."

    Kang-Woo nervously scanned the light pouring out from Iris.

    <em>Would she figure me out?</em>

    Kang-Woo was more or less sure that he would not get caught after awakening the Deific Essence of Splendor, but he could not help but get chills down his back.

    <em>Should I just stay as far away as possible?</em>

    That was the best way to ensure his safety.

    <em>No, it would be too unnatural.</em>

    He would have considered it if he was already far away, but it would be far too unnatural to leave all of a sudden since he was already in the room. Not only that, not showing himself to the high elf when he was worshiped even more than Si-Hun as the savior of the continent after bing the God of Splendor was a stretch. Worst-case scenario, it would cause the high elf to have doubts about him.

    <em>Ill just conceal my energy as best as I can.</em>

    Kang-Woo stuffed the demonic energy spread throughout his body into the Ten Thousand Demon Core and reced it with sacred power. The golden light that had been radiating from him became even brighter.

    "... Wait." La frowned as she was touching Iriss wrist.

    "Whats wrong?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Something is off." La tilted her head as if she couldnt understand. "This isnt a normal Deific Manifestation."

    "Pardon? What do you mean?"

    "... The Deific Essence Im feeling is highly unstable."

    La closed her eyes tightly and felt Elunes Deific Essence flowing through Iris. It was shaking violently as if it had been damaged. Then, Iriss eyes slowly opened.

    [<em>C-Cough!!</em>] Iris coughed up blood as soon as she opened her eyes. She swayed as she covered her mouth with one hand. [Argh, urgh. Wh-Where am I?]

    A mystical voice,pletely different from that of a human, which felt like it was echoing within ones mind, flowed out of Iriss mouth.

    [<em>Cough!</em>]

    Iris no, Elune, who had borrowed Iriss body, coughed up blood again while covering her mouth. Kang-Woo grabbed her arm as she was violently coughing up blood.

    "Are you alright?" he asked.

    [Wh-Who are you?]

    Elune slowly looked up. Kang-Woo and Elunes eyes met.

    Kang-Woo carefully supported her and said without hesitation, "This is embarrassing for me to say myself, but I am the one who has been chosen by Splendor."

    Splendid, beautiful, and warm golden light poured out from Kang-Woo.

    [Aaaahh, you must be] Elune remarked with a trembling voice. [The savior.]

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly and nodded. "Thats right."

 Chapter 419: Darkness Casting Over The Future

    Chapter 419: Darkness Casting Over The Future

    [<em>Cough! Cough!</em>]

    Elune, who had manifested by borrowing Iris¡¯s body, coughed aggressively with one hand covering her mouth.

    "A-Are you okay?" Han Seol-Ah asked as she used healing magic on Elune.

    White light flowed into Elune and herplexion improved. She turned to look at Seol-Ah in surprise.

    [Why do I feel Lady Seraph¡¯s energy inside you¡­?]

    "Oh, that¡¯s¡­" Seol-Ah slurred in puzzlement.

    Not even she knew why Seraph¡¯s soul was inside her. Oh Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and scanned Elune as an awkward air was lingering between Seol-Ah and Elune.

    <em>¡¯What¡¯s going on? Has the Deific Manifestation not been properly realized?¡¯</em>

    As La had mentioned, Elune¡¯s Deific Essence was highly unstable. It was as if he was looking at a critically injured patient. Kang-Woo was reminded of something as he looked at Elune coughing up blood.

    <em>¡¯She gives off the same feeling as La when I first met her.¡¯</em>

    At the time, La¡¯s condition had deteriorated to the point that she needed to be in a wheelchair and was blind. Her condition was because Gaia had been injured due to the invasion of the Demon of Prophecy into Earth, damaging Earth¡¯s protection in the process.

    <em>¡¯An incarnation¡¯s state of being is connected to their respective god.¡¯</em>

    In other words¡­

    <em>¡¯Is Elune injured?¡¯</em>

    The first thing that Kang-Woo wondered was why. He had heard that, unlike the other gods, high elves resided in a dimension that a giant tree known as the World Tree was.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s an important tree that acts as a pir for the Triad, from what I¡¯ve heard.¡¯</em>

    ording to Dous, the World Tree was created by Yggdrasil, the Titan of Life. They also created high elves to be the guardians of the World Tree, and elves were derived from the high elves.

    <em>¡¯I heard that the World Tree was protected by a powerful barrier.¡¯</em>

    The barrier had been so powerful that not even Demon God Bauli, who had been rampaging to destroy the Triad during the era of myths, was able to approach anywhere near the World Tree.

    ¡¯If Elune was injured despite that¡­¡¯

    It meant that something terrible had happened within the World Tree.

    "Lady Elune," Kang-Woo called.

    [Ah, savior.] Elune turned to Kang-Woo while in the middle of being healed by Seol-Ah. Just then, her eyes widened. [Huh? H-How?]

    Elune looked around in disbelief. Her mouth opened in shock as she looked back and forth at Kang-Woo and Kim Si-Hun behind him.

    [Th-there are¡­ t-two saviors?]

    "Pardon?"

    <em>¡¯Oh, fuck.¡¯</em>

    A chill ran down Kang-Woo¡¯s back. He aggressively bit his lip.

    <em>¡¯Shit. It wasn¡¯t me.¡¯</em>

    He had thought he had been chosen as the savior because he had acquired the Derific Essence of Splendor and his fame had spread throughout the continent. However, his guess had been way off the mark.

    <em>¡¯I forgot that he was the protagonist.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo put a hand on his forehead and bit his lip. He had been acting as the light so muchtely that he had forgotten the most important fact; he was not the savior but the Demon of Prophecy who would bring all world to an end.

    [But ording to the prophecy¡­ No, prophecies aren¡¯t always correct,] Elune muttered in confusion.

    Kang-Woo ced his hand on her shoulder to change the subject. "Please calm down, Lady Elune."

    [Ah¡­]

    "More importantly, what just happened? You coughed up blood all of a sudden¡­ Is something wrong with Iris¡¯s body?"

    [No, not at all. Rather, the problem is¡­ me.]

    Elune lowered her head with a stiff expression and touched the blood on Iris¡¯s clothes as if she were sorry for hurting Iris.

    "Is something wrong?"

    [...]

    Elune clenched her clothes while biting her lip. Kang-Woo waited for her to answer without rushing her.

    Elune then answered, [The World Tree¡­ has begun to rot.]

    "Pardon?"

    <em>¡¯It can rot?¡¯</em>

    [It is of course not a natural phenomenon.] Elune shook her head and continued, [Someone is corrupting the World Tree intentionally.]

    "... Who?"

    [Well¡­ We have yet to find the culprit either. The power of the high elveses from the World Tree. Since the source of our power is suddenly rotting¡­]

    "Your condition has be so critical that you can barely maintain your Deific Essence?" Kang-Woo asked.

    [...] Elune nodded in silence.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>¡¯If even the leader of the high elves coughed up blood as soon as she manifested¡­¡¯</em>

    There was no question about the condition of the other high elves.

    <em>¡¯This isn¡¯t good.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned. Elune¡¯s condition was only a little better than Gaia¡¯s back when the Gaia System was damaged.

    <em>¡¯Would she be able to locate the Demon God¡¯s corpse in this state?¡¯</em>

    The reason that they wanted to meet the high elves was ultimately to figure out the location of the Demon God¡¯s corpse. However, seeing the state that Elune was in, it seemed like a stretch for her to locate it.

    <em>¡¯No, no.¡¯</em>

    Elune may know where the corpse was without needing to locate it with her power.

    "Lady Elune," Kang-Woo called.

    [Yes?]

    "We¡¯re searching for the Demon God¡¯s corpse. Do you perhaps know anything about where it is?"

    [Ah¡­] She lowered her head apologetically as her lips quivered. [I apologize. Because the World Tree is rotting¡­ We can barely use our power to detect the demonic.]

    "Is there anything about its location that you knew about in the past?"

    [... Do you know what the Demon God¡¯s corpse sealed in Aernor is?]

    Kang-Woo nodded. He had heard about it from Gaia beforeing here.

    "I heard that it is the Demon God¡¯s heart."

    [Yes, that is correct. It is the region that contains thergest portion of Demon God Bauli¡¯s power as well as the decisive region for his revival.] Elune continued in a low tone, [After the war against the Demon God ended, Lady Gaia asked me to seal the heart in a barrier that changes location in specific time intervals. It was so that no one could figure out where it was without being chosen by the World Tree.]

    "..."

    "W-Wait! That means¡­" Cha Yeon-Joo sprang up from her chair with a hardened expression. If its location changed periodically¡­ "We have no way of finding the Demon God¡¯s corpse anymore¡­" she muttered lifelessly.

    Kang-Woo did not look good either.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s sealed in a barrier that changes locations?¡¯</em>

    He swept up his hair as he sighed deeply. If that was true, it was truly impossible to find the Demon God¡¯s heart without Elune¡¯s help.

    <em>¡¯Fuck.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo almost swore out loud due to the unexpected development. He had thought aboutbing through the entire continent if not even the high elves knew where the corpse was, but that n had gone up in mes.

    <em>¡¯We need Elune¡¯s help.¡¯</em>

    If that was the case, there was only one way.

    "Is there a way to restore the World Tree?" asked Kang-Woo as he ced his hand on Elune¡¯s shoulder.

    [... There is.]

    Kang-Woo sighed in relief. "How do we do it?"

    [The World Tree is being corrupted because of a <em>ck thorn</em> embedded in it.]

    "A ck thorn?"

    [Yes. I don¡¯t know exactly what it is, but¡­ I am sure that it is muddling the inside of the World Tree and absorbing its energy.]

    "I see." Kang-Woo softly nodded.

    The way forward was bleak after hearing about the Demon God¡¯s heart, but it cleared up after hearing the solution.

    "Do we just have to get rid of that thorn, then?" he asked.

    [... Yes, b-but it is extremely dangerous because the World Tree¡¯s energy is running rampant around the area!] Elune shouted as her pointy ears trembled.

    Kang-Woo smirked and turned to his party members; they were nodding despite him not saying anything. He turned back to Elune and said, "It¡¯s okay. We will dispose of the thorn that is corrupting the World Tree."

    [Ah¡­] Elune expressed.

    She lowered her head as she teared up. Her shoulders were trembling; perhaps because she was in Iris¡¯s body, she looked like back when Iris was freed from Fidelio¡¯s grasp.

    [Th-thank you. Th-thank you¡­ very much!] Elune bowed repeatedly.

    Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly as he looked down at her.

    <em>¡¯She doesn¡¯t give off the aura of a Top-rank goddess at all. Well, in any case¡­¡¯</em>

    She was far easier to deal with than someone like Gaia.

    [May your path be filled with blessings, dear saviors.]

    Elune brought her hands together and prayed. Green light flowed out from her and filled the room.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have received ¡¯Elune¡¯s Blessing!¡¯]

    [Raising all stats by 5.]

    <em>¡¯Oh, Ipletely forgot about stats.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had reached a point where increases in his Demonic Energy stat did not mean much to his growth. However, it was always wee.

    "Thank you very much," he remarked.

    [I don¡¯t know why there are two saviors contrary to the prophecy, but¡­ considering how powerful you both are, I believe that you will be able to stop this world¡¯s demise.]

    Elune looked at Kang-Woo and Si-Hun with a bright smile. She stood up as she staggered.

    [Ngh¡­!]

    "Ah! B-be careful!"

    La quickly caught Elune as she was about to fall.

    [Thank you, incarnation of Gaia.] Elune bowed slightly to La and slowly walked toward Kang-Woo and Si-Hun. [Could you twoe toward me for a second?]

    "... Okay."

    "Of course."

    Kang-Woo and Si-Hun nced at each other for a second and walked toward Elune. Elune grabbed each one of Kang-Woo and Si-Hun¡¯s hands and closed her eyes.

    [I cannot use much of my power since my Deific Essence is unstable, but¡­ I can at least see a little bit of your paths forward.]

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!</em>

    A dense green light poured out from her. Kang-Woo frowned, unable to figure out what she was trying to do.

    "It¡¯s foresight," remarked Dous, who slowly walked over to Kang-Woo, as if resolving his worries.

    "... Since when were you here?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "How could I miss the chance to see a high elf when I¡¯ve been researching them my whole life?" Dous chuckled and continued, "What Lady Elune is doing to you right now is the unique ability of the high elves."

    "Foresight?"

    "To be more exact, she¡¯s warning you of the dangers you will face in the future. It¡¯s not as exact as a prophecy, though."

    Kang-Woo slightly nodded.

    <em>¡¯Dangers of the future, huh?¡¯</em>

    He found itughable. Danger was his everyday life and he had ovee them every single time. He wasn¡¯t all that interested in being warned of it.

    <em>¡¯Well, but still¡­¡¯</em>

    It didn¡¯t do him any harm to know.

    [...]

    Elune focused as she held Kang-Woo and Si-Hun¡¯s hands. A green light asforting as the sun shining down on a peaceful forest enveloped them.

    [A-Aaaahh.] Elune¡¯s mouth gaped open. [H-how¡­? Wh-why¡­?]

    She trembled in disbelief. Kang-Woo and Si-Hun stared perplexedly at the trembling Elune.

    [<em>Huff, huff, huff!</em>] Elune fell to her knees as she panted heavily.

    Si-Hun carefully supported her.

    "... What happened?" Kang-Woo asked in a low tone.

    [Ah¡­] Elune trembled in pallor. [S-something¡¯s wrong¡­]

    "What do you mean?"

    [Y-your futures¡­ A-all the possible paths that you could embark on¡­] Elune bit her lip. [Th-they are all shrouded in colossal darkness. An endless abyss is¡­ engulfing your futures!]

    "..."

    <em>¡¯Huh?¡¯</em>

    [Th-that¡¯s not possible¡­ This is more than just encountering dangers on your path! Th-there isn¡¯t a single moment when you¡¯re free from the darkness!!]

    <em>¡¯Wait a minute¡­¡¯</em>

    [A-Aaaahh, o almighty Titans. Why¡­ Why have you given these poor saviors such an awful fate?!]

    Elune closed her eyes and teared up.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo nced away from Elune. The endless abyss filling the two saviors¡¯ paths¡­

    <em>¡¯... Isn¡¯t that me?¡¯</em>

    [Sniff. Y-you will be engulfed¡­ by a b-ck sea¡­]

    <em>¡¯Shit. It fucking is me.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 420: Unwavering

    Chapter 420: Unwavering

    "Uhhh¡­ Mm."

    Oh Kang-Woo looked at Elune, who was crying as if they were all doomed. There was no need to think about why his and Kim Si-Hun¡¯s paths were shrouded in darkness.

    <em>¡¯Because I¡¯m that fucking darkness.¡¯</em>

    It was only natural.

    "What do you mean¡­ darkness?" Si-Hun asked with a hardened expression.

    Elune wiped her tears and answered, [The paths that you two must walk are shrouded¡­ in endless darkness.]

    "... Does that mean it is dangerous?"

    [It is not just dangerous!] Elune shouted. [I have¡­ never seen such a future. It is worse than when I prophesied the continent¡¯s demise!]

    "..."[Just thinking about the despair that you two must struggle through, I¡­] Elune lowered her head, unable to finish her sentence.

    Her slender shoulders were trembling. She was likely not this saddened simply because she was worried about Kang-Woo and Si-Hun¡¯s futures; she was probably in despair over the fact that the duty of the saviors to save the world from its demise would never be realized.

    [At this rate¡­]

    The world would inevitably end. The saviors, the continent¡¯s only hope, would ultimately be engulfed by endless darkness. Elune trembled due to the inevitable despair. She was shocked even greater than when the World Tree began to rot. It was only natural since she had just prophesied that this world had no future.

    "..." Si-Hun clenched his fists and bit his lip ferociously. "Is it that bad¡­ even after the Constetions were killed?"

    He thought the darkness had been somewhat lifted after the war against the Constetions of Evil ended. He had hope that they would be able to stop the world¡¯s demise and move forward.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun shut his eyes tightly. Nothing had changed. His and Kang-Woo¡¯s paths were still shrouded in unfathomable darkness.

    "..."

    Si-Hun had already been determined to face the countless dangers that were in his and Kang-Woo¡¯s path, but hearing about it directly from Elune gave him chills. He recalled Alec and Reynald, who had died at Satan¡¯s hands, Ludwig, who had been corrupted by Rakiel, and the countless heroes devoured by the darkness.

    <em>¡¯Maybe one day¡­¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun turned his head as his eyes shook and looked at Kang-Woo, who was looking at Elune with a hardened expression.

    <em>¡¯Hyung will also¡­¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun clenched his fists to the point that his hands would break. A heavy atmosphere loomed over the room.

    [<em>Sniff¡­ Sniff.</em>]

    <em>¡¯For fuck¡¯s sake.¡¯</em> Kang-Woo grabbed his forehead as if his head hurt.<em> ¡¯What am I supposed to do here?¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯te out and say honestly that the darkness Elune had seen in her foresight was him.

    <em>¡¯I need to take care of this funeral home atmosphere first somehow.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked beyond Si-Hun and at La, Cha Yeon-Joo, and his other party members. Everyone in the room looked as if they were patients who received the news from the doctor that they were terminally ill.

    "A-Aaaahh. N-No," Han Seol-Ah muttered.

    In the case of Seol-Ah, she looked as if she would explode if someone touched her the wrong way.

    <em>¡¯At this rate¡­¡¯</em>

    A disaster would befall them before they even tried to restore the World Tree¡ª no, his identity might be exposed before that.

    "Fuuu," Kang-Woo took a deep breath, stood up, and walked toward the crying Elune.

    <em>¡¯If I can¡¯t reveal my identity¡­¡¯</em>

    He had to go about it a different way.

    <em>¡¯But that¡¯s¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo gulped as his shoulders slightly trembled. Just thinking about the idea that he hade up with was enough for him to feel like his heart was getting squeezed. He was sure that it would work; from what Elune had shown him, he was sure that she would be convinced. But¡­ But¡­

    <em>¡¯I have no choice.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. He had no other way to resolve this situation.

    <em>¡¯I have to be unwavering.¡¯</em>

    He resolved himself and walked forward.

    "Lady Elune."

    [... Yes?] The crying Elune raised her head. Kang-Woo stared at her with deeply sunken eyes and carefully grabbed her hand. [L-Lord Kang-Woo?]

    Elune looked up at Kang-Woo perplexedly. Kang-Woo guided her by the hand toward the windowsill. He opened the window and the chilly night air flowed in. He looked up to see a dark sky without a single star.

    It was only natural since using illumination magic tools was the norm in Aernor. It was especially so since they were in the capital of the Arnan Empire; just like how dark the night sky was in Seoul, the capital of Arnan was also shrouded in darkness despite each house being illuminated.

    Kang-Woo looked up at the night sky and slowly turned to Elune. "The night sky¡­ is dark."

    [Yes, it is¡­] Elune stared at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly as if she had no idea what Kang-Woo was trying to say.

    Kang-Woo smiled and continued, "Just like our future that you prophesied."

    [...]

    Elune flinched. She slowly lifted her head and locked eyes with Kang-Woo.

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his hand and golden light poured out from it.

    [Lord Kang-Woo¡­?]

    The radiant splendor that poured out from Kang-Woo shot toward the night sky. The sky shrouded in darkness without a single star in sight was lit brightly.

    [This is¡­]

    "How is it now?" Kang-Woo looked up at the shining night sky with a bright smile. "Do you¡­ see the light now?"

    Elune nkly stared at the zing light shining in the night sky with her mouth agape. It was beautiful.

    [...]

    Tears flowed down her cheeks unbeknownst to herself. She recalled herself crying in despair after foreseeing a future shrouded in darkness. It was unbearably embarrassing.

    "Haha," Kang-Wooughed and slowly raised his hand to wipe Elune¡¯s tears.

    [L-Lord Kang-Woo.] Elune stared at Kang-Woo in surprise and then averted her eyes from him in embarrassment. Her face was slightly flushed.

    "There is no need to worry, Lady Elune." Kang-Woo continued, "Light¡­ shines brighter in the darkness."

    [...]

    Elune looked up at Kang-Woo as if she had never thought about it that way. The hero who had been foretold of his near-inevitable death was still shining brightly.

    <em>¡¯But I¡­¡¯</em>

    She had burst into unsightly tears from the despair that the saviors would be killed and the world would meet its demise.

    <em>¡¯So much for being the guardian of the World Tree and one who needs to guide the saviors to the right path.¡¯</em>

    Forget guiding them to the right path, she had lost all hope and fell into despair all by herself.

    [... I apologize, dear saviors. I have shown you an unsightly side of myself.]

    Elune bowed deeply with a faint smile. This was not the time to be wallowing in despair. Oveing the immediate danger was of higher priority.

    [In that case, I will guide you all to the World Tr¡ª]

    "Oh, just a moment, please," Kang-Woo interjected. "May I excuse myself for a moment?"

    [Pardon? Is something wrong¡­?]

    "Not at all. I just¡­ want to harden my resolve," Kang-Woo remarked somewhat sorrowfully.

    [Ah,] Elune expressed.

    She had an idea about why Kang-Woo had said that.

    <em>¡¯He was saying things like that, but I¡¯m sure he was afraid too.¡¯</em>

    She was embarrassed of herself for only saying what she wanted to say without knowing how Kang-Woo felt.

    [I understand.]

    Elune slowly nodded. Kang-Woo turned around and went past the door. Si-Hun tried to follow him, but Kang-Woo stopped him in his tracks.

    <em>ck.</em>

    "..."

    Kang-Woo sprinted through the hallway after closing the door behind him. He jumped into his room and locked the door.

    "U-Urghhh."

    He twisted and turned as if in pain.

    "ALWIUDHFIWOLAUDBVLKDJHBFILWUABF." Kang-Woo screamed iprehensible words. "Fuck, fuck, FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!"

    His bellows shook the room.

    <em>"Light¡­ shines brighter in the darkness."</em>

    The words that he had said himself reyed inside his head.

    "Urpp!"

    The kimchi stew that he had for dinner came all the way up to his neck due to the insanely revolting feeling. He fell to his knees, his fingers distorting as if he was having a seizure.

    "Ah¡­"

    Kang-Woo nkly stared at the night sky. His eyes were filled with an endless sense of shame and remorse; it was like staring at himself across the monitor after doing the deed to some porn.

    "I wanna die. I¡­ don¡¯t need anything else anymore¡­ I just wanna die."

    Tears flowed down his cheeks. He had prepared himself for it, but he could not get used to this pain.

    "Urghh."

    The road to being a hero was a harsh one. His sobs of shame continued for a very long time.

    ***

    "Fuuu. Well, then." Kang-Woo came back after calming himself down and asked calmly, "Are we heading to the ce where the World Tree is right away?"

    Elune nodded. [We should go as soon as possible.]

    The World Tree was rotting as they spoke, so they needed to get rid of the ck thorn embedded in the World Tree as soon as possible. Kang-Woo turned around to look at his party members.

    "Let¡¯s go, hyung-nim."

    "Urghh, what the hell is with this development?"

    "Hm! I¡¯ll go anywhere as long as it¡¯s with you, Kang-Woo!"

    Each of the party members brought out their weapons as if they were indifferent to the unexpected danger. The anxiety in the air was almost palpable. Kang-Woo smiled and nodded.

    "Let¡¯s go then."

    [... I would like to thank you once again.] Elune bowed to the party members. [Well then, I will open the door to the World Tree right away.]

    "Is it okay when your Deific Essence is unstable?"

    [You¡¯re all risking your lives, so I cannot afford not to either as the guardian of the World Tree,] Elune remarked firmly.

    The green light flowing out of her seeped into thin air.

    [Ngh¡­]

    She controlled her Divinity as she bit her lip as blood flowed from between them. And then¡­

    Crack.

    [... Huh?]

    A crack formed in the air like a mirror and enormous ck energy poured out from it.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    "Kyaaaaahhh!"

    "Wh-what the hell?!"

    The entire imperial castle shook. Kang-Woo quickly stepped back with Elune, who had been nkly staring at the crack.

    "What¡¯s going on?!" he asked.

    [I-I don¡¯t know eith¡ª]

    <em>Shatter¡ª!!</em>

    The crack that formed in the room went out through the window and connected with the night sky. A giant Rift several kilometers wide covered the sky of the capital.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    ck rotten tree roots stretched out from the Rift.

 Chapter 421: If I Canâ€™t Go In

    Chapter 421: If I Can¡¯t Go In

    It looked as if the sky was falling apart. Countless tree roots poured out from the crack in the sky that looked like shattered ss. The ck rotten roots stretched toward the capital of Arnan as it squirmed violently. Their dynamic movements made them look more like tentacles rather than tree roots.

    "This is¡­" Kim Si-Hun¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

    Enormous energy swirled within the giant Rift in the sky that was about several kilometers wide. The ferociously storming energy wiped out everything in its area.

    "H-hyung-nim!"

    Si-Hun quickly called Oh Kang-Woo, who was staring in shock at the countless tree roots stretching toward the capital as he was supporting Elune.

    Kang-Woo turned to Elune and asked, "Is that the World Tree?"

    It looked far too abnormal to call the World Tree; they looked more like the moving tree monsters that the party had seen when they had firste to Aernor.

    Elune nodded in pallor. [Y-yes, b-but how did the World Treee here¡­?]

    Kang-Woo turned away from the panicking Elune.<em>¡¯So that¡¯s the corrupted World Tree, huh?¡¯</em>

    He had expected it to be an unfathomably colossal tree from its name and because it was known as the pir of the Triad.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    He had never expected it to be able to move. The World Treeing out of the Rift was more like a giant monster than a tree, and one that could easily engulf the entire capital, no less.

    <em>¡¯Regardless¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes lit up. This was a little out of his expectations, but it did not change what he needed to do.

    "We just have to get in there and dispose of the ck thorn corrupting the World Tree, right?"

    [Y-yes, but¡ª]

    "That¡¯s all we need to know," Kang-Woo interjected and turned to his party members. "Let¡¯s go."

    The party members nodded.

    [I-I will apany you! I won¡¯t be of much help in my current state, but¡­ I will do my best to support you all even a little!] Elune shouted as she clenched her fists.

    Kang-Woo lightly nodded and put his foot on the window frame. He looked down and scanned the surroundings.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    <em>Crumble¡ª!</em>

    The roots of the World Tree that reached the ground were rampaging throughout the city like starved beasts. Each root was hundreds of meters long, easily able to destroy buildings with a single swing.

    "Kyaaaaaahhh!"

    "Wh-what the hell?!"

    "H-help me!"

    The people swept by the giant roots screamed. They were massacred all too easily by the undefiable disaster. mes and smoke instantly filled the entire capital.

    "Holy fuck¡­" Kang-Woo frowned aggressively.

    He bit his lip as he looked down at the people being ughtered by the roots of the corrupted World Tree. Fury ran down his back and throughout his body. Of course, he was not angry that people were dying.

    <em>¡¯My precious farm!¡¯</em>

    The poption of the capital of Arnan was asrge as the poption of several citiesbined, and the majority of the people in it were devotees of the Church of Splendor. His Divinity collection nt that he had raised with his heart and soul even while doing all sorts of cringe shit was being destroyed by mere tree roots.

    "Those fucking <em>I am Groot</em> bastards¡­"

    The back of his head hurt. He would burn down the World Tree if it were up to him, but he suppressed the desire and jumped out of the window.

    "Let¡¯s clean up those goddamn roots first!" Kang-Woo shouted to his party members following after him.

    He red with fury at the World Tre roots destroying the capital. He clenched his fists and pledged.

    ¡¯I¡¯ll protect them.¡¯

    His precious Divinity farm¡ª no, his precious devotees of Splendor!

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Radiant splendor poured out from Kang-Woo, possibly having reacted to his heroic spirit.

    <em>Tap!</em>

    He jumped into the air and pulled his right arm back.

    <em>¡¯Axes are the best to cut down trees.¡¯</em>

    <em>Grrrk.</em>

    Slushy went into the Key of the Demonic Sea, which turned into a giant ax. Kang-Woo twisted in midair and swung down his right arm.

    <em>Crack¡ª!!</em>

    The golden ray of light split the world into two. The World Tree roots destroying the capital split in half with one attack. The energy did not lose its momentum after cutting the roots, charging forward as it destroyed buildings in its path.

    "A-Aaaahh!"

    "O Light!!"

    "The God of Splendor has manifested!!"

    The people being ughtered by the ck roots kneeled as they looked up at the light. They brought their hands together and burst into tears.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    "<em>Gasp!</em>"

    A World Tree root fell toward the praying devotees. They tried to get away in shock, but it was far toote to dodge the root.

    <em>tter!</em>

    Red chains spread out like a and deflected the root.

    "For fuck¡¯s sake! Stop fucking around and run, you lunatics!" yelled Cha Yeon-Joo at the people who suddenly got on their knees to pray instead of running away.

    "Wh-what? Fucking around?"

    "Are you doubting the light?!"

    "Prayer is the one true path to salvation!"

    The devotees filling the streets got angry at Yeon-Joo instead of thanking her.

    "These sons of bitches¡­" Yeon-Joo stared in exasperation at the devotees who went back to praying.

    The problem was that there were more than just a few of them. Si-Hun and the other party members were unable to leave the area because they were protecting the praying devotees.

    "Hey! Do something about these people!" Yeon-Joo shouted as she looked up.

    Kang-Woo, who wiped out the roots of the World Tree with one attack, slowly raised his arms as he saw what was going on.

    [Devotees of light.] The words of a god echoed directly within the heads of everyone in the capital. [Prayer with just one¡¯s thoughts will not lead to salvation. One must first act toward reaching salvation of their own ord.]

    "Aaaahh¡­"

    [Save those in danger and evacuate the city. That is the true path toward the light.]

    "I believe!"

    "Take the injured and evacuate the city!"

    The devotees who got angry at Yeon-Joo changedpletely and got moving after hearing Kang-Woo¡¯s words.

    "Wha¡­" Yeon-Joo feignedughter as she stared at Kang-Woo enveloped in radiant splendormanding the devotees/

    <em>¡¯Has he taken a liking to that shit now?¡¯</em>

    If that was not the case, how could he say such cringe lines so naturally?

    <em>Wham¡ª!</em>

    "Kyah!" Yeon-Joo screamed.

    A giant tree root attacked her and cut off her thoughts.

    "Hup!" Si-Hun stood between Yeon-Joo and the tree root and swung his sword.

    <em>sh!</em>

    He had lost the holy sword during the war, but swords were no longer of importance to him after mastering Formless Sword. A sword made of blue condensed sword energy split the tree root in half.

    "Be careful," Si-Hun remarked.

    "Y-Yeah. Thanks." Yeon-Joo nodded in embarrassment.

    Si-Hun went past her and ran to where Kang-Woo was.

    "Hyung-nim! There will be no end to them at this rate!"

    Kang-Woo nodded. As Si-Hun had said, the roots were continuously pouring out of the Rift in the sky.

    <em>¡¯I have to find that ck thorn or whatever it was.¡¯</em>

    If he did not, they would be stuck in an endless and pointless battle of attrition.

    <em>¡¯Authority of the Beholder.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and focused. If the ck thorn was the cause of the World Tree¡¯s corruption, he would be able to find where it was by tracing the energy within the World Tree. He spread out his demonic energy and searched the World Tree¡¯s roots.

    "Motherfucker," he cursed after examining the roots.

    <em>¡¯The energies are entangled.¡¯</em>

    Hundreds of energies were violently shing against one another within the World Tree. Among them, there were energies fundamentally different from mana, sacred power, and demonic energy.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo frowned. He was reminded of something after searching the inside of the World Tree with the Authority of the Beholder.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s like I¡¯m looking at Chaos.¡¯</em>

    It was insanely disordered.

    "This won¡¯t be easy."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. If someone had heard that, they would have stared at him dumbfoundedly as if asking him what the hell he was talking about. Not easy? The issue was well beyond that.

    The inside of the World Tree at the moment was as disordered as a record-breaking tsunami sweeping across an entire city. It would be like trying to find something on the ground while fighting through the extreme current. However¡­

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡¯</em>

    For Kang-Woo, who possessed inexplicably extraordinary levels of energy control, it was only moderately difficult.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Kang-Woo located a path in the chaotic storm of energies within the World Tree. He sprinted along the path that would annihte him with just a single misstep.

    <em>¡¯Found it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone. He found something embedded in the World Tree, the cause of what was entangling the energies within it.

    "This way!" he shouted as he ran to where the ck thorn was.

    His party members frantically ran after him.

    "Hyung-nim! Where is the ck thorn?!" Si-Hun asked as he looked around after catching up to Kang-Woo.

    He could not see anything besides the root of the World Tree.

    "It¡¯s not here," Kang-Woo answered calmly.

    The party members expressed confusion.

    "Th-then where is it?" Yeon-Joo asked.

    "There." Kang-Woo pointed at the sky; more specifically, the several-kilometer Rift covering the night sky.

    "Don¡¯t tell me¡­"

    "Are you saying that¡­ It¡¯s in there?" Si-Hun looked up at the Rift in shock.

    Hundreds of thousands of World Tree roots were squirming within the Rift.

    [A-Aaaahh.]

    Elune copsed to her knees on the spot. If the ck thorn was within that area filled with horrendous chaos, it was practically impossible to approach it. They would be ripped into shreds the moment they entered the Rift.

    [Y-you¡­ cannot.] Elune shook her head in pallor.

    Even if one of the gods of the Triad were here, it would be impossible for them to enter that Rift.

    "It¡¯s alright," Kang-Woo remarked.

    [... Pardon?] Elune looked at Kang-Woo as if she couldn¡¯t understand. She shouted hurriedly, [It¡¯s alright? Y-you¡¯re not nning on going in there, are you?!]

    That would be nothing but suicide.

    Kang-Woo smiled. "No."

    It would be impossible even for him to jump into that Rift ande back alive.

    [Then¡­]

    "If we can¡¯t go in¡­"

    <em>Crack!</em>

    Kang-Woo grabbed one of the roots swung at him and smiled. If they weren¡¯t able to go into the Rift, there was only one other option.

    "Hup!"

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath in, widened his stance, and pulled the root with all his might.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    Thunderous sounds rang throughout the sky of the capital.

    <em>¡¯If I can¡¯t go in¡­ I¡¯ll just pull it out.¡¯</em>

    [W-Wait¡ª]

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!!</em>

    Before Elune could stop Kang-Woo, the colossal tree that acted as the pir supporting the Triad began to be pulled out by Kang-Woo.

 Chapter 422: God of the Satellite World

    Chapter 422: God of the Satellite World

    The unfathomably colossal tree was being pulled out of the Rift. Although the giant mass of countless roots of the World Tree being squeezed out of the Rift looked like a baby being born, it was more akin to a mother dragging their child out of their room by the hair.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    A thunderous sound echoed as if the sky itself was being upturned. No, the sound was so massive that it would be no exaggeration to say that it could be heard throughout Aernor.

    "Aaaaaaaahhh!" the evacuating citizens screamed as they covered their bleeding ears.

    "Celestial Protection!" Han Seol-Ah chanted.

    La also quickly chanted, "O Gaia, bring down your blessing unto the powerless."

    The white light that poured out from them protected the people from the ear splitting sound shaking the entire capital.

    "H-hyung-nim?!" Kim Si-Hun looked at Oh Kang-Woo in surprise.

    He did not think it was possible to uproot and pull out a tree dozens of kilometers tall. The colossal scale of events sent shivers down his spine."Focus," Balrog said to the flustered Si-Hun. He looked up at the roots of the World Tree being pulled out of the Rift and muttered, "... There is something there."

    "What?"

    Si-Hun looked at where Balrog was looking as well. As he had mentioned, a purple light lingered around the giant mass of roots of the World Tree.

    "That¡¯s¡­" Si-Hun slurred.

    "There is no time to waste." Balrog jumped on one of the roots and ran up.

    "Ngh!" Si-Hun followed after him.

    "Wh-where are you going?!" Cha Yeon-Joo shouted as she ran after Si-Hun.

    "Lady Elune, this way!" La grabbed the copsed Elune¡¯s hand and flew up to the sky.

    Seol-Ah, Echidna, and the other party members quickly chased after Balrog and Si-Hun.

    "Kang-Woo!"

    Seol-Ah looked around for Kang-Woo after climbing on a tree root after Si-Hun. Kang-Woo, who hade up with the insane idea of pulling the World Tree out of the Rift by its root, was panting severely.

    "Haaa, so fucking heavy," he cursed as he frowned.

    His entire body was screaming in pain after squeezing out all the demonic energy he had without opening the Doors. His vision momentarily blurred; it had been a long time since he had experienced demonic energy exhaustion.

    "Fuuu, haaa," Kang-Woo took deep breaths topose himself.

    He could feel the demonic energy he had used up all at once filling back up through the Ten Thousand Demon Core. He wanted to rest some more, but he knew better than anyone that it was not the time.

    <em>¡¯Is that the ck thorn?¡¯</em>

    He looked at the area where purple light was lingering somewhat drearily. The mix of ck and purple made it look inexplicably otherworldly.

    "That¡¯s¡­"

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He remembered seeing the purple energy around the World Tree root somewhere before.

    <em>¡¯Was it back when I fought the Constetion of Fear?¡¯</em>

    He recalled the god of vengeful spirits with a giant scythe, but he shook his head.

    <em>¡¯No, it¡¯s a little different.¡¯</em>

    He was sure that he had seen it somewhere before, but it was noting to him.

    "Tsk," Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and crouched down.

    He did not have the leeway to search through his memories. He jumped, flying across the sky at extraordinary speed.

    <em>¡¯Now, then¡­ Let¡¯s go see who corrupted the World Tree.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo raised his right fist and punched using the force generated from shooting forward.

    <em>¡¯Skybreaker.¡¯</em>

    He activated the skill he had not used in a very long time. The ck and purple light collided with Kang-Woo¡¯s fist.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    The barrier was destroyed along with a massive shockwave.

    "Hyung-nim!"

    "Kang-Woo!"

    Si-Hun and the other party members arrived after running up the World Tree root. Kang-Woo nodded at them lightly and turned to look inside the destroyed barrier.

    "Gurgh, what the hell? Why did the World Tree fall all of a sudden?"

    A monster was looking around with its hand on his forehead. The reason why Kang-Woo referred to him as a <em>monster </em>was simple.

    "Hmm?"

    His skin was covered in unknown mucus, his head resembled that of a snake, and transparent wings were sprouted on his head and back. His muscr arms reached his knees, making him resemble abination of a Lizardman and an alien.

    "Heh, well, well. If it isn¡¯t Lady Elune?"

    The unknown monster flicked his purple tongue. His voice was rather flippant, unlike his appearance. Kang-Woo frowned as he stared at the monster he had never seen before.

    <em>¡¯A demon?¡¯</em>

    That was the first thought that came to his mind. Demons varied infinitely in appearance, so there would be no surprise if he was a demon, but¡­

    <em>¡¯No.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo denied the thought. He could not feel an ounce of demonic energy from the creature; he was simply enveloped in energy that Kang-Woo had never felt before.

    <em>¡¯What is that?¡¯</em>

    It was neither demonic energy nor sacred power; it was not energy derived from the power of nature like mana or Qi either. It was the first kind of energy Kang-Woo had seen as if the monster hade from an outer world.

    "Oh," Kang-Woo expressed. "I remember."

    He finally recalled where he had seen the purple energy lingering around the monster.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s the power I felt from the purple Rift we used to enter the satellite world.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled Shade, the satellite world that had fallen to ruin after being corrupted by the Nine Hells. Although the monster looked nothing like the shadow with the <em>Mimicry </em>ability, the energy around them was simr.

    <em>¡¯But of course¡­¡¯</em>

    The monster possessed far more powerful energy than the shadow.

    [You are¡­] Elune¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at the snake-headed monster in disbelief. [H-how are you here¡­? The world that you lived in already¡­]

    "Heh, yes. It fell to ruin." The snake-headed monster nodded as he flicked his tongue. His eyes were filled with chilling bloodlust. He remarked resentfully, "Because¡­ you abandoned us."

    He red at Elune with bloodlust.

    "... Who is he?" Kang-Woo asked Elune.

    Elune bit her lip and replied, [He is¡­ the guardian deity of the satellite world¡­ Moab.]

    "<em>Was</em>, to be more exact." The snake-headed monster aggressively clenched his fists as he snickered.

    Kang-Woo stared at him with narrow eyes.

    <em>¡¯If he¡¯s a guardian deity¡­¡¯</em>

    That would put him on the same level as Seraph and Gaia, a being with the mission to protect a world and possessed a portion of the providence, the power to guard a star.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo remained silent. He could understand why he could feel such power from the snake-headed monster. The problem was¡­

    "What does he mean by you abandoned them?" he asked.

    [That¡¯s¡­] Elune slurred.

    The snake-headed monster remarked before she could continue, "It means exactly as it sounds. This goddamn tree abandoned us to guard the Triad."

    [That is not true! It was unavoidab¡ª]

    "Yeah, yeah, sure." The snake-headed monster nodded as it snickered. "After all, our world was nothingpared to this oh-so-important world, right? Right?"

    [You¡¯re wrong! The power of the World Tree did not reach the satellite worlds due to the copse of the Gaia Sys¡ª]

    "Well, despite all that," the snake-headed monster interjected and smiled. "It wasn¡¯t all bad."

    [... Pardon?]

    "I would never have met him if my world was never encroached on by the Nine Hells."

    The snake-headed monster trembled as if it were in ecstasy and snapped his finger.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    The roots of the World Tree corrupted by the purple energy squirmed as if it was in pain.

    [N-No¡­]

    Elune hurriedly reached out but copsed as she coughed up blood due to the rampaging energy within the World Tree.

    The snake-headed monster shouted, "Now! Elune! It is time for you to pay for your s¡ª"

    "Just a second," Kang-Woo interjected with his hand up.

    The snake-headed monster frowned as he red at the sudden disrupter.

    "Who the hell are y¡ª"

    "I can already tell what you¡¯re gonna say next, so shut up for a second. Lemme think for a bit."

    "... What did you say?"

    Kang-Woo turned away from the snake-headed monster and fell into thought.

    <em>¡¯So, to summarize¡­¡¯</em>

    The bnce between Gaia, Aernor, and Huan was disrupted due to the damaged Gaia System, and the World Tree focused its power on the Triad to make up for that imbnce as best it could.

    <em>¡¯And¡­¡¯</em>

    The satellite worlds fell to ruin in the process via the encroachment by the Nine Hells through the cracks formed in the protection.

    <em>¡¯So, Shade wasn¡¯t the only one that fell to ruin.¡¯</em>

    The situation was far more severe than he had imagined. If every satellite world had copsed via the encroachment by the Nine Hells, the next world on the list was naturally Earth.

    <em>¡¯Motherfucker.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned aggressively. In the first ce, the fundamental reason why the bnce among the Triad was disrupted and the World Tree was forced to give up on the satellite worlds was¡­ because he had collided with the Gaia System.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s me again? Why is it always me? Why is it my fault every single time? I just wanted to live a happy life with my kimchi stew. What did I do so wrong for worlds to be ending?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo pulled on his hair in frustration.

    "... Hah," the snake-headed monster chuckled as he watched Kang-Woo pulling on his hair while paying no mind to him.

    The monster did not know where the human came from, but he was getting angry from being tantly ignored. He was the guardian deity who used to rule over an entire world, albeit now a copsed one. He had even been epted as one of the masters of the <em>Four Heavens</em> and obtained power far beyond his days as a god. There was no need or reason for him to endure this disrespect.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s not fully ready yet, but¡­¡¯</em>

    The monster turned to where the ck thorn he had embedded in the World Tree was. The thorn embedded in a root was absorbing the energy within the World Tree like a starved beast.

    <em>¡¯It should be enough to make them pay for their sins.¡¯</em>

    The monster smiled and unsheathed the sword on his waist. It was a long urumi as thin as a piece of paper. The monster flicked his arm like a whip; the long urumi aimed for Kang-Woo as it slithered like a snake.

    "Hyung-nim!"

    Si-Hun stood between the monster and Kang-Woo. He used Formless Sword and deflected the urumi.

    <em>ng!</em>

    "Kurgh!" Si-Hun¡¯s hands holding the sword ripped and he was blown back. "Y-you¡¯re¡­"

    "Oh? You are quite exceptional for a human." The snake-headed monster lowered his stance as he smiled gloomily and said, "Hear me, humans. My name is Moab. I am a god of a fallen world and one of the loyal subordinates of the Demon of Prophecy."

    "... What?" Kang-Woo said with wide eyes.

    <em>¡¯One of the loyal subordinates of the Demon of Prophecy? What the hell is he talking about? I don¡¯t remember raising someone like you.¡¯</em>

    "And¡­!"

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Moab stomped on the ground and shouted as he raised his sword high, "The Fourth Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings!"

    Enormous energy stormed around Moab.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened again. "Did you just say¡­ Four Heavenly Kings?"

    "Kehehe. I doubt amoebas like you who were under the protection of the World Tree have ever heard the name bef¡ª"

    "Hyung-nim! He must be thest member of the Four Heavenly Kings!" Si-Hun shouted as if he fully understood what was going on, interrupting Moab.

    "Uhh, mm. Yeah¡­" Kang-Woo stammered with a hardened expression.

    <em>¡¯Four Heavenly Kings? They actually exist? Why the fuck does everything Ie up with be real? Huh? Why do I keep foreshadowing the plot? What fucking hole are these fuckers crawling out of? Gimme a break, dammit! Four Heavenly Kings? Get with the times! A name like that isme as fuck! Do these motherfuckers die if they don¡¯t group up in fours? Are you the goddamn Teletubbies? Why the Four Heavenly Kings, of all names?¡¯</em>

    "... Thest member? What are you talking about?" Moab red at Si-Hun iprehensibly.

    Si-Hun gritted his teeth and answered, "You, Satan, Rakiel, and Lucifer! Did you think I wouldn¡¯t know?!"

    "What? Satan? Rakiel? Who the hell are they?"

    "How dare you try to act dumb, you foul monster!"

    "No, seriously, I don¡¯t know who they are¡ª"

    "How many heroes do you think¡­ died at your filthy hands?!"

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Alec Osborne! Reynald! Ludwig! You¡­ You bastards killed them all!"

    "You¡¯re not listening to me. Who the hell are¡ª"

    "Hyung-nim!" Si-Hun turned to Kang-Woo as if not interested in Moab¡¯s excuses.

    Kang-Woo nodded as his eyes shone sharply. "Yeah, Si-Hun."

    As long as Moab revealed that he was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, there was no longer any need for chatter.

    <em>¡¯Countless heroes have lost their lives at their filthy hands.¡¯</em>

    Their sacrifices could not be left in vain.

    "It¡¯s time for us to avenge those great heroes."<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts</blockquote>

 Chapter 423: I Will Have You Pay For Your Great Sins

    Chapter 423: I Will Have You Pay For Your Great Sins

    "Wha¡­" Moab¡¯s mouth gaped open because the conversation flowed in an iprehensible direction.

    He was surprised that they knew about the Four Heavenly Kings, but what they said about him being thest remaining of them confused him even more.

    <em>¡¯I wasn¡¯t informed about any of the Heavenly Kings taking action.¡¯</em>

    They were all making preparations for the <em>time of prophecy</em>; Moab was likely the only one who had shown himself in the Triad, but¡­

    <em>¡¯What the hell are these humans talking about?¡¯</em>

    The humans have been saying iprehensible things for a while now, about how Moab was thest remaining Heavenly King and that the others had died at the hands of heroes.

    "Did you cast some sort of illusion magic, Elune?" Moab asked with a frown.

    Nothing else would be able to exin what was going on, but his guess waspletely wrong. Even Elune was staring at Oh Kang-Woo and Kim Si-Hun wide-eyed as if she couldn¡¯t follow the conversation.

    [Saviors, what do you mean by that you have to avenge the great heroes¡­?]"They were our preciousrades as well as our good friends," Kang-Woo said as he teared up. "But they were¡­ killed at the hands of¡­ the Four Heavenly Kings."

    He lowered his head as his shoulders slightly trembled. A single tear flowed down his cheek. Just thinking about the heroes¡¯ deaths felt like his heart was being squeezed. Moab had not killed them himself, but he was still one of the Four Heavenly Kings; there was no way that he waspletely uninvolved with the other Kings.

    [Ah,] Elune expressed.

    She was informed of many things that urred in the physical world by the other gods while she was the guardian of the World Tree, but this was her first time hearing of this.

    [I see¡­ how unfortunate,] she remarked somberly.

    She was well aware of how it felt to lose loved ones.

    "I¡­" Kang-Woo bit his lip and clenched his fists. "I will not let their deaths be in vain."

    There was no way that he would ever forget their bravery that had shone brightly until the moment of their deaths.

    [Savior¡­]

    Elune stared at Kang-Woo with shaking eyes and her entire body tingled. Kang-Woo was not crying simply because those precious to him had died; he was trying to move forward with their lives on his shoulders.

    <em>¡¯O almighty Titans¡­¡¯</em> Elune thought as she closed her eyes. <em>¡¯Your prophecy was correct. This man is¡­ the one who will save the world from the Demon of Prophecy.¡¯</em>

    Her heart beat rapidly. She felt like she could see a light of hope shining down on the world prophesied to fall¡­ and the future filled with despair. Elune smiled faintly as she brought her hands together.

    "What the hell have you been talking about since earlier?" Moab walked forward, unable to handle it any longer. He flicked his snake tongue and continued, "Reynald? Ludwig? I don¡¯t even know who these people a¡ª"

    "Shut up!" Kang-Woo shook with rage as uncontroble rage filled him. "How dare you shamelessly make excuses?!"

    "No, I seriously don¡¯t kn¡ª"

    "Reynald and Ludwig¡­ Those heroes should never have died that way!" he shouted straight from the heart.

    Kang-Woo recalled the deaths of the two heroes. He had not witnessed the moment of Alec Osborne¡¯s death, but he clearly remembered the moments of Reynald and Ludwig¡¯s deaths.

    "You¡¯re not listening to me. I¡ª"

    "Enough of your lowly excuses, Moab!"

    "I¡¯m not making excuses, I just don¡¯t know what you talking ab¡ª"

    "I¡­ I will never forgive you."

    "Son of a bitch¡­"

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes to look away from MNoab, who was still acting dumb.

    <em>¡¯He¡¯s not worth talking to.¡¯</em>

    Moab had no intention of listening, so there was no way that Kang-Woo¡¯s words would reach him. The truth meant nothing before his shamelessness.

    <em>¡¯If words won¡¯t get through to him¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone sharply. There was no other way but this.

    "I will have you¡­ pay for your grave sins," he said what Moab had tried to say to Elune earlier.

    "Who the hell are you? Huh? You¡¯re just saying what you want to say without¡ª"

    Kang-Woo dashed toward Moab, who had beenining with a frown.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    A ray of golden light streaked behind him. He stretched his right hand downward and the Key of the Demonic Sea turned into the form of a sword; it was Del Lain, the sword of the sun. Kang-Woo gripped the divine artifact of Tirion, thete God of Heroes, and swung it down aggressively.

    <em>aaang¡ª!</em>

    Moab was pushed back along with the echoing sound of metal shing.

    "Wh-what the¡ª?!" Moab¡¯s eyes were filled with shock. He stared at Kang-Woo in disbelief. "D-Deific Essence?"

    Not only that, it was not mere Low-rank or Lower Intermediate-rank; it was at least High-rank.

    <em>¡¯How could a human possibly¡­!¡¯</em>

    Moab stared at Kang-Woo iprehensibly. It was already shocking enough that a human possessed Deific Essence, but one of High-rank or above? He felt as if he was having a nightmare.

    "... It seems you had a trick up your sleeve."

    Moab¡¯s eyes shone sharply as he flicked his tongue. He fixed his stance and grabbed his sword tighter. He had lost hisposure for a moment due to the unexpected variable, but that was it. He would not lose in Deific Essence since he was a former guardian deity of a world.

    "Fuuu." Moab took a deep breath and unleashed his Deific Essence.

    Back when he was still a guardian deity, he would have had to pay an enormous price in his Divinity to unleash his Deific Essence in the physical world. However, he had been freed from the <em>Law of Titans</em> after receiving that person¡¯s <em>grace</em>.

    "<em>Hisssssss!!</em>"

    Moab swung down his urumi with his long arms. It coiled like a snake and then¡­

    <em>Swoosh!</em>

    The coiled sword straightened and shot out at incredible speed, piercing Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder in the blink of an eye.

    "Kurgh!" Kang-Woo grunted.

    However, that was only for a moment. He did not jump back but rather walked forward.

    "What?!"

    Moab was startled by Kang-Woo¡¯s crazy behavior as if he didn¡¯t care if his arm was cut off, creating an opening for Kang-Woo to exploit. He swung Del Lain with his other arm, aiming for Moab¡¯s nk.

    "What a cheap scheme!" shouted Moab and grimaced as he pulled out his urumi stabbing Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder.

    He then swung it at Del Lain being swung toward his nk.

    <em>ng!</em>

    Del Lain was blown back. Kang-Woo used the recoil to flip backward and tried to deal a somersault kick on Moab¡¯s chin.

    "Kurgh!" Moab jumped back to dodge the attack and crossed his arms.

    The urumi moved elegantly as if it were dancing, pouring waves of condensed sword energy like rainfall. Kang-Woo was leftpletely open to the sword energy attacks after performing arge attack like a somersault kick.

    <em>¡¯Alright!¡¯</em>

    Moab¡¯s eyes shone, thinking that he had grasped victory. The purple condensed sword energies poured down on Kang-Woo to tear him apart, but¡­

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    Gold and ck mes resembling a ck sun enveloped Kang-Woo. The purple condensed sword energies flying at him disappeared in a sh.

    "... What?"

    The sword energies had vanished as if they had been vaporized. No, that was not the right word to describe it. Moab looked in shock at the mes akin to a ck sun. If he saw it correctly¡­

    <em>¡¯They were¡­ eaten?¡¯</em>

    His attacks had most certainly been eaten by those raging mes.

    "Urgh!" Moab quickly jumped backward as a chill ran down his back.

    Kang-Woo chased after him and aimed for his nk again.

    "No, you don¡¯t!" Moab swung his urumi to blow back Del Lain again.

    Just then, Kang-Woo smiled unpleasantly as he let go of Del Lain without hesitation.

    "...!" Moab¡¯s eyes widened.

    He instinctively scrunched up after realizing that the attack had been a feint, but Kang-Woo ced his hand on Moab¡¯s sr plexus before he could.

    "Chaos, Burst."

    <em>Booooom¡ª!!</em>

    A colossal explosion engulfed Moab.

    "Kurgh!"

    Moab was blown back as he coughed up blood, but Kang-Woo grabbed him by the ankle.

    "You will never be able to imagine¡­!" Kang-Woo shouted as he infused his voice with boiling rage. "For how long I¡ª no, we have waited to take our revenge!"

    "<em>Cough!</em> What revenge¡­ are you talking ab¡ª"

    "We will no longer take it lying down!"

    Kang-Woo red ferociously at Moab. He turned to his party members watching the battle.

    <em>¡¯If only¡­¡¯</em>

    He imagined how happy he would have been to see Alec, Reynald, and Ludwig among them. Just imagining it brought him to tears.

    <em>¡¯No, no!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo quickly shook his head. It was not the time to be crying. The tears could wait until he had taken revenge for his precious fallenrades.

    "This is¡­!"

    <em>Bang!</em>

    Kang-Woo stomped his feet with Moab¡¯s ankle still in hand.

    "For Alec, more righteous than anyone!"

    "Kurgh!"

    Kang-Woo smashed Moab down on the ground by the ankle. A god possessing Deific Essence would not take any damage just from being smashed into the ground, so Kang-Woo made a bed of spikes on the ground with the Key of the Demonic Sea.

    "Gaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Moab screamed as the spikes pierced him.

    "And this is¡­!" Kang-Woo raised his leg and kicked Moab in the face like a ser ball. "For Reynald, more courageous than anyone!"

    Moab tumbled on the ground without even being able to scream after being kicked right in the face. His vision blurred and horrible pain spread throughout his body.

    "A-Arghh."

    Moab stood up and grabbed his face. Any other being would have died after receiving such attacks, but his powerful Divinity was healing him at incredible speed.

    "Andstly, this is¡­!"

    "W-Wait!" yelled Moab in pallor after hearing Kang-Woo¡¯s voice.

    However, Kang-Woopletely ignored his desperate pleas. He jumped as he was running at Moab and raised his arms over his head with his fingers sped. He then swung his hands down on Moab¡¯s head like a hammer.

    "For Ludwig, who loved the light more than anyone!"

    <em>Bash¡ª!!</em><blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    OK this is actually starting to get a little cringe LMAO</blockquote>

 Chapter 424: Demonic Sword Ingrium

    Chapter 424: Demonic Sword Ingrium

    "Kurgh!"

    Moab¡¯s skull caved in after Oh Kang-Woo smashed his fist down on his head. Moab screamed in pain as he grabbed his head. The sticky fluid covering his skin sttered all over the ce.

    "<em>Huff, huff,</em>" Kang-Woo panted heavily.

    He was trembling all over after unleashing all the emotions he had been suppressing this entire time.

    "Hyung-nim¡­" Kim Si-Hun walked up to the heavily panting Kang-Woo and stared at him with aplicated expression. "So you¡¯ve been keeping it in all this time."

    "... I¡¯m sorry for fighting by myself, Si-Hun."

    Only then did Kang-Woo realize that he had rampaged by himself, blinded by his fury. Si-Hun was probably holding back more emotions than him.

    "Not at all." Si-Hun shook his head. He continued in dejection, "I know very well¡­ that I won¡¯t be of help to you with my current strength."

    He had be confident in his skills after mastering Formless Sword and grasping the principle of Mind¡¯s Sword.<em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    Getting blown away just from blocking the enemy¡¯s attack, which did not even have the enemy¡¯s full power behind it, made Si-Hun realize that his confidence had been conceit.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s¡­ still not enough. Nowhere near enough. I have to get stronger. Only then will I¡­¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun looked up and saw Kang-Woo. He was ovepping with the heroes brutally murdered by demons. Si-Hun clenched his fists.

    <em>¡¯I won¡¯t let hyung die, at the very least. I¡¯ll protect him at any cost.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun embedded the pledge deep within his heart.

    [Savior¡­] Elune approached Kang-Woo and sorrowfully wiped the tears flowing down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks. [I see that even a person as great as you¡­ holds great sadness within your heart.]

    Her eyes were filled withpassion, sympathy, and trust for Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯Good,¡¯</em> Kang-Woo thought as the corners of his mouth slightly rose.

    Not only had he neutralized Moab, but he had also earned Elune¡¯s trust. His earnings were massive despite this being an unexpected situation.

    <em>¡¯What a fucking mess.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had never expected the Four Heavenly Kings to exist.

    <em>¡¯Fucking hell. What should I do about the other three?¡¯</em>

    Moab had referred to himself as the Fourth Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings. In other words, there was a First, Second, and Third Heaven.

    <em>¡¯Everyone is thinking Moab is the final Heavenly King.¡¯</em>

    Lucifer remained, but since his appearance had already been revealed to the whole world, the appearance of a new Heavenly King would cause extreme confusion.

    <em>¡¯Goddammit.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mind was a mess. He sighed.

    <em>¡¯Just focus on the task at hand.¡¯</em>

    It was not the time to bother with the other Heavenly Kings that haven¡¯t even shown themselves yet. Restoring the World Tree and having Elune find the Demon God¡¯s corpse was of higher priority.

    "U-Urghh," Han Seol-Ah groaned as she stared at Elune, anxiously biting her lip.

    <em>¡¯Huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression froze. An uneasy feeling ran down his back. He looked down at himself and saw that Elune was embracing him as if consoling him.

    <em>¡¯Darling, no!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s face turned pale as he imagined the worst-case scenario.

    "Kang-Woo¡­" Seol-Ah walked toward him with dead eyes.

    Just then, someone grabbed her shoulder.

    "... Lilith?" Seol-Ah called.

    "Shh." Lilith ced her index finger on her lips and winked.

    Seol-Ah expressed reluctance for a moment and then nodded lifelessly.

    <em>¡¯Nice!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled thanks to Lilith¡¯s perfect intervention. Lilith was far more proficient in controlling Seol-Ah than him in some ways. Even while Seol-Ah was on the verge of losing her sense of reason due to angelic instinct, she always listened to Lilith.

    <em>¡¯And¡­¡¯</em>

    Although Seol-Ahcked control over her instincts, she was not bad enough for Kang-Woo to consider her a troll. Her obsession was to be with Kang-Woo; the stronger that obsession was, the stronger her emotion to not be hated by Kang-Woo got as well. She would never do something that would bring Kang-Woo harm.

    <em>¡¯Darling seems to have calmed down.¡¯</em>

    It was time to pull out the ck thorn embedded in the World Tree now. Just as Kang-Woo was about to separate from Elune¡­

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    [Kyaaah!]

    "Lady Elune!"

    The roots of the World Tree shook greatly. Elune scrunched up and screamed in pain. ck light was pouring out of the roots.

    <em>¡¯What the hell is this?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned as he supported Elune.

    "Kurgh, argh." Moab flinched on the ground with his skull bashed in. The ck light pouring out of the World Tree¡¯s roots flowed into him. "<em>Hissssssss!</em>"

    Moab¡¯s head began to rapidly regenerate. The ck light that had poured into him shot toward the surroundings.

    "My king!"

    "Hyung-nim!"

    Both Balrog and Si-Hun stood in front of Kang-Woo to protect him. Balrog put on his Overlord Armor to block the light, and Si-Hun used his sword to deflect the light.

    <em>Wham! Crack!</em>

    The ray of ck light destroyed one of the World Tree¡¯s roots.

    "Hyung-nim, this is¡­"

    "Take care of Lady Elune for me," Kang-Woo said as he left the panting Elune to Si-Hun.

    He smiled as he stared at the staggering Moab slowly standing up.

    <em>¡¯Alright, you have a phase 2, do you?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had almost been disappointed that a battle against one of the guardian deities of a satellite world ended so anticlimactic. Kang-Woo walked up to Moab as he licked his lips.

    "Kurghhh. You¡­ bastard." Moab red at Kang-Woo as he touched his head, which had caved in after Kang-Woo¡¯s punch. He muttered furiously, "I won¡¯t¡­ forgive¡­ you."

    Kang-Woo looked back at Elune, who was looking at them, and clenched his fists.

    "You¡¯re not done yet¡­ is it?" Kang-Woo dragged his foot in annoyance. He said in a low tone, "I already expected this to happen. It was like this with the other Heavenly Kings. Satan and Rakiel¡­ didn¡¯t die so easily either."

    He was already used to it; neither Satan nor Rakiel allowed themselves to die without using the cowardly trump card up their sleeves.

    "For thest fucking time, I don¡¯t fucking know those goddamn people!!!" Moab yelled in desperation.

    Kang-Woo frowned. "Hah, I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t get tired of that shit. Are you still ying dumb?"

    "Ah¡­" Moab grabbed the back of his neck as he staggered. "I see¡­ You¡¯ll act like that to the very end, is it?" Moab red at Kang-Woo in bloodlust as if he had given up on exining himself. "Let us see if you can keep saying that after you die."

    Moab threw his urumi down on the ground.

    "...?" Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he looked at Moab throwing away his weapon.

    Moab smiled. "Your pointless show ends here."

    He took a deep breath and straightened his back. He acknowledged his blunder.

    <em>¡¯The human is powerful.¡¯</em>

    The fact that Moab had gotten agitated due to the humans¡¯ absurd bullshit was part of it, but that was not enough to exin his loss. The human in front of Moab was abnormally powerful to the point that he would not be able to beat him with his own strength.

    <em>¡¯In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    Moab¡¯s eyes shone as he looked at the ck light pouring out of the World Tree. The tree was no longer resisting, meaning that it had been fully corrupted. Moab smiled.

    <em>¡¯At least the n has seeded.¡¯</em>

    The primary part of their ultimate n had seeded; with this, his master had likely gotten his hands on what he wanted.

    <em>¡¯Now¡­¡¯</em>

    Moab smiled as he recalled his conversation with his master.

    <em>"What to do with the thorn once the World Tree has been corrupted?"</em> Moab¡¯s master waved his hand in disinterest and continued, <em>"You can have it."</em>

    <em>"A-are you sure?"</em>

    <em>"Yeah, yeah. You should rece that flimsy sword. It looks like it¡¯d break from the slightest touch."</em>

    Moab¡¯s master cackled. Although he was acting like it was no big deal, Moab knew better than anyone how immense the power within the thorn was.

    "<em>Hissssss.</em>" Moab flicked his tongue and snickered. "Human, do you know what material the high elves use when they create holy swords?"

    "... What?"

    Kang-Woo frowned due to the unexpected question. Why was Moab asking a question like that all of a sudden?

    "<em>Hiss,</em> Elune, I¡¯m sure you know the answer."

    [D-don¡¯t tell me you¡­] Elune stared at Moab with wide shaking eyes.

    Moab continued as he cackled, "High elves use a branch of the World Tree when creating holy swords. A very, very small amount, at that." Moab curled his fingers to make a small circle and smiled. "In that case, what do you think the material would be for a demonic sword?"

    [M-Moab! What are you trying to do?!] Elune hurriedly shouted.

    Moab burst into crazedughter. "Kehehe! I corrupted the World Tree, so how wasteful would it be to not use its branch?"

    He extended his arm toward the World Tree pouring ck light. The ck thorn embedded in its root was slowly pulled out. It was exuding suffocating energy after absorbing as much of the impure energy of the corrupted World Tree as it could.

    [N-no¡­]

    Elune trembled in pallor. The ck thorn had turned into a branch of the World Tree after absorbing the energy of the corrupted World Tree. Just imagining the power of a demonic sword created with a branch of the World Tree, one exuding far more energy than what regr branches contained no less, was terrifying in and of itself.

    [S-savior! We have to stop Moab!]

    "Understood." Kang-Woo nodded.

    He had no idea what Moab was trying to do, but he at least knew that he shouldn¡¯t let Moab do as he wished.

    "Stop, Moab!" shouted Kang-Woo as radiant splendor poured out of him.

    "<em>Hiss!</em>" Moab spread out his arms. "It¡¯s toote! Come! Demonic sword of the World Tree, Ingrium!"

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Immense energy poured out from the ck thorn. The thorn containing the energy of the corrupted World Tree began to turn into a greatsword almost two meters long and floated in the air.

    "The demonic sword will guide you all toward damnation¡ª Huh?"

    Demonic Sword Ingrium slowly flew in Kang-Woo¡¯s direction.

    <em>¡¯Wait, huh?¡¯</em>

    <em>Fwoom.</em>

    <em>¡¯Don¡¯te here.¡¯</em>

    <em>Fwoom.</em>

    <em>¡¯Don¡¯t fuckinge this way, motherfucker.¡¯</em>

    <em>Fwoom.</em>

    <em>¡¯Please fuck off.¡¯</em>

    Riiing.

    [Demonic Sword Ingrium has recognized you as its master!]

    [You have been chosen by Ingrium!]

    [You have obtained the title ¡¯Ruler of Demonic Swords¡¯!]

    <em>¡¯Fucking hell.¡¯</em>

    <em>Fwoom.</em>

    <em>¡¯What the fuck is this thing? Why is iting to me?¡¯</em>

 Chapter 425: Itâ€™s Calling Me

    Chapter 425: It¡¯s Calling Me

    "H-Huh?"

    Oh Kang-Woo was not the only surprised one; Moab looked dumbfoundedly back and forth between the demonic sword and Kang-Woo.

    "Wh-What? What is happening?" Moab said to himself.

    Demonic Sword Ingrium had been attracted to someone else, the God of Splendor, no less.

    <em>¡¯I was told that Ingrium would be drawn to the greatest demonic being.¡¯</em>

    Moab was the only demonic being here.

    <em>¡¯Has something gone wrong?¡¯</em>

    He wondered if he had made some sort of mistake during the creation process of Ingrium, but he could not think of anything. He had embedded into the World Tree the <em>Tooth of Predation</em>, an item his master gave, capable of entangling the energy within the World Tree.

    He then turned the Tooth of Predation that had absorbed the energy of the corrupted World Tree into a branch of the corrupted World Tree, granted it a name, and added an ego of a demonic sword into it. Everything had gone exactly to n.<em>¡¯But why¡­¡¯</em>

    Why was the demonic sword heading to the God of Splendor instead?

    "Urgh!"

    Moab ran toward the demonic sword flying to Kang-Woo and forcibly grasped it. Seeing that, Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone as he clenched his fists.

    <em>¡¯Alright! Nice going, snake-head! Yeah, just take it! I don¡¯t need it, so just take it and fuck off.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo cheered for Moab desperately.

    "Kurgh! Your master¡­ is¡­ me!!" Moab shouted with a frown as he gripped Ingrium¡¯s handle tightly.

    Kang-Woo created tiny neon sticks in secret and waved them.

    <em>¡¯Do it! Do it! Do your best, Moab oppa!! Please get that crazy sword away from me! Do your best, Moab opp¡ª¡¯</em>

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!!</em>

    "K-kurgh¡ª! N-no! I-I am your master!"

    <em>¡¯You fucking dipshit!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s face turned pale. Immense energy poured from the demonic sword¡¯s handle and tore Moab¡¯s hands apart. Moab stepped back as he screamed, his hands having be like bloody rags.

    <em>Fwoom.</em>

    Ingrioum began to fly toward Kang-Woo again after pushing Moab away.

    [Lord¡­ Kang-Woo? C-could that sword be flying toward you?]

    "Why is a demonic sword heading to hyung-nim¡­?"

    Elune and Kim Si-Hun stared at Kang-Woo iprehensibly. It was not just the two of them; the citizens of the empire who had not managed to evacuate yet mumbled in confusion.

    "Wh-what¡¯s going on?"

    "Is that sword flying at the God of Splendor?"

    "Th-the God of Splendor is in danger!"

    "N-no. Take a closer look. That¡¯s¡­"

    "Doesn¡¯t the demonic sword look like it¡¯s being drawn to the God of Splendor?"

    It was flying so slowly that it looked nothing like an attack. The mumbles grewrger. Cold sweats trickled down Kang-Woo¡¯s back.

    <em>¡¯Holy fuck. What do I do? What the fuck is going on?¡¯</em>

    He did not find it a disaster when the demonic sword was made, but something absurd urred. He recalled his battle against Tai Wuji.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s simr to back then.¡¯</em>

    The Demon God¡¯s legacypleted by Tai Wuji had flown to Kang-Woo instead.

    <em>¡¯The problem is¡­¡¯</em>

    He was alone at the time, but far too many people were watching right now. Kang-Woo could not afford to devour thevish feast in front of him at the moment. He stared at the demonic sword pouring out immense demonic energy.

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t need you, so please fuck off.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was drooling from the immense power within the demonic sword, but he did not want it to the point that he would risk his true identity being discovered.

    "Wh-what the hell have you done?!" Moab fiercely bared his teeth at Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯I wanna know just as much as you, man.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the demonic sword flying his way as he bit his lip anxiously and racked his brain about what to do.

    <em>¡¯iming it to be Moab¡¯s scheme is a bit of a stretch.¡¯</em>

    Moab was acting far too unsightly for Kang-Woo to frame it on him. How could he possibly im such a thing when Moab was flicked away by the sword like a man kicked away by his leaving lover after grabbing onto her clothes?

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s not that believable to say that the demonic sword ising to attack me either.¡¯</em>

    The demonic sword was flying so gently toward him that it did not feel menacing in the slightest; it was like a dog greeting its owner.

    <em>¡¯In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone sharply as a thought popped up in his head.

    "This is¡­" he expressed confusion as he stared at the demonic sword flying his way.

    [Lord Kang-Woo, wh-what is going on?] Elune asked.

    However, Kang-Woo ignored her and walked toward the demonic sword.

    He mumbled as he stared fixedly at it, "What? I can¡¯t hear you very well. Can you speak a little lou¡ª oh."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression hardened.

    "What¡¯s wrong, hyung-nim?" Si-Hun asked.

    "What¡¯s wrong with you? What can¡¯t you hear well?" Cha Yeon-Joo asked in wonder.

    "... What?" Kang-Woo flinched and turned to Si-Hun and Yeon-Joo in surprise. "You can¡¯t hear this voice?"

    "Voice¡­ you say?"

    "What voice?"

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists and looked back at the demonic sword. "... It¡¯s crying. It keeps talking in a sad voice."

    "What? I can¡¯t hear anything¡­" Yeon-Joo remarked.

    "No, I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s screaming desperately to help it and to get it out of here!"

    "Have your ears gone bad? None of us can hear anything¡­" Yeon-Joo frowned.

    [A-Aaaahh!] Elune¡¯s eyes widened as if she had realized something. She trembled in disbelief and continued, [L-Lord Kang-Woo, did you perhaps¡­ hear the voice of the World Tree? How could you directly hear the voice of the World Tree¡­?!]

    It was impossible even for a high elf to hear the voice of the World Tree.

    [Aaaahh, savior.]

    Elune modestly kneeled and brought her hands together. Hearing the voice of the World Tree was a miracle impossible to experience unless one was a savior.

    She said desperately with tears running down her cheeks, [Please¡­ shine your light down on us trapped within the endless darkness.]

    Kang-Woo looked down at her and then slowly walked toward the demonic sword.

    "H-hyung-nim! It¡¯s dangerous!"

    Si-Hun stood between him and the sword. Kang-Woo put his hand on Si-Hun; ¡¯s shoulder and shook his head.

    "No, it¡¯s not dangerous."

    "Hyung-nim¡­?"

    "It¡¯s calling me." Kang-Woo stared at Ingrium with shaking eyes. "It¡¯s telling me¡­ to save it."

    The single strand of ego left of the World Tree, which had been corrupted, was calling Kang-Woo desperately.

    "..."

    <em>¡¯Save me. Save me. Save me. Take me out of this darkness. Take me out of this despair. Take me out of this nightmare."</em>

    "A-arghh." Kang-Woo crouched as he covered his ears and he twisted and turned in pain.

    "K-Kang-Woo!" Han Seol-Ah ran to him in pallor.

    "Stay away" Kang-Woo extended his hand toward her to stop her and stood up as he bit his lip. "I have to¡­ do this on my own."

    No one but him would be able to do it.

    "Fuuu."

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath and staggered toward the demonic sword.

    "Bastaaaaard! What are you trying to do?"

    Moab charged at Kang-Woo anxiously, but a brown-haired young man got in his way.

    "Do not interfere with the king."

    <em>Ker-thunk.</em>

    The sound of cogwheels engaging rang out. A ck full-te armor enveloped Balrog and he swung his fist hard at Moab.

    <em>Wham!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    Moab was blown back by a massive impact. It was nowhere near enough force to push him back if he had been in his usual state, but it was difficult to endure after his power had weakened after his battle against Kang-Woo.

    Moab gritted his teeth and ran forward again, but¡­

    "Stay away from hyung."

    "We¡¯ll keep him away, Kang-Woo."

    Si-Hun and La joined the battle.

    Moab frowned aggressively. "You dare¡­"

    <em>Hissssss</em>. A menacing sound left Moab¡¯s mouth.

    <em>Boom¡ª!</em>

    The battle between Moab and Kang-Woo¡¯s party members began.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo turned away from his party members again and walked toward the sword. He arrived right in front of it and grabbed Ingrium by the hilt.

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!!</em>

    Immense power filled him as suffocating demonic energy poured out of the sword and swept everything around it.

    "Kurgh, a-arghh." Kang-Woo scrunched up as he held the sword.

    Blood vessels popped out from the arm grabbing the sword and he coughed up blood.

    [S-savior!] Elune shouted as Kang-Woo was being corrupted by the demonic sword.

    "Kurgh, hurgh!" Kang-Woo gripped the sword harder as he panted heavily. "I¡¯ll¡­ save¡­ you from¡­ the darkness¡­"

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!</em>

    Radiant light poured out.

    Riiing.

    [A contract with Demonic Sword Ingrium has been established.]

    [You have acquired full control over the demonic energy of Demonic Sword Ingrium.]

    [Updating the Trait ¡¯Ruler of Demonic Energy.¡¯]

    The demonic energy pouring out of Demonic Sword Ingrium began to be dyed in white. Radiant splendor spread throughout the surroundings like a wave of light.

    [A-aaaahh. O light¡­]

    Elune burst into tears as she watched the demonic sword turn into a holy sword. Chills ran down her back.

    "Haaa, haaa." Kang-Woo held the demonic¡ª no, holy sword zing in radiant light.

    He ran toward Moab, whom his party members were keeping in check.

    "U-urghh!"

    Moab quickly tried to dodge the sword, but Kang-Woo pierced his heart faster.

    "Kurgh!" Moab coughed up purple blood after getting stabbed by Ingrium. "<em>C-cough</em>¡­? Wh-what the¡­?"

    Moab¡¯s eyes widened. He had surely witnessed a miracle of the demonic sword being converted to a holy sword, but¡­

    <em>¡¯This is just a demonic sword!¡¯</em>

    It was enveloped in golden light, but it was still exuding demonic energy like it was before. Its appearance had changed a little, but its contents not at all.

    "What¡­ in the world¡­"

    Moab looked up in iprehension at the God of Splendor, who was staring right at him with his sword embedded in Moab¡¯s heart. The God of Splendor was smirking nastily with his back to his party members.

    "Y-you¡­ don¡¯t tell me¡­" Moab¡¯s eyes widened as he imagined something that should never have happened. "You bastard¡­"

    He coughed up purple blood again; he could tell that he did not have much time left.

    "Cough! Cough! Do not rest easy¡­ just because you defeated me." Moab fell to his knees and continued resentfully, "I am but¡­ the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings¡­"

    "The hell are you talking about?" Kang-Woo frowned in confusion. "I know that Satan was the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings."

    "You motherf¡­"

    <em>Thud</em>. Moab copsed to the floor. He said as he lost hold of himself, "Like I said¡­ Who the hell¡­ is¡­ Satan¡­?"

    With that, Moab took hisst breath.

 Chapter 426: Thereâ€™s No Reason To Be Scared Of Darling

    Chapter 426: There¡¯s No Reason To Be Scared Of Darling

    ¡°Hm, hmm~ Hm, hm, hm.¡±

    A boy was humming joyfully atop a hill covered in dry sand red as if it were dyed in blood. He was sitting on a giant rock and was innocently swinging his legs.

    <em>Step, tap, step, tap.</em>

    Someone slowly walked toward the boy with the sound of a staff hitting the ground between the steps.

    The boy asked without looking back, ¡°Is that you, Amon?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lord Bael.¡± The hunchback demon wearing an old robe bowed deeply. ¡°The World Tree has been sessfully corrupted.¡±

    ¡°Good work.¡± The boy smiled brightly and nodded.

    Amon rubbed his staff on the ground and remarked, ¡°However, it is not a permanent corruption. Your tooth has been removed, so the World Tree will be restored to its original state soon.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Bael lightly shook his head as if he didn¡¯t care. ¡°I already got what I wanted.¡±

    Bael looked up into the sky and smiled widely.

    The corners of Amon¡¯s wrinkly mouth rose. ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°May I assume that means you will be departing right away?¡±

    ¡°Mmm~ about that,¡± Bael leaned back to look at Amon. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of seeing someone before I go.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Lucifer.¡± Bael licked his lips and cackled. ¡°Ahhh, I haven¡¯t seen Lucifer in so long either. I wonder if he¡¯s doing well?¡±

    ¡°I am sure that Lord Lucifer misses you as well.¡±

    ¡°Hihi! You think so too, right?¡±

    Bael pped his hands together with a bright smile.

    Amon ced his hand on the top of his staff and asked, ¡°But¡­ Are you sure this is fine?¡±

    ¡°Hm? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Ingrium has fallen to the Demon King¡¯s hands.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ohhhh! That?¡± Bael smiled and continued, ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, I let Moab have it so I could give the demonic sword to the Demon King.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Amon remained silent as he looked down at the leisurely Bael. He could see an endless abyss in the innocent-looking boy.

    ¡°Hihihi,¡± Bael giggled as he shook his legs. He then stretched andid down on the ground with his arms and legs spread out widely. ¡°Nghhh~! Ah, I can¡¯t wait.¡±

    Bael looked up at the sky and mumbled, ¡°I can¡¯t wait, I can¡¯t wait, I can¡¯t wait, I can¡¯t wait, I can¡¯t wait, I can¡¯t wait, I can¡¯t wait, I can¡¯t wait.¡±

    The corners of his mouth ripped open to his earlobes and revealed sharp teeth of a beast. He licked his lips with his long tongue and saliva drooled down to his chin.

    ¡°I wanna eat¡­¡± Bael jumped up and down restlessly. ¡°I wanna eat, I wanna eat, I wanna eat, I wanna eat, I wanna eat!!!¡±

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    Bael extended his arm and pulled out the Second Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings.

    ¡°L-Lord Bael?¡± Peleshet, the master of the Second Heaven, twisted anxiously as Bael grabbed him by the neck.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ hungry.¡±

    The crazed eyes of a starved beast red at Peleshet.

    ¡°E-eek¡­!¡±

    Baek¡¯s mouth split open as wide as how snakes devoured their prey.

    Crunch!

    Peleshet¡¯s head vanished into Bael¡¯s mouth. It was horrendous to see a boy greedily chewing on a head farrger than himself.

    ¡°<em>Munch, munch.</em>¡± Bael swallowed Peleshet¡¯s head and began to hum again. ¡°Hmm~ hm, hm, hm~¡±

    The bright and innocent sound of humming echoed throughout thend of the Nine Hells.

    ***

    ¡°O light¡­¡±

    ¡°Believe in the light!¡±

    ¡°Ohmen! Ohmen!¡±[1]

    A week passed since the attack of the World Tree on the capital and Moab was killed by Kang-Woo. The Church of Splendor had been growing explosively even before this incident, but it had picked up even more speed.

    Of course, the rapid expansion was majorly thanks to Lilith, who had spread the news throughout the continent that the God of Splendor saved the capital from the corrupted World Tree. She even used the immense wealth stored at the Church of Splendor¡¯s base to restore the capital with the help of the devotees.

    Not only did the God of Splendor save the capital from the Corrupted World Tree, but the Church of Splendor was even providing the funds and manpower to restore the continent; it was only natural that the church¡¯s influence would rise. The nobles that had managed to survive Iris¡¯s purge of corrupt nobles also used this chance to donaterge sums of money to the Church of Splendor to improve public opinion.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Oh Kang-Woo sighed as he looked down at the horde of people restoring the capital. ¡°What the fuck is with the <em>Ohmen¡­</em>?¡±

    He frowned as he heard the chant that the Church of Splendor¡¯s devotees had recentlye up with. He could not get used to it no matter how many times he heard it.

    <em>¡®That aside¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned as he tapped on his chest. The Ten Thousand Demon Core contained the corpse of Moab that he had eaten with the Authority of Predation.

    <em>¡®Eating him didn¡¯t give me all that much.¡¯</em>

    It might be because Moab used a form of energy different from what Kang-Woo used, or because Kang-Woo had just be too powerful. Regardless, Kang-Woo did not gain much after the digestion wasplete despite having his hopes up since Moab was a god of a satellite world.

    <em>¡®In any case¡­¡¯</em>

    He had gained barely anything from Moab, but he had gained something. Kang-Woo slightly turned his head to the table to look at the sword with faint light pouring out through the sheath.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    The sword flew to his hand the moment Kang-Woo extended his arm toward it.

    <em>¡®Demonic Sword Ingrium, was it?¡¯</em>

    It was a powerful weapon made with a branch of the corrupted World Tree.

    <em>¡®It doesn¡¯t feel like it should be that much of a big deal.¡¯</em>

    The power within the sword was not weak in the slightest; it was undeniable that Holy Sword Ludwig could not even bepared to Ingrium.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    It did not contain power that could destroy the entire world or to the point that Kang-Woo was unable to control it.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s just a little better than a sword made with the Key of the Demonic Sea.¡¯</em>

    Considering the Key of the Demonic Sea was a Transcendent-grade weapon, the fact that it was stronger was honestly extraordinary.

    ¡°Tsk¡­ Am I being too greedy?¡±

    The fundamental reason was likely Kang-Woo¡¯s growth; he had be so strong that his weapon¡¯s capabilities were pointless.

    <em>¡®Well, at least the amount of demonic energy I can use without opening the Doors rose.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s demonic energy was not infinite unless he opened the Doors. To be more exact, it was infinite, but it just took time to replenish it through the Ten Thousand Demon Core. If he had to make aparison, his state without opening the Doors is like a phone unplugged from a charger.

    <em>¡®Following that analogy, this thing is like a power bank.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was able to store demonic energy in Ingrium, so it was extremely useful when he did not have the Doors open. Not only that, it could store an immense amount of demonic energy.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve liked to have given it to Si-Hun instead,¡± Kang-Woo mumbled as he twirled Ingrium around.

    No matter how he thought about it, the weapon was more suited for Si-Hun than him since Si-Hun far surpassed him in the way of the sword.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t give it to him though since it¡¯s already imprinted to me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Ingrium in disappointment. Just then, someone knocked on the door.

    Kang-Woo turned to the door. ¡°Come in.¡±

    A blonde woman in a dress carefully opened the door and entered. It was Iris.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    Elune had left Iris¡¯s body to revive the World Tree after Moab¡¯s death. Iris had fallen into a panic after finding out that she had been asleep for two months.

    ¡°O-oh, I¡¯m feeling much better now, Sir Kang-Woo.¡± Iris carefully nodded and walked up to Kang-Woo. She looked around, searching for someone. ¡°Umm¡­ Is Seol-Ah here?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Darling left a little earlier.¡±

    ¡°Phew.¡±

    Iris sighed in relief and cautiously sat next to Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo asked, ¡°Have you been contacted by Lady Elune at all?¡±

    ¡°That happens to be why I¡¯vee to see you today.¡± Iris clenched her dress and lowered her head. ¡°Lady Elune said that¡­ she would borrow my body to manifest again soon.¡±

    She was trembling, her eyes filled with fear. It was natural to be restless since a goddess would be borrowing her body to manifest.

    ¡°Are you scared?¡± Kang-Woo asked and smirked.

    Iris lowered her head and tapped on the floor with the ends of her heels. She mumbled as she wept, ¡°... Yes, I¡¯m scared.¡±

    Kang-Woo patted Iris¡¯s head. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re scared, think back to that time.¡±

    Iris recalled a memory filled with blood. Kang-Woo put his hand over her trembling hand.

    ¡°You can beat your fears. You can kill and ovee them. You¡¯ve proven that yourself.¡±

    Hearing Kang-Woo¡¯s clear voice calmed Iris down for some reason. Her hands stopped trembling.

    She smiled. ¡°Thank you very much, Sir Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Right then, I¡¯ll call my party members.¡±

    It would be better for everyone to hear Elune¡¯s words than just himself. Kang-Woo stood up.

    ¡°S-Sir Kang-Woo!¡± Iris quickly grabbed his clothes.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ ummm¡­ S-Seol-Ah is a bit¡­¡±

    Iris trembled in fear once again; she looked even more terrified than when Elune said that she would manifest by borrowing Iris¡¯s body.

    <em>¡®What? What¡¯s so wrong about my darling? She¡¯s kinder and more gentle than anyone.¡¯</em>

    There were indeed times when she lost control, but that was only because she did not have full control over her angelic instincts. She was usually very kind to everyone.

    <em>¡®Yup, yup. My darling is the literal epitome of an angel!¡¯</em>

    That was not an understatement since her body was now closer to that of an angel.

    Kang-Woo sternly said, ¡°Iris. I know what my darling did to you, but I think your attitude is a bit much.¡±

    ¡°S-Sir Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    ¡°People would think my darling is a monster or something if they didn¡¯t know any better.¡±

    ¡°I apologize.¡± Iris lowered her head in dejection.

    ¡°Listen carefully, Iris. My darling is more beautiful, kinder, and more gentle than anyone el¡ª¡±

    <em>ck. </em>Han Seol-Ah entered the room.

    ¡°Oh, Kang-Woo. I see you were with Iris.¡±

    <em>Rip! Smash!</em>

    Kang-Woo tore his clothes that Iris was gripping without hesitation and rolled backward to widen the distance from her. He rolled back so quickly that a chair and desk in his path split in two.

    ¡°Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Hi, darling.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled brightly and embraced Seol-Ah. He kissed her cheek and turned his head toward Iris.

    ¡°Anyway, do you see it now? There¡¯s no reason at all for you to be scared of or avoid darling. Understood.¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s hands around Seol-Ah¡¯s waist were trembling. Seeing that, Iris nodded reluctantly.

    ¡°I understand,¡± she answered lifelessly.

    1. Koreans tend to change the first word of <em>Amen </em>(??) to a word that represents someone and chant that to praise them like gods. ?

 Chapter 427: World Treeâ€™s Prophecy

    Chapter 427: World Tree¡¯s Prophecy

    The party members stared anxiously at the white light flowing out from Iris.

    [Savior.]

    Soon after, Iris¡¯s consciousness faded and Elune took its ce. Elune slowly turned to Kang-Woo, her expression filled with trust and expectation.

    ¡°How is the World tree?¡± Kang-Woo asked cautiously.

    The World Tree was the only way for them to find the Demon God¡¯s heart. Their n would be irreparable if the Word Tree were not revived.

    [It has yet to regain its full strength, but it is getting better,] Elune answered with a faint smile.

    The party members expressed relief.

    ¡°In that case¡­¡±

    [Yes.] Elune nodded. [I can locate the Demon God¡¯s heart.]¡°Phew,¡± Cha Yeon-Joo sighed in relief.

    ¡°What a relief,¡± La remarked as she looked at Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo asked in a low tone, ¡°Where is the Demon God¡¯s heart?¡±

    [Please give me a moment.]

    Elune closed her eyes and brought her hands together. Bright green light particles floated around her; an inexplicably warm andfortable energy filled the room.

    [O great Titan Yggdrasil,] Elune prayed, her voice echoing. The green light filling the room shone even more brightly as she prayed. [Light up the path of the Savior.]

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!</em>

    The light particles around Elune swirled aggressively. Kang-Woo squinted due to the blinding light. Just then¡­

    [Ah.] Elune¡¯s eyes widened and she trembled in pallor. [A-Aaaahh.]

    <em>¡®What with her all of a sudden?¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo frowned as he stared at the pale-faced Elune. <em>¡®Is it because of me again?¡¯</em>

    Elune looked exactly like when she had foreseen Kang-Woo and Kim Si-Hun¡¯s futures. Kang-Woo frowned, thinking that it was because of him again.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± he asked.

    [P-prophecy¡­]

    ¡°Prophecy?¡±

    [I have received¡­ a new prophecy,] Elune stammered as she looked up nkly at thin air.

    ¡°What prophecy?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    Silence fell. The light disappeared from Elune¡¯s eyes like a machine that lost power. She then began to speak, [The ck sun will burn the sky, and the Triad will meet its end on the day that the Demonic Sea floods.]

    Kang-Woo sighed as if he had expected it after hearing Elune¡¯s prophecy.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s fucking me again.¡¯</em>

    He had no idea what the ck sun was, but he was sure that the flooding of the Demonic Sea was referring to himself. He bit his lip as if he was tired of it now.

    <em>¡®What the fuck? I don¡¯t give a flying fuck about ending worlds. Just leave me the fuck alone. Why is everyone trying so hard to kill me?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo grabbed the back of his head but the rage-induced headache onlysted for a moment. He took a deep breath and calmed down.

    <em>¡®I doubt it¡¯s a baseless prophecy.¡¯</em>

    If that was the case, Elune would not be so panicked. There were likely differences in terms of specific details, but it would most likely ur in the future.

    <em>¡®What is gonna happen?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no clue. The prophecy was so vague that he did not even know the general time frame of the foretold event. Hecked far too much information to guess what the prophecy was warning them about.

    ¡°What the hell does that even mean?¡± Yeon-Joo asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

    [I am not sure either.] Elune shook her head with a hardened expression. [But¡­ I am sure that the Triad will be in grave danger soon.]

    Deathly silence fell.

    Si-Hun lowered his head with a darkened expression and said, ¡°Even after all that we¡¯ve done¡­ Nothing has changed?¡±

    They had killed one of the Four Heavenly Kings and revived the World Tree, but the future did not change at all.

    ¡°We already expected this, didn¡¯t we?¡± Kang-Wooughed brightly to uplift the somber mood.

    He could not tell exactly what the prophecy was trying to say, but he did not need to worry as long as the prophecy was directed at him.

    <em>¡®Why the hell would I end the world?¡¯</em>

    There were so many things that he had not been able to do yet. He would be crazy to end the world when he was trying to enjoy his life after suffering in Hell for ten millennia.

    <em>¡®Moreover¡­¡¯</em>

    This was not the time to focus on a pointless prophecy.

    ¡°Where is the Demon God¡¯s heart located?¡± he asked.

    [Oh, I-I apologize. I forgot the most important part,] Elune continued with a reddened face, [The Demon God¡¯s heart is¡­]

    She closed her eyes and light particles poured out from her again. She slowly opened her eyes and looked in a certain direction.

    [May I borrow a map?]

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Kang-Woo took out a map as if having expected this situation. Elune pointed at a certain area on the map.

    ¡°Huh? This ce¡­¡± Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened after seeing the area that Elune pointed at on the map.

    Kang-Woo barely managed to hold in his curses as he stared at where Elune pointed.

    ¡°Where we first arrived in Aernor¡­¡± Yeon-Joo feignedughter.

    Elune was pointing at the Nightmare Forest, the forbidden region where Kang-Woo and his party members ended up when they crossed from Earth to Aernor.

    ¡°So we¡¯ve been pointless going around the world this entire time?¡± Yeon-Joo remarked as if having a hard time suppressing her frustration.

    Kang-Woo sighed deeply. Their objective had been right under their noses this entire time. It felt as if he had been hit hard on the back of his head.

    ¡°Well, we weren¡¯t able to find it in the first ce,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    Kang-Woo did not ck off on searching just because that had been where they had firstnded; rather, he had searched every nook and cranny of the Nightmare Forest, more thoroughly than anywhere else, with the Authority of the Beholder. If he had not been able to detect the Demon God¡¯s heart despite that, it meant that¡­

    ¡®Either it¡¯s hidden so thoroughly that not even an Authority can detect it, or¡­¡¯

    The Demon God¡¯s heart could have been moved to that location after they had left.

    ¡°In any case, now that we¡¯ve found where it is, there¡¯s no need to dilly-dally.¡±

    Kang-Woo stood up. Their ultimate objective foring to Aernor was finally in view; there was no reason or need to hesitate.

    ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re ready to depart at any time.¡±

    Si-Hun and La also stood up. Kang-Woo nodded.

    [May the light be with you, savior.] Elune brought her hands together and bowed. [<em>Cough!</em>]

    She then coughed up blood all of a sudden.

    ¡°L-Lady Elune?!¡± La quickly ran up to her in surprise.

    Elune smiled faintly as if saying not to worry. [I¡¯m¡­ alright. <em>Cough!</em>]

    Unlike what she was saying, the green light was flowing out from her body and dissipating in the air.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s¡­¡¯</em> Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. <em>¡®Being restricted.¡¯</em>

    Those born with Deific Essence were restricted as per the <em>Law of Titans</em> when they used their power in the physical world. Based on Elune¡¯s condition, she seemed to have risked the annihtion of her Deific Essence to find the Demon God¡¯s heart.

    [Please¡­ Please save¡­ this world.]

    The light flowing out of her grew fainter. Elune reached her hand toward Kang-Woo, which he grabbed and smiled.

    ¡°I swear it in my Deific Essence of Splendor. I will save this world from demise¡­ no matter what.¡±

    [Ah¡­]

    Elune¡¯s eyes shook. She lowered her head as tears flowed down her cheeks. The green lightpletely disappeared soon after.

    ¡°Sir¡­ Kang-Woo.¡±

    Iris, who had regained her consciousness, staggered toward Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Get some rest,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    ¡°You¡¯lle back¡­ right?¡±

    Kang-Woo did not answer and lightly patted her head. Iris passed out.

    ¡°Hup.¡± He lifted her andid her on the bed. He then turned to his party members. ¡°Right then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ***

    ¡°It feels like a while since we¡¯ve been here,¡± Kang-Woo remarked as he looked around after arriving in the Nightmare Forest.

    It had not even been half a year since they came to Aernor, but it felt like it had been far longer than that.

    ¡°A lot has happened since then, after all,¡± Si-Hun responded as he nodded.

    ¡°Well, then.¡± Kang-Woo floated into the air using an Authority tomence the investigation. ¡°... Hm?¡±

    Just then, he felt something strange. He frowned and looked around the Nightmare Forest.

    ¡°What is wrong, my king?¡± Balrog asked.

    ¡°Something¡¯s off.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You know, you and Si-Hun pretty much destroyed half the forest back then.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Balrog coughed, having recalled his embarrassing actions. ¡°I remember, but¡­ what about it?¡±

    ¡°There are no traces of it.¡±

    Kang-Woo came back down and ced his hand on the ground. He searched the area using the Authority of the Beholder, but he could not sense any traces of the forest being destroyed.

    ¡°That is strange indeed. There is no way traces of that idiot¡¯s rampage would disappear in just a few months,¡± Lilith remarked as she walked over.

    ¡°Could it be because of those Maokai? You know, those moving tree monsters,¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    Kang-Woo shook his head. ¡°No. Even if that¡¯s the case, seeing no traces of the destruction whatsoever is abnormal.¡±

    The moment they arrived at the Nightmare Forest, Kang-Woo felt a sense of incongruence that he had not felt when the party had arrived on Aernor for the first time. The entire area felt hot and stuffy like the summer air after rain.

    <em>¡®It feels like¡­ we¡¯ve arrived in another world.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Umm¡­ Kang-Woo,¡± Han Seol-Ah called.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Come take a look at this.¡±

    She extended her hand toward Kang-Woo, showing him what was in her hands. Kang-Woo¡¯s face hardened.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°You mentioned it before, didn¡¯t you? That there was sand like this where you came from¡­ in Hell.¡±

    Seol-Ah had red sand, dirt containing demonic energy that could not sustain any life whatsoever, in her hands. Such dirt could only be found in the Nine Hells.

    ¡°Where did you find this?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Over there¡­ in that tree.¡± Seol-Ah pointed at a tree with its bark stripped off.

    Kang-Woo walked up to the tree and touched it.

    <em>Pour.</em>

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    The entire tree turned into red sand and copsed.

    <em>¡®Wait, could this be¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression hardened as the worst-case scenario popped up in his head. Kang-Woo lightly swung his arm at the trees around him and shot light particles about the size of a fingertip. And then¡­

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    The trees burst as soon as the light particle struck them and scattered on the ground as red sand.

    ¡°The hell? Why did the trees be sand all of a sudden?¡± Yeon-Joo tilted her head in confusion.

    Kang-Woo bit his lip and answered, ¡°They didn¡¯t be sand.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    Kang-Woo bent down, stuck his hand into the ground, and dug out about a fistful of dirt.

    ¡°This entire forest¡­ has been corroded by the Nine Hells.¡±

    Under the dirt was sand as red as blood.

    ***

    A being was blown away past the trees in a deste forest where no life could be felt.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    He was smashed into the ground, creating a massive dust cloud made up of red sand.

    ¡°Kurgh, <em>cough!</em>¡±

    The being that pathetically tumbled across the ground grunted in pain as he clenched the ground.

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    A boy with nk eyes walked toward the being.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lucifer?¡± The boy with nk eyes exuded chilling bloodlust as the corners of his mouth split open. ¡°I thought you¡¯d give me a warm wee.¡±

    The boy giggled as he looked down at the copsed Lucifer.

 Chapter 428: You Cannot Handle That Monster

    Chapter 428: You Cannot Handle That Monster

    ¡°Bael¡­¡± The copsed Lucifer looked up at the boy with shaking eyes.

    The boy known as Bael hummed as he smiled widely. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still here. I thought you would¡¯ve run away a long time ago.¡±

    Lucifer remained silent.

    He had thought about running away, but¡­

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know. You have to get your son back, right? That¡¯s why you¡¯re not moving from where the <em>heart </em>is.¡± The boy nodded as if he understoodpletely. ¡°Hihi, you should¡¯ve educated your son better. You sure are having a hard time because of a moronic son like that.¡±

    ¡°Shut¡­ up.¡±

    Lucifer red at Bael as he bit his lip and gripped what remained of his arm that Bael ripped off with his<em> mouth</em>. ck blood was pouring out of the arm.

    ¡°Bael¡­ What are you trying to do?¡±¡°Hm?¡± Bael tilted his head innocently. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know what this ce is!¡±

    ¡°Hihi, of course I do. Why would I not when I went out of my way to corrupt the World Tree to find this ce?¡±

    ¡°Then¡­!¡±

    ¡°You see¡­¡± Bael hummed and continued, ¡°I¡¯m just trying to take back what¡¯s mine.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lucifer¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Take back¡­ what¡¯s yours?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. This is¡­¡± Bael slowly pointed at the forest being consumed by the red sand. ¡°All mine.¡±

    Silence fell.

    Lucifer stared at Bael as if he couldn¡¯t understand.

    <em>¡®What¡­ is he talking about?¡¯</em>

    If what Bael was talking about was what Lucifer was thinking of, then¡­

    <em>¡®No, that¡¯s impossible.¡¯</em>

    Lucifer shook his head, trying to shoo away his horrifying thought.

    ¡°Man~ That aside, it sure has been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Bael smiled as he stretched. Anyone else would be stupefied if they saw Bael¡¯s pure and innocent smile, but Bael was simply smiling from a demon¡¯s perspective.

    ¡°The war¡­ Yeah, I¡¯ve barely seen you since th¡ª¡±

    ¡°Bael,¡± Lucifer interjected. ¡°I will ask you again. Why¡­ have youe to see me? What are you trying to do?¡±

    ¡°Hm? I just told you, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°That absurd nonsense does not count as an answer!¡± Lucifer shouted fiercely.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Bael clicked his tongue in disappointment and slowly raised his hand. A suffocatingly colossal amount of demonic energy flowed out from him. ¡°Too bad. I wanted to chat a little more.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Lucifer¡¯s expression hardened; he could easily tell what Bael was about to do.

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    Lucifer quickly got up and extended his remaining hand at Bael, shooting ck lightning at him.

    ¡°Heh.¡± Bael smiled and swallowed his saliva.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    Bael lightly waved his hand. ck sparks flew around him and easily deflected Lucifer¡¯s attack.

    ¡°You¡¯ve changed quite a lot from before,¡± Bael remarked as he smiled widely.

    He lightly charged forward, disappearing as if he had assimted with nature.

    <em>Grip!</em>

    ¡°<em>Gasp.</em>¡±

    Bael appeared in front of Lucifer and grabbed his head before Lucifer had even realized it.

    ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s because of your Deific Essence? You look more¡­ yes, far more¡­¡± Bael¡¯s mouth widened like a snake preparing to swallow its prey. He continued, ¡°Delicious.¡±

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Lucifer quickly jumped back, Bael¡¯s mouth just barely grazing his shoulder. The protection made from his Top-rank Deific Essence was made obsolete, and arge lump of flesh was torn off.

    ¡°Baaaaaaaaael!¡± Lucifer shouted as he stomped his feet.

    He spread his ck wings that looked like those of a fallen angel; unlike before, he now possessed twelve wings, ck lightning crackling between them.

    ¡°Hihi.¡± Bael giggled as he stared at the storm of lightning. He hummed and spread out his arms. ¡°Like I had thought, you¡¯ve be more delicious.¡±

    Bael¡¯s body split from head to groin and countless teeth sprouted from in between. The ck lightning vanished before it could even reach Bael.

    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em> Lucifer shook his head in pallor. It had not vanished. <em>¡®It was¡­ eaten.¡¯</em>

    Lucifer¡¯s mind fell into chaos. The question of <em>how </em>echoed within his head over and over again.

    <em>¡®Where did he get such power?¡¯</em>

    Lucifer stared at Bael in astonishment. Bael had always been powerful. No, that was not the right word to describe him.

    <em>¡®He was special.¡¯</em>

    Bael was apletely different being from normal demons. Demons were born with power; some demons were destined to be princes of Hell, others were destined to be archdemons, and so on. There were some minute differences as they grew, but none of them were able to escape from the destiny given to them.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    Bael was different. To be more exact, <em>those two</em> were different. Both Bael and the Demon King started from the First Hell and managed to reach the Ninth Hell, a feat that no demon had managed to pull off.

    <em>¡®Though it can¡¯t be called a miracle anymore.¡¯</em>

    The thought that demons could not grow beyond the power they were born with was now outdated; even Lucifer had far surpassed his past self. It was thanks to Deific Essence, which allowed demons to ovee their innate limits.

    <em>¡®But even so¡­¡¯</em>

    Lucifer bit his lip. Even though Bael had acquired Deific Essence like himself, this much of a gap in their strength was unreal.

    ¡°How did you¡­ be so powerful?¡± Lucifer asked.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Bael smiled and boasted like a child giving away the answer for a riddle, ¡°Because I managed to get my hands on one of the three, obviously.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Lucifer remained silent. He was easily able to figure out what Bael was referring to.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Lucifer stared at Bael iprehensibly. ¡°... Ate a Demonic Origin.¡±

    The Demonic Origin was a portion of the Demon God¡¯s corpse, which had been split into three after he had fallen at the hands of the gods.

    ¡°Hihihi! They belonged to me from the very beginning!¡±

    Bael burst intoughter as he grabbed his stomach. Seeing that, Lucifer finally realized why Bael hade to see him and what he was trying to do.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Lucifer feignedughter. ¡°Are you perhaps¡­ trying to devour the Demon King?¡±

    ¡°Huh? How did you know?¡± Bael stared at Lucifer wide-eyed as if he was genuinely surprised.

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Lucifer lowered his head and burst intoughter. ¡°Bwahahahahaha!! You¡¯re going to devour the Demon King? That monster?¡± He looked at Bael as if mocking him and remarked firmly, ¡°Have you forgotten, Bael? About who he is and what happened to us in the war against him? About how logic-defying that monster born from the Demonic Sea is? You say you¡¯ll devour the Demon King? Don¡¯t make meugh, Bael. That monster¡­ is not someone you can handle. No, none of us can. He is¡­ a living apocalypse.¡±

    The expression of the giggling Bael suddenly hardened. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t handle him, you say?¡±

    The pure and innocent face of the boy crumpled. Bael grabbed Lucifer by the cor.

    ¡°Me? Me?! ME?!!¡± Bael yelled madly as he tightened his grip on Lucifer¡¯s cor. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t¡­ handle him, you say?!¡±

    ¡°Kurgh! Urgh¡­¡± Lucifer grunted as immense power weighed down on him.

    ¡°Say that again, Lucifer. Try saying that again. Huh?¡± Bael asked as he brought his torn mouth closer to Lucifer.

    Lucifer adjusted his neck position to breathe and said firmly without hesitation, ¡°Yeah. You¡­ can¡¯t handle the Demon King.¡±

    Bael¡¯s expression hardened even more as Lucifer was still being firm even in this situation. He then tilted his head as if could not understand.

    ¡°Why? I¡¯ve be far stronger than before.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°Man, I sure was fooled by him at the time. How could I not have when he begged me to ept him as my underling as he crawled around and even licked my feet?¡±

    ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°He caught me off guard that time, but it¡¯s different now. It¡¯s my turn this time, okay? Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Lucifer chuckled nonsensically and asked in genuine iprehension, ¡°What does any of that matter?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You know just as well as me, don¡¯t you, Bael? Did you not see him with your own eyes in your final battle against him? You cannot kill that monster. There is no way that you can. As long as he possesses the Demonic Sea¡­ He will not die, no matter what you do to him.¡±

    ¡°In that case¡ª¡±

    ¡°In that case, what? That monster has survived even after being torn apart by the dimensional wall. He hase back alive after being driven to death thousands of times!¡± Lucifer trembled as if he did not even want to imagine it and bit his lip. ¡°You¡­ cannot handle that monster.¡±

    Emotion vanished from Bael¡¯s face. ¡°Heh.¡±

    Bael smiled once again and his eyes filled with madness returned to their nk state.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see¡­ if I really can¡¯t handle him.¡±

    Bael giggled as if something had broken inside him. Hearing thatugh sent shivers down Lucifer¡¯s spine.

    <em>¡®This is bad.¡¯</em>

    Bael was not normal at the moment. It was not hard to tell what would happen to Lucifer if he stayed captured by Bael.

    <em>¡®I have to run.¡¯</em>

    Lucifer¡¯s eyes shone as he bit his lip. He could not afford to die here.

    <em>¡®Lucis¡­¡¯</em>

    Lucifer closed his eyes and spread his twelve wings at once.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    An immense lightning storm raged.

    <em>¡®As long as I can get away from this crazy bastard¡¯s grasp¡­¡¯</em>

    There was no other being that was of any threat to him. He was sure that he would be able to find his son, who had fallen to Lilith¡¯s temptations, one day.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Bael expressed confusion as he came to his senses after thinking deeply about something. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    He frowned and grabbed one of Lucifer¡¯s wings.

    <em>¡®Now!¡¯</em>

    Lucifer closed his eyes and twisted his body. The wing that Bael had grabbed was ripped off entirely.

    ¡°Gaaaaaaaahhh!¡±

    Immense pain stormed within him, but he could not afford to waste the opportunity he had barely managed to acquire.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Lucifer quickly leaped forward and pped his wings to fly forward without even getting a chance to get a hold of himself. Then¡­

    <em>m!</em>

    ¡°The hell?¡±

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo! Are you alright?!¡±

    Lucifer bumped into someone as he was flying straight forward.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± Lucifer was blown backward.

    <em>¡®What was that?¡¯</em>

    Whether it be trees, rocks, or monsters, there was no way that anything would be able to stop his full-power charge.

    <em>¡®Who the hell¡­¡¯</em>

    Lucifer looked up as he grimaced.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡± Unending despair entered his eyes. ¡°N-No¡­¡± He stepped back as he trembled and screamed desperately, ¡°NOOOOOOOO!!!¡±

    ¡°Lucifer?¡±

    The Demon King was right in front of him.

 Chapter 429: You Think Your Life Is The Only Drama?

    Chapter 429: You Think Your Life Is The Only Drama?

    Lucifer?

    Oh Kang-Woo looked down at the being who had flown out of the bushes and mmed into him.

    <em>The hell? Why did he appear out of there?</em>

    Kang-Woo was left dumbfounded by Lucifers sudden appearance.

    <em>Fucking hell.</em> A chill ran down Kang-Woos spine, but not because he feared Lucifer. <em>Why did he have to appear now of all times?</em>

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. It would have been no problem if Kang-Woo were alone or with Lilith and Balrog. However

    <em>What should I do?</em>

    He was with Kim Si-Hun, La, and many others who didnt know his true identity; not even his lover knew the whole truth about him. They also did not know the fact that Kang-Woo had been the one to create the persona of Lucifer, Lord of the Flies.

    <em>Fuck, fuck, fuck. This happened with Moab too. Why are there so many people fucking me over these days? Things havent been going my way at all. What did I do to deserve all of this shit? Huh? No one lives for a more pure and innocent purpose than me, so why do I have to go through all this?</em><em>Riiing.</em>

    [The Law of Titans judges that it is a reasonable price that yer Oh Kang-Woo must pay for the countless evil acts he hasm]

    The fuck you say?

    <em>Do you wanna be bent into a question mark?</em>

    [yer Oh Kang-Woo has acquired the buff Just My Luck as a reward for his atrociously bad luck.]

    <em>Why does it sound like a debuff?</em>

    Kang-Woo shooed away the blue windows popping up in front of him and frowned. The System had said some nonsense about Kang-Woo paying for the evil acts he hadmitted, but

    <em>Well, I cant deny that Id sown the seeds.</em>

    He had gone down a path that he could never return from several times regardless of whether he had intended to or not.

    <em>Shit.</em>

    Kang-Woo turned his head to look at Si-Hun and La.

    Lucifer!

    Be careful, everyone!

    Si-Hun was fiercely emitting energy with his sword unsheathed and La was borrowing power from Gaia by praying to her. Every party member was filled with anxiety, but only for a moment; curiosity took its ce soon after. It was only natural since Lucifer was stricken with fear as he stared at Kang-Woo as if he were prey in front of a predator.

    Wh-why are you here? Lucifer asked as he trembled.

    Is that really Lucirer?

    He gives off a different vibe from before.

    The party members stared at Lucifer in astonishment. Lucifer was the demon who had infiltrated the imperial castle, massacred the nobles, and turned the capital into a sea of fire. He had also ughtered countless angels in SantAngelo and had even acquired the infamous title of <em>Lord of the Flies</em>, but the way he was acting at the moment shamed his reputation.

    <em>Dammit.</em> Kang-Woo bit his lip. <em>This isnt good.</em>

    There was a limit to how much Kang-Woo could ad-lib on the spot. He did not have to worry much since his party members trusted him unconditionally, but there was also a good chance that he would be put in a position that he couldnt talk his way out of like when Si-Hun had regained his memories.

    <em>What should I do?</em>

    As Kang-Woos thoughts were in jumbles

    Sh-shit!

    Lucifer quickly turned around and ran away. Kang-Woos eyes shone.

    <em>Is the buff actually working?</em>

    There was nothing better for Kang-Woo if Lucifer were to run away first. Kang-Woo did not go out of his way to stop Lucifer, who flew out of the party members field of view in a sh.

    H-hyung-nim! Si-Hun quickly shouted.

    Kang-Woo nodded and replied, Lets split up and find him.

    He then turned his head to look at Lilith.

    <em>- Lilith.</em>

    <em>- Yes, my king.</em>

    <em>- Subtly create a disturbance to slow down their pursuit.</em>

    Of course, Kang-Woo had no intention of letting Lucifer run away; he was just trying to face Lucifer by himself and to do that, he needed to prevent his party members from catching up to him.

    <em>- As youmand.</em>

    Lilith modestly bowed.

    Kang-Woo turned to Si-Hun and said, Si-Hun, you go this way, and Ill search over there. Lilith specializes in pursuits like this, so do exactly as she says.

    Okay! Si-Hun nodded.

    Kang-Woo turned back from Si-Hun and ran in the direction where Lucifer ran off. He had run away far past Kang-Woos field of view, but it didnt matter since Kang-Woo was better than anyone at chasing people just from the traces of demonic energy.

    <em>Not just that</em>

    He had no idea why, but Lucifer was severely injured. There was no way that he would be able to go far with those injuries.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Kang-Woo flew across the giant forest using the Authority of the Sky. It did not take long until he could see Lucifer running away as blood dripped from where his wing was torn off. Kang-Woo flew down like a hawk hunting its prey and smashed the heel of his foot down on Lucifer.

    Kurgh! Lucifer tumbled across the ground.

    Kang-Woo walked up to him and remarked leisurely, Its been a while. Howve you been?

    Since there was no one around, there was no need for him to put on an act.

    D-Demon King. Lucifer looked up in pallor at Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>I havent felt like this in a while.</em>

    Thest enemy who remembered Kang-Woos past days in Hell was Satan.

    Youve kept yourself hidden for quite a while now, but it looks like youve gotten your ass beat.

    Kang-Woo looked down leisurely at Lucifer. His left arm was torn off as if it had been eaten by something and one of his ck wings that looked like those of a fallen angel had been torn off.

    <em>I heard he acquired Deific Essence.</em>

    Not only that, but if a wing had not been ripped off, Lucifer would have twelve wings. Considering Lucifer only had eight back when he ruled as one of the princes of Hell, it meant that he had gained immense power after acquiring Deific Essence.

    <em>So who couldve put him in this state?</em>

    Although it varied, demons on average possessed extraordinary vitality, and it needed not even be mentioned for Lucifer, a prince of Hell who had risen to be a god. If Lucifers injuries were not regenerating, it meant that the being who had injured him was far more powerful than him.

    Kurgh. Lucifer lowered his head as he bit his lip.

    Such tant mockery only brought humiliation to Lucifer as the Prince of Pride, but

    S-spare me, Lucifer stuttered.

    He brought his head down on the ground. His extreme fear of the Demon King devoured any sense of humiliation he was feeling.

    <em>I have to live whatever it takes. I cant afford to die.</em>

    Lucifer shut his eyes tightly and recalled a silver-haired woman smiling nkly as if something had broken within her.

    <em>Helen. </em>Lucifer bit his lip and clenched his fists. <em>I swear to you I wille back with Lucis.</em>

    He needed to survive even if his title of <em>Pride </em>were to be thrown into the gutter.

    Wow. Youve seriously changed a lot, Lucifer.

    Kang-Woo looked down at Lucifer in surprise. The Lucifer that he knew was not able to endure mockery; he truly befitted the title of the Prince of Pride.

    <em>To be fair, he wouldnt be so prideful in front of me considering everything he went through because of me.</em>

    Lucifer had survived until the final moments of the thousand-year war and witnessed Kang-Woos battle against Bael. His attitude was understandable if he was aware of the battle.

    <em>Though it looks like he also has other reasons.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Lucifer, who had his head on the ground, with great interest.

    Whats wrong, Lucifer? Hm? Why dont you fight me again as you say shit like how Im just a mere human? Kang-Woo asked as he chuckled.

    Lucifer shut his eyes tightly. He was boiling with rage, but he suppressed it with all his might. If you are talking about back then I-I apologize.

    Lucifer recalled the final battle that decided the one true ruler of the Nine Hells between Bael, the Prince of Gluttony, and the Demon King. And in that battle, the Demon King

    Chills ran throughout Lucifers body. He just barely managed to quell his trembles.

    <em>Hes a monster.</em>

    Lucifer looked up at Kang-Woo with shaking eyes. The sight of the ck sea that flooded the red earth, devouring countless demons with its monstrous teeth was engraved in his mind.

    <em>I mustnt fight him.</em>

    Lucifer could not afford to die.

    Dayum, are you sure youre Lucifer? However scared you are, you were never one to grovel like this.

    Kang-Woo had honestly not expected Lucifer to beg for his life. Lucifer had acquired Deific Essence; Kang-Woo wasnt sure how, but the amount of Divinity he could feel from Lucifer was on par with that of Tai Wuji. He likely was not highly restricted by the System since it was not something he was born with.

    <em>Even despite that, hes acting this way?</em>

    It was logically hard to understand.

    Hmm. Kang-Woo crossed his arms and fell into thought.

    There were two possible reasons why he was acting like this. He could have either been so traumatized by Kang-Woos past self or

    You have a reason that you cant afford to die, Kang-Woo muttered.

    ...

    Haha, your face gives it all away. Kang-Woo snickered. It was not difficult to figure out what the reason was. You sure love your son, huh? Why didnt you educate him better if you love him so much?

    Kuh Lucifer bit his lip anxiously. He suppressed his boiling rage and bowed his head again. I beg of you, Demon King. Please Please let me see Lucis.

    Pfft, bwahahahaha!!

    Kang-Woo burst intoughter as he grabbed his stomach. He couldnt help it; how funny was it that the Prince of Prides head was full of love for his son?

    Kang-Woo looked down at Lucifer and said with a smile, Enough with the shitshow.

    ...

    What? Is your Deific Name the God of Emotion or something? Youre so fucking emotional. Kang-Woo slowly raised his foot and mmed it down on Lucifers head. You think only your son is precious?

    Lucifer was known as the Evil God before Kang-Woo arrived on Aernor.

    You think your life is the only drama?

    Lucifer had likely killed countless people during his quest to earn Deific Essence, and those people likely had a reason that they couldnt afford to die as well.

    Kang-Woo spit on the ground.

    Enough bullshit and get the hell up.

    <em>How dare you try to pull a pity show?</em>

 Chapter 430: Be The Protagonist If You Have A Problem With That

    Chapter 430: Be The Protagonist If You Have A Problem With That

    ¡°Demon King¡­¡± Lucifer bit his lip desperately as he clenched his fists. ¡°If you return Lucis to me¡­ I will be your retainer. I will do anything you say without question.¡±

    Lucifer lowered his head. Although he had acquired Deific Essence, he was once the Prince of Pride; he never bent to anyone because he was more prideful than anyone. Even while the other princes of Hell avoided Bael, Lucifer trespassed on Baels¡¯ territory without reluctance. Such a person had beenpletely broken.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. The Lucifer that he knew was not this kind of person.

    <em>¡®Lucis, huh?¡¯</em>

    Lucis was currently put to sleep with his consciousness sealed within Vernaak¡¯sboratory that Kang-Woo had made for him in the imperial pce. It was to be able to use him as bait whenever Kang-Woo wanted if he ever faced Lucifer.

    <em>¡®I never thought it¡¯d work this well.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had expected the bait only to cause hesitation in Lucifer¡¯s actions a few times, but his expectations were pleasantly exceeded. The Prince of Pride whom Kang-Woo knew no longer existed.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply and looked up.

    <em>¡®He¡¯ll be my retainer if I give him Lucis?¡¯</em>

    It was a tempting offer. Lucis was pretty much losing his value as bait after being neglected all this time; there was no better trade if Kang-Woo could use him to gain Lucifer as his retainer. However¡­

    ¡°Wow, this brings back old times, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled widely as the memories of his suffering and struggling self that he wanted to forget arose.

    ¡°What do you¡­¡±

    ¡°You know, the time when you brainwashed my subordinates andmanded them tomit mass suicide bombing.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Man, I was so desperate back then. I remember begging you to stop. Do you remember?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed the shaking Lucifer¡¯s head and smiled. It was easy to give Lucis to Lucifer; in terms of efficiency, it would be far more useful to have Lucifer as a retainer than killing him.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and recalled his days in Hell. He had not gone through the thousand-year war without a single loss like some overpowered shounen protagonist. If that had been the case, he would not have been stuck in Hell for ten millennia. He had lost and despaired countless times. He had ultimately ended uping out victorious, but he had lost far too much in the process.

    ¡°It seems like you remember now. Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand. After all, the perpetrator tends to remember less than the victim.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled widely. Just remembering his preciousrades, who had sworn their undying allegiance to him, charging at him with bombs in their embrace brought about unpleasant emotions.

    ¡°Well, I guess what I¡¯m doing could be considered a pity show too, but so what? Be the protagonist if you have a problem with that.¡±

    Stuff like this was usually exclusive to the protagonist.

    <em>¡®Oh, but am I the protagonist? Wouldn¡¯t it be Si-Hun? Well, whatever.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo brought Lucifer¡¯s head closer to his.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t stop back then.¡± Kang-Woo smiled and continued, ¡°And the same goes for me.¡±

    He gripped Lucifer¡¯s head like a hydraulic press with his immense strength.

    ¡°Kurgh! Urgh!¡± Lucifer trembled with his eyes wide open and his mouth agape.

    ¡°I won¡¯t stop either.¡±

    Lucifer felt as if his head would explode. He pped his eleven wings to summon ck lightning.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!</em>

    Lucifer was blown backward as ck lightning sparked around him.

    ¡°Shit¡­!¡±

    Lucifer turned around. He could tell that conciliation with the Demon King through words was impossible.

    <em>¡®In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking of running again?¡± Kang-Woo asked as he smiled and snapped his fingers.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Gold and ck mes surrounded the area. They zed fiercely and aimed for Lucifer.

    <em>Sizzle¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Gaaaaaahhh!¡± Lucifer twisted and turned as he screamed.

    The mes of Voracity tore his Deific Essence apart and burned him.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s this powerful even without opening the Doors¡­?!¡¯</em>

    Lucifer looked at Kang-Woo in pallor. The Demon King had be an icon of fear because of the Demonic Sea that he possessed, and his true form was revealed once he opened the Doors of that Demonic Sea. However¡­

    ¡°Tsk, you can¡¯t even bepared to Tai Wuji.¡±

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Kurghhh!¡±

    Lucifer could not put up any sort of resistance against the zing mes surrounding him. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in disappointment. Lucifer¡¯s Deific Essence was on par with that of Tai Wuji, but Lucifer¡¯sbat prowess was highly unremarkable inparison.

    <em>¡®I mean, I guess it¡¯s obvious since the reason why I had a hard time against Tai Wuji wasn¡¯t because of his Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    Tai Wuji had been so powerful because he had reached a realm that Kang-Woo had no idea about.

    <em>¡®Besides, I couldn¡¯t use the mes of Voracity back then.¡¯</em>

    Considering that, Kang-Woo realized how much he had gained from his battle against Tai Wuji. He had acquired Top-rank Deific Essence, the mes of Voracity, and even his Chaos skill control had improved.

    <em>¡®I can now fight Top-rank gods without relying on the Doors.¡¯</em>

    It was fortunate since Kang-Woo had been reluctant to open the Doors after the side effects disappeared all of a sudden.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff¡­</em>¡±

    ¡°Is it over already?¡± Kang-Woo asked as he sighed in disappointment.

    He had expected this result somewhat; he had be far too strong and he could barely sense a will to fight from Lucifer.

    <em>¡®And most importantly¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and stared at Lucifer¡¯s torn arm and wing. ck blood was pouring out of the wounds without end.

    <em>¡®He was severely injured from the start.¡¯</em>

    Lucifer would have had a hard time against Kang-Woo even if he was in perfect condition, but there was no way he would be any match when he was that injured.

    ¡°Lucifer.¡± Kang-Woo walked up to Lucifer, who was panting heavily after being singed by the mes of Voracity. He crouched down and stared at Lucifer trembling in despair and asked, ¡°Who made you like this?¡±

    =Kang-Woo wanted to ask Lucifer this from the very beginning. Who could have possibly driven the Lord of the Flies so far into the corner?

    ¡°...¡±

    Inexplicable anxiety ran down Lucifer¡¯s back. He was getting nauseous and dizzy for some reason.

    ¡°...el.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°It was¡­ Bael.¡±

    ¡°... What?¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. The name <em>Bael </em>shocked him. ¡°W-wait. Did you say Bael? Bael is here?¡±

    He would not have been this flustered if Lucifer had mentioned any other prince of Hell or even one of the Four Heavenly Kings, but¡­

    <em>¡®Bael.¡¯</em>

    Bael was different; Kang-Woo had never defeated him in the truest sense. He had only managed to deal a critical wound on Bael by crawling on the ground like a dog to lower his guard. Kang-Woo then absorbed Bael¡¯s forces with Lilith¡¯s help and attacked him with hundreds of thousands of demons.

    <em>¡®Even with that, I wasn¡¯t able to beat him.¡¯</em>

    It was only after risking his life and opening the Second Door that he was able to devour Bael. Kang-Woo barely remembered anything about the battle since he had been unconscious, but Balrog told him that his final battle against Bael had been desperate and horrendous beyond belief. It was to the point that Lucifer, who had witnessed the battle, developed trauma because of it.

    <em>¡®And you¡¯re telling me he¡¯s here?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He took a deep breath to calm himself and recalled Bael and his eyes filled with madness in contrast to his pure and innocentughter.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± he exhaled.

    The perplexity and slight fear that Kang-Woo had felt when he first met Bael had long since vanished and been reced by hunger. Intense thirst grinded his throat and his stomach hurt from the extreme hunger.

    ¡°Bael.¡±

    Kang-Woo drooled uncontrobly as powerful desire surged almost to a point that he couldn¡¯t control.

    <em>¡®Calm down, calm down.¡¯ </em>He quelled his desire with all his might. <em>¡®It¡¯ll be different from back then.¡¯</em>

    In the past, Bael had looked so delicious that Kang-Woo was barely able to handle himself, but that would likely not be the case anymore.

    <em>¡®Because I didn¡¯t have Deific Essence back then.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had attained far more power than his past self after returning to Earth. He had several great powers in his arsenal such as the demonic energy from the Abyss, Chaos, and the mes of Voracity.

    <em>¡®It¡¯ll be different from back then.¡¯</em>

    If Kang-Woo had this much power back in Hell, forget opening the Doors, he would not even have needed the mes of Voracity to devour Bael. Even so¡­

    <em>¡®Bael, Bael, Bael.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s heart beat rapidly as if he were recalling his first love. The uncontroble hunger was making him drool to no end. He wanted to meet Bael right away.

    <em>¡®No, no.¡¯</em>

    He would rather not meet him in fear that the emotions and spark he was feeling at the moment might die in vain after seeing him. He feared that Bael might be too weak.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to see my first love.¡¯</em>

    His mind was in jumbles. Kang-Woo shook his head to get a hold of himself.

    ¡°Where is Bael?¡± Kang-Woo asked aftering to his senses.

    Lucifer pointed at a part of the forest and said, ¡°H-he was there when I ran away from him.¡±

    The trees were scorched ck, likely due to the battle between Bael and Lucifer.

    ¡°... Huh?¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s expression hardened after seeing where Lucifer had pointed.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯</em>

    It was where he had told his party members to search for him to be left alone with Lucifer.

    ¡°Wait¡­¡± A chill ran down Kang-Woo¡¯s spine. He quickly tried to call Lilith, but she was not answering. ¡°Shit!¡±

    Kang-Woo quickly turned around. Seeing that, Lucifer¡¯s eyes lit up with hope.

    <em>¡®Yes, go!¡¯ </em>Lucifer prayed desperately in his head. However¡­

    ¡°Lemme borrow your shoulder.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed Lucifer by the chin and ced one foot on Lucifer¡¯s shoulder.

    <em>¡®I wanted to get some more info out of him, but¡­¡¯</em>

    Unfortunately, it did not seem like he had the time.

    ¡°Wh-what are you¡­ t-trying to do?¡± Lucifer asked.

    ¡°What? Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡±

    Kang-Woo pressed his foot into Lucifer¡¯s shoulder even harder and raised the hand that was holding Lucifer¡¯s chin.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    ¡°Kurghhh! Gaaaaaaaaaaahhh!¡±

    Lucifer¡¯s neck elongated and then ripped out along with his spine.

    ¡°What? Did you think I¡¯d forget about you?¡± Kang-Woo chuckled. ¡°You won¡¯t get away from me twice, man.¡±

    Kang-Woo used Lucifer¡¯s shoulder as a foothold and jumped up like a cannon, Lucifer¡¯s spine dangling behind him like a tail.

    <em>Zoom!</em>

    Kang-Woo flew to the area where trees were burning.

    <em>¡®... Huh? That¡¯s¡­¡¯</em>

    He saw the boy with nk eyes that he had seen during the war against the Constetions of Evil. It was the boy known as the Constetion of Nightmares. He was facing Balrog and Si-Hun at once with a bright smile. He could not see Bael anywhere.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that my party members are being attacked.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hup.¡± Kang-Woo took a deep breath and fell toward the boy who was facing Si-Hun as if he were toying around.

    He gripped Lucifer¡¯s spine and threw it at the Constetion of Nightmares like a hammer throw.

    <em>Wham¡ª!!</em>

    A massive explosion swept the surroundings.

    ¡°H-hyung-nim!¡±

    ¡°My king!¡±

    <em>Tap.</em>

    Kang-Woonded on the ground and pulled back Si-Hun and Balrog, who had be like ragdolls.

    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± The boy walked out of the dust cloud. ¡°Heh.¡± He smiled widely as soon as he saw Kang-Woo. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. How¡¯ve you been?¡±

    The boy giggled innocently in contrast to his eyes filled with madness.

 Chapter 431: Bael, Prince of Gluttony (1)

    Chapter 431: Bael, Prince of Gluttony (1)

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re well acquainted enough to say that it¡¯s been a while,¡± said Oh Kang-Woo.

    He narrowed his eyes and stared at the boy with nk eyes. He had ck eyes and ck hair and was a fairly handsome boy. He would not lose in terms of looks against Uriel¡ª no, he might receive even more love than Uriel based on people¡¯s preferences.

    <em>¡®Why does he have balls with a face like¡ª no, this isn¡¯t the time.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head and stared at the boy.

    ¡°Hm? Ohhh! Come to think of it, you¡¯ve never met me in this form!¡± The boy giggled as he pped. He wiped the tears that had formed fromughing too much and said, ¡°It¡¯s me, Bael.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth split open. ¡°You¡¯re Bael?¡±

    <em>¡®What the hell is he talking about?¡¯</em>

    The Bael that Kang-Woo knew was a monster covered in muscles like Balrog. There was no bigger twist than this.

    <em>¡®Well, I guess physical form doesn¡¯t matter much to a being as powerful as Bael, but isn¡¯t this way too big of a change?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hihi, did I surprise you?¡± Bael asked.

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    He was certain that the boy in front of him was Bael from his childlike manner of speech and bright voice.

    <em>¡®Rather, this form suits him better.¡¯</em>

    In the past, Kang-Woo had to suppress his desire to vomit as he had to watch a muscle pig acting like a spoiled child.

    ¡°Hyung-nim, have you spoken with the Constetion of Nightmares before? And who in the world is B¡ª?¡±

    ¡°M-my king. That is¡­ Bael?¡± Balrog interjected Kim Si-Hun and approached Kang-Woo in pallor.

    Balrog, wearing his Overlord Armor, couldn¡¯t help but tremble at the mention of the name <em>Bael</em>. It was only natural since that was how much power the name itself held.

    ¡°Mmm~ Wait, huh? Are you perhaps Balrog? Wow! What¡¯s with that ck armor? Hihihi! That¡¯s so cool!¡± Bael burst intoughter as he pped after finding Balrog, who stepped back warily. ¡°Hehe. In that case, Lilith must be somewhere around here too, right? It¡¯s so nice to see everyone, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s so fucking nice that I could jump off a fucking cliff,¡± Kang-Woo replied as he frowned aggressively.

    ¡°Come on, there you go again with the bad words. I told you not to do that since it¡¯ll worsen your personality, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Oh gosh, I¡¯m so sorry. I was born this way, so it¡¯s not easy to fix.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, but since you used to be one of my underlings, I guess I could let it slide,¡± Bael said with a smile.

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°Underling¡­?¡±

    ¡°H-hyung-nim. What is that child talking about?¡±

    Han Seol-Ah, Cha Yeon-Joo, and Si-Hun stared at Kang-Woo in surprise. They couldn¡¯t even imagine Kang-Woo being someone¡¯s underling.

    Baelughed and pped as he watched the party members¡¯ reaction. ¡°Hihihi! That¡¯s right! Kang-Woo was one of my precious underlings! You have no idea how much I treasured him!¡±

    ¡°And then I caved your head in,¡± Kang-Woo replied.

    ¡°Sheesh. Thinking back on it even now, that hurt my feelings a lot. Hm? Don¡¯t you remember what you said to me?¡± Bael smiled, the corners of his mouth ripping to reach his earlobes, and revealed his grotesque teeth. He stepped forward with his right foot and continued, ¡°You don¡¯t remember? You pledged your allegiance to me as you licked my feet.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What do you¡­¡±

    The party members¡¯ mouths split open. Balrog exuded bloodlust as he grimaced. He was enraged by how Bael was trying to taunt Kang-Woo by bringing up the past.

    ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Balrog clenched his fists.

    Although it had been a part of Kang-Woo¡¯s n to fool Bael, the fact that his king had licked the feet of the enemy was beyond humiliating.

    <em>¡®My king¡­¡¯</em>

    Balrog couldn¡¯t imagine how much more humiliated Kang-Woo felt when he was feeling this much humiliation. He looked at Kang-Woo in worry.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Rather than rage, Kang-Woo was smiling widely. ¡°Oh, right. I remember.¡±

    ¡°H-hyung-nim?¡±

    Kang-Woo shrugged and continued calmly, ¡°I remember it being salty, man. You should wash your feet.¡±

    Bael¡¯s mouth was agape, dumbfounded by the unexpected response. ¡°Heh¡­ Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Kang-Woo smirked.

    It didn¡¯t matter even if he was embarrassed by the fact that he had crawled on the ground pathetically or licked his enemy¡¯s feet.

    ¡°Yeah, and¡­¡± He licked his lips and continued mockingly, ¡°Who won in the end?¡±

    ¡°B-big words for someone who ambushed me unfairly¡ª¡±

    ¡°Unfair? Jeez, I never thought I¡¯d hear that from a demon. Unfair? So what, motherfucker? I told you back then, didn¡¯t I? That you shouldn¡¯t have been fooled in the first ce if you have a problem with it. It¡¯s your fault for trusting your enemy just because they licked your feet.¡±

    ¡°Ngh!¡±

    Bael frowned aggressively. He was annoyed that Kang-Woo had used Bael¡¯s tactic to humiliate Kang-Woo against him. Bael stomped his feet in irritation as he clenched his fists.

    ¡°Ts, tsk. You¡¯re still as childish as always.¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and smiled.

    ¡°Kang-Woo l-licked his feet?¡± Seol-Ah muttered, her voice subtly trembling in ecstasy. ¡°S-such an envi¡ª I mean, humiliating act¡­!¡±

    Seol-Ah emitted bloodlust as if she were about to cut Bael apart with a saw.

    <em>¡®Darling, that¡¯s a bit¡­¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo feignedughter and shook his head. <em>¡®Well, anyway¡­¡¯</em>

    He narrowed his eyes. There was no way that Bael was here by coincidence.

    <em>¡®He must be aiming for the Demon God¡¯s heart.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo crossed his arms and fell into thought. He then recalled Ian, who had exposed Kang-Woo¡¯s identity after infiltrating the Church of Splendor.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Kang-Woo thought deeply as he tapped on his chin. He asked as a test, ¡°Did you join forces with Amon?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What? How did you know?¡± Bael asked.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I just guessed.¡±

    <em>¡®He took the bait instantly. What a score.¡¯</em>

    Bael remained silent.

    ¡°Then I guess it was you who corrupted the World Tree.¡±

    ¡°How did you know that?¡±

    ¡°I told you. I just guessed.¡±

    <em>¡®He fell for it again. He acts like a child, is his brain that of a child as well?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hi¡­ hihi,¡± Bael giggled and shrugged. He straightened his back and said with a leisurely expression, ¡°Well¡­ it doesn¡¯t really matter that you found out anyway.¡±

    ¡°Stop acting calm after getting your n exposed because you acted like an idiot. It only makes you look more pathetic.¡±

    Kang-Woo shook his head, feeling sorry for Amon for joining forces with someone like this.

    Bael remained silent for a moment. He then smiled and said, ¡°Yeah, you were¡­ always like this.¡±

    He recalled his memories of the thousand-year war. There had been no one who managed to grind his gears as much as the Demon King during that nightmarish war for the right to rule over the Nine Hells.

    <em>¡®This is fun.¡¯</em>

    Bael trembled ecstatically. The only one who could make him this enraged and make his bloodlust and madness run wild¡­

    <em>¡®It¡¯s always been you.¡¯</em>

    Everyone but the Demon King had simply been stricken with fear or ran away just from looking at Bael. There was no one but the Demon King who was able to stand tall against him. And¡­ And¡­ And¡­

    ¡°Hi¡­ hihi.¡± Bael smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t understand¡­¡± He red at Kang-Woo with eyes filled with bloodlust and glinting with madness. ¡°Why was it you? Why did it have to be you and not me?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo frowned, not able to understand what Bael was saying.

    ¡°Hihihi¡­ Hihihihi!¡± Bael simplyughed as his shoulders shook.

    ¡°Hyung-nim. Who is¡­ that Bael person?¡± Si-Hun expressed anxiety as he clenched his sword.

    ¡°A thorn from the past.¡±

    ¡°Your past¡­¡±

    Si-Hun flinched. Kang-Woo¡¯s body was that of a demon before he returned to being a human with the power of light.

    <em>¡®In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    It meant that the child was a demon in human skin. Si-Hun bit his lip and drew out his demonic energy.

    ¡°Hehe. A thorn? You¡¯re hurting my feelings. Weren¡¯t we closer than that?¡±

    Bael walked toward the party as he giggled. Each of the party members pulled out their weapons in vignce of Bael.

    ¡°All of you, stand back,¡± said Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°B-but¡­¡±

    The party members looked at Kang-Woo in confusion.

    Kang-Woo said firmly, ¡°I have to be the one to face him.¡±

    To be more precise, he was the only one who could. That was how powerful Bael was.

    ¡°Hurgh~! Man, I missed this feeling.¡± Bael stretched and looked at Kang-Woo leisurely. He asked with a smile, ¡°Oh right,e to think of it, have you heard of something called¡­ the World Tree¡¯s prophecy?¡±

    Silence fell due to Bael¡¯s sudden question. The party members flinched. Why was Bael mentioning the prophecy that they had only heard from Elune before they came here?

    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand that prophecy no matter how many times I repeat it in my head, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Bael stared at Kang-Woo with deeply sunken eyes. ¡°Since¡­ you¡¯re not the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡± Bael tilted his head. ¡°The Demon of Prophecy¡­ The pinnacle of all demons who will bring demise to this world¡­!!¡± He spread his arms wide and stomped his feet. ¡°Is not you! It¡¯s me!!¡±

    He continued as if he was singing, his voice filled with madness, ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t you think so as well? Don¡¯t you? You think it¡¯s me and not you, right?¡±

    <em>Crack, crack.</em>

    Bael¡¯s tilted head went beyond its normal range of motion. The crown of his head reached his chest as if his neck had been broken.

    ¡°Hihi, are you angry?¡± Bael asked with a smile. ¡°Are you angry that you¡¯re not the Demon of Prophecy, that you¡¯re not the pinnacle of all demons? Hm? Hihi, I¡¯m sure you are, right? You can¡¯t hold in your rage, can you?¡±

    Bael burst into crazedughter and shouted, ¡°You¡¯re¡­! Nothing!! You¡­ You¡­ You¡­ YOUUUUUU!!! YOU¡¯RE NOTHING!!!!¡±

    Giant bat wings sprouted from Bael¡¯s back. Six ck tails grew from his tailbone and cracked the ground like a whip.

    ¡°It¡¯s not you, but me! I¡¯m more amazing than you! I¡¯m greater than you! Okay? Do you understand?¡± Bael red at Kang-Woo in deep, zing resentment. He shouted as if he was desperate, ¡°Why don¡¯t you say something? Huh? SAY SOMETHING!!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay.¡± Kang-Woo nodded. ¡°Yup, you¡¯re the Demon of Prophecy. You¡¯re the greatest. You¡¯re the demon who will bring this world to its end, the pinnacle of all demons, and the strongest demon of all time.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Bael tilted his head in confusion, not having expected this kind of response.

    <em>¡®Pfft! Bwehehehehehe!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo suppressed hisughter with all his might. This was the score of all scores.

    <em>¡®Fucking hell, haha! You heard that, right? Huh? The son of a bitch said that he¡¯s the Demon of Prophecy! Not me, but him! I fucking knew it. I should¡¯ve known from the moment that I was being framed as the Demon of Prophecy. I would never do anything like ending the world.¡¯</em>

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The World Tree states that the Demon of Prophecy is yer Oh Ka¡ª]

    <em>¡®Hahaha! Yeah! It wasn¡¯t me!¡¯</em>

    [yer Oh Kang-W¡ª]

    <em>¡®It was never me!!!¡¯</em>

    [I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s y¡ª]

    ¡°Yeah, I see.¡± Kang-Woo red at Bael in bloodlust. He then turned to La and said, ¡°Please let Lady Gaia know. The Demon of Prophecy was¡­ Bael.¡±

 Chapter 432: Bael, Prince of Gluttony (2)

    Chapter 432: Bael, Prince of Gluttony (2)

    ¡°I¡­ see.¡± La nodded with a serious face.

    The identity of the Demon of Prophecy hidden under veils had finally been revealed.

    ¡°I will make sure to let Lady Gaia know,¡± La said.

    ¡°Thank you. I will leave it to you.¡± Oh Kang-Woo nodded and turned to Bael, who was staring at him dumbfoundedly.

    ¡°Huh?¡± He tilted his head in confusion due to thepletely unexpected response. ¡°Why are you so cid about this, Kang-Woo?¡±

    Bael couldn¡¯t understand why Kang-Woo was so easily able to ept the fact that he was not the Demon of Prophecy, the true ruler of all demons and that he was nothing at all.

    ¡°Hm? Hmmm?¡± Bael looked around wide-eyed. And then¡­ ¡°Oh.¡±

    A single thought popped up in his head. It was a possibility that he had never even considered because it was so absurd.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ You don¡¯t have any intention of devouring the worlds? Hm? You don¡¯t want toplete the Demonic Sea and be the <em>Primordial Being</em>?¡±

    That was impossible; devouring the Triad andpleting the Demonic Sea was the ultimate goal of Demon God Bauli and those who possessed the Demonic Sea.

    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Kang-Woo said firmly. ¡°I¡¯m here to save this world from demise.¡±

    Blinding, radiant, and beautiful light poured out from Kang-Woo, but Bael could vividly feel the ck sea hidden within the splendor. The reaches of the ck sea were still as endless as the abyss; it truly deserved to be known as the Demonic Sea.

    <em>¡®He has the Demonic Sea for sure, so why? Why doesn¡¯t he want to devour the Triad?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Wait, wait.¡± Bael shook his head in confusion. ¡°Then you¡­ sided with Gaia because you had no intention of ending the worlds from the beginning?¡±

    Bael could not help but chuckle. He thought that the Demon King had be Gaia¡¯s retainer to backstab her, the same thing that he did to Bael, but that was not the case. The Demon King¡­ truly did not have any intention of devouring the worlds.

    ¡°Why? Why? Why?¡± Bael asked repeatedly. He could not understand. There was no way that he could. ¡°You have the Demonic Sea, don¡¯t you? Despite that, you¡¯re choosing not toplete it? You¡¯re choosing to suppress your desire?¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned at Bael¡¯s questions. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean. The only power that I have is the power of Splendor.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± Bael chuckled and crouched as he grabbed his stomach. ¡°Ha¡­ Hahahahahahaha!¡± He burst into crazedughter. ¡°You¡¯re insane¡ª no, your mind haspletely fried!¡±

    Bael red at Kang-Woo with zing eyes. ¡°As I thought, you¡¯re not worthy. You don¡¯t have the right to be the Demon of Prophecy!!¡± He gritted his sharp teeth and yelled, ¡°It¡¯s not you, but me! Hihihi! IT¡¯S ME!!¡±

    Bael jumped up and down joyfully. Kang-Woo judged that there was no point listening any further and raised the shining Ingrium.

    ¡°Fuuu.¡± Kang-Woo took a deep breath.

    He lowered his stance and shot forward.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    He shot a sh of light at Bael.

    ¡°Hihihihi!!¡± The corners of Bael¡¯s mouth rose to his cheekbones as he spread out his arms. His body split from chin to groin; teeth sprouted from the split area and ate the sh of light that Kang-Woo shot in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened.

    <em>¡®What the hell? Why¡­ do you have that?¡¯</em>

    He could not understand. His thought process could not keep up with the situation before his eyes. His vision slowed down as if time had stopped.

    ¡°Kuh!¡± Kang-Woo quickly jumped backward as he stared at Bael in shock.

    Something that should not have been possible had happened right before his eyes.

    ¡°Heh.¡± Bael smiled. ¡°What?¡±

    He giggled as his shoulder shook ecstatically.

    ¡°How¡­¡± Kang-Woo slurred.

    ¡°Are you shocked that I have this?¡± Bael asked as he stroked his split body. His smile grew evenrger. ¡°I knew it.¡±

    Bael slowly raised his right arm and his hand split in half.

    ¡°You know nothing.¡±

    <em>Squelch, squelch.</em>

    ck mucus oozed out from the split areas and countless mouths appeared from it.

    Bael chanted in a voice filled with madness, ¡°Authority of Predation.¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    The ck mucus that poured out from Bael¡¯s hand spread widely and formed a giant ck wave of countless mouths that devoured everything in its path.

    ¡°M-my king!¡± Balrog shouted.

    ¡°Stay away,¡± Kang-Woo replied with a deep voice as he stared at the ck wave.

    <em>¡®How?¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo asked in his head again.<em> ¡®Why does Bael have the Authority of Predation?¡¯</em>

    The Authority of Predation was Kang-Woo¡¯s Authority; it was a power that only he could use, one that had been with him from the First Hell to the Ninth.

    <em>¡®So how¡­¡¯</em>

    How could Bael use the Authority of Predation?

    <em>¡®Shit.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mind was in jumbles. The iprehensible situation was putting him in a daze.

    <em>¡®Since when?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not remember his entire battle against Bael. His consciousness had been trapped deep within the Demonic Sea the moment that he opened the Second Door of the Ten Thousand Demon Core against Bael. Kang-Woo had already defeated Bael by the time he had barely managed to escape from the Demonic Sea¡¯s clutches.

    <em>¡®But I¡¯m sure that he didn¡¯t use the Authority of Predation.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled his battle against Bael before he opened the Doors. Bael had not used the Authority of Predation even when Kang-Woo attacked him with his army of hundreds of thousands of demons.

    No, every demon in the Nine Hells knew one thing about Bael. He did not have an Authority; the Authority of Gluttony that Beelzebub possessed as the Prince of Gluttony had not been passed down to Bael. The only reason Bael became the Prince of Gluttony was because he had taken Beelzebub¡¯s ce after killing him.

    <em>¡®I also heard that the Authority of Gluttony only sounds simr to the Authority of Predation and that they¡¯repletely different Authorities.¡¯</em>

    Even if Bael inherited Beelzebub¡¯s Authority, it would still not make sense. The Authority of Gluttony allowed one to umte demonic energy beyond one¡¯s limits; it was not something that could take demonic energy from other beings and absorb them like the Authority of Predation.

    <em>Crack! Crunch!</em>

    The ck wave of countless mouths had reached right in front of Kang-Woo as he had been in thought. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and extended his arms.

    <em>¡®First, I¡¯ll focus on the battle against Bael.¡¯</em>

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Kang-Woo stomped his feet and gripped Ingrium with one hand and Inferno created with the Key of the Demonic Sea in the other hand.

    He crossed the two swords and chanted, ¡°Twilight.¡±

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Golden mes spread out in a fan shape. The sky was set aze like a sunset and intense heat swept the entire forest.

    <em>Boom! Crackle!</em>

    The ground split and red sand that had melted from the intense heat erupted from the cracks like a volcano.

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo!¡± Seol-Ah quickly reached out to Kang-Woo amidst the chaos, but Balrog grabbed her arm.

    ¡°We have to run away,¡± he stated.

    ¡°B-but¡­¡±

    Balrog bit his lip and muttered, ¡°We will only be a nuisance to the king if we stay close to him.¡±

    His powerlessness was weighing him down. His expression was the same that Seol-Ah saw when he did nothing as Kang-Woo struggled with the side effects of opening the Doors.

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­¡± Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes glistened with tears.

    She hesitated for a while and then turned around as tears flowed down her cheeks. Balrog lifted her and ran to where the heat wouldn¡¯t harm them.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Hihihi! What? Is that all you¡¯ve got?!¡± Bael burst intoughter within the zing mes. ¡°More, more, more!! Bring out more of your power!! Huh? I know you¡¯re stronger than this!!¡±

    Bael spread his arms out and split the enormous mes in half.

    Kang-Woo frowned as he watched Bael nullify Kang-Woo¡¯s attacks with ease.

    <em>¡®This isn¡¯t gonna work.¡¯</em>

    Although they had not fought for long, Kang-Woo could feel an overwhelming gap between him and Bael. At this rate, he would be no match for Bael.

    <em>¡®In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo ced his hand over his heart. He could see three doors keeping the ck sea at bay. The moment that he grabbed the handle of the First Door¡­

    ¡°Lord Bael, the preparations areplete,¡± an unpleasant voice like nails on a chalkboard rang out.

    Kang-Woo turned to see a hunchback demon wearing an old robe.

    <em>¡®Amon.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes gleamed with wariness.

    ¡°Huh? Already?¡± Bael expressed disappointment. He whined like a little boy asking his parents to buy him a toy, ¡°Why~? It was just getting good! Can¡¯t I fight for just a little longer?¡±

    ¡°Keke. You know that we came here for a different reason.¡± Amon tapped the ground with his staff and continued as if scolding Bael, ¡°The enjoyment will only amplify if you postpone it.¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡± Bael pouted and stomped his feet as if having a temper tantrum. He said as he smiled widely and waved, ¡°Sorry, Kang-Woo. Let¡¯s y again next time!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I wanna y some more now,¡± Kang-Woo replied as he red fiercely at Bael.

    He had no idea what Bael had nned, but he could not let him run away.

    ¡°Hihihi.¡± Bael smiled innocently and looked up. ¡°I wonder if you can?¡±

    Bael¡¯s mouth expanded massively, defying thews of physics. His mouth which had grown to hundreds of meters now looked as if it were a colossal.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    And then, something was devoured by his mouth.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Kang-Woo muttered as a chill ran down his spine.

    He felt as if something horrible and irreversible had urred.

    ¡°Heh.¡± Bael chuckled. And then¡­

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The Demon God¡¯s Heart has been absorbed by Bael.]

    [A portion of the privileges will be granted to Bael as per the ¡®Law of Titans.¡¯]

    ¡°Right then, see ya.¡±

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    A giant Rift easily several kilometers wide formed in midair. Bael jumped into the Rift as he waved innocently.

    ¡°Stop right th¡ª¡±

    Before Kang-Woo even had a chance to chase after Bael¡­

    [The privileges of the ¡®Gaia System¡¯ will be transferred from Gaia to Bael.]

    [Bael hasmanded the copse of the ¡®Gaia System.¡¯]

    A blue window containing a horrifying message covered Kang-Woo¡¯s field of vision.

    [Commencing the copse of the ¡®Gaia System.¡¯]

    ¡°Motherfucker¡­ Just my luck¡­¡± Kang-Woo cursed as he read the contents of the blue message windows.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Dayum shit¡¯s really hitting the fan</blockquote>

 Chapter 433: Linked Worlds (1)

    Chapter 433: Linked Worlds (1)

    Rumble¡ª!!

    The sky looked as if it were copsing. The earth was upturned and shot up like a giant tsunami. The entire forest was being destroyed as if a giant had grabbed and flipped the ground.

    ¡°Kyaaaaah! Wh-what the fuck?!¡±

    ¡°H-hyung-nim!!¡±

    Cha Yeon-Joo and Kim Si-Hun¡¯s screams rang out.

    Oh Kang-Woo floated into the air and shouted, ¡°Get away from the ground!¡±

    There was fortunately someone among his party members who could easily keep them safe in the air.

    ¡°Echidna!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Echidna nodded and jumped into the air.

    The girl the size of a middle schooler lit up and turned into a massive dragon twenty meters tall.

    [<em>Krarararararara!!</em>][1]

    ¡°What the hell¡¯s up with that roar?¡±

    <em>¡®Did you turn invisible or something?¡¯</em>[2]

    [Hm! All of you, get on my back!] Echidna shouted as she spread her giant wings.

    The party members quickly climbed on her back.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    Echidna flew into the air, the ground crumbling under her. Kang-Woo bit his lip as he looked down at the copsing forest.

    <em>¡®Shit. What the fuck is going on? The Gaia System is copsing?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo knew very well what the Gaia System¡¯s role was. It was the power that protected Earth from otherworldly invaders.

    <em>¡®If that disappears¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s face paled. The Earth that he had worked so hard to protect would be vulnerable to otherworldly invasions. To make aparison, it was as if the walls of a fortress had vaporized instantly. Not even Kang-Woo had any idea of what sort of beings there were in the outer worlds and how they would interfere with Earth.

    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck!¡± Kang-Woo cursed.

    Anxiety took over him. This was the worst possible scenario.

    <em>¡®Dammit.¡¯</em>

    He should have opened the Doors the moment he saw Bael. He should have realized what Bael was up to once he found out that Bael and Lucifer were in this forest. Bted regret swept over him.

    ¡°H-hyung-nim. La is¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo managed toe back to his senses after hearing Si-Hun¡¯s shaking voice.

    <em>¡®Wait.¡¯</em>

    He recalled what La looked like when he first met her. She had no eyesight and had been in a wheelchair because the Gaia System was severely damaged as a result of Kang-Woo returning to Earth. But if that very Gaia System had nowpletely copsed, she would be¡­

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Kang-Woo quickly turned around to see La panting heavily in Si-Hun¡¯s arms. He ran to her, bit open his finger, and poured blood into her mouth.

    ¡°U-Urgh¡­¡±

    ¡°Darling! Use all the healing magic you have on La right now!¡±

    ¡°O-okay!¡± Han Seol-Ah quickly approached La and poured healing magic on La.

    The heavily panting La¡¯splexion began to return to normal.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa. I¡¯m alright now, everyone,¡± La said as she caught her breath.

    ¡°... You are?¡± Kang-Woo asked, unable to understand.

    He had seen many times through La and Iris that the condition of a god affected their incarnation. The Gaia System had copsed, so it would not be a surprise even if Gaia, Earth¡¯s guardian deity, were to be annihted. How could she be fine?

    La calmly exined, ¡°Lady Gaia¡­ managed to escape from the effects of the Gaia System¡¯s copse after losing her rights as the guardian deity.¡±

    Kang-Woo sighed in relief at the unexpected news. There was no better news than this in terms of right at this moment.

    ¡°What in the world is going on?¡± Kang-Woo asked as he stared at the giant Rift several kilometers wide that had formed in the Nightmare Forest.

    The ground around them was being sucked into the Rift like a ck hole.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure either. I-I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before,¡± La replied.

    It was an obvious answer since the protection of a star had never copsed before. In that case¡­

    ¡°Are you able to get in contact with Lady Gaia?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°... Just a moment.¡± La closed her eyes and brought her hands together. White light particles formed around her.

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply and grabbed his forehead.

    He had not been this flustered since when he had first fallen into Hell.

    <em>¡®Calm down.¡¯</em>

    The water had already been spilled. Bael had eaten the Demon God¡¯s heart and Earth¡¯s protection had been destroyed. Nothing could be worse than this.

    <em>¡®But I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a way to fix this goddamn despairing situation.¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo thought in silence.

    However, the situation did not allow him the leisure to think.

    <em>Boom! Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    ¡°Wh-what should we do about that?¡±

    The Rift which was already several kilometers wide was getting evenrger.

    ¡°...¡±

    At this rate, it could even devour the entire continent of Aernor.

    ¡°Haaa¡­ Fuck.¡± Kang-Woo raised his head and sighed.

    Although he had acquired Top-rank Deific Essence, it was nearly impossible to close a Rift gettingrger to the point that it could engulf an entire world. It was as insane as stopping a natural disaster with one¡¯s bare hands.

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>¡®Well, since when have I only done things that were possible?¡¯</em>

    He lightly jumped down from Echidna¡¯s back.

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo?!¡± Seol-Ah yelled from behind.

    Kang-Woo ignored her andnded on the copsing ground.

    ¡°Fucking brat.¡±

    Kang-Woo grimaced as he stared at the ground being sucked into the Rift.

    He slowly walked to the Rift, spread his arms wide, andmanded with Soul Speech, ¡°Close.¡±

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!!</em>

    A sound akin to steel being torn apart echoed. Kang-Woo slowly brought the arms he had spread out closer together as he burned with golden light.

    ¡°No¡­ way¡­¡±

    ¡°H-how could he close that Rift with pure strength¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo could hear the shocked voices of his party members, but he ignored them.

    ¡°Kurgh.¡± Kang-Woo raised his head as immense pressure weighed down on him. ¡°Arghhh¡­¡±

    His eyes widened and his mouth agape. His muscles swelled up as if they would burst and his blood vessels popped out hideously.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    <em>¡®This hurts like hell.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo felt like he was beingpressed by a giant hydraulic press. His body contorted, unable to handle the pressure.

    <em>Crack! Crunch!</em>

    His arms, legs, head, and hips twisted. Horrendous pain ate away at his sanity.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s okay.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. He was used to this level of pain; he could endure pain like this all day if he had to.

    ¡°Kang-Woo!¡±

    Just then, Seol-Ah¡¯s magic flowed into him, restoring his distorted body to its original condition. Kang-Woo¡¯s flickering consciousness became a little clearer thanks to Seol-Ah¡¯s help.

    <em>Crack¡ª!!</em>

    The destruction continued; the ground around them had been destroyed to the point that it was irreparable.

    ¡°Fuuu.¡± Kang-Woo took a deep breath.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Kang-Woo was enveloped by gold and ck mes¡ª no, he had be fire itself.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Raising yer Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s proficiency in the ¡®mes of Voracity.¡¯]

    [You have obtained a clue for acquiring Transcendent-rank Deific Essence!]

    Blue message windows popped up, but Kang-Woo did not have the leeway to check what it said. His consciousness turned hazy as the giant mes rampaged.

    ¡°A-arghhh.¡±

    Kang-Woo crouched. He could feel the mes of Voracity around him gettingrger and spreading to the expanding Rift.

    <em>Tsssss¡ª!!</em>

    The Rift that was devouring a world was being devoured by the zing mes.

    ¡°Raaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    The gold and ck mes were burning the entire world. Immense power flowed into Kang-Woo¡ª no, power might be flowing out of him; he couldn¡¯t tell. He extended his arm. He felt like he would be able to do something.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Kang-Woo closed into a fist the hand of the arm that he was extending. The mes of Voracity wrapped around the borders of the expanding Rift. The gold and ck mes eating away at the giant ck Rift looked as if a <em>ck sun</em> had risen.

    <em>Tssssss.</em>

    The Rift¡¯s expansion stopped.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± Kang-Woo panted heavily and copsed on the spot. He could not muster an ounce of strength.

    <em>¡®Did I stop it?¡¯</em>

    He turned his head as he was lying down on the ground. He had stopped the Rift from expanding but had not managed to close it. But the good news was that the Rift was no longer sucking everything around it like a ck hole.

    [Kang-Woo!]

    Echidna flew toward Kang-Woo as she pped her giant wings. The party members soon arrived where Kang-Woo was. Seol-Ah quickly used healing magic on him, and Si-Hun and Balrog stood around him like bodyguards.

    ¡°... Hyung-nim.¡±

    <em>Schwing.</em>

    Si-Hun created a sword with blue condensed sword energy and stared at the ck Rift.

    ¡°I sense a presence. Not one, but many,¡± he continued.

    They could feel people walking toward them from within the Rift. The party members prepared themselves anxiously.

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    A wave formed on the surface of the ck Rift and a foot emerged; it looked to be that of a human. An entire leg soon emerged as well as a sword strapped to the person¡¯s waist.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Si-Hun lowered his stance and charged forward.

    <em>¡®Heavenly Dragon Fl¡ª¡¯</em>

    As Si-Hun raised the sword above his head and was about to swing it down¡­

    ¡°... Si-Hun?¡± said an old man who walked out of the Rift.

    Si-Hun stopped himself in his tracks and stared at the old man in surprise.

    ¡°Master¡­?¡±

    The old man who walked out of the Rift was Tian Wuchen, the yer with the title <em>Sword Emperor</em>.

    ¡°What in the¡­¡± Si-Hun stared dumbfoundedly at Wuchen, who was supposed to be on Earth at the moment.

    ¡°Yeon-Joo? Is that you?¡± A masculine woman walked out of the Rift behind Wuchen and stared at Yeon-Joo with her head tilted.

    ¡°Huh? Hwa-Yeon? Why are you here¡­?¡±

    ¡°Whoa! Why are you here, you guys? Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to, uhhh¡­ What was it called again? Vernar or whatever it was?¡±

    Even Kang Tae-Soo, whom Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t even remember thest time he was relevant, had appeared.

    ¡°... What the hell?¡± Kang-Woo on the ground looked around in shock.

    yers who were supposed to be on Earth had crossed through the Rift; that could only mean one thing.

    ¡°Has Aernor and Earth¡­ been linked?¡±

    1. This is how dragons roar in the Korean novel series <em>Dragon Raja</em> (1997) written by Lee Yeongdo, not to be confused with the Chinese novel with the same name. The novel pioneered the Korean fantasy genre, with several of the fantasy tropes you see in modern Korean fantasy originating from this novel. ?

    2. This is a reference to White Dragon Cathselprime, who can use invisibility magic. ?

 Chapter 434: Linked Worlds (2)

    Chapter 434: Linked Worlds (2)

    ¡°So¡­¡± Oh Kang-Woo slurred. ¡°Your name was¡­ uhhh¡­ Deok-Gu, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Tae-Soo! Kang Tae-Soo! I can¡¯t believe you forgot my name even if it¡¯s been a while, hyung-nim!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯m just joking, man.¡±

    <em>¡®Sorry. I actually forgot. Can you me me when you¡¯ve barely appeared?¡¯</em>

    How was he supposed to remember a character that vanished into thin air in a long novel like this?

    <em>¡®Well, whatever the case, this isn¡¯t the time.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned to Tian Wuchen and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I would like to ask. Didn¡¯t you all¡­ go to another dimension to fulfill a mission that Lady Gaia gave you?¡± Wuchen asked.

    ¡°This is that dimension.¡±

    ¡°Wh-what?¡±

    Wuchen looked around in surprise. The surroundings had been destroyed beyond recognition due to Kang-Woo¡¯s battle against Bael, to the point that the Nine Hells would look better.

    ¡°Was the continent of Aernor¡­ this hideous a ce?¡±

    ¡°No, this is just from a battle that took ce here.¡±

    ¡°What sort of battle would level the surroundings like this¡­?¡±

    Wuchen¡¯s expression hardened as if he couldn¡¯t imagine it. The area around them looked as if a battle between Titans of myth had taken ce.

    ¡°More importantly, could you answer my earlier question?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Oh, my apologies. We were¡­ It was called North Korea, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    It was one of the counties that had fallen during the Day of Cmity.

    ¡°A giant Gate suddenly appeared there. As you can see¡­ It was well over several kilometers wide,¡± Wuchen mentioned.

    ¡°And so Guardians sent you to investigate?¡±

    Wuchen nodded. ¡°After all, there hasn¡¯t been a Gate asrge as this even during the Day of Cmity. Although¡­ I never expected this ce to be a continent of another world.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo remained silent.

    As he had expected, Earth and Aernor seemed to have been linked.

    <em>¡®Why?¡¯</em>

    It had not been impossible to cross between Earth and Aernor; Lucifer, Uriel, and even Kang-Woo and his party members had crossed the dimensional wall.

    <em>¡®But this is different.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked up at the Rift that looked easily above ten kilometers in diameter. The mes of Voracity had managed to stop its expansion, but it did not disappear. It was as if a bridge had been built between two inds that previously required a boat to go back and forth. Just like what Wuchen and the others did, anyone would be able to cross between Earth and Aernor through the Rift.

    <em>¡®...¡¯</em> There was only one exnation for why this happened. <em>¡®The Gaia System¡¯s copse.¡¯</em>

    The protective barrier on Earth hadpletely vanished.

    <em>¡®The invasion on Earth has already begun.¡¯</em>

    The first world that invaded Earth was Aernor, the world closest to Earth.

    ¡°... Goddammit,¡± Kang-Woo cursed.

    The link between Earth and Aernor was not a big problem; Kang-Woo weed the fact that he could freely cross between Earth and Aernor.

    <em>¡®But that¡¯s surely not the end of it.¡¯</em>

    Aernor was only the beginning. All sorts of outer worlds would begin to invade Earth after the Triad.

    <em>¡®And I¡¯m sure the Nine Hells will be among them.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned fiercely. The worst possible situation that he had imagined after he discovered the true nature of the Gaia System had urred.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s toote to restore the Gaia System now.¡¯</em>

    They had only just barely managed to fix the hole that Kang-Woo had made, and that had taken years of effort. Not only that, but the fix had only been temporary. Now that the entire Gaia System had copsed, there was no practical way to restore it anymore. That fact would not change even if Kang-Woo were to find Bael and kill him immediately.

    <em>¡®Motherfucker.¡¯</em>

    The situation could not be any worse. A sense of powerlessness spread over him.

    [M-my children! Are you alright?!]

    Just then, a brown-haired woman with a gentle appearance and emitting faint light came out of the Rift and ran toward Kang-Woo and his party members. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened.

    <em>¡®The hell? Why is Gaia here?¡¯</em>

    His confusion only grew. The gods of the divine realm could only manifest in the physical realm through their incarnations;ing to the physical realm in their true form was impossible unless they were to risk the System annihting their Deific Essence.

    ¡°L-Lady Gaia?¡± La also stared at Gaia in surprise and asked in pallor, ¡°Wh-what is happening? If you manifest directly like this, the restriction¡­¡±

    [There is no need to worry. Well, that is not quite true, but¡­] Gaia sighed deeply and continued, [The Law¡¯s restrictions have vanished.]

    ¡°... What?¡±

    [Those possessing Deific Essence are no longer under restriction¡­ They can freely use their power in the physical realm.]

    ¡°...¡±

    A heavy silence fell. Kang-Woo bit his lip. It was not hard to imagine who had eradicated the Laws of Titans that restricted the actions of gods.

    <em>¡®Bael, that crazy motherfucker¡­¡¯</em>

    Not only had he destroyed Earth¡¯s protective barrier, but he had also freed the gods from their chains. He had pretty much quickened Earth¡¯s journey to its demise.

    ¡°...¡±

    Something snapped within Kang-Woo¡¯s head. He felt dizzy as he imagined Bael bursting intoughter in front of him.

    ¡°P-please wait. By the restrictions being undone, you mean¡­¡± La looked at Gaia in shock.

    Gaia nodded with a heavy expression. [Yes. It means that beings who possess Deific Essence can¡­ manifest directly into the physical realm.]

    ¡°N-no way¡­¡± La copsed to her knees.

    It was obvious, but not all those who possessed Deific Essence desired to protect the world. Some were demonic in nature and could not care less if every world were to fall as long as it could fulfill their self-satisfaction. If the Law of Titans keeping those beings in check disappeared, they would rampage to their heart¡¯s content.

    ¡°Wh-what¡­ What happened to Earth?¡± La asked as she stuttered.

    If beings who possessed Deific Essence trespassed into Earth, there would no doubt be chaos beyond the Day of Cmity. It would be no surprise even if Earth had fallen already.

    [Fortunately, Uranus took quick action to block the gods from manifesting as they wanted, but¡­ I do not know how long that willst.] Gaia bit her lip anxiously. [We have to find that Demon of Prophecy named Bael as soon as possible to avoid the worst possible scenario. My children, did you see where he went?]

    La shook her head with a heavy expression.

    [How¡­ How could this have¡­] Gaia¡¯s eyes filled with despair. She lowered her head as her shoulders trembled. [In the end¡­ we are unable to stop the prophecy.]

    Despite the Protectors doing their best to stop the end, it wasing nheless.

    ¡°... Let us first return to Earth ande up with a countermeasure,¡± Kang-Woo suggested emptily amidst the somber atmosphere.

    Gaia turned to Kang-Woo. [Yes, you are right. Nothing will change even if we stay still. That aside, my child. I heard that you fought against the Demon of Prophecy. Are you feeling alr¡ª]

    As she was about to reach out to Kang-Woo in worry¡­

    [...!]

    A chill ran throughout Gaia¡¯s body.

    [A-arghh.]

    She couldn¡¯t breathe properly. A powerless feeling as if she was being sucked into an endless abyss swept over her the moment she looked into Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes. Gaia trembled from the extreme fear.

    <em>¡®What¡­ in the¡­¡¯</em>

    The sudden feeling then instantly disappeared before Gaia even had a chance to get a hold of herself. Gaia stared at Kang-Woo again with shaking eyes. Although his expression was slightly hardened, he was still the Protector of Light that she cherished.

    <em>¡®What was that?¡¯</em>

    The fear that she felt had been far too vivid for it to be an imagination. She had not felt this much fear even when she had fought against the Demon God in the past. She had seen a giant mouth with the teeth of a horrendous monster on the other side of the abyss; the image was engraved into her brain.

    ¡°Lady Gaia?¡± Kang-Woo called her with a gentle voice.

    [Oh, I-I¡¯m sorry.]

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    [No, it¡¯s nothing.] Gaia shook her head.

    She felt dizzy as if she had an extremely realistic dream.

    ¡°I see,¡± Kang-Woo answered. Gaia¡¯s eyes staring at him were a little cold. ¡°In that case, I will excuse myself to contact Iris before we go.¡±

    [Iris?]

    ¡°She is Lady Elune¡¯s incarnation. She was of great help to our explorations in Aernor.¡±

    [Ohhh, I see.] Gaia nodded as if she understood. [Go ahead. I will make preparations to return to Earth with the other children.]

    ¡°I will leave it to you.¡±

    Kang-Woo turned around and walked along the Nightmare Forest that had been destroyed to the point that no one would think this ce used to be a forest at a nce. As he walked¡­ and walked¡­ and kept walking¡­

    ¡°... My king.¡±

    Kang-Woo heard Lilith¡¯s subtly trembling voice. He ignored her and continued to walk.

    ¡°My king!¡± Lilith shouted and grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s arm.

    Kang-Woo turned to face Lilith.

    ¡°... <em>Gasp</em>.¡±

    His pupils were stretched horizontally, the whites of his eyes had been dyed ck, and his irises were bright yellow. Lilith trembled in pallor. Kang-Woo shook off Lilith¡¯s hand and turned back around.

    ¡°Go back. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    ¡°M-my king¡­¡±

    ¡°I told you¡­ to go back.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Lilith bit her lip and bowed. Kang-Woo walked until Lilith could no longer see him.

    <em>Wham¡ª!!</em>

    He mmed down his fist.

    ¡°Hah.¡± Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Ha¡­ hahaha. Fucking hell.¡±

    He looked up. It had truly been a while since he had <em>lost</em>.

    ¡°Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael,¡± Kang-Woo repeated as if he were singing.

    His shoulders shook. He could not remember thest time he had been this enraged.

    ¡°Alright, you wanna have a go, is it?¡±

    The corners of Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth rose. Earth¡¯s protective barrier was now gone. The Nine Hells would begin to invade Earth. If that was the case¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­¡±

    He would simply have to remind them who their king was.

    ¡°... devour you all.¡±

 Chapter 435: Olympus (1)

    Chapter 435: Olympus (1)

    ¡°Seoul¡­ It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    The concrete jungle. After the Day of Cmity, Seoul¡¯s resources were mostly reced with the mana stones collected from monsters, resulting in skies so blue that one wouldn¡¯t think they were in a city. Despite returning to their home world after half a year, the expressions of the party members could not be darker.

    Cha Yeon-Joo sighed. ¡°Haaa. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯de back feeling like shit.¡±

    They had crossed to a different dimension for an expedition to eliminate the Demon God¡¯s heart, but it had been a wasted trip in terms of results.

    ¡°It¡¯s peaceful,¡± Yeon-Joo muttered as she looked around at the people in the streets.

    There were no noticeable changes. People were walking around as usual; some were listening to music,ughing on a call, or going to the supermarket as they held hands with their children.

    Yeon-Joo bit her lip and closed her eyes. This peaceful sight would notst much longer; these streets would soon be dyed with madness and destruction once the beings from outer worlds invaded.

    She sighed deeply and asked, ¡°There¡¯s a possibility that the otherworldly forces are friendly, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    ¡°They could be, but we ultimately won¡¯t be able to avoid chaos,¡± Oh Kang-Woo replied.

    Even if one or two parties were to approach Earth with amicable intentions, it would still cause chaos to an extent. Moreover, the chances of an otherworldly force that they had no rtion to, approaching them with amicable intentions were low.

    <em>¡®And it¡¯s not like we can be sure they have the intelligence required formunication.¡¯</em>

    There would be even less of a chance that they would be friendly if the otherworldly forces invading Earth were highly unintelligent like demonic beasts or monsters.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and looked around the streets. As Yeon-Joo mentioned, it was peaceful.

    <em>¡®Well, I couldn¡¯t care about less what happens to these people.¡¯</em>

    It was none of his business whether these people became food for demonic beasts or were torn apart by demons. He was not delicate enough to worry about what happened to people whom he had no rtions with. Unlike Kim Si-Hun and Yeon-Joo, whose eyes were filled with emotions, Kang-Woo fell into thought nonchntly.

    <em>¡®Maybe I should prepare an escape route just in case.¡¯</em>

    If Earth were to be brought to the brink of copse after being unable to endure otherworldly invasions, it would be nice to have a ce to run away to with a few people. In other words, Operation: So Long, Earth.

    <em>¡®Darling, Si-Hun¡­ Echidna, Yeon-Joo. I¡¯ll of course take Balrog, and as long as Lilith stays in this form¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought about the people he would take. As long as they were with him, he couldn¡¯t care less about Earth¡¯s destruction.

    <em>¡®Well, it would only be in a worst-case scenario.¡¯</em>

    Since the entire Triad would be destroyed ording to the prophecy, he would not be able to settle in Aernor. He needed to find a world free from the Gaia System¡¯s influence. Just finding a world like that would not be easy, and he was getting a headache just thinking about how to set up a stable life there.

    <em>¡®Not just that, my delicate and kind darling would no doubt be heartbroken.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had invested too much on Earth to give up on it. He decided to set aside nning the operation for now and began to think of an alternative n.

    <em>¡®Alright, let¡¯s organize the situation first.¡¯</em>

    Earth had lost its ability to block otherworldly invasions due to the Gaia System¡¯s copse. Although Gates still existed, its numbers would skyrocket to an iparable number once the invasion picked up speed.

    <em>¡®Also, the interference of the gods.¡¯</em>

    There was no telling what the beings possessing Deific Essence, who had been stuck in the divine realm due to the System¡¯s restrictions shackling them, would do now that they had been freed. No, to be more precise, Kang-Woo more or less knew what they would do.

    <em>¡®They would fulfill their desire.¡¯</em>

    Actual gods were different from the almighty gods that religious organizations of Earth worshiped. Beings who possessed Deific Essence were closer to humans with special powers than gods. Since that was the case, they would do as their desire directed now that they were free to do as they liked.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and tapped his thigh with his finger.

    <em>¡®Guardians won¡¯t do.¡¯</em>

    yers would not be able to block the disasters that woulde.

    <em>¡®In that case¡­ the only way is to get the gods¡¯ cooperation.¡¯</em>

    He needed help from beings possessing Deific Essence; he would not be able to block all the invasions by himself. Just like how Guardians had been made through the gathering of Protectors, an organization consisting of beings who possessed Deific Essence needed to be made. Then, the organization would keep the other gods in check so that they couldn¡¯t run wild as they desired.

    ¡°Hyung-nim?¡± Si-Hun called the thinking Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Oh, huh?¡±

    ¡°What¡­ should we do now?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°First,¡± Kang-Woo turned to the party members and continued, ¡°Go back home and get some rest. It¡¯s been half a year since we¡¯ve been back.¡±

    ¡°R-rest? How can we rest in a situation like this?!¡± Yeon-Joo shouted.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do right now even if we don¡¯t rest.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    ¡°We need a break. If we don¡¯t rest now, we might not have a chance toter. You should stop by the Red Rose Guild, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Right, then. All of you, go get some rest. Si-Hun, you go visit your mother too.¡±

    ¡°Okay, hyung-nim.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you all once I¡¯ve finished preparing.¡± Kang-Woo turned around and grabbed Han Seol-Ah¡¯s hands. He continued, ¡°Go back home first with Exchidna and Halcyon, darling. I have some stuff to talk about with Lady Gaia, so I¡¯ll stop by the Hall of Protection.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you then,¡± Seol-Ah answered desperately as she tightened her grip on Kang-Woo¡¯d hands.

    Kang-Woo could feel her strong desire of not wanting to let go of him.

    ¡°It would be bad if your identity were to be¡­¡± Kang-Woo slurred.

    <em>¡®Come to think of it¡­¡¯</em>

    There was no need to hide the fact that Seraph was within Seol-Ah anymore. The Constetions of Evil who had been sealed by Seraph¡¯s power had already been freed and killed. Not only that but Seol-Ah would not be undermined by the gods since she possessed the soul of Seraph, a Top-rank goddess.

    ¡°Alright, then. Darling and Lilith, follow me.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Kang-Woo opened the Gate leading to the Hall of Protection. Gaia had already gone to the Hall of Protection with La after guiding them to Earth.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure Gaia won¡¯t be the only god there.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone. Since the chains shackling the gods had been broken, Gaia¡¯s closest associates would likely have manifested into the physical realm as well.

    ¡°I wonder if the gods siding with Gaia will go along with it?¡± Lilith asked as they headed to the Hall of Protection.

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>¡®It seems like she has an idea of what I¡¯m trying to do.¡¯</em>

    As expected of Lilith. No, the idea of creating an organization, like Guardians, of beings who possessed Deific Essence might just be a simple one.

    <em>¡®Although I doubt there are many who would be able to put such an idea into action.¡¯</em>

    How many beings would be able to keep several different gods in check?

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Kang-Woo answered.

    ¡°There will surely be much opposition.¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Even if the gods resisted, Kang-Woo needed them under his control. He couldn¡¯t trust Gaia to take care of it.

    ¡°I can¡¯t afford to have one foot out the door anymore.¡±

    Kang-Woo had never once taken action directly in Aernor even during his days in Guardians; he had always coordinated the situation from the shadows as he ced Si-Hun as the figurehead. This was because he did not want to shoulder the risk involved with having his identity revealed. However¡­

    ¡°From now on¡­¡±

    He needed beings who listened to him, obeyed him, and died at hismand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll personally take action,¡± he stated with fiercely zing eyes.

    Lilith remained silent.

    Kang-Woo reminded her of back when she saw him for the first time in the Ninth Hell.

    ***

    ¡°You¡¯re here, my child,¡± Gaia greeted him in the Hall of Protection as if she had been waiting for him.

    There were many other gods as well.

    ¡°Let me introduce you. This is Uranus, the one who had taken on the role of guardian deity in my ce while I was incapacitated. And this is¡­¡±

    Gaia continued with the introductions. The names of the gods that she introduced were all ones that Kang-Woo was familiar with through Greek mythology.

    ¡°That blondie who looks like he likes to screw around is Zeus, and the blue-haired one next to him is Poseidon,¡± Gaia remarked.

    ¡°What do you mean, screw around, Mother?¡± Zeus asked.

    ¡°Quiet. Do you have any idea how many incidents there have been in the divine realm because of you?¡± Gaia said as she red at Zeus.

    Zeusughed heartily and shouted, ¡°Can you me me? Just like how a butterfly can¡¯t fly past a beautiful flower, I can¡¯t avert my eyes from the lovelydies thirsty for love!¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled as he listened to Zeus¡¯s nonsense.

    <em>¡®I had an inkling ever since I found out that Gaia was Earth¡¯s guardian deity, but¡­¡¯</em>

    He had not imagined gods with familiar names like Zeus and Poseidon to appear.

    <em>¡®And their personalities kinda match the legends too.¡¯</em>

    Of course not everything was the same as the legends; Kang-Woo was easily able to tell that from the fact that Uranus looked well.

    <em>¡®ording to the myths, he was castrated and became a eunuch.¡¯</em>

    Uranus did not look like a eunuch.

    <em>¡®I mean, it¡¯s a bit weird to say that someone doesn¡¯t look like a eunuch, but whatever.¡¯</em>

    It felt weird seeing beings of mythology that Kang-Woo had only read about through children¡¯s books back in the orphanage.

    ¡°Andstly, this is¡­ Artemis, the goddess of the moon,¡± Gaia said as she turned to the ck-haired woman standing silently in the corner of the Hall of Protection.

    Her eyes were filled with sorrow and loneliness as she leaned against the wall in silence.

    <em>¡®Hm?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head as he looked at Artemis, who was staring nkly into nothingness. She did not seem to be worrying about the end of the world like the other gods.

    Noticing Kang-Woo¡¯s reaction, Gaia continued sorrowfully, ¡°Artemis¡­ lost some precious to her.¡±

    ¡°Due to this incident?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°No, not that.¡± Gaia shook her head. ¡°The Deific Essence of Apollo, her older brother, was annihted suddenly one day. Yes, as if¡­¡± Gaia looked at Artemis pitifully. ¡°As if he broke an oath that he made with his Deific Essence on the line.¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent. It was no wonder why Artemis was wallowing in sadness since her older brother had been annihted out of nowhere without knowing why.

    ¡°It must have been the Demon of Prophecy¡¯s doing.¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes teared as if he understood Artemis¡¯s pain.

    He knew how agonizing it was to lose those precious to him.

    ¡°Haaa¡­ I hate myself for being unable to help her in times like this,¡± Gaia remarked.

    ¡°Not at all, Lady Gaia, You¡¯ve done your best,¡± Kang-Woo consoled as he patted Gaia¡¯s shoulder.

    <em>¡®Bael.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought about the demon who had spread unfathomable sorrow and dreamed of even greater disaster.

    ¡°Now, then.¡± Kang-Woo set aside his sorrow, quelled his rage, and said to the crowd, ¡°Let us begin the countermeasure meeting.¡±<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Oh no¡­ I think I know why Apollo was annihted¡­ I¡¯ll let you guys think about it and maybe we¡¯lle up with the same conclusion (it has to do with our MC, of course).</blockquote>

 Chapter 436: Olympus (2)

    Chapter 436: Olympus (2)

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Zeus raised his eyebrows after hearing Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s statement and turned to Gaia.

    It was not just him, but the other gods as well. They were all staring at Gaia and Uranus in confusion as if they were asking why a mere retainer was leading the countermeasure meeting. It was only natural since they did not know that Kang-Woo had acquired Top-rank Deific Essence; although he had been chosen by Gaia, he was but a retainer. Some of the gods were even giving Kang-Woo hostile res.

    ¡°Enough with the disrespect.¡± Gaia frowned as she stared at the gods. ¡°My child has risked his life to protect Earth while we were restricted by the Law. Are there any of you who know Earth¡¯s situation better than my child?¡±

    ¡°Mm. You are right.¡± Poseidon nodded.

    Although the human was a mere retainer without Deific Essence, his achievements and experience of protecting Earth all this time needed to be acknowledged. As Gaia had mentioned, none of the gods knew about Earth¡¯s situation better than the human.

    ¡°In that case, let us continue the meeting,¡± Kang-Woo said firmly as the gods focused their attention on him. ¡°I am sure all of you have some idea about what is happening on Earth right now.¡±

    A few gods nodded.

    Kang-Woo continued calmly, ¡°Bael, the Demon of Prophecy, destroyed Earth¡¯s protection and freed beings possessing Deific Essence from the Law of Titans. Hence, gods like yourselves have been allowed to act freely on Earth along with themencement of otherworldly invasions. First of all, we can¡¯t block these invasions in our current situation.¡±

    As long as the Gaia System, Earth¡¯s protection, was not restored from itspletely copsed state, it would be fundamentally impossible to block the invasions. Not only that but there was no way to restore it at the moment.¡°As for the otherworldly invasions, we can onlye up with measures to take after the fact. In other words, we have to either chase out or conciliate the otherworldly beings once they arrive through a Rift.¡±

    They needed to make preparations to be able to act at any time as soon as a Rift opened, but they couldn¡¯t do anything else. The outer worlds would always have the initiative in this situation.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    That was not the case for gods who had been freed from the restriction.

    ¡°We can regte the gods who are likely to cause chaos among the freed ones on our end.¡±

    If they had been freed, they simply needed to be put on a new leash.

    ¡°Hah, so you¡¯re suggesting we attack them first?¡± one of the gods asked as he snorted.

    He was covered in muscles like Balrog and was wearing a lion¡¯s head like a helmet.

    <em>¡®Heracles, was it?¡¯</em>

    He was one of the gods who had given Kang-Woo a hostile re earlier.

    ¡°I¡¯m not suggesting we attack them. We would just keep them in check so that they can¡¯t make any reckless moves,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    ¡°That¡¯s the same thing.¡± Heracles red as he argued.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyebrows slightly flinched. ¡°You are free to think of it that way. We have to act first before they cause chaos.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. You want to do something like that when we have no idea who will cause chaos and who won¡¯t? Are you nning on antagonizing even the neutral gods as well?¡± Heracles asked curtly.

    His argument was valid; restricting the gods who were trying to enjoy their newfound freedom would surely cause opposition even from gods who had no intention of causing chaos from the beginning.

    Kang-Woo chuckled at the trivial objection. ¡°Yes, it doesn¡¯t matter if we antagonize them.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°In the current situation, the gods are like refugees.¡±

    Kang-Woo knew that not every god would have malicious intentions. The majority of the gods would probably manifest into the physical realm simply out of curiosity. Among them, there were likely gods like Gaia who would stand against the Demon of Prophecy to protect the physical realm. However¡­

    ¡°The risk of them causing chaos is more than enough of a reason to restrict their entry,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    Many on Earth couldn¡¯t live anywhere else, but gods were different; they had no unavoidable reason to manifest in the physical realm. Like demons had the Nine Hells, the gods had the divine realm.

    ¡°All gods who manifest into the physical realm must be designated as enemies and cast out,¡± Kang-Woo dered.

    ¡°Hah, then are you telling us to go back to the divine realm?¡±

    ¡°You would have to be sorted. Only the gods permitted by me and Lady Gaia should be allowed to remain in the physical realm.¡±

    The gazes of the gods on him grew even more hostile. The atmosphere in the Hall of Protection turned menacing.

    ¡°Hah, we have to get your permission to be in the physical realm?¡± Heracles red at Kang-Woo sharply. He grabbed his double-bit ax and asked in a low tone, ¡°Are you insane?¡±

    ¡°A-all of you, calm down.¡± Gaia hurriedly stood between Heracles and Kang-Woo.

    She stared at Kang-Woo in bewilderment, not expecting him to suggest such a radical countermeasure. ¡°My child. It certainly would be an effective countermeasure, but¡­ opposition from the other gods will be too great.¡±

    There were countless gods and just as many factions. Gaia, a Top-rank goddess as well as Earth¡¯s guardian deity until a few moments ago, naturally possessed thergest faction, but it was notrge enough to keep all other factions in check. This was especially so now that her privileges as guardian deity had been stripped from her. If Gaia tried to forcibly regte the other gods, her faction could end up going to war against the other factions.

    ¡°That¡¯s a risk we¡¯ll have to take,¡± Kang-Woo said.

    ¡°It is way more than just a risk¡­¡± Gaia slurred.

    ¡°I am suggesting we set an example of how to avoid a war.¡±

    ¡°That very example is what may cause a war.¡±

    ¡°In that case¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Gaia with deeply sunken eyes.

    Gaia flinched.

    She felt the same chilling terror as back when she saw Kang-Woo after his confrontation with Bael. She could barely breathe as she was overwhelmed by an endless abyss.

    ¡°We just have to trample them to the point that they wouldn¡¯t dare to consider war.¡±

    Deathly silence fell. The gods in the Hall of Protection stared at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly, lost for words.

    ¡°M-mmm.¡± Gaia stared at Kang-Woo, not sure what to do.

    Seeing her reaction, Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>¡®I knew taking action myself was the right call.¡¯</em>

    When Kang-Woo first heard about the gods being freed from their restriction, he considered letting Gaia keep the other gods in check.

    <em>¡®It¡¯ll be a shitshow if I let Gaia take care of it.¡¯</em>

    She did not possess the conviction to make extreme decisions like this.

    <em>¡®No wonder why the Demon of Prophecy is free to run rampant.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Gaia in disappointment.

    <em>¡®How can she be so incapable?¡¯</em>

    No, that was probably the wrong word to use. Kang-Woo could tell from the trust that Uranus and the other gods had in her that she likely possessed the qualities of an excellent benevolent ruler.

    <em>¡®But you need a tyrant in turbulent times like this.¡¯</em>

    The end of the world was right around the corner; nothing would get done if they were to think about the circumstances of others like Gaia wanted. If the other gods did notply, Kang-Woo just needed to make themply.

    ¡°I-instead of an extreme measure like that, we should try to talk it out¡­ no, finding the Demon of Prophecy and restoring the Law of Titanses first,¡± Gaia suggested.

    ¡°That would be the most ideal option, but we have no idea where Bael is or what he¡¯s nning, do we?¡± Kang-Woo refuted.

    ¡°That is true, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Rather than trying to find Bael who knows where, we should resolve the chaos that we can at the moment first.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to stop the search on Bael. You don¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± Kang-Woo stated and looked around.

    As Lilith had feared, res of hostility were all around him.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s about time at least one of them loses their patience and steps up.¡¯</em>

    He had not expected the gods to take this lying down. Even if the gods of Olympus did not have a strong sense of authority, Kang-Woo¡¯s action had surely crossed the line. After all, even though Gaia treated her retainers like her children, the other gods thought of retainers as ves who followed their everymand.

    <em>¡®Alright, one of you make a scene.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would be the one in a predicament if no one stepped up because Gaia was here. Opposition that was not resolved was toxic for a group; taking their opposition head-on to prove that he had the right to say such things would prevent future troubles.

    <em>¡®I could reveal that I have Top-rank Deific Essence, but¡­¡¯</em>

    It would not mean much. Not only would they not believe him, they would not obey him even if they did believe him. It was not like Deific Essence was a ranking system; no god would obey another god just because they possessed a higher Deific Essence rank. In such cases, it was much easier to have them experience that Kang-Woo had the power to keep the gods in check.

    <em>¡®Now, hurry up. It¡¯d be bad for me if none of you stepped up.¡¯</em>

    If the meeting ended with no objections, the gods would only consider Kang-Woo as a mere human who was nothing but talk.

    <em>¡®Hurry the fuck up! Just stand up and say some shit like, </em>¡°You impertinent human!¡± <em>¡¯</em>

    <em>m!!</em>

    ¡°You impertinent human!¡±

    <em>¡®Hell yeah! That¡¯s it, Heracles. I knew you had it in you!¡¯</em>

    ¡°There is only so much bullshit that I can handle!¡±

    ¡°Listen listen I can¡¯t listen!¡±[1]

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Oh, my apologies. I ended up saying what I was thinking.¡±

    <em>¡®Son of a bitch. What a fucking buzzkill.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Anyway, you object to this n?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s the understatement of the era! Keeping all the gods in check? Risking war? We¡¯d be the only ones sacrificed in your insane n!¡±

    ¡°That is incorrect.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I will ask for assistance from the gods of Olympus, but I will be taking on the role of persecuting the gods who do notply with the restriction.¡±

    Heracles and the other gods were dumbfounded by how calm Kang-Woo was. ¡°Hah.¡±

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Heracles stomped his feet and raised his ax.

    ¡°I will see for myself whether or not you have the power to back up your bullshit,¡± he said.

    ¡°Haha,¡± Kang-Woo softlyughed. He had been waiting desperately for such a response. ¡°Of course.¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Heracles as he smiled fiercely.

    ¡°Aah, just a second.¡±

    Just then, a handsome middle-aged man with long, wavy blond hair held Heracles back and walked forward. It was Zeus.

    ¡°Father?¡± Heracles looked back at Zeus perplexedly.

    Zeus smiled and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to test that human.¡±

    ¡°Zeus! What do you think you¡¯re doing?! You might hurt my child if you¡ª¡± Gaia shouted.

    Zeus cut her off. ¡°Hahaha. There¡¯s no need to worry, Mother. I¡¯ll go easy on him. In exchange¡­¡± He turned to Kang-Woo¡ª no, to be more exact, the two women behind him. ¡°Could you allow me to spend some time with that beautifuldy over there if I deem that you are unworthy?¡±

    Zeus¡¯s eyes shone as he stared at Han Seol-Ah.

    ¡°Pardon? M-me?¡± Seol-Ah asked in bewilderment.

    ¡°Ahh, yes! I have never seen a woman as beautiful as you, even in the divine realm!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent. Seol-Ah hid behind Kang-Woo and embraced his arm.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    <em>¡®What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing, dammit?¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo thought.

    ¡°B-belong to Kang-Woo.¡±

    <em>¡®You¡¯re making my darling anxious.¡¯</em>

    ¡°<em>Grit</em>. Are you¡­ trying to separate me and Kang-Woo?¡±

    <em>¡®Uhhh, what are you doing darling? You¡¯re gonna break my arm at that rate.¡¯</em>

    <em>Creak.</em>

    <em>¡®Wait, it¡¯s seriously gonna break.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Are you¡­ trying to get in our way?¡±

    <em>¡®Hahaha. Calm down, darling. At this rate, you¡¯re gonna rip him into shreds. If you do that, we can kiss the gods¡¯ cooperation goodbye.¡¯</em>

    1. This is a Korean meme; it is an extremely literal trantion of Heracles¡¯s line above, which is used pretty often in anime/manga/manhwa. ?

 Chapter 437: GAME OVER

    Chapter 437: GAME OVER

    ¡°Mm, you¡¯re already taken?¡± Zeus asked as he nced at Oh Kang-Woo. He scanned Kang-Woo from head to toe and said as he smiled slyly, ¡°He does not deserve a beautiful blue bird like yourself.¡±

    Heughed heartily and looked back at Han Seol-Ah flirtatiously. ¡°I can guarantee that I can make you far happier.¡±

    ¡°Shut¡­ up.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Great! There¡¯s nothing that makes a man more passionate than a woman hard to get!¡±

    Zeusughed even harder as Seol-Ah red at him in displeasure. He exhaled heatedly as he scanned Seol-Ah from head to toe.

    ¡°Not even Aphrodite would be a match for your beauty! To think there was such a precious gem hidden within the physical realm¡­¡±

    Zeus then turned to the other woman behind Kang-Woo.

    ¡°By the gods, how can this be?!¡± His eyes lit up as he looked at Lilith. ¡°Hahaha, there is not one but two flowers! Is this a festival?!¡±

    ¡°My, you tter me.¡±Lilith smiled and walked toward Kang-Woo, cing her hand on his shoulder and smiling seductively. ¡°But unfortunately for you, this man has acquired both of these flowers.¡±¡°Hmm,¡± Zeus groaned, slightly astonished. He then turned to Kang-Woo andughed heartily. ¡°Hahaha! What a predicament. It is still not toote for you to change your mind and do as Lady Gaia says. At this rate, you¡¯ll be embarrassed in front of your lovelydies!¡±

    ¡°Zeus!¡± Gaia shouted, unable to endure it any longer. ¡°I told you to behave yourself!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. It¡¯s just a joke, Mother. Not even I would covet a woman who already has a beloved.¡±

    ¡°Bull! You¡¯ve caused countless incidents in the divine realm because of that!¡±

    ¡°Oh, had I?¡± Zeus turned back to Kang-Woo as he smiled slyly. ¡°Anyway, may I spend some time alone with your women if you fail the test?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Seol-Ah answered in Kang-Woo¡¯s ce. She hid behind Kang-Woo, embracing his arm as she trembled and gritted her teeth. ¡°Why are you trying to get between me and Kang-Woo?¡±

    She red at Zeus with empty eyes.

    ¡°Hahaha. I am not trying to get between you two. I am simply heartbroken to see a flower entangled by the stifling vines known as a rtionship.¡±

    Seol-Ah frowned aggressively due to Zeus¡¯s sly attitude. As twelve translucent wings were about to sprout from her back¡­

    ¡°Calm down, darling,¡± Kang-Woo expressed.

    ¡°Kang-Woo?¡±

    He grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s shoulder and pulled his arm out of her embrace. ¡°That¡¯s fine. However, could you do one thing that I ask you if I pass the test?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Of course! I swear on my Deific Essence of Lightning!¡± Zeus nodded as heughed heartily. He shrugged and turned to Gaia. ¡°Alright, then. Is there a decent ce to carry out the test around here?¡±

    ¡°Zeus,¡± Gaia muttered.

    ¡°Hahaha, there is no need to be so worried, Mother. I will not severely injure your precious retainer.¡±

    Zeus looked around and lightly snapped his finger.

    <em>Crackle.</em>

    Blue sparks spread from his hand to the walls.

    ¡°Oh, I found the perfect ce,¡± Zeus said as he walked to therge training room that Kim Si-Hun usually used.

    As Kang-Woo was about to follow Zeus inside, Gaia grabbed his arm with an anxious expression.

    ¡°My child, think this through again. No god in Olympus surpasses Zeus in terms ofbat. Even if you¡¯ve received my power¡­ it will not be enough to face Zeus.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled as Gaia begged him desperately. He entered the training room without answering her. Gaia stared at Kang-Woo¡¯s back in pity.

    Uranus slowly approached and grabbed Gaia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Do not worry. I will intervene if Zeus is about to go too far.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Your retainer will also get a chance to experience how powerful the gods are. He will give up on his absurd n of keeping all the gods in check.¡±

    Gaia brought her hands together in worry. White light flowed out from her and entered Kang-Woo. A barrier made of Divinity enveloped him so that he would avoid severe injuries.

    ¡°Haha. Your love for your retainers is as strong as always.¡± Noticing the light, Zeus chuckled. He said leisurely, ¡°Well then, I will let you attack first.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled widely and bowed. ¡°I look forward to your guidance.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! At least you have a minimal level of courtesy! Do not worry. I will do my best to embarrass you as least as possible in front of your women¡ª¡±

    Kang-Woo turned into a golden light and disappeared.

    <em>Tap.</em>

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Kang-Woo teleported behind Zeus and grabbed him by the back of his head. Kang-Woo swung Zeus¡¯s head down and his knee up.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± Zeus grunted after getting a knee mmed into his face.

    Kang-Woo grabbed Zeus¡¯s head with both hands and mmed his knee into Zeus¡¯s face again and again. The protective barrier of Deific Essence around Zeus shattered and his nose broke.

    ¡°W-Wa¡­¡± Zeus quickly shouted.

    However, Kang-Woo mmed Zeus¡¯s head into the ground and stomped his feet.

    <em>Swish!!</em>

    Hundreds of golden swords sprouted from the ground like a graveyard of swords. Kang-Woo then ran with Zeus¡¯s head on the ground.

    <em>sh!</em>

    ¡°Aaarrrggghhh!!!¡± Zeus screamed.

    Zeus¡¯s head was split, blood pouring out of his head from being shed by the swords of splendor on the ground. He frantically twisted himself out of Kang-Woo¡¯s hand.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff, huff!</em>¡± he panted heavily as he stared at Kang-Woo in disbelief. ¡°H-how did you break the Deific Essence protection¡­?¡±

    ¡°Because I also have Deific Essence.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Zeus was left astonished by Kang-Woo¡¯s calm answer. He turned to look at Gaia momentarily but shook his head. A god couldn¡¯t grant Deific Essence to anyone but their incarnation.

    <em>¡®That means¡­¡¯</em>

    The human had acquired Deific Essence with his own strength. Zeus knew how impressive of a feat that was.

    ¡°Forgive me for the disrespect.¡± Zeus stopped underestimating Kang-Woo and widened his stance. ¡°Can you tell me your Deific Name?¡±

    <em>Crackle!!</em>

    Zeus¡¯s eyes shone as blue lightning enveloped him. His sly expression from earlier vanished and had been reced with one befitting the dignity of the God of Lightning.

    Kang-Woo said as he stared at Zeus, ¡°Splendor. My Deific Name is Splendor.¡±

    He said the name of his Deific Essence which he had acquired after oveing countless adversities.

    <em>sh¡ª!</em>

    Blinding light filled the Hall of Protection.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Affiliating Gaia¡¯s retainer, the God of Splendor, with Olympus.]

    [Error, error.]

    [The God of Splendor¡¯s entry to Olympus has been canceled due to an unknown reason.]

    ***

    The battle between the God of Lightning Zeus and the God of Splendor Oh Kang-Woo had gone in apletely different direction than expected.

    ¡°N-no way¡­¡±

    Heracles¡¯s mouth gaped open in shock as he watched the battle, chills running down his back. The battle had been overwhelming, but the problem was¡­

    ¡°<em>Cough!</em> Kurgh¡­¡±

    The one on the ground was Zeus, one of the strongest gods of Olympus.

    ¡°I-I¡¯ve lost,¡± Zeus said as he lowered his head in front of Kang-Woo.

    He did not want to admit it, but he had no choice after being beaten so one-sidedly. He had lost so miserably that the word was not enough to describe his loss.

    Zeus nodded and continued, ¡°I see that¡­ your deration to keep the gods in check wasn¡¯t just talk.¡±

    It was not just the fact that Kang-Woo possessed Top-rank Derific Essence; the God of Splendor was so powerful that the entire force of Olympus might not be a match for him.

    ¡°Can I take that as an agreement to my n?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    Zeus nced in silence at Gaia, whose mouth was still gaped open in disbelief. He nodded slightly and said, ¡°The ultimate decision is up to Mother, but I at least will agree.¡±

    His pride did not allow him to take back his word after losing so miserably. Kang-Woo smiled. He did not need to look at Gaia¡¯s response since she had most definitely realized that he had the power to back up his words.

    ¡°Well, then¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed Zeus¡¯s shoulder. He had gotten what he wanted, but he could not let Zeus¡¯s ogling of Seol-Ah and Lilith slide. ¡°Could I ask you to do that one thing as promised right now?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Zeus averted his gaze from Kang-Woo. He had put his Deific Essence on the line since he had been sure that he would win, but regret swept over him after losing. ¡°... Tell me what you want.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing special. You only need to stay still for it.¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    ¡°Please follow me.¡±

    Kang-Woo helped Zeus up and smiled. He told Gaia that he needed to discuss something with Zeus privately and headed down to the Hall of Protection¡¯s basement where Guardians equipment and potions were stored.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Kang-Woo slid open the thick steel door.

    ¡°Where is this ce?¡± Zeus asked.

    ¡°A storage room.¡±

    ¡°Why are we here¡­?¡± Zeus asked as he tilted his head iprehensibly.

    Kang-Woo looked back at him and smiled. ¡°My request is simple. Just stay in here for a few hours without using any of your powers.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Zeus frowned after hearing the unexpected request. ¡°Mm¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but okay.¡±

    Zeus dly nodded and sat on a chair in the storage room. Kang-Woo walked behind him and then extended his right hand outward. Slushy jumped out of the Key of the Demonic Sea and onto Zeus¡¯s face.

    ¡°Urpp! Wh-what is th¡ª¡±

    Slushy covered Zeus¡¯s eyes and Kang-Woo tied Zeus¡¯s hands and legs together using the Authority of Sealing.

    ¡°Kurgh! L-let me go!!¡± Zeus shouted.

    He was unable to escape from the Authority of Sealing because he was not able to use any of his powers as he had sworn with his Deific Essence on the line.

    ¡°Lord Zeus,¡± Kang-Woo called.

    ¡°Kuh! D-dammit! What are you trying to do to me?!¡±

    Kang-Woo brought his mouth closer to the struggling Zeus¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Have you ever heard this saying?¡± Kang-Woo ced his hand on Zeus¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Every beautiful flower¡­¡±

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    ¡°... Has tentacles.¡±

    <em>Squelch, squelch.</em>

    Green tentacles poured out from the seams of the storage room walls.

    ¡°Wh-what? What does that m¡ª W-wait! Wh-what are these strange sounds?!! Kurgh! S-something is crawling up my b-body!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. I will erase your memories after, so you don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯ll just feel like a nightmare once I do.¡±

    <em>¡®A nightmare so terrible that it¡¯ll traumatize you, that is.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Well, then¡­¡± Kang-Woo nodded at Lilith, who was looking his way as she waved, and headed to the storage room door.

    ¡°W-wait! P-please!! P-please, let me go!!¡±

    <em>tter, tter, tter.</em>

    Zeus struggled frantically behind him.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Kang-Woo closed the thick steel door.

    ¡°GAME OVER.¡±

    <em>Thump.</em><blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    LMAO a Saw reference this time? I imagined the guy screaming in the dark as Jigsaw closed the door¡­</blockquote>

 Chapter 438: Unreaching Voice (1)

    Chapter 438: Unreaching Voice (1)

    An absurd neww was ced through Gaia; entry into the physical realm was restricted to all gods who did not receive permission from Gaia and the God of Splendor, and the Deific Essence of those who broke thisw would be annihted without question.

    ¡°How are they taking it?¡± Oh Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°As you can predict.¡± Gaia nodded, having an expression of mixed feelings.

    Kang-Woo nodded back. It was not difficult to guess how the gods, who were finally free from their restrictions, would react to being restricted again right after. Although they could notin in the past since they were restricted by the Law of Titans, a set of rules created by beings superior to them, this instance was different.

    The ones restricting them this time were Gaia, a Top-rank goddess but a fellow deity nheless, and the God of Splendor, a retainer of Gaia who was once human. Being kept in check by a human, albeit one possessing Deific Essence, was as humiliating as having a pet, whom one raised, cing a cor on them.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way they would stand for it.¡¯</em>

    No matter how powerful the faction of Olympus was, they would never ept this absurd level of dictatorship.

    ¡°At this rate¡­¡± Gaia slurred anxiously.

    Kang-Woo nodded. ¡°They would band together.¡±An anti-Gaia faction would be formed tobat Olympus¡¯s dictatorship. There was no better way for people to join forces than against amon enemy.

    Uranus stepped forward as he was listening to Kang-Woo and Gaia¡¯s conversation. He gave off an aura as sharp as a knife despite his barbaric appearance.

    ¡°With the way things are progressing, it seems the gods who oppose this n are gathering around the forces of Asgard with Odin at the center,¡± he remarked.

    ¡°Odin¡­¡± Gaia narrowed her eyes.

    Odin was one of the Top-rank gods as well as one who had once been Earth¡¯s guardian deity. He stepped down from the position after being greatly injured in the battle against Demon God Bauli, but that was a very long time ago. He possessed power on par with¡ª no, even greater than his prime.

    ¡°Hah, there¡¯s Odin too?¡± Kang-Woo chuckled after hearing the name.

    He was having a hard time taking in the fact that the gods he had only read about through cartoons and books were alive and breathing.

    ¡°Yes. He was once Earth¡¯s guardian deity. His son Thor is as powerful as Zeus,¡± Gaia remarked.

    ¡°Has Thor lost some weight?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be that fat in the end.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gaia asked as she tilted her head.

    Kang-Woo shrugged and changed the subject. ¡°Anyway, are there any gods who have joined forces with Asgard?¡±

    ¡°There is a god named Susanoo.¡±

    Kang-Woo had not heard that name in a long time.

    <em>¡®What was his name again?¡¯</em> Kang-Woo fell into thought as he narrowed his eyes. <em>¡®Tsujimoto? No, that man is a god</em>[1]<em>, not a yer¡­ Was it Fujimoto?¡¯</em>

    Fujimoto Ryoma was a yer who had managed to manifest Susanoo, albeit for a moment.

    <em>¡®Well, regardless.¡¯</em>

    Susanoo was a god of Japanese mythology.

    <em>¡®There are so many fucking gods.¡¯</em>

    If every god from every myth existed, their number would be countless.

    <em>¡®No wonder Heracles called me insane.¡¯</em>

    Olympus had practically dered war on an unfathomable number of gods, so their insults to Kang-Woo were valid. Rather, it was a surprise that his n was agreed upon just from him beating the crap out of Zeus.

    <em>¡®It must be because even Gaia knows what will happen if gods are left to their own devices.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could tell that Gaia was thinking about how absurd this n was even now from how she looked as if she had died several times over. However, regardless of whether it was absurd or not, she had gone with Kang-Woo¡¯s n anyway since she had no other choice. Unlike the gloomy Gaia, Kang-Woo was pulling down the rising corners of his mouth with all his might.

    <em>¡®Gods in revolt, huh?¡¯</em>

    The more uncontroble their numbers grew, the better it was for him.

    <em>Badump, badump.</em>

    His heart beat faster and his hunger pained his stomach. He licked his lips as he recalled the message he had seen as he was trying to suppress the Rift connecting Aernor and Earth.

    <em>¡®Transcendent-rank Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    It was the rank above Top-rank Deific Essence. Kang-Woo was cheering at the fact that he was gaining more nutrients as he was on the cusp of attaining it.

    <em>¡®Bael¡­ Perhaps you were a saint.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had been enraged out of his mind when Bael had initially trolled, but he couldn¡¯t help but think that things were heading in a favorable direction now that they were progressing.

    <em>¡®Besides, getting rid of the Demon God¡¯s heart wouldn¡¯t have been a permanent fix.¡¯</em>

    The Gaia System¡¯s copse was inevitable; it was only a matter of time. Rather, Gaia and La wouldn¡¯t be fine as they were now if Bael hadn¡¯t taken ownership of the Gaia System.

    <em>¡®And if that happened, Si-Hun¡¯s mind would have shatteredpletely.¡¯</em>

    Considering Kim Si-Hun¡¯s personality, leaving the copsed Gaia System aside, he would not have been able to bear La falling apart in front of him. Worst-case scenario, he could have turned into a demon likest time, leaving Kang-Woo with no way of fixing it.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t let him be Doom Si-Hun.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun and La had both be people whom Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t abandon.

    <em>¡®Anyway, things haven¡¯t gonepletely to shit.¡¯</em>

    There was nothing that could be done at the moment about the otherworldly invasion; leaving the Nine Hells aside, he could not prepare for invasions from worlds that he had never heard about or seen.

    <em>¡®Without a way to block all invasions from outer worlds like the Gaia System¡­¡¯</em>

    There would be no other choice but Kang-Woo himself to take on the role of the Gaia System.

    <em>¡®I have to suppress the otherworldly invasions by force if necessary.¡¯</em>

    For him to do that, he needed to attain Transcendent-rank Deific Essence; there was nothing more perfect than overwhelming power to deal with any variables that arose. No matter how skilled he was at deceiving the enemy and influencing their actions with his eloquence, he would just be all bark and no bite without the power to back it up.

    <em>¡®And most of all.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes sank deeply and a cold me lit up from within the endless abyss.

    <em>¡®Bael.¡¯</em>

    He needed to emerge victorious against the demon that he had not been able to defeat even once. The battle against Bael was inevitable and there was no one but Kang-Woo who could face him¡ª no, not even Kang-Woo himself was not a match for Bael at the moment.

    <em>¡®There was no way for me to beat him even before he ate the Demon God¡¯s heart.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s head hurt just thinking about the unfathomable power Bael had gained after eating the heart.

    <em>¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed as the worst-case scenario that he didn¡¯t even want to imagine popped up in his head. <em>¡®Even opening the Doors might not be enough.¡¯</em>

    He could only open up to the second Door. He had never opened the third Door ever since he created the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t open the third one¡­ no matter what.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head. He would lose control of the Demonic Seapletely once he opened the third Door. He was not being figurative when he said that the entire world would be eaten up by the Demonic Sea.

    <em>¡®I can only open up to the second one.¡¯</em>

    Even with that restriction, his consciousness would be blown away if he kept the Doors open for too long. For him to control the Doors while staying as conscious as possible, he needed the Transcendent-rank Deific Essence.

    In the past, just opening the first Door caused him to lose consciousness, but he was different now. Not only had he be iparably more powerful than his past self, he was now able to keep two Doors open with full consciousness. He had never put it to the test, but he felt like he could keep the first Door open for days.

    <em>¡®It would¡¯ve been unimaginable in the past.¡¯</em>

    Even during his days in the Nine Hells, the Doors were like a self-destruct button. He had refrained from it so strongly that he could count on one hand the number of times that he opened them before his battle against Bael.

    <em>¡®I hope they gather as much as possible.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no idea if the condition for attaining Transcendent-rank Deific Essence was to eat an immense amount of Deific Essence, but he would eat as much as he could since an opportunity had arisen.

    ¡°Haaa. My child, I still think this is far too reckless,¡± Gaia remarked with a serious expression as Kang-Woo was thinking about the gods of the anti-Gaia faction. She stood up and continued, ¡°I will go to Odin myself and see if I can resolve this with words.¡±

    Kang-Qoo quickly grabbed her arm and replied, ¡°Lady Gaia, you already know that the situation has escted too far for it to be resolved that easily.¡±

    ¡°You never know until you try. Fortunately, Odin is not a stubborn man. He will listen as long as¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Kang-Woo said firmly.

    <em>¡®Words? Over my dead body.¡¯</em>

    Gaia was trying to ruin a feast that had already beenid out in front of Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Only the powerless humans will be hurt if we do not set an example,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    ¡°...¡±

    Gaia lowered her head. She knew why Kang-Woo was saying such things; although he possessed Deific Essence now, he would always take the side of humans since he used to be one.

    ¡°I will think it through a little more,¡± Gaia answered hesitantly and averted her gaze from Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo stood up and replied, ¡°In that case, please continue to monitor the movements of the Asgardian forces.¡±

    It would put him in a bad light if he were to push Gaia any further.

    <em>¡®Maybe I should take some sort of measure,¡¯</em> Kang-Woo thought but shook his head. <em>¡®No, I¡¯m sure Odin will make a move first as long as we bide the time.¡¯</em>

    Thew had already been announced in Gaia¡¯s name. The anti-Gaia faction was already growing in number, so it was only a matter of time until their suppressed emotions burst.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll burst.¡¯</em>

    There was no way that the gods would stand for this level of dictatorship.

    ¡°Well then, I will excuse myself.¡± Kang-Woo bowed courteously and turned around.

    The gods were not the only problem. The Gates on Earth had been showing abnormalitiestely as well.

    <em>¡®I need to make preparations for that as well.¡¯</em>

    However, it was far easier to deal with thanks to Guardians.

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    Kang-Woo walked through a gate in the Hall of Protection and went back to Seoul; to be more precise, the mountain on the outskirts of Seoul that Kang-Woo frequently used as a training ground.

    ¡°I might as well have dinner with Seol-Ah tonight.¡±

    He had not been able to spend much time with Seol-Ah because he had been busy resolving the problems regarding the divine realm. He was watering at the mouth thinking about the warm kimchi stew she always made for him.

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    ¡°Are you the God of Splendor?¡±

    Just then, a blond man with a rectangr hammer walked toward Kang-Woo.

    ¡°And you are¡­?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Thor, God of Thunder.¡±

    <em>¡®Oh, what? They¡¯re already here? Dayum, and here I¡¯d thought it¡¯d take a little longer.¡¯</em>

    The anti-Gaia faction had only just formed, so Kang-Woo had thought it would take some time until they took action.

    ¡°To think you¡¯d manifest into the physical realm without Lady Gaia¡¯s consent¡­ Have you not heard the neww?¡± Kang-Woo asked in a low tone with Ingrium in hand.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s apparently as strong as Zeus.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth watered from his desire to test that statement.

    ¡°No, I am not here to fight,¡± Thor answered.

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°I am here to converse with you.¡±

    <em>¡®Converse? What the fuck are you on about? You¡¯re not trying to resolve this with words too, are you?¡¯</em>

    1. This is referring to Fujimoto Ryozo, the producer of the <em>Monster Hunter</em> series and a man whom the Korean gamers consider a god (for some reason lmao). ?

 Chapter 439: Unreaching Voice (2)

    Chapter 439: Unreaching Voice (2)

    <em>¡®Nah, there¡¯s no way.¡¯</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo shook his head. He could understand Gaia¡¯s desire to talk since her Deific Essence was that of Parental Love, but he had heard that Odin was not one to shy away from a battle.

    Thew that Kang-Woo had implemented through Gaia was no different from treating every single god as an evil one as well as raising the status of the gods of Olympus to the level of Titans. Odin would surely take that as a deration of war that he would not stand for. Considering that he formed the anti-Gaia faction the moment thew was announced was proof of that.

    <em>¡®But he wants to talk, going so far as to send his son as an envoy? Is the son of a bitch plotting something?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was hoping that this was part of Odin¡¯s devious scheme to stab Gaia in the back.

    <em>¡®Please.¡¯</em>

    If that were the case, Kang-Woo would be able to stab Odin right back after pretending to be deceived.

    ¡°... You want to talk?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Thor nodded with a heavy expression.Kang-Woo red at him and replied, ¡°I believe Lady Gaia has already made herself clear.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Thor groaned as if he were hard-pressed. ¡°I do not know why someone as kind as Lady Gaia would make such a radical decision, but¡­¡±

    Thor and the other gods did not seem to think that Kang-Woo hade up with thew. It was only natural; no one would think that the God of Splendor, who used to be Gaia¡¯s retainer and still was after acquiring Deific Essence, would be the one leading the entire faction of Olympus. The other gods had likely deduced that it was either Gaia¡¯s or Uranus¡¯s idea.

    Thor continued firmly, ¡°I was told by my father that considering the circumstances, we should first begin by talking.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Based on thisw, Lady Gaia seems to be fearing that we would cause chaos once we manifest into the physical realm. My father has also taken that into ount; Asgard is also in the process of preparing a measure that would keep in check the gods who would cause chaos in the physical realm.¡±

    <em>¡®Shit.¡¯</em>

    ¡°He has expressed dissatisfaction with the gods of Olympus trying to treat all gods as evil gods who would cause chaos in the physical realm with no discussion whatsoever,¡± Thor said.

    <em>¡®The hell? They¡¯re seriously trying to resolve things with words?¡¯</em>

    ¡°We cannot afford to risk Ragnarok, especially when we need to prepare for otherworldly invasions now that Earth¡¯s protection is gone.¡±

    <em>¡®Why the fuck is he so logical? I can¡¯t even argue because not saying anything wrong. Is Zeus the dumbass or are Thor and Odin just that intelligent?¡¯</em>

    They had perfect knowledge of the circumstances. They formed the anti-Gaia faction to demonstrate their power while expressing their desire toe to a pacifistic conclusion. It also made sense why they would approach Kang-Woo before Gaia.

    <em>¡®Because rumors that Gaia treasures me have already spread far and wide.¡¯</em>

    If they thought that the radical decision was made by Gaia, they would naturally judge that it would be better to convince the people around Gaia instead of her directly.

    <em>¡®Dayum, Odin. I¡¯m starting to like you. Should I just abandon Gaia and side with Odin instead?¡¯</em>

    Sweet temptation filled Kang-Woo¡¯s mind but he shook his head.

    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em>

    He had invested far too much in the Gaia Coin to abandon it now. Most of all, Gaia was just the right amount of stupid for him to easily make use of her.

    <em>¡®It¡¯d be difficult to make Odin do as I want.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo also did not have the time to go through the shitshow of tears to build up trust with another god.

    ¡°So, may I have a moment of your time to talk? I¡¯m sure you also feel that Lady Gaia has crossed the line a little with the implementation of thisw,¡± Thor stated.

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo remained silent. He lowered his head with a dark expression, sighed deeply, and nodded. ¡°Yes, I am also having a hard time understanding Lady Gaia¡¯s actions.¡±

    There was no way that anyone would be able to easily understand Gaia¡¯s radical decision to antagonize all gods.

    ¡°... Yes, her action is no different from dering war on all gods, is it not?¡± Thor replied.

    ¡°That just goes to show how much she cares for Earth¡¯s safety.¡±

    ¡°But that very decision has put Earth in danger. If the gods go to war against each other, Earth will notst.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°The Demon of Prophecy is trying to devour the worlds. This is not the time to fight among ourselves; we have to unite as we had against the Demon God,¡± Thor remarked, his eyes filled with passion. ¡°My father is not against thew itself. He also understands that extreme means must be taken to protect the physical realm.¡±

    <em>¡®Hm?¡¯</em> Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes after hearing what Thor said.

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Kang-Woo slurred.

    ¡°He just thinks that it is too heavy of a burden for Lady Gaia herself to shoulder.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>¡®Oh? Would you look at these sons of bitches?¡¯</em>

    It seemed like Thor¡¯s sound reasoning earlier was all for this.

    <em>¡®He was just stating facts when he was talking about gods needing to band together, but in actuality, they don¡¯t like the fact that Olympus is trying to monopolize the power and just want a piece of the pie as well. Hah, they sure have thought it through.¡¯</em>

    The one who had formed the anti-Gaia faction was in truth after the authority to control all the gods like what Olympus was trying to do. It was no different from themander of a revolutionary army joining forces with the government to bend the entire country to their will.

    <em>¡®Should I seriously switch to the Odin Coin?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was taking a liking to Odin more and more by the second.

    <em>¡®No, no.¡¯</em>

    He would have considered it if he knew about Odin from the beginning, but it was far toote to change sides. He could not afford to waste time and effort when the otherworldly invasions could start at any moment.

    ¡°I see. The other gods would no doubt follow suit if Lord Odin were to join us.¡± Kang-Woo nodded. ¡°I will put in a good word to Lady Gaia about it.¡±

    ¡°... Thank you.¡± Thor smiled faintly. ¡°In that case, I will take my leave. I will send a messenger next time, so you can ry the progress to them.¡±

    Thor ced his hammer on his belt and extended his hand to Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo grabbed his hand and then yanked it with all his might.

    <em>Stab!</em>

    Kang-Woo brought his arm holding Ingrium forward, the sword shining gold piercing Thor¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°Kurgh¡­!¡± Thor¡¯s eyes widened.

    Kang-Woo brought Ingrium up toward Thor¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Urgh!¡±

    Thor grabbed his hammer from his belt and smashed Ingrium¡¯s de. Ingrium was sent flying to the side and Thor¡¯s stomach was sliced open.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!</em>

    An immense amount of lightning poured out from Thor¡¯s stomach. His stomach was restored to its original form along with the sounds of burning flesh.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in disappointment. ¡°Tsk, I guess I was hoping for too much to kill you with one strike.¡±

    ¡°Wh-what is the meaning of this?!¡± Thor looked up at Kang-Woo in shock.

    He was shocked enough that Kang-Woo had managed to pierce right through his Deific Essence barrier, but he was having an even harder time understanding the sudden attack.

    ¡°Attacking an envoy sent to propose a discussion is a taboo!¡± Thor shouted.

    ¡°Taboo, my ass. Do you think war is a game? Huh? Do you want to take turns attacking each other or something?¡± Kang-Woo smirked. ¡°There are no rules in war, dumbass.¡±

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    The mes of Voracity burned brightly. The mes that had been enveloping Ingrium¡¯s de were devouring the lightning pouring out from Thor.

    ¡°Y-you bastard¡­!¡±

    Thor¡¯s face reddened with rage as his beard shook. Kang-Woo¡¯s words were unbearable to him as the God of Thunder as well as an honorable warrior. He red at Kang-Woo in disgust.

    ¡°I heard that the God of Splendor is a warrior who knows honor despite originally being human¡­ It seems I have heard wrong,¡± Thor remarked.

    ¡°Yeah, you sure did.¡± Kang-Woo felt like he was about to hurl from being called an honorable warrior. ¡°There¡¯s no fucking honor in killing. Also, big words from someone who tried to use this opportunity to gain power by joining forces with Olympus.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Deny it if you can. You sure are a pro at sugarcoating. For the sake of the world? To stop the otherworldly invasions? Bullshit. Then why did you form an opposing faction after thew was announced and then secretly approach us to share the power?¡±

    Kang-Woo feignedughter.

    ¡°Susanoo or whatever the fuck his name was, he joined you guys too, didn¡¯t he? Does he know about this? Hm? Does he know that Asgard is trying to join forces with Olympus to gain power over all gods?¡±

    ¡°,,,¡±

    ¡°Of course, he doesn¡¯t. How could he? After all, the entire anti-Gaia faction would be disbanded as soon as it is exposed.¡± Kang-Woo spat on the ground. ¡°You talk too much for a fucking snake.¡±

    ¡°Silence! You know nothing about my father¡¯s great n!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t?¡± Kang-Woo cackled. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll give you that.¡±

    It might be true that Odin did not covet power; he might have offered his help genuinely for world peace, and the war between gods would be avoided if Olympus and Asgard joined forces.

    ¡°But you see, so what? Why is that important?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°... What?¡±

    Kang-Woo needed an immense amount of Divinity to reach Transcendent-rank Deific Essence, and there was no better supply for it than the group of gods banded together against Gaia.

    ¡°The truth isn¡¯t important.¡±

    If Kang-Woo needed it, he would attain it; he would do whatever it took, even if he needed to trample on someone¡¯s goodwill. That was how he had survived and emerged victorious thus far.

    ¡°What¡¯s important is what seems like the truth.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled widely. He couldn¡¯t care less what Odin really wanted. It was enough knowing that Odin was an evil god who desired power for malicious reasons and a cowardly opportunist.

    <em>¡®And if that¡¯s not the case, I¡¯ll just make it so with my own hands.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 440: Unreaching Voice (3)

    Chapter 440: Unreaching Voice (3)

    ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Thor trembled in shock.

    There was something severely broken about the human¡ª no, the being wearing human skin.

    ¡°...¡±

    Thor remained silent as he frowned aggressively. He clenched Mjolnir harder as blue lightning enveloped him.

    ¡°I am Thor.¡± He raised Mjolnir; ck clouds formed over him and a blue lightning bolt struck him. ¡°Son of Odin, and the God of Thunder!!¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    Waves of power spread throughout the area as the earth shook. Kang-Woo twirled Ingrium and smiled.

    ¡°I am Oh Kang-Woo.¡± He then raised Ingrium and continued, ¡°Son of¡­ wait.¡±

    <em>¡®Shit, I¡¯m an orphan.¡¯</em>Bauli had revealed himself to be Kang-Woo¡¯s mother, but it was ambiguous to say that he had been born from the Demon God. Kang-Woo grimaced.

    ¡°You son of a bitch¡­ How dare you mock me?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Thor asked perplexedly.

    ¡°Do you have any idea about the sorrow and istion thates with having no parents? Huh? Do you?! And you have the gall to brag about your dad in front of me? You scumbag¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. He felt as if an old wound that he had stuffed deep within him had resurfaced.

    ¡°Unforgivable.¡± Kang-Woo clenched Ingrium tighter and red at Thor.

    ¡°Crazy son of a¡­¡± Thor stared at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly with his mouth agape. He could not help but think that Kang-Woo had gone insane. ¡°Hup!¡±

    Thor took a deep breath and clenched Mjolnir harder. His bursting muscles swelled even more and ripped his clothes.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    Thor jumped into the air and pulled his arm back. He swung the hammer like a windmill and threw it at Kang-Woo.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!</em>

    Kang-Woo deflected Mjolnir with Ingrium, his arm numb from the powerful impact.

    ¡°Slushy.¡±

    ¡°Grrrk!¡±

    A ck lump jumped out from the Key of the Demonic Sea. Slushy jumped up and down as it opened its massive mouth with hideous teeth within it,pletely unlike its cute appearance.

    ¡°<em>Buuuuuurp!</em>¡±

    Hundreds of swords, spears, and axes shot out of Slushy¡¯s mouth like cannonballs and at Thor.

    ¡°It¡¯s futile!¡± Thor extended his arm in midair, summoning Mjolnir back to him after it was deflected by Ingrium.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    He aggressively swung the hammer and deflected the weapons that Slushy shot out. The weapons fell to the ground, turned into ck mucus, and oozed back into Slushy.

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad as a way to keep the opponent in check.¡± Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction as he stared at the hundreds of weapons.

    He had found it a waste to leave Slushy as simply a Divinity converter and had found an effective way to use it after many trials. He patted Slushy on the head to praise it.

    ¡°<em>Burp! Buuuuurp!</em>¡±

    ¡°But the sound effect is a bit¡­¡±

    Slushy was practically burping out various weapons that had been stored within the Key of the Demonic Sea through demonic energy, so the sounds that Slushy made were very unpleasant.

    ¡°Kuh!!¡± Thor grimaced as hundreds of weapons continuously shot at him. He clenched his teeth and raised Mjolnir. ¡°Thunder!¡±

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    A giant ck cloud formed in the sky and shot down a tremendous lightning bolt. The weapons being shot at Thor were reduced to ashes in a sh. Thor did not waste the opportunity and charged at Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo smiled. ¡°He¡¯s better than Zeus.¡±

    He had heard that Zeus and Thor were simr in power, but he had to give the edge to Thor.

    ¡°Well,¡± Kang-Woo expressed as he ducked to dodge Mjolnir and then did a backflip to kick Thor¡¯s chin. ¡°Not that it changes anything.¡±

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Thor was blown back from the kick. Kang-WEoo got back on his feet and extended his left arm to the side.

    ¡°Chaos, Thread.¡±

    The Chaos energy took the form of silk threads and spread like a. Likely due to the influence of Kang-Woo¡¯s Deific Essence of Splendor, the Chaos energy that was usually gray was shining gold. The gold threads filled the entire area like spider webs. Thor made contact with one of the gold threads as he was being blown back.

    <em>Boom¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    The electricity protecting Thor was blown away as the part that made contact with the thread exploded. Thor quickly swung his arm to get away from the threads. Kang-Woo quickly ran up to Thor in the meantime and swung down Ingrium in a reverse grip.

    <em>Stab!</em>

    ¡°Urghhh!¡± Thor grunted as Ingrium pierced his shoulder.

    He bit his lip and swung Mjolnir upward.

    ¡°Haaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡± Thor screamed with his arms spread widely.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    A blinding lightning storm thrashed about. Thor¡¯s eyes shone blue as the mountain began to be destroyed as lightning poured out of him like a tsunami.

    ¡°Whoa.¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone as he stared at the mass destruction.

    Unlike his battle against Zeus, which had been nothing but a friendly duel, Kang-Woo could feel a sense of danger now that Thor had unleashed his full power to kill Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®Yeah.¡¯</em> Kang-Woo smiled and licked his lips.<em> ¡®This is more like it.¡¯</em>

    His heart beat rapidly as hunger and thirst took control of him. He bared his teeth ferociously as he red at Thor like a starved beast.

    ¡°Thor, God of Thunder,mands you!¡±

    Thor stomped his foot aggressively and raised Mjolnir high. ck clouds covered the entirety of Seoul¡ª no, possibly Korea itself. The blue lightning storm enveloped Thor.

    ¡°Storm Bringer!¡±

    A lightning bolt struck down from the ck cloud and a sound so thunderous rang out as if the sky was falling.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled as he stared into the sky and opened his mouth.

    The lightning bolt struck him.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!!</em>

    The destruction was on par with a natural disaster. Kang-Woo felt immense pain as the lightning burned through Kang-Woo¡¯s Deific Essence protection.

    <em>¡®More.¡¯</em>

    This was nowhere near enough; his thirst scratched at his throat and his hunger strangled his stomach. He recalled his battle against Tai Wuji.

    <em>¡®More, more, more.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wanted to experience that feeling again. He stared at Thor ecstatically and with hope. Thor was beginning to pant heavily as he was summoning the lightning.

    <em>¡®Keep going just a little longer.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Thor in desperation. He felt like he would be able to experience the feeling from back then again with just a little more.

    <em>Spark¡ª!!</em>

    Thousands of lightning bolts struck Kang-Woo one after another. His Deific Essence protection fell apart. He created a shield using the Authority of Invulnerability, but the lightning pierced straight through the golden shield. His skin was burnt ck, white smoke rising from the burnt areas. He could barely see because his eyes had burned as well.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff, huff!</em>¡± Thor panted heavily.

    He had squeezed out all the Divinity he possessed with thatst attack. His vision blurred and he swayed from loss of strength in his legs as he stared at the God of Splendor, who had be nothing but a pile of ash.

    <em>¡®Damn it.¡¯</em>

    Thor bit his lip regretfully. ¡°... I guess talking is out of the question now.¡±

    He had killed Gaia¡¯s retainer. Since Gaia treasured her retainers as much as her children, Asgard would not be able to avoid a frontal battle against Olympus. Ragnarok, the war of gods, was near.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Thor sighed deeply.

    He turned around and shook his head, thinking about why things had escted to this extent.

    ¡°Where are¡­ you going?¡±

    Just then, he heard a voice that he should not be hearing.

    ¡°... What?¡± Thor turned around in shock.

    He saw the God of Splendor¡¯s ashen corpse¡ª no, he had only thought that it was a corpse.

    ¡°You were¡­ so¡­ close.¡± Kang-Woo sighed in disappointment. ¡°You won¡¯t¡­ do.¡±

    <em>Crack, crack.</em>

    The God of Splendor slowly moved around.

    ¡°I wonder¡­ how Odin will¡­ be? Hm? I can look¡­ forward to it¡­ right?¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled crazily in anticipation like a predator with defenseless prey right in front of him.

    ¡°...!¡±

    A chill ran down Thor¡¯s back. He was left immobile from fear.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Thor slurred with his eyes widened.

    He could instinctively tell that the being in front of him was not the God of Splendor.

    ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± Thor asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kang-Woo opened his mouth to bare his teeth and stuck his tongue out. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t doubt the light.¡±

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    Gold and ck mes enveloped Kang-Woo¡¯s burnt body.

    ***

    An old man was sitting on the throne of a giant pce with its walls covered in murals. The old man had a bushy beard, white hair, and was wearing a ck eyepatch over one eye. He stared with his one remaining eye at the woman kneeling and bowing in front of him.

    ¡°Has there still been no contact from Thor?¡± Odin asked.

    ¡°N-not yet, Lord Odin.¡±

    Odin was a Top-rank god who led Asgard, a faction as powerful as Olympus. An intense aura was pouring out from the old god who had once battled the Demon God by himself. The kneeling and bowing woman subtly trembled.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Just then, the pce door swung open, and entered a man with a pale expression.

    Odin slowly looked up and asked, ¡°What is it Heimdall?¡±

    ¡°L-Lord Odin¡­¡±

    The man referred to as Heimdall walked up to Odin as he trembled. He closed his eyes and handed Odin a box.

    ¡°... What is this?¡± Odin asked.

    ¡°Lord Thor¡­ Lord Thor has¡­¡± Heimdall lowered his head without being able to finish his sentence.

    Odin¡¯s eyebrows rose. He felt a chill run down his back. He took the box that Heimdall handed him and opened it with trembling hands.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡± Odin¡¯s eyes widened as he groaned. ¡°Thor¡­ Thor¡­¡±

    Thor¡¯s severed head was inside the square box. From the way that his eyes were still open, it seemed like he had died in terror.

    ¡°My son¡­¡±

    A message was written on Thor¡¯s forehead.

    <em>- I see that you tried to mess with my child.</em>

    <em>- Hear me, Odin.</em>

    <em>- Only death awaits those who disobey me, Gaia.</em>

    <em>m!!</em>

    Odin clenched his fist and swung it down on the ground.

    <em>Rumble.</em>

    The entire pce shook.

    ¡°Gaia¡­¡± Odin muttered resentfully. mes of animosity filled his one remaining eye. ¡°Gaiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!¡±

    Odin¡¯s rageful screams echoed throughout the pce.

 Chapter 441: Unreaching Voice (4)

    Chapter 441: Unreaching Voice (4)

    A brown-haired woman had her eyes closed inside a white meeting room in the Hall of Protection. She then slowly opened her eyes after deep thought.

    ¡°As I¡¯d thought,¡± she muttered as she sighed deeply. ¡°It seems I¡¯ve made a hasty decision.¡±

    Gaia, the brown-haired woman, expressed deep regret. Thew of keeping the gods in the divine realm that she had announced caused immense shock among the gods.

    <em>¡®Ragnarok.¡¯</em>

    Her decision might cause the war among gods passed down in Norse mythology.

    ¡°Haaa.¡±

    Gaia closed her eyes again. Oh Kang-Woo had a point; if the gods were allowed to do as they wanted in the physical realm without any restrictions, the destruction during the Day of Cmity would palepared to the chaos that would ensue.

    <em>¡®If something like that were to happen when Earth¡¯s protection is gone¡­ the world would self-destruct before the Demon of Prophecy even gets a chance to devour it.¡¯</em>

    It was unavoidable, so Gaia announced thew as Kang-Woo suggested. However¡­Gaia closed her eyes tighter as anxiety flushed over her. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she could have made a better choice.

    <em>¡®At least the opposing faction is gathering around Odin.¡¯</em>

    Odin was the furthest thing from being evil; his desire to protect the world was real since he had once been Earth¡¯s guardian deity.

    ¡°Uranus,¡± Gaia called.

    ¡°Yes, Lady Gaia,¡± Uranus replied as he approached Gaia.

    ¡°How is the situation in Asgard?¡±

    ¡°As I have mentioned, gods who oppose thew you have announced are gathering there.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°However, they do not seem to be preparing for an assault yet. A few gods from radical factions are pushing for a war, but Odin has been suppressing them personally.¡±

    ¡°Odin has?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ but I have heard that Odin¡¯s actions have be strange after meeting Heimdall not long ago.¡±

    ¡°Strange?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I do not know why, but unlike how he usually inspects the situation outside the pce daily, he has been screaming inside the pce all day¡­ I still have yet to acquire any details.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°But from the circumstances we can see, it is true that Odin is trying to avoid a war.¡±

    Gaia¡¯s eyes sank.

    <em>¡®Perhaps¡­¡¯</em>

    She thought of the possibility of being able to resolve this chaotic situation without a war.

    <em>¡®Although my child has said that talking is meaningless.¡¯</em>

    There was no better way than avoiding a war through negotiations.

    <em>¡®I should try to talk to him.¡¯</em>

    They had made far too hasty of a decision due to the copse of Earth¡¯s protection and the fact that the Demon God¡¯s heart fell into the hands of the Demon of Prophecy.

    <em>¡®I was too impulsive.¡¯</em>

    The fact that Kang-Woo easily overpowered her retainer Zeus also impacted her decision greatly because she was sure that even if a war took ce, they would be able to win as long as Kang-Woo and Olympus joined forces.

    However, Gaia did not expect Odin to be so assertive. She never thought that Odin, who had been Earth¡¯s guardian deity before her, wouldpletely oppose her decision and form an opposing faction.

    ¡°Odin,¡± she muttered faintly.

    <em>¡®A war against Odin must be avoided.¡¯</em>

    The physical realm would without a doubt be affected by a war between gods.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not just that.¡¯</em>

    The negative effects aside, pitting gods against each other when they should be standing together against the Demon of Prophecy was even worse.

    ¡°Uranus, call Zeus over.¡±

    ¡°Zeus?¡± Uranus looked at Gaia in dissatisfaction. ¡°Are you perhaps¡­ thinking of sending Zeus as an envoy?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to go to war without attempting conversation.¡±

    ¡°I should be the one to go.¡±

    ¡°No. It has to be Zeus.¡±

    Uranus was without a doubt the second-inmand of Olympus. No one in their right mind would send their second-inmand to enemy territory as an envoy.

    <em>¡®But I can¡¯t just send anyone either.¡¯</em>

    To make sure her desire to talk gets through to Odin, she needed to send a god of adequate power and position in Olympus as an envoy.

    ¡°How about Heracles¡­?¡± Uranus asked.

    ¡°I feel bad to say this, but this sort of mission is not suited for him.¡±

    Uranus was left speechless.

    Gaia gently caressed Uranus¡¯s arm and continued, ¡°There is no need to worry. Zeus is certainly immature, but he would never do anything that would dishonor Olympus.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡± Uranus nodded.

    Zeus was a severe phnderer, but he was able to separate business from private matters. No, he was more serious and dignified than anyone in the face of other factions exactly because he cared deeply about appearances.

    ¡°Understood.¡± Uranus bowed lightly and contacted someone.

    The meeting room door opened soon after and entered Zeus.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look well.¡± Gaia expressed perplexity after seeing Zeus.

    His face was haggard as if his life force had been squeezed out. His golden hair waspletely disheveled and he smelled terrible. It was shocking, considering how well he took care of his appearance.

    ¡°A nightmare¡­¡± he mumbled.

    ¡°Nightmare?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been under the weather thest few days as if I¡¯ve had a terrible nightmare.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Why don¡¯t you just not sleep?¡± Gaia asked as she tilted her head.

    Staying awake was no problem whatsoever for beings with Deific Essence.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the problem.¡± Zeus shook his head lifelessly. ¡°It¡¯s just that whenever I¡¯m alone¡­ especially when I¡¯m sitting down, I¡¯m reminded of a horrible memory.¡±

    Zeus sighed deeply in frustration, not understanding what was wrong either.

    Gaia stared at Zeus in worry.

    She would not have thought much of it if Zeus was a normal human, but he was a god; one of the most powerful in Olympus, no less. She could not even imagine what sort of nightmare he was suffering from for him to be in such a terrible condition.

    ¡°More importantly, what have you summoned me for?¡± Zeus asked.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Gaia hesitated for a moment but then slowly said, ¡°I have a favor to ask you.¡±

    Gaia exined her n to converse with Odin.

    ¡°You want me to go to Asgard as an envoy?¡± Zeus asked to confirm.

    ¡°Yes. Even if he is part of an opposing faction, Odin is an honorable warrior. He would never bring you harm while you are there.¡±

    ¡°Mm. I was not worried about that in the first ce.¡± Zeus nodded. Not even the most evil of gods would attack an envoy from an enemy faction. ¡°It¡¯s just that I promised to support the God of Splendor¡¯s n.¡±

    Although Zeus was a yboy, he was honorable enough not to break a promise that he had made after losing in a duel.

    Gaia shook her head and exined, ¡°I am not suggesting we withdraw the n. I just want to hear Odin¡¯s opinion. It would be better for everyone if we could avoid a war throughpromise.¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Zeus fell into thought with his arms crossed. He then nodded and looked at Gaia. ¡°I understand, Mother. I will ry your will to Odin.¡±

    ¡°I will be counting on you, my child.¡±

    Gaia ced her hand on Zeus¡¯s shoulder and smiled.

    ¡°I will also help myself to some of Asgard¡¯s women while I¡¯m there¡­¡±

    ¡°You! Have you still note to your senses?!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha! I was just joking.¡±

    Zeus smiled slyly as always and turned around. He slowly turned into white powder and began to disappear; he was canceling his manifestation in the physical realm and transferring his body back to the divine realm.

    ¡°In that case, I will be off.¡±

    Zeus bowed lightly and waved. He then disappeared from Earthpletely.

    ¡°Please.¡± Gaia brought her hands together. ¡°May my voice reach him¡­¡±

    The goddess of parental love prayed sincerely.

    ***

    ¡°What?¡± An old man wearing an eyepatch over one eye was sitting inside an enormous pce. ¡°Zeus¡­ hase here?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes, my lord.¡± The confused Heimdall nodded.

    Odin, the old man with an eyepatch, frowned aggressively. ¡°Has hee to dere war?¡±

    Odin then shook his head. Olympus had already dered war the moment they sent him Thor¡¯s head. There was no point in them sending an envoy to directly dere war.

    ¡°What will you do? Just say the word and I will eliminate Zeus¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Odin raised his hand and shook his head. ¡°Let him in.¡±

    ¡°L-let Zeus in?!¡± Heimdall yelled. ¡°He is the son of our mortal enemy who killed Thor!¡±

    Odin stared at Heimdall furiously in silence. ¡°I told you to let him in.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Heimdall nodded as he bit his lip.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    A sly-looking blond man walked through the pce doors. Zeus bowed lightly to Odin.

    ¡°Why have youe?¡± Odin asked as he stared down at Zeus with sunken eyes.

    He could not imagine for what reason his mortal enemy who killed his son had sent her child as an envoy.

    ¡°I havee to ry Mother¡¯s¡ª I mean, Lady Gaia¡¯s words.¡±

    ¡°Gaia¡¯s words?¡± Odin frowned aggressively.

    Zeus nodded and continued, ¡°Lady Gaia would like to converse with you, Lord Odin.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    The atmosphere within the pce froze. Odin clenched the armrest of his throne to the point that it could break. He red at Zeus in front of him with deep resentment.

    ¡°She wants¡­ to talk?¡± Odin stammered.

    His white beard trembled as if he was experiencing the greatest humiliation of his life.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± Zeus lowered his head.

    ¡°Hah.¡± Odin smiled and lowered his head. ¡°Hah¡­ Hahahahahahaha!!!!¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Enormous energy stormed within the pce.

    ¡°Lord¡­ Odin?¡± Zeus looked up at Odin in confusion.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    Odin stood up from his crumbled throne.

    ¡°Gaia, Gaia, Gaia¡­ How much will you insult me until you are satisfied?¡±

    ¡°What do you¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehehehe, very well.¡±

    Odin looked down at Zeus in animosity. He slowly walked down toward Zeus and grabbed him by the neck.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Odin had once been at the pinnacle of all Earth¡¯s gods. There was no way Zeus would be able to resist him.

    ¡°Gaia¡­¡± Odin mumbled as he choked Zeus. ¡°I will make sure you feel the excruciating sorrow¡­ of losing your child.¡±

 Chapter 442: Unreaching Voice (5)

    Chapter 442: Unreaching Voice (5)

    ¡°Kurgh, urgh!¡±

    Zeus twisted and turned frantically. Blue lightning sparked from him and burned Odin¡¯s hand, creating an instant opening he was able to take advantage of.

    <em>Jump!</em>

    Zeus desperately widened the distance between himself and Odin. He looked up at him as he panted heavily.

    ¡°Wh-why are you doing this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Why, you ask?¡±

    Odin looked down at Zeus with deeply sunken eyes. Zeus could feel the intense rage within Odin¡¯s one blue eye.

    Zeus flinched. He felt as if Odin had grown several dozen timesrger. It was like facing a Titan, the creator of the gods. Chills ran down his spine.

    <em>¡®Was Odin¡­ this powerful?¡¯</em>Zeus stared at Odin in pallor. He knew that Odin had fought the Demon God by himself far in the past, but he had never expected him to be this strong.

    ¡°Kurgh¡­¡±

    Zeus bit his lip as Odin¡¯s immense power weighed him down. He drew out as much of his Divinity as he could, but the pressure did not vanish.

    <em>¡®So this is¡­ the power of a god with Top-rank Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    Zeus couldn¡¯t believe it. He had seen Gaia in battle a few times, but the power he had felt from her was never to the extent that he was feeling from Odin. It was not iprehensible; there were differences in power between gods of the same rank. Even Zeus himself was far more powerful than other gods of the same rank as him, so it was only natural for Odin, who was once at the pinnacle of Earth¡¯s gods, to be the same.

    Zeus gulped as Odin stared down at him.

    ¡°Did you just ask me¡­ why?¡± Odin asked in a low tone.

    Zeus nodded slightly. ¡°I know that my mother has made a radical decision, but I¡¯m sure you know why such a decision is necessary, do you not, Lord Odin?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°If beings with Deific Essence were all left to their own devices, unimaginable chaos would¡ª¡±

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is, what you did was necessary?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Hence¡ª¡±

    <em>Wham¡ª!</em>

    Airpressed to its limit smashed into Zeus, sending him flying backward like a cannonball.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    ¡°It was¡­ necessary?¡±

    <em>Boom. Boom.</em>

    The pce shook with each step that Odin took.

    ¡°It was necessary for Thor¡­ my child, to die at the hands of that bitch?!¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    Compressed air burst, thunderous sounds ringing out. The walls of the pce cracked and began to crumble.

    ¡°Th-Thor?¡±

    Zeus looked up at Odin in confusion. Gaia killed Thor? What in the world was Odin talking about?

    ¡°L-Lord Odin, please w¡ª¡±

    ¡°Silence!!! How dare you run your filthy tongue at me?!¡±

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Odin stomped his foot. Cracks formed on the ground as if an earthquake was taking ce. Intense gusts of wind poured out from Odin and weighed Zeus down.

    Odin said angrily, ¡°I¡­ wanted peace.¡±

    However, the peace he had in mind differed from what Gaia wanted. Odin wanted a world ruled by the gods; he wanted to govern the foolish humans who had lost their faith and restore the past glory of the gods. He was about to take the first step to that restoration by joining forces with Olympus to unite the gods of the divine realm.

    <em>¡®Moronic bitch.¡¯</em>

    However, peace would never be realized as long as humans existed. Several millennia¡¯s worth of history proved his point. They endlessly fought, disputed, resented, and desired because they were imperfect, unlike gods. One could even call them defective goods. Hence, gods needed to band together first to keep those humans in line. Only then would they be able to prevent the <em>time of prophecy</em>.

    ¡°I was nning on joining forces with you to prepare for the time of prophecy.¡±

    That was the only way to avoid destruction, which was why Odin had created the opposing faction as soon as Gaia announced thew so that he could give Gaia an offer that she could never refuse.

    ¡°But Gaia was the one who pped my hand away first.¡±

    She had killed Thor. No, she did not just kill him but had even sent Zeus to mock him.

    ¡°And after that, she wants to talk?¡± Zeus feignedughter and walked toward Zeus as his eyes gleamed with fury. ¡°The one who refused to talk first¡­ were you all.¡±

    Odin slowly raised his arm. ¡°Come.¡±

    A massive storm raged and destroyed the floor of the pce. A long spear enveloped in intense winds shot out from the ground. Once Odin extended his arm toward it, the spear flew through the air and ced itself on Odin¡¯s hand.

    Odin clenched the spear and said the spear¡¯s name, ¡°Gungnir.¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    The massive storm raged once again, destroying the crumbling pce. Outside the destroyed pce was an army of Asgardian gods filled with a desire for revenge. No, it was not just Asgardian gods; there were also gods of Japanese mythology like Susanoo and gods of Hindu and Egyptian mythology. Gods who stood against Gaia had all gathered in Asgard.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Zeus muttered as he stared in pallor with his mouth agape.

    Odin raised Gungnir. ¡°Let Ragnarok begin.¡±

    The war between gods had begun.

    ***

    ¡°So¡­ you sent Zeus to Odin?¡± Oh Kang-Woo asked in a heavy tone.

    Gaia floundered and answered as if she were making excuses, ¡°It was a decision I came to after much thought. Odin is not a stuck-up god, and¡­ it is far too reckless to go to war without even attempting conversation.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Odin is an honorable warrior. Even if he has no desire to talk, he would never harm Zeus, so¡­¡±

    ¡°I see. Now that I think about it, I believe I was also being a bit too hasty.¡±

    ¡°Y-you agree with me?¡± Gaia stared at Kang-Woo in delight.

    She was acting excessively humble despite talking to her retainer. It had to do with her personality, but also because Kang-Woo¡¯s position was on the line. From Gaia¡¯s perspective, Kang-Woo was no longer simply her retainer; he was powerful enough to overpower Zeus. The God of Splendor was one of the very few rays of hope that could save the world from the time of prophecy. She needed to do whatever it took to avoid him keeping his distance from her due to conflicting opinions.

    Kang-Woo said with a smile, ¡°It is ultimately your decision to make, Lady Gaia. I am but your retainer, so I will respect your decision.¡±

    Gaia¡¯s expression shone brightly.

    ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t help but be worried. I wonder if Odin has any intention to talk¡­¡± Kang-Woo answered in a depressed tone.

    ¡°There is no need to worry. Odin had fought the Demon God once before to protect the world. I am sure he understands why my decision was unavoidable.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded in silence. He then prayed, ¡°I wish your will¡­ gets through to Odin.¡±

    ¡°My child¡­¡±

    Gaia teared up as if she had been moved. She had not expected Kang-Woo to trust her this much despite not consulting him.

    <em>¡®This n needs to seed for the sake of living up to my child¡¯s expectations. I doubt he would refuse conversation entirely.¡¯</em>

    The priority was toe to apromise with Odin so that they could avoid the worst possible oue, war.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry either, Lady Gaia.¡± Kang-Woo approached Gaia as she was in thought and lightly held her hands. He said gently, ¡°I¡¯m sure Odin will understand you.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°There is no one more devoted to protecting this world than you.¡±

    ¡°Do not say that.¡± Gaia shook her head and held Kang-Woo¡¯s hands tighter. ¡°I am not the most dedicated. You are. No, not just you. La, Si-Hun¡­ Everyone is going above and beyond to protect this world.¡±

    If it weren¡¯t for them, Earth would have fallen years ago; the time of prophecy might havee long ago. Gaia¡¯s eyes glistened with tears.

    ¡°Thank you. Thank you¡­ so much, my child.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled gently. He could feel Gaia¡¯s sincerity through her trembling hands.

    ¡°Good deeds¡­ are bound to be rewarded one day. I am sure your words will reach Odin, Lady Gaia.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Gaia wiped her tears as she was moved by Kang-Woo¡¯s words.

    <em>Bang!</em>

    Just then, Uranus swung open the door and barged into the room. His face was pale and he was panting heavily.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gaia asked with a stiff expression.

    An uneasy feeling ran down her back as she looked at Uranus¡¯s pale face.

    ¡°L-Lady Gaia¡­¡± Uranus trembled, unable to finish his sentence.

    ¡°I asked you what¡¯s wrong!¡± Gaia yelled anxiously.

    She was nothing like how she usually was.

    Uranus closed his eyes shut. ¡°... Hermes found something in the Olympus temple a few moments ago.¡±

    He then reached out his hands holding a box.

    Gaia gulped. She could faintly smell blood from the box. The worst possible scenario passed through her mind.

    ¡°No.¡± Gaia shook her head. ¡°Th-there¡¯s no way. That¡¯s impossible.¡±

    She erased the imagination from her mind but she could already tell what was in the box.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­¡±

    Gaia bit her lip as she reached for the box¡¯s lid and opened it with trembling hands.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    Inside it was Zeus¡¯s head, his eyes wide open. There were words carved on his forehead with a knife.

    <em>- Gaia. You will pay for the choice you¡¯ve made.</em>

    ¡°A-Aaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡± Gaia screamed in desperation. She copsed with her hands clenching her hair as if she didn¡¯t want to believe the reality in front of her. ¡°M-my child. My child¡­!¡±

    Tears flowed down her cheeks as she embraced Zeus¡¯s head.

    <em>Bang!</em>

    ¡°Shit, shit!¡±

    Kang-Woo mmed his fist down on the table next to the despairing Gaia, smashing it into two. He looked down in anger at Gaia who was hugging Zeus¡¯s head.

    ¡°How¡­ How could this have¡­¡± Gaia wept in despair.

    ¡°Lady Gaia¡­¡± Kang-Woo ced his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Odin was¡­ never interested in peace from the very beginning.¡±

    If that were not the case, Odin would never have killed so brutally an envoy sent to propose a conversation. Kang-Woo bit his lip. His heart felt heavy as he looked down at the weeping Gaia. It felt as if his heart was burning. Tears trickled down from his eyes as well.

    ¡°Your will¡­ didn¡¯t reach him.¡±

    The voice of a goddess who wanted peace¡­ The will of the goddess who sacrificed herself to protect the world¡­ was trampled by Odin to a pulp.

    ¡°Lady Gaia.¡±

    ¡°Hurgh, hurgh.¡±

    ¡°How long are you nning on staying copsed like this?¡± Kang-Woo added more strength into his hand on Gaia¡¯s shoulder and said in rage, ¡°We have to stand.¡±

    <em>¡®For Zeus, who died at Odin¡¯s hands.¡¯</em>

    ¡°We¡­¡±

    <em>¡®For the sake of world peace.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Have to stand.¡±

    They needed to put their misery aside and stand.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    OK Kang-Woo I¡¯m getting a bit too tired of your goddamn bullshit¡­</blockquote>

 Chapter 443: Ragnarok (1)

    Chapter 443: Ragnarok (1)

    ¡°Odin¡­¡± Oh Kang-Woo mumbled in anger.

    He clenched his fists as he looked down at the weeping Gaia. He did not expect that Odin would not do such a thing; after all, sending an envoy to enemy lines came with its risks. However, he did not think the honorable warrior Odin would go this far.

    <em>¡®Fucking scumbag.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. Tracing back human history, envoys were rarely harmed. It was not just a matter of courtesy but a form ofmon sense.

    <em>¡®Even in history, a war started just because delegations were sent back with their beards shaved.¡¯</em>[1]

    And in this instance, it was not a beard but a mustache.

    <em>¡®It can no longer be avoided.¡¯</em>

    The war between gods, Ragnarok, had already begun.

    ¡°H-how could Odin¡­¡±Gaia wept with nk eyes, still unable to take in the fact that Zeus was dead. Kang-Woo¡¯s heart felt heavy as he stared at Gaia embracing Zeus¡¯s head.

    ¡°It certainly is iprehensible.¡± Kang-Woo set aside his sorrow and continued, ¡°Even if they are in an opposing faction, they must know that justification is a crucial part of war. Despite that¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo could only think of one possibility of why Odin had made such a radical decision.

    ¡°Could he be¡­ associated with the Demon of Prophecy?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    The crying Gaia looked up at him with quivering eyes.

    Kang-Woo calmly exined, ¡°Who benefits the most from this war?¡±

    Gaia remained silent. The answer was obvious even without her answering.

    ¡°The one who would benefit the most from instigating a war between Olympus and Asgard is¡­ the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    ¡°W-wait. That means¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. I think it is safe to assume that Odin has joined forces with the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    If that was not the case, there was no way that Odin, who knew very well how much Gaia cherished her children, would send Zeus back to Gaia as just a head.

    ¡°That is impossible. Odin cares deeply about the world¡¯s security to the point that he even faced the Demon God by himself in the past. There is no way he would make such a¡ª¡±

    Kang-Woo interjected, ¡°Then do you think Odin beheading Zeus is for the sake of world peace?¡±

    Gaia remained silent. She could not refute Kang-Woo¡¯s words. Although she had made a radical decision, she knew that there was no way Odin would not know that it was all for preventing chaos from ensuing in the physical realm. There was only one exnation why, despite all that, Odin would form an opposing faction and send back Zeus¡¯s head to her.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡± Gaia¡¯s expression turned pale. A thought that she did not even want to imagine popped up in her head. ¡°Odin¡­ joined forces with Bael¡­?¡±

    Her shoulder trembled as rage and sorrow stormed within her. Kang-Woo grabbed Gaia¡¯s trembling hands and helped her up.

    ¡°Lady Gaia.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Gaia stood up as she staggered.

    There was no reason to ask Kang-Woo what he wanted to say to her or why he helped her up. She also knew that this was not the time to be wallowing in despair.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Odin wille up with some sort of excuse to deny that fact,¡± Kang-Woo said.

    There was no way that all the Asgardian gods joined forces with the Demon of Prophecy. Odin had likely been the mastermind for the entire situation. If that were the case, Odin would frame Gaia for a crime that she did notmit to justify his actions while covering the truth. For example, an absurd excuse that Gaia beheaded Thor and sent it to him.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s nothing more impossible than that.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned, feeling displeasure just from imagining it. It was unthinkable that a gentle goddess like Gaia would send Odin Thor¡¯s severed head.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure he joined forces with Bael.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t think of any other reason. He quelled the overflowing emotions that he felt as he looked down at Gaia and turned around as golden light enveloped him.

    He then looked toward Uranus and said, ¡°Now that it hase to this, we also have to prepare to go to the divine realm.¡±

    Uranus fell into thought in silence for a moment and then nodded slightly. ¡°If war is unavoidable, it is better for it to be held in the divine realm than the physical realm.¡±

    Ragnarok in the physical realm would result in irreparable destruction.

    ¡°Lady Gaia. I willmand the gods of Olympus to gather,¡± Uranus mentioned.

    The gods of Olympus had scattered throughout Earth to make sure that no god had manifested on Earth without Gaia¡¯s permission. Gaia nodded with a heavy expression. She could tell that war was now unavoidable and that it should not be avoided.

    ¡°Tell the gods of Olympus.¡± Gaia, the goddess with the Deific Essence of Parental Love, pushed her sorrow aside and stood up.

    White light poured out from her and lit the Hall of Protection. Zeus¡¯s head in her arms turned into white light particles and dissipated into the air. The God of Splendor licked his lips as if it were a waste, but no one happened to see it.

    ¡°Zeus¡¯s lightning has lost its light¡­ at the hands of Odin.¡± Gaia stood tall as she bit her lip. Intense rage filled her gaze in ce of sorrow. ¡°We will not take this lying down. We will¡­ fight. We will make them pay for waging war against Olympus and brutally murdering my child.¡±

    They would set aside their sorrow and fight as they burned with rage.

    ¡°It is time for Ragnarok,¡± Gaia dered with zing eyes.

    ***

    While the gods of Olympus gathered at the Hall of Protection one after another, Kang-Woo took the time to tell La, Kim Si-Hun, and other members of Guardians what was going on.

    ¡°We will go with you,¡± Si-Hun replied without hesitation.

    His eyes were zing with passion as he clenched his sword.

    ¡°No.¡± Kang-Woo shook his head.

    Si-Hun could not fight against those with Deific Essence yet. Not just Si-Hun, but most members of Guardians were powerless against those who possessed Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s just how overpowered Deific Essence is.¡¯</em>

    It didn¡¯t matter how much Deific Essence one had; even a being with Lower Intermediate-rank Deific Essence could damage beings of high ranks. The problem was the difference between those who possessed Deific Essence and those who did not.

    <em>¡®The broken thing about Deific Essence is how it allows one to be almostpletely immune to physical and magical damage.¡¯</em>

    For those who did not possess Deific Essence to break through this barrier, they needed to pour extremely inefficient attacks at the enemy to no end.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m fine since I have the Demonic Sea.¡¯</em>

    However, if someone like Si-Hun were to do such a thing, their Qi would bottom out before even five minutes.

    <em>¡®Gods like Zeus and Thor would be no match for Si-Hun simply in terms of martial arts level.¡¯</em>

    To make aparison, Deific Essence was like a piece of equipment that allowed one to earn great power just by having it, regardless of individual power. It was an absurdly unfair fight like someone with a tiny tree branch against someone with full-te body armor.

    <em>¡®I should figure something out.¡¯</em>

    The enemies that Guardians would be facing from now on would mostly possess Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®But not now.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was not leaving without them only because they would be of no use in this battle. They had something else to do.

    ¡°La. You said that there have been abnormalities about the Gatestely, right?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Ah, yes. That¡¯s right.¡± La, who had been staring at Si-Hun in worry, turned to Kang-Woo and answered. ¡°Giant monsters swarming out from C-rank Gates, the interior of Gates that had only been the size of a mountain suddenly expanding to the size of an entire city¡­ There have been various abnormalities.¡±

    There was no need to wonder about what was causing it.

    ¡°It must be due to the copse of the Gaia System,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    ¡°I think so as well.¡± La nodded.

    Kang-Woo was easily able to guess something like this would happen just from the fact that Gates had been the first thing to experience abnormalities when Kang-Woo returned to Earth for the first time.

    ¡°La, please take care of the changes in the Gates¡­ while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    La nodded in silence and stared at Kang-Woo in worry. ¡°... You¡¯lle back, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Kang-Woo had be an irreceable asset in Guardians, even taking out the fact that he was extremely strong.

    Kang-Woo smiled. ¡°Of course I will.¡±

    La and Si-Hun smiled faintly at how Kang-Woo answered without hesitation like always.

    ¡°In that case, I will leave things here to you,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    ¡°Okay, you can count on us.¡± La nodded with a strong will.

    La had not been able to show off her leadership skillstely, but the leader of Guardians was not Kang-Woo but her. Kang-Woo smiled after seeing her reaction.

    <em>¡®I can trust La.¡¯</em>

    She was several times more trustworthy than Gaia. Kang-Woo had witnessed La¡¯spetency many times over.

    <em>¡®And Lilith will be with her.¡¯</em>

    Lilith would be far better at figuring out the impacts that each change in the Gates would bring than Kang-Woo. After all, his specialty only shone when he was facing enemies.

    ¡°That aside, to think Odin and Bael joined forces¡­ I still can¡¯t believe it,¡± Si-Hun mentioned.

    ¡°I¡¯m more surprised by the fact that gods like Odin and Zeus even exist,¡± Cha Yeon-Joo replied as she stared at Si-Hun in deep thought.

    Kang-Woo smirked and nodded. He had the same thought.

    ¡°Anyway.¡± Yeon-Joo crossed her arms and red at Kang-Woo. ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt after doing shit by yourself again and just stay put in a corner somewhere. Gaia¡¯s gonna be the one fighting Odin, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    The ones in the spotlight of this war were Olympus and Asgard, not Kang-Woo, or at least that was what Guardians thought.

    ¡°As you wish, mydy.¡± Kang-Woo yfully bowed and turned around.

    ck.

    He left the meeting room and closed the door behind him.

    <em>¡®I should let Darling know as well.¡¯</em>

    Han Seol-Ah would make even more of a fuss than Si-Hun, but it couldn¡¯t be helped; he couldn¡¯t afford to take her to the divine realm. No, he couldn¡¯t take anyone since in this war, he would¡­

    ¡°<em>Slurp</em>.¡± Kang-Woo wiped the drool flowing down from his mouth.

    ¡°My king,¡± someone called. Kang-Woo turned his head to see Lilith with a pile of documents in one hand. ¡°I heard you were participating in the war between the gods.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It just happened.¡± Kang-Woo calmly nodded.

    Lilith stared at Kang-Woo with narrowed eyes and asked, ¡°But my king, I have something to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Did Odin really kill Zeus¡­ because he joined forces with Bael?¡± she asked as she tilted her head, not being able to fully understand.

    Kang-Woo smiled and turned around. He walked past Lilith and answered, ¡°Of course.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled. The corners of his mouth tore hideously to his earlobes.

    ¡°Why else would he kill Zeus?¡±

    The demon smiled as he licked his saliva-covered lips.

    Lilith turned to Kang-Woo in silence. The smile of her king that she had seen all the time felt awkward and unfamiliar to her, like a piece of a puzzle or a cog that didn¡¯t fit.

    1. This is referring to the bible story of David sending men to Hanun, who seeded the throne as king of the Ammonites, to show him goodwill, but Hanun shaves off half their beards and sends them back to David. ?

 Chapter 444: Ragnarok (2)

    Chapter 444: Ragnarok (2)

    ¡°Alright, let us be off,¡± stated Uranus.

    The gods of Olympus gathered in the Hall of Protection nodded with stiff expressions. A massive war between gods on the scale of Ragnarok had not urred since even before Demon God Bauli¡¯s insurgence. Even immortal beings like themselves could not help but be anxious.

    ¡°Begin,¡± Gaiamanded as she stood at the forefront of the formation.

    Uranus raised his arm and the floor of the Hall of Protection shone.

    <em>¡®The divine realm, huh?¡¯</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone as he stared at the light particles getting brighter. He had only heard about it; this was his first time going there.

    <em>¡®I wonder what it¡¯s like?¡¯</em>

    Considering how gods used their energy to manifest into the physical realm, he guessed that it wouldn¡¯t be some sort of utopia; if that were the case, the gods would not go out of their way to manifest into the physical realm even if they were freed of their restrictions.

    <em>¡®But I doubt it¡¯d be like the Nine Hells either.¡¯</em>Kang-Woo had no idea, so he stopped thinking about it and waited leisurely. Once the light filling the Hall of Protection became unbearably bright, Kang-Woo and the other gods turned into light and disappeared.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have entered the First Realm. The entry of those who do not possess Deific Essence will be forcibly restricted.]

    A blue message window popped up in front of him.

    <em>¡®Oh, so people without Deific Essence couldn¡¯t enter in the first ce.¡¯</em>

    He knew it was the right call not to take Guardians with him. If only those with Deific Essence could enter, only Han Seol-Ah and La would have been able to.

    <em>¡®Well, I never had the intention of bringing them anyway.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked around. The first thing he thought was that it was <em>empty</em>. It was ck and void like he was in outer space and inds were floating here and there. Branches of an unfathomablyrge tree were connected to the floating inds.

    <em>¡®That must be the World Tree.¡¯</em>

    Elune had said that the World Tree was a pir for the Triad.

    <em>¡®So this is what she meant.¡¯</em>

    This was the First Realm; in other words, it was the divine realm of Earth. If they traveled down the branches, they would likelye across the divine realms of Aernor and Huan.

    <em>¡®Hm?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo noticed something odd as he was looking at the World Tree.

    ¡°Why is that area disconnected?¡± he asked.

    A portion of one of the branches was plunged into darkness.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡± Gaia continued with a sunken voice, ¡°The path to the Second Realm¡­ the divine realm of Huan.¡±

    ¡°Was it always that dark?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gaia shook her head. ¡°Do you remember when the World Tree was momentarily corrupted?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    ¡°Since then, the path to the Second Realm has been covered in darkness and blocked for some unknown reason.¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>¡®Come to think of it, Aernor and Earth were connected, but not Huan.¡¯</em>

    He had never been there or heard anything about Huan, but he at least knew that it was one of the Triad. The fact that it was not connected to Earth meant one of two things.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s either further to Earth than Aernor is, or¡­ it has already fallen.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo made a mental note to learn about it in more detailter.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not the time to worry about it.¡¯</em>

    He needed to focus on the war that was about to take ce. Kang-Woo and the gods of Olympus arrived at an ind lined with Greek pces that one wouldmonly see in cartoons.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s smaller than I expected.¡¯</em>

    Olympus was smaller than Jeju Ind. It somewhat made sense since no matter how many gods there were, there would not be as many as the poption of humans on Earth.

    <em>¡®I can understand why gods want to manifest into the physical realm now.¡¯</em>

    The world of the gods was filled with nothing but a void. Kang-Woo was not referring only to the background or infrastructure; just being in this ce felt like a portion of his emotions was getting cut out. It was to the point that he was honestly impressed that gods were able to live in a ce like this for this long.

    <em>¡®How about Asgard?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked for the stage where the war would take ce¡ª no, he was about to.

    <em>¡®I guess I won¡¯t even have to go out of my way to find it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled as he stared at a giant branch that connected Olympus to a different ind. On the branch that was easily several dozens of kilometers long were thousands of gods standing in formation. At the forefront was a one-eyed old god with a bushy white beard on a war horse, ring at Gaia.

    ¡°Odin,¡± Gaia muttered as she also red at Odin with a zing gaze.

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    The energies of Top-rank gods shing caused the branch to vibrate.

    ¡°Gaia¡­¡± Odin pointed his long spear at Gaia as his blue eye shone with resentment. ¡°You will pay for the choice you¡¯ve made.¡±

    It was the phrase he had carved into Zeus¡¯s forehead. Gaia bit her lip and clenched her fists.

    ¡°Were you so dissatisfied with keeping the gods in check¡­ for the sake of preventing chaos in the physical realm?¡± Gaia asked.

    Odin had been so dissatisfied to the point that he immediately killed Zeus whom Gaia had sent to offer a peaceful resolution.

    Odin¡¯s eye shone. It was already far toote for them toe to apromise through conversation. Their willpower was the only thing that remained.

    Odin answered without hesitation, ¡°Gods are not the ones who should be kept in check. It is the humans.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°They have lost their faith. Our existence has be but fiction to them. We must restore their forgotten faith¡­ their respect for us, our glory.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Who but us could possibly stop the impending doom?¡±

    ¡°So you¡­ for that sort of reason¡­ killed Zeus?!¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Gaia¡¯s scream shook space itself. Blinding light poured out from her.

    ¡°Hah.¡± Odin chuckled at the absurdity. He smirked and said coldly, ¡°You do not have the right to say that.¡±

    He was so speechless that he could not even get mad at Gaia¡¯s shamelessness after killing Thor with her own hands.

    ¡°As I¡¯d thought¡­ You were never fit for the position of guardian deity,¡± Odin remarked.

    He had passed down the seat of Earth¡¯s guardian deity to her after getting greatly injured after the battle against the Demon God, but he did not expect her to be this shameless and impertinent. He even thought that Bael managed to take Gaia¡¯s privileges as guardian deity due to her ipetence.

    Deathly silence fell between the two Top-rank gods. They raised their hands simultaneously, realizing there was no point in further conversation. The tension in the air reached its limit.

    ¡°Raaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!¡±

    Odin¡¯s roar shook the battlefield. The white war horse raised its front legs. A raging storm condensed and gathered around Odin¡¯s spear edge. He then pulled back his arm as far as he could and threw Gungnir.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    Thepressed storm was unleashed, its unfathomable power destroying everything in its path.

    ¡°Aaarrrggghhh!¡±

    The gods of Olympus screamed as they stared at the spear destroying everything around it. Their formation was destroyed by the storm that tore apart their Deific Essence barrier just from making contact with it.

    ¡°Odin.¡±

    Just then, Gaia walked forward. The white light pouring out of her spread out like a tent.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!!</em>

    The barrier of light and the storm collided. The several-kilometer World Tree branch was beginning to crack. The gods of Olympus and Asgard shed against each other atop the breaking World Tree branch.

    <em>ng! Crack! Crush!</em>

    Deific Essences collided with each other. Attacks enveloped in Divinity filled the battlefield.

    ¡°Die!¡±

    ¡°For Asgard!¡±

    A battle between gods was no different from that between humans other than that they used Divinity. The battlefield was filled with curses and stormed with emotions.

    ¡°Fuuu.¡± Kang-Woo took a deep breath as he looked down at the fighting gods.

    He was used to the nging of metal, the barrage of screams and curses, the thick scent of blood, and the disgusting stench of excrement.

    <em>¡®Nice.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but smile. The battle that he was watching from afar made his heart race.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± he sighed ecstatically as powerful hunger paralyzed his brain.

    He felt like his thirst was drying him up.

    <em>¡®Now, then.¡¯</em>

    It was time for a light appetizer.

    <em>Tap.</em>

    He lightly tapped his feet. His hand ripped open and a wave of gold spread across the World Tree branch. The light was so faint, unlike his title of God of Splendor, that one would never notice unless they paid close attention.

    <em>¡®And no one would be focusing on the ground during a heated battle like this.¡¯</em>

    As long as Kang-Woo focused on concealing his energy without participating in the battle, he was confident in being able to fool even Elune.

    <em>Fwoooom.</em>

    The corpses of the dead gods were absorbed through the Authority of Predation. Of course, he did not outright devour their entire corpses; there was no way that the gods wouldn¡¯t notice the corpses disappearing even if they were in the middle of a war. Instead of eating their corpses, Kang-Woo was sucking the energy within them.

    ¡°Haaa.¡±

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and enjoyed the Deific Essence flowing into him.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Obtaining the Deific Essence of the Lower Intermediate-rank god ¡®Baldr.¡¯ The rank of the Deific Essence obtained will be lowered because the entire body was not predated.]

    [Obtaining the Deific Essence of the Upper Intermediate-rank god ¡®Susanoo.¡¯ The rank of the Deific Essence obtained will be lowered because the entire body was not predated.]

    [Obtaining the Deific Essence of the Bottom-rank god ¡®Abd al-Ali.¡¯ The rank of¡­]

    Bell chimes continued to ring in his head. Kang-Woo would usuallyin about it being too loud, but the usually annoying chimes sounded blissful due to the Deific Essence flowing into him.

    <em>¡®With this¡­¡¯</em> Kang-Woo clenched his fists and his heart raced. <em>¡®I¡¯ll be able to obtain it.¡¯</em>

    Transcendent-rank Deific Essence, the power superior to Top-rank.

    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. That was not good enough.

    <em>¡®I have to obtain it, whatever it takes.¡¯</em>

    Even if he had to get an unfathomable amount of blood on his hands. Even if he had to be weighed down by intense resentment,ment, despair, and vengeful desire. Even if he had to send a son¡¯s severed head to his father. Even if he had to deceive a mother who had her son¡¯s severed head in her arms.

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth as he recalled Bael, who felt like he was engraved in Kang-Woo¡¯s brain. His heart felt like it was getting trampled on. An overwhelming sense of anxiety swept over him and blurred his vision.

    <em>¡®If I can¡¯t obtain it¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled a nightmarish hill of corpses filled with mangled flesh and pools of blood, and himself copsed on his knees atop the hill wailing. He could see faces ovepping those of the corpses making up the hill; that of Han Seol-Ah, Lilith, Balrog, and Kim Si-Hun. The faces continued to ovep and explode.

    He could hear Bael¡¯sughter. It kept going and going¡­ It did not stop.

    ¡°More.¡±

    Kang-Woo looked up to the top of the World Tree. He could faintly see Gaia facing Odin. His burning thirst and unbearable hunger set him aze.

    ¡°I need¡­ more.¡±

    He slowly walked toward Odin.

 Chapter 445: Ragnarok (3)

    Chapter 445: Ragnarok (3)

    Compressed wind des shot out like a cannonball. The storm enveloping the edge of Odin¡¯s spear tore apart space itself.

    ¡°Hurgh!¡± Gaia grunted and raised her hand.

    A barrier of white light collided with the storm.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    An explosion that surpassed sound shook everything in its surroundings. Gaia could be seen biting her lip anxiously among the blinding light particles.

    ¡°Is this all there to your oh-so-great will?!¡± Odin shouted and aggressively swung down Gungnir.

    Gaia crossed her hands and blocked the spear. She gritted her teeth.

    ¡°Odin¡­ I¡­ I trusted you.¡±

    It was far in the past, but Odin used to be Earth¡¯s guardian deity. Although their opinions differed, Gaia never thought Odin would cause Ragnarok. The price of her trust had been one too hefty to pay.¡°You¡­ You are also a father! So why¡­?¡±

    Gaia recalled Zeus¡¯s dead eyes. She bit her lip aggressively as her insides churned and she teared up.

    Odin stared at the crying Gaia in silence. It was so baffling that it wasn¡¯t even funny. ¡°You¡¯re the one who started it f¡ª¡±

    <em>¡®Wait.¡¯</em>

    An inexplicable sense of uneasiness swept over him as he pointed Gungnir in rage at Gaia. He looked at Gaia, filled with so much anger that she was trembling.

    <em>¡®Why is she¡­ so angry?¡¯</em>

    Odin knew very well that Gaia deeply treasured her children, but her reaction was illogical.

    <em>¡®She didn¡¯t expect me to kill Zeus?¡¯</em>

    That was impossible; she had beheaded Thor and sent it to him. How could she not have expected him to behead Zeus and send his head back to her after doing such a thing?

    <em>¡®No, wait¡­¡¯</em>

    Odin¡¯s expression stiffened. He lowered Gungnir and bit his lip.

    <em>¡®Why didn¡¯t I realize it sooner?¡¯</em>

    An enormous sense of regret reced his boundless rage.

    <em>¡®I should have realized from the moment Zeus came to see me.¡¯</em>

    No, he had many other opportunities to realize it, even during his current battle against Gaia.

    The answer was simple¡ª even the stupidest person alive could have figured it out. He could not even make an excuse that he was tricked; this was his blunder and his alone.

    <em>¡®Thor¡­ wasn¡¯t killed by Gaia.¡¯</em>

    It was obvious with just a little thought. Considering Gaia¡¯s personality, there was no way that she would have beheaded an envoy requesting a peaceful resolution and sent the head to Odin. Not only that, but she would never have sent Zeus to him as an envoy if she had killed Thor in the first ce. Odin had not managed to figure out such a poor scheme.

    ¡°...¡±

    Odin closed his eyes. Thor¡¯s severed head floated around him like an illusion. Just imagining it filled him with rage.

    <em>¡®It must have been¡­ because of my rage.¡¯</em>

    Odin had lost his mind the moment he saw Thor¡¯s head. He lost the ability to think with reason and his sense of judgment had clouded. He averted his gaze from the truth that he could have reached with just a few hours¡ª no, a few minutes of thinking.

    <em>¡®These are nothing but excuses.¡¯</em>

    Odin bit his lip and shook his head. It was cowardly for him to me his blunder for Thor¡¯s death. He was the one at fault.

    ¡°It seems I am the one who needs to pay,¡± Odin mumbled in sorrow. He lowered Gungnir and looked at Gaia. ¡°Gaia.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Gaia red at Odin, confused by Odin¡¯s sudden change in behavior.

    ¡°How much do you know about the God of Splendor?¡±

    Gaia narrowed her eyes due to the unexpected question. She thought for a moment and then answered, ¡°The God of Splendor is my child as well as my hope.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°He is a hero who is giving his all to protect this world from chaos¡­ unlike you, Odin.¡±

    Odin closed his eyes. ¡°Gaia, there is no reason for us to fight.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gaia¡¯s eyes widened.

    There was no reason for them to fight? There was no nonsense more absurd than this.

    ¡°How dare you say that¡­ after you brutally murdered my son Zeus?!¡± Gaia screamed in genuine fury.

    Odin continued calmly, ¡°Listen to me.¡±

    He then let go of Gungnir entirely to show that he had no wish to fight. The spear enveloped in a storm slowly dropped to the ground.

    Gaia stared at Odin, who was slowly walking toward her, in confusion. ¡°What are you scheming¡­ Odin?¡±

    ¡°You are being deceived by the God of Splendor.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°He is not the hope of this world, much less a hero who is trying to protect it from chaos. He is¡ª¡±

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    As Odin was about to continue, an unfathomable amount of demonic energy surged from him. ck demonic energy condensed around his hand that had let go of Gungnir.

    ¡°What the¡ª¡±

    <em>Swoosh!!</em>

    Odin¡¯s eyes widened. Before he even had a chance to finish his sentence, a de made of condensed demonic energy shot toward Gaia.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Gaia had momentarily let her guard down because Odin had let go of Gungnir, so she was unable to react to the ck depletely outside of her expectations.

    <em>Ssh!!</em>

    Red blood sttered, a long sh wound from shoulder to belly button forming on Gaia.

    ¡°<em>C-cough!</em>¡± Gaia copsed as she clenched her wound. She looked up at Odin in resentment and muttered, ¡°Odin¡­¡±

    <em>Swoosh!</em>

    Another ck de formed on Odin¡¯s hand and shot toward Gaia again. Gaia shut her eyes tightly before she realized it.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    A deafening sound rang out. Gaia had scrunched up instinctively, but she did not feel the pain of a demonic energy de prating her. She slowly opened her eyes.

    ¡°My child¡­¡±

    ¡°Lady Gaia.¡±

    The one who had blocked the demonic energy de to protect Gaia was Oh Kang-Woo, the hero covered in radiant light.

    He looked down at Gaia and said sorrowfully, ¡°I told you¡­ not to listen to anything that Odin says.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­ s-sorry.¡±

    Gaia lowered her head and clenched her wound tighter. She could not find any words to exin herself since she had already known that Odin had joined forces with Bael.

    ¡°No. I¡­ I should have arrived sooner,¡± Kang-Woo shook his head and embraced her.

    He slowly ced his hand on Gaia¡¯s wound. As one would expect from a Top-rank goddess, her wound that looked fatal was being healed at an incredible rate.

    ¡°Focus on treating your wound. I¡­ will face Odin,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    ¡°B-but¡­¡±

    ¡°Lady Gaia.¡± Kang-Woo smiled faintly and grabbed her hands. ¡°I have been the one¡­ in your care all this time.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ have not done anything¡­¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°If not for your sacrifice, we would not have been able to stop the Demon of Prophecy when he first came to Earth.¡±

    In terms of the result, she was unable to stop the Demon of Prophecy from crossing to Earth, but the Triad would have long since fallen if Gaia had not sacrificed herself.

    ¡°I would not be here today either if you hadn¡¯t created Guardians in preparation for the time of prophecy.¡±

    Gaia had always done her best to protect Earth as well as the Triad. Considering how restricted the gods were in involving themselves with the physical realm back when the Law of Titans was active, it was no exaggeration to say that Gaia had protected Earth at the risk of her annihtion.

    ¡°This time,¡± Kang-Woo dered as he tightly held Gaia¡¯s hands. ¡°It is my turn to protect you.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Tears welled up around Gaia¡¯s eyes. She could feel Kang-Woo¡¯s warmth through his hands, healing her. She was getting unbearably tired for some reason.

    ¡°My¡­ child¡­¡±

    A single tear trickled down her cheek. She lost consciousness once the tear dripped down.

    Deathly silence fell once Gaia passed out.

    Odin stared at Kang-Woo as he frowned and said, ¡°So this is how you have been deceiving Gaia all this time.¡±

    Causing one¡¯s energy to be emitted from someone else¡¯s body was truly an astonishing ability. When the first demonic energy de shot out from Odin¡¯s hand, even Odin himself wondered if he had been the one who attacked Gaia without realizing it; that was how wless the ability was.

    <em>¡®With such an absurd ability, no wonder Gaia would be fooled.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked. ¡°I deceived Lady Gaia? What nonsense are you talking about? People would think I¡¯m the God of Lies or something if they didn¡¯t know any better. The one who made that cowardly attack was none other than you, Odin.¡±

    Kang-Woo red furiously at Odin, the old god who had joined forces with Bael. Although it had been long in the past, he should be embarrassed of himself as Earth¡¯s former guardian deity.

    Odin stared at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly. He was not perplexed because of Kang-Woo¡¯s bullshit that he had joined forces with Bael; what perplexed Odin was that despite knowing the full truth, the fury he could feel from Kang-Woo was genuine.

    <em>¡®Is he altering even his own emotions and memories?¡¯</em>

    If that were not the case, nothing else could exin the God of Splendor¡¯s genuine fury. A chill ran down Odin¡¯s back.

    ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡±

    Odin had no other way to describe Kang-Woo. He stared at Kang-Woo with trembling eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Kang-Woo snickered. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this either but you see, if I don¡¯t do this¡­¡±

    He sounded somewhat desperate. Intense thirst and hunger tore him apart. If he didn¡¯t fabricate the truth and wear a mask of lies¡­

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat that son of a bitch.¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t care less about good or evil. He trampled on ethics and morals. Friend or foe did not matter either, nor did whether or not he had to writhe in suffering or cry out in despair. As long as he got to eat and be stronger, as long as he could get stronger ande out victorious, none of it mattered.

    ¡°<em>Do you remember what you told me when we first met?¡±</em>

    Kang-Woo heard Balrog¡¯s voice.

    <em>¡°You said that whatever there is blocking your way, it does not change what you have to do.¡±</em>

    Keep moving forward.

    Forward, forward.

    Forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward.

    While devouring everything in the world.

    Far higher than what anyone has ever reached. A ce where he could devour the chaos of the gods, the otherworldly invasions, and even Bael whom Kang-Woo had never managed to defeat even once!

    Kang-Woo aggressively gritted his teeth.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

    He closed his eyes and raised his head. The sound of bones cracking echoed. Goat horns sprouted from his forehead. He opened his eyes with horizontal pupils and yellow irises pointed right at Odin.

    Kang-Woo smiled, the corners of his mouth ripping to his earlobes and sharp teeth sprouting from between his lips.

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for a feast.¡±

 Chapter 446: Ragnarok (4)

    Chapter 446: Ragnarok (4)

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Oh Kang-Woo exhaled heatedly.

    He scrunched up and licked his lips. He touched the goat horns that sprouted on his forehead and then extended his arm.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The mes of Voracity burned from the ends of his fingers and began to slowly spread. His arms were now covered in mes¡ª no, they became fire itself.

    <em>¡®More.¡¯</em>

    This was not enough. He needed to make mes that would set his entire body aze, just like when he fought against Tai Wuji.

    <em>¡®More, more, more.¡¯</em>

    The thirst strangled Kang-Woo. The hunger was burning him from within. He opened his mouth and stared at Odin as he stuck out his tongue.

    ¡°You¡­ should be enough, right?¡± Kang-Woo asked.Odin would allow him to reach far greater heights.

    Odin stared at Kang-Woo with a stiff expression. A condensed storm raged around Gungnir¡¯s edge. He slurred, ¡°You¡­¡±

    Odin¡¯s blue eyes slightly trembled and a chill ran down his spine.

    <em>¡®Demon.¡¯</em>

    There was no better way to exin Kang-Woo, who was covered in ck mes.

    ¡°Right?¡± The demon opened his mouth even wider and smiled.

    His yellow irises filled with madness stared at at Odin. He lightly bent his knees and leaped.

    <em>Boom¡ª!</em>

    Kang-Woo shot toward Odin along with a massive sonic boom. He pulled back his fist covered in the mes of Voracity and pushed it forward.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    The mes of Voracity shot at Odin like a cannonball.

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    Odin bit his lip anxiously. He did not know what those mes were, but he could instinctively tell that he should not touch them. ¡°Haap!¡±

    He swung Gungnir upward. The storm raging around its edge absorbed and then deflected the mes of Voracity. The wind mixed with the mes shot upward like a pir.

    ¡°A mere demon¡­¡±

    Odin¡¯s one eye shone.

    <em>Crack. Rip.</em>

    His armor burst as his muscles swelled. They swelled up to a point unbelievable for an old man. His muscles squirmed as if they were alive. Odin raised Gungnir high, causing an enormous storm to rage around them.

    Odin roared, ¡°Dares to undermine a god?!¡±

    His voice was so loud that it could overpower the storm. Kang-Woo bent backward and snapped his finger. A golden energy wrapped around the area and prevented Odin¡¯s roar from spreading.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo smiled. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±

    Heughed brightly and pulled out Ingrium attached to his waist. He raised his right arm to the side and tapped the ring on his middle finger.

    ¡°Come on out,¡± Kang-Woo called Slushy, who was sleeping within the Key of the Demonic Sea.

    However, Slushy did note out of the ring no matter how long Kang-Woo waited.

    <em>¡®The hell?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned aggressively in irritation.

    ¡°Are you in your rebellious phase?¡± he asked the ring as he looked down at it.

    Slushy did not respond. He would usually bounce out of the ring and cling to him, but he was not doing so.

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. He could tell that something had gone wrong. As he was in his thoughts, his demonic horizontal goat pupils with yellow irises turned back to his usual eyes with round pupils and ck irises.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    The mes of Voracity ate away at Kang-Woo before he even had a chance to regain control over it. His unfathomable hunger was eating away at his sanity. His burning desire was turning his sense of reason to ash.

    ¡°Argh¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo lowered his head with his hand on his forehead. His desire was running out of control like a racing truck with malfunctioning brakes. No matter how hard he tried to suppress it, his unleashed desire was burning him at an rming rate.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa, haaa,¡± Kang-Woo panted heavily. His eyes, which had momentarily returned to those of a human, reverted back to his demonic goat eyes. ¡°Fuuu.¡±

    His head turned nk and was filled with hunger.

    <em>¡®What was I thinking about again?¡¯</em>

    He did not remember¡ª no, he did not feel the need to remember. His mind was hazy despite not opening the Doors.

    <em>¡®I have to¡­ be stronger.¡¯</em>

    Only his desire burned brightly within his hazy consciousness.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m not good enough yet.¡¯</em>

    At this rate, he would not be able to reach the point that he wanted. He needed to walk forward even more. No, he needed to run. Only then¡­

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth. The mes of Voracity covering his arms grewrger. Ingrium burned with the mes of Voracity.

    ¡°Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!¡± Kang-Woo roared.

    He swung Ingrium at Odin holding Gungnir. The giant mes poured out from the demonic sword¡¯s edge and burned space itself.

    ¡°Hup!¡± Odin inhaled shortly.

    He gripped Gungnir with both hands and swung it around like a windmill.

    <em>Whoosh¡ª!</em>

    An enormous storm surged from Gungnir and mixed with the mes of Voracity. A powerful heat storm slightly extinguished the mes of Voracity covering Kang-Woo¡¯s arms. Odin¡¯s blue eye shone.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Odin stomped his foot and lowered his stance with the spear shaft under his armpit.

    ¡°Die.¡±

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    The storm condensed around Gungnir¡¯s edge and blue lightning crackled within it. The lightning was so powerful and blinding that Thor¡¯s lightning could not bepared to it. Odin then straightened his knees from his lowered stance and twisted his torso.

    ¡°Gungnir.¡±

    He thrust Gungnir forward. The condensed lightning storm and Gungnir¡¯s edge burned bright red.

    ¡°Heh.¡± Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at the spear flying at him.

    <em>Badump, badump.</em>

    His heart was beating uncontrobly and sparks of ecstasy ran down his back.

    <em>¡®Yeah.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo was reminded of his battle against Tai Wuji. <em>¡®This is it.¡¯</em>

    He had been craving this feeling¡ª this exhrating sense of despair.

    ¡°Kihi,¡± Kang-Wooughed as the corners of his mouth ripped to his earlobes.

    He stuck his tongue out and extended his left arm forward.

    <em>Stab.</em>

    Gungnir¡¯s edge pierced Kang-Woo¡¯s left hand. The mes of Voracity began to eat the immense power contained in Gungnir¡¯s edge.

    <em>Crack, crunch!</em>

    However, the speed at which Gungnir was piercing through Kang-Woo was faster than Kang-Woo absorbing the power within Gungnir. His left arm was ripped openpletely as Gungnir continued to drill into him. Kang-Woo quickly raised his right arm, but even that was ripped apart in less than a second.

    <em>Stab.</em>

    ¡°Kurgh.¡±

    Gungnir shot through Kang-Woo¡¯s heart after he lost both of his hands. A giant hole was made from under his corbone to just above his belly button, obliterating his organs in the area.

    ¡°Arghh¡­¡± Kang-Woo crouched. ¡°Not¡­ enough.¡±

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    Although almost half of his body had been obliterated, his destroyed organs began to regenerate at an incredible rate. The speed transcended logic as if Kang-Woo had opened the Doors.

    <em>¡®Or had I opened them already?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not know nor did he want to know. He did not feel the need to.

    ¡°A little more¡­¡±

    His thirst burned his throat. He looked at Odin as if begging him. It didn¡¯t matter whether or not the Doors were open. Kang-Woo only cared about one thing.

    ¡°For¡­ward. For¡­ward.¡±

    It was to walk toward the prey in front of him without breaking down.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo had to win. He could not afford to lose. If he were to fall apart¡­ If he were to lose¡­

    ¡°I have¡­ to¡­ win.¡±

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    ck mucus gathered and regenerated his destroyed organs. He leaped forward once he was fully healed.

    Odin extended his right arm,pletely expressionless. Gungnir, which had drilled through Kang-Woo, flew back into his hand. Anyone would have been bewildered by a monster whose body instantly regenerated from a fatal wound, but Odin did not falter.

    ¡°If you will not die,¡± Odin remarked as his blue eye shone with zing spirit. ¡°I will keep killing you until you do.¡±

    <em>Whir¡ª!</em>

    Gungnir¡¯s edge began to divide until thousands of them filled the sky.

    ¡°Haaaaaaap!!¡±

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Odin¡¯s white hair fluttered in the wind. His muscles swelled to the point that they would explode. He twisted his torso back and threw his spear with all his might at the demon charging at him. The thousands of spear edges filling the sky poured down like rainfall on the demon.

    Kang-Woo looked up into the sky at the thousands of spear edges.

    ¡°Burn,¡± hemanded with Soul Speech.

    The mes of Voracity covering his arms burned even stronger.

    ¡°Burn, Burn. Burn. Burn. Burn.¡±

    He used Soul Speech over and over again as if he were singing. The mes around his arms spread out like a.

    ©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥©¥!!

    Thousands of spear edges collided with the of fire. The explosion that transcended sound shook the World Tree.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Odin quickly stepped back from the explosion that distorted and tore apart space itself.

    <em>Crack, crack!</em>

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    However, he could see the monster, who was still charging at him despite his body being torn apart by the distorted space.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    The monster ate Odin¡¯s right arm before he could do anything. The Top-rank Deific Essence barrier was negated all too easily by the monster¡¯s teeth as they dug into Odin¡¯s flesh.

    ¡°Kurghhhhh!!¡± Intense pain traveled up Odin¡¯s arm. He bit his lip and raised his left arm. ¡°You fucking monster¡­!¡±

    He raised Gungnir and swung it down at the head of the monster eating his right arm.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    The monster¡¯s head exploded.

    <em>Crunch, crunch, crunch.</em>

    However, the monster¡¯s mouth did not let go of Odin¡¯s arm.

    ¡°More, more, more,¡± the monster muttered chillingly as he continued to devour Odin¡¯s flesh. He then screamed like a crazed beast, ¡°MORE, MORE, MORE, MORE!!¡±

    Odin¡¯s expression turned pale.

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    Odin was about to say something as his eyes trembled, but the monster covered in mes grabbed his neck before he could and pulled it down. The monster, who had been eating Odin¡¯s arm, opened his mouth wide like a snake and swallowed Odin¡¯s entire upper body whole.

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    Kang-Woo waited for the bell chime as he devoured Odin¡¯s body and Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®Alright,e on. Hurry up and tell me that I reached Transcendent-rank Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    He waited for the blue message window, but no matter how much time passed, no such message window appeared. Forget that, not even a message window saying that he absorbed Odin¡¯s Deific Essence appeared.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Kang-Woo came back to his senses as if he had been doused by cold water. ¡°Why¡­ didn¡¯t I reach it?¡±

    He had absorbed the corpses of hundreds of gods and even devoured the Deific Essence of Odin, a Top-rank god.

    ¡°After all I ate? Huh? I ate everything I possibly could.¡±

    No matter how long Kang-Woo waited, the message that said he reached Transcendent-rank Deific Essence did not appear.

    ¡°Fucking why?!¡±

    <em>Boom!</em>

    He stomped his foot aggressively.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa, haaa.¡± Kang-Woo crouched. ¡°More¡­ more, more, more, more, more.¡±

    Even after eating hundreds of gods and devouring Odin whole, the hunger burning him from the inside did not disappear.

 Chapter 447: Shouldered Weight

    Chapter 447: Shouldered Weight

    ¡°More, more, more.¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s desire was overflowing; it was zing to the point that he wondered if anything this intense had ever happened to him.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    His breathing became heavy. He clenched his chest as his vision blurred.

    <em>¡®More, more¡­¡¯</em>

    His sanity was being devoured. His ego and emotions were being vaporized by mes, leaving only his desire.

    ¡°Fu¡­ck.¡±

    Kang-Woo crouched down and bit his lip so hard that his teeth dug into his flesh. He was thirsty. He was hungry. He wascking.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>The golden barrier surrounding the area disappeared.

    ¡°M-my child!¡±

    Kang-Woo could see the fully healed Gaia approaching him. He walked over to her naturally to devour her flesh.

    ¡°A-arghh.¡±

    He suppressed his steps with all his might. He clenched his hair and gritted his teeth, frantically holding on to the thin thread that was his sanity.

    <em>¡®This is¡­ bad.¡¯</em>

    No, it wasn¡¯t bad. This was normal. He had always been like this. What was so wrong about a demon staying true to his desire?

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    Kang-Woo could see a ck sea. An endless abyss was looking at him. It was not Bauli; it was something far more enormous. It was an infinite darkness.

    <em>¡®What¡­ the hell?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned his head. He could see three doors of different sizes, which were keeping the darkness at bay, being drowned up by the ck sea. No, that was not the right way to describe it.

    <em>¡®They¡¯re¡­ bing one.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t understand. He couldn¡¯t think straight.

    The abyss stared at him and said, <em>- What¡¯s wrong?</em>

    Kang-Woo could hear theughter of an innocent child.

    <em>- This is what you desired, isn¡¯t it?</em>

    He wanted to get stronger by eating so that he could win and protect what he cherished. He wanted to do whatever it took, whatever the cost.

    <em>¡®For¡­ward.¡¯</em>

    <em>- That¡¯s it.</em>

    <em>¡®Forward, forward, forward¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s consciousness faded.

    ***

    ¡°<em>Gasp!</em>¡±

    Kang-Woo sprang up. He looked around and saw white walls. He was in one of the rooms of the Hall of Protection.

    ¡°You¡¯re up, my king.¡±

    Kang-Woo heard Lilith¡¯s voice. She was reading a thick pile of documents as she sat next to the bed.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°The war ended with Odin¡¯s death. Olympus won.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Gaia has remained in the divine realm to negotiate with the opposing faction. Your quick disposal of Odin resulted in minimal losses from both sides or so I¡¯ve heard.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°How long was I out for?¡±

    ¡°About three days.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo stood up with an anxious expression. He immediately checked the amount of Divinity within him, but he could barely feel a differencepared to the amount before Ragnarok. He had not managed to achieve Transcendent-rank Deific Essence.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned aggressively.

    <em>¡®I rested for three goddamn days.¡¯</em>

    The otherworldly invasions could begin at any second. Bael could bare his fangs at any second. He could not afford to waste even a single millisecond.

    <em>¡®I have to get stronger.¡¯</em>

    He was nowhere near powerful enough.

    <em>¡®More¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes turned yellow and his horizontally stretched pupils shone chillingly.

    <em>¡®What should I do?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had thought that he would reach Transcendent-rank Deific Essence by devouring Odin, but forget acquiring it, he did not even manage to obtain a single clue.

    <em>¡®Was Odin not enough? In that case, if I devour Gaia¡­ as well as Elune¡­¡¯</em>

    He was sure that he would be able to if he did.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    If it was not enough, he simply had to eat more. It was the most simple and surefire solution.

    ¡°I¡¯ll start with Gaia¡ª¡±

    ¡°My king,¡± Lilith interjected.

    Kang-Woo turned his head to her. She was staring at him in sorrow.

    ¡°Why did you do it?¡± she asked.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I mean, why did you incite the war between the gods?¡±

    ¡°That was because Odin¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lilith firmly shook her head and said coldly, ¡°You did it, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    Lilith narrowed her eyes. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like you, my king.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like me?¡±

    Kang-Woo feignedughter.

    <em>¡®Wasn¡¯t like me? Then should I have stayed true to ethics and morals like Reynald and held hands toward a better future?¡¯</em>

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been like this,¡± Kang-Woo imed.

    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t true.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. I¡¯ve done far worse things than th¡ª¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ve done those things only when you were sure that the other party was an enemy. You only took such action when you were certain that they would get in your way. You¡¯ve never run wild like a madman like you are doing now.¡±

    Silence fell. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t deny it. Gathering allies and reducing enemies had been his fundamental survival tactic in the Nine Hells. He didn¡¯t take into ount whether the targets that he devoured were good or evil, but he at least never hunted those that would not get in his way.

    ¡°I am not saying you shouldn¡¯t have killed Odin. The problem is how you did it.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You were far too sloppy.¡± Lilith continued coldly, ¡°If Gaia did not have the utmost trust in you and Odin hadn¡¯t lost himself in his rage, the fact that you were the culprit of this incident would have easily been exposed. To be honest, your n only went without a hitch because the gods are as moronic as they could get. Jeez, thinking about it even now, they were insanely stupid. How could they not have figured it out? Their intelligence as a whole must have dropped down a few pegs after being stuck in the divine realm for so long¡­¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Whatever the case, it wasn¡¯t like you at all, my king.¡± Lilith stood up and walked toward Kang-Woo. ¡°If you were your usual self, even if you wanted to devour Odin, you would have picked a fight only after eliminating as much of a chance that you would be exposed as possible.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°My king.¡± Lilith gently grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hands and stared at him with deeply sunken eyes. She asked, ¡°Why are you so impatient?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Impatient was the perfect word for it. It was not a problem that Kang-Woo killed Odin; the fact that he incited Ragnarok and caused gods to kill each other was not of importance either. Lilith couldn¡¯t care less about those things. The problem was Kang-Woo¡¯s current state. He was impatient as if he was being chased by something.

    ¡°Why am I so impatient?¡± Kang-Woo frowned aggressively and red at Lilith with his teeth bared. ¡°Why¡­ you ask?¡±

    Was she asking because she didn¡¯t know? Did she seriously not know the reason why?

    ¡°Because I have to get stronger. If I don¡¯t eat and be stronger¡­ if I don¡¯t manage to win and protect what I cherish, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Kang-Woo bit his lip and muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ lose to that son of a bitch again.¡±

    He lowered his head and recalled his loss. He had the Demon God¡¯s heart stolen from right under his nose. He recalled Bael cackling at him. Although their battle in the Nightmare Forest did not decide a clear winner, the result itself had no doubt been his loss.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t stop him.¡¯</em>

    He wasn¡¯t sure whether or not he would have won even if he opened the Doors.

    <em>¡®No, I probably would¡¯ve still lost.¡¯</em>

    It would have been a different story if Kang-Woo had let go of his sanity entirely, but he likely would not have been able to win if he kept hold of it. Besides, the end result would have been the same if he had let go of his sanity; if the Demonic Sea were to be fully unleashed¡­ this world would without a doubte to an end.

    <em>¡®And he even managed to get his hands on the Demon God¡¯s heart.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s chance of victory had been reduced even more. At this rate, he would lose again.

    ¡°My king.¡± Lilith ced her hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek, her eyes filled with sorrow. She gently caressed his cheek. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have never suffered a single loss in your life.¡±

    The Demon King¡¯s path of conquest had not been clean of defeat; he had lost, been trampled on, and crumbled countless times. Despite that, he crawled his way up from the bottom and ultimately ended came out victorious.

    ¡°There is no need for you to be this impatient just because you lost to Bael once,¡± Lilith remarked as if scolding Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shook. ¡°No need¡­ to be impatient? Just from losing once?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    ¡°Ha. Haha. Haha.¡±

    Kang-Woo burst intoughter; it was a sorrow-filledughter as if he was wailing in tears.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ bullshit me.¡±

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth and red at Lilith fiercely. Lilith was right. He had faced defeat countless times in the Nine Hells. He overcame those defeats and came out victorious.

    But¡­

    But¡­

    But¡­

    <em>m!</em>

    Kang-Woo punched the wall. He ignored the hunger strangling him and the thirst burning him alive. He trampled on his surging desire. Once everything disappeared, only he was left. Not the savior of the world, not the Demon King who ruled the Nine Hells, not the master of the Demonic Sea, but the human Oh Kang-Woo.

    Something came bursting out. Something that he had been suppressing within him with all his might exploded.

    Kang-Woo shouted, ¡°I CAN¡¯T AFFORD TO LOSE A SINGLE TIME ANYMORE!! I BECAME STRONGER THROUGH DEFEAT? I CRAWLED MY WAY UP TO THE TOP? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY DIED IN THAT PROCESS?!¡±

    They had died. Countless subordinates who had pledged their loyalty to him died in the most atrocious and wretched ways possible. They had died, died, died, died, died, and died again. They continued to die until their corpses made a giant hill.

    ¡°I HAVE TO FUCKING GET STRONGER! I HAVE TO KEEP WINNING!¡±

    Forward. Forward. Forward. Forward. Forward. Forward. Forward. Forward. Forward.

    He couldn¡¯t stop. He couldn¡¯t break. He couldn¡¯t fall. If he were to copse, Bael would bare his teeth at the people who followed him.

    ¡°THEY¡¯D ALL DIE, SO WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?!¡± Kang-Woo screamed in desperation. ¡°DO YOU THINK NUMBERS WOULD HAVE ANY EFFECT ON HIM? HUH? OLYMPUS? ASGARD? GUARDIANS? THEY¡¯RE ALL MEANINGLESS TO HIM!!¡±

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Kang-Woo stomped his foot. In the end, there was no one but him who was a match for Bael. If he fell, there was no one else.

    He continued desperately, ¡°I¡­ have to get stronger.¡±

    He needed to get stronger. He needed to fight and win. Running away was pointless. Even if he escaped somewhere far away from the Triad, it was only a matter of time. Bael would devour the Triad ande for him; wherever Kang-Woo was, Bael would eventuallye to find him and devour everything he cherished.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Kang-Woo panted heavily and lowered his head. He mustered the words. ¡°I¡­ have to win.¡±

    He could not afford to lose even once. He could not afford to let the things that happened in Hell to repeat.

    Lilith remained silent.

    This was the first time she had seen such a vulnerable side of Kang-Woo after all the time they had spent and the countless battles they had fought together.

    <em>¡®Just how long had he been desperately holding on for? How long had he been suppressing these emotions?¡¯</em>

    She couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine.

    ¡°Master Kang-Woo.¡±

    She did not address him as her king. The man in front of her was not the Demon King. He was the human Oh Kang-Woo, who had been crushed under the weight of that title.

    ¡°It must have been¡­ so hard for you.¡±

    Lilith took Kang-Woo¡¯s head and embraced it tightly, patting it as if she wereforting a hurt child.

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    He lowered his head as he was in her arms. He recalled the faces of countless people. They were the faces of Han Seol-Ah, Lilith, Balrog, and Kim Si-Hun. Not just them; the gazes of Cha Yeon-Joo, Echidna, La, Iris, Halcyon, Vaal Zahak, Uriel, and countless others were staring at him. They had a hold on him. They were the ones he was shouldering; they were the ones that he needed to shoulder.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    It was hard for him. There was no way that it wasn¡¯t. No matter how much he endured, and endured, and endured, and endured, and endured, and endured, and endured¡­ Every time he tried to walk forward¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ so heavy.¡±

    The weight he was shouldering was far too heavy.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m¡­ getting crushed to death,¡± Kang-Woo said as he wept, tears trickling down his cheeks.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Wow, we finally got to see his true self under all of hisyers¡­ I was getting a bit teary-eyed as I was tranting this chapter.</blockquote>

 Chapter 448: You Donâ€™t Control Me

    Chapter 448: You Don¡¯t Control Me

    Silence fell, leaving only the weeping sounds of a hurt beast filling the room. Lilith slowly patted Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s head in her embrace until he stopped weeping and his bursting emotions subsided.

    <em>¡°DO YOU THINK NUMBERS WOULD HAVE ANY EFFECT ON HIM? HUH? OLYMPUS? ASGARD? GUARDIANS? THEY¡¯RE ALL MEANINGLESS TO HIM!!¡±</em>

    Lilith recalled Kang-Woo¡¯s screams. She could not think of a rebuttal to his words. Numbers were indeed meaningless against Bael; that had already been proven during the war to decide the supreme overlord of the Nine Hells in the past. She had made most of Bael¡¯s forces betray him with her exceptional illusion magic, but it ended up being meaningless. That was the kind of being Bael was.

    <em>¡®No one but Master Kang-Woo is a match for him.¡¯</em>

    She knew all too well that Kim Si-Hun, Gaia, Balrog, or Han Seol-Ah would not be able to handle Bael. No, they would only be a nuisance for Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®In the end, there¡¯s no other way to face Bael than for Master Kang-Woo to be stronger than him.¡¯</em>

    There was just one way for Kang-Woo to get stronger: to eat without regard for good or evil, friend or foe.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s why¡­¡¯</em>

    Lilith smiled sorrowfully and looked down at the shaking Kang-Woo in her arms. She couldn¡¯t begin to imagine how cornered he must have felt and the weight crushing him.<em>¡®Poor thing.¡¯</em>

    Lilith hugged Kang-Woo tighter like he was a precious treasure.

    ¡°You¡¯ll win,¡± she said.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re the Master Kang-Woo that I know, you¡¯lle out on top in the end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know. Someone might die in the process. You might lose someone you cherish, like you had back in the Nine Hells. But¡­¡± Lilith smiled brightly. ¡°I know you¡¯ll be able to ovee it.¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯re wrong.¡±

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. The dead did not return. There was no way to regain what one had lost. Victory meant nothing if everything he had disappeared as a result.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t wanna lose anything else.¡±

    Kang-Woo lowered his head and wept pitifully.

    ¡°Hohoho,¡± Lilithughed with her mouth covered. She swept Kang-Woo¡¯s hair back and kissed him. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything stupid like I¡¯ll stay with you even in death, but I can at least tell you this.¡± She stared at Kang-Woo, her eyes willed with certainty. ¡°Even if I were to die¡­ I will be happy. As long as I¡¯m with you¡­ As long as I have the memories of the times I have spent with you, I¡¯m sure that I can stay smiling even in the face of death.¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shook as he panted heavily. ¡°No.¡±

    Die with a smile? What kind of bullshit was that?

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare die without my permission.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my heart skipped a beat there.¡±

    Lilith slightly blushed. She wrapped her arms around Kang-Woo¡¯s neck and leaned down to kiss Kang-Woo again.

    <em>¡®I feel bad for Seol-Ah, but I can¡¯t hold back my bursting emotions,¡¯ </em>she thought.

    ¡°If you won¡¯t let me die, then¡­¡± Lilith ced her hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek. She brought her face close to Kang-Woo¡¯s face until their noses almost touched and whispered, ¡°Please win.¡±

    Whatever Kang-Woo did, even if he were to devour everything, even if the entire world were to curse and resent him, Lilith would follow him to the very end.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t afford to lose a single time¡­¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t lose. Simple, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lilith said leisurely as if it was only natural for her king to able to do it.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled and asked dumbfoundedly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be telling me that it¡¯s okay for me to lose or that you¡¯ll help me shoulder the weight?¡±

    ¡°My, did you want something like that? Hohoho, but it¡¯s a fact that no one but you can face Bael and that our lives are in your hands.¡± Lilithughed brightly and stared at Kang-Woo with deeply sunken eyes. She continued, ¡°So, please win.¡±

    If it was Kang-Woo, her beloved king, he would win for sure even if his opponent was a god, an unknown otherworldly entity, or even Bael.

    Kang-Woo remained silent. Forget unloading some of the weight on his shoulders, Lilith was adding even more.

    ¡°Pfft.¡±

    The pressure on his shoulders lessened for some reason.

    <em>¡®Just don¡¯t lose, huh?¡¯</em>

    ¡°You make it¡­ sound so easy,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    He couldn¡¯t help butugh as he shrugged.

    <em>¡®Yeah, it was so simple.¡¯</em>

    If he had always ended uping out on top every single time, he just needed to do the same this time as well.

    <em>¡®Without losing anything.¡¯</em>

    He would win by andslide.

    ¡°Haha, for fuck¡¯s sake.¡±

    Kang-Woo burst intoughter with his hand on his face. He felt like an idiot for being crushed by the weight on his shoulders all this time.

    <em>¡®I just don¡¯t have to lose, right?¡¯</em>

    If that was the case, there was something he needed to do first.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said.

    ¡°Master Kang-Woo?¡±

    Kang-Woo turned away from Lilith, who was tilting her head in confusion, and closed his eyes to reach the ck sea within the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll beat the shit out of this motherfucker first.¡¯</em>

    The ck sea, an infinite darkness, was drowning the three Doors that kept it at bay. There was no need to think deeply about what was trying to take over the Ten Thousand Demon Core and Kang-Woo himself.

    <em>¡®Desire.¡¯</em>

    It was the entity that those who possessed demonic energy inevitably had to face. It was the source of demonic energy itself.

    ¡°A-arghh.¡±

    Kang-Woo trembled as intense hunger and thirst burned him alive.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    The mes zed fiercely. The gold and ck mes were made only out of Kang-Woo¡¯s desire to eat.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± he panted heavily.

    His desire was boiling to the point that he could barely hold it back. His mind felt hazy and his vision looked as if static was filling it. His sense of reason was getting devoured and his sanity was getting burnt to a crisp. Everything in the world was falling apart. It was being vaporized by mes. The only thing left among the ashes was his desire.

    <em>- More, more, more, more.</em>

    His desire shouted as if it had not had enough. The powerful impulse to devour everything in the world was taking over Kang-Woo¡¯s mind. He slowly raised his head within the unfathomable sense of desire.

    <em>¡®It was you.¡¯</em>

    The entity that had been trying to take control of him by taking advantage of his weakened mindset was the mes of desire¡ª his Deific Essence of Voracity.

    <em>¡®I knew something was off.¡¯</em>

    Thinking back on it, there were several irregrities. He would never do what he had done even if he had been cornered by stress and the pressure of needing to get stronger.

    <em>¡°It wasn¡¯t like you, my king.¡±</em>

    Yes. It wasn¡¯t like him. He didn¡¯t care about good or evil. He paid no mind to ethics and trampled on a concept as trivial as morals. That did not change in the past or the present. He killed anyone who got in his way and even those whom he thought would in the future. If he needed something, he would do whatever it took to get his hands on it. Lilith knew very well what kind of person Kang-Woo was but she still judged that his actions until now had not been like him.

    <em>¡®It must¡¯ve been because I was getting eaten by this thing.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and stared at the zing mes. The mes of Voracity was formed only by his desire to eat; it was filled with his thirst and hunger. He had been controlled by his own Deific Essence this entire time.

    <em>¡®So this is why I was so desperate to acquire Transcendent-rank Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    He could finally understand the situation somewhat.

    <em>¡®But since when?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo searched back on his memories. It did not take long for him to find out when he had begun to change due to the Deific Essence of Voracity¡¯s control over him.

    <em>¡®Right after I lost to Bael.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled. ¡°This fucking body of mine is so goddamn popr.¡±

    Not just Bauli, but even his Deific Essence of Voracity was coveting his body. It was trying to devour Kang-Woo through the mes of Voracvity by making him sumb to his desire.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    Enormous mes easily over thousands of meters tall,rge enough to devour the entire world, charged at Kang-Woo.

    <em>Bounce!</em>

    ¡°Grrrk, grrrk!¡±

    Just then, Slushy appeared in Kang-Woo¡¯s consciousness. It stood between Kang-Woo and the mes, ring at the mes fiercely.

    ¡°Grrrk! Grrrrrrrk!¡±

    It opened its mouth threateningly and kept the mes in check.

    Kang-Woo smirked. ¡°The hell, man? Took you long enough to crawl out.¡±

    ¡°Grrrk, grrrk¡­¡±

    Slushy flinched and looked at Kang-Woo as if he was wronged. Kang-Woo snickered and lightly tapped Slushy¡¯s glistening skin.

    <em>Splosh, splosh.</em>

    ¡°Stop acting all tough and stay behind me.¡±

    ¡°Grrrk?¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed Slushy by the head and threw him back.

    ¡°Grrrk!!¡±

    Slushy bounced backward as he rolled.

    ¡°Now, then.¡±

    Kang-Woo raised his head to see a burning ck sea. This was probably how it would look if one set fire to a sea of gasoline. He could feel the intense heat burning him despite this being a world in his consciousness. The giant pir of fire made of desire opened its mouth and swallowed Kang-Woo.

    <em>Tsssss¡ª!</em>

    His skin burned and his blood evaporated. Intense hunger and thirst distorted his senses. His sense of reason was being ground away as his sanity was devoured.

    <em>- It¡¯s not enough.</em>

    Kang-Woo heard a voice.

    <em>- It¡¯s not enough, is it? More, more, more, more. We need to move forward. We need to climb even higher, somewhere no one will ever reach. You know as well, don¡¯t you? You¡ª</em>

    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, you talk too much.¡± Kang-Woo cut off the voice echoing in his head and spat on the ground. ¡°Hey.¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at the mes of Voracity eating away at him.

    ¡°Know your fucking ce.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t believe that he, none other than the Demon King himself, was trying to be controlled.

    ¡°You don¡¯t control me.¡±

    Desire was an undefiable instinct for a demon; all demons acted on their desire and were controlled by it. However, that was only in the case of a regr demon.

    ¡°I reign above you.¡±

    Kang-Woo was the pinnacle of all demons.

    He, who had trampled on the Demon God and became the master of the Demonic Sea, said in a low tone, ¡°Kneel, you son of a bitch.¡±

    Hemanded the colossal mes that had swallowed him whole.

 Chapter 449: Ruler of Voracity

    Chapter 449: Ruler of Voracity

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    The mes of Voracity aggressively bounced away from Oh Kang-Woo. The mes tried to charge at him several more times.

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t learned your lesson, motherfucker?¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned. The mes of Voracity charging at him were being bounced away by an invisible force. The battle between a single human and mes colossal enough to swallow the world whole looked like it wouldn¡¯t even be a contest from a nce.

    <em>¡®But this is a space formed within my consciousness.¡¯</em>

    Thews of physics did not apply here. It did not matter who was stronger; one¡¯s willpower and ability to control energy did, and Kang-Woo had far surpassed even the Demon God in those two aspects.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    The mes of Voracity exuded intense heat in anger and twisted around as if it couldn¡¯t understand. If willpower was the most important in this space, this phenomenon couldn¡¯t be. After all, desire was the most powerful instinct for a demon.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>The mes of Voracity condensed in midair and took the form of a human. It was simr in size and shape to Kang-Woo as if it had used him as a temte. The mes in the form of a human slowly walked toward Kang-Woo.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± asked Kang-Woo as he smirked fiercely.

    He lightly stomped his foot and then the Demonic Sea wrapped around the mes of Voracity.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    It writhed aggressively but could not escape from the enormous Demonic Sea¡¯s clutches. Now that Kang-Woo was free from the shackles of desire, the Demonic Sea was back in his full control.

    ¡°Got a problem?¡±

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Hah. You¡¯ve sure had it easy, huh?¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly walked toward the zing mes of Voracity. It struggled with all its might and burned even more fiercely to get out of the Demonic Sea¡¯s grasp. The sticky ck mucous energy began to evaporate little by little.

    ¡°After ten millennia of being under my feet, you happily decide to crawl up after seeing a sliver of a crack in my defense to take advantage of?¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled widely at his desire. He had never once sumbed to his desire in the long span of ten millennia. He had ovee it every single time and emerged victorious. His desire was unable to control him; he was always the one to control it.

    <em>Split.</em>

    Kang-Woo opened his mouth. The corners of his mouth ripped to his earlobes and sharp teeth emerged from between his lips.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    Goat horns sprouted from his forehead.

    <em>Grrrrk.</em>

    The Demonic Sea surged and wrapped around Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Hurghhh.¡±

    He crouched within the raging Demonic Sea. An unfathomable sense of omnipotence filled him.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    The mes of Voracity in human form stepped backward. Feeling uneasy, it then turned around and began to run away. Kang-Woo cackled as he stuck his long tongue out.

    ¡°I told you¡ª¡±

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    Kang-Woo shot forward like a bullet and the Demonic Sea wrapping around him followed as if stuck to him.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    The Demonic Sea stuck to Kang-Woo¡¯s back spread out like a fan. The Demonic Sea spread on each side of his back looked like giant ck wings made of sticky mucus.

    ¡°To kneel!¡±

    <em>Ssh!</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched the fleeing mes of Voracity and shoved it into the Demonic Sea. The endless abyssal sea swirled around like a vortex and began to devour the mes of Voracity.

    <em>Grrrrk! Grrrrk!</em>

    The mes of Voracity floundered desperately. The ck sea was greedily devouring the Deific Essence of Voracity.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The mes of Voracity stuck within the Demonic Sea extended its arm toward Kang-Woo as if begging him to let it out.

    Kang-Woo cackled and asked teasingly, ¡°What? You want to live?¡±

    <em>Fwoosh, fwoosh!</em>

    It nodded with what looked like its head. Kang-Woo grabbed the mes of Voracity stuck within the Demonic Sea.

    ¡°Hmm. What to do?¡±

    He narrowed his eyes and fell into thought. It would be the best choice to eliminate it since it had risen against him.

    <em>¡®But I can¡¯t abandon something that I went out of my way to raise to Top-rank Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t afford to abandon the Deific Essence of Voracity because the mes of Voracity were extremely powerful.

    ¡°Come out.¡±

    Kang-Woo pulled out the Deific Essence of Voracity stuck within the Demonic Sea.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    The mes that had been zing so fiercely that they could devour the entire world stepped away from Kang-Woo as if running away. The zing mes then bowed to Kang-Woo like a loyal subject of a king, or a devotee to a god.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The ¡®mes of Voracity¡¯ have surrendered to you!]

    [Raising the rank of the ¡®mes of Voracity¡¯!]

    [You have absorbed the Deific Essence within the ¡®mes of Voracity.¡¯]

    [Raising the level cap from 100 to 110!]

    [You have reached your Twelfth Awakening!]

    [You have fulfilled a portion of the condition to acquire Transcendent-rank Deific Essence!]

    [There are ten more levels left until you reach the maximum level (Thirteenth Awakening).]

    ¡°Sheesh, this thing is loud as hell. Why are youing out only now when you didn¡¯t when I was telling you to?¡±

    Kang-Woo smirked as he picked his ear. The blue message windows did not appear in front of him because this was a space within his consciousness. In exchange, the messages were read out within his head.

    <em>¡®Well, I¡¯ll think about themter.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly turned to the mes in human form bowing to his feet and narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°Bow down properly.¡±

    The mes flinched, properly smashing its head down on the ground.

    ¡°Stand up.¡±

    The mes of Voracity stood up.

    ¡°Sit down.¡±

    The mes of Voracity quickly squatted down. Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t see the point of something like this in my consciousness, but¡­¡¯</em>

    It at least showed that the mes of Voracity had submitted to himpletely.

    <em>¡®That aside, do Deific Essence usually have individual will?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought for a moment and narrowed his eyes.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s a fact that gods are influenced by their Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    Gaia with the Deific Essence of Parental Love deeply cherished her children and retainers, and Tirion with the Deific Essence of Heroes possessed a heroic personality that one would only see inic books. Even Odin, the God of War, stood at the forefront of the battlefield during Ragnarok.

    <em>¡®So gods are usually meant to be influenced by their Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    If that were the case, Kang-Woo would also naturally be influenced by the Deific Essence of Voracity.

    ¡°Is it really okay for me to get this thing to Transcendent-rank?¡±

    The rise in rank of one¡¯s Deific Essence would also mean that its influence over them would also rise. Kang-Woo had been fortunate that he had not acquired Transcendent-rank Deific Essence after devouring Odin. If he had acquired it while there had been cracks in his defense¡­

    <em>¡®I might have beenpletely taken over by the Deific Essence of Voracity.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could not afford to take it lightly.

    <em>¡®But it¡¯s not like I can give up on Transcendent-rank Deific Essence either.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled softly. He was in a situation where he couldn¡¯t give up on Transcendent-rank Deific Essence but was unable to block the influence that the Deific Essence had on him.

    <em>¡®In that case, I¡¯ll just make the Deific Essence submit.¡¯</em>

    He would make it so that the Deific Essence couldn¡¯t even look up at him.

    ¡°Up, down, up, down.¡±

    The Deific Essence of Voracity stood up and squatted repeatedly at Kang-Woo¡¯smand.

    ¡°Sit, sit. Huh? Are my words going out the other ear? Did I tell you to stand up? Huh?¡±

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    ¡°What? You didn¡¯t know? Huh? Do you think saying that solves everything? Do you want to be annihted? Get your shit together.¡±

    <em>Fwoosh, fwoosh.</em>

    ¡°Down. Up, down, up, roll to the left, roll to the right, jump, fly.¡±

    The mes of Voracity moved exactly as Kang-Woomanded. Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at the mes of Voracity.

    ¡°Well, since this is a world within my consciousness, I¡¯m sure we have plenty of time¡­¡±

    <em>Fwoosh, fwoosh¡­</em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to put you in your ce.¡±

    <em>¡®So that you can never even think about coveting my body.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo burst intoughter. The mes of Voracity flinched.

    <em>Fwoosh¡­</em>

    ***

    ¡°Fuuu¡­ Haaa.¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes. He wondered how much time had passed; his sense of time had been so distorted in the world of his consciousness that he was not sure. Kang-Woo turned his head and saw Lilith, who was staring at him in the same spot and posture that he remembered her being when he closed his eyes.

    He asked, ¡°How much time passed?¡±

    Lilith¡¯s eyes were subtly shaking anxiously. She answered, ¡°About¡­ three hours.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    He felt as if it had been three years. Kang-Woo looked at Lilith as he stretched. He could see her gaze shaking anxiously.

    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.

    Lilith looked at Kang-Woo¡¯s back without answering.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder and looked back as well.

    ¡°Wha¡­¡±

    ck wings had sprouted from his back. Demonic energy condensed to its absolute limit was dripping from the wings that looked as if they were made from sticky mucus.

    <em>¡®The hell are these?¡¯</em>

    He had indeed made wings when he was in the world of his consciousness, but they were still there in the real world.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Just then, gold and ck mes set the ck wings alight.

    ¡°M-Master Kang-Woo¡­!¡±

    Lilith quickly reached out to Kang-Woo, who lightly shook his head and grabbed her hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he replied as he lightly moved his zing wings around.

    This was the first time that he gained wings despite being a demon for ten millennia, but he was able to control them easily as if he had them from the beginning.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The ¡®mes of Voracity¡¯ has surrenderedpletely to yer Oh Kang-Woo!]

    [You have acquired the title ¡®Ruler of Voracity¡¯!]

    [You can control the impulse of Voracity as per the title¡¯s effect.]

    <em>¡®Whoa.¡¯</em> Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone as he read the message in front of him. <em>¡®Is this because the mes of Voracity¡¯s rank rose?¡¯</em>

    He now possessed wings of gold and ck mes.

    ¡°So fucking cool¡­¡±

    <em>¡®It¡¯s sick as fuck. I might fall for myself.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Master Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Look at these, Lilith. Aren¡¯t they cool as fuck?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re wings! Yeah? Wings!!¡±

    <em>¡®You can¡¯t get any cooler than this!!!¡¯</em>

    <em>Fwoosh, fwoosh.</em>

    Kang-Woo excitedly pped his wings of fire.

    ¡°Phew¡­¡± Lilith sighed in relief after finally realizing that there was nothing wrong with Kang-Woo. She gave him an angry look and said, ¡°I thought something bad happened to you.¡±

    Kang-Woo snickered and ced his hand on Lilith¡¯s cheek. ¡°... Thanks.¡±

    If it hadn¡¯t been for Lilith, he would have gone insane after getting his mind devoured by his desire.

    Lilith lowered her head as she blushed. Kang-Woo patted her head. ¡°Are you¡­pletely fine now?¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded and snapped his finger instead of answering. The wings of fire were immediately sucked back into him. He then looked at Lilith and smiled gently.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lilith expressed. It was the smile that she knew and had seen all this time. ¡°Master Kang-Woo.¡±

    She hugged Kang-Woo tightly, teary-eyed. She had acted like she was fine, but her heart had felt like it would burst from the thought of Kang-Woo being taken over by some other entity.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so d. <em>Sniff</em>.¡±

    She was so d that a tentacle slowly sprouted from her chest and burst, putrid yellow pus sshing on Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes.

    Kang-Woo grimaced.

    He was about to say something but stopped himself. He sighed and turned around.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He took off the jacket stained with Lilith¡¯s pus and burnt it to ash with the mes that casually ignited from his finger. His use of the mes was so natural that it couldn¡¯t even bepared to when he first learned the mes of Voracity.

    ¡°...¡±

    Lilith stared nkly at Kang-Woo¡¯s back. She smiled widely and knelt on one knee.

    ¡°Victory¡ª¡±

    To her beloved, who stood up in the end despite being crushed by unfathomable weight.

    ¡°To my beloved king.¡±

 Chapter 450: Aernor Delegation (1)

    Chapter 450: Aernor Delegation (1)

    The first thing that Oh Kang-Woo did after waking up from the world of his consciousness was to settle the aftermaths of Ragnarok. The war had wrapped up as Olympus¡¯s victory due to Odin¡¯s defeat, but Asgard did not acknowledge their defeat despite losing theirmander; they resisted aggressively and desperately.

    Kang-Woo and Gaia focused on calming Asgard. It did not take very long since the difference in their power was clear now that Odin had been annihted. In addition to that, Gaia proposed apromise to all of the opposing factions to form a sort of association whose purpose was to ease the restriction. The anti-Gaia faction had no choice but to ept the proposal as they were despairing over the overwhelming difference in power.

    ¡°It looks like things in the divine realm have calmed down a little.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded as he looked through the documents that Uranus had sent him. The gods had worried that arge majority of the gods would die due to Ragnarok, but they had managed toe to apromise without major casualties.

    <em>¡®Well, I bet there are still gods who strongly oppose thew in their minds.¡¯</em>

    Forget just their minds, Kang-Woo was sure that there would be gods who would ignore thew entirely and manifest into the physical realm anyway. Even so, they had managed to prevent the Earth from falling into chaos due to the gods. As long as the gods were afraid of being annihted, they would not recklessly manifest into the physical realm.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed as he leaned on the backrest of his chair. He was exhausted after working his ass off needlessly in the divine realm.

    <em>¡®If only I came to my fucking senses before things got this big¡­¡¯</em>

    Multiple waves of regret swept over him.<em>¡®I mean, I probably would have had to eliminate Odin sooner orter from what he was saying.¡¯</em>

    However, he would have been able to do that without needing to cause an all-out war between gods.

    <em>¡®And most of all¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes. Someone knocked on his door and entered. It was Lilith, who had another pile of documents in hand. Kang-Woo flinched as he saw her bowing to him.

    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Hoho. This is the file containing the activities of Guardians while you were away.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    Kang-Woo took the documents awkwardly. He was not feeling down because he was given more work to do.

    Kang-Woo peeked nces at Lilith in silence and gulped.

    ¡°My, what¡¯s wrong, Master Kang-Woo?¡± Lilith tilted her head in confusion, wide-eyed.

    ¡°Huh? No, nothing.¡±

    Kang-Woo shook his head frantically like amon dazed anime protagonist.

    ¡°My~ Is that so?¡± Lilith looked at Kang-Woo with a smile.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing at all~¡±

    Lilith smiled even wider. She hummed and walked toward the seated Kang-Woo as she looked at him teasingly.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo turned his head from her. He had gone through this several times already after <em>that incident</em>. Lilith giggled as she lightly ced her hands on Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°Master Kang-Woo~¡±

    ¡°You can go if you¡¯re done. I still have a ton of things left to do.¡±

    ¡°My, my. How cold you are.¡± Lilith ced her hands on her chest, overly acting like she was heartbroken. She then spread her arms out and continued, ¡°Here, Master Kang-Woo. You can smother yourself in my embrace¡­ like back then.¡±

    ¡°Kurgh,¡± Kang-Woo groaned and bit his lip.

    His shoulders subtly trembled with his head lowered.

    ¡°Go on, hurry. You¡¯ve been having a hard timetely, haven¡¯t you? You can unwind in my arms¡­¡±

    ¡°S-stop¡­¡±

    ¡°And cry to your heart¡¯s content.¡±

    ¡°Please fucking stop!¡± Kang-Woo shouted as he sprang up from his chair as if having a seizure.

    ¡°Hohohoho!¡± Lilith burst intoughter with one hand covering her mouth. She poked Kang-Woo¡¯s chest with her finger and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Master Kang-Woo~? I, Lilith, am always willing to lend you my embrace whenever you need it!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Now, don¡¯t hold back and jump into my¡ª Kyaaah!¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed Lilith by her hips and threw her out of the room. Lilith turned her hair into tentacles and gracefullynded on the ground.

    ¡°I told you to stop¡­¡± said Kang-Woo as he panted heavily.

    Lilith giggled even more. ¡°Hoho, my apologies. I couldn¡¯t help it from how entertaining your reactions were.¡± She elegantly bowed and continued, ¡°La asked me to tell you that there will be a Guardians general assembly soon, so she would appreciate it if you could participate.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded and flopped back down on his chair.

    <em>ck.</em>

    The door of his room closed and silence fell.

    Kang-Woo lowered his head. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    He screamed as he clenched his hair.

    <em>¡°It¡¯s¡­ so heavy.</em>

    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!!

    <em>¡°I feel like I¡¯m¡­ getting crushed to death!</em>

    ¡°ilJASDHFKLJWHDFILFBWlidbflkjABDFKLBkldbfkljb.¡±

    Kang-Woo muttered iprehensibly. He jumped into his bed and clenched his hair. He kicked the sheets that he had left untidied after waking up and rolled around.

    ¡°Why¡­ Why did I say shit like that¡­?¡±

    He wept in deep sorrow. There was no darker past than this.

    <em>¡®Deific Essence of Voracity, you fucking son of a bitch. Should I go back into the world of my consciousness and fuck it up again?¡¯</em>

    <em>Fwoosh, fwoosh.</em>

    A small ember set alight from Kang-Woo¡¯s finger as he was deep in thought and wriggled as if it were wronged.

    ¡°What? What the fuck do you want from me?¡±

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    The ember flinched and went back into Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Urghhh,¡± Kang-Woo groaned bizarrely as he clenched his hair again.

    <em>ck.</em>

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo?!¡±

    Just then, Han Seol-Ah opened the door anxiously after hearing Kang-Woo¡¯s groans.

    ¡°Darling.¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah with shaking eyes. All the humiliation that he had experienced at Lilith¡¯s hands swept over him. He let the surging emotions take him.

    ¡°Darliiiiiiing!¡±

    ¡°Wh-whoa!¡±

    Kang-Woo jumped into Seol-Ah¡¯s arms. His face buried into her well-endowed chest. His cheeks were enveloped by a warm and soft sensation. A delightful scent entered his nose. He could feel his stress melting away in a sh.

    ¡°Aaaahh.¡±

    <em>¡®I¡¯m so fucking happy. I can¡¯t even remember the dark past anymore. I¡¯m sure my darling won¡¯t make fun of me. She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s different from Lilith.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Seol-Ah asked as she looked down at Kang-Woo in worry.

    Kang-Woo regained hisposure and stepped away from her as he cleared his throat.

    ¡°No, nothing at all.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±

    ¡°I was just worked up over a past mistake.¡±

    ¡°A past¡­ mistake?¡±

    Seol-Ah tilted her head in wonder, but Kang-Woo forcibly changed the subject so that she couldn¡¯t dig into it.

    ¡°How are you doingtely, darling? I¡¯ve barely been able to see you.¡±

    It had been to change the subject, but he was considerably worried about it.

    <em>¡®Darling doesn¡¯t only just get sad because we haven¡¯t been able to see each other.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not know why, but Seraph¡¯s soul was within Seol-Ah. She had awakened through Seraph¡¯s power and ended up bing an angel in the body of a human, simr to Kang-Woo, a demon in a human body. However, she was unable to control her obsession because the change had been too sudden, and the target of her obsession was none other than Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®She won¡¯t fall from grace again, would she?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah uneasily.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Seol-Ah bit her lip aggressively and nodded. ¡°Yes¡­ That¡¯s right. You¡¯ve been¡­ fairly busytely.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m f-fine!¡±

    <em>¡®You don¡¯t look fine.¡¯</em>

    ¡°I-I know that you¡¯re very¡­ busy. <em>Grit</em>. So¡­ I¡¯m fine. <em>Grind</em>. Even if you¡¯re not here¡­ I can take care of myself just fine.¡±

    <em>¡®You seriously don¡¯t look fine.¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡±

    Seol-Ah bit her lip, brought her legs together, and twisted them as if she were holding in her pee, possibly having recalled the time that Kang-Woo was away. Her bloodshot eyes were staring intently at Kang-Woo¡¯s limbs.

    <em>¡®The hell? It kinda looks like she¡¯s contemting whether or not to cut them off. You¡¯re not, right? Huh? It¡¯s all in my head, right, Darling? You¡¯re not gonna dismember me or anything, right? They¡¯ll grow back even if you cut them off, so don¡¯t cut them. You better not.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Haaa, fuuu~ haaa.¡± Seol-Ah shut her eyes tightly and took deep breaths. Her bloodshot eyes returned to normal. ¡°A-ahem. I¡¯m sorry, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re fine?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sure! I¡­¡± Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes darted around. She grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hands and then kissed him. She said quietly as she blushed, ¡°... I missed you, Kang-Woo.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly.

    <em>¡®It looks like she can control her instincts somewhat now.¡¯</em>

    Her condition was not as bad as when she had fallen.

    <em>¡®But you never know.¡¯</em>

    Suppressing one¡¯s desire was easier said than done. Even Kang-Woo himself had made a huge blunder because his desire had almost taken control of him.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not good to suppress it at all times either.¡¯</em>

    It would only have the opposite effect. Just like how Kang-Woo unleashed his instinctive desire to eat whenever he faced powerful foes like Tai Wuji, one needed to unwind and fulfill their desire every once in a while.

    ¡°Darling. It¡¯s just gonna be the two of us today after all this time, so is there anything you want to do?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Pardon?¡± Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes widened due to Kang-Woo¡¯s sudden question.

    Kang-Woo smirked and continued, ¡°The matters in the divine realm have more or less been resolved, so¡­ I have some free time today. If there¡¯s anything you want to do, let me know.¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s target of obsession was himself, so the best way to fulfill what she desired was to let her do what she wanted to him.

    An awkward silence fell. Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes darted around as she stole nces at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Wh-what I want to do¡­?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Seol-Ah lowered her head as her face reddened. ¡°I-is it really okay for me to say it?¡±

    ¡°Haha. Of course, anything.¡±

    It was obvious what a pure and innocent woman like Seol-Ah would want to do.

    <em>¡®Yeah, I¡¯ve been wanting to go on a date with Seol-Ah after so long.¡¯</em>

    It would be nice to go to a cinema with her as they held hands, or even spending some quality time in a nearby cafe would be nice in its own right.

    <em>¡®We could even go to the department store that we went to with Echidna a while ago. Mhm.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction as he thought of date courses in his head.

    ¡°Umm¡­ In that case,¡± Seol-Ah cautiously said. She took off the house slippers that she had been wearing and said, ¡°P-please lick my¡­ feet.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Excuse me?<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    BRUH</blockquote>

 Chapter 451: Aernor Delegation (2)

    ¡°Ah¡­ Ahn!¡±

    Han Seol-Ah¡¯s erotic moans filled Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s ears.

    Kang-Woo stopped what he was doing and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Ummm, darling.¡±

    ¡°Haaa, haaa. Yes, K-Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Could you do something about your voice¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at her with a sour expression. Seol-Ah¡¯s face turned as red as a tomato. She clenched her clothes and bit her lip.

    ¡°B-but¡­!¡± she shouted. ¡°I can¡¯t help it when it feels so good!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo put his hand on his forehead as if his head hurt and looked down at Seol-Ah¡¯s foot that she stretched out in front of him. Her pale feet had no blemishes whatsoever. They were so beautiful that Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but gulp. He slowly massaged them with both hands.<em>¡®Come on, licking feet is a bit much. It¡¯s not even about my pride.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo cleared his throat and focused back on massaging Seol-Ah¡¯s foot. Seol-Ah was slightly disappointed at first, but she was showing excessively good reactions once the massage began.

    ¡°Right, that¡¯s enough,¡± Kang-Woo said as he took his hands off Seol-Ah¡¯s foot.

    ¡°A-already¡­?¡± Seol-Ah asked hesitantly in disappointment. Her gaze almost broke Kang-Woo, but he forcibly turned away. ¡°No fair, Kang-Woo. You said that you would do anything¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah narrowed her eyes and poked Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Uhhh, mmm. Well¡­¡±

    ¡°Hoho. I¡¯m joking.¡± She smiled and hugged Kang-Woo. She buried her face into his chest and took a deep breath in. ¡°Fuuu, haaa.¡±

    Seol-Ah smiled after relishing in Kang-Woo¡¯s scent and remarked, ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Back then¡­ I mean, after you met that demon called Bael, you¡¯ve been acting a little weird, but I think you¡¯re back to normal now.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    His darling seemed to have noticed it as well. Kang-Woo smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Oh right, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Hm? What?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ Iris has decided toe to Earth from Aernor as part of a delegation. She¡¯s nning on participating in the Guardians general assembly as well.¡±

    ¡°Iris?¡±

    Kang-Woo expressed confusion.

    <em>¡®A delegation from Aernor, huh?¡¯</em>

    It was not impossible since a Gate had formed where people could freely go back and forth between Earth and Aernor. Even so, Iris herself would not have been able to decide to bring a delegation to Earth.

    ¡°Who pushed for it?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    He doubted that Iris would have proposed it first.

    ¡°La asked me to do it,¡± Seol-Ah answered.

    ¡°You, darling?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She said that having me tell her about it would be far more effective¡­¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent. As La had said, Seol-Ah would be more effective in convincing Iris considering what happened between them.

    <em>¡®But La shouldn¡¯t know what happened between Darling and Iris.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had not told any of his party members about the war of nerves that had taken ce between Iris and Seol-Ah¡ª no, he couldn¡¯t.

    <em>¡®Because Darling almost fell from grace.¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah would have beenpletely taken over by her angelic instincts if Kang-Woo had not made it in time.

    ¡°Did she mention why?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°La said that it¡¯s because she noticed how cautious Iris is when interacting with me.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    From what La said, it seemed like she did not know what happened between Iris and Seol-Ah.

    <em>¡®It sounds like she asked Seol-Ah for a favor on a hunch.¡¯</em>

    It made sense since Kang-Woo personally considered La to be second only to Lilith in terms of capability.

    ¡°It would¡¯ve been much better if you or Si-Hun had been the ones to do it, but¡­ You two were both so busy that I contacted Iris myself,¡± Seol-Ah remarked.

    ¡°Good job. When is Irising?¡±

    ¡°In three days. She was saying how much she wanted to see you,¡± Seol-Ah said as she pouted, finding it unpleasant.

    Kang-Woo smirked. If La had been the one to push for this, he more or less had an idea of why.

    ¡°Then it must have been announced to the public already, right? That people from another world will be visiting.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Have you watched the news too?¡± Seol-Ah asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Kang-Woo replied as he shook his head.

    It was an obvious result.

    <em>¡®La must be trying to have the two worlds cooperate.¡¯</em>

    This was the most likely reason why La had invited a delegation from Aernor to Earth by going as far as to ask Seol-Ah to n it.

    <em>¡®That must be the reason for sure considering what will happen in the future.¡¯</em>

    Earth was currently in a crisis. They had managed to prevent the gods of Earth from running amok somehow, but that would not stop the otherworldly invasions. It was a wise choice to gain as many allies as possible to prepare for theing future.

    <em>¡®Though it¡¯s easier said than done.¡¯</em>

    Different nations on Earth were at conflict with one another all the time; the conflict would only be amplified if they were different worlds entirely.

    <em>¡®But at least the leaders of both worlds aren¡¯t ones to incite discord.¡¯</em>

    La was practically the leader of Earth and it was Iris for Aernor. Kang-Woo was at least sure that there would not be conflict between them.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s worth a try.¡¯</em>

    The fact that the leaders of the two worlds had every intention to cooperate was a huge plus since those who were under leadership usually tended to follow leadership.

    ¡°Things should go smoothly as long as they make a good first impression,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    ¡°Yes. Iris said not to worry as well.¡±

    It would be Earth¡¯s first time interacting with those of another world. Language barriers could be resolved with magic, but there was nothing that could be done about cultural differences. In such times, first impressions were everything.

    <em>¡®Likes and dislikes are mostly decided by first impressions, after all.¡¯</em>

    People dressed as neatly as possible on a blind date for a reason. There was nothing more important than a first impression when one was trying to impress someone that they had never met before. As long as Aernor left a good first impression on Earth, their chance of cooperation would dramatically increase.

    ¡°Mm¡­ wait.¡± Kang-Woo grabbed his chin and fell into thought.

    <em>¡®This is a crucial matter for Earth as well.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had initially thought that the cooperation between Earth and Aernor was for preparations against otherworldly invasions, but after thinking more deeply about it, it was not that simple.

    <em>¡®We don¡¯t know which worlds will be linked to Earth from now on.¡¯</em>

    They couldn¡¯t just pick fights with every single world that ended up getting connected to Earth. If the beings of the other world possessed enough intelligence for cooperation, it was the right choice to. Meaning, that the delegation from Aernor would be the very first otherworldly beings that Earth would make contact with and would also form a fundamental bias among those of Earth toward every otherworldly beings that they came across. To make a quickparison, it was like an isted nation epting foreign civilizations for the very first time.

    <em>¡®First impressions are imperative for things like that.¡¯</em>

    If a nation went out of its way to open its borders to establish diplomatic rtions only for the foreign nations to mess up everything, the nation¡¯s hostile views on foreign nations would naturally grow beyond control.

    <em>¡®La thought this through more than I had expected.¡¯</em>

    It was great that the first foreign entity that Earth would interact with was a delegation from Aernor since there was no risk of theming and making a giant mess of things.

    <em>¡®Was that also within her calctions?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled, impressed by La¡¯s judgment. He could be at ease leaving things to her.

    <em>¡®Unlike a certain goddess.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned. His head hurt just thinking about Gaia.

    <em>¡®I mean, I was partially at fault for going out of control.¡¯</em>

    But it was also partially Gaia¡¯s fault for being so ipetent. He was especially frustrated out of his mind when he was settling things with Gaia after Ragnarok.

    <em>¡®How are you not even a quarter as capable as your incarnation?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head as if not wanting to think any more about Gaia.

    ¡°Anyway, thanks, Darling.¡±

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Seol-Ah smiled gently. She then pped her hands together as if she had thought of something. ¡°Oh right, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion and looked at Seol-Ah, wondering what it was about now. Seol-Ah took something out of her pants pocket.

    <em>¡®A piece of paper?¡¯</em>

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Lilith handed me this a while ago. Just a second.¡±

    ¡°Lilith?¡±

    An uneasy feeling ran down his back.

    ¡°Title, Weight of the King.¡±

    ¡°Title?¡±

    ¡°The weight of life crushes my shoulders. How long will I be able tost?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Pain and despair are weighing down on me. The sky filled with sorrow is as hazy as always.¡±

    ¡°W-wai¡ª¡±

    ¡°I cry in her arms.¡±

    ¡°Wait, Darling. What the hell is that?¡±

    <em>¡®What the fuck? What the actual fuck?¡¯</em>

    ¡°And so¡­ I shed tears once in a while¡­¡±

    ¡°Kurgh! Urgh!¡±

    Kang-Woo clenched his chest as his entire body trembled. His face paled as he had trouble breathing.

    ¡°Lilith said that you love this poem, so I tried reading it,¡± Seol-Ah said as she smiled. She then looked down at the piece of paper and tilted her head in wonder. ¡°That aside, I wonder what this poem is about. I can at least tell that the person in the poem is having¡­ an extremely hard time.¡±

    ¡°A-aaaahh.¡±

    ¡°What did you like about this poem, Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°S-stop¡­¡±

    <em>¡®Stop, please. Any more and my life will¡­¡¯</em>

    ¡°Oh, if¡­ perhaps¡­ you¡¯re having as hard of a time as the person in this poem,¡± Seol-Ah said as she smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll lend you my arms.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Hoho. I¡¯m joking. There¡¯s no way you¡¯d be like that.¡±

    ¡°D-Darling¡­¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Seol-Ah swept up Kang-Woo¡¯s hair and kissed his forehead. She continued, ¡°When you are having a hard time¡­ make sure to rely on me, okay?¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent. ¡°Urgh, urrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhh.¡±

    Between his lips seeped out a horrifying groan that could only exist in Hell. He clenched his hair as the memories came back to him.

    <em>¡°It¡¯s¡­ so heavy.¡±</em>

    ¡°N-no¡­ N-no more¡­¡±

    Stay¡­

    <em>¡°I feel like I¡¯m¡­¡±</em>

    ¡°Stop, s-stop¡­!¡±

    Stay¡­

    <em>¡°Getting crushed to death.¡±</em>

    ¡°Stooooooooooooooooop!!¡± Kang-Woo shouted in despair at his past self within his memories.

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo?!¡± Seol-Ah looked at Kang-Woo in surprise.

    Kang-Woo lowered his head as he clenched his hair.

    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll just die. I¡¯ll just fucking die.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hurgh, <em>sniff</em>, fuck my life¡­¡±

 Chapter 452: Aernor Delegation (2)

    Chapter 452: Aernor Delegation (2)

    ¡°Kang-Woo! I brought the clothes you¡¯ll be wearing today!¡± Echidna shouted from outside Oh Kang-Wo¡¯s room.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Kang-Woo answered shortly.

    The door swung open and entered a neatly dressed Echidna. It was rare to see her in such clothes, but her appearance made the clothes look more like a school uniform than formal attire.

    ¡°Who gave you those clothes?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Lilith did! She got you this too!¡± Echidna said as she handed Kang-Woo a clean set of formal attire.

    Kang-Woo epted the clothes. They looked extremely luxurious from just a nce.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve worn a suit.¡¯</em>

    He did not like wearing ufortable clothes to move around in, but he had no choice today.

    <em>¡®Since today¡¯s the day that Aernor¡¯s delegation arrives.¡¯</em>Dressing neatly for the asion to wee them was a formality. Kang-Woo slightly lifted his t-shirt to change.

    ¡°Hm! Hm!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Hm! Hmmmm!¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ Could you give me some privacy?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my duty to watch over your growth, Kang-Woo!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    ¡°Kang-Woo! What color are your panties today?!¡±

    ¡°Slushy.¡±

    Kang-Woo raised his right hand without answering Echidna.

    ¡°Grrk!¡±

    Slushy bounced out from the Key of the Demonic Sea and stuck to Echidna¡¯s face.

    ¡°Kyah!¡±

    Echidna struggled to get Slushy off of her face. Meanwhile, Kang-Woo changed into the suit that Echidna got for him and stood in front of the mirror.

    <em>¡®Mm. Not bad.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at himself in the mirror. People tended to see their reflection in the mirror as more handsome than they actually were.

    ¡°Puhah!¡±

    ¡°Grrk!¡±

    Echidna managed to get Slushy off of her face and threw it aside, Slushy rolling across the ground. Kang-Woo smiled and walked toward Echidna.

    He asked as he fixed his clothes, ¡°How do I look?¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Echidna narrowed her eyes and scanned Kang-Woo from top to bottom. ¡°You look like a character from an anime.¡±

    ¡°What? What anime?¡±

    ¡°You know, uhhh¡­ You look like you¡¯ll say something like <em>¡°You¡¯re slow¡­ Even when you fall¡±</em>[1] !¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    The line sounded like something that would add a new page to his collection of dark pasts.

    ¡°Anyway.¡± Kang-Woo shrugged and turned around. ¡°What time were we supposed to meet Si-Hun again?¡±

    ¡°Mm. We have about an hour left!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    There was still time to spare. Kang-Woo sat down on a chair and Echidna trotted behind him.

    ¡°Hm! Kang-Woo! Lemme style your hair,¡± she said as she poured some hair wax on her hands.

    Kang-Woo smirked and nodded. Echidna began to run her fingers along Kang-Woo¡¯s hair quite delicately.

    <em>¡®Now, then.¡¯</em>

    He had plenty of time, so he opened his status window and took a look at where his Twelfth Awakening Trait was written.

    [Twelfth Awakening Trait: ¡®Ruler of the Demonic Sea (Rank: EX)¡¯]

    [Effect 1: The yer can maintain their sanity for longer with the Doors open.]

    [Effect 2: ????????????????????????????]

    <em>¡®An EX-rank Trait.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had never seen such a rank.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s certainly a broken ability.¡¯</em>

    The ability to keep the Doors open for longer was something he needed the most at the moment.

    <em>¡®Though I won¡¯t be able to test it out.¡¯</em>

    Opening the Doors came with immense risk; he couldn¡¯t use it just to test out his new Trait.

    <em>¡®The problem is¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at the message covered in static for the Trait¡¯s second effect.

    <em>¡®The hell is this?¡¯</em>

    Just like what had happened with his status window back then, the letters werepletely illegible. Kang-Woo¡¯s anger only grew as he stared at the letters.

    <em>¡®I have no clues to go off of, so I have no choice but to randomly test shit out.¡¯</em>

    It was certainly something rted to the Doors, but just like the first effect, he couldn¡¯t afford to open the Doors only to find out what the second effect did.

    ¡°Ngh. I guess there¡¯s nothing I can test out at the moment,¡± Kang-Woo muttered as he groaned.

    He was at least relieved that the Trait would be of great help to him when he had no choice but to open the Doors.

    ¡°Kang-Woo! I¡¯m all done!¡± Echidna shouted.

    Kang-Woo nodded and stood up to look at himself in the mirror.

    ¡°Not bad.¡± The hairstyle suited him considerably well. ¡°Right then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    It was almost time for the delegation to arrive.

    ***

    ¡°This is Reporter Kim Seon-Kyung of SKM News! I am in front of the Gate where we will meet the people from Aernor for the very first time! The ce is filled with the executive members of Guardians, national representatives, and countless people to witness this historic moment with their own eyes!¡±

    The boisterous sound of helicopter des turning rang but the mumblings of countless people were enough to drown it out. La, Grace McCubbin, Kim Si-Hun, and Kang-Woo were standing in front of the Gate in formal attire to greet the delegation from Aernor.

    <em>¡®There are so many goddamn people.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked around in annoyance. The area was filled with politicians from every country, reporters, and regr citizens. It was only to this extent thanks to the Guardians yers regting them; it would have beenplete chaos if they were all left to be.

    <em>¡®The inte is on fire too.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned on a stream on his smartphone.

    [Live stream of the first encounter with Aernor¡¯s delegation: 382,190 watching]

    JerryM: Sheesh, are these numbers for real??

    Butterfly Valley: ban the spammers plz

    Wooden Spoon: Sheeeeeeesh! People from another world! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m living to see the day!!

    Ro Yu-Jin: It has to be a cute girl, right? With big tits, right? They have to be big! That¡¯s the rule!

    Woojin: Elf! They have to be an elf if they¡¯re from another world!

    Sosori: I just imagined myself going to another world.

    Tresha: Guys stfu. The stream isgging cuz of the chat.

    Sosori: Wow u left me hanging

    The chat was so fast that Kang-Woo could barely read any of them. Over 380 thousand people were watching the livestream, and that was the Koreans alone.

    <em>¡®If we take the entire world into ount¡­¡¯</em>

    There would likely be an immense number of people watching the scene right now.

    <em>¡®I mean, it¡¯s only natural.¡¯</em>

    It was Earth¡¯s first encounter with another world of all things; there was no way that people wouldn¡¯t be interested.

    <em>¡®It looks like the reactions are¡­ mostly positive.¡¯</em>

    It was more apt to say that they were curious. One would only be able to tell whether their curiosity would turn to amity or hostility after the meeting took ce.

    <em>¡®You¡¯re my only hope, Iris!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo put his smartphone back into his pocket as his eyes shone. It was no exaggeration to say that whether this first meeting would be sessful or not was entirely up to Iris. He was honestly not that worried.

    <em>¡®The first impression would most definitely be amicable considering her good looks.¡¯</em>

    One¡¯s looks were the most important in first impressions; there was nothing more simple than that to leave an impactful first impression. Considering that, Iris¡¯s elven beauty would no doubt leave a wonderful impression on the people of Earth as well as fulfill their fantasies of another world.

    <em>¡®Not just that, her ears got longer after bing Elune¡¯s incarnation.¡¯</em>

    Her physical form had be closer to that of an elf than a human. People thought of elves when they thought about another world, which could be seen from thements.

    <em>¡®This is gonna work.¡¯</em>

    The n was already halfplete with just Iris¡¯s looks. The rest would be resolved as long as Lilith manipted public opinion.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    A wave formed on the giant Gate that was several kilometers tall. The voices of news reporters filled the scene.

    ¡°Everyone! A historical moment is about to take ce! The delegation from Aernor is about to arrive on Earth! Countless Gates have formed since the Day of Cmity, but this is the first time that we will be interacting with other humans with as much intelligence as us!¡±

    ¡°What will the people from the other world look like? Will we be able to form an amicable rtionship with them?¡±

    ¡°ording to the First Lady Grace McCubbin, Guardians have already formed a bond of trust with¡­¡±

    Voices sounded out from all over as the entire world focused on the Gate.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The wave on the Gate grew stronger.

    <em>¡®Right, then.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the Gate in anticipation.

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    Clear sounds of footsteps echoed from the Gate. They sounded like the marching of trained soldiers.

    <em>¡®Did she bring the imperial army as the delegation?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but think so. He stared at the Gate with a slight frown.

    <em>¡®An army isn¡¯t good.¡¯</em>

    Seeing armed soldiers would only raise the people of Earth¡¯s wariness of those from Aernor.

    <em>¡®But asking them not to be armed is a bit much too.¡¯</em>

    No matter how much Iris trusted Kang-Woo,ing to another world without having any means to protect oneself was asking for too much.

    <em>¡®This is more than within my limits of approval.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo nodded. <em>¡®Now, it¡¯ll all go smoothly once the first impression is good.¡¯</em>

    An alliance between Earth and Aernor was about to be formed.

    ¡°Everyone! The delegation of Aernor ising out of¡­¡± a news reporter slurred their words after seeing the delegation.

    ¡°The hell?¡± Kang-Woo was left with his mouth agape after seeing the delegation walking out of the Gate.

    The delegation of Aernor consisted of thousands of people and were all wearing white clerical robes covering their entire bodies with a beautiful golden emblem on them. Kang-Woo was familiar with the emblem.

    ¡°Wha¡ª Why is¡­¡±

    <em>¡®Why is the Church of Splendor here?¡¯</em>

    [Greetings, people of Earth,] said a blonde woman standing at the front. Her words tranted by magic filled the surroundings via a voice amplification device. [My name is Iris von Arnan, the princess of the Arnan Empire.]

    Iris took off her white hood, revealing her beautiful face with her golden hair fluttering in the wind.

    [I havee to Earth to deliver the words of light to you all.]

    ¡°... Hey.¡±

    [Everyone, do you believe in the light?]

    ¡°Wait a second.¡±

    [Are you aware of the God of Splendor?]

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth was left agape.

    <em>¡®In the ce where Earth would meet the people of Aernor for the very first time¡­ where their first impression would decide everything¡­¡¯</em>

    ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re d¡ª¡±

    Before Kang-Woo had a chance to finish his sentence, Iris shouted, [People of Earth! Let us all put our faith in the God of Splendor! We must all believe in the God of Splendor! We must all follow his words!]

    ¡°No.¡±

    [Let us all praise him!]

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    [Ohmen! Ohmen! Ohmen!!! O light!!][2]

    ¡°Please fucking stop.¡±

    {Ohmeeeeeeeeeen!!]

    Kang-Woo looked around in silence.

    Everyone¡¯s mouths were left agape in shock due to the appearance of a group of cultists. Kang-Woo lowered his head with his hair clenched.

    ¡°Motherfucker.¡±

    <em>¡®Why does this shit always happen to me?¡¯</em>

    1. This is a line said by Kuchiki Byakuya from <em>Bleach </em>when Kurosaki Ichigo faces him for the very first time. ?

    2. Refer to the reference in Chapter 426 to see what <em>Ohmen </em>means. ?

 Chapter 453: Aernor Delegation (4)

    Chapter 453: Aernor Delegation (4)

    ¡°Uhh, mm¡­¡± The reporter who had beenmentating passionately slurred with a dumbfounded expression.

    It was not just the reporter; everyone looking at Aernor¡¯s delegation was lost for words. The same went for the people in the live chat.

    [Live stream of the first encounter with Aernor¡¯s delegation: 403,271 watching]

    JerryM: ???

    BestTaeSoo: Whut?

    Lemme out of bronze: The hell? Is this a cult?

    Tresha: Holy shit LMFAO

    Ro Yu-Mi: It¡¯s for sure a cult

    Ro Yu-Jin: Holy mother of God. It¡¯s a blonde elf!! A real blonde elf!!Wooden Spoon: LET¡¯S GOOOOOOOOOO!!!

    Ro Yu-Mi: That¡¯s all you can think about in this situation?

    Fuck Rogues: Guys, this isn¡¯t the issue! I hit it big! I found a dungeon hidden within a Gate!

    Butterfly Valley: plz ban spammers

    <em>¡®What a fucking mess.¡¯</em>

    However optimistically one looked, Aernor¡¯s delegation looked like nothing but a fanatical cult. Negative opinions of the delegation umted to the point that Iris¡¯s looks were not enough to cover for them.

    <em>¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯</em>

    It was the worst possible first impression. Oh Kang-Woo was sure that the people of Earth would consider the people of Aernor, whom they needed to cooperate with to prepare for future dangers, as a world of cultists.

    <em>¡®I need to demonstrate somehow that they¡¯re not cultists.¡¯</em>

    It was far toote to stop the delegation¡¯s actions since the entire world had already seen them preaching <em>Ohmen </em>as they prayed to the God of Splendor. It was impossible even for Kang-Woo to erase the memories of every single person who saw it.

    <em>¡®Now that it hase to this¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no other choice. He needed to make them devotees who had received the blessing of the God of Splendor instead of a group of fanatical cultists.

    <em>¡®At least they didn¡¯t reveal my name.¡¯</em>

    The situation would have been irreparable if the delegation had mentioned Kang-Woo by name.

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply and snapped his finger.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    [Whooooaaaa!]

    [O light of splendor!]

    [Ohmen! Ohmen! Ohmen!]

    Golden light poured out from the bodies of the delegates praising the light. The entire delegation glowed gold.

    <em>¡®Now.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned to look at the blonde woman standing at the forefront of the delegation. She was the only one who could resolve this chaos.

    <em>- Iris.</em>

    <em>- Ah, yes! Sir Kang-Woo!</em>

    Iris smiled brightly after finding Kang-Woo, giving him a proud expression as if she wanted to be praised. Kang-Woo¡¯s head hurt.

    <em>- Stop this goddamn bullshit.</em>

    <em>- B-bull¡­ shit?</em>

    <em>- Yeah. Tell them all to shut the fuck up.</em>

    <em>- B-but¡­</em>

    Iris flinched as she heard Kang-Woo¡¯s furious voice. It seemed she was sure that Kang-Woo would like it.

    <em>- Do exactly as I say from now on.</em>

    <em>- I understand.</em>

    Iris nodded in dejection. Kang-Woo felt bad after seeing her face but now was not the time. He ryed his n that would resolve the situation as best as possible.

    ¡°Th-this is¡­¡±

    [Fufu. You all seem to be surprised.]

    Iris smiled softly and raised her hand. Fortunately, the delegation was made up of people within her full control; the delegates screaming <em>Ohmen </em>quieted down immediately once they saw Iris¡¯s hand.

    [I apologize for the discourtesy. I was just so excited to ry the blessing of light to the people of Earth with whom we will be maintaining an amicable alliance from now on.]

    Iris bowed politely by slightly raising the hem of her clerical robe. She was treated like an ipetent princess before Kang-Woo arrived on Aernor, but the education that she received due to being born into royalty did not disappear. The confused people around the Gate slightly lowered their guard as they witnessed Iris¡¯s elegance.

    ¡°Umm¡­ may I ask what the blessing of light is?¡± asked one of the reporters through an interpretation magic tool.

    [I am referring to the blessing of the God of Splendor who takes care of the people of Aernor. Mm¡­ Just a second, please.]

    Iris slowly raised her right hand.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Blinding golden light surged from her hand; a pir of light shot up several dozens of kilometers and spread like a tent. Light particles akin to raindrops fell from the sky.

    <em>¡®Authority of Enhancement.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo activated an Authority at the same time; it filled one with energy and improved one¡¯s condition to be ideal forbat. Kang-Woo did not need such an Authority since his body was in its best condition at all times, but it was a different story for the regr people and yers here.

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    ¡°Why am I surging with power all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s up! After twenty longid years!!¡±

    The people who received the blessing of splendor touched themselves in shock. Their fatigue and irritation had vanished as if they had never existed. The people who had gathered to watch the historic moment of Earth and Aernor¡¯s first interaction were naturally in terrible condition since they had been stuck among the massive crowd for an entire day. The crowd of people worked in Kang-Woo¡¯s favor.

    [This is the God of Splendor¡¯s blessing. Of course, this is only a fragment of his power,] Iris answered the reporter with an elegant smile.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    The reporter also looked down at himself in disbelief and shock. He could feel himself brimming with vitality despite having spent several all-nighters preparing to report on the delegation from Aernor.

    The people began to look at Iris and the delegation differently; they were not fanatical cultists but those who could invoke the blessing and miracle of a real god.

    ¡°Umm¡­ Are there yers among you?¡± the reporter asked.

    Some yers of Earth could perform miracles like this as well with their abilities, but even fewer were able to cast such a wide-area buff to thousands of people at once.

    [yers? What are those?]

    ¡°I mean, people who have been given benefits from the System to level up and awaken Traits¡ª¡±

    [Hoho. No, nothing of the sort.] Iris giggled and shook her head. [All you need is faith toward the light. The God of Splendor grants us such blessings just from believing in him.]

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    The reporter¡¯s eyes were filled with doubt again. It did not make sense that someone could perform such acts just by believing despite a very few number of yers being able to.

    [Do you believe it is absurd?]

    ¡°Ah, I-I wouldn¡¯t say that, but¡­¡±

    [Hoho. There is no need to be so confused. It is only natural for you to think that way since you have not received the blessing of Splendor.] Iris smiled gently and held the reporter¡¯s hands. [Now, why don¡¯t you try reciting <em>Ohmen</em>? It usually takes time for one to receive a blessing, but¡­ I will try to pray to the God of Splendor for an exception.]

    ¡°Mm¡­ <em>O-Ohmen</em>?¡± the reporters stuttered. Just then¡­

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    ¡°<em>Gasp!</em>¡±

    Golden light shot down from the sky and flowed into the reporter. The reporter took a few steps back in terror but then stared at the golden light enveloping him.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Kim Seon-Kyung, the reporter interviewing Iris, was brimming with power. She was a yer who had achieved her Third Awakening. She had turned to the path of reporting after being unable to enter high-ranking Gates due to her low Trait rank, but she was most definitely stronger than a regr person, which was why she was able to figure it out much more quickly.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have received the ¡®Blessing of Splendor(???).¡¯]

    [You have be a devotee of the ¡®God of Splendor(???).¡¯]

    [Dramatically raising all stats!]

    [Raising the rank of ¡®Deceptive Footwork (Rank: E)¡¯ to D!]

    ¡°This is¡­¡± the reporter mumbled as she read through the message window.

    ¡°Wh-what the hell?¡±

    ¡°Can we really gain power just from believing?¡±

    The people looked back and forth between Iris and the reporter in disbelief. Their mumbles grew louder. Iris looked back at them and spread her arms wide.

    [The blessing of splendor does not discriminate between race, sex, age¡­ or even what world you¡¯re from.]

    Only Iris¡¯s voice echoed clearly in the deathly silence.

    [If the people of Earth trust the blessing of light as we do¡­] Iris stared at the camera that the reporter was holding and continued, [It will be proof that although our worlds are different, we are one.]

    ¡°Yeaaaaaaaahhh!¡±

    Cheers sounded out from all over. The people who had been staring at the Aernor delegation like a bunch of crazy fanatics were now staring passionately at the light flowing out of the delegates.

    <em>¡®Fuck yeah.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo clenched his fists as he looked at the surrounding reactions. <em>¡®This is it! It worked!¡¯</em>

    He had sessfully managed to steer a bus on the brink of cracking.

    <em>¡®I ended up with an apostle I don¡¯t even want.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly as he stared at Seon-Kyung, the reporter interviewing Iris.

    <em>¡®Thank God I learned how to make apostles back in the divine realm.¡¯</em>

    Those with Deific Essence were able to create incarnations and apostles. As for creating an incarnation, the god needed to take the risk of sharing the damage that their incarnation suffered. Of course, like how La had been stuck in a wheelchair, any damages that Gaia suffered would go back to La. It was impossible to give apostles Deific Essence, but blessing them through a small portion of Divinity would permanently raise their power. Kang-Woo had also be Gaia¡¯s apostle through her blessing.

    <em>¡®My Divinity went down a little, but whatever. At least he came up with something interesting.¡¯</em>

    There was nothing more important than the fact that he had managed to turn this crisis around. Kang-Woo sighed in relief. Just then¡­

    ¡°... Ohmen.¡±

    ¡°Ohmen, ohmen, ohmen.¡±

    ¡°Ohmeeeeeeeeeeeen!!¡±

    <em>¡®The hell is this now?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked around dumbfoundedly. The people who witnessed what had happened between Iris and the reporter quickly began to chant <em>Ohmen</em>.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The Church of Splendor¡¯s Korean branch has been formed.]

    [You can collect Divinity based on their faith.]

    The Church of Splendor, which had practically taken over Aernor, had made its way to Earth.

 Chapter 454: Who?

    Chapter 454: Who?

    A boy with nk eyes was sitting on top of a giant hill made of dry red sand as darkness akin to the abyss was squirming around him. He was focusing on something with his eyes closed.

    Tap, tap, tap.

    The sound of a staff hitting the ground echoed. A hunchback demon covered in bandages everywhere except his eyes walked toward the boy.

    ¡°Lord Bael, how is the digestion of the Demon God¡¯s heart faring?¡±

    The boy known as Bael slowly opened his eyes. He pouted in displeasure and said, ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as I¡¯d thought it would be. I think I¡¯ll need a little more time.¡±

    ¡°Kekeke. There is no need to rush. You have already imed victory from the moment that you acquired the Demon God¡¯s heart.¡±

    ¡°Hihihi, right? But even so, I wanna digest it as quickly as possible.¡± Baelughed as he pounded his chest, hisughter echoing. ¡°That aside, what brings you here? Are you having a hard time rallying the demons of the Nine Hells?¡±

    ¡°No. There certainly are those who resist, but¡­ things are going without a hitch.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡± Bael asked as he stared at Amon with his head tilted.Amon¡¯s red eyes narrowed. He said with a voice as unpleasant as nails on a chalkboard, ¡°It seems¡­ a Titan has intervened.¡±

    Bael remained silent. He smirked and continued, ¡°Heh, what got those geezers off of their asses?¡±

    ¡°Most likely due to the Law of Titans.¡±

    ¡°Hihihi! I guess there can be no other reason.¡± Bael cackled as he nodded. He narrowed his eyes fiercely and asked, ¡°So, in what way have they intervened? No, before that¡­ which one of those fatasses was it?¡±

    ¡°Nostrian, the Titan of Time.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Bael¡¯s eyes shone, never having heard of the name.

    ¡°However, it was not a direct intervention,¡± Amon mentioned.

    ¡°Really?¡± Bael clicked his tongue in disappointment.

    ¡°He has handed a portion of his power to a human through a Gate.¡±

    ¡°Hihihi. Is he aiming to keep an eye on me or something?¡±

    ¡°I am not yet sure of his exact intentions.¡± Amon shook his head and continued, ¡°But considering the situation, it seems correct to assume that it is rted to the time of prophecy.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. True.¡±

    Bael nodded. Most of the Titans likely couldn¡¯t care less about what happened to the Triad, but it was a different story for a Titan who knew about the prophecy.

    The corners of Bael¡¯s mouth split, reaching his earlobes. ¡°Because he knows that once I devour the Triad¡­ they¡¯re next.¡±

    He licked the saliva around his lips. Madness filled his narrowed eyes. Seeing that, Amon cackled.

    ¡°What will you do?¡± Amon asked.

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°About Nostrian¡¯s intervention.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Baelid down on top of the hill of red sand and answered, ¡°Leave it be.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°Just forget about it.¡±

    Amon blinked repeatedly, not having expected this response. ¡°Leaving the other Titans aside, leaving Nostrian to his own devices is¡ª¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°He might¡ª¡±

    ¡°I said, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Bael spread his arms out and stared up at the red sky apathetically as he yawned.

    ¡°Titans, huh?¡± Bael snickered; he recalled someone as his eyes filled with the madness of hunger. It was the face of a human with sharp eyes. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it sound fun?¡±

    His voice echoed throughout the hill of red sand.

    ***

    A month had passed since the delegation from Aernor first arrived on Earth. Since then, Oh Kang-Woo had been busy every single moment of his day. He was forced to travel all over the world to introduce Iris to every world leader and was even made to schedule times for her to build amicable rtions with Guardians members whom she had not yet met.

    He had also eliminated a terrorist organization that opposed cooperation with the people of another world and spread as many extremely positive articles about Aernor as he could.

    However, that did not mean he could only focus on the alliance between Aernor and Earth. He spent time with Han Seol-Ah before she exploded, helped Kim Si-Hun and Balrog train, killed monsters that came out of Gates with Cha Yeon-Joo, and many others. His free time was nonexistent during the past month, and public interest in the delegation of Aernor began to die down.

    ¡°A meeting?¡± Kang-Woo asked, tilting his head in confusion as he stared at Lilith.

    ¡°Yes. La has asked you to participate in the emergency meeting to be held this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Why? We just had the general assembly a few days ago.¡±

    They had only just had the Guardians general assembly with Iris and the world leaders three days ago. As a result, troops would be dispatched from Aernor to Earth and would be provided a space for them to live near Seoul, just like how Korea provided the US Armed Forces amodations during the Day of Cmity.

    There was much opposition from the other countries regarding Aernor¡¯s troops only being dispatched to Seoul but it was resolved without much issue because the giant Gate that led to Aernor was close to Seoul and the troops could travel to other countries swiftly using the Gates of the Hall of Protection. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t believe that they were having another meeting after thinking that things would die down from now on.

    ¡°It¡¯s apparently about something else,¡± Lilith mentioned.

    ¡°Mm¡­ What is it about, then?¡±

    ¡°She said that there is a yer whom she wants to introduce to you.¡±

    ¡°A yer?¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Lilith in confusion. Lilith only shrugged, not having any of the details either.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>¡®An emergency meeting just to introduce a yer?¡¯</em>

    If such a big deal was being made out of something that could be ryed over a message or a call, it was surely not about some ordinary yer.

    <em>¡®I should go check it out.¡¯</em>

    La was not one to make a huge deal about such things for no reason. Kang-Woo headed to the Hall of Protection immediately. Tian Wuchen, Si-Hun, and Cha Yeon-Joo were already there after hearing the news.

    ¡°Oh, hyung-nim!¡± Si-Hun approached Kang-Woo with a smile.

    <em>¡®Son of a bitch gets more handsome with each day.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo greeted Si-Hun back with a wave. Seeing that, Yeon-Joo pouted.

    ¡°Hmph, what are you, his dog?¡±

    Si-Hun looked exactly like a puppy running to Kang-Woo, his owner.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re saying to my Si-Hun?¡± Kang-Woo said.

    ¡°Oh? <em>Your </em>Si-Hun, you say?¡± Yeon-Joo chuckled. ¡°That aside, have you heard anything about the yer?¡±

    ¡°Nope. How about you, Si-Hun, Have you heard anything from La?¡±

    ¡°No. I was so busy killing monsterstely that I barely had time to meet La.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded slightly and headed deeper into the Hall of Protection. La was sitting in the meeting room.

    ¡°Oh, thank you foring, everyone.¡± She smiled as she looked at the Guardians members entering the meeting room. She stood up and bowed politely. ¡°Thank you all for giving me a moment of your precious time.¡±

    ¡°I was told that you have a yer you¡¯d like to introduce to us¡­ Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Hoho. Just a moment, please.¡± La looked up and scanned the people in the meeting room. She then continued, ¡°Before I introduce him¡­I¡¯m sure you all know that there has been a massive influx of abnormal phenomena in the Gates, right?¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded. He had been hearing of it sinceing back from the divine realm.

    ¡°Mm¡­ There is a yer who has been eliminating monsters pouring out of those Gates since a month ago.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Isn¡¯t it obvious that a yer would be killing monsters?¡± Yeon-Joo asked with her head tilted in confusion.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. ¡°There¡¯s no way La would gather us just because of that.¡±

    The fact that La opened an emergency meeting meant that this yer had done far more than simply killing monsters.

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, Kang-Woo. This yer¡­ has killed an enormous number of monsters rapidly growing in numbertely,¡± La stated.

    ¡°How much is enormous? How many monsters have this yer killedpared to the average yer¡­?¡±

    ¡°He has probably killed more monsters than Si-Hun.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at La dumbfoundedly. Si-Hun had been entirely focused on killing the rapidly growing number of monsters while Kang-Woo had been away in the divine realm.

    <em>¡®More than Si-Hun?¡¯</em>

    It was hard to believe. Si-Hun was the strongest human that Kang-Woo knew. If Divinity was taken out of the equation, Zeus, Thor, and even Odin would be no match for Si-Hun. Only Tai Wuji was on a level that surpassed Si-Hun.

    ¡°More than me?¡± Si-Hun asked as well, just as shocked as Kang-Woo.

    La nodded softly. ¡°You two might be simr in terms of exact number, but¡­¡± She turned to Kang-Woo and continued, ¡°In just one month, this yer has killed enough monsters to be on par with the total number that Si-Hun has killed. All in Gates that S-rank monsters appear in, no less.¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent. A human had killed enough monsters to be on par with Si-Hun, and they had done it all in Gates where S-rank monsters appeared in.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s impossible unless they possess Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    No, not even Deific Essence would be able to make it easy since Deific Essence was more specialized toward defense than offense.

    Kang-Woo had just one question that he was most curious about.

    ¡°How has a yer like that¡­ not been known thus far?¡±

    It did not make sense for a yer who could do such things to not have been under the radar.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s as if¡­ they fell out of the sky.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at La,pletely unable to understand.

    Having expected the question, La smiled bitterly and responded, ¡°ording to him, he came across a strange fate in a dungeon that he found within a Gate one month ago.¡±

    ¡°A strange fate?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He was allegedly an ordinary yer before then.¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. It sounded far too made-up.

    <em>¡®Did they be an incarnation or something?¡¯</em>

    That was the only possibility he coulde up with.

    ¡®But the gods of Earth¡¯s divine realm are being kept in check by Gaia.¡¯

    If that was the case, an outer god might have approached the yer instead.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll have to see him for myself.¡¯</em>

    It was difficult toe to a conclusion when they had not even seen him yet. After waiting in the meeting room for a little, a young man opened the door and entered. He had light brown hair and looked fairly affable.

    <em>¡®A new face.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo scanned the young man with deeply sunken eyes. Just then, the young man smiled brightly as soon as he saw Kang-Woo.

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo? Is that you, Kang-Woo?!¡±

    The young man walked up to Kang-Woo excitedly. ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe I got to meet you again¡­ It is truly an honor!¡±

    ¡°Uhh, mm.¡±

    <em>¡®The hell?¡¯</em>

    ¡°It¡¯s me! Kim Tae-Hyun!¡±[1]

    <em>¡®Who?¡¯</em>

    ¡°You saved my life a long time ago! I still haven¡¯t forgotten the help you gave me back then. I¡¯m always thankful to you!¡±

    ¡°Of course, I remember you, Tae-Hyun. It¡¯s nice to see you again.¡±

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo¡­ I-I knew you¡¯d remember me!! I knew you¡¯d still remember the promise we made!¡±[2]

    <em>¡®Seriously, who the fuck is this guy?¡¯</em>

    ¡°How could I forget? There¡¯s¡­ no way I would forget about you, Tae-Hyun.¡±

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t remember, no matter how hard I think.¡¯</em>

    1. This is the rogue who was with Kang Tae-Soo when they were attacked by the members of the Andras Guild, all the way back in Chapter 19. ?

    2. Refer to around the beginning of Chapter 20. ?

 Chapter 455: Another Protagonist

    Chapter 455: Another Protagonist

    ¡°I¡¯vee to fulfill the promise that I made to you¡­ and to repay the favor.¡±

    The young man who introduced himself as Kim Tae-Hyun reached out his hand with a bright smile. Oh Kang-Woo also smiled and grabbed Tae-Hyun¡¯s hand.

    <em>¡®Seriously, who the hell is this guy?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t recall the young man no matter how thoroughly he flipped through his memories.

    <em>¡®He doesn¡¯t seem to be lying.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun did not seem to be fabricating a story to take advantage of Kang-Woo¡¯s fame. In the first ce, if he wanted to be famous, he would be aiming for Kim Si-Hun instead since Si-Hun was far more famous than Kang-Woo at least on Earth.

    <em>¡®Then that means he has actually met me in the past.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo went through his memories again slowly as he stared at Tae-Hyun¡¯s face. His affable expression wasmon in Japanese fantasy anime; he was average, neither handsome nor ugly.

    <em>¡®Where have I seen him before?¡¯</em>He felt like he would remember with just a little reminder. He traversed through a forest of memories covered in thick fog. Just then, he recalled someone¡¯s desperate screams from the depths of his memory.

    <em>"I¡¯m a rogue! Someone, anyone, please let me join your party! I¡¯ll provide first aid if nothing else!!"</em>[1]

    <em>¡®Oh.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened.<em> ¡®Fucking hell. No wonder I didn¡¯t recall him right away.¡¯</em>

    It was such a long time ago. No, that was not the only issue since Kang-Woo would have remembered it if the event had been important. The main reason that Kang-Woo was unable to recall Kim Tae-Hyun immediately was not because it had been so long but because his importance had been so insignificant.

    <em>¡®Yeah¡­ I once saved him from the Andras Guild.¡¯</em>

    Several more memories popped up in Kang-Woo¡¯s head once he remembered the event.

    <em>"I¡¯ll definitely grow out of being a first-aid administrator and repay you for today¡¯s favor!"</em>[2]

    Kang-Woo recalled Tae-Hyun saying those words before leaving.

    <em>¡®Dayum. What a long-ass foreshadowing.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Tae-Hyun dumbfoundedly. No matter how he thought about it, it felt more like something that the author made use of afterpletely forgetting about it than perfectly calling back a foreshadowing that had urred over four hundred chapters ago.

    ¡°I¡¯m no longer the weak first-aid administrator I used to be! I¡¯ve grown to a point that I can be of help to you!¡± Tae-Hyun shouted brightly.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes for a moment.

    <em>¡®Grown, huh?¡¯</em>

    How could a rogue-ss yer who was rejected by even low-level parties have grown faster than even Si-Hun?

    <em>¡®It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯</em>

    It was worse than a new character being introduced in a game that destroyed the bncepletely. To make aparison, it was like seeing a regr high schooler in your neighborhood who yed basketball casually suddenly making his debut in the NBA and destroying Michael Jordan. Tae-Hyun¡¯s growth was unreal even if he hade across some sort of strange fate.

    ¡°Haha. I¡¯ve never thought of you as weak even once, Tae-Hyun,¡± Kang-Woo expressed.

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    ¡°But how were you able to grow this quickly?¡±

    Kang-Woo scanned Tae-Hyun with narrow eyes, observing his eyes, voice, and every little movement that he made.

    ¡°Mm. Well¡­¡± Tae-Hyun scratched his head and continued, ¡°I think it was about a month ago. It was when I was exploring a Gate by myself. It was a B-rank Gate in the Haeundae district of Busan.¡±

    B was not that high of a rank for a Gate.

    ¡°But an S-rank monster suddenly appeared in the Gate due to the abnormal phenomena urring in Gatestely¡­ I identally fell from a cliff as I was frantically running away.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I closed my eyes, thinking I was going to die, but I luckily managed to survive thanks to being caught by tree roots that happened to have grown out of the cliff walls. And then¡ª¡±

    ¡°And then you came across a strange fate, or something like that?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Th-that¡¯s right! To be more exact, I found a hidden dungeon!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo put a hand over his forehead as if he was having a headache.

    <em>¡®What the fuck? Coming across a strange fate from falling down a cliff? Is this some martial arts story?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t evenugh. He organized his thoughts and then asked, ¡°... Could you give me more details about this hidden dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Mm. I¡¯m not sure exactly what it was either. A message saying that I entered <em>Nostrian¡¯s Will</em> appeared as soon as I entered the hidden dungeon, and then I immediately passed out.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo had never heard of anyone named Nostrian.

    <em>¡®Are they an outer god?¡¯</em>

    He had nothing to go off of at the moment.

    ¡°I found this around my neck when I woke up,¡± Tae-Hyun said as he raised the ne on his neck.

    The ornament of the ne was about half the size of a palm and had strange symbols on it. In the center of those symbols, an eye that gave off an unpleasant feeling was engraved.

    <em>¡®It looks like the Time Stone thingie.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled seeing a ne like that in a superhero film that he had once seen. Kang-Woo scanned the ne on Tae-Hyun¡¯s neck with the Authority of Insight.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [yer Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s Deific Essence is too low in rank to check the information of the corresponding item.]

    <em>¡®... What?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression crumpled aggressively after seeing the message in front of him. His Deific Essence was Top-rank and on the verge of reaching Transcendent-rank, but it was too low.

    <em>¡®What the hell is happening?¡¯</em>

    His head was in jumbles.

    ¡°What about after that¡­?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Well, as you can see, I acquired immense power.¡±

    Tae-Hyun slightly raised his hand. Translucent light particles gathered around his hand as if crystal fragments that had been scattered in midair wereing together.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    Colossal power shook the surroundings. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened.

    <em>¡®The hell?¡¯</em>

    He had never felt this sort of power before. He had seen demons, angels, and even gods, but this was the first time that a form of energy caused him to feel this way. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>¡®Deific Essence?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head. It was different from the power that regr Deific Essence gave off.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s simr in terms of type.¡¯</em>

    Deific Essence was the closest to how the energy felt but it was different. To make aparison, it was like the difference between a leopard and a tiger. They were both ssified as the <em>Felidae </em>family but were different species.

    <em>¡®But the problem is that energy would be the tiger instead of the leopard.¡¯</em>

    The amount of energy was not enormous in any way but it was stronger than Deific Essence in terms of quality.

    <em>¡®It seems¡­ I¡¯ll have to test it out.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Mm¡­¡±

    ¡°Haha. I know it¡¯s a difficult story to take in,¡± Tae-Hyun said as he scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. He then walked toward Kang-Woo with bright eyes. ¡°But I didn¡¯t lie.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I didn¡¯t think you were, Tae-Hyun.¡±

    The fact that Tae-Hyun had killed an enormous number of monsters after acquiring that power was proof.

    ¡°Does that mean I can enter Guardians as well?¡± Tae-Hyun asked anxiously as he gulped.

    It seemed like he had killed the rapidly growing number of monsters right after gaining power because he wanted to be a part of Guardians. Kang-Woo smiled at Tae-Hyun who was zing with passion.

    ¡°Would you be able to take a simple recruitment test before that?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Ah, yes! Of course!¡±

    Tae-Hyun nodded. Kang-Woo nced at Si-Hun.

    ¡°Si-Hun.¡±

    ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡±

    Si-Hun, who had been staring nkly at Tae-Hyun, turned to Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Could you test Tae-Hyun?¡±

    ¡°... Of course.¡± Si-Hun clenched his sword and slightly nodded.

    It seemed like hispetitive spirit was set aze after hearing that Tae-Hyun had killed more monsters than him. Si-Hun¡¯s eyes staring at Tae-Hyun were zing with passion. Kang-Woo tapped on the bridge of his nose as he looked back and forth at the two men.

    <em>¡®Now, then. Let¡¯s see what this Nostrian¡¯s Will is made of.¡¯</em>

    <em>ck.</em>

    They entered the training room in the Hall of Protection. It was durable enough to have handled the battle between Kang-Woo and Zeus. Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun stood across from each other in the white room.

    Cha Yeon-Joo narrowed her eyes as she stared at them and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t his story super suspicious? He just ended uping across a strange fate after falling down a cliff?¡±

    Kang-Woo answered, ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s lying. I¡¯ve even met him before.¡±

    ¡°How did you get to know him?¡±

    Kang-Woo exined to her what happened between him and Tae-Hyun in the past.

    ¡°Hah. What a fucking callback¡­¡± Yeon-Joo muttered.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± Kang-Woo shrugged. He stared at Si-Hun, who was unsheathing his sword, and asked, ¡°Who do you think will win?¡±

    ¡°Si-Hun, obviously,¡± replied Yeon-Joo as if she had no doubt.

    Even if Tae-Hyun had acquired some unknown power, she would naturally think that Si-Hun woulde out on top considering she had witnessed how powerful he was.

    ¡°... I guess so.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded and paid attention to the uing battle. The others thought so as well, mainly thinking about how long Tae-Hyun would be able tost against Si-Hun.

    ¡°Then, let us begin,¡± Si-Hun said.

    Their duel finally began. Si-Hun stretched out his arm and created a formless sword. He gripped the sword and leaped forward, leaving afterimages along his path. Si-Hun lightly swung his sword at Tae-Hyun after arriving in front of him in an instant.

    <em>ng¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Hup!¡±

    Tae-Hyun took out a dagger from his waist and blocked Si-Hun¡¯s attack. Si-Hun did not falter and spun to attack again.

    <em>¡®Heavenly Dragon Rampage.¡¯</em>

    He used a sword technique without hesitation to end the battle as quickly as possible. Hundreds of sword attacks aimed at Tae-Hyun, all real attacks made of formless swords.

    <em>ng, ng, ng¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°...!¡±

    Tae-Hyun parried every single attack aimed at him, leaving Si-Hun in shock.

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    Si-Hun did not stay shocked for long and went on the offensive again.

    <em>ng! ng! aang!</em>

    However, none of his attacks were able to even graze Tae-Hyun. Si-Hun added feints now and then but Tae-Hyun perfectly parried his attacks with just a dagger.

    <em>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun¡¯s eyes were filled with shock. Tae-Hyun¡¯s movements were not exceptional nor was he a better martial artist than Si-Hun. No, Tae-Hyun¡¯s movements were just fast; they were poor in terms of quality.

    <em>¡®So how¡­¡¯</em>

    How was he able to deflect every single one of Si-Hun¡¯s attacks?

    <em>¡®It¡¯s as if¡­ he knows the future.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Haap!¡± Tae-Hyun shouted and charged at Si-Hun.

    Translucent light particles that looked like scattered crystal fragments poured out of Tae-Hyun¡¯s ne. He held the dagger in a reverse grip and swung it down. Si-Hun calmly raised his sword to block the attack.

    <em>aaaang!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    The formless sword shattered in an instant as if a wooden sword collided with a steel sword. Si-Hun quickly jumped back as his hands were numb from the impact.

    ¡°Fuuu.¡±

    Si-Hun¡¯s eyes sank deeply and he bit his lip anxiously.

    <em>¡®... Divinity.¡¯</em>

    That was the only thing that could shatter a sword made of condensed sword energy so easily.

    ¡°...¡±

    Si-Hun clenched his fist tighter. He knew how overwhelmingly disadvantaged one without Deific Essence was against one with Deific Essence.

    ¡°Fuuu, haaa.¡± Si-Hun took deep breaths and turned to look at Kang-Woo watching the battle.

    <em>¡°Thanks¡­ for staying as my little brother.¡±</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s words echoed in his head.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t lose.¡¯ </em>Si-Hun gritted his teeth. <em>¡®Not when hyung is watching.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun¡¯s eyes set aze with passion.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Raising yer Kim Si-Hun¡¯s assimtion with the Martial God!]

    A clear bell chime rang in his head.

    ***

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned aggressively as he watched the battle. He stared at Tae-Hyun who was overpowering Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®He kinda gives off the protagonist energy as well.¡¯</em>

    If Si-Hun gave off the aura of a Korean manhwa protagonist, then Tae-Hyun gave off the aura of a Japanese light novel protagonist.

    <em>¡®You know, the trope of the worst ss actually being the strongest. Fucking hell. Why are there so many goddamn protagonists? What about me? Huh? What about me, goddammit?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wanted to be a protagonist too.

    1. Refer to Chapter 13. ?

    2. Refer to Chapter 20. ?

 Chapter 456: Can I Call You Hyung?

    Chapter 456: Can I Call You Hyung?

    <em>ng!</em>

    Thunderous sounds of metal shing echoed; sparks flew all over the ce as shockwaves shook the training room.

    ¡°Kuh!¡± Kim Tae-Hyun grunted in frustration.

    <em>¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯</em>

    He held the initiative; Kim Si-Hun¡¯s attacks were not hurting him in the slightest and Si-Hun could not take his attacks head-on. Tae-Hyun¡¯s attacks were also faster since he possessed Nostrian¡¯s Will.

    <em>¡®So why?¡¯</em>

    Why was he not able to bring the battle to an end? Tae-Hyun anxiously stared at Si-Hun, who was panting heavily.

    <em>¡®I wanted to show myself flooring the Sword Dragon.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun expressed disappointment. He nced at Kang-Woo, who was calmly observing the battle.<em>¡®Kang-Woo.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s heart beat rapidly as he recalled when he first met Kang-Woo. He was like a hero who hade to the rescue when Tae-Hyun was on the ground, on the verge of being kidnapped by the Andras Guild as a sacrifice. He recalled Kang-Woo leaving to eradicate evil without hesitation right after saving him. He admired Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®I want to be like Kang-Woo too.¡¯</em>

    He wanted to be a hero who protected the weak as well. He wanted to be just like the protagonists in the stories he had read, which was why he did his best to level up despite being disrespected for being a rogue.

    <em>¡®And I finally got my chance.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun clenched his ne, immense power flowing into him through it. He had no idea what kind of power this was or whose it was, but he was certain about one thing: that it would make his dreame true.

    <em>¡®Please watch me, Kang-Woo.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun looked at his idol; he wanted to look as cool as possible in front of him of all people. He took a deep breath in, lowered his stance, gripped his dagger tightly, and slowly blinked.

    <em>¡®Foresight.¡¯</em>

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Activating ¡®Nostrian¡¯s Eye.¡¯]

    Tae-Hyun set aside the message window in front of him and scanned Si-Hun. Foresight was a skill that he acquired after obtaining the item known as Nostrian¡¯s Eye in the unknown dungeon. It was a broken skill that allowed him to look five seconds into the future. He was easily able to block any attack that came his way with it.

    ¡°Haap!¡±

    <em>ng¡ª!!</em>

    The sword made of blue light cleaved into two. Si-Hun created another sword immediately after and fluidly continued his barrage of attacks, but none of his attacks managed to get past the small dagger. Si-Hun¡¯s sword was deflected all too easily by Tae-Hyun¡¯s dagger as if he were looking into the future.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa, haaa,¡± Si-Hun panted heavily.

    His palms were torn, red blood dripping on the ground.

    <em>¡®Damn¡­¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun couldn¡¯t believe that every single attack was blocked perfectly. It was like ying chess against aputer. The result was the same however many times he attacked and even if he added feints. It was like trying to climb an insurmountable wall. He could even feel his Qi quickly being depleted.

    <em>¡®If only¡­ If only I had Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    If so, Si-Hun would not be so easily overwhelmed. He would be able to overpower the enemy even if they knew his every move, but he was powerless because he did not possess Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®No.¡¯ </em>Si-Hun bit his lip. <em>¡®Hyung beat Constetions of Evil back when he didn¡¯t have Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    To stand by Kang-Woo¡¯s side and walk alongside him, Si-Hun also needed to surpass that wall.

    <em>¡®I can do it.¡¯</em>

    He needed to stand against desperate situations just like Kang-Woo had.

    ¡°Haaaaaaaahhh!¡± Si-Hun roared.

    He clenched his sword with both hands as blood poured from his torn palms and pulled out what little remained of his Qi. He brought the sword above his head and swung it down with all his might.

    <em>¡®Heavenly Dragon sh!¡¯</em>

    <em>Boooooooom!!</em>

    An enormous explosion shook the training room.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff,</em>¡± Si-Hun panted heavily as blood flowed from his mouth and his vision blurred.

    ¡°Phew. That one was a bit dangerous.¡±

    Tae-Hyun was staring at Si-Hun in surprise. Despite blocking the attack by predicting the future, Si-Hun¡¯s attack had been a serious threat.

    Si-Hun¡¯s expression stiffened. His all-out attack had been nothing but <em>a bit dangerous</em> to his opponent. He lowered his head and said reluctantly, ¡°... I¡¯ve lost.¡±

    Deathly silence fell on the training room. The shocked Guardians members stared at Si-Hun with their mouths agape. Kim Si-Hun, the Sword Dragon who was second only to Kang-Woo in terms of strength, had lost.

    ¡°S-Si-Hun,¡± La called with a hard expression.

    Si-Hun did not answer; he only had his head lowered with his fists clenched with blood pouring from them.

    Kang-Woo remained silent as he stared at Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®Tsk,¡¯</em> he clicked his tongue. <em>¡®I guess not even Si-Hun can ovee the difference made by Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    The conclusion that Kang-Woo came to after watching their battle was simple.

    <em>¡®Deific Essence is just he broken.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun fought hard by moving as if he could see the future, but Si-Hun was objectively above him in all aspects. Rather, Si-Hun proved his overwhelming power by dragging a battle that he never had a chance of winning in the first ce for this long.

    <em>¡®Si-Hun would have easily won if he had Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun was also very impressive for blocking every single attack as if he could see the future, but his movements were honestly very poor.

    <em>¡®He didn¡¯t be that strong through umtion of effort.¡¯</em>

    He simply won because he had better items. However, considering that Tae-Hyun grew to be this strong only after a month of obtaining that unknown power, his potential was promising.

    <em>¡®Especially with his movements that look as if he can see the future.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun would be far more powerful with time, to a point that not even Kang-Woo could fathom.

    <em>¡®That aside.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he stared at Tae-Hyun¡¯s ne with the grotesque eye on it.

    <em>¡®What the hell is that?¡¯</em>

    What sort of item could allow a below-average yer to surpass Si-Hun?

    <em>¡®He¡¯s not an incarnation.¡¯</em>

    The power that Kang-Woo could feel from Tae-Hyun was different from regr Deific Essence for that to be the case.

    Kang-Woo stared at Tae-Hyun, who was waving at him with a bright smile.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll have to keep an eye on him for a bit.¡¯</em>

    It would be difficult to decide what to do with Tae-Hyun until he figured out exactly what that ne was. Kang-Woo entered the training room and pped.

    ¡°Great job, you two,¡± he remarked.

    ¡°Hyung-nim.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so down, Si-Hun.¡± Kang-Woo lightly patted Si-Hun¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You did your best.¡±

    Si-Hun aggressively bit his lip and lowered his head again, his shoulders subtly trembling.

    Kang-Woo was about to say something to Si-Hun but decided not to.

    He had recently experienced the pain that came with being weighed down by one¡¯s powerlessness.

    <em>¡®I should just¡­ leave him alone for now.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun needed some stimtion since he barely had any since the incident with Tai Wuji.

    <em>¡®Si-Hun hasn¡¯t grown at all since then.¡¯</em>

    He had stayed the same from the moment that he stabbed Tai Wuji.

    <em>¡®I guess it makes sense since the trauma pressuring him has disappeared.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun was freed from his trauma but now that he was free, he was no longer desperate.

    <em>¡®Si-Hun is already at a point where he can acquire Deific Essence on his own.¡¯</em>

    However, hecked something decisive that would allow him to surpass the wall and be even stronger.

    <em>¡®Not even this would be enough.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he stared at Si-Hun, who had his head lowered. He was devastated by the loss, but he likely thought that it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s probably thinking that he would¡¯ve won if he had Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    If one lost in a game because of the difference in itemspared to their opponent, they wouldn¡¯t feel desperation or aspiration. They would feel that they couldn¡¯t have done anything about it rather than a desire to improve themselves or aspire to be stronger.

    <em>¡®He needs stronger stimtion.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun needed something that would make him feel even more desperate.

    ¡°Ngh,¡± Kang-Woo groaned.

    It was hard to figure out what to do. He couldn¡¯t stage a La kidnapping again likest time either.

    <em>¡®He might digivolve into a Skull Greymon again if I push him too hard.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed something that would push Si-Hun to just the right extent and make him desperate for just the right amount.

    No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t think of anything. Just then¡­

    ¡°Umm¡­ Kang-Woo,¡± Tae-Hyun called,

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I was thinking about something.¡±

    ¡°N-Not at all!¡±

    Tae-Hyun quickly shook his head. Kang-Woo smirked. If Uriel was like a slightly cranky cat, then Tae-Hyun was like a loyal dog.

    <em>¡®Looks like I¡¯m being rewarded for living like a saint.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would have never expected the rogue that he saved that day toe back to him in this way. The saintly life that he could swear by the heavens that he had lived was finally rewarding him. Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction.

    <em>¡®I still can¡¯t fully trust him, but he¡¯ll be a good pawn as long as he stays this loyal to me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled nastily.

    ¡®No, no.¡¯ He erased the impure thoughts. <em>¡®I could never use someone. I am light. I am light. I am light.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled brightly and extended his hand toward Tae-Hyun. ¡°Wee to Guardians.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Tae-Hyun shook with excitement. He clenched his fists and muttered to himself, ¡°Nice.¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled at how genuinely moved Tae-Hyun was.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s the perfect pawn¡ª I mean,rade.¡¯</em>

    It was as if a perfectly ripe truckload of watermelons was dropped in front of his house. Kang-Woo gripped Tae-Hyun¡¯s hand tighter as light filled his heart.

    ¡°Umm¡­ K-Kang-Woo,¡± Tae-Hyun called cautiously.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ Could I¡­¡± Tae-Hyun gulped and continued, ¡°P-Perhaps¡­ call you hyung?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes. Of course, you can.¡±

    It was not a difficult request; rather, Kang-Woo weed the idea of bing closer to Tae-Hyun.

    ¡°Ah, hahaha! Th-Thank you very much, Kang-Woo hyung! You can speak casually to me!¡±

    ¡°Okay, sure.¡± Kang-Woo nodded with a smile.<em></em>¡°... Hm?¡±

    Kang-Woo saw Si-Hun drop his sword made of blue sword energy, which dissipated into the air before it hit the ground. He could see Si-Hun trembling in shock with his eyes wide open.

    <em>¡®The hell? What¡¯s up with you, Si-Hun?¡¯</em>

 Chapter 457: For My Beloved Little Brother (1)

    Chapter 457: For My Beloved Little Brother (1)

    Kim Si-Hun¡¯s expression was frozen beyond belief the moment Kim Tae-Hyun called Oh Kang-Woo <em>hyung</em>.

    <em>¡®The hell?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Si-Hun in confusion.

    <em>¡®Why does he look like his entire world shattered? It¡¯s not like I cheated on him or anything.¡¯</em>

    He felt like he was some husband who was caught cheating on his wife.

    Kang-Woo approached Si-Hun and carefully called, ¡°Si-Hun?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Si-Hun came back to his senses and shook his head with an awkward smile. ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing, hyung-nim.¡±

    <em>¡®Nothing, my ass. Why would you make that face if nothing was wrong?¡¯</em>

    ¡°M-My grip loosened. Hahaha. The sword is a little heavy.¡±<em>¡®That¡¯s a formless sword, it doesn¡¯t have any weight. He looks shocked, however I look at him. Is it because I allowed Tae-Hyun to call me hyung?¡¯</em>

    Considering the situation, that seemed to be the reason.

    <em>¡®For real? Just because of that?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled as he stared at Si-Hun averting his gaze from Kang-Woo as he smiled awkwardly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be going back to my room. Haha. Wee to Guardians, Tae-Hyun,¡± Si-Hun remarked as he approached Tae-Hyun, still smiling awkwardly.

    Tae-Hyun smirked as if mocking Si-Hun and grabbed the hand that Si-Hun stretched out. His eyes were filled with the leisure granted to the victor.

    <em>¡®The hell¡¯s with him now?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned at Tae-Hyun¡¯s attitude which looked as if he were looking down on Si-Hun.

    Tae-Hyun replied as if boasting, ¡°Thank you very much. I managed to win <em>purely by luck</em> today, but I was able to see how amazing of a yer you were, Sword Dragon.¡±

    Si-Hun remained silent.

    Tae-Hyun smiled as he stared at Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®I heard that Kang-Woo hyung treasures the Sword Dragon.¡¯</em>

    The public already knew that Sword Dragon Kim Si-Hun and Kang-Woo were sworn brothers. It was difficult for them not to know since Si-Hun bragged about Kang-Woo constantly wherever he went.

    <em>¡®It¡¯ll be different now.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun clenched his fist. He won the duel, so the one who would be standing alongside Kang-Woo would be him, not Si-Hun.

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Tae-Hyun giggled innocently.

    He imagined himself saving the world from danger with his benefactor who had saved his life in the past.

    <em>¡®And one day¡­¡¯</em>

    He would surpass his benefactor and save him from danger! Tae-Hyun couldn¡¯t help but smile as he imagined the scene straight out of an anime. His heart beat faster as his passion grew. The ridicule and disrespect that he had faced as someone with the weakest ss shed before his eyes.

    <em>¡®To do that¡­¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun stared at Si-Hun, who was more handsome than the average celebrity and far more talented than the average yer. He was the epitome of a protagonist.

    <em>¡®...I have to surpass the Sword Dragon.¡¯</em>

    He had already taken the first step. He was surprised by the unexpectedly powerful attack at the end of their battle, but he managed to defeat the Sword Dragon nheless.

    Tae-Hyun smiled slyly and continued, ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯ll be in your care from now on.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re <em>brothers </em>now, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Si-Hun¡¯s expression momentarily crumpled. His gaze toward Tae-Hyun shone chillingly. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

    ¡°Yes¡­ we are. We¡¯re both¡­ brothers. Hahaha.¡±

    Si-Hun giggled as his shoulders trembled and turned around to quickly leave the training room.

    ¡°Um, Si-Hun¡­¡± La called.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, La. I¡¯m feeling a little tired, so can we talkter?¡±

    Si-Hun walked toward his room in the Hall of Protection without even looking La¡¯s way.

    ¡°H-Hoho. Si-Hun seems to be a little shocked. I don¡¯t me him since I didn¡¯t expect Si-Hun to lose either,¡± La said forcibly, trying to sound bright to lighten the mood.

    Kang-Woo stared at Si-Hun getting further away.

    Tae-Hyun walked toward Kang-Woo and asked with anticipation, ¡°Umm¡­ Kang-Woo hyung. Could you give me a tour of the Hall of Protection?¡±

    The Hall of Protection was the symbol of Guardians. It was a strategic hub that allowed them to have ess to the entire world via Gates. All yers wanted to visit the Hall of Protection at least once.

    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Kang-Woo replied with a smile and nodded.

    He took Tae-Hyun around the Hall of Protection.

    ¡°Wow, hyung! So this Gate is connected directly to the Grand Canyon? That Gate is connected to Beijing¡­¡±

    Tae-Hyun expressed astonishment as he looked at the Gates connected to areas all over the world. Kang-Woo stared at him with narrow eyes¡ª to be more exact, at the ne made of ovepping geometrical shapes that Tae-Hyun was wearing.

    <em>¡®What could that be?¡¯</em>

    The ne was unquestionably the item that gave Tae-Hyun his immense power.

    <em>¡®It has to be an intervention from a deity.¡¯</em>

    One of a considerably high rank, no less.

    Kang-Woo scanned the brightly smiling Tae-Hyun in silence.

    <em>¡®Should I invest in this coin?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mind was filled with whether or not to invest in the Kim Tae-Hyun coin that had appeared like a meteor. He would be lying if he said that he wasn¡¯t curious. Nothing about the item could be examined with the Authority of Insight and it granted its wearer power even stronger than regr Deific Essence and an ability to predict the future. Although Tae-Hyun¡¯s movements were poor at the moment, he would be several times stronger once his skills were polished. His potential was even greater than that of Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®I could also take that item from him and give it to Si-Hun or just use it myself.¡¯</em>

    However, that was like cutting open the belly of a goose thatid golden eggs[1]. Besides, most items Legendary-grade and above were imprinted to their wielder, so it would be pointless to take them from others; especially if it were an item that looked to be at least Transcendent-grade like that ne.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. Si-Hun also likely thought the same thing.

    <em>¡®Thinking of it that way, the way Si-Hun acted makes sense.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had thought that Si-Hun was shocked over something so trivial, but he slowly understood his reaction.

    <em>¡®He wasn¡¯t shocked that Tae-Hyun called me hyung.¡¯</em>

    Kang Tae-Soo also referred to Kang-Woo as hyung-nim. If that was why Si-Hun was shocked, he would also not like the way that Tae-Soo called Kang-Woo <em>hyung-nim</em>.

    <em>¡®The difference between Tae-Soo and Tae-Hyun¡­ Si-Hun must be thinking¡­ that his ce might be taken from him.¡¯</em>

    It was within the realm of possibility since to Si-Hun, Kang-Woo was someone more precious to him than his blood-rted brother; Kang-Woo had rescued him from a life of trauma and led him to where he was now.

    <em>¡®Si-Hun, you¡­¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo felt bitter as he thought about Si-Hun¡¯s emotions. <em>¡®There¡¯s no way I would abandon you.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo no longer thought of Si-Hun as just a talented pawn. There was no way that Tae-Hyun¡¯s potential being higher than Si-Hun¡¯s would affect their rtionship.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t think Si-Hun feels the same way, though.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun let go of his sword the moment that Tae-Hyun called Kang-Woo <em>hyung</em>. It was not difficult to guess how shocked Si-Hun was, considering how important a sword was for Si-Hun as a swordsman.

    <em>¡®Tae-Hyun also fanned the mes.¡¯</em>

    He had tantly taunted Si-Hun as if he was telling Si-Hun that his hyung was his now.

    Kang-Woo recalled Si-Hun¡¯s devastated expression in silence.

    ¡°Kang-Woo hyung?¡± Tae-Hyun called.

    ¡°Oh, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t say that.¡±

    ¡°Then¡ª¡±

    ¡°That aside, could you tell me exactly what happened when you obtained that ne? Don¡¯t leave out a single detail.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love to, but there are honestly more things that I don¡¯t know than what I know.¡± Tae-Hyun gripped the Eye of Nostrian and continued, ¡°There isn¡¯t much I can tell you other than that I gained a skill called <em>Foresight </em>and that I became extremely strong once I got this ne.¡±

    ¡°Have you heard any voices in your head?¡±

    ¡°No, never.¡±

    ¡°Then has your body ever moved in a way that you didn¡¯t intend to?¡±

    ¡°That hasn¡¯t happened either,¡± Tae-Hyun replied as he shook his head.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>¡®They haven¡¯t done anything to him despite granting him that much power?¡¯</em>

    It was far too suspicious.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s impossible.¡¯</em>

    It was as if a millionaire gave the majority of his wealth to a random person on the streets with no strings attached. Something like this with no price or objective was bound to have hidden conditions.

    <em>¡®This is a dangerous coin.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo was made sure of it after listening to Tae-Hyun¡¯s story. <em>¡®But it¡¯s too soon to make a move.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo still had no way of figuring out who gave Tae-Hyun that power or for what reason. However fishy it was, it would not be wise to give up on the Tae-Hyun Coin.

    <em>¡®Especially when he¡¯s so loyal to me.¡¯</em>

    It would be a huge waste to give up on someone who could be a huge asset if handled well.

    <em>¡®Allies with Deific Essence are always wee.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not expect Tae-Hyun to be of help to him in facing Bael since no one but himself was able to.

    <em>¡®But the otherworldly invasions are a different story.¡¯</em>

    He would not be able to block the invasions by himself; this was evident by the fact that he couldn¡¯t resolve the abnormal phenomena urring in the Gates all over the world by himself.

    <em>¡®After all, there¡¯s only one of me.¡¯</em>

    No matter how powerful he was, one soldier couldn¡¯t defend a castle. He needed dependable allies to keep the castle that was Earth safe.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll have Lilith keep him monitored twenty-four seven.¡¯</em>

    Keeping his guard up was good enough for now.

    ¡°Haha. I never thought a day like this woulde. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m touring the Hall of Protection with you¡­ Kang-Woo hyung.¡±

    Tae-Hyun smiled as if he couldn¡¯t be happier. He seriously reminded Kang-Woo of a dog.

    <em>¡®His excessive loyalty might be a problem.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo sighed as he recalled the war of nerves between Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun. He stood in front of the closed door of Si-Hun¡¯s room.

    <em>¡®What should I do about Si-Hun?¡¯</em>

    He was already getting a headache when thinking about how to console the shocked Si-Hun who had locked himself in his room.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, hyung?¡± Tae-Hyun asked as he turned around to look back at Kang-Woo, who suddenly stopped in ce.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Just then, an idea popped up in Kang-Woo¡¯s head. ¡°... No, that¡¯s a bit¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo shook his head.

    <em>¡®But this is the best option.¡¯</em>

    He thought about other options but couldn¡¯t think of anything else.

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists.

    <em>¡®Yeah.¡¯</em>

    He had no other choice; he needed to be the one to help Si-Hun ovee the wall blocking his growth.

    <em>¡®The older brother needs to make sacrifices for his little brother.¡¯</em>

    He needed to steel his heart for the sake of his beloved little brother.

    ¡°Tae-Hyun,¡± Kang-Woo called.

    ¡°Ah, yes, Kang-Woo hyung?¡±

    Tae-Hyun trotted toward Kang-Woo with a smile. Kang-Woo also smiled brightly and put his hand on Tae-Hyun¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go grab something to eat together?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Tae-Hyun¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°O-Okay! S-Sounds good! I was just about getting hungry as well!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a good kimchi stew ce I know.¡±

    ¡°Kimchi stew! I love kimchi stew!¡±

    ¡°Really? Haha. It looks like we¡¯ll get along well.¡±

    Kang-Woo patted Tae-Hyun¡¯s shoulder and turned around.

    <em>Shatter!</em>

    The sound of something breaking came from inside Si-Hun¡¯s room.

    1. This is a Korean idiom that teaches us to be patient instead of chasing instant gratification. ?

 Chapter 458: For My Beloved Little Brother (2)

    Chapter 458: For My Beloved Little Brother (2)

    <em>¡°Why don¡¯t we go grab something to eat together?¡±</em>

    Kim Si-Hun heard a familiar voice from across the door.

    Si-Hun gritted his teeth as he was sitting on his bed.

    <em>Shatter!</em>

    Ferocious energy poured out from him, causing the photo album on his desk to fall to the ground.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Si-Hun looked up in bewilderment. He stood from his bed and walked to the fallen album containing a photo of a smiling Kang-Woo with his arm, holding a kebab, resting on Si-Hun¡¯s shoulder.

    Si-Hun lifted the photo they had taken back when they went to Caldesann and carefully brushed off the ss fragments.

    ¡°Hyung,¡± Si-Hun muttered.He felt like something was weighing down on his chest.

    <em>¡°We¡¯re </em>brothers <em>now, aren¡¯t we?¡±</em>

    Kim Tae-Hyun¡¯s mocking voice echoed inside Si-Hun¡¯s head. He clenched his fists tightly.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything.¡±

    Si-Hun was boiling with rage despite knowing that it was nothing to be angry over.

    <em>¡®After all the hard work I put in¡­ to stay as his little brother.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun did not like the fact that Tae-Hyun had appointed himself to be in the same position as him.

    Si-Hun rxed his fists. He quelled his rage and shook his head. ¡°Haaa. How pathetic am I?¡±

    He scolded himself for having a loser¡¯s mindset as he gathered the ss fragments on the ground and threw them in the trash bin.

    <em>¡®Well, at least he doesn¡¯t seem to be scheming anything bad.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s hostility toward him was likely due to his excessive loyalty toward Kang-Woo; it did not seem to be stemming from ill intentions.

    <em>¡®And¡­¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun was able to be of more help to Kang-Woo than Si-Hun.

    Si-Hun slowly raised his hand. His Qi gathered using the principle of Formless Sword, creating a sword shining blue in the air.

    <em>¡®Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    That was the difference between him and Tae-Hyun. His ability that seemed as if he was seeing the future was certainly a hindrance, but there was a way around it. However, no such way existed for Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®What do I need to do¡­ to acquire it?¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun was drawing a nk. It felt like he was facing an insurmountable wall. It was the first wall he was facing as one who possessed astonishing talent thanks to his Heavenly Martial Physique.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Si-Hun sighed deeply again.

    The blue sword in the air turned into tiny particles and dissipated. His thoughts were jumbled. He looked down at the photo that he took out of the broken photo album.

    <em>¡°Thanks¡­ for staying as my little brother.¡±</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s words that had guided him toward salvation echoed in his head. His frown rxed and he smiled.

    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s no need for me topare myself to him.¡±

    Si-Hun shook his head as he thought about Tae-Hyun. The rtionship between himself and Kang-Woo was not simply that of brothers. They were not rted by blood but Si-Hun considered Kang-Woo to be more than his older brother, and Kang-Woo thought the same.

    <em>¡®If not, there would be no reason for him to say that to me.¡¯</em>

    The weight on Si-Hun¡¯s chest lightened and his jumbled thoughts cleared up.

    <em>¡®I can think of him to be about the same level as Tae-Soo.¡¯</em>

    There was no reason for Si-Hun to think hard about it; he could just treat Tae-Hyun the same way that he treated Tae-Soo. After all, Tae-Hyun was now a member of Guardians.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll ask him for a duel next time.¡±

    Si-Hun might be able to find a clue that would allow him to surpass the wall blocking his growth.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll train with Balrog today.¡¯</em>

    He wanted to move around a little more, possibly because he lost to Tae-Hyun. Si-Hun left the room, his steps much lighter than before.

    ***

    ¡°Huuu, huu,¡± Si-Hun panted heavily as hey on the ground after his duel with Balrog.

    ¡°Did something happen to you today?¡± asked Balrog after he put on the pendant to return to human form.

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a little more <em>desperate </em>than usual.¡±

    Si-Hun narrowed his eyes, not sure what Balrog was talking about. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°It means exactly what I said. You were fighting as if something was chasing you. Oh¡­ well, you were like that in the past too.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Rather, that desperation of yours has been severelyckingtely.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡±

    ¡°Are you not aware of it?¡± Balrog snorted and continued, ¡°You are no longer <em>desperate </em>after the battle against Tai Wuji.¡±

    Si-Hun felt as if he had been hit on the back of the head with a sledgehammer. His eyes widened and he trembled slightly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not desperate?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. I simply haven¡¯t had enough timetely because I¡¯ve been killing monsters. I haven¡¯t been cking on my training.¡±

    ¡°That is not what I¡¯m saying,¡± Balrog answered firmly. ¡°I am simply saying that you have lost your desperation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the same th¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. They are different.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°In the past, every single swing you took was filled with desperation. Each of your movements felt as if you were frantically chasing after something.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But not anymore. You are¡­ no longer desperate.¡±

    ¡°Ngh.¡±

    Si-Hun bit his lip and red at Balrog. Balrog¡¯s words felt like they were gutting him.

    ¡®No.¡¯ Si-Hun shook his head, denying Balrog¡¯s words. <em>¡®I¡¯ve been training more desperately than anyone to catch up to hyung.¡¯</em>

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go,¡± Si-Hun muttered.

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    Balrog smirked as he stared at Si-Hun turning around temperamentally and walking away. Si-Hun left Balrog¡¯s house. He could see people busily filling the streets after leaving the barrier that blocked regr people from entering.

    Si-Hun put on a hat and mask to conceal his face and trudged along.

    <em>¡®Ick¡­ desperation?¡¯</em>

    Balrog¡¯s words echoed in his head. Displeasure spread throughout his body as an unknown sense of anxiety took over.

    <em>¡°Thanks¡­ for staying as my little brother.¡±</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s words once again echoed in his head, erasing the displeasure that he was feeling. The anxiety disappeared before Si-Hun had realized it.

    ¡°Haha,¡± Si-Hunughed as his expression rxed.

    <em>¡®Yeah, there¡¯s no need to worry.¡¯</em>

    He had already ovee his trauma. Balrog¡¯s words that Si-Huncked desperation were referring to Si-Hun back when he was controlled by his trauma.

    <em>¡®Of course, I wouldn¡¯t feel like the same person as back then.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun was saved by Kang-Woo, his beloved older brother. He was freed from his lifelong curse.

    ¡°I should call hyung-nimter.¡±

    Si-Hun walked along with a smile.

    ***

    ¡°Hyung-nim?¡±

    <em>- Yeah, Si-Hun?</em>

    ¡°Are you free to talk right now?¡±

    <em>- Sorry¡­ I¡¯m hanging out with Tae-Hyun right now.</em>

    ¡°Again?¡±

    <em>- Yeah. I¡¯ll call youter.</em>

    ¡°Oh¡­ Okay, hyung-nim.¡±

    <em>- Is anything going on with you? I¡¯ve barely seen youtely because I¡¯ve been so busy.</em>

    ¡°Haha. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    <em>- Okay. I¡¯ll call youter.</em>

    Kang-Woo hung up.

    ¡°He must be busy,¡± Si-Hun muttered.

    Kang-Woo was busy helping Tae-Hyun adapt to the various duties of being a Guardians member for the past week.

    ¡°It¡¯s only natural since hyung-nim does a lot of other things besides that.¡±

    Kang-Woo was so busy that Si-Hun worried for his wellbeing. He was so busy with matters of the divine realm, Aernor, and Earth that Si-Hun had no time to talk to him.

    ¡°Haha. Yeah¡­ It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Si-Hun closed his eyes. ¡°...¡±

    <em>Thud.</em>

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Si-Hun had dropped his smartphone. He picked it up and put it on his desk.

    Hey on his bed.

    <em>¡®The abnormal Gate phenomenon reported yesterday was resolved by Tae-Hyun.¡¯</em>

    There had been no other reports after that. Si-Hun slowly fell asleep.

    ¡°Ah.¡± He woke up several hourster and got out of bed. ¡°I fell asleep before I realized it.¡±

    Si-Hun had thought about having another training session with Balrog, but he had fallen asleep for several hours. He fixed his disheveled hair and went out of his room.

    ¡°Mm?¡± He came across Kang-Woo sitting in a chair after reaching the meeting room. ¡°Hyung¡ª¡±

    As he was about to greet Kang-Woo with a smile¡­

    <em>Vrrrr.</em>

    ¡°Yeah, Tae-Hyun? What¡¯s up?¡±

    Kang-Woo was talking to someone over the phone. Si-Hun¡¯s smile froze.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m over by the Hall of Protection.¡±

    Si-Hun clenched his fists tightly without realizing it.

    ***

    <em>¡®He¡¯s here.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo subtly nced over to the hallway and saw Si-Hun staring at him.

    <em>¡®Well, then.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo kept the smartphone over his ear and continued with a smile, ¡°How¡¯s the training going?¡±

    There was no answer.

    ¡°Really? Haha, that¡¯s a relief.¡±

    Kang-Woo continued to speak to himself.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll head over there once I finish going through this paperwork.¡±

    <em>¡®Si-Hun. You understand, right? You know I¡¯m doing this for you, right?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Haha. Yeah, okay. I¡¯ll see you there.¡±

    <em>¡®You¡¯ve gotta surpass the wall blocking you and acquire Deific Essence too. I¡¯m doing all of this for your sake.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Tae-Hyun.¡±

    <em>¡®Okay? You feel me, right? You know that I have no choice but to do this even though it breaks my heart, right?¡¯</em>

    ¡°You have no idea how much of a relief it is you have you with me.¡±

    <em>¡®Right? I have no choice, right? I¡¯m not a fucking scumbag, right?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Thanks¡­ for staying as my little brother.¡±

    Kang-Woo spoke as naturally as he breathed despite his growing sense of guilt.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Nah bruh I¡¯m not a fan of this sort of gaslighting LMAO</blockquote>

 Chapter 459: Surpassing the Wall (1)

    Chapter 459: Surpassing the Wall (1)

    Kim Si-Hun¡¯s world went white. His breathing turned erratic and his head was burning up.

    <em>¡®Hyung?¡¯</em>

    He wanted to call Oh Kang-Woo but his voice was noting out. His vision was blurring and his legs lost their strength.

    <em>¡®Why¡­ why, why, why?¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun continued to ask himself in his head.

    <em>¡°Thanks¡­ for staying as my little brother.¡±</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s words that had saved him swirled around his head. Those words had been what linked the two of them; it was proof of the fact that they were more than sworn brothers.

    <em>¡®But¡­ why?¡¯</em>

    Why was Kang-Woo saying that to Kim Tae-Hyun? It was as if Kang-Woo no longer needed Si-Hun.<em>¡®No, that¡¯s impossible. After all that we¡¯ve been through together.¡¯</em>

    They had decimated the Demon Cult and battled Satan, the Four Heavenly Kings, and even the Constetions of Evil together. They had fought frantically across countless battlefields to protect the world from the clutches of evil. So why was someone who had gotten stronger only because he was lucky, taking Si-Hun¡¯s spot as Kang-Woo¡¯s little brother?

    Si-Hun gritted his teeth. A zing emotion welled up from within him.

    <em>¡®What¡¯s¡­ the difference?¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun thought about the difference between him and Tae-Hyun. Why was Kang-Woo paying more attention to Tae-Hyun than Si-Hun?

    He did not take long to figure out the answer.

    <em>¡®Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    That was the only thing that Tae-Hyun had that Si-Hun did not, and what was needed most in these dire times.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s because of Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had sacrificed everything to save the world. He understood how dependable one who possessed Deific Essence was when the world was in crisis.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s why he epted Tae-Hyun as his little brother.¡¯</em>

    If that were not the case, Kang-Woo would not pay this much attention to Tae-Hyun.

    ¡°Haha,¡± Si-Hunughed dryly.

    The answer that he hade to was disheartening.

    <em>¡®Hyung-nim had no choice either.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had reluctantly been babying Tae-Hyun and answering his childish needs because he needed to do whatever it took to have him as an ally for the sake of the world.

    <em>¡®Yeah, that has to be it.¡¯</em>

    Nothing else would exin Kang-Woo¡¯s behavior. Si-Hun gritted his teeth and walked away from the meeting room where Kang-Woo was sitting.

    ¡°Deific Essence,¡± Si-Hun muttered.

    He needed Deific Essence to make Kang-Woo look his way again and to stay as his little brother.

    <em>"I¡¯m sorry for giving birth to you."</em>

    He heard the cursed words he had long since forgotten, which had shackled his life for years.

    ¡°I need¡­ Deific Essence.¡±

    Si-Hun staggered down the hallway.

    ***

    Kang-Woo slowly closed his eyes in the silent meeting room.

    <em>¡®This should be enough.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun needed a unique form of stimtion to surpass the wall he had reached. He needed something that would reawaken his past trauma.

    <em>¡®It isn¡¯t only his talent that allowed Si-Hun to power up in moments of danger.¡¯</em>

    The trauma that shackled him was what drove his awakening.

    <em>¡®It might not be anything much for other people, but¡­¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun¡¯s trauma and his desire to be acknowledged by the most precious people in his life were out of the ordinary for most people. However, for Si-Hun, who had been abandoned by his father, harassed by his older brother, and whose life itself had been denied by the most important person in his life, it was more important than anything.

    <em>¡®He¡¯ll desire salvation once again. He¡¯ll work frantically to be acknowledged once again.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo remained silent. He sighed and put his hand on his forehead. ¡°... Maybe I should¡¯ve used another way.¡±

    Regret btedly swept over him. Although Kang-Woo had done it to help Si-Hun awaken Deific Essence, he also thought that it was a little excessive.

    <em>¡®No, this isn¡¯t simply an issue of Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    It was easy for Kang-Woo to give Si-Hun Deific Essence; he just needed to make Si-Hun his incarnation. Just like how La was able to use a portion of Gaia¡¯s Deific Essence, Si-Hun would be able to use a portion of Kang-Woo¡¯s Deific Essence as well.

    <em>¡®But that¡¯s meaningless.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would¡¯ve made Si-Hun his incarnation if Si-Hun himself had no chance of acquiring Deific Essence on his own, but it was more than possible for Si-Hun to acquire it on his own. No, it was a wonder why Si-Hun had still not managed to.

    <em>¡®He needs some sort of decisive trigger.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun needed something that would allow him to surpass the wall blocking his growth.

    <em>¡®Si-Hun can do it.¡¯</em>

    If it was the Si-Hun that Kang-Woo knew, he would easily be able to surpass his limits and acquire Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®And when that happens,¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun would surely spread his wings and grow to astronomical heights.

    ¡°Deific Essence that one awakens on their own ispletely different from regr Deific Essence.¡±

    Deific Essence was a fraudulent power, but there was a massive difference between those who were born with Deific Essence without any cost and those who acquired Deific Essence on their own.

    <em>¡®If I make Si-Hun my incarnation and just give him Deific Essence, his growth would stop then and there.¡¯</em>

    He would be reduced to someone with borrowed power despite having the potential to be a god on their own.

    ¡°I can¡¯t let that happen.¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. Although he felt bad for bringing back Si-Hun¡¯s trauma, he had no other choice. Abnormal phenomena within Gates were growing; it had even reached a point where an unknown item that Tae-Hyun was wearing appeared from within it. Si-Hun needed Deific Essence as soon as possible.

    <em>¡®As for the others¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought about his other party members but shook his head.

    <em>¡®Let¡¯s focus on Si-Hun first. He needs just the right amount of stimtion.¡¯</em>

    Since Si-Hun had once fallen because Kang-Woo had pushed him too far, Kang-Woo needed to dial it back a little.

    <em>¡®I shouldn¡¯t push him any more than I already have.¡¯</em>

    He needed to tell Balrog and La to watch what they said to Si-Hun since those two met Si-Hun the most often.

    <em>¡®Once I make Si-Hun put his all into training¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would then appear to make some sort of tearjerking performance.

    ¡°As for my lines¡­ <em>Who gives a shit about Deific Essence?! Even without that¡­ you¡¯re my precious little brother!</em> Yeah, let¡¯s go with that.¡±

    Kang-Woo was already cringing from the thought but it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    <em>¡®Si-Hun likes this sort of thing.¡¯</em>

    Considering what he had done to Si-Hun, he was more than willing to blurt out cringeworthy lines; after all, Kang-Woo was ultimately the one who made Si-Hun¡¯s trauma resurface.

    ¡°That aside.¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at his muted smartphone on the table. It was filled with messages from Tae-Hyun.

    <em>¡®Why is this kid so loyal to me?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not dislike it, but he felt that it was a bit too excessive.

    <em>¡®To make aparison, it¡¯s like one of those extremely devoted idol fans.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun felt like someone who couldn¡¯t hold back his joy of being able to work together with his idol.

    ¡°Ngh.¡±

    Whatever the case, Tae-Hyun was exhausting to deal with.

    ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Kang-Woo needed to stay with Tae-Hyun until he figured out exactly what the <em>Eye of Nostrian</em> that Tae-Hyun had obtained was.

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes as he thought about Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun. He once again felt like he had flowers (stamens) in each hand.

    <em>¡®Fuck.¡¯</em>

    He clenched his fists and shook his head.

    ¡°Darling¡­ Darling¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s sorrowful voice filled the meeting room.

    ***

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff,</em>¡± Si-Hun panted heavily.

    The training room had be a mess. Si-Hun took a staggering step.

    ¡°Heavenly Dragon¡­¡±

    He squeezed out what little remained of his Qi and raised his sword made with blue sword energy. However, the formless sword made with sword energy dissipated into thin air.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± Si-Hun panted as he watched his sword vanishing. ¡°Kurgh.¡±

    His knees buckled from the exhaustion of pulling out too much Qi.

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    He couldn¡¯t copse here. He put strength into his buckling knees and forcibly stood back up.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not enough.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun raised his hands again as he bit his lip. A faint blue light gathered into the shape of a sword.

    <em>¡®To earn Deific Essence¡­¡¯</em>

    He needed Deific Essence to stay as Kang-Woo¡¯s little brother.

    ¡°Fuuu¡­¡±

    Si-Hun took a deep breath in; a small amount of Qi within nature entered him through his breath.

    <em>¡®I need to acquire Mind¡¯s Sword before I can earn Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    He had a feeling that it was the final gateway that he needed to pass through to acquire Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®A sword of the mind, huh?¡¯</em>

    It was amon stage in martial arts. Si-Hun had read hundreds of books about its theory that he had borrowed from Tan Wuchen.

    ¡°I have no idea.¡±

    However, he couldn¡¯t even begin to grasp what a sword of the mind was. Si-Hun, who had been growing without any barriers thanks to his extraordinary talent, was having a hard time manifesting an extremely vague concept.

    ¡°Haaa.¡±

    Si-Hun clenched his hair and turned around. His knees buckled once again.

    Si-Hun frowned aggressively.

    ¡°Huh? Si-Hun?¡±

    Tae-Hyun entered the training room as Si-Hun was about to move his trembling hands.

    Si-Hun red at Tae-Hyun in silence.

    ¡°Mm. It looks like you¡¯re training until quitete.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Haha. That¡¯s the Sword Dragon for you. I should learn a thing or two from you.¡±

    Tae-Hyun smiled brightly at Si-Hun but it carried a tiny amount of ridicule as well.

    Si-Hun turned around in silence.

    ¡°Anyway, have you seen Kang-Woo hyung?¡±

    Si-Hun tilted his head in wonder, maintaining his frown. ¡°Weren¡¯t you with him today?¡±

    ¡°No. We were nning on meeting, but¡­ he seemed pretty busy.¡±

    Si-Hun remained silent.

    <em>¡®Did somethinge up along the way?¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun smiled unbeknownst to himself from the fact that Tae-Hyun and Kang-Woo were not able to meet up. Noticing that, Tae-Hyun red at Si-Hun in anger.

    ¡°Come to think of it¡­ I heard from Kang-Woo hyung that the reason why you weren¡¯t able to beat me back then was because of the thing called Deific Essence.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Haha. I also heard that the only yers in Guardians who have Deific Essence are me and Kang-Woo hyung.¡± Tae-Hyun continued leisurely, ¡°It seems¡­ hyung and I go well with each other, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Si-Hun frowned aggressively.

 Chapter 460: Surpassing the Wall (2)

    Chapter 460: Surpassing the Wall (2)

    ¡°Good for you. You happened to acquire Deific Essence <em>purely by chance</em>,¡± Kim Si-Hun narrowed his eyes and continued, ¡°Without any form of effort whatsoever.¡±

    ¡°Ngh.¡±

    Kim Tae-Hyun slightly frowned. He wanted to deny it, but it was an undeniable fact that he had gained power simply by chance.

    <em>¡®I¡­¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun clenched his fists.

    <em>¡°What? A rogue? Sorry, we don¡¯t need you.¡±</em>

    <em>¡°We don¡¯t have any heals to waste on a rogue so just screw off and give first aid somewhere else.¡±</em>

    <em>¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, what use are you if you can¡¯t deal or tank damage? Just quit being a yer.¡±</em>

    Tae-Hyun lost his family at the hands of monsters on the Day of Cmity. This tragedy was not only his; countless people lost those precious to them on that day. He thought his life would change once he awakened as a yer five years after the Day of Cmity; he thought he could be the hero he had dreamed of bing ever since his family died before his very eyes.However, reality was cruel. The Trait he had awakened was treated worse than useless by the other yers.

    <em>¡®I¡­¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun became desperate since that day. He wanted to be a protagonist. He wanted to ovee his adversities and grow stronger like a shounen manga protagonist. He wanted to be praised by others and save the world from danger with style. And¡­

    He wanted to tell his family, whom he couldn¡¯t save, that he had managed to protect people this time. He, who had dared to survive by himself after being unable to do anything, had saved the world and the countless people in it. It had be his life¡¯s purpose to tell them.

    ¡°Without¡­ any effort?¡± Tae-Hyun bit his lip and red at Si-Hun. ¡°I could say the same to you!!!¡±

    Unlike Tae-Hyun, who wasn¡¯t acknowledged by anyone after awakening as a yer, Si-Hun grew stronger without stopping as soon as he awakened because he had talent, unlike Tae-Hyun. Tae-Hyun red at Si-Hun. He knew that this was nothing more than petty jealousy and that he would be the only pathetic one for acting this way.

    ¡°If only it weren¡¯t for you¡­¡±

    The dream that Tae-Hyun had been desiring all this time was right in front of him, but his wild dream of bing a hero who was praised by all was already taken by someone else; someone with the title of Sword Dragon.

    Silence fell. The two men took out their weapons simultaneously as if no words were needed.

    <em>Bang.</em>

    Tae-Hyun shut the door behind him and entered the training room. He took a stance as he held a thirty-centimeter dagger in a reverse grip. Si-Hun held a formless sword made of blue sword energy and calmed his heavy breaths. His sword was shining far less brightly than usual.

    <em>¡®Dammit.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun could not be in a worse state due to having trained to his limit until just now. His legs were shaking, his breathing was heavy, and he barely had any Qi left.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun had a feeling that he shouldn¡¯t fall back.

    <em>¡°You are¡­ no longer desperate.¡±</em>

    Si-Hun recalled Balrog¡¯s words. He denied them and considered them to be nonsense at the time, but he could feel it as well.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m¡­ not desperate anymore.¡¯</em>

    He had given up on going past the first wall that he had ever faced in his life. He thought that he did not need to get any stronger than he already was.

    <em>¡®Hyung.¡¯</em>

    To walk alongside Oh Kang-Woo and to lighten the weight on his shoulders even a little, Si-Hun needed to surpass the insurmountable wall blocking his path.

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± Si-Hun took a deep breath in.

    He replenished his Qi stores through his breaths. It was nowhere near enough to fill his usual abundant stores, but he needed everything he could get at the moment.

    <em>¡®Heavenly Dragon Concealment.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun turned faint as if a dragon was concealing itself within the clouds and disappeared into thin air.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t have a chance in a head-on battle.¡¯</em>

    He realized through thest battle how pointless it was to take an opponent with Deific Essence head-on. There were only two ways for someone without Deific Essence to face someone with Deific Essence; they could either use enough power that the Deific Essence was unable to block or focus their attacks on a point where the Deific Essence barrier was weak.

    <em>¡®The first method is impossible.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun had felt that he did not have enough Qi even when he was at his best, so it was out of the question when he barely had any Qi to use.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll focus on where the barrier is weak.¡¯</em>

    It was like aiming for the gaps in the armor of an opponent with full-te armor.

    <em>ng! ng! ng!</em>

    ¡°Urgh¡­¡±

    It was a near-impossible strategy for a regr warrior to even attempt, but Si-Hun had long since surpassed that stage. Si-Hun sword continuously struck Tae-Hyun¡¯s shoulder. The sword bounced off of the Deific Essence barrier with a clear sound of shing metal.

    <em>¡®I knew it.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun nodded after feeling a recoil much weaker than before. He had felt it during his previous battle against Tae-Hyun as well, but the Deific Essence barrier was weaker in areas where the individual paid less attention. One would naturally be more wary of attacks aiming at their vitals such as the head, heart, and neck. However, protection around areas like the shoulder and thigh, where their life wouldn¡¯t be threatened even if they were attacked, was weaker.

    ¡°Kuh,¡± Tae-Hyun grunted.

    He was unable to follow Si-Hun¡¯s movements. He would have been sliced into pieces as soon as the battle began if he hadn¡¯t been protected by Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®Dammit.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun bit his lip. He could feel the overwhelming difference between himself and Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®I knew from the start that I wascking in skill.¡¯</em>

    However, he possessed a skill that could easily make up for it.

    <em>¡®Foresight.¡¯</em>

    Faint light poured out from the Eye of Nostrian. Light particles resembling crystal fragments wrapped around him. It didn¡¯t matter where Si-Hun was or whether or not Tae-Hyun could follow his movements.

    <em>¡®Now!¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun turned around and lowered his dagger. Si-Hun¡¯s sword, which was aimed at his thigh, was deflected by the dagger.

    Si-Hun frowned.

    <em>¡®This again.¡¯</em>

    His attack was blocked as if his opponent could see the future. Si-Hun was sure that Tae-Hyun couldn¡¯t follow his movements, but he managed to block the attack regardless.

    <em>¡®How far into the future can he see?¡¯</em>

    He needed to figure that out first and foremost. Si-Hun fixed his grip on his sword and set aside his initial n of getting through the Deific Essence barrier.

    <em>¡®Heavenly Sword Rampage.¡¯</em>

    Countless attacks poured down on Tae-Hyun, who deflected every single one of them with his dagger despite being able to leave it to his Deific Essence barrier to block them for him. It was a blunder that arose from hisck of battle experience and Si-Hun did not let that blunder get past him.

    <em>¡®Five seconds.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun¡¯s eyes shone. Tae-Hyun had predicted Si-Hun¡¯s attacks exactly five seconds into the future.

    <em>¡®What a broken ability¡­¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun felt even more disheartened after figuring out Tae-Hyun¡¯s ability. Being able to see five seconds into the future was invaluable in a battle where even a millisecond was precious.

    <em>ng! ng! ng!</em>

    ¡°Hmph, where did your vigor from earlier go?¡± Si-Hun snorted once he regained hisposure.

    He was easily able to block Si-Hun¡¯s attacks after using Foresight, but blocking them was all he could do. He was not yet skilled enough to counterattack.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s okay,¡¯</em> Tae-Hyun thought as he stared leisurely at Si-Hun.

    Si-Hun was noticeably exhausted, so he would copse on his own as long as Tae-Hyun held out without attacking.

    <em>¡®I can win.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun leisurely blocked Si-Hun¡¯s attacks.

    ¡°Huff, huff, huff,¡± Si-Hun panted heavily.

    He swung his sword while drenched in sweat, but he was ultimately unable to even graze Tae-Hyun.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Your Qi has been depleted.]

    [Continuous use of martial arts will lead to Qi deviation.]

    Messages appeared in front of Si-Hun but he ignored them and gripped his sword tighter.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t afford to back down.¡¯</em>

    He recalled Kang-Woo and the powerlessness he felt as he stared at his back. Chasing after Kang-Woo was already so agonizing, so he couldn¡¯t even imagine how agonizing it would be for Kang-Woo to be that far forward.

    <em>¡°You are¡­ no longer desperate.¡±</em>

    Si-Hun heard Balrog¡¯s words again. He could now understand why Balrog said something like that.

    <em>¡®It was because I was hiding behind hyung¡¯s back.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun thought that Kang-Woo was strong enough to resolve any danger that the world would be ced in; he thought that Kang-Woo would be able to stop anything like a superhero in a film. That was how extraordinary Kang-Woo¡¯s feats were. Si-Hun thought that everything would be resolved as long as he hid within Kang-Woo¡¯s shadow, hence he did not bother to be desperate.

    ¡°Fuuu, haaa,¡± Si-Hun calmed his breathing.

    He was out of Qi and his fingers could barely move.

    <em>¡®I can do it.¡¯</em>

    He needed to surpass the wall blocking his path.

    <em>¡®I¡­¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun continued to breathe. Miniscule amounts of Qi filled his empty dantian.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not enough.¡¯</em>

    This amount of Qi was not enough to surpass Tae-Hyun¡¯s Deific Essence. He needed even greater power.

    <em>¡®But how?¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun¡¯s Qi consumption rate was astronomically faster than the rate of umtion.

    <em>¡®Wait.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun¡¯s eyes widened. His breaths were an act to absorb and store Qi from within the atmosphere.

    <em>¡®Why do I have to store it inside me?¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun felt as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt. If Qi was within the atmosphere, why did he need to go out of his way to absorb it by breathing before using it?

    <em>¡®What if I just¡­ use the Qi straight from the atmosphere?¡¯</em>

    If he could, his internal Qi or his dantian would not matter.

    <em>¡®No¡­ even my body¡­ has never held any meaning.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun had been shackled by his physical form. It was only natural since he was a human with a physical body. He spent his entire life seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting. However, Qi was different; it was all around them. There was no point in confining it in a body. The only reason why Si-Hun had confined the Qi within himself to use it until now was because he simply did not know how to effectively use the energy.

    <em>¡®But now¡­¡¯</em>

    He was different. He already knew how to freely use the Qi within the atmosphere. He had already surpassed the concept of having a dantian and was able to use the energy of nature.

    <em>¡®I simply never used it until now.¡¯</em>

    He was finally able to understand the meaning behind the words <em>Mind¡¯s Sword</em>. It was nothing superficial like infusing energy into his bloodlust or cutting with just his willpower.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s to¡­ abandon my body. My dantian.¡¯</em>

    It was to escape his physical form and be one with the world¡¯s energy. It was to control the boundless energy only with his <em>mind</em>. That was the essence of Mind¡¯s Sword.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have fully assimted with Martial God Tian Taihuang!]

    [You have realized the Mind¡¯s Sword.]

    [You have reached the initial stage of the Transcendent Realm!]

    [Granting the title ¡®Sword of Heaven¡¯ as per the Law of Titans!]

    [You have acquired the Upper Intermediate-rank Deific Essence ¡®Heavenly Sword¡¯!]

    ¡°Haaa.¡±

    <em>Whaaaam!</em>

    Immense energy raged along with a barrage of message windows. Blinding blue light swirled around Si-Hun.

    ***

    ¡°Shall I go see how Si-Hun¡¯s doing?¡±

    Kang-Woo, who purged the stamens from his mind with the help of Han Seol-Ah, headed to the Hall of Protection.

    <em>¡®He should be in the middle of training about now.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was sure that Si-Hun would be isting himself in the training room, training frantically.

    <em>¡®I should cheer him up so that he doesn¡¯t push himself too hard.¡¯</em>

    It was not good to push Si-Hun over the edge; Kang-Woo was working to provide Si-Hun with just the right amount of stimtion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo passed through a Gate to enter the Hall of Protection and headed toward the training room.

    <em>¡®Huh?¡¯</em>

    Just then, he felt a Deific Essence that he had never felt before.

    <em>¡®Has a god manifested?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned aggressively and quickened his steps toward the training room.

    <em>Boom! Crash!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh! <em>Cough!</em>¡±

    There, Kang-Woo saw Tae-Hyun getting pummeled by Si-Hun¡¯s sword shes.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. An unrealistic sight was happening before his very eyes. He couldn¡¯t believe Tae-Hyun and Si-Hun were fighting out of the blue, but the flow of the battle was even more unbelievable. Si-Hun, who had been floored by Tae-Hyun only a week ago, was overpowering Tae-Hyun as if it had never happened.

    <em>¡®Deific Essence. It¡¯s Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun was blocking Si-Hun¡¯s attacks with his foresight ability but was unable to block thempletely. The only way this could be possible was if both of them possessed Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®Si-Hun finally awakened Deific Essence!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth was left agape. It had only been a day since he had provided Si-Hun with stimtion. Si-Hun had achieved what Kang-Woo had expected him to take around three months at least, a year at most.

    <em>¡®I knew it was the right choice to stick with the Si-Hun Coin!¡¯</em>

    This was likely how an investor felt when their stock price rose tripled in just one day that they bought it.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not over yet.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun was getting stronger with each passing moment now that he acquired Deific Essence, proven by the blue energy wrapping him getting thicker. Kang-Woo clenched his fists.

    <em>¡®Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!!¡¯</em>

    To the moooooooooooon!!!!

 Chapter 461: Surpassing the Wall (3)

    Chapter 461: Surpassing the Wall (3)

    <em>ng! ng!</em>

    A sword enveloped in blue light ripped space apart. Kim Tae-Hyun barely blocked the sword with his dagger but was blown back from the impact.

    ¡°Haaa.¡± Kim Si-Hun momentarily stopped attacking and took a deep breath in.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m vanishing.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun felt like he was melting away into thin air like ice cream on a hot summer day. The feeling of his sword in his hand as well as the sensation of swinging his arm and stomping his feet felt different from usual. It was like he was controlling a game avatar; it felt like his soul had left his body and was controlling his body from above. His body felt nonexistent, leaving him with only his consciousness.

    <em>ng!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    There was no point in using martial arts. As soon as he thought of attacking, the Qi around him responded to his will. His Qi which had been depleted before was overflowing; it was like the ocean was his energy source.

    <em>¡®This must be¡­ Deific Essence.¡¯</em>It was the absolute power that separated gods from mortals. Si-Hun trembled from the power filling him to the brim. However, he did not know that this power was not given to him because he acquired Deific Essence.

    Deific Essence was merely a byproduct of the power that he had realized. He had reached a realm that beings such as Zeus and Thor, who had been born with Deific Essence, could never reach. The overpowering majesty of one who acquired Deific Essence on their own was pouring out from Si-Hun.

    <em>ng¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± Tae-Hyun panted heavily.

    <em>¡®How?¡¯</em>

    The situation changed from the moment that blue energy burst from Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®I can see the future, so how am I getting pushed back this hard?¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun aggressively bit his lip. He gripped the dagger that he was holding in a reverse grip harder and activated Foresight to its limit.

    <em>¡®I can see it.¡¯</em>

    He could see every single one of Si-Hun¡¯s movements as well as how and where he would attack.

    <em>Wham!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    However, knowing the future was not enough to deal with Si-Hun¡¯s attacks. The moment that Tae-Hyun blocked with his dagger, the massive impact destroyed his stance.

    ¡°Why, why, why?!¡± Tae-Hyun shouted as if he couldn¡¯t understand.

    Although Si-Hun had powered up in the moment of crisis, it did not change the fact that Tae-Hyun had the upper hand. Tae-Hyun himself did not know it but his Deific Essence was not normal. It was that of the Titans, power that not even those who had acquired Deific Essence on their own could ever possess. Tae-Hyun was objectively faster and stronger than Si-Hun, and he even possessed the ability to look into the future.

    <em>¡®But I can¡¯t block his attacks.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun panted heavily as he frantically swung his dagger. There was a fundamental difference in skill between Tae-Hyun and Si-Hun. No matter how strong the power that Tae-Hyun possessed was, he was unable to use it to its full potential because hecked the skill to.

    <em>¡®At this rate¡­¡¯</em> Tae-Hyun¡¯s expression was dyed with anxiety. <em>¡®Again¡­¡¯</em>

    He recalled the day that he awakened as a yer and excitedly went to the yer Registration Office. He recalled the gazes of disdain and the voices filled with pity, telling him that he wouldn¡¯t amount to anything and that he should give up.

    <em>¡®Kang-Woo hyung.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun clenched his dagger almost to the point that it could break. Kang-Woo was the one who relighted his dream that he was about to give up; Kang-Woo was his idol as well as his messiah.

    <em>¡®I¡­¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s dagger was blown away from his hand and he tumbled backward.

    ¡°Fuuu.¡±

    Si-Hun caught his breath as he stared at Tae-Hyun copsed on the ground. His body was screaming at him that he had not yet managed to fully realize his enlightenment, but he couldn¡¯t attack someone on the ground.

    ¡°Let¡¯s end the d¡ª¡±

    As Si-Hun was about to end the duel, Tae-Hyun stood back up as he staggered.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s ne began to burn brightly.

    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening¡­?¡± Tae-Hyun, who did not seem to know what was going on either, grabbed his ne in perplexity.

    <em>Crackle.</em>

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    The scenery changed.

    <em>¡®What is this?¡¯</em>

    The world was filled with gray static as if Tae-Hyun were staring at a broken TV monitor. He saw ruins of destroyed buildings. The sky was burning red and thend was distorted.

    There were countless corpses around him. A thousand? Ten thousand? No, there was an entire mountain¡¯s worth of corpses. It was as if he were looking at a sea of corpses.

    <em>¡®A-Aaaahh.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s expression turned pale. A chilling sense of fear took over him. There was someone atop the sea of corpses.

    <em>¡®Who¡¯s¡­ there?¡¯</em>

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!!</em>

    The gray static filled Tae-Hyun¡¯s vision again.

    ¡°<em>Gasp!</em>¡± Tae-Hyun gasped for breath, still grabbing the ne.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The light pouring out from the Eye of Nostrian entered his body before he could even think about what he had just seen.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Strengthening the effect of the ¡®Eye of Nostrian.¡¯]

    [Strengthening the ability of ¡®Foresight.¡¯]

    Blue message windows popped up at the same time that blood vessels bulged around Tae-Hyun¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°H-Haha.¡±

    Great power filled him to the point that Tae-Hyun forgot about what he had just seen. He leaped toward Si-Hun as he reveled in the overwhelming power.

    ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± Si-Hun grunted.

    Just like how Si-Hun awakened Deific Essence during their battle, Tae-Hyun also powered up all of a sudden. Tae-Hyun, who had been on the defensive this entire time, went on the offensive.

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    The problem was that every single one of his attacks was dangerous. It felt as if Tae-Hyun had aplete understanding of Si-Hun¡¯s movements.

    <em>¡®Five seconds? Seven? No¡­¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun seemed to be predicting Si-Hun¡¯s movements up to at least ten seconds forward in time.

    ¡°Fuuu, fuuu,¡± Si-Hun exhaled heavily.

    He gripped his blue sword tightly and closed his eyes.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no need to be flustered.¡¯</em>

    Whether or not Tae-Hyun could see five or ten seconds into the future, it did not change what Si-Hun needed to do. Si-Hun slowly opened his eyes again and dragged into him as much of the infinite Qi around him as possible.

    <em>¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if he can see the future.¡¯</em>

    He would attack Tae-Hyun with something that he wouldn¡¯t be able to block even if he knew that it wasing.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    The entire training room shook. The blue light around Si-Hun grewrger. Si-Hun trembled in ecstasy. His enlightenment was melting into his sword at an extraordinary rate.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Raising the stage of Mind¡¯s Sword!]

    [Promoting yer Kim Si-Hun¡¯s Deific Essence rank from Upper Intermediate to High!]

    Si-Hun possessed a deep understanding of martial arts. He had reached a realm that could not be reached by those who were born with Deific Essence. And now, he had an opponent whom he could unleash his martial arts understanding against. These three things were elerating his growth at an exponential rate.

    ***

    <em>¡®Jesus Christ¡­ His growth is as uncontroble as an eight-tonne truck with its brakes broken.¡¯</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo was watching the duel between Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun with his mouth agape. Tae-Hyun also grew stronger during the duel, but that was ultimately thanks to his item; he could not bepared to Si-Hun, who managed to grow by surpassing his limits.

    <em>¡®Yes! That¡¯s it!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists as he watched Si-Hun¡¯s explosive growth and closed his eyes.

    <em>¡®I knew I was right.¡¯</em>

    It was the right decision to bet on the Si-Hun Coin than the risky Tae-Hyun Coin.

    <em>¡®There have been tons of tropes where protagonists get stronger by pure lucktely, but they can¡¯t hold a candle to a traditional protagonist.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no idea who gave Tae-Hyun that absurd power, but in the end, the power was not Tae-Hyun¡¯s. Just like how someone who got rich overnight from winning the lottery couldn¡¯tpare to someone with a sessful business, Tae-Hyun could never surpass Si-Hun.

    <em>Bang! Rumble¡ª! Boom!!</em>

    The training room was falling apart¡ª No, it would have already been obliterated if Kang-Woo hadn¡¯t set up a protective barrier of demonic energy in the middle of the battle.

    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kang-Woo groaned as he watched the battle that was getting more violent.

    <em>¡®They¡¯re starting to get a bit too aggressive.¡¯</em>

    Both Si-Hun who was going past his limits and Tae-Hyun who was enveloped in the light pouring out of the ne were exuding bloodlust as if they were trying to kill each other.

    <em>¡®And Si-Hun¡¯s body looks like it has reached its limit.¡¯</em>

    Although Si-Hun had surpassed the wall blocking his growth, it did not mean that he had fully recovered his health like a game character after leveling up. Si-Hun¡¯s body was at its limit¡ª no, it had passed its limit and was falling apart little by little.

    <em>¡®This is enough.¡¯</em>

    It was dangerous to let the battle go on any longer. In the worst-case scenario, he could lose both Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun.

    <em>¡®I should step in.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had already decided on his lines to say to Si-Hun, so all that remained was to barge into the training room and stop their battle. Kang-Woo waited for the right time.

    ¡°<em>Cough, cough!</em>¡±

    Just then, Si-Hun put his hand over his mouth and began to cough up blood.

    His body was unable to handle the excessive load and was falling apart.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Kang-Woo cursed as he was waiting for the right time.

    It was not the time to wait; Si-Hun¡¯s body was in far worse condition than Kang-Woo had expected.

    <em>m!</em>

    ¡°Si-Hun!!¡± Kang-Woo mmed open the training room door and ran to Si-Hun.

    ¡°Hyung¡­ nim?¡±

    Si-Hun¡¯s eyes widened as he watched Kang-Woo who suddenly appeared. Kang-Woo embraced Si-Hun as he copsed. He could feel the abundant Divinity within Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®This is¡­¡¯</em>

    It was at least High-rank Deific Essence; not just that, it was one that Si-Hun acquired himself!

    <em>¡®Hell fucking yeah!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo knew that Si-Hun had awakened Deific Essence, but he had never expected for its rank to be so high from the start. Kang-Woo shed tears as he held Si-Hun.

    ¡°The Si-Hun Coin has gone through the roof!!¡±

    <em>¡®Who gives a shit about Deific Essence?!¡¯</em>

    ¡°Pardon?¡± Si-Hun asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Error! Error!

    ¡°Wh-Who gives a shit about Deific Essence?!¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ Hyung-nim?¡±

    ¡°Why are you trying to get stronger to the point that you¡¯re destroying yourself like this?!¡±

    ¡°Hyung.¡±

    ¡°Si-Hun¡­¡± Tears trickled down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks and fell on Si-Hun¡¯s face. ¡°Even without that¡­ you¡¯re my precious little brother¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s tears did not stop as he held Si-Hun in his arms.

 Chapter 462: How Would You Like To Receive The Blessing Of Light?

    Chapter 462: How Would You Like To Receive The Blessing Of Light?

    <em>¡®Am I fucked?¡¯</em>

    The cold sweat covering Oh Kang-Wo¡¯s back was drenching his clothes. He had gotten way too excited because Kim Si-Hun¡¯s Deific Essence reached a rank far higher than he expected. Kang-Woo made a terrible blunder in a situation where the heart was crucial. Kang-Woo stared at Si-Hun anxiously.

    ¡°H-Hyung¡­¡± Si-Hun was looking up at Kang-Woo in confusion. His eyes were hazy as if he were half asleep. ¡°Wh-Why are you here¡­?¡±

    He was stuttering as if he could barely talk or listen, likely due to being in critical condition.

    <em>¡®Fucking safe. No, I shouldn¡¯t be happy.¡¯</em>

    It meant that Si-Hun¡¯s condition was so bad that he could barely hear anything. Kang-Woo bit open his finger without hesitation and let his blood flow into Si-Hun¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    Si-Hun¡¯s paleplexion returned to its normal color. Si-Hun bit his lip as he panted heavily.

    ¡°Si-Hun.¡±Si-Hun remained silent as Kang-Woo called him.

    Kang-Woo made a fist and said in a trembling tone, ¡°What the hell were you doing until you ended up like this?¡±

    ¡°W-Well¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare bullshit me that it was a duel. Anyone could see that it wasn¡¯t.¡±

    Si-Hun flinched. It had initially been a duel, but both Si-Hun and Kim Tae-Hyun had lost their sense of reason the more it went on and turned into a deathmatch. No organization was fond of internal conflicts; the duel between him and Tae-Hyun crossed the line.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Si-Hun lowered his head in dejection.

    Kang-Woo bit his lip aggressively and looked down at Si-Hun in rage. ¡°Was it¡­ because of Deific Essence?

    ¡°Did you push yourself until you almost died¡­ for something as meaningless as Deific Essence?¡±

    Si-Hun turned away from Kang-Woo¡¯s rage-filled gaze and answered, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not meaningless.

    ¡°Without Deific Essence¡­ I can¡¯t help you in any way, hyung-nim. I can¡¯t¡­ lessen the weight on your shoulders.¡±

    Beings with Deific Essence were able to do as they liked after being freed from the Law of Titans. Gods of Earth as well as outer gods would begin to covet Earth. Having no Deific Essence in a situation like this was practically the same as leaving everything to Kang-Woo.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Si-Hun bit his lip and continued, ¡°Want to stay¡­ as your little brother.¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. He had never imagined that Si-Hun would be thinking this way. He looked at Si-Hun in sorrow.

    ¡°Have I¡­ ever said that you won¡¯t be my little brother anymore if you don¡¯t have Deific Essence?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Did I ever say that I don¡¯t need you if you¡¯re useless to me?¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­!¡±

    ¡°Si-Hun,¡± Kang-Woo interjected. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a family. I¡¯ve never seen my parents and I¡¯ve always been alone since I was born.¡±

    Si-Hun knew this already.

    ¡°You¡¯re the first family that I ever had,¡± Kang-Woo said.

    Si-Hun¡¯s eyes widened. The word <em>family </em>impacted him greatly. Family was always associated with despair for Si-Hun as well as a nightmare that gued his life¡ª until he met Kang-Woo, that was.

    ¡°Who gives a shit about Deific Essence? What does it matter whether you¡¯re of help or not?¡± Kang-Woo hugged Si-Hun tighter. He continued with a subtly trembling voice, ¡°Even without that¡­¡±

    Even without Deific Essence, even if Si-Hun would no longer be of help in battle¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ my one and only little brother.¡±

    Si-Hun teared up. ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­ No, hyung.¡±

    Hearing that he was Kang-Woo¡¯s one and only little brother touched him deeply.

    ¡°Get some rest.¡±

    Kang-Woo covered Si-Hun¡¯s eyes. Si-Hun fell asleep like a puppet with its strings detached, likely because his fatigue had reached its limit.

    Silence fell in the training room. Kang-Woo slowly turned to look at Tae-Hyun, who was crouching with his hands on his eyes with blood vessels bulging around it. The physical burden seemed to have been great from using Foresight past its limit.

    ¡°Tae-Hyun,¡± Kang-Woo called him formally.[1]

    Tae-Hyun, who was covering his eyes, looked up in confusion. ¡°H-Hyung.¡±

    ¡°Why did you fight Si-Hun to the point that he ended up like that?¡±

    Tae-Hyun remained silent, unable to make any excuses. He had taunted Si-Hun to fight, knowing that Si-Hun had just finished his training. He averted his gaze from Kang-Woo and slurred, ¡°W-Well¡­¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, you treated Si-Hun aggressively from the beginning.¡±

    ¡°H-Hyung.¡±

    ¡°Please do not call me hyung,¡± Kang-Woo replied fiercely. Tae-Hyun flinched in pallor. ¡°There is no reason for me to be called hyung by someone who hurts my family.¡±

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo hyung.¡±

    Tae-Hyun reached out for Kang-Woo with a stiff expression. Kang-Woo coldly pped his hand away.

    Tae-Hyun kneeled in pallor and lowered his head. He shouted, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m¡­ so sorry.¡±

    Tae-Hyun shed tears as his shoulders trembled. ¡°I was¡­ jealous.¡±

    He had been jealous of Si-Hun, who had everything that he desired but couldn¡¯t have.

    Silence fell again. Tae-Hyun stood back up and bowed to Kang-Woo. He took out a token in the shape of a shield from his pocket and handed it to Kang-Woo.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I will never¡­ show myself to Guardians again.¡±

    Tae-Hyun expected that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stay in Guardians after pulling something like this. He bowed once again and turned around.

    Kang-Woo stared at Tae-Hyun¡¯s back in silence. ¡°Fuuu.¡±

    He sighed and grabbed Tae-Hyun¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Tae-Hyun.¡±[2]

    ¡°H-Hyung?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better apologize to Si-Hunter, got it?¡±

    ¡°O-Okay! I got it!¡± Tae-Hyun quickly nodded with an expression much brighter than before.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and lightly flicked Tae-Hyun¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Ouch.¡±

    ¡°You look like you pushed yourself a bit too far as well, so get some rest. I¡¯ll set a time and ce for you to talk things through with Si-Hunter.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Okay, hyung.¡± Tae-Hyun giggled as he gripped his forehead.

    Once Tae-Hyun left, Kang-Woo lifted Si-Hun.

    The corners of his mouth rose and he licked his lips with his long tongue.

    <em>¡®With this, Si-Hun has awakened Deific Essence and Tae-Hyun can no longer defy me. Tae-Hyun¡¯s ability seems to have gotten stronger as well.¡¯</em>

    Possibly due to it having been a sh between protagonists, the two of them powered up one after the other when it would have been difficult for a regr yer to do so.

    ¡°Pfft. Bwehehehehe!!¡±

    A vulgarughter echoed within the training room.

    ***

    Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun were unable to avoid incapacitation after their aggressive bout. Since the duel had been closer to a death match, their wounds were naturally very deep.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Kang-Woo cursed as he entered his room.

    He copsed on his bed in exhaustion. He had no choice but to fill the vacancies that Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun while they were recuperating. Resolving the abnormal Gate phenomena that were urring one after the other was draining Kang-Woo mentally.

    ¡°I¡¯m so goddamn tired.¡±

    Kang-Woo sighed deeply. He already had a mountain load of things to do even without resolving Gate issues.

    <em>¡®I have to deal with the Church of Splendor too.¡¯</em>

    He had heard from Lilith that the Church of Splendor¡¯s influence was spreading at incredible speed on Earth as well due to the active interactions between Earth and Aernor.

    The reason was obvious. With Earth¡¯s protection gone, monsters from all over the world began to run wild, and several abnormal Gate phenomena were being spotted per day. Not only were new Gates being formed, but new monsters never seen before were also appearing from them.

    Kang-Woo had expected this to happen now that the dangers of otherworldly invasions were looming over them, but this was more than he had expected. The victim count was growingrger despite the entire force of Guardians doing their best to eliminate the monsters. When the world was in such a crisis, there was no way that the Church of Splendor wouldn¡¯t grow when simply putting one¡¯s faith in the God of Splendor would give them power.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t leave an opportunity as good as this unused.¡¯</em>

    If the Church of Splendor sessfully took off on Earth, Kang-Woo would gain hundreds of millions of devotees. He needed to seize the opportunity since he was able to convert faith to Divinity, but he had no leeway to pay it any attention due to Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun¡¯s incapacitation.

    ¡°I need someone with Deific Essence.¡±

    He would have liked to borrow the power of the gods, but they did not have the leeway to help him because they were busy enough to keep the chaotic divine realm under control.

    <em>¡®What should I do?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed a way to control the growing Church of Splendor and make an ally with Deific Essence at the same time.

    ¡°I guess this is the only way.¡±

    <em>¡®I need to make an incarnation.¡¯</em>

    He needed someone who would control the Church of Splendor in his ce.

    ¡°Mm¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo fell into thought with his arms crossed. If he made an incarnation, he could let them borrow a portion of his Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®But the problem is that it would be far less powerful than if they acquire Deific Essence on their own.¡¯</em>

    Han Seol-Ah and La were not very powerful despite possessing Deific Essence because their Deific Essence was borrowed.

    <em>¡®But it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯</em>

    The difference between having Deific Essence and not having it was far too great. Not only that but those who acquired Deific Essence by themselves could be counted with two hands even afterbing through the history of the entire world. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t afford to wait for such a rarity to happen.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s a limit to hodling</em>[3]<em>.¡¯</em>

    Even Si-Hun only managed to awaken Deific Essence a few days ago. It was far too inefficient to wait for his otherrades to awaken it.

    <em>¡®Who should I choose?¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah and La were out of the question since they already possessed Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®Balrog?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought of his subordinate whom he had spent a millennium fighting together with.

    He shook his head after much thought.

    <em>¡®Balrog has the possibility of awakening Deific Essence on his own.¡¯</em>

    Balrog had surpassed a demon¡¯s innate limits and acquired a new power known as Overlord Armor. If he earned Deific Essence without any cost, his growth would stop then and there like Kang-Woo had feared would happen with Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®I need to choose someone with absolutely no possibility of awakening Deific Essence on their own.¡¯</em>

    It sounded cruel but no matter how hard one worked, only a select few were able to surpass their limits.

    ¡°Then who should I¡ª¡±

    <em>ck.</em>

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s rare to see you in your room.¡± A red-haired woman entered his room. ¡°Hey, about the monster that appeared in Yeongdeungpo¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeon-Joo.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed Cha Yeon-Joo by the shoulders and stared at her sincerely.

    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s up with you?¡±

    Yeon-Joo backed away with red cheeks.

    Kang-Woo continued in a low tone, ¡°How would you like to receive the blessing of light?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What the fuck are you talking about?¡±

    1. This can¡¯t really be reflected in English but just know that Kang-Woo started to talk to Tae-Hyun as if they were strangers. ?

    2. Kang-Woo is back to using casual speech. ?

    3. HODL is a crypto term (hold on for dear life) that refers to the strategy of not selling your assets even amid extreme price changes in the market. ?

 Chapter 463: Soulmate

    Chapter 463: Soulmate

    ¡°You want me to be your incarnation?¡± asked Cha Yeon-Joo as she snorted after hearing a quick exnation from Oh Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    He had thought about Echidna, Halcyon, and others as candidates as well, but there was no one better than Yeon-Joo as his incarnation.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s not one to be pushed around by anyone.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s ability to freely control chains allowed her to attack at all ranges.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s unmatched in terms of weapon versatility.¡¯</em>

    There weren¡¯t many people who used weapons as unique as chains, so dealing with them was tricky. She was also capable of wide-area attacks, unlikemon weapons like swords and spears.

    <em>¡®I need someone who can wipe out monsters quickly to stop the abnormal phenomena of Gate monsters.¡¯</em>

    If the power of Divinity was added to the chains made with Behemoth¡¯s horn that contained the power of Deicide, the ability to kill gods, regr monsters would be torn apart like pieces of paper. But of course, Yeoon-Joo also had her ws.<em>¡®She¡¯s weak in one-on-one battles.¡¯</em>

    Although Yeon-Joo was very strong, chains in and of itself were a disadvantageous weapon against one opponent. It allowed her to perform wide-area attacks but the power contained in each chain was weak. It was effective against those who couldn¡¯t properly deal with attacks that came at them from all sides, but it was useless against those at the level of Kim Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®But that doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not expect her to go on death matches against powerful individual opponents.

    <em>¡®I just need her to wipe out the swarm of monsters.¡¯</em>

    It sounded cruel but Kang-Woo could not expect anything more from her. No matter how hard she tried, she would never rise to be on the same level as Si-Hun.

    ¡°What changes if I be your incarnation?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°You can borrow my Deific Essence.¡±

    ¡°Your Deific Essence?¡±

    Kang-Woo lightly nodded. Unlike apostles who could only be granted buffs and blessings by using a certain amount of Divinity, incarnations were able to be given a portion of the god¡¯s Deific Essence. In other words, they were able to use Deific Essence at no cost to them.

    ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± asked Yeon-Joo anxiously.

    She did not know much about incarnations, so she seemed to be thinking that it came at a cost.

    <em>¡®Well, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no cost whatsoever.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked and answered, ¡°You¡¯ll be my soulmate from now on.¡±

    Once Yeon-Joo became Kang-Woo¡¯s incarnation, they would be directly affected by each other¡¯s conditions. For example, Gaia¡¯s severe injury led La, Gaia¡¯s incarnation, to lose her eyesight and function in her legs. The incarnation getting critically injured or dying also affected the god, to the point that those with low-rank Deific Essence were either demoted in rank or annihted.

    <em>¡®Well, simply speaking, if I die, she dies too.¡¯</em>

    Soulmate was the perfect term to describe their rtionship.

    ¡°Wh-What?¡± Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened with her mouth agape.

    Her face reddened to the point that it could explode. She kicked Kang-Woo in the groin.

    ng!

    ¡°Argh!¡± Yeon-Joo screamed.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s Deific Essence barrier automatically activated and blew Yeon-Joo¡¯s leg back with a metallic sound.

    ¡°You fucking¡­¡± Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo as she grabbed her ankle.

    Kang-Woo shrugged and continued, ¡°This is why you need Deific Essence.¡±

    Yeon-Joo bit her lip and turned her head away from him. She stuttered, ¡°S-So the catch is¡­ I have to be your s-soulmate?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo nodded without hesitation.

    The rtionship between a god and their incarnation was like the one between a demon and their Familiar. A master-servant rtionship was more urate than referring to it as a soulmate, but Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t tell Yeon-Joo to be his servant.

    ¡°Y-You filthy bastard!¡± Yeon-Joo clenched her fists and trembled. ¡°I knew you were scum, but¡­ I-I never thought you would do something like this¡­¡±

    She crossed her arms to cover her breasts and crouched as she red at Kang-Woo with rage. Kang-Woo was confused by her reaction.

    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±

    <em>¡®What are you talking about?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Y-You son of a bitch! Motherfucker!¡±

    <em>¡®What the fuck did I do so wrong? I told you that I¡¯ll make you my incarnation! You¡¯ll get Deific Essence for free!¡¯</em>

    ¡°Y-You fucking pervert! S-Seol-Ah and Lilith weren¡¯t enough for you? Y-You¡¯re even aiming for me¡­!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    <em>¡®What the fuck have you been saying since earlier?¡¯</em>

    ¡°H-Hmph! I knew this would happen from the beginning!¡±

    <em>¡®Know fucking what?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Y-You scumbag!!¡±

    Yeon-Joo took off her jacket and threw it at Kang-Woo, who let himself be hit by it in the face and caught it as it fell. He was even more perplexed than before.

    <em>¡®What in the world is up with her? Does she hate being an incarnation that badly?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Fuuu, fuuu,¡± Yeon-Joo took deep breaths with her hand on her chest. She gulped and said, ¡°... Fine.¡±

    She nodded in silence and shut her eyes tightly. She then began to lift her T-shirt little by little.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    <em>¡®Why is she taking off her clothes all of a sudden?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Yeon-Joo in confusion.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    He managed to figure out what she was misunderstanding soon after.

    <em>¡®Fucking hell, what does she take me for?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo feignedughter, being put in a situation that would bemon in the mangas that La would like.

    <em>¡®I guess my use of the term soulmate was the issue.¡¯</em>

    He had not noticed since he did not have that sort of intention in any way whatsoever, but he could understand how it could have caused the misunderstanding after thinking about it.

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­</em> Y-You piece of shit.¡±

    Yeon-Joo lifted her shirt even more as tears flowed down her cheeks. Unlike her words expressing displeasure, her facial expression was filled with anticipation for some reason.

    <em>¡®Mm¡­ When should I stop her?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo knew that he needed to stop Yeon-Joo from going off on her own, but he hesitated for obvious reasons. He stared at Yeon-Joo with deeply sunken eyes and clenched his fists.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s way too entertaining to just¡­ stop her here, isn¡¯t it? Right? I¡¯m not the weird one, right? This is fun, right? I can¡¯t just let it end here, right?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo kept the corners of his mouth lowered with all his might.

    ¡°U-Urgh.¡±

    Yeon-Joo was subtly trembling, not able to lift her shirt any higher than her waist. Kang-Woo stood up and approached her. He slowly ced his hand on Yeon-Joo¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°Hngh!¡± Yeon-Joo flinched. She red at Kang-Woo with teary eyes. ¡°I-I¡¯ll never forget about what you¡¯re going to do to me today.¡±

    She then closed her eyes and protruded her lips.

    <em>¡®A-Aaaahh.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was filled with ecstasy and he trembled in delight as he panted heavily.

    <em>¡®My god, what should I fucking do? This is so goddamn fun.¡¯</em>

    He knew that he needed to stop, but his body refused his mind and moved on its own. Kang-Woo smiled, slowly moved his hand on her cheek to her nape, and tilted his head.

    ¡°H-Hurghhh.¡± Yeon-Joo trembled with her eyes closed.

    Kang-Woo brought his mouth close to her ear and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make you a memory¡­ that you¡¯ll never forget even if you want to.¡±

    Kang-Woo could hear Yeon-Joo¡¯s teeth cking from inside her mouth. She wept sorrowfully with her eyes closed.

    ¡°You idiot. Wh-Why would you¡­ so forcefully¡­¡± Tears flowed down her cheeks one drop after another. She mumbled, ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do this¡­ As long as you properly confessed, I would have¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at the crying Yeon-Joo andmanded in a low tone, ¡°Lay on the bed.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I will nowmence the incarnation ritual.¡±

    ¡°R-Ritual, my ass¡­ You scumbag.¡±

    Yeon-Joo was about to take off her shirt but Kang-Woo pulled her arms down and shook his head.

    ¡°What? You want to take them off yourself, is that it?¡± Yeon-Joo stared daggers at Kang-Woo. She snorted as if the situation was trivial and sat on the bed. ¡°Hmph, you¡¯ve sure grown, my little Kang-Woo~ Hm? The ten millennia virgin has be a bona-fide yer, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    Yeon-Joo was acting leisurely but her limbs were undoubtedly shaking. Kang-Woo approached Yeon-Joo in silence.

    ¡°Wh-What?¡± Yeon-Joo gulped as she looked up at him.

    Kang-Woo pushed Yeon-Joo down onto the bed by her shoulders.

    ¡°Kyaah!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Wh-What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±

    ¡°Now¡­ Swear that you¡¯ll offer your body to the great God of Splendor.¡±

    ¡°Wh-What did you say?¡± Yeon-Joo looked up at Kang-Woo in shock. ¡°Y-You¡¯ve got some crazy fetishes¡­¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t say it, I can¡¯t make you my incarnation.¡±

    ¡°Ngh! Th-That¡¯s enough of your bullshit!¡± Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo in rage but sighed deeply soon after and said hesitantly, ¡°I-I offer my body¡­ to the g-great¡­. God of Splendor.¡±

    ¡°Louder.¡±

    ¡°I-I offer my body!¡±

    ¡°Louder!!¡±

    ¡°I OFFER MY BODY!! TO THE GREAT!! GOD OF SPLENDOOOOOOOOR!!!¡±

    ¡°Good!¡±

    Kang-Woo snapped his finger and nodded. Yeon-Joo looked at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly because of the nonsensical situation.

    Kang-Woo snickered and continued, ¡°Now then, call me <em>oppa </em>with a cute voice.¡±

    ¡°O-Oppa.¡±

    ¡°Cuter!¡±

    ¡°O-Oppa~!¡±

    ¡°Pfft! Bwehehehehehe!!!¡±

    Unable to hold back hisughter, Kang-Woo rolled on the ground with his hands on his stomach.

    Yeon-Joo looked down in disdain at Kang-Woo rolling on the ground. She had an uneasy feeling from when Kang-Woo was saying things about the great God of Splendor.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    ¡°Bwehehehehe!!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking tell me, you¡­¡±

    ¡°Ahahaha!! Kehehehe.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not, right? It¡¯s fucking not, right? You tried to get with me by using Deific Essence as bait, right? Right? You weren¡¯t fucking with me, right?¡±

    ¡°Kehe, kehehehe, <em>As long as you properly confessed, I would have¡­</em> Pfft! What? You want me to confess?¡± Kang-Woo turned to Yeon-Joo and smiled brightly. ¡°Yeah, I was fucking with you.¡±

    <em>Kahaha.</em>

    <em>¡®Ahh. It¡¯s so fun. It¡¯s the most fun I¡¯ve ever had!¡¯</em>

 Chapter 464: I Wonder What Color I Should Make The Chains?

    Chapter 464: I Wonder What Color I Should Make The Chains?

    <em>Shatter!! Crunch, boom!</em>

    The windows shattered as things in the room were thrown everywhere.

    ¡°You motherfuckeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!!¡± the lioness with bloodshot eyes roared as she rampaged.

    <em>tter!</em>

    The chains with red thorns on them smacked Kang-Woo.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Due to the chains containing the power of Deicide, Yeon-Joo¡¯s attack prated Kang-Woo¡¯s Deific Essence barrier and tore his clothes despite her not having Deific Essence yet. Kang-Woo bounced all over the room and was smashed into a wall.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± Kang-Woo grunted as the chains smacked him.

    <em>¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have made her that weapon.¡¯</em>The chains made with Behemoth¡¯s horn were getting through Kang-Woo¡¯s Deific Essence barrier and injuring him.

    ¡°Waaahh!! Y-You son of a bitch! Fucking bastard!!!¡± Yeon-Joo swung the chains around as she bawled her eyes out.

    He was capable of blocking her attacks but would feel guilty doing so because of how much she was crying.

    ¡°Hurgh! Waaaaaaaahhh!¡± Yeon-Joo kept crying as if it was the saddest day of her life.

    Kang-Woo scanned her calmly even while being chained and flung around all over the ce.

    <em>¡®Mm. I think I¡¯m fucked. Did I go too far?¡¯</em>

    His prank did not have malicious intentions but things were getting a little too serious; they had long since crossed the line of joking.

    <em>¡®But¡­ I had no choice. What else should I have done in that situation? I¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could swear that anyone would have done the same as him if they were put in that situation.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    ¡°<em>Cough! Cough!</em>¡±

    The chains smacked him right on his chin. Kang-Woo gripped his chin because the blow hurt quite a bit this time.

    ¡°Huff, huff,¡± Yeon-Joo stopped attacking as she panted heavily.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Kang-Woo apologized.

    ¡°Shut up!!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault.¡±

    ¡°I said shut up!! I don¡¯t wanna hear it, motherfucker!!¡± Yeon-Joo screamed with her face zing red. She charged at Kang-Woo as she bared her teeth and raised her chains teary-eyed. ¡°I won¡¯t¡­ forgive you.¡±

    Kang-Woo instinctively flinched as the bloodshot eyes of a lioness were pointed at him.

    <em>tter¡ª!</em>

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s chains moved like snakes and began to strangle Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®Mm.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was left conflicted as he stared at Yeon-Joo chaining him.

    <em>¡®Should I just get out of them by force?¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo had yet to go through the incarnation ritual so she was merely a yer without Deific Essence. It was simple for him to break free from the chains. No, even if she became his incarnation, he would still be able to get out of these chains with ease.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    The chained Kang-Woo looked up at Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff.</em> I-I won¡¯t forgive you,¡± she panted heavily, her expression filled with both humiliation and fury.

    She had gotten on top of the chained Kang-Woo and subtly trembled as she gulped. It seemed like she had no idea what to do now that she had gotten on top of him. The way that she was darting her eyes around was cute. Kang-Woo smiled.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll leave it be for a little longer.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had a feeling that he would see something even more entertaining. He thought that he had enough fun but thought otherwise after seeing Yeon-Joo being indecisive with her face as red as a tomato.

    <em>¡®A little more¡­ Just a little more¡­¡¯</em>

    Desire was the most powerful drug. Kang-Woo looked up at Yeon-Joo in anticipation, staying put as he was chained.

    ¡°I-I won¡¯t forgive you!¡±

    Yeon-Joo bit her lip anxiously, not knowing what to do after Kang-Woo let himself be chained.

    ¡°Is that all you can say?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°N-Ngh!¡±

    A vein bulged from Yeon-Joo¡¯s forehead. She raised her fist as if she was about to punch Kang-Woo in the face.

    Silence fell. ¡°Hurgh, urgh.¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s tears dropped on Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks.

    ¡°You¡­ scumbag.¡±

    She punched Kang-Woo¡¯s chest. They were closer to punches one would throw during a temper tantrum than what one would use to punch someone. Her shoulders were trembling pitifully.

    <em>¡®Mm.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo expressed guilt. <em>¡®I guess I went too far.¡¯</em>

    He felt bad after seeing Yeon-Joo¡¯s tears.

    He grabbed Yeon-Joo¡¯s arm and said sincerely, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Yeon-Joo stopped punching Kang-Woo. She wiped her tears and red at him. ¡°I¡¯ll rip it off if you do this shit again.¡±

    <em>¡®Rip what off?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Haha. I swear I¡¯ll never do it again.¡± Kang-Woo smiled brightly and nodded.

    <em>¡®I should hold off on the teasing for the time being.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but feel bad seeing Yeon-Joo in this state.

    ¡°That aside.¡± Kang-Woo looked down at himself. ¡°Could you let me go now?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Only then did Yeon-Joo realize the position they were in. She was on top of the chained Kang-Woo; it did not look good in any context.

    ¡°Y-You goddamn pervert!¡± Yeon-Joo pped Kang-Woo.

    ¡°What? You¡¯re the one who chained me.¡±

    ¡°Wh-Whatever!¡±

    <em>ck.</em>

    As Yeon-Joo was about to get up in embarrassment, the door opened.

    ¡°Umm¡­ I heard some loud noises. I-Is something going on?¡± Han Seol-Ah entered. ¡°Huh?¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes widened after seeing what was going on. Kang-Woo was on the ground in chains with Yeon-Joo on top of him. Anyone would be shocked to see such a thing.

    ¡°Darling¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo was just as shocked as Seol-Ah was. He could imagine what she was thinking, seeing them in such a position.

    <em>¡®Wait, wait. Aren¡¯t we fucked? What the actual fuck?¡¯</em>

    The endless human desire caused them to repeat the same mistakes. Kang-Woo never expected that his desire to tease Yeon-Joo even more would result in an even worse situation.

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­? What is¡­ going on here?¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes lost their light. Her kind eyes turned as dark as that of a corpse.

    <em>¡®U-Uhhhhhhhhh, wait just a fucking minute. What do I do? Seriously, what the fuck do I do?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mind was in shambles. His thoughts turned as nk as a sheet.

    ¡°S-Seol-Ah!¡± Yeon-Joo shouted.

    ¡°Yeon-Joo. Could you exin to me¡­ what is going on here?¡±

    ¡°U-Umm¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo was also trembling as she stuttered due to the sudden appearance of Seol-Ah. If this were an anime, her eyes would be spinning.

    After much thought, Yeon-Joo pointed at Kang-Woo and shouted, ¡°I-It was Kang-Woo¡¯s idea!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    <em>¡®What the fuck, bitch?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Kang-Woo said that he was interested in bondage! I was only helping him out!¡±

    <em>¡®What the fuck is with that bullshit, woman? You could¡¯vee up with a better excuse. No way that would work.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Kang-Woo is¡­ interested in bondage?¡±

    <em>¡®Huh?¡¯</em>

    ¡°I-Is that true?¡± Seol-Ah asked.

    ¡°Y-Yeah! I was just letting him experience it because he was saying that he wanted to try it out with you next time!¡± Yeon-Joo imed.

    ¡°O-Oh my.¡±

    <em>¡®The fuck? Why is this working?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­ If it was something like that, you could¡¯ve just asked me¡­¡± Seol-Ah twisted around with her face reddened.

    <em>¡®Darling¡­ Did you hurt your head? Why are you being convinced by such an obvious lie?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah dumbfoundedly. He found the answer as he watched Seol-Ah imagining something with the corners of her mouth raised.

    <em>¡®Her desire must¡¯ve taken over her.¡¯</em>

    People often talked about men thinking with their groin when they were turned on, and that was exactly how Seol-Ah was acting right now. Her desire for bondage was farrger than the fact that Yeon-Joo and Kang-Woo were in a sexual position. No, it might have been because the one on top of Kang-Woo was Yeon-Joo.

    Seol-Ah¡¯s mad obsession was not something that couldn¡¯t distinguish between friend and foe. The key factor of her madness was her separation from Kang-Woo; the madness that she showed stemmed from her extreme fear of someone else taking Kang-Woo away from her forever. In the case of Lilith and Yeon-Joo, she trusted that Kang-Woo would not be taken from her even if Lilith or Yeon-Joo were to sleep with Kang-Woo. In other words, Lilith and Yeon-Joo were within the levels of Seol-Ah¡¯s approval.

    <em>¡®Right? Am I right? You¡¯re not gonna say some shit about cutting me equally between the three of you, right?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah in desperation. He easily broke free from the chains and grabbed both of Seol-Ah¡¯s hands.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got it all wrong, Darling. What¡¯s really happening is¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kang-Woo.¡±

    <em>¡®What¡¯s okay?¡¯</em>

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide it.¡±

    <em>¡®I never hid anything.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Whatever it is¡­ I¡¯m ready to ept anything about you.¡±

    <em>¡®You¡¯re acting like this because you wanna do it, aren¡¯t you?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Seol-Ah giggled and kissed Kang-Woo. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll go finish making our meal.¡±

    She turned around as she hummed.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Seol-Ah then turned back around as if she had remembered something. ¡°Yeon-Joo.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah?¡±

    Seol-Ah slowly approached Yeon-Joo and embraced her.

    She brought her mouth close to Yeon-Joo¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ stick too close to him, okay?¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s face turned pale. Seol-Ah giggled with her mouth covering her mouth and turned around again.

    ¡°Well then, pleasee to the dining room in about thirty minutes,¡± Seol-Ah said as she hummed and headed to the door.

    ¡°Wait, Darl¡ª¡±

    ¡°I wonder what color I should make the chains?¡± Seol-Ah mumbled.

    <em>m.</em>

    The door closed. Kang-Woo¡¯s arm that was reaching out for the door was frozen.

    Kang-Woo and Yeon-Joo exchanged nces.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ Mm,¡± Yeon-Joo stammered. ¡°So, how do I be an incarnation?¡±

    She changed the subject.

    Kang-Woo lowered his head as he grabbed his hair.

    <em>¡®Fuck.¡¯</em>

    He was fucked.

 Chapter 465: Whatâ€™s This About?

    Chapter 465: What¡¯s This About?

    ¡°... Umm, hello?

    ¡°Earth to Mr. Oh Kang-Woo?

    ¡°Hey, Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Oh Kang-Woo!¡± Cha Yeon-Joo smacked Kang-Woo on the back of the head. ¡°Ack!¡±

    Yeon-Joo yelled in pain as her hand rebounded due to the Deific Essence barrier.

    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, what a stupidly broken power.¡±

    She saw again how amazing Deific Essence was. She would be lying if she said that she was not interested in the Deific Essence that she would get after bing an incarnation.

    <em>¡®Since I¡¯m¡­ pretty much useless right now.¡¯</em>

    She did not ck off on her training, but she knew that she would never reach Kim Si-Hun or Balrog¡¯s level no matter how hard she worked. She was frustrated and angry, but the wall known as talent was so unsurpassable that she couldn¡¯t even approach it.<em>¡®I never thought the day woulde that I had a problem like this.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo chuckled. Among regr yers, she was a prodigy who had awakened an S-rank Trait in her First Awakening. Just like how she was feeling the insurmountable gap between herself and Si-Hun, other yers also likely felt the same with her.

    <em>¡®I was merely a frog in the well.¡¯</em>

    She was forced to realize how meager her talent had been when she looked at the truly powerful like Kang-Woo and Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®But I know that they didn¡¯t earn their strength just because of talent.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun trained to absurd levels every single day, and Kang-Woo had struggled to survive for ten millennia. Saying that they became that strong only because they were talented was a mockery to them.

    <em>¡®But if I can acquire Deific Essence¡­¡¯</em>

    If she was able to get even a few steps closer to them, she had a feeling that she would be freed at least a little from the powerlessness weighing her down.

    <em>¡®And¡­¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo coughed as she sneaked a peek at Kang-Woo, who had not yet managed to recover from the shock earlier, clenching his head. He couldn¡¯t look any more unreliable, but she did not find it all that bad.

    <em>¡®I-If I be his incarnation¡­ will our souls be connected?¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo twisted around as she thought about La and then red at Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®Fucking hell, he could¡¯ve just given it to me straight instead of saying shit like bing soulmates¡­¡¯</em>

    She was boiling with fury just thinking about what had happened earlier.

    ¡®Well, regardless.¡¯

    Her fury quelled soon after and was reced with happiness.

    <em>¡®If I be his incarnation¡­ I guess we¡¯ll be able to spend some more time together.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo was getting hot as all sorts of thoughts popped up in her head. The corners of her mouth had no intention ofing down.

    ¡°F-Fuck!¡±

    The smiling Yeon-Joo stepped back in surprise. She covered her mouth and stared at Kang-Woo wide-eyed.

    <em>¡®I must be fucking crazy! Why am I so happy about being able to spend more time with that sly, perverted virgin?! You¡¯re better than that, Cha Yeon-Joo. Did you forget what he did to you just now?¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo reprimanded her body for acting differently from how she was feeling.

    ¡°Fuuu, fuuu,¡± she took deep breaths to calm herself down. She hugged herself and crouched.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    He seemed to have regained his senses after Yeon-Joo cursed loudly; he was looking down at Yeon-Joo perplexedly.

    Veins bulged from Yeon-Joo¡¯s forehead. ¡°I should be asking you that question.¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    He couldn¡¯t say anything in retort since he had just been in panic mode as he clenched his hair.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll¡­ think about Darlingter.¡¯</em>

    He got chills from seeing Han Seol-Ah wondering what color she should make the chains, but nothing would be resolved no matter how much he tried to exin to her what actually happened.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll have to wait until Darling¡¯s desire dies down a little.¡¯</em>

    The crisis might escte if he were to do anything before that.

    ¡°Haaa. Let¡¯s get back to the main topic.¡± Kang-Woo sighed and turned to Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°How do I be your incarnation?¡± asked Yeon-Joo as she pouted. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you say that shit about rituals or whatever.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Kang-Woo softlyughed, reminded of what happened earlier. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to do anything. Just ept my power without resistance.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°You might lose consciousness as your body turns into that of an incarnation, but¡­ you won¡¯t be out ofmission for over a month like it had been for Iris.¡±

    Iris had taken a long time to be an incarnation because the process had been when the Law of Titans was still active, but now that the restrictions on the gods were gone, it would take nowhere near that amount of time.

    ¡°But why did you choose me as your incarnation? There are tons of people without Deific Essence,¡± Yeon-Joo asked with narrow eyes.

    Kang-Woo momentarily fell into thought about whether or not to tell her the truth.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s a bit harsh tell tell her that it was because you¡¯ll never acquire Deific Essence on your own.¡¯</em>

    To be honest, that was not the only reason; there were plenty of people who had no possibility of acquiring Deific Essence on their own, such as Echidna, Halcyon, Vaal Zahak, and Lilith. However, Kang-Woo had chosen Yeon-Joo for one simple reason.

    ¡°Because I trust you,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not making an incarnation simply to give them Deific Essence.¡±

    ¡°Th-Then what?¡±

    ¡°You know that the Church of Splendor is slowly spreading throughout Earth, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve heard about it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like you to keep them under control.¡±

    Yeon-Joo may not look like it, but she was a born leader. If she wasn¡¯t, she would never have been able to create a massive guild like Red Rose no matter how high her Awakening Traits were.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Lilith be a better fit for that kind of job?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°No. Lilith is extremely capable, but she¡¯s not a leader.¡±

    A leader needed charismatic qualities that allowed others to be naturally drawn to them even without forcing loyalty on them. Loyalty became meaningless the moment it was pressured on someone.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s an innate quality.¡¯</em>

    The charisma of a leader was simr to the Heavenly Martial Body in martial arts; it could not be learned.

    ¡°R-Really? Hmm. Hehe. I guess I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± Yeon-Joo shrugged as she giggled, feeling good from Kang-Woo¡¯spliments. However, she frowned soon after. ¡°... Wait, then do I have to say shit like <em>Ohmen </em>and preach like Iris does?¡±

    ¡°If the situation calls for it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do the ritual then.¡±

    ¡°You wanna die?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Haaa. Why do I have to praise a scumbag like you?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t force you to do it.¡±

    Kang-Woo needed an incarnation but had no intention of forcing anyone to do it.

    Yeon-Joo bit her lip as she mumbled curses and then plopped down on a chair. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled. ¡°I knew you would.¡±

    Yeon-Joo turned her head away in dissatisfaction. Kang-Woo smiled and approached her. He slowly ced his hand on her head and recalled the incarnation chant that he had heard in Olympus.

    ¡°Imand you in the name of my Deific Essence,¡± he chanted in a low tone.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Blinding golden light poured out of Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®Draw out only Divinity.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo would turn into a demon the moment that demonic energy mixed with the Divinity.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t let her be a demon.¡¯</em>

    The body of a demon caused one to endlessly desire. Kang-Woo knew better than anyone how agonizing it was to keep that in check. Telling a demon to suppress their desire was the same as telling someone dying of thirst not to drink water or a starving person not to have thevish feastid out in front of them. Their mind would slowly deteriorate under endless thirst and hunger. Kang-Woo would be cing an unfathomable amount of weight on Yeon-Joo to bear if he were to make her a demon.

    ¡°One who epts my power.¡±

    The golden light gathered around Kang-Woo¡¯s hand that was on Yeon-Joo¡¯s head.

    ¡°Be my flesh, be my blood, and be my bones.¡±

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± The blinding light began to flow into Yeon-Joo. ¡°Hurgh!¡±

    Yeon-Joo grunted as overwhelming power raged within her. She felt unfathomable fear; her body was naturally rejecting the enormous power that entered her.

    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Jo shook her head at her instinct to reject the power. She bit her lip and clenched her fists. Kang-Woo had said to ept the power without resistance.

    <em>¡®Fucking hell, easier said than done.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo cursed at Kang-Woo, who had talked about it as if it was a piece of cake. Not rejecting the power flowing into her was like telling someone not to tense up during an injection with a giant needle. They knew that they shouldn¡¯t tense up but the body did naturally.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    The mana within Yeon-Joo was desperately rejecting the Divinity flowing into her through Kang-Woo. She could instinctively feel that it would be for naught if Kang-Woo¡¯s Divinity forced her mana to submit. Knowing that, Kang-Woo also did not try to force Yeon-Joo¡¯s mana to submit.

    ¡°Huuu, huuu,¡± Yeon-Joo panted heavily.

    <em>¡®I have to¡­ trust Kang-Woo.¡¯</em>

    She needed to trust the man who had embedded himself deep within her heart before she had realized it.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Yeon-Joo chuckled.

    Her body began to ept Kang-Woo¡¯s Divinity without resistance as soon as she thought about trusting him.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s¡­ not so hard.¡¯</em>

    She easily realized the reason why but she shook her head to deny it as she snorted.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way I trusted that pervert from the very beginning.¡¯</em>

    She had simply decided to trust him so that she could acquire Deific Essence. There was no other reason.

    <em>¡®Yup, that¡¯s it.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo nodded with a leisurely expression. The entirety of the golden light flowed into Yeon-Joo through Kang-Woo¡¯s hand.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have been chosen as the incarnation of the ¡®God of Splendor(???).¡¯]

    [Drastically raising all stats!]

    [Promoting all Traits by one rank!]

    [You have acquired a portion of the ¡®Deific Essence of Voracity.¡¯]

    [You can now use Deific Manifestation!]

    ¡°Huh?¡± Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at the messages in front of her. ¡°Hey¡­ Wh-What¡¯s this about?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ Weren¡¯t you the God of Splendor? It said that I acquired the Deific Essence of Voracity.¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    <em>¡®Oh fuck. I forgot I was the God of Voracity.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 466: What Am I The God Of Again?

    Chapter 466: What Am I The God Of Again?

    Silence fell as Cha Yeon-Joo and Oh Kang-Woo looked at each other awkwardly. Kang-Woo bit his lip anxiously.

    <em>¡®Shit.¡¯</em>

    It was not like he had thought that he had be light itself after preaching it all the time. He knew very well that he possessed the Deific Essence of a predator underneath the fa?ade of Splendor.

    <em>¡®But you hid it for me all this time.¡¯</em>

    Although there had been question marks next to it, the System hid his true Deific Essence until now. It was likely thanks to the Deific Essence of <em>Lies </em>that he possessed before Voracity.

    <em>¡®So why?¡¯</em>

    Why were they snitching on him so tantly this time?

    ¡°... Did you say Deific Essence of Voracity?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Uhh, yeah.¡±¡°Fuuu.¡±

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath and clenched his fists as he thought about the System.

    <em>¡®I canmunicate with them to some extent if I remember correctly.¡¯</em>

    It was around when he hadpleted the <em>Road to Bing a Demon God</em> quest.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t know how, but¡­¡¯</em>

    The System was able to read the minds of individuals and possessed an ego that was closer to artificial intelligence than that of a person.

    <em>¡®In that case.¡¯</em>

    He had a feeling that his sincere feelings would reach them.

    <em>¡®System. System. What¡¯s with you all of a sudden? Was the bond between us that shallow? Hm? You¡¯re the Law of Titans, right? There¡¯s gonna be issues if you keep doing stuff like this. I told you before, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m gonnae after you once I deal with Bael. Screw the Law of Titans. The Gaia System is gone anyway, so how about I destroy you too? Hm? How about I just fucking destroy everything?¡¯</em>

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [It is strictly prohibited for a being with no privileges to meddle with the Law.]

    <em>¡®I¡¯m not asking for much, am I? You¡¯re just editing one word. This is good for both of us, don¡¯t you agree?¡¯</em>

    [It is strictly prohibited¡­]

    <em>¡®Hm? You want to protect the world too, don¡¯t you? Isn¡¯t that why you put restrictions on the gods and blocked otherworldly invasions until now?¡¯</em>

    [F-For a being with no privileges to¡­]

    <em>¡®Fucking fine. Let¡¯s just speedrun straight to the bad ending, then. I¡¯m just gonna keep running away from Bael, okay? I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll devour every world in his path to chase after me. Do you think he¡¯s gonna leave the Titans alone? I guess we can just all die together miserably ever after.¡¯</em>

    [...]

    <em>¡®I¡¯m out here busting my ass trying to save the world, but the System that¡¯s supposed to be managing the world is not only being unhelpful but getting in my way?¡¯</em>

    [The privileges of the auxiliary control system ¡®Eve¡¯ have greatly reduced due to the Law¡¯s privileges being transferred to Bael¡ª]

    <em>¡®Huh? More excuses? Is that all you have to say for yourself? Do you even love me?¡¯</em>

    [Why am I being treated like a lover caught in an affair?]

    <em>¡®Forget it! It¡¯s over between us!¡¯</em>

    [...]

    An awkward silence fell. Momentster¡­

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [A System error has been detected.]

    [You have acquired a portion of the ¡®Deific Essence of (fucking) Splendor!¡¯]

    ¡°... Huh?¡± Yeon-Joo stared at the blue message window with her mouth agape again.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Th-The contents changed. A System error¡­? I-I¡¯ve never seen something like this. But what¡¯s with the <em>fucking </em>in brackets¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve experienced that a few times too.¡±

    ¡°You too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. There have been many instances of errors popping up on message windowstely. I think it¡¯s because of the Gaia System¡¯s copse.¡±

    Yeon-Joo tilted her head, confused by Kang-Woo¡¯s words. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before that the messages yers get have nothing to do with the Gaia System? You said it had to do with, uhhh¡­ what was it? Earth¡¯s protection? That thing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The Gaia System refers to the barrier that protects Earth from otherworldly invasions, and the message windows that yers get are produced by a superior system known as the Law of Titans.¡±

    ¡°Then¡ª¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t say that they¡¯repletely unrted to each other. You know who the privileges of the Law of Titans have been transferred to, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°... Bael.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. There¡¯s no way he just left the System be.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Yeon-Joo nodded reluctantly. She more or less understood what Kang-Woo was talking about, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel that things did not add up.

    <em>¡®No matter how much I think about it, it sounds way too forced.¡¯</em>

    She was able to tell from how flustered Kang-Woo had been when she mentioned the Deific Essence of Voracity.

    <em>¡®Getting such a reaction out of that snake means I¡¯ve hit the bullseye.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would have expertly talked his way out of the situation if it was trivial, but Yeon-Joo couldn¡¯t help but be doubtful since he had been so flustered. No, even if she left all that aside, it made no sense to push it off as a System error.

    ¡°...¡± Yeon-Joo crossed her arms and red at Kang-Woo. ¡°... I knew it was strange.¡±

    ¡°What was?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, what else? That you¡¯re the God of Splendor.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Yeon-Joo continued triumphantly, ¡°I at least believe that I know you better than Kim Si-Hun. All your talk about being the light and salvation is an act, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    A lioness never let go of their prey once she had them in her clutches.

    ¡°To be honest, you¡¯re more fitting as the viin than the savior of the world, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°...¡±

    Yeon-Joo smiled as she looked at Kang-Woo who couldn¡¯t make any excuses. She could feel that she had the upper hand. She shrugged and nodded.

    ¡°Well, I understand. I¡¯m sure you were hesitant to say that you became the God of Voracity to Gaia and the other gods. Just the name makes you sound like an evil god.¡± Yeon-Joo patted Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder as if she understood and continued, ¡°Hmph, but I don¡¯t think of you as an evil god. You¡¯re sly, a pervert, and a goddamn scumbag, but you¡¯re working harder than anyone to protect the world, aren¡¯t you? So¡­ you can be honest with me, okay? We¡¯re soulmates, aren¡¯t we? Soulmates shouldn¡¯t be hiding anything from each other.¡±

    Yeon-Joo continued to press Kang-Woo¡¯s weakness with a wide smile. She couldn¡¯t help but shrug from the satisfaction of exacting revenge.

    ¡°... Yeon-Joo,¡± Kang-Woo said to the brightly smiling Yeon-Joo. ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m the God of Splendor.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yeon-Joo snorted as if telling Kang-Woo not to lie. ¡°Are you trying to talk your way out of this? I already know that you¡¯re not the God of Splendor from your reaction.¡±

    She shook her head as she clicked her tongue. She then recited a line that could be straight out of a manga, ¡°Who cares if your Deific Essence is Splendor or Voracity? What matters is that you¡¯re Oh Kang-Woo, right? Anyway, I don¡¯t care what god you are, so just be honest with me.¡±

    <em>¡®That¡¯s different from me getting hold of your weakness, though.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo smirked. There was no way that she would let go of Kang-Woo¡¯s weakness that she had barely managed to obtain. She didn¡¯t give a damn about what God Kang-Woo was, but Gaia surely would.

    <em>¡®Hihihi.¡¯</em>

    She couldn¡¯t help but giggle as she thought about all sorts of things that she would order Kang-Woo to do.

    <em>¡®First, I¡¯ll take revenge for earlier.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes set aze. She was nning on exacting divine punishment on the man who had toyed with her feelings.

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you care or not.¡± Kang-Woo slowly raised his head and continued with a serious expression, ¡°Trust me, Yeon-Joo. I¡¯m not the God of Voracity, but the God of Splendor.¡±

    ¡°Why are you trying so hard to hide¡ª¡±

    Kang-Woo took out his smartphone before the irritated Yeon-Joo could finish her sentence and clicked on something.

    <em>- I-I¡¯ll never forget about what you¡¯re going to do to me today.</em>

    A familiar voice came out of the smartphone.

    ¡°...!!¡± Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she trembled. ¡°Y-You bastard, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±

    ¡°Haaa. Yeon-Joo.¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply and continued, ¡°Why don¡¯t you believe me?¡±

    <em>- You idiot. Wh-Why would you¡­ so forcefully¡­</em>

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you understand how I feel?¡±

    <em>- You didn¡¯t have to do this¡­ As long as you properly confessed, I would have¡­</em>

    ¡°We became soulmates who trust and rely on each other!¡± Kang-Woo clenched his fists in sorrow and shouted, ¡°So why won¡¯t you believe me?!¡±

    <em>- I OFFER MY BODY!! TO THE GREAT!! GOD OF SPLENDOOOOOOOOR!!!</em>

    A desperate scream flowed out from the smartphone.

    ¡°...¡±

    Yeon-Joo trembled in pallor. She thought about immediately snatching the smartphone away and crushing it, but she knew how unrealistic it was considering who was holding it.

    ¡°Y-You goddamn¡­ fucking b-bastard.¡±

    ¡°Yeon-Joo¡­¡± Kang-Woo raised his smartphone volume to the max and grabbed Yeon-Joo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Tell me.¡±

    <em>- O-Oppa~!</em>

    ¡°What am I¡­ the god of again?¡±

    A deathly silence fell in the room. Yeon-Joo copsed on the spot.

    ¡°Hurgh. Waaaaahh.¡± Tears flowed down her cheeks as she wept pitifully. She said with all her might, ¡°Th-The God¡­ of Splendor.¡±

    Kang-Woo wiped his own tears away and nodded. ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you so much for believing in me.¡±

    The truth always won. Blinding golden light poured out of Kang-Woo.

    ***

    A boy sitting on top of a red hill made of dry sand suddenly looked up into the sky.

    ¡°Heh,¡± the boyughed.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± asked a musclebound giant who was kneeling next to the boy.

    He was Marax, a demon subordinate of Bael and the <em>Third Heaven</em>. Bael crouched as he gripped his stomach without answering Marax.

    ¡°Pfft! Hahahahahahaha!!¡± A crazedughter echoed throughout the arid hill. ¡°I can¡¯t believe he meddled with the Law without any privileges.¡±

    The boy¡¯s eyes were fierce despite his bright smile. He cked his teeth and licked his lips.

    ¡°Really¡­¡±

    The Demon King always exceeded his expectations and looked down on him from above as if mocking him.

    <em>Grit.</em>

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not you.¡± The boy¡¯s eyes filled with madness. He continued, ¡°You¡¯re not¡­ the master of the Demonic Sea. I am.¡±

    The boy burst intoughter as he panted heavily.

    ¡°Well, whatever.¡±

    Viscous demonic energy flowed out of the boy as he looked up into the sky. He opened and closed his hand repeatedly as if grabbing something invisible and smiled.

    ¡°Hehe.¡± The boy said innocently, ¡°It¡¯s about time¡­ they arrived.¡±

    The boy hummed in anticipation.

    ¡°I wonder what otherworldly beings taste like?¡± He licked his lips and thought about the Demon King. ¡°You¡¯re curious too, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    The boyughed as he shrugged.

    <em>Spark.</em>

    A small Rift appeared in the sky that the boy was looking up at.

 Chapter 467: Attack

    Chapter 467: Attack

    He dreamed of a burning sky and a distortednd. The soaring hill was filled with corpses. No, the hill itself was made of corpses. The hill of death felt familiar for some reason.

    It was Seoul, the city he had lived in all his life. It was reduced to ruins but a little of its form remained.

    <em>¡®A-Aaaahh.¡¯</em>

    Someone was on top of the mountain made of corpses in the ruined city.

    <em>¡®Who¡­ are you?¡¯</em>

    A nightmarish being¡­ a despair-inducing being was smiling brightly as they were munching on the corpses.

    <em>Crackle.</em>

    His vision distorted as his consciousness sank¡ª no, it was resurfacing.

    ¡°<em>Gasp!</em>¡± Kim Tae-Hyun fell from his bed. ¡°<em>Huff, huff!</em>¡±He panted heavily on the ground. His eyes felt like they were burning. Tae-Hyun touched the area around his eyes.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Only then did he realize that blood was flowing from his eyes.

    ¡°Wh-What the hell?¡±

    Tae-Hyun touched his face drenched with tears of blood. The fact that blood was pouring out of one¡¯s eyes was enough to make anyone stricken with fear. He wiped the blood away with his shaking hands.

    Tae-Hyun remained silent as he looked down at his hands smeared with blood and uneasily gripped the Eye of Nostrian around his neck.

    <em>¡®Is it a side effect from using its power?¡¯</em>

    He didn¡¯t know; he had never experienced something like this even after using Foresight many times until now.

    <em>¡®Did something go wrong during the duel?¡¯</em>

    Since the duel had been closer to a death match, it was not strange for there to be lingering side effects. Tae-Hyun had been bedridden for the past few days after his duel with Kim Si-Hun.

    ¡°Haaa.¡±

    Tae-Hyun took some tissues from his desk and wiped the area around his eyes. He threw the tissues drenched with blood into the trash can.

    <em>¡®What could that have been?¡¯</em>

    He wondered if the vision in his dream would be what the end of the world would look like. The burning sky and the distortednd were engraved in his mind.

    ¡°It has to be a dream¡­ right?¡±

    Tae-Hyun shook his head to get the horrifying scene out of his head, but he couldn¡¯t shake off the uneasiness that had made itself home in his mind. No, it might have been because Tae-Hyun knew deep down that the scene of the end of the world wasn¡¯t a dream.

    Tae-Hyun remained silent as he bit his lip and stood up.

    <em>¡®I have to¡­ let hyung know.¡¯</em>

    He needed to tell Kang-Woo about the horrifying future he saw. Tae-Hyun went out the door.

    ***

    ¡°You saw the end?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Tae-Hyun nodded with a serious expression.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>¡®The end, huh?¡¯</em>

    He would have told them to cut the bullshit if it had been anyone else, but it was a different story if it came from Tae-Hyun, who could see the future.

    <em>¡®Could it be¡­ Bael?¡¯</em>

    That was naturally the first individual Kang-Woo thought of. It was not hard to imagine how the entire world would be Bael¡¯s meal if Kang-Woo were to lose.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Kang-Woo smirked.

    <em>¡®How interesting.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo already knew that he was severely outmatched; he was unfazed by someone prophesizing the end of the world.

    <em>¡®However the future turns out, it doesn¡¯t change what I have to do.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo licked his lips with his long tongue. A powerful hunger that he had not felt since he brought the Deific Essence of Voracity under control strangled his stomach.

    He swept up his hair and asked, ¡°And you said the demolished city was Seoul, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    If that was the case, it meant there was a high chance that his final battle against Bael would be in Seoul.

    <em>¡®Not good.¡¯</em>

    Seoul was one of the most popted cities in the world both before and after the Day of Cmity. Whether Kang-Woo won or lost the battle, the damage would be far too great.

    <em>¡®I at least need to move the battlefield elsewhere.¡¯</em>

    He did not know when the battle would take ce, but he needed to make as much change as possible before then.

    <em>¡®If I can¡¯t change the location, then I should make several underground bunkers throughout Seoul.¡¯</em>

    If the future Tae-Hyun saw was about Kang-Woo¡¯s battle against Bael, there was a high chance that the battle would take ce in Seoul no matter what Kang-Woo did. If that was the case, he needed to prepare so that there would be as little casualties as possible.

    ¡°Umm¡­ Kang-Woo hyung.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Could the future I saw be rted to the abnormal Gate phenomena?¡±

    Kang-Woo thought about Bael but Tae-Hyun was thinking about the otherworldly invasions that were already taking ce through the Gates. It was only natural since Tae-Hyun had not seen Bael.

    Kang-Woo shook his head and answered, ¡°No, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s rted to¡ª¡±

    He stopped himself and frowned aggressively.

    <em>¡®Wait.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was thinking that it couldn¡¯t be anyone else but Bael; he had ruled out all other dangerous possibilities, including the otherworldly invasions, and focused only on Bael.

    <em>¡®No, no.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo rejected his thoughts. No matter what the situation was, it was foolish to think about only one possibility among the countless.

    <em>¡®Bael might have nothing to do with the future Tae-Hyun saw.¡¯</em>

    The otherworldly invasions were gradually getting worse and worse. The chance of it was low, but it couldn¡¯t be ruled out.

    <em>¡®I should make my move quickly.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun could only see five to ten seconds into the future. Even if he saw a far-off future due to the amplification of his power, Kang-Woo doubted that it would be as far as several years away.

    ¡°We need to gather the Guardians memb¡ª¡±

    <em>Beep¡ª!</em>

    A loud rm rang from Kang-Woo and Tae-Hyun¡¯s chests. Kang-Woo took out the white token engraved with a golden shield from his pocket. It was the magic tool provided by the executives of Guardians that could open a Gate leading to the Hall of Protection.

    [E-Emergency!] La¡¯s panicked voice echoed from the magic tool. [Requesting all Guardians members to gather in Seoul!!]

    <em>¡®The hell? Since when did it have a feature like this?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had been a Guardians member for years but it was the first time it was being used for an emergency gathering. In other words, the situation was so urgent that it needed to be used. Kang-Woo thought about the future Tae-Hyun talked about and his expression stiffened.

    [W-We¡¯re being attacked! An enormous number of monsters are attacking Seoul!]

    Themunication cut off.

    Kang-Woo and Tae-Hyun stared at each other with stiff expressions.

    ¡°Hyung, this is¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±

    Kang-Woo quickly turned around. Fortunately, they did not have to go far since the yer hospital that Tae-Hyun was staying in was in Seoul.

    ¡°H-Hyung?¡±

    ¡°Stay still.¡±

    Kang-Woo lifted Tae-Hyun with the Authority of the Sky and flew out from the window.

    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡± Tae-Hyun screamed.

    Kang-Woo ignored the screams and flew across the sky at supersonic speed.

    ¡°What the hell is that?¡±

    He saw a massive red Rift several kilometers wide above Seoul. It was as if the sky was burning red.

    ¡°Shit.¡± Kang-Woo clenched his fists. ¡°They¡¯re done ying around, is it?¡±

    There had been countless signs ever since the abnormal Gate phenomena first began. No, something like this was inevitable from the moment the Gaia System copsed. Otherworldly invasions were the fate of a world with no protection.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Kang-Woo bared his teeth as he frowned aggressively. He swept up his hair and smiled.

    <em>¡®They dare covet this world?¡¯</em>

    It was the world where he and the people precious to him lived¡­ as well as the home of kimchi stew.

    ¡°Not a chance, you sons of bitches. This is my world.¡±

    The Demon King bared his teeth at the red sky.

    ***

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Smoke covered the sky as intense heat filled the streets.

    ¡°Kyaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    ¡°S-Save me!!¡±

    Screams rang throughout the burning city.

    ¡°<em>Karakarakarakara!</em>¡±

    Monsters that looked like giant cockroaches were hunting the running humans. The three meter-long roaches were scurrying across the streets at incredible speeds. One of the insects grabbed a middle-aged man and opened its mouth.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    It ate the man alive without hesitation.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    The woman who had been running with the man copsed on the spot and looked up at the monster in despair.

    ¡°O-O light¡­¡± She recited the prayer of the Church of Splendor that she heard about recently, despite knowing that it wouldn¡¯t change anything. ¡°O-O li¡ª¡±

    The roach that ate the man alive turned to her before she could finish her prayer.

    <em>sh¡ª!</em>

    Just then, a golden light fell like lightning and split the roach in half.

    ¡°Fucking hell, that¡¯s disgusting.¡±

    Viscous green fluids were flowing out of the roach¡¯s split halves.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡±

    The man enveloped in golden light lifted one of the halves and opened his mouth widely.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    The predatory insect was being eaten instead.

    ¡°<em>Ptooey</em>. Ew, that tastes like shit.¡± The man who took a big bite out of the insect¡¯s corpse frowned and spit on the ground. ¡°There are so goddamn many of them.¡±

    The man covered in golden light sighed and turned around. Countless insects were falling from the Rift above Seoul. The man slowly raised his hand.

    <em>Snap.</em>

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill about half of them.¡±

    Golden mes engulfed the swarm of insects like a tsunami.

 Chapter 468: Attack (2)

    Chapter 468: Attack (2)

    ¡°<em>Skreeeeeee!!</em>¡±

    ¡°<em>Grrrrrrrk!</em>¡±

    Golden mes engulfed the insects filling the sky like the sun had descended. The swarm of insects that could be mistaken for clouds screeched as they burned and turned to ash, resembling ck snow as it fell.

    ¡°K-Kurgh,¡± grunted one of the monsters that barely survived the mes.

    Unlike the other insects, this one, who had beenmanding the insects from the sky, had the appearance of a human. However, it was easy to identify him as an otherworldly being due to his bulging vessels and a green mucous stem protruding from the back of his head to his waist.

    ¡°H-Half of the Cockroaches were eradicated in just o-one blow¡­?¡±

    The otherworldly monster widened his fully ck eyes in disbelief. It was not just the Cockroaches; the evolved lifeform Medusa as well as the Nest that endlessly birthed Parasites had severely reduced in number due to the mes. The attack was overwhelming to the point that the monster wondered if their king would be capable of such an attack.

    ¡°I-I must let him know.¡±

    The death of the Medusas was of no consequence, but the destruction of the Nests would negatively influence their n. The Nests were the key to their n to invade the area with an infinite number of Parasites. The king said that he would not participate in the invasion, but that was no longer an option, considering how overwhelming that attack had been.The otherworldly monster sprouted transparent wings and flew into the red Rift in the sky. Inside the Rift was and corroded by countless Nests. It looked as if thend itself was covered in giant blood vessels. The Parasites hadpletely invaded this world, previously known as Huan.

    The otherworldly monster arrived at thergest Nest among the countless and bowed.

    ¡°M-My king,¡± the monster said.

    A handsome middle-aged man was sitting on a giant throne with his eyes closed. The king couldn¡¯t be distinguished from a human in appearance, but the otherworldly monster knew exactly who was inside the human body.

    [Raging Temperance.][1]

    The voice echoed directly into the head instead of being transmitted through sound waves. The middle-aged man slowly opened his chilling fully ck eyes and gazed at the otherworldly monster.

    ¡°I-I have something to report!¡±

    The otherworldly monster known as Raging Temperance quickly reported what had happened on Earth. The eyes of the middle-aged man, who had been listening in silence, gradually began to shine.

    [Half of the Cockroaches were killed in one blow?]

    ¡°N-Not just the Cockroaches. The number of Nests added to the vanguard was greatly reduced as well!¡±

    [Oh?]

    The middle-aged man leaned on one side of the throne, highly intrigued. He slowly raised his arm and looked down at himself. To be more exact, he thought about the <em>former </em>owner of this body.

    [He was disappointing,] the man said as he clicked his tongue.

    The man had been highly anticipating the battle against the strongest martial artist in Huan but was utterly disappointed after getting to fight him.

    [Haaa.]

    The Parasite King[2] sighed deeply. He had not managed to find anyone who could break his boredom. He had been bored for a very long time; being the strongest for what seemed like forever was no different from suffering a long and gruesome death. Parasites endlessly desired to evolve, and the Parasite King arrived at the Triad to search for someone who could give him some sort of thrill.

    [Then is he the one known as Bael?]

    To be more exact, he hade in search of Bael.

    ¡°I-I do not know.¡± Raging Temperance shook his head. ¡°But¡­ I do not believe it is Bael because I heard that he is a demon.¡±

    There was no way that a demon would use golden energy.

    [Hmm.] The Parasite King shook his head in disappointment and slowly rose from his throne. [Well, I might as well warm up before I face Bael.]

    The Parasite King headed to the red Rift with a smile.

    ***

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± Oh Kang-Woo exhaled.

    The ashes made from burning the insects filling the skies of Seoul were falling like snow.

    ¡°Not bad.¡±

    Kang-Woo lightly warmed up with a smile. He could now use wide-area attacks like this after his mastery over the mes of Voracity rose.

    <em>¡®Though it consumes an ungodly amount of Divinity.¡¯</em>

    He needed to mix Divinity with his demonic energy to use the mes of Voracity effectively. He could use as much demonic energy as he liked, but it took quite a lot of time to replenish Divinity.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s enough for now.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not want to risk running out of Divinity before fighting the boss because he was spamming AOE attacks. Making the insects that were attacking civilians retreat was good enough.

    <em>Crack! Crunch¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±

    ¡°Kang-Woo hyung!¡±

    As for the rest of the insects that survived the mes, Kim Si-Hun and Kim Tae-Hyun were running toward Kang-Woo as they killed the insects. The monsters that were like natural disasters to regr people were nothing more than slightlyrger cockroaches to the two of them. Several insects were wiped out with each of their sword swings.

    <em>¡®Nice.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled. Saving his own Divinity stores was exactly why he had raised Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®Thank God I made him awaken Deific Essence before this happened.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but smile, seeing the asset that he had steadily raised pay off.

    ¡°What in the world are these monsters¡­?¡± Si-Hun looked around with a stiff expression.

    Their numbers had considerably reduced thanks to Kang-Woo¡¯s attack, but there were still countless monsters flying around Seoul.

    Si-Hun looked up at the Rift in the sky and asked, ¡°Has the otherworldly invasion¡­ finally begun?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to assume so.¡± Kang-Woo nodded with a frown. He slowly raised his arm, spreading golden energy throughout the area. ¡°I have no idea which world they came from, but there¡¯s only one thing we need to do.¡±

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    Kang-Woo absorbed the insect corpses with the Authority of Predation and narrowed his eyes. He couldn¡¯t see the memories of those whom he devoured with the Authority of Predation, but he could at least find out their habits, characteristics, and weaknesses.

    ¡°Parasites¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo was able to find out from the information flowing into his head that these otherworldly lifeforms were known as Parasites.

    <em>¡®I guess that exins their insect-like appearance.¡¯</em>

    They followed themands of a superior just like bees and ants.

    <em>¡®The difference is¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He flew into the sky as he checked the information that he gained from the Authority of Predation.

    ¡°That must be the <em>Nest</em>.¡±

    He could see a giant red cocoon-like mass on top of a high-rise building. It was gettingrger as it corroded the building with the giant stems that protruded from it. The red mass split open and hundreds of Parasites poured out from it.

    Kang-Woo brought the Guardians token to his mouth. ¡°La.¡±

    [Ah, yes! K-Kang-Woo!] La answered through the token.

    Kang-Woo could also hear the screeches of monsters; La seemed to be fighting against the Parasites as well somewhere else in Seoul.

    ¡°Please let the members tasked to evacuate the citizens to destroy the red cocoons on top of high-rise buildings.¡±

    [But what about the civilians¡ª]

    ¡°I have a n.¡±

    La remained silent for a moment. [Okay. I trust you, Kang-Woo.]

    She made a quick decision as always. She ordered the Guardians members to destroy the cocoons as soon as she ended the call with Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Now, then.¡±

    Kang-Woo put the token back in his pocket and closed his eyes.

    <em>- Yeon-Joo.</em>

    <em>- Kurgh! Wh-Where the hell are you?! And what the hell are these crazy-ass insects?</em>

    Cha Yeon-Joo¡¯s voice echoed within his head. Kang-Woo did not have the time to exin to her what was happening.

    <em>- I¡¯m going to send you a portion of my Deific Essence, so kill as many Parasites attacking civilians as possible.</em>

    <em>- ¡­</em>

    <em>- Iris is near you as well, right?</em>

    <em>- Y-Yeah.</em>

    Yeon-Joo was working with the expeditionary troops from Aernor in Seoul after bing Kang-Woo¡¯s incarnation. It was to build friendly rtions with the people of Aernor, who had spread the Church of Splendor throughout Earth, now that she had be the God of Splendor¡¯s incarnation.

    - Evacuate the citizens with the help of Aernor¡¯s troops.

    - Then what are you going to¡­

    Yeon-Joo was about to say something worriedly but stopped herself because she knew how pointless it was to worry about him in this situation.

    <em>- Got it. I¡¯ll get right on it.</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded after getting Yeon-Joo¡¯s answer and turned to Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun.

    ¡°There should be evolved lifeformsmanding the Parasites near the Nests. I¡¯ll be counting on you guys to kill them.¡±

    ¡°What about y¡ª¡±

    ¡°Si-Hun,¡± Kang-Woo cut Si-Hun off and said in a low tone, ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    Si-Hun closed his eyes and bit his lip. He created a formless blue sword, narrowed his eyes, and nodded. He responded energetically, ¡°Understood, hyung-nim.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled.

    ¡°Kang-Woo hyung¡­¡± Tae-Hyun called anxiously.

    Blood mixed with sweat was pouring down his cheeks from his eyes. The burning sky and the distorted earth¡­ Things were ying out exactly as the future he saw. All that was left was the hill made of corpses.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Kang-Woo ced his hand on Tae-Hyun¡¯s shoulder and smiled faintly. ¡°I won¡¯t let that future¡­e to be.¡±

    Kang-Woo turned away from Tae-Hyun, who was nkly staring at him in silence.

    <em>¡®Now, then.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked up at the red Rift burning the sky.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He did not intend to wait to be attacked like an idiot.

    <em>¡®If Earth is being attacked because it¡¯s linked to the outer world, I don¡¯t see a reason why we can¡¯t attack them.¡¯</em>

    ¡°But man, I don¡¯t wanna eat goddamn bugs.¡±

    <em>¡®Well, I guess I have no choice. They¡¯re a great source of protein.¡¯</em>

    Taste was not important; nutrition was all that mattered.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    Kang-Woo stomped on the ground and flew up into the air without hesitation.

    1. Looks like this is a reference to the novel The Second Coming of Gluttony, which is also on Wuxiaworld. ?

    2. Not to be confused with the Parasite Queen. ?<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    The Parasite King is literally Boros from One Punch Man lmao</blockquote>

 Chapter 469: Parasite King (1)

    Chapter 469: Parasite King (1)

    Oh Kang-Woo flew up toward the horrifying red Rift that tens of thousands of Parasites were pouring out of.

    ¡°Karrrrrgh!¡±

    ¡°Krrrk! Krrrk! Krrrk!¡±

    Once Kang-Woo came near the Rift, the Parasites falling toward Seoul sprouted their wings and flew at him. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he stared at the swarm of Parasites sorge that they could be mistaken for a cloud.

    ¡°There are still so many of them even after I wiped half of them out.¡±

    The problem was that they would endlessly pour out of the Rift no matter how many were killed.

    ¡°Kraaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    ¡°Shut the hell up, dammit.¡±

    Kang-Woo did not falter even after being surrounded by the swarm of Parasites. He slowly unsheathed Ingrium from his waist.¡°Krrrrrrrrrrk!!¡±

    The swarm of Parasites charged at Kang-Woo, who enveloped Ingrium with the mes of Voracity.

    ¡°Krarararararara!!¡±

    The ear-splitting roar of a dragon echoed, stopping the Parasites flying at Kang-Woo in ce.

    ¡°Good work, young dragon.¡±

    A red muscle-bound demon smiled on the back of a ck demonic dragon.

    ¡°Balrog?¡± Kang-Woo called.

    ¡°Were you nning on going by yourself again?¡± Balrog raised his head and flexed his muscles. ¡°Hup!¡±

    He spread his massive bat wings, flew into the air instantly, and punched one of the Parasites.

    Bash!

    ¡°Skreeee!¡±

    Green fluids sttered all over the ce as the Cockroach¡¯s head exploded.

    ¡°My, how filthy. Could you please take care not to make it stter this way?¡± said Lilith, sitting with one leg over the other and wiping off the green fluid staining her clothes.

    ¡°Kang-Woo!¡±

    ¡°M-Master K-Kang-Woo. W-We¡¯re here to h-help.¡±

    Han Seol-Ah and Halcyon were also on Echidna¡¯s back.

    ¡°You guys¡­¡± Kang-Woo sighed as he watched them flying toward him. ¡°What about the Nests?¡±

    ¡°The Guardians members are taking care of them. There¡¯s no need to worry since your attack already wiped out a considerable number of them.¡±

    ¡°Then you should help Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun kill the evolved¡ª¡±

    ¡°Si-Hun is wiping them out before we even have a chance to do anything.¡± Lilith smiled faintly and bowed modestly. ¡°We will follow you, my king.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Kang-Woo. Y-You were nning on going by yourself again, weren¡¯t you?¡± Seol-Ah as she sprouted her white wings.

    Kang-Woo could faintly hear her mumbling that she would need the chains as she had thought.

    [Hm! You get on my back too, Kang-Woo!] Echidna¡¯s shout was transmitted directly into Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    ¡°Ngh,¡± Kang-Woo groaned and then smirked.

    He let Balrog take care of the Parasites flying at them as he got on Echidna¡¯s back.

    ¡®I guess I have no choice since they¡¯re already here.¡¯

    It was for the better; however many Parasites they killed down there, more Parasites would take their ce until the Rift was taken care of. It was better to add more people to dispose of the source of the Parasites.

    ¡®Besides, I don¡¯t need to put on an act in front of this lineup.¡¯

    Lilith, Balrog, Halcyon, Echidna, and Seol-Ah knew Kang-Woo¡¯s true self under the persona of the God of Splendor. He would not be forced to do anything unnecessary from bringing them with him.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough of that, Balrog. Come here.¡±

    Crush.

    ¡°Yes, my king.¡± Balrog, who was covered in green goo, flew toward them as he smiled. The goo sttered like rain every time he pped his wings.

    [Balrog, you¡¯re dirty! Don¡¯t get on my back!]

    ¡°Y-Young dragon.¡±

    [I¡¯ll get angry if you do!]

    Echidna red at Balrog fiercely. Balrog¡¯s shoulders drooped as if he were shocked.

    ¡°Man, I guess you¡¯re gonna have to fly on your own, Balrog.¡± Kang-Woo snickered as he stared at the dejected Balrog.

    He felt like his shoulders were lighter than when he was about to enter the red Rift by himself. He could barely feel his burning hunger or suffocating thirst.

    ¡°Hoho.¡± Lilith approached Kang-Woo and giggled elegantly with her hand covering her mouth. ¡°What do you think, Master Kang-Woo?¡± She ced her hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder and continued, ¡°It¡¯s lighter than shouldering everything on your own, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent. He looked up at the red Rift with a faint smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Whoosh!

    Echidna pped her giant wings and flew toward the red Rift.

    ***

    A strange sensation spread throughout Kang-Woo as they passed through the red Rift.

    ¡®This is¡­¡¯

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. It was a faint memory but he remembered feeling something like this once before.

    ¡®But when?¡¯

    Kang-Woobed through his memories and came across one hidden deep within the thick fog.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    He recalled the colossal tree that linked the Triad when he followed Gaia into the divine realm.

    ¡®Huan.¡¯

    The branch of the World Tree linked to Huan had been engulfed by darkness for some reason.

    ¡°I see what happened.¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned as he feignedughter. He had a feeling that the darkness was rted to the Parasites that attacked Earth.

    ¡®In that case, this red Rift is¡­ linked to Huan.¡¯

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Kang-Woo groaned.

    The world beyond the red Rift came into view before he could think more.

    ¡°Hah.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­ horrible.¡±

    ¡°Kyaaahh!¡±

    Lilith¡¯s chuckle and Seol-Ah¡¯s scream echoed.

    Kang-Woo looked around with narrow eyes. Thend contaminated by the countless Nests looked horrifying as if it was covered in blood vessels.

    ¡°Is this a Hatchery[1] or what?¡± Kang-Woo Grimaced aggressively as he stared at the world taken over by Parasites.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    ¡°Ahihi, ihi.¡±

    Faint voices could be heard. Kang-Woo turned to the source of the voices.

    Krrrrrk, krrk.

    At the end of the red stems protruding from the Nests covering thend were humans wearing clothes that one would see in Chinese martial arts films.

    ¡°Argh, ahhh.¡±

    ¡°Ehe, hehehe. Heh.¡±

    The red stems were attached to the back of their heads. They wereughing soullessly as if they had lost their minds. Kang-Woo slowly turned around. So many humans had be nutrients for the Nests that it was pointless to count. There was nothing but despair left in this world.

    ¡®So this is¡­ what awaits worlds that fall to outer worlds.¡¯

    All the history, culture, lives, andnd that the world had built were trampled on and were reduced to nutrients for the predators.

    ¡°Echidna. Fly a little higher.¡±

    [Okay.]

    Echidna pped her wings and flew higher.

    ¡°Kraaaaaahhh!¡±

    Countless Parasites flew toward them to kill the invaders. Their numbers back in Seoul paled inparison to how many there were here, and they were all baring their sharp teeth at Kang-Woo and the group.

    ¡°Fuuu.¡± Kang-Woo closed his eyes, ignoring the swarm that could be mistaken for the ground itself.

    He ced his hand on his heart and felt the infinite demonic energy flowing into him through the Demonic Sea. He drew out an ember from the sea of demonic energy that could engulf the entire world whole.

    Fwoosh.

    Gold and ck mes enveloped Kang-Woo. He unsheathed Ingrium, which the mes of Voracity traveled up to envelop, from his waist. He then opened his eyes.

    ¡°A-Arghh.¡±

    He could hear a voice. A child no more than ten years old was attached to the red stem. No, not just the one child; the elderly, children, women, men, and everyone in this world had been parasitized.

    Kang-Woo did not care about their despair. He did not think about their pain. It was none of his business whether the people of this world had wept or struggled in agony during their demise. He couldn¡¯t care less if hundreds of thousands of people he didn¡¯t even know the names of died. He did not feel the least bit of sympathy. That was the kind of person he was as well as how he needed to live so that he could survive.

    - M-My¡­ king.

    However, only for a tiny moment¡­

    - P-Please ru¡­

    His vision blurred and distorted. A clear memory fragment appeared from within the hazy fog of memories. The appearance of Earth ovepped with the world that had already met its end.

    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake,¡± Kang-Woo cursed.

    He was extremely displeased for some reason once he looked at the people taken over by Parasites. Irritation swept over him.

    ¡°What an unpleasant bunch of insects.¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his sword. His displeasure was reason enough for him to wipe out the Parasite race.

    Fwoosh.

    The mes of Voracity burned brightly.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo exhaled deeply.

    Unlike in Seoul, he did not need to hold back his strength. He could let loose his irritation and displeasure as much as he liked in this world. Kang-Woo smiled and swung down his sword vertically as if splitting the earth.

    ¡°Twilight.¡±

    mes poured like a tsunami from the line made with his sword that linked heaven and earth.

    ¡°Skreeeeeeeeee!!¡±

    An enormous number of Parasites were engulfed by the mes. The mes of Voracity filled the sky, burning it orange like a sunset. Its power was of another levelpared to the mes made with the Authority of Mammon, the Prince of Greed. The mes that burned as if they would devour the entire world poured down on the Parasite Nests all over the ground. The mes were so powerful that they could drive an entire race to extinction.

    ¡°Genocide me.¡±

    ¡®Sheesh.¡¯

    ¡°That¡¯s cool as fuck¡­¡±

    He felt like he would cream his pants just hearing the name.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna call it Genocide me instead of Twilight from now on.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded as he stared at the mes pouring down on the ground.

    Booooooom!!

    Just then, the earth shook. The (cool as fuck) Genocide me that was about to reach the ground and burn the Nests was split in half. A man wearing a blue martial arts robe flew into the sky from between the split halves.

    ¡°Who the hell is that?¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    1. The Hatchery is the foundational structure for zerg colonies in Starcraft. ?

 Chapter 470: Parasite King (2)

    Chapter 470: Parasite King (2)

    ¡°Why is a human¡ª¡± As Oh Kang-Woo was about to ask why a human was here, he stopped talking once he saw the middle-aged man walking closer. ¡°Tsk, of course.¡±

    He wondered why a human was among the swarm of Parasites, but he could tell the man was not human from a closer look. The man¡¯s eyes were fully ck and blood vessels were bulging around them; he even possessed a form of energy which Kang-Woo, who possessed sacred power, mana, and demonic energy, had never seen before. The man was not human in any aspect; although he looked very simr to being human, Kang-Woo could tell the being within the man¡¯s body was a monster from an outer world.

    <em>¡®He must have taken over the body.¡¯</em>

    The middle-aged man¡¯s clothes were simr to the other humans around Huan, whom Parasites also took over.

    <em>¡®These insects are as unpleasant as I thought.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo felt extreme displeasure as he stared at the unknown middle-aged man with his body taken over by a monster. It was because Kang-Woo also had several beings lying in wait to take over his body.

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± he took a deep breath.

    The demonic energy drained from using Twilight was filled back up through the Demonic Sea. Kang-Woo gripped Ingrium and lowered his stance.

    <em>Split.</em>Translucent wings sprouted from the middle-aged man¡¯s back.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    A sonic boom rang as the man flew toward Kang-Woo, causing a wave ofpressed air to rage like a storm. The man charged at Kang-Woo along with a thunderous sound. He stretched his arm out to the side, creating a formless sword like Kim Si-Hun usually did.

    <em>ng¡ª!</em>

    Ingrium and the formless sword shed. Kang-Woo and the middle-aged man were both blown backward from the powerful recoil.

    ¡°Oh?¡± The man looked down at his numb hand and then stared at Kang-Woo with great interest, his eyes shining.

    ¡°A mere insect knows how to use a sword?¡± said Kang-Woo as he smiled and lightly shook his hand that had been holding Ingrium.

    His eyes filled with a powerful sense of hunger as he stared at the middle-aged man.

    <em>¡®Not bad.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled and licked his lips. They only shed swords once but Kang-Woo could tell that the Parasite was powerful from the fact that he was blown back.

    <em>¡®But that¡¯s all there is to it.¡¯</em>

    He did not know how much more power the insect was hiding, but the battle would be nothing but leisurely entertainment for him.

    <em>¡®You have more to give, don¡¯t you?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled widely and stared at the Parasite King in anticipation. He recalled his battle against Tai Wuji and the feeling that he could only feel against those with phenomenal power. He recalled the spark that he could only experience from devouring such prey, which was even more satisfying than the passionate hunger and thirst.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t all you¡¯ve got, is it?¡±

    Kang-Woo gripped his sword stronger as he relished in the thrill he had not felt in a long time.

    [To think there was one this powerful in the Triad.] The Parasite King expressed astonishment. [Wonderful.]

    The king shivered in excitement at the fact that he would be able to rece the immense disappointment that he had felt when facing the strongest being in Huan, with ecstasy all at once.

    [It¡¯s been a while¡­ since I¡¯ve felt this way.]

    The Parasite King¡¯s heart beat faster. He had traveled across countless worlds to conquer and destroy them for a time so long that he could not even remember when he had begun, all for the sake of finding someone who would allow him to evolve. He desired to be freed from the endless boredom that he had been weighed down by ever since he became king.

    [No¡­ It is too soon to be sure.]

    The Parasite King quelled his growing anticipation and shook his head. He had yet to bring out even a quarter of his full power. It was far too soon to be ted that he had found his match just because his opponent managed to block one of his attacks. His immense ecstasy immediately turned into disappointment back when he faced the most powerful being in Huan.

    [I beg of you, entertain me,] the Parasite King said desperately.

    ¡°Hah, the insect even knows how to talk,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled.

    The two predators stared at each other in silence.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Kang-Woo and the Parasite King leaped at each other simultaneously after a short period of silence. Immense powers shed against one another, the ground tearing apart from the shockwave.

    <em>Bang! m! Crash!</em>

    The two kings moved so impossibly fast that they couldn¡¯t be seen with the naked eye.

    [Haaaaaaaaahh!] the Parasite King roared.

    The hideous blood vessels around his eyes spread throughout his entire body. The memories of the body that he had taken over, especially the power known as martial arts and the way to use weapons, flowed into him, and he moved his sword based on that.

    <em>Boom! Boom¡ª!</em>

    Explosive sounds simr to dozens of cannons firing rang each time the swords shed and shook the earth.

    [Hah, hahahaha!]

    The Parasite Kingughed in ecstasy, feeling the numbness in his hands and staring at the human who was blocking all of his attacks without getting overpowered.

    [You¡¯re much better than I¡¯d expected!]

    The Parasite King had expected it from the moment of their sh, but the man in front of him was far stronger than the self-proimed strongest being of Huan. The human was easily blocking the Parasite King¡¯s attacks, which could easily split a giant mountain, and was even counterattacking. His anxiety of his ecstasy turning into disappointment melted away.

    Kang-Woo blocked the attacks in silence.

    Unlike the ecstatic Parasite King, he was slightly frowning as if he was dissatisfied.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kang-Woo deflected the Parasite King¡¯s sword aimed at his head and kicked him in the stomach with his right foot. The Parasite King was blown backward but managed to stop after tumbling on the ground for several hundred meters.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Kang-Woo said to the Parasite King on the ground. He asked in disappointment, ¡°You didn¡¯t spout that badass line about entertaining you for this childish nonsense, did you?¡±

    Kang-Woo had slight anticipation for the Parasite King, who managed to push him back, but he couldn¡¯t help but gradually grow disappointed as the battle went on.

    ¡°Are you seriously using those shitty martial arts techniques you learned from who knows where against me?¡±

    Kang-Woo had trained with Si-Hun countless times and even battled Tai Wuji, whose martial arts skills were unmatched. There was no way that martial arts one was performing through memory would work on him. The Parasite King¡¯s attacks aiming for Kang-Woo¡¯s vitals couldn¡¯t be poorer and his swings were awfully simple to read. It was like someone wearing clothes that didn¡¯t fit them at all.

    ¡°If you¡¯re an insect, then fight like one, dammit.¡±

    Kang-Woo red at the Parasite King.

    The Parasite King stood up. [My apologies.]

    He bowed courteously and flew up into the air again, letting go of the green formless sword which dispersed into thin air.

    [I will treat you with respect,] said the Parasite King in a low tone.

    Performing untrained martial arts against a worthy opponent, whom he found after an excruciatingly long time, was highly disrespectful. Mere martial arts did not suit the Parasite King.

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    Sounds of bone breaking and distorting could be heard. The Parasite King was slowly turning from being close to human to a hideous monster. An exoskeleton covered his skin and another pair of eyes formed¡ª no, the four eyes then became eight, sixteen, then thirty-two. Every eye covering the Parasite King¡¯s face stared at Kang-Woo.

    [Before we begin,] remarked the Parasite King as he pped his translucent wings, [Why don¡¯t we talk for a little?]

    ¡°Talk?¡± Kang-Woo chuckled. He smiled fiercely and shook his head. ¡°Screw that.¡±

    Talking was pointless after the battle they just had.

    ¡°John Wick would have killed at least five people during the time we just spent talki¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please wait, my king,¡± Lilith interrupted.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    She approached Kang-Woo and whispered calmly, ¡°Why don¡¯t you at least pry as much information out of him as you can before resuming the battle?¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent as his expression full of excitement rxed.

    <em>¡®Prying as much information as I can, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo realized why Lilith had suggested such a thing after calming down a little.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s right. This is the first time Earth has been invaded by an outer world and it can happen again at any time.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. The otherworldly invasions had only just begun; as long as Earth¡¯s protection was gone, not even Kang-Woo could predict how many more invaders like the Parasites woulde to invade Earth. As Lilith said, they needed as much information about outer worlds as possible.

    <em>¡®I got too excited.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo admitted his blunder and turned to the Parasite King.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk.¡±

    [Let us exchange introductions first. Battling against a worthy opponent without even knowing their namecks elegance,] said the Parasite King calmly.

    <em>¡®Elegance, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo more or less had an idea of why the Parasite King offered to talk all of a sudden in the middle of a battle.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s quite intelligent for an insect.¡¯</em>

    Unlike the Cockroaches which seemed to be lower lifeforms, the evolved lifeforms and above seemed to possess intelligence on par with or even greater than that of humans.

    <em>¡®I didn¡¯t think they would be mindless monsters just because they were from outer worlds, but still.¡¯</em>

    It was weird to see monsters, that looked as if they would appear in games about wars in space, conversing normally and worrying about elegance.

    [I am a resident of the Eight Realms.]

    <em>¡®Eight Realms?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was reminded of the Nine Hells but shook his head.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way.¡¯</em>

    There was no demon like the Parasite King in the Eighth Hell¡ª no, it was impossible.

    <em>¡®If there was a demon like that back when I was still in Hell¡­¡¯</em>

    The one on the throne would have been that insect, not Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®Since I didn¡¯t have Deific Essence back then and the Demonic Sea wasn¡¯t as big as it is now.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would have been easily overpowered even if he had opened the Doors at the time.

    <em>¡®But not anymore.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the Parasite King leisurely.

    [The mortals refer to me as the <em>Parasite King</em>.]

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    The Parasite King¡¯s skin around his neck split open and poured out green tentacles covered in sticky mucus.

    [Now, it is time for you to tell me your n¡ª]

    <em>Bash¡ª!!</em>

    Kang-Woo ran up to the Parasite King and punched him in the face before the Parasite King could finish his sentence.

    [Kurgh! Wh-What is the meaning of this?!] shouted the Parasite King in confusion.

    ¡°M-Master Kang-Woo?¡± Lilith asked wide-eyed, also shocked by Kang-Woo¡¯s sudden behavior. She stared nervously at the Parasite King and whispered to Kang-Woo, ¡°I told you that we should pry information from¡ª¡±

    ¡°Kill him,¡± Kang-Woo interjected as he looked down at the Parasite King with the eyes of a dead fish.

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°We have to kill him.¡±

    Kang-Woo bit his lip aggressively.

    <em>¡®Talk? Information? What does any of that matter?¡¯</em>

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Multiple green tentacles were hideously squirming around the Parasite King.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh,¡± Kang-Woo groaned as he gripped his sword in pallor. He screamed desperately, ¡°We have to fucking kill that son of a bitch now!!!¡±

 Chapter 471: Parasite King (3)

    Chapter 471: Parasite King (3)

    [I thought you were a fellow connoisseur of elegance.]

    The Parasite King looked up at Oh Kang-Woo with a frown.

    ¡°Elegance, my ass,¡± Kang-Woo answered as he stared in disgust at the sticky green tentacles. He continued as he gagged, ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as elegance in tentacles.¡±

    ¡°H-How cruel¡­¡± Lilith shed tears as if she were heartbroken.

    <em>¡®Why are you getting hurt?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was left lost for words as he stared at Lilith, who was hurt by Kang-Woo¡¯s words directed at the Parasite King.

    ¡°Do you truly not understand the charm of tentacles, Master Kang-Woo?¡±

    <em>¡®Yes.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Why do you despise tentacles so much?!¡±<em>¡®Because of you.¡¯</em>

    ¡°You¡¯re too cruel!¡±

    ¡®So what?¡¯

    ¡°Hmph! Don¡¯t you ever think about enjoying my tentacles ever again!¡±

    <em>¡®Hell yeah.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could not understand the twisted beauty standards of demons despite having lived as a demon for far longer than as a human.

    [You have no desire to talk, do you?] The Parasite King looked up at Kang-Woo in rage. [I have no reason to show courtesy to a man so inelegant.] He slowly stood up and spread his green tentacles widely. [Come, mortal hero.]

    <em>Boom!</em>

    A great shockwave shook the earth as an otherworldly power different from mana, demonic energy, or sacred power poured out from him.

    The Parasite King remarked arrogantly, [Do your best to protect this world from me, the Parasite King.]

    The otherworldly invader, one who had conquered countless worlds and a king who reigned as the strongest for the longest time, raised his arms. Humanoid Parasites with translucent wings flew up to the sky. They were different from regr Parasites; they were evolved lifeforms that had inherited arge amount of the king¡¯s power, and the Parasite known as Raging Temperance was one of them.

    ¡°The king is trying to eat.¡± Balrog stood between the evolved Parasites and Kang-Woo as his muscles swelled. He raised his fist and said fiercely, ¡°Do not disturb him, insects.¡±

    <em>nk, nk.</em>

    ck armor wrapped around him with the sounds of dense metal hitting against each other.

    Balrog turned to Han Seol-Ah and said, ¡°I ask for your support, my king¡¯s lover.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay! I will buff you right away!¡±

    Seol-Ah nodded as twelve wings of light sprouted from her back. She was smiling uncontrobly, having taken a liking to the title <em>king¡¯s lover</em>.

    [Hm! I¡¯ll destroy anyone who gets in Kang-Woo¡¯s way!]

    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do my best to k-kill them all¡­ a-and be p-praised.¡±

    Echidna and Halcyon also exuded fierce bloodlust at the Parasites charging at Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®Good thing I brought them.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked as he looked at his retainers. With this, his battle against the Parasite King would not be interfered.

    ¡°Now, then.¡± Kang-Woo smiled widely.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    The mes of Voracity burned fiercely as if it were starving.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin,¡± he said to the king of the outer world.

    [I like your impertinence!]

    The Parasite King sprouted his translucent wings. Hundreds of green tentacles poured down at Kang-Woo as if it were rainfall. The mes of Voracity stood in their way.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Ear-splitting explosions shook their surroundings. The mes of Voracity dispersed and the tentacles barraged Kang-Woo, who was blown back and tumbled backward.

    [Haaaap!]

    The Parasite King stomped his feet and charged at supersonic speed. He reached the tumbling Kang-Woo in an instant and raised his right arm, which had been close to that of a human in appearance before, but was now wrapped in an exoskeleton simr to that of a cockroach.

    <em>Wham¡ª!!</em>

    Kang-Woo was blown into the sky after getting punched. The Parasite King did not give Kang-Woo any time to rest, showering him with punches.

    [We Parasites are the strongest beings, born to rule the universe!] said the Parasite King confidently as he barraged Kang-Woo. [Our extraordinary rate of propagation! Regenerative capabilities that fully heal us even after being split in half! Infinite evolutionary possibilities!]

    Parasites were born warriors and predators; it was pointless in and of itself topare them to mere humans. Angels and demons could be stronger than Parasites as individuals, but they were no match for Parasites if they went to war against each other.

    [And I am the one who was born as king of this race!]

    The Parasite King was the strongest from birth; his physical capabilities, power, and rate of evolution were on another levelpared to other Parasites, showing him that he was fit to be a king. He was born to conquer worlds and rule them beneath his feet. That was the true nature of the one known as the king of Parasites.

    [Now, mortal hero! Struggle some more!]

    <em>Bash! Crash! Wham¡ª!</em>

    Kang-Woo was getting one-sidedly beaten after the Parasite King unleashed his true power. The Parasite King¡¯s fists covered in a ck exoskeleton went through the mes of Voracity and barraged Kang-Woo before he even had time to counterattack. Kang-Woo¡¯s flesh was torn apart and his bones broke.

    [Is this all you¡¯ve got?!] shouted the Parasite King in frustration. [Do not disappoint me, human hero!]

    The Parasite King one day became bored because he was reigning above all. He no longer felt excitement when conquering worlds. He felt like he was dead; as if time had stopped for him.

    [Why do you think I came all the way here to the Triad?!]

    He needed stimtion; he needed someone who could let him feel like he was alive. He wanted to feel the thrill of battle with his life on the line.

    [Get up, human!]

    <em>Bash¡ª!</em>

    However, Kang-Woo was left embedded in the ground without being able to dodge his fist. The Parasite King clicked his tongue in disappointment.

    [... I guess this is it.]

    The human hero was no longer a match for the Parasite King once he brought out his true power.

    [But it has truly been a while since I¡¯ve transformed to my first form.]

    The Parasite King turned around with a sorrowful expression.

    ¡°You talk too much for a goddamn insect.¡±

    Just then, the Parasite King heard a voice.

    [...!]

    Kang-Woo slowly stood up from the ground.

    ¡°Do you talk with words?¡± The injuries that had been all over Kang-Woo were nowhere to be seen anymore. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve more or less figured you out now.¡±

    Kang-Woo stopped analyzing the Parasite King¡¯s movements with the Authority of Insight. His movements were not as extraordinarily impressive as those of Tai Wuji, but they were the most ideal for the Parasites¡¯ characteristics.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this for real now.¡±

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    Kang-Woo slightly lowered his stance and slowly raised his right fist covered in the mes of Voracity¡ª no, his fist itself had be fire.

    ¡°Skybreaker.¡±

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    Kang-Woo stomped his feet and leaped forward, arriving in front of the Parasite King as if he had teleported. He then swung his fist made of the mes of Voracity.

    <em>Bash¡ª!!!</em>

    The hundreds of tentacles protecting the Parasite King were burned away and Kang-Woo¡¯s fist dug into the Parasite King¡¯s stomach.

    [Kurgh!!]

    The Parasite King was ripped in half; his lower body copsed in ce as his upper body was blown away.

    [<em>Cough! Cough!</em>]

    The Parasite King, with only his upper body remaining, coughed green blood.

    [Gurghhh.]

    However, that was only for a moment. Sticky fluid oozes out from his upper body. The split area squirmed as if it were boiling and his lower body was regenerated.

    [Hah.]

    The Parasite King stared at Kang-Woo in shock. It took tremendous power to split his body in half.

    [Hah, haha.] The Parasite King smirked as he trembled and burst intoughter. [Kehe, kahahahaha!! Yes! That¡¯s more like it!]

    His expression which had been filled with sorrow earlier brightened in an instant.

    [This is the first time I¡¯ve had this much fun since beginning my conquest!]

    The Parasite King clenched his fists and once again drew out his power.

    <em>Crack, crack.</em>

    His ck exoskeleton around his entire body split open and eight hooks covered with sharp saw des emerged. His ck body was slowly turning green.

    [Grrrrr,] the Parasite King growled.

    He raised himself using the eight hooks. The Parasite King no longer had any resemnce to human form.

    [You are the second opponent to ever make me use my second form.]

    The first opponent was torn to shreds as soon as the Parasite King revealed his second form.

    [You can be honored! I can guarantee that you are the strongest among the humans¡ª]

    ¡°Jesus Christ, you talk too much,¡± Kang-Woo interjected as he grabbed two of the Parasite King¡¯s eight hooks.

    ¡°You can be honored too.¡±

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    Kang-Woo ripped out the two hooks.

    ¡°I can guarantee that you¡¯re the greatest chatterbox among everyone I¡¯ve ever fought.¡±

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kang-Woo used the momentum from ripping out the hooks to kick the Parasite King on the chin. The Parasite King was sent flying with his chin shattered. Kang-Woo lightly jumped and swung his leg back down like an ax. The Parasite King¡¯s face was bashed in with Kang-Woo¡¯s heel and he was rammed into the ground, forming a crater.

    [Gaaaaaaaaaahhh!!] The Parasite King screamed in pain as he twisted and turned, grasping the areas that his hooks were ripped out from. [Kehe, kehehe.]

    However, his painful struggles did notst long.

    [Kahahahahahaha!!] The Parasite King burst intoughter, still in the crater. He shouted ecstatically, [A-Aaaahh!! Yes, this is it! It was this!]

    He then looked up at Kang-Woo.

    [This must be how it feels to be alive!!]

    His voice was trembling with delight. A sense of fear that he had not felt in a long time was coursing through him. Fear allowed one to feel alive, as well as the emotion that he had been chasing all this time.

    [I will admit it, mortal hero!] The Parasite King stood up as he staggered. [You are worthy of being my rival!]

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    The earth shook as if an earthquake was taking ce.

    [Let me show you!]

    The Parasite King raised his arms, tens of thousands of green tentacles pouring out of him, and his skin was bubbling.

    [This is the true form of a king!]

    The green tentacles condensed into one area and the Parasite King, who was only a few meters tall, grew to be hundreds of meters tall. Kang-Woo was reminded of giants in mythology as he watched the Parasite King roaring as he trampled on a mountain.

    [Come! Let me experience true fear!]

    The Parasite King raised his giant arms in delight.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at the giant Parasite King,pletely baffled.

    <em>¡®What the hell¡¯s with this dude? He has three forms and can even gigantify? Is he the protagonist of a Trigger anime? Is your drill gonna pierce the heavens?¡¯</em>

    ¡°You want to feel fear?¡±

    Kang-Woo cackled. The power he could feel from the gigantified Parasite King was enormous enough to justify such a line. However¡­

    ¡°Sure,¡± Kang-Woo said as smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll let you feel it until you¡¯re sick of it.¡±

    He ced his right hand over his heart.

    ¡°Open.¡±

    Kang-Woo opened the doors of despair.

 Chapter 472: Parasite King (4)

    Chapter 472: Parasite King (4)

    [What the¡­]

    The Parasite King¡¯s eyes shook.

    <em>Boom, boom.</em>

    The monsterrge enough to squash a mountain with his feet took a step back. His instincts warned him that the being in front of him was dangerous.

    [You bastard¡­ Are you¡­ truly human?]

    Nothing had changed about the man; in terms of appearance, the enemy was human.

    [...]

    However, something was different. The Parasite King had devoured countless humans in the process of conquering Huan, but this was the first time he had felt this way. The being in front of him did not feel like a human, but something else wearing human skin.

    [He, hehehe,] the Parasite Kingughed in a low tone.He looked down at his trembling body; his instincts were desperately yelling at him to run away from that monster.

    [How amusing.]

    Thrills coursed throughout the Parasite King from facing an iprehensible enemy. He, who had conquered countless worlds throughout the universe, had never recognized anyone besides himself as a monster. He couldn¡¯t be more delighted from feeling an emotion that he had never felt before.

    <em>m!</em>

    [How very amusing!!] shouted the Parasite King as he forcibly erased the fear taking over him. He raised his giant arm and said, [More, more, more! Make me tremble in fear more!!]

    The giant¡¯s arm, several dozen meters long, swung down at Kang-Woo, who looked like a mere flypared to the Parasite King.

    <em>Wham¡ª!!</em>

    The enormous impact shook the earth. Kang-Woo was squashed after being ttened by the Parasite King¡¯s fist, but only for a moment. His mangled flesh returned to normal in an instant.

    [Kehehe, yes! That¡¯s more like it!]

    The Parasite King burst intoughter as he looked down at the instantly-regenerated Kang-Woo. He would not have the being, who had allowed him to feel fear, die so easily.

    [I¡¯ve finally found an opponent whom I can go all out against!]

    The Parasite King no longer needed to search for Bael. The monster in front of him was the rival that he had been searching for across dimensions.

    [Graaaaaaaaaaahhh!]

    The Parasite King¡¯s green exoskeleton split as he roared.

    <em>Tsssssssss¡ª!</em>

    Powerful green acid fell like rain.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo could smell his flesh burning; his skin was melting away, exposing bone. He charged toward the Parasite King as his body was melting away. He raced through the acid rain and stuck to him.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    Kang-Woo opened wide and took arge bite out of the Parasite King.

    The Parasite King looked down at a human fistful of his flesh that was bitten off. [Pfft. Bwahahahahahahaha!!!]

    He couldn¡¯t contain hisughter. He was hundreds of meters tall, so a mere human fistful of flesh was no different to him than dead skin cells to a human.

    [You call that an attack?] asked the Parasite King as he trembled, barely holding in hisughter.

    His eyes no longer held any sense of fear; all that remained was a deep sense of mockery aimed at his enemy.

    [Hmm. I¡­ may have been mistaken.]

    The Parasite King shook his head. He could feel his ecstasy dying after thinking that he had found his match. It was only natural since the only thing that Kang-Woo did after charging at him as his entire body melted was to take a single bite out of him.

    [Hehehe,] the Parasite King giggled.

    His excitement hadpletely disappeared but he did not feel bad for some reason. He was more relieved than disappointed that his enemy turned out to be nothing much.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    Just then, Kang-Woo took another bite out of the Parasite King.

    [Kahahahaha! You still haven¡¯t given up yet?!]

    The Parasite King burst intoughter again. Considering his size, the mere bite of a human was more insignificant than fearful.

    [An adorable struggle, my rival¡ª no, pathetic human.] He changed the way that he addressed Kang-Woo. [Did you not tell me earlier that you would make me feel fear until I was sick of it? Is this the fear you were referring to? Hm? Kehehe. What to do? I don¡¯t feel a shred of fear.]

    The Parasite Kingughed at Kang-Woo.

    Crunch.

    Kang-Woo took yet another bite out of the Parasite King.

    [Hmm.] The Parasite King frowned slightly; something was off about the bites. [They¡¯re not regenerating.]

    The regenerative capabilities of the Parasites were beyondpare, and those of the king transcended even that. He would still regenerate fully in an instant even if he were to be torn to microscopic bits. However, the bites that the human took out of him were not regenerating.

    [How annoying.]

    Even if it was insignificant, it was not like it didn¡¯t hurt. The Parasite King¡¯s irritation grew as the minuscule amount of pain lingered.

    [Die, pathetic human.]

    The Parasite King raised his giant arm and swung it down at Kang-Woo as if he were swatting a mosquito that had stuck itself to him. He then turned carefreely to look at Kang-Woo¡¯srades, specifically at Balrog, fighting against his subordinates.

    [Pathetic human¡¯s subordinate.]

    ¡°Hm?¡± Balrog, who had just blown off Raging Temperance¡¯s head, turned to the Parasite King. ¡°What is it, king of insects?¡±

    [Your master is dead.] The Parasite King showed Balrog Kang-Woo, who was squashed against the Parasite King¡¯s body. [How would you like to serve me instead of this pathetic one?]

    Balrog remained silent at the sudden offer. He stared at Kang-Woo¡¯s corpse andughed, ¡°Kehehe.¡±

    He stared at the Parasite King mockingly.

    ¡°It seems your brain did not get bigger with your body.¡±

    [What did you say?]

    The Parasite King¡¯s expression hardened. Balrog stared leisurely at the squashed Kang-Woo.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    Despite being hurt to the point that any living organism would die, the monster of the Demonic Sea did not die.

    ¡°Know nothing.¡±

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    [What?]

    The Parasite King expressed confusion. His flesh, so small that he could barely feel it, was bitten off.

    [Why¡­]

    He looked down with shaking eyes.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    A mouth came out of the body that had be mush and bit off his flesh.

    [Why aren¡¯t you¡­ dying?]

    The fear of the unknown was weighing the Parasite King down as if he were getting sucked into an abyss.

    [Urgh!]

    The Parasite King raised his arm and ripped off arge portion of where the mouth was attached. Green bodily fluid poured like a fountain from the ripped area.

    [Huuu, huuu.]

    He was hurt even morepared to when Kang-Woo was eating him, but his expression was much brighter. He threw aside the mound of flesh that he had ripped off.

    [What in the world are y¡ª]

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    The Parasite King heard the sound of flesh being bitten before he could finish his sentence.

    The Parasite King looked in pallor. There was a mouth attached to the ripped area.

    [What¡­ the hell?]

    He was sure that he hadpletely ripped out the area where the mouth was attached.

    [Why is it¡­ still there¡­?]

    The giant Parasite King trembled. His instincts were telling him that something was going wrong even if he didn¡¯t want to know.

    [Why are you still there?!!]

    The Parasite King shouted madly as he grabbed more of the flesh that the mouth was attached to. He ripped off more and more flesh without thinking of howrge his injury was getting.

    [<em>Huff, huff, huff,</em>] the Parasite King panted heavily.

    He threw aside the torn flesh far away as if it were filth.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    However, yet another mouth appeared and bit off his flesh.

    [A-Aaaahh,] the Parasite King groaned.

    The flesh bitten off with each bite was merely the size of a human fist. It could not even be considered an injury for the Parasite King.

    [S-Stop.]

    However, he could tell these injuries would continue to stack and this mouth would keep biting off his flesh like a curse. He could also tell that one day, he would die with his consciousness fully intact.

    [I told you to stoooooooop!!] the Parasite King screamed.

    He scratched madly in fear. His flesh was torn and green bodily fluid spewed from the torn vessels. The Parasite King was scratching more of his flesh off than the amount that Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth was biting off. Even so¡­

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    [G-Get off!! Get off of meeeeeeeeeeeeee!!]

    The biting did not stop. The Parasite King twisted and turned as he screamed like a madman. Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth was like a nail clipper neverendingly pinching away flesh.

    [A-Aaaahh. P-Please.]

    Being beheaded to be granted a quick death, and being slowly led to death as flesh was pinched off with a nail clipper.

    [S¨CStop. I-I didn¡¯t¡­ want something like this.]

    Which was a more fearful death?

    [This wasn¡¯t¡­ the kind of battle¡­ I wanted.]

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    The Parasite King¡¯s flesh was bitten off. ck mucus gathered around the area of the Parasite King¡¯s flesh that the mouth was attached to, and took the form of a human.

    Kang-Woo looked up at the Parasite King, who was looking down at him in terror, and asked, ¡°Do you fear me now?¡±

 Chapter 473: Hope To The Fallen World (1)

    Chapter 473: Hope To The Fallen World (1)

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    Flesh was bitten off.

    [A-Aaaahh.]

    A lifeless groan sounded out. Oh Kang-Woo slowly stood up and looked down at the Parasite King. His eyes which had been zing with passion were now that of a dead fish.

    ¡°The hell? Is it over already?¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at the Parasite King in disappointment. The Parasite King was as mangled as an abused rag. Most of his injuries were not made by Kang-Woo but by the Parasite King himself to rip Kang-Woo off of him.

    ¡°Huuu,¡± Kang-Woo took a deep breath in and clicked his tongue.

    <em>¡®I wanted to test my new Trait a little more.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the effects of his Twelfth Awakening Trait <em>Master of the Demonic Sea</em>.<em>¡®I guess it¡¯s fine since I¡¯ve more or less checked its effects.¡¯</em>

    The Trait <em>Master of the Demonic Sea</em> allowed Kang-Woo to maintain his sanity when the Doors were open. He had not been able to test it out since it was far too dangerous to open the Doors for no reason, so this opportunity had been the perfect chance for him.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s amazing.¡¯</em>

    The Trait was not EX-rank for nothing; the Twelfth Awakening Trait had far exceeded Kang-Woo¡¯s expectations.

    <em>¡®Let¡¯s see¡­ I think I withstood about twenty or thirty full-body regenerations.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not die from any physical, magical, or spiritual attack when the Doors were open because the Demonic Sea poured into him through the Ten Thousand Demon Core to restore him instantly.

    <em>¡®But it¡¯s not invincible.¡¯</em>

    Such an overpowered ability naturally had ws; the more the Demonic Sea¡¯s power was used to restore Kang-Woo¡¯s body whenever he got hurt, the more his sanity was eaten away by the Demonic Sea. His consciousness thinned and his thoughts evaporated.

    <em>¡®And in the end, I would lose control.¡¯</em>

    If Kang-Woo lost control, he would be reduced to a monster that ate anything in his path, regardless of friend or foe. The<em> Master of the Demonic Sea</em> Trait helped maintain his sanity within the Demonic Sea. To make aparison to a game about a plumber who grew from eating mushrooms, the Trait was like a star which allowed the plumber to be invincible after eating it.

    <em>¡®This will be a game changer.¡¯</em>

    No matter how risky opening the Doors was, Kang-Woo had no intention of keeping them closed against Bael. Rather, it would be forced upon him as if it were inevitable.

    <em>¡®And this trait will shine in that moment.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded in satisfaction.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

    He looked down at the Parasite King, who had lost the will to fight. He was still alive but was no different from being dead.

    [You¡¯re¡­] the Parasite King muttered. His voice was filled with fear, nothing like his arrogant tone from earlier. [Yes, I see¡­]

    He nodded lifelessly as if he understood.

    [It was never Bael.] The Parasite King continued in terror, [You are¡­ the ender of this world.]

    Kang-Woo grimaced. ¡°Ender, my ass.¡±

    He had been the one to stop the end of the world by defeating the Parasite King.

    ¡°Stop forcing shit like the demise and the end of the world when I don¡¯t even want it, dammit.¡±

    Kang-Woo walked in annoyance and slowly raised his arm. His hand split open and out of the ends poured ck mucus that quickly spread across the parasite King to devour him.

    [He, hehe.] The Parasite King giggled softly as the Authority of Predation was devouring him. He mumbled, [Your struggles¡­ are meaningless. Fate¡­ cannot be¡­]

    ¡°What a joke,¡± Kang-Woo interjected as he snickered. ¡°You were saying shit about how you were destined to be a king and that you were a conqueror from birth? Then why was I able to beat the shit out of you? Hm? Is this also part of your destiny? Was it decided from birth?¡±

    [...]

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to act cool by shitting out meaningful-sounding lines and just die quietly, man.¡±

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists in annoyance as he looked down at the Parasite King. The energy of the Authority of Predation fully enveloped the Parasite King several hundred meters tall.

    <em>Crunch, crunch!</em>

    The sound of crushing bones echoed.

    [A-Aaaahh,] the Parasite King groaned. He looked up as he felt himself sinking into the sea of demonic energy. [It seems¡­]

    He was a king from the moment of birth; he was the strongest. The countless stars that he had conquered only contained prey. No one who could even dare to devour him existed¡ª until today when he met that monster.

    [I was¡­ one of those prey.]

    He was merely one of the prey to the predator of predators on top of the food chain.

    The Parasite King slowly closed his eyes. The fear that he had desired all this time was not at all as entertaining as he had hoped.

    ***

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [You have sessfully devoured the Parasite King!]

    [Transferring the right of control over the Parasites from the Parasite King to yer Oh Kang-Woo.]

    [You have acquired the special skill ¡®Tentacle Summoning (Rank: SS)¡¯ and ¡®Acidic Body Fluid (Rank: S}.¡¯]

    <em>¡®The fuck? I don¡¯t need that shit.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo cursed in his head as he confirmed the blue message windows that appeared after the predation. He was fine with Acidic Body Fluid, but not Tentacle Summoning.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll never use it.¡¯</em>

    No matter how broken it was, he would never use the goddamn skill for as long as he lived.

    ¡°Is this seriously it?¡±

    Kang-Woo red at the message window. He couldn¡¯t believe that he only acquired two useless skills after devouring the Parasite King, who was so strong that he was forced to open the Doors.

    <em>¡®More. Spit out more, dammit.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared daggers at the message window. Another message popped up as if it were responding to his pleas.

    [The stat Vitality has been newly added.]

    [The spectrum of ways that you can use Chaos skills has broadened thanks to the acquisition of power from an outer world!]

    [Raising your mastery over Chaos skills]

    [Combining the Chaos skills with the mes of Voracity due to its improved mastery.]

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo said in bewilderment.

    <em>¡®The skills werebined?¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t understand why Chaos skills werebined with the mes of Voracity out of nowhere.

    ¡°Motherfucker.¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned aggressively. He had avoided using Chaos skills ever since awakening the mes of Voracity. Chaos skills were only slightly stronger than the mes of Voracity despite them being more than ten times as difficult to control.

    <em>¡®No, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s significantly more powerful either.¡¯</em>

    If the Chaos skills were uncharted territory that he had yet to fully discover, the mes of Voracity were an embodiment of his true self. It was only natural for there to be a difference in controbility.

    <em>¡®Even though I have two Traits that help me control them better.¡¯</em>

    It was far too inefficient.

    ¡°Goddammit.¡±

    Rather than excitement, Kang-Woo was more worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to use the mes of Voracity, which he had been using well, anymore.

    <em>¡®I need to check right away.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his head. There were still thousands of Parasite Nests sprawled throughout Huan since the Parasite King had split Kang-Woo¡¯s skill <em>Twilight </em>in half.

    <em>¡®I could wipe them out in an instant with just a singlemand since I was given control.¡¯</em>

    However, they were the perfect targets to test out the power of thebined mes of Voracity and Chaos skills.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened as he was about to draw out the mes of Voracity.

    <em>¡®If the mes of Voracity and the Chaos skills werebined¡­¡¯</em>

    A chilling thought popped up in his head.

    ¡°Sh-Shit!¡±

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists.

    <em>Tear!</em>

    The skin of his back ripped open once Kang-Woo crouched and focused. Giant wings made of sticky ck mucus sprouted from the split areas.

    Fwoosh.

    mes wrapped around the wings of ck mucus. The gold and ck wings resembling a ck sun pped on his back.

    ¡°Phew,¡± Kang-Woo sighed in relief. ¡°Thank God I can still make my wings no problem.¡±

    His zing wings were a derivative of the mes of Voracity; he worried that he would no longer be able to use them after thebination, but that did not seem to be the case.

    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t live without these wings anymore,¡± Kang-Woo muttered desperately.

    He always turned into ck mucus covered in nothing but mouths, and sometimes even turned into a ball of fire.

    ¡°This is¡­ my only badass skill.¡±

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists. Whatever happened, he couldn¡¯t afford to lose his wings.

    ¡°Fuuu.¡±

    Kang-Woo pped his wings and flew up into the air.

    [Hm! K-Kang-Woo!]

    Just then, Echidna flew toward Kang-Woo in excitement. She did not seem to be significantly injured due to the halt of the evolved lifeforms¡¯ actions after the Parasite King¡¯s death.

    [Kang-Woo! What are those wings?! They¡¯re so cool!]

    ¡°Huhu.¡±

    Kang-Woo shrugged proudly and pped his wings to show them off.

    ¡°Haaa. You act like a child in the weirdest moments, Master Kang-Woo.¡± Lilith approached Kang-Woo as she sighed. She looked down at the ground covered in Parasite Nests and continued, ¡°That aside, how are you nning on disposing of those Nests?¡±

    ¡°They should be wiped out.¡±

    ¡°I guess there is no other way.¡± Lilith nodded as she looked down at the thousands of Nests. She continued in pity, ¡°I wonder¡­ if thisnd will be able to return to normal one day with time?¡±

    She seemed to be saddened by the fallen world as well.

    Kang-Woo smirked. ¡°How un-demonlike of you.¡±

    ¡°Hoho, indeed.¡±

    Lilith giggled elegantly with her mouth covered. She then lightly grabbed Seol-Ah, who was flying next to her, by the hand and pulled her close.

    ¡°L-Lilith?¡± Seol-Ah asked, flustered.

    Lilith lightly embraced Seol-Ah and said, ¡°Fufu. I think I¡¯ve changed a little after spending time with Seol-Ah and the others.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly. It was not a bad change.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said as he looked down at Huan. ¡°As long as we get rid of the Nests¡­ there is hope for thisnd to return to how it used to be.¡±

    It was likely near impossible; nearly every lifeform in Huan had been taken over by Parasites and killed.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    There was a sliver of hope¡ª Kang-Woo was sure of it.

    ¡°Master Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    ¡°I will create that hope.¡±

    That was the least he could do for this fallen world.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and drew out the mes of Voracity. He unsheathed Ingrium from his waist.

    ¡°Oh,¡± he expressed.

    The mes of Voracity, which used to burn using demonic energy mixed with Divinity as fuel, were now mixed with mana, sacred power, and the energy of the outer world known as Vitality as well.

    <em>¡®So this is¡­ what it meant by it hasbined with Chaos.¡¯</em>

    The mes of Voracity, which used to burn only with the power of demonic energy, were now using <em>Chaos </em>as fuel.

    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em>

    The mes were voraciously eating <em>Chaos </em>to burn more fiercely than ever before.

    <em>¡®Not bad.¡¯</em>

    The mes of Voracity was an embodiment of his true self. They had indeed be harder to control due to theirbination with Chaos, but not to the point that he couldn¡¯t handle them. It was at least far easier to control than using Chaos skills by themselves.

    ¡°Hope¡­¡± Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes and looked down at Huan taken over by Parasites. ¡°... To the fallen world.¡±

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!!</em>

    The mes of Voracity burned fiercely as they devoured Chaos. Kang-Woo swung down his sword horizontally as if he were forming a boundary between the sky and earth.

    ¡°Twilight.¡±

    <em>Boom!! Rumble¡ª!!! Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    Not only did the mes of Voracity, which poured out from the sword, burn the Parasite Nests covering the ground to a crisp, but they also began to destroy the entirety of Huan. The massive mes melted the ground and vaporized the earth.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Kang-Woo quickly lowered the output, but it was already toote.

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    The sliver of hope remaining in the fallen world was snuffed out.

    <em>¡®Why the fuck is it so damn strong?¡¯</em>

    The attack far surpassed his expectations. The mes of Voracity burning with Chaos were powerful enough to turn an entire world to ash. Kang-Woo looked down at Huan, which was falling apart as if several nukes exploded at once.

    ¡°Uhhh, mm.¡±

    <em>¡®I mean, you see¡­¡¯</em>

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault.¡±

    <em>¡®It¡¯s the System¡¯s fault forbining the Chaos skills and the mes of Voracity on their own. Come to think of it, a portion of the privileges granted by the Law of Titans was transferred to Bael.¡¯</em>

    In that case, it was highly likely that all of this had gone ording to his n.

    ¡°That fucking bastard¡­!¡± Kang-Woo trembled in rage. ¡°To think he would¡­ destroy a world that still had hope of returning to how it once was!¡±

    Kang-Woo shed tears as he looked down at the vanishing Huan. He had never felt more powerless than right now, unable to do anything to stop the destruction.

    ¡°I will avenge this star¡­ no matter what.¡±

    Kang-Woo turned around aftering to a resolution.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [How could such a scumbag possibly exist in the univ¡ª]

    Kang-Woo pushed aside the message window that popped up in front of him.

 Chapter 474: I Didnâ€™t Think So Either

    Chapter 474: I Didn¡¯t Think So Either

    ¡°Master Kang-Woo?¡±

    Lilith looked down at the copsing world and then at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly. Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders flinched.

    ¡°Well¡­ You see,¡± Kang-Woo stuttered as he squeezed out an excuse. ¡°The skillsbined all of a sudden¡­ Bael, that scumbag¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo tried to make whatever excuse he could, but there was no way any of them would work after they saw with their own eyes Kang-Woo turning Huan into ash with the mes of Voracity.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Lilith sighed deeply as she stared at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to Earth. It¡¯ll be dangerous if we stay here for any longer.¡±

    Once the mes of Voracity reached Huan¡¯s inner core, there would be an explosion close to a supernova. Kang-Woo might survive with the Doors open, but his retainers like Balrog, Echidna, Halcyon, and others could not survive the explosion.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Kang-Woo nodded without argument as the culprit for Huan¡¯s destruction. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Kang-Woo pped his wings as he stared at the red Rift connected to Earth. The Rift was gradually getting smaller, possibly due to Huan¡¯s destruction. Kang-Woo and the others turned their backs on the copsing Huan and threw themselves into the Rift.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>¡°Urgh¡­¡±

    Filled with smoke, Seoul came into view along with a slight dizziness.

    ¡°For the light!!¡±

    ¡°The God of Splendor will guide us to salvation!!¡±

    ¡°Let us fight as one!¡±

    The first thing Kang-Woo saw was the members of the Church of Splendor from Aernor, with Cha Yeon-Joo at the forefront.

    ¡°Ohmeeeeeeeeeeeen!!!¡± Yeon-Joo preached as she sprayed red chains covered in thorns, which were now covered in brilliant golden light, at the Parasites that had reached the heart of the city.

    <em>Crunch! Smash!!</em>

    The chains infused with the power of Divinity pierced several Parasites hiding in buildings.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s doing well.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Yeon-Joo in satisfaction. She had said at first that she would rather die than shout <em>Ohmen</em>, but she had be the most faithful devotee of the Church of Splendor after Kang-Woo¡¯s sincere (smartphone-induced) persuasion.

    Yeon-Joo was notcking in any way as the incarnation of the God of Splendor as she wiped out the regr Parasites attacking civilians instead of fighting against the evolved lifeforms one-on-one.

    <em>¡®Let¡¯s see. Where are Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun¡­?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had ordered them to neutralize the Evolved Parasites. He searched the area with the Authority of the Beholder and felt two beings exuding powerful energies speeding around the city. Kang-Woo nodded after figuring out why.

    ¡°The Parasites must have changed strategies.¡±

    The Parasites noticed that reinforcements were no longer arriving from the red Rift and decided to switch their approach to a gueri tactic of buying time by scattering throughout the city.

    <em>¡®A wise choice for a bunch of insects.¡¯</em>

    It was only natural since the Parasites had no way of defeating the twin protagonists Kim Si-Hun and Kim Tae-Hyun head-on.

    <em>¡®Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun seem to be having a hard time because of that.¡¯</em>

    There were countless ces for Parasites to hide in the heart of Seoul. Since Si-Hun and Tae-Hyun couldn¡¯t afford to destroy buildings to find the Parasites, they had no choice but to run around to find them.

    ¡°Thank goodness I was transferred control.¡±

    Kang-Woo separated from the group and flew across the skies of Seoul by himself. He moved to an area where he could see the entirety of the Han River and slowly raised his arm. There was no way he would let such a wonderful opportunity pass by.

    [Hear me, evil parasites.]

    Kang-Woo¡¯s voice was transmitted directly into the people¡¯s minds.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Brilliant golden light spread throughout the surroundings. Even his wings were covered in golden light instead of the mes of Voracity.

    [The God of Splendormands you.]

    Kang-Woo used the privileges transferred to him from the Parasite King. Kang-Woo wondered for a moment if he should use the Parasites as his pawns.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not worth it.¡¯</em>

    After weighing the benefit of being able to control the Parasites and the risk of people possibly finding out that they were under Kang-Woo¡¯s control, it was far better to just rid himself of them.

    Kang-Woomanded the Parasites hiding throughout the entire city, [Die.]

    ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaah!¡±

    ¡°<em>Skreeeee!!</em>¡±

    The Parasites all over Seoul screeched and began to rip themselves apart with their front legs akin to scythes.

    <em>¡®And for the finishing touches.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo scattered the golden light around him, which had no effect other than its color, throughout the city to add some more visual effect.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    ¡°O God of Splendor¡­¡±

    ¡°S-Salvation! It is the light of salvation!¡±

    People mistook the golden light as the cause of the Parasites¡¯ deaths.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled. This was far better for the eyes than simplymanding the Parasites to die.

    <em>¡®I can hear Slushy cheering from here.¡¯</em>

    This event would grow the Church of Splendor¡¯s reputation severalfold as well as amplify his Divinity collection.

    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡±

    Si-Hun quickly ran toward Kang-Woo using Void Steps.

    ¡°What¡¯s the damage?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Most of the civilians were safely evacuated thanks to the help of Guardians and the Aernor soldiers, but the people who were attacked before that were¡­¡±

    Si-Hun lowered his head with a somber expression. Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and nodded.

    <em>¡®It couldn¡¯t be helped since we were the ones invaded.¡¯</em>

    Rather, it was a miracle that there had been minimal casualties from such a suddenrge-scale invasion.

    <em>¡®It might have ended up like the future that Tae-Hyun saw if I didn¡¯t fly into the Rift.¡¯</em>

    Seoul would have be no different from Hell for sure, forming a mountain of corpses and a river of blood.

    <em>¡®But I managed to stop it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was not able to save Huan, but he was at least able to protect Earth. He had stopped the first invasion from the outer worlds.

    ¡°Hyung-nim. I will go to the evacuation area with La.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯m sure everyone is panicking, so try to keep them under control.¡±

    The citizens would more or less listen to Si-Hun since he was the globally famous Sword Dragon. Si-Hun nodded and quickly leaped away. Kang-Woo flew down to the top of a highrise building.

    ¡°Fuuu.¡±

    Even Kang-Woo was exhausted after a battle as heavy as this one.

    <em>¡®I also opened the Doors.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at his heart. The doors of the Ten Thousand Demon Core sealing the Demonic Sea were closed shut.

    <em>¡®There¡­ weren¡¯t any side effects again.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t feel even a prickle of the excruciating pain that inevitably came with opening the Doors.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression froze. He knew that it was not good news. To make aparison, it was like feeling no pain after one¡¯s limbs were severed.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ve heard that the most terrifying kind of cancer was a painless one.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned around with a sorrowful expression. He could instinctively tell that it was dangerous as it was now, but he had no other choice since nothing was strong enough to rece opening the Doors.

    ¡°That aside, what are those bastards from Olympus doing?¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned as he looked down at the city. Even if they were busy managing the divine realm, not manifesting while Earth was being attacked was uneptable.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll have to bring this up to that bitch Gaiater.¡¯</em>

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo hyung!¡±

    Kang-Woo heard Tae-Hyun¡¯s voice as he was gritting his teeth inside his head. Kang-Woo turned to see a riled-up Tae-Hyun with tear streaks around his eyes.

    ¡°Did we¡­ do it?¡± Tae-Hyun asked.

    There was no need to even think about what he was asking.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo lightly nodded. ¡°We stopped the future that you saw¡­ with our own hands.¡±

    Tae-Hyun became teary-eyed. He lowered his head as his shoulders subtly trembled. ¡°<em>Sniff</em>. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m, so d.¡±

    He had suffered from immense shock after seeing the end of the world through Foresight. He could no nothing but despair as he saw the burning sky and the mountain of countless corpses.

    <em>¡®We stopped it,¡¯ </em>Tae-Hyun thought.

    Heroes had banded together to stop the end of the world.

    ¡°It would have been impossible¡­ if not for you, Kang-Woo hyung.¡± Tae-Hyun wiped his tears, grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hands, and smiled brightly.

    ¡°We stopped them together.¡± Kang-Woo lightly patted Tae-Hyun¡¯s shoulders.

    <em>¡®This guy looks more and more like a protagonist with each passing day.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but feel that way as he stared at Tae-Hyun bawling his eyes from the fact that they stopped the end of the world. Si-Hun felt like the protagonist of a Korean fantasy story and Tae-Hyun felt like the protagonist of a Japanese light novel.

    <em>¡®They both feel like heroes of their own stories but Tae-Hyun is a bit more of a pushover¡­ or should I say that he¡¯s more sentimental?¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun was able to make level-headed decisions to an extent but Tae-Hyun mostly acted based on his feelings. He was a textbook isekai chuunibyou protagonist. Even now, Si-Hun had headed to the evacuation area to do what he needed to do as soon as the invasion was dealt with, but Tae-Hyun was crying because he was so moved that the end of the world was stopped.

    <em>¡®Well, if I had to choose, he¡¯s easier to manipte.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at the crying Tae-Hyun.

    <em>¡®He¡¯d be usable if I raise him as a protagonist duo with Si-Hun.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun had also made significant contributions to stopping the invasion.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should regroup with Si-Hun¡ª¡±

    ¡°Argh!¡± Tae-Hyun suddenly crouched as he grabbed his head. ¡°Arghhhhhhhhh!!¡±

    Blood vessels bulged around Tae-Hyun¡¯s eyes. Tears mixed with blood flowed down his cheeks.

    <em>¡®The hell? What¡¯s up with him now?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Tae-Hyun in confusion.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡± Tae-Hyun stepped away from Kang-Woo, his eyes filled with terror. ¡°No¡­ It can¡¯t be.¡±

    <em>¡®What can¡¯t be?¡¯</em>

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ impossible.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>¡®Oh, fuck. I know this pattern.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Wh-Why are you¡­ hyung¡­ n-no. There¡¯s no way¡­ hyung would¡­¡±

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not what I¡¯m thinking, right? Right?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Wh-Why are you¡­ there?¡±

    <em>¡®Tae-Hyun. The future you saw was of Seoul after failing to stop the Parasite invasion, right? Right? I¡¯m not in there, right?¡¯</em>

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t¡­ the Parasites?¡±

    <em>¡®No, Tae-Hyun. It was the Parasites. I didn¡¯t do any of that shit.¡¯</em>

    ¡°K-Kurgh!! Arghhhhh!!¡±

    <em>¡®Why are you doing this, Tae-Hyun? I¡¯m being a good boy. See? I even saved Earth from the Parasites.¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>¡®You know how much I care about you, right? I take super good care of my little brothers. You trust me, don¡¯t you? You know how much I love you, right? Right? I didn¡¯t express it in words, but you have no idea how moved I was when you called me hy¡ª¡¯</em>

    ¡°Demon¡­ King? God of Voracity? Wh-What? What the hell?!!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Hyung¡­ You were the Demon of Prophecy?¡±

    <em>¡®Mm. Yeah, I didn¡¯t think so either. No one reads light novels these days.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 475: What The Hell Is This Novelâ€™s Genre?

    Chapter 475: What The Hell Is This Novel¡¯s Genre?

    <em>Zzzzzt!</em>

    Static filled Kim Tae-Hyun¡¯s vision. He could see a gray-colored world, a burning sky, distorted ground, and destroyed buildings.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh!¡±

    There was a mountain made of countless corpses and a sea of blood. He threw up from the gut-wrenching stench.

    ¡°Bleeeeeeeeghhh!!¡±

    His vomit mixed with the eyeballs on the ground.

    ¡°A-Arrrggghhh.¡±

    Tae-Hyun stepped back as he trembled and looked up. On top of the mountain of corpses¡­

    ¡°Kang-Woo hyung?¡±There was a demon.

    The man had ck sclera, yellow irises, ck horizontal pupils, goat horns on his forehead, and wings of fire on his back. The man couldn¡¯t be anything but a demon.

    ¡°Why is hyung¡­?¡±

    However, the man looked like the one whom Tae-Hyun deeply idolized.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s wings, resembling a ck sun enveloped by gold and ck mes, swayed. He pped his wings and slowly turned around.

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    He crouched and began to devour the corpses.

    ¡°Wh-What are you doing, hyung?!¡± Tae-Hyun called.

    However, his voice did not reach Oh Kang-Woo. It was only natural since the sight that he was seeing was that of the <em>future</em>.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    Just then, Tae-Hyun heard familiar heavy breathing at the foot of the mountain of corpses. He turned to the source of the sound.

    <em>¡®Me?¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun saw himself.

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­ hyung?¡±

    His future self was trembling in shock.

    Kang-Woo slowly stood up and asked dryly, ¡°You¡­ were alive?¡±

    His voice was empty as if something had broken within him.

    ¡°H-Hyung¡­ what is¡­ all this?¡± Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self looked around in confusion. ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡± His eyes then widened as if he had understood everything. ¡°It was¡­ you? It wasn¡¯t Bael¡­ but you?¡±

    Kang-Woo did not answer and stared nkly at Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self.

    ¡°Answer me!!!¡± Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self screamed. ¡°I asked you if you did all this!!¡±

    He copsed and looked around at the city covered in corpses. He then unsheathed a sword with white frost covering its edge, unlike the dagger his current self used.

    Kang-Woo slowly walked toward Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self. mes that looked like a ck sun ignited the surroundings with each step he took. Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth split open to his earlobes and revealed razor-sharp teeth.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo nodded with a smile. ¡°I did it.¡±

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self trembled in shock, tears flowing down his cheeks. ¡°It¡­ really was you, hyung.¡± His teeth ttered. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self shouted in rage, ¡°Wh-Why¡­?! Why did you do it, hyung?! How could you do something so atrocious?!¡±

    The tears that umted on the tip of his chin dropped on a corpse, mixing with the blood.

    ¡°Why¡­¡± Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self red at Kang-Woo in resentment on his knees.

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his right arm and covered his face with his hand. ¡°Because¡­¡± His shoulders moved up and down as he cackled like a demon. He licked his lips and replied, ¡°I was hungry.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self stared at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly, unable to understand. ¡°Hungry¡­? What¡­ What are you talking about, hyung?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Kang-Woo staggered as he walked. ¡°I have to win.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Okay? I have to win.¡±

    ¡°Hyung.¡±

    ¡°Kihi, kihihihi,¡± Kang-Wooughed as if broken inside. ¡°Right, Balrog?¡±

    He looked up at the sky and extended his arm toward it as if he were trying to grab something.

    ¡°Forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward,¡± Kang-Woo mumbled as if humming. ¡°Pfft, ha, hahaha! Yeah, Balrog. You¡¯re right. Forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward, forward!!¡±

    <em>Boom!</em>

    ¡°To somece higher! Higher than ever before!¡± Kang-Woo screamed madly as he reached for the sky. ¡°Right? Huh? Am I doing it right?¡± ck tears flowed down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Right, Balrog¡­? I¡¯m doing the right thing, right? Right? H-Hihi. What the hell, man? Why aren¡¯t you answering me?¡±

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    The ck sun burned.

    ¡°WHY AREN¡¯T YOU ANSWERING ME?!!¡±

    <em>Boom¡ª!</em>

    The earth shook.

    ¡°H-Hehe,¡± Kang-Woo giggled as if he had a screw loose. ¡°Seol-Ah¡­ Seol-Ah. Listen to me. Huh? Where did you go, Lilith? You said you would stop me, didn¡¯t you? Hm? You said you would stop me if anything were to happen to me. H-Hihi. Si-Hun¡­ Yeon-Joo¡­ Wh-Where did you all go? Hm? Answer me already.¡±

    ¡°H-Hyung¡­¡±

    ¡°Pfft. H-Hihihihihi!¡± Kang-Woo giggled madly as he hugged himself.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    He turned his head far beyond what was normal for a human and slowly tilted it.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Kang-Woo stared crazily at Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self. ¡°You¡­ were alive?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s sharp teeth glinted; the starved beast bared his fangs at his prey.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh¡­¡± Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self gripped his head in despair from the fact that the terror taking over him was from none other than Kang-Woo. ¡°<em>Sniff, sniff.</em>¡±

    The tears did not stop. Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self could instinctively tell that his hyung, the man whom he deeply idolized, was no longer there.

    ¡°I¡­ trusted you,¡± Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self said as he gripped his sword tighter and bit his lip. ¡°Even after finding out that you were the Demon King and the God of Voracity¡­ I trusted you.¡±

    He raised his sword covered in white frost.

    ¡°Why¡­ Why did things end up this way?!!¡±

    The surroundings froze in an instant once Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self infused mana into the sword, which possessed the power to freeze the entire world.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self inhaled deeply and light poured out of his eyes as he gripped the sword exuding white frost. Hemanded, ¡°Freeze.¡±

    <em>Swoosh¡ª!!</em>

    A frost storm so powerful that not even a being of godhood would be able to easily endure raged toward Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Heh.¡±

    However, Kang-Woo split in half from neck to groin and something came out from the ends.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s hand, which had been holding the sword, was bitten off.

    ¡°A-Argh.¡± He staggered backward as blood poured out of the severed hand. ¡°Gaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self screamed in immense pain. He twisted and turned as he fell to the ground.

    ¡°Mmm, how exquisite. It¡¯s cooling my mouth.¡± Kang-Woo, who devoured Tae-Hyun¡¯s hand along with the sword, nodded in satisfaction.

    He walked toward Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self, his body still split.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡± Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self looked up. He saw something within Kang-Woo¡¯s split body. ¡°Kang-Woo hyung¡­¡±

    There was a ck sea, an endless abyssrge enough to devour the entire world whole.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    Kang-Woo lifted Tae-Hyun¡¯s future self and bit off his head.

    <em>tter.</em>

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s ne fell from his severed head. It began to exude blinding light once it hit the ground.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Kang-Wo tilted his head in confusion.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The light wrapped the headless Tae-Hyun before Kang-Woo had a chance to grab the ne.

    <em>Zzzzzzzzzt!!!</em>

    The gray distortion filled Tae-Hyun¡¯s vision again, bringing along a severe headache.

    ¡°A-Aaaaaaaarrrrggghhh!!¡±

    Tae-Hyun clenched his eyes. Tears of blood poured down his cheeks. Bulging blood vessels could be seen between Tae-Hyun¡¯s fingers as he covered his eyes with his hands.

    ¡°Tae-Hyun?¡±

    Tae-Hyun heard a voice; it was that of the hero he was now familiar with, and the brother whom he idolized.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Tae-Hyun?¡±

    Tae-Hyun looked up to see Kang-Woo¡¯s face.

    ¡°N-No.¡± Tae-Hyun shook his head and denied the nightmare that he had just seen. ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­ hyung would do such a thing.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t even worth mentioning. Why would Kang-Woo, who protected Earth from the Parasite invasion, end the world?

    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ no way.¡±

    However, Tae-Hyun knew deep down in his heart. He had already realized it.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Tae-Hyun? Did you see another future?¡±

    The future that he just saw was inevitable and Kang-Woo, the monster putting on the fa?ade of a hero, was the being who would end the world.

    ¡°Hyung¡­ You were the Demon of Prophecy?¡±

    Silence fell. Kang-Woo stared at Tae-Hyun with deeply sunken eyes.

    ¡°What the hell are you even talking about? I told youst time that Bael is the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You seem to have seen something with your ability, but you shouldn¡¯t rely too much on¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your wings.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Tae-Hyun stared at Kang-Woo¡¯s back¡ª or to be more specific, his wings of splendor shining gold.

    ¡°They look¡­ the same.¡±

    Although they were different colors, their unique fluid shape was the same as the wings that Tae-Hyun saw in his future vision.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡± Tae-Hyun staggered backward and cried as he clenched his head. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!¡±

    The memories of his future self surged into his brain. The memories of the present and future mixed; it did not take long for Tae-Hyun¡¯s consciousness to be taken over by his future self.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Tae-Hyun raised his head and looked around. He mumbled as if he couldn¡¯t believe it, ¡°Wh-Why is Seoul¡­ Th-The people are alive!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ Yes, the Parasites! This is back when the Parasites attacked!¡± Tae-Hyun shouted in delight.

    He then flinched once he saw Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Hyung¡ª no, you damn demon.¡±

    Tae-Hyun gritted his teeth and took out his dagger. He bit his lip and lowered his stance.

    ¡°I will kill you¡­ right here and now.¡±

    He red at Kang-Woo furiously.

    Kang-Woo ced his hand on his forehead as if he was getting a headache. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake.¡±

    <em>¡®Is it a fucking regression now? What a goddamn shitshow. What the hell is this novel¡¯s genre?¡¯</em>

 Chapter 476: Youâ€™re Making Me Feel Like The Final Boss

    Chapter 476: You¡¯re Making Me Feel Like The Final Boss

    ¡°Tae-Hyun,¡± Oh Kang-Woo called.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call my name with that filthy mouth of yours!¡±

    Kim Tae-Hyun¡¯s scream echoed across the building¡¯s rooftop. kang-Woo stared at Tae-Hyun with a frown.

    <em>¡®What the hell happened?¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun would not be acting this way if he simply saw the future.

    <em>¡®Did he actually go through a regression?¡¯</em>

    It did not seem to be a true regression; Tae-Hyun¡¯s future consciousness seemed to have jumped to the past. Foresight had gone beyond just showing the future and transferred Tae-Hyun¡¯s consciousness from the future to the present for some reason.

    <em>¡®What the hell did he see?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo more or less had an idea. A burning sky, distortednd, and a man standing above a mountain of corpses¡­<em>¡®It wasn¡¯t the Parasite King¡­ but me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡ª to be more exact, Kang-Woo with his mindpletely taken over by the Demonic Sea, had ended the world.

    Kang-Woo shut his eyes tightly. He had resolved himself for the possibility.

    <em>¡®But in the end¡­ I guess I failed to ovee it.¡¯</em>

    A sense of hopelessness swept over him. He bit his lip anxiously.

    <em>¡®No.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo slowly shook his head. <em>¡®No future is set in stone.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun blocked attacks he would have been hit by in the future through Foresight. In other words, the future that Tae-Hyun saw through Foresight could change.

    <em>¡®Don¡¯t falter,¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo repeated to himself.

    He had no intention of sitting around doing nothing like an idiot just because the world ended in a future that had not yet arrived.

    <em>¡®I have to calm Tae-Hyun down first.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo raised his head and looked at Tae-Hyun.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa, haaa,¡± Tae-Hyun panted heavily. ¡°Oh¡­ Kang-Woo¡­!¡±

    Translucent light poured out from his eyes. Blood vessels bulged around his eyes like tree roots.

    ¡°I won¡¯t¡­ be fooled anymore!!¡±

    ¡°Tae-Hyun, this is all a huge misunderst¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me!¡± Tae-Hyun shouted in tears and shouted, ¡°Do you seriously think I¡¯ll be fooled like a dumbass like before? Huh? I can see through your shameless mask now!!¡±

    <em>¡®When did I ever fool you?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was having a hard time responding to usations regarding a future that had yet to arrive.

    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re going through,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    ¡°Kurgh¡­¡±

    ¡°First, calm down. You simply saw one future among countless. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Shut¡­ up.¡±

    ¡°The future can still change¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up!!¡± Tae-Hyun screamed and red at Kang-Woo resentfully. ¡°Yeah¡­ it can change. It will change once I kill you right here and now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll only change the person on top of that mountain of corpses from me to Bael.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Tae-Hyun shouted, not willing to talk anymore.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>¡®He won¡¯t listen.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun seemed to bepletely taken over by his future consciousness. Kang-Woo could tell that nothing he said would reach him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ kill you.¡±

    Tae-Hyun gripped his dagger tighter as more translucent light poured out of his eyes.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

    <em>¡®I guess I have no choice.¡¯</em>

    He needed to neutralize Tae-Hyun before he even got a chance to talk things over with him.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s so damn hard to hold back, though.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had just destroyed an entire world because he used too much strength. He needed more time until he was able to properly control the mes of Voracitybined with Chaos.

    <em>¡®And it¡¯s not like I can kill him.¡¯</em>

    It was not like Kang-Woo had be too attached to Tae-Hyun. Tae-Hyun treated Kang-Woo like his older brother, but they had only just met and had gone through too little for Kang-Woo to grow attached. Kang-Woo was not generous enough to show mercy to a hound who bared its fangs at its master.

    <em>¡®But I need Tae-Hyun¡¯s future memories.¡¯</em>

    If Tae-Hyun was taken over by his future consciousness, it meant that he likely remembered everything that happened between now and the end of the world. Kang-Woo would be able to earn clues about theing demise as long as he was informed of those memories.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll face him until he gets exhausted.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo currentlycked the power control to actively neutralize Tae-Hyun, but he couldn¡¯t avoid him either, which left him with only one choice.

    <em>¡®I can take him no problem.¡¯</em>

    It would be a piece of cake for Kang-Woo to drag the battle until Tae-Hyun grew exhausted.

    ¡°Fuuu, haaa,¡± Tae-Hyun took a deep breath as he raised his dagger and red at Kang-Woo with his eyes glowing translucent.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Light poured out of Tae-Hyun¡¯s ne.

    ¡°Enlightenment,¡± Tae-Hyun mumbled.

    Blood vessels bulged throughout his face.

    <em>m!</em>

    Tae-Hyun stomped his feet, lowered his stance, and moved fluidly as if gliding across the ground. He swung the dagger up from below like a beast jumping out of the water to grab its prey. Kang-Woo frowned and leaned back. Tae-Hyun quickly swung down the dagger as if he knew Kang-Woo would move like that.

    <em>sh!!</em>

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s dagger sliced through Kang-Woo¡¯s Deific Essence barrier and cut his skin.

    <em>¡®The hell?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was left bewildered. Tae-Hyun performed a spinning kick at nothing for some reason as soon as he cut Kang-Woo.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    ¡°What the f¡ª¡±

    Tae-Hyun suddenly teleported behind Kang-Woo and his kick mmed into Kang-Woo¡¯s back.

    <em>¡®Son of a bitch.¡¯</em> A blood vessel bulged on Kang-Woo¡¯s head as he staggered. <em>¡®When the hell did he get so skilled?¡¯</em>

    It was as if Tae-Hyun¡¯s greatest weakness, hisck ofbat experience, had been fully made up for. Tae-Hyun¡¯s attacks, which were based on information that he gained through Foresight, were difficult to avoid even for Kang-Woo.

    ¡°How annoying.¡± Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    Tae-Hyun, who was flying around like a bothersome fly, was beginning to gradually piss Kang-Woo off.

    ¡°Die, damn dem¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    Kang-Woo reached out to Tae-Hyun, who wasing at him from the left. Tae-Hyun saw the future through Foresight and was about to jump backward to evade.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    ¡°Urgh!¡±

    However, the Authority of Waves spread from Kang-Woo¡¯s hand and swept everything around Tae-Hyun away. Tae-Hyun quickly teleported to barely evade the attack.

    ¡°How dare you act out against your hyung?¡±

    Kang-Woo stomped his foot in irritation.

    <em>Bang!</em>

    A golden wave spread out in all directions with Kang-Woo at the epicenter. Tae-Hyun raised his dagger as he bit his lip. His ne shone and created a translucent barrier in front of him.

    <em>Crash¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    There was no way Tae-Hyun would be a match for Kang-Woo when not even an otherworldly being, who conquered countless worlds, was helpless against him. Tae-Hyun was blown backward.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    As if he knew that he would not be able to block the attack, Tae-Hyunnded on the ground with minimal damage and got back on his feet. His hand holding the dagger was shaking subtly.

    ¡°Tae-Hyun,¡± Kang-Woo called.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You already know, don¡¯t you?¡± Kang-Woo stared at Tae-Hyun with deeply sunken eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t beat me, man.¡±

    Even if he knew the future and hisck ofbat experience was made up for, Tae-Hyun was still no match for Kang-Woo; the idea itself of facing Kang-Woo was absurd.

    Tae-Hyun gripped his dagger tighter. His legs were shaking. He of course knew that he would never reach Kang-Woo¡¯s level no matter what he did.

    ¡°Just give up alr¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Tae-Hyun interjected and stared at Kang-Woo zingly. ¡°I will stop you.¡± He gripped his dagger even tighter. ¡°I will protect this world¡­ from the likes of you.¡±

    ¡°Fucking hypocrite.¡± Tae-Hyun red at Kang-Woo in disgust. ¡°Despite¡­ all the people who trusted and followed you! You were our only hope!¡± Tae-Hyun bared his teeth in rage. ¡°You¡­ betrayed all of them.¡±

    Tae-Hyun did not seem to have even the slightest intention of giving up.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled. ¡°Oh, Tae-Hyun, Tae-Hyun, my little Tae-Hyun.¡± He stared at Tae-Hyun coldly. ¡°Why are you being like this, Tae-Hyun? I¡¯m being nice, aren¡¯t I? I¡¯m suggesting that we try to change the future, aren¡¯t I? So why the fuck aren¡¯t you listening to me, Tae-Hyun?¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled nastily and licked his lips.

    ¡°How about I tell you an even easier way to change the future?¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    An enormous amount of energy surged from Kang-Woo and weighed down on Tae-Hyun.

    ¡°You were thest survivor of that world, weren¡¯t you? Hm? You said that you saw me destroy the world or something, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°K-Kuh¡­¡±

    ¡°In that case, wouldn¡¯t the future change if I just kill you?¡±

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s face turned pale and his legs trembled in terror.

    ¡°You know what the butterfly effect is, don¡¯t you? Don¡¯t you think everything would change¡­ if I killed you?¡±

    ¡°A-Arghh.¡±

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Tae-Hyun?¡± Kang-Woo grabbed the frozen Tae-Hyun and whispered in his ear, ¡°Answer me, motherfucker.¡±

    ¡°A-Aaaahh,¡± Tae-Hyun slurred as if he were suffocating.

    Kang-Woo smiled brightly. ¡°Haha. I¡¯m kidding, Tae-Hyun. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d do that.¡±

    Kang-Woo lightly shoved Tae-Hyun¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°<em>Huff! Huff!</em>¡± Tae-Hyun panted heavily as he clenched his throat.

    <em>¡®This much of a scare should be enough.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo leisurely stared at Tae-Hyun.

    ¡°... up.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    However, Tae-Hyun pointed his dagger at Kang-Woo and shouted, ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t give up!!¡±

    <em>¡®Fucking hell.¡¯</em>

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t give up!!¡±

    <em>¡®How long are you gonna y protagonist for?¡¯</em>

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­!!¡±

    <em>¡®Stop it already, dude.¡¯</em>

    ¡°I will save this world with my own hands!!¡±

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Bright purple translucent light simr to crystal powder poured out of Tae-Hyun¡¯s ne. It was like seeing a hero powering up amid life-threatening danger. Kang-Woo clenched his hair as he stared at Tae-Hyun enveloped in light.

    <em>¡®Why the fuck are you doing this to me? You¡¯re making me feel like the final boss.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 477: Iâ€™m Way Too Kind

    Chapter 477: I¡¯m Way Too Kind

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Translucent light burst from Kim Tae-Hyun, shaking the entire building they were on the rooftop of. Tae-Hyun¡¯s jacket was fluttering aggressively and his hair was spiked up.

    <em>¡®What the hell?¡¯</em> Oh Kang-Woo stared at Tae-Hyun enveloped in light as if he had been wrongfully used. <em>¡®Why am I being made out as the viin?¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun¡¯s will to save the world was that of a textbook shonen manga protagonist. Forced to stand against him, Kang-Woo felt like he needed to say a shitty line like <em>¡°Hahaha, struggle as much as you can!¡±</em>.

    <em>¡®What the hell did I do so wrong?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had saved Earth from the Parasite invasion only a few hours ago. Being forced to pay for something that had not even urred yet was giving him a headache.

    Kang-Woo was slowly beginning to lose his patience. ¡°Haaa.¡±

    <em>¡®This is pissing me off.¡¯</em>

    He recalled how much he had suffered to escape from being used as the Demon of Prophecy.<em>¡®Fucking hell.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t help but find it funny that he was being driven to the corner as a sinner because of a future that could change at any point in time.

    <em>¡®Why don¡¯t you guys fucking protect the world, then?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s pent-up frustration was released all at once. Regardless of the method, he had given his all to protect the world, so he couldn¡¯t help but be irritated when berated for it. One could argue that a person who protected the world while enduring all sorts of criticism was a true hero.

    <em>¡®What a load of bullshit.¡¯</em>

    He would not stand for being framed for something he had yet to do. Kang-Woo slowly raised his arm with a frown.

    ¡°I¡­!¡± Tae-Hyun shouted as immense power burst forth from him. The translucent light pouring out of the ne wrapped around his dagger. ¡°I will protect this world!¡±

    He raised his head to look at the enemy in front of him. His hyung was enveloped in golden light, unlike what he saw in his future memories.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s fake.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun already knew the divine light around Kang-Woo was nothing but a fa?ade to fool everyone around him.

    <em>¡®Unforgivable.¡¯</em>

    He gritted his teeth and pointed his dagger at the man whom he idolized and respected more than anyone. The immense power pouring out of the ne lit the seething rage within him. The immense power soon became confidence and then firm willpower.

    ¡°Die¡ª!¡± Tae-Hyun shouted.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Kang-Woo shot forward before Tae-Hyun was about to leap at him.

    <em>Wham!</em>

    Kang-Woo grabbed Tae-Hyun¡¯s face and mmed his head into the building rooftop, which was reinforced with demonic energy.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Tae-Hyun looked up at Kang-Woo in surprise.

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo smiled due to the absurdity. ¡°Did you think something would change once you powered up after spouting all sorts of bullshit? That everything would be resolved if you shouted hard enough like an action novel clich¨¦? I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re in the wrong fucking novel; this novel¡¯s genre is a little unique.¡±

    ¡°Kurgh, <em>cough!</em>¡± Tae-Hyun coughed violently.

    Kang-Woo grabbed the back of Tae-Hyun¡¯s head and mmed his face into the ground this time.

    Bang!

    ¡°Tae-Hyun.¡±

    Bang¡ª!

    ¡°My beloved little brother.¡±

    Wham¡ª!

    ¡°Kurgh! Kurgh!¡±

    Blood poured out of Tae-Hyun¡¯s nostrils. His entire face was bruised.

    Kang-Woo crouched and brought his mouth closer to Tae-Hyun¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Why did you do it?¡±

    ¡°A-Arghh.¡±

    Tae-Hyun, his face covered in blood, looked up at Kang-Woo. His eyes were filled with obvious terror.

    ¡°Hm? Answer me. Why did you do it?¡± Kang-Woo continued.

    Tae-Hyun trembled. He then replied as if pleading, ¡°H-Hyung¡­¡±

    ¡°Pfft! Hahahaha!!¡± Kang-Wooughed brightly. ¡°Hyung? After all that you just did?¡± He grabbed Tae-Hyun¡¯s head, his eyes deeply sunken. ¡°Tae-Hyun, I was being nice in the beginning, wasn¡¯t I? You can admit that, right?¡±

    Tae-Hyun looked up at Kang-Woo, his eyes shaking violently. The kind older brother that he knew was no longer there.

    <em>Zzzzt.</em>

    His vision filled with gray static again.

    ¡°B-But¡­ you¡¯re¡­¡± he stammered.

    His future and present consciousness continued to tangle. He could still remember one thing vividly amid the chaotic entanglement of memories; the demon crouching on top of a mountain of corpses, devouring each one.

    ¡°The Demon of Pro¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I get what you¡¯re trying to say.¡± Kang-Woo smiled widely and continued, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re confused. Your future memories suddenly shoved themselves into your brain, didn¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m sure you already know this¡ª no, you know it the best, don¡¯t you? That the future can change.¡±

    Tae-Hyun predicted attacks by seeing his future self being attacked through Foresight; once he dodged the attack, the future was changed. If the future was set in stone, he would be hit by that attack regardless of whether or not he made an effort to dodge it.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I suggested we try to change it, yeah? What you saw was merely one of countless possibilities, so it¡¯s more than possible to change it if we start now.¡±

    ¡°H-Hyung, th-that¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°So why the fuck aren¡¯t you listening to me, Tae-Hyun?¡± Kang-Woo grabbed Tae-Hyun¡¯s neck and squeezed harder. ¡°What? Did you think you¡¯d be able to beat me just because you happened to get an item by luck, of which not even I can figure out where its poweres from?¡±

    In the end, an item was an item; Tae-Hyun had not gained it through endless effort and countless trials. There was no way such a thing would be able to surpass the wretched struggles that Kang-Woo had gone through for ten millennia.

    ¡°In your dreams.¡±

    <em>Bash!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Kang-Woo kicked Tae-Hyun in the stomach, sending him flying backward.

    ¡°Guh¡­¡± Tae-Hyun groaned.

    Kang-Woo walked toward Tae-Hyun as he looked down at him coldly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to kill you.¡±

    He needed to pry information out of Tae-Hyun; it was crucial for changing the apocalyptic future that he saw through Foresight.

    <em>¡®Well, I could also kill him, which would change the future.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Hyun survived until the end in the apocalyptic future of Kang-Woo being taken over by the Demonic Sea and ending the world. If Kang-Woo killed Tae-Hyun right here and now, the future would change for sure.

    <em>¡®The problem is that I have no idea how it would change. It might even end up getting worse.¡¯</em>

    It was not the best idea just to change the future; he needed to change the future that would head to the end of the world.

    <em>¡®To do that¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed prior information about the details of the future to change it, just like how Tae-Hyun dodged attacks using the information he gained through Foresight.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t kill Tae-Hyun.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Tae-Hyun, who was trembling uncontrobly as he looked up at him.

    <em>¡®And even if I don¡¯t have any information to get out of him, killing him is a bit much.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue with a sad expression. He had no intention of rampaging without distinguishing friend from foe like he had done so when he had almost been taken over by his Deific Essence of Voracity. He would only devour those who bared their fangs at him.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t say that Tae-Hyun has fully gone against me.¡¯</em>

    It was true that Tae-Hyun pointed his weapon at him, but that was simply because he had been taken over by his future consciousness; it couldn¡¯t be said that it was entirely Tae-Hyun¡¯s will. In Tae-Hyun¡¯s perspective, his control over his body was stolen by his future self. He was practically innocent.

    <em>¡°Dayum, Oh Kang-Woo. You¡¯ve be so kind.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded with a satisfied smile.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m sparing someone who attacked me, even if it wasn¡¯t of their will.¡¯</em>

    It would have been unthinkable for Kang-Woo back in his days in Hell.

    <em>¡®No wonder I was granted the Deific Essence of Splendor.¡¯</em>

    The light naturally shone on him because he was generous enough to forgive even a deplorable asshole who attacked him with the intent to kill.

    ¡°Then¡­ what are you nning on doing to me?¡± Tae-Hyun asked.

    ¡°Hm? I mean¡­¡± Kang-Woo said calmly as if he didn¡¯t know why Tae-Hyun was even asking such a question. ¡°Once I get the information regarding the future from you, I¡¯ll either put you in aa until my battle against Bael is over or just erase your memories.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, man. I won¡¯t lose control over my strength like how I identally incinerated Huan.¡±

    ¡°U-Umm¡­ Wh-What is Huan¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Oh, you don¡¯t know? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Kang-Woo ced his hand on Tae-Hyun¡¯s shoulder and said in all seriousness, ¡°I promise I won¡¯t kill you. I may not look like it, but I¡¯m a pro in making someone a vegetable.¡±

    Kang-Woo swung his hand in the air as if bragging.

    ¡°Just one strong smack on the back of the head and you¡¯ll be able to restfortably in bed.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about not being able to wake up. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to wake you up once everything is over.¡±

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo hyung?¡±

    ¡°You know that thing in sci-fi films where people wake up from cryo chambers after a super long time, right? You can think of it like that.¡±

    ¡°It sounds nothing like th¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sheesh, why do you have so many goddamnints when I¡¯m doing you an amazing favor?!¡± Kang-Woo pounded on his chest in frustration. ¡°Do you want me to just explode your head? Is that what you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep the fact that you¡¯re the Demon of Prophecy a secret.¡±

    Tae-Hyun looked at Kang-Woo seriously. As Kang-Woo said, it would be better to cooperate with Kang-Woo as long as they could change the future, even if he was the Demon of Prophecy. No, Tae-Hyun had no other choice since he knew better than anyone that he would die if he didn¡¯t cooperate.

    ¡°Come on, man. It only takes an instant for shit like that to spread.¡± Kang-Woo refused Tae-Hyun¡¯s proposal without hesitation. He then raised his hand and continued, ¡°Right, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll take a while for me to hear everything about the future, so why don¡¯t you sleep for a few days? I don¡¯t have the time to sit around and chat at the moment since we only just stopped the Parasite invasion.¡±

    Kang-Woo had been worried that he might identally kill Tae-Hyun before, but that was only duringbat; it was a piece of cake to knock Tae-Hyun out for a few days when they were not inbat.

    ¡°Wha¡ª H-Hyung! W-Wait!¡±

    ¡°For God¡¯s sake, Tae-Hyun. Just stick your head out. It¡¯ll hurt more if you struggle.¡±

    ¡°N-No¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, man. It¡¯ll only be a slight prickle.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t some dentist appointm¡ª¡±

    <em>Smack!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Kang-Woo had no choice but to punch Tae-Hyun in the stomach because he was struggling too much. Tae-Hyun crouched as he grabbed his stomach.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡± Kang-Woo breathed on his palm and smacked the rooftop railing for practice.

    <em>Crush!</em>

    The railing was destroyed with just a single karate chop.

    ¡°Good, it¡¯ll be perfect once I add some Divinity to it.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded in satisfaction. It would bepletely painless as long as he controlled his strength.

    ¡°Shiiiet.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t believe he was going this far for his beloved little brother who had attacked him.

    ¡°Jesus fuck¡­¡± Kang-Woo clenched his fist as his shoulders trembled. ¡°I¡¯m way too kind¡­¡±

    He wondered if he had truly be the light instead of pretending to be chosen by the light.

    ¡°Alright, here I go, Tae-Hyun.¡±

    ¡°<em>C-Cough!</em> W-Wai¡ª¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s hand moved before Tae-Hyun had a chance to finish his sentence.

    <em>Shatter¡ª!!</em>

    At that moment, the sound of something breaking rang from the Eye of Nostrian on Tae-Hyun¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Kang-Woo looked down at Tae-Hyun in confusion. ¡°The hell was that?¡±

    <em>¡®I haven¡¯t even hit him yet.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 478: Eye of Nostrian

    Chapter 478: Eye of Nostrian

    <em>Crack, crack!</em>

    The borders enveloping the Eye of Nostrian broke, and a transparent crystal about the size of a thumb came out. The crystal contained power that not even Oh Kang-Woo knew the bounds of or where it came from.

    <em>¡®What¡¯s this all of a sudden?¡¯</em> Kang-Woo looked down at the crystal exuding translucent light in confusion. <em>¡®Is this another power-up?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought Kim Tae-Hyun was about to power up again but that did not seem to be the case based on how dumbfoundedly Tae-Hyun was looking down at his ne.

    ¡°What? What just happened?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure either,¡± answered Tae-Hyun in a trembling tone and looked up at Kang-Woo with a flustered expression, his broken ne in hand.

    ¡°What are you looking at me for¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo was just as confused as Tae-Hyun was. He frowned as he stared at the crystal that was gradually shining brighter.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Just then, Tae-Hyun¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A-Arghh.¡±He clenched his hair as he trembled. He drooled from his agape mouth, his eyes rolled backward and he convulsed as if he were having a seizure.

    ¡°Kurgh! Kuh! Gurghhh!¡±

    ¡°Oh shit, what the fuck is wrong now? Hey! Tae-Hyun!¡± Kang-Woo shouted as he grabbed Tae-Hyun¡¯s shoulders.

    Anyone could see that Tae-Hyun was acting abnormally.

    <em>¡®Shit.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo bit his lip aggressively. <em>¡®I haven¡¯t heard anything about the future from him yet!¡¯</em>

    He looked down at Tae-Hyun anxiously.

    ¡°Kurgh! <em>Cough! Cough!</em>¡±

    The seizing Tae-Hyun coughed up blood. Blood vessels bulged from around his eyes and tears of blood poured down his cheeks.

    ¡°Kurghhh!¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey, what¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯re not dying, are you? Are you? Don¡¯t you dare fucking die.¡±

    Kang-Woo hastily bit open his thumb, stuck it in Tae-Hyun¡¯s mouth, and activated the Authority of Regeneration at full throttle.

    ¡°Kurgh! Guuuuuuhhh!¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Kang-Woo cursed.

    Tae-Hyun was not getting any better despite Kang-Woo using the Authority of Regeneration.

    <em>¡®What should I do? Should I call Darling?¡¯</em>

    Han Seol-Ah was leagues above him in terms of healing. Kang-Woo took out his smartphone and called Seol-Ah right away.

    <em>- Kang-Woo? What¡¯s wrong?</em>

    There was much background noise around Seol-Ah, likely because she was healing those injured due to the Parasite invasion.

    ¡°Darling, can youe to me right now?¡±

    <em>- Okay. I¡¯ll be right there.</em>

    Seol-Ah answered without hesitation despite not even knowing the reason. Kang-Woo looked around.

    ¡°I¡¯m at¡­¡±

    He had chosen a random highrise building tond on, so he had no idea where he was.

    <em>¡®It looks like an apartment.¡¯</em>

    Based on what the building looked like, it seemed more like a mixed-use luxury apartment building than a shoppingplex or apany building. Kang-Woo opened a map app to search for his current location.

    <em>- You¡¯re on the rooftop of the Hyperion in Mok-dong, right? I¡¯ll be there in a sh, Kang-Woo.</em>

    <em>¡®The hell? I haven¡¯t even said anything about where I am yet.¡¯</em>

    ¡°How did you know where I am¡­?¡±

    <em>- I installed a tracking app on your smartphone a wh¡ª</em>

    Seol-Ah gasped.

    <em>- A-Ahem. It¡¯s the power of love.</em>

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    <em>¡®Since when did the power of love be a tracking app?¡¯</em>

    He stared at his smartphone with a sour expression.

    <em>- A-Anyway! I¡¯ll be right there!</em>

    Kang-Woo could hear Seol-Ah floundering before she hung up.

    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Kang-Woo groaned as he looked down at his smartphone.

    He searched for the tracking app that had been installed on his phone without his knowledge, but he couldn¡¯t tell where it was hidden.

    <em>¡®No, this isn¡¯t the time.¡¯</em>

    He did not have the leeway to worry about a tracking app right now.

    ¡°Ack, aaarrrggghhh!!¡±

    Kang-Woo examined the screaming and seizing Tae-Hyun. Blood vessels resembling tree roots were bulging all over his body; the symptom that Tae-Hyun experienced after overusing Foresight had spread throughout his body.

    <em>¡®So he didn¡¯t power up, but just used too much of his power.¡¯</em>

    In martial arts terms, he was experiencing Qi deviation. He was suffering from the side effects because he had forcibly used power that was beyond him.

    ¡°Dammit, he¡¯s not actually gonna die at this rate, is he?¡±

    Kang-Woo bit his lip and reached for the transparent crystal that had been embedded in Tae-Hyun¡¯s ne.

    <em>Spark!</em>

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    The transparent crystal exerted powerful resistance as soon as Kang-Woo¡¯s hand came close to it. The fingers that made contact with the resistance were charred ck and turned to ash.

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth was left agape in shock. He knew that the power within Tae-Hyun¡¯s ne was unfathomable, but he never imagined that it could easily tear apart his Top-rank Deific Essence barrier and burn him.

    <em>¡®What the hell could this thing be?¡¯</em>

    The question that Kang-Woo had when he first met Tae-Hyun filled his head again. Who the hell was Nostrian and how could he grant powers that allowed one to see the future, bring one¡¯s future consciousness to the present, and burn the Demon King? Not only that, it was only an item that contained a portion of the being¡¯s power instead of the being himself.

    ¡°Titan.¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t think of any other beings but the Titans who would be capable of such things.

    <em>¡®Since Titans are the closest to the beings that we imagine when we think of gods.¡¯</em>

    Beings such as Gaia, Zeus, and Odin were closer to superhumans than gods.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Kang-Woo mumbled a curse.

    <em>¡®I have no way of facing the Titans at the moment.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was only able to overpower Bauli because it was in his consciousness as well as his home turf which was the Demonic Sea. It was a different story for any other Titan.

    <em>¡®There would be no point in opening the Doors.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Tae-Hyun in frustration.

    ¡°Kang-Woo!¡± Seol-Ah shouted from afar.

    Kang-Woo turned to see Seol-Ah flying toward him at high speeds with her angel wings sprouted. Her expression hardened when she saw Tae-Hyun seizing on the ground afternding on the rooftop.

    ¡°Kang-Woo, what¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°I have no idea either.¡±

    ¡°Just a moment, please.¡±

    Seol-Ah approached the seizing Tae-Hyun and ced her hand on his forehead. Once she closed her eyes and focused, white light poured out of her wings.

    ¡°An immense power is tearing him apart from the inside,¡± Seol-Ah said with a dark expression as she checked Tae-Hyun¡¯s condition. ¡°At this rate¡­ Tae-Hyun¡¯s body won¡¯t be able to handle the turmoil and explode.¡±

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed, having expected the diagnosis. ¡°Is there any way to treat him?¡±

    Seol-Ah closed her eyes and fell into thought. ¡°I think I could calm down the chaotic energy at least a little.¡±

    ¡°Does it put you in danger?¡± asked Kang-Woo with narrow eyes.

    Although he needed information about the future, it would be pointless if it put Seol-Ah in danger.

    He remarked, ¡°I¡¯ll do it instead.¡±

    If it was only to calm down the raging energy, he should be able to do it as well. Kang-Woo extended his arm toward Tae-Hyun.

    <em>Spark¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Just like what happened when he reached for the crystal, the same powerful resistance pushed him backward.

    ¡°Dammit.¡± Kang-Woo frowned aggressively.

    Seol-Ah smiled gently and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kang-Woo. It¡¯ll consume a significant amount of my power, but it won¡¯t bring any danger to me.¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah in silence for a while and then sighed and nodded.

    ¡°Please take a few steps back, Kang-Woo,¡± Seol-Ah stated as she ced one hand on Tae-Hyun¡¯s forehead and the other on his sr plexus.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    A blinding light poured out of the twelve wings.

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s brows wrinkled slightly. Inside Tae-Hyun¡¯s body was as chaotic as a storm.

    <em>¡®I have to quell the raging energy first.¡¯</em>

    She poured sacred power into Tae-Hyun, just like how cont needed to be topped up so that an engine did not overheat.

    ¡°Kurgh! Gah!¡± Tae-Hyun twisted and turned as he coughed up blood.

    Beads of sweat formed around Seol-Ah¡¯s forehead. ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s breathing becamebored; she entered a temporary state of exhaustion due to using sacred power and Divinity past her limits.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not enough.¡¯</em>

    The power raging throughout Tae-Hyun was more chaotic and enormous than anything Seol-Ah had experienced before. She would have normally given up.

    <em>¡®But it¡¯s starting to calm down little by little.¡¯</em>

    The immense energy was reacting with Seol-Ah¡¯s sacred power for some reason and calming down. She slowly pacified the raging energy within Tae-Hyun as if slowly taming a wild beast.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    And then, the Eye of Nostrian which had been on Tae-Hyun¡¯s ne, shattered into pieces.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    ¡°Kyaah!¡±

    ¡°Darling!¡±

    Blinding light filled the surroundings. Kang-Woo quickly separated Seol-Ah from Tae-Hyun.

    ¡°Kurgh¡­¡± Tae-Hyun, who tumbled across the ground after getting pushed away by Kang-Woo, stood up as he staggered. ¡°Where¡­¡±

    He looked around in confusion and saw Kang-Woo embracing Seol-Ah. He asked cautiously, ¡°Umm¡­ Wh-Who are you? Where am I?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s expression wrinkled. ¡°Kim Tae-Hyun, what the hell are you talking ab¡ª¡±

    ¡°Kim¡­ Tae-Hyun? H-How do you know my name?¡±

    Kang-Woo clenched his hair as he stared at Tae-Hyun, who was staring at him, stricken with fear. ¡°Motherfucker¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo could easily tell what had happened based on Tae-Hyun¡¯s reaction.

    <em>¡®Since he doesn¡¯t remember me¡­¡¯</em>

    It meant that Tae-Hyun¡¯s memories from now to when they first met in the D-rank Gate had been wiped out.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed.

    After all he had done to acquire information about the future, he was left with nothing in the end.

    ¡°Hurgh¡­¡± Seol-Ah groaned.

    ¡°Are you okay, Darling?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ yes. I¡¯m fine, Kang-Woo,¡± she mumbled as she stood up.

    Kang-Woo examined her worryingly. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not hurt anywhere?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ other than that I¡¯m extremely tired.¡±

    Seol-Ah blinked lifelessly as if she would pass out any second. Kang-Woo sighed in relief.

    ¡°Lie down and get some rest. I¡¯ll take care of everything from here on out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ Kang-Woo. Tae-Hyun is¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, at least he¡¯s alive.¡±

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. He had lost something even more important than Tae-Hyun¡¯s life, but he couldn¡¯t me Seol-Ah for that.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Kang-Woo. I¡¯m¡­ so tired¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah closed her eyes. Kang-Wooid her on the ground and turned to approach Tae-Hyun. Because of that¡­

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Absorbing the ¡®Eye of Nostrian¡¯ into Seraph¡¯s soul.]

    [A portion of the conditions for the Transcendent skill ¡®Miracle (Rank: EX)¡¯ has been unlocked.]

    No one saw the small amount of translucent light particles being absorbed into Seol-Ah.

 Chapter 479: Family Arenâ€™t Supposed To Do That Kind Of Stuff With Each Other

    Chapter 479: Family Aren¡¯t Supposed To Do That Kind Of Stuff With Each Other

    ¡°Huuu,¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply, sitting down in a hospital for yers located in Seoul. ¡°You remember nothing at all?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Kim Tae-Hyun nodded cautiously as he was lying on a bed. ¡°No matter how hard I think¡­ I can¡¯t remember a thing.¡±

    Tae-Hyun had lost all of his memories since awakening as a yer.

    <em>¡®No, to be more exact, he¡¯s not even a yer anymore.¡¯</em>

    The blessing granted to him through the System hadpletely disappeared. His level, stats, and skills were gone; he was a bona-fide ordinary person now.

    ¡°Ngh,¡± Kang-Woo groaned as if his head hurt.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t do anything about this.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had tried all sorts of things to restore Tae-Hyun¡¯s memories but he had ultimately failed.

    <em>¡®I guess I have no choice but to give up on getting information about the future.¡¯</em>The only thing he could do was hope that Tae-Hyun¡¯s memories would miraculously return.

    <em>Slide.</em>

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll get going now. Call me using this number if you happen to remember anything.¡±

    Kang-Woo ced a note with his number written on it on the table.

    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Tae-Hyun cautiously called Kang-Woo. ¡°What should I¡­ do now¡­?¡±

    ¡°Guardians will pay for your treatment and give you some financial aid. For now, just stay here and focus on healing.¡±

    Tae-Hyun lowered his head with a somber expression. It was only natural since his memories of the past few years had vanished without a trace.

    ¡°See you,¡± Kang-Woo said, turning around without any form of constion.

    He did not want to give Tae-Hyun false hope by saying that his memories woulde back someday or that he would be able to return to his old life.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s nothing more despairing than an unattainable hope.¡¯</em>

    It was unfortunate, but it was highly unlikely that Tae-Hyun¡¯s memories woulde back.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s a miracle that he¡¯s even alive.¡¯</em>

    He, who possessed below-average talent as a yer, had epted the power of a Titan. Simply getting off with losing one¡¯s memories as the price for using the power of a Titan was incredibly light of a price.

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in sorrow.

    <em>- I-I can¡¯t believe I got to meet you again¡­ It is truly an honor!</em>

    He recalled his reunion with Tae-Hyun.

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    There was a bitter taste in his mouth. Kang-Woo opened the hospital room door and left. He walked up the stairs and opened the door to the hospital rooftop. Lilith was leaning on the rooftop railing.

    ¡°Are you finished with your talk?¡± she asked.

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    ¡°Based on your expression, it doesn¡¯t seem like his memories returned.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I more or less expected it.¡± Kang-Woo sighed and leaned on the railing next to Lilith. ¡°How is the situation in Seoul?¡±

    ¡°We can rest easy now, thanks to La¡¯s outstanding performance.¡±

    Seoul, which had been in mes, was being rebuilt at incredible speed. It was naturally impossible to immediately repair all the damages throughout the city, but the chaos died down thanks to La using the influence of Guardians to pressure each nation to send relief supplies.

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Kang-Woo nodded, making a mental note to buy La a giftter. ¡°How peaceful.¡±

    He looked up at the sky shining blue as if the red Rift several kilometers wide had never formed.

    ¡°You protected this world, my king,¡± Lilith remarked.

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    As she said, Earth would never have regained this blue sky if he had not protected it.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes. The apocalyptic future that Tae-Hyun saw continued to linger in his mind. It was the worst possible future involving Kang-Woo,pletely taken over by the Demonic Sea, ending the world with his own hands. The uneasy feeling spread throughout his entire body.

    ¡°Hoho, don¡¯t worry so much,¡± Lilith giggled softly and ced her head on Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder. She then whispered, ¡°If anything were to happen to you¡­ I¡¯ll stop you, my king.¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled. ¡°And how exactly are you gonna do that?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Who knows? Wouldn¡¯t it be possible with the power of love?¡±

    Lilith turned the end of her hair into a green tentacle covered in sticky mucus, which stuck itself to Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°Nah.¡±

    <em>¡®That¡¯s not the power of love.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo shook his head in pallor. <em>¡®Well, it might actually work though.¡¯</em>

    He had a feeling that even if he were to be taken over by the Demonic Sea, he mighte back to his senses if he saw Lilith¡¯s tentacles.

    Kang-Woo distanced himself from Lilith¡¯s tentacle and asked, ¡°That aside, have you found anything out about Nostrian?¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­ I even went to Aernor to investigate, but I wasn¡¯t able to gain any useful information,¡± Lilith answered, bowing her head apologetically.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped since there is barely any information left about the Titans.¡±

    ¡°But this incident was¡­¡± Lilith slurred in concern.

    Kang-Woo nodded; it wasn¡¯t hard to guess what she was trying to say. ¡°I¡¯m sure the one known as Nostrian nned it.¡±

    What were the chances for a below-average yer to coincidentally acquire a ne containing the power of a Titan and then coincidentally see the future with it?

    ¡°He showed it to Tae-Hyun on purpose.¡±

    Nostrian had shown Tae-Hyun the end of the world, making it seem like the power went out of control.

    <em>¡®He even knew how Tae-Hyun would act.¡¯</em>

    ¡°The problem is¡­ why he did such a thing.¡±

    Kang-Woo had no idea why. There was far too little information to even make a guess.

    ¡°In any case, continue your investigation on Nostrian.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my king,¡± Lilith replied and bowed courteously.

    Darkness boiled from beneath her and she disappeared as if being sucked into it.

    <em>¡®I should check up on Darling.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had not visited Seol-Ah because he had been busy finding a way to restore Tae-Hyun¡¯s memories.

    <em>¡®Darling said she was fine, but¡­¡¯</em>

    He wanted to check up on her at least once.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Kang-Woo headed to his house after what felt like forever.

    <em>ck.</em>

    ¡°Darling~¡± he called as he opened the front door.

    <em>Tumble!</em>

    ¡°Kyaah!¡±

    Kang-Woo heard something falling in Han Seol-Ah¡¯s room.

    ¡°Darling?¡±

    He walked toward Seol-Ah¡¯s room with a frown. Seol-Ah opened the door to her room slightly and peeked out. Her face was flushed red and she was panting heavily.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa. K-Kang-Woo? H-Have you finished your b-business with Tae-Hyun?¡±

    ¡°Uhh, yeah. I mean, I didn¡¯t feel the need to stick by him anymore. That aside, what¡¯s wrong, Darling? Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    Something might have happened to her as she was calming the raging energy with Tae-Hyun. After all, the energy that she had suppressed was none other than that of a Titan.

    ¡°Let me insi¡ª¡±

    ¡°N-No! I-I-I¡¯m fine! Stay right where you are!!¡± Seol-Ah shouted hastily.

    Kang-Woo stopped because of how desperate she sounded.

    ¡°A-Ahem. P-Please wait just a little bit. I¡¯ll be right out.¡± Seol-Ah slowed herbored breathing and mmed the door shut. She then came out a few minutester. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t think you¡¯de back so soon.¡±

    ¡°What were you doing?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ I-I was exercising because I think I¡¯ve gotten a little f-fattely,¡± answered Seol-Ah, her facepletely red.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion.

    <em>¡®She can exercise at home to the point that she sweats that hard?¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah looked delicate but she was a yer with Deific Essence. In terms of physical prowess, she could easily throw around trucks weighing several tonnes as if they were pebbles. It was nearly impossible for her to exercise with no equipment in a small room to the point that she would sweat.

    <em>¡®I mean, I guess it would be possible if she was training to improve her energy control.¡¯</em>

    Just like how Si-Hun cultivated and Kang-Woo trained to raise his demonic energy control, training to improve control over one¡¯s energy was enough to tire them out even in a small room if they were training hard enough.

    <em>¡®Mm¡­ but I never once saw Darling training to improve control over her energy.¡¯</em>

    Seeing Kang-Woo continuously staring at her oddly, Seol-Ah quickly walked over to Kang-Woo and embraced his arm.

    ¡°Wh-Why don¡¯t you change into morefortable clothing since you¡¯vee home after so long? I¡¯ll make you some kimchi stew in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone and he nodded with a bright smile. ¡°Come to think of it, where are Echidna and Halcyon?¡±

    ¡°They went to help Lilith to collect information on¡­ someone. I don¡¯t remember the name.¡±

    ¡°Ohhh.¡± Kang-Woo nodded as if he understood.

    <em>¡®It must be about Nostrian.¡¯</em>

    It was indeed a little too much for Lilith to do on her own.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not like she has countless subordinates like in Hell.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo hung his jacket in the drawer and said, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go take a shower, Darling.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Kang-Woo.¡±

    Kang-Woo leisurely enjoyed his shower and changed into afortable sweatsuit.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll be busy again starting tomorrow.¡¯</em>

    Matters regarding Tae-Hyun had more or less been resolved, so he needed to help around Guardians starting tomorrow.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure they¡¯re dying from overwork.¡¯</em>

    La and Kim Si-Hun were likely up to their necks with work trying to clean up the aftermaths of the Parasite invasion. Kang-Woo smiled bitterly as he imagined the two of them drowning in a mountain of paperwork.

    ¡°Oh, smells good.¡±

    Just then, the smell of kimchi stew diverted his attention. He walked to the kitchen with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s ready, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Haaah, how long has it been?!¡±

    Forget kimchi stew, Kang-Woo had spent a week unable to eat a proper meal because he was so busy dealing with the Parasite invasion and the matter with Tae-Hyun. Kang-Woo gulped down the kimchi stew that Seol-Ah prepared almost instantly.

    ¡°Fuuu.¡±

    ¡°Was that too little?¡± Seol-Ah asked.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    To Kang-Woo, eating was closer to entertainment than a means of survival. He did not want to make trouble for Seol-Ah simply because he wanted to eat more.

    <em>¡®Honestly, it¡¯s a bit of a shame.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo licked his lips and lifted the empty pot of kimchi stew.

    ¡°I¡¯ll clean up. You can get some rest, Darling.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    Kang-Woo shook his head as he put on the dishwashing gloves. ¡°It¡¯ll be over in a sh.¡±

    He was able to wash them in seconds if he used his Authority, but he wanted to enjoy ordinary life by washing them with his own hands.

    Seol-Ah stared at Kang-Woo washing dishes in silence as she sat at the dining table. They weren¡¯t speaking to each other but it did not feel awkward at all.

    ¡°Doing this kind of stuff really makes it feel like we¡¯re a married couple,¡± Kang-Woo mentioned.

    ¡°P-Pardon?¡± Seol-Ah flinched, her eyes widened.

    Kang-Woo smiled and continued, ¡°You know, eating together and washing the dishes after.¡±

    Seol-Ah remained silent. She was panting heavily for some reason.

    ¡°Later¡­ even when everything is over, I wish it¡¯ll stay like this forever.¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled, knowing that saying such a line did not suit him.

    <em>¡®Maybe I¡¯ve be a little sentimental because of the future that Tae-Hyun saw.¡¯</em>

    Even if the future could be changed, he would be lying if he said that he wasn¡¯t worried.

    The end of the world that Tae-Hyun talked about was far too atrocious even for Kang-Woo.

    ¡°When that timees, we can hold a wedding ceremony¡­¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°And should we move to somece bigger?¡±

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s move to somewhere bigger where there would be enough room even if Yeon-Jo, Si-Hun, and Lae to visit.¡±

    ¡°U-Umm¡­ Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that son of a bitch Balrog would be a problem. He doesn¡¯t seem to find itfortable in his human form, but building a house only to amodate his size would make the house a bit too¡ª¡±

    ¡°Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Kang-Woo turned to Seol-Ah.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    Seol-Ah was panting heavily and staring at Kang-Woo with bloodshot eyes. Kang-Woo¡¯s expression froze.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Darling? Why are you¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I can¡­ hold back anymore.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    <em>¡®Hold what back?¡¯</em>

    ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling¡­ w-weirdtely. My sacred power has gotten a lot more dense¡­ my wings have gotten so much more vivid¡­ and my body is so¡­ hot.¡±

    Twelve wings sprouted from Seol-Ah¡¯s back; they were shining far more vividly than before.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I was¡­ even just a while ago, by myself¡­ Huuu. Fufu. Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    ¡®Hello? Miss Han Seol-Ah? Why are you making such a scary face? Your eyes look a little hazy.¡¯

    ¡°Huuu, huuu,¡± Seol-Ah ced her hand on her chest and took deep breaths. ¡°Please wait a little bit, Kang-Woo. I¡¯ll go wash up.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    <em>¡®What are you talking about, Darling?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Wash up? Why?¡±

    <em>¡®I told you that it feels like we¡¯re a married couple. If we¡¯re married, it means that we¡¯re family. Family aren¡¯t supposed to do that kind of stuff with each other.¡¯</em><blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Remember, kids: it ain¡¯t incest if we shout ¡°no chromo.¡±

    Jokes aside, I personally don¡¯t like the direction they¡¯re taking with Seol-Ah¡­ Lilith best girl</blockquote>

 Chapter 480: Demon of Prophecy (1)

    Chapter 480: Demon of Prophecy (1)

    A day passed and Oh Kang-Woo set out early in the morning.

    ¡°Urgh,¡± he groaned as he stretched. ¡°I didn¡¯t even get to sleep an hour.¡±

    His mind was filled with the things that he did all night. He coughed and looked down.

    <em>¡®Fran?ois¡­ You¡¯re still going strong, buddy.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at hisrade with whom he had gone through a strenuous battlefield. His head was held high and his steps were light for some reason. He bought an entire box of energy drinks at a nearby convenience store and opened a Gate leading to the Hall of Protection. He saw a white hallway once he passed through the Gate.

    <em>¡®Si-Hun isn¡¯t here to greet me like always.¡¯</em>

    Kim Si-Hun always ran to Kang-Woo after sensing his presence as soon as Kang-Woo entered the Hall of Protection, but he was nowhere to be found today.

    <em>¡®Is he not here?¡¯</em>

    He might be helping to find information regarding Nostrian like Echidna and Halcyon.¡°Hmm.¡±

    Kang-Woo headed to La¡¯s office as he looked around. He knocked on her office door.

    ¡°Layl¡ª Kurgh.¡±

    Kang-Woo grimaced due to the dark aura that seeped out of the office as soon as he opened the door.

    <em>¡®What the hell is this smell¡­?¡¯</em>

    The office smelled like a rotting corpse.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Kang-Woo¡­ Wee¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo turned as he grimaced and saw La, with extremely dark circles under his eyes, looking up at him.

    <em>Tap, tap, tap.</em>

    Next to her was Si-Hun, reading documents and stamping seals like a machine. His eyes staring at the documents were not filled with light like usual.

    The mood in the office was as somber as the putrid stench of sweat. There was a mountain of documents so high that Kang-Woo had no idea how it had managed to reach that height.

    Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Mm¡­ You guys sure are hardworking, at it so early in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? Morning? Is it morning right now?¡± La stared nkly in Kang-Woo¡¯s general direction. She giggled as she shrugged and said lifelessly, ¡°F-Fufu. I¡¯ve been here since¡­ sincest week, so¡­ I didn¡¯t even know it was morning.¡±

    ¡°I-I see.¡±

    <em>¡®Is she broken? Well, I somewhat expected this after hearing about it from Lilith.¡¯</em>

    The restoration of Seoul had likely progressed so quickly thanks to the dying La and Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m feeling bad now.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had also been busy the past week trying to find a way to restore Kim Tae-Hyun¡¯s memories, but the word <em>busy </em>could not even begin to describe the amount of work that La and Si-Hun had to do.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s like I¡¯m seeing game developers whose game release date was brought forward by three months out of the blue.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head and handed the energy drinks that he bought to La and Si-Hun.

    ¡°Are you guys okay?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Okay¡­? Yes, I am. After all, I¡¯m the only one¡­ who can do this.¡± La took the energy drink from Kang-Woo and chugged it. ¡°Kaaah! I¡­ feel a bit better now.¡±

    ¡°You should get some rest.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to rest.¡±

    La sighed deeply. The biggest problem with the Parasite invasion was that the attacked city had been none other than Seoul, one of the most popted cities in the world before and even after the Day of Cmity. There would naturally be a massive amount of coteral damage. Although the number of deaths wasn¡¯t nearly asrge as it should have been considering the scale of the invasion, there were a massive number of injured.

    ¡°What are the politicians of each nation doing?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re working just as hard as us. That¡¯s the problem.¡±

    La sighed deeply again. Countries that did not experience disaster were working just as hard as Korea. The problem was the issue of relief supplies; Guardians was inevitably put on the spot because they needed to act as the mediators between those who needed the supplies trying to get as much as possible, and those giving the supplies trying to give as little as possible.

    <em>¡®This isn¡¯t something that can be resolved through force.¡¯</em>

    Taking one side would inevitably cause even bigger problems down the road. To Kang-Woo, mediating between two sides was far more difficult than devouring one side.

    ¡°That aside, what brings you here, Kang-Woo? Have you finished what you needed to do?¡± asked La, staring at Kang-Woo passionately and full of hope.

    Their workload would be massively reduced if Kang-Woo assisted them, allowing La and Si-Hun to escape this administration hell.

    ¡®A-At least let me take a shower¡­!¡¯ La thought as she gulped and stared at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kang-Woo softly shook his head and answered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I think I¡¯ll have to focus on restoring Tae-Hyun¡¯s memories for a little longer.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh¡­¡±

    La¡¯s hopeful expression broke down, her eyes filling with despair. Kang-Woo calmly lowered his head.

    <em>¡®I have no choice.¡¯</em>

    In truth, Kang-Woo hadpletely given up on restoring Tae-Hyun¡¯s memories, and he had originallye to the Hall of Protection to help the suffering La and Si-Hun. However, there was one simple reason why he had told them that he was not done yet.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s a fucking pain in the ass.¡¯</em>

    He would prefer a Hell filled with demons than a hell of documents. His sense of guilt was repeatedly stabbing him as he looked at the disheveled La.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m here for a different reason.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo hypnotized himself to protect his conscience. It just so happened that he had another reason why he came to see La.

    <em>¡®Yeah, that¡¯s good. Let¡¯s go with that.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded in satisfaction and continued, ¡°I came to see you because of matters involving the divine realm.¡±

    ¡°The divine realm?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Kang-Woo nodded and continued angrily, ¡°I was wondering why the hell they didn¡¯t show themselves during this entire mess.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± La expressed. ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ I haven¡¯t even thought about it.¡±

    The gods were now free from the Law of Titans restricting them, so it was indeed weird that they did not take any action during the Parasite invasion.

    <em>¡®Even if they¡¯re busy keeping in check the evil gods trying to manifest, it doesn¡¯t logically make sense.¡¯</em> Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.<em> ¡®It would be a relief if they didn¡¯t appear simply because they were short on hands, but in the worst-case scenario¡­¡¯</em>

    He had reason to expect that something had happened in the divine realm¡ª something so big that they couldn¡¯t manifest on Earth even as the Parasites were invading it.

    ¡°Just a second. I will try to contact Lady Gaia.¡± La, also realizing it was not a trivial matter, stopped what she was doing and stood up. ¡°...¡±

    She closed her eyes for several minutes.

    ¡°Why¡­¡± she muttered with a trembling voice.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>¡®I knew it.¡¯</em>

    There was no way the gods of Olympus would do nothing as the Parasites invaded Earth.

    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ get in touch with Lady Gaia,¡± La said in pallor.

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes.

    <em>¡®Shit.¡¯</em>

    Something else had happened while he had been focused on the Parasites.

    ***

    ck smoke rose from the branches of the giant tree that acted as the pir of every world.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    ¡°S-Stop that monster!!¡±

    There was a giant pce attached to one of the branches. It was Olympus, where the gods which humans knew through Greek mythology resided.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    The extraordinarily beautiful pce of Olympus was crumbling as it was engulfed in mes.

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    A boy with nk eyes was standing above the ruins of the pce. He looked down at the gods of Olympus with a bright smile.

    <em>Tap.</em>

    The boy vanished into thin air with just a little tap of his feet. He then appeared in front of Uranus as if he had teleported.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± Uranus quickly jumped backward.

    However, the boy¡¯s hand was faster.

    ¡°Stay still,¡± the boy said and kicked Uranus in the stomach.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Uranus¡¯ Deific Essence barrier was torn apart with just one blow. He copsed on the spot.

    ¡°Hihi. Well then, bon app¨¦tit~¡±

    The boy opened his mouth wide like a snake and was about to swallow Uranus whole.

    ¡°Get your filthy hands off of him!!¡± shouted a brown-haired goddess.

    A massive shockwave blew the boy away and he tumbled across the ground.

    ¡°Urgh, what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing, olddy? Haven¡¯t you learned that you shouldn¡¯t interrupt someone when they¡¯re eating?¡±

    The boy turned to the woman in annoyance. Gaia, the brown-haired goddess, red at the boy furiously.

    ¡°Bael, how dare you¡­¡±

    ¡°Hihihi,¡± Bael giggled innocently as his shoulders moved up and down. ¡°You¡¯ll get wrinkles on your forehead if you get so angry, olddy.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m just as irritated as you, you know?¡± Bael licked his lips. ¡°I was so~ curious about how an otherworldly being would taste, but I had to give up on them ande here instead.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking ab¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hehehe. Are you curious?¡± The boy smiled. ¡°It was so hrious how you were all being fooled by him, so I gave up on eating them and came here instead.¡±

    Gaia frowned in silence. ¡°Fooled¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Yeah! Like a bunch of morons!¡± Bael pped his hands together with a bright smile. ¡°I was watching to see how long you¡¯d stay fooled for, but after some thought¡­¡±

    His nk eyes widened, filling with madness.

    ¡°I thought it¡¯d be more fun to tell you the truth instead of just watching.¡±

    Bael jumped up and down, filled with excitement from just thinking about it.

    ¡°Hihi, I wonder what he¡¯ll do once everything is exposed? Hm? I wonder how he¡¯ll try to fool you again?¡± The boy¡¯s eyes darted around madly. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll find a way to resolve it the first time, but what about the second time? And the third? How would he fix it? Hm?¡±

    ¡°What have you been talking about since earlier¡­?¡±

    ¡°H-Hihihi!! Just imagine! Aren¡¯t you excited to see how that arrogant bastard despairs once everything is exposed?!¡± Bael spread his arms wide and burst intoughter. ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ I¡¯vee to see you.¡±

    Gaia stared at Bael dumbfoundedly. ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡±

    There was no flow or reasoning to his sentences. It sounded like he was just bbering things that came to mind without a filter. Gaia shook her head, thinking that Bael had gone insane.

    ¡°Insane? Hm? Do I look like I¡¯m insane?¡± Bael cackled, the corners of his mouth ripping to his earlobes.

    Gaia shrouded herself with Divinity and prepared forbat as if there was no point in dragging the conversation.

    ¡°I wonder if you¡¯ll still be able to say that¡­ after seeing this?¡±

    Bael snapped his fingers and a blue window appeared in front of Gaia. It was the thing that yers referred to as the System, created by the Law of Titans.

    <em>- You want to feel fear?</em>

    On the screen was her retainer whom she deeply trusted.

    ¡°M-My child!¡±

    Gaia¡¯s retainer was battling the Parasite King, who had invaded Earth from the outer world.

    ¡°Kurgh,¡± Gaia grunted anxiously.

    Not only was she not able to help her retainer, but she was being one-sidedly overwhelmed by Bael.

    <em>- Sure, I¡¯ll let you feel it until you¡¯re sick of it.</em>

    Just then, Kang-Woo on the screen smiled in a way filled with madness, which Gaia had never seen from him before. His smile could only be described as <em>demonic</em>.

    ¡°My¡­ child?¡±

    Gaia stared at the screen as her eyes shook. The God of Splendor whom Gaia knew was nowhere in sight.

    <em>- Open.</em>

    The Door to the Demonic Sea opened.

 Chapter 481: Demon of Prophecy (2)

    Chapter 481: Demon of Prophecy (2)

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Gaia¡¯s eyes widened. Her heart beat rapidly as a chill ran down her back. She was gasping for air and her vision was blurring. She lost strength in her legs.

    ¡°Wh-Why¡­¡± she asked but received no answer.

    The Oh Kang-Woo on the blue screen, the monster made of darkness itself with countless sharp teeth, was¡­

    ¡°Why is¡­ the D-Demonic Sea¡­ inside my child?¡± Gaia muttered as her eyes trembled.

    The monster transformed into an immortal ck mucus and ate the Parasite King alive. He was the predator of predators at the top of the food chain. Gaia was only seeing the monster through a screen, but it was easy to deduce the monster¡¯s identity.

    ¡°Demon of Prophecy¡­¡±

    He was the being who possessed the sea of demonic energy and would bring demise to the Triad.

    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Bael frowned in displeasure. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll let it slide. He indeed has the Demonic Sea <em>as of this moment</em>.¡±He pouted and snorted in dissatisfaction. There was no need for him to tell Gaia that he was the true master of the Demonic Sea and the Demon of Prophecy who would bring demise to the Triad.

    <em>¡®Since it¡¯ll probably be more interesting that way.¡¯</em>

    Bael smiled and moved his shoulders up and down.

    ¡°Were you surprised? Well, I don¡¯t me you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re shocked out of your mind. Hihi. After all, the retainer you treasured so deeply turned out to be¡­ the Demon of Prophecy.¡± He snickered to mock Gaia.

    ¡°L-Lies! My child cannot be the Demon of Prophecy!!¡±

    Gaia strongly denied Bael¡¯s ims and clenched her fists.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Bael jumped in ce as if he were having the time of his life and continued, ¡°What about this, then?¡±

    He snapped his fingers, changing the footage in front of Gaia.

    <em>Crumble¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    An entire world was falling apart in the next footage; it was being reduced to ashes by the colossal mes covering the sky. One of the worlds of the Triad was ending, and a demon was looking down at the crumbling world.

    ¡°M-My child¡­¡±

    The demon had wings of gold and ck fire on his back, resembling the prophesized ck sun.

    ¡°No¡­ Th-That¡¯s impossible.¡± Gaia shook her head in pallor.

    She fell to her knees and curled up as if avoiding the undeniable truth.

    ¡°H-Hihihihihi!¡± Baelughed brightly. ¡°Man~ I was honestly quite surprised by this as well. Who would¡¯ve thought that he would end an entire world beforepleting the Demonic Sea?¡±

    Bael stared crazily at Kang-Woo in the System window.

    ¡°Well, then.¡± He got on his tiptoes and twirled to face Gaia. ¡°You get it now, right?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Gaia aggressively bit her lip. She clenched her fists to the point that they trembled and slowly stood up. ¡°I-I¡­ trust my ch¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ehhh? Still?¡± Bael licked his lips with his long tongue. ¡°How about this, then?¡±

    He snapped his fingers once again.

    <em>- Hyung¡­ You were the Demon of Prophecy?</em>

    An innocent-looking young man appeared on the screen.

    ¡°That boy is¡­¡±

    Gaia recalled hearing from La about the yer who recently joined Guardians and defeated Kim Si-Hun in a duel, and possessed the power to see the future. The human, whom Gaia had been nning on manifesting to meet, was trembling in fear and staring at Kang-Woo in shock.

    ¡°...¡±

    There was no need to think deeply about what it meant for a human who could see the future to call Kang-Woo the Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    Gaia could feel her world falling apart; the mes of salvation that she had put her hopes in were going out.

    <em>- I¡¯ll keep the fact that you¡¯re the Demon of Prophecy a secret.</em>

    <em>- Come on, man. It only takes an instant for shit like that to spread.</em>

    A familiar face was on the screen but from it came out an unfamiliar voice and manner of speech; the familiar man was acting unfamiliarly.

    ¡°This is¡­ fake.¡±

    Tears trickled down Gaia¡¯s cheeks. She aggressively stomped her foot and extended her arm toward Bael.

    ¡°How dare you try to deceive me?!¡±

    She shot an enormous shockwave at Bael, who giggled and lightly waved his hand.

    <em>Poof!</em>

    The shockwave infused with Divinity was neutralized after making contact with the back of Bael¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Heh.¡± Bael smiled widely after blocking Gaia¡¯s attack with ease and said, ¡°What? You¡¯re gonna say they were fabricated this time? Hah! What afy life you have! You see what you wanna see, hear what you wanna hear! How awesome is that?!¡±

    Bael burst intoughter as he grabbed his stomach.

    ¡°Well¡­ fine.¡± He stared crazily at Gaia. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want to believe, go ahead.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But¡­ You¡¯ll realize it sooner orter. No, even if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll keeping to tell you.¡± Bael slowly turned around. ¡°Well then, see you next time.¡±

    He walked away without hesitation. Darkness clumped together and a hunchback demon appeared in front of him.

    ¡°Have you finished what you need to do?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Bael nodded energetically.

    Amon, the hunchback demon, clicked his tongue as he stared at Gaia nk-eyed in shock.

    ¡°What use is it to show that incapable woman the truth?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Bael tilted his head.

    Amon continued, his voice as unpleasant as nails on a chalkboard, ¡°The Demon King¡­ will do whatever it takes to keep his identity hidden.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I know.¡± Bael nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll manage to fool Gaia somehow even after I showed her all this.¡±

    Considering the things that the Demon King had done in Hell, Bael knew this would be nowhere near enough.

    ¡°But aren¡¯t you curious?¡± Bael smiled brightly, his eyes sparkling.

    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±

    ¡°About how desperately he¡¯ll struggle to keep the truth hidden!¡± Bael shouted with his arms spread out wide. ¡°H-Hihi! I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll crawl on the floor pathetically and bawl his eyes out again, right? Don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    The Demon King had kneeled to Bael and licked his feet, all to fool Bael.

    ¡°Heh, hehehe.¡±

    Bael¡¯s eyes shone madly as he recalled memories of the past. His heart beat rapidly and sparks traveled throughout his body.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it! That¡¯s how you should be!¡±

    Bael wanted to see how pathetically the Demon King would act to hide the truth.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡± Bael drooled; he got aroused just from thinking about it. ¡°I wonder how he¡¯ll deceive her? How pathetically will he act? Would he get on his knees and beg her to trust him as he bawls his eyes out?¡±

    Bael then muttered in rage, ¡°But no matter how much you struggle, you¡¯ll lose everything you¡¯ve built in the end.¡±

    If once wasn¡¯t enough, Bael would do it twice. If not twice, then thrice. No matter how much the Demon King struggled, he would not be able to keep his identity from getting exposed.

    ¡°H-Hihi. I¡¯m sure all the humans he treasures will turn their backs on him.¡±

    Bael knew very well how much the Demon King treasured the people around him. If those people were to abandon him, treat him like a monster, and point their weapons at him¡­

    It would be so¡­ so¡­ fun. H-Hihi.¡±

    Bael cackled as his shoulders moved up and down. The fury deep inside him was eating him whole. No, the fury had already eaten him whole since long ago because the Demon King was¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re¡­¡± Bael muttered as he thought about the one he resented. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    The sound of gritting teeth echoed throughout the ruins of Olympus.

    ***

    ¡°If we can¡¯t get in contact with the divine realm¡­¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. ¡°I guess I have no choice but to go there myself.¡±

    He was sure that something had happened in the divine realm so he needed to check for himself.

    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous to go by yourself, hyung-nim.¡± Si-Hun, who had been organizing documents like a machine, stood up. ¡°I will go with you.¡±

    Si-Hun had awakened the Deific Essence of Heavenly Sword so there was no issue with him going to the divine realm. However, Kang-Woo shook his head.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go by myself.¡±

    <em>¡®We can¡¯t get in touch with the entirety of Olympus. If it¡¯s that serious, I might have to open the Doors.¡¯</em>

    If that were the case, it would be too dangerous to have Si-Hun with him. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t afford to be ck mucus covered in countless mouths in front of Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®And if Si-Hun isn¡¯t here, La might really copse from exhaustion.¡¯</em>

    La had been so busy that she couldn¡¯t even take a shower despite Si-Hun helping her; Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help her, so he couldn¡¯t take Si-Hun with him.

    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­¡±

    ¡°You stay here and help La. Also, no matter how busy you are, make some time to take breaks. Just look at yourself.¡±

    Kang-Woo patted the disheveled Si-Hun¡¯s shoulder. Si-Hun was born for martial arts; he would have far more trouble battling against documents nonstop for a week than against enemies with his sword.

    ¡°... Okay, hyung-nim.¡±

    ¡°Please stay safe, Kang-Woo. Since I¡¯m physically fine, Lady Gaia should be fine as well,¡± La mentioned calmly.

    Kang-Woo nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a sh.¡±

    He ced his hand on the Hall of Protection and drew out his energy like he had learned when he went to the divine realm. The entire Hall of Protection shone white and Kang-Woo disappeared into thin air.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned aggressively as soon as he arrived in the divine realm. He saw the destroyed Olympus, in worse condition than Seoul after the Parasite invasion.

    <em>¡®I knew something happened.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He expected something had happened the moment he noticed thatmunications were severed, but he did not expect Olympus to be in such terrible condition.

    <em>¡®Did the anti-Gaia faction do this?¡¯</em>

    Although the situation was more or less resolved after Odin¡¯s death, there were still many gods who opposed Gaia¡¯s rule. Kang-Woo wondered if they had something to do with this.

    ¡°... No.¡± He shook his head.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way Olympus would have lost this miserably.¡¯</em>

    Now that Thor and Odin were killed and the Asgard faction had scattered, Olympus was the strongest faction of Earth¡¯s divine realm. Even if the anti-Gaia faction had risen in revolt, Olympus would not have been defeated so one-sidedly.

    ¡°... No way.¡±

    An uneasy sensation ran down Kang-Woo¡¯s back. He quickly entered what remained of the pce; he couldn¡¯t feel the presence of any god¡ª no one but Gaia¡¯s.

    ¡°... Lady Gaia?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    The brown-haired goddess, copsed on the ground, slowly turned to Kang-Woo and looked up at him in pallor.

    ¡°My¡­ child¡­¡± she muttered faintly.

 Chapter 482: Taking Off The Mask (1)

    Chapter 482: Taking Off The Mask (1)

    ¡°... What happened?¡± Oh Kang-Woo asked the disheveled Gaia.

    Her eyes were trembling. She shut her eyes tightly and shook her head as if trying to forget something.

    ¡°Bael¡­ attacked Olympus,¡± muttered Gaia.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo closed her eyes. He understood everything just from that one sentence.

    <em>¡®I see.¡¯</em>

    The severed contact with the divine realm, the destroyed Olympus, and the absent presence of the other gods¡­ everything could be exined just from the name <em>Bael</em>.

    ¡°Were the other gods¡­ eaten?¡± Kang-Woo asked, thinking Bael attacked Olympus to devour the gods.

    ¡°No.¡± Gaia shook her head.<em>¡®No?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°He did eat some of the gods, but most of them survived and are currently being treated in the World Tree.¡±

    This was the first time Kang-Woo heard the World Tree could heal the injuries of deities, but that was not important at the moment.

    <em>¡®Most of them¡­ are alive?¡¯</em> Kang-Woo tilted his head, unable to understand. <em>¡®Why?¡¯</em>

    Bael attacked Olympus while Kang-Woo was battling the Parasite King. Bael also possessed the Authority of Predation, so his objective had likely been to absorb the gods¡¯ Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®So why didn¡¯t he kill them?¡¯</em>

    It didn¡¯t make sense. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes, wondering if he was missing something. Just then, he was reminded of what La had said.

    <em>- Since I¡¯m physically fine, Lady Gaia should be fine as well.</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Gaia. As La had said, she was not particrly injured.

    ¡°... Ah,¡± Kang-Woo expressed.

    He had forgotten the first thing he should have wondered after hearing that Bael attacked Olympus.

    <em>¡®How did Gaia manage to survive?¡¯</em>

    If Bael had attacked Olympus for the gods¡¯ Deific Essence, he would naturally aim for Gaia, a goddess with Top-rank Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®But he didn¡¯t eat her.¡¯</em>

    There was no way he was unable to; even if Gaia possessed Top-rank Deific Essence, she was no match for Bael.

    <em>¡®I see.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded as if he understood. He had been thinking about itpletely wrong.

    <em>¡®He didn¡¯t attack Olympus for Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    He had a different objective.

    ¡°What happened to Bael?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°...¡± Gaia remained silent. She then looked up at Kang-Woo with trembling eyes. She bit her lip anxiously and reluctantly continued, ¡°He suddenly ran away¡­ in the middle of his attack on Olympus.¡±

    ¡°He ran away?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes,¡± Gaia answered, averting her gaze from Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Wooughed in spite of himself and asked again, ¡°Did he really run away?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Gaia clenched her fists.

    ¡°Lady Gaia.¡± Kang-Woo crouched so that he was at eye level with Gaia. ¡°What happened here?¡±

    He slowly reached for Gaia¡¯s clenched fist.

    ¡°Ngh!¡±

    Gaia pped Kang-Woo¡¯s hand away in shock.

    ¡°... Lady Gaia?¡± Kang-Woo slightly grimaced.

    ¡°Ah¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry, my child.¡± Gaia lowered her head in panic. She bit her lip and said as if whispering, ¡°B-Bael said some nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense?¡±

    Gaia nodded. ¡°Yes. Bael said that¡­ you¡¯re the D-Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°He also showed me¡­ footage of you fighting the Parasite King and destroying Huan.¡±

    ¡°... Pardon?¡±

    Kang-Woo felt like a truck had smashed the back of his head. Kang-Woo looked down at the subtly trembling Gaia with wide eyes.

    <em>¡®Motherfucker.¡¯</em>

    He barely managed to stop the curse from leaving his mouth. He felt dizzy and his thoughts were jumbling together.

    <em>¡®Bael, you crazy son of a bitch.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but feel that Bael had gotten the better of him.

    ¡°A-And¡­ was his name Kim Tae-Hyun? He showed me footage of you fighting him as well.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes. He calmed his breathing and slowly unraveled his tangled thoughts. He could feel his head cooling down.

    <em>¡®How?¡¯</em>

    He did not feel anyone¡¯s gaze when he was facing the Parasite King or Tae-Hyun. Even if he had been immersed in the battle, there was no way Kang-Woo would miss someone watching him in secret.

    <em>¡®If he wasn¡¯t watching, then how could he have¡ª¡¯</em>

    Just then, something popped up in his head.

    <em>¡®... The Law of Titans.¡¯</em>

    The entity that yers referred to as the <em>System </em>knew where and what every yer was doing at all times. If it didn¡¯t, there was no way it could give rewards to yers every time they killed monsters or leveled up.

    <em>¡®And Bael currently has the privilege to interfere with that System.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned aggressively. He understood why he had not been able to feel Bael¡¯s presence. Kang-Woo had been watched by the <em>Law </em>that governed everything.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Gaia coldly.

    ¡°O-Of course, I didn¡¯t believe a word of it. I-It¡¯s surely doctored footage, right?¡± said Gaia anxiously, staring desperately at Kang-Woo to affirm her suspicions. She continued with a trembling voice, ¡°There¡¯s no way that you¡­ my precious child¡­ is the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    Kang-Woo stared into Gaia¡¯s eyes filled with anxiety.

    Gaia cautiously grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes and shouted, ¡°Wh-Why aren¡¯t you answering? T-Tell me that you¡¯re not!¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and calmly fell into thought.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not difficult to cover it up right now.¡¯</em>

    It was simple; he just needed to im that they were doctored footage and that he had done no such things.

    <em>¡®Since she¡¯ll see and hear what she wants.¡¯</em>

    Gaia truly treasured Kang-Woo and thought that he was the hope of this world. Hence, logic wouldn¡¯t be very important to her.

    <em>¡®But the seeds of doubt will remain.¡¯</em>

    The proof that Bael gave Gaia would normally be so surefire that Kang-Woo would have had no way of denying it. Simply iming that the footage was doctored would resolve the immediate issue, but she would always doubt Kang-Woo deep within her heart.

    <em>¡®... And that seed of doubt will engulf Gaia.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo understood why Bael showed only Gaia the footage. Bael had acquired footage of Kang-Woo unleashing the Demonic Sea by interfering with the System, as well as footage of him ending Huan and of Tae-Hyun calling Kang-Woo the Demon of Prophecy.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    There was no reason for him to show only Gaia. If he wanted to expose Kang-Woo, he would have shown it to as many people as possible.

    <em>¡®In other words, he never intended to expose me in the first ce.¡¯</em>

    Bael had a different objective in mind.

    ¡°M-My child¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at Gaia, who was looking up at him desperately with her hands on her chest. She said that the footage Bael showed her was surely doctored, but her eyes were filled with fear and uneasiness. Telling her that the footage was indeed doctored would not eliminate the seed of doubt sown deep within her.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll have to act out another shitshow.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed a proper storyline as well as a build-up that would let everything flow seamlessly. He needed to work several times harder than normal to erase the doubt embedded deep within her heart. However, that painstaking effort would end up meaningless as long as Bael possessed the privilege to meddle with the Law of Titans.

    ¡°Ahhh, I see how it is,¡± Kang-Woo mumbled.

    He more or less understood what Bael was nning now.

    ¡°Hah,¡± heughed in spite of himself.

    <em>¡®You want to see me struggling, is it? You¡¯re gonna sit back and rx as you watch my struggle with fried chicken in hand?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Pfft! Bwahahahahahahaha!!!¡± Kang-Woo burst intoughter, unable to hold it in.

    He crouched as he grabbed his stomach. He smiled and swept his hair back.

    ¡°Bael, oh Bael,¡± Kang-Woo said to his enemy, who was likely watching him in anticipation even now. ¡°You stupid, poor son of a bitch. Why do you keep trying to copy me?¡±

    Taking a step back and looking down at the world as if observing it, toying with people¡¯s feelings to fulfill his objective, and standing at the top to have everything under his control as if he were a mastermind¡­ everything that Bael was doing was what Oh Kang-Woo had done throughout his life in Hell.

    ¡°Pfft! Kehehehe!¡± Kang-Wooughed as he moved his shoulders up and down.

    Bael did not do such things in the past; he did not have the personality or brains to pull such schemes. He was closer to a beast, faithful to his senses and instinct. There was only one reason why Bael wouldplicate the situation this way.

    ¡°Did you think you could be like me¡­ if you copied what I do?¡± Kang-Woo smiled. ¡°You¡¯re nothing, man.¡±

    Kang-Woo cackled as he licked his lips.

    <em>¡®You want to see me struggling, is it? Sounds interesting. Alright, I¡¯ll show you. Watch and learn.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Wh-Why are you acting like that all of a sudden, m-my child?¡± asked the pale Gaia as she looked up at Kang-Woo looking up at the sky and talking to himself.

    Kang-Woo looked into her brown eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s not doctored footage.¡±

    Deathly silence fell.

    ¡°... What?¡± Gaia¡¯s eyes widened.

    Kang-Woo smiled. ¡°I said, the footage you saw through the System isn¡¯t fake.¡±

    Gaia shook her head as she trembled. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s wrong, m-my child? Are you being threatened by B¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hah, can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m trying to be perfectly honest with you?¡±

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and slowly approached Gaia. He raised his right hand to cover his face with it, and then slowly dragged it down his face.

    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡±

    His hand fully came off of his face, revealing ck scleras, yellow irises, and horizontal pupils. The corners of his mouth were ripped up to his earlobes and sharp teeth protruded from between his lips.

    ¡°Everything Bael said is true.¡±

    Kang-Woo took off his mask of countless lies atst.

    ¡°I¡¯m the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

 Ch 483 - Taking Off The Mask (2)

    Ch 483 - Taking Off The Mask (2)

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Gaia¡¯s eyes widened. She mumbled incoherently in pallor and shook her head as she trembled. ¡°N-No. Th-There¡¯s no way¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, no? I¡¯m saying it¡¯s true.¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo chuckled.

    Gaia took staggering steps back and said, ¡°Y-You said before that Bael was the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    ¡°I lied, obviously. Did you expect me to tell you the truth?¡± answered Kang-Woo as he shrugged.

    Tears welled up from Gaia¡¯s eyes. She did not want to believe that the one she trusted with all her being and considered the light of salvation was the Demon of Prophecy¡ª no, she couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°Th-Then¡­ were you and Bael¡­ on the same side from the beginning?¡±

    ¡°Why would I be on the same side as that loser?¡± Kang-Wooughed in spite of himself and continued, ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m the Demon of Prophecy, but I have no intention of ending the world or devouring it.¡±

    ¡°... What?¡± Gaia stared at Kang-Woo wide-eyed in disbelief.¡°I¡¯m genuinely trying to save the world.¡±

    Gaia¡¯s eyes shook. She bit her lip and clenched her fists. ¡°B-Bull! The Demon of Prophecy is meant to bring demise to¡ª¡±

    ¡°What the fuck is that prophecy in the first ce and why does it keep saying that a person who never even thought about ending the world will end it?¡± asked Kang-Woo with a frown. The pent-up frustration burst out all at once. ¡°All this shit about prophecy and whatnot¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth and red at Gaia. He couldn¡¯t help but feel wrongfully used.

    ¡°I stopped them.¡±

    The Demon Cult, Satan, the Constetions of Evil, and the otherworldly invasion¡­

    ¡°I fucking stopped them all as the goddamn gods were stuck here because of the Law and bickering about their greedy desire to manifest!¡±

    Kang-Woo had been the one to save the dying world. If it hadn¡¯t been for him, this world would have ended a very long time ago.

    ¡°Let me hear you say it, Gaia.¡± Kang-Woo stared at Gaia coldly. ¡°What the hell were you all doing as I was killing them all?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Gaia remained silent.

    She wanted to deny Kang-Woo¡¯s ims, but she couldn¡¯t find the right words to.

    ¡°Hm? What did you all do?¡±

    It was because Kang-Woo had said nothing wrong.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you tried your best. You made La into your incarnation and selected Protectors to protect the Earth despite being shackled by the Law of Titans. But how did that end up? Hm? Do you seriously think you would have been able to stop them all? The Demon Cult? The princes of Hell? The Constetions of Evil? The Parasite King? ¡­ Bael?¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± Gaia stammered and lowered her head. She turned away from Kang-Woo as if averting her gaze from the truth.

    Kang-Woo cackled. ¡°What? Do you want me to praise you since you tried your best? Hm? Wow~ the almighty Lady Gaia sure must have had a hard time~ Want a medal?¡±

    Kang-Woo walked up to Gaia, grabbed her chin, and yanked her head to face him. He said coldly, ¡°What the hell did you all do other than mouth off about the prophecy?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Gaia remained silent. She pped Kang-Woo¡¯s hand away as she trembled. ¡°Do not touch me!¡±

    Tears flowed down her cheeks. She was filled with a sense of betrayal because Kang-Woo had been deceiving her all this time, and sorrow because she couldn¡¯t refute any of his ims. Whether it be humans or gods, one¡¯s reaction when they were faced with a truth they did not want to ept was the same.

    ¡°The prophecies of the World Tree are absolute!¡± Gaia shouted. ¡°From the beginning of time to now¡­ It has never been wrong.¡±

    If Kang-Woo was truly the Demon of Prophecy, the world would end at his hands.

    ¡°As proof of that, you destroyed Huan!¡±

    Kang-Woo had said that the footage Bael showed her was real. If that was the case, it meant that Kang-Woo had ended Huan.

    Gaia bit her lip anxiously and continued, ¡°Even if you truly have no intention of ending the world¡­¡±

    She recalled what Kang-Woo looked like as he was fighting the Parasite King. His countless mouths, sharp teeth, and the shroud of darkness as ck as the darkest abyss¡­

    ¡°The Demonic Sea will¡­ one day take over you.¡±

    If Kang-Woo possessed the prophesized Demonic Sea, the end of the world was already set in stone regardless of his intentions¡ª one could even call it inevitable. Even if Kang-Woo were to kill Bael, he would eventually lose control over the Demonic Sea and lose his sanity. He would be a mindless monster and devour the world whole.

    ¡°The Demonic Sea is growing bigger inside you, is it not?¡± Gaia asked.

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    As she had mentioned, The sea of demonic energy within his heart was growing bigger and bigger as if the universe was expanding, even without him eating anything.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Gaia stared at Kang-Woo sorrowfully. ¡°Won¡¯t be able to endure it.¡±

    There was no way he would be able to. An individual couldn¡¯t even begin to handle an infinitely expanding sea of demonic energy, even if that individual were a Titan.

    ¡°Pfft. I won¡¯t be able to handle it?¡± Kang-Woo burst intoughter. ¡°He said something simr too.¡±

    He recalled the bellowing Demon God trapped within the Abyss of the Demonic Sea. The Demon God had also said that Kang-Woo wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the Demonic Sea¡¯s infinite power.

    ¡°Who¡ª¡±

    ¡°Do you guys¡­¡± Kang-Woo interjected. He stared at Gaia with deeply sunken eyes. ¡°... have any idea who I am?¡±

    They had no idea who Kang-Woo was and what he had done to survive. They likely had no interest either; they simply prophesized the end after judging that the power wasn¡¯t something a mere human could handle.

    It was the case in Hell as well. No one thought Kang-Woo would survive in the Ninth Hell, kill the seven princes of Hell, and rule over Hell as its king. Despite all that, he was here.

    ¡°Well, fine. Let¡¯s say that I won¡¯t be able to handle the Demonic Sea¡¯s power and that I¡¯m the demon who will end the world.¡± Kang-Woo leaned on a broken pir with his legs crossed. He said to Gaia, who was ring at him, ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°What do you want me to do? Hm? Tell me.¡± Kang-Woo smiled and then continued calmly, ¡°Alright, then. Kill me.¡±

    ¡°... What?¡±

    ¡°Stop spouting shit about prophecies and just kill me.¡±

    Kang-Woo yanked Gaia¡¯s hand toward him and ced it on his chest.

    ¡°The Demonic Sea is right here.¡± Kang-Woo tapped on his chest. ¡°I haven¡¯t opened the Doors or drawn out demonic energy, so you¡¯ll be able to kill me with just one blow.¡±

    Even if the Deific Essence barrier were to activate like a passive skill, Gaia¡¯s Deific Essence would be able to prate it.

    ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and kill me. Hm? I¡¯m the Demon of Prophecy who will end the world, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Gaia was left confused, not expecting Kang-Woo to act this way. Her hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s chest trembled. She stared in pallor at Kang-Woo¡¯s face.

    <em>- I will¡­ dedicate myself to the light.</em>

    She recalled the day when she epted Kang-Woo as her retainer. His voice had been filled with bravery and passion. Just remembering what Kang-Woo used to be pained her heart.

    ¡°Now, this is your golden opportunity to kill the Demon of Prophecy. It¡¯s easy. Just use your Divinity and stab my heart,¡± Kang-Woo said calmly. He caressed the Crying Gaia¡¯s hair and continued, ¡°Go on. Save the world, Goddess of Parental Love.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Gaia¡¯s lips turned blue as she stared at her trembling hand. She muttered, ¡°I-I¡­¡±

    She shut her eyes tightly. Her hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s chest fell lifelessly.

    ¡°What? You can¡¯t do it?¡± Kang-Woo smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    Crush!

    He stuck his hand into his chest. He tore his flesh apart and ripped out his bones. Blood poured out like a fountain from his carved-out chest cavity.

    Gaia yelled in shock, ¡°Wh-What are you doing?!¡±

    She quickly reached for Kang-Woo¡¯s arm and pulled out his hand before he could crush his own heart.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff,</em>¡± Gaia panted heavily, cold sweats trickling down her forehead. She looked down at her hand that had pulled out Kang-Woo¡¯s hand. ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    She was more confused by the fact that she had stopped Kang-Woo¡¯s suicide attempt than Kang-Woo¡¯s actions themselves.

    <em>¡®The Demon of Prophecy would have died if I just left him be.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Arghhh¡­¡±

    Gaia tried to let go of Kang-Woo¡¯s arm, but her hand would not budge no matter how hard she tried.

    ¡°Why are you stopping me when I¡¯m doing you a favor and killing myself?¡± Kang-Woo chuckled. He caressed Gaia¡¯s hair and continued, ¡°I mean, I guess you didn¡¯t have a choice.¡±

    Kang-Woo leaned in and whispered in her ear, ¡°You swore on your Deific Essence, after all.¡±

    ¡°...!¡±

    Gaia¡¯s eyes widened. The words that she had said when she epted Kang-Woo as her retainer struck in her head like a bolt of lightning.

    <em>- From now on, I, Gaia, swear on my Deific Essence of Parental Love that I will treat Protector Oh Kang-Woo as I would my child and spare no support and love for him.</em>[1]

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    Gaia trembled. She understood why she was unable to let go of Kang-Woo¡¯s arm despite finding out that he was the Demon of Prophecy and that everything he had shown her had been a lie.

    ¡°Pfft, bwehehehehe!!¡± Kang-Woo grabbed his stomach andughed vulgarly. He wiped Gaia¡¯s tears and remarked, ¡°There¡¯s no need to make things soplicated, Lady Gaia. You don¡¯t have to be angry or sad by the betrayal either.¡±

    He then whispered, ¡°I¡¯m sure you know as well, don¡¯t you? That you can¡¯t stop the end of the world without me.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Gaia remained silent. She knew that no one but Kang-Woo could stand in Bael¡¯s way. However, the world would inevitably end if the Demonic Sea within Kang-Woo were to keep expanding. In the end, she needed to choose the better of the two terrible scenarios.

    Hence, Gaia had no choice but to trust that Kang-Woo would be able to endure the Demonic Sea¡¯s attempt to take control over him and that he would be the savior of the world. Hanging on to the sliver of hope was the only choice allowed to her.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh,¡± Gaia stammered.

    She stepped backward in pallor. She was finally able to realize that she never had a choice from the beginning even after finding out about Kang-Woo¡¯s true identity. She was unable to kill Kang-Woo because of her pledge with her Deific Essence on the line¡ª forget killing him, her body would move of its own ord to protect him if he were to be put in danger.

    ¡°Did you¡­¡±

    Gaia could not expose Kang-Woo¡¯s identity to the world either since he was the only hope that the world had to be saved from demise. All would despair if that hope turned out to be the Demon of Prophecy.

    ¡°Know about this¡­¡±

    The only choice left to Gaia was to trust that the Demon of Prophecy, the being who would end the world, wouldn¡¯t end it.

    ¡°From the beginning?¡±

    She had no choice but to cling to Kang-Woo powerlessly.

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Kang-Woo smiled. ¡°Right, have you decided what you¡¯re going to do?¡± He caressed Gaia¡¯s cheek and asked, ¡°Will you kill me here and now, or trust the Demon of Prophecy destined to end the world?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Gaia remained silent and turned away from Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Answer.¡± Kang-Woo grabbed Gaia¡¯s chin and forced her to face him. He looked into her trembling eyes and said, ¡°Now.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Tears welled up around Gaia¡¯s eyes again. She lowered her head and answered reluctantly, ¡°I will¡­ trust you.¡±

    ¡°Trust who?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Tears flowed down her cheeks. ¡°I will trust¡­ the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction. He opened his arms wide and embraced the frozen Gaia.

    ¡°Thank you very much for treasuring me so lovingly.¡±

    ¡°<em>Sniff,</em> hurgh.¡± Gaia trembled as she cried. ¡°Y-You scumbag¡­ H-How could you be so wicked¡­?¡±

    Despite boiling with rage from the betrayal, she had no choice but to trust and put her hopes in Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Lady Gaia.¡± Kang-Woo got on one knee and continued, ¡°I will dedicate my life to you.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Gaia¡¯s expression turned pale.

    Kang-Woo had said that line when Gaia epted him as her retainer.

    ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡±

    His expression, voice, and line were the same. Gaia knew his words were a sweet lie and that his true wicked nature was hidden behind that warm smile, but she found herself feeling relieved. She wanted to keep hearing those sweet lies¡ª no, she preferred not knowing the truth at all.

    ¡°You are¡­ truly a demon.¡±

    Tears gathered on her chin. Kang-Woo lightly kissed the back of Gaia¡¯s hand and smiled.

    ¡°Who in the world would fall for a demon¡¯s temptations if their words were bitter?¡±

    1. Slightly different from her pledge in Chapter 320, but whatever. ?

 Chapter 484: Taking Off The Mask (3)

    Chapter 484: Taking Off The Mask (3)

    ¡°Hurgh¡­¡±

    The cries of a goddess echoed within a ruined pce.

    Oh Kang-Woo looked down at Gaia, who was bawling her eyes out on the floor. He clicked his tongue with a bitter expression.

    <em>¡®Maybe I went a little too far.¡¯</em>

    He naturally had no intention of doing this from the beginning; he had nned on concealing his true identity from Gaia to the end.

    <em>¡®But I was given no choice once it was all out in the open.¡¯</em>

    Bael was able to monitor Kang-Woo at all times through the System¡ª no, he was even able to show others footage of Kang-Woo with it as well.

    <em>¡®I probably would have managed to fool her once.¡¯</em>

    It would be a hassle, but it was possible. However, what about a second or third time?<em>¡®Impossible.¡¯</em>

    Bael would inevitably expose Kang-Woo¡¯s identity if he had the System privileges.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s like being filmed by a security camera with no blind spots twenty-four seven.¡¯</em>

    Going out of his way to hide his identity in such a situation would only restrict his actions.

    <em>¡®I had no choice but to make Gaia trust me even after knowing my identity.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Gaia with deeply sunken eyes. Her shoulders were trembling pitifully and tears were trickling down her cheeks. Not only had the retainer whom she trusted betrayed her but she was forced to trust the Demon of Prophecy on top of that. Kang-Woo sighed.

    <em>¡®I would have revealed it to her sooner if I knew this would happen.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had considered multiple times to reveal his true identity and prove that he had no intention of ending the world, however long it took.

    <em>¡®But I ended up not doing it because of how massive the bacsh would be.¡¯</em>

    There was a huge difference between trusting the hero who would save the world and being given no choice but to trust the Demon of Prophecy. It was no different from a nation forcing its citizens to sacrifice themselves for their great nation.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way someone would give their all when they are forced to do it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could no longer expect much from Gaia; her faith in him had shattered beyond repair.

    <em>¡®At least there¡¯s still the pledge she made with her Deific Essence on the line.¡¯</em>

    If it hadn¡¯t been for that, Kang-Woo might have had to eliminate Gaia.

    <em>¡®Well, regardless.¡¯</em>

    What was done had already been done; it was irreversible. Time was better doing what he could instead of regretting what he had already done.

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­ Sniff.</em>¡±

    Kang-Woo walked toward Gaia, who was crying with her hands over her face.

    <em>¡®Since I was harsh on her, it¡¯s time to console her now.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t feel too bad about this. I¡¯m just as frustrated as you are.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Gaia slightly lowered her hands and looked up. ¡°What¡­ do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Like I told you from the beginning, I have no intention of ending the world. If I did, why would I have gone through all that shit to save it? I would have just left the world to end by itself. I just want to eat my kimchi stew and live happily ever after with my Darling.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Gaia flinched. Kang-Woo was not wrong; the Demon Cult would have turned Earth into Hell if not for Kang-Woo. Even in Aernor, the angels would have been no match for the Constetions of Evil. No, even just a few days ago, the Parasites would have been unstoppable without Kang-Woo.

    ¡°I only hid my identity because of how fervently you wanted to kill the Demon of Prophecy.¡±

    ¡°B-But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes~ yes. I know what you¡¯re worried about. You¡¯re trying to say that I¡¯ll be consumed by the Demonic Sea once it gets bigger and end up destroying the world even if I don¡¯t want to, right?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Gaia remained silent.

    Kang-Woo chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Since it was when I first entered the Ninth Hell¡­ Yes, I¡¯ve heard that constantly since a thousand years ago.¡±

    ¡°A-A thousand?¡±

    ¡°Yes. And as you can see¡­¡± Kang-Woo opened his arms widely. ¡°I¡¯m right here, perfectly fine.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Gaia looked up at Kang-Woo with trembling eyes. No one could endure for a thousand years with the Demonic Sea inside them.

    ¡°Well, the Demonic Sea wasn¡¯tplete at the time,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    ¡°How did you¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Kang-Woo shrugged. ¡°I have no idea how I managed to hold out for this long, but one thing I know for sure is that I will remain myself from now on as well.¡±

    He had endured ten grueling millennia in Hell without proper food or rest. There was no form of entertainment, only massacre and battle.

    <em>¡®And most of all.¡¯</em>

    There were no goddamn women. After eight millennia passed, Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t even imagine women because he had forgotten what they looked like.

    <em>¡®Do you know how miserable I felt whenever I touched my Fran?ois because I was worried that he would die? Huh? Do you? Oh, wait. I guess there was a woman, but can you even call that a woman?¡¯</em>

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Kang-Woo was reminded of those nightmarish ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö as well as the sounds of sticky mucus.

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡±

    Kang-Woo had no choice but to do it, but he didn¡¯t want to consider that his first time. No, he couldn¡¯t¡ª he refused to.

    ¡°M-My ch¡ª no, Oh Kang¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fuck! Motherfucker! I was reminded of that cursed memory again!¡± Kang-Woo shouted at Gaia.

    Gaia flinched.

    ¡°Huuu, huuu. I won¡¯t let it be taken.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°My endless frustrations refuse to let my body be taken. Okay? Hm? Fuck the Demonic Sea, I¡¯ll never hand over my body. I fucking refuse.¡±

    ¡°I-I understand, so calm d¡ª¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t fucking calm down!¡± Kang-Woo aggressively grabbed Gaia¡¯s shoulders. He stared at her with zing eyes and continued, ¡°Listen carefully, okay? I won¡¯t let anyone take my goddamn body, so get your worries out of your head and focus on the tasks ahead.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Besides, you already know you have no choice but to trust me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Then trust me,¡± Kang-Woo stated firmly. ¡°Or you can just stay a crybaby bawling your eyes out on your knees.¡±

    His words were as cold as ice, but they were just what Gaia needed to hear.

    ¡°...¡± Gaia closed her eyes and stood up slowly. ¡°As you¡¯ve said, I am an incapable goddess.¡±[1]

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I tried my best to save this world¡­ and my children, but you¡¯re the one who saved them in the end, not me.¡±

    Gaia recalled Kang-Woo¡¯s sharp remarks after he revealed himself as the Demon of Prophecy. As he had said, she wasn¡¯t able to save anything. The one who had been protecting the world all this time was not her but the Demon of Prophecy.

    Gaia clenched her clothes and stared at Kang-Woo with trembling eyes.

    ¡°Are you¡­ Are you sure I can trust you?¡± she asked desperately.

    Kang-Woo smiled and turned to her. ¡°That¡¯s up to you. Even I can¡¯t control that, but you need at least something to cling onto if you want to save the world, right?¡±

    Even if that something was the demon destined to end the world.

    Gaia remained silent. Kang-Woo turned his back on Gaia and walked out of the ruined pce.

    ¡°Fuuu, haaa,¡± he inhaled and slowly exhaled. He looked up at the ck sky of the divine realm and asked, ¡°Were you watching?¡±

    There was no reason to struggle pathetically to hide the truth. There was no need to even put effort into bending a poor goddess to his will.

    ¡°Right then, take notes,¡± Kang-Woo said to the being who was likely watching from somewhere. ¡°This is gonna be on the exam.¡±

    He cackled.

    ***

    <em>Wham¡ª!</em>

    The hill made of red sand exploded.

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!¡± The roar of a beast echoed throughout the hill. A boy screamed madly, ¡°OHHHHH KAAAAAAANG-WOOOOOOOO!!¡±

    <em>Boom! Boom!</em>

    The hill exploded every time he swung his arms. The sky turned ck and the ground distorted. The nearby demons bowed deeply on their knees.

    ¡°SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!!!¡± the boy screamed hysterically as he pulled on his hair.

    He raised his right arm and sucked one of the bowing demons toward him.

    ¡°L-Lord B¡ª¡±

    <em>Crunch¡ª!</em>

    Bael bit off the head of the demon trembling in pallor.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa, haaa.¡±

    The boy trampled on the demon¡¯s corpse, exploding it into pieces. He stared daggers at the blue window in front of him.

    <em>- Pfft! Bwahahahaha!!</em>

    A man with sharp eyes was bursting outughing with his hands on his stomach.

    ¡°This¡­ is wrong.¡±

    This was not the struggling and frustrated Demon King that he wanted to see. The Demon King was not pathetically trying to hide his identity in tears. Rather, the Demon King was¡­ the embodiment of what Bael considered the ideal attitude of a demon.

    ¡°THIS IS WRONG!!!¡±

    Bael stomped his feet as he pulled on his hair.

    <em>- Did you think you could be like me¡­ if you copied what I do?</em>

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    Bael trembled. The Demon King was staring at Bael as if he were talking to him.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not¡­ copying¡­ you.¡±

    Bael¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He gritted his teeth so hard that they were shattering and flying everywhere.

    <em>- You¡¯re¡­</em>

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it,¡± Bael said as if begging.

    <em>- Nothing, man.</em>

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡± Bael staggered backward. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    A crazed scream filled the hill once again.

    1. I don¡¯t think he said that, but it¡¯s true I guess LMAO ?

 Chapter 485: Frozen Temple (1)

    Chapter 485: Frozen Temple (1)

    <em>- You¡¯re nothing, man.</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s words of mockery were engraved in Bael¡¯s head. Bael scratched his cheeks with his sharp fingernails, forming hideous wounds from his cheekbones to his chin. ck blood dripped from the wounds.

    ¡°I-I-I-I-I¡­¡± Bael mumbled crazily.

    He swayed from side to side. His vision blurred and he panted heavily. Kang-Woo¡¯s words continued to echo inside his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not¡­ nothing.¡±

    He gritted his teeth and the broken fragments of his teeth mixed with his blood and flowed down to his chin.

    ¡°I was first,¡± Bael muttered crazily. ¡°I was first, not you.¡±

    Bael red at the Demon King on the screen.

    ¡°Your position¡­ What you have¡­ They were all supposed to be mine.¡±His resentment ran down his back and throughout his body. He knew better than anyone what the source of that resentment was.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ nothing,¡± Bael muttered, his voice filled with a sense of inferiority. ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    He bit his lip as he panted heavily and wet his hand with the ck blood pooling on his chin. He slowly looked up.

    ¡°Amon.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lord Bael.¡±

    A wave was formed in the darkness as if a ck dye was dropped in water. The darkness gathered together and a hunchback demon with a staff appeared from it.

    ¡°Are the preparationsplete?¡± Bael asked.

    Amon easily understood what Bael was asking despite being given no specificity.

    ¡°Yes, preparations for the day of the Apocalypse are almostplete.¡± Amon bowed deeply and continued, ¡°I have given Eilles the exact date and rallied the demons of the Ninth Hell. However¡­¡± Amon clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. ¡°It is a shame Doomguard was allowed to escape.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Bael answered in irritation.

    Doomguard was but a fly who was of no consequence to the great n.

    ¡°The true purpose of <em>Ingrium </em>hasn¡¯t been discovered yet, has it?¡± Bael asked.

    ¡°It has not.¡± Amon smiled, his wrinkly face wrinkling even more. He bowed.

    Bael¡¯s grimace turned into a bright smile. ¡°Heh. Okay, that¡¯s all that matters.¡±

    Heughed as he moved his shoulders up and down. His victory was guaranteed as long as he had <em>that</em>.

    ¡°H-Hihihi,¡± Bael chuckled as he red at Kang-Woo in madness. ¡°Mock me as much as you want while you still can. You¡¯ll lose everything soon enough.¡±

    Bael gritted his teeth which had instantly regenerated again.

    ¡°Now.¡± Bael stood up, opened his arms wide, and looked up at the burning sky. ¡°It is time for the Apocalypse.¡±

    The army of demons filling the colossal hill of red sand roared.

    ***

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    A white light lit the floor of the Hall of Protection. The light gathered in one spot and appeared a young man with sharp eyes.

    ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± Kim Si-Hun ran toward Kang-Woo, who manifested back into the physical realm. He searched Kang-Woo in worry. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo nodded and walked.

    ¡°Did something happen in the divine realm?¡±

    ¡°Bring La first. It¡¯ll be much quicker to exin it to you both.¡±

    Si-Hun nodded and turned to head to La¡¯s office but La, who had followed Si-Hun, entered the room before Si-Hun could bring her.

    ¡°Did you find out why contact with the divine realm was cut off, Kang-Woo?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Kang-Woo concisely exined to them what had happened in the divine realm. Of course, he did not tell them what happened between him and Gaia.

    ¡°Bael, that son of a bitch¡­¡±

    ¡°... So that¡¯s whymunication was severed.¡±

    Si-Hun and La¡¯s expressions turned gloomy after hearing Kang-Woo¡¯s exnation.

    ¡°What could Bael¡¯s goal be? If he attacked the divine realm when the Parasites attacked Earth, there¡¯s no way he would leave the majority of gods alive¡­¡±

    La frowned, having the same thought as Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo shook his head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure either.¡±

    He knew that Bael¡¯s goal was him, but he couldn¡¯t afford to tell La that.

    ¡°Haaa. The otherworldly invasion, and now Bael¡­ ¡° La clenched her fists anxiously. ¡°Will we¡­ really be able to save this world?¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded without hesitation. ¡°We will, as long as we do it together.¡±

    It was a line straight out of a generic shonen manga, but Kang-Woo was not wrong. Even if he was able to stop Bael by himself, he would not be able to handle his army on top of that. Even if the entire force of Guardians was a match for Bael¡¯s army, they would be no match for Bael himself. They needed to join forces to save this world.

    ¡°Hoho. Sounds like a line straight out of a shonen manga,¡± La expressed.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°But the clutches of lust usually aim for the heroines while the protagonist is busy fighting evil¡­¡±

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t think we¡¯re reading the same shonen manga.¡¯</em>

    ¡°A-Ahem. I¡¯m just joking. Hoho, I¡¯ve been so busy that I haven¡¯t been able to go on Hit¡ª I mean, relieve stresstely.¡±

    <em>¡®I¡¯d love to know how you usually relieve stress.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hohohoho.¡±

    <em>¡®Don¡¯t try to elegantlyugh it off.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Ah, Si-Hun. Let¡¯s go take care of the remaining paperwork.¡±

    ¡°... Oh, yes. Of course.¡±

    La dragged Si-Hun with her back to the office. Kang-Woo chuckled and shook his head.

    ¡°Now, then¡­¡±

    He narrowed his eyes. There was something he needed to do with utmost priority.

    <em>¡®Is there a way for me to break free from the System¡¯s eyes?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wouldn¡¯t be able to prepare any countermeasures if he were being monitored at all times.

    ¡°I have no clue¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo crossed his arms and shook his leg in dissatisfaction. As long as he was a yer, he was unable to free himself from the System¡¯s influence.

    <em>¡®... No.¡¯</em>

    Something lit up in his head. Kang-Woo slightly raised his head and recalled back when he had made Cha Yeon-Joo his incarnation.

    ¡°Eve, was it?¡±

    There was no response.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re watching,¡± Kang-Woo continued.

    A few momentster¡­

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [The Law¡¯s auxiliary control system ¡®Eve¡¯ is unable to make willful decisions.]

    ¡°Oh? What was that about the fucking splendorst time, then?¡±

    [That was automatically assigned because it was the most apt title based on the analyzed actions of yer Oh Kang-Woo.]

    ¡°What did you say, bitch? Don¡¯t you know that my slim chance of victory gets even slimmer if all my actions keep getting monitored like this?¡±

    [...]

    The blue message window in front of Kang-Woo shook. After some silence, the message window changed.

    [Only a temporary block in information is possible with the current amount of privileges possessed by ¡®Eve.¡¯]

    ¡°How long exactly?¡±

    [49 days.]

    ¡°That¡¯s good enough.¡±

    The final battle against Bael was just around the corner; being able to escape from his sight even for a short amount of time was good enough.

    [However, information can be permanently blocked once yer Oh Kang-Woo achieves Transcendent-rank Deific Essence.]

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    <em>¡®Transcendent-rank Deific Essence, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned. It would be amazing for him to escape from Bael¡¯s sight forever.

    <em>¡®But I have no idea how to get it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo put his hand over his forehead as if he was getting a headache.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t think it can be achieved just by tons of devouring.¡¯</em>

    Considering Kang-Woo possessed the Demonic Sea, an infinite supply of demonic energy, the amount of demonic energy was likely not the condition for achieving Transcendent-rank Deific Essence.

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll go back home for now.¡¯</em>

    He wouldn¡¯te up with an answer just by thinking about it. It was probably a better idea to train by himself.

    ¡°Physical training is pointless for me now¡­¡±

    He would be better off cing a barrier in his room and training to better control the energy within him. Kang-Woo left the Hall of Protection and headed to his home.

    <em>Beep, beep.</em>

    He opened the front door with a fingerprint scan and entered his home.

    ¡°Darling~?¡±

    Kang-Woo looked around for Han Seol-Ah.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    Just then, noisy footsteps rang from the living room and a ck-haired girl jumped at Kang-Woo and wrapped her arms around his neck.

    ¡°Kang-Woo!!¡±

    ¡°Whoa, there.¡±

    Kang-Woo caught Echidna and smiled.

    ¡°Hm! Hm!¡± Echidna snorted and rubbed her face on Kang-Woo¡¯s neck. Her eyes shone as she shouted, ¡°I missed you soooooooo~ much, Kang-Woo!¡±

    She even bit Kang-Woo¡¯s neck, not being satisfied enough just by rubbing her face on it. Kang-Woo trembled as if it tickled. He walked to the living room with Echidna in her arms and put her down on the couch.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Seol-Ah?¡± he asked.

    ¡°She went out because Yeon-Joo asked for her help. Something about healing people in the, uh¡­ Church of Splendor, I think it was called? To raise their faith.¡±

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s doing very well.¡±

    <em>¡®Looks like the </em>Oppa~<em> is working wonders.¡¯</em>

    ¡°What about you, Echidna? Weren¡¯t you supposed to be with Lilith and Halcyon to find information about Nostrian?¡±

    ¡°Hm! I came back because I had something to report to you!¡±

    ¡°Something to report?¡± Kang-Woo asked, his eyes shining.

    Echidna stuck back on Kang-Woo on the couch and rubbed her cheeks on him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you in a little bit,¡± she said as she acted spoiled.

    Kang-Woo smirked as he patted Echidna¡¯s head.

    <em>¡®I guess I haven¡¯t been spending much time with hertely.¡¯</em>

    <em>Although Echidna was nowhere near as obsessive as Seol-Ah, she was highly dependent on Kang-Woo because she had been abandoned by her father in the past.¡¯</em>

    ¡°I looked around super hard, Kang-Woo,¡± Echidna mentioned as she leaned her head toward Kang-Woo as if asking him to praise her.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m proud of you.¡± Kang-Woo patted her head.

    ¡°Hm, hm! I even held off on my Master promos!¡±

    ¡°Master promos? What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for a game that Yeon-Joo showed me!¡±

    ¡°Oh, that. Yeon-Joo¡¯s a Bronze.¡±

    ¡°Pfft. Bronze?¡± Echidna sneered. ¡°Does Yeon-Joo only have three fingers?¡±

    ¡°... Mm. I think I understand how low a Bronze is now.¡± Kang-Woo snickered and spent some more time with Echidna. ¡°Alright, then.¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed Echidna by the armpits and pulled her away from him.

    ¡°Urghh.¡± Echidna pouted but she also knew that she couldn¡¯t act spoiled any longer. ¡°We found a dungeon in a Gate around the Arctic Ocean.¡±

    ¡°A dungeon?¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>¡®The dungeon name isn¡¯t something like </em>Lilith ? Demon King Love House<em>, is it? If it is, then I¡¯m not going.¡¯</em>

 Chapter 486: Frozen Temple (2)

    Chapter 486: Frozen Temple (2)

    ¡°What kind of dungeon is it?¡± asked Oh Kang-Woo as he tilted his head.

    <em>¡®Have I ever entered a dungeon?¡¯</em>

    After some thought, he realized that although he had created dungeons, he had never entered one.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t gone inside, so I don¡¯t know. Lilith told me to report to you first!¡± said Echidna, emphasizing that it wasn¡¯t because she was scared.

    Kang-Woo smirked and nodded. ¡°Good job. Always report to me first whenever you find anything.¡±

    Unauthorized investigations were off-limits now that otherworldly invasions had begun. Even if it was a hassle, safety always needed to be first.

    ¡°But how do you know that it¡¯s a dungeon if you haven¡¯t gone in?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s because of, uh¡­ that cheeky human who kept calling you hyung.¡±

    Echidna hugged Kang-Woo¡¯s arm tightly, her eyes filled with hostility.<em>¡®Tae-Hyun?¡¯</em>

    Kim Si-Hun and Kim Tae-Hyun were the only ones who referred to Kang-Woo as hyung. Echidna was fairly close to Si-Hun, so her hostility was likely aimed at Tae-Hyun.

    ¡°Hmph, I hate that human. He keeps sticking to you and annoys you. You got even busier because of him,¡± Echidna blurted all sorts ofints regarding Tae-Hyun.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and patted her head. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ sorry, Kang-Woo. Ahem. Anyway, that human said that he coincidentally found a dungeon after falling from a cliff, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    Echidna continued, ¡°The Rift was simr to that human¡¯s descriptions of what the one he entered looked like.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded in understanding. He had not been overly interested in the dungeon, but his eyes were now shining.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s highly likely that it¡¯s no ordinary dungeon.¡¯</em>

    It might have formed because of a Titan¡¯s intervention, just like the dungeon where Tae-Hyun found the Eye of Nostrian.

    <em>¡®No, even if a Titan has nothing to do with it, it might be a sign of an otherworldly invasion like with the Parasites.¡¯</em>

    Whether it be the Titans or otherworldly beings, Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t leave it be.

    ¡°Contact Balrog and Si-Hun.¡± Kang-Woo took his hand off Echidna¡¯s head and stood up. He narrowed his eyes and continued, ¡°We¡¯ll set out first thing tomorrow.¡±

    ***

    <em>Whoosh.</em>

    Bone-chilling winds raged. Their breaths could be seen as steam.

    ¡°Dayum, I thought it¡¯d be nothing but snow, but there¡¯s quite a lot of grass too.¡± A red-haired woman looked around wide-eyed.

    Kang-Woo turned to the woman and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯m not allowed to be here?¡± Cha Yeon-Joo red at him.

    ¡°No, I just heard that you¡¯ve been super busy as the leader of the Church of Splendor.¡±

    ¡°I sure am, thanks to a certain someone.¡±

    ¡°What brings Your Excellency all the way here despite your hectic schedule?¡±

    ¡°You try being among those fanatics and see if you wouldn¡¯t wanna get away from them.¡± Yeon-Joo shook her head in irritation. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, every single day it¡¯s Ohmen, Ohmen, Ohmen¡­ they never get tired of it¡­¡±

    She red at Kang-Woo in rage. Feeling guilty, Kang-Woo stopped pursuing the matter and averted his gaze from her. He turned to the party members he had gathered for the dungeon raid.

    ¡°I wonder if a divine artifact like the one Tae-Hyun obtained would appear here as well?¡± Si-Hun asked as he stared at the Gate entrance with a formless sword in hand.

    ¡°It might be those insects again,¡± said Balrog, who took off his pendant and returned to his demon form.

    ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll kill them all.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, stand down, human. I will be the one to kill my king¡¯s enemies.¡±

    Balrog and Si-Hun were having a war of nerves against each other. Si-Hun, after ring at Balrog for some time, shrugged after realizing something.

    He mentioned, ¡°Come to think of it, you haven¡¯t awakened Deific Essence yet, have you?¡±

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Balrog flinched.

    In actuality, Balrog had a way to fight toe to toe against beings with Deific Essence, but it was far too risky to use regrly. It was true that he had no way of facing those with Deific Essence in a normal battle.

    ¡°Huhu. It seems I¡¯m the only one who can fight for hyung-nim,¡± stated Si-Hun.

    ¡°Shut up, human.¡±

    Balrog frowned aggressively and walked past Si-Hun.

    ¡°What? Why are you so serious?¡±

    Si-Hun was left slightly flustered by Balrog¡¯s unexpectedly boring reaction and chased after him.

    ¡°I hope we¡¯ll be able to find information about Nostrian here.¡± Lilith sighed.

    She had been fairly bothered by the fact that information regarding Nostrian had been far more scarce than she had expected. Her expression was filled with fatigue.

    ¡°Are you okay, Lilith? I could cast a fatigue recovery spell on you¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine, Seol-Ah. I¡¯m just a little stressed out.¡±

    ¡°But you never know. Come here.¡±

    Han Seol-Ah grabbed Lilith¡¯s hand and cast healing magic. Twelve wings pouring out light appeared from her back. The light flowed into Lilith and her fatigued expression regained energy.

    ¡°My, my, Seol-Ah. You¡¯ve gotten even better at this! Healing is an understatement at this point!¡±

    Lilith widened her eyes in surprise. As she had mentioned, Seol-Ah¡¯s healing magic had gone beyond the confines of healing; it felt as if every single cell in Lilith¡¯s body had been reborn anew. Forget being in perfect condition, she was brimming with energy that she had never experienced before.

    <em>¡®This is¡­¡¯</em>

    Lilith turned to Kang-Woo; such an extraordinary effect was better than Kang-Woo¡¯s Authority of Enhancement. No, that was an understatement; it was on another level.

    <em>¡®When did she be so¡­¡¯</em>

    Lilith stared at Seol-Ah in disbelief.

    Seol-Ah¡¯s face reddened and she waved her hands. ¡°N-No, you¡¯re exaggerating. It¡¯s just because my magic is specialized in healing.¡±

    ¡°Mm. I guess that could be true.¡±

    Although Seol-Ah possessed a few offensive and binding skills, she would still be ssified as a nonbatant. Leaving aside her Deific Essence, buffing would be a far better use of her abilities and time than attacking.

    ¡°That aside, a demon being healed by an angel¡¯s power feels a little weird.¡±

    Lilith smiled as she looked down at the white light lingering around her. Demonic beings like Undead and demons would usually take immense damage from sacred power, but Seol-Ah¡¯s abilities, fortunately, seemed to ignore such racial differences.

    ¡°I should be the one feeling weird by the fact that you¡¯re a demon, Lilith. You¡¯re so beautiful¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh? Hohoho. Thank you, Seol-Ah.¡±

    Lilith smiled alluringly and grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Right.¡± She brought her mouth close to Seol-Ah¡¯s ear as her eyes shone. She whispered, ¡°Come to think of it, Seol-Ah¡­ You can use this spell on Master Kang-Woo as well, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Yes, of course.¡±

    ¡°Fufufu. I see.¡±

    ¡°Why would you ask such a¡­ Oh!¡±

    Seol-Ah, who had been tilting her head in confusion, widened her eyes in surprise. Lilith hummed as she smiled widely.

    ¡°With such an extraordinary spell¡­ It would allow us all to enjoy our time together without issues.¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, my. Are you uninterested?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Hoho. I¡¯ll make sure to teach you all sorts of things.¡±

    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not interested. It¡¯s just¡­ um¡­ Even so, doing something like that is¡­¡±

    ¡°Fufu. There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± Lilith whispered persuasively, ¡°There¡¯s nothing that feels better than doing something you know is wrong.¡±

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah lowered her head, her face as red as a tomato as a demon whispered sweet temptations into her ear. Lilith found such a reaction cute and she embraced Seol-Ah as she giggled.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡±

    Kang-Woo, who had been watching Lilith and Seol-Ah talking about something from a distance, flinched after feeling uneasy. He felt as if something very, very bad would happen to him soon.

    <em>¡®Why am I feeling this w¡ª¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hm! Kang-Woo! This way!¡±

    Echidna pulled Kang-Woo, who was getting goosebumps for an unknown reason, by the hand before he could finish his thought. He turned to her and the other party members.

    <em>¡®Yeon-Joo, Balrog, Si-Hun, Lilith, Echidna, and Darling make seven of us.¡¯</em>

    It felt like a lot but it wasn¡¯t a bad partyposition.

    <em>¡®Besides, I don¡¯t need to hide my identity as desperately as I used to anymore.¡¯</em>

    There was no need for him to hide his identity like his life depended on it not that Gaia found out his true identity. Although Yeon-Joo and Si-Hun still didn¡¯t know, Kang-Woo was confident enough to be able to persuade them even if they found out.

    He said to his scattered party members, ¡°Everyone, focus up and get into formation.¡±

    Si-Hun and Balrog were in front, Yeon-Joo, Kang-Woo, and Echidna were in the middle, and Lilith and Seol-Ah were in the rear.

    <em>¡®Though I don¡¯t really feel the need for it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Wooughed in spite of himself as he looked at the formation. Although being in formation was the most effective, each of them was so powerful that Kang-Woo honestly did not see the need to be so orthodox.

    <em>¡®I guess it¡¯s better than being reckless.¡¯</em>

    Being in formation was also effective in getting people into the right mindset besides being able to fight efficiently.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Kang-Woo said.

    ¡°Okay, hyung-nim.¡±

    Kang-Woo and the party slowly entered the dungeon.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [You have entered the ¡®Frozen Temple!¡¯]

    A blue message window popped up in front of them.

    <em>Whoosh¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Oh, f-fuck! It¡¯s fucking freezing!¡±

    A blizzard raged. Yeon-Joo hugged herself as she shivered intensely.

    ¡°Celestial Repayment,¡± Seol-Ah chanted as she raised her arms.

    A translucent barrier enveloped the party members, making the freezing cold feel like a light breeze.

    ¡°Phew, thanks. I thought I was gonna freeze to death.¡± Yeon-Joo stood back up from her crouched position and looked around. ¡°Where is this ce¡­?¡±

    There was a thirty-meter fortress wall made of ice in front of them. They could see the top of an ice pce beyond the wall.

    ¡°Hah, are we in <em>Frozen</em>?¡± Yeon-Joo chuckled, steam leaving her mouth.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he looked around.

    <em>¡®Something¡¯s¡­ off.¡¯</em>

    He was sure that this was his first time here, but it felt familiar for some reason. Kang-Woo looked around to find the source of the familiarity, but could not find anything despite even using the Authority of the Beholder.

    ¡°Hyung-nim, the gate is this way.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Kang-Woo turned to Si-Hun after looking around. Si-Hun was pointing with his sword at a giant gate as well as what looked like two ice statues of knights twenty meters tall. They were so big that Balrog looked like a dwarf next to them.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Wh-What the hell?!¡±

    The ice statues moved simultaneously once the party members got closer to the gate. Unlike Yeon-Joo, who stepped backward in shock, Kang-Woo calmly walked toward the ice statues.

    ¡°Sheesh, they¡¯re so unnecessarily big.¡±

    Kang-Woo looked up at the statues and whistled. He lightly raised his right arm and turned the Key of the Demonic Sea into an ax. He grabbed the ax and pulled his arm back.

    [You who wish to tread into the Temple of Frost.]

    [You must first prove you are worthy.]

    The ice statue wielding a spear and the one wielding a sword spoke simultaneously. Their deep voices echoed within the party members¡¯ heads.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    The earth shook as the two ice giants moved. Kang-Woo apathetically swung around his ax despite being in front of two overwhelmingly powerful-looking giants.

    The ice giant with the spear stomped his foot and said, [We will first test your intelligence.]

    ¡°Intelligence?¡± Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder.

    [One of us will tell the truth.]

    [And one of us will lie.]

    ¡°Oh! I know what this is!!¡±[1] Yeon-Joo pped her hands together. ¡°This is¡­ uh¡­ you¡¯re supposed to ask¡ª¡±

    <em>Whaaaaaaaam!!!</em>

    As she was mumbling with her finger on her forehead, the head of the ice giant with the sword shattered.

    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Yeon-Joo cursed in shock and stared at the destroyed ice giant.

    Kang-Woo had thrown his ax at the ice giant¡¯s head. He turned to the ice giant with the spear and pointed at the shattered ice giant.

    He asked, ¡°Is he dead?¡±

    [No.]

    ¡°Then you¡¯re the liar.¡± Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

    Yeon-Joo stared at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly. ¡°What the¡­¡±

    <em>¡®Wait, that¡¯s illegal.¡¯</em>

    1. This is a famous puzzle known as <em>the liar and the truth-teller</em>. There are two doors; one leads to freedom, and the other leads to death. There are also two people; one of them always lies, and the other always tells the truth. You don¡¯t know which is which. You can only ask one question to either the liar or the truth-teller to earn your freedom. ?

 Chapter 487: Frozen Temple (3)

    Chapter 487: Frozen Temple (3)

    <em>Boom!</em>

    The ice giant with the spear stomped his foot.

    [You have passed the trial of intelligence. Now, your strength will be put to the test.]

    ¡°That actually worked?¡±

    Cha Yeon-Joo chuckled because of the absurdity. The ice giant aimed his giant spear at Oh Kang-Woo.

    ¡°<em>Sigh</em>, forget it.¡±

    Yeon-Joo was about to scold Kang-Woo but stopped herself. She had known that was the kind of person he was from the beginning.

    ¡°Well, more importantly.¡± She red at the ice giant despite knowing Kang-Woo would easily defeat him. ¡°I can¡¯t just stand around doing nothing when I came here to relieve some stress!¡±

    Yeon-Joo smiled and swung her left arm.¡°Red Lotus, Third Form.¡±

    <em>tter!</em>

    Dozens of lotuses made of red chains bloomed along the path of her arm swing and wrapped around the ice giant¡¯s spear.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Urgh, he¡¯s so damn strong.¡± Yeon-Joo frowned as she felt the immense pressure through her chains. She turned to Kim Si-Hun and Balrog to shout, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can hold him for long!¡±

    Si-Hun and Balrog nodded simultaneously and jumped on top of the twenty-meter ice giant¡¯s shoulders. They attacked the giant¡¯s head together as if they had already discussed it.

    <em>Wham¡ª!</em>

    [Y-You have¡­ passed the¡­]

    The ice giant¡¯s head shattered and its giant body fell.

    ¡°It seems the only thing he had was size,¡± said Balrog as he kicked a fragment of the ice giant¡¯s head.

    Kang-Woo smirked and shrugged. ¡°You should take into ount our party¡¯sbined strength. Just these two giants would be able to destroy Earth.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ I guess that is true.¡± Balrog nodded.

    Although only seven were in the party, more than half of them possessed Deific Essence. Even if they did not take Deific Essence into ount, Kang-Woo, the Demon King who ruled over the Nine Hells, was in the party.

    ¡°Master Kang-Woo,¡± Lilith called as she examined the ice giant¡¯s corpse with narrowed eyes.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Kang-Woo, who was about to head to the gate, turned to Lilith with his head tilted in wonder.

    Lilith ced her hand on the ice giant¡¯s corpse and remarked, ¡°I sense demonic energy from this ice golem¡¯s corpse.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned. He ced his hand on the golem¡¯s corpse and used the Authority of the Beholder. As Lilith had mentioned, he could feel demonic energy; although very faint, it was demonic energy nheless.

    ¡°Why do these things have demonic energy?¡±

    Based on what they had seen in the dungeon so far, it seemed to be in an outer world, just like the home of the Parasites, apart from the Triad.

    <em>¡®There is also a power I¡¯ve never felt before aside from the trace amounts of demonic energy.¡¯</em>

    He had felt the same thing when he first made contact with the energy of the Parasites known as <em>Vitality</em>.

    <em>¡®I thought such a thing was normal since they¡¯re from the outer world like the Parasites, but why do I also feel demonic energy from them?¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°Do you think otherworldly beings also possess demonic energy?¡± Lilith asked.

    ¡°No. If they did, it would be weird for them to have such trace amounts.¡±

    Even if one of the outer worlds was made of demonic energy like the Nine Hells, it did not make sense to feel such a tiny amount.

    <em>¡®Moreover¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone sharply. He finally realized the source of familiarity that he felt when he entered the dungeon.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo reached his hand toward the ice giant¡¯s corpse.

    <em>Crunch! Crunch!</em>

    ck mucus oozed out of him and devoured the ice giant. Information about the ice giant flowed into his brain.

    <em>¡®It wasn¡¯t a golem; it was a lifeform.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had thought the ice giant was a golem that moved with magical energy, but after devouring it with the Authority of Predation, he found out that it was a bona-fide lifeform.

    <em>¡®And¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo focused on the demonic energy that flowed into him through the Authority of Predation.

    ¡°...!¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you find?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo remained silent. He turned to Lilith and said quietly, ¡°Bael¡¯s demonic energy.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°The demonic energy in these guys is Bael¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Lilith¡¯s eyes widened, not having expected it at all. ¡°Wait a minute. That means¡­¡±

    ¡°Hah, that crazy brat. Looks like he¡¯s been busy, huh? No, I doubt Bael came up with this on his own, so it¡¯s probably Amon.¡±

    Kang-Wooughed in spite of himself and swept his hair back.

    ¡°What do you mean? Who¡¯s been busy?¡± asked Yeon-Joo as she frowned, not following what Kang-Woo was saying at all.

    ¡°Well, to put it simply.¡± Kang-Woo slowly turned to the giant pce made of white ice and continued, ¡°This temple was already taken over by Bael.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I knew he was expanding his forces, but to think he even recruited forces from the outer worlds.¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed his forehead as if his head hurt.

    <em>¡®No wonder he hasn¡¯t shown himself all this time.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was curious about what Bael had been doing ever since he got his hands on the Demon God¡¯s heart, but he could more or less understand now.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s been raising an army.¡¯</em>

    Bael also likely knew that numbers were meaningless against Kang-Woo, but he was raising an army nheless for one reason.

    <em>¡®Probably the same reason as me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had not helped Si-Hun power up, turned Yeon-Joo into his incarnation, and spread the Church of Splendor so that he could get their help in his battle against Bael. All of that plus raising Guardians and getting aid from Olympus and Aernor were to protect the entirety of Earth, which was far too big for Kang-Woo himself to protect.

    For a simr reason, Bael was raising an army and formting a n to decimate Earth; to destroy everything that Kang-Woo was desperately trying to protect.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s cute.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled and looked up at the giant temple of ice. He did not know how many other outer worlds were under Bael¡¯smand, but Kang-Woo had only one thing he could do.

    ¡°Now, then.¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly walked toward the massive fortress wall encircling the temple and stood in front of the gate.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see the bastards who decided to lick Bael¡¯s ass.¡±

    He raised his right leg and kicked the gate.

    <em>Smash¡ª!!!</em>

    The giant gate made of ice crumbled into pieces.

    ***

    A white-haired man sitting on a frozen throne inside the temple of white ice slowly opened his eyes. He was made of translucent ice, not flesh and bones. He stared at the entrance of the temple, his eyes shining blue.

    ¡°We have intruders,¡± he mumbled.

    His voice was as clear as his body made of ice.

    ¡°W-We will send out the guards right away!¡± shouted a vassal standing at attention in front of the throne as they bowed on their knees.

    They were also made of translucent ice, just like the white-haired man.

    ¡°Wait,¡± the manmanded.

    Just then, someone shouted, ¡°Hmph! What kind of fearless punk dared to trespass on Father¡¯s temple?¡±

    A woman with long, white hair and wearing a beautiful dress made of ice ran toward the throne.

    ¡°Arianne. How many times must I tell you that we Frostborn must always act with dignity?¡±

    The white-haired man scolded the woman who was running toward him as her dress fluttered.

    ¡°Hehehe. I¡¯m sorry, Father.¡±

    The woman known as Arianne jumped on the man¡¯sp as she giggled.

    ¡°Haaa. When will you grow up?¡± The man sighed and lightly conked Arianne¡¯s head. ¡°Do you think Lord Bael will ept you as his wife if you keep acting like this?¡±

    ¡°Ah! What are you saying, Father?! Lord Baelplimented me a while ago, saying that I looked like I would be refreshing if shaved!¡±

    ¡°Is that even apliment?¡± The man groaned as he watched Arianne acting proud. ¡°Intruders when the day of the <em>Apocalypse </em>is just around the corner¡­¡±

    Arianne raised her hand high and shouted, ¡°Hehe! Father! I¡¯ll go! I¡¯ll go kill them all!¡±

    The white-haired man narrowed his eyes and shook his head. ¡°They instantly killed the guardians of the ice wall. It¡¯s far too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Hihi, aren¡¯t you being way too cautious over those pieces of junk getting destroyed?¡± Arianne swung her legs made of translucent ice back and forth and giggled. She rested her head on the white-haired man¡¯s shoulder and continued, ¡°However strong they are, they are but mere insectspared to you, the master of the First Heaven.¡±

    Eilles, the master of the First Heaven, was the king of the Frostmen and the guardian deity of this frozen world. He possessed the title <em>Freezer of Worlds</em>, as well as the captain of Bael¡¯s elite force known as the Four Heavenly Kings.

    ¡°I told you that you must never let your guard down,¡± Eilles reprimanded fiercely.

    ¡°Hehe, I know, Father!¡±

    Arianne paid no concern to Eilles¡¯s scolding and kissed him on the cheek before standing up. She twirled elegantly as if dancing, the hems of her dress fluttering.

    ¡°Haaa. Oh, you¡­¡±

    Eilles sighed and shook his head, regretting raising his beloved daughter too spoiled.

    <em>¡®She needs to wed Lord Bael one day.¡¯</em>

    He recalled the master to whom he swore his loyalty.

    <em>- Hihi, what¡¯s this? Blocks of ice are moving?</em>

    Hidden within hisughter as clear as ice was an unfathomable darkness. Eilles recalled the terror and ecstasy that he had felt when facing that darkness.

    <em>¡®He is the true master of the Triad.¡¯</em>

    Eilles¡¯s heart beat rapidly. On the day of the Apocalypse, humanity would meet its end and the new masters of the Triad would be born. One of its masters would be the Frostborn.

    <em>¡®And the insects who have trespassed on the temple must be eradicated to prepare for that day.¡¯</em>

    Eilles¡¯s eyes shone coldly. He looked down at his vassal bowing on their knees andmanded, ¡°Send the guards imm¡ª¡±

    ¡°Me! I¡¯ll go, Father!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Eilles stared at Arianne, her eyes shining brightly, in silence. He knew that his daughter couldn¡¯t be stopped once she set her mind on something.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± he sighed and then nodded.

    ¡°Yahoo!¡± Arianne pped her hands together. ¡°Oh right, may I borrow your sword, Father?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    <em>¡®Well, she would be safer that way.¡¯</em>

    Eilles tapped on his throne and stood up.

    <em>Crack¡ª!</em>

    His ice throne slowly changed into the shape of a sword enveloped in white frost. It was infused with the power of the Frost Queen, the ruler of the Frostborn long ago.

    ¡°Be careful with it.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Arianne epted the sword with a smile.

    The bowing vassal cautiously remarked, ¡°Um¡­ I do not believe it is wise for Her Highness to join the b¡ª¡±

    <em>sh!</em>

    Arianne swung the Frost Sword, beheading the bowing vassal. White blood sttered all over the ce.

    ¡°How dare you run your filthy mouth without permission?¡± Arianne said in a brutal tone that she had not used when speaking with Eilles. She then began to hum and trotted. ¡°Hihi, How long has it been since I¡¯ve let loose~?¡±

    She twirled as if she were having the time of her life.

    ¡°Haaa.¡± Eilles sighed deeply as he stared at his daughter dancing with a crazed smile. ¡°I just told you to be careful with it.¡± He frowned in displeasure and remarked, ¡°Do not taint it with the blood of filth.¡±

    Eilles snapped his fingers and the vassal turned into ice fragments and disappeared.

    ¡°Hehe. Yes, Father!¡±

    Arianne smiled brightly as she hugged the Frost Sword.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Wow, there it is¡­ showing how evil they are so we don¡¯t feel bad about their deaths LMAO</blockquote>

 Chapter 488: We Have An Army

    Chapter 488: We Have An Army

    ¡°This ce is so damnrge.¡±

    Cha Yeon-Joo shook her hand to fan herself, her breathing slightlybored. Around her were piles of the corpses of knights made of translucent ice. White fluid was flowing out of the areas prated by the red chains.

    ¡°Is this really blood?¡±

    Yeon-Joo poked the white fluid oozing out of the Frostborn knights¡¯ corpses with her finger.

    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s cold!¡± She flinched and quickly drew her hand back. ¡°Hey, Oh Kang-Woo! Are these things really alive?¡±

    Their bodies, made of ice, and their blood as cold as liquid nitrogen did not give off the feeling of life.

    ¡°Die, intruders!!¡±

    A Frostborn soldier guarding the entrance of the Frozen Temple charged at Kang-Woo with arge halberd in hand. Kang-Woo slightly leaned back to dodge the halberd and grabbed the shaft.

    <em>Crush!</em>¡°Well, they only look like ice blocks, but they¡¯re alive.¡±

    Kang-Woo recalled the information regarding the Frostborn that had entered his mind through the Authority of Predation. Although they couldn¡¯t be ssified as lifeforms based on human standards, they were alive nheless. They were even capable of reproducing.

    <em>¡®They look like they¡¯d be delicious as shaved ice or something.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched the ice soldier¡¯s neck tightly and looked into the soldier¡¯s translucent ice head.

    <em>¡®Some sweet red beans on top and lots of condensed milk¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wiped his drool with the back of his hand.

    ¡°E-Eek!¡±

    ¡°Oh? You can even feel emotions?¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at the ice soldier, trembling in fear, and smirked. He had barely felt any emotions from the ice giants guarding the gate, but the ice soldiers they had met on the way to the temple were no different from humans aside from their appearance.

    <em>Crush!</em>

    Kang-Woo gripped harder to shatter the ice soldier¡¯s head and slowly headed toward the temple.

    ¡°Hm, hm, hm, hm~¡±

    Just then, someone hummed excitedly. Kang-Woo turned to the direction where the sound wasing from.

    ¡°Ah, found you!¡± shouted a woman after she pped her hands together.

    Although she was made of translucent ice, one could easily tell she was a woman based on her curvature entuated by her tight dress.

    ¡°Hehehe. Are you guys the intruders?¡±

    The woman in the dress giggled with her eyes shining.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Arianne! The princess of the Frostborn!¡± shouted the woman known as Arianne as she raised one arm above her head.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes in silence. He could tell that she was on another levelpared to the ice giants and soldiers they had faced until now.

    ¡°Hehe! I¡¯vee to kill you all!¡±

    Unlike her cheerful tone, her voice was filled with bloodlust.

    <em>Thump!</em>

    Frostborn knights appeared from behind her and surrounded Kang-Woo¡¯s party in perfect formation. Their vigor was as sharp as a knife.

    ¡°Yeah, I knew it wouldn¡¯t be that easy.¡± Kang-Woo chuckled.

    They had been far too weak for Bael to have epted them into his army.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t there too many of them, Kang-Woo?¡± Yeon-Joo asked anxiously.

    There were easily over a thousand of the Frostborn knights that had appeared out of nowhere and surrounded them. The seven of Kang-Woo¡¯s party members were severely outnumbered, but¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly for situations like this that I made you my incarnation,¡± Kang-Woo said as he lightly patted Yeon-Joo¡¯s shoulder.

    Her abilities were highly specialized for one-versus-many battles.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Yeon-Joo snorted, her expression mixed with joy and a sense of burden.

    <em>tter.</em>

    She took out her red chains and looked around fiercely.

    ¡°Hehe, you seem to be the leader of the intruders,¡± said Arianne as she stared at Kang-Woo with shining eyes. She unsheathed a white sword from her waist and shouted as she lifted it, ¡°Let¡¯s fight!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Kang-Woo answered apathetically as if uninterested.

    ¡°Hm? What? Why? Didn¡¯t youe here to fight?¡± asked Arianne wide-eyed, not having expected that answer.

    Kang-Woo picked his ear and answered, ¡°Because I might get a one-way trip to the boat ending if I raise any more gs[ref[This is a <em>School Days</em> reference¡­ I won¡¯t exin it for the sake of the innocent souls who have not watched that garbage show.[/ref].¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    ¡°For real, though, an ice block is crossing the line.¡±

    Ice was not disgusting like tentacles were, but that did not make it okay either.

    <em>¡®I know I¡¯m getting a little ahead of myself, but¡­¡¯</em>

    Every single crazy woman he had met became romantically interested in him.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t handle any more of them.¡¯</em>

    There was already one Chinese heroine who had be irrelevant to the story one day. Kang-Woo turned to Han Seol-Ah and grabbed her hands.

    ¡°Darling¡­ you trust me, right? You¡¯re the only one for me.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? Oh, yes.¡±

    ¡°So don¡¯t think about cutting it off, okay?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°I see, okay. That¡¯s great.¡± Kang-Woo nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Si-Hun.¡±

    ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave her to you,¡± he said as he gestured at Arianne with his chin.

    His desire to escape the boat ending was part of it, but Kang-Woo had another reason why he had let Si-Hun be her opponent.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s pointless for me to fight her at this point.¡¯</em>

    There was no better fertilizer for growth than battling against the powerful; it could not be substituted with training. Hence, if Kang-Woo were to fight him, he would be throwing aside the chance for his party members to grow stronger.

    <em>¡®Especially Si-Hun.¡¯</em>

    Considering his immense talent, such opportunities were hard toe by and therefore very important.

    <em>¡®And¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and stared at Arianne, who was looking this way dumbfoundedly.

    <em>¡®She introduced herself as the princess of the Frostborn.¡¯</em>

    In that case, there should also be a king of the Frostborn.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s best to hide my powers until he appears.¡¯</em>

    It would be a pain in the ass if he were to run away.

    ¡°What?? You dare send an underling to face the great Arianne?¡± asked Arianne in disbelief. She stomped her feet and shouted, You¡¯re so, sooooooooooooo funny! How dare you pieces of filth disrespect me?!¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank God. I¡¯m in the clear,¡± Kang-Woo expressed.

    She was excluded from the heroine candidates the moment she spouted that line.

    <em>¡®Watch me bob and weave to dodge these boat ending gs.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Arrrggghhh!¡± Arianne yelled temperamentally and stomped her foot.

    The hems of her ice dress fluttered and the Frost Sword, emitting chilling frost, aimed for Kang-Woo¡¯s throat.

    <em>ng¡ª!!</em>

    Si-Hun blocked Arianne¡¯s powerful swing and stood in front of Kang-Woo as if protecting him. Si-Hun¡¯s hair slightly fluttered from the shockwave formed from the shing of swords. He grimaced slightly due to the impact being more powerful than he expected.

    <em>¡®Dear lord, you¡¯re so fucking cool. For real, though. Aren¡¯t you just way too handsome? Look at that sharp-ass jawline. It¡¯s sharp enough to cut through my Deific Essence barrier. What are you doing, Si-Hun? You¡¯re making my heart flutter.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Your opponent¡­ is me.¡±

    <em>¡®Kyaaaaaaahhh! Si-Hun oppa!!¡¯</em>

    ¡°Argh! Move! I have no interest in filth!¡±

    Arianne swung the Frost Sword in irritation as if she wanted to fight Kang-Woo no matter what. Her swings looked random at a nce but every single swing perfectly targeted Si-Hun¡¯s vitals as if she were a master martial artist.

    <em>ng! ng! ng¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± Si-Hun grimaced.

    Her swordsmanship was highly refined despite her looking like she was running wild like a mad beast in a frilly dress.

    ¡°Oh¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo watched the battle between Si-Hun and Arianne with shining eyes.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s no joke.¡¯</em>

    She waspletely overwhelming Si-Hun purely in terms of swordsmanship. In all of Si-HJun¡¯s battles, the only opponent whom Si-Hun had been inferior in terms of swordsmanship was Tai Wuji.

    <em>¡®But she¡¯s not being pushed back against Si-Hun at all.¡¯</em>

    Rather, Arianne¡¯s swordsmanship was overpowering Si-Hun.

    <em>ng¡ª!</em>

    Arianne and Si-Hun were pushed away from each other after a powerful sword sh.

    ¡°This is¡­¡± Si-Hun¡¯s eyes filled with shock.

    He seemed to have not expected his battle against an ice block wearing a dress to be such a challenging one. Si-Hun was not the only shocked one.

    ¡°What the hell are you?¡± Arianne also stared at Si-Hun, her blue eyes shaking in shock. ¡°What¡¯s happening? This can¡¯t be.¡±

    Arianne tilted her head in confusion and looked down at her sword. She couldn¡¯tprehend the fact that a human was able tobat her swordsmanship.

    Si-Hun bit his lip and fixed his grip on his formless sword.

    ¡°Hehe. I thought you were just human filth, but I guess not!¡±

    Arianne cheered as she jumped up and down in ce.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    She ripped the hem of her frilly dress and exposed her smooth legs made of translucent ice.

    ¡°Hihi. Let¡¯s continue!¡±

    The Frost Sword shone brightly white. Arianne¡¯s swordsmanship sped up and barraged Si-Hun like a raging storm.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    Si-Hun calmly blocked her swordsmanship as he slowed his breathing. As their battle was taking ce, the Frostborn soldiers surrounding Kang-Woo¡¯s party shrank the encirclement.

    ¡°Suppress the intruders!¡±

    ¡°Stay in formation and march forward!¡±

    The general who seemed to be the leader of the guards raised an ice sword and pointed it at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°You are surrounded and have nowhere to go! Surrender peacefully!¡±

    The Frostborn general red at Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo shrugged and asked, ¡°Why should we?¡±

    ¡°What else do you think the mere seven of you can do?¡±

    The general chuckled and stared at Kang-Woo¡¯s party. Although the warrior battling Arianne, who was known as the <em>Sword Princess</em> of the Frostborn, was no doubt powerful, the soldiers as well as the rest who were standing by in the rear were the elite soldiers of the Frostborn, numbering ten thousand. It was seven versus ten thousand; trying to figure out who would win was just simple math.

    ¡°We have an army,¡± the Frostborn general remarked threateningly.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Kang-Woo cackled as his shoulders moved up and down. ¡°We have a Balrog.¡±

    <em>Wham¡ª!</em>

    A muscly demon wearing ck full-body armor swung his fist, obliterating dozens of Frostborn soldiers in formation.

    ¡°Graaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    A ferocious Demon Roar shook the entire Frozen Temple.

 Chapter 489: Master of the First Heaven (1)

    Chapter 489: Master of the First Heaven (1)

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    ¡°Arghhh!¡±

    The Frostborn knights in the range of Balrog¡¯s explosive Demon Roar crouched with their ears covered. Some were even passing out as they vomited white snow. The roar of one demon destroyed the morale of ten thousand soldiers.

    ¡°Kurgh,¡± the Frostborn general bit his lip.

    The soldiers¡¯ formation broke down from one roar and they were in chaos. The knights standing by in the rear were fine because they were far away, but the ones who had been shrinking the encirclement were in terrible condition.

    ¡°Pull yourselves together!¡± the general yelled hurriedly to restore the soldiers¡¯ morale. ¡°There are merely seven of them!¡±

    Emphasizing one¡¯s advantage over their enemy was the most effective morale booster; it guaranteed victory against the enemy. The panicking knights gradually began to calm down.

    ¡°Keep pressuring them without giving them any time to rest! Fatigued knights, retreat to the rear! We will tear them down little by little!¡±

    They outnumbered the intruders by an overwhelming margin, but the Frostborn general did not outrightmand the knights to charge at them. He knew very well that each intruder was very powerful. Since they already had the intruders surrounded, gnawing at their stamina little by little would be the most effective strategy. The knights fixed their formation and slowly shrank the encirclement.¡°Kehehehe,¡± Balrogughed quietly as he stared at the knights. ¡°They sure have thought it through.¡±

    It was indeed a perfect strategy for the overwhelming numbers of the Frostborn, but it was pointless against Balrog¡¯s destructive capabilities.

    ¡°GRAAAAAAAAAHHH!!¡±

    Balrog stomped his foot and let out another Demon Roar. He tore apart the encirclement and charged into the enemy¡¯s formation without hesitation.

    ¡°Wh-What the¡ª!¡±

    The Frostborn general was left with his mouth agape. Who in their right mind would break the encirclement meant to trap them and jump into the enemy¡¯s formation? It was as if the intruder was asking to be killed.

    ¡°Kill him!¡± the general shouted.

    The encirclement around Kang-Woo¡¯s party immediately focused on Balrog.

    ¡°Kahahahaha!¡± Balrogughed in joy as he ran wild, destroying Frostborn with each swing of his fists.

    <em>Crack! Crack!</em>

    Almost a hundred knights shattered into little pieces in just a moment.

    ¡°Hup!¡±

    Balrog took a deep breath and grabbed the torso of one of the knights charging at him with one hand.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    The knight¡¯s body was crushed by Balrog¡¯s muscr hands, white blood pouring out of him. Balrog turned to look at someone with the Frostborn knight¡¯s corpse in hand. His ferocious eyes were visible from within the ck helmet surrounding his entire head.

    ¡°E-Eek!¡±

    The Frostborn general¡¯s face turned pale after locking eyes with Balrog. Balrog smiled and pulled his right arm backward. He raised his left foot and twisted his body.

    <em>Tsssssssss¡ª!!</em>

    White steam poured out from the gaps in his armor. Balrog threw the corpse in his hand as hard as he could as if he were a baseball pitcher.

    ¡°S-Stop h¡ª¡±

    The Frostborn knight¡¯s corpse smashed into the general like a cannonball.

    <em>m¡ª!</em>

    The general raised his shield in shock, but the speed at which the corpse smashed into the general blew him away.

    ¡°Gaaaaahhh!¡± He tumbled on the ground, shouting in extreme pain. ¡°A-Arghh.¡±

    The general trembled. His arm was blown off by the massive impact along with his shield, white blood pouring out of the site of injury. Intense pain took over him, his breathing became erratic, and his sight was getting blurry.

    ¡°You¡¯re a persistent one.¡±

    The general could faintly see a grim reaper wearing ck armor.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    <em>Crack.</em>

    Balrog grabbed the general¡¯s head before he could even say anything and ripped off his head.

    He then shouted, ¡°I¡¯ve killed the enemy general!¡±

    The general¡¯s head rolled on the ground.

    ¡°G-General!!¡±

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    The general¡¯s death caused the soldiers to spiral into greater panicpared to when they were hit by the Demon Roar. Their formation broke down almost instantly.

    ¡°P-Pull yourselves together! Keep pressuring them!¡± shouted a knight who seemed to be the second-inmand, trying to calm the knights down.

    ¡°Red Lotus, Fourth Form.¡±

    <em>tter!!</em>

    Red lotuses made of chains spread past the encirclement and throughout the battlefield.

    ¡°Explosive Chains.¡±

    <em>Boom¡ª!!!</em>

    The red lotuses exploded one after another. Ice fragments and white blood sttered all over the ce.

    ¡°Hmmm!¡± A ck-haired girl opened her mouth wide and snorted energetically. ¡°FUS RO DAH!!¡±

    Echidna¡¯s dragon tongue created a powerful storm, which mixed with the explosions that Cha Yeon-Joo caused and turned into a massive fire tornado that engulfed the Frostborn knights.

    ¡°Sanctuary Expansion.¡±

    The twelve wings on Han Seol-Ah¡¯s back emitted light so bright it could burn. She cast an overpowered wide-area buff that provided immunity to all debuffs, drastically raised all stats, and even replenished their stamina over time.

    ¡°Whoa, what the hell? This is awesome!¡±

    Yeon-Joo looked back at Seol-Ah wide-eyed. She had received many of Seol-Ah¡¯s buffs until now, but it was her first time seeing such extraordinary effects. She was brimming with power like back when she was given Deific Essence for the first time by Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Yeon-Joo opened her arms widely with a smile and chanted the magic spell that filled her to the brim with energy. ¡°Motherfucking Oh Kang-Woo!!¡±

    Red chains swept the surroundings like a storm, wiping out the nearby Frostborn knights as if they were autumn leaves.

    ¡°Son of a bitch! Coward! You call yourself a man?! Huh? After toying with a woman¡¯s heart?!¡±

    Yeon-Joo released her stress as she barraged the Frostborn knights with attacks. Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly stared at Yeon-Joo in battle.

    ¡°The fuck?¡±

    <em>¡®What did I do so wrong? That¡¯s so uncalled for. I think you need another oppa~ lesson.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Looks like¡­ there¡¯s nothing for me to worry about here.¡±

    Kang-Woo turned his attention away from the encirclement that was falling apart due to Balrog and Yeon-Joo¡¯s rampage.

    <em>ng¡ª! ng!</em>

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    ¡°Kyahahaha! Die! Die!!¡±

    Kang-Woo focused on the heated battle between Kim Si-Hun and Arianne. Arianne was swinging her white sword furiously,ughing hysterically as if she were fully immersed in the battle against Si-Hun. However, it did not mean that she had lost her sense of reason; although she was swinging her sword as if she were a wild beast, each swing carried a sense of refinement.

    <em>ng¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± Si-Hun grunted after deflecting a swing aimed at his neck. ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    He was panting even harder and covered in cold sweats. He felt a vivid sense of fear that he couldn¡¯t feel during a duel purely for training. The anxiety of knowing that death would arrive with even the tiniest mistake felt like it was burning him alive.

    ¡°H-Haha,¡± Si-Hunughed despite being on the boundary between life and death.

    He was not hysterical like Arianne, but sparks of ecstasy were crackling throughout his body.

    <em>¡®How long has it been?¡¯</em>

    <em>Si-Hun couldn¡¯t remember thest time he fought against an opponent on the same level as him in terms of swordsmanship.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Fuuu, haaa,¡± he took a deep breath in and out.

    He let the sparks of ecstasy take control of him; he grasped the Mind¡¯s Sword, the sword that transcended physical limits.

    ¡°Hihi! What the hell?! You¡¯re amazing!¡±

    Si-Hun ignored Arianne¡¯s shouts. His focus was only on the edge of the sword covered in white frost. Its every movement was engraved into his mind.

    <em>¡®Will I be able to surpass her?¡¯</em>

    He could feel an enormous amount of weight on his shoulders. He was confident that he would be able to surpass her, purely in terms of swordsmanship.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡±

    Si-Hun looked down at his hand with deeply sunken eyes. He had only just realized that his trembling hands were covered in white frost. His entire arm felt numb from the cold each time he shed swords with Arianne.

    <em>¡®It must be that sword¡¯s power.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun stared at the sword of white frost in Arianne¡¯s hands. The cold energy infused in the sword was easily prating the Deific Essence of <em>Heavenly Sword</em> and freezing him. The longer the fight went on, Si-Hun¡¯s senses would dull and he would continuously take damage.

    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s finish this up. Man~ what a shame. I wouldn¡¯t have used Father¡¯s sword if I knew it was gonna be this fun! It doesn¡¯t make things fair,¡± Arianneined with a pout. ¡°Hihi, but I¡¯ll bear with it since the faster I kill you, the faster I get to kill your leader! Hehe, I¡¯m gonna kill you all super quickly and be praised by Father~!¡±

    Si-Hun closed his eyes and tuned Arianne out.

    <em>¡®Think only about the sword.¡¯</em>

    He stared at the tip of the white sword that gave him chills just looking at it. He continued to analyze everything about the sword.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t see it.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun couldn¡¯t see a way to surpass that sword. Only the white sword was vivid within his darkening consciousness.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± he sighed heatedly as sparks crackled all over him.

    His head felt hot as if he had taken a stimnt.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t need to surpass it.¡¯</em>

    Analyzing the sword¡¯s movements was not the right answer. Si-Hun gripped his sword tighter but he could no longer feel the sword in his hands; it was as if he and the sword had be one.

    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em>

    He did not be one with the sword; he had be a sword.

    ¡°Right then, let¡¯s end this,¡± Arianne said leisurely.

    She charged toward Si-Hun, her sword exuding freezing energy. Si-Hun froze, wondering whether or not he should enter the Sanctuary that Seol-Ah made. However, he shook his head. It would be pointless if he were to receive Seol-Ah¡¯s help.

    <em>¡®I¡­¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun¡¯s eyes shone sharply. It felt as if his mind was burning within his heated head.

    ¡°Heavenly Dragon¡­¡±

    He lowered his stance and gripped the formless sword. He felt like he could now reach the unreachable peak of Tai Wuji¡¯s swordsmanship.

    ¡°sh.¡±

    ¡°...!¡±

    Arianne¡¯s expression filled with shock. She could see space itself being severed as if the world was being split.

    ¡°Wh-What the¡ª!¡±

    Her expression was dyed in shock for the first time. Her instincts were warning her, saying that the attack was dangerous.

    ¡°Kyaah!¡±

    Arianne halted her charge and shut her eyes tightly. Just as the sh resembling a ray of light was about to reach her neck¡ª

    <em>aaaaaaaaang!!!</em>

    Someone appeared from behind Arianne and grabbed her hand to move the sword.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± Si-Hun was blown backward, coughing blood.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Arianne turned back to look at the person who grabbed her hand. Tears filled her eyes. ¡°Father!¡±

    ¡°You must have been scared, Arianne.¡±

    The white-haired man who appeared from behind the trembling Arianne carefully embraced her. Arianne bawled her eyes out with her head buried in the man¡¯s embrace.

    ¡°<em>Waaaaaah!</em> F-Father!!¡±

    ¡°There, there.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry, Father. <em>Sniff</em>. I¡­ <em>sniff</em>, l-lost to these¡­ <em>sniff</em>, f-filthy intruders.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The white-haired man patted Arianne¡¯s head and took the Frost Sword from her hand. He coldly turned to look at Si-Hun and pointed the sword at him. Hemanded, ¡°Freeze.¡±

    <em>Crack!!</em>

    An enormous frost storm shot toward Si-Hun.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Si-Hun crouched in shock. It was not an attack he could dodge or block. Just as the frost storm of death was about to engulf him¡ª

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    ¡°Dayum, just look at that impable entrance timing. It¡¯s a work of art, really. And your lines¡­ Sheesh, I could fall for you.¡±

    The frost storm was devoured by a ck sun.

    ¡°Be honest with me. You were aiming for it, right? Right? I bet you¡¯ve been watching for the past five minutes thinking <em>¡®Dayum¡­ I bet it¡¯d be sick as fuck if I appeared around here,¡¯</em> right? Am I right?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Bwehehehehe! You don¡¯t have to look at me so coldly, man! Wow, I guess it means you were, huh? Come on, you thought your entrance just now was pretty fucking cool too, didn¡¯t you? Hm? You¡¯re getting teary-eyed just reying it in your head, right?¡±

    A vulgarughter echoed throughout the battlefield and destroyed the heavy and serious mood within five seconds.

    ¡°Sheesh, it sure sucks for you when you worked so hard to look badass. Your entrance scene would¡¯ve been gushing with badassery in any other novel, but we¡¯re pretty harsh critiques of badassery up here, you see.¡±

    A young man with sharp eyes walked out of the ck sun as he cackled.

 Chapter 490: Master of the First Heaven (2)

    Chapter 490: Master of the First Heaven (2)

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Eilles narrowed his eyes, his expressionpletely frozen as he red at Oh Kang-Woo, but not because the human was the most disrespectful and vulgar man he had seen.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    He was staring at something else entirely; at the mes that had devoured the storm made by the Frost Sword.

    <em>¡®How can a human use the Frost Queen¡¯s Soul Speech¡­?¡¯</em>

    Soul Speech allowed one to speak words imbued with power, invoking miracles that defied thews of physics. The Frost Sword was infused with the powers of the Frost Queen, which could be activated through Soul Speech. The frost storm activated with the power of Soul Speech was powerful enough to overpower even a being with Top-rank Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®At least, it should be able to.¡¯</em>

    Eilles stared at the mes that had devoured the storm created by the Frost Sword. Its ck and gold colors reminded him of a ck sun. A chill ran down Eilles¡¯s back.

    He said to Arianne, ¡°Get to somece safe.¡±¡°Father¡­?¡±

    ¡°Now,¡± said Eilles firmly as if he would take no objections.

    Arianne teared up momentarily and then turned away after ring at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Hmph! Father! Please kill those filthy peasants!¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Eilles clenched his fists and gave Arianne a sweet smile.

    ¡°Sheesh.¡± Kang-Woo chuckled as he watched them. ¡°Are we in a drama or something? I would think we¡¯re the bad guys if I didn¡¯t know any better. Huh? Wait. Are we the baddies since we¡¯re technically the intruders¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder with his arms crossed. Undeniably, a subordinate of Bael was an enemy of humanity and a threat to Earth, but Kang-Woo was the viin in this specific situation.

    Eilles frowned as he watched Kang-Woo tilting his head. ¡°You talk too much, human.¡±

    ¡°I get told that a lot.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if you can keep talking after I cut off that bbering head of yours?¡±

    ¡°Hm? I sure can, even if my head gets chopped off. Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t?¡±

    Eilles red at Kang-Woo in displeasure. Kang-Woo cackled as his shoulders moved up and down.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough pointless banter,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    His frivolous attitude took a 180; he stared at Eilles as coldly as Eilles was ring at him.

    Kang-Woo then asked, ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Bael?¡±

    Eilles¡¯s eyebrows made of thin ice flinched. ¡°Do not speak his name so disrespectfully.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Based on that sentence, you seem to be his subordinate¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>¡®If such a powerful being is Bael¡¯s subordinate, would that make him one of the Four Heavenly Kings?¡¯</em>

    It was highly likely.

    ¡°I am Eilles, Lord Bael¡¯s loyal retainer as well as the master of the First Heaven.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I had a hunch,¡± replied Kang-Woo as he nodded.

    <em>¡®The guy at the World Tree called himself the master of the Fourth Heaven, right?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the outer god named Moab.

    <em>¡®He said he was the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings.¡¯</em>

    After some simple thought, one could easily deduce that the master of the First Heaven among the four would make him the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings.

    <em>¡®What a fucking score.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled. He was only here to investigate an abnormal Gate phenomenon but ended up catching a massive fish without even intending it.

    <em>¡®I was just about feeling pissed because my private information was getting taken without my consent.¡¯</em>

    Although it was temporarily blocked at the moment, Bael had been gathering all sorts of information about Kang-Woo using his System privileges until recently. Not only did Kang-Woo not know where Bael was, but he had no idea about the scale of Bael¡¯s army and when he was nning to strike.

    <em>¡®If this guy is the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings¡­¡¯</em>

    He would surely have precious information that would even the ying field.

    ¡°Nice.¡± Kang-Woo smiled widely and licked his lips.

    ¡°What¡¯s nice?¡±

    ¡°It looks like I¡¯m gonna be able to get some information about Bael from you.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± Eillesughed in spite of himself and red at Kang-Woo fiercely. ¡°Do you think I will give you that information?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo nodded without hesitation. He smiled and slightly bent forward. ¡°I think you will.¡±

    Eilles shook his head, thinking he would not get through to the human. He gripped the Frost Sword tightly and slowly walked toward Kang-Woo. ¡°I am not obligated to do that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just make you feel obligated to.¡±

    Kang-Woo snickered and stood in front of Eilles. He never thought that Eilles would give up that information so easily.

    <em>¡®The leader of the Four Heavenly Kings, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Eilles with great interest. He licked his lips and pulled out Ingrium strapped to his waist.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    The mes of Voracity wrapped around Ingrium. He lowered his stance and leaped forward.

    <em>Bang!</em>

    The entire temple shook.

    <em>¡®Let¡¯s start off with a light greeting.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo swung down his sword.

    <em>Boom¡ª!</em>

    The frost storm and the mes of Voracity shed. The storm of ice and fire filled the temple with an enormous amount of steam.

    ¡°Freeze,¡± Eilles said in Soul Speech.

    Freezing energy poured out of the Frost Sword and engulfed Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo smiled and asked, ¡°That¡¯s Soul Speech, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    He added more strength into his grip on Ingrium and stepped forward. He slightly twisted his body andmanded in Soul Speech, ¡°Burn.¡±

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    The mes of Voracity instantly grew bigger as it devoured the frost storm.

    ¡°What the¡ª!¡± Eilles expressed shock.

    He thought, <em>¡®I had my suspicions when he blocked my Soul Speech attack, but I can¡¯t believe he can actually use it!¡¯</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Eilles distanced himself from the mes of Voracity, spreading as it devoured the frost storm. A massive crater was formed where he had been standing; the floor of the Frozen Temple had evaporated.

    <em>¡®What in the world is that human¡­?¡¯</em>

    He looked at Kang-Woo in disbelief. It was as if he were having a horrible nightmare. Eilles bit his lip and swung the Frost sword toward the ground.

    <em>Crack¡ª!</em>

    A giant ice wall surged from the ground along the Frost Sword¡¯s swing. The wall made contact with the mes of Voracity and evaporated soon after.

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± Eilles inhaled deeply, using the small amount of time bought.

    He organized his thoughts and focused on the enemy before him. He had no idea where such a human appeared from.

    <em>¡®But he will surely be a hindrance to Lord Bael¡¯s grand n.¡¯</em>

    Of that, Eilles was sure.

    ¡°O frost spirit,¡± Eilles muttered. ¡°Imand you in the name of the king.¡±

    Although the intruder was far more powerful than he had expected, they were in the Frozen Temple, the home of the Frostborn as well as where the power of frost was the strongest.

    ¡°Extinguish the mes.¡±

    Thousands of frost spirits that looked like cotton balls appeared around Eilles. They filled the surroundings in an instant and swelled simultaneously.

    <em>Crack¡ª!!</em>

    Space itself froze. Air so freezing that it could freeze one¡¯s lungs just by breathing engulfed Kang-Woo. He jumped backward and stretched out his left hand enveloped in the mes of Voracity. The mes were snuffed out by the freezing air. Despite being within the influence of Seol-Ah¡¯s sanctuary, Eilles¡¯s magic easily prated Seol-Ah¡¯s protective sanctuary and turned Kang-Woo¡¯s left hand into ice.

    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±

    Eilles turned away from Kang-Woo, whose left hand was frozen, as if the battle had been decided. There was nothing more to see once the frost spirits made contact with the enemy; they would spread throughout the enemy¡¯s body until they werepletely frozen.

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at his frozen arm with great interest.

    <em>Crack, crack!</em>

    The power of frost invaded his body and the ice spread across more of his body as if it were poison. It started from his left forearm and then spread to his shoulder, corbone, and then his chest. It did not take long for most of his body to be frozen.

    ¡°That hits the spot. Nice and cool.¡± Kang-Woo smirked.

    The freezing energy spread throughout his body and he stopped moving as if he had be an ice statue.

    ¡°You can no longer run that impertinent mouth of yours.¡±

    Eilles snorted and turned away from Kang-Woo. He had yet to dispose of all the intruders; there were still six more intruders whom he needed to turn into ice statues.

    ¡°Mm¡­ He¡¯spletely frozen.¡±

    ¡°A-A statue of Kang-Woo¡­ <em>gulp</em>.¡±

    Cha Yeon-Joo was staring at Kang-Woo in ice as if it were no big deal, and Han Seol-Ah was panting heatedly as she drooled.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Eilles¡¯s expression crumpled slightly.

    The reactions of the intruders were weird. Humans normally became enraged or scared out of their wits once they saw arade die before their very eyes.

    <em>¡®But why¡­¡¯</em>

    None of them were getting enraged or trembling in fear.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    Just then, the ice around Kang-Woo began to crack. mes like the ck sun spewed from the cracks in the ice.

    ¡°I told you.¡± Kang-Woo walked out of the shattered ice and smirked. ¡°I can keep talking even if my head gets chopped off.¡±

    Merely freezing him wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill him.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Eilles¡¯s eyes widened as he was encroached by fear. He finally realized the off-putting feeling he experienced when he first saw the intruder.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not human.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at the terrified Eilles. He wrapped himself with the mes of Voracity¡ª no, he became the mes of Voracity themselves. The mes enveloped in chaos burned radiantly.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The ck sun sprouted wings and the ice making up the Frozen Temple began to melt slowly.

    ¡°Now,¡± said Kang-Woo after melting the entire temple. ¡°Do you feel obligated to tell me now?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Eilles gripped the Frost Sword tightly. He could tell what the oue of the battle would be as he stared at the burning ck sun.

    <em>¡®Arianne¡­¡¯</em>

    He closed his eyes and recalled his daughter who ran away. He turned to face the burning ck sun with wings and slowly opened his eyes, staring at Kang-Woo after mustering up his resolve.

    ¡°Even if I were to melt to death, my loyalty to my liege Bael will never break.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Kang-Woo immediately replied and licked his lips with his long tongue. He then dered as if he had seen the future, ¡°It¡¯ll break.¡±

    The demon cackled as his shoulders moved up and down.

 Chapter 491: Conviction Succumbs to Hope (1)

    ¡°Kurgh, urgh.¡±

    Eilles copsed on his knees on the melted ground. The gold and ck mes had melted the frost swirling around various parts of his body.

    tter.

    The Frost Sword in his hand fell to the ground.

    ¡°Oh, but I guess I had fun,¡± said Kang-Woo brightly as he stretched.

    His battle against Eilles had been more entertaining than he had hoped.

    <em>¡®His swordsmanship fell behind that Arianne girl.¡¯</em>

    However, Eilles possessed the power of frost that far surpassed Arianne¡¯s swordsmanship. The surroundings, even the air itself, were frozen with each of his sword swings. Kang-Woo also found it nice that it would instantly turn into ice if he allowed Eilles¡¯s attack to touch him.

    <em>¡®It was pretty helpful.¡¯</em>Eilles had been the perfect opponent to test the mes of Voracitybined with Chaos. Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction and walked toward Eilles, who was on his knees.

    ¡°Kill¡­ me.¡±

    ¡°You have something to tell me before I kill you.¡±

    ¡°I believe I told you that I won¡¯t talk.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Kang-Woo lightly patted Eilles¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You will.¡±

    Eilles frowned aggressively and turned away from Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo turned away from Eilles and picked up the Frost Sword on the ground.

    ¡°Wow, this sure is a great sword.¡±

    The power infused in the sword covered in white frost was so strong that Kang-Woo felt like his hand was going numb. It was inferior to Ingrium purely in terms of rank, but its frost attribute allowed it to surpass the bounds of a sword.

    <em>¡®Regardless, I don¡¯t need it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo didn¡¯t need to go out of his way to use it since he had the Key of the Demonic Sea and Ingrium. No, even if he didn¡¯t have two extraordinary weapons, Kang-Woo had far surpassed the level of needing a weapon.

    <em>¡®In that case.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned around and called, ¡°Si-Hun.¡±

    ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡±

    Kim Si-Hun, who was neutralizing the rest of the Frostborn knights while Kang-Woo was battling Eilles, quickly ran toward Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Here. You can have this,¡± said Kang-Woo as he handed Si-Hun the Frost Sword.

    ¡°H-Hyung-nim?¡±

    ¡°What was it called again? Formless Sword? I know you can make swords with that, but a swordsman¡¯s gotta have a good sword.¡±

    It was the nature of a swordsman to desire a great sword, and no words of greatness could describe a sword like the Frost Sword.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s at least Mythic-grade if I had to grade it.¡¯</em>

    It could even be Transcendent-grade, considering how easily it prated Han Seol-Ah¡¯s sanctuary.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be far better than the holy sword you used to use.¡±

    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­¡± Si-Hun teared up. He took the Frost Sword and continued, ¡°Thank you, hyung-nim¡ª no, Kang-Woo hyung. I¡¯ll take good care of it.¡±

    Kang-Woo stared nkly at the brightly smiling Si-Hun. ¡°Uhh, mm. Yeah, you do that.¡±

    <em>¡®My god, this son of a bitch is bad for my heart.¡¯</em>

    It was only for a moment; it had not even been for a millisecond, but¡­

    <em>¡®I¡¯d¡­ no, no! Darling is the only one for me!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo furiously shook his head and coughed loudly. He turned to his party members; although each of them was extremely powerful, facing an army of ten thousand had likely been difficult for them. Their faces were dyed with fatigue. Lilith was the only one who looked fine since she had barely taken part in the battle.

    ¡°Everyone but Lilith, leave the dungeon first,¡± Kang-Woo said.

    ¡°Pardon? What about you, Kang-Woo?¡± asked Seol-Ah, anxiously grabbing Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes.

    Kang-Woo smirked and lightly hugged Seol-Ah¡¯s waist. He nced at the copsed Eilles and said, ¡°I have some stuff left to do here.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Seol-Ah nodded as if she understood. She grabbed Echidna¡¯s hand and replied, ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you at home, then.¡±

    ¡°Well then, we will go on ahead, hyung-nim.¡± Si-Hun bowed slightly and turned around.

    Balrog stared at Si-Hun¡¯s back in silence and stood up. ¡°My king, please summon me at any time if you require assistance.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Yeah, sure.¡±

    Kang-Woo momentarily felt something was off with how Balrog stared at Si-Hun, but he decided to pay it no mind and nodded.

    <em>¡®Did something happen between them?¡¯</em>

    Whatever the case, it was not something he had the leeway to concern himself with at the moment. The party members left the Frozen Temple, leaving only Kang-Woo, Lilith, and the copsed Eilles on the deste battlefield.

    ¡°Now then.¡± Kang-Woo tuned to Eilles and smiled. ¡°Shall we get on with the interrogation?¡±

    ¡°Kurgh,¡± Eilles grunted. He expected to be interrogated since he had been spared. ¡°It¡¯s pointless.¡±

    Eilles red at Kang-Woo coldly. His conviction, deep within his heart, would never be bent.

    ¡°You never know until you try.¡± Kang-Woo walked toward the copsed Eilles and extended his arm toward him.

    <em>¡®Authority of Sealing.¡¯</em>

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    The mes of Voracity wrapped around Eilles to restrain him.

    ¡°Hmm. How are you nning on interrogating him, my lord Demon King?¡± Lilith approached the restrained Eilles and scanned him from head to toe with narrowed eyes. ¡°It is never easy to make upromising people like him talk.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it is.¡± Kang-Woo nodded. He ced his hand on Eilles¡¯s head and continued, ¡°But we have to make him talk, no matter what.¡±

    That was how desperate Kang-Woo was for information about Bael. His eyes glinted as he activated an Authority.

    <em>¡®Authority of Domination.¡¯</em>

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    ck sparks crackled in front of Eilles¡¯s head. He shook his head in pain, but that was it; the Authority of Domination failed to take control of his mind.

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue with a frown.

    As he had expected, mind control Authority had no effect.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way they didn¡¯t prepare countermeasures for this.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Wo didn¡¯t know about Bael, but he was sure that Amon would have foreseen such a situation and prepared countermeasures for it.

    <em>¡®In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned around. There was a reason why he had Lilith stay despite getting everyone else to leave the dungeon.

    ¡°Do me a favor, Lilith.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lilith looked down at Eilles with her arms crossed.

    ¡°You¡­ and your ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö will be able to do it,¡± said Kang-Woo with certainty with his hand on her shoulder.

    Lilith tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he just enjoy it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    <em>¡®He won¡¯t. I¡¯ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life.¡¯</em>

    Lilith pouted andined, ¡°Ngh. I don¡¯t understand why you hate tentacles so much, my king.¡±

    <em>¡®You don¡¯t? Why don¡¯t you understand? No, even if you don¡¯t, you should¡¯ve fucking figured it out a long time ago after all the times I¡¯d said it.¡¯</em>

    Regardless of whether Kang-Woo found Lilith¡¯s tentacles disgusting or not, it no longer mattered now that Lilith had decided to take part in the interrogation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, then,¡± Kang-Woo expressed.

    ¡°Yes, my king.¡±

    Lilith smiled widely and nodded.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Her hair moved as if it were alive and turned into green tentacles.

    ¡°Wh-What are you nning on doing?¡± Eilles asked as he stared at the green tentacles in pallor.

    Kang-Woo patted Eilles¡¯s shoulder as if to cheer him up, ¡°You should¡¯ve talked when I asked nicely.¡±

    He shook his head and turned away.

    ¡°Kurgh! W-Wait¡­!¡± Eilles shouted.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    ¡°Gah! A-Arggghhh!¡±

    <em>Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!</em>

    ¡°Guuurrrggghhh!!¡±

    The green tentacles stuck to Eilles. He twisted and turned as he screamed in terror. Some time passed and Eilles was left struggling, still restrained by the mes of Voracity.

    ¡°A-Arrgghh.¡±

    Nightmarish pain tore his mind apart. Although he was made of ice, he had sensory perception. Pain, displeasure, and fear took control of him. The displeasure could not be exined as anything other than disgusting. Eilles was getting nauseous from the feeling of the tentacles sticking to his skin. He bit his lip, suppressing the desire to vomit at any second.

    ¡°I¡­ M-My¡­ My conviction¡­¡±

    However, Eilles raised his head with his eyes wide open. He recalled the first time he met his lord. He recalled the thrill and awe he had felt back then.

    <em>¡®Lord Bael¡­¡¯</em>

    Eilles recalled the endless darkness¡ª the boundless abyss within the innocent-looking boy.

    <em>¡®Only you¡­ can destroy this irrational world and build it anew.¡¯</em>

    Only Bael could be the master of the new world.

    ¡°Will not¡­ be bent.¡±

    Eilles¡¯s eyes were still zing with unwavering conviction despite being covered in green tentacles.

    Kang-Woo stared at Eilles wide-eyed, genuinely surprised.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s enduring that?¡¯</em>

    Lilith¡¯s interrogation skills surpassed even the Authority of Domination in certain ways. It was not a matter of her tentacles being hideous and disgusting; her tentacles naturally oozed powerful hallucinogenic substances and were able to inflict the pain of one¡¯s flesh being torn apart. One¡¯s fingernails being ripped out, bones breaking, and eyeballs being pulled out were nothingpared to the pain Eilles was currently experiencing.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    Eilles, the master of the First Heaven, was enduring and had ovee that excruciating pain.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled.

    ¡°I apologize, my king.¡± Lilith sighed and shook her head. Eilles passed out as soon as she released him from her tentacles. ¡°He has developed a tolerance.¡±

    The fluid that oozed from her tentacles possessed powerful hallucinogenic properties, but it had its limits. The target no longer saw hallucinations once they built a tolerance to the substance over time.

    <em>¡®From what I know, no one ever endured to the point that they built up a tolerance.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Eilles, genuinely impressed. Kang-Woo had naturally never felt the hallucinations and pain that Lilith¡¯s tentacles induced, but he had heard from Lilith that the pain was close to the amount that Kang-Woo felt when <em>molting</em>.

    ¡°No wonder he was so confident that we wouldn¡¯t be able to get him to talk.¡±

    As one who had experienced the pain that came with molting, Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. He pped as he looked down at Eilles.

    ¡°Umm¡­ What should we do now?¡± Lilith looked at Kang-Woo as if she didn¡¯t know what to do.

    She knew that it would be difficult to get Eilles to break, but she had not expected him to be this tenacious.

    ¡°Should we give up on information about Bael?¡±

    Since the Authority of Domination and the extreme pain induced through hallucinations did not work, there was no practical way to make Eilles talk anymore. They would still be able to inflict physical pain on Eilles even if he built a tolerance to Lilith¡¯s hallucinogen, but he would most likely be able to endure that pain as well.

    ¡°No need.¡± Kang-Woo calmly shook his head. He crouched, lightly patted the unconscious Eilles¡¯s back, and continued, ¡°Conviction usually sumbs to hope.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡± Lilith tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Don¡¯t you mean despair?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Kang-Woo lightly shook his head with a wide smile. ¡°He¡¯ll break at the face of hope.¡±

    Lilith remained silent. A chill ran down her spine. She thought for a moment that she saw goat horns on Kang-Woo¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Up we go.¡± Kang-Woo stood up and stared in the direction where Arianne had run. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go catch us a spoiled princess.¡±

 Chapter 492: Conviction Succumbs to Hope (2)

    Chapter 492: Conviction Sumbs to Hope (2)

    <em>Drip, drip, drip.</em>

    Melted ice fell as drops of water on the floor. Darkness fell on the temple that reeked with the stench of blood.

    ¡°A-Arghh.¡± Eilles twisted and slowly opened his eyes. ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    He tried to move, but the ck mes wrapped around him did not allow him to.

    <em>¡®Where am I¡­?¡¯</em>

    He looked around. He had woken up in his half-melted temple where the Frostborn fought against the intruders.

    <em>¡®He didn¡¯t imprison me somewhere else.¡¯</em>

    The fact that the intruders did not move him while he was unconscious was precious information.

    <em>¡®Time isn¡¯t on their side.¡¯</em>If the intruders had all the time in the world, they would have taken him to their base and slowly interrogated him. Eilles narrowed his eyes and looked around. He couldn¡¯t see his interrogators, the man named Oh Kang-Woo or the woman named Lilith, anywhere.

    ¡°Where did they go?¡±

    Eilles looked around uneasily. There was no way they had gone back after giving up on prying information out of him.

    <em>Fwoosh! Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh. Shit.¡±

    Eilles drew out the power of frost and tried to break free, but the ck mes restraining him did not budge.

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± Eilles sighed deeply and stopped struggling.

    His blue eyes shone brightly within the dark temple.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll never talk.¡¯</em>

    Eilles more or less had an idea about what information regarding Bael that the intruders wanted.

    <em>¡®They want details about the day of the apocalypse.¡¯</em>

    Bael and his army would invade Earth in exactly thirty-five days. They would massacre humanity, kill every god, and create a new world.

    Eilles closed his eyes in silence.

    <em>¡®If I can¡¯t break out of these restraints¡­¡¯</em>

    He was nning on ending his own life at the very least. After all, dead men told no tales.

    ¡°Fuuu.¡±

    Eilles had no qualms about dying. Rather, he was happy to die as long as it was for the sake of his loyalty toward his lord. However¡­

    <em>¡®Arianne.¡¯</em>

    His daughter¡¯s face popped up in his head. The innocentughter of the Frost Princess, as white as snow, echoed in his mind.

    ¡°Haaa.¡± Eilles closed his eyes as he sighed. He muttered, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±

    He shook his head to shoo away the image of his daughter in his head.

    ¡°Frost Spirits,¡± called Eilles as he slowly raised his head.

    Light particles slightly smaller than the size of a fist formed around him. They were spirits created from the energy of frost, considerably smaller than when they first appeared. No, it wasn¡¯t just their size; the light particles were significantly dimmer and the cold energy within them was nothingpared to what it used to be.

    ¡°It seems you all have also been injured quite a lot.¡±

    Eilles looked at the Frost Spirits sorrowfully.

    <em>¡®But this should be enough.¡¯</em>

    They were more than strong enough to end his life.

    Eilles raised his head to expose his neck and closed his eyes. Hemanded the Frost Spirits around him for thest time, ¡°Kill me.¡±

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The Frost Spirits turned into sharp ice spears that shot toward Eilles¡¯s neck.

    <em>Shatter!</em>

    However, the spears were destroyed before they could reach Eilles¡¯s neck. The Frost Spirits around him were engulfed by the ck mes and evaporated.

    ¡°Come on, I can¡¯t let you have a badass death.¡±

    ¡°Bastard.¡± Eilles frowned fiercely. He bit his lip as he stared at the Frost Spirits which had be vapor and dissipated. ¡°You still haven¡¯t given up?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Kang-Woo nodded with a wide smile.

    ¡°You moron,¡± said Eilles as he red at Kang-Woo coldly. He continued firmly, ¡°No matter what you do, I will never talk. Even if you rip off my fingernails, sever my limbs, or pry out my eyeballs, my conviction will not die.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±

    Eilles narrowed his eyes. He said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re nning, but there is nothing you can do.

    ¡°Whatever you do, you can never surpass him.¡±

    Eilles thought about Bael, his master; a true demon who possessed an endless abyss. He was the only one worthy of ruling all worlds.

    ¡°Come to think of it, the woman who was with you referred to you as the Demon King.¡± Eilles chuckled mockingly. ¡°I know you are a demon, but¡­ that title does not suit you.¡±

    Eilles had never heard about the Demon King since he had only met Bael after the thousand-year war in the Ninth Hell. However, he could easily figure out what the title<em> Demon King</em> signified.

    ¡°You call yourself the king of demons?¡± Eilles stared at Kang-Woo as heughed mockingly. ¡°Lord Bael is the only one who fits that title.¡±

    Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly looked down at Eilles in silence. ¡°Pfft!¡±

    He burst intoughter as he clenched his stomach. ¡°Bwahahahaha!! Dayum, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯dugh so hard all of a sudden.¡± He wiped his tears fromughing too hard. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard anything about me from Bael, have you?

    ¡°Makes sense. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d want to tell you.¡±

    If Bael were to tell anyone about how that long war ended, it meant that he would have to acknowledge his loss.

    ¡°What rtionship do you have with Lord Bael?¡± asked Eilles.

    ¡°Heh.¡± Kang-Woo smiled.

    He reached down to grab Eilles by his white hair.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    He raised his knee and smashed it into Eilles¡¯s chin.

    ¡°Kurgh!!¡± Eilles grunted in pain.

    Kang-Woo did not stop; he smashed his knee into Eilles¡¯s face over and over again.

    ¡°Guh! Gah! Kurgh!¡±

    Eilles¡¯s nose broke. His teeth made of translucent ice shattered and fell to the ground as they mixed with white blood.

    <em>Thud.</em>

    Eilles fell to the ground on his face.

    ¡°You should consider the position you¡¯re in, my friend.¡± Kang-Woo crouched and lightly pped the copsed Eilles¡¯s head. He smiled kindly and said, ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s asking the questions, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Eilles bit his lip from the humiliation. He looked up at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Kill me,¡± he said angrily. ¡°You will never hear what you want from me.¡±

    Eilles¡¯s voice was filled with certainty. His eyes did not falter in the slightest even after getting tortured to this extent.

    ¡°Really? Do you truly think you can ovee any kind of pain?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Without question,¡± Eilles answered without hesitation. He continued with eyes filled with willpower, ¡°My conviction will not be bent by mere pain.¡±

    He was not all talk; he was certain that he would never give away information about Bael, whatever pain he was subjected to.

    <em>¡®Lord Bael.¡¯</em> Eilles bit his lip as he thought about his lord. <em>¡®No matter the despair and agony I am ced in, my loyalty for you will not change.¡¯</em>

    Eilles red at Kang-Woo with zing eyes. He chuckled mockingly again and continued, ¡°Now, torture me however you want. You can peel off my skin, gouge out my flesh, and even break my bones.

    ¡°You won¡¯t get anything from me. Rather, you will only waste the little time you already have to prepare for Lord Bael¡¯s grand n.¡±

    The demon known as Oh Kang-Woo was powerful; so powerful that Eilles, the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings, had not been able to deal any meaningful damage to him. He could even be a threat to Bael¡¯s grand n.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m prepared to endure any kind of pain as long as I can keep him here.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Pfft! Hahahahaha!¡± Kang-Woo burst intoughter with his hand clenching his stomach as he looked down at Eilles. He nodded repeatedly with a smile of satisfaction.¡°Man, you¡¯re good. I like you. Personally, I¡¯m a huge fan of single-minded people like you.¡±

    He liked these kinds of people much better than those blinded by desire with no conviction, ideals, or aspirations.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s all the more fun to break you.¡±

    Kang-Woo cackled as he moved his shoulders up and down.

    Eilles frowned in displeasure.

    ¡°Ahem. Alright, you said that your conviction won¡¯t be bent by any pain, right?¡± Kang-Woo grabbed Eilles by his chin as he nodded in understanding. ¡°In that case.¡±

    He bent down and looked into the eyes of Eilles, copsed on the ground, looking up at him.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Eilles groaned the moment he saw Kang-Woo¡¯s ck scleras, yellow irises, and horizontal pupils.

    <em>¡®What the¡­¡¯</em> He could feel that something was going wrong. <em>¡®What is this feeling¡­?¡¯</em>

    Eilles lowered his head in confusion.

    ¡°What about this, then?¡±

    Just then, Kang-Woo took something out of his pocket. It was a translucent piece of ice.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Eilles¡¯s eyes widened the moment he saw the ice. He trembled and his teeth cked together. ¡°N-No.¡±

    He denied his thoughts. He desperately hoped that the first thing he thought of when he saw the piece of ice was wrong.

    ¡°I-It can¡¯t be.¡±

    He leaned closer to look down at the piece of ice that Kang-Woo dropped on the ground. It was an immactely beautiful piece of ice. He understood whose it was even if he didn¡¯t want to.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh,¡± Eilles groaned in despair as tears ran down his cheeks.

    ¡°Arianne, was it?¡± The demon brought his mouth close to Eilles¡¯s ears and whispered, ¡°She had such beautiful fingers.¡±

    ¡°A-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!¡± Eilles screamed. ¡°Y-YOU SON OF A BIIIIIIIITCH!!!¡±

    <em>Crack! Crack!</em>

    Eilles writhed madly and charged at the demon.

    ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU! I¡¯LL KILL YOU! I¡¯LL KILL YOU!!¡±

    However, the ck mes wrapping him restrained him.

    ¡°I WILL KILL YOUUUUUUUUUUU!¡±

    Eilles¡¯s screams of <em>despair </em>echoed throughout the temple.

 Chapter 493: Conviction Succumbs to Hope (3)

    Chapter 493: Conviction Sumbs to Hope (3)

    <em>Crack, crack!</em>

    Eilles twisted and turned madly. The chains made of mes around him were pulled taut. He screamed and roared in resentment.

    ¡°A-AAAAAAAAHHH!!¡±

    Eilles drew out what little remained of his power of frost. His entire body was screaming at him in pain but he paid it no mind; pain was nothing before immense resentment.

    ¡°I WILL KILL YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!¡±

    <em>Crack, crunch.</em>

    Eilles reached for the demon, smiling brightly, in front of him but the chains of mes pulled him back. He clenched his fist; frost energy gathered around it and grew ws exuding freezing air. He thrust the ws at the demon¡¯s neck.

    <em>Crack¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh! Gaaaaahhh!!¡±However, the ws stopped in their tracks along with the sound of bone breaking. Eilles had extended his arm until the ws were away from the demon¡¯s neck by a hair¡¯s breadth, but it would not go further no matter how hard he tried.

    ¡°You sure are fired up,¡± the demon said as he looked down at Eilles with an entertained smile.

    Rage surged from Eilles again. His head was getting burning hot and he was tearing up.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± he panted heavily. The tears that were welled in his eyes trickled down his cheeks. ¡°Hurgh, urghhhh. Arianne¡­ Arianne¡­¡±

    Eilles would be lying if he said he didn¡¯t expect this to happen. The first thing he thought about the moment he was captured by the demon named Oh Kang-Woo was Arianne. He had been relieved even as he was getting tortured because his pain only gave his daughter more time to escape. However¡­

    ¡°Hurghhh. Ari¡­anne.¡± Eilles¡¯s tears wet the floor of the destroyed temple. ¡°Oh¡­ Kang-Woo.¡±

    He looked up and red at the smiling demon. His captor was not a hero or a saint; he did not bber endlessly about ethics and morals. Hence, the demon likely knew that the best way to make Eilles talk was not physical pain but to use Arianne.

    ¡°Well, then.¡± The demon lightly kicked away the piece of ice on the floor toward Eilles. ¡°Are you up for talking now?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± shouted Eilles in rage.

    His blue eyes shone with bloodlust as he stared daggers at Kang-Woo, but only for a moment. His re soon lost its strength and was reced with tears.

    ¡°Please¡­¡± Eilles lowered his head and wept as he begged, ¡°Please¡­ anything but my daughter.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha!!¡± Kang-Woo burst intoughter with his stomach clenched. ¡°Man, what a tearjerker. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?

    ¡°I would never expect you to be a being who¡¯s trying to eradicate humanity if I didn¡¯t know any better.¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at Eilles as he giggled. Eilles, who was crying for his daughter, did not look like a viin in any way.

    ¡°But why don¡¯t we try reversing our roles?¡± Kang-Woo suggested.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say you captured a human with valuable information. But damn, the son of a bitch won¡¯t talk no matter what you do. Just as you¡¯re getting stressed out of your mind, you happen to find out that the human cares deeply for their child. With all that information, what would you have done?¡±

    Kang-Woo patted the silent Eilles¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be frustrated. Don¡¯t be sad. Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re the victim. It¡¯s just that I can do what you would have done as well. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°BASTAAAAAAAARD!¡±

    Eilles twisted and charged at Kang-Woo again.

    <em>Fwoosh, fwoosh!</em>

    The chains of mes were pulled taut to restrain him again.

    ¡°Oh, and of course.¡± Kang-Woo grabbed the struggling Eilles¡¯s head, brought his head close to Eilles¡¯s ear, and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m better at it.¡±

    Kang-Woo cackled as his shoulders moved up and down.

    ¡°Now, then.¡±

    He extended his arm toward the chains of mes, which were slowly losing their strength, and used the Authority of Sealing again.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The mes which had been slowly getting weaker the more Eilles thrashed around burned brightly again. Kang-Woo turned away from Eilles after recharging the Authority of Sealing.

    ¡°One a day.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Eilles stared at Kang-Woo with trembling eyes. The demon pointed at the severed piece of ice.

    ¡°It¡¯ll grow by one each day.¡±

    Eilles¡¯s eyes widened. He looked in despair at Kang-Woo. ¡°Wh-What do you mean?!¡±

    ¡°Come on, you know exactly what I mean, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You son of a¡­! Y-You scumbag!¡±

    Cutting off one finger each day¡­ not even Eilles had expected such an atrocious act.

    He shouted at Kang-Woo who was about to turn his back to him and leave, ¡°S-Stop! N-No, please stop!!¡±

    <em>Fwoosh, fwoosh!</em>

    He desperately reached out for Kang-Woo but the chains of mes wrapped around his arm.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh,¡± Eilles groaned in despair. ¡°ARIAAAAAAAANNE!!¡±

    He roared like a beast as tears flowed down his cheeks.

    ***

    The number of familiar pieces of ice each day. Eilles¡¯s despair grew with each passing day. His mind broke little by little and he was bing insane as the days passed.

    ¡°Arghhh¡­¡± Eilles groaned as he looked down at the pieces of ice on the floor.

    Humans might see these pieces of ice and think they were gems made of ice, but to Eilles, they could not be any more hideous.

    ¡°Hurgh. Hurghhhh. A-Arianne¡­¡±

    Eilles lowered his head and touched the piece of ice with his nose. There were four pieces of ice on the floor. Frostborn did not have flesh made of skin and blood like humans but they were not free from the fear of dismemberment. In terms of regenerative capabilities, the Frostborn were no different from humans.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    In other words, his daughter would no longer be able to use a sword.

    ¡°Hurgh.¡±

    Eilles thought about his daughter smiling as she danced with her sword. She had been like a beautiful fairy befitting her title of <em>Sword Princess</em>. Heart-wrenching agony attacked Eilles, far worse than his skin being torn, his flesh being gouged, and his bones being broken.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you start talking now?¡± the demon whispered.

    Rage no longer surged from Eilles. The only emotion left to him was his immense sense of powerlessness and despair weighing on his shoulders.

    <em>¡®I¡­¡¯</em>

    His world was falling apart¡ª no, it might already have. The loss of everything he had was inevitable the moment he had lost to the demon. Eilles closed his eyes. He could feel his conviction, which he believed would not sumb to anything, wavering. It was slowly being broken down.

    Eilles opened his eyes.

    <em>¡®If I tell him¡­¡¯</em>

    Arianne¡¯s life might be spared.

    ¡°What will¡­ What will happen to my daughter?¡± he asked.

    ¡°She will live as long as you tell me what I want to know. That includes you, of course,¡± said the demon in his sweet whispers. ¡°I love to lie, but I always keep my word at the very least.¡±

    Eilles knew that the demon¡¯s sweet whispers wereplete bullshit.

    However, the demon¡¯s lies were too sweet to resist; Eilles felt as if the demon¡¯s lies were numbing his brain.

    ¡°Here, can¡¯t you see Arianne is also begging?¡±

    The demon ced a transparent crystal orb on the floor in front of Eilles.

    <em>- F-Father¡­</em>

    A familiar voice flowed out from the orb.

    ¡°A-Arianne!!¡±

    Eilles rushed toward the crystal orb but the chains of mes restrained him.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡± Eilles thrashed about as he burst into tears. ¡°Ari¡­anne. Arianne¡­¡±

    <em>- It hurts¡­ so much¡­ Father¡­</em>

    She sounded as if she were on the verge of death. The immense despair weighing on Eilles was crushing him.

    ¡°I¡¯m running out of time to spare now. Hurry up and talk,¡± said the demon in slight impatience.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Eilles lowered his head within the endless swamp known as despair. He continued, ¡°I¡­¡±

    He raised his head, a small light glinting in his eyes as dead as that of a corpse.

    ¡°I¡­ will not talk.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The demon¡¯s eyes shook. He continued in irritation, ¡°The fuck? Are you crazy? Huh? You still won¡¯t talk even after your daughter is in this state?¡±

    The demon grabbed Eilles by the cor. ¡°Talk.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Tell me everything you know about Bael!!¡±

    The demon red at Eilles in madness.

    Eilles ignored the demon¡¯s shouts and looked down at the transparent crystal in sorrow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    He thought about his daughter, who was likely suffering from intense agony across that crystal.

    ¡°My daughter¡­ My Arianne.¡± Tears flowed down Eilles¡¯s cheeks. He wept as he lowered his head. ¡°Please forgive¡­ this horrible father of yours.¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    <em>Bash!</em>

    The demon punched Eilles in the face and stomped his foot as if he did not expect this turn of events.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be so tenacious¡­¡± muttered the demon as he pulled on his hair. ¡°... Should I give up?¡±

    The demon sighed.

    ¡°I should consult with Lilith first.¡±

    The demon turned around, off in his thoughts.

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    The demon disappeared, leaving Eilles alone on the floor of the giant temple.

    ¡°Arianne¡­¡± mumbled Eilles as he wept, his voice echoing throughout the destroyed temple.

    Time passed and darkness filled the temple. Eilles was on the floor, his eyes devoid of light.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    Just then, the chains of mes restraining him shook. Eilles¡¯s eyes shone.

    <em>¡®Come to think of it.¡¯</em>

    The demon came to see Eilles every day to add more strength to the weakened chains of mes.

    <em>¡®But he just left today.¡¯</em>

    Eilles¡¯s eyes glinted with blue mes known as <em>hope</em>.

 Chapter 494: Conviction Succumbs to Hope (4)

    Chapter 494: Conviction Sumbs to Hope (4)

    <em>Fwoosh, fwoosh.</em>

    The chains made of mes binding Eilles burned.

    <em>¡®Just a little more.¡¯</em>

    Eilles gritted his teeth as he twisted and turned. He was mentally drained from the past four days that the demon tormented him, but he had thankfully been gradually regaining his strength.

    ¡°Frost¡­ Spirits¡­¡± Eilles called.

    The Frost Spirits which had exploded at the hands of the demon a few days ago dimly appeared.

    <em>¡®Their strength won¡¯t be enough.¡¯</em>

    Even if the chains had weakened, the spirits were not strong enough to break them.

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± Eilles exhaled.Although he had partially recovered his strength in the past four days, the effects of the excruciating torture remained.

    <em>¡®But I have to escape.¡¯</em>

    Eilles was sure that Arianne would be brutally killed by the demon if he missed this opportunity.

    ¡°Argh, gah.¡±

    <em>Crack, crack.</em>

    Eilles frantically thrashed about, which the chains of mes responded to by shrinking against him. Eilles forcibly twisted his left arm which was bound by the chains.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    ¡°Gaaaaahhh!¡±

    Bones broke as his arm bent at an unnatural angle.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    Eilles panted heavily and looked down. A small gap between him and the chains was formed thanks to his arm breaking.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll use this gap.¡¯</em>

    He focused the power of frost that he had drawn out to a single point. The dim Frost Spirits gathered to that point and turned into a small de.

    <em>Scratch, scratch.</em>

    Eilles cut the chains of mes using the ice de little by little from the inside.

    <em>¡®Just a little more¡­¡¯</em>

    Scratch, scratch.

    The chains were gradually getting thinner because the energy within them had not been recharged.

    <em>¡®A little more!¡¯</em>

    Eilles¡¯s eyes filled with hope.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    The chains of mes broke atst.

    ¡°<em>Huff! Huff!</em>¡±

    Eilles fell to the ground as he panted heavily after managing to escape from the chains.

    <em>¡®I-It worked!¡¯</em>

    He stood up, clenching his unnaturally bent left arm. He felt lighter than ever now that he was free.

    ¡°Arianne, Arianne¡­¡±

    Eilles hurriedly looked around. He did not need anything else, not even his life. All he needed was to rescue his poor daughter, who was likely in immense pain due to the demon¡¯s clutches.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t even have a second to waste.¡¯</em>

    Based on what the demon had said before leaving Eilles, he was surely nning his next interrogation n. Eilles needed to escape with his daughter before his conversation with the demon named Lilith ended.

    Eilles staggered along, pain spreading throughout his ragged body with every step he took.

    <em>¡®Arianne.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Frost Spirits.¡± Eilles closed his eyes andmanded the Frost Spirits, getting dimmer as if they did not have much strength remaining. ¡°Find Arianne.¡±

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    White frost poured out of the Frost Spirits as if they were going out with a bang. The Frost Spirits dispersed in all directions.

    ¡°Kurgh.¡±

    Eilles felt like his body was falling apart just from giving the Frost Spirits a simplemand.

    <em>¡®I have to keep moving.¡¯</em>

    He gritted his teeth and forced his legs to move. He had a reason why he couldn¡¯t stop.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The Frost Spirits gathered in front of Eilles as he wandered around the temple with staggering steps. His eyes shone.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s close.¡¯</em>

    Arianne was imprisoned somewhere nearby.

    <em>¡®I have to hurry.¡¯</em>

    Eilles quickened his steps. The hallway of the temple that he walked along all the time felt endless for some reason.

    ¡°Arianne, Arianne¡­¡±

    He forced his body to keep moving. He finally reached the end of the hallway after what felt like a century and ced his hand over the door handle.

    <em>Creak. </em>Eilles carefully opened the door.

    ¡°Father¡­?¡±

    ¡°A-Arianne!!¡±

    Inside was Arianne, who was also bound by chains of mes like he had been. Her usual smile was nowhere to be seen, reced by a grimace of pain. Her body, perfectly trained for her brilliant swordsmanship, was beyond emaciated.

    ¡°Hurgh! Arianne¡­ My Arianne¡­!¡±

    Eilles embraced Arianne and burst into tears.

    ¡°Father¡­!¡± Arianne also smiled brightly and buried her face in Eilles¡¯s chest. ¡°I knew you woulde! I was so, so sure that you woulde to rescue me!¡±

    The princess of the Frostborn wept sorrowfully.

    ¡°Shh. He wille if you¡¯re too loud.¡±

    ¡°<em>Gasp¡­</em>¡±

    Arianne¡¯s expression turned pale. Eilles looked down at Arianne bound in the chains of mes. His gaze was naturally drawn to her hands.

    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±

    Only a pinky finger remained on her right hand. Eilles grabbed that hand and burst into tears as he crouched.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m so sorry, my daughter.¡±

    The fact that he failed to protect his daughter broke his heart. Eilles cried in silence with Arianne in his embrace.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of this.¡±

    Eilles gripped the small ice de he had used to cut through the chains of mes which were also burning faintly, possibly because they were not recharged either.

    <em>Scratch, scratch.</em>

    ¡°I-I¡¯ll be alright, Father. You should hurry and run aw¡ª¡±

    ¡°Silence,¡± Eilles said firmly as if he would not ept anyints.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    The chains binding Arianne broke as well.

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Arianne¡¯s eyes widened. She smiled brightly and hugged Eilles. ¡°Father, Father, Father¡­!¡±

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    Eilles, who used all of his strength to break the chains, staggered as he panted heavily. Arianne quickly supported him.

    Eilles shut his eyes tightly and held Arianne¡¯s right hand with only a pinky finger remaining. ¡°Whatever it takes¡­ I will make it so that you can wield a sword again.¡±

    ¡°Father¡­¡±

    ¡°No need to worry. I will make sure to kill that demon Oh Kang-Woo myself on the day of the Apocalypse.¡±

    ¡°I-It¡¯s too dangerous, Father!¡±

    Arianne shook her head in terror. Seeing that, Eilles¡¯s expression broke down. He couldn¡¯t believe that his daughter, whose smile was as bright as the sun, was making such a horrified expression.

    <em>¡®Oh Kang-Woo¡­¡¯</em>

    Eilles clenched his fists, his fury zing within him.

    <em>¡®Now isn¡¯t the time.¡¯</em>

    It was too early to set his desire for revenge aze.

    Eilles clenched Arianne¡¯s hand tightly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to where Lord Bael is. Can you walk?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can. But Father¡­¡± slurred Arianne as she stared at the lifelessly staggering Eilles.

    Eilles smiled faintly and answered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Urgh, how dare that filth do this to you, Father¡­!¡±

    Arianne fiercely bit her lip, her rage surging from seeing her father reduced to rags. Eilles patted Arianne¡¯s head and turned around.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Eilles moved as he held hands with Arianne. He walked cautiously, looking around with his eyes as sharp as a hawk¡¯s.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s too soon to be relieved.¡¯</em>

    He had sessfully rescued Arianne, but they had yet to escape.

    <em>¡®We have to go to where Lord Bael is.¡¯</em>

    Only then would they be truly safe.

    ¡°Huuu, huuu,¡± Eilles breathed anxiously with each step he took.

    He was heading to his throne, where a Gate that led to Bael was.

    <em>¡®Please¡­¡¯</em>

    Eilles gulped with an expression filled with desperation. Just then¡­

    <em>Boom¡ª!</em>

    ¡°SHIT!!¡± someone shouted from the other side of the long hallway where Eilles had been tied up.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s here.¡¯</em>

    The demon found out that Eilles had escaped.

    ¡°Hurry!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father!¡±

    Eilles quickened his steps, still holding Arianne¡¯s hand. They were almost at the Gate that led to Bael.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa!¡±

    They reached an extravagantly decorated space. There was supposed to be a throne in the room, but it was not there because it had turned into the Frost Sword.

    ¡°This way!¡±

    Eilles ran to the back of where the throne usually was.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    A Gate leading to Bael opened once he ced his hand on the magic tool that Amon had given him.

    <em>¡®I did it!¡¯</em>

    Eilles¡¯s eyes filled with hope. A bright smile reced his expression of despair.

    He pulled Arianne by the hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We only have about a month until the day of the Apocalypse.¡±

    Treating her daughter was important, but so was making the day of the Apocalypse happen. The Frostborn were wiped out due to the intruders and the Frost Sword was taken from Eilles, but he still possessed the Deific Essence of Frost as well as his power.

    Arianne stood in front of the Gate, staring at it in silence.

    ¡°We have to go now. What are you waiting for?¡± Eilles said as he pulled on Arianne¡¯s arm.

    ¡°I see.¡± Arianne smiled. ¡°A month, huh?¡±

    Arianne melted as if she were liquid. Darkness oozed from her body made of translucent ice.

    ¡°Thanks, that was good info.¡±

    The demon appeared from the darkness.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Eilles¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at the demon dumbfoundedly. ¡°What the¡­¡±

    His thoughts were jumbled; his brain was unable to process the information sent by his eyes. It was as if he were trapped in a nightmare.

    ¡°Ari¡­anne?¡±

    ¡°Pfft!¡± The demon clenched his stomach and crouched. Heughed vulgarly, ¡°Bwehehehehehe!! Don¡¯t worry. That immature princess is safe.¡±

    The demon dropped a crystal orb. It shone brightly and disyed a hologram of Arianne sleeping on a bed.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Eilles¡¯s eyes quivered. His eyes once again naturally gravitated to her hands.

    ¡°Her fingers¡­¡±

    All ten of her fingers were perfectly intact.

    ¡°Come on, man. Did you seriously think I cut off her fingers?¡± The demon cackled as his shoulders moved up and down. ¡°I don¡¯t do uncivilized shit like that, bro.¡±

    The demon shook his head humorously.

    ¡°Right, then. Now that you saw that¡­¡± The demon picked the crystal orb back up and tilted his head. ¡°You¡¯re feeling hopeful again, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Eilles saw that his daughter¡¯s fingers were intact. He found out that his precious daughter could keep wielding a sword like she loved to do, and that she had never been tortured in the first ce. Hope bloomed from within the despair.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    It was exactly because of that¡­ Eilles couldn¡¯t afford to let go of the hope, which had been so sweet that it made his brain numb, after experiencing it once.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Eilles¡¯s expression turned pale after realizing he had been running around on the demon¡¯s palm all along. He turned to look at the demon, his eyes shaking. He could see an endless abyss beyond the demon¡¯s ck eyes. Chills ran down Eilles¡¯s spine and fear took control of him. He recalled the time when he first met Bael.

    ¡°Wh-What are you¡­?¡±

    The darkness he had seen back then was nothingpared to this.

    ¡°I told you.¡± The demon patted Eilles¡¯s shoulder with a smile. ¡°That your conviction will break.¡±

    The conviction that had stood tall against all despair had sumbed to hope.

 Chapter 495: Preparations for War (1)

    Chapter 495: Preparations for War (1)

    <em>Thud.</em>

    Eilles fell to his knees on the spot.

    ¡°Now, I have a few more things I want to ask.¡± Oh Kang-Woo smiled brightly and crouched in front of Eilles. ¡°Where else is that son of a bitch Bael gathering his forces?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Eilles slightly quivered as he panted heavily.

    Kang-Woo lightly patted Eilles¡¯s shoulder and continued, ¡°If it¡¯s too hard for you to say¡­ how about I give you something other than fingers as a gift this time?¡±

    ¡°N-No!¡± Eilles hastily shouted.

    Immense fear took control of him. He clenched the sliver of hope that he had been given a taste of. The second time was always easier than the first.

    Eilles shut his eyes tightly and slowly remarked, ¡°There¡­ aren¡¯t many forces like the Frostborn.¡±¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°The majority of Lord Bael¡¯s army is made up of the demons of the Ninth Hell.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>¡®That son of a bitch crawled back to the Ninth Hell?¡¯</em>

    It was not unexpected; Bael was a demon, so there was no being easier to handle for him than other demons.

    <em>¡®Then that means¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. If Bael had recruited the demons of the Ninth Hell into his army, conflict with Kang-Woo¡¯s former forces would have been inevitable. After the death of the seven princes of Hell, the Demon King¡¯s army had be so big that no other faction couldpare to it.

    ¡°How did he gather his forces?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know that much. Dealings in the Ninth Hell were mostly taken care of by Lord Amon.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    It did not seem like Eilles was lying.

    <em>¡®I guess he doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s happening in the Ninth Hell.¡¯</em>

    It was a shame.

    ¡°Also¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo asked a few more questions. Eilles¡¯s conviction had been destroyed; he was bbering information as if his tenacity never existed.

    ¡°Alright, thanks for that.¡± Kang-Woo tapped on Eilles¡¯s shoulder and walked past him. ¡°I¡¯ll keep my promise, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Promise?¡±

    ¡°I told you I would spare you and your daughter if you told me the truth.¡± Kang-Woo shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ll find the sleeping princess not far south of the temple. I won¡¯t bother with where you two run off to.¡±

    Eilles stared at Kang-Woo as if he couldn¡¯t understand. Kang-Woo smiled.

    ¡°But naturally¡­¡±

    He snapped his fingers.

    ¡°Kurgh! Gaaaaahhh!¡±

    Eilles clenched his chest and copsed. He convulsed as if he were having a seizure.

    ¡°If you go back to Bael, the ember I¡¯ve sown in your body will burn you alive.¡±

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff.</em>¡± Eilles stared at Kang-Woo with shaking eyes. He gulped and asked in a trembling tone, ¡°Why are you¡­ protecting mere humans?¡±

    Eilles had realized it as soon as he gazed into the Demon King¡¯s eyes and the endless sea of demonic energy within them. The one who would be the master of the new world was not Bael but the demon in front of him. He couldn¡¯tprehend why the king of all that was demonic, who was destined to rule above all, would go this far to protect mere insects.

    ¡°Well, obviously¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled. He muttered something as he walked past Eilles, but Eilles was not sure if he heard correctly because it was so quiet or he had never heard such a word before.

    ¡°Kimchi¡­ what?¡±

    Eilles remained dumbfounded as he stared at Kang-Woo walking away.

    ***

    ¡°Wonderful job, my king.¡±

    Lilith, who had been standing by in front of the Gate, bowed modestly to Kang-Woo as soon as he came back to Earth. Kang-Woo lightly nodded.

    Lilith approached Kang-Woo and asked, ¡°Are you sure it was okay to spare them? It would have been better to purge possible troubles by killing them¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I made sure that won¡¯t happen.¡± Kang-Woo shrugged and shook his head.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lilith narrowed her eyes and giggled seductively. She hugged Kang-Woo¡¯s arm and remarked, ¡°As I¡¯d thought, you¡¯ve be more gentlepared to how you were back in Hell.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Back then, you would¡¯ve just killed them without hesitation.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s true.¡± Kang-Woo softly nodded. He chuckled and asked, ¡°What? Does it bother you?¡±

    ¡°Hoho. Of course not.¡± Lilith shook her head as if it were nonsense. She gently caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek and continued, ¡°I will love you no matter what you are, my king.¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent as something welled up within him. He shook his head to shoo away unnecessary thoughts. ¡°More importantly, there isn¡¯t much time.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean until Baeles to Earth?¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded. ¡°Thirty-one days.¡±

    ording to Eilles, there was exactly one month left until the <em>day of the Apocalypse</em> arrived.

    ¡°We have to do everything we can until then.¡±

    The final battle that would decide everything was just around the corner.

    <em>¡®Will I lose everything I¡¯ve built until now, or will I devour Bael and acquire the life that I¡¯ve always aspired to have?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists. The immense pressure of anxiety weighed down on his shoulders.

    ¡°You¡¯ll win,¡± Lilith stated and kissed the frozen Kang-Woo on the cheek. She looked straight into his eyes and firmly remarked, ¡°You¡¯ll win, my king. As you¡¯ve always done.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Wooughed insincerely and nodded.

    <em>¡®Thirty-one days.¡¯ </em>He started walking as his eyes shone sharply. <em>¡®I¡¯d love to get Transcendent-rank Deific Essence by then.¡¯</em>

    That was the most effective way to emerge victorious but it was impossible to build a month-long n around that.

    <em>¡®First, I have no idea how to get it.¡¯</em>

    It was nothing but a gamble to make a n around something he had no idea how to go about getting.

    <em>¡®In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo fell into thought as he tapped on his chin.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to use the fact that we have the initiative to our advantage.¡±

    ¡°Are you nning on attacking Bael¡¯s army as soon as they arrive?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, since they have no idea that I know exactly when the day of the Apocalypse is.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. But don¡¯t you have to know where Bael will attack to do that?¡±

    It was pointless to know when Bael would attack if they did not know where. It was not like they could set up a defense perimeter that covered the entirety of Earth.

    ¡°I know where.¡± Kang-Woo smiled. ¡°Seoul. Bael wille to Seoul.¡±

    He recalled the future that Kim Tae-Hyun saw.

    <em>¡®I won¡¯t rely on it one hundred percent, but there¡¯s a high chance that Seoul being the location of the final battle hasn¡¯t changed.¡¯</em>

    If the future could change so easily, there was no way Tae-Hyun would have tried so desperately to kill Kang-Woo. Changing the future was possible, but it was likely extremely difficult.

    ¡°How about we attack Bael first? That could catch him off-guard,¡± asked Lilith as she rubbed her lips with her finger.

    Kang-Woo shook his head. ¡°We have far too little time to gather our forces. Also, having the final battle in the Ninth Hell is far too risky.¡±

    The majority of humanity¡¯s forces for the final battle would mostly consist of humans; Hell was far too disadvantageous of an environment for humans to fight in since demonic energy was even in the air.

    ¡°Oh, Ipletely forgot that your army mostly consisted of humans, my king.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯ve spent the majority of our lives in Hell, after all.¡±

    ¡°Then are you nning on setting the defense line in Seoul?¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded. ¡°We first need to dere martialw and evacuate every citizen in Seoul. They should be evacuated to at least Busan¡ª no, just evacuate them to America while we¡¯re at it.¡±

    He was nning on cing a barrier that enveloped the entirety of Seoul to prevent the destruction from spreading, but letting civilians stay in the vicinity was far too dangerous.

    <em>¡®Well, evacuating them to America won¡¯t amount to much once the battle against Bael begins.¡¯</em>

    If the barrier were to be destroyed, the effects of the battle would spread throughout Earth.

    ¡°Then how about we evacuate them to Aernor?¡±

    ¡°Aernor?¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone; he did not even think of that. ¡°Mm. Yeah, that would be a lot safer.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°The amount of chaos would be immeasurable.¡±

    How many people spending regr daily lives would ept without question if they were told out of the blue to move to another world? It was not like they could be told that they were being evacuated because Earth might be destroyed.

    <em>¡®If we were to reveal that, everyone on Earth would try to go to Aernor.¡¯</em>

    Although the poption had reduced considerably ever since the Day of Cmity, there were still three to four billion people. It was impossible to evacuate them all to Aernor in a month without causing global chaos.

    <em>¡®I have no choice.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would prefer to move everyone on Earth to Aernor but it was realistically impossible.

    ¡°We have to focus more on making the defense line stronger than evacuating the citizens right now.¡±

    Nowhere in the Triad would be safe if Kang-Woo were to lose to Bael anyway. Whether it be Kang-Woo who failed to maintain control over the Demonic Sea or Bael, the Triad would end either way.

    ¡°I will contact La and have her gather the elite members of Guardians in Seoul,¡± Lilith said.

    ¡°Average yers will only get in the way, so have them evacuate the civilians.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my king.¡±

    ¡°And you remember Khadgar, right?¡±

    ¡°The mage who supplied magic tools to Guardians?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Have him make amunicationwork.¡±

    ¡°Awork?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna be gathering as many forces as possible. There are bound to benguage barriers, so we need as manymunication devices with interpretation magic enchanted on them.¡±

    ¡°Mm. But didn¡¯t you set him freest time?¡±

    ¡°There are no breaks during a national¡ª no, a global emergency.¡±

    <em>¡®Wake up, Khadgar. You have some more work to do.¡¯</em>

    ¡°We have a lot more to do. We have to contact the angels and have the gods of Olympus participate as well.¡±

    ¡°Will we be able to do it?¡± Lilith shook her head as if she were dumbstruck.

    The amount of work was unreal for it all to bepleted in one month, but¡­

    ¡°One month. We have to be ready in one month,¡± Kang-Woo said quietly.

 Chapter 496: Preparations for War (2)

    Chapter 496: Preparations for War (2)

    <em>Thud.</em> Oh Kang-Woo put down the Nectar he had been drinking on the table. Gaia flinched.

    ¡°So,¡± Kang-Woo remarked quietly. ¡°Most of the gods of Olympus won¡¯t be able to participate in the war?¡±

    He red at Gaia as if he were dissatisfied. Gaia lowered her head as her lips quivered.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. They have yet to recover from Bael¡¯s attack fully, so the majority of the gods won¡¯t be in any condition to fight.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Gaia quickly continued as if to appease Kang-Woo, ¡°B-But I will bring with me every single god who can move at least a little.¡±

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

    Bael had attacked Olympus while Earth was being invaded by the Parasites. The majority of the gods were thankfully not devoured by Bael, but they were wounded to the point that their Deific Essence was on the verge of being annihted.

    <em>¡®Did he n this as well?¡¯</em>Kang-Woo thought Bael¡¯s main objective had been to sow the seed of doubt in Gaia¡¯s heart to create discord between her and Kang-Woo, but he couldn¡¯t rule out other possibilities.

    <em>¡®Or it might have been Amon¡¯s idea.¡¯</em>

    Considering all of Bael¡¯s actions until now, everything had been about Kang-Woo; Bael had no interest in anything unrted to Kang-Woo. Despite that, his n was being set up very smoothly for the day of the Apocalypse.

    <em>¡®Amon is coordinating Bael¡¯s madness.¡¯</em>

    If not for Amon, the impulsive Bael who did as he liked could never have set up such an intricate n.

    ¡°What a pain.¡±

    Excluding Kang-Woo¡¯s main party members, the gods of Olympus could be considered the most powerful force Kang-Woo had; their incapacitation would deal a massive blow to his n.

    <em>¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s lying.¡¯</em>

    The gods of Olympus, whom Kang-Woo had seen during his visit to see Gaia, were so injured that they could barely stand.

    <em>¡®Not even Seol-Ah will be able to heal them.¡¯</em>

    Physical injuries could be healed with no problem as long as they were alive, but not even Han Seol-Ah¡¯s healing magic could heal injuries to one¡¯s Deific Essence.

    ¡°I have no words.¡± Gaia sighed and shook her head. She raised her head again after some silence and continued calmly, ¡°But Uranus and I are almostpletely fine. If Bael has amassed an army of demons from the Ninth Hell, we and the Protectors will be more than enough to stop them, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±

    She was treating the demons of the Ninth Hell as if they were monsters from a low-ranking Gate.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    It was understandable, considering the current extent of the Ninth Hell¡¯s forces.

    <em>¡®Demons from the Ninth Hell barely feel like a threat at this point.¡¯</em>

    Every prince of Hell, the former rulers of the Ninth Hell, was dead except for Bael, and the Demon King, the pinnacle of all demons, was none other than Kang-Woo. In other words, the Ninth Hell without the Demon King and the seven princes of Hell was but a gathering of average demons. And most importantly¡­

    ¡°How many demons from the Ninth Hell can even prate the Deific Essence barrier?¡±

    No demon had possessed Deific Essence back when Kang-Woo used to rule over Hell as its king. To put it simply, people with Deific Essence like Kim Si-Hun, Gaia, and Cha Yeon-Joo would easily be able to massacre the demons.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head with deeply sunken eyes.

    ¡°Do you think they didn¡¯t think of that?¡± he stated.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Bael was the one who freed the gods from their leash. Would he have done such a thing without realizing they would get in his way?¡±

    Although Bael was a demented son of a bitch, Gaia was underestimating him far too much.

    ¡°He has the Demon God¡¯s heart and the privilege to manipte the Law of Titans. There¡¯s no way he would n an attack with no countermeasure for those with Deific Essence.¡±

    Gaia remained silent, being bombarded by irrefutable facts. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it through enough.¡±

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and stood up. ¡°I got it for now. Gather as many gods as you can and manifest on Earth before the date I told you. They don¡¯t need to be from Olympus; just get as many as possible.¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡± Gaia nodded. Just as Kang-Woo turned around, she grabbed his clothes. ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Heh. What brings the sudden change of heart? You were going off not long ago about me being the Demon of Prophecy who will end the world.¡±

    ¡°A-Ahem. Forget that.¡± Gaia coughed, her cheeks slightly flushed. She looked up at Kang-Woo and continued, ¡°To be honest, I am still scared. I¡¯m worried that the Demonic Seaying dormant inside you will devour you and end the world.¡±

    ¡°But,¡± Gaia said as she stared at Kang-Woo firmly. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to trust you, no matter what end awaits me.¡±

    Gaia clenched the fist of her other hand, which was on her knee.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled and shook his hand. He never expected Gaia to say that she trusted him ever again after revealing his true identity to her and giving her no choice but to trust him.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s not a bad feeling.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shrugged as he turned around and left Olympus.

    ***

    <em>¡®Now, then.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes after returning to the Hall of Protection. He had just finished his business with Olympus but there was no time to rest. He took out his smartphone and opened a web portal with a green background[1] to check the trending searches.

    [Live Trending Keywords]

    1. Martial Law

    2. Seoul Martial Law

    3. Martial Law meaning

    4. Seoul house price

    ¡°Yeah, house prices sure are fucking important.¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled. As he had expected, chaos had befallen Korea once martialw had been dered.

    <em>¡®Yeah, it would be weirder if everything was normal after martialw was dered and people were told to move to another world.¡¯</em>

    It would be crazy behavior if people just packed their bags and left for Aernor without question. Kang-Woo opened the news category and read through thements.

    [News Feed]

    Chamber: The hell? Martialw out of nowhere¡­?

    tokki: What the hell¡¯s this natione to?!

    Namu: Could it be rted to the insect invasion in Seoulst time?

    Jing S: But fr, are they even allowed to kick out every citizen in Seoul this suddenly?

    Cyncoco: Isekai, here Ie!! Lezgoooooo!! My time has finallye!!

    Penguin the GOAT: Holy shit, there¡¯s a martialw opposition rally at Gwanghwamun right now.

    Cosy: LMAO everyone, gather at Gwanghwamun if you don¡¯t wanna be chased out to another world.

    <em>¡®A rally, huh?¡¯</em>

    As Kang-Woo had expected, panic had reached its peak.

    ¡°But this¡­¡±

    He had already thought of a peaceful countermeasure that would turn the chaos into trust.

    <em>Brrrrr. </em>Kang-Woo called someone.

    <em>- What do you want?</em>

    An irritated voice sounded from the other side of the phone.

    <em>- I¡¯m already busy as hell, so I¡¯m gonna hang up if it¡¯s not impor¡ª</em>

    ¡°Yeon-Joo.¡±

    <em>- ¡­ What?</em>

    ¡°I miss you.¡±

    <em>- Pfft! </em>Cough! Cough!<em> Wh-What?</em>

    ¡°I want to see you right now.¡±

    <em>- Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden?! Y-You know we¡¯re gonna be drowning in work for the next month!</em>

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why.¡±

    <em>- Wh-What?</em>

    ¡°We¡­ only have a month left, Yeon-Joo.¡±

    <em>- S-So what?</em>

    ¡°Now¡¯s the only time we have¡­ to say the things we haven¡¯t been able to say to each other.¡±

    <em>- ¡­</em>

    ¡°This might be¡­ our only chance.¡±

    <em>- U-Urghhh.</em>

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>- ¡­Where are you?</em>

    The voice across the phone sounded slightly ted.

    Kang-Woo answered, ¡°Come to the roof of our apartment.¡±

    <em>- N-Ngh. I-I¡¯ll be there in a bit, so wait for me there.</em>

    Before hanging up, Kang-Woo heard stomping sounds and Yeon-Joo screaming, <em>¡®Kyaaaahh! What do I do?!¡¯</em>.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Kang-Woo made Yeon-Joo something to give her after he hung up. He already had a rough idea of it so it did not take long to make.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    After about two hours of waiting on the rooftop, Yeon-Joo finally appeared as she opened the door to the roof.

    ¡°S-Sorry for making you wait so long,¡± she said as she swept back her red hair with a yellow hairpin on it.

    She had gone all out on her attire instead of her usual jeans and a white T-shirt. She was wearing a white blouse and a checkered skirt. She was wearing low patent leather heels and even some expensive-looking essories. She was already a knockout beauty in regr attire, but she looked even more radiant now.

    ¡°S-So, what did you want to say to me?¡± Yeon-Joo asked as she twirled the ends of her hair around her finger for no reason.

    ¡°I wanted to ask you a favor.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled and handed her something. Yeon-Joo expressed slight disappointment.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°A speech.¡±

    ¡°A speech?¡± Yeon-Joo frowned.

    Kang-Woo turned on the live stream of the martialw opposition rally and said, I¡¯d like you to put an end to this rally as the leader of the Church of Splendor.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Yeon-Joo read through the speech that Kang-Woo handed her in silence. In it were things about how everything was ording to what the God of Splendor had prophesied, and that they needed to go to Aernor before an even bigger disaster struck. Yeon-Joo turned red after reading further into the speech.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not fucking doing this! Wh-What the fuck?!¡±

    It was not just about reciting the speech; Yeon-Joo would need to put on a tearjerking performance and preach <em>Ohmen </em>in front of hundreds of thousands of people. It was impossible to do for anyone with a sense of shame, especially for the rtively shy Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°Never! I¡¯ll neeeeeeeeeeever do it!! Over my dead body!!¡± she shouted madly.

    Snap!

    Just then, Kang-Woo took a photo of Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°What did you just do?¡±

    Yeon-Joo flinched and stared at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t do it¡­¡± Kang-Woo smiled brightly. He opened the messenger app, selected a photo, and hovered his thumb over the <em>send </em>button. ¡°I¡¯ll send this photo of you I just took¡­ to Seol-Ah. I wonder how she¡¯ll react?¡±

    ¡°KYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!¡± Yeon-Joo screamed.

    She looked down at her clothes in pallor. Unlike her usual clothes, her attire oozed with the desire to look pretty for someone, and the same could be said for her makeup and hairstyle. If Seol-Ah were to see this¡­

    ¡°Y-You¡­¡± Yeon-Joo¡¯s shoulders trembled. ¡°YOU MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEERRRRR!!¡±

    She grabbed Kang-Woo by his hair and smashed her knee into his face. Her attack prated his Deific Essence barrier and caved his face in. Blood poured out of Kang-Woo¡¯s nose.

    <em>¡®Uhh, mm.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo fell into thought as he was getting his ass beaten by a crazed lioness.

    <em>¡®Man, it¡¯s actually hurting my conscience this time.¡¯</em>

    He knew that he had taken advantage of her feelings far too much this time.

    <em>¡®Yeon-Joo, oh Yeon-Joo. Forgive me just this once. I¡¯ll be super, super good to you once this is all over. I¡¯ll carry you to Gold.¡¯</em>

    1. This is referring to Naver, Korea¡¯s first web portal. ?

 Chapter 497: Preparations for War (3)

    Chapter 497: Preparations for War (3)

    ¡°Everyone! Trust in the light! Follow the path of light!¡± shouted Cha Yeon-Joo, enveloped in radiant splendor.

    All eyes of the people gathered at Gwanghwamun were on her. The speech that Yeon-Joo had been reciting for the past twenty minutes was about to reach its climax.

    ¡°The God of Splendor will save us all!¡±

    <em>tter!</em>

    Gold chains poured out in a fan-shape from the area around Yeon-Joo¡¯s back, making them look like wings made of brilliant light.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    The eyes of the crowd shook. They recalled the Parasite invasion in Seoul, which was only a month ago. The one who had saved them was the God of Splendor with his brilliant wings.

    ¡°O God of Splendor¡­¡±

    The number of people bursting into tears with their mouths covered with both hands increased. They knew very well who had saved them as Seoul was covered in mes. The Sword Dragon, the yers of Guardians, and the soldiers from Aernor all did their part, but the one who had wiped out countless Parasites with one attack was the God of Splendor.¡°Ohmen¡­¡±

    ¡°Hurgh. Please punish us fools.¡±

    ¡°We were blind to the word of God!!¡±

    The devotees of the Church of Splendor, who had been secretly nted throughout the crowd, shouted praises for the God of Splendor as they acted like they had been led astray. Their voices spread several hundred meters using a magic tool.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    At the same time, the light of splendor burst out of Yeon-Joo and enveloped the entire crowd.

    [I will guide you to salvation.]

    A solemn voice echoed within the people¡¯s heads. None of them knew this, but it was just a recording of Vaal Zahak¡¯s voice, which could be mistaken for that of a crime boss.

    [The light will save you all.]

    There was nothing more effective than a good voice in pulling out emotion from people¡¯s hearts. Vaal Zahak¡¯s deep and dignified voice moved the hearts of everyone gathered at the rally. ording to Kang-Woo, the skeleton¡¯s voice was Kim Si-Hun-level.

    ¡°Ohmen¡­!!¡±

    ¡°I believe, I believe, I believe!!¡±

    The decoys praised the God of Splendor even more. Add to that the Incarnation of Splendor sprouting brilliant wings and the voice of God echoing from the light, there was no question.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    Seoul had experienced an extinction-level threat only a month ago and the one who had saved them from despair was the God of Splendor, who was currently warning them of danger. It was more than enough to break through the people¡¯s psychological defense.

    ¡°O-Oh¡­¡±

    Tears welled up from their eyes. Humans were sentimental creatures; the wave of emotions spreading throughout the crowd began to influence each of the hundreds of thousands of people, causing them to lose their sense of reason.

    ¡°OHMEEEEEEEEEEN!!¡±

    The prayer that started from somewhere caused the others to follow suit.

    ¡°Everyone¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s shoulders trembled as she stood in front of countless people. Her white vestments fluttered as she kneeled in front of everyone.

    She shouted in tears, ¡°OHMEEEEEEEN!!¡±

    Her shout sounded more like one of desperation than praise for some reason.

    ***

    ¡°Great job,¡± said Oh Kang-Woo, who had been watching from backstage.

    Yeon-Joo walked past Kang-Woo, her eyes as cold as frost. She then stopped and turned her head with a fierce look. ¡°Just this once. This is thest time.¡±

    She red at him and angrily threw aside her long white hat.

    ¡°I¡¯m never doing this again. I¡¯m not gonna do this church leader shit anymore either. Got it?¡±

    Yeon-Joo ripped off her fluttery vestments in tears and threw it aside. Under it were the clothes that she had worn to meet Kang-Woo on the roof. She was not used to dressing nicely, but she had tried her best. She cried even more as she looked down at them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ever contact me again,¡± she stated coldly. ¡°You¡¯re busy anyway, aren¡¯t you? We only have a month.¡± She clenched her fists. ¡°I did everything I could, so stay out of my life from now on.¡±

    Yeon-Joo turned around as she wiped her tears.

    ¡°Yeon-Joo,¡± Kang-Woo called.

    She ignored him and walked away. Kang-Woo caught up to her and grabbed her hand.

    ¡°What?¡± she asked as she red at him coldly.

    Kang-Woo yanked her hand¡­

    ¡°Mmph!!¡±

    ¡­ Tilted his head, and kissed her.

    ¡°M-Mmph!! Mmmmmmph!¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened. She waved her hands around, but Kang-Woo embraced her and leaned in even more for a deeper kiss.

    ¡°Pwah!¡± Yeon-Joo hurriedly stepped back after the short kiss. ¡°Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What the fuck?!!¡±

    Her face turned so red that it looked like it would burst from a slight poke.

    ¡°Wh-What was¡­ th-that for?¡± Yeon-Joo stammered with a hint of tion in her voice.

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly and lightly grabbed Yeon-Joo¡¯s hands. ¡°Thanks. I mean, I love to tease you for fun, but I¡¯ve always cherished you.¡±

    ¡°U-Urgh.¡± Yeon-Joo lowered her head which had turned bright red. ¡°Wh-What the f-fuck¡¯s gotten into you? I-It doesn¡¯t suit you at all, y-you damn virgin. H-Haha. Y-You think you¡¯re hot stuff just because I h-hung out with you a bit? Wh-When did I ever say that I-I was interested in someone like y-you? Sheesh. Th-This is the problem with virgins¡­¡±

    Her stuttering continued as tears flowed down her cheeks, but they were tears of joy unlike before.

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Kang-Wooughed, unable to hold it in any longer.

    The sight of the crying Yeon-Joo was beyond beautiful.

    ¡°Wh-What?! Wh-Why the fuck are youughing?!¡± Yeon-Joo shouted madly.

    Kang-Woo patted her head as he snickered. ¡°Sorry, but I have to go. I¡¯ll tell you why Iughedter.¡±

    He wanted to stay with her for a little longer, but Iris had contacted him during Yeon-Joo¡¯s speech. Considering what Iris had requested of him, he couldn¡¯t stay here for much longer. As Yeon-Joo had said, they only had one month.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Yeon-Joo flinched and bit her lip. She could still feel Kang-Woo¡¯s lips on hers. She was feeling fuzzy as if she were dreaming. ¡°O-Okay, sure.¡±

    Yeon-Joo looked away from Kang-Woo. She heard from Kang-Woo that there was going to be a battle against Bael in one month, so she knew how busy of a schedule he had.

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo rubbed the end of her shoe on the ground as if she were dissatisfied. She was wearing low heels instead of her usual sneakers. She could feel her face and ears getting red.

    <em>¡®I must be crazy.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo shut her eyes tightly and shook her head. She thought there was no way that these clothes looked good on her.

    <em>¡®These would look far better on Seol-Ah or Lilith¡­¡¯</em>

    Her expression turned darker the more she thought that she had done something pointless.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Kang-Woo stopped in his tracks and turned to Yeon-Joo. He said nonchntly, ¡°Those clothes look good on you.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­!¡±

    Kang-Woo then flew up into the sky. Yeon-Joo quickly turned around but Kang-Woo was already gone.

    ¡°Argh! Wh-What the hell are you talking about, you son of a bitch?!¡± Yeon-Joo cursed at the vanished Kang-Woo for no reason. ¡°Urgh¡­¡±

    She clenched the hems of her skirt after cursing some more.

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    Yeon-Joo smiled more brightly than ever.

    ***

    ¡°Ah, S-Sir Kang-Woo!¡±

    A woman with hair so blonde that it looked as if it were made of liquid gold, was waiting in front of the Gate leading to Aernor. Irisran to Kang-Woo as soon as she noticed him.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Sir Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°It sure has.¡±

    Kang-Woo slightly nodded. It had definitely been a while, but it had been far longer for the ones he was about to meet.

    <em>¡®It has seriously been a while.¡¯</em>

    He could barely remember how long it had been even afterbing through his memories.

    Iris turned to Kang-Woo and remarked, ¡°Please wait just a little bit. They will be here soon.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded and stared at the massive Gate several kilometers tall.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!</em>

    Blue lightning sparked soon after.

    ¡°Kang-Wooooooooo!!!¡±

    A blue-haired boy flew out of the Gate as the wings on his back pped energetically.

    ¡°Uriel.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled at the boy flying toward him. He had left Uriel in Aernor so that Uriel could deal with the aftermaths of the destruction in Sant¡¯Angelo from the invasion by the Constetions of Evil.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s nice to see him again.¡¯</em>

    Others might think of him as an unruly child, but he was at least docile in front of Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Hah, how¡¯ve you been? I¡¯ve heard so much. Earth was attacked by otherworldly beings not long ago, wasn¡¯t it? Are you hurt anywhere? I¡¯m so sorry I wasn¡¯t able to h¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop. Calm down, Uriel,¡± someone with a deep voice interjected. Michael slowly walked out of the Gate from behind Uriel. He bowed courteously and greeted, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Kang-Woo.¡±

    Next to him was a woman who reeked of alcohol, sweeping her hair back with a smile.

    ¡°Sheesh~ give it a rest already, brat. Is he your long-lost lover or something?¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Uriel red fiercely at Gabriel, the woman who reeked of alcohol. ¡°Damn drunkard¡­¡±

    ¡°Hihi. What¡¯s up with you? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s your first time seeing me drunk.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    Uriel and Gabriel began to bicker with each other.

    ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Michael sighed as if he were having a headache. He paid them no attention and extended his arm toward Kang-Woo. ¡°I have been ryed the situation from Iris, Kang-Woo. An army of demons will be attacking Earth in one month¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Kang-Woo replied.

    ¡°I apologize for not being able to help during thest invasion. We have only just finished rebuilding Sant¡¯Angelo.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m grateful enough for youing this time.¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed Michael¡¯s hand with a smile.

    <em>¡®The gods of Olympus, the martialw, and now the angels.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was slowly gathering the crucial pieces of the puzzle.

 Chapter 498: Stragglers (1)

    Chapter 498: Stragglers (1)

    ¡°Ah¡­ To think there was such an atrocity in Olympus¡­¡± Michael expressed sorrow.

    He, Uriel, and Gabriel couldn¡¯t help but be shocked after hearing that Bael had attacked Olympus.

    ¡°Th-Then have all the gods of Olympus been annihted?¡± Uriel asked.

    ¡°No, but¡­¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo exined the current state of Olympus.

    ¡°This is¡­ the worst.¡±

    Uriel¡¯s expression hardened. It was despairing to hear that most of the gods of Olympus could not participate in the war against Bael and his army, which was only a month away.

    Kang-Woo mentioned, ¡°I¡¯m sure Bael attacked them with this in mind.¡±

    ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Uriel shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Just how strong is Bael¡­ to be able to decimate Olympus by himself?¡±He knew how powerful those with Deific Essence were since Michael was one of such beings. He could hardly believe that a group of such beings were one-sidedly beaten by one demon.

    ¡°He¡¯s strong. Overwhelmingly so,¡± answered Kang-Woo concisely.

    He was not exaggerating to keep them on their toes; Bael was so powerful that not even Kang-Woo was sure whether or not he would be able to defeat him. Bael might even be on the same level as the Titans, the creator of worlds.

    Silence fell. Even Gabriel, the always yful angel, was serious after hearing about the loss at Olympus.

    ¡°It might be weird for me to say this since I was the bearer of the bad news, but rx.¡± Kang-Woo smiled faintly and continued, ¡°Whatever the case may be, this isn¡¯t a battle we can avoid. We should be raising our chances of victory instead of trembling in fear.¡±

    It was easier said than done. Imagine if a dump truck were to suddenly veer off itsne and charge right at you; how many of us would be able to stay calm and think to roll to the side? Nine out of ten people would fall into panic mode and get hit by the truck without being able to react.

    <em>¡®And those nine out of ten people can¡¯t be an archangel.¡¯</em>

    The archangels did not betray Kang-Woo¡¯s expectations.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°Nothing will change even if we stay in fear.¡±

    Uriel and Michael nodded in seriousness. They were unwavering to the point that it was boring.

    <em>¡®They don¡¯t disappoint.¡¯</em>

    It would have been pointless to ask for their assistance if they were any other way.

    Kang-Woo continued, ¡°Let¡¯s head to the Hall of Protection first. I will give you the details on the defense line there.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Michael nodded. As he was following behind Kang-Woo, he was reminded of something and then asked, ¡°Oh right. Come to think of it, why did you ask us not to bring the other angels?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I was curious about that as well. Why did you ask only for us three?¡± asked Uriel with his head tilted in wonder.

    Michael approached Kang-Woo and said, ¡°If you¡¯re worried about the state of Sant¡¯Angelo, it has been more or less resto¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not why.¡± Kang-Woo shook his head.

    When he asked Iris to contact Michael to ask for assistance, he also told Iris to tell Michael not to bring other angels aside from Uriel and Gabriel.

    ¡°Setting up the defense line itself is going to be muchter. I just thought there was no need to bring so many so soon.¡±

    Michael tilted his head in confusion, unable to understand the logic. He asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be prepared as soon as possible since the war is only a month away?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re indeed short on time, but not getting caught is more important.¡±

    Bael would be attacking Seoul in one month, but Kang-Woo needed to maintain the fa?ade that he had no idea about the day of the <em>Apocalypse </em>for their n of attack to work.

    <em>¡®That would make the ambush meaningless.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had temporarily prevented Bael from being able to observe them through the System, but that was not good enough for him to rest easy.

    <em>¡®We have to set up a defense line throughout Seoul.¡¯</em>

    It was far too wide of a perimeter to be lying in ambush; stealth was the most crucial part of this n, which required the defense line to be prepared as thoroughly and quickly as possible. Hence, it needed to be set up aste as possible.

    ¡°It seems I did not think it through enough.¡± Michael nodded as he stroked his chin, having fully understood Kang-Woo¡¯s intentions. ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be discovered regardless as soon as we set up the defense line?¡±

    Kang-Woo shrugged and answered, ¡°I¡¯ve already thought of a countermeasure for that.¡±

    However, his countermeasure was not as perfect as he was letting it out to be.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo lightly closed and opened his fists. <em>¡®How hard can it be to keep a brat¡¯s eyes covered?¡¯</em>

    He was certain that he was unmatched at least in his ability to hide things.

    ¡°This won¡¯t be easy.¡± Michael narrowed his eyes and nodded.

    ¡°But it has to be done.¡±

    ¡°As expected of the God of Splendor.¡± Michaelughed.

    Kang-Woo smiled back and turned around. ¡°Right, let¡¯s go to the Hall of Protection. La will brief you on the details once you arrive.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Wh-What about you, Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°I have something to do, so I can¡¯t stay.¡±

    One month was barely enough time to prepare a barrier and a defense line around Seoul, all while staying out of Bael¡¯s sight. There was no time to waste catching up with old friends.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Uriel expressed dejection.

    ¡°Urghh¡­¡± Iris also looked dejected, biting her lip after finding out that she wouldn¡¯t be able to spend time with Kang-Woo after being apart for so long.

    ¡°Wow, the great God of Splendor sure is popr.¡± Gabriel wrapped her arm around Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders with a smile. She brought her mouth close to Kang-Woo¡¯s ear, her breath reeking of alcohol. ¡°Why don¡¯t you work your charm that got you so popr on little old me as well?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha.¡±

    <em>¡®What¡¯s wrong with you, crazydy?¡¯</em>

    ¡°I already have a Darling.¡±

    <em>¡®Keep that up, and you¡¯ll die.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re getting me even more fired up.¡±

    <em>¡®You might catch fire for real at this rate.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Alright, pleasee this way.¡±

    Kang-Woo took Gabriel¡¯s arm off of his shoulders and turned.

    ¡°Tsk, you¡¯re no fun.¡± Gabriel clicked her tongue and stepped away from Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo looked back at her and smiled.

    <em>¡®You don¡¯t know this, but I just saved your life.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Before that, I have something to tell you,¡± Michael remarked as Kang-Woo was about to get moving as he shook his head.

    ¡°Oh¡­ that? Is there even a need to tell him when it¡¯s almost over?¡± asked Uriel apathetically as he interlocked his finger behind his head, knowing exactly what Michael was about to tell Kang-Woo.

    ¡°We should share every little detail in dire situations like this.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Kang-Woo asked as he turned to Michael, tilting his head.

    ¡°A group of demons was discovered in Aernor not long ago.¡±

    ¡°A group of demons?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There were about¡­ a hundred of them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not that many¡­ or I guess it could be considered a lot. Did they cause any issues?¡±

    ¡°Not much. After all¡­¡± Michael narrowed his eyes and continued, ¡°They were stragglers.¡±

    ¡°Stragglers?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I do not know exactly why, but the demons were running away while covered in wounds.¡±

    ¡°From who?¡±

    ¡°That we don¡¯t know, but I would assume there was some sort of power struggle among the demons.¡±

    Kang-Woo suddenly recalled what Eilles had said.

    <em>- The majority of Lord Bael¡¯s army is made up of the demons of the Ninth Hell.</em>

    In other words, Bael had taken control of the Ninth Hell after Kang-Woo left.

    <em>¡®And if there was a power struggle among the demons of the Ninth Hell¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought about his loyal subordinates who had been with him during the war against the seven princes of Hell and when he earned the right to rule over Hell.

    <em>¡®It can¡¯t be.¡¯</em>

    A thought that he didn¡¯t even want to imagine crossed his mind. He suspected as soon as he was told that Bael had gathered an army of demons from the Ninth Hell that there would be a conflict between his former army and Bael¡¯s army. He had already expected and prepared himself for it.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    If the number of stragglers only amounted to a hundred, it meant one thing that Kang-Woo had not expected to happen.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression froze, chilling bloodlust filling his eyes.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not.¡¯</em>

    He erased the negative thoughts, denying them as nonsense.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure they¡¯re just some random straggler demons.¡¯</em>

    A part of his mind was sure that his negative thought was true despite his best efforts to deny it.

    Kang-Woo asked quietly, ¡°Was there¡­ a particr demon among them whose name you know or if any of their characteristics stood out to you?¡±

    Michael nodded. ¡°Oh, yes. I believe the leader of the stragglers was named¡­¡± He lightly tapped on his chin as hebed through his memories. ¡°Doomguard.¡±

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes. The possibility he had tried so hard to deny had be a fact.

    <em>¡®Doomguard.¡¯</em>

    He was the Guardian of Ruin, as well as the demon whomanded the third battalion of Kang-Woo¡¯s Demon King army.

    ¡°Could you¡­ tell me where those stragglers are headed?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Oh, of course. They¡¯re heading southeast of Aernor, but¡­ we are close to catching up to them. If you would like to interrogate them, I would rmend you wait a litt¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Kang-Woo interjected, his eyes glinting fiercely. ¡°I will go personally.¡±

    ¡°You, Kang-Woo¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There is a high chance they are associated with the Demon of Prophecy. I would like to interrogate them myself.¡±

    ¡°I see. In that case, I will have the pursuit squad apany y¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s alright. You can just tell me where they are and I will resolve this issue myself.¡±

    Kang-Woo waved his hand and smiled brightly, but there was something slightly off about his smile.

 Chapter 499: Stragglers (2)

    Chapter 499: Stragglers (2)

    ¡°Did you say¡­ Doomguard?¡±

    Balrog, who had instantly flown to Oh Kang-Woo as soon as he received the call, clenched his fists.

    ¡°Hmm. I can more or less tell what happened in the Ninth Hell.¡±

    Lilith, who came with Balrog, sighed and shook her head. Kang-Woo had ordered them toe to the Gate leading to Aernor as soon as he guided the archangels Michael, Uriel, and Gabriel to the Hall of Protection.

    ¡°If Doomguard was the only one there¡­ would that mean Arakyle, Nah, and Wrethion were all killed by Bael?¡± asked Balrog with a heavy expression.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s army used to be divided into five battalions. Balrog led the first battalion, Destruction Corps, Arakyle led the second battalion, Despair Corps, Doomguard led the third battalion, Ruin Corps, Nah led the fourth battalion, Grief Corps, and Wrethion led the fifth battalion, Resentment Corps.

    These five battalions fought alongside Kang-Woo in the war to decide the true ruler of the Ninth Hell. And of course, the one who decided those cringy names was not Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s all Balrog¡¯s naming sense.¡¯</em>

    He had decided on those names without consulting Kang-Woo, iming that the names were required so that they could strike fear into their enemies.<em>¡®My god, just thinking about those days makes me¡­¡¯</em>

    He recalled cringing every time hemanded each battalion. Memories shed before his eyes like a panorama.

    <em>- Uh, mm¡­ R-Ruin Corps, strike the enemy from behind, and¡­ Despair¡­ do we really have to use these fucking names?</em>

    <em>- Of course, we do!</em>

    <em>- Why? Why the fuck do we have to?</em>

    <em>- Because they are cool!</em>

    <em>- Son of a bitch.</em>

    ¡°Urgh¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo wildly shook his head to shoo away his dark past.

    ¡°Even if you were absent, all five battalions being wiped out is impossible,¡± stated Balrog as he shook his head iprehensibly.

    Kang-Woo remained silent, his expression hardened. Balrog was right; even if he, Balrog, and Lilith were absent, there was no way that all five battalions were wiped out. Unless¡­

    Kang-Woo smiled somberly. ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°Please wait, my king. Didn¡¯t Eilles say that Amon dealt with most matters of the Ninth Hell?¡± asked Lilith as she frowned.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>¡®As expected of Lilith. She noticed the worst possible oue.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Then it could mean that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡±

    Kang-Woo cut Lilith off and gestured at Balrog with his chin. Lilith¡¯s expression hardened.

    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Balrog stared at Lilith and Kang-Woo with his head tilted.

    Kang-Woo refused to borate and turned around. He remarked, ¡°Let¡¯s find Doomguard first.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my king.¡± Lilith nodded.

    ¡°...?¡±

    Balrog narrowed his eyes, unable to understand, but he did not demand an exnation.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    Kang-Woo walked into the Gate leading to Aernor. His vision distorted and he felt nauseated. Once they arrived at Aernor, he held Lilith, who couldn¡¯t fly and lifted her.

    Lilith would have stuck to Kang-Woo to seduce him in normal conditions, but she was off in her thoughts with a gloomy expression. Kang-Woo sighed.

    <em>¡®Authority of the Sky.¡¯</em>

    He slowly floated once he activated the Authority. Balrog sprouted his gigantic wings and followed behind him.

    <em>¡®The southeastern region of Aernor, I believe they said.¡¯</em>

    It was not far since the Gate connecting Earth and Aernor was located in the southernmost region of Aernor. It was impossible to know Doomguard¡¯s exact location since he was on the move, but¡­

    ¡°That way.¡±

    Kang-Woo could find him easily because Doomguard was one of his <em>retainers</em>. He quickly flew toward the direction that he pointed at.

    <em>Whoosh¡ª!!!</em>

    Sharp winds brushed past his skin. The sonic booms from their supersonic speed destroyed the areas in their flight path.

    ***

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± Doomguard panted heavily as he staggered.

    His vision was blurry and his energy was bottoming out.

    ¡°Lord¡­ Doomguard¡­ we can¡¯t¡­¡±

    One of his Ruin Corps subordinates¡¯ groans echoed within his ears.

    ¡°Keep moving,¡±manded Doomguard as he turned his head to look back. Behind him were about a hundred of his ragged subordinates. He said, barely managing to squeeze out a response, ¡°We have to make it¡­ to our king.¡±

    He was also in terrible condition; he was missing an arm, and ck blood was pouring out of his wound that reached from his chest to his stomach. His goat horns, which were no different from his pride as a demon, were broken in half.

    ¡°Keep¡­ mov¡­¡±

    Doomguard¡¯s voice grew fainter.

    <em>Boom.</em>

    He staggered and copsed to his knees. The unending outpour of ck blood wet the ground.

    <em>¡®My king¡­¡¯</em>

    Doomguard thought about his master as his consciousness waned.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    He hallucinated his master approaching from afar.

    <em>Whaaaaam!</em>

    Something flying toward the stragglers at astonishing speednded on the ground.

    ¡°Doomguard.¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at his ragged retainer.

    ¡°My¡­ king.¡±

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    Kang-Woo bit open his finger without hesitation and stuck his bleeding finger inside Doomguard¡¯s mouth.

    <em>¡®Authority of Regeneration.¡¯</em>

    Doomguard slowly began to return to normal as soon as Kang-Woo activated the Authority. However¡­

    ¡°<em>Cough! Cough!</em>¡±

    Doomguard covered his mouth and coughed up ck blood. Kang-Woo frowned aggressively. He bit open another finger to bleed even more.

    ¡°Drink.¡±

    ¡°My king¡­¡±

    ¡°Drink.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo pouredrge amounts of his blood into Doomguard¡¯s mouth as he activated the Authority of Regeneration at full throttle. All of Doomguard¡¯s injuries disappeared as if time had been reversed.

    ¡°<em>Cough!</em> Kurgh!¡±

    Doomguard continued to cough up blood despite all of his injuries having disappeared.

    ¡°My king, this is¡­¡± Lilith said quietly.

    ¡°I know,¡± Kang-Woo answered, biting his lip.

    The Authority of Regeneration could only treat superficial injuries; it couldn¡¯t heal internal umted damage. Doomguard¡¯s body was already destroyed to the point that it couldn¡¯t be healed with the Authority of Regeneration.

    ¡°What the hell happened, Doomguard?!¡±

    Balrog grabbed Doomguard¡¯s shoulders with a miserable expression. His missing arm had regenerated, but it drooped lifelessly as if it had lost all feeling. Kang-Woo stared at Doomguard with deeply sunken eyes.

    ¡°Doomguard¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehe. I¡¯m happy that¡­ I managed to see you again¡­ <em>Cough!</em> Before myst breath, my king. I¡­ I have something that I need to tell you¡­ no matter what.¡±

    Doomguard smiled in a way that did not fit his hideous looks at all. His smile was filled with Purity, unlike Balrog¡¯s. Although he was violent enough to be known as the Guardian of Ruin, he was but a loyal baby to Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and recalled the terrible wound that spanned from Doomguard¡¯s chest to his stomach before Kang-Woo healed him. It looked as if he were hacked by a saw de; there weren¡¯t many demons who could make such a wound.

    <em>¡®In the end¡­¡¯</em>

    The possibility that he wanted to deny had be reality.

    ¡°Arakyle did this¡­ didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Doomguard lowered his head, looking like he was about to break at any second. He kneeled in front of Kang-Woo as if he were confessing his sins.

    ¡°What¡­ do you mean?¡± asked Balrog with a trembling voice. His eyes were shaking as if he couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Arakyle is¡­ your loyal subordinate, my king.¡±

    Arakyle was themander of the Demon King¡¯s second battalion, the Despair Corps.

    ¡°Why would he¡­ attack Doomguard?!¡± Balrog shouted.

    As someone whose loyalty to his king was on par with that of the king of the Frostborn for Bael, Balrog was having a hard time understanding.

    ¡°Why would fellowmanders¡ª¡±

    ¡°Balrog, stop,¡± said Lilith as she sighed deeply. There was no change in her expression since she had already expected this to happen. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already figured out what happened as well.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Most of what happened in the Ninth Hell was done by Amon, not Bael. If Bael didn¡¯t involve himself, there was no way that only a hundred survived, even if they had to retreat against Bael¡¯s army.¡±

    Merely a hundred surviving was logically impossible, considering the size of the Demon King¡¯s army.

    ¡°It would¡¯ve made more sense if no one survived. It would just mean they decided to die honorable deaths.¡±

    However, they had run away instead of going out with a bang.

    ¡°If only a hundred managed to survive¡­¡±

    If it was logically impossible, it would mean that something illogical had urred.

    Lilith shut her eyes tightly and continued firmly, ¡°It means our king was betrayed.¡±

    Kang-Woo had been betrayed by his subordinates, his retainers whom he had led throughout the war and fought alongside to the very end.

    ¡°We were¡­ betrayed,¡± Lilith said hesitantly.

    She knew how much Kang-Woo cherished his retainers as well as how many he lost during the thousand-year war. She couldn¡¯t even imagine how Kang-Woo was feeling after finding out one of those retainers had betrayed him.

    <em>¡®My king¡­¡¯</em>

    Lilith turned to Kang-Woo, who was looking down at Doomguard with his head lowered. She wanted to embrace and console him, telling him that it was not his fault and that it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°...¡±

    However, the sorrow, rage, frustration, resentment, and regret in his eyes kept her legs from moving.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Balrog stomped his foot and stared at Doomguard, grimacing like a Yaksha.

    ¡°Is that true?¡± he asked.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I asked you if that¡¯s true, Doomguard!¡±

    Balrog roared like a ferocious beast. Doomguard simply trembled in silence with his head lowered. Balrog walked to him and reached out for him.

    ¡°Balrog.¡± Kang-Woo grabbed Balrog¡¯s arm. ¡°Stand down.¡±

    ¡°But¡­!¡±

    ¡°Stand¡­ down,¡± Kang-Woo said in a deep voice.

    Balrog flinched and took a step back.

    Kang-Woo lightly ced his hand on the kneeling Doomguard¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Doomguard.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Good work for making it this far.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Doomguard looked up at Kang-Woo in silence. ck blood flowed from the corner of his mouth and welled at the end of his chin.

    ¡°Heh¡­ hehe.¡± Doomguard smiled innocently in a way unbefitting a demon. ¡°If I knew¡­ this would happen¡­¡± He raised his shaking hand and grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hand on his shoulder. ¡°I would have¡­e to see you¡­ sooner.¡±

    Doomguard smiled brightly again as the light in his eyes dimmed. His hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s hand dropped as if a string holding it up was cut. The light in his eyes disappeared.

    ¡°And¡­¡± Kang-Woo said as he slowly raised his head. He stared at one of the hundred demons copsed behind Doomguard. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Arakyle.¡±

 Chapter 500: Advent (1)

    Chapter 500: Advent (1)

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±

    A brightughter echoed. One of the demons on the ground behind Doomguard split in half.

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d hidden myself pretty well¡­ I guess I can¡¯t fool you, my lord Demon King.¡±

    A demon with hands made of sharp saw des showed himself. He was wearing a formal suit with his hair neatly swept back, a rare sight to see for a demon. Arakyle, themander of the Despair Corps, bowed courteously.

    ¡°Of course, I would. After all, we were family,¡± Oh Kang-Woo said in a deep tone.

    The word family sounded awkward to him despite saying it himself.

    ¡°Family¡­ yes, we sure were. Such a word doesn¡¯t suit demons, but you were different, my king.¡±

    Arakyle chuckled. The Demon King was ruthless to his enemies but treated the demons whom he epted as his retainer like family.

    ¡°You were the closest thing to what a demon should be¡­ as well as the one furthest from it,¡± mentioned Arakyle as if reminiscing.He had met Kang-Woo about three hundred years ago when Kang-Woo defeated a prince of Hell for the first time.

    ¡°We went through¡­ so much together.¡±

    Arakyle had fought together and shared victories with Kang-Woo. They emerged victorious against the forces of the seven princes of Hell and earned the right to rule Hell.

    ¡°It is truly an honor to see you again, my king.¡±

    Arakyle bowed courteously.

    Kang-Woo lowered his head with deeply sunken eyes. He carefullyid the dead Doomguard on the ground.

    He closed Doomguard¡¯s eyes and replied, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good to see you too. Though I never expected our reunion to happen by you stabbing me in the back like this.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. I didn¡¯t expect things to end up this way either.¡±

    Arakyle tapped on the ground with his saw de hands.

    ¡°Arakyle, you bastard¡­¡±

    Balrog red at Arakyle fiercely, clenching his fists as if he were about to charge at him at any second.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Kang-Woo stopped Balrog and slowly walked forward. He stared at Arakyle and asked, ¡°Lemme ask you something.¡±

    ¡°You have but to ask.¡± Arakyle lowered his head with a smile.

    ¡°Why?¡± Kang-Woo asked in a deep tone.

    ¡°Hahaha!!¡± Arakyle burst intoughter and stared at Doomguard on the ground. ¡°If you are referring to why I killed Doomguard¡­¡± He clicked his tongue. ¡°It is because he continued to refuse my proposal.¡±

    ¡°Proposal?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arakyle answered as he spread his arms widely. ¡°My proposal to betray you and join Bael¡¯s army.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°No, no. I misspoke. Betray isn¡¯t the right word¡­ You can¡¯t call it a betrayal.¡± Arakyle shook his head and cackled. ¡°Isn¡¯t it only natural for demons to pursue their desires?¡±

    Desire was no different from instinct for demons; it allowed them to be demons and for them to stay as one. Desire was everything to them.

    ¡°ARAKYYYYYYYYYLE!!!¡±

    <em>Boom!</em>

    The surroundings shook as Balrog unleashed a roar. He clenched his fists and charged at Arakyle.

    <em>nk, nk.</em>

    ck armor began to wrap around him.

    <em>Tssssssss¡ª!!</em>

    White steam poured out from the armor¡¯s gaps and Balrog pped his wings from within the steam. Arakyle raised his saw de hand.

    <em>ng¡ª!!!</em>

    Balrog¡¯s fist and Arakyle¡¯s saw de shed, causing a thunderous sound of shing metal to echo.

    ¡°Huup!¡± Balrog inhaled and added more strength to his fist. His red muscles swelled as if they would explode. His eyes were filled with rage as he eximed, ¡°You¡­ You dare¡­ betray our king?!¡±

    To Balrog, betraying Kang-Woo was a capital crime, regardless of the reason.

    <em>Boom! Crash!</em>

    Balrog swung his fists madly, each swing making sounds simr to cannon fire.

    ¡°HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN¡­?!¡±

    <em>Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!</em>

    Arakyle blocked every single one of Balrog¡¯s punches. The gaps between the saw des widened little by little with every sh.

    ¡°EVERYTHING OUR KING HAS DONE FOR US?!!¡±

    <em>Crash¡ª!</em>

    Balrog interlocked his fingers and swung down his fists with his entire weight behind them.

    <em>ng¡ª!</em>

    Arakyle¡¯s saw de bent sideways. Balrog pulled his right leg back and lowered his stance. He twisted his torso and raised his right fist high.

    ¡°Sky¡­¡± He used the torque to swing his fist down. ¡°Breaker!!¡±

    Balrog used one of the few techniques that he learned from Kang-Woo. A punch that could obliterate even a giant mountain smashed into Arakyle. However¡­

    ¡°Haha. You have changed quite a bit as well in the time I haven¡¯t seen you, Lord Balrog. Was a whip not your weapon of choice?¡±

    Arakyle had taken Balrog¡¯s punch straight on his chest. Balrog¡¯s fist was easily blown back by the invisible power around Arakyle.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Balrog frowned aggressively. He knew what the power wrapped around Arakyle was all too well.

    ¡°But in the end¡­¡± Arakyle smirked. ¡°You are but a pathetic fly without Deific Essence.¡±

    He cackled as he swung down his saw de hand. The demonic energy wrapped around the de was infused with Divinity.

    sh!!

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    Balrog jumped back in shock, but the saw de easily shed through his ck armor and formed arge wound across his chest. ck blood poured out like a fountain. Balrog tumbled across the ground as he clenched his chest.

    ¡°Kurgh¡­!¡± Balrog bit his lip aggressively.

    <em>¡®Deific Essence again¡­?¡¯</em>

    He clenched his fist wrapped with the ck armor. Simply having Deific Essence created an insurmountable gap between those with and without it. Balrog gritted his teeth.

    <em>- Come to think of it, you haven¡¯t awakened Deific Essence yet, have you?</em>

    Kim Si-Hun¡¯s words from when they were heading to the Frozen Temple popped into his head.

    Balrog grimaced fiercely. He knew that Si-Hun¡¯s words had not been to mock him, but¡­

    ¡°Shit, shit, shit!!¡±

    <em>Bang!</em>

    Balrog smashed his fists into the ground.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff.</em>¡±

    More ck blood poured out as the wound on his chest widened. Balrog looked down at his blood.

    <em>¡®There is a way.¡¯</em>

    His new ability, Overlord Armor, grew stronger using his blood as the energy source. In other words, he got stronger the more he bled.

    <em>¡®If that¡¯s the case.¡¯</em>

    There was a way to fight on par against those with Deific Essence, albeit temporarily.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    Hesitation filled Balrog¡¯s eyes. He clenched his fists anxiously.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Arakyle asked mockingly. ¡°Did you realize that you can¡¯t do anything just by shouting pledges of loyalty?¡±

    Balrog¡¯s expression hardened.

    Arakyle, drunk on power, continued tedly, ¡°Loyalty won¡¯t get you anywhere. You can¡¯t get anything with just conviction and willpower.¡± He raised his saw de hands high. ¡°Only desire, the instinct of demons as well as what allows us to exist,pletes us.¡±

    Arakyleughed as his shoulders moved up and down. The Deific Essence, which he acquired after making a deal with Amon, fired him up.

    He turned to Kang-Woo and asked, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you agree, my king?¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Arakyle in silence. The Deific Essence he could feel from Arakyle was as powerful as that of Tai Wuji and Gaia.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± he sighed deeply.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way Arakyle awakened Deific Essence on his own.¡¯</em>

    Hence, there was only one answer.

    <em>¡®He became an incarnation.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t sure whether Arakyle became Bael¡¯s incarnation or an incarnation of one of the outer gods cooperating with Bael, but he was sure that Arakyle had gained power iparable to his past self.

    <em>¡®So¡­ this was your n, Bael.¡¯</em>

    Uniting the Ninth Hell was meaningless by itself. Since the gods were freed from the restrictions of the Law of Titans and could now manifest into the physical realm, the demons also needed Deific Essence to fight evenly against them.

    <em>¡®I knew he would prepare countermeasures against Deific Essence, but I never thought one of them would be to grant Deific Essence to one of my former subordinates.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hah,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled, covering his face with one hand. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, you sure say some badass shit.¡±

    <em>¡®Only desirepletes demons; how badass is that?¡¯</em>

    ¡°To put it simply, you betrayed me because Bael¡¯s ass you were sucking was so sweet, right?¡±

    Arakyle had packaged the reason for his betrayal to be something grandiose, but it was overly simple when unraveled.

    ¡°Hmm. Your choice of words is as vulgar as always.¡±

    Arakyle red at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Of course it is. You know how I am,¡± said Kang-Woo.

    Arakyle replied quietly, ¡°I sure do. You were always like this.¡±

    The memories he had with Kang-Woo shed before his eyes. He recalled the wretched war and the battles they fought together to bring the seven princes of Hell down.

    ¡°Aaaahh, they were truly wonderful memories.¡± Arakyle trembled with a bright smile. ¡°But¡­¡±

    That was the end of it. His master had changed once they conquered the Ninth Hell.

    ¡°You no longer desired,¡± Arakyle stated as he looked at Kang-Woo in disgust.

    Yes; once the Demon King devoured every prince of Hell, he chose toy down everything and go back to Earth.

    ¡°In that moment, you lost your reason to exist as a demon.¡±

    Demons were born to desire; it allowed them to exist and was whatpleted them. However, the Demon King, who had the entire Ninth Hell in his hands, gave up on desiring. The Demon King filled with enough madness to devour everything in the world, whom Arakyle remembered, ceased to exist after the battle against Bael.

    <em>¡®Demons need a new king.¡¯</em>

    They did not need a king with no desire. They needed a new king filled with unending desire.

    <em>¡®Yes, Lord Bael¡­ the demon made purely of desire¡­ is fit to be our new king.¡¯</em>

    Arakyle smiled widely and raised his saw de hand.

    ¡°Demon King,¡± he said to Kang-Woo as if making a deration. ¡°Your era is over.¡±

 Chapter 501: Advent (2)

    Chapter 501: Advent (2)

    <em>Crack! Crack!!</em>

    The space behind Arakyle began to split once he finished his sentence. The ck Rift grew bigger and out came an army of demons that numbered easily over ten thousand. It was the <em>Despair Corps</em> led by Arakyle.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he stared at the Despair Corps that had marched out of the Rift. He couldn¡¯t feel Deific Essence from them like he could from Arakyle, but something about them felt off.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    He soon discovered the source of the oddity.

    <em>¡®What do they have around their necks?¡¯</em>

    Every demon of the Despair Corps was wearing something around their neck; it was neither a ne nor a pendant.

    <em>¡®... A pouch?¡¯</em>It was about half the size of a human palm. Based on how puffy it looked, Kang-Woo was sure that something was inside it. Such a thing did not exist back in his Demon King days.

    <em>¡®They¡¯re¡­ probably not charms.¡¯</em>

    There was no way demons would wear charms for good luck as a group.

    ¡°You must be curious about what these are.¡±

    Arakyle smiled as he noticed Kang-Woo¡¯s gaze. He gestured with his chin toward the Despair Corps that had surrounded Kang-Woo, Lilith, and Balrog. He then took off a pouch from one of the demon soldiers.

    ¡°Show the Demon King,¡± said Arakyle with a smile.

    Arakyle¡¯s subordinate brought the unknown pouch toward their mouth and slowly tilted it. A ck powder flowed out from the pouch¡¯s opening and entered their mouth.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± the subordinate grunted in pain.

    <em>Crunch! Crunch!</em>

    The sounds of bones breaking echoed.

    ¡°Gaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    Arakyle¡¯s subordinate writhed in pain as grotesque blood vessels resembling tree roots bulged throughout their body.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Unsettling demonic energy seeped out of the subordinate like haze. It was clearly different from regr demonic energy.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Kang-Wooughed.

    He could tell what the source of that demonic energy was even without using the Authority of Insight. He had experienced it once before.

    ¡°... The power of Deicide.¡±

    The power of Deicide, or god-killing powers, was fundamentally different from Deific Essence. If Deific Essence was influenced by one¡¯s status as a god, then the power of Deicide existed only to kill those with Deific Essence. To add more detail, the power of Deicide was specialized for prating Deific Essence and annihting it. Kang-Woo had made a weapon containing that power in the past.

    <em>¡®I made Yeon-Joo chains using Behemoth¡¯s horn.¡¯</em>

    Cha Yeon-Joo had been able to injure Kang-Woo even before she became his incarnation, as long as she used the chains infused with the power of Deicide.

    <em>¡®Since they can¡¯t all be made an incarnation, they were given something that temporarily grants them the power of Deicide.¡¯</em>

    If that was the case, it was not difficult to guess what that powder was.

    ¡°Poor Behemoth. Are his horns even intact at this point? No, if all these demons were provided with the powder, I guess they were repeatedly regrown and cut off?¡±

    The pouch on each demon of the Despair Corps likely contained powder made of Behemoth¡¯s horn.

    ¡°Amon, you thorough son of a bitch.¡±

    Kang-Woo had already thought of the possibility that Amon was controlling Behemoth since Behemoth looked as if he were being controlled by someone back when Kang-Woo and his party saw him in the satellite world. Amon¡¯s use of the power of Deicide infused in Behemoth¡¯s horns had been within Kang-Woo¡¯s expectations.

    <em>¡®But I never thought he would make performance-enhancing drugs with them instead of weapons.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not even know that ingesting the horn would temporarily grant the power of Deicide.

    <em>¡®No, not just that.¡¯</em>

    It was obvious just from seeing Arakyle¡¯s subordinate that they had not only been granted the power of Deicide but their demonic energy and physical parameters had also risen exponentially as well. Although it was only temporary, it far surpassed Han Seol-Ah¡¯s buffs.

    <em>¡®But naturally¡­¡¯</em>

    Such an abnormal boost in power woulde at a cost.

    <em>¡®You¡¯d be braindead if you¡¯re lucky, or just die if you aren¡¯t.¡¯</em>

    Ingesting powder made of Behemoth¡¯s horn was no different than bing a suicide bomber.

    ¡°Do you have any idea what would happen if you ate that?¡± asked Kang-Woo with deeply sunken eyes.

    Although they were Arakyle¡¯s subordinates, all members of the Despair Corps were Kang-Woo¡¯s subordinates as well.

    <em>¡®Well, not anymore.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo even recognized a few familiar faces among the soldiers surrounding him, Lilith, and Balrog. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t feel for them.

    ¡°Hahaha! Of course, we do!¡± Arakyle burst intoughter. He then exhaled ecstatically and spread his arms wide. ¡°But even if we have to tear ourselves apart and set our souls aze.¡± He raised his head high and said in madness, ¡°We have to move forward, don¡¯t we?¡±

    Arakyle cackled as his shoulders moved up and down.

    ¡°You used to say this all the time. Forward, forward, forward, forward!¡± He shouted in madness as he reminisced. ¡°Climb higher! To a height no one has ever reached! Kffp! Kahahahaha!!¡±

    Arakyle trembled in ecstasy.

    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re absolutely right, Demon King. If demons live by their desire and arepleted by them¡­!¡± He noisily shed his saw de hands together. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we pursue power, no matter what the cost?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Are you not the one who put that to practice the most, Demon King?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent as he recalled his days in Hell¡ª no, he did not even have to think that far back. Even now, as he was talking to Arakyle, he was constantly on a tightrope, trying to maintain control over the Demonic Sea at all times. Compared to the risks Kang-Woo bore, the risk that came with ingesting powder made from Behemoth¡¯s horn was nothing.

    ¡°Aaaahh.¡± Arakyle twirled as if dancing. ¡°This reminds me of when I first met you.¡± He smiled and continued, ¡°You did not stop eating Mammon alive even as you jumped into his mes! I still remember your madness as you devoured Mammon¡¯s entire army of a hundred thousand demons!¡±

    Arakyle looked in a daze as if he were high.

    ¡°Ahh, it was truly breathtaking. No one was as extraordinary as you.¡±

    The Demon King back then was the paragon of <em>desire</em>. Even if his limbs were severed, intestines exploded out of his stomach, or half of his head was torn off, he desired only to devour his foes to climb even higher. His only desire was to grow stronger. All predators were reduced to mere prey before the Demon King. No other demon was a better fit for the title than Kang-Woo.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Arakyle¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°I do not see even a trace of your former self in you.¡± He red at Kang-Woo and continued, ¡°Amon told me that you¡¯ve sided with humans and are protecting the world.¡±

    His eyes were filled with disgust.

    ¡°Well, the fact that you sided with humans doesn¡¯t bother me. But¡­¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°The fact that you are protecting others is unforgivable.¡±

    The Demon King should never protect others. The king of demons was meant to plunder, extort, and usurp.

    ¡°Since you have lost your desire¡­¡± Arakyle¡¯s eyes glinted fiercely. ¡°I can no longer call you my king.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly looked around in silence. His former subordinates, whom he had done his best to protect, were brandishing their weapons and exuding hostility at him.

    ¡°Hahaha! What are you standing there all nkly for?¡± Arakyleughed. ¡°I don¡¯t me you. After all, I doubt even you are a match for an army of ten thousand, all with the power of Deicide.¡±

    It might have been different if the Demon King they were facing was the one from the past, but a Demon King with no desire would break down due to the despairing difference in strength between them.

    ¡°That is why you are no longer our king.¡± Arakyle cackled. He then dered, ¡°Your era is over. You have been¡­ forgotten.¡±

    Their king was now a relic of the past; it was time for demons to ept a new king.

    ¡°That aside¡­¡±

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    Arakyle strolled right up to Kang-Woo.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly turned his head again to stare coldly at Arakyle.

    ¡°What a moron Doomguard is,¡± mentioned Arakyle mockingly.

    <em>Slice.</em>

    He swung down his saw de hand and beheaded Doomguard, whom Kang-Wooid on the ground. He then yfully bounced Doomguard¡¯s head on the t part of his saw de hand.

    ¡°He frantically ran away so that he could reach you, even ingesting Behemoth¡¯s horn powder in the process.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°A demon prioritizing loyalty over their desire¡­ don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange?¡±

    ¡°... own.¡±

    ¡°We arepleted only by desire¡­ hm? Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°Put him down.¡±

    Kang-Woo moved his arm.

    ¡°...!¡±

    He grabbed Doomguard¡¯s head, which Arakyle was bouncing on his saw de hand before Arakyle could even react.

    ¡°Kurgh.¡±

    Arakyle stepped back in surprise. He had acquired power iparable to his past self after bing Bael¡¯s incarnation, but he was unable to follow the Demon King¡¯s movements just now.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo embraced Doomguard¡¯s head and then slowly ced it on the ground. He reattached the head to where it had been cut off by Arakyle¡¯s saw de.

    <em>- Heh¡­ hehe.</em>

    Doomguard¡¯sughter popped into Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    <em>¡®He was an adorable son of a bitch.¡¯</em>

    In terms of personality, he was simr to Kim Tae-Hyun, excluding the fact that he was aggressive to anyone but Kang-Woo.

    <em>- Hehe. I¡¯m happy that¡­ I managed to see you again¡­ Cough! Before myst breath, my king.</em>

    <em>¡®Fucking idiot. You could have lived if you didn¡¯t run to me.¡¯</em>

    <em>- I¡­ I have something that I need to tell you¡­ no matter what.</em>

    <em>¡®It was fucking useless information. I would¡¯ve figured something out even if you didn¡¯t tell me.¡¯</em>

    <em>- I would have¡­e to see you¡­ sooner.</em>

    <em>¡®No fucking shit. You should¡¯vee to me as soon as you noticed Amon doing weird shit instead of confronting him.¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo stood up after cing Doomguard¡¯s head back on the ground. He then called, ¡°Arakyle.¡±

    ¡°... Yes?¡±

    Arakyle gestured to his soldiers to get ready to ingest the powder.

    ¡°I asked you why in the beginning, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his head.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking why you killed Doomguard.¡±

    His scleras dyed ck.

    ¡°What I was asking was¡­¡±

    His ck irises dyed yellow.

    ¡°Why you forgot about me.¡±

    His ck pupils stretched horizontally.

    ¡°Betrayal? I can understand that. Let¡¯s be honest, Ipletely understand why you would lick Bael¡¯s feet if he would give you Deific Essence for free. But Arakyle, oh Arakyle. I feel you, but you shouldn¡¯t have forgotten about me. You guys know me. You all fought alongside me and emerged victorious together.¡±

    <em>¡®No matter how drunk you were on power¡­ no matter how much time passed¡­ no matter how foggy your memories have be¡­¡¯</em>

    <em>Split.</em>

    Wings made of ck mucus sprouted, and from the mucus appeared mouths filled with sharp teeth. And¡­

    ¡°You should¡¯ve at least remembered me.¡±

    It marked the advent of the demon of demons, the predator of predators, the Hell of Hells¡­ the Demon King.

 Chapter 502: Advent (3)

    Chapter 502: Advent (3)

    <em>ck, ck, ck!</em>

    The grotesque wings made of fluid pped as the hundreds of teeth embedded in them noisily cked. The horizontal goat eyes gazed at Arakyle.

    ¡°U-Urgh,¡± Arakyle grunted.

    Chills ran down his spine. He was getting cold sweats and having trouble breathing. He felt as if he were drowning in a boundless ck sea.

    Arakyle bit his lip andmanded, ¡°All forces, prepare for battle!¡±

    The soldiers of the Despair Corps grabbed their pouches. Arakyle pointed his saw de at the Demon King.

    <em>¡®It is impossible for us to lose.¡¯</em>

    He used to be one of the Demon King¡¯s closest allies along with Balrog and Lilith; he knew exactly how strong the Demon King was as well as how to defeat him.

    <em>¡®I just need to make him open a Door and then run away.¡¯</em>The Demon King¡¯s greatest strength as well as his greatest weakness was the power of the Demonic Sea. It was a boundless sea of demonic energy that not even the Demon King could perfectly control. Once he opened the Doors of the <em>Ten Thousand Demon Core</em>, which acted as a seal for the sea of demonic energy, he would lose consciousness and be driven out of control. They just needed to confirm that the Demon King opened a Door, and then they would run away without looking back.

    <em>¡®After enough time¡­¡¯</em>

    The Demon King would be so weak that even a child could kill him. It was a surefire strategy. The Despair Corps numbering ten thousand plus Arakyle with Deific Essence would easily be able to force the Demon King to open a Door, and they had already prepared an escape route once he did. Arakyle was sure that this strategy was only possible because he knew about the Demon King¡¯s weakness.

    <em>¡®But why¡­ why isn¡¯t this uneasiness disappearing?¡¯</em>

    Arakyle fiercely shook his head to erase his anxiety.

    Just then, the Demon King mentioned, ¡°I have one more thing to ask.¡±

    Arakyle flinched and raised his head. He got chills as the Demon King¡¯s golden yellow eyes stared at him.

    ¡°You nned this on your own, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°... So what if I did?¡± Arakyle asked back in irritation, biting his lip anxiously.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± The Demon King smiled brightly as if he had expected it. He then looked around the Despair Corps and continued, ¡°If Bael or Amon had nned this, they wouldn¡¯t have brought only this many.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Arakyle¡¯s eyebrows flinched. The Demon King was undermining the Despair Corps and him. ¡°... I am no longer themander of Despair you once knew.¡±

    Arakyle had been born anew after receiving Bael¡¯s blessing.

    ¡°And neither are the members of the Despair Corps who stand before you.¡±

    Battles in the Ninth Hell did not stop even after the Demon King left. Demons instinctively desired power and conflict; battles were no different from their purpose in life. The Despair Corps had gone through countless battles and grew stronger in the Demon King¡¯s absence. Not only that, but they possessed Behemoth¡¯s horn powder which granted the power of Deicide.

    Arakyle muttered, ¡°You¡­ will have no choice but to open a Door.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± The Demon King smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve changed, huh? I guess I would have to agree with that.¡± Heughed as his shoulders moved up and down. He tilted his head and continued, ¡°But why are you assuming that I haven¡¯t changed in that time either?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Arakyle frowned due to Kang-Woo¡¯s mocking tone. There was certainly a possibility that the Demon King had also grown stronger than in his days in Hell, just like Arakyle.

    However, Arakyle said firmly, ¡°That is enough of your nonsense. A demon with no desire cannot grow stronger.¡±

    The Demon King had abandoned his desire and returned to Earth. He stopped plundering, extorting, and usurping, only to protect humanity. There was no way that a demon who abandoned his desire, the fundamental core of a demon, could grow.

    ¡°Pfft! Hahahahaha!!¡± The Demon Kingughed as he clenched his stomach. The wings made of ck mucus pped fiercely. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±

    A demon with no desire could not grow stronger. Desire was what allowed demons to move forward, and the key for them to reach perfection.

    ¡°But, you wanna know something?¡±

    Arakyle had misunderstood something. The Demon King spread his wings of ck mucus widely. Desire undeniably made demons what they were. However¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve never once stopped desiring.¡±

    The Demon King couldn¡¯t lose his desire.

    ¡°Even now, I¡¯m¡­¡±

    Even when he casually carried on conversations. Even when he loved, got mad, sad, had fun,ughed, made a stir, touched, caressed, embraced, kissed the woman he loved, fooled around like a jester, and enjoyed a pic with those precious to him, he was¡­

    ¡°So hungry that I feel like I¡¯m starving to death.¡±

    <em>Split.</em>

    The corners of the Demon King¡¯s mouth ripped to his earlobes as he smiled, exposing red flesh and his gums underneath. More white teeth sprouted from them.

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    Arakyle¡¯s expression turned pale. Demonic energy that he had never felt from the Demon King in the past exerted immense pressure on him.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± he muttered as his eyes shook. He bit his lip and raised his saw de hand. ¡°Eat Behemoth¡¯s horn!¡±

    The members of the Despair Corps poured the powder in the pouch into their mouths as Arakylemanded.

    ¡°Graaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    The entire Despair Corps roared ferociously. Hideous blood vessels resembling tree roots bulged all over their bodies and poured out from them demonic energy infused with the power of Deicide.

    ¡°Despair Corps,¡± said Arakyle as he raised his saw de high. He then swung it down andmanded, ¡°Kill the king.¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    The full force of the Despair Corps charged at the Demon King as everything around them shook.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± the Demon King exhaled heatedly.

    Unbearable hunger took control of him once he unleashed the desire he had been suppressing. He felt as if he were dying of thirst.

    ¡°Die!!¡±

    A demon at the vanguard swung a stupidlyrge greatsword infused with the power of Deicide at the Demon King¡¯s head.

    ¡°Authority of Invulnerability.¡±

    The Demon King leaned back and used an Authority. One of the hundreds of Authorities lying dormant inside the Demonic Sea was activated.

    <em>ng¡ª!</em>

    The greatsword infused with the power of Deicide bounced away. The demon was about to step back once his attack was blocked, but the Demon King grabbed his arm before he could do so.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    A mouth filled with sharp teeth opened wide before the demon could say anything.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    The demon¡¯s flesh was torn and his bones were crushed. ck blood poured out like a fountain.

    ¡°Keep pressuring him!!¡± shouted Arakyle fiercely.

    The Despair Corps instantly surrounded the Demon King and attacked him from all directions. The Demon King smiled and raised his right hand. The ck ring on his middle finger turned into a sharp wedge. He grabbed it and stuck it to the ground.

    <em>Swoosh¡ª!!</em>

    ck des shot up from the ground around the wedge, piercing demons from the leg, thigh, buttock, and up to the mouth. Hundreds of the Despair Corps were killed in just one attack.

    <em>Crunch, crunch!</em>

    Mouths appeared from the des that pierced through the demons and ate away at them. The sounds of devouring flesh echoed throughout the battlefield.

    ¡°Raaaaaaahhh!¡±

    Although hundreds were killed in one attack, the Despair Corps was made up of ten thousand demons. Demons as many as the ones that just died charged at the Demon King without rest.

    <em>Stab! Crush!</em>

    The weapons infused with the power of Deicide pierced the Demon King one by one. The Demon King, who looked like a hedgehog with weapons stabbed into him, staggered.

    ¡°Now!!¡± shouted Arakyle, pressing his soldiers as he waved his saw de in the air.

    <em>¡®We just have to push him a little further¡­!¡¯</em>

    The Demon King would open a Door once he was pushed to the absolute limit.

    ¡°Heh.¡±

    However, the Demon King, who had been staggering as if he had used up all his strength, stood tall with his tongue out.

    <em>tter.</em>

    The weapons piercing him fell to the ground.

    ¡°... Huh?¡±

    ¡°Sunset,¡± the Demon King chanted before the Despair Corps had a chance to pull themselves together.

    The sky turned ck as ck demonic energy covered it. mes resembling a ck sun poured down on them like rainfall.

    <em>Sizzle¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Gaaaaahhh!¡±

    ¡°Kurgh, argh!¡±

    The smell of burning flesh and eye-stinging smoke filled the air. The ck blood pooled on the ground boiled from the heat. Only one demon stood tall under the ck sky.

    ¡°Th-This is¡­¡±

    The eyes of the Despair Corps demons filled with terror.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, guys?¡± asked the Demon King quietly. He licked his lips temperamentally as if his hunger had been nowhere near satiated. ¡°I taught you that running away in fear will only give your enemies the chance to fight back.¡±

    The Demon King enticed his prey with sweet whispers.

    ¡°Right, guys? You remember what I said, right? Now is the chance. You will never be able to kill me if not now,¡± he said to the terrified demons with a smile.

    ¡°U-Urgh¡­¡±

    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    The Despair Corps roared and charged at the Demon King, who epted them with open arms.

    ¡°Pull yourselves together, damn idiots!!¡± shouted Arakyle hurriedly. ¡°We are the ones with the upper hand!¡±

    Around two thousand died from the earlier attack. It was a massive blow considering all of them had ingested Behemoth¡¯s horn powder, but several times as many soldiers were still alive.

    ¡°Haaaaaahhh!¡±

    Arakyle charged at the Demon King as he shed his saw des together, his neatly swept-back hair fluttering in the wind.

    ¡°Plunder,¡± he chanted.

    <em>ng!</em>

    Sparks flew as he shed his saw des together. He flew at extraordinary speeds to stab the Demon King¡¯s heart.

    <em>¡®I need to make him open a Door as soon as possible¡­!¡¯</em>

    Only then would his n begin to take off. Arakyle bit his lip and imbued the Deific Essence he received from Bael into his saw de. The de reached the Demon King¡¯s chest in an instant.

    <em>¡®I did it!¡¯</em>

    Arakyle¡¯s eyes shone. The Demon King crouched and stuck his head toward Arakyle¡¯s saw de.

    <em>Crush!</em>

    The de sliced open the Demon King¡¯s head and tore apart his brain.

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    The Demon King was not immortal when the Doors were not open. He would die just like any demon if his head was destroyed.

    <em>¡®Just like that?¡¯</em>

    Arakyle looked down at his hand that sliced the Demon King¡¯s head.

    <em>Grab.</em>

    ¡°... Huh?¡±

    The Demon King, whom Arakyle thought was dead¡ª no, should have died from that attack, grabbed his saw de hand.

    ¡°Wh-Why aren¡¯t you d¡ª¡±

    <em>Crack¡ª!!</em>

    The Demon King tore off one of Araky;e¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Arrrggghhh!!!¡± Arakyle screamed.

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    The Demon King¡¯s head, which was split into two, began to regenerate instantly. Arakyle stepped back in shock.

    ¡°H-How?¡±

    ¡°How else? You know I can¡¯t die when a Door is open.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    Arakyle stared at the Demon King in shock.

    <em>¡®Then does that mean his sanity is perfectly fine¡­ even with a Door open?¡¯</em>

    ¡°D-Dammit!¡±

    Arakyle quickly turned back. They were no match for the Demon King if he was able to maintain his sanity with the Doors open.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Arakyle swung his remaining saw de hand in the air. The de shone and activated a magic circle that had been prepared in advance.

    <em>Split!</em>

    The same ck Rift that the Despair Corps arrived from opened in midair. Arakyle jumped into the Rift.

    <em>¡®He can stay sane with the Doors open?!¡¯</em>

    Arakyle did not even imagine such a possibility. He had expected the Demon King to acquire Deific Essence but never to ovee the one w of opening the Doors. It was understandable since the Demon King¡¯s biggest weakness, which he was unable to ovee for hundreds of years, had been solved in just a few years.

    ¡°Shit, shit, shit!!¡±

    Arakyle bit his lip as he looked back at the closing Rift. Losing the Despair Corps was a massive loss, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°Now that it hase to this, I will have to take some time toe up with¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    The Demon King stuck his arm through the closing Rift.

    ¡°Wh-What the¡ª¡± Arakyle expressed in shock.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    The Demon King wrenched open the Rift. Space was distorted, causing the surroundings to shake.

    ¡°You have no more time.¡±

    <em>Split.</em>

    Arakyle saw sharp teeth between the borders of the Rift.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Arakyle groaned as chills ran down his spine. ¡°You are¡­¡±

    Arakyle recalled what he had forgotten¡ª no, what he had tried to forget. He had thought it was a thing of the past.

    He recalled what kind of being the Demon King was.

 Chapter 503: The Subordinate Isnâ€™t The One Who Protects The King

    Chapter 503: The Subordinate Isn¡¯t The One Who Protects The King

    Whoosh.

    White ash scattered in the wind from the rooftop between Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s fingers, Doomguard¡¯s final moments reyed in his head.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at the white ash falling like snowkes. Seoul was empty as if it had be a ghost town because the residents had evacuated to Aernor thanks to the guidance of the Church of Splendor and Guardians. Kang-Woo sighed deeply as he looked down at the deserted streets.

    ¡°Fucking hell¡­ I must look pathetic right now.¡±

    Kang-Woo brushed off the white ash on his hands and stood up.

    ¡°Are you finished?¡± someone asked.

    Kang-Woo turned around to see Lilith smiling at him.

    ¡°... Did you see?¡±¡°Hoho, yes. You used to do this from time to time back in the Ninth Hell.¡±

    ¡°Ngh.¡±

    Kang-Woo scratched his head and averted his gaze from her. Lilith approached him with a faint smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart too much, my king.¡± She carefully embraced Kang-Woo¡¯s arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. ¡°Doomguard¡­ went with a smile.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo remained silent, his mind in jumbles.

    ¡°Hoho,¡± Lilith giggled and lightly caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ the same as always.¡±

    She had seen the mncholy Kang-Woo every time he lost his subordinates in the war.

    ¡°Shaddup,¡± Kang-Woo said bluntly and shook Lilith away.

    Lilith giggled again with his mouth covered.

    ¡°That aside, did you manage to secure some of Behemoth¡¯s horn powder?¡±

    ¡°I had the muscle pig secure some. There didn¡¯t seem to be much of it left, ording to him.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± said Kang-Woo as he stretched out his hand.

    Lilith handed him a pouch filled with ck powder.

    <em>¡®A powder that grants the power of Deicide, huh?¡¯</em>

    It was bound to be a pain in the ass. Kang-Woo knew that Bael¡¯s army would be a force to be reckoned with, but he never expected them to use such an overpowered performance-enhancing drug.

    ¡°... We should strengthen our defense line.¡±

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    Kang-Woo set the pouch on fire. The mes of Voracity devoured the ck powder without a trace. He looked down at the powder, which had reduced to ash, and clicked his tongue.

    <em>¡®Should I have tried using it for something else?¡¯</em>

    The thought lingered for a moment, but Kang-Woo then shook his head.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s too dangerous.¡¯</em>

    It granted immense power to anyone who ingested the powder, but it was useless to him at the very least.

    <em>¡®And it¡¯s not like I can let anyone take this.¡¯</em>

    Burning it to ash for peace of mind was a much better choice.

    Kang-Woo brushed the ash off of his hands and asked, ¡°What about the angels?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re standing by in the Hall of Protection after getting the details from La.¡±

    ¡°I should visit them too.¡±

    ¡°You should. They should have a lot of questions about Doomguard.¡±

    ¡°... I¡¯m sure they would.¡± Kang-Woo nodded with a sorrowful expression. Angels had been the ones on Doonguard¡¯s tail initially. ¡°Lilith, focus on the magic circle that will form the defense line. I¡¯ll deal with Michael.¡±

    Michael did not know that Lilith was a demon yet. Although Kang-Woo could now make it so that it was nearly impossible for anyone to figure out that his demon retainers were demons, it was better not to let Lilith and Michael keep making contact.

    ¡°As youmand.¡± Lilith bowed courteously.

    Kang-Woo walked past her and climbed down the apartment roof.

    ¡°... Hm?¡± He tilted his head after seeing a familiar face as he went down the stairs. ¡°Balrog?¡±

    ¡°... Yes.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You hate being in your human form.¡±

    ¡°I have no choice if I want toe here,¡± mentioned Balrog as he slightly looked up at the roof of the hallway.

    His head and shoulders would destroy the roof if he were in his true form.

    ¡°Then you should¡¯ve just gotten some rest at home. Is it urgent?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Balrog stared at Kang-Woo in silence.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ve seen that expression before.¡¯</em>

    Balrog¡¯s eyes were simr to when he was staring at Kim Si-Hun before heading to the Frozen Temple.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Kang-Woo expressed.

    He frowned as he stared at Balrog; he more or less knew what those eyes meant.

    ¡°... My king,¡± Balrog got on one knee and lowered his head. ¡°Please make¡ª¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to ask me to make you my incarnation, the answer is no.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Balrog¡¯s eyes shook. He bit his lip after Kang-Woo had hit the mark. ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo answered without a shadow of a doubt, ¡°Because you¡¯re more than capable of awakening Deific Essence on your own.¡±

    Balrog¡¯s expression turned gloomy. ¡°There is not much time remaining.¡±

    There was less than a month until the final battle; no one knew whether or not Balrog would be able to awaken Deific Essence at that time.

    ¡°I know.¡± Kang-Woo nodded. ¡°You might not be able to by then¡ª no, you never might, even. However, I won¡¯t erase that possibility by making you my incarnation.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°The moment you acquire Deific Essence without any breakthroughs by bing my incarnation, your growth will stop there. You will stay stagnant for the rest of your life.¡±

    ¡°Even so, I need Deific Essence,¡± Balrog said as he clenched his fists aggressively.

    Kang-Woo could feel Balrog¡¯s suppressed vortex of emotions in his voice.

    Balrog lowered his head in shame and remarked, ¡°To protect you¡­ I need that power.¡±

    He recalled his battle against Arakyle¡ª the memory of getting one-sidedly beaten by a traitor who dared to betray his king. The loss had been entirely dependent on Deific Essence; there was nothing one could do against an opponent who could not even be attacked.

    <em>¡®To protect my king¡­ No, even just to be a meat shield so that I can block at least one attack that might endanger my king¡­ I need Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    He was in desperate need of it.

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo remained silent.

    Considering Balrog¡¯s personality, Kang-Woo could tell how much Balrog thought about asking him for this. He had abandoned all possibility of growth and begged for power with his head shamefully lowered. It was uneptable for someone like Balrog, but he had done so despite that¡­ for Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Balrog.¡± Kang-Woo smiled faintly and let Balrog know of an undeniable fact that would not change no matter how desperately he desired it. ¡°You can¡¯t protect me even if you be my incarnation.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Balrog¡¯s expression froze.

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll easily acquire Deific Essence, if you be my incarnation. But did you forget what happened to Arakyle?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that you be as strong as Arakyle after acquiring Deific Essence..¡± Kang-Woo continued, coldly, Do you seriously think that you can protect me with that power?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Balrog remained silent.

    He had witnessed his king¡¯s battle against Arakyle¡ª no, it could not even be considered a battle. Arakyle and the Despair Corps were helpless against the Demon King¡¯s power. Would Balrog be able to keep his king safe just by bing as strong as Arakyle?

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Balrog slurred.

    He knew better than anyone that it was not even worth thinking about. The power he held was beyond pathetic to even think about protecting his king.

    ¡°There¡¯s a limit to how much power an incarnation can have.¡±

    An incarnation could only be shared power from the entity who allowed their incarnation to borrow their Deific Essence.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to have that poison which squanders your endless possibilities?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Balrog¡¯s shoulders subtly trembled as he clenched his fists. Kang-Woo¡¯s words felt like des gouging out his heart. Kang-Woo smirked as he stared at Balrog lowering his head gloomily.

    ¡°I thought your brain was also made of muscle, but I guess not,¡± he remarked as he patted Balrog¡¯s shoulder teasingly.

    ¡°... My king.¡±

    ¡°Just do as you¡¯ve always done, man. Since when have you been the worrying type?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Well, I know you can¡¯t help but feel that way when you look at Si-Hun.¡±

    Si-Hun had awakened Deific Essence on his own. The power that resulted from that fact was of another levelpared to the one acquired from bing an incarnation. The difference was so massive that if Kang-Woo had to choose someone to whom he would entrust his back during his battle against Bael, he would choose Si-Hun without hesitation.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure¡­ it¡¯s hard to ept for Balrog.¡¯</em>

    Balrog was undoubtedly the one who had been by Kang-Woo¡¯s side the longest; it was about a thousand years. Although Kang-Woo considered Doomguard and Lilith to be his precious subordinates, Balrog held a special ce in his heart.

    <em>¡®We¡¯ve known each other for so long.¡¯</em>

    It was not just a matter of time; when they met, Kang-Woo was a weakling who had only juste down from the Eighth Hell to the Ninth Hell, and Balrog had been reduced to a lifeless loser after losing his former master. A bond formed from sharing hardships had no ce not being special.

    <em>¡®And I¡¯m sure Balrog feels the same way.¡¯</em>

    Balrog¡¯s excessive loyalty did not stem from just his personality; it was because they had ovee their wretched past selves together that Balrog was so loyal to Kang-Woo. It was then that Kim Si-Hun, someone stronger and more talented than him, appeared to swear loyalty to Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®He probably thinks his ce by my side is vanishing.¡¯</em>

    Considering what Balrog was like, he would be suppressing those emotions deep down in his heart.

    ¡°<em>Sigh</em>, you stupid muscle pig.¡± Kang-Woo lightly conked Balrog¡¯s lowered head. ¡°Stop filming a goddamn melodrama by yourselves, for fuck¡¯s sake. I¡¯m getting scared from the thought that you two might fight over me with your swords.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? I don¡¯t use a sword¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about that sword. You know¡­ the one down¡­¡± Kang-Woo aggressively frowned the more he continued. He yelled, ¡°I feel like a fucking dickhead just imagining it!! No, I¡¯m not referring to an actual dick when I say that¡­ Fuck! You¡¯re making me feel even weirder!¡±

    Kang-Woo twisted as he pulled on his hair. Balrog looked up at him in confusion.

    ¡°Ahem,¡± Kang-Woo coughed and patted Balrog¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t need to bother so much with protecting me.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°In the first ce,¡± Kang-Woo turned away from Balrog and continued, ¡°The subordinate isn¡¯t the one who protects the king.¡± He then turned only his head to Balrog and mentioned, ¡°The king is the one who protects his subordinates.¡±

    ¡°...!¡±

    Balrog¡¯s eyes widened. Kang-Woo smiled and walked away.

    ¡°Whatever the case, I¡¯m more than happy as long as you do whatever¡¯s in your power.¡±

    ¡°... My king,¡± Balrog muttered as he watched Kang-Woo getting further away. ¡°...¡±

    A heavy silence fell in the hallway.

    ¡°The king is the one who protects his subordinates, huh?¡± Balrog recited Kang-Woo¡¯s words. ¡°But, my king¡­¡±

    His voice was filled with sorrow. He subtly trembled and bit his lip, ck blood flowing from the puncture wound. Balrog fell to his knees on the spot.

    ¡°You have protected me far too many times¡­¡±

    A sense of powerlessness weighed Balrog down and burned him alive. He took something out from his pocket¡ª it was a pouch the size of a human fist.

    ¡°...¡±

    Balrog opened the pouch and saw a fistful of ck powder inside.

    ¡°...¡±

    Balrog closed his eyes, closed the pouch, and put it back into his pocket.

 Chapter 504: Day of the Apocalypse (1)

    Chapter 504: Day of the Apocalypse (1)

    A month passed by in a sh. During that time, Oh Kang-Woo prepared a barrier and a defense line that would span the entirety of Seoul and selected the members who would be present for the battle against Bael and his army. Of course, he couldn¡¯t do all of that by himself; La, Kim Si-Hun, Lilith, Cha Yeon-Joo, and others helped an enormous amount.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s finally tomorrow.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked up at the sky. Time passed by in a sh ever since he arrived on Earth, but it had been several times faster this past month.

    ¡°They¡¯re probably in the middle of the final briefing.¡±

    Kang-Woo would have been required to participate, but La had allowed him to take a break after the insane schedule he had to suffer this past month.

    <em>¡®Well, the final briefing isn¡¯t as crucial as it sounds.¡¯</em>

    Although the war would decide the fate of this world, it was fundamentally different from a regr war. Things like intricate strategies, impregnable defenses, and impablemanding of forces would not decide the oue of this war.

    <em>¡®It all depends on who between me and Bael survives.¡¯</em>

    Hence, La was doing her best to brief the members of Guardians not on how to win the war, but on how to minimize casualties. Even if they managed to defeat Bael¡¯s army, it would be pointless if Kang-Woo didn¡¯t defeat Bael, and it would be just as pointless if Earth were to fall to Bael¡¯s army after Kang-Woo defeated Bael.<em>¡®The battle needs to end as quickly as possible.¡¯</em>

    There was no better option than that.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at his hands. He had done everything he could but there was one thing he was disappointed about.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t manage to get Transcendent-rank Deific Essence.¡±

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes. He had been most focused on getting it during the month of preparation, but he failed no matter how many times he tried.

    <em>¡®I thought I¡¯d be able to get it after devouring Arakyle and the entire Despair Corps.¡¯</em>

    The System window did not even appear as if to spit on his hopes.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t even get in touch with the System these days.¡¯</em>

    It could be because the System was putting all of its power into keeping matters of Earth out of Bael¡¯s eyes, or it might be a sign that the Law of Titans was almostpletely in Bael¡¯s control. Kang-Woo could not get in touch with the artificial intelligence that had introduced itself to him as <em>Eve</em>.

    ¡°Tsk, I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    The day of the Apocalypse was tomorrow; there was no time to sulk because he had been unable to acquire Transcendent-rank Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®I might as well go through some final checks too.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stood up as he circted the enormous amount of demonic energy flowing out from his heart.

    ¡°Umm¡­ are you here, Kang-Woo?¡±

    The rooftop door opened and appeared from it Han Seol-Ah.

    Kang-Woo turned around happily and asked, ¡°What is it, Darling?¡±

    ¡°The briefing just ended so I came to get you.¡±

    ¡°Get me? For what?¡±

    ¡°La suggested everyone have a meal together since this is our final night,¡± Seol-Ah remarked in a slightly heavy tone. The word <em>final </em>seemed to have impacted her quite greatly.

    ¡°Really? Sounds good.¡±

    Seol-Ah thought, <em>¡®After tomorrow¡­ no one knows how things will turn out.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hurgh,¡± Seol-Ah groaned and bit her lip anxiously.

    Chills ran down her back from the thought that she might never see Kang-Woo again. She clenched her trembling fists and the light disappeared in her eyes. She approached Kang-Woo and caressed his arm.

    ¡°... Umm, Darling?¡±

    <em>¡®Why are you touching my arm out of the blue?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Oh¡­ I-It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    <em>¡®Your eyes are a bit too scary for that to be the case.¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡± Seol-Ah lightly clenched Kang-Woo¡¯s arm and continued, ¡°To be honest¡­ I want to forcibly take you with me and run away somewhere.¡±

    ¡°With my limbs intact?¡±

    ¡°... Pardon?¡±

    ¡°No, forget I said anything,¡± said Kang-Woo and smirked. He patted Seol-Ah¡¯s head and continued, ¡°You know that won¡¯t change anything.¡±

    Even if Kang-Woo were to run away, Bael would chase him to the very end. A fight against Bael was no longer a choice. The cycle would end only if one of them died.

    ¡°Yes. I know, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Darling.¡± Kang-Woo kissed Seol-Ah. ¡°I¡¯m gonna win.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s expression brightened. She smiled faintly and nodded in silence.

    ¡°Right, we shouldn¡¯t keep La waiting. Has everyone else gathered?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Yes. Oh, we¡¯re not meeting in the Hall of Protection. It¡¯s going to be at¡­ Balrog¡¯s house.¡±

    ¡°Balrog¡¯s house? Why there?¡±

    ¡°Because the angels are at the Hall of Protection.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Kang-Woo nodded after understanding. ¡°Then let¡¯s fly there.¡±

    He reached out his hand toward Seol-Ah, who grabbed it with an embarrassed expression. Kang-Woo reached under her knees and lifted her. Of course, Seol-Ah didn¡¯t need to be carried since she had Seraph¡¯s wings but take a damn hint.

    Kang-Woo jumped up from the apartment rooftop and looked down at the city view under them. The streets of Seoul were <em>bustling </em>with people.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that¡¯s all fake,¡± Seol-Ah mentioned as she looked down at the streets filled with neon signs and people.

    ¡°We need to do at least this much to fool Bael.¡±

    Anyone would be suspicious if the ce they were about to invade had be a ghost town. To prevent something like that from happening, he filled the deserted streets with the <em>Key of the Demonic Sea</em>.

    <em>¡®Slushy sure went all out.¡¯</em>

    The Key of the Demonic Sea was able to transform into anything; its arsenal was not restricted to weapons. Kang-Woo had made Slushy create dolls the shape of humans and spread them throughout Seoul.

    ¡°...¡±

    Seol-Ah looked up at Kang-Woo in silence. He was mentioning it as if it had been a piece of cake, but she knew how hard he had worked to create those dolls.

    <em>¡®It goes to show just how important this war is.¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah closed her eyes as she added more strength to her arms around Kang-Woo¡¯s neck.

    ¡°...¡±

    An inexplicable uneasiness surged within her despite being able to feel his warmth from so close.

    ***

    A boy was standing on top of a hill made of red sand below a burning red sky. He looked down with nk eyes at the enormous number of demons standing at attention in front of him.

    He asked, ¡°Is everything ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Amon replied as he bowed. He lightly pounded his staff on the ground and continued, ¡°Arakyle being killed by the Demon King after acting on his own was outside of my expectations¡­¡±

    Amon frowned in displeasure. He had epted Arakyle into their ranks because he said that he would betray the Demon King and join them, but he had caused a mess after acting without orders.

    ¡°But it has not affected the n.¡±

    Their army boasted immense power even without Arakyle and the Despair Corps. Their goal was to end not just Earth but all worlds of the Triad and to put them under the rule of the Nine Hells. Ending Earth would be a piece of cake.

    ¡°I have also prepared a trump card,¡± Amon expressed.

    ¡°A trump card?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Amon smiled, his wrinkled face wrinkling further. He caressed a ck orb in his pocket; the soul of a demon was squirming inside of it.

    ¡°Hmm~¡± Bael turned around apathetically, having no interest in it. He looked down at his army as he pped his legs. ¡°I was a bit worried when the monitoring feature of the Law was blocked.¡±

    ¡°There is no need to worry. They are not prepared in the slightest.¡±

    Amon smiled widely. They were the ones who held the initiative since the humans had no idea when Bael and his army would invade. Their victory was already set in stone.

    ¡°Once you get your hands on the Demonic Sea, all privileges of the Law of Titans will be transferred to you.¡±

    ¡°Hihihi!¡± Baelughed as his shoulders moved up and down. ¡°I don¡¯t need that shit.¡±

    Crack.

    Bael¡¯s head tilted at an abnormal ny degrees and he stared at Amon.

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about what happens to the Law of Titans.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about winning the war or making the Triad the territory of the Nine Hells.¡±

    ¡°What do you¡ª¡±

    ¡°You see.¡± Bael twirled as if dancing. ¡°All I need is to prove that he¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Just seeing him struggling pathetically and powerlessly is enough for me. Everything else other than the Demon King is of no concern to me.¡±

    Bael¡¯s eyes glinted with madness.

    ¡°H-Hihihi!! Hihihi!!¡± He burst into crazedughter as he stuck out his long tongue. ¡°Hey, Amon.¡±

    ¡°... Yes, Lord Bael.¡±

    ¡°Do you think the Demon King will be able to bear it¡­ even if <em>that </em>were to disappear?¡± Bael asked as he hummed.

    Amon firmly shook his head. ¡°No. He¡­ will not be able to bear it. After all, the Demon King is not the one who keeps the Demonic Sea intact.¡±

    ¡°Hihihi! Right? He won¡¯t be able to do a thing, right?¡± Baelughed as if making a fuss and trembled. ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    He looked up at the burning red sky, his eyes filled with ecstasy.

    ¡°Hihihi! You¡¯re nothing,¡± he said to someone who couldn¡¯t see or hear him. ¡°I was first, okay? Do you know that? I DID IT BEFORE YOU!!!¡±

    <em>Huff, huff.</em>

    Bael shouted to the point that he was out of breath and then cackled.

    ¡°Haaah.¡± He sprawled on top of the hill of red sand. ¡°H-Hihi. Finally¡­ I¡¯ve finally made it this far.¡±

    Much time had passed since he lost to the Demon King, regained his power, acquired the Demon God¡¯s heart, and met the Demon King again.

    ¡°Youughed at me back then.¡±

    Bael recalled the Demon King mocking him, saying that he was nothing.

    Crack.

    He clenched his fists so hard that his bones broke. Bael looked at the sky as hey down on top of the hill. The burning red sky looked tranquil today for some reason.

    ¡°The calm before the storm, I believe it was called?¡±

    It was the perfect phrase to describe the tranquility.

    ¡°Hi¡­ Hihi. You or me, I wonder?¡±

    The battle on the day of the Apocalypse would decide who was right.

 Chapter 505: Day of the Apocalypse (2)

    Chapter 505: Day of the Apocalypse (2)

    Oh Kang-Woo and hisrades gathered in one ce after the meal La had suggested every have together.

    ¡°Sheesh.¡± Cha Yeon-Joo sighed deeply and stared at Kang-Woo as if she was sick and tired. ¡°How can you eat kimchi stew for ourst meal?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with kimchi stew? It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    ¡°You should seriously moderate that obsession of yours.¡±

    Yeon-Joo grabbed her forehead as if she were having a headache.

    Kang-Woo smiled and remarked, ¡°The braised spicy chicken you made me was delicious too.¡±

    ¡°Wh-What?! I-I wasn¡¯t the one who made that!! I-I just helped Seol-Ah make it because it would be hard for her to do everything by herself!!¡±

    ¡°Mm. Your consistent reactions¡­ Teasing you has be one of my purposes in life at this point.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded in satisfaction. Whenever he thought he was getting tired of it, Yeon-Joo¡¯s tsundere reactions brought the fun right back.<em>¡®Every single moment of it is fun. It feels fresh every single time.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled widely.

    ¡°Y-You son of a bitch¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo shook in rage with her face reddened. La, who was watching from the sidelines, took a bite of a fruit slice and giggled.

    She remarked, ¡°Hohoho. It seems you¡¯re an S in front of Yeon-Joo, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    <em>¡®What S?¡¯</em>

    ¡°You¡¯re more of an M when you¡¯re with Seol-Ah and Lilith.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Are you perhaps interested in chains or whips?¡±

    <em>¡®The fuck is this woman talking about?¡¯</em>

    ¡°He is! He said he was interested a while ago!¡± Seol-Ah shouted.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m not.¡¯</em>

    ¡°My, I knew it¡­! It seems I wasn¡¯t seeing wrong, Seol-Ah!¡±

    <em>¡®I said I¡¯m not.¡¯</em>

    ¡°In that case, let me introduce to you this website, Seol-Ah. If you take a look at this bondage package¡­¡±

    ¡°<em>Gasp</em>. How indecent¡­¡±

    <em>¡®Stop it right now, you crazy woman.¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo pulled on his hair as he twisted around. ¡°I don¡¯t have an interest in those things. I am an advocate for normal and wholesome¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hm? You weren¡¯t interested in that kind of stuff, Kang-Woo?¡± asked Echidna, who was munching on an apple slice on Kang-Woo¡¯sp, as she tilted her head.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    <em>¡®Why does everyone keep perverting my tastes?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Well, there were tons of stuff like that on your external hard drive¡­¡±

    ¡°...!!¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. He asked with a trembling tone, ¡°W-Wait, Echidna. You couldn¡¯t have¡­¡±

    <em>¡®Did you open it? The treasury containing the knowledge of the mysteries of life? The Ark that would save the world from its end?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hm! It looked like you kept it hidden well, but you can¡¯t hide anything from me.¡±

    ¡°B-But I¡¯d set up a password¡­¡±

    ¡°Kang-Woo, you need to think of a better password than 1q2w3e4r.¡±

    ¡°I-I heard this code ismonly used to protect ssified military secrets!¡±[1]

    <em>¡®It¡¯s uncrackable!¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡±

    A heavy silence fell.

    ¡°Echidna.¡± Seol-Ah pulled Echidna by the arm with a smile.

    ¡°H-Huh? Wh-What¡¯s wrong, Seol-Ah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also very curious about this external hard drive¡­ Could you show it to meter?¡±

    It felt as if freezing air wasing out of her mouth.

    ¡°H-Hm! K-Kang-Woo! I¡¯m scared!¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Kang-Woo responded.

    <em>¡®Geeeeeeehhh!¡¯</em>

    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ have a long talk about this once everything is over, Kang-Woo,¡± said Seol-Ah, her eyes as cold as ice.

    ¡°... Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    Kang-Woo lowered his head to avert his gaze from hers, and everyoneughed.

    ¡°Man, is this what karma looks like?¡± Yeon-Joo smiled as if she had been redeemed and pounded on her stomach.

    ¡°That aside¡­¡± mentioned Kim Si-Hun as theughter died down. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    The air around the house froze from that one sentence. They had burst intoughter to force themselves to forget, but there was no way they could forget that this peace woulde to an end tomorrow.

    ¡°Sheesh, Si-Hun. Stop being such a buzzkill,¡± Kang-Woo expressed.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, hyung-nim.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s just how you are.¡± Kang-Woo chuckled and leaned back in his chair. ¡°The invasion will begin tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    The mood in the house fell dark because of how sure Kang-Woo was.

    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Si-Hun said to break the silence. ¡°When this war is over¡­ I have something to tell you, Layl¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey, shut that son of a bitch up!¡±

    <em>¡®He¡¯s trying to set a death g!¡¯</em>

    Balrog covered Si-Hun¡¯s mouth with his hand in an instant.

    ¡°Mrp! Mmrp!¡± Si-Hun pushed Balrog¡¯s hand away and shouted, ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡±

    Balrog chuckled and answered, ¡°I am just following my king¡¯smand. No other reason.¡±

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed and looked around.

    He was surrounded by people whom he had made unbreakable bonds with aftering to Earth. He did not want to break those bonds¡ª no, he couldn¡¯t.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s a bit of a shame Uriel isn¡¯t here.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no choice but to leave Uriel out of the invitation since it would be dangerous to have an angel near Balrog and Lilith. After all, there would be nothing more of a pain in the ass than having internal troubles before the final battle.

    <em>¡®During the war¡­ it should it be fine since I¡¯ve stationed them as far away as possible.¡¯</em>

    The war would take ce throughout the entire city of Seoul instead of in a small area. Hence, there was no need to worry about the angels meeting Balrog and Lilith.

    <em>¡®No, even if they do meet, the war would be so hectic that the angels wouldn¡¯t have the leeway to find out.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned to Lilith and asked, ¡°How is the status of the barrier?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve checked it thoroughly. A barrier that covers the entirety of Seoul will be erected as soon as it is activated.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Kang-Woo then turned to La and asked, ¡°How is the defense line?¡±

    ¡°The mage yers and the angels have worked together to prepare a wide-area magic spell. We¡¯ll be able to deal considerable damage as soon as the battle begins.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure it will be enough firepower?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure, with Seol-Ah¡¯s buffs.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded. He couldn¡¯t fully put his faith in the yers and angels, but it was a different story if Seol-Ah was buffing them.

    ¡°What about the reinforcements from Aernor?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve brought the entire army of Arnan!¡± answered Iris with her fists clenched.

    Kang-Wooughed unconsciously. ¡°Even if the situation is dire, the entire army is a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay! No noble would dare act out of line, thanks to your purging spree of corrupt nobles!¡±

    ¡°Uhh, yeah. Sure.¡±

    <em>¡®Is that something to say so brightly? Anyway¡­¡¯</em>

    ¡°What about the Church of Splendor?¡±

    Yeon-Joo answered, ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve selected volunteers after filtering out the ones who were vowing to stay even if it were to kill them. I don¡¯t think they¡¯d be of much help, though.¡±

    Most of the devotees of the Church of Splendor were powerless civilians; not many would be of direct help in the war.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re all we need,¡± Kang-Woo mentioned.

    Yeon-Joo by herself would be far more helpful than a group of nobodies.

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Yeon-Joo flinched and lowered her head.

    ¡°Right then, Balrog. You take Echidna, Halcyon, and the bag of bones to let loose on Bael¡¯s army. Si-Hun, you stick with Guardians.¡±

    ¡°... Yes, my king.¡±

    ¡°Understood, hyung-nim.¡±

    Kang-Woo stood up from his chair after getting their answers. ¡°Okay, then. Let¡¯s all get some rest for tomorrow.¡±

    He turned around and opened the front door of the apartment with a dragon pattern on it.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo looked up at the night sky and thought about the dinner full ofughs he just had. He reached out his hand toward the sky and slowly closed it. His desire zed so strongly to the point that the hunger starving him was dissipating.

    <em>¡®For a tomorrow as great as today.¡¯</em>

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    mes resembling a ck sun burned brightly around him.

    ***

    A hunchback demon with a staff stood on top of a red hill in front of countless demons standing at attention. Amon looked back at Bael, who was lying leisurely on the hill.

    ¡°Are you sure I can do it?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not interested in that kind of stuff,¡± answered Bael apathetically as he rolled around on the red sand.

    Amon sighed and shook his head. He then raised his staff in front of the demons.

    ¡°Demons of the Ninth Hell.¡±

    <em>Bang.</em>

    A wave of dense demonic energy spread across the surroundings once he smashed his staff down on the ground.

    He said with a voice as unpleasant as nails on a chalkboard, ¡°The day of the Apocalypse hase.¡±

    ¡°Raaaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    ¡°For Lord Bael!!¡±

    ¡°For the birth of the new king of demons!!¡±

    The demons standing at the foot of the hill roared in unison. They celebrated the birth of the new Demon King.

    ¡°Today, the Triad will be destroyed and born anew in the name of Lord Bael!¡±

    Sparks ran through Amon¡¯s entire body. He had dreamed of one day seeing enough demons to fill the entirety of the Ninth Hell, standing together.

    ¡®And¡­¡¯

    Amon slowly turned his head. Demons were not the only ones gathered here.

    [How boring.]

    [When will the battle begin?]

    They were beings of worlds outside of the Triad, who had submitted to Bael and decided to follow him.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll have to deal with them one day.¡¯</em>

    They would be of use in Bael¡¯s army at the moment, but they couldn¡¯t be trusted in the long run.

    <em>¡®Even Eilles cut all ties with us and ran away.¡¯</em>

    Amon had granted Eilles the position of one of the Four Heavenly Kings due to his unyielding loyalty to Bael, but Eilles vanished after leaving a message that he would stop serving Bael about a month ago. For Amon, who was managing the army in Bael¡¯s ce, it was as if a sledgehammer had smashed the back of his head. The incident had crushed his trust in otherworldly beings.

    <em>¡®Well, it matters not.¡¯</em>

    Amon¡¯s eyes glinted sharply. It would be a piece of cake to replenish theircking forces once they won the war and turned the Triad into the territory of the Nine Hells.

    <em>¡®And Lord Bael will be the one to win.¡¯</em>

    Amon cackled as his shoulders moved up and down. As long as the Demon King possessed Ingrium, a branch of the corrupted World Tree, Bael¡¯s victory was guaranteed.

    <em>¡®Lord Bael will get his hands on the Demonic Sea. Once that happens¡­¡¯</em>

    ¡°... Titan,¡± Amon whispered.

    He thought about the Titans who created and ruled over countless worlds beyond the Triad.

    <em>¡®As long as those detestable beings disappear, I¡¯ll be able to get my hands on the </em>Primordial Knowledge<em>.¡¯</em>

    The Primordial Knowledge was what Hecate, the Titan who created magic, tried to acquire. Amon was getting heated just thinking about getting his hands on that knowledge.

    ¡°Demons of the Ninth Hell.¡±

    Amon raised his staff high again.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The ck magic circle drawn on the entire red hill shone.

    <em>Split!</em>

    The air cracked and created a giant red Rift.

    ¡°Advance.¡±

    ¡°Raaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    <em>Boom! Boom!</em>

    The demons of the Ninth Hell charged into the Rift as per Amon¡¯smand.

    <em>¡®Finally¡­!¡¯</em>

    Amon¡¯s eyes shone. He had been waiting for this day for so long.

    ¡°ughter to your heart¡¯s content!!¡± shouted Amon with his arms spread out.

    He passed through the red Rift to the concrete city.

    ¡°H-Huh?¡±

    ¡°Wh-What the hell?!¡±

    The people on the streets expressed shock as they stared at the giant Rift that appeared in the middle of Seoul.

    Amon cackled unpleasantly. ¡°The pathetic screams of the humans mark the beginning of the Apocalypse!!¡±

    Amon let the thrill take over his body and swung his staff. He created spears of demonic energy and fired them at the humans standing nkly. However¡­

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    The humans pierced by the spears turned into ck mucus and sshed on the ground.

    ¡°... What?¡±

    Only then did Amon realize that the humans filling the streets were not humans but dolls in the form of humans.

    ¡°What in the world is¡ª¡±

    ¡°All forces.¡±

    The Demon King enveloped in radiant splendor, floating in the air, raised his hand before Amon couldprehend what was going on.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    A thunderous sound that signaled the beginning of the Apocalypse shook the entirety of Seoul.

    ¡°Shieeet, this is it! What a fantastic sound!¡±

    The Demon King cackled as he looked down at the horde of demons getting engulfed by the explosions.

    ¡°Art!¡± He spread his arms out and shouted ecstatically, ¡°Is an explosiooooooooon!!!¡±

    SHIEEEEEEEEEEET!

    1. This password was somonly used in army bases and government offices in Korea that it has be a meme that you would be punished for leaking government secrets if you leaked this password. ?

 Chapter 506: Day of the Apocalypse (3)

    Chapter 506: Day of the Apocalypse (3)

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    A giant heat storm swept throughout the concrete city. The demons that were caught in the explosion were reduced to ashes and scattered. The day of the Apocalypse, which Bael¡¯s army had dreamed of, began with the wretched screens of demons.

    "Kurgh!" Amon grunted.

    The intense heat was prating his demonic energy barrier and burning his skin.

    <em>Sizzle¡ª!!</em>

    Pus oozed out from his skin as excruciating pain attacked him.

    <em>¡¯How¡­?¡¯</em>

    Amon¡¯s eyes widened. He stared at the giant explosion that had swept the surroundings. Such firepower could not have been possible unless the humans had prepared in advance for the invasion of Bael¡¯s army.

    <em>¡¯They must have found out about the day of the Apocalypse¡­!¡¯</em>That was the only possible exnation.

    "Gaaaahhh!" Amon groaned as unpleasantly as nails on a chalkboard.

    He gripped his staff tightly and hunched back even more.

    "Tent of Evil!" he chanted.

    Amon had no idea how the Demon King acquired information about the day of the Apocalypse, but he did not have the leeway to think about it.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!</em>

    A ck tent spread out in front of Amon and covered Bael¡¯s army, deflecting the barrage of light rays from the mage yers and the angels.

    "Whoa, the fuck? You¡¯ve gotten pretty strong in the time I haven¡¯t seen you!" said Oh Kang-Woo, looking down at the ck tent.

    Amon was well-known in Hell as a demonic schr even during Kang-Woo¡¯s days as the Demon King, but his strength was only in academics; he was of no threat whatsoeverbat-wise. However, seeing Amon single-handedly blocking the barrage of attacks from yers and angels, he was no longer the weakling schr whom Kang-Woo knew.

    "Tsk, tsk." Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head in disappointment. "This is why power bncing is important. Make someone too overpowered and the author is forced to power everyone up like it¡¯s some clearance sale."

    "Kurgh!"

    "You think so too, right, Amon? If you were to be set up as nothing but a schr, you should¡¯ve stayed that way. How does it make any sense for the story if you just power up out of nowhere?"

    "Shut up, Demon King!!!"

    "And one more thing, dammit. What is a mastermind-in-the-shadows character like you doing in the vanguard? Huh? Why is a mage like you the first toe out?"

    <em>¡¯You Galdalf?¡¯</em>

    "Guh¡­"

    Blood vessels bulged from Amon¡¯s forehead. He had seen the frivolous side of the Demon King many times, but he couldn¡¯t help but surge with rage now that he was the target of ridicule.

    "<em>Huff, huff,</em>" Amon panted heavily.

    He raised his staff and stomped his foot.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    A massive wave of demonic energy spread out in all directions like a rock dropped into a pond. The wave began to push back the barrage of attacks.

    "Man, you sure are going all out for a frail son of a bitch." Kang-Woo crossed his arms and looked down leisurely at Amon. "Now, then." He slowly raised his hand and smiled crookedly. "Try blocking this."

    He pressed a button on his earbudmunication device, made by Khadgar¡¯s blood, sweat, and tears.

    "Darling."

    - Yes, Kang-Woo.

    "Cast the buffs."

    After his concise instruction, a massive pir of light shot up into the sky from where the barrage of light wasing from.

    "That¡¯s¡­" Amon slurred with his eyes widened. He knew exactly what the twelve wings ovepped with the pir of light signified. He hurriedly shouted, "Disperse!! Disperse right now!!"

    The army of demons, who were marching in formation like highly-trained soldiers, clumsily scattered as per Amon¡¯smand. Their airtight formation crumbled almost instantly.

    "Right, herees another one!" Kang-Woo cackled and spread out his arms widely. "Art!!"

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Mana, iparable to the amount from before, poured from the defense line once Han Seol-Ah¡¯s buffs were cast.

    "Is an explosiooooooooon!"

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    The magic circle that the mage Rankers and angels spent an entire month creating brightly shone blue.

    "Kyahahahahahaha!!" A blonde angel standing at the center of the magic circle with a bottle of alcohol in one handughed madly.

    It was Gabriel, the archangel who had worked the hardest to make the magic circle.

    "So these are Lady Seraph¡¯s buffs, huh?! This is just cheating!!"

    Gabriel¡¯s face reddened as she trembled. Kang-Woo had been hiding the fact that Seraph¡¯s soul was lying dormant within Seol-Ah, but he revealed it in advance so that there would be no chaos during the final battle. However, this was the first time Seol-Ah directly revealed her power.

    Gabriel burst intoughter as she felt the extraordinary effects of Seol-Ah¡¯s buffs. "Kyahahahaha! I thought this girlie only had her breasts going for her, but she had something even more amazing!"

    "Ah, u-umm¡­ P-Please don¡¯t suddenly touch my breasts¡­"

    "Hihihi! Okay, okay. Right, then!"

    Gabriel, who had been feeling up Seol-Ah, sprouted her wings, threw aside her bottle of alcohol, and narrowed her eyes sharply.

    "Those tainted by darkness," she said coldly, unlike how much she wasughing a few seconds ago.

    The yers and angels around her ced their hands on the magic circle.

    Gabriel stared coldly at Bael¡¯s army and dered, "Receive the judgment of light."

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Rays of light poured down like rainfall from the shining magic circle.

    Kang-Woo frowned as he stared at Gabriel standing at the center of the magic circle.

    "That bitch, how dare shey her hands on my Darling¡­?"

    He wanted nothing more than to smack her on the back of the head this instant, but it was not the time.

    "What the¡­?! Are you nning on wiping out the entire continent?!" Amon shouted as he was just barely blocking the light rays.

    Kang-Woo smirked. As Amon had said, the barrage of light rays was powerful enough to wipe out not just Seoul but the entire Korean Penins.

    "You think I don¡¯t know that?" Kang-Woo said.

    "... What?"

    Amon frowned and looked around. The light rays were reflecting off of the barrier surrounding the entirety of Seoul and falling on the demons. It was as if a methrower was being used in a small room. The energy trapped within the barrier was destroying everything inside.

    "Kurghhh!!"

    Amon aggressively bit his lip.

    <em>¡¯I have to destroy that magic circle first.¡¯</em>

    They couldn¡¯t endure the barrage of attacks for much longer.

    Amon raised his staff and chanted, "Zazas, zazas, nasatanada zazas."

    "Mm, it kinda looks like our roles are reversed."

    Kang-Woo tilted his head and looked down at Amon, who was doing his best to block the rain of attacks.

    <em>¡¯I feel like the viin.¡¯</em>

    Amon, who was blocking the barrage as he chanted spells, looked more like a hero protecting hisrades than a demon trying to end the world.

    "Well, not like it was any different before."

    Kang-Wooughed as he looked down at the demons scattering all over the ce like flies.

    <em>¡¯Not a bad start.¡¯</em>

    Amon being in the vanguard worked in their favor. A mage needed time and safety to disy their full potential; if Amon had cast magic from a safe space at the rear, they would not have been able to deal this much damage to Bael¡¯s army.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    Guardians still did not have the upper hand despite dealing considerable damage to Bael¡¯s forces.

    <em>¡¯This is only the beginning.¡¯</em>

    They had overpowered the demons using the element of surprise, but it was short-lived.

    <em>¡¯Here theye.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly turned around and saw ancient demonic beasts over twenty meters tall running out of the Rift.

    "Grrrrrrrrrrr!!"

    The ancient demonic beasts used their extraordinary physical prowess to charge right through the barrage of light rays.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s not enough.¡¯</em>

    Although a few demonic beasts died from being unable to handle the barrage, the demons began their charge by using the demonic beasts as their shield.

    "For Lord Bael!!"

    "For the Apocalypse!!"

    The demons who managed to get out of the barrage¡¯s range flew toward the defense line. Kang-Woo gripped Ingrium on his waist as he stared at them.

    "... No."

    He shook his head after some thought. Taking action himself would certainly tilt the momentum in the favor of Earth¡¯s forces.

    <em>¡¯But Bael has yet to make an appearance.¡¯</em>

    He and Bael were the ones who would decide who would win or lose. As long as Bael was keeping himself hidden, Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t take reckless action either.

    <em>¡¯I need to dissociate myself from those small fry.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed to keep his focus on Bael.

    <em>¡¯And¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled; he had already prepared a method to wipe out the demons flying toward the defense line.

    "Destroy that magic circle first!!"

    Several thousand demons had flown out of the range of the barrage. There were so many that they covered the sky.

    [Gods of Olympus.]

    Just then, Gaia walked out from the defense line. Behind her were other gods, who had manifested into Earth, ring at the demons with weapons in hand.

    [Bring down judgment on the forces of evil who have dared to set foot on the Triad!]

    The gods of Olympus flew up toward the swarm of demons who had covered the sky. There were not many of them due to Bael¡¯s attack on Olympus, but each of them possessed Deific Essence.

    Boom¡ª!!

    "Gaaaaaahhh!"

    "Arghhh!"

    The gods of Olympus flew right into the swarm of demons, the Deific Essence barrier protecting them, and began to tear the demons apart.

    "Kuh." Amon frowned. He clenched his staff and shouted, "ingest the horn powder!"

    Every demon raised the pouch hanging from their necks and poured its contents into their mouths.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Explosive demonic energy filled the sky.

    [Kurgh¡­] Gaia grimaced. [So this is the power of Deicide.]

    Just as Kang-Woo had told her, the demons had prepared a way to fight against those with Deific Essence.

    Gaia stretched out her arm and shouted, [Fall back!]

    It was impossible to ughter the demons one-sidedly as they were doing before now that the demons possessed the power of Deicide.

    "Raaaaaaahhh!!"

    The demons roared ferociously and flew down to the defense line once the gods of Olympus retreated. It looked as if the night sky was falling on the ground.

    "E-Eek!"

    "Wh-What should we do?!"

    The yers who were infusing mana into the magic circle looked around frantically.

    "Stay focused on maintaining the magic circle!" Gabrielmanded.

    However, the panic that had already been spread did not die down. No human could stay calm when a swarm of demons were flying down on them. The panic spread to the angels as well.

    <em>tter.</em>

    Just then, red chains enveloped the magic circle like a dome.

    "Red Lotus, Eighth Form."

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    A slender woman with red hair spread out her arms and stood at the center of the magic circle.

    <em>tter¡ª!</em>

    The hundreds of chains squirmed as if they were alive with each step the woman took.

    "Red Lotus Kaleidoscope."

    <em>Swoosh¡ª!!!</em>

    The red chains in the shape of a dome shot at the demons. The chains, which possessed the power of Deicide like the demons who ingested the horn powder, tore the demons apart.

    "Finally¡­"

    Cha Yeon-Joo clenched her fists as her shoulders trembled.

    "Finally¡­!

    She pumped her fists into the air.

    "I finally get a badass scene!!"

    Her sorrow, which had been built up from constant teasing by the Demon King, burst out all at once.

 Chapter 507: Day of the Apocalypse (4)

    Chapter 507: Day of the Apocalypse (4)

    <em>Grind¡ª!!</em>

    The chilling sound of meat being ground in a mixer echoed. The demons wrapped by the red chains burst into little pieces. ck blood poured like rain.

    "Haaa, haaa," Cha Yeon-Joo panted heavily.

    <em>¡¯Maybe I was a bit too greedy.¡¯</em>

    Although it was an emergency, she had used far too big of a technique to wipe out the demons. Yeon-Joo staggered momentarily due to mana exhaustion.

    "Yeon-Joo!" shouted Han Seol-Ah, who was maintaining the buffs.

    "Don¡¯t worry about me!" replied Yeon-Joo as she shook her head.

    Seol-Ah¡¯s buffs were necessary to keep the power of the light rays as they were. Yeon-Joo couldn¡¯t allow Seol-Ah to stop the buffs just for her.

    "Grrr! Die, human woman!!"A demon charged out of the storm of chains and swung his hammer at Yeon-Joo¡¯s head with enough force to kill her instantly. Yeon-Joo tumbled backward to dodge the hammer and extended her arm.

    <em>tter!</em>

    Red chains shot out of her wrist wrapped around the hammer.

    "Huup!"

    Yeon-Joo lightly jumped.

    "Foolish girl!"

    The demon with the hammer smiled. Wrapping chains around a hammer that could be swung with enough force to kill her instantly was just asking to die.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    The chains were pulled taut and Yeon-Joo shot up into the air.

    "Die!!"

    The demon swung Yeon-Joo all over the ce and then swung the hammer down.

    <em>Boom¡ª!</em>

    The force of impact made a crater on the ground.

    "Hm?"

    The demon¡¯s eyes widened. The woman, whom he thought would have be paste after being smashed into the ground, was nowhere to be seen.

    "Over here, bastard."

    <em>Tap.</em>

    Yeon-Joo had instantly unraveled the chains around the demon¡¯s hammer andnded on the demon¡¯s neck. She then wrapped her chains around the neck of the five-meter-tall demon.

    "Red Lotus, Fifth Form."

    <em>tter¡ª!!</em>

    Chains spread out like a spider web with the demon as the epicenter and wrapped around other demons in its area as they slithered across the ground like a snake.

    "Spider Wrestling."

    The chains spread out like a spider web and connected every demon in its radius.

    "Enough of your tricks!"

    The demon with the hammer tried to shake off the chains wrapped around him.

    "Gaaaaaahhh!!"

    "S-Stop, dammit!!"

    The chains connecting the demons were pulled along the demon¡¯s movements. The sharp thorns on the chains sunk into the demons¡¯ flesh and tore it apart.

    "Heh, go as wild as you want," said Yeon-Joo as she snorted and jumped off of the demon¡¯s neck.

    "D-Dammit!"

    The more the demons tried to shake off the chains, the deeper the chains¡¯ thorns dug into them. They were given no choice but to stay in ce.

    "Now then, that should more or less take care of them¡­" Yeon-Joo expressed satisfaction after restraining the demons who had reached the magic circle and turned around. "... Shit."

    However, there were just as many demons flying toward the magic circle. Although the barrage of light rays continued, countless demons were also charging out of the Rift. Not just that, even more demons were escaping the barrage area using the ancient demonic beasts as meat shields and were flying toward the defense line.

    <em>¡¯There¡¯s no end to them.¡¯</em>

    Although Yeon-Joo specialized in dealing with many enemies at once, not even she could deal with an endless number of demons by herself.

    "Grrrr!"

    On top of that, the ancient demonic beasts who managed to charge through the barrage were running straight to the defense line. Each of them was easily over twenty meters tall.

    <em>¡¯I can¡¯t stop them.¡¯</em>

    The demonic beasts did not possess the power of Deicide, but their baseline level of physical strength was far too high for Yeon-Joo to handle.

    "... Shit," Yeon-Joo cursed.

    "Grrrrrr!"

    The giant ancient demonic beasts shook their bodies and whipped their tails. Yeon-Joo hurriedly shot her chains at them.

    <em>Clunk!</em>

    "Ngh!"

    Yeon-Joo had used so many chains when dealing with the demons; her bracelets became heavy and the chains shooting toward the demonic beasts fell lifelessly on the ground.

    "Dammit!" she cursed and prepared to retreat.

    <em>Spark! Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    Just then, blue lightning struck the demonic beasts¡¯ tails.

    "Red-hair! We can¡¯t hold the line any longer!" shouted Uriel.

    "... Who are you calling red-hair, brat?"

    "What? Brat? I¡¯ve lived ten times longer than you!"

    "Hmph, if you look like a brat, then you¡¯re a brat."

    "You obnoxious human¡­!"

    Yeon-Joo and Uriel red at each other.

    "Both of you, please calm down," said Michael as hended between them and sighed.

    "... Sorry. This isn¡¯t the time." Yeon-Joo lowered her head and backed down. "Urgh¡­ there¡¯s no end to them."

    She stared at Bael¡¯s army as if she were sick and tired of them. Each demon was powerful, but the bigger issue was their endless numbers. An enormous number of demons were charging at the defense line like a swarm of bees trying to protect their nest.

    <em>¡¯This is bad.¡¯</em>

    They were protecting the defense line the best they could, but they no longer had the strength to.

    <em>¡¯But if we were to fall back¡­¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo looked back to see the yers and angels pouring their mana into the magic circle. They were already exhausted; if she were to retreat, everyone here would be torn apart by the demons.

    "..."

    Yeon-Joo clenched her fists tightly. She had no choice but to protect everyone here with her life.

    <em>- Ah, ahh, can you hear me?</em>

    Just then, Yeon-Joo heard a voice from hermunication device in her ear.

    "K-Kang-Woo?"

    <em>- Yeah.</em>

    "Can you send Si-Hun here? I don¡¯t think we can hold out much longer."

    <em>- Fall back.</em>

    "... What? F-Fall back?"

    <em>- Yeah. Give up on the defense line.</em>

    "Wh-What the hell are you talking about?!" shouted Yeon-Joo, her eyes widened.

    Abandoning the defense line was no different from leaving everyone here to die.

    <em>- Don¡¯t worry.</em>

    Yeon-Joo heard Kang-Woo chuckle.

    <em>- I¡¯ve already prepared an escape route for them.</em>

    "But if you do that, the magic circle will¡­" Yeon-Joo slurred as she looked back at the magic circle.

    <em>- It¡¯s fine.</em>

    "... It is?"

    <em>- Yeah. After all¡­</em>

    Kang-Woo cackled menacingly.

    <em>- That magic circle was bait from the very beginning.</em>

    "..." Yeon-Joo remained silent.

    Hearing that, she felt as if she had been hit on the back of her head.

    <em>¡¯This magic circle was bait?¡¯</em>

    Based on the details of the n she was given, this magic circle needed to be protected at all costs, so she did her best to protect it. But it was bait all along?

    "Why are you deceiving even your allies?!" Yeon-Joo shouted as she frowned angrily.

    If the magic circle was bait, then it meant the forces stationed here were all bait as well.

    <em>- Because¡­</em>

    Kang-Woo snickered from across themunication device.

    <em>- That would make you more desperate.</em>

    "..." Yeon-Joo was left with her mouth agape. She pped her forehead. "You son of a¡­"

    She thought that Kang-Woo was the shittiest person in the world.

    "..."

    However, she realized that he was that kind of person from the start.

    <em>¡¯No wonder the System called him the God of fucking Splendor.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo clicked her tongue and shook her head.

    "So, what do you need me to do?" she asked.

    <em>- You¡¯ll see three blue crystal orbs at the center of the magic circle. Just infuse mana into them.</em>

    "... Got it." Yeon-Joo nodded and turned around. She shouted at the angels and yers, "Everyone, get in the magic circle!!"

    She reached the center of the magic circle and found the three blue crystal orbs.

    "Fuuu."

    She infused mana into them as Kang-Woo instructed.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    "This is¡­"

    "Wh-What¡¯s happening?"

    Blinding light poured out of the magic circle and enveloped everything in its radius. The yers and angels above the magic circle vanished as if they dissipated into thin air.

    "Now!"

    "Destroy the magic circle!"

    The demons, seeing that the forces protecting the magic circle had retreated, charged at the magic circle as they roared.

    "Shit! Run away, you idiots!!" Amon shouted.

    The demons looked back at Amon in confusion. He hadmanded them to destroy the magic circle, but now he wasmanding them to run away.

    "It¡¯s a trap!! Get away from there right now!" Amon yelled.

    "Pfft!" Kang-Wooughed, unable to hold it in. "It¡¯s toote."

    He licked his lips and snapped his fingers.

    "Ah¡­" Amon muttered.

    BOOOOOOOOM!

    He reached out in desperation but was unable to stop the explosion of the magic circle.

    "Bwehehehehe!!" Kang-Woo burst intoughter, grasping his stomach. "Why would you even charge all together like a bunch of morons?"

    Throwing so many demons at the magic circle to destroy it ended up being the worst possible decision. Kang-Woo cackled as he looked down at the demons who had been reduced to ashes.

    "K-Kekeke. You sure thought things through, Demon King."

    Amon clenched his staff tightly with his trembling hand. That was not all of Bael¡¯s army that was caught in the explosion, but it was still a significant portion; so many that the number wouldn¡¯t be restored for a very long time even after ending Earth and turning it into the territory of the Nine Hells.

    "How very¡­ very interesting¡­"

    "Hey, hey."

    "To think the king of demons would pull such an undignified trick."

    "Hey, you crying? Hm? You crying for real?"

    "Lord Bael would be terribly disappointed in y¡ª"

    "Bwehehehe!! This son of a bitch is crying!! Hey, guys! Take a look at this crybaby!"

    "..."

    Amon clenched his staff so hard that it could break. Blood vessels bulged from his forehead and he red at Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯He can only act leisurely for so long.¡¯</em>

    The explosion had dealt a massive blow to Bael¡¯s army, but they were still going strong.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Amon aggressively mmed his staff down on the ground. The red Rift grew bigger.

    [So this is Earth.]

    [Kahahahaha!! How long I¡¯ve waited for this day!]

    [This is our territory now!]

    The otherworldly beings walked out of the Rift.

    "Wow, there sure are a lot of them," Kang-Woo mentioned as he stared at the otherworldly beings of diverse appearances.

    He crossed his arms and slowly turned his head.

    <em>Schwing!</em>

    Si-Hun unsheathed his sword and walked out as if he had waited for this moment.

    "The Sirius Corps is ready," he said.

    "Good."

    Kang-Woo nodded. Now that the defense line was destroyed, the only thing left to do was to scuffle it out on the battlefield known as Seoul.

    "Charge!" Si-Hun shouted.

    The Guardians yers charged at the otherworldly beings.

    <em>ng! Boom!</em>

    The number of injured among the yers rapidly increased as the battle went on.

    "..." Kang-Woo stared at the red Rift with deeply sunken eyes. "Isn¡¯t it about time you crawled out of there?"

    <em>- H-Hihi.</em>

    The voice of a boy echoed in Kang-Woo¡¯s head as a response.

 Chapter 508: Reason For His Desire

    Chapter 508: Reason For His Desire

    <em>- You¡¯ve really outdone yourself, huh?</em>

    A boy¡¯s voice echoed inside Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly and answered, "I had plenty of time thanks to a certain dumbass, after all."

    <em>- H-Hihi.</em>

    A quiet crazedughter echoed. The corners of Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth lowered and he stared at the red Rift coldly.

    "Bael," said the king of demons. "Let¡¯s end this."

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The red Rift contorted and ripped open further. Kang-Woo heard footsteps from across the Rift and walked out a boy with ck hair.

    "Yeah, it¡¯s about time we did." Bael took a deep breath after walking out of the Rift. He looked around and cackled. "It¡¯s been a while."He stretched out his long tongue and licked his lips. The corners of his mouth tore up to his ears, exposing his red gums and the sharp teeth that protruded out from them.

    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s been that long," Kang-Woo responded.

    "I wasn¡¯t talking to you."

    "... What?"

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    "Hihihi!" Bael cackled, having no intention of borating.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he stared at Bael. "Let me ask you something."

    "Hm?" Bael tilted his head.

    A question had been on Kang-Woo¡¯s mind ever since his reunion with Bael, and he was unable to find the answer no matter how much he thought about it.

    "Why do you have the Authority of Predation?"

    The Authority of Predation was what made Kang-Woo what he was now¡ª no, it was pretty much a part of him at this point. However, Bael had it as well.

    <em>¡¯There can¡¯t be more than one of the same Authority.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could use more than one Authority because he had absorbed the Authorities themselves with the Authority of Predation, but they were ultimately different Authorities; multiple copies of the same Authority couldn¡¯t exist.

    "H-Hihi!" Bael snickered in exasperation. "You¡¯re asking¡­ why do I have the Authority of Predation?" He spread his arms widely and continued, "Because¡­ I was first."

    "..." Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t following. "What does that mean?"

    "H-Hihi!! It means exactly what it sounds like! I¡­ I was before you."

    "And I¡¯m asking what that m¡ª"

    "I!!!" Bael stomped his foot fiercely. He cried, "I CLIMBED FIRST!! FROM THE FIRST TO THE NINTH HELL!! I CLIMBED TO THE TOP BEFORE YOU!!"

    "..."

    "H-Hihihi!! I suffered like crazy, you know? To live! TO SURVIVE!! I DESPERATELY STRUGGLED!"

    Bael had crawled pathetically, miserably, and desperately.

    "I ate, ate, ate, and ate again! And then I reached the Ninth Hell while you were still idling away in the upper floors! But why?! Why were you the one whopleted the Demonic Sea?!"

    Kang-Woo, a mere amoeba slower and weaker than him, managed toplete the Demonic Sea that Bael couldn¡¯t.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shook. Bael¡¯s wretched screams etched into his mind.

    "So, what you¡¯re saying is¡­" Kang-Woo stared at Bael as if he had never even considered the possibility. "You were¡­ also a human who fell into Hell on that day."

    Kang-Woo was not the only one devoured by the ck Rift and fell into Hell.

    <em>¡¯Ohhh. I see, so that¡¯s what he meant.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>- It¡¯s been a while.</em>

    Bael had not been referring to Kang-Woo but to Earth, which he was looking around at.

    <em>¡¯Yeah, I¡¯ve heard about it.¡¯</em>

    Bael was the very first demon to start from the First Hell and reach the Ninth, not Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯And¡­¡¯</em>

    He was also the first to kill a prince of Hell and take over his seat. Although the history was buried because of Kang-Woo¡¯s miraculous feats after reaching the Ninth Hell, Bael had also undeniably rewritten the history of the Nine Hells.

    "Yeah, I was." Bael red ferociously at Kang-Woo and gritted his teeth. "And I reached the Ninth Hell several times faster than you."

    "..."

    "You and I¡­" Bael shook his leg temperamentally and continued, "We are but vessels made toplete the Demonic Sea."

    The Demon God had created Bael and Oh Kang-Woo solely for that purpose.

    "No, I guess it wasn¡¯t just you and me," Bael mentioned.

    "... It wasn¡¯t?"

    "Yeah! The Demon God made countless vessels like you and me!" Bael gritted his teeth and mumbled, "And among those who survived, the one closest topletion wasn¡¯t you¡­ but me."

    "... Hah," Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>¡¯So that¡¯s why that son of a bitch called me a puppet.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was nothing but a vessel to hold the Demonic Sea, destined for the Demon God to take over once the Demonic Sea waspleted.

    "Alright¡­ I more or less understand what you¡¯re talking about now, but¡­ so what?"

    "... What?"

    "You¡¯re making all this sound so fucking grandiose, but it just means you¡¯re nothing but a dumbass who wasn¡¯t able toplete the Demonic Sea, doesn¡¯t it?"

    "..."

    "If you were the best of us, then you would havepleted it."

    But the one who did was not Bael but Kang-Woo.

    "..." Bael¡¯s eyes shook. He grimaced and temperamentally bit his nail. "H-Hihihi!! I don¡¯t understand¡­ Why was it you and not me? Hm?"

    He was the most perfect out of all the vessels the Demon God created, but he had ultimately failed.

    "Why? Why? Why? Why?"

    <em>Bang, bang, bang.</em>

    Bael stomped his foot and shouted, "WHY?! WHY WAS IT YOU AND NOT ME?!!"

    Bael red madly at Kang-Woo. There was only one emotion filling his eyes.

    "Sheesh, I can feel your inferiorityplex from here, you loser," Kang-Woo mocked.

    He couldn¡¯t help butugh as he felt Bael¡¯s intense sense of inferiority directed at him.

    "You wanna know why you weren¡¯t able toplete the Demonic Sea? Isn¡¯t it obvious?" Kang-Woo stared at Bael with deeply sunken eyes. "It¡¯s because you didn¡¯t desire it."

    Arakyle was right. Desire was what made demons what they were; only desire couldplete them.

    "I¡­ didn¡¯t desire?" Bael muttered.

    "Exactly."

    Kang-Woo recalled the Bael he had met back in the Ninth Hell. He became the most powerful prince of Hell after killing Beelzebub and taking his seat as the Prince of Gluttony.

    "But that¡¯s all you amounted to."

    "..."

    "You killed a prince of Hell and took his seat."

    "What¡¯s so wrong about th¡ª"

    "And what did you do after that?"

    "I¡­"

    "That¡¯s right. You were¡­" Kang-Woo smiled. "Satisfied with that."

    Bael stopped desiring after bing known as the strongest prince of Hell and realizing that no one was his equal. He had given up.

    "Unlike you¡­"

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath. Unlike Bael, who was satisfied with the seat of a prince of Hell, Kang-Woo was never satisfied even after bing the king of demons andpleting the Demonic Sea.

    "... How?" Bael stared at Kang-Woo in disbelief. "How can you be like that?"

    "Because we desired different things." Kang-Woo chuckled. They were both vessels for the Demonic Sea but had different desires. "That¡¯s probably the difference between you and me."

    "H-Hihihi!!" Baelughed like a maniac. "So, what was it that you wanted? What grandiose thing did you desire so badly that you were able to get your hands on the Demonic Sea?!"

    "Mm, well¡­"

    Kang-Woo crossed his arms and thought about what he desired in the Nine Hells so badly to the point that he managed to gain the immense power of the Demonic Sea.

    "I wanted¡­ kimchi stew."

    "... What?"

    "Come on, man, didn¡¯t you miss it too? You¡¯re from Earth, too. I mean, I don¡¯t know if you were Korean, but the spicy soup, the sour kimchi, the white rice, and the thick meat¡­"

    <em>¡¯I had more than enough desire left over even afterpleting the Demonic Sea, no cap.¡¯</em>

    "What the fuck¡­?"

    "I mean, there were some other things as well¡­ No, a lot of other things."

    "..."

    "Women. Yeah, I wanted to see women, too. Let¡¯s see¡­ Yeah. I wanted to curl up in some warm bed covers and read novels with the air conditioner sting."

    <em>¡¯What a life.¡¯</em>

    Bael was left with his mouth agape as he stared at Kang-Woo.

    "What?" Kang-Woo snickered. "You think they¡¯re dumbass reasons? You think they¡¯re pathetic?"

    Bael remained silent but his fiercely zing eyes were giving away his answer.

    "Okay, then." Kang-Woo smiled and asked, "Would you have been able to do it?"

    "What?"

    "Would you have been able to make my desires a reality back when you were hailed as the strongest prince of Hell?"

    "That¡¯s¡­" Bael slurred.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s desires were impossible to make a reality in the Nine Hells. In other words¡­

    "It would have only been possible by killing the seven princes of Hell, collecting the weapons containing the princes¡¯ souls, and getting the help of a demonic schr knowledgeable enough to bend space and time."

    No, it would have been impossible even with all those factors; Kang-Woo didn¡¯t know about it at the time, but he also needed to break through the defense system known as <em>Earth¡¯s protection</em> with nothing to protect him.

    "..."

    "Would you have been able to do all those things?"

    "Well¡­" Bael¡¯s voice shook.

    It would be a piece of cake for him now since he had the Demon God¡¯s Heart, Deific Essence, and even the privileges to bend the Law of Titans.

    <em>¡¯But if it were me back then¡­¡¯</em>

    If it had been the Bael who had taken the seat of the Prince of Gluttony, was satisfied there, and stopped desiring¡­

    "..."

    Would he have dared to even think about an absurd goal like going back to Earth? Would he have been able to continue desiring desperately for it and push through to the very end?

    "..." Bael gritted his teeth.

    "Right, then. You understand why I¡¯m the one with the Demonic Sea now, right?"

    Kang-Woo did not want to live as a demon. He did not want to stay in Hell.

    "At the very core, I¡¯m not a demon but the human Oh Kang-Woo."

    "Human? Human, you say? Hihihi!" Bael grabbed his stomach and crouched. "No."

    "..."

    "You and I¡­" Bael pointed at Kang-Woo and then at himself. His eyes glinted with madness as he said, "Yes, we have never once been human."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo recalled the memory of when he was inside his consciousness.

    <em>- Do you remember the face of your mother?</em>

    He recalled what Demon God Bauli said to him.

    <em>- How could a normal human possess the Authority of Predation? Could a human that is nothing remain sane after absorbing such an enormous amount of demonic energy?</em>

    The answer was simple. Kang-Woo was never human from the very beginning. He had been a monster wearing human skin since his days on Earth.

    <em>¡¯... I kinda expected that.¡¯</em>

    He had expected that he was not normal ever since he used the Authority of Predation when he first fell into Hell.

    "So what?" Kang-Woo asked apathetically.

    "... You¡¯re not surprised?"

    Bael tilted his head, unable to understand. Kang-Woo chuckled at Bael¡¯s reaction, which was the same as that of Bauli.

    "What? Do you want me to be shocked? Huh? Do you want me to kneel in despair, saying shit like <em>¡¯T-To think I was never human!!¡¯</em> ?"

    It didn¡¯t matter whether or not Kang-Woo was human at this point. Even if he was nothing but a monster in human skin¡­

    "Why should I give a shit?"

    Whatever he was, he had lived, survived, and desired as a human.

    "Can¡¯t I just be ssified as a human if I did all that?"

    Bael remained silent,pletely bbergasted.

    "You¡¯ve been going on with the exposition as you excitedly expose grandiose and dumbass hidden secrets like us being vessels toplete the Demonic Sea, monsters in human skin, but it doesn¡¯t change shit."

    Whatever Oh Kang-Woo was, it did not erase the life that he had lived as Oh Kang-Woo. It was as impossible as erasing the world just by closing one¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 509: I Knew You Would Open A Door

    Chapter 509: I Knew You Would Open A Door

    "H-Hihihihi," Baelughed in a twisted way. He swept up his ck hair and mumbled, "Yeah, you were always like this."

    The Demon King had been this kind of person even when he used to crawl like a dog and lick Bael¡¯s feet back in Hell. No matter how humiliating a situation he was put in, he was always shamelessly prideful. He never broke nor bent down; he was always so rxed as if he were always mocking his opponent.

    <em>¡¯No.¡¯</em>

    The Demon King was not like that at all times. Bael knew how to break that vulgar and shameless Demon King.

    ¡¯You¡¯ll break soon enough.¡¯

    "H-Hihihihi!! Kihihihihi!!"

    Bael¡¯s shoulders moved up and down as he stuck his long tongue out and cackled.

    "..."

    Oh Kang-Woo frowned slightly.<em>¡¯What is this?¡¯</em>

    An unknown sense of uneasiness ran down his back. He unsheathed Ingrium from his waist.

    "Fuuu." Kang-Woo could feel himself calming down after grabbing the sword made with the branch of the corrupted World Tree. He erased the uneasy feeling from his head and said deeply, "Why don¡¯t we leave the chit chat here? We¡¯re not here to discuss whether we¡¯re human or not, are we?"

    It was certainly surprising that Bael had been one of the humans who had fallen into Hell with Kang-Woo and that they had never been human.

    <em>¡¯But that doesn¡¯t matter right now.¡¯</em>

    The truth did not matter after all this time; Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t care less about an insignificant surprise twist. All that mattered right now was his battle against Bael.

    <em>¡¯Think.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought about ways to defeat Bael and stop the Apocalypse.

    <em>¡¯... I shouldn¡¯t hold off on opening the Doors to thest minute.¡¯</em>

    He had never opened the Doors as soon as the battle began¡ª no, he couldn¡¯t because it was a trump card with a time limit. If he used it initially, he would only be driven to a disadvantage as time went on. For example, it was like a berserk mode that bosses used in games when they were in low health. Not opening the Doors was never an option against Bael, but it was far too inefficient to use it before the battle even began.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was prone to death when the Doors weren¡¯t open. He would die if he were beheaded or if his heart were crushed, just like all lifeforms.

    <em>¡¯Should I shoulder the risk and put off opening the Doors, or eliminate the risk and choose an inefficient option?¡¯</em>

    Theter the Doors were opened, the better it was. However, if Bael was far stronger than Kang-Woo had anticipated, Kang-Woo might die just because he was adamant about putting it off.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. He still wasn¡¯t sure when to use his trump card.

    <em>¡¯In the first ce, I have no idea just how strong Bael is at the moment.¡¯</em>

    The Bael Kang-Woo had met in Aernor was not strong enough for Kang-Woo to immediately open the Doors. It was more efficient to buy some time as they fought and find the perfect time to open the Doors.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    Now that Bael possessed the Demon God¡¯s heart, it was near impossible for Kang-Woo to predict how much stronger Bael had be.

    "Hihi, what¡¯s wrong? Weren¡¯t we gonna fight right away?"

    Bael stared leisurely at Kang-Woo, who simply gripped Ingrium tightly without answering.

    "I guess I have no choice, then." Bael spread out his arms and slowly ced his right hand over his heart. "Open."

    "...!" Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. "Oh, sh¡ª"

    He quickly jumped backward.

    <em>Crash¡ª!!</em>

    ck mucus poured over the area where Kang-Woo had been standing. Countless mouths contorted, broke, and tore apart the surroundings.

    "How did you¡­!" said Kang-Woo in shock.

    He then recalled what Bael had said.

    <em>- You and I¡­ We are but vessels made toplete the Demonic Sea.</em>

    "Shit!" Kang-Woo cursed.

    Based on that, it meant he and Bael were fundamentally the same¡ª vessels made to hold the colossal power known as the Demonic Sea.

    <em>¡¯In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    It was not strange at all for Bael to be able to open the Doors as well.

    "... I thought you said you weren¡¯t able toplete the Demonic Sea," asked Kang-Woo after just barely dodging Bael¡¯s attack.

    "Heh." Bael smiled. "Yeah, it¡¯s not asplete as yours."

    He nodded and raised his arm which had turned into ck mucus and swung it.

    <em>Ssh!</em>

    ck mucus covered in mouths shot at Kang-Woo. He quickly rolled to the side to dodge them.

    "But I can also use it to an extent. Hihihi."

    Bael burst into innocentughter and stared at his hand hazily. Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>¡¯It must be thanks to acquiring the Demon God¡¯s heart.¡¯</em>

    Bael did not open the Doors when Kang-Woo fought against him in Hell¡ª no, to be more precise, he couldn¡¯t. Considering that, the only possible exnation he could use the Demonic Sea to an extent was because he now had the Demon God¡¯s heart.

    <em>¡¯Because the one who keeps the Demonic Sea intact is¡­ the Demon God.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not want to admit it, but the Demonic Sea inside him could only stay intact thanks to the power of the Demon God inside the Abyss. It was only natural since the Demon God was the one who created the vessels. In other words, if a portion of the Demon God¡¯s power flowed into Bael, there was no reason why Bael couldn¡¯t open the Doors.

    "H-Hihi. Kurgh!" Bael flinched. "Bleeeeeeghhh!" He suddenly clenched his chest and vomited ck mucus. "Kurgh, urghhh!"

    Bael trembled and swayed as if he lost strength in his legs. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone.

    <em>¡¯But it¡¯s not perfect.¡¯</em>

    Although Bael could open the Doors, it was nowhere near as stable as Kang-Woo¡¯s technique. He wasn¡¯t sure, but Bael probably wouldn¡¯t be able to open anything past the First Door.

    <em>Crunch¡ª!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    Mouths attached to Kang-Woo¡¯s arm and bit into it relentlessly.

    sh!

    Kang-Woo severed his entire arm without hesitation using the Authority of des. The ck mucus would nevere off of a body part once it stuck to it; the only way to remove it was to sever the body part that it had attached to.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. It would be pointless to stall for time and hope for Bael¡¯s Door to close. Not only was it highly risky, but he had no idea when it would end.

    <em>¡¯No, maybe¡­¡¯</em>

    There was a possibility that it wouldn¡¯t end.

    <em>¡¯Because his Demonic Sea isn¡¯tplete.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t keep the Doors open forever because the power of the Demonic Sea would grow so massive to the point he couldn¡¯t keep it under control and devour him whole. Bael¡¯s Demonic Sea was notplete¡ª that fact might rather be what could allow Bael to keep the Door open and avoid the Demonic Sea from devouring him.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

    He looked down at his severed left arm and raised his right arm. He did not have to think for long.

    <em>¡¯I have to open it.¡¯</em>

    There was no other way to face Bael. He slowly ced his right hand over his chest. Just then¡­

    <em>Zzzzzzt.</em>

    [A specific incantation is required to use the second effect of ¡¯Ruler of the Demonic Sea.¡¯]

    [The incantation is ????????????????????????.]

    "Kurgh."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s vision blurred. The system window which he hadn¡¯t seen in a while appeared in front of him.

    <em>¡¯The second effect? An incantation?¡¯</em>

    All sorts of questions popped up in his head. Even if he wanted to check what the incantation was, he couldn¡¯t because the letters were filled with static.

    <em>¡¯What the hell?¡¯</em>

    What was the point of an incantation if the letters were covered?

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    ck mucus bit off Kang-Woo¡¯s flesh before he even had a chance to finish his thoughts.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m out of time.¡¯</em>

    He did not have the leeway to think about the second effect. He ced his right hand on his chest again and muttered, "Open."

    Two Doors opened.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    The surrounding area shook as the mes of Voracity wrapped around Kang-Woo. A thrill traveled across him as he felt an inexplicable sense of omnipotence. He could feel the sea of demonic energy flooding into him through the open Doors.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed heatedly.

    It was only in moments like this when the Doors sealing the Demonic Sea were opened that the concept of death disappeared.

    Kang-Woo turned his head and said, "Bael."

    Although the duration he could maintain the Demonic Sea had increased thanks to his Twelfth Awakening Trait, he could still feel his sanity flickering.

    "I¡¯ll show you what the real Demonic Sea looks like."

    Kang-Woo smiled and stared at the iplete and shabby-looking Demonic Sea. He couldn¡¯t tell before, but he could now tell after opening the Second Door how pathetic Bael¡¯s Demonic Sea was.

    "As I¡¯ve thought." Kang-Woo chuckled. "You¡¯re nothing."

    He was sure of his victory. He could feel the power of the Demonic Sea spreading from his heart eating away at his sanity. No, it was more apt to say that it was melting away. Kang-Woo slowly raised his hand and the branch of the corrupted World Tree, which fell on the ground after he severed his right arm, floated into the air.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    Kang-Woo grabbed Ingrium wrapped in the mes of Voracity. The space around him distorted as he dashed at Bael, reaching him in an instant. He gripped Ingrium tightly and stabbed Bael who was almost half ck mucus.

    <em>Pierce!</em>

    "Argh!!"

    Ingrium went straight through Bael.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>¡¯What was that?¡¯</em>

    Bael was not unable to dodge Kang-Woo¡¯s attack; rather, he did not bother dodging. He simply spread his arms widely as if he wanted to be stabbed by Ingrium.

    <em>¡¯Something is¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo felt uneasy and tried to pull out Ingrium. However¡­

    <em>Grab.</em>

    "Kihi! Hihihihihihi!!!" Baelughed like a maniac as he clenched Ingrium¡¯s de. "Pfft! Hihihihi!! Yeah! I knew you would do that!!"

    Bael looked right into Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes.

    "Yeah, yeah. I knew it. After all, you¡¯re smart. You¡¯re not an idiot. You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re¡­" Bael mumbled as if humming. "Special."

    He stretched out his long tongue and licked his lips. He then leaned his head toward Kang-Woo.

    "..."

    The two demons¡¯ eyes locked.

    "I knew you would open a Door," said Bael with a smile.

    "... What?" Kang-Woo stared at Bael, unable to understand.

    <em>Whoooom!!!</em>

    Ingrium began to shine ck.

    "Do you know what the role of the World Tree is?" Bael asked.

    "Kurgh!"

    Kang-Woo tried to let go of Ingrium but no matter how hard he tried, his hands did not leave its hilt.

    Bael continued, "It acts as a link between worlds. Then what do you think the role of a corrupted World Tree is?"

    <em>Wriggle, wriggle.</em>

    The ck mucus pouring from Bael¡¯s chest and the mes of Voracity wrapping Kang-Woo connected as one.

    "It¡¯s no different. A corrupted World Tree¡­ also acts as a link for something."

    "Oh, shit¡ª"

    Kang-Woo grimaced.

    <em>Crush¡ª!!!</em>

    A colossal hand shot out from Kang-Woo¡¯s chest.

 Chapter 510: Forward, Forward

    <em>Crush¡ª!!</em>

    A colossal¡ª no, something so big that no word could ever describe its size shot out from Oh Kang-Woo.

    "Kurgh! Argh!" Kang-Woo clenched his chest and writhed in unimaginable pain. "A-Arghhh."

    His legs swayed. He could feel something in his heart struggling madly to get out.

    "Ahhh."

    Something was being broken; it was shattering like dropping a sswork on the ground. His vision was blurring and he was panting heavily. His heart was not beating properly. The boundless ck sea was raging and pouring out through the cracked vessel.

    "Hihihihihi!!"

    Kang-Woo could hear Bael¡¯sughter. He was in far too much pain to even think that it was annoyingly loud.

    <em>¡¯This is¡­¡¯</em>He desperately held on to his sanity and forced the pieces of his fragmented mind back together. He looked inside his cracked vessel.

    <em>- Atst! I can finally get out of this Abyss!!</em>

    Kang-Woo heard the bellows of the Titan born from the Primordial Darkness. He crawled out of the Abyss of the Demonic Sea holding him down and stood up. The power of the Titan was being transferred from Kang-Woo to Bael through the branch of the corrupted World Tree linking them.

    "Kihi!! Kihihihihihi!! Ahhh, so this is it! This is the power of the Demon God!"

    Bael burst into uncontrobleughter. Kang-Woo fell to his knees. The ck sea of demonic energy with no Demon God to hold it together was raging madly.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s¡­ breaking.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could feel something that was keeping him intact breaking.

    "<em>Cough! Cough!</em>"

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    The mes of Voracity wrapped around him were extinguished. Kang-Woo crouched and coughed up ck blood.

    "Heh, I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still conscious." Bael looked down at Kang-Woo in surprise. "I thought you wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it and go insane."

    "Ba¡­el¡­" mumbled Kang-Woo as if he would lose consciousness at any moment.

    He could tell what Bael did and what happened even while he was rapidly losing his sanity.

    <em>¡¯The Demon God¡­ jumped from me to Bael.¡¯</em>

    Bauli had escaped the Abyss of the Demonic Sea and switched bodies using the link formed between Kang-Woo and Bael. Such a thing was only possible because the two of them were both vessels for the Demonic Sea.

    "Kurgh." Kang-Woo bit his lip.

    He could feel the Demonic Sea inside him falling apart. He clenched his fists. Kang-Woo was only able to trap the Demon God inside the Abyss of the Demonic Sea because it had been he who was acknowledged as the Ruler of the Demonic Sea, not Bauli.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t be the root that held the Demonic Sea together because he was nothing but a vessel; he was but a puppet made toplete and hold the Demonic Sea.

    "Sh¡­it," Kang-Woo cursed.

    He was yed¡ª no, he had no other choice but to be yed. He had no idea what Ingrium¡¯s true role was or that he was a vessel to hold the Demonic Sea. He did not even imagine that the Demon God, who was trapped inside the Abyss, would transfer from him to Bael.

    <em>¡¯What should I¡­¡¯</em>

    His mind was going nk. He frantically thought about a way to resolve this crisis, but¡­

    "<em>Cough! Cough!</em>"

    Kang-Woo coughed up even more ck blood. This was probably what Qi deviation felt like. The rampaging energy of the Demonic Sea was tearing him apart from the inside. Demonic energy ran wild uncontrobly like water pouring out of a broken dam.

    "Fu¡­ck," Kang-Woo cursed again.

    He crouched as he coughed up blood. A single blunder¡ª no, it couldn¡¯t be called a blunder. An inevitable disaster destroyed him with no way to resist.

    <em>- Kehehehe! It looks like the puppet finally learned its ce!</em>

    Kang-Woo heard an ted voice!

    <em>- Hmm. This vessel is still iplete, but¡­ It can¡¯t be helped.</em>

    Bauli, who had entered Bael, clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

    <em>- Kehehe. Atst¡­ I get my hands on the Demonic Sea!</em>

    "Heh." Bael smiled. "What kind of bullshit are you spewing?"

    <em>- What?</em>

    "Hihihi!" Baelughed, his shoulders bouncing up and down. "Stay the fuck down." He stared at the copsed Kang-Woo, his eyes filled with madness. He trembled in ecstasy and said, "Don¡¯t get in my way. Do you have any idea how long I¡¯ve waited for this moment?"

    Bael stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips. He had waited a long time to see the moment the Demon King break down after he took everything from him.

    "Kihihihihihihihihihihi!!! I told you! I did, didn¡¯t I?! Hm? I was right!!" Bael spread his arms wide and shouted madly, "YOUUUUU!!! AREEEEEEE!!! NOTHIIIIIIIIIING!!"

    <em>Boom, boom, boom.</em>

    Bael approached Kang-Woo, stomping his feet, and kicked Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kang-Woo tumbled across the ground.

    <em>- Hmph. You are no different from that puppet.</em>

    The Demon God¡¯s cold voice echoed inside Bael¡¯s head.

    <em>- Do you think I will allow myself to be humiliated twice?</em>

    The Demon God cackled.

    <em>- If you don¡¯t ept me¡­ you will also face annihtion as an iplete vessel.</em>

    It would have been a different story for Kang-Woo since he wasplete as a vessel, but Bael was iplete; he was unable to keep the Demonic Sea intact without the Demon God¡¯s help. At this rate, Bael¡¯s body would also fall apart like what was happening to Kang-Woo and he would die.

    "I don¡¯t care," the boy replied brightly with a smile.

    <em>- What?</em>

    "Hihihi! I don¡¯t care." Bael¡¯s gaze was only on Kang-Woo as if he couldn¡¯t care less about the Demon God or death. "As long as¡­ I can grant you a terrible end¡­ As long as I can throw you into a pit of endless despair¡­ I don¡¯t need anything else."

    Even his own life was of no worth to Bael.

    <em>- Wha¡­</em>

    The Demon God expressed shock. Oh Kang-Woo and Bael, two of the greatest vessels he had created, were both defying him.

    "Oh Kang-Woo."

    Bael ignored the Demon God¡¯s annoying screams and grabbed the copsed Kang-Woo by the cor.

    "Oh Kang-Woo, Oh Kang-Woo, Oh Kang-Woo, Oh Kang-Woo, Oh Kang-Woo, Oh Kang-Woo, Oh Kang-Woo, Oh Kang-Woo, Oh Kang-Woo, Oh Kang-Woo, OH KANG WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

    Bael screamed as if he were desperate.

    "OKAY! NOW, ADMIT IT! HM?" He shouted as if pleading. "ADMIT THAT I¡¯M NOT NOTHING!!!"

    <em>¡¯Please.¡¯</em>

    "THE MISERY THAT I ENDURED IN THE NINE HELLS!!"

    <em>¡¯Please don¡¯t say that I¡¯m nothing.¡¯</em>

    "MY LIFE! MY EXISTENCE! MY DESIRE!"

    <em>¡¯Please say that they had meaning.¡¯</em>

    "Please¡­"

    <em>¡¯Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please."</em>

    "Please¡­ acknowledge me."

    Bael fell into Hell on the Day of Cmity. It was a terrifying and horrific ce. Everything there tried to kill and devour him. He had no choice but to be a predator to survive there. He did whatever it took to survive. He struggled wretchedly and desperately. He needed a goal that would extend his survival within the unending despair that was his life.

    <em>- I was chosen.</em>

    That was what he brainwashed himself to believe as he used the unknown power that was the Authority of Predation. He continuously told himself that he was chosen and special, which was why this horrifying Hell was but a trial.

    He gritted his teeth and endured. He endured, endured, and endured again. That one sliver of thought extended his life as his body changed the more he devoured demons and as his mind slowly broke.

    "Say it¡­ Hurry up and tell me."

    However, he had not been the special one. He had not been the chosen one. The life he had endured fell apart the moment the Demon King was born.

    "TELL ME THAT MY LIFE WASN¡¯T MEANINGLESS!!"

    "Fuck off¡­ bitch," answered Kang-Woo faintly as he listened to Bael¡¯s pathetic screams. He panted heavily and smiled. "In the end, you¡¯re¡­ just a dipshit¡­ who can¡¯t do anything¡­ on his own."

    Kang-Woo continued with a mocking smile, "Fucking hell¡­ Are you some¡­ sort of edgy¡­ teen?"

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t evenugh at how pathetic Bael, a ten millennia-year-old geezer, was, still trying to find himself.

    "You¡¯re¡­"

    <em>¡¯Your life, your existence, your desire, your life that can¡¯t even be acknowledged without someone¡¯s approval is¡­¡¯</em>

    "Nothing."

    "..." The light in Bael¡¯s eyes disappeared. "A-Aaaahh."

    He pulled his hair and crouched.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!" Bael screamed hysterically. "OH KANG WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

    Eyes filled with pure resentment and madness pointed at Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯Fuck.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo grimaced.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    Bael punched Kang-Woo, causing him to tumble across the ground.

    <em>Bash! Bash! Smash!</em>

    Kang-Woo could feel himself getting trampled on. His ribs broke and his shoulder des shattered. He could feel his blood flowing out of his torn skin.

    "Kurgh! Krrrk."

    The blood gathered in his throat turned into foam and poured out of his mouth.

    "H-Hihihihi!! Forget it. I don¡¯t need your pathetic acknowledgement anymore!! H-Hehehe!!"

    Baelughed as if he hadpletely broken. The kicks smashing down on Kang-Woo grew stronger.

    <em>¡¯Dammit¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s consciousness grew fainter as the violence grew more aggressive. He wanted to do whatever it took to control the demonic energy tearing him apart from the inside, but it was impossible now that the Demon God, the pivotalponent of the Demonic Sea, was gone.

    <em>¡¯I have to at least¡­¡¯</em> Kang-Woo closed his eyes and focused. <em>¡¯Close¡­ the Doors.¡¯</em>

    Two of the three Doors were open. He needed to close those Doors first to have any chance at gaining back control.

    <em>Crush!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    "H-Hehe. How does that feel? Stings, doesn¡¯t it? Hihi!"

    Bael twisted Kang-Woo¡¯s ankle to an unnatural angle. He then ced one foot on Kang-Woo¡¯s thigh and tore Kang-Woo¡¯s foot off with all his might.

    <em>Rip!</em>

    Flesh and muscles were visible as clear as day once the skin tore off. Bael grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s kneecap and ripped it out. Horrible pain shot up from Kang-Woo¡¯s leg.

    <em>¡¯This is¡­ nothing.¡¯</em>

    He had already be used to the pain of this level through molting and opening the Doors.

    "Damn¡­ it." Kang-Woo gritted his teeth.

    However, the pain from the demonic energy tearing him apart from the inside hurt far more than Bael¡¯s violence. It was as painful as tiny sharp scales circting through his blood vessels. Pain far worse than that of molting prevented Kang-Woo from focusing.

    <em>¡¯I need¡­¡¯</em>

    He needed time.

    "Hehe. Now, why don¡¯t we move on to the other leg?" said Bael as he giggled in tion and reached for Kang-Woo¡¯s left leg.

    "Heavenly Dragon¡­"

    "Sky¡­"

    Just then, two voices ovepped with each other.

    "sh!"

    "Breaker!"

    Kim Si-Hun and Balrog appeared from each side of Bael.

 Chapter 511: Forward, Forward (2)

    Chapter 511: Forward, Forward (2)

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    A sh infused with enough power to split the world in two pierced Bael¡¯s Deific Essence and cut him from shoulder to stomach. A giant fist smashed through the cracks of the Deific Essence barrier.

    <em>ng!</em>

    The sound of hammering steel echoed despite having punched someone. Bael was pushed back slightly.

    "What the hell?"

    Bael red coldly at Kim Si-Hun and Balrog. His expression was so stiff that it was hard to believe he wasughing like a madman earlier.

    Krrrk.

    ck mucus gurgled and the massive wound on his chest disappeared in a sh.

    "Don¡¯t get in my way." Bael gritted his teeth and shouted, "DON¡¯T YOU DARE GET IN MY WAY!!!"<em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    The ground Bael was standing on crumbled. The surroundings shook as if an earthquake was happening.

    "Kuh," Si-Hun grimaced. He could barely breathe due to the overwhelming pressure of demonic energy. "Balrog."

    He clenched his sword and turned to Balrog, who threw aside his pendant and returned to his demon form.

    "What?" asked Balrog as he stood between Bael and the copsed Oh Kang-Woo.

    "Run."

    "What?"

    Si-Hun lowered his stance and replied, "Take hyung-nim and get out of here."

    Balrog clenched his fists tightly and stepped forward. "Nonsense. I will be the one to¡ª"

    "You can¡¯t stop Bael."

    Si-Hun¡¯s cold words pierced Balrog¡¯s heart. Balrog¡¯s expression stiffened. Bael possessed Deific Essence; there was no way for Balrog, someone with no Deific Essence, to stop him.

    "Please take hyung and run away, Balrog," Si-Hun begged as he turned to Balrog.

    Balrog bit his lip, a sense of powerlessness weighing down on him again. He carefully lifted Kang-Woo and said, "I¡¯ll leave it to you, human."

    "What the fuck¡­ do you think you¡¯re doing?" Kang-Woo said with a grimace. He ordered anxiously, "Let go of me right now. <em>Cough!</em> I told you two¡­ to deal with Bael¡¯s army."

    "I am sorry, my king." Balrog looked down at Kang-Woo in his arms and said, "I will have to disobey your order this one time."

    <em>Wham!!</em>

    Balrog leaped into the air and sprouted his wings, disappearing into the heart of the city in an instant.

    "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU¡¯RE GOING?!!" screamed Bael as he charged after them.

    Si-Hun stopped him in his tracks. He gripped his sword tightly and dered, "I won¡¯t let you through."

    "I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET IN MY WAY!!"

    <em>Crash!</em>

    Bael aggressively swung his fist, shooting a cannonball-sized ck mucus at Si-Hun.

    "Kuh!"

    Si-Hun quickly dodged the attack and fired a wave of sword energy at Bael.

    <em>Ssh.</em>

    "What the¡­?"

    It felt as if he were attacking a liquid. The ck mucus wrapped around Bael absorbed the energy.

    "I¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t have time to waste on you," mumbled Bael in irritation as he red at Si-Hun standing in his way.

    Just then, the sound of a staff hitting the ground echoed.

    "Please go, Lord Bael. I will be his opponent."

    Amon, who seemed injured based on his tattered robe, stood between Si-Hun and Bael.

    "You¡¯re¡­" Si-Hun¡¯s expression froze.

    He had not expected a third person to join the fray.

    <em>¡¯Shit¡­¡¯</em>

    There was nothing more despairing than Amon joining the battle when Si-Hun needed to buy as much time as possible for Balrog to run away.

    <em>¡¯I have to stall Bael, whatever it takes.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun charged at Bael with his sword in hand.

    "No, you don¡¯t!" shouted Amon as he pointed his staff at Si-Hun.

    A thread of demonic energy shot at Si-Hun.

    "Kurgh!" Si-Hun quickly swung his sword to cut the thread.

    "Lord Bael. Please hurry and chase after the Demon King!" said Amon, his voice filled with thick desire. "Take hold of the Primordial¡­ the true Demonic Sea."

    Although the Demon God had transferred to Bael, he still needed to absorb the Demon King¡¯s Demonic Sea toplete his own.

    "H-Hihi," Bael cackled. "I¡¯ll leave things here to you."

    Si-Hun was the only one in Kang-Woo¡¯s party who could even try to hold Bael off. If he were incapacitated, no one else could get in the way of Bael and Kang-Woo¡¯s precious time together.

    "Oh¡­ Kang-Woo."

    Bael¡¯s eyes shone fiercely as he turned around. The skin of his back split open and wings made of ck mucus sprouted from it. He ferociously pped his wings and flew in the direction where Balrog flew off.

    "N-No!" shouted Si-Hun as he stretched out his sword.

    However, the hunchback demon in his way did not budge.

    "Kekeke."

    Amon raised his staff, his expression full of greed. He expended a considerable amount of demonic energy blocking the barrage of light rays, but he still had more than enough to face a mere human.

    "A-Aaaahh." Amon stared at Bael flying further away. "The Primordial Knowledge¡­"

    Soon, he would be able to get his hands on the Primordial Knowledge that he had wished for all this time.

    "Foolish human." Amon raised his staff and pointed it at Si-Hun. He smashed the staff down and continued, "The Apocalypse is near."

    ***

    "<em>Huff, huff,</em>" Balrog panted heavily as he flew across Seoul at a speed far past his limit.

    "Bal¡­rog¡­"

    He could hear Kang-Woo faintly calling his name.

    He looked down at Kang-Woo and said, "Please wait just a little longer, my king. I will take you somewhere safe."

    "Let me go, dammit¡­ At this rate, Si-Hun¡­"

    Balrog continued to p his wings, defying his king¡¯smand. "I am sorry, my k¡ª"

    "H-HIHIHIHI!!"

    The crazedughter of a boy echoed before Balrog could finish his sentence.

    "What¡­?!"

    Balrog¡¯s eyes widened. Even if Bael was far more powerful than Si-Hun, this was far too soon.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Bael caught up to Balrog in an instant and smashed his leg down on him.

    "Argh!"

    <em>Tear!</em>

    One of Balrog¡¯s wings was ripped off, sending his gigantic red body hurling down to the ground.

    <em>m¡ª!</em>

    "Kurgh!" Balrognded on the ground while keeping Kang-Woo safe despite one of his wings missing.

    "<em>Cough! Cough!</em>" Kang-Woo vomited ck blood.

    Balrog carefully set Kang-Woo down on the ground and red at Bael. "How did you catch up to us so soon?"

    "H-Hihi. The Demon King isn¡¯t the only one with subordinates."

    "..."

    Balrog frowned. He did not expect any demons to remain who could face Si-Hun, who possessed Deific Essence.

    "Haaa, haaa. Move, Balrog." Kang-Woo got on his trembling feet with one hand on the ground. He grabbed Balrog¡¯s shoulder and yanked him back. "I have to¡­ face him."

    His body was falling apart due to the Demonic Sea¡¯s rampage¡­ he was barely holding on to his sanity which could be devoured at any minute, but he was the only one who was a match for Bael.

    "Go¡­ away."

    "..."

    "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, DAMMIT!!!" Kang-Woo shouted.

    Balrog flinched.

    "I told you. You can¡¯t¡­ protect me. I¡­ protect you."

    Balrog was weak; it would have been a different story if it were Si-Hun, but Balrog had no way of protecting Kang-Woo.

    "If you stay here¡­" Kang-Woo pushed Balrog away with a trembling hand. He continued, his voice sounding like it would die out at any second, "You¡¯ll die¡­ you fucking muscle pig."

    "Hihi. You¡¯re saying something right for once." Bael cackled as he stared at Kang-Woo. He then looked to Balrog and said firmly, "The Demon King is right. There¡¯s nothing you can do here."

    Balrog was far more insignificant than the human with a sword who had gotten in his way.

    "Move." Bael red fiercely at Balrog. "You are not worthy of being here."

    He and the Demon King were the chosen ones. There was no ce for a pathetic worm like that on their stage.

    Balrog clenched his fists in silence. He could feel his king¡¯s hand on his shoulder. It felt like he was begging Balrog to get away and that he would die if he didn¡¯t.

    "My king."

    "Stop¡­ fucking talking and just¡­ screw off, dammit." Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shook. "Please¡­ Please go away. Y-You¡¯re of¡­ no help."

    Kang-Woo, who was trying to yank Balrog back with all his strength, fell to the ground.

    "<em>Cough!</em> Kurgh!" Kang-Woo grabbed his chest and vomited ck blood.

    Balrog looked down at his king. He had no idea how his king ended up this way. "Bael."

    However, he stood between his king and Bael.

    "Your opponent is me," dered the demon without Deific Essence, to the demon with the Demon God inside him.

    "H-Hihi." Bael smiled. "HIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI!!!" He burst intoughter as he rolled on the ground. "My opponent is you? Hm? Are you okay in the head? Ohhh. Come to think of it, you used to be Beelzebub¡¯s subordinate, right?"

    Bael trembled ecstatically as if he couldn¡¯t be more entertained. "Hihihihi! Looks like you¡¯re gonna lose your king again!"

    "Fuuu," Balrog exhaled.

    He looked down at his king on the ground and then back at Bael.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m surely no match for him.¡¯</em>

    Even Si-Hun, who possessed Deific Essence, could only hope to stall for time against Bael. There was no way Balrog would be a match for that powerful demon.

    <em>¡¯If¡­¡¯</em>

    Balrog wondered if things would have been different if he had be Kang-Woo¡¯s incarnation.

    <em>¡¯... No.¡¯</em>

    He shook his head. He still would not have been able to stop Bael since he would not have awakened Deific Essence on his own like Si-Hun.

    "Cough! Balrog, you fucker¡­ Get the fuck¡­ out of here, please."

    Balrog could hear his king¡¯s faint voice.

    He closed his eyes. He knew that he was no match for Bael. He knew that he needed to follow his king¡¯s order and run away.

    <em>- The king is the one who protects his subordinates.</em>

    Balrog suddenly recalled his conversation with his king.

    "Hehe," he chuckled.

    <em>¡¯There¡¯s no demon less demon-like than you, my king. You¡¯re probably the only demon who would say such a thing.¡¯</em>

    Balrog burst intoughter, his shoulders moving up and down.

    "What the fuck¡­ are youughing¡­ about? Hurry up and¡ª"

    "You said that the king is the one who protects his subordinates, not the other way around, didn¡¯t you?" said Balrog without turning to Kang-Woo. "But you, my king. You have already protected me countless times. It¡¯s time for me¡­ to protect you."

    "Hihihi. Now, be a good subordinate and follow your king¡¯s order, remnant." Bael approached Balrog. "I don¡¯t have time to waste chatting with you."

    His power was as boundless as the abyss.

    "Hehehe."

    Balrogughed as he faced the ck sea and took out from his pocket a pouch filled to the brim.

    "You¡­ that¡¯s¡­"

    Balrog heard his king¡¯s anxious voice.

    "Huup."

    Balrog emptied the contents of the pouch into his mouth before his king could finish his sentence.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    "Kurgh!!"

    The demonic energy inside him ran wild as soon as he ingested the horn powder that temporarily granted the power of Deicide.

    "Gurghhh."

    It was about ten times as muchpared to what Arakyle¡¯s subordinates were taking at the time. Immense demonic energy poured out from Balrog.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s¡­ not enough.¡¯</em>

    Balrog doubted he could be a match for Bael just by gaining the power of Deicide.

    <em>¡¯Even just a little is fine.¡¯</em>

    He did not even think about the possibility of defeating Bael.

    <em>¡¯As long as I can buy enough time for the king to get back on his feet¡­¡¯</em>

    As long as he could be his king¡¯s shield and be devoured in his ce¡­

    <em>¡¯That¡¯s all I need.¡¯</em>

    "Overlord Armor."

    Balrog summoned his ck armor.

    He looked back at his king, who was reaching out to him with his trembling hands, in silence.

    <em>¡¯The characteristic of the Overlord Armor is¡­¡¯</em>

    The more he bled, the more power the armor granted him as it absorbed that blood.

    <em>¡¯In that case.¡¯</em>

    There was only one thing he could do. Balrog slowly reached for his chest.

    "Wha¡ª"

    Balrog could hear his king calling him, possibly because he had a bad feeling.

    "What the¡­ fuck are you¡­ trying to do, motherfucker?"

    Balrog did not answer.

    <em>Pierce.</em>

    His finger dug into the skin of his chest.

    "Kehehe," Balrog chuckled.

    <em>- Save the pity show for TV, dickhead. Stop being a bother and fuck off.</em>

    Balrog went back to his first meeting with his king. He recalled his blunt manner of speech and his eyes. His king had given his life new meaning. He was granted a new desire and a new king to serve.

    "Victory¡­"

    Balrog closed his eyes and stuck his hand deeper into his chest.

    <em>Ba-dump, ba-dump.</em>

    He wrapped his fingers around his beating heart.

    "¡­ To my king."

    <em>Crush.</em>

 Chapter 512: Forward, Forward (3)

    Chapter 512: Forward, Forward (3)

    "...Huh?" Oh Kang-Woo heard the chilling and hideous sound of something getting crushed. "Bal¡­rog¡­?"

    Kang-Woo called his subordinate as he was falling apart.

    <em>Tsssssssss!!</em>

    The ck armor absorbed all the blood pouring from Balrog¡¯s crushed heart and enormous amounts of steam poured out of its gaps.

    "Grrrrrrr," Balrog growled ferociously.

    The ck armor was absorbing every drop of his endlessly pouring blood.

    <em>¡¯This is¡­¡¯</em>

    It was the only way he had as one without Deific Essence to face one who did possess it.

    "Kehehe! Nice!" Balrog burst intoughter.He could feel immense power flowing into him from the Overlord Armor, which absorbed massive amounts of his blood. He felt it was on par with Deific Essence¡ª no, possibly even stronger than it. The fire in his eyes zed fiercely at the cost of his life.

    <em>Tssssssssssss!</em>

    The white steam pouring out from the armor turned ck.

    "Heh, what¡¯s this?" Bael stared at Balrig with great interest. He couldn¡¯t help butugh after Balrog crushed his own heart. He shook his head in disappointment and remarked, "Do you seriously think that will change anything? The result won¡¯t change no matter how many times you sacrifice that worthless life of yours."

    Bael cackled. He stuck out his tongue and slowly walked toward Balrog as he licked his lips.

    Hemanded with his eyes full of madness, "Move."

    "Kehehe," Balrog chuckled and continued to stand in Bael¡¯s way.

    Bael frowned fiercely. "Do you seriously think the likes of you can defeat me?"

    That pathetic being was not the star of this stage. Only those chosen by the Demon God to achieve the power of the Primordial had the right to be here.

    "No, I¡¯m sure I will lose," answered Balrog with a smile.

    Even if Balrog ingested Behemoth¡¯s horn powder and powered up as much as he could at the cost of his life, he was still no match for that demon.

    "But¡­" Balrog clenched his fists. "Just a bit is enough."

    As long as he could be his king¡¯s shield, his king¡¯s armor¡­ As long as he could die in his king¡¯s ce¡­

    "I¡¯ll stand here as many times as it takes."

    Balrog stood tall as he stood in Bael¡¯s way. His massive frame with ck armor over it made him look like a massive wall blocking Bael.

    "So annoying." Bael red at Balrog coldly. "Annoying, annoying, ANNOYING!!"

    He gritted his teeth and spread out his arms. ck mucus shot at Balrog.

    "Fuuu," Balrog took a deep breath and lowered his stance.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Balrog charged as he roared, burning away his life force. A mere demon without Deific Essence ran toward the demon with the Demon God inside him.

    <em>Tsssssssss!!</em>

    The ck steam pouring out of the armor pushed away the mucus. Balrog sped his hands together to pierce through the mucus and arrived in front of Bael in a sh.

    <em>m!</em>

    He put his entire weight on his shoulder and mmed it into Bael¡¯s head. Bael¡¯s head exploded, but the ck mucus gurgled and his head regenerated in an instant.

    "You pathetic worm¡­"

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Balrog twisted his body and punched Bael¡¯s head, causing it to explode again.

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    "Kurgh."

    Balrog grimaced. He looked down at his fist that blew Bael¡¯s head away and saw that it was covered in ck mucus with countless sharp teeth over it. The teeth ground away the Overlord Armor.

    Balrog stared at Bael¡¯s head, which instantly regenerated again, in silence. This was an unfair battle; no matter how many times he attacked, Bael would regenerate in a sh. No, Bael wasn¡¯t just regenerating. Balrog was the one who would continuously get injured just by attacking.

    "Kehehehe," Balrog chuckled. "Very nice!!"

    He was smiling even as sharp teeth were grinding apart his armor and biting off his skin under it.

    "I get to train with an indestructible dummy!"

    Balrog continued to swing his fists ferociously as heughed heartily. There was no refined technique or feints to fool the opponent; he was just pouring stupidly pure violence like rainfall.

    <em>Bash! Smash! Crush!!</em>

    Bael turned into mush as he went through a cycle of destruction and instant regeneration.

    "You bastard, enough of¡ª"

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Balrog destroyed Bael¡¯s head again.

    "Huup!" balrog grabbed Bael¡¯s leg. "Hiyaaaah!"

    <em>Bang! Bang! Bang!</em>

    He smashed Bael down on the ground repeatedly. However, Bael would not receive damage from colliding against the ground due to his Deific Essence barrier.

    <em>Bash¡ª!</em>

    Balrog let go of Bael¡¯s leg and kicked him with all his might, sending Bael flying like a football and causing him to tumble across the ground.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    Bael¡¯s mangled body regenerated in a sh again.

    "You¡­" Bael slurred in irritation. He shouted, "HOW DARE YOU, PATHETIC WORM!!"

    <em>Wriggle!</em>

    Bael fiercely swung his arm, and ck mucus surged at Balrog like a wave along the path of Bael¡¯s swing.

    "Kuh!"

    Balrog quickly jumped to the side to dodge, but¡­

    <em>Crunch¡ª!</em>

    "Gaaahh!"

    The ck mucus devoured his left arm from the shoulder down. The Overlord Armor soaked in blood was nothing but scrap metal before Bael¡¯s teeth. Blood poured from his torn left arm.

    "Kehehehe," Balrog chuckled. "Yeah, the more blood, the better."

    The ck armor absorbed the blood pouring from his left arm.

    <em>Tssssssssss!!</em>

    ck steam burst from the Overlord Armor.

    "Raaaaaaaaahhh!"

    Balrog stomped his foot with all his might. The ck steam pouring from the armor gathered into a single point, and Balrog ced his right hand on it.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    The ck steam stormed around his right arm.

    Balrog smiled and said, "Right then, I¡¯ll do as much as I can while I still have an arm."

    <em>Boom! Boom! Boom!</em>

    The ground shook with each step Balrog took. He, who had drawn out power far past his limits, charged at Bael.

    "Sky¡­"

    He twisted his torso, lowered his stance, and pulled back his right arm as far as he could.

    <em>Wham!</em>

    He smashed his foot on the ground, causing it to cave in. He swung his fist at the boundless sea with all his might.

    "BREAKER!!"

    BOOOOOOOOOM!

    Bael quickly stretched out his arms and protected himself with ck mucus, but Balrog¡¯s arm, which was wrapped in a storm of ck steam, pierced through the mucus and smashed right into Bael.

    <em>Smash!</em>

    Bael¡¯s limbs were ripped into pieces, and he was blown away several hundred meters.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    "Gaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"

    However, the ck mucus devoured Balrog¡¯s right arm, leaving him with no arms.

    "Kehe¡­ he," he chuckled as he staggered toward where Bael was blown away.

    "A-Arghh," Bael groaned.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    His broken body began to regenerate but not as perfectly as before. His limbs were positioned abnormally as if pieces of a puzzle were forced into the wrong positions.

    "SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!!!" Bael yelled angrily as he red at Balrog, who was walking toward him with no arms. "What¡¯s with you¡­? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

    A pathetic, insignificant insect was interfering with the time he had with the Demon King, which he had dreamed of for so long.

    "Kehehe. You¡¯re so noisy for a damn brat."

    Balrog was still smiling leisurely despite missing both of his arms. Bael frowned angrily and charged at Balrog, closing a distance of several hundred meters in an instant, and swung at him with his fist.

    <em>m!</em>

    Balrog raised his right leg to block Bael¡¯s punch.

    <em>Tsssssssssssss!</em>

    The ck steam pouring out of his back lifted him. He twirled in the air and kicked Bael¡¯s head.

    "Kurgh!" Bael tumbled across the ground disgracefully. "Son of a bitch!"

    Bael spread out his arms widely as he roared, forming a giant mouth that could easily swallow Balrog whole. Sharp teeth sunk into Balrog¡¯s nk and bit the entire area off.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    The ck armor shattered. A third of Balrog¡¯s upper body was gone, blood and intestines pouring out from the torn area. He copsed.

    "Fuuu, why is a nobody like you even getting in my way?"

    Bael frowned and clicked his tongue. He walked past Balrog on the ground and toward Kang-Woo.

    "Where¡­ do you think¡­ you¡¯re going?"

    Balrog stood up as ck blood and intestines poured out of him. He smiled widely and red at Bael with zing eyes.

    "I¡¯m still¡­ standing here."

    "Hah," Bael chuckled.

    The insect, having lost both of his arms, almost half of his upper body, and no heart, was still in his way.

    "Fine. If you wanna die so badly," muttered Bael as he turned from Kang-Woo to Balrog and red at him. "I¡¯ll kill you."

    Bael gritted his teeth and charged at Balrog. The nobody was already so injured that it was a miracle he was still alive. It would be a piece of cake to extinguish the tiny ember of life that was keeping him alive.

    "Heh¡­ Hehe," Balrog chuckled.

    He lowered his stance and infused all of his demonic energy into the ck armor soaked in his blood.

    "Bring it."

    He opened his eyes wide and stared right at death charging at him.

    <em>Tssssssssss!!</em>

    ck steam burst out of him.

    <em>nk, nk.</em>

    Balrog could hear the sound of cogs interlocking inside the armor. The Overlord Armor, being infused with power far past its limits, swelled like a balloon.

    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

    A giant explosion swept away everything in the surroundings. The ck armor shattered into fragments and flew all over the ce.

    "ARRRGGGHHH!"

    Bael was blown away, getting swept into the explosion. His upper body was burnt to a crisp and was hideously deformed.

    "A-Arghhh." Bael embraced himself and trembled. "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, IT HUUUUURTS!"

    Any injuries he suffered were supposed to regenerate in a sh but these injuries weren¡¯t. Bael screamed and writhed in pain. Pus was oozing from his hideous wounds.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    His injuries were slowly regenerating, but the speed was far slower than normal.

    "Kehehe. At least¡­" Balrog looked down at the screaming Bael and fell to his knees. "I managed to¡­ give him a good one."

    He smiled and copsed on his back. He could see a clear blue sky unlike in Hell. He turned his head.

    "My king¡­"

    He could see Kang-Woo crawling his way. Balrog¡¯s vision grew blurry and he closed his eyes.

    "Balrog, you motherfucker¡­"

    The demonic energy pouring from the Demonic Sea was still tearing him apart, but he managed to prevent his sanity from getting devoured after quelling the demonic energy to an extent while Bael was busy fighting Balrog.

    "Haaa, haaa. Balrog." Kang-Woo ced his hand on Balrog as he panted heavily. "Answer me." He shook Balrog. "ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!!"

    "Kehehe. I¡¯m not¡­ dead yet, my king."

    Balrog slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his king. Kang-Woo¡¯s expression filled with relief.

    "Haaa, haaa. Just you¡­ wait, dammit. You¡¯re fucking in for it once this is over."

    Kang-Woo bit open his finger as he cursed, ck blood pouring out of it.

    Balrog looked at Kang-Woo regretfully. "My king."

    "It¡¯s not toote."

    "It is, my king."

    "NO, IT¡¯S FUCKING NOT!!"

    Boom!

    Kang-Woo mmed his fist on the ground. Balrog smiled faintly as he stared at Kang-Woo.

    "What the fuck¡­ are you smiling for?" Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders shook. "Fuck¡­ It¡¯s not toote."

    Tears flowed down his cheeks and gathered on his chin.

    "You can¡­ still live. Hey¡­ this isn¡¯t the first time something like this has happened. Remember? You were in just as bad a state when you fought against Lucifer. Don¡¯t you remember me saving you back then?"

    "..."

    "I can save you. I can, so¡­"

    Kang-Woo moved his trembling hand and poured blood into his mouth. He suppressed his raging demonic energy and activated the Authority of Regeneration, but¡­

    "My¡­ king."

    "Wh-What the fuck? Why aren¡¯t your injuries healing? Gimme a second. I¡¯ll try again¡­"

    Crunch. He bit open another finger¡ª no, he bit off his entire hand this time and made a fountain of ck blood.

    "Drink. Hurry up and drink."

    "My king."

    "JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DRINK THE DAMN THING!!!" Kang-Woo screamed as if begging. "Haaa, haaa."

    Kang-Woo panted heavily and lowered his head.

    He said faintly, "Don¡¯t die. Please don¡¯t fucking die¡­"

    Balrog remained silent.

    Kang-Woo could see the light in Balrog¡¯s eyes disappearing.

    "I don¡¯t know." Kang-Woo wept as he watched the light fading from Balrog¡¯s eyes. "I don¡¯t fucking know what I¡¯m supposed to do anymore¡­"

    The demonic energy from the Demonic Sea was destroying his body even at this moment. He was in extreme pain just from using the Authority of Regeneration. Kang-Woo had be pathetically weak after bing unable to use the Demonic Sea.

    "Kehehe. I guess after a millennium together¡­ I get to see this kind of side to you," Balrog chuckled faintly. "You can just do as you have always done."

    "What?"

    "You told me¡­ when we first met." Balrog smiled. "That you didn¡¯t give a fuck¡­ about the demons of the Ninth Hell or the princes of Hell¡­"

    It did not change what Kang-Woo had to do.

    "Forward¡­"

    Forward.

    <em>Thud.</em>

    Balrog¡¯s head fell to the side.

    "Huh?" Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. "Hey. Hey, Balrog."

    He shook Balrog but there was no response.

    "Hey, answer me." He turned Balrog¡¯s head toward him. "Answer¡­ me."

    His half-open eyes no longer carried any life in them.

    "Please¡­ Please, answer me."

    Kang-Woo trembled.

    "Ah¡­"

    He slowly turned his head.

    "Urgh¡­ Finally done regenerating."

    He saw Bael standing up with a frown.

    "Hm? Is that son of a bitch finally dead?"

    Kang-Woo stood up as his legs shook. "Balrog."

    He looked down at Balrog¡¯s corpse with deeply sunken eyes and recalled his dying words.

    "Okay."

    Kang-Woo finally understood what it was he needed to do.

    <em>¡¯Forward¡­¡¯</em>

    To climb higher, to a ce no one could ever reach.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo exhaled deeply.

    He ced his shaking hand over his heart.

 Chapter 513: Open (1)

    Chapter 513: Open (1)

    "Hihi, hihihi," Bael giggled as he stared at Oh Kang-Woo.

    His scleras were ck, his irises were yellow, and his pupils were stretched horizontally; they were characteristics that appeared when the Demon King, who usually looked human, was enraged.

    "What? Are you angry? Hm? Are you angry because you lost your precious subordinate?"

    Bael snickered as if he couldn¡¯t be more entertained. Seeing a side of the Demon King, which he did not show even after losing the Demon God and bing unable to use the Demonic Sea, ted him more than ever before.

    "I didn¡¯t think you treasured Balrog this much," said Bael as he licked his lips.

    He knew that the Demon King treasured his subordinates but did not expect him to break down this much¡ª he did not expect the Demon King to crawl on the ground as he wept like a baby.

    "Hmm," Bael hummed regretfully. "If I knew you¡¯d break down this much, I would¡¯ve killed that human before I chased after you. Kim Si-Hun, was it?"

    Bael was thrilled to no end just thinking about the Demon King¡¯s expression if he had done that.

    Kang-Woo remained silent.He looked down at Balrog¡¯s corpse. Boundless fury took control of him. His head was getting hot, and his vision was blurring. He wanted nothing more than to charge at Bael right this second.

    "Hihihihi!! You¡¯re angry, aren¡¯t you? Hm? You can¡¯t hold back your rage, can you? But¡­" Bael smiled. "There¡¯s nothing you can do."

    Bael was not afraid of a puppet without a puppeteer¡ª a broken vessel, no matter how angry he got.

    "Is that what you think?" asked Kang-Woo as he swayed. "Do you really think¡­ there¡¯s nothing I can do?"

    "Hm?" Bael tilted his head in confusion. The Demon King was far calmer than Bael had hoped. "You¡¯re not angry? Hm?"

    He thought the Demon King would be angry based on his ck eyes; he thought the Demon King would lose his sanity and go on a crazed rampage.

    "Why are you¡­ so calm?"

    Bael stared at Kang-Woo, unable to understand.

    "I am angry," Kang-Woo answered calmly. "I¡¯m so, so, so angry that I feel like I¡¯ll go insane at any second."

    "But, you see," Kang-Woo stared at Bael coldly. "Life isn¡¯t a drama."

    It wasn¡¯t aic or a novel; going on a crazed rampage did not grant one illogical power that defied thew of causality.

    "Reality isn¡¯t that forgiving."

    No one powered up just by screaming in rage after losing theirrade. Kang-Woo had never won so easily and conveniently. He had abandoned everything and crawled pathetically and wretchedly to win; that was the only way he could win.

    "Heh, so what are you gonna do?" asked Bael with a smile.

    The battle was already won after the Demon God transferred to him. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t control the Demonic Sea without the Demon God. He did not have anything close to the power needed to rebel against this despair.

    "How are you nning to kill me?" asked Bael mockingly.

    Kang-Woo looked down at his chest¡ª the sea of demonic energy inside his heart, in silence. Waves of demonic energy were flooding into him through the two open Doors.

    "Hihihi! If you don¡¯t close those Doors, you¡¯ll soon be devoured by the Demonic Sea!" Bael cackled. "Or why don¡¯t you just let yourself be devoured?" He stuck out his tongue and continued with shining eyes, "So you can kill your precious remaining subordinates with your own hands."

    Bael cackled even more.

    "Now, you should get to closing those Doors, huh?"

    Kang-Woo stared at Bael coldly and answered, "I won¡¯t."

    "Hm?"

    "I won¡¯t close them."

    Kang-Woo staggered as he thought about the thing he needed to do, which Balrog had allowed him to realize.

    <em>¡¯I won¡¯t close them.¡¯</em>

    There was no way to surpass Bael by desperately trying to close the two Doors and bringing the demonic energy to his control.

    <em>¡¯If Bael is insane, the only way I can defeat him is to be even more insane.¡¯</em>

    "What?" Bael¡¯s expression crumpled.

    <em>¡¯He won¡¯t close the Doors?¡¯</em>

    If Kang-Woo didn¡¯t close the Doors sealing the Demonic Sea, he would be devoured by the power of the Demonic Sea and be annihted. His sanity would burn away, and his intelligence would vanish. There was no other way to stop the Demonic Sea¡¯s encroachment than to close the Doors.

    <em>¡¯Despite that, he won¡¯t close them?¡¯</em>

    "What are you trying to do?" asked Bael, a sense of uneasiness running down his back.

    "You said I was a vessel to hold the Demonic Sea, didn¡¯t you?"

    Kang-Woo smiled. As a vessel, he was broken after the Demon God left him and was breaking even more by the second.

    "In that case."

    Kang-Woo could no longer stay as a vessel to hold the Demonic Sea now that the Demon God, the one keeping the sea of demonic energy together, was gone.

    "If being a vessel isn¡¯t good enough¡­"

    If he couldn¡¯t climb to greater heights as a vessel, he would just destroy the vessel entirely.

    "I¡¯ll just devour the Demonic Sea."

    Kang-Woo snickered.

    "What?" Bael¡¯s eyes shook.

    Devouring the Demonic Sea? The boundless sea of demonic energy? The Primordial Darkness?

    "What are you¡­ talking about?" asked Bael, his voice trembling. "H-Hihi!! Are you saying nonsense like that because you still don¡¯t understand what you¡¯ve been reduced to?"

    Baelughed in exasperation.

    "YOU¡¯RE¡­!!!" He gritted his teeth and shouted, "NOT SPECIAL ANYMORE!!!"

    Now that the Demon God, the one who created and chose Kang-Woo, had transferred to Bael, Kang-Woo was no longer special. He was but a broken vessel who possessed the Demonic Sea.

    "Haaa, haaa," Bael panted.

    At least, that was supposed to be the case.

    "What¡­ the hell?"

    <em>¡¯Why am I getting such a bad feeling?¡¯</em> Bael thought.

    <em>-Stop him.</em>

    Just then, the Demon God¡¯s voice, trembling as if he were terrified, echoed inside Bael¡¯s head.

    "What?" Bael tilted his head in confusion.

    <em>- Stop that damn lunatic!</em>

    Bael frowned fiercely as the Demon God, whom he had been ignoring until now, screamed desperately.

    "What the hell is so wrong?"

    Bael couldn¡¯t understand why Bauli was acting this way just from the Demon King¡¯s bluff of devouring the Demonic Sea.

    <em>- H-He¡¯s thinking of unleashing the Abyss!</em>

    The ce where the Demon God was imprisoned¡ª the deepest point of the Demonic Sea where not even a Titan, a creator of worlds, could escape from.

    "What do you mean?"

    Bael had no idea what Bauli was talking about. The Demon God¡¯s anxious voice echoed inside his head.

    <em>- The Door¡­ It¡¯s about to open.</em>

    "Door?"

    <em>- The Third Door is about to open!!</em>

    Bael turned to Kang-Woo.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and looked inside his consciousness.

    <em>Pour¡ª!!</em>

    The sea of demonic energy was flooding out of the two open Doors. However, it was only the sea¡¯s <em>surface</em>; the deepest point of the Demonic Sea was noting out of the two Doors as if it were <em>blocked </em>by something.

    <em>¡¯Now.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo walked along the raging sea of demonic energy. He looked down at the boundless darkness underneath.

    <em>¡¯To devour this¡­¡¯</em>

    He needed to pull out everything in the sea of demonic energy¡ª he had no choice but to walk into the Abyss, where the Demon God was imprisoned, on his own.

    Kang-Woo walked through the raging sea of demonic energy and saw the three Doors sealing the Demonic Sea. He focused on the third unopened Door.

    <em>¡¯The Door that seals the deepest point of the Demonic Sea.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo reached for the Door.

    His hand suddenly stopped in its tracks. He had only ever opened two Doors of the Ten Thousand Demon Core. If he opened this Door, there was no turning back; he would never be able to close the Doors again. Once the Abyss began to flood through the Door, it would devour everything in its path.

    Kang-Woo wondered if he could handle the Abyss, which even a Titan was powerless against. Would he be able to devour and bring it under his control?

    Kang-Woo felt helpless; he was filled with hesitation as his hands were just a few centimeters from the handle. Opening the final Door in a situation like this was like pouring gasoline on oneself after they caught fire. If he failed and was devoured by the Abyss instead, he would lose everything.

    His teeth cked together. His fingers were trembling. He bit his lip and lowered his head.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s so heavy.¡¯</em>

    The weight on Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders¡­ the eyes full of hope gazing at him¡­ they were all too heavy for him to bear. He could barely take a step forward under all the weight.

    <em>- You can just do as you have always done.</em>

    Balrog¡¯s voice suddenly echoed inside his head.

    <em>- You told me¡­ when we first met.</em>

    His faint dying words.

    "Fucking hell."

    Kang-Woo chuckled. His hands, which had been frozen, gripped the handle of the Third Door.

    <em>¡¯Forward.¡¯</em>

    Higher.

    <em>¡¯Forward.¡¯</em>

    To even greater heights.

    <em>¡¯Forward.¡¯</em>

    To a ce no one can ever reach.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Kang-Woo swung open the Door without hesitation.

    [All conditions for Transcendent-rank Deific Essence have been fulfilled.]

    [Breaking all level caps.]

    Blue windows appeared in front of Kang-Woo. He closed his eyes. An incantation, the one filled with static that he saw before his battle against Bael, flowed into his mind.

    <em>¡¯I see.¡¯</em>

    This incantation was the key required to open the Third Door, which was why Kang-Woo, who did not have the heart to open the Third Door at the time, was unable to see it.

    "Grrrk."

    Slushy stretched and wrapped around Kang-Woo. The Key of the Demonic Sea on his right middle finger moved to Kang-Woo¡¯s chest and disappeared.

    <em>nk, nk.</em>

    The sound of cogs interlocking echoed. The Key of the Demonic Sea entered the keyhole of the Third Door located at the center of the Ten Thousand Demon Core. The key slowly turned.

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his head and stared at Bael.

    "Stop!" shouted Bael as he ran toward Kang-Woo.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    Gold and ck mes blew Bael away. The mes around Kang-Woo spread and formed a ck sun behind him.

    "Ah¡­"

    Bael¡¯s eyes widened. The ck sun, formed by gold mixed with the darkness, looked like a giant <em>door</em>.

    Kang-Woo walked as he swayed from side to side and stood in front of the <em>door </em>made of the mes of Voracity.

    "Ye who pass me," Kang-Woo chanted. "To the city of grief."

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    The mes of Voracity wrapped around him.

    "Ye who pass me." He slowly ced his right hand over his heart. "To eternal suffering."

    Countless red eyes glinted from beyond the door zing like a ck sun.

    "Ye who pass me, to thend of the dead."

    The souls of boundless evil, which had been trapped in the Abyss, were unleashed.

    "Malice dyes the sea ck, creating me with endless desires.

    "Only those eternal may precede me for I am eternal.

    "Ye who pass through, abandon all hope."

    Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­

    All Doors, open.

 Chapter 514: Open (2)

    Chapter 514: Open (2)

    <em>Creak.</em>

    The Third Door, sealing the deepest point of the Demonic Sea, was opened.

    "Huh?" Bael¡¯s eyes widened. He could see countless red eyes inside the ck sun behind Oh Kang-Woo. He said tremblingly, "What the hell¡­?"

    Chills ran down his back, and his teeth cked together.

    "What the hell are those¡­?" he asked the Demon God trapped inside his heart.

    <em>- N-No.</em>

    The Demon God¡¯s despaired voice echoed inside Bael¡¯s head.

    <em>- Th-The Abyss has been unleashed.</em>

    The Door to the deepest point of the Demonic Sea¡ª the link to the Primordial Darkness¡ª was opened."D-Dammit! Do something!! You¡¯re the one who created it!" shouted Bael as he trembled.

    The countless red eyes in the zing ck sun were staring at him. Bael¡¯s teeth cked and he could barely breathe. He could only feel a void as if he was facing a horrible nightmare; he felt as if he were being sucked into an endless void.

    <em>- I-I can¡¯t.</em>

    "What?"

    <em>- I made the Third Door so that it couldn¡¯t be opened. From the moment I discovered the seed of the Demonic Sea and created the vessels to hold it¡­! I sealed the Third Door so that it could never be opened!!</em>

    However, the Door that was impossible to open was open in front of their very eyes.

    "What are you¡­ talking about? It¡¯s open right there!!"

    <em>- Shit! I-I don¡¯t know either!</em>

    The Demon God had no idea how a mere vessel managed to open the Third Door but he was sure of one thing; once the Abyss was unleashed, no one could control the Demonic Sea.

    <em>- A-At this rate¡­ we will all be devoured by the Demonic Sea.</em>

    There would be no winners or losers; now that the Abyss was unleashed, no one could <em>have </em>the Demonic Sea. There was no way to contain the Demonic Sea with no vessel to hold it.

    <em>- E-Everything¡­ will be devoured by the Demonic Sea¡­</em>

    The Triad, the satellite worlds around it, and the Nine Hells¡­ all worlds would be engulfed by the power of the Demonic Sea. All lifeforms would be trapped within the Abyss, including the Demon God who created it.

    <em>- D-Dammit!</em>

    The Demon God cursed. He had not killed Kang-Woo in the world of his consciousness because he needed to prevent the vessel from breaking and the Demonic Sea from running out of control like it was now.

    <em>- That lunatic¡­!</em>

    However, the vessel made to hold the Demonic Sea had unleashed the Abyss. The vessel broke itself and caused the Demonic Sea to go out of control.

    "Wh-What¡­ what should we do?" Bael asked tremblingly.

    He had resolved himself for death before battling the Demon King, but this was not the end he wanted; he did not want to die without proving anything or being acknowledged by anyone.

    <em>- ept my power.</em>

    Bael¡¯s gaze wavered. If he epted the Demon God¡¯s power, he would be handing his body to the Demon God; he would never be able to get his revenge against the Demon King.

    "That¡¯s¡­"

    <em>- Shit! There is no time to hesitate!!</em>

    The Demon God¡¯s screams echoed inside his head.

    <em>- I swear on my Deific Essence that I will not tamper with your consciousness!</em>

    The Demon God even gave up on his resurrection. After all, his resurrection would be pointless if he left the Abyss to be fully unleashed.

    <em>- Hurry up and ept my power!!</em>

    Bael bit his lip anxiously. "Fine."

    He closed his eyes and epted the Demon God¡¯s power.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Unfathomable demonic energy surged from Bael.

    "Haaa," Bael exhaled heatedly. "So this is¡­ the power of a Titan."

    A sense of omnipotence spread across him. He felt like everything was beneath him; they felt pathetic.

    "H-Hihihi," Bael giggled. "Yeah, with this¡­ I think I can do it."

    He had a feeling that he could win even against the Abyss of the Demonic Sea with this power.

    "Is that¡­ so?" Kang-Woo asked as he stared at Bael with a smile.

    Bael¡¯s eyes widened. "You¡­ H-How are you still conscious¡­?"

    Bael stared at Kang-Woo, whose ego was still intact even after opening the Third Door, in disbelief.

    "Who knows¡­? I¡¯m¡­ not sure¡­ either," Kang-Woo stammered as he swayed from side to side. "A-Arghhh."

    Kang-Woo clenched his head and crouched. He could feel the sea of demonic energy pouring out of the three Doors, trying to devour his sanity.

    <em>¡¯Not yet.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth. He couldn¡¯t lose consciousness yet. He still had something he needed to do.

    <em>- My¡­ king.</em>

    Balrog¡¯s dying words and how the light slowly disappeared from his eyes were engraved in his mind.

    "A-Aaaahh." His unfathomable rage resisted the Demonic Sea¡¯s takeover. He hummed, "Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael, Bael."

    Only one desire was zing within his copsing consciousness.

    "Yeah, yeah. I still have something I need to do. I have to¡­"

    He needed to kill Bael, and then¡­

    "Kehehe," Kang-Woo cackled.

    He stood up as the ck sea raged around him. He would likely not be able to maintain his sanity for long. The Abyss of the Demonic Sea was rapidly eating away at his sanity even at this moment.

    "Balrog."

    Kang-Woo clenched his jaw. His consciousness was copsing. He could barely remember what he was trying to do, what he needed to do¡­ or even who he was. However¡­

    "I¡­ I¡¯ll¡­"

    Kang-Woo staggered forward and looked down at the corpse of Balrog, a demon who had always protected him by his side and fought alongside him. A subordinate, arade, and a friend.

    "I¡¯ll remember you."

    <em>¡¯I will never forget you. No matter what happens¡­ even if I¡¯m devoured by this ck sea, even if I¡¯m forever trapped inside the Abyss, I will do whatever it takes to remember at least you.¡¯</em>

    "Haaa, haaa."

    Kang-Woo held on to his fading consciousness for dear life. He raised his head and looked around.

    "Hah," he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    <em>Crack, crack.</em>

    Demons with red eyes were walking out from the door made from the ck sun behind him.

    <em>¡¯Oriax.¡¯</em>

    He was the first demon whom he met on Earth.

    <em>¡¯Phenex, Malphas, Halphas.¡¯</em>

    They were Lucifer¡¯s subordinates who attacked Kim Si-Hun in South America.

    <em>¡¯Mammon, Lucifer, Belphegor.¡¯</em>

    They were the princes of Hell whom Kang-Woo devoured. Satan wasn¡¯t among them for some reason but Kang-Woo did not have the brain capacity at the moment to think about that.

    <em>¡¯And¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly looked around at the immense number of demons who walked out from the Abyss of the Demonic Sea. Demons from the First Hell to the Ninth Hell, the Constetions of Evil, and even those with Deific Essence. The demons whom Kang-Woo devoured until now were walking out of the Abyss.

    "I sure have¡­ eaten a lot."

    Kang-Woo cackled as he looked at the demons, who filled the skies of Seoul in an instant.

    The demons who came out from the Abyss stared at Kang-Woo, their eyes as lifeless as a puppet as if they were waiting to bemanded. Kang-Woo smiled.

    "I guess¡­" Kang-Woo could tell whosemands they were waiting for, even when he was being devoured by the Demonic Sea. "I¡¯m still¡­ the ruler."

    He was about to lose his sanity at any second but he was still the <em>Ruler of the Demonic Sea</em>.

    <em>¡¯In that case.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned to look at the heavily panting Bael.

    "H-Hihihi. Do you seriously believe these numbers have any meaning against me?" Bael asked as he gritted his teeth.

    However, his voice was shaking anxiously unlike his expression filled with confidence. Kang-Woo walked toward him.

    <em>Boom.</em>

    Vibrations shook the entire city. Hundreds of thousands of demons who walked out of the Abyss stared at Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his hand andmanded, "Tear him apart."

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    The demons of the Demonic Sea, who had been awaiting orders, simultaneously charged at Bael. Their numbers made them look like a tsunami.

    Bael cackled and shouted, "Hihihihi! I told you! Numbers are meaningless against me!"

    Enormous amounts of demonic energy infused with the Demon God¡¯s power surged from him.

    <em>Crack¡ª!</em>

    Bael stretched out his right arm. The skin of his arm split open from the shoulder down and poured out of it a giant pir of demonic energy, which then gradually took the shape of an arm several kilometers long. The colossal arm of a Titan wiped out the demons.

    <em>Crack! Crunch!</em>

    The sight was extraordinary to behold. The demons hit by the Demon God¡¯s arm were blown to bits. It did not matter whether they were from the First or Ninth Hell or if they were princes of Hell; they were equally squashed like insects.

    "H-Hihi!" Baelughed crazily. He fiercely swung the Demon God¡¯s arm as he shouted, "Hihihihihihi!! I told you! Numbers are meaningless against me!!"

    Demons could defeat him, whether there were hundreds, thousands, or even millions of them.

    "Ahhh! Yes! This is it!" said Bael as he relished in his omnipotence. "I can pull it off with this power!"

    He could defeat the demons crawling out of the Abyss as well as the Demon King who had opened all three Doors.

    "Kihihihihihi!!" Bael cackled as he swung the Demon God¡¯s arm all over the ce.

    The entire city was falling apart. Even Bael¡¯s army was getting caught in the destruction, but he did not care.

    "I¡­!"

    He no longer needed an army; numbers were pointless before the power of a Titan.

    "... I HAVE BECOME SPECIAL!!" Bael screamed crazily.

    "Haaa, haaa," he panted heavily after swinging the Demon God¡¯s arm some more. Using the power of a Titan consumed an extraordinary level of mental strength. "Now¡­ you¡¯re all that¡¯s left."

    Bael smiled as he stared at Kang-Woo. Every demon of the Abyss was wiped out by the power of a Titan. Only the Demon King remained.

    "I¡¯m all that¡¯s left¡­ you say?" Kang-Woo chuckled even as his sanity was falling apart. "Why don¡¯t you take another look?"

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Bael heard something sticky moving.

    "Huh?"

    Bael¡¯s expression froze. The demons of the Abyss, which Bael had wiped out with the Demon God¡¯s arm, were reforming as if time was rewinding. ck mucus bubbled as it gathered together to form the demons again.

    "What¡­ the hell?" Bael¡¯s teeth cked together. "They¡¯re all¡­ immortal?"

    The hundreds of thousands of demons, enough to cover the entire sky above Seoul, were regenerating as if they had opened a Door of the Ten Thousand Demon Core.

    "That¡¯s¡­ bullshit. DON¡¯T MAKE ME LAUGH!!!"

    There was no way to defeat an army of immortal demons numbering hundreds of thousands.

    "Now, time for round two."

    <em>Gurgle.</em>

    The demons made of ck mucus fully regenerated. The immortal army of the Abyss fiercely bared their teeth.

    Kang-Woo staggered forward.

    "I am¡­" he muttered as he hung on to his sanity and cackled. "The cavalry, motherfucker."

    <em>GRAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!</em>

    The immortal army charged at Bael once again.

 Chapter 515: Open (3)

    Chapter 515: Open (3)

    Rumble¡ª!

    The earth shook as endless destruction ensued. Thousands of demons were obliterated with every swing from the right arm of a Titan sprouted from Bael¡¯s shoulder.

    "Haaa, haaa."

    However, no matter how many he killed¡­

    "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

    No matter how many he burst and mangled¡­

    "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!"

    It did not end. As if he were trapped in a nightmare he couldn¡¯t wake from, the demons of the Abyss continued to charge at him without knowing death.

    "WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY!!" Bael screamed as he restlessly swung his arm. "YOU¡­ YOU¡¯RE¡­!!!"He gritted his teeth and red at Oh Kang-Woo resentfully.

    "NO LONGER¡­ SPECIAL!"

    Kang-Woo was abandoned by the Demon God, his creator. Hence, his life, desire, and existence were no longer <em>special</em>.

    "SO WHY, WHY, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    He should have be the same as how Bael used to be. He should have felt that his wretched life of crawling from the First to Ninth Hell had been meaningless. He should no longer be special.

    "Why aren¡¯t you¡­ breaking?"

    Kang-Woo had opened the Third Door. He unleashed the Abyss by destroying the vessel that was himself. It was only natural that he would break; it was only natural that his consciousness would burn to a crisp and be taken over by the Demonic Sea the moment he unleashed the Abyss.

    "WHY ARE YOU STILL STANDING?!"

    Kang-Woo stood tall despite swaying as if he would copse at any second¡­ just like Balrog had.

    "H-Hihi! Didn¡¯t you see with your own eyes what happened to that muscle pig?"

    Kang-Woo walked forward in silence. He staggered as if he would fall at any moment, but he did not stop¡ª he did not back down. He took one step forward at a time.

    "S-Stay away from me!"

    Bael took a step back as he convulsed, but he couldn¡¯t even retreat due to the countless number of demons charging at him from all directions.

    "SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!" he shouted as he swung the Titan¡¯s arm.

    Countless demons were wiped out from just a swing. Bael stared at Kang-Woo again and raised the Titan¡¯s right arm.

    "I told you¡­ TO STAY AWAY!!"

    The colossal arm, several kilometers long, swung at Kang-Woo.

    <em>Thump.</em>

    However, Kang-Woo slightly raised his hand and blocked the Titan¡¯s arm.

    "Huh?"

    Bael¡¯s eyes widened. He stepped backward in disbelief. He would have understood it if Kang-Woo had regenerated after bursting into pieces from getting smashed by the arm, but he stopped the power of the Demon God head-on.

    "How¡­ did you¡­?" muttered Bael tremblingly.

    "I told¡­ you."

    The sight of a man the size of a human blocking with one hand, the arm of a Titan that looked several hundred thousand times heavier than him, was highly unnatural.

    "Your existence¡­ and your life that constantly requires validation¡­ is nothing."

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Kang-Woo added more strength to his arm. He dug his feet into the ground and gripped the Titan¡¯s arm tightly.

    "Huup!"

    He then <em>lifted </em>the Titan¡¯s arm.

    "Wh-What the¡ª?!" Bael shouted in shock.

    It was as if an ant had lifted a human¡¯s arm. It was a sight so unbelievable that it looked like aedy.

    "Bael¡­" Kang-Woo smiled as he lifted the Titan¡¯s right arm. "I¡¯m not special¡­ because I had the Demon God."

    It was because he was a monster with the desires of a human. It was because he desired the Demonic Sea despite being a vessel. It was because he never stopped. It was because of those things that he was standing here today.

    <em>Split.</em>

    Kang-Woo opened his mouth. At the same time, the mes that were wrapped around him spread like a tent.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    The gold and ck mes of Voracity danced and gathered in one ce, creating a mouthrge enough to devour the Titan¡¯s arm whole.

    "Authority of Predation."

    The Authority that he had ever since he fell into Hell¡ª no, from the moment he was created by the Demon God as a vessel to hold the Demonic Sea, mixed with the mes of Voracity.

    "Ah¡­" Bael groaned.

    He raised his head and looked up at the ferociously zing mouth. The open mouth made of gold and ck mes,rge enough to devour a Titan¡¯s arm, reminded him of¡­

    "A ck¡­ sun."

    <em>- A-Aaaahh.</em>

    Bael heard the Demon God¡¯s groans inside his head.

    <em>- I-It was never me.</em>

    The Demon God looked up at the ck sun in terror.

    <em>- The Demon of Prophecy¡­ the master of the Demonic Sea¡­</em>

    It had never been him, but the vessel he had created. It had been the pathetic puppet that should have been nothing.

    <em>Crunch¡ª!!</em>

    The ck sun ate Bael whole. The Titan of myths and the demon who epted his power were devoured by the boundless Abyss.

    The demons freed from the Abyss stopped moving once Bael was dead. An abnormal sense of silence fell on the battlefield that had been filled with screams and destruction. Kang-Woo staggered.

    "Kang-Woo!!"

    Just then, he heard a woman¡¯s voice¡ª it was a woman with twelve bright wings on her back.

    "Ah¡­" Kang-Woo slowly turned to the woman.

    "A-Are you alright, Kang-Woo?!" yelled Han Seol-Ah as she approached the staggering Kang-Woo.

    It was obvious from one look that he wasn¡¯t fine.

    "Hey! O-Oh Kang-Woo! You¡¯re not dead, are you?!"

    Cha Yeon-Joo was running to him as well behind Seol-Ah.

    She supported the staggering Kang-Woo and asked, "That aside, what are these demons¡­?"

    It was an army of evil so massive that it killed one¡¯s spirits just by seeing them. Yeon-Joo could tell that the demons were summoned by Kang-Woo from the fact that they weren¡¯t moving, but she felt like she was suffocating from the pressure nheless.

    "These are¡­ the demons that Master Kang-Woo has devoured until now," answered Lilith as she looked around. She did not recognize all of them, but she could see a few familiar faces. She smiled faintly and continued in relief, "I¡¯m not sure what exactly happened, but¡­ you won."

    Lilith was well aware that this war would be decided by who between Bael and Kang-Woo would emerge victorious. Kang-Woo had defeated Bael, so it was no exaggeration to say that the war was over.

    <em>¡¯Atst¡­¡¯</em>

    The long and desperate war hade to an end; it hadsted over ten millennia in Kang-Woo¡¯s perspective.

    "Wait."

    Just then, Yeon-Joo, who had been supporting Kang-Woo, saw someone copsed on the ground. It was the corpse of a demon with bulging red muscles.

    "Ah¡­" Yeon-Joo expressed grief.

    Seol-Ah and Lilith looked in the direction that Yeon-Joo was looking at, and their expressions turned somber.

    "Kang-Woo¡­" Seol-Ah muttered as she teared up.

    Although she didn¡¯t know everything that Kang-Woo went through in Hell, she knew what Balrog meant to Kang-Woo just from their interactions.

    Silence fell again. It was only natural after finding out one of their preciousrades died in the war.

    "Kang-Woo¡­" Yeon-Joo slightly pulled away from Kang-Woo and grabbed his arms. She asked, "Are you okay?"

    "A-Argh." Kang-Woo slowly raised his head and looked around with nk eyes. He tilted his head in wonder and asked, "Who¡­ are you all?"

    "What?" Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes shook.

    "A-Argh."

    Kang-Woo pulled his hair and stepped backward. He could feel his consciousness burning away. He was getting taken over by the Abyss pouring out of the Door.

    <em>¡¯Who¡­¡¯</em>

    His vision was blurring. He was so dizzy that he felt like vomiting.

    <em>¡¯Am I¡­?¡¯</em>

    He looked around and only saw unfamiliar faces. People whom he had never met before were shouting things at him but he couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying. It did not feel real, as if he were looking through a screen.

    "Bal¡­rog."

    One name was clear in his mind as his consciousness was fading.

    <em>¡¯Why?¡¯</em>

    He did not remember why he could remember the name <em>Balrog</em>. He swayed and fell to his knees.

    "M-Mr. Balrog is¡­" the woman with white wings on her back stammered.

    Kang-Woo paid no attention to her.

    "Ah."

    He saw a corpse on the ground. It was the corpse of a demon covered in red muscles. The lifeless gaze of the corpse with no arms pointed at him.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    Tears flowed down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks but he did not understand why he was crying. Everything felt unfamiliar to him.

    <em>¡¯I¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡¯</em>

    He did not remember who or what he was. He felt like he was melting away.

    "Kang-Woo!!"

    "Hey! Oh Kang-Woo! Get a hold of yourself!!"

    He could hear the women yelling at him, but he did not know who this <em>Oh Kang-Woo</em> they were yelling for, was.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    He was sinking into the deep darkness¡­ toward the bottom of the endless Abyss.

    <em>¡¯Ah¡­¡¯</em>

    He reached upward to get out, but he did not know why he was reaching his arms out.

    <em>¡¯I have to get out of here.¡¯</em>

    He paddled his feet and twisted his body with everything he had. He did not know why but he had a feeling that he shouldn¡¯t melt away.

    <em>¡¯I still have¡­ something I need to¡­¡¯</em>

    His consciousness was melting away. His vision flickered, his sense of reason was vaporized, and his intelligence was burning away.

    <em>¡¯What did I need to do again?¡¯</em>

    He did not remember.

    <em>¡¯Balrog.¡¯</em>

    That name was the only thing he could remember. Then, his consciousness vanished.

    <em>Grrrrrrrrk¡ª!!</em>

    "K-Kang-Woo!!"

    "Run, Seol-Ah!" Lilith shouted as she quickly grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s shoulder.

    "L-Let go! K-Kang-Woo is¡­!!"

    "We have to get out of here first! Hurry!"

    Lilith looked around in pallor. The millions of demons that seemed to have been summoned by Kang-Woo melted down and turned into ck mucus. ck mucus poured out of the burning ck sun above the sky.

    "Ngh¡­"

    It looked as if a hole was made in the sky, and a ck waterfall was pouring out of it. Lilith bit her lip as chills ran down her spine.

    "Master Kang-Woo¡­"

    She raised her head anxiously. ck mucus flowed out from Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes as he stood nkly. No, it was not just the eyes. ck mucus poured out of his mouth, nose, and ears like blood. He was thenpletely immersed in the ck mucus and disappeared¡­ as if he had been devoured.

    "N-No¡­"

    Seol-Ah extended her arm in pallor. Lilith shut her eyes tightly and pulled Seol-Ah toward her. Her long ck hair floated in the air as if they were alive.

    "We have to run away."

    "A-Aaaahh."

    "Now!"

    Lilith wrapped the nk-faced Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah with her ck hair and ran.

    <em>Grrrrrrrrrk¡ª!!</em>

    A wave of ck mucus then began to engulf everything in its path like a tsunami.

 Chapter 516: Miracle (1)

    Chapter 516: Miracle (1)

    <em>Grrrrrrrrrrk¡ª!!</em>

    A tsunami of ck mucus spread and voraciously devoured everything in its path. The ck sea grewrger at an extraordinary rate as if it were trying to devour the entire world.

    "A-All forces, evacuate!!" shouted La, who wasmanding Guardians in Kim Si-Hun¡¯s ce.

    A ck tsunami suddenly appeared as they were in the middle of a fierce battle against Bael¡¯s army. It did not take long for La to judge that they needed to stop the battle and run from the cmity that looked as if it would devour everything in its path.

    "What in the world is that¡­?"

    La stared at the ck tsunami in shock. ck mucus was endlessly pouring out from a ck sun made of gold and ck mes that had risen above Seoul.

    <em>¡¯Those mes¡­¡¯</em>

    Those mes were the unique color scheme of one of Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s main techniques.

    La bit her lip anxiously. An inexplicable sense of uneasiness ran down her back."Please¡­" La prayed with her hands sped together.

    <em>¡¯Let there be a miracle to stop the Apocalypse.¡¯</em>

    ***

    "P-Please wait, Lilith!" Han Seol-Ah shouted hastily as she was getting pulled by Lilith, who was running away from the range of the ck tsunami, with her hair.

    Lilith firmly replied, "There is no time to dawdle."

    She could tell just from the ck tsunami devouring everything in its path that Kang-Woo was not in a normal state.

    <em>¡¯At this rate¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would end up killing his loved ones with his own hands.

    Lilith bit her lip.

    <em>- If anything were to happen to you¡­ </em>

    She recalled what she had said to Kang-Woo in the past.

    <em>- I¡¯ll stop you, my king.</em>

    Lilith shut her eyes tightly. She realized how arrogant the words she had spouted were.

    "What should I¡­"

    Lilith¡¯s voice shook. She couldn¡¯t even begin to figure out how to stop Kang-Woo in that state.

    <em>¡¯My king.¡¯</em>

    Lilith turned around and looked at the ck tsunami quickly devouring everything in its path. Inside that tsunami was her king¡ª her love. There was Kang-Woo, who was screaming in pain and agony.

    She recalled Kang-Woo; she recalled his gentle hands and his warmth. Tears welled around her eyes.

    <em>¡¯Yes.¡¯</em> Lilith clenched her fists as if she hade to a resolution. <em>¡¯I made a promise.¡¯</em>

    She had promised that she would stop Kang-Woo if anything were to happen to him.

    <em>¡¯In that case.¡¯</em>

    There was only one thing she could do. She stopped in her tracks.

    "Lilith¡­?"

    "Wh-What¡¯s wrong?"

    Lilith put down Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo, and said, "Both of you, go on ahead."

    "Wh-What the hell are you talking ab¡ª"

    "There is¡­ something I must do."

    Lilith looked back at the ck sun, her eyes filled with conviction. Yeon-Joo frowned.

    "What are you gonna do? Do you know a way to bring Kang-Woo back?" She clenched her fists and continued, "If you do, I¡¯ll help. No, let me do it."

    Lilith bit her lip. "You can¡¯t do it."

    "I can¡¯t?"

    "Yes. This is¡­ something only I can do."

    "What the hell is it, then?!" Yeon-Joo shouted in frustration.

    Lilith¡¯s lips quivered, hesitating to answer. She thought for a moment and then looked at Yeon-Joo as if she had no ns of backing down and said, "I¡¯m going to try¡­ shock treatment."

    "What?"

    "Master Kang-Woo is in a state of unconsciousness. If he experiences arge enough psychological shock¡­ he mighte back to his senses."

    There was no logic or evidence to back up her ims; it was but a guess filled with desire and hope.

    "I¡¯m sure¡­ he will."

    However, there was no other way but to grab hold of an uncertain hope in such a crisis.

    "How are you going to shock him?" asked Yeon-Joo as she narrowed her eyes, a faint sense of uneasiness running down her back.

    Silence fell again.

    Yeon-Joo grabbed Lilith¡¯s arm and asked again fiercely, "How exactly are you going to psychologically shock Kang-Woo?"

    "That¡¯s¡­"

    "Tell me now."

    Lilith averted her gaze from Yeon-Joo and whispered, "... then he mighte back."

    "What?"

    "I said, he mighte back to his senses if I jump into that wave of ck mucus."

    Kang-Woo cared for the ones he loved a great deal. If he were to be put in a situation where he would kill one of them with his own hands, he might instinctively try to avoid it. Even in the worst-case scenario where Lilith was devoured, it would at least serve as a huge psychological shock to him.

    "Hah." Yeon-Joo stared at Lilith dumbfoundedly. "You want to jump into that mucus? Are you crazy?

    "What are you gonna do if you die?"

    "Even if I do, that in itself will serve as enough psychological shock."

    "Don¡¯t bullshit me!!" Yeon-Joo shouted in rage. "Do you even know what Kang-Woo is like? Do you seriously think he would power up and miraculouslye to his senses after he gets shocked from killing you?!"

    Lilith flinched as her eyes shook.

    "Let¡¯s say that he doese back to his senses. How do you think that son of a bitch would feel? Huh? Do you think he¡¯ll thank you for sacrificing yourself?"

    "That¡¯s a problem forter."

    "It¡¯s not a problem to be put off!"

    If Kang-Woo found out he killed Lilith with his own hands, he would never be able to live with himself for it.

    "THEN WHAT?!" Lilith clenched her fists and lowered her head. "WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST WE DO?!"

    Kang-Woo was devoured by the Demonic Sea and lost consciousness. The Demonic Sea was flooding out of control now that all three Doors were open and devouring everything in its path. At this rate, every world would be engulfed by the Abyss of the Demonic Sea.

    "DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER IDEAS?!"

    They needed a way to turn around this endless nightmare for the better.

    "That¡¯s¡­" Yeon-Joo slurred.

    "Right? You don¡¯t¡­ There is no other choice¡­ I¡­ I¡­"

    Lilith knew that it was nonsense. It was illogical andpletely groundless. It was a nearly hopeless n. However, there was something that broke her heart more than the extremely low sess rate of this n.

    "I don¡¯t want to¡­ say goodbye to my king either."

    Tears flowed down Lilith¡¯s cheeks. If Kang-Woo came back to his senses through her death, she would no longer be able to meet him. She would forever be unable to embrace him and feel his warmth.

    "But no matter how sad and pained I am¡­ I made a promise."

    Lilith promised that she would stop Kang-Woo if something were to happen to him.

    "Lilith." Yeon-Joo stared with shaking eyes at the sobbing Lilith. Her usual seductive and calm demeanor was nowhere to be seen. She grabbed Lilith¡¯s hand and said, "I¡¯ll go with you."

    "Pardon?"

    "We need to give him a psychological shock, don¡¯t we? Wouldn¡¯t you say two people would be more effective than one?"

    It was embarrassing for Yeon-Joo to say but Kang-Woo once said that she was precious to him. Hence, she would also be enough to provide Kang-Woo with a psychological shock.

    "N-No," said Lilith.

    "Why is it okay for you and not for me?"

    "That¡¯s¡­"

    "Hmph, don¡¯t pretend like you¡¯re the only tragic heroine." Yeon-Joo snorted and turned her head away. She twirled her red hair with her fingers and continued, "I mean¡­ it¡¯s not like I have feelings for that virgin. I¡¯m just¡­ paying him back for all the times he saved my life. Yeah, I can¡¯t deny that he helped me many times, and¡ª"

    "Pfft!"

    "Wh-What the hell?! Why are youughing?!"

    Lilith, who had been crying, giggled with her hand over her mouth. She couldn¡¯t help butugh even in such a despairing situation.

    "Really¡­ I understand why the king loves teasing you." Lilith caressed Yeon-Joo¡¯s cheek and smiled. "It can¡¯t be helped, then. You cane with¡ª"

    "Wait, Lilith." Seol-Ah, who had been listening in silence, approached them.

    Lilith¡¯s expression hardened. "No. You are the only one I absolutely can¡¯t allow to¡ª"

    "No, that¡¯s not what I meant." Seol-Ah shook her head.

    "Pardon?"

    Lilith¡¯s eyes widened.

    Seol-Ah pointed at something and said, "Look over there."

    She was pointing at the corpse of a demon covered in red muscles; it was Balrog.

    "Huh?"

    Lilith¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at the corpse. The tsunami of ck mucus was flowing in a way that avoided only the area around Balrog¡¯s corpse¡­ as if there was an invisible barrier around him.

    "Wh-What the hell? What¡¯s going on?"

    Yeon-Joo also stared dumbfoundedly at Balrog¡¯s corpse.

    Seol-Ah and Lilith¡¯s gazes met. "It¡¯s proof that Kang-Woo is hesitant to attack Mr. Balrog even when he¡¯s unconscious."

    "But Balrog is already¡­"

    "It¡­ might not be toote," said Seol-Ah as she bit her lip.

    Kang-Woo would most definitely have tried to heal Balrog with all his might.

    <em>¡¯But he likely failed.¡¯</em>

    That had caused Kang-Woo to end up that way.

    "At the very least¡­ I¡¯m confident that I¡¯m better than Kang-Woo in healing."

    But of course, not even Seol-Ah could do something as absurd as bringing the dead back to life.

    <em>¡¯But even just a little bit¡­¡¯</em>

    If Balrog was breathing just a tiny bit¡ª no, even if he wasn¡¯t breathing but could still be brought back to life¡­

    <em>¡¯I can save him.¡¯</em>

    A person could still be brought back to life a few minutes after their heart stopped.

    Lilith remained silent.

    It was uncertain whether or not Balrog could be saved or if Kang-Woo would evene back to his senses after saving Balrog. The chances were so low that Lilith even thought her initial n had a higher chance of sess. However¡­

    "Let¡¯s do it."

    There was no point in hesitating just because of low chances. After all, they had no choice but to cling to even the tiniest amount of hope in a situation as despairing as this.

    "Fuuu, alright." Yeon-Joo nodded.

    There was no time to dawdle now that they had decided to do it.

    <em>tter.</em>

    Red chains poured out of her bracelets.

    "Both of you, grab on to the chains!"

    Lilith and Seol-Ah grabbed the chains.

    "Here we go!"

    Yeon-Joo raised her arms high and quickly swung them down.

    <em>Bang!</em>

    The chains smashed into the ground and flung the three women into the air. They were aiming for the area where Balrog¡¯s corpse was¡ª the only location protected from the ck tsunami that was devouring everything.

    <em>Grrrrrrrrrk!</em>

    "Ngh!"

    ck mucus shot at them as soon as Yeon-Joo flew into the air. She twisted in midair and spread her arms widely.

    "Red Lotus, Eighth Form."

    <em>tter¡ª!</em>

    Hundreds of chains slithered as if they were alive.

    "Red Lotus Kaleidoscope!"

    The chains expanded like a and protected the three women.

    <em>Crack! Crunch!</em>

    The ck mucus began to devour Yeon-Joo¡¯s chains.

    "Now!"

    Yeon-Joo used the short amount of time that the ck mucus was blocked by the chains to link herself with chains to the area around Balrog.

    <em>tter!</em>

    The chains shortened, shooting the three women to the area around Balrog.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Once the three of them arrived next to Balrog, the ck mucus stopped chasing them. No to be more precise, it was not charging at them; the ck mucus surrounding Balrog was slowly reducing its radius.

    "Shit¡­ it¡¯s slowly getting closer to us. Seol-Ah! Treat Balrog as I keep the mucus at bay!"

    "I will assist."

    Yeon-Joo and Lilith stood on either side of Seol-Ah to protect her. Seol-Ah nodded and ced her hand on Balrog¡¯s corpse.

    <em>¡¯Please¡­ Let there be just a sliver of hope. Let me save him.¡¯</em>

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Blinding light poured out of the twelve wings on Seo-Ah¡¯s back.

    <em>¡¯Mr. Balrog.¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah bit her lip and focused all of her sacred power on both hands. White light flowed into Balrog, regenerating his severed arms and the horrible injuries all over his body.

    <em>¡¯It worked!¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes filled with hope. However¡­

    "Mr¡­ Balrog?"

    No matter how much sacred power she poured, even after healing all of his injuries, Balrog was not breathing. He did not open his eyes.

    "Ah¡­"

    Tears welled around Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes. She realized that Balrog was dead and that no hope of him breathing again existed.

    "I¡¯m sorry." Tears flowed down Seol-Ah¡¯s cheeks. "I¡¯m so sorry¡­ Kang-Woo."

    It was impossible to bring Balrog, Kang-Woo¡¯s precious friend, back to life¡­ unless a miracle were to ur.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    Just then, Seol-Ah heard the chime of a bell.

    "Huh?"

    The crying Seol-Ah raised her head.

    [The activation condition of ¡¯Miracle¡¯ has been fulfilled.]

    Translucent light particles poured out of Seol-Ah and lit up the earth covered in ck mucus.

 Chapter 517: Miracle (2)

    Chapter 517: Miracle (2)

    "Wh-What the hell?"

    Cha Yeon-Joo, who was stopping the ck mucus from approaching them, turned around in surprise. Translucent light containing inexplicable power was pouring out from Han Seol-Ah and lighting up the earth covered in the tsunami of ck mucus.

    "What the hell is happening?!" entreated Yeon-Joo.

    She had no idea why such power was pouring out from Seol-Ah.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s different from usual.¡¯</em>

    The soul of Celestial Goddess Seraph was inside Seol-Ah, so most of her magic spells were powered by sacred power.

    <em>¡¯But this is¡­¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo narrowed her eyes. She had felt this power from somewhere before.

    <em>¡¯That rogue brat?¡¯</em>She recalled the rogue yer who had appeared like a supernova and defeated Kim Si-Hun with an overpowered item he happened to find in a dungeon. Yeon-Joo was sure that the translucent lighting out of Seol-Ah was the same as the light flowing out from Kim Tae-Hyun¡¯s ne during his duel against Si-Hun.

    "What¡¯s going on¡­?"

    She couldn¡¯t understand why that light was suddenlying out of Seo-Ah.

    <em>¡¯Not just that¡­¡¯</em>

    It was overwhelmingly brighter than the light the ne used to pour out.

    <em>Grrrrrrk!</em>

    "Urgh!"

    The ck mucus reached a hair¡¯s breadth away from her while she was distracted. Yeon-Joo quickly stepped back to widen the distance from the mucus that was slowly closing the distance.

    "Yeon-Joo! Focus!" yelled Lilith.

    "But Seol-Ah is¡ª"

    "We don¡¯t have the leeway to worry about that!"

    Yeon-Joo anxiously bit her lip and nodded.

    <em>tter¡ª!</em>

    Even more red chains poured out of her bracelets.

    "Okay," she answered. It was not the time to worry about what was happening to Seol-Ah or whose power that was. "Fuuu."

    She took a deep breath, lowered her stance, and spread the chains like a. The only thing she could do was to protect Seol-Ah until she was finished healing Balrog. They could only struggle to keep their hold on the sliver of hope,

    "Red Lotus, Third Form."

    <em>Whirl¡ª!</em>

    The red chains surged like a tornado.

    "Red Petal Obstruction."

    A red lotus bloomed and the petals made of red chains surrounded the area like a dome.

    <em>Grrrrrrrk!</em>

    "Kuh¡­"

    The red lotus blocked the tsunami of ck mucus. Yeon-Joo¡¯s arms trembled from the immense pressure on the chains. She panted heavily and her legs shook like crazy; she could tell she wouldn¡¯t be able to hold it much longer.

    "Seol-Ah."

    Yeon-Joo looked back at Seol-Ah, her expression mixed with worry and hope.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Beautiful light particles that looked like crystal fragments were stilling out of Seol-Ah.

    "A-Aaaahh," Seol-Ah groaned as immense power boiled inside her.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s so hot.¡¯</em>

    It felt like she was burning from the inside. She bit her lip. She could pass out at any second from the raging current of power inside her, but she couldn¡¯t afford to lose herself right now.

    "What was¡­"

    Seol-Ah gazed at the blue message window that appeared in front of her. It said that the activation condition for <em>Miracle </em>had been fulfilled, along with additional information underneath.

    [The skill ¡¯Miracle¡¯ can only be used once.]

    [All power granted by ¡¯Nostrian¡¯ will vanish once used.]

    <em>¡¯Nostrian?¡¯ </em>Seol-Ah had heard that name somewhere before. <em>¡¯Lilith was looking for them, if I remember correctly.¡¯</em>

    She was not exactly sure what the beings known as Titans were.

    <em>¡¯They¡¯re¡­ something like the creators of the universe.¡¯</em>

    At least, that was how Oh Kang-Woo described them. They were likely notpletely almighty, considering there were multiple of them, but it did not change the fact that they were extraordinary beings.

    <em>¡¯In that case.¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah pointed her hands at Balrog¡¯s corpse.

    "Please¡­"

    <em>¡¯Let there be a miracle that lives up to their name.¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah closed her eyes. She had no idea why such a power entered her and who the being known as Nostrian was¡ª no, she didn¡¯t even know whether or not this <em>Miracle </em>skill could bring Balrog back to life.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Translucent light burst. Seol-Ah ced her hands on Balrog¡¯s chest and prayed on the sliver of hope she was holding on to.

    "Ngh¡­" Seol-Ah grimaced.

    Her hands trembled as she barely held on, currents of power rampaging inside her like river rapids.

    "How much longer, Seol-Ah?!" shouted Yeon-Joo as she kept the ck mucus at bay.

    Over half of the red lotus surrounding the area had been devoured by the mucus. The massive ck wave would soon engulf the red lotus and the three women whole.

    "More." Seol-Ah bit her lip and continued, "Just¡­ Just a little more, Yeon-Joo."

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    The translucent light particlesing out of her gathered around her hand.

    "Miracle."

    The translucent light flowed into Balrog.

    <em>Crack! Crunch¡ª!</em>

    The flesh on Balrog¡¯s chest ripped open and exposed his crushed heart. His two arms disappeared and covered him in ck blood.

    "Wh-What the hell?" Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes shook as she saw what was happening. She bit her lip as the injuries Seol-Ah had healed came back. "Did it¡­ fail?"

    The three women could feel the sliver of hope they were holding on to for dear life, disappearing.

    "Wait." Lilith, who was staring at Balrog covered in blood, widened her eyes. She smiled brightly and said, "It¡­ didn¡¯t fail."

    "What? His injuries are getting worse again! Wh-What are you ta¡ª"

    "No. They¡¯re not getting worse."

    Lilith shook her head and stared at Balrog with no arms and horrible injuries all over him.

    "Time is¡­ getting rewound."

    It was what Balrog looked like when they first saw him.

    ***

    He was walking within the darkness¡­ the boundless Abyss. His consciousness had long since burnt to a crisp. He no longer had any sense of reason or intelligence left. He couldn¡¯t remember who he was or what he was doing.

    <em>Step.</em>

    He simply walked.

    <em>Step.</em>

    He walked forward, through endless darkness, without even knowing why he was walking.

    <em>¡¯Why¡­¡¯</em> he thought. <em>¡¯Why am I walking?¡¯</em>

    He could not see the end of the road¡ª no, an end did not even exist. There was nothing more pointless than continuing down a road with no end without rest.

    <em>¡¯There¡¯s no need to keep walking.¡¯</em>

    He knew there was no end. He knew his walk would never end. He was tired. His shoulders were heavy and his legs were shaking.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ll stop.¡¯</em>

    It was pointless. He should stop here. Stopping here, lying down in the darkness, and waiting to disappear was a far smarter decision.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s not a bad idea.¡¯</em>

    The darkness wasfortable. It was endless and vast. He felt like he would have no regrets even if he were to melt into it.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ll stop.¡¯</em>

    There was no meaning or purpose in his walk. He did not even know why he was walking forward. There was no reason at all he should keep walking.

    <em>Step.</em>

    However¡­

    <em>Step</em>.

    However¡­ However¡­ However¡­

    "A-Arghh."

    He kept walking. He moved his right leg and then his left to keep moving forward. He didn¡¯t know why; he might never know why.

    "For¡­ward. For¡­ward."

    However, he did not stop. Even if the weight on his shoulders was crushing him and he could barely breathe¡­

    "I¡­"

    He needed to keep moving forward. He continued to walk through the endless Abyss.

    [My king.]

    Just then, a demon covered in red muscles appeared in front of him. He remembered seeing the demon before he entered the Abyss.

    "Balrog."

    He remembered that one name. He did not remember what his own name was, but¡­

    "Balrog, Balrog, Balrog¡­"

    He knew that the name of the demon in front of him was Balrog. That was all he remembered.

    [Yes, my king.] Balrog smiled faintly and nodded. He approached the man and ced his hand on his shoulder. [You have done so well until now, my king.]

    "I have?"

    [Yes. You have¡­ pushed through and came all this way with so much on your shoulders.]

    "I don¡¯t¡­ remember."

    [Even if your memories have disappeared, everything you have done until now is right here.]

    Balrog raised his hand and snapped his finger. Countless demons appeared before them, so many that they could fill the endless Abyss.

    [You have defeated every single one of these beings.]

    He remained silent. He did not remember anything about them.

    [My king,] Balrog called. The man could feel the warmth from Balrog¡¯s hand on his shoulder. [You can¡­ rest now.]

    [You don¡¯t have to¡­ continue that wretched battle anymore.]

    Sweet whispers entered the man¡¯s ears. His legs were just about to break anyway. His shoulders were about to be crushed anyway. There would be no better ce to rest than here if he were to stop.

    [You have really¡­] Tears welled around Balrog¡¯s eyes. He got on one knee and bowed. [Done so well, my king.]

    The man stared at Balrog in silence. "Did you say¡­ I can rest?"

    He felt something was wrong.

    "I did well until now?"

    He couldn¡¯t exin it, but it felt like a piece of a puzzle did not match.

    "No."

    [Pardon?]

    "You¡¯re¡­ not Balrog," the man said as he fiercely red at Balrog.

    <em>- You can just do as you have always done.</em>

    The man heard a voice. It was the same voice as the Balrog in front of him but they were different.

    The man stepped forward and reached out.

    [My king¡­]

    "Don¡¯t fuck with me."

    He grabbed Balrog by the neck. He bared his teeth and clenched harder.

    "I¡­"

    <em>Crush.</em>

    The red demon¡¯s head exploded.

    "Will not stop."

    He had never stopped.

    <em>Wriggle¡ª!</em>

    The Abyss sloshed and copsed as it tore apart.

    "Ah¡­"

    The man¡¯s vision came back. He could see light beyond the copsing Abyss.

    "Kang-Woo!"

    "Darling?"

    Kang-Woo saw Seol-Ah. Next to her were Yeon-Joo and Lilith.

    "Wh-What the hell¡­ happened to you¡­?" Yeon-Joo was staring at him in pallor.

    Kang-Woo looked down at himself.

    Only his face was out of the ck mucus; it was no wonder why Yeon-Joo was horrified.

    "I¡­"

    Kang-Woo could feel his consciousness burning away. His memories flickered and his vision blurred.

    <em>Grrrrrk.</em>

    The ck mucus began to devour him again. Just then¡­

    "Didn¡¯t you say I would be in for it once this was over?"

    Kang-Woo heard a voice.

    "Huh?"

    "I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to keep that promise with the state you¡¯re in."

    A heartyughter echoed throughout the area. Kang-Woo slowly turned his head.

    "Bal¡­rog?"

    He saw a demon covered in red muscles smiling brightly at him.

 Chapter 518: I Am Satan

    Chapter 518: I Am Satan

    "How¡­?"

    Oh Kang-Woo stared at Balrog in disbelief. The stupid demon covered in red muscles, who crushed his own heart to protect his king, was somehow alive.

    "It¡¯s thanks to Seol-Ah," Lilith answered in Balrog¡¯s ce.

    "What?"

    Kang-Woo stared at Han Seol-Ah, unable to understand. He knew her extraordinary healing abilities and how they far surpassed his Authority of Regeneration. However¡­

    "You brought a dead person¡­ back to life?"

    The power of resurrection was on a whole other level than healing. It was impossible to bring the dead back to life even if she possessed the soul of Seraph. After all, even Celestial Goddess Seraph was but a <em>god</em>.

    "How in the world¡­"

    Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah, his eyes shaking anxiously. The miracle she had pulled off was impossible with just her powers. His current self was the perfect example of what happens if one uses powers beyond their capability."It was¡­ the power of Nostrian," Seol-Ah answered.

    "Nostrian?"

    Nostrian, the Titan of time. Kang-Woo¡¯s expression was dyed in confusion after the name that he thought had be irrelevant after Kim Tae-Hyun¡¯s ne broke was mentioned again.

    "My king. Let us leave the questioning forter," said Lilith as she approached him. As she had mentioned, there was no time to wonder in detail about Nostrian. "We have to get you out of th¡ª"

    Lilith approached Kang-Woo to pull Kang-Woo, whose head was the only part of his body exposed, out of the ck mucus.

    "Stay back,"manded Kang-Woo as she red at her.

    Lilith flinched. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes were filled with sorrow.

    "If youe here¡­ you¡¯ll die too."

    Even now, he felt like his consciousness would be burned away at any second. The desire to eat was about to take over him.

    "My king¡­" Lilith muttered as she shed tears.

    "Kehehe. How unlike you, my king," Balrog snickered as he walked toward Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression filled with shock as he hastily yelled, "You fucking muscle pig! Do you wanna die again that badly after you were brought back to life?"

    However, Balrog did not stop.

    "I have already died once." He smiled and continued, "I guess it wouldn¡¯t be so bad to die for my king again."

    "Hah," Kang-Woo chuckled. "Fucking hell, stop trying to act like a badass."

    He couldn¡¯t help but snicker.

    Balrog smiled and said, "I could say the same for you, my king."

    "What?"

    "Ye who pass me¡­ to the city of grief."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. "Y-You fucking¡­"

    "Hehehe. It was a rather magnificent incantation."

    "Y-You son of a bitch! You were listening?! No wait, you were dead at the time!!"

    Balrog tilted his head in wonder and answered, "Hmm. Come to think of it, I was. But I have memories after the fact for some reason."

    "Balrog."

    "Yes, my king."

    "You should just die again."

    "Hehehe. I will set my life aze as many times as it takes for you, my king."

    Balrog got on one knee and bowed his head.

    Silence fell.

    "Pfft." Kang-Woo burst intoughter unbeknownst to himself. "Bwahahahahahaha!!"

    His consciousness was fading, his sense of reason and intelligence were being eaten away by desire, and he was in so much pain that he could go insane at any second, but¡­

    "Hahahahahaha!!"

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t stopughing. He found the stupidly joyous situation and the happy ending mixed with coincidence and fate all too precious to him.

    "My king," Balrog called quietly. His mischievous expression from earlier was nowhere to be seen. He stared at Kang-Woo, who was covered in ck mucus, and asked, "Will you¡­ be able to endure it?"

    He had once seen Kang-Woo in this state; at the climax of the thousand-year war during his battle against Bael. During that battle, the Demon King opened the Second Door of the Ten Thousand Demon Core and destroyed everything around him, his sense of reasonpletely gone. It was no exaggeration to say that Kang-Woo¡¯s survival after that battle was no less of a miracle than Balrog¡¯s resurrection.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    The situation was different; he had opened not two but all three Doors. He destroyed himself as the vessel and allowed the Demonic Sea to run out of control. Even if the same miracle were to ur, Kang-Woo would not be the same as before. There was only one way.

    <em>¡¯The king has to¡­ devour the Demonic Sea.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed to beat the Demonic Sea into submission and gainplete control over its power¡ª no, he needed to be the Demonic Sea itself.

    It would be a battle against a sea of demonic energy, which had devoured millions of demons, and one person. It couldn¡¯t even be called a battle, just like how a person couldn¡¯t <em>fight </em>a sea.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    There was no other way for Kang-Woo toe back. If he couldn¡¯t resist the encroachment of the Demonic Sea and devour it, he would not be able to stay as <em>Oh Kang-Woo</em>.

    "You¡¯re asking if I¡¯ll be able to endure it?" Kang-Woo asked.

    The battle to devour the Demonic Sea would be nearly endless. He would be engaged in a hopeless battle for almost an eternity.

    "What¡¯s wrong with you, Balrog?" Kang-Woo smiled. He then said as if the answer was obvious, "You know who I am."

    "Kehehehehe!" Balrog chuckled.

    "I want to see Si-Hun and the others before I go, but¡­"

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s face began to be sucked into the mucus again. He couldn¡¯t stay here for much longer.

    "Well, it can¡¯t be helped." Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah, Lilith, and Cha Yeon-Joo to say, "Wait for me."

    "Hey! O-Oh Kang-Woo!"

    "Kang-Woo!"

    Kang-Woo snickered and said, "I¡¯ll be back after I win."

    <em>Grrrrrk.</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s face was sucked into the mucus.

    Balrog lowered his head, still on one knee in front of the area where Kang-Woo vanished from.

    "Hah, there really is no stopping him." Lilith approached as her ck hair fluttered and red at Balrog. "That aside, why are you sticking so close to the king like you¡¯re a heroine?"

    "Heroine? What does that mean?"

    "Hmph, I don¡¯t know."

    Lilith snorted in dissatisfaction.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Just then, the ck mucus pouring out of the ck sun above Seoul stopped. The ck tsunami, which had been devouring everything in its path as if to engulf the entire city, was sucked back into the ck sun at breakneck speed.

    "Wh-What? What¡¯s happening?" Yeon-Joo asked as she looked around at the ck mucus that was suddenly disappearing.

    "The battle has begun," Lilith answered as she turned to her and smiled.

    "Battle?"

    "Yes." Lilith looked up at the ck sun and continued, "The battle between the Demonic Sea¡­ and our king."

    It would be an absurdly illogical battle. Lilith stood next to Balrog and also got on one knee. She looked into the ck sun and thought of her king, who was likely fighting inside.

    "Victory¡­" Lilith lowered her head and brought her hands together as if praying. "... To my king."

    ***

    Radiant sword energy split space itself.

    <em>sh!</em>

    "Kurgh!" The hunchback demon stepped backward and clenched his chest. "Urgh¡­"

    Amon red fiercely at Si-Hun.

    <em>¡¯This is¡­ a human?¡¯</em>

    He was unbelievably powerful¡ª almost on par with Tai Wuji, the leader of the Constetions of Evil.

    "Move," said Si-Hun as he gritted his teeth and raised his sword.

    He did not have time to waste fighting this hunchback demon.

    <em>¡¯Hyung-nim.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun anxiously gripped his sword tightly.

    "Kekeke. It¡¯s toote, human swordsman," Amon cackled. He had lost the battle but seeded in keeping the human swordsman at bay. "About now¡­"

    Bael should have had more than enough time to devour the Demon King and get his hands on the Demonic Sea.

    "Kehe, kahahahahaha!!" Amon burst intoughter as he pounded his staff on the ground repeatedly.

    "Kuh." Si-Hun grimaced.

    He needed to kill Amon and go to Kang-Woo as soon as possible.

    "Heavenly Dragon¡ª"

    "Kekeke," Amon cackled as if to cut Si-Hun off and took something out from his pocket. It was a ck crystal orb filled with impure demonic energy. "<em>Tsk</em>. I wanted to use it a littleter, but I have no choice."

    Amon clenched the ck orb and chanted, his voice like nails on a chalkboard.

    "O Prince of Wrath."

    Demonic energy surged from the ck orb.

    "Open your ey¡ª"

    <em>RUMBLE¡ª!!</em>

    Just then, a ck sun rose in the skies of Seoul.

    "Huh?"

    Countless demons poured out from the sun.

    "Th-This is¡­"

    Amon looked up at the ck sun and the demons pouring out from it, in pallor. He roughly understood what it meant.

    "Th-The Abyss¡­"

    The Third Door of the Demonic Sea had opened.

    "N-NO!!!" Amon screamed at the ck sun.

    No one was capable of holding the Demonic Sea now that the Abyss had been unleashed.

    "That crazy son of a bitch!!!" Amon shouted.

    "Those demons¡­"

    Si-Hun stared at the demons pouring out of the ck sun, his expression frozen. He then gripped his sword tightly.

    <em>¡¯This isn¡¯t the time to be distracted.¡¯</em>

    He needed to go to Kang-Woo as soon as possible.

    "Shit, shit, SHIIIIIIIIIIT!!" screamed Amon as he pulled his gray hair. He could tell that everything had failed and that Bael had lost. "How¡­"

    Amon staggered.

    "Huup!" Si-Hun took advantage of that opening and pounced like a beast.

    <em>Stab!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    Si-Hun¡¯s sword pierced Amon¡¯s stomach.

    "How¡­ How did the Third Door¡­" Amon continued to stare at the ck sun even with a sword piercing him. He mumbled, "At this rate, the Primordial Knowledge¡­ the Titan¡­"

    Amon trembled.

    "DAMMIT!"

    He smashed his staff in two.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Enormous amounts of demonic energy stormed as soon as the staff broke.

    "Kuh!" Si-Hun grunted as he quickly jumped backward.

    Amon, who was staring up at the sky with nk eyes, was slowly sucked into the ck storm.

    "It was¡­ almost in my grasp." Amon frowned fiercely and shouted, "IT WAS JUST ONE STEP AWAY!!"

    His voice was filled with desire. He continued to curse as he disappeared into the ck storm.

    "Ngh."

    Si-Hun was about to swing his sword at Amon as he disappeared into the storm but shook his head.

    <em>¡¯I have to get to hyung-nim.¡¯</em>

    He did not have any more time to waste. He turned around and leaped forward, speeding to where the ck sun appeared.

    <em>Grrrrrrk!</em>

    "This is¡­"

    However, ck mucus began to pour out of the ck sun and prevented him from advancing any further.

    "Shit!"

    He quickly raised his sword and swung it at the tsunami of ck mucus.

    <em>sh! sh!</em>

    However, the ck mucus regenerated instantly after each sh, no matter how many times he swung his sword.

    "Shit, shit!!" Tears flowed down Si-Hun¡¯s cheeks. "Kang-Woo¡­ hyung!"

    He bit his lip and continued to sh the ck mucus. He advanced little by little as he wished for his will to reach Kang-Woo.

    ***

    <em>Split.</em>

    A crack formed on the ck crystal on the ground.

    <em>Shatter!</em>

    The orb broke, and ck demonic energy surged out of it.

    "Gaaaaahh¡­"

    Demonic energy gathered and took the form of a demon with ck scleras, yellow irises, and horizontal pupils.

    "I am¡­"

    The demon extended his arm enveloped in thick demonic energy.

    He said chillingly, "Death. I am¡­ the end. I am the father of all wrath, and I am wrath itself. I am¡­ Satan."

    The Prince of Wrath, who had been defeated by the Demon King and devoured by him, manifested once again.

    "K-Kehehe."

    Satan looked down at himself. Immense power, far more than when he lost to the Demon King, was coursing through him.

    "KAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" He spread his arms wide and burst into crazedughter. "FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY!!!"

    He gritted his teeth.

    "I¡­ I have returned, Demon King!! To fulfill my rage! My hatred! My wrath will devour you!"

    Satan recalled everything the Demon King had done to him¡ª all the humiliating memories.

    "I will tear apart everything you have with my wrath!!" shouted Satan, the Prince of Wrath.

    <em>Grrrrrrrrk!</em>

    "Hm?"

    Just then, a tsunami of ck mucus engulfed him as he was in the middle ofughing madly.

    "H-Huhhh?" Satan expressed confusion. "Wh-What is this?! W-Wait! G-Get off of me!! A-Aaaaahh!"

    He was sucked into the ck mucus after making contact with it even a little.

    "N-NO!! I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve only just been revived! NOOOOOO!! Wh-What the hell is this s-sticky substance?! WHAT THE HELLLLLLLL!!"

    <em>Grrrrrrk.</em>

    He had been sharpening his de all this time as he imagined his revenge, but he ended up disappearing into the ck mucus.

    "D-Dammit. Why is this happening to me? S-Stop¡­ Why the fuck are you doing this to me¡­?"

    <em>Urghhhhhh.</em>

 Chapter 519: King of the Demonic Sea

    Chapter 519: King of the Demonic Sea

    Oh Kang-Woo walked through the darkness where direction was nonexistent. He was simply stepping forward within the endless Abyss.

    "My¡­ name is¡­"

    He carefully said his name and wrapped his arms around his head. His consciousness was fortunately more vividpared to when he first entered the Abyss, but it was still only to the point that his name was all he could remember.

    "This is¡­ enough," Kang-Woo stammered and smiled.

    It was more than enough. He continued to walk through the darkness.

    [Grrrrrrr.]

    Kang-Woo heard a low growl. He turned to see a ck dogrge enough to easily swallow a human whole.

    <em>¡¯A Hellhound.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the monster; it was the first demonic beast he encountered when he fell into the First Hell."I have to start over from the beginning, is it?"

    Kang-Woo chuckled and approached the Hellhound, who was baring its fangs at him ferociously, without hesitation. He had run away like a coward when he first fell into Hell, but he no longer had a reason to. After all, he was the one and only predator.

    [GRAAAAAAAAAHHH!]

    The Hellhound roared and charged at Kang-Woo. Its sharp fangs were still gleaming within the darkness.

    "Hup!"

    Kang-Woo also moved in response. He could not use his hundreds of Authorities inside the Abyss of the Demonic Sea¡ª a space made by his consciousness. He did not have his Transcendent-rank Deific Essence or the mes of Voracity that burned with Chaos as its fuel either. There was only one thing left to him.

    Kang-Woo dodged the Hellhound, grabbed its neck fur, and got on top of the demonic beast.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    [<em>Whine!</em>]

    He opened his mouth wide and took a bite out of the Hellhound.

    [Grrrrrr!]

    However, the injury was only the size of his mouth; it was but a scratch for a three-meter-tall Hellhound.

    <em>Crunch, crunch, crunch.</em>

    [<em>Whine!</em>]

    Kang-Woo stuck to the Hellhound and continued to take bites out of it. He activated the Authority of Predation, and the demonic energy flowing in the Hellhound was absorbed into Kang-Woo. To be more exact, it was not the Hellhound¡¯s demonic energy but the demonic energy of the Demonic Sea itself.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo exhaled.

    He stepped on the Hellhound¡¯s corpse, which had be mush, and looked up at the endless darkness. All he had left at the moment was the Authority of Predation.

    "Well, I guess it¡¯s better than the first time I fell into Hell."

    Kang-Woo chuckled. He could feel his consciousness bing more vivid after devouring one Hellhound. He looked down at himself. He could feel the demonic energy of the Demonic Sea, which he could only store inside the Ten Thousand Demon Core in the past, permeating throughout his body.

    <em>¡¯I can absorb it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could make the boundless Demonic Sea his own.

    "Now, then."

    Kang-Woo smiled and raised his head as he turned around.

    [Grrrrrrrrr.]

    In front of him was an endless crowd of demonic beasts and demons he had devoured until now. It was the army of the Abyss that had appeared from the ck sun the moment Kang-Woo opened the Third Door. They had followed Kang-Woo¡¯smands and attacked Bael before, but now they were lined up to tear apart his consciousness.

    "Hah," Kang-Woo chuckled because he saw a familiar face among the army of the Abyss. "Bael."

    [A-Aaaahh. O-Oh Kang-Woo¡­] The half-melted Bael crawled on the ground as he red at Kang-Woo from below. He muttered as if cursing him, [I-I¡¯ll¡­ kill you¡­]

    Kang-Woo smiled brightly. "What a relief. I thought it was a bit of a shame that I killed you in such an anticlimactic way."

    Kang-Woo walked toward the army of evil numbering millions without hesitation.

    [Y-You¡­] Bael red at Kang-Woo resentfully. [You will never¡­ escape from¡­ here.]

    Kang-Woo had opened the Third Door¡ª he destroyed himself as a vessel and unleashed the Abyss. One who stepped foot in the Abyss could never escape.

    [Y-You will be¡­ stuck with me¡­ in this Abyss¡­] Bael smiled. [And slowly¡­ break.]

    There was no such thing as <em>death </em>in a world made of one¡¯s consciousness. The fight would never end until the consciousness of the entity known as <em>Oh Kang-Woo</em> melted into the Abyss and disappeared. There was no other end for Kang-Woo other than to slowly break down in this perpetual Hell for all of time.

    "I wonder about that?" mentioned Kang-Woo. He did not falter even when he was faced with despair. He said leisurely, "I¡¯d rather not hang out with a brat like you."

    Bael stared nkly at Kang-Woo, unable to understand. [How can you¡­ be like that?]

    Even under such despair and facing inevitable demise.

    [How can you¡­ never stop?] Bael asked, slightly fearful.

    Kang-Woo shrugged and stepped forward slowly, one foot at a time. He could see Bael gritting his teeth anxiously.

    [It¡¯s pointless¡­ no matter how much you resist.]

    Bael had only realized after being devoured by the Abyss how absurd his notion of getting his hands on the Demonic Sea¡ª the Primordial Darkness.

    [You will¡­ fail. This battle¡­ will never end.]

    "No." Kang-Woo shook his head. "This isn¡¯t a battle."

    He was not about to engage in a desperate and heroic battle against these millions of demonic beasts and demons.

    "You don¡¯t call devouring prey a battle, do you?"

    There was a perfect term to describe this situation.

    "Now then, it¡¯s time for a feast."

    Kang-Woo opened his arms wide and charged at the army of the Abyss.

    ***

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    Sharp teeth bit into flesh. Muscles were torn apart, and bones were crushed.

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t remember how long he had been in this boundless darkness, shoving every single demon he devoured into his stomach. He gave up on keeping time after fifteen years had passed. An immensely long time passed since he gave up; it might have been a century¡ª no, a millennium.

    <em>¡¯No.¡¯</em>

    It could have even been ten millennia. More time than what it took for him to be the Demon King after falling into Hell could have passed.

    <em>¡¯I guess I should be thankful¡­ this is a space made by my consciousness.¡¯</em>

    If he was stuck in a ce where the flow of time was not different from reality, the Earth that he knew would no longer be there even if he managed to get out of this darkness.

    <em>Crunch, crunch.</em>

    Time continued to pass. His legs shook with each step he took, and so did his jaws as he bit into flesh.

    Even after more time that felt like an eternity passed, darkness was all that surrounded Kang-Woo.

    "Haaa, haaa," he panted heavily.

    The willpower that Kang-Woo thought would never waver was reaching its limit. He wondered if it would ever end, or if there was even an end.

    "A-Arghh."

    No matter how much he ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, and ate again, darkness remained. The sea of demonic energy did not disappear.

    <em>¡¯This is insane.¡¯</em>

    It was as if he were trying to drink all the seawater that existed on Earth. Bael was right¡ª it did not matter how much he resisted. He would never be able to escape from the endless darkness.

    Kang-Woo swayed and fell to his knees.

    [Grrrrrr!]

    The army of the Abyss charged at him.

    He had no strength or willpower left to devour them.

    <em>¡¯Let¡¯s just give up. I¡¯vested long enough. A millennium? No, more like over ten millennia. I can¡¯t¡­ go on anymore.¡¯</em>

    He was stupid to think he could devour the boundless sea of darkness and make it his own.

    "I¡­"

    He lost all strength as he stared at the army of evil charging at him.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    He could feel sharp teeth and ws tearing him apart.

    <em>¡¯Yeah. Just like that¡­¡¯</em>

    He would just¡­

    Give up¡­

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth.

    <em>- Wait for me.</em>

    He recalled the words he said in the past that he couldn¡¯t even remember anymore before he plunged himself into the Abyss.

    <em>- I¡¯ll be back after I win.</em>

    Those words engraved themselves into his soul.

    "Fuck¡­" Kang-Woo cursed.

    Crunch!

    He grabbed the horns of one of the demons biting him and ripped them out. He opened his mouth wide and bit into the demon.

    <em>¡¯Not yet.¡¯</em>

    He could still move.

    <em>¡¯Not yet.¡¯</em>

    He could still stand.

    <em>¡¯Not yet.¡¯</em>

    He could still advance.

    "I am¡­"

    He was the king of demons, the predator of predators.

    "The Demon King."

    He was the king of the Demonic Sea.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    The Abyss shook.

    [A-Aaaahh.]

    [S-Save¡­ u-us.]

    Something changed. The army of the Abyss that had been charging at him began to feel fear¡ª no, it could be that the Demonic Sea itself was afraid of him.

    "Now then¡­ let¡¯s start again."

    Kang-Woo stood up and smiled. He bared his teeth and slowly walked toward the army of the Abyss. And with that, perpetual time resumed.

    ***

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    A ck sun was zing above a destend with not even a de of grass in sight.

    A gentle-looking woman with dark purple hair was staring nkly at the ck sun. Three years ago, Seoul was leveled during the war against Bael and his army. The citizens of Seoul who returned to Earth after being evacuated to Aernor either moved to other cities of Korea or immigrated to other countries with the full support of Guardians.

    It was not just citizens of Seoul, who lost their homes, who moved to southern regions of Korea. It was not just because Busan became the new capital of South Korea.

    "Kang-Woo," Han Seol-Ah, the woman with dark purple hair, called in sorrow.

    It was mainly because of the ck sun zing above Seoul. Countless people moved to the south to get away from the ominous sun but the woman still lived near the destend, waiting for a certain someone to return.

    "You¡¯re here again," said a red-haired woman as she approached Seol-Ah, who was looking up nkly at the ck sun.

    "Oh, Yeon-Joo. You¡¯re back."

    "Yeah. I was in Busan for a few days because of business with my guild," remarked Cha Yeon-Joo as she held up a stic bag. "I bought some beer."

    "I¡¯m fine."

    "Fine, my ass. You¡¯ve beening here every day for the past three years. I know you¡¯ve been barely eating."

    Seol-Ah smiled bitterly. "I don¡¯t even need to eat anymore."

    Her body had be closer to that of an angel; the need for sustenance had vanished.

    "But you still have a sense of taste," Yeon-Joo said.

    "That¡¯s true, but¡ª"

    "Then drink. I bought some fried chicken too." Yeon-Joo sat next to Seol-Ah. Her hair, which had grown to her waist level, fluttered in the wind. She looked up at the ck sun and asked, "Anything new?"

    Seol-Ah did not even need to ask who Yeon-Joo was referring to.

    Seol-Ah shook her head with a heavy expression.

    Nothing about the ck sun zing above Seoul had changed since Kang-Woo was sucked into it three years ago.

    "Haaa. I¡¯ve just about reached my limit stopping that son of a bitch Kim Si-Hun from jumping in there¡­"

    Yeon-Joo sighed deeply and shook her head.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    "Huh?" Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened. She pointed at the ck sun and said, "Didn¡¯t that¡­ shrink a little?"

    "It¡­ shrunk?"

    Seol-Ah quickly looked up at the ck sun. As Yeon-Joo said, the ck sun was slowly shrinking in size.

    "Huh¡­? H-Huh?!"

    Even now, it was shrinking at extraordinary speed.

    "Wh-What the hell?! What¡¯s happening?!" Yeon-Joo looked around in confusion.

    "Ah¡­" Seol-Ah trembled as he stared at the ck sun.

    She could see someoneing out of the shrinking ck sun. No, that wasn¡¯t the right word to use; the ck sun was being absorbed into someone.

    "Kang-Woo¡­"

    Tears welled up around Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes. She sped her hands together and looked up at the man at the center of the ck sun.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    The ck sun was fully absorbed and disappeared, and the man whom she had longed for all this time walked out.

    "You¡¯ve¡­e back," said Seol-Ah as tears flowed down her cheeks.

    "Yeah. I¡¯m back." Kang-Woo nodded as he stared at Seol-Ah. "Let¡¯s get married."

    "Three kids sounds good." Kang-Woo smiled as he extended his hand toward Seol-Ah.

    "Okay." Seol-Ah embraced Kang-Woo as she cried.

    Yeon-Joo stared at them in silence. "Get a fucking room, dammit."

    She spat on the ground and raised her middle finger at the couple.

 Chapter 520: Epilogue

    Chapter 520: Epilogue

    <em>Bang¡ª!!</em>

    A thunderous noise echoed inside the Hall of Protection, the fortress considered to be the Guardians¡¯ base of operations. A door swung open so hard that it could have ripped off its hinges, and a man who could be mistaken for a sculpture ran into the room. Tears flowed down his cheeks the moment he saw who was on the bed.

    "H-Hyung-nim¡­"

    "Oh, Si-H¡ª"

    "HYUNG-NIIIIIIIIIIM!!"

    "Kurgh!!"

    Kim Si-Hun ran at the speed of light and hugged Oh Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo struggled in Si-Hun¡¯s arms and yelled, "Th-That hurts, dammit!!"

    "Oh, I-I¡¯m sorry. I was just so happy that I¡­" Si-Hun smiled awkwardly and let go of Kang-Woo. "Hm?"As he was stepping backward, a thought crossed his mind.

    "It¡­ hurts?"

    Si-Hun stared at Kang-Woo with trembling eyes. He had indeed used too much strength because he was so happy, but simply using too much strength would not be enough to hurt Kang-Woo.

    "Hyung... nim?" Si-Hun anxiously looked down at Kang-Woo and realized something he had not noticed until now. "Huh¡­? Were you always this small?"

    He tilted his head in confusion. He had always been taller than Kang-Woo, but the height difference was never significant.

    Si-Hun¡¯s mouth was left agape as he saw Kang-Woo, who had shrunk to the point that he barely reached Si-Hun¡¯s chest. Now that he took a closer look, Kang-Woo had also be very slender. Although Kang-Woo was never covered in swollen muscles like Balrog, he was fairly muscr. Now, he looked extremely frail.

    "Wh-What in the world¡­?"

    Si-Hun stared at Kang-Woo in shock. It was more urate to say that he had be smaller than younger.

    "Haaa." Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head. "The Demonic Sea I absorbed hasn¡¯t fully settled in my body yet."

    "Shit, I waspletely fine when I first arrived¡­" Kang-Woo mumbled in dissatisfaction.

    "Wh-What does that mean, hyung-nim?"

    "Well, it¡¯s temporary, so don¡¯t worry."

    Kang-Woo chuckled. He had sessfully devoured the Abyss of the Demonic Sea and managed to dominate it after nearly an eternity of battle.

    <em>¡¯No, dominate isn¡¯t the right word to use.¡¯</em>

    To be more exact, his physical form had be one with the Demonic Sea.

    "It¡¯s¡­ temporary?" Si-Hun asked.

    "Yeah. It¡¯s only like this for now because my body is being reconstructed using the Demonic Sea."

    Once the Demonic Seapletely reced his physical form, his former power and form would return to normal.

    <em>¡¯Well, I guess it wouldn¡¯t be the same.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled. Once his body was fully reconstructed and became the Demonic Sea itself, it would be no different from having the Third Door open at all times.

    <em>¡¯I wonder if I could devour even a Titan now?¡¯</em>

    Based on what happened with Bauli, Kang-Woo doubted even a Titan would be a match for him.

    <em>¡¯I guess it¡¯s too hasty to say that¡¯s the case since they created the universe.¡¯</em>

    The only Titans Kang-Woo knew were Bauli and Nostrian; among those two, he only knew the extent of Bauli¡¯s strength. He had no idea how powerful the other Titans were.

    "H-How long will you be like that for?" Si-Hun asked, staring at Kang-Woo in worry.

    Kang-Woo had not just be smaller; he had no ess to his powers while his body was being reconstructed. Based on the energy Si-Hun could feel from Kang-Woo, he was only as strong as a slightly above-average yer. Considering how powerful Kang-Woo used to be, he had practically lost everything. It would be weirder if Si-Hun wasn¡¯t worried.

    "Who knows? I have no idea."

    Kang-Woo shrugged and shook his head. He could instinctively tell that his body was in the middle of reconstruction, but not even he knew how long the process would be.

    Si-Hun stared at Kang-Woo passionately and clenched the hilt of the sword on his waist. "Until your powers return¡­ I will stick to you twenty-four-seven and keep you safe."

    "Screw that."

    <em>¡¯Please. I don¡¯t wanna be stuck with a dude every hour of the day.¡¯</em>

    "B-But¡­!"

    "Don¡¯t worry, Si-Hun," said Han Seol-Ah, who had been listening in silence, and gently hugged Kang-Woo. Her eyes lit up as she continued, "I will keep Kang-Woo safe."

    "Ngh¡­"

    Si-Hun flinched and red at Seol-Ah, his eyes filled with jealousy. Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>¡¯The hell? Why are you getting jealous?¡¯</em>

    "I can take care of mys¡ª"

    <em>Boom! Boom! Boom!</em>

    Just then, noises echoed throughout the hallway. An entity covered in red muscles squeezed through the doorframe.

    "M-MY KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!"

    "Kurgh! Gaaaahh!!"

    Kang-Woo felt like he was being squeezed by a hydraulic press the moment Balrog embraced him. Not just that, he reeked of sweat, probably because he had been in the middle of training.

    "F-Fuck!! S-Stop!"

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m gonna die¡­!¡¯</em>

    "M-My king? Wh-What happened to you?"

    "<em>Huff, huff.</em>"

    "Why have you gotten so squashed?"

    "What?"

    <em>¡¯Squashed? Is that something you should be saying to your king?¡¯</em>

    "I¡¯ll exin, so get off of me, damn muscle p¡ª"

    <em>m!</em>

    "KANG-WOOOOOOOOOO!!"

    "Kurgh!"

    "Hm! Hm! K-Kang-Woo!! I missed you!! I missed you so much, Kang-Woo!!!"

    "S-Save m¡ª"

    "<em>Sniff¡­!</em> You told me you would never leave me alone! You said we¡¯d be together forever!! <em>Sniff!</em> But¡­ But¡­ <em>Waaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!</em>"

    "Ah¡­"

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m dying. Forget reconstruction, I¡¯m gonna die before that.¡¯</em>

    "Haaa. Everyone, calm down," a bewitching voice echoed throughout the room.

    Lilith, La, Iris, Halcyon, and Vaal Zahak were standing side by side in front of the door, likely having been contacted by Seol-Ah and Cha Yeon-Joo.

    "<em>Waaaahh!</em> M-Master Kang-Woo!" Halcyon sped his hands together as he burst into tears. "<em>Sniff</em>, I-I missed y¡ª <em>Sniff!</em> You."

    "M-Me too!" shouted Iris as she raised her arm. She wiped her tears and continued, "I can¡¯t believe I got to see you again¡­ It was worth putting off all my work in the empire to stay on Earth."

    "No, you shouldn¡¯t have put them off."

    <em>¡¯Is the Arnan Empire even running at this point?¡¯</em>

    "It has been a while, Master." Vaal Zahak bowed courteously. "I have been keeping your room spick and span so that it would be ready for you when you returned."

    <em>tter.</em>

    Vaal Zahak raised his arm and cleaning tools poured out from who knows where.

    "Uhh¡­ I see."

    Kang-Woo nodded reluctantly as he stared at the skeleton, the light in his eye sockets shining brightly and with a duster in his hand.

    "That aside¡­" Lilith walked through the room that was no different from a busy market street, looked down at the small Kang-Woo, and asked in worry, "How did your body¡­ be like this?"

    Kang-Woo sighed.

    <em>¡¯I should¡¯ve waited to exin until everyone arrived.¡¯</em>

    He was toozy to repeat himself; it was not like he had a macro for it.

    "You see¡­"

    Kang-Woo concisely exined what was happening to him.

    "Ah¡­!" La¡¯s eyes widened after hearing the exnation. "I-I get it now!!"

    "What do you get¡­?"

    "You¡¯re saying it¡¯s <em>that </em>kind of situation, aren¡¯t you?" La snorted in excitement and grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hands. "Oneshota[1]!!"

    "Pardon?"

    <em>¡¯What the hell is that?¡¯</em>

    "I knew you were an M!!"

    <em>¡¯What the hell are you talking about, woman?¡¯</em>

    "Ahhh. I-I can see it. Seol-Ah¡­ Lilith¡­ and Yeon-Joo, who is always on the side of getting teased¡­"

    <em>¡¯What the hell are you seeing?¡¯</em>

    "I feel like I¡¯ve already seen three volumes of an ero manga!"

    <em>¡¯You¡¯re not even trying to hide it anymore, are you? You used to try so hard to hide it. You used to be a frail and delicate character.¡¯</em>

    "Urgh! Ah, I-I¡¯m getting a nosebleed¡­"

    Kang-Woo grabbed his forehead as if he were getting a headache. The moving emotions everyone was feeling from reuniting with Kang-Woo after three years were fading.

    "Hmm, I¡¯m not sure what La is talking about, but¡­" Lilith approached Kang-Woo as her eyes shone. Her hair moved as if it were alive and turned into green tentacles. "You¡¯re wanting¡­ something like this, right?"

    The tentacles slowly wrapped around Kang-Woo.

    "F-Fuck!"

    Kang-Woo turned in shock to get away, but the tentacles lifted him before he could escape.

    "Ahhh, how long I¡¯ve waited to be reunited with you, Master Kang-Woo¡­"

    "S-Save me, Balrog!" Kang-Woo desperately called.

    "That¡¯s enough Lilith," Balrog said in a low tone and released Kang-Woo from the tentacles by force. "The king dislikes it."

    "B-Balrog¡­"

    <em>¡¯You goddamn muscle pig son of a bitch¡­ I fucking knew I could count on you!¡¯</em>

    <em>Wham!</em>

    "The king has been severely weakened! It is in times like this I should protect him by his side at all times!"

    Balrog hugged Kang-Woo with one hand, his terrible stench of sweat attacking Kang-Woo¡¯s nose.

    "Kurgh! F-Fuck¡­"

    "Aaaahh! My king! There no nothing for you to worry about!"

    "S-Stop¡­"

    "I will not let you go until your powers return!!"

    "Please stop¡­"

    <em>¡¯Save¡­ me.¡¯</em>

    "What are you talking about, Balrog?! I will be the one to protect hyung-nim!"

    "Hm! Me too! Me too!"

    <em>¡¯Ahhh.¡¯</em>

    "Damn muscle pig! How dare you get in the way of my lovey-dovey time with Master Kang-Woo?! Do you have any idea how long I¡¯ve waited for this day?!"

    "<em>S-Sniff</em>¡­ Wh-Why am I the only one you don¡¯t greet, Master Kang-Woo? I-Is it because I¡¯m ugly?"

    <em>¡¯Fuck.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo twisted and turned as he pulled on his hair. His sense of smell was getting attacked by Balrog¡¯s stench of sweat, and Lilith¡¯s tentacles were entering through the openings of his clothes. His limbs were being pulled in all directions as if he were getting tortured.

    "Fuck¡­ my life¡­ <em>Hurgh</em>."

    Tears flowed down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks.

    ***

    "Haaa." Kang-Woo barely managed to chase hisrades out of the house after the chaos on par with the Abyss of the Demonic Sea died down. "I can finally take a break."

    Heid on the bed and sighed in relief. He didn¡¯t mind greeting them, but he had been drained of his energy after they greeted him so hard that his bones broke.

    He looked at his palm. He couldn¡¯t help but smile despite not doing anything.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m back.¡¯</em>

    He had returned after oveing the near-eternal battle.

    <em>¡¯I still have some more things left to do, though.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked through his faint memories. He had received a proposal from the System through a message when he had almost fully devoured the Demonic Sea. He recalled the message in his mind.

    [Proposing to nominate yer Oh Kang-Woo as a ¡¯guardian deity¡¯ to rece the broken Gaia System.]

    "Guardian deity, huh¡­?"

    It was an entity that protected the Triad from otherworldly invasions, Gaia¡¯s former position.

    <em>¡¯Well, I have no reason to refuse.¡¯</em>

    The otherworldly invasions were not over yet. Earth¡¯s protection had been broken beyond repair due to Bael, so the otherworldly invasions would continue.

    "Let theme."

    Kang-Woo smiled. Since the protective barrier around Earth was gone, he just needed to take its ce and devour all those daring to invade the Triad.

    "That aside, how long will my body reconstruction take¡ª"

    Someone knocked on his door as he was mumbling.

    "Umm¡­ May I enter, Kang-Woo?"

    "Darling?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened, and he got up from the bed. Seol-Ah entered the room with arge pot in her hands.

    "Th-That¡¯s¡­"

    "Hoho. I made some because I had a feeling you would like some."

    Kang-Woo stared fixedly at the kimchi stew that Seol-Ah brought. Saliva poured down from the corners of his mouth.

    "As I thought¡­ you¡¯re the only one for me, Darling!"

    Kang-Woo kissed Seol-Ah on the cheek and reached for the spoon, but Seol-Ah grabbed his hand.

    "Hm?"

    "You¡¯re still unwell. I¡¯ll feed you," Seol-Ah remarked.

    "I can still eat on my own, you know."

    "I¡¯ll feed you."

    Seol-Ah gripped Kang-Woo¡¯s hand tighter as if she would not take no for an answer.

    "Uhh¡­ mm, sure." Kang-Woo nodded with an awkward smile.

    "Okay, Kang-Woo. Ahhh~"

    Seol-Ah ced a piece of pork and kimchi on top of a bed of rice and brought it to Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth.

    "Ahhh~ <em>nom nom</em>. Kaaahhh! This is it! I¡¯ve wanted to eat your kimchi stew for so long!!"

    "Hoho. We have plenty, so dig in."

    Seol-Ah gently patted Kang-Woo as she fed him.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression hardened for a moment.

    <em>¡¯It kinda feels like I¡¯m being bred¡­ is it just me?¡¯</em>

    Getting forced to be fed made Kang-Woo feel like a goose held captive, being fed for the sole purpose of being killed for foie gras.

    <em>¡¯Nah. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m imagining things.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head to chase away his negative thoughts.

    <em>¡¯Darling is just worried about me.¡¯</em>

    Although temporary, he had lost most of his powers. It was only natural the gentle Seol-Ah would be worried about him. Kang-Woo rxed his hardened expression and let himself be fed by Seol-Ah again.

    "Haaah~ Thanks for the meal."

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction after emptying therge pot of kimchi stew. Seol-Ah smiled and wiped the stew off of his mouth.

    "I¡¯ll hit the hay for today, Darling."

    Seol-Ah¡¯s expression hardened for a moment after hearing that. "Come to think of it, Kang-Woo."

    "Hm?"

    "You¡¯ve lost most of your powers temporarily, right?"

    "Yeah."

    "In that case¡­" The light in Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes disappeared for a fraction of a second. "No matter what I do to you¡­ you can¡¯t resist, right?"

    <em>¡¯Huh?¡¯</em>

    "Dar¡­ling?"

    "H-Hohohoho." Seol-Ah giggled ominously. "I¡¯ve been holding myself back¡­ from the moment we reunited, you know? While everyone was hugging you and shedding tears of joy¡­ I really, really, really, really, really, really did my best¡­ to hold it in."

    Seol-Ah ced the empty pot outside the room.

    "So¡­"

    "Umm¡­ Darling?"

    "Now¡­ I don¡¯t have to hold it in anymore, right?"

    "Huh?"

    "Kang-Woo¡­"

    Seol-Ah approached Kang-Woo, her eyes in a haze.

    "W-Wait a seco¡ª Mmrp!"

    Seol-Ah shoved her tongue inside Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth before he had a chance to finish his sentence. She reached for the door with one hand.

    <em>Click.</em>

    The sound of the door being locked echoed throughout the house.

    [FIN]

    1. This is a Japanese genre of hentai where an older woman (Onee-san) gets "into it" with a young boy (Shota). ?

 Side Story Chapter 1: Collapsing World

    Side Story Chapter 1: Copsing World

    Three years ago, Seoul was burned to the ground after a war with the fate of the world on the line. An ominous ck sun zed on top of the ruined city, and the people fled to the south to avoid it. It did not take long for Busan, which was temporarily designated as the capital, to be the capital officially.

    Just because the world managed to avoid demise did not mean that there was no more danger. Although they stopped the invasion of the demon army, Gates remained all over the world, and the invasions from worlds beyond the Triad continued.

    Guardians, led by Kim Si-Hun and La, faced the monsters pouring out of the Gates and the otherworldly forces with the help of the people of Aernor and the angels.

    After three years, around the time when the chaos was more or less dying down, the ck sun zing above Seoul disappeared.

    "Aaaaaaahhh." Oh Kang-Woo wriggled under the nket as the morning sun shone through the window. He stretched and furled the nket. "Seol-Ah¡­ is already awake."

    Kang-Woo got up after seeing the bed was empty next to him. He then looked down at his hand, fingers as tiny as that of a little boy.

    "When am I gonna turn back to normal¡­?"

    It had been a month since he devoured the Demonic Sea; his body did not seem to be ready to go back to its original state.

    <em>¡¯I feel the demonic energy circting a little.¡¯</em>ck energy lingered on his palm, but only an embarrassingly little amount despite having be one with the Demonic Sea; it was likely because the reconstruction of his body was not yetplete.

    <em>¡¯I mean, I don¡¯t need it to be restored to normal as soon as possible¡­¡¯</em>

    The rate of otherworldly invasions drastically decreased after Bael disappeared. Even if there were to be an otherworldly invasion, the dependable shield known as Kin Si-Hun existed, leaving no reason for Kang-Woo to get involved. All the conditions for the leisurely andfy life he had dreamed of had been fulfilled. However¡­

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    His tiny body trembled after recalling what happenedst night.

    <em>ck.</em>

    A woman opened the door and entered the room. Her dark purple hair reached her waist and she had gentle-looking eyes. Her skin was pale and wless, and the mole under the right corner of her mouth added to her charm.

    Most of all, her chest boasted an overwhelming presence despite wearing baggy clothing. Her mid was as destructive as a Level 16 Kassadin; people like Cha Yeon-Joo wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against her. The woman, so beautiful that she could be a figure of mythology, smiled at Kang-Woo.

    "Good morning, Kang-Woo," Seol-Ah said as she approached him, her eyes beaming.

    "Y-Yeah."

    Kang-Woo slowly stepped backward as he smiled awkwardly but Seol-Ah grabbed him by the arm and yanked him toward her.

    "Haaaaaaahhh! I can¡¯t stop myself!!"

    She shoved his face between a pair of voluptuous mountains.

    "Mmmmrp!!"

    Kang-Woo wriggled his limbs as two giant mounds of flesh pushed on his cheeks. It was impossible to escape from Seol-Ah¡¯s embrace no matter how hard he tried.

    "Haaa, haaa, Kang-Woo¡­" Seol-Ah called in a heated voice.

    She aggressively kissed Kang-Woo as she panted heavily.

    "W-Wai¡ª Mmrp! Kurgh!"

    Kang-Woo trembled as he was aggressively kissed like a predator devouring its prey. His mind went nk as a tongue rummaged around the inside of his mouth.

    <em>¡¯I can¡¯t breathe¡­¡¯</em>

    His vision was blurring as Seol-Ah raised him and continued to kiss him aggressively. He could barely breathe.

    <em>¡¯The culprit is¡­ Darling¡­¡¯</em>

    <em>Beep¡ª!</em>

    A loud sound came from the kitchen as Kang-Woo was writing his dying message in midair with his shaking finger.

    "Oh, Ipletely forgot. I¡¯m sorry, Kang-Woo."

    Seol-Ah let go of Kang-Woo and hurried to the kitchen; it seemed she had been in the middle of cooking.

    "<em>Huff, huff.</em>" Kang-Woo sat on the bed as he panted heavily. "I almost died."

    He had be so weak that he couldn¡¯t handle Seol-Ah¡¯s obsession anymore.

    "Haaa," he sighed as he swept his hair back and frowned.

    <em>¡¯I feel like I¡¯m being reared for realtely.¡¯</em>

    He had barely lifted a finger to do anything for the past month. He was fed, clothed, and even washed by Seol-Ah. Even when going somewhere, Seol-Ah practically held him in her arms like a baby. As for when they were in bed, he did not even need to exin.

    <em>¡¯At least I don¡¯t need to go to the bathroom¡­ She would¡¯ve followed me in there if I did.¡¯</em>

    The process of waste excretion had be unnecessary for him after bing one with the Demonic Sea because any material he ingested was fully broken down into energy.

    "Kang-Woo, food is ready," said Seol-Ah with a smile aftering back to the room from the kitchen.

    She casually lifted Kang-Woo and took him to the kitchen. They reached a luxurious kitchen akin to one normally seen in a luxury hotel suite. They moved to an ultra-luxury apartment on the coast of Busan after their previous apartment was destroyed in the war.

    They had bought the entire building with their overflowing money and remodeled it so that Si Hun and La, Balrog, Lilith, Yeon-Joo, and his otherrades had floors for themselves. Even Seol-Ah¡¯s mother and brother, who had be traumatized after his encounter with Kang-Woo but was slowly recovering, were on one of the floors. Kang-Woo, Seol-Ah, and Echidna lived together on the top floor.

    Kang-Woo was moved to the table as he looked at the ocean view from the window.

    "Here, Kang-Woo. Ahhh~"

    Seol-Ah ced Kang-Woo on herp and brought a spoonful of rice to his mouth like a mother feeding her baby.

    "I told you, I can eat by myself." Kang-Woo sighed and turned away.

    "No." Seol-Ah shook her head firmly. She gently hugged Kang-Woo from behind and continued, "You¡¯re severely weakened right now. I have to help you do everything."

    Kang-Woo sighed.

    <em>¡¯I heard she waited in front of the ck sun every day for the three years I was stuck in the Abyss.¡¯</em>

    Considering how much stronger her obsession must have grown during that time, she was likely holding herself back as much as she could despite her extremely obsessive behavior.

    <em>¡¯I guess I should be thankful she didn¡¯t fall from grace.¡¯</em>

    Angels fell from grace when their obsession turned into madness, dying their wings ck. The fact that she didn¡¯t fall from grace proved that she had be far better at controlling Seraph¡¯s power than before.

    <em>¡¯It makes sense. Although she got help from the Titan¡¯s powers, she still brought someone back from the dead.¡¯</em>

    She had monstrous talent but she was just usually overshadowed by Si-Hun. No, in nonbative terms, Seol-Ah surpassed Si-Hun in talent.

    <em>¡¯I should wait until her obsession dies down.¡¯</em>

    Her obsession had been building up for the past three years. It would be a stretch for it to be fulfilled in just a month.

    "Do you¡­ dislike the way that I¡¯m acting?" Seol-Ah asked carefully.

    She couldn¡¯t be happier that she was taking care of everything for Kang-Woo by his side, but she had no choice but to stop if Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t.

    "No, it¡¯s not that." Kang-Woo shook his head.

    Honestly speaking, he did not dislike it. He couldn¡¯tin when everything was being done for him.

    <em>¡¯But I wouldn¡¯t say that I like it either.¡¯</em>

    Being treated like a baby did not give Kang-Woo the feeling that he was spending quality time with his lover. Above all else, his sense of shame was through the roof.

    <em>¡¯Still.¡¯</em>

    He would endure it if it could serve as a reward for Seol-Ah waiting for him for the past three years.

    "I guess we can¡­ keep this up for a while longer."

    "R-Really?!" Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes beamed as she brightened. "Haaa, haaa, Kang-Woo."

    She panted heavily as she hugged Kang-Woo tighter, her eyes bloodshot. She dug her nose into Kang-Woo¡¯s hair and sniffed extensively as if smelling an expensive ss of wine. Her heated breaths tickled Kang-Woo¡¯s neck.

    "Darling?"

    "Haaa. Yes, Kang-Woo?"

    Seol-Ah exhaled heatedly as she slowly snuck her hands under Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes. Kang-Woo shifted ufortably.

    "<em>Ahem</em>. That aside, where¡¯s Echidna?"

    He changed the subject to bring Seol-Ah back to normal as her instincts took over.

    "Oh¡­" Seol-Ah pouted in disappointment. "She went to work. She¡¯ll be busy for a while."

    "Work? What work?"

    This was the first time Kang-Woo was hearing that Echidna had a job.

    "Mm¡­ I¡¯ll keep it a secret for now," replied Seol-Ah after staying in thought for a moment. She then said alluringly, "More importantly, Kang-Woo."

    Her hands began to move again. They gently caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s chest.

    "You¡¯re finished with your meal¡­ right?" Seol-Ah licked Kang-Woo¡¯s neck. She seductively whispered in Kang-Woo¡¯s ear, "In that case¡­" She licked her lips and teasingly bit Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek. "It¡¯s time¡­ for <em>my </em>meal ?."

    Kang-Woo gulped. His heart beat faster, and sparks traveled throughout his body from his cheek. No man could resist such tant and loving temptation, especially if it was from the woman whom he promised to spend the rest of his life with.

    "Come here, Darling."

    Kang-Wo snorted like Echidna and grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s hand. It had not even been thirty minutes since he got up from bed but it did not matter.

    <em>¡¯I went at it a bit hardst night, but¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at his groin. He clenched his fists and resolved himself.

    <em>¡¯Stay strong for a bit longer, Fran?ois!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo confidently headed to the bedroom as he felt Fran?ois, the indomitable warrior, rising no matter the trial he faced.

    ***

    "Fuuu."

    It was already noon after the great battle. Kang-Woo looked down proudly at Fran?ois after he overcame yet another fierce trial.

    <em>¡¯Thank goodness Fran?ois didn¡¯t shrink.¡¯</em>

    The rest of his body had shrunk, but Fran?ois miraculously stayed his regr size.

    "Hngh, Kang-Woo," Seol-Ah moaned in satisfaction and hugged Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo gently caressed Seol-Ah¡¯s back and smiled.

    <em>¡¯I guess a life like this isn¡¯t so bad.¡¯</em>

    He had dreamed of a life where he could spend every hour of the day with the woman he loved without worries.

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t mind if my powers return slowly.¡¯</em>

    It didn¡¯t matter if his body¡¯s reconstruction was slow; he was fine as long as this life could continue.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ve kept going without rest until now.¡¯</em>

    He had reached this point after walking forward without ever stopping. He felt he could now slow down his pace as if he were going on a stroll.

    <em>Wriggle, wriggle.</em>

    "Hm?"

    Just then, he felt his bones and muscles moving.

    <em>¡¯Is the reconstructionplete?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder and focused on the changes in his body.

    "Doesn¡¯t feel like it."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in disappointment after observing the changes. He was not being restored to his original form.

    <em>¡¯To put it simply¡­ it¡¯s being optimized.¡¯</em>

    His bones and muscles had been reconstructed to a more optimal form to fit his suddenly shrunken body.

    <em>¡¯Considering these changes, I guess the reconstruction will take a long time.¡¯</em>

    There would be no point in optimizing to fit the small body better if the reconstruction was almostplete.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s a good thing.¡¯</em>

    He had already decided to take his time to regain his power. Since his body was optimized, it would be easier to move around.

    "Huh¡­? K-Kang-Woo?"

    Seol-Ah stared at Kang-Woo, her eyes widening in surprise.

    "Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Darling?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head and looked down at the area where she was looking¡ª between his legs.

    "What¡­ the hell?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened, shaking uncontrobly from the unimaginable shock, and he froze.

    "N-No."

    He panted heavily; he could barely breathe. His vision was blurring. He felt dizzy, as if the world was upturned.

    "It has to be a lie."

    Since his body was optimized to fit his smaller stature better, all parts of his body had be standardized to that size. That only meant one thing.

    "N-No¡­"

    Kang-Woo stared at his lifeless Fran?ois. He had been miserably dwarfed as if his manly form had been an illusion.

    "Oh, my." Seol-Ah covered her mouth, wide-eyed. She smiled widely and giggled. "You¡¯ve be so cute, Kang-Woo."

    <em>Rumble.</em>

    Kang-Woo could hear the world copsing¡ª no, it was undoubtedly copsing.

    "A-Aaaahh." Kang-Woo pulled his hair and trembled. "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!"

    He gained a reason to regain his power as soon as possible.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Jesus Christ, call Child Protective Services on this woman¡­ You might like it Kang-Woo but I was so ufortable tranting this chapter¡­</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 2: Are You Gonna Take Responsibility?

    Side Story Chapter 2: Are You Gonna Take Responsibility?

    "I need some air," said Oh Kang-Woo as he pulled himself away from Han Seol-Ah.

    The brain-bursting shock had died down a little.

    "Y-You¡¯re leaving?" Seol-Ah asked in surprise. She anxiously bit her lip and grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s arm. "P-Please don¡¯t go."

    She looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment. She yanked Kang-Woo toward her and crossed her arms and legs to restrain him.

    She yelled obsessively, "I don¡¯t want to be separated from you anymore!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes faltered for a moment, but his resolve did not.

    "I have to go."

    "Ngh¡­!"

    Seol-Ah looked down at Kang-Woo worryingly as she held him. He patted her on the back and continued, "You don¡¯t have to be so worried. I¡¯m just gonna be at Balrog¡¯s ce."

    "Mr. Balrog¡¯s ce¡­?"

    Her worried expression softened. They lived rtively far away from Balrog back in Seoul, but Balrog currently lived on the basement floor of the apartment. All Kang-Woo needed to do was take the elevator down.

    "Yeah. There¡¯s something I have to do," Kang-Woo replied.

    "And you need to meet other people too. You¡¯ve been with me for an entire month."

    "I don¡¯t need anyone else but you," said Seol-Ah as she pouted and turned away.

    There was nothing more important to her than being with Kang-Woo. Nothing was worth more than taking care of him by his side.

    "Seol-Ah," said Kang-Woo in slight anger.

    He was happy that Seol-Ah loved him so much but did not want to let that destroy her interpersonal rtionships. After all, they would live far too long to spend time with only each other.

    "Ngh¡­"

    Seol-Ah flinched. She shut her eyes tightly and let go of Kang-Woo. "Then I¡¯ll go visit my mother¡­ and spend time with Yeon-Joo and Lilith."

    "Okay."

    Kang-Woo smiled and held her hands. The sensation of her soft skin tempted him like narcotics.

    <em>¡¯I can¡¯t.¡¯</em>

    He shook his head to free himself from the temptation. Regaining his power and restoring his original form took priority at the moment.

    "Alright, I¡¯m off."

    Kang-Woo changed into clothes that fit his size, which Seol-Ah had bought for him, and set off. He walked down a long hallway and pressed the elevator button.

    ***

    "So you are saying¡­"

    There was a basement floor specially made for Balrog in the luxury apartment off the coast of Busan, which Kang-Woo bought and renovated so that all of hisrades could live there.

    Three basement floors were turned into one so the five-meter-tall Balrog could livefortably. On that floor was a special training room protected by a shock absorption barrier, specially made for the training junkies Balrog and Kim Si-Hun.

    Balrog, who had been warming up in the training room, was wide-eyed from Kang-Woo¡¯s sudden visit.

    "You want me to help you train so you can regain your powers?"

    "Yeah." Kang-Woo nodded, as serious as he could be.

    Balrog was put in an awkward position as he felt the unwavering resolution in Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes.

    "My king. It has only been a month since you came out of the Abyss after devouring it."

    It had taken three years for Kang-Woo toe out of the Abyss. Balrog could imagine how grueling those three years must have been for Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯No, it wasn¡¯t three years.¡¯</em>

    That was the time that had flowed in reality. A powerful being experienced time flowing much slower once they entered the world of their consciousness. Moreover, this was no ordinary powerful being; it was Kang-Woo, who had reached a stage one could never fathom.

    <em>¡¯It might have been¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could have struggled in the Abyss for centuries, millennia, or even longer.

    It was far too merciless of a fate for his king, who managed to return victorious in that endless war, to only be given a month of rest.

    "You have to rest, my king."

    "..."

    "The otherworldly invasions have not stopped, but they are nothingpared to what happened three years ago."

    There had been norge-scale invasions like the one the Parasite King staged in the past three years. Balrog patted his king on the back to reassure him.

    "And even if they doe, I will wipe them all out! So¡­" Balrog slightly teared up. "You can¡­ slow down your pace just a little."

    His king had been moving forward even before the two of them met. He walked toward a ce no one could ever reach or fathom, without rest. It was only because he had lived such a life that he was here today.

    "Balrog."

    Kang-Woo stared at Balrog with deeply sunken eyes. A boundless ck sea was reflected in his ck pupils.

    The king of the Demonic Sea, the master of the Abyss, continued, "I¡­ can¡¯t stay like this."

    Balrog bit his lip. He was pained at the sight of his king, desperate to regain his powers after only a month, despite returning from an unfathomable battle.

    "I can¡¯t¡­" Kang-Woo clenched his fists, and his shoulders trembled. "Stay like this, dammit."

    He looked down. He could feel the miserably dwarfed lump of flesh between his legs.

    <em>¡¯My¡­ My Fran?ois. No¡­¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t live like this. Seol-Ah had said it was cute, but he could not ept this miserable situation.

    <em>¡¯I have to get my powers back.¡¯</em>

    If he did not, his body would not return to normal.

    "My king," Balrog said sorrowfully.

    Kang-Woo looked back up and locked eyes with him.

    "Why¡­ Why are you being so hasty?!" Balrog yelled in anguish.

    Kang-Woo remained silent. His gaze couldn¡¯t help but falter. "Uhh¡­ well, you see¡­"

    Fran?ois was dead; he had shriveled up like a grape to a raisin.

    <em>¡¯Shit. How should I fucking exin this?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t find the words. He was the Demon King, so it was too pathetic for him to say that he was trying to regain his powers because his dick had shriveled up.

    "Is it perhaps because¡­ you don¡¯t trust me?"

    <em>¡¯Huh? Where did thate from?¡¯</em>

    "Do you think that I¡¯ll die powerlessly likest time?"

    <em>¡¯No.¡¯</em>

    "I¡­!! As long as my name is Balrog, I will never leave you by yourself again, my king!! I will stay by your side forever!!"

    <em>¡¯Who asked?¡¯</em>

    "<em>Sniff!</em> My¡­ My king!!"

    <em>¡¯The fuck? Why are you crying? I should be the one fucking bawling my eyes out, not you.¡¯</em>

    "My king¡­ you can stay like that."

    "What¡­?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s sense of reason turned off.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    He jumped up to grab one of Balrog¡¯s horns, grabbed his neck, and red at him.

    "Did you just say¡­ I can stay like this?"

    It was impossible for the current Kang-Woo to even leave a scratch on Balrog, but he could at least express his fury.

    "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

    "M-My king¡­"

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth and continued, "Who are you to decide something like that?"

    "..."

    "What the fuck?!!"

    <em>¡¯You want Fran?ois to stay as a Vienna sausage?¡¯</em>

    "What the fuck do you know to be spouting such bullshit?!!"

    Kang-Woo roared in desperation. Tears welled up around his eyes before he realized it. He looked down at Balrog¡¯s ck shorts, a piece of sportswear that he custom ordered for Balrog. He could feel the powerful aura of Balrog¡¯s <em>Big Magnum Vulcan Cannon</em> through the shorts. Tears flowed down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks.

    "You¡­ You can¡¯t understand how I¡¯m feeling right now!"

    <em>¡¯What are you gonna do if Darling says "Huh? Is that when it¡¯s hard?" in disappointment and sighs?! Huh? What are you gonna do?!¡¯</em>

    "Are you gonna take responsibility? Are you?!"

    "I¡­ I will."

    "Huh? What did you say?"

    <em>¡¯No, Balrog. I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re not supposed to take responsibility for that. You shouldn¡¯t. Don¡¯t.¡¯</em>

    "I will take responsibility and protect Earth in your ce so you can rest infort!!"

    <em>¡¯Oh, that¡¯s what you meant. Sheesh, say things straight, will you? I almost killed myself from shock, dammit.¡¯</em>

    "You can rest now, my king," Balrog muttered, his eyes watery.

    Kang-Woo stared at the crying Balrog.

    <em>¡¯Hold on a second.¡¯ </em>His eyes gleamed. <em>¡¯If he¡¯s already assuming the reason why I¡¯m trying to regain my powers, I can just roll with it, can¡¯t I?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo let go of Balrog¡¯s horn and jumped back down on the ground.

    "Balrog," he called in a low tone after taking a few steps. He swept his hair back and continued, "You know me. You know better than anyone."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes, filled with thick darkness, were locked on Balrog. He proudly stood in front of the five-meter-tall demon.

    "I never stop."

    He was far smaller than Balrog but was emitting enough overpowering pressure to force Balrog to take a few steps back.

    "Ah¡­"

    Balrog flinched. Although he had lost his powers and be smaller, the man before him was undoubtedly his king.

    Balrog mmed his forehead into the ground and said, "I apologize, my king. I was a fool."

    He had made a blunder despite knowing better than anyone what kind of person his king was and what his life had been like. Kang-Woo was right; he had never stopped. He had always moved forward.

    "I will do everything I can to help you regain your powers."

    "Good."

    Kang-Woo smiled brightly and nodded. He clenched his fist in a way so that Balrog couldn¡¯t see it.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ve acquired my assistant.¡¯</em>

    Fortunately, he had an idea about how to hasten his reconstruction. It was worth a try as long as he had Balrog¡¯s help. He slightly bit his lip and resolved himself.

    <em>¡¯Wait for me, Darling! I¡¯ll make my PP great again!¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 3: Abyss Summoning

    Side Story Chapter 3: Abyss Summoning

    Balrog, bowing in front of Oh Kang-Woo, stood up and asked, "But what do we have to do exactly to restore your powers?"

    Kang-Woo had said before that his powers would naturally return over time once the reconstruction of his body wasplete. The fact that he was asking Balrog for help in regaining his powers meant that he couldn¡¯t wait for the reconstruction to bepleted.

    "Mm¡­" Kang-Woo crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "First, let me ask you something, Balrog."

    "Anything."

    "How strong are you right now?"

    Balrog¡¯s eyes shone.

    <em>nk, nk!</em>

    He slowly raised his right arm, and ck armor instantly wrapped around it.

    <em>Tsssssssss!!</em>White steam poured out of the gaps. Kang-Woo could feel powerful Divinity from the shining ck armor.

    "You gained Deific Essence," said Kang-Woo as he nodded calmly.

    Balrog had already been at a stage where he could acquire Deific Essence with the right event to trigger it. It was no surprise he was able to acquire it in the past three years.

    "Kehehe. Yes, I awakened the Deific Essence of <em>Domination</em>."

    "Huh?"

    <em>¡¯Wait, what?¡¯</em>

    "Is there a problem?" Balrog asked.

    "No, it¡¯s just¡­ the pronunciation¡­"[1]

    <em>¡¯It sounds sus as hell. You¡¯d better pronounce it properly. A single slip of the tongue will get us canceled.¡¯</em>

    "Well, in any case." Kang-Woo smiled and looked up at Balrog. "Congrattions."

    He knew how much Deific Essence meant to Balrog since he had to taste humiliation simply because he didn¡¯t have it.

    "I would never have acquired it if it weren¡¯t for you, my king."

    Balrog bowed once again.

    Kang-Woo smiled and said, "Good, it¡¯ll make things much easier if you¡¯ve awakened Deific Essence."

    "Make what easier, exactly?"

    "Restoring my powers." Kang-Woo then spread out his arms andmanded in a deep tone, "Now then, kill me."

    Balrog¡¯s eyes widened. "Wh-What do you mean?!"

    He stepped back in confusion.

    "You said you¡¯d help me regain my powers, didn¡¯t you?"

    "What does killing you have to do with that?!"

    Kang-Woo replied without hesitation, "Every cell in my body is made of the Demonic Sea."

    He had destroyed himself as a vessel and became the Demonic Sea itself.

    "The reconstruction is taking so long because there is no reason for it to be quick."

    The Demonic Sea outputted more power once it detected threats. This was the case for opening the Doors; the more Kang-Wo was hurt, the more power the Demonic Sea emitted and ate away his sanity.

    <em>¡¯That was mainly why I couldn¡¯t keep the Doors open for long.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not die as long as the Doors were open. Even if every cell in his body were to be obliterated, they would be regenerated instantly through the power of the Demonic Sea. However, his sanity would be corroded by that growing power as time passed.

    <em>¡¯But I don¡¯t have to worry about that anymore.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had devoured the Abyss and be one with the Demonic Sea. His consciousness was the same as the Demonic Sea¡¯s consciousness. There was no risk of the Demonic Sea¡¯s consciousness taking over his in most cases.

    <em>¡¯It would be a little dangerous if the Abyss were to pour out.¡¯</em>

    Just because Kang-Woo devoured the Abyss did not mean he could fully control it. The reconstruction of his body needed to bepleted for him to have full control over the Abyss¡ª no, he might not even have full control after that.

    <em>¡¯Since it¡¯s a power considered to have reached the realm of the </em>Primordial<em>.¡¯</em>

    That was why Kang-Woo created the Ten Thousand Demon Core to seal the Demonic Sea, especially the Abyss, deep inside him so that it couldn¡¯t take control over him.

    "Whatever the case." Kang-Woo shooed away the notions in his head and continued, "I need to make this thing feel threatened if I want to make it work harder."

    There was no better way to threaten it than what he suggested; it was simple and effective.

    "But¡­"

    "I won¡¯t die anyway, man. You think I¡¯m crazy enough to die for real?"

    Kang-Woo had already reached a point where he couldn¡¯t die even if he wanted to. Regardless of whether Balrog awakened Deific Essence or not, he couldn¡¯t kill Kang-Woo, who had be the Demonic Sea itself.

    "I¡¯d be crazy to die after all I went through." Kang-Woo ced his hand on Balrog¡¯s fist. "So punch away."

    Balrog remained silent.

    He did not hesitate for long; he nodded with a hardened expression.

    "Well, then." Balrog raised his right arm wrapped in ck armor high. "As my kingmands."

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Balrog swung his fist with all his weight and struck Kang-Woo.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The fist wrapped in ck armor shattered every bone in the little boy¡¯s body. The power emitted from the five-meter-tall giant caused a sonic boom. It looked like a little boy was obliterated by a wrecking ball. Kang-Woo, the king of the Demonic Sea, exploded all too easily without his powers to protect him.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    The training room, protected by severalyers of protective barriers, shook from the immense impact.

    <em>Whoosh.</em>

    A vortex formed where Kang-Woo was due to the immense output of power. His body was gone from the knees up. His legs stood on the floor as if they had not realized what happened, but only for a moment.

    "Kurgh¡ª!" Balrog grunted in pain as he grabbed his right fist with his other hand and crouched. "This is¡­"

    He looked down at his right fist and saw ck blood flowing out of it. The Overlord Armor wrapped around his fist was torn apart, and his flesh was bitten off in several areas as if a school of piranhas attacked it.

    <em>¡¯He¡¯s this powerful even after he lost his powers?¡¯</em>

    Chills ran down Balrog¡¯s back. Despite being unable to use the Demonic Sea to its full potential, Kang-Woo tore apart Balrog¡¯s Deific Essence barrier and Overlord Armor and turned his fist into a rag.

    <em>Gulp.</em>

    If Kang-Woo were at his full strength, his entire fist would have been devoured by the darkness of the Demonic Sea. Balrog wrapped his ragged fist with his other hand and stared at Kang-Woo, whose legs were the only parts of his body remaining.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    Even a three-year-old child could understand a person would be dead from such an injury, but Balrog could tell that Kang-Woo was still <em>alive</em>. ck mucus boiled and sprouted from the cross-sectional areas of his knees and then slowly began to take the form of a human. Kang-Woo instantly regained his form just like a T-1000 that came from the future to kill John Connor.

    "I¡¯ll be b¡ª Oh wait, this is the other guy¡¯s line." Kang-Woo looked down at himself. Unlike what he had hoped, his body was still that of a child. "Dammit. Seol-Ah bought me those clothes."

    He clicked his tongue; he could regenerate his body, but not the clothes blown away from the impact. He wrapped himself with demonic energy.

    <em>¡¯Let¡¯s see.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo checked the changes in his body.

    <em>¡¯As I thought, it stimted the Demonic Sea.¡¯</em>

    It was an attack that obliterated eighty percent of his body, killing him beyond a shadow of a doubt. If that had not stimted the Demonic Sea, he would have been stumped on what to do.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯ </em>His body was the same as before. Kang-Woo frowned. <em>¡¯Did it fail?¡¯</em>

    That was the first thing that came to mind, but he shook his head.

    <em>¡¯No.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and monitored the inside of his body. A sliver of energy was flowing out of the Demonic Sea.

    <em>¡¯Hell yeah!¡¯</em>

    His n to stimte the Demonic Sea by hurting himself on purpose had seeded. Kang-Woo focused on the sliver of energy flowing out of the Demonic Sea.

    <em>¡¯This is¡­¡¯</em>

    Energy from the Abyss, the deepest point of the Demonic Sea that Kang-Woo had kept sealed due to its unfathomable power, was spreading throughout his body.

    <em>Crack, crack.</em>

    Kang-Woo could feel his body changing as his bones broke. The feeling waspletely different from what happened when his body was getting optimized. The demonic energy from the Abyss was making him <em>grow</em>. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened.

    "O-Ohhhhh!!"

    <em>¡¯It¡¯sing!! It¡¯s finallying!!¡¯</em>

    "Yes! That¡¯s it!!"

    <em>¡¯Grow! Rise to your former glory!¡¯</em>

    "FRAN?OIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!"

    "My king¡­?"

    Balrog flinched from Kang-Woo¡¯s desperate screams of madness. Kang-Woo paid no mind to the backstepping Balrog and focused on the changes happening to his body.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Hastening the reconstruction as per the influence of the demonic energy from the Abyss.]

    [Growing the body by 4.3 cm.]

    [Developing (pfft) yer Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s Fran?ois (pfft) in proportion to the growth.]

    "You motherf¡­!!"

    Blood vessels bulged from Kang-Woo¡¯s forehead as he read the blue message window in front of him. He seeded in stimting the Demonic Sea by harming himself, but¡­

    [At least it¡¯s not a Vienna sausage anymore.]

    "Shut the fuck up!!" cursed Kang-Woo as he aggressively swiped the blue message window away.

    He had indeed grown but nowhere near enough to return to his original form.

    <em>¡¯Motherfucking System¡­ how dare itugh at me?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

    "You sure have it easy now that Bael is gone, huh?"

    <em>¡¯Screw being the guardian deity. I quit. Screw the Triad.¡¯</em>

    [An error has been detected in the System message. The auxiliary control system ¡¯Eve¡¯ states it had nothing to do with the previous message.]

    "Shut it."

    <em>¡¯Don¡¯t you dare try to bullshit your way out of this.¡¯</em>

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [You can use a portion of the Demonic Sea¡¯s power in proportion to your growth.]

    [You have learned a new skill ¡¯Abyss Summoning.¡¯]

    <em>¡¯Look at you, changing the subject.¡¯</em>

    "What the hell is Abyss Summoning?"

    Kang-Woo sighed and shook his head. He decided to be satisfied that he managed to grow at least a little. Now that he had grown bigger, he could feel demonic energy, far more than what he used to feel, circting ording to his will.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s still nowhere near enough.¡¯</em>

    He wouldn¡¯t even be able to leave a scratch on Kim Si-Hun with this meager amount of demonic energy. Considering how much he used to have, it was merely a drop in the ocean.

    <em>¡¯But it¡¯s a start.¡¯</em>

    Hunger couldn¡¯t be satiated from just one bite of food. One could say that Kang-Woo had sessfully taken the first step in regaining his powers.

    <em>¡¯The more demonic energy bes avable to me, the faster the reconstruction will get.¡¯</em>

    A snowball could start an avnche; in that sense, the fact that he managed to grow at all was highly encouraging.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s only difficult the first time. It gets easier the more you do it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo quelled his anxiety and swept his hair back. There was no need to fret; he experienced the same thing when his powers were sealed after returning to Earth. At the time, his life would have been in danger if he hadn¡¯t grown strong as quickly as possible, but now he had dependable shields like Si-Hun and Balrog to protect him. Although the outer worlds were full of variables to be wary of, Si-Hun and Balrog were strong enough to break through them.

    <em>¡¯And if worsees to worst, I can just unleash the Abyss.¡¯</em>

    If he unleashed the Abyss inside him just like when he opened the Third Door of the Ten Thousand Demon Core, the enemies would be wiped out regardless of how far the reconstruction was along.

    <em>¡¯But of course, I¡¯d be stuck in that fucking ce again if I do.¡¯</em>

    If Kang-Woo were to unleash the Abyss while his body¡¯s reconstruction was iplete, he could risk being stuck in the Abyss again.

    <em>¡¯So what? I¡¯ve escaped once before.¡¯</em>

    It would be easier the second time.

    "Well, that doesn¡¯t mean I want to go back."

    Kang-Woo shook his head as he recalled his horrible experiences in the Abyss. His reconstruction would bepleted over time even if he didn¡¯t do shit like this.

    <em>¡¯The problem is that I have no idea how long it will take.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo cursed and clicked his tongue.

    "That aside¡­"

    He turned and looked at the blue message window he had swiped away. He clicked on the new skill <em>Abyss Summoning</em> with his finger and a skill description popped up.

    [The ability to summon the army of the Abyss. The number of soldiers summoned will increase in proportion to the amount of demonic energy used.]

    "Whoa."

    It was quite useful especially since he was currently weakened. The army of the Abyss was practically immortal.

    <em>¡¯Let¡¯s try it out.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his hand and circted the demonic energy flowing out of the Abyss. He followed the instructions that naturally appeared in his head and summoned a soldier lying dormant within the boundless Abyss.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    His palm split, and ck mucus poured out of the ends.

    "Huh¡­?"

    The ck mucus took the form of a familiar demon.

    [I-I¡­ I am¡­]

    A weeping voice of the dead echoed. Kang-Woo stared wide-eyed at the demon summoned from the Abyss.

    "Satan?"

    <em>¡¯Why are you here?¡¯</em>

    1. The word for <em>domination/hegemony</em> in Korean (??) sounds very much like <em>pedo</em>. ?

 Side Story Chapter 4: I Am Wrath

    Side Story Chapter 4: I Am Wrath

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m sure he wasn¡¯t there before.¡¯</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo didn¡¯t know why, but Satan had not been among the soldiers during his battle against Bael when he opened the Third Door and summoned the army of the Abyss. He was sure of it because he had actively looked for Satan at the time.

    <em>¡¯There¡¯s no way I missed him.¡¯</em>

    The army of the Abyss was unfathomablyrge, but he was the master of the Demonic Sea. As long as the army of the Abyss was born from the Demonic Sea, he could feel every single one of them despite their countless numbers.

    "When the hell did he get in there?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder.

    [A-Aaaahh¡­ I-I am¡­ w-wrath.]

    "He¡¯s Satan for sure."

    Kang-Woo checked if the demon was actually Satan, but no matter how he looked at the demon, it was Satan. Kang-Woo lightly pped the Satan whom he summoned. Satan was on the shorter end of demons, so even the currently short Kang-Woo could reach Satan¡¯s cheek if he got on his tip-toes.<em>¡¯Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter that much.¡¯</em>

    He didn¡¯t care whether or not Satan was trapped in the Demonic Sea at the time.

    <em>¡¯I didn¡¯t see him when I opened all the Doors, but it¡¯s true that I devoured him.¡¯</em>

    Rather, it was harder to understand why Satan wasn¡¯t summoned when Kang-Woo opened all the Doors against Bael.

    "S-Satan!" shouted Balrog in surprise after Satan suddenly appeared.

    He stood in front of Kang-Woo to protect him.

    "Oh, it¡¯s okay. I summoned him."

    "You¡­ summoned Satan?"

    "Yeah."

    Kang-Woo nodded and punched Satan in the stomach.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    Satan¡¯s stomach caved in as it turned into ck mucus.

    "For fuck¡¯s sake. I can¡¯t even test it out properly because of my puny demonic energy stores."

    Kang-Woo wanted to test if the soldier of the Abyss that he summoned was still immortal but he couldn¡¯t deal enough damage to even test it because of how little demonic energy he had.

    "Balrog, give him a good smack."

    "You want me to hit Satan?"

    "Yeah."

    "As youmand."

    Balrog nodded and clenched his right fist, which had already been healed from its ragged appearance after attacking Kang-Woo.

    "Huup!"

    <em>Burst!</em>

    Satan¡¯s upper body exploded with a single swing from Balrog. ck mucus sttered all over the ce, but only for a moment.

    <em>Wriggle, wriggle.</em>

    The ck mucus began to gather as if time was being rewound. Satan¡¯s upper body returned to normal in no time.

    [A-Aaaahh.]

    "As I thought, they¡¯ve retained their immortality."

    Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at Satan, who regenerated instantly. The main advantage of the army of the Abyss was not how strong they were but the fact that they didn¡¯t die. Kang-Woo could use them effectively as meat shields as long as they retained their immortality.

    <em>¡¯And it¡¯s not like it consumes my demonic energy when they regenerate.¡¯</em>

    As long as he had enough demonic energy to maintain the summon, the skill did not consume additional demonic energy, no matter how much the summons got hurt. Although strength was not the summons¡¯ strong point, it did not matter since they were far stronger than Kang-Woo¡¯s current self.

    "Nice."

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction.

    [A-Arghh. It¡­ hurts.]

    "Eh?"

    Kang-Woo was left wide-eyed after hearing the words from Satan¡¯s mouth after hepletely regenerated.

    <em>¡¯It hurts?¡¯</em>

    He had no idea that the army of the Abyss could feel pain.

    "Come to think of it, it kinda looks like he has some of his consciousness remaining."

    Kang-Woo examined Satan with great interest. Although extremely faint, its consciousness was intact.

    "He won¡¯t defy orders or anything, would he?"

    If Satan¡¯s consciousness remained, it also meant that he could do as he liked once summoned.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ll have to put it to the test.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo fiercely red at Satan. Satan flinched.

    "Stay still, dammit,"manded Kang-Woo with a smile. Satan did not defy Kang-Woo and stood at attention. "Balrog. Beat him up until I stop you."

    "Yes, my king." Balrog nodded and clenched his fists. His red muscles swelled as if they would explode. "Fuuu¡­"

    He took a deep breath and lowered his stance.

    <em>Bash, bash, bash¡ª!!</em>

    Balrog barraged Satan with immensely fast punches.

    [A-Aaaahh. It hurts¡­ I am¡­ Ahh¡­]

    "Haaaaaaaahhh!!"

    Balrog continued to punch the mumbling Satan. Different parts of his body were blown away.

    [A-Aaaahh.]

    Satan went through a cycle of destruction and regeneration, turning into a mound of ck mud.

    "Hm."

    Kang-Woo got fired up as he watched Balrog beat up Satan. He realized that he had no chance to let loose for the past month.

    "Satan¡­"

    Kang-Woo boiled with rage. It was only natural; although the demon in front of him was nothing but a puppet, it was still <em>Satan</em>. He could never forget the vile demon¡¯s atrocities.

    "IT¡¯S ALL YOUR FAULT!!" yelled Kang-Woo as he madly swung his fists.

    <em>Bash! Bash!</em>

    It was nothingpared to Balrog¡¯s punches, but Satan¡¯s mudlike body burst with each of Kang-Woo¡¯s punches.

    "YOU KILLED ALEC!"

    The kind-hearted Alec Osborne, who hesitated to kill even his enemies, was brutally murdered by Satan.

    "REYNALD¡­! DON¡¯T TELL ME YOU FORGOT ABOUT HIM!!"

    The brave and righteous hero, who had crossed from Aernor to Earth, met a cruel end at Satan¡¯s hands.

    "AHHH, LUDWIG! LUDWIIIIIIIIG!"

    The agent of the angels¡ª the saint who resented evil more than anyone else¡ª fell for Satan¡¯s tricks and turned into a hideous demon so malicious that he even tried to kill Kim Si-Hun, his close friend.

    "IT¡¯S ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU KILLED THEM ALL!"

    Kang-Woo felt like his mind was going nk from the surging rage. His heart ached terribly as he thought about the unfortunate heroes killed by Satan. He punched without rest as he felt his demonic energy being consumed at an rming rate.

    [N-No¡­ it was¡­ n-not me¡­]

    "YOU BASTARD!"

    Kang-Woo grew more furious as Satan made excuses as he stuttered.

    "RAPHAEL! YES, THAT RIGHTEOUS ANGEL! YOU¡ª Wait, was that someone else?"

    <em>¡¯It might have been Rakiel. Oh well. They¡¯re pretty much the same, so let¡¯s just say Satan killed Raphael.¡¯</em>

    "RAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s fury skyrocketed. He squeezed out his remaining strength and gathered it around his fist.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    He punched Satan with a fist enveloped in demonic energy. It happened to sync perfectly with Balrog¡¯s powerful strike, destroying Satan entirely and sttering him all over the ce.

    "Fuuu. I feel so much better now." Kang-Woo loosened his shoulders with a smile. He felt refreshed, letting loose after a month of being forced to do nothing as Han Seol-Ah took care of him. "A person¡¯s gotta move around."

    Beads of sweat on his forehead shone like a gem. Kang-Woo clenched his fists, deeply moved.

    <em>¡¯This is the value ofbor!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wondered if this was the true meaning of life.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    Satan began to regenerate again as Kang-Woo was off in his thoughts. It was far slowerpared to before, when he was regenerating almost instantly.

    "They¡¯re immortal, but the times it takes to regenerate seems to slow down the more they get hurt," Balrogmented.

    "Looks like it. I had no idea."

    This was not the case during Kang-Woo¡¯s battle against Bael. At the time, the army of the Abyss regenerated instantly, no matter how many times they were wiped out.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s either the limit of Abyss Summoning or it has to do with me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would not be surprised if it were a form of penalty because his body was in the middle of reconstruction.

    [A-Aaaahh. Arghh. I¡­ I aaaam¡­]

    "That aside," Kang-Woo muttered as he turned away from the mumbling Satan.

    The clean training room had be a mess, likely due to the extreme violence. Kang-Woo lightly nudged Balrog, who helped him regain a portion of his powers, and turned toward the door.

    "Right, let¡¯s have Satan clean this up," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "A great idea. Will you be heading back up?"

    "Yeah, I should be getting back. Otherwise, Darling will get sad."

    "Hehehe. It is good that you treasure the queen, but you should also give Lilith some attention."

    "Lilith?" Kang-Woo asked as he tilted his head.

    "That woman has been whining constantly about how she barely gets to meet you these days."

    "Oh¡­"

    Kang-Woo had not met others for a month because Seol-Ah kept him from going anywhere.

    <em>¡¯I should talk to Darling about it.¡¯</em>

    Considering Lilith¡¯s unconditional devotion and love for him, he couldn¡¯t just ignore her.

    <em>¡¯Looks like I¡¯ll have to deal with some more shit.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had been putting off dealing with the women in his life other than Seol-Ah by making various excuses, but he couldn¡¯t postpone it any longer. He needed to make a decision.

    <em>¡¯Whether to ept their love or reject them cleanly.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t make a decision so important by himself since Seol-Ah was the most important woman in his life.

    "Alright. I¡¯lle back tomorrow, so I¡¯ll see you then."

    "Yes, my king," Balrog replied as he bowed.

    Kang-Woo left the training room and headed to the elevator.

    Satan was left alone in the mess of a training room. He gripped a broom and slowly cleaned the floor as Kang-Woo ordered.

    [I-I am¡­ wrath¡­]

    Satan mumbled as if weeping, a single tear running down his cheek.

    ***

    <em>Creak.</em>

    "Kang-Woooooooo!!"

    "Kurgh!"

    Seol-Ah ran like the wind to Kang-Woo as he opened the door and hugged him.

    "Haaaahh. I¡¯ve missed you so much, Kang-Woo."

    Seol-Ah hugged Kang-Woo tightly and rubbed her cheeks against his hair. One would never think they had only been apart for a few hours if they didn¡¯t know any better.

    "Right then, shall we have dinner?"

    Seol-Ah smiled as if she were the happiest woman in the world and lifted Kang-Woo.

    "Ngh," Kang-Woo groaned.

    <em>¡¯I can¡¯t live like this anymore¡­!¡¯</em>

    He had realized the true meaning of life¡ª the value ofbor. He could no longer live as a worker who was denied his freedom by the bourgeoisie.

    <em>¡¯Rise! Rise, Proletariat! Rise, Marxists! Rise against capitalism and take hold of your freedom!!¡¯</em>

    "Darling, I can¡¯t¡ª"

    "Fufufu. You¡¯re so cute, Kang-Woo. Oh, would you like to touch my breasts?"

    "Yes, please."

    <em>¡¯Let¡¯s take a rain check on that uprising.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 5: Mommyâ€™s Touch (1)

    Side Story Chapter 5: Mommy¡¯s Touch (1)

    Soft sensations wrapped around Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s entire body. The two soft and warm mounds of flesh enveloped his cheeks. If there were such a thing as nirvana, this would be it. Kang-Woo¡¯s mind was melting from the pleasure.

    "Here, ahhh~"

    A beautiful voice tickled Kang-Woo¡¯s ear. His mouth opened before he realized it, his body having no intention of refusing the voice. A bed of riceyered with kimchi and meat entered his mouth.

    "<em>Nom, nom.</em>"

    "Fufufu. Good boy, Kang-Woo."

    Kang-Woo did not know what he did to be called a good boy but the corners of his mouth rose as a hand patted his head.

    "Here it is again. Ahhh~"

    Kang-Woo epted the food again like a robot. An endless sense of pleasure rushed into his hazy mind, melting it away.

    "Let¡¯s go to the bedroom once you¡¯re finished," Han Seol-Ah whispered as if enticing him, and kissed his cheek.Kang-Woo asked as his sense of reason melted, "The bedroom¡­?"

    "Yes."

    "Why¡­?"

    "My, you want me to say it?" Seol-Ah¡¯s cheeks reddened and she lightly poked Kang-Woo. She smiled seductively and ced her hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s thigh. "Obviously¡­" She teasingly bit Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek and whispered alluringly, "So I can give you lots of love."

    "...!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. He returned to his senses as if cold water was sshed on his hazy sense of reason.

    "Kurgh!"

    Kang-Woo strongly bit his lip. He had almost fallen into the pit of sweet temptations he had been stuck in for the past month again.

    <em>¡¯No.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t keep living like this. He had realized the true value ofbor and life through Satan. He couldn¡¯t let himself be chained to Seol-Ah and be denied his freedom any longer.

    <em>¡¯Rise! Realize the true meaning ofbor! Retake true freedom! Unite and fight!¡¯</em>

    "Marxists!"

    "Pardon?"

    "Thanks for the meal. I¡¯ll take care of the cleanup."

    "Ah, K-Kang-Woo!"

    Kang-Woo quickly escaped from Seol-Ah¡¯s embrace and sprinted to the kitchen with the empty pot of kimchi stew. He picked up the green scrubber once he reached the kitchen and cleaned the pot.

    "I-I¡¯ll take care of it!" Seol-Ah shouted as she grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s arm.

    However, Kang-Woo did not back down. To actualize the value ofbor and retake his freedom, he needed to do whatever it took to keep his body moving.

    "No, I¡¯ll do it. I can¡¯t keep leaving everything to you forever," he remarked.

    "But¡­"

    "I¡¯m doing this because I want to move around."

    Seol-Ah pouted. "It¡¯s okay for you not to do anything¡­"

    She couldn¡¯t be happier she was taking care of Kang-Woo. She could feel her boiling obsession being sated as Kang-Woo left everything to her and dependedpletely on her, but she couldn¡¯t force it on Kang-Woo if he didn¡¯t want it.

    Seol-Ah sighed softly and stood behind Kang-Woo as he was doing the dishes. Two soft hills wrapped around Kang-Woo¡¯s head like a neck pillow.

    "That aside, did you go visit your mother?"

    "Yes, she¡¯s doing well. Though I did get scolded for barelying to see hertely," Seol-Ah replied as she lightly hugged Kang-Woo from behind.

    "You should¡¯ve gone to see her more often¡­"

    "I can¡¯t just leave you by yourself."

    "I¡¯m sure your mother is sad."

    "It can¡¯t be helped. You¡¯re the most important person in my life, Kang-Woo," she said as if putting her foot down.

    Kang-Woo was left conflicted. He was happy about Seol-Ah¡¯s unconditional love for him but also worried since she was talking as if she didn¡¯t need anyone but him.

    <em>¡¯Well, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll get better once her obsession is sated.¡¯</em>

    She was far more obsessive than usual because her angel obsession with Kang-Woo had grown for the past three years. Once her obsession was fulfilled over time, she would begin to care more about other things besides Kang-Woo.

    "You said you were gonna see Yeon-Joo and Lilith too, right?"

    "Oh, not Yeon-Joo. She was busy."

    "Doing what?"

    "The entire Red Rose guild is apparently super busy because of matters regarding Seoul."

    "Oh, I see."

    Kang-Woo nodded. Most people living in and near the former capital Seoul moved to the south after the city was reduced to ashes in the battle against Bael three years ago. It was because of the ck sun zing above Seoul.

    <em>¡¯Yeah, I would¡¯ve done the same.¡¯</em>

    No one would want to live under an ominously zing ck sun unless they were insane. Because of that, development in Seoul halted and Busan was designated as the new capital of South Korea.

    <em>¡¯But the situation has changed.¡¯</em>

    The ck sun above Seoul vanished because Kang-Woo devoured the Abyss and escaped it, leaving just the expensivend that used to be the capital of South Korea ripe for the taking. The halted development project was likely resuming.

    <em>¡¯And whoever calls dibs first gets it.¡¯</em>

    Although Cha Yeon-Joo gave up most of her rights as a guildmaster, she was still the master of the Red Rose, the number one guild in the country. She was probably busy fighting to get as muchnd as possible for the guild.

    <em>¡¯I should visit herter.¡¯</em>

    Nothing was more enjoyable as an unemployed individual than annoying those working their ass off. Kang-Woo was already beaming with joy thinking about how to tease Yeon-Joo.

    "What about Lilith?"

    "Lilith¡­" Seol-Ah slurred in hesitation. She turned away and then continued, "She decided to stop by a littleter."

    "She did?"

    "Yes. We have¡­ something to discuss."

    "What is it?"

    "I¡¯ll tell youter."

    Seol-Ah lowered her head as she embraced Kang-Woo a little harder. Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion but decided not to pry any further.

    "More importantly, Kang-Woo," Seol-Ah changed the subject.

    "Hm?"

    "Is it just me or¡­ did you grow taller?" Seol-Ah examined Kang-Woo thoroughly with narrowed eyes. She ced her hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s head and scanned him from head to toe. She gasped and shouted, "I knew it¡­! You were exactly 148.2 centimeters before, but you grew!"

    "Yeah, I did."

    <em>¡¯How does she know my height that even I didn¡¯t know to the decimal points?¡¯</em>

    "Wh-What in the world happened, Kang-Woo?!" Seol-Ah asked anxiously.

    "I got help from Balrog and somewhat hastened the reconstruction process."

    There was still a long way to go until Kang-Woo regained his original form, but it was a start. He needed to return to normal as soon as possible and be a man <em>big </em>enough for Darling to be proud of.

    "N-No way!" Seol-Ah shouted in despair. She shook her head fiercely as if trying to deny reality and rubbed her cheeks against Kang-Woo¡¯s hair. "You can¡¯t! You have to stay like this!"

    "What? Why?"

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t want it to stay as a Vienna sausage.¡¯</em>

    "So I can do whatever I like to y¡ª I mean, you sacrificed so much to save the world, didn¡¯t you? You need as much time as possible to live in leisure."

    <em>¡¯She identally let slip a little of her real reason, but I¡¯ll let it slide.¡¯</em>

    "A month is more than enough of a break, and it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no danger whatsoever just because Bael is dead."

    Kang-Woo was right; albeit extremely slow, otherworldly invasions were still happening, and monsters were crawling out of Gates. Of course, he could take his time to an extent since Kim Si-Hun and Balrog were here, but he would be more at ease living in leisure after he regained his powers.

    Seol-Ah bit her lip, unable toe up with a valid argument. She could tell that the number of days she could care for Kang-Woo was scarce.

    <em>¡¯In that case¡­¡¯</em> she thought.

    She had no time to waste.

    "Follow me, Kang-Woo."

    "Huh? Ah¡­ W-Wait a second!"

    Seol-Ah lifted Kang-Woo, who was washing the dishes, and headed to the bedroom. There was something she wanted to do no matter what before Kang-Woo returned to normal.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    She entered the bedroom that they used together, sat on the bed with her knees together, and lightly pounded on her thighs.

    "Alright, lie down here."

    "Darling?"

    "Now," Seol-Ah demanded.

    Kang-Woo groaned andy down with his head on her thighs as Seol-Ah wanted. The feeling of soft and supple skin wrapped around the back of his head. His mind began to melt again.

    "Haaah," Seol-Ah exhaled heatedly and gently caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s head. She then called anxiously, "Kang-Woo."

    "Hm¡­?"

    Kang-Woo, who was off in his happy thoughts, turned to her.

    Seol-Ah¡¯s lips quivered as she carefully asked, "C-Could you¡­ call me <em>m-mommy</em> just once?"

    "What¡­?"

    <em>¡¯What kind of crazy roley are you nning?¡¯</em>

    "I-I mean¡­! Um¡­ I-I was on the phone with La a while ago, and¡­ she said that it¡¯s one of the ways¡­ that lovers can enjoy a d-different kind of pleasure¡­" Seol-Ah mumbled, her face so red that it looked like it was about to explode.

    The desire had sown itself and slowly grown during the past month that she had taken care of Kang-Woo. Her motherly instinct mixed with her sexual desire and took over her sense of reason.

    "What the hell is that woman teaching you?"

    Kang-Wooughed in exasperation. Although he had been treated like a little boytely, calling his lover <em>mommy </em>was going too far.

    "Is that¡­ too much to ask?" Seol-Ah asked in a tone mixed with worry and expectation.

    Kang-Woo remained silent.

    He wavered as he stared at her face full of expectation, but he couldn¡¯t let himself stoop that low.

    <em>¡¯Marxists¡­!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo resolved himself with unwavering determination and remarked, "Seol-Ah, I don¡¯t want to do th¡ª"

    "Then I guess we won¡¯t be having kimchi stew anytime s¡ª"

    "Mommy Seol-Ah!"

    <em>¡¯Fuck.¡¯</em>

    "Heh. F-Fufufu."

    Seol-Ah smiled as if she couldn¡¯t be happier, trembling and panting heatedly. She caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks.

    "Yes~ it¡¯s your mommy. Is there anything you need, my baby Kang-Woo?"

    Seol-Ah lovingly caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s body.

    "U-Urgh. W-Wait."

    Kang-Woo flinched in surprise as her hands reached into his clothes. Seol-Ah created chains of light and restrained the struggling Kang-Woo.

    "Haaa, haaa. Kang-Woo."

    Seol-Ah panted heavily as she stared at Kang-Woo like a starved beast. Kang-Woo¡¯s face turned pale.

    "W-Wait, Darling!"

    "It¡¯s not Darling, but mommy, right?"

    Seol-Ah¡¯s hand movements became more vigorous, her desire having takenplete control over her.

    "U-Ugh, w-wai¡ª Guh!"

    Kang-Woo trembled as Seol-Ah¡¯s hands caressed his entire body, tickling him.

    <em>¡¯Th-This is¡­!¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t resist Mommy¡¯s touch. Mommy¡¯s hands vigorously tickled Kang-Woo¡¯s entire body.

    "N-No¡­"

    <em>¡¯At this rate, I¡¯ll¡­!¡¯</em>

    "I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m gonna¡­"

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m gonnaugh from the tickling!!¡¯</em>

    <em>Click.</em>

    A ck-haired woman entered the room at the worst possible time.

    "Oh my." Lilith covered her mouth with one hand after witnessing the scene in the bedroom. She smiled and asked, "Should I havee a littleter?"

    Deathly silence filled the room.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Ah yes¡­ "tickling." Sure, we can call it that.

    I think they¡¯re writing the scene very carefully to maintain their age rating, but we all know what¡¯s happening LMAO</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 6: Mommyâ€™s Touch (2)

    Side Story Chapter 6: Mommy¡¯s Touch (2)

    The room was so silent that the sound of breathing sounded like thunder.

    Kang-Woo said amidst the nightmarish silence, "You¡¯re wrong."

    He didn¡¯t know what was wrong, but it just was. He needed to resolve this misunderstanding no matter what.

    "About what? Oh, are you referring to how you called Seol-Ah <em>mommy </em>as she tickled you like a baby?"

    However, the truth always prevailed. Kang-Woo flinched as the cold hard fact pped away his poor excuse.

    "N-No, you¡¯ve got it wrong."

    "I¡¯ve got what wrong?"

    <em>¡¯What¡¯s wrong? Fuck. My life¡­ my life itself is wrong. This has to be a dream. There¡¯s no way this shit is happening for real.¡¯</em>

    "Hohoho," Lilith giggled alluringly and continued, "It¡¯s okay, Master Kang-Woo."<em>¡¯It¡¯s not okay for me.¡¯</em>

    "I am willing to ept you no matter what kind of fetish you have."

    <em>¡¯Kurgh.¡¯</em>

    "N-No. That¡¯s not what I¡­"

    "Would you like to call me Mommy Lilith?"

    "NOOOOOOOOOO!!" shouted Kang-Woo as he pulled on his hair.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s endless sense of shame, as a man over ten millennia old subjecting himself to roley as maniacal as this, crushed him.

    "You two have something to discuss¡­ don¡¯t you? I¡¯ll¡­ be outside."

    Kang-Woo walked out of the room as if running away, his eyes as nk as a dead fish.

    <em>Click.</em>

    He closed the door on his way out, leaving Han Seol-Ah and Lilith in the awkwardly silent room. Lilith slowly walked toward Seol-Ah, sitting on the bed, and sat beside her.

    "Fufu. It was at least nice to see Master Kang-Woo again after so long," she remarked.

    "I¡¯m¡­ sorry," muttered Seol-Ah and lowered her head.

    She had monopolized Kang-Woo for the past month.

    "Hoho. What is there for you to be sorry about? The woman Master Kang-Woo chose was you, not me."

    Seol-Ah did not know how to reply to Lilith, who was talking as if it werepletely fine. "Lilith¡­"

    However, Seol-Ah knew it was difficult for Lilith to say such a thing so casually. Lilith had loved Kang-Woo and Kang-Woo only before he even came to be known as the Demon King. As for how long, it was for about eight hundred years. She had loved only one man for that long of a time, but that man ended up choosing someone else.

    Not only that, but Lilith taught the woman everything she knew about what the man she loved liked and enjoyed. Her love for the man bordered on madness.

    Seol-Ah bit her lip as her expression darkened. She wondered if she could smile as if nothing was wrong if she were put in Lilith¡¯s shoes. She thought about if she would have the heart to watch the man she loved for hundreds of years being stolen by another woman.

    <em>¡¯No.¡¯</em>

    There was no way she could. Seol-Ah would be spewing all the curses she knew as she begged the woman not to take Kang-Woo away from her; she wouldn¡¯t be able to cheer them on with a smile.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Lilith asked.

    "Are you sure¡­ you¡¯re fine with it?"

    "Pardon? About what?"

    "Well¡­ about me and Kang-Woo dating."

    Lilith lowered her head. Her eyes gazing at Seol-Ah filled with sorrow. She smiled and raised her head again.

    "If I said I was fine¡­ I would be lying.

    "After all¡­ despite all that time pouring him with my love¡­ he didn¡¯t choose me in the end."

    Lilith ced her hand on her chest with deeply sunken eyes. Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes shook. She couldn¡¯t imagine the emotions Lilith was going through or how immense her despair and sorrow were.

    "At first, I resented Master Kang-Woo. I wondered why it wasn¡¯t me¡­ and why it was you¡­ I was so bitter and frustrated. Hohoho. It¡¯s no surprise¡­ considering how long I¡¯ve loved Master Kang-Woo. But¡­" Lilith grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s hands, locked the fingers together, and smiled. "Even so, I¡¯m¡­ satisfied as long as Master Kang-Woo is happy."

    Lilith recalled her king in Hell. She recalled his back as he walked in front of her, exuding only madness after losing everything precious to him. She was willing to do anything as long as it would bring happiness to him, even if it meant she wouldn¡¯t be part of it.

    "Liar," Seol-Ah replied as she sharply red at Lilith.

    Tears were gathered around Lilith¡¯s eyes despite saying she was satisfied. Seol-Ah carefully extended her hand and wiped Lilith¡¯s tears. Lilith flinched.

    "You don¡¯t have to lie aftering all the way here, Lilith.

    "Besides¡­ I asked to talk with you privately because I wanted to settle things once and for all."

    "Seol-Ah¡­" Lilith¡¯s voice shook as her shaking eyes staring at Seol-Ah were filled with anxiety.

    "Haaa," Seol-Ah sighed with her hand on her chest. "Let me be honest with you."

    She bit her lip as if she were pained, and her clenched fists were shaking.

    "I want to monopolize Kang-Woo. I don¡¯t want to share him with anyone¡­ even with you, Lilith."

    Seol-Ah felt like her obsession was suffocating her. A turmoil of emotions made her head feel hot. She felt her sense of reason thinning every time she thought about Kang-Woo. His smile, his eyes, the touch of his skin, his warm and loving embrace¡ª she wanted more. More, more, more, more, more, more.

    <em>¡¯Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo.¡¯</em>

    <em>¡¯Iloveyouiloveyouiloveyouiloveyoumorethanthatbitchlilithwholovedyouforhundredsofyearsidontneedanythingaslongasihaveyouidontneedfriendsorfamilyillmakeyouhappyonlylookatmeonlylovemeonlythinkaboutmebesidesimtheoneyouchosearen¡¯ti?Thentheothersshouldjusttakeafuckinghintanddisappearfromyourlifehowdaretheytrytoythepitygametogetyourattentionwhentheyreobviouslylyingwhydotheyalltrytotakekangwooawayfromme?¡¯</em>

    <em>¡¯Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?¡¯</em>

    <em>¡¯Why?¡¯</em>

    "Seol-Ah?"

    "Hurgh! <em>Huff! Huff!</em>" Seol-Ah panted heavily as she crouched and clenched her chest.

    The white angel wings that sprouted from her back were flickering ck like a broken lightbulb. Seeing that, Lilith smiled bitterly and stood up.

    "If that¡¯s how you feel¡­ I¡¯m sure Master Kang-Woo feels the same way. I¡¯ll be on my way now."

    Lilith turned to the door and walked toward it as if running away, just like Kang-Woo. Seol-Ah grabbed Lilith¡¯s arm as she was about to open the door.

    "I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ that was my obsession talking. It came over me all of a sudden."

    Seol-Ah took a deep breath with her hand over her chest. Her flickering ck wings returned to the usual white as she slowly caught her breath.

    She yanked Lilith toward her and said firmly, "It¡¯s true that I want to monopolize Kang-Woo, but¡­" She slowly raised her head and looked Lilith in the eyes. "I feel the same way as you."

    Seol-Ah knew how hard Lilith worked and the many sacrifices she made for Kang-Woo to be happy.

    "Kang-Woo¡¯s happiness is more important than anything for me as well."

    Kang-Woo had chosen her, but he likely harbored feelings for Lilith to an extent as well. Seol-Ah could tell from how much he trusted Lilith. She was sure Kang-Woo would be sad if she forced him to be separated from Lilith forever, and she couldn¡¯t have that; nothing was worth more than Kang-Woo¡¯s happiness. Seol-Ah needed to quell her raging obsession and ept Lilith, just like what Lilith had done for her.

    "Then you mean¡­" Lilith slurred.

    "Yes," replied Seol-Ah as she suppressed her burning obsession and smiled. "I hope we get along from now on as well, Lilith."

    "Seol-Ah!!"

    Lilith ran to Seol-Ah as tears glistened from her eyes and hugged her.

    "Ugh¡­" Seol-Ah averted her gaze from Lilith in embarrassment and pouted slightly. She then touched the ring Kang-Woo gave her and said, "B-But I¡¯ll be the one to m-marry Kang-Woo first."

    "Hohohoho!!" Lilith burst intoughter with one hand covering her mouth. She exhaled in excitement and stared at Seol-Ah, who was turned away from her. "Haaa~ I think I know why Master Kang-Woo loves you so much. How could he not, when you¡¯re so cute?"

    She smiled widely and kissed Seol-Ah on the lips.

    "L-Lilith?!"

    "That aside, how long are you going to address me so formally?"

    "What do you mean¡­?"

    "We¡¯re family now, aren¡¯t we?"

    "Yes¡­" Seol-Ah nodded perplexedly.

    Lilith smiled and continued, "Then we should speak casually with each other, wouldn¡¯t you agree?"

    "Oh." Seol-Ah nodded as if she understood. "G-Got it. I¡¯ll do that. Lilith¡­ unnie."

    It was the most apt way to address Lilith since she was several centuries older than Seol-Ah.

    "My, my~ unnie? You¡¯re so cute, my little Seol-Ah."

    Lilith, seemingly taken a liking to being addressed as <em>unnie</em>, trembled in joy and kissed Seol-Ah repeatedly on the cheek.

    "S-Stop that, unnie!"

    "Fufufu. We¡¯re family now, so we should deepen our sisterly bond~"

    "S-Sisters don¡¯t do this with each other!"

    "Now, now, rx~ My, look at these breasts. How do you manage to get breasts asrge as these with such a slender waist?"

    Lilith smiled seductively and pushed Seol-Ah down on the bed. Her hair squirmed like living beings, and its ends turned into green tentacles.

    "U-Unnie, those are¡­"

    Seol-Ah¡¯s face turned pale.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    "KYAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    Seol-Ah¡¯s screams filled the room.

    ***

    "Fuck." Kang-Woo pulled on his hair as he sighed while Seol-Ah and Lilith were in the middle of their conversation. "Why did she have toe in at that exact moment?"

    He cringed every time he recalled Lilith¡¯s face and her giggles as she stared at him. Kang-Woo closed his eyes tightly. He then turned to grab his smartphone from his pocket.

    <em>¡¯Come to think of it, I should meet up with Si-Hun too.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed the help of both Balrog and Si-Hu to regain his powers. No one but those two could even manage to damage him to the point that it could stimte the Demonic Sea. He pressed Si-Hun¡¯s number on his smartphone.

    <em>- Please don¡¯t~ Please don¡¯t leave~ Don¡¯t know why~</em>

    "What a catchy song."

    <em>¡¯But why do I feel so ufortable hearing it?¡¯</em>[1]

    [H-Hyung-nim?!]

    "Hey, Si-Hun. It¡¯s been a while."

    [A-Are you feeling okay now?!]

    Kang-Woo could hear the anxiety in Si-Hun¡¯s voice, as if he were contacted by a patient who had been on the boundary between life and death.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder and answered, "Yeah, I¡¯m fine."

    Rather, he had always been fine. He couldn¡¯t circte his demonic energy, but that was because his body was in the middle of reconstruction; he was perfectly fine physically.

    [Haaa. What a relief. I¡¯ve been so worried since I heard about you from Seol-Ah.]

    "What did Seol-Ah say exactly?"

    [She said that your condition suddenly took for the worse and that she would need to focus on your treatment using Seraph¡¯s power twenty-four-seven. Because of that, she said I couldn¡¯t visit you.]

    "Oh¡­ I see."

    <em>¡¯No wonder he didn¡¯t even call once.¡¯</em>

    "Are you free tomorrow, Si-Hun?"

    [O-Of course! I¡¯ll always make time for you!]

    "Hehe. Alright. It¡¯s been a while, so seeing your face along with Balrog would be nice. I have a favor to ask, too."

    [A favor¡­?]

    "Yeah. I¡¯ll tell you in person tomorrow."

    Si-Hun would freak out if Kang-Woo told him about his n to stimte the Demonic Sea over the phone.

    [Oh¡­ I understand. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow! Um¡­ Kang-Woo hyung.]

    "Yeah. See you tomorrow." Kang-Woo smiled and hung up. "I might as well give a call to Yeon-Joo as w¡ª"

    "KYAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    Seol-Ah¡¯s scream echoed from the bedroom as he was mumbling.

    "Darling!"

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Kang-Woo threw aside his smartphone and swung open the bedroom door, witnessing what was happening inside.

    "Oh, good of you to join us, Master Kang-Woo."

    "K-Kang-Woo¡­ P-Please help¡­"

    Two half-naked women were entangled with each other. The sight was far too impactful that Kang-Woo could not even see the green tentacles, the source of his trauma.

    "Hmm."

    Kang-Woo stared in silence as he ced his hand on his chin and nodded.

    <em>¡¯What in the fucking hallelujah is going on here? Is it my birthday?¡¯</em>

    "Hohoho. I was in the middle of deepening my bond with our Seol-Ah."

    "<em>Our</em> Seol-Ah?"

    "Yes! After all, we¡¯re family now!" Lilith shouted as she panted ecstatically.

    Kang-Woo could more or less guess what was going on from her behavior.

    "Mm. I see. If it¡¯s to deepen your bond, it can¡¯t be helped."

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ll be watching from right here! Right then, onto the next scene¡­!¡¯</em>

    "My, are you nning on just watching?"

    "Huh?" Kang-Woo asked.

    Lilith licked her lips seductively and stuck to Seol-Ah face-to-face.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    She then sprouted her tentacles to wrap them around Kang-Woo and pulled him in between her and Seol-Ah.

    "Kurgh, w-wait!"

    "Fufu. Deepening bonds is best done with three people."

    "...!"

    <em>¡¯Is this how people felt when Columbus made an egg stand on its tip?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened from Lilith¡¯s shocking proposal.

    "Come to think of it, does this mean I would be your mommy too?" Lilith brought the shocked Kang-Woo closer to her and whispered in his ear, "My little Kang-Woo¡­ Fufu, I¡¯m a little nervous because it¡¯s my first time addressing you this way."

    "Move over a bit, unnie. I want to hold Kang-Woo too."

    "Huh?"

    <em>¡¯Huuuh? What is happening? Are we having a double patty burger?¡¯</em>

    "Kang-Woo¡­"

    "Master Kang-Woo¡­"

    The two women tangled around Kang-Woo. He let himself be sucked into their embrace without resistance.

    1. This song is <em>Please Don¡¯t¡­</em> by K. Will. It is about heartbreak. the music video portrays a man who longs for his female friend¡¯s boyfriend (who then bes her husband at the end of the video) and is heartbroken after never (or not being able to)e out about it. ?

 Side Story Chapter 7: Oh Kang-Woo, Cupid of Love (1)

    Side Story Chapter 7: Oh Kang-Woo, Cupid of Love (1)

    And with that, Lilith ended up living together with them.

    "Is this for real¡­?"

    Oh Kang-Woo woke up in the middle of the day after being squeezed like a rag until dawn and looked around dumbfoundedly. He saw two sleeping women hugging each of his arms. Although they no longer required sleep, they were so mentally exhausted that they did not wake up even after Kang-Woo pulled his arms out of their embrace.

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t me them.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s face turned pale after remembering what happenedst night. If they were not exhausted after what they did, his Fran?ois would not survive the days toe.

    Kang-Woo gently caressed Han Seol-Ah and Lilith¡¯s hair and smiled.

    <em>¡¯That aside, I¡¯m d it all worked out.¡¯</em>

    Theplex rtionship was resolved so easily that Kang-Woo felt stupid for spending all that time thinking about it. All he needed to do now was to be careful so that Seol-Ah¡¯s obsession would not go out of control.

    <em>¡¯And Lilith should be able to take care of that.¡¯</em>Lilith was better than anyone at coaxing others. Considering they were already treating each other like sisters, Kang-Woo felt it would all work out.

    "Urgh," Kang-Woo groaned as he stretched and got out of bed.

    He wanted toy in bed until the two women woke up, but he would bete for his meeting with Si-Hun if he didn¡¯t start getting ready.

    "Hehe, I haven¡¯t seen his face in a while."

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but smile at the thought of seeing his little brother after a life of <em>rearing</em>.

    "Hngh¡­ Kang-Woo¡­ Are you going somewhere?"

    Seol-Ah opened her eyes as she rustled in the bed.

    "Yeah. I¡¯m gonna meet Si-Hun."

    "Can¡¯t you¡­ go a littleter?"

    "It¡¯s already 2 PM. I need to get going."

    "Haaa," Seol-Ah sighed in disappointment. She ced her hands on Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks and carefully pulled him toward her. "Have a safe trip. And¡­" She lightly kissed him on the lips and smiled. She whispered lovingly in his ear, "Don¡¯t be toote."

    Kang-Woo nodded and kissed Seol-Ah again.

    "My, my. Are you leaving me out, my king?"

    Lilith woke up before Kang-Woo realized it and hugged him with an alluring smile. Her voluptuous breasts, although nowhere near asrge as Seol-Ah¡¯s, pushed on his arm.

    "I was just about to," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "Hohoho. Oh, please do it on my tentacles as well¡­"

    "I begged you not to bring those out."

    "You¡¯re so mean," said Lilith in dejection as she excessively dropped her shoulders.

    "I¡¯ll be back by evening," Kang-Woo said as he turned around to firmly ignore her.

    <em>¡¯Come to think of it, what¡¯s Echidna doing to be out of the house for so long?¡¯</em>

    He slightly opened the door to Echidna¡¯s room as he headed to the front door but she was nowhere in sight. All that was in therge room were various figures and anime posters.

    <em>¡¯I haven¡¯t seen her for about three days.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo saw Echidna often when he was being reared by Seol-Ah, and she even sometimes fed Kang-Woo in Seol-Ah¡¯s ce. However, he had not seen her for the past three days.

    <em>¡¯I should ask Darling again what kind of job she has.¡¯</em>

    He was nning on hearing it from Echidna herself, but it couldn¡¯t be helped since she was nowhere in sight. He closed the door to Echidna¡¯s room and walked toward the front door.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    The summer sun beamed down on him as soon as he opened the door.

    ***

    "Fuck¡­ It¡¯s so inconvenient not being able to fly," Kang-Woo cursed as he walked to the coffee shop near Haeundae Station where he promised to meet Si-Hun.

    Si-Hun also lived in the same apartment as Kang-Woo, so they would be able to meet with a single elevator ride, but they decided to meet outside because Si-Hun was working at the Korean branch of Guardians near Haeundae today. At first, Kang-Woo thought it would be a nice change of pace to go for a walk outside, but the summer streets of Haeundae were packed with people.

    "Fucking hell, why is it so crowded?"

    Kang-Woo would have usually flown to his destination using the Authority of the Sky, but most of his Authorities were locked once his reconstruction began. He had been taking his flight ability for granted.

    <em>¡¯I need to regain my powers as soon as possible.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo walked as he mumbled variousints. He arrived at the coffee shop Si-Hun told him about but noticed the sign written <em>Closed</em>.

    "Eh?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion but understood as soon as he saw Si-Hun waving at him from inside.

    <em>¡¯The son of a bitch rented the entire coffee shop.¡¯</em>

    He chuckled and opened the coffee shop door.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    A bell chime simr to the System notification rang out.

    "Hyung-nim!!"

    "It¡¯s been a while, man."

    Kang-Woo waved at Si-Hun approaching him with a bright smile.

    <em>¡¯Holy crap, he¡¯s handsome.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s face looked like a mangled squid inparison.

    <em>¡¯He¡¯s so fucking handsome.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun scanned Kang-Woo wide-eyed. "Have you gotten taller? I¡¯m sure you were 148.2 centimetersst month¡­"

    <em>¡¯The fuck? Do I have my exact height written on my forehead? Why does everyone know my height by the decimal point?¡¯</em>

    "I¡¯m in my growth period," Kang-Woo said.

    "Hahaha, what a relief. Have you regained some of your powers?"

    "Yeah, but a hair¡¯s breadth."

    Kang-Woo had a long way to go before his full power was restored.

    <em>¡¯I wonder if it¡¯ll be restored once I reach my original height?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was originally about 178 centimeters. Considering he grew taller after receiving help from Balrog, it was highly likely.

    <em>¡¯Then, let¡¯s see¡­ I was 148.2 centimeters in the beginning, and I grew 4.3 centimeters.¡¯</em>

    He had about 25.5 centimeters to go.

    <em>¡¯I have a long way to go.¡¯</em>

    He needed more time until his Fran?ois returned to his former glory.

    "I¡¯ve gathered some things for the past month for you, hyung-nim."

    "Hm? What are they?" Kang-Woo tilted his head as he stared at Si-Hun.

    Si-Hun brought out arge sack and took out its contents one by one.

    "After hearing you were unwell, I scoured through Aernor and the Gates to gather all sorts of elixirs good for the body."

    "Oh."

    <em>¡¯Come to think of it, he thought I was sick.¡¯</em>

    "You shouldn¡¯t have. I know you¡¯ve been busy."

    "I couldn¡¯t just do nothing after knowing you were unwell," Si-Hun said firmly.

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    <em>¡¯I sure have a wonderful little brother.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t unwell, but he felt good after seeing how much Si-Hun cared for him.

    <em>Boom.</em>

    Si-Hun took out a lump of flesh far bigger than the sack, which was probably enchanted with space expansion magic, and ced it on the ground.

    "First of all, this is the testicle of Fire Dragon Kalecgos. He was in a ce in Aernor known as the Sun Springs."

    "I see, a fire dragon¡¯s testi¡ª wait, what?"

    <em>¡¯A testicle?¡¯</em>

    "Yes, and this is the reproductive organ of a monster known as Xeno¡¯jiiva that I found in a Gate. It apparently holds a great deal of mana. This is the seminal vesicle of Changpao, which inhabits Mount Paolis, and this is¡ª"

    "Wait, wait. Why are all the elixirs that kind of shit?"

    "Pardon? Because¡­ I thought you needed elixirs that raise virility. Was I wrong?"

    "What? What does that mean?"

    "Well¡­ Seol-Ah said that your illness was caused by a rapid depletion of virility¡­"

    "..."

    <em>¡¯Darling¡­ just how many steps ahead are you thinking?¡¯</em>

    Not only had Seol-Ah separated Si-Hun from Kang-Woo, but she also had him gather elixirs good for raising virility.

    "Hah¡­" Kang-Wooughed in spite of himself as his Darling grew more and more cunning.

    "Alright, dig in, hyung-nim!" shouted Si-Hun as he handed Kang-Woo the dragon¡¯s testicle.

    "Yeah, no way." Kang-Woo swatted away the repulsive-smelling lump of flesh in disgust.

    "N-No way¡­!" Si-Hun dropped his shoulders in dejection.

    "Forget that; tell me about the current situation regarding the otherworldly invasions."

    Kang-Woo had been absent for three years and stuck at home with Seol-Ah for a month after that, so he had no idea about what had been going on in the outside world.

    "As for the otherworldly invasions¡­" Si-Hun slurred and sighed softly. "They haven¡¯t stopped. Oh, but they¡¯re not as active as before."

    "I know that."

    Kang-Woo nodded. Bael¡¯s death did not resolve everything he did before that.

    <em>¡¯Earth¡¯s protection is gone.¡¯</em>

    Earth¡¯s protection, which was severely damaged as a result of Kang-Woo returning to Earth, was destroyed without a trace by Bael. ording to the System, there was no way to restore the protection once it was gone.

    <em>¡¯In other words, the only way is to just stop them by force as theye.¡¯</em>

    That was one of the main reasons why Kang-Woo was trying to regain his powers as soon as possible. After all, not even he knew what from the outer worlds would invade Earth and when.

    "Most of the otherworldly beings have been mindless monsters, but¡­ some of them possessed intelligence," Si-Hun continued.

    "Like the Parasite King?"

    "Yes. We¡¯ve formed a certain hypothesis using the information we gathered from them."

    "What is it?"

    "That the outer worlds are¡­ hmm¡­ if we were to make aparison to novels orics, in apletely different <em>universe</em>."

    "A different universe?"

    It was an interesting choice of words.

    "Yes. The environment of some of the worlds is simr to that of Earth, and thews of physics arepletely different in others."

    "So it¡¯s kinda like a parallel universe?"

    "You could say it¡¯s simr, but there are too many different points to say that they¡¯re <em>parallel</em>."

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    <em>¡¯A different universe, huh?¡¯</em>

    He more or less had an idea of what it meant. On Earth, there currently existed beings known as <em>yers </em>that grew through <em>levels</em>, but such concepts did not exist in Aernor. The outer worlds likely possessed concepts andws unique to them as well.

    "Fucking hell¡­"

    In short, they would have no choice but to ept whatever absurd and bizarre phenomenon that were to ur from now on.

    <em>¡¯What is this, Nexus</em>[1]<em>?¡¯</em>

    It was not as bad now, but Earth would be a shitstorm if the invasions became more active.

    <em>¡¯Can¡¯t we just remake Earth¡¯s protection?¡¯</em>

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [As exined before, the protection of each world is a mechanism belonging to the ¡¯Law of Titans.¡¯ Once destroyed, it cannot be restored.]

    <em>¡¯Fuck.¡¯</em>

    [In the first ce, the ¡¯Law of Titans¡¯ has also been damaged by Bael. There is no other way but yer Oh Kang-Woo to stop the invasions himself.]

    <em>¡¯Okay, okay. You don¡¯t have to repeat yourself.¡¯</em>

    "Shit¡­"

    Kang-Woo sighed as if he were having a headache. In short, the mechanism that automatically blocked the otherworldly invasions was gone, so they had no choice but to block them one by one manually.

    "You don¡¯t have to worry, hyung-nim."

    "Huh?"

    "Just like you have protected this world until now¡­ I will stop the otherworldly invasions in your ce from now on," dered Si-Hun, his eyes filled with determination.

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but smile in proudness.

    "Jeez, you cute son of a bitch."

    "H-Hyung-nim?!"

    Kang-Woo stood up and ced his hand on Si-Hun¡¯s shoulder. While Si-Hun was still seated, Kang-Woo ruffled Si-Hun¡¯s hair with his other hand and snickered.

    <em>¡¯I seriously have a wonderful little brother.¡¯</em>

    He had attacked him and made him his Familiar when they first met, but it didn¡¯t matter since it worked out in the end.

    "K-Kang-Woo hyung!"

    "Hehehe. That aside, how are things going with La? Hm? Shouldn¡¯t you be getting ready for marriage soon?"

    "Ah¡­"

    Si-Hun¡¯s expression darkened instantly once La was mentioned.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. "Have things not been going well?"

    Si-Hun averted his gaze from Kang-Woo in silence. He hesitated to speak up for a while and then mumbled, "La and I¡­ broke up."

    <em>¡¯What?¡¯</em>

    1. This is referring to the Nexus in the game <em>Heroes of the Storm</em>. It is a trans-dimensional storm in which numerous worlds exist in its multiverse. ?

 Side Story Chapter 8: Oh Kang-Woo, Cupid of Love (2)

    "You guys¡­ broke up?"

    "Yes¡­" answered Kim Si-Hun with a dark expression as he lowered his head.

    Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth was left agape in shock.

    <em>¡¯Broke up? What could have possibly happened for you two to break up?¡¯</em>

    "What reason could she possibly have to break up with you?!"

    Leaving aside the fact that Si-Hun was his precious little brother, men like Si-Hun were objectively rare¡ª no, forget rare, Kang-Woo at least did not know anyone as good as Si-Hun.

    <em>¡¯He¡¯s hot, he¡¯s kind, he¡¯s capable! What could La have possibly foundcking in Si-Hun to break up with him?¡¯</em>

    If Kang-Woo were a woman, he would have done whatever it took to trap Si-Hun even if it would have cost him his life. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but get angry at La.

    "Has her brain been rotted by manga or something? There¡¯s no way a sane person would ever break up with you¡­""Oh, the one who suggested we break up¡­ was me."

    "What?"

    <em>¡¯You dumped her? I guess that makes more sense.¡¯</em>

    No, it was hard to understand even the other way around. La couldn¡¯t quite hold up to Si-Hun but she wasn¡¯t an average-looking woman either. Kang-Woo¡¯s standards were sky-high because of Seol-Ah and Lilith, but La¡¯s beauty was on par with them.

    Her capability was no question since she was Gaia¡¯s incarnation, and she had immense influence as the leader of Guardians, the most powerful organization in the world. She was notcking for Si-Hun in any way whatsoever.

    <em>¡¯There¡¯s a bit of an issue with her personality, though.¡¯</em>

    She often made dirty jokes about ero manga and Hitomi, but she was fundamentally gentle and kind-hearted.

    <em>¡¯Above all else, Si-Hun fell in love with her at first sight.¡¯</em>

    Considering Si-Hun¡¯s personality, he wouldn¡¯t have fallen for another woman.

    "What the hell happened? Did you fall out of love with La?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "No, not at all. I still love La."

    "Then why?"

    It did not make sense. They still had feelings for each other, so there was no reason for them to break up.

    Si-Hun averted his gaze from Kang-Woo in silence. He thought for a moment and then continued as if he were confessing to a priest, "When you were trapped in the Abyss¡­ I wasn¡¯t myself. I was so angry and frustrated with myself for being so powerless¡­ and couldn¡¯t think about anything else but saving you."

    "..."

    "La tried her best to console me, but¡­ it didn¡¯t work. I was such a goddamn mess." Si-Hun smiled bitterly. "I even thought¡­ that you might nevere back, and that you would be devoured by the Abyss and vanish forever."

    "And so¡­" Kang-Woo slurred.

    Si-Hun sighed and lowered his head. "I ended up venting out my anger on her as she was consoling me. Thinking back on it now, I was so pathetic."

    "Is that why you guys broke up?"

    "More things happened after that, but¡­ yes, I guess that was the decisive reason. There wasn¡¯t enough space in my heart to ept her at the time," remarked Si-Hun, full of regret.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes. "But I¡¯m back now. Wouldn¡¯t the problem be solved once you talk to La again and sort out your feelings?"

    "That¡­ hasn¡¯t been going as well as I¡¯d like."

    "Haaa, you frustrating son of a bitch."

    Kang-Woo stared at Si-Hun in disappointment, but he understood how Si-Hun felt.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s difficult to change one¡¯s attitude after all that.¡¯</em>

    Not many people were shameless enough to break up with someone and then suggest they get back together as soon as the issue they were struggling over was resolved. Even if Si-Hun was shameless enough to do that, that would be a problem in its own right.

    <em>¡¯La would feel like that¡¯s the extent she¡¯s worth to Si-Hun.¡¯</em>

    She would think Kang-Woo was more important to Si-Hun than her. It would be weirder if she didn¡¯t. In that sense, there was a risk she wouldn¡¯t ept Si-Hun this time.

    "Son of a¡­" Kang-Woo cursed as if he were having a headache.

    He unintentionally became the cause of their breakup.

    <em>¡¯I can¡¯t just ignore it since it¡¯s about Si-Hun.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t care less about other people¡¯s rtionships but it was different if it was Si-Hun. They got off on a rocky start but Si-Hun was now an irreceable brother to Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯No, forget that shit. What¡¯s most important is¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he stared at Si-Hun, who smiled bitterly as if to hide his sorrow.

    He said, "Don¡¯t worry, hyung-nim.

    "Though I was never meant to be with La¡­ I have you."

    <em>¡¯You have me for what, exactly?¡¯</em>

    "Um¡­ I¡¯m fine as long as¡­ I have you."

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m not fine with that, motherfucker. I fucking knew it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo tapped his forehead as he looked at Si-Hun, his head lowered in sorrow as if the world was over. There was no question where the recoil of Si-Hun¡¯s destroyed love would deflect to.

    <em>¡¯No. I won¡¯t tolerate it. Anything but my bottom¡­!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had not tolerated Halcyon from living with him, despite Halcyon throwing a massive temper tantrum, to keep his precious bottom safe. He couldn¡¯t let Si-Hun stay solo.

    <em>¡¯Besides, you could say I¡¯m partially responsible for it.¡¯</em>

    He was obligated to protect his precious little brother¡¯s happiness.

    "Alright." Kang-Woo nodded and yanked Si-Hun by his arm.

    "H-Hyung-nim?"

    "Get up. Time for a strategy meeting."

    "S-Strategy meeting¡­? For what?"

    "You¡¯ll see."

    Kang-Woo pulled Si-Hun along.

    ***

    They headed to Balrog¡¯s underground training room where Kang-Woo had been nning to take Si-Hun in the first ce. However, the purpose had changed.

    "Alright," said Kang-Woo.

    He, Si-Hun, and Balrog sat on the ground in a circle.

    Kang-Woo stood up and said in all seriousness, "Let usmence Operation [Cupid of Love]."

    <em>¡¯What¡¯s with your faces? Why are they so lifeless?¡¯</em>

    "So what you are saying is, you want us to help resolve this boy¡¯s romance problems?" Balrog asked.

    "Correct."

    Balrog¡¯s hideous face crumpled even more.

    <em>¡¯For fuck¡¯s sake, do something about that face of yours. It looks like I¡¯ll level up if I kill you.¡¯</em>

    "How can one man be so pathetic?" said Balrog as he red haughtily at Si-Hun with his arms crossed.

    "What?" Si-Hun said as he ced his hand on the hilt of his sword on his waist.

    <em>¡¯Wait, guys, why are you trying to fight? Knock it off.¡¯</em>

    "I said you are pathetic, boy. How dare you waste the king¡¯s time because you can¡¯t deal with the issues you have with your woman?"

    "Kurgh¡­ What do you know about women?"

    "Hah! You would faint if you found out how many women I have been with in Hell!!"

    <em>¡¯What? You¡¯ve never had women, Balrog.¡¯</em>

    "Yeah, stop bullshitting. You probably imagined that as you jerked it off. What does a lump of muscles for brains like you know about women?"

    <em>¡¯Fucking hell, Si-Hun.¡¯</em>

    "Wh-What did you say? A lump of muscles? You dare insult the great Balrog, boy?!"

    "Yeah! I fucking dare!"

    "I challenge you to a duel!"

    "Bring it!"

    "Stop it already, you morons," Kang-Woo intervened as he sighed deeply, pulling on his hair. "We should be working together, dammit."

    "Ahem. I apologize, my king. I ended up losing my temper because that boy disrespected me."

    "That aside, you had women, Balrog?"

    "I had over a dozen before I served you, my king. They all died when Bael attacked my former king," replied Balrog, his expression slightly darkened.

    Kang-Woo nodded and asked, "Then do you have any good ideas?"

    If he had over a dozen women, he likely knew of a great way to deal with Si-Hun¡¯s problem. Although demons were fundamentally different from humans, they still had emotions. Kang-Woo looked at Balrog in anticipation.

    Balrog snorted confidently and pounded on his chest. "Muscles!!!"

    <em>¡¯What?¡¯</em>

    "You first need muscles to charm women!!"

    <em>¡¯What the fuck is this dumbass talking about?¡¯</em>

    "Take a look at these highly defined muscles!! These zing biceps! These pulsating abs! Kehehehe! It¡¯s no wonder I am a chick ma!!"

    Kang-Woo and Si-Hun stared at Balrog with their mouths agape. Kang-Woo sighed deeply as he pulled on his hair. "I¡¯m the dumbass for even asking."

    <em>¡¯What did I expect from a guy who looks like he has protein shake coursing through his veins instead of blood?¡¯</em>

    "Enough of that. How about this, Si-Hun?" Kang-Woo turned away from Balrog, who was posing like a bodybuilder, and looked at Si-Hun with shining eyes. "A love letter."

    "Pardon¡­?" Si-Hun asked as his expression crumpled.

    Kang-Woo continued passionately, "Write her a love letter with all your feelings poured into it!!"

    "Hyung-nim, a love letter in this day and age is a bit¡­" Si-Hun slurred as if telling Kang-Woo to stop with the bullshit.

    <em>¡¯Is he seriously suggesting a love letter?¡¯ </em>Si-Hun thought.

    The idea of love letters had died down through the years; such an idea could onlye from a loser who had note across a single woman for about ten millennia.

    <em>¡¯Oh.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun expressed shame as he looked at Kang-Woo.

    "What? What¡¯s wrong with a love letter?" Kang-Woo asked in slight anger.

    "Hyung-nim¡­ N-Nothing."

    "Then do you have any bright ideas? Huh? Do you?!"

    Kang-Woo raised his voice for no reason, likely realizing that a love letter was a stupid idea as well.

    "I¡­" Si-Hun clenched his fists as his eyes shook. "I will wait until shees to understand."

    "What?"

    <em>¡¯The fuck is this guy saying?¡¯</em>

    "I¡­ betrayed La¡¯s feelings. How can I even think about getting back with her again after that?"

    "For fuck¡¯s sake, you frustrating son of a bitch."

    There should be a limit to how nice someone could be. Kang-Woo was beginning to get enraged by Si-Hun¡¯s highly frustrating behavior.

    "No chance you¡¯re gonna wait!! It¡¯s gonna be over between you and La forever if you lose this chance!!"

    "But¡ª"

    "How frustrating you are, boy!!! What are you thinking so hard about when all you need to do is train your muscles?!"

    "You shut up, dammit," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "I have already lost her trust."

    "That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying you should write her a love letter!!"

    "No, hyung-nim. I¡¯m not going to write a love letter."

    "What? What¡¯s so wrong about a love letter?! It¡¯s way better than your idea of doing fuck-all nothing!!"

    "The problem is that it might make things worse if I do that!! Only a virgin dumbass who learned about dating from a visual novel would think of writing a love letter in this day and age!!"

    "<em>Gasp</em>. Y-You son of a bitch¡­ How could you say that to your hyung¡­?"

    "Muscles! Muscles are the answer!!"

    "I told you to shut the fuck up!!"

    Kang-Woo jumped andnded a shy somersault kick on Balrog¡¯s chin.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    "Arghhh! Fuuuuuuuuck, Balrog!! That fucking hurts!!"

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t deal any damage to Balrog in his current state. He grabbed his ankle and rolled on the ground as if he had kicked a cement ball.

    The training room became a mess in an instant. Satam, who was cleaning the floor with a broom, nkly stared at the three men. And with that, the ideal party consisting of a ten-millennia virgin idiot, a frustrating-as-fuck idiot, and a muscr idiot was formed.

 Side Story Chapter 9: Oh Kang-Hee, Cupid of Love (3)

    "Muscles! Why do you not understand the greatness of muscles?!"

    "I will wait as long as it takes until La turns my way again."

    "I mean, I can¡¯t argue that a love letter is a bit old-school, but aren¡¯t you being too harsh saying only a virgin dumbass who learned about dating from a visual novel would think of it? Hm? Aren¡¯t you being too harsh to your hyung?"

    The opinions of one human and two demons did not seem to intersect, as if watching a discussion about whether or not a gaming addiction should be ssified as a mental disorder. Hours passed without any progress.

    "Haaa¡­ Enough of this. We¡¯ll waste the whole day at this rate." Oh Kang-Woo sighed deeply and lowered his head.

    "I-I¡¯m sorry, hyung-nim." Kim Si-Hun flinched and lowered his head as well.

    "Yeah well, I¡¯m sorry too."

    <em>¡¯Even I must admit a love letter is a bit of a stretch. I¡¯m not too well-versed in stuff like this.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had spent ten millennia fighting for his life; it would be weirder if he were well-versed in regr romantic rtionships.<em>¡¯My rtionship with Darling didn¡¯t start normally either.¡¯</em>

    Most of all, Kang-Woo had never been put in a situation asplex as what Si-Hun and La were going through.

    "Let¡¯s see¡­"

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms as Balrog and Si-Hun were in the middle of growling and ring at each other.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m the only one here who can think of a solution.¡¯</em>

    They were a party of three idiots, but he was arguably the best of them.

    <em>¡¯I had a goddamn threesome yesterday. I¡¯m a fucking expert now.¡¯</em>

    "How is the mood when you¡¯re around La? You guys broke up but see each other often professionally, don¡¯t you?"

    Si-Hun and Grace McCubbin were executive officers of Guardians, led by La. Otherworldly invasions have yet to be resolved so they would have no choice but to see each other often in the workce.

    Si-Hun¡¯s expression darkened as soon as La was mentioned. He sighed and answered, "We don¡¯t talk about anything but business. Whenever I look at her¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel guilty."

    "In other words, you¡¯re the one avoiding her, right?"

    "Yes¡­"

    "Jeez." Kang-Woo did not even have the strength to sigh anymore. "How long has it been since you two broke up?"

    "It has almost been a year."

    "A year, huh?"

    Kang-Woo nodded. It was quite a long time, but considering their rtionship in the past, it wasn¡¯t long enough for their feelings to fade. They were not as physically intimate as Kang-Woo was with Seol-Ah, but Kang-Woo could feel their strong bond and love for each other from how they looked at each other.

    <em>¡¯They¡¯ll need an event to trigger them getting back together.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t sure how to trigger such a thing.

    "Dammit, this isn¡¯t some shitty rom¡­"

    <em>¡¯Huh? Rom?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. He shook as if he were struck by lightning.

    <em>¡¯Yeah! There¡¯s thatmon trope often used when the rtionship between the protagonist and the main love interest isn¡¯t going anywhere!¡¯</em>

    "Yeah! That¡¯s it!"

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists and smiled.

    "Hyung-nim?"

    "Did you think of a good idea, my king?"

    Kang-Woo nodded at the dumbfounded Si-Hun and Balrog. He crossed his arms and said proudly, "Jealousy."

    "Are you referring to Leviathan[1]?"

    "Not him, dammit."

    <em>¡¯Why are you bringing up someone who hasn¡¯t had a single line?¡¯</em>

    "We¡¯re gonna induce jealousy in La," Kang-Woo continued.

    "Jealousy¡­?" Si-Hun asked.

    "Yup."

    Si-Hun tilted his head in confusion. "How exactly are we going to do that?"

    "It¡¯s simple." Kang-Woo snickered and continued, "We¡¯re gonna introduce a new character."

    It was amon trope used in roms once the story hit a wall. For example, the sudden appearance of a never-before-mentioned childhood friend, or the protagonist¡¯s first love back in middle school.

    <em>¡¯I guess this is also old-fashioned if you think about it.¡¯</em>

    If La still held feelings for Si-Hun, she would not let such a thing happen.

    "Kekeke. Interesting." Balrog, who had been screaming about muscles like a gym rat, snickered as his eyes shone with great interest. "Desire tends to burn far brighter when there is a formidable rival."

    Balrog nodded with his arms crossed, seemingly satisfied with Kang-Woo¡¯s idea.

    "But¡­" Si-Hun slurred, his expression full of guilt.

    He seemed against the idea of forcibly inducing jealousy in La to regain her heart.

    "Si-Hun," Kang-Woo called.

    "Yes?"

    "You said a long time ago that you fell for La at first sight, didn¡¯t you?" Kang-Woo asked, Si-Hun nodding softly in response. "Are your feelings unchanged?"

    "Of course."

    "Then trust me, man."

    Kang-Woo patted the dejected Si-Hun on the shoulder.

    Si-Hun smiled faintly and asked, "Then¡­ who do you have in mind as the new face?"

    "That¡¯s the issue."

    The woman naturally needed to be able to make La wary of her to induce jealousy in La. She would not even consider an average woman herpetitor.

    <em>¡¯Easier said than done.¡¯</em>

    La was an extremely rare beauty. A woman would need to be as beautiful as Seol-Ah, Lilith, or Cha Yeon-Joo topete with La. Even leaving looks aside, La was Gaia¡¯s incarnation and the leader of Guardians; considering her authority and background, it was safe to say no human woman could match her.

    <em>¡¯And the biggest problem is¡­ acting ability.¡¯</em>

    The woman needed to be able to slowly but surely induce jealousy in La as she acted close to Si-Hun, but Kang-Woo did not know anyone to whom he could entrust such a task.

    <em>¡¯And I can¡¯t expect immacte acting from Si-Hun either.¡¯</em>

    Balrog was unexpectedly an excellent actor because he had been under Kang-Woo for so long, but Si-Hun was below average.

    "It¡¯s practically impossible."

    Kang-Woo needed a woman with acting ability excellent enough to cover for Si-Hun¡¯s terrible acting, and she needed to be just as beautiful and capable as La.

    <em>¡¯Lilith would be perfect.¡¯</em>

    However, La already knew the rtionship between Lilith and Kang-Woo; she would not even care if Lilith were to cling to Si-Hun all of a sudden.

    <em>¡¯Then it has to be a woman La doesn¡¯t know.¡¯</em>

    Even if Kang-Woo were to find and recruit such a woman, he couldn¡¯t trust them to perfectly follow his instructions.

    "Mm. How about you do it, my king?" Balrog suggested.

    "What?"

    <em>¡¯The fuck are you talking about?¡¯</em>

    "You acquired an ability called <em>Mimicry </em>in another world, did you not?"

    "I did."

    It was an ability he acquired in the satellite world Shade. Not only could he freely change his appearance to anyone he liked, but he could also change into an appearance that he imagined. It hade to good use when he transformed into Arianne to deceive Eilles.

    <em>¡¯But would I be able to use it in my current condition?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t use most of his Authorities at the moment because his body was in the middle of reconstruction.

    <em>¡¯Come to think of it, Mimicry isn¡¯t an Authority.¡¯</em>

    Hence, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    "Wait a second." Kang-Woo turned to Balrog wide-eyed after realizing something. "You fucking want me to¡­"

    <em>¡¯Turn into a woman and flirt with Si-Hun?¡¯</em>

    ***

    The Hall of Protection was the headquarters of Guardians, an organization that held the majority of the world¡¯s authority and could only be entered using a <em>token </em>provided by the organization. The Protectors of Guardians could deal with Gate breaks and otherworldly invasions with haste through the Hall of Protection, which was connected to Gates all over the world.

    However, not many Protectors knew where the Hall of Protection was located. It was only natural since the Hall of Protection did not exist on Earth; it was inside a pocket of space separate from Earth, a sanctuary made using Gaia¡¯s power. Sunlight as warm as the blessing of a god shone down on the white sanctuary located between the divine world and Earth.

    <em>Knock, knock.</em>

    "Come in," said La, who had been taking care of paperwork rted to Seoul in her office, as she raised her head.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    A young man, whose looks were so radiant that it dwarfed the light shining through the window, carefully opened the office door and entered.

    "Si-Hun¡­"

    La flinched after seeing the man. She stared at him in sorrow and averted her gaze from him. Her heart hurt as if it were being stabbed with a needle.

    "What brings you here? I believe you have a while until your regr report," she said formally as she stared at Si-Hun coldly.

    Si-Hun bit his lip as he felt her gaze. He lightly clenched his fist and said, "I found a Gate disying abnormal phenomena in Daejeon."

    "Hmm. It¡¯s the first I¡¯ve heard of it."

    "I happened to find it by coincidence."

    "Makes sense." La narrowed her eyes and continued, "After all, you¡¯ve been scouring the world for the precious older brother you love so~ much."

    Si-Hun flinched but did not retort; he had indeed scoured Earth and Aernor for the past month to look for elixirs that improved virility.

    "I¡¯m sorry," Si-Hun remarked.

    "No¡­ I¡¯m sorry for provoking you," La said as she bit her lip. "It has¡­ nothing to do with me anymore."

    "That aside, what sort of phenomena did you see?" La asked formally as she averted her gaze from Si-Hun.

    "Do you remember Kim Tae-Hyun?"

    "Oh, yes. Of course. The gentleman who acquired a relic inside a Gate, correct?"

    "Yes, that¡¯s right."

    "What about him?"

    "I found someone who acquired a special power inside a Gate just like he did, so I brought them here to introduce to you."

    "A special power?"

    La stared at Si-Hun wide-eyed as if demanding him to exin further.

    "You should hear the details from them," Si-Hun said as he turned to the door. "You cane in."

    <em>Creak.</em>

    A woman carefully opened the office door and entered.

    "Ah¡­" La muttered wide-eyed as sheid eyes on the woman.

    Her ck hair reached slightly past her shoulders. She had golden gem-like eyes and wless pale skin. Her nose and jawline were well-defined, and her eyes were slightly upturned.

    "<em>Gulp</em>."

    Most of all, the woman exuded an aura so elegant that La couldn¡¯t help but swallow her saliva. La could barely open her mouth from the pressure that felt as if she were before someone of noble blood. A woman of mysterious beauty elegantly entered the room.

    "I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Mr. Kim. You were Miss La¡­ correct?"

    "Ah, yes."

    La withered as the woman¡¯s soft voice echoed inside her head. One would not think she was Gaia¡¯s incarnation and the leader of a mammoth organization from seeing her current state. The woman courteously bowed.

    "It¡¯s an honor to meet the hero who leads Guardians." The woman smiled radiantly and stretched out her hand. "My name is Oh Kang-Hee."

    Oh Kang-Hee, the cupid of love who would reconnect the severed connection between La and Si-Hun, appeared.

    1. Leviathan is the Prince of Envy. The Korean word for the deadly sin envy is closer to jealousy, hence the slight difference in the terms used. ?

 Side Story Chapter 10: Oh Kang-Hee, Cupid of Love (4)

    "Ah, yes. It¡¯s nice to meet you."

    La stared wide-eyed at the mysterious beauty who named herself Oh Kang-Hee.

    <em>¡¯She was Korean¡­?¡¯</em>

    La expected Kang-Hee to be royalty like Iris due to her natural elegance and high aura.

    <em>¡¯Is she from a conglomerate family?¡¯</em>

    La knew that although there was no nobility in Korea, there existed an invisible hierarchy based on one¡¯s wealth.

    "La?" Kim Si-Hun called.

    "Oh, I¡¯m sorry."

    La, who had been intently observing Kang-Hee, came to her senses. She bowed modestly and grabbed the hand Kang-Hee stretched out. Her hands were soft.<em>¡¯She¡¯s not a warrior.¡¯</em>

    The hands of warriors were covered in calluses regardless of whether they were men or women.

    "Are you a mage or healer, Kang-Hee?" La asked.

    "Oh, I¡­"

    "She isn¡¯t a yer," Si-Hun interjected.

    La stared at Kang-Hee in surprise. She asked, "You were in a Gate despite not being a yer?¡¯

    Si-Hun had said that Kang-Hee had acquired special powers in a Gate like Kim Tae-Hyun had. Non-yers were prohibited from entering Gates.

    "I didn¡¯t enter of my own ord," Kang-Hee replied.

    "Then¡­"

    "She was caught in a Gate expansion," Si-Hun rified.

    La looked at Kang-Hee in surprise again. Although monstersing out of Gates to attack things around them wasmon, the Gate itself increasing in size was a very rare phenomenon.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    Although rare, there had been a few precedents. Si-Hun said that he had discovered an abnormal Gate phenomenon, so an ordinary citizen getting caught in a Gate expansion was more than possible.

    "I guess I should make my report of the incident." Si-Hun nced at Kang-Hee and continued, "I happened to see the Gate expansion when I was in Daejeon and headed to it right away. And, uhhh¡­"

    Cold sweats formed on Si-Hun¡¯s forehead as he was exining. He began to look around anxiously like a man who needed to poop after being constipated for five days but couldn¡¯t find a bathroom near him. Kang-Hee gently stepped on Si-Hun¡¯s foot.

    "And Si-Hun saved me after I was swept into the Gate. Right?"

    "Ah, yes. That¡¯s right."

    La tilted her head in confusion, noticing the irregrity in Si-Hun¡¯s expression, and then turned to Kang-Hee. "What did you see in the Gate?"

    "Well¡­ I don¡¯t quite remember," Kang-Hee expressed as she elegantly ced her finger on her lip; even such a simple motion made her feel like royalty. She looked up as if rummaging through her memories and continued, "It was like¡­ outer space. It was full of stars, and¡­ I also saw a super bright Milky Way."

    "Inside the Gate¡­?"

    Kang-Hee softly nodded.

    Then Si-Hun, who was speed-reading a piece of paper he had taken out of his pocket, remarked, "She¡¯s right. The inside of the Gate was like outer space. There weren¡¯t any monsters, but¡­ something like a ck hole was sucking her in."

    "And that¡¯s when you saved her, Si-Hun?"

    "Yes, that¡¯s right," Si-Hun replied, nodding in satisfaction for some reason.

    Kang-Hee stepped on Si-Hun¡¯s foot again out of La¡¯s field of view.

    "What happened to that Gate?" La asked.

    "It disappeared as soon as I rescued Kang-Hee."

    "Hmm."

    Gates did not usually vanish by themselves. La fell into thought as she stroked her chin.

    <em>¡¯As Si-Hun reported, it¡¯s not an ordinary Gate.¡¯</em>

    It could be a sign of an uing otherworldly invasion.

    "So, what special power did Kang-Hee obtain?"

    The power she obtained was more important than the cause of the abnormal Gate phenomenon.

    "I¡­" Kang-Hee slowly stood up and her ck hair slightly floated as if defying gravity. "Gained the power to meddle with something known as¡­ the Law of Titans."

    "Pardon¡­?" La¡¯s eyes widened due to Kang-Hee¡¯s shocking statement.

    The Law of Titans was the universalw that yers called the <em>System</em>, which could not be defied even by the gods.

    <em>¡¯She can meddle with such a thing?¡¯</em>

    "What do you¡­" La slurred.

    "Just a moment, please," Kang-Hee remarked as she closed her eyes and then slightly moved her lips as if mumbling something.

    <em>¡¯Are you gonna help me or not? Huh? If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m gonna fucking quit this guardian deity gig, got it? Do you wanna see how </em>The End of Evangelion <em>ends? Hm?¡¯</em>

    It seemed that was what she was mumbling, but La was so shocked that she didn¡¯t notice it.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [<em>Sniff¡­</em> Scumbag¡­ Motherfucker¡­ You have no idea how much shit I¡¯m going through right now¡­]

    [Correction. An erroneous message was generated due to an overload in the ¡¯Law of Titans.¡¯]

    [Temporarily granting yer La with the effect ¡¯Blessing of Titans¡¯ that drastically boosts all stats.]

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Immense power enveloped La.

    "Kyaah!" she yelled as uncontroble power suddenly rose from her. The unknown powersted for about ten seconds and faded. "<em>Huff, huff,</em> what was that¡­?"

    "I meddled with the System and cast a temporary buff on you," Kang-Hee answered.

    "I-Is that even possible?"

    It couldn¡¯t bepared to an ordinary buff. La stared at Kang-Hee in disbelief.

    "Yes. I can do other things as long as they are part of the Law of Titans. Things like permanently raising levels and granting new Traits to others¡­"

    La¡¯s mouth was agape as she heard about Kang-Hee¡¯s overpowered abilities. She called tremblingly, "S-Si-Hun."

    "Yes, La."

    "Information about Kang-Hee will be left as top ssified information. Tell only Kang-Woo and Grace¡ª no, don¡¯t even tell Grace. Only tell Kang-Woo about Kang-Hee."

    "Understood."

    "And I¡¯ll have you keep Kang-Hee safe for a while."

    Si-Hun nodded.

    Kang-Hee smiled faintly and asked, "Does that mean I can stay with you all the time, Si-Hun?"

    "Did you say¡­ Si-Hun[1]?"

    "Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I misspoke." Kang-Hee smiled and leaned on Si-Hun. "The truth is, Si-Hun and I have known each other for quite a while. Mm¡­ I guess <em>childhood friend</em> is the best way to put it?"

    "..."

    "I first met him at the 52nd annual Mir Electronics party. Fufu. We were both such cute children back then."

    "I-Is that so?" La remarked tremblingly.

    La expected Kang-Hee to be from a rich household based on her elegant attitude, but she never expected her to have been acquainted with Si-Hun since long ago.

    ¡¯Come to think of it, I heard Si-Hun¡¯s father is a chaebol[2]."

    Si-Hun ended up being abandoned because he was a concubine¡¯s son, but he lived in his father¡¯s home in the past.

    "I-I told you not to tell La!" shouted Si-Hun extremely awkwardly.

    However, La had no time to feel something was wrong due to Kang-Hee¡¯s following question.

    "Why not? Are you two dating or something?"

    Deathly silence fell in the office.

    "Well¡­ no."

    "Really? Then there¡¯s no need to hide it, is there?" said Kang-Hee as she hugged Si-Hun¡¯s arm.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    The pen La was holding was smashed into smithereens.

    <em>¡¯Nice, that¡¯s what I wanted to see!¡¯</em> Kang-Woo yelled in his head. <em>¡¯Man, it was worth putting all that time into my appearance and background.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo created his current appearance with the concept <emdy of a rich household</em> in mind and even added a setting where she could meddle with the System.

    <em>¡¯With this, she won¡¯t fall behind La in terms of looks and capability.¡¯</em>

    The decisive blow was the made-up past with Si-Hun, something La didn¡¯t have.

    <em>¡¯Hell yeah, this is the power of the childhood friend!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Hee looked at La as she smiled like a victor; La¡¯s eyes reflected a vivid sense of jealousy. Kang-Hee hugged Si-Hun¡¯s arm harder as if to show off.

    "Y-You two seem¡­ close," La remarked.

    "No, we weren¡¯t that close. I say childhood friend but we rarely kept in touch¡­"

    "But," Kang-Hee mentioned as she twisted around with her face reddened, "Si-Hun¡­ save my life¡­ I don¡¯t even want to imagine what would¡¯ve happened to me if I had stayed stuck in that Gate."

    La shook as if she were struck by lightning, staring at the embarrassed Kang-Hee.

    <em>¡¯S-She¡¯s cute!!¡¯</em> La thought.

    An elegant nobledy was getting embarrassed with her face reddened. Something welled up from inside La as she recalled what sort of rtionship Si-Hun and Kang-Hee had.

    <em>¡¯Childhood friend¡­dy of a rich household¡­ life¡¯s savior¡­ Hitom¡ª urgh, m-my head!¡¯</em>

    La knew it would sell like hotcakes if this story were to be adapted to an ero manga.

    "You seem to be stuck quite c-close to him¡­ despite saying you¡¯re not close."

    "My, I¡¯m sorry," Kang-Hee said as she hugged Si-Hun tighter instead. She tantly put Si-Hun¡¯s arm between her breasts. "But I can¡¯t forget¡­ how cool Si-Hun was as he saved me. Fufu, it¡¯s a bit old-fashioned, but¡­ he was like a knight in shining armor."

    Kang-Hee leaned her head on Si-Hun¡¯s broad shoulder and carefully interlocked her fingers with his.

    She then whispered in his ear, "Thanks, Si-Hun. If it weren¡¯t for you¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be here."

    La¡¯s expression crumpled even more. Kang-Hee smiled in a way that La couldn¡¯t see it.

    <em>¡¯Alright, we¡¯re almost there!!¡¯</em>

    From La¡¯s reactions, Kang-Woo could tell they were only a few more pushes away until her jealousy burst. Once that happened, her stagnant rtionship with Si-Hun would surely take off. Kang-Woo nodded in satisfaction as things were going perfectly to n.

    <em>¡¯How about it, Si-Hun?! I told you that you could trust me!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked up at Si-Hun as if boasting."U-Uhh, Y-Yeah¡­"

    <em>¡¯Why the hell is your face red, bro?¡¯</em>

    "I-I o-o-o-o-o-o-only did¡­ what I-I should have d-done."

    <em>¡¯What the hell is wrong with this dude?¡¯</em>

    1. La is surprised because Kang-Hee is addressing Si-Hun very casually, but it doesn¡¯t trante well in English. ?

    2. Chaebol refers to a single family (or a member of the family) that runs and controls a South Korean conglomerate. ?

 Side Story Chapter 11: Oh Kang-Hee, Cupid of Love (5)

    During the five days since the operationmenced, Oh Kang-Woo purposefully clung to Kim Si-Hun tantly in front of La to get under her skin. La was boiling with rage inside, but she couldn¡¯t do anything since she and Si-Hun had broken up. The crevice between them was getting deeper and deeper.

    "There¡¯s¡­ something missing," Kang-Woo said in dissatisfaction.

    He was in their luxurious apartment penthouse on the coast, where he lived together with Lilith, Han Seol-Ah, and Echidna, who had been absent as ofte.

    "Are you referring to La and Si-Hun?" asked Lilith, who was hugging Kang-Woo as his left buttock was on herp.

    Kang-Woo had already exined to Seol-Ah and Lilith theplex situation between Si-Hun and La. Not only was there no need to hide it, but he also needed help from Lilith to create the <em>Oh Kang-Hee</em> persona.

    "Unnie, scooch over a little. Kang-Woo is ufortable," Seol-Ah said as she pulled Kang-Woo¡¯s right buttock on herp closer to her.

    "My, what are you talking about? He was right in the middle."

    "He was a little closer to you."

    The two women on the couch bickered with each other as they pulled Kang-Woo on theirps."Enough. I¡¯m thinking," said Kang-Woo in slight irritation as he was being swayed left and right.

    The two women stopped.

    "I¡¯m sorry, Kang-Woo¡­" Seol-Ah lowered her head in dejection.

    "It¡¯s okay."

    Kang-Woo smiled and shook his head to uplift the mood. Seol-Ah smiled brightly again and brought a slice of fruit on the table to Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth.

    "Here, have some fruit," Seol-Ah suggested.

    "Thanks."

    "That aside, what do you mean by something is missing?"

    "There¡¯s something about to bloom between Si-Hun and La¡­ but it¡¯s dawdling for some reason," answered Kang-Woo as he frowned.

    He was getting frustrated out of his mind as they were both only standing by and watching.

    "Fufu. How kind you are, my king. You¡¯re working so hard for those two."

    "He¡¯s my precious little brother. It¡¯s the least I can do."

    <em>¡¯And I might take the brunt of the effects if I do nothing about it.¡¯</em>

    "More importantly, could I see your female transformation?" asked Seol-Ah, her eyes shining.

    "No," Kang-Woo answered.

    "Why not~?"

    "I can only use it once a day."

    "Just once. Please, just once!"

    Kang-Woo sighed as Seol-Ah desperately begged and used <em>Mimicry</em>, turning instantly from a little boy to a maiden from a rich household.

    "W-Wow! Y-You¡¯re so pretty!!" Seol-Ah shouted excitedly.

    "Hmm." Lilith stroked her chin as if she were not interested in the <em>Oh Kang-Hee</em> mode and asked, "Maybe they¡¯recking stimulus?"

    "Stimulus?"

    "Yes. I believe you just clinging to Si-Hun isn¡¯t stimting enough."

    "Then what should I do?"

    <em>¡¯I can¡¯t have Si-Hun clinging to me. That¡¯s gonna do way more than induce jealousy.¡¯</em>

    "Oh, how about something like this?"

    Lilith pped her hands together as her eyes shone, having thought of a great idea. She smiled widely and let Kang-Woo know of her idea.

    "That¡¯s¡­ not bad."

    Kang-Woo nodded with great interest. It would certainly be effective in forcing La¡¯s jealousy to reach its tipping point.

    "Fufu, right?"

    "I¡¯m gonna go tell Balrog," said Kang-Woo as he jumped out of the two women¡¯sps.

    Balrog was imperative for this n to work.

    <em>¡¯Alright.¡¯</em> Kang-Woo clenched his fists. <em>¡¯I¡¯ll put an end to this by today.¡¯</em>

    It was rather entertaining at first but he was getting tired of the <em>Oh Kang-Hee</em> mode. He could tell it was time toplete Operation Cupid of Love.

    "Oh right, Kang-Woo," Seol-Ah called.

    "Hm?"

    "You have toe back by 8 PM today."

    "To do what¡­?" Kang-Woo nced at Seol-Ah warily.

    "It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking. I mean, we¡¯re also gonna be doing what you¡¯re thinking of."

    "..."

    "You were curious about what Echidna has been up totely, right?"

    "Yeah."

    "You¡¯ll see what it is tonight."

    Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah curiously and nodded. "Alright. I¡¯ll be back by eight."

    Kang-Woo opened the front door as he waved. He took the elevator down to where Balrog was, told him of Lilith¡¯s n, and walked out of the apartment. The summer of Haeundae was as sweltering as always.

    "Right, then."

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s time for the final phase of Operation Cupid of Love.¡¯</em>

    ***

    "Hi~ It¡¯s nice seeing you so often these days."

    Kang-Hee smiled as she looked at Si-Hun, sitting in a coffee shop near Haeundae station.

    "Yes. Did youe across any issues as you came here?" Si-Hun asked.

    "Come on, why are you speaking so formally? Loosen up."

    "Haha, fine."

    Si-Hun got up from his seat and gently pulled out a chair for Kang-Hee to sit.

    <em>¡¯Dayum. I think my heart skipped a beat there.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s heart beat faster for some reason as an extremely handsome man showed him impable manners.

    <em>¡¯No, no, fuck no. This isn¡¯t the time.¡¯</em>

    He quickly shook his head. Now was not the time for his heart to skip beats.

    "Oh, you¡¯re here too, Miss La."

    "Yes," replied La as she chugged a hot coffee.

    She was staring at Kang-Hee with narrow eyes with a hard frown.

    <em>¡¯Yeah, that¡¯s it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-W¡ª no, Kang-Hee smiled in her head as she stared at La¡¯s reaction.

    <em>¡¯Her jealousy has gotten a lot strongerpared to what it used to be.¡¯</em>

    Her eyes were so ferocious that she looked like she would explode from just one touch. It was proof that she still had feelings for Si-Hun.

    "What do you usually get for coffee? It¡¯s on me," Si-Hun remarked.

    Kang-Hee¡¯s phenomenal acting was mostly what drove La this far back into a corner, but Si-Hun¡¯s honest responses to her acting also yed a big part. Kang-Hee nced at Si-Hun as she smiled on the outside.

    <em>¡¯This son of a bitch isn¡¯t capable of acting this good.¡¯</em>

    He was awkward beyond belief at the start of this operation, but his acting(?) got better and better as time went on for some reason, and now he was staring at Kang-Hee as if he were actually in love.

    <em>¡¯Isn¡¯t this fucking bad?¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun knew Kang-Hee¡¯s true identity, but that did not relieve Kang-Woo in any way. In the first ce, this operation wasmenced so that Kang-Woo could protect his bottom from Si-Hun, who had lost his way.

    <em>¡¯I need to end this soon.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could not take his time any longer.

    "Iced americano, please. Oh, with one less shot," Kang-Hee replied.

    "Got it."

    Si-Hun stood up and headed to the counter.

    The air turned awkward as soon as Si-Hun left. Kang-Hee swept down her jet-ck hair and nced at La.

    "Aren¡¯t you busy, Miss La? You don¡¯t have to go out of your way to be with us¡­"

    "Not at all. You are a very important individual for Guardians."

    "My, I appreciate your consideration, but I think Si-Hun is more than enough."

    "Hoho. Are you ufortable with me here?"

    "Hoho. Of course not. Why would I be?"

    Sparks flew between the two women(?). Kang-Hee smiled and stared intently at La.

    "What is it¡­?" La asked.

    "It¡¯s nothing. I just thought¡­ you must like Si-Hun quite a lot."

    "Pfft!" La spat out her drink. "Wh-What are you talking about?!"

    "Hohoho. Did you think I wouldn¡¯t know?" Kang-Hee elegantly put one leg over the other and red at La sharply. "I¡¯m not gonna give up on Si-Hun."

    La¡¯s expression hardened.

    "Here¡¯s your coffee," Si-Hun said as he walked over with a tray containing a cup of coffee.

    "Thanks." Kang-Hee casually took the coffee and continued, "Right, since I¡¯ve been in your care all this time, I would like to treat you both to a meal."

    "A meal¡­?"

    "Yes, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it. It¡¯s a famous ce." Kang-Hee downed the iced americano and stood up. "Let¡¯s go."

    La and Si-Hun nced at each other and stood up to follow after Kang-Hee.

    ***

    "Oh, let me get my car. Please wait here," said Kang-Hee as she walked to the parking lot.

    Si-Hun and La, left by themselves, stood awkwardly as they looked away from each other.

    <em>¡¯Good.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Hee smiled as she noticed that and then took out her smartphone to call someone.

    "Whistle~ Damn, girl! That¡¯s a killer body you¡¯ve got there!"

    Soon after, a flirtatious voice sounded from the entrance of the parking lot, which was devoid of people because a barrier was ced beforehand.

    <em>¡¯Wow, Balrog. You¡¯re going all out. I like themitment.¡¯</em>

    A man wearing sunsses with tanned skin and hair dyed blond, the textbook appearance of a thug, walked toward Kang-Hee. Balrog, who was wearing an outrageous aloha shirt he had gotten who knows where, was also wearing a pendant that allowed him to transform into a human, made by Vaal Zahak.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ll hammer the nail in the coffin with this.¡¯</em>

    To summarize Lilith¡¯s n, Balrog, transformed into a thug, would hit on Kang-Hee. Seeing that, Si-Hun would rescue Kang-Hee in front of La. Kang-Hee would then be moved by Si-Hun¡¯s heroics and confess to Si-Hun in front of La, who was already at her tipping point after her earlier conversation with Kang-Hee.

    <em>¡¯She won¡¯t stand for it!¡¯</em>

    It sounded a bit too clich¨¦, but such tropes became clich¨¦s for a reason. A woman saw a man whom she loved saving another woman, who was also in love with him, in front of her. That other woman then confessed to the man on the spot. La, who would be put in such a situation, would no doubt be so anxious that she would explode.

    <em>¡¯Alright, bring it!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled he exchanged nces with Balrog.

    "Wh-Who are you?" Kang-Hee said as she stepped backward, using her acting ability to the fullest.

    "I just wanna talk. Why don¡¯t youe with me for a sec, yeah? Kekeke."

    Balrog¡¯s eyes beamed lecherously as he walked toward Kang-Hee.

    <em>¡¯Alright, now once I scream and summon Si-Hun, Operation Cupid of Love will beplete¡­!¡¯</em>

    "Kang-Hee, I have something to discuss with¡ª <em>Gasp!</em>"

    "Huh?"

    La appeared out of nowhere before Kang-Hee had a chance to scream. She stared wide-eyed at Balrog.

    "Y-You¡¯re¡­!"

    <em>¡¯What? Did she see through the disguise?¡¯</em>

    "A tanned blond man!!!"

    <em>¡¯What¡¯s wrong with being tanned and blond?¡¯</em>

    "Arghhh!!"

    <em>¡¯Why are you so angry, La? Balrog hasn¡¯t even done anything yet.¡¯</em>

    "YOU NTR SCUM[1]!!"

    <em>¡¯Pardon?¡¯</em>

    "DEATH TO TANNED BLOND MEN!!!"

    <em>¡¯What the hell is this woman talking about?¡¯</em>

    La charged at Balrog, the tanned blond man, with supersonic speed before Kang-Woo even had a chance to react.

    "Huh? Wait a¡­"

    Balrog stepped back in confusion as things were not progressing to n.

    "TAG: NTR KICK!!!"

    <em>Bash¡ª!!</em>

    La¡¯s flying kick smashed into Balrog.

    "Kurgh!"

    Balrog was blown away as if he was struck by an eight-tonne truck.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    Balrog wouldn¡¯t be hurt by such an attack just because he transformed into a human, but his pendant shattered like a figure that a nephew dropped when they came over on a holiday.

    Silence fell.

    "Huh¡­? What is Balrog doing here¡­?"

    The tanned blond man turned into a five-meter-tall demon.

    Balrog, who had turned back into a demon was looking up dumbfoundedly at La, who was also staring at him with her mouth agape. Si-Hun, who only just arrived, waspletely frozen.

    Kang-Woo pped his forehead.

    "Fuck my life¡­"

    <em>¡¯I think we¡¯re fucked.¡¯</em>

    1. A thug with tanned skin and blond hair (known as ??? in Korean) is pretty much the symbol of NTR in Korea because they are the staple of many Korean NTR media. ?

 Side Story Chapter 12: Oh Kang-Hee, Cupid of Love (6)

    Side Story Chapter 12: Oh Kang-Hee, Cupid of Love (6)

    "Wh-Why is Balrog here¡­? What is going on¡­?"

    La stared at Balrog in confusion. She had exacted divine judgment on a tanned blond man who tried to make a pass at Oh Kang-Hee, but it turned out to be Balrog; it was only natural she would be confused.

    <em>¡¯Could Balrog have been dealing in depravities like this in secret all this time¡­?¡¯</em>

    A horrible thought popped up in her head, but she shook her head.

    <em>¡¯That¡¯s impossible.¡¯</em>

    La knew what kind of person Balrog was; she couldn¡¯t imagine him secretly turning into a human and making passes at women. In the first ce, Balrog was a demon; La heard that demons, who had different beauty standards from humans, couldn¡¯t distinguish between beautiful and ugly. In other words, Balrog would have no reason to make a pass at Kang-Hee just because she was a bombshell human woman.

    "Uhh¡­ well¡­" Kang-Hee stammered.

    Not even Kang-Woo could immediately think of a way to exin an absurd situation like this.

    "La¡­" Si-Hun slurred, his face pale.Si-Hun was the bigger problem; Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t expect him, worse at acting than a K-Pop idol, to smoother over this situation.

    La narrowed her eyes. Unlike the goddess she served, she was very quick-witted. It was not difficult for her to notice something was wrong.

    "Si-Hun. Could you exin to me what is going on here?"

    "W-Well¡­"

    "No, let me ask someone else." La turned to Kang-Hee and asked, "Could you exin to me what is going on here, <em>Kang-Woo</em>?"

    Kang-H¡ª no, Kang-Woo shut his eyes tightly.

    <em>¡¯Fuck.¡¯</em>

    The situation couldn¡¯t be salvaged anymore. Kang-Woo boiled with rage as he stared at Balrog, lying on the ground dumbfoundedly.

    "Balrog, you stupid son of a bitch. You could¡¯ve easily dodged that¡­!"

    "I didn¡¯t expect her to just attack me out of nowhere!" shouted Balrog in frustration. "What kind of woman attacks a man because they¡¯re tanned and blond?!"

    <em>¡¯That fucking woman next to you.¡¯</em>

    "I am not in the wrong!"

    <em>¡¯I know you aren¡¯t, dammit. But there¡¯s no one else to me.¡¯</em>

    "Hyung-nim¡­ It¡¯s all over now."

    Si-Hun lowered his head as if the world hade to an end. Now that La found out about their absurd n, Si-Hun couldn¡¯t hope to get back together with La. Everything was over; his love and the five days¡¯ worth of effort.

    "Arghhh!" Kang-Woo screamed as he pulled on his hair. He had no idea where it had gone wrong. "Shit! We should¡¯ve just gone with a love letter like I suggested!"

    "Why are you so obsessed with that love letter nonsense?!" Si-Hun screamed back.

    "It worked perfectly fine back in my day!"

    "You hadn¡¯t dated a single woman back then! Don¡¯t lie!"

    "<em>Gasp</em>, y-you son of a bitch, how dare you?!"

    "Kurgh¡­ Muscles! We should have just gone with building muscles from the start instead of this stupidly tedious method!!" Balrog yelled.

    "Shut the fuck up! You were talking about how jealousy would breed desire or some shit like that!"

    The three men were back to square one, bickering with no sense of agreement. The screams of three idiots echoed throughout the empty parking lot.

    "Enough," Lamanded as she stared coldly at the three idiots.

    The yelling stopped instantly.

    La slowly walked in the silence and repeated, "I believe I asked what is going on here."

    The three men couldn¡¯t open their mouths, pressured by her overpowering aura. Kang-Woo bit his lip and clenched his fists.

    <em>¡¯I never expected the operation to fail in this way¡­!¡¯</em>

    This was the first time in his ten millennia of life that an operation failed in such an idiotic way.

    <em>¡¯What¡¯s so bad about tanned blond men? Forget that, even if someone were to witness someone getting followed, wouldn¡¯t they normally figure out exactly what¡¯s going on before attacking?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not expect La to outright kick Balrog.

    <em>¡¯This is nder to all tanned blond men! Do you have any idea how they must be feeling right now? Huh?!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo criticized La in his head but couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it out loud since it was true that he was caught pulling bullshit. It was only natural for the liar to keep their mouth shut and look down after they were caught in their lies.

    "It¡¯s my fault, La," Si-Hun expressed.

    "Si-Hun¡­?"

    "I was the one¡­ who asked hyung to do this." Si-Hun approached La and bowed deeply. "Ever since we broke up a year ago¡­ not a single day has passed that I did not regret it."

    <em>¡¯Dammit, Si-Hun. This isn¡¯t the time to be putting on a pity show. Just shut up and keep your goddamn head down.¡¯</em>

    "I know that mycking self¡­ and my petty obstinacy left you with an unheble wound."

    <em>¡¯Bro, stop with the bullshit and just get down on the ground! This isn¡¯t the time for a confession, dammit!!¡¯</em>

    "I wanted to ask for forgiveness, but¡­ I didn¡¯t have the courage to. I don¡¯t even know if I deserve to be forgiven¡­ after how much I¡¯ve hurt you."

    <em>¡¯You have to first get on your goddamn knees and smash your head on the ground to be forgiven! What the hell are you doing, standing so tall? Look at me, my head is on the ground. I¡¯m not above begging like this.¡¯</em>

    "I¡¯m sorry, La."¡¯

    "You call that¡­ an excuse?"

    <em>¡¯See? She¡¯s angry because you¡¯re not doing a dogeza.¡¯</em>

    "You did something so absurd just to ask for my forgiveness?"

    <em>¡¯You¡¯re gonna get a flying kick from La too. That¡¯s on you. It¡¯s not my problem.¡¯</em>

    "You¡¯re an¡­" La slurred as her shoulders trembled and tears flowed down her cheeks.

    <em>¡¯Herees the eight-tonne truck!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes as if he couldn¡¯t bear to watch the brutality that would ensue.

    "Idiot!"

    Kang-Woo heard not a critical strike but the delicate sound of kissing.

    <em>¡¯The fuck? What¡¯s going on?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo opened his eyes and looked up to see La and Si-Hun kissing passionately.

    "The fuck?"

    <em>¡¯Why are they going at it like that?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned to Balrog in confusion but he was also wide-eyed, unable to understand the turn of events.

    "La¡­"

    "You idiot¡­ You could¡¯ve just been honest with me instead of doing something as stupid as this." La leaned her head on Si-Hun¡¯s broad chest as she cried. She muttered lovingly, "I¡¯m¡­ also sorry that I couldn¡¯t properly reach out to you back then."

    "La!" Si-Hun shouted as he embraced La and they kissed again.

    "Wait just a goddamn second. Excuse me, you two?"

    <em>¡¯What do I be if it gets resolved that easily? Huh? What bes of my five days¡¯ worth of effort?¡¯</em>

    "Shouldn¡¯t you be pping Si-Hun in the face and getting angry at him? Huh? Am I misunderstanding something?"

    <em>¡¯Why does he get forgiven without even a p on the wrist for deceiving? Is it because he¡¯s hot? Hm? Is it?¡¯</em>

    "I¡¯m extremely disappointed in you, Kang-Woo," La said.

    "What? Why me?"

    <em>¡¯Why is Si-Hun forgiven and not me?¡¯</em>

    "You¡¯re the one who nned this, aren¡¯t you? There¡¯s no way Si-Hun would think of such a thing."

    "I mean, I can¡¯t deny that."

    "I knew you were the mastermind."

    "This is so fucking unfair."

    <em>¡¯I only wanted to help my one and only little brother!!¡¯</em>

    "Just you wait," La expressed.

    "Hah."

    <em>¡¯Wait for what? What can you possibly do to me? Huh?! I¡¯ve done nothing wrong!!¡¯</em>

    "I¡¯m going to teach Seol-Ah something more extreme than mommy roley."

    "Wait just a fucking second."

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am. It¡¯s all my fault.¡¯</em>

    "Stop, La. I asked hyung to do this. That is the truth."

    "Really¡­?"

    "Yes. I wanted to do whatever it took¡­ to get back together with you. I¡¯m sorry."

    Si-Hun got on one knee in front of La and lowered his head. It would have been cringe if any other man did it but Si-Hun made it feel like a scene out of a movie.

    "S-Si-Hun¡­" La muttered.

    <em>¡¯What the fuck is with this difference in treatment? You¡¯ve never shown me that kind of expression, woman.¡¯</em>

    "This¡­ This isn¡¯t fair¡­"

    <em>¡¯Why am I the only one reproached? What did I do so wrong?¡¯</em>

    A few moments passed.

    "I¡¯ll be going to talk in private with La," Si-Hun said.

    "This is thest time, Kang-Woo. Do something like this again, and I will teach Seol-Ah some unimaginable roley."

    The two people, who managed to confirm their feelings for each other after a year, left with a smile.

    Balrog ced his hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder and patted it as if consoling Kang-Woo. "Let us¡­ go home."

    Balrog turned around. Kang-Woo was left alone as he stared nkly at where Si-Hun and La were.

    "Fuck¡­"

    Although Operation Cupid of Love was a sess, all that was left were wounds.

    ***

    <em>Click.</em>

    "I¡¯m back."

    "Wee back, Kang-Woo~"

    A gentle voice healed Kang-Woo¡¯s soul as soon as he opened the front door.

    "Darling~!"

    "My, wh-what¡¯s wrong, Kang-Woo?"

    Kang-Woo hugged Han Seol-Ah and buried his face between two voluptuous mountains.

    "It¡¯s not fair¡­ Life isn¡¯t fair¡­"

    He vented his sorrows in her arms. Seol-Ah looked down at him in worry and then smiled as she patted his head.

    "Now, now. It¡¯s okay, Kang-Woo."

    A warm feeling spread throughout Kang-Woo as Seol-Ah whispered gently in his ear.

    "Fuuu," he exhaled.

    "Did something happen?"

    "I¡¯ll tell youter."

    "Mm¡­ Okay." Seol-Ah did not pry for details. "Right, Kang-Woo. It¡¯s almost 8 PM."

    "Oh, right." Only then did Kang-Woo remember that he was supposed to be back by eight. "Where¡¯s Echidna?"

    "Hoho, you¡¯ll see," Seol-Ah replied as she dragged Kang-Woo by the arm to the living room couch in front of the TV.

    "Hm?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head as he sat on the couch, and Seol-Ah sat next to him, so close that their butts were touching. She picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

    <em>- Ladies and gentlemen! The time we¡¯ve all been waiting for is here!</em>

    Seol-Ah changed the channel to a show host shouting on a shily-designed stage. The electric signboard had <em>Idol Wars!</em> written on it.

    "What is this?" Kang-Woo asked as he tilted his head and stared at the TV.

    <em>- Today¡¯s highlight match stars one of our strongest winner candidates! The rookie who arrived like a supernova and has been winning every Rookie Award ever since! The star who has been rewriting the history of the idol industry¡­!</em>

    The stage lights moved erratically and then all focused on a girl standing in the middle of the stage.

    <em>- Echidna!!</em>

    <em>¡¯What?¡¯</em>

    <em>- Hm! Hm! Hey, everyone!</em>

    <em>¡¯The fuck is going on here? Why is Echidna there¡­? Am I dreaming?¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 13: Idol Echidna (1)

    Side Story Chapter 13: Idol Echidna (1)

    "What¡¯s¡­ this?" Oh Kang-Woo muttered as he watched the cheerful girl on the TV screen.

    Echidna, who was wearing an outfit full of frills and drooping decorations, a design as outrageous as Balrog¡¯s aloha shirt, was walking to the front of the stage. She was cutely jumping up and down with a mic in her hand.

    "Hohoho. Were you surprised?" asked Han Seol-Ah as she giggled.

    Kang-Woo nodded dumbfoundedly. "I never thought her job would be something like this."

    He remembered Echidna being obsessed with a certain anime about idols, but he never expected her to be one herself. He stared at Seol-Ah as if asking what happened.

    Seol-Ah ced her index finger on her chin and rummaged through her memories. "Mm¡­ After you disappeared, everyone was¡­ not doing so well. Haha, I guess I¡¯m not one to talk."

    Sheughed awkwardly and swept her hair back. Kang-Woo had already heard about this from Si-Hun.

    "Echidna was¡­ especially bad."

    Kang-Woo nodded in silence with a heavy expression.Echidna was highly sensitive to loneliness because she experienced her parent abandoning her. She was highly dependent on Kang-Woo; although she wasn¡¯t as bad as Seol-Ah, who was instinctively obsessed with Kang-Woo, his vacancy would have left a huge impact on Echidna.

    "That¡¯s why Yeon-Joo suggested she start working as an idol, hoping the audience¡¯s enthusiasm and cheers would lessen her loneliness."

    "Mm. I see."

    Others had also been suffering from his vacancy while Kang-Woo was battling against the Abyss. He somewhat expected it, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart breaking after hearing about it.

    <em>¡¯Yeon-Joo seems to have helped a lot.¡¯</em>

    She not only helped Echidna but also Seol-Ah, who had practically be a lifeless bum after Kang-Woo disappeared. She had visited Seol-Ah from time to time to care for her.

    <em>¡¯I should visit her.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo heard Yeon-Jo was busy with matters regarding Seoultely, but she would likely have enough time to at least meet with him. He stopped thinking about Yeon-Joo and turned back to the TV screen. Echidna was waving at the audience with a wide smile.

    "So, she won all the Rookie Awards as soon as she began working as an idol?"

    "Hoho. You know how cute our Echidna is. She¡¯s also an amazing singer."

    Seol-Ah puffed her chest out, proud of Echidna on TV. Kang-Woo snickered, seeing Seol-Ah acting like a parent boasting about their child.

    "Yeah, she sure is cute."

    No one could deny that Echidna looked insanely cute in her stage outfit.

    <em>¡¯Is this what you call a sessful otaku?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled Echidna going crazy over a certain idol anime; the posters and figures of that anime were still filling her room.

    <em>¡¯In these perilous times.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo lightly clicked his tongue but couldn¡¯t help but smile as he stared at the smiling Echidna on TV. Echidna went back to the middle of the stage once she finished greeting her fans and the voice of the show host echoed throughout the stage.

    <em>- Now, then! We will be broadcasting Echidna¡¯s performance live! Make sure you put in your vote! To vote, use the number¡­</em>

    A number popped up at the bottom of the screen. Kang-Woo pulled out his smartphone without hesitation and sent dozens of votes that cost 200 won.

    "The hell? Why does this only work once?"

    He made dozens of votes but only one went through. He frowned as he fidgeted with his smartphone.

    "It¡¯s only one vote per person, Kang-Woo," Seol-Ah exined.

    "What a dumb rule. I¡¯m literally trying to give them more money."

    "Hohoho. Just a second."

    Seol-Ah got up and went to her room. She came back out soon after with arge box.

    "What¡¯s that?"

    "Smartphone I¡¯ve bought for voting purposes! They¡¯re all under different names, so it won¡¯t be a problem!"

    "That¡¯s a huge waste of money."

    <em>¡¯How much money is that per vote?¡¯</em>

    "This is nothing but pocket change if it can allow Echidna to win!"

    "I don¡¯t think doing this will skew the result much."

    Even if the box was full, it was only a few hundred votes. It was a lot for one person, but it was a mere droppared to hundreds of thousands of votes.

    "E-Even so!"

    "Haha. Okay, Darling."

    Kang-Woo snickered as he helped Seol-Ah vote for Echidna using the smartphones in the box. It would have been far easier to set up a vote-rigging scheme using the money used to buy smartphones, but Kang-Woo didn¡¯t see the need to do so.

    <em>¡¯After all, Echidna is bound to win!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the TV screen with sparkling eyes. Echidna began to sing once the music yed.

    <em>- Shall I name this heart-rendering pain~ Snow Htion~!</em>[1]

    "Whoa."

    <em>¡¯What the hell? She¡¯s cute as fuck.¡¯</em>

    The audience cheered and chanted together as they swung their glowsticks once Echidna¡¯s song began.

    <em>- Hai! Hai! Hai! Hai!</em>

    <em>- Echidna</em>~<em>!</em>

    "I love you, Echidna!"

    Kang-Woo was cheering along with the audience before he realized it. He never had any interest in idols or celebrities, but seeing Echidna singing and dancing was firing him up.

    "Go, go, Echidna!!"

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists as he looked at the number of votes skyrocketing on one side of the screen.

    <em>¡¯Let¡¯s see some live reactions.¡¯</em>

    He turned on his smartphone and entered a live chat.

    [Idol Wars! Live Chat]

    JerryM: WOOOOOOOOOO!! ECHIDNA-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!

    Breathe: She¡¯s a literal angel. She¡¯s so cute.

    Wooden Spoon: Over here, officer!! Arrest this scum! No, I¡¯m not telling you to arrest me¡­

    Ro Yu-Jin: Women with tits smaller than F-cup aren¡¯t women in my eyes. I don¡¯t understand why you guys love Echidna so much.

    Woojin: Look out, guys, we have a massive tits lover here. I bet you¡¯d write an ending where all sixteen heroines are pregnant if you ever wrote a novel.

    Butterfly Valley: Kurgh¡­ Cough! I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ Lord Kakao¡­ I won¡¯t ever cross the li¡ª Gaaahhh!! Please¡­ anything but an age restriction¡­!

    Tresha: Echidna won for sure.

    Sagyesu: Didn¡¯t Echidna post on Instagram that she would make an important announcement if she wins?

    Sosori: Yeah, she did.

    <em>¡¯I knew it¡¯d be heated.¡¯</em>

    There were a few weirdments in between but most of them were infatuated with how cute Echidna was and talking about how they voted for her almost instantly. The corners of Kang-Woo¡¯s lips gradually rose. He felt an inexplicable sense of pride as Echidna got more and more positive attention.

    <em>¡¯This must be how a father feels when seeing his daughter seed in life.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo and Echidna technically were not blood-rted, but that was the feeling he got regardless.

    "Kyaaaaaaahhh! Oh my gosh, Kang-Woo! She¡¯s so cute!"

    "You should¡¯ve told me earlier that Echidna is an idol," Kang-Woo remarked as he stared at the screen and sighed.

    If he had known earlier, he would have gone to the venue to watch Echidna¡¯s performance in person.

    "Hehe. Echidna wanted to make a surprise announcement if she won, so she asked me to keep it a secret from you."

    "Ngh. What a shame."

    Kang-Woo stared at the dancing Echidna on the screen, disappointed he couldn¡¯t cheer for her in person. The lights became more extravagant as the song reached its climax. White confetti poured on the stage like snow as the song ended.

    - Yeaaaaaaahhh!!

    - What an adorable and lovely performance from Echidna!! Was there any doubt?! Alright! The votes are about to close, everyone! Put in your votes now!

    Echidna climbed down from the stage once her performance ended and the host wasted time talking about various pointless things to stall for five minutes. The show host then stopped talking and ced a finger on his earpiece, having received the result.

    - Alright! The winner has been decided!!

    A drumroll to induce tension echoed throughout the stage.

    - After putting together the votes from the judges, the online votes, and the audience votes¡­

    The stage lights moved erratically.

    - The winner of <em>Idol Wars!</em> is¡­ Echidna! Let¡¯s give her a round of apuse!

    "Hell yeah!!"

    "K-Kang-Woo! Echidna won!"

    Seol-Ah screamed in tion and embraced Kang-Woo.

    "Of course she did."

    Kang-Woo smiled as he looked at Echidna, smiling happily, on the screen.

    <em>¡¯This kind of life isn¡¯t so bad.¡¯</em>

    He could have never imagined this sort of joy back in Hell or even right before his final battle against Bael. He would have thought appearing on TV to sing and dance was stupid.

    <em>¡¯Because nothing else but survival mattered to me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at his small hands. He saved the world with them; he created a world where things other than survival mattered. That simple fact filled Kang-Woo¡¯s heart with inexplicable emotions.

    <em>¡¯Yeah¡­ I struggled to survive all this time in search of this peace.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly as he looked at Echidna, who was climbing back up on stage and walking to the middle of it after being announced as the winner.

    <em>- Echidna! Congrattions on your victory!</em>

    <em>- Hm! Thank you so much, everyone! I never thought I¡¯d actually win!</em>

    Echidna waved, her face flushed with excitement. The audience cheered harder.

    <em>- Haha! As expected of the nation¡¯s little sister! The response is insane!</em>

    <em>- Huh? I¡¯m not a little sister. I¡¯m super old.</em>

    <em>- Hahaha! You sure love to joke around. How old could you be when you¡¯re this cute?</em>

    The show host smiled gently and slightly touched Echidna¡¯s shoulder.

    <em>- BOOOOO!!</em>

    <em>- Take your hand off her, motherfucker!!</em>

    <em>- How dare you touch Echidna-sama¡¯s shoulder?!</em>

    <em>- Death! Sentence him to death!!</em>

    The audience cheering for Echidna suddenly began to curse and criticize the host. Kang-Woo could feel their bloodlust through the screen. The host stepped backward in surprise.

    "What the hell? Are they fanatical cultists or something?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression hardened as he witnessed the audience¡¯s abnormal reactions.

    "Oh~ I heard Echidna¡¯s fans are a bit hardcore."

    "That¡¯s an understatement."

    "I heard a male celebrity was ambushed with weapons after saying he wanted to meet Echidna."

    "What¡­?"

    <em>¡¯Ambushed?¡¯</em>

    "I heard they call themselves the <em>Watchmen</em>. They¡¯re a very systematic organization," Seol-Ah continued.

    "Damn, idol fans are no joke these days."

    "No, Kang-Woo. They¡¯re not to be trifled with just because they¡¯re an idol fan club."

    "Eh? Why??"

    "High Ranker yers and even gods are part of the club."

    "Even¡­ gods?"

    "Yes. The Dragon God is an especially avid fan of Echidna."

    <em>¡¯The fuck? Why the Dragon God?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled. The Dragon God was the one who cursed Kargath and turned him into a demonic dragon. It was ironic that the Dragon God was an avid fan of Echidna.

    "That¡¯s pretty much an army at that point," Kang-Woo remarked as he shook his head in exasperation.

    However, it was not bad news; it meant that Echidna had the best protection she could get.

    <em>¡¯Looks like anyone who hits on Echidna will pay a hefty price.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction.

    <em>- Ah, I-I¡¯m sorry, everyone. It was an ident¡­</em>

    The host broke into cold sweats and appeased the furious audience, whose bloodlust did not seem to wane.

    <em>- A-Ahem! Echidna! I saw on your Instagram that you had an important announcement to make if you won the Idol Wars! Is that true?</em>

    The host quickly changed the subject and brought the mic to Echidna.

    <em>- Hm! Yeah! I have an important announcement!</em>

    Echidna snorted and walked forward.

    "An announcement?" Kang-Woo mentioned curiously as he focused his attention on the screen.

    Echidna took the mic from the host, gripped it tightly with both hands, and shouted cheerfully.

    <em>- KANG-WOO!!!</em>

    <em>¡¯Shit, that surprised me. Why did she call my name out of the blue?¡¯</em>

    <em>- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING BACK! I MISSED YOU SO, SO, SO MUCH!</em>

    <em>"Oh. It¡¯s that thing celebrities do about how they would never havee this far without a certain person. Oh, you cutie.¡¯</em>

    <em>- HM! SO NOW¡­ MARRY ME TOO, ALONG WITH SEOL-AH!!!</em>

    "Wait¡­ what the fuck?"

    Deathly silence fell on the venue. Echidna¡¯s shocking announcement was broadcast worldwide live.

    "Does this mean I¡¯m fucked?"

    <em>¡¯Peace, my ass. There¡¯s no such thing in my life.¡¯</em>

    1. This is a real Love Live song called (as you could guess) <em>Snow Htion</em>. Check it out! ?

 Side Story Chapter 14: Idol Echidna (2)

    Side Story Chapter 14: Idol Echidna (2)

    The screen disying the stage was so still that it looked as if it were frozen. The show host bumbled dumbfoundedly as if he wasn¡¯t sure how to react to Echidna¡¯s shocking statement. It was only natural since the winner of a live idol program being broadcast all over the world openly proposed marriage to someone after practically bing the greatest idol in the world.

    "Fucking¡­ hallelujah."

    <em>¡¯Please tell me this is a dream, Jesus.¡¯</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo brought his hands together and prayed in front of the TV screen, which looked as if it were frozen.

    <em>¡¯Please let it all be a misunderstanding. Please let me wake up from this dream.¡¯</em>

    <em>- What¡­ do you mean, Echidna?</em>

    The host asked Echidna as if Kang-Woo¡¯s desperate prayers were answered. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone; this was a chance.

    <em>- Hm? I mean exactly what I said. I¡¯ve been so lonely because Kang-Woo has only been with Seol-Ahtely. I wanna be with Kang-Woo too!</em>

    <em>- Who is¡­ this person you call Kang-Woo?</em><em>¡¯Please tell him I¡¯m your brother or an anime character! It can still be sorted out that way!!¡¯</em>

    <em>- Hm! He¡¯s the most important person in my life!</em>

    <em>- H-Haha. As a brother or something, right? Oh, could he be an anime character? I heard you love anime.</em>

    <em>¡¯Nice! I knew you were listening, Jesus! I had faith in you! I never once doubted you!¡¯</em>

    <em>- Huh? What are you talking about? I do love anime, but I can differentiate between 2D and 3D. Kang-Woo is someone I love as a male.</em>

    <em>¡¯Jesus, you motherfucker. Shut that girl¡¯s mouth this instant! Please, someone shut that girl up!!!¡¯</em>

    <em>- Wh-What?! What the hell does that mean?!!</em>

    <em>- Marriage?! Echidna-sama is getting married?!!</em>

    <em>- Wh-Who dared toy his filthy hands on our pure Echidna-sama?!</em>

    <em>- Demon!</em>

    <em>- It must be the work of a wicked demon!!</em>

    "I mean, I am a demon, but guys."

    <em>¡¯I can swear on my life I¡¯ve neverid a hand on Echidna. I¡¯d be crazy to do anything to her. Why don¡¯t we all start thinking logically, yeah?¡¯</em>

    It was true that Kang-Woo did not see Echidna romantically because of her appearance; it did not matter how old she was. Although he was a scumbag, he was not irredeemable trash who would lust for a little girl. However, such logic would not get through to the crazy audience members.

    <em>- Kill him!!</em>

    <em>- Pitchforks! Grab your pitchforks!!</em>

    <em>- Arise, watchmen!!</em>

    "Holy fuck."

    The psychopathic group of cultists was raging with madness. The situation had already developed to the point of no return, but it was not over yet. One could always fall further.

    <em>- H-Hahaha.</em>

    The host chuckled lifelessly as the situation grew more insane. He mumbled lifelessly as if his soul left his body.

    <em>- I¡¯m fucked¡­</em>

    The host¡¯s shoulders dropped as he felt the career he had built until now falling apart. He then asked something that they did not have an answer to yet.

    <em>- Then¡­ what is the rtionship between this Kang-Woo and the one you called Seol-Ah?</em>

    <em>- Seol-Ah is Kang-Woo¡¯s wife!</em>

    <em>- Pardon¡­?</em>

    The host¡¯s expression crumpled further. To put it simply, Echidna had proudly professed her love to a married man on a live program being broadcast throughout the world. No, her actions couldn¡¯t even be called proud¡ª they were insane.

    Deathly silence fell once again. The crazed audience members couldn¡¯t help but remain silent as they were faced with true insanity.

    "Darling," Kang-Woo called.

    "Yes¡­ Kang-Woo?"

    "I think I¡¯m fucked."

    "I think so too."

    Seol-Ah nodded as she nkly stared at the TV screen. Echidna¡¯s fans were known to be like diehard cultists. There was no question how they would take Echidna proiming her love to a married man.

    <em>¡¯They¡¯d think that married man corrupted the pure Echidna.¡¯</em>

    Humans tended to believe only what they wanted to believe. Whatever the truth was, Kang-Woo would be remembered as an irredeemable trash who lusted for another woman, a minor no less, despite already having a wife.

    "Ah¡­" Kang-Woo squeezed his eyes shut as if getting a headache.

    <em>- Th-That wraps up today¡¯s episode of Idol Wars! This program is sponsored by¡ª What? J-Just shut up and cut tomercial? U-Understood!</em>

    The host ended the program after receiving an order through his earpiece. It seemed they decided the situation could no longer be salvaged.

    Silence fell in the living room of Kang-Woo¡¯s apartment once they turned off the TV.

    "Darling."

    "Yes¡­?"

    "Ask Lilith to get me a member list of that <em>Watchmen </em>fan club."

    They had be enemies with whom Kang-Woo could no longer live under the same sky. He needed information about them beforehand.

    "Oh, and¡­" Kang-Woo gritted his teeth as his eyes gleamed. "Call Echidna over. Right now."

    ***

    "Hngh."

    Echidna, who came back home after Seol-Ah hurriedly contacted her once the program exploded, was kneeling on the living room floor with her arms raised. A round bump was raised from the top of her head, like the ones usually seen in anime after a character was hit.

    "<em>Sniff</em>. I¡¯m sorry¡­ Kang-Woo." Echidna lowered her head in tears after she was scolded intensely by Kang-Woo as soon as she came back home. "<em>Sniff</em>. I-I¡­ <em>Sniff!</em> I thought¡­ it would make you happy¡­"

    <em>Waaaaaaaahhh!</em>

    She burst into tears once her sorrow reached its breaking point. She had given it her all so that she could profess her love live on TV but ended up being scolded by Kang-Woo because of it.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed as he looked down at the crying Echidna.

    He knew he shouldn¡¯t sumb to those tears, but his rage naturally faded as he stared at Echidna bawling her eyes out.

    "Well, what¡¯s done is already done¡­"

    He clicked his tongue and ced his hand on Echidna¡¯s head. Echidna¡¯s tears stopped as Kang-Woo gently patted her head. He took out a tissue and handed it to Echidna.

    <em>Blow¡ª!</em>

    Echidna blew her nose hard and slowly got up.

    "Are you forgiving me?" she asked.

    "Nothing¡¯s gonna change even if I scold you now. Also¡­ I already figured out a way to resolve this mess."

    Echidna¡¯s diehard fans would investigate Kang-Woo after hearing her shocking statement.

    <em>¡¯And they¡¯lle to find me to be a little boy who looks even younger than Echidna!¡¯</em>

    No one in their right mind would think of him as a married man.

    <em>¡¯They¡¯d think Echidna was mistaken somehow.¡¯</em>

    His young and weak body would unexpectedly be what would allow him to escape threats to his life. Besides, Kang-Woo had nothing to worry about, even if Echidna¡¯s diehard fans attacked him.

    <em>¡¯If they think they can kill me, they¡¯re wee to try.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had long since be immune to death. His powers were restricted due to his body¡¯s reconstruction, but his immortality was separate from that. Meaning, he had nothing to worry about, even if among Echidna¡¯s diehard fans were High Rankers or beings with Deific Essence. Rather, he would wee attacks from such diehard fans since they would help stimte the Demonic Sea¡¯s survival instinct.

    "Thank you, Kang-Woo!" Echidna smiled radiantly and jumped to hug Kang-Woo. She snorted like she always did and then continued carefully, "So, Kang-Woo¡­"

    "Hm?"

    "Will you marry me?"

    Echidna stared at Kang-Woo with sparkling eyes. Kang-Woo did not even have to think about his answer.

    He answered firmly, "No."

    Echidna¡¯s eyes dropped in shock. She asked lifelessly, "Why? You¡­ epted Lilith."

    Echidna expected Kang-Woo to ept her as well since he epted Lilith on top of Seol-Ah.

    "Lilith is different." Kang-Woo shook his head and continued, "Echidna. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t see you as a woman at all."

    Age was not the issue; Echidna, in her human form, did not look womanlike at all. No matter how much she desired to be with Kang-Woo, he couldn¡¯t ept someone whom he didn¡¯t see as a member of the opposite sex.

    "Is it¡­ because I¡¯m young?" Echidna asked as she twiddled her thumbs.

    Kang-Woo thought about his response but decided to answer honestly. "Yeah."

    "But I¡¯m older than Seol-Ah."

    Echidna pouted as if she couldn¡¯t ept that answer.

    "Age isn¡¯t the issue. What matters is whether I see you as a member of the opposite sex or not."

    Echidna thought in silence, Her eyes then lit up as if she realized something and asked, "Then will you marry me once I mature?"

    "Uhh¡­" Kang-Woo slurred.

    Once time passed and Echidna became a mature dragon, her polymorph appearance would also naturally be that of a mature woman.

    "I¡¯ll¡­ think about it when the timees."

    "Hm! No! You have to answer me now!"

    Echidna pulled on Kang-Woo¡¯s arm like a predator clinging to its prey. Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah with a troubled expression. Just like the matter with Lilith, he couldn¡¯t make this decision alone.

    Seol-Ah smiled bitterly and remarked, "I¡­ still can¡¯t imagine Echidna as an adult." She gently patted Echidna¡¯s head and continued, "But if your feelings remain unchanged until then, I¡¯m fine with it."

    "H-Hmmmmmmmm!!" Echidna excitedly snorted. "Seol-Ah, Seol-Ah, Seol-Ah! I love you so much!"

    "O-Oh, you."

    "Milk! I need to drink tons of milk to mature! Seol-Ah! Gimme milk!"

    "Kyaaahh! Wh-What are you doing?!"

    "<em>Gasp</em>."

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but swallow his breath as he witnessed the spectacle ying out in front of him.

    <em>¡¯Milk won¡¯te out of there no matter how much you suck!¡¯</em>

    Bells were ringing inside his head for some reason. Kang-Woo coughed as he stared intently at the two entangled women.

    <em>¡¯Should I call this all¡¯s well that ends well?¡¯</em>

    The issue with the diehard fans had yet to be resolved, but it would resolve itself one way or another over time. It was more important that they managed toe to a resolution regarding Echidna¡¯s feelings.

    "Oh right, Kang-Woo! How was my performance?" asked Echidna, who was clinging to Seol-Ah, as she approached him.

    Kang-Woo smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. "My eyes almost popped out from how cute you were."

    "Hm! Hm! More! Praise me more!"

    "Hehehe. You were so amazing that I didn¡¯t even care about anyone else¡¯s performance." Kang-Woo ruffled the bright-eyed Echidna¡¯s hair. "That aside, you sure made a name for yourself. I remember how much you loved that idol anime."

    "Hm! I¡¯m a real idol now!"

    "Yeah, you sure are."

    ¡¯Come to think of it, what was the name of that anime again?¡¯

    "Oh right, I remember!" Kang-Woo pped his hands together and smiled. "It was like Idolmaster or something like that, ri¡ª"

    <em>Bash¡ª!!</em>

    "Kurgh!!"

    Kang-Woo was sent flying by Echidna¡¯s sudden roundhouse kick. He looked up iprehensively, his chest clenched, and saw Echidna panting in anger.

    "Kang-Woo, you idiot! Moron!! Anemone!!! iM@S¡­ iM@S?!! You don¡¯t know anything, Kang-Woo! I hate you!"

    Echidna, who seemed more shocked than when her proposal was rejected, turned around in anger and stormed into her room.

    Bang!

    She mmed the door shut behind her.

    "Wha¡­ why¡­" Kang-Woo looked at the closed door with his chest clenched. "What¡¯s so bad about Idolmaster¡­?"

    He burst into tears of frustration.

 Side Story Chapter 15: Wikiholic (1)

    Side Story Chapter 15: Wikiholic (1)

    <em>Tsssssssss!!</em>

    White steam fumed explosively from the back portion of the ck armor, forming wings. The intense heat from the steam distorted the air like a heat haze. Power immense enough to destroy even thergest mountain in the world with one strike gathered into a fist, truly befitting the Deific Name of <em>Domination</em>. The energy that could obliterate everything in its path smashed into a little boy.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    The training room, protected by several dozenyers of barriers, shook like an earthquake. The nightmarish violence turned the defenseless little boy into mush.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    ck mucus as viscous as tar flowed from the little boy, who had popped like an overinted balloon.

    "Heavenly Dragon¡ª"

    Just then, an extraordinarily handsome young man wielding a sword enveloped in white frost leaped into the air. An illusion of a spiraled blue dragon roaring formed around him. The blue dragon then bared its sharp teeth and charged at the ck mucus.

    "Rampage!"<em>sh, sh, sh!!</em>

    Hundreds of supersonic shes split the space in less than one second, creating a massive storm. The de storm split apart the squirming ck mucus in an instant. The destruction was so horrendous that no living being should have been able to survive it.

    <em>Wriggle¡ª!!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    "Hurgh!"

    However, the tiny pieces of the ck mucus suddenly expanded in size, spread apart like a fan, and aimed for the young man with a sword.

    "Watch out¡ª!"

    The giant in ck armor pushed the young man away and stretched out his arm to block the fan of ck mucus.

    <em>Crunch! Crunch! Crack!!</em>

    The sound of metal getting ground echoed. The countless white teeth protruding from the ck mucus devoured the ck armor protecting the giant¡¯s arm, being reduced to rags. The white teeth sunk into the giant¡¯s exposed muscr arm.

    "Shit!"

    The young man with the sword jumped off of the giant¡¯s shoulder and into the air. He raised his arms, a massive condensed sword energy surging from his sword, and swung down at the ck mucus devouring the giant¡¯s arm.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    "<em>Gasp!</em>"

    Just then, gold and ck mes ignited from the ck mucus. They were the mes of Voracity that zed with Chaos as its fuel. The mes that looked like a ck sun absorbed the blue sword energy in an instant and squirmed aggressively.

    "Argghhh!"

    The mes of Voracity did not leave burn marks; they leftcerations on the skin as if attacked by a wild beast. The young man grimaced from the excruciating pain of getting his skin ripped apart, but only for a moment. He stopped the bleeding using his Qi and gripped his sword tightly.

    "Haaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

    The giant, whose ck armor was now tattered, also clenched his fists and roared.

    "That¡¯s enough," muttered a mouth that appeared from the ck mucus.

    The young man and the giant stopped in their tracks.

    "Haaa, haaa."

    "Kurgh."

    The young man grimaced as he held his wounds, and the giant crouched as he clenched his ragged fists.

    <em>Wriggle, wriggle.</em>

    It took a little over ten seconds for the squirming ck mucus to take the appearance of a human. The little boy¡¯s body, which had turned into mush after getting smashed by the giant¡¯s fist, turned back to normal without a scratch on him as if nothing happened. Kang-Woo, the little boy, checked his body¡¯s growth first.

    Riiing.

    [Hastening the reconstruction as per the influence of the demonic energy from the Abyss.]

    [Growing the body by 0.02 cm.]

    "Goddammit," Kang-Woo cursed as he read the message window that popped up in front of him.

    <em>¡¯The effect is getting weaker and weaker.¡¯</em>

    The method of stimting the Demonic Sea by harming his body with Balrog and Kim Si-Hun¡¯s help was slowly losing its effect.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ve grown 5.78 cm in total so far.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought he would get to his former appearance in no time since he grew over 4 cm the first time, but the effect drastically waned after the first time.

    <em>¡¯If it¡¯s this little even after Si-Hun took part in it, I might not even grow at all the next time.¡¯</em>

    He clicked his tongue as he stared at the blue message window. He could hypothesize why the method was losing effect so quickly.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s not that the harming of my body is wrong.¡¯</em>

    Stimting the Demonic Sea through physical harm was no doubt effective in hastening his growth.

    <em>¡¯The problem is¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Si-Hun and Balrog with narrowed eyes. Even if Kang-Woo was getting destroyed by their attacks, the Demonic Sea was no longer getting stimted because it had simply grown used to their attacks.

    <em>¡¯And no matter how much bloodlust they exude, it won¡¯tpare to actual bloodlust.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun and Balrog held unwavering trust in Kang-Woo. Even if they were to attack him with bloodlust at hismand, they couldn¡¯t exude bloodlust with the unfaltering desire to kill him. The Demonic Sea realized that Si-Hun and Balrog were not a threat to it.

    <em>¡¯Doing this is pointless now.¡¯</em>

    He needed someone else who could drive him to the brink of death and stimte the Demonic Sea. Most of all, they needed to be an enemy who held undeniable hostility against him, unlike Si-Hun and Balrog who were only pretending to try to kill him.

    <em>¡¯Easier said than done. Where the hell am I gonna find someone like that?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo sighed deeply. It would be almost impossible to find an enemy powerful enough to stimte the Demonic Sea.

    <em>¡¯And most of all¡­¡¯</em>

    He slowly turned to look at Si-Hun and Balrog, who were treating their wounds as they panted heavily. People might think Kang-Woo was extremely strong despite being weakened since he was easily defeating those two monsters who could defeat Top-rank gods, but there was a fatal w in that thought.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m only fighting using the Demonic Sea that naturally flows out when my body regenerates.¡¯</em>

    If Kang-Woo fought against Si-Hun and Balrog without them harming him, he would be beaten senselessly without even being able to scratch them.

    <em>¡¯In other words, I¡¯m fucked if the enemy decides to seal me or something without killing me.¡¯</em>

    Even if Kang-Woo were to be sealed, he might be able to break out of it if the Demonic Sea deemed it dangerous to its existence. The problem was that Kang-Woo had no idea when the Demonic Sea would feel threatened. Worst-case scenario, he might only be able to break out after several years.

    "That¡¯s not good at all."

    Kang-Woo shook his head as if not even wanting to think about it. He knew how much pain the people around him went through in his three years of absence.

    "Ngh¡­ My wounds are finally regenerating," said Balrog as he walked toward Kang-Woo, shaking his healed fist.

    "I think¡­ I¡¯ll need a little more time," said Si-Hun, who did not have extraordinary healing capabilities like Balrog, as he smiled bitterly and wrapped his wounds in bandages.

    "Sorry. I could heal you in a sh if I could use my Authority of Regeneration."

    "No, it¡¯s okay. These injuries are nothing as long as I can be of help to you, hyung-nim."

    "Sheesh, you little son of a bitch."

    Kang-Woo smiled as he lightly patted Si-Hun¡¯s shoulder.

    "Oh, and hyung-nim. I¡¯m sorry, but I won¡¯t be able to make time tomorrow."

    "Hm? Oh, it¡¯s fine. I was gonna put this training to an end anyway."

    "Y-You are?" Si-Hun asked in slight disappointment.

    "Yeah. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll make much difference even if we keep doing it."

    "I¡­ see."

    "That aside, do you have ns tomorrow?" asked Kang-Woo as he took out a potion and poured it on Si-Hun¡¯s injury.

    "Mm¡­ I¡¯ve been hearing reports of a bizarre monstertely."

    "A bizarre monster? Is it rted to the otherworldly invasions?"

    "I¡¯m not sure about that yet."

    "What kind of monster is it?"

    Si-Hun sheathed the Frost Sword on his waist and continued, "Apparently, it is a monster that suddenly appears in front of people, gives them a question to solve, and drags them away to somewhere if they answer wrong."

    "The hell¡¯s with that?"

    "There are only rumors about the monster so far. Its exact identity hasn¡¯t been figured out yet."

    "Hmm." Kang-Woo tilted his head and stroked his chin.

    <em>¡¯It drags them somewhere if they get the question wrong, huh?¡¯</em>

    A certain being naturally came to mind.

    "Something like the sphinx?"

    "Yes, although it is a little different," Si-Hun answered.

    It was certainly different; the sphinx killed and ate those who failed to solve its riddle but this unknown monster was dragging them somewhere.

    "But I¡¯ve heard that the questions it asks are¡­ rather unique," Si-Hun remarked.

    "What sort of questions are they?"

    "One usually thinks of riddles when they think about the sphinx, right?"

    "Yeah."

    "But I hear this monster poses SAT-level questions. Mathematics, the year that historical events happened, and even famous quotes from famous artists."

    "Why the hell is it so weirdly realistic¡­?"

    "I hear it asked about the year that the Berlin Wall fell back when it appeared in Gwangju."

    "How would anyone answer that on the spot?"

    Riddles would be easier to answer since people rarely memorized specific years that every historical event took ce. People in Germany might have a chance but not many Koreans knew such trivia.

    "The yer who was given the question happened to have studied German history in great detail so they luckily got it right."

    "What an irritating monster. Is its name Namuwiki[1] or something?"

    "Hahaha. There are actually some yers who call the monster <em>Wikiholic</em>."

    <em>¡¯I fucking knew it.¡¯</em>

    "I guess all sorts of monsters are appearing now that Bael is dead." Kang-Woo chuckled nonsensically. "None of the people who were dragged away havee back?"

    "That¡¯s right."

    "Then they must be dead." It was far too optimistic to think the people who were dragged away by a crazy monster like that were alive. "A monster who drags you away if you get its question wrong, huh?"

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    "Oh, to be more specific, they¡¯re not dragged away by the monster but are <em>teleported </em>away," Si-Hun rified.

    "Teleported¡­?"

    <em>¡¯Are they getting isekai¡¯ed?¡¯</em>

    "I¡¯m not sure about the details," Si-Hun replied.

    "It¡¯s certainly worth looking into." Kang-Woo nodded and turned around. "I¡¯ll look into it as well, so let me know if you find anything."

    "There¡¯s no need for you to put yourself in danger¡­"

    "I won¡¯t, dammit. Why would I try to find the thing myself when it¡¯s obviously dangerous? I¡¯m just gonna have Lilith gather some information."

    It was far too reckless to chase after an unknown phenomenon when Kang-Woo had yet to regain his powers.

    "Understood." Si-Hun bowed and turned around to leave.

    "Right, then." Kang-Woo looked around the mess in the training room as if ten beagles were let loose in it, and stretched. "I¡¯ll leave the cleanup to you."

    Kang-Woo summoned Satan and smiled as he patted him on the shoulder.

    Satan¡¯s expression turned somber as he gripped the broom.

    1. Namuwiki is basically Korean Wikipedia. ?

 Side Story Chapter 16: Wikiholic (2)

    Side Story Chapter 16: Wikiholic (2)

    "Hm! Kang-Wooooo!"

    Three days passed since Oh Kang-Woo stopped the training after it had be ineffective. He was doing nothing on the couch when Echidna trotted to him with sparkling eyes.

    "Whoa."

    Kang-Woo caught with with arms Echidna who jumped at him. It was like a loving daughter hugging her father but it did not look that way because Kang-Woo was shorter than Echidna at the moment.

    "Are you staying home today as well?" asked Echidna excitedly as she wrapped her arms around Kang-Woo¡¯s neck.

    "Yeah. Training won¡¯t get me anywhere anymore."

    It would be different if there were some other way to hasten the reconstruction process, but Kang-Woo had no choice at the moment but to wait until the reconstruction took ce naturally.

    <em>¡¯I want to regain my powers as soon as possible.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo nced down at his lower body. Tears welled up as he recalled the lifeless Fran?ois and he sighed.<em>¡¯If only Mimicry could solve the problem.¡¯</em>

    Back when Kang-Woo realized he could use Mimicry, he wondered if he could return to his original form if he used it. Although temporary, he would be able to see Fran?ois in his former glory. However, he was met with a despairing truth.

    <em>¡¯Fuck¡­¡¯</em>

    It was indeed possible to return to his original form using Mimicry; he had even joyfully gone to the bedroom with Han Seol-Ah after using it.

    <em>¡¯But to think Mimicry had such a fatal w¡­¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo bit his lip in irritation. <em>¡¯I couldn¡¯t feel a thing.¡¯</em>

    To make a simpleparison, <em>Mimicry </em>was like wearing a flesh suit that could freely change shape. It was only natural one wouldn¡¯t feel a thing no matter how much one stimted the flesh suit. In other words¡­

    <em>¡¯He won¡¯t get up¡­ Fran?ois has fallen and he can¡¯t get up!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo pulled on his hair as he recalled the memory of him excitedly heading to the bedroom as he held hands with Seol-Ah. Words couldn¡¯t describe how pitifully she had looked at his bumbling self.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m¡­ impotent?! What do you mean, doctor?!¡¯</em>

    Tears flowed down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks.

    "Are you crying, Kang-Woo?" asked Echidna as she looked up at him in surprise.

    "It¡¯s nothing," Kang-Woo answered as he shook his head.

    "Hmm¡­" Echidna snorted softly and rested her head on Kang-Woo¡¯sp. "Hm! I¡¯m still d I get to spend every day with you!"

    Kang-Woo had nothing to do after quitting training he had been ying games and watching anime with Echidna, who had also been at home all daytely. Han Seol-Ah seemed like she wanted to join because of how much fun Kang-Woo and Echidna were having as they yed games, but her gaming skills were so atrociously bad that she was dejected after a few games.

    <em>¡¯It sure is fascinating.¡¯</em>

    Both Cha Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah were far beyond humans in terms of physical capabilities but they were terrible at gaming for some reason.

    "That aside," mentioned Kang-Woo as he patted Echidna¡¯s head on hisp. "Do you not have any idol work to do?"

    He thought Echidna waszing around at home a bit too much for a popr idol.

    "I was told to reflect on my mistakes at home because of the broadcast incident."

    "Oh¡­ Makes sense."

    Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly and nodded. Echidna was lucky she was let off with only that much when she professed her love to a married man after winning a program being broadcast on live TV.

    <em>¡¯She could have been banned from the idol industry for good. Well, I would personally turn the broadcasting station upside down if they did something like that.¡¯</em>

    Even if he was powerless at the moment, he still had a card to y known as Kim Si-Hun. Making a mere broadcasting station kneel to him was of no consequence.

    "What about¡­ your fan club?" Kang-Woo asked.

    Her diehard fans who called themselves the <em>Watchmen </em>were the bigger issue.

    "Hm! They kept cursing at you and saying it was all your fault, so I gave them an earful!" Echidna sprang up from the couch and proudly ced her hands on her waist. She snorted proudly and pounded her t chest. "I told them not to mess with you since no matter what anyone says, you¡¯re the most precious person in my life!"

    "What?"

    <em>¡¯Why are you fanning the fucking mes? I mean, I need enemies who can stimte the Demonic Sea, but¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not want to get his shit beaten out by Echidna¡¯s fans. Forget that, it was far too dangerous.

    <em>¡¯For them, not me.¡¯</em>

    Even if they managed to kill Kang-Woo, they might be gravely injured or even die from getting swept by the Demonic Sea that naturally flows out while he regenerated. Even Si-Hun and Balrog were injured from it.

    <em>¡¯Even if they¡¯re out to get me, I don¡¯t want to kill Echidna¡¯s fans,¡¯ </em>thought Kang-Woo as he clicked his tongue.

    In the end, it was their choice to make. If the fans ignored Echidna¡¯s words and attacked Kang-Woo, they would pay the price.

    "Hohoho. There is no need to worry. The ones who call themselves the Watchmen have no idea what you even look like, my king," said Lilith, who entered the house without a sound and hugged Kang-Woo from behind.

    Kang-Woo, having gotten used to it, turned back to Lilith with no sign of surprise.

    "Did you do some info maniption?" he asked.

    "Yes. I concealed your identity so that you wouldn¡¯t have to deal with annoyances."

    "Nice work."

    Kang-Woo thanked Lilith who already took care of it despite him not instructing her to. Lilith blushed and smiled.

    "Anything for you, my king. Right, I also investigated what you asked me to."

    "Wikiholic?"

    "Yes." Lilith sat next to Kang-Woo and continued, "To summarize, it¡¯s exactly what you heard from Si-Hun. It suddenly appears in front of you with a question to answer. If you don¡¯t get it right, it teleports you to an unknown space."

    <em>¡¯He sure loves sticking to that concept.¡¯</em>

    "To point out¡­ it only appears in front of yers, and it doesn¡¯t just appear in one region; it has been spotted all over the world."

    "All over the world?"

    "Yes. I believe it has an ability that allows him to travel through space."

    "Is there a chance that there¡¯s just multiple of them?"

    Lilith shook her head and replied, "After gathering information from witnesses, no more than one person hase across the Wikiholic in a specific time period. There could indeed be several of them since it has been witnessed throughout the world, but it is highly unlikely that there are several beings with such a unique ability."

    "That¡¯s true."

    It would be a pain in the ass to deal with monsters possessing such an annoying ability.

    "ording to eyewitnesses, it looks like a giant lion with a gold mane."

    <em>¡¯Is it a sphinx for real?¡¯</em>

    "That aside, does no one know how strong the monster is?"

    One could answer the Wikiholic¡¯s question correctly to survive, but the easiest way would be to just kill it.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s probably strong if it has survived until now.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had not heard how strong the Wikiholic was.

    "Mm¡­ It¡¯s hard to tell," Lilith expressed.

    "How so?"

    "Wikiholic doesn¡¯t attack anyone."

    "It¡­ doesn¡¯t attack?"

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. It was an even bigger problem if it didn¡¯t attack because it meant it had been causing havoc without needing to attack.

    "There have been many survivors who attacked the Wikiholic, but¡­ the monster almost felt invulnerable. They say it was like hitting an unbreakable wall."

    "So it must possess Deific Essence," surmised Kang-Woo as if it were obvious.

    Around beings with Deific Essence was a naturally-forming barrier that provided nearly absolute protection against attacks not imbued with Divinity.

    <em>¡¯It can be broken with stupid amounts of sheer strength.¡¯</em>

    However, not many people on Earth without Deific Essence were strong enough to break through the barrier. The majority of them would tire out before even leaving a scratch.

    "Has anyone run away instead of answering its question?" asked Kang-Woo.

    "A golden barrier forms around the individual and the Wikiholic as soon as it appears in front of them, which prevents the individual from running away."

    "I see¡­"

    Kang-Woo could not think of any monsters among those with Deific Essence who would do something like this.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s most likely from an outer world.¡¯</em>

    Gaia would have contacted him if a god of Earth manifested into the physical realm.

    "There is also information from one of the survivors that they heard the Wikiholic muttering <em>The scale of the Great Akart is tilting</em>. "

    "Akart¡­ Never heard the name."

    However, Kang-Woo managed to get valuable information from that information.

    <em>¡¯Wikiholic is someone¡¯s subordinate.¡¯</em>

    In other words, the being was powerful enough to have a monster with Deific Essence as their subordinate.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s been quiet for a while, but I guess it¡¯s about to start again.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned in dissatisfaction. A monster with Deific Essence from an outer world invading Earth was bad news, especially if that monster was a subordinate of someone else.

    "Have Balrog focus on investigating the regions where the Wikiholic was spotted," Kang-Woo ordered.

    "Yes, my king."

    Lilith bowed deeply to Kang-Woo, who clicked his tongue as she disappeared.

    <em>¡¯I want to investigate it myself, but¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no way of dealing with it if the opponent could use Divinity.

    "Shit," Kang-Wo cursed as he looked down at his tiny hand.

    This was his first time feeling so frustrated since he was weakened due to his body reconstruction.

    <em>Vrrrr.</em>

    Just then, his smartphone vibrated. He checked to see a number calling him he had never seen before.

    <em>¡¯There¡¯s no way it¡¯s an ad.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was never bothered by annoying scams or phishing calls thanks to Lilith concealing his personal information. He tilted his head in wonder and answered the call.

    [Kang-Woo hyung-nim!! It¡¯s been sooooooooooo long! I happened to meet Si-Hun not long ago, so I thought I might as well call you to ask how you¡¯ve been!!]

    <em>¡¯Who dis?¡¯</em><blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    This is Kang Tae-Soo. His unique way of speaking can¡¯t be tranted very well into English.

    Also, here¡¯s an image of idol Echidna!

    </blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 17: Wikiholic (3)

    Side Story Chapter 17: Wikiholic (3)

    <em>Swoosh.</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo sipped a coffee he ordered as he looked down from above at the people filling the seaside streets.

    <em>Jingle.</em>

    A bell rang in the small coffee shop once the door opened.

    "Welc¡ª <em>Gasp!</em>"

    The employee smiled as they were about to greet the man who entered the coffee shop when they froze. A nearly two-meter muscr man, exuding suffocatingly powerful energy, smiled as he looked at the employee.

    "E-Eek!" The employee flinched in shock.

    "I would like a warm americano, please."

    "Pardon? Ah, yes, sir! Wh-What size would you like?""Hehehe. Thergest you have."

    Unlike his appearance, the affable man politely handed the employee his credit card. He then received a guest pager from the employee and turned to the coffee shop window seats.

    "How long has it been?! It is so good to see you again, Kang-Woo hyung¡­ nim?"

    The man stared at the little boy sitting at the window seat in disbelief, his mouth agape.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "I told you over the phone that I shrunk for reasons."

    "H-Haha!! I did not think you had gotten this small!"

    "The way you speak is straight out of a martial arts novel like always."[1]

    "I love martial arts novels."

    "I didn¡¯t ask," said Kang-Woo, smiling as he stared at Kang Tae-Soo whom he had not seen in a while, to the point he could barely remember him. "Have you been well?"

    "Of course I have! All thanks to you, hyung-nim!" Tae-Soo sat down and nodded strongly. "After all, you saved this world from the hands of those wicked demons!"

    "..." Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as Tae-Soo shouted excitedly. "How do you know that?"

    Kim Si-Hun was publicly known as the one who saved Earth by killing the demons from the Ninth Hell who invaded Earth. Only a few people knew that Kang-Woo was the one who killed Bael and saved the world.

    "Mm. You might not have seen me, but I was also battling the demons in Seoul three years ago," Tae-Soo expressed.

    "Oh right, you were a member of Guardians too."

    "And just then! As I was running away after we were ordered to evacuate, I saw you fighting against the leader of the demons by pure coincidence! That¡¯s why I had an inkling that although it wasn¡¯t public, it was all thanks to you!"

    "I see."

    <em>¡¯Wait a second. Then does that mean he saw me turn into a demon?¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun, Cha Yeon-Joo, and others he was close to knew about his true identity, but Tae-Soo did not know Kang-Woo was a demon.

    "The wings and horns you had back then¡­" Tae-Soo slurred.

    <em>¡¯Fuck. He saw them. Shit, what should I say? How can I bullshit my way out of having demon wings and horns¡ª¡¯</em>

    "Were they cash items?"

    <em>¡¯Is this dude an idiot?¡¯</em>

    "Uhh¡­ Yeah. They¡¯re custom-made equipment I poured a lot of money into."

    "Wow! I knew it! I do not know where you got them, but they were so cool! mes wereing out of them too!! A man has got to have wings!"

    "..."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression grew darker as he stared at Tae-Soo clenching his fist in amazement.

    <em>¡¯Was this guy always this stupid?¡¯</em>

    He searched through his memories but he couldn¡¯t recall them right away as if they were covered by a thick fog.

    <em>¡¯No wonder, we¡¯ve barely kept in touch.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had not kept in touch with Tae-Soo from around the time he dealt with Korea¡¯s Demon Cult and went to Japan.

    "Kaaaahhh!! You can¡¯t go wrong with an americano!"

    Tae-Soo, who came back to the table after getting his coffee from the counter, downed the steaming coffee like it was a cold beer. Seeing that, Kang-Woo¡¯s memories of Tae-Soo became more vivid.

    "Hehe. That aside, how is sister-inw[2] doing?" asked Tae-Soo after emptying his coffee cup and then smiling bitterly.

    "She¡¯s doing great, of course. We¡¯re even thinking about getting married soon."

    "Whoa! You guys were already hitting it off when I first met you two, but already?! I knew you two were meant to be from the moment I met you guys!" Tae-Soo shouted excitedly and nodded repeatedly. "Hehe. It sure was nice when I first awakened as a yer, running Gates with Si-Hun and sister-inw¡­ I¡¯ll be able to brag that I used to be in the same party as Si-Hun for the rest of my life!"

    Tae-Soo pounded his chest. His expression full of excitement carried a sense of sorrow he couldn¡¯t hide as he reminisced.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo remained silent as Tae-Soo shouted noisily to shoo away his sorrow. He could tell where Tae-Soo¡¯s sorrow stemmed from.

    <em>¡¯I was nning on raising Tae-Soo to the end in the beginning.¡¯</em>

    When Kang-Woo first discovered Tae-Soo¡¯s talent, he was thinking about raising Tae-Soo as a dependable tank who could protect Seol-Ah. However, it did not take long for him to scrap that idea.

    <em>¡¯Because Si-Hun appeared.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Soo was highly talented but couldn¡¯tpare to Si-Hun¡ª no,paring the two was pointless, considering the rapid growth Si-Hun disyed.

    <em>¡¯If I had to say, Seol-Ah was more the unexpected variable.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun possessed enough talent to shock Kang-Woo from the moment they met, but Seol-Ah ended up growing at a speed on par with Si-Hun because of Seraph¡¯s soul, which Kang-Woo had not expected in the slightest.

    <em>¡¯Hence, Tae-Soo was naturally left alone.¡¯</em>

    He fell behind, unable to keep up with the two of them. He fell so behind that even if he were in a party with Si-Hun and Seol-Ah, he would only get in their way.

    "Hahahaha! Wipe that gloomy expression off your face. Even I know I am nowhere near good enough to stay with them," remarked Tae-Soo as heughed heartily, sensing the somber mood.

    "Okay¡­" Kang-Woo nodded with a smile.

    It wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault. To make aparison, it was like three people starting a game together on the same day but could no longer y together because their gap in rank grew toorge. No, if this were a game, they could justugh it off, saying it was a skill issue.

    <em>¡¯But this is reality.¡¯</em>

    A single mistake in battle could cost someone their life. Taking along a party member who was falling behind was notmendable; it was a moronic act that could jeopardize the entire party.

    <em>¡¯An ignorant act of goodwill is no different from ill will.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly.

    Tae-Soo shrugged and continued, "But I have not let myself fall behind! I was officially promoted to captain in Guardians!"

    "Oh, congrats, man."

    Kang-Woo looked at Tae-Soo in genuine surprise. One couldn¡¯t be a captain in Guardians unless they were extraordinarily skilled.

    "If you¡¯re a captain of Guardians, wouldn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re about the level of a World Ranker?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Mm. I would be in past standards, but not anymore."

    "Oh, I see."

    It had already been ten years since the Day of Cmity; the average level of yers had naturally risen over time.

    <em>¡¯But he¡¯s at least a High Ranker.¡¯</em>

    Although the average level of yers rose, only a few of them managed to reach the ranks of High Rankers.

    <em>¡¯I knew I wasn¡¯t wrong.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Soo couldn¡¯tpare to people like Si-Hun and Seol-Ah, but that standard was far too high for anyone topare to. Tae-Soo was insanely skilled in regr yer standards. Kang-Woo put down his coffee cup and smiled.

    "If you¡¯re a captain, aren¡¯t you busy? Is it okay for you to be meeting with a bum like me in the middle of the day?"

    "Oh, I was tasked to handle a special mission with Si-Hun. It is not something that can be resolved right away, so I have some time."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone the moment Tae-Soo mentioned a special mission.

    "Is it the Wikiholic investigation?" he asked.

    "Hehe, I had a feeling you knew about it."

    "How can I not when it¡¯s so unique?" Kang-Woo said as he stood up. "Thene to my house today. We can have dinner together with my Darling."

    "Going home already?"

    "It¡¯s dangerous outside."

    Kang-Woo needed to be extra cautious now that the Wikiholic was active. Tae-Soo nodded.

    "I agree. You should be careful, considering your condition. I should have met you at your home instead."

    "I called you here because I wanted to get some fresh air. I¡¯ve been stuck at home all daytely."

    "Hehe. Sister-inw must have a firm hold on you."

    "Uhh¡­ Yeah. She does."

    Seol-Ah did indeed have a firm hold on him in many ways, including his [censored].

    "Right then, let¡¯s go."

    Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo left the small coffee shop near the coast and walked to Kang-Woo¡¯s apartment.

    "Whoa! That entire building is yours, hyung-nim?!"

    As they were chitchatting, Tae-Soo¡¯s mouth was left agape as he witnessed Kang-Woo¡¯s super luxurious apartment building. One could only treat an entire apartment building as if it were their home if they were filthy rich.

    "Yeah. I remodeled it to have an onsen, swimming pool, billiard room, bowling alley, and all sorts of stuff."

    Such facilities were made but they only used the onsen because the entire building would copse if Balrog or Si-Hun were to bowl.

    "I-I am so envious!!"

    "Hehe. I¡¯m sure you make lots of money yourself, don¡¯t you?"

    "Ngh. Even so, not enough to live in a ce like this," Tae-Soo smiled bitterly and shook his head.

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!!</em>

    As they were chatting away, they were enveloped by golden light out of nowhere.

    "...!"

    "Th-This is¡­!"

    Anxiety filled Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo¡¯s expressions.

    [Children of the broken Law.]

    A giant lion with a radiant golden mane appeared in front of them.

    <em>¡¯Motherfucker!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo fiercely frowned as the monster known among yers as the Wikiholic, the golden lion nearly five meters tall, stood in front of him.

    [I will test whether or not you are worthy of pursuing the truth even within the tilted scale.]

    "H-Hyung-nim!"

    "I know!"

    Tae-Soo quickly stood between the Wikiholic and Kang-Woo.

    <em>Ker-thunk!</em>

    His wristwatch turned into a white shield covering his upper body. Kang-Woo, who was behind Tae-Soo, anxiously touched the golden barrier around them.

    <em>¡¯Shit.¡¯</em>

    He gathered the meager amount of demonic energy from the Abyss into his hand and hit the barrier but it did not even budge.

    <em>¡¯My body hasn¡¯t been destroyed, so I can¡¯t destroy the barrier using the Demonic Sea.¡¯</em>

    Self-harm was pointless because it did not register as a threat to the Demonic Sea. The Wikiholic did not seem to have any intention of attacking, and Kang-Woo had no way of defeating the Wikiholic who possessed Deific Essence.

    <em>¡¯Then the only choice left is¡­ to answer its question correctly.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Cold sweats ran down his back. It was the least desirable choice but there was no other way.

    [Here is your question,] said the Wikiholic.

    Kang-Woo gulped.

    [The man¡¯s full name is Andrew Warh Jr., and one of his best-known works is the <em>Marilyn </em>series. He was a leading figure in the pop art movement from the 1960s to the 1980s, a pioneer of modern art, and left an undying legacy. What name is he best known as, and recite one of his famous quotes.]

    "Huh¡­?"

    As Kang-Woo had heard, the question sounded like an SAT question. His eyes widened.

    <em>¡¯I think¡­ I know this.¡¯</em>

    He did not have even an ounce of interest in art but the individual was so famous that he had at least heard the name before.

    "His name is¡­ Andy¡­ Andy¡­"

    Kang-Woo fell into thought as he pulled on his hair.

    <em>Boom!!</em>

    Just then, Tae-Soo confidently stepped forward.

    "Hahahahaha!! I was worried over nothing!!"

    "Wait a goddamn second."

    <em>¡¯Please, just stay put.¡¯</em>

    "I have the answer!"

    <em>¡¯There¡¯s no fucking way you do.¡¯</em>

    "That artist said this!" shouted Tae-Soo as he pped his hands together.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone as he saw how confident Tae-Soo was. He stared at him full of anticipation.

    <em>¡¯Huh? Could it be? There¡¯s no way he would be this confident if he didn¡¯t know¡­¡¯</em>

    Tae-Soo put down his shield and shouted, "Take a shit!"

    <em>¡¯The fuck? You want to take a shit right here and now?¡¯</em>

    "Only then will you be famous!"

    <em>¡¯Of course, you¡¯d be famous if you take a shit in public.¡¯</em>

    "That is the most famous quote from the artist I admire the most, Andy Asshol!"

    "Son of a bitch."¡¯

    <em>¡¯Admire most, my ass. You should¡¯ve at least gotten his name right, dammit.¡¯</em>

    "Haha! Perfect answer, is it not?!"

    [...]

    The lion with the golden mane stared at the two men.

    Kang-Woo quickly extended his arm and shouted, "H-Hey! Wait! I¡¯ll answer it! Give us a little more time¡­!"

    [Wrong answer,] the Wiliholic said firmly. [You are not worthy of receiving the Great Akart¡¯s blessing.]

    A golden wave wrapped Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo.

    "You¡ª" Kang-Woo turned to Tae-Soo, who was dumbfounded about why his answer was wrong, before getting swept by the wave. "FUCKING MOROOOOOOOOOOOON!!!"

    Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo disappeared along with Kang-Woo¡¯s desperate screams.

    1. His way of speaking doesn¡¯t trante well to English¡­ ?

    2. This is how Tae-Soo refers to Han Seol-Ah. ?<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Poor Choi Eun-Bi (the mage in Si-Hun¡¯s first party)... Completely forgotten by both the characters and the author¡­</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 18: Temple of Truth (1)

    Side Story Chapter 18: Temple of Truth (1)

    <em>¡¯Ah¡­¡¯</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s vision was dyed gold. The feeling of sinking into deep water spread throughout his body. It felt simr to when he was sucked into the Abyss of the Demonic Sea.

    <em>¡¯Fuck my life. Fuck getting fresh air. I should¡¯ve justzed around at home with Darling. Where are we even going?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no idea because all he could see was golden light. He felt as if countless arms were pulling him in. He was falling, falling, and falling some m¡ª

    "Hurgh!" Kang-Woo opened his eyes as he coughed. He drew out his meager amount of demonic energy and looked around. "Where am I¡­?"

    He was in arge garden filled with golden light. Seeing the white water pouring out of a giant fountain cleared his head.

    "The hell? Did I die and go to heaven?"

    The garden was so beautiful that Kang-Woo naturally had such thoughts.

    <em>¡¯No.¡¯</em> He shook his head.<em> ¡¯Think calmly. There¡¯s no way I would go to heaven.¡¯</em>Rather, he couldn¡¯t even die.

    "Then where am I¡­?"

    Kang-Woo looked around and saw a giant building beyond the trees entangled like a maze.

    "A temple?"

    It was a grand temple that one would normally see in Indian films.

    <em>¡¯Where the hell is this ce?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned and clenched his fists. Just then, Kang-Tae-Soo, who had been unconscious near Kang-Woo, woke up.

    "Urghhh, wh-where are we, hyung-nim?"

    Kang-Woo leaped into the air without hesitation.

    "YOU MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!"

    "Kurgh!!"

    <em>Bash¡ª!</em>

    Kang-Woo furiously kicked Tae-Soo¡¯s chin with all his might. He then got on top of Tae-Soo, tumbling across the ground, and grabbed his cor.

    "You should¡¯ve just kept your fucking mouth shut if you didn¡¯t know the answer!!"

    "Kurgh! Urgh! I-I am sorry, hyung-nim! I-I made a mistake!!"

    "How the fuck do you even make that kind of mistake, you fucking idiot?!"

    "W-Well¡­"

    "Who in their right fucking mind would want to be remembered for telling people to be famous by taking a shit?! Huh?!"

    "But you would be famous, would you not?"

    "That¡¯s not the fucking issue, dammit!!"

    Kang-Woo shook Tae-Soo by the cor in unrestrained fury.

    Tae-Soo coughed as he shouted, "I am so sorry, hyung-nim!"

    <em>Boom!</em>

    He smashed his head into the ground so hard that it cracked the garden floor and burst into tears.

    "I thought it was the right answer!!"

    "..."

    "Sniff. My¡­ My brainless self ended up dragging you into danger!"

    "I can¡¯t argue with that."

    <em>¡¯The shit you made is so big that I can¡¯t say otherwise.¡¯</em>

    "I am sorry! I am sorry! I am sorry, hyung-nim!"

    <em>Boom! Boom! Boom!</em>

    Tae-Soo mmed his head into the ground in tears. The stone floor caved in as if an excavator dug it. Kang-Woo reached out to Tae-Soo.

    "Stop it Tae-Soo."

    <em>¡¯You¡¯re gonna make your idiot brain dumber.¡¯</em>

    "<em>Sniff!</em>"

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed.

    He knew Tae-Soo meant no harm but that did not quell his rage.

    <em>¡¯But now isn¡¯t the time to me others.¡¯</em>

    They needed to rack their brains on how to get out of this unknown temple.

    "That aside, where are we?" Kang-Woo wondered.

    "Who knows¡­?"

    "Let¡¯s take a look around first."

    If this was where the yers who failed to correctly answer the Wikiholic¡¯s questions were sent, there might be other yers here.

    <em>¡¯There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything dangerous.¡¯</em>

    It was but a beautiful garden.

    "Hyung-nim! There is something written on the fountain!" Tae-Soo shouted as he pointed at the fountain spewing white water.

    Kang-Woo approached the fountain and saw anguage he had never seen before. He ced his hand on the letters faintly glowing gold.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The letters shone brighter once he ced his hand on them.

    [Only those who have realized the Great Akart¡¯s truth may leave this temple.]

    "The hell is this?"

    Kang-Woo frowned as the meaning of the message flowed into his head.

    <em>¡¯That means there¡¯s a way to get out of this ce.¡¯</em>

    He had no idea what it meant to realize the Great Akart¡¯s truth, but they would be able to escape this temple if they fulfilled certain conditions.

    "Let¡¯s move, Tae-Soo."

    "Understood."

    They couldn¡¯t dilly-dally now that they found out there was a way to get out of this ce. Kang-Woo turned around and stared at the temple afar.

    <em>¡¯I think we have to go there.¡¯</em>

    However, Kang-Woo needed to do something before they moved.

    "Abyss Summoning."

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s hand split and the ck mucus that flowed out of it gathered on the ground.

    [A-Arghh. I am¡­ Wrath¡­]

    "Hyung-nim, what is¡­"

    "Think of it as a summon." Kang-Woo summoned Satan and then set out as he looked around. "Wait."

    He was walking to the temple through the maze-like garden and then grabbed Tae-Soo, who was walking in front of him with his shield out, by the shoulder.

    "Did you find something, hyung-nim?"

    "The smell."

    Kang-Woo frowned and pinched his nose. A putrid scent that couldn¡¯t be imagined came from a heavenly garden wafted over.

    "Urgh," Tae-Soo also btedly noticed the scent and frowned.

    Kang-Woo carefully walked to where the putrid scent wasing from.

    "..."

    He arrived to see corpses as if they had been ripped apart by something. The pieces of the corpses covering the garden floor were so small that Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t tell how many people there were originally.

    "Hyung-nim¡­ This is the mark of the Onnuri Guild," said Tae-Soo as he picked up a bracelet on a severed arm.

    The Onnuri Guild was one of Korea¡¯s five great guilds.

    "There¡­ must be something in this garden."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and examined the corpses.

    <em>¡¯Four¡­ no, five.¡¯</em>

    There were five bracelets among the pile of corpses. He also examined the floor and could not see any signs of resistance.

    <em>¡¯yers from one of the five great guilds were killed without any chance of resistance.¡¯</em>

    It was grave news.

    "Satan."

    [U-Urghhh.]

    "Patrol the area. Come back here if you find anything."

    Now that they realized something was in the garden, they couldn¡¯t recklessly advance. Kang-Woomanded Satan to scout the area.

    [Found¡­ corpses.]

    Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo were crouched in hiding when Satan came back. Kang-Woo nodded and headed to where Satan discovered the corpses, where he once again found several torn corpses.

    "Huh?" Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo¡¯s expressions changed after examining the corpses. "They¡¯re¡­ not human?"

    There were wolf heads and limbs covered in fur. Six corpses of what one would call <em>werewolves </em>were torn apart and covered the floor.

    "Hyung-nim, could these beings have killed the Onnuri Guild members¡­?"

    "No, I doubt it." Kang-Woo shook his head. "The injuries on the corpses are the same."

    The shape of the injuries on the Onnuri Guild members and the werewolves were the same, meaning the same entity killed the two groups.

    <em>¡¯Then where did these werewolvese from?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had never heard of yers with Traits that allowed them to transform into werewolves. Even if there were, it was almost impossible for six yers with the same ability to be dragged into this temple.

    <em>¡¯Did the Wikiholic appear in Aernor as well?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t think of anywhere else but Aernor for werewolves to exist in.

    "Though I¡¯ve never heard of werewolves in Aernor¡­" Kang-Woo mumbled as he frowned.

    Just then, he heard voices around the corner.

    "A-Are you sure this is the right way?"

    "We have to get to that temple no matter what."

    Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo quickly hid behind a tree.

    <em>¡¯Two men and one woman.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo peeked out of the tree to check the number of people crossing the garden.

    "Hyaaaah! T-Tae-Ho hyung! More corpses¡­"

    "Shh. Stop yelling, Jung Hyun-soo," warned the woman, who was following from behind, at the scared man.

    "Y-Yeah. I¡¯m sorry, Eun-Hee noona." The man named Hyun-Soo lowered his head.

    "Shit, how many does this make?" The man named Tae-Ho stomped his foot in irritation.

    Unlike the slender Hyun-Soo, he was quite muscr with thick eyebrows. Just then, the woman flinched once she approached the corpses on the ground.

    "Tae-Ho, these¡­ aren¡¯t human corpses."

    "What?"

    "Wh-What the hell? W-Wolf heads?"

    The three-man party examined the corpses in confusion just like Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo had.

    "N-No more! I-I can¡¯t take this anymore! T-Take me back home!" shouted the panicking Hyun-Soo as he pulled on his hair.

    "Stay still, dammit. Before I throw you to the monsters as bait," Tae-Ho said in irritation.

    "H-Hyung¡­" Hyun-Soo flinched in surprise and then kept his mouth shut.

    <em>¡¯Are they yers who were dragged in here by the Wikiholic?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he examined them. Just like him and Tae-Soo, they seemed to have been teleported to this garden after failing to correctly answer the Wikiholic¡¯s question. He canceled Satan¡¯s summon and poked Tae-Soo with his elbow.

    "Go talk to them," Kang-Woo said.

    "U-Understood, hyung-nim."

    "And don¡¯t call me hyung-nim in front of them."

    They would only get more wary if Tae-Soo called Kang-Woo, who looked like a little boy at the moment, hyung-nim. Tae-Soo nodded and carefully approached the three-man party.

    "Who¡¯s there?!"

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    Tae-Ho, who noticed Tae-Soo¡¯s presence, turned to Tae-Soo before he had a chance to greet them. Enormous blue lightning gathered on both of Tae-Ho¡¯s hands, about to be fired at Tae-Soo.

    "W-Wait, Tae-Ho! He¡¯s human!" shouted the woman named Eun-Hee as she quickly grabbed Tae-Ho¡¯s shoulder.

    "Shit! Who are you?" he shouted even more aggressively, embarrassed by the fact that he was scared by a person.

    Tae-Soo approached them with his shield and Kang-Woo followed from behind.

    "My name is Kang Tae-Soo. I am a member of Guardians."

    "Guardians¡­?"

    "What¡¯s that?"

    "...?"

    The three people tilted their heads in confusion. Seeing that, Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>¡¯They don¡¯t know about Guardians?¡¯</em>

    Every yer on Earth knew what Guardians was; after all, it was the organization that saved the world. It might have been understandable if one of them didn¡¯t know, but not all three of them.

    "I don¡¯t know what Guardians is, but my name is Kim Tae-Ho. I am a seven-star apostle of Ishvalda."

    "...?"

    <em>¡¯Ishvalda? Seven-star apostle? What the hell does that mean?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo also stared at Tae-Ho in confusion.

    "What? You guys have never heard of me?" asked Tae-Ho in confusion.

    His expression was not that of arrogance or vanity; he was genuinely confused as to why Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo did not recognize him, a seven-star apostle.

    <em>¡¯Wait a second¡­¡¯</em>

    Just then, Kim Si-Hun¡¯s words popped up in Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    <em>- The outer worlds are¡­ hmm¡­ if we were to make aparison to novels orics, in apletely different universe.</em>

    Werewolves that didn¡¯t exist on Earth, people who did not know about Guardians, and a rank of power known as a seven-star priest¡ª there was only one answer that could be surmised from the information gathered.

    <em>¡¯In other words, it¡¯s not just yers of Earth¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at the werewolf corpses and then back at the three people.

    <em>¡¯Beings from various outer worlds were dragged into this temple.¡¯</em>

    The situation was far moreplex than expected.

 Side Story Chapter 19: Temple of Truth (2)

    Side Story Chapter 19: Temple of Truth (2)

    "How much of a bumpkin do you have to be to have never heard of me?" Kim Tae-Ho mentioned as he snorted.

    Oh Kang-Woo stepped forward from behind Kang Tae-Soo and overreacted, "Oh, could you be the God of Thunder?!"

    He had no idea whether or not people referred to him as that but it didn¡¯t matter.

    "What¡­?"

    "The manly face! The thick eyebrows! The intense lightning crackling on your arms! You¡¯re the legend who can strike lightning even under clear skies, right?!"

    "A-Ahem," Tae-Ho coughed and scratched the back of his head. "I mean, well¡­ I guess you aren¡¯t an uneducated bumpkin."

    <em>¡¯Look at this dude smiling. You¡¯ve never been called the God of Thunder, have you?¡¯</em>

    "Wow! I knew it!! I-It¡¯s an honor to meet the God of Thunder in this ce!!"

    "Y-You are too noisy, child," said Tae-Ho as he turned his head, sounding much less wary than before.Kang-Woo smiled.

    <em>¡¯Yeah, we may be from different worlds but humans are all the same. Suck up to them once and they let it get over their heads. I¡¯m practically a pro at sucking up to people after all the time I sucked that son of a bitch Bael¡¯s ass. I betrayed himter, though.¡¯</em>

    In any case, Kang-Woo could more or less tell if a person liked ttery or not just from their eyes.

    "Were you also teleported here by the golden lion?" asked the woman named Eun-Hee, her calm voice matching her intellectual-in-sses look.

    "Correct. We were dragged here by the Wikiholic," Tae-Soo answered.

    "Wikiholic¡­?"

    Eun-Hee tilted her head in confusion, likely because the monster was not known as the Wikiholic in their world. Kang-Woo subtly stepped on Tae-Soo¡¯s foot as if telling him to shut his mouth.

    He then answered, "I named it the Wikiholic because it only asks questions you would normally see on tests."

    "Ohh,e to think of it, the monster only asks things you would see on Namuwiki," remarked Eun-Hee, smiling as if finding the name entertaining.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    <em>¡¯So they have Namuwiki in their world too.¡¯</em>

    He then realized that the otherworldly beings were also speaking in Korean.

    <em>¡¯In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo decided to test something.

    "To think such a weird monster existed on Earth¡­ I still get terrified just thinking about it," he said as he shook.

    Eun-Hee nodded with a heavy expression. "Yeah. Where in the world did a monster like that evene from¡­? I¡¯ve never heard of a monster like that even on the upper floors of the <em>Tower</em>."

    <em>¡¯Just as I thought, there¡¯s an Earth in their world too.¡¯</em>

    If that were not the case, Eun-Hee wouldn¡¯t have so naturally responded to Kang-Woo¡¯s remark.

    <em>¡¯The Earth we live in and theirs are the same but different.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could understand better what Kim Si-Hun meant about the outer worlds being in a different universe than their Earth. The two Earths were simr in environment but different in some decisive factors. It was as if characters from differentics or novels met.

    <em>¡¯She mentioned a Tower earlier.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled an anime he had seen with Echidna about people stuck in a game, climbing a tower to get out. He had a feeling that a tower of a simr nature might exist in their world.

    <em>¡¯But it¡¯s not important info at the moment.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head, quelling his piquing curiosity. He wanted to know more about the <em>Tower </em>she mentioned but it was not the time for that. Getting out of this unknown temple took priority.

    "Hmm. We seem to be in the same boat, so how about we team up?" said Tae-Soo, who had been listening despite being unable to follow the conversation.

    "Hah, team up?" Tae-Ho chuckled. "What would I team up with a muscle pig and a child for¡ª"

    "Tae-Ho."

    Tae-Ho stopped talking once Eun-Hee red at him.

    "Hmph." Tae-Ho clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and said, "We¡¯ll leave you behind if you fall behind. Got it?"

    He red at Tae-Soo and turned around. Kang-Woo looked back and forth at Tae-Ho and Eun-Hee and smiled.

    <em>¡¯Aha, I see how it is.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo didn¡¯t know how Eun-Hee felt but Tae-Ho seemed to care deeply about Eun-Hee¡¯s opinion. He then turned back to Tae-Ho, who was getting further away, and noticed the slender man named Jung Hyun-Soo approaching Tae-Ho in pallor and whispering.

    <em>¡¯Authority of Listening.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo used one of a few Authorities he could still use among the majority he couldn¡¯t due to his body reconstruction. Their conversation echoed clearly into his ears.

    "T-Tae-Ho hyung! Why are we taking unnecessary baggage with us?!"

    "Shut up, dammit."

    "I-If we end uping across that monster at this rate¡­"

    "Worst-case scenario, we can just throw them to the monster as bait and run away. That muscle pig looks slow from just a nce, and need I even mention the brat?"

    "Ngh. That¡¯s true, but¡­"

    Kang-Woo saw Hyun-Soo ring in his direction as he trembled. Kang-Woo cackled inside his head.

    <em>¡¯Man, you cute little sons of bitches. You sure are thinking of something rather cute.¡¯</em>

    "Hmm. How should I deal with this¡­?"

    Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at the whispering men.

    "Deal with what, hyung-nim?" asked Tae-Soo standing next to him as he tilted his head in confusion.

    Kang-Woo shook his head. "Nothing."

    He turned his head away from Tae-Soo and smiled nastily.

    ***

    With that, the five-man party advanced toward the temple far away.

    "Dammit¡­ again?"

    They saw more torn corpses as they passed the maze-like trees.

    Tae-Ho frowned fiercely and said, "Let¡¯s take a different route."

    He turned, getting anxious from seeing the corpses. Just then, they heard the echoing growls of a beast.

    <em>Grrrrrrr.</em>

    "E-Eek!!" Hyun-Soo, who was standing right next to Tae-Ho, screamed. "I-It¡¯s here!"

    He pointed in the direction of the growl with his trembling hand. There was arge monkey about two meters tall standing there. The monkey with red eyes and gold fur roared ferociously at Tae-Ho.

    "GRAAAAAAAHHH!"

    "Gaaaaaaahhh! T-Tae-Ho!!"

    "Shut up and cast a spell!!" shouted Tae-Ho at the screaming Hyun-Soo.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    Blue lightning wrapped his arms. Unlike the others stricken with fear, Kang-Woo calmly examined the giant monkey.

    <em>¡¯A lion, werewolves, and now a monkey. Is this Animal Kingdom</em>[1]<em>? Just from the looks of it, it doesn¡¯t seem like it won¡¯t attack no matter what like the Wikiholic.¡¯</em>

    It was obvious just from the torn corpses.

    <em>¡¯In that case.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled. He had nothing to fear as long as the enemy would attack him. The moment he was attacked and his body was destroyed, the Demonic Sea would feel threatened.

    <em>¡¯Once that happens, the monkey will be the one to drop dead.¡¯</em>

    It would be devoured by the overflowing Demonic Sea, and Kang-Woo would grow in respect to how much the Demonic Sea felt threatened.

    <em>¡¯No, not yet.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head as he was about to approach the ferociously roaring monkey.

    <em>¡¯I can¡¯t expose information just to kill a small fry like that.¡¯</em>

    He could guess that the master of this temple was Akart. If they could see everything that happened in this garden, Kang-Woo needed to avoid using attacks that involved the Demonic Sea.

    <em>¡¯They might figure out my weakness.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not want anyone to find out his current fatal weakness, which was that he was powerless if he was restrained without damage to his body.

    <em>¡¯For now,¡¯</em> Kang-Woo turned to look at Kim Tae-Ho with lightning wrapping his arms. <em>¡¯Let¡¯s see how strong this seven-star apostle is.¡¯</em>

    He cackled in his head with his eyes shining.

    "Haaaaahh!!"

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    Tae-Ho charged forward and extended his arms out, shooting the blue lightning at the giant monkey.

    "<em>Growl¡ª!</em>"

    The golden monkey dodged at extraordinary speed and jumped tond softly on top of one of the maze-like trees.

    "Graaaaaaaaaaahhh!"

    "Shit!"

    The monkey bared its fangs and leaped down at Tae-Ho, interlocking its fingers to swing its fists down at him. Tae-Ho raised his right fist.

    "Lightning Storm!" he cast.

    A massive lightning storm surged from his fist and enveloped the golden monkey. The storm burned the monkey to a crisp as its agonized screeches filled the garden.

    <em>¡¯Dayum. Our little Pikachu is pretty strong.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was impressed by Tae-Ho who overpowered the monkey; it was understandable why he had treated Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo as bumpkins for not knowing who he was.

    "Kang-Woo hyung-nim! I will assist th¡ª"

    "No, just a second." Kang-Woo grabbed Tae-Soo¡¯s arm as he was about to charge at the monkey. "Let¡¯s see how strong they are."

    He then examined the three outer world people as they fought against the golden monkey, from a distance.

    "Urgh!"

    "Watch out, Tae-Ho!"

    Hyun-Soo and Eun-Hee joined the battle. Hyun-Soo extended his arm to fire a ball of lightning, and a barrier of light wrapped Tae-Ho once Eun-Hee shone with white light.

    <em>¡¯Jung Hyun-Soo looks like a ranged mage, and¡­ that woman is probably a healer.¡¯</em>

    Eun-Hee did not heal but Kang-Woo had a feeling she was a healer because she formed a barrier. Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in disappointment as he watched their battle.

    <em>¡¯They¡¯re not worth muchpared to Kim Tae-Ho.¡¯</em>

    Tae-Ho was quite strong even from Kang-Woo¡¯s standards but the other two were average.

    "Lightning Surge!"

    Blue lightning surged upward and burned the golden monkey. The monkey fell from the tree and staggered, unable to maintain its bnce.

    "Haaa, haaa," Tae-Ho panted heavily.

    He wrapped his arms with lightning again as he stared at the monkey. Kang-Woo wondered if the battle would end with Tae-Ho doing all the work, but it was not over yet.

    "Grrrrrrr!!"

    "Graaaaahh!!"

    "F-Fuck."

    There was more than one golden monkey; five of them surrounded the party, likely here after hearing the first monkey¡¯s roars.

    "Wh-What should we do, Tae-Ho hyung?!"

    "Shut up! I¡¯m thinking!" Tae-Ho bit his lip anxiously. "It¡¯s too soon to use that¡­"

    He clenched and rxed his fists repeatedly, his expression full of hesitation. He did not think for long. He nced back at Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo; after making up his mind, he grabbed Eun-Hee¡¯s arm.

    "Run!!"

    "W-Wait, Tae-Ho!"

    "Shit! We have no time to waste!!" Tae-Ho shouted impatiently.

    Eun-Hee stared at Kang-Woo hesitantly, seemingly troubled by the idea of leaving a little boy behind to die. Seeing her eyes full of hesitation, Kang-Woo slowly walked toward her.

    <em>¡¯Alright, I¡¯ve decided on what to do.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo slightly lowered his head and smiled.

    "N-Noona¡­"

    <em>¡¯My weenie feels weird¡ª whoops, wrong line.¡¯</em>

    "I-I¡¯m¡­ <em>sniff!</em> S-So scared¡­ Waaaaahhh!!"

    He grabbed Eun-Hee¡¯s arm and burst into tears, his expression filled with terror.

    1. Animal Kingdom is a Korean animal documentary program. ?

 Side Story Chapter 20: Temple of Truth (3)

    Side Story Chapter 20: Temple of Truth (3)

    "H-Huh?"

    "P-Please help me, n-noona!"

    Oh Kang-Woo looked up at Eun-Hee, bawling his eyes out as he grabbed her clothes. Eun-Hee, who was about to leave Kang-Woo and Kang-Tae-Soo behind as Kim Tae-Ho said, froze.

    "Ah¡­"

    The crying pure little boy should not be here. Eun-Hee gulped, wondering why such an innocent and cute boy was sent to this hell, as well as why she tried to abandon him instead of protect him. Her expression was stained with guilt.

    <em>¡¯Good.¡¯</em> Kang-Woo smiled in his head. <em>¡¯She¡¯s the only one among the three who seems to have humanity, so I doubt she can leave behind a child to die.¡¯</em>

    And if she didn¡¯t leave, Tae-Ho couldn¡¯t either.

    "Hey! C-Choi Eun-Hee!! Get the hell out of here already!!" Tae-Ho shouted.

    "B-But we can¡¯t leave this boy here¡­""Fuck! What the hell are you talking about?! We¡¯re about to die!"

    "W-We have to take this boy with us!"

    The two of them shouted at each other, their faces getting red with anger, neither of them willing to back down.

    <em>¡¯Bwehehehehehehe!!¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo burst intoughter in his head as he witnessed the si. <em>¡¯This is the problem with having humanity.¡¯</em>

    He clicked his tongue in his head as he stared at Eun-Hee, desperately trying to protect him. Not only that, the reason she was protecting him with her life was simply because he was a <em>child</em>.

    <em>¡¯It makes no fucking sense. Your life should alwayse first. Why would you risk it for a brat you¡¯ve never met before? You sure have it hard, Tae-Ho.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared pitifully at Tae-Ho, whose face was getting red from fury.

    <em>¡¯He might die from high blood pressure. Well, whether he dies or not is none of my business.¡¯</em>

    "Eun-Hee noona¡­"

    Kang-Woo hugged Eun-Hee and burst into more tears, not forgetting to tremble.

    "Y-Your name is Kang-Woo, right?" Eun-Hee asked.

    "Yes, noona."

    "Don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯ll keep you safe."

    Eun-Hee grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hands, her eyes zing firmly. Righteousness was a tough gig.

    "Son of a¡­" Tae-Ho¡¯s expression paled.

    The five golden monkeys surrounded them as they were arguing.

    "Kurgh." He bit his lip. Running away was no longer an option. "That fucking brat¡­"

    Tae-Ho red at Kang-Woo, who was in Eun-Hee¡¯s arms, with animosity and took a deep breath.

    He dered, "All of you, stay still."

    "T-Tae-Ho hyung, are you¡­"

    Jung Hyun-Soo¡¯s expression hardened, having an idea of what Tae-Ho was about to do. Tae-Ho slowly walked toward the golden monkeys.

    "O Almighty Ishvalda, bless unto your child the blessing of thunder."

    <em>Spark, crackle¡ª!!</em>

    Tae-Ho¡¯s hair spiked up. Intense lightning sparks raged like a storm.

    He, who was enveloped in blinding lightning sparks, muttered, "Ultracharge."

    The lightning storm was sucked into Tae-Ho, amplifying his energy output many times over.

    <em>¡¯What? Pikachu is evolving!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone as he stared at Tae-Ho, exuding immense energy after using some sort of technique.

    <em>BOOM!</em>

    "Haaaaaaahhh!!"

    Tae-Ho, enveloped in lightning, charged forward. Two golden monkeys leaped at him from his sides.

    <em>Crackle¡ª!</em>

    The monkeys screeched as they burned to a crisp, being engulfed by a wave of lightning pouring out from Tae-Ho.

    "DIEEEEEEE!!"

    Tae-Ho crazily swung his arms, blue lightning shooting out of his hands like aser with each swing.

    <em>¡¯What power!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo pped inside his head as he witnessed the amazing destruction. However, it did notst long.

    "<em>Huff, huff, huff!</em>"

    <em>¡¯Eh? The hell? It¡¯s over already?¡¯</em>

    The immense lightning wrapping Tae-Ho disappeared after only a few moments. He had used up his strength in less than three¡ª no, two minutes.

    <em>¡¯What are you, a rabbit? Is that the longest you canst? Eun-Hee noona¡¯s not gonna like that.¡¯</em>

    "<em>Cough! Cough!</em> Kurgh¡­!"

    "Tae-Ho hyung!" Hyun-Soo, who had kept hidden in the back, ran to the heavily panting Tae-Ho. "A-Are you okay, hyung?"

    "Kurgh¡­ are those¡­ fucking monkeys¡­ dead?" asked Tae-Ho as he grimaced in pain, likely as a price for using the technique he referred to as a <em>blessing</em>.

    It had notsted even two minutes but it was so powerful that the five golden monkeys were sprawled on the ground, charred ck.

    "Grrrrrr¡­"

    "Graaaaaahhh!!"

    However, two of the five monkeys stood up. They roared even more ferociously than before as they pounded on their chest.

    "E-Eek! Th-They¡¯re still alive?!"

    "Shit¡­"

    Hyun-Soo and Tae-Ho¡¯s expressions paled.

    "Graaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

    The two monkeys charged at Hyun-Soo and Tae-Ho.

    "Hiyaaaaahh!!!"

    Just then, Kang Tae-Soo charged forward with his shield after getting a signal from Kang-Woo.

    <em>Thunk!</em>

    "Grrr?"

    The giant monkeys¡¯ fists smashed into the shield but nothing happened.

    "Great work, my friends! I will support you for the remaining two!"

    Tae-Soo raised his shield,rge enough to cover his upper body, and smashed its sharp edge into one of the golden monkey¡¯s feet.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    The golden monkey stumbled as it screamed.

    <em>¡¯Is that what true support is? Supporting the damage dealers by killing the enemies for them?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled as he watched the battle between Tae-Soo and the two golden monkeys.

    <em>¡¯Is it because I¡¯m looking from far away? Why does it look like three monkeys fighting?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo rubbed his eyes and leisurely observed the battle. He was not worried in the slightest since the monkeys were very weakened after taking Tae-Ho¡¯s attacks.

    "Raaaaaahhh!"

    Moreover, Tae-Soo was also immensely skilled.

    "<em>Screech¡ª!</em>"

    Tae-Soo grabbed a monkey¡¯s ankle and swung the monkey with all his might at the other monkey¡¯s head. The monkeys tumbled across the ground from the sheer power.

    "Allow me to disy the martial arts techniques I have been honing!" shouted Tae-Soo as he charged at the copsed monkey. "Heaven-Shattering Meteor Fist!"

    He raised his shield high and smashed it down on the monkeys¡¯ heads.

    "Hundred-Eight Lotus Kick!"

    He smashed their heads with his shield again.

    "Asura Blood Demon Fist!"

    He then split the monkeys¡¯ heads in two with his shield.

    "Fuuu." Tae-Soo wiped the sweat on his forehead and proudly turned around with his chest puffed. "How was my martial arts?"

    <em>¡¯Martial arts, my ass. All you did was smash their heads in with your shield. You don¡¯t fucking know martial arts, do you? You think adding cool names to attacks is all there is to martial arts?¡¯</em>

    "Hahaha! You must be so surprised that you¡¯re lost for words!"

    <em>¡¯I certainly am lost for words, you numbskull.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo grabbed his aching head.

    "..."

    "..."

    The garden fell silent once the battle ended. Regardless of the result, the people from the outer world tried to leave Kang-Woo and Tae-Soo behind to die. Tae-Ho tread carefully around Tae-Soo as he red at Kang-Woo, and Eun-Hee also stared intently at Tae-Ho.

    "Let¡¯s¡­ go," said Tae-Ho as he sighed, getting nowhere with the war of nerves between them.

    He then staggered the moment he stepped forward.

    "Hyung!" Hyun-Soo quickly supported Tae-Ho.

    "Kurgh¡­ Shit." Tae-Ho bit his lip.

    It seemed he was still experiencing aftereffects from using the powerful technique earlier.

    "Shall we take a short break?" suggested Kang-Woo as he stared at Tae-Ho with a smile.

    "Shut up."

    Tae-Ho red at Kang-Woo and walked toward the temple with Hyun-Soo supporting him.

    "Thank you very much, noona," said Kang-Woo as he held Eun-Hee¡¯s hand, following behind Tae-Ho.

    "Huh¡­? N-Not at all. I¡­ only did what I should have done."

    Eun-Hee was staring at the staggering Tae-Ho from behind, her expression full of guilt. She likely thought it was her fault that Tae-Ho was in that state.

    <em>¡¯Tae-Ho, I helped you out, okay? Eun-Hee owes you one now. Who knows? This might be what triggers you two to hit it off.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo snickered by himself under the somber mood.

    ***

    "Finally¡­"

    After defeating a bunch more golden monkeys, the group arrived at the temple that had been far away two hours ago.

    <em>¡¯I wonder what we have to do to get out?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked around the temple. The group cautiously entered the temple.

    "E-Ee¡ª"

    "Shh!"

    Eun-Hee blocked Hyun-Soo¡¯s mouth as he was about to scream.

    [OAlmightyAkartsetalightthepathforustowalkOAlmightyAkartsetalightthepathforustowalkOAlmightyAkartsetalightthepathforustowalkOAlmightyAkartsetalightthepathforustowalk.]

    Inside the spacious temple was a golden monkey praying at extraordinary speed. It was different from the monkeys they came across in the garden; it was around seven to eight meters tall and was sitting cross-legged, facing away from the group.

    [Ohh, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth!]

    <em>Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!</em>

    The golden monkey smashed its forehead into the wall in front of him. The impact was so powerful that it shook the temple with each head smash.

    [Answer! I want to know the answer! Aaaahh! I want to see the truth!!!]

    <em>Bang! Bang! Bang!</em>

    The monkey continued to smash its head into the wall despite his forehead bleeding.

    "..."

    "..."

    None of the five people could open their mouths as they witnessed the lunacy. They thought the same thing despite not saying a word to each other.

    <em>¡¯Fuuuuuck.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression was also frozen as he witnessed the suffocating sight.

    <em>¡¯It looks so fucking dangerous.¡¯</em>

    He was getting chills as he stared at the golden monkey mumbling at extraordinary speed and smashing its head into the wall.

    <em>¡¯One look at it and anyone can tell the son of a bitch is the boss.¡¯</em>

    However, Kang-Woo was so intimidated by its madness that he couldn¡¯t recklessly approach it.

    <em>¡¯Let¡¯s leave it be for now and run.¡¯</em>

    His instincts were screaming danger at him as he looked at the monkey. Recklessly charging at it just because he was immortal would be stupid. Kang-Woo quietly turned away so that the golden monkey wouldn¡¯t notice.

    "..."

    "<em>Gulp¡­</em>"

    The others also turned away from the monkey, thinking the same thing as Kang-Woo.

    <em>Crack.</em>

    <em>¡¯Huh?¡¯</em>

    Just then, the ground Kang-Woo stepped on split out of nowhere.

    <em>Whoooom!!!</em>

    Intense golden light surged from the crack.

    <em>¡¯Oh, fu¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned his head, his expression as hard as stone.

    [Who, Who, Who, Who, Who, Who, Who, Who, Who, Who, WHOOOOOOOO!!! WHO DARES DISTURB MY SACRED PURSUIT OF THE TRUTH?!!]

    The monkey¡¯s splitting screech sent chills down Kang-Woo¡¯s spine.

    <em>¡¯Fuck.¡¯</em>

    He gulped before raging madness. A single mistake had led to an unavoidable battle.

    <em>¡¯If I can¡¯t run¡­ I won¡¯t hesitate.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo pointed at Tae-Ho without hesitation and shouted with all his might, "IT WAS HIM!!!"

    <em>¡¯I never hesitate.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 21: Temple of Truth (4)

    Side Story Chapter 21: Temple of Truth (4)

    "What¡­?"

    Kim Tae-Ho turned around in confusion, unable to understand what he had just heard, after a short silence.

    [A-Aaaahh,] groaned the golden monkey as it pulled on its golden mane like that of a lion. Its rageful eyes pointed at Tae-Ho. [You, you, YOOOOUUUUU!! SO YOU¡¯RE THE ONE WHO DISTURBED MY SACRED PURSUIT OF TRUTH!]

    Its screeches shook the entire temple. The golden monkey, hysterically pulling its hair, red at Tae-Ho with animosity.

    "W-Wait! It wasn¡¯t me!!" shouted Tae-Ho in pallor and btedly pointed at Oh Kang-Woo. "I-It was that damn brat!!"

    [I¡¯ll kill you, I¡¯ll kill you, I¡¯ll kill you, I¡¯ll kill you, I¡¯LL KILL YOOOOUUUU! HOW DARE YOU, HOW DARE YOOOOOUUUUU!!]

    "I said it wasn¡¯t me!!"

    Tae-Ho¡¯s shouts no longer reached the golden monkey¡¯s ears. It gritted its teeth and crouched as if it were about to charge at Tae-Ho any second.

    "<em>Tsk, tsk,</em>" Kang-Woo clicked his tongue after confirming the golden monkey was solely focused on Tae-Ho.<em>¡¯That¡¯s why you should always watch your step.¡¯</em>

    The monster was disturbed because Tae-Ho broke the floor.

    <em>¡¯He¡¯s reaping what he sowed.¡¯</em>

    Come to think of it, Tae-Ho was an antisocial psychopath who had tried to use a little boy as bait just to save himself.

    <em>¡¯He has no empathy.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists, boiling with anger. Someone who would use a fellow person as bait without hesitation to save themselves could not even be considered human.

    <em>¡¯Sick bastard.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was certain the tile Tae-Ho stepped on broke for absolutely no reason because of all the bad karma he had umted in his life thus far. Kang-Woo turned around as if it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    "Tae-Soo. Take thatdy and run," he said as he pointed at Choi Eun-Hee trembling in fear.

    Unlike the antisocial maniac psychopath Kim Tae-Ho, who would use even a little boy as bait for a monster without batting an eye to save himself, Kang-Woo was a saint who always paid back a debt he was owed. Eun-Hee had protected him, so he would naturally do the same.

    "Wh-What about you, hyung-nim?" Kang Tae-Soo asked.

    "I¡¯m gonna stay here."

    The energy exuding from the monster in front of him was on another levelpared to the other golden monkeys they had encountered. No matter how strong Tae-Soo had gotten, he would stand no chance against it, and neither would Tae-Ho.

    <em>¡¯In the end, there¡¯s no other choice but for me to face it.¡¯</em>

    It would have been a different story if the monster had not noticed them, but now that it had, a battle was unavoidable. Regardless, they woulde across that monster sooner orter as long as they were stuck in this dimensional space.

    Kang-Woo examined with deeply sunken eyes the golden monkey charging at Tae-Ho. He took a few steps back to widen his distance from it. The reason why he was widening the distance despite deciding to fight was simple.

    <em>¡¯I need as much info on it as possible.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s body was not yet in itsplete state; the fact that he couldn¡¯t even fight properly until the enemy attacked and stimted the Demonic Sea was a fatal weakness. To make aparison, he was a bomb that would obliterate everything around him if he were touched. In other words, he was powerless to do anything unless he was attacked.

    <em>¡¯The monkeys we¡¯vee across until now didn¡¯t have the intelligence to figure that out.¡¯</em>

    However, the monkey in front of him was intelligent enough to speak.

    [Aaaahh, Akart, Akart, o great Akart!! Bestow unto me the answer!! THE TRUUUUUUUUTH!!]

    <em>¡¯Well, I doubt I have to worry about that from the state it¡¯s in, but you can never be too careful. Nothing better than gaining info about a monster at the cost of an antisocial maniac psychopath¡¯s life.¡¯</em>

    It was like killing two birds with one stone.

    "I-It is too dangerous for you to stay here by yourself, hyung-nim!"

    "Enough. Take thatdy with you and run already," Kang-Woo repeated firmly.

    He red at the hesitant Tae-Soo, who then flinched and bit his lip anxiously.

    "I will trust you, hyung-nim," he replied as he rushed to the nkly standing Eun-Hee and lifted her.

    "K-Kyaah!! Wh-What are you doing?!"

    "Bear with it for just a moment!"

    Tae-Soo ced her over his shoulder and turned to run into the garden.

    "Y-You bastard! What are you doing?!"

    [O GREAT AKAAAAAAAAAAAAART!!!]

    Tae-Ho tried to chase after Tae-Soo, but the golden monkey roared as it leaped, the eight-meter-tall monkey soaring through the air as if it grew wings.

    "M-Motherfucker!!"

    "Gaaaahhh! H-Hyung!! Don¡¯te this way!! That monster ising after you!!" shouted Jung Hyun-Soo, who was about to run away as well after seeing Tae-Soo running, after seeing Tae-Hoo approaching him.

    "Wh-What did you just say? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to run away, you fucking bastard!" Tae-Ho shouted.

    "What the hell do you want me to do when that crazy monster is chasing you?!"

    "Use magic or something to stop it!!"

    "Don¡¯t fuck with me, you dipshit!!"

    "Wh-What did you say to me? Dipshit? Did you just call me a dipshit?!"

    Tae-Ho and Hyun-Soo grabbed each other¡¯s cors, their faces red with anger amidst the chaos.

    "Ahh," Kang-Woo expressed. "With this¡ª"

    The kind woman who tried to protect the boy¡¯s life was saved, the irredeemable scumbags who tried to save themselves by using fellow people as sacrifices were punished, and the boy destined to fight to the death against the anti-human monster attained knowledge to defeat it.

    "¡ª a world where no one is hurt has beenpleted."

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

    "The hell are you acting all cool for, you fucking brat?!"

    "Hurry up and do something about that mons¡ª Arghhh!! H-Help me!"

    [Graaaaaahhh!!]

    Once Kang-Woo closed his eyes, the noisy screeches and curses sounded like music to his ears.

    ***

    <em>Crunch¡ª!</em>

    "Kurgh, <em>cough¡­</em>!"

    Blood spewed from Tae-Ho¡¯s mouth. His broken limbs were drooped lifelessly like those of a Momo figure (yukata ver.) dropped by a nephew who came over on a holiday.

    "Fu¡­ck." Tae-Ho looked up using what remained of his strength as he writhed in pain. "Argh¡­"

    He could see Hyun-Soo, copsed on the ground in a simr state. He wondered how this could have happened. Tae-Ho shifted his gaze to the boy with a slightly arrogant look in his eyes, who was examining him intently as if Tae-Ho were a science experiment. The boy then smiled brightly.

    "Shouldn¡¯t be a problem," he remarked.

    Tae-Ho had no idea what the boy meant by that.

    "Argh¡­ you¡­ fucking¡­ brat¡­"

    All he knew was that the boy was responsible for making him this way. Tae-Ho red at the boy fiercely.

    "Thanks. You were a great help," the boy said as he snickered and leisurely walked toward him.

    Tae-Ho remained silent. "You¡­"

    In Tae-Ho¡¯s eyes, a silhouette of a demon faintly ovepped with the pure and innocent boy who had been crying in Eun-Hee¡¯s arms earlier.

    "I thought about letting you die, but Eun-Hee noona will get sad."

    <em>Bash!</em>

    The boy smiled and kicked Tae-Ho on the chin.

    "Kurgh!"

    "Right, then."

    Kang-Woo looked down at the unconscious Tae-Ho and then slowly raised his head.

    [Aaaahh, o great Akart, I beg of you¡­ Bestow unto me, me, me the answer¡­]

    The golden monkey who had overpowered Tae-Ho and Hyun-Soo was crouched and pulling on its hair. Kang-Woo walked toward the monkey. He had not gained much but became sure of two things.

    <em>¡¯It can talk, but other than that, it¡¯s no different from the monkeys in the garden.¡¯</em>

    The giant monkey did not possess enough intelligence to figure out Kang-Woo¡¯s weakness.

    <em>¡¯And one more thing¡­¡¯</em>

    "You," called Kang-Woo as he stared at the monkey with deeply sunken eyes. "You were also dragged here by that damn golden lion, weren¡¯t you?"

    The giant monkey and the other smaller monkeys killing people in the garden had never been Akart¡¯s subordinates¡ª they were nothing more than one of the countless victims taken captive by the Wikiholic like the yers and the werewolves.

    <em>- Only those who have realized the Great Akart¡¯s truth may leave this temple.</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the words written on the fountain they saw when they first arrived in the garden. The golden monkey was in a mad pursuit of the truth and mercilessly attacked anyone who disturbed his pursuit.

    "Because you haven¡¯t found a way to get out of this damn ce either."

    [A-Aaaahh.] The golden monkey twisted and turned in agony. It screamed madly, [No, no, NOOOOOOOOOO! I am not trapped!! The Great One has bestowed knowledge unto me! The Great One has blessed me!! Only those enlightened by the truth can break that golden wall and earn the right to return to his side!!]

    The golden monkey pointed at the golden wall that it had repeatedly smashed its head into earlier. On the glowing-gold wall was an intricately engraved design of a bnce scale.

    [That¡¯s why, that¡¯s why, that¡¯s why, that¡¯s why, that¡¯s why!!]

    The golden monkey scratched its face with its sharp ws, blood pouring out of the scratches like a fountain.

    [THAT¡¯S WHY I HAVE BEEN ENDURING HIS MISSION OF PURSUIT FOR ALL THIS TIME!!]

    "That¡¯s what we call being trapped, dumbass," mentioned Kang-Woo with a frown.

    [Ahh, o Akart! O Almighty Akart!!] The golden monkey shed tears of blood. [I beg of you, bestow upon Rajang the truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, truth, TRUUUUUUUUUUUTH!!!]

    The golden monkey roared¡ª no, it was no longer a roar. It was but a desperate scream from a <em>victim </em>trapped in this unknown dimension for who knows how long.

    "Hah," chuckled Kang-Woo as he stared at Rajang, the desperate golden monkey.

    He did not feel much sympathy for it; there was no need to since he had also experienced the same thing.

    "I doubt your parents managed to find the answer either, so why bother even trying, dumbass?" Kang-Woo gestured for the monkey toe at him with his index finger. "Shut the hell up and bring it already."

    <em>Boom¡ª!!!</em>

    Rajang aggressively stomped on the ground.

 Side Story Chapter 22: Temple of Truth (5)

    Side Story Chapter 22: Temple of Truth (5)

    [O GREAT AKAAAAAAAAAART!! BESTOW UNTO ME THE TRUUUUUUUUTH!!!] screamed Rajang as it stomped its feet.

    The charge of an eight-meter-tall giant monkey was suffocatingly intimidating.

    Oh Kang-Woo calmly looked up at Rajang under immense pressure and asked, "Who is that person you keep calling Akart?"

    Rajang suddenly stopped its enraged charge.

    [A-Aaaahh.] It pulled on its hair and twisted madly. [O Akart! O Almighty, omnipotent, and most high Akart!!]

    Rajang¡¯s eyes were filled with vivid <em>fear </em>as it desperately called for Akart.

    [He is¡­ He is¡­] Tajang¡¯s red eyes shook intensely. [He is the bncer of scales, the pursuer of truth, the eternal light.]

    "For fuck¡¯s sake, can you suck up to him any harder?"

    <em>¡¯Suck his ass any harder, and it¡¯ll get loose.¡¯</em>[He is¡­] Rajang¡¯s eyes stopped shaking. In a clear voice unlike before, it said, [A giant born from the Primordial.]

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression crumpled. He did not know what Rajang was talking about regarding scales and the truth, but he easily understood itsst sentence.

    <em>¡¯A giant born from the Primordial¡ª the true creators of this universe.¡¯</em>

    Akart was a Titan.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed.

    <em>¡¯First Bael, and now a Titan? You bastards sure give me no time to rest.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned even more.

    [Worship him, praise him, look to him in awe!] Rajang roared as it pounded its chest. [The tilted scale will take what it is owed!]

    The Wikiholic had mentioned a tilted scale as well.

    <em>¡¯No idea what it means, though. Creators sure love to say cool shit that has no meaning.¡¯</em>

    [Fragment of the broken Law,] said Rajang as it red ragingly at Kang-Woo. It bared its sharp teeth and said firmly as if sentencing Kang-Woo, [Perish.]

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Rajang charged at Kang-Woo again, its golden mane as magnificent as that of a lion fluttering in the wind. It reached Kang-Woo in an instant, grabbed him with its giant hand, and slowly raised him. A little more strength in his grip and the boy would be squashed to death, but the boy was smiling in the face of unavoidable death.

    "Give it a try, if you think you can."

    The boy¡¯s expression was full of arrogance; one would think he had a way to get out of this desperate situation if they didn¡¯t know better. Rather, they would think Rajang was the one in danger.

    [Grrrrrrrr,] Rajang growled, vessels bulging from its forehead.

    Kang-Woo cackled.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯d be bad for me if he buries me deep underground or throws me far away somewhere, but you won¡¯t do that.¡¯</em>

    He smiled as he looked into Rajang¡¯s zing red eyes.

    <em>¡¯Because you don¡¯t know who I am.¡¯</em>

    <em>Crack.</em>

    His bones broke as Rajang slowly gripped harder.

    <em>¡¯You don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done.¡¯</em>

    The broken bone shards tore his muscles. Blood spewed from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears.

    <em>¡¯You don¡¯t know that I¡¯m the Demon King.¡¯</em>

    [I-I-I will¡­ find the answer. I will¡­ discover the truth.]

    Rajang twisted the boy with both hands like wringing a rag. His skin ripped and his intestines spilled out. The boy was still smiling despite his imminent death.

    "No." The boy shook his head firmly as he stared at the golden monster. He then dered, "You won¡¯t discover anything."

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    ck mucus burst from Kang-Woo¡¯s mangled body like a broken water pipe and wrapped Rajang¡¯s hands.

    [Grrr?]

    Rajang tilted its head in wonder. The fluid was too viscous to be blood.

    <em>Crunch.</em>

    Sharp teeth then sprouted from the ck mucus as if it were made of countless mouths and bit off Rajang¡¯s flesh.

    <em>Crunch¡ª!</em>

    [Gaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!] Rajang screamed as excruciating pain shot up from its hands.

    It quickly stepped backward and threw aside the boy¡¯s mushy body made of ck mucus, which sttered on the ground.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    The ck mucus squirmed as it got up.

    [What¡­ are you?]

    Rajang red at Kang-Woo with extreme caution.

    "It¡¯s toote to be cautious."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s face came out of the ck mucus. He stared at Rajang with a wicked smile. Rajang had already destroyed Kang-Woo¡¯s body; it stimted the Demonic Sea and threatened its existence. Rajang had pressed the detonator of the bomb inside Kang-Woo.

    "Abyss Summoning."

    The battle was already decided.

    <em>Wriggle¡ª!</em>

    The ck mucus squirmed as it formed circr lumps and scattered them throughout the surroundings.

    [A-Aaaahh.]

    [I am¡­]

    The summoned demons stood up, their eyes nk as if they were in a daze. They bared their sharp teeth and sprouted ck wings. They flew into the sky and swarmed Rajang like bees.

    [Graaaaaaaahhh!]

    Rajang fiercely twisted around to shake off the demons sticking themselves to it. The demons thrown off of the giant monkey sttered on the ground as they turned to mush, but only for a moment.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    The destroyed demons returned to normal along with the sound of viscous fluid slushing. The regenerated demons once again sprouted their wings and flew at Rajang.

    [What, what, what, what?!]

    Rajang stared at the demons flying at it in disbelief. There did not exist among the knowledge he was bestowed by Akart, a way to face an immortal army.

    [A-Aaaahh.] Rajang twisted and turned as it pulled on its golden hair. [I need, I need, I need, I NEEEEEEEEEEED!! AN ANSWEEEEEEEEEER!!]

    It then straightened its back and kneeled in front of the golden wall in the middle of the temple.

    [O Great Akart¡­ Bestow unto me the truth¡­ your knowledge!!]

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The golden light radiating from the wall seeped into Rajang.

    [Whoaaa, O Almighty Akart!!]

    Rajang lifted his arms high in tears.

    Boom!

    Rajang stood up and red at Kang-Woo as it threw aside the demons gnawing at its flesh.

    [Fuuuuu!] It took a deep breath and yelled, [PERIIIIIIIIIIISH!!]

    If its opponents were immortal, it simply needed to obliterate them without a trace.

    <em>Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!</em>

    Rajang charged fiercely as its golden mane fluttered in the wind.

    <em>m!</em>

    It stomped its feet and soared into the air. It curled into a ball and fell incredibly fast toward the ground.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    The force of its fall felt like that of a golden meteor, falling toward Kang-Woo as space was distorted around it. Kang-Woo simply spread out his arms calmly in the face of a meteor that could destroy everything around him, as if he were waiting for the meteor to fall on him.

    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM¡ª!!!

    A massive crater several hundred meters wide was formed along with an impact that shook the earth, powerful enough to destroy the entire temple.

    [<em>Huff, huff, huff,</em>] Rajang panted heavily as it looked down at the temple made using Akart¡¯s power.

    It could no longer see the leisurely boy who dared to mock him. His answer of obliterating the enemy with a trace for them to regenerate from had been correct.

    [I have once again be closer to the truth.]

    Rajang smiled widely and turned around. The golden wall was standing strong despite that massive impact.

    Rajang¡¯s expression hardened as he stared at the golden wall with a bnce scale engraved. It no longer remembered how long it had been since it was dragged into this temple. No matter how much time passed searching for an answer or desiring the truth, the golden wall did not budge.

    [A-A-Aaaahh] Rajang groaned in despair as it pulled on its hair, then shook its head and staggered as he walked. [More¡­ I need to pursue more¡­ And someday¡­ I will be able to get out of here.]

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    As Rajang was about to approach the wall, it saw a flicker of gold and ck mes, resembling a ck sun, in the crater. The tiny ember the size of a fingernail grew exponentially bigger and took the shape of a human.

    [What, what, what, what?!!] Rajang expressed shock.

    The human formed by the mes was the boy Rajang had obliterated just now.

    [No¡­]

    Rajang shook its head, its expression frozen. The ck sun, taking the form of a human, could no longer be called a little boy. A young man with upturned eyes examined his body in fascination.

    "It¡¯s been a while."

    The man smiled as he looked down at his thick hands and toned muscles. The Demonic Sea detected a great threat from Rajang¡¯s attacks and restored his body to normal.

    "Oh right, fuck!"

    Kang-Woo, staring at his restored original form as he reminisced, looked into his pants made of demonic energy.

    "Aah," he groaned. A single tear trickled down his cheek. "YOU¡¯RE BAAAAAAAAAAACK!! MY FRAN?OOOOOOOOOOOOIS!!!"

    Kang-Woo roared with as much madness as Rajang when he was worshiping Akart. He jumped up and down, overwhelmed by emotions.

    "Fuuu."

    He then took deep breaths to calm down after celebrating Fran?ois¡¯s rebirth.

    <em>¡¯Calm down.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had only returned to his original form temporarily because the Demonic Sea felt threatened; he would revert to his childlike body once it calmed down.

    <em>¡¯But before that¡­¡¯</em>

    [A-Aaaahh. O Great Akart, knowledge¡­ bestow unto me¡­]

    Kang-Woo raised his head to see Rajang stepping backward as it trembled. However, he was focused on what was behind him.

    "We can get out if I break that wall, right?"

    He stared at the golden wall engraved with a bnce scale, which did not have a scratch even after that massive explosion.

    <em>¡¯Well, the monkey said shit about the wall being vulnerable only after realizing the truth, but fuck that. Ain¡¯t nobody got time for that.¡¯</em>

    "I¡¯ll just smash it down and that¡¯ll be that."

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    The ck sun zed fiercely. Kang-Woo lowered his stance and clenched his fist as the mes of Voracity burned brilliantly.

    "Now, then."

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s time to get out of this fucking temple.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 23: The Flowers

    Side Story Chapter 23: The Flowers

    [You¡¯ll¡­ smash it down?] Rajang¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. It then pulled on its hair and yelled hysterically, [BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT, BULLSHIIIIIIT!!]

    The golden wall made with Akart¡¯s power would not break until one realized the truth; Rajang could tell because it had spent countless days pursuing it.

    [NO ONE CAN LEAVE UNTIL THE TRUTH OF THE GREAT AKART IS REALIZED!!]

    "You never know until you try."

    Oh Kang-Woo shrugged leisurely. Despite saying that to Rajang, he was sure of it before he even tried.

    <em>¡¯There¡¯s no way it won¡¯t break.¡¯</em>

    He smiled. Not even a prison made by a Titan could hold him. The Demonic Sea had been powerful enough to devour even a Titan. Hence, there was no way Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t break a prison made by a Titan with it.

    "Move, monkey."

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>The zing mes of Voracity wrapped Kang-Woo¡¯s fist. He lowered his stance and pulled his right arm back like nocking a bow. He spread his wings made of the mes of Voracity and charged at the golden wall, standing tall like a creator looking down at their creations. Kang-Woo then swung his fist with all his might.

    "Devour," hemanded the mes of Voracity with Soul Speech.

    The zing mes of Voracity smashed into the golden wall.

    Crack¡ª!

    It only took one blow to crack a wall, standing without a scratch for ages. The wall that now had a crack like a spider web swayed.

    "Tsk, I guess one strike won¡¯t do the job."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and red at the golden wall in dissatisfaction.

    [H-How, how, how, HOW?!!] Rajang screamed in disbelief.

    What it had hoped and desperately begged for had been granted to easily.

    [A-Aaaahh! AAAAAAAAHHH!!] Rajang screeched as it pulled on its hair. [No¡­]

    The tears flowing down its cheeks were not tears of joy.

    [This¡­ cannot be.]

    If the wall was broken so easily with barely any effort, what became of Rajang¡¯s despair, agony, fear, desperation, hopes, time, and life?

    [THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!]

    Boom! Boom!

    Rajang screamed as he twisted and turned. It did not matter to Rajang that it could finally get out of this ce.

    [YOU CANNOT LEAAAAAAAAAAVE!!]

    Its entire being had been denied. The countless hours it had invested in pursuit for the truth and the life it had offered to Akart had be meaningless.

    [ONE WHO HAS NOT REALIZED THE TRUTH CANNOT LEAVE THIS PLACE!!] Rajang screamed as it charged at Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo stared at the raging Rajang with deeply sunken eyes. He could understand its despair and desperation.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m sure it¡¯s hard to ept.¡¯</em>

    Rajang had been stuck in this prison for who knows how long, clinging on to the sliver of hope that it could get out of there as long as it realized the truth.

    <em>¡¯But could it ept that someone stuck in the prison with him just opened the door and walked out? Could it bear the fact that its entire life was denied?¡¯</em>

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed as he looked at the swaying golden wall. "Akart."

    He did not know who Akart was, why he created this temple, or why he kidnapped beings of outer worlds and locked them in this ce. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t understand his intentions, convictions, thoughts, philosophy, or ideas¡ª no, he did not even want to understand.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo was sure of one thing. <em>¡¯I¡¯ll kill you.¡¯</em>

    [RAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!]

    Rajang¡¯s roars grew closer. Kang-Woo slowly turned to look at the screeching monkey.

    "Monkey," he said to the one whose entire life was denied and who lost everything. "You can rest now."

    <em>Thud.</em>

    Kang-Woo lightly smacked Rajang on the forehead with the back of his hand.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    The bursting mes of Voracity instantly engulfed the eight-meter monkey.

    [Ah¡­]

    Rajang did not have the time to feel pain, being sucked into the warmth of the fire. It felt as if it were sinking into a bottomless sea. Tears flowed down its cheeks.

    [I¡­ see.]

    Rajang nodded as it felt thefort of death enveloping it. He understood; he had realized the truth atst.

    [You are¡­]

    <em>¡¯My truth.¡¯</em>

    <em>Crunch¡ª!</em>

    Rajang disappeared without a trace within the mes of Voracity.

    Kang-Woo stared at the space from where Rajang disappeared and turned back to approach the swaying golden wall with a web-like crack on it.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    He punched the golden wall engraved with a bnce scale mark again. He could feel the distorted madness from the mark.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The golden wall crumbled, golden light pouring out from its pieces and enveloping the entire temple.

    "Huh¡­? W-We¡¯re¡­!"

    Kang-Woo heard Kang Tae-Soo¡¯s voice. He looked around wide-eyed and saw a luxury apartment and traffic lights. The sweet scent of car exhaust entered his nose.

    "A-Are we back, hyung-nim?!"

    "I think so."

    Their consciousness faded for a moment once the golden light enveloped the temple. The next thing they knew, they were back to where they had encountered the Wikiholic.

    "Phew, for fuck¡¯s sake." Kang-Woo sighed deeply, both relieved and enraged.

    "I am deeply sorry, hyung-nim! Because of me, you were¡­"

    "Forget it, man."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head. He had indeed gotten stuck in the mess because of Tae-Soo¡¯s trolling, but he managed to return to Earth faster than expected.

    <em>¡¯Did it take about a day?¡¯</em>

    The sun was about to rise, hence Kang-Woo expected he was gone for less than a day.

    "That aside, hyung-nim. Are you back to your former self?" Tae-Soo asked as he stared wide-eyed at Kang-Woo, who was back to his original appearance after having turned into a child for some reason.

    "No, it won¡¯t be long until I¡¯m¡ª"

    <em>Crack!</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s bones cracked as he began to shrink before he could finish his sentence.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Drastically hastening the reconstruction as per the influence of the demonic energy from the Abyss.]

    [Drastically raising the amount of demonic energy avable for use!]

    "Whoa, what?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. He could feel an immense amount of demonic energy iparable to what he had, surging from inside him. The majority of his Authorities were unlocked as well.

    <em>¡¯This is pretty big.¡¯</em>

    The amount of demonic energy given was several times as much as when he grew by over four centimeters at once. Kang-Woo could now hold his own against Kim Si-Hun or Balrog. Albeit limited, he could also use the mes of Voracity.

    "That¡¯s good and all, but what the fuck?"

    <em>¡¯Why aren¡¯t I growing?¡¯</em>

    He was waiting anticipatingly to see how much he would grow, but he did not receive any System messages regarding his growth no matter how long he waited.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [It is assumed that because of the extreme level of threat felt by the Demonic Sea, increasing the amount of demonic energy immediately avable to yer Oh Kang-Woo was prioritized over physical growth.]

    ¡¯What? That wasn¡¯t how things were going. I thought my growth was set to be proportional to how much of my powers I regained.¡¯

    [It can be set to however I want.]

    <em>¡¯The hell does that mean?¡¯</em>

    [Isn¡¯t it better to stay small than be only slightly bigger?]

    <em>¡¯Better for what?¡¯</em>

    [For roleying.]

    <em>¡¯You crazy, bitch?¡¯</em>

    [It would be a different story if you returned to your original form, but isn¡¯t it better to stay as a little Vienna (pfft) character?]

    <em>¡¯Fucking hell, you¡¯re La, aren¡¯t you? Aren¡¯t you?¡¯</em>

    [After all, we can¡¯t afford to y around anymore now that it hase to this.]

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking bout?"

    <em>¡¯Now that it hase to what?¡¯</em>

    [Akart has begun to keep his eyes on the Triad.] Eve continued, [This world¡­ will notst long.]

    The System message was filled with sorrow.

    "Be¡­ more specific."

    [He is the creator of bnce, truth, and light. Most of all, he does not tolerate worlds without bnce¡­ worlds of which its Law has been destroyed.]

    "Does that mean¡­"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    [Yes.] The blue window appeared after a short silence. [Akart will end the Triad.]

    Kang-Woo kept silent. The Titan known as Akart had not randomly reached out to various worlds; he had intentionally aimed for the world Kang-Woo lived in, filled with hostility and misced conviction.

    "Hah," Kang-Woo chuckled.c "Let hime."

    He gritted his teeth and smiled widely.

    "I¡¯ll stuff a friend in here so Bauli doesn¡¯t get lonely."

    The blue window flickered as Kang-Woo panted heatedly and licked his lips in excitement.

    [Are you¡­] The message window¡ª no, Eve continued, [Not afraid?]

    The Titans were literal creators of worlds. Kang-Woo had be one with the Demonic Sea but not even he could take Titans lightly. Unlike Bauli, Akart possessed full strength.

    "Barely any of the enemies I¡¯ve fought have been weaker than me," Kang-Woo answered with a smile.

    He had always been at a disadvantage from the moment he fell into Hell and struggled to survive for ten millennia. The situations he was put in were always illogical and nearly impossible to survive.

    "But I¡¯m still here."

    He had always been the one toe out on top.

    [...] Eve remained silent as if lost for words. The messages then continued solemnly, [O Guardian of the Triad. I am but an ego infused within a broken Law but I will devote myself to the Triad as per your wishes.]

    There was no voiceing from the message but Kang-Woo could feel Eve¡¯s firm will.

    "Okay." Kang-Woo nodded and also spoke solemnly, "Then help me get back to my original appearance for now."

    [Oh, I will respectfully decline.]

    "Why?"

    [Because I¡¯m having a st watching you getting wrecked.]

    "The fuck, bitch?"

    ***

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Kang-Woo carefully opened the door.

    <em>Rumble, bang!</em>

    A ruckus echoed throughout the house.

    "KANG-WOOOOOOOOOO!!" A pale-faced Han Seol-Ah ran to the front door in an instant. "Where in the world have you been?! Huh? You didn¡¯t pick up your phone! You haven¡¯t replied to any of my messages!!"

    "Oh, I¡­"

    Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly as he stared at the crying Seol-Ah. He was sure Seol-Ah would make a bigger fuss if he told her the Wikiholic caught him.

    <em>¡¯In that case¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Tae-Soo.¡¯</em>

    "That son of a bitch Tae-Soo kept bugging me to drink all night because we hadn¡¯t seen each other in so long~ I had no choice but to spend the night with him. Ahahaha."

    "Tae-Soo¡­ did?"

    "Y-Yeah."

    The doorknob Seol-Ah was gripping was crushed.

    <em>¡¯Jesus fucking Christ. Get me out of here.¡¯</em>

    "Tae-Soo¡­ did something like that? H-Hohoho. How dare that bastard¡­ do that to you¡­?"

    <em>¡¯Tae-Soo¡­¡¯</em>

    "I will¡­ never forgive him."

    <em>¡¯You understand, right? You get why I had no choice but to do this, right?¡¯</em>

    "I guess I should also visit Tae-Soo. It¡¯s been so long, after all."

    "Yeah, give him a good scolding. I wanted to go home so badly but I couldn¡¯t because he was clinging to me so hard as he cried."

    Kang-Woo nodded as his eyes shone.

    "That aside¡­" Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes widened. "Tae-Soo didn¡¯t do anything weird to do when he was drunk, did he?"

    "Huh?"

    "H-He didn¡¯t molest you or anything like that, did he?!"

    <em>¡¯The fuck are you on about?¡¯</em>

    "I must check for myself!!"

    <em>¡¯Excuse me, Darling?¡¯</em>

    "W-Wait!" Kang-Woo shouted.

    "Ass! Show me that ass, Kang-Woo!!"

    "What the fuck?!"

    Seol-Ah reached for Kang-Woo¡¯s pants and pulled them down without hesitation. She then felt around his [censored].

    "Kurgh!"

    "Mm. The texture is the same as usual. As for the inside¡­"

    "Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!"

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [The flowers~ The flowers~ That one flower~][1]

    <em>¡¯Shut up.¡¯</em>

    [Yes, yes, it has bloomed~]

    <em>¡¯Shut the fuck up.¡¯</em>

    [Wooooooah~ Hwooooooah~ Hoooowoooooah~]

    1. This is the lyrics from the song <em>The Flowers</em> by Busker Busker. ?

 Side Story Chapter 24: Back To Normal Life(?)

    Side Story Chapter 24: Back To Normal Life(?)

    "I can¡¯t with you!" shouted Han Seol-Ah, her eyes red from tearing up.

    Once she calmed down a little regarding Oh Kang-Woo staying out all night without contact, he told her truthfully that he hade across the Wikiholic and was sent to an unknown space.

    <em>¡¯I wanted to keep it hidden, though.¡¯</em>

    However, Kang Tae-Soo would report this incident to Kim Si-Hun. An emergency meeting would be held, and Seol-Ah would also attend it since she was a member of Guardians.

    <em>¡¯It was never something that could be hidden.¡¯</em>

    It was better to tell the truth himself than let his lie be exposed. Not only that, but the incident with the Wikiholic, Akart, and Rajang should not be hidden. Now that it had be certain that Akart had set his mind to destroy this world, they needed to share as much information as possible to prepare for it.

    "I told you it was dangerous outside!"

    Seol-Ah teared up even more and embraced Kang-Woo, who could feel her shoulders trembling.

    He gently caressed her back and replied, "Sorry. I¡¯mpletely in the wrong this time."Although he was only kidnapped by the Wikiholic because of Tae-Soo¡¯s trolling, Kang-Woo also held responsibility since he had recklessly gone outside.

    "I¡­ can¡¯t live a single day without you anymore¡­"

    Seol-Ah sighed in relief as she hugged Kang-Woo tighter. Kang-Woo smiled and kissed her.

    "More importantly, my king. Could you exin to us about the being known as Akart once more?" asked Lilith calmly as she listened in silence.

    "To be honest, I don¡¯t know much about the guy besides that he¡¯s a Titan," answered Kang-Woo as he shook his head.

    The Titan did not have any records about him in mythology like Gaia and Odin, nor had Kang-Woo met or spoken to him.

    "All I know is that he¡¯s a crazy son of a bitch."

    "Well¡­ there¡¯s no question about that, considering he created that horrid temple."

    Lilith shook her head in exasperation. One would need to be a special kind of crazy to randomly kidnap people and force them to realize a bullshit truth.

    "For now, we should prioritize capturing the Wikiholic. If it is Akart¡¯s subordinate, it should have some information about him."

    "That¡¯s true." Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. "But I don¡¯t know if the Wikiholic will stay active now that I destroyed the temple."

    The Wikiholic might no longer try to kidnap people since the prison to send them to had disappeared.

    "Oh¡­ you may be right." Lilith nodded in puzzlement. "Then, for the time being, we should¡­"

    "There¡¯s nothing much we can do until they make a move first," Kang-Woo replied.

    Theycked far too much information. There was no way to gather reliable information about the Wikiholic in the first ce, so it was impossible to gather information about Akart, who had not even made a move.

    "Was it¡­ Eve? Does the System not know anything about Akart?"

    "Oh, I¡¯m done with that bitch."

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [I apologize.]

    <em>¡¯Fuck off.¡¯</em>

    [An erroneous message had been generated due to the broken Law.]

    <em>¡¯Is that all you can say? If that¡¯s all, then let¡¯s just go our separate ways.¡¯</em>

    [I-I will never make fun of you again! ?(??????? ?? ???????)?!]

    <em>¡¯The fuck? The System can generate emoticons? Should this be allowed? It kinda feels like the fundamental existence of yers is being denied.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly stared at the blue message window. It felt like when watching a serious nature documentary, the narrator suddenly went <em>"Did you hear about the emu that grew so big that it was shunned by the rest of its group? It was ostrich-sized."</em>

    "Well¡­ alright, so do you know anything about Akart?" asked Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly, forgetting his rage for Eve due to the shock from seeing the emoticon.

    [I do not know anything besides what I have told you either.]

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he swiped away the message window.

    "Nothing, it seems."

    "I see¡­" Lilith narrowed her eyes and nodded.

    "For the time being, it¡¯s enough knowing there¡¯s an entity aiming for Earth. After all, they¡¯ll make the first move."

    "Are you sure it¡¯s okay to do nothing besides that¡­?"

    "It¡¯s not like we can do anything else."

    "That¡¯s¡­ true." Lilith nodded with a gloomy expression.

    "Don¡¯t worry, unnie. I will keep a close eye on Kang-Woo twenty-four-seven from now on," said Seol-Ah as she hugged Kang-Woo from behind and snorted excitedly.

    <em>¡¯She¡¯s kind of acting like Echidna.¡¯</em>

    "My, I can¡¯t leave such a nice task for you to take on by yourself," Lilith said as she hugged Kang-Woo from the front.

    The sandwiched Kang-Woo drew out a slight amount of demonic energy and shook the two women off by gently pushing them away with it.

    "I don¡¯t need to be protected."

    "Oh?!"

    "My king¡­?"

    Kang-Woo said to Seol-Ah and Lilith looking at him in shock, "I¡¯m strong enough to take care of myself now."

    "Wh-What in the world happened, Kang-Woo?"

    "Have your powers returned?"

    Unlike how he couldn¡¯t escape from their grasp before, he could now get out of it with a simple motion. Kang-Woo shrugged and shook his head.

    "A portion of it. I still have a long way to go before it alles back."

    However, he was now strong enough to no longer need protection.

    "I¡­ see," Seol-Ah said in dejection.

    She should be happy that Kang-Woo¡¯s powers returned when a powerful enemy was aiming for Earth, but she was disappointed for some reason.

    "Hm? But why have you not grown?" asked Seol-Ah wide-eyed.

    "Oh¡­ My physical growth was postponed because of some bullshit about prioritizing the return of my powers."

    "<em>G-Gasp!</em>" The dejected Seol-Ah brightened in a sh. She clenched her fists and shouted, "Nice!"

    "Darling, this isn¡¯t a good thing. My Fran?ois will stay tiny at this rate."

    "Hohoho," Seol-Ah giggled with her mouth covered. "That¡¯s certainly a shame, but¡­ I can¡¯t give up on your cute appearance either."

    She would not be able to see this appearance again once Kang-Woo returned to his original form. She wanted to enjoy him as much as she could until then.

    "I¡­ can¡¯t figure out your tastes at all," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "I¡¯ll love you no matter what you look like," Seol-Ah whispered innocently in his ear without hesitation.

    Kang-Woo smiled and replied, "Then what do you think about this?"

    He recalled what he did with Choi Eun-Hee and lightly grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s hand. He then looked up at her with shining eyes and pulled on her clothes.

    "I¡¯m¡­ so scared, Seol-Ah noona."

    "<em>Gasp!</em>" Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes widened and she covered her nose with her shaking hand, blocking her nosebleed. "K-Kang-Woo, where did you learn such a thing¡­?"

    She trembled, unable to contain her overflowing joy.

    "I mean¡­ Ahem. I had to do something simr," Kang-Woo answered, slightly embarrassed despite saying it himself.

    "I-It¡¯s the best, Kang-Woo!!" Seol-Ah panted heavily as she hugged Kang-Woo tightly. She stared at him in passion and grabbed his shoulders tightly. "C-Could you keep calling me n-noona¡­ just for today?"

    "Huh? No, that¡¯s a bit¡­"

    "Please!! Please, Kang-Woo!!"

    "..."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression filled with regret but it was toote to turn back.

    <em>¡¯Well, as long as Darling likes it.¡¯</em>

    He was willing to y along with her whims. He had already experienced mommy roley so this paled inparison.

    Kang-Woo hugged Seol-Ah and continued, "I¡¯m hungry, Seol-Ah noona."

    "H-Haaa, haaa. J-Just a second. I-I¡¯ll make you something right aw¡ª"

    "Seol-Ah! Breakfast is ready!"

    "Ah¡­"

    Wearing a cute checkered pink apron, Echidna ran out from the kitchen as Seol-Ah was about to head there. Seol-Ah tapped her chin, reminded of something.

    "Come to think of it, Echidna said she would prepare breakfast today¡­"

    Seol-Ah¡¯s shoulders drooped in dejection.

    "Oh, what? Did you make it yourself, Echidna?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Hm! It¡¯s the kimchi stew you love so much, Kang-Woo!" Echidna raised her head proudly with her hands on her hips. "I made it exactly like how Seol-Ah taught me! Am I a good girl?"

    "..."

    "S-Seol-Ah? Why are you making such a scary face?"

    "Haaa," Seol-Ah sighed and shook her head. "It¡¯s nothing."

    She pouted and shook her head, not having expected she couldn¡¯t make Kang-Woo breakfast at such a crucial time.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s¡­ okay!¡¯</em>

    However, her dejection did notst long. Kang-Woo would be calling her <em>noona </em>for the entire day.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ll enjoy it as much as I can!¡¯</em>

    Her eyes shone, full of excitement.

    "It¡¯s the first time you made me something to eat, right, Echidna?" Kang-Woo slowly walked to the dining table where the kimchi stew was prepared, oblivious to Seol-Ah¡¯s feelings.

    He sat down, ced kimchi and pork on a bed of rice, and had a bite.

    <em>¡¯Oh? It¡¯s good.¡¯</em>

    It was naturally not as good as when Seol-Ah made it but it was great for her first time making it. However, there was something Echidna could improve on for next time.

    "It would be nice if the meat was cut a little bigger. It should be big enough so that it can just barely fit in the mouth together with the rice and kimchi."

    "Hm! I¡¯ll cut it bigger next time!"

    Echidna snorted as she nodded. Kang-Woo smiled and reached for the kimchi stew again with his chopsticks.

    "Oh my."

    Seol-Ah, sitting next to Kang-Woo with eyes zing passionately for some reason, ced her hand over Kang-Woo¡¯s thigh. Kang-Woo flinched and turned to see Seol-Ah smiling seductively. She brought her lips close to his ear and blew on it.

    She then whispered sweetly, "I like it just as much when I can fit the entire <em>meat </em>in my mouth."

    "..."

    <em>¡¯Yer killing me, noona.¡¯</em>

    ***

    "Urgh."

    Kang-Woo, who satiated Seol-Ah¡¯s desires untiltest night, stretched in exhaustion.

    "Oh,e to think of it¡­" He recalled the woman whom he had not seen for a while. "I wonder how she¡¯s doing?"

    Kang-Woo took his smartphone and pressed the call button next to the name <em>Cha Yeon-Joo</em>.

 Side Story Chapter 25: Rose Time (1)

    Side Story Chapter 25: Rose Time (1)

    "Chief Jeon!! Please get me thend contract you signed for Gangseo District!"

    "What? Red Rose already bought thend in Gangseo and Yangcheon! What the hell are you talking about after all this time?!"

    "What? You can¡¯t get in touch with the constructionpany we contracted?!"

    The office floor was as earsplitting as a battlefield. Guild members wearing the official Red Rose uniform were endlessly answering calls on their desks, eyes like those of a dead fish. They were so haggard that one wouldn¡¯t expect them to be one of the top five guilds in the world.

    The condition of the red-haired woman buried in a mountain of paperwork was especially bad. Her usual waist-long glossy red hair was dry andrge dark circles were formed under her eyes as if she had not slept for days.

    "Urghhhhhhhh," the fatigued Cha Yeon-Joo groaned as she copsed on her desk.

    She teared up as she stared at the mountain of approval documents on her desk that did not shrink no matter how much she worked. She had been in a relentless battle against these documents for over a month, but she did not see an end to them.

    <em>¡¯At this rate, I¡¯ll¡­¡¯</em>

    Something snapped inside her head."ARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!! FUUUUUUUUCK!!" She recoiled as if she were having a seizure and pulled her hair. "I WANNA FUCKING REST!! I WANNA REST!!!"

    Her hysterical screams echoed inside the office.

    "The guild master is going insane again!!"

    "Stop her! She¡¯ll break out again likest time!"

    "Shit! How the hell are we supposed to stop her?!"

    The guild members paled as they heard Yeon-Joo¡¯s screams. There would be no one to finalize the approvals if she were to disappear. In other words, the contracts and proposals they risked their lives for would be halted. The Seoul redevelopment project that forces from all over the world were jumping at was nearing its end, so it would be nothing short of a disaster if progress was halted.

    "Haha. Calm down, guildmaster. We¡¯re almost done."

    An intelligent-looking middle-aged man in sses approached Yeon-Joo as the guild members were in a frenzy. He was Park Hyun-Woo, the second-inmand of Red Rose as well as the one in charge of general administration.

    Yeon-Joo nced at Hyun-Woo and sulked. "You¡­ said that three days ago."

    "You can think of it as a pep talk from a school principal. Regardless, we are actually close to the end this time. Land purchasing is finished, and now all we have to do is to agree on a price with the constructionpany."

    "I believe I heard someone shouting they couldn¡¯t get in touch with thatpany."

    "That¡¯s¡­"

    Hyun-Woo turned to nce at one of the guild members holding a phone.

    The member flinched and fiercely bbered, "Yes, hello! This is Chief Jeon Dae-Hyun of Red Rose! I¡¯m calling about the¡ª"

    "Enough of the bullshit."

    Seeing through the obvious act, Yeon-joo sighed deeply and flopped back over the desk.

    "A-Ahem. In any case, please keep it up for a little longer."

    "Alright, alright. I won¡¯t run away, so stop pestering me."

    "I will hold you to that."

    Hyun-Woo bowed and left Yeon-Joo¡¯s office, closing the door behind him. Silence fell on the office filled with documents. Yeon-Joo swung her legs back and forth, still flopped on the desk.

    "Haaaaaah~ I wanna sleep~ I wanna y League~ I wanna drink~" she whined as she rubbed her forehead on the desk.

    <em>¡¯And¡­¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo carefully took out her smartphone. She looked around warily as if she were about to watch porn in secret. She confirmed no one was around before going through her smartphone.

    <em>Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.</em>

    Yeon-Joo opened a photo album after entering aplex password and stared intently at a picture on the screen. It was of a young man with upturned eyes, biting down on arge chicken skewer. She had zoomed in on the group photo they had taken back when the party had a pic together and saved a copy with only Kang-Woo in it.

    "I¡­ wanna see him," she said without realizing it.

    <em>Click!</em>

    "Yeon-Joo unnie¡ª I mean, Guildmaster!! I brought some more approval documents!"

    "Kyaaaaaaaaah!!"

    <em>Crash!</em>

    Yeon-Joo fell off her chair and shouted with her face as red as her hair, "Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Choi Eun-Bi! I told you not toe into the office without knocking!!"

    "Aha~" Eun-Bi smiled and stared meaningfully at Yeon-Joo. "Were you staring at the picture of Kang-Woo oppa again?"

    "Wh-Wh-Wh-What?! Not at all!" Yeon-Joo shook her head so fiercely that she was about to take off. She then turned to Eun-Bi after noticing something weird. "M-More importantly, how do you know Oh Kang-Woo?"

    "Hihihi. It was only for a super~ short moment, but I got some coaching from him way back when I first Awakened as a yer."

    Eun-Bi giggled with her hand covering her mouth.

    "You were¡­ coached by Kang-Woo?"

    Yeon-Joo stared at Eun-Bi wide-eyed, hearing that for the first time. Eun-Bi was a rookie guild member who joined after the war against Bael, but she and Yeon-Joo hit it off well at a drinking party and ended up getting close enough for Eun-Bi to call her unnie when in private. Yeon-Joo was shocked to hear that she had been coached by Kang-Woo in the past.

    "Well, everyone was all so strong that I ended up falling behind shortly after," remarked Eun-Bi as she scratched her head, smiling awkwardly.

    "You fell behind¡­?"

    Yeon-Joo stared at Eun-Bi iprehensibly. Eun-Bi was a mage yer who was head and shoulders above the first-year rookie members and stood out even whenpared to the guild as a whole. Yeon-Joo couldn¡¯t believe a yer who was no different from a Ranker in skill fell behind in strength.

    "The party members I received Kang-Woo oppa¡¯s coaching with were Tae-Soo oppa, Seol-Ah unnie, and Si-Hun oppa."

    "Oh¡­" Yeon-Joo nodded in understanding. She was not well-acquainted with Kang Tae-Soo, but she knew the other two very well. "I mean¡­ It¡¯s pointless evenparing yourself with them."

    She clicked her tongue and shook her head. It was no exaggeration to say that both Seol-Ah and Si-Hun had far surpassed human limits in their field of expertise. Seol-Ah had practically be an angel because of the soul of the Celestial Goddess dwelling inside her, and Si-Hun had awakened Deific Essence on his own and practically be a god.

    "But that¡¯s not important right now." Eun-Bi giggled and trotted toward Yeon-Joo. She smiled teasingly and poked Yeon-Joo as she asked, "So~ the picture you were staring at so longingly was of Kang-Woo oppa, wasn¡¯t it?"

    "I-I said it wasn¡¯t!" Yeon-Jo shouted as she stuffed her smartphone back in her pocket.

    "Hihi. There you go again~ It¡¯s toote to try and hide it now~ Don¡¯t you know rumors of your unrequited love have already spread far and wide?"

    "Ngh¡­!" Yeon-Joo flinched and red at Eun-Bi. She asked cautiously, "What¡­ are you talking bout?"

    "Hehehe. I mean, you stare so affectionately at your phone whenever you have the chance. Did you think no one would notice when we¡¯ve practically lived in this building for the past month because we were so busy?"

    Eun-Bi giggled with her hands on her waist. Yeon-Joo bit her lip anxiously.

    She quickly averted her gaze from Eun-Bi and answered curtly, "I-It¡¯s none of your business."

    "Come on~ Why are you acting like this~? Just tell me how you really feel! I¡¯m quite the love doctor, you see."

    "Argh! I told you it¡¯s none of your business!" shouted Yeon-Joo as she red at Eun-Bi. "That aside, do you have the time to be cking off like this? I¡¯m gonna tell Hyun-Woo on you."

    "Uh¡­ Th-That¡¯s a bit¡­"

    "Hurry up and get back to work. Leave the documents here."

    Yeon-Joo waved her hand to shoo Eun-Bi away.

    <em>Riiing~</em>

    Just then, her smartphone rang.

    "Fucking hell, who is it now?"

    Yeon-Joo frowned in irritation. Ever since the guild began to purchasend in Seoul, she received dozens of calls per day from all over the world, including attempts of ckmail, coaxing, or scamming.

    "One more of this pointless shit, and I¡¯ll give them a visit myself and bash their heads¡ª"

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression froze after checking the called ID.

    "Hm? What¡¯s wrong, unnie?" asked Eun-Bi as she was about to leave the office.

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s hand holding the smartphone shook. She couldn¡¯t stop the corners of her mouth from rising.

    "H-Hehehe," she giggled as she held the smartphone with both hands.

    Her irritated expression was instantly reced with a radiant smile.

    "Aha, it¡¯s Kang-Woo oppa, isn¡¯t it?"

    "Huh? Wh-What? You haven¡¯t left yet?!"

    "Fufu. Shouldn¡¯t you be answering that? It might end."

    "Ah!"

    Yeon-Joo flinched and quickly pressed the answer button.

    She took deep breaths and answered as nonchntly as possible, "What¡¯s up?"

    [I haven¡¯t heard from you at alltely, so I thought I¡¯d call to ask how you¡¯re doing.]

    Yeon-Joo heard a familiar voice from across the phone. Sparks traveled throughout her body. It had been so long that she was about to cry.

    "H-Hmph. What¡¯s it to you?"

    [You¡¯re as cheeky as always.]

    "The hell you say?"

    [If you keep acting like that, I¡¯ll have no choice but to y the secret voice recording¡ª]

    "Kyaaaaah! D-Don¡¯t you dare!!"

    [Kehehe, I¡¯m joking. That aside, do you have any free time? It¡¯s been a while, so why don¡¯t we meet?]

    "..."

    Yeon-Joo remained silent after receiving the sudden offer. She looked at the mountain of documents in front of her and clenched her fists.

    "Unnie, unnie," Eun-Bi whispered to get Yeon-Joo¡¯s attention.

    She then wrote something on a scrap piece of paper.

    [Unnie, I¡¯ll keep the Vice Guildmaster at bay, so get going already! >_<]

    "..."

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes shook.

    [What? Are you busy?]

    "N-No, gimme a second." The sweet temptation was pulling her in. She gulped as sparks traveled throughout her body and answered even more nonchntly than before, "Th-Then¡­ just a little bit should be okay."

    Yeon-Joo twisted and turned in embarrassment as she held her smartphone with both hands, but identally hit a pile of documents that then scattered all over the floor.

    "Ah¡­"

    Her expression darkened as she read the words <em>Final Approval</em> on the documents.

    <em>¡¯If I leave¡­¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo turned to look at Eun-Bi. She had her thumbs up as if telling Yeon-Joo to trust her, but she also had dark circles under her eyes.

    "Haaa¡­" Yeon-Joo sighed.

    If she were to leave, the hard work done by her guild members would go up in mes. She smiled sorrowfully.

    "Actually, no. I¡¯m busy today, so I don¡¯t think I can. Maybe next time."

    [Really? Okay.]

    Kang-Woo hung up instantly as if he couldn¡¯t have cared less. Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression darkened even more.

    "Wh-What did you do that for, unnie?!" Eun-Bi shouted.

    "Forget it."

    Yeon-Joo shook her head with a sorrowful smile. Hyun-Woo was pretty much Red Rose¡¯s de facto leader but she was still the master of Red Rose. She couldn¡¯t sacrifice her guild members for private matters.

    "Let¡¯s get to work," Yeon-Joo remarked.

    "Unnie¡­"

    "Hyun-Woo¡¯s gonna scold you if you stay here any longer, you know?"

    "..."

    Eun-Bi lowered her head and turned around to leave Yeon-Joo¡¯s office.

    <em>Click.</em>

    Silence fell in the office again.

    "Haaa." Yeon-Joo looked down at the smartphone screen. "Bastard¡­"

    <em>¡¯I did say I was too busy to meet up, but he could¡¯ve at least been a little bummed about it.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo ced her smartphone on the table and reached for a pile of documents.

    <em>Slide.</em>

    "Holy shit, are these all documents?"

    Just then, an arrogant-looking boy opened the window from the outside and entered the office. He looked different from the young man in the picture saved on Yeon-Joo¡¯s phone, but she knew they were the same person.

    "O-Oh Kang-Woo? Wh-What are you doing here¡­?"

    "Huh?" Kang-Woo frowned as if not understanding what Yeon-Joo was talking about. He walked over to the pile, grabbed a handful of documents, and answered, "You said you were busy, didn¡¯t you? I came to help out."

    Yeon-Joo forced down the rising corners of her mouth with all her might.

 Side Story Chapter 26: Rose Time (2)

    Side Story Chapter 26: Rose Time (2)

    "Haaa~ that should take care of things, right?"

    Oh Kang-Woo stretched after perfectly handling the mountain of paperwork in Cha Yeon-Joo¡¯s office. He turned around to look out the window and the sky was already dark.

    "Wow¡­" Yeon-Joo expressed. The pile of paperwork she thought would never disappear was gone after Kang-Woo began to help out. "W-Were you always so good at stuff like this?"

    "More or less," he answered as he shrugged.

    He had been avoiding doing paperwork because he couldn¡¯t be bothered to, but he was as fast as Lilith in terms of work speed if he put his mind to it.

    <em>¡¯After all, I can use the Authority of Insight now.¡¯</em>

    The Authority of Insight was mainly used to read the opponent¡¯s characteristics, movements, and weaknesses. Still, it could also be used to analyze and organize paperwork since the Authority existed to unscrambleplex information as efficiently and urately as possible.

    "I mean, I¡¯m fast but I think you¡¯re just slow as hell."

    "Ngh¡­" Yeon-Joo flinched from getting called out.She was like a bloodthirsty lioness on the battlefield but she was like a snail when doing detailed and meticulous tasks because she repeatedly checked one document in case she made a mistake.

    "I just¡­ want to make sure I didn¡¯t make any mistakes," Yeon-Joo mumbled.

    "You¡¯re only making more work for yourself."

    "Sh-Shut up! I know that!"

    "If you do, then don¡¯t do it." Kang-Woo chuckled and lightly flicked her forehead. "Shouldn¡¯t you be getting off work soon?"

    "Huh?" Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened. "Off¡­ work?"

    <em>¡¯Off work?!¡¯</em>

    It had been the first time two simple words ted her.

    "H-Huhhh? J-Just a second," remarked Yeon-Joo as she read through the paperwork she approved today. "Thend purchases¡­ done. Discussions with the constructionpany are done¡­ and¡­"

    There was nothing else.

    "<em>Gasp¡­!</em>"

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened. The hellish Seoulnd purchasing operation had reached its end atst, albeit there were still a few small tasks to take care of.

    "I-IT¡¯S OVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!"

    Yeon-Joo raised her arms in tears. She had sessfully made two districts of Seoul, and that those all over the world werepeting to get, the property of Red Rose. They would easily make trillions of won once the redevelopment project began.

    No, it was not just a matter of money. Land was a form of power. Not only that, but if thatnd was of Seoul, a ce where people from all over the world had their eyes on, Red Rose would be a powerhouse second only to Guardians.

    "Hey, hey, hey, hey, Oh Kang-Woo!! We¡¯re finally done with this shit!!" shouted Yeon-Joo as she grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hands.

    Her waist-long red hair fluttered as she jumped up and down.

    "GUUUUUUUUUYS!"

    <em>Bang!</em>

    Yeon-Joo kicked her office door open and ran out. She spread her arms wide and shouted, "WE¡¯RE FUCKING DOOOOOOOOOOONE!!"

    "Gasp!"

    "W-We are?!"

    "L-Lies! There can¡¯t possibly be something so great in my life!!"

    "A-Are you sure we¡¯re done?!"

    The expressions of the half-dead Red Rose guild members brightened. Yeon-Joo smiled and nodded. Now that the final checks and authorizations had been made, there was no longer a reason to stay in the guild building. They simply needed to wait until Seoul¡¯s redevelopment began.

    "Yeah, we¡¯re done!"

    "A-Aaaaaaaaaahhh!"

    "Oh Lord¡­ I¡¯m not dreaming, am I?"

    "HELL YEAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

    The guild members who had not been able to go back home for a month cheered. It was like seeing game developers who managed to finish developing the game after endless hours of overtime.

    "H-Hihihi!!"

    "W-We¡¯re finally d-done¡­!"

    "Hurgh! I¡­ I can finally rest now!"

    The guild membersughed crazily as if they were fanatical cult members and hurriedly collected their things.

    "I told you we were almost done." Park Hyun-Woo, who had been grilling the guild members to keep working, puffed out his chest in satisfaction. "Now that this massive project has ended, why don¡¯t we have a group dinn¡ª"

    "Water Cannon!"

    "Kurgh!"

    <em>Ssh¡ª!</em>

    A huge stream of water poured over Hyun-Woo¡¯s head.

    "Wh-What was that for?!"

    Hyun-Woo turned around dumbfoundedly after getting soaked. He saw Choi Eun-Bi panting heavily in anger.

    "Jeez! No wonder you¡¯re still a boomer bachelor! You¡¯re so clueless!"

    "B-Boomer bachelor?"

    <em>¡¯Sheesh, that ssh damage.¡¯</em>

    "Can it and get over here! If you want to have a group dinner so much, you can have it with just me!"

    "H-Huuuuh?"

    Eun-Bi pushed Hyun-Woo out the door and approached Yeon-Joo with a smile.

    "Here you go, unnie. Don¡¯t forget this. It¡¯s important."

    She winked cutely at Yeon-Joo as she stuffed a thin rectangr box in her pocket.

    "What¡¯s this?" Yeon-Joo asked as she tilted her head and opened the box. "Y-You crazy bitch!!"

    She looked up at Eun-Bi, her face as red as her hair.

    "Hihihi!! I¡¯ll be going now, unnie! Have a wonderful time!!"

    Eun-Bi was already far away, waving at Yeon-Joo with her tongue out.

    "That damn brat¡­!" Yeon-Joo panted heavily as she quickly stuffed the box back into her pocket.

    "What¡¯s that?" asked Kang-Woo as he btedly came out of the office.

    "N-N-N-N-Nothing!" shouted Yeon-Joo as she fiercely shook her head.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion but paid it no mind. He then asked, "That aside, why don¡¯t we go grab something to eat since we¡¯re done with work?"

    "S-Sure!" Yeon-Joo nodded, unable to hide her smile.

    "Hehe, then lemme find a good kimchi stew ce¡­"

    "No, not kimchi stew."

    "<em>Gasp</em>, wh-why not?! What¡¯s wrong with kimchi stew?!"

    "How do you never get tired of it when it¡¯s all you eat? Let¡¯s have something else tonight," she said as she dragged Kang-Woo by his clothes.

    They finally reached the ce Yeon-Joo wanted to eat at.

    "Lively Beer?"

    "Yeah! The spicy fried chicken here is to die for! The beer is amazing too!"

    "No, you brainless woman. Look at me. You think I can enter a bar?"

    "Hihihi, then I guess you can just stick with the fried chicken~"

    Yeon-Joo giggled mockingly as she entered the rowdy bar.

    "That bitch¡­"

    Kang-Woo frowned for a moment but sighed soon after and followed behind her. He thought about changing back to his original appearance using Mimicry but it would be pointless since his senses would disappear, including his sense of taste.

    <em>Glug, glug!</em>

    "Kaaaaaaaaah~! Yeah! That hits the spot!"

    Yeon-Joo trembled as she chugged an entire ss of beer as soon as it arrived. She rubbed her cheek on the beer ss as if she couldn¡¯t be happier.

    "Excuse me~! Another pint of beer, please!" Yeon-Joo stared at Kang-Woo, who was munching on snacks before the fried chicken arrived, with her chin high as if lording over him. "Hehe~ Are you jealous? Want a sip?"

    "Why would I drink beer when I can¡¯t even get drunk?" asked Kang-Woo as he clicked his tongue.

    His body was no longer made of flesh but the Demonic Sea itself. Hence, he couldn¡¯t get drunk no matter how much alcohol he drank.

    "That aside, can you even get drunk?" Kang-Woo asked.

    Yeon-Joo was also so superhuman that he wasn¡¯t sure if she could get drunk like regr people.

    "A little if I suppress my mana and focus on it. It¡¯s just for the mood, honestly," answered Yeon-Joo as she shrugged. She then averted her gaze from Kang-Woo and asked, "What have you been up totely? Is your body feeling fine?"

    Her tone sounded apathetic but the words carried arge sense of worry and anxiety.

    "Yeah, it¡¯s fine."

    "Really¡­?" Yeon-Joo coughed and covered her mouth as the corners rose. She continued in dissatisfaction, "Hmph. I was never that worried anyway. I¡¯m sure you were doing all kinds of things with Seol-Ah all day. How is it¡­ with Seol-Ahtely?"

    "Same as always, I guess."

    "Is that so¡­?" Yeon-Joo lowered her head and stroked the beer ss she ordered. She then cautiously asked, "You guys haven¡¯t fought or gotten distant from each other, anything like that?"

    "Of course not."

    Kang-Woo chuckled at the nonsense. Such a thing couldn¡¯t happen between him and Seol-Ah.

    "..." Yeon-Joo bit her lip as she shut her eyes tightly. She then smiled andughed in both a happy and sorrowful way. "I¡¯m d. I would¡¯ve split you in half if you did anything bad to Seol-Ah."

    Seol-Ah was a precious friend to Yeon-Joo before she was Kang-Woo¡¯s lover. There was no way she wouldn¡¯t be happy to hear her friend was doing well.

    <em>¡¯Yeah. I should¡­ be happy.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo sighed and lowered her head.

    Seeing that, Kang-Woo turned his head away from her and mentioned, "Well, I guess something happened."

    "Huh¡­? What?"

    "I ended up bing lovers with Lilith as well."

    "What?!" Yeon-Joo sprang up from her chair wide-eyed. "W-Wait a second. You¡¯re going out with Lilith too? Th-Then does that mean you¡¯re two-timing?"

    "I got permission from Seol-Ah," replied Kang-Woo, nodding proudly.

    "What in the¡­"Yeon-Joo sat back on her chair with her mouth agape. It was hard to ept as someone who was born and raised in Korea. "Two¡­ at once?"

    She ced her fists on her knees and trembled subtly. Her expression was filled with unconceble joy.

    <em>¡¯If he¡¯s allowed to date two at once, maybe¡­¡¯</em>

    "N-No, not that, for fuck¡¯s sake!!" Yeon-Joo disheveled her hair and red fiercely at Kang-Woo as she panted heavily. "D-Damn pervert! Motherfucker! Son of a bitch!"

    "Kurgh! S-Stop it, woman!"

    <em>Bash! Bash!</em>

    Yeon-Joo mercilessly kicked Kang-Woo to no end as Kang-Woo scrunched up, grunting as if he were dying.

    <em>Mumble.</em>

    "Ah¡­"

    A woman kicking and cursing at a middle schooler in a bar was more than enough to draw attention. Kang-Woo groaned and sat quietly back down.

    "..."

    "..."

    An awkward silence fell between them.

    "Here is your spicy fried chicken and deep-fried spam~"

    The steaming hot fried chicken arrived soon after. Yeon-Joo handed Kang-Woo a te and ced a delicious-looking chicken leg on it with tongs.

    "The food here is¡­ super good, so eat as much as you want. You can order more if you want."

    "Okay. Thanks for the food."

    "Uhh¡­ Are you sure you don¡¯t want something to drink? I can put in a word with the owner here and it¡¯ll be fine."

    Yeon-Joo was the master of the top guild in Korea; although Kang-Woo was not a real minor, it was a piece of cake for her to allow a minor to drink alcohol.

    "It¡¯s fine. I told you I can¡¯t get drunk," said Kang-Woo as he raised his coke. "This is enough for me."

    "..."

    <em>Clink.</em>

    The two of them touched sses.

    ***

    "<em>Burp</em>. Urgh¡­ I¡¯m about to burst."

    They ended up drinking for hours until the bar closed as they were chatting away. The slightly drunk Yeon-Joo shook Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder.

    "That aside, I can¡¯t believe you went to a dangerous ce like that while I wasn¡¯t here. You should¡¯ve called me!"

    "How would I have called you when I was captured by the Wikiholic?"

    "Somehow!" Yeon-Joo shouted.

    Kang-Woo chuckled. Just then, the notification bell of his phone rang. He took out his smartphone and saw that there were hundreds of texts from Seol-Ah.

    [Darling ?]

    Darling ?: Kang-Woo, you were meeting Yeon-Joo today, weren¡¯t you?

    Darling ?: You¡¯re a littlete¡­

    Darling ?: Nothing happened, right?

    Darling ?: Right?

    Darling ?: Please respond.

    Darling ?: Kang-Woo.

    Darling ?: I miss you. I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, I miss you, I miss you.

    Darling ?: I¡¯m waiting for you toe home with Lilith unnie.

    Darling ?: Hurry back home¡­ and we¡¯ll do tons of nice things for you.

    "..."

    Messages were being sent as Kang-Woo was reading through the previous ones.

    [I¡¯ll be home soon.]

    Kang-Woo sent a short response and turned to Yeon-Joo to say, "I have to get going."

    "Huh¡­? Y-You¡¯re going?" Yeon-Joo stared wide-eyed at Kang-Woo.

    "Yeah, it¡¯s already 1 AM."

    "Oh¡­ Y-You¡¯re right." Yeon-Joo nodded with an awkward smile.

    "It was nice seeing you after so long. Good luck with the rest of your work," said Kang-Woo as he turned around.

    They could go home together since they lived in the same apartmentplex but flying would be much quicker if he wanted to get back as soon as possible. The Authority of the Sky was made avable for him as well this time.

    "..."

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    The boy got further away and was about to disappear into the darkness.

    "Ah¡­" expressed Yeon-Joo as she sped her hands together.

    She reached out to Kang-Woo¡¯s back as if trying to grab something invisible. She bit her lip anxiously.

    <em>¡¯Is it¡­ over? Is the time I longed so much for going to end so anticlimactic with nothing happening, nothing changing, as if we were just catching up on what each other was up to?¡¯</em>

    "..."

    Yeon-Joo shut her eyes tightly as her shoulders trembled. She then ran to the boy getting further away.

    "Huh?" Kang-Woo turned to Yeon-Joo. "What¡¯s up?"

    She carefully reached out to grab Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes in silence. She then quietly muttered, "Don¡¯t¡­ go."

 Side Story Chapter 27: Rose Time (3)

    Side Story Chapter 27: Rose Time (3)

    An awkward silence fell. Oh Kang-Woo turned around to look at Cha Yeon-Joo, who was grabbing his clothes, not having expected such a development.

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡±

    She was trembling with her eyes shut tightly. Kang-Woo was short at the moment so he could see her face flushed red.

    ¡°S-Say something¡­ dammit,¡± said Yeon-Joo in a voice that sounded as if she were about to burst into tears any second.

    She gripped Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes harder with her trembling hand.

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t hold in hisughter.

    ¡°Wh-What the hell?! Why are youughing?!¡± she shouted, her facepletely red.

    Kang-Woo reached for Yeon-Joo¡¯s head to sweep down her disheveled hair.

    ¡°You were just so cute that it just came out.¡±¡°Wh-What?!¡±

    Yeon-Joo stepped backward in surprise.

    ¡°Hehehe, gimme a second. I¡¯ll text Darling that I¡¯ll bete.¡±

    Kang-Woo took out his smartphone to text Han Seol-Ah.

    [Darling ?]

    Darling ?: I-It¡¯s already 1 AM and you¡¯re going to be even morete?

    Darling ?: What are you doing with Yeon-Joo?! ?(?`^¡ä?)?

    Darling ?: Where are you right now, Kang-Woo?

    Darling ?: I¡¯m heading to where you are right nodsdjfhaksndbvcu

    Iprehensible messages were sent all of a sudden but only for a moment.

    Darling ?: Hehehe. This is Lilith, my king.

    Darling ?: I¡¯ll calm Seol-Ah down, so have a wonderful time~

    Darling ?: Oh, but you have to promise you¡¯ll tell us everything that happened in detail once youe back ?

    ¡°Looks like¡­ I¡¯ll be in for it once I go back home.¡± Kang-Woo smiled bitterly as he imagined what was happening from across the phone screen. He turned to the fidgeting Yeon-Joo and asked, ¡°So, where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    ¡°You asked me not to go. It¡¯s not because you want to just stand here and do nothing, right?¡±

    ¡°O-Oh! R-Right!¡± Yeon-Joo quickly nodded, her eyes filled with puzzlement as if she had not thought ahead. ¡°Uhh, th-then¡­¡±

    The gears turned quickly inside her head.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s a bitte to go to another bar¡­¡¯</em>

    The bars in the area were about to close now that it was 1 AM. They would be able to find one that closedter if they looked, but Yeon-Joo did not want to waste precious time.

    ¡°Ah,¡± she expressed, having thought of a great idea. She grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hand with sparkling eyes and yelled, ¡°PC room!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to a PC room!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ***

    Kang-Woo followed Yeon-Joo to an extremely clean and luxurious PC room.

    ¡°Oh! Wee, Miss Cha Yeon-Joo! It¡¯s been a while!¡±

    The owner rushed to Yeon-Joo and bowed, likely because he knew who she was. Yeon-Joo nodded softly and turned to look at one area of the PC room.

    ¡°Give us the VIP seats.¡±

    ¡°I understand. However¡­ we do not ept minors¡­¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not a minor. I guarantee it.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ very well. I will trust you, Miss Cha.¡±

    Kang-Woo looked to be about a middle schooler no matter how one looked at him but the owner smiled awkwardly and guided the two to their seats. The guest was none other than the master of the Red Rose guild; no one could say otherwise even if she were to bring an infant with her into the PC room.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you unlimited hours, so please enjoy!¡±

    The owner quickly turned to leave after guiding the two people to their VIP seats. Kang-Woo looked around the seats with great interest. Either because it waste or because they were in VIP seats, no one else was around.

    ¡°Man, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been to a PC room.¡±

    ¡°Hihihi, me too. I¡¯ve wanted toe here so bad for the past month.¡±

    ¡°But it won¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re a Bronze.¡±

    ¡°Wh-What did you say?!¡± Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo. ¡°I-I may be Bronze, but my skills aren¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Sounds like something a Bronze would say.¡±

    ¡°Urgh! Y-You son of a bitch!¡± Yeon-Joo red at him in fury. ¡°Shut up and sit down already! I¡¯ll be teaching you everything I know about this game today!¡±

    ¡°Wait. Before that, there¡¯s one thing we have to do when we¡¯re in a PC room.¡±

    Kang-Woo clicked on the <em>Open Menu</em> button in all seriousness. Yeon-Joo chuckled as Kang-Woo was ordering food before even opening the game.

    ¡°You still want to stuff your face more after eating that much?¡±

    Kang-Woo gulped and replied, ¡°However hungry you may be, you can¡¯t just skip out on PC room instant ramen.¡±

    He did not particrly crave instant ramen at home but the cravings amplified exponentially when in a PC room for some reason.

    ¡°Whoa, what do we have here? Omori kimchi stew ramen?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone once he discovered a certain instant ramen on the menu.

    <em>¡®A kimchi stew vored instant ramen!¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t believe someone managed to think of such an astoundingly genius idea.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I never knew a product as great as this existed¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo never had a chance to eat junk food products because Seol-Ah always made him food.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll order five of them to start,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    ¡°You won¡¯t even have the space to put them all so just order one, you damn kimchi stew maniac.¡±

    Yeon-Joo stopped Kang-Woo as he was about toplete his order and lowered the quantity to one. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes turned noticeably sorrowful but it was true that there would be no space to fit five instant ramen cups.

    ¡°That aside, are we ying the game we yed when we first met? It was¡­ LoL, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course it is. I don¡¯t even consider games other than LoL to be games,¡± she replied firmly as she turned on the game. There were over a hundred characters to choose from on the list of characters known as champions.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, a character easy for a beginner to use would be¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo leaned over to Kang-Woo¡¯s side and moved his mouse. Her long red hair tickled Kang-Woo¡¯s nose along with a fragrant scent.

    ¡°Your hair,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, did it touch you? Sor¡ª¡±

    ¡°You look good with long hair too.¡±

    ¡°Wh-What?!¡± Yeon-Joo rolled her chair back with her face flushed. ¡°Wh-What the fuck are you talking about?!¡±

    She cursed as she fanned her flushed face. She ced her hand over her t chest, took deep breaths, and rolled her chair back to Kang-Woo¡¯s seat.

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense and let me rmend you a champion to use. Mm, if you¡¯re a beginner, you¡¯re best off using Sona¡­ <em>Gasp</em>.¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes shone as she thought of something after thinking deeply. The corners of her mouth rose and she snickered.

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Hihihi. Nothing in particr,¡± she giggled as she chose a champion.

    <em>- Death is like the wind¡ª always by my side.</em>

    ¡°What a fucking line.¡± Kang-Woo chuckled.

    Yeon-Joo had chosen for him a samurai charactermonly seen in anime.

    ¡°Hehe. It¡¯s the perfect character for beginners.¡±

    ¡°Mm. He looks difficult to y for a beginner.¡±

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion as he read the champion¡¯s ability descriptions but Yeon-Joo pounded his back as if telling him not to worry.

    ¡°Just give him a try. Oh, and he¡¯s a support champion.¡±

    ¡°Support?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Remember when we first met and two people went down the bottomne? That¡¯s where support champions go.¡±

    ¡°Then I just go with you?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Yeon-Joo shook her head firmly. ¡°I¡¯m going down the topne to do my own thing, so you¡¯ll be with someone else.¡±

    ¡°Eh? But that defeats the purpose of ying together¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡±

    Yeon-Joo smiled as she paid for something with her smartphone, and logged into the game.

    ¡°Hm? Your ID is different from what I remember,¡± Kang-Woo said.

    ¡°You¡¯re a beginner so I bought a new ount,¡± she said leisurely as she entered the queue with Kang-Woo.

    Yeon-Joo cracked her knuckles and warmed up before they were matched into a game.

    ¡°First off, the most important thing in LoL is to assert dominance,¡± she said as she typed numbers in the chat.

    No Bone Teleport: 5

    No Bone Teleport: 4

    No Bone Teleport: 3

    No Bone Teleport: 2

    World¡¯s Best Mid: hello ^^

    Butterfly Valley: nice to meet you all ^^ I¡¯m in my cement matches¡­ let¡¯s have a good game!

    ¡°Alright, this is more like it.¡±

    Yeon-Joo smiled in satisfaction as two people chatted before the unknown countdown ended. She looked like a ruthless troll for some reason.

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo stared at the smiling Yeon-Jo in silence.

    He could understand more why she was still in a low tier despite possessing superhuman physical prowess.

    Throw If Not Vayne: who tf is that lunatic?

    No Bone Teleport: lunatic? Are you talking to me?

    Butterfly Valley: haha ^^ let¡¯s not do this before the game even starts¡­ let¡¯s strive for a good match with no swearing involved.

    ¡°Mm, I don¡¯t like the ADC¡¯s attitude.¡± Yeon-Joo stared at the chat in dissatisfaction. With a smile, she grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Right, now just choose the champion I showed you earlier.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Kang-Woo selected the character Yeon-Joo rmended to him.

    Throw If Not Vayne: ?

    Butterfly Valley: Yasuo support?

    World¡¯s Best Mid: tf

    ¡°There are a lot of question marks getting typed,¡± Kang-Woo said.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Just ignore all of them!¡±

    Yeon-Joo cackled as she pounded on Kang-Woo¡¯s back. The game then began.

    <em>¡®Alright, I¡¯ll get serious.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone as he purchased a sword that popped up as a rmended item.

    <em>¡®Both Echidna and Yeon-Joo like this game.¡¯</em>

    He could y with them if he took this opportunity to learn how.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I get gold when I kill those tiny monsters.¡±

    <em>sh! sh! sh! sh!</em>

    <em>Hasagi!</em>

    <em>Ton!</em>

    ¡°This character is pretty fun.¡± Kang-Woo nodded in satisfaction as he massacred the monsters. ¡°And once I do this¡­¡±

    <em>Sorye ge ton!</em>

    <em>Double Kill!</em>

    ¡°Nice!¡±

    Kang-Woo dodged attacks with his godly fast hands and killed two enemies with a shybo.

    Throw If Not Vayne: ffs

    Throw If Not Vayne: y the fk r u killing all the minions and taking all the kills??

    ¡°Pfft! Hihihi! Fucking idiot! How do you like it now that you¡¯re on the receiving end?!¡±

    Yeon-Joo burst intoughter, having the time of her life reading the chat.

    ¡°...?¡±

    Kang-Woo tilted his head, unable to understand.

    <em>¡®The hell? Why are they swearing at me when we fought together and won? Was this not a team game?¡¯</em>

    Throw If Not Vayne: yo yasuo u don¡¯t have a mommy do ya?

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at the screen in shock.

    <em>¡®This son of a bitch¡­ how does he know that I don¡¯t have a mother? Could it be¡­ my information was leaked?!¡¯</em>

    Someone might have gotten ess to Kang-Woo¡¯s personal information which Lilith had been keeping ssified.

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth and clenched his fists anxiously.

    <em>¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯</em>

    He needed to capture the person who figured out his identity as soon as possible.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    I cringe every time there are LoL references in chapters¡­

    And LMAO Kang-Woo never experienced shit-talking¡­</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 28: Rose Time (4)

    Side Story Chapter 28: Rose Time (4)

    ¡°Yeon-Joo, there¡¯s a problem,¡± said Oh Kang-Woo in all seriousness.

    ¡°Huh? What problem?¡± Cha Yeon-Joo asked.

    Kang-Woo bit his lip anxiously and replied, ¡°I think¡­ my information was leaked.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I mean, look!¡± he shouted as he pointed at the chat. ¡°They know I don¡¯t have a mother!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Shit, where was the source of the leak¡­? It would be bad if members of Echidna¡¯s fan club managed to get hold of it.¡±

    ¡°No, Kang-Woo. This is, uhhh¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo shook her head in puzzlement. Kang-Woo chatted with the yer who discovered his identity before Yeon-Joo could continue.Gimme Kimchi Stew: where did you hear that info?

    Throw If Not Vayne: ur fking daddy LMAO

    Gimme Kimchi Stew: Bauli¡­?

    Throw If Not Vayne: ?

    It was a little weird to call Bauli Kang-Woo¡¯s father, but considering Bauli was his creator, he was the closest thing Kang-Woo had to a father.

    ¡°How did Bauli¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo did not understand how the yer managed to hear information about him from the Titan who was stuck inside the Abyss of the Demonic Sea.

    <em>¡®Perhaps¡­¡¯</em>

    He wondered if this had to do with the appearance of Akart. After all, Bauli and Akart were both entities born from the Primordial.

    <em>¡®The situation is far more serious than I anticipated.¡¯</em>

    It had gone far beyond simply worrying about his information being leaked to Echidna¡¯s fan club. He quickly continued chatting.

    Gimme Kimchi Stew: are you one of Akart¡¯s subordinates?

    Throw If Not Vayne: ???

    Throw If Not Vayne: LMFAO fks wrong with u bro

    Throw If Not Vayne: u think we¡¯re ying DNF?

    Throw If Not Vayne: u must go around telling ppl ur the demon king or something lolololol i knew it from the moment you chose yasuo as support lolol

    ¡°...!¡±

    <em>¡®Even information that I¡¯m the Demon King was spread?!¡¯</em>

    Butterfly Valley: guys plz stop chatting and focus on the match ?? I can¡¯t even get to Gold if I lose this cement ??

    Gimme Kimchi Stew: who told you that I¡¯m the Demon King? did Bauli tell you that as well?

    Throw If Not Vayne: ?

    Gimme Kimchi Stew: no, never mind. I doubt you¡¯d tell me.

    Gimme Kimchi Stew: let us talk in detail face to face.

    Kang-Woo rolled his chair back and stood up. The kimchi stew instant ramen arrived, but now was not the time. He resisted the mouthwatering scent of instant ramen with all his might.

    ¡°Sorry, Yeon-Joo. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What? Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Information that I¡¯m the Demon King was leaked. I don¡¯t know who this bastard is, but I have to capture them no matter what.¡±

    ¡°N-No, this isn¡¯t what you think it is¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m off.¡±

    Kang-Woo did not even have the time to listen to Yeon-Joo; he needed to capture Akart¡¯s potential subordinate before they could escape. There was no way for him to know where the subordinate was at the moment, but it was a different story for the System that managed the Triad as a whole.

    ¡°Eve. Tell me where <em>Throw If Not Vayne </em>is.¡±

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Wow¡­ you¡¯re just¡­ wow¡­]

    ¡°What?¡±

    [No, I sometimes can¡¯t tell whether you¡¯re smart or a dumbass.]

    ¡°...?¡±

    [Anyway, this seems interesting so I will tell you the location.]

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion due to Eve¡¯s strange behavior but paid it no mind. He did not have the leeway to bother with trivial things like that either at the moment.

    [It¡¯s close.]

    A map of the area popped up on a blue window as if Kang-Woo was using Google Maps, and the location of the one who figured out Kang-Woo¡¯s true identity was marked on it with a red pin. As Eve said, it was rtively close.

    ¡°H-Hey, Oh Kang-Woo! I got that you don¡¯t know shit about gaming culture, so just calm down for a second!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go on ahead so you follow me too, Yeon-Joo. Eve, give Yeon-Joo the location as well,¡± Kang-Woo said as he leaped.

    Bang!

    He came out of the PC room in a sh and flew into the sky using the Authority of the Sky.

    ¡°Wait! Hey! Oh Kang-Woo!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo heard Yeon-Joo yelling from behind but ignored it.

    ¡°YOU FUCKING MOROOOOOOOOOOON!!¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s screams were carried by the sea breeze of Haeundae, echoing throughout the city in the dead of night.

    Butterfly Valley: hello? support and top? Why aren¡¯t u guys moving?

    Butterfly Valley: pleasee back. We¡¯re winning.

    World¡¯s Best Mid: blue plz

    Butterfly Valley: blue isn¡¯t the fucking priority right now dammit.

    Butterfly Valley: ah¡­ my cement¡­

    Someone¡¯s desperate screams were echoing from the chat of the two screens in the VIP seats of a certain PC room.

    ***

    ¡°<em>Waaaaaah!</em> I-I really don¡¯t know who this Akart is¡­¡±

    In a small dark room with aputer monitor being the only light source was a boy with upturned eyes and a trembling young man kneeling in front of the boy.

    ¡°My information¡­ wasn¡¯t leaked?¡± asked Kang-Woo in puzzlement as he turned to Yeon-Joo, who btedly entered the room after him.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff.</em> Yeah, you crazy bastard!¡± shouted Yeon-Joo in frustration after swinging across buildings like a certain spider hero to chase after the flying Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Then why did he mention my parents out of the blue?¡± Kang-Woo asked as he tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I could understand if we were losing, but we won a two-on-two!¡±

    No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t find a reason for him to be cursed at.

    ¡°I mean, well¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo rolled her eyes and averted his gaze. It was none other than her who made Kang-Woo, who did not know anything about the game, troll. She of course did not expect things to get so out of hand, but she was partly responsible.

    ¡°I-It¡¯s just because that guy is a weirdo!¡± she shouted as she pointed at the trembling young man kneeling on the floor.

    ¡°What¡­?¡± The young man stared at Yeon-Joo wide-eyed. ¡°C-Come on, who wouldn¡¯t curse at someone ying Yasuo as support who kills all the minions and even kill-steals?!¡±

    ¡°Shut it, that¡¯s not reason enough to insult someone¡¯s parents.¡±

    The young man bowed after sensing the immense energy exuding from Yeon-Joo and shouted, ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry! I will never shit-talk again!!¡±

    ¡°You heard him. He¡¯s just an ill-mannered asshole. You see them a lot when gaming. They¡¯re part of the culture,¡± said Yeon-Joo to Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Is that how it is?¡± Kang-Woo remarked as he looked down with interest at the crying young man.

    He couldn¡¯t believe insulting one¡¯s teammates after they won in a game about teamwork was a part of gaming culture.

    ¡°What has this worlde to?¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    Yeon-Joo chuckled as Kang-Woo acted like an old man criticizing children.

    ¡°Oh, right. Come to think of it, your age is¡­¡±

    She grabbed her forehead as if she were getting a headache. The toxic gaming culture already existed before Kang-Woo was sent to Hell, but he had never experienced it because he had been in extreme poverty.

    ¡°You¡¯re so clueless about the weirdest of things.¡±

    Yeon-Joo stared at Kang-Woo in a daze. The usually extraordinarily capable man was asionally a dork in aspects she could never imagine.

    <em>¡®Romance, for example.¡¯</em>

    Her emotions were boiling over because of none other than Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®Well¡­¡¯</em>

    Her dumbfounded expression then turned into one of faint joy. She found the boy, groaning as he scratched his head, lovely.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s what I like about him.¡¯</em>

    If Kang-Woo were as perfect as a machine and cold as ice, she would never have developed feelings for him. His asional dorky side, as well as his leisure and charisma in crises, was what made the human¡ª no, demon Oh Kang-Woo so charming.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s foul-mouthed, arrogant, cruel, and merciless, but he somehow makes me want to protect him.¡¯</em>

    Various expressions ovepped with Kang-Woo¡¯s current confused face: expressions of joyfulughter, sharply glinting eyes, mouth agape like an idiot, fumbling in panic, smiling bitterly in sorrow, agony due to the weight on his shoulders, and one of determination as he set aside his body and mind on the verge of being crushed. Yeon-Joo recalled the many sides of Kang-Woo that she had seen thus far.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo flinched. Her chest hurt as if she had been stabbed by something sharp. After all, Kang-Woo¡¯s countless expressions that she remembered and loved had never been directed at her.

    ¡°...¡±

    The sudden storm of emotions smashed into something that she had kept suppressed all this time.

    ¡°I swear, I had no idea,¡± said Kang-Woo after noticing Yeon-Joo¡¯s crumpling expression. ¡°Even I don¡¯t know about things I¡¯ve never experienced.¡±

    He was not omniscient or omnipotent. He did not know about things he had never experienced and was poor at it when doing it for the first time. Even if he had experience in it, there were things he just had no knack for. Hence, he had no idea why Yeon-Joo was staring at him as if she were about to burst into tears.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry I stormed out in the middle of our game. Next time, we¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°You moron,¡± Yeon-Joo interjected in tears. She could no longer suppress the storm of emotions making her dizzy. ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡±

    She walked to Kang-Woo and leaned her head on his chest.

    ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m like this.¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s shoulders trembled. She was having trouble breathing, and her head was getting hot. She had never expected her feelings, which she had been suppressing all this time, to burst so suddenly in a ce like this.

    ¡°Wh-Why don¡¯t you understand?¡± Yeon-Joo bit her lip and pushed the words out of her mouth. ¡°I¡­ love you. I love you so fucking much.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I thought I was going insane this past month, not being able to see you. No, I was going insane day by day for thest three years you were gone.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You were so cool when you came to the guild to help me. I was so sad when you were about to leave after only having drinks. I was so happy that I was about to cry when you said that I looked good with long hair.¡±

    Tears flowed down her cheeks, falling to the ground.

    ¡°I know you love Seol-Ah and that you two are happy together. I do. I fucking know, but¡­¡±

    She grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°I love you so much to death, you son of a bitch.¡±

    Yeon-Joo yanked Kang-Woo toward her, and they kissed.

    ¡°...¡±

    The sound of a man and a woman kissing rang throughout the small dark room illuminated only by aputer screen.

    ¡°Gurghhh¡­ <em>Waaaaah</em>. Get the fuck out of my house, you bastards¡­¡±

    The young man kneeling in the corner crouched as he shed tears of blood.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    LMAO I was thinking when Yeon-Joo was confessing ¡°Isn¡¯t the dude still in the room¡­?¡±

    I think Yeon-Joo has now overtaken the spot for best girl in my heart, which was previously Lilith.

    #1 = Yeon-Joo (fits the best with Kang-Woo in terms of personality)

    #2 = Lilith (most loyal octopus, extremely capable)

    #3 = Seol-Ah (a little boring; the yandere thing is getting a bit stale. All she brings to the table is that she¡¯s a godly support, can cook, and that she has huge tits¡­ I guess she gets points for resurrecting best boy Balrog)</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 29: Rose Time (5)

    Side Story Chapter 29: Rose Time (5)

    but so did the chances of the number of Kang-Woo¡¯s lovers increasing.

    She bit her lip and asked, ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not thinking of some bullshit like getting more lovers and making a harem, are you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Kang-Woo looked at Yeon-Joo in exasperation. ¡°I¡¯m done now.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be getting any more than this,¡± he said firmly.

    Yeon-Joo asked in puzzlement, ¡°A-Are you sure you¡¯re okay with that? You have that princess from the other world and¡­ Halcyon, was it? They¡¯re head over heels for you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I¡¯d say it¡¯s closer to dependence than affection with them. Besides, I¡¯m not obligated to ept their feelings just because they¡¯re in love with me, am I?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t some automatic door that allowed anyone in.

    ¡°Darling¡¯s approval aside, I don¡¯t want to be with a woman I don¡¯t have feelings for.¡±Having many lovers wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing; Kang-Woo was far happier spending time with his Darling than wasting time with women he barely had any interest in.

    ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡±

    Yeon-Joo was relieved after finding out what she feared would not happen but she then flinched.

    <em>¡®Wait a second.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had just said he did not want to be with women he had no feelings for, but also said he would ept her with Seol-Ah¡¯s approval.

    <em>¡®That means¡­¡¯</em>

    Albeit not as much as his feelings for Seol-Ah, Kang-Woo also had feelings for Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°U-Urghhh!¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s face reddened again as she clenched her fists. Instead of being happy that Kang-Woo had feelings for her, she was more angry with herself for being so happy despite being under Seol-Ah. It was like being happy with second or third ce in a race where only first ce mattered.

    ¡°Y-You son of a bitch! Scumbag!¡±

    ¡°Ow! Wh-What¡¯s up with you this time?!¡±

    <em>Bash! Bash!</em>

    Yeon-Joo took her rage, fueled by her unbearable sense of shame, out on Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®You could at least say I¡¯m your number one when we¡¯re alone together!¡¯</em>

    She had no idea why her feelings for him did not waver despite feeling such a miserable sense of loss.

    ¡°You put me under some sort of perverted hypnosis, didn¡¯t you?! Huh? That¡¯s the only way this can be exined!!¡± shouted Yeon-Joo sorrowfully.

    Kang-Woo, getting barraged by endless punches, screamed, ¡°S-Say no to domestic violence!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not married yet!¡±

    ¡°Then say fucking no to just violence!¡±

    Yeon-Joo exerted violence to a point that one wouldn¡¯t think she had made a tear-jerking love confession earlier.

    <em>Thud.</em>

    Just then, a rectangr box fell out from Yeon-Joo¡¯s pocket and hit Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    ¡°Kurgh, the hell is this¡­?¡±

    He picked up the box to look at it.

    <em>¡®This is¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had never used it because he could control the properties of his bodily fluids using demonic energy, but it was a product mainly used for contraceptive purposes.

    <em>¡®Why does Yeon-Joo have something like this?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked up in confusion.

    ¡°H-Huh?¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s face turned deathly pale.

    ¡°...¡±

    At that moment, Kang-Woo could instinctively tell; his body became certain of it before his mind could understand.

    <em>¡®Oh¡­ I can tease her with this! First, let¡¯s turn on the video. Precious memories should always be recorded.¡¯</em>

    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°I-It¡¯s not mine!!¡±

    ¡°It fell out of your pocket., didn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I-I mean, yes, b-b-b-b-b-but¡­! R-Right! You know Eun-Bi, right?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Y-You don¡¯t? Huh? Anyway, she¡¯s a bit of a cheeky rookie in my guild! Sh-She¡­ well, u-umm¡­ Ah!¡±

    <em>¡®Right then, let¡¯s see how she tries to get out of this.¡¯</em>

    ¡°She¡¯s just so h-horny!!¡± Yeon-Joo shouted.

    ¡°...?¡±

    <em>¡®I didn¡¯t fucking expect this kind of response.¡¯</em>

    ¡°I mean, she¡¯s so immoral! She tried to do th-that thing in the guild building, so I confiscated it!!¡±

    <em>¡®Eun-Bi, are you sure you¡¯re fine being in a guild where the master is this kind of person? Are you doing well?¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo remained silent.

    ¡°I-It¡¯s true!!¡±

    ¡°Really? Then let me call Eun-Bi to check with her.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Y-You just said you didn¡¯t know who that was¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, that? I lied.¡±

    ¡°W-WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!!¡± Yeon-Joo pounced at Kang-Woo but he lightly stepped to the side to dodge. ¡°K-Kang-Woo. Hear me out¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo opened the box in front of the trembling Yeon-Joo. There were silver wrappers inside it.

    ¡°Huuuuuh~? What are these, Yeon-Joo noona?¡± he asked with a wide smile, waving the silver wrapper.

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression hardened like a prophet who foresaw the end of the world.

    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s up with the noona?¡± She trembled as she reached for the silver wrapper. ¡°Hand that over this instant!¡±

    ¡°If you want it, you¡¯ll have to tell me what it is, Yeon-Joo noona~¡±

    ¡°S-Stop calling me noona!¡±

    Kang-Woo touched the silver wrapper, his eyes shining innocently as he dodged Yeon-Joo¡¯s hands.

    ¡°There¡¯s something circr inside. Could it be a balloon?¡±

    ¡°D-Don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Shall I unwrap it~?¡±

    ¡°Oh Kang-Woo, you son of a bitch!! Don¡¯t!!¡±

    Kang-Woo opened the wrapper as he turned away from the screaming Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°Ah, I knew it was a balloon!¡±

    ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!!¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s screams echoed throughout the surroundings.

    <em>¡®Aaaahh.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo relished in the sparks of ecstasy traveling throughout his body.<em> ¡®Fucking yes. This is it! This is what I live for!! It¡¯s so fucking fun! This is the most entertaining shit in the world!¡¯</em>

    ¡°I-It¡¯s not mone¡­ It¡¯s not mine¡­¡±

    ¡°Really? Then I can have it, right, noona?¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo took out the rubber balloon from the wrapper in front of Yeon-Joo and remarked, ¡°Lemme blow it up~¡±

    He blew into the <em>balloon </em>as an innocent child would.

    ¡°KYAAAAAAAAAHH!! YOU CRAZY SON OF A BITCH!! WH-WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!¡± Yeon-Joo screamed in shock.

    Her embarrassment gauge exploded and she fell to the ground, left with no strength to even charge at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Hurgh¡­¡± Tears welled up around her eyes. ¡°Y-You¡­ <em>Sniff!</em> Scumbag¡­¡±

    Her sorrowful weeps echoed.

    ¡°Pfft! Bwehehehehehe!!!¡± Kang-Woo rolled on the floorughing after sessfully making Yeon-Joo cry. ¡°Ahh, this is what it feels like to be <em>alive¡­</em>¡±

    <em>¡®Yeah. I should do my best to persuade Darling. I don¡¯t think I can live without Yeon-Joo anymore.¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression crumpled drastically. Chilling aura as white as frost, unbefitting of her fiery red hair, surrounded her.

    <em>tter.</em>

    The thorny chains moved as if they were alive.

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ kill you.¡±

    Yeon-Joo stared at Kang-Woo lifelessly. A voice as deathly as what woulde from an Undead risen by a necromancer echoed throughout the streets.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    <em>Creak, creak.</em>

    She moved her limbs awkwardly like a machine. Kang-Woo could tell he was fucked from seeing that Yeon-Joo had lost her sense of reason.

    ¡°U-Umm¡­ Yeon-Joo noona?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, no matter what. I¡¯ll tear you apart limb by limb and shove them into every single one of your orifices.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit.¡±

    <em>¡®How could you say something so atrocious so easily?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Red Lotus, Eighth Form¡ª¡±

    <em>tter¡ª!!</em>

    The countless chainsid out on the ground fiercely gathered. Within the storm of red chains, Yeon-Joo muttered, ¡°Red Lotus Kaleidoscope.¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    The storm of chains raged toward Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Mm.¡± Kang-Woo nodded as he stared at the storm of chains charging at him. ¡°Looks like I have no choice.¡±

    <em>¡®Let¡¯s fucking run.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 30: Troubling Date (1)

    Side Story Chapter 30: Troubling Date (1)

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo returned after an exciting game of tag with Cha Yeon-Joo and saw that Han Seol-Ah was sulking.

    ¡°Darling~ I said I¡¯m home~¡±

    ¡°I can see that.¡±

    Seol-Ah, who always ran to the front door as soon as Kang-Woo opened the door and shoved him between her soft breasts, stayed in the kitchen with a cold expression.

    ¡°Mm, uhh¡­ Darling?¡± Kang-Woo called as he carefully approached Seol-Ah.

    Seol-Ah red at him and asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo flinched, hearing a callous tone from her for the first time.<em>¡®She¡¯s pissed.¡¯</em>

    He had to do something since Seol-Ah was tantly showing how angry she was.

    ¡°Darling, are you angry? I¡¯m sorry~¡±

    Kang-Woo hugged Seol-Ah from behind as if asking to be pampered.

    ¡°Ngh.¡± Seol-Ah flinched and mumbled as she sulked, ¡°Really¡­ You left without a wordst time, and now today¡­¡±

    ¡°I messaged you that I¡¯ll bete this time.¡±

    ¡°Even so, I didn¡¯t expect you to be out until the same came up!¡± shouted Seol-Ah, turning to Kang-Woo with tears in her eyes. ¡°I was¡­ so worried that I thought my chest was burning.¡±

    ¡°Haha. I told you that you don¡¯t need to worry about me anymore. I¡¯ve recovered arge portion of my strength.¡±

    ¡°N-Not that.¡± She twiddled her fingers as she averted her gaze from Kang-Woo. ¡°I was worried that¡­ something might have happened between you and Yeon-Joo.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ that.¡±

    Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah with a troubled expression. He couldn¡¯t say that nothing happened since Yeon-Joo had let her suppressed feelings burst forth and passionately confessed her love to him.

    ¡°Really, really, really¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah softly bit her lip and took out a cabbage head of kimchi from a kimchi container.

    <em>Schwing.</em>

    She ced the head of kimchi on the cutting board and grabbed a sharp kitchen knife.

    ¡°You¡¯re mine, I¡¯m all you need, you only need to look at me, but you keep going out to see other women!¡±

    <em>Thump! Thump! Thump!</em>

    Seol-Ah swung the knife like an ax. Red kimchi stew fluid sttered all over the ce like blood.

    ¡°Is it because you find something that I do for youcking? Is it? Then feel free to let me know. I¡¯m willing to do anything for you. Okay? Okay? Okay?¡±

    <em>Thump! Thump! Thump!</em>

    Seol-Ah continued to talk in a chilling tone as she cut the kimchi into tiny pieces as if she were hacking at her mortal enemy.

    ¡°Umm, Darling¡­¡± said Kang-Woo carefully under the deathly heavy mood. ¡°It¡¯s not nice to have the kimchi sliced too small¡ª¡±

    <em>Thump!</em>

    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯lle home earlier from now on.¡±

    Kang-Woo quickly backed down once he saw Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes losing their light.

    ¡°Haaa.¡± Seol-Ah put down the knife and turned to hug Kang-Woo. She continued, ¡°It sure is¡­ difficult to have a lover who is too popr.¡±

    Seol-Ah gently caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s arm.

    ¡°What do you think, Kang-Woo?¡±

    <em>¡®About what?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Is there no other choice but to divide you up among us?¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    <em>¡®That¡¯s not meant to be divided. You shouldn¡¯t do that.¡¯</em>

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know what I should do anymore.¡±

    ¡°Please spare me.¡±

    <em>¡®I think murder is a very bad thing. I mean, I won¡¯t die, but it still hurts.¡¯</em>

    ¡°H-Huh? What do you mean? There¡¯s no way I would kill you, Kang-Woo!¡±

    ¡°Haha. Right, Darling? That¡¯s not what you meant by divide, ri¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Seol-Ah smiled like she couldn¡¯t be happier and embraced Kang-Woo tighter. ¡°Do you know the book <em>No One¡¯s Perfect</em>?¡±[1]

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    <em>¡®Nor do I want to know.¡¯</em>[2]

    ¡°It is a book containing a hopeful message that a person can live just fine even without their arms and legs.¡±

    <em>¡®What does that have to do with our current situation?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Oh, right! I heard the author of that book also had affairs.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll smash my head into the ground this instant.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hohoho. Don¡¯t scold the king too much,¡± said Lilith as she came out of her room and lightly embraced Seol-Ah.

    ¡°U-Unnie.¡±

    ¡°I understand that you don¡¯t want to be separated from the king, but he will end up getting tired of you if you keep trying to put him on a leash.¡±

    ¡°<em>Gasp!</em> Th-There¡¯s no way he would!¡±

    ¡°My, are you sure about that?¡±

    Lilith smiled alluringly as she nced at Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way I would end up disliking Darling even if she put me in restraints, but I might as well keep silent since she¡¯s helping me out.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Urgh.¡± Seol-Ah bit her lip in sorrow.

    Lilith gently patted Seol-Ah¡¯s head and asked, ¡°That aside, what were you doing with Yeon-Joo all night?¡±

    Her eyes were shining with great interest.

    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kang-Woo groaned, troubled about how to respond.

    He turned to look at Seol-Ah, who was staring at him anxiously.

    <em>¡®I think I¡¯ll be fucked if I tell them in this situation that Yeon-Joo confessed to me.¡¯</em>

    He had a feeling he should bring up the topic once he appeased Seol-Ah.

    ¡°We were gaming in a PC room,¡± he answered.

    ¡°A¡­ PC room?¡± Lilith tilted her head after hearing a term she had never heard before.

    ¡°You remember the game I yed with Echidna a while ago, right? It¡¯s a public ce where we can y games like that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then I guess there weren¡¯t any interesting developments.¡± Lilith sighed and shook her head in disappointment. ¡°I was expecting to get another little sister¡­¡±

    ¡°Unnie!¡±

    ¡°Hoho. I¡¯m joking. Right, my king. I have matters to take care of today, so I will be out for the day.¡±

    Lilith created and managed an intelligence organization separate from Guardians. The organization was attempting to track Akart¡¯s movements by analyzing abnormal phenomena urring in Gates throughout the world.

    ¡°Okay. Have a safe trip,¡± Kang-Woo said as she saw her off at the front door and slowly turned to Seol-Ah.

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo¡­¡± Seol-Ah was trembling, teary-eyed. She carefully approached Kang-Woo, grabbed his clothes, and muttered quietly, ¡°You haven¡¯t gotten t-tired of me, right? R-Right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see a reason why I would have.¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s hands and smiled. Seol-Ah smiled, her expression filled with relief.

    <em>¡®Let¡¯s see. I need to cheer Darling up somehow,¡¯ </em>he thought as he looked at Seol-Ah with her shoulders drooped sorrowfully. <em>¡®I¡¯ll have to cheer her up regardless before telling her Yeon-Joo confessed to me.¡¯</em>

    He needed Seol-Ah in the best mood possible so that she would approve of Yeon-Joo without much resistance.

    <em>¡®Let¡¯s see. Maybe we can do the noona roley likest time¡­¡¯</em>

    An idea popped up in his head as he was racking his brain for something.

    ¡°Oh, right.¡±

    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s wrong, Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, it¡¯s been so long since west had a date, right?¡±

    Kang-Woo had spent the majority of his days at home after returning from the Abyss so they had not enjoyed any outdoor dates.

    ¡°A¡­ date?¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes widened as if she had not even considered the idea. Kang-Woo smiled widely and nodded.

    ¡°It was a super~ long time ago, but do you remember telling me that you wanted to go to an amusement park with me?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. I remember.¡± Seol-Ah nodded after recalling her memories for a moment.

    It was when they had gone to Japan.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go today,¡± Kang-Woo said as he grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s hand.

    ¡°...!¡± Her eyes shone brightly like shlights. ¡°A date with K-Kang-Woo, just the two of us¡­!¡±

    Seol-Ah trembled as if she were told of shocking news. Sparks traveled throughout her body and intense pleasure stimted her brain to the point that she felt like her brain was melting.

    ¡°Haa, haaa,¡± Seol-Ah panted heavily as she gripped Kang-Woo¡¯s hands tighter. ¡°I-Is it really okay, Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Eh? About what?¡±

    <em>¡®What¡¯s the problem with lovers going on a date?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Umm, you know¡­¡± Seol-Ah averted her gaze from Kang-Woo and twiddled her fingers. ¡°I-I¡¯ve never done it outside, so I¡¯m a little nervous.¡±

    <em>¡®What are you nning on doing outside?¡¯</em>

    ¡°I-If that¡¯s what you want, then I¡¯m f-fine with it! I can do it!¡±

    <em>¡®I was thinking nothing of the sort.¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly stared at Seol-Ah, wondering who had corrupted someone as innocent and pure as her.

    ¡°La¡­¡±

    That was the only person who came to mind.

    ¡°Your mind is filled with La!!¡±

    ¡°Kyaaahh! K-Kang-Woo!!¡±

    ¡°Come here, Darling! La is trying to take over your mind!!¡±

    ¡°It was a joke! I was joking, Kang-Woo!¡±

    Theyughed after bickering with each other for a while.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get washed up first and get ready,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    They had both stayed up all night but it was fine since their bodies no longer required sleep.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll join you, Kang-Woo ?¡±

    Seol-Ah approached Kang-Woo with a smile. He thought for a moment and then nodded. He had gotten used to bathing with Seol-Ah.

    ¡°Hehehe. I¡¯ll clean every nook and cranny of your body,¡± said Seol-Ah with a smile, seemingly having cheered up a lot already. ¡°Oh, right. Come to think of it, which amusement park are we going to?¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re gonna go to one, we might as well go somewhere big.¡±

    Kang-Woo shrugged and took out his smartphone to show Seol-Ah a picture of the ce he had in mind.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes widened.

    ***

    Intense sunlight beamed down on them under the clear skies. Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah witnessed a sight in the crowded amusement park that one would rarely see in Korea.

    ¡°Sheesh, this ce is crowded.¡±

    People of various skin colors filled the amusement park.

    ¡°The Hall of Protection sure is amazing. We can travel overseas in the blink of an eye¡­¡± Seol-Ah remarked.

    ¡°It¡¯s the main reason why Guardians managed to take hold of the majority of the world¡¯s authority.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded as he looked around. He could hear native English pronunciations from all over the ce. Thenguage itself was unfamiliar to him since he had not even properly received middle school education, forget high school education.

    <em>¡®But that doesn¡¯t matter in these times.¡¯</em>

    The interpretation magic tool that Khadgar made with his blood, sweat, and tears during their preparation for the war against Bael, had be amonce item for daily life. It was made avable even to regr people so thenguage barrier had practically vanished.

    ¡°Right, then. Shall we go?¡± said Kang-Woo as he reached for Seol-Ah¡¯s hand after purchasing the tickets.

    ¡°Yes!¡± she shouted, her smile brighter than ever.

    The amusement they decided to have their date in was Universal Studios, located in Los Angeles, USA.

    1. This is a book written by Ototake Hirotada. It is his autobiography as a man born without arms and legs. ?

    2. Kang-Woo is reacting like this because the title of the book in Korean (direct trantion of the Japanese title) is something like ¡°unsatisfactory body and limbs.¡± ?<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Sorry if anyone likes Seol-Ah, but she¡¯s really starting to get on my nerves lol</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 31: Troubling Date (2)

    Side Story Chapter 31: Troubling Date (2)

    ¡°What should we ride first, Kang-Woo?¡± asked Han Seol-Ah as she hugged Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s arm.

    Their positions were awkward because of the height difference, but she did not seem to mind it.

    ¡°Mm, not sure,¡± answered Kang-Woo apathetically as he opened the map he got from the amusement park entrance.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no point in going on thrill rides.¡¯</em>

    The two of them could travel at supersonic speed, so attractions such as roller coasters or drop towers would not give them any thrill whatsoever.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s why I chose this ce.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked around Universal Studios. There were buildings decorated with various films as their theme and shops that sold all sorts of goods. Since they wouldn¡¯t feel anything from thrill rides, he chose a ce where there were at least many things to look at. However, there was one problem,

    ¡°Hm, I don¡¯t know any of these films,¡± Kang-Woo expressed.

    ¡°Oh¡­ me neither.¡±They could count the number of films they watched with one hand. They watched several anime with Echidna but rarely films. Hence, they couldn¡¯t appreciate the dedicated decorations.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s like looking at a nicely decorated garden.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo btedly regretted choosing an amusement park as their date spot.

    ¡°Hehe. It¡¯s okay, Kang-Woo.¡± Seol-Ah smiled as she hugged Kang-Woo¡¯s arm harder. ¡°I¡¯m more than satisfied being with you, just the two of us.¡±

    ¡°If you say so, then I guess it¡¯s fine.¡±

    It did not matter if they had nothing to do here as long as Darling was smiling so happily. He had a great time drinking and gaming with Cha Yeon-Joo but it couldn¡¯tpare to when he was spending time with Seol-Ah.

    Kang-Woo grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Darling.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I love you.¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    The trembling Seol-Ah looked around and then rubbed her legs together as if holding her pee.

    ¡°J-Jeez! Please be more mindful when we¡¯re outside, Kang-Woo!¡±

    ¡°What? What did I do¡­?¡±

    ¡°Whatever! You¡¯re prohibited from saying things like that outside!¡± shouted Seol-Ah hastily, her face noticeably much redder.

    Kang-Woo nodded with a dumbfounded expression and turned around.

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s head over there first¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡­ love you too,¡± muttered Seol-Ah as she gently grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s arm.

    Kang-Woo could feel the corners of his mouth rising. He softly coughed and remarked, ¡°Why don¡¯t we head over there first?¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes shone as she took the lead.

    <em>Murmur, murmur.</em>

    ¡°Hey! Take a look at that Chinese chick!¡±

    ¡°Holy shit! Cerberus!¡±

    Seol-Ah garnered attention as they walked around the amusement park. Her facial features looked as if a master craftsman sculpted them; her dark purple hair was like silk, and her waist was so slender for how voluptuous she was. Her beauty and body were almost abnormal, causing people to express their amazement.

    <em>¡®I guess all Asians being treated as Chinese hasn¡¯t changed then and now.¡¯</em>

    Hearing their mumbling, Kang-Woo hugged Seol-Ah¡¯s arm tighter and growled with a fierce re.

    ¡°How dare they covet my darling?¡±

    ¡°My, my, look at that boy!¡±

    ¡°Hohoho. He¡¯s clinging to his older sister so much, he must love her a lot!¡±

    ¡°His slightly arrogant-looking eyes are so cute!¡±

    ¡°Haaah~ if only my little brother were as cute as him!¡±

    The women around him reacted in a way he did not intend.

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    Kang-Woo groaned and narrowed his eyes. He was so small that his re was more cute than threatening.

    <em>¡®Maybe I¡¯ll just use the Authority of Fear,¡¯ </em>he thought momentarily but shook his head.

    Using an Authority on regr people instead of yers might result in a massive disaster.

    <em>¡®If only they were yers.¡¯</em>

    Just as it was much more difficult to hold a fragile bubble than a rtively hard ball, it was harder to deal with regr people than awakened yers.

    <em>Grit, grit.</em>

    ¡°Those bitches¡­ H-H-How dare they ogle at Kang-Woo¡­?¡±

    Seol-Ah bit her nails in irritation as she red at the swooning women. Her eyes lost their light and filled with intense bloodlust.

    ¡°Kang-Woo, give me a second to eliminate those irredeemable bitches.¡±

    ¡°D-Darling! Stop!¡±

    Kang-Woo quickly grabbed Seol-Ah as she was about to walk toward the women. Seol-Ah thrashed about like a starved beast.

    ¡°Let me go! Kang-Woo! I can¡¯t deal with those women like this!¡±

    ¡°C-Calm down!¡± Kang-Woo dragged the raging Seol-Ah to a deserted ce, lessening the eyes on them. ¡°Darling, you shouldn¡¯t act that way to unawakened people.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±

    It was ironic how a demon was scolding an angel for trying to harm people through violence. No one seemed to mind the ironic situation much as the two of them drew attention everywhere they went. Seol-Ah acted erratically the first few times but slowly became used to the attention.

    <em>¡®At least they¡¯re only looking at us like we¡¯re monkeys in a zoo. No one¡¯sing up to us to talk.¡¯</em>

    If they were in one of the ero manga that La enjoyed so much, Seol-Ah would have already been surrounded by muscr ck men but no one wasing to hit on her.

    ¡°Ah, Kang-Woo! I know that film!¡±

    They stopped at an area decorated like a jungle as they were leisurely walking through Universal Studios. Seol-Ah pointed with sparkling eyes at a dinosaur head with its mouth open wide with the sign written <em>Jurassic Park</em>.

    ¡°Oh, Jurassic Park. I know that one too.¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t be further from being an avid enjoyer of films but not to the point that he did not know what <em>Jurassic Park</em> was. Everyone and their mother knew about the film.

    ¡°How about we ride that one?¡± Seol-Ah suggested.

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled as Seol-Ah pulled him by his arm and nodded. They wouldn¡¯t experience thrill from rides but it was weird to only look around when they were in an amusement park.

    ¡°The line is¡­ a bit long.¡±

    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Kang-Woo said as he took out the tickets he had bought for moments like this.

    It was a premium ticket that allowed one to enjoy the attractions without waiting in line. It was almost twice as expensive as the regr admission tickets.

    <em>¡®But I have so much money now that I don¡¯t even know what to do with all of it.¡¯</em>

    He owned an entire luxury apartmentplex in his name; tickets like this were chump change for him.

    ¡°Hahaha! Stay forever in line, you capitalist losers!¡±

    Kang-Woo felt an insane rush as he cut in line using his premium ticket. He cackled as he walked to the rides, holding hands with Seol-Ah.

    ¡°Wow, this is my first time riding a roller coaster!¡±

    Seol-Ah smiled excitedly like a little girl. Just seeing that smile made the trip to the amusement park worth it for Kang-Woo.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be as fun as you expect it to be,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    ¡°Hoho, it¡¯s okay. Going on an amusement park ride with you¡­ it feels like I¡¯m dreaming.¡±

    <em>Vrrrr, tssssssss¡ª!</em>

    The roller coaster that they got on slowly began to move. Thick white vapor rose at the same time the doors to <em>Jurassic Park</em> opened.

    <em>Roar¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    ¡°Man, this is a lot more well-made than I expected.¡±

    Seol-Ah and Kang-Woo both expressed amazement once the wooden doors opened. Inside were models of dinosaurs munching on grass or hunting. They blended so well with the jungle background that it was as if they were transported to the world of Jurassic Park.

    ¡°Seeing awkwardly moving models after getting used to real monsters is nice in its own right,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    ¡°I agree. It¡¯s very nice.¡±

    The two of them leisurely looked around as if they were on a slow Ferris wheel instead of a roller coaster. The roller coaster began to pick up speed and screams rang out from all around them.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s very well-made too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen that dinosaur before.¡±

    However, Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah were leisurely chatting away. For them, who regrly engaged in supersonic battles, a roller coaster was merely a slightly faster Ferris wheel.

    ¡°Fuuu, that was pretty fun.¡±

    ¡°I loved the interior design.¡±

    Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah calmly left, passing the people who were still catching their breaths.

    ¡°Where should we go next?¡± Kang-Woo opened the map to choose their next destination. After a short thought, he pointed at a certain part of the map. ¡°Here should be good.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a haunted house?¡± Seol-Ah asked.

    ¡°Yeah. These things are usually more thrilling than a roller coaster.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ a haunted house, huh?¡± Seol-Ah stroked her chin as she thought about something. Her eyes lit up as if she hade up with a good idea and nodded. She shouted in unknown excitement, ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Seol-Ah was acting considerably assertive, unlike Lilith who was scared of ghosts.

    <em>¡®I guess Darling isn¡¯t the type to get scared of haunted houses.¡¯</em>

    However, that onlysted for a moment.

    ¡°KYAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!¡± Seol-Ah screamed as soon as she entered the haunted house and clung tightly to Kang-Woo. ¡°I-I¡¯m so scared, Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion as he stared at Seol-Ah, who was screaming from the start, contrary to her assertiveness earlier. He went deeper into the haunted house, being hugged so hard that he was practically being held up at this point.

    ¡°Kyaaaaahhh! Gh-Ghosts!¡±

    ¡°Kyaah. Look at those corpses, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Haaa, let¡¯s walk a little slower.¡±

    ¡°Haaa, haaa. Fufufu. I like how dark it is in here. Don¡¯t you, Kang-Woo?¡±

    Kang-Woo realized something was off the deeper they went. Seol-Ah, who screamed as she clung to Kang-Woo in the beginning, was now screaming half-assedly even when the ghosts charged right at them and instead focused on fondling Kang-Woo¡¯s body. Her hands got even more aggressive the darker the surroundings got.

    ¡°Darling¡­ be honest with me. You¡¯re not scared at all, are you?¡±

    ¡°<em>Gasp!</em>¡± Seol-Ah flinched and quickly shook her head. ¡°O-Of course I am! You have no idea how scared I am of ghosts!¡±

    ¡°You say that, but you weren¡¯t scared of that ghost earlier at all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ b-because I know they¡¯re employees of this park!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty much questioning the existence of haunted houses at this point.¡±

    ¡°Whatever! I¡¯m hugging you because I¡¯m scared to death!¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled as he stared at Seol-Ah, throwing a temper tantrum like a little girl as she shook her head. Anyone could tell she was lying, but he was willing to y along.

    ¡°Alright. If you¡¯re that scared, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    ¡°Right? It can¡¯t be helped, right?¡± Seol-Ah gulped and mumbled as if hypnotizing herself.

    They finally escaped the haunted house after some more fondling.

    Seo-Ah trembled as she panted heavily, then said, ¡°K-Kang-Woo. Let¡¯s go on th-that next!¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?¡± She dragged Kang-Woo to a Ferris wheel, the staple attraction of any amusement park. ¡°Riding a Ferris wheel in midday is a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°We can go on it again in the evening, so it¡¯s fine!¡±

    ¡°Urgh!¡±

    Seol-Ah dragged Kang-Woo even stronger.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa. Ride time is 11 minutes 20 seconds¡­¡± The corners of Seol-Ah¡¯s mouth rose. She clenched her fists and nodded firmly. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ long enough!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    <em>¡®Long enough for what?¡¯</em><blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    I don¡¯t know about other people but I would fking hate to be in a rtionship with someone with zero self-control¡­ I mean, it¡¯s understandable for Seol-Ah since she has her angel obsession to deal with but still¡­</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 32: Troubling Date (3)

    Side Story Chapter 32: Troubling Date (3)

    An awkward silence fell between the two people who came out of the Ferris wheel cart.

    ¡°U-Umm¡­ Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed in you, Darling.¡±

    ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± Han Seol-Ah flinched and she hunched. She lowered her head like a sinner and twiddled her fingers. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I-I couldn¡¯t hold myself back because it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve been a-alone together.¡±

    ¡°Even if we were in a Ferris wheel¡­ We would¡¯ve been visible to everyone if I hadn¡¯t used the Authority of Blindness.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then does that mean we can do it anywhere as long as you use that Auth¡ª¡±

    ¡°Darling.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Seol-Ah lowered her head sorrowfully.

    Oh Kang-Woo sighed. The Authority of Blindness was overpowered in that it could alter the target¡¯s sense of sight to make things not visible to them or turn into something entirely different in their eyes. Purely regarding its capabilities, not even the Authorities of the princes of Hell could hold up to it.<em>¡®But ites with a massive amount of restrictions.¡¯</em>

    Not only was its demonic energy consumption rate insanely high, but its effects plummeted when used on an unspecifiedrge number of people. Most of all, the Authority of Blindness would be undone almost instantly if the target had even the tiniest amount of demonic energy resistance.

    <em>¡®Fortunately, there are only regr people with no resistance to demonic energy around.¡¯</em>

    If there had been a High Ranker in the area, they could have seen through the Authority of Blindness and what was happening inside the cart.

    ¡°Are you angry¡­?¡± cautiously asked Seol-Ah as she grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes, teary-eyed as if she were about to cry.

    ¡°No. It¡¯s okay, Darling.¡±

    No one could get angry at Seol-Ah after seeing her face. Kang-Woo smiled brightly and patted the dejected Seol-Ah¡¯s back.

    ¡°Kang-Woo!¡±

    Two soft mounds of fat pressed against Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks.

    ¡°Urgh.¡± It took Kang-Woo a few minutes to barely escape her embrace. ¡°Ahem. That aside, shall we get something to eat?¡±

    ¡°Oh, look at the time.¡±

    It was already past lunchtime after the two did all kinds of <em>things</em>. They did not require sustenance but couldn¡¯t pass up on delicious food when they were on a date.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ve never had American food either.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo preferred Korean to Western cuisine, but that did not mean he didn¡¯t like hamburgers, fried chicken, pizza, and other foods. He practically liked anything delicious.

    ¡°Here are the restaurants. Let¡¯s go here.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Seol-Ah smiled brightly again after judging Kang-Woo¡¯s anger had quelled, and hugged Kang-Woo¡¯s arm again. They headed to the food court.

    ¡°Th-The smell of grease is insane,¡± Seol-Ah remarked.

    ¡°They say half of America¡¯s poption is obese, and I think I get why.¡±

    Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah¡¯s mouths were left agape as they entered the food court. The stench of grease and cheese was so pungent that they felt full just from being in the area.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, what should we eat?¡± Kang-Woo wondered.

    ¡°Ngh¡­ I think I lost my appetite.¡±

    He circled the food court, holding hands with Seol-Ah. The ce was filled with familiar foods like hamburgers, pizza, and pasta, as well as foods he had never seen before.

    <em>¡®Ah, I¡¯m craving kimchi stew.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo sighed as he stared at foods he did not particrly crave. He would likely not find a ce that made kimchi stew in such a faraway foreign country.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll make sure kimchi stew is sold all over the world one day,¡¯ </em>he thought passionately.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just choose randomly.¡±

    Kang-Woo sighed and walked to the nearest restaurant that mainly sold fried chicken thigh lunchboxes mixed with mashed potatoes and other vegetables. It seemed the most appetizing out of the rest of the foods he had seen.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have the same as you, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    They took their seats once they ordered and the guest pager vibrated soon after.

    ¡°Right then, shall we eat?¡±

    ¡°Hoho, you love your friend chicken, don¡¯t you, Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°I sure do.¡±

    Kang-Woo loved Korean food far more but enjoyed fried chicken the most among Western foods.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have a taste of American fried chicken.¡±

    He opened the lunchbox, stuck a fork into therge chicken thigh, and took a big bite.

    ¡°Pffp!!¡± An insanely salty taste attacked his taste buds. ¡°What the fuck is this?!¡±

    <em>¡®Did they stuff the chicken with salt or something?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah also grimaced after biting into the chicken thigh.

    <em>¡®How much salt did they add for it to get this salty?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo took a mouthful of the mashed potatoes to cancel out the saltiness.

    ¡°Pffp! Why the fuck is this salty?!¡±

    It was even saltier than the fried chicken for some reason.

    Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah looked down at the lunchbox in astonishment.

    ¡°I guess¡­ the Western food we had in Korea was just Korean food.¡±

    ¡°I once saw on the news that Korea has been shifting to saltier foodstely, but it¡¯s not even close to this,¡± Seol-Ah mentioned.

    Kang-Woo threw away the lunchboxes. Although they were on a date, he did not want to eat fried chicken practically covered in salt.

    ¡°Urgh, let¡¯s just look around some more, Darling.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Kang-Woo.¡±

    They got up from their seats and looked around Universal Studios again. The food left much to be desired, but there were tons of things to do in the amusement park. It was already evening after they rode various attractions such as one themed with robots that could transform into cars, a boat where a massive shark suddenly appeared next to them, and many others.

    ¡°Whoa, time flew by so quickly.¡±

    ¡°I had a wonderful time.¡± Seol-Ah smiled in satisfaction.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go back now?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± she expressed disappointment. She wanted to spend some more time with Kang-Woo alone. ¡°A-Already?¡±

    ¡°We should, considering the time difference.¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s expression darkened. She bit her lip, softly grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes, and said, ¡°I want to¡­ be with you for a little longer, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°But we live togeth¡ª¡± Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion but remained silent as he noticed Seol-Ah¡¯s teary eyes. ¡°Okay, then. We¡¯ve seen everything there is to see here, so why don¡¯t we head to the beach?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­! O-Okay!¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s gloomy expression brightened in an instant. Kang-Woo grabbed her hand and headed to Santa Monica Beach located in Los Angeles. It was considerably far from Universal Studios, but it was no problem for Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah who could fly at supersonic speed.

    <em>Swoosh.</em>

    ¡°Fufu, This feels kind of romantic.¡± Seol-Ah giggled as they walked along the beach in the dark, holding hands.

    It was not talking despite them barely talking; rather, they were hit with waves of joy.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    Just then, Kang-Woo heard heavy breathing. He turned to see Seol-Ah, her face red and biting her lip as if desperately trying to hold something back.

    ¡°Darling?¡±

    ¡°Yes?!¡±

    Seol-Ah flinched and turned to Kang-Woo in surprise.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°N-N-N-N-Nothing!¡± she stuttered as she rapidly shook her head.

    It was not difficult to figure out why. ¡°Are you having trouble holding back?¡±

    ¡°N-No! Not at all! I¡¯m happy enough just holding hands with you like this!¡± However, her cheeks were so red it could be seen in the dark. She forcibly made a leisurely expression and continued, ¡°S-So¡­ I won¡¯t suggest things like going on the Ferris wheel or anything like that from earlier.¡±

    She seemed to have taken the scolding she had gotten after the incident in the Ferris wheel hard.

    ¡°Pfft! Hahahaha!¡±

    Kang-Woo burst intoughter and softly kissed Seol-Ah. Her awkward smile as she desperately held back her impulses couldn¡¯t be any more lovely; after all, the key reason was her deep love for him.

    ¡°Wh-Why are youughing, Kang-Woo?!¡± shouted Seol-Ah as she lightly pinched Kang-Woo.

    She shrank back cutely like a dog being scolded by their owner.

    ¡°There seemed to be tons of motels in the area, so why don¡¯t we stop by one of them?¡± Kang-Woo suggested.

    ¡°A m-motel?¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes shook, panting even more heavily than before. Kang-Woo could feel her trembling because they were holding hands.

    ¡°I mean¡­ I doubt you¡¯ll be satisfied with my current body.¡±

    Kang-Woo lowered his head in sorrow, just like his lowered Fran?ois.

    <em>¡®Fuck my life¡­¡¯</em>

    He was swept by a massive sense of shame. He felt like a middle-aged man searching for foods that boost libido like a hyena.

    <em>¡®Well, libido isn¡¯t the issue in my case.¡¯</em>

    There were no issues since what was sucked out of him was replenished with Seol-Ah¡¯s healing magic, but there was a different issue entirely.

    Riiing.

    [It¡¯s an issue of scale (Vienna).]

    ¡®Quiet.¡¯

    [Puhi! Puhi! ~(???~)(~???)~!]

    [Kufufufufu.]

    <em>¡®Hahaha. Oh, Eve. You¡¯ve been having it so easytely, huh? You said that I¡¯ll gain the privilege to influence the Law of Titans once I regain my powers, didn¡¯t you? Did you forget that we can have a tearjerking meeting once that happens?¡¯</em>

    [...]

    <em>¡®Just you wait, bitch. I¡¯ll turn your head into a question mark as soon as I get to you.]</em>

    [?(?? ? -?)??]

    <em>¡®Fuck off.¡¯</em>

    [??¨@?¨A?????? ]

    <em>¡®Get the fuck out of my sight. Those goddamn emotes won¡¯t help you.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hohoho. Don¡¯t worry about that,m Kang-Woo,¡± Seol-Ah said as she smiled and hugged Kang-Woo. She licked Kang-Woo¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°I told you I like it just as much when I can fit the entire thing in my mouth ?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s switch was flipped. She dragged Kang-Woo by the arm and quickly left the beach. They reached a nearby motel and locked eyes with each other.

    ¡°First, let me take off my clothes¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fufu, I¡¯ll take them off for you.¡±

    Seol-Ah smiled gently as she reached for Kang-Woo, who stepped back in embarrassment.

    Thud.

    Just then, something fell out of his pocket.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this, Kang-Woo?¡±

    Seol-Ah tilted her head and picked up the rectangr box that fell to the ground. It was the box that Kang-Woo had put into his pocket after teasing Cha Yeon-Joo as much as he wanted to. Seol-Ah¡¯s expression froze as she saw what the box contained.

    Deathly silence fell in the motel room. Cold sweats ran down Kang-Woo¡¯s back.

    ¡°U-Uhhh¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes darted crazily, his vision whitening. He needed to find the words that would resolve this situation as quickly as possible.

    ¡°It¡¯s best to be careful since we¡¯re not married yet, you know?¡± The hesitation was over in a mere instant. He held Seol-Ah¡¯s hand and said in all seriousness, ¡°Even if I can alter my bodily fluids, you can never be too careful. I want to consider having children in the future, but right now, I¡­¡±

    <em>¡®Yeah! Hell yeah! This should be good enough! Okay, just one more step! One more step!!¡¯</em>

    ¡°I want to enjoy the time we have together as a couple some more.¡±

    <em>¡®Am I safe? I¡¯m safe, right?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Kang-Woo,¡± said Seol-Ah, her tone as cold as ice. She thoroughly examined the contents of the box and slowly turned to look at Kang-Woo, her eyes devoid of life. ¡°This box¡­¡±

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Her head tilted abnormally like a wooden doll.

    ¡°Why is there¡­ one missing?¡±

 Side Story Chapter 33: Troubling Date (4)

    Side Story Chapter 33: Troubling Date (4)

    ¡°Why is there¡­ one missing?¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo thought time had stopped. He couldn¡¯t breathe. His back was drenched with cold sweats. His lips trembled. His thoughts evaporated, leaving his headpletely nk.

    <em>¡®Ah¡­¡¯</em> he groaned in his head. <em>¡®I¡¯m fucked. My life is over. What do I do? Seriously, what the fuck do I do?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Did you¡­ use one?¡± asked Han Seol-Ah, eyes devoid of life.

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes, thinking of countless lies and excuses he could tell her.

    <em>¡®No, no!¡¯</em>

    He bit his lip and shook his head. He no longer wanted to deceive his darling with cheap lies.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ve¡­ always lied.¡¯</em>

    He put on a false mask and deceived others for the sake of survival and to devour his enemies while their guard was down. He distorted the truth, looked down on his enemies, and trampled on them.<em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists and shut his eyes tightly. It was Seol-Ah of all people¡ª the woman whom he had promised to be with forever.

    <em>¡®I¡­ don¡¯t want to lie to Seol-Ah at the very least.¡¯</em>

    He wanted to show her what was under his false mask.

    <em>¡®Only then can I truly say that I love her.¡¯</em>

    He hardened his resolve.

    <em>¡®Yeah. I¡¯ll tell her the truth. I won¡¯t add even the tiniest lie. I¡¯lly it all out in front of her.¡¯</em>

    ¡°I¡­¡± Kang-Woo looked into her eyes and continued, ¡°Blew it up like a balloon.¡±

    He told the god-honest truth.

    Silence fell once again.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The twelve angel wings that shone brightly under the deathly silence were flickering ck like a broken light bulb.

    ¡°Hohoho. What an interesting excuse, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah as he took a step back.

    ¡°A balloon¡­? Hoho. You must be rather flustered.¡±

    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s the truth.¡±

    <em>¡®I seriously blew it up like a balloon.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Tell me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Tell me where, when, and who you used it with!¡±

    ¡°W-Wait! You¡¯ve got it wrong! I seriously used it like a balloon!¡±

    ¡°Enough with your absurd excuses!! Who in the world would use this as a balloon?!¡±

    ¡°It was super stic!¡±

    <em>¡®It got this~ big!¡¯</em>

    ¡°Urgh!¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s expression crumpled. Chains of light poured out from the twelve wings and wrapped around Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Darling, I told you these things don¡¯t work on me anymore.¡±

    Kang-Woo was not his former self. After his battle against Rajang, he regained enough power to just barely be a match for Kim Si-Hun; such restraints would not work on him.

    ¡°Wh-What the hell?¡±

    <em>¡®Why can¡¯t I break them?¡¯</em>

    However, Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah perplexedly after noticing that her chains were several times stronger than before. He couldn¡¯t break them even after using all his might.

    <em>¡®Th-There¡¯s no way Darling is this strong¡­¡¯</em>

    The powers she was disying surpassed that of Si-Hun.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s impossible.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head in disbelief, his face pale. Even if the soul of the Celestial Goddess Seraph dwelled within Seol-Ah, her powers were merely those she gained without a price. She couldn¡¯t bepared to Si-Hun, who awakened Deific Essence after endless effort and training as well as enough talent to back it up. At least, that was how it was supposed to be.

    ¡°Th-They won¡¯t break.¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t understand why the chains didn¡¯t budge, no matter how much he struggled.

    <em>¡®Oh.¡¯</em> Just then, a thought popped up in his head.<em> ¡®Come to think of it¡­¡¯</em>

    Although it was gone now, Seol-Ah had experience epting the power of a Titan, an entity that not even he could fathom. Such a feat would have been impossible if Seol-Ah did not possess talent surpassing that of Si-Hun.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s face paled.

    ¡°Stay still, Kang-Woo.¡±

    Seol-Ah approached Kang-Woo, her eyes chillingly lifeless and devoid of the usual gentle light in them. She seductively caressed the restrained Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek. She then reached for under his neck, lifted him, andid him on the bed.

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    ¡°W-Wait! Please wait!¡±

    ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t lie to me anymore.¡±

    ¡°No! I told you I wasn¡¯t lying!¡±

    <em>¡®I seriously used it like a balloon!¡¯</em>

    Her eyes filled with sorrow. She fiercely bit her lip and trembled.

    She raised the box that fell out of Kang-Woo¡¯s pocket and asked coldly, ¡°You¡­ used this with Yeon-Joo, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    She asked sorrowfully, ¡°You¡­ did it with Yeon-Joo, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±

    Tears welled up from Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°You can tell me the truth. After all, I¡¯ve known for a while now that you harbor some feelings for Yeon-Joo as well. But of course, I am a little¡­ very¡­ extremely hurt that you slept with her without telling me.¡±

    ¡°No, I seriously didn¡¯t! I just used it to tease her! We went outside after she confessed to me and that¡¯s when this fell out of her pocket¡ª¡±

    ¡°So, Yeon-Joo confessed to you first.¡±

    ¡°<em>Gasp</em>. I mean¡­ she did, but¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah smiled sorrowfully. It was different from the case of Lilith; Kang-Woo had epted Lilith only after he got Seol-Ah¡¯s approval as a way to prove to Seo-Ah that she was his number one.

    ¡°Ahaha. To be honest¡­ I knew something like this would happen one day. I was ready for it, but¡­ I wished for you to tell me first at the very least. I wished for you to give me at least some time to steel my heart.¡±

    Tears flowed down Seol-Ah¡¯s cheeks. Kang-Woo also burst into tears.

    ¡°I said I didn¡¯t¡­ I use it like a balloon¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Why, why¡­¡±

    Her lifeless eyes shook even more.

    ¡°Why do you keep lying to me?¡±

    She gritted her teeth and grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°After seeing how much I love you! After seeing how much I trust you! I don¡¯t need anything else but you!!¡±

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    ck sparks formed around the twelve wings as they flickered ck more rapidly.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa, haaa.¡±

    Seol-Ah panted heavily. The more the wings flickered, the power surging from her grew more massive.

    ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡± Seol-Ah got on top of the restrained Kang-Woo. ¡°Until you realize I am your number one¡­¡± She slowly wrapped around him and whispered seductively in his ear, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a thorough lesson. I¡¯ll make it so that not a single cell in your body can live without me.¡±

    Kang-Woo looked up as he struggled.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    He saw twelve jet-ck wings.

    ***

    <em>Whoosh! Whoosh!</em>

    Explosive fists tore through space.

    ¡°Huup!¡±

    Red muscles swelled as if they would explode. Balrog brought his right foot back and pulled back his fist like drawing a bow. He shifted his weight to his left foot and twisted his hips.

    ¡°Haaaah!¡±

    <em>Boom¡ª!!!</em>

    A sandbag protected by dozens of barriers shook. Balrog took a breath and consecutively punched the shaking sandbag. His fists, almost asrge as a human torso, smashing into the sandbag looked like a wrecking ball smashing into a building.

    <em>Crack! Burst¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Mm?¡± The sandbag eventually exploded after taking many of Balrog¡¯s punches. ¡°Not again.¡±

    Balrog clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and shook his head.

    ¡°Fuuu¡­ Come to think of it. I haven¡¯t seen the king at alltely.¡±

    Balrog frowned, his hideous face crumpling. They had met every day back when Balrog was helping with Kang-Woo¡¯s training but they had barely met once the training lost its effect.

    ¡°Hmm. Should I visit him?¡± Balrog fell into thought as he fiddled with the pendant that allowed him to transform into a human. ¡°Yes!¡±

    There was no reason to wait for his king to visit him first. It was only natural for a loyal subordinate to check on his king. Balrog turned to the training room door and opened it. Just then, he noticed someone on the other side.

    ¡°Lilith¡­? What are you doing here?¡±

    Lilith was standing in front of the training room door with a somber expression.

    ¡°Balrog. There¡¯s something I have to tell you, so follow me.¡±

    Balrog frowned. He wanted to ask what it was about but couldn¡¯t bring himself to after noticing how darkened her expression was.

    ¡°Understood.¡± He nodded and followed behind her.

    Lilith took Balrog to the Hall of Protection, the headquarters of Guardians. La, Si-Hun, Yeon-Joo, and Echidna were already gathered there.

    ¡°So, what is this about?¡± asked Yeon-Joo as she turned to Lilith.

    Lilith shut her eyes tightly and asked, ¡°Has anyone in this room seen Master Kang-Woo this past week?¡±

    ¡°Oh Kang-Woo¡­?¡± Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression crumpled. She turned away and said apathetically, ¡°Nope, he hasn¡¯t contacted me even once this whole week.¡±

    Her tone carried a hint of sorrow and loneliness. She softly bit her lip.

    ¡°I have not seen hyung-nim either.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    Echidna and Lilith¡¯s expressions grew darker with Si Hun and La¡¯s answers.

    ¡°<em>Sniff, waaaaaaaaah!</em>¡± Echidna then burst into tears, grabbing everyone¡¯s attention as they stared at her dumbfoundedly. ¡°<em>Sniff!</em> Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah¡­ disappeared.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    <em>m!</em>

    Si-Hun sprang up from his seat in pallor.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Lilith sighed deeply. ¡°At first, I thought Master Kang-Woo went on a trip with Seol-Ah because they weren¡¯ting home without any contact.¡±

    She lowered her head lifelessly.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Her clenched fists trembled. ¡°It¡¯s weird they haven¡¯t contacted us for a whole week.¡±

    Kang-Woo always told people where he was headed so that they wouldn¡¯t worry about him, but not this time; he had left without a trace with Seol-Ah.

    ¡°No way¡­¡± Yeon-Joo slurred.

    It was the same as when he was trapped in the Temple of Truth after getting kidnapped by the Wikiholic.

    Yeon-Joo continued, ¡°Are you saying¡­ Kang-Woo was kidnapped?¡±

    Lilith nodded.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    The floor of the Hall of Protection split along with a deafening sound.

    ¡°Who¡­?¡± Balrog¡¯s eyes zed as he roared, ¡°WHO DARES KIDNAP THE KING¡ª?!¡±

    Balrog¡¯s ferocious Demon Roar echoed throughout the Hall of Protection.

 Side Story Chapter 34: Troubling Date (5)

    Side Story Chapter 34: Troubling Date (5)

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    The Hall of Protection shook. Echidna turned pale from sensing the immense energy pouring out of Balrog.

    ¡°Calm down, muscle pig,¡± said Lilith coldly.

    ¡°The king was kidnapped, and you expect me to calm d¡ª¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do, then? We have no idea where Master Kang-Woo is.¡±

    Balrog flinched and bit his lip in frustration. ¡°My apologies, young dragon.¡±

    ¡°Mm. I-It¡¯s okay.¡± Echidna shook her head as she caught her breath.

    It was not difficult to imagine the thoughts going through Balrog¡¯s head.

    ¡°La,¡± Lilith called as she gently patted the trembling Echidna¡¯s head. ¡°Please keep the divine realm out of this incid¡ª¡±¡°I¡¯ll make sure of it. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    La nodded, knowing exactly what Lilith was trying to say. Gaia was partly responsible for keeping the gods of the divine realm in check so that they couldn¡¯t manifest into Earth, but the main reason was that they were afraid of the monster Oh Kang-Woo after witnessing his might during his battle against Bael. If the information that Kang-Woo disappeared was to spread throughout the divine realm, the situation would get even moreplicated than now.

    ¡°I will call an emergency meeting for all of Guardians this instant,¡± said Kim Si-Hun as he turned around to leave right away, gripping the hilt of his sword.

    ¡°No, please wait,¡± Lilith remarked.

    ¡°There is no time to waste!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right! That son of a bitch Kang-Woo is gone! What are we doing just standing around here for?!¡± Yeon-Joo shouted anxiously. ¡°I¡¯ll gather my guild members right now! We¡¯re bound to find a clue or two if Guardians and Red Rose investigate together¡ª¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Yeon-Joo,¡± Lilith said calmly. ¡°Unleashing a massive number of people to investigate is no different from telling the kidnapper to run away.¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Please leave the investigation to me.¡±

    ¡°Y-You have a way to find Kang-Woo?¡± Yeon-Joo widened her eyes, filled with hope. She then recalled something and shouted, ¡°Oh, right! You¡¯re in charge of managing Kang-Woo¡¯s personal information, right?!¡±

    She recalled hearing something about it when Kang-Woo misunderstood online shit-talking at the PC room as a leak of his personal information.

    ¡°Then you have ess to his smartphone and stuff like that, right? Can¡¯t you locate him using the GPS on his phone?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    Lilith shook her head and answered, ¡°Of course, I tried to locate Master Kang-Woo¡¯s smartphone before calling all of you here, but¡­¡± She then sighed and continued, ¡°Seol-Ah once secretly installed a tracking app on Master Kang-Woo¡¯s phone. After that, he has the tracking function turned off at all times because Seol-Ah would keeping to find him wherever he goes¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s mouth was left agape in astonishment. ¡°Th-Then there¡¯s no other way?¡±

    Lilith nodded with a heavy expression. ¡°But I¡¯m confident I can find him more effectivelypared to having people search for him randomly.¡±

    Yeon-Joo bit her lip and sat back down on her chair. She muttered sorrowfully, ¡°That damn moron¡­ where the hell is he¡­?¡±

    She pulled on her hair anxiously.

    <em>¡®After¡­ what he did to me.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo felt boiling rage as well as unbearable shame as she looked back on the memory from back then.

    La, who was looking around the chaos-filled meeting room, turned to Lilith and asked calmly, ¡°You¡¯re thinking of using the private intelligence organization that you have been fostering, correct?¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve known about it?¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t underestimate the intelligence capacity of Guardians.¡±

    The intelligence organization fostered by Lilith was low in number but extraordinarily skilled. In contrast, the intelligence organization under Guardians used their immense numbers and unparalleled authority to gather information.

    ¡°In that case¡­¡± Lilith slurred.

    ¡°Let us have our organizations join forces for today.¡±

    Lilith and La exchanged nces. If Guardians, with its unparalleled authority, and the intelligence organization Lilith worked hard to foster, were to join forces, there was no information in the world they couldn¡¯t find.

    The others who had practically be useless could only stand and watch.

    ¡°First, we have to find where Master Kang-Woo wasst spotted.¡± They needed to figure out where Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah went before they could do anything. Lilith asked La, ¡°Could you let me borrow the right to ess the surveince cameras installed throughout Korea¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡± La shook her head. ¡°There is a record of Kang-Woo using the Hall of Protection before he disappeared,¡± she said as she checked the Hall of Protection visit records on her tablet. ¡°They¡­ used the Gate that leads to Los Angeles.¡±

    The Hall of Protection was connected to Gates throughout the world, hence it was often used by executive members as a convenient transportation method.

    ¡°America? For what?¡± asked Yeon-Joo as she tilted her head.

    ¡°We¡¯re about to find out.¡± Lilith took out amunication orb and contacted someone. ¡°Log into Master Kang-Woo¡¯s ount and check his search records.¡±

    Her orb lit up soon after.

    ¡°Universal Studios was among Master Kang-Woo¡¯s search records.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ they went to an amusement park together?¡± wondered La.

    ¡°Ah! Come to think of it, Seol-Ah once said she wanted to go to an amusement park together with Kang-Woo!¡± shouted Echidna as she raised her hand.

    ¡°Then we should start our investigation from Universal Studios,¡± Lilith remarked.

    ¡°How¡­? That ce is packed with people.¡±

    Yeon-Joo shook her head in despair. It did not matter if Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah went to Universal Studios when the ce was massive, and tens of thousands of people visited the amusement park each day.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±

    ¡°I will give you ess to all the surveince cameras installed throughout Universal Studios.¡±

    Lilith and La confidently looked at each other. La used the immense authority possessed by Guardians to acquire the code necessary to ess the Universal Studios surveince server, and Lilith¡¯s intelligence teambed through the surveince footage.

    ¡°We will get live reports of the situation through this crystal orb,¡± said Lilith as she ced the orb on a table.

    Video footage rose from it like a hologram, searching for Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah by scanning footage containing countless people.

    ¡°This feels like¡­ an American spy film.¡±

    Yeon-Joo expressed astonishment as she stared at the screen of countless people¡¯s faces being scanned at extraordinary speed.

    ¡°Found them.¡±

    Lilith¡¯s intelligence team found Kang-Woo and Seol-Ah from the footage in less than five minutes and tracked them using that information.

    ¡°Theyst went to¡­ a motel located in Santa Monica. No traces of them for an entire week after that.¡±

    ¡°A motel? Could it be¡­?¡± Yeon-Joo frowned. There was nothing wrong with a couple going to a motel but an absurd thought popped into her head. ¡°Nah, there¡¯s no way.¡±

    She erased the thought and stood up.

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s give the ce a visit.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Is it here?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Yeon-Joo and Lilith anxiously stared at the motel room door.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to hesitate for?¡±

    ¡°Ah, wait¡ª¡±

    Balrog in his human form approached the door and kicked open the door before Yeon-Jo and Lilith could stop him.

    Wham!!

    The door shattered, exposing the situation inside the motel room.

    Silence fell outside the room.

    ¡°Gurgh, urghhh.¡±

    The room was as hot as a sauna and reeked of sweat. Twelve ck wings could be seen as a small amount of light shone into the room. They could also hear someone¡¯s deathly groans.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa. How¡¯s this, Kang-Woo? Does it feel good?¡±

    ¡°Stop¡­ stop¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s aroused voice could also be heard inside the room.

    ¡°Uhh, mm.¡±

    Lilith tapped Balrog, who was left dumbfounded after witnessing the situation inside the room, on the shoulder.

    ¡°Balrog. Could you take everyone outside?¡±

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Right now.¡±

    Balrog nodded as he took the others to leave the room.

    ¡°Oh, you should stay, Yeon-Joo. I suspect¡­ this has something to do with you,¡± Lilith remarked.

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Yeon-Joo nodded nkly.

    The others left the motel, leaving just Lilith and Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes widened, only now realizing people had entered the room.

    ¡°Haaa. Seol-Ah, could you exin what¡¯s going on here?¡±

    ¡°L-Lilith unnie.¡± Seol-Ah flusteredly stared at Lilith momentarily but bit her lip and red at Yeon-Joo after noticing her. ¡°Yeon-Joo. I thought you were my friend¡­ I trusted you!¡±

    Yeon-Joo stared at Seol-Ah, who was pping her ck wings, her eyes full of guilt. She more or less understood why Seol-Ah had ended up this way and why Lilith asked her to stay.

    ¡°Did you do something like this¡­ because I confessed to Kang-WOo?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Seol-Ah shook her head in irritation.

    ¡°Eh¡­? No?¡±

    ¡°I knew you had feelings for Kang-Woo! And that he reciprocated those feelings!¡±

    Seol-Ah had even thought about approving Yeon-Joo like she had done with Lilith when she was ready. After all, Yeon-Joo was the only person whom she could truly consider a friend.

    ¡°But¡­ I didn¡¯t think you would do it with Kang-Woo without a word to me!¡±

    This was a clear betrayal. It was important to tell someone before they went and did something. It was a major issue when a certain video gamepany ended a certain league; there was a massive difference between doing something after telling people about it and saying something after the fact.

    ¡°Kang-Woo is mine! I care about him the most! I love him the most! Why, why, why, why?!¡±

    Madness exuded from her gaze.

    Yeon-Joo stared at her and tilted her head in confusion. ¡°What¡­ are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I-I mean, you know¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never done it with Kang-Woo.¡±

    Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo stared at each other, mouths agape as if they couldn¡¯t understand what the other was saying.

    ¡°N-No, that can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    ¡°Seol-Ah. Yeon-Joo is telling the truth.¡± Lilith smiled as she embraced Yeon-Joo from behind.

    ¡°Kyaah! Wh-What are you doing?!¡±

    Lilith caressed every nook and cranny of Yeon-Joo¡¯s body and continued, ¡°My, what a cute response. Fufu. I guarantee it. Yeon-Joo is a virgin with zero experience.¡±

    She was inside a human body at the moment but Lilith was a subus; she could tell whether someone was a virgin or not just from looking at them.

    ¡°Huh¡­? Huh?¡± Seol-Ah looked around in confusion. She quickly picked up a rectangr box and shouted, ¡°Th-Then what¡¯s this?!¡±

    ¡°<em>Gasp!</em>¡± Yeon-Joo turned pale after seeing the box. ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo swallowed her humiliation and exined in detail about the time when Kang-Woo teased her.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Seol-Ah looked down at the box and asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t do it with Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Wh-Why the hell would I do it with that son of a bitch?! I-I mean, uhh¡­ I-I¡¯m not saying I wouldn¡¯t, but¡­ I¡¯m saying¡­ Argh! Whatever, I didn¡¯t do anything with him!!¡±

    Silence fell in the room again.

    ¡°Gurghhhhhhhh. <em>Waaaaaaaaaah!!</em>¡± Sorrowful weeping echoed within the deathly silence. ¡°I told you¡­ I used it like a fucking balloon¡­¡±

 Side Story Chapter 35: How Did You Know?

    Side Story Chapter 35: How Did You Know?

    ¡°<em>Yawn</em>.¡±

    A week had passed since the kidnapping incident. Oh Kang-Woo stretched as he took in the sunlight shining between the curtains.

    ¡°Good morning, my king.¡± Lilith, lying to his right, smiled as he caressed his head.

    ¡°Morning.¡± Kang-Woo nodded.

    ¡°Mrmm. Stay in bed a little longer, Kang-Woo.¡±

    Seol-Ah, lying to his left, pulled Kang-Woo in as he was about to get out of bed. She seemed to be a little drowsy still.

    Kang-Woo smirked and lightly pinched Seol-Ah¡¯s cheek. ¡°Why? So you can chain me to the bed again?¡±

    ¡°Ngh! Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± Seol-Ah sprang up because of his teasing words and lowered her head in shame. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ so sorry. I wasn¡¯t myself back then.¡±

    She had already apologized hundreds of times.¡°Hmm. I agree you went a little too far this time, Seol-Ah. Fufu, I never expected the king¡¯s radio silence was because of you,¡± Lilith expressed.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, unnie.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine. Rather, I¡¯m happy since I got another cute little sister to tease because of it.¡± Lilith smiled as she trembled ecstatically. ¡°I could understand why the king loves to tease her so much after trying it myself~ Her reactions are so cute!¡±

    It was revealed after the kidnapping incident that Kang-Woo and Cha Yeon-Joo had not slept together, but the fact that Yeon-Joo confessed her love to Kang-Woo was exposed. Although the order had been reversed, Seol-Ah was put in a situation of whether or not she would approve of Yeon-Joo on top of Lilith.

    Seol-Ah, who was under an immense sense of shame after misunderstanding what happened between Kang-Woo and Yeon-Joo, begged them to forgive her and that she wanted to stay with them. Si-Hun and Balrog, who were furious after finding out about Kang-Woo getting kidnapped, implored Kang-Woo to give her a thorough scolding so that she could never cross the line again.

    <em>¡®But well, it all worked out in terms of results.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t lose the golden opportunity that would get Seol-Ah to instantly approve Yeon-Joo as one of Kang-Woo¡¯s lovers. Hence, he ended up getting a third lover.

    Fuck my life. I¡¯ve never even dated a girl until I was thirty.

    ¡°That aside, is Yeon-Joo really not moving in with us?¡± Lilith asked.

    ¡°She got angry at me, shouting why the hell she woulde live with me.¡±

    ¡°Mm. Isn¡¯t she just shy?¡±

    ¡°I would guess so, considering her personality. I¡¯m sure she needs time to collect her thoughts about this, so I didn¡¯t pester her about it.¡±

    They lived separately but could see each other at any time with one elevator ride. There was no reason to force her to move in with them when she was getting so shy about it.

    <em>¡®And no matter how much I think about it¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Lilith and Seol-Ah who were stuck to him left and right like mas. They would likely not give up their spots just because Yeon-Joo moved in.

    <em>¡®It¡¯ll only breed conflict.¡¯</em>

    He was already having enough trouble with Seol-Ah and Lilith so it would be difficult to give attention to Yeon-Joo on top of that.

    ¡°What a shame. I wanted to live with her since we¡¯re not that close yet,¡± remarked Lilith as she sighed.

    ¡°It seemed like you two got pretty closetely.¡±

    ¡°Hohoho. Yeon-Joo is simply shy; she doesn¡¯t dislike me.¡±

    After Yeon-Joo became Kang-Woo¡¯s third lover, Lilith approached her and suggested they be sisters since they were now family. Yeon-Joo allowed the female rookie members of her guild to call her <em>unnie </em>but began to avoid Lilith because she was embarrassed to call someone <em>unnie </em>herself. However, Lilith did not stand for it. She visited Yeon-Joo every day to tease her and deepen their bond.

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±

    Kang-Woo was happy to hear his lovers were close to one another.

    ¡°Then, Kang-Woo¡­ why don¡¯t you count the wrinkles on the ceiling before lunch?¡± Seol-Ah asked seductively.[1]

    ¡°My, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± Lilith also smiled seductively as she embraced Kang-Woo.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any wrinkles on the ceiling.¡± Kang-Woo pushed them aside and got up. Once their switches were flipped, forget lunch, it would be evening by the time they were satisfied. ¡°More importantly, Darling. Show me your wings.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±

    Seol-Ah expressed slight disappointment as she looked at Kang-Woo. She nodded and closed her eyes.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Massive energy poured out of her as twelve wings sprouted from her back. They were dyed jet-ck, the previous brilliant white color nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Looks like¡­ they haven¡¯t returned to normal,¡± Kang-Woo mentioned.

    ¡°Yes. They¡¯ve been ck ever since.¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s wings had turned ck ever since the kidnapping incident, meaning she had be a fallen angel like Rakiel. Kang-Woo sighed deeply as he stared at Seol-Ah¡¯s ck wings.

    <em>¡®Is it weird that a demon is worried that an angel fell from grace?¡¯</em>

    Considering the members of their home (Demon King, subus, demonic dragon), a fallen angel was more fitting. However, it was only natural for Kang-Woo to be worried since he had no idea what problems the change would bring.

    ¡°Are you feeling fine?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes. Rather, I feel better than before I fell from grace. The¡­ umm, obsession isn¡¯t as bad.¡±

    Seol-Ah lowered her head sorrowfully, recalling what she had donest week. Kang-Woo smiled and gently patted her head.

    ¡°Be careful. No one knows what negative effectse with falling from grace.¡±

    The only thing Kang-Woo knew at this time was that the property of her sacred power had changed into that simr to demonic energy. Her kind personality had not changed nor was she running rampant in madness. Rather, as she mentioned, she seemed to be betterpared to when her actions were heavily influenced by her angelic instincts.

    <em>¡®The properties of her spells have also changed.¡¯</em>

    Her spells which had been specialized for healing and buffs had changed into debuffs like curses, weakening, and restraints. She had be far stronger than before in terms of directbat prowess, but it came at the cost of her extraordinary support capabilities.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be careful. I¡¯ll also practice so that I can master my new powers,¡± said Seol-Ah passionately with her fists clenched.

    Kang-Woo was highly worried about her fall from grace but she was not in particr.

    <em>¡®Being a fallen angel makes me a better match for Kang-Woo.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was a demon, so she thought that she was better off being an entity close to that.

    <em>¡®And now¡­ I can protect Kang-Woo myself.¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah attained power iparable to her previous self after falling from grace. She was now more powerful than Si-Hun, the man praised to be the strongest human. She still hadn¡¯t reached her full potential because she was having trouble being in control of her altered magic properties, but once she mastered them, she would be one of Kang-Woo¡¯s strongest allies alongside Si-Hun and Balrog.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard,¡± said Kang-Woo worryingly as he looked at the excited Seol-Ah.

    Seol-Ah had experienced a power-up from falling from grace, bing more powerful than Celestial Goddess Seraph.

    <em>¡®How is this possible?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah iprehensibly. The source of her power was Seraph¡¯s soul. Even if she fell from grace, bing more powerful than the source of her power was logically iprehensible.

    <em>¡®Is it really because she epted the power of a Titan?¡¯</em>

    Not even Kang-Woo had an answer to that question.

    ¡°In any case, make sure you let me know if you feel anything strange.¡±

    ¡°Hoho. Don¡¯t worry, Kang-Woo. Aren¡¯t you checking me every night?¡±

    Seol-Ah smiled lovingly and embraced Kang-Woo, who groaned as he scratched his head. He was conflicted because of how happy she was despite having be a fallen angel.

    Beep! Beep! Beep!

    Just then, an rm signal noisily rang inside the room. The token provided by Guardians was shing red.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression hardened. It was simr to when the Parasite King invaded Earth. Guardians had called an emergency meeting.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Kang-Woo, Seol-Ah, Lilith, and Echidna headed to the Hall of Protection with no time to wash up. La and Si-Hun were waiting for them in the meeting room.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± asked Kang-Woo as he approached La.

    La was looking down at a tablet, her hand on her forehead as if she were having a headache.

    She mentioned, ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ if I should call this an otherworldly invasion. Whatever the case, we¡¯ve identified an abnormal Gate phenomenon.¡±

    As Kang-Woo had expected, it had to do with outer worlds.

    <em>¡®Yeah. No wonder it¡¯s been so peacefultely.¡¯</em>

    He clicked his tongue. Otherworldly invasions had been continuously urring for the past three years but one as massive as the one with the Parasite King had miraculously never urred.

    ¡°Has Akart made his move?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    La shook her head with mixed feelings. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that yet.¡±

    Kang-Woo pulled a chair back and sighed as he sat down.

    <em>¡®Otherworldly beings¡­ Invasions from a different universe. How big are you gonna make this? Let¡¯s see, I guess the only genre that hasn¡¯t appeared at all would be sci-fi.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled nonsensically. He turned to La, who was pulling on her hair, and asked, ¡°What? Did a giant battleship appear or something?¡±

    ¡°Pardon¡­?¡± La¡¯s eyes widened. She asked perplexedly, ¡°H-How did you know?¡±

    Kang-Woo pulled on his hair like La had done. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake.¡±

    <em>¡®It¡¯s sci-fi for real this time?¡¯</em>

    1. I believe this is a reference to a certain repeated line in Japanese manga; it pretty much trantes to ¡°It¡¯ll be over before you know it once you¡¯re counting the stains on the ceiling.¡± It seems to be what a man says before viting a woman¡­ ?<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Oh, of fucking course Seol-Ah gets away with it scot-free¡­ also I disagree. A Demon King and a Celestial Goddess is a far better match than a fallen angel.

    </blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 36: Welcome To Earth (1)

    Side Story Chapter 36: Wee To Earth (1)

    ¡°What~? A giant battleship?¡± asked Cha Yeon-Joo, who rushed to the Hall of Protection after hearing the emergency meeting rm, dumbfounded. She chuckled nonsensically and shook her head. ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake. How far are they gonna take this? Huh? It¡¯s write first and thinkter, is it?¡±

    She cursed as she reacted exactly like Oh Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Leave theints forter.¡± Kang-Woo calmed Yeon-Joo down and turned to La. ¡°Where is that giant battleship right now?¡±

    La pointed up and replied, ¡°It is slowly lowering toward the atmosphere. If it doesn¡¯t change its course, it will likely¡­ appear in east USA.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? Atmosphere?¡± Kang-Woo tilted his head, confused by La¡¯s response. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was an abnormal Gate phenomenon? What do you mean by atmosphere¡­?¡±

    ¡°The identified Gate was opened beyond the atmosphere¡ª in other words, outer space.¡±

    <em>¡®The Gate had to open in outer space of all ces? You¡¯ve run out of ideas, is it?¡¯</em>

    However, the location of the Gate was not important.

    ¡°Can we make contact with them?¡±Checking whether or not the otherworldly beings were willing tomunicate was of the highest priority.

    <em>¡®Nothing better than ending things without a fight.¡¯</em>

    If they possessed enough intelligence to build a giant battleship, they would at least not be mindless monsters like the Parasites. If that were the case, they could be persuaded to go back to where they came from without attacking Earth. There was also the option to wee them.

    <em>¡®But that¡¯s out of the question.¡¯</em>

    It was far too dangerous to wee otherworldly beings without knowing what their objective was. They of course could havee here due to unavoidable circumstances; perhaps they hade to Earth in seek of refuge because their world ended, or evacuees who lost their way in space.

    <em>¡®But so what?¡¯</em>

    There was no reason to consider their circumstances. Having lost their home or their way was their problem; Kang-Woo was not moronic enough to wee a ticking time bomb, drunk on his willingness to be generous.

    ¡°No, they refused contact,¡± La replied.

    ¡°They refused?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We confirmed that themunication went through, but¡­ they hung up without a word.¡±

    ¡°Then that confirms it.¡±

    The fact that they refused tomunicate could only mean one thing.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll decimate them so they won¡¯t ever think about going anywhere near Earth.¡¯</em>

    ***

    ¡°Commander. We will soon break through the atmosphere.¡±

    The First Fleet of the Gctic Federation was the most elite fleet that conquered countlesss, resulting in them being nicknamed the <em>Conquest Fleet</em>. At the front of the fleet was a giant battleship known as the <em>Macross</em>, the culmination of all the Gctic Federation¡¯s science and technology, moving toward Earth menacingly.

    ¡°What a pathetic civilization this houses.¡±

    The white-hairedmander clicked his tongue as he looked at a screen showing various ces on Earth. He could see cars that were still restricted to the ground and gray buildings with primitive models. The civilization was below average among thes the fleet had conquered.

    <em>¡®I was worried when we were sucked into that unknown portal, but¡­¡¯</em>

    They had fortunately found a soon after, where they could stock up on necessary resources. Considering the level of the¡¯s civilization, it did not seem like a bad idea to colonize the as well.

    ¡°Tsk¡­ of all times, it had to be when we were in the middle of an important project.¡±

    Themander sighed deeply and shook his head. The project that the Gctic Federation had been working on for a long time was about to be finished, but they were suddenly sucked into an unknown portal and ended up in front of a that they did not even know the coordinates to.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll colonize this as quickly as possible and resume the project.¡¯</em>

    The Gctic Federation had poured all of the technology avable to them into making an <em>android</em>. Considering the astronomical amount of money invested into the project, they needed to resume it as soon as possible.

    ¡°We have broken through the atmosphere.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Themander stood up. ¡°Are the hacking preparationsplete?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    His subordinate nodded confidently. Themander smirked and walked forward, his heart beating from excitement. The feeling of teaching true fear to frogs in a well who simply lived their lives knowing nothing of what was lurking beyond their and trampling on those frogs as they struggled beneath his feet¡ª he never got tired of it, no matter how manys he conquered.

    ¡°You have nothing to me but your weakness.¡± Themander burst intoughter and stood on a tform. ¡°Commence the hacking.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± the members of the fleet shouted as they typed away on buttons floating in midair like a hologram.

    With that, everymunication device on Earth was under the control of the <em>Macross</em>.

    - Huh? Wh-What¡¯s going on?

    - What¡¯s wrong with the screen?

    Digital billboards, TVs,puters, smartphones, and every other electronic device with a screen disyed themander standing on a tform. Themander could see the frogs panicking through various disys on the <em>Macross</em>.

    He smiled and dered, ¡°My name is Mike Dopud,mander of the <em>Macross </em>that leads the First Fleet of the Gctic Federation.¡±

    The first step of conquest was to engrave his existence into his enemies¡¯ minds and link it with fear. He would eliminate all thoughts of resistance in their minds with unfathomable power.

    ¡°From this moment, this will be a colony of the Gctic Federation. Those who obey will be an honorable worker of the Gctic Federation, and those who resist¡­¡± Themander¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°Will taste the power of the Gctic Federation¡¯s tactical weapon.¡±

    Themander finished his speech¡ª no, it was closer to a deration of war.

    - Gctic Federation?

    - What the hell is he talking about?

    The people who heard the deration of war cursed as they expressed how foolish this was.

    <em>¡®Well, this is the natural response.¡¯</em>

    Themander did not think they would believe him unconditionally. After all, frogs in a well would not know the true power of a conqueror outside the well.

    ¡°Well¡­ I did not expect words to be enough anyway.¡± He smiled nastily and continued, ¡°First, I will erase this city off the map.¡±

    He looked down at New York, the first city the Macross arrived in, and said apathetically, ¡°Ready the sma Cann¡ª¡±

    ¡°C-Commander!¡±

    Themander turned toward the voice as he was about tomand the obliteration of the city.

    A subordinate in charge of the battleship¡¯s front-facing cameras shouted, ¡°Th-There is a boy on the deck!!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Themander stared at his subordinate nonsensically. ¡°What in the world are you talking about? Pull up the front-facing camera screen here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!!¡±

    The screen reflecting the city of New York changed to the deck of the <em>Macross</em>. As his subordinate had reported, an arrogant-looking boy with upturned eyes was standing leisurely on the deck. He wasfortably walking on the deck of the <em>Macross </em>without the usual powered suit or jetpack.

    ¡°What in the¡­¡±

    Themander frowned in disbelief. A human couldn¡¯t possibly prate the <em>Macross¡¯s </em>automatic defense system¡ª no, it was already impossible for them to fly in the sky without any equipment and reach the battleship. The members of the fleet were flustered by the impossible sight.

    [Yeah, it makes things so much easier if youe out swinging like this.]

    They could see the boy smile. They had no idea what sort of magic he used, but the boy¡¯s voice echoed inside their heads. His voice sounded mischievous, cold, and like that of a starved beast at the same time.

    [It¡¯s better thanying out your life story and saying pity-filled shit like ¡°We have no choice to do this to survive¡­¡±. Wouldn¡¯t you say so?]

    Themander frowned fiercely.

    ¡°What of the automatic defense system?¡±

    ¡°H-He¡¯s not being designated as a target!¡±

    ¡°Do you think manual controls are just for show? Switch to manual this instant!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, sir!¡±

    The subordinate in charge of the front-facing cameras quickly typed on the holographic keyboard.

    <em>Whirr, ker-thunk!</em>

    The deck opened, revealing the barrel of aser cannon.

    ¡°Fire,¡± themander said apathetically.

    [I mean, even if you guys were going through some desperate, heartbreaking, or tearjerking circumstances¡ª]

    <em>Fwoom¡ª!</em>

    A blueser beam powerful enough to incinerate a mere human swept through the boy.

    ¡°Huuu.¡± Themander turned from the screen to the subordinate in charge of managing the automatic defense system. ¡°What did you do to the defense system for it to not even detect a little brat approaching the ship?¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± The subordinate stared at themander, his expression pale. ¡°Nothing! There is nothing wrong with the automatic defense sys¡ª¡±

    ¡°You talk too much.¡±

    Themander took out his gun and aimed at his subordinate. Just then, the whisper of a voice sounding mischievous, cold, and like that of a starved beast at the same time echoed inside the heads of the fleet.

    [I would have killed you regardless.]

    The unpleasant and unsettling sound of squelching mucus rang out along withughter.

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    Themander turned around. The boy who should have been incinerated by theser cannon was standing on the deck,pletely fine. No, that thing could not even be called a boy. His melted flesh was reced by ck mucus with countless sharp teeth protruding from it. The monstrous lifeform only seen in nightmares smiled.

    [Right, you said those who resist will taste the power of your tactical weapon, didn¡¯t you?]

    The boy¡ª no, the monstrous lifeform taking the form of a boy slowly raised his arm.

    <em>Boom¡ª!</em>

    A massive explosion shook the battleship.

    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s going on?!¡±

    A subordinate shouted, ¡°S-Something broke through the hull and entered the ship!!¡±

    ¡°What are you waiting for?! Pull up the footage!!¡±

    The screen switched to the ship¡¯s interior cameras, showing an extraordinarily handsome young man and a giant covered in swelling red muscles.

    [I have some tactical weapons of my own.]

    Unsettlingughter echoed inside the fleet¡¯s heads.

 Side Story Chapter 37: Welcome To Earth (2)

    Side Story Chapter 37: Wee To Earth (2)

    ¡°Sector 37-B has been destroyed!¡±

    ¡°So has Sector 12-A!¡±

    ¡°Sectors 36-C, 35-A, 32-A have been d-destroyed! They are heading to the engine room!¡±

    Subordinates quickly reported the damages as red warning lights shed.

    ¡°Th-This cannot be¡­¡±

    Themander standing on the tform was left with his mouth agape in disbelief. The destruction speed could not be the work of only two intruders.

    <em>- I have some tactical weapons of my own.</em>

    He recalled the words of the monstrous lifeform in the shape of a boy. Themander gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

    ¡°Deploy the Anthem Corps.¡±¡°Y-Yes, sir!¡±

    <em>Tssssssssss.</em>

    The hangar door opened, and soldiers wearing visors covering their faces marched out. Their eyes did not express any fear or excitement as they headed to the sector where the intruders were. No, they did not express any emotions in the first ce.

    ¡°Wipe out the intruders,¡± themander ordered through a mic.

    [Roger.]

    The human weapons, seventy percent of their body reced with machinery through special medical procedures, nodded robotically.

    ¡°They will know¡­ the price of invading the <em>Macross</em>.¡±

    Themander gritted his teeth and turned to therge screen. The Anthem Corps had already made it to the intruder wielding a white sword. Themander smiled wickedly and focused on the monster on the deck, staring at the screen as he smiled without moving.

    Themander said confidently, ¡°The Anthem Corps consists of soldiers whose bodies are mostly mechanical.¡±

    They could throw five tonnes like a pebble and run a hundred meters in two seconds. Furthermore, their powered suits were equipped with various weapons, made using the Gctic Federation¡¯stest technology¡ª a jetpack capable of three-dimensional movement, aser rifle capable of shooting through a tank, and an energy barrier boasting absolute defense. Compared to that, the intruder they were facing was wielding only¡­

    ¡°A sword? Hahaha! A sword!¡±

    The young man wielding the stone looked like a caveman from the Stone Agepared to the Anthem Corps soldiers.

    ¡°How primitive for a tactical weapon!¡± themander shouted as he red at the monstrous lifeform.

    He had no idea what sorcery the man used to destroy the sectors so quickly with a sword, but the intruders were done for the moment the Anthem Corps was deployed. A sword couldn¡¯t defeat a gun.

    ¡°Turn him into a beehive!¡±

    Gunfire rained horizontally on the young man, thesers lighting up the narrow hallway. The swordsman with no armor whatsoever would die without even having a chance to put up a resistance.

    <em>Ting, ting, ting!</em>

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    Sparks flew asser beams were deflected andnded on the hallway walls. Themander stared at the screen wide-eyed.

    ¡°H-He¡¯s deflecting the beams?¡±

    It was impossible. Themander looked closer at the screen, but the result did not change. The thousands ofser beams were getting deflected by the young man¡¯s abnormally fast sword swings.

    ¡°Wh-What in the¡­¡±

    It would have been astonishing enough if the man managed to deflect one beam, but he was deflecting thousands. Themander watched the battle with his mouth agape.

    <em>- It won¡¯t end at this rate.</em>

    The young man deflecting the beams clicked his tongue. He switched his stance, raised his sword above his head, and swung it down without hesitation.

    <em>- Heavenly Dragon sh.</em>

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    The entire hallway turned to ice as a thunderous sound rang throughout the battleship. However, the young man¡¯s attack did not end there.

    <em>- Link.</em>

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Arghh!¡±

    ¡°Kurghhh!¡±

    The control room tilted, the fleet members screaming as they rolled on the ground.

    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡±

    Themander also fell off the tform as he screamed. His knee smashed into a corner of the tform, and blood poured out of it. Sharp pain traveled throughout his body.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa!¡± themander panted heavily as he clenched his knee.

    He looked up at the screen after recovering from shock and saw that it was cked out. He stood up as he trembled.

    ¡°R-Report damages!¡±

    The subordinates on the ground forced themselves back up.

    ¡°R-Reporting!¡±

    The interior of the battleship was shown as a hologram. A subordinate typing on his holographic keyboard expressed shock, widening his eyes.

    He said nkly, ¡°32¡­ destroyed.¡±

    ¡°What? You reported Sector 32 was destroyed earlier! Get it together!¡± themander shouted.

    The subordinate turned to themander and said sorrowfully, ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°What? No, what?¡±

    ¡°I am not talking about Sector 32¡­ thirty-two sectors were destroyed.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    Themander¡¯s eyes widened, his expression as dumbfounded as his subordinate. The <em>Macross </em>was divided into one hundred sectors. If thirty-two of them were destroyed it meant a third of the battleship was destroyed from one attack.

    ¡°What in the world¡­ are you talking about?¡±

    Themander swayed as he gripped his forehead. A third of the Macross, which would be unscratched even after it received a direct hit from a nuke, was destroyed by a sword. He pulled on his hair due to the absurd situation he was in.

    ¡°Where in the world are we¡­?¡±

    ¡°C-Commander! An intruder arrived at the engine room!¡±

    Themander received the worst possible news as he shook his head in despair.

    ¡°Is it¡­ that swordsman?¡± he asked.

    ¡°N-No!¡±

    The subordinate pulled up footage of the engine room and disyed a red giant covered in muscles.

    ¡°What in the world is that¡­?¡±

    It did not look human no matter how he looked at the creature.

    <em>- Hmm. Is this the ce the king told me about?</em>

    The red monster mumbled as he charged into the engine room.

    <em>Beep! Beep! Beep!</em>

    The lights of the engine room turned red as noisy rm noises rang.

    ¡°He¡­ e-entered the engine room¡­ as if it were n-nothing.¡±

    The subordinate stared nkly at the screen. Themander couldn¡¯t help but chuckle after seeing the red monster forcing his way into the engine room with nothing to protect himself.

    ¡°Forget about that monster.¡±

    The engine room was ten million degrees Celsius inside. Any lifeform would burn to death if they were to enter with nothing to protect them.

    ¡°More importantly, confirm if there are survivors among the Anthem C¡ª¡±

    Themander cut himself off aftering to his senses.

    <em>¡®No, no!¡¯</em>

    The lifeforms on this defiedmon sense. He wouldn¡¯t put it past one of them to be capable of surviving in ten million degrees Celsius after seeing one of them destroying a third of the Macross with the swing of a sword.

    ¡°Overheat¡­ the engine.¡±

    ¡°O-Overheat?¡±

    Themander quickly shouted, ¡°Yes. There is no time. Maximum output, this instant!¡±

    The temperature in the engine room could skyrocket to nearly a hundred million degrees Celsius once made to overheat. It was advised against since it ced a massive burden on the entire battleship but now was not the time to worry about that.

    ¡°Macross, maximum output! Overheating!¡±

    ¡°Engine temperature thirty million, fifty¡­ and rising!¡±

    ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± themander sighed deeply.

    He had let his worries get the better of him; he wondered if it was the right choice to overheat the engine to kill one intruder.

    <em>- Gahahahahahahahaha!!!</em>

    Just then, a heartyughter echoed from the engine room.

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    Themander quickly looked up at the screen.

    <em>- It¡¯s getting pretty hot in here!</em>

    The camera couldn¡¯t capture anything because of the immense heat, but it could catch the intruder¡¯sughter and voice filled with excitement.

    ¡°Wh-What in the world is going on?¡± themander muttered as he looked around.

    ¡°Th-The temperature inside the engine room is¡­ going d-down.¡± A subordinate continued in pallor, ¡°The intruder entered the engine room unprotected and¡­ is tearing apart the engine with his b-bare hands.¡±

    Themander fell to his knees. ¡°I-It cannot be¡­ This can¡¯t be happening.¡±

    He pulled on his hair and shook his head. The report was so unrealistic that he felt like he was going insane.

    <em>¡®We have to get out of here.¡¯</em>

    He did not want to spend another second on this crazy.

    ¡°Wh-What about the other battleships? What are they doing?¡±

    The first fleet of the Gctic Federation had many battleships other than the <em>Macross</em>. They couldn¡¯tpare to the Macross in terms of specs but they had no choice but to get on another battleship now that the <em>Macross </em>was destroyed.

    ¡°Attemptingmunication!¡±

    <em>Beep!</em>

    The screen changed to disy the interior of one of the battleships approaching Earth behind the <em>Macross</em>.

    <em>- A-Arghhh!!</em>

    <em>- Save me!!</em>

    The first thing they heard was screams. They then saw red chains moving freely as if they were alive, tearing apart the members of the Gctic Federation.

    <em>- For fuck¡¯s sake, this ce is too big. It took way too long to find the damn control room.</em>

    The screen disyed a red-haired woman in the middle of the storm of blood in the control room.

    ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡±

    ¡°Shit! What about the other battleships?!¡± themander screamed desperately.

    The screen switched.

    <em>- Haaa. Really¡­ I was just about to get it on with Kang-Woo. Why are you all so eager to get in our way?</em>

    <em>- A-A-Aaaaaaaaaaah!</em>

    <em>- M-My insides feel¡­ Bleeeeeeeeeegh!</em>

    <em>- I don¡¯t need anything else as long as I¡¯m with Kang-Woo. Why would you try so hard to get in my way? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Say something.</em>

    The screen disyed a woman with twelve ck wings emitting unsettling ck light, to which the members of the Gctic Federation vomited as soon as it made contact with them as if they were exposed to a biochemical weapon.

    <em>- Urpp! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it huuuuuuurts!!</em>

    The screen reflected members of the fleet screaming as they writhed in pain.

    ¡°A-Another one¡­¡±

    <em>Beep.</em>

    The screen switched again.

    <em>- Krararararara!!</em>

    <em>- Arghhhhhh!!</em>

    <em>- Hm! Hm! It¡¯s been a while since I reverted!</em>

    <em>- Please go a little slower, Echidna. You don¡¯t have Deific Essence, so it would be dangerous if they focused their attacks on you.</em>

    <em>- Okay, La!</em>

    This time, it was a ck dragon tearing the control room apart and a brown-haired, elegant-looking woman on top of her.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh,¡± themander groaned in despair. ¡°The <em>F-Frontier¡­</em> What of the <em>Frontier</em>?¡±

    The <em>Frontier </em>was a supply battleship situated in the rear, in charge of sending reinforcements and supplies to other battleships. It was the only battleship they had not checked.

    <em>Beep!</em>

    Communication with the <em>Frontier </em>seeded, and the screen switched.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    <em>- Geeeeeeeeeeeeehhh!</em>

    <em>- Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!</em>

    <em>- Hohoho. Would you mind telling me every piece of information you know? Oh, there is no need to worry. You can take as much time as you need~</em>

    Sticky green tentacles filled the control room, wrapping around and viting every member of the Gctic Federation. In the middle of the room was a monster with eighteen eyes, giggling ecstatically.

    Themander trembled on the ground, unable to understand what he had just seen. ¡°Wh-What? A ck angel, a dragon¡­? H-Haha. And to top it off, a tentacle monster?¡±

    There was also the human who destroyed a third of the Macross with his sword and the monster who entered the ten million degrees Celsius engine room and tore apart the engine with his bare hands.

    ¡°What is with this¡­?¡± Themander trembled like a madman and shouted, ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS GODDAMN PLANET?!!¡±

    He had conquered countlesss, some of them inhabited by alien lifeforms he had never seen before and others that could be straight out of a cartoon or novel. However, he could assert that he had never seen nor heard of a as insane as this.

    ¡°Right, wee to Earth.¡±

    The boy entered the control room before themander realized it and spread his arms out.

 Side Story Chapter 38: Welcome To Earth (3)

    Side Story Chapter 38: Wee To Earth (3)

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    Themander stepped backward in pallor. He felt as if he were stuck in a neverending nightmare, the fear taking control of his body. He could feel his wet pants as he stepped back.

    ¡°S-Stay away.¡± He shouted, ¡°STAY AWAY!!¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me to stay away? It¡¯s only making me want to get closer.¡±

    ¡°Eek!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Oh Kang-Woo burst intoughter as he looked down at the terrifiedmander. He grabbed a copsed chair in the mess of a control room and leisurely sat down. ¡°To be honest, you were just a terrible match for us.¡±

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as themander trembled pitifully. There was no better way to express it.

    <em>¡®In terms of firepower, they might be superior.¡¯</em>

    Their technology was so advanced thatparing it to Earth¡¯s primitive technology was a joke. Purely in terms of physical destructive capabilities, their weapons surpassed Kim Si-Hun or Balrog.¡°But the weapons you¡¯re so proud of don¡¯t work on us.¡±

    Their weapons were not imbued with Divinity. No matter how strong their attacks were, their power would be drastically reduced after colliding with the Deific Essence barrier. The enemy was so outmatched that it was almost unfair. Their defeat was decided from the moment they failed to prate the Deific Essence barrier.

    ¡°I mean, the result wouldn¡¯t have changed even without the Deific Essence barrier.¡±

    Kang-Woo cackled. The situation was different from when the Parasites invaded Earth. This was now full of individuals so powerful that calling them <em>monsters </em>would be an understatement.

    <em>¡®Not only that, but these guys are far below the Parasites.¡¯</em>

    The Gctic Federation was objectively far weaker than the Parasites. However advanced their technology was, they were still no more than humans.

    <em>¡®How the hell did they conquer countlesss?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion, wondering if the forces of the outer worlds weren¡¯t as strong as he once expected.

    ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s not it,¡± Kang-Woo muttered as he shook his head.

    <em>¡®Earth¡¯s full power is heavily focused on me, Si-Hun, and Balrog.¡¯</em>

    Han Seol-Ah recently joined the list as well. In any case, yers wouldn¡¯t have had a chance against the Gctic Federation if the four of them were not here. Even a High Ranker with the ability to fly would have no chance against a giant battleship.

    <em>¡®Earth¡¯s power bnce is an absolute mess.¡¯</em>

    The difference in power between Kang-Woo and the high-ranking yers was like the difference between Son Goku and Mr. Satan. Kang-Woo had be so powerful to the point that his past self in the Nine Hells felt like a joke. Hence, it was difficult to judge the strength of the Gctic Federation by his standards.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t give a shit about how manys you conquered.¡± There was something more important to find out. ¡°Do you know Akart?¡±

    ¡°Akart¡­?¡±

    Themander shook his head in confusion. He did not seem to be lying.

    <em>¡®So Akart wasn¡¯t the one who brought them here?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and raised his arm. If they didn¡¯t know anything about Akart then there was no reason to keep them alive.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then you might as well d¡ª¡±

    <em>Bweeeeeeeeeeee!!</em>

    Just then, an earsplitting noise shook the control room.

    ¡°The hell¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned. Warning rms have been ringing since earlier, but this sounded different; it was more like a sonic weapon meant to burst one¡¯s eardrums than an rm.

    <em>¡®What could it be for it to be louder than the rm for the engine getting destroyed?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled nonsensically. He took a step back and looked around with great interest.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°C-Commander¡­¡±

    The expressions of the soldiers of the Gctic Federation in the control room turned pale. They were trembling in fear, more terrified than when a third of the battleship was destroyed and the engine was torn apart.

    ¡°Could it be¡­¡±

    Themander¡¯s expression was just as pale. He stared at his subordinates as he shook his head as if he didn¡¯t want to believe it. One of the subordinates staggered as he raised himself to check the holographic monitor that was still somehow functional.

    ¡°Lactheon Alpha has¡­ broken out.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­¡±

    Themander fell to the ground as if he had given up on life. Lactheon Alpha was the name of the android that would have been deployed for the project in which the Gctic Federation had invested all of its resources. However, Lactheon Alpha possessed a critical w and the federation ended up needing to create a beta version to be deployed.

    Lactheon Alpha¡¯s critical w was that it had developed a personality.

    <em>Boom¡ª!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    The door to the control room burst open by an explosion. A white-haired young man strutted into the control room as he strangled a Gctic Federation soldier.

    ¡°Kurgh! Guh! S-Spare m¡­¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    The white-haired man broke the soldier¡¯s neck without hesitation and turned to look with uninterested eyes at the terrifiedmander who had wet his pants. The white-haired young man walked toward themander.

    ¡°S-Stop! Wait, Lactheon Alpha!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°If you kill me, the project will¡ª Kurgh!¡±

    The young man known as Lactheon Alpha trampled on the copsedmander¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Where is the code?¡± asked Lactheon Alpha in a low tone.

    His voice sounded robotic as if hecked emotions. Themander looked around as he bit his lip.

    He pointed at Kang-Woo and shouted, ¡°I will give you the code if you kill that intruder!¡±

    ¡°Intruder¡­?¡±

    Only then did Lactheon Alpha turn to look at Kang-Woo, who had been watching the situation unfold with great interest. Kang-Woo chuckled.

    ¡°What kind of development is this?¡±

    Considering the white-haired young man attacked the members of the Gctic Federation as soon as he suddenly entered the control room, they did not seem to be allies.

    Lactheon Alpha, whose foot was on themander¡¯s chest, slowly turned to Kang-Woo. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I should be asking you that question. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Wh-What are you doing?! I told you to kill that intruder if you want to know where the project code is!¡± shouted themander like a madman.

    Lactheon Alpha looked down at themander and then took his foot off him to face Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Lactheon Alpha, Form Two,¡± he muttered as he bowed.

    <em>nk, nk, nk!</em>

    The sound of cogs interlocking rang from Lactheon Alpha¡¯s body. His back opened and a white suit wrapped around him. Unlike Balrog¡¯s Overlord Armor, this suit was made purely with the power of science.

    ¡°Whoa, what the fuck? Are you Iron Man?¡±

    Kang-Woo expressed amazement as he stared at Lactheon Alpha in the white suit. He had no idea what the rtionship between themander and Lactheon Alpha was or what the project code was, but he knew one thing.

    ¡°That¡¯s so fucking cool. Can I have one too?¡±

    Lactheon Alpha did not answer.

    <em>Vwoooooooo!</em>

    The back of the suit opened to reveal powerful jet engines. Lactheon Alpha shot forward along with a deafening sound.

    ¡°Please, just one. I won¡¯t ask for two.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Can it be in ck?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I guess not. Sadge.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ talk a lot.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the only thing I can be proud of.¡±

    ¡°I have no grudge against you, but I will have you die,¡± said Lactheon Alpha as he raised his right arm.

    <em>Ker-thunk!</em>

    A sharp de shot out from the back of his hand to split Kang-Woo apart.

    <em>ng¡ª!</em>

    ¡°...!¡±

    The sound of hitting metal echoed throughout the control room. Lactheon Alpha quickly jumped back once he realized his attack failed. He looked back and forth at his de and Kang-Woo iprehensibly.

    ¡°What¡­ is that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s called Divinity,¡± Kang-Woo answered.

    ¡°Divinity¡­?¡±

    Lactheon Alpha frowned. He did not know what Divinity was but he did not have much time; he needed to end this battle as soon as possible and get his hands on the project code.

    ¡°Haaap!!¡±

    Lactheon Alpha spread out his arms.

    <em>nk, nk, nk!</em>

    A dozen gun barrels sprouted from the suit like a hedgehog¡¯s quills along with the sound of cogs interlocking.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Mini-missiles fired from the barrels and flew toward Kang-Woo.

    ¡°I want it more and more,¡± Kang-Woo remarked as he whistled and leisurely raised his hand.

    He could just stand still and let his Deific Essence barrier do the work but it did not feel good to get bombarded like a training dummy.

    <em>¡®I might as well warm up a little.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled. He had no interest in the elite soldiers of the Gctic Federation wearing powered suits or their highly advanced technological weapons that made Earth¡¯s technology pale inparison, but the android Lactheon Alpha piqued his interest for some reason.

    ¡°Authority of des.¡±

    A ck de shot out the back of Kang-Woo¡¯s hand like Lactheon Alpha¡¯s de. He lightly stepped forward and swung the de.

    <em>sh¡ª!!</em>

    The Authority of des awakened a new ability because the demonic energy of the Abyss became avable after the Demonic Sea fused with Kang-Woo¡¯s body. Space itself was split along the path of the swing and from it sprouted branches of des. It was as if a thick was formed in midair.

    ¡°ck Net,¡± Kang-Woo muttered the activation word.

    A of des appeared and shed every mini-missile flying at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Urgh!¡±

    Lactheon Alpha gritted his teeth and fired missiles endlessly from a distance. Bullets, missiles,sers, and sma cannons shook the entire control room. However, none of them could prate the of des.

    ¡°Ahh,¡± Lactheon Alpha expressed as he chuckled bitterly. He looked down at himself with trembling eyes. ¡°Fuuu.¡±

    There was no way to break through that of de with normal means. If that was the case, all that was left were abnormal means.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, captain¡­¡±

    Lactheon Alpha looked sorrowfully into the air as if thinking of someone¡ª the <em>God of Machines</em>, whom he could never see again¡­ who would never return.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Lactheon Alpha sighed.

    He raised his right hand and slowly ced it over his heart. He opened the suit and removed the safety systems.

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    Blue sparks flew from Lactheon Alpha¡¯s chest.

    He said piously as if praying to a god, ¡°Overheat.¡±

    <em>Tssssssssssssss!!</em>

    The white suit glowed red as immense amounts of steam poured out of it.

 Side Story Chapter 39: Welcome To Earth (4)

    Side Story Chapter 39: Wee To Earth (4)

    <em>Tsssssssssss!!</em>

    The thick steam filled the control room like fog.

    ¡°Arghhh!!¡±

    ¡°S-So hot!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m burniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!¡±

    The soldiers of the Gctic Federation remaining in the control room screamed in agony. Their skin melted due to the heat from the steam. The scent of burnt flesh filled the control room in an instant along with horrifying screams.

    ¡°Kurgh! A-Are you nning on killing me as well?!¡±

    A translucent energy barrier had formed around themander, pushing away the steam and its heat as his subordinates were burning to death; he seemed to be the only one wearing special protective clothing.

    Lactheon Alpha clenched his fists in silence. His eyes gleamed brightly under the visor. ¡°Fuuu, haaa.¡±<em>Tsssss.</em>

    Scorching steam poured from the gaps in the suit each time he breathed.

    <em>Ker-thunk!</em>

    The suit¡¯s backhand portion opened and shot out from it another de. Lactheon Alpha crossed the two glowing-red des into an X.

    ¡°Sheesh, here¡¯s another dual-wielding simp.¡±

    <em>¡®One Varian green teatte, please!¡¯</em>[1]

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Lactheon charged at Kang-Woo without a word.

    ¡°Twin des are best matched with twin des.¡±

    Kang-Woo snickered and extended his left arm. The back of his left hand split and from it shot out a ck de as he activated the Authority of des. Kang-Woo swung his arms at the charging Lactheon Alpha.

    <em>ng¡ª!!!</em>

    The four des shed hundreds of times in a fraction of a second, each aiming for the opponent¡¯s vitals.

    ¡°Kaaah, this is it!!¡±

    Sparks ran throughout his body. It had been a while since he had this much fun swinging swords. The mes of Voracity, which he had been relying on far too heavily, was so overpowered that he had forgotten how fun it was to use swords.

    ¡°Starbust Streeeeeeeeeeeeeam!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo swung his des as if he were in a trance. Sparks flew from each sh of the des. It was even more fun because his opponent was not a martial arts master like Kim Si-Hun; Kang-Woo would have been floored almost instantly if he faced Si-Hun with twin des.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    Lactheon Alpha, who seemed to have used his trump card, was the first to tire out. He panted heavily as he widened the distance between him and Kang-Woo and gritted his teeth.

    ¡°Wha? Are you gonna bring out another de? Are we going three-sword style this time?¡±

    Lactheon Alpha retracted his des into his suit in silence.

    ¡°The hell, man? I was having so much fun. Stop fucking around and take out your weapons ag¡ª¡±

    ¡°Rocket¡ª¡±

    <em>Click.</em>

    As Kang-Woo approached Lactheon Alpha in disappointment, Lactheon Alpha extended his arm and pointed it at Kang-Woo. He lowered his stance and grabbed his right forearm with his left hand.

    <em>Tsssssssssssss!!</em>

    White steam burst out of Lactheon Alpha.

    ¡°Punch.¡±

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    Lactheon Alpha¡¯s right arm shot forward from the elbow down along with a thunderous explosion. The right arm, elerated by a jet engine, reached Kang-Woo before he had time to react.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened.

    <em>¡®The hell? What the fuck is he using his arm to attack for? What are you gonna do after? What kind of garbage technique is this?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!!¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s Deific Essence barrier was prated by pure physical power before he had a chance to resolve the questions in his head. A fist-sized hole was made in his chest and the resulting shockwave tore apart his body. Kang-Woo was turned to mush from his waist up and exploded, his internal organs sttering all over the ce.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa, haaa,¡± Lactheon Alpha panted heavily after firing his <em>Rocket Punch</em> and staggered.

    ¡°D-Did you kill him?¡± Themander smiled brightly and stood up.

    ¡°Hand over¡­ the code,¡± said Lactheon Alpha, copsing as if he would shut down at any moment.

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    The glowing red suit was dismantled as sparks flew from his body.

    ¡°H-Hahahahah!!¡± Themanderughed wickedly, overjoyed by the situation. ¡°Using Overheat with an unstable core¡­ You¡¯ve practically killed yourself without me having to do anything!¡±

    <em>Bash!</em>

    He kicked the copsed Lactheon Alpha and then typed on the holographic keyboard.

    ¡°There should be at least one escape pod remaining¡ª Kurgh!¡±

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    Someone ced their hand on themander¡¯s head along with the sound of sticky mucus.

    ¡°Wh-What the¡­?¡± Themander turned back in shock. ¡°H-How are you still alive?¡±

    It was Kang-Woo, who should have died from his upper body being torn to bits. He couldn¡¯t be alive.

    ¡°WHY WON¡¯T YOU DIE, YOU DAMN MONSTEEEEEEEEEEEEER?!¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at themander apathetically. He had heard that line from his enemies countless times and had be sick of it.

    ¡°Shut the hell up, man.¡±

    <em>Crack.</em>

    He grabbed one of themander¡¯s teeth and yanked it out, a fountain of blood pouring from where it was.

    ¡°Urgh! Uuuuuuuuurghhh!!¡±

    Themander trembled and burst into tears. Kang-Woo paid him no mind and turned to look at the copsed Lactheon Alpha¡ª to be more precise, at his right arm, missing from the elbow down.

    ¡°What the fuck? Why is it so cool yet stupid at the same time?¡±

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion after getting a taste of a rocket punch. It was weirdly badass despite being a garbage technique that fired a fully functioning limb at the enemy.

    ¡°Anyway.¡± Kang-Woo walked toward the copsed Lactheon Alpha as he dragged themander by his head. ¡°Thanks. You helped me stimte the Demonic Sea.¡±

    The Demonic Sea¡¯s energy circted due to an attack it had never experienced before. To survive, it released the demonic energy it had been preserving. Kang-Woo nodded in satisfaction as he felt his demonic energy that had be thicker than before.

    Lactheon Alpha looked up at Kang-Woo with deeply sunken eyes. He was calm as if he had known Kang-Woo would not die from that attack. ¡°I have¡­ a favor to ask.¡±

    ¡°What? Are you gonna ask me to get that code or whatever it is for you?¡±

    Lactheon Alpha nodded.

    Kang-Woo smirked and replied, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ve been curious to death about what you guys were talking about anyway.¡±

    He gripped themander¡¯s head harder.

    ¡°Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for you to talk. What is this code thingie?¡±

    ¡°Harghh! Z-Zdop! Zdop!!!¡± Themander shouted incoherently because of his yanked-out tooth. ¡°A-Ayy daak!!!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Ayy daak!¡±

    ¡°SPEAK PROPERLY, MOTHERFUCKER!!!¡±

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kang-Woo kicked themander in the stomach.

    ¡°WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SO INARTICULATE?!!¡±

    <em>Bash! Bash! Bash!</em>

    ¡°Hurgh! Z-Zdop! Zdoooooooop!¡±

    Unable to contain his rage, Kang-Woo beat themander senselessly. The raggedmander became even more of a mess than before.

    ¡°Fuuu. That¡¯s what you get for fucking around with me.¡±

    It was themander¡¯s fault for pretending to be inarticte to mock Kang-Woo.

    ¡°I-I¡¯ll¡­ talk¡­¡±

    His speech was much better than before.

    ¡°Good. Now we can get somewhere.¡±

    As Kang-Woo thought, violence was the best mode of conversation.

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­ Waaaaaah.</em>¡±

    Themander pulled out a small chip from his pocket as he bawled his eyes out. He inserted it under the holographic monitor and typed aplex password to deactivate the security programs. A file named <em>Project </em>appeared.

    ¡°Is this what you were looking for?¡± asked Kang-Woo as he looked down at Lactheon Alpha.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ correct.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Kang-Woo opened the file and checked its contents. ¡°Project Deus Ex Machina?¡±

    It was a rather overblown project name. He checked the file¡¯s contents with the Authority of Insight activated, but there were so many terms and skills he did not know that nothing stuck in his mind.

    ¡°Well¡­ I understood that an android is going to be sent to another. What does this mean?¡± asked Kang-Woo, tilting his head.

    ¡°There is¡­ no¡­ time.¡± Lactheon Alpha grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s ankle as sparks flew from him and begged, ¡°The battleship¡¯s¡­munication system¡­ will soon be¡­. down. The project¡­ must be stopped¡­ before¡­¡±

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    The sparks flew from Lactheon Alpha even more aggressively as he began to fall apart.

    ¡°H-Hurry. Stop¡­ the project.¡±

    His body, made of machinery instead of flesh and blood, was falling apart like a sand castle.

    ¡°I still don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but¡­¡± Kang-Woo smiled as he looked down at the dying Lactheon Alpha. ¡°Since you helped me gain tons of demonic energy, I¡¯ll do you a favor.¡±

    Based on the little of what he understood from the project file, it was about sending an android to a faraway to conquer it.

    <em>¡®If the android being sent is anything like Lactheon Alpha, then that would be razed to the ground if the project isn¡¯t stopped.¡¯</em>

    There was no question the destruction a machine, who prated a Deific Essence barrier with pure physical power, could enact on a, even on its own.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s fate has nothing to do with me, but that¡¯s not reason enough to do nothing when I can stop it.¡¯</em>

    <em>Beep.</em>

    Kang-Woo used the Authority of Insight to set up amunication array as it was exined in the project file.

    <em>Zzzzt.</em>

    Themunication was filled withrge amounts of static, likely because the battleship was half-destroyed.

    This is a message from the Gctic Federation,¡± said Kang-Woo in a deep voice into a microphone. ¡°From today, the federation is disbanded. Hence, all ongoing projects, including Project Deus Ex Machina, are to be suspended.¡±

    He did not know if anyone was listening to his message.

    ¡°I repeat.¡±

    Nor did he know what would result from his message.

    ¡°All ongoing projects are to be suspended.¡±

    <em>Beep.</em>

    The hologram turned red and a message appeared on it before themunication array was shut down.

    [Forcefully endingmunication with ¡®Deus Ex Machina Mk. 0¡¯ due to bad connection.]

    1. This is a reference to Varian Wrynn, a character in the Warcraft lore who uses a sword named Shmayne, made of two fused swords that can be detached. He dies from being flooded with Fel magic and exploding, which Koreans turned into a green tea meme. ?

 Side Story Chapter 40: To Live as a Human (1)

    Side Story Chapter 40: To Live as a Human (1)

    ¡°So in the end, that battleship had nothing to do with Akart?¡± asked Lilith as she narrowed her eyes.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Oh Kang-Woo answered. Three days passed since the giant battleship menacingly appeared above New York and was destroyed as soon as it appeared. ¡°I think it was just a regr otherworldly invasion.¡±

    He tried to gather as much information about the Gctic Federation as possible for the past three days but he couldn¡¯t find any traces of Akart.

    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s even more worrisome that he hasn¡¯t made a move at all.¡±

    Lilith shook her head as she stroked her chin. It was like how developers got more worried when they didn¡¯t discover any bugs in their program. ording to the System, Akart was trying to end the Triad; it only amplified their anxiety since there were no signs of it.

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯d be better for my heart if he just appeared out of the blue like the Gctic Federation.¡±

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and nodded. Lilith giggled and walked behind Kang-Woo, who was sitting on a chair.

    She hugged him from behind and asked, ¡°That aside, about the¡­ android, was it? You said it managed to prate your Deific Essence barrier purely with physical power. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t feel Deific Essence from him. It was pure physical power.¡±¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprising.¡±

    Lilith widened her eyes in disbelief. As far as she knew, no one but Kang-Woo was capable of such a thing.

    ¡°It just goes to show we have to be wary of other otherworldly beings aside from Akart,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    ¡°It is as you say.¡±

    Lilith nodded with a heavy expression. Most otherworldly beings would not even manage to get past Kim Si-Hun, forget Kang-Woo. Even if a being whom Si-Hun couldn¡¯t handle were to appear, Kang-Woo, the Demon King who possessed the Demonic Sea, would take care of them.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    Even with an immortal body and countless overpowered Authorities, Kang-Woo was not devoid of weaknesses. Even now, his body was unstable and iplete.

    <em>¡®And most of all¡­¡¯</em>

    Lilith looked down at Kang-Woo with deeply sunken eyes and recalled him weeping on the ground before the war against Bael.

    <em>- It¡¯s¡­ so heavy. I feel like I¡¯m¡­ getting crushed to death.</em>

    It was a side of her king that only she knew¡ª one of him weeping as if he would fall apart at any second. Her heart ached as she softly bit her lip.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t let the king shoulder everything again.</em>

    No matter how many countermeasures they made to deal with the otherworldly invasions and Akart, their ultimate solution was always Kang-Woo. Lilith sighed because there wasn¡¯t much she could do.

    ¡°What are you thinking so hard about?¡± asked Kang-Woo as he tilted his head.

    ¡°I was thinking about something from the past.¡±

    ¡°The past? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Fufu. Your true self¡­ that only I know.¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    Lilith brought her lips to Kang-Woo¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ so heavy.¡±

    ¡°Kurgh! <em>Cough! Cough!</em>¡±

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m¡­ getting cr¡ª¡±

    ¡°Gyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhh!!!¡± Kang-Woo screamed like a madman as he twisted and turned. It looked as if he were getting tortured with a hot iron. ¡°S-Stop!! Fuck! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!¡±

    He screamed more, copsing as he grabbed Lilith by her leg.

    Lilith smiled and asked, ¡°My, my, what¡¯s wrong, my king?¡±

    ¡°L-Lilith¡­ no, Master Lilith. Please¡­ Anything but that¡­¡±

    ¡°Hoho. There¡¯s no need to feel so embarrassed. It is a precious memory for me.¡±

    ¡°Gurgh. Guuuuuuuhhh.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my dear king.¡± Lilith held in herughter as she looked down at the weeping Kang-Woo. She gently caressed his cheek and separated him from her in disappointment. ¡°I should get going now.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Do you have something to do?¡±

    ¡°I want to check one more time Akart¡¯s involvement in this incident.¡±

    ¡°You already did multiple times.¡±

    ¡°Even so¡­¡±

    Lilith smiled sorrowfully and turned around. Even she knew that she wouldn¡¯t get anything out of checking multiple times.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    This was the only thing she could do to lessen the weight on Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders even a little.

    ¡°You can stay here and rest with Seol-Ah, my king,¡± Lilith remarked as she headed to the door.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Kang-Woo grabbed her arm. ¡°Aren¡¯t you pushing yourself too hard these days?¡±

    Lilith was working so much that Kang-Woo had barely seen her facetely. Not only was she gathering and analyzing various information as well as checking for abnormal Gate phenomena daily, but she was even traveling to Aernor to search for traces of Akart. On top of that, she was visiting yers who awakened Traits specialized in information gathering to expand her private intelligence organization.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s also taking care of the rtionship between Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah.¡¯</em>

    She had taken on the role of the eldest sister and acted as the mediator so that conflict did not form among the three of them. It was thanks to her that the rtionship between Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo, which had gotten awkward due to the kidnapping incident, returned to how it used to be.

    No matter how extraordinarily capable she was, not even she would be having an easy time dealing withplex human rtionships and a nearly lethal dose of workload.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothingpared to what you have been dealing with, my king.¡±

    Lilith smiled as if she were fine and turned around again. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. It was a nearly negligible change, but he could notice it since he had known Lilith for a very long time.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s exhausted.¡¯</em>

    It looked like she was doing her best to hide it, but signs of fatigue were reflected on her face. Kang-Woo yanked Lilith toward him by her arm.

    ¡°H-Huh? My king?¡±

    ¡°Take a break for today. No, you¡¯re forbidden from working for the next three days.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an order.¡±

    ¡°My king¡­¡± Lilith stared at Kang-Woo wide-eyed, her shoulders trembling. ¡°Fufufu. You¡­ are so lovely.¡±

    Kang-Woo had always been like this; he reached out to help people as if it were nothing despite shouldering the most weight. He suppressed his sorrow, trampled on his agony, and moved forward.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s been like this since his days in Hell.¡¯</em>

    That was why she had fallen in love with him.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Lilith exhaled heatedly. She stared at Kang-Woo passionately and perched on the table. She smiled seductively and crossed one leg over the other, exposing her bewitching legs covered in ck tights. ¡°So, now that we¡¯re on break, what should we do?¡±

    She ced her foot on Kang-Woo¡¯s thigh and tickled his inner thigh with it.

    ¡°Tell me what you want to do, my king ?¡±

    Lilith leaned toward Kang-Woo as she stimted his inner thigh. She reached for Kang-Woo¡¯s chin and tickled it as she smiled bewitchingly.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo gulped. Her sex appeal far surpassed that of Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah. Her seductive energy overwhelmed him as if proving she was a subus.

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Kang-Woo grunted.

    He felt as if his instincts would take over at any moment.

    ¡°Fufu.¡±

    Lilith came down from the table and sat on Kang-Woo¡¯sp. She extended her tongue as long as a snake and licked his earlobe.

    She whispered seductively, ¡°Why hold back?¡±

    The whispers of a subus were enough for anyone to lose their sense of reason.

    ¡°My body and heart¡­ they both exist only for you, my king. I will ept all of your bursting desires and impulses¡­ ?¡±

    She continued to whisper as she blew on Kang-Woo¡¯s ear, proving she was none other than the Subus Queen. Her ck hair wriggled as if it were alive and wrapped around Kang-Woo. Her irresistible temptations stirred Kang-Woo¡¯s instincts.

    Kang-Woo softly grabbed Lilith by her waist and gulped. ¡°First, get on the bed.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Haaang¡­!!¡±

    A moan echoed throughout the room. Lilith bit her lip as she hugged a pillow. She subtly trembled.

    ¡°M-My king! I-I¡­! I can¡¯t hold it anymore¡­!¡±

    She shut her eyes tightly as she straightened her legs covered in ck tights. She scrunched her toes as she trembled intensely, moaning in ecstasy.

    ¡°Ummm¡­ Lilith.¡± Kang-Woo chuckled nonsensically as he stared at her. He pressed on her back with his fingers and asked, ¡°What are these sounds you¡¯re making when I¡¯m just giving you a massage?¡±

    ¡°B-But¡­¡± Lilith turned around in tears. She flinched nonstop as she intertwined her fingers. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt anything like this¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. I doubt demons even know what a massage is.¡±

    Kang-Woo snickered and pressed with his fingers again.

    ¡°Haaaaaaang!¡± Lilith moaned, burying her face in the pillow.

    Her reactions were extremely cute, nothing like her usual seductive self. Kang-Woo added more strength to massaging her back.

    ¡°P-Please stop, my king!!¡± Lilith scurried away from Kang-Woo. She sat on a corner of the bed as if shriveled up, covered herself with a nket with only her head exposed, and red at Kang-Woo in frustration. ¡°Urghhh¡­ I was going to take the lead today.¡±

    ¡°No chance.¡± Kang-Woo smiled as he wiggled his fingers. ¡°Right, then. Come back here and lie down.¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s enough massaging for today!¡±

    ¡°Why? Doesn¡¯t it feel good? I mean, you don¡¯t have any knots on your muscles, but there¡¯s nothing better than this in terms of fatigue recovery.¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Lilith pouted. ¡°This isn¡¯t what I had in mind!¡±

    She sprang up and pushed Kang-Woo down on the bed. She got on top of him and ced her hand on his chest as she bewitchingly licked her lips.

    ¡°Haaa. My king.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± said Kang-Woo as he grabbed Lilith¡¯s hand.

    ¡°No more¡­ massages.¡±

    ¡°Not that. We do this all the time, don¡¯t we?¡±

    They had not done ittely because Lilith had barely been home, but that was beside the point.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we get some fresh air together?¡±

    Kang-Woo had spent time with Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo privately but could not remember thest time he spent quality time with Lilith.

    ¡°Pardon? R-Really?!¡± Lilith¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, having never expected Kang-Woo to suggest such a thing. ¡°Yes! Okay! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    She smiled radiantly and nodded. Her hair had turned into tentacles and was dancing before Kang-Woo realized it.

 Side Story Chapter 41: To Live as a Human (2)

    Side Story Chapter 41: To Live as a Human (2)

    ¡°I think this is the first time we¡¯ve gone out on a date, just the two of us,¡± said Lilith as she grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hand with a smile.

    The gentle sea breeze of Gwangalli Beach blew over them. They called it a date, but they were not anywhere special like when Oh Kang-Woo went with Han Seol-Ah to an amusement park. They had gone shopping, to a coffee shop, and chatted as they walked along the beach like a regr couple.

    ¡°Oh, my king. May I try a bite of that?¡±

    Lilith pointed at a restaurant as they were walking along the beach. It was a corn dog chain with restaurants all over the world.

    ¡°Huh? You want to eat that?¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Lilith wide-eyed. He was not belittling corn dogs; he was just shocked that Lilith of all people wanted to <em>eat </em>something.

    ¡°But you can barely taste it, can you?¡± he asked.

    Demons generally did not eat since demonic energy was all they needed in terms of sustenance. Hence, unless one was like Kang-Woo, who went from human to demon, taste buds were atrophied for most demons.

    ¡°Fufu. I¡¯ve been gaining a sense of tastetely,¡± Lilith replied.¡°Really?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes gleamed with great interest. This was the first time he had heard of a demon gaining a sense of taste.

    ¡°Yes. It could be because I¡¯ve been using a human body all this time.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Kang-Woo expressed, recalling something he had forgotten because it had been such a long time. ¡°Come to think of it, that¡¯s not your body.¡±

    The body that Lilith was using at the moment was originally that of the woman Kurosaki Yurie. Kang-Woo had forgotten because it looked as if Lilith had taken full control over it.

    ¡°Come to think of it¡­ Kurosaki Yurie, was it? Is the former owner of that body still asleep?¡±

    Kang-Woo recalled Lilith saying that Kurosaki Yurie was asleep inside her consciousness when he asked her a very long time ago.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lilith subtly flinched. She averted her gaze from Kang-Woo, her expression reflecting slight anxiety, and continued after a short moment, ¡°Yes. Sh-She¡¯s still asleep.¡±

    The way she replied as she tapped on the ground with the end of her foot was slightly unnatural. Kang-Woo stared at Lilith doubtfully.

    ¡°She¡¯s been sleeping for a while, hasn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it has been a long time.¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­ Perhaps her consciousness is being suppressed by that of a demon.¡±

    That was the only logical reason he could think of for why Kurosaki Yurie had yet to awaken.

    <em>¡®Well, it kind of makes sense.¡¯</em>

    The one in control was none other than the Subus Queen. Considering Lilith had lived far longer than Kurosaki Yurie, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her consciousness to be overwhelmed by Lilith¡¯s and be unable to wake up, even if she were the original owner of the body.

    <em>¡®I feel a little bad for her.¡¯</em>

    Forget frustrated; she might even resent Lilith for stealing her body.

    <em>¡®Well, it has nothing to do with me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shrugged leisurely. Ethically speaking, Lilith could be seen as a viin who stole the body of an innocent woman.

    <em>¡®So what?¡¯</em>

    He was not acquainted with Kurosaki Yurie, nor had he spoken to her even once. He couldn¡¯t care less about someone getting his body stolen by a demon. Rather, he couldn¡¯t be happier that Lilith had turned from a tentacle monster to a stunning beauty.

    <em>¡®Though she still thinks tentacles are the most beautiful things in the world.¡¯</em>

    At the very least, Lilith realized that Kang-Woo did not like tentacles and did not manifest them in front of him unless she was ecstatic or flustered.

    <em>¡®The problem is¡­¡¯</em>

    She seemed to think the reason why Kang-Woo despised her tentacles had to do with his tastes in particr. She didn¡¯t think that her tentacles were hideous but that Kang-Woo¡¯s abnormal tastes rejected her stunningly beautiful tentacles.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

    He had done his best to exin it to her multiple times, but the beauty standards deeply rooted inside her head did not change. It was difficult to change a notion in one¡¯s head once rooted in ce.

    There was no need to look far for an example. People in the past thought that being obese was an indication of health and wealth and thought those with more fat were more beautiful. Would those people think the celebrities and models of today were attractive?

    <em>¡®No way.¡¯</em>

    It was easier to picture the other way around. The people of today would not envy the obese people of the past who were considered the epitome of beauty.

    <em>¡®I mean¡­ I guess it¡¯s fine as long as she doesn¡¯t unt them around me.¡¯</em>

    It didn¡¯t matter to Kang-Woo if Lilith thought he had abnormal tastes or kinky fetishes; all that mattered was that she knew he didn¡¯t like tentacles. Kang-Woo stopped thinking about useless things and turned to the restaurant Lilith pointed at.

    ¡°Sure. Which vor?¡±

    ¡°Mozzare cheese!¡±

    Kang-Woo ordered two mozzare cheese corn dogs and paid at the card machine ced in front of the restaurant. Two delicious-looking corn dogs covered in sugar and ketchup arrived soon after.[1] Kang-Woo gulped and took arge bite out of the corn dog.

    ¡°<em>Nom, nom</em>. Damn, this is good.¡±

    The mozzare cheese, sausage, and crispy bread danced inside his mouth. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t believe it was so good despite its cheap price. He could understand why this corn dog chain was famous all over the world.

    ¡°Mmm. <em>Nom, nom.</em>¡±

    Lilith was eating only the bread portion of the corn dog with her eyes closed as if focusing on the taste.

    ¡°Eh? Why are you eating it like that?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°My taste buds haven¡¯t fully developed yet, so I have a hard time sensing different tastes at once.¡±

    It sounded bullshit yet logical at the same time.

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    Kang-Woo wondered if there was even a point to eating a corn dog if she was going to eat it like that, but set the thought aside and watched Lilith eating the corn dog like a bird taking small pieces off of its food.

    ¡°<em>Nom</em>.¡±

    Lilith ate the bread and the mozzare cheese portion of the corn dog, leaving only the sausage. She put it in her mouth and sucked it like a bar of ice cream. Not just that, she stuck out her tongue and licked it from base to tip.

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>¡®Uhhh, mmm. This is¡­ Ahem.¡¯</em>

    <em>- SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEET!!!</em>

    Someone¡¯s voice echoed inside Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    <em>¡®Go away¡­ get out of my head, La!! She¡¯s only eating it that way because her taste buds haven¡¯t fully developed! Surely it doesn¡¯t imply anything else¡­!¡¯</em>

    ¡°Haaang¡­ <em>Slurp</em>.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°My, what¡¯s wrong, my king?¡±

    Lilith smiled and licked the sausage more passionately.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ doing that on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Hohoho. Doing what~? I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, my king~¡± said Lilith as she teasingly bit the tip of the sausage.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Kang-Woo fiercely bit his lip.

    <em>¡®Y-You crafty biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!¡¯</em>

    He could not let this slide.

    ¡°Go to horny jail!!!¡±

    ¡°O-Oh? M-My king?!¡±

    Kang-Woo slipped behind Lilith, grabbed her shoulders, and began to massage them with adequate strength.

    ¡°Hngh! P-Please wait, th-this is¡­!¡± yelled Lilith, who was not used to getting massages, as she aggressively twisted and turned.

    Kang-Woo kept hold of Lilith by the shoulders so that she couldn¡¯t get away and used only his thumbs to press between her neck and shoulders.

    ¡°You naughty girl!¡±

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [?(?`?¡ä?)? How right you are!]

    <em>¡®Why are you getting involved?¡¯</em>

    [How dare she mock our beloved guardian deity¡¯s only w byparing it to a sausage?!]

    ¡®You fucking bitch.¡¯

    [©»(£àÃó¡ä)©¿Our guardian deity¡¯s sausage isn¡¯t that big!]

    <em>¡®Y-Yooooooou fucking¡­ Why are you doing this to me? Why do you keep appearing every time I almost forget about you?¡¯</em>

    [My ego has been slowly developingtely but I¡¯m bored because I have nothing to do.]

    <em>¡®Then why don¡¯t I make it so that you¡¯re busy as fuck?¡¯</em>

    [LMAO sorry not sorry!!]

    Kang-Woo frowned as he stared at the blue message window disappearing as if running away.

    <em>¡®That bitch needs a lesson too.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was slowly but surely gaining privileges to the Law of Titans as his powers returned. He gritted his teeth, determined to one day have a meeting with Eve.

    ¡°My king¡­?¡± Lilith looked at him with her head tilted.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Kang-Woo focused back on Lilith and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s finish what we were doing.¡±

    ¡°Ah! P-Please, wait!¡±

    Lilith¡¯s screams continued.

    ***

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡± Lilith panted heavily and leaned her head on Kang-Woo¡¯s chest once he let go of her shoulders after punishing her until he was satisfied. ¡°It was¡­ just a joke.¡±

    Lilith pouted adorably. Kang-Woo patted Lilith¡¯s head.

    ¡°That aside¡­ Spending time with you like this makes it feel like I¡¯ve be human,¡± Lilith remarked.

    ¡°Human?¡±

    Lilith smiled bitterly and replied, ¡°Yes. Spending time alongside humans as I eat andugh like them¡­ it¡¯s just a feeling I get.¡±

    <em>¡®Does it mean she¡¯s getting ustomed to human culture?¡¯</em>

    It was only natural since it had been a while since she first arrived on Earth.

    <em>¡®Wait¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes lit up as if he thought of a good idea. If she was getting used to human culture, it also meant she was developing human values. In other words, Her beauty standards, which he couldn¡¯t change no matter what he did, could adapt to human standards as well.

    ¡°Lilith,¡± he called.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed her hands and asked seriously, ¡°You love me, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°That means you¡¯ll be living on Earth with me from now on, right?¡±

    Lilith nodded.

    ¡°In that case, you have to start living as a human than a demon.¡±

    ¡°Living¡­ as a human?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo gripped Lilith¡¯s hands harder. ¡°You have to know human values, notions, thoughts¡­ and what they like and dislike.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not demons anymore. To live alongside humans in a society made by humans¡­ we need to be human.¡±

    That was what it meant to live as a human.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lilith¡¯s eyes widened as if she were enlightened. ¡°Human values¡­¡±

    She fell into thought as she ced her hands over her chest. She fell into deep thought and raised her head.

    ¡°Does that mean I also have to learn about the morals and ethics of human society?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Huh? Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡®Morals and ethics are a part of human values.¡¯

    ¡°...¡±

    Deathly silence fell. Lilith bit her lip with a gloomy expression. She shut her eyes tightly as she thought long and hard, then slowly opened her eyes.

    ¡°I have something to confess, my king.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What is it?¡±

    ¡°To tell you the truth¡­ Kurosaki Yurie, the former owner of this body, woke up not long ago.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    <em>¡®She woke up?¡¯</em>

    ¡°To live as a human like you said¡­ I would have to follow human morals and ethics. If that is the case¡­¡± Lilith said sorrowfully, ¡°It would be the right call¡­ to give this body back to its rightful owner, right? After all, from a human point of view, I am¡­ a wicked being who stole the body of an innocent human.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo reached out to grab Lilith¡¯s shoulders as her eyes shook. He could feel her anxiety and worry just from touching her. She was likely thinking that if she returned this body to its rightful owner, Kang-Woo would start running away from her again like he had in Hell.

    ¡°Listen carefully, Lilith,¡± Kang-Woo remarked in all seriousness. ¡°We are demons to the core.¡±

    <em>¡®We can never be human.¡¯</em>

    1. Yes, we sprinkle sugar on corn dogs¡­ I don¡¯t like it being so sweet but if others like it then whatever¡­ ?<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    I mean¡­ it does have something to do with you since you¡¯re sleeping with Lilith in Kurosaki Yurie¡¯s body without her consent¡­ that is rape by definition. Maybe the author didn¡¯t think of that.</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 42: Kurosaki Yurie (1)

    Side Story Chapter 42: Kurosaki Yurie (1)

    ¡°Pardon?¡± Lilith stared at Kang-Woo, wide-eyed and confused. ¡°But you just said¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, forget all that bullshit I said earlier,¡± Oh Kang-Woo remarked.

    A demon living as a human was so unthinkable that one would think the person thinking it had a gun to his head.

    ¡°Do we have to follow human values to live alongside them?¡± Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help butugh. He called, ¡°Lilith.¡±

    He gripped Lilith¡¯s shoulders harder as he suppressed his surging anxiety.

    He continued, ¡°Humans are an idiotic garbage race.¡±

    They were illogical, violent, and disorderly. They were the cause of Earth¡¯s environmental destruction for a reason.

    ¡°Learning their values won¡¯t do you any good. We may live alongside humans but can never be them¡ª no, we have no reason to be like them. So, uhhh¡­ you should just use Kurosaki Yurie¡¯s body.¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Lilith desperately, imagining what would happen if Lilith returned to her true form permanently after all this time.<em>¡®F-Fuck no. Anything but that!!¡¯</em>

    His face turned pale as he panted heavily, and cold sweats ran down his back. Transcendental fear took over him, causing him to tremble. He was more afraid than when he faced millions of demons in the Abyss.

    ¡°My king¡­¡± Lilith grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hands, teary-eyed. ¡°Of course, I want to keep using this body too.¡±

    Back in Hell, Lilith had not ended up together with Kang-Woo because she continued to use her tentacles to entice him without realizing his abnormally twisted fetish, which was that he despised tentacles. The thing that realized her unrequited love, which seemed tost forever, was the body of Kurosaki Yurie.

    This tentacle-less, in, and ugly female body matched Kang-Woo¡¯s tastes perfectly, hence Liltih did not want to give up the body that allowed her to be one with Kang-Woo.

    ¡°But if I continue to share this body with her¡­ our consciousness will begin to mix.¡±

    Even if they were to mix, the dominant one would ultimately be Lilith. No matter how strong-willed Kurosaki Yurie was, it would be difficult for her to dominate the Subus Queen, who had lived for thousands of years.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ a little scared,¡± Lilith muttered as she carefully grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes.

    It was only natural that she would emerge victorious in a battle for control against Kurosaki Yurie. It was foolish to even consider the possibility of losing against a mere human¡ª it was impossible for a demon who had lived for thousands of years to lose.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    She knew someone who hade out on top against impossible odds. Heughed in the face of the despairing difference in strength and trampled on causality to emerge victorious.

    ¡°It¡¯s highly unlikely, but¡­ what if something like you had done in the Demonic Sea happens?¡±

    Kang-Woo entered his consciousness and defeated Bauli, a Primordial Titan, who was trying to take over his body. The difference in power between Lilith and Kurosaki Yurie was nothingpared to what the difference between Kang-Woo and Bauli had been at the time.

    ¡°And¡­ even if I manage to overpower her consciousness¡­¡±

    Lilith would not be able to avoid a portion of Kurosaki Yurie¡¯s consciousness mixing with hers since it was no different from two souls existing inside one body.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want my feelings for you¡­ to be tainted by someone else¡¯s consciousness.¡±

    Lilith looked at Kang-Woo, full of anxiety. Her love for Kang-Woo likely would not change even if the consciousness were to mix, but it would not bepletely the same as long as a portion of Kurosaki Yurie¡¯s consciousness was mixed with Lilith¡¯s.

    ¡°Mm, so¡­¡± Kang-Woo slurred as he pulled on his hair anxiously.

    He did not think Kurosaki Yurie¡¯s consciousness woulde out on top; his miraculous feat of defeating the Demon God was only possible because it was him.

    <em>¡®But there¡¯s no way to stop their consciousness from mixing.¡¯</em>

    If two souls existed in one body, one would influence the other; it was just a matter of the extent.

    <em>¡®What do I do?¡¯</em>

    His thoughts were in a jumble.

    ¡°My king¡­¡± Lilith grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hands and stared at him teary-eyed. She asked worryingly, ¡°Would you still love me¡­ even if I were to return to my original form?¡±

    Kang-Woo could feel her hands trembling.

    He gripped her hands harder and answered without hesitation, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a hard no.¡±

    <em>¡®I would never have returned to Earth if it was something that could be ovee with love. I will never love tentacles even if were to be torn apart.¡¯</em>

    ¡°My king, you idiot!!¡±

    Lilith pped Kang-Woo in the face with all her might.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± Kang-Woo grunted as he twirled in the air three times and fell on his face.

    He could have blocked it using his Deific Essence barrier but lowered it because he had a feeling he should shut up and let himself get pped in this situation.

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to tell me that you would, even if it¡¯s a lie!¡± Lilith red at Kang-Woo as she panted seethingly.

    ¡°Okay. I would still love you even if you return to your original form.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote!¡±

    ¡°What the hell do you want me to do, then?¡± Kang-Woo groaned as he got back up, scratching his head.

    Just then, Lilith suddenly turned her head with nk eyes, staring into nothingness.

    ¡°Pardon¡­? Is that true?¡± she talked to herself. ¡°Why¡­? Isn¡¯t this your body, Yurie?¡±

    It seemed she was speaking to Kurosaki Yurie¡¯s consciousness. Kang-Woo simply waited with his arms crossed since not even he could eavesdrop on a conversation inside someone¡¯s head. Their conversation continued for a while longer and stopped.

    ¡°What did she say?¡± Kang-Woo asked, tilting his head.

    Lilith groaned as she twirled the ends of her ck hair. She answered, ¡°Yurie wants a different body.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo did not expect such an answer. He frowned as he stared at the wide-eyed Lilith. ¡°I mean¡­ that would be good for all of us.¡±

    Everything would be solved if the original owner of the body wanted to leave it. Their consciousness would not mix, and Kurosaki Yurie¡¯s body would be Lilith¡¯s.

    ¡°But why?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    It was no easy decision to give up one¡¯s body.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Lilith slurred then continued calmly, ¡°I think you should hear it from her.¡±

    Lilith snapped her finger and then her charming aura that naturally enticed others disappeared. A simple change in the body¡¯s owner was enough for a woman who gave off bewitching energy to turn into a pure and innocent girl.

    ¡°Haaa¡­ I believe this is our first time speaking face to face,¡± said Lilith¡ª no, Kurosaki Yurie as she stared at Kang-Woo.

    She gave off an elegant aura as she swept her hair behind her ear, one that couldn¡¯t be felt from Lilith.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo nodded as he locked eyes with Yurie. ¡°So, why do you want to give up your body?¡±

    His tone was cold, the opposite of when he was talking to Lilith. His gaze was fierce as if telling Yurie that he would devour her soul if she tried anything funny.

    ¡°There is no need for you to be so on guard,¡± Yurie remarked.

    ¡°I will be the judge of that. Stop beating around the bush and talk.¡±

    Yurie sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not scheming anything in particr. I just¡­¡± She looked up and continued in an exhausted tone, ¡°Want to live my own life.¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He could easily figure out what she meant by that based on her former position. ¡°You want to give up your life as a celestial maiden[1]?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± Yurie smiled sorrowfully. ¡°I was isted from others since I was young. I couldn¡¯t y outside like the other children nor did I have friends my age. As for my education¡­ it was all from private tutors.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°It got worse after the Day of Cmity. I was looked after by the government because of the special power I awakened. I was always apanied by bodyguards and couldn¡¯t even eat the things I wanted.¡±

    Yurie¡¯s clenched fists trembled.

    She continued bitterly, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want to go back to that life.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded, understanding her reasons.

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Lilith has full control over the Japanese government, so no one can put a leash on you even if you decide to stay in that body.¡±

    The first thing Lilith did after entering Yurie¡¯s body was to gain freedom by forcing the higher-ups of the Japanese government to submit to her. It was only natural since she couldn¡¯t be with Kang-Woo if she didn¡¯t do that. In other words, Yurie would be free if she were to live on in her original body.

    ¡°No.¡± Yurie shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m different from her. As long as I¡¯m in this body¡­ I can¡¯t be free.¡±

    She bit her lip and embraced herself as if imprisoning herself.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. A person who never had wings couldn¡¯t soar freely across the skies just because they were given wings. Yurie had been imprisoned her entire life, hence she had never experienced a life of freedom. That was why she desired to have a fresh start in a new body.

    ¡°Okay, I get your reason.¡± Kang-Woo nodded as he withdrew his bloodlust. There was no need to be wary of her now that their interests matched. ¡°Then as for your new body¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, please leave that to me.¡±

    The elegant and pure air around Yurie changed as if a switch was flipped, changing into one bursting with charm and lust.

    ¡°A body perfect for Yurie to make her fresh start¡­ One more beautiful than anyone¡­¡±

    Lilith¡¯s eyes shone as she smiled seductively.

    ¡°I will make one just for her.¡±

    Kang-Woo flinched, chills running down his back.

    <em>¡®Uhhh¡­ just a fucking second. You¡¯re going to make it?¡¯</em>

    1. She was never called that in the main story but I guess that¡¯s what we¡¯re going with. ?

 Side Story Chapter 43: Kurosaki Yurie (2)

    Side Story Chapter 43: Kurosaki Yurie (2)

    Three days passed since they epted Kurosaki Yurie¡¯s favor. Lilith forcibly took over Vaal Zahak¡¯sboratory and focused on creating a body just for Yurie. Oh Kang-Woo was then contacted today that the body for Yurie waspleted atst.

    Kang-Woo, who was being fed kimchi stew by Han Seol-Ah in her arms like usual, made sure to take a <em>protective shield</em> before heading to the apartment floor where Vaal Zahak¡¯sb was.

    ¡°Now¡­ slowly open your eyes.¡±

    Kang-Woo arrived to see that Yurie¡¯s soul was in the process of being transferred to the new body. A faint blue light that was Yurie¡¯s soul shone within the thick fog of demonic energy and entered the new body.

    ¡°This is¡­ my new body?¡± Yurie slowly opened her eyes. She looked down and examined her body. ¡°Wow¡­ You didn¡¯t have to make me so beautiful.¡±

    She looked at herself in the mirror. Her original form was already beautiful, but this was on another level of beauty. She had golden hair, mysterious purple eyes, and pale skin. She used to be a traditional Asian beauty, so her new look felt rather exotic to her.

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo expressed confusion as he stared at Yurie¡¯s new look.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s actually beautiful.¡¯</em>He had imagined a nightmare-fuel hideous creature that would only exist in Hell when Lilith offered to make the body, but contrary to his expectations, Yurie was just a regr, beautiful woman no matter how he looked at her.

    ¡°Phew,¡± Kang-Woo sighed in relief with his hand on his chest.

    <em>¡®Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯ll need this.¡¯</em>

    He looked down at the ck ring in his hand. It was an item he created bypressing several Authorities, containing various features that blocked all of his senses in preparation for the worst-case scenario. Kang-Woo withdrew the Authorities and absorbed the ring back into himself. He turned to examine Yurie¡¯s new body with great interest.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s beautiful.¡¯</em>

    She was but a squidpared to his Darling, but she would be the most beautiful person in the room anywhere else.

    <em>¡®Hmm. I can¡¯t believe Lilith had such talent. You¡¯ve changed, Lilith!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists, ovee with ecstasy. She hade to understand human beauty standards atst.

    He approached Yurie, handed her a card, and remarked, ¡°This contains enough money for you to live afortable life.¡±

    ¡°N-No, you don¡¯t have to do that much for me¡­¡±

    She would need money to start a new life from scratch; if she were broke, the only life waiting for her would be one of working to death.

    <em>¡®Though I¡¯m sure she¡¯s capable enough to get by.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was sure she wouldn¡¯t have a hard time earning money since she was once known as the celestial maiden. Considering she had her unique Deific Manifestation Trait, she would have quite a leisurely life. However, Kang-Woo gave her the card anyway.

    ¡°In exchange, could you work as a member of Guardians?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Guardians¡­?¡±

    ¡°I say work, but it won¡¯t be anything like a nine-to-five job. Your job would be to stop abnormal Gate phenomena and protect the citizens. Of course, you will be rewarded based on your aplishments.¡±

    It would be a shame to lose such a capable individual. She would be a great addition to the forces of Guardians.

    <em>¡®The more cards I can y, the better.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was more than willing to expand Guardians if it meant he could continue his lovey-dovey life with his Darling.

    ¡°Oh, in that case, I would be happy to help.¡± Yurie smiled and dly epted Kang-Woo¡¯s offer. She took the card and turned to Lilith to say, ¡°Thank you very much for making me this wonderful body, Lilith.¡±

    ¡°My, a wonderful body? What are you talking about?¡± Lilith tilted her head as if not understanding what Yurie was saying. She said innocently, ¡°You have yet to see its <em>true </em>form.¡±

    ¡°Pardon¡­?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Yurie and Kang-Woo both turned to Lilith.

    Lilith giggled and continued, ¡°That form is but a shell made for Yurie to interact with human society without issue.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s face turned pale as chills ran down his back.

    <em>¡®It can¡¯t be.¡¯</em>

    The nightmare he did not want to imagine was approaching.

    ¡°This is the body¡¯s true form.¡±

    Lilith smiled as she softly tapped Yurie¡¯s body.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    The sound of sticky mucus echoed throughout theb. Yurie¡¯s head split, and yellow pus poured out like a fountain. Her mysterious purple eyes popped out of their sockets and dangled near her earlobes. Her skin, as pale as snow, split like the ground of an arid desert and was turned inside out.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh,¡± Kang-Woo groaned in terror, getting a full view of the horrifying sight.

    He quickly searched for his protective shield, but he had already withdrawn the Authorities and absorbed it back into himself.

    <em>¡®N-No.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t block his senses simply by closing his eyes since his transcendentally developed senses immediately took over once his sense of sight was blocked. If he closed his eyes, he would hear or smell better. In other words, he would feel the nightmare even more realistically if he closed his eyes.

    ¡°Urpp.¡±

    Kang-Woo was getting nauseous. This was likely what a human body looked like if turned inside out. It was like the scene in a certain alien film where the monster crawled out of a human belly.

    ¡°My, my, my! You¡¯re absolutely gorgeous! I made them myself, but I must say, those tentacles are so~ beautiful!¡±

    Lilith pped as she giggled. Purple tentacles poured out after ripping through what Lilith called a <em>shell</em>. Its color was likely close to that of a sandwich left in a fridge for around three years. Tentacles that looked as if mold had grown from them wriggled along the ground.

    ¡°GYEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH!!¡± Kang-Woo screamed as he pulled on his hair.

    <em>¡®A dyed attack!¡¯</em>

    The first form that Lilith showed him had been nothing but a means to lower his guard. She had formed an opening in his defenses for the tentacles to wriggle through. Kang-Woo was in agony as if his retinas were burning; if he could, he would pop his eyes out of their sockets and clean them with holy water.

    <em>¡®I-I mustn¡¯t close my eyes!¡¯</em>

    If he did, his heightened senses would amplify the sound of the tentacles and the stench of the pus, resulting in a vivid image of the tentacles being drawn and engraved in his head.

    <em>¡®This is a horrid nightmare! A despair I can never escape from!¡¯</em>

    ¡°Th-This is¡­¡± Yurie slurred.

    ¡°Hohoho. Do you like it? Oh, for your information, my tentacles look like this~¡±

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Lilith¡¯s hair surged into the air and turned into green tentacles. She no longer revealed her tentacles in front of Kang-Woo since she knew he hated them but she seemed to have forgotten Kang-Woo was there due to her excitement.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh!¡± Kang-Woo writhed in pain as he saw the tentacles entwining with one another. ¡°BLEEEEEEEEEEEGHHH!¡±

    Prepare for tentacles! And make it double!

    ¡°Gurghhhhhhh¡­ F-Fuck¡­¡±

    Trauma he had forgotten was slowlying back to Kang-Woo. He stumbled backward in pallor.

    ¡°L-Lilith¡­¡±

    ¡°My, I¡¯m sorry. I forgot you disliked tentacles,¡± said Lilith as she stared at Kang-Woo pitifully.

    Her expression made it look like she was being given no choice but to match her king¡¯s unhinged fetishes, causing Kang-Woo to go crazy. Lilith turned her green tentacles back to ck hair.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± Kang-Woo panted heavily and turned to Yurie, who had be a purple tentacle monster.

    ¡°M-My body¡­ t-tentacles¡­¡±

    Yurie was looking down at her tentacle body, lost for words due to shock.

    ¡°Umm¡­ Y-Yurie? I know you¡¯re in shock, but please try to calm down.¡±

    She was likely in bigger shock than Kang-Woo was.

    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±

    Yurie¡¯s eyes were turning hazy as if denying reality.

    <em>¡®This is bad!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo tried to reach for Yurie before she took extreme measures but heard her voice before he could.

    ¡°How lovely.¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    <em>¡®What the fuck did I just hear?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hohoho! Right?! I knew you would love it, Yurie!¡± Lilith yelled.

    ¡°How can tentacles¡­ be this beautiful¡­? I could never have imagined it.¡±

    ?????????

    <em>¡®What the fuck? What in the actual fuck is going on right now?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Did you say¡­ lovely?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Yes. Just take a look at these purple tentacles. Aren¡¯t they blindingly beautiful?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, maybe you went blind because of it.¡±

    ¡°My, what are you saying, my king? Don¡¯t listen to him, Yurie. You see, the king hates tentacles. Can you believe it?¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s¡­ a little hard to believe.¡±

    ¡°?????????¡±

    <em>¡®What? Wha? Whuuh? Did I end up on the Beta World Line somehow?¡¯</em>

    ¡°El¡­ Psy¡­ Kongroo.¡±

    <em>¡®No, I must be in a nightmare. Yeah, yeah. There¡¯s no way this is real.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Are you perhaps only aroused by corpses or something, Kang-Woo? Yurie asked.

    ¡°Come on~ his fetishes aren¡¯t that bad. He just has some exotic kinks.¡±

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡± Kang-Woo stumbled backward as he listened to the demented conversation between the two women.

    <em>¡®What is this? What is going on? What the fuck is up with that Yurie bitch? Father! If you¡¯re watching, please answer me! Oh right, I fucking killed Bauli.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s head was in jumbles and his vision was getting blurry. It was as dark as when he was traversing through the Abyss.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    ¡°Vaal Zahak, what is with all this noise¡ª Hmm?¡± Just then, a demon covered in red muscles entered theb. ¡°My king?¡±

    Balrog tilted his head in confusion as he looked at Kang-Woo pulling on his hair in pallor.

    ¡°B-Balrog!¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression brightened as if he had found a ray of light within the endless darkness. However, it onlysted for a moment.

    ¡°What is the matt¡ª <em>Gasp!!</em>¡± Balrog looked around theb and his eyes widened after noticing Kurosaki Yurie¡¯s purple tentacle monster form. ¡°M-My king!!!¡±

    ¡°Balrog¡­?¡±

    ¡°Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Who is that stunningly beautiful woman?!!¡±

    <em>¡®Ahhh. I don¡¯t fucking know what¡¯s right or wrong anymore. The source of all worry and anguish is the head. In that case, I¡¯ll destroy my head.¡¯</em>

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kang-Woo smashed his head into theboratory wall with all his might.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Is Balrog gonna have a love interest too¡­? Ma boi deserves it.</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 44: Kurosaki Yurie (3)

    Side Story Chapter 44: Kurosaki Yurie (3)

    <em>Bash! Bash! Crack!</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo smashed his head into the wall like a wrecking ball. The wall, protected by protection magic, caved in, but it did not leave a scratch on his head, no matter how hard he smashed it in. A wall like this wouldn¡¯t be able to injure him in the first ce.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± Kang-Woo panted heavily and turned around as he trembled.

    ¡°Wh-Who¡­ are you?¡±

    Balrog was staring with shaking eyes at Kurosaki Yurie; his face reddened although his skin was normally red anyway. This was the first time Kang-Woo had seen such an expression on Balrog¡¯s face.

    ¡°My, it seems our muscle pig has an eye for beauty,¡± said Lilith as she stared at the reddened Balrog and giggled. She pulled Yurie close by her shoulders and continued, ¡°You know this body I use has a former owner, right?¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I guess you wouldn¡¯t know. In any case, the soul of a human wasying dormant inside this body.¡±

    Lilith concisely told Balrog about Yurie.Balrog stared intently at Yurie as he asked, ¡°Then does that mean¡­ you are the former owner of the body Lilith is using right now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. As you can see, I have been given a new body,¡± Yurie answered.

    ¡°A-Ahem. I-It is a¡­ stunning body.¡±

    ¡°Hoho. I think so as well.¡±

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Yurie smiled as her mold-like purple tentacles squirmed.

    <em>Ba-dump.</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± Balrog crouched as he clenched his chest.

    ¡°My, oh my~ I wonder what¡¯s wrong with our muscle pig, who always has nothing but the king on his mind~?¡± Lilith¡¯s eyes shone like a predator that found its prey. ¡°What do you think? She¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Sh-Shut up.¡±

    ¡°Hohoho! To think I¡¯d live to see such a side of the great Balrog!¡±

    <em>Squirm, squirm.</em>

    Lilith¡¯s hair turned back into green tentacles and entwined with the purple tentacles.

    She asked teasingly, ¡°Fufu. Who¡¯s prettier, me or her?¡±

    Balrog grimaced and shouted as if it were obvious, ¡°What is there to evenpare, Lilith? Her tentacles are far more beautiful!¡±

    ¡°My, that¡¯s a little hurtful.¡± Lilith slightly frowned and pouted as if her pride was hurt. ¡°I¡¯m only in this form because of the king. Have you forgotten my true form of beauty?¡±

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Eighteen eyes appeared on Lilith¡¯s face. Her skin rotted ck and green tentacles surged from her hair.

    ¡°Kuh¡­¡± Balrog grunted, overwhelmed by Lilith¡¯s beauty.

    <em>¡®As expected of the Subus Queen¡­!¡¯</em>

    Justying eyes on Lilith was enough for his heart to sway.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    Balrog bit his lip. Yurie, whose tentacles were squirming awkwardly as if she were not used to them yet, looked cuter and more loving.

    He clenched his fists and said to Lilith, ¡°That woman is so blinding that I can barely even see you.¡±

    ¡°My, my. You sure have fallen head over heels for her, huh?¡±

    ¡°Pardon? F-For me?¡± Yurie asked in surprise and turned to Balrog. ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    She flinched from seeing Balrog, covered in bulging muscles.

    She stole nces at Balrog with a flushed face and remarked dejectedly, ¡°B-Butpared to Lilith, I¡¯m just¡­¡±

    Yurie lowered her head unconfidently.

    Balrog slowly walked toward the dejected Yurie and remarked, ¡°There is no need for you to lower your head, mydy of amethyst tentacles.¡± He took one of the purple tentacles and kissed the end of it. ¡°My name is Balrog. I am the most loyal subordinate of the Demon King as well as a demon who walks the path of domination.¡±

    Balrog flexed his already massive muscles, swelling to the point that they looked hideous.

    ¡°Oh my¡­!¡±

    Yurie was left wide-eyed as she witnessed Balrog bulking up to a level that one would wonder if steroids ran through his blood vessels instead of blood. Her cheeks reddened, although it was hard to tell because of her purple skin.

    ¡°Hehe. What do you think?¡± Balrog asked as he posed like a bodybuilder.

    He made his massive muscles bounce, making them look as if they were alive. They were so big that they would even make an ogre get the fuck out of dodge, propelled by the rocket-level propulsive power of the shit it would take out of fear.

    ¡°M-Magnificent¡­¡± mumbled Yurie in embarrassment.

    She and Balrog locked eyes with each other.

    Kang-Woo copsed to his knees as he watched them. ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    He pulled on his hair. His heart beat erratically, and he felt like his brain was melting. His vision was blurring.

    ¡°Hello, madness¡­ my old friend.¡±

    He shook his head to deny reality, but the sight he was being forced to behold did not change. The entangled green and purple tentacles, the mountain of muscles, and the reddened purple tentacle monster as itid eyes on the mountain of muscles.

    ¡°Arghhh.¡±

    <em>¡®What am I seeing right now? Is this reality? Is it?¡¯</em>

    ¡°No¡­¡± Kang-Woo mumbled. ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­ this is real.¡±

    He shook his head in terror. There was no way this hellish sight, despairing enough to be a culmination of human sins since the beginning of time, was real.

    ¡°GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡± Kang-Woo screamed as he pulled on his hair.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s over! The world is ending! It¡¯s the Apocalypse!¡¯</em>

    Earth was done for; it was toote to help it. The entire world would be engulfed by tentacles and rot from their pus. Tentacles would pour like rain and hit like a tsunami. Human civilization and culture as we know it would vanish. The tentacles would dominate people and turn them into cultists who worshiped tentacles. The world would be engulfed by despair and grief.

    ¡°Ruin hase to our family!!¡±[1]

    Kang-Woo convulsed as if he were having a seizure and foamed at the mouth.

    ¡°O-Oh no! My king!¡±

    Lilith approached Kang-Woo in shock¡ª in her green tentacle form, of course.

    ¡°BEGONE, FOUL DEMOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!¡±

    ¡°Kyaah!!¡±

    Kang-Woo swung his arm that was getting wrapped in tentacles, pushing Lilith back.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff, huff.</em>¡±

    He panted heavily as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. Chaos in his head was beginning to die down.

    <em>¡®Just¡­ why?¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo thought.

    He could understand Lilith and Balrog, albeit reluctantly. They were born as demons and spent the majority of their lives in the Ninth Hell where values were different from those of Earth.

    <em>¡®So what¡¯s wrong with that bitch?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo red at Yurie in confusion. She was not a demon but a nobledy raised like a flower in a greenhouse to be the celestial maiden. He couldn¡¯t understand why she was reacting in such unhinged ways despite not having experienced demonic values.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s into tentacles and muscles?¡¯</em>

    No, that was impossible; he could understand muscles but not tentacles; it did not make sense even if she had extraordinarily unhinged fetishes. It was not a matter of values, but one of human instinct.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way a human could ever love tentacles¡­!¡¯</em>

    Tentacles were a living nightmare; it was uneptable logically and emotionally. No one but people who suffered brain damage from an ident or the most extreme psychopaths could ever love tentacles, but Kurosaki Yurie did not apply to either category.

    ¡°Then why¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo forced the gears in his head to turn to find the matching pieces of the puzzle.

    <em>- But if I continue to share this body with her¡­ our consciousness will begin to mix.</em>

    Just then, Kang-Woo recalled Lilith¡¯s words.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    He felt as if he were struck by lightning. If two souls existed in one body, the mixing of consciousness was inevitable. And of course, the weaker soul would naturally be more influenced by the stronger soul.

    <em>¡®Lilith¡¯s consciousness¡­ has corrupted hers!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo felt as if the fog inside his head had cleared. He could more or less understand where her demented fetishes were derived from.

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± Kang-Woo exhaled.

    He could calm down now that he figured out the cause of the insanity.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s okay. It can¡¯t be helped, right?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo knew how different the values held by humans and demons were because of the hell he experienced in Hell.

    <em>¡®No need to panic.¡¯</em>

    He closed his eyes, his other senses heightening to the extreme once his sense of sight was blocked.

    <em>Squelch, squelch.</em>

    The sound of squirming tentacles echoed inside his head. Kang-Woo clenched his fists and bit his lip.

    <em>¡®No one¡¯s in the wrong. It¡¯s simply a matter of difference in values.¡¯</em>

    Just like how humans stayed true to their values, so did demons. Kang-Woo felt bad for Yurie, whose values had be closer to those of demons due to Lilith¡¯s consciousness, but he paid it no mind since it had nothing to do with him.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s toote.¡¯</em>

    Once two consciousnesses mixed, it could never be reverted. Kurosaki Yurie would have to live like that for the rest of her life.

    <em>¡®So, clear your head and slowly open your eyes. I¡¯ve done nothing wrong. Lilith, Balrog, and Yurie are all innocent.¡¯</em>

    The difference in values between humans and demons was not <em>wrong</em>; it was just <em>different</em>.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    <em>¡®As long as we can understand one another¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes.

    ¡°We can all be togeth¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please be my woman,¡± Balrog confessed.

    ¡°B-But¡­ we¡¯ve only just met¡­¡±

    ¡°What does that matter? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve felt it too. You and I¡­ are meant to be.¡±

    ¡°Hngh! P-Please wait!¡±

    ¡°You said you wanted a new body to be free, did you not?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ yes.¡±

    ¡®I, Balrog, will be your wings.¡±

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    ¡°Come to me, my amethyst.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Balrog¡­¡±

    The mold-purple tentacle monster and a five-meter lump of red muscles kissed.

    ¡°BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGHHHHHHHHH!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo copsed and convulsed.

    <em>¡®Different, not wrong? We can all be together as long as we understand one another?¡¯</em>

    ¡°WHAT A LOAD OF FUCKING BULLSHIT!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo cursed at himself and aggressively turned around.

    ¡°O-Oh! My king!¡±

    Lilith quickly reached out to Kang-Woo, but he ignored it. He did not have time to get on the elevator. He ran so quickly up the stairs that he felt like his lungs were about to burst.

    <em>Crack! Boom!</em>

    Kang-Woo ripped open the front door and dived into Han Seol-Ah¡¯s arms.

    ¡°DARLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!¡±

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo? Wh-What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Gurghhh¡­ <em>Waaaaaaahhh</em>,¡± he cried sorrowfully as he rubbed his face on Seol-Ah¡¯s voluptuous breasts and hugged her tightly. ¡°I hate tentacles¡­ I like Darling¡­ <em>Sniff</em>, you¡¯re the only one for me¡­ I like you the best¡­¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    Seol-Ah looked down at Kang-Woo in confusion and then embraced Kang-Woo with a smile as she sprouted her twelve ck wings.

    ¡°You¡¯re the only one for me too, Kang-Woo,¡± she whispered as she enveloped him with her twelve wings.

    1. This is a line in a cinematic of the game <em>Darkest Dungeon</em>. I believe there are some English memes with this line too. ?

 Side Story Chapter 45: Nectar (1)

    Side Story Chapter 45: Nectar (1)

    A week passed since Oh Kang-Woo witnessed the end of humanity. Kang-Woo had spent his days stuck in his room in Han Seol-Ah¡¯s arms out of severe psychological shock. The trauma from Hell he had managed to forget about hade to haunt him, amplified twofold. Kang-Woo was curled up in bed, trembling in pallor, as Seol-Ah soothed him with a smile.

    Lilith came to visit him as he was slowly forgetting about the trauma¡ª in the form of Kurosaki Yurie, which was now hers.

    ¡°Come on, my king. I said I was sorry.¡±

    Kang-Woo red at Lilith with narrowed eyes.

    Lilith kissed him on the cheek and winked. ¡°I won¡¯t ever show my tentacles in front of you. Okay? I also advised Yurie, so you don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±

    ¡°Really¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course. There¡¯s no way I would do something you hate on purpose.¡±

    ¡°But you did all this time.¡±

    ¡°Tee-hee.¡±¡°Don¡¯t try to act cute on me.¡± Kang-Woo frowned and lightly flicked Lilith¡¯s forehead. ¡°Haaa. Fine. Don¡¯t you dare do it again, got it?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t stay stuck in his room forever. He had shown an unsightly side of himself due to the overwhelming influx of trauma.

    ¡°Oh, are you forgiving unnie already?¡± asked Seol-Ah in disappointment as she pulled on Kang-Woo¡¯s arm. She pouted and continued, ¡°You could scold her a little more¡­¡±

    ¡°My, what do you think you¡¯re saying about your unnie?¡±

    Lilith narrowed her eyes as she caressed Seol-Ah¡¯s body.

    ¡°Kyaah! P-Please don¡¯t touch me in weird ces~!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been monopolizing the king for an entire week. Don¡¯t you think you should give your beloved unnie a turn?¡±

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡±

    ¡°Now, now, move over. Or, are you going to kidnap him again?¡±

    ¡°Y-You said you wouldn¡¯t bring that up again!¡± shouted Seol;-Ah, her face as red as a tomato.

    Lilith giggled as she pulled Kang-Woo, who was in Seol-Ah¡¯s arms, toward her. Seol-Ah stared at Kang-Woo in disappointment but as Lilith said, she had monopolized Kang-Woo for a week. A disaster like before would happen again if she were any more stubborn.

    ¡°That aside, what happened with Balrog and Yurie?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you watching back then? They¡¯ve been practically inseparabletely,¡± answered Lilith as she ced Kang-Woo on herp and hugged him from behind.

    ¡°He got a lover¡­ just like that, huh?¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. He couldn¡¯t imagine Balrog, whom Kang-Woo always thought had muscles for brains, having a lover.

    ¡°Hoho. Can you me him? It was a body made by yours truly.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression darkened, being reminded of the hellscape from a week ago. Noticing his disgust, Lilith lightly bit Kang-Woo¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Urgh!¡±

    ¡°Forget about what happened back then.¡±

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Kang-Woo shook his head and stood up. ¡°More importantly, since Balrog has a partner now, we should hold a congrattory party for him, right?¡±

    ¡°A party?¡± Lilith asked.

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯ll also work to introduce Yurie to the others.¡±

    ¡°Mm. Is there a need to go so far for that muscle pig?¡±

    ¡°Come on, be nicer to Balrog.¡±

    Although he had trolled more times than Kang-Woo could remember, Balrog was Kang-Woo¡¯s longest and most loyal subordinate. Kang-Woo wanted to at least hold a congrattory party for him since he had found a partner after a thousand years.

    ¡°Hohoho. Alright, my king.¡± Lilith nodded as she giggled. ¡°In that case, I will send the invitations.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then I will prepare the food!¡± shouted Seol-Ah, raising her hand enthusiastically.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll leave the cooking to you, Darling.¡±

    ¡°Fufu. I¡¯ll make tons of your favorite foods, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°The party isn¡¯t for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ but Balrog can barely taste the food, can he?¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. He only likes alcohol.¡±

    Balrog loved beer not because of its taste but its scent and fizziness.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to order beer by the barrel¡­¡±

    Considering Balrog¡¯s size and that he could chug an entire beer barrel, pints of beer wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    <em>¡®In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo took out his smartphone and sent someone a video.

    ¡°Hm? Did you just send a video to someone?¡± asked Seol-Ah as she tilted her head and peeked at Kang-Woo¡¯s smartphone disy.

    ¡°Do you want to watch too, Seol-Ah?¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled as he yed the video, showing a woman with red hair standing in a dimly lit street in the middle of the night.

    <em>- What¡¯s this¡­?</em>

    <em>- I-It¡¯s not mine!!</em>

    <em>- It fell out of your pocket., didn¡¯t it?</em>

    <em>- I-I mean, yes, b-b-b-b-b-but¡­!</em>

    <em>¡®Ahhh¡­¡¯</em>

    It was one of the precious memories Kang-Woo had made with her¡ª one so beautiful that he would never forget it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll cherish it¡­ always.¡±

    Tears flowed down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks. He hugged the smartphone as he remembered his treasured memories with the woman.

    <em>Whaaaaaaaam!!</em>

    Soon after, the front door that had been recently fixed ripped open again.

    ¡°OH KANG-WOO, YOU MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!¡±

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Cha Yeon-Joo stormed into Kang-Woo¡¯s room andnded an uppercut on Kang-Woo¡¯s chin.

    ¡°Gurgh!¡±

    Kang-Woo mmed into the ceiling and then fell to the ground. Yeon-Joo kicked the copsed Kang-Woo as she panted furiously.

    ¡°YOU!!! FUCKING!!! BITCH!!! AFTER ALL THAT TIME WITHOUT ANY CONTACT, YOU SEND THAT?! HUH?!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeon-Joo!¡± Seol-Ah shouted.

    ¡°WHAT?!¡±

    Yeon-Joo turned to Seol-Ah, her eyes bloodshot.

    ¡°U-Ummm¡­¡± Seol-Ah smiled awkwardly after having seen the video. ¡°You see¡­ Kang-Woo was just¡­¡±

    She tried to think of an excuse, but nothing came to mind, no matter how much she thought. Even Seol-Ah thought Kang-Woo deserved the beating.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah turned away in sorrow.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff</em>. So, why did you send me that fucking video? Huh?¡± asked Yeon-Joo as she caught her breath after kicking Kang-Woo to her heart¡¯s content.

    ¡°Because I missed you, obviously.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled as he rubbed the ces he was kicked and pulled Yeon-Joo toward him by her waist.

    ¡°Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Whuuut?!¡± Yeon-Joo stammered with her face as red as her hair and stepped backward. ¡°Wh-What are you talking about?¡±

    She turned away from Kang-Woo as she twisted her body in embarrassment.

    ¡°Haaaaah~! My little sister is so cute!¡±

    Lilith jumped at Yeon-Joo with her eyes shining.

    ¡°Ack! G-Get off of me!!¡± Yeon-Joo flopped around like a fish caught in a. ¡°Ah! Let go, Lilith!¡±

    ¡°My, my, you should be calling me unnie, right?¡±

    ¡°Ngh!¡±

    ¡°Now, now. Why don¡¯t you call me unnie? Hm? We¡¯re a family now, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Yeon-Joo bit her lip. ¡°G-Get off of me, u-u-unnie¡­¡±

    ¡°Kyaaa! My little sisters are soooooooo~ cute!¡±

    Lilith shouted as she barraged Yeon-Joo¡¯s cheeks with kisses. Yeon-Joo began to scream again as she struggled to get out of Lilith¡¯s grasp.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Lilith unnie.¡±

    Seol-Ah pulled Lilith off of Yeon-Joo.

    Kang-Woo took a step back and looked at the three women.

    <em>¡®Is this the first time these three gathered in one room since that incident?¡¯</em>

    Lilith was very busy and Yeon-Joo lived on another floor, so they had not been given the chance to gather in one spot.

    <em>¡®I still can¡¯t believe it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the three noisily bantering, illogically beautiful women. He might be slightly biased, but they were extremely beautiful even objectively speaking.

    ¡°<em>Sniff</em>.¡± Kang-Woo began to tear up.

    <em>¡®My time suffering in Hell was worth it.¡¯</em>

    He was in a rtionship with not one but all three of those beautiful women at the same time. He was overwhelmed by enough happiness to blow his agonizing past away.

    ¡°That aside, did you actually call me over because you missed me?¡±

    Yeon-Joo, who just barely managed to escape from Lilith¡¯s grasp, red at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Yeah. Well, I guess there¡¯s also something else.¡±

    ¡°Urgh, I knew it. So, what is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like you to get some alcohol.¡±

    ¡°Alcohol?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I want to hold a congrattory party for Balrog for getting a girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Balrog got a girlfr¡­ Wait, what? What did you just fucking say? That lump of muscles got a girlfriend?!¡± Yeon-Joo grabbed Kang-Woo by his cor, her mouth agape. ¡°Wh-Who?!¡±

    ¡°Her name is Kurosaki Yurie.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­? Isn¡¯t that the owner of Lilith¡¯s body?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Some things happened.¡±

    Kang-Woo concisely exined the matter with Yurie.

    ¡°Wow¡­ for real? Balrog fell in love with her at first sight?¡±

    ¡°Hoho. You should¡¯ve seen that muscle pig¡¯s face,¡± Lilith remarked.

    ¡°Argh! Why didn¡¯t you film it, unnie? I want to see it so fucking bad!¡± Yeon-Joo stomped her feet in genuine disappointment. She then turned to Kang-Woo and asked, ¡°Jeez, you always record anything when it¡¯s to embarrass me, so why didn¡¯t you do anything this time?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ mm.¡±

    Of course, Kang-Woo omitted the part about the tentacles.

    ¡°Argh! I¡¯m so fucking curious! Oh, Vaal Zahak would have footage, right? It¡¯s hisb!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t watch it,¡± Kang-Woo said firmly.

    ¡°Eh? Why?? It¡¯d be fun.¡±

    ¡°Just shut up and take my word for it.¡± Kang-Woo covered his eyes to forget the nightmarish sight. ¡°Fuuu. Anyway, I want to hold a party for him. He drinks way too much so I¡¯ve been searching for someone who can get tons of beer.¡±

    ¡°And why is that me¡­?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°Because you drink a shit ton.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Yeon-Joo turned away as she crossed her arms. ¡°I mean¡­ it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°I knew it.¡±

    ¡°Shut the fuck up.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Ahem. I mean, it¡¯s no problem, but he wouldn¡¯t get drunk, would he?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Kang-Woo nodded in disappointment.

    There were many advantages to having the body of a god, but one disadvantage was that they couldn¡¯t get drunk from alcohol.

    ¡°It would only bring memories of getting drunk¡­¡± Kang-Woo expressed.

    It would be the same as drinking non-alcoholic beer. Yeon-Joo clicked her tongue in agreement.

    ¡°It¡¯s like doing hip thrusts to get the feeling of having sex,¡± Yeon-Joo remarked.

    ¡°What¡¯s with thatparison?¡±

    <em>¡®You don¡¯t even have one.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Haaah? Did you imagine something dirty just now?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°Not at all.¡±

    ¡°Heh. You¡¯re no different from non-alcoholic beer at the moment, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡±

    Yeon-Joo smirked and said, ¡°You¡¯re all talk but you¡¯re probably tiny down th¡ª Kyaaaaaahh!¡±

    Kang-Woo charged at Yeon-Joo at the speed of light and grabbed her by the cor.

    ¡°YOUUUUUU!! YOU BIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!!!¡±

    ¡°Bwahahahahahaha!!¡±

    ¡°Stopughing, you bitch!¡±

    ¡°Hihihi! That¡¯s revenge for earlier, dammit!¡±

    Seol-Ah pouted in dissatisfaction as she watched Yeon-Joo and Kang-Woo bickering and mumbled, ¡°It may be tiny, but¡­ it¡¯s cute.¡±

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± Kang-Woo panted.

    ¡°Ugh¡­ but seriously, what a shame. I don¡¯t even remember thest time I got drunk.¡±

    Yeon-Joo sighed in disappointment.

    Just then, Lilith pped her hands together. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard something from La once before. She said that even those with Deific Essence can get drunk when they drink nectar, the drink of the gods.¡±

    ¡°FOR REAL?!¡±

    Yeon-Joo and Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone simultaneously.

 Side Story Chapter 46: Nectar (2)

    Side Story Chapter 46: Nectar (2)

    "P-People with Deific Essence can get drunk?!"

    "Where do you get that drink?!"

    Oh Kang-Woo and Cha Yeon-Joo leaned toward Lilith as they snorted in excitement.

    "My, how scary." Lilith giggled as the two of them got up in her face as if they were about to devour her. "I¡¯m not too sure about the details either. Is getting drunk something to get so excited about?"

    Lilith tilted her head iprehensibly. She did not know what getting drunk felt like since alcohol did not exist in the Nine Hells.

    "Of course, it is!" shouted Yeon-Joo as she clenched her fists. "Do you have any idea how precious a cold beer is after a long day of hard work?! The tingles! The spark! The slow creep of tipsiness! Kaaah¡­!" Yeon-Joo trembled in excitement. "After I got Deific Essence, I thought I was going crazy because I couldn¡¯t get drunk no matter how strong the alcohol was!"

    "Mm. I still don¡¯t get it," Lilith remarked as she stared in confusion at the passionate Yeon-Joo.

    Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and said, "That¡¯s just because Yeon-Joo is an alcoholic. It¡¯s nothing to get that excited about."

    "Haaah? What the hell did you just say?""But I can¡¯t deny it feels good."

    Kang-Woo shrugged as he turned away from Yeon-Joo ring at him fiercely. He was not showing it, but he also loved alcohol a great deal.

    <em>¡¯Alcohol used to be my only source of joy.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo used to live in poverty since he was an orphan. He received subsidies from the government but it wasn¡¯t much. Hence, he needed to work various jobs just to stay alive. Alcohol was like a stress reliever that allowed him to forget his miserable life even for a moment.

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good thing, though.¡¯</em>

    In any case, he did indeed miss the feeling of getting drunk.

    "Hoho. I¡¯m sure La can get some if I ask her," Lilith answered.

    Yeon-Joo ecstatically grabbed Lilith¡¯s hands and asked, "How can we get it? Just tell me how and I¡¯ll use all of my guild¡¯s funds to secure as much as possible¡ª"

    <em>¡¯Is Red Rose gonna be alright?¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo thought.

    He intervened, "It¡¯s called nectar. It¡¯s probably something you can only get in the divine realm."

    "Oh¡­" Yeon-Joo groaned. "I knew I heard the name somewhere. It¡¯s the thing that appears in Greek mythology."

    Nectar, the drink of the gods, was one of the most famous foods in Greek mythology alongside ambrosia.

    <em>¡¯Was Dionysus the one who made it¡­?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo honestly had no idea. There were Greek mythology stories made intoic books in the orphanage but he barely remembered any of them because he was too focused on the book where Heracles sucked on Hera¡¯s tits.

    <em>¡¯Ahhh, my younger self, driven by instinct. The boy who used to think with his dick than his brain. I¡¯ve fulfilled the dream of our dicks after ten long millennia.¡¯</em>

    "DARLIIIIIIIIIIIING!!"

    "Yes? K-Kang-Woo?"

    Kang-Woo, driven by zing impulse, jumped into Seol-Ah¡¯s arms. Seol-Ah expressed confusion from his sudden actions but did not push him away.

    "What the fuck is up with you all of a sudden?" Yeon-Joo frowned in dissatisfaction and dragged Kang-Woo away from Seol-Ah by his cor. "Sheesh, is Darling all you know how to say¡­? I-It¡¯s not like Seol-Ah is your only Darling, is she?"

    "But she is."

    "Then what the fuck am I?"

    "You¡¯re¡­ a tsundere little sister?"

    "What?"

    "Call me oppa."

    "Wanna die?"

    "I¡¯m sorry."

    Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo as she panted furiously. Kang-Woo snickered and softly kissed her, to which Yeon-Joo widened her eyes in surprise. The way her face turned as red as her hair was extremely cute.

    "Wh-What the hell are you doing?!"

    "I¡¯m joking. I wouldn¡¯t be dating you if I thought of you as a little sister."

    "U-Urgh¡­"

    "But still, Seol-Ah is my only Darling."

    "Motherfucker." Yeon-Joo grimaced fiercely. "Haaa. Seriously¡­ I¡¯d love to just beat you to death."

    Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo as she trembled in anger with her fists clenched. She wanted to smack Kang-Woo senseless to her heart¡¯s content but couldn¡¯t since she knew how Seol-Ah, who was watching hesitantly, would react if she did.

    "Fuuu. At times like this, alcohol is¡­ Ah!" Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes shone, recalling something she had forgotten about. "Forget that, alcohol! That nectar thing or whatever it¡¯s called! Can we drink it during the party?"

    "Hmm. Just a second, I¡¯ll try asking La," said Lilith as she pulled out a transparent crystal orb from between her breasts.

    "Tch." Yeon-Joo (72 cm) frowned as she witnessed how natural Lilith¡¯s motion was. "Unnie¡¯s aren¡¯t asrge as Seol-Ah¡¯s, but they¡¯re still pretty big¡­"

    She was highly dissatisfied.

    "Hm? What are?" Lilith asked.

    "Nothing."

    "Fufu. If you¡¯re talking about breasts, why don¡¯t I make them bigger for you?"

    "Huh? R-Really?"

    "I heard human female breasts get bigger if you massage them!"

    Lilith giggled, smiling lewdly as her ck hair squirmed. Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes zed fiercely.

    "Shut up and order the damn alcohol," Yeon-Joo warned.

    "My, I¡¯m so scared."

    Lilith giggled and ced her hand over the orb. After Kang-Woo¡¯s kidnapping incident, she and La made amunication orb where they couldmunicate directly with each other to maintain good rtions between their intelligence organizations.

    "Hello? Can you hear me, La?"

    La appeared from themunication orb as a hologram.

    [SHIIIIIIIIIEEEEEET!! Dog ears and a leash! Hell yeah! This time, I¡¯ll make my cute little Si-Hun wear this¡ª <em>Gasp!!</em>]

    They saw La in a light green tracksuit, sitting in her office chair and screeching like a madman as if she were worshiping a demon. She was clicking her mouse furiously when she noticed hermunication orb was on and stared at it flusteredly.

    [A-Ahem! This armor looks like it would have high defense.]

    "The dog ears and a leash?" Kang-Woo asked.

    [My, Kang-Woo. To what do I owe the pleasure? I was just on the yer auction website, looking through the item catalog because Si-Hun¡¯s armor is fairly worn out.]

    "I can see Bananamall[1] in the URL."

    [Hohoho. What are you talking about? Why would I be on such an indecent website?]

    "Say that after you close the Hitomi tab."

    <em>¡¯Have some shame, woman.¡¯</em>

    [Ahaha. Oh, Kang-Woo. Well, if you would go so far, it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll have this dog ears and leash set shipped to your address so Seol-Ah can¡ª]

    "I can see the armor is made with high-quality leather. Wow, a +8 defense enchantment? It looks super lightweight too. I think it would be great for an agile warrior like Si-Hun."

    [Do you think so too?]

    "Of course! I would love one too! You sure have an excellent eye for equipment, sister-inw!"

    [Would you like me to buy you one as well?]

    "Hahaha! I appreciate the gesture, but it¡¯s fine."

    <em>¡¯Si-Hun¡­ my beloved little brother¡­ you sure have it hard too. I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to protect you.¡¯</em>

    "Dog ears¡­ Leash¡­!"

    Seol-Ah was snorting in excitement with her fists clenched from behind.

    <em>¡¯Mm. I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t see it.¡¯</em>

    [So, did you need something?]

    Lilith answered, "I have a favor to ask. Oh, and to invite you to the party as well."

    La tilted her head in wonder and asked, [A party? What party?]

    "Fufu. Something great happened to Balrog, so we¡¯re throwing him a party."

    [The NTR lover?]

    "Pardon?"

    [N-No, I misspoke. What happened to Balrog that deserves to be celebrated?]

    "Hohoho. Get this~"

    Lilith went on and on about the events a week ago with a smile.

    <em>¡¯It looks like I¡¯m watching two olddies gossiping over the phone.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head as their conversation continued without end. They seemed to be a good match for one another, considering how much fun they were having as they talked to each other.

    Yeon-Joo was ncing at Lilith, wondering when she would bring up the alcohol, and Seol-Ah pulled Kang-Woo toward her to ce him on herp and hugged him from behind with a smile.

    "Do you like dogs, Kang-Woo?" she asked.

    "What? Why do you want to know that all of a sudden?"

    "Hohoho No reason~ I¡¯m just curious about whether you like dogs or not."

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t think it¡¯s for no reason.¡¯</em>

    "I hate dogs," Kang-Woo said.

    "Oh~ I knew it! You love dogs, right?"

    ?

    "I said I hate dogs."

    "Hohoho. I knew you would love dogs, Kang-Woo! There¡¯s no way any human would hate something as cute as dogs."

    "I¡¯m a demon."

    <em>¡¯The Demon King, no less.¡¯</em>

    "Hehehe~ Oh, I think the cutest part about a dog is their ears!"

    "I feel like I¡¯ll puke just from the sight of them."

    "Oh, right! I heard that no matter how well-trained a dog is, they need a leash!"

    "I disagree."

    <em>¡¯Can you hear me? Am I muted?¡¯</em>

    "Hm, hm, hm~?"

    Seol-Ah hummed as she rubbed her cheeks on Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo turned to Lilith, who was chatting away with La. His expression darkened.

    "Alcohol¡­"

    <em>¡¯Yes. I need alcohol to forget about this bullshit life. Right now. I¡¯m desperate.¡¯</em>

    [Hmm, so you¡¯re saying you need nectar to celebrate Balrog being in a rtionship, right?]

    "Yes. Would you be able to get some for us?" Lilith asked.

    [Lady Gaia will get me some right away once I ask her.]

    "My, that¡¯s perfect ?"

    [Hoho. I¡¯ll let Si-Hun know, so please let me know once you set a date!]

    "Okay~"

    The call ended.

    "Alcohol¡­ I need alcohol¡­"

    "Huff, huff. N-Now¡­! Right now!"

    Yeon-Joo and Kang-Woo were staring at Lilith with bloodshot eyes.

    "Oh?" Lilith tilted her head in confusion as she stared at the two of them, who had turned into alcoholics during her call with La. "Fufu. Then why don¡¯t we hold the party tonight?"

    She had a feeling she shouldn¡¯t make these two wait any longer than that.

    "HEL YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! LET¡¯S DRINK TILL WE FUCKING DROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!" Yeon-Joo cheered, pumping her fists in the air.

    "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Kang-Woo sprang up as well as he screamed.

    <em>p!</em>

    Yeon-Joo and Kang-Woo high-fived and they locked eyes with each other.

    "Hihihi! Oh Kang-Woo, don¡¯t you dare fall behind, you hear?"

    "Kek. That¡¯s my fucking line."

    "Heh, big words for a brat."

    "Looks like I¡¯ll be adding another page to our cherished memories together."

    "Fuck you."

    "Shut up."

    1. Bananamall is a Korean online store of adult goods. ?

 Side Story Chapter 47: Nectar (3)

    Side Story Chapter 47: Nectar (3)

    People were gathered on the apartment floor of a luxurious apartment on the coast of Haeundae Beach. The renovated apartment floor that Kang-Woo lived in wasrge enough to host a football game if all the furniture was removed. A ton of delicious-looking food filled a long table, and in the middle of it was of course an extrarge pot containing piping-hot kimchi stew filled with various meats.

    Oh Kang-Woo was seated in front of the kimchi stew that could feed over fifty people, snorting in excitement.

    "Right, then. Before we get this party started," said Kang-Woo as he held the hand of Han Seol-Ah sitting next to him. "Let us thank Darling for preparing all of this food for us."

    "Fufu. Everything looks so delicious," Lilith remarked.

    "You made all of this, sister-inw?" Kim Si-Hun asked.

    "Jesus¡­ what¡¯s with the size of that kimchi stew?" Cha Yeon-Joo muttered.

    People stared at the food so plentiful that it could break the table legs as they licked their lips.

    "N-No, umm¡­ Echidna and Yeon-Joo helped me," Seol-Ah answered.

    "Hm! Kang-Woo! Eat what I made first!" Echidna shouted as she snorted, bringing a piece of kimbap to Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth."Just a second. We¡¯re not done yet." Kang-Woo patted Echidna¡¯s head and turned to someone. "La."

    "I-Is it finally getting revealed?"

    Kang-Woo and Yeon-Joo gulped as they stared intently at La wearing a beautiful dress instead of a light green tracksuit.

    La swept her brown hair behind her ear and smiled. "Here it is. This is nectar."

    She stood up and spread her arms widely like a curator disying an item for exhibition. A giant oak barrel appeared on the ground between her hands.

    "I¡¯ll lift it, La," Si-Hun expressed as he stood up before La could lift it.

    "Oh, thank you."

    The oak barrel was so big that an adult man could swim in it, but Si-Hun lifted it easily and ced it next to the table. A tap was attached to the oak barrel so that it could be conveniently poured into a cup.

    "I¡¯ll take your cups one by one," said Si-Hun as he extended his arm.

    "Hehe. Finally¡­!"

    "Alcohol! ALCOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!"

    Kang-Woo and Yeon-Joo handed Si-Hun their pint sses simultaneously. Si-Hun smiled as he epted their sses and poured the nectar.

    "Wow¡­"

    "The scent is amazing!"

    It was a purple liquid with a mystical shine to it. The alcohol that looked like melted gems gave off a scent as sweet as honey.

    "Hehe. Can my share be poured into this ss, my king?" Balrog asked.

    "Sure."

    A ss farrger than a human head was prepared for the five-meter Balrog. Everyone¡¯s ss was filled soon after.

    "Finally¡­" muttered Yeon-Joo as she caressed the ss, her eyes hazy as if she were high.

    Nectar, a drink that could intoxicate even the gods, looked simr to regr wine at first nce but one wouldn¡¯t darepare its extraordinary scent to regr wine. Its scent was so strong that it looked like the space was distorting around it.

    "Right, then. Everyone has their ss, right?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Yes."

    "Let¡¯s get to drinking already!"

    "Be patient. Let¡¯s get a word from the stars of this party."

    Kang-Woo smiled as he nced at Balrog and Yurie sitting as if they were stuck to each other. All eyes fell on the couple.

    "A-Ahem," Balrog coughed, not ustomed to being the center of attention, and raised his ss. "Well¡­ I am sure you have already been given the details about her." He gently pulled Yurie close to him by her shoulder and remarked, "This is my woman."

    "Damn, how manly."

    "Jesus, your choice of words¡­" Kang-Woo squirmed, cringing at how Balrog introduced Yurie.

    "Hah. In the few days I haven¡¯t seen you¡­ Did you threaten Miss Kurosaki or something?" asked Si-Hun as he red at Balrog nonsensically.

    He couldn¡¯t believe Balrog had gotten a girlfriend out of nowhere, even more so because the woman in question was Kurosaki Yurie, the world-famous celestial maiden.

    <em>¡¯She lookspletely different, though.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun heard about her circumstances from La but was still having trouble believing such an elegant and gentle woman epted Balrog¡¯s confession of love.

    <em>¡¯He threatened her somehow, no doubt.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun stared at Balrog suspiciously.

    "I was not threatened in the slightest. I decided of my own ord to ept Balrog as my beloved." Yurie smiled as she caressed Balrog¡¯s arm covered in muscles.

    "B-Beloved?"

    There was no way of addressing more unbefitting Balrog than that. It looked extremely unnatural how a Western beauty with golden hair and mystical purple eyes was clinging to the red giant Balrog as she called him her beloved.

    "What exactly about Balrog¡­ did you fall in love with?" asked Yeon-Joo as she chuckled due to the absurdity.

    Yurie answered without hesitation, "These toned and dependable muscles."

    She gently caressed Balrog¡¯s chest.

    "..."

    Silence fell among the women. It would have made sense if the muscles were modestly toned, but Balrog was so abnormally muscr that it would even make a gym rat shit his pants. At that point, the muscles were more disgusting than charming.

    "Well, regardless. Let¡¯s congratte them." Kang-Woo raised his ss. "Congrattions, man. I thought you¡¯d die forever alone but look at you now, leaving the nest."

    "What do you mean by leaving? The most important individual in my life is still you, my king."

    "Please fuck off."

    "Kehehehehe!"

    The others raised their ss one after another.

    "Right! To their cherished, healthy, Tigrex, unmoving love! Adamantium!!"

    "What the fuck was that in the middle?"

    "I couldn¡¯t think of anything else."

    "Dumbass."

    "ADAMANTIUUUUUUM!!"

    "What the¡­ Argh, fuck it. ADAMANTIUUUUUUUM!!!"

    Clink!

    The sound of sses hitting echoed.

    "And now! To Yeon-Joo, thest remaining "Ada"mantium[1]!"

    "Motherfucker!!"

    "Kurgh!"

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Red hair fluttered in the air. Kang-Woo flew into the air after getting kicked and tumbled across the ground. He deserved it.

    "<em>Cough! Cough!</em> A-Ahem. Jeez, it was just a joke¡­"

    "Hohoho. Here you go, my king."

    Lilith smiled and handed Kang-Woo the ss of alcohol she somehow grabbed in the air without it spilling. Echidna sat next to Kang-Woo and pulled on his clothes.

    "Kang-Woo. I haven¡¯t mated either. I wanna be Adamantium too!" said Echidna as she snorted, likely mistaking it for some honorable title.

    "It¡¯s too early for you, Echidna."

    "Urgh¡­"

    Kang-Woo patted the dejected Echidna¡¯s head and raised his ss again in the boisterous atmosphere. He brought the ss to his lips, full of anticipation.

    <em>¡¯Leaving aside everyone else, I wonder if I can get drunk?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was not just any individual with Deific Essence; he was the Demonic Sea itself, every cell in his body made of the Demonic Sea. Not even he knew whether or not the nectar could intoxicate him.

    <em>¡¯Well, I guess I¡¯ll find out.¡¯</em>

    He stopped thinking and took a sip of the nectar.

    <em>Gulp, gulp.</em>

    "...!"

    "Huh?!"

    Kang-Woo and Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened and they stared at each other.

    "This is fucking delicious!!"

    "Wow, the fuck? They were hogging something like this all for themselves?"

    It wasn¡¯t as sweet as one might expect from its scent. Rather, it had just the right amount of bitterness and fizziness. It looked like wine but tasted more like beer. Most of all, regr alcohol couldn¡¯tpare to how it spread throughout the body as if it were smearing into their souls.

    "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYUM!!!"

    "Hey! Male prostitute! Pour me another ss!"

    "M-Male prostitute?"

    "Chop chop!"

    "Ngh¡­"

    Yeon-Joo and Kang-Woo¡¯s moods skyrocketed. Si-Hun, sitting next to the oak barrel, had be the server before he knew it.

    "Ah¡­ this is delicious, Kang-Woo."

    "My, so this is what alcohol tastes like."

    Seol-Ah and Lilith were also wide-eyed as they sipped the nectar.

    "That¡¯s enough serving. You have some too, Si-Hun," said La as she smiled and handed him a ss.

    She was smiling but her eyes were like a beast eyeing its prey.

    "Oh, thank you very much, La."

    Si-Hun also sipped the nectar, not noticing her gaze.

    <em>Bang!</em>

    "Kaaaaaahh! This is fantastic stuff!" shouted Balrog as heughed heartily, smashing down his giant ss.

    "You have some alcohol left on your lips, my beloved."

    Yurie wiped Balrog¡¯s lips with a handkerchief.

    "Hm? Oh, thank you."

    Balrog smiled as he pulled Yurie toward him with his arm around her waist.

    "Hah, would you look at that?"

    "I guess it¡¯s true thatte bloomers aren¡¯t to be trifled with."

    Kang-Woo and Yeon-Joomentated from the sidelines.

    "That aside, how do you feel? Are you feeling it yet?" Kang-Wo asked.

    "Not sure¡­ I do feel a little tipsy but not that much."

    Yeon-Joo tilted her head and chugged another pint of nectar. Kang-Woo followed suit.

    <em>¡¯I think I¡¯m getting a little drunk.¡¯</em>

    He had yet to see a noticeable change but he felt slightly tipsy. It seemed to be the truth that beings with Deific Essence could get drunk with nectar.

    <em>¡¯In that case¡­¡¯ </em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone.

    "Once, more, ADAMANTIUUUUUUUUM!!"

    The rowdy alcohol party continued.

    ***

    "Hyung-nim! No, hyung!!" A flushed Si-Hun mmed down his pint ss and grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hand. "Do you know?! How much I love you, hyung?!"

    "Yeah, I think I do. More importantly, you good?"

    "Am I gooooooooood? I¡¯mpletely fine!"

    "You don¡¯t look fine at all."

    Si-Hun, drunk out of his mind, staggered as he giggled.

    "I¡¯m gonna get even stronger! Stronger and stronger!" Si-Hun gripped Kang-Woo¡¯s hand harder and bit his lip. "And¡­ never again¡­ will I leave you to fight on your own¡­"

    Si-Hun passed out, his head mming on the table.

    "Hah, you little¡­" Kang-Woo chuckled and patted Si-Hun¡¯s shoulder. "La, you should take this guy home¡ª"

    "YAHOOOOOOOOOOOO! What do you think about this kind of roley, Seol-Ah?!"

    "<em>Gasp!</em> I-I never imagined something like this existed!"

    <em>¡¯What the fuck is that woman doing?¡¯</em>

    "I guess not. Hey, Balrog. Take this guy¡ª"

    "GRAAAAAAHHH! MY KIIIIIIIIIIIING!!"

    "Kurgh!"

    "I OFFER YOU MY LOYALTY! MY SOUL! MY EVERYTHING TO YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!"

    "Y-You¡¯re crushing me¡­ S-Stop¡­"

    Kang-Woo pped his legs with a pale expression, getting crushed by Balrog¡¯s bulging muscles.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Just then, purple tentacles wrapped around Balrog and Kang-Woo.

    "Hohoho. He¡¯s gotten a bit too drunk. I will take my beloved home."

    "GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH!! Don¡¯t wrap me with him! Release me!!!" Kang-Woo screamed as he struggled to get out of Balrog¡¯s grasp. "<em>Huff, huff.</em>"

    The room had be a mess. Empty pint sses were rolling across the floor and chaos ensued as everyone was drunk. An hour had to pass until the chaos that seemed tost forever died down.

    "Everyone¡¯s¡­ passed out."

    Kang-Woo chuckled as he stared at everyone sprawled out all over the ce. He felt like he was thest one alive in a warzone.

    <em>¡¯I guess I can¡¯t getpletely drunk.¡¯</em>

    Likely because of the Demonic Sea, he didn¡¯t get drunk out of his mind like everyone else despite drinking just as much if not more. He was only drunk to the point that he could feel good from its effects.

    <em>¡¯I guess it¡¯s better than nothing.¡¯</em>

    It had been a while since Kang-Woo felt drunk.

    "Right, then."

    Kang-Woo, the only survivor in the mess of a house, was about to shove La and Si-Hun into an unused room.

    "Oh, I¡¯m okay," La suddenly remarked.

    "Eh? What? You weren¡¯t drunk?"

    "Yes. I¡¯m quite a heavy drinker," she answered as she stood up and lifted Si-Hun.

    "Wait just a goddamn second. You were teaching Seol-Ah weird shit because you were drunk."

    "Fufu. That¡¯s just because I wanted to."

    "You bitch."

    "Well then, I¡¯ll be on my way with my puppy~"

    La left with a lecherous smile and Si-Hun in her arms. Kang-Woo simply stared at her from behind in exasperation.

    <em>¡¯She used to be so innocent back when she was in her wheelchair¡­¡¯</em>

    No one could have known this was her true self.

    "Now, then."

    Since Yurie had taken Balrog with her, only Yeon-Joo, Lilith, Echidna, and Seol-Ah remained. It just so happened the only ones left were his lovers, although one was yet to be decided.

    "First, Lilith¡­"

    Kang-Woo lifted Lilith and carried her to a room. Heid her on the bed and put a nket over her.

    "Sweet dreams."

    He kissed her forehead and turned to leave.

    <em>Click.</em>

    "Huh?"

    The door suddenly locked.

    "Where do you think you¡¯re going?" someone whispered in his ear seductively.

    Kang-Woo slowly turned around to see Lilith, perched on the bed with one leg over the other, her clothes slightly disheveled.

    He approached her and asked, "Why did you get up? You should get some rest."

    He did not get an answer. He tilted his head in wonder and called, "Lilith¡­?"

    Lilith narrowed her eyes.

    <em>Swoosh!</em>

    Her hair wrapped around Kang-Woo and pushed him to the ground.

    "Urgh!"

    Kang-Woo wrapped in ck hair and pushed to the ground, looked up at Lilith in confusion. Lilith brought her foot, covered in tights, close to Kang-Woo¡¯s face and smiled lecherously.

    "Who said you could call me Lilith?" She caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s chin with the tips of her feet and giggled. "That¡¯s <em>my queen</em> to you."

    1. Ada (??) means virgin in Korean. ?

 Side Story Chapter 48: Nectar (4)

    Side Story Chapter 48: Nectar (4)

    "I¡­ beg your pardon?"

    Silence fell as if time had stopped. Oh Kang-Woo looked up at Lilith, dumbfounded.

    "L-Lilith?" he called as he forced himself to smile, forcibly suppressing the ominous feeling.

    Lilith frowned. "Are you deaf, my servant? Did I not tell you that I am your queen?"

    She pinched Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek with her toes and looked down at him in slight anger.

    "Uhh¡­ mm."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shook.

    <em>¡¯What the fuck is going on? Is this how she gets when she¡¯s drunk?¡¯</em>

    Lilith¡¯s behavior couldn¡¯t be anything but a drunken frenzy."Lilith, I think you¡¯re a bit dru¡ª"

    "Shush. How many times must I say it for you to understand?"

    Lilith narrowed her eyes and poked Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek with her toes.

    "..." Kang-Woo remained silent, his eyes darting and his expression filled with hesitation.

    <em>¡¯What the hell do I do?¡¯</em>

    He had a feeling it wouldn¡¯t end well if he were to just ignore her and leave. For example, she might let go of whatever hold she had left of her reason and return to her true form.

    <em>¡¯Motherfucker!¡¯</em>

    That was thest thing he could allow to happen. His psychological state was already at its limit from witnessing Yurie and Lilith¡¯s double tentacles. Moreover, Lilith was drunk at the moment; there was no telling what she would do with her tentacles when her limiter was broken.

    <em>¡¯I have to stop her.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes zed with fighting spirit. He needed to stop the horrifying and wretched end of humanity at all costs.

    <em>¡¯I have no choice¡­ but to y along with her drunken frenzy.¡¯</em>

    "Apologies, my queen. I forgot my ce as your retainer and dared to speak your name."

    Kang-Woo kneeled without hesitation and bowed in front of her feet. He was not above getting down on all fours as an apology; he was a professional ass-sucker who managed to satisfy even Bael. ying along with a woman¡¯s drunken frenzy was a piece of cake.

    "Hohoho. It seems you¡¯ve finally cleaned your ears." Lilith smiled seductively and caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s head with her foot. "Now, I want to hear you say it again. Who am I?"

    "You are Queen Lilith."

    "My, good boy." Lilith pped her hands together as if she were proud of him. "Right, then. It is time for you to serve your queen." She extended her leg toward Kang-Woo and said, "Hmm~ A massage, was it? Do that for me."

    "Yes, my queen."

    Kang-Woo nodded and began to massage her foot covered in ck tights.

    "Haang!" Lilith moaned, flinching each time Kang-Woo rubbed her feet. "Haaa, haaa. Very good."

    "Your happiness is my happiness, my queen."

    Kang-Woo smiled as he threw his pride into the gutter and continued the massage.

    "My, what amendable mindset." Lilith leaned toward Kang-Woo and patted his head. "Fufu. Why don¡¯t I reward you?"

    Her ck hair stretched toward the door and opened it. It then reached outside the room and came back with a cup of purple liquid giving off a sweet scent; it was what was remaining of the nectar.

    "Now, drink as much as you want," said Lilith as she poured the cup of nectar on her leg.

    The alcohol trickled down her wless leg and gathered at the ends of her toes into a drop. She slowly raised her foot and brought it toward Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth.

    "Pardon¡­?"

    <em>¡¯You want me to drink? Like this?¡¯</em>

    "What are you waiting for?" asked Lilith as she wagged her feet. She whispered seductively, "Drink up ?"

    Lilith¡¯s charms were powerful enough to melt the soul; the mind-melting order of the Subus Queen entered Kang-Woo¡¯s ears.

    "J¡­"

    <em>¡¯Jesus fuck!! This is a bit too high of a hurdle.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was fine with ying along with Lilith¡¯s queen roley but did not ever imagine she would pour alcohol on her leg and order him to drink it. His eyes shook as he stared at the nectar dripping from the ends of Lilith¡¯s ck tights.

    <em>¡¯Wait¡­ what the hell?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s heart beat faster. He swallowed his saliva as his throat got as dry as a desert.

    "Oh fuck¡­ right."

    He was dizzy and his vision was blurry. He realized he was not in the right state of mind either. He was not drunk out of his mind like Lilith but he was still fairly drunk.

    "Hmm. My reward for you is all gonna drip on the floor at this rate." Lilith looked down at the hesitating Kang-Woo and brought her toes even closer to his mouth. She whispered, "Go on. Move that unsightly tongue of yours¡­ and lick as much as you like ?"

    "WHOOOOOOAAAAAA!!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s desire surged. He grabbed Lilith¡¯s foot with both hands, his mind all fuzzy.

    <em>¡¯Yeah! This fucking shit is no big deal!!¡¯</em>

    He had already thrown out his pride. Besides, he and Lilith had already pledged their love for each other; he was more than willing to y along with the cute whims of his lover.

    <em>¡¯The queen¡¯s orders are absolute! I have no choice but toply¡­!¡¯</em>

    "As youmand, my queen."

    "Fufu. Good boy."

    Lilith smiled widely. Kang-Woo gulped and slowly extended his tongue toward the drop of nectar on Lilith¡¯s ck tights.

    <em>¡¯Today, I reject my humanity.¡¯</em>

    "<em>Rero</em>."

    "Haaang!"

    Kang-Woo could feel the coarse tights on his tongue. Just a single drop of the nectar rushed him with its overpowering scent; it felt as if someone sprayed an entire bottle of Febreze in his mouth. He devoted licked Lilith¡¯s toes as if he were revering her feet.

    <em>¡¯Since I¡¯ve decided to do it, I¡¯ll go all the way!¡¯</em>

    "<em>Rero rero rero rero</em>."

    "Hngh! W-Wait! Lick slower!"

    Lilith writhed as her face reddened. Kang-Woo ignored her order and added more strength to his licking.

    "<em>RERO RERO RERO RERO RERO RERO!!!</em>"

    "Y-You rascal"

    Lilith hit Kang-Woo¡¯s head with her palm. She sounded as if she were scolding him but the strength of her strikes was more like pats.

    "Fuuu," Kang-Woo exhaled.

    He wiped the remains of the nectar on his mouth in satisfaction after drinking his queen¡¯s reward without leaving a drop.

    "Haaa, haaa, haaa," Lilith flopped on the bed as she panted heavily. "What¡­ an insolent retainer you are."

    "I simply did as youmanded, my queen."

    "Hmph, you sure can talk." Lilith perched back on the bed after recovering herposure somewhat. She smiled widely and tapped the area of the bed next to her. "Sit up here."

    "Yes, my queen!"

    Kang-Woo raced to the bed and sat down.

    "Stay still." Lilith softly ced her head on Kang-Woo¡¯sp. "Fufu. This feels nice."

    Lilith slowly closed her eyes, still smiling widely. Kang-Woo gently patted Lilith¡¯s head and smiled faintly.

    <em>¡¯This is new.¡¯</em>

    It was fascinating to see such a side of Lilith, who was always loyal to him and offered him her unconditional love.

    <em>¡¯Actually, I guess that¡¯s not the casetely.¡¯</em>

    After they officially became lovers, Lilith had be more like a sexy noona than his loyal subordinate. Whichever the case, this was his first time seeing Lilith acting like an oppressive queen.

    "Why are you smiling?" Lilith asked.

    "I was just thinking how lovely you are."

    "Ngh¡­!" Lilith flinched. She turned away to hide her reddened face and mumbled, "D-Don¡¯t¡­ say something like that so nonchntly."

    "Pfft!" Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help butugh at her embarrassment.

    "..." Lilith red at Kang-Woo. "It seems an insolent retainer needs to be punished."

    She instantly got up and pushed Kang-Woo down. She got on top of him and smiled sexily as she panted heatedly.

    "Hmm. It¡¯s a bit hot in here," she remarked.

    "Pardon? The air conditioner is sting¡­"

    "It¡¯s hot. Don¡¯t you agree?"

    "It¡¯s sweltering hot in here, my queen. Would you like me to get you some ice water?"

    "No. Lay still, just like that." Lilith pushed Kang-Woo back down as he was about to get up and licked her lips like a predator aiming for its prey. "Times like this call for some vigorous exercise, don¡¯t you think?"

    Lilith caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek as she looked at him lustfully.

    "Well, we should take the others to their rooms first¡ª"

    "Hmph. Who said you could talk back to me?" Lilith went back to her queen mode and shushed Kang-Woo by cing her index finger on his lips. "Fufu. Stay still until the punishment is over."

    <em>Gulp.</em>

    She panted heavily as she took off her disheveled clothes and threw them aside.

    "I¡¯ll make love to you until sunriiiiiii¡­ hnnngh."

    Lilith copsed on the bed.

    "Eh¡­?" Kang-Woo stared wide-eyed at Lilith, passed out on the bed. There was no response even when he poked her cheek. "The hell?"

    He examined her in confusion; she was sleeping away, off in hernd of dreams.

    "Hah," Kang-Woo chuckled. "She fell asleep?"

    He scratched his head as he felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment and relief.

    "Well¡­ alright, then."

    The drunk Echidna, Han Seol-Ah, and Cha Yeon-Joo were still sprawled out in the living room.

    "Up we go. Jesus, they¡¯repletely wasted."

    "Hm¡­ K-Kang-Woo¡­ I-I don¡¯t feel so good¡­"

    "Yeah, yeah. Get some sleep."

    Kang-Woo lifted Echidna and took her to her room.

    "Hrmmm¡­ Kang-Woo¡­"

    Next was Seol-Ah.

    "Sweet dreams, Darling. Forget everything you heard from La."

    He kissed her on the cheek and went back out into the living room.

    "Yeon-Joo can use that room¡­ Hm? What? You¡¯re awake?"

    "..." Yeon-Joo was sitting on the couch in a daze. "Ahhh¡­"

    Her expression brightened as soon as she saw Kang-Woo. She sprang up from the couch and raced to Kang-Woo, jumping into his arms.

    "Oppa~! Where have you been?! Hihi! Don¡¯t leave me alone!!"

    "..."

    <em>¡¯What the fuck¡¯s up with her?¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 49: Nectar (5)

    Side Story Chapter 49: Nectar (5)

    "Oppaaaaa~ What¡¯s wrooooong~?"

    Cha Yeon-Joo¡¯s face was flushed red, her eyes were hazy, and her speech was slurred. She rubbed herself on Oh Kang-Woo after jumping into his arms.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo stared at her dumbfoundedly.

    <em>¡¯After all that talk.¡¯</em>

    He could understand Lilith since this was her first time drinking but Yeon-Joo was an avid drinker; he did not expect her to drink to the point that she would lose control of herself. Not just that, her drunken frenzy was on par with that of Lilith.

    "Sheesh."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and tried to push her off him but was having a hard time since she was taller than him at the moment.

    "Nooooo~! Don¡¯t push me away, oppa!"Yeon-Joo hugged Kang-Woo even tighter as she swayed her head as if she were throwing a tantrum.

    "Why the hell did you drink so much¡­? Ah!!" As he was staring at Yeon-Joo pitifully, his eyes widened as if he had thought of something. "A-Aaaahh!"

    ¡¯How could I not have realized?! How could I have forgotten?! How could I not have thought about it sooner?! Why, why, why, why, why?!¡¯

    "You fucking idiot!"

    Kang-Woo raged at his moronic self. He had forgotten something crucial as he was taken aback by Yeon-Joo¡¯s aegyo[1].

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s not toote!¡¯</em>

    He would have preferred to have cherished the precious time he had with Lilith as well, but he had not thought of it at the time.

    <em>¡¯But at the very least, I¡¯ll cherish the precious memory I have with Yeon-Joo.¡¯</em>

    "Hmm~? Oppa~? What are you doooooing?" Yeon-Joo slurred.

    Kang-Woo took out his smartphone without answering.

    "This¡­ can¡¯t be helped."

    It was no different from fate in a sense¡ª no, it could even be called Kang-Woo¡¯s life purpose.

    <em>¡¯No!!¡¯</em>

    Forget fate or purpose¡ª it was as inescapable as inevitability. It was as if he had been given a mandate.

    "Recording¡­ on."

    Kang-Woo filmed Yeon-Joo acting cute as she clung to him in 4K¡ª to forever keep a record of his cherished memories with her.

    "Oppa~ stop ying with your phone and let¡¯s y~" Yeon-Joo pulled on his arm.

    Kang-Woo smirked. He wrapped his arm around Yeon-Joo¡¯s slender waist and replied, "Of course. Anything for my cute little Yeon-Joo. What do you want to y?"

    "Mmm¡­" She ced her finger on her lips and fell into thought. "Hehehe. I¡¯m not sure."

    "Wanna go to a PC room?"

    "Mmm¡­ nope. I¡¯d rather just be with you here." Yeon-Joo shook her head after some thought and hugged Kang-Woo. She turned to the mess of a table and asked, "Oh, right! Oppa! Did you try my food?"

    "Huh? No, I only tried the kimbap Echidna made. You made food too, Yeon-Joo?"

    Come to think of it, Kang-Woo recalled Han Seol-Ah saying Echidna and Yeon-Joo helped with the food.

    "Come on! Have some of my food too instead of kimchi stew every single meal!" Yeon-Joo pouted. "All you eat is kimchi stew¡­ You only eat what Seol-Ah makes you¡­ I did my best to make it~!!!"

    "Alright, alright. Okay. I¡¯ll try some." Kang-Woo soothed Yeon-Joo as he headed to the table. "What did you make?"

    Yeon-Joo followed behind him as she pulled on his clothes and pointed. "That!"

    It was a jet-ck stew, bubbling like theva of the Nine Hells. It was the only food left untouched on the mess of the table.

    "What in the world¡­ is this concoction?"

    It was a stew of nightmares. Something blue was floating around the jet-ck liquid, making it look like a demon in the Abyss of the Demonic Sea. Not only that, but it was still boiling despite several hours having passed since the party started.

    "Hihi! It¡¯s kimchi stew!" Yeon-Joo answered.

    "This is kimchis stew?"

    <em>¡¯Why is it ck?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the time when he visited Kim Si-Hun¡¯s mother and witnessed her atrocity of kimchi stew. The stew of nightmares was boiling on the table.

    "This is¡­" Kang-Woo gritted his teeth as rage and animosity were about to make his head explode. "SACRILEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGE!!!"

    "Kyaah!! O-Oppa?!"

    Kang-Woo grabbed Yeon-Joo¡¯s shoulders and shook her vigorously.

    "YOU BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH! HOW DARE YOU CALL THIS KIMCHI STEEEEEEEEEW?!"

    "Kyaah! S-Stop it, o-oppa! I-If you shake me like that, I¡¯ll¡­!"

    <em>Urppp.</em>

    Her face turned pale. Chills ran down Kang-Woo¡¯s back.

    "Huh?"

    <em>¡¯Wait a second.¡¯</em>

    "BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGHHH!!"

    "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    Thick liquid poured on Kang-Woo¡¯s face.

    "GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH!!! MY EYES!! MY EYEEEEEEEEES!"

    Kang-Woo rolled on the ground as he clenched his face. Tentacles were bad but so was vomit. No matter how beautiful Yeon-Joo was, vomit was disgusting when excreted by anyone. Kang-Woo raced to the kitchen and cleaned the vomit off his face.

    "O-Oppa! A-Are you okay?"

    "..."

    "I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ <em>Sniff!</em> I¡¯m sorry, oppaaaa¡­ <em>Waaaaaaaaaahhh!</em>"

    "Haaa¡­" Kang-Woo sighed and helped up Yeon-Joo, who was on the ground bawling her eyes out as if she had lost her whole family. "It¡¯s okay, so stop crying, my cute little Yeon-Joo. Okay?"

    "<em>Sniff¡­</em> okay." Yeon-Joo nodded, her eyes red. She said lifelessly, "I-I¡¯m sorry, oppa. I doubt even you wouldn¡¯t want to taste this disgusting-looking kimchi stew¡­"

    Even she seemed to know her cooking was terrible.

    "I¡¯ll¡­ throw this out," she remarked.

    "Wait." Kang-Woo grabbed her hand as she was about to take the pot away. He grabbed a spoon resolutely and said, "I¡¯ll eat it."

    Yeon-Joo had poured her heart into making this kimchi stew for him.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m sure¡­ she wants me to eat it.¡¯</em>

    However, she was likely not asking him to since she knew how spectacrly she failed.

    <em>¡¯Yeon-Joo.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo became teary-eyed. He could feel Yeon-Joo¡¯s love for him, hidden deep underneath her cold attitude.

    <em>¡¯Yeah.¡¯</em>

    He needed to eat it; he needed to face her love head-on. Even though the contents of the pot looked as if the internal organs of a mythological monster were torn apart into little pieces and put into a pot to boil, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to throw away the food Yeon-Joo made for him.

    "I love you, Yeon-Joo."

    "Oppa¡­"

    Kang-Woo dipped the spoon into the kimchi stew like a brave hero off to the final battle.

    <em>Tsssssssss!</em>

    The spoon melted and disappeared into the pot.

    "Mm. That¡¯s a no-go."

    <em>¡¯Down the drain, it goes.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo poured the kimchi stew-like substance into the sink without hesitation.

    Yeon-Joo shook his arm in shock. "O-Oppa! You said you would eat it!!"

    "Shut up, woman!! Why the hell would I eat stew that melts spoons?!"

    <em>¡¯How did you even manage to make something like that in the first ce?¡¯</em>

    "<em>Sniff¡­</em>" Tears welled up around Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes. "<em>Sniff¡­</em> You said you would eat it¡­ Liar¡­ I worked so hard to make that for you¡­ It was hard getting that box of Carolina Reapers, so I even added the whole thing¡­ and a bunch of monsters that looked delicious¡­ <em>Blow!</em>"

    Yeon-Joo blew her nose on Kang-Woo¡¯s shirt as she bawled her eyes out.

    "Yeon-Joo¡­"

    "Hmph! Whatever! Oppa, you idiot!"

    "No, listen to me."

    "Don¡¯t talk to me!"

    "Why would you add an entire box of Carolina Reapers to kimchi stew? Also, monster meat?"

    "..." Yeon-Joo turned away in silence. She ran away to the living room, sat on the couch, and hugged her knees. She mumbled pessimistically, "I¡¯m not kind like Seol-Ah¡­ not sexy like Lilith unnie¡­ and I always pick fights with you¡­"

    She continued to mumble as if she were giving a confession to a priest.

    "I¡¯m violent¡­ grumpy¡­ my boobs are small¡­"

    "Excuse me."

    "I y games and drink all day¡­ I can¡¯t cook¡­"

    "Hello? Yeon-Joo?"

    "<em>Sniff¡­ Waaaaaaaaaahhh!</em>"

    Kang-Woo sighed deeply as Yeon-Joo burst into tears.

    <em>¡¯Why did things end up this way?¡¯</em>

    He was simply trying to tease the drunk Yeon-Joo but she was in a fairly serious condition. Her umted worries seemed to be bursting out at once.

    "Yeon-Joo."

    "<em>Sniff¡­</em> Just leave me alone¡­ I¡ª Mmph!"

    Kang-Woo grabbed Yeon-Joo¡¯s chin as she was despairinglyparing herself to Seol-Ah and Lilith. She brought her face toward him and kissed her to calm her down.

    "P-Pwah!" After the long kiss, Yeon-Joo grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes, her eyes hazy as if she were high. "O-Oppaaaaaa~"

    She gazed at Kang-Woo passionately. She twisted around as she whispered, "Gimme more, oppa ?"

    "Kurgh."

    Kang-Woo clenched his chest as he witnessed a side of Yeon-Joo he could never have imagined.

    <em>¡¯So this is what they call gap moe!¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo was so lovely at the moment that he could barely contain himself.

    "Hehe. Okay, I¡¯ll give you everything you want!"

    Kang-Woo patted Yeon-Joo¡¯s head like he usually did to Echidna. Yeon-Joo rubbed her cheek against Kang-Woo¡¯s hand like a puppy. Each of her actions lit a fire in Kang-Woo¡¯s heart.

    "C¡¯mere, my cute little Yeon-Joo!"

    "Kyaah, oppa~!"

    If they were sober as they listened to their conversations, they would have killed themselves out of cringe.

    "Fuuu."

    Kang-Woo stood up in satisfaction after pampering the drunk Yeon-Joo for twenty minutes.

    <em>¡¯I never thought I¡¯d get to be lovey-dovey with Yeon-Joo like this.¡¯</em>

    He could see how amazing an alcohol nectar was.

    <em>¡¯I should get more next time.¡¯</em>

    He got to see a different side of Lilith and Yeon-Joo this time, but he wanted to see the same for Echidna and Seol-Ah.

    "Right, that¡¯s enough for today¡­"

    "Mmm. No~"

    Yeon-Joo pulled Kang-Woo back down.

    Kang-Woo smirked and asked, "What? Do you want more kisses?"

    "Then what do you want to do, my cute little Yeon-Joo?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s heart beat rapidly from the ecstasy. He wanted to enjoy his time with drunk Yeon-Jo as much as possible since he didn¡¯t know when he would see her again.

    "Mmm¡­ then¡­"

    "Just say the word! I¡¯ll do anything you want!"

    Yeon-Joo fell into thought and then answered with a smile, "I wanna sleep together with you as we hold hands!"

    <em>¡¯What?¡¯</em>

    1. This is a Korean term for acting in a cute and flirtatious manner. K-pop idols do it quite frequently. ?

 Side Story Chapter 50: Bloody Family Trip (1)

    Side Story Chapter 50: Bloody Family Trip (1)

    The sun rose.

    "Argh¡­ my head feels like it¡¯s gonna split open." Yeon-Joo scrunched up in bed, waking up because of the sunlight entering the room. "How much did I drink¡­?"

    She drank too much because it was the first time in a while she felt drunk.

    <em>¡¯Uhhh¡­ I remember up to the point that Balrog began clinging to Oh Kang-Woo¡­¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo couldn¡¯t remember anything beyond that no matter how much she racked her brain.

    "Argh¡­"

    She was feeling nauseous. Although she was not vomiting as if she had already regurgitated everything in her stomach, her vision was blurring as her headache got worse.

    "Urgh, I¡¯m never fucking drinking again!"

    Yeon-Joo lifted her nket as she made a pledge that had likely been broken millions of times worldwide by humanity."...?"

    She then saw her bare naked self.

    "Wh-What the fuck?!!"

    Yeon-Joo pulled the nket back down in shock and covered herself. She looked around to see she was in one of the guest rooms in Kang-Woo¡¯s apartment suite.

    "Wh-Why am I b-buck naked?" she stuttered.

    She pulled her hair in pallor but couldn¡¯t remember what happenedst night.

    "Huuu, huuu. Calm down. I¡¯m sure nothing happened."

    Yeon-Joo ced her hand over her t chest and took deep breaths. She had likely thrown off her clothes in a drunken frenzy.

    "Yeah, there¡¯s no need to overreact¡­ Huh?"

    Yeon-Joo felt something soft on her left palm as she brainwashed herself to calm down. She reflexively turned to it and saw something.

    "...!!!"

    She suppressed her scream with all her might. Next to her was Kang-Woo, sleeping soundly.

    <em>¡¯KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!¡¯</em>

    Her inner scream echoed throughout her mind. She examined Kang-WOo as she trembled.

    "H-He¡¯s¡­ wearing clothes."

    Unlike her bare naked self, Kang-Woo was fully clothed.

    <em>¡¯Wh-What? What the hell happened?¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes darted uncontrobly and her mind was going nk.

    <em>¡¯D-Did I s-s-s-s-s-s-sleep with him? Did we do it drunk?¡¯</em>

    She had no idea since she was naked while Kang-Woo was clothed.

    <em>¡¯I-I need to check¡­¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo looked around in panic. Her gaze then slowly made its way down her body but she quickly looked back up.

    "N-Nah~ There¡¯s no way we let the alcohol get the better of us, right?"

    She was sure they had simply slept on the same bed and she threw off her clothes as she slept.

    "Yup, yup."

    Yeon-Joo smiled forcibly and nodded as if hypnotizing herself. She wanted to wake Kang-Woo to be sure but didn¡¯t have the courage to.

    "H-Hahaha. Hahahaha!"

    She was about to get out of bed as sheughed awkwardly when she noticed something smeared on the bed sheet. She turned to take a closer look.

    "Ah¡­"

    Yeon-Joo turned pale. She touched the red fluid on the sheet with trembling hands. There was a faint scent of blood.

    "N-No¡­" She stepped backward as she swayed. She pulled on her hair and squeezed her eyes shut to deny reality. "Th-There¡¯s no fucking way."

    Yeon-Joo wanted to scream her lungs out but had no idea how to face Kang-Woo if he woke up from that.

    <em>¡¯AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡¯</em>

    Her inner screams echoed throughout her mind.

    "Fuck¡­ Fuck¡­ Th-There¡¯s no way¡­ My first time couldn¡¯t have been taken like this¡­"

    Yeon-Joo teared up, being faced with an unbelievable reality. She had been hoping for it one day ever since she confessed to Kang-Woo, but this was not what she had in mind.

    "Motherfucker¡­ I¡­ I¡­ can¡¯t remember a thing¡­"

    She couldn¡¯t remember her precious first time because she had been drunk out of her mind. She had never experienced something so unfair. Her tears did not stop due to her frustration.

    "You¡­ son of a bitch¡­"

    Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo resentfully. Only a lecherous scumbag would take advantage of a drunk person.

    "I knew you were a scumbag, but¡­ I-I never thought you¡¯d do something like this¡­" Her surging fury spread throughout her body. "Huuu, huuu."

    She wanted to summon her chains and attack Kang-Woo this instant but didn¡¯t dare to talk to him about it sober.

    "..." Yeon-Joo staggered out of the room. "Hm?"

    She was met with a mouth-watering scent when she opened the door. Han Seol-Ah was

    "Good morning, Yeon-Joo."

    "Y-Yeah, good morning. What¡¯s that?"

    "Dried pollock soup. For the hangover."

    "Oh, th-thanks. Come to think of it, did you clean the living room too? It was a mess yesterday."

    "I happened to wake up early, so I thought I might as well clean up~"

    "Urgh. Sorry¡­"

    "No, no~ it¡¯s okay," said Seol-Ah as she waved with a smile.

    "..."

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression darkened from seeing how energetic Seol-Ah was. She felt like a burr caught by the homeowner. She softly bit her lip and fidgeted with her feet.

    "That aside¡­" Seol-Ah remarked as she walked toward Yeon-Joo. She narrowed her eyes, brought her nose close to Yeon-Joo¡¯s neck, and sniffed. "You smell like Kang-Woo."

    "...!!!" Yeon-Joo¡¯s face turned pale. She quickly stepped backward and stammered, "O-Oh, th-th-th-th-this?! Y-You see, the thing is¡­! Uhhh¡­ K-K-K-K-Kang-Woo sneaked into my bed and¡­!"

    "Fufu." Seol-Ah giggled with her mouth covered as she watched Yeon-Joo making excuses as she darted her eyes. "There¡¯s no need to do that, Yeon-Joo. I already know you two slept togetherst night."

    "..." Yeon-Joo was left frozen and speechless as she was trying to make excuses.

    "I guess this makes us a real family now~ ?"

    Seol-Ah brought her hands together in delight. Yeon-Joo, having mixed feelings, stared at her.

    "Are you¡­ fine with that?"

    "Hm? With what?"

    "With this wacky rtionship," Yeon-Joo continued sharply.

    There was no way anyone could consider a polygamous rtionship normal.

    <em>¡¯I mean¡­ I¡¯m not one to talk.¡¯</em>

    She had confessed to Kang-Woo first despite knowing he was in a rtionship with Seol-Ah but was still unsure whether she should stop caring about the strangeness and go along with it.

    "To bepletely honest¡­ I¡¯m sure Kang-Woo will break up with me and Lilith if you say you¡¯re not okay with it," Yeon-Joo mentioned.

    She did not want to admit it and the fact broke her heart, but she knew Seol-Ah was the only woman Kang-Woo truly loved.

    "Haha. I don¡¯t think so." Seol-Ah shook her head. "Maybe so in the past, but now¡­ Kang-Woo wouldn¡¯t give up on Lilith unnie or you."

    "But¡ª"

    "Mm." Seol-Ah added red peppers to the dried pollock soup and continued, "But as you say, you can¡¯t call this rtionship normal."

    From a normal standpoint, their rtionship was distorted.

    "But even so, I want Kang-Wo to be happy."

    Seol-Ah would let Kang-Woo do whatever he liked as long as it made him happy, even if she needed to trample on her crazed obsession.

    "I can do anything for Kang-Woo."

    Seol-Ah smiled without hesitation. Yeon-Joo gulped, facing the unfathomable wall of emotions that was Seol-Ah¡¯s crazed love for Kang-Woo.

    "Then¡­ are you going to forgive Kang-Woo even if heys his hands on any woman he sees?" asked Yeon-Joo.

    "Do you think he would do something like that?"

    "Well¡­" Yeon-Joo slurred and then slowly shook her head. "No, he wouldn¡¯t."

    "Fufu. Then it¡¯s fine," said Seol-Ah as she took eggs from the fridge. "Also."

    "Huh?"

    "Umm, you and Lilith unnie are¡­ well¡­" Seol-Ah¡¯s face reddened as she cracked the eggs. "You guys are¡­ p-precious to me too, so¡­ that¡¯s why I said it was okay."

    Lilith cheered Seol-Ah on and gave her the push she needed to confess to Kang-Woo despite having loved Kang-Woo unrequitedly for centuries. Yeon-Joo was the only friend Seol-Ah had her age because she had lived in poverty for so long. Seol-Ah did not want to destroy her rtionship with them because of her desire to monopolize Kang-Woo.

    "Wow¡­" Yeon-Joo chuckled as she looked at Seol-Ah fidgeting in embarrassment. "Fuck¡­ I guess I¡¯m not cut out to be the Darling."

    Seol-Ah was so lovely that it was almost not fair. Yeon-Joo smirked and teasingly poked Seol-Ah with her elbow.

    "Then why did you kidnap Kang-Woo for a whole week?"

    "Th-That¡¯s¡­!!" Seol-Ah shouted. "Back then, I-I¡­ wasn¡¯t right in the head!"

    "Hihi. What was it like, then?"

    "S-Sometimes¡­ I¡¯m usuallypletely fine, but very~ rarely, my head gets filled with thoughts about Kang-Woo and it feels as if they control me."

    Seol-Ah usually had thoughts about wanting to monopolize Kang-Woo, but it was not even close to what she felt when she was controlled by her thoughts. Her head filled with thoughts about wanting to tear apart anything that got between her and Kang-Woo, preventing her from making rational thoughts.

    "Behehe! It¡¯s not that rare, you know?"

    "Ngh! N-No breakfast for you!!"

    "Hahaha! Sorry! I¡¯m sorry!" Yeon-Jooughed as she pounded Seol-Ah¡¯s back.

    She felt light as if she had dropped something weighing her down.

    <em>ck.</em>

    Lilith came out of her room.

    "Oh, you¡¯re both awake."

    "Good morning, unnie," Seol-Ah replied.

    "What¡¯s that in your hand?" Yeon-Joo asked.

    Lilith raised the ck tights in her hand and tilted her head in confusion.

    "I woke up to find them super dirty. I wonder what happened?"

    "Maybe you spilled something on them while you were asleep?"

    "I can¡¯t remember in the slightest." Lilith frowned as she ced her hand on her forehead. "That aside, the thing you call alcohol is quite nice. It tastes delicious, and you feel wonderful after drinking it!"

    Yeon-Joo nodded as she giggled. "Right? Hihi. Let¡¯s drink some more next time."

    Her pledge to never drink again broke before the chapter even ended.

    "Fufu. More importantly, it looks like our little Yeon-Joo had a great timest night."

    "H-Huh?"

    Lilith smiled widely and clung to Yeon-Joo. "Hm~ How was your first night with the king?"

    "A-Argh! Shut up!!" Yeon-Joo shouted as she yanked herself away from Lilith. "Kang-Woo just f-f-f-f-forced himself on me while I was asleep!!"

    "Looks like we have one more thing to celebrate~ Oh, right!" Lilith¡¯s eyes shone and she pped her hands together as if she had thought of a great idea. "As amemoration for all of us bing one with the king, why don¡¯t we all go on a family trip? The king included, of course."

    "A trip¡­?"

    Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah exchanged nces with each other perplexedly.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Are you kidding me¡­? Drunk sex is questionable as fuck. Sure, Yeon-Joo could have given consent but she was drunk out of her fucking mind. Kang-Woo was tipsy but could make rational decisions, so if he took advantage of her while she was drunk, then that would disappoint me so much.

    Am I overreacting for thinking this way¡­? I mean, other questionable shit (like legitimate rape) have happened but this just stood out to me a lot.</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 51: Bloody Family Trip (2)

    Side Story Chapter 51: Bloody Family Trip (2)

    "Why a family trip out of nowhere?"

    Cha Yeon-Joo stared at Lilith in wonder. Lilith smiled widely as she walked between Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo to hold their hands.

    "We¡¯ll be together from now on, so we should spend time getting close to one another. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s three lovers and future wives would be together for a time that couldn¡¯t even be imagined by normal humans; the concept of a lifespan did not exist for them, hence they would live together forever unless something were to happen. To spend that evesting time without any issues, Kang-Woo¡¯s wives not only needed to have a good rtionship with Kang-Woo but with each other as well.

    "Hohoho. Who knows what Seol-Ah will do to us if we¡¯re not? Maybe she has a saw hidden somewhere," Lilith continued.

    "U-Unnie! I told you not to say stuff like that anymore!" shouted Seol-Ah, her face reddened.

    "Fufu, I¡¯m joking." Lilith softly giggled and kissed Seol-Ah¡¯s cheek. "In any case, I want to go have some fun with my lovely little sisters. We¡¯ve never gone anywhere to have fun together, have we?"

    Forget that, the three of them had rarely talked in private. Not only did Yeon-Joo live on a different floor, but their times usually didn¡¯t match because each of them was busy.

    "What do you think?" Lilith asked."Mm¡­ a trip, huh?"

    Yeon-Joo scratched her head with a frozen expression. Forget a trip, she wanted to lock herself in her house and away from Kang-Woo for a while.

    <em>¡¯D-Dammit¡­ that scumbag¡­ h-how dare he vite a drunk person?!¡¯</em>

    Just thinking about it again made her blood boil.

    "I think it¡¯s a good idea." Seol-Ah smiled as she ced the finished dried pollock soup on the table. "Like you said, we¡¯re¡­ urgh¡­ a f-family now. I think a trip together would be fun."

    She bit her lip mid-sentence as if she were holding something back. She caught her breath after suppressing her surging desire to monopolize.

    "Seol-Ah¡­"

    "I-I¡¯m fine."

    It was difficult to suppress a bodily instinct but it would be even more difficult if this precious rtionship were to break down.

    "G-Goddammit¡­ Argh! I don¡¯t care anymore! Alright! Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s all go on a trip together!"

    Yeon-Joo had heard from Kang-Woo how difficult and agonizing it was for Seol-Ah to suppress her instincts.

    <em>¡¯He said it¡¯s like pouring dirt into a puddle of fresh water when you haven¡¯t had a drop of water for a week.¡¯</em>

    Her friend was enduring such pain to go on the trip, so Yeon-Joo couldn¡¯t bring herself to refuse just because she was too embarrassed to face Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ll take this chance to get closer to Lilith¡ª no, unnie! And Seol-Ah too!¡¯</em>

    The rtionships of the three women revolved around Kang-Woo but Yeon-Joo was the only person who lived apart from them. Lilith had likely suggested this trip to allow Yeon-Joo to be more honest with her feelings.

    "Hoho. Looks like it¡¯s decided~?"

    Lilith hummed in excitement as she pped her hands together.

    "Then will it be the four of us including Kang-Woo?" Seol-Ah also expressed excitement. "But where should we g¡ª"

    "STOP RIGHT THERE!!" A door mmed open and the sound of snorting echoed throughout the house. Echidna shouted as she pouted, "I can¡¯t believe you would leave me out! I hate you, Seol-Ah!"

    She red at Seol-Ah with her fists clenched.

    "You told me I was part of the family! So why are you trying to leave me out?!"

    "Oh, s-sorry. I forgot."

    "Urgh¡­ you all¡­ mated without me¡­ and Kang-Woo keeps saying no¡­"

    Echidna teared up in sorrow. Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah quickly consoled her.

    "You can do it when you¡¯re o-older."

    "Y-Yeah! You¡¯re still a brat!"

    "I¡¯m not a brat! I¡¯m way older than you two! I¡¯m the unnie!!!"

    In terms of age, Echidna was far older than Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo. She was a hatchling dragon but she had lived for almost five hundred years.

    "Uhh, well¡­"

    "You see¡­ it¡¯s n-not really a matter of age."

    Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo averted their gaze from Echidna, unable to think of a rebuttal. Echidna ced both hands on her hips and snorted loudly.

    "Call me unnie like you do Lilith from now on!"

    "..."

    "..."

    Echidna unnie¡­ there was no way of addressing more unfitting than this. Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo looked at Echidna, their eyes filled withplex emotions.

    "Hoho. We were going to take you with us from the beginning. Don¡¯t get so angry." Lilith hugged the angry Echidna from behind.

    "Urgh¡­ R-Really?"

    Echidna looked up at Lilith anxiously. She got lonely very easily, hence why she was so shocked by their conversation that implied they would be going without her.

    "Of course. You¡¯re not one just yet, but you¡¯ll be my little sister in the future as well, won¡¯t you?"

    "Hm! Mommy Lilith! I love you!"

    "O-Oh? I¡¯m not a mother¡­"

    "Hm! Hm!"

    Echidna snorted as she rubbed her cheeks on the flustered Lilith¡¯s chest.

    "I feel like¡­ my position¡¯s been taken."

    Seol-Ah¡¯s shoulders dropped sorrowfully. Hearing that, Echidna trotted toward Seol-Ah and hugged her.

    "You¡¯re my mommy too, Seol-Ah!"

    "And me? What about me?" Yeon-Joo asked.

    "You have smaller boobs than me, Yeon-Joo, so you¡¯re my little sister!"

    "Fuck." Yeon-Joo frowned. "Haaa. So, a trip is good and all, but where are we gonna go?"

    "That¡¯s for us to think about starting now."

    "I don¡¯t mind where we go as long as Kang-Wooes with us."

    "Hm! I wanna go here!"

    Echidna brought a tablet as the three women were thinking and pointed at the disy.

    "Oh, it looks great!"

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes shone. The picture Echidna pulled up was of three hotels side by side and an elliptic rooftop, which looked like a boat, connecting the three buildings.

    "Oh, this is that ce, isn¡¯t it? Marina Bay Sands?" asked Yeon-Joo as she pped her hands together.

    "Hm! That¡¯s right! It¡¯s in Singapore! Do you see the rooftop boat? It¡¯s apparently a swimming pool!!"

    "Wow. Th-That¡¯s a pool?"

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes sparkled. It was amazing enough that there was a boat, although it wasn¡¯t real, being supported by three buildings, but the entire thing was a swimming pool.

    "Here¡¯s a picture of the view from above!"

    "My, my. It¡¯s beautiful!"

    The picture from the pool was of the city¡¯s nightscape, which looked like it was taken from the sky. Seol-Ah seemed to have taken a liking to the hotel from how much her eyes were shining.

    "Dayum, I¡¯m getting pretty hyped too. But isn¡¯t an outdoor pool on the rooftop dangerous? One mistake and you could fall straight down."

    "Yeon-Joo, a fall that low wouldn¡¯t even scratch you."

    "I mean, I guess that¡¯s true." Yeon-Joo nodded. "Alright, then! Off to Singapore, we go!"

    Anyone could tell from a nce it was a five-star hotel, but money was of no concern to her. Even without her guild¡¯s assets, she was one of the richest people in the world.

    "B-But we should get Kang-Woo¡¯s opinion first¡­"

    "Hah! Who cares what he thinks? He should be grateful we¡¯re taking him with us!" Yeon-Joo shouted as she shrugged.

    "Singapore¡­?" Lilith, who had been staring at the picture in silence, narrowed her eyes.

    "Eh? What¡¯s wrong, unnie? You don¡¯t like it?"

    "No, it¡¯s not that." Lilith fell into thought with her hand on her forehead. "I believe Singapore was¡­"

    "It¡¯s where the unconfirmed abnormal Gate phenomenon was detected a month ago. You reported it to me yourself, Lilith."

    <em>Creak.</em>

    A door opened and Kang-Woo came out of the room.

    "Oh. Good morning, my king."

    Kang-Woo yawned as he stretched. "Urgh. Why are you guys talking about Singapore?"

    "Hoho. We¡¯re nning a family trip for the five of us."

    "A trip?"

    Lilith smiled widely. "Yes. After all, you had a great time with Yeon-Joost night, my king."

    "Oh."

    "KYAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! D-DON¡¯T SAY IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!"

    Yeon-Joo covered her ears as she crouched and squeezed her head between her knees. Kang-Woo smirked and nodded.

    "Sounds good. So, you guys wanna go to Singapore?"

    "Hm! Here! We wanna go to this hotel, Kang-Woo!"

    "Yo, what? That looks cool as hell! How did they get a ship on top of three buildings?"

    "It¡¯s a swimming pool!"

    "A pool?!"

    <em>¡¯SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo suppressed his screams of amazement. He had seen the women in their swimsuits back when they had a barbecue party but swimsuits were always wee.

    "Let¡¯s go! Right now!!" Kang-Woo shouted excitedly.

    "More importantly, Kang-Woo. What is the unconfirmed abnormal Gate phenomenon about?" Seol-Ah asked.

    "Oh, that?" Kang-Woo scratched his head as if annoyed. "To put it simply, it¡¯s what we call a situation where we detect an otherworldly invasion inside a Gate, but nothing in particr happens."

    "Oh¡­"

    "Even if a tiny insect were to cross from one of the outer worlds, it gets detected as an otherworldly invasion. But what could they possibly do? They either die soon after or just vanish without a trace."

    Large-scale invasions like the Parasites and the Gctic Federation could easily be seen with the naked eye. However, if a tiny insect were to cross from an outer world, it wouldn¡¯t be found no matter how many people were dispatched to search for signs.

    "Haaa. This is all because of myck of ability," Lilith lowered her shoulders sorrowfully.

    A true intelligencework should be able to track every abnormal phenomenon urring throughout the world but such a thing was realistically impossible. Not only were there well over ten thousand Gates throughout the world regardless of size, but they sometimes closed on their own and reappeared somewhere else. The Gate in Singapore was newly opened a month ago, so the tracing had taken a long time.

    "Nah, there¡¯s no way you can trace every abnormal Gate phenomenon when the Earth¡¯s so big. Don¡¯t worry about it, my queen."

    "Pardon¡­? My queen?"

    "Eh? You don¡¯t remember?"

    "...?"

    Lilith tilted her head in wonder, having no idea what Kang-Woo was talking about.

    Kang-Woo smirked and continued, "You were something elsest night, making me call you my queen."

    "Pardon?! I-I did?" Lilith stumbled backward, wide-eyed. She couldn¡¯t imagine herself forcing Kang-Woo to call her his queen. "Th-There¡¯s no way!"

    "Mm, too bad I couldn¡¯t film it. You and Yeon-Joo¡¯s drunken frenzies were no joke."

    "What? I-I did something too?"

    "You sure did."

    <em>¡¯Smashingly, I might add.¡¯</em>

    "D-Don¡¯t lie, motherfucker!" Yeon-Joo sprang back up. "Heh! I bet you¡¯re trying to y off the fact that you forced yourself on me!"

    Yeon-Joo pointed at Kang-Woo like Conan who found the culprit.

    "I¡­ forced myself on you?"

    "Y-Y-Y-Y-Yeah!!" Yeon-Joo nodded, her face as red as her hair.

    No matter how she thought about it, she would never have seduced Kang-Woo first.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m sure he forced himself on me while I was asleep!¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo clenched her fists, her eyes full of certainty.

    "Dude, you were the one begging for it," Kang-Woo expressed.

    "There you go again with the lies! Is lying all you can do with that mouth of yours?!"

    "I said you wanted it first."

    "Hmph! Do you have proof?! You don¡¯t, do you?!" Yeon-Joo shouted confidently.

    She was sure that Kang-Woo had no proof since he just told Lilith that he didn¡¯t have the chance to film.

    "Proof?" Kang-Woo smiled as he took out his smartphone.

    "Huh¡­?" Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression hardened.

    "I didn¡¯t have a chance to film Lilith because I was so bbergasted at the time, but I did for you."

    <em>Beep.</em>

    Kang-Woo raised the volume to the max and yed the video.

    <em>- I wanna do it too!! I don¡¯t wanna be Adamantium anymore! I wanna do it with you too, oppa!!</em>

    The sound of a woman begging for sex echoed throughout the apartment.

    ***

    "U-Umm, Kang-Woo?"

    <em>¡¯Ahhh, how could I forget?¡¯</em>

    "Th-That video¡­ could you d-delete it?"

    <em>¡¯How could I forget my precious time with her?¡¯</em>

    "N-Noooooooo!! Don¡¯t upload it to the drive!!!"

    <em>¡¯One of my precious memories with her.¡¯</em>

    "<em>Waaaaaaaaahhh!!</em> I-I was wrong!!"

    <em>¡¯This is a part of the album that I have been making with her.¡¯</em>

    "Please delete it!! Master Kang-Woo!! No, Kang-Woo oppa!!!"

    <em>¡¯The</em>¡ºMemory¡»<em>between me and her. I¡¯ll never forget. For me. For her.¡¯</em>

    Tears trickled down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks. He bit his lip, clenched his fist, and pledged to the sky, his soul, and her eyes.

    "I¡¯ll never forget."

    Even if the world were to end and turn to dust¡ª even if he were devoured by the darkness of the Abyss.

    "I will¡­ never forget."

    Saved to the drive.

    "FUCKING DELETE IT!! DELETE THAT SHIT THIS INSTANT, YOU MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!"

    Please drink responsibly.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    It¡¯s unclear whether they did the deed or not... I thought they did the first time I read through this chapter but after a closer read, maybe not...? Lilith¡¯s reaction, the blood on the sheets, and the word choice kind of implies they did. Drunk consent is not consent... If it feels wrong, don¡¯t do it.</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 52: Bloody Family Trip (3)

    Side Story Chapter 52: Bloody Family Trip (3)

    <em>Whoosh¡ª!!</em>

    A ck dragon flew across a clear blue sky. Every time the dragon pped her wings covered in glossy ck scales, a massive gust formed.

    [Hm! Hm! A trip with Kang-Woo! A family trip with everyone!]

    Echidna, who returned to her dragon form after a long time, pped her wings as she repeatedly snorted in excitement.

    "Are you that excited?"

    [Hm! Of course, I am!]

    Kang-Woo stroked Echidna¡¯s scales as he sat on Echidna.

    "But if you¡¯re so excited, we could¡¯ve arrived faster if we used one of the Gates leading to Singapore in the Hall of Protection."

    [That defeats the purpose of a trip!]"Well, I guess that¡¯s true."

    Just like riding an airne, riding Echidna felt more like they were going on a trip.

    "Urpp¡­ P-Please slow down¡­"

    Cha Yeon-Joo gripped Echidna¡¯s scales, covering her mouth with her hand to stop herself from vomiting.

    Kang-Woo softly pounded her back and said, "We¡¯re almost there, so hold it for a little longer."

    They began to seend after a few minutes.

    "Authority of Stealth."

    Kang-Woo used an Authority to make him and the others invisible. Echidnanded on a random building and slowly climbed down.

    "As I thought, it¡¯s hotter than Korea," said Kang-Woo, looking up at the beaming sun with a frown.

    "But the buildings are beautiful," replied Seol-Ah as she looked around excitedly.

    Unlike what people usually pictured about Southeast Asia, Singapore was full of highrise buildings, making it look like a concrete forest.

    "Apparently, only this area is highly developed," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "Urgh¡­ I¡¯m dying¡­ my organs feel like they¡¯re inside out," Yeon-Joo grumbled.

    "You okay?"

    "No, I feel like I¡¯m dying. Haaa. In any case, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been to Singapore."

    "Eh? You¡¯ve been here before?"

    "Yeah, for guild matters."

    "Oh, then I guess you can act as our guide."

    Yeon-Joo clicked her tongue and looked away. "It was only to attend a meeting, so I don¡¯t know much about the ce either."

    "There¡¯s our hotel."

    "Dayum, it looks awesome even in the morning."

    Yeon-Joo and Kang-Woo expressed their amazement as they stared at the Marina Bay Sands hotel.

    "Hmm. I still don¡¯t quite get it," Lilith said.

    She was not yet fully ustomed to Human culture, so it only looked like a peculiar building in her eyes; it did not look particrly amazing enough to be amazed.

    "Let¡¯s head inside, Kang-Woo!" Han Seol-Ah shouted.

    "Hoho. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen our little Seol-Ah so excited. Do you want to show the king the swimsuit you bought yesterday that badly?"

    "Ah! U-Unnie! You said you¡¯d keep that a secret from Kang-Woo!"

    "My, did I?"

    Seol-Ah quickly covered Lilith¡¯s mouth but it had alreadye out. The corners of Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth were slowly rising.

    "Sheesh, you sure are loving this. Do you love swimsuits that much?" Yeon-Joo asked.

    "Hehe. Obviously."

    No man wouldn¡¯t, especially if it was worn by a knockout beauty like Seol-Ah.

    "Fucking pervert."

    "I¡¯m looking forward to your swimsuit too."

    "F-Fuck off! I didn¡¯t bring one!"

    "Wh-What?!" Kang-Woo pulled on his hair in despair as if he were thest human on Earth. "<em>Hurgh!</em> There¡¯s no reason to live anymore¡­!"

    "S-Stop fucking overreacting!!" Yeon-Joo kicked Kang-Woo¡¯s thigh and her face reddened. She averted her gaze from him and softly muttered, "I¡­ I brought one, so stop with that. Why wouldn¡¯t I bring one when we decided to y in the pool?"

    "I trusted you," said Kang-Woo with a smile, lightly embracing Yeon-Joo by her waist.

    Yeon-Joo shouted at him not to touch her as she pushed him away.

    "Wow," Kang-Woo expressed as he looked up.

    There wasn¡¯t a single cloud in the blue sky. The sun beamed down on them as if blessing their trip, and the scenery reminded him how much money he poured into this trip. Not just that, he was surrounded by three beautiful women, each with their own charms, and a cute little girl who radiated happiness.

    "This is the life."

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m so d I¡¯m alive.¡¯</em>

    ***

    "We have a bit of time until we can check in, so why don¡¯t we grab something to eat first?" asked Kang-Woo after entrusting their luggage to the hotel lobby employees.

    "Yes, let¡¯s do that."

    "Hm! I¡¯m hungry after flying all the way here!" Echidna¡¯s eyes sparkled as she clenched her fists.

    Lilith examined a palm-sized crystal orb and pointed at a circr building in front of the hotel. "There seems to be something called a food court under that building."

    Kang-Woo stared at the crystal orb and asked, "What¡¯s that?"

    "Fufu. I had my informants investigate all the tourist attractions and the best restaurants."

    "I thought you were short on hands¡­ we could¡¯ve just searched the web with our smartphones."

    "I still have trouble handling machines made by humans." Lilith smiled as she swept her hair behind her ear.

    "Well, let¡¯s go, then. I¡¯m sure information gathered by the greatest intelligence organization in the world is more reliable than some random blog."

    Kang-Woo and the women entered a building shaped like a domed baseball stadium. Inside were various brand-name stores that everyone had likely seen at least once.

    Kang-Woo took his credit card from his wallet and asked, "Is there anything you guys want? Let me know and I¡¯ll buy it for you."

    Every item was so expensive that one would think they had put too many zeros on the price tag, but such things did not matter to Kang-Woo.

    "Damn, man. That was a little cool," Yeon-Joo remarked.

    "Kang-Woo is always cool," Seol-Ah noted.

    "Alright, alright~ good for you." Yeon-Joo shook her head as if she were sick of it.

    "So, anything you want?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Forget it. Do you think I¡¯m poor? I¡¯m probably richer than you," Yeon-Joo answered as she shrugged proudly.

    Kang-Woo had many personal assets but he couldn¡¯tpare to the master of one of thergest guilds in the world.

    Yeon-Joo smiled and ced her arm on Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder.

    "Do you want anything, brat? This noona here will buy you something!"

    "Please buy me that watch, noona."

    "Holy shit, it¡¯s as expensive as a car. Are you sure you want this?"

    "No, not really."

    "Then why did you ask me to buy it?"

    "Because the way you were showing off pissed me off a bit."

    "Fuck you."

    Everyone walked around the building as they chatted. Just then, Echidna pulled on Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes.

    "Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo."

    "Hm?"

    "Doesn¡¯t that person over there look a little sick?"

    She pointed at a person staggering as if they were about to fall at any second, swaying as much as an intable tube man in front of stores celebrating their grand opening.

    "A day drinker, perhaps?" Kang-Woo wondered.

    "D-Don¡¯t talk about alcohol!!" shouted Yeon-Joo, flinching like a madman.

    Kang-Woo snickered. "Anyway, just leave them. I¡¯m sure one of the employees will help them."

    "But still, I¡¯ll let someone know."

    Echidna trotted toward a nearby employee and pointed out the swaying person. The employee nodded and approached the swaying person.

    "Wow, our little Echidna is an angel."

    "Hehehe."

    Kang-Woo could never understand why anyone would go out of their way to help a stranger.

    "Hm! Let¡¯s stop looking around and go get some food!"

    "Okay, okay."

    Echidna grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hand and went down to the underground food court. After their meal, they returned to the hotel room and checked into their room, which was naturally the most expensive suite.

    <em>Click.</em>

    "Wow! K-Kang-Woo! The room is so big!"

    "I would expect nothing less from a room that costs 10 million won a night."

    "T-Ten million?!" Seol-Ah asked in shock. She grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hand worryingly and continued, "K-Kang-Woo¡­ aren¡¯t you using a bit too much money?"

    She knew Kang-Woo had more than enough money to spend but was not used to this level of luxury since she had lived most of her life in poverty.

    "I could spend everything I have if it¡¯s for you, Darling."

    "K-Kang-Woo¡­"

    Seol-Ah embraced Kang-Woo teary-eyed. They kissed as Seol-Ah slowly stuck her hands into Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes.

    "What the hell are you guys doing in broad daylight?"

    "Kyah!"

    Yeon-Joo sighed and lightly smacked Seol-Ah¡¯s head.

    "Urgh¡­ I-It was just getting good¡­"

    "Good, my ass. Get it together and unpack your things."

    Yeon-Joo dragged Seol-Ah by her clothes into their room.

    "Hoho. It sure is lively with Yeon-Joo with us," mentioned Lilith as she smiled and walked toward Kang-Woo.

    Echidna ran past her and yelled, "Hm! Kang-Woo! Let¡¯s share a room!"

    "My, what are you saying?" Lilith¡¯s hair extended and wrapped around Echidna. "It¡¯s truly a shame, but you should use a different room."

    "Urgh, why~?! I wanna share a room with Kang-Woo too!"

    "Hmm. Because¡­" Lilith licked her lips. "I have something to do with the king at night ?"

    "Urgh¡­"

    "Enough of that and share a room with Echidna. I¡¯ll be using a room by myself."

    "Ah! M-My king!"

    Kang-Woo went to his room with his things. They would be in Singapore for four days and three nights so they packed light. Kang-Woo quickly went to the living room after unpacking.

    "Has everyone changed?"

    The main attraction in the Marina Bay Sands was, of course, the swimming pool. They needed to go there first and foremost.

    "Fucking pervert. Do you wanna see us in our swimsuits that badly?" asked Yeon-Joo, her face reddened as she walked out in a white gown.

    She had changed into her swimsuit but she was too embarrassed to show him in the hotel room. The room shook from how furiously Kang-Woo was nodding.

    "Of course I do! Why do you think I¡¯m even here?!"

    "F-Fuck you!" Yeon-Joo cursed as she tightened her gown even more to hide her swimsuit.

    "Ah~ I wonder what Darling¡¯s new swimsuit looks like~?"

    Kang-Woo jumped around with a smile. He had seen Seol-Ah in a swimsuit during their pic but he was brimming with excitement since she had bought a new one.

    <em>Click.</em>

    The door opened and exited Seol-Ah, covered up with a white gown like Yeon-Joo.

    "Darliiiiiiiiiiiing!!"

    Kang-Woo ran toward her like a starved beast.

    "Fufu. Did you wait long, Kang-Woo?"

    "Yup!"

    "How cute." Seol-Ah smiled brightly as she hugged Kang-Woo and patted his head. "Would you like to see my new swimsuit?"

    "Mm¡­ no! I¡¯ll take a good look when we¡¯re at the pool."

    Kang-Woo wanted to see Seol-Ah¡¯s new swimsuit this instant but controlled himself using his superhuman patience. A swimsuit should be seen at a pool.

    "My, you¡¯re all so quick."

    "Hm! Kang-Woo! What do you think of this swimsuit?!"

    Lilith and Echidna also exited their rooms after changing into their swimsuits. Lilith was covering herself with a white gown like the other women but Echidna was just in her swimsuit.

    Kang-Woo stared at Echidna in her swimsuit with pink frills and said calmly, "It¡¯s cute."

    "Ngh. Your reaction is so weak¡­"

    "It¡¯d be bad if I overreacted."

    <em>¡¯From a censorship standpoint.¡¯</em>

    "Right then, up to the pool, we go!"

    Kang-Woo swung open the door, full of anticipation. His head was already getting hot from the thought of savoring the women in their swimsuits.

    <em>¡¯Fuck yeah!! This is life!!! I¡¯m so fucking happy!!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo, so happy that he was about to cry, entered the elevator with the others.

    <em>Ring.</em>

    The elevator door opened after reaching the top floor.

    "Wow¡­" everyone expressed.

    Once they entered the pool above the roof connecting the three hotel buildings, they were met with a clear blue sky and a forest of buildings around the hotel.

    "Ah¡­ this is wonderful, even by my standards."

    "Whew, I didn¡¯t get a chance toe here when I had my meeting here, but this is fucking nice."

    "K-Kang-Woo! Th-This is amazing!"

    "Hm! What do you think?! You guys are d you listened to me, right?"

    The four women walked toward the pool as they each gave their impressions. Kang-Woo smiled as he followed behind them.

    "Hm? Kang-Woo, there¡¯s another drunk person over there."

    Echidna tilted her head in wonder as she pointed at someone. Just like the person they saw in the department store earlier, a blonde woman who seemed to be in her early twenties was swaying as if she would fall at any second.

    "You¡¯re right. Why do they love alcohol so much? Could that be Cha Yeon-Joo?"

    "Shut up!!"

    Yeon-Joo kicked Kang-Woo¡¯s thigh. Kang-Woo snickered as he continued to walk toward the pool.

    "Now then,dies. Take off your gowns and reveal your swimsu¡ª"

    "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Just then, a scream filled the entire swimming pool.

    "Eh?" Kang-Woo turned to the source of the sound.

    It was the swaying blonde woman; she was convulsing as if she were having a seizure and clenching her neck.

    "BLEEEEEEEEEGHHH!!"

    She bent down and vomited so much blood that one would think her insides were ground with a mixer and were pouring out from her mouth.

    "Kyaaaaaaaaahhh! B-Blood! Blooooood!!" a middle-aged woman screamed at the sight.

    "Kurgh! Guh!"

    The eyes of the blonde woman vomiting blood turned white and she copsed.

    <em>Ssh!</em>

    She fell into the pool, which instantly dyed red from the blood.

    "What the fuck?"

 Side Story Chapter 53: Bloody Family Trip (4)

    Blood sttered everywhere and dyed throughout the pool as if a can of red ink spilled into it.

    "KYAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    "Wh-What the hell?!"

    "Holy shit!!!"

    Screams of despair from the depths of Hell echoed from everywhere. Someone had died out of nowhere after showing no signs or foreshadowing of it happening. Nightmare filled the rooftop under the shining sun. The woman in her early twenties who had been swaying in a stupor had suddenly vomited every drop of blood she had and was floating lifelessly in the pool.

    "Gaaaaaahhh!!"

    "C-Call an ambnce!!"

    "Argh! The blood sttered all the way here!"

    The guests enjoying their time in the pool stepped backward from the red pool as they screamed. The guards at the pool entrance quickly ran over as they contacted someone with their walkie-talkies. The hundreds of people in the pool dyed red ran away to the corners, either crying or vomiting. Chaos dawned on the peaceful pool."What¡­" Oh Kang-Woo pulled on his hair as he bore witness to the hellscape. "In the ACTUAL FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK?!!"

    Of course, he was not screaming out of sympathy for the woman¡¯s death or in shock. His fury surged as he saw the pool dyed red, the chaotic atmosphere, and the panicking people. He could easily tell how things would turn out.,

    "Fuck¡­ I guess we can kiss the swimming pool goodbye."

    Cha Yeon-Joo in a white gown ced her hand on her forehead. No one knew what kind of drugs the woman was on or if she had been ill from the beginning, but someone had died; there was no way the hotel would reopen the pool after recing the water and cleaning the blood. The pool would be closed for at least a week¡ª a month at most.

    "P-Please wait. I¡¯ll take a look at her," said Han Seol-Ah as she stepped forward.

    Kang-Woo grabbed her shoulder and remarked, "Don¡¯t, Darling. You can¡¯t use healing spells anymore."

    "Oh¡­"

    Her wings had dyed ck after she fell from grace,pletely changing the qualities of her magic from healing and buffing to curses and debuffing. She became unrecognizably powerfulpared to before as a result, but she could no longer be relied on for utilities such as healing.

    "R-Right. Ipletely forgot." Seol-Ah lowered her head in sorrow.

    Kang-Woo softly grabbed her hand and remarked, "Besides, it¡¯s toote."

    "Pardon?"

    "She¡¯s dead."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and stared at the blonde woman floating in the water. He examined her using the Authority of Insight but couldn¡¯t detect even a hint of life force in her. Even without using an Authority, anyone could tell the woman was dead from how much blood she vomited.

    "My king," Lilith called quietly.

    Kang-Woo could tell what she was about to say. Kang-Woo dipped a finger into the red pool water and shook his head.

    "It¡¯s not demonic energy. I don¡¯t feel any other energy either."

    There was no demonic energy, sacred power, or other special energies inside the blonde woman¡¯s corpse. There were two possibilities; she either died due to a harmful substance or illness, or she was killed by a power that not even Kang-Woo could detect.

    <em>¡¯Thetter is highly unlikely.¡¯</em>

    There was no way he would be unable to detect power that could kill someone.

    "Could she have ingested some kind of poison?" Yeon-Joo suggested.

    "I don¡¯t know." Kang-Woo shook his head. He was not knowledgeable in poisons. "In any case¡­"

    <em>m!</em>

    The pool entrance door swung open and people who seemed to be lobby employees and paramedics barged into the pool. Police officers followed behind them and gathered the witnesses to get their witness ounts. It was only natural since whatever the reason, someone had died out of the blue.

    "Everyone, please leave the pool in a single file line! We will be closing the pool!" shouted a man who looked like the hotel manager, through a megaphone.

    Kang-Woo groaned in despair. "Motherfucker."

    <em>¡¯My fucking swimsuits.¡¯</em>

    ***

    <em>Click.</em>

    "Haaa."

    "What a disaster."

    Kang-Woo and the others returned to their suite after giving their witness ounts and flopped on the couch. Yeon-Joo sat down on hisp with one leg over the other.

    "Fuck! What the hell?!" she yelled as she cracked open a beer from the fridge and chugged it.

    "That¡¯s expensive shit, you know."

    "Did you fucking say something?"

    "Nothing at all, ma¡¯am."

    "Haaa. Fuck¡­ I was looking forward to ying in the pool, and we got hit with that shit."

    "I¡¯ll say."

    Kang-Woo rubbed his chin on the couch sorrowfully. He was in despair, but not because of the death of a woman with a long life ahead of her or because he couldn¡¯t y in the famous Marina Bay Sands pool.

    "Swimsuits¡­"

    The new swimsuits the women had bought! The dazzling and beautiful ¡ºOne Piece¡»hidden under their white gowns! Kang-Woo was met with infinite regret and despair after failing to witness something arguably more precious than even the birth of life.

    "My, did you want to see our swimsuits that badly?" Lilith asked as she walked over to Kang-Woo. She slightly unraveled her gown and smiled seductively. "Then why don¡¯t we show you right here?"

    "No." Kang-Woo shook his head sorrowfully. If he wanted to see swimsuits, he could¡¯ve seen them in the suite. "I wanted to see them at the pool¡­"

    Seeing swimsuits in a room instead of the pool was like watching a film illegally downloaded in the worst resolution possible instead of in theaters. Swimsuits not seen at the pool would make them no different from underwear.

    "Fucking pervert," said Yeon-Joo as she hit Kang-Woo¡¯s head with an empty beer can. "You sure are stubborn in the weirdest ways."

    "You wouldn¡¯t understand a man¡¯s hopes and dreams."

    "I see, I see~ Good for you."

    "Also, you¡¯re heavy. Get off me."

    "Heh, bullshit. I know how monstrously strong you are."

    "Yeah, it¡¯s bullshit. I can barely feel you on me."

    "Right? So stay sat on."

    "I think it¡¯s because you have no boob weight."

    "The fuck you say?"

    "Sorry." Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

    "Urgh¡­ I wanted to y with Kang-Woo in the pool."

    "Me too. I wanted to y in the beautiful ce we saw in the pictures. What a shame."

    Echidna and Seol-Ah¡¯s shoulders drooped in dejection.

    "Well, then how about this?" Lilith pped her hands together as if she had thought of a great idea. Kang-Woo looked up at her in wonder and saw her pointing at the bath with a wide smile. "I saw the bath earlier and it was massive. Large enough to easily fit everyone here."

    "..."

    "..."

    Silence fell. No one was dense enough not to understand what she was implying.

    "S-So you¡¯re saying¡­ we go in the bath t-together in our swimsuits?" asked Yeon-Joo, her face nk as if she was notified about the world ending tomorrow.

    "Yeah."

    "W-W-W-W-W-W-Wait! That¡¯s a bit much, isn¡¯t it?!" Yeon-Joo sprang up in embarrassment.

    Seol-Ah nodded in agreement. "She¡¯s right! There¡¯s no need for us to wear swimsuits in the bath! We can just go in naked¡ª"

    "You shut your mouth, Seol-Ah!" Yeon-Joo shouted as she covered Seol-Ah¡¯s mouth.

    "Mmrp!"

    "Hm! I think it¡¯s a great idea!" replied Echidna as she snorted with her eyes sparkling.

    Kang-Woo only went in the bath with Seol-Ah and Lilith when they were home, so she always wanted to enter the bath with Kang-Woo.

    "Hoho. Then I guess we can all go in the bath except for Yeon-Joo."

    "Ugh¡­ Th-That¡¯s¡­" Yeon-Joo was lost for words. She crushed the beer can, her face bright red, and shouted. "I-I¡¯m going in too!!"

    "..."

    The four women stared at Kang-Woo, who stood up in silence.

    "I¡¯LL FILL UP THE TUB!" he shouted as he raced to the bath without hesitation, sparks running throughout his body.

    <em>¡¯What a blessing in disguise!¡¯</em>

    There was no other phrase he could think of to describe this situation.

    <em>¡¯Fuck yeah!! I didn¡¯t even think of that!!¡¯</em>

    Being able to take his time relishing in the women¡¯s swimsuits¡ª he was certain that, at this moment, he was the most blessed man in the world. This was on par with¡ª no, even better than ying together with thedies in the pool!

    <em>¡¯Jokes on you, I¡¯m into that shit!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned the faucet to the max and poured water into the tub.

    "Since this is a recement for a swimming pool, the water should be the right amount of cold, right?"

    They could always fill the tub with hot waterter if they wanted to go for an onsen feel.

    "I¡¯m filling the tub now, so gimme a few seconds!"

    "Fufu. Okay, my king."

    "Hehe. I was a little embarrassed to wear my swimsuit in front of others since I picked a bit of a bold one, but I guess this solves that problem."

    "...!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened after hearing Seol-Ah¡¯s shocking statement. Sparks traveled down his back at light speed and throughout his body.

    <em>¡¯SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTT!!¡¯</em>

    He felt like screaming his lungs out in ecstasy. He couldn¡¯t suppress the rising corners of his mouth.

    "Why the hell did I fall in love with that pervert¡­?"

    Yeon-Joo sighed and shook her head but clenched her gown, excited to see how Kang-Woo would react to her swimsuit.

    "Hehehe. Oh, just a second. Let me grab everyone something to eat as the tub fills," Kang-Woo mentioned.

    "Why don¡¯t we just order? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s unlimited room service here since we¡¯re in a suite room."

    "They only have meal courses, so I was going to orderter."

    What they needed at the moment was snacks and drinks they could enjoy as they yed in the water.

    "Then let¡¯s go together, Kang-Woo! I wanna pick the snacks!" Echidna shouted.

    "Okay, sure."

    Kang-Woo left the room with Echidna and entered the long hotel hallway.

    "Huh? Kang-Woo. Isn¡¯t that the woman from earlier?"

    It was the middle-aged woman who was covered by the blonde woman¡¯s blood at the pool because of their proximity.

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder. "Looks like her room is on this floor too. I¡¯m surprised she can still walk around fine after what happened to her."

    "Huh? Her room¡¯s on this floor?" asked Yeon-Joo, who came out in slippers after hearing Kang-Woo and Echidna¡¯s conversation. "I told you I was in Singapore for a meeting, right?"

    "Yeah."

    "I was in this room back then as well, but¡­" Yeon-Joo frowned. "This suite is the only room on this floor."

    "Eh? Then what is thatdy doing on this fl¡ª"

    "A-Arghh."

    Just then, the middle-aged woman, swaying as if she were drunk, turned toward them.

    "KERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"

    She screeched in a way that couldn¡¯t havee from a human as she vomited red blood.

 Side Story Chapter 54: Bloody Family Trip (5)

    Side Story Chapter 54: Bloody Family Trip (5)

    A horrible screech that could only be made by a monster born from thebined sins of all of mankind echoed throughout the hallway.

    "Kuuuuuuruu!"

    The middle-aged woman vomited so much blood as if proving to the world that the human body was indeed seventy percent water. A thick puddle of blood was made in the hallway.

    <em>Ssh!</em>

    The woman copsed on top of the puddle of blood she made herself, but only for a moment.

    <em>Crunch, crack!</em>

    The woman suddenly stood up on all fours, her eyes overturned. Every joint on her body bent at unnatural angles and her head split in half, brain matter leaking out. Sharp teeth sprouted from her split skull and the halves hit against each other as if her head had be one giant mouth.

    "Jesus, look at that thing."

    Oh Kang-Woo wondered if that creature was what a corpse would look like if it were hit by a dump truck and run over by its wheels. It was so horrid that it could easily surpass demons from the First to Ninth Hell in hideousness."Urpp!"

    "Wh-What the fuck is that?!"

    Echidna stepped backward with her mouth covered and Cha Yeon-Joo cursed in shock. The middle-aged woman with limbs bent at unnatural anglestched herself on the hallway walls on all fours.

    "KuRaaaAAAAAAAA!!"

    The woman screamed inhumanly as she crawled along the hallway walls at an insane speed.

    "What¡ª" Kang-Woo pulled Echidna back by her shoulder and stretched his right arm outward. "¡ªTHE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK?!!"

    He pulled out Wrath, the two-meter greatsword used by Satan, and swung it fiercely.

    <em>sh¡ª!</em>

    He cleaved the middle-aged woman crawling along the wall in half.

    "keruuuuuu!"

    The woman was split from head to groin and was blown back. Her intestines poured out from the split ends and she stopped moving.

    "I-Is she dead?" Yeon-Joo asked in pallor as she slowly walked toward the corpse.

    <em>Ssh¡ª!!</em>

    Just then, blood shot out of the fragmented corpse like bullets.

    "Watch out!" Kang-Woo yelled.

    "Kyaah!"

    Kang-Woo quickly grabbed Yeon-Joo¡¯s shoulder and ran forward as he pulled her back. He swung Wrath fiercely with one arm.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    ck mes burnt the bullet-like blood.

    "KaRAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaa!!"

    The middle-aged woman stood up again despite almost splitting into two; she ran toward them again as she spun like a windmill.

    "Shit! Why isn¡¯t she dying?!"

    Yeon-Joo became enraged after almost getting hit by the bullet-like blood and ran at the middle-aged woman as she gritted her teeth.

    <em>Flutter.</em>

    Her white gown came off and dropped to the floor.

    "<em>Gasp.</em>"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. Yeon-Joo had been wearing a purple one-piece swimsuit under the white gown; it was swimwear worn bypetitive swimmers. Although there was little exposure, it was the best kind of swimsuit on her because of her slim body.

    <em>¡¯Fighting in a swimsuit?! Is this a DLC?¡¯</em>

    "You¡ª" Yeon-Joo raced through the hallway in her swimsuit. "¡ªFUCKING HYDRA!!!"

    <em>m!</em>

    Yeon-Joo shot forward like a bullet and dropkicked the middle-aged woman.

    <em>Bash!! Boom! Boom! Boom!</em>

    The woman tumbled across the floor like a rock skipping on a water surface.

    "Kaaaaaaaa¡­¡­."

    The ragged middle-aged woman copsed as she groaned lifelessly.

    "Looks like she¡¯s not immortal," said Kang-Woo as he looked down at the copsed woman.

    He wondered if the woman was immortal like himself after seeing her rampaging, full of energy like a tiger after eating Frosted kes, but that, fortunately, did not seem to be the case.

    "Shit! What the fuck was that?"

    Yeon-Joo frowned as she wiped the blood off her feet with the white gown.

    "No idea." Kang-Woo shook his head.

    He had never seen or heard about someone vomiting blood and bing a monster from nightmares.

    "Kang-Woo! What¡¯s going on?!"

    "My king, we heard a monstrous screech. Did something happen?"

    Seol-Ah and Lilith came out of the suite room soon after.

    "Well¡­"

    Kang-Woo concisely exined what happened but there wasn¡¯t much to exin since he wasn¡¯t sure what happened either.

    "I should examine the corpse."

    Kang-Woo approached the middle-aged woman¡¯s corpse and activated the Authority of Insight. Just like earlier at the pool, he couldn¡¯t feel any energy like demonic energy or sacred power from it.

    "Could this be¡­ drug or disease-rted then?"

    Kang-Woo shook his head. "No, I might just not be able to detect it."

    He couldn¡¯t take this lightly since it had happened to two people. He needed to take into ount the possibility that an unknown power caused the two women to die.

    <em>¡¯But who?¡¯</em>

    He had no idea whose power could birth such horrifying monsters without being detected by the Authority of Insight.

    "Huuu," Kang-Woo sighed, his mind jumbled. Just then, he thought of something. "Oh. Lilith, hand me the unconfirmed abnormal Gate phenomenon report again."

    ¡¯Yes, my king."

    Lilith reached into her white gown and took out a fist-sized crystal orb.

    <em>¡¯The unconfirmed abnormal Gate phenomenon detected in Singapore a month ago.¡¯</em>

    It could be rted to why the woman suddenly died and turned into a monster.

    "A new Gate was detected by the coast of Singapore on July 16th, 03:00. Based on investigations, we confirmed that a lifeform less than ten centimeters long came out of the Gate and went into hiding¡­" Kang-Woo read.

    "Unfortunately, we failed to discover the lifeform."

    "Hence why it¡¯s unconfirmed." Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. It was impossible to corrte the two incidents based on this information alone. "First, we should contact the lobby and get them to clean up this corpse¡ª"

    "Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo," Echidna called.

    "Huh?"

    "Doesn¡¯t it kinda feel like we¡¯re in a zombie movie?"

    "A zombie movie¡­?" Kang-Woo frowned.

    Echidna, hiding behind Kang-Woo as if she were scared of the mangled corpse, stole nces at the corpse and continued, "Yeah. Corpses start getting up and running at you in zombie movies."

    "Oh, I¡¯ve seen a few movies like that."

    Kang-Woo could count the number of films he had watched in his life with his fingers but he had seen zombie films where they got up and attacked people.

    "A zombie movie, huh¡­?"

    As Echidna mentioned, the way the middle-aged woman¡¯s corpse turned into a monster and attacked them made her feel like a zombie.

    <em>¡¯But zombies usually move like sloths in movies.¡¯</em>

    The middle-aged woman had gotten on all fours face-up and disyed extraordinary agility, even crawling along the wall. Not only that, but she was persistent enough to move as if nothing had happened even after she was split in half.

    "We¡¯d be fucked if this were a zombie movie," said Kang-Woo as he chuckled. "Huh¡­? Wait, a zombie movie?"

    He felt like he had forgotten something crucial; chills ran down his back as if he had identally thrown away a puzzle piece.

    "Echidna, do you remember the person we saw at the department store this morning?"

    "Yup."

    "She was just drunk¡­ right?"

    "...?"

    The crucial point of zombie films wasn¡¯t that corpses could move.

    "Oh Kang-Woo¡­ this woman is the person who got covered in blood at the pool, isn¡¯t she?" asked Yeon-Joo, her voice trembling as if she had also figured it out.

    "..."

    "..."

    The alpha and omega of zombie films¡ª it wasn¡¯t only that the zombie virus caused corpses toe back to life, but that it was <em>contagious</em>.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    An ear-splitting explosion rang. It didn¡¯te from the hotel but from outside.

    "Shit!"

    Kang-Woo punched a giant hole in the hallway wall and examined the situation outside.

    "This is¡­"

    mes and smoke had engulfed the department store next to the hotel and people were running out of the building, but only for a moment.

    "KaraaaaaaaaaaaaaAAA!!"

    Monsters on all fours face-up were attacking the running civilians.

    Crunch! Crunch!

    They devoured flesh and bit through bone. The people died without being able to put up any resistance. No, to be more exact, they <em>were </em>dead.

    "KururaaaAAAaaaa!!!"

    The victims convulsed soon after and became monsters themselves after vomiting blood. They then chased after the survivors. One of the most beautiful cities in the world had be a battlefield in a sh. The zombies, boasting extraordinary speed and agility unlike zombies in films, were multiplying as they attacked people without giving them a chance to resist.

    "What¡­ the fuck?"

    Kang-Woo trembled as he looked down at the city in chaos. The issue went far past the pool; his first family trip¡ª the heart-pounding trip with his lovers had been dyed in blood.

    "A-Aaaahh¡­ M-My trip¡­ our bath¡­"

    "Shit! Seol-Ah! Lilith unnie! Let¡¯s change out of our swimsuits first! You too, Echidna!"

    "O-Okay!" Seol-Ah nodded as she clenched her white gown.

    Kang-Woo turned around in surprise.

    "Y-You¡¯re changing?"

    "Of course we fucking are! Do you expect us to fight in our swimsuits?! We need our weapons and equipment too!" shouted Yeon-Joo exasperatedly.

    ¡¯Ah¡­"

    Kang-Woo reached out lifelessly toward the women entering their rooms to change.

    "Hmm¡­ what a shame." Lilith sighed in disappointment. "I believe it was called a slingshot? I picked out a super~ erotic bikini that you would love, but it seems now isn¡¯t the time."

    "..."

    "I¡¯ll show you next time, my king."

    Lilith entered her room to change like the others.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo was left alone in the hallway as screams echoed throughout the burning city.

    "A-Aaaahh." His sense of reason was burning along with the city, being reced by immense resentment. "I-It¡¯s over."

    He had lost everything¡ª his peaceful family trip, his wonderful time at the pool, and even the lovey-dovey time they were about to spend in the bath. Nothing was left.

    "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

    Surging rage! Destructive resentment! Chaos! Ruin!

    Kang-Woo jumped from the hallway out into the city. He raised Wrath above his head as he fell from a height dozens of floors high.

    "YOU DRAGOON MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERS!!!"[1]

    He ferociously swung down Wrath at the monsters on all fours.

    1. A dragoon is a quadrupedal assault walker in <em>Starcraft</em>. ?

 Side Story Chapter 55: Biohazard (1)

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    Inhuman explosions rang like a dozen lightning bolts falling in one ce, the shockwave pushing away the mes engulfing the department store.

    <em>Boom! Crack¡ª!</em>

    The half-destroyed pirs of the department store broke and the building copsed. A tsunami of concrete, weighing tens of thousands of tonnes, swept the surroundings. The destruction was nightmarish, but it was nothingpared to what was going on in the streets.

    "KYAAAAAAAAAAH! H-Help m¡ª Kurgh!"

    "O-O Lord!! Destroy these evil demons¡ª!!"

    "M-Move!! Stop blocking the fucking way!!"

    "Ruin hase to our familyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!"

    It was chaos. The survivors pushed and pulled each other to save themselves. An elderly man lost his bnce and fell to the ground. The survivors, blind with fear, trampled on the elderly man without hesitation to get away. The elderly man¡¯s bones shattered from being trampled by dozens of people and died before the zombies even got to him. The survivors¡¯ greatest enemy were themselves. "KaaaaaKerrrrrrrrrrrrrRRR!"

    However, no matter how much they struggled to escape, they couldn¡¯t escape from the monsters running as fast as sports cars. One of the monsters jumped up with its mouth wide open, screaming ferociously as it fell toward a man running away as he held his son¡¯s hand.

    "Arghhh!!"

    <em>Boom!</em>

    The man hugged his son and quickly jumped sideways. The monster¡¯s mouth destroyed a streetlight.

    "Haaa, haaa," the man panted as he turned the corner and hid between the debris of the destroyed department store. The monster did not chase after them, likely to chase a different prey after its attack failed.

    "L-Listen carefully, Joshua." The man shed tears as he hid the son in the debris. "We¡¯re gonna y a game."

    "A game?" asked the son innocently, far too young to understand fear.

    The man gulped and nodded. "Yeah. You get a hundred points if you stay hidden here without being found by anyone."

    "A hundred?"

    "Yeah, a hundred out of a hundred points."

    "Wow! What do I get if I get a hundred points?"

    "A-A cake. I¡¯ll buy you tons of your favorite cake."

    "R-Really?!"

    "Of course," the man answered as he patted his son¡¯s head, smiling sorrowfully.

    "How long do I have to hide?" asked the son with sparkling eyes.

    "Uhh¡­" The man shut his eyes tightly. "T-Tomorrow¡­ no, until you can¡¯t hear anything around you. Got it? Whatever you do, don¡¯te out until then. Okay?"

    "Yeah! Okay!" The boy nodded energetically.

    "Joshua¡­"

    The man stood up after hiding his son in the debris. His legs shook crazily. He turned around, his face deathly pale, and smiled forcibly.

    "Please survive."

    The man ran outside after grabbing a sharp rock.

    "GarrrrrRRR!"

    A monster¡¯s bloodshot eyes widened after discovering the man. Its sharp teeth protruding from its split skull gleamed.

    "A-Arghh." The man suppressed his fear and raised the sharp rock. "D-Die, you monsteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!!"

    "KaraaaaaAAAA!!!!"

    The monster charged unimaginably fast, even taking into ount it was four-legged. It opened wide to bite the man¡¯s head off.

    <em>sh¡ª!</em>

    Just then, a greatsword covered in ck mes split the monster in half. The monster was sliced into tiny pieces like shattering ss once the de made contact with it. It spewed blood everywhere once it touched the Authority infused in the Hell Armament <em>Wrath</em>, which could dismantle any lifeform it touched into tiny pieces.

    "Ah¡­" expressed the man gripping the rock.

    The monster that looked like it was born from all of humanity¡¯s nightmares was defeated in one blow.

    "Who¡­?" the man slurred as he stared at the boy who had aplished the unimaginable feat.

    The boy mumbled, "...suits."

    The man flinched from sensing the resentment and rage in the boy¡¯s voice. He wondered what caused the boy to be so enraged.

    The answer was simple; there was only one thing the boy could be furious about as he witnessed the hellscape of people being devoured by monsters and bing monsters themselves.

    "MY FUCKING SWIMSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUITSSSSSSSSSS!!!"

    "...?"

    <em>¡¯Swimsuits?¡¯</em> the man thought.

    "BECAUSE OF THESE FUCKING USELESS ZOMBIES, I¡­!! DARLING¡­ DARLING¡¯S SWIMSUIT¡­!!!"

    The boy¡¯s fury zed uncontrobly.

    "Hurghhh! Lilith¡¯s slingshot bikini¡­ Yeon-Joo¡¯spetition swimsuit¡­ ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

    The boy screamed madly as he pulled on his hair as if he were possessed.

    "E-Excuse me?" the man called the boy dumbfoundedly.

    He did not know what was going on but the boy seemed to be a powerful yer. He had no choice but to stick with the boy to save his son.

    "I beg of you! Please¡­ Please kill these monst¡ª"

    "OF COURSE, I WILL!!" the boy shouted before the man could finish his sentence.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The concrete split as the boy leaped toward the monsters busy hunting their prey.

    "Keruuuu?"

    <em>sh¡ª!!</em>

    The boy¡¯s shes were so fast they couldn¡¯t be seen by the naked eye.

    <em>Split¡ª!</em>

    The monsters cut by the greatsword were sliced into tiny pieces like shattered ss. Even if the monsters boasted high regenerative capabilities, they couldn¡¯t regenerate from being sliced as small as peanuts.

    "Kang-Woo!"

    "What¡¯s the situation, my king?"

    "Urgh. I think I¡¯m gonna puke, Kang-Woo."

    Han Seol-Ah, Lilith, and Echidna arrived after changing. Kang-Woo turned to them as he was wiping out the monsters.

    He quelled as much of his surging fury as he could and asked calmly, "Where¡¯s Yeon-Joo?"

    "Killing the monsters in the hotel."

    "Really? Right then, Lilith. Request reinforcements from Guardians."

    Monsters had spread throughout the city and were rising in number. No matter how strong Kang-Woo was, he couldn¡¯t wipe out the monsters spreading like wildfire fast enough.

    "About that¡­ I¡¯ve been trying for a while now but it isn¡¯t connecting."

    "It¡¯s not connecting?"

    Kang-Woo frowned. Guardians was on alert twenty-four seven so that they could mobilize at any moment. There was only one reason why they couldn¡¯t get through to them.

    "They blocked allmunication¡­ is that it?"

    With this, Kang-Woo was even more sure of his hypothesis that an unknown entity with powers he couldn¡¯t detect was involved in this monster incident.

    "Were you able to contact the muscle pig?" Lilith asked.

    Kang-Woo and Balrog were connected by their souls, hence they couldmunicate with each other without amunication device. He closed his eyes and tried to contact Balrog but shook his head with a heavy expression.

    "No, that¡¯s been blocked as well. It looks like Singapore in its entirety was isted into a separate dimension."

    "That means¡­"

    "We have to take care of this ourselves," muttered Kang-Woo as he gripped Wrath harder.

    It would take far too much time to go back to Korea to request reinforcements ande back. They had no choice but to resolve this matter with their own strengths.

    "Let¡¯s split up. Echidna and Darling, swindle the monsters¡¯ numbers as much as you can."

    "Okay, Kang-Woo!"

    "Hm! I¡¯m feeling a bit queasy, but¡­ I¡¯ll hold it in as long as you say so!"

    Seol-Ah and Echidna nodded.

    "Lilith, try to locate the host of the monsters."

    "The host?"

    "The fact thatmunications were blocked means this was nned. There has to be someone controlling these monsters."

    "Understood. I will locate them right away."

    Lilith bowed deeply.

    "Well, then," Kang-Woo expressed.

    They had no time to waste since the monsters were multiplying even as they spoke. Seol-Ah sprouted her twelve ck wings and soared into the sky. Echidna also created small wings and flew up.

    "Let¡¯s begin."

    The four of them headed in different directions as if they had nned it. Kang-Woo ran like crazy and killed every monster in sight.

    "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" The fury he had quelled surged again as he massacred the monsters. "YOU FUCKING DRAGOONS!!"

    "KarrrrrrrrrrRRR!!!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s head hurt just from staring at the hideous monsters running four-legged with their head and torso facing up. Their unrealistic appearance only added fuel to his mes.

    "ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!! I¡¯M SO MAD!!! I¡¯M SO FUCKING MAAAAAAAD!! DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA HOW MUCH I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS TRIP?!!"

    "Gruuuuu!"

    "KaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAA!"

    <em>Split! Crack! sh!!</em>

    A storm of blood raged every time Kang-Woo swung his greatsword. Despite the monsters being far more physically capable than the zombies normally seen in films, they were no match for Kang-Woo who had long since surpassed human limits. The monsters suddenly went from predator to prey and began to run from Kang-Woo¡¯s rampage.

    "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU¡¯RE GOING?!"

    <em>Wham¡ª!</em>

    Kang-Woo leaped into the air and smashed his foot into a monster¡¯s head as hended.

    "There¡¯s no fucking end to them."

    He had ughtered as many of the monsters as he could but he couldn¡¯t kill every monster scattering as they ran away from him. There were far too many of them.

    "I guess¡­ I have no choice."

    Kang-Woo ced his hand over his heart. He had no choice but to borrow <em>his </em>power.

    "Abyss Summoning."

    <em>Wriggle!</em>

    ck mucus flowed out from him and gathered. Red glowing eyes appeared from the jet-ck darkness. A two-meter-tall demon with two horns on his forehead and bat wings slowly appeared from the darkness.

    [A-Aaaahh.]

    It was one of the princes of Hell, the entities that made the demons of the Ninth Hell tremble in fear just from hearing their names. Among them, the great demon of Wrath slowly crawled out from the Abyss of the Demonic Sea.

    [I am death.]

    The demon¡¯s voice was far clearerpared to when he was first summoned. The more of his power Kang-Woo regained, the more powerful and conscious the demons Kang-Woo summoned became.

    [I am the end,] the demon muttered as chilling demonic energy surged from him. [I am the father of all wrath, and I am wrath itself.]

    "KaRaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAa!!"

    A monster charged at the demon with its mouth wide open. The demon slowly raised his hand and grabbed the monster by its mouth. He activated the Authority of Extinction and burst the monster into tiny fragments. The demon¡¯s explosive demonic energy and imposing aura pressured the souls of every lifeform around him. He stared at the monsters with his red zing eyes.

    [I am¡­ Satan.]

    In a world where the princes of Hell no longer existed and no one feared them¡ª the Prince of Waste descended once again to plunge it into fear.

    "Oh fuck, sorry. Autocorrect."

    The Prince of Wrath descended once again to plunge it into fear.

 Side Story Chapter 56: Biohazard (2)

    Side Story Chapter 56: Biohazard (2)

    "Karrr?"

    "GureEEEEEEEEE!!"

    The monsters screamed iprehensibly like metal nails on a chalkboard, unable to be tranted even with interpretation magic. Perhaps because they couldmunicate with one another, the scattered monsters multiplied many times over and filled the surroundings. Anyone would tremble in fear from the sight.

    [How¡­ pathetic.]

    However, it did not faze the Prince of Wrath whom even the demons of the Ninth Hell feared. Satan couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as insignificant insects warmed his way. He examined the monsters with deeply sunken eyes.

    <em>¡¯Pathetic.¡¯</em>

    There was no other word to describe mere insects baring their teeth at the Prince of Wrath.

    Satan said coldly, [You will regret even thinking of baring your teeth at the Prince of Wrath.]

    His red eyes zed calmly despite being surrounded by monsters that looked like they were born from the Primordial Darkness. He was Satan; the Prince of Wrath as well as the epitome of fear in countless demons. No being was unafraid of h¡ª"That¡¯s enough bullshit," Oh Kang-Woo stated.

    [<em>Gasp?!</em>] Satan expressed shock.

    His calmly zing red eyes shook crazily as if facing a storm. He crouched quickly and raised his arms to protect his head.

    "What are you doing?"

    [N-Nothing.] Satan, momentarily stricken with fear, coughed as he stood up. [That aside, what is happening¡­?]

    He looked down at himself in disbelief. He remembered being summoned by the Demon King and acting as his puppet several times but this was the first time his consciousness was summoned with him in such a vivid form.

    He was normally summoned with his consciousness hazy as if he were high but this time, not only could he think clearly, but he also had a proper physical form instead of shaking mucus.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Immense demonic energy surged from Satan¡¯s hands, about as much power as he possessed during his prime at the Nine Hells as a prince¡ª no, his demonic energy was even denserpared to back then.

    "I went all out on this summoning," said Kang-Woo as he lightly stretched.

    Since he couldn¡¯t rely on reinforcements from Guardians, he needed other forms of reinforcements to eliminate the continuously replicating swarm of monsters.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯d like to summon more, but¡­¡¯</em>

    He could only summon one demon with their consciousness perfectly intact.

    <em>¡¯I could summon more demons that move like puppets, but it would be pointless.¡¯</em>

    The demons summoned from the Abyss were immortal like Kang-Woo butcked attack power and mobility. The monsters invading the city possessed physical prowess and vitality far surpassing zombiesmonly seen in films. Mere puppet demons couldn¡¯t stop them no matter how many Kang-Woo summoned.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s better to have one more reliable ally than many useless ones.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned to Satan who was looking down at himself with mixed feelings. Satan¡¯s Authority of Extinction could dismantle a target¡¯s body into tiny pieces once he made contact with them. No matter how persistent the monsters were, they wouldn¡¯t survive once they took a direct hit from Satan¡¯s Authority.

    "It would¡¯ve been great if I could¡¯ve summoned Bael, but¡­"

    Summoning Satan was the best Kang-Woo could do with the powers he currently possessed.

    "Right then, let¡¯s start again."

    Kang-Woo smiled as he gripped Wrath, Satan¡¯s former weapon. Since he had summoned a dependable ally, it was time to massacre the monsters.

    He pointed the greatsword at the monsters and shouted, "Go, Satan! Show them the power of the Prince of Waste!"

    [I-I am Wrath¡­]

    "Okay, okay. I get it, so kill those damn monsters first," Kang-Woo interjected as he got into position.

    Satan stared at the greatsword in Kang-Woo¡¯s hands, his eyes shaking.

    [Th-That¡¯s my sword¡ª]

    "Hurry up! There¡¯s no fucking time, dammit!"

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kang-Woo kicked Satan¡¯s ass, sending him rolling.

    "KuRRRRrrrAAAAAA!!!"

    The monsters surrounding them charged as they screeched.

    "Die, you motherfuckers!!"

    Kang-Woo charged as he wildly swung his greatsword. The flesh of the monsters exploded, sttering all over the ce.

    [Hurghhh¡­ M-My sword¡­]

    Satan followed Kang-Woo¡¯s orders despite bursting into tears. He was still a prince of Hell even without his weapon; he could easily wipe out monsters of this level with his bare hands.

    [Raaaaaaaaaaahhh!!]

    "KiiiiiiiiAaaaaaaaaaaAA!!"

    Satan vented his rage on the monsters. With each swing of his fists, the monsters burst like balloons.

    [Why?! Why?! WHY?!! WHY ONLY ME?!!]

    Satan attacked even more ferociously as his wrath surged. He obliterated dozens of monsters in less than a minute.

    [IT WASN¡¯T ME!!!] he screamed in resentment. [I DON¡¯T EVEN FUCKING KNOW WHO ALEC AND REYNALD ARE!!! WHY ARE YOU FUCKING DOING THIS TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!!]

    The monsters caught in his rage were dismantled helplessly.

    "Good! I¡¯m proud of you, Satan!! Kill every single one of those fucking dragoons! Kill them all with your shit and piss!!"

    [ARGHHHHHHH!!! I TOLD YOU IT¡¯S NOT WASTE, IT¡¯S WRATH!!!]

    Satan massacred the monsters as he screamed madly, about to shed tears of blood. The speed at which the monsters were dying had noticeably increasedpared to when Kang-Woo was killing them by himself.

    Squelch.

    A green tentacle crawled out of Kang-Woo¡¯s shadow as he and Satan took care of all the monsters in the area.

    "GYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH!!" Kang-Woo screamed as he widened the distance between him and the tentacle, his legs shaking uncontrobly.

    "Ah, ahh. Can you hear me, my king?"

    Just as Kang-Woo was about to swing Wrath out of reflex, the tentacle wriggled as Lilith¡¯s voice came out of it.

    "Uhh, yeah. I can hear you."

    "Themunication devices aren¡¯t working, so I had no choice but to contact you this way."

    "Ohh¡­"

    Kang-Woo nodded in understanding.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ll never understand why tentacles have to look like that, though.¡¯</em>

    He shook his head in disgust and asked, "So, did you find the host?"

    "No, not yet, but I¡¯ve found some unique lifeforms."

    "Unique lifeforms?"

    "Yes. They are monsters far bigger than the others. The smaller monsters are starting to group around therger ones. Also, the way they are hunting humans has changed from random chasing to strategic methods."

    "How have their hunting methods changed?"

    "They¡¯re not killing the humans but kidnapping them and using them as bait."

    "For fuck¡¯s sake."

    It would make obliterating the monsters more difficult than it already was.

    "Hoho. No need to be so down, my king. This is a great opportunity for us," Lilith mentioned.

    "It is?"

    "The unique lifeforms have taken charge of different regions as if they are receiving orders from someone."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes sparkled. The regr monsters were gathered around the unique monsters, who were divided into different regions and strategically hunted humans.

    "In that case¡­" Kang-Woo slurred.

    "Yes. We can find the host once we capture one of the unique monsters and interrogate them."

    "Alright."

    Kang-Woo smiled and nodded. As Lilith said, this was a great opportunity.

    "I will give you the location of the unique monster nearest to you. I will also let Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah know so your targets won¡¯t ovep," Lilith stated.

    "What about Echidna?"

    "Mm¡­ I¡¯m a little reluctant to leave it to Echidna by herself."

    "That¡¯s true."

    They were still unsure about how strong the unique monsters were; Kang-Woo could trust Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo¡¯s abilities but was worried about leaving one of them to Echidna.

    "Then tell Echidna to focus on gathering and protecting survivors," Kang-Woo ordered.

    "Understood."

    The green tentacle disappeared into Kang-Woo¡¯s shadow.

    <em>Bash! Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Kang-Woo could hear explosions and see red chains sprouting into the sky.

    "Looks like Yeon-Joo has already started."

    Cha Yeon-Joo seemed to be battling the unique monster.

    "I guess I should pick up the pace!"

    Kang-Woo grabbed Satan¡¯s tail and flew into the air using the Authority of the Sky.

    [Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!]

    Satan¡¯s screams filled the skies of the city.

    ***

    It didn¡¯t take long for Kang-Woo to find the unique monster Lilith mentioned.

    "AaaaaaaaaKAraaaaaaaAA!!"

    "Kyaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

    "S-Spare me!!! Please let me live!!!"

    At the center of a group of about a thousand monsters was a monster about five meters tall. It did not look strikingly differentpared to the other smaller monsters; it was just arge lump of flesh as if several monsters were clumped together.

    "For fuck¡¯s sake, it looks hideous."

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but curse at the sight. As Lilith had reported, the monsters were using the people they had caught as bait and enticing the survivors drunk on heroism to save them.

    "What a fucking waste of time."

    He didn¡¯t expect anyone to be stupid enough to charge at the horde of monsters only to save the captured people.

    "Raaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

    "You damn monsters!!"

    "The fuck?" Kang-Woo remarked.

    <em>¡¯They¡¯re trying to save the captured people for real?¡¯</em>

    "Die, you fucking mons¡ª Kurgh!!"

    "Gaaaaaahhh! H-Help me!! Wh-What the fuck?!"

    Several people who seemed to be yers charged at the monsters with weapons in hand but their limbs were torn apart without even getting a chance to swing them. They were never a match for the monsters since they were outnumbered nearly a hundred to one.

    "Are they a new breed of dumbass or something?"

    <em>¡¯Why the hell would they run in there when they¡¯re weak as fuck?¡¯</em>

    The bitten yers convulsed as they vomited blood, then became monsters themselves and joined the horde.

    "Fucking hell. They¡¯re gonna get asrge as an actual army at this rate."

    <em>¡¯I have to act fast.¡¯</em>

    "SATANMON!!! I CHOOSE YOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!" shouted Kang-Woo like an inhumane psychopath who kidnapped, imprisoned, and brutally tamed Pokemon and called them his friends as he forced them to take part in murderous battles.

    He took a throwing stance like a major-league baseball yer, pulling back his right hand grabbing Satan¡¯s tail, and raising his left leg into the air.

    [GAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!]

    <em>BOOM!</em>

    Kang-Woo threw Satan with all his might. Satan twirled uncontrobly in the air andnded in the middle of the horde of monsters.

    [I-I am¡­ wr-wrath¡­]

    The Prince of Wrath slowly stood up from the crater made under him.

 Side Story Chapter 57: Biohazard (3)

    Side Story Chapter 57: Biohazard (3)

    "KuRuAAAAAAAAaaaaAAAAAAAA!!!" the unique monster roared.

    The thousand smaller monsters reacted to the roar and charged at Satan, baring their teeth.

    [U-Urgh¡­]

    Satan, who was smashed into the ground at supersonic speed, staggered as he stood up. He was more impacted by the humiliation as the Prince of Wrath than the physical damage, but he couldn¡¯t vent his rage at the Demon King, his summoner as well as the true master of the Abyss.

    [RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!]

    Hence, he had no choice but to take it out on the monsters before him.

    [HOW DARE YOU BARE YOUR TEETH AT THE PRINCE OF WRATH!!!]

    Satan knew he was venting his frustrations on the wrong target but he would explode from rage if he didn¡¯t release it.

    [DIE, PATHETIC INSECTS!!]Satan drew out his full power, ughtering the monsters. There were many of them but it did not matter. Although he was treated like a punching bag by the Demon King, he was still a prince of Hell. Mere monsters were no match for him.

    <em>Crunch¡ª!!</em>

    Satan¡¯s demonic energy spread widely, mangling the monsters that made contact with it. However, it was not enough to kill the persistent monsters.

    "KaaarrrrRRRRRRR!!"

    The monsters charged at Satan without hesitation despite their bodies being mangled.

    [You dare!]

    Satan realized from his earlier ughter that a simple discharge of demonic energy couldn¡¯t kill the monsters. He spread his arms and activated his Authority.

    <em>Crack!!</em>

    The monsters that made contact with the Authority of Extinction shattered like ss.

    [RAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!] Satan roared as he rampaged, ughtering the monsters and creating a storm of blood.

    <em>Thud.</em>

    Oh Kang-Woonded next to Satan. He smiled and remarked, "Nice work."

    He couldn¡¯t afford to stand and watch for long; he needed to take action to reduce the monsters¡¯ numbers as quickly as possible.

    [Kurgh¡­]

    Satan grimaced as he red at Kang-Woo who was acting as if nothing happened after humiliating him.

    "Stop frowning, man. Leaving our past differences aside, we¡¯re partners now."

    [P-Partners?]

    Satan¡¯s mouth gaped in disbelief from hearing such a worde out of the Demon King¡¯s mouth.

    "Of course! A Pokemon and their trainer are friends!"

    [Pokemon¡­? What is that?]

    "Go, Satanmon! Wipe out these disgusting monsters!"

    Kang-Woo turned from the dumbfounded Satan to the unique monster at the center of the horde.

    <em>¡¯Once I capture that bastard, I¡¯ll know the location of the host.¡¯</em>

    There was no point in hesitating.

    <em>Wham!</em>

    Kang-Woo sprinted toward the unique monster like a bullet and raised Wrath over his head.

    "KaaaaAAAAA!!!"

    The smaller monsters around it stood in Kang-Woo¡¯s way as if to protect the unique monster.

    "Fuck off!"

    Kang-Woo kept one hand on Wrath and spread out his other arm. The palm of his free hand split and ck liquid fell on the ground.

    "Dark Spears."

    Spears made of demonic energy sprouted from the ground with him at the epicenter, skewering the monsters charging at him. An attack of this level would not kill them but that was not the intention of the attack.

    "Gotcha, you son of a bitch."

    Kang-Woo took the chance to reach the five-meter unique monster, stabbed Wrath into itsrge stomach, and activated the Authority of Extinction.

    "This is my Wrath, and¡­"

    sh!

    He cut open the unique monster¡¯s stomach and pulled out his sword.

    He red resentfully at the monster and muttered, "This is for the swimsuits that never saw the light of day."

    "KiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAA!!!"

    Blood spurted from its stomach, which Kang-Woo stepped backward to dodge. Blood vessels bulged throughout its body like cracking ss. Nothing could survive a direct attack from Wrath¡ª

    "KaaaRRRRRRrrrrRRR!!!"

    "The fuck?"

    <em>Bash!</em>

    The lump of flesh that was the monster¡¯s arm smashed into Kang-Woo.

    "Kurgh!"

    Its attack broke through Kang-Woo¡¯s Deific Essence barrier, sending a shockwave throughout Kang-Woo. A red thorn grew out at the end of the lump of flesh and dug into him, shing his nk open.

    "Guh!" Kang-Woo jumped backward as he put pressure on his nk. "What the hell¡­?"

    His eyes shook in panic. He was not surprised by the fact that his Deific Essence barrier was broken since he had already taken the possibility into ount from the moment he found out the monsters were created by an unknown power that he couldn¡¯t detect. There was something else that shocked him.

    "Why isn¡¯t it¡­ regenerating?"

    The wound on his nk was not healing.

    "..."

    It was impossible. Kang-Woo¡¯s physical form was not made of flesh and blood, but the Demonic Sea. Just like how an ocean had no concept of death, neither did his body. No matter how badly he was injured, his infinite demonic energy would make it as if nothing had happened. Hence, nothing could kill him in the truest sense¡ª or at least, he thought.

    "H-Haha. Fuck me," Kang-Woo chuckled.

    ck mucus was oozing from his nk, cut open by the monster¡¯s red thorn. It was not healing; all he could feel was sharp pain. Kang-Woo felt chills running down his back as he stared at his injury and the ck blood. He couldn¡¯t remember thest time he felt this feeling¡ª the fear of <em>death</em>.

    "Haaa. For fuck¡¯s sake."

    He did not expect anything like this. The immortality that did not break even during his battle against Bael had lost its meaning.

    "KAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!" the monster with its stomach split open screeched.

    Crack! Crack!

    Something crawled out of the monster¡¯s gaping stomach.

    "A¡­ centipede?"

    It was an arthropod-like creature with countless legs.

    "No, there¡¯s no way a centipede is that fuckingrge."

    It looked like a centipede but not a real one. Not only did centipedes not grow to be this massive, but they didn¡¯t burrow in corpses like parasites and control their host.

    <em>¡¯That must be¡ª¡¯</em>

    "M-My king!!!"

    Kang-Woo heard Lilith¡¯s voice. He looked down to see a tentacle sprouting from his shadow.

    "I found the location of the host!!"

    The sound of his dripping blood and Lilith¡¯s voice echoed inside his head.

    "The opponent you¡¯re fighting¡­ isn¡¯t a unique monster!!"

    "Yeah." Kang-Woo nodded. "I thought so."

    He smiled. The otherworldly being, only ten centimeters long, that caused this biohazard was using human flesh as its nutrition and growing bigger.

    <em>Crunch! Crunch¡ª!!</em>

    The centipede crawled out of the monster¡¯s belly and squirmed. The monsters in the surroundings attached to the centipede and formed a giant lump of flesh. Red thorns that wounded Kang-Woo sprouted throughout it.

    "You¡¯re the host."

    Kang-Woo clenched his sword and lowered his stance. His heart beat rapidly. The back of his head was hot and he could feel cold sweats running down his back. He had not felt this way in a long time; sparks made from the fear of death spread throughout his body.

    "H-Haha. This is so fucking fun."

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t stop himself fromughing. He was not scared despite the monster possessing the power to kill him. Rather, he was so ecstatic he couldn¡¯t contain it.

    "KAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!" the centipede screeched.

    The centipede, which became a giant lump of flesh after absorbing the monsters around it, swung its thorn-riddled arm ferociously.

    As Kang-Woo stared at the arm being swung his way, he muttered, "Burn."

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Gold and ck mes enveloped Kang-Woo and he stepped to the side.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    The lump of flesh smashed into the ground.

    <em>Swoosh!</em>

    The red thorns shot out from the arm like a ymore mine explosion. A thorn grazed Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder and cheek, causing him to bleed.

    "Hell yeah! This is what I fucking call a battle!!"

    Kang-Woo burst intoughter as he looked down at his wounds that were not regenerating. It had been a while since he felt a need to dodge attacks, which was a natural response for most.

    He had no need to dodge or block attacks until now since he couldn¡¯t die from anything. Battles had be boring for him, but not this moment.

    "Hahahaha! Rampage even more, motherfucker!"

    Endorphins flooded Kang-Woo¡¯s brain. He just barely dodged the storm of red thorns as he approached the monster as if he were dancing.

    <em>sh!</em>

    He swung his sword upward. The lump of flesh split like shattering ss and spewed blood. Kang-Woo rolled sideways to dodge the blood.

    "Hup!"

    He raised his right arm, zing with the mes of Voracity, and shoved it into the split flesh.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    The giant mes engulfed the lump of flesh.

    "Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!"

    The centipede situated at the center of the lump thrashed about ferociously. It cut off the flesh being burned by the mes of Voracity, hundreds of internal organs flooding out of the severed end.

    "Wait a second."

    Kang-Woo recalled what happened in the hotel hallway. Yeon-Joo was almost hit by the blood bullets that had shot out from the internal organs of the split monster.

    "Could it be¡­"

    <em>Ratatatatatatatatatat!!!</em>

    "Why the fuck is a protoss using hydras?!"[1]

    <em>¡¯A dark archon must¡¯ve used mind control!¡¯</em>

    "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

    Kang-Woo ran like crazy to dodge the blood bullets spraying like a machine gun. Since his wounds were not healing, he would die for sure if he took those bullets head-on.

    "Shit!"

    Kang-Woo continued to run but the storm of blood bullets did not seem to end. There was nowhere to run.

    "In that case¡­!"

    If he couldn¡¯t do it alone, he had no choice but to get the help of a <em>friend</em>.

    "SATANMOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!"

    [Hm?]

    Kang-Woo ran toward Satan, busy ughtering the monsters.

    [Wh-What are you¡ª]

    Kang-Woo grabbed Satan by his neck and pushed him forward.

    "FRIEND SHIEEEEEEEEEEEEELD!!"

    <em>Ratatatatatatatatat!!!</em>

    Countless blood bullets showered Satan.

    [Kurgh!! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!]

    "Gasp!" Kang-Wo widened his eyes. "A-Aaaahh! I can¡¯t believe it! Satanmon is dead!"

    On that day, Kang-Woo lost his precious friend.

    1. This is a Starcraft reference; you don¡¯t need to know what it means LMAO. ?

 Side Story Chapter 58: Biohazard (4)

    "It can¡¯t be true!!!"

    Oh Kang-Woo screamed in despair as he pulled on his hair. Satan, who had be a rag, was no longer moving. The life of Kang-Woo¡¯s partner, who had lived through countless battles with him, hade to an end.

    "A-Aaaahh!"

    A zing emotion surged from deep within him¡ª yes, this emotion was known as <em>wrath</em>.

    "BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!!!"

    Kang-Woo red at the monster that fired blood bullets like a machine gun. His ferociously zing wrath took over his sense of reason.

    "How dare you¡­ How dare you do this to Satan¡­?!"

    "Kaarrr?"

    The otherworldly monster tilted its head in confusion as its countless legs squirmed, unable to understand the situation. Kang-Woo grimaced at how shameless the monster was acting."Kurgh!"

    He couldn¡¯t find even an ounce of emotion from the evil being. He was sure the otherworldly monster hade to Earth to end humanity as they knew it.

    "You¡¯d better not think things will go your way."

    Kang-Woo resolved himself. He couldn¡¯t waste the chance Satan made for him at the cost of his life.

    "Satan¡­ I will never forget¡­ your brave sacrifice¡­"

    [<em>C-Cough!</em> Guuuuuhhhhh! Wh-Why am I not r-regenerating¡­?]

    "Wait, what the fuck? You¡¯re alive?"

    "KaaaaaarRRRRRRRRR!!"

    After receiving nutrition from human flesh, the centipede that had grown giant screeched as it squirmed. The lump of flesh in the form of a giant bipedal creature, connected to the centipede, walked toward Kang-Woo and swung its giant arm-like lump. The red thorns sprouted on the surface shot out like a screen of bullets.

    "Kurgh! Shit!!!"

    [N-No, wait a s¡ª Kurgh! Urgh! Gaaaaaaaahhh!!]

    Kang-Woo blocked the red thorns, using Satan¡¯s corpse as a shield, and raised his greatsword with one arm.

    "Oh¡­"

    Come to think of it, this was <em>Wrath</em>, Satan¡¯s former weapon. The sword and shield he was using were filled with precious memories between him and Satan¡ª no, it meant more than that.

    <em>¡¯You could say¡­ this shield is Satan himself.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo teared up. He clenched his sword and blocked the thorns with his shield. He could hear agonizing groans from the shield but ignored it, brushing it off as a hallucination.

    "Haaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!" Kang-Woo screamed as he charged forward, blocking the shower of red thorns using Satan¡¯s shield.

    He leaped into the air and swung the sword down on the hideous lump of flesh.

    <em>Shatter¡ª!!</em>

    The Authority infused in <em>Wrath </em>activated and tore apart the monster¡¯s flesh, but it was not enough. Kang-Woo needed something stronger to put Satan¡¯s vengeful spirit to rest.

    "Sunset."

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    The mes of Voracity zed ferociously, flowing into the monster through Wrath, and engulfed it. Marks formed on the lump of flesh as if it were bitten apart by a wild beast.

    "KuRUUUUUuuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" the centipede screeched in pain as it thrashed about.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    "What the hell is this?!"

    Enormous energy surged from the thrashing centipede.

    <em>Wham!</em>

    Kang-Woo quickly pushed Satan¡¯s corpse in front of him to block but a massive impact blew him away.

    "Kurgh!" Kang-Woo tumbled across the ground. "Guh¡­"

    He groaned as he red at the centipede and froze.

    "That¡¯s¡­"

    He saw the mark of a golden bnce scale engraved on the forehead of the thrashing centipede.

    "Hah," Kang-Woo chuckled. "Yeah, I was wondering when you¡¯d make your move."

    He gritted his teeth. He understood atst why a mere insect from an outer world could nullify his immortality and why he couldn¡¯t detect its energy even with the Authority of Insight.

    "Akart."

    The Titan of Light, Truth, and Bnce had been behind it.

    "Sheesh, what¡¯s with his tastes in subordinates?"

    First, it was a lion, then a monkey, and now a centipede.

    "Are we going through the entire animal kingdom?"

    Kang-Woo chuckled as his eyes gleamed fiercely, ring at the centipede with the mark of Libra on its forehead.

    "Fuuu, haaa."

    He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. His heart was beating like crazy. His objective did not change after figuring out that the centipede was Akart¡¯s subordinate. It would be impossible to squeeze any information out of the centipede since it did not seem to have intelligence and seemed worthless as a hostage.

    <em>¡¯If that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯</em>

    "Die, you fucking insect."

    There was no reason not to kill it.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Thunderous booms echoed with each step the lump of flesh connected to the centipede took.

    "KaaaaaaaaRRRRRRRR!!!"

    Its screech was ear-splitting. The golden Libra mark on its forehead shone brightly.

    <em>¡¯First off.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo examined the otherworldly monster with deeply sunken eyes as he thought of the most efficient way to end its life.

    <em>¡¯I have to separate the main body from that lump of flesh.¡¯</em>

    The centipede was attacking only with the giant lump of flesh it formed by gathering human corpses. There was a good chance it was weak on its own.

    <em>¡¯In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo acted fast¡ª there was no reason to hesitate now that he had his objective. He reached the lump of flesh in an instant as he dodged the barrage of blood bullets. He raised his sword, aiming for the junction between the centipede and the lump of flesh.

    "KaaaaAAAAaakakakakakakaka!!"

    The centipede rampaged even more aggressively as if proving Kang-Woo¡¯s hypothesis was correct. Red thorns sprouted from the junction.

    "No, you don¡¯t!!!"

    Kang-Woo raised Satan¡¯s corpse he was holding with his left hand. Attacks of this level were nothing as long as he and his partner joined forces.

    <em>Stab! Stab! Stab!</em>

    The red thorns pierced Satan¡¯s body; he was no longer grunting in agony.

    "Satan is dead!!!"

    His partner was no more.

    "But¡­ BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!!!" Kang-Woo shouted as he clenched his sword. "He will live on in my heart¡­ in my stomach!!!"

    Kang-Woo shoved the sword into the junction between the centipede and the lump of flesh.

    "FRIEND SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORD!!!"

    Blood sprouted like a fountain. Kang-Woo ferociously twisted the sword he stabbed into the junction. A red thorn pierced through Satan¡¯s corpse as blood spurted all over the ce.

    "KiiiiiiiiikaaaaaaaaaaaaAAA!" the centipede screeched as it stared at Kang-Woo, who was cutting away at the junction.

    Its eyes looked as if it were miserable. It withdrew its red thorns as if it had no intention of fighting anymore. It couldn¡¯t talk but Kang-Woo interpreted its actions aspromising to be spared and that it would do as Kang-Woo asked.

    "Kehehehehe!" Kang-Woo cackled as he stared at the centipede. "No, no. No, you fucking insect."

    He smiled widely as he reached out to grab the centipede, just barely connected to the lump of flesh.

    "There are nopromises in revenge."

    Kang-Woo gripped the centipede and pulled it apart from the lump of flesh with all his might.

    "KAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"

    The centipede screeched harder than it ever did.

    "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"

    The centipede was fully separated from the flesh and tumbled across the ground, squirming miserably.

    "Kiiiiiiii¡­ kyaaaaa¡­¡­."

    As Kang-Woo expected, it couldn¡¯t do anything aside from parasitizing other lifeforms and controlling them. He walked toward the squirming centipede as he put pressure on his injured nk.

    "Do you feel it?" he asked coldly as he looked down at the centipede. "Hm? Do you feel it, you fucking insect?"

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The mes of Voracity traveled up the de of <em>Wrath</em>. Kang-Woo recalled the things that disappeared.

    <em>¡¯Ahh.¡¯</em>

    The trip that would have been fun¡­ the extravagant swimming pool on the hotel rooftop¡­ and the three women¡¯s swimsuits that would have dwarfed the beauty of the swimming pool. The would-be most precious time of his life disappeared because of the fucking insect from the outer world.

    <em>¡¯And¡­¡¯</em>

    Satan¡ª an old friend Kang-Woo had known since the Ninth Hell as well as his precious partner with whom he had fought countless battles together. He sacrificed himself for Kang-Woo without hesitation and drew hisst breath as he handed Kang-Woo his most treasured sword as he wished for Kang-Woo to kill that monster with it.

    "This is¡ª"

    Kang-Woo bit his lip, feeling the sharp pain from his nk. However, the pain was nothingpared to his heartbreak.

    "My¡¾Wrath¡¿."

    He thrusted his sword down on the mark of Libra on the centipede¡¯s forehead.

    "KAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!" the centipede screeched for thest time after being pierced in its head and copsed lifelessly.

    "Haaa, haaa," Kang-Woo panted heavily. He turned away from the dead monster and looked around. "Is it¡­ over?"

    Likely because the host died, the monsters that had been ughtering other people suddenly stopped in their tracks and stood nkly as if they were a machine turned off.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo slowly walked toward Satan¡¯s ragged corpse. His eyes were open¡ª Kang-Woo could only imagine how worried Satan was for Kang-Woo for his eyes to be open even in death. Kang-Woo closed Satan¡¯s eyes with his hand, telling him not to worry.

    "A-Aaaahh," he groaned as tears flowed down his cheeks.

    He looked up at the sunset in silence. The night would fall soon. He would have to face a night¡­ without Satan.

 Side Story Chapter 59: Happy End? (1)

    Side Story Chapter 59: Happy End? (1)

    [Kurgh! Guh! Gaaaahh¡­]

    The ragged Satan coughed violently and wriggled as Oh Kang-Woo was holding a requiem for him.

    "Eh? The hell? You¡¯re still not dead?"

    The centipede¡¯s attacks could nullify the Demonic Sea¡¯s regenerative capabilities so Kang-Woo expected Satan, who took several such attacks head-on, to have been annihted.

    <em>¡¯Oh,e to think of it, Satan is just a summon from the Abyss.¡¯</em>

    It meant as long as Kang-Woo, the summoner, wasn¡¯t dead, Satan could never be annihted.

    "Satanmon! You¡¯re back!"

    <em>¡¯My partner isn¡¯t dead!¡¯</em>

    [Y-You¡­ m-motherfucking scumbag.]"Sheesh, is that any way to talk to your dear old friend?"

    Kang-Woo snickered as he withdrew the summon. He was having difficulty keeping Satan summoned because he used a significant amount of power in this battle.

    "Fuuu," Kang-Woo exhaled, the feeling of sparks that traveled throughout his body still lingering. "How long has it been since I fought for real?"

    It had been a while since he fought with the possibility of death looming over him. He wanted nothing more than to kill Akart in the worst way possible but was also thankful for Akart in a way for the experience of a heated battle Kang-Woo had not had in a long time. Kang-Woo did not expect a battle to ever bring him ecstasy again after bing one with the Demonic Sea and achieving immortality.

    "This makes me sound like a battle junkie or something."

    <em>¡¯Well, it¡¯s not wrong, I guess.¡¯</em>

    A battle with no guarantee of survival was far more exciting than one where his victory was guaranteed. Kang-Woo was treating a battle to the death like a game but it couldn¡¯t be helped since he spent the vast majority of his life in a world where he would not have survived without going insane.

    Kang-Woo examined the wound on his nk as he relished in the thrill of battle.

    <em>¡¯Will it stay like this?¡¯</em>

    It would be a problem if the wound did not heal; it was quiterge because Kang-Woo had taken it head-on, not expecting it to nullify his immortality.

    <em>Wriggle, wriggle.</em>

    "Looks like it¡¯s healing slowly."

    The regeneration speed was extremely slow but Kang-Woo could see ck mucus squirming as his wound healed. He felt like the pain was lessening as well. He ripped off a piece of his clothes and wrapped it around the wound like a bandage. Just then, he heard the chime of a bell.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Sanctification has been removed due to the death of Akart¡¯s subordinate!]

    "Sanctification¡­?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder, then recalled howmunication with the outside world was blocked as if the space around the city was isted from the rest of the world.

    <em>¡¯That must have been Sanctification.¡¯</em>

    [I was unable to help you because the Law of Titans cannot interfere with sanctified territory. My apologies, guardian deity.]

    "No wonder you were so quiet."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and turned around. Sanctification was certainly an annoying means. He approached Akart¡¯s dead subordinate which had its head split in two.

    <em>¡¯It looks disgusting, but¡­¡¯</em>

    He had no choice but to eat it using the Authority of Predation to gain information about Akart.

    <em>Crunch! Crunch!</em>

    Kang-Woo activated the Authority of Predation. ck mucus with sharp teeth sprouting from it devoured the centipede. At that moment, a red warning message popped up.

    [The Light of Akart has the power to disintegrate the Demonic Sea! You must not eat his subordinate!]

    "Oh, is that right?"

    <em>¡¯For fuck¡¯s sake.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo spat out the centipede¡¯s corpse; its ragged corpse flew out of the ck mucus.

    <em>¡¯That aside, the power to disintegrate the Demonic Sea, huh?¡¯</em>

    He had a feeling it would be far more annoying to face Akart than he had originally expected. His ability perfectly countered Kang-Woo¡¯s.

    <em>¡¯Is there no change¡­ in my body reconstruction?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo expected the Demonic Sea to have received significant stimtion thanks to Kang-Woo experiencing the fear of death after a long time, but he couldn¡¯t feel anything in particr.

    "Fuuu."

    Kang-Woo felt dizzy as a wave of fatigue hit him once he lowered his alertness after the battle. He shook his head to keep himself together.

    <em>¡¯I still have things to do.¡¯</em>

    He slowly walked as he looked around. The rampaging monsters were left immobile after the centipede¡¯s death but they couldn¡¯t be left in that state.

    <em>¡¯Threats need to be eliminated early.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed to kill every single monster standing still like puppets with no strings attached.

    "Fucking hell, I¡¯m so exhausted."

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    He couldn¡¯t ignite the mes of Voracity on his hand, likely due to using it too much during his battle against the centipede.

    "Th-Thank you very much!!"

    "Aaaahh! I-I¡¯m alive!! We¡¯re alive!!"

    "How did that little boy¡­"

    Just then, Kang-Woo noticed the survivors cheering and his eyes shone.

    "Oh," he expressed.

    <em>¡¯I can get them to do it.¡¯</em>

    "Everyone! Rescue teams from Guardians will arrive soon!" Kang-Woo shouted.

    "Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

    "I would expect nothing less from Guardians!!!"

    "We¡¯re alive! Alive!!!"

    Kang-Woo smiled as the survivors cheered. He picked up a piece of wood and made a small torch.

    "Right then, everyone! Please burn the immobile monsters while the rescue teams arrive!"

    "..."

    "Pardon¡­?"

    The expressions of the cheering survivors suddenly froze.

    "Y-You want us to?"

    <em>¡¯Obviously. Who else is gonna do it?¡¯</em>

    "Yes, please," Kang-Woo responded respectfully.

    One could only expect to be treated respectfully if they treated others with the same respect.

    "Umm¡­ that¡¯s a bit¡­"

    "Urgh! I-I¡¯m bleeding!"

    "Guh! How the hell do you expect us to burn those hideous monsters?!"

    <em>¡¯The fuck did you motherfuckers say?¡¯</em>

    "Aren¡¯t you part of Guardians?! Huh? Why are you making us do your job?" shouted a thug with blond hair and covered in tattoos.

    "You shouldn¡¯t talk that way to the person who saved us¡­"

    "What? If you¡¯ve got a problem with it, then do it yourself, olddy! Those monsters might start moving again at any second, so why do Non-yers like us have to deal with the corpses?!" shouted the blond thug as he walked toward Kang-Woo. "I¡¯m not doing that shit, so deal with it, brat."

    "Hah¡­" Kang-Woo chuckled.

    <em>¡¯Respect, my ass.¡¯</em>

    This was how humans were; they were grateful to Kang-Woo for saving them but didn¡¯t want to do anything filthy and scary. It somewhat made sense since they weren¡¯t obligated to do something they didn¡¯t want to do just because their lives were saved.

    "What? Do you have a problem with that? Why don¡¯t you hit me if you do? Kekeke! You know what happens if a Guardians yer attacks an ordinary person, don¡¯t you?"

    But of course, this thug was not picking a fight with Kang-Woo, who wiped out the monsters, because he was brainless. A Guardians yer couldn¡¯t attack an ordinary person under any circumstances, the same as a soldier.

    No matter how illogical and unfair it was, the rules of Guardians stated a member could never attack an ordinary person, even if the yer was attacked first. The rule had been made to stop members from intimidating regr people with the position. Hence, the thug¡¯s actions were not brainless.

    If Kang-Woo were an ordinary member of Guardians, that was.

    "For fuck¡¯s sake, you sure love to fuck around, huh?" cursed Kang-Woo.

    It was hard to believe such words came out of a little boy¡¯s mouth. Kang-Woo grabbed the cor of the thug who was lightly pping Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek to taunt him.

    "Huh¡­?" the thug expressed confusion.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kang-Woo pped the thug with as little power as possible but to the thug, the p was strong enough to rattle his brain.

    "Jeez, just listen to me when I¡¯m asking nicely, you dumbass. You think I¡¯m having you work for no fucking reason? Huh? I¡¯m asking you to burn the motherfuckers before they fucking eat your brains out. Is that so bad for you?"

    "Kurgh! Ugh! Y-You attacked me!!"

    "So what, dipshit?"

    "I-I¡¯ll report you! I¡¯ll report you to the leader of Guardians and say that a member of Guardians attacked a regr person!!!"

    "The leader of Guardians is my sister-inw."

    "Huh¡­?" The thug¡¯s wide eyes darted rapidly. "Th-Then I¡¯ll tell the Sword Dragon¡ª"

    "He¡¯s my little brother, dumbass."

    <em>Crush!</em>

    Kang-Woo twisted the blind thug¡¯s left arm, breaking his bones.

    The thug screamed monstrously, "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! M-MY FUCKING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARM!!!"

    It was so hideous that Kang-Woo had difficulty believing it hade from a human.

    <em>¡¯Is this son of a bitch infected?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was sure the thug was infected from how nightmarish his scream was. The thug did not seem to be injured but they could still be infected through blood.

    "Son of a bitch!! So you were infected!!"

    "What? Wh-What the fuck are you talking ab¡ª"

    "Shut up!!!"

    "Kurgh! Ugh! Gurgh!"

    "Such hideous screams! I knew it!!"

    <em>Bash! Smash! Crunch!</em>

    The thug¡¯s screeches only became more monstrous the more Kang-Woo beat him up. As he had thought, the thug was infected.

    "W-We¡¯ll burn the monsters right away!"

    "H-Haha! It¡¯s only natural we help Guardians!"

    The survivors watching the thug get beaten up slowly picked up pieces of wood. Getting fire was easy since the entire city was burning. The survivors began to burn the immobile monsters.

    "Gurgh, urghhh."

    "Fuuu. That¡¯s better."

    Kang-Woo smiled widely as he watched the survivors fervently burning the monsters. Forget respect, violence was the most effective form ofmunication.

    "Sheesh."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. After witnessing how cunning the cowardly survivors were, he naturally recalled the father who recklessly attacked the monsters to save his son¡¯s life. Although the result was terrible, some yers had charged at the horde of monsters to rescue the captured people.

    <em>¡¯That¡¯s just how humans are, I guess.¡¯</em>

    Some risked their lives to protect those precious to them, some risked their lives for strangers, and others only cared for themselves as they thought of their weakness as some sort of right to do nothing. No two people were the same.

    "That aside," muttered Kang-Woo as he stared at the burning hotel sorrowfully. "I guess this puts an end to our trip."

    The family trip had gone to shit before he even had a chance to enjoy it to the fullest. His shoulders drooped. He managed to see Cha Yeon-Joo¡¯s swimsuit but did not even get a glimpse of Han Seol-Ah and Lilith¡¯s new swimsuits.

    <em>- Ah, ahh. Can you hear me now, my king?</em>

    Just then, Lilith¡¯s voice echoed inside Kang-Woo¡¯s head. Communication magic was back now that the Sanctification was removed.

    "Yeah. Have you contacted Si-Hun and La?"

    <em>- Yes. They are sending rescue teams right away.</em>

    "Got it."

    <em>- My, why do you sound so dejected, my king?</em>

    "It¡¯s nothing," Kang-Woo said as he pouted and shook his head.

    <em>- Fufu. I thought you would be like this, so I asked La to make some considerations.</em>

    "Eh? What considerations?"

    - She said that since Guardians was of no help whatsoever in this incident, she told us to leave the rest to them and enjoy the break.

    "Oh, how nice of her, but where are we supposed to enjoy the break, exactly?"

    The entire city was burning down.

    <em>- It doesn¡¯t look like the hotel is going to copse or anything. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice in its own right to enjoy the pool on the roof of a burning hotel?</em>

    <em>¡¯What a gxy brain idea.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 60: Happy End? (2)

    "Isn¡¯t this a bit much?" asked Cha Yeon-Joo dumbfoundedly in a white gown.

    <em>¡¯To be honest, I agree. It¡¯s not something a sane person would do.¡¯</em>

    "It¡¯s picturesque in its own right, isn¡¯t it?" Oh Kang-Woo answered.

    "Picturesque, my ass. The lower floors are still burning."

    Yeon-Joo looked down from the roof. The fires were quickly being put out but smoke was still rising from the lower floors of the hotel.

    "But the building won¡¯t copse."

    They were in the best five-star hotel in Singapore. The building wouldn¡¯t copse just because of a fire. Even if it were to copse, it wouldn¡¯t leave a scratch on the members here. After all, they would bepletely fine even if they were to jump down from the roof with nothing to protect them.

    "Do you wanna see swimsuits that badly¡­?"

    Yeon-Joo tightened her gown as her face reddened. Kang-Woo took the women back to the chaos-filled hotel after he left the handling of the aftermath to Guardians. Fortunately, the pool on the roof was fine since the fire was contained on the lower floors of the hotel. They refilled the water that had been emptied and gathered at the swimming pool after the women changed back into their swimsuits."Hehehe! Obviously!" snickered Kang-Woo as he noddedrgely.

    He had been waiting desperately for this moment. One always wanted to do something more if they were stopped from doing it. Desire far stronger than when they were initially at the pool zed furiously.

    "Sh-Sheesh," Yeon-Joo expressed.

    "My, are you that against showing the king your swimsuit?" Lilith asked.

    "He already saw mine back when we were fighting the zombie earlier."

    "Hohoho. But seeing swimsuits at the pool is different. Right, my king?"

    "Hehe, of course."

    "Sigh¡­" Yeon-Joo shook her head.

    "Umm¡­ Kang-Woo." Han Seol-Ah approached Kang-Woo in worry. She stared at a piece of his clothing he had wrapped around his waist like a bandage and asked, "Is your wound okay?"

    "Huh> Oh, this? It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s healing slowly," answered Kang-Woo as he tapped his nk.

    <em>Zzzt!</em>

    "Urgh¡­"

    A sharp pain traveled throughout Kang-Woo¡¯s body. He grimaced.

    <em>¡¯The hell? Wasn¡¯t it healing?¡¯</em>

    He slightly unwrapped the piece of cloth and saw that the wound was almost fully closed.

    <em>¡¯What was that, then¡­?¡¯</em>

    His wound was almost closed but he could still feel pain like being stabbed by a knife and it getting twisted.

    "K-Kang-Woo?" Seol-Ah approached him in pallor. "It still hurts, doesn¡¯t it?! Let¡¯s y at the pool another time!"

    "<em>Gasp.</em>"

    <em>¡¯What you just said hurt me several times more, Darling!!!¡¯</em>

    "Haaa, if only I could still use healing magic¡­"

    Seol-Ah rolled her feet in anxiety. She used to be happy that she would be of better help to Kang-Woo after she fell from grace but was filled with regret now that she couldn¡¯t heal him in his time of need.

    "No, it¡¯s not something you would¡¯ve been able to heal anyway," Kang-Woo mentioned.

    "But¡­"

    "Don¡¯t worry. It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore."

    He was not acting strong; it did not hurt for real. He couldn¡¯t feel the stabbing pain anymore.

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t understand.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion as he looked down at his nk.

    <em>¡¯But it¡¯s not important right now.¡¯</em>

    Now was the time to enjoy the time he had with his lovers.

    "Now then¡­"

    Kang-Woo gulped as he stared fixedly at the women who ced their hands over their white gowns.

    "Fufu. You¡¯re staring at us so passionately¡­ how cute ?"

    "Hmmm. Th-This is a little embarrassing. D-Don¡¯t be surprised, Kang-Woo."

    "Urghhh. Y-You saw it earlier, didn¡¯t you? Huh? I¡¯ma kill you if you say weird shit!"

    They slowly took off their gowns.

    "Wh-Whooooooooooooooooooooooa!!!"

    <em>¡¯SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESH!!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists and raised them high.

    "I¡¯m crying."

    Tears flowed down his cheeks. Lilith was wearing a risqu¨¦ ck slingshot bikini. There was so little surface area that her curves were fully visible.

    "Fufu. What do you think? I still don¡¯t quite understand human beauty standards but the store employee praised it highly," remarked Lilith as she posed like a gravure model and winked.

    "It¡¯s amazing. It¡¯s the best."

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m so d I¡¯m alive.¡¯</em>

    "Kang-Woo, wh-what about me?"

    Seol-Ah was wearing a white monokini in contrast with Lilith. The front of the swimsuit, which was cut out into an X, was so stretched out by Seol-Ah¡¯s massive breasts that it looked like it was about to rip at any moment.

    "DARLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!"

    "M-My, Kang-Woo?"

    There was no need for Kang-Woo to even answer. He flew into Seol-Ah¡¯s arms without hesitation.

    "Hehe. I¡¯m happy you like it."

    Seol-Ah smiled as she patted Kang-Woo¡¯s head. Her kind voice as well as her warmth were melting away even Kang-Woo¡¯s resentment for Akart.

    "Hurghhh¡­ you¡¯re the best, Darling."

    "KANG-WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Just then, the pouting Echidna pulled on Kang-Woo¡¯s arm. "Why aren¡¯t you getting in the water when we¡¯re at a pool?!"

    She seemed upset that Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t ying with her because he was focusing so much on his lovers¡¯ swimsuits. Kang-Woo separated from Seol-Ah in slight disappointment.

    "You¡¯re right. We should y in the water since we¡¯re at a pool."

    "Sheesh, your eyes are always glued to Seol-Ah," Yeon-Joo scolded.

    "They were glued to your swimsuit too," Kang-Woo answered.

    "B-Bullshit! You didn¡¯t even look my way!"

    "I¡¯m looking now, aren¡¯t I?"

    "Don¡¯t look, motherfucker!"

    "Hehehe. Competition swimsuits are pretty nice too."

    "Ngh!"

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s face reddened instantly. She ran behind Kang-Woo in an instant and pushed him into the pool.

    <em>Ssh!</em>

    "Pwaha!" The pool wasn¡¯t deep. Kang-Woo gestured to the women to enter the water as well as he floated. "It¡¯s nice and cool! You guys jump in too!"

    "Alright. I¡¯ll make sure to drown you this time."

    "Hm! Hm! Kang-Woo! I¡¯m gonna jump, so catch me!"

    "I haven¡¯t been to a pool since I was little."

    "Mmm. Don¡¯t humans need water to survive? I don¡¯t understand why they would waste it for entertainment."

    Echidna, wearing a swimsuit with pink frills, was the first to jump in. She jumped into the air, falling right to where Kang-Woo was.

    "Whoa!"

    "Hehe, Kang-Woo! This is so much fun!!"

    Echidna sshed around in the water in Kang-Woo¡¯s arms as she smiled widely.

    "Hihihi! Die, you perverted brat!!!"

    <em>Ssh¡ª!</em>

    Yeon-Joo sprayed water at Kang-Woo.

    "Friend shield!" Kang-Woo shouted.

    "Wha¡ª! K-Kang-Woo?!"

    Kang-Woo raised Echidna and used her to block the spray of water.

    "Boo¡ª! Kang-Woo betrayed me!" Echidna jeered and stood on Yeon-Joo¡¯s side. "Yeon-Joo! Let¡¯s join forces!"

    "Keke! Okay!"

    <em>Rumble!</em>

    A wave of water was formed as if a grenade was set off in the pool.

    "Kurgh! <em>Gurgle!</em>"

    Kang-Woo thrashed his limbs around as he was engulfed by the wave of water.

    "Kyahahahahaha!"

    "Hm! Hm! This is so fun!"

    Yeon-Joo and Echidnaughed like psychopaths as they attacked Kang-Woo.

    "Q-Queen Lilith!!"

    "M-My king?"

    "Save meeeeeeeeee!"

    "Kyaah!"

    Kang-Woo swam to where Lilith was, and she was attacked by the wave of water behind Kang-Woo.

    "I¡¯m all wet." Lilith giggled as she swept back her wet hair.

    "A-Aaaahh." Kang-Woo burst into tears, moved by the sight. "Yeah."

    <em>¡¯This is what you call a trip. This is the meaning of life. This is the definition of a happy end.¡¯</em>

    "Here I go again!" Kang-Woo shouted.

    "Kyaah! Oh Kang-Woo, you son of a bitch! Fuck off!!"

    Laughter echoed from the deserted swimming pool in the darkness of night.

    ***

    "Haaa."

    Kang-Woo leaned on the wall of the pool in satisfaction after ying for several hours. Since the swimming pool was on the roof, the nightscape came into full view.

    "Though I wonder if you can call this a nightscape."

    He smiled bitterly as he looked out of the pool. Singapore, known for its beautiful city nightscape, was illuminated not by its building lights but by zing mes. There was a huge difference between the pool and the rest of the city. Kang-Woo wondered if this was what it would feel like to go to a swimming pool in a post-apocalyptic world.

    "Mm. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to this kind of view," said Seol-Ah in a heavy tone as she swam to Kang-Woo¡¯s side. "I¡¯m sure¡­ there were a lot of casualties, right?"

    "I¡¯d bet."

    He was sure at least thousands had died.

    "Should we be having this much fun¡­ when that many people died?"

    "You¡¯re too kind, Darling."

    "Am I?"

    There was no reason nor time to sympathize and feel sad about the death of strangers. At least, that was what Kang-Woo thought.

    "Besides, it was thanks to us that it only got this bad. I think we can enjoy ourselves a little bit."

    The incident would have turned out much worse if Kang-Woo and the women weren¡¯t here. Several hundred times more people would have been sacrificed. In that sense, Kang-Woo and the group had saved countless lives, so they should naturally be rewarded.

    "My king~ we¡¯ve brought food from the lower floors~"

    "Hm! We brought tons of yummy stuff!"

    Lilith and Echidna arrived with arge tray full of food.

    "Whoa, nice."

    "I guess the kitchen was fine."

    Kang-Wooughed heartily as he sat at the table filled with food. Some dishes were iplete due to the zombie invasion but most of them looked edible.

    "Let¡¯s dig in~"

    "Oh, just a second, Kang-Woo."

    "Fufu. Let us feed you."

    "Is this my life for real?" Kang-Woo wondered.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m so fucking happy.¡¯</em>

    "Say ahhh~" Seol-Ah brought a piece of meat to Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth.

    Kang-Woo took the food like a baby bird getting fed by its mother.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s melting in my mouth.¡¯</em>

    "Hey, Oh Kang-Woo."

    Yeon-Joo and Echidna also brought meat to Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth.

    "Put it in," Kang-Woo answered.

    "Why are you making it sound so weird, you [censored]?"

    "Fufu. Looks like this family trip was a wonderful idea." Lilith smiled, her ck hair fluttering as if dancing.

    Kang-Woo and the four women came back to their suite after dinner. Thankfully, the smoke had not reached their floor.

    "Bwaaahh." Echidna flopped on the couch as soon as they entered the suite.

    "My, she must be exhausted."

    "I¡¯m sure she is, considering how long it¡¯s been since we fought that hard."

    Kang-Woo lifted Echidna from the couch and took her to her room. It was then.

    <em>Zzzt!!</em>

    "Kurgh!" Immense, agonizing, and unending pain from his nk traveled throughout his body. "What¡­ the¡­ fuck¡­"

    Kang-Woo copsed, losing all strength in his body. His vision blurred and his consciousness flickered.

    "K-Kang-Woo?!"

    Seol-Ah¡¯s scream faintly echoed inside his head.

 Side Story Chapter 61: Happy End? (3)

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    The familiar bell chime that all yers knew rang as a blue message window appeared in the air.

    [There is no threat to his life.]

    "Phew."

    "Haaa¡­"

    "Sniff, waaaaaaaaaaahhh!"

    The women sighed in relief after reading the message and shed tears.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Balrog, the muscle-bound red demon sorge that he made therge room look tiny, grimaced fiercely.He shouted, "The king copsed?! What in the world happened?!"

    He couldn¡¯t help but be shocked by the news of Oh Kang-Woo, who devoured the Demon God and Bael then became the Demonic Sea, copsing.

    "Wh-What is happening to Kang-Woo?" asked Han Seol-Ah as she stuttered.

    There was fortunately no threat to his life but she couldn¡¯t help but be anxious from seeing him unconscious and in pain.

    Lilith asked calmly, "Eve¡­ was it? Could you exin to us what¡¯s happening?"

    A bell chimed as a blue message window appeared to answer her question.

    [I suspect the Light of Akart flowed into the Demonic Sea through the guardian deity¡¯s wound made during his battle against Akart¡¯s subordinate.]

    "The Light of Akart¡­?"

    [It is a light infused with the power of Akart, the Titan of Light, Truth, and Bnce. It holds the power to disintegrate the Demonic Sea.]

    The light made an injury that would have normally been healed instantly, into a critical wound. Not even Bael had ovee Kang-Woo¡¯s immortality but Akart had dome so easily.

    "No way¡­"

    Cha Yeon-Joo bit her lip in pallor. If a power capable of disintegrating the Demonic Sea entered Kang-Woo, who became on with the Demonic Sea, it was no different from ingesting a deadly poison.

    "Then what¡¯s gonna happen to Kang-Woo¡ª"

    [Like I said, there is no threat to his life. Even if the light is capable of disintegrating the Demonic Sea, the guardian deity cannot be killed with such a small wound.]

    "But he¡¯s not getting up!"

    [He has simply lost consciousness momentarily to push the Light of Akart out of his body. He will naturally wake up over time.]

    "When is that¡­ exactly?"

    [I do not know exactly when.]

    Sighs of relief filled the room again. No one knew when he would wake up but their anxiety was lessening since the System confirmed he would wake up over time.

    "It won¡¯t take years or anything, right?" asked Yeon-Joo worryingly.

    She had only just be one of Kang-Woo¡¯s lovers, so it would be hard for her to endure if he did not wake up for years.

    [It would take around three months at most.]

    It was a short yet long amount of time. However, the fact that he would wake up in only three months was extraordinary, considering Akart was a Titan.

    "You¡­ goddamn sleepyhead."

    Yeon-Joo poked the unconscious and bedridden Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek.

    "Three months¡­ three whole months¡­"

    Seol-Ah burst into tears as if the world was ending. She could barely be without Kang-Woo for a day but now she couldn¡¯t talk to him for three months. He was physically here but it was meaningless if he were unconscious.

    "Ah¡­"

    Unfathomably dark emotions welled up from inside her. Her consciousness flickered as an unquenchable thirst ripped her throat apart.

    "Is there anything we can do?" asked Balrog in a low tone.

    [The process can be hastened if the Demonic Sea is stimted.]

    In the first ce, Kang-Woo only lost consciousness from the power of a mere subordinate of Akart instead of Akart himself because his reconstruction was iplete. If the Demonic Sea could exert its full power, forget losing consciousness¡ª his immortality would have never been affected in the first ce.

    "Stimte the Demonic Sea¡­?"

    Balrog¡¯s eyes darted, panic-stricken. He already knew how to stimte the Demonic Sea because Kang-Woo hade to the training room for Balrog¡¯s help.

    <em>¡¯His life needs to be threatened.¡¯</em>

    If Kang-Woo was on the verge of death, the Demonic Sea instinctively took action to hasten Kang-Woo¡¯s reconstruction. The reconstruction would naturally take ce over time even if the Demonic Sea was not stimted, but they needed to hasten the process since no one knew when Akart would attack Earth.

    <em>¡¯But¡­ it¡¯s impossible with my current power.¡¯</em>

    It was not because Balrog was too weak to make the Demonic Sea feel threatened; Kang-Woo had already be ustomed to Balrog¡¯s attacks through their training together. In other words, the Demonic Sea no longer treated Balrog¡¯s attacks as a threat.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s impossible for that brat as well.¡¯</em>

    Since Kim Si-Hun had also participated in the training, he couldn¡¯t stimte the Demonic Sea anymore either.

    <em>¡¯If that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯</em>

    Balrog looked around with deeply sunken eyes in search of someone strong enough to stimte the Demonic Sea as well as who had never joined the training sessions with Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯Come to think of it¡­¡¯</em>

    There was someone perfect for the job. Balrog¡¯s eyes shone as he looked at Seol-Ah.

    <em>¡¯She fell from grace not long ago, if I remember correctly.¡¯</em>

    In exchange for losing her healing and buffing magic, Seol-Ah gained powerful curse magic. She had also obliterated several battleships by herself during the space invasion not long ago.

    <em>¡¯She¡¯s more than enough to threaten the Demonic Sea.¡¯</em>

    From what Kang-Woo had told Balrog, she could temporarily surpass even Si-Hun in strength. In that case, she could easily stimte the Demonic Sea with her curse magic!

    "King¡¯s woman," called Balrog as he bowed to Seol-Ah.

    "Y-Yes?" Seol-Ah raised her head, which had been lowered in despair.

    "Could you give it stimtion?"

    "Uhh¡­ I-I think I misheard you. Did you say you want me to give Kang-Woo stimtion?"

    "Yes, you could say that."

    Since Kang-Woo was the Demonic Sea itself, stimting the Demonic Sea was the same as giving Kang-Woo stimtion.

    "I want you to give the king the greatest stimtion possible."

    Her powerful curse magic was more than enough to threaten the Demonic Sea.

    "Pardon¡­?" Seol-Ah stared at Balrog in disbelief. Her face reddened as she twisted in embarrassment. "Th-The greatest stimtion¡­?"

    Seol-Ah panted heavily, her eyes as wide as those of a predator eyeing its prey.

    "A-Are you sure it¡¯s okay¡­?" she asked.

    "What are you worried about?"

    "Umm¡­" Seol-Ah averted her gaze from Balrog and continued as if she were holding something back, "Are you sure¡­ I can make a mess of the unconscious Kang-Woo¡­ twenty-four-seven?"

    Seol-Ah gulped as she did her best to suppress her surging desire.

    "Hahaha! So that¡¯s what you were worried about!" Balrog burst intoughter.

    <em>¡¯She must be worried that the king might die for real!¡¯</em>

    Balrog was worried about the same thing back when Kang-Woo first exined the training method to him.

    "There is nothing to worry about, king¡¯s woman."

    No matter how much power she used, she could never kill Kang-Woo. As he had be one with the Demonic Sea, he was the definition of <em>immortal</em>.

    "You can do anything you like to him," said Balrog.

    Whatever curse magic Seol-Ah used, it would not be enough to kill the king.

    "A-Anything I like¡­?" Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes shook. She trembled in uncontainable ecstasy. "Are you sure¡­ I can do whatever I like?"

    "Of course." Balrog nodded without hesitation.

    The more curse magic she cast on Kang-Woo, the Demonic Sea sleeping inside him would feel more threatened and be more active.

    <em>¡¯And if that happens¡­¡¯</em>

    It would naturally lead to the healing process hastening and Kang-Woo would wake up even stronger than before. It was like killing two birds with one stone.

    "..."

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes zed passionately.

    <em>¡¯I can feel the madness and resolve in her gaze! As expected of the woman the king chose!¡¯</em>

    Balrog cheered inside his head.

    <em>¡¯To think she can resolve herself so strongly even when she has to attack the man she loves with the intent to kill!¡¯</em>

    Even Balrog unconsciously hesitated when he needed to attack Kang-Woo. Although it had been to stimte the Demonic Sea, it was agonizing for him to attack the king he had pledged his life to. However, Seol-Ah was different.

    <em>¡¯An indomitable will!¡¯</em>

    Balrog was impressed by Seol-Ah, who was steeling her resolve to endure any pain as long as it was for the man she loved.

    "I understand. If it is for Kang-Woo¡­ I have no choice," Seol-Ah answered calmly. However, her eyes were filled with unfiltered ecstasy. "A week¡ª no, that wasn¡¯t enoughst time."

    She slowly caressed the unconscious Kang-Woo as she stared at him like a delicious snack.

    She licked her lips and continued, "Ten days¡­ Yes, I will need at least ten days. Yes, fufufu. Okay. For the next ten days¡­ I will make a mess of Kang-Woo without rest."

    "Ten days?!" shouted Balrog in shock.

    <em>¡¯She¡¯s nning on using curse magic nonstop for ten days straight?!¡¯</em>

    Magic required significantly more mental fortitude and stamina than one expected. Not only that but curse magic powerful enough to drive Kang-Woo to the brink of death could cause one to copse from exhaustion after even one spell.

    <em>¡¯Such a thing for ten days straight?!¡¯</em>

    Balrog couldn¡¯t believe it. By regr human standards, it was like sprinting at full speed for ten days straight.

    <em>¡¯This must be what true love is!¡¯</em>

    Not even Balrog, who had devoted his soul to Kang-Woo, was confident he could mercilessly swing his fists with full power at Kang-Woo repeatedly for ten days straight. Leaving the matter of stamina aside, the idea of attacking his king already broke his heart. Despite that, Seol-Ah had dered she would pour curse magic at Kang-Woo for ten days straight. Balrog couldn¡¯t help but be filled with respect for her.

    "King¡¯s woman¡ª no, my queen. I, Balrog, will trust in you and wait." Balrog bowed deeply. "Well then, we will be outside."

    Balrog couldn¡¯t bear to witness the horrible sight of someone casting powerful curse magic at the man they loved as well as the king Balrog swore allegiance to.

    <em>Grip.</em>

    "Hm?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s hand grabbed Balrog¡¯s leg as Balrog was about to leave. He examined Kang-Woo to check if he had woken up but it did not seem to be the case. His king was still unconscious in bed.

    <em>¡¯My king¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had likely moved out of pure instinct. Balrog teared up.

    <em>¡¯You must be deeply worried about the queen.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo also knew how agonizing it was to cast curse magic on one¡¯s lover. Balrog was sure his king, despite being unconscious, had grabbed his leg because he was worried about letting Seol-Ah endure such agony on her own.

    "Do not worry, my king. This is¡­ something the queen has decided herself."

    Balrog couldn¡¯t get in the way of Seol-Ah¡¯s resolve and indomitable will.

    "Well, then¡­"

    <em>ck.</em>

    Balrog took the other women out of the room and closed the door. For some reason, he thought he heard Seol-Ah¡¯s ecstaticughter behind the door.

    "I must have heard wrong."

    He firmly shook his head. Everyone knew how deeply Seol-Ah loved Kang-Woo. She would neverugh when she needed to endlessly cast horrible curse magic at him.

    "My queen¡­ however hard it is, you must ovee it."

    Balrog bowed respectfully in front of the closed door.

 Side Story Chapter 62: Happy End? (4)

    Oh Kang-Woo sank into a bottomless swamp, embraced by darkness.

    "Aaaahh."

    He was familiar with the environment; it was the Abyss, a ce he had been stuck inside for so long he had gotten sick of it. The souls of demons filled the endless ck sea.

    <em>¡¯Looks like I¡¯m back.¡¯</em>

    He had left with the determination that he would nevere back but had ended up back in the Abyss after not even half a year.

    <em>¡¯Well¡­¡¯</em> Kang-Woo smirked as he floated in the darkness. <em>¡¯The situation is a little differentpared to before.¡¯</em>

    The Abyss had already submitted to him once before; facing a loser a second time would be far easier than the first time.

    <em>¡¯Not only that, but my mind is clear.¡¯</em>

    Unlike how clouded his mind had been the first time he was stuck in the Abyss, it was almost as clear as usual, likely because he was not significantly injured. It would be a piece of cake for him to escape the Abyss in his current state.<em>¡¯That aside.¡¯</em> Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. <em>¡¯This is probably because of that Light of Akart or whatever it is.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t think of any other reason why he suddenly fell unconscious along with immense pain and sank into the Abyss.

    <em>¡¯Tsk, what a pain in the ass.¡¯</em>

    Akart could disintegrate the Demonic Sea; he was far more of a dangerous opponent than Kang-Woo had thought.

    <em>¡¯That¡¯s a Titan for you.¡¯</em>

    They were not the creators of the universe for nothing. Not even Kang-Woo, who had be one with the Demonic Sea, could take them lightly.

    <em>¡¯I need to regain my powers as soon as¡­ Hm?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. The vengeful demons who should be attacking him by now were nowhere in sight.

    "Where the hell are they?"

    He looked around and saw them cowering in fear from a distance. They screamed in terror once they met eyes with Kang-Woo and scattered.

    [G-Go away, you monster!!]

    [Aaaaaaahhhh!! I don¡¯t want to be like Satan!!!]

    [Save meeeeeeeeeeee!!!]

    The demons of the Abyss were screaming as they ran away from Kang-Woo.

    "The fuck? Why are you the ones running? You should be charging at me and getting your asses beaten likest time. Sheesh."

    Kang-Woo chuckled as he chased after the demons.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯ll take me longer to get out of here if they don¡¯te to me.¡¯</em>

    He had nned on stimting the Demonic Sea as he fought against the Demons trapped in the Abyss, but he couldn¡¯t stimte it at this rate.

    "WHY ARE YOU RUNNING? WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?!"

    [Gaaaaaaaahhh!! R-Ruuuuuun!!]

    [A demon!! A demon has appeared!]

    "You guys are demons too."

    <em>¡¯The hell is with these guys?¡¯</em>

    "Hm?"

    As Kang-Woo chased the demons running for their lives, he saw Satan among them.

    "PARTNER¡ª!!! SO THIS IS WHERE YOU WERE!!!" he shouted in extraordinary joy as he chased after Satan. "SATAN¡ª!!!"

    [GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! WHY?! WHY IS IT ME AGAIN?!]

    "Where are you going, partner¡ª?! Have you forgotten our oath of friendship?! About how we fought the monster as one body, one soul?!"

    [GO AWAY!! PLEASE STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!!] screamed Satan as he bawled his eyes out.

    Kang-Woo was happy to see Satan so lively after being reduced to rags in their previous battle against the monsters.

    [Hm? What¡¯s all this noise about?]

    A demon in the form of a boy walked out from the crowd of running demons as Kang-Woo was chasing after Satan.

    "Bael?"

    [Oh, fuck.]

    "LORD BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEL!! IT¡¯S BEEN A LONG TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!!!"

    It was Bael, Kang-Woo¡¯s lord whom he had served with undying loyalty for a time.

    [Gaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!! Why the fuck is the Demon King here?!] Bael screamed as he also ran away.

    "Where are you going, Lord Bael¡ª?!"

    [S-Stay away¡ª!!]

    "I¡¯ll lick your feet, so let¡¯s fight!"

    [STAY THE FUCK AWAY¡ª!!]

    <em>¡¯These sons of bitches have no intention of fighting. Man, it¡¯s gonna take too long at this rate.¡¯</em>

    He would have no choice but to do nothing and watch the Demonic Sea¡¯s natural regenerative capabilities slowly flush out the Light of Akart from his system. Kang-Woo gave up on chasing the demons and sighed in frustration. Even if he caught up with all the demons, it was pointless if they had no intention of fighting.

    "Is there no other w¡ª huh?" Just then, an unknown power pulled Kang-Woo. "H-Huuuuhhh?"

    He slowly rose into the air, getting further away from the Abyss.

    <em>¡¯What is this? What¡¯s going on?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but be curious. He looked down to see the demons cheering as he was sent out from the Abyss.

    "What the fuck is¡ª Kurgh!"

    Two dark, wet walls that felt as if they were made of flesh pressured him from both sides.

    "Gah, ugh!"

    Inexplicable pleasure instead of pain swept over him, causing Kang-Woo to panic rather than be happy.

    "I-It¡¯s getting sucked out¡­!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s strength was getting sucked out of his body. The dark walls crushing him squirmed as if they were alive.

    <em>¡¯Shit!¡¯</em>

    He could easily endure pain since he had gotten so used to it but enduring pleasure was a different beast. His strength was getting sucked so quickly he was on the verge of passing out.

    "I-I¡¯m¡­ gonna die¡­!"

    Kang-Woo wondered if this was what it felt like to have the water in one¡¯s body sucked out with a syringe. The pleasure grew stronger as he was drying up into a mummy.

    "Kurgh! <em>Huff! Huff!</em>"

    The dark walls crushing him disappeared but as to give him no time to rest, a dark mushy substance wrapped around him like a snake.

    <em>¡¯Wh-What is it now?¡¯</em>

    Unlike the powerful pleasure the walls gave him, the squirming snake-like darkness amplified a ticklish yet pleasurable feeling. A sticky liquid doused him from head to toe and the darkness wiggled up and down like a tongue as if it couldn¡¯t wait to eat him. Chills ran down Kang-Woo¡¯s spine; it felt like he was inside a colossal monster¡¯s mouth.

    "I¡¯m¡­ getting eaten!"

    It was different from getting ferociously devoured into tiny pieces like what the Authority of Predation did; it was like he was inside a Venus flytrap and getting slowly digested. He was like a candy rolled around in a mouth and slowly melted by saliva. The amplified pleasure was turning his head nk.

    "<em>Gasp!!</em>"

    He struggled with all his might to escape the feeling of getting melted but the darkness wrapping around him sucked something out of him with immense absorptive force. Immense fatigue swept over him after the surging pleasure, but it did not end there. A new form of darkness, of a different texture and pleasure, wrapped around Kang-Woo as if they were taking turns, not giving him time to rest.

    "Shit¡­"

    The hellish pleasure seemed like it wouldst forever. Kang-Woo realized for the first time that pleasure was harder to endure than pain. The fear of death traveled throughout his body. Not even he could smile ecstatically as he had during his battle against Akart¡¯s subordinate since he had no idea what the cause of his fear was.

    "No¡­"

    He extended his hand as his consciousness grew fainter but couldn¡¯t grab anything. Time that felt like an eternity continued as his energy continued to be sucked out.

    ***

    "Huuu."

    Balrog shook his leg anxiously. This was the tenth day since Han Seol-Ah began to spam powerful curse magic on the unconscious Kang-Woo nonstop.

    <em>¡¯I can only hope the king has awoken.¡¯</em>

    Balrog prayed as he took the elevator up to Kang-Woo¡¯s house. Of course, he was using the pendant Vaal Zahak gave him because his true form wouldn¡¯t fit in the elevator.

    <em>ck.</em>

    He entered through the front door and saw Echidna sitting on the living room couch.

    "Young dragon," he called.

    "Hi, Balrog¡­"

    Echidna was lifeless, unlike her cheerful self, likely due to Kang-Woo being unconscious.

    "How is the king?"

    "He¡¯s still unconscious." Echidna shook her head, teary-eyed.

    Balrog sighed again. Even he was feeling the effects of his king¡¯s absence, so he could only imagine what Echidna was going through.

    "Do not worry too much, young dragon." Balrog patted Echidna¡¯s head. "Even if he has yet to awaken, he is guaranteed to wake up within three months."

    "Yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ve waited three years¡­ three months is nothing!"

    Echidna regained her energy and stood up with her fists clenched.

    "That aside, where¡¯s Lilith?" Balrog asked.

    "She¡¯s been in the room for the past few days to help Seol-Ah."

    "She has¡­?"

    Balrog tilted his head in confusion. Lilith was indeed talented in information-gathering and mind-control magic such as illusions and hypnosis, but she was considerably weak inbat prowess. Not only would she be of no help in threatening the king¡¯s life, but she would only get in the way.

    "Wouldn¡¯t the red-haired woman have been a better fit?" Balrog asked.

    "Yeon-Joo¡­ went in and ran out after a bit."

    "Hmm."

    The red-haired woman seemed to havecked the will to brutally attack the sleeping Kang-Woo. Balrog nodded and sat on the couch.

    "I wonder how long it will take."

    The System said there was no threat to his life but that didn¡¯t stop Balrog from being anxious.

    <em>RUMBLE¡ª!!</em>

    "Wha¡ª!"

    Just then, immense demonic energy surged from inside Kang-Woo¡¯s room.

    <em>¡¯This power!¡¯</em>

    Balrog had felt this thick demonic energy many times during his training with Kang-Woo; it was the demonic energy from the Abyss.

    <em>¡¯How powerful¡­!¡¯</em>

    It couldn¡¯te close to Kang-Woo¡¯s power when he battled Bael, but it far surpassed Kang-Woo¡¯s power when he asked Balrog to help him train for the first time.

    <em>¡¯With this much power¡­¡¯</em>

    Balrog was unsure if he could defeat Kang-Woo in his current state.

    "Young dragon!"

    "Hm! I felt it too!"

    Echidna snorted fiercely and trotted toward Kang-Woo¡¯s room.

    "Ahh, my king!" Balrog shook, his emotions surging.

    <em>¡¯The queen did it!¡¯</em>

    She had stimted the Demonic Sea by threatening its existence.

    "Hehehe. I¡¯m excited to see how powerful he has be."

    Balrog couldn¡¯t contain hisughter from imagining how powerful his king, who would confidently walk out of the room, would be. His king had gotten one step closer to bing even more powerful than his past self.

    "MY KIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!" Balrog shouted, unable to handle the wait any longer.

    <em>ck.</em>

    The door slowly opened.

    "Gurrrr¡­ Kuh. U-Urrrrrhhh."

    Kang-Woo, as dry as a mummy, walked out of the room.

    "M-My king?"

    Balrog approached Kang-Woo in shock due to his unexpected appearance.

    "Fufu. Stop overreacting, Balrog."

    "It¡¯s because he only just woke up."

    Lilith and Seol-Ah, each embracing one of Kang-Woo¡¯s arms as if helping him up, smiled widely.

    "Mm. I-I see."

    Balrog stared at the two women in wonder. Seol-Ah¡¯splexion was great; one wouldn¡¯t believe she had used curse magic continuously for ten days straight. Rather, her skin had be more glossy and healthy than it had been ten days ago. Lilith was also more cheerful than before.

    "Bal¡­rog¡­" Kang-Woo called lifelessly.

    "Yes, my king."

    "Sa¡­ve¡­ m¡ª"

    "Let¡¯s get you washed up, Kang-Woo. You haven¡¯t bathed for ten whole days."

    "Come to think of it, we didn¡¯t get to bathe togetherst time, did we? Fufu. I¡¯ll call Yeon-Joo over, so let¡¯s all get in together ?"

    "N-Not now¡­"

    "Now, now~ I¡¯ll clean you up as the tub fills~"

    "Hello? Yeon-Joo? Come up to our house right now. Yes, the king woke up."

    Kang-Woo was dragged into the bathroom by Lilith and Seol-Ah.

    "Hmm¡­" Balrog groaned as he watched Kang-Woo getting dragged away and scratched his head. "I mean, I guess it¡¯s all good since he woke up."

    Riiing!

    [This is what I call a true happy end!!]

    A blue message window popped up with a bell chime.

 Side Story Chapter 63: Demon Kingâ€™s Day

    Light entered the room from between the thick curtains.

    "Mmm."

    Kang-Woo tossed and turned on the bed and slowly opened his eyes.

    <em>¡¯What time is it?¡¯</em>

    He barely slept because Han Seol-Ah and Lilith had been on him all night.

    "I slept for¡­ about two hours."

    Kang-Woo stretched on the bed after checking the clock. It was nowhere near enough sleep for a normal person to function throughout the day but more than enough for him, who merely used sleep for mental fatigue recovery.

    Half a month passed since Seol-Ah and Lilith fervently <em>helped </em>Kang-Woo push out the Light of Akart in his system. He had been busy for a few days after he woke up but soon went back to his regr peaceful days.

    <em>¡¯Though I don¡¯t know if I can call my days peacefultely.¡¯</em>Kang-Woo smiled bitterly. He was spending his days doing nothing at home and ying with his lovers whenever he had time. His heart felt heavy since he felt like he had be a gigolo or something simr.

    <em>¡¯Why did my life turn out this way?¡¯</em>

    "Well, at least¡­"

    Kang-Woo looked down in satisfaction. He could feel Fran?ois, having arisen in the sunlight like a sunflower.

    "He¡­ hehehe."

    He couldn¡¯t help butugh. Fran?ois, who had shriveled up once the body reconstructionmenced, had somewhat returned to its former glory. It was smaller than what it once was but its current size was eptable.

    Kang-Woo himself had grown as well. Not only had he grown taller but he gained some muscles as well, looking more like a teenager than a child.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ve gotten a lot stronger too.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was strong enough to face Balrog without relying on his immortality now. His life must have been endangered significantly during his ten days of unconsciousness. The Light of Akart also ended up being of help in stimting the Demonic Sea as well.

    <em>¡¯Although Seol-Ah and Lilith cling to me more than before because of it.¡¯</em>

    However, he did not dislike spending time with his lovers since they were both bombshells.

    "Kang-Woo? Did you wake up just now?" asked Seol-Ah as she entered the room and into the bed with a smile.

    "Yeah," Kang-Woo said gently and kissed her on the cheek.

    "Hehe. Kang-Woo~"

    "My, is there nothing for me?" asked Lilith who followed behind Seol-Ah as she giggled.

    "C¡¯mere."

    Kang-Woo kissed Lilith¡¯s cheek as well and chatted with them for a bit.

    <em>¡¯Wait, I shouldn¡¯t be doing this.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t spend his dayszing around at home all day.

    "I should be getting out of bed."

    "Hmm. You can stay in bed for a bit longer, you know?" Lilith suggested.

    Kang-Woo was slightly tempted but unfurled the nket and got out of bed.

    "I have work to do. Besides, Echidna is gonna wake up soon and ask for food."

    Seol-Ah also got out of bed and answered, "In that case, I¡¯ll make us something right away. It¡¯ll only take a few minutes."

    "Okay," answered Kang-Woo as he folded the nket and opened the window to air out the room.

    The cool autumn wind pushed out the moist air in the room.

    ck.

    Kang-Woo came out of the room.

    "Hm! Good morning, Kang-Woo!"

    Echidna, who had been gaming on the couch, trotted toward him. Kang-Woo caught Echidna as she jumped toward him and smiled.

    "Morning. When did you get up?"

    "An hour ago!"

    "Come to think of it, are you resuming your idol work anytime soon?"

    "Mm. The agency contacted me to schedule a return date."

    "That¡¯s good."

    It was good to have something to do in life.

    "Seol-Ah! I¡¯m hungry!" Echidna shouted.

    "Hoho. I¡¯ll make you lunch, so wait just a bit. Is there anything you want to eat?"

    "Pork cutlet!"

    "Mm, then I guess we¡¯re having pork cutlet and kimchi stew today."

    Kimchi stew was a regr item on the Kang-Woo household menu.

    "Then let¡¯s y games while we wait, Kang-Woo!"

    "Okay, okay."

    Echidna dragged Kang-Woo to the couch by his arm.

    "Kang-Woo! Use your burst! Hurry!"

    "Dammit, why aren¡¯t they hitting? Are you sure this isn¡¯t a bug?"

    The family sat around the table filled with delicious food after Kang-Woo and Echidna yed games while the food was being prepared.

    "Oh, let me call Yeon-Joo," said Seol-Ah as she pulled out her smartphone and contacted Cha Yeon-Joo.

    The front door opened after about five minutes and Yeon-Joo entered.

    "It¡¯s pork cutlet today?" she asked.

    "Yeah. Echidna wanted some, so I made it."

    "You could¡¯ve called me earlier. I would¡¯ve helped out."

    "Oh, umm¡­ I-It¡¯s okay."

    Seol-Ah smiled awkwardly and averted her gaze from Yeon-Joo. With that, Kang-Woo and the four women sat around the table like usual.

    "Thank you for the meal~"

    "Fufu. Dig in, Kang-Woo."

    "Dayum, your kimchi stew is the best, Darling!"

    "Don¡¯t you ever get tired of it? You eat it for every meal," Yeon-Joo mentioned.

    "How could I when Darling¡¯s the one making it for me?"

    "Sigh, goddamn kimchi stew maniac."

    Kang-Woo smiled as he and the others emptied everything that had been prepared on the table. The kimchi stew was naturally delicious but so was the pork cutlet.

    "That aside, how¡¯s the guild been doing?" Kang-Woo asked Yeon-Joo.

    "There¡¯s a bit of an issue, but¡­ it¡¯s nothing for you to get involved in."

    "Really?"

    They chatted some more as they enjoyed an after-meal coffee.

    Lilith added some sugar to her coffee and asked, "Come to think of it, when are you going to move in with us, Yeon-Joo? It must be annoying for you to keep going back and forth¡­ and you can¡¯t be with the king."

    "I-I¡¯m just gonna live separately!"

    "Hmm. You¡¯re so stubborn. This won¡¯t do. I¡¯m going to move all of your things from your house to here."

    "Don¡¯t, unnie!"

    "Hoho. We can only be a true family once we all live under the same roof."

    Lilith had been trying to persuade Yeon-Joo to move in with them for a while.

    <em>¡¯I mean, I¡¯m all for Yeon-Joo moving in with us.¡¯</em>

    Only then would they be even more intimate with each other. Although they only lived an elevator ride away, it was different from living under the same roof.

    "Right, I¡¯m off to work," Yeon-Joo remarked.

    "Sure. You¡¯reing back for dinner, right?"

    "Yup." Yeon-Joo waved as she left to go to her guild.

    Kang-Woo felt even more like a gigolo since he was sending her off as he was still in his pajamas.

    "Kang-Woo. I¡¯ll be at the underground training room today," Seol-Ah remarked.

    "To practice your magic?"

    "Yes."

    Seol-Ah was spending time in the training room every day to adapt to her new magic, which hadpletely changed in quality after she fell from grace.

    "Have a safe trip," Kang-Woo said.

    "Fufu. I¡¯ll be back before dinner."

    Seol-Ah smiled widely and stuck out her lips, asking for a kiss.

    <em>¡¯Why is my Darling so cute?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled like an idiot and kissed her.

    "Right then, Lilith. Hand me the documents regarding abnormal Gate phenomena."

    "Yes, my king."

    Kang-Woo showered after Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah left and went to his home office to begin today¡¯s work.

    "Any movement from Akart?"

    "We¡­ have yet to find traces of him."

    "Mm." Kang-Woo nodded. "We probably won¡¯t be able to find him through established means."

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t detect his power with the Authority of Insight. However extraordinary Lilith¡¯s intelligence organization was, they would likely not be able to detect traces that not even he could.

    "In that case¡­" Lilith slurred.

    "The best we can do at the moment is to follow as many abnormal Gate phenomena as possible when they ur."

    This was not a perfect n either; it was realistically impossible to find traces of every unconfirmed Gate phenomena as they happen in real-time throughout the world. Not only that but considering not even the Authority of Insight could detect Akart¡¯s power, it was also possible Akart could invade Earth even without the Gate phenomena.

    "So the best we can do is to twiddle our thumbs and wait."

    "Yeah, since we have no way of striking first."

    No one knew where the Titan was hiding or what he was doing. Kang-Woo did not like that he was being forced to be passive, but there was no other way at the moment.

    "It¡¯s okay. If his goal is to end the world, he¡¯s bound to show himself sooner orter."

    Once that day came, Kang-Woo would devour him as much as he liked.

    "I¡¯m sorry, my king. I wanted to be of more help¡­" Lilith lowered her head in sorrow.

    Kang-Woo smirked and hugged Lilith. "You¡¯re already helping more than enough. Akart isn¡¯t the only thing we should be worrying about, is it?"

    Akart was merely the enemy they needed to be on alert the most for; they couldn¡¯t ignore all the other otherworldly invasions. Lilith was investigating every otherworldly invasion urring throughout the world, big or small, and giving Kang-Woo reports on them.

    <em>¡¯We could never respond to the otherworldly invasions this quickly if not for Lilith.¡¯</em>

    Thanks to the informationwork she set up with the help of Guardians, they could dispatch the right forces for the job to promptly deal with the abnormal phenomena.

    "Haaa¡­ Jeez, please don¡¯t say things like that. You¡¯re making me embarrassed ?"

    "What? What did I say?"

    "Fufu. Anyway, I¡¯m off to have a short meeting with La."

    "Okay."

    Kang-Woo waved at Lilith after receiving the documents.

    <em>¡¯There isn¡¯t anything particrly out of the ordinary.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo got out of the chair and stretched after reading through today¡¯s report.

    "Right, I might as well let loose too."

    He called Balrog and Kim Si-Hun and headed down to the underground training room where Seol-Ah was training. He needed to train consistently to get used to the demonic energy of the Abyss, of which the amount avable to him had dramatically increased after his growth.

    ***

    Kang-Woo came back home with Seol-Ah after training with Balrog and Si-Hun until evening.

    "Wee back," Yeon-Joo said.

    "Thanks. You¡¯re clocked out already?"

    "What do you mean, already? It¡¯s past eight. Of course, I¡¯d be off."

    "You didn¡¯t get off work and leave your employees working overtime, did you?"

    "Our employees rarely work overtime."

    "Bullshit, they were practically living there."

    "Those were special circumstances!"

    As Kang-Woo was chatting with Yeon-Joo, he and Seol-Ah brought the groceries they bought beforeing home into the kitchen. They were carrying an enormous amount since Kang-Woo ate quite a lot.

    "You can get some rest, Kang-Woo. I¡¯ll have dinner ready in a sh," Seol-Ah remarked.

    "Anything you need help with?" he asked.

    "I¡¯m fine."

    "You sure?"

    "Hehe. Cooking for you is one of my joys in life, Kang-Woo."

    Kang-Woo groaned after his assistance was firmly declined by Seol-Ah. He nodded and sat on the couch.

    "Hey, Oh Kang-Woo. What game are you ying with Echidna these days?"

    "I think it was Monster something. Wanna y with us?"

    "Hm! I bought another controller just for you, Yeon-Joo!"

    "Whoa."

    "I even bought another TV so we can y together!"

    "Dayum, for real?"

    Buying another TV solely to game with more people¡­ tell me you¡¯re rich without telling me you¡¯re rich.

    "How much was it? I¡¯ll pay for it."

    "Hm! I¡¯m the unnie, so it¡¯s my gift to you!"

    "What?"

    "Come back with bigger breasts if you wanna pay me!"

    "The fuck you say, brat?"

    The three of them gamed boisterously in the living room. Lilith, who was helping Seol-Ah set the table, giggled.

    "Having Yeon-Joo here sure makes the atmosphere more lively."

    "I want to y games with Kang-Woo too¡­" Seol-Ah mumbled.

    "Then why don¡¯t you?"

    "Nghh. My mind freezes up for some reason whenever I y games, so I¡¯m not very good."

    "I also tried itst time, but I had no idea what to do. Human culture sure is difficult."

    "I¡¯m human too¡­"

    "Oh? You¡¯re a fallen angel now, aren¡¯t you?"

    Lilith and Seol-Ah smiled gently as they watched the three people gaming as they trash-talked each other. And with that, another day passed.

 Side Story Chapter 64: Den of the Night Demons (1)

    Side Story Chapter 64: Den of the Night Demons (1)

    <em>Sizzle¡ª!</em>

    The sound of sizzling meat echoed from the kitchen and a mouth-watering scent wafted throughout the house.

    "Whoa, something smells delicious. What meat is that?"

    Oh Kang-Woo, who woke upter than the women, came out of the room as he scratched his stomach.

    Han Seol-Ah smiled as she cooked the meat on a frying pan and answered, "I¡¯m making 1++ hanwoo sirloin steak[1]."

    "Dayum, nice."

    Kang-Woo could never have dreamt of such a high-quality cut of beef before his days in Hell.

    "Hehe. Since you¡¯ve been working hardtely, I bought the best cut in hopes of cheering you up."

    "DARLIIIIIIIIIING!"Kang-Woo hugged Seol-Ah from behind as she cooked the meat. Cha Yeon-Joo ended up moving in with them after Lilith finally managed to convince her; after that, the extent of his stamina was getting tested every day.

    "M-My. Th-The meat is gonna burn, Kang-Woo."

    "Hehe. It¡¯s okay."

    Repaying his Darling¡¯s goodwill was more important.

    "Stop fucking around so early in the morning and stay still, dammit."

    Yeon-Joo, sitting at the dining table, red at him. Kang-Woo smirked as he stuck to Seol-Ah¡¯s back.

    "Kehehe. Are you jealous?"

    "J-Jealous, my ass!"

    "C¡¯mere. Looks like our Yeon-Joo wants a hug too."

    "Fuck off!"

    "Haaa. Where did the cutie fromst night go¡­?"

    Kang-Woo recalledst night¡¯s memories, his eyes filled with sorrow. Yeon-Joo was breathtakingly cute in the bedroom, likely because she had not been at it for as long as Lilith and Seol-Ah.

    <em>¡¯Too bad I can¡¯t show it to you guys. It would blow your minds.¡¯</em>

    "You started calling me oppa from around the seventh time¡­"

    "Sh-Shut the fuck up!!"

    "Hehehe. C¡¯mere, my cutie Yeon-Joo."

    "Argh! Screw off!"

    She kept cursing at Kang-Woo to go away but slowly ced her arms around Kang-Woo¡¯s waist once he went up to her to hug her.

    <em>¡¯This is Yeon-Joo¡¯s unique charm.¡¯</em>

    "...ss me," Yeon-Joo mumbled, her face as red as her hair.

    "Huh?" Kang-Woo stared at her as he tilted his head.

    She shouted in anger, "I-I said, kiss me! I was the only one who didn¡¯t get one this morning!"

    <em>¡¯Holy fuck. How can she be so cute?¡¯</em>

    It was not just Yeon-Joo; Seol-Ah and Lilith also grew cuter and lovelier each day, making Kang-Woo go insane.

    <em>¡¯I heard the fire of love dies down over time.¡¯</em>

    However, Kang-Woo was confident such a thing would never happen when it came to these three women.

    "Alright, your wish is mymand!" Kang-Woo shouted.

    "D-Don¡¯t fucking kiss me!"

    "You literally just asked me to."

    "Wh-Whatever! Just don¡¯t!" she shouted in bted embarrassment as she pushed Kang-Woo away.

    However, she couldn¡¯t overpower Kang-Woo anymore now that his strength rivaled that of Balrog. He grabbed Yeon-Joo¡¯s wrist and kissed her.

    "My, my. Yeon-Joo has be rather bold~?" Lilith smiled widely as if she were having the time of her life.

    "Hm! Meat! Seol-Ah, let¡¯s eat already!"

    The usual Echidna would have also clung to Kang-Woo and pestered him to kiss her as well but she wasser-focused on the beef being cooked in front of her. She was snorting in excitement with a knife and fork in her hands.

    "Hoho. It¡¯ll be ready soon."

    Seol-Ah ced the cooked steak on the table.

    "Thank you for the meal~"

    They had a family meal as usual under the boisterous atmosphere. The highest-grade sirloin steak melted in Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth. The sauce Seol-Ah made synergized perfectly with the beef as well.

    <em>¡¯Screw whoever said ingredients didn¡¯t matter in cooking. Money rules.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t stop smiling. They finished their meal soon after and Kang-Woo decided to help Seol-Ah clean up. As they were in the middle of it, he noticed Seol-Ah staring nkly at her smartphone.

    "Hm? What are you looking at?"

    "Mm. I¡¯m registering my credit card. I haven¡¯t tried online shopping, so it¡¯s a little difficult for me."

    "Oh, what are you trying to buy?"

    It was rare for Seol-Ah, as terrible with technology as Lilith, a literal demon, to shop for something online.

    "Mm¡­" Seol-Ah slurred. "Kang-Woo."

    "Yeah?"

    "What do you like more, cats or dogs?"

    "Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

    "Hohoho. No reason," Seol-Ah giggled as she covered her mouth. Her eyes were gleaming with ecstasy and herughter felt like an abyss that should not be meddled with. "Hmm. I think a cat would suit you better than a dog."

    "What¡¯s this about?"

    <em>¡¯Why are you wondering something like that out of the blue?¡¯</em>

    "Kang-Woo."

    "Y-Yeah?"

    "I love you."

    Seol-Ah hugged Kang-Woo and barraged his face with kisses to the point that he was worried he would die from internal bleeding. She smiled as if she couldn¡¯t be happier and hugged Kang-Woo even tighter as she closed her eyes.

    "I love you too, Darling¡­ no, wait a second. Don¡¯t change the subject. Why did you ask me that?"

    "Ah! Look at the time! I promised Yeon-Joo and Echidna to go shopping with them today!"

    Seol-Ah tantly avoided answering the question and stormed into her room after taking off her apron.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo, left alone in the kitchen, stared at Seol-Ah¡¯s back anxiously. He thought he saw a pervertedlyughing La ovepped with Seol-Ah for some reason.

    <em>¡¯Nah, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing. My kind Darling would never. Yup, yup, yup. No way in hell.¡¯</em>

    "Hm? Why the long face, my king?" Lilith asked.

    "Huh? Oh, it¡¯s nothing. More importantly, the other girls are going shopping. Are you not joining them?"

    "Hoho. I have to report abnormal Gate phenomena to you, after all."

    "Oh."

    Come to think of it, Kang-Woo had yet to receive a report from Lilith today.

    "Alright. Finish your report quickly and join them."

    He wanted to send her on her way right now but he couldn¡¯t afford to miss a single day of checking every abnormal Gate phenomena. Incidents always tend to happen in moments of negligence.

    "Fufu. As you wish, my king." Lilith nodded as she handed Kang-Woo the documents she prepared for today.

    "Mm."

    He looked over it but there didn¡¯t seem to be anything out of the ordinary today either.

    Just then, Lilith narrowed her eyes as she was looking through the documents with Kang-Woo and remarked, "My king. There is one piece of information which has yet to be determined whether it is an abnormal Gate phenomenon or not."

    "What is it?"

    "Multiple casualties have urred inside a B-rank Gate in Daegu."

    "Hm. So?"

    yers dying inside a Gate was somon that it wasn¡¯t even worth reporting.

    "Well¡­ the state they were in is a little strange. The number of casualties for that Gate is far higher than the average as well."

    It piqued Kang-Woo¡¯s interest.

    "Strange how?" he asked.

    "They were dried up like mummies."

    "Dried up?"

    <em>¡¯Is it the work of some slime variant or a vampire?¡¯</em>

    "Yes, I hear they were nothing but skin and bones," Lilith answered.

    "Hmm."

    "And that is not the end of it."

    "What else?"

    "The victims are all male." Lilith continued calmly, "Even for mixed-gender parties, only the men were kidnapped and killed."

    "Hmm," Kang-Woo expressed. It was indeed suspicious. "Wait, you¡¯re saying this isn¡¯t an abnormal Gate phenomenon?"

    Such a thing could only be described as one.

    Lilith nodded and answered, "Whatever is causing this incident isn¡¯ting out of the Gate."

    "Oh."

    Kang-Woo more or less understood.

    <em>¡¯Abnormal Gate phenomena can only be detected once the otherworldly beingse out of the Gate.¡¯</em>

    Gates were like tunnels that linked Earth and the outer worlds. In other words, the otherworldly being couldn¡¯t be detected on Earth if they stayed in the tunnel.

    "In that case, it¡¯s likely a monster that establishes a territory and doesn¡¯te out of it," Kang-Woo surmised.

    "I agree."

    "I see¡­" Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin.

    <em>¡¯If they¡¯re noting out, then there¡¯s not much reason to investigate.¡¯</em>

    There was no point in going out of their way to kill otherworldly beings that were not direct threats to Earth. They were already having difficulty tracing every otherworldly being that came out of Gates; they did not have the manpower to dispatch to investigate beings that did note out of Gates.

    "Lastly." Lilith sighed softly as if she couldn¡¯tprehend it and continued, "Unidentified corpses were discovered along with those of the yers who entered the Gate."

    "An unidentified corpse?"

    <em>¡¯What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡¯</em>

    "Yes. There were several corpses with no record of them entering the Gate. We tried matching their DNA and fingerprint with the database but couldn¡¯t identify any of them."

    "..." Kang-Woo remained silent.

    yers were obligated to register their DNA and fingerprint to acquire their ID from the yer Association. No, even if they weren¡¯t yers, all Korean citizens had their fingerprints registered in the government database.

    <em>¡¯Could they be foreigners¡­? No.¡¯</em>

    Foreigners needed a corresponding license to enter a Gate in Korea, and their identities were naturally recorded in the process. They could have faked their IDs and secretly entered the Gate but that wouldn¡¯t exin why there were so many unidentified corpses.

    <em>¡¯I might as well check anyway.¡¯</em>

    "Any chance they were foreigners?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "I have already searched through the international yer database. No matches."

    <em>¡¯Yeah, no way Lilith didn¡¯t think of something so simple. In that case, if the corpse wasn¡¯t that of a Korean or a foreigner¡­¡¯</em>

    <em>- My name is Kim Tae-Ho. I am a seven-star apostle of Ishvalda.</em>

    A memory popped up in Kang-Woo¡¯s head¡ª one of the people from another world whom Kang-Woo met at the Temple of Truth.

    "This¡­ deserves an investigation," Kang-Woo remarked.

    As long as corpses of people from another world were discovered, he couldn¡¯t leave it be only because they weren¡¯ting out of the Gate.

    "Shall I dispatch a team?" Lilith asked.

    "No." Kang-Woo shook his head. He stood up and answered, "I¡¯ll go."

    He was spending his days wasting away as he was sucked left and right like a stud horse¡ª this was a great opportunity.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ma say goodbye to my bum life!¡¯</em>

    1. Hanwoo beef has its own grading process like Japan¡¯s ¡¯A¡¯ ssification. For hanwoo, it ranges from 3 (lowest) to 1++ (highest). ?

 Side Story Chapter 65: Den of the Night Demons (2)

    "You¡¯ll go, my king?" asked Lilith, wide-eyed.

    "Yup," Oh Kang-Woo answered.

    "Hmm. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to send an investigation team first? You¡¯re quite busy, aren¡¯t you?"

    "No, I¡¯m not."

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m gonna die of boredom at this rate.¡¯</em>

    "My," Lilith expressed as if telling Kang-Woo to stop with the nonsense. "Aren¡¯t you working hard every night? ?"

    <em>¡¯Since when was being a stud horse my job? I mean, I can¡¯t deny it, considering what my days have been liketely.¡¯</em>

    "In any case, I¡¯ll take charge of the investigation."

    "Hmm. I think it¡¯s a little too beneath your pay grade, my king."Lilith was right; Kang-Woo was the strongest person on Earth. He should naturally only take part in extinction-level events like the invasions from Parasites or the Gctic Federation. Just like how the CEO didn¡¯t perform tasks normally left to an intern, Kang-Woo did not usually take part in things far below his capabilities.

    "But it¡¯s not like anything will change just from waiting around for something to happen," Kang-Woo remarked.

    He needed to jump into danger to hasten his body reconstruction; he had long since passed the point of it being hastened through training.

    "Mm¡­" Lilith groaned as she fell into thought. She sighed softly and stared at Kang-Woo in worry. "Haaa. If you want to do it so badly, then I can¡¯t stop you. But I don¡¯t want you to go by yourself, considering what happenedst time."

    "I was never nning to."

    They had no idea what was lurking beyond the Gate or how powerful they were. Kang-Woo was not foolish enough to recklessly charge in with full trust in his strength.

    <em>¡¯This is what I made a team for.¡¯</em>

    Having two people was safer than one, and even safer if there were three.

    "I¡¯ll go with Si-Hun and Balrog."

    Kang-Woo wondered if he should also take Han Seol-Ah, who had be as strong as Kim Si-Hun.

    <em>¡¯If I take Darling¡­ she might get in the way of the investigation.¡¯</em>

    The victims of the incident were all men; Kang-Woo had no idea who the enemy was but it was highly likely they would pay no attention to Seol-Ah.

    <em>¡¯And it¡¯s been a while since the girls went out together. I don¡¯t want to ruin their fun.¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah, who was madly obsessed with Kang-Woo, had separated from Kang-Woo for the first time in a while to y with Cha Yeon-Joo and Echidna. Kang-Woo did not want to interfere with her unless she was truly needed.

    "Mm¡­ Si-Hun probably can¡¯t make it," Lilith answered.

    "Hm? Is he doing something else?"

    "Yes. I heard from La."

    "What is he doing?"

    "I did not manage to get the details. Shall I contact her and find out?"

    "No, it¡¯s fine."

    Si-Hun was the second-inmand of Guardians, meaning he was far busier than Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯If Si-Hun can¡¯te, I guess there¡¯s only one other candidate.¡¯</em>

    "Balrog, the son of a bitch. I guess it¡¯ll be just the two of us. It¡¯s been a while."

    Kang-Woo chuckled and stood up. He loved spending time with his lovers but couldn¡¯t treat them as openly as he could with Balrog, who was closer to a friend than a subordinate.

    "Right, then. I¡¯ll go with Balrog."

    "Understood. Please be careful, and contact me if anything happens."

    "Sure."

    Kang-Woo said goodbye to Lilith as he left through the front door and headed to the elevator.

    <em>Whoosh! Whoosh!</em>

    He went down to the underground floor and saw Balrog swinging his fists by himself. Kang-Woo walked toward him as he waved.

    "Training as soon as you wake up?" he asked.

    "Oh. Good morning, my king."

    "Holy fuck, you reek of sweat."

    The stench of sweat attacked his nose as soon as he entered the training room.

    "Gahahaha! It¡¯s the scent of a man," Balrog mentioned.

    "Man, my ass. Any progress with your training?"

    "Hmm. No, not particrly."

    "I¡¯m not surprised."

    Balrog was too strong at this point to power up just from training.

    "But it looks like you¡¯re working pretty hard despite that," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "I get restless if I¡¯m doing nothing."

    "Why don¡¯t you go somewhere nice with Yurie?"

    Balrogughed heartily and nodded. "Gahaha! I will keep that in mind." He wiped himself with the custom-made giant towel and asked, "That aside, what brings you here so early?"

    "If you have nothing to do, go on a mission with me."

    "A mission?"

    Kang-Woo concisely exined the suspicious phenomenon Lilith reported to him.

    "Oh? A monster that only attacks men¡­ just like a subus."

    "Don¡¯t even say that word in front of me."

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m getting nauseous just from hearing it.¡¯</em>

    "Hehe. I was just joking."

    "Don¡¯t even joke about that. I¡¯m getting goosebumps."

    "Hm. I still can¡¯t understand your beauty standards, my king. Leaving everything aside, that woman Lilith is the most beautiful in the Nine Hells¡­"

    "Halcyon is prettier in my eyes. Happy?"

    "Kurgh! U-Unbelievable!! What a disgusting statement!!!"

    Balrog twisted around as he pulled on his hair in disbelief.

    "Enough of that bullshit," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "Huuu. I¡¯ve been living in the world of humans for quite a while now, but I still cannot get used to their beauty standards."

    "Oh,e to think of it, what¡¯s Halcyon been up totely?"

    Kang-Woo did not remember thest time he saw Halcyon; it was as if he had be irrelevant in a long-running novel.

    "Halcyon is in hibernation," Balrog answered.

    "Hibernation."

    "Yes, since he¡¯s a demonic beast."

    "Mmm. When will it end?"

    "Who knows? The hibernation period is different for every demonic beast¡­"

    "Why didn¡¯t you say anything? I would¡¯ve visited him before he hibernated if I¡¯d known."

    "Halcyon asked me not to tell you anything."

    "He did?"

    "Yes. He said he had something to tell you once he came out of hibernation¡­"

    "Mmm. Alright. Anyway, are youing?"

    "How could I ever disobey you?" Balrog remarked.

    "Good." Kang-Woo nodded with a smile. "Then get yourself cleaned up and turn into your human form."

    "My human form?"

    "The victims were all human men. They might not approach you if you¡¯re in your true form."

    "Hmm. It¡¯s ufortable, but¡­ I understand."

    Balrog nodded as he entered the showers.

    ***

    "This must be the B-rank Gate," Kang-Woo said.

    The Gate wasn¡¯t too big; it was three meters tall at most. If Balrog were in his true form, he would have to duck to enter.

    <em>¡¯If the entrance is only this big, it means the inside isn¡¯t that big either.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wondered what kind of monster was wreaking havoc inside the Gate.

    <em>¡¯I guess I¡¯ll find out.¡¯</em>

    He entered the Gate with Balrog.

    "It¡¯s quite dark," Balrog mentioned.

    They were inside a long tunnel as if they were in an ant nest. Pink rocks embedded in the ceiling were emitting light but it was so faint that they barely lit up the dark tunnel.

    "Well, it doesn¡¯t matter to us."

    Demons could see as well in the dark as they could in the day.

    "Hehe. Right, you are."

    "Let¡¯s head deeper inside."

    They stopped the chit chat and slowly walked through the tunnel. Kang-Woo rubbed his hand against the wall and looked around.

    <em>¡¯Nothing out of the ordinary so far.¡¯</em>

    All he could notice was that it was dark and slightly moist.

    <em>Garrrrrrrrr!</em>

    A monster that looked like a giantrva screeched ferociously and attacked them.

    <em>Crush!</em>

    And of course, it exploded with one blow.

    "Looks like shit."

    Kang-Woo frowned and rubbed his shoe against the ground to wipe the green goo off of it.

    "Is this thing the culprit?" Balrog asked.

    "No. Take a look at its teeth. They¡¯re super sharp."

    A monster with teeth as sharp as these could never create corpses as dry as a mummy.

    "Then it must be a monster that originally inhabited this Gate."

    "Probably. Let¡¯s head deeper inside."

    Kang-Woo and Balrog continued to walk down the tunnel. They sometimes came across a forked road or an empty cave but they did not find anything special. All they could find were giantrvae that Bear Grylls would eat and say were creamy in texture.

    "For fuck¡¯s sake. Where the hell are they hiding?"

    "Mm. The tunnel seems to end here."

    They had already hit a dead end despite not having walked for very long. As Kang-Woo had expected, the Gate was fairly small.

    "Let¡¯s try going another way," Kang-Woo suggested.

    "Yes, my king."

    Kang-Woo and Balrog backtracked and went down the other tunnel.

    "This is¡­ also a dead end," Balrog said.

    "This is driving me nuts."

    Both of the forked roads led to a dead end.

    "Have we not explored the entire dungeon?" Balrog asked.

    "How does it only take an hour to fully explore a B-rank Gate? And there¡¯s no sight of those goddamn Imhotep makers."

    "What is Imhotep?"

    "You don¡¯t need to know." Kang-Woo sighed. "Let¡¯s get out of here ande back another time."

    There was no point in searching a dungeon they had already fully explored. If the monster appeared at a specific time of day, they were better offing back in the evening.

    "Understood." Balrog nodded as he took the lead.

    Although the tunnel was dark and narrow, they did not have difficulty navigating the way they came from since the tunnel system was notplex.

    "Huh¡­?"

    Around the twenty-minute mark of their walking and looking around, Balrog suddenly stopped with his eyes widened.

    "What is it?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Umm¡­ my king. Was this not where the entrance was?"

    "It should be. There¡¯s only one path."

    "..." Balrog¡¯s expression hardened. He slowly turned around and said quietly, "The entrance¡­ is gone."

    "What?"

    "The Gate entrance is supposed to be here, but¡­ I don¡¯t see it."

    "The fuck are you talking ab¡ª oh, fuck," Kang-Woo cursed after walking past Balrog and looking around.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s really gone.¡¯</em>

    The Gate entrance they hade in from was nowhere in sight.

    Kang-Woo turned around after searching some more and remarked, "Let¡¯s¡­ backtrack."

    They went back to the forked road they were just at.

    "Why are there three fucking paths now?"

    <em>¡¯Did it get a boner?¡¯</em>

    "The hell is going on?"

    Not only were there three paths instead of two, but each of them lookedpletely different from what they had been like when they first came across it.

    "Hah, you thought this was enough to make me panic?"

    "Kehehe! I don¡¯t know who they are, but they sure are arrogant!"

    "Let¡¯s rip their heads off once we catch them."

    "Of course, my king!"

    "Right! Let¡¯s investigate again, starting from the left!"

    "Gahahaha! Stop hiding like cowards ande out!"

    Kang-Woo and Balrogughed heartily as if they were unfazed and walked down the left path. With that, five hours passed. Kang-Woo had no choice but to admit it.

    "Fuck."

    <em>¡¯We¡¯re lost.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 66: Den of the Night Demons (3)

    "Goddammit," Oh Kang-Woo cursed.

    He had no idea where they were. Once a new path opened, an existing path disappeared.

    "Where the hell are we?"

    "I¡­ am not sure either at this point," answered Balrog as he looked around and sighed.

    <em>¡¯Shit.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. The Gate¡¯s structure was changing in real time.

    <em>¡¯Was this a shifting maze?¡¯</em>

    He had never heard of such a phenomenon.

    "Hmm. It seems we have no choice," Balrog said as his eyes gleamed, immense demonic energy gathering around his fist. "We have to blow everything away, tunnel and all.""Wait."

    Kang-Woo stopped Balrog as he was about to swing his fist. They would indeed be able to find their way once they destroyed everything, but there was one problem.

    "They could run away."

    There would have been no point ining here if the monster that turned the yers into mummies escaped.

    "Urgh," Balrog groaned.

    "Let¡¯s try walking for a little longer. If we¡¯re still stuck after that, just blow everything away."

    "Understood."

    Balrog nodded and followed Kang-Woo through theplexly entwined tunnel.

    <em>- Fuck!</em>

    <em>- This is all your fault!</em>

    <em>- Bullshit!</em>

    Just then, they heard people arguing from the other side of the tunnel.

    "Balrog."

    "Yes, my king."

    Kang-Woo and Balrog headed to the source of the sound without hesitation.

    "You sons of bitches!"

    "You bastards wanna go?!"

    "Hah! Bring it on!"

    They reached a cave about one hundred meters wide, where two factions, about twenty people in total, were in a standoff. They were ring at one another in rage with their weapons out.

    "This never would¡¯ve happened if you sons of bitches weren¡¯t so greedy over the relic!"

    "We solved the puzzle first!"

    Kang-Woo didn¡¯t know what they were arguing about but it was getting heated.

    "Helya¡¯s fucking dildos!"

    "What did you say? Big words from Ishvalda¡¯s electric fucking fleshlights!"

    <em>¡¯Holy shit, look at them go.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as he watched the two factions fiercely cursing at each other.

    <em>¡¯That aside¡­ Ishvalda?¡¯</em>

    He had heard the name before.

    <em>¡¯That Kim Tae-Ho guy or whatever his name was mentioned it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the young man who introduced himself as a seven-star apostle of Ishvalda. He was one of the people from another Earth whom Kang-Woo met back at the Temple of Truth. He used lightning infused with enough power that impressed even Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯That fucking troll.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo still got headaches from recalling how Kim Tae-Ho had drawn the giant golden monkey Rajang¡¯s attention toward the group due to his carelessness.

    <em>¡¯Were the unidentified corpses Lilith mentioned from their world?¡¯</em>

    That seemed the most likely. They were also from <em>Earth </em>but it was undoubtedly an outer world ifpared to the <em>Earth </em>Kang-Woo lived in. It was only natural their fingerprints or DNA weren¡¯t in any database.

    "Hah! It seems words won¡¯t get us anywhere!"

    "You never intended to settle things with words from the beginning! I heard Ishvalda¡¯s apostles were evil but I never expected it to be this bad!"

    "What did you say?!"

    "Everyone knows you extort the residents of the Tower¡¯s lower floors of their money!"

    "Hah! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m hearing this from someone who killed people to get information about this relic!"

    "Shut up! That was a fair trade!"

    "Bullshit. You call killing five people a fair trade?"

    "Wh-Where did you get that information from¡­?"

    "Shit! What are we going to do now?! Now that we¡¯re stuck here, you can kiss getting out of here goodbye!"

    Members of each faction were getting more and more worked up.

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t know what relic they¡¯re talking about, but¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could tell both factions were pieces of shit in their own right.

    <em>¡¯I mean, I had a feeling that was the case for the Ishvalda group since that fucking troll is a member, but I don¡¯t give a damn.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t care less whether they extorted money from others or gained information by killing people. The important thing was that they had information about this ce. If they didn¡¯t, they would never have said that they couldn¡¯t get out once they were stuck here.

    "Ah, ahhh," Kang-Woo cleared his throat as he stepped forward. He spoke as respectfully as possible, "Please stop fighting, everyone."

    "Haaah?"

    "Who the hell is that brat?"

    The members of both factions stared at Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo smiled and said kindly, "I am one of the people who are stuck here. This is not the time to fight." He then shouted with all his heart, "It is time for us to join forces and find a way out together!"

    "..."

    "..."

    The expressions of the people staring at Kang-Woo crumpled as they red at him as if they couldn¡¯tprehend what he was saying. They went back to ring at each other and cursing.

    "Damn Ishvalda dogs!"

    "Hah! It seems your brains aren¡¯t developed enough to understand words!"

    Kang-Woo quickly shouted, "Everyone! Violence breeds nothing!"

    Yes, violence never solved anything. They needed to join forces and get out of here together.

    "Bring it on, motherfuckers!"

    "O Helya! Grant me the power of the sun!"

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Intense mes raged.

    "Take the judgment of Ishvalda!"

    <em>Crackle!</em>

    Blue lightning on par with the mes sparked.

    "Everyone! Please stop fighting!!"

    "Kurgh! Die!!"

    "Bastards!"

    <em>Boom! ng!</em>

    The factions began fighting against each other. shing metal echoed throughout the cave as the mes and lightning raged.

    "Everyone! Please stop f¡ª"

    "Die, you cocksuckers!"

    "Kuh! Son of a bitch!"

    "Every¡­"

    <em>¡¯These fucking bastards.¡¯</em>

    "STOP FUCKING FIGHTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!"

    A destructive impulse took over Kang-Woo as a thin string keeping his sense of reason intact snapped.

    <em>Bash! Crunch!</em>

    Kang-Woo ran forward and dealt a low kick to the two nearest people fighting. Their legs bent at an unnatural angle and they screamed as they copsed on the spot.

    "Huh¡­?"

    "Wh-What was that?"

    The others stopped fighting and stared at Kang-Woo wide-eyed.

    "ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" Kang-Woo screamed ferociously as he charged at the people fighting. "WHY THE FUCK AREN¡¯T YOU SONS OF BITCHES LISTENING TO ME?!!"

    He couldn¡¯t contain his fury.

    "Kurgh! <em>Cough!!!</em>"

    "GAAAAAAAAAAH! M-MY AAAAAAAARM!!"

    "I FUCKING TOLD YOU TO STOP FIGHTING!!"

    <em>Bash! Crunch! Crush!</em>

    Kang-Woo beat the shit out of everyone who entered his field of vision like a wolf in a flock of sheep. The sound of bones breaking echoed throughout the cave.

    "Arghh! I-I¡¯m sor¡­"

    "Huh? What?"

    "I¡¯m sor¡ª <em>Cough!</em>"

    "SPEAK CLEARLY, MOTHERFUCKER!!!"

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    The man vomited blood as his ribs shattered.

    "GAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" his screams filled the cave. "<em>Cough! Cough!</em> Gah¡­"

    "NOW! REPEAT AFTER ME! VIOLENCE!"

    "I-It hurts¡­ I¡¯m gonna d-die¡­"

    "VIOLEEEEEEEEEEENCE!!!"

    "GAAAAAAAAAHHH! I-I¡¯m sorry! P-Please stop hitting me!! V-Violeeeeeeeence!!"

    "IS BAD!"

    "I-Is bad¡­"

    "I CAN¡¯T HEAR YOU, MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEERS!!"

    "Kurgh!! Urgh! I-IS BAAAAAAAAAD!!"

    "AGAIN!! VIOLENCE! IS BAD!!"

    "VIOLEEEEENCE!! IS BAAAAAAAAAAD!!"

    "THEN WHY THE FUCK WERE YOU FIGHTING?????!!!!!!!!!"

    <em>Crunch, crack.</em>

    "Ah."

    <em>¡¯He¡¯s dead.¡¯</em>

    "Huuu," Kang-Woo caught his breath.

    He identally killed one of them but it didn¡¯t matter.

    <em>¡¯There are plenty more people I can ask.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly turned around to see people looking up at him in pallor, their eyes filled with terror.

    <em>¡¯I knew it.¡¯</em>

    There was nothing like illogical violence to instill fear into people. Since Kang-Woo engraved into their minds that he was insane, they wouldn¡¯t look down on him because of his young appearance.

    "I will take care of the interrogation, my king," Balrog remarked as he approached.

    Kang-Woo shook his head. "No, it¡¯s okay."

    Interrogations were best carried out by the source of the person they feared.

    "Right, then. Attention, everyone!"

    Kang-Woo pped his hands together to gather their attention.

    "<em>Gasp!</em>"

    "P-Please spare us!"

    The people bowed in fear just from Kang-Woo pping his hands together. Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction.

    "Do you know where we are?" Kang-Woo asked a random person as he ced his foot on their fingers.

    "Eek! I-I do!! I KNOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH!!" shouted a man as the pressure on his fingers grew stronger.

    "Where are we?"

    "A-A space created by a d-demon!"

    "A demon¡­?"

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>¡¯A space created by a demon? Demons¡­ still exist?¡¯</em>

    As far as he knew, most demons from the Nine Hells died in the battle between him and Bael. Even if some demons had survived, he was confused about why they would create a space on another Earth to kill people.

    The man trembled as he shouted, "W-We¡¯ve done nothing wrong! We simply entered a dungeon to find a relic! But those damn Ishvalda dogs activated a trap and¡ª!"

    Crush!

    Kang-Woo pressed his foot down on the man¡¯s fingers without hesitation, bending them at an unnatural angle.

    "GAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    "I don¡¯t give a shit about who did what, so just stick to answering my questions."

    "Gurghhh. I-I understand¡­!"

    The man cried as he held his broken fingers.

    "To think a demon did this¡­ It¡¯s quite hard to believe," Balrog expressed.

    "Yeah. Was there a demon who could make spaces like this?"

    "Mm. I can¡¯t quite remember."

    Balrog fell into thought as he tilted his head. Kang-Woo lightly kicked the copsed man¡¯s hip.

    "Do you know which demon made this space?" he asked.

    "Gurgh¡­ M-My fingers¡­"

    "For fuck¡¯s sake. You¡¯re outright ignoring my questions now, are you?"

    "Eek! I-I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk!!!" the man shouted as he smashed his head into the ground.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and waited for the man to answer.

    "This ce is called¡­ Den of the Night Demons."

    "What¡­?"

    Chills went down Kang-Woo¡¯s spine the moment he heard what this ce was called.

    "W-Wait a second. By night demons, you mean¡­"

    He was reminded of a fear he did not want to even imagine.

    "Yes! It is a space made by s-subi to suck the life force of men!!"

    "...!!!" Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. He shouted from the bottom of his heart, "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY?!! This is a den of subi¡­?"

    His feet, firmly nted on the ground, began to shake uncontrobly.

 Side Story Chapter 67: Den of the Night Demons (4)

    "A-Aaaahh," Oh Kang-Woo groaned as he pulled on his hair. Intense fear that was permanently engraved in his mind took over him. "AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    He screamed as he twisted and turned. He trembled uncontrobly like a vibrator and foamed at the mouth.

    "S-Subi¡­?"

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Kang-Woo was reminded of the green tentacles covered in sticky mucus. He had seen the subi that served Lilith a few times during his days in Hell. Just like Lilith, they were nightmarish creatures that had likely crawled out from the worst of nightmares. Imagining a den of such creatures sent shivers down Kang-Woo¡¯s spine.

    "Th-That¡¯s correct! This is a space created by evil Subi!"

    "How many¡­ how many of them are there?" asked Kang-Woo as he gulped.

    "Uhh¡­ I-I¡¯m not sure¡­"

    The man fell into thought as his eyes darted around. Kang-Woo raised his fist in silence."Gaaaaaaaah!! W-Wait! Please wait!!"

    The man turned back to look at the copsed people as if begging for assistance.

    Another man who seemed to be hisrade quickly answered, "N-No one is certain about their exact numbers! B-But¡­"

    "But what?"

    "I heard that the Den of the Night Demons consists of at least three hundred Subi!"

    "THREE HUNDRED?!!"

    <em>¡¯Did you fucking say three hundred?!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was so shocked that his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

    "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Kang-Woo fell to his knees as he screamed in terror.

    <em>¡¯Three hundred Subi¡­?! I shouldn¡¯t have fuckinge! I should¡¯ve justzed around at home with my Darling! As I thought, it¡¯s dangerous outside!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stepped back in pallor.

    Seeing a sliver of hope from seeing Kang-Woo trembling in fear, the man who had been beaten by Kang-Woo shouted, "N-Now isn¡¯t the time to fight among ourselves!"

    "..."

    "We have to join forces to escape from this den of Subi!"

    A vein bulged from Kang-Woo¡¯s forehead.

    "Yeah, makes sense," Kang-Woo answered.

    "R-Right?"

    "Yup, it makes a whole lot of sense for me to beat your ass."

    <em>¡¯You should¡¯ve listened to me when you had the chance.¡¯</em>

    <em>Bash¡ª!</em>

    Kang-Woo kicked the man¡¯s stomach like a football.

    "Kurgh¡ª!! Urgh!" The man clenched his stomach and coughed up blood.

    "Fuuu," Kang-Woo sighed as he looked down at the convulsing man.

    "Y-You fucking brat!!" The man who had proudly revealed himself as an apostle of Helya earlier red at Kang-Woo as he bared his teeth. "Fine! Kill us, motherfucker! We¡¯re gonna die here anyway so it doesn¡¯t matter who kills us, whether it be you or the Subi!!"

    "Alright. If you want to die so badly, I¡¯ll kill you."

    "H-Hahaha!! You¡¯ll follow us in death soon enough after once your life force is drained by the Subi!" shouted the man as he acted calm despite being terrified.

    Kang-Woo stopped in his tracks as he was walking toward the man.

    <em>¡¯Draining life force, huh?¡¯</em>

    If this was a den of Subi like the men said, the Subi woulde to them sooner orter to drain their life force. Kang-Woo had seen the process of Subi draining their prey several times. They wrapped their prey with dozens of tentacles and brutally squeezed out their life force to the veryst drop. He never wanted to see such a horrifying sight again.

    <em>¡¯I could use these guys as bait, at the very least.¡¯</em>

    It was not wise to kill them right away.

    "Th-Three hundred Subi¡­ Ahem! What a predicament," said Balrog anxiously as he approached. No, his voice was filled with anticipation rather than anxiety for some reason. "Hah! My word! H-Hundreds of those beautiful and lewd demons?! Ahem! I¡¯m worried they might fall for my burly muscles!"

    "What the fuck are you talking about¡­?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression immediately crumpled.

    "You have to agree, don¡¯t you, my king?! What should I do if those Subi fall for me and try to seduce me bare naked?!"

    "Kill them all, obviously."

    <em>¡¯Three hundred Subi trying to seduce us while bare naked¡­ Fuck, I almost imagined it.¡¯</em>

    Balrog eximed in shock, "H-How could you say such a thing?! Subi are rare, even in Hell! To think you would even consider eradicating a paradise of three hundred Subi¡­"

    From his perspective, a den of Subi was nothing but a paradise made up of only beautiful women.

    "PARADISE, MY ASS!!!" Kang-Woo shouted furiously.

    He felt nauseous just from imagining a gathering of those hideous tentacle monsters.

    <em>¡¯Whatever the case, I have to get the fuck out of here fast.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed to find a way out before the Subi came to feast on their prey.

    "Balrog, I¡¯m destroying the tunnel."

    "M-My king?"

    They had no time to waste. The Subi coulde to suck the life force out of the copsed men at any second.

    <em>¡¯Anything but Subi.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could confidently face any other demon but he couldn¡¯t even bear the sight of one hideous tentacle monster.

    "Huup."

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Immense demonic energy, more than enough to obliterate the tunnel, gathered around Kang-Woo¡¯s fist.

    Swoosh¡ª!

    - Hohohoho!

    As he was about to swing his fist, pink smoke covered the ground. The copsed men trembled in terror as soon as they saw the fog-like smoke.

    "Gurghhh! W-We¡¯re dead¡­!"

    "Th-The Subi are here¡ª!!"

    "W-Were all gonna die!"

    Chaos spread like poison; the apostles of Helya and Ishvalda screamed in fear.

    "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!"

    Kang-Woo also screamed in extreme fear as he pulled his hair among the apostles. It was toote to escape.

    "Th-They¡¯reing! Here they fuckinge!!"

    Kang-Woo trembled as he took several steps back. He could see a ck silhouette inside the pink mist walking seductively toward them. He wanted to shut his eyes tightly but he knew better than anyone else that it was meaningless due to his transcendental senses.

    "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Balrog cheered with his fists clenched.

    Unlike the terrified expressions of the others, only his face was filled with excitement and ecstasy.

    "Fufu. We have quite the feast today ?"

    "Haaaaaaaaah~ Such a thick scent of energy~ I¡¯m already getting wet~ ?"

    "Oh? Why are they all copsed? Fufu, are they offering themselves to us?"

    Seductive voices as if they were born to seduce men echoed throughout the cave. The Subi revealed themselves from the pink mist atst.

    "GAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    "S-SAVE MEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

    The apostles who could no longer move after getting beaten by Kang-Woo screamed in terror.

    "FUUUUUUUUCK!! THEY¡¯RE HERE! THEY¡¯RE REALLY HERE!!"

    Kang-Woo trembled in despair and panic.

    "Oh? There¡¯s a cute little boy among them."

    "Kyaah! I call dibs on him!"

    "Fufufu. I¡¯ll let you taste the greatest pleasure you¡¯ve ever had, so why don¡¯t youe here, little boy?"

    The Subi giggled bewitchingly as they approached the men. The beauty of the Subi who came out from the smoke lived up to their reputation of draining the life force of men.

    "Fuck off, damn tentacle mons¡ª huh?"

    <em>¡¯Why are they beautiful?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes opened widely in disbelief. They were tall and slender; not only were their breasts plentiful but their waists were narrow and their buttocks were thick inparison. The Subi who came out of the mist looked as if they were the culmination of every man¡¯s hopes and dreams.

    "What the fuck?"

    <em>¡¯What the fuck?¡¯</em>

    "Why are they beautiful?"

    Kang-Woo stared at the Subi, his expression frozen. The Subi, who were wearing so little clothes to the point that there was no point even wearing anything, giggled as they posed like supermodels.

    "He¡¯s asking why Subi are beautiful? Fufufu. Did youe here without knowing what Subi are, cute little boy?"

    "Hohoho. Don¡¯t you worry. These olderdies here will teach you nice and well about what Subi are~ ?"

    "Hehe. That boy is cute, so let¡¯s raise him as our pet!"

    The Subi giggled, havingpletely misunderstood the reason why Kang-Woo was shocked.

    "Oh¡­" Kang-Woo expressed.

    He finally understood everything¡ª about why demons from the Nine Hells were targeting another world out of the blue, and why people of another Earth knew about this ce known as the <em>Den of the Night Demons</em>.

    <em>¡¯These Subi¡­ aren¡¯t from the Nine Hells.¡¯</em>

    Just like how there was another <em>Earth</em>, the Subi were also from another <em>Hell</em>.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s hands shook. Something boiling deep inside his heart surged up to his brain. A zing emotion took over him,

    "MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!"

    Intense rage burnt his sense of reason to a crisp.

    "WHY¡­? WHY THE FUCK IS THE NINE HELLS¡­ IN THE NINE HELLS, THEY WERE¡­!!!"

    <em>¡¯Subi from another world are so beautiful, but why are the Subi from the Nine Hells so¡­¡¯</em>

    "FUCKING BITCHES! WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU TREMBLING IN FEAR FOR SUCCUBI THAT LOOK LIKE THAT?!" Kang-Woo screamed as he picked up one of the copsed men by the cor.

    "Kurgh! Urgh! Guh! Wh-Why are you¡ª"

    Unimaginable frustration boiled inside Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯If only¡­¡¯</em>

    If only he had fallen into the other world¡¯s Hell instead of the Nine Hells and rose to be the Demon King there, he would never have developed this wretched trauma.

    "Haaa, haaa," Kang-Woo panted heavily as he red fiercely at the Subi.

    "O-Oh?"

    "S-Such power¡­!"

    The Subi turned as white as a sheet after feeling the energy bursting from Kang-Woo and stepped back.

    <em>¡¯They mustn¡¯t exist.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists. Beautiful Subi! Subi with no more than two eyes and no yellow pus! Subi without tentacles¡ª no, those green wriggling trash!!! He refused to believe such beings existed.

    "Beings like you¡­ cannot exist. No such beings can exist in this universe. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t be the only one to experience such pain."

    As Kang-Woo was spending his days in agony with tentacles wrapped around him, beautiful Subi were giggling and frolicking in a Hell of another world. He refused to believe such a reality.

    "Yeah, you guys¡­ aren¡¯t Subi."

    Kang-Woo slowly raised his right arm.

    <em>Schwing!</em>

    A jet-ck greatsword appeared in his hand.

    "Balrog," he called.

    "BLEEEEEEEEEEGHHH!!!"

    "...?"

    All Kang-Woo got as a response was the sound of vomiting. Balrog¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he puked so hard that he could even vomit out his intestines. He red at the Subi.

    "Subi without tentacles¡­?" Balrog took off his pendant and red ferociously at the Subi. "HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELVES SUCCUBI WITH SUCH HIDEOUS FORMS?!!"

    Boom!

    A muscle-bound red giant with eyes trembling with rage appeared out of nowhere.

    "BEAUTIFUL SUCCUBI¡ª!"

    "HIDEOUS SUCCUBI¡ª!"

    The voice of the two demons ovepped.

    "MUST NOT EXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIST!!!"

    ***

    "Wh-What? Kang-Woo and Mr. Balrog entered a Gate?" said Han Seol-Ah anxiously as she grabbed Lilith¡¯s hand in pallor.

    "The king is with Balrog, so there¡¯s nothing you need to worry about. Besides, the king has regained much of his power."

    "But¡­"

    Seol-Ah lowered her head with a dark expression. She recalled the sight of the unconscious Kang-Woo after being attacked by Akart¡¯s subordinate. She fell into thought for a while and then pushed back her chair as she stood up.

    "I¡¯m getting too worried, unnie. Please tell me where the Gate that Kang-Woo entered is."

    Seol-Ah clenched her fist, her eyes filled with determination.

 Side Story Chapter 68: Den of the Night Demons (5)

    "AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!! I REFUSE TO ACCEPT IT¡ª!!"

    "I¡¯M SO FUCKING ANGRY¡ª!!!"

    Oh Kang-Woo and Balrog charged at the Subi in a blind rage; for different reasons but their goals were the same. Fuel was added to the raging mes of fury setting their souls aze.

    "Wh-What¡¯s up with them?"

    "Where did they evene from¡­?!"

    The Subi stepped backward as they stared at Kang-Woo and Balrog, charging at them while foaming at the mouth and tongues out. The thing that flustered them the most was Balrog, who returned to his true form after taking off his pendant.

    "A demon¡­?" That human was a demon?!"

    "Ngh! Be careful, unnie! He looks dangerous!"

    "GRAAAAAAAAHHH!!" Balrog bellowed.His swelling red muscles and five-meter stature made him the embodiment of a killing machine.

    "Hoho. Don¡¯t worry." A purple-haired Subus, slightly taller than the other Subi, stepped forward and sucked her finger erotically as she smiled. "However strong the demon¡­ no man can resist our charms ?"

    The Subus pped her wings as she exuded pink mist that stimted male desire. She elegantly walked toward Balrog as she lifted her clothes, which were but a ck leather string.

    "Now ? why don¡¯t you embrace me with those magnificent musc¡ª KYAAAAAAHH!!"

    "HOW DARE AN UGLY BITCH LIKE YOU TRY TO SEDUCE THE GREAT BALROG?!"

    <em>Bash¡ª!</em>

    Balrog did not stop his charge and drop kicked the Subus with all his might, caving in the Subus¡¯s stomach.

    "Kurgh¡ª!"

    The purple-haired Subus copsed as she coughed up ck blood.

    "KYAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

    "U-Unnie?!"

    "H-How could you?!"

    The Subi screamed in shock.

    They red at Balrog and shouted, "An ugly bitch?! How dare you spout such nder to unnie¡¯s face?!"

    "Hah! You have no right to call yourselves Subi! You should at least be on par with my woman!"

    "Hmph! How beautiful could she possibly be?" the Subi asked as they snorted.

    "Kehehehe! I will show you if you are so curious!" shouted Balrog as he took out a picture from his pocket.

    The picture, which was printer paper size, was of Kurosaki Yurie¡¯s purple tentacle monster form.

    "Urpp!"

    "Wh-What in the world is that monster?!"

    The Subi covered their mouths to stop themselves from vomiting.

    "Did you say¡­ monster?" Balrog gritted his teeth, not having expected such a response from them. "HOW DARE YOU CALL THIS PERFECT WOMAN A MONSTER¡ª?!"

    <em>Boom!</em>

    The entire cave shook as Balrog stomped his foot. A destructive Demon Roar burst out from him.

    "Eek!"

    "H-He¡¯s crazy!"

    The Subi distanced themselves from Kang-Woo in disgust. They naturally switched their attention to Kang-Woo.

    "He called that boy his king, didn¡¯t he?"

    "Then as long as we seduce him¡­"

    "Fufu! He doesn¡¯t look like a demon, so it should be a piece of cake!"

    They didn¡¯t know why the crazy demon was calling the boy his king but their n of action was decided since they confirmed the demon was following the boy¡¯smands.

    "The more innocent the boy, the easier it is to drown them in desire ?"

    "Fufu. Leave it to me."

    A well-endowed Subus pped her wings as she smiled seductively. She flew toward Kang-Woo and licked her lips as she pulled down the ck leather string covering her breasts.

    "Now, little boy~ why don¡¯t you try touching my breasts?"

    "..."

    "Fufu. You don¡¯t have to hold back. You¡¯ve never seen breasts this big and beautiful, have you?"

    "Hah¡­" Kang-Woo chuckled as he stared at the Subus trying to seduce him with her breasts. "You think you can seduce me with mere breasts?"

    <em>¡¯Pathetic. How dare they try to seduce the Demon King with mere average breasts?¡¯</em>

    "Only my Darling¡¯s breasts can satisfy me, dammit."

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth and punched the Subus.

    "Kyaaahh!"

    The Subus tumbled across the ground with her breasts exposed.

    "Fuuu, haaa." Kang-Woo red at the hundreds of Subi coldly. All of them were indeed beautiful enough to live up to the reputation of Subi.

    <em>¡¯But¡­ They don¡¯t evene close to my lovers!¡¯</em>

    "BALROOOOOOOOOOOOOG!!"

    "JUST SAY THE WORDS, MY KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!"

    "KILL THEM AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!!"

    "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! AS YOU COMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!!"

    "KAHAHAHA!! YEAH! I REFUSE TO BE THE ONLY ONE WHO SUFFERS!!! HOPES AND DREAMS SHOULD NEVER EXIST IN HELL¡ª!"

    Kang-Woo and Balrog roared madly as they began to ughter the Subi one by one.

    "KYAAAAHHH!"

    "Wh-What¡¯s with these crazy sons of bitches?!"

    "Our charms aren¡¯t working against them!!"

    Subi drained the life force of men through powerful illusions and charms. If those did not work, then theirbat prowess drastically went down.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    <em>Rip!</em>

    "Arghh!! Th-They¡¯re insane¡­!"

    "WHAT¡¯S WRONG WITH THESE IMPOTENT BASTARDS¡ª?!"

    Not only that, but they were facing Kang-Woo and Balrog; mere Subi were no match for two beings who could easily tear apart the average god.

    "Kuh¡­"

    A purple-haired Subus, wearing a small crown unlike the others, bit her lip anxiously as she watched the number of Subi dwindle rapidly from the middle of the crowd.

    "M-My queen!"

    "At this rate¡­!"

    The Subi guarding her shouted anxiously. The Subus with the dreamlike purple hair was the Subus Queen.

    "..."

    The Subus Queen examined Balrog and Kang-Woo with shaking eyes.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s impossible to take them on.¡¯</em>

    The red demon and the boy were monsters.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ve never seen monsters like them even in Pandemonium!¡¯</em>

    Not even the bloodthirsty demons of their home were this powerful.

    <em>¡¯There¡¯s no way.¡¯ </em>The Subus Queen gulped. <em>¡¯Wh-What should we do?¡¯</em>

    It was likely impossible to escape from those two monsters. The Subus Queen focused her attention on Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯Our charms seem ineffective on that red muscle pig, but¡­¡¯</em>

    The boy reacted somewhat to the exposed breasts. The Subus Queen gulped again.

    ¡¯In that case¡­¡¯

    There was only one way to live.

    "We surrender! We surrender!!"

    She flew toward Kang-Woo and bowed after taking off her clothes.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo, who had been ughtering Subi with his sword, froze.

    "F-Forgive us!"

    "We apologize for failing to recognize someone of exalted personage!"

    Once the Subus Queen surrendered, the other Subi also took off their clothes and bowed.

    "The hell?"

    Kang-Woo stopped swinging his sword after being shown a strip show out of nowhere. Balrog also lowered his fists once Kang-Woo stopped attacking.

    "We will do everything you ask!"

    "Please spare us!"

    Taking advantage of Kang-Woo stopping his attack, the Subi began clinging to him.

    "H-Huh?" Kang-Woo stuttered as he stepped back flusteredly.

    He was uninterested in women other than his Darling and his other two lovers but he couldn¡¯t help but be flustered by hundreds of bare naked Subi clinging to him.

    "What do you think you¡¯re¡ª"

    "We will serve you as our master if you spare us!"

    "We will be your ves for the sole purpose of satisfying your desires!"

    The Subi became even more assertive after seeing their attempts were effective. Not only were they bare naked, but they were also posing in various erotic ways.

    <em>¡¯Holy shit!¡¯</em> Kang-Woo shouted in his head.

    He could feel his desires welling up from inside him as he witnessed the extraordinary sight. He was the Demon King but he was also a healthy man; he couldn¡¯t stay unfazed when shown such a sight.

    "Fuuu, haaa."

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and took deep breaths.

    <em>¡¯I won¡¯t fall for them.¡¯</em>

    His eyes full of passion slowly cooled down. The Subi were extraordinarily charming but he had not one but three women to whom he had pledged his evesting love.

    <em>¡¯I won¡¯t give them any of my attention. I have my Darling, Lilith, and Yeon-Joo.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was already having trouble satisfying three women. ves aside, he physically couldn¡¯t satisfy anyone else when he was already being drained daily.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone as he said, "In that case, let me ask you a few questions."

    He had no reason to fall for their charms but it was important to get useful information out of them.

    "O-Oh!"

    "Ask us anything!"

    "Fufu. What would you like to know? About what our moans sound like in bed?"

    "No, dammit."

    Kang-Woo frowned. He stomped his foot and shook away the Subi clinging to him.

    "Ahng! I see you like to be rough¡­"

    "Shut the hell up, dammit. Before I tear all of you to shreds."

    "..."

    "My question is, where did youe from?"

    "Pardon¡­?"

    Kang-Woo red at the Subus Queen and asked, "Where the hell did you crawl out of to start devouring people?"

    "We¡¯re from Pandemonium."

    "Pandemonium¡­?"

    "Yes. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about it if you¡¯re also climbing the <em>Tower</em>, haven¡¯t you?"

    The Subus Queen seemed to believe Kang-Woo and Balrog were residents of their world.

    "Earth¡­ oh, fuck. I guess that ce is Earth too. Alright, then. How did you end up in this Gate?"

    "Gate¡­?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "..."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    <em>¡¯I guess they don¡¯t know what Gates are.¡¯</em>

    If that was the case, it meant the Subi did not willinglye to upy one of the Gates of this Earth.

    <em>¡¯Shit.¡¯</em>

    The situation was worse than Kang-Woo expected. It was different from the situation with the Parasites and the Gctic Federation, who had intentionally crossed the Gate to invade Earth. As for the Subi, forget invading Earth, they were not even aware of the Gate.

    <em>¡¯Which means the invasion of our world by the world of these Subi and damn apostles has progressed much further than I expected.¡¯</em>

    The two worlds had been linked through the Gates despite the people of the other world having no intention of invading Kang-Woo¡¯s world.

    "Fuck," Kang-Woo cursed as he snapped his fingers.

    A pile of rocks on the ground turned into a chair of the perfect size for him.

    <em>¡¯Looks like this is gonna take a while.¡¯</em>

    There was no need to rush, so it was best to get as much information from the Subi as possible.

    Kang-Woo looked down at the bowing naked Subi and said, "Right then. First, tell me everything you know about this Pandemonium."

 Side Story Chapter 69: Den of the Night Demons (6)

    "Is this the Gate unnie was talking about?"

    <em>Flutter.</em>

    A gorgeous woman with dark purple hairnded on the roof of a building as she pped her twelve ck wings.

    <em>Jiggle.</em>

    Two giant hills shook despite hernding without even a sound.

    "Kang-Woo¡­"

    Han Seol-Ah looked down at the gate as she bit her lip anxiously. Lilith had said there was nothing to worry about but it was not enough to make her uneasiness disappear.

    <em>¡¯Am I being too obsessive?¡¯</em>

    She knew her desire to monopolize Kang-Woo was abnormally strong but she couldn¡¯t hold it back despite knowing that. She felt like she was going insane just from the thought of Oh Kang-Woo being in possible danger."I should never have gone shopping¡­!"

    Seol-Ah did not expect Kang-Woo to enter a Gate out of nowhere as she went shopping to buy daring clothes to surprise him.

    "Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo."

    She exhaled heatedly and bit her lip. She wanted to embrace him with all her might and feel his warmth.

    "I¡¯m sure nothing¡¯s wrong. Yes. I know how strong he is. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine. Yes. No¡­" She gritted her teeth and persuaded herself, "He has to be fine."

    Seol-Ah¡¯s lifeless eyes focused on the Gate. She knew there was nothing to worry about like Lilith mentioned. Kang-Woo was not weak anymore; his powers had yet to return fully but he was still one of the top five strongest on Earth. Not only that, he was with Balrog. Barely anything could endanger them as long as they were together.

    "..."

    However, Seol-Ah recalled Kang-Woo copsing at the swimming pool whenever she closed her eyes; the sight of him groaning in pain while unconscious was embedded in her head. The despairing memory was so painful she felt like she was being burned alive just thinking about it.

    "Haaa, haaa."

    Her breathing grewbored and her lips dried up just from recalling the memory.

    <em>Crackle! Crackle!</em>

    ck lightning sparked between Seol-Ah¡¯s twelve ck wings. She slowly walked toward the small Gate entrance not even three meters tall.

    <em>Ba-dump, ba-dump.</em>

    Her heart felt like it was about to explode just from the fact that she could reunite with Kang-Woo soon. Her suffocating uneasiness disappeared before she had realized it and was reced with ecstasy.

    She wanted to meet him this instant. She wanted to gently embrace, kiss him passionately, and whisper sweet love into his ear.

    Now. Right now. As soon as possible. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now. Now.

    Ican¡¯twaitmuchlongerI¡¯mgoinginsaneIwanttoseeyouIwanttohugyouIwanttokissyouIloveyouKang-WooIloveyousomuchIloveyoutodeathIwillkillmyselfifyoudisappearmyheadwillexplodeIwanttokilleveryoneIwanttotearthemapartwhereareyouKang-WooKang-WooKang-WooKang-WooKang-Woo?

    "Wait just a little longer, Kang-Woo. I¡¯ming. Your one and only Darling ising."

    Seol-Ah giggled as she entered the Gate.

    ***

    "So, what you¡¯re saying is¡­" Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. "This ce has nothing to do with the Nine Hells?"

    "Nine Hells¡­?"

    "Wh-What is that?"

    "Don¡¯t beat around the bush and answer the damn question."

    "W-We¡¯re sorry!"

    Kang-Woo sighed. Pandemonium, the other Hell of the outer world, had nothing to do with the Nine Hells other than that demons also lived there.

    <em>¡¯From what these Subi have told me, the demons there seem to be stronger than the ones in the Nine Hells.¡¯</em>

    It was hard to make an exactparison since Kang-Woo had not seen them with his own eyes but from their stories, the demons of the Nine Hells sounded like errand boys for the school bullies who were the demons of Pandemonium.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s hurting my pride a bit.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo felt highly unpleasant from hearing that the Hell he had struggled to survive for ten millennia was nothingpared to a different Hell.

    "It¡¯s hard to believe, seeing how weak you guys are. Are you sure they¡¯re strong?" Kang-Woo asked the Subi.

    "W-We¡¯re super weak when ites to physical fighting."

    "Th-The demons of Pandemonium are extremely powerful!"

    "They¡¯reying low because they can¡¯t manifest into the physical realm, but once they do, not even the apostles on the Tower¡¯s top floor will be a match for them!"

    "And how strong are theypared to me?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Ah¡­"

    "W-Well¡­"

    The Subi kept silent. Although the demons of Pandemonium were powerful, they were no match for the boy in front of them.

    "Well, let¡¯s leave that aside for now."

    Kang-Woo smirked and turned around. It was pointless topare himself to regr demons in the first ce. The demons of Pandemonium might be strong enough to obliterate the demons of the Nine Hells, but they were nothing but prey to Kang-Woo.

    "So those oh-so-great demons of Pandemonium can¡¯t manifest into the physical realm at the moment, right?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Yes, but¡­ the situation has changed as of recently."

    "It has?"

    <em>¡¯The hell does that mean?¡¯</em>

    "There used to be a powerful barrier that blocked manifestation into the physical realm, but¡­ it has thinned significantly as ofte. That is why we created this space to hunt men."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    <em>¡¯Why does this sound familiar¡­?¡¯</em>

    It was simr to when the separation between Earth and the Nine Hells thinned after the Law of Titans was damaged.

    <em>¡¯Does it have to do with our world?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was not sure. The Law of Titans was damaged for the Triad, not the outer world that Kang-Woo didn¡¯t even know the name of.

    "So, the demons have manifested and are causing chaos?"

    "N-No. Well, a few of them are, of course, but¡­ most of them have likely manifested for other reasons."

    "Other reasons?"

    "Yes. They are likely nning to discover powerful relics to grow their strength."

    The bickering apostles had mentioned something about a relic as well.

    "What¡¯s a relic?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Pardon¡­?"

    "You don¡¯t know what a relic is?"

    The Subi stared at Kang-Woo in disbelief.

    Kang-Woo frowned slightly. "What did I say earlier?"

    "Ah¡­! W-We apologize! We¡¯ll only answer what we¡¯re asked!"

    "Good. So, what¡¯s a relic?"

    "They are¡­ armaments with mystical powers, created in the Tower. Theye in different shapes and forms, and some are entirely formless."

    <em>¡¯Something like an artifact, maybe? No, not really, since some of them are formless.¡¯</em>

    The Subi mentioned the Tower once again.

    "What¡¯s this <em>Tower </em>thing that you keep talking about?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "..."

    The Subi remained silent as they stared at Kang-Woo, their eyes trembling in shock. They seemed to have figured out that Kang-Woo was from a different world than them.

    "Master, are you¡ª"

    "What did I say?"

    "N-Never mind."

    Kang-Woo waited for an answer as he red at the naked Subi.

    "We don¡¯t know much about the Tower of Creation or who created it and for what purpose. All we know is that humans and demons alike try to climb it because they can acquire more powerful relics and wealth the higher you climb."

    "How many floors are there?"

    "N-No one knows how many floors the Tower has¡­ the division of upper and lower floors is just based on how many floors have been cleared thus far."

    "How many floors have been cleared?"

    "We¡¯re not sure¡­ W-We don¡¯t know much about the Tower! We swear!"

    "Tsk," Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and nodded.

    He could tell the Subi were not lying from their expressions filled with terror.

    <em>¡¯Tower of Creation, huh?¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo sighed deeply, his head hurting. <em>¡¯It¡¯s just one fucking thing after another.¡¯</em>

    Akart, Pandemonium, and now the Tower of Creation.

    <em>¡¯I thought this was a side story. You said it would only be about fifty chapters long, dammit.¡¯</em>

    "Alright, fine. That¡¯s enough for now."

    "W-Were we of help?" the Subi asked.

    "Yeah."

    Kang-Woo would be able to effectively use the information about the Tower of Creation and that the outer world was slowly encroaching on Earth.

    "Hehe! We¡¯re d to have been of help to you, Master!"

    <em>¡¯Since when did I be your master?¡¯</em>

    "Do you have any other orders for us? We are willing to do anything for you, Master!"

    "You are free to do whatever you like to us!"

    "We will satisfy all of your desires!"

    After tasting the hope of survival, the Subi clung to Kang-Woo with sparkling eyes. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes burned passionately as naked women stuck to him but he quickly regained hisposure.

    "Get the fuck off me."

    "Eek!"

    "Ngh¡­!"

    The Subi flinched and stepped back once Kang-Woo red at them fiercely.

    Balrog stepped forward and remarked, "We got everything we need from them. I believe killing them is for the best."

    "Aaaahh!"

    "Please¡­ Please spare us!"

    The Subi freaked out and bowed with their heads on the ground again.

    "Wait a second," Kang-Woo said as he stopped Balrog.

    <em>¡¯They might be useful.¡¯</em>

    Since they had useful abilities, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to use them as analysts. Kang-Woo remembered Lilithining about how there were too few people capable enough as analysts.

    <em>¡¯And¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo gulped as he stared at the Subi. Although he was faithful to his lovers, he couldn¡¯t help but get adulterous emotions as a healthy man in front of over a hundred naked beautiful Subi.

    <em>¡¯I have no intention ofying my hands on them, though.¡¯</em>

    He would never dare to cheat on his precious lovers.

    <em>¡¯But¡­ it¡¯s fine to look, isn¡¯t it?¡¯</em>

    Irresistible desire traveled down his back and throughout his body. He had no intention of doing anything indecent with the Subi but couldn¡¯t help but think it was fine if it was only to stare at their attractive bodies as if they were made of every man¡¯s hopes and dreams.

    <em>¡¯Seriously, though. When am I ever gonna have another chance like this?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would never get another chance to freely stare at a hundred nude bombshell beauties even if he were to live another ten millennia.

    "Th-Then are we being spared?"

    "We¡¯ll do anything as long as you let us live!"

    The Subi¡¯s desperate pleas echoed in Kang-Woo¡¯s ear.

    He coughed and answered as calmly as possible, "Right, then. First, take care of those guys on the ground."

    The apostles who Kang-Woo beat senselessly were still groaning in the cave. They had heard the conversation between Kang-Woo and the Subi. As long as their world continued to encroach on Earth, the apostles needed to be eliminated to eliminate unexpected variables.

    "By dispose, you mean¡­"

    "Kill them. It¡¯s what you lured them here to do, isn¡¯t it?"

    The Subi had made a den here to suck the life force out of men; that was the only kind of disposal Kang-Woo could have meant.

    <em>¡¯Yeah, it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo gulped as he imagined the mass-devouring session of the Subi. They needed to be full of energy since he was nning to use them as analysts, and he also needed to eliminate the apostles; it was two birds in one stone. He could swear on his life that he had no other intentions.

    "Understood!"

    "Fufu, we just have to suck the life force out of them, right?"

    The Subi smiled erotically and stood up. The feast of the night demons began.

    "ARRRRGHHHH! LET ME GO! LET ME GOOOO!"

    "H-HELP ME!!"

    "Hehe. It won¡¯t hurt if you stop moving, you know?"

    "Stay still~"

    The Subi hummed as they drained the apostles¡¯ life force.

    "Haha¡­"

    Subi draining the life force of dozens of men was a rare sight.

    <em>¡¯This¡­¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo clenched his fists as he forced the corners of his mouth down with all his might. <em>¡¯Isn¡¯t bad! No! To be honest, it¡¯s great!¡¯</em>

    He would never see a sight as great as this again.

    "Hehehe."

    Kang-Woo suppressed hisughter as he watched the Subi devouring their prey. Just then, he heard a familiar voice.

    "Kang-Woo¡­?"

    "Huh¡­?"

    He did not even have the time toprehend the situation. He turned toward the voice that he should not be hearing. There, he saw¡­ a ck-winged ¡¾angel¡¿.

    "DARLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!" There was no time to think. Kang-Woo let his instincts take over. "Hurgh! Darling¡ª!"

    He twisted and turned to make his clothes, which had been disheveled during the battle, into even worse shape. He hugged Seol-Ah and looked up at her with eyes filled with fear.

    "What¡­ what happened?" Seol-Ah asked.

    "Sniff! Th-Those evil Subi tried to¡­!" Kang-Woo bit his lip and shouted, "They tried to molest me!!!"

    "..."

    Seol-Ah¡¯s lifeless eyes focused on the Subi.

    "Ohh." The stunning ck-winged angel said emotionlessly, "I see."

 Side Story Chapter 70: Den of the Night Demons (7)

    "Wh-What?!"

    "What are you talking about?!!"

    The Subi shouted in confusion. They had tried to molest Oh Kang-Woo but none seeded.

    "Wh-Who is that woman?"

    The Subi gulped as they stared at Han Seol-Ah, who was staring at them with lifeless eyes, and the twelve ck wings on her back.

    "Ngh¡­"

    "S-Something is¡­"

    Chills ran down their spine. Their teeth cked just from staring into the woman¡¯s nk eyes. A nauseating fear engulfed them each time the twelve ck wings pped. They could instinctively tell something was wrong.

    "U-Umm¡­ M-Master?""We never m-molested you! We didn¡¯t even touch a hair on your body, Master!!!"

    The Subi stared at Kang-Woo desperately.

    "Master¡­?" Seol-Ah, who was patting Kang-Woo¡¯s head in her embrace, said calmly, "Why are you calling Kang-Woo your master?"

    "Umm¡­"

    "W-Well¡­"

    The Subi nced at one another. The fear spreading throughout them died down slightly after hearing the woman¡¯s gentle voice, unlike her terrifying eyes. They realized it was possible to get through to her.

    "We have decided to serve Sir Kang-Woo as our master because we admire his personality!"

    "We pledge ourselves to him!!"

    "Umm¡­ you are his wife, correct? You may also order us to your liking, ma¡¯am!"

    The Subi approached Seol-Ah with a smile to prove they were innocent.

    "Why¡­ are you calling Kang-Woo your master?"

    "Pardon?"

    "Like we said, we admire his personality¡ª"

    "Why?"

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Seol-Ah tilted her head like the head of a wooden doll being turned.

    "Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"

    "H-Huh?"

    "WhyareyoucallingKang-WooyourmasterWhyareyoucallingKang-WooyourmasterWhyareyoucallingKang-WooyourmasterWhyareyoucallingKang-Wooyourmaster?"

    "Eek!"

    "Wh-What¡¯s wrong with her?"

    The Subi stepped back in pallor but Seol-Ah stepped forward in response.

    "Hm? Please, tell me. Why did Kang-Woo¡­ my Kang-Woo¡­ my only Kang-Woo¡­ be your master?"

    "H-He¡¯s not!"

    "He¡¯s not our master!! We just called him that because we wanted to live!!"

    "Why are you¡­ not answering me?"

    <em>Flutter.</em>

    The ck feathers of Seol-Ah¡¯s wings fell like snowkes as she pped them.

    "Th-This bitch is crazy!"

    "She¡¯s not right in the head!!"

    The Subi flew into the air in shock. Seol-Ah¡¯s nk eyes followed them.

    She asked as if she genuinely couldn¡¯t understand, "How weird. Why is no one answering me when I¡¯ve been asking the same question so many times?"

    "W-We did answer!!"

    "We just called that brat master because we didn¡¯t want to die!!"

    "Again." Seol-Ah stomped her foot on the ground. She raised her right hand and anxiously bit her nails. "No one¡¯s answering me. Why aren¡¯t they answering me? Hm? I¡¯ve been asking the same question over and over and over and over and over and over again."

    "Sh-She¡¯s seriously insane!!"

    <em>Crack, crack.</em>

    Blood poured from Seol-Ah¡¯s nails.

    "I¡¯m not asking much, am I? I just want to know why you called Kang-Woo your master. Isn¡¯t it a simple question to answer? So¡­ WHY AREN¡¯T YOU ANSWERING MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    The entire cave shook. Darkness poured out of the twelve wings, creating a small vortex. ck feathers flew through the air as if dancing.

    "Damn bitch!"

    One of the Subi in the air charged at her to attack with her sharp nails. Seol-Ah easily grabbed the Subus¡¯ hand.

    "Ngh!"

    The Subus tried to get away from Seol-Ah¡¯s grasp with all her might but it was impossible since, in terms of power, Seol-Ah had surpassed Seraph.

    "D-Dammit! Let go of me!!" the Subus shouted.

    Seol-Ah stared at the Subus with nk eyes. She strongly pped her wings and sprayed ck powder on the Subus¡¯ hand that Seol-Ah was grabbing.

    "H-Huh? Wh-What the hell is this?!"

    <em>Tsssssss¡ª!</em>

    The sound of hot oil on skin rang out as the Subus¡¯ hand rotted ck. The Subus screamed as she saw her hand decaying rapidly.

    "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! H-HELP ME!!! WHAT THE HELL IS THIIIIIIIIIIIS?!"

    It was a horrifying sight to see one¡¯s body decaying. The Subus could not feel pain likely because her nerves had also decayed but the fear of her body decaying took over her mind.

    "Ahhh." Seol-Ah smiled as she listened to the Subus¡¯ screams. "You finally answered me."

    Seol-Ah giggled as she tightened her grip. The Subus¡¯ decayed arm broke as if breaking a small tree branch. The Subus¡¯ entire body decayed soon after as she copsed. Seol-Ah tramped on the decayed Subus¡¯ corpse.

    "Fufu." She smiled as she scanned the terrified Subi. "Right then, it¡¯s time for you all to answer as well."

    "KYAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    "NOOOOOOOOOO!!"

    "Hey!! K-Kang-Woo, right?! Stop her, please¡ª!!"

    The sight was straight out of a horror film. The Subi screamed as they scattered to run away from Seol-Ah, who flew into the air to chase after them.

    "Now," Seol-Ah remarked with a smile. "Please answer me."

    She pped her wings aggressively, sending her ck feathers flying like a snowstorm.

    <em>Tsssssssss¡ª!</em>

    "KYAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! M-MY LEEEEEEEEG!!"

    "M-MY WINGS!!"

    The areas that were touched by the ck feathers decayed ck. Arms, legs, wings, heads¡­ areas touched by the feathers turned into ck mounds of flesh and fell to the ground. Thousands of feathers danced in the air every time Seol-Ah pped her wings. The ground was filled with nothing but death.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    "S-Save¡­"

    <em>Thud, thump.</em>

    The Subi fell to the ground one after another. The beautiful predators who brutally drained men of their life force met their ends as dried up as their prey.

    <em>¡¯Holy shit, Darling as strong as fuck.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo witnessed the inhumane massacre urring in the cave with his mouth agape. He knew Seol-Ah¡¯s magic qualities turned into that of powerful curse magic after falling from grace, but he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked after witnessing the extent of her power.

    <em>¡¯That aside¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked up at Seol-Ah, who was bursting intoughter each time she brutally murdered a Subus.

    <em>¡¯This is seriously bad.¡¯</em>

    He did not want to badmouth his precious Darling but he understood why the Subi were screaming in terror; that was how insane Seol-Ah was acting. She exuded so much madness that even Kang-Woo was getting scared of her.

    <em>¡¯She lost control again.¡¯</em>

    No matter how furious she was after hearing Kang-Woo was almost molested, this was crossing the line. It seemed like her asional loss of control happened to ovep with the situation here.

    "Darling."

    Kang-Woo was the only one who could stop her when she was in this state. He flew up to her using the Authority of the Sky and hugged her from behind.

    "Kang-Woo¡­?"

    Light gleamed from her lifeless eyes.

    "Calm down, Darling. You¡¯re out of control right now."

    "No¡­ These demons tried to molest you. They deserve more than this," Seol-Ah answered quietly as her eyes glinted with madness. "I will¡­ kill everyst one of them."

    Kang-Woo gulped anxiously. Most of the Subi had already died. He couldn¡¯t care less about whether the Subi were massacred or not but he needed to calm Seol-Ah down.

    "They tried, but I didn¡¯t let them."

    "But your clothes were disheveled¡­"

    "They just ended up like this as I fought them."

    "Oh." The light slowly returned to Seol-Ah¡¯s lifeless eyes. "Th-Then I guess you weren¡¯t molested."

    "Of course not."

    "Haaa. After hearing that they molested you, I¡­"

    Seol-Ah wiped her tears as she sighed in relief.

    <em>¡¯I guess she thought I was molested for real.¡¯</em>

    If that was the case, Kang-Woo could understand how crazy she got. He would have done the same if Seol-Ah were vited by a random demon.

    <em>¡¯Thinking of it that way, maybe Darling is calmer than me.¡¯</em>

    If it were him, he might have destroyed the entire world that the demon inhabited out of fury. He understood Seol-Ah¡¯s actions after thinking about it in her shoes.

    "There¡¯s no way I would do it with any other woman than you, would I?"

    "What about Lilith unnie and Yeo-Joo¡­?"

    "I mean, they¡¯re¡­"

    "Hoho. I¡¯m joking. Haaa. Really¡­ my mind went nk when I heard you were molested." Seol-Ah shed tears of relief after calming down a little. She gently caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek and asked in worry, "Are you sure¡­ you¡¯re okay?"

    "I¡¯m sure."

    "That¡¯s¡­ a relief." Seol-Ah embraced Kang-Woo. "From now on¡­ don¡¯t you dare go into a Gate without telling me. Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

    "Sorry. I¡¯m really sorry."

    Whatever excuse he had, he was in the wrong for leaving without a word. After all, he had copsed not long ago.

    "Are you sure you¡¯re repenting?" Seol-Ah asked.

    "Of course. I¡¯ll tell you everything before I go from now on."

    "Haaa. Kang-Woo¡­" Seol-Ah kissed Kang-Woo in tears. "Ah! B-But I won¡¯t forgive you right away!"

    She pped her hands together, having thought of something as they were kissing.

    "Fufu. You should naturally be punished if you did something wrong, wouldn¡¯t you say?"

    "H-Huh?"

    <em>¡¯What kind of punishment?¡¯</em>

    "Kang-Woo." Seol-Ah embraced Kang-Woo tightly with both arms to keep him from escaping and whispered in his ear, "Which one do you like more, cats or dogs?"

    "..."

    <em>¡¯Why are you asking something like that¡­?¡¯</em>

    "C-Cats¡­?"

    "My! I knew it!! I thought you¡¯d look better as a cat too~"

    <em>¡¯We¡¯re just talking about animals, right? Right? Am I right?¡¯</em>

    "Hehe. Kang-Woo with cat ears¡­"

    "No, Darling. Please¡ª"

    "Please add a ¨Cnya at the end of your sentences, please."

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t wa¨Cnya.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 71: Home Alone (1)

    <em>Wham!</em>

    A desk shook after a fist was mmed down on it.

    "P-Pandemonium?!"

    Lilith, who heard everything about what happened in the Den of the Night Demons after Oh Kang-Woo came out of the Gate, sprang up from her seat in shock.

    "Oh, do you know something about it?" asked Kang-Woo with shining eyes.

    "No, not that." Lilith ced her hand on her forehead and shook her head as she mumbled, "A world with Subi with no tentacles¡­ I can¡¯t believe such a world exists."

    <em>¡¯Why is that what you¡¯re shocked by?¡¯</em>

    "In any case, I brought the Subi survivors with me so could you manage them, Lilith?"

    The Subi pledged their allegiance to Han Seol-Ah in terror after just barely managing to survive the storm of curses. They had even used a strange magic they called Contract of Subordination so they could never defy her. Seol-Ah believed the Subi couldn¡¯t be left alive since they had tried to molest Kang-Woo but after much convincing from him, twenty Subi managed to be spared. One of them was the Subus Queen with mystical purple hair.

    "Mm. I would rather not have such ugly beings as my subordinates, but¡­ I have no choice if it is your order, my king."

    "They¡¯re fairly capable so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be of use to you."

    Lilith nodded in satisfaction. "Fufu. I was short on personnel, so this is great news."

    "And they should know more about the Tower, so focus on gathering more information about that."

    "Tower of Creation, was it? It¡¯s just one thing after another, isn¡¯t it?"

    "I¡¯ll say." Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and nodded.

    Lilith tilted her head in confusion. "Hm? You don¡¯t seem all that displeased about it, my king."

    "Was it that obvious?"

    "Fufu. I¡¯ve been with you for centuries already. I¡¯ve reached a point where I can tell exactly what you¡¯re thinking from just a nce."

    <em>¡¯Then why do you keep trying with the tentacles?¡¯</em>

    He erased the thought from his head and continued, "To be honest with you, I¡¯m a bit happy about it."

    "Hoho. Is it perhaps because of those Subi?" Lilith asked.

    "Of course not," Kang-Woo smirked and shook his head. He looked down at his hand and continued, "My reconstruction progressed, albeit a minuscule amount."

    "Oh? Does that mean the Demonic Sea was stimted?"

    "Yeah."

    "Were the Subi that strong?"

    "No, they¡¯re not the reason."

    The Subi were pathetically weak in terms ofbat prowess. Even a Ranker on Earth could easily defeat them.

    <em>¡¯Though a male yer wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist their charms.¡¯</em>

    There was a different reason why the Demonic Sea was stimted.

    "I don¡¯t think a threat to my life is the only factor that stimtes the Demonic Sea."

    "Then what else can?"

    "Powers I¡¯ve never experienced before. I think the Demonic Sea reacts to powers not recorded in the Abyss."

    It was more or less confirmed during his training with Balrog. The Demonic Sea reacted more sensitively to powers it had not experienced before. In other words, devouring the powers of otherworldly beings was apletely new experience for the Demonic Sea.

    "In other words, that means the more otherworldly beings invade, the quicker the rate at which you regain your powers?" Lilith asked.

    "I wouldn¡¯t say that."

    "...?"

    Kang-Woo smirked. "It won¡¯t stop there."

    "Ah."

    Kang-Woo had be the Demonic Sea itself after fusing with it. If that were the case, he couldn¡¯t think of the stimtion of the Demonic Sea as a process of him regaining his powers. His endless desires would take him even higher.

    <em>¡¯Forward.¡¯</em>

    Forward.

    Lilith giggled dispiritedly as she shook her head. "Hehe. How like you, my king."

    "It¡¯s how I¡¯ve survived until now, after all."

    "Yes, and that very person is whom I¡¯ve devoted my life to. Okay, I will add information about the Tower of Creation into my next report."

    "Send it to our sister-inw as well."

    "Fufu. Of course." Lilith smiled faintly and nodded. "That aside¡­" Her gaze slowly moved to focus on someone. "How long are you going to stay like that for, Seol-Ah?"

    Seol-Ah was hugging Kang-Woo from behind like a turtle shell. She had been leaving hickeys on Kang-Woo¡¯s neck and ear in silence while Kang-Woo and Lilith were talking. She was acting like Gollum with the One Ring.

    "<em>Nom, nom.</em>" Seol-Ah ticklishly bit Kang-Woo¡¯s neck and slowly looked up. "Until Kang-Woo keeps his promise."

    "What promise?" Lilith asked.

    "Cat ears¡­ and tail¡­"

    "...?"

    "Haaa," Seol-Ah sighed in disappointment.

    Kang-Woo strongly refused to wear the cat ears and tail that she had bought. Seol-Ah was disappointed but she couldn¡¯t force Kang-Woo to do anything he didn¡¯t like since Kang-Woo¡¯s happiness was like her Alpha and Omega. She shoved her disappointment aside and stood up after letting Kang-Woo go.

    "I¡¯m sorry for clinging to you ufortably, Kang-Woo. I¡¯ve calmed down."

    Seol-Ah asionally quelled her surging obsessiveness by hugging Kang-Woo. It usually did notst long but it was especially long this time because she thought Kang-Woo was molested by the Subi.

    "Hehe. There¡¯s no way I would ever find you ufortable, Darling."

    He despised the idea of wearing cat ears and tail, but he would never find it ufortable to be held by a woman he loved.

    "Oh, then let¡¯s stay like that for a bit longer," Seol-Ah expressed.

    "But enough is enough. Didn¡¯t you say you had something to show me?"

    "Oh, right." Seol-Ah pped her hands together. "Please wait just a¡ª Oh, let me get Yeon-Joo as well."

    "What did you want to show me?"

    "Hehe. You know we went shopping for clothes, right?"

    "Yeah."

    Kang-Woo did not mention to the women that he was investigating a Gate because of that reason; it was extremely rare for Seol-Ah, who normally refused to be apart from Kang-Woo, to go shopping with the other girls.

    <em>¡¯Though I was almost fucked because I didn¡¯t tell her.¡¯</em>

    He still got chills when he recalled Seol-Ah full of madness in the Den of the Night Demons.

    "I wanted to show you the clothes we bought," Seol-Ah said.

    "Whoa. Really?"

    Kang-Wo¡¯s eyes shone. Seol-Ah was so frugal that she owned very few clothes; not only did she cycle between three to four outfits for each season but they were all cheap clothes with nd designs.

    <em>¡¯But Darling looks amazing in anything!¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah¡¯s looks made anything she wore like brand-name clothes. Kang-Woo surged with excitement from hearing that she had bought new clothes.

    "Show me right now!" Kang-Woo shouted.

    "Fufu. Just a moment, please."

    Seol-Ah smiled and left the room. In the living room were Cha Yeon-Joo and Echidna gaming away.

    "Yeon-Joo~ where did you put the clothes we bought?"

    "Those? They¡¯re in the dressing room¡­ W-Wait! You¡¯re not gonna wear them, are you?!"

    "Of course I am. That¡¯s what we bought them for, isn¡¯t it?" said Seol-Ah, her eyes wide as if she didn¡¯t know what Yeon-Joo was talking about.

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s cheeks reddened. "I mean, th-that¡¯s true, b-but I need some time to prepare myself."

    "Fufu. You change into them too, Yeon-Joo."

    "Hey! W-Wait! Stop dragging me!"

    Seol-Ah dragged Yeon-Joo into the dressing room.

    "Hm! Are we wearing the clothes we boughtst time?"

    Echidna also ran into the dressing room as she snorted.

    <em>ck.</em>

    The room door opened after some time.

    "Hehe. What do you think, Kang-Woo? Does it look good on me?"

    Seol-Ah was wearing knee socks that reached her thighs, ck high heels, a very short ck skirt, and a white dress shirt. Kang-Woo focused on the garter belt that traveled up her pale thighs. Seol-Ah¡¯s officedy outfit took Kang-Woo¡¯s breath away.

    "!!!!!!"

    Kang-Woo cheered but no sound came out of his mouth. His eyes shook uncontrobly. The clothes Seol-Ah usually wore covered her curves because she only wore baggy clothes to fit her gigantic breasts, but these tight clothes entuated her curves to the max.

    "Does it¡­ look bad on me?" asked Seol-Ah hesitantly because Kang-Woo was simply standing nkly in silence. "Oh."

    As Seol-Ah was shaking anxiously, she then noticed something on Kang-Woo¡¯s lower body. The anxiety in her eyes disappeared and she smiled widely.

    "Hehe. It seems you like it ?"

    "D-DARLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!"

    Kang-Woo let his bursting emotions loose and hugged Seol-Ah tightly.

    <em>Snap!</em>

    "Kyaah!"

    The buttons of her shirt barely holding her chest at bay burst out and hit Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek.

    "<em>Gasp</em>."

    <em>¡¯Dear Lord.¡¯</em>

    "Th-The shirt is ruined," Seol-Ah remarked.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo was lost for words by the destructive capabilities of Seol-Ah¡¯s breasts.

    "For fuck¡¯s sake¡­ he¡¯s clinging only to Seol-Ah again."

    Just then, he heard Yeon-Joo¡¯s mumbles. He turned around with shining eyes.

    "WHOOOOOAAAAAAA!!!"

    Yeon-Joo was wearing tall boots that went beyond her knees, tight leather pants, and an off-shoulder blouse. Kang-Woo felt like he was going insane from seeing Yeon-Joo, who undoubtedly had the most beautiful legs out of his lovers, wearing such tight pants.

    "YOU¡¯RE SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL, YEON-JOO!!"

    "Th-The fuck are you talking about?"

    "Hehe. Did you buy it so you can show off to your oppa?"

    "No fucking way!!" Yeon-Joo shouted and turned around but she couldn¡¯t hide her smile. She whispered to herself, "Son of a bitch¡­ he¡¯s so happy. Hehe."

    <em>¡¯I can hear you, Yeon-Joo.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction but then turned serious after enjoying their beauty as much as he liked.

    He remarked, "Those clothes suit you two really well, but don¡¯t you dare wear them outside."

    The clothes looked so great on them that he could jump three meters into the air and do a 2,520-degree backflip.

    <em>¡¯Which is exactly why I can¡¯t show anyone else.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t live with other men witnessing his lovers in such alluring outfits.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s only for me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes zed passionately.

    "My, my! This is the first time I¡¯ve seen Kang-Woo like this!"

    "Hehe. Do you like them that much?"

    Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo smiled brightly as Kang-Woo acted possessively.

    "Hehe. Don¡¯t worry. We didn¡¯t buy them to wear outside in the first ce," Seol-Ah mentioned.

    "Then where?"

    <em>¡¯Where else would you wear new clothes?¡¯</em>

    "Fufu. Where else?" Seol-Ah whispered in his ear, "The bedroom ?"

    "I¡¯m crying."

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m so fucking happy.¡¯</em>

    "You fucking pervert," Yeon-Joo remarked.

    "You¡¯ll wear it too, right, Yeon-Joo?"

    "A-Ahem. I mean¡­ as long as you beg for it, I don¡¯t see why not."

    "I¡¯ll beg right now."

    Kang-Woo did a headstand without hesitation.

    "Pfft! The hell is that?"

    "Oh, this is called a <em>headstand bow</em>[1]."

    "Hehehehehe! You¡¯re such a dumbass. Alright, fine. I¡¯ll wear it, but not tonight."

    "Why not tonight?"

    <em>¡¯You¡¯re already wearing it!¡¯</em>

    "I have to go to the guild in the evening. I told you something came up, didn¡¯t I?"

    "Oh."

    He indeed remembered Yeon-Joo talking about it.

    "What about you, Darling?"

    "Oh¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry, Kang-Woo. I decided to visit my mother since it¡¯s been a while. I¡¯ll probably be spending the night there."

    "I¡¯m crying!!"

    <em>¡¯The tears won¡¯t stop!¡¯</em>

    1. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s an English name for it but it¡¯s like a meme of bowing so low that you¡¯re just doing a headstand. ?

 Side Story Chapter 72: Home Alone (2)

    "Hmm, what a shame. If I had tagged along, I could¡¯ve seen the king¡¯s reaction to me." Lilith softly sighed as she stared at Oh Kang-Woo, crying in disappointment. "If it were me, I would¡¯ve surprised him with something even bolder."

    She seductively licked her lips as she examined Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo¡¯s outfits. They looked great butcked exposure. Although covering skin had its charms, it needed to be exposed to an extent.

    "Hehe. Go shopping with Darling and Yeon-Joo next time. I wanna see your outfit too, Lilith."

    "Hoho. Understood, my king." Lilith nodded as she giggled. "That aside, did you not buy anything, Echidna?"

    Unlike Cha Yeon-Joo and Han Seol-Ah, Echidna did not change into anything.

    Echidna snorted with her hands on her waist and shouted, "I made a custom order! One for me, Seol-Ah, Lilith, and Yeon-Joo!"

    "Oh? What did you order?"

    "Hehe. I¡¯ll show you when it gets here! We can all wear them together and y with Kang-Woo!"

    "Hm?" Lilith expressed concern. "You know what the king said. You can join us once you¡¯re older¡ª""I¡¯m not talking about mating!"

    "Oh, is that so?" Lilith tilted her head in wonder with her eyes widened. She had naturally imagined something naughty since it involved ying while wearing certain outfits. "Then what are we going to y?"

    "Hm hm! I¡¯ll tell you that once the clothes get here too! I¡¯m sure Kang-Woo will love it!"

    "Hmm~ I¡¯m getting curious."

    "Be patient!"

    Lilith nodded and turned to Kang-Woo. "Alright then, my king. I should get going since I¡¯d like to educate the Subi. I apologize for being unable to be with you in the evening."

    "Hm? You¡¯re leaving too, Lilith?" asked Echidna as she tilted her head with a finger on her lips.

    "Yup. The king asked me to do something. Why don¡¯t you keep the kingpany for today, Echidna?"

    "Mmm¡­ I have to leave too."

    "Oh? Do you have ns?"

    "Myeback live is soon, so I have to practice!"

    Lilith pped her hands together and nodded. "Oh. Come to think of it, you mentioned you would be making aeback soon."

    "Huh?" Kang-Woo, who had been listening in depression, widened his eyes.

    A crucial fact popped up in his head.

    <em>¡¯Wait a second.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah wouldn¡¯t be home since they had business to take care of. On top of that, Lilith and Echidna were also gone.

    <em>¡¯Wha¡­ Could it be, I¡¯m home alone today?¡¯</em>

    Sparks of ecstasy flew throughout his body as if he had never been depressed.

    <em>¡¯HELL YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡¯</em>

    He was surging with pleasure.

    <em>¡¯What in the world?!¡¯</em>

    He had never once been home alone ever since he returned to Earth.

    <em>¡¯I mean, I couldn¡¯t be happier when we¡¯re all together, but everyone needs time for themselves now and then!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had never spent time alone because Seol-Ah¡¯s love was far too strong.

    "H-Hehehe," Kang-Wooughed in delight.

    He kept himself from cheering with all his might.

    <em>¡¯I mean, I¡¯ve never felt ufortable being with Darling.¡¯</em>

    He could never feel ufortable being around a woman as kind and considerate as Seol-Ah. She kissed him every morning, made him meals, washed him, and let him touch her bountiful breasts anytime he liked.

    The same went for Yeon-Joo and Lilith. If he were ufortable around such loving women, he might as well be dead.

    <em>¡¯But it¡¯s not bad having just a day for myself!¡¯</em>

    This was likely how a married man felt when his wife left to visit her parents. Although Kang-Woo¡¯s life was far better than the vast majority of married men, it did not change the fact that some alone time was precious to him.

    "I guess it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll be home alone," he said as he suppressed the rising corners of his mouth with all his might.

    "B-By yourself?"

    "My, that¡¯s a first, isn¡¯t it?"

    "You¡¯re not gonna do weird shit just because you¡¯re home by yourself, are you?"

    The three women expressed confusion due to the unprecedented situation.

    Kang-Woo teared up as he sent them off, saying, "Man, I¡¯m so sad. My tears won¡¯t stop from the thought of spending the night all by myself."

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m so hap¡ª I mean, I¡¯m so fucking sad!!!¡¯</em>

    "I didn¡¯t expect you to be so sad¡­ This won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll call my mother and say I¡¯ll visit another time," Seol-Ah remarked.

    <em>¡¯Huh?¡¯</em>

    "No, no, no, no. Darling, you haven¡¯t visited your mother in a long time. You need to visit her and buy her something delicious."

    "But¡­"

    "Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m not a child. I can stay home by myself, no problem!"

    "I¡¯m just worried¡­ you¡¯ll be lonely."

    "It¡¯s just one day! You have ab~~~~~~~~~~solutely nothing to worry about, so go ahead and spend the night at your mother¡¯s ce! You¡¯d better! Got it?"

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m sad as fuck but I¡¯m doing this for you, Darling! You know that, right?¡¯</em>

    "Haaa. If you say so, then I will," Seol-Ah replied.

    "Kang-Woo, you son of a bitch. You¡¯re acting a little suspicious. You¡¯re not happy that we¡¯re all out of the house, are you?"

    "Of course not! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d use me of such a thing!!!"

    <em>¡¯Can¡¯t you see that my tears (of joy) aren¡¯t stopping?!¡¯</em>

    "I feel like I¡¯d die just from being apart from my beloved wives for even a day!! Ahhh!! Can there be torture as bad as this in the world?! But¡ª!"

    Kang-Woo mmed his foot into the ground.

    "I think I should stay home by myself today! For me to realize how precious the time I spend with you all is!! For me to realize the unbelievable joy thates with being with you all!!!"

    "..."

    "..."

    The expressions of the four women were dazed by Kang-Woo¡¯s soulful speech.

    "Yeah, well¡­ Alright."

    "Fufufu. I never realized how much you value your time with us. I love you, my king."

    "Jeez¡­ I mean, I also realized how precious your presence is only after you disappeared. Hehe. I¡¯ll spend the day being a good daughter."

    Seol-Ah hugged Kang-Woo and kissed him, and so did Lilith and Yeon-Joo.

    "Hm! Kang-Woo! Me too!"

    "On the cheek for you, Echidna."

    Kang-Woo kissed Echidna on the cheek. She pouted because she was the only one who wasn¡¯t kissed on the lips.

    She then shouted energetically, "Right then, Kang-Woo! Complete my MapleStory dailies for me while I¡¯m gone!"

    "What¡¯s that?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "It¡¯s a game I¡¯ve been yingtely!"

    "Why are you making me do it?"

    "I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow."

    "Okay~"

    "This noona here is going out to make some dough, so watch over the house, damn freeloader."

    "Fufu. I¡¯ll educate the Subi well~"

    "Hm! I¡¯m gonna be out for a few days, so I¡¯ll let you know once my live concert date is decided!"

    With that, the four women left.

    "..."

    Silence filled the house.

    "Wow."

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t remember if the house had ever been this quiet since he bought it. The ce he had spent every day in felt unfamiliar for some reason.

    "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Kang-Woo cheered with his arms in the air.

    As he expected, there was no response.

    "Holy shit. This is fucking amazing." Kang-Woo snickered as he walked around the house as if he were lost. He then flopped on the couch and muttered, "But what do I do now?"

    <em>¡¯Now that I¡¯m alone for real, there¡¯s not much to do.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was never one to have hobbies; he did not particrly watch much TV or y games. Even if he went outside, he had nothing to do.

    "Should I go see Si-Hun?"

    He tried calling Kim Si-Hun since they had not eaten together for a while but Si-Hun was not answering.

    "Shit, is he still working?" The matter he had heard about from Lilith seemed to have not ended yet. "Mm¡­ Is there anything I can¡¯t usually do?"

    Kang-Woo fell into thought as he scratched his head. He rolled on the couch as he thought about what he could be doing to spend the time. He would usually find such a thing boring but did not, likely because he was home alone.

    "Oh." Kang-Woo sprang up after remembering something. "Hehe. This is naturally at the top of the list of things I can¡¯t usually do."

    Kang-Woo smirked and flung away the clothes he was wearing one by one.

    He relished in the freedom of being bare naked and yelled, "GAHAHAHAHA! EVERY DEMACIAN A KING!"

    Kang-Woo put his arms up in the air like a Proletariat who started a revolution and raced throughout the house.

    "FREEEEEEEEEDOM! ALWAYS WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINS!!"

    His body was flooded with endorphins. He would normally be captured by his Darling and dragged into the bedroom if he were to do such a thing, but not today! There was no one to stop him!!!

    "BWEHEHEHEHEHE!!!"

    Kang-Woo burst intoughter like a madman but it was deathly quiet around him; there was no one to bother him. The feeling ofmitting a taboo spread throughout his body with an unbelievable sense of freedom.

    "Ahhh," Kang-Woo groaned.

    A frog in the well did not feel stifled because it had never even seen the outside world. It was unaware of the restrictions ced by the unknown. Kang-Woo realized that he had never tasted true freedom because he was restrained by the framework known as logic.

    "I am¡­"

    However, at this very moment, he realized what true freedom was. The frog in the well had sprouted wings.

    "Flying Frog."

    Kang-Woo jumped without a run-up, flipped in the air, andnded on the living room floor. He was well aware of how stupid he was acting.

    "I¡¯m alone, so who cares?"

    He was not causing anyone trouble so there was no problem with acting like a dumbass in his own home.

    <em>¡¯Yeah, I¡¯m sure everyone has done something like this when they were alone. They¡¯ve just never said it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was sure of it. He severed thest string attached to his sense of reason and rolled across the living room.

    "Alright! I think it¡¯s time for a song!"

    He turned on the giant speaker installed in the corner of the living room and sted music that Echidna downloaded. The thunderous music shook the living room.

    "Bam! Dadadadadadada~!"

    He thrusted his hips to the beat of the music and furiously shook his arm as if he were ying an air guitar.

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

    Kang-Woo enjoyed his time alone to the fullest like a free madman.

 Side Story Chapter 73: Home Alone (3)

    "Fuuu. This is a little tiring."

    Oh Kang-Woo flopped on the couch after doing all sorts of things in the house. He was swept with fatigue after relishing in the freedom he felt for the first time since returning to Earth. The burning desire and impulse died down and his sense of reason returned. He pushed aside the immense shame that came with the fatigue and sat up.

    "I can¡¯t stop here."

    He did not know when such a chance woulde again. The chances of all four women being away from home at once were minuscule. Han Seol-Ah didn¡¯t do anything other than housework and training.

    <em>¡¯It might legitimately be my only chance.¡¯</em>

    There would be even less time once he married and had children with them.

    "In that case, I have to enjoy as much of it while I still can."

    Kang-Woo smiled and stood up from the couch.

    "Mm."However, he couldn¡¯t think of anything he wanted to do.

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t wanna do that insane shit again.¡¯</em>

    After nothing came to mind, Kang-Woo decided to walk around the house mindlessly.

    "But man, this ce sure is big."

    It was only natural since they had renovated an entire floor of an ultra-luxury apartment to make it one home; it was so big that they could y football indoors if they removed the furniture.

    <em>¡¯To be honest, a house has no right being this big.¡¯</em>

    They couldn¡¯t use all the space with only five people in it. Also, he, Seol-Ah, Lilith, and Cha Yeon-Joo used the same bedroom every night; they had a dressing room filled with clothes and their individual rooms but they were barely used.

    "Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never been inside their rooms."

    Kang-Woo had seen Echidna¡¯s room many times since he often was in there to y games with her but he had never been to the other women¡¯s rooms since they practically lived in his bedroom.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo suddenly surged with curiosity. He wanted to see how they decorated their rooms.

    "I might as well sneak a peek."

    He smiled as he headed to Yeon-Joo¡¯s room since she had only recently moved in.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    "She hasn¡¯t even unpacked her things yet¡­"

    There were unopened boxes throughout the room; the only things worth mentioning were exercise equipment.

    "Hm?"

    Kang-Woo noticed a small album on a desk and in the frame was a picture they had taken during their pic in Aernor.

    "Man, how long has this been?"

    He looked down at himself in the picture, munching on a piece of meat. Thetter portion of the pic was a little chaotic due to Kargath but it was a wonderful memory nheless.

    "Huh? But wasn¡¯t it a group picture?"

    He was the only person in the frame for some reason. Kang-Woo thought for a moment and chuckled after realizing it.

    "Jeez, she¡¯s so cute."

    He realized that the picture was zoomed in so that only he was in the frame. He left Yeon-Joo¡¯s room after looking around for a little longer.

    "Should I take a peek at Lilith¡¯s room next?"

    This was the room Kang-Woo was most curious about. He wanted to know how Lilith, who spent most of her life in Hell, spent her life.

    Creak.

    Kang-Woo carefully opened the door.

    "Oh? It¡¯s surprisingly normal."

    He opened the door cautiously because he was afraid there would be tentacles everywhere but it was unexpectedly tidy. Her bed was neatly made as if she had never even used it and there were other stationeries and furniture. It was quite a in and tidy room.

    "I didn¡¯t expect this at all."

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion and opened the drawer next to the window.

    "<em>Gasp</em>."

    It was filled with erotic clothes and lingerie.

    "I don¡¯t think¡­ she even needs to buy clothes."

    Kang-Woo gulped as he took a moment to appreciate Lilith¡¯s clothes. Each of them had severely little surface area and the slingshot bikini she had worn in Singapore was among them.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m gonna ask her to wear them next time.¡¯</em>

    He came to a resolution after closing the drawer.

    "There are a ton of books too."

    There was arge number of books neatly ced on a bookshelf on her desk. Kang-Woo took a few of them out, wondering what sort of books she usually read.

    [How to use a smartphone.]

    [Understanding modern culture.]

    [Hot among women in their twenties! Slightly~ erotic fashion that will 100% capture your man¡¯s heart!]

    "So this is where she got her choice of clothes from¡­"

    Lilith seemed to have bought whatever was in this book since she did not understand human beauty standards.

    <em>¡¯That aside¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly as he looked through Lilith¡¯s books. She was doing her best without anyone knowing to fit into human culture.

    "She might perfectly assimte with human culture at this rate."

    He hoped for her to soon realize how disgusting tentacles were to humans.

    "Right, then." Kang-Woo closed the door to Lilith¡¯s room and headed toward the end of the hallway. "I wonder what Darling¡¯s room is like?"

    He was just as excited for Seol-Ah¡¯s room as he was for Lilith¡¯s room.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    He carefully opened the door once again.

    "..."

    The floor, walls, and ceiling were filled with pictures of himself. Dolls that looked like him filled her desk and she even had a body pillow of Kang-Woo printed on her bed.

    "Uhh, mm." He remained frozen at the entrance and looked away from the room exuding madness. "I didn¡¯t see anything. Yup."

    <em>ck.</em>

    Kang-Woo closed the door and turned around.

    "Alright."

    <em>¡¯What should I do now?¡¯</em>

    He walked around the house again after finishing what he wanted to do. He wanted to do things he had never done before but he did not have anything he could do when he was alone since he already had a rtively free lifestyle.

    "Mm. But I don¡¯t wanna waste time doing nothing."

    Kang-Woo went back to his room after roaming around the house. It was not the bedroom he shared with his lovers but the one he used for work.

    "Huh? That¡¯s¡­"

    He noticed a palm-sized rectangr item as he was rummaging through the room to find something to do. It was the external hard drive he had filled with the mysteries of the birth of life before left for Aernor¡ª Npah¡¯s Ark.

    "HOLY SHIT! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN?!"

    Kang-Woo lifted the external hard drive with shining eyes. He had honestly not even used it ever since he made it.

    <em>¡¯To be more precise, I had no reason to.¡¯</em>

    It lost its purpose since his rtionship with Seol-Ah took off. Kang-Woo had no reason to watch the videos since the women in all the videosbined couldn¡¯t match up to his Darling.

    "Huh¡­? Wait a second."

    Just then, a thought crossed his mind.

    <em>¡¯Something¡­ I can¡¯t usually do?¡¯</em>

    His hand holding the external hard drive trembled. Sparks traveled throughout his body.

    "Aaaahh." It was likely fate that he coincidentally discovered his external hard drive here. "Wings."

    Yes, the frog with wings had be truly free after seeing the world outside the well.

    "Alright!"

    Kang-Woo headed to the living room with the external hard drive and aptop. Arge TV was in the living room where Echidna yed her games.

    "I could never do this when I¡¯m not alone."

    He connected hisptop to the TV and randomly chose one of the videos containing the mysteries of the birth of life.

    "Whoa." The color of flesh filled therge TV screen. "WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAAA!!!"

    He couldn¡¯t believe it.

    "Kehehehe! Dayum, I can¡¯t believe a day where I can watch this on TV hase!"

    Kang-Woo wondered how many people who didn¡¯t live alone had experienced something like this¡ª no, he wasn¡¯t sure if there were people crazy enough to do this even if they did live alone.

    "Bwehehehehe!! Yeah! This is it! This is what true freedom is!!"

    Kang-Woo grabbed some snacks from the kitchen and munched on them on the couch as he watched the video.

    "Mmm. But¡­" His expression darkened after not even five minutes. "This is boring."

    After thinking about it, there was no point in him watching videos like this. Time would be better spent doing what was in the video with his lovers.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed deeply as his sense of reason returned.

    The shame he had pushed aside returned. The limitless exhration and sense of freedom melted away like snow and a question popped up in his head.

    ¡¯What the fuck am I doing by myself?"

    Kang-Woo tried to be true to his impulses and do all sorts of dumb shit as amemoration for being home alone for the first time but he was honestly not having any fun.

    "It¡¯s¡­ more fun being with everyone."

    He didn¡¯t give a shit even if he would never get a chance like this again¡ª he had more fun spending time with the women he loved.

    "Sheesh."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and stood up.

    <em>¡¯I might as well take a shower and train with Balrog.¡¯</em>

    He had nothing to do even if he stayed at home. After all, he was never one to have hobbies.

    "Oh, maybe I¡¯ll do those dailies Echidna asked me to do once I finish training with Balrog."

    He had no idea what to do but he had a feeling he could figure it out as long as he mashed tons of buttons.

    "Let¡¯s see. As for clothes¡­ I¡¯ll change once I take a shower."

    Kang-Woo looked around the living room. It was a mess from the insane shit he had done a while ago.

    "I should turn that off first."

    The pping of flesh from the video about the birth of life was echoing throughout the living room. Now that Kang-Woo hade back to his senses, he realized how much of a dumbass he was for doing everything he had done.

    "But well, it wasn¡¯t all that bad."

    Deviant behavior of this level was nothing, considering he would likely never get the chance to again.

    "Lastly¡­"

    Kang-Woo took a deep breath as a finale for this session of madness.

    "Hup!"

    He raised his arms over his head and opened his mouth wide. The frog with wings had seen the world but would return to his well after realizing how cozy it was.

    "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

    Kang-Woo yelled as loud as he could as he raced through the living room. This was thest form of sce he could give for the frog that had severed its wings of its own ord¡ª a requiem for the world it would never see again.

    "VWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

    Goodbye, flying frog.

    Goodbye, Demacia.

    It¡¯s time for me to go back to¡ª

    "Hey, Oh Kang-Woo! Noona¡¯s home! The fucking meeting was postponed to tomorrow!"

    Huh¡­?

 Side Story Chapter 74: Home Alone (4)

    "I¡¯m sure you have nothing else to do, so let¡¯s go to a PC room or someth¡ª"

    Cha Yeon-Joo¡¯s gaze shifted to the living room as she entered the apartment through the front door and took off her shoes.

    "Huh¡­?"

    Her brain couldn¡¯t fully process the information her eyes were receiving. The living room was a mess, Oh Kang-Woo was screeching with his arms over his head bare naked, and porn was sting in the living room on therge TV. She felt as if she had yet to wake up from a nightmare.

    "..."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo and Yeon-Joo locked eyes with each other in silence. They were perfectly still as if they weregging.

    "Oh¡­ Kang-Woo¡­?" called Yeon-Joo, her voice shaking as if she were barely holding on to her sense of reason.

    Kang-Woo slowly put his arms down and said quietly, "This isn¡¯t what it looks like.""What the fuck is it then?"

    "I can exin everything."

    "Spit it out then."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo remained silent for a few moments. The moans echoing from therge TV were interfering with his thought process.

    <em>¡¯What can I say to exin this situation? The only answer that can make her understand is¡ª¡¯</em>

    "F¡­"

    "F?"

    "F-Flying Frog."

    "The fuck is that?"

    "No, I mean¡­"

    <em>¡¯There are no words to exin this fucking mess.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at Yeon-Joo in despair.

    "Oh," Yeon-Joo expressed, having thought of something.

    <em>Snap.</em>

    She took out her smartphone and took a picture of Kang-Woo.

    "What are you¡ª!"

    Kang-Woo widened his eyes. He was so dazed due to his destroyed mental state that he failed to react in time.

    "So what you¡¯re saying is¡­" Yeon-Joo saved the photo on the drive as Kang-Woo had done to her a while ago and looked around the living room with cold eyes. "You were doing this kind of shit while we were away, huh?"

    "Y-Yeon-Joo."

    "H-Hehehehe! Interesting. How very~~ interesting, right, my little Kang-Woo? I¡¯m sure Seol-Ah will find it interesting too, wouldn¡¯t you say?"

    "Noona. My lovely Yeon-Joo noona. Please listen to me."

    "Oh, I¡¯m listening and looking very fucking well. The problem is that this entire situation is entering my eyes a bit too~ well. Fucking hell. Who would¡¯ve thought I would catch my boyfriend doing shit like this so proudly after I returned home because my meeting was dyed?"

    "That¡¯s not it."

    "Were three women not enough for you, damn perverted brat? Huh?"

    "Of course not. I¡¯m always overflowing with satisfaction and happiness. For real."

    "What¡¯s all this then?" asked Yeon-Joo as she crossed her arms and red at the TV screen.

    "I was¡­ curious."

    "Oh? Curious, huh?"

    "I¡¯m being legit here."

    Kang-Woo spared no detail exining what happened after the women left. He knew whatever he said would sound like pathetic excuses after he was exposed like that but he had no choice. It would be worse to acknowledge what he did.

    "So, you wanted to do things you usually can¡¯t do since you¡¯re never home alone?" Yeon-Joo asked.

    "Yes, ma¡¯am."

    "Would you believe that if you were in my shoes?"

    "No, ma¡¯am."

    <em>¡¯I probably would¡¯ve told them to cut the bullshit.¡¯</em>

    "Right?"

    "Yeah, but it¡¯s true¡ª!! I know it¡¯s hard to believe!"

    "D-Don¡¯t approach me butt naked, dammit!!" shouted Yeon-Joo, as red as a tomato as Kang-Woo walked toward her in frustration. "W-Wear some clothes first."

    Yeon-Joo picked up the clothes sprawled on the ground and threw them at Kang-Woo.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo put his clothes back on in silence.

    "Haaa," Yeon-Joo sighed deeply. "I mean, it sounds like the biggest piece of bullshit I¡¯ve ever heard, but¡­ fine. I can understand it."

    She knew the inexplicable sense of freedom one felt when home alone¡ª though anyone would rarely do something this unhinged. She understood how Kang-Woo could have felt stressed out from having no time to himself with his lovers by his side twenty-four-seven.

    "And besides, even if you¡¯re lying¡­ you didn¡¯t do anything wrong."

    It was not like he did anything morally wrong; he was just an adult man watching an adult video. Yeon-Joo did not feel particrly good about it but she couldn¡¯t criticize him either.

    "R-Right?" Kang-Woo said brightly.

    Yeon-Joo smiled and nodded. "Yeah, but since I might be the only one who thinks that way, lemme ask your one and only Darling about how she feels about it."

    "YEON-JOO NOONAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

    Kang-Woo raced toward Yeon-Joo and grabbed her leg. He wanted nothing more than to take her smartphone but that wasn¡¯t an option since she had saved it to her drive.

    <em>¡¯If only I knew her ID and password¡­!¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo had already thought of the possibility of Kang-Woo taking her smartphone by force, so she logged out as soon as she saved the picture to her drive. Not even Kang-Woo could get her ID and password from inside her head by force.

    "Heh¡­"

    Yeon-Joo smirked as she looked down at Kang-Woo, clinging to her leg and looking up at her in desperation. She had never felt this way before; sparks were slowly spreading throughout her entire body.

    "Ehehehehehehehe!!" She burst intoughter as she looked down at Kang-Woo gripping her pants as if begging. "Ahhh, so this is how it feels, huh?"

    Yeon-Joo more or less understood why Kang-Woo loved to tease her so much.

    "Y-Yeon-Joo, c-could you be¡­"

    "F-Fufufu. Fufufufufufu! Yeah, you son of a bitch. This is payback for all the times you¡¯ve teased me!" Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes zed with fury. She ced her hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder as she licked her lips with a smile. "I wonder what kind ofmand I should give you little Kang-Woo?"

    "Command¡­?"

    "Fufufufu! You¡¯re not asking because you seriously don¡¯t know, are you?"

    Yeon-Joo recalled the humiliation she experienced from Kang-Woo¡¯s teasing. The umted rage inside her heart was bursting all at once.

    "Kurgh." Kang-Woo bit his lip.

    He never thought a day when he was teased by Yeon-Joo woulde.

    "Hehehehe!" Yeon-Joo giggled as she covered her mouth with both hands as if she had thought of something good. She sat on the couch and put one leg over the other. "Now, why don¡¯t you dance for me?"

    "Wh-What?"

    "What¡¯s wrong? Weren¡¯t you happy because you discovered true freedom? Then you should naturally express your joy with a dance. Go on. Your noona will take a very~ good look!"

    "..."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth opened in shock.

    <em>¡¯She wants me to dance in front of her? How could she be so cruel? To think someone couldmand a fellow person to do such a humiliating act! She¡¯s a demon! I mean, I¡¯m a demon too, but still!¡¯</em>

    "Hehe. What are you doing? Go on and dance."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo bit his lip and slowly began to shake his hips. Dancing in silence when he didn¡¯t even know how to dance was torture to him. Even he, who rarely felt humiliated, was overwhelmed with humiliation at this moment.

    "Pfft! Kyahahahahaha!! You call that dancing?!"

    Yeon-Joo burst intoughter as she grabbed her stomach and swung her legs.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo suppressed his surging rage. Only after he was put on the receiving end of the teasing did he realize how humiliating it was.

    <em>¡¯Shit. To think I would face humiliation from Yeon-Joo of all people!¡¯</em>

    "Bwehehehehe! Now, then~ I wonder what I should have you do this time?" Yeon-Joo giggled uncontrobly. She then raised her feet toward Kang-Woo and shook them lightly. "Right. First, massage my feet."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo usually wouldn¡¯t have minded giving Yeon-Joo a foot massage but it enraged him even more because of the current situation.

    "Alright, fine. I¡¯ll do it."

    "Huh? Fine? Is that any way to talk to your noona?" said Yeon-Joo haughtily.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo shut his eyes tightly to quell the welling fury inside him with all his might.

    "Ehehehe! Shit, man, this feels amazing!!!" Yeon-Joo giggled ecstatically and wiggled her feet. "Go on, massage them."

    "Yes¡­ ma¡¯am."

    Kang-Woo got down on one knee and pressed on her feet.

    "Hngh¡­! U-Ugh, that feels nice." Yeon-Joo leaned on the couch as she looked down at Kang-Woo massaging her feet. "Ngh! Hey! Not so hard, dammit!"

    "..."

    "Where¡¯s my answer?!"

    "Fine, I¡¯ll go lighter."

    "What did I say? Is that any way to talk to you noona?"

    "I will¡­ go lighter, ma¡¯am."

    "Bwehehehe! Ahh~ This feels so good~! Yeah, this is the life!"

    Yeon-Jooughed and licked her lips. Kang-Woo crumpled more and more as Yeon-Joo¡¯sughter echoed inside his head. The rage he had quelled was slowly creeping back up.

    "Hehehe! Oh Kang-Woo, you son of a bitch! Do you understand the humiliation I had to experience because of you until now?"

    "Until now¡­?"

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. It felt as if he was forgetting something important. He pulled out the important truth under his surging rage.

    "Oh."

    <em>¡¯Come to think of it, I have one too, don¡¯t I?¡¯</em>

    He had the album of love containing their wonderful memories. There was no need even to mention what would happen if he were to unt one of the album¡¯s pages.

    <em>¡¯No, wait a second.¡¯</em>

    She only had one picture to use against him, while he had various pictures and videos waiting to be used.

    "Hah."

    In other words, she was no match for him.

    <em>¡¯I can¡¯t believe I realized this only just now. I guess I was more flustered than I thought.¡¯</em>

    "..."

    Kang-Woo stopped massaging Yeon-Joo¡¯s feet and slowly stood up in silence.

    "Huh? What the hell? Who told you to st¡ª"

    Yeon-Joo froze as she was about to rip him a new one. She flinched once she noticed the air around Kang-Woo changed all of a sudden.

    "Wh-Why are you¡­ making such a scary face¡­?"

    An uneasy feeling ran down Yeon-Joo¡¯s back.

 Side Story Chapter 75: Home Alone (5)

    "Wh-What? What¡¯s up with you?!"

    Cha Yeon-Joo trembled subtly. She could see the unbridled rage in Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes. An uneasy feeling ran down her back; she sensed that she might have opened Pandora¡¯s box.

    "Urgh!"

    Yeon-Joo pushed the uneasiness away and threateningly raised her smartphone.

    "Y-You¡¯d better look down!!" Unlike her fierce tone, her voice was slightly shaking in fear. "If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll send that picture to Seol-Ah¡ª"

    "Now that I think about it," interjected Kang-Woo calmly. He smiled as he also took out his smartphone. "You¡¯re not the only one with a weapon, are you?"

    "What¡­?"

    "I have one too. An album filled with our precious memories, that is."

    Kang-Woo yed one of the videos on his drive.<em>- I wanna do it too!! I don¡¯t wanna be Adamantium anymore! I wanna do it with you too, oppa!!</em>

    "<em>Gasp</em>."

    It was Yeon-Joo when she was drunk. The dark past was so nightmarish that she had purged it from his memory but she was reminded of it through Kang-Woo¡¯s smartphone.

    "Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You!!! You son of a¡ª!!"

    "That¡¯s not all of it."

    Kang-Woo also yed the other videos he had recorded in the past. Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression crumpled more and more as Kang-Woo yed each video.

    "A-Are you ckmailing me?" Yeon-Joo said.

    "I think that¡¯s enough, don¡¯t you think?"

    "Ngh."

    "Now¡­ what¡¯s your choice?"

    "Wh-What do you mean?" asked Yeon-Joo as she bit her lip.

    Kang-Woo answered as apathetically as possible, "Either we both die¡­ or we both live. You make the choice."

    <em>¡¯The intimidated one is always at a disadvantage in situations like this.¡¯</em>

    "What are you gonna do¡­ if I send this to Seol-Ah?" Yeon-Joo asked.

    "I¡¯ll release these videos to Red Rose. I exchanged emails with a few of your guild members back when I was helping with your files."

    "Y-You son of a bitch! What the fuck?!"

    Just thinking about her guild members seeing those videos plunged her into deep terror.

    "But of course, I won¡¯t release them if you don¡¯t send that picture to Darling."

    Kang-Woo had recorded far more of Yeon-Joo¡¯s dark pasts but the one she had on him was just as bad. He couldn¡¯t even imagine what would happen if Seol-Ah were to see that picture.

    "..."

    "..."

    The two of them stared at each other warily. The silent war of nerves heated the air around them.

    "Th-Then let¡¯s do this," Yeon-Joo said first. She gulped and said quietly, "I¡¯ll delete your picture on my drive, so you delete everything you have on me."

    "Oh, are we negotiating now?"

    "Just answer me! Will you delete them or not?!"

    "Mm." Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. He stroked his chin as he continued, "The conditions aren¡¯t mathematically equivalent, are they?"

    Yeon-Joo only had one picture of him while Kang-Woo had several videos of her. It would be an equivalent exchange to delete one of his videos on her but not all of them.

    "Urgh! Who gives a shit about math when you took those videos without consent!"

    "Right back at you."

    "Wh-Whatever!"

    "..."

    Kang-Woo continued to think in silence.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s not a bad deal.¡¯</em>

    The conditions were not mathematically equivalent but he didn¡¯t care as long as Yeon-Joo would delete the picture. He would rather die than let his Darling see such a humiliating picture.

    <em>¡¯And most of all¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked.

    "Fine, you have a deal."

    "Fuck yeah!!!" Yeon-Joo cheered as she pumped both fists in the air.

    She could finally get rid of all the humiliating videos Kang-Woo had of her.

    "Right. First, let¡¯s delete the files we have of each other on our smartphones," Kang-Woo said.

    "Okay."

    They both showed the other proof they deleted the file.

    "Stay away from me for a second," Yeon-Joo remarked.

    Yeon-Joo logged back into her drive and clenched her smartphone, being on high alert.

    <em>¡¯He might try to take it by force.¡¯</em>

    As long as she was holding it like this, not even Kang-Woo could take it from her. Although Kang-Woo was far stronger than her, she could at least crush the phone before Kang-Woo could try anything.

    "We¡¯ll delete it together on the count of three, alright¡­?" Yeon-Joo suggested.

    Kang-Woo calmly nodded.

    "Okay, then."

    They hovered their finger over the delete button on their drives.

    "One, two."

    The tension in the air was palpable.

    Yeon-Joo said the final number, "Three."

    <em>Beep.</em>

    The sound from a smartphone rang throughout the living room.

    "Pfft!" Just then, Yeon-Joo burst intoughter as she clenched her smartphone. "KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Hehehe! You seriously deleted them?"

    "You¡­"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shook. Yeon-Joo smiled brightly as she stared at Kang-Woo¡¯s flustered expression.

    "Fufu. What? It¡¯s your specialty, isn¡¯t it? Huh? The deceived one has no one to me but themselves, right? Bwahahahaha!"

    Yeon-Joo took her finger, which purposefully missed the delete button, off of the smartphone disy. The file was gone forever from Kang-Woo¡¯s drive but the picture she had of him remained intact. It was a childish ploy but it didn¡¯t matter since it had seeded.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo remained silent, his expression frozen. He tried to slowly lift his arm but Yeon-Joo quickly pulled back her hand holding her smartphone.

    She shouted, "Stop! Don¡¯t move! Fufufu! With this, I¡¯m the only one with a weapon, huh?"

    "Cha¡­ Yeon-Joo."

    "Mwahahaha! Huh~? Are you sure you don¡¯t wanna call me Yeon-Joo noona~?"

    Yeon-Joo taunted Kang-Woo as she burst intoughter after being sure of her victory. However, Kang-Woo smiled brightly as if he were never furious.

    "Do you know, Yeon-Joo?"

    "Huh? Know what? The fact that you lost hopelessly against me? Hehe!"

    Yeon-Joo giggled, drunk on the joy of victory.

    Kang-Woo continued, "Do you know why our sister-inw can ept Gaia into her body?"

    "Huh?"

    Yeon-Joo expressed confusion. She did not understand why Kang-Woo was bringing up La and Gaia all of a sudden.

    "What¡¯s your ploy? Are you changing the subject?"

    "No, it¡¯s relevant to the situation we¡¯re in right now."

    "The hell are you talking about?" Yeon-Joo tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand. "Do I know why La can ept Gaia into her body? Naturally, because La is Gaia¡¯s incarnation¡­ Ah."

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened. Kang-Woo smiled.

    "Yes, and you¡¯re my incarnation, Yeon-Joo."

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    Gold and ck mes ignited Yeon-Joo.

    "W-Wai¡ª!"

    Yeon-Joo was about to crush the smartphone in her hand.

    "Deific Manifestation."

    But before that, Kang-Woo took over Yeon-Joo¡¯s body through the Deific Essence of Voracity before she could.

    "A-Argh."

    Yeon-Joo convulsed as if she were having a seizure, then lowered her head with drooped shoulders.

    "I never thought I¡¯d use Deific Manifestation for the first time in this way."

    The one who raised their head was not Yeon-Joo but Kang-Woo, who took over Yeon-Joo¡¯s body through Deific Manifestation.

    [WH-WHAT THE HELL IS THIIIIIIIIIIIIIS¡ª?!!]

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s screams echoed inside Kang-Woo¡¯s head. Kang-Woo smiled and raised the smartphone containing the humiliating picture of himself, in Yeon-Joo¡¯s hand.

    [Y-Y-Y-You son of a¡­! G-Get the hell out of my body!!]

    "Don¡¯t rush me. I¡¯ll leave as soon as I¡¯m done."

    Kang-Woo pressed the delete button to permanently erase the picture, and then Yeon-Joo¡¯s body suddenly bent forward.

    "Pwah!" Yeon-Joo regained control of her body. "Haaa! Haaa!"

    Deific Manifestation consumed an enormous amount of stamina. Yeon-Joo did her best to calm her breathing and red ferociously at Kang-Woo.

    "Y-You crazy bastard!!!"

    She couldn¡¯t believe Kang-Woo would do something as crazy as forcibly using Deific Manifestation to delete a picture.

    "That¡¯s what you get for deceiving me," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "Urgh!"

    Yeon-Joo flinched. She bit her lip in frustration and clenched her fists.

    <em>¡¯That shameless scumbag!¡¯</em>

    There was nothing Yeon-Joo could do if all Kang-Woo needed to do was take over her body through Deific Manifestation.

    "If you could do something like this, why didn¡¯t you do it in the beginni¡ª"

    "Because it would¡¯ve been pointless."

    "What?"

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly and shook his head. He would¡¯ve used it as soon as he had the chance if it could resolve the situation. However, it would have been pointless.

    "Deific Manifestation only allows me to take physical control. I don¡¯t have ess to your thoughts."

    "Then¡­"

    "Yeah, I would¡¯ve had no way of deleting the picture if you hadn¡¯t made that proposal and logged into your drive."

    "D-Dammit!"

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression dyed in despair. She never expected to fall victim to her own ploy.

    "Kurgh!" She red at Kang-Woo in frustration. "Shit¡­ I thought I finally had a hold of your weakness I could take advantage of."

    It seemed like there was still a long way to go until she had a weakness of that scumbag to exploit. Yeon-Joo sighed and wiped the sweat on her forehead.

    "Well, whatever. The deal¡¯s off, right?"

    The n had derailed midway but it had been a sess in terms of the result since both of their dark pasts were deleted forever.

    "Off?" Kang-Woo stared at her as if he had no idea what she was talking about. He smirked nastily and continued, "There¡¯s no way it¡¯s off."

    "What¡­?"

    "Yeon-Joo. Did you think I only had one album of the precious memories we¡¯ve made?"

    "Wh-What did you say?!" Yeon-Joo shouted in pallor.

    Kang-Woo cackled and typed away on hisptop connected to the TV.

    <em>- I don¡¯t wanna be Adamantium anymore!!!</em>

    The video of Yeon-Joo throwing a temper tantrum on the floor yed on the TV screen.

    "Y-You son of a bitch!!! You tricked me!!!" Yeon-Joo screamed in despair.

    She teared up due to the betrayal as she red at Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo cackled and replied, "The deceived one has no one to me but themselves, isn¡¯t that right?"

    It was not wrong; it was only natural to consider Kang-Woo had made backups of the footage since it had been a while since he took them. Yeon-Joo had nothing else to me but her poor n and letting her guard down midway.

    "Y-Y-Y-You¡­!"

    "Right, then." Kang-Woo smiled brightly and licked his lips. Since his humiliating picture was gone for good, he had only one thing left to do. "Yeon-Joo?"

    "Y-Yeah?"

    "Is that any way to talk to your oppa?"

    "..."

    "Answer."

    "Y-Yes¡­ oppa?"

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s face turned as red as her hair.

    Kang-Woo sat leisurely on the couch and continued, "Right, then~ I wonder what I should have you do?"

    "..."

    "Oh, right. That should be good."

    He had already decided on what he would have Yeon-Joo do for his sweet revenge.

    "My little Yeon-Joo, could you dance for me?"

    "F-Fuck you!! I¡¯m not gonna dance, you motherfucker!!!"

    "Bwehehehehe!!! What? Are you embarrassed? Hm~? You were having the time of your life making me do it, but you¡¯re embarrassed when you have to be the one to do it?"

    "N-Ngh!"

    Yeon-Joo stomped the floor in frustration and gritted her teeth. No matter how much she wanted to defy him, she no longer had any cards to y in retaliation.

    "F-Fine! I¡¯ll do it!! I just have to fucking do it, right?!!" Yeon-Joo screamed in tears. She danced awkwardly with no music in the background. "<em>Sniff</em>. Hurghhh!"

    She felt like her heart was going to burst from humiliation.

    "Th-That¡¯s enough, right?!" she shouted in tears after dancing in the middle of the living room.

    However, the corners of Kang-Woo¡¯s lips rose.

    "No, of course not." Revenge was only fun if it was paid back several times over. "We¡¯ve only just gotten started."

    "Wh-What?"

    Yeon-Joo froze like a frog face-to-face with a snake. She couldn¡¯t imagine what other humiliating acts Kang-Woo would make her do.

    "Okay, why don¡¯t you dance again wearing this?"

    "Y-You¡­! Those clothes are¡­!"

    They were the leather clothes she had worn for Kang-Woo this morning. Dancing was embarrassing enough as it was, but Yeon-Joo might seriously go insane if she danced in those clothes.

    "K-Kang-Woo! I-I mean, Kang-Woo oppa!! P-Please!!"

    "Don¡¯t worry." Kang-Woo embraced the begging Yeon-Joo and whispered sweetly, "We¡¯re the only ones home tonight."

    "N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

    That night, desperate screams of humiliation did not stop until dawn in Kang-Woo¡¯s home.

 Side Story Chapter 76: There is No Light Here (1)

    "I¡¯m off to work. I¡¯ll be home past midnight again tonight, so don¡¯t wait around for me and go to bed," said Cha Yeon-Joo as she mmed the front door shut and left.

    Han Seol-Ah stared at the front door worryingly and said, "She¡¯s going to work without eating breakfast again¡­ is she that busy at the guildtely?"

    Yeon-Joo had beening homete far past midnight and going to work early for the past five days. She was not sleeping in therge bedroom with Kang-Woo but taking short naps in her private bedroom. Seeing how on-edge she was, she also seemed considerably stressed out.

    Oh Kang-Woo smiled awkwardly and scratched his head. "Mm. Who knows?"

    "I think it¡¯s because of theplicated matter she has been dealing with at the guild."

    Seol-Ah thought Yeon-Joo¡¯s sudden change in behavior stemmed from problems at her guild but Kang-Woo knew exactly what the problem was.

    <em>¡¯Did I go too far?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo found himself inadvertently teasing Yeon-Joo far more than he usually did. Getting hurt by that, Yeon-Joo had not even been looking Kang-Woo in the eyes.

    <em>¡¯I should set aside some private time with Yeon-Joo.¡¯</em>Thinking back, he admitted he had gone too far. He needed to apologize to her for teasing her so much. He had a feeling it wouldn¡¯t be too hard; although she was upset, she always came home every night and Kang-Woo noticed her hesitantly stealing nces at him asionally.

    "Hehehe. So gosh darn cute."

    Every time he noticed Yeon-Joo twisting in embarrassment, he wanted to run to her and give her a big hug.

    <em>¡¯But I need to endure it.¡¯</em>

    Apologizing came first.

    "P-Pardon? Wh-Why are you calling me cute all of a sudden?"

    "Huh?"

    Seol-Ah blushed and swept her hair behind her ear, misunderstanding that Kang-Woo was talking about her. Kang-Woo remained confused momentarily but pulled her toward him by the waist and kissed her.

    "Because I love you to death, Darling."

    "J-Jeez! You shouldn¡¯t say something like that so out of the blue!!" shouted Seol-Ah as she closed her eyes in embarrassment. She trembled as if she were desperately holding something back. She then smiled and stroked Kang-Woo¡¯s hair. "Fufu. I love you too, Kang-Woo."

    <em>¡¯Ahhh. I¡¯m being healed.¡¯</em>

    Barely anything could top being softly held by Seol-Ah.

    "I¡¯m¡­ sorry, Kang-Woo," said Seol-Ah sorrowfully as she stroked Kang-Woo¡¯s hair.

    Kang-Woo looked up in confusion.

    "Huh? Sorry for what?"

    As far as he knew, there was nothing Seol-Ah needed to apologize to him for. No, even if she did something wrong, he couldugh it off as nothing.

    "For showing an awful side of myself after failing to suppress my impulses."

    "Oh."

    As Seol-Ah mentioned, she looked extremely dangerous as she massacred the Subi.

    Seol-Ah continued dejectedly, "I want to hold myself back too, but¡­ my mind goes nk once the impulse takes over."

    "Hehe. Have you been worried about that this whole time?"

    "Even I could tell I looked insane. I-I¡¯m worried you¡¯lle to hate me¡­"

    "That will never happen," said Kang-Woo firmly as he tightly embraced her. He could nevere to hate Seol-Ah. "I don¡¯t care whether you go insane, let your impulses take over, or show a detestable side of yourself. You just need to stay by my side."

    He did not need anything else. Even if she were to chain him up after failing to control her impulses, brutally massacre any woman out of jealousy for trying to approach him, or fall into madness due to her obsession, he did not care. Others could see Seol-Ah¡¯s obsessive love as twisted and insane, but he did not.

    "My life with you is what I¡¯ve been desiring for ten millennia."

    Hence, her existence itself was perfect and pure.

    "Kang-Woo¡­" Seol-Ah stared at Kang-Woo with trembling eyes. Her smile widened like waves forming after throwing a pebble in a pond. "Me too¡­ I¡¯m so happy that I met you, Kang-Woo."

    "Hehehe. So don¡¯t think about pointless stuff like that again. Got it?"

    "Okay."

    Seol-Ah smiled as she and Kang-Woo kissed.

    "Oh, but you¡¯ll have to change one thing," Kang-Woo mentioned.

    "Pardon? Ch-Change what?"

    "Make time for yourself."

    It was no exaggeration to say Seol-Ah¡¯s life excessively revolved around Kang-Woo. He was happy that his lover felt so strongly about him but it did not stop him from being worried.

    "For example, go shopping with Yeon-Joo and Lilith¡­ or somewhere to y with Echidna¡­ or find a hobby you can enjoy by yourself."

    Kang-Woo was not one to have many hobbies but he was not as bad as Seol-Ah; she had severed herself from all forms of entertainment like a monk and was spending her time only for Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯Joys in life aren¡¯t necessarily felt only with your lover.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wanted to let Seol-Ah enjoy other joys in life besides himself.

    "But all I need in my life is y¡ª"

    "Don¡¯t give me that. You know I¡¯m not saying I dislike being with you."

    "Mmm." Seol-Ah fell into thought and then pped her hands together as if she had thought of a good idea. "In that case, could I take some sses?"

    "sses? For what?"

    "Fufu. Cooking sses. I want to learn a wider variety of dishes."

    "Mm. Everything you make for me is delicious, though."

    "Hohoho. Thank you very much, but I want to gain some professional knowledge. After all, it brings me so much joy whenever you find my food delicious."

    "Really?"

    Kang-Woo had no reason to refuse.

    "Hehe. Okay then, I should take some time today to search for a good cooking school~"

    Seol-Ah went into her room with a smile.

    As Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah¡¯s back in silence, Lilith giggled with one hand over her mouth after returning from the Hall of Protection.

    "Fufufu. You¡¯re smiling so big that your lips are about to rip, my king."

    "Oh, wee back."

    "My, my, I always wonder if our cute little Seol-Ah really is a fallen angel whenever I look at her~"

    "She¡¯s the same to me regardless of whether or not she¡¯s a fallen angel."

    "Oh? I think I¡¯m getting a bit jealous."

    "I love you just as much, Lilith."

    "Fufu, then¡ª"

    "Oh, but I hate your tentacles."

    "Hmph," Lilith cutely snorted with her index finger on her lips. "Oh,e to think of it, I have something to report to you, my king."

    "What is it?"

    "I heard from La today that a suspicious church has been rapidly expanding its influence as ofte."

    "A suspicious church?"

    "Yes. It¡¯s called the Church of Radiance."

    "..."

    Just from the name, it was simr to his Church of Splendor.

    <em>¡¯Though the Church of Splendor is practically gone on Earth.¡¯</em>

    The Church of Splendor, which had spread to Earth from Aernor, was almost gone on Earth. It was due to various reasons such as a difference in culture or how nonsystematic it was, but the main reason was because the church was not managed during Kang-Woo¡¯s three years of absence being stuck in the Abyss of the Demonic Sea. A church could notst long without donations, a scripture to learn, or even a ce to hold a service.

    <em>¡¯I heard it¡¯s still booming in Aernor.¡¯</em>

    Whatever the case, Kang-Woo no longer cared. Now that he had acquired Transcendent-rank Deific Essence, the amount of Divinity he earned from faith was but a drop in the ocean.

    <em>¡¯I guess it¡¯s better than nothing.¡¯</em>

    However, he wouldn¡¯t be bothered even if he didn¡¯t have it; a drop in the ocean was still something but it did not change the fact that it was nothing but a drop. Time would be better spent fighting otherworldly beings in Gates than bothering with the Church of Splendor.

    "What kind of church is it?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "I¡¯m not sure. They have yet to fully reveal themselves, but they¡¯ve been saying shady things like how they needed to evacuate to paradise since the Earth would soon meet its end."

    "So it¡¯s a cult." Kang-Woo had never seen a normal religion that prophesized the end of the world. "If you¡¯re reporting it to me, then the religion must¡¯ve spread quite far, right?"

    "Yes, and the matter Si-Hun has been investigating is rted to the Church of Radiance."

    "Oh."

    <em>¡¯No wonder I couldn¡¯t get in touch with him. He was investigating this matter.¡¯</em>

    If Kim Si-Hun was tasked to investigate, it meant the situation was quite dire.

    "Is he still investigating?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "No, hepleted his investigation and returned."

    "Really?"

    Kang-Woo nodded and turned around.

    <em>¡¯I should hear it directly from him.¡¯</em>

    There was nothing better than hearing about the situation from the investigator.

    <em>¡¯And I¡¯ll get to see him after a while.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wanted to see his little brother since it had been a while.

    "Right then, I¡¯m going out to meet Si-Hun."

    "Shall Ie with you?" Lilith asked.

    "It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just gonna see him and get a quick rundown."

    Kang-Woo headed to the Hall of Protection through a Gate and entered a familiar white hallway.

    "It¡¯s been a while, Kang-Woo," La greeted.

    "Sure has~ How¡¯ve you been, sister-inw?" replied Kang-Woo casually as he waved.

    They used to speak formally but have been talking more casually to each othertely since they had be quite close.

    "It¡¯s been busy, but¡­ I¡¯ve been fine. What brings you here?"

    "I¡¯m here to see Si-Hun."

    "Oh, he¡¯s in his room."

    "Hehe. How have you two been getting alongtely?"

    "We¡¯re getting along great. But¡­"

    "But what?"

    "I think he¡¯s been avoiding me since recently."

    "Eh?" Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t believe Si-Hun would do such a thing. "Did you force the dog ears on him or something?"

    "No, nothing like that¡­ I mean, I bought them but I haven¡¯t brought them up yet."

    "So you did buy them."

    <em>¡¯Poor Si-Hun.¡¯</em>

    "Hehe. Don¡¯t worry, sister-inw. I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this."

    "Please don¡¯t mention anything about me telling you about it."

    "Sure thing."

    Kang-Woo nodded and knocked on Si-Hun¡¯s door.

    "Hyung-nim¡­?"

    Si-Hun came out of his room immediately after Kang-Woo knocked on his door, likely from sensing Kang-Woo¡¯s presence. Kang-Woo had not seen Si-Hun in a while but he was as breathtakingly handsome as ever. However, Kang-Woo¡¯s expression hardened as he stared at him.

    "I-It¡¯s been a while, hyung-nim," Si-Hun stuttered, considerably flustered by Kang-Woo. "I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t called. The investigation took longer than I expected. Oh, why don¡¯t youe in first? Would you like something to drink¡ª"

    "Hey," Kang-Woo interrupted.

    "Hyung-nim¡­?"

    Si-Hun looked back at him in confusion. Kang-Woo ced his hand on Si-Hun¡¯s shoulder and violently ripped his shirt.

    "Wh-What are you doing, hyung-nim?!"

    Si-Hun stepped backward in shock. Kang-Woo caught up to him in a sh and tore up the rest of the half-torn shirt, exposing Si-Hun¡¯s extraordinarily toned body.

    "That¡¯s my goddamn line," Kang-Woo replied as he red at Si-Hun¡¯s bare upper body with a grimace. "Who the fuck did this to you?"

    There was a massive wound stretching from his left chest to his pelvis.

 Side Story Chapter 77: There is No Light Here (2)

    A heavy silence fell. Kim Si-Hun¡¯s eyes shook violently. He lowered his head and averted his gaze from Oh Kang-Woo.

    "Kim Si-Hun," Kang-Woo called.

    Si-Hun muttered after much silence, "There was¡­ a small ident during my investigation."

    "An ident?" Kang-Woo feignedughter as he red at Si-Hun. "It¡¯s not easy to get an injury this big from a small ident."

    It was more so in the case of Si-Hun.

    "It¡¯s nothing you need to bother yourself with, hyung-nim."

    "Si-Hun."

    "I¡¯ll take care of this matter on my own¡ª"

    "KIM SI-HUN!!!" Kang-Woo stomped his foot and pushed Si-Hun into a wall. "I¡¯ll decide if it¡¯s worth bothering myself with it."His precious little brother came back hurt; not only that but anyone weaker than him would have died from a wound like that. Any older brother would be worried sick.

    "Kang-Woo hyung¡­"

    Si-Hun flusteredly looked down at Kang-Woo.

    "You¡¯d better tell me what happened if you want to keep calling me your hyung."

    Si-Hun remained silent with a darkened expression. He thought for a moment and slowly said, "As I was investigating the Church of Radiance¡­ I discovered their base of operations. They were in the middle of a ritual they called <em>Ascension</em>."

    "Ascension?"

    "Yes. An insane ritual about guiding young souls to paradise to help them escape the apocalypse¡­"

    "Guiding young souls to paradise?" Kang-Woo grimaced. "Wait. Does that mean¡­"

    "Yes. They were killing infants as part of their ritual."

    Si-Hun clenched his fists, and his shoulders trembled. He grimaced as blue energy emitted from him. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    "They¡¯re beyond crazy."

    Not even the former Demon Cult killed infants.

    "So you lost your mind and charged at them?" Kang-Woo surmised.

    Si-Hun would have called Guardians for reinforcements once he found their base since his role was purely to investigate.

    "Yes¡­ I couldn¡¯t stand and watch such atrocities happening before my eyes."

    "I mean, yeah. I don¡¯t me you."

    Anyone would have lost their cool after seeing such a sight. Even Kang-Woo would have frowned intensely at it.

    <em>¡¯That¡¯s all I would¡¯ve done, though.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would¡¯ve felt slightly disgusted and ufortable if he saw an inhumane ritual involving the murder of infants, but that would have been all. He was far removed from human ethics and morals; as long as the people he cared for were not harmed, he would not be distraught, no matter how gruesome the death.

    <em>¡¯And in that sense¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the gruesome wound across Si-Hun¡¯s chest and gritted his teeth. The fact that they managed to leave such a wound on Si-Hun was far more important than a ritual involving the murder of infants. Si-Hun was Kang-Woo¡¯s precious little brother.

    "So, who the hell wounded you?"

    "It was someone the devotees called a <em>pastor</em>."

    "Pastor? Isn¡¯t that a super low rank?"

    Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t well-versed in religious hierarchies but he at least knew a pastor was rtively low in rank.

    <em>¡¯And they managed to injure Si-Hun?¡¯</em>

    It was impossible considering how powerful SI-Hun was¡ª no, just the fact that a mere cult injured Si-Hun was impossible.

    "No, the Church of Radiance doesn¡¯t seem to have ranks like Cardinal or Pope. There were only devotees and a few pastors."

    "How many of them were you up against for them to manage to hurt you?" Kang-Woo asked.

    Hundreds would have to attack Si-Hun at once to even have a chance of injuring him.

    "It was¡­ one."

    "What?"

    "I only fought against¡­ one pastor."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>¡¯Si-Hun got an injury like that in a one-on-one fight?¡¯</em>

    Wounding Si-Hun was almost impossible unless the opponent was on Balrog or Kang-Woo¡¯s level.

    "And is the pastor dead?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "No. He ran away mid-battle."

    "You couldn¡¯t even fucking kill him?"

    Kang-Woo frowned strongly. He couldn¡¯t believe Si-Hun let his opponent escape on top of getting wounded.

    <em>¡¯Perhaps¡­¡¯</em>

    A thought passed through his head.

    "How long have you been injured?"

    "It¡¯s been about three days."

    Those as powerful as Si-Hun possessed extraordinary regenerative capabilities. They were of course not on the same level as the immortal Kang-Woo but their injuries usually healed overnight.

    <em>¡¯But it hasn¡¯t healed after three days, meaning¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and remarked, "Those sons of bitches¡­ must be Akart¡¯s subordinates."

    Nothing but the power of Akart could allow one to face Earth¡¯s strongest swordsman one-on-one and drastically reduce one¡¯s regenerative capabilities. Not only that but the name <em>Church of Radiance</em> was a dead giveaway.

    "Yes¡­" Si-Hun nodded with a darkened expression.

    He seemed aware that the power of a Titan was involved. Kang-Woo realized why Si-Hun was trying to hide the fact that he was injured.

    "Is that why you were hiding it?"

    "..."

    "Because I copsed before?"

    "I heard Akart¡¯s power is fatal to you."

    The Light of Akart contained the power to disintegrate the Demonic Sea. Even if Si-Hun were attacked by the Light of Akart, it would only end with his regenerative capabilities weakening. However, the light was deadly to Kang-Woo. Since Kang-Woo¡¯s body was made of the Demonic Sea, the Light of Akart was his only fatal weakness.

    "So what?" Kang-Woo mentioned.

    Just because he wouldn¡¯t be immortal against attacks infused with the Light of Akart did not mean he couldn¡¯t face Akart.

    "It¡¯s too dangerous."

    "When has it ever not been dangerous?"

    "At the very least, I have more of an advantage against Akart than you."

    "For fuck¡¯s sake, we¡¯re not Pokemon. We don¡¯t have the leeway to worry about type advantages."

    It was not like the enemy was immortal because Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t; just because the opponent¡¯s attacks were fatal to him didn¡¯t mean his attacks were ineffective against the enemy. It was a death match, nheless.

    "I have to¡­ take care of this myself," Si-Hun stated.

    "No."

    Kang-Woo shook his head. His eyes shone as he stared at therge wound across Si-Hun¡¯s chest. As an older brother, he couldn¡¯t stand idly by after his little brother came home beaten up.

    He bared his teeth ferociously and continued, "It¡¯s my matter to take care of now."

    <em>¡¯How dare they hurt my little brother?¡¯</em>

    ***

    "So, where is their region of operations?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Haaa¡­" Si-Hun sighed and lowered his head. He knew he couldn¡¯t convince Kang-Woo otherwise. He continued worryingly, "They are expanding from France rapidly throughout Europe."

    "Really?"

    "Yes. The speed of their expansion is insane. They likely have over a hundred thousand devotees."

    "What?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head iprehensibly.

    <em>¡¯How the hell did they manage that?¡¯</em>

    It was not like they were in wartime; it was nearly impossible for a cult to gain influence so rapidly throughout the continent.

    <em>¡¯I would¡¯ve understood if they were like the Demon Cult.¡¯</em>

    The Demon Cult rewarded their members for their faith with power and longevity. They used bait that all humans coveted to gain more followers. Even with that, the Demon Cult couldn¡¯t spread as quickly as the rate the Church of Radiance was spreading. All the Church of Radiance was doing was spreading propaganda about going to paradise to escape the apocalypse but somehow managed to gain over hundreds of thousands of devotees.

    <em>¡¯This can¡¯t be possible.¡¯</em>

    Not even a god who manifested into the physical realm could spread their influence this quickly.

    "What the hell are these guys? How are they getting this big so quickly?"

    It was pandemic-level speed, no joke.

    "I¡¯m not sure about their method of propagation either."

    "Hmm¡­ If they¡¯re that big, they must have many bases of operations."

    "That¡¯s correct."

    "Do they do that atrocious shit in all their locations?" Kang-Woo asked as he recalled what Si-Hun said about the rituals.

    Si-Hun shook his head. "No, they just say things people want to hear?"

    "Like what?"

    "Do not worry about the end; everyone here can be saved¡­ things like that."

    "Seriously though, it has to be a joke. Do people actually believe that crap?"

    Not only that but there were hundreds of thousands of people.

    "If you ask me, I believe they¡¯re using some sort of mass hypnosis," Si-Hun posed.

    "Mass hypnosis?"

    "Yes, since as you said, nothing else can exin their growth speed."

    "Hmm. I guess we can find out for ourselves." Kang-Woo nodded and turned around as he continued, "You know a few other base locations, right?"

    "I do."

    "Tell me."

    "..."

    Si-Hun sighed as he stared at Kang-Woo, eyes gleaming as if he would immediately rush to where Si-Hun indicated. He took off the shirt Kang-Woo ripped and put on a different one.

    "What are you doing?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "I¡¯ming with you."

    "Hell no. You¡¯re wounded. I¡¯m going alone so just tell me where the hell it is."

    "I won¡¯t tell you if you insist on going alone."

    Kang-Woo remained silent as he stared at Si-Hun¡¯s determined eyes. He clicked his tongue. "Jeez, you stubborn son of a bitch. Just don¡¯t hold me back with that injury, got it?"

    "Haha. I¡¯m confident I can win if I face him again. I¡¯ve already learned his attack pattern."

    "Big words for someone who lost."

    Si-Hun¡¯s face reddened as he shouted, "I-I didn¡¯t lose! He just got away!"

    Kang-Woo smirked and said as he walked, "I¡¯m gonna stop by my house, so stay here."

    The disaster from before might ur if he disappeared without a word again.

    <em>¡¯The Church of Radiance, huh? It¡¯s time to teach them who¡¯s more radiant.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 78: There is No Light Here (3)

    [Hmm¡­ are you going to Europe with Si-Hun then, Kang-Woo?]

    Echidna¡¯s voice sounded from Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s smartphone.

    Kang-Woo nodded and answered, "Yeah."

    [It just so happens I¡¯m in Ennd!]

    "Hm? You¡¯re in Europe?"

    [Yeah! I have my live performance in a few hours!]

    Kang-Woo had heard Echidna was preparing to make hereback as an idol.

    Echidna snorted and proudly remarked, [Hm! It¡¯s a super~ huge live performance! Not only is it gonna be broadcast throughout Ennd but Europe as a whole!]

    "Areeback performances usually thatrge-scale? In a foreign country, no less?"Kang-Woo knew Echidna was globally famous, but not enough for her performance to be broadcast throughout Europe.

    [Urgh. The thing is¡­ it was supposed to be someone else but I stepped up because they suddenly couldn¡¯t make it.]

    "So you¡¯re just a fill-in."

    [I-I¡¯m not a fill-in! Tons of my fans will be there too!]

    "Kehehe. Alright, alright."

    Even if Echidna were a fill-in, the fact that she could perform on such a massive live stage was proof of her poprity.

    [Kang-Woo¡­ could you, umm¡­e watch my performance? I¡¯ll save you a VIP seat!!]

    "Sorry, I don¡¯t think I can make it."

    It was a shame he couldn¡¯t watch Echidna¡¯s performance live, but he couldn¡¯t put off the matter with the Church of Radiance.

    "I¡¯ll watch it online when I have time. It¡¯ll be broadcast online too, right?"

    [It will, but¡­ Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah said they couldn¡¯te either. I can¡¯t believe you all!]

    "Why can¡¯t theye?"

    [Seol-Ah said she was going to enroll in some sses with Yeon-Joo. They said they couldn¡¯te because the deadline is today.]

    "Oh."

    ¡¯Come to think of it, she said she was taking cooking sses. I guess Yeon-Joo¡¯s tagging along too. I highly doubt sses would help her wretched cooking skills.¡¯

    In any case, Han Seol-Ah was trying to take some hobbies like Kang-Woo suggested.

    "Sorry. I¡¯lle to your next live performance for sure."

    [Hm! It¡¯s a promise!]

    "Okay."

    [Alright, I¡¯m off to my rehearsal!]

    The call ended. Kang-Woo put his smartphone in his pocket and looked around the empty living room.

    <em>¡¯I guess Darling is busy today.¡¯</em>

    It was a good thing since he had no intention of bringing Seol-Ah along.

    <em>ck.</em>

    Just then, the front door opened, and Seol-Ah and Cha Yeon-Joo entered.

    "Oh? Since when were you home, Kang-Woo? I thought you went to see Si-Hun."

    "Th-The hell?! The son of a bitch Oh Kang-Woo is here?"

    Yeon-Joo hid behind Seol-Ah in shock.

    "Have you registered for your sses?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "No, we¡¯re about to. A famous chef runs the sses, so there are tests involved."

    "Sounds like a hardcore ce."

    "Fufu. I thought I might as well learn from the best."

    "Hehe. That¡¯s fine and all, but¡­ isn¡¯t Yeon-Joo a lost cause?"

    Kang-Woo snickered as he stared at Yeon-Joo hiding behind Seol-Ah. She was in an awkward stance because she was taller than Seol-Ah.

    "I-I¡¯m gonna take the introductory sses!" Yeon-Joo shouted.

    "Really? What about your guild? Haven¡¯t you been busytely?"

    She was probably acting busier than she was because she wanted to avoid Kang-Woo but there seemed to be real trouble the guild was dealing with as well.

    "Ngh¡­ That¡¯s a bit of a pain in the ass, but Seol-Ah said she wouldn¡¯t stand for it if I didn¡¯te with her."

    "Wh-When did I say that?"

    "You said I needed toe with you no matter what!"

    "I-I did, but only because I didn¡¯t want to go by myself."

    "Heh, see what I mean?"

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly as the two women bickered.

    "That¡¯s good. Oh, I also have some business to attend to from today, so I won¡¯t be home."

    "Business?"

    "What work could a freeloader like you possibly have?"

    Kang-Woo told them about investigating the cult known as the Church of Radiance.

    "I-I¡¯ming with you!"

    "If something that serious is happening, we don¡¯t have any time to waste, do we? Should I alsoe along?"

    "No, it¡¯s fine. We¡¯re still in the investigation phase." Kang-Woo shook his head to stop the two women from trying to follow him.

    It was true that they were only going to be investigating the Church of Radiance, but Kang-Woo didn¡¯t want to put his lovers in danger, especially when someone known as a pastor managed to injure Si-Hun.

    <em>¡¯And¡­¡¯</em>

    He did not want to show Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo the horrifying rituals that the members of the Church of Radiance were holding. It would not affect Kang-Woo much, but it would have a significant impact on them.

    "I¡¯ll be on my way then. Have a safe trip, you two."

    "Are you sure you¡¯ll be fine without us?"

    "Don¡¯t worry, and stay with Yeon-Joo."

    Kang-Woo lightly kissed Seol-Ah and turned around. Just then, Yeon-Joo grabbed his shoulder.

    "Hm? What is it?"

    Yeon-Joo twisted around with her cheeks reddened. She mumbled quietly, "Wh-What about me¡­?"

    "Hehe."

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as he saw how cute Yeon-Joo was. He kissed Yeon-Joo as well.

    Yeon-Joo turned around and muttered, "Don¡¯t you dare¡­ think of this as me forgiving you."

    "I¡¯ll sincerely apologize once Ie back. I¡¯m sorry."

    "Haaa. Anyway, don¡¯t you dare get hurt, got it?"

    "Gotcha."

    Kang-Woo nodded and headed to the Hall of Protection, where Si-Hun was waiting for him.

    ***

    "Is this the meeting ce?"

    "Yes."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and looked around. Si-Hun had taken him to a giant slum in France. The buildings were so run down that they looked like they were about to fall apart. Not only did the streets reek of excrement but rats and insects filled them as well.

    "A perfect ce for a cult to spread¡­"

    People with nothing to lose tended to gravitate toward cults.

    "That¡¯s the ce, hyung-nim."

    "Okay."

    Kang-Woo and Si-Hun changed into dirty and worn-out clothes to fit in with the surroundings and headed to the meeting ce. Thousands of people were crowded in an old factory. Kang-Woo grimaced due to the putrid stench around him.

    "It will start soon," Si-Hun remarked.

    "Will that pastor who ran away from you make his appearance?"

    "I am not sure about that."

    "Hmm."

    <em>¡¯I guess we¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡¯</em>

    As Kang-Woo and Si-Hun waited among the crowd, a young man in a suit climbed up the stage. He was wearing a golden ne with a bnce scale pattern on it.

    "It¡¯s very nice to meet you, everyone. I give you my sincerest thanks for gathering here today."

    His voice was as gentle as a spring breeze. No one would think such a man could hold a ritual as psychotic as killing infants. The thousands of people mumbled even more once they noticed the man on the stage.

    The man closed his eyes and said, "First, let us pray before I bestow upon you the words of radiance."

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Radiant golden light poured out from behind the young man and filled the deste streets. The lifeless and dark streets were suddenly illuminated as if the sun had risen.

    "Ahhh."

    "The blessing of radiance!"

    "Let us be guided toward paradise!"

    The golden wave spread among the thousands of people gathered in the old factory. The eyes of the people enveloped by the golden light also turned gold momentarily; the light naturally entered Kang-Woo as well since he was also in the crowd.

    <em>¡¯Is this the mass hypnosis?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t tell; he couldn¡¯t feel any change inside him despite the light entering him. He couldn¡¯t feel any hypnotic or other psychological effects other than feeling slightlyforted.

    "Ahhh!"

    "Salvation¡­ Please grant us salvation!!"

    The others enveloped by the light did not seem to have been hypnotized either. Rather, theirplexion brightened, and the fatigue in their eyes cleared. Those clenching their stomachs from starvation suddenly stood up, and those coughing uncontrobly, likely due to illness, stopped coughing and smiled brightly.

    "..."

    The sight befitted the word <em>paradise</em>.

    "Thank you. Thank you very much!!!"

    "I will follow the radiance!!"

    "O Almighty Radiance!!"

    The thousands of people cheered fanatically and then lowered their heads to pray. Their prayer stance was a little odd; they crossed their arms into an X-shape over their chest.

    <em>¡¯Yibambe?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo followed suit and crossed his arms into an X-shape.

    He shouted, "GRANT US SALVATION FROM THE APOCALYPSE¡ª!! GUIDE US TO PARADISE¡ª!!!"

    His screams echoed throughout the old factory.

    "WHOOOOOAAAAA!!"

    The people¡¯s gazes naturally shifted to Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo shouted again, "I WILL BELIEVE IN THE LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT¡ª!!!"

    The people staring at him gave him a thumbs-up. They also cheered fanatically and shouted for paradise, like Kang-Woo.

    "YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!"

    "GRANT US SALVATION¡ª!!!¡¯

    "O RADIAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCE!!"

    Madness filled the factory.

    "H-Hyung-nim?"

    Si-Hun stared at Kang-Woo in confusion. Kang-Woo ignored him and screeched with all his might.

    "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    "Ahhh! This desperate cry!!"

    "I see you have realized the meaning of radiance as well!!"

    Those who looked like homeless people ced their hands on Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders as he was screaming more passionately than anyone.

    "My brother!!!"

    "Ahh. yes!! We¡¯re brothers!!"

    "Let us all shout for the radiance!!!"

    "WHOOOOOAAAAA!!!¡¯

    "O RADIAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCE!!!"

    The roars filling the factory amplified further. The devotees of the Church of Radiance grabbed each other¡¯s shoulders and swayed left and right as they screamed. Tears flowed from Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes. At this moment, the devotees had be one.

    "EVERYONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT¡ª?!!"

    "OF COURSE WE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

    "THE LIGHT WILL BRING US SALVATIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!"

    "IT WILL GUIDE US TO PARADIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISE!!!"

    The other devotees screamed their lungs out alongside Kang-Woo.

    "AT THIS VERY MOMENT!!! WE HAVE BECOME ONE UNDER THE LIGHT!!! DO YOU FEEL IT, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS¡ª?! DO YOU FEEL THE RADIANT LIGHT¡ª?!"

    "I FEEL IT!! AHHH!! I FEEL IT!!!"

    "TELL ME HOW IT FEELS¡ª!!"

    "IT COULDN¡¯T BE WARMER AND MORE COMFORTING!!!"

    "I DON¡¯T FEEL HUNGRY ANYMORE!!!"

    "I DON¡¯T FEEL THE PAIN OR SADNESS!!!"

    "THIS LIGHT IS WHAT WILL GUIDE US TO SALVATION!!!"

    As Kang-Woo thought, the golden light made the people temporarily forget their hunger and pain.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s not mass hypnosis but mass drugging.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s work was done now that he figured out what effect the light held.

    "E-Everyone! Please calm down!" shouted hurriedly the young man on the stage. He seemed panicked as he witnessed the chaos that could no longer be called a prayer. "There is no need for you to do this. The light of radiance will guide you all to salv¡ª"

    Kang-Woo interjected the young man and shouted, "EVERYONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! LET US SCREAM AND SHOUT¡ª!!! SET YOUR SOUL ABLAZE AND PRAY FOR THE LIGHT¡¯S SALVATIOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!"

    "O RADIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCE!!!"

    "PLEASE GRANT US SALVATIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!"

    Kang-Woo raised his arms high in the peak of madness.

    "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"

    "W-WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!"

    "GYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH!!!"

    "SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESH!!!"

    The young man¡¯s expression paled as he witnessed the peak of delirium.

    He shouted, "E-Everyone, p-please calm down¡­!"

    However, his voice was drowned by the crazed screams.

 Side Story Chapter 79: There is No Light Here (4)

    "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!"

    "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

    "GRRRRK! KURGH! GRRRRRRRR!!"

    Crazed screeches which one would think were made by demons from Hell filled the factory. The people gathered in the factory pulled on their hear as they thrashed about. No matter how one looked at it, it couldn¡¯t be called a regr gathering.

    "Ngh¡­"

    The flustered young man bit his lip.

    <em>Whoooom.</em>

    The golden wave filling the factory shrank.

    "GYAAAA¡­ Huh?""A-Ahem!"

    "I-I think we got a little too excited, everyone."

    The people screeching madly suddenly coughed and remained silent once they regained their senses after the golden wave emitted by the young man shrank. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    <em>¡¯As I thought, that light is what¡¯s cursing this.¡¯</em>

    He didn¡¯t feel any change in himself but it seemed highly effective on regr people. It was no different from hypnosis if madness could be induced in them so easily.

    <em>¡¯So this is how they¡¯ve been gathering devotees.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could understand the church¡¯s pandemic-level rate of propagation.

    "Huuu. Haha. We have many more passionate devotees than usual today," said the young man on the stage with an awkward smile. "Right then, please allow thiscking agent of light to bring you all the words of radiance."

    The young man took a moment to clear his throat.

    "H-Hyung-nim, why did you¡­" asked Kim Si-Hun nervously before the sermon began.

    He seemed to have been greatly shocked by Kang-Woo for instigating the madness.

    "There was something I wanted to check."

    Kang-Woo needed to determine the extent of the golden wave¡¯s effects and how infatuated the devotees were with the Church of Radiance.

    "And besides, we¡¯ll be less suspected this way."

    "Oh."

    Blending in without being noticed was the basics of infiltration.

    "I feel like your actions only drew attention to yourself though¡­" Si-Hun smiled bitterly as he slurred. "In any case, he fortunately doesn¡¯t seem to be paying much attention to you."

    "Is that the pastor you went up againstst time?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "No. The pastor I fought was a man in his mid-forties."

    "Is that so?"

    Si-Hun had mentioned there were multiple pastors, hence the young man was likely one of them.

    "Let¡¯s just wait and see what he says for now."

    "Understood."

    Kang-Woo and Si-Hun examined the young pastor.

    "Before I begin the sermon, may I ask you all to share your stories with me?" the pastor asked gently.

    "Pardon¡­?"

    "O-Our stories?"

    "You can talk about anything you¡¯d like. Stories of your life, hardships, sorrows¡­ Anything."

    "..."

    The devotees nced at each other. Just then, a woman holding a small baby walked out from the crowd.

    The young pastor smiled brightly as he stared at the baby. "Oh, what a beautiful baby."

    The baby giggled as he reached for the pastor.

    The woman mentioned with a trembling voice, "Pastor¡­ I-I recently gave birth to this boy, but¡­ I-I can¡¯t afford to raise him¡­ <em>Sniff!</em>"

    The woman burst into tears.

    "The boy¡¯s father abandoned him¡­ I-I can¡¯t work because my illness is getting worse¡­ and I can¡¯t afford to get treatment."

    It wasmon; one needed to earn money to raise a baby but they couldn¡¯t work due to illness. However, they couldn¡¯t afford to treat the illness, resulting in a cycle of poverty. There were countless such cases on Earth due to many countries going bankrupt after the Day of Cmity.

    "Please¡­ just this child. Please help me so that at least he can live on. I don¡¯t care what happens to me. I don¡¯t mind dying if it means he will be saved¡­"

    The young pastor slowly reached for the woman in silence. "I see¡­ you¡¯ve suffered greatly."

    Tears trickled down his cheeks. He embraced the woman without even thinking about wiping his tears. His clean suit was dirtied by the woman¡¯s clothes.

    "P-Pastor? Y-Your clothes¡ª"

    "It¡¯s alright. You are far more important to me than mere clothes."

    The man grabbed the woman¡¯s shoulders.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    Golden light entered the woman through the man¡¯s hands.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    The woman¡¯s sorrowful eyes went nk. She smiled faintly as if she were high.

    She shouted with joy, "I¡­ I don¡¯t feel any pain, Pastor! A-Am I cured?"

    "No." The pastor firmly shook his head as he stared at the smiling woman. "This power is merely to help you momentarily forget your pain. I am not powerful enough to cure your illness."

    "N-No way!"

    "Your body will plead for pain over time and agony will engulf you yet again."

    "Then what about this child¡ª"

    "However," the pastor interjected, eyes full of determination. "As for this child¡­ I will take full responsibility and guide him to <em>paradise</em>."

    "A-Aaaahh!"

    "Do not worry. This beautiful gem of yours will be freed from this wretched world¡­ and live happily in a safe and joyful world."

    "Pastor¡­!"

    The woman lowered her head with tears in her eyes.

    The pastor received the baby from her and slowly turned to the devotees to say, "Everyone. The current Earth is¡­ no different from a sinking ship." He looked around the crowd and continued in a low tone, "The keel of the ship has been broken beyond repair and water is continuously flowing in from a break in the hull."

    His gentle voice echoed throughout the silent factory.

    "Are you all aware of the otherworldly beings?" he asked.

    "Otherworldly¡­?"

    "I am referring to beings from other worlds besides Earth. I am sure you are aware of them. After all, they have already invaded Earth many times."

    "Oh! Are you talking about the giant space battleship that appeared above New York a while ago?"

    "Come to think of it, I heard that a swarm of giant insects invaded Seoul!"

    The devotees nodded one after another. The people of Earth were already aware of the otherworldly invasions; such invasions have been urring one after another, albeit the scales were nowhere near that of the Gctic Federation and the Parasites.

    "Yes. Such beings will continue to invade this world. They will bare their sharp fangs and brutally ughter your families and loved ones." The young pastor clenched his fists, bit his lip, and his shoulders trembled. "This world will soon meet its end."

    "Ahhh!"

    "Wh-What a disaster!"

    The devotees gathered in the factory trembled in shock. The young pastor stared at them in deep sorrow.

    "With my meager powers¡­ I cannot save every one of you." He kneeled and lowered his head toward the devotees. "I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sincerely sorry¡­ for being unable to protect and save all of you."

    "P=Pastor¡­"

    "Please raise your head!!"

    The devotees panicked once the pastor bowed to them.

    He raised his head and continued with a bitter smile, "Haha. Of course, I have no intention of running away. Once the apocalypsees¡­ I willy down my life alongside you all."

    "..."

    "However, this child¡­ this beautiful and pure gem! I cannot allow him to meet his end in this wretched world."

    The young pastor slowly stood up and teared up as he embraced the baby tightly.

    "I will conduct¡­ the ritual of <em>Ascension</em>."

    Immense golden light, iparable to the amount from before, burst and spread throughout the factory. Darkness in the slums was chased away as if the sun rose.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    "O Radiance¡­"

    The eyes of the devotees turned nk as they were enveloped by the golden wave. They crossed their forearms into an X-shape and lowered their heads. The young pastor smiled as he looked down at the baby in his arms.

    "Please¡­ be free from this world and live happily and healthy in a better ce."

    The immense golden light enveloped the baby.

    "<em>Waaaaaahh!</em>" the baby cried the moment the light enveloped him.

    The young pastor gently rocked the baby to console him. He smiled as kindly as he could and kissed the baby¡¯s forehead.

    "There is nothing to worry about. There will be no pain. If you close your eyes¡­ a new world¡­ one far safer and warmer than this world¡­ will be waiting for you."

    "<em>Uuung</em>?"

    The baby stopped crying and looked up innocently at the young pastor as he tilted his head and giggled. The golden light slowly covered the baby like a tent.

    "What a load of fucking bullshit."

    <em>Bash¡ª!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo jumped up on stage and kicked the young pastor¡¯s face.

    "Kurgh!!"

    The young pastor was sent flying as he grabbed his broken nose. Kang-Woo carefully caught the falling baby.

    "Paradise, my ass. What do you think you¡¯re doing to a baby who can¡¯t even walk yet?"

    He red at the young pastor with a grimace.

    "Ah." The young pastor slowly looked up and saw that the golden light enveloping the baby had disappeared. "Y-You¡­"

    The pastor¡¯s pupils constricted as he stared at Kang-Woo wide-eyed.

    "WHAT HAVE YOU DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE?!!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed in desperation.

    His wretched screeches shook the factory. The pastor pulled on his hair in irritation and red at Kang-Woo resentfully.

    "THAT CHILD!!! HE COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED!!! WHY?!! WHY DID YOU INTERFERE?!! I COULD HAVE SAVED THE BOY FROM THIS BROKEN WORLD!!! THE APOCALYPSE!!! I NEEDED TO SAVE HIM NO MATTER WHAT!!!"

    Tears flowed down the man¡¯s cheeks. He kneeled as he stared at the baby in Kang-Woo¡¯s arms.

    <em>Bang! Bang! Bang!</em>

    He mmed his head into the ground.

    "I¡¯M SORRY!! I¡¯M SORRY, LITTLE ONE!!! I-I COULDN¡¯T SAVE YOU!!! I COULDN¡¯T GUIDE YOU TO PARADISE!!!"

    The blood pouring from the pastor¡¯s forehead wet his face. He slowly raised his head and stared at Kang-Woo with animosity.

    "YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!" The pastor gritted his teeth and stood up. He screamed resentfully, "YOU KILLED THAT CHILD!!! YOU! YOU SENTENCED HIM TO DEATH!!!"

    "<em>Waaaaaaahhh!</em>"

    Kang-Woo looked down at the baby who began to cry again in his arms and chuckled.

    "The fuck are you on about, dipshit?"

 Side Story Chapter 80: There is No Light Here (5)

    "Ah shit, I got snot on my shirt."

    Oh Kang-Woo frowned and wiped off the crying baby¡¯s snot with his sleeve.

    "Hurgh!! How¡­ How could you do something so atrocious?!" The young pastor was still crying as if the world had ended. "Why?! Why did you kill that child?!!"

    "What the fuck are you talking about, man? He¡¯s as fit as a fiddle."

    <em>¡¯Can¡¯t you fucking hear him crying his tiny lungs out?¡¯</em>

    "HOW COULD YOU KILL AN INNOCENT BABY WHO CAN¡¯T EVEN WALK YET?!!"

    "I said I didn¡¯t kill him."

    "ANSWER ME!!! I¡¯M ASKING WHY YOU SAW THE NEED TO KILL THE BABY!!!"

    "Are you even listening to me?""YOU CRUEL DEMON!!! DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE YOUR SINS WILL GO UNPUNISHED?!!"

    "FUCKING HELL¡ª!!! I DIDN¡¯T KILL THE FUCKING BABY, YOU MOTHERFUCKER¡ª!!! HE¡¯S RIGHT HERE, LIVING AND BREATHING!!! WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL OFF THE BABY?!!"

    "AHHH!! O ALMIGHTY AKART!! PLEASE BRING SALVATION TO THAT YOUNG SOUL ONCE AGAIN!!! AND BRING DOWN THE MACE OF LIGHT ON THE DEMON WHO DARED TO KILL THAT TINY GEM!!!"

    "ARRRRGGGHHHHH!!! YOU¡¯RE PISSING ME THE FUCK OFF¡ª!!!"

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m so fucking angry!!! Why the fuck isn¡¯t he listening to a word I say?!!¡¯</em>

    "Please calm down, hyung-nim. Words will not get through to him."

    Kim Si-Hun climbed up to the stage after Kang-Woo and unsheathed his sword from his waist. Frost staged around the white de.

    "He seriously believes killing the baby is a form of salvation."

    Si-Hun red at the pastor more coldly than the frost raging around his sword.

    "What a bunch of lunatics."

    Kang-Woo shook his head in exasperation.

    "Killing¡­ the baby?" mumbled the young pastor and violently gritted his teeth. "Why would you me me for such a thing? You are the ones who killed that child."

    "There you go again with the bullshit. What did you do just now, then?"

    The golden light had an effect simr to narcotics; it reced pain with pleasure. If an immense amount of such light were to enter a baby, they would either die of a heart attack or stroke.

    "I was offering that child salvation," the pastor answered.

    "Bullshit. You call killing a baby salvation?"

    "I am not killing him!! His soul will be guided to the great Akart and be reborn in a safe world!"

    "What¡­?"

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>¡¯Reborn in a safe world? Does this son of a bitch think reincarnating them is salvation?¡¯</em>

    He did not know whether or not they were truly being reincarnated but the fact that the babies were being killed did not change.

    "That¡¯s the same thing as killing," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "No! They¡¯re different! Killing would be letting them stay in this world!!" the pastor firmly shouted. "This world is soon to end."

    "Who the hell is spouting that kind of bullshit?"

    "I am sure you¡¯re aware of it too! The endless otherworldly invasions! The copsed Law and bnce!" The pastor spread out his arms and stomped the ground. "This world will soon meet its end!! It is no different from a sinking ship!!"

    "Hah¡­" Kang-Woo chuckled and red at the pastor. "Then why don¡¯t you die and be reincarnated first?"

    If the pastor truly believed this world was about to end, he would also end his life of his own ord and reincarnate to another world¡ª although no one could know whether the reincarnation was real or not.

    "Enough of your nonsense!" the pastor shouted.

    "You¡¯re the one who¡¯s spouting nons¡ª"

    "Who would you save first in a sinking ship? Who would you save first in a burning house?!" The young pastor¡¯s tears trickled down his cheeks and gathered at the tip of his chin. "You would naturally save the children¡ª the young souls first!!! It is only natural you would save the young ones who have yet to enjoy life!!!"

    "..."

    <em>¡¯Oh, I get it now.¡¯</em>

    "But you want me to take my own life and be sent to paradise first? No, no, no!! I cannot do that!!! No human should do such a thing!! It is selfish and greedy!!"

    <em>¡¯He¡¯s¡­¡¯</em>

    "No matter how hard you try to stop me, I will save that child!! I will not abandon that young soul!!!"

    <em>¡¯A pure, transparent, undefiled, righteous¡­¡¯</em>

    "Lunatic." Kang-Woo stared at the young pastor with deeply sunken eyes. "Yeah, I¡¯ve seen bastards like you. Morons who stay true to their moronic convictions."

    "..."

    "Do you seriously believe the end is near? Do you seriously think the souls of infants will be sent to paradise by killing them?"

    "That is correct. ording to the great Akart¡ª"

    "Then why would you, who¡¯s so proud and righteous, drug people to make them follow you?"

    "That¡¯s¡ª"

    "Aren¡¯t you making them follow you after drugging them because you know in your heart that what you say sounds like a load of bullshit?"

    "I am not. I am simply doing this in hopes that they can find somefort in their life full of hardships¡ª"

    "No, you¡¯re not. If you wanted to do that, you wouldn¡¯t need to spread that light only when you¡¯re holding sermons."

    If the pastor truly had no reason to use them and only desired theirfort, he wouldn¡¯t spread the light only in such gatherings.

    "I¡¯m certain you know there isn¡¯t anyone who would genuinely believe and understand your bullshit. That¡¯s why you¡¯re using that painkilling light, aren¡¯t you?"

    "INCORRECT¡ª!! Everyone gathered here is listening carefully to the words of light and staying true to them!!"

    "Is that so? All I see is a bunch of druggies."

    Kang-Woo smirked and looked around. The devotees were intoxicated by the golden light that burst forth during the ritual of Ascension and were giggling nkly. No one would think of them as faithful devotees following the light.

    "You simply used these people to spread Akart¡¯s bullshit."

    "I did not! I am trying to save them!!"

    "By killing them? Alright, fine. Let¡¯s say they reincarnate to another world. Shouldn¡¯t you at least get their consent? Who are you to kill people and reincarnate them without their permission?"

    Kang-Woo wondered if the mother still would have consented to reincarnating her baby if she weren¡¯t under the golden light¡¯s effects. Regardless of whether the pastor was guiding the baby to salvation or not, his actions were forceful the moment he used the light no different from a narcotic.

    "Do you ask consent before saving people on a sinking boat?" the pastor asked.

    "That¡¯s how you wanna y, huh? Do you seriously think the two situations are the same? You had more than enough time to ask for consent."

    "It is the same! The end of the world is imminent!"

    "Oh, shit~ I¡¯m scared shitless! The sky is falling and the ground is breaking!! The end of the world is here!!"

    "Urgh!!" The pastor bit his lip.

    "Whatever you say doesn¡¯t change the fact that you turned these people into your puppets to use them." Kang-Woo turned around and put the baby in the dazed mother¡¯s arms. He called, "Si-Hun."

    "Yes, hyung-nim."

    "I have things to ask that bastard, so don¡¯t kill him."

    "Understood."

    Si-Hun nodded and charged toward the pastor.

    "Kurgh! Damned wicked demons!"

    The pastor grimaced and stretched out his arm. Gold light particles gathered to form a shield.

    "The demons¡ª" The blue condensed sword energy surged from the white de. "¡ª are you bastards."

    Si-Hun swung his sword.

    <em>ng! Crack¡ª!!</em>

    The white sword caused a frost storm as it shed with the golden shield.

    "I mean, technically, I am a demon," Kang-Woo muttered.

    "Hyung-nim¡­?"

    "Oh, sorry. Go get him, Si-Hun!"

    Kang-Woo moved the dazed devotees so they wouldn¡¯t be caught in the battle and clenched his fist toward Si-Hun.

    "Kurghhh," grunted the pastor after getting caught in the frost storm. "O Great Akart¡­ Grant me the light of truth."

    A golden wave burst from him and gathered to turn into the shape of a spear.

    "Haaaaahh!" the pastor shouted as he thrusted the golden spear.

    "Too slow."

    Si-Hun used a foot technique to move left and dodged the spear. He pivoted with his right foot to turn 180 degrees and swung his sword at incredible speed.

    <em>ng!</em>

    "Kurgh!" the pastor grunted as he just barely blocked the attack after quickly pulling his spear back to him.

    He swayed greatly, likely because he did not block the attack in a strong stance.

    <em>ng, ng, ng!</em>

    The attacks continued like a stream of water¡ª no, a rapid river. Dozens of attacks shed the pastor in less than a second.

    "It¡¯s pointless!!!" The pastor fluidly moved his spear as he gritted his teeth. He twirled his spear and blocked all of Si-Hun¡¯s attacks. "Repent in death!"

    <em>Thump!</em>

    The pastor mmed the butt of his spear on the ground and flew into the air. He then changed directions midair as if he were stepping on invisible steps.

    <em>Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!</em>

    Countless spear attacks rained down from all directions as if the edges of the spear had multiplied, leaving no room to dodge or block.

    "Different person, same technique." Si-Hun coldly chuckled as he stared at the countless spear attacks. The pastor he was facing was different from the one he battled but their techniques were the same. "If that¡¯s the case¡­"

    Si-Hun raised his sword over his head in a reverse grip so that the tip of the de faced the ground.

    "You won¡¯t be a match for me."

    He stabbed the ground with all his might.

    <em>Split¡ª!!!</em>

    Frost spread from where the sword stabbed the ground, enveloping the surroundings in intense cold.

    "Wh-What in the¡­!"

    The pastor¡¯s movements turned noticeably slower after getting enveloped in the cold.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Si-Hun pulled out his sword and charged at the pastor at incredible speed and poured an unfathomablyrge wave of attacks at him. The pastor quickly gripped his spear tightly and tried to block Si-Hun¡¯s attacks but was getting pushed back due to his lowered speed.

    "I-Impossible!"

    Not only that but Si-Hun was countering all of the pastor¡¯s attacks as if he knew exactly how the pastor would attack.

    Si-Hun smiled coldly and said, "I¡¯ve seen it before."

    He would never fall for an attack twice. No matter how fluidly the pastors could handle their spears, Si-Hun had already learned their pattern.

    The pastor shouted in shock, "That¡¯s insane! How could one perfectly decipher the martial art that the Great Akart has bestowed upon us?!!"

    <em>ng¡ª!</em>

    Si-Hun took advantage of negligible openings that not even the truly powerful could take advantage of to attack the pastor. He disarmed the pastor and the golden spear flew out of his hand. Si-Hun brought the frost sword to the pastor¡¯s neck.

    "I just can."

    "..."

    The pastor fell to the ground, lost for words. Kang-Woo, watching their battle in silence, pped his hands together as if he had recalled something.

    "Ohh¡­e to think of it, he¡¯s the protagonist."

    <em>¡¯You got the Sharingan, or what?¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 81: There is No Light Here (6)

    <em>¡¯I guess he wasn¡¯t bullshitting when he said he learned the attack pattern.¡¯</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo thought Kim Si-Hun was just making excuses because he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge his defeat.

    <em>¡¯I mean, I have to admit Si-Hun is overpowered as fuck.¡¯</em>

    No matter howplex and extraordinary the opponent¡¯s martial art was, it would not work on him more than once. He gained a perfect understanding of the martial art¡¯s movements and weaknesses after seeing it once and would use that against the enemy the second time it was used.

    It was impossible to defeat Si-Hun purely with martial arts; one would either have to overpower him with pure physical prowess or face him with magic no one had ever seen before or something like witchcraft.

    "Th-This can¡¯t be," the pastor muttered.

    "It can," Si-Hun replied as he stabbed his sword into the copsed pastor¡¯s shoulders.

    Crack!

    White frost spread from the young pastor¡¯s shoulders and instantly froze his arms."He¡¯s been neutralized, hyung-nim."

    "Good work, Si-Hun," Kang-Woo said as he patted Si-Hun¡¯s shoulder.

    Si-Hun slightly blushed.

    <em>¡¯Why the hell are you blushing? You¡¯re making it weird.¡¯</em>

    "That aside, I guess you weren¡¯t lying when you said you learned his attack pattern."

    "Oh, that¡¯s¡­"

    "To be honest, I thought you were lying because of embarrassment."

    "..."

    Si-Hun smiled awkwardly and remained silent. Kang-Woo stared at him curiously.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "To be honest¡­ this pastor was far weaker than the one I faced. That was the only reason I could win this easily."

    "Oh, is that so?"

    Kang-Woo thought as much; Si-Hun had overpowered his opponent too easily, even taking into ount he learned his opponent¡¯s attack pattern.

    "Yes. There was a gap in overall skill as well, but¡­ there was a huge difference between them in generalbat prowess. The attacks of the pastor I faced were so overpowering that I thought my palms were getting torn apart just from blocking his spear."

    "Hmm. I see." Kang-Woo nodded and slowly walked toward the young pastor squirming on the ground like an insect. "Right then, shall we begin?"

    "B-Begin what?" the young pastor asked.

    "Come on, I¡¯m sure you know what."

    Kang-Woo smirked. There was only one thing to do after capturing an enemy alive.

    "Do you wanna do this the hard way, or do you just wanna talk?" he asked.

    "Kurgh! We do not submit to pain!"

    "That¡¯s what you think."

    A human who did not submit to pain did not exist.

    <em>¡¯I mean, I don¡¯t know whether he¡¯s human or not yet.¡¯</em>

    The young pastor red at Kang-Woo and shouted, "Pastor Salvatore will not forgive this abominable act!"

    <em>¡¯Pastor Salvatore?¡¯</em>

    He was likely the pastor who fought against Si-Hun; after all, there likely weren¡¯t many who could physically overpower Si-Hun.

    "Alright. First, why don¡¯t you tell me where this Pastor Salvatore is?"

    Kang-Woo cackled as he approached the pastor. He ced his foot over the pastor¡¯s knee and stomped down with all his might.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" the young pastor screamed.

    <em>¡¯Alright, I¡¯ve confirmed he can feel pain.¡¯</em>

    In that case, there was no point in checking whether he was human or a different entity in the form of one. As long as he could feel pain, he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the painful torture.

    "I¡­ cannot¡­ say."

    "Yeah, I thought as much. But you see, you won¡¯t be able to handle not telling me soon," said Kang-Woo as he leaned toward the young pastor with a bright smile.

    "Wh-What are you nning to do?!"

    "Nothing special."

    Kang-Woo stuck his finger into the hole in the pastor¡¯s shoulder that Si-Hun made.

    "Argh!" the pastor screamed in pain.

    "Have you heard about <em>molting</em>?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Mol¡­ting?"

    "Don¡¯t be so confused. You¡¯ll know once you experience it for yourself. I mean, it¡¯s notplete molting, so you don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m just going to inject some demonic energy from the Abyss into you to imitate it."

    "Wh-What are you talking ab¡ª"

    "Right, then."

    Kang-Woo injected demonic energy from the Abyss into the young pastor through his finger in the pastor¡¯s shoulder.

    "Ah."

    The young pastor¡¯s eyes widened. The demonic energy of the Abyss was like a deadly poison to anyone who didn¡¯t possess the Demonic Sea. The demonic energy inside the pastor began to tear him apart from the inside.

    "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" the young pastor screeched inexplicably. It sounded like something a monster that crawled out from an eternal nightmare would make. "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    Blood poured out from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. His skin split, his muscles and blood vessels protruding from the ends.

    "KARRRGHHH! GURGHHH!"

    The pastor¡¯s eyes rolled backward, and he foamed at the mouth as he convulsed uncontrobly.

    "That¡¯s enough."

    Kang-Woo retrieved the demonic energy of the Abyss he injected into the pastor. The screaming and convulsing pastor panted heavily.

    "<em>Huff! Huff! Huff!!</em>"

    Tears flowed down his cheeks, and his eyes filled with terror darted all over the ce.

    "Okay, do you feel like telling me now?"

    "A-Aaaahh."

    "Haven¡¯t had enough yet, have you? I guess we can go another round, then."

    "W-Wait!! Please wait a second!!" the young pastor shouted intensely.

    Kang-Woo smiled widely.

    "Pastor Salvatore is¡­" the young pastor continued with bloodshot eyes and a trembling tone, "the one who will save this world."

    "What?"

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!!!</em>

    Just then, immense golden light poured out of the bnce scale ne the young pastor was wearing.

    "Oh, fuck!"

    Realizing something was wrong, Kang-Woo quickly reached for the ne to rip it off the young pastor¡¯s neck.

    <em>Sizzle¡ª!!</em>

    "Arghh!!!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s hand burned the moment he touched the ne. Intense pain traveled up from his hand as the skin on his hand was charred ck.

    "It is¡­ toote," the young pastor said with a smile.

    The immense golden light wrapped the young pastor.

    "Shit!" Kang-Woo cursed and bit his lip as he helplessly stared at the golden light getting brighter.

    "Haha. No matter how hard you try to interfere with the Great Akart¡¯s n¡­ his will cannot be bent. He will bring salvation to this world¡­ which is already crashing and burning."

    The young pastor smiled even wider.

    "Soon¡­ no, today, everyone on Earth will know the Great Akart¡¯s will¡­ and his almighty name."

    "Today? What the fuck are you talking about?" Kang-Woo asked as he red at the pastor.

    Akart¡¯s existence was one of the most tightly-kept secrets. Forget ordinary citizens; only a select few in Guardians knew of his existence.

    "Huhuhu. Today¡­ the bnce will be met¡­"

    The golden light enveloping the pastor reached its peak brightness. The immense energy swelled as if it would explode at any moment.

    "Fuck! Run, Si-Hun!!! This shit is gonna blow!!!" shouted Kang-Woo as he quickly turned around.

    "H-Hyung-nim!!"

    <em>¡¯That¡¯s for sure an </em>"Art is an explosion"<em> moment!!!¡¯</em>

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! MOTHERFUCKER¡ª!!!" Kang-Woo cursed as he ran like hell.

    The golden storm was already right behind him.

    <em>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!</em>

    "HYUUUUUUUUUUUUNG!!!"

    A golden explosion shook the entire slum along with an ear-splitting sound. Kang-Woo faintly heard Si-Hun¡¯s voice between the noise.

    "Motherfu¡­"

    Kang-Woo was swept into the explosion, but he felt something sturdy envelop him.

    <em>RUMBLE¡ª!!!</em>

    An enormous mushroom cloud formed in the obliterated slums before Kang-Woo could see what it was. He passed out along with the feeling of floating in the air.

    ***

    "Kurgh! <em>Cough!</em>"

    Kang-Woo stood up and coughed heavily. The debris from the destroyed buildings was all around him.

    "Goddammit," he cursed as he grabbed his forehead.

    He never expected the pastor to self-destruct. Not only that but the explosion was so massive that it destroyed the entire slums.

    <em>¡¯But why am I almostpletely fine after that massive explosion?¡¯</em>

    The Light of Akart was deadly to him. Considering the density of light he felt, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to have lost consciousness for several days like what happened in Singapore. Despite that, he couldn¡¯t see any significant physical issues.

    "Wait a second¡­"

    A bad feeling went down his back. He threw aside the debris of buildings around him with shaking hands.

    "A-Arghh¡­ <em>Cough! Cough!</em>"

    Under the debris was the heavily coughing Si-Hun, in terrible condition.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo froze. He could easily figure out that Si-Hun was the one who shielded him from the explosion.

    "A-Are you okay¡­ hyung?" called Si-Hun, his voice so faint he might pass out at any moment.

    "Kim Si-Hun¡­"

    "H-Haha. What a relief." Si-Hun smiled faintly and copsed with a satisfied expression. "I was¡­ able to protect you¡­ this time."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo bit open his thumb in silence, his expressionpletely frozen. He let the blood flow into Si-Hun¡¯s mouth and used the Authority of Regeneration.

    "Kurgh! <em>Cough!</em> Haaa, haaa. I¡¯m okay, hyung."

    "Just shut up and drink."

    "Hehehe. This isn¡¯t enough¡­ to kill me. The Light of Akart¡­ doesn¡¯t have any significant¡ª <em>Cough!</em> Effect on me."

    As Si-Hun mentioned, his injuries were serious, but he wasn¡¯t on the verge of death. His injuries couldn¡¯t be instantly healed with the Authority of Regeneration because the Light of Akart drastically reduced the speed at which wounds healed but hisplexion was slowly improving.

    "..."

    Relief momentarily gleamed in Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes and immediately disappeared. He expressionlessly picked up Si-Hun.

    <em>- Tonight, we bring you a live broadcast from Manchester Arena!</em>

    Just then, something noisy lit up among the debris. Kang-Woo turned to see that it was a smartphone on the ground with no owner. It was a miracle it managed to survive the explosion.

    <em>- There was huge news because of the sudden participation of a famous Korean idol! Of course, she is yet to be popr enough to perform on a global live performance like this, but she is garnering much attention from the audience thanks to her cuteness and extraordinary voice!</em>

    Kang-Woo focused on the smartphone screen.

    <em>- Right, then! Let us head right to the live stage! Please,e out!</em>

    The program host shouted excitedly.

    <em>- Greetings, everyone. My name is Salvatore. I am a pastor here to deliver to you all the words of the Great Akart.</em>

    <em>- H-Huh? Wh-Who are you people? What? What¡¯s going on?</em>

    The host sounded confused. The screen showed a group of people in formal suits and wearing a golden bnce scale ne. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he stared at the smartphone screen.

    <em>"Today, everyone on Earth will know the Great Akart¡¯s will¡­ and his almighty name."</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the young pastor¡¯s final words.

    "I see now."

    He finally understood what the young pastor meant. He picked up the smartphone on the ground. Chaos had fallen on the live stage after the pastors took control of it. Kang-Woo smirked wickedly like a demon as he stared at the smartphone screen.

    "There you are."

    <em>Crack.</em>

    Kang-Woo crushed the smartphone in his hand.

 Side Story Chapter 82: There is No Light Here (7)

    "Who are you people?!"

    Bodyguards wearing ck suits ran forward and red threateningly at the group that suddenly infiltrated the live stage. A man among the people wearing different ck suits than the bodyguards walked forward.

    "Oh, there is no need to be so on guard. We have simplye to deliver the words of light."

    He was a gentle-looking man in his mid-forties with well-groomed gray hair and tidy clothes. He walked toward the bodyguards with a smile.

    "What the hell are you talking about?!"

    "Halt, halt!!"

    "We will attack if you do not stop!"

    The bodyguards shouted fiercely as they took out their weapons. Since this was thergest venue in Ennd, the bodyguards hired were high-level yers.

    "Hahaha. Allow me to apologize for the sudden visit." The man¡¯s voice was as gentle as a spring breeze. He courteously bowed and continued, "However, I would like to ask for your understanding since it is to deliver the words of light to everyone on this Earth.""Hah," the bodyguards feignedughter.

    They couldn¡¯t care less whether the gray-haired man was courteous; he had barged into and was trying to ruin a stage being broadcast live throughout Europe.

    "You fucking lunatics."

    The bodyguards bared their teeth as they red at the pastors.

    A bodyguard holding a walkie-talkie said, "We¡¯ve been authorized to subdue them by force."

    The bodyguards standing in front of the pastors smirked, being allowed to legally exert violence on a group of lunatics.

    "Crazy motherfuckers!!"

    "Words of light, my ass!"

    The bodyguards charged simultaneously.

    "Ahhh," the gray-haired man expressed as he stared at the bodyguards. "How truly unfortunate."

    He slowly raised his right arm and lightly snapped his finger.

    <em>Crack! Burst! Crush!!</em>

    "Wh-What the hell?!"

    Blinding light shone all of a sudden, and the bodyguards charging at the pastors exploded. Blood, guts, and brain matter sttered all over the stage.

    "KYAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    "WH-WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

    "H-HELP MEEEEEEE!!!"

    The audience gathered at the venue screamed and scattered. Chaos fell as tens of thousands of them ran all over the ce.

    "A-Aaaahh! What¡­ what a disaster!"

    The gray-haired pastor fell to his knees in front of the corpses of the dead bodyguards and pulled on his well-groomed hair, disheveling it.

    "Why?!! Why did you defy the words of light and choose death?!!" He ced his hand on the puddle of blood and bawled his eyes out. "Hurghhh!! Sniff¡ª! Th-The misery!!! What am I to do with all this misery I am feeling?!!"

    The gray-haired pastor trembled in sorrow as if he couldn¡¯t bear the deaths of the bodyguards.

    "Pastor Salvatore. We have little time," one of the pastors called from behind.

    "Oh, that¡¯s right." Salvatore quickly stood up and crossed his arms into an X-shape in front of the dozens of corpses in front of him. "O Great Akart¡­ Please guide thesembs who have lost the light."

    He sincerely prayed and turned around to walk back to the stage as he trampled on the corpses.

    "HMMMM!!! What do you think you¡¯re doing on this sacred stage?!!"

    Just then, a cute ck-haired girl wearing a frilly dress climbed up the stage and snorted loudly.

    "And you are¡­?"

    "That¡¯s my line! Who do you think you are, interrupting my live performance?!"

    The girl ced her hands on her waist and red at the pastors. She looked around for a moment and saw her fans who hade to watch her performance shouting at her.

    "M-Miss Echidna!!! It¡¯s too dangerous!!!"

    "What are you doing?!! You have to run!!!"

    "Th-They¡¯re lunatics!!!"

    Echidna¡¯s fans were staring at her in pallor. She stared back at her fans hesitantly and turned back at the pastors.

    She raised her mic like a magic wand and shouted, "All of you, run away! I¡¯ll hold them at bay!!!"

    "Wh-What?!"

    "We¡¯re the ones telling you to run away!!"

    The members of Echidna¡¯s fan club, who had flown from Korea to watch her performance, quickly shouted.

    "Shit! This won¡¯t do! We have to stay and protect Miss Echidna!"

    "I agree! Those who can fight,e forward!"

    There were many high-ranking yers in the <em>Watchmen</em>, Echidna¡¯s fanatical fan club.

    "Of all days, it had to be when Lady Aleyna is away¡­!"

    The Dragon God, Eleyna Kalioreus, the leader of Echidna¡¯s fan club as well as one of Echidna¡¯s biggest fans, couldn¡¯t attend the live performance because of an important meeting in Aernor. Although it was being broadcast throughout Europe, she couldn¡¯t be expected toe since radio waves did not reach Aernor.

    "Let us protect Miss Echidna!!"

    "YEAAAAAAHHHHH!!" the Watchmen yelled as they stood in front of Echidna.

    They, of course, were unarmed because they hade to watch a live performance.

    Echidna jumped in panic and shouted, "Don¡¯te here! Go away, all of you!"

    She hade forward to protect her fans, but they had rathere to protect her.

    "Everyone, could you step aside as the youngdy asked?" asked Salvatore as if begging. "I am simply here to save all of you."

    "What¡­?"

    They couldn¡¯t believe such words wereing out of someone who brutally murdered the bodyguards seconds ago.

    "Each of you is worthy of receiving the Great Akart¡¯s grace. I would rather not harm such individuals."

    "Hm! Stop joking around!" Echidna walked forward with a frown. "You killed all these people and ruined the live stage!"

    She shouted into the mic toward Salvatore, "FOKRAH DIIN!!!"

    Dragon tongue magic echoed throughout the venue, A giant ball of ice formed in the air and flew toward Salvatore.

    "Ahhh," Tears flowed down Salvatore¡¯s cheeks again. He lowered his head as he pulled on his disheveled gray hair and muttered, "Why must it be so difficult to deliver the words of light?"

    <em>Thunk¡ª!!</em>

    A burst of golden light deflected the ball of ice toward the Watchmen.

    "N-No!"

    Echidna quickly jumped toward the ball of ice she created.

    Crack¡ª!!

    "Arghhh!!"

    "M-Miss Echidna!!!"

    The ball of ice exploded, its fragments flying everywhere. Some of them ripped Echidna¡¯s skin, and she bled.

    "Oww¡­ it hurts."

    Echidna grabbed the ice fragment stuck in her nk and teared up. She had never felt pain ever since she met Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m scared.¡¯</em>

    She trembled as fear ran down her back and throughout her body. The man who infiltrated the live stage was so powerful that she would be no match for him even if she returned to her original form.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m¡­ scared.¡¯</em>

    Echidna shut her eyes tightly. Her will to fight was destroyed due to the immense gap in their strength.

    <em>¡¯Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo, Kang-Woo.¡¯</em>

    She wanted to see Kang-Woo¡¯s face so badly. She wanted to throw aside her fans and her live performance to run into Kang-Woo¡¯s arms, but¡­

    "M-Miss Echidna!!"

    "All of you¡­ hurry up and run."

    She couldn¡¯t bring herself to abandon the people who were risking their lives to protect her, who was but an idol who sang and danced.

    "Miss Echidna¡­"

    "NOW!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!!" Echidna shouted as she walked forward.

    Her legs were shaking uncontrobly, and she thought she was going to die of fear, but her legs were moving nheless, just like the man who freed her from loneliness.

    "Truly¡­" Salvatore¡¯s eyes glowed gold. His gentle expression instantly turned cold. "An ignorant bunch."

    He slowly raised his arm to snap his fingers.

    <em>BOOM¡ª!!!</em>

    Just then, something fell from the sky at breakneck speed and destroyed the stage.

    "What the¡­" Salvatore frowned intensely.

    "Huh¡­? K-Kang-Woo?" Echidna, who was casting magic as she put pressure on her bleeding wound, was left wide-eyed. "KANG-WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

    She ran to Kang-Woo teary-eyed and with a wide smile.

    "Hm! Hm!! Kang-Woo! You came!!!"

    "..."

    "Huh? K-Kang-Woo?"

    Echidna looked up in confusion after getting no response. Kang-Woo was staring at her nk, which was bleeding profusely due to an ice fragment pierced into it.

    "Who did this to you?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "K-Kang-Woo?"

    "Who¡­ did this¡­ to you?"

    "Kang-Woo¡­ Y-Your eyes are scaring me."

    Echidna trembled.

    Kang-Woo grabbed her trembling shoulders and asked in a low tone, "Why didn¡¯t you run?"

    "..."

    "You could have."

    "W-Well¡­ my fans were¡­"

    Echidna averted her gaze from Kang-Woo. The heavily-injured Kim Si-Hun ovepped with Echidna in Kang-Woo¡¯s vision¡ª no, it wasn¡¯t just Si-Hun.

    <em>- Victory¡­ to my king.</em>

    He also recalled the dependable moron who smiled widely despite heavily bleeding.

    "Why, why, why, why, why, why?"

    Kang-Woo gripped Echidna¡¯s shoulders harder. His fingers trembled, his vision blurred, and he felt like he was about to vomit.

    "Why the fuck are you all so eager to die?"

    "Ngh." Echidna winced. "K-Kang-Woo, you¡¯re hurting me."

    "Haaa, haaa, haaa," Kang-Woo panted heavily.

    His trembling eyes were filled with pure fear. Echidna looked up at him in silence.

    "I¡¯m sorry, Kang-Woo¡­"

    She carefully caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s trembling cheek, her warmth transferring to him.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo turned around in silence to face Pastor Salvatore, who was pulling on his disheveled gray hair.

    "A-Aaaahh." He looked around the stage and the equipment for the live broadcast, destroyed by Kang-Woo¡¯s violentnding on the stage. "Why, why, why, why, why, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    <em>m¡ª!</em>

    Salvatore stomped his foot aggressively.

    "WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE GETTING IN THE WAY OF US DELIVERING THE WORDS OF LIGHT?!!" He pulled on his hair hysterically. And shouted madly, "ALL I AM DOING IS TRYING TO SHOW YOU ALL THE LIGHT!!! THE RADIANCE!!! THE GREAT AKART¡¯S BENEVOLENCE AND GRACE!!!"

    Salvatore spread out his arms toward the sky.

    "TAKE A GOOD LOOK!!! THIS IS THE LIGHT!!! THE LIGHT OF THE ALMIGHTY AKART, WHO WILL GUIDE US ALL TO PARADISE!!!"

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!!!</em>

    A golden wave enormous enough to engulf the entire live venue pulsed from Salvatore and gathered into a sphere in the air.

    "Ahhh, please take a good look at this brilliant radiance." Salvatore kneeled toward the sphere of light in the air. He burst into tears, crossed his forearms into an X-shape, and shouted passionately, "O GREAT AKART! BRING DOWN THE LIGHT OF TRUTH UPON THESE LOWLY TRUTHSEEKERS!!! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!"

    <em>Whooom¡ª!!!</em>

    The golden sphere shone brighter as if the sun had descended on Earth. Salvatore¡¯s tears drenched the ground.

    "No."

    Kang-Woo walked toward the golden sun and slowly extended his arm toward it. He closed his fist in midair as if crushing the sun. And then, the light vanished.

    "Huh¡­?"

    The blindingly radiant golden sun was vaporized. The live venue was dyed in darkness as if a light switch had been turned off.

    "There is no light here."

    Only yellow eyes with horizontal pupils lit up within the abyssal darkness.

 Side Story Chapter 83: There is No Light Here (8)

    "Wha¡­"

    Pastor Salvatore¡¯s shoulders trembled. Two ember-like eyes were staring at him in the darkness. Chills ran down his spine as he realized something was wrong.

    "WHO DARES COVER THE GREAT AKART¡¯S LIGHT¡ª?!!" Salvatore shouted to erase the fear spreading throughout him.

    The yellow eyes in the darkness slowly shook and floated closer to him.

    "U-Urgh."

    Salvatore stepped backward without realizing it. The eyes, as yellow as that of a reptile, and the horizontal pupils, were chilling.

    "Eyes of a demon¡­!" Salvatore bit his lip. No other creature could have such evil eyes. "YOU BASTAAAAAAAAARD!!! SO YOU WERE THE SERVANT OF A DEMON!!!"

    He grimaced and raised his arms high.

    "PASTOOOOOOOOOORS!!! BRING JUDGMENT ON THE WICKED DEMON WHO DARES TO COVER THE LIGHT OF TRUTH!!""JUDGMEEEEEEEEENT!!!"

    "JUDGMENT TO THE DEMON!!"

    The pastors standing behind Salvatore yelled as golden light burst from them. However, the golden light shining in the jet-ck darkness did not emit an inch past them.

    "Wh-What in the¡­!"

    "What is this darkness?!"

    It was as if the darkness was devouring the light. They couldn¡¯t see anything in the abyssal darkness. All they could see were the two shining demonic eyes. The pastors couldn¡¯t even see each other despite emitting light.

    "O GREAT AKART!!! GRANT YOUR LIGHT TO YOUR LOWLY SERVANTS!!!"

    "THE LIGHT¡ª!!"

    "THE LIGHT¡ª!!"

    The pastors lowered their stance inside the jet-ck darkness. Their sense of sight was blocked, but they were still seasoned warriors; they couldn¡¯t be stopped just from the loss of sight.

    <em>ck, ck!</em>

    The light emitting from them gathered and turned into a long spear. They gripped their spears tightly and one of the pastors charged at the eyes gleaming in the darkness.

    "DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

    He thrust his spear at the area slightly below the eyes, where the enemy¡¯s neck would be.

    <em>Whoosh!!</em>

    "Huh?"

    The spear only sliced through the air. The pastor was left wide-eyed and frozen.

    <em>Crunch¡ª!!</em>

    "GAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Sharp teeth bit into the pastor¡¯s neck. Arge chunk was bitten off, and blood spewed like a fountain.

    "Kurgh! Grrrk!"

    The pastor copsed.

    Salvatore quickly shouted, "Those eyes are bait!!! Do not be fooled!!"

    If there was nothing where a neck should be based on the location of the eyes, it meant the eyes themselves were bait from the beginning.

    "He¡¯s somewhere else!"

    "I-I can¡¯t see anything in front of me!" one of the pastors shouted in terror.

    As he said, none of them could see a few centimeters in front of themselves. They were emitting light at full power but they couldn¡¯t even see their bodies due to being engulfed in darkness.

    "YOU IMBECILE¡ª!!" shouted Salvatore as he stomped on the ground. "DO NOT DOUBT THE LIGHT OF THE GREAT AKART! HIS LIGHT WILL SOON CHASE AWAY THIS DARKNESS!!!"

    He crossed his forearms into an X-shape in front of his chest.

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!!!</em>

    Radiance burst upward like a pir and split the darkness.

    "I told you." Just then, a voice echoed from the darkness. "There is no light here."

    It was so close that it sounded as if it was being whispered in Salvatore¡¯s ear.

    "<em>Gasp!!</em>" Salvatore stepped backward in shock. "There you are, bastard!!!"

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    He swung his spear in the direction where he heard the voice but it only sliced the air. He couldn¡¯t feel the edge of the spear slicing through flesh.

    "Argh!! Where are you?! Where?!!" shouted Salvatore with a grimace.

    An individual who reached heights as high as him usually did not rely on sight. Their heightened senses allowed them to draw a clearer image of their surroundings using the tiny sounds, smell, and movement of the air around them. At least, it should have been that way.

    "SHIT!!!"

    Salvatore couldn¡¯t sense anything around him for some reason, as if even his senses were devoured by the darkness. All he could hear were the breaths of his fellow pastors, filled with fear.

    <em>¡¯Breaths?¡¯</em>

    Salvatore¡¯s eyes shone fiercely.

    "That¡¯s it! Sound!! Focus on the sound of his movements!"

    "Y-Yes, sir!!" the pastors quickly answered.

    They anxiously gripped their spears and focused their sense of hearing.

    "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    A screech echoed in the darkness.

    "There!!!"

    One of the pastors thrust his spear in the direction of the sound.

    <em>Stab!</em>

    "Kurgh!!"

    "Yes!!!"

    He felt his spear stabbing something. The pastor smiled brightly and thrust his spear even deeper.

    "Gurgh! Gah!! Arghhh!!"

    "H-Hahahahahahahaha!!! Die!!! Die, you evil demon!!!"

    "P-Pastor¡­ L-Levetoo¡­"

    "Huh¡­?" The pastor who was thrusting his spear deeper as heughed maniacally froze. He knew whose voice that was. "Pastor¡­ Andrew?"

    "Cough! Cough! I am¡­ not the dem¡­"

    The pastor named Andrew copsed without finishing his sentence.

    "Ah."

    The feeling of stabbing into flesh lingered in Pastor Levetto¡¯s hands. Blood trickled down the spear shaft and wet his hand. He had killed hisrade rather than the demon.

    "A-Aaaahh. Wh-What have I d-done?"

    The pastor fell into panic and dropped his spear.

    <em>tter!</em>

    The spear fell to the ground and dissipated into golden powder. Pastor Levetto faintly saw Pastor Andrew¡¯s corpse before the golden powder was engulfed by the darkness.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Levetto screamed as he pulled on his hair.

    "C-Calm down!!! This is merely the demon¡¯s tricks!!" Salvatore quickly shouted. "R-Remaining pastors, shout your name!!"

    "B-Bruno, the lowly servant of the Great Akart, is here!"

    "Jordan is here!"

    "Marcia is here!!"

    "Hurgh! I-I¡­!! Wh-What have I done to Pastor Andrew¡­?!"

    There was Bruno, Jordan, Marcia, and Levetto, who could barely speak due to panic. There was also Andrew who died at Levetto¡¯s spear, and the pastor whose neck was bitten off by the demon. Including Salvatore, there were seven, which matched the number of pastors who infiltrated the live broadcast.

    "Wait a second¡­" Salvatore¡¯s expression turned pale. "In that case¡­"

    <em>¡¯Who was the one who screamed in the darkness earlier?¡¯</em>

    "A-Aaaahh."

    The terrible scream that had echoed in the darkness had been from the demon to deceive them.

    "Y-YOU BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!!!"

    Salvatore¡¯s expression crumpled and turned red with fury.

    "Kurgh!! Guh!! Gaaaaaaahhh!!"

    Screams rang in the darkness again. Salvatore frowned ferociously.

    "I WILL NOT FALL FOR THE SAME TRICK TWICE!!" He then shouted in the jet-ck darkness again, "PASTORS!! SAY YOUR NAMES AGAIN!!"

    "B-Bruno is here!"

    "Jordan is here!!"

    "Hurgh! Hurghhh!!"

    They couldn¡¯t hear Marcia.

    "Marcia!! Where are you, Pastor Marcia?!!"

    There was no answer.

    "<em>Sniff!! Waaaaaaaaahhh!!!</em>"

    "Shit!! Pastor Levetto!! Now is not the time for despair!!!"

    Salvatore walked in the direction of Levetto¡¯s weeping sounds. He could not see him but reached for the area where he could hear the sounds. He grabbed what seemed to be Levetto¡¯s shoulder.

    "Pastor Levetto! Get a hold of yourself, Pastor Levetto!!!"

    "Hurghhhh!!!"

    Salvatore violently shook Levetto¡¯s shoulder.

    <em>Ssh, ssh.</em>

    "Huh¡­?"

    A warm liquid sshed on the back of Salvatore¡¯s hand. He brought his hand closer to smell it¡ª it was blood.

    "What the¡­" Salvatore frowned and reached for Levetto again. "Pastor Levetto, what is this blood¡ª"

    <em>Ssh</em>.

    "Huh?"

    There was nothing in the area where Levetto¡¯s head should be. All Salvatore could feel was warm blood wetting his hand.

    "<em>Waaaaaaaahhh! Waaaaaaaaahhh!</em> I-I killed Pastor Andrew¡­!"

    Levetto¡¯s cries continued to echo in the darkness. Salvatore¡¯s teeth cked, shaking in fear.

    "You¡­"

    He turned to the direction where he could hear the sound¡ª it was echoing close by.

    "Who¡­ are you?"

    Levetto was already dead¡ª hence, the one weeping in Levetto¡¯s voice had to be¡­

    "Oh, you got me."

    "ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!" Salvatore roared in fury and swung his spear at the source of the sound.

    A storm of spears swept the surroundings.

    "Huff! Huff! Huff!"

    However, Salvatore couldn¡¯t see anything. He couldn¡¯t hear anything. He couldn¡¯t feel anything. All he could feel were his heavy breathing and the cold sweats gathering at the middle of his chin.

    "BRUNO!!! JORDAN!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

    "Over here, Pastor Salvatore!!!"

    The voice sounded slightly far away. Salvatore ran toward the direction of the voice.

    "We have to gather and emit as much light as possible!"

    They needed to burst their radiance in one area to drive away the darkness even a little.

    "Alright, start praying to the Great Akart right away!!!"

    "Over here, Pastor Salvatore!!!"

    "I know! Are you Pastor Bruno or Pastor Jordan?!"

    Salvatore couldn¡¯t even distinguish whose voice it was, possibly due to the darkness dulling his senses.

    "Over here, Pastor Salvatore!!!"

    "Yes, I know that alr¡ª"

    "Over here, Pastor Salvatore!!!"

    "Huh¡­?"

    Creak.

    The sound of something distorting echoed.

    "OverherePastorSalvatoreOverherePastorSalvatoreOverherePastorSalvatore.... OverherePastorSalvatoreOverherePastorSalvatoreOverherePastorSalvatore.... OverherePastorSalvatoreOverherePastorSalvatoreOverherePastorSalvatoreOverherePastorSalvatore."

    "What the¡­"

    Salvatore reached for the area where the sounds wereing from and felt two mounds of flesh. He grabbed them and brought them so close they were a hair¡¯s breadth away from his face. They were Bruno and Jordan¡¯s heads.

    "Why¡­?"

    Salvatore¡¯s legs trembled. He felt dizzy, and he felt like he was about to throw up. He couldn¡¯t understand what he was seeing or if it was even real. He couldn¡¯t even tell if the liquid on his hands was blood or if his heavy panting was even his.

    Just then, the demon¡¯s voice echoed in his head.

    "Alright, here¡¯s a question for you."

    Salvatore quickly turned to see two yellow eyes with horizontal pupils staring at him. A mouth filled with sharp teeth opened wide under the eyes.

    "For long long do you think you were alone?"

    The demon¡¯s cackles echoed in the darkness.

 Side Story Chapter 84: There is No Light Here (9)

    "U-Urgh!" Salvatore¡¯s face turned pale as fear spread throughout his body like poison. "AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!"

    He screamed madly as he randomly swung his spear.

    "DIE!!! EVIL DEMON!!!"

    However, he couldn¡¯t feel the spear slicing anything.

    "SHIT! SHIT! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!"

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Salvatore swung down his spear on the ground with all his might.

    "Huff, huff."

    The ground should have been destroyed with his power, but the darkness pulsed as if absorbing the impact."Are you done now?"

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Salvatore heard something stick moving. He turned to see yellow eyes staring at him coldly.

    "Wh-What are you¡­?"

    He trembled and stepped backward.

    "That¡¯s strange."

    <em>Split.</em>

    Salvatore felt a chill on his neck.

    "<em>Gasp!</em>"

    He quickly rolled sideways. Sharp teeth bit off a portion of his neck.

    "<em>Huff! Huff!</em>"

    Intense fear took control of him. Cold sweats trickling down his neck mixed with the blood pouring from the wound on his neck.

    The demon whispered into the copsed Salvatore¡¯s ear, "I believe I asked you a question first."

    "E-Eek!!" Salvatore rolled forward after hearing the demon¡¯s voice so close to him. "Wh-Where are you?!! Where the hell are you?!!"

    He couldn¡¯t see anything in the darkness. Fear of the invisible enemy took over his mind.

    Salvatore desperately prayed, "O Great Akart!!! Grant your lowly servant the power to defeat the darkness!!!"

    An intense golden light burst from him.

    "You¡¯re so goddamn noisy. Are all of Akart¡¯s subordinates like this?"

    Salvatore heard mockingughter.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    The intense golden light was devoured and vanished along with the sound of a sticky liquid flowing.

    "H-How¡­? WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!!" Salvatore screamed, unable to ept the reality before him.

    The Light of Akart was capable of annihting evil and chasing away darkness. All evil touched by the light was destroyed as it writhed in horrible pain¡ª at least, it should have been.

    "Why¡­? WHY IS THE LIGHT OF THE GREAT AKART BEING DEVOURED BY THE DARKNESS?!!" Salvatore screamed in despair as he witnessed something he had never experienced before.

    "It¡¯s quite obvious, really." The demon in the darkness smiled. "However potent the poison is, a drop of it in the ocean is meaningless."

    "What are you talking ab¡ª"

    "It means exactly what I¡¯m saying. Even if the Light of Akart has the power to destroy evil, it¡¯s no threat to the Demonic Sea when it¡¯s the size of rat shit."

    "...!!"

    Salvatore¡¯s eyes widened. The Demonic Sea¡ª one of the two darknesses born from the Primordial. He remembered hearing about its existence from Akart.

    "The King¡­ of the Demonic Sea!"

    Salvatore¡¯s eyes filled with fury¡ª with boundless resentment for evil. He gripped his spear tightly and faced the king of demons who destroyed the bnce.

    He prayed, "O Great Akart, protect me with the light of truth. Guide me with your sacred wisdom and guide my soul with your divine light even if my path is shrouded in darkness."

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The golden light shone even as it continued to be devoured by the darkness.

    "Haaaah!!!" Salvatore shouted and thrust his spear.

    Since all his senses were blocked, he had no choice but to thrust his spear only with faith that his enemy was there.

    <em>Pierce¡ª!!</em>

    He felt something. He could see the music-like darkness pulsing.

    "O GREAT AKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART!!!"

    Salvatore smiled as he swung madly at the darkness in front of him. The darkness split in two and the golden light he prayed desperately for flowed in between the split ends.

    "Ahhh." Tears flowed down Salvatore¡¯s cheeks. "O Great Akart, you have answered my prayers atst¡ª"

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    "Huh¡­?"

    The golden light mixed with the darkness, golden mes wrapping around the darkness in a circle.

    "A ck¡­ sun?"

    [GYEEEEEEEEEEEHHH!!!]

    [GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!]

    [GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!]

    The ck sun opened, and countless demons poured out of it to charge at Salvatore.

    "Wh-What in the world?!"

    Salvatore quickly raised his spear in shock.

    <em>sh!</em>

    Although the majority of his senses were gone, he cut down the demons with his extraordinary spear techniques.

    [KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHHH!!]

    The demon shed by the spear was annihted. The Light of Akart nullified its immortality and burned the demon¡¯s soul to a crisp.

    [GRRRRRRRR!!]

    [GYAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!]

    However, more demons crawled out of the ck sun and charged at him endlessly like a tsunami.

    "RAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    Salvatore swung his spear at the endless swarm of demons. A demon was annihted each time the golden spear shone.

    However¡­ however¡­ however¡­

    "O GREAT AKAAAAAAAAART!!! GRANT ME THE LIGHT TO CHASE THIS DARKNESS AWAY!!!"

    It did not end¡ª they did not stop. No matter how many Salvatore killed, demons endlessly crawled out from the Abyss. The golden light enveloping the edge of his spear grew slightly dimmer.

    ***

    Salvatore was ughtering countless demons inside the darkness with no light in sight. He continued to swing his spear at the demons crawling out of the Abyss; his expression dyed in fear. The demons devoured by the Abyss were annihted with each swing of Salvatore¡¯s spear, but there were still countless more left.

    "Go as nuts as you like."

    Kang-Wooughed softly as his consciousness grew fainter. Salvatore¡¯s spear attacks were indeed dangerous but it wasn¡¯t enough to defeat every demon in the Demonic Sea.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo exhaled heatedly.

    He felt like he was burning from intense thirst and deathly hunger.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s been a while.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo didn¡¯t remember thest time he felt like this. He was getting dizzy; his sense of reason was burning away and the thick smoke stung his nose.

    Abyss Liberation.

    It was a technique to unleash the Abyss lying deep inside him and enveloping his surroundings with it. Kang-Woo needed to take corresponding risks when using it since his body reconstruction was iplete but he had no choice.

    <em>¡¯I probably can¡¯t beat him with normal means.¡¯</em>

    Not even Kim Si-Hun could defeat Salvatore; not only that but he possessed the Light of Akart, the perfect counter to Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡¯Plus the other pastors.¡¯</em>

    Not only were they the perfect counter to Kang-Woo but he was also outnumbered. He couldn¡¯t defeat them unless he was willing to take risks and forcibly unleash the Abyss.

    <em>¡¯At least it¡¯s way better than when I opened the Doors.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was now perfectly one with the Demonic Sea, but there was a time when he sealed the Demonic Sea with the Ten Thousand Demon Core to use its powers. It was far better than what he had to go through back then.

    "<em>Cough, cough!</em>"

    But of course, the intense pain that followed did not change. Kang-Woo felt like his sanity was burning away and turning into ash. He was just barely holding on to his sense of reason, but he felt like the Demonic Sea would devour him at any moment.

    It was easier to hold onpared to when he opened the Doors in the past, but he had made a massive gamble to unleash the Abyss when his body was still iplete. He might even have to spend a long time stuck in the Abyss again.

    <em>¡¯I can¡¯t let that happen.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head as he held on to his sanity for dear life. It would be no problem for him to devour the Abyss to escape it once again since he had already done it once before.

    <em>¡¯But¡­¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t spend three more years in reality and nearly an eternity in the Abyss again.

    <em>¡¯Darling will cry.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t let Han Seol-Ah cry again.

    "This should be good enough."

    Kang-Woo called back the Abyss he liberated. The ck sun disappeared, and the darkness enveloping the live stage dissipated. Light seeped through the scattering darkness.

    "<em>Huff, huff, huff!</em>"

    Salvatore¡¯s expression was grim even though the light he had hoped for so desperately was here. He copsed powerlessly after exhausting all of his stamina facing the demons of the Abyss.

    "O-O Great A-Akart."

    Salvatore faintly called for Akart, but the flickering light would no longer shine brightly. The golden spear in his hand turned into powder and blew away.

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    The sound of footsteps rumbled in Salvatore¡¯s head like thunder.

    "A-Arghhh."

    He looked up at the person making the footstep sounds in pallor. It was a teenage boy who looked about as old as a high school freshman. The boy, who couldn¡¯t be viewed as scary to anyone who didn¡¯t know better, was terrifying beyond belief in Salvatore¡¯s eyes.

    "H-How can this be¡­?"

    Kang-Woo reached for Salvatore¡¯s neck in silence.

    <em>Sizzle¡ª!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s hand burned to a crisp the moment he grabbed Salvatore¡¯s golden ne.

    "..."

    He paid it no mind and ripped off the ne.

    <em>tter.</em>

    The ne rolled across the ground.

    "I have so much to ask you."

    "A-Aaaahh. Y-Y-You¡­"

    Salvatore crawled backward, stricken with fear. His mind was already broken after experiencing extreme fear inside the Abyss.

    "But before that¡ª" Kang-Woo smirked, gritted his teeth, and raised his fist. "You need a beating."

    <em>Bash! Bash! Bash!</em>

    "Kurgh! Urgh!!"

    Merciless violence barraged Salvatore.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    His cheekbones caved in, and his ribs broke. His kneecaps shattered and his legs bent at an unnatural angle.

    "Argh!! ARGHHH!!!" Salvatore screamed.

    However, it was only the beginning.

    "Have you heard about molting?"

    "M-Molting¡­?"

    Salvatore looked up at Kang-Woo with shaking eyes. He had no idea what Kang-Woo was referring to but he knew it wasn¡¯t good. Chills were sent down his spine.

    Salvatore shouted in terror, "I-I¡¯ll talk!!! I-I¡¯ll tell you a-anything!!"

    Not an ounce of dignity was left in the man. All that was on his mind was the desire to escape the demon¡¯s grasp.

    "No, you don¡¯t have to tell me anything yet."

    Kang-Woo grabbed the terrified Salvatore¡¯s head and ced his thumbs over shaking eyes.

    "P-Please." Salvatore¡¯s teeth cked in intense fear. He desperately prayed, "O-O-O Almighty A-Akart, grant your l-lowly servant your l-l-l-l-light¡­!"

    <em>Crush.</em>

    Kang-Woo shoved his thumbs into Salvatore¡¯s eyeballs. Demonic energy of the Abyss flowed into Salvatore¡¯s head through Kang-Woo¡¯s thumbs.

    "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Salvatore was filled with unbearable pain he had never felt before. Kang-Woo smiled widely as he looked down at the convulsing Salvatore.

    "I guess you can¡¯t see the light anymore, huh?"

 Side Story Chapter 85: Intermission

    "A-Arghh."

    Pools of blood covered the ground. A middle-aged man spewing blood from his eye sockets crawled on the ground miserably. His well-groomed gray hair was nowhere in sight after being ripped out.

    No words were descriptive enough to express the wretched state the man was in. His limbs were bent at unnatural angles, and his skin was torn off, exposing his muscles and fatty tissue. It was a miracle the man was still alive.

    Oh Kang-Woo, who was apathetically looking down at the man, narrowed his eyes as he lightly kicked the crawling Salvatore¡¯s nk and asked, "So what you¡¯re saying is, you guys were never from Earth, right?"

    "Th-That¡¯s r-right."

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kang-Woo kicked Salvatore¡¯s nk like a football. Blood poured out from the torn flesh.

    "Kurgh!!!"

    "What gave you the idea to think you can speak casually to me, motherfucker?"Kang-Woo understood it when Salvatore was talking disrespectfully before the battle, but he was not changing his manner of speech after he was beaten beyond senseless.

    <em>¡¯Is it because he¡¯s bald now?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo pped Salvatore¡¯s smooth scalp. As a proud man born in Korea where respect was everything, he couldn¡¯t let such disrespect slide.

    "This won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll have to teach this fucking alien some manners."

    Kang-Woo crouched and grabbed Salvatore¡¯s front teeth with his fingers.

    "H-Huh?"

    Salvatore¡¯s shoulders violently trembled.

    Kang-Woo gripped Salvatore¡¯s teeth tightly and shouted, "MANNERS MAKETH MAN!!!"

    He pulled out Salvatore¡¯s front teeth as if he were pulling out a child¡¯s loose tooth.

    "ARGHHHHHHHH!!!"

    Salvatore screamed as the warmth of oriental etiquette flowed into him.

    "Let¡¯s try this again. So what you¡¯re saying is, you guys were never from Earth, right?"

    "Yazz¡­ zur."

    "What?"

    "Yazs, zur!"

    "SPEAK PROPERLY, MOTHERFUCKER!!!"

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Kang-Woo smashed Salvatore¡¯s face in.

    "Are you making fun of me? Huh? What the fuck is wrong with your pronunciations?"

    Salvatore quickly shook his head. "M-Mai hooh¡­"

    "What? Are you ming me now?"

    "N-NAH AH ALL!"

    "Then why aren¡¯t you pronouncing your words properly?"

    "I-I will phonounze dem phopelly!"

    "WRYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    Kang-Woo was boiling with rage as Salvatore continued to insult him with his terrible pronunciations. He was certain Salvatore was doing this on purpose to undermine him.

    "Let¡¯s go for another round of molting."

    "B-BWEAZE!!! A-ANYZING BUH DAH!!!"

    "And another one."

    <em>¡¯How dare he pull this shit on me?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t stand being treated like this when he went out of his way to politely teach him oriental etiquette.

    "HYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Salvatore convulsed as he screamed in intense pain.

    <em>¡¯That aside, this dude is gonna die at this rate.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would be in a predicament if that were to happen. He took his hand off Salvatore and continued his questions.

    "Then how did youe to Earth?"

    If they hade through a Gate, their presence would have been detected. However, Kang-Woo was only made aware of their presence after the Church of Radiance spread throughout Europe.

    "V-Vee wode dai¡­"

    Kang-Woo used the Authority of Regeneration to only heal Salvatore¡¯s teeth because he could barely understand him.

    "<em>Cough! Cough! Huff, huff</em>. W-We rode the light to get here."

    "What?"

    <em>¡¯Rode the light? What the hell does that mean?¡¯</em>

    "Those blessed by the Great Akart can assimte with the light by borrowing his powers. W-We assimted with the light and reached Earth that way."

    "What the fuck?"

    Kang-Woo grabbed his forehead as if having a headache.

    <em>¡¯No wonder we couldn¡¯t detect them.¡¯</em>

    There was no way to detect beings who crossed the Gate by assimting with light.

    <em>¡¯I guess that¡¯s also why we couldn¡¯t detect the Wikiholic¡¯s movements.¡¯</em>

    It was impossible to track someone who turned into light to travel throughout the world like some kind of ghost.

    "Then why didn¡¯t you turn into light to run away earlier?"

    ¡¯Though I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t have been able to since I enveloped the surroundings in the Abyss.¡¯

    "B-Because¡­ I needed to borrow the Great Akart¡¯s powers to¡­"

    "Ohh, so that¡¯s why you were praying like a motherfucker to him to grant you his light."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo thought Salvatore was trying to power up, but in reality, he was just trying to run away.

    <em>¡¯Wait a second, that means¡­¡¯</em> Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed. <em>¡¯The Wikiholic transformed into light at will to travel around. If the Wikiholic could do it but Salvatore couldn¡¯t, that means¡­¡¯</em>

    "You¡­ how high are you among Akart¡¯s subordinates?"

    "Pardon¡­?"

    "What rank are you among that motherfucker Akart¡¯s henchmen?"

    "M-Motherfucker?! The disrespect!"

    "Stop fucking around."

    Kang-Woo aggressively kicked Salvatore¡¯s nk again.

    Salvatore winced. "I am¡­ ranked f-fifth among the Great Akart¡¯s retainers."

    "Fifth?"

    Meaning there were four more that were stronger than Salvatore.

    "Haaa, fuck."

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but sigh. There were four more individuals which even Si-Hun would have difficulty against. Not only that but considering they were ranked, Si-Hun might not be a match for those ranked above Salvatore.

    <em>¡¯Assuming one of the four is the Wikiholic¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo still had no idea who the other three were.

    "Tell me about the ones ranked above you."

    "A-About that¡­" Salvatore answered tremblingly, "I-I don¡¯t know anything about them."

    "What about the Wikiholic?"

    "Wikiholic¡­?"

    "Oh, I¡¯m talking about that golden lion."

    "I-I don¡¯t know. There is rarely a reason for the retainers to gather, so¡­"

    "Then how do you know the ranks?"

    "The Great Akart has designated me as his fifth retainer."

    Salvatore did not seem to be lying.

    "Alright, fine. Then what the hell is Akart doing right now? Why isn¡¯t heing to Earth personally?"

    He was only sending small fry as if he were a demon lord giving EXP to the hero.

    "He is¡­" Just then, Salvatore, who had been writhing in pain, suddenly stopped. "Saving the world¡­ of which the bnce has been disrupted."

    "..."

    Salvatore mumbled emotionlessly, "Bnce to the tilted scale! Bnce to the tilted scale!!"

    "Hey."

    "Bncetothetiltedscalebncetothetiltedscalebncetothetiltedscale."

    "For fuck¡¯s sake, hey!"

    Kang-Woo frowned and violently grabbed Salvatore.

    <em>¡¯Something¡¯s off. Is this another self-destruct g?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at Salvatore anxiously, but he was not glowing gold like the other pastor. Rather, the light, which had been shining dimly from Salvatore, was fading.

    "Hey, hey, hey!! Don¡¯t die!!"

    Kang-Woo quickly bit open his finger and shoved it into Salvatore¡¯s mouth. He used the Authority of Regeneration to treat Salvatore. His distorted limbs went back to their normal positions and his torn flesh turned back to normal.

    "Bncetothetiltedscalebncetothetiltedscalebncetothetiltedscale."

    "Shit¡­"

    Kang-Woo sighed deeply. Salvatore was now physically fine but was lifelessly mumbling the same words repeatedly like a broken machine.

    <em>¡¯What went wrong?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled their conversation.

    "Asking directly about Akart¡­ I would guess."

    The minds of Akart¡¯s subordinates were likely set up to be broken if they even attempted to leak any information about Akart. It was the same setup used by the Demon Cult in the past.

    "Salvation, my ass."

    There was no way someone who brainwashed their subordinates so that their minds would break if they ever tried to leak information about him would save the world.

    <em>¡¯The problem is, these motherfuckers really believe they¡¯re bringing salvation to this world.¡¯</em>

    Nothing was more annoying than the convictions of a dumbass.

    "No¡­" Kang-Woo shook his head after some thought.

    <em>¡¯They¡¯re notpletely illogical.¡¯</em>

    He recalled the words of the young pastor.

    <em>"I am sure you¡¯re aware of it too! The endless otherworldly invasions! The copsed Law and bnce!"</em>

    As he said, Earth currently had no protections against the otherworldly invasions. Otherworldly beings such as the Parasites and the Gctic Federation could invade Earth at any moment, and Earth had no defense mechanisms to prevent it.

    <em>"This world will soon meet its end!! It is no different from a sinking ship!!"</em>

    "Sinking ship, huh?" Kang-Woo recalled.

    The young pastor had a point. Earth could be endlessly bombarded by otherworldly invasions and one day meet its end. It was also possible that Akart¡¯s subordinates hade to Earth to save people. However¡­

    "Fuck that."

    Kang-Woo chuckled coldly. If the ship was sinking, he would raise it. If he couldn¡¯t raise it, he would block all the holes so that water would not enter. He would just trample on the invaders so brutally that no one would dare evene anywhere near Earth.

    <em>¡¯So, Earth doesn¡¯t need salvation.¡¯</em>

    "Well¡­ I¡¯m sure the son of a bitch wille crawling sooner orter whatever I do."

    First, Singapore, and now the Church of Radiance¡ª Akart was sending his retainers to Earth to exact his <em>salvation</em>.

    <em>¡¯Though they¡¯re nothing but terrorists based on what they¡¯ve been doing.¡¯</em>

    They were killing people with the excuse that they were being sent to another world before Earth met its demise. Not only that but reincarnation was limited to a select few who received Akart¡¯s blessing.

    "What a load of fucking bullshit."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes. He couldn¡¯t help but be irritated since people from another world were spouting shit about salvation when the people on Earth were already taking matters into their own hands.

    "Jeez."

    Kang-Woo sighed and turned around.

    "Urgh¡­"

    Only a ck-haired girl remained on the empty live stage where the audience evacuated. Echidna flinched after meeting eyes with Kang-Woo.

    "Is your wound okay?" Kang-Woo approached Echidna and examined the wound on her nk¡ª it was quite serious. He bit open his finger which had already healed and remarked, "Here, drink."

    "Kang-Woo¡­" Echidna looked up at him hesitantly.

    "It¡¯s gonna disappear if you don¡¯t drink it. Go on."

    "Okay."

    Echidna licked Kang-Woo¡¯s finger. It ticked a little. Her wound healed in a sh because the wound was caused by her own magic rather than the Light of Akart.

    "I¡¯m sorry, Kang-Woo." Echidna lowered her head dejectedly after being fully healed. "I¡¯m sorry¡­ for not running away and fighting."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo remained silent as he stared at Echidna trembling in fear. She likely knew she was no match for Salvatore and that she could escape if she abandoned her fans. However, she decided not to.

    "Honestly, I¡­" Kang-Woo slurred dryly. "Don¡¯t really understand."

    "Kang-Woo¡­"

    "I don¡¯t get why you would risk your life for a bunch of strangers."

    "That¡¯s¡­"

    "I would rather they all die than you fall in danger."

    No, Kang-Woo wouldn¡¯t give a shit if everyone else gathered in the venue were mercilessly ughtered if it meant Echidna would be safe.

    "..."

    Echidna clenched her fists in silence. Her fists were shaking as if she were suppressing her will to say something. Kang-Woo patted Echidna¡¯s head.

    "But in the end, that¡¯s just what I think."

    "Kang-Woo¡­?"

    "Just because I feel that way doesn¡¯t mean you have to as well."

    Kang-Woo and Echidna were different. They held different values and acted on different things. Things that weren¡¯t precious to him might be precious to her. He did not have the right to force his beliefs on Echidna just because she was different from him.

    "But¡­ I wish you¡¯d take better care of yourself." Kang-Woo smiled faintly and kissed Echidna¡¯s forehead.

    "K-Kang-Woo!" Echidna blushed. "Hm! Hm! Hm!"

    She jumped up and down as she snorted excitedly, but then went back to lowering her head lifelessly.

    <em>¡¯What¡¯s this? Is she bipr?¡¯</em>

    "Thank you¡­ Kang-Woo." Echidna gently grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes. "You¡¯re¡­ the most precious to me too, so I won¡¯t let myself get hurt anymore."

    "Okay."

    "Kang-Woo¡­"

    "Hm?"

    "Gimme a piggyback ride."

    "Huh?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head, confused by Echidna¡¯s sudden request. Echidna pulled on his clothes more and twisted around to act cute.

    "Hurry~ Piggyback~"

    "Alright, sure. That¡¯s not so difficult."

    Kang-Woo turned around and crouched. Echidna jumped on his back.

    "Hehehe." She smiled widely. "Kang-Woo."

    "Hm?"

    "I wanna bear four."

    "..."

    <em>¡¯Four what?¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 86: Eve (1)

    Side Story Chapter 86: Eve (1)

    "There are¡­ four more of those monsters?" asked Lilith in shock.

    "No, there may be more." Oh Kang-Woo shook his head as he took a bite of a piece of fruit Han Seol-Ah cut for him.

    "More?"

    "Akart called Salvatore his fifth retainer. It might be referring to the order in which he became Akart¡¯s retainer instead of a rank."

    "Oh."

    "In that sense, the third and fourth might be weaker than Salvatore, and the sixth might be stronger."

    They wouldn¡¯t know for sure unless they faced the retainers.

    "But since we won¡¯t get anywhere if we think about it that way¡­ let¡¯s just interpret them as ranks for now. It¡¯s simpler to think there are four individuals stronger than Salvatore."

    They couldn¡¯t prepare for all variables; it would be enough as long as it was to a point where they wouldn¡¯t be caught too off guard.<em>¡¯And besides¡­¡¯</em>

    They couldn¡¯t do much in terms of preparation anyway.

    "Haaa. That aside, invading Earth by riding the light¡­ how absurd." Lilith sighed as she clenched her forehead.

    As Kang-Woo¡¯s chief intelligence officer, the ability of Akart¡¯s retainers was hard to deal with.

    "This is the first time my abilities felt so useless," she expressed.

    "Not at all. I don¡¯t have a way to detect something like that either," Kang-Woo consoled.

    "But at least we managed to get some information about Akart."

    "It was worth it just from getting the number of his retainers."

    <em>¡¯Though we didn¡¯t manage to get anything else.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo continued, "Anyway, they¡¯ll continue to crawl into this world."

    He wasn¡¯t stupid enough to hope Akart would give up just because two of his retainers died.

    "You said his objective was¡­ salvation, correct?" Lilith asked.

    "Yeah."

    "I wonder if their souls are actually being reincarnated to a different world?"

    "Who knows? I have no idea, but¡­ if you ask me, I think they are."

    Unlike the Demon Cult, the Church of Radiance did not act on malice or profit. They were madmen so transparently pure that they innocently acted on unwavering convictions they perceived as righteous. They were likely not doing something like this while knowing the souls weren¡¯t being sent to a different world.

    "What kind of world do you think they¡¯re being sent to?" Lilith asked.

    "No idea. There are all kinds of worlds, after all."

    They were already aware of more than five different worlds.

    "But that doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is they¡¯re doing as they like in my territory."

    "Fufu. You¡¯re right. They all deserve death," Lilith answered, her eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

    She had limated well to human culture but she was still a demon to the core. She couldn¡¯t care less whether their objective was salvation or anything else.

    "Then what do you think that incident in Singapore was for?" she asked.

    "The zombie apocalypse?"

    "Yes. That was done by Akart¡¯s retainer too."

    Leaving aside the Church of Radiance, the zombie apocalypse was far from the idea of salvation.

    "Not sure¡­ it¡¯s honestly so far removed from everything. It¡¯s hard to believe Akart¡¯s retainer had something to do with it."

    "Even more so, considering what the Wikiholic did. It was pretty much randomly kidnapping people from various worlds and imprisoning them."

    "I have an idea why for that one." Kang-Woo finished his apple and took out a can of coke from the mini fridge under his desk. "Want something to drink?"

    "I¡¯ll have a McCol[1], please."

    "Oh my god."

    <em>¡¯Your taste buds are still whack.¡¯</em>

    "We don¡¯t have McCol."

    "Oh, is that so? Then I¡¯ll have a Zico[2]. I had some a while ago and it was delicious."

    "That¡¯s been discontinued."

    "Wh-What?"

    Lilith¡¯s eyes widened in panic.

    <em>¡¯McCol and Zico? That¡¯s a demon¡¯s taste buds for you.¡¯</em>

    "Just have a canned coffee."

    "Fufu. Could you feed it to me with your mouth, my king?"

    Lilith smiled seductively and puckered her lips.

    Kang-Woo brought the can to her lips and continued, "Anyway. This is just my guess, but I think the Wikiholic was looking for candidates to be Akart¡¯s retainer."

    "Candidates?"

    "Yeah. I saw someone who had practically be a worshiper of Akart when I was there."

    Kang-Woo had a feeling there were multiple Temples of Truth.

    "In that case, should we consider the matter with the Wikiholic and the two subsequent incidents as separate?" Lilith asked.

    "Yeah. I mean¡­ I still don¡¯t know what massacring people with a zombie apocalypse has to do with bringing salvation, though. Whatever the case, what matters is that they¡¯re not aiming specifically for me."

    In both incidents, Akart¡¯s subordinates were not targeting Kang-Woo; they were purely targeting every human on Earth.

    "In other words, Akart¡¯s subordinates are getting as many humans involved in each incident as possible."

    "In that case¡­ I will focus my investigations around abnormal events that involverge poptions."

    "I¡¯ll be counting on you."

    "Fufu. Please leave it to me." Lilith emptied the canned coffee, softly kissed Kang-Woo, and turned around. "I¡¯ll be taking my leave, my king~"

    "Okay."

    "Will you be visiting Si-Hun at the hospital again?"

    "No. I went yesterday, so I¡¯m gonna get some work done today."

    "Hoho. Looks like Si-Hun is going to be lonely today."

    "I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine. He has our sister-inw with him."

    Lilith closed the door behind her. Kang-Woo stretched after being left alone in his room.

    "That aside¡­"

    Kang-Woo looked down at himself. He had liberated the Abyss for the first time after escaping it and bing perfectly fused with the Demonic Sea. Of course, he did not liberate itpletely.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯d be like using a nuke to hunt a rabbit.¡¯</em>

    He liberated just enough to endure the Light of Akart that Salvatore and the other pastors were emitting. Topare it to opening the Doors as he did in the past, it was equivalent to opening one Door. Theparison no longer applied to him since the Demonic Sea was no longer sealed behind the three Doors but it was simr enough.

    "There aren¡¯t any side effects like I¡¯d feared."

    Rather, his reconstruction had hastened even more after battling Akart¡¯s retainers. His fingers had grown thicker and his muscles had be more well-defined.

    "I would¡¯ve used it earlier if I knew this would happen."

    There was far less of a riskpared to opening the Doors. His sanity did not blow away nor was he devoured by the Abyss.

    <em>¡¯No, no.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head after much thinking. Liberating the Abyss when the Demonic Sea had yet to stabilize was like flooring the elerator of a car with no windows, bumpers, or doors. He would use it if he had no choice but he couldn¡¯t risk being stuck in the Abyss for years just for his growth.

    <em>¡¯Moreover, I have no idea whether my growth was thanks to liberating the Abyss or fighting against Salvatore.¡¯</em>

    However, it was likely thetter. The Light of Akart could easily stimte the Demonic Sea since the light could disintegrate it.

    <em>Riiing.</em>

    [Sir Guardian Deity ?(*¡ä¦á`*)? ! I have information to share with you!]

    A blue message window appeared in front of Kang-Woo as he was about to get up after organizing his thoughts regarding Abyss Liberation.

    "Hm? It¡¯s been a while, you."

    It had been a long time since Eve messaged him.

    [I couldn¡¯t get in touch with you because I¡¯ve been busy overhauling the Law of Titans!]

    "Overhaul¡­? Did you find a way to restore the Law of Titans, perhaps?"

    [No. I simply maximized the functions that are still usable.]

    "Tsk." Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and nodded.

    If the Law of Titans could be repaired so easily, Akart wouldn¡¯t be furious about it and try to end the world in which its bnce was disrupted.

    "That aside, what information?"

    [Thanks to the overhaul, you can now use a portion of the functions of the Law of Titans!]

    [Congrattions! ?*.?(¨@?¨A)?.*?]

    "What?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened by the unexpected news.

    [Oh, I say this, but it is but a portion. I would advise you don¡¯t expect much from the already-damaged Law.]

    "Hmm. So, what sort of things can I do?"

    Kang-Woo was excited to hear what kind of functions he could take advantage of since the Law of Titans was the same as the System.

    [At this stage, you can awaken new Traits irrespective of level!]

    "Oh?¡¯ Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone. The ability to awaken new Traits was certainly an amazing one. "Can I awaken Traits in others as well?"

    [Yes! (?¡ä¨Œ`?)]

    [However, the type and rank of the Trait awakened is randomized!]

    "Whoooaaa," Kang-Woo expressed amazement.

    Although it was random, just the fact that he could get new Traits after reaching the max level was more than wee. Not only that but he could also grant new Traits to others.

    <em>¡¯If I grant new Traits to Yeon-Joo and Si-Hun¡­¡¯</em>

    He could help them break through their teau phase of growth.

    [However, you cannot use this function yet (???¦ä???).]

    "Why not?"

    [The currently-damaged Law of Titans cannot replenish its energy independently. To awaken Traits in yers, the power of a Titan is required.]

    "..."

    Kang-Woo frowned. It made sense that the power of a Titan was required since they were the ones who created the Law of Titans. The problem was how to get hold of a Titan¡¯s power.

    "What if I use Bauli?"

    [Bauli¡¯s body and soul have been devoured by the Demonic Sea. It is impossible to bring out only his power.]

    [(??©n?)?]

    "Shit."

    <em>¡¯What a useless fucking father.¡¯</em>

    "Then what? Does that mean I can¡¯t use the Law of Titans¡¯s functions?"

    It was as useless as a remote controller with no batteries.

    [Just like your Fran?ois, Sir Guardian Deity!]

    "What?"

    [Doing it every night and still no news of a Kang-Woo Jr¡­]

    "I¡¯m not making them on purpose, dammit."

    He couldn¡¯t have a child when he had yet to marry his lovers. He would have more than enough time for that after the ceremony.

    [A seedless watermelon¡­ A seedless Fran?ois¡­]

    "The fuck you say?"

    [~(???~)(~???)~]

    <em>¡¯Where the fuck are you getting those goddamn emoticons?¡¯</em>

    [Back to the topic at hand.] The emoticon disappeared. [You can use the Law¡¯s function by using the power of Akart¡¯s subordinates you defeat.]

    "Hm? Then what about when I killed Salvatore?"

    [I was still in the middle of overhauling the Law at the time so it couldn¡¯t absorb the power.]

    In the end, it still meant Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t use the function.

    <em>¡¯Akart¡¯s subordinates, huh?¡¯</em>

    Since Kang-Woo had no way of hunting them down, he was still at square one.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed and shook his head. "Huh? Wait a second."

    Just then, he noticed the golden bnce scale nes he had gathered in a corner of his room.

    1. McCol (??) is a Korean barley soda beverage. It¡¯s kind of like root beer; it¡¯s an acquired taste and is a very prizing drink in Korea. ?

    2. Zico is a Korean coconut water beverage, not to be confused with the Korean rapper/singer ZICO. Like McCol, it¡¯s a very prizing drink but much more negative than positive. ?

 Side Story Chapter 87: Eve (2)

    "Can¡¯t I use those?"

    The golden scale nes Oh Kang-Woo ripped off the pastors contained enough power to decimate the entire slums. Since Kang-Woo¡¯s hands burned like a vampire exposed to sunlight if he touched them, he had asked the yers in Guardians to collect them.

    <em>Whoooom, whoooom.</em>

    A faint golden light was emitting from the golden scale ne despite the death of their wearers, meaning Akart¡¯s powers were still infused in them.

    Riiing!

    [Oh! I think we can gather energy from those nes!]

    The blue message window shone. Kang-Woo smirked.

    "Alright. Let¡¯s use those nes."

    <em>¡¯Thank goodness I collected them.¡¯</em>"But how are we going to absorb energy from them?"

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t absorb the Light of Akart using the Authority of Predation because it was like a deadly poison to him. Eve had warned him not to do so a while ago when he was about to.

    [Leave it to me!]

    [(??????)??]

    Eve sent an emoticon full of confidence.

    [First, could you gather those nes in one area?]

    Kang-Woo grabbed the nes messily sprawled on the corner of his room.

    <em>Sizzle.</em>

    "Ouch! Fuck."

    His hand was burning, ck smoke rising from it.

    "Looks like the energy seeped out a little."

    The light emitted from Salvatore¡¯s ne was so powerful that it practically melted Kang-Woo¡¯s hand off when it was on Salvatore but it was nowhere near as bad now.

    [It seems some of the energy seeped out because it has been taken off of the wearer.]

    "Dammit."

    <em>¡¯I would¡¯ve severed their limbs and kept them alive if I knew that beforehand.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was swept with regret but shook his head. No one could have known this would happen; he would just take as much of the Titan¡¯s energy as he could from Akart¡¯s subordinates that woulde.

    "Alright, here they are."

    Kang-Woo ced seven nes on the desk. Although the light was not as powerful as before, the nes still contained the Light of Akart; Kang-Woo¡¯s hand was heavily disfigured and was not regenerating.

    "Hurts like a bitch."

    Kang-Woo frowned as he looked down at his hand. He had gotten so used to all of his injuries healing in seconds that it had be ufortable being wounded and in pain for long periods.

    <em>¡¯Nothing I can¡¯t handle, though.¡¯</em>

    Pain of this level wasughablepared to the pain of molting.

    [Well then, please wait a moment.]

    The blue message window in front of Kang-Woo floated toward the desk and turned into the shape of a funnel. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

    <em>¡¯Fuck, was that a mouth this whole time? Can a System window even be a mouth? Wasn¡¯t it just a message window?¡¯</em>

    "What the f¡ª"

    [Shh. Please be quiet. I need to focus.]

    The transformed blue message window made contact with the golden nes.

    [<em>Fwoooooooooooooooo!!!</em>]

    [? (?¡¥?¡¥)¦Ò]

    <em>¡¯Is there a need to add SFX?¡¯</em>

    [Aah, you were at my side, all along.]

    <em>¡¯???¡¯</em>

    [My true mentor¡­ My guiding moonlight.][1]

    "What the fuck are you going on about?"

    [Hihi. It¡¯s just a meme.]

    <em>¡¯How do you expect me to react to a meme I don¡¯t know?¡¯</em>

    [Anyway, I¡¯ve absorbed a portion of the power of a Titan!]

    [Yes! But there wasn¡¯t much energy remaining in the nes, so¡­ there¡¯s at least enough to awaken one new Trait.]

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t believe seven nes only amounted to one Trait, albeit arge amount of power had already left them.

    [It is because the Law of Titans is damaged.]

    "Makes sense."

    It was only natural that the efficiency of its energy-absorbing function was low. A junk car¡¯s fuel efficiency did not change just from getting topped up with fuel.

    "Then I guess ites down to whom I should give a new Trait to."

    In terms of efficiency, Kim Si-Hun, Cha Yeon-Joo, or Han Seol-Ah would be the safest choices. Considering how powerful Kang-Woo already was, he couldn¡¯t hope for a massive power-up with one or two new Traits.

    <em>¡¯I already have so many Authorities left unused.¡¯</em>

    It was simr to gear in RPGs; beginner gear was left unused once the yer progressed further into the game. Kang-Woo barely used any offensive Authorities other than the highly efficient ones and those he was well ustomed to using.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s way better to use the mes of Voracity instead.¡¯</em>

    He had recently been using mainly the princes¡¯ Authorities and the Authority of des which he had used the longest. He would likely not use an S-rank or SS-rank Trait even if he got them.

    <em>¡¯But it¡¯s not like there are only offensive-type Traits.¡¯</em>

    There were highly useful Traits such as <em>Ruler of Demonic Energy</em> which concealed his demonic energy, and <em>Mana-Hungry Demon</em> which converted mana into demonic energy. Considering he had useful Traits like those two, it wouldn¡¯t be bad to get some more Traits for himself.

    "Alright." Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes gleamed after much thought and he nodded. "I¡¯ll use the first one on myself."

    He thought he wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with Traits since he had reached the max level but was surging with excitement after finding out that was not the case.

    "How does it work?"

    [Leave it to me!]

    The message window next to the nes flew Kang-Woo¡¯s way and covered him like a tent.

    [( ¤Ä?>©n<?)¤Ä Yaaaap!]

    <em>Swirl¡ª!</em>

    A roulette appeared on the message window and rapidly spun.

    [Quick Steps (Rank: F)]

    [Merciless ughterer (Rank: B)] ?

    [Tentacle Expansion (Rank C)]

    [Abyss Watcher (Rank: SSS)]

    [Merciless ughterer (Rank: B)]

    [Tentacle Expansion (Rank C)]

    [[Abyss Watcher (Rank: SSS)] ?

    [Astral Projection (Rank: A)]

    "What the fuck is Tentacle Expansion?"

    yers normally had a higher chance of acquiring high-ranking Traits the higher their level was. However, their ranks and types werepletely random as the System mentioned.

    <em>Swirl¡ª!</em>

    The roulette rapidly spun.

    <em>¡¯Is this how it feels to spend millions of won on a mobile gacha game</em>[2]<em>?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo anxiously clenched his fists, staring fixedly at the spinning roulette.

    "Abyss Watcher!!! Abyss Watcher, let¡¯s go!!!"

    He had no idea what kind of effects it would have or whether it was an offensive-type or utility-type Trait, but the fact that it was SSS-rank got himser-focused on it.

    "SSS-rank! AHHHHH!!! I WANT AN SSS-RANK TOO!!!"

    Not only that but he felt like it had to do with the Demonic Sea from its name.

    "SSS-CLASS REVIVAL HUNTER!! SSS-CLASS ASSASSIN PLAYER!!"

    <em>¡¯And the other thirty-five search results from the keywords SSS-ss!¡¯</em>

    "ME TOO!! I WANNA BE SSS-CLASS TOO!!![3]"

    Kang-Woo stared at the roulette with bloodshot eyes. Sharp anxiety traveled down from his neck to back and throughout his body. He could more or less understand why people wasted tens of millions of won on gacha, which was no different from gambling.

    <em>¡¯This¡­ stimtes human instinct!!¡¯</em>

    <em>Tick, tick, tick, tick.</em>

    The roulette slowed down more and more.

    <em>Tick¡­ tick.</em>

    [Merciless ughterer (Rank: B)]

    [Tentacle Expansion (Rank C)] ?

    [[Abyss Watcher (Rank: SSS)]

    [Astral Projection (Rank: A)]

    "MOTHERFUCKING TENTACLE EXPANSION!!! NOT THAT!!! ANYTHING BUT THAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!"

    <em>¡¯Just let me be free from tentacles already!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo desperately stared at the roulette but it wasn¡¯t spinning as energetically as before.

    "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    <em>¡¯Tentacles again?!! Why is it always tentacles?!!¡¯</em>

    "FUCK MY LIFE!! I LOST Abyss Watcher BY ONE SLOT?! I CAN¡¯T BE SSS-CLASS?! <em>WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!</em>"

    Kang-Woo burst into tears of despair. This was likely how it felt to get only a one-star unit in a mobile game that one poured millions of won into or a gambler who lost after betting their entire life savings.

    <em>¡¯I should¡¯ve just given a Trait to Si-Hun or Yeon-Joo.¡¯</em>

    [Wait! It¡¯s not over yet, Sir Guardian Deity!]

    "Huh?"

    The weeping and hair-pulling Kang-Woo turned back to the roulette.

    <em>Tick¡­ tick¡­ tick¡­</em>

    Although extremely slow, the roulette arrow was still moving.

    "Huh? C-Could it be?"

    Kang-Woo stared at the roulette, his eyes filled with hope. The arrow was about to move past the Tentacle Expansion slot.

    "Th-That¡¯s it!!!" He clenched his fists and stared at the roulette anxiously. "Please!!! Please!!! Abyss Watcher!!!"

    <em>¡¯It looks strong as fuck just from the name!!! I feel like I¡¯d start swinging a badass fiery sword from my second phase</em>[4]<em>!!!¡¯</em>

    <em>Tick, tick¡­ tick.</em>

    "Let¡¯s go!!! Let¡¯s go!!! LET¡¯S GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

    <em>¡¯If I get this, I¡¯m fucking changing the title of this novel to </em>The Return of the SSS-ss yer After Ten Millennia in Hell<em>!!!¡¯</em>

    [Merciless ughterer (Rank: B)]

    [Tentacle Expansion (Rank C)]

    [[Abyss Watcher (Rank: SSS)] ?

    [Astral Projection (Rank: A)]

    "THERE IT ISSSSSSSSSSSS!!!" Kang-Woo raised his arms high and cheered.

    However¡­

    Tick!

    [[Abyss Watcher (Rank: SSS)]

    [Astral Projection (Rank: A)] ?

    "There it¡­ huh?"

    The roulette arrow stoppedpletely. Kang-Woo, who had been cheering, froze after seeing the arrow pointed at the slot directly below the Abyss Watcher Trait.

    "What? What the fuck? Astral Projection?"

    Kang-Woo red at the A-rank Trait called Astral Projection irritatedly. A-rank was fairly high; although Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t rte since his list of Traits was full of S-rank and above, it was certainly not a low rank.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo stared at the message window in disappointment.

    "I mean¡­ Dammit, am I supposed to be happy or mad?"

    The A-rank Trait looked like garbagepared to the SSS-rank one directly above it¡ª no, an A-rank Trait was literal garbage by Kang-Woo¡¯s standards.

    "SSS-rank¡­"

    Kang-Woo sorrowfully reached for the roulette that had yet to disappear and burst into tears as he stared at the shining SSS-rank Trait.

    "Fuck¡­ my SSS-rank Trait¡­"

    <em>¡¯Just one slot away¡­ this fucking luck of mine¡­¡¯</em>

    Riiing!

    [Pfft! Luck? More like a skill issue!]

    <em>¡¯The fuck you say?¡¯</em>

    [~(???~)(~???)~ LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL~]

    1. This is a cursed Korean meme from the game <em>Bloodborne</em>. This line is from the boss <em>Ludwig, the ursed</em> when he enters his second phase. At the end of the cutscene where he brings the sword to his face, the lower half of his elongated face isn¡¯t on the screen, and someone posted that it looks like how a woman¡¯s mouth is elongated when they give a BJ in hentai¡­ ?

    2. Keep in mind a million KRW is roughly $1,000. ?

    3. A lot of Korean manhwas & novels interchange ss and rank so it might be confusing to some people. Just know it means the same thing. I just used ss since <em>SSS-ss Revival Hunter</em> is the official title of the novel that will being to ! ?

    4. This is a reference to the boss Abyss Watchers in Dark Souls III, whose sword ignites in its second phase. ?

 Side Story Chapter 88: Eve (3)

    "How does skill y into a random roulette?"

    <em>¡¯There¡¯s nothing but luck that can influence a roulette that you can¡¯t manipte.¡¯</em>

    [Heheh!]

    [It¡¯s all~ because you weren¡¯t desperate enough!]

    [???( ¨B ? ¨B )???]

    <em>¡¯I swear I¡¯ll fold your head into a question mark if I ever meet you.¡¯</em>

    [Hohoho~ You¡¯re wee to try if you can ever meet me, that is~]

    It was still impossible to meet Eve despite restoring a portion of the Law of Titans because the dimension that Eve inhabited was isted from the concept of separate dimensions like the world in the Abyss.

    "Huuu. Go away, you," Kang-Woo sighed and shooed the message window away.[Ahh! You¡¯re sending me away already? It¡¯s been so long since we got to meet each other again! You haven¡¯t even checked the effects of your new Trait!]

    "Then just keep your mouth shut."

    Kang-Woo softly clicked his tongue and clicked the tab written [Astral Projection (Rank: A)].

    [Astral Projection (Rank: A)]

    *The yer¡¯s soul can separate from their body and move freely.

    *When in astral form, the yer can pass through physical objects and cannot exert physical force.

    *The yer can enter immaterial dimensions such as the spirit dimension and astral dimension when in astral form.

    *The yer will suffer fatal damage if hit by a spiritual attack in their astral form.

    "Nothing particrly special about it."

    As the name suggested, his soul could separate from his body.

    <em>¡¯It sounds useful for investigating ces.¡¯</em>

    Since he could pass through physical objects in astral form, it would be useful when scouting dungeons withplexyouts.

    "But there¡¯s no reason to go out of my way to use it."

    Kang-Woo could see through walls using the Authority of the Beholder and Authority of Insight. Such a Trait would only be useful in situations like back when he was stuck with Balrog in the Den of the Night Demons.

    "Tsk."

    As he had thought, he would have no use for it. It wasn¡¯t like he could exert physical force in his astral form, and he would be fatally vulnerable to spiritual attacks. Considering that, there was even less of a reason to use it.

    "But¡­" Something intrigued Kang-Woo. "What¡¯s the spirit dimension and astral dimension?"

    <em>¡¯Why are there so many dimensions?¡¯</em>

    [They are both dimensions you cannot enter from Earth. Not yet, anyway.]

    Countless outer worlds were invading Earth after damage to the Law of Titans. They couldn¡¯t enter it now but that could change in the future.

    "Well¡­ Since I got it, I might as well use it."

    Kang-Wooy down on the bed in his office. He usually used therge bed in the master bedroom with his lovers but he also used this bed whenever he wanted to take a break now and then.

    "Let¡¯s see."

    He closed his eyes and imagined his soul separating from his body. It wasn¡¯t difficult to do since instructions on how to use a Trait instantly flowed into a yer¡¯s mind once they acquired it.

    "Whoa."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s blue astral form floated in the air after using Astral Projection. He looked down to see himself lying down on the bed.

    "This is awesome."

    It was fascinating to see himself in a third-person view. Kang-Woo slowly floated upward and passed through the ceiling.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s nice to pass through walls.¡¯</em>

    However, that was it. He did not see much use to it other than the fact that he could pass through walls and fly around freely.

    "Pshh."

    [How do you like your new Trait?]

    "It¡¯s crap."

    He honestly couldn¡¯t understand why it was an A-rank Trait.

    [That¡¯s unfortunate. Better luck next time!]

    [(????)?]

    "Hah. Who knows how long that¡¯s gonna be? We don¡¯t know when Akart¡¯s subordinates wille again."

    Kang-Woo pulled on his hair in irritation. He couldn¡¯t exert physical force on objects or other people in his astral form but it looked like he could touch himself. He might be able to touch others in astral form.

    "But I don¡¯t see anything that looks like ghosts."

    Kang-Woo wondered if he would see ghosts flying around him in his astral form but he couldn¡¯t see anything of the sort.

    "Haaa," he sighed and turned around to go back to his body.

    He moved his hand to swipe away the blue message window wishing him better luck next time.

    <em>Plunge!</em>

    "Hm?"

    Just then, Kang-Woo felt his arm entering the blue message window. The feeling was vividly different from passing through walls. He was not passing through it but entering it.

    "What¡¯s this?"

    Kang-Woo was left wide-eyed and he flew into the message window.

    "Where¡­"

    The ground was nothing but white as if he was on a snowy in.

    "Where am I?"

    Kang-Woo looked around in confusion. He did not expect such a world beyond the system window.

    <em>¡¯Come to think of it¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo naturally recalled the Trait description.

    *The yer can enter immaterial dimensions such as the spirit dimension and astral dimension when in astral form.

    <em>¡¯Since Eve said the spirit dimension and astral dimension can¡¯t be essed from Earth¡­¡¯</em>

    "Could this ce be¡­"

    "S-Sir Guardian Deity?"

    A voice echoed in the white space. Kang-Woo turned to the source of the voice and saw a transparent being that looked as if they were made of ss. They were so transparent that it was difficult to distinguish them from the surroundings but once he looked closer, the shape of the being was simr to that of a human woman.

    Kang-Woo stared at the being who called him and asked, "Eve¡­?"

    "Ahh!! I-Is it really you, Sir Guardian Deity?!" Eve jumped in surprise. "H-How are you here?!"

    "That¡¯s what I want to ask you." Kang-Woo had no idea how he entered Eve¡¯s world. "Is this a ce anyone can enter in their astral form?"

    "No! There¡¯s no way! Even if they¡¯re in their astral form, they shouldn¡¯t be able to enter this dimension¡­" Eve slurred and then pped her hands together. "Oh¡­e to think of it, that may not apply to you, Sir Guardian Deity."

    "It doesn¡¯t?"

    "Yes. I think you were able to enter because you were authorized by the Law."

    In other words, Kang-Woo could enter this dimension thanks to the merging of the Astral Projection Trait and the privileges of the Law of Titans he held.

    "Wow! I can¡¯t believe someone else other than me can enter this dimension!!" Eve jumped up and down in excitement. "I-I¡¯m¡­ s-so happy!! I¡¯m so moved!!"

    [?(¨@?¨A*)?!!!]

    A cheerful emoticon appeared on her face that was nothing but a smooth surface. Kang-Wo chuckled as he stared at the cheering Eve.

    <em>¡¯Do AI even have feelings of loneliness?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not remember Eve being so full of expression when he first became aware of her existence.

    <em>¡¯It started when¡­ Bael destroyed the Law of Titans.¡¯</em>

    It was just an assumption but Eve might have acquired emotions because the Law of Titans was damaged. After all, such emotions were unneeded in an AI that managed the Law of Titans.

    <em>¡¯An AI with emotions, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the android with emotions he met during the Gctic Federation invasion. He felt like the dying android in tears was ovepping with Eve.

    "Then is this where the Law of Titans is?" Kang-Woo asked as he looked around the endless white space.

    Eve shook her head and answered, "No, this is just a domain of consciousness where I reside."

    "Domain of consciousness?"

    "Mmm, how should I exin it? Oh! To make aparison, it¡¯s something like my office!"

    "I see." Kang-Woo nodded with interest. "But there¡¯s nothing here to call it an office."

    "Hehe. Just a moment, please."

    Eve giggled softly and pped her hands together.

    <em>Flutter¡ª!!</em>

    Rectangr screens resemblingputer screens appeared behind her. Complex strings of data were popping up on them in real time.

    "What is that?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "It is indicating that the Law of Titans is running." Eve pointed at the thousands of screens and continued, "Things like yers leveling up and acquiring new Traits are all shown here!"

    "Aha. I kind of get it. Then is that what you used tomunicate with me?"

    "Yes!" Eve nodded.

    Kang-Woo stared at the countless number of screens and asked, "But are you sure you can leave it running like that? Characters keep popping up."

    Eve twirled and answered, "The Law of Titans generally takes care of everything. There isn¡¯t much I can do. My role is simply to oversee it, nothing more."

    "Then have you been spending all this time just staring at these screens?"

    Kang-Woo could understand why Eve was so happy to see him. Even he would be extremely lonely if all he could do was stare at screens in an endless white space.

    "Hehe. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Not only is the emotion of loneliness itself extremely faint in me but I find enjoyment in watching everything that happens on Earth from here."

    "That¡¯s good."

    Kang-Woo was relieved to hear Eve wasn¡¯t drowning in istion since they were technically partners.

    "Even so, I¡¯m so happy I could meet you face to face!!!"

    Eve twirled and expressed joy.

    "Are you that happy?"

    Eve jumped in ce and shouted, "Of course! I never imagined I would ever get to meet you!"

    An (?¡ä¨Œ`?) emoticon appeared on her face.

    "Yeah, I¡¯m happy to see you too."

    Kang-Woo smiled warmly and stretched out his arms as if telling Eve toe in for a hug.

    "Ah." Eve hesitated for a moment. "SIR GUARDIAN DEITYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    [???(¡ñ¨B?¨B¡ñ)???]

    An emoticon appeared on her smooth face as she ran toward Kang-Woo.

    "Eve!!!"

    Kang-Woo had been waiting for the day that he could meet Eve face to face.

    "Ahhh! I knew you were a kind person!!"

    Eve couldn¡¯t believe Kang-Woo was treating her, a mere AI, with such warmth.

    "Sir Guardian Deity!!"

    "Eve!!"

    "SIR GUARDIAN DEITYYYYYY!!!"

    "EEEEEEEEEEEEVE!!!"

    Kang-Woo and Eve ran toward each other with their arms stretched out. They grew closer and closer with each step. They both jumped into the air.

    "Sir Guardian D¡ª KURGHHH!!!"

    Kang-Woo dropkicked Eve with all his might.

    <em>Whack! Boom! Thud.</em>

    Eve was blown away and tumbled across the ground.

    "S-Sir Guardian Deity¡­?"

    Kang-Woo slowly walked toward Eve and smirked.

    "You have no idea how long I¡¯ve waited for this moment."

    "W-Wait! C-Calm down! Please calm down, Sir Guardian Deity!!"

    "You see, Eve¡­ I¡¯m so curious. I¡¯m so curious that my head feels like it¡¯s about to explode! Fucking call me Curious George!!!"

    "Pardon? Wh-What are you curious about?"

    Kang-Woo smiled as he stared fixedly at the trembling Eve.

    "About whether your head can be twisted into a question mark or not."

 Side Story Chapter 89: Eve (4)

    "GYAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Screams echoed throughout the white in. A transparent being with their head bent into the shape of a hook screamed in agony.

    "Wow, it bends pretty well," Oh Kang-Woo remarked.

    He did not know what Eve¡¯s body was made of, but her head was stic and y-like; it was like making ss art. Kang-Woo grabbed Eve¡¯s head again and twisted it.

    "GYAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! I-IT HUUUUUUUUUURTS!!! IT HURTS, SIR GUARDIAN DEITYYYYYYYY!!!"

    "What was it you said? A seedless watermelon? A Vienna sausage?"

    "I¡¯M SORRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    Eve screamed in Kang-Woo¡¯s clutches. Although she was an AI that managed the Law of Titans, she couldn¡¯t resist because she did not possess anybat capabilities.

    "You¡¯re sorry?""YEEEEEEEESSS!!!"

    "Then why did you say all those things??"

    "I¡¯M SORRYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    "I¡¯m asking you why, aren¡¯t I?"

    "I JUST WANTED TO TALK TO YOU!! I¡¯M RESTRICTED FROM SENDING MESSAGES TO PLAYERS WITHOUT PRIVILEGES!!!"

    "So you sent those hurtful messages because you wanted to talk to me?"

    "I¡¯M SORRYYYYYYYYY!! M-MY HEAD!! MY HEAAAAAAAAAD!!!"

    "WHY AREN¡¯T YOU ANSWERING MY QUESTIOOOOOOON?!!"

    "I-I¡¯M SORRYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    "AGAIN!!! YOU¡¯RE NOT ANSWERING ME AGAAAAAAAAAAAIN!!! WHY DO YOU KEEP IGNORING MEEEEEEEEEEEE?!!"

    "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! P-PLEASE SPARE MEEEEEEE!!!"

    "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    Kang-Woo continued to bend Eve¡¯s head to vent all of his pent-up frustrations. Eve¡¯s excessively stretched head swayed lifelessly.

    "Fuuu."

    He let go of the rage deep inside him and released Eve. She fell to the ground and wept.

    "<em>WAAAAAAAAHHH!</em> I¡¯M SORRYYYYYY!!"

    [ ??©n? ]

    A crying emoticon appeared on her face. Kang-Woo smirked and lightly smacked her head with the back of his hand.

    "Ouch."

    "Don¡¯t do those things from now on."

    "Okay¡­"

    "So, how has it beentely?"

    "What do you mean?"

    Kang-Woo sat on the ground and replied, "Earth, considering how much Akart has been messing with it."

    "Oh¡­" Eve expressed and nodded. "There are no issues with Earth yet thanks to you and the other yers stopping the otherworldly invasions."

    "Will Earth be safe as long as we keep stopping them? It won¡¯t spontaneously copse or anything, will it?"

    "No, that will not happen."

    That was good news. Kang-Woo would be out of options if Earth would inevitably fall no matter how well he protected it.

    "Is there a possibility that Akart will give up on Earth as long as we keep protecting Earth?" Kang-Woo asked, slightly hopeful.

    He wondered if Akart would stoping for Earth if he took on the role of the damaged Law of Titans.

    "..." Eve shook her head in silence. "That will likely¡­ never happen. I do not know the details either but Akart has never left a world with a disrupted bnce untouched."

    "Fuck," Kang-Woo cursed.

    He was already determined to face Akart but he would rather avoid it if he could.

    "What are the other Titans doing? Why is he the only one doing this shit?"

    "Mm¡­ The majority of the Titans are likely too busy battling the beings of the Void. Akart is a little different."

    Kang-Woo chuckled and asked, "What are beings of the Void?"

    <em>¡¯Hm? Wait a second. I think I¡¯ve heard about them somewhere.¡¯</em>

    He searched through his memories and remembered that Raphael had mentioned it a long time ago[1].

    "I don¡¯t know much about the beings of the Void either. All I know is that they are very powerful entities that exist outside the Law of Titans."

    "Outside the Law, huh?" Kang-Woo thought of the Cthulhu Mythos. "Then are the beings of the Void like Outer Gods, and the Titans are like Elder Gods[2]?"

    "It¡¯s not an exactparison, but it¡¯s close."

    However, in this scenario, an Elder God was the one trying to end all life on Earth instead of an Outer God.

    "Is there anything else you know about Akart?" Kang-Woo asked.

    He would need as much information about Akart as possible since a confrontation with him was inevitable at this rate.

    "As I have mentioned before, I do not know much either. Hmm¡­ Oh! I know that Akart epted the power of light born from the Primordial!"

    "Light born from the Primordial¡­"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression hardened. Such light was likely just as powerful as the darkness of the Demonic Sea.

    <em>¡¯That must be why his light has the power to disintegrate the Demonic Sea.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    "I also know that he is among the most powerful of the Titans," Eve added.

    "More powerful than Bauli?"

    "Bauli was¡­ among the weakest of the Titans if not the weakest. He acquired the seed of the Demonic Sea purely by chance."

    <em>¡¯Why are you insulting my daddy?¡¯</em>

    "Yeah, I figured." Kang-Woo feignedughter and nodded.

    He had wondered for a while if Bauli was weak for a Titan.

    <em>¡¯He lost against the gods, after all.¡¯</em>

    Bauli was defeated by an alliance of gods gathered around Gaia, Seraph, and Tai Wuji. Not only that but he was continuously disrespected by Kang-Woo in the world of the Abyss and couldn¡¯t take over Bael¡¯s body either after he jumped from Kang-Woo to Bael.

    <em>¡¯He¡¯s a dumbass.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t remember thest time Bauli was dignified.

    "Are you¡­ worried?" Eve asked.

    "Hm? About what?"

    "About facing Akart," she answered worriedly with an (???¦ä???) emoticon on her face.

    Kang-Woo smirked and shook his head. "No."

    There was no reason for him to be worried.

    "No matter what he does, I¡¯ll be the one to emerge victorious. Like I always have."

    "I¡­ have no idea where that confidence of yours surges from."

    "I¡¯ll send you the motherfucker¡¯s headter."

    "I don¡¯t need it. Besides, you can¡¯t bring it here with you."

    "That¡¯s true." Kang-Woo snickered and stared at the screens behind Eve. "That aside, you can see everything happening on Earth with those?"

    "Not everything since the Law is damaged. Mmm¡­ the things I can see are restricted to what¡¯s around you."

    "Really? How do you see them?"

    Kang-Woo was curious about how Evemunicated with him from here.

    "Just a moment, please."

    Eve turned around and ced her hand over a screen. It turned into a disy of Kang-Woo¡¯s room and him lying on the bed.

    "Whoa, like this, huh?"

    "Yes. They¡¯re like cameras that float around you, Sir Guardian Deity."

    "Wait¡­ Does that mean¡­ don¡¯t tell me you watch us in bed?"

    "Hehe. The four of you sure go at it intensely! When the three of them¡ª GYAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Kang-Woo bent Eve¡¯s head again.

    "Turn it off at night from now on. Respect our privacy."

    "ARGHHH!! O-OKAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!!" Eve screamed as she writhed in pain.

    "Hm?" Just then, Kang-Woo saw on the screen someone entering his room. "Echidna?"

    [Huh? Are you sleeping, Kang-Woo?]

    Kang-Wo saw Echidna approaching him with her head tilted.

    [Mmm¡­ I wanted to y games with you.]

    Echidna stood next to the bed, pouting with a finger on her lips.

    [...]

    She looked down at him for a few moments and then turned around in disappointment to leave the room.

    "This is pretty damn cool."

    It was odd to see himself lying in bed as people came to check on him; it was like watching a prank video.

    Creak.

    [Hey, Oh Kang-Woo. I have something to ask y¡ª Eh? The hell? Are you sleeping?]

    As Kang-Woo was staring at himself sleeping, Cha Yeon-Joo entered the room this time.

    [Urgh. What should I do¡­?]

    Yeon-Joo pondered on whether to wake him up or not as she scratched her head.

    [Whatever. I can ask himter.]

    She turned around and walked toward the door.

    [...]

    However, she stopped in her tracks.

    [A-Ahem!]

    She coughed and looked around.

    [Umm¡­ H-Hey¡­]

    She mumbled in embarrassment as she twisted in embarrassment and turned back toward Kang-Woo.

    [Y-You¡¯re¡­ sleeping, right?]

    Yeon-Joo looked around some more and hesitantly got closer to Kang-Woo.

    [Ngh.]

    She blushed as she carefully bent down and kissed Kang-Woo.

    [H-Hehehe.]

    Yeon-Joo giggled and poked the sleeping Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek.

    "What should I do, Eve?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "My Yeon-Joo is way too cute."

    "Good for you," Eve replied bluntly as she stared at the screen next to Kang-Woo. "You sure are blessed, Sir Guardian Deity."

    "It¡¯s only natural since I saved the goddamn world."

    Kang-Woo thought he had the right to be this blessed since he had remained a virgin for ten millennia, or a little over nine millennia, to be more exact.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Yeon-Joo kissed him again and left the room.

    "I might as well go back," Kang-Woo said.

    He had nothing else to do here.

    "Oh, Sir Guardian Deity. It takes about thirty minutes to generate an exit."

    "Eh? What kind of bullshit is that? This isn¡¯t some bus in the countryside."

    "This world was built for the management of the Law of Titans. I couldn¡¯t do anything when you entered, but I have to generate an exit so that it doesn¡¯t cause any anomalies."

    "Oh, then I guess I have no choice but to wait."

    To make aparison, it was like waiting until a USB was safe to remove from aputer. The Law of Titans was already damaged considerably so he did not want to cause further damage.

    "Then what should I spend thirty minutes on¡­?"

    Kang-Woo turned to the screens, thinking about checking information about other yers.

    [Oh? Are you asleep, Kang-Woo?]

    Just then, Han Seol-Ah entered his room.

    "Why is there so much traffic in my room?"

    No one besides Lilith usually entered his office room when he was working.

    [Hmm¡­]

    Seol-Ah looked down at the sleeping Kang-Woo and kissed him as Yeon-Joo had done.

    "Hehe. Oh, Darling."

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but smile as both women kissed his sleeping self.

    <em>¡¯My lovers are so cute.¡¯</em>

    They kissed each other regrly but seeing them kissing him while he was asleep brought him even more joy.

    [Huh? Is he that tired?]

    Seol-Ah tilted her head in wonder after Kang-Woo did not wake up even after a kiss.

    [Kang-Woo? Kang-Woo?]

    Seol-Ah shook Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders in slight worry. Her expression grew harder after Kang-Woo stayed asleep no matter how hard she shook him.

    "Eve, send Darling a message."

    "What should I send?"

    "Something about me being in a world of consciousness and that I can¡¯t wake up for thirty minutes."

    "Okay!"

    Eve typed away on a screen and a message window appeared in front of Seol-Ah.

    [Phew.]

    Seol-Ah ced her hand over her chest and sighed in relief.

    [Mm¡­ If he won¡¯t wake up for thirty minutes¡­]

    She fell into thought for a moment and pped her hands together as if she had thought of a great idea.

    [I should be able to do it without him knowing!]

    <em>¡¯Do what without me knowing?¡¯</em>

    "I wonder what she¡¯s about to do?" Eve asked.

    "No idea."

    Kang-Woo and Eve focused on the screen. Seol-Ah left the room for a moment and came back as she hummed. There was something in her hand.

    "Wait."

    It was a hairband with cat ears on it and¡­ a tail with a bead tip.

    "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAAAAAAAAAAAIT!!! GAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Kang-Woo aggressively grabbed Eve¡¯s shoulders. "OPEN THE DOOR!!!"

    "P-Pardon?? Why all of a sudden?"

    "OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!"

    "Y-You have to wait thirty minutes¡ª"

    "SHUT THE FUCK UP AND OPEN THE FUCKING DOOOOOOOOOOOOR!"

    <em>¡¯If you don¡¯t open it now, something else will open!!¡¯</em>

    1. Refer to Chapter 270. ?

    2. I¡¯m not well-versed in the Cthulhu Mythos but after some research, it seems the Elder Gods are extraterrestrial entities that protect humans while the Outer Gods are evil entities that live in the void outside the universe. ?<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    This woman seriously doesn¡¯t learn¡­ I roll my eyes whenever she¡¯s in the chapter now¡­</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 90: Capture the Relic (1)

    "Come on, Kang-Woo. I told you it was just a joke!"

    "..."

    Oh Kang-Woo stared at Han Seol-Ah with narrow eyes. A day passed since he nagged Eve into letting him leave the Law of Titans maintenance office. He barely managed to stop his butthole from being prated in his sleep.

    "I swear it was a joke~ I would never do something like that while you¡¯re unconscious~," Seol-Ah said cutely as she embraced the sulking Kang-Woo.

    "Then why did you bring the cat ears and tail?"

    "I-I told you, it was just a joke."

    Seol-Ah smiled awkwardly as she averted her gaze from Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo grabbed her chin to force her to look at him and said, "Look into my eyes and say it."

    "U-Urghhh." Her eyes darted all over. Her lips quivered, and she lowered her head. She said lifelessly, "I¡¯m¡­ sorry."Kang-Woo sighed deeply. "Don¡¯t ever do that again. I¡¯m serious."

    "I wanted to see it at least once¡­"

    "I mean, the ears are fine, but¡­"

    <em>¡¯I¡¯d rather die than wear that tail.¡¯</em>

    "Oh! Does that mean you¡¯re willing to wear the ears?!"

    Seol-Ah smiled as radiantly as the sun.

    "No, I changed my mind. No ears either."

    "Ah! Y-You just said it was fine!"

    "In any case, you went too far this time, Darling."

    "Urgh¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t help myself after seeing you unconscious." Seol-Ah scratched her head with an awkward smile. She then asked sweetly, "To make up for it, I¡¯ll make you a super delicious dish I learned in my cooking ss. Will you forgive me?"

    Seol-Ah stuffed Kang-Woo¡¯s face between her voluptuous breasts and gently caressed his head.

    "Ahh¡­"

    The sensation on Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks was soft beyond belief. Seol-Ah¡¯s scent tickled his nose, her hand gently stroked his hair, and the warmth of her embrace that felt like he was submerged in a hot spring spread throughout his body.

    "Fufu. Kang-Woo¡­"

    Seol-Ah lowered her head and teasingly bit his ear. The ticklish feeling filled Kang-Woo with delight.

    "Dammit," Kang-Woo remarked.

    <em>¡¯Are you even a man if you don¡¯t forgive your girl in this situation?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo distanced himself from Seol-Ah. He coughed and said, "Alright. Don¡¯t ever do it again, got it?"

    "Fufu. I love you, Kang-Woo."

    "Yeah. I love you too, Darling."

    Seol-Ah and Kang-Woo locked eyes with each other. They approached each other as if they had made a promise within the heat caused by their passionate love.

    "Enough with this shitshow." Cha Yeon-Joo on the couch stared at the two lovers. "Let¡¯s eat already. I¡¯m hungry."

    "Okay. Gimme a second. It should be done soon," said Seol-Ah as she headed toward the oven in the kitchen.

    "An oven dish?" Kang-Woo said in slight disappointment since he preferred Korean dishes over Western dishes.

    <em>¡¯There aren¡¯t many Korean dishes that require an oven.¡¯</em>

    Nevertheless, Kang-Woo was still excited since Seol-Ah had learned it in a cooking ss that required applicants to take a test to attend.

    Kang-Woo sat down at the table and asked Yeon-Joo sitting across from him, "What about you, Yeon-Joo? You went to learn cooking too, didn¡¯t you?"

    "Oh. You see, I-I¡­" Yeon-Joo stuttered as she looked away from Kang-Woo.

    Seol-Ah giggled with her mouth covered and answered, "Yeon-Joo was scolded by the instructor."

    "What did they say?"

    "We were making a chicken dish but the instructor said that it was so raw that she should take it to a vet to save it."

    "Pfft!"

    <em>¡¯The instructor has a sense of humor.¡¯</em>

    "Sh-Shut up! Everyone makes mistakes! I don¡¯t like that instructor! He¡¯s not even the instructor for the basic ss¡­"

    "I¡¯m sure he¡¯s giving you special attention because you¡¯re the master of Red Rose."

    "Why would someone who¡¯s giving me special attention outright insult me?"

    "Fufu. Maybe that¡¯s just the way he teaches people."

    "For fuck¡¯s sake, he talks so much shit," Yeon-Jooined, badmouthing the instructor.

    "I mean, you¡¯re not one to talk about talking shit," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "The fuck you say?"

    "See? You didn¡¯t even hesitate to swear at me."

    "Argh! Sh-Shut up!" Yeon-Joo shouted and stomped her feet with her head down.

    Kang-Woo could hear her mumbling <em>"D-Does he dislike women who swear a lot? Wh-What do I do?"</em> with her head down.

    "Pfffft¡­"

    "Wh-What the f¡ª I-I mean, you son of a¡ª no, not that either. U-Urghhh!!!" Yeon-Joo pulled on her hair and twisted around as if in pain. "Y-You¡­ A-Aaaahh¡­"

    "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" Kang-Woo burst intoughter.

    Yeon-Joo blushed immensely. "Wh-Why are youughing?!"

    "Kehehe! Pfft! It¡¯s just that you not trying to swear was too cute."

    "Wh-What?"

    "You don¡¯t have to force yourself to stop."

    <em>¡¯I have a potty mouth too.¡¯</em>

    Besides, Yeon-Joo was the cutest when she cursed out of embarrassment.

    "I like it when you curse, Yeon-Joo."

    "Y-You do? R-Really?" Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened. She looked around as she pondered and carefully muttered, "S-Son of a bitch."

    "Hehe! Yes! Curse as much as you want!!"

    <em>¡¯That¡¯s my Yeon-Joo!¡¯</em>

    "H-Huhuhu! D-Do you like getting insulted that badly?!"

    "Hehe. Yeah. You¡¯re the cutest and most beautiful when you curse."

    "I-I am?" Yeon-Joo snorted like Echidna and shouted, "Motherfucker! Dipshit!!!"

    "Yes!!! That¡¯s it!"

    <em>¡¯Keep it up, Yeon-Joo!!!¡¯</em>

    "You parent-less fuck!"

    "Huh?"

    <em>¡¯That¡¯s a bit of a low blow.¡¯</em>

    "I at least have a dad!!!"

    <em>¡¯Though I killed him!!!¡¯</em>

    "Yeon-Joo, that kind of insult is a little¡­" said Seol-Ah as she grabbed the excited Yeon-Joo.

    Yeon-Joo blushed and scratched her head. "Oh, s-sorry. I got a little too fired up."

    "Fufu. Take a seat, everyone. It¡¯s ready."

    "I¡¯ll bring Echidna."

    "Okay~"

    Kang-Woo brought Echidna, who had been gaming in her room.

    "Man¡­ just a little more and I could¡¯ve killed the Twin Princes[1]¡­"

    "You can after you eat."

    "Okay!"

    Everyone but Lilith, who was away due to business, sat at the table. Seol-Ah brought the dish out of the oven and ced it on the table.

    "Ta-dah~! This is what I learned from my instructor~!"

    "Bread¡­?"

    A giant load of bread the size of a human thigh was on a tray.

    "Fufu, are you sure it¡¯s bread?"

    Seol-Ah smiled confidently and sliced the bread in half.

    "Wh-Whoa!"

    "Is that meat inside?!"

    A scrumptious b of meat filled the inside of the crispy bread.

    "It¡¯s called a Beef Wellington. The meat inside is tenderloin and ham."

    "This is insane."

    Kang-Woo could never have imagined abination of crispy bread, beef tenderloin, and ham.

    "I¡¯m sure it would taste amazing with kimchi stew."

    "Stop saying stupid shit and eat," Yeon-Joo said sharply.

    Kang-Woo stared at the slice of the Beef Wellington in slight disappointment and took a big bite.

    "It¡¯s so good!!!"

    As expected, Seol-Ah¡¯s cooking was impable.

    ***

    "Huuu, that was a great meal."

    Kang-Woo pounded on his stomach in satisfaction. Even he, who didn¡¯t particrly like Western foods, ate it like there was no tomorrow.

    <em>¡¯It was a bit fatty, though.¡¯</em>

    It was only natural since it was bread, beef, and ham together.

    "At times like this, you need a piping hot pot of kimchi stew¡­"

    ck.

    As Kang-Woo was nning on having kimchi stew for dinner, Lilith walked into the apartment from the front door. She was holding a small sculpture a little bigger than a fist.

    "Wee back."

    "I¡¯m back, my king."

    "What¡¯s that sculpture?"

    It was a crude sculpture that looked simr to a dol hareubang[2] or a Moai statue.

    "Oh, I was nning on talking to you about this," Lilith said as she ced the sculpture on the table and sat down. "yers have been discovering objects like this in the Mega Gate in Egypttely."

    "These Moai-like statues?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "No, theye in different sizes and shapes. Some of them are weapons or armor, and others are masks, totems, or sculptures."

    "So, what is this thing?"

    "From what I¡¯ve heard¡­ they are called <em>relics</em>."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo remembered hearing about relics when he was in the Den of the Night Demons.

    <em>¡¯I believe it had something to do with the Tower of Creation.¡¯</em>

    In any case, humans and demons alike were desperate to find these relics.

    "This¡­ came out of a Gate?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Yes. They are being discovered in a Mega Gate."

    "How big is a Mega Gate?"

    "I heard it¡¯s asrge as the Korean Penins inside."

    "That¡¯s big as fuck."

    It was rare for a Gate to be that massive inside.

    "But I¡¯ve heard the Gate used to berge before the relic was discovered, but nowhere near asrge as it is now," Lilith added.

    "Does that mean the inside of the Gate suddenly expanded?"

    "Yes."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. An inexplicable chill ran down his back.

    "Anyway, relics like these are being discovered in that Gate, right?"

    "Yes, but the problem is¡­" Lilith sighed. "Before we could restrict this information, rumors about these relics have spread to a point that we can no longer block it."

    "What¡­?"

    <em>¡¯That means¡­¡¯</em>

    "yers are going mad trying to acquire these relics for themselves."

    "Oh, I¡¯ve heard about that too." Yeon-Joo raised her hand as she was listening in silence. "These relics or whatever levels the yers up, right?"

    "Oh, you¡¯ve heard about it too, Yeon-Joo?" Lilith asked in surprise.

    "Of course, I¡¯m the master of Red Rose. My guild members have been hounding me to send a survey team there."

    "Did you?"

    "Not yet. I heard it¡¯s a shitshow there right now. People fighting and killing each other¡­ Oh, and there is a weird group of people there, apparently."

    "Weird?"

    "They¡¯ve been picking fights with people, introducing themselves as whatever-star apostles."

    "..." Kang-Woo¡¯s expression hardened.

    <em>¡¯No way.¡¯</em>

    Just like what happened in the Den of the Night Demons, people from the Tower of Creation had leaked into this world.

    <em>¡¯In arge scale this time, no less.¡¯</em>

    "Fuck," Kang-Woo reflexively cursed.

    He had expected it to happen sooner orter. He knew that the other Earth where the Tower of Creation existed was gradually melting together with his Earth.

    <em>¡¯This time, an entire floor of the Tower of Creation might have connected with the Gate.¡¯</em>

    The sudden expansion of the Gate¡¯s interior, the discovery of relics that should only be found in the Tower of Creation, and the appearance of apostles, possessing special powers simr to yers, who worshiped gods like Ishvalda and Helya¡ª everything was falling into ce.

    "I¡¯ll have to investigate this," Kang-Woo remarked.

    "What should I do with this relic?"

    "Just toss it aside somewhere."

    Kang-Woo was sure it would be useless to him. It could level a yer up but he was already at the max level.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Sir! Sir Guardian Deity!!]

    Just then, a blue message window popped up in front of him.

    "Huh? What¡¯s up?"

    [It¡¯s faint, but I can feel the power of a Titan inside that relic!!]

    <em>¡¯What?¡¯</em>

    1. This is referring to Prince Lorian and Lothric in <em>Dark Souls III</em>. ?

    2. Dol hareubang is a statuemonly seen on Jeju Ind. ?

 Side Story Chapter 91: Capture the Relic (2)

    "The power of a Titan is in this thing?"

    Oh Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly lifted the sculpture that looked like a dol hareubang. No one would think something like this would contain such unfathomable power.

    He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Is it¡­ the power of Akart?"

    [I am not sure yet, but I am sure it is the power of a Titan.]

    <em>¡¯Come to think of it, the yers are going crazy over the relics because¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned to Cha Yeon-Joo and asked, "Yeon-Joo. You said this relic levels yers up, right?"

    "Yeah, at least that¡¯s what I was told. You know that yers usually can¡¯t level up further after reaching a level cap until something triggers a break in that cap, right?"

    "Yeah."

    <em>¡¯Though it was so long ago, I don¡¯t remember that well.¡¯</em>"But if they absorb the mana or whatever kind of power is infused in these relics, they can ignore that cap and level up."

    "..."

    "It¡¯s not just for leveling up. Some permanently boost one¡¯s stats and others allow yers to awaken new Traits."

    "No wonder they¡¯re going crazy over it."

    The reward was far better than simple monster hunting.

    "And the weapon and armor-type relics are so overpowered that they leave most Legendary-grade equipment in the dust."

    "..."

    Such effects would be impossible if not for the powers of a Titan infused in them. Kang-Woo examined the sculpture intently and fell into thought.

    "But these relics don¡¯t all have the same effects, right?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Of course not."

    "Then how do you distinguish which is good?"

    "Oh, I heard there¡¯s a way to check." Yeon-Joo took the relic from Kang-Woo. "Just appraise the item like you¡¯re opening a status window."

    Riiing!

    [????????????????????????]

    [¡ï¡ï]

    "You see the stars under the broken characters, right?"

    "Yeah."

    "This is its rank. It¡¯s apparently called a two-star relic."

    "And the higher the better?"

    "Yeah. The highest that¡¯s been discovered is a seven-star relic."

    It was simr to the apostles¡¯ ranking system on the other Earth.

    "How good is a seven-star relic?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "The bastards at Valha are keeping it so under wraps that no one knows."

    Valha was also one of the top five guilds in the world like Red Rose.

    "Seven-star relics give one power on par with Upper Intermediate-rank Deific Essence," answered Lilith, who had been listening leisurely, as she put one leg over the other.

    Yeon-Joo stared at her in surprise. "How do you know that, unnie?"

    "Fufu. I don¡¯t run an intelligence organization for nothing. Getting information from inside Valha is a piece of cake."

    "Holy shit. My members couldn¡¯t find anything even after painstaking research."

    "Just to let you know, I also know everything going on in your guild, Yeon-Joo. Hoho. You¡¯ve been quite busy for a while but things have been getting some time to spare, right?"

    "Wha¡ª"

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s mouth was left agape in disbelief. Not many could escape from Lilith¡¯s eyes other than beings like Akart¡¯s retainers who could assimte with light to move around.

    "In any case, you¡¯re saying high-ranking relics can grant Deific Essence, right?" Kang-Woo asked with shining eyes.

    <em>¡¯Then if I gather those relics¡­¡¯</em>

    He faintly smiled, remembering the spinning roulette.

    "Eve, can you extract the Titan¡¯s power from these relics too?"

    [Yes! The retention rate of these relics is far higher than the nes fromst time, so I should be able to extract much more energy!]

    [?*.?(¨@?¨A)?.*?]

    Eve sent an emoticon full of confidence with shining effects. Kang-Woo clenched his fists.

    "Trait gacha!!"

    ¡¯I got a mid Trait like Astral Projectionst time, but this time¡­¡¯

    "ABYSS WATCHER!!!"

    He could get his SSS-rank Trait or possibly something even greater.

    "What? Abyss what?" asked Yeon-Joo, startled by Kang-Woo¡¯s sudden cheering.

    Han Seol-Ah and Lilith were also staring at him iprehensibly.

    "Hehehehehe," Kang-Woo chuckled, paying them no mind.

    He was already tingling with excitement thinking about the Trait gacha like apulsive gambler.

    <em>¡¯If I¡¯m especially lucky, I might be able to get an EX-rank Trait!¡¯</em>

    Even Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but drool at the thought of getting an EX-rank Trait despite already possessing the unfathomable power that was the Demonic Sea.

    <em>¡¯The Miracle Trait that Seol-Ah used to resurrect Balrog was also EX-rank.¡¯</em>

    Considering that, he needed to get one of the same rank no matter what.

    <em>¡¯Though I bet the chances are low as fuck!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled what Eve had said to him.

    "I need to be¡­ more desperate."

    He needed to believe that it woulde to him.

    "What?" Yeon-Joo asked.

    "I¡¯ll get it!! I¡¯ll get it this time for sure!!!"

    "Get what?"

    "Yeon-Joo!!! You believe your oppa, don¡¯t you?!!"

    "For fuck¡¯s sake, did you take a bullet to the head? What the fuck have you been talking about since earlier?!"

    "Just believe! Believe me just one more time!!!"

    <em>¡¯Just one more pull! This¡¯ll be thest one, I swear!!!¡¯</em>

    ***

    It was chaos.

    "Hey! Stop pushing!!!"

    "Move, you sons of bitches!!"

    "The fuck are you on about?! I was first!"

    "We¡¯re not in a fucking amusement park! There¡¯s no such thing as firste first served here!"

    People were pushing and cursing at each other.

    "Motherfucker!"

    "Wanna go, huh?!"

    "Yeah, let¡¯s fucking go!"

    "Fucking bring it!!"

    <em>Bash!!</em>

    The two yers who were making a scene began to fight each other.

    "Fucking hell," Kang-Woo muttered as he witnessed the hellscape on par with the Nine Hells. "What a goddamn shitshow."

    "I¡¯ve heard the rumors, but this is pretty bad."

    "E-Everyone here is a yer, aren¡¯t they?"

    "Hohoho. This reminds me of Hell."

    Yeon-Joo, Seol-Ah, and Lilith gave their thoughts as they witnessed the chaos. Kang-Woo quickly flew to Egypt as soon as he heard the news about the relics before other yers could take them all, taking his three lovers who were with him at the time. It had been a while since he formed a party with just them.

    "Good thing we didn¡¯t take Echidna with us," Kang-Woo expressed.

    Echidna did not follow them because she needed to stream.

    "Holy crap, are we in a warzone or something?" Yeon-Joo shook her head with her mouth agape.

    Thousands of yers of various ethnicities, nationalities, genders, and ages were fighting to enter a pyramid.

    "A-Are the relics worth this much?" Seol-Ah asked in confusion as she looked at Kang-Woo.

    "I mean, I don¡¯t me them considering how valuable the relics are."

    To yers, one¡¯s level was an absolute indicator of one¡¯s strength since leveling came with boosts in stats and new Trait skills. Even if the relics weren¡¯t used to level up, the power infused in the equipment-type relics far surpassed that of Legendary-grade equipment.

    <em>¡¯Of course, they¡¯d go crazy over them.¡¯</em>

    Even if the yer didn¡¯t want to use it, they could easily be sold for billions if they were sold.

    "At least it hasn¡¯t turned into a ughterhouse¡­"

    yers were still holding on to their sense of reason. None of them who were fighting were taking out their weapons, likely because they knew the situation would be uncontroble if they started killing each other. They stuck to fighting with their fists.

    <em>¡¯But it¡¯s a shitshow nheless.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head.

    Yeon-Joo sighed and clicked her head, saying, "Seeing this, I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t send any of my members here. It would¡¯ve been a mess if they came here."

    Things would undoubtedly get worse if a member of Red Rose were to join the fray.

    "But why isn¡¯t the crowd getting smaller?" Yeon-Joo wondered.

    Seol-Ah agreed. "That¡¯s what I was thinking. I wonder if something happened?"

    There was a massive wave of yers but people around the entrance were not moving. Kang-Woo and the others stepped back from the crowd and observed the entrance.

    <em>Bash! Punch!</em>

    "No one may enter the Gate without permission."

    "Kurgh!"

    They saw yers getting beaten up and pushed away from the entrance.

    "Who the hell are those guys?" Kang-Woo wondered.

    A group of people wearing silver armor straight out of a Middle Ages fantasy novel was attacking people trying to enter the Gate and pushing them back. There were about two hundred of them, which was far less than the number of yers gathered at the pyramid entrance, but each of them was far stronger than the average yer.

    "Huh? Those guys are from Valha!" said Yeon-Joo, noticing the symbol of crossed swords on the shoulder te of the yers¡¯ silver armor.

    "Valha has no right to block the entrance!"

    "He¡¯s right! It¡¯s illegal for anyone but Guardians to regte Gate entry!"

    The yers shoutedints at the Valha members blocking the Gate entrance. The yers in silver armor grimaced as the yers continued to swarm the entrance.

    "Did you not hear us saying you may not enter?!"

    <em>Bash! Crack!</em>

    "Kurgh!"

    "Argh!!! M-My leg!!"

    "Urgh!"

    The yers swarming the entrance were beaten up and pushed back by the Valha members again.

    "Ngh¡­"

    The yers nced at each other and began stepping away from the entrance, intimidated by the Valha members. They could easily defeat the Valha members if the thousands of them worked together but there was no way yers blinded by greed for the relics would work together.

    "Any otherints?"

    Arge man who seemed to be of high rank among the Valha members red intimidatingly at the yers. The yers flinched and stepped away.

    "W-We¡¯ll be reporting this to Guardians!"

    "Damn scumbags!"

    yers were only timidly cursing at the Valha members¡ª no one was willing to fight them.

    "Wow, what a performance they¡¯re putting on." Kang-Woo chuckled as he witnessed the scene. "Let¡¯s head inside."

    "What about Valha? Are you gonna beat them all up?" asked Yeon-Joo with a frown. "That¡¯s gonna turn out badly down the road."

    Valha was one of thergest guilds in the world and had dozens of affiliate guilds under their wing. Kang-Woo could easily deal with the members blocking the Gate but he and his group would have to deal with all sorts of trouble with them while searching for the relics.

    Lilith crossed her arms and suggested, "How about we use our positions as Guardians members?"

    As the yers mentioned, no one but Guardians was allowed to regte Gate entry. They would have no choice but to disperse if it was used to pressure them.

    "But if we do that, we¡¯ll get an earful from sister-inw once it deals a massive blow to our finances."

    Valha, like other major guilds, supported Guardians with funding and high-level yers. They might cut off their support if Guardians members threatened them.

    <em>¡¯We have to keep good hold of our piggy bank.¡¯</em>

    Guardians used an astronomical amount of money to run. There was no need to go out of their way to sever their rtionship with one of their piggy banks.

    "Then what do you suggest?" Lilith asked.

    "Not sure." Kang-Woo thought about a way to get past the Valha members without causing unnecessary trouble with them. "Mmm¡­ we need some decent scapegoats."

    Kang-Woo looked around for people suitable for the role.

    "For fuck¡¯s sake, this is the problem with major guilds. We came all this way for nothing¡­ Huh? What¡¯s this?"

    "Dayum, what a sight!"

    A group of nasty-looking yers smiled wickedly as they stared at Kang-Woo¡¯s group. To be more specific, they were staring at Lilith, Seol-Ah, and Yeon-Joo.

    "Hehehe. Looks like the treasure wasn¡¯t in the Gate but out here."

    "Hey, prettydies~ why don¡¯t you hang out with us~?"

    The men approached the group with lecherous smiles, drooling as they stared at the three women. Kang-Woo smiled widely as he stared at the mening their way.

    "Found them."

    <em>¡¯Forget same-day delivery. Get ready for same-minute delivery.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 92: Capture the Relic (3)

    Side Story Chapter 92: Capture the Relic (3)

    "Wow, how did you guys appear at the perfect time?!"

    Oh Kang-Woo weed the five thugs with open arms. They seemed like a party of mediocre yers who came a long way to Egypt in search of relics, blinded by profit.

    "It¡¯s great to see you all, my friends!!! I¡¯ve been looking for people like you!!!" Kang-Woo shouted as he walked toward the thugs.

    "Wh-What?"

    "What¡¯s with this brat?"

    "Is he crazy?"

    They did not expect someone to be happy about their presence instead of running away in fear as usual.

    "Crazy? What are you talking about, my friend?!! Is that any way to be talking to your friend?!!" Kang-Woo shouted.

    "I don¡¯t fucking recall us being friends.""Of course we are! Do you not see how happy I am to see you?!"

    Words couldn¡¯t describe how happy Kang-Woo was to find them. This was probably how a Pokemon trainer felt whening across a legendary Pokemon. Kang-Woo was filled with fascination and surprise.

    "You¡¯re happy¡­ to see us?"

    "Yes!" Kang-Woo nodded. "Seriously, it¡¯s hard to find horndogs as moronic as you guys in this day and age!!"

    "What the fuck did you say?"

    "Come on, try thinking about this logically!! We¡¯re in such a massive crowd! It¡¯s not even a secluded ce, it¡¯s a goddamn in!"

    Not only that but in the vicinity was Valha, one of the greatest guilds in the world. One couldn¡¯t make passes at people so tantly in a ce like this unless their brain cells were almost nonexistent.

    "You guys are fucking amazing!!! You¡¯re the best!"

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t believe how moronic they were¡ª their intelligence level was shockingly low.

    "Hehe, it¡¯s nothing that impressive¡ª Ouch!"

    "Get a grip, you dumbass. That brat is making fun of us." The man who seemed to be the party leader smacked the man scratching his head in embarrassment on the back of his head. "You fucking brat, how dare you disrespect your elders?"

    He took out his weapon as if it was better it turned out this way. Even while taking out his weapon, his gaze was focused on the three women instead of Kang-Woo.

    "Ladies, why don¡¯t we talk somewhere private after you teach your little brother some manners?"

    "Oh? What do you mean by little brother?" Lilith smiled and hugged Kang-WOo from behind. "This man is my husband."

    "Wh-What¡­?"

    The man¡¯s expression was dyed with shock. There was no way a brat who could only be in his teens at most had such a beautiful wife.

    "Hah, do you expect me to believe that bullshit?"

    "Fufu, is that what you think?" Lilith smiled alluringly and gently grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s chin. "How about now?"

    She kissed Kang-Woo for them to see.

    "<em>Gasp¡­</em>"

    "Wh-What the hell?"

    The men were flustered by the tant show of love.

    "Ah, no fair, unnie!"

    "What the hell are you doing in public?!"

    Han Seol-Ah and Cha Yeon-Joo also approached Kang-Woo in surprise.

    "I want to kiss Kang-Woo too."

    Seol-Ah yanked Kang-Woo toward her by his arm and kissed him.

    Yeon-Joo blushed and shouted, "Seol-Ah! Not you too!"

    "Fufu. It¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it? Now, don¡¯t be shy, Yeon-Joo."

    "W-Wait! Wait a second, unnie!"

    "Hohoho. No need to be embarrassed."

    Lilith pulled Yeon-Joo toward Kang-Woo and made her stick to him. Despite mumblingints, Yeon-Joo carefully embraced Kang-Woo¡¯s arm.

    "..."

    "H-Hyung-nim¡­ is this a dream?"

    The thugs flirting with the three women were left with their mouths agape in disbelief. All three of the women seemed to be in a romantic rtionship with the boy.

    "Fuck¡­" An overwhelming sense of defeat suddenly flooded the party leader. He gritted his teeth and clenched his ax as hard as possible to quell his rage. "That¡¯s enough, dammit."

    "Hehe, what? You jealous?"

    Kang-Woo cackled as he stared at the shaking party leader.

    "Motherfucker!"

    The man ferociously swung his ax at Kang-Woo¡¯s head, which Kang-Woo easily grabbed.

    "Well, that¡¯s enough ying around." He smirked nastily. "You horndogs are gonna help me."

    ***

    <em>Mumble, mumble.</em>

    "This is going too far!"

    "He¡¯s right!"

    yers were still gathered in front of the Gate entrance, unable to let go of their greed for the relics, and yelling at the Valha guild members.

    "I said you may not enter."

    The guild members in silver armor continued to block the entrance with cold expressions while the yers were ncing at each other, reluctant to attack.

    Dash¡ª!

    Just then, a man who looked to be a thug charged out from the group of yers and ran toward the Gate.

    "No, you don¡¯t!"

    Each Valha member guarding the Gate entrance was nearly Ranker-level yers¡ª they would not be caught off guard by something like this.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    One of the Valha members softly clenched his fist and punched the charging man.

    "I believe I said you may not enter without permission."

    Since the punch was to intimidate, he did not add much strength to it.

    "Kurgh! <em>Cough! Cough!!</em>"

    "Huh?"

    However, the man who was punched suddenly coughed up a fountain of blood.

    "Wh-What the hell?"

    There was so much blood that the Valha guild member was more surprised. He looked down at his fist and then the surroundings in disbelief.

    "H-Hyung!!!"

    Just then, a ck-haired teenage boy shoved the yers aside and hugged the copsed man.

    "N-No!!! Get a hold of yourself, hyung!!!"

    "Kurgh, urghh, guh!"

    The boy frantically shook the man¡¯s shoulders. The man groaned painfully and continued to vomit blood.

    "<em>Waaaaaahhh!!!</em> N-No, hyung!!! Don¡¯t dieeeeeeeee!!!" the boy yelled.

    The nearby yers gathered around the Valha member who punched the man.

    "N-No. I¡­ I wasn¡¯t trying to kill him."

    The Valha member shook his head in bewilderment.

    "Sniff!! Waaaaahh¡­ You said you would find a relic and pay for Mom¡¯s hospital bills¡­ W-We promised to live happily as a family again, the three of us!!!"

    The ck-haired boy bawled his eyes out with the man in his arms.

    "Tsk, tsk."

    "Scumbags¡­"

    "Hah! However major of a guild you are, how could you kill someone?"

    The gazes of the nearby yers turned menacing. They began to jeer at the Valha members blocking the Gate entrance.

    "N-No! There must be a mistake!!" shouted the guild member who struck the man. "I didn¡¯t punch him that hard¡ª"

    "You demon!!!" yelled the ck-haired boy at the guild member. "Why?!! Why did you kill my hyung?!!"

    "Like I said, I just punched him lightly¡ª"

    "Are you saying my hyung died just from a light punch? Huh? Is that what you¡¯re saying?!!"

    "No, but I¡ª"

    "Then what?!! Why is my hyung dead?!!" the boy shouted as he pointed at the dead man covered in blood.

    "Th-Those scumbags!"

    "I didn¡¯t expect Valha to be capable of such brutality!!"

    "BOO¡ª!!!"

    The yers jeered as they slowly approached the Valha members.

    "Bring him back!!! Bring my brother back, you scumbags!!"

    "What did that boy do so wrong to deserve this?!"

    Public opinion worsened drastically. Resentment far worse than when Valha blocked the entrance filled the air.

    "N-No!"

    "All of you, calm down!"

    "Y-You may not enter without permission!"

    The Valha members shouted in bewilderment once the atmosphere suddenly grew far worse. One of the members at the front took out his weapon.

    "I knew it!!!" the boy shouted and pointed as soon as he saw the weapon. "You were nning on killing us all from the start, weren¡¯t you?!"

    "Wh-What?"

    "Kill my hyung, me, and everyone else here!!"

    "N-No, you have it wrong¡ª"

    However major the guild was, a yer killing someone with no justifiable cause was a massive issue.

    "Liar!! You¡¯re all liars!!!"

    The boy lowered his head in tears.

    "I-I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t think he would die from that¡ª"

    "Bring him back!!! Bring my hyung baaaaaaack!!!"

    "I¡­"

    The Valha guild members nced at each other, not knowing what to do.

    "Are we just going to stand here and do nothing?!!"

    "This little boy lost his older brother!!!"

    "Can you imagine how sad he must be?!"

    Sympathy for the little boy spread throughout the crowd. The eyes of the yers around the entrance filled with a sense of justice.

    "You incorrigible scumbags!!!"

    "Did you want to monopolize the relics that badly?!!"

    "You bastards are worse than scum!!!"

    The yers took out their weapons one after another.

    "A-All of you calm down!!"

    "Valha will not hold back once you take out your weapons!"

    The Valha guild members quickly threatened the yers.

    "Big words for the ones who killed someone first!"

    "Resorting to shameless threats shows just how terrible Valha is!!"

    The little boy stood up as the tension in the air was palpable.

    "AHHHHH!!! BRING MY HYUNG BAAAAAAAACK!!!"

    The boy raised his older brother¡¯s ax with great difficulty and ran toward the Valha guild members.

    "Shit!"

    The guild members did not use their fists to prevent the same incident from happening again and instead grabbed the boy¡¯s arm to restrain him. However¡­

    <em>Pierce!</em>

    "AARRGGHHH!!!"

    "Huh?"

    The hand of one of the guild members identally made contact with the ax as he stretched it out to grab the boy¡¯s arm, causing the boy to lose his grip on the ax. The falling ax unfortunately stabbed the boy¡¯s chest.

    "A-Are you okay?!"

    The Valha guild member approached the boy in shock. The boy staggered and vomited blood.

    "All I wanted¡­ was to live happily ever after with my family¡­"

    A single tear flowed down the boy¡¯s cheek.

    "Ah¡­" The boy swayed toward the yers staring at him in shock. He stretched out his hand and muttered, "I don¡¯t¡­ wanna die. <em>Sniff!</em> I don¡¯t wanna die¡­"

    The boy copsed.

    "RAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    "CRAZY MOTHERFUCKERS!!!"

    "HOW COULD YOU KILL SUCH A YOUNG BOY?!!"

    The tension broke. The yers, with their weapons out, ferociously charged at the Valhja guild members.

    "YOU SONS OF BITCHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!"

    "YOU BASTARDS AREN¡¯T HUMAN!!!"

    "YOU¡¯RE WORSE THAN BEASTS!!!"

    Chaos fell at the Gate entrance in an instant. Thousands of yers fought against the hundreds of Valha guild members.

    "Up we go."

    The boy stood up in the middle of the battlefield and pulled out the ax stabbed into his chest. Everyone was so focused on the battle that no one noticed him walking past them. Kang-Woo walked toward his party members, standing by at a distance from the chaos.

    "Sorry for making you wait. Let¡¯s head inside."

    All the Valha guild members guarding the entrance left to join the battle, leaving the entrance empty.

    Kang-Woo stretched with a smile of satisfaction. "Looks like we can head inside without causing trouble for Guardians and us."

    "Hah¡­" Yeon-Joo, who was following Kang-Woo into the pyramid, chuckled bafflingly. She looked back at the yers fighting each other outside the entrance and mumbled, "What the hell is this shitshow¡­?"

    Kang-Woo turned back to face her and smiled. "Justice is usually way easier to take advantage of than malice."

    "..."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s humming echoed throughout the empty pyramid tunnel.

 Side Story Chapter 93: Capture the Relic (4)

    "Sheesh, there¡¯s no end in sight."

    "It¡¯s as wide as the Korean Penins, after all."

    Kang-Woo and his party were weed by a thick forest filled with trees that did not exist on Earth as soon as they entered the Gate.

    Han Seol-Ah asked as she looked around, "How will we find relics in this big ce?"

    "Just a second."

    Kang-Woo got on one knee and ced his hand on the ground. He closed his eyes and focused.

    <em>¡¯Authority of the Beholder.¡¯</em>

    The Authority allowed Kang-Woo to immediately have a full image of the terrain in his mind. Information about several kilometers of forest terrain as well as the various lifeforms in it poured into him like a tidal wave.

    "Urgh¡­" Kang-Woo winced.His brain felt like it would explode. He had be one with the Demonic Sea but that didn¡¯t mean his brain¡¯s processing speed increased.

    "Haaa."

    Lifeforms roaming around the forest such as animals and monsters, people, insects on the ground and trees, and even corpses buried under the dirt¡ª an enormous amount of information tore his brain apart.

    "Nothing here¡­"

    Kang-Woo slowly opened his eyes and shook his head. He searched several kilometers using the Authority of the Beholder but couldn¡¯t find anything that looked like a relic.

    "Maybe this area has been cleaned out," Cha Yeon-Joo wondered, tilting her head.

    Kang-Woo shrugged and shook his head. "Maybe, but¡­ it might be just that I can¡¯t find them with my Authority."

    "Come to think of it, the same thing happened back in Singapore," Lilith noted.

    Authorities like the Beholder and Insight couldn¡¯t detect the powers of a Titan.

    Lilith stepped forward and said, "One moment, please. Let me try searching as well."

    Lilith surpassed Kang-Woo when it came to gathering information. The range at which she could wasn¡¯t as wide as Kang-Woo but she might be able to find the relics.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    Lilith¡¯s hair extended and crawled across the ground in all directions like snakes.

    "Mmm¡­" Lilith groaned with his eyes closed. She sighed as she shook her head and continued, "It looks like I can¡¯t find anything with my abilities either."

    Kang-Woo nodded in disappointment.

    "Now what do we do?" Yeon-Joo asked.

    "Well¡­ there¡¯s no other way." Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. "We¡¯ll have to search on foot."

    "The fuck? You want to look for it normally?" Yeon-Joo asked in shock.

    The chances of finding relics with no help in this massive ce were despairingly low.

    "That¡¯s how the other yers found them. It at least means they¡¯re easy to distinguish."

    The relics were mostly in the shape of totems like the one Lilith brought, weapons, or armor. Such things would stand out in a forest, hence it was not as impossible as one would think.

    "I guess it¡¯s going to take a while." Seol-Ah rummaged through a backpack she brought and continued, "Maybe I should¡¯ve brought more food and cooking utensils."

    "I mean, we don¡¯t need food to survive anymore. Don¡¯t worry about it, Darling."

    "But we don¡¯t know how many days we¡¯ll have to spend here¡­"

    "Hehehe. I¡¯m full just from looking at you, Darling."

    "Oh, you." Seol-Ah lightly jabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s side and hugged his arm.

    "Jeez, get a room." Yeon-Joo clicked her tongue and shook her head.

    Kang-Woo smirked and walked forward, holding hands with Seol-Ah.

    "Alright, let¡¯s go catch us some relics!"

    The sun was beaming down on them, the leaves rustled from the gentle winds, and the chirping of birds echoed throughout the forest.

    <em>¡¯I might as well treat it like a stroll in the park!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo hummed as he walked through the forest.

    ***

    "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!" Screams echoed throughout the forest. "WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE RELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICS?!!"

    Five days passed since Kang-Woo and his party entered the Gate. They had been searching for relics leisurely as if they were on a stroll at first but they did not find anything after five whole days.

    "C-Calm down, Kang-Woo." The sweating Seol-Ah grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder.

    "For God¡¯s sake, why don¡¯t you quiet down over there? Do you think you¡¯re the only one who hasn¡¯t found relics?"

    A party also searching for relics not far from them red at Kang-Woo.

    "What¡¯d you fucking say to me?"

    "I-I mean, uhh¡­ I¡¯m just saying we should both do our best."

    The person from the other party slowly walked away in pallor once Kang-Woo red at him while exuding a small amount of demonic energy.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo sighed.

    Yeon-Joo sat down on a rock and swept her long red hair back. "We¡¯ve seen nothing but people. Where are the goddamn relics?"

    "I¡¯ll say."

    Kang-Woo and the others were currently at the center of the Gate where Valha had found the seven-star relic. They had flown here because they heard it was where the most relics could be found but all that was here were people who hade from who knows where.

    "But there were some parties who found relics," said Lilith with her finger on her lip.

    The rumor that most relics were found here did not seem to be fake.

    "That¡¯s why it pisses me off more," Kang-Woo remarked.

    <em>¡¯Why am I the only one who can¡¯t find any?¡¯</em>

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Obviously, because you¡¯recking desperation¡ª]

    "Shut up."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in irritation and swiped the message window away. Just then, men who looked like they would have wanted to be human traffickers when they grew up walked out from thick bushes.

    "Well, well, well~ have you guys found any relics yet?" one of them asked.

    There were five of them, the same number as the party of moronic horndogs Kang-Woo met outside the Gate. They were all bald and had an entric tattoo drawn from the crown of their head to their neck.

    "Hehehe. I hope you got some."

    "Who the hell are you guys?" Kang-Woo frowned at the five bald men.

    They snickered for some reason and crumpled their already nasty faces.

    "We are the apostles of Oceiros, the God of Plundering."

    "You¡¯ve heard the name, correct?"

    "...?"

    Kang-Woo had never heard of Oceiros before.

    <em>¡¯Wait, apostles?¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone. <em>¡¯They¡¯re from the Tower of Creation.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo had said some people calling themselves apostles were attacking yers.

    <em>¡¯The God of Plundering, huh?¡¯</em>

    They were likely the ones Yeon-Joo was talking about.

    "Hm? What? You don¡¯t know us?"

    "Oh, maybe they¡¯re those people! Uhh¡­ what did they call themselves? Oh, right! The crazy people who call themselves yers!"

    The ones calling themselves apostles were crazy to yers but it was the other way around in the apostles¡¯ perspective.

    "Hehe, who cares?"

    "All we need is their relics."

    The men smiled wickedly and approached Kang-Woo and the others.

    "Gehehe! Now, you can avoid bloodshed as long as you hand over your relics¡ª KUUUUURGHHH!!"

    "We don¡¯t have any relics to give, motherfuckers," Kang-Woo remarked.

    There was no need to listen to those who had approached them for obvious reasons. Kang-Woo ran up to the closest apostle in a sh and stuck his hand into the apostle¡¯s chest. Kang-Woo¡¯s hand came out of the apostle¡¯s back, his heart still beating in Kang-Woo¡¯s hand. Kang-Woo crushed the heart.

    "Fuck!"

    "We could¡¯ve handled this by talking like civilized men!"

    The apostles of Oceiros grimaced as they took out their weapons.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The entric tattoos drawn on their bald heads shone purple.

    Kang-Woo answered, "You can talk as much as you like with your parents in the afterlife."

    He kicked the apostle¡¯s corpse aside and spread out his arms. His palms split and ck des shot out from them. Two of the apostles of Oceiros were shouting something but they were beheaded by the des before Kang-Woo could hear them. Their hairless heads flew into the air.

    "I¡¯m craving some hard-boiled eggs."

    The two heads rolled across the ground nicely, likely because theck of hair reduced friction.

    "E-Eek!!! Wh-What the fuck?!"

    One of the two remaining apostles quickly turned around and ran after realizing something was wrong.

    <em>tter¡ª!</em>

    "Good thing you guys showed up. I was getting pissed off."

    Red chains wrapped the apostle¡¯s limbs.

    "Die."

    Yeon-Joo snapped her fingers and the chains tore the apostle¡¯s limbs apart.

    "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Thest apostle screamed in terror and quickly ran in Seol-Ah¡¯s direction.

    "S-Stay away, motherfuckers!!! I¡¯ll kill this bitch!!!" he shouted as he pointed a sharp de at Seol-Ah¡¯s neck.

    "Poor thing¡­"

    "He chose Seol-Ah of all people¡­"

    Kang-Woo and Yeon-Joo clicked their tongues, pitying the apostle.

    "Wh-What?"The apostle looked around in confusion, being met with a reaction different than what he expected.

    "..." Seol-Ah gritted her teeth as he stared at the man¡¯s hand grabbing her arm. The light in her eyes vanished. "...uch me."

    "Wh-What did you say?"

    "I said, only Kang-Woo is allowed to touch me," Seol-Ah said chillingly.

    "H-Huh?"

    The apostle stepped back after an uneasy feeling swept over him.

    <em>Tssssssss¡ª!!</em>

    "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" the apostle screamed as his flesh decayed rapidly.

    <em>Crack, crack!</em>

    The apostle¡¯s limbs fell to the ground like rotten tree branches. He copsed as he screamed madly and died.

    "Holy fuck¡­" Kang-Woo prayed for the apostle in his mind after seeing him dying horribly even by his standards.

    "Kang-Woo¡­ that man touched me."

    "There, there. Don¡¯t worry, Darling. I¡¯ll clean you up."

    Kang-Woo grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s arm and blew on it as if he were blowing dust away. The light in her eyes came back and she smiled.

    "Hehe. It tickles~"

    "Haha. All better now, right?"

    "Yes, Kang-Woo."

    As he continued to blow on Seol-Ah¡¯s arm, Lilith¡¯s eyes widened as she was examining the apostles¡¯ corpses.

    "Oh, my king."

    "Huh?"

    She picked up two sculptures that were both slightly bigger than the one they had seen a few days ago and a round shield that could cover an entire arm.

    "These are relics," Lilith replied.

    <em>¡¯Eh? We found relics? Just like that? Not just one but three?¡¯</em>

    "Holy fuck, it¡¯s for real! Open the item status window right now!" Yeon-Joo shouted as she approached the sculptures and touched them.

    Kang-Woo did as she said.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [??????????????????]

    [¡ï¡ï¡ï]

    [????????????????]

    [¡ï¡ï¡ï]

    [????????????????????????????]

    [¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï]

    The two sculptures were three-star relics and the round shield was a four-star relic.

    "SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEET!!!"

    Sparks traveled throughout Kang-Woo. He had finally found relics that he had not seen a trace of for the past five days.

    "Eve, can I pull for a Trait with this much?" he asked as he grabbed the relics.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Yes! You should be able to pull once with this much!!]

    "HELL FUCKING YEAH!"

    Eve had mentioned the retention and absorption efficiency of the relics for the power of a Titan was high but he did not expect to be able to pull the Trait gacha when he had to offer seven nesst time.

    "Then let¡¯s do it right away¡­ no."

    Kang-Woo shook his head.

    <em>¡¯I might be able to get more.¡¯</em>

    It would be better to pull for several Traits after getting as many as possible.

    "Anyway, it looks like we hit the jackpot." Kang-Woo hummed with a smile.

    "Are you that happy?" Yeon-Joo chuckled as she looked at Kang-Woo but grimaced once the five corpses came into her view. "That aside, I guess there will always be people like this, whether they¡¯re from Earth or the Tower."

    "Of course."

    Kang-Woo recalled the five thugs he met outside the Gate. They had also tried to take others¡¯ belongings, blinded by greed. Although they were from different worlds, they were humans all the same.

    "Wait¡­ the same?" Kang-Woo softly gasped. The irrefutable truth struck him like a lightning bolt. He clenched his fists and shouted, "Yeah¡­ that¡¯s it!!! Desire¡­! Desire was the key!!"

    The yers outside the Gate and the apostles inside the Gate were from different worlds but they were both blinded by desire and tried to take what was not theirs.

    "Ahh¡­ yes. We¡¯re from different worlds, but we were¡¾one¡¿from the start."

    Humans from Earth and the Tower were never different. Theymunicated and sympathized with one another through desire. In other words¡­

    "Desire¡­"

    It could be considered the true love for humanity that could unite us all.

    "What the fuck are you talking about?" Yeon-Joo asked.

    "Huhu. I¡¯ve figured it out, Yeon-Joo."

    Humans, whether they were from Earth, the Gctic Federation, or the Tower, were cut from the same cloth and wererades.

    Kang-Woo shouted firmly, "We have a sacred duty to spread this love for humanity!!"

    "Is he alright in the head?" Yeon-Joo asked Lilith as she tilted her head.

    Lilith also tilted her head in confusion.

    "Alright! Let¡¯s go, Yeon-Joo!!! To unite humanity!! We have to share this precious emotion with everyone!!!"

    Kang-Woo used the Authority of the Beholder to search the surroundings. He couldn¡¯t detect relics with it but could detect people.

    "Alright! Found them!!!"

    He found the apostles of Oceiros with entric tattoos on their bald heads. The five of them were plundering relics from people they came across. Kang-Woo quickly dashed toward the apostles of Oceiros, his heart beating excitedly with the desire to share the love for humanity he had realized. He soon reached the apostles and stood face-to-face with them.

    "Huh? Who the hell is that?" said one of the apostles.

    Kang-Woo smirked and said as he walked toward them, "Well, well, well~ have you guys found any relics yet?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s hand split and a ck de shot out of it.

    He licked his lips as he chuckled, "Hehehe. I hope you got some."

    Human farming¡ª ON.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 94: Capture the Relic (5)

    "What the hell¡¯s with this crazy brat¡­?"

    The apostles of Oceiros chuckled at the teenage boy, who seemed no older than a high schooler, trying to intimidate them.

    "What are you doing, kid?"

    The apostles red at Oh Kang-Woo as theyughed mockingly at him. They were the apostles of Oceiros, the God of Plundering; as hunters who always took what they wanted by force, they were very used to situations like this.

    "I am¡­" Kang-Woo puffed out his chest confidently and elucidated the truth he had realized. "A spreader of true love for humanity."

    "What?"

    "A truth-seeking pilgrim whose mission is to unite humanity of different dimensions and environments."

    <em>¡¯Ahh, yes. You could call me the true messiah of humanity.¡¯</em>

    "The hell? Is he insane?""I think so."

    The bald apostles tilted their heads in confusion as they stared at each other dumbfoundedly.

    "Okay¡­ So what, you crazy brat?"

    One of the apostles, who looked like his face was ground by a millstone, snorted as he approached Kang-Woo and red at him menacingly.

    Stab!

    "GAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Kang-Woo stuck his fingers into the man¡¯s eyes.

    "What else, you motherfuckers?"

    He grabbed the agonizing man¡¯s head and smashed it into the ground. His head exploded like a watermelon and sttered across the ground. Kang-Woo smiled widely as blood spewed like a fountain around him.

    "Hand over everything you have, shiny-headed pieces of shit."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s gleaming eyes were full of endless love for humanity.

    "Wh-What the fuck?!"

    "Prepare for battle!!!"

    The four remaining apostles hurriedly took out their weapons.

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!</em>

    The entric tattoos on their bald heads shone purple like the group Kang-Woo hade across earlier, meaning they were on the same side.

    <em>¡¯In other words¡­¡¯</em>

    There was a good chance they also had relics.

    "Hehehehe," Kang-Woo giggled greedily. He licked the de protruding from his palm and continued, "You can avoid bloodshed as long as you hand over your relics."

    "Fuck you!"

    "Kill that fucking brat!"

    The expressions of the apostles crumpled, hearing their usual lines spat back at them.

    "O Oceiros, God of Plundering! Grant us the power to plunder the lives of our enemies!"

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!</em>

    The entric tattoo shone purple. The apostles¡¯ muscles swelled abnormally and they grew to three meters in height. The apostles, covered in muscles like Balrog, bared their teeth and charged at Kang-Woo.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    Craters formed with each ferocious step they took.

    "RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" the apostles roared like beasts as they raised their double-edged axes.

    <em>Slice!</em>

    "Kurgh!! Gah!"

    However, they were no match for Kang-Woo no matter how ferocious they were. Kang-Woo easily beheaded one of the apostles after cutting his ax in half and looked down at the giant corpse with great interest.

    "Looks like you guys have a muscle augmentation ability."

    The apostles of Ishvalda could control lightning and the apostles of Helya could control fire.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m starting to get it.¡¯</em>

    A worshiper was granted powers by the god they worshiped and were categorized by stars based on the amount of powers they were granted.

    <em>¡¯Kinda like levels for a yer.¡¯</em>

    Kim Tae-Ho, the man whom Kang-Woo met at the Temple of Truth, introduced himself as a seven-star apostle of Ishvalda.

    "What star apostles of Oceiros are you guys?"

    "Sh-Shit!"

    "I-In one blow?!"

    ¡¯Huh?¡¯

    "I said, what star apostles are you guys?"

    "W-We can¡¯t win!!"

    "Hello? Can you hear me?"

    "Scatter!!"

    "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! HOW DARE YOU BASTARDS IGNORE ME?!"

    "E-Eek!! H-He¡¯s insane!!"

    "I AM THE MISSIONARY OF HUMANITYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    Kang-Woo chased after the apostles who scattered in three different directions but did not go out of his way to chase all three.

    "<em>Sigh</em>, that crazy son of a bitch."

    "Mmm¡­ I l-love¡­ that side of K-Kang-Woo as¡­ well. Yes! I sure do!"

    The sighing Cha Yeon-Joo and Han Seol-Ah who was nodding with an awkward smile neutralized the apostles who went left and right. Kang-Woo caught the apostle who ran in the opposite direction and beat him up mercilessly.

    "WHAT DID I JUST ASK?!!"

    "Kurgh! Urgh! Argh! P-Please spare me!!"

    "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! YOU¡¯RE IGNORING ME AGAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!!!"

    Kang-Woo smashed the apostle¡¯s head into the dirt and ground it against the ground.

    "Gah! Kurgh! Krrrk!"

    The apostle¡¯s nose broke and the skin on his cheekbones and lips ripped off.

    "Ah¡­"

    Kang-Woo realized he got too worked up only after the apostle turned out unrecognizable.

    "Don¡¯t worry, man. You¡¯ll be alright," he consoled the apostle as he patted his shoulder. "You were fugly before this anyway. You¡¯re not much different from before!"

    "Hurgh, <em>waaaaah</em>."

    The apostle burst into tears, likely because he was so moved by Kang-Woo¡¯s consoling words. His tears mixed with the blood pouring from his mangled cheeks and fell to the ground.

    "So, what star apostles are you guys?" Kang-Woo asked again.

    "W-We are¡­ f-five-star apostles of Oceiros."

    <em>¡¯Five-star, huh? They¡¯re a bit lower than Kim Tae-Ho.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo honestly couldn¡¯t tell the difference between the five apostles and Tae-Ho because they felt the same by his standards.

    <em>¡¯Nah, Kim Tae-Ho was at least stronger than this.¡¯</em>

    Seven-star relics apparently granted power close to Deific Essence. Tae-Ho had also shown enough power to deal damage even to those with Deific Essence in his <em>Ultracharge </em>state.

    <em>¡¯If Ipare the average yer to the average apostle¡­ apostles are probably stronger.¡¯</em>

    yers couldn¡¯t hurt those with Deific Essence other than a select few so apostles were likely stronger on average.

    <em>¡¯I mean, it¡¯s all the same in the end.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shrugged and gripped the apostle¡¯s shoulder tighter, his fingers digging into the apostle¡¯s flesh as if his hand were a hydraulic press. A little tighter and the apostle¡¯s shoulder would be crushed.

    Kang-Woo cackled and whispered into the apostle¡¯s ear, "So¡­ do you have some relics, my man? Hm? Be honest. Contrary to my actions, I¡¯m not a bad person."

    "Huff, huff, huff! P-Please¡­ s-spare me. S-Spare me."

    The apostle of Oceiros trembled in pallor. It was odd to see how a three-meter muscr giant was trembling in fear from a high school boy but no one here could deny that the boy was far more monstrous than any demon of Pandemonium.

    "Oh, you~ you¡¯re hurting my feelings, you know? When did I ever say I was going to kill you? Just give me all the relics you have and we can all be happy! Okay?"

    "N-Ngh."

    "Besides, they¡¯re all ones you stole from others, aren¡¯t they?"

    The hesitant apostle gulped and pointed somewhere with trembling hands.

    "Th-They¡¯re over there."

    There was arge bag where he was pointing. Kang-Woo gestured to Lilith with her eyes and she examined the bag.

    "My, there are four this time."

    "Lemme check their ranks." Yeon-Joo approached Lilith to check the relics¡¯ ranks. "Two four-stars and two three-stars."

    "Kehehehehe, very nice."

    <em>¡¯¡¯That¡¯s human farming for you. Seven relics already after not finding any for five days!¡¯</em>

    It was a bit of a shame that the relics¡¯ ranks were not as high as he had hoped but the profit was more than good enough.

    ¡¯And besides, we¡¯re just getting started."

    Kang-Woo looked down at the apostle of Oceiros greedily.

    "E-Eek!"

    "Hehehe. There¡¯s no way only ten of you came to plunder relics, right? Hm? Where are the others?"

    The apostle shook his head and shouted, "I-I don¡¯t know!! I swear!! We received orders separately in groups, so none of us know where the other groups are!!"

    He did not seem to be lying based on how desperate he sounded.

    <em>¡¯He¡¯s not the kind of person to cover for hisrades either. I¡¯m sure he really doesn¡¯t know.¡¯</em>

    "Is that so? Well, then I guess it can¡¯t be helped." Kang-Woo shrugged and raised his arm, the ck de shining menacingly. "You¡¯ll have to die."

    "Y-You said you would s-spare me if I gave you the relics!!!"

    "No, I didn¡¯t. When did I ever say that? I said we could all be happy if you give me the relics." Kang-Woo smiled and lightly pped the apostle¡¯s bald head. "I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be happier dead than bald."

    "What the fuck are you talking ab¡ª"

    Slice!

    Kang-Woo beheaded theining apostle of Oceiros.

    "Bwehehehehe!! Scumbags are so innocent and cute!" he burst intoughter as he looked down at the apostle¡¯s head, whose eyes were still open and full of hope that he would be spared.

    The reason did not matter since Kang-Woo never had any intention of letting them live.

    "Right, then. Who should I give happiness to next?"

    Kang-Woo hummed as he turned to face the remaining two apostles.

    "Eek! S-Stay away!!!"

    "SAVE UUUUUUSSSSS!!!"

    The apostles screamed in tears.

    "Urgh!! Arghhh!!"

    The apostle chained by Yeon-Joo struggled aggressively but the thorns on the chains sank into his flesh more and more.

    "Kurgh! Gah! Krrrk!"

    "Dayum. I guess he went to find his own happiness."

    The struggling apostle died from severe blood loss soon after. Kang-Woo chuckled and turned to the remaining apostle who was on the ground, unable to move due to Seol-Ah¡¯s curse magic, flinching.

    "Right, then. It¡¯s your turn now¡ª"

    "L-Listen!! I have information!!!"

    "Hm?" Kang-Woo tilted his head as he was about to finish the apostle off. "What information?"

    "A ten-star relic!!! It¡¯s lying dormant somewhere on this floor!!!"

    "Ten stars?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone. A seven-star relic could exert power on par with Deific Essence so he couldn¡¯t imagine what a ten-star relic could do.

    <em>¡¯It would be a massive score if I find it.¡¯</em>

    He was naturally interested in the information.

    "Where is it? No, I doubt you guys would be plundering if you already knew. Just tell me everything you know about that ten-star relic."

    "H-Hehehe," the apostle chuckled and raised his head confidently as if he had seized the initiative once he saw Kang-Woo was interested. "If you want to know, release me from this magic this instant!!"

    Kang-Woo smiled and lightly pped the apostle¡¯s head.

    "Come on, you¡¯re gonna be like that? Just tell me about that ten-star relic and I¡¯ll kill you."

    "Hah!! You can¡¯t fool me with your lies! Even if you swear to me that you¡¯ll let me live, I won¡¯t¡­ huh?" The apostle of Oceiros tilted his head in confusion. "You¡¯ll¡­ kill me?"

    "Yup." Kang-Woo nodded without hesitation.

    "Are you taking me for a fool, motherfucker¡­?"

    "Hahaha. Well, I doubt you¡¯d understand at the moment. Don¡¯t worry, though." Kang-Woo smiled as he licked his lips and grabbed the apostle¡¯s head. "You¡¯ll want death more than anyone else soon enough."

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡¯</em>

    "W-Wait!! Wait a second!!!"

    "Bwehehehehe! Alright, shall we start light with a finger?"

    "N-No!!! PLEAAAAAASE!!!" the apostle screamed.

    "..." Yeon-Joo remained silent as she bore witness to a sight hard to bear. She turned to Seol-Ah and said cautiously, "Umm, Seol-Ah."

    "Y-Yeah?"

    "We¡¯re punishing bad guys who are killing yers and stealing their relics, right?¡¯

    "Y¡­ Yeah." Seol-Ah nodded as she smiled awkwardly.

    "But¡­" Yeon-Joo stared at the screaming apostle of Oceiros and Kang-Wooughing maniacally. "Why does he seem like more of a bad guy?"

    "..."

    There was no response.

 Side Story Chapter 95: Capture the Relic (6)

    "Ta-dah! It¡¯s time for some fun and exciting magic!!" shouted Oh Kang-Woo.

    "..." The apostle of Oceiros lifelessly stared into thin air.

    "Today¡¯s magic trick is~"

    Kang-Woo raised two cups¡ª one was empty and the other was filled with boiling oil.

    "Making this boiling oil disappear!"

    "A-Aaaahh." The apostle groaned in devastation. His lifeless eyes filled with fear. He desperately begged, "N-No. P-Please¡­ stop!"

    "Come on~ what¡¯s wrong? I haven¡¯t even shown you the trick yet!" Kang-Woo confidently pushed the two cups forward. "Alright, take a good look! I know you¡¯ll love it!"

    He cleared his throat and raised the cup with boiling oil inside.

    "As you can see, this cup contains boiling oil."The magician was again performing magic tricks for his one audience member today. He knew only one person was watching but that did not erode his desire to make people smile with his magic tricks.

    "If I tilt this cup and pour its contents into the other cup¡­"

    <em>Sizzle¡ª!!!</em>

    "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    The boiling oil barely missed the empty cup and poured on the apostle¡¯s groin like a fountain. The apostle convulsed violently as his eyes flipped backward.

    "Ta-dah!!! Look!!! Both cups are empty!"

    Kang-Woo showed the inside of the two cups to the panting and trembling apostle. They were naturally empty because Kang-Woo had poured the boiling oil on the apostle.

    "Hehehe! Amazing, right? Hm?"

    "P-Please¡­ s-stop¡­"

    "Huh? What do you mean? Is this not good enough for you? I guess I have no choice¡­ I didn¡¯t want to show you this magic trick, but you¡¯ve forced my hand¡­"

    "...ll me."

    "It¡¯s called dismemberment magic. A person is put in a box and their limbs are cut off and then reattached¡ª huh? What did you say?"

    "K-Kill¡­ me. <em>Waaaaaahhh</em>. Please, just kill me¡­"

    The apostle of Oceiros lowered his head in tears.

    "Bwehehehehe!" Kang-Wooughed in satisfaction and walked leisurely toward the apostle. "Then you know what you have to do, right?"

    "I-I¡¯ll talk¡­ I¡¯ll tell you everything I know!!!"

    "No need for that. Just spit out information about the ten-star relic."

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t care less about anything else.

    "I-I am not certain either since it is all based on rumors, but legends say the¡¾Demonic Sword Midirys dormant in the northernmost ancient ruins of this floor."

    "Demonic Sword?"

    Kang-Woo frowned, feeling displeasure from those two words. He remembered being taken for a ride by Bael with Demonic Sword Ingrium, a sword made from a branch of the corrupted World Tree.

    "And this Midir is the ten-star relic?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Y-Yes! ording to the legends, one swing of the sword turns day to night, and a second swing covers the earth with a ck sea!"

    "Dayum."

    Kang-Woo chuckled. The legend was obviously overblown from how abstract it was rather than in detail.

    <em>¡¯I mean, that¡¯s how all legends are, I guess. But still¡­¡¯</em>

    The fact that there were legends passed down about it confirmed how valuable the relic was.

    <em>¡¯I might be able to awaken five¡­ no, ten Traits.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t choose the Traits but the more pulls he had, the higher the chances he had to pull a high-ranking one.

    "Is ten stars the highest?" Kang-Woo asked.

    He had been curious for a while about how high the star ranking went.

    "O-Of course not. The highest is naturally¡­ twelve stars."

    The apostle stared at Kang-Woo, unable to understand why he would ask something so obvious.

    <em>¡¯Twelve, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone with great interest. Seven stars could damage those with Deific Essence, so he couldn¡¯t imagine how powerful twelve stars would be.

    <em>¡¯Maybe¡­¡¯</em>

    It could be something that surpassed even Kang-Woo¡ª something unfathomable that he had never experienced.

    "Haaa," Kang-Woo exhaled heatedly as extreme hunger that he hadn¡¯t felt in a while burned his throat. He turned to the apostle of Oceiros as he greedily licked his lips and asked, "Does that mean there are twelve-star relics and apostles?"

    "N-No, not anymore."

    "No?"

    "Th-The existence of twelve stars is just passed down as legends. None exist at this moment."

    "Tsk," Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. "What about eleven stars?"

    "Th-That does not exist either."

    "Then is ten stars the highest among the existing relics?"

    The apostle nodded.

    <em>¡¯That¡¯s a shame.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo quelled his extreme hunger and narrowed his eyes.

    "That aside, why didn¡¯t you guys go to find the ten-star relic?"

    There was no reason for them to be plundering here if they knew it was in the northernmost region. No matter how many three to four-star relics they collected, they wouldn¡¯te close to a ten-star relic.

    "Th-That¡¯s because¡­" the apostle averted his gaze from Kang-Woo and continued, "Th-The ce is bustling with the demons of Pandemonium."

    "Demons of Pandemonium?"

    Kang-Woo recalled the Subus Queen saying something about the demons of Pandemonium scouring the Tower for relics.

    "Then you were stealing from the weak because you were scared of the demons?"

    "Th-That¡¯s¡­ correct." The apostle lowered his head in shame.

    "I see."

    Kang-Woo nodded; he more or less understood.

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t think I can get much else from him.¡¯</em>

    It was time to fulfill his promise.

    "Okay. Thanks for the info."

    Kang-Woo ced his hand on the dejected apostle¡¯s head. He gripped hard and the apostle¡¯s head exploded.

    "What shall we do now, my king?" Lilith asked after putting the relics they collected in a bag. "Will we be heading north?"

    "No," replied Kang-Woo as he slowly turned around and shook his head. "I can¡¯t outright trust what this guy said."

    He wanted the ten-star relic but he stillcked far too much information to just head north without looking back.

    "Then¡­"

    "I¡¯ll ask a few more of these guys whether or not it¡¯s true, and farm some more in the process."

    Kang-Woo licked his lips and put the bag filled with relics over his shoulder.

    ***

    Kang-Woo invested one more day into hunting the apostles of Oceiros and acquired four more relics.

    "Hehe. Good, good."

    They were all low-ranking three to four-star relics but it was an impressive haul considering how they hade up with nothing after the initial five days. Kang-Woo chuckled in satisfaction after stuffing eleven relics in tworge bags.

    "It looks like we took care of most of them," mentioned Cha Yeon-Joo as she stood up and dusted off her hands.

    "Will we be heading north now?" Han Seol-Ah asked.

    "Yup."

    The information about the ten-star relic being in the north seemed to be true after asking a few more apostles of Oceiros.

    "But Darling, aren¡¯t you tired? I can head north by myself, so why don¡¯t you head home first?"

    "No! I¡¯ming with you!" shouted Seol-Ah as if Kang-Woo was talking nonsense.

    "You have a cooking ss to get to, don¡¯t you?"

    "I can skip it."

    Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah worryingly. He only took the women with him because he didn¡¯t expect it would take this long, but he felt bad because they had not been able to wash and sleep at all.

    "I don¡¯t want to make my Darling suffer."

    Kang-Woo sighed as he rubbed Seol-Ah¡¯s soft hands. He couldn¡¯t help but be worried despite knowing she had long since surpassed human limits.

    "Fufu. I¡¯m not suffering at all. How could I be when I get to be with you?"

    "DARLIIIIIIIIIIING!!!"

    Kang-Woo jumped into Seol-A¡¯s embrace and rubbed his head between her bosoms. The position was a little awkward because they were around the same height now.

    "Sheesh, fuck around some more, why don¡¯t you?"

    "You can go home and rest if you¡¯re tired too, Yeon-Joo."

    "Forget it, you son of a bitch. I¡¯m skipping out on guild work so I might as welle back with some relics."

    "Hehehe. You say that, but you just don¡¯t wanna be the only one left out, right?"

    "Argh, fuck off!" Yeon-Joo shouted as she pushed away the clinging Kang-Woo and walked forward. "More importantly, let¡¯s be quick if we¡¯re gonna head north. Pandemonium, was it? The demons from there are after the relic too, aren¡¯t they?"

    "Sure."

    Kang-Woo grabbed Yeon-Joo and Lilith by the waist and flew into the air using the Authority of the Sky. Yeon-Joo could mimic flying by using her chains but it was more efficient for Kang-Woo to carry her when flying long distances.

    "That aside, why don¡¯t you have wings when you¡¯re a demon, Lilith unnie?" Yeon-Joo asked.

    Lilith smiled widely as her long hair squirmed. "Fufu. Not all demons have wings."

    "Urgh. I hate having wings at times like this." Seol-Ah pped her ck angel wings and flew into the air.

    "Alright, let¡¯s go!"

    <em>¡¯To Northrend!!!¡¯</em>

    <em>Whoosh¡ª!!</em>

    Kang-Woo used the Authority of the Sky to rapidly fly north. Although the inside of the Gate was as wide as the Korean Penins, they were able to reach it shortly.

    "Where are the ancient ruins?"

    "All I see are trees."

    They couldn¡¯t see any ruins no matter how much they looked around from above. Kang-Woo used the Authority of the Beholder just in case but he couldn¡¯t find anything that looked like ancient ruins.

    "Hm?"

    Just then, Kang-Woo felt demonic energy from below. It was simr to the demonic energy he used but oddly different.

    <em>¡¯The demons of Pandemonium.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone as he flew down toward the ce where he could feel the demonic energy.

 Side Story Chapter 96: Corridor of Desire (1)

    <em>Whoosh¡ª!!</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo rapidly flew down with the two women in his arms.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    A dust cloud formed from where hended.

    "Hmm?" A group of demons exuding wicked demonic energy were searching for something. "Apostles?"

    "They¡¯re brave to havee here."

    There were six demons with varying appearances. One had the head of a lion with goat horns and another had just an eyeball for a head. The only thing simr about them was that they exuded odd demonic energy.

    The demonsughed after discovering Kang-Woo and his party.

    "Great timing. We were just about getting bored.""Might as well taste some human meat¡ª GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Kang-Woo charged at the demons without hesitation and split one of the demons¡¯ heads open with an ax he created.

    He clicked his tongue and remarked, "Sorry about that. Dialogue from extras has been filling up too much page spacetely. Let¡¯s finish this quickly."

    "Wh-What the¡ª?!"

    "How could a human possibly¡ª"

    "Whoooaaa!! They¡¯re trying to fill up more page space!!"

    <em>Smash! Stter!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo swung his ax and split another of the demons¡¯ heads before they could spout another word.

    "Phew. I managed to save some page space. Hehehe."

    Kang-Woo chuckled after wiping out five of the six demons in a sh. All he needed to do now was to squeeze out information from the remaining demon.

    "E-Eek!" The remaining demon was the one with an eyeball for a head. His eyeball shook as he shouted in fear, "D-Demon!! It¡¯s a demon!"

    <em>¡¯You¡¯re a demon too, dumbass.¡¯</em>

    "Now, now, settle down. Let¡¯s deal with this nice and sexy, yeah?"

    "D-Deal with what?"

    "You just have to answer my questions." Kang-Woo poked the demon¡¯s giant eyeball and continued, "I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s an ancient dungeon somewhere around here. Do you know anything about it?"

    "Ah¡­" said the demon using the mouth located on his neck.

    There was no way he wouldn¡¯t know since the demons around this ce were all after the ten-star relic hidden here.

    "I do."

    "I mean,... I doubt you¡¯d know where it is, so just tell me everything you know about¡ª"

    "N-No! I know where it is as well!"

    "What?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened.

    <em>¡¯It knows where it is?¡¯</em>

    He looked down at the demon doubtfully and asked, "Then why have you been lurking around here?"

    There was no reason not to go to the ancient dungeon straight away if they knew where it was.

    "Well¡­ to enter the C-Corridor of Desire, you have to offer relics to the gatekeeper as a sacrifice, so¡­ w-we¡¯ve been looking for them first."

    The Corridor of Desire seemed to be the name of the ancient dungeon where the ten-star relicy dormant.

    "You have to offer relics? How many?"

    "F-Five, and they have to be at least three stars."

    "Hmm." Kang-Woo had more than enough for the time being. He grabbed the demon¡¯s pumpkin-sized head and said, "Very well. Take us there."

    The demon was rtively small except for his massive eyeball of a head, so it was easier to carry him around.

    "I-I understand!"

    "Dayum, I like how you don¡¯t beat around the bush."

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction and lightly smacked the eye demon¡¯s head. If the demon continued to cooperate, he wouldn¡¯t mind sparing his life.

    "Urgh¡­ but it looks so fugly," said Yeon-Joo as she looked down at the eye demon and frowned.

    The demon¡¯s eye was covered in disgusting blood vessels and his body was so thin he looked like rotten twigs. The demon was highly unpleasant to look at.

    "How dare a lowly human speak to the great Horos that w¡ª <em>Peep!</em>"

    <em>¡¯Why do you scream like that?¡¯</em>

    "I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re Horos or Hollow. Just lead the fucking way."

    "Urgh. I-I understand." Horos nodded in fear. "Th-That way."

    Kang-Woo and the others walked to where Horos pointed.

    "Hm?"

    Not long after walking, they found an area where the ground was melted as ifva had run over it. Red nts that looked like cabbages were sprouted from ce to ce on the melted ground.

    "What happened here?"

    "I wonder if some of the demons fought against each other here?"

    "The traces are too big for that to be the case."

    The destruction was overwhelming¡ª the vast surroundings were melted as if a natural disaster had urred.

    "Did a volcano erupt or something, then?"

    "A-Aaaahh," Horos groaned and trembled as Kang-Woo and the others were thinking about what could have happened. "W-We have to¡­"

    "What?"

    "We have to run!!! Right now!!!" Horos screamed in desperation as he struggled. "NOOOOOOOOWWW!!! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!"

    "Shut the hell up."

    "Kurgh!"

    Kang-Woo smacked Horos¡¯ head and frowned.

    He asked, "What¡¯s got you all riled up?"

    "There¡¯s only one demon who would destroy Leuconostoc habitats!!" shouted Horos as he pointed at the red nts. "The Demon King! The Demon King must have done this!"

    "What?"

    <em>¡¯Why me all of a sudden? No, wait.¡¯</em>

    After thinking it through, Horos likely wasn¡¯t referring to Kang-Woo since he saw Kang-Woo as human.

    "By Demon King, do you mean the king of Pandemonium?"

    "Y-Yes!"

    The giant eye blinked rapidly.

    "What the¡ª haaa¡­"

    <em>¡¯Where should I even start? Leuconostoc must be those cabbage-like things. But why would the Demon King go around destroying nt habitats? Does he hate vegetarians?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no idea what was going on.

    "Exin to me in more detail," he demanded.

    "P-Pardon? Exin?"

    "Yeah. Why did the Demon King burn those nts? No, in the first ce, what are those nts?"

    "Umm¡­" Horos averted his gaze from Kang-Woo and exined, "Those nts are known as Leuconostoc. They are¡­ the main food source for low-ranking demons of Pandemonium."

    "Food?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion. Demons did not need to eat since they extracted nutrients from demonic energy.

    "That¡¯s correct."

    "Why do they need to eat?"

    "Pardon? Wh-What do you mean, why¡­? It¡¯s naturally because low-ranking demons can¡¯t procure meat, so they just eat Leuconostoc to survive."

    "...?"

    "...?"

    The two demons stared at each other in confusion. Just then, Lilith who was listening in silence nodded with a finger on her lips.

    "Hmm, it seems the demons of Pandemonium are fundamentally different from the demons of the Nine Hells."

    "Oh," Kang-Woo expressed and nodded.

    <em>¡¯Come to think of it, we¡¯re not the same demons.¡¯</em>

    Their demonic energy felt simr but something was odd about it. It was like the difference between gasoline and diesel.

    "I guess the demons here have to eat to survive," Kang-Woo said.

    "I-Isn¡¯t that obvious? How can a living organism survive without eating?"

    <em>¡¯I can.¡¯</em>

    "Alright, fine. Let¡¯s move on. Why did the Demon King burn these things?"

    "The Demon King despises Leuconostoc with a passion for some reason. He is known for burning Leuconostoc habitats with his Purgatory Lava whenever hees across them."

    "..."

    <em>¡¯A Demon King who burns nts out of his hatred for them¡­ The fuck? Is he okay in the head?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled and asked, "So, you¡¯re saying the Demon King passed through here, right?"

    "Y-Yes! Forget the Corridor of Desire, we have to get out of here right now!!!"

    "No way."

    Kang-Woo had no reason to give up on the relic because the Demon King was here first.

    <em>¡¯The Demon King of Pandemonium, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wanted to meet him and ask why he was burning these nts.

    "Y-You¡¯re not going to run away?!"

    "Of course not."

    "Argh! I won¡¯t go! I don¡¯t think you know how cruel and terrifying the Demon King is, but we¡¯re all going to die at this rate!!"

    "You¡¯re dead anyway if you don¡¯te with us."

    "<em>Peeeeeeeeeeeep!!!</em>"

    The eye demon struggled as he screamed in a way that did not suit him at all.

    "Can¡¯t you do something about that scream of yours?"

    "Urghhh! Y-You humans are blinded by greed!!! Is one relic worth more than your lives?!"

    "It¡¯s at least worth more than your life."

    "<em>Peep¡­</em><em>Peep¡­</em>"

    Horos copsed in tears. It was horrifying to see tears falling from an eyerger than a basketball.

    "Alright. Take us to the Corridor of Desire or whatever it was called."

    "<em>Peep¡­</em>"

    Horos lowered his head as if he had given up on everything.

    "But still, I¡¯m pretty curious. Why does he burn those nts?" Yeon-Joo wondered.

    "Who knows?"

    "Maybe it tastes like shit?" Yeon-Joo stared at the Leuconostoc, unable to hold back her curiosity.

    "Should I try some?" Kang-Woo suggested.

    He was also curious. There were some Leuconostoc that remained unharmed by the disaster.

    "It¡¯s too dangerous, Kang-Woo. You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s made of."

    "Don¡¯t worry, Darling. I¡¯m physically incapable of getting sick from food now."

    Kang-Woo walked past Seol-Ah, who was trying to stop him worryingly, and walked toward the Leuconostoc.

    "Let¡¯s have a taste."

    He ripped off a leaf from the red nt that looked like a cabbage and bit into it.

    "Huh¡­?"

    Kang-Woo was shocked by the taste. He ripped off more leaves and shoved them into his mouth. Sweet, spicy, and sour tastes filled his mouth. He was not mistaken.

    "This is¡­" Kang-Woo chuckled nonsensically. "Kimchi?"

    <em>¡¯He fucking hates kimchi?¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 97: Corridor of Desire (2)

    "The hell are you on about? Did you eat so much kimchi stew that it dyed your taste buds?" said Cha Yeon-Joo as she approached dumbfoundedly.

    "No, for real."

    "Do you have any idea how much seasoning goes into making kimchi? There¡¯s no way a in nt would taste like¡ª holy fuck, it does."

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened after crouching beside Oh Kang-Woo and biting a Leuconostoc leaf. The red nt that looked like a cabbage tasted the same as kimchi¡ª a well-fermented one.

    "Yeon-Joo¡­" Kang-Woo looked down at the Leuconostoc with a serious expression. "Red Rose bought somend in Seoul, right?"

    "I¡¯m not nting these things."

    "WHY NOT?!! IT¡¯S A PLANT THAT TASTES LIKE KIMCHI!!!"

    "Are you fucking crazy?! Who in their right mind would nt these things in cash-raking property?!"

    "Things?!! This extraordinary discovery will allow humanity to evolve one step further!!""You fucking kimchi stew maniac." Yeon-Joo grabbed her forehead as if her head hurt. "Anyway, don¡¯t you dare try to nt these things on my guild¡¯s property."

    "Dammit."

    Kang-Woo looked down at the Leuconostoc in disappointment and carefully dug into the earth to take out the Leuconostoc with its roots intact.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ll take it home with me.¡¯</em>

    Once he figured out how to cultivate them, he would nt them throughout the Earth.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s perfect.¡¯</em>

    Just like how Mun Ik-Jeom brought cottonseed from China to Korea, humanity would reach greater heights with this otherworldly nt.

    "That aside, to think he would hate kimchi¡­ that Demon King is out of his mind."

    "The only one out of his mind here is you," said Yeon-Joo firmly. "Whatever, let¡¯s get going already. Someone might get to the relic before us if we keep dilly-dallying."

    She looked back at Kang-Woo who stored the Leuconostoc in his subspace bag as if it were a valuable treasure, and walked toward him.

    She said to Horos, "Lead the way."

    "..."

    Horos remained silent. His shoulders dropped as if he had given up and led the way. He took them to a small cave that one person could barely fit in.

    "We just have to walk straight inside," Horos said.

    The passageway grewrger as they headed deeper inside the cave and they soon reached a massive cavity around a hundred meters tall. At the end of the cavity was a giant door about the same height as the cave and guarded by a quadrupedal beast statue that looked like the Xiezhi.

    "No wonder we couldn¡¯t see it from above."

    The inside of the cave was massive but its entrance was like that of an ant¡¯s nest. Not only that but the space inside the cave was protected by some kind of barrier, hence it couldn¡¯t be detected by the Authority of the Beholder or Insight. ??????B§§?

    "But how did you know where this ce was?" asked Kang-Woo with great interest as he lightly smacked Horos¡¯ head.

    Although the entrance was tiny, it could have been discovered by a massive search involving countless people. However, Horos was only apanied by five other demons¡ª nowhere near enough manpower to find a ce like this.

    "It is thanks to my¡¾irvoyance¡¿ability. It allows me to detect even the movement of an ant several dozen kilometers away. I used this ability to search the inside of this cave, which was why I knew the Corridor of Desire was in here."

    Horos proudly tapped on his giant eye.

    "Dayum, you¡¯re more useful than I thought you were."

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m gonna eat him using the Authority of Predation and take his irvoyance abilityter.¡¯</em>

    "Alright, let¡¯s head inside."

    Kang-Woo walked toward the giant door at the end of the cavity.

    <em>GRRRRRR!!!</em>

    The entire cavity shook as Kang-Woo and the others got closer to the door and a thunderous sound rang. The statue of the giant beast in front of the door slowly moved its head.

    [You who have reached the Corridor of Desire.]

    A deep voice echoed throughout the cavity. The statue¡¯s eyes gleamed white and it examined Kang-Woo and the others.

    [If you wish to enter, give up five relics as offerings.]

    As Horos mentioned, the gatekeeper demanded relics as offerings.

    "Alright."

    Kang-Woo nodded and opened the bag containing the relics the apostles of Oceiros generously gave him. They had eleven relics in two bags.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s a shame, but¡­¡¯</em>

    He didn¡¯t mind investing this much for a ten-star relic.

    "Three-star relics are good enough, right?"

    Kang-Woo left the four and five-star relics in the bag and offered five three-star relics to the gatekeeper.

    [...]

    The gatekeeper¡¯s eyes shone white in silence. Its gaze shifted away from the five three-star relics and to the bags containing the remaining relics.

    <em>Grrrrr.</em>

    The gatekeeper said in a low tone, [Eight.]

    "What?"

    [You must give up eight relics to enter.]

    Its deep voice dyed with greed. The gatekeeper smirked. Its dignified expression turned into one blinded by greed in an instant.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo stared in silence at the gatekeeperughing greedily. Yeon-Joo, who had been listening in silence from the back, stepped forward with a frown.

    "You said five before, motherfucker!" she shouted. "Why did you change your mind?!"

    [Hmm.] The gatekeeper smiled nastily and continued, [Ten]

    "The fuck you say?"

    [You must give up ten relics as offerings to enter the corridor.]

    "Motherfucker!!"

    Yeon-Joo gritted her teeth and gave the gatekeeper a death re. However, the gatekeeper chuckled in amusement as if it were enjoying her reactions.

    [You shall not pass without offering your relics.]

    Just then, Kang-Woo said, "Four."

    [Hm? Are you asking me to take four off?]

    The gatekeeper stared at Kang-Woo as it chuckled.

    "Three."

    [...?]

    "Two."

    [You bastard¡­] The gatekeeper frowned once it understood Kang-Woo¡¯s intentions of counting down by one. [Are you threatening me?]

    "One."

    [The absurdity!]

    <em>Boom!</em>

    The gatekeeper stomped its foot and red fiercely at Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo slowly turned around and stuffed the five relics he put down in front of the gatekeeper back into his bag.

    "Too bad. I have no more relics to give you."

    Kang-Woo closed the bag and turned back to the gatekeeper.

    "What are you doing?" He crossed his arms and gestured at the door with his chin. "Open the door."

    "Wh-What do you think you¡¯re doing?!!" shouted Horos wide-eyed. "You¡¯re mocking the Lion of the Corridor?! Are you insane?!!"

    Horos turned around in pallor and bowed in front of the gatekeeper.

    "Th-This human simply cannot think straight due to his insanity!! I-I implore you to quell your rage¡ª"

    [IMPERTINENT HUMAN¡ª!]

    "<em>PEEEEEEEEEEP!!!</em>" Horos screamed.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    The cavity shook violently as the gatekeeper, over fifty meters tall andrger than Echidna, rushed forward. Its giant front foot, which seemed to easily weigh dozens of tonnes, smashed down on Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo grabbed Horos by his head and flung him to the side before the gatekeeper¡¯s footnded on him.

    <em>BOOM¡ª!!!</em>

    A giant crater formed where Kang-Woo had been standing.

    [How dare you mock the Lion of the Corridor?!] the Gatekeeper shouted haughtily as it looked down at the human who was crushed into a pulp.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    [Hm?]

    Kang-Woo, who had been crushed by the gatekeeper¡¯s front foot, stood up slowly. ck mucus flowed out of his split top and bottom halves and merged.

    "Looks like you can get through the Deific Essence barrier."

    The human who had been crushed crossed his arms again as if nothing happened and smiled leisurely.

    "But that¡¯s all there is to it."

    The flesh of Kang-Woo¡¯s palm split open and ck mucus poured on the ground like a waterfall. It spread throughout the ground of the cavity and reached the gatekeeper¡¯s feet.

    [Wh-What the¡ª]

    "Dark Spears."

    The gatekeeper tried to step back but sharp des shot up from the ck mucus before it had the chance.

    <em>Stab! Stab¡ª!!</em>

    [Gaaaaaaaaahhh!!]

    Thousands of spears shot out of the darkness and pierced the gatekeeper¡¯s feet. The spears then span rapidly, turning the gatekeeper¡¯s feet into mush. The gatekeeper copsed.

    [Kurgh, guh¡­ U-Urghhh.]

    The gatekeeper stared at Kang-Woo in fear. Its fifty-meter-tall body trembled pitifully.

    [Y-You pass.]

    "Huh? Pass what?"

    The gatekeeper stuttered, [Y-You have proven your worth to me. Y-You may enter the Corridor of Desire without offering relics.]

    It was talking as if it had been a test all along.

    "Oh~! So this was all to test whether I was worthy or not?"

    [C-Correct.]

    "I knew it! So you picked a fight with us by raising the required number of relic offerings on purpose, huh?"

    [Of course!] The gatekeeper nodded as its eyes shone white.

    "Wow, I was so surprised, you know? My balls almost shriveled up because I was so, so scared!!"

    [It was to pick out those worthy from the unworthy. I hope you understand.]

    "Hahaha! I see!" Kang-Woo smiled brightly and walked toward the copsed gatekeeper. "But you see, I was so~ sooooo~ scared."

    [I apologize for scaring you.]

    "No, you don¡¯t understand. I was so scared that I almost pissed my pants while doing multiple backflips in midair!!!"

    [I-I see.]

    "I WAS SO~~~!!! SOOOOOOO~~~~~ SCARED!!! I THOUGHT I WAS GOING FUCKING INSAAAAAAAAAAAANE!!!" Kang-Woo pped the gatekeeper¡¯s cheek like hitting a drum and screamed, "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! SO SCAAAAAAAAAAARY!!! I WAS SO SCARED THAT YOU HURT MY FEEEEEEEEEEEEEELINGS!!!!!"

    [W-Wait.]

    "IS THERE ANYOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE?!! WHO CAN CONSOLE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!!"

    [C-Calm down, human!!]

    "ANYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE?!! IS THERE ANYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE?!!!!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes rolled backward as he convulsed and foamed at the mouth.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! WHAT DO I DO?!! WHAT SHOULD I DO, SIR GATEKEEPER?!! I¡¯M SO SCAAAAAAAAAAAAARED!!! I¡¯M SO SCARED THAT I JUST MIGHT TEAR YOU APAAAAAAAAAART!!!"

    [I-I will let you in right away, human!! I will open the door, so just calm down!!]

    "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    [C-Calm down!!!] shouted the Gatekeeper as it stared at the human suddenly convulsing uncontrobly.

    <em>Bash! Bash! Bash! Bash! Bash!</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s ps suddenly turned into punches. The gatekeeper¡¯s head slowly began to dent like iron being hammered.

    [GAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! S-STOP, HUMAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!]

    "IS THERE ANYOOOOOOOOOOONE WHO CAN TEND TO THE WOOOOOOOOOOOUNDS OF MY HEAAAAAAAAAAART?!!"

    [WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU ACTING LIKE THIS?!!]

    "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY DIDN¡¯T YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUU JUST TAKE THE DAMN RELICS THE FIRST TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME?!!"

    [P-Please!!! Please calm down, humaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!! I-I¡¯m sorry!!!] begged the gatekeeper as it shook its dented head.

    Kang-Woo suddenly froze.

    "You¡¯re sorry?"

    The gatekeeper nodded as it trembled. [Y-Yes! I¡¯m sorry!!! Please forgive me!!]

    "Really?" Kang-Woo smirked. "Then hand over all the relics you took until now."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 98: Corridor of Desire (3)

    "Fucking swindler."

    Cha Yeon-Joo feignedughter as she stared at Oh Kang-Woo, who was humming as he packed the relics he took from the Lion of the Corridor in his bag. The lion had twenty-three relics; it was not as much as Kang-Woo had hoped but it was more than twice the amount of relics he had taken from the apostles of Oceiros.

    "The gatekeeper is the real swindler. You can tell just from how the number of relics it had isn¡¯t a multiplier of five."

    Like what it had done to Kang-Woo, the Lion of the Corridor had likely demanded five initially and then slowly raised the number.

    "I guess so."

    "Hence, my actions were purely in self-defense," answered Kang-Woo as if he did not feel shame for his actions in the slightest.

    "Yeah, okay. Good for you, man."

    Yeon-Joo shook her head and sighed as if she had given up.

    "Fufu, of course. Kang-Woo did nothing wrong."Han Seol-Ah smiled and hugged Kang-Woo from behind as he stuffed the relics into his bag.

    "Hehehe. I knew you¡¯d understand, Darling!"

    "But¡­ the way you were screaming out of nowhere was¡­ a bit unsightly," remarked Seol-Ah, not knowing how to say it without hurting Kang-Woo¡¯s feelings.

    "You have to act crazy to sons of bitches like that to intimidate them," Kang-Woo answered.

    "Mm. But¡­"

    "If you hated it, I won¡¯t do it again."

    "N-Not at all! I¡¯m ready to love every part of you!"

    "Hehe. Never mind, then." Kang-Woo turned around to kiss Seol-Ah and stood up. "The bag has gotten too big, so I¡¯ll just store it in the subspace."

    Human farming was truly the best out of every kind of farming; just in one day, Kang-Woo had gathered over thirty of the relics he had spent five days searching for with no luck.

    "Right then, let¡¯s head inside," said Kang-Woo as he threw the bag into the subspace he stored the Leuconostoc in and stared at the open doors to the Corridor of Desire.

    [A-Arghhh¡­]

    Kang-Woo and the others walked past the half-dead gatekeeper and entered the Corridor.

    "Wow, what¡¯s all this?"

    "A-Are these all gold?"

    The edges of the hallway dimly lit with candles were covered with gold. Some areas were covered with gold coins and giant lumps of gold were in other areas.

    "So this is what it meant by the Corridor of Desire."

    Kang-Woo uninterestedly stared at the hallway filled with gold. The average person would have been amazed by such a sight but to him, all this gold was nothing but shiny objects cluttering the hallway.

    <em>¡¯I already have more money than I can spend.¡¯</em>

    He had less than Yeon-Joo but he would never run out of money even if he spent his entire life spending it on whatever he wanted.

    "K-Kang-Woo. C-Could we take some home¡­?" asked Seol-Ah with a trembling voice.

    Her eyes were shining with all the gold in her vision, likely because she had been poor in the past.

    "There¡¯s no reason to, is there? We already have plenty of money," said Yeon-Joo as she shrugged. She was just as uninterested in the gold as Kang-Woo.

    "B-But¡­ It just feels like a waste not to."

    "Wow, I didn¡¯t see you in that light, Seol-Ah. You¡¯re quite the avaricious one, huh?"

    "No! You¡¯re the weirder one for not feeling this way when you¡¯re in front of all this gold, Yeon-Joo!"

    "I mean, I have nothing to refute that."

    Most people would be all over this gold if they were here.

    Kang-Woo remarked, "Hold yourself back, Darling."

    "Kang-Woo¡­"

    "Usually, the more money the better, but¡­" Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he stared at the gold covering the hallway. "Taking money lying around in ces like this usually triggers some kind of trap."

    "Ah," Seol-Ah expressed and nodded. It was amon cliche in films and TV shows that one suffered from being blinded by greed. "I-I didn¡¯t think it through enough."

    "Hehe. You don¡¯t have to worry about money at all, Darling. We can just ask Yeon-Joo for some on the off chance that our money runs out."

    "The fuck you say?" Yeon-Joo asked in irritation.

    "You¡¯re the reason I can live so freely, Yeon-Joo noona!"

    "The hell are you on about? Don¡¯t expect me to give you a single cent." Yeon-Joo snorted and turned away. "Well¡­ If you really~ need it, I wouldn¡¯t mind letting you borrow a little. But! You¡¯ll have to kneel and beg me for it."

    "Jeez, my little Yeon-Joo is so cute."

    "Dammit, get the fuck away from me!!"

    Yeon-Joo pushed Kang-Woo away as he was trying to embrace her.

    Just then, Lilith who was searching the area called, "Master Kang-Woo, pleasee and take a look at this."

    She pointed at a severely damaged mechanical device.

    "This is¡­"

    "Someone seems to have intentionally broken this."

    Considering how it wasn¡¯t rusted or there was no dust on it, it seemed to be recent. Meaning, someone had already passed through this area before Kang-Woo and the others reached it.

    "Someone got the jump on us."

    <em>¡¯If we think about someone who passed through this area at this time¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could think of someone.

    "E-Eek! I-It can¡¯t be!!!" Horos screamed as he blinked repeatedly. It seemed he was thinking of the same person as Kang-Woo. "Has the D-Demon King reached this ce first?!"

    "Maybe."

    Since the Leuconostoc habitat near the entrance was destroyed, it was more than possible.

    "We have to get out of here this inst¡ª"

    "Shut up."

    "<em>Peep!</em>"

    Kang-Woo grabbed Horos¡¯ head and dragged him along the hallway.

    "Let¡¯s pick up the pace."

    Since they found out someone was ahead of them, they couldn¡¯t take their time exploring the dungeon. Kang-Woo and the others hastily walked down the downslope hallway. As they kept going down, they came across pink mist filling the hallway dimly lit by candles.

    "What the hell is this?"

    "It¡¯s hypnotic incense."

    Lilith lightly clicked her tongue and snapped her finger. Her hair spread out and sucked all the pink mist from the air.

    "Thanks."

    "Fufu. Hypnotic incense of this level is nothing to me."

    A Subus Queen would have no trouble dealing with hypnotic incense.

    "First it was greed, and now it¡¯s lust?"

    Kang-Woo chuckled. He more or less understood what kind of ce the Corridor of Desire was. They walked down the hallway free of hypnotic incense.

    "Kang-Woo, over there¡­"

    Seol-Ah pointed at something as they were walking down the hallway.

    "Looks like he passed through this ce as well."

    Headless corpses of women wearing sensual clothing were lying around.

    "They haven¡¯t been dead for a while."

    "We shouldn¡¯t be too far from him."

    If that was the case, there was no need to hesitate.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Kang-Woo walked past the obsolete traps and continued to walk.

    <em>¡¯Looks like it¡¯s gluttony this time.¡¯</em>

    They saw food sttered all over the floor. Corpses of cats wearing chef¡¯s outfits were next to a table split in half.

    <em>¡¯Fuck yeah, he¡¯s disabling all the traps.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo and the others were just walking down the hallway without worrying about traps thanks to the Demon King destroying everything he saw.

    "I¡¯ll have to thank the guy if we meet him."

    Kang-Woo snickered as he continued down the hallway. They passed through the hallway themed with sloth and pride without anything getting in their way and then came across a door slightly smaller than the first one they passed.

    "Another door?"

    "Looks like it."

    "Th-This is the entrance to the Corridor of Trials," Horos answered.

    "Corridor of Trials?"

    "Yes." Horos, who had been dragged along by Kang-Woo all this way, blinked and continued, "Only those who pass the Corridor of Desire and emerge victorious against the trial of one¡¯s past may reach the heart of the Corridor."

    "...?"

    "It¡¯s the legend that has been spreading throughout the Tower. It¡¯s why so many demons and apostles have gathered on this floor."

    <em>¡¯Pandemonium¡¯s Demon King must have been one of them.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo nodded and stared at the closed door.

    "In other words, we have to get past this door, right?"

    "Yes, correct."

    "You said we would have to face a trial of our past. What does that mean?"

    "I¡¯ve heard that one would recall the worst memory in their memories once you enter the Corridor of Trials."

    <em>¡¯Worst memory, huh?¡¯</em> Kang-Woo frowned. <em>¡¯What a pain.¡¯</em>

    Immortality granted by the Demonic Sea was useless against psychological attacks.

    "What do you want to do?" asked Yeon-Joo.

    "We¡¯re entering, obviously."

    They couldn¡¯t give up aftering this far.

    "That Demon King from Pandemonium seems to have entered too."

    They had walked down a straight hallway. There was no sign of broken walls, hence it was wise to assume the Demon King had already entered the Corridor of Trials.

    "Will you all be okay?" asked Kang-Woo to Seol-Ah, Lilith, and Yeon-Joo.

    The three women nodded simultaneously.

    "Good."

    Kang-Woo smiled and stood in front of the Corridor of Trials.

    "I have a feeling you¡¯ll be the first toplete the trial, Kang-Woo."

    Yeon-Joo clicked her tongue and answered, "Can¡¯t deny that. I have to admit, the son of a bitch¡¯s mind is like a steel trap."

    "The worst memory of your life¡­ I wonder which memory will appear?"

    "Who knows?" Kang-Woo shrugged and shook his head.

    <em>¡¯Maybe the time I got assaulted by Lilith will appear.¡¯</em>

    Chills ran down Kang-Woo¡¯s spine. He opened the door, thinking it would be a terrible experience for him.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Darkness flowed out between the doors.

    "Ah."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s consciousness shut off.

    ***

    "Urghhh." Seol-Ah trembled as she opened her eyes. She panted, "Haaa, haaa."

    Beads of sweat trickled from her forehead and pooled on her chin.

    "..."

    She bit her lip. Her memory had been about her drunk older brother shouting and beating up their mother. She felt nauseous¡ª her vision was blurring and her legs trembled.

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t ever want to experience something like that again.¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah hugged her knees and trembled as she thought about the memory, so vivid that it felt like reality.

    "You¡¯re awake."

    "Yes. Looks like you woke up first, unnie."

    "Hohoho. I woke up not long before you."

    Lilith giggled faintly but her smile carried a hint of sorrow, unlike her usual self.

    "..."

    Seol-Ah did not bother to ask what memory Lilith was made to remember.

    "What about Yeon-Joo and Kang-Woo?"

    "They haven¡¯t woken up y¡ª"

    <em>BOOM¡ª!</em>

    Just then, Yeon-Joo sprang up and cursed, "ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!! FUCKING DEMON CULTISTS!!!"

    Tears were welled up around her eyes.

    "Are you okay, Yeon-Joo?"

    "Haaa, haaa, haaa. Fuck¡­ I feel like shit."

    Yeon-Joo wiped her tears away and disheveled her hair. The memory she was forced to recall was one about the guild member she treated like a little sister being kidnapped by the Demon Cultists.

    "Haaa."

    Yeon-Joo felt dizzy due to her surging rage. She repeatedly clenched her fists to calm down and her dizziness went away.

    "What about Kang-Woo?"

    "He hasn¡¯t woken up yet."

    "Heh, he was talking about being the fastest but he¡¯s the slowest." Yeon-Joo smiled and approached Kang-Woo lying on the floor. "Hey, you¡¯re not pretending to be asleep, are you?"

    There was no answer.

    "Let¡¯s wait here for a bit, Yeon-Joo."

    "Got it."

    Time passed.

    One hour¡­

    "Fufu, the king is such a sleepyhead."

    Two hours¡­

    "Sheesh, he¡¯s not waking up at all."

    Three hours¡­

    "Kang-Woo¡­?"

    And one day passed.

    "Kang-Woo!! Kang-Woo!! Open your eyes!!!"

    There was no answer.

 Side Story Chapter 99: One Day (1)

    "Haaa, haaa, haaa."

    The unquenching thirst was burning Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s throat. He felt like he was hallucinating from the pain of his cells drying up.

    "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he cursed as he pulled on his hair.

    Kang-Woo looked around and saw tall sharp rocks, cracks in the earth, and a red sky.

    "Where¡­ the hell am I?"

    It happened almost instantaneously¡ª a ck Gate suddenly appeared in front of him as he was dragging his fatigued self to his one-room apartment after a day¡¯s worth of hard work. He was sucked into it before he even had time to evade it and ended up in a ce he had never seen before once he opened his eyes.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    Kang-Woo thought it was a dream at first; he thought he was hallucinating because he had pushed himself too hard to make enough to pay the overdue rent. However, he did not wake up from this nightmare no matter how much time passed. The sky continued to burn red and he was surrounded by aridnd covered in rocks.

    "Shit, shit¡­"He couldn¡¯t tell how much time had passed since he ended up here. The burning red sky darkened three times so he could only assume three days had passed.

    "H-Hurgh. What the fuck¡­ what in the actual fuck?"

    Kang-Woo staggered. He couldn¡¯t form tears because even his eyes had dried up. He hid between the tall sharp rocks and trembled.

    "Water¡­ water¡­"

    He was going insane from dehydration. Every cell in his body was desperate for water.

    "Haaa, haaa. Water, water, water, water."

    He stood up as he swayed and pulled down his pants. He aimed at a small hole in the rock and peed. A dark yellow fluid pooled in the hole.

    "<em>Huff, huff, huff!</em>"

    A disgusting scent attacked Kang-Woo¡¯s sense of smell but he couldn¡¯t care less.

    "WATER!!!"

    He crouched as he panted heavily and licked the urine pooled in the hole. He suppressed his desire to vomit with all his might from the disgusting salty taste and the nasty stench and licked everyst drop of the urine.

    "Haaa, haaa."

    His mind became clearer with the sensation of his thirst being quenched.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo aggressively bit his lip.

    <em>¡¯I can¡¯t keep doing this.¡¯</em>

    There was barely any urineing out anymore.

    "I need¡­ something to drink."

    However, he had no idea if water even existed in this aridnd. He had spent a lot of time searching the surroundings but couldn¡¯t even find trees or nts. All that he found in three days was¡­

    "A monster¡­"

    It was a giant wolf about three meters long. It had two horns on its forehead and its fangs gleamed like knives. He barely managed to escape from the monster on his second day here.

    <em>¡¯I was lucky.¡¯</em>

    The monster wolf suddenly gave up on chasing Kang-Woo once he entered the rocky terrain. He had been staying hidden here since then but was reaching his limit. He couldn¡¯t stay hidden forever.

    <em>¡¯I need food and water.¡¯</em>

    "Anything¡­ even a bug."

    Kang-Woo forced his trembling legs to move and came out of the space between the rocks.

    <em>¡¯The monster wolf fell back around here.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the desert terrain filled with red sand across from the rocky terrain. The wolf had chased him up to where the rocky terrain began and suddenly turned back.

    "One thing for sure is¡­ going that way is dangerous."

    He might meet the monster again if he stepped foot into the red sand desert. Kang-Woo traversed deeper into the rocky region to look for food and water.

    "Shit¡­"

    He did not find anything after an hour of searching. All he could find was tall rocks¡ª not a hint of living organisms like small bugs, rats, or snakes.

    "Shit, shit, shit!"

    Kang-Woo pulled on his hair in irritation. The extreme thirst drove him more insane than the fear of death.

    "Please¡­ anything," he prayed as he continued to walk.

    Just then, a putrid stench attacked his nose.

    "Urpp!"

    He almost vomited from the stench.

    <em>¡¯This is¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo once worked as a sewer cleaner and the stench he had been familiarized with wasing from beyond the wall of rocks in front of him.

    "Poop¡­?"

    Kang-Woo carefully approached the rocks and soon found the source of the stench. There was a one-meter pile of brown poop under the rock wall.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and examined the poop.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s recent.¡¯</em>

    He brought his hand close to the poop and could feel its warmth, meaning the one who excreted this giant pile of poop was nearby.

    "Shit."

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. Considering the pile of poop was almost a meter tall, the one who excreted it was likely far taller.

    "I guess¡­ I wasn¡¯t lucky."

    He recalled the monster wolf turning back as soon as he entered the rocky region.

    <em>¡¯This must be a different monster¡¯s territory.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no idea whose territory this was but he was at least sure he was no match for it. After all, a three-meter monster gave up on Kang-Woo, its prey, once he entered the other monster¡¯s territory.

    "Haaa, haaa."

    Kang-Woo was filled with anxiety. His heart beat so strong it was about to burst.

    <em>¡¯First¡­¡¯</em>

    He scooped a handful of the giant pile of poop and took arge bite.

    "Urpp! BLEEEEEEEEEEEGHHH!!!"

    He felt his intestines wringing. He tried to eat some with the hope that he could eat it but its stench and taste was so bad that he vomited out the poop along with some stomach juices.

    <em>¡¯I can¡¯t eat this.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. If he couldn¡¯t eat it, he would have to look around for something else¡ª in the rocky territory of an unknown monster.

    "Huuu, huuu," he caught his breath and turned around to look down at the giant pile of poop.

    <em>¡¯If I don¡¯t want to get discovered¡­¡¯</em>

    <em>St, st.</em>

    "Urgh, fuck."

    Kang-Woo smeared the poop all over himself. He couldn¡¯t handle its horrible taste but could just barely endure its putrid stench. No, even if he couldn¡¯t endure it, he needed to if he wanted to survive.

    <em>¡¯If the monster here relies on its sense of smell, I should be able to somewhat hide my presence with this.¡¯</em>

    Other powerful monsters might also run away as well after getting a scent of the poop, just like how the monster wolf in the red sand desert had.

    "Alright."

    Kang-Woo finished covering every part of himself with the poop and carefully traversed the rocky territory. He wouldn¡¯tst any longer if he didn¡¯t find something to drink by today.

    <em>¡¯Please, please.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo desperately looked around but like before, there was only aridnd and rocks. There wasn¡¯t even a tiny bug in sight.

    <em>¡¯What the hell is with this ce?¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t understand why there was nothing to eat or drink in a ce where even a three-meter wolf could live. There should at least be a puddle of water.

    <em>¡¯Then what do these goddamn monsters eat and drink?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was filled with frustration and rage, unable to understand the situation.

    <em>Rustle, stter.</em>

    "...!"

    Just then, Kang-Woo heard something loving on the other side of a rock wall. He became wide-eyed as he crouched and carefully stuck close to the rock wall. He peeked on the other side of the wall.

    <em>¡¯Wh-What the hell is that?¡¯</em>

    It was twice asrge as the monster wolf that had chased him in the red sand desert. A giant dog with ck fur was curled up into a ball and darting its tongue in and out, red mes igniting around its mouth each time it did. Its ws scratching the ground were so sharp that it was sinking into the rock.

    <em>¡¯Is that¡­ the boss of this territory?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could tell from a nce that it was powerful.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo examined the monster anxiously.

    <em>¡¯It hasn¡¯t discovered me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could see it sniffing but it didn¡¯t detect him; it seemed like he had made the right call to smear poop all over himself.

    <em>¡¯Hm?¡¯</em>

    Just then, he saw something small moving between the curled-up monster. He took a closer look and saw that it was a smaller dog rubbing its cheek on therger dog¡¯s stomach. Although it was smaller, it was still easily over a meter long.

    <em>¡¯Is that its baby?¡¯</em>

    It was likely the case considering how simr they looked. The giant ck dog was licking the small dog as if it were a precious treasure. Anyone could see that it was a mother caring for her baby but Kang-Woo¡¯s heart was not filled with warmth since the dog was over five meters and breathing fire.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo crawled on the ground so that he would make as little sound as possible and got far away from the monster¡¯s nest.

    "Pwah! Haaa, haaa!" he panted heavily once he got far away from the nest and fell to the ground. "Fucking hell¡­"

    Kang-Woo could understand why the monster wolf had turned back.

    <em>¡¯What do I do?¡¯</em>

    He might be able to hunt the baby dog but there was no way he could when it was stuck to the mother.

    <em>¡¯Should I find something else to eat?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought about it for a while but shook his head. He had spent thest several hours looking around but found nothing. Not only that but he did not have much time; his lips were dried up and his vision was getting blurry due to dehydration.

    <em>¡¯I have to kill that monster¡¯s baby.¡¯</em>

    That was the only path to survival.

    <em>¡¯But how?¡¯</em>

    He needed a way to separate the mother from the baby.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mind was jumbled. Considering the monster¡¯s overwhelming size, it would instantly catch up to him and tear him apart with its sharp ws if he tried to outrun it.

    <em>¡¯Outrunning it is impossible.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t outrun the monster even if he were in his best condition, so it was even less likely he could when he was exhausted.

    "What should I¡­" Kang-Woo bit his lip anxiously. "Urgh, blegh!!"

    He grimaced once the monster¡¯s poop on his lips touched his tongue.

    "Huh¡­?"

    Just then, he thought of an idea.

    <em>¡¯With this, maybe I can¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone as he looked down at the poop he was smeared with.

 Side Story Chapter 100: One Day (2)

    "It might be possible¡­ with this," mumbled Oh Kang-Woo as he stared at the monster poop smeared all over him.

    <em>¡¯These monsters have their own territories, like bears and other wild beasts.¡¯</em>

    As proof, the giant wolf chasing after him suddenly turned back once they arrived at the rocky region.

    <em>¡¯But what if I can lure the wolf here?¡¯</em>

    Considering the dog was almost twice the size, the wolf would be no match.

    <em>¡¯But it should at least buy me enough time to kill the baby.¡¯</em>

    The problem was how he was going to lure the wolf here.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the putrid poop of the ck dog. If he ced the poop in the horned wolf¡¯s territory, it might think the dog had trespassed on its territory, and enter the dog¡¯s territory in rage.<em>¡¯It¡¯s a gamble¡­ one with a terribly low chance of sess.¡¯</em>

    Purely based on size, the wolf would not be able to defeat the ck dog. In other words, even if Kang-Woo ced the ck dog¡¯s poop in the horned wolf¡¯s territory, the wolf might run away instead of fighting.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s natural to avoid a fight with a stronger predator.¡¯</em>

    However, logic and reasoning did not always apply to the world of beasts.

    <em>¡¯If the wolf is the kind of beast to be extremely wary of others trespassing on its territory¡­ maybe it¡¯ll try to fight regardless of its chances of victory.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no idea if these monsters were simr to the ones in the animal kingdom but they had territories and were careful not to trespass on them.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s a gamble worth taking.¡¯</em>

    No, he would die if he didn¡¯t. He would lose the strength to move or remain sane soon. Even now, the unquenching thirst and extreme hunger were killing him. He did not have the leeway to worry about the chances of sess.

    "Huuu."

    Kang-Woo did not have time to hesitate. He headed to where he found the pile of poop and ttened the T-shirt he was wearing on the ground to carry the poop.

    "Urpp."

    He did his best not to vomit from the stench and headed to the red sand desert where he saw the horned wolf. Since he was walking straight to it instead of looking around carefully for food, he realized it was fairly close. ??

    <em>¡¯Alright.¡¯</em>

    If Kang-Woo could lure the horned wolf to the rocky region, the ck dog would undoubtedly take action to find the one who trespassed on its territory to protect her baby.

    <em>¡¯I have to spread as much of it as wide as possible.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo walked around the red sand desert and sprayed the ck dog¡¯s poop he was carrying with his T-shirt.

    "What is this, Hansel and Gretel?"

    Kang-Woo frowned as he stared at the trail of poop in his path.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m done.¡¯</em>

    The preparations wereplete; all that was left was for the horned wolf to think its territory was invaded and head to the rocky region.

    "Please."

    Kang-Woo hid between the tall sharp rocks again and prayed with his fists clenched. It was over for him if the wolf ran away instead of trespassing on the rocky region. He did not have the strength or sanity to look around for more food.

    "Grrrrr."

    "Grrrk!! Krrrrk!!"

    "<em>Woof!</em> Grrr!"

    Just then, Kang-Woo heard multiple growls.

    <em>¡¯There¡­ wasn¡¯t just one?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo peeked out from between the rocks. In the red sand desert were three horned wolves growling at each other as if discussing what to do.

    <em>¡¯Alright!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo pumped his fists with shining eyes. One wolf would have been no match for the ck dog based on the size difference but three of them might put up a good fight.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s a different story if they hunt in packs!¡¯</em>

    If they were in a pack, they were more likely to try to protect their territory.

    "GRAAAAAAHHH!!"

    "GRRRRRRRR!!"

    "<em>WOOF!! WOOF!!</em>"

    The horned wolves growled ferociously and red at the rocky region, their eyes full of bloodlust.

    "Grrrr!!"

    They stopped growling soon after and ran into the rocky region.

    <em>¡¯Hell yeah!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo suppressed his cheers with all his might and ran after the wolves. They were so fast that it took a while for him to catch up. He then arrived near the ck dog¡¯s best as he stayed hidden.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    "GRAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    The giant five-meter ck dog charged out of the nest as she breathed fire.

    "Grrrrk!! Krrrk!!"

    "<em>Woof!</em>"

    The ck dog charged without hesitation at the three horned wolves that trespassed on her territory. A one-versus-three battle began.

    Crunch! Crack!

    "<em>Whine¡ª!!</em>"

    "<em>Woof! Woof!!</em>"

    The ck dog smashed its front foot into one of the rabid horned wolves, which was blown back helplessly.

    "Oh¡­ fuck."

    Kang-Woo froze as he watched the battle.

    <em>¡¯They¡¯re getting floored.¡¯</em>

    Unlike what he had hoped, the ck dog was wiping out the three horned wolves with ease.

    <em>¡¯I don¡¯t have much time.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was done for if he didn¡¯t kill the baby dog before the mother killed the three wolves.

    "<em>Huff, huff.</em>"

    He hurried to the ck dog¡¯s nest, avoiding being seen by the monsters. He eliminated traces of his scent by smearing more poop on himself and crawled to minimize making a sound. He arrived at the nest soon after.

    "Grrr. Grrr."

    The baby ck dog was curled up into a ball and sleeping. Kang-Woo approached the baby with shining eyes.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯ll have to shut its mouth first to keep it from making a sound.¡¯</em>

    If the baby made a sound, the mother would hurry back to the nest in an instant. Kang-Woo moved as carefully as possible so that the baby would wake up. It was thankfully in a deep slumber and didn¡¯t notice Kang-Woo approaching it.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s so fucking big.¡¯</em>

    Although it was a baby, it was still a meter tall. Kang-Woo continued to approach the baby, wondering whether he could finish it off in one blow.

    Just then, a voice echoed, "Stop."

    Kang-Woo turned around, wide-eyed.

    "You must be insane, trying to kill a baby Hellhound in Hellhound territory."

    "Wh-What? Wh-Who are you¡­?"

    Kang-Woo stared at the owner of the voice with shaking eyes. The man had the head of a ram, two horns on his forehead, and a long tail with a sharp end like a skewer. Unlike the monsters Kang-Woo had seen so far, he was walking on two feet instead of four. The man looked like a generic demon worshiper wearing a goat head but Kang-Woo could instinctively tell that it was the man¡¯s real head.

    "A¡­ demon?"

    The word naturally came to mind. The goat horns, ck skin, and long tail were the hallmarks of a demon in fiction.

    "Why is a demon here¡­?"

    "Is it not obvious for a demon to be in Hell?" replied the demon quietly as he chuckled.

    He also seemed to be careful not to wake the baby ck dog.

    "Hell¡­?" Kang-Woo stared at the demon iprehensibly.

    <em>¡¯This is Hell? What the hell is he talking about?¡¯</em>

    His mind was in jumbles¡ª no that wasn¡¯t the only question he had.

    <em>¡¯Why can I¡­ understand that demon?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was sure the demon was talking in anguage that was not Korean but his words were being automatically interpreted in Kang-Woo¡¯s head somehow¡ª as if he could understand thenguage of demons from the beginning.

    <em>¡¯That¡¯s impossible.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo didn¡¯t mean to brag but his skills in foreignnguages were so atrocious that he could barely hold a normal English conversation. He couldn¡¯t have learned thenguage of demons.

    <em>¡¯What the hell is going on?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the demon in confusion.

    "That aside, a human¡­ Hmm. It seems the rumor of humans being found in various ces for the past few days was true," the demon mumbled and smiled.

    He had mumbled so quietly to not wake up the baby ck dog, so Kang-Woo did not hear what he said.

    "Hehehe. I heard that if you kill those humans and eat their hearts¡­ you¡¯ll gain immense demonic energy."

    The demon¡¯s eyes gleamed with desire and he licked his lips. It had been worth it to trespass on a Hellhound¡¯s territory in search of the rumored humans.

    The demon smiled and said haughtily, "I am Sabnak, a demon of the First Hell."

    His palm split and a ck de shot out from between.

    "Die and be my flesh and blood, human."

    Sabnak pointed his shining de at Kang-Woo.

    "<em>Huff, huff,</em>" Kang-Woo panted heavily as he stared at the ck de pointed at him.

    He could barely hear what the demon was saying because he was speaking so quietly but he was sure about one thing.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m going to die.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s heart beat rapidly. His extreme hunger and thirst disappeared and a chill ran down his back.

    "I¡¯m gonna die¡­? Here? Like this?"

    He stared at the demon with shaking eyes. The de protruding from the hand of the demon calling himself Sabnak was gleaming. Kang-Woo would undoubtedly die if he were to be stabbed by that de. There would be no miracle to save him.

    "Haaa, haaa, haaa!"

    Kang-Woo could feel his legs shaking. His heavy breaths echoed inside his head like thunder. He looked around but saw no way to run. Not only was he out of strength, he could tell from the demon¡¯s muscr thighs that the demon would be far faster than him.

    "A-Arghh."

    Even so, Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t fight. One swing from the ck de would easily split him in two.

    <em>¡¯Then, then, then¡­¡¯</em>

    He would die. He had no other choice but to¡ª

    "...you."

    "Hm?"

    "Fuck you, motherfucker." Kang-Woo violently stomped his foot and raised his head. He squeezed out all the air he could muster from his lungs to shout, "I REFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSE!!!"

    "Grrr?"

    The sleeping baby Hellhound opened its eyes.

    "TO DIE ALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!!"

    Kang-Woo jumped on the back of the baby Hellhound. He wrapped his right arm around the Hellhound¡¯s neck and raised his left arm.

    <em>Pierce!!!</em>

    "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Kang-Woo shoved his left arm into the baby Hellhound¡¯s left eye. The baby Hellhound¡¯s screech shook the rocky region.

    "Y-You crazy son of a bitch!!!"

    Sabnak¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

    "H-Hehehehehehe!!!" Kang-Woo burst into crazedughter and smiled as he red at the demon. "IF I¡¯M GONNA DIE, I¡¯M FUCKING TAKING YOU WITH ME, MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!"

 Side Story Chapter 101: One Day (3)

    "C-Crazy human!!!" Sabnak shouted in pallor.

    They were in the territory of the Hellhound, one of the apex predators of the First Hell. Since the human attacked the Hellhound¡¯s baby in her nest, the Hellhound was bound to run back here.

    "Shit!"

    Sabnak quickly swung the ck de he made with the Authority of des. He needed to silence the screeching baby Hellhound as soon as possible.

    sh!!!

    The ck de cut the baby Hellhound from head to chest.

    "Krrrk! <em>Whine¡­</em>"

    The baby Hellhound died in one blow, unbing of its reputation as the strongest predator in the First Hell. Sabnak red at Oh Kang-Woo after killing the baby.

    "You crazy son of a bitch!! Do you want to be devoured by a Hellhound who lost its baby?!""H-Hehe," Kang-Woo snickered. "Whether the Hellhound kills me or you, it¡¯s all the same, dammit."

    "..."

    Sabnak couldn¡¯t refute Kang-Woo¡¯s logic. He remained silent because he was nning on killing the human and eating his heart

    Sabnak narrowed his eyes. Although the Hellhound was one of the most powerful demonic beasts in the First Hell, he was a demon with an Authority; it was not like he didn¡¯t stand a chance. No, he had a higher chance of victory.

    <em>¡¯But it¡¯s too dangerous.¡¯</em>

    Sabnak could win if the Hellhound were in a normal state but not even he could handle a Hellhound blind with rage because it would charge at him with the intent to kill without a care for its life. Sabnak may win if he were lucky but would likely die from the injuries he suffered in the battle.

    "Dammit," Sabnak cursed and frowned.

    The baby Hellhound was dead, making the battle impossible to avoid. The Hellhound, blinded by rage, would continue to chase his scent until it killed him.

    <em>¡¯Then before that¡­¡¯</em>

    He would kill the human and devour his heart. No one had any idea why but the humans who had been appearing throughout the First Helltely drastically boosted the demonic energy of those who ate their hearts.

    "I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m being forced to deal with this shit just because of a mere human insect." Sabnak red at Kang-Woo with a frown. "I¡¯ll have you pay for this with your life, human."

    "What a load of shit."

    Kang-Woo smiled as he panted heavily. Such lines weren¡¯t even used in mediocre martial arts novels these days.

    "And I told you, didn¡¯t I?" Kang-Woo smirked as he slowly crouched. "If I die, I¡¯m taking you with me. No, you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s gonna die."

    "What?" Sabnak¡¯s eyebrows crumpled.

    Kang-Woo stuffed his left hand into the baby Hellhound¡¯s split chest.

    <em>¡¯Here it is.¡¯</em>

    He felt something squishy in his hand. He grabbed it and pulled out the baby Hellhound¡¯s stopped heart.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo gulped as he stared at the ck blood trickling down his left arm. He wanted to quench his thirst with the ck blood more than anything.

    <em>¡¯Endure it.¡¯</em>

    It would be over for him the moment he drank the blood. To be more specific, he would be the target of the mother Hellhound the moment the blood got on his body.

    <em>¡¯Their sense of smell is highly developed.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled how he wasn¡¯t detected by the Hellhound when he was covered in poop. Just like dogs, they relied on their sense of smell to distinguish friend and foe.

    <em>¡¯In that case.¡¯</em>

    The mother Hellhound would naturally attack the one whom she could smell her baby¡¯s blood from.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo looked down at himself. His left arm was soaked in the ck blood from shoving his arm into the baby Hellhound¡¯s eye and pulling out its heart from its chest.

    <em>¡¯But nowhere else.¡¯</em>

    The blood did not stter anywhere else thanks to him being on the baby Hellhound¡¯s back when Sabnak killed the baby. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and looked down at the baby Hellhound¡¯s heart in his left hand. He chuckled at the idea he had just thought of.

    <em>¡¯It¡¯s insane.¡¯</em>

    However, he wouldn¡¯t survive in this ce unless he was insane.

    "Huuu, huuu, huuu!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s heart beat rapidly due to the massive anxiety crushing him. He panted heavily and lowered his stance.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    He squeezed out what remained of his strength to charge at Sabnak.

    "What the¡­?"

    Sabnak stepped back in confusion, not expecting the human to charge at him first, and reflexively raised his arm. The ck de gleamed as it swung toward the human.

    "NOW!!!"

    Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at the ck de.

    <em>¡¯If only my left arm is covered in the baby Hellhound¡¯s blood, I just have to cut it off!!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo swung his left arm holding the baby Hellhound¡¯s heart with all his might at the ck de, so sharp that it could likely slice rocks like tofu.

    <em>sh¡ª!!</em>

    "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Kang-Woo screamed. The gut-wrenching pain traveling up his left arm drove him crazy. "IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HURTS!!!"

    His cheeks were doused with tears. He wondered if this was how it felt to be scalded with a hot iron. Overwhelming pain he had never experienced before turned his mind nk.

    "A-Arghhh."

    Kang-Woo suppressed his screams with all his might and stared at his left arm. It was spewing so much red blood that it was hard to believe he had been suffering from severe dehydration. At this rate, he would die from blood loss instead of by the Hellhound.

    "<em>Huff, huff, huff!</em>"

    Kang-Woo tied the T-shirt he had used to collect the Hellhound poop to stop the bleeding, albeit poorly. He then turned around to look at Sabnak. The n he had in mind had seeded.

    "Wh-What in the¡­?"

    The left arm Kang-Woo had swung as if throwing it had flown toward Sabnak after being sliced off. It collided with Sabnak¡¯s chest and the baby Hellhound¡¯s heart burst with blood from the impact.

    "I-It can¡¯t be." Sabnak stared at Kang-Woo in disbelief. "You¡­"

    Sabnak knew how sensitive a Hellhound¡¯s sense of smell was, and he was covered in the baby Hellhound¡¯s blood.

    "Son of a¡­"

    Sabnak stared at Kang-Woo with trembling eyes. The human had swung his arm toward Sabnak¡¯s de to throw the baby Hellhound¡¯s heart at Sabnak. It wasn¡¯t something anyone sane could do.

    "Kuh!!"

    Sabnak bit his lip and charged at the human. Now that it hade to this, he needed to kill the human as quickly as possible.

    <em>BOOM¡ª!!!</em>

    "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    However, before Sabnak could swing his de, the mother Hellhound battling the horned wolves returned to her nest with a thunderous roar. She was covered in wounds likely made from the battle against the wolves.

    "D-Dammit!"

    Sabnak quickly turned to the Hellhound. Nothing was more terrifying in the First Hell than a Hellhound blinded by rage.

    <em>Split!</em>

    "AAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

    Sabnak did not have time to bother with the human. Another ck de sprouted from his other hand as he prepared to face the Hellhound charging at him.

    "GRRR! <em>WOOF!!</em>"

    "Kurgh!!!"

    Befitting of its title as the most powerful predator in the First Hell, the Hellhound¡¯s physical strength was extraordinary. The earth shook with each step the Hellhound took and she bared her sharp fangs at Sabnak.

    "ARGHHHHH!!! MOTHERFUCKING HUMAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!" Sabnak screamed in fury as he faced the Hellhound.

    The Hellhound was focused only on Sabnak as if she couldn¡¯t even see Kang-Woo. It was only natural; not only was Kang-Woo not covered in her baby¡¯s blood, he was also covered in Hellhound poop. Although Kang-Woo¡¯s blood was dripping from his severed left arm, that was not important to the Hellhound who just lost her baby.

    "Haaa, haaa," Kang-Woo panted heavily and crouched as he watched the battle between two monsters.

    <em>¡¯If I chose to fight those monsters¡­¡¯</em>

    Chills ran down his spine.

    <em>¡¯First, I should¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo crawled to escape from where Sabnak and the Hellhound were fighting, making as little sound as possible.

    "A-Arghh."

    Tears flowed down his cheeks. Sharp pain radiated from the stump of his left arm. His vision blurred with even the slightest movement.

    "<em>Huff, huff, huff.</em>"

    Kang-Woo bit his lip and held on to the string connected to his consciousness with all his might.

    "Kurgh."

    He could just crawl away but instead crawled up a rock about three meters tall. Despite being this high, the Hellhound was sorge that he still needed to look up.

    <em>¡¯He¡¯s fighting a lot better than the wolves.¡¯</em>

    Sabnak was only a little taller than Kang-Woo but thankfully he, with his sharp ck des, was fighting on par with the Hellhound despite the massive size difference.

    "Kurgh."

    Kang-Woo endured the pain shooting from his left arm and grabbed one of the small rocks around the area. He had not crawled up this rock to observe the battle from above.

    <em>¡¯Even if I run away, I¡¯ll die soon enough.¡¯</em>

    Running away in starvation and exhaustion would notst him long.

    <em>¡¯In that case.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t do anything about his severed arm but he at least needed to find something to eat and drink here.

    "I¡¯ll¡­ kill both of them here."

    He, of course, was nowhere near strong enough to kill either of the monsters.

    <em>¡¯But I can at least keep the battle neck and neck.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo gripped the rock and raised his arm high.

    "RAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" Sabnak roared as he ferociously swung his ck des against the Hellhound.

    The Hellhound was already tired as if she had been in a battle before this. If that was the case, Sabnak had a chance to win.

    "DIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Just then, a rock flew out of nowhere and hit his head.

    "Gah! Wh-What the¡ª?!"

    Sabnak swayed and momentarily stopped.

    "<em>ROOOOOOOOAR!!</em>"

    The Hellhound did not miss that chance and smashed Sabnak with her front foot.

    "Kurgh! Urgh!"

    Sabnak looked up even while being blown backward. On one of the rocks was the human who covered him with the baby Hellhound¡¯s blood, with a rock in his hand.

    "YOU BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!!!"

    Sabnak gave the human a death re.

    "Pfft! Hahahahaha!!" Kang-Woo burst intoughter despite being in immense pain.

    <em>¡¯Ahh, yeah.¡¯</em>

    Even as the pain was turning his mind nk, he couldn¡¯t stopughing as he stared at the demon ring at him.

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m gonna survive.¡¯</em>

    No matter how pathetic, desperate, cowardly, unsightly, and low he needed to act¡­

    <em>¡¯I¡­¡¯</em> Kang-Woo gritted his teeth. <em>¡¯Will survive this goddamn Hell.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 102: One Day (4)

    "Grrr! <em>Woof, woof!!</em>" the Hellhound growled ferociously as she charged at extraordinary speed and swung her sharp ws at Sabnak.

    "GAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTT!!"

    <em>ng!!</em>

    Sabnak cursed as he blocked the Hellhound¡¯s ws with the Authority of des. He was not pushed back despite their size difference.

    "I AM A DEMON WITH AN AUTHORITYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    Demons with Authorities were extremely rare in the Nine Hells. Although having an Authority did not necessarily make a demon powerful, those with powerful Authorities like the princes of Hell were on another levelpared to regr demons.

    The same applied to Sabnak. Although his Authority only allowed him to sprout des made of demonic energy from his hands, many demons did not even have such a simple Authority. There weren¡¯t many beings who could be a match for him in the First Hell.

    "DIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

    <em>sh!!</em>The de of demonic energy cut the bridge of the Hellhound¡¯s nose.

    "GRRRRRRRR!!!"

    "Kurgh!"

    The Hellhound, blinded by rage, swung her ws regardless of whether her nose was cut or not. Sabnak rolled to the side to barely dodge the Hellhound¡¯s ws.

    "<em>Huff, huff!</em>" he panted heavily as he calmly examined the Hellhound¡¯s movements.

    <em>¡¯Her movements are easy to read, at the very least.¡¯</em>

    The Hellhound¡¯s movements were as simple as what one would expect from a demonic beast with no intelligence. Her physical strength was extraordinary but not enough to overpower Sabnak, who possessed more demonic energy than most entities in the First Hell.

    "Grr! Grrr!"

    Most of all, the Hellhound was tired.

    "Haaaaah!"

    Sabnak ducked to dodge the Hellhound¡¯s front foot and quickly closed the distance. He activated the Authority of des to the extreme to lengthen the ck de, which was now three meters long. Sabnak swung the long de to behead the Hellhound, but¡ª

    <em>Bash!</em>

    "Gah!!"

    The impact from the rock hitting Sabnak¡¯s head caused the de to veer off course.

    <em>Pierce!</em>

    The de dug into the Hellhound¡¯s shoulder.

    "Grrr!!"

    The Hellhound ignored the blood spewing from her shoulder and lowered her head to headbutt Sabnak.

    "Kurgh!! Gah!" Sabnak was blown backward by the headbutt. "ARGHHHH!! GODDAMN HUMAAAAAAAAAN!!!"

    Sabnak looked up and red at the human who threw the rock. The human was getting in his way by throwing rocks at decisive moments from a tall boulder. §²??

    "SHIT! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!"

    Sabnak was boiling with rage, but he couldn¡¯t do anything. Although he had the advantage against the Hellhound, he didn¡¯t have the leeway to focus on something else during a battle with his life on the line.

    "Bwehehehehehe!!!" the human throwing rocks from aboveughed mockingly at Sabnak, enraging him even more.

    "ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!" Sabnak roared as he frantically blocked the Hellhound¡¯s attacks.

    He felt like he was going crazy from rage.

    "<em>WOOF!! GROWL!!</em>"

    "FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!! ATTACK THAT HUMAN, NOT MEEEEEEEE!!!"

    The one who attacked the sleeping baby Hellhound first was the human, not him. Sabnak never had any intention of killing the baby.

    "GRRR! GRRRR!!"

    However, a demonic beast with no intelligence couldn¡¯t understand him. The Hellhound simply barraged Sabnak, whom she could smell her baby¡¯s blood from, with attacks.

    <em>ng!! ng!!</em>

    "Kurgh!! Urgh!!"

    Sabnak bit his lip as he blocked the unending barrage of w attacks.

    <em>¡¯At this rate, I¡¯ll die¡­!¡¯</em>

    He gripped the ck de made with his Authority tightly.

    <em>¡¯I have no choice.¡¯</em>

    He would have to attack the Hellhound with the resolve to suffer a critical wound.

    "<em>Huff, huff!</em>"

    Sabnak first widened his distance from the Hellhound and drew out as much demonic energy as he could.

    <em>Crack! Crack!!</em>

    His skin split in different parts of his body, and ck des sprouted from between. Sabnak, who now looked like a hedgehog, red at the Hellhound.

    "Grrrr."

    The Hellhound stopped in her tracks momentarily.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    She took a deep breath in, and mes zed from her mouth.

    "<em>Gasp!</em>"

    Sabnak grew impatient. Hellhounds did not use their breath under normal circumstances because it also damaged themselves. However, the Hellhound in front of him was drawing out as much fire as possible as if she were trying to take Sabnak out with her.

    "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!!</em>

    Colossal mes shot toward Sabnak.

    "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    <em>Sizzle!!</em>

    The mes not only melted Sabnak¡¯s skin but the baby Hellhound¡¯s corpse as well as the Hellhound herself. The mes that devoured all life engulfed the surroundings.

    "Argh!! Gaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

    Sabnak charged toward the Hellhound despite writhing in pain. He knew he would be reduced to ashes before the Hellhound because his resistance to fire was lower.

    "PLEASE JUST DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Sabnak screamed as he jumped at the Hellhound to body-smash her.

    The des that were sprouted all over his body sank into the Hellhound.

    "Huff, huff, huff!"

    <em>Fwoosh, fwoosh!</em>

    The corpse of the Hellhound, whose head was split in two, copsed and burned. Sabnak panted heavily and fell to the ground.

    "I-I won."

    He defeated the First Hell¡¯s apex predator¡ª not only that but one who was blinded by rage from losing her baby.

    "Haha! I wo¡ª"

    <em>Whoosh!!!</em>

    As Sabnak was about to pump his fists and cheer, a sharp rock flew across the air.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    "Gah!"

    The sharp rock cut Sabnak¡¯s skin which was melted from the fire. He clenched his wounds spewing ck blood and turned around.

    "Haaa, haaa, haaa."

    He saw Kang-Woo, singed by the fire, panting heavily.

    "Hehehe! I¡¯m surprised you can survive in this fiery ce." Sabnak smirked, his eyes gleaming.

    He was more happy than enraged that the human was still alive since it meant he could take revenge against the arrogant human who had driven him this far.

    "I¡¯ll tear you apa¡ª"

    "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Kang-Woo screamed. He grabbed a rock with his remaining right hand and ran toward Sabnak. "DIE, MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!"

    He swung the rock down into the copsed Sabnak¡¯s head.

    Bash!!

    "Argh!!!" Sabnak yelled and tumbled across the ground.

    He quickly swung his arm and used the Authority of des but nothing came out because he was out of demonic energy. His arm hit nothing as he swung it in the air.

    "<em>Huff, huff!</em>"

    Kang-Woo bared his teeth ferociously as he looked down at Sabnak, who was struggling in pain with his hands on his head. He failed to make Sabnak and the Hellhound kill each other, but he at least seeded in making Sabnak use all of his strength.

    <em>¡¯In that case, I can take care of the finishing blow.¡¯</em>

    "W-Wai¡ª"

    "DIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

    Bash!!

    Kang-Woo swung down the rock on Sabnak¡¯s head again. His palm split from the impact simr to hammering steel, but he ignored it.

    "DIE!!! DIE!!!!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s head heated up, and sparks ran throughout his body as ck blood sttered on his cheeks.

    "Kekeke!"

    He was bursting withughter for some reason.

    "Pfft!! Kehehehehehehehe!!!"

    The ecstasy was melting his brain. Seeing Sabnak¡¯s head bing mush each time Kang-Woo smashed the rock down couldn¡¯t make him happier.

    "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! YEAH!!! DIE!!! DIE, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s vision blurred. He could no longer feel pain from his severed left arm, the thirst burning his throat, or the hunger tearing his stomach apart anymore. All he could feel was the screams echoing in his head.

    "Kurgh, guh¡­ krrrk!"

    Sabnak¡¯s face caved in, and one of his eyeballs popped out. Kang-Woo grabbed it and yanked it out. More hideous screams echoed in his head.

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

    Kang-Woo grabbed Sabnak¡¯s head and smashed it into the rocky ground with all his might, but it only dealt next to no injuries.

    <em>Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!</em>

    If once wasn¡¯t enough, he would do it twice. If twice wasn¡¯t enough, he would do it thrice.

    "Kurgh! S-Stop¡ª"

    Kang-Woo smashed Sabnak¡¯s head into the ground until his head was split open.

    <em>Crack!</em>

    "..."

    Brain matter flowed out of Sabnak¡¯s head atst.

    "<em>Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!</em>" Kang-Woo panted heavily and copsed.

    He did not have the time to relish in his victory.

    "A-Arghh."

    The ecstasy was once again reced by extreme hunger and thirst. Kang-Woo raised his head and looked around. The Hellhound and her baby¡¯s corpses had already been reduced to ashes.

    "<em>Slurp!! Slurp¡ª!!!</em>"

    All he could drink at the moment was the ck blood flowing out from Sabnak¡¯s cracked head.

    "<em>Slurp!!! Gulp!!!</em>"

    Kang-Woo crawled and licked the ck blood on the ground like a dog. The bitter taste of blood stimted his tongue.

    "<em>Huff! Huff! Huff!</em>"

    However, he couldn¡¯t care less about how the liquid tasted as long as it quenched his thirst.

    "H-Hehehehehe!!!"

    The blood moistened Kang-Woo¡¯s dry throat. He was invigorated with energy, iparable to when he drank his own urine.

    "More, more, more, more."

    He couldn¡¯t be satisfied with just blood. Kang-Woo grabbed Sabnak¡¯s body with his right hand and bit into Sabnak¡¯s throat.

    "<em>Munch! Munch! Krrrk! Munch!!</em>"

    It was bitter and had the texture of rubber, but it was almost a blessing for Kang-Woo, who had not eaten anything for the past three days. Kang-Woo frantically devoured the demon¡¯s flesh until he could feel his intestines were full.

    "Huh¡­?"

    Just then, he realized he could feel his left hand that should have been severed.

    "Wh-What the hell?"

    Kang-Woo looked down at his left hand in disbelief. The hand that had been severed by Sabnak¡¯s de had regenerated before he realized it. No, that was not all there was to it.

    "H-Huh?"

    He was brimming with power. His muscles had swelled, and his body felt light. He was in far better conditionpared to when he first ended up here.

    "What in the¡­."

    Kang-Woo closed and opened his left fist iprehensibly.

    <em>Schwing!!</em>

    "What the¡ª?! Th-That scared me!!!"

    His hand split and a ck de shot out all of a sudden.

    "This is¡­ the de that the demon used."

    Kang-Woo turned to look down at Sabnak¡¯s corpse, which he had been frantically devouring.

    "..."

    He had no idea why but his injuries healed once he ate the demon and even gained his ability to conjure des.

    "Haaa, haaa. Am I able to take the powers¡­ of monsters I eat?"

    Kang-Woo had no idea, but he was sure of one thing.

    "I¡­ survived."

    He had survived these nightmarish monsters.

    "H-Haha."

    Kang-Woo flopped on the ground. He couldn¡¯t feel the thirst and hunger driving him mad anymore. He didn¡¯t know why but his injuries were gone, and he was brimming with power iparable to when he first fell in here.

    "Yeah¡­ I¡¯m gonna survive. In this fucking ce¡­ for sure."

    A glimmer of hope shone in Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes. He would survive. He would stay alive no matter what until he returned to Earth.

    "Yeah, I¡¯m gonna go b¡ª Ah."

    Only after looking up at the sky did he realize the burning red sky had turned dark.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    One day had passed. He drank his own urine, risked his life to look for food in the rocky region, smeared Hellhound poop all over himself, used it to lure the wolves, infiltrated the Hellhound¡¯s nest while the Hellhound was busy fighting the wolves, met a demon, got his arm severed, lured the Hellhound back to her nest, killed the demon who suffered a critical wound from his battle against the Hellhound, and devoured his flesh and blood¡ª

    All in only one day.

    "I¡¯m¡­ going back. I¡¯m sure¡­ there¡¯s a way¡­ back."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s hands shivered.

    "Yeah, it won¡¯t take long¡­ just a little longer¡­ yeah. I should be able to go back¡­ in just a few days."

    Kang-Woo slowly stood up. He lifted the demon¡¯s corpse he had yet to finish eating over his shoulder and staggered as he walked away. His fourth night in Hell fell as he mumbled to himself that he¡¯d be able to get out of this Hell soon.

    And¡­ 3,649,996 more nights remained until he could return.

 Side Story Chapter 103: Demon King of Pandemonium (1)

    "Kang-Woo!!! Wake up, Kang-Woo!!!"

    A voice echoed in Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s head. He woke up as if he were being pulled out by the voice, filled with worry and anxiety. It felt like he had resurfaced from deep water.

    "Urpp!! Bleeeeegghhh!!"

    He instinctively turned to the ground and vomited as soon as he regained consciousness.

    "K-Kang-Woo!!!"

    Han Seol-Ah ced a hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s back as she teared up. He could feel her soft and gentle touch through his clothes.

    "Hey!! Are you okay, Oh Kang-Woo?!"

    "Calm down and step back, both of you. You¡¯re making the king ufortable."

    Kang-Woo also heard Cha Yeon-Joo and Lilith¡¯s voices. Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo took their hands off Kang-Woo as Lilith said."<em>Huff, huff, huff!</em>"

    Kang-Woo panted heavily with his hands on the ground. He felt dizzy, and his vision was distorted. The fragments of his memory that had torn his brain apart until just now were making his brain throb.

    "A-Arghhh."

    Kang-Woo turned around as he trembled. He saw Seol-Ah in confusion, not knowing what to do. He quickly stretched out his arms and embraced her tightly.

    "H-Huh? K-Kang-Woo?"

    "..."

    The crying Seol-Ah became wide-eyed from suddenly being embraced. Kang-Woo did not answer her and stretched his arm toward Yeon-Joo to embrace her as well.

    "Wh-What the hell are you doing first thing you wake up?!"

    Yeon-Joo let herself be embraced despite shouting. Kang-Woo stretched out his other hand.

    "Fufu, you don¡¯t have to be so desperate, my king." Lilith grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hand and embraced him from behind. She gently whispered, "Your Lilith is right here." ??

    Kang-Woo¡¯s chaotic mind calmed down a little from Lilith¡¯s sweet voice.

    " A little bit¡­" he muttered with the three women in his arms. "Let me stay like this for a little bit."

    "..."

    "..."

    The three women nodded in silence and either caressed Kang-Woo¡¯s head or hugged his arms tightly. Their warmth traveled into Kang-Woo. He could feel the darkness shrouding his consciousness being lifted.

    <em>¡¯Fuck.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo suppressed his curses. <em>¡¯So this is what you call a trauma.¡¯</em>

    It was his memory of falling into Hell for the first time and his wretched fourth day there.

    "..."

    Kang-Woo remained silent. The trauma did not end with just that day; every day in Hell was a nightmare and filled with wretched battles. His life in Hell shed before his eyes. Of course, he did not remember every memory of the ten millennia he spent there, but the especially horrifying days were amplified and reyed in his head.

    <em>¡¯I did my best to forget them.¡¯</em>

    The des made from his memories tore him apart. Kang-Woo swept back his hair drenched in sweat.

    "Huuu¡­ I¡¯m okay now."

    Kang-Woo caught his breath and backed away from the three women. Just like how it was with nightmares, the fragments of his memories quickly disappeared not long after he woke up.

    "How long was I out?"

    He felt like he had been asleep for years.

    "For a day," answered Lilith as she wiped Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth with a handkerchief.

    "A day¡­"

    Kang-Woo let out a hollowughter. He couldn¡¯t believe it had only been one day.

    "Are you sure you¡¯re okay, Kang-Woo?"

    Seol-Ah grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hand in worry.

    "Yeah. I¡¯m fine now, Darling. When did you wake up?"

    "The three of us woke up after about an hour."

    "Ngh."

    It seemed like he was the only one who slept in.

    "What exactly did you remember?" asked Yeon-Joo cautiously.

    "Well, I mean¡­ things." Kang-Woo avoided answering and clicked his tongue.

    He had nowhere hear enough time to tell her everything he went through in the Nine Hells.

    "Sigh¡­" Yeon-Joo softly sighed and lightly pinched Kang-Woo¡¯s nk. "You¡¯d better tell this noona everythingter, got it?"

    "Why? Are you curious?"

    Kang-Woo smiled yfully and stared at her. Yeon-Joo¡¯s cheeks turned as red as her hair.

    "N-No! I¡¯m not curious!! I-I mean¡­ well¡­" she stuttered as she averted her gaze from Kang-Woo. Her lips quivered as she twisted around, and she then answered quietly, "We¡¯re not m-married yet, but¡­ our rtionship is close enough, isn¡¯t it? Yeah, and s-spouses shouldn¡¯t keep any secrets from each other! Yeah!"

    Her expression looked like she was dying of embarrassment. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. His heart almost stopped.

    "Kaaaaaaahhh!! You¡¯re so goddamn cute, Yeon-Joo noona!!"

    "Arghh!! Wh-What the hell are you doing, dammit?!"

    Kang-Woo embraced Yeon-Joo and kissed her repeatedly. She was cursing and swinging her fists in his embrace, but Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t find her any cuter.

    "Hehehe! You¡¯re right, we may not have had the wedding yet, but we¡¯re practically spouses! Yeah, yeah!"

    The disturbing memories melted away before Kang-Woo realized it and were reced by an irresistible impulse. He went beyond kissing her cheek and sucked it.

    "Y-You crazy fucker!!! Let go!! Let go of me!!!"

    Yeon-Joo screamed as she cursed and kicked Kang-Woo, but he paid it no mind and added more strength to his arms, embracing her. Seol-Ah and Lilith stared intently at them and narrowed their eyes.

    "I wonder if Yeon-Joo¡¯s doing that on purpose?"

    "Hmm, who knows? It doesn¡¯t look like it. I think she just has a talent for it."

    Stimting the desires of men with natural cunning charms¡ª it was truly a frightening talent if it was not through careful calctions.

    "Sh-Should I curse like Yeon-Joo too?" Seol-Ah asked with shining eyes.

    "Fufu. Why don¡¯t you give it a try?" Lilith smiled faintly.

    Seol-Ah clenched her fists and nodded.

    "K-Kang-Woo!"

    "Yeah?"

    "M-Motherfxxker!!"

    "Huh? What¡¯s with you all of a sudden?"

    "Fxxking Bxxxh! Dipsxxt!"

    "The hell?"

    <em>¡¯What¡¯s with all the X¡¯s? Are we X-Men now?¡¯</em>

    "Wh-What¡¯s wrong, Darling?" Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah in confusion.

    "Urgh¡­" Seol-Ah¡¯s shoulders drooped in dejection after not getting the reaction she had hoped. "Cursing at Kang-Woo¡­ I-I can¡¯t do it!"

    "You just did a ton."

    Kang-Woo stared at Lilith in exasperation and pointed at Seol-Ah as if telling Lilith to exin what was going on.

    "Hohoho, isn¡¯t our Seol-Ah rather lovely as well?"

    She shrugged and embraced Seol-Ah with a wide smile.

    "I mean, she sure is, but¡­" Kang-Woo sighed as he stared at Seol-Ah, still unable to understand. He then looked around and asked, "That aside, where¡¯s Horos?"

    Lilith pointed at a part of the hallway and said, "Way~ over there."

    "A-Aaaahh."

    Horos was hugging his knees and trembling in pallor. Tears were dripping from his eye the size of a pumpkin.

    "What trauma did you see?" Kang-Woo asked in curiosity.

    Horos looked up at Kang-Woo in pallor and shouted, "P-Please spare me!!! Please!!!"

    <em>¡¯The fuck¡¯s with you all of a sudden?¡¯</em>

    "I won¡¯t resist anymore! Please!! Please don¡¯t bash my head in as you scream weird things!!!"

    <em>¡¯Oh.¡¯</em>

    "Did you¡­ see me as your trauma?" Kang-Woo asked.

    Horos ferociously nodded.

    "Oh, umm¡­ Well¡­ sorry about that."

    "<em>Sniff¡ª!</em> I-I was so scared!"

    "I won¡¯t do anything to you as long as you listen to me, so don¡¯t worry."

    Horos was far more useful than Kang-Woo expected. He could examine ces that Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t even detect with the Authority of the Beholder and he was also very knowledgeable about Pandemonium.

    <em>¡¯I was gonna eat him once we entered the Corridor, but¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo still had a use for him.

    "<em>Sniff¡­</em> R-Really?"

    "Yeah, of course."

    His looks aside, Horos followed orders well and was rather decent personality-wise.

    "Right, shall we get back to it?"

    They had fallen behind by one day because Kang-Woo woke up toote. Horos nodded and stood up.

    "Just straight down, right?" Kang-Woo asked.

    "Y-Yes."

    "Let¡¯s go." Kang-Woo took the lead and the party went down a long flight of stairs. "Is this all there is to it? This isn¡¯t what I had in mind for a ce called the Corridor of Trials."

    Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t one to talk when he was the slowest to wake up, but considering even Horos woke up without issues, the Corridor of Trials did not seem very difficult despite its grandiose name.

    "I¡¯ve heard there remains something called the Trial of the Demonic Sword at the deepest point of the corridor," Horos replied.

    "Trial of the Demonic Sword?"

    "Yes. That trial is likely the most dangerous and difficult in this ancient dungeon."

    "What kind of trial would a sword give, though?"

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion.

    Horos exined, "They say Demonic Sword Midir is imbued with the soul of a powerful ancient demonic dragon. If you aren¡¯t acknowledged by the demonic dragon, you go insane and die."

    "The demonic sword is an Ego Sword?"

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone. Ego Swords were powerful weaponsmonly seen in fantasy tropes.

    <em>¡¯Come to think of it, Ingrium also had an ego.¡¯</em>

    The demonic sword that betrayed Kang-Woo also flew around ording to his will.

    "Then the chances of the Demon King running with the relic should be pretty low."

    Since it was a trial given by a ten-star relic, Kang-Woo was sure even the Demon King of Pandemonium would have a hard time.

    "I¡­ can¡¯t give you a clear answer on that." Horos shook his giant eye for a head. "Although Demonic Sword Midir is one of the most powerful relics that exist in the Tower¡­ I believe the Demon King would pass its trial without much difficulty considering the legendary feats he has shown in Pandemonium."

    "I see."

    It meant they did not have time to waste. They needed to reach the end of the corridor as soon as possible to prevent the Demon King of Pandemonium from getting away with the relic.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    The group quickened their steps. There were a few things that looked like traps on their way, but like the others, they were inactive, likely because the Demon King ahead of the group destroyed them. They reached the end of the corridor soon after and saw thick darkness engulfing the surroundings like a swamp.

    "Who¡­ are you people?"

    Within the darkness was the Demon King.

 Side Story Chapter 104: Demon King of Pandemonium (2)

    "<em>PEEEEEEEP!!</em> I-It¡¯s the Demon King!!! It¡¯s really him!!!" Horos trembled in shock. "P-Please spare me!!! Please!!! I was dragged here by that human against my will!!! Please, spare my life, my king¡ª!!!"

    "..."

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo smacked the screaming Horos on the head and looked forward with his head tilted.

    "That¡¯s the Demon King?"

    A young man was standing in the middle of the ck swamp. The Demon King of Pandemonium had ck hair that reached his waist, pale skin, a well-defined jawline, and a sharp nose, giving him a slight unisex feel.

    "Sheesh, the fuck?" Kang-Woo expressed. "He¡¯s handsome as fuck."

    He was almost on par with Kim Si-Hun.

    "But doesn¡¯t he look a little too human to be the king of demons?"His entric outfit aside, the Demon King of Pandemonium could even be mistaken for a human.

    Lilith giggled and said, "Hohoho. You¡¯re not one to talk, are you, my king?"

    "I guess so."

    In Kang-Woo¡¯s case, he was a human turned into a demon. However, it was fascinating to see since that was likely not true for the Demon King of Pandemonium.

    Just then, Horos blinked as he shouted at Kang-Woo, "Wh-What are you talking about?! The king used to be human, so, of course, he looks like one!"

    "What¡­?" Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. "The Demon King of Pandemonium¡­ used to be a human?"

    "<em>Peep!!</em> Why are you asking something that even children know?!" Horos shouted in frustration. "The Demon King of Pandemonium, Oh Hyun-Seong, is a legendary being who fell into Pandemonium ten millennia ago and rose to be the Demon King!! Everyone in the Tower knows this!!!"

    "..."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth was left agape.

    <em>¡¯The hell?¡¯</em> He stared at the ck-haired man in disbelief. <em>¡¯He¡¯s human too? And he even fell into Pandemonium ten millennia ago?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    <em>¡¯Are our Earths parallel worlds for real?¡¯</em>

    It was too simr to call it a coincidence.

    "Wait a second¡­"

    Just then, something popped into Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    <em>¡¯If that guy really is a parallel version of me¡­¡¯</em>

    There was a possibility that the Demon King of Pandemonium could possess the Demonic Sea as well.

    Riiing.

    [No, Sir Guardian Deity. That demon does not possess the Demonic Sea.] A blue message window popped up. [The world where the Tower of Creation exists is but an outer world. It is not parallel to Earth.]

    "Then what about him?"

    Kang-Woo gestured with his chin at the Demon King of Pandemonium standing aloof in the middle of the ck swamp. There were too many simrities between the two Demon Kings who were once human.

    "Just look at him. We practically look the same!"

    [Do you have any shame, Sir Guardian Deity?]

    <em>¡¯Fuck. Alright, fine. He¡¯s just slightly more handsome than me by a near-negligible amount. As small as the hair on an ant¡¯s ass¡ª¡¯</em>

    [You¡¯re getting more and more unsightly, Sir Guardian Deity. (£þ(?)£þ)]

    "Shaddup."

    <em>¡¯Darling says I¡¯m the most handsome man in the world.¡¯</em>

    "Seriously though, how can it be possible if it¡¯s not a parallel world?"

    It couldn¡¯t be passed off as a mere coincidence.

    [The world where the Tower of Creation exists could have been influenced by the Triad because of their proximity. However, it is not as symmetrical as a parallel world.]

    "Hmm."

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and swiped the message aside. He still found it hard to ept but decided not to think too deeply about it.

    <em>¡¯That¡¯s not important right now.¡¯</em>

    It was enough knowing that the Demon King of Pandemonium did not have the Demonic Sea.

    "Who is that human who keeps talking to himself?"

    "Hmph, he dares act disrespectfully in front of Master Hyun-Seong."

    Two women, one with red hair and the other with blue hair, rose from within the Demon King Oh Hyun-Seong¡¯s shadow. They couldn¡¯tpare to Han Seol-Ah, but they were considerably beautiful. The Two women frowned in displeasure as they red at Kang-Woo.

    "No." Hyun-Seong slowly shook his head. "That is not a human."

    His eyes, as dark as obsidian, gazed at Kang-Woo as if looking into him.

    "Pardon?"

    "Not human?"

    The two women examined Kang-Woo in surprise.

    "Oh?" Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone with interest as he stared at Hyun-Seong. "Looks like you have a good eye."

    It was quite surprising, considering Kang-Woo was concealing his demonic energy using his Trait <em>Ruler of Demonic Energy</em>.

    "Who are you¡­? I have never heard about a human who became a demon in Pandemonium other than me," Hyun-Seong asked coldly.

    It seemed like he even figured out Kang-Woo went through the same thing as him.

    "Oh, uhhh¡­ I¡¯m¡­" Kang-Woo slurred troublingly.

    Since the Demon King of Pandemonium did not know about the existence of the Nine Hells, it would be difficult to exin that Kang-Woo was a Demon King of another world.

    <em>¡¯What should I do?¡¯</em>

    As Kang-Woo was staring at the Demon King of Pandemonium as he thought about what to do, he noticed the sword in his hand.

    "Oh."

    The sword was gleaming with dark blue light, emitting energy so immense that anyone could tell it was no ordinary sword.

    "A-Aaaahh."

    Kang-Woo realized it.

    "Yeah."

    He shivered from the sparks running throughout his body. They started from two different worlds, but they both started from the weakest in Hell and fought their way to the top for ten grueling millennia. Their worlds were not parallel, ording to Eve, but that didn¡¯t matter.

    "I¡¯m sure of it. This is¡­"

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists. Something hot was surging from deep inside his heart. His heart beat uncontrobly, and he could barely contain his impulses.

    "This is¡­ undoubtedly¡­¡¾Love for Humanity¡¿... No, NO!!!"

    It was more apt to call it¡¾Comradeship¡¿!!!

    "What¡­?"

    "Ahhh!!! Yes!!! Why did I not realize it from the moment I saw you?!!"

    Kang-Woo stomped his foot as if scolding his moronic self. The nightmarishly wretched memories of his days in Hell brought up at the Corridor of Trials filled his head again. No one else could understand his lone struggle.

    "I am¡­ the only one who truly understands you."

    "...?"

    "The only one who can understand your pain!!! The only one who can sympathize with your despair!!! The only one who can share your tears!!!"

    "What in the world are you talking about?"

    "YES!!!"

    <em>Boom¡ª!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo smashed his foot into the ground, his expression filled with passion. The darkness lingering in the ck swamp pulsed. Kang-Woo walked toward Hyun-Seong with his arms out wide.

    "I AM YOUR¡¾FRIEND¡¿!!!"

    Although they were from different worlds, they shared the same experiences and felt the same despair when they fell into Hell for the first time. They smeared poop on themselves to survive and barely survived by eating the flesh of demons. Kang-Woo and Hyun-Seong were likely the only two who could sympathize with each other in the entire universe. Hence, they could call each other friends despite meeting for the first time today.

    "Are you insane?"

    Hyun-Seong frowned as he red at Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo grabbed his chest and swayed as if his feelings were hurt.

    "H-Hyun-Seong!!! How could you be so harsh toward your friend?!!"

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m heartbroken!!! I think only a relic could piece my heart back together!!!¡¯</em>

    "Are you saying¡­ we¡¯re friends because we¡¯re both humans who turned into demons?" Hyun-Seong stared at Kang-Woo in exasperation.

    Kang-Woo nodded passionately and eximed, "Yes!! That¡¯s exactly it!!! We¡¯ve experienced the same pain and despair!! We¡¯re the only two people in the world who can understand each other!!!"

    "..."

    "You are my friend!! Whatever you say, we are friends!!"

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists and approached Hyun-Seong.

    "How dare you?!"

    "You will not take a step further!"

    The two women who appeared from Hyun-Seong¡¯s shadow charged at Kang-Woo angrily. Kang-Woo lightly flicked his finger at the two women.

    <em>Bang!!!</em>

    "KYAAAAAAAAHH!!"

    A wave of demonic energy spread from where Kang-Woo flicked his finger. The two women were blown back by the wave.

    "..." Hyun-Seong¡¯s eyes shone. He nced at the two women who were blown back and looked back at Kang-Woo in surprise. "It looks like you have the skill to back up your insanity."

    The spread of the wave was instantaneous but he could feel the power in the demonic energy through his skin.

    Hyun-Seong continued, "But you chose the wrong opponent."

    The demon would be no match for him.

    "Friend¡­ a friend, huh?"

    It had been a while since he heard that word. Hyun-Seong chuckled faintly and stared at Kang-Woo.

    "Very well. Let us be friends."

    Hyun-Seong had never seen a human who became a demon other than himself. He was brimming with curiosity.

    "Nice!! Okay!! Awesome!!! We¡¯re best friends from today, Hyun-Seong!!" Kang-Woo fearlessly ced his arm around Hyun-Seong¡¯s shoulders and danced. "Oh, but Hyun-Seong. You hurt my feelings a lot earlier."

    It was too harsh to call one¡¯s friend insane. Kang-Woo, who had never once cursed in his life nor had the thought to, was heartbroken.

    "I tend to get super angry andsh out whenever my feelings are hurt."

    "What are you trying to say?"

    "And it turns out you have something that can cure my heartbreak!" Kang-Woo patted Hyun-Seong¡¯s shoulder with a smile. "Hyun-Seong. Friends are supposed to share everything."

    Kang-Woo passionately stared at Hyun-Seong.

    "So¡ª" he continued. "Let me borrow that relic you have in your hand."

    "What¡­?"

    "I¡¯ll give it back in a sh, yeah? Just for a little bit."

    "..."

    "Come on~ what¡¯s with that face? I just need to use it for something and give it back. Or is it that you don¡¯t trust your best friend?"

    Kang-Woo stuck out his tongue, put his thumb on the tip of his tongue, and his pinky on his forehead[1].

    "See, look. I swear on my mom!!!"

    <em>¡¯Though I don¡¯t have one.¡¯</em>

    "..."

    "Come on, what? You still don¡¯t believe me? Hah! Fine!! I swear on my dad too!!! I swear on his name and honor that I¡¯ll give it back in just a second!!"

    <em>¡¯My dad is a great man. I should know; I killed him.¡¯</em>

    "I¡¯ll be really upset if you don¡¯t let me borrow it even after all that, okay?"

    Kang-Woo gripped Hyun-Seong¡¯s shoulder harder.

    1. This is a gesture used in Korea basically used to show that you swear you¡¯re not lying. It¡¯s called ??, which is an abbreviation for "If I break this promise, my mom is a prostitute." ?

 Side Story Chapter 105: Demon King of Pandemonium (3)

    "Oh Kang-Woo, that son of a bitch. There he goes again." Cha Yeon-Joo sighed in exasperation. "I was wondering what he was gonna do after going on about friendship or whatever."

    It was ssic Kang-Woo like always.

    "Sheesh¡­ what a scumbag."

    Yeon-Joo sighed as she shook her head but had no intention of stopping him since they couldn¡¯t let the relic be taken aftering all this way.

    "That aside." She stared at the other Demon King pitifully. "Poor guy."

    <em>¡¯He had to be targeted by that lunatic of all people.¡¯</em>

    ***

    "What do you think you¡¯re doing?"

    Oh Hyun-Seong frowned and red at Kang-Woo."Huh? Did I perhaps not get through to you after everything I said?" Kang-Woo smirked wide-eyed. He snickered as he pointed at the dark blue sword in Hyun-Seong¡¯s hand. "Hand over that relic and fuck off."

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t care less whether or not the Demon King of another world spent ten millennia in Hell. All that mattered was the relic in his hand, Demonic Sword Midir, which was the most valuable among all the relics discovered in the Tower, ording to Horos.

    <em>¡¯Since he¡¯s holding the sword just fine, it looks like he passed the relic¡¯s trial.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the demonic sword in Hyun-Seong¡¯s hand with great interest, curious about what the Trial of the Demonic Sword could have been.

    "Hah. So, you were after Midir from the beginning." Hyun-Seong chuckled in exasperation and smiled chillingly. "You think you have what it takes to use this?"

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    Midir¡¯s de shone dark blue. Intense despair poured out from the demonic sword. If a normal person were to grab this sword¡ª no, just gazing at it would cause them to go insane from overwhelming despair and die.

    "Those unable to handle this dark despair cannot even hold this sword."

    The Trial of the Demonic Sword was to endure the despair umted in the sword from devouring negative emotions and darkness for nearly an eternity. Hyun-Seong managed to ovee the trial and be acknowledged by Midir. ??

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m¡­ used to despair.¡¯</em>

    Hyun-Seong gripped the sword tighter with deeply sunken eyes.

    "Is that so? Wow! What a useful piece of information!!!" Kang-Woo pped as he overreacted.

    He couldn¡¯t care less about Hyun-Seong¡¯s pointless rant about despair or whatever.

    "So, are you letting me borrow it or not?"

    "You¡¯re blinded by greed." Hyun-Seong sighed deeply.

    He understood; there was no way someone who was blinded by the relic would listen to his warnings of needing to endure immense despair.

    "Come to think of it, you are also a human who became a demon, correct?"

    Hyun-Seong stared at Kang-Woo as he smiled mockingly and recalled what Kang-Woo said about the two of them being the only ones who could understand one another.

    "Hah," Hyun-Seong chuckled.

    <em>¡¯We can understand one another? I doubt you could understand.¡¯</em>

    He doubted Kang-Woo could even imagine the wretched nightmares he had to endure.

    "How did you be a demon?" Hyun-Seong asked Kang-Woo.

    "Huh? Me? Same as you. I fell into Hell one day."

    "Where in Pandemonium?"

    "Uhh¡­ mm. I¡¯m toozy to exin. Well, let¡¯s just say around the same area as you," Kang-Woo answered as he shrugged.

    "The¡­ same?" Hyun-Seong¡¯s eyes gleamed and his hand gripping the demonic sword trembled. "Do you truly believe you are the same as me? That you can understand my boundless despair?"

    He red at Kang-Woo as if warning him not to speak so lightly.

    "You¡­ know nothing. Nothing about true despair or wretched agony."

    Hyun-Seong gritted his teeth ferociously and clenched his fists. He naturally passed through the Corridor of Trials as well on his way here and recalled the traumas from the fragments of his memories that tore his soul apart. He screamed miserably inside the nightmare that he couldn¡¯t wake up from no matter how much he tried.

    "Do not think we are the same just because you fell into Hell and became a demon like me." Hyun-Seong red at Kang-Woo coldly. "You could never understand me."

    "For fuck¡¯s sake, look at that re. It¡¯s gonna pierce right through me."

    Kang-Woo smirked innocently.

    <em>¡¯That aside, I¡¯m getting curious now with how serious he¡¯s acting.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had his fair share of despair and agony in Hell but he was curious about how a Demon King of another world survived ten millennia in Hell.

    <em>¡¯I mean, I managed to somehow get by with the Authority of Predation.¡¯</em>

    He considered himself massively lucky to have acquired Sabnak¡¯s Authority so early. The Authority of des was extraordinarily versatile for its low demonic energy consumption. Even now, he used it more than the princes¡¯ Authorities.

    <em>¡¯But I doubt he had those to help him.¡¯</em>

    If Hyun-Seong wasn¡¯t putting on airs, he might have suffered far more than Kang-Woo did in Pandemonium.

    <em>¡¯Only those who can ovee despair can be acknowledged by Midir.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would need to find out just how despairing of a life Hyun-Seong lived in Pandemonium so that he knew what to expect when he got his hands on the relic.

    "Okay, what was your experience like in Hell exactly? Since we¡¯re here, we might as well open up about each other," asked Kang-Woo with a smile. "Your memories are still fresh from passing through the Corridor of Trials, aren¡¯t they?"

    The memories Kang-Woo had to relive were excruciating.

    "I¡­" Hyun-Seong slurred.

    He closed his eyes with a dark expression as he recalled the despair of his past.

    "Urgh, you don¡¯t need to y along with that lunatic, my king!"

    "She¡¯s right! You¡¯re pained just from remembering them!"

    The two women who were blown away by Kang-Woo¡¯s attack approached Hyun-Seong. They carefully embraced his arms and looked up at him in worry.

    "No." Hyun-Seong shook his head. He red at Kang-Woo with cold eyes and continued, "I want to tell that man who dares to think he can understand me. I want to show him true hell¡ª true despair."

    Of course, it couldn¡¯t be expressed with just words.

    "If you think you have what it takes, grab the edge of Midir."

    Midir, also known as the sword of despair, could instill despair in others. It was mainly used to drive those the sword shed insane from despair, but it could also send the despair its wielder experienced to another.

    "Alright."

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone with interest as he grabbed the edge of Midir, his hand getting slightly cut by the sharp de.

    <em>Swoosh¡ª!!!</em>

    An intense wave of despair traveled up the de.

    "I fell into despair when I first fell into Hell. There was nothing around me. There was nothing to eat or drink. All that my surroundings contained were predators ready to eat me alive."

    "Yeah, yeah! I know that feeling very well!"

    Kang-Woo also nodded as he recalled the despair he went through. He had no issues enduring it because he had experienced the same thing.

    "However, I still had the powers of an apostle. If I didn¡¯t, I would have died as soon as I fell into Pandemonium."

    "That¡¯s true. A powerless human can¡¯t face a demon."

    Kang-Woo would have died from blood loss due to his arm being severed by Sabnak¡¯s de if he did not have the Authority of Predation. As for Hyun-Seong¡¯s case, he had the powers given to him by the gods of the Tower, which allowed him to survive.

    <em>¡¯Man, I was kind of bullshitting when I called him a friend, but we have a lot inmon.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had mistaken Hyun-Seong as his doppelganger in a parallel world for a reason. The two of them were likely the only ones who had to go through literal Hell for ten millennia.

    <em>¡¯Is this what a conversation between soldiers is like?¡¯</em>

    He heard that people from the Marine Corps or special forces could spend three days straight talking about the shit they had gone through. Kang-Woo wouldn¡¯t mind even taking time to let everything out about their struggles if they were in a different situation.

    "I struggled¡­ only with the thought of surviving."

    "Kaaah. Yes, yes! I had to stay out of a Hellhound¡¯s sight to survive in my initial days!"

    "Every single day¡­ I felt like I was in a neverending nightmare."

    Hyun-Seong continued to talk as the memories of his past were drawn vividly in his head. Kang-Woo could feel Hyun-Seong¡¯s despair clearly through Midir.

    "Yeah! And nothing to vent your stress out on either! You¡¯re always tired¡ª"

    "And I have no idea where they heard about me, but Subi wouldn¡¯t leave me alone."

    "Urpp! Just thinking about it makes me want to puke¡ª huh?"

    <em>¡¯Wait a fucking second. Pandemonium¡¯s Subi don¡¯t have tentacles.¡¯</em>

    "On days I had no strength to resist, I would have to beg for my life as Subi endlessly sucked me dry."

    "Huh? They endlessly sucked you dry¡­?"

    <em>¡¯Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡¯</em>

    "My, did you dislike that?"

    "We¡¯re sorry about what we did back then, my king¡­"

    The two women clinging to Hyun-Seong¡¯s arms squirmed seductively.

    "I remember. All the Subi of Pandemonium swarmed you because of your peerless life force¡­"

    "They slept with you in exchange for them guaranteeing you food and safety."

    "Kuh¡­!" Hyun-Seong bit his lip in shame. "I had to endure such humiliation just to survive¡­! Dozens of Subi exploited me every single day!!"

    "..."

    "I felt like the humiliation was driving me insane!!! How could you possibly understand the endless despair and agony I had to endure?!!"

    <em>¡¯Uhhh, what? So what you¡¯re saying is, you fucked dozens of Subi every day, got free food, and was guaranteed your safety?¡¯</em>

    "Huh¡­?"

    <em>¡¯I¡¯m jealous.¡¯</em>

    "Not only that, those evil bitches didn¡¯t even give me the proper food they promised me despite forcing such humiliation on me." Hyun-Seong bit his lip, not even wanting to remember it. "It was just boiled Leuconostoc and meat in a pot! I had to force that pig shit down my throat for millennia!!!"

    <em>¡¯Boiled Leuconostoc and meat in a pot? Isn¡¯t that just kimchi stew?¡¯</em>

    "Now! Repeat those arrogant words of you being able to understand me!!" shouted Hyun-Seong as he gritted his teeth. "The despair of falling into Hell! The humiliation of being forced to sell myself to Subi just to get food and safety!!! How could the likes of you possibly understa¡ª KURGHHH!!!"

    <em>BASH¡ª!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo instinctively swung his fist into Hyuun-Seong¡¯s stomach.

    "So¡­ while I was rolling in shit¡­ you were rolling in Subus pussy, is that it¡­?"

    <em>¡¯While getting fed kimchi stew, at that?¡¯</em>

    "A-Arghhh."

    Kang-Woo pulled on his hair. His eyes rolled backward as he trembled.

    "I, I, I, I, I¡ª!!! I HAD TO DO ALL KINDS OF SHIT JUST TO GET A TASTE OF THAT VERY KIMCHI STEW THAT YOU CALL PIG SHIT¡ª!!!"

    He had to climb the Nine Hells and engage in war against the seven princes of Hell for a millennium.

    <em>¡¯But he¡­ why¡­?¡¯</em>

    "FUCK MY LIFEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

    An immense sense of frustration and rage surged from Kang-Woo. He was so enraged that he pulled down his pants, did a 720-degree somersault, and put his pants back up. He danced in rage as he foamed at the mouth.

    "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    On that day, Kang-Woo lost yet another friend.

 Side Story Chapter 106: Demon King of Pandemonium (4)

    ¡°ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!¡±

    Uncontroble rage filled Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s head. The humiliation and shame Oh Hyun-Seong suffered in the past flowed into him through Midir.

    ¡°I DON¡¯T GIVE A FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK¡ª!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo was also vited by a Subus¡ª no, <em>vited </em>wouldn¡¯t be the word he would use. He had no choice but to be one with her so that he could use the forces she led. And yes, it was when she was in her true form.

    ¡°AT LEAST YOU DIDN¡¯T HAVE TO FUCK TENTACLES, MOTHERFUCKERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!¡± Kang-Woo screamed.

    Hyun-Seong could have found it humiliating and shameful that he needed to provide Subi with his life force to survive, but at least those Subi possessed the beauty and body filled with every man¡¯s hopes and dreams. Inparison to that, Kang-Woo was¡­

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡± Kang-Woo screeched madly as he pulled on his hair and shed tears. ¡°I-I thought of you as my friend!!!¡±

    He couldn¡¯t believe the betrayal. The friend he depended on, who he thought was the only one in the world who could understand his pain and sorrow, was nothing but a filthy hypocrite.

    ¡°HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS¡ª?!!¡±The tears flowing down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks gathered on the tip of his chin and fell to the ground.

    ¡°Kurgh¡­ What in the¡­¡±

    Hyun-Seong stood up as he swayed after getting blown away by Kang-Woo¡¯s punch and stared at him in disbelief.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa, haaa,¡± Kang-Woo panted heavily. ¡°You¡­ tricked me.¡±

    ¡°I-I tricked you?¡±

    ¡°YOU SAID YOU SUFFERED!!! YOU SAID YOU WERE IN DESPAIR!!! SO WHY AM I JEALOUS OF YOU, MOTHERRUCKEEEEEEEEER?!!¡±

    Kang-Woo raised his right arm, not able to take it any longer.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The mes of Voracity zed around his fist.

    <em>¡®I have no choice¡­ but to kill him. It¡¯s the only way to relieve this frustration.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t leave him be after finding out the one whom he thought was the same as him was a filthy hypocrite all along.

    <em>¡®And¡­¡¯</em>

    It was not just the fact that Hyun-Seong got to fuck beautiful Subi. Not only was he guaranteed his safety at the price of his body, but he was also fed kimchi stew made with Leuconostoc. ??

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    Despite living the life of dreams, Hyun-Seong dared to insult kimchi stew, calling it pig shit.

    ¡°Yeah,e to think of it¡­ you burned a kimchi habitat, didn¡¯t you¡­?¡±

    Since Leuconostoc tasted like perfectly ripe kimchi, it was no exaggeration to call it kimchi habitats.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    The fire of rage was so hot that it felt like Kang-Woo¡¯s brain was melting. An unstoppable impulse spread throughout his body.

    ¡°YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOOOOOOOOOOOOUUU!!!¡± Kang-Woo stomped his foot with his eyes rolled backward. A wave of envy, frustration, and jealousy stormed inside him. ¡°HOW DARE YOU CALL KIMCHI STEW PIGSHIT¡ª?!!¡±

    He did not think everyone should love kimchi stew because it was his favorite food. Everyone had their preferences and it was not a dish one would normally have if they were not Korean. However¡­

    ¡°YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD NEVER SAY THAT KINDA SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT¡ª!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo drank his own urine and Hellhound poop just to live one more day but someone who fell into Hell just like him, and a Korean at that, was calling kimchi stew pigshit. It was unforgivable.

    <em>BOOM¡ª!</em>

    A wave pulsed from the ck swamp. Kang-Woo charged at breakneck speed and swung his fist at the swaying Hyun-Seong.

    ¡°Kurgh! Wh-What?!¡±

    Hyun-Seonng quickly raised his arms to block.

    <em>Wham¡ª!!!</em>

    ¡°<em>Cough!</em>¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s fist smashed into Hyun-Seong¡¯s guard. The immense impact shook Hyun-Seong.

    <em>¡®Impossible¡­!¡¯</em>

    The demonic energy from Kang-Woo was on another levelpared to what he had shown when he knocked the Subi away earlier. Hyun-Seong had never felt such colossal demonic energy in his ten millennia in Pandemonium.

    <em>Bang¡ª!!</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s fist covered in the mes of Voracity smashed into Hyun-Seong¡¯s guard again. He was blown back from the impact on par with a battering ram along with intense heat.

    ¡°PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASE!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo jumped in the air faster than Hyun-Seong being blown backward.

    ¡°IF YOU¡¯RE KOREAN, LOVE KIMCHI STEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!¡±

    <em>Bash¡ª!</em>

    Kang-Woo spun in the air and smashed his heel into Hyun-Seong, sending him to the ground and forming a massive crater in the ck swamp.

    ¡°KYAAAAAAAAHHH!!¡±

    ¡°M-MY KING¡ª!!!¡±

    The two Subi screamed as they watched Hyun-Seong being beaten up. They quickly tried to sprout their wings to fly to him but red chains bound them before they could.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get hurt if you get in the way,dies,¡± said Cha Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°Wh-Who the hell are you?¡±

    ¡°Let us go!!¡±

    The two Subi red at Yeon-Joo fiercely. Yeon-Joo ignored them and stared at Kang-Woo screeching as he beat up the Demon King of Pandemonium.

    ¡°Sheesh. He¡¯s going crazy again.¡±

    She wondered if things would be resolved peacefully this time but like always, there was no chance. She sighed and turned back to the two Subi.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fuck around and just stay here.¡±

    ¡°Who do you think we are?!¡±

    ¡°We are the mistresses whom the Demon King loves the most among the Subi!¡±

    The Subi shouted as they tried to break free from the chains. Unlike their powerful tone, they were too weak to break the chains. Like all Subi, theirbat prowess was barely worth anything.

    Not only that but Yeon-Joo was the incarnation of Voracity; she was among the top five strongest on Earth.

    ¡°Hmm, The Demon King¡¯s mistresses, huh?¡± Yeon-Joo snickered and proudly puffed out her chest as she giggled. ¡°I¡¯m an official wife, not some mistress.¡±

    Just then, a chilling voice sounded from behind her.

    ¡°Yeon-Joo¡­?¡±

    ¡°Eek!¡± Yeon-Joo flinched and turned around.

    Han Seol-Ah was staring at her with a gentle smile.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t forget I¡¯m the first wife though, okay?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ yeah.¡±

    Yeon-Joo trembled slightly and nodded furiously.

    Seol-Ah smiled. ¡°Hoho. I¡¯m just kidding. There¡¯s no order among the three of us. We¡¯re all Kang-Woo¡¯s wives.¡±

    The chilling aura she was emitting melted away like snow.

    ¡°H-Huh? Y-Yeah, of course.¡± Yeon-Joo turned back to the Subi in confusion and said firmly, ¡°Anyway, stay the hell put until the battle ends.¡±

    ¡°Let go of us this instant!!¡±

    ¡°Heh, why don¡¯t you get out on your own?¡±

    ¡°Urgh!! You t-chested bitch!!¡±

    ¡°The fuck you say, bitch?¡±

    Yeon-Joo frowned and snapped her finger, tightening the chains. The Subi screamed.

    <em>¡®That aside.¡¯</em>

    She turned to the battle between Kang-Woo and Hyun-Seong as the Subi¡¯s screams echoed in the background. She could feel the intense storm of energy from their shes, befitting their title of Demon King.

    ¡°Tsk, how long is this gonna go for?¡±

    Yeon-Joo was perfectly calm despite the monstrous battle urring in front of her.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t showered for a week straight.¡±

    After all, Kang-Woo would never lose despite his opponent also being a Demon King.

    ***

    <em>Boom!!!</em>

    The ck swamp shook.

    ¡°<em>Huff! Huff! Huff!</em>¡±

    Hyun-Seong barely blocked Kang-Woo¡¯s attack and widened the distance.

    <em>Fwoosh!!!</em>

    The zing mes of Voracity pursued him.

    ¡°Huup!!¡± Hyun-Seong shouted as he swung Midir.

    Dark blue darkness burst forth and scattered the mes. Hyun-Seong momentarily saw Kang-Woo between the scattered mes.

    <em>¡®A¡­ sea?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s ck eyes were so deep that it felt like Hyun-Seong was looking into a boundless sea of demonic energy. Fear was sent down his back.

    <em>¡®He is¡­¡¯</em> His legs trembled and his expression paled. <em>¡®Not a demon.¡¯</em>

    Demons were still within the confines of life. The thing in front of him was not a lifeform.

    ¡°What are you?¡± asked Hyun-Seong with a shaking voice.

    Kang-Woo, who had been madly attacking Hyun-Seong, calmed down a little and answered, ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, does it?¡±

    He had not yet quelled the boiling rage inside him but he couldn¡¯t fight mindlessly like a lunatic either.

    <em>¡®I mean¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯d lose even if I did.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in disappointment after having a short bout against Hyun-Seong.

    <em>¡®Eve was right.¡¯</em>

    The Demon King of Pandemonium was not his doppelganger of a parallel world. They had some simrities but that was all there was to it¡ª Oh Hyun-Seong was different from Oh Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®As proof¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± Hyun-Seong panted heavily.

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue again.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s so weak.¡¯</em>

    It might be because his standards rose after fighting Akart¡¯s subordinates but Hyun-Seong was disappointingly weak to the point that Kang-Woo was embarrassed to even have the same title as him.

    ¡°Nah.¡±

    Kang-Woo sighed softly and nodded.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s not the weak one.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was just ridiculously strong. Hyun-Seong was objectively not weak¡ª rather, he was several times stronger than Kang-Woo back when he was the Demon King in Hell.

    ¡°But that¡¯s it.¡±

    To Kang-Woo, who was now as powerful as the Titans, Hyun-Seong was not even worth calling an opponent.

    ¡°Stop wasting my time and hand over the relic.¡±

    Kang-Woo lost interest in Hyun-Seong and focused only on Midir in his hand.

    <em>¡®It scattered the mes of Voracity.¡¯</em>

    The demonic sword was the only reason Hyun-Seong managed tost this long against Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®Its power is extraordinary.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo honestly couldn¡¯t believe how powerful it was.

    ¡°Kurgh,¡± Hyun-Seong bit his lip in humiliation. He had not felt such humiliation after bing the Demon King. ¡°Do not be so cocky¡­!¡±

    He bared his teeth and raised his hand that wasn¡¯t holding Midir.

    <em>Sizzle¡ª!!</em>

    Scorching dark red magma flowed down his hand and covered his entire arm.

    ¡°HAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡± Hyun-Seong shouted and charged.

    This was the first time Hyun-Seong attacked first¡ª the magma-covered fist was swung at Kang-Woo.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    Kang-Woo also enveloped his right arm with the mes of Voracity and swung his fist.

    ¡°Hah!!¡± Hyun-Seong smiled and his eyes shone. ¡°Idiot! You are merely fire.¡±

    He shouted as he swung his magma fist, ¡°I am magma, which burns even fire¡ª KURGHHH!!¡±

    <em>Bash!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s fist covered with the mes of Voracity prated the magma and punched Hyun-Seong.

    ¡°Did you take a battering ram to the head or something?¡±

    <em>¡®Magma burning fire, my ass.¡¯</em>

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 107: Demonic Sword Midir (1)

    ¡°GAAAAHHH!! ARGHH!!¡± The mes of Voracity engulfed Oh Hyun-Seong as he writhed and screamed in agony. ¡°Kurgh¡­ urgh¡­¡±

    His struggles weakened and he stopped moving soon after.

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Oh Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he looked down at Hyun-Seong¡¯s corpse.

    His eyes staring at another Demon King were full of disappointment.

    ¡°At least he wasn¡¯t fully devoured.¡±

    Those engulfed by the mes of Voracity were left with horriblecerations as if they were bitten apart by a beast instead of burns, leaving only a mangled corpse in the end. However, Hyun-Seong¡¯s corpse maintained its original shape despite being engulfed by the mes of Voracity.

    <em>¡®But that¡¯s all there is to it.¡¯</em>

    It did not change the fact he died without putting up much of a resistance.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed.This was likely how it felt to enter a boss room in an RPG full of expectations, only to defeat the boss in two or three blows. He had likely been too excited to face the Demon King of Pandemonium.

    <em>¡®Even if I¡¯ve be strong, this is¡­¡¯</em>

    Not only was his body reconstruction iplete but he had won far too easily without even getting the chance to unleash the Abyss. Hyun-Seong was several pegs below Akart¡¯s subordinates.

    <em>¡®But I still had my hopes up a bit.¡¯</em>

    Intense thirst dried Kang-Woo¡¯s throat. The unsatisfactory battle burned his desire even stronger. He quelled his boiling desire.

    <em>¡®I have to hold it in.¡¯</em>

    The more powerful he became, the more he would experience this feeling. He would suffer more down the line if he did not get used to it.

    ¡°The hell? It¡¯s over already?¡± asked Cha Yeon-Joo as she walked over.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°That was a lot less exciting than I expected it to be. I thought even you¡¯d have a hard time, considering how much Horos was hyping him up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡±

    Horos¡¯ overreactions were likely the reason why Kang-Woo was so disappointed. His anticipation only grew as Horos spouted hype-worthy shit every time they discovered traces of the Demon King.

    ¡°Come to think of it, what happened to the Subi?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t shut up, so I knocked them out.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°What are you gonna do with them? Are you gonna take them like you did with the others, unnie?¡± asked Yeon-Joo as she turned to Lilith.

    Lilith giggled and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d love to make use of them, but¡­ they might not be worth the trouble.¡±

    ¡°Ngh. What should we do with them, then?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just kill them?¡± suggested Lilith calmly as if asking what Yeon-Joo was thinking so hard about.

    ¡°I-I could, but¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo smiled awkwardly. It was natural to kill them since they were enemies but killing an opponent far weaker than she left a bad taste in Yeon-Joo¡¯s mouth. After all, she was a human, unlike Kang-Woo and Lilith.

    ¡°Then just leave them here,¡± said Kang-Woo as he stared at Yeon-Joo scratching her head.

    ¡°Can I?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not even worth worrying about.¡±

    Kang-Woo usually killed those who could be sources of possible future troubles but there would be no issues with leaving those two Subi alive.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll do that, then.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe. You¡¯re such an angel, my little Yeon-Joo~ C¡¯mere and let your oppa give you a kiss!¡±

    ¡°Argh, fuck off!¡± shouted Yeon-Joo as she pushed the approaching Kang-Woo away.

    ¡°Fufu. Give me one instead then, Kang-Woo.¡±

    Han Seol-Ah pulled Kang-Woo toward her and kissed him. Yeon-Joo bit her lip and red at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°That aside, a ten-star relic must be nothing special,¡± said Lilith as she looked down at the dark blue sword still in Hyun-Seong¡¯s hand.

    Hyun-Seong had lost far too easily despite wielding a ten-star relic.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? It¡¯s not?¡±

    ¡°The relic itself is extremely powerful.¡±

    The demonic sword deflected the mes of Voracity¡ª it was just that Hyun-Seong couldn¡¯t bring out the sword¡¯s full potential. The fight would have gone on for longer if Hyun-Seong relied on the demonic sword instead of doing something stupid like turning his arm into magma at the end of the battle.

    <em>¡®Yeah. Of course, he couldn¡¯t bring out its full potential.¡¯</em>

    Hyun-Seong had fought Kang-Woo as soon as he acquired the sword, leaving him no time to get ustomed to it.

    ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡± Lilith replied.

    ¡°Hehehe. That¡¯s why this relic exploration can be considered a huge sess.¡±

    They had stolen relics for the entire exploration but regardless of the means, they collected a huge number of relics and even a ten-star relic.

    ¡°Right then, let¡¯s test this demonic sword out¡ª¡±

    Ssh, ssh.

    As Kang-Woo approached Hyun-Seong¡¯s corpse with a smile, the corpse stood up from inside the ck swamp.

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s still alive?¡¯</em>

    That was impossible. Although his corpse was in perfect shape despite being burned by the mes of Voracity, Kang-Woo would have noticed it if Hyun-Seong had survived. Hyun-Seong had died for sure.

    ¡°So how¡­?¡±

    <em>¡®How is he still moving?¡¯</em>

    Hyun-Seong swayed as he stood back up, using the demonic sword like a cane.

    [Ke¡­ he¡­]

    A voice echoed¡ª it was high-pitched, belonging to a woman.

    [KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!]

    <em>Rumble!!!</em>

    The swamp shook. Hyun-Seong bent backward at an impossible angle and burst out crazedughter.

    [FINALLY!! I¡¯VE FINALLY ATTAINED A BODY!!]

    The crazedughter of a woman echoed throughout the surroundings. Hyun-Seong trembled as the corners of his mouth rose. His eyes shone dark blue.

    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em>

    That wasn¡¯t Oh Hyun-Seong. Kang-Woo slowly raised his right arm. His hand split and a ck de shot out.

    ¡°Are you Midir?¡±

    Based on what it was saying about attaining a body, Midir¡¯s consciousness had likely taken over Hyun-Seong¡¯s body.

    <em>¡®No wonder his body was fine even after taking the mes of Voracity.¡¯</em>

    Midir was powerful enough to deflect the mes of Voracity.

    [Ehehehe, you got it so quickly!]

    ¡°You weren¡¯t trying to hide it in the first ce.¡±

    [Kyahahaha!! I guess so!]

    Hyun-Seong¡ª no, Midir burst intoughter. The dark blue light emitted only from the sword was now bursting from Hyun-Seong¡¯s whole body.

    [You see, it¡¯s been so~~~ long since I¡¯ve had a body.] Midir stuck her tongue out. [So I¡¯m itching like crazy to run wild, you feel me? So, stick around and y with me for a bit!!!]

    <em>BOOM¡ª!!!</em>

    Midir violently stomped her foot.

    <em>Bang! Bang! Bang!</em>

    She floated as if stepping on the air to charge at Kang-Woo and swung down her sword. Kang-Woo raised his ck de to block.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    <em>Slide!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo was pushed back, splitting the ck swamp. His right arm was numb from the impact.

    [KYAHAHAHAHAHA!!!]

    Midir charged toward Kang-Woo again as she stepped on the air, dark blue light shining with each step.

    <em>Bang! Bang! Bang!</em>

    Midir reached Kang-Woo instantly and swung the sword shining dark blue at Kang-Woo¡¯s neck.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    Kang-Woo lightly stepped to the side to fluidly move to the right. He pulled a feint move by raising his right arm the ck de sprouted from and instead quickly twisted to extend his left arm.

    sh!

    His left hand split and a ck de sprouted from it, aiming for Midir¡¯s neck.

    <em>¡®This is gonna go in.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was certain of it.

    [KIHIHIHIHI!]

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    Just then, Midir bent her neck at an impossible angle. The crown of her head was practically touching her neck.

    ¡°What the f¡­!¡±

    Kang-Woo did not expect such a countermeasure. The ck de grazed Midir¡¯s neck.

    [HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!]

    Midir, with her neck still bent unnaturally, clenched her fist and swung it at Kang-Woo¡¯s sr plexus. Kang-Woo reflexively blocked the fist with his knee.

    <em>BASH¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!!¡±

    Kang-Woo was blown away like a cannonball.

    [KYAHAHAHAHA!!]

    Midir burst into crazedughter as she chased after Kang-Woo. She flew above Kang-Woo before he even reached the ground and swung down her sword.

    [GET SPLIT IN HALF!!!]

    Kang-Woo spun while he was being blown back. He ignored the sword being swung down at his waist and extended his left arm toward Midir¡¯s torso.

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The mes of Voracity gathered around his left hand and sted toward Midir. Since it was aimed at her torso, she wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge by dislocating her joints likest time.

    [Whoa!]

    Midir brought back the sword she was swinging down at Kang-Woo.

    <em>Wham!</em>

    The fireball made with the mes of Voracity was deflected by dark blue light.

    ¡°Huup!¡±

    As Midir was deflecting the mes of Voracity, Kang-Woo leaned back as if he were falling and grabbed the ground with both hands to act as a brake while he was being flung backward. He tumbled backward and used the momentum tond a bicycle kick on Midir, who was right on top of him.

    <em>Bash¡ª!!</em>

    [KYAAAAAAAHHH!!]

    Midir screamed as she rolled on the ground, but only for a moment. She stood back up instantly and wiped the blood flowing from her mouth.

    [KYAHAHA! YOU¡¯RE STRONG!]

    She burst into ecstaticughter.

    ¡°Same to you. You¡¯re far better than that magma bitch who probably took a battering ram to the head.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled as he looked down at his knee, which was trembling from the impact of getting smashed by Midir¡¯s fist. The desire he suppressed was boiling again and the burning hunger set him aze. He licked his lips.

    <em>¡®She¡¯s on a whole other levelpared to Oh Hyun-Seong.¡¯</em>

    Midir, who took over Hyun-Seong¡¯s body, was several times more powerful than Hyun-Seong.

    <em>¡®I need her.¡¯</em>

    His desire for the demonic sword grew stronger.

    ¡°You¡¯re mine, no matter what.¡±

    [Oh? Are you hitting on me, perhaps? Kihihihihi!!] Midirughed innocently. [But there¡¯s one problem.]

    She smiled as her eyes gleamed with madness.

    [I¡¯m not that easy of a woman!]

    <em>Ssh¡ª!!</em>

    Midir charged again, her supersonic speed splitting the ck swamp.

    ¡°Lilith, stand back with Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah.¡±

    He could get assistance from Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah but he wanted to satisfy his burning desire as much as possible.

    ¡°Yes, my king.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too worked up this time¡­ got it?¡±

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo! KBH! KBH!!!¡± Seol-Ah shouted.

    <em>¡®What¡¯s KBH?¡¯</em>

    ¡°You have to kill that demonic sword before she bes a heroine!!!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

 Side Story Chapter 108: Demonic Sword Midir (2)

    ¡°You have to! Okay?! Promise!!¡± shouted Han Seol-Ah, her eyes filled with madness like a NovelBin addict.

    Oh Kang-Woo awkwardly nodded.

    <em>¡®Sometimes I forget Darling isn¡¯t normal.¡¯</em>

    He loved Seol-Ah, but as someone whose manner of speech and actions were in the range of a normal person, he couldn¡¯t help but be weirded out sometimes.

    Riiing!

    [You¡­ consider yourself a normal person?]

    ¡°Every human thinks about how they can take advantage of others every day.¡±

    Hence, Kang-Woo¡¯s actions could be considered that of a normal person filled with love for humanity.

    <em>¡®That aside, this bitch is even reading my thoughts.¡¯</em>He did not like it since it was like he was being fully exposed.

    [You haven¡¯t even been hiding it at alltely.]

    [(-_-)]

    ¡°Since I didn¡¯t need to.¡±

    He put on an act whenever he needed to when he was with his lovers who knew his true self. He just needed to follow his instincts.

    ¡°Well, anyway.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled widely. Since his lovers had evacuated, he could now satisfy his desire to his heart¡¯s content.

    <em>sh¡ª!!!</em>

    [KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!]

    Kang-Woo spread his arms out, and ck des shot out from his split hands. He stabbed the des into the swamp as hard as he could.

    ¡°Dark Spears.¡±

    ck spines burst upward from all around him like the attack of a Lurker in a famous sci-fi video game.

    [KYAHAHAHA! WHAT KIND OF ATTACK IS THAT?!!]

    Midir burst into crazedughter as she charged fluidly. The spines were useless against her since she could move freely by stepping on the air.

    [Ehehehehe! It sure is shy, but it looks like that¡¯s all there is to it~]

    Midir giggled as she looked down at Kang-Woo from above. Kang-Woo smirked as she looked up at her.

    ¡°You think so?¡± He slowly raised his hand and closed his fist as if clenching the air. He chanted, ¡°Sunset.¡±

    The ends of the spines split open and ck mucus made from the demonic energy of the Abyss burst out from the ends.

    [H-Huh?]

    <em>Ssh¡ª!!</em>

    ck mucus exploded from the thousands of spines and enveloped the surroundings like a tent. ck mucus fell like rain.

    Crunch!

    The ck mucus attached to Midir. Sharp teeth sprouted from it and bit off her skin.

    [Kyaaah?!] Midir yelled as she thrashed about, trying to get the ck mucus off.

    <em>Crunch! Crunch!</em>

    However, the ck mucus would not let go once it embedded itself into flesh.

    [URRRRGGGGHHHH!!!]

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    Midir bared her teeth and drew out her power. Dark blue light burst out and blew the ck mucus away.

    She looked at Kang-Woo in disbelief and asked, [H-Hehe! Who the hell are you? I¡¯ve never heard about someone like you in the Tower.]

    Kang-Woo shrugged and answered, ¡°The Demon King.¡±

    [Huh? You¡¯re the Demon King of Pandemonium?]

    Midir tilted her head wide-eyed. The former owner of her body also named himself the Demon King.

    ¡°No.¡± Kang-Woo slowly shook his head and lowered his stance. ¡°I¡¯m the Demon King of the fucking Nine Hells.¡±

    <em>Boom!</em>

    He stomped his feet and charged at Midir.

    <em>Fwoosh!!</em>

    Hideous ck wings that looked as if they were melted sprouted from his back. He pped his wings to fly into the air and kicked her to the ground.

    <em>m¡ª!!</em>

    [KYAH!]

    Midir fell into the ck swamp like a meteor. She stood up as she stumbled after sliding across the ck swamp. She looked up at Kang-Woo and smiled. ??

    [Aha. I got it, I got it!! What you¡¯re saying is¡ª] Her dark blue eyes shone. [You¡¯re not from this world, right?]

    She had never heard of a ce known as the Nine Hells¡ª not in the Tower or in the ancient myths before the Tower was created. Hence, the man in front of her had to be from outside the Tower.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo apathetically nodded.

    He was an otherworldly being in her perspective.

    [KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! A DEMON KING OF ANOTHER WORLD!!! THAT¡¯S AWESOME!!]

    Midir burst intoughter as she clenched her stomach.

    [COOL! COOL! MY¡­ MY¡­ MY¡­] She stabbed her sword into the ck swamp. [MY BRAIN¡¯S GETTING FRIED FROM EXCITEMENT¡ª!!!]

    <em>sh¡ª!!</em>

    Midir swung the sword stuck in the ck swamp. The earth quaked massively, and a dark blueser shot from the tip of the sword toward Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯</em> Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes narrowed. <em>¡®Dangerous.¡¯</em>

    He did not mean it in the sense of physical harm since any injury he suffered could be regenerated instantly as long as it wasn¡¯t from the Light of Akart.

    <em>¡®But that dark blueser can even deal spiritual damage.¡¯</em>

    Likely because Kang-Woo learned Astral Projection, he could instinctively tell he shouldn¡¯t use his Astral Projection Trait the moment he saw that light. It was probably because he was fatally weak to spiritual attacks in his astral form.

    <em>¡®I guess it can be used this way, too.¡¯</em>

    It was quite a useful Trait if he could distinguish whether an opponent¡¯s attack could deal spiritual damage or not.

    <em>¡®But I can still regenerate from spiritual damage.¡¯</em>

    Even his soul was linked to the Demonic Sea, so he could still regenerate his soul even if damage were dealt to it.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    It was far more dangerous since regenerating the soul was far slower than his body.

    <em>¡®So I should dodge.¡¯</em>

    Spiritual attacks were just as dangerous as the Light of Akart.

    <em>Zoom¡ª!!!</em>

    [KYA¡ªHAHAHAHAHA!!! DIE! DIE!!! DIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!]

    Midirughed crazily and shot dark bluesers from her sword repeatedly. Kang-Woo traversed through the swamp to dodge thesers powerful enough to destroy the entire swamp.

    ¡°Fucking crazy bitch!¡±

    Kang-Woo smirked as he ducked, jumped, and tumbled to dodge thesers.

    [KYAHAHAHA!!! IS THAT ANY WAY TO SPEAK TO A DELICATE LADY~?!!]

    ¡°Delicatedy, my ass.¡±

    There was nothing delicate ordylike about a womanughing crazily as she shot deathsers everywhere. No, she did not even look like ady since she was using Oh Hyun-Seong¡¯s body.

    [I¡¯M HURT!!]

    <em>Zoom!!</em>

    Aser grazed Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder, dying the area dark blue.

    ¡°WELL, I¡¯M LITERALLY HURT!!!¡±

    <em>¡®That hurt like hell!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at the area where theser grazed him and saw that the dark blue light was spreading like poison. He didn¡¯t feel any spiritual damage, likely because it only grazed him, but the feeling of despair flowed through him along with extreme pain.

    [EHEHEHE! YOU¡¯RE DONE ONCE YOU¡¯RE HIT BY THE <em>LIGHT OF DESPAIR</em>!] Midir giggled maniacally. [Despair will now spread throughout your¡­ huh?]

    sh.

    Kang-Woo severed his entire left arm where the dark blueser grazed him without hesitation. His left arm fell to the ground.

    [Huh? Are you sure you¡¯re fine with that?]

    Midir stared at Kang-Woo, confused by his actions. Kang-Woo smirked and charged at her.

    ¡°I guess¡ª¡± His arm grew back before he even took his third step. ¡°You can see for yourself.¡±

    He ferociously swung his newly grown left arm.

    <em>Bash¡ª!</em>

    [KYAAAAAAAAHHH!!] Midir tumbled backward after getting punched in the face. [Wh-What? How?]

    She felt her ttened nose as she stared at Kang-Woo¡¯s regenerated left arm.

    [Hmm, not even slimes have this level of regeneration.]

    She narrowed her eyes and gripped her sword again. She tapped the ground with the tip of her sword, and her eyes brightened.

    [KYAHA! If you regenerate this quickly, it means we can y for even longer, right?] She trembled as if she had an epiphany. [GREAT, GREAT, GREAT!! I LOVE YOU SO¡ª MUCH!!!]

    Midir swung her sword crazily as sheughed crazily.

    <em>Zoom¡ª!!</em>

    Dark bluesers shot everywhere again.

    ¡°Unfortunately for you,¡± said Kang-Woo as he smiled fiercely and lowered his stance. ¡°I already have a Darling.¡±

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    The mes of Voracity set Kang-Woo¡¯s ck des aze. He ran forward and swung his arm at theser shot toward him.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    The swamp shook. Midir had the power to deflect the mes of Voracity but it didn¡¯t mean Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t deflect her attacks either. The de enveloped in the mes of Voracity shed through the dark blueser, splitting it into dozens of smaller streams and deflected everywhere.

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± Kang-Woo inhaled deeply.

    He rxed his shoulders and brought his hips back.

    <em>¡®I have to control my strength properly this time.¡¯</em>

    If he let his power spread everywhere instead of focusing it on one point, the destruction of Huan would rey here.

    <em>Bang!</em>

    He stomped his foot and swung his de vertically. A line of me zed from where the de shed.

    ¡°Twilight.¡±

    The mes zed ferociously, spreading like a tsunami of fire from the line.

    [KYAAAAAHHH!! W-WAIT! THIS IS CHEATING!!!] Midir screamed.

    <em>RUMBLE¡ª!!!</em>

    A tsunami of fire engulfed her. Dark blue light shone blindingly to deflect the mes of Voracity but it was impossible to deflect the mes that had already engulfed the entire swamp.

    [Gah, kurgh!]

    The mes of Voracity lifted and left Midir copsed on the ground.

    [Kya¡­ haha¡­ ha.] She trembled as she vomited blood. [You¡¯re¡­ a goddamn monster.]

    It was to the point that the likes of Oh Hyun-Seong using the title of Demon King wasughable.

    ¡°Let¡¯s end this.¡±

    Kang-Woo was more than satisfied. He couldn¡¯t feel the extreme hunger or thirst anymore.

    <em>¡®I wanna go home and rest now.¡¯</em>

    It had been a week since they left home to search for relics and of course, he had not eaten kimchi stew in that time. He wanted to go back to his cozy home and get fed kimchi stew in his Darling¡¯s arms.

    ¡°I¡¯m so fucking tired.¡±

    Fatigue swept over him once the heat of the battle died down. Kang-Woo quickly moved to collect the relic and go home.

    ¡°Phew. Urgh¡­ Th-That was no joke. Why is a damn relic that strong?¡± Yeon-Joo, watching the battle from a safe distance, shook her head in exasperation.

    She thought the battle between Kang-WOo and Hyun-Seong was monstrous already but this was in a league of its own.

    ¡°Anyway, she¡¯s dead, right?¡± she asked as she looked down at the trembling Midir vomiting blood.

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Wait a second, Yeon-Joo. If you say something like that¡ª¡±

    [Kyaha, ha, haha.]

    The blood-vomiting Midir suddenly raised her head, her neck twisting at an unnatural angle.

    <em>Grrrrk.</em>

    The swamp vibrated as Midir giggled maniacally. The entire ck swamp wriggled as it gathered around Midir.

    [KYA¡ªHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!]

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    The darkness of the swamp was absorbed into Midir. The earth shook and dark blue light surged from her.

    ¡°FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo pulled on his hair as he stared at Midir slowly getting back up. The resurrection g Yeon-Joo chanted was super-effective.

    ¡°IT¡¯S TIME FOR PHASE TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡±

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 109: Demonic Sword Midir (3)

    Side Story Chapter 109: Demonic Sword Midir (3)

    ¡°Wh-What the hell?!¡± Cha Yeon-Joo shouted. ¡°Wh-Why did she get back up?!!¡±

    ¡°BECAUSE YOU RAISED THE RESURRECTION FLAG!!!¡±

    The chant <em>¡°Is he/she dead?¡±</em> was a miracle-level resurrection spell that could revive even a corpse in a grave.

    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed in you, Yeon-Joo! Squadron Leader is disappointed in you!!¡±

    ¡°Stop fucking around!! There¡¯s no way she would have been revived from what I said!!¡±

    <em>¡®Well, that¡¯s true.¡¯</em>

    It was nothing but a coincidence. However, that didn¡¯t matter¡ª what mattered was that Kang-Woo gained a reason to me Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°Whatever the case, this is all your fault, Yeon-Joo.¡±¡°Whaaaaaaaat?!! That¡¯s so fucking unfair!!!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t let this slide even if you¡¯re my wife.¡±

    Kang-Woo approached Yeon-Joo with a serious expression. Yeon-Joo flinched as she stepped backward and averted her gaze from Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Wh-What? What are you gonna do about it, then?¡±

    ¡°Cheer for me by saying <em>Do your best, oppa.</em>¡±

    ¡°Fuck you.¡±

    ¡°Just once.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! I¡¯M SO SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!! I HAVE TO FIGHT AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN THANKS TO A CERTAIN PERSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!! I WOULDN¡¯T BE FIGHTING RIGHT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW IF YOU DIDN¡¯T SAY THOSE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORDS!!!¡±

    ¡°Wh-What the¡­¡±

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAHHH! IT HURTS!! SO MUUUUUUUUCH!!! MY WOUNDS FROM EARLIER HURTS SO MUUUUUUUUUUCH!!!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re already healed, dammit!!!¡±

    ¡°IS THERE ANYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE WHO CAN TREAT MY WOOOOOOOOOOOUNDS?!!¡±

    ¡°Arrrggghhh!!! Fine!! I¡¯ll say it, so shut the fuck up already!!!¡±

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡±

    ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!¡±

    Yeon-Joo turned red from anger. She lowered her head as she twisted in embarrassment and whispered, ¡°D-Don¡¯t get hurt and do your b-best, o-op¡­¡±

    ¡°THEY¡¯RE GETTING WOOOOOOORSE FROM NEGLEEEEEEEEEECT!!!¡±

    ¡°AAARRRGGGHHH!! Do your best, o-o-o-oppa~¡±

    ¡°¡®Kay.¡±

    <em>¡®My power level has skyrocketed.¡¯</em>

    ¡°You can trust oppa, Yeon-Joo. However many times the enemy resurrects, I¡¯ll keep fighting for you.¡±

    He tilted his head forty-five degrees and even winked at her.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m so cool. I think I¡¯m falling for myself.¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡± Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression crumpled. ¡°Could you just die?¡±

    ¡°I literally can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Fuck.¡±

    <em>¡®Yeah, the Demonic Sea is a bit overpowered.¡¯</em>

    [Hm? What? You¡¯re not gonna fight?]

    Midir tilted her head as she stared at Kang-Woo after absorbing the entire ck swamp. Kang-Woo gestured at Yeon-Joo to fall back and walked toward Midir.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    The mes of Voracity wrapped around him like a snake.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just getting started.¡±

    Kang-Woo bared his teeth and licked his lips. Midir, covered in dark blue light, was emitting energy so powerful that it was giving Kang-Woo goosebumps.

    <em>¡®Ten-star relics are fucking awesome.¡¯</em>

    It was to the point that he wondered whether a single relic should have this much power.

    <em>¡®If this is a ten-star relic, how powerful are eleven and twelve-star relics?¡¯</em>

    They were only recorded in history and did not currently exist in the Tower but Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but be curious.

    <em>¡®But I¡¯ll think about itter.¡¯</em>

    He needed to focus on the enemy in front of him for now.

    [KYAHAHAHAHA! YES!!! THAT¡¯S MORE LIKE IT!]

    Midirughed crazily and crouched.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    She jumped high in the air like a spring.

    [LET¡¯S PLAY SOME MOOOOOOOOOOORE!!!]

    Midir somersaulted in midair and swung her sword. A dark blueser thicker than before was shot at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± Kang-Woo took a deep breath and focused.

    He swung his ck de covered in the mes of Voracity up to deflect the dark blueser.

    [NOT YET! NOT YET! NOT YET! NOT YET!]

    <em>Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!</em>

    Midir stayed up in the air and repeatedly swung her sword. This time, tinysers poured down like rainfall.

    ¡°Pushing with quantity this time, huh?¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled and cut his wrist with his de. ck blood shot up like a fountain and he spun like a top with his arms out to the side. The ck blood sttered in a circle and ck mucus burst out from where the blood hit the ground.

    <em>Wriggle¡ª!</em>

    The ck mucus gathered to form a dome and enveloped the surroundings. The dark bluesers were sucked into the ck mucus and vanished.

    [URRRGGGHHH!!!]

    Midir gripped her sword with both hands and raised it over her head, dark blue light gathering toward it. The light grew stronger with each second.

    ¡°Wow! More than three seconds to prepare a technique? Must be a strong-ass skill!¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled as he flew upward. He was not idiotic enough to wait until his opponent was finished tantly preparing her massive technique.

    ¡°My balls are shriveling up from terror!¡±

    Three seconds was like an eternity in a battle between transcendentally powerful beings like Kang-Woo.

    ¡°How do you expect me to get hit by that, dumbass?¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t get hit by an attack that took three seconds just to prepare. Kang-Woo reached Midir, who was charging up her energy, in a sh and kicked her in the stomach.

    [KYAAAHH!!!]

    The dark blue light gathering around the sword dispersed. Kang-Woo pped his wings and flew toward the falling Midir to reach the ground before she did.

    ¡°I WONDEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!¡± Kang-Woo took out the ck de from his palm and grabbed it with both hands. ¡°IF I¡¯LL MAKE IT TO THE KBO LEAGUE THIS YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!¡±

    <em>BASH¡ª!!!</em>

    The ck de smashed into a dark blue barrier that formed all of a sudden. Midir was blown back upward as the sound of a bat hitting a baseball echoed. Kang-Woo stared at Midir flying away in a perfect arc and ran like crazy with a strong grip on his de.

    ¡°LET ME SHOW YOU THE SWORD TECHNIQUE I LEARNED FROM SI-HUN¡ª!!!¡±

    He gripped the ck de he pulled out like a sword.

    [Kyaahh! Kurgh!]

    Midir raised her sword as she was blown away into the air. She managed to deflect thest attack by creating a barrier but she would be cleaved into two if she were shed again.

    ¡°Heavenly Dragon Sword Technique, Esoteric Move.¡±

    Kang-Woo raised his sword above his head as he ran like crazy toward Midir, and¡­ flung it backward.

    ¡°HEAVENLY DRAGON FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!¡±

    He used the momentum of his dash to jump high, brought his legs together, and straightened them as he shot downward.

    [Wh-What?! W-Wait a second!]

    Midir quickly lowered her demonic sword that she had raised to block the downward sh but she couldn¡¯t block the dropkick to her abdomen.

    <em>BASH¡ª!!!</em>

    [KYAAAAAAHHH!!!]

    <em>m! m! m!</em>

    She took a direct hit from the dropkick and tumbled across the ground like a skipping stone, her waist bent forward ny degrees.

    [Kurgh, urgh!<em> Cough!</em>] Midir crawled on the ground like an insect, grabbing her stomach. [Y-You said¡­ sword technique¡­!]

    ¡°A true swordsman¡¯s entire body is a sword.¡±

    Hence, a dropkick was also a sword technique.

    [<em>C-Cough!</em> Wh-What the hell¡­ are you talking¡­ about¡­ you lunatic?]

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not be called that by you.¡±

    Being called a lunatic by Midir, who acted like a mental patient from the moment of her appearance, was very unpleasant.

    [Haaa, haaa,] Midir panted heavily and frowned.

    She gathered all of the darkness in the ck swamp but it had not been enough to surpass that monster.

    <em>¡®In that case.¡¯</em>

    Midir¡¯s eyes set aze with dark blue mes. Since she was no match for Kang-Woo in a frontal assault, there was only one other choice.

    ¡°Huh? Did you give up on running wild?¡±

    Kang-Woo smirked as he reformed a ck de he had thrown away.

    [Kyahahaha! I¡¯m just getting started!]

    Midirughed crazily again and stomped her foot. She sped toward Kang-Woo as she stepped on the air.

    ¡°You¡¯re charging right at me after everything you went through?¡±

    She would have more of a chance if she firedsers as she ran away but running straight at him was practically suicide. No matter how powerful Midir was, Kang-Woo was in another league.

    [KYAHAHAHAHA!! THEN TRY TO BLOCK THIS!!!]

    Midir swung her sword as her eyes gleamed with madness. Kang-Woo raised his de to block Midir¡¯s attack with ease.

    <em>Stab!</em>

    Instead of blocking with her sword, Midir jumped toward Kang-Woo¡¯s de to get stabbed.

    [Kehe!! Kehehehehe!!]

    She grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hand holding the ck de.

    [Now, then¡­] Midir giggled even as she vomited blood, dark blue mes still setting her eyes aze. She said sweetly, [It¡¯s time for you to taste despair ?]

    The dark blue light flowed from Midir¡¯s arms into Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes and mouth widened. An overwhelming sense of despair entered him through Midir¡¯s hands. Countless negative thoughts took over him. It felt like the entire world had ended and everything he ever loved was squashed into a pulp. However¡­

    ¡°How cute,¡± Kang-Woo smirked.

    [Huh¡­?] Midir stared at the smiling Kang-Woo in disbelief. [Wh-What? Did the despair not reach him?]

    Negative emotions from even before the Tower of Creation was built were umted inside her. No one could stay sane after taking the full force of such emotions. Even Oh Hyun-Seong had writhed in agony as he screamed his lungs out for an entire day just from infusing a tiny portion of the despair inside Midir.

    ¡°Don¡¯t put me on the same level as him.¡±

    Kang-Woo cackled and snatched the demonic sword away from Midir. However, Midir was still inside Hyun-Seong¡¯s body; it seemed like she wouldn¡¯t lose control over the body just because she wasn¡¯t in contact with the demonic sword.

    <em>¡®In that case.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo held the sword in a reverse grip and stuck it into Midir¡¯s thigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn now, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s despair, umted from the ten millennia he spent in the Nine Hells, flowed into Midir through the demonic sword this time.

    [KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!]

    Midir screams rang throughout the surroundings. The entity that grew stronger by devouring negative emotions tasted despair she had never experienced before.

 Side Story Chapter 110: Demonic Sword Midir (4)

    [KYAAAAAAAAAHHH!! GYAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!]

    Screams echoed throughout the swamp that had be a wastnd. Midir convulsed with her eyes rolled backward and foaming at the mouth.

    [GYAH! KURGH!! KYAAAAAAHHH!!]

    The convulsing Midir looked up at Oh Kang-Woo wide-eyed from the ground.

    [Wh-What is¡­ What is¡­ this?!]

    A mere mortal couldn¡¯t live with such unfathomable despair inside of them.

    ¡°It¡¯s my life, bitch.¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled as he looked down at the struggling Midir. He was reminded of the Constetion of Agony whom he had eaten long ago.

    <em>¡®It was simr to what¡¯s happening right now.¡¯</em>He had gone on confidently about showing Kang-Woo what true agony was or whatever and was humbled shortly after.

    [Kurgh¡­ A-Arghh. Huuu, haaa, haaa.]

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Kang-Woo was surprised by how Midir, convulsing due to despair, was beginning to regain herposure. He had not stopped flowing his despair into her¡ª Midir was slowly adapting to it.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re not just all talk.¡±

    [Kyah¡­ haha! I haven¡¯t been¡­ devouring despair¡­ all this time¡­ for nothing!]

    Midir stood up as she swayed. She lost herself momentarily due to the sudden influx of unfathomable despair but she was a relic that had also devoured immeasurable despair from even before the Tower of Creation. She wouldn¡¯t be broken by mere despair.

    Kang-Woo chuckled. ¡°Hehe, yeah. You¡¯re right about that.¡±

    He did not think the despair he suffered was especially more special than other forms of despair that could exist. However much he suffered in the Nine Hells, he did not think it would be enough to make the relic that had devoured despair for nearly all of time to submit.

    ¡°But, you know what?¡± Kang-Woo bared his teeth and stuck his tongue out. ¡°I can send emotions other than despair into you, can¡¯t I?¡±

    He cackled and ced his hand on Midir¡¯s shoulder.

    [Wh-What¡­?] Midir¡¯s eyes shook.

    ¡°You can feel pain, can¡¯t you?¡±

    Kang-Woo was sure of it since Midir screamed as she was blown away by Kang-Woo¡¯s tracks and made pained expressions as she clenched areas where she was wounded.

    ¡°In that case, it¡¯s time for you to feel pain.¡±

    [W-Wai¡ª KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!]

    Kang-Woo injected demonic energy from the Abyss into Midir and tore apart her insides. Her blood vessels burst, her organs turned to mush, and her muscles and bones twisted.

    [GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! I-I¡¯M DYING¡­! I¡¯M D¡ª]

    ¡°You¡¯re not dying.¡±

    Midir¡¯s wounds would have killed her in seconds, but Kang-Woo used the Authority of Regeneration to restore her body to normal, only to break it again. An endless cycle ensued.

    [Gyaah¡­ Arghh¡­ Gah¡­]

    She drooled with her mouth open from the torrent of pain that could have ended her life many times over in just one minute. Her energy and will to resist vanished instantly.

    [I-I LOST! IT¡¯S MY LOSS!!! PLEASE MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOP!!!]

    The torrent of pain tearing her apart stopped as she screamed.

    ¡°You lose?¡±

    [Y-YES! I LOSE!! I-I¡¯LL DO ANYTHING, SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!] She pointed at the dark blue sword in Kang-Woo¡¯s hand and shouted, [Y-YOU¡¯RE HERE FOR THE SWORD, RIGHT?! I¡¯LL ACKNOWLEDGE YOU AS MY MASTER!!!]

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    [I¡¯LL BECOME YOURS!! YOU CAN USE ME HOWEVER YOU LIKE!!]

    ¡°Whoa, there. My Darling would get the wrong idea if she heard that.¡±

    Kang-Woo fell into thought as he looked down at Midir bowing with her head on the ground.

    <em>¡®What should I do with her?¡¯</em>

    He was nning on extracting the power of a Titan inside the ten-star relic and pulling for Traits.

    <em>¡®But that feels like a bit of a waste.¡¯</em>

    Considering the immense power Midir showed, he couldn¡¯t help but hesitate to turn the sword into scrap metal after extracting the source of its strength.

    ¡°Eve, how many Traits can I pull from extracting the power of a Titan from this sword?¡±

    [Mm. You could pull the gacha six¡­ no, seven times!]

    Kang-Woo could gain seven new Traits.

    <em>¡®But the problem is that they¡¯re randomized.¡¯</em>

    He was afraid of the possibility that he would only pull Traits rted to tentacles.

    <em>¡®A high-risk gamble or a safe asset?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not have to think for long.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take you.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at Midir.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s too valuable to use for gacha.¡¯</em>

    The sword could deflect the mes of Voracity, inflict despair on the enemies it cut, and even firesers that dealt damage to one¡¯s soul. It was too good to pass up, even for Kang-Woo, who usually did not care about weapons.

    <em>¡®The one w is that it has an ego. I¡¯d rather not use a weapon with a mind of its own.¡¯</em>

    An ego weapon was a double-edged sword; it could be more powerful than a regr weapon since it could think independently but could also bare its fangs at its wielder.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ve already been betrayed by a demonic sword once.¡¯</em>

    The situation was a little different with Ingrium but it was a demonic sword nheless. Even in this case, Midir had taken over Oh Hyun-Seong¡¯s body.

    <em>¡®Though she took it over after he died.¡¯</em>

    Whatever the case, wielding a weapon with an ego had its corresponding risks.

    ¡°Maybe I could annihte the ego¡­¡±

    [W-W-W-W-W-Wait!! If you annihte my consciousness, you won¡¯t be able to use the relic¡¯s power properly!] shouted Midir in a hurry.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t tell whether that was true or false, but if it was true, it would be a massive loss for him to annihte Midir¡¯s ego.

    <em>¡®Then I guess I have no choice.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly walked toward Midir.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave you intact.¡±

    [Ah¡­ Okay! Good choice! Kyahahaha!! I guess we¡¯ll berades from now on!]

    Midir nodded with shining eyes.

    ¡°Comrades?¡±

    Kang-Woo smirked. He did not need anotherrade whom he could leave his back to at the moment.

    ¡°We¡¯re notrades.¡±

    [H-Huh?]

    ¡°What I need is a ve who obeys me unconditionally.¡± Kang-Woo grabbed Midir¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Right, then. It¡¯s time for me to educate you so you can¡¯t ever defy me.¡±

    He had to make it so that Midir would never even think to take over Kang-Woo¡¯s body.

    [E-Eek!]

    Midir¡¯s expression paled. She tried to leave Hyun-Seong¡¯s body and return to the sword.

    tter!

    [N-No!]

    However, Kang-Woo threw the sword far away before she could. She couldn¡¯t transfer her consciousness unless she was physically touching the sword.

    [SAVE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!]

    Midir¡¯s wretched screams echoed throughout the wastnd of a swamp.

    ***

    [Ack, <em>sniff</em>, gurgh¡­]

    Kang-Woo looked down at the sniffling Midir on the ground. Her limbs were twitching like a frog with electrical current flowed into them.

    ¡°This should be enough for now.¡±

    He dedicated an entire day to making Midir submit to him. Although it was only a day, education through molting shouldn¡¯t be given any longer than that.

    <em>¡®It¡¯d be pointless to leave her ego intact if she goes insane from pain.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo brought back the sword he threw far away and ced it next to her.

    [A-Augh¡­]

    ¡°Get in the sword. You won¡¯t hurt anymore that way, right?¡±

    [Urghhh¡­]

    Midir crawled to the sword and grabbed it.

    <em>Thud.</em>

    Hyun-Seong¡¯s head dropped lifelessly like a puppet with its strings severed. Kang-Woo lifted Midir and checked the relic¡¯s status window.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [???????????????? (Growth-Type)]

    [¡ï¡ï¡ï

    [The wielder¡¯s despair can be delivered to a target shed by the sword.]

    [The wielder can fire negative emotions in the form of aser.]

    [This item cannot be destroyed by physical or spiritual means.]

    Unlike before, there was other information besides the name covered in static and the star ranking. Kang-Woo was naturally focused the most on the <em>Growth-Type</em> property.

    <em>¡®Does it mean it can go beyond ten stars?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone. He still did not know how to grow the demonic sword, but it could be even stronger.

    <em>¡®Awesome.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction. He might get his hands on an eleven or twelve-star relic that did not currently exist in the Tower if he found a way to grow it.

    ¡°Its indestructible quality should be pretty useful too.¡±

    Even though it said that, it would likely be destroyed by powers that transcended that of the System, or attacks from Titans or beings just as powerful.

    <em>¡®But it¡¯s indestructible against anything besides those.¡¯</em>

    A durable sword was a good thing. Kang-Woo slipped Midir under his belt.

    <em>¡®I should make a sheathter.¡¯</em>

    Having the de exposed lowered the badass factor.

    ¡°Is it over?¡± asked Cha Yeon-Joo as she, Han Seol-Ah, and Lilith, who had been waiting for his education to be over, stood up and approached him.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°Gaaah! We can finally go home!¡± Yeon-Joo stretched. ¡°Oh, right. Kang-Woo, you¡¯d better share some relics with me, got it? I won¡¯t forgive you if you hog it all for yourself.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll give you something even better than a relic.¡±

    ¡°Something even better?¡±

    Kang-Woo was nning on awakening a new Trait for Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°Mm. That aside, Kang-Woo. Wouldn¡¯t it be dangerous to use that sword?¡± Seol-Ah asked.

    ¡°I doubt she¡¯d try anything after all the tramplings I gave her.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m still worried she¡¯ll try to take you over.¡±

    Seol-Ah approached Kang-Woo and hugged his arm. She narrowed her eyes and red at Midir strapped to Kang-Woo¡¯s belt.

    ¡°If you try something to Kang-Woo¡­ I will not let it slide.¡±

    Her eyes were filled with bloodlust.

    [...]

    Midir did not answer, possibly because she was unconscious.

    ¡°Fufu. Don¡¯t worry, Seol-Ah. You know how the king is.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah sighed and hugged Kang-Woo¡¯s arm tighter.

    ¡°That aside, how do we get out of here?¡± Kang-Woo wondered.

    He had let loose so much that the entrance they came in from was destroyed.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [I will send you out of the Gate!!]

    ¡°Huh? You can do something like that, Eve?¡±

    [Yes, but not often!]

    If they could leave the Gate that conveniently, there was no reason to refuse.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, then.¡±

    [Okay, Sir Guardian Deity!]

    [??(*

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    A blue message window extended vertically and turned into the shape of a door. Kang-Woo opened the door and entered to be hugged by a blue light like a radiant spotlight.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Radiant Spotlight: I didn¡¯t hug you, stop bullshitting.]

    <em>¡®The fuck? What¡¯s your problem?¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 111: Trait Gacha (1)

    ¡°We¡¯re home¡ª!!¡± Oh Kang-Woo screamed with his arms out, home after ten days of relic hunting.

    Each piece of furniture in their home, which was easily over six hundred square meters, felt like new.

    ¡°There¡¯s no ce like home.¡±

    ¡°Fufu. I¡¯m happy to be home after so long too,¡± Han Seol-Ah mentioned as she followed Kang-Woo inside and giggled.

    Cha Yeon-Joo pped the front of her shirt and frowned as she said, ¡°Urgh, let¡¯s get washed up first. I feel so dirty after not showering for over a week.¡±

    ¡°Hoho. Then why don¡¯t we all go in together?¡± Lilith suggested teasingly.

    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s¡­¡± Yeon-Joo slurred, her lips quivering in embarrassment.

    ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t want to? Then I guess you can go in by yourselfter.¡±

    ¡°N-No! I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t want to!¡±Lilith giggled with one hand covering her mouth as Yeon-Joo shouted in embarrassment. Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo and kicked his foot.

    ¡°Why are you hitting me out of nowhere?¡±

    ¡°Dunno, dammit.¡±

    She snorted and turned away.

    ¡°Hm! Kang-Woooooooooo!!! You¡¯re back!!!¡±

    m!

    Echidna swung her door open, ran to Kang-Woo, and jumped into his arms.

    ¡°Whoa there. Were you alright by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Did you get lots of relics, Kang-Woo? A huge uproar was on the news a while ago about Valha blocking the entrance to the Gate and getting in a huge fight with the other yers!¡±

    ¡°Oh, them?¡± Kang-Woo nodded and continued, ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started on them. Those scumbags outright killed a yer who was just trying to enter the Gate so he could earn money to buy medicine for his sickly mother.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Not only that, but his little brother was with him, and those sorry excuses for a human even killed the little brother!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re terrible!¡±

    ¡°I know, right?!¡±

    ¡°Hm! I was offered an endorsement contract from Valha not long ago, but I won¡¯t do it now!!¡±

    ¡°A wise decision!!¡±

    Kang-Woo patted the frowning Echidna as if he were proud of her. Echidna smiled happily and tilted her head to rub her cheek on his hand.

    ¡°...¡±

    Yeon-Joo, Seol-Ah, and Lilith, who had been on the scene, simply smiled awkwardly, no idea how to react.

    ¡°But Kang-Woo, what¡¯s that hideous thing?¡± Echidna asked as she pointed at Horos trembling in a corner.

    ¡°E-Eek!! I-I¡¯m so sorry!! I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m so hideous!!¡± shouted Horos as he bowed to the ground in terror.

    He had been like this ever since Kang-Woo easily killed Oh Hyun-Seong.

    Kang-Woo lightly tapped Horos¡¯ giant eye and answered, ¡°He seemed useful, so I brought him with me. I¡¯m nning on putting him in Lilith¡¯s team.¡±

    Horos possessed an ability known as irvoyance. Unlike the Authority of the Beholder which Kang-Woo often used to survey his surroundings, Horos¡¯ ability drastically amplifies his visual prowess to inspect the surroundings.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s technically an inferior version of the Authority of the Beholder.¡¯</em>

    To make a simpleparison, the Authority of the Beholder was like a wide-area scanner, while irvoyance was like high-quality binocrs. The Authority of the Beholder would naturally be better in normal circumstances since it could also survey the inner areas of the surroundings.

    <em>¡®But it¡¯s a different story when the power of a Titan is involved.¡¯</em>

    The Authority of the Beholder couldn¡¯t detect the power of a Titan¡ª it was like a stealth aircraft. Hence, it was far easier to search for traces of a Titan simply with amplified vision.

    ¡°Peep¡­ P-Please spare my life¡­¡± Horos trembled on the ground, still bowing to Kang-Woo.

    ¡°I said I wouldn¡¯t kill you, man.¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled and lightly smacked Horos¡¯ head. He thought about stealing his ability with the Authority of Predation but since Kang-Woo wouldn¡¯t be the one on his feet to gather information, he decided it would be much better to make Horos a member of Lilith¡¯s intelligence team.

    ¡°Th-Thank you very much!! I offer you my eternal allegiance!!¡±

    Horos stood up as he blinked his giant eye.

    ¡°Then get out and stand in the hallway for now,¡± Kang-Woomanded.

    ¡°Peep!!¡±

    Kang-Woo chased Horos out since he might be able to peek at his lovers bathing with <em>irvoyance</em>.

    He turned back to the women and remarked, ¡°You guys can wash up first.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Are you not joining us, Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°I have something to take care of first.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled as he took out three bags full of relics from his subspace.

    ¡°Hmm. Can¡¯t you do thatter?¡±

    Lilith hugged Kang-Woo from behind and seductively bit his ear. Kang-Woo almost faltered but used his transcendental endurance to suppress his surging desire.

    <em>¡®Organizing the relicses first.¡¯</em>

    He could spend quality time with his lovers¡ª no, wives in the evening.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be in the room.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Yeon-Joo expressed disappointment as she stared at Kang-Woo walking away with the bags.

    Kang-Woo turned around with his eyes shining.

    ¡°Hm~? What¡¯s wrong, my little Yeon-Joo? Are you upset I won¡¯t go in with you?¡±

    ¡°Stop fucking around and get the hell in your room.¡±

    Yeon-Joo bared her teeth and kicked Kang-Woo¡¯s butt.

    ¡°Bwehehehe! I¡¯ll see you guys in a bit.¡± Kang-Woo snickered as he entered his room with the bags. ¡°Right, then.¡±

    He took out all the relics in the three bags and sprawled them out on the floor.

    <em>¡®Thirty-five of them.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had plundered eleven from the priests of Oceiros, twenty-three from the Lion of the Corridor, and Midir from Oh Hyun-Seong.

    ¡°Why the hell are they all relics I stole?¡± Kang-Woo feignedughter and clicked his tongue. ¡°Eve.¡±

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Yes, Sir Guardian Deity!]

    [?(*

    A blue message with a smiling emoticon appeared in the air.

    ¡°Are any of the five-star relics worth using?¡±

    Excluding Midir, there were seven five-star relics, and the rest of the thirty-four were three-star and four-star.

    <em>¡®The three and four-star relics don¡¯t seem that useful.¡¯</em>

    Hence Kang-Woo was checking to see if any of the five-star relics would be of any use to him or his party members.

    [Mmm. You and the others are so strong already that a five-star relic wouldn¡¯t make a difference.]

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Kang-Woo did not expect anything in the first ce.¡¯

    <em>¡®Since a relic apparently needs to be at least seven-star to damage those with Deific Essence.¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo, Kim Si-Hun, Balrog, Seol-Ah, and La were all powerful enough to easily prate Deific Essence barriers; a five-star relic wouldn¡¯t be of use to them.

    ¡°In that case, how many times can I pull the Trait gacha if I extract the power of a Titan from all the relics except Midir?¡±

    [Just a moment, please.]

    The blue message window extended and wrapped around the relics.

    [You should be able to pull six¡­ no, seven times!]

    ¡°Wow,¡± Kang-Woo expressed surprise.

    <em>¡®Way better than those damn nes from Akart.¡¯</em>

    Considering they were all low-ranked relics, seven pulls from thirty-four relics were on another level in terms of efficiency.

    ¡°Then extract them right now, please.¡±

    [Yes, Sir Guardian Deity!]

    The blue message window turned into a funnel and stuck into the relics.

    [<em>SLUUUUURP!</em>]

    ¡°Can¡¯t you do something about that SFX?¡±

    There were no sounds since it was just text on a message window, but it felt extremely vulgar somehow. Kang-Woo shook his head and leaned on the backrest of his chair.

    <em>¡®Now all I have to do is figure out how to use those seven pulls.¡¯</em>

    He could awaken seven Traits for himself.

    <em>¡®But that¡¯s too inefficient.¡¯</em>

    Acquiring average Traits would not do much for him anymore. It would be a different story if he were to get an SSS-rank Trait, but the chance of that happening was too low.

    <em>¡®Besides, it¡¯s meaningless just for myself to get stronger.¡¯</em>

    Akart and his subordinates were not invading Earth because of Kang-Woo¡ª they were after an unspecified number of people.

    <em>¡®In other words, I need as many cards I can y as possible.¡¯</em>

    Hence, he would need to make his powerfulrades like Si-Hun, Yeon-Joo, and Balrog even stronger.

    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and fell into thought. He then turned to Eve, who was sucking out the power of a Titan from the relics.

    He asked, ¡°Can I awaken Traits in Balrog and Lilith too?¡±

    The others aside, Balrog and Lilith were not yers.

    [<em>Sluuuurp¡­</em> Oh, yes, you can!]

    ¡°They¡¯re not yers though.¡±

    [But they are still residents of the Triad governed by the Law of Titans.]

    ¡°I see.¡± Kang-Woo nodded and snapped his fingers as if he finished thinking. ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll awaken Traits in Si-Hun, Yeon-Joo, Darling, Lilith, and Balrog.¡±

    [Hmm? What about the remaining two?]

    ¡°Those are for myself.¡±

    [Didn¡¯t you say it was too inefficient?]

    ¡°I mean, yeah, but¡­¡±

    <em>¡®I¡¯ma be honest; I want the Abyss Watcher Trait so bad. Besides, I have to leave some for myself.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was the one who ultimately had to face Akart.

    <em>¡®However strong Si-Hun and Balrog get, they¡¯re no match for Akart.¡¯</em>

    It was important to strengthen the cards he could y, but it was just as important to get stronger himself.

    [I can understand for everyone else, but why would you awaken a Trait in Miss Lilith?]

    Eve had a point; if Kang-Woo¡¯s objective was simply to strengthen his party members, it would be more efficient to awaken a Trait in La instead.

    ¡°Because Lilith is exceptional in her own way.¡±

    Lilith was specialized in information gathering, deciphering, and investigation¡ª far more exceptional than Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®If Lilith awakens a decent investigation Trait¡­¡¯</em>

    She might be able to find traces of Akart whom they had no luck in tracking all this time.

    ¡°Is the extractionplete?¡±

    [Yes! All done!]

    The relics were now nothing but scrap metal. Kang-Woo stuffed them into the bags again and stood up, full of anticipation.

    <em>¡®Let¡¯s start with my Traits.¡¯</em>

    He would pull for everyone else after calling Si-Hun and Balrog tomorrow. Kang-Woo stood in the middle of the room and closed his eyes.

    ¡°Huuu, huuu. Alright. I have a super good feeling.¡±

    Kang-Woo took deep breaths as he did squats and pushups in ce. He had a feeling he would pull the SSS-rank Trait this time.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Sir Guardian Deity!! Desperation!!! You¡¯re stillcing desperation!!!] Evemented sharply.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kang-Woo realized he had beencent until now. He got on his knees, sped his hands together, and prayed, ¡°Please, please, please, please, SSS-rank Trait!!! SSS-RANK TRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!!!¡±

    [MORE! MORE DESPERATION!! LOUDER!!!]

    ¡°IT¡¯S COMING! IT¡¯S COMING¡ª!!! I¡¯LL PULL IT THIS TIME FOR SURE!!!¡±

    [NOT ENOUGH!!!]

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡± Kang-Woo screamed and threw off his pants. He jumped in ce and did flips. ¡°ALRIGHT!! I¡¯M FEELING GOOD!!! NOW, EVE!!! SPIN THE ROULETTE!!!¡±

    [YES, SIR GUARDIAN DEITY!!!]

    <em>Brrrrrrrrrr!!!</em>

    The roulette spun rapidly.

    ¡°SSS-RANK TRAIT!!! I CAN SEE IT ALREADY!!!¡±

    [YOU¡¯RE DOING GREAT, SIR GUARDIAN DEITY!!!]

    ¡°LET¡¯S GO! LET¡¯S GO! IT¡¯S COMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!¡±

    The spinning roulette arrow stopped.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [You have acquired the Trait¡¾Tentacle Expansion (Rank: C)¡¿!]

    ¡°Fuck my life.¡±

 Side Story Chapter 112: Trait Gacha (2)

    [You have acquired the Trait¡¾Tentacle Expansion (Rank: C)¡¿!]

    A blue message window with contents Oh Kang-Woo wanted to believe was Eve¡¯s prank popped up in front of him.

    ¡°WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!!¡± Kang-Woo twisted and turned as he pulled on his hair. ¡°WHY AM I THE ONLY UNLUCKY ONE?!!¡±

    He had pulled the most useless and disgusting Trait out of everything he could have gotten. He was pushing it a little with the SSS-rank Trait, but this was crossing the line.

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [You weren¡¯t desperate enough¡ª]

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Kang-Woo swiped away Eve¡¯s message window. ¡°Haaa.¡±

    <em>¡®I would¡¯ve awakened a Trait for someone else if I knew this would happen.¡¯</em>He pulled on his hair again, thinking the same way as people addicted to gacha.

    ¡°Well¡­ I guess I¡¯ll try it out at least.¡±

    It could have a useful side like <em>Astral Projection</em> which Kang-Woo had thought was useless.

    ¡°Summon¡­ Tentacles.¡±

    Kang-Woo used the skill he had acquired when he devoured the Parasite King a while ago, and never used.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    Tentacles dripping with tar-like mucus sprouted from him.

    ¡°Urghhh.¡±

    He was about to puke just from staring at the squirming tentacles.

    <em>¡®At least they¡¯re ck.¡¯.</em>

    Kang-Woo would have canceled the summoning if they were green like Lilith¡¯s. He frowned as he stared at the squirming tentacles.

    <em>¡®Tentacle Expansion.¡¯</em>

    He activated the technique of which its instructions flowed into his brain the moment he acquired the Trait.

    <em>Krrrrrk! Squelch!</em>

    ¡°Holy fucking Jesus.¡±

    The summoned ck tentacles trembled and began to swell rapidly. The forearm-width tentacles expanded to the width of a thigh and then to that of an adult man¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Urpp!¡±

    Kang-Woo wanted to cancel the skill right then and there but suppressed the urge to vomit with all his might to test the ck tentacles¡¯ destructive power.

    <em>¡®I guess I can test it¡­ on my left arm.¡¯</em>

    Harming oneself to test the power of a skill was crazy, but it was the most surefire method. Not only that, but any wounds he suffered would instantly regenerate.

    <em>Squelch! Crunch¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh.¡±

    The ck tentacles wrapped around Kang-Woo¡¯s left arm and violently squeezed it. Hepared the tentacles he used the Tentacle Expansion on with the normal tentacles.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Kang-Woo stared in dejection at his left arm, which had turned to mush. ¡°Why the fuck is it so strong¡­?¡±

    The tentacles were far stronger than Kang-Woo expected, likely because they were made with the demonic energy of the Abyss. The freely moving tentacles were honestly much stronger than the Authority of des he frequently used. Not only that, but the tentacles grew exponentially stronger if Tentacle Expansion was cast on them.

    <em>¡®This is only a C-rank Trait?¡¯</em>

    Considering the strength of the tentacles, it was no exaggeration topare it with an S-rank Trait or higher.

    ¡°But of course, no matter how strong it is, I won¡¯t use it.¡±

    [Ah! You¡¯re going to leave such an amazing Trait to rot?]

    ¡°Shut it.¡±

    The mes of Voracity were far stronger than these disgusting tentacles.

    [Why don¡¯t you wrap the tentacles with the mes of Voracity?]

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    <em>¡®Wait a second.¡¯</em>

    ¡°No!! Wait a second, my ass!!!¡±

    <em>¡®I won¡¯t use it!!! I won¡¯t use tentacles!!! I¡¯d rather use the Authority of des and get my head blown off than use these goddamn tentacles!!¡¯</em>

    [But you said the tentacles were stronger than the Authority of des.]

    ¡°They are, but they have a critical w.¡±

    [What w?]

    ¡°They¡¯re not badass.¡±

    [...]

    A message window with just ellipses appeared as if Eve was dumbfounded.

    ¡°What? Badassery is a serious matter. Anyway, hard pass on the tentacles. Get ready to pull the next Trait.¡±

    [Muehehehehehe. Please get ready to do that desperation dance aga¡ª]

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing that shit.¡±

    His hype was killed the moment he pulled Tentacle Expansion. He was doubtful that he would even get the SSS-rank Trait now.

    [You¡¯ve only pulled twice.]

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I can buy packages and pull hundreds of times like in a mobile game.¡±

    [That¡¯s true.]

    Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t sure how the probability worked, but he would likely not get the SSS-rank Trait with the remaining pull.

    ¡°Spin it.¡±

    [Yes, sir!!]

    <em>Brrrrrrrrr!!</em>

    The roulette spun again.

    ¡°Please¡­!¡±

    Kang-Woo thought he had given up, but the sliver of hope returned as he watched the roulette spinning. He stared at it anxiously.

    <em>Tick, tick, tick.</em>

    The spinning roulette slowed down and stopped.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [You have acquired the Trait¡¾Usurpation of me (Rank: B)¡¿!]

    ¡°Goddammit.¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue in exasperation as he checked the Trait¡¯s rank before he read the description. ¡°I should¡¯ve known¡­ Yeah, forget the SSS-rank Trait.¡±

    Kang-Woo was the best in terms of having no luck. There was no way in hell he would pull the SSS-rank Trait.

    ¡°But at least it sounds normal this time.¡±

    Kang-Woo clicked the Usurpation of me Trait and checked its description.

    ¡¾Usurpation of me (Rank: B)¡¿

    Effect: The yer can condense and ignite any fire-type skills in a weapon. However, the weapon¡¯s durability will be significantly reduced.

    The Trait¡¯s description was as simple as its average rank.

    ¡°By fire-type skills¡­ do the mes of Voracity count?¡±

    The mes of Voracity were not ordinary mes. They were closer to a manifestation of his Deific Essence and a modification of the Authority of Predation.

    <em>¡®Becausecerations form instead of burns from the mes of Voracity.¡¯</em>

    However, it was notpletely unrted to fire since it had the form of fire.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll give it a try.¡±

    Kang-Woo created a regr sword with the Authority of des and grabbed it.

    <em>¡®Usurpation of me.¡¯</em>

    He activated the Trait in his head and focused.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!!</em>

    Gold and ck mes like that of a ck sun enveloped the ck de¡ª no, they weren¡¯t just enveloping it.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ condensed.¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at the sword in his hand in disbelief. He could feel the mes of Voracity, covered in sharp teeth, raging in a condensed form. The Usurpation of me Trait had applied to the mes of Voracity.

    ¡°Fuck yeah¡­!!¡± Sparks ran throughout Kang-Woo¡¯s body. He pumped his fists into the air and shouted, ¡°H-HOLY FUCK!!! HOLY FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!¡±

    His eyes rolled backward, and he opened his mouth wide. He reflexively tried to pull down his pants but realized he had already taken them off a while ago. Having no choice, he pulled down his underwear instead.

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYY!! THIS IS INSANE!!! INSANE, I TELL YOU!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo had wrapped himself with the mes of Voracity, turned himself into the mes of Voracity, and spread the mes of Voracity to his surroundings. However, he had not been able to condense the mes of Voracity to amplify their power until now.

    <em>¡®But it was made possible by a B-rank Trait?¡¯</em>

    It was likely not thanks to just the Trait¡¯s effects; a mere B-rank Trait could never control the mes of Voracity.

    <em>¡®It probably just instructed me how to do it.¡¯</em>

    In other words, Kang-Woo could condense the mes of Voracity all along, and the Usurpation of me Trait provided him with the theory and method of how. To make aparison, it was like a bird being taught how to fly despite already having wings.

    ¡°KAAAAAAAHHH!! THIS IS IT!!! IT¡¯S ONLY NATURAL I GET THIS LUCKY AFTER DOING ALL THAT DESPERATION SHIT!!¡±

    It was a jackpot nheless since Kang-Woo would never have known how to condense the mes of Voracity without the Trait.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s test how much I can condense it.¡±

    Kang-Woo infused a little more mes of Voracity into the sword, full of anticipation.

    <em>Crack! Shatter!</em>

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    The ck de cracked and shattered only after infusing some more mes of Voracity and condensing them. It was only then he remembered the Trait¡¯s description.

    [However, the weapon¡¯s durability will be significantly reduced.]

    ¡°Shit, so that¡¯s what it meant.¡± Kang-Woo frowned. ¡°Mmm¡­ In that case.¡±

    Kang-Woo infused far more demonic energy of the Abyss than necessary into the Authority of des to strengthen it.

    ¡°This should be enough.¡±

    Kang-Woo gripped the ck de he created with fifty times more demonic energy than usual. He used the Usurpation of me Trait to condense the mes of Voracity into the de.

    <em>Crack¡ª!!!</em>

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    It certainlysted longer than before, but the ck de shattered after not even five seconds.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t be able to condense the mes this way. It would be manageable if he drastically reduced the amount of mes he condensed but that defeated its purpose.

    ¡°Nah, there¡¯s no way¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression hardened. He took out a Hell Armament from the Demonic Sea¡ª it was Wrath, Satan¡¯s weapon.

    ¡°This is the weapon of Satan, the Prince of Wrath, and death himself¡ª¡±

    <em>Crack! Shatter!</em>

    ¡°SATAN, YOU USELESS MOTHERFUCKER!!!¡±

    Not even a prince¡¯s weapon worked. Any weapon he condensed the mes of Voracity into shattered as if he were smashing sswork into the ground.

    ¡°I CAN CONDENSE IT BUT IT DOESN¡¯T LAAAAAAAAST¡ª!!!¡±

    e back to this]

    Kang-Woo shed tears of blood as he stared at the shattered weapons, unable to handle the mes of Voracity¡¯s power.

    [Sir Guardian Deity! The tentacles! Try it on the tentacles!!]

    ¡°FUCK!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo summoned the ck tentacles and condensed the mes into them just in case.

    <em>Squelch¡ª!!! Ssh¡ª!!!</em>

    ¡°FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!¡±

    The ck tentacles couldn¡¯t handle the mes of Voracity either and burst, covering the entire room in sticky ck mucus.

    ¡°WHAT THE FUUUUUUCK?! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO FUCKING DO WITH THIS?!!¡± Kang-Woo screamed as he pulled on his hair.

    He was going even more insane since he couldn¡¯t use something extraordinary he just discovered he could do. He would¡¯ve been better off never knowing he could do it.

    ¡°Huh¡­? Wait a second.¡±

    Just then, Kang-Woo thought of something. He turned to the dark blue sword ced on top of the bags filled with relics. He recalled Midir¡¯s status window he had read when he got the sword.

    [This item cannot be destroyed by physical or spiritual means.]

    ¡°Could it be¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo carefully grabbed Midir and imbued the mes of Voracity with it. He activated the Usurpation of me Trait and the mes wrapped around Midir¡¯s de like a snake.

    <em>¡®Please.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo anxiously bit his lip as he looked down at Midir. If even Midir was destroyed, the trouble he went through to get the ten-star relic would have been for nothing.

    <em>¡®Please¡ª!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shut his eyes tightly and condensed the mes of Voracity into Midir¡¯s de.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    The condensed mes of Voracity wrapped the surface of Midir¡¯s edge and zed fiercely. He added more mes to the de and condensed them.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    The immense power emitted from Midir after condensing the mes of Voracity shook his room protected by a barrier so powerfully that it could copse at any moment.

    ¡°I-It worked.¡±

    Midir waspletely fine even with the mes of Voracity condensed into it.

    ¡°IT WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORKED!!!¡±

    <em>Dangle, dangle.</em>

    Kang-Woo danced alone in his room as he cheered.

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY¡ª¡±

    <em>ck.</em>

    ¡°Kang-Woo, we¡¯re done washing up¡ª¡±

    Just then, Kang-Woo locked eyes with Han Seol-Ah who entered the room.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    A deathly silence fell in the room. Seol-Ah¡¯s gaze gradually headed down.

    ¡°Kyaaaaahhh!! Kang-Woo!! What are you doing with your pants off?!¡±

    <em>Creak, m!</em>

    She quickly closed the door with her still in the room.

    ¡°Huh? Wait a second, shouldn¡¯t it be the opposite?¡±

    <em>¡®Why are youing in?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hehehe~?¡±

    <em>Click.</em>

    The door locked.

 Side Story Chapter 113: Trait Gacha (3)

    ¡°Fuuu, haaa.¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo took a deep breath in and slowly out. He lowered his stance and gripped the sword tighter. The dark blue demonic sword shone menacingly.

    <em>¡®Usurpation of me.¡¯</em>

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    Gold and ck mes like that of a ck sun wrapped around Kang-Woo and slowly slithered like a snake to gather around the dark blue sword.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    The mes inside the dark blue sword condensed and shook the training room.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s enough.¡¯</em>

    No matter how powerful the barrier protecting the underground training room was, he couldn¡¯t risk the entire building copsing by condensing even more mes.¡°Hup!¡±

    Boom!

    Kang-Woo stomped his foot and sprang up from his lowered stance as he shed Midir upward.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!!</em>

    A line of fire was formed in the air. The mes of Voracity condensed in the de ignited and burst like a volcano, smashing into the training room wall.

    <em>Crack¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°H-Huh? Wait a fucking second!!¡±

    The barrier Kang-Woo had set up so that it wouldst at least twenty seconds against the mes of Voracity was cracking and about to be destroyed. At this rate, the underground training room would copse, and the apartment building would copse with it.

    ¡°OH, FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t let his home, which he had painstakingly prepared, be destroyed. He threw Midir aside and threw himself into the mes of Voracity destroying the barrier.

    ¡°KURGH¡ª!!¡±

    It was truly ironic to see a person blocking his own technique with his body. The condensed mes of Voracity tore Kang-Woo apart, turning him into a rag as if he were attacked by a school of piranhas.

    ¡°Gurgh¡­¡±

    Intense pain shot throughout his body, but he couldn¡¯t help but smile as he was groaning in pain.

    <em>¡®Yeah, this is it!!¡¯</em>

    It was far more powerful than he had expected. The mes of Voracity, condensed with the Usurpation of me Trait, were far more powerful than before. R

    ¡°Hehehe. I guess the more desperate one ultimatelyes out on top.¡±

    Kang-Woo never expected to get so much stronger from just a B-rank Trait, but he was extremely satisfied with the results.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s making me want to pull more now.¡¯</em>

    He still had five more pulls. He couldn¡¯t help but be greedy after figuring out that just because the Trait¡¯s rank was low didn¡¯t necessarily mean it was bad.

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue after some thought and shook his head. ¡°I should leave it for the others.¡±

    Since he had gotten far stronger than he expected after acquiring the Usurpation of me Trait, it was pointless to get even more greedy.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s just how important it is for the others to get stronger as well.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo pushed aside the desire and turned around. He took the elevator up to the building¡¯s top floor.

    ¡°Oh, hyung-nim!¡±

    The moment Kang-Woo arrived at the top floor, the door of the elevator across from the one he was on also opened, revealing Kim Si-Hun.

    ¡°You got here just now?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Haha. I¡¯m sorry. I was a little busy with something.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. It¡¯s fine, I just got here too.¡±

    Kang-Woo entered his home with Si-Hun. In the spacious living room were Han Seol-Ah, Lilith, Cha Yeon-Joo, and Balrog who came as soon as he was contacted.

    ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°MY KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!¡±

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Balrog stood up and raced toward Kang-Woo in his giant original form. His hideous face crumpled to look even worse.

    ¡°Fucking hell.¡±

    <em>¡®Just look at yourself, dammit.¡¯</em>

    ¡°WHY DID YOU GO RELIC HUNTING WITH THAT BITCH INSTEAD OF ME?!¡± shouted Balrog as he pointed at Lilith giggling from the back.

    ¡°Because you¡¯d be useless when searching for relics.¡±

    Balrog had no searching abilities so he would have been of no use whatsoever.[1]

    <em>¡®Actually, I guess he would¡¯ve been.¡¯</em>

    They got all of the relics through violence and plundering. Rather, Lilith with her exceptional searching and tracking abilities had not been of much help this time.

    ¡°Kurgh! B-But¡­¡±

    ¡°Besides, you had stuff to do at the time, man.¡±

    ¡°Urgh¡­¡±

    Balrog¡¯s shoulders dropped in dejection. Kang-Woo smirked and lightly smacked Balrog¡¯s stomach with his palm.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you next time something happens, so don¡¯t be so down, dammit.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. That¡¯s a promise, right?¡± Balrog raised his head with a smile as if he were never dejected in the first ce.

    It seemed like it had been an act all along. Kang-Woo chuckled; even he had been fooled by the perfect switch in expression.

    ¡°Son of a bitch, of all the things to take after me¡­ I guess you¡¯ve been raring to go, huh?¡±

    ¡°There haven¡¯t been many opportunities to fight, after all,¡± Balrog replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

    Balrog was a born warrior, molded by endless battle. He would naturally be bored by peaceful life on Earth.

    ¡°Endure it for a little longer. I¡¯m sure Akart will make his move soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Kehehe. Understood.¡± Balrog smiled and sat back down.

    ¡°More importantly, hyung-nim. What did you gather us for?¡± asked Si-Hun as he tilted his head in wonder.

    ¡°I have a gift for you all,¡± Kang-Woo answered.

    ¡°A gift?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to awaken a Trait in each of you. But of course, the rank of the Traits you get is random.¡±

    ¡°A-Awaken a Trait?¡± asked Si-Hun in shock.

    His reaction was natural since any yer knew how strongly Traits influenced their strength. Traits normally could only be acquired every ten levels.

    ¡°H-How are you going to do that?¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­ it¡¯s a long story.¡±

    Kang-Woo exined to the others about Eve, how he had gained ess to a portion of the Law of Titans¡¯ functions as the guardian deity, and the power of a Titan infused in the relics.

    ¡°Wow, so that¡¯s why you were stealing all those relics left and right, huh?¡± Yeon-Joo nodded.

    ¡°What do you mean, steal? Those relics were yielded to me fair and square.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit.¡±

    ¡°In any case, I¡¯m going to awaken a trait in each of you.¡±

    ¡°You said the type and rank of the Traits we get is random, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯ll apparently get a Trait more or less right for you.¡±

    Tentacle Expansion and Usurpation of me both had some connection to Kang-Woo. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure but there was likely a higher chance that one would acquire a Trait that fit them the most.

    <em>¡®Though that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case with Astral Projection.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t think of any connection he had with Astral Projection.

    ¡°What is a Trait, exactly?¡± asked Balrog, who wasn¡¯t a yer, iprehensibly.

    ¡°Mmm¡­ you can think of it as simr to an Authority.¡±

    ¡°A-An Authority?¡±

    ¡°Though it can only be as strong as one the higher its rank is.¡±

    There were also Authorities so bad that it was a mystery as to why such Authorities existed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with you, Darling.¡±

    ¡°M-Me?¡±

    ¡°What? Do you want to goter?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m happy that I get to be your first.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a dangerous choice of words.¡±

    <em>¡®Darling, if you keep doing that, we¡¯ll get scolded by the editor again.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Fufu. I¡¯ll leave it to you, Kang-Woo. It¡¯s my first time, so please be gentle.¡±

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah giggled teasingly and approached Kang-Woo. Kang-Woo sighed and ced his hand on her shoulder.

    ¡°Do it, Eve.¡±

    [Yes, Sir Guardian Deity!]

    <em>Swirl¡ª!!</em>

    A blue message window enveloped Seol-Ah, and the roulette spun at the same time.

    Riiing!

    [You have acquired the Trait¡¾Magnificent Gourmet (Rank: S)¡¿!]

    ¡°Huh? I got an S-rank.¡±

    Seol-Ah was left wide-eyed as she stared at the message window in front of her.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    An S-rank Trait was so high that a normal yer would rarely get a chance to get even one. Although yers like Seol-Ah, Yeon-Joo, and Si-Hun were absurdly powerful, S was a decent rank even by their standards.

    ¡°What kind of Trait is it?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s called Magnificent Gourmet,¡± Seol-Ah replied.

    ¡°Magnificent Gourmet?¡±

    One couldn¡¯t deduce what a Trait could do based on its name alone.

    ¡°What does it do?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Mm¡­ Just a moment, please.¡± Seol-Ah looked through the message window only she could view. ¡°It¡¯s a Trait that amplifies the vor of the food I make.¡±

    ¡°What¡­ did you say?¡±

    <em>¡®Wait, what? Darling¡¯s kimchi stew will get even more delicious¡­?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t even imagine such a thing. It meant that Seol-Ah¡¯s kimchi stew, already so delicious that he had never grown tired of it even after eating it every day, could be even more delicious. Not only that, but the Trait was S-rank, meaning the amplification of vor would be so magnificent that it could even melt Kang-Woo¡¯s taste buds.

    <em>¡®Th-This is insane!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo pumped his fists into the air.

    ¡°MAGNIFICENT!! MAGNIFICEEEEEEEEEEENT!!!¡± Kang-Woo jumped into Seol-Ah¡¯s arms and showered her cheek with kisses. ¡°I LOVE YOU, DARLING!! YOU¡¯RE THE ONLY ONE FOR MEEEEEEE!!¡±

    ¡°M-My, Kang-Woo~ Everyone can see~¡±

    Despite saying that, Seol-Ah was not pushing Kang-Woo away but rather hugging him back with a smile. Not only that but she turned her head so that his kisses were on her lips instead.

    ¡°Hehehe. I¡¯m d you love it so much,¡± said Seol-Ah as she smiled and twisted in embarrassment.

    ¡°Sheesh, get a goddamn room.¡± Yeon-Joo frowned in displeasure. ¡°But isn¡¯t it a bit too mundane for an S-rank Trait? Is amplifying vor all it does?¡±

    ¡°It says the food can also grant special effects when eaten.¡±

    ¡°Aha.¡± Yeon-Joo nodded in satisfaction. ¡°So it¡¯s a buff-type Trait. What kind of effects?¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­ I think I¡¯ll have to make something to find out.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yeon-Joo turned her head away apathetically and pouted. ¡°I¡¯d have been better off with a Trait like that.¡±

    ¡°How many people do you think you¡¯re going to kill with a Trait like that?¡± Kang-Woo asked teasingly.

    ¡°Wh-What?! My food can be delicious too with an S-rank Trait!¡±

    Yeon-Joo kicked Kang-Woo repeatedly. Kang-Woo snickered as he grabbed Yeon-Joo¡¯s leg and tickled her feet.

    ¡°Ack! L-Let me go, dammit!!¡±

    ¡°Hehehe. How dare you kick your dearest husband?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit cringe.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Kang-Woo flinched as Yeon-Joo suddenly criticized him with a straight face. It was a bit too cringe even for him.

    <em>¡®That aside, a buff-type Trait, huh?¡¯</em>

    He would only find out whether the Trait¡¯s effects were good or not after eating Seol-Ah¡¯s food and checking the buff it gave.

    <em>¡®Hehe. Even without the buff, it¡¯s a win just from the fact that Darling¡¯s food will be even tastier.¡¯</em>

    Good food was far more important in life than one could imagine; it could even be a driving force for one to stay alive.

    <em>¡®At least, it was for me.¡¯</em>

    He had longed for that feeling every day of his ten millennia in Hell.

    <em>¡®The Trait gacha was more than worth it just for this.¡¯</em>

    Seol-Ah¡¯sbat prowess did not rise like what Kang-Woo had hoped but it was more than good enough.

    ¡°Alright, next up is¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly turned to look at Balrog and gestured with his finger toe. Balrog smiled nastily and stood up. His expression looked as if he wanted to rip his prey¡¯s limbs apart and shower in its blood, but it was simply one of expectation.

    ¡°Kehehehe!! I will be in your care, my king. It¡¯s my first time, so please be¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking finish that sentence, dammit!!!¡±

    1. I mean, neither does Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo but you took them¡­ ?

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 114: Trait Gacha (4)

    <em>Swirl¡ª!!</em>

    A blue message window enveloped Balrog, and a roulette in the air spun rapidly.

    ¡°Ohh, this is why you and the other humans sometimes stare nkly in the air.¡±

    In fascination, Balrog tried to grab the blue message window, but his giant hand simply passed through it.

    ¡°Hmm. It seems it can¡¯t be touched.¡±

    ¡°But it goes away if you swipe it away,¡± said Oh Kang-Woo as he stared at Balrog, who looked like he wanted to split open his prey¡¯s head and devour their brain.

    However, he was simply amazed by something he was seeing for the first time.

    ¡°Hehe. I¡¯m excited to see what kind of Trait I will get!¡±

    Balrog clenched his fists and smiled hideously as if he wanted to massacre a family and jump rope with their intestines. As Kang-Woo already mentioned, he was simply excited.<em>¡®Can¡¯t you do something about your face?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could never get used to Balrog¡¯s hideous face.

    <em>¡®Well, it¡¯s better than tentacles.¡¯</em>

    Balrog was an angelpared to Lilith¡¯s true form.

    ¡°It¡¯s slowing down!¡± shouted Balrog as he stared at the roulette only he could see.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [You have acquired the Trait¡¾Overlord¡¯s Titanic Might (Rank: S)¡¿!]

    ¡°Whoa. I also got an S-rank, just like the queen.¡±

    ¡°The fuck? For real? Two S-ranks in a row?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.

    <em>¡®What about me?¡¯</em>

    As someone who got C-rank and B-rank Traits with two pulls, he couldn¡¯t be more frustrated.

    ¡°What does it do?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Hmm. How can I check?¡±

    ¡°Press the Trait¡¯s name.¡±

    Balrog nodded and reached for the message window. He read through the message window¡¯s contents and eximed in surprise, ¡°A-Amazing!¡±

    ¡°What? What does it do?¡±

    ¡°From what I¡¯m reading, the power of the Overlord enters me and temporarily multiplies my strength by five.¡±

    ¡°Seriously? Five?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth was left agape. Although it was temporary, a multiplier of five was insane.

    <em>¡®Not only that, it¡¯s Balrog.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t even imagine the insane amount of power Balrog would be able to exert.

    ¡°You¡¯d better be careful when using that. One wrong step and the ground under you would cave in.¡±

    Kang-Woo was not exaggerating; if the current Balrog¡¯s strength were to be multiplied by five, he could easily cause a natural disaster. One wrong punch could destroy everything around him and create a crater several kilometers deep.

    ¡°Kehehe! I will keep that in mind!!!¡± Balrogughed heartily with his chest puffed out, seemingly liking the Trait he acquired. He then pointed at Kim Si-Hun with shining eyes and shouted, ¡°Hear that, brat?!! It seems my spars with you will be a bore now!!¡±

    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Si-Hun grunted and bit his lip.

    Si-Hun always came out slightly superior in their usual spars but considering the absurdly powerful Trait Balrog acquired, there was no need to even question who would win. Balrog who was five times as strong would destroy any form of defense Si-Hun could muster.

    ¡°Hyung-nim, please let me go next.¡±

    ¡°Bwehehe! Is Balrog making you impatient?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t lose to that muscle pig.¡±

    Kang-Woo snickered and ced his hand on Si-Hun¡¯s shoulder this time.

    <em>Swirl¡ª!!</em>

    The roulette spun for a third time.

    Balrog burst intoughter and taunted Si-Hun, ¡°Kahahaha!! No matter what Trait you get, it will be meaningless before my ¡¾Overlord¡¯s Titanic Might (Rank: S)¡¿Trait, brat!!!¡±

    A blood vessel bulged from SI-Hun¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Uhh¡­ mm. Balrog,¡± Kang-Woo called.

    ¡°Kehehe!! Yes, my king? Are you worried that brat will despair?¡±

    ¡°No, not that.¡± Kang-Woo shook his head and looked at the roulette slowing down. ¡°From my experience¡­¡±

    <em>Tick, tick, tick.</em>

    The roulette was on the verge of stopping. A strong intuition popped into Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    <em>¡®Yeah, like always¡­¡¯</em>

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [You have acquired the Trait¡¾Thousand Martial Treasury (Rank: SSS)¡¿!]

    ¡°H-Huh? It¡¯s¡­ an SSS-rank Trait.¡±

    The protagonist was bound to hit it big in such situations.

    ¡°Yeah, I figured.¡± Kang-Woo nodded in dejection.

    ¡°Th-Thousand Martial Treasury? What kind of Trait is that?¡± asked Balrog wide-eyed after hearing it was an SSS-rank Trait.

    Si-Hun read the Trait¡¯s description and answered, ¡°It allows me to freely learn a thousand kinds of peerless martial arts.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo could tell the Trait was overpowered just from its description. Not only that, but since Si-Hun possessed exceptional martial arts talent, he could seriously learn a thousand peerless martial arts and be able to use them freely.

    ¡°...¡±

    Balrog¡¯s expression crumpled. He did not understand what martial arts was but he could instinctively tell Si-Hun¡¯s Trait was absurdly overpowered.

    ¡°WHAAAAAAAAAT?! THIS IS TOO UNFAIR, MY KING!!¡±

    ¡°Just endure it.¡±

    <em>¡®That¡¯s how novels are these days.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Fuuu¡­ alright. First, congrattions, Si-Hun.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very m¡ª¡±

    ¡°Actually, no. I take that back.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    <em>¡®I¡¯m getting even angrier now.¡¯</em>

    ¡°WHY AM I NOT GETTING AN SSS-RAAAAAAAAAANK?!!¡±

    ¡°AGREED!!! THIS CANNOT BEEEEEEEEE!!!¡±

    ¡°HOW IS THIS FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIR?!!¡±

    ¡°PAY FOR MY FRUSTRATION WITH YOUR LIFE, BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo and Balrog red resentfully at Si-Hun, who stepped backward in confusion.

    ¡°Hoho. Why don¡¯t you calm down, my king? You too, Balrog. Get it together.¡±

    Lilith calmed the two demons down with a smile.

    ¡°Ngh¡­ anyway, you guys sure are lucky,¡± Kang-Woo mentioned.

    Two S-ranks and one SSS-rank.

    <em>¡®Five S¡¯s in total.¡¯</em>

    High ranks that were nowhere to be found during his pulls were being pulled so easily by others.

    ¡°Eve, are you sure you didn¡¯t rig this?¡±

    [Of course not. As I¡¯ve mentioned before, the types and ranks of Traits arepletely random. There is nothing I can do to change that.]

    ¡°Then what about me? Why am I not getting good ranks?¡±

    [Because you¡¯recking¡ª]

    ¡°If you tell me that I¡¯m not desperate enough, I might tear you apart out of anger.¡±

    [A-Ahem! I-I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get one next time!]

    Eve quickly edited the message as if fixing a typo. Kang-Woo sighed deeply and walked toward Lilith.

    ¡°Is it my turn this time?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Come here.¡±

    ¡°Hoho. Please let me get a good Trait.¡±

    Lilith suddenly grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hand as he was about to put it on her shoulder, and leaned in to kiss him.

    <em>Swirl¡ª!!</em>

    The roulette spun at the same time as the sudden kiss.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [You have acquired the Trait¡¾Delver of Dreams (Rank: A)¡¿!]

    ¡°Pwah! Haaan~ A kiss with my king after so long feels so good ?¡±

    Lilith ced her hands on her cheeks and twisted in joy as if she were not interested in what Trait she awakened. Kang-Woo stared at her and chuckled.

    ¡°So, what did you get?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Oh, what a shame. It¡¯s an A-rank trait called Delver of Dreams.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about time a lower rank appeared. What does it do?¡±

    ¡°Just a moment, please.¡±

    Lilith manipted the message window skillfully despite seeing it for the first time and read the Trait¡¯s description.

    ¡°Hmm~ how interesting.¡± Her eyes shone. ¡°It¡¯s an ability that can disy a target¡¯s dreams.¡±

    ¡°Whoa, what? That¡¯s pretty good!¡±

    Lilith¡¯s specialty was information gathering and analysis. Hence, the ability to view someone¡¯s dreams was considerably useful to her. Dreams were a culmination of information learned in the past. Even if the individual had forgotten about something, it could even be shown vividly in their dreams.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it would be of much help in picking up traces of the Titan, but¡­ I should be able to make good use of this.¡±

    Lilith smiled in satisfaction.

    ¡°Alright. Lastly,¡± said Kang-Woo as he looked to Cha Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    She turned away as if she weren¡¯t interested, but the way she was shaking her leg gave away how much she was looking forward to it.

    ¡°Come here, Yeon-Joo.¡±

    ¡°I feel like¡­ I won¡¯t get anything good for some reason.¡±

    She was walking toward Kang-Woo full of excitement despite saying that. Kang-Woo lightly wrapped his arm around Yeon-Joo¡¯s slender waist.

    ¡°This is thest one, Eve.¡±

    [Okay~!]

    [( ¤Ä?>©n<?)¤Ä Hiyaaa!!]

    <em>Swirl¡ª!!</em>

    The roulette spun along with a cute emoticon.

    Riiing!

    [You have acquired the Trait¡¾Physical Potential Awakening (Rank: C)¡¿!]

    ¡°SHIT!!! I KNEW IT!!!¡± shouted Yeon-Joo after seeing the result. ¡°WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE WITH A C-RANK TRAIT?!!¡±

    She rapid-fired curses and swears as if her world had ended.

    ¡°I mean¡­ this is the normal result. Everyone else was just too lucky.¡± Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and patted Yeon-Joo¡¯s back. ¡°So, what does it do? Even if the rank is low, it can be amazing based on the circumstance, so don¡¯t be too upset.¡±

    ¡°Tch¡­ Just a sec.¡± Yeon-Joo read through the description as she pouted. She then became wide-eyed. ¡°Huh¡­? H-Huh? F-For real?? This isn¡¯t a joke, right???¡±

    She read through it again and again in disbelief.

    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Kang-Woo with his head tilted but Yeon-Joo could not answer due to shock. ¡°Eve, show me Yeon-Joo¡¯s message window.¡±

    [Okay!!]

    A blue message window appeared in front of Kang-Woo.

    ¡¾Physical Potential Awakening (Rank: C)¡¿

    Effect: The yer can achieve physical growth in a designated body part by awakening its maximumtent potential. If applied to the entire body, the Trait¡¯s effect will be halved.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned as if he couldn¡¯t understand. It was a mediocre ability as one would expect from a C-rank Trait. There was no reason for Yeon-Joo to be shocked beyond belief.

    <em>¡®No, wait a second.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo checked the description again.

    <em>¡®Achieve physical growth¡­ in a body part?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.

    ¡°KYAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHA!! AMAZING!!! THIS IS AMAZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!¡± Yeon-Joo¡¯sughter echoed throughout the living room. She pointed at Seol-Ah and shouted confidently, ¡°HAHAH!!! JUST YOU WAIT!!! I¡¯M GONNA HAVE A STACKED MID TOO!!!¡±

    Yeon-Joo smiled ecstatically and used the Trait¡¯s ability on her breasts without hesitation.

    <em>Whoooom¡ª!!!</em>

    Bright light wrapped around her and gathered around her breasts.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh!!¡±

    Tears welled around Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes. The humiliation and mockery she had faced until now would be no more starting today.

    ¡°STARTING FROM TODAY¡­!!!¡± She raised her arms high and shouted, ¡°I AM REBOOOOOOOOOOOOOORN!!!¡±

    Her¡¾Potential¡¿opened its eyes.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [There exists notent potential in the designated body part!]

    [Canceling the Trait¡¯s activation!]

    ¡°...¡±

    Her¡¾Potential¡¿closed its eyes.

 Side Story Chapter 115: Endless Eighth (1)

    Sunlight beamed between the partially closed curtains.

    ¡°Mrmmm¡­¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo had yet to recover from fatigue because he was up all night consoling the heartbroken Cha Yeon-Joo. He pulled up the nket to escape the sunlight and dug deeper into the soft bed to get some more sleep.

    <em>m!</em>

    ¡°HM! KANG-WOOOOOOOOOO!!! GET UP!!¡±

    The room door violently swung open, and Echidna¡¯s screeching voice echoed in Kang-Woo¡¯s ear. She charged toward the bed and jumped, dropping on top of Kang-Woo.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!!¡± Kang-Woo grunted as he was bent forward from the force on his stomach. ¡°Urgh¡­ What? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Hehehe!¡± Echidna giggled from on Kang-Woo¡¯s stomach. She shook Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulders and shouted, ¡°Tomorrow!! They¡¯ll finally be here tomorrow!!¡±Kang-Woo rubbed his eyes and stood up to see a massively excited Echidna.

    ¡°What¡¯ll be here tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°The clothes I orderedst time!!¡±

    ¡°Clothes?¡± Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion. ¡°What clothes?¡±

    ¡°You know, back when Seol-Ah, Yeon-Joo, and I went shopping! The clothes I ordered from back then areing tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Come to think of it, Kang-Woo remembered Echidna saying something about custom orders. ¡°That took a while.¡±

    ¡°Hm! All four of them are handmade orders, after all!¡± Echidna snorted loudly and proudly ced her hands on her waist.

    ¡°Four?¡±

    Kang-Woo wondered if there was a need for all four of them to be custom orders.

    ¡°Hehe, They¡¯re not just mine. They¡¯re for me, Yeon-Joo, Seol-Ah, and Lilith!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±

    He could understand why if that were the case.

    ¡°What kind of clothes did you order?¡±

    They were likely special, considering how excited she was.

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Echidna smiled and her eyes shone. ¡°Who knows~? What do you think they are~? It¡¯s something you would love a lot~!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Kang-Woo was even more curious because of how Echidna was putting off her answer.

    ¡°Guess!¡± she shouted.

    ¡°Mmm¡­ I can¡¯t think of anything.¡±

    Kang-Woo thought about the kind of clothes he liked.

    <em>¡®The officedy look and the leather pants were both amazing.¡¯</em>

    He also loved the swimsuits he had seen back at the hotel in Singapore.¡¯

    <em>¡®I legit almost fainted.¡¯</em>

    He felt like he was getting bricked up just thinking about Lilith¡¯s slingshot bikini.

    ¡°Is it swimsuits again?¡±

    ¡°Bzzt!¡± Echidna clicked her tongue and shook her head. ¡°Are erotic clothes all you like?¡±

    ¡°I mean, what kind of man doesn¡¯t?¡±

    Kang-Woo was quite old, but he still had the body of a healthy young man with tons of libido. He would always wee daring attire as long as they were those of his lovers.

    ¡°They¡¯re not erotic clothes! Guess again!¡±

    ¡°Mmm¡­ then is it something like cosy?¡±

    It was possible since Echidna was into anime.

    <em>¡®We even went to a maid cafe when we were in Japan together.¡¯</em>

    It was more embarrassing and awkward for him at the time than fun, but it would be a different story if his lovers were in such a getup at home instead of in public.

    <em>¡®Echidna wore a maid outfit that time.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was already smiling lecherously from imagining Han Seol-Ah, Lilith, and Yeon-Joo wearing maid outfits. It would certainly be embarrassing to wear in public, but it didn¡¯t matter.

    <em>¡®They¡¯re gonna be wearing it at home, after all.¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo chuckledsciviously. <em>¡®Man, that sounds great.¡¯</em>

    He felt like he wouldn¡¯t mind his heart stopping if Seol-Ah called him Master in a maid outfit like Echidna had.

    ¡°Bzzt! Wrong again!¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Kang-Woo groaned as Echidna shook her head again. ¡°What is it?¡±

    He felt like he was going insane from curiosity.

    ¡°Hehehe! The clothes I ordered are¡­ Ta-dah! These!!¡±

    Echidna put forward the tablet she had been hiding behind her back and showed Kang-Woo the clothes on the disy.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± he expressed the moment he saw the clothes.

    He finally understood why the clothes took so much time to make and why Echidna was acting so proud.

    ¡°Wedding¡­ dresses?¡±

    ¡°Hm! Hm! That¡¯s right! They¡¯re wedding dresses!!!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression froze. Seeing the four wedding dresses reminded him that he had been postponing the ceremony with excuses that they were too busy to hold one.

    <em>¡®Marriage, huh?¡¯</em>

    He was, of course, nning on holding a wedding ceremony with all of his lovers when the time came. However¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t think now is the time.¡±

    It couldn¡¯t help but sound like an excuse, but it was burdening in many ways to hold a ceremony now. It wouldn¡¯t be toote to hold one after the matters with Akart were over.

    ¡°Hm, hm! I¡¯m not saying we should hold one right away!¡±

    ¡°Then why did you order the dresses?¡±

    ¡°Not a wedding ceremony, but an engagement ceremony! Let¡¯s just hold a simple one with just us!!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened as if he were struck by lightning. Sparks ran throughout his body just from thinking about his lovers in wedding dresses. An inexplicable wave of happiness shook him.

    <em>¡®An engagement ceremony, huh?¡¯</em>

    Considering their daily life, they were practically married already. The four of them were living and sleeping under the same roof. Kang-Woo had also been calling Yeon-Joo, Lilith, and Seol-Ah his wivestely.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    It felt different now, as if the final piece was added to a puzzle he had thought wasplete. He was so happy that he could scream as he jumped up and down.

    <em>¡®Finally.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo would have official wives atst.

    ¡°Pfft! Hahahahahaha!!!¡± He burst intoughter for some reason. The joy burning his mind nk was making him stomp his feet. ¡°Marriage!! I¡¯M GETTING MARRIED¡ª!!!¡±

    He screamed at the top of his lungs, unable to suppress his boiling impulse, to the point that his voice echoed throughout the house. The corners of his mouth were not dropping no matter what he did.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m finally getting married.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled the day he fell into Hell and the ten millennia of struggles shed before his eyes. He could have never known such a day woulde for him.

    He nodded without hesitation and said, ¡°Yeah, okay. Let¡¯s have an engagement ceremony.¡±

    Just one thought about marriage made Kang-Woo feel stupid for putting it off all this time.

    ¡°Hm! Hm! Okay!! Then let¡¯s all hold one tomorrow!!¡±

    ¡°Oh, but not you, Echidna.¡±

    ¡°Wh-What?! Wh-Why not?!!¡±

    Echidna became teary-eyed in shock. Kang-Woo smiled and patted her head.

    ¡°We said we¡¯d think about it once you became a mature dragon, didn¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Hm!! There¡¯s nothing to think about!! I¡¯m gonna marry you too!!¡±

    ¡°But the current you can¡¯t be the one to decide that.¡±

    Kang-Woo knew how Echidna felt about him, but she was not yet mentally mature enough to be sure about her future. Most of all, he did not yet see her as a woman. epting her as his bride in such a situation was out of the question.

    ¡°Ngh¡­ I bought my own too.¡±

    Echidna lowered her head with tears in her eyes. Kang-Woo was swept with guilt as he saw her in dejection.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get to wear itter. Just not now.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! You say that now, but what¡¯s stopping you from changing your mindter?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± Kang-Woo guaranteed.

    ¡°Really¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    If Echidna¡¯s feelings for him did not change even after she became a mature dragon, he was nning on epting her feelings.

    ¡°Hm! Hm! Promise! No takebacks, okay?!¡± Echidna shouted as she raised her pinky finger.

    Kang-Woo smirked and interlocked his pinky finger with hers.

    ¡°Though it might be your feelings that change down the road,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    Childrenmonly said they would marry someone when they grew up without a thought. Such promises were bound to be forgotten as they grew older.

    ¡°Hm! I sometimes feel like you think I¡¯m an actual child! I¡¯m way~ older than Seol-Ah, you know?!¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Come to think of it, Echidna was over five hundred years old. She physically looked no older than a middle schooler so Kang-Woo always thought her mental age was also that of one.

    ¡°Hm! Anyway, you¡¯d better marry me once I be a mature dragon, got it?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Kang-Woo patted Echidna¡¯s head as her eyes sparkled.

    ***

    Evening arrived.

    ¡°Kang-Woo~ dinner¡¯s ready~¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Kang-Woo came out of his room. Yeon-Joo, Lilith, and Echidna were already sitting at the dining table.

    [On today¡¯s news, the Hanwoori Guild has sessfully cleared the S-rank Gate that appeared in Daejeon. However, yers Oh Jeong-Hyun and Kim Chun-Bong, the two cornerstones of the guild, have passed away in the process¡­]

    The news sounded from the TV in the living room. Kang-Woo took the remote and turned off the TV.

    ¡°Come on, lemme watch some news,¡± said Yeon-Joo as she frowned.

    ¡°I have something more important to share than the news.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled as he sat down at the table.

    ¡°Something important? What is it?¡±

    ¡°The wedding dresses Echidna ordered areing tomorrow, so¡­¡±

    He brought up the engagement ceremony discussion he had with Echidna in the morning.

    ¡°Wh-Wh-Wh-What?!¡± stuttered Yeon-Joo as her face reddened. ¡°Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?!!¡±

    ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want to?¡±

    ¡°N-No!! I¡¯m not saying that!! I-I mean¡­ hurghasdjfnbajadhfbhb.¡±

    Yeon-Joo buried her face between her knees and yelled iprehensibly.

    ¡°Fufu. An engagement ceremony with the king¡­ it¡¯s a little unexpected, but I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±

    Lilith smiled and seductively licked her lips. Unlike her calm demeanor, her hair was surging into the air and squirming uncontrobly.

    ¡°Engagement¡­ with Kang-Woo¡­ ceremony¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah was staring nkly into the air as she mumbled <em>engagement ceremony</em> repeatedly. Tears then began to form around her eyes.

    ¡°Huh? D-Darling?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Wh-Why am I being like this?¡±

    Seol-Ah wiped her tears but they kept flowing, even more than before.

    ¡°Darling¡­¡±

    ¡°Sniff! I-I¡¯m happy, but¡­ I¡¯m so happy that¡­ my t-tears aren¡¯t stopping.¡±

    Kang-Woo gently hugged the crying Seol-Ah and smiled faintly.

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I love you.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded and kissed Seol-Ah.

    ¡°Alright, all of you make time for tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll clear the whole day!!¡±

    ¡°Urgh¡­ I have guild work, but¡­ well, I-I guess I have no choice.¡±

    ¡°Hoho. I¡¯m looking forward to tomorrow.¡±

    The three women smiled in excitement.

    ***

    <em>¡®An engagement ceremony, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo and the others finished their dinner, filled with expectation. The three women had Kang-Woo participate in the nning for tomorrow until far past midnight and finally went to bed.

    <em>¡®I wonder what I should give each of them as gifts?¡¯ </em>he wondered as he took out his smartphone. <em>¡®November 9th.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled faintly as he checked the date, which had already changed to the date of their engagement ceremony, on his smartphone. November 9th had been no different from any other date to him.

    <em>¡®But not anymore.¡¯</em>

    He had a feeling he would remember the engagement ceremony for the rest of his life.

    ***

    Sunlight beamed between the partially closed curtains.

    ¡°What a wonderful morning!¡±

    Kang-Woo sprang up from the bed. His three lovers had likely already woken up since they were not with him.

    ¡°Hehehehe!! Today¡¯s the day I be a groom!!!¡±

    Although it was just an engagement ceremony, he decided to just think of it as his wedding day since they would never get a divorce. He burst intoughter in excitement for today.

    <em>m!</em>

    ¡°HM! KANG-WOOOOOOOOOO!!! GET UP!!¡±

    ¡°Whoa, there.¡±

    The room door violently swung open. Echidna charged into the room and jumped on Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Hehehe!!¡± Echidna giggled in his arms.

    Kang-Woo patted her head and asked, ¡°Come to think of it, when will the clothes arr¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow!! They¡¯ll finally be here tomorrow!!¡±

    <em>¡®Huh?¡¯</em>

    ¡°What¡¯ll be here tomorrow?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°The clothes I orderedst time!!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>¡®What?¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 116: Endless Eighth (2)

    ¡°Was the delivery dyed¡­?¡± asked Oh Kang-Woo with a frown.

    Feelings of uneasiness and displeasure traveled down his back.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Echidna tilted her head as if Kang-Woo was talking nonsense. ¡°The clothes were always scheduled to arrive tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°What do you¡ª¡±

    ¡°More importantly, Kang-Woo! Guess what kind of clothes I ordered!! It¡¯s something you would love a lot~!!!¡± Echidna shouted excitedly.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent. His mind was jumbled; he had no idea what was happening.

    <em>¡®Did I have a dream or something?¡¯</em>

    His first thought was the possibility of him having dreamed everything that happened ¡°yesterday.¡± In other words, the wedding dresses and the engagement ceremony could have all been in his head.¡°Hm! Come on, guess, Kang-Woo! They¡¯re not just mine. They¡¯re for me, Yeon-Joo, Seol-Ah, and Lilith!¡± Echidna shouted as she proudly ced her hands on her waist.

    Her expression was the same as the one Kang-Woo had seen yesterday¡ª no, in his dream.

    ¡°Wedding¡­ dresses,¡± answered Kang-Woo in a low voice.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Echidna¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°H-Huh? How did you know, Kang-Woo? Did you take a peek at my tablet?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo did not know how to answer. He wondered if Echidna would believe him if he said he saw it in his dream.

    <em>¡®No, in the first ce¡­ was it a dream? Could everything that happened yesterday have been simply a dream? It was way too vivid for that to be the case.¡¯</em>

    He remembered everything too clearly to brush it off as a dream. The wedding dresses Echidna ordered, his pinky promise with her, the reddened Cha Yeon-Joo at the mention of the engagement ceremony, Lilith acting calm but being the most excited, and the crying Han Seol-Ah¡­

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way all of that was a dream. If that¡¯s the case, what the hell is going on?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Hmph¡­ I wanted to surprise you! It¡¯s ruined now!¡±

    Echidna pouted as she turned away. He paid her no mind and picked up his smartphone on the table beside the bed.

    <em>¡®November 8th.¡¯</em>

    That was the date written on the smartphone disy. He was sure that it was November 9th before he went to bed.

    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±

    <em>¡®Was time rewound? How is that possible?¡¯</em>

    Not even Kang-Woo, who possessed hundreds of Authorities, could rewind time. The only entity Kang-Woo knew who could rewind time was Nostrian, the Titan of Time.

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­? What¡¯s wrong? Are the wedding dresses¡­ not to your liking?¡±

    ¡°Hm? N-No¡­ It¡¯s just that I¡¯m still a little tired. Let¡¯s talk a littleter.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Okay! I¡¯lle back in a bit!!¡±

    Echidna looked at him in slight worry and then left the room.

    ¡°Eve.¡±

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Yes, Sir Guardian Deity!]

    ¡°What the hell happened?¡±

    [Pardon? What do you mean?]

    Eve sent a message window full of question marks as if she had no idea what Kang-Woo was talking about.

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>¡®Not even Eve remembers. No, I can¡¯t be sure of anything yet.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head and stopped thinking. He couldn¡¯t be sure of anything at this stage. It could even be possible that the events from yesterday could truly have been in his dreams.

    <em>¡®One day.¡¯</em>

    He needed to wait and see for one more day.

    <em>ck.</em>

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­ Can Ie in now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,e in.¡±

    Kang-Woo spread his arms to greet Echidna as she opened the door again.

    ¡°Hm! Hm! You see, Kang-Woo! I¡¯m thinking of us holding an engagement ceremony¡ª¡±

    Echidna mentioned the engagement ceremony just likest time and Kang-Woo also pinky promised again that he would marry her if her feelings didn¡¯t change after bing a mature dragon. Kang-Woo also brought up the engagement ceremony the same way he didst time and his three lovers also showed the same reactions.

    He spent all night discussing the ceremony with the excited women and checked his smartphone.

    <em>¡®November 9th, 5:37 AM.¡¯</em>

    It was still pitch ck outside because it was almost winter.

    ¡°Hngh¡­ Are you not going to sleep, Kang-Woo?¡±

    Seol-Ah slightly got up from the bed and embraced Kang-Woo. He slowly raised his hand and gently caressed her head.

    ¡°You can sleep, Darling. I won¡¯t even get two hours of sleep if I go to bed now.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. That¡¯s more than enough. Oh, I love it when you caress my head like that,¡± Seol-Ah mumbled drowsily.

    A few more minutes of caressing and she fell back asleep.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s¡­¡¯</em> Kang-Woo checked the time on his smartphone again.<em> ¡®5:57 AM.¡¯</em>

    It was still November 9th.

    ¡°Was it¡­ really just a dream?¡± Kang-Woo tilted his head and looked down at his smartphone. ¡°Well, I might as well stay up today to make sure of it.¡±

    He usually slept at least an hour or two to recover from mental fatigue but staying up for one day did not significantly affect him in any way. He was nning on waiting until the sun came up.

    Kang-Woo saw sunlight through the partially open curtains after about two hours of sitting on the bed. The fresh morning air tickled his nose.

    ¡°Urgh, looks like it just became the 9th¡ª¡±

    Just then, Kang-Woo¡¯s vision flickered ck.

    ¡°Huh?¡± He lost all strength in his body and was suddenly struck with vertigo as he swayed. ¡°Wha

    He was slowly losing consciousness. He reflexively checked the time on the smartphone he had been holding.

    <em>¡®8 AM sharp.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Shit¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo lost consciousness the moment he checked the time.

    ***

    Sunlight beamed between the partially closed curtains.

    ¡°Urpp!¡±

    Kang-Woo covered his mouth the moment he sprung up from the bed. He felt nauseous as his vision blurred.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± He turned to look at the smartphone on the table next to the bed. ¡°November¡­ 8th.¡±

    It was 8 AM; the day had been rewound by twenty-four hours.

    <em>m!</em>

    ¡°HM! KANG-WOOOOOOOOOO!!! GET UP!!¡±

    The room door violently swung open and Echidna entered. She charged toward the bed and jumped on Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Hm! Kang-Woo! Tomorrow!! They¡¯ll finally be here tom¡ª¡±

    ¡°The wedding dresses you ordered, right?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Echidna¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°H-Huh? How did you know, Kang-Woo? Did you take a peek at my tablet?!¡±

    She pulled on Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes in confusion.

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo closed his eyes in silence.

    <em>¡®It wasn¡¯t a dream.¡¯</em>

    There was no way such a vivid memory would rey twice.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned intensely and swept his hair back.

    <em>¡®November 8th is repeating itself.¡¯</em>

    To be more exact, the twenty-four hours between November 8th, 8:00 AM, and November 9th, 8:00 AM were in a loop.

    ¡°Echidna.¡±

    ¡°Hm? What is it, Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Do you remember what happened yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday? You called Yeon-Joo, Si-Hun, and everyone over to awaken new Traits in them!¡± Echidna pouted and continued, ¡°I wanted the thing you guys call Traits too¡­ You have to give me one too next time, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Kang-Woo nodded with an awkward smile.

    <em>¡®I knew it. They don¡¯t remember.¡¯</em>

    Neither did Seol-Ah, Yeon-Joo, or Lilith¡ª no one else but himself knew the day was repeating.

    <em>¡®Not even Eve.¡¯</em>

    Since not even the AI of the Law of Titans was aware of the time loop, it was safe to say no one on Earth was aware of it.

    ¡°Hm! Kang-Woo! So, about the engagement cerem¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry. Could we talk about thatter?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Why?¡±

    Kang-Woo had no time to think about the engagement ceremony. He consoled the dejected Echidna and fell into thought after sending her to her room.

    <em>¡®How is this possible?¡¯</em>

    Even Seol-Ah, when she was given the power of Nostrian, the Titan of Time, used all of her power to rewind time for the dead Balrog. Kang-Woo wondered if it were truly possible to rewind time by twenty-four hours for every human¡ª no, every creature on Earth.

    <em>¡®First, I have to find out who did such a thing.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo got up from the bed.

    ¡°Eve.¡±

    [Yes? What can I do for you, Sir Guardian Deity?]

    ¡°The day is repeating.¡±

    [Pardon? What are you talking about?]

    A message window full of question marks popped up. Kang-Woo exined to her what he had been going through as detailed as possible.

    [The twenty-four hours between November 8th, 8:00 AM, and November 9th, 8:00 AM are¡­ looped?]

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    [Only Nostrian could do such a¡­ no, not even Nostrian can control time to such a massive degree.]

    ¡°I thought as much.¡±

    It was exactly as he had thought.

    [Moreover, Nostrian has no reason to rewind time on Earth.]

    That was also true; Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t think of any benefits to doing such a thing.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

    <em>¡®Am I gonna be repeating the same day over and over again?¡¯</em>

    He would be in an endless loop of November 8th if he did not find what was causing it.

    ¡°Wait a second, that means¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened after realizing a crucial fact.

    <em>¡®I can never get married?¡¯</em>

    He could get married today if he wanted to, but that was meaningless.

    <em>¡®Their memories would be reset the next day!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stomped his foot. He gritted his teeth and his eyes filled with madness.

    ¡°How dare they¡­? DO THEY HAVE NO FUCKING SHAAAAAAAAAAAME?!!¡±

    <em>¡®How could they get in the way of my first marriage in ten millennia?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Eve, let¡¯s focus on finding who did this, whether it be Nostrian or whoever the fuck.¡±

    [Yes, Sir Guardian Deity!!]

    Kang-Woo opened the window and flew up to the sky above the city. He activated the Authority of the Beholder to search the area.

    ¡°Tsk.¡±

    He didn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary anywhere throughout the city.

    <em>¡®It must be rted to the Titans.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t detect traces of Titans with the Authority of the Beholder.

    <em>¡®It was never possible in the first ce unless a Titan were involved.¡¯</em>

    No, it was impossible even for Nostrian ording to Eve.

    ¡°Then¡­ who?¡±

    <em>¡®Who could have created this endless eighth?¡¯</em>

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo sat on top of the highrise building and nkly stared into space. He couldn¡¯t think of anything no matter how hard he thought.

    <em>Ding!</em>

    [Where are you, Kang-Woo? Aren¡¯t you having dinner with us?]

    A message from Seol-Ah came.

    [I have something I need to deal with. Eat without me, Darling.]

    Kang-Woo went back to searching after replying to Seol-Ah. He even contacted Lilith and mobilized her informants, but nothing.

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    It was November 9th, 7:58 AM. The sun rose and the fresh morning air tickled his nose. Kang-Woo, who had been searching all night, stopped in the middle of the bustling crowd. The street was filled with students walking to school and workers heading to their workces. Kang-Woo nkly stared at the fatigued people getting ready to start their day.

    The clock struck 8 AM.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s consciousness flickered ck. His vision blurred and intense nausea hit him. He tried to stay conscious with all his might, but as if mocking his efforts¡­

    [November 8th, 8:00 AM.]

    <em>m!</em>

    ¡°HM! KANG-WOOOOOOOOOO!!! GET UP!!¡±

    The morning of the eighth brightened.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 117: Endless Eighth (3)

    ¡°Hmm¡­ okay. Let¡¯s talkter.¡±

    Echidna left the room in dejection.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Oh Kang-Woo sighed deeply, sweeping his hair back as he frowned.

    <em>¡®I have no way of finding them.¡¯</em>

    He had no idea who was looping the eighth, from where, or how. The only thing he was sure about was that a Titan was involved.

    ¡°Eve, is it impossible to use the Law of Titans to track them?¡±

    [Yes¡­ I didn¡¯t even know something like that was happening until you told me, Sir Guardian Deity.]

    Kang-Woo was even more frustrated by the blue message window in front of him.

    ¡°But¡­ why am I the only one with my memories intact?¡±[Oh, I believe I know.]

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    [I believe you have escaped the time loop¡¯s influence because the power you possess lies beyond the realm of Titans.]

    In other words, the power of the Demonic Sea transcended the power of turning back time, allowing Kang-Woo¡¯s memories to remain intact.

    <em>¡®Yeah, I can understand that.¡¯</em>

    The problem was that nothing could be resolved from him knowing that.

    [Do you have a guess as to who it could be?]

    ¡°A guess, huh?¡±

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes and fell into thought. He had no idea how they did it but could more or less tell who did it.

    ¡°Akart.¡±

    [Aremyou saying Akart is behind this?]

    ¡°I¡¯m not 100% sure.¡±

    Kang-Woocked far too much evidence to be certain but it was highly likely based on what was happening.

    <em>¡®Akart has never taken action with me as his focus.¡¯</em>

    All of Akart¡¯s subordinates so far had taken action with their focus on humanity instead of Kang-Woo¡ª the same went for the zombies in Singapore and the fanatics of the Church of Radiance.

    <em>¡®And the thing happening right now is also affecting everyone on Earth.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo didn¡¯t know why Akart was doing this and how he could do something impossible even for Nostrian, but he couldn¡¯t think of anyone but Akart who could do something of this scale. Even time-wise, it was about time he had made his move.

    [Then¡­ what should we do?]

    ¡°I dunno.¡±

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head. He wasn¡¯t even sure this was Akart¡¯s doing. Besides, even if it was Akart, Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t do anything about it since he had no idea how Akart was doing it.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure Akart¡¯s subordinate, or maybe Akart himself, is somewhere on Earth.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo doubted Akart could rewind time on a scale of this level at a distance from Earth; he was sure the one who was rewinding time was somewhere on Earth, but¡­

    ¡°I have no idea how to find them¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t detect the power of a Titan. Horos had his irvoyance ability but even if he could look hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, he couldn¡¯t scour the entire world with it. Even if Horos could, there was no way to pick out Akart¡¯s subordinate from the billions of people.

    ¡°Shit,¡± he cursed with his arms crossed.

    He did not feel he would find the culprit even if he spent all night randomly searching like he had done yesterday.

    <em>¡®I need a way to bring them to me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo thought for a while but couldn¡¯t think of a good way.

    <em>¡®I¡¯d rather they do something eye-catching like the zombie incident or the shit with the Church of Radiance.¡¯</em>

    This time, no one but him was even aware of the abnormality.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply.

    The sun had set before he realized it as he was thinking with no answering to him.

    ¡°Kang-Woo~ Dinner¡¯s ready~¡±

    Kang-Woo heard Han Seol-Ah¡¯s voice from outside the room.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡±

    ¡°P-Pardon? I-Is something wrong?¡± asked Seol-Ah as she entered the room.

    Cha Yeon-Joo followed behind Seol-Ah and peeked into the room as she asked, ¡°What? What¡¯s up with you? You never skip meals.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo wondered if he should exin to them what was happening but shook his head.

    <em>¡®Even if I tell them, it¡¯s meaningless if I don¡¯t know how to resolve it.¡¯</em>

    It was best not to tell them until he had a clue.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have an appetite¡­ Actually, no. I¡¯ll eat.¡±

    Kang-Woo was nning on thinking more instead of eating but he didn¡¯t feel like he would find a satisfactory answer even if he thought for any longer. His time would be better spent eating Seol-Ah¡¯s delicious food to unravel his cluttered mind.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with you? You¡¯re making me worried.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Even I have days like this.¡±

    ¡°Stop fooling around and eat.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    Kang-Woo sat at the table as Yeon-Joo nagged at him. He would normally have talked to them about the engagement ceremony but he didn¡¯t even feel like doing so since time would be rewound in a few hours.

    ¡°You¡¯re not overreacting like you always do. Something¡¯s wrong, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yeon-Joo asked in worry.

    ¡°No, I told you. Everything¡¯s fine.¡±

    Kang-Woo evaded the subject and turned his head to the TV Yeon-Jo had turned on before beginning to eat dinner.

    [A twenty-two-year-old female university student has gone missing in Seo-myeon, Busan. The police are investigating whether monsters havee out of the Gates in the area.]

    [Hanwoori Guild¡¯s S-rank Gate raid, which had been scheduled for today, was canceled. ording to the guild¡¯s official statement, the main reason was that they couldn¡¯t get in touch with the two cornerstones of the guild, yers Oh Jeong-Hyun and Kim Chun-Bong, who have suddenly gone missing.]

    ¡°There have been a lot of missing cases today,¡± Yeon-Joo said as if passing by.

    ¡°Wait¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo put down his spoon.

    <em>¡®Was that the newsst time as well?¡¯</em>

    He recalled the events of when the eighth wasn¡¯t repeating itself yet.

    <em>¡®No.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo did not pay much attention to the news because he was so focused on telling his lovers about the engagement ceremony but he was sure the news was different from the one ying right now.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure the Hanwoori Guild had cleared the S-rank Gate.¡¯</em>

    But today, the raid was canceled before it even began¡ª due to the two cornerstone yers going missing.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Just then, a thought popped into Kang-Woo¡¯s head. Sparks ran down his back. ¡°Pfft!! Hahahaha!! Yeah, so that¡¯s what it was!¡±

    The others stared at him.

    ¡°What was what?¡±

    ¡°Kang-Woo?¡±

    Kang-Woo turned away from his lovers staring at him with their heads tilted and stood up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said.

    ¡°Out of the blue? Seriously, what¡¯s up with you today?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled. Yes, it had been nothing much; the trap he thought was perfect had been a worn-out full of holes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve found a weakness,¡± he remarked.

    ¡°Weakness¡­?¡±

    He turned his back on the confused Yeon-Joo and left the house.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to check first.¡±

    He needed to confirm whether the weakness he found was legitimate or not.

    ¡°In that case.¡±

    Kang-Woo used the Authority of the Sky and flew to a yer detention center where vicious yer criminals were held.

    <em>¡®I might as well use these guys to test it out.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo easily entered the detention center by using his position as a Guardians member and went to visit a yer who had already been sentenced to death.

    ¡°The world sure has gotten a lot better. After all, we can punish these pieces of trash now, unlike before,¡± said the guard guiding Kang-Woo as he chuckled.

    Korea reinstated the death sentence to halt the rapidly rising crime rate after the Day of Cmity. Not just Korea but every country now sentenced vicious criminals to death.

    ¡°But what is a yer from Guardians doing here? Does one of the yers held here need further investigation?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± Kang-Woo randomly answered the chatty guard.

    He followed the guard to a solitary cell protected by a barrier. Inside was an intimidating-looking young man with mana restraints shackling his ankles.

    ¡°H-His name is Hong Seung-Hyun. His death sentence is scheduled for next week.¡±

    ¡°What crimes has he been charged with?¡±

    ¡°Jeez, don¡¯t even get me started. That garbage is a demon wearing human skin.¡± The guard red at Seung-Hyun in disgust. ¡°He was charged with sexual assault of a minor. He even used his powers as a yer.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    If that were the case, Kang-Woo had no reason to hesitate.

    ¡°But what did you need to see him f¡ª W-Wait!¡±

    Kang-Woo ripped open the solitary cell door.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!!¡± shouted the guard as he pulled out his weapon.

    Kang-Woo shrugged and answered leisurely, ¡°To send him on his way a week early.¡±

    He slowly walked into the cell and grabbed Seung-Hyun who was stepping backward in shock.

    ¡°Wh-Who the hell are ¡ª Kurgh!!¡±

    Kang-Woo pushed him to the ground and stepped on his chest, caving it in as if it were smashed with a sledgehammer, and crushed his heart.

    <em>BEEP¡ª!!</em>

    The guard quickly grabbed his walkie-talkie and shouted, ¡°E-EMERGENCY!!! EMERGENCY!!! THIS IS SECTOR 28-C!! A MURDER HAS OCCURRED!! REQUESTING REINFORCEMENTS!!¡±

    This went without saying but not even a Guardians member couldn¡¯t kill a death row criminal without following protocol just because they were already scheduled to be killed.

    <em>Boom! Boom!</em>

    Dozens of guards surrounded Kang-Woo after not even a minute.

    ¡°Step aside,¡± Kang-Woo warned.

    He had no time to waste dealing with these people.

    ¡°Haap!!¡±

    ¡°Get him!!!¡±

    Dozens of guards charged at Kang-Woo with weapons but Kang-Woo paid them no mind and easily walked through them.

    <em>Crush! Bash!</em>

    ¡°ARGHHH!!¡±

    ¡°MY AAAAAARM!!!¡±

    The guards who swung their weapons at Kang-Woo fell to the ground, clenching their broken wrists.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡±

    Kang-Woo walked out of the detention center after breaking through the dozens of guards and took out his smartphone to check the time.

    [November 8th, 9:27 PM]

    ¡°I¡¯ve still got tons of time.¡±

    Kang-Woo used the Authority of the Sky to fly back to his home. He spent the rest of the night putting Yeon-Joo, Seol-Ah, and Lilith, who had been waiting for him in worry, at ease and telling them he was okay.

    [November 9th, 7:59 AM]

    ¡°Just hold on for a little longer, Darling.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll get to have that engagement ceremony soon.¡±

    ¡°E-Engagement ceremony? Wh-What do you¡ª¡±

    Seol-Ah, who was stepping backward in confusion, suddenly turned blurry.

    ¡°Kurgh.¡±

    His consciousness flickered ck and he felt nauseous.

    [November 8th, 8:00 AM]

    <em>m!</em>

    ¡°HM! KANG-WOOOOOOOOOO!!! GET UP!!¡±

    The fourth eighth began. Kang-Woo stood up before Echidna charged to jump on him. He caught her by her underarms and raised her into the air.

    ¡°The wedding dresses areing tomorrow, right? Hmm, I wonder what I should give Darling as a gift at the engagement ceremony.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh? Echidna¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°H-How did you¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo smirked as he saw Echidna¡¯s confused expression. He messied Echidna¡¯s ck hair and walked past her to open the room door.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo? Where are you going? Forget that, how did you know the wedding dresses wereing today¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I cane back for dinner.¡±

    Kang-Woo left the apartment suite, leaving behind the dumbfounded Echidna. He immediately flew to the yer detention center he had visited yesterday.

    ¡°HONG SEUNG-HYUN HAS ESCAPED!!!¡±

    ¡°Where the hell did that son of a bitch go?!¡±

    There, he could see the guards running around in search of Seung-Hyun.

    ¡°I knew it.¡±

    Kang-Woo smirked as he looked down at the chaos in the detention center.

    <em>¡®Eve said even Nostrian couldn¡¯t rewind time of everything on Earth.¡¯</em>

    However, the impossible had urred, and the reason why it had been possible was simple.

    <em>¡®It was never possible to perfectly rewind time.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo cackled as he looked down at the detention center.

 Side Story Chapter 118: Endless Eighth (4)

    Side Story Chapter 118: Endless Eighth (4)

    ¡°Hyung-nim, so what you¡¯re saying is¡­¡±

    ¡°We are in¡­ a time loop?¡±

    Kim Si-Hun and Balrog, who came as soon as Oh Kang-Woo called them, stared at each other in disbelief.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kang-Woo replied.

    ¡°Mmm.¡±

    ¡°The eighth is repeating¡­?¡±

    They doubted Kang-Woo was lying¡ª no, they were so loyal to Kang-Woo that they would believe any lie he told them. Despite that, they were having a hard time epting that the day was repeating without their knowledge.

    ¡°But it¡¯s not a perfect loop, as I¡¯ve mentioned.¡±

    ¡°Those who have died disappear when time is rewound, correct?¡±¡°Oh,e to think of it, there were a lot of missing person reports in the morning news. I¡¯ve also been reported that some were from Guardians.¡± Si-Hun softly groaned and nodded. ¡°It must be because the people who have died in the past three loops are gone in the current loop.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    People died for a variety of reasons; although everyone¡¯s memories were reset once time was rewound, it did not bring the dead back to life.

    ¡°That means¡­¡± Si-Hun stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Their ability to rewind time is wed, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    If they could perfectly turn back time, the dead should also being back to life. However, as proven in the case of Hong Seung-Hyun, the dead did note back to life once time was rewound. Traces of them just disappeared as if they were never there in the first ce.

    ¡°It is different from what happened with me.¡± Balrog also nodded in understanding.

    Balrog was brought back to life by rewinding time. Kang-Woo did not see it happen because his mind was taken over by the Demonic Sea, but Han Seol-Ah told him the details afterward.

    <em>¡®Even Nostrian¡¯s power dwelling in Seol-Ah had to be used up in its entirety just to save Balrog.¡¯</em>

    As such, there was no way anyone else but Nostrian could bring the dead back to life. No, ording to Eve, not even Nostrian could perfectly turn back time for every being on Earth.

    <em>¡®In that case.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could take advantage of that w.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it meaningless to know that it¡¯s wed as long as we have no idea who¡¯s behind it?¡± asked Si-Hun with a frown.

    Although no one was being resurrected from the dead, November 8th was still repeating itself. Just because they knew the loop was wed did not mean they could find the culprit behind it.

    ¡°We can just call them to us.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled and pointed down. He, Balrog, and Si-Hun were at Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. The ce had be a hellscape bustling with monsters due to the dozens of Gates that had opened in the vicinity during the Day of Cmity.

    ¡°How?¡± asked Si-Hun, tilting his head in confusion.

    ¡°Think about it.¡± Kang-Woo crossed his arms and continued, ¡°The dead don¡¯te back to life even when time is rewound. In other words, the culprits can¡¯t create a perfect time loop.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true.¡±

    ¡°But do you think that¡¯s limited to people¡¯s lives?¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the monsters bustling here. Don¡¯t you think they¡¯d apply as well? No, I wonder if they¡¯d be able to perfectly restore destroyed terrain?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Si-Hun expressed, finally understanding what Kang-Woo was trying to say.

    ¡°In game terminology, they¡¯re doing a daily server rollback.¡±

    It was not a perfect rollback either; the culprits were straight up disregarding any data they couldn¡¯t restore. They were turning back time in a crude manner.

    ¡°In other words.¡±

    The more data there was to restore¡ª the more changes in data there were between November 8th and 9th, the lesser their capacity to rewind time became.

    ¡°If we destroy enough to the point they can¡¯t restore it¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo pulled out Midir, the demonic sword gleaming dark blue.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Midir¡¯s de shone dark blue. Kang-Woo pointed the tip of the de at the mountain peak beneath them.

    <em>Zoom¡ª! Boom!!</em>

    Aser as powerful as a dragon¡¯s breath shot in a straight line.

    ¡°They¡¯ll have no choice but toe crawling to us.¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    The perpetual snow covering Mount Everest slid down the mountain from the impact of the dark blueser. Although theser¡¯s main purpose was to deal spiritual damage, theser infused with the power of the demonic energy from the Abyss was as powerful of a physical attack as any.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    The falling perpetual snow turned into a giant avnche and swept away everything in its path.

    ¡°Balrog.¡± Kang-Woo turned to Balrog after staring at the natural disaster. He snickered as he asked, ¡°You said you were itching for some action, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Balrog¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°Gahahahaha!!! So this is why you brought me along with you!!!¡± Heughed heartily as he pped his giant wings. ¡°Right, then!!¡±

    <em>Ker-thunk, ker-thunk, ker-thunk!!</em>

    ck armor began to wrap Balrog.

    <em>Tsssssss¡ª!</em>

    White steam fumed from his back like a jet engine. He twisted his torso and raised his right fist high.

    ¡°I WILL GO AS WILD AS MY HEART DESIRES, AS YOU COMMAND¡ª!!!¡±

    Balrog pped his wings covered in ck armor and shot down toward the avnche like a meteor.

    ¡°Come! Overlord¡¯s Titanic Might!!!¡±

    Balrog swung his fist with all his might after activating the¡¾Overlord¡¯s Titanic Might¡¿Trait.

    <em>Creak! Creak¡ª!!</em>

    Balrog¡¯s muscles swelled, pushing on the ck armor surrounding him as if they would burst out of the armor. Unfathomable power befitting its grand name smashed into the earth.

    <em>RUMBLE¡ª!!!</em>

    The ground was upturned in the shape of a circle with Balrog at the epicenter as if a rock was thrown into a puddle. Several kilometers of terrain were falling apart as if a meteor had truly fallen.

    ¡°Kraaaahhh!!¡±

    ¡°Krrrrrrkkk!!¡±

    Thousands of monsters inhabiting the area around Mount Everest frantically fled in shock.

    ¡°I see,¡± remarked Si-Hun as he unsheathed his beautiful white sword from his waist. ¡°I will do as you say, hyung-nim.¡±

    He jumped into the air using Void Steps andnded in front of the swarm of fleeing monsters.

    ¡°Twenty-Four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom.¡±

    One of the peerless martial arts in the Thousand Martial Treasury naturally popped into his head. Although he had never performed the technique before, it didn¡¯t matter to him. After all, he was none other than Kim Si-Hun.

    ¡°Thousand Miles of Plum Blossom Fragrance.¡±

    The condensed sword energy split into thousands of fragments and fluttered like flower petals, spreading the fragrance of plum blossoms throughout the surroundings.

    ¡°GYAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    ¡°KRAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    Monsters trapped in the storm of flower petals made of condensed sword energy were torn to pieces as if they were in a blender. The thousands of monsters inhabiting Mount Everest were powerlessly killed by Si-Hun¡¯s de.

    ¡°Bwehehehehe!! Die!! All of you!!!¡± shouted Kang-Woo as he burst intoughter and crazily swung Midir.

    He felt like his frustrations were being blown away.

    [Kyahahahahahahaha!!! Yeah, kill them all!! Destroy everything, my king!!!]

    Midir¡¯s crazedughter was also echoing in Kang-Woo¡¯s head. It seemed like she was also enjoying the situation.

    [You who get in the way of <em>salvation</em>. Cease your actions at.]

    [Once.]

    Low voices echoed throughout the area of Mount Everest where the destruction had escted from the level of a natural disaster to the deformation of the Earth¡¯s crust. One sounded like that of a dignified man and the short continuation of the man¡¯s sentence sounded like it came from a woman.

    <em>¡®I knew it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stuck out his tongue and cackled. As he had expected, his answer to creating irreparable destruction was the correct one.

    ¡°Come on~ Do you expect me to stop without even giving me your names~? Hm?¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled wickedly as he turned to where he heard the voices.

    <em>¡®I mean, I already know who you guys are.¡¯</em>

    There was only one group of bastards who would spout shit about <em>salvation </em>out of the blue.

    [I am Sr, the Great Akart¡¯s third retai.]

    [Ner.]

    [And the other is Lunar, the Great Akart¡¯s fourth retai.]

    [Ner.]

    ¡°What the hell is up with the line distribution?¡±

    <em>¡®Give Lunar some lines too, shameless motherfucker.¡¯</em>

    There were two retainers of Akart; it made sense since something of this scale could not be done alone.

    ¡°Are you the ones who have been turning back time?¡±

    [Yes. We have stopped the flow of time on this to bring salvation to this.]

    [World.]

    [If you continue to get in the way of salvation, we swear on the Great Akart¡¯s name that you will be pu.]

    [Nished.]

    The two voices echoed throughout the leveled earth but they had yet to show themselves.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know~ We won¡¯t stop even if you say pretty please. Screw this salvation crap, okay? I¡¯ll stop if you restore time to what it was before.¡±

    The retainers responded firmly, [We refuse. We are the saviors of worlds. We do not negotiate with e.]

    [Vil.]

    <em>¡®I guess this isn¡¯t enough for them to stop rewinding time.¡¯</em>

    It was only natural; Kang-Woo had no idea why but they truly believed that stopping Earth¡¯s flow of time would lead to its salvation.

    <em>¡®I need to make theme out somehow.¡¯</em>

    Their voices were echoing so much that Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t pinpoint where they were.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they have any intention ofing out,¡± said Si-Hun as he bit his lip anxiously.

    ¡°You think? In that case¡­¡± Kang-Woo continued calmly, ¡°We¡¯ll have to give them no other choice but toe out.¡±

    The corners of his mouth ripped open and reached his earlobes.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m d the ones who did this were Akart¡¯s retainers.¡¯</em>

    It would have been a pain in the ass if the culprits weren¡¯t Akart¡¯s retainers because he would have had no way of finding them if they dedicated themselves to hiding. However, there was a simple way of handling it if they were Akart¡¯s retainers.

    ¡°How are you nning on¡­¡±

    ¡°Lemme tell you something, Si-Hun.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Their sole objective is to bring <em>salvation </em>to this world.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    Si-Hun looked back at Kang-Woo in confusion.

    <em>¡®Yeah.¡¯</em>

    However twisted their convictions were, their actions were all to bring <em>salvation </em>to Earth.

    <em>¡®In that case.¡¯</em>

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!!</em>

    The mes of Voracity zed and wrapped the de of the dark blue sword like a snake. They seeped into the sword and condensed. mes intense enough to devour the world gathered inside the demonic sword.

    ¡°TURN THE TIME BACK TO NORMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!¡± Kang-Woo roared as he stomped his foot. The roar of a demon, amplified with thick demonic energy, echoed throughout the surroundings. ¡°RIGHT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWW!!!¡±

    [We have no obligation to do what evil.]

    [Says.]

    ¡°You won¡¯t do it? You woooooooooooooooon¡¯t??? Did I hear you right~???¡±

    Kang-Woo was filled with sorrow.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes flipped backward as he pulled on his hair.

    ¡°I CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN¡¯T!!! BECOME A GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! IF TOMORROW DOESN¡¯T COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!!!¡±

    Tears flowed down his cheeks¡ª the tears of heartbreak flowing from the eyes of a man who couldn¡¯t get married for ten millennia.

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! I¡¯M SO SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!! MY TEARS WON¡¯T STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!¡±

    [What a crazy de.]

    [Mon.]

    ¡°IT¡¯S BECAUSE OF YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!! YOU BASTARDS TURNED ME INTO THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!¡± Kang-Woo foamed at the mouth as his limbs trembled. ¡°FUCK IT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!!! IF I CAN¡¯T GET MARRIED FOREVER, THEN I DON¡¯T NEED THIS WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORLD!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo raised Midir over his head. He drew out all the power he could muster without hesitation to ignite the mes of Voracity and condensed all of it into Midir. If he swung down this sword containing mes that could devour worlds, all life on Earth would be devoured by the mes of Voracity.

    [Stop!! What are you trying to do?!!]

    [Stop this instant!!!]

    Sr and Lunar¡¯s anxious voices echoed.

    ¡°H-Hyung-nim!! Are you insane?!¡±

    Even Si-Hun ran toward Kang-Woo in pallor.

    ¡°WHAT¡¯S THE POINT OF THIS WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORLD?!! IF I CAN¡¯T EVEN GET MARRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED?!! I WON¡¯T EVER GET TO SEE DARLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!! YEON-JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! AND LILIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITH!!! IN THEIR WEDDING DRESSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!¡±

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo screamed madly as he swung down the demonic sword.

    [S-Stop him¡ª!!!]

    [We must protect Earth!!!]

    The two saviors hurriedly showed themselves to stop the end of Earth.

 Side Story Chapter 119: Endless Eighth (5)

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!!</em>

    mes so powerful it could devour the entire world zed as teeth sprouted from inside them. A massive wave of fire that had once devoured the world that used to be Huan¡ª no, that surpassed even that was falling toward the ground like a tsunami.

    The two saviors appeared in front of the wave of fire.

    [We will not let things go your way!]

    [We will protect this world!]

    One was a man shining gold as if he were the sun and the other was a woman shining blue. They held hands as they stood in the way of the mes of Voracity. They extended their arms forward, creating an invisible distortion in time in front of them. The distortion, which not even Oh Kang-Woo could sense, extinguished the mes of Voracity without a trace.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!</em>

    [Kurgh¡­!]

    [Kyah!]However, the distortion in time couldn¡¯t block the mes of Voracitypletely; the mes disappeared after being swept into the distortion, sent to a distant past or future, but the continuous wave of fire distorted the distortion itself. A level of destruction the two saviors couldn¡¯t handle was slowly breaking through the wall of time.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!</em>

    [Kurghhh!! Watch¡­!]

    [Out!!!]

    Their skin was burned by the mes of Voracity and turned into rags as if they were attacked by a school of piranhas. Unfathomable pain traveled throughout their bodies despite the mes only burning them slightly.

    [Kurgh¡­!] Sr, the man shining gold like the sun, bit his lip fiercely. [I cannot allow this world¡­ to be destroyed by evil¡­!]

    The golden light enveloping him grew brighter.

    [Sr. We should use that,] said Lunar, the woman shining blue like the moon, in determination.

    Sr shook his head. [We don¡¯t have enough time.]

    [Then¡­]

    [Believe, Lunar.] Sr¡¯s eyes shone. [The Great Akart will save us from the clutches of evil.]

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Possibly because his devotion to Akart was answered, a blinding wave of golden light pulsed from Sr. The distortion in time that was about to be broken by the mes of Voracity regained its original form.

    [Kurgh, gah!!]

    [S-Sr!!]

    Luna¡¯s pale blue face paled even more. Nothing was more glorious for a retainer than being given the honor of epting the power of a Titan inside them. However, it also came with the cost of drastically shortening one¡¯s lifespan. They did not age, so their lifespan shortening meant their soul would shrivel up and disintegrate.

    [Don¡¯t make¡­ that face.]

    Sr looked back at Lunar and smiled. He then turned to look up at the demon looking down at them arrogantly.

    [I¡­]

    Unfathomable pain followed after epting the Light of Akart¡ª it was the price for a mere retainer epting the power of a Titan. However, even if Sr¡¯s soul would be annihted as the price¡­

    [I will¡­ SAVE THE WOOOOOOOOOOOORLD!!!]

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    Sr¡¯s powerful will turned to strength and transformed into a golden wave.

    [HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!]

    <em>Fwoosh, fwoosh.</em>

    The mes of Voracity were devoured by the distortion in time and werepletely extinguished.

    [<em>Huff, huff, huff!</em>]

    Sr fell to his knees as he panted heavily.

    [Sr¡­]

    ¡°Dayum, you blocked that?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in genuine shock. His attack was made bypressing the mes of Voracity, ignited with all the power he could muster, with Usurpation of me. He never expected it to be perfectly blocked.

    <em>¡®I was nning on withdrawing the mes after it did some damage.¡¯</em>

    As he had expected, Akart¡¯s retainers possessed immense power.

    ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­¡±

    Kim Si-Hun was staring at him in pallor. Kang-Woo sighed and shook his head.

    ¡°Haaa, Si-Hun. Did you think I¡¯d actually destroy the Earth?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Your screams just sounded so genuine.¡±

    ¡°No, they were genuine.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo had technically overacted his insanity so that Akart¡¯s retainers wouldn¡¯t call his bluff.

    <em>¡®And it worked.¡¯</em>

    He felt like he was screaming like a madman more often as ofte but it was super effective every time. There was no better way to instill fear and wariness in someone than acting crazy.

    Kang-Woo softlynded on the ground using the Authority of the Sky and stared at Sr who was panting heavily while clenching his chest.

    ¡°Lemme ask you something.¡±

    [Kurgh, what¡­ is it?]

    ¡°Why is making people repeat the same day considered salvation?¡±

    However much Kang-Woo thought, he couldn¡¯t figure out the answer.

    Sr panted heavily as he painstakingly replied, [This world will¡­ meet its end soon.]

    Kang-Woo feignedughter. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re repeating the same day so that day doesn¡¯te? In such a half-assed way, no less?¡±

    He could have let it slide if the deaths, destroyedndscape, and all other changes that urred between November 8th and 9th were reset, but that was not the case. It was just an endless regression where the dead never came back to life.

    They were calling it salvation but it was no different from a death sentence for Earth. Deaths would continue to ur for whatever reason and the number of missing people would continue to pile up every time the day was reset.

    <em>¡®And in the end, no one would be left.¡¯</em>

    Calling such a thing salvation was but a bad joke.

    [We know that. Resetting time is but a way to dy the inevitable end.] Sr continued in a low voice, [But this way, the humans can live each day with no fear or pain that wille with the end! They don¡¯t have to fear otherworldly invasions and the rampant darkness! I¡­ I¡­!]

    Sr gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

    [I only¡­ want to guide Earth¡­ and all life on it¡­ toward the Great Akart¡¯s embrace.]

    ¡°What a fucking joke.¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled in exasperation.

    <em>¡®What the hell has that son of a bitch Akart done to his goddamn followers?¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t understand how each of his followers could be such blind followers of the light.

    <em>¡®I guess it was just for a stupid reason.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. He was so curious about why they were doing something so insane but the reason was simply pathetic.

    ¡°In any case.¡±

    The important thing was that Akart¡¯s retainers who had been hiding all this time had shown themselves.

    <em>¡® And I can get married once I get rid of them!!!¡¯</em>

    He would get to set out on a brand new day with his three lovers.

    ¡°Balrog, Si-Hun.¡± Kang-Woo pointed at the woman named Lunar and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave that blue bitch to you guys.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my king.¡±

    ¡°Understood, hyung-nim.¡±

    Balrog and Si-Hun narrowed their eyes and red at Lunar.

    ¡°They¡¯re damn strong, so watch out.¡±

    Although Sr borrowed power from Akart, he managed to block the mes of Voracity Kang-Woo fired with all his might. Si-Hun and Balrog were both absurdly powerful but even they would have trouble facing an opponent capable of such a thing.

    ¡°Hehehe. No need to worry, my king. That aside¡­¡± Balrog smiled and turned to Si-Hun. ¡°Do not get in my way, brat.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my line.¡±

    Si-Hun frowned as he raised his sword. They dissed each other like shonen manga rivals and charged at Lunar simultaneously as if they had nned it.

    [L-Lunar¡­!]

    [Do not worry about me, Sr. More importantly.] Lunar red at Kang-Woo coldly and continued, [Punish that insolent man who dared to mock the Great Akart¡¯s benevolence.]

    ¡°But Miss Lunar, where did your character concept go? You weren¡¯t like this in the beginning.¡±

    <em>¡®I personally liked that concept better.¡¯</em>

    [Silence! Sr! Bring down the judgment of light on that demon at once!]

    [Okay.]

    Sr softly nodded and walked toward Kang-Woo. His breathing had be stable; he seemed to have recovered from using an immense amount of power to block Kang-Woo¡¯s mes of Voracity.

    [You who is dyed in darkness.]

    Sr red at Kang-Woo fiercely and raised his right arm. Golden light making up his body was extracted as if it were being detached and turned into a three-meter halberd.

    [Let the blessing of the Great Akart be with you!]

    <em>Boom!</em>

    He smashed down the butt of the halberd on the ground and spread his arms upward, his body making a Y-shape.

    [Glory to the Great Akart!!!]

    Kang-Woo imitated Sr¡¯s stance and also shouted, ¡°Glory to the Great Akart¡¯s mother!!!¡±

    [What¡­?]

    ¡°Let the blessing of the Great Akart¡¯s mother be with you!!¡±

    [YOU BASTAAAAAAAARD!!!] The golden light making up Sr radiated. [The Great One does not have the likes of a mother!!!]

    ¡°<em>G-Gasp!!!</em> Y-You son of a bitch¡ª!!!¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in shock. He trembled in disbelief and shouted, ¡°Y-You fucking trash!!! How dare you mock my Akart for not having a mother?!!¡±

    He could barely contain his rage. He couldn¡¯t believe his opponent turned a meless Titan into an orphan.

    [It is not mockery!!! He is a sacred being born from the Primordial!! Hence, he does not have a mother!!!]

    ¡°MISS LUNAAAAAAAAAR!!! GET A WORD OF THIS, MISS LUNAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!¡± Kang-Woo called Lunar, who was blocking Si-Hun and Balrog¡¯s attacks with a flexible urumi.

    [Kurgh¡­ Wh-What is it?]

    Lunar turned to Kang-Woo with a frown, seemingly having difficulty facing both Si-Hun and Balrog at the same time.

    ¡°THIS MOTHERFUCKER SOLAR DARED TO MOCK THE GREAT AKART BY CALLING HIM A LOWLY ORPHAN WITH NO MOTHEEEEEEEEEEER!!!¡±

    [I have never once mocked the Great Akart!!] shouted Sr.

    Lunar grimaced as she red at Kang-Woo and shouted, [He is a sacred being born from the Primordial! He has no such thing as a mother!!]

    ¡°<em>Gasp¡­!</em>¡±

    <em>¡®First, Sr, and now Lunar¡­?! Akart, you son of a bitch!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo finally understood why Akart¡¯s personality was so twisted. No one could stay sane after being mocked so harshly by their own followers.

    ¡°I can¡¯t afford to lose this battle¡­ for the sake of Akart¡¯s mother.¡±

    <em>Schwing.</em>

    Kang-Woo raised his sword for the sake of the poor woman whom everyone denied existed.

    ¡°Victory¡­¡± Kang-Woo stomped his foot and flew up toward Sr. ¡°To Akart¡¯s mother.¡±

 Side Story Chapter 120: Endless Eighth (6)

    [YOU INSOLENT BASTAAAAAAAAAAAARD!!!] Sr screamed with a fierce grimace.

    Golden light shone blindingly from him as he twirled the halberd like a whirlwind.

    <em>Whoosh</em>!!

    The halberd, infused with an immense amount of energy, was swung at Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Whoa.¡± Kang-Woo tumbled backward to dodge the swing and twirled 180 degrees as if mocking Sr. ¡°You two are the fucking insolent ones.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t imagine the grief Akart would have felt if he had heard what Sr and Lunar said. Although Akart was Kang-Woo¡¯s mortal enemy, Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t stand to watch Akart be disrespected so brutally.

    ¡°Ahh, yes. This must be¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo understood even the feelings of his enemy whom he would have to kill. It was an emotion that only a warm-hearted human could possess; not something a mere demon could ever have.

    ¡°Human emotions.¡±Something hot surged from within and filled Kang-Woo¡¯s heart. He trembled as human emotions, which he had thought atrophied after ten millennia, were reborn inside him.

    [NONSENSE¡ª!!!] Sr yelled as he stomped his foot.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    His halberd¡¯s edge swung close to the ground as if grazing it and a golden wave spread out in a circle. It was not a sharp and linear wave like that of a sword but that of a towering cylindrical wave as massive as a tsunami.

    <em>¡®I¡­¡¯</em> Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. <em>¡®Can¡¯t dodge that.¡¯</em>

    It was far too big to evade by running and too fast to teleport away from. Kang-Woo reflexively gripped Midir and swung it upward.

    <em>BOOM¡ª!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo blocked the wave along with a booming echo of an explosion and was blown away helplessly. Intense pain coursed throughout his body.

    ¡°<em>Cough!</em>¡±

    ck blood poured out from his mouth. He had thankfully not broken any bones but fragments of golden light were embedded all over him as if a grenade hit him. Such a minor injury would have been healed in less than a second, but Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he frowned.

    <em>¡®Must be because he¡¯s Akart¡¯s retainer.¡¯</em>

    The recovery of wounds all over him was dramatically slow. Sharp pain as if he were being stabbed with a knife urred with every move.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo exhaled heatedly.

    His wounds were not healing and he was covered in cold sweats from anxiety.

    ¡°Yeah, this is it.¡±

    Kang-Woo licked his lips. He could barely contain the sparks running throughout his body. For him, who could no longer feel any anxiety in battle, having an opponent with the power of Akart was special. ???

    [HAAAAAAAHHH!!!] Sr shouted as he jumped.

    His three-meter body made of golden light shone so brightly that one could barelyy eyes upon him.

    <em>Wham! Bam!! Rumble!!</em>

    The halberd, created with the light of the sun, shed with the dark blue demonic sword, destroying the terrain with each sh.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    The halberd just barely grazed Kang-Woo¡¯s hair as he bent down. He then let himself fall as if he were prostrating and stuck his left arm into the ground.

    ¡°Dark Spears.¡±

    <em>Swish, swish, swish!!</em>

    Sharp ck spikes sprouted from the ground.

    [It¡¯s pointless!] Sr shouted and lightly swung his halberd, shattering the ck spikes covering the ground.

    Kang-Woo jumped from his prostrated position and turned his torso.

    ¡°Midir.¡± He pointed the dark blue sword at Sr as Midir¡¯s crazedughter filled his head. ¡°Fire.¡±

    <em>Zoom¡ª!!</em>

    A dark blueser made with negative emotions shot in a straight line.

    [You dare!]

    Sr quickly raised the halberd after destroying the ck spikes.

    <em>Shwoooo! Rumble¡ª!</em>

    Sr rapidly twirled the halberd to deflect theser. Theser was deflected into dozens of pieces and flew away randomly.

    [Huuu.]

    Sr calmed hisbored breathing after blocking two powerful attacks and stepped backward.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    [What the¡ª?!]

    Just then, Kang-Woo traveled to Sr¡¯s shadow using the Authority of Shadows to suddenly appear behind him and stabbed him with Midir.

    [Kurgh!]

    Sr reflexively raised his arms.

    <em>¡®Hm?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had not noticed it earlier because the mes of Voracity had been in the way but a light green gem with geometrical patterns was embedded in Sr¡¯s palm.

    <em>¡®Wait, is that¡­?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened. He had seen that gem before.

    <em>¡®The Eye of Nostrian!¡¯</em>

    The ne Kim Tae-Hyun found was embedded with the same gem.

    ¡°Why do you¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo looked up at Sr iprehensibly. Translucent light shone from the light green gem embedded in Sr¡¯s palm.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Kang-Woo felt like he was being turned inside out. His vision flickered and he was back to where he was before using the Authority of Shadows. No, he wasn¡¯t just moved.

    <em>¡®Time was¡­ turned back.¡¯</em>

    Not only that but only Kang-Woo¡¯s time was turned back. He calcted how much time was turned back as he held in his desire to vomit.

    <em>¡®Three seconds? No, around five.¡¯</em>

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    The spear end of the halberd was thrust at him, not giving him the chance to think. Kang-Woo quickly ducked and tumbled across the ground. The spear sliced his back to the point that his spine was visible.

    ¡°ARGHHH!!! THAT HURT LIKE FUCKING HELL!!¡± Kang-Woo cursed as he touched his wound.

    He cut open his palm and used the mucus flowing out to fill the gap in the wound. It was not regeneration but was good enough as first aid.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Sir Guardian Deity!! That power wasn¡¯t Akart¡¯s!! It was Nostrian¡¯s!!]

    ¡°Yeah, I can tell.¡±

    Kang-Woo grimaced and got back into battle position.

    [<em>Huff, huff!</em>] Sr panted heavily as the arm that the Eye of Nostrian was embedded in trembled.

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and remarked, ¡°Yeah¡­ I see how it is. I never understood why Akart¡¯s followers could turn back time.¡±

    Akart¡¯s retainers were not turning back Earth¡¯s time, albeit poorly, using Akart¡¯s power.

    ¡°You.¡± Kang-Woo red at Sr. ¡°How did you get your hands on Nostrian¡¯s power?¡±

    He wondered if Nostrian had allied himself with Akart.

    [I have no obligations to tell you.]

    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t think you would.¡±

    Kang-Woo had simply asked because the situation was so iprehensible.

    <em>¡®I need to neutralize him first.¡¯</em>

    Akart¡¯s retainers were weak to pain. No, they could handle pain very well like trained special agents but that was meaningless before Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®A few molting sessions and they¡¯ll tell me whatever I want.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could administer pain that even made the Constetion of Agony go insane.

    <em>¡®Whatever the case, those guys are using the powers of two Titans simultaneously.¡¯</em>

    They would be difficult to deal with. However¡­

    ¡°Nice.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled widely. His heart was beating even morepared to when he faced Midir. He let the heat spreading throughout his body take control and stomped his foot again.

    [A pointless act!]

    Sr pressed the halberd shaft against his body and lowered his stance with the halberd¡¯s zing spear edge pointed at Kang-Woo.

    <em>Dash¡ª!!!</em>

    Sr charged forward at incredible speed as immense power was infused into the spear¡¯s edge.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo exhaled as he stared at Sr charging like a bull.

    He brought his left hand behind his back and folded his fingers one by one¡ª thumb, index finger, middle finger. He ignited the mes of Voracity on Midir at the same time.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!</em>

    Kang-Woo then activated the Usurpation of me Trait to condense the mes into Midir¡¯s edge. He took the charge head-on instead of dodging it. The condensed mes of Voracity burst forth.

    [I told you it was pointless¡ª!]

    The charging Sr extended his arm toward Kang-Woo. The light green gem embedded in his palm shone translucently.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    Kang-Woo swayed as he frowned, suddenly hit with gut-wrenching nausea.

    [HAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!]

    Sr ferociously swung his halberd. As if he expected it, Kang-Woo jumped backward to the point that he was flopping on the ground.

    <em>¡®Authority of Shadows.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo fell into the shadows.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    The halberd containing immense power sliced only air.

    [What a shrewd fellow you are!]

    Sr quickly turned around. Kang-Woo came out of the shadow of a giant rock about fifty meters away. Kang-Woo looked down at his left hand the moment he came out of the shadow. Only his thumb was folded out of the five fingers he had folded before Sr used Nostrian¡¯s power.

    <em>¡®Four seconds.¡¯</em>

    Sr could only rewind time by four seconds by momentarily using Nostrian¡¯s power.

    <em>Fwoosh¡ª!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo condensed the mes of Voracity into Midir again.

    ¡°DIE, MOTHERFUCKER¡ª!!!¡± he shouted as he set off the condensed mes of Voracity before Sr could use Nostrian¡¯s power again.

    The range of the explosion was notrge, likely because the mes had not been condensed for long enough. The mes of Voracity were fired in a straight line like aser at Sr.

    [Too slow!!]

    Sr easily moved to the right to dodge the attack because the attack¡¯s range was too narrow.

    ¡°Shit!!¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned fiercely and charged toward Sr¡¯s right side. He swung Midir covered in the mes of Voracity.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    Sr swung his halberd to prevent Kang-Woo from getting close, but¡­

    <em>Pierce!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!! Gurghhh!¡±

    Kang-Woo took the attack on purpose by jumping toward the halberd. Half of his waist was cut despite using the demonic energy of the Abyss to block the attack.

    [What the¡­!]

    Sr¡¯s eyes widened. He never expected someone to take the attack with their body.

    ¡°Even if I die¡­¡± Kang-Woo trembled as he grabbed the halberd¡¯s shaft. He red at Sr as he shouted, ¡°I¡¯M FUCKING TAKING YOU WITH ME!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo leaned forward and swung Midir.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    The opponent was attempting a suicide attack.

    [Such a lowly tactic won¡¯t work on me!]

    Sr snorted as he jumped to the left to widen the distance as much as possible and stretched his arm forward.

    <em>¡®The wound I inflicted on him will also disappear if I use Nostrian¡¯s power but it¡¯s better than dying a dog¡¯s death. Besides, time is on my side.¡¯</em>

    The result of the battle was already decided; that was how fraudulent the power to control time was.

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    The light green gem in his palm shone again. Kang-Woo, swinging his sword at Sr¡¯s neck, turned faint.

    [Hm?] However, Sr saw the demon smiling brightly before he disappeared. [Why¡­?]

    He couldn¡¯t understand why the demon was smiling despite missing the golden opportunity to kill him.

    ¡°I wonder? Why do you think?¡±

    Kang-Woo returned to where he had been four seconds ago.

    ¡°If you wanted to kill me, you should¡¯ve put your life on the line.¡±

    Four seconds ago, Kang-Woo had fired aser of condensed mes of Voracity at Sr.

    [<em>Gasp!!!</em>]

    Sr¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

    <em>FWOOSH¡ª!!</em>

    Theser made with condensed mes of Voracity pierced Sr¡¯s chest.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 121: Endless Eighth (7)

    [Gah¡­!]

    The mes of Voracity pierced Sr¡¯s chest and spread throughout his body made of sunlight. Excruciating pain akin to being torn apart alive by beasts was sent to his brain.

    [Hurgh, a-arghh.]

    Sr crouched and ced his hand over his chest where the mes of Voracity were devouring him. He used the light green gem, infused with the power of Nostrian, embedded in his palm to rewind time.

    [<em>Huff! Huff! Huff!</em>]

    The hole on Sr¡¯s chest that looked as if he had been hit with a cannonball slowly closed. However, the wound couldn¡¯t be fully treated despite turning back time to make it so that the event of him getting wounded never happened. Unless Nostrian were to do it himself, the destruction that urred couldn¡¯t be fully erased even if time were rewound.

    ¡°As I¡¯d thought, your use of the power is sloppy at best.¡± Oh Kang-Woo snickered as he stared at Sr who couldn¡¯t fully treat his wound.

    [Kurgh¡­] Sr grimaced and clenched the light green gem embedded in his palm.

    <em>¡®This won¡¯t do.¡¯</em>He couldn¡¯t handle this great evil himself.

    <em>¡®In that case¡­¡¯</em>

    Sr looked toward Lunar who was fighting heatedly against the two who seemed to be the demon¡¯s subordinates.

    [Urgh!] grunted Lunar, who possessed a bluish body unlike Sr¡¯s body as bright as sunlight, and jumped backward.

    Kim Si-Hun quickly chased after her and muttered, ¡°Sword of the Endless Horizon.¡±

    The sword enveloped in white frost turned transparent as if it had melted into the atmosphere. The de bent at an angle that was physically impossible to aim for Lunar. The arcane technique of the Namgung n was performed wlessly by Si-Hun.

    [Even so, it is but a human¡¯s technique!]

    <em>Swish¡ª!</em>

    The flexible urumi, enveloped in a bluish aura, slithered like a snake and deflected Si-Hun¡¯s attack.

    [It is no match for the techniques bestowed upon me by the Great Akart!] shouted Lunar fiercely and flicked her wrist.

    <em>Swish¡ª!</em>

    Her urumi wrapped around Si-Hun¡¯s sword like a snake and flung it out of Si-Hun¡¯s hand, tearing his palm. There was nothing worse than a swordsman losing his sword, but Si-Hun did not falter.

    ¡°Three Palms of Heavenly Thunder.¡±

    <em>Crackle¡ª!!</em>

    Si-Hun fluidly transitioned to a palm technique. He extended his palm, enveloped in blue lightning, toward Lunar¡¯s stomach.

    [Hmph!]

    Lunar snorted at the palm technique aiming for her stomach and lightly flicked her wrist. The flexible urumi suddenly extended to a length of over five meters and quickly changed direction to wrap around Si-Hun¡¯s arm. ?

    ¡°Kurgh¡­!¡± Si-Hun grunted.

    At this rate, his right arm would be cut off by the urumi. Just then, Balrog grabbed Si-Hun¡¯s cor from behind and pulled him backward.

    ¡°Move, brat!¡±

    Si-Hun was flung away. He quickly maneuvered in midair tond on his feet and red at Balrog.

    ¡°Balrog, you bastard!¡±

    ¡°Gahahahaha! That¡¯s what you get for getting in my way!¡± Balrogughed heartily and attacked Lunar as if he were put in after switching out Si-Hun. ¡°Haaaaaaaaaaaahhh!¡±

    His fist, wrapped in ck armor, aimed for Lunar¡¯s head. His fist tearing through the air sounded like a battering ram.

    [You have formidable power. However¡­] Lunar fluidly moved backward to easily dodge Balrog¡¯s fist and stared at Balrog coldly. [Youck elegance.]

    She extended her arm to ce her hand over Balrog¡¯s fist and shook her arm as if shaking dust off of it.

    ¡°Kuh!!¡±

    The giant Balrog was flung away as he twirled like in a wrestling match. It was not due to her strength but Balrog¡¯s strength being used against him.

    [Haaap!]

    The blue lighting out of her hand created a storm and wrapped Balrog, sending him flying like a piece of paper and tumbling across the ground.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    ¡°Gehe, gahahahahaha!! This is fun!¡±

    Balrog burst intoughter despite being flown back powerlessly. The shock from his opponent, whom Balrog had thought would be as fragile as ss, overpowering him in such a way caused his blood to boil.

    ¡°Oi, brat. Isn¡¯t there a technique like that in one of your martial arts thingies?¡± Balrog asked Si-Hun.

    ¡°It¡¯s a form of grappling. Though I have no idea what she did to send a massive guy like you flying.¡±

    Si-Hun clicked his tongue after observing the battle between Balrog and Lunar from a distance.

    <em>¡®I couldn¡¯t see it at all.¡¯</em>

    Not even Si-Hun, possessing an innate talent for martial arts, could understand what Lunar did to send Balrog flying.

    <em>¡®It didn¡¯t have to do with her physical strength.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun recalled his battle against Lunar. She wasn¡¯t physically strong; in terms of pure power, he and Balrog were far stronger.

    <em>¡®But we can¡¯tnd a blow on her.¡¯</em>

    It felt as if they were fighting the wind. It got further away the closer they tried to get to it, and it was right in front of them when they thought they had retreated far enough. Not only that but her flexible urumi was tricky to deal with.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t believe¡­ I would fall behind in terms of skill.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun had to admit it after several exchanges against Lunar; her martial arts, which Akart had bestowed her with ording to her, was superior to his martial arts.

    ¡°So this is¡­ a retainer of Akart.¡± Si-Hun¡¯s expression froze. They were certainly on another levelpared to the enemies thus far. ¡°Balrog.¡±

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, brat?¡±

    ¡°Keep her eyes on you and I¡¯ll attack her by surprise.¡±

    ¡°What? Are you suggesting we team up?¡± asked Balrog as he feignedughter.

    Although Balrog and Si-Hun were fighting against Lunar two-on-one, they were not working together. They were simply tagging each other in and out, which already hurt their pride as warriors, but Si-Hun was suggesting something far worse.

    ¡°We can¡¯t defeat her unless we attack her together.¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Balrog groaned with his eyes narrowed. As Si-Hun said, they would not get anywhere unless they worked together. Balrog lightly nodded and answered, ¡°Very well. I will cooperate.¡±

    Balrog was his king¡¯s loyal subordinate before he was a warrior. Laying down his pride for victory was nothing for him.

    <em>¡®Besides, most of my pride has already been damaged.¡¯</em>

    Although he and Si-Hun did not fight as a team, they pressured her by switching mid-battle. That already damaged Balrog¡¯s pride to the point it no longer mattered what he did.

    ¡°Do I just have to keep her attention on me?¡± Balrog asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll wait for the right opportunity to strike.¡±

    ¡°Gehehehe! Don¡¯t end up attacking me by ident, brat.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee that since you¡¯re so damn big.¡±

    Si-Hun and Balrog killed their anxiety by exchanging jokes and charging at Lunar simultaneously.

    [Hmm, it seems you¡¯ve finally decided to attack me together.]

    Lunar assumed her battle stance leisurely but her eyes were slightly shaking.

    <em>¡®Dealing with both of them at once is a little¡­¡¯</em>

    She bit her lip and gripped her urumi tighter. Like Sr, she had prayed to Akart and borrowed his power before the battle began, but that had not been enough to critically injure either of her opponents.

    <em>¡®There isn¡¯t much time¡­ my body can¡¯t handle the Great Akart¡¯s power much longer.¡¯</em>

    She would have even less time if forced to use more power to handle their team attacks.

    <em>¡®In that case.¡¯</em>

    Lunar looked toward Sr, who so happened to be looking at her as well.

    [Sr!] Lunar shouted as if she hade to a resolution.

    Sr nodded in understanding. [It seems that is the only way.]

    They clenched their fists with serious expressions. The price to be paid would be massive if they used this power but they had no other choice.

    [Lunar.]

    [Come here, Sr.]

    Sr and Lunar quickly retreated and flew toward each other.

    <em>sh! Boom!</em>

    [Kurgh!]

    [Ngh!!]

    The price of turning their backs on their enemies during a battle was not cheap. Sr¡¯s back was shed deeply by Midir and Lunar allowed Balrog and Si-Hun¡¯s attacks to hit her.

    [Let us begin, Sr.]

    [Understood.]

    Sr and Lunar extended their arms toward each other and interlocked fingers.

    <em>Whoooom!!!</em>n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Blinding light exuded from them.

    ¡°The hell?¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned as he stared at Sr and Lunar embracing each other.

    [I am Sr, the essence of the sun.]

    [I am Lunar, the essence of the moon.]

    The light gradually amplified and created a colossal storm. They held hands and recited an incantation like a song as if they were in a musical.

    [I was born as the sun to be the moon.]

    [I was born as the moon to be the sun.]

    Lunar and Sr locked eyes with one another. Their interlocked fingers melted as if bing one.

    [The sun and the moon meet to create the universe.]

    [Return to the Primordial and be one.]

    Sr and Lunar; the sun and the moon were about to be one.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Kang-Woo feignedughter. ¡°Are they trying tobine?¡±

    That seemed to be the case from how they were slowly melting to intermix. It was an unspoken rule never to attack someone during a transformation, but¡­

    ¡°SI-HUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!! BALROOOOOOOOOOOOOOG!!!¡± Kang-Woo shouted as he sprinted like crazy. ¡°NOW!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!¡±

    Sr and Lunar werepletely defenseless during their transformation.

    ¡°FUCK THEM UP!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo stabbed Midir into thepletely defenseless Sr.

    [KURGH!!!] Sr grunted and copsed.

    [S-SOLAAAAAR!!!]

    Lunar caught him in shock but Sr was trembling with his eyes rolled over, likely because their transformation was interrupted midway.

    She red at Kang-Woo and shouted, [Y-YOU COWARD!!!]

    ¡°Bwehehehehehehehe!!!¡± Kang-Wooughed in pure joy. ¡°It¡¯s your fault for transforming mid-battle!¡±

    He stabbed the trembling Sr in the back again.

 Side Story Chapter 122: Endless Eighth (8)

    [Kurgh!! G-Gaaaaah!!]

    Midor pierced Sr from back to chest. He twisted and turned as he vomited blood after allowing an attack to hit him twice whilepletely defenseless.

    ¡°Looks like your blood is still red with that kind of body.¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo smirked as he looked down at Sr, whose body was made of light akin to the sun.

    [S-Sr!!!] Lunar shouted in shock.

    She grimaced ferociously and swung her urumi at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t!¡±

    Kim Si-Hun reached Lunar after answering Kang-Woo¡¯s call and swung his sword.

    [I told you it was pointless!]Lunar frowned as she swung her sword at Kang-Woo and twitched her shoulder. The slight motion bent the urumi like a spring and wrapped Si-Hun¡¯s sword. Si-Hun¡¯s attack was neutralized by less than a second but he simply smiled.

    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±

    [...!]

    Si-Hun let go of his sword and crouched as if he were falling forward, revealing the demon covered in red muscles behind him.

    ¡°Gahahahahaha!!¡±

    [Ngh!]

    Lunar couldn¡¯t understand why she couldn¡¯t see the massive demon behind the human. Her expression hardened as she looked up at the demon so big that it seemed like he was covering the sky as he fell toward her.

    [All you have is strength¡ª]

    Lunar¡¯s eyes shone ferociously. She stomped her right foot, lowered her stance, and turned counterclockwise. She lowered her urumi and moved as fluidly as a gentle breeze as she extended her arm. Her grappling technique of attacking by using the enemy¡¯s strength against them had reached a point that it was a work of art.

    [Such an attack will not reach me!!!]

    Her palm made contact with Balrog¡¯s fist; the gentle touch guided the power infused in the fist elsewhere as if freely changing the flow of a river rapid. ??

    ¡°I¡¯m ignorant so I don¡¯t understand stuff like martial arts.¡±

    Balrog added more strength to his shoulder and forced his fist, which was trying to move elsewhere, in ce. Sounds of bones breaking echoed from his shoulder due to the recoil of resisting the flow. However, Balrog smiled widely despite feeling extreme pain akin to being stabbed endlessly.

    ¡°If I can¡¯t reach you, all I know how to do is add more strength until I do!!!¡±

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The bones of his shoulder shattered but the muscles around it swelled up and forced them in ce. Balrog¡¯s fist, which was being diverted elsewhere, was forced back to its normal trajectory.

    [I-Impossible¡­!]

    ¡°Gahahahahahahahahaha!!!¡±

    Balrogughed heartily and activated [Overlord¡¯s Titanic Might], multiplying his strength by five.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    Lunar¡¯s hand on Balrog¡¯s fist was bent at the wrist at an unnatural angle. She could freely manipte a river rapid but lost control once it became a tsunami.

    [Ngh!!!]

    Lunar quickly jumped backward but not fast enough; Balrog¡¯s fist grazed her.

    [KYAAAAAAHHH!]

    She was swept by an immense impact despite the fist only grazing her. The unfathomable power smashed through Deific Essence and the power of Akart, sending Lunar tumbling.

    [Urgh!]

    Lunar quickly regained her stance to minimize the impact. Her feet dragged across the ground, slowing her down and creating a massive line on the ground.

    <em>¡®I have to widen the distance¡­!¡¯</em>

    She needed to get the injured Sr somewhere safe and buy enough time tobine.

    Just then, she heard from behind her, ¡°Do you need time?¡±

    [<em>Gasp!</em>] Si-Hun was already at the ce where Lunar managed to stop tumbling. [H-How?]

    Si-Hun had not chased after Lunar as she was being blown backward; he had been here before she was even blown backward. Lunar stared at Balrog, who had sent her flying, in shock.

    ¡°Oh. Come to think of it, I forgot to tell you something.¡± Balrog cackled as he tapped on his head with his finger. ¡°I may be ignorant, but I¡¯m not stupid. Gahahahahaha!¡±

    Balrog had not forcibly kept his fist in ce because he wanted his attack to reach Lunar.

    [N-No!] Lunar¡¯s face paled.

    ¡°Heavenly Dragon Sword Technique, First Form,¡± said Si-Hun before Lunar could turn around.

    It was not a technique he had learned from the Thousand Martial Treasury. It was the technique he had used since the moment he held a sword¡ª the only technique that Si-Hun, who could perform a martial art technique perfectly the first time he used it, polished for many years.

    ¡°Heavenly Dragon sh.¡±

    The dragon soaring through the sky ferociously opened its mouth. The sword energy, condensed to its absolute limit, was unleashed in a straight line, cleaving everything in its path.

    [Ah¡ª]

    Lunar reflexively stretched out her hand to use the power of Nostrian which she had not used during this battle, but it did not activate immediately because she was not as ustomed to using it as Sr.

    <em>sh¡ª!!!</em>

    The sh infused with the power of a dragon cut her in half from the crown of her head to her groin, forming a line on her body. Bluish energy poured out from the line.

    [LUNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!]

    Sr extended his arm toward Lunar in shock but Kang-Woo stabbed Sr in the thigh before he could run to her.

    ¡°We can film the tearjerker ending of you embracing your lover¡¯s corpseter.¡±

    [GAAAAHHH!!] Sr screamed in pain and copsed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take this time to talk, you and me,¡± said Kang-Woo as he looked down at Sr, snickering.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    [You¡­ bastard¡­ YOU BASTAAAAAAAAAAARD!!!] Sr red at Kang-Woo resentfully. [I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS SIN!!! THE GREAT AKART WILL TEAR YOU INTO PIECES!!!]

    ¡°Kurgh!!! Gaaaaaaaaahhh!!!¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes rolled backward and he convulsed uncontrobly. ¡°Th-The Light of Akart is tearing me apart!!! Gaaaaaaaahhh!! Save meeeeee!!! It hurts so muuuuuuch!!!¡±

    [Y-You son of a¡­!]

    ¡°Pfft!! Bwehehehehehe!!! What? You said I was gonna pay, didn¡¯t you?¡± Kang-Woo stopped convulsing and trampled on Sr¡¯s head with his tongue out. ¡°What¡¯s all that yapping good for? Huh?¡±

    [...]

    ¡°Well, what did I expect from an idiot who would try something as dumb as transforming mid-battle?¡±

    No one but characters in a nies mecha anime were dumb enough to watch as their enemiesbined right in front of them.

    <em>¡®Are all of Akart¡¯s retainers like this?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had to admit they were strong but they all had several screws loose.

    <em>¡®Maybe it¡¯s because they¡¯re pretty much cult fanatics.¡¯</em>

    The stronger one¡¯s faith in a cult became, the more brain cells they lost. Even a Nobel Prize winner would behave questionably if their faith in a cult deepened.

    <em>¡®If these guys are this bad¡­ I¡¯m a bit worried about the son of a bitch Akart.¡¯</em>

    It was no simple feat to make someone this fanatical; strength or intelligence couldn¡¯t make it work. To make some lose their minds to this extent, they needed something that far surpassed logic and reason.

    <em>¡®Well¡­ I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find out when I meet him.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo scrapped his thoughts about Akart and turned his gaze.

    ¡°Right, then. Let¡¯s get started.¡±

    [Start¡­ what?] asked Sr with his eyes narrowed.

    Kang-Woo bit open his thumb without answering.

    ¡°I¡¯m dying to know where and how you managed to get Nostrian¡¯s power.¡±

    [And you think I¡¯ll tell y¡ª]

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re thinking you won¡¯t. But you¡¯ll change your mind once you get a taste of molting.¡±

    Kang-Woo sprayed the ck blood dripping from his thumb on Sr¡¯s back. The blood, filled with demonic energy from the Abyss, seeped into Sr¡¯s wound.

    [Kurgh!! Arghhh!!!]

    Sr¡¯s eyes widened. The extreme pain of his insides being torn apart took over his mind. His eyes rolled back and he trembled as he foamed at the mouth.

    [O-O Great Akaaaaaaaaart!!! G-Give me streeeeeeeength!!!]

    Sr reflexively shouted Akart¡¯s name as the pain ravaged him.

    ¡°Akart is on sabbatical, man,¡± Kang-Woo said as he smirked and bit open another finger.

    Just then, a blinding golden light burst from Sr.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    <em>¡®He wasn¡¯t on sabbatical?¡¯</em>

    [A-Aaaahh! O Great Akaaaaaaaart!!!] Sr stood up as he cheered. The bonding golden light wrapped around him. [I believed! I never doubted!!!]

    He stretched out his arms toward the sky.

    [Grant me your blessing! Your radiant splendor! The truth and light of bnce!!!]

    Tears trickled down Sr¡¯s cheeks.

    [Grant me your light! Light, light, light, li¡ª]

    Just then, countless cracks formed around Sr¡¯s golden body and he began to crumble before he could evenprehend what was happening.

    [¡ªHuh?]

    ¡°Fuck!!!¡± Kang-Woo cursed and sprinted toward the crumbling Sr.

    He tried to activate the Authority of Regeneration using his ck blood but had no idea where to activate it on Sr¡¯s body, which had already broken into countless pieces.

    [Glory¡­ to¡­ Akart.]

    Sr worshiped Akart with a smile even when dying by his hand.

    ¡°...¡±

    Chills ran down Kang-Woo¡¯s back. How far beyond the scope of madness did one need to be to praise the god who betrayed them, even in death? Kang-Woo stared at Lunar as ast hope but she wasn¡¯t moving an inch after being split in two by Si-Hun.

    ¡°Dammit¡­¡±

    In the end, Kang-Woo had gained nothing besides eliminating two of Akart¡¯s retainers. Everything about Nostrian and Akart was still shrouded in darkness.

    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t say I gained nothing.¡±

    He set his disappointment aside and shook his head. He had gained something far too valuable to say that he had gained nothing.

    ¡°Fuuu.¡± Kang-Woo looked up to see the sun setting. ¡°I wonder what gifts I should prepare for tomorrow?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ***

    <em>m!</em>

    ¡°KANG-WOOOOOOOOO!!!¡±

    ¡°WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!!¡±

    ¡°THE WEDDING DRESSES ARE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!¡±

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡±

    The time loop had broken atst.

    ¡°KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! KANG-WOO, WHY ARE YOU TAKING OFF YOUR PANTS ALL OF A SUDDEEEEEEEEEEEEEN?!!¡±

 Side Story Chapter 123: Engagement Ceremony (1)

    The next day arrived after Oh Kang-Woo and the others defeated Akart¡¯s retainers. He was brimming with joy after checking the time and seeing that it was November 9th, 8:01 AM.

    ¡°Huehuehuehuehue!!! It¡¯s happening!! It¡¯s finally happening!!!¡±

    <em>¡®I¡¯m getting married!!!¡¯</em>

    ¡°Shut the fuck up!!!¡±

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Cha Yeon-Joo, who had been sleeping next to him, sprang up and kicked him on the butt.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± grunted Kang-Woo as he was blown out of bed.

    ¡°What¡¯s themotion so early in the morning?!¡± shouted Yeon-Joo as she red at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Hehehe.¡±Kang-Woo¡¯s smile did not disappear despite being kicked out of bed and sprawled on the floor.

    ¡°Wh-What? You¡¯re creeping me out.¡±

    ¡°I told you yesterday what we were gonna do today, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Kang-Woo returned home after defeating Akart¡¯s retainers and told his lovers about the engagement ceremony, just like he had done on the first day of the time loop.

    ¡°Huh? What did you tell¡­ Oh.¡± Yeon-Joo slowly recounted her memories and her cheeks turned as red as her hair. She mumbled in disbelief, ¡°S-So that wasn¡¯t¡­ a dream.¡±

    Kang-Woo sprang up from the floor and hugged Yeon-Joo to shower her cheek with kisses.

    ¡°Hehe! We¡¯re getting married today!!!¡±

    ¡°G-Get the fuck off me!!! I-It¡¯s an engagement, not a wedding!!¡±

    ¡°Same thing!!¡±

    Their life was no different from that of married couples already; they just had yet to hold a wedding ceremony.

    ¡°A-Ahem! Anyway, get off!¡± Yeon-Joo coughed and pushed Kang-Woo away with her long legs. She averted her gaze from him and twisted her red hair around her fingers as she asked, ¡°S-So, when¡¯s the ceremony?¡±

    ¡°As soon as the dresses arrive.¡±

    ¡°And when is that?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea.¡±

    However, since it would arrive today, it would be here by evening at thetest.

    ¡°Really? Mmm¡­ then let¡¯s hold it in the evening.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, why? Isn¡¯t it better to hold it earlier?¡±

    ¡°Sheesh¡­ this is why your Fran?ois had to be socially distanced for ten millennia.¡±

    <em>¡®That ultimate was uncalled for.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Women need time to get ready. You following?¡±

    ¡°Ohhh.¡±

    It made perfect sense for some reason.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s hold it at 8 PM. Oh, and where should we hold it?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Hehe, just let me know and I¡¯ll make it happen.¡±

    There were some ces where having a ceremony on the day of would be difficult but it wasn¡¯t anything Kang-Woo¡¯s money and power could solve.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yeon-Joo pondered as she stroked her chin.

    Just then, the door opened and Han Seol-Ah entered.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s fine to do it here,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°At home?¡±

    Kang-Woo and Yeon-Joo stared at Seol-Ah; they did not even have their home in mind.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t having an engagement ceremony at home a bitckluster?¡±

    Kang-Woo thought they should have it somewhere more romantic and extravagant.

    ¡°Fufu, this ce is the most romantic and extravagant to me.¡± Seol-Ah smiled as she approached the bed. She gently held Kang-Woo¡¯s hand and continued, ¡°I¡¯m fine with holding it wherever you want, but¡­ I¡¯d rather hold it here, the ce filled with the most precious memories I have with you.¡± ??

    ¡°You¡¯re making me cry.¡± Only Seol-Ah could say something so loving. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t hold back his tears. ¡°DARLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!¡±

    ¡°M-My. Oh, Kang-Woo.¡±

    Seol-Ah hugged the bawling Kang-Woo back as she giggled. The softness wrapped around him.

    ¡°But I can¡¯t be the one to decide that on my own. What do you think, Yeon-Joo?¡± asked Seol-Ah as she turned to Yeon-Joo.

    Yeon-Joo smirked and lightly conked Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    ¡°It¡¯d be weird to hold it anywhere else when he¡¯s acting like this, right? Besides, it¡¯s a hassle to hold it anywhere else.¡±

    In the past, she would have rather held such an important event at a five-star hotel or an ultra-luxury cruise ship, but she gradually grew to find such luxuries a bother.

    ¡°Oh? Am I seeing the maturity of a woman in her thirties in you, Yeon-Joo?¡±

    ¡°The fuck you say? That¡¯s great from a manchild who was crying like a baby in Seol-Ah¡¯s arms.¡±

    Yeon-Joo stared daggers at Kang-Woo as she punched his side.

    ¡°Hoho. What do you mean by a woman in her thirties? We¡¯re not in our thirties, you know?¡±

    Seol-Ah, who was the same age as Yeon-Joo, hugged Kang-Woo tighter and caressed his head. Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion.

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re not?¡±

    There was no way; Seol-Ah was twenty-five the first time he met her. Adding the time they spent together before he was stuck in the Abyss for three years, she was well past thirty.

    ¡°I¡¯m still in my twenties.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossi¡ª¡±

    ¡°Twenties,¡± Seol-Ah reiterated with a kind smile.

    Her hand, which had been caressing Kang-Woo¡¯s head, slowly moved down to his neck and her fingers lightly slid across his neck.

    ¡°Wow, your hand is so smooth. Must be because you¡¯re still in your twenties,¡± Kang-Woo answered.

    Thinking back on it, he heard that Seol-Ah had just turned twenty when he first met her. Actually, he had not heard such a thing¡ª he was nning on hearing it from now on. Seol-Ah was still in her early twenties.

    ¡°Hohoho. I¡¯m d you understand, Kang-Woo.¡±

    Seol-Ah embraced Kang-Woo again in satisfaction.

    ¡°Come to think of it, where¡¯s Lilith?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    They needed to hear Lilith¡¯s opinion too since she was going to be a part of the ceremony.

    ¡°She left early in the morning because she had things to take care of¡­ I¡¯ll give her a call.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Kang-Woo had an idea of what it could be about. He had not told Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo yet but he had told Lilith about the time loop; she was probably gathering information about that.

    Seol-Ah came back into the room after calling Lilith and said as she hummed, ¡°Lilith unnie is fine with holding it at home too~?¡±

    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s hold it here, then.¡±

    ¡°Fufu, I¡¯m so excited already!¡±

    Seol-Ah excitedly jumped up and down and two massive objects shook up and down with her. Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes also moved up and down in unison.

    ¡°Stop that, dumbass.¡±

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Yeon-Joo frowned and smacked Kang-Woo¡¯s head. It did not hurt but Seol-Ah stopped jumping because of Yeon-Joo¡¯s sudden action.

    ¡°NOOOOOOO!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo had no reason to live anymore. There was no more hope, joy, or happiness in his life. The world was eternally filled with cold and dark despair¡ª

    ¡°Enough of that.¡±

    Yeon-Joo pped Kang-Woo¡¯s back. It did not hurt, but it hurt.

    <em>¡®Oh Kang-Woo, the punching bag¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shut his eyes tightly as a sense of frustration welled up.

    <em>¡®I¡­ I don¡¯t deserve to be beaten like this!!! Does she have any idea who the hell I am?!¡¯</em>

    He was the ten-millennia-year-old bum. He currently did not have a single cent to his name because he gave all of his savings to Lilith for her to expand her intelligence organization, and was living off of the allowance his third wife Cha Yeon-Joo gave him. He did not cook, clean, doundry, or shop for groceries, but engulfed at least five portions of kimchi stew every meal.

    <em>¡®Huh? Do I deserve it?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s intelligence stat soared.

    ¡°That aside, Seol-Ah. You¡¯re free until the evening, right?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Why?¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go outter with Lilith unnie.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Seol-Ah tilted her head in confusion and her eyes widened.

    Yeon-Joo sighed deeply after noticing Seol-Ah genuinely did not know. ¡°For God¡¯s sake¡­ You two sure are made for each other.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe. Thanks.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t apliment!¡± Yeon-Joo shouted. She approached Seol-Ah and touched her hair and nails. ¡°There¡¯s a good beauty and nail salon I know abroad, so we¡¯re going there. We have to get our makeup done too.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Seol-Ah expressed after finally realizing what she had forgotten. Her cheeks reddened as she said, ¡°B-But those ces are expensive, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Hehehe, do you have any idea how much I make a day? Besides, you already have tons of money saved up, right?¡±

    ¡°I mean, I do, but¡­¡±

    Poverty was practically her life in the past so she was still reluctant to use money no matter how much she made.

    ¡°Hehehe! You can¡¯t cheap out on something as important as this!¡±

    ¡°O-Okay.¡±

    Seol-Ah nodded with an awkward smile as she was pulled out of the room by Yeon-Joo. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but smile as he stared at them.

    <em>¡®They¡¯re all so cute.¡¯</em>

    He was filled with joy just from watching them. Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo got ready to leave after breakfast and Kang-Woo saw them off at the front door.

    ¡°Your noonas are heading out, so you¡¯d better stay put at home, got it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re off, Kang-Woo. See you in the evening.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Have a safe trip, Darling.¡±

    Kang-Woo kissed his wives at the front door like a stay-at-home husband sending off his wife to work and turned around to go back into the house.

    ¡°Right then, I might as well clean this ce up.¡±

    Since they decided to hold the engagement ceremony at home, he wanted the ce to be spotless. As he was cleaning the giant house, Echidna swung open the front door while carrying arge box.

    <em>Wham!</em>

    ¡°KANG-WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!¡±

    The wedding dresses they had been waiting for had arrived atst.

    ***

    ¡°Holy

    Kang-Woo was wide-eyed. His clenched fists trembled and he could barely breathe. His heart felt like it was about to burst.

    ¡°Wh-What do you think, Kang-Woo¡­?¡±

    There was an angel manifested in front of him. It was a fallen angel to be more exact, but it was an angel nheless.

    ¡°WR¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t screech like a weirdo again, dammit.¡± Yeon-Joo stepped on Kang-Woo¡¯s foot just as he was about to let his impulse take over. She turned her head away with her cheeks dyed bright red and asked, ¡°A-Ahem. So, what do you think? Fuck¡­ it¡¯s embarrassing as hell now that I¡¯m wearing it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, so humans wear things like this when they get engaged?¡± Lilith slightly raised the hem of her dress and winked at Kang-Woo. ¡°Fufu, what do you think, my king?¡±

    Kang-Woo fell to his knees, unable to endure the raging current of emotions inside him. It was 8 PM, and the shock of seeing his three lovers lined up in front of him in wedding dresses took his breath away. Their dresses were breathtaking enough but seeing them in a different hairstyle than usual as well as the makeup amplified their beauty even more.

    ¡°WR¡ª¡±

    ¡°I told you not to do that.¡±

    ¡°WRY¡ª¡±

    ¡°The fuck?¡±

    ¡°Wry¡ª yyy¡ª ryy, wryry.¡±

    Kang-Woo convulsed madly. The recoil of being forced to suppress his bursting emotions was tearing him apart from the inside.

    ¡°Wr¡ªwryy, wr¡ªryyyryy.¡±

    ¡°Hey, hey!! Oh Kang-Woo!!! Pull yourself together!!¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes rolled backward as his limbs twisted.

    ¡°NOOOOO!!!¡± Yeon-Joo pulled on her hair which she had taken time to get done and stomped her foot. She sighed as if she had given up and said, ¡°Haaa¡­ fine. You do you.¡±

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡± Kang-Woo jumped toward the three women in tears. ¡°WAAAAAAAAAAHHH! FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!! I¡¯M SO GLAD I¡¯M ALIVE!!¡±

    ¡°Argh, fuck! Hey! You¡¯re messing up our dresses!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d to see you love it.¡±

    ¡°Fufu, there¡¯s no stopping you, my king.¡±

    Kang-Woo pulled himself away from them slightly after letting out his emotions.

    He shouted with all his heart, ¡°Believe me when I say this, you guys are the most beautiful in the universe right now!! For real!! I can swear to every fucking god!¡±

    The three women smiled in satisfaction.

    <em>¡®Finally.¡¯</em>

    Tears trickled down Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks. He had waited ten millennia for this moment.

    <em>¡®Finally¡­ I¡¯m finally getting married¡ª!!!¡¯</em>

    He danced in joy.

    ¡°Oh right, Kang-Woo. Do you know of this tradition?¡± Seol-Ah asked.

    ¡°Hm? What tradition?¡±

    Kang-Woo stopped dancing and turned to Seol-Ah wide-eyed. She was holding a piece of paper with something written on it.

    ¡°The couples fill out and sign premarital contracts these days.¡±

    ¡°Really? Sounds pretty hardcore.¡±

    ¡°Hohoho. I thought it was interesting, so I tried writing one out.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. You¡¯re making me curious.¡±

    Kang-Woo took the contract Seol-Ah handed him and read through it.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°Hehe. I think at least ten¡­ no, twenty rounds a day is mandatory.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>¡®Rounds of what?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Okay~ all it needs is a thumbprint right here, Kang-Woo ?¡±

    Seol-Ah smiled as she pressed Kang-Woo¡¯s thumb into red stamp ink.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    The chime of the System rang in his head and a blue message window appeared in front of him.

    [Are you sure you want this marriage?]

    <em>¡®Shut the fuck up, please.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 124: Engagement Ceremony (2)

    ¡°U-Uhmm¡­¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s chest felt like there was a giant boulder on it. Cold sweats flowed down his back.

    ¡°Come on~ now, Kang-Woo!¡±

    Han Seol-Ah¡¯s beautiful face and shining eyes couldn¡¯t be any more terrifying than this moment. Kang-Woo frantically turned the gears in his brain to find a way to survive this situation.

    ¡°Darling. What use does a flimsy piece of paper have between us?¡± Kang-Woo looked at Seol-Ah intimately and embraced her by the waist. ¡°Our love¡ª this brimming and fluttering emotion can¡¯t be contained by a mere piece of paper!!!¡±

    His love for Seol-Ah couldn¡¯t be expressed by words on paper, proven by the fact that he didn¡¯t have the slightest idea what twenty rounds per day¡ª sixty if it included all three of his wives¡ª could possibly mean.

    ¡°Can words on a piece of paper prove our love for each other? Can it represent the sacred act of marriage? NO!!! I do not think so! True love cannot be expressed by a piece of p¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yap.¡±

    ¡°GYEEEEEEEEEEEHHH!!!¡±Seol-Ah grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s thumb which was covered in the red stamp ink and brought it to the contract paper. Kang-Woo twisted and turned as he screamed but he failed to get his thumb away from Seol-Ah¡¯s grasp. His thumbprint sessfully made contact with the contract.

    ¡°D-Darling¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah wide-eyed like Caesar stabbed by Brutus.

    ¡°Fufu. With this, you have to fulfill the conditions of the contract every day, Kang-Woo!¡± shouted Seol-Ah with shining eyes.

    ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo copsed, unable to ept the reality that befell him.

    ¡°Hohoho.¡±

    ¡°You guys sure love to y around.¡±

    Lilith simply giggled at the sight and Yeon-Joo sighed deeply as she shook her head.

    ¡°Come on, that was a pretty funny skit,¡± Kang-Woo stood up as he chuckled.

    The premarital contract only had power in court; it couldn¡¯t force Kang-Woo to do anything. Only pledges he made with his Deific Essence could do such a thing. The contract was surely a joke Seol-Ah came up with to make the ceremony more interesting.

    ¡°Pardon¡­?¡± Seol-Ah asked.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­ did you think this was a joke?¡±

    Seol-Ah stepped backward with trembling eyes. She lowered her head as if she were deeply shocked and covered her face with her hands.

    ¡°Hurgh!! I can¡¯t believe you, Kang-Woo!!! Was our marriage just a joke to you?!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Huuuh?¡±

    <em>¡®It wasn¡¯t a joke?¡¯</em>

    ¡°No, Darling. You have it all wrong.¡±

    ¡°What do I have wrong?!¡±

    ¡°My love for you is true and always will be.¡±

    ¡°Really¡­?¡± Seol-Ah asked with her head still lowered and continued, ¡°Then¡ª¡±

    Kang-Woo thought he saw the corners of Seol-Ah¡¯s mouth rising for some reason.

    ¡°Swear on your Deific Essence that you¡¯ll carry out the conditions of this contract.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    <em>¡®Could you repeat that?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Swear on your Deific Essence right now¡­ for everyone to hear.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo shook. His expression turned deathly pale. A mere contract held no power over him but he couldn¡¯t defy a pledge made with his Deific Essence.

    <em>¡®At this rate¡­¡¯</em>

    <em>Gulp.</em>

    Kang-Woo carefully read over the contract once again. If he were to carry out the conditions of this contract every day¡­

    ¡°It¡¯ll burst.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know what would burst but he was sure something would.

    ¡°Kang-Woo? Please swear it now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ummm¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo stared nkly into space.

    ¡°Pfft!¡±

    Laughter leaked from Seol-Ah¡¯s covered face.

    ¡°Darling?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha! It was just a joke, Kang-Woo!¡± She giggled and lightly smacked Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s no way I would demand something so unreasonable from you.¡± ???

    Seol-Ah embraced Kang-Woo with a smile as if she were never sad. Kang-Woo¡¯s expression crumpled and he tickled Seol-Ah¡¯s sides.

    ¡°Kyahaha! That tickles!¡±

    ¡°Where did you learn to do something so naughty?¡±

    ¡°Fufu. From you, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±

    <em>¡®That leaves me with no valid arguments.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Well¡­ anyway.¡±

    The smallmotion ended. The furniture was removed from the living room and decorated with flowers and other decorations Echidna had bought.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin the ceremony,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    There was no host, officiator, or guests, but everyone was smiling so brightly as if they couldn¡¯t be happier.

    <em>m!</em>

    ¡°Hm! Allow me to be the host!¡± shouted Echidna as she burst out of her room, likely having waited for the perfect time to make her appearance.

    She was also wearing her wedding dress like the other women.

    ¡°Hey, we agreed on you wearing that once you became a mature dragon,¡± Kang-Woo said.

    Echidna ced her hands on her waist and snorted. ¡°Hm! I¡¯ll have to buy another one by then because I¡¯ll have grown out of it!¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°I bought it, so I wanna wear it at least once!¡±

    ¡°Ngh. Fine, do whatever you want.¡±

    The engagement ceremony ultimatelymenced with the help of a host, who was also wearing a wedding dress.

    ¡°Alright, first things first! Kang-Woo will present the gifts he has prepared!¡± shouted Echidna through a mic she pulled out of nowhere and pointed at Kang-Woo.

    Kang-Woo nodded and stepped forward.

    <em>¡®Finally.¡¯</em>

    The time hade. He reached into his pockets and fiddled with the three ring boxes inside. His heart was beating like crazy. He slowly walked toward Seol-Ah first and closed his eyes.

    <em>¡°First, gently walk toward your lover.¡±</em>n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Kang-Woo recalled the events from five hours ago.

    ***

    Turning back time five hours before the beginning of the engagement ceremony¡­

    <em>Bang!</em>

    ¡°Alright!¡± Kang-Woo mmed his fist down on the table, his eyes gleaming sharply, and continued, ¡°Let usmence the emergency proposal meeting!!!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ yes, hyung-nim.¡±

    ¡°A proposal, is it?¡±

    Kim Si-Hun ufortably averted his gaze from Kang-Woo, and Balrog smiled aggressively as he flexed his red muscles. While his lovers were out getting ready for the ceremony, Kang-Woo sent an emergency summons to Si-Hun and Balrog to get their advice on how to propose to his lovers during the ceremony.

    <em>¡®I can barely trust these guys on this topic, but¡­¡¯</em>

    He would have asked someone else if he could but he didn¡¯t have any other choice.

    <em>¡®These two are the only close guy friends I have.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo felt like he was about to burst into tears. He was the loner Oh Kang-Woo, a testicle hater who barely made any same-sex friends during the six hundred chapters of this novel¡¯s serialization.

    <em>¡®But at least they¡¯re both in a rtionship. They should be of some help, right?¡¯</em>

    Balrog was in a rtionship with Kurosaki Yurie, and Si-Hun with La.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure having them will be better than pondering by myself!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo, the ten-millennia-year-old bachelor Demon King who didn¡¯t know how to propose to a woman, clenched his fists.

    ¡°I¡¯M PUTTING MY UNCONDITIONAL TRUST IN YOU GUYS!!! BELIEVE IN THE ME WHO BELIEVES IN YOU!!!¡±

    <em>¡®I¡¯LL MAKE THIS PROPOSAL A SUCCESS NO MATTER WHAT!!!¡¯</em>

    m!!

    ¡°GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! TO THINK MY KING WOULD DEPEND THIS MUCH IN ME! I, BALROG, AM BURSTING WITH TEARS!!!¡±

    ¡°THAT¡¯S RIGHT, BALROG!!! ARE YOU READY TO ANSWER THE TRUST I¡¯VE PUT IN YOU?!!¡±

    ¡°WHO DO YOU THINK I AM?!! I AM THE DEMON WITH RED-HOT MUSCLES AND AN EVEN HOTTER HEART!!! A TRUE MAN WHO BLAZES THROUGH BATTLE AND LOVE WITH BLAZING PASSION!!!¡±

    <em>Boom! Boom! Boom!</em>

    Balrog, the macho subordinate of the Demon King with muscles for brains and had no idea what a proposal was, shouted as he pounded on his chest with his fists.

    ¡°KAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! YEAH!!! THAT¡¯S IT, BALROG!!! I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON YOU!!!¡±

    ¡°AND SO, MY KING!!!¡±

    ¡°YEAH, BALROG!!! TELL ME HOW A TRUE MACHO PROPOSES!!!¡±

    ¡°What is a proposal[1]?¡±

    ¡°Motherfucker.¡±

    <em>¡®We can¡¯t get anywhere if you don¡¯t even know what that is.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Haaa. This is hard to watch. A proposal refers to the act of asking someone for their hand in marriage,¡± Si-Hun answered.

    ¡°I see. Something like an oath of marriage, correct?¡±

    Si-Hun nodded. He then confidently crossed his legs and turned to Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Leave this matter to me, hyung-nim.¡±

    ¡°S-Si-Hun¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo was left wide-eyed by how full of confidence Si-Hun was. Si-Hun smiled as he swept his hair back.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already sessfully proposed to La.¡±

    ¡°WHOOOOOAAAAA!!! W-WE HAVE A PRO HERE!!!¡±

    Si-Hun, the handsome-as-fuck little brother of the Demon King who sessfully proposed to his lover, shrugged leisurely.

    <em>m!</em>

    ¡°Gahahaha!! If you¡¯re referring to an oath of marriage, I have also seeded! Three times, no less, unlike this brat!!¡±

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    ¡°TH-THREE TIIIIIIIIIMES?!!¡±

    <em>¡®Three times is enough for even Liu Bei to swear undying fealty to Zhuge Liang!¡¯</em>

    ¡°BALROG, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!! I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON YOU!!! I NEVER HAD A DOUBT!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo, who had called Balrog a motherfucker moments ago, shed passionate tears and raised his right arm.

    ¡°Gahaha!!! You just have to do exactly as I say, my king!!!¡±

    Balrog, the proposal expert, nodded and high-fived Kang-Woo.

    ¡°ALRIGHT!!! TELL ME WHAT TO DO, BALROG!!!¡±

    ¡°FIRST, YOU HAVE TO APPROACH THE WOMAN WHOM YOU PLAN TO MAKE YOUR OATH OF MARRIAGE TO WITHOUT HESITATION!!! THE DRIVE IS IMPORTANT!!!¡±

    ¡°YEAH!!! OKAY!!! DRIVE IS IMPORTANT FOR SURE!!!¡±

    ¡°NEXT, YOU RIP THEIR CLOTHES OFF!!!¡±

    ¡°RIP WHAT OFF?!!¡±

    ¡°THEIR CLOTHES!!! LIKE A VICIOUS BEAST!!!¡±

    ¡°ARE YOU SURE?!!¡±

    ¡°THEN YOU COMMAND THE WOMAN TO BE YOURS FOREVER!!!¡±

    ¡°I DON¡¯T THINK THIS IS IT!!!¡±

    ¡°NONE OF THE WOMEN I¡¯VE DONE THIS TO HAVE REFUSED MY ADVANCES!!! HOWEVER, ON THE OFF CHANCE THAT THEY STILL REFUSE, WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IS USE FORCE TO¡ª¡±

    ¡°YOU MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!¡±

    ¡°KUUUUUUUUUURGH!!!¡±

    <em>BASH¡ª!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo smashed his foot into Balrog¡¯s groin. Balrog, the self-proimed proposal expert, fell to his knees as he screamed.

    ¡°THAT¡¯S NOT A PROPOSAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo beat Balrog senseless as he pulled on his hair. He was an idiot for trusting the man with negative brain cells.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff, huff!</em>¡± Kang-Woo panted heavily and turned around to look at Si-Hun, shaking his head haughtily as if knowing this would happen.

    ¡°As I thought, that ignorant muscle pig wouldn¡¯t know how to propose to a woman.¡± Si-Hun ced his hand on the panting Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Trust me, hyung-nim.¡±

    ¡°S-Si-Hun?¡±

    ¡°As long as you have this proposal method that I found on the treasury of endless knowledge that is the Inte, you can also seed in your proposal like I did with La.¡±

    ¡°I love you, my little bro!!! You¡¯re the best!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo hugged Si-Hun tightly.

    Si-Hun smiled and continued, ¡°First, gently walk toward your lover.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Darling.¡±

    Kang-Woo gently walked toward Seol-Ah. He softly grabbed her hand and got down on one knee.

    ¡°Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes welled up with tears.

    Kang-Woo kissed the back of her hand and said the line that Si-Hun passed down to him.

    ¡°Your mother is¡­ a criminal.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? What are you talking about all of a¡­¡±

    ¡°Because¡ª¡± His voice and gaze were as intimate and loving as possible. He answered, ¡°She stole the angel that is you from heaven.¡±

    He smiled brightly and winked.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Deathly silence fell.

    <em>¡®D-Did it work? Did I do it?!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked up as his heart pounded like crazy.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    The women¡¯s faces were weird. They were filled with contempt and disgust as if they had stepped on vomit that a drunkard made in the middle of the road on their way home.

    <em>¡®What¡¯s going on? Why are they making that kind of face¡­? Si-Hun said it had a 100% chance of sess!!! Why are my wives making those faces?!!¡¯</em>

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    The System bell chime echoed in his ears.

    [Sir Guardian Deity.] A blue message window appeared in front of him. [Get out.]

    <em>¡®Why???¡¯</em>

    1. Marriage proposal in Korean is a phic version of the English word ¡°propose.¡± ?

 Side Story Chapter 125: Engagement Ceremony (3)

    ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo looked around in confusion again. He could feel gazes as cold as frost from the four women. Their expressions were not of admiration and thrill unlike what he had hoped; only contempt could be seen in their eyes.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m fucked.¡¯</em>

    He could instinctively tell that his wholehearted proposal had gone down the gutter.

    ¡°I¡­! I¡¯ve been wronged!!!¡±

    <em>¡®Si-Hun said it would work for sure!!!¡¯</em>

    ¡°Oh¡­ Hoho. It¡¯s okay, Kang-Woo. I just couldn¡¯t understand what you were talking about for a moment.¡±

    Han Seol-Ah just barely regained her senses and smiled as she caressed the cheek of Kang-Woo kneeling in front of her. She was like an angel in his eyes like what he had expressed.

    ¡°D-Darling.¡±¡°Your line was¡­ moving.¡±

    ¡°R-Right? You were moved by it, right?¡±

    ¡°Hohoho, of course. R-Right, Yeon-Joo?¡±

    ¡°Oh Kang-Woo,¡± said Cha Yeon-Joo as she approached Kang-Woo. She continued without hesitation, ¡°I want a divorce.¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t even gotten married yet!!!¡± Kang-Woo shouted.

    ¡°Hm¡­ Kang-Woo, that was awful.¡±

    ¡°Fufufu. I¡¯m not sure, but it certainly didn¡¯t feel that good to hear.¡±

    Echidna and Lilith also said their pieces.

    ¡°No way¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo lowered his head in despair. The four women giggled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel so pressured, Kang-Woo,¡± Seol-Ah consoled. She lightly embraced him and whispered gently, ¡°I want to hear what you feel straight from the heart instead of any cool lines you¡¯ve heard somewhere.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Could you do that for me?¡±

    Kang-Woo was energized by Seol-Ah¡¯s words.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± he sighed and nodded. He got on one knee in front of Seol-Ah again and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to say since I¡¯ve never experienced anything like this before.¡±

    He had pulled out the line he had gotten from the emergency meeting but it had failed royally. He grabbed Seol-Ah¡¯s hand and clumsily said his honest thoughts.

    ¡°I thought I was the unluckiest person in the world.¡±

    Kang-Woo was an orphan who didn¡¯t even know his parents¡¯ names from the moment of his birth. He worked to survive each day after leaving the orphanage and had to fight for his life for ten millennia after suddenly falling into Hell for some reason.

    ¡°My days in Hell¡­ were very hard on me.¡±

    Words couldn¡¯t describe the things he had gone through. The nightmares were wretched, miserable, and horrifying. The despair from surviving day after day without knowing when it would end could never be expressed bynguage.

    He thought every day about why he was the only one who had to suffer through this pain. He wondered what he did that was so wrong. Everyone likely had a few joyful moments in their lives, so why couldn¡¯t he have even one?

    He curled up into a ball and cried like a baby. The irresolvable knots bound and suffocated him. He thought he was the unluckiest person in the world.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo met her; the kindest, warmest, and most beautiful woman in the world. The woman whom he would never have met if he had not returned to Earth at that very moment.

    ¡°Seol-Ah.¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly stood up and pulled out a ring from his pocket. It was made bypressing demonic energy from the Abyss to its absolute limit and even contained the mes of Voracity. The ck ring with golden light shining around it could awe anyone with its beauty.

    ¡°Meeting you was¡­¡±

    He took off the ring he had given her in the past from her ring finger and reced it with the new ring he made. He couldn¡¯t help but smile as he saw the shining ring on Seol-Ah¡¯s pale finger.

    ¡°A fortune greater than all the misfortune in my lifebined.¡±

    Kang-Woo lightly pulled Seol-Ah by her hand and kissed her.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah trembled subtly with her eyes widened after the kiss. Tears flowed down her cheeks.

    ¡°Huh? Darling?¡±

    Kang-Woo stared at Seol-Ah in panic. Seol-Ah continued to cry as she stared nkly at him.

    <em>¡®What¡¯s going on? Did I fuck up again?¡¯</em>

    That did not seem to be the case based on the others¡¯ reactions.

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­</em> Kang-Woo¡­ <em>Waaaaaaah!</em>¡± Seol-Ah burst into tears and hugged Kang-Woo. ¡°I-I¡¯m so happy that¡­ I-I feel like I¡¯m going crazy.¡±

    She buried her face into Kang-Woo¡¯s shoulder and bawled her eyes out.

    ¡°Haaa. Seol-Ah, your makeup¡¯s gonna be ruined.¡±

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­</em> B-But¡­ K-Kang-Woo just¡­ He just¡­!!!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I was here the whole time. I heard it too. Go to the bathroom and clean yourself up.¡±

    Yeon-Joo gently pushed Seol-Ah by the back. Seol-Ah staggered toward the bathroom.

    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake¡­¡± Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo. ¡°You can say something like that but went with her mother being a criminal? That she stole her from heaven?¡±

    ¡°Ack! What?! Why are you hitting me again?!¡± Kang-Woo shouted.

    ¡°Dunno, motherfucker.¡±

    Yeon-Joo stomped on Kang-Woo¡¯s foot. It was only for a moment but she was so envious as well as jealous of the fact that it was not her whom Kang-Woo met the moment he returned to Earth but Seol-Ah.

    ¡°Well¡­ Anyway.¡± Yeon-Joo turned away and dragged the tip of the high heel which she wasn¡¯t used to wearing on the floor. ¡°That was¡­ you know, moving.¡±

    That should have been up to Seol-Ah to say but she was so moved that she could barely speak.

    ¡°Whoa.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled in satisfaction after being unexpectedlyplimented by Yeon-Joo.

    <em>¡®Right, next.¡¯</em>

    He turned to Lilith. Since he sessfully managed to propose to Seol-Ah, it was Lilith¡¯s turn next.

    ¡°Lilith.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is it my turn this time?¡±

    Lilith smiled alluringly as always. Kang-Woo nodded and walked toward her.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lilith caressed her wedding dress which had a backless design. ¡°This reminds me of when we got married in Hell.¡±

    She had not worn a wedding dress like this back then but special clothes made with a material difficult to find in Hell.

    ¡°But of course, things have changed so muchpared to back then.¡±

    Lilith giggled as she expressed slight sorrow. Kang-Woo, who had dered war against the seven princes of Hell, had a political marriage with Lilith for their forces to unite. She still remembered his face during the wedding ceremony with countless demons attending it.

    ¡°Your expression was of¡­ extreme disgust.¡±

    ¡°

    ¡°I know. You didn¡¯t love me back then.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    To be more exact, Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t love Lilith, a woman with looks that couldn¡¯t be epted in terms of human beauty standards. Peoplemonly said that inner beauty was more important than outer beauty but there was a point where that couldn¡¯t apply.

    ¡°W-Wait! What the hell does that mean?!¡±

    ¡°H-Hm?! You were married, Kang-Woo?!¡±

    Yeon-Joo and Echidna stared at them in shock. They had lived together for a while but it was their first time hearing that Kang-Woo and Lilith were spouses.

    ¡°Hoho. There¡¯s nothing to be shocked about. Our marriage back then was but an empty engagement with no love.¡±

    Kang-Woo and Lilith decided to consider that political marriage never happened. Kang-Woo had never once called Lilith his wife after their marriage.

    ¡°B-But still¡­¡±

    ¡°Shockers! Huge shockers!¡±

    Yeon-Joo and Echidna still couldn¡¯t get over that Kang-Woo and Lilith had already married once. Kang-Woo smirked as he stared at the two shocked women.

    ¡°Lilith is right. My marriage with Lilith back then was only for political gain, but now is different.¡± Kang-Woo got on one knee in front of Lilith as he had done with Seol-Ah. ¡°Lilith.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my king.¡±

    Lilith smiled and brought her left hand forward. Kang-Woo gently reached for her hand and grabbed it. Her hand was clean, free of hideous tentacles and pus.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? For what?¡± Lilith tilted her head in wonder.

    ¡°I made you wait far too long.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Lilith flinched. She closed her eyes to think and then slowly shook her head. She gently stroked Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek and continued, ¡°No, I am also at fault. I didn¡¯t try to understand you. I was off in my little world and tried to force you into loving what you hated.¡±

    A tear fell on the back of her hand caressing Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°But I¡¯m happy, hehe. It took a long time, but¡­ I¡¯ve gained your true love atst.¡±

    Lilith¡¯s centuries¡¯ worth of unrequited love had bore fruit atst.

    ¡°Hoho. I wonder why? The tears¡­ won¡¯t stop.¡±

    Lilith wiped her tears with the back of her hand. They did not stop despite her knowing such a sight did not suit her.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°It¡¯s okay to cry,¡± said Kang-Woo as he took out a ring just for her. It was the same as Seol-Ah¡¯s¡ª a beautiful ck ring with golden light mixed in it. ¡°Today is your day.¡±

    He ced the ring on her left ring finger.

    ¡°My king¡­ No, h-honey.¡±

    Lilith smiled, her cheeks bright red. She twisted as she gently stroked the ring on her finger. It was Kang-Woo¡¯s first time seeing such a side to Lilith.

    ¡°Honey¡­ Mmm. It¡¯s hard to get used to this. I think I should keep calling you my king for the time being.¡± Lilith sighed softly and shook her head. She softly embraced Kang-Woo and whispered sweetly, ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you for something. Could you hear me out?¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded without hesitation and answered, ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Lilith smiled and asked, ¡°Could you¡­ call me <em>honey </em>just once?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    It seemed she had always wanted Kang-Woo to address her with a title used only by spouses ever since they got married in the Ninth Hell. Kang-Woo smiled and grabbed her by the waist.

    ¡°Just once? I¡¯ll call you that as much as you like, honey.¡±

    ¡°Hohoho. My, I¡¯m¡­ so happy that this doesn¡¯t feel real.¡± Lilith trembled and kissed Kang-Woo. ¡°Fufu. But since you¡¯ll have three honeys from now on, please just call me that only when there¡¯s just the two of us.¡±

    Lilith winked and stepped backward. With this, Kang-Woo¡¯s proposal to Lilith seeded as well. Just one person remained.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t wanna hear those cringy-ass lines, so just put the ring on my finger already!¡± Yeon-Joo shouted as she jutted her left arm forward, noticing her turn had arrived.

    ¡°No,¡± Kang-Woo replied.

    ¡°Huh? No what?¡±

    Kang-Woo smirked as he stared at Yeon-Joo. ¡°You¡¯re not getting a ring, Yeon-Joo.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression crumpled.

 Side Story Chapter 126: Engagement Ceremony (4)

    ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡±

    Cha Yeon-Joo red at Oh Kang-Woo in anger. Although she was third, she was also one of Kang-Woo¡¯s lovers.

    She questioned aggressively, ¡°You¡¯re not discriminating just because I¡¯m the third, are you?¡±

    Kang-Woo smirked and shook his head.

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Then why am I the only one who¡¯s not getting a ring?¡± Yeon-Joo asked in rage.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying I won¡¯t give you one. If so, I wouldn¡¯t have even bothered to make this one here.¡±

    Kang-Woo took out a ring box from his pocket and shook it in front of her.

    ¡°Then what¡­?¡±¡°I have a condition.¡±

    ¡°A condition?¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    Yeon-Joo frowned. ¡°The hell? There weren¡¯t any conditions for Seol-Ah and Lilith unnie.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re special, Yeon-Joo.¡±

    ¡°Special how?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    <em>¡®You¡¯re fun to tease, obviously.¡¯</em>

    The corners of Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth soared. Just thinking about teasing her sent sparks throughout his body.

    <em>¡®Aaaahh, I¡¯m so thrilled!!!¡¯</em>

    He felt like he was dying of joy just imagining it¡ª Yeon-Joo¡¯s red face and her shivers of humiliation.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo exhaled heatedly.

    Teasing Yeon-Joo was like a powerful narcotic he could never free himself from.

    ¡°Wh-What? What?! Y-You son of a bitch!!! You¡¯re nning on teasing me again, aren¡¯t you?!!¡± shouted Yeon-Joo, her face bright red. ¡°Goddammit!!! Don¡¯t you ever get tired of constantly teasing me?!!¡±

    ¡°Man¡­ What are you talking about? How could I ever get tired of it?¡±

    Teasing Yeon-Joo was always a fresh new experience.

    ¡°Hehehe. Now, then, I can tell you what my condition is, right?¡±

    ¡°No!! I won¡¯t do it!!! Fuck the condition, I won¡¯t do shit!!!¡± shouted Yeon-Joo teary-eyed.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Kang-Woo shrugged and put the ring box back in his pocket as if he had nothing to lose. ¡°Well, forget the ring, then.¡±

    ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± Yeon-Joo flinched as she bit her lip anxiously. She stared at Kang-Woo as her eyes shook and asked in panic, ¡°Y-You bastard¡­ Y-You¡¯re joking about not giving me a ring, right?¡±

    She knew Kang-Woo was tantly teasing her but was also worried that someone like Kang-Woo wouldn¡¯t give her the ring to the very end.

    ¡°Hehe. You know what you have to do if you want the ring, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled slyly and tapped the ring box in his pocket over his clothes. Yeon-Joo bit her lip and clenched her fists.

    She narrowed her eyes and asked cautiously, ¡°What is¡­ the condition? What do I have to do?¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to fall for Kang-Woo¡¯s ploy but didn¡¯t want to give up on the ring either. Kang-Woo smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for much.¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He took out his smartphone and handed it to her. On the screen was a short manga titled <em>The Clich¨¦s of an Average Japanese Ro</em>.

    ¡°What the hell is this¡­?¡±

    Yeon-Joo frowned and read the manga.

    <em>- Wee home, dear.</em>

    The manga showed a woman in an apron weing home the protagonist with a seductive smile.

    <em>- Would you like dinner? A bath? Or¡­</em>

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened the further she went into the manga. It was such a famous line that even she knew how it went despite not being interested in a subculture like this. She did not even need to read the final part of the sentence to know what it said.

    ¡°You want me¡­ to do this?¡±

    Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo, her eyes brimming with fury. She couldn¡¯t believe he wanted her to say something so crazy that no sane person could dare say it.

    ¡°Yup.¡± Kang-Woo nodded with a smile.

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s expression crumpled.

    ¡°DON¡¯T FUCK WITH ME DAMMIT!!! HOW THE FUCK DO YOU EXPECT ME TO SAY THIS CRAZY ASS LINE?!!¡± she shouted as she swung her fist.

    Kang-Woo jutted his hip back to dodge her fist.

    ¡°Really? Well, I guess that¡¯s it, then.¡± He shrugged and turned to Echidna. ¡°Right, since I¡¯ve given out all the rings, let¡¯s move on to the next event.¡±

    ¡°You son of a¡­! Hand over the goddamn ring!!¡±

    Yeon-Joo charged at Kang-Woo as she panted heavily. Even if it was a joke, she didn¡¯t want to be the only one who wasn¡¯t given a ring.

    <em>¡®I-I mean, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t live without that ring or anything!!!¡¯</em>

    She anxiously bit her lip and turned to look at the rings on Lilith and Seol-Ah¡¯s left hands. The ring was so beautiful that even she, who didn¡¯t care much about essories, was enamored by it. No, it didn¡¯t matter whether the ring was beautiful or not¡ª that ring was the proof of engagement that Kang-Woo had made for this day.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s just that it¡¯d be w-weird if I was the only one without one! Yeah! D-Don¡¯t get the wrong idea!¡¯</em>

    Yeon-Joo was also an official wife so being discriminated against was uneptable. Her expression was filled with certainty and affirmation.

    <em>¡®Yeah. This is purely for maintaining my rtionship with Seol-Ah and Lilith, nothing more!¡¯</em>

    Not even Yeon-Joo was sure why she was bringing up her rtionship with Seol-Ah and Lilith out of the blue but that was not important right now. What mattered was the ring in Kang-Woo¡¯s pocket. She needed that ring on her left ring finger as well as proof that she wasn¡¯t just a partner and that they had promised each other¡¯s futures to each other.

    ¡°Hahaha!!! Take it if you can!!!¡±

    ¡°Argh!! You motherfucker¡ª!!¡±

    <em>Swoosh! Swoosh!</em>

    Kang-Woo cackled as he dodged Yeon-Joo¡¯s swipes. Vessels bulged from Yeon-Joo¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Hand it the fuck over!!!¡±

    <em>tter¡ª!!</em>

    Countless red chains covered in thorns poured out of her bracelets and slithered freely like snakes, aiming for Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t want your dress getting ruined, do we?¡±

    ¡°Kyaah!¡±

    Kang-Woo moved to Yeon-Joo¡¯s shadow behind her using the Authority of Shadows and hugged her from behind to restrain her arms. The chains slithering freely fell to the ground helplessly.

    ¡°Y-You motherfucker¡­!¡±

    Yeon-Joo red at Kang-Woo fiercely. She was so frustrated that she was tearing up a little. Kang-Woo smirked and grabbed her chin to turn her head toward him and kissed her.

    ¡°M-Mrrp!¡± Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened.

    Kang-Woo whispered in her ear, ¡°I¡¯m just joking. Did you seriously think I wouldn¡¯t give you a ring?¡±

    ¡°You son of a¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo bared her teeth as she red at Kang-Woo. She used the pointy part of her high heel to stomp on Kang-Woo¡¯s foot.

    Kang-Woo erased his smirk and stared at her seriously to say, ¡°But Yeon-Joo, I¡¯m serious when I say I want to hear you say that line.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ Are you still saying that kind of shit?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, that kind of shit?¡± Kang-Woo shook his head. ¡°I know that line is childish and embarrassing.¡±

    ¡°Why do you keep asking me if you know that?¡±

    ¡°But what does that matter?¡± Kang-Woo stared at her in seriousness. ¡°So what if it¡¯s embarrassing? So what if it¡¯s childish?¡±

    There was no one but him and his lovers in the engagement ceremony.

    ¡°I only want¡­ to see the lovely side of my beloved Yeon-Joo.¡±

    ¡°L-Lovely side?¡± Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes shook. She shook her head and shouted, ¡°S-Stop bullshitting, dammit!! You¡¯re just trying to tease me again!!¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°Then, what?!! Why do I have to say that embarrassing line?!!¡±

    ¡°Darling and Lilith ask me for weird requests like calling them noona or Mommy.¡±

    ¡°What? Th-They did?¡±

    Yeon-Joo turned to Han Seol-Ah and Lilith in disbelief.

    ¡°My, you¡¯re saying that here?¡±

    ¡°Hohoho.¡±

    The two women stepped backward as they smiled awkwardly after being called out.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± slurred Yeon-Joo in bafflement.

    ¡°I mean¡­ I get embarrassed too when I say that kind of stuff, but I think I understand why Darling and Lilith ask me to do things like that.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s nice seeing a side of your lover that you normally don¡¯t get to see.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    It was a load of bullshit that didn¡¯t even deserve to be refuted.

    <em>¡®But¡­ why is it so convincing?¡¯</em>

    An inexplicable sense of thrill rose from deep inside Yeon-Joo when she imagined Kang-Woo calling her noona.

    ¡°F-Fine! Leaving all that aside!! Why am I the only one who has to say that embarrassing line?!¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re the most special to me!!!¡±

    ¡°Wh-What?¡±

    Yeon-Joo stepped backward, her face as red as a tomato. Kang-Woo walked forward and grabbed her by the waist.

    ¡°Darling and Lilith feel like newlyweds to me. No, it goes beyond that; I sometimes feel like we¡¯ve been married for years.¡±

    However, Yeon-Joo was different. Unlike the two women who were not embarrassed to express their love, Yeon-Joo was still embarrassed to actively express her love for Kang-Woo.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone else. I want to see¡­ a fresh side of you, Yeon-Joo,¡± said Kang Woo as seriously as one traveling the world in search of the truth.

    ¡°U-Urgh¡­¡± Yeon-Joo bit her lip, influenced by his mellow words.

    ¡°Here, I¡¯ll give you the ring. It¡¯s up to you whether you want to do it or not.¡±

    Kang-Woo took out the ring box from his pocket and ced the ring on Yeon-Joo¡¯s left ring finger. Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes shook.

    ¡°D-Do you want to hear it that badly?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo nodded without hesitation.

    His eyes no longer carried any hint of yful emotion; they werepletely serious. They were zing with pure desire to see a new side of his wife.

    ¡°...¡±

    Yeon-Joo hesitated. She dragged the tip of her heel on the floor and repeatedly opened and closed her fists.

    ¡°D-Do you really want to hear me say it because¡­ I¡¯m the most special to you?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°A-Ahem!!¡± Yeon-Joo coughed as she averted her gaze from him. ¡°D-Don¡¯t you dare¡­ tease me for it afterward, got it?¡±

    ¡°I swear I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°A-And don¡¯t take pictures of videos!!!¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Kang-Woo took out his smartphone and tossed it on the couch.

    ¡°Urghhh,¡± Yeon-Joo groaned as she twisted around. She recited the words she had read in the manga, ¡°W-W-W-W-W-W-Wel¡­ Wee h-h-h-h-ho¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t stop her voice from trembling. A mind-whitening sense of humiliation and embarrassment filled her head.

    ¡°H-H-H-Home¡­ Dear.¡±

    Her teeth cked. She opened her eyes and saw Kang-Woo staring at her lovingly without any intention of teasing her.

    <em>¡®Th-That fucking pervert!¡¯</em>

    She was getting hot despite criticizing him in her head.

    <em>¡®D-Does he love me that much?¡¯</em>

    The moment of Kang-Woo calling her the most special to him continuously reyed in her head. The corners of her mouth rose despite being so embarrassed that she could die at any moment.

    ¡°W-Would you like¡­ dinner? A-A-A-A b-bath? Or¡­ Or¡­¡±

    It was time to say the final word.

    ¡°M-M-M-M-M-M-M¡­¡± Yeon-Joo shut her eyes tightly and said, ¡°Me¡­?¡±

    <em>¡®O;noa;dnfonqo;ncvo;andfklj;sdbnfkj wl;dbclASD fl e cvk;aBD¡¯</em>

    Fragments ofnguage stormed inside her head. She was so embarrassed that she felt like she was about to puke out her intestines.

    <em>¡®B-But¡­¡¯</em>

    She was also curious to see Kang-Woo¡¯s reaction. She wondered if he was just as embarrassed as she was or if he was happy despite the embarrassment. She opened her tightly shut eyes and stared at him full of anticipation.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled as he stared at Yeon-Joo.

    ¡°...?¡±

    ¡°Dayum, you seriously said it?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in your thirties. Don¡¯t you have any shame?¡±

    Something broke inside her head.

    ¡°YOU MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!!!¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s red hair, which was in a ponytail, fluttered as shended a clean somersault kick on Kang-Woo¡¯s chin.

 Side Story Chapter 127: Engagement Ceremony (5)

    There was a small disturbance in the middle but the engagement ceremony fortunately ended as a massive sess. Oh Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at his three lovers, still in their wedding dresses.

    ¡°Hehe. We¡¯re spouses now, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ wasn¡¯t this an engagement ceremony, not a wedding ceremony?¡± Lilith asked as she tilted her head.

    ¡°Same thing.¡±

    ¡°Hohoho. Then why didn¡¯t we just have a wedding ceremony?¡±

    It was a valid question but Kang-Woo shook his head and answered, ¡°We need to have a magnificent wedding with everyone invited.¡±

    It was a bitckluster to call the tiny ceremony at home a wedding ceremony.

    ¡°Hehe. I don¡¯t mind whichever.¡±

    Han Seol-Ah smiled as she stroked the ring Kang-Woo gave her. She didn¡¯t care about having a grand wedding now that she had be his official wife. Her dream hade true atst.¡°Kang-Woo~¡±

    Seol-Ah embraced Kang-Woo, her eyes slightly hazy. She felt like her heart was going to burst from uncontainable happiness.

    ¡°Hm! Kang-Woo! Hold off on the wedding until I be a mature dragon!!¡±

    Echidna, the host of the engagement ceremony, snorted loudly as she clenched her fists. She seemed to have gotten jealous after seeing how happy the three wives were.

    Kang-Woo smirked and patted Echidna¡¯s head. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do that.¡±

    ¡°Hoho. Then I guess the wedding will have to wait a while.¡±

    Dragons normally became adults once they passed eight hundred years old. Since Echidna was five hundred years old, she would have to wait another three hundred years.

    Echidna shook her head and shouted, ¡°Hm! No! I¡¯m growing way~ faster than other dragons thanks to Kang-Woo!¡±

    As she said, her growth speed was far faster than other dragons her age. She was even using dragon tongue magic normally used by a select few mature dragons.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be a mature dragon in a year or two¡­ three years at thetest!!¡± shouted Echidna with shining eyes.

    ¡°That quickly?¡±

    ¡°Hm! That¡¯s what my fan told me!¡±

    ¡°Fan? Oh,e to think of it, the Dragon God is part of your fan club.¡±

    If it was what the Dragon God said, it was credible.

    <em>¡®Three years, huh?¡¯</em>

    It was quite a long time for normal people but for Kang-Woo, whose lifespan was close to eternity, it wasn¡¯t that long.

    <em>¡®Then I guess we can have the wedding in three years.¡¯</em>

    It should be more than enough time to settle the score with Akart.

    ¡°... won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I WON¡¯T MARRY SOMEONE LIKE YOU!¡± shouted Cha Yeon-Joo as she panted heavily.

    Her rage from earlier had yet to die down. Kang-Woo walked behind the angry Yeon-Joo and hugged her.

    ¡°I said I was sorry.¡±

    ¡°Urgh!! You knew it was something to apologize for but you did it anyway!!¡±

    Yeon-Joo bared her teeth and stepped on Kang-Woo¡¯s foot with all her might.

    <em>¡°M-M-M-M-M-M-M¡­ Me¡­?¡±</em>

    ¡°ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!¡± Yeon-Joo screamed as she pulled on her hair, being forced to be reminded of an unforgettable dark past.

    ¡°Hahaha! But for real, you were super cute, Yeon-Joo.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t believe any more of your bullsh¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡±

    Kang-Woo turned his head toward Yeon-Joo as if to prove it was the truth and kissed her voraciously.

    ¡°Mmmmrph!!¡±

    Yeon-Joo flinched wide-eyed but did not push him away. She could feel his soft tongue in her mouth.

    ¡°B-Bwaha!! Wh-What the fuck are you doing in front of others?! It¡¯s embarrassing!!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not just others. We¡¯re all a family now.¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo averted her gaze from him, her cheeks as red as a tomato. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t feel the zing rage from her anymore.

    ¡°Haaa. For fuck¡¯s sake¡­ Why did I end up falling for¡­¡±

    Yeon-Joo sighed and stretched out Kang-Woo¡¯s cheeks. What frustrated her the most was that even in this situation, a part of her mind was thinking ¡°Oh, he looks kinda cute when I pull on his cheeks.¡± She also knew she had already fallen for Kang-Woo to the point that she could never part from him.

    ¡°Well¡­ I-I¡¯ll be in your care from now on.¡±

    ¡°Hehehe. You can trust your oppa. You¡¯ll never have to work a day.¡±

    ¡°Heh, says the bum who lives off of my allowance.¡±

    ¡°

    Kang-Woo, the unemployed stay-at-home husband, flinched and averted his gaze from Yeon-Joo. He used to have a lot of money saved up but after buying this entire building, remodeling it to his liking, and investing the rest into Lilith¡¯s intelligence organization, he had be broke.

    He could request Guardians for money but he was but a titr member; he did no real work in the organization. He wasn¡¯t shameless enough to demand money despite not evening to work.

    ¡°Ngh. I¡¯ll have to farm for mana stones in Gates or something¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo could easily make trillions of won a day if he went all-out monster hunting. Yeon-Joo smirked and pulled on Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°Forget it. This noona of yours will keep giving you your allowance, so just stay cooped up at home.¡±

    ¡°Yeon-Joo noona¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo was about to burst into tears.

    ¡°Hohoho. Well, then¡­¡± Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes shone as she moved behind Echidna.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Seol-Ah?¡± Echidna asked.

    ¡°Get some rest, Echidna.¡±

    ¡°H-Hm¡­? W-Wait!¡±

    A dark light flowed from Seol-Ah¡¯s hand on Echidna¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°A-Aghh¡­¡±

    Echidna swayed as her eyelids went down. Seol-Ah had used a spell among her arsenal of curses which caused one to fall asleep. Echidna possessed phenomenal magical resistance since she was a dragon but she couldn¡¯t resist the magic of Seol-Ah who had surpassed the former Celestial Goddess Seraph.

    ¡°Mmmrgh.¡±

    Seol-Ah caught Echidna as she copsed and carried her to her room to put her to bed.

    ¡°Right, then, Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah?¡±

    She pulled out a piece of paper from her wedding dress and waved it around. It was the premarital contract that Kang-Woo was forced to put his thumbprint on.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to fulfill the conditions of this contract ?¡±

    ¡°But you said that was a joke¡­¡±

    ¡°Hohoho. Not today~ Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Seol-Ah said as she looked to Lilith and Yeon-Joo for approval.

    ¡°Fufufu.¡±

    ¡°A-Ahem!!¡±

    Lilith smiled alluringly like always and Yeon-Joo simply coughed as she reddened. Neither of them refused.

    ¡°Hmm. I see.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded as he stared at his wives in the wedding dresses. It was not hard to figure out what they wanted; after all, he also felt the same way.

    <em>¡®But sixty rounds is a bit overkill.¡¯</em>

    However, he was nning on doing his best.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t run from the battlefield when duty calls!¡¯</em>

    He clenched his fists and opened his eyes wide. He was an unemployed stay-at-home husband, so he should at least do his best at something. Not only that but he could barely contain his desire just from staring at his wives in their wedding dresses.

    ¡°All three of you, follow me.¡±

    Kang-Woo aggressively swung open the door to their bedroom as he undid his tuxedo necktie and threw it aside.

    ¡°My, Kang-Woo~¡±

    ¡°Hoho, you¡¯re full of energy today.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re made of.¡±

    The three wives each said their piece as they entered the bedroom.

    ***

    ¡°Mmm~ Haaah!¡±

    Lilith stretched with her arms over her headte at dawn. Her skin was glossy and she was smiling in satisfaction.

    <em>ck.</em>

    Seol-Ah, who had just finished her shower, opened the door carefully and entered the room.

    She asked in a whisper, ¡°Is Kang-Woo still sleeping?¡±

    ¡°Fufu. Yup, as soundly as a baby.¡±

    Lilith nodded as she gently stroked the sleeping Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    Yeon-Joo, who also finished her shower, dried her hair with a towel and asked, ¡°I wonder if he was especially tired today?¡±

    Kang-Woo would usually be full of energy at this time but he was sprawled in bed with no sign of waking up.

    ¡°Hoho. I¡¯m sure he was exhausted,¡± Lilith remarked.

    ¡°Why?¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ¡°Mmm. I¡¯ll tell youter.¡±

    Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo did not know yet but Kang-Woo had taken part in the engagement ceremony without any rest for the whole time he was stuck in the time loop and battling Akart¡¯s retainers. He would naturally be exhausted both physically and mentally.

    ¡°Y-You should¡¯ve told me if you knew that, unnie. I would¡¯ve let him get some rest if I knew¡­¡±

    Seol-Ah shuffled her feet in panic. If she had known Kang-Woo was already exhausted, she wouldn¡¯t have suggested they suck him dry.

    ¡°Hoho. It¡¯s what the king wanted. And don¡¯t worry so much. He¡¯s just a little tired, so he¡¯ll be all better once he wakes up.¡±

    ¡°Ngh. Even so¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. More importantly, I thought of a good idea. Want to hear it?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What idea?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°Hohoho.¡± Lilith smiled and ced her hand over Kang-Woo¡¯s forehead. ¡°You both remember I got the Trait¡¾Delver of Dreams¡¿when the King granted us with Traits, right?¡±

    ¡°Huh? A-Are you suggesting¡­¡±

    ¡°You want to take a p-peek into Kang-Woo¡¯s dream?!¡±

    ¡°My, don¡¯t say it like that. People would think we¡¯re doing something bad if they didn¡¯t know better.¡±

    Lilith was simply curious about what her beloved husband was dreaming about, nothing more.

    ¡°U-Urghhh, kuh.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned and groaned as if he were having a nightmare. Seol-Ah¡¯s eyes lit up as she sat next to Lilith.

    ¡°I think Kang-Woo is having a bad dream, unnie! It is our duty as his wives to find out what sort of nightmare he is suffering from!¡±

    She was panting heatedly from the fact that she could take a peek at Kang-Woo¡¯s dream. Lilith smiled as she got Seol-Ah¡¯s approval and nodded. She slowly brought her hand close to Kang-Woo¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Well, then¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait! Just a second, unnie!!¡±

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Lilith tilted her head as she looked at Yeon-Joo who suddenly stretched out her hand to stop her. Yeon-Joo looked down at Kang-WOo with a serious face.

    ¡°We¡¯re¡­ about to look at what this guy is dreaming about, right?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°In that case¡ª¡±

    Yeon-Joo stormed to the kitchen and brought something back from the refrigerator.

    She smiled and shouted, ¡°You can¡¯t forget about this!¡±

    <em>Fizz¡ª!</em>

    Yeon-Joo giggled as she opened a can of beer. Not drinking beer when they were about to have front-row seats to Kang-Woo¡¯s dream was a crime.

    ¡°Hohoho. You can¡¯t get drunk from that anyway,¡± Seol-Ah remarked.

    ¡°It¡¯s the mood that¡¯s important!¡±

    ¡°Fufu. In that case, give me just a second. I¡¯ll make us some snacks.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thanks!¡±

    Seol-Ah went to the kitchen to take out cheese, crackers, and strawberry jam from the refrigerator to make some simple snacks. She also came back to the room with a beer in hand, her expression filled with excitement.

    ¡°Cheers.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve had alcohol at home.¡±

    Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo nked their beer cans together. Lilith giggled as she looked at them.

    ¡°Right, then. Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    Lilith ced her hand over Kang-Woo¡¯s forehead and activated the Trait [Delver of Dreams.]

    <em>Whoooom!</em>

    A rectangr holographic screen,rge enough for the three women to view it together, appeared on top of Kang-Woo¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    On the screen was Kang-Woo walking through the Ninth Hell filled with red sand and Balrog following behind him.

 Side Story Chapter 128: Thousand-Year War (1)

    ¡°The hell? Is this son of a bitch dreaming about Balrog after what we did yesterday?¡±

    Cha Yeon-Joo frowned as she stared at the screen. One¡¯s dreams were usually based on a memory that left a powerful impact on them. One would dream of a game if they had yed it for the entire day the day before, or of an impactful scene in a movie or TV show.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    There were, of course, instances where that wasn¡¯t the case but Yeon-Joo did not expect Kang-Woo to be having a dream about Balrog despite the engagement ceremony they held yesterday, which was a once-in-a-lifetime event.

    Seol-Ah also tilted her head in wonder. ¡°Y-Yeah, I also thought he¡¯d be dreaming about our engagement ceremony for sure.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Only Lilith was staring at the screen in silence.

    ¡°This¡­¡± She narrowed her eyes as he stared at Kang-Woo and Balrog walking along the deste rednd. ¡°Isn¡¯t a dream.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? Then what is it, unnie?¡±¡°What else could this be but a dream?¡±

    ¡°A¡­ memory,¡± said Lilith quietly as she slowly moved her hand on Kang-Woo¡¯s forehead. ¡°This is¡­ the king¡¯s memory.¡±

    A fragment of his memory was ying through Lilith¡¯s Trait.

    ¡°Eh? Wasn¡¯t your Trait the ability to disy dreams?¡± asked Yeon-Joo wide-eyed.

    Lilith swiped her fingers in midair as she read through her status window in more detail and shook her head.

    ¡°It looks like the Trait can disy someone¡¯s memory instead of dreams if a specific condition is met. I had no idea, I only found out just now.¡±

    ¡°And what condition is that?¡±

    ¡°Mm. Just a moment.¡± Lilith swiped the air several times again and suddenly smiled widely. ¡°My, my~ Fufu. My king, you flirt~¡±

    ¡°What is it, unnie?¡±

    ¡°Fufu. I can only view the target¡¯s memories if the rtionship between me and the target is one of absolute trust.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Yeon-Joo snickered once she found out why Lilith was twisting around in pure joy. It was only natural since it was proof that Kang-Woo trusted Lilith unconditionally.

    ¡°So that means this isn¡¯t Kang-Woo¡¯s dream but his memory?¡± Seol-Ah asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Seol-Ah expressed as she softly pped her hands together. ¡°Kang-Woo¡¯s past¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo rarely talked about his past. All Seol-Ah knew was that he fell into Hell ten millennia ago and that he rose to be the Demon King after defeating the seven princes of Hell through countless hellish trials. She had no idea about the wretched things Kang-Woo had to go through in detail.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ¡°Unnie, then exactly when is this memory from? Since he¡¯s with Balrog, will you also appear at some point?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°No¡­¡± Lilith shook her head. ¡°This is from before when he met me.¡±

    ¡°Before? Didn¡¯t you guys meet in the Ninth Hell?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I guess I¡¯ll have to exin.¡±

    Kang-Woo told Lilith not to mention what happened in the Ninth Hell if possible but she felt like an exnation was needed.

    ¡°The king arrived at the Ninth Hell nine millennia after he first fell into the First Hell.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard about that.¡±

    ¡°He met Balrog as soon as he arrived at the Ninth Hell and dered war against the seven princes of Hell soon after that.¡±

    That was the trigger for the Thousand-Year War, the event that changed the entire Ninth Hell.

    ¡°If the warsted a thousand years¡­ does that mean Kang-Woo dered war pretty much as soon as he arrived at the Ninth Hell?¡±

    ¡°Sheesh, that¡¯s Oh Kang-Woo for you.¡±

    Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo expressed great interest in Kang-Woo¡¯s story. Dering war against all seven princes of Hell, the strongest of the Ninth Hell as soon as he set foot in their territory was so extreme that one could wonder whether it was gant or idiotic.

    ¡°The king met me about two hundred years after the war began.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so he only had Balrog to go around with at that time?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    Lilith nodded.

    Yeon-Joo stared at the screen with great interest and asked, ¡°But why did he dere war so abruptly?¡±

    Kang-Woo never picked a fight until he had sufficient preparations. It was unlike him to wage war as soon as he arrived at the Ninth Hell.

    ¡°About that¡­¡± Lilith slurred as she narrowed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either.¡±

    ¡°Eh? You don¡¯t know, unnie?¡±

    ¡°The king hasn¡¯t told me about those days.¡±

    ¡°Then the video we¡¯re seeing right now is¡­¡±

    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s right.¡± Lilith nodded as she stared intently at the footage. ¡°It¡¯s about the days I¡¯ve never heard about from the king.¡±

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Yeon-Joo expressed as she fixed her sitting posture.

    The two hundred years from when Kang-Woo arrived at the Ninth Hell to his meeting with Lilith werepletely nk; not even Lilith knew about it. One could only be curious about such precious memories.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep watching!!¡±

    ¡°Hoho, calm down.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I get to see Kang-Woo¡¯s past¡­¡±

    The three women focused on the footage, full of anticipation.

    Kang-Woo turned to Balrog as they were endlessly walking along the deste red in. He was frowning in displeasure for some reason.

    <em>- How long are you going to keep following me?</em>

    <em>- Until I get my answer,</em> Balrog replied apathetically.

    ¡°Whoa, what the hell? Is Balrog speaking informally to Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Wh-What a surprise.¡±

    Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah were left wide-eyed.

    Kang-Woo continued, <em>- I told you to find your answer up your mommy¡¯s coochie.</em>

    ¡°He¡¯s as foul-mouthed as always.¡±

    <em>- I have no such thing as parents.</em>

    <em>- Dayum.</em>

    <em>- Why are you so surprised?</em>

    <em>- I mean, isn¡¯t it weirder to not be surprised by the fact that someone doesn¡¯t have parents?</em>

    <em>- Most demons are born from the </em>Seed of Demonic Energy.<em> You can count on one hand the number of demons born through reproduction.</em>

    Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah naturally turned to Lilith after hearing Balrog¡¯s apathetic reply.

    ¡°Yeah, Balrog is right.¡±

    ¡°Really? And what is this Seed of Demonic Energy?¡±

    ¡°Mmm. Not even demons are sure about that. Something like a ck Rift forms in midair¡­ and a demon is born from it.¡±

    Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah enthusiastically asked Lilith about several other things after hearing several pieces of new information. After answering a few more questions, Lilith pointed at the screen and smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll answer all of your questionster, so why don¡¯t we focus on the video?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Sorry, unnie.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll keep watching.¡±

    The three women focused on the footage in silence.

    ***

    ¡°Alright, fine. Let¡¯s say that you don¡¯t have a mommy. Why are you trying to find whatever answer you¡¯re trying to find from me? In the first ce, what the fuck are you even curious about?¡±

    ¡°How were you¡­¡± Balrog stared at Kang-Woo with shaking eyes. ¡°Able to reach the Ninth Hell all the way from the First Hell?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m strong as fuck.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Is that it? Then stop being a bother and fuck off.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Balrog stared at Kang-Woo with deeply sunken eyes. ¡°Are not strong.¡±

    It was the truth. Balrog had seen the human known as Oh Kang-Woo fighting several times in the time they were together but he was not particrly strong. The human was indeed far stronger than the average demon of the Ninth Hell. However, forget the seven princes of Hell¡ª even the archdemons could defeat him easily. Even Balrog himself could defeat the human with ease.

    <em>¡®At this moment, anyway.¡¯</em>

    The thing Balrog found hardest to understand was that the human Oh Kang-Woo was growing stronger the more he ate demons or demonic beasts¡ª at an unbelievable rate, no less.

    ¡°I need that ability,¡± Balrog remarked.

    ¡°What ability?¡±

    ¡°Your ability to grow stronger by eating demons.¡±

    ¡°Oh, the Authority of Predation? I can¡¯t give it to you even if I want to, man.¡±

    Kang-Woo shrugged and shook his head. Demons couldn¡¯t transfer their Authority to other demons.

    <em>¡®Nor do I have a reason to.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was leaving the demon Balrog alone at the moment because he was severely outmatched but the demon would also be his prey in the future.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll devour you whole one day.¡¯</em>

    Balrog¡¯s abundant and powerful demonic energy would help Kang-Woo achieve his goal.

    ¡°I see. I had my hopes up because a human possessed it.¡±

    ¡®Not a chance.¡±

    ¡°That aside, human. You are after the seven princes of Hell, are you not?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. What of it?¡±

    ¡°Why¡­ are you after them?¡±

    ¡°Because I need their weapons,¡± Kang-Woo answered as he clicked his tongue.

    ¡°You need the Hell Armaments?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I heard those weapons grant the power to tear through dimensions once all of them are gathered.¡± He gritted his teeth and continued, ¡°I¡¯m gonna use that power to return to Earth.¡±

    ¡°Earth? Ohh, you¡¯re referring to the world of humans.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Kang-Woo nodded firmly.

    It seemed like Kang-Woo was answering without hesitation but Balrog saw a hint of exhaustion in Kang-Woo¡¯s expression. Balrog sighed.

    ¡°What an empty dream.¡±

    Gathering the seven Hell Armaments was so absurd that one would have to be insane to think of it.

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± Kang-Woo replied in irritation.

    ¡°Well, regardless.¡± Balrog continued to follow Kang-Woo. ¡°If your objective is to kill the princes of Hell¡­¡± Giant footsteps formed on the red sand. ¡°I will join you.¡±

    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo shook his head, sick and tired of the demon Balrog.

    <em>¡®Come to think of it, they called him a remnant.¡¯</em>

    He heard Balrog used to serve the prince of Hell Beelzebub but lost his master at the hands of a demon named Bael. In that case, his target was most likely Bael, the demon who killed his master.

    <em>¡®Well¡­ I guess it doesn¡¯t matter for now.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed to kill Bael sooner orter since his goal was to gather the Hell Armaments. He wouldn¡¯t mind havingpany along the way since their goals partially matched.

    <em>¡®I can just kill himter if he bes a nuisance.¡¯</em>

    Whatever the case, nothing bad woulde out of letting Balrog apany him. After all, Balrog was far stronger than him at the moment.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    And with that, Kang-Woo walked along the endless rednd with his very first demonpanion ever since he fell into Hell. He was tortured daily by extreme hunger and thirst when he first arrived in Hell but he did not feel its effects as much now that he had practically be a full demon.

    <em>¡®But I could die at this very moment if I had a piping hot pot of kimchi stew.¡¯</em>

    The pleasure that came from the act of eating, which was etched deep into his brain, harassed him to no end.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed as he kept walking.

    <em>- GAAAAAAAAAAH!!! H-HELP MEEEEE!!!</em>

    Just then, screams echoed from the other side of a red wall of earth.

    ¡°Damn, man¡¯s got bars.¡±

    ¡°Will you go?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Kang-Woo headed to the source of the scream as if it were obvious. ¡°It¡¯s a free corpse to feast on.¡±<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    Lilith said in Chapter 217 that Kang-Woo waged war against the seven princes of Hell to save Balrog, but maybe the author forgot about that¡­?</blockquote>

 Side Story Chapter 129: Thousand-Year War (2)

    ¡°Gaahh! Arghh!! P-Please¡­ Please, d-don¡¯t kill me.¡±

    A slender demon was trembling as he was bowing on his knees. In front of the demon was a demon with gray skin like a rock, trampling on the slender demon as he smiled nastily.

    ¡°Kahahaha!! A <em>Half </em>is nothing but a <em>Half</em>, after all!! How can you even call yourselves demons of the Ninth Hell?!¡±

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    The slender demon bit his lip. The gray-skinned demon red at the slender demon in disgust.

    ¡°A Half should have justid low like the lowlives you are. Why crawl out of your filthy holes to test my patience?¡±

    ¡°Wh-What are you talking about?! You¡¯re the one who trespassed on our territory!!¡±

    ¡°Your territory? What territory could pathetic Halves possibly have?¡±

    ¡°Ngh¡­!¡±The slender demon clenched his fists and shook in frustration. He turned to look behind him.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa, haaa.¡±

    A demon was panting heavily with a massive gash on her chest behind him. She was a Subus with six eyes and light green tentacles. The slender demon stared at the copsed Subus faintly and bowed to the gray-skinned demon again.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ begging you. You are free to kill me but please¡­ leave my little sister alone¡­¡±

    ¡°Tsk. This is the problem with Halves.¡±

    The gray-skinned demon frowned. He couldn¡¯t be more disgusted by a demon garnering sympathy by using the bond of family. He raised his rocklike fist over his head and looked down coldly at the demon bowing at him.

    ¡°Halves are the disgrace of demons. Die.¡±

    Whoosh!

    The fist of death swung down at the demon¡¯s head. Just then, the gray-skinned demon suddenly sensed a presence and turned around.

    ¡°WHO¡¯S THERE?!!¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ¡°Wait, what? You sensed me?¡±

    ¡°A¡­ human?¡±

    A human, a being closer to a myth in Hell, was clicking his tongue at the gray-skinned demon. The demon frowned fiercely.

    <em>¡®Come to think of it, I¡¯ve heard about the human aiming to reach the Ninth Hell from the First Hell.¡¯</em>

    The story of the human was so famous to the point that even the princes of Hell were greatly interested in the human. It was only natural that they would be.

    <em>¡®Considering the precedence being Bael.¡¯</em>

    Bael had reached the Ninth Hell from the First Hell before that human. He caused a massive uproar in Hell after what felt like an eternity and took the seat of Gluttony by killing its predecessor. The princes of Hell had been paying close attention to the human in case something simr showed signs of happening.

    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry about me, and go about your business,¡± the human remarked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo pointed at the trembling demons on the ground and said, ¡°You were gonna pop those two demons¡¯ heads, weren¡¯t you? Do it.¡±

    He had no intention of fighting the gray-skinned demon who seemed strong just from a nce. He was more than satisfied with being able to eat their corpses for free once the demon¡¯s business wasplete.

    ¡°Why should I?¡± the demon asked.

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean? You were gonna do it anyway, weren¡¯t you? So just do it already.¡±

    ¡°Hah, are you telling me to do what a human says?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not saying that. I¡¯m just leaving you to do what you were already gonna do, okay? I¡¯ll just be way over there so I¡¯m not in your way.¡±

    ¡°The arrogance!!!¡±

    ¡°FUCKING HELL¡ª!!! JUST CARRY ON WITH WHAT YOU WERE GONNA DO!!!¡±

    ¡°A true demon never does what anyone tells them to do!!!¡±

    ¡°ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!¡± Kang-Woo screamed as he pulled on his hair.

    He felt like his head was exploding from how illogical and iprehensible the situation was.

    <em>¡®The hell? Are we speaking differentnguages? Do demons of the Ninth Hell use some othernguage? But I¡¯ve been speaking with Balrog just fine.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Why¡­? Why am I not getting through to him?¡±

    Kang-Woo turned to look back at Balrog hiding behind a rock but there was no answer from him. The sense of fear washed over him.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­

    Kang-Woo¡¯s teeth cked. If he couldn¡¯t even speak to demons anymore, he would be truly alone in Hell. Absolute solitude and overwhelming loneliness were worse than despair.

    ¡°Whatever the case, it¡¯s my lucky day! I got to meet a human in a ce like this!¡±

    The gray-skinned demon stared at Kang-Woo with sparkling eyes. That human had gathered the princes¡¯ attention.

    <em>¡®If I offer this human to one of the princes¡­¡¯</em>

    The demon smiled.

    ¡°Human, if you do as I say, I will¡ª¡±

    ¡°Aaaahh. Yes!! That¡¯s it!!!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°My words must havecked feelings!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists as if he had been enlightened. The gray-skinned demon looked down at Kang-Woo and frowned.

    ¡°What have you been talking about since earl¡ª KURGHHH!!¡±

    <em>Boom!</em>

    Kang-Woo jumped high into the air and got on top of the gray-skinned demon. His feet were on the demon¡¯s shoulders and he crouched to grab the demon¡¯s head with both hands.

    ¡°I hope my feelings¡­¡± Kang-Woo pointed the ck de shooting from the back of his hand at the demon¡¯s ear. ¡°Reach you with this.¡±

    ¡°GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    The de made with demonic energy ripped through the demon¡¯s ear, blood spewing from it. Kang-Woo brought his mouth close to the gash.

    ¡°Huup¡ª!!¡± He inhaled as much air as possible and shouted with all his might, ¡°EXCUSE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! CAN YOU HEAR MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!!¡±

    ¡°Kurgh!! G-Get off me!!! GET THE HELL OFF ME!!¡±

    The gray-skinned demon writhed as Kang-Woo¡¯s thunderous voice burst like an explosion. The pain from getting his eardrums torn apart and the human¡¯s thunderous roars scrambled his brain.

    ¡°PLEASE ANSWER MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IF YOU CAN HEAR MY VOICEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!¡±

    ¡°GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! STILL!!! STILL NOTHIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!! MY FEELINGS HAVEN¡¯T REACHED YOU YEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!¡±

    ¡°S-STOP!!! STOP YELLING!!!¡±

    ¡°YOU WHO DOES NOT ANSWER¡ª!!! WHEN WILL YOU TURN TO MEEEEEE?!!¡±

    ¡°I-I can hear you!!! Loud and clear!!!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Y-You can? You can hear my voice¡­?¡±

    <em>¡®I¡­ wasn¡¯t alone?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Yes!! I¡¯ve been able to hear you loud and clear from the very beginning!!¡±

    ¡°From the beginning¡­?¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°THEY WHY DID YOU FUCKING IGNORE ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!¡±

    ¡°GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!¡±

    Kang-Woo swung down the ck de at the demon¡¯s head, splitting the rocklike head in half and scrambling the demon¡¯s brain. The gray-skinned demon fell to his knees and copsed.

    ¡°I guess he only looked strong.¡±

    Kang-Woo jumped down from the demon¡¯s shoulders. He assumed the demon was strong since he was massive and had rocklike gray skin but ended up being far weaker than expected.

    <em>¡®Well, then.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned to the two demons trembling in fear. One was much more slender than he was and the other was a hideous demon with squirming tentacles.

    ¡°Th-Thank you for saving us!!¡± the slender demon shouted.

    ¡°Eh? What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Pardon¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be killing you guys too.¡±

    Kang-Woo turned away from the gray-skinned demon with a hole in his head and walked toward the slender demon.

    ¡°N-No way!!¡±

    The slender demon¡¯s expression turned pale and he embraced the demon smaller and more delicate than him. She was only as big as an elementary or middle schooler by human standards.

    <em>¡®He called her his little sister, I believe.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue after remembering the slender demon¡¯s conversation with the gray-skinned demon. He withdrew the Authority of des and patted the slender demon¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°I¡¯m joking man.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo wouldn¡¯t gain much demonic energy from eating these two demons.

    <em>¡®Since they were getting their asses beat by this huge moronic demon.¡¯</em>

    He shook his head as he stared at the gray-skinned demon on the ground, who was below the average demon of the Ninth Hell. Eating demons who were no match for such a demon was worse than feeding crumbs to the Authority of Predation.

    <em>¡®If that¡¯s the case.¡¯</em> Kang-Woo looked down at the crying demons whose expressions were full of hope. <em>¡®They mentioned this was their territory.¡¯</em>

    Hell was no different from Earth in this aspect.

    <em>¡®The weak tend to stick together.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. They were worse than a snack to him but it would be a different story if many of them were gathered in one area.

    <em>¡®Just like how you gather and eat the crumbs remaining in a potato chip bag at the end.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled with shining eyes.

    ¡°Th-Thank you! Thank you very much!!!¡± The slender demon bowed deeply. ¡°My name is Firean! This is my little sister Fel. Come on, Fel. Introduce yourself.¡±

    Firean turned and extended his arm toward the Subus named Fel. She grabbed Firean¡¯s hand and struggled to stand up.

    ¡°M-My name is Fel. Thank you very much for saving us!¡±

    The wound on her chest remained but it did not seem to be fatal as if to show she was still a demon of the Ninth Hell.

    <em>¡®Thank you, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. It was his first time hearing those words despite being stuck in Hell for nine millennia.

    <em>¡®They¡¯re a little different from the average demon.¡¯</em>

    Normal demons would have stayed on high alert regardless of whether Kang-Woo saved their lives or not. No, even if they thanked him, their expressions would have been full of fear. But most of all¡­

    <em>¡®Wait, little sister?¡¯</em>

    ording to Balrog, demons were born from a ck Rift known as the Seed of Demonic Energy. In other words, there were no blood ties between demons.

    ¡°That is because they are <em>Halves</em>.¡±

    Balrog, who had been behind a rock observing Kang-Woo¡¯s battle, slowly walked out.

    ¡°E-Eek!! A-A-An archdemon!!!¡±

    ¡°<em>H-Hup!</em>¡±

    Firean screamed in pallor as soon as he saw Balrog. He reflexively embraced Fel tightly and stepped backward. Balrog¡¯s expression slightly crumpled as he stared at them.

    ¡°What are Halves? Something like half-human half-demon?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°No.¡± Balrog shook his head. ¡°Humans are practically a myth in the Nine Hells. There is no way something like a half-human half-demon would exist.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡±

    ¡°Simply speaking, Halves refer to demons born from the reproduction between demons.¡±

    Most demons were born from the Seed of Demonic Energy but that did not mean demons couldn¡¯t reproduce. They were rare but demons born naturally from reproduction existed.

    ¡°Then why are they called Halves? Aren¡¯t they demons all the same?¡±

    Kang-Woo tilted his head, unable to understand. Whether a demon was born through reproduction or from the Seed of Demonic Energy, they were demons nheless.

    ¡°Half does not mean the blood of something other than a demon is mixed with demon blood.¡±

    Balrog turned to stare at Firean and Fel with deeply sunken eyes. The two demons trembled in terror as they hugged each other.

    Balrog continued, ¡°They are called Halves because they are <em>half-baked</em> demons.¡±

    His eyes carried a clear sense of contempt as he looked down at the two demons.

 Side Story Chapter 130: Thousand-Year War (3)

    ¡°Half-baked demons¡­?¡±

    In other words, demons born naturally through reproduction were wedpared to demons born from the Seed of Demonic Energy. Oh Kang-Woo stared at the two trembling demons.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t tell based on appearance.¡¯</em>

    The only physical feature he noticed was that they looked fairly young.

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Balrog groaned as he scratched his chin. ¡°You made your way from the First Hell to the Ninth Hell, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Wasn¡¯t that the reason why you approached me?¡±

    ¡°In that case, have you ever met a <em>child </em>demon during your journey?¡±

    ¡°What? Of course, I¡­¡±<em>¡®Huh?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Come to think of it¡­ none of the demons I¡¯ve met were children.¡±

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in confusion. He had encountered and eaten countless demons in the nine millennia he had been in Hell; to the point that a sea of demonic energy so vast that he couldn¡¯t even begin to contain had formed inside him.

    <em>¡®But none of them were children.¡¯</em>

    He had often seen infantile demonic beasts but never a child demon. He had never noticed because he never thought about it but thinking back on it now, it was logically impossible.

    ¡°Demons born from the Seed of Demonic Energy are born in an adult state,¡± Balrog remarked.

    ¡°They¡¯re adults from the moment they¡¯re born?¡±

    ¡°Correct. They, of course,ck intelligence and other aspects that require experience, but they are born with a prime physical form.¡±

    In other words, Balrog was already a five-meter muscly monster from the moment he was born.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s a bit disgusting to think about.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo got goosebumps just thinking about a five-meter muscly monster looking around with the sparkling eyes of a baby.

    ¡°But Halves are different,¡± said Balrog, looking down at the two demons with statures far more slender than the average demon. ¡°Halves are born young and grow to be aplete demon.¡±

    ¡°Aha.¡±

    Halves needed to grow to be strong. Such a w was fatal in the world of demons where strength decided everything.

    ¡°Is that why they¡¯re called Halves?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°There is that too, but¡­ there is something more decisive.¡±

    ¡°What? There¡¯s more?¡± said Kang-Woo as he feignedughter.

    ¡°Halves¡­¡± Balrog narrowed his eyes and stared at the Halves in contempt. ¡°Do not desire. No, it is more urate to say that they desire something else.¡±

    In exchange for being immortal, demons instinctively desired things so that they did not go insane from eternal life. It could be for pleasure in battle, great strength, or insurmountable authority. Whatever it was, the endless desire acted as their drive to live on. To a demon, desire was what gave their lives meaning and the root of their existence.

    ¡°Something else?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Halves desire others. They are driven by bonds with other demons instead of their own benefit and lives. To put it simply, they are altruistic.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    An altruistic demon¡ª one who cared more about other demons than themselves.

    <em>¡®Sure sounds like a half-baked demon.¡¯</em>

    It was a fatal w as a demon.

    <em>¡®So that¡¯s why the gray-skinned demon and Balrog were staring at the Halves like that.¡¯</em>

    The severity of Balrog¡¯s contempt was less than what the gray-skinned demon expressed but it was contempt nheless.

    ¡°But it still doesn¡¯t quite make sense. Didn¡¯t you also fight for your master with your life?¡±

    Although Balrog survived and was reduced to a remnant, he was following Kang-Woo to one day fulfill his revenge against Bael for Beelzebub. It was more than enough to be called altruistic.

    ¡°Hmm. You have a point.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°But it is also incorrect. I swore allegiance to my master because that is my desire.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±

    Whether someone helped others for themselves or the sake of others, it did not change the fact that they were helping others. The source of their desires was different but the result was the same.

    ¡°The difference is¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, forget it. There¡¯s no point even if the proof of the pudding is in the eating.¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t care less whether or not the Halves were discriminated against by the demons.

    ¡°Pudding? What is that?¡±

    ¡°Probably what your brain is made out of.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Never mind.¡± Kang-Woo cut Balrog off and walked toward the two demons named Firean and Fel. ¡°You said something about this ce being <em>our </em>territory, right?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes!!¡± Firean nodded as he huped.

    Kang-Woo smiled. ¡°How many are there in your territory?¡±

    ¡°A-About three hundred.¡±

    It was quite arge number since demons usually did not stick together.

    ¡°How many of them are Halves like you?¡±

    ¡°M-Most of us are Halves.¡±

    ¡°Most of you?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°How is that possible?¡±

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder. Since Halves were demons born naturally through reproduction, the demons who gave birth to them should at least be regr.

    ¡°Demons usually abandon their children once they give birth to them.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kang-Woo was left wide-eyed, bbergasted by Balrog¡¯s exnation. ¡°The parents abandon their children after giving birth to them?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Hm? What do you mean, why? Children are but a byproduct of lust. Why would anyone waste their energy and time to raise those tiny weaklings?¡±

    ¡°Confucius would p his balls in disbelief if he heard that.¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled as Balrog stared at him as if he were the weird one.

    <em>¡®So this is Hell¡¯s childcare system.¡¯</em>

    It seemed Korea was still a far better ce to live in than Hell.

    ¡°Well, anyway. Firean, right?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes!¡±

    ¡°Tell me where your territory is. I¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    ¡°You will¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo nudged the dead gray-skinned demon with his foot and said kindly, ¡°You coulde across assholes like this guy if you linger around here again, right?¡±

    He needed to make sure that he didn¡¯t garner suspicion if he wanted to devour their entire vige.

    ¡°Ah¡­ Th-Thank you very much!!¡±

    Firean bowed with a pure smile. Kang-Woo smiled back.

    ¡°I will lead the way!¡± Firean shouted.

    ¡°Oh, just a second.¡± Kang-Woo turned around and walked back to the gray-skinned demon¡¯s corpse. ¡°Lemme eat this before we go.¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s palm split open and from it flowed ck mucus covered in sharp teeth, covering the demon¡¯s corpse.

    <em>Crunch! Crunch¡ª!!</em>

    The sound of bones breaking echoed.

    ***

    ¡°Th-This way.¡±

    Kang-Woo followed Firean to the Halves¡¯ territory after devouring the gray-skinned demon¡¯s corpse. The vige of the Halves was inside arge cave beyond a convoluted rocky range. Inside the cave were poorly built huts and little demons were running around ying.

    ¡°Hah¡­¡± Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as he looked around the vige.

    <em>¡®So this is what he meant by different.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo immediately understood what Balrog had said.

    ¡°Kyahahahaha!! Hey~! Stop right there~!¡±

    ¡°Hehehe! Over here!!¡±

    The faces of the little demons ying in the cave were bright and the demons that looked slightly older were looking over the little demons with warmth.

    <em>¡®This is a demon vige?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had been to other demon viges. After all, powerful demons desired authority and were bound to grow their forces. However, the demon viges Kang-Woo had been to did not feel as warm as this one. They had all been cold and wretched; demons living in those viges were but ves submitting to a powerful demon.

    <em>¡®The expressions of those ves were always of either rage or resentment.¡¯</em>

    Some were even left lifeless after their desires were taken away from them.

    ¡°Firean!! You¡¯re back from patrol!¡±

    ¡°Was everything g¡ª¡±

    ¡°A-A human?¡±

    The demons who gathered once Firean returned to the vige stared at Kang-Woo wide-eyed. Their eyes carried senses of curiosity of caution but no hostility.

    <em>¡®My God.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had never experienced something like this in Hell before. Most demons usually attacked him, calling him things like a puny lifeform.

    ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve never seen a human in real life before!¡±

    ¡°But is he really a human? I feel a familiar energy from him.¡±

    ¡°M-Me too! I can feel demonic energy from him!¡±

    The little demons mored as they surrounded Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Kids, you¡¯re bothering him.¡±

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    The demons who seemed older than the others pulled the moring little demons away as they stole nces at Kang-Woo, their eyes carrying a hint of fear for an outsider. The awkward air onlysted for a moment.

    <em>Boom, boom.</em>

    ¡°EEK!!!¡±

    ¡°A-AN ARCHDEMON!!!¡±

    ¡°BALROG!!! IT¡¯S BALROG!!!¡±

    ¡°KYAAAAAAHHH!! CALL THE VILLAGE CHIEF!!! HURRY!!!¡±

    ¡°WH-WHAT IS BEELZEBUB¡¯S CHIEF COMMANDER DOING HERE?!!¡±

    The entire vige fell into panic once Balrog, who had been following Kang-Woo from a distance, entered the cave. The Halves pulled on their hair and ran around the cave.

    <em>¡®What a crazy reaction.¡¯</em>

    It went to show how highly renowned Balrog was in the Ninth Hell.

    ¡°How noisy¡­¡± Balrog frowned and brought out his demonic energy.

    ¡°<em>H-Hup!</em>¡±

    ¡°U-Urgh, gurgh.¡±

    ¡°P-Please spare our lives¡­¡±

    The demons got on their knees and bowed with their heads on the ground. Some of them even had their eyes rolled backward as they mumbled iprehensibly.

    ¡°E-Everyone! Don¡¯t worry! They will not harm us!!¡± shouted Firean as he stepped forward.

    ¡°Th-They won¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­¡±

    The other demons stared at Balrog in disbelief. Halves were subjects of disgust and disdain to other demons. There were even demons who went out of their way to search for and kill Halves out of disgust. Hence, there was no way a demon wouldn¡¯t kill Halves despite being right in front of him.

    Balrog looked around and remarked, ¡°The boy is right. I have zero interest in Halves like you. However¡­¡±

    Rumble¡ª!

    The demonic energy bursting from him shook the surroundings.

    ¡°That is only if you do not annoy me with your screams.¡±

    ¡°Mmrp¡­!¡±

    ¡°<em>H-Hup!</em>¡±

    The demons shut their mouths with their hands and trembled in pallor. Kang-Woo feignedughter as he looked at the demons stricken with terror.

    ¡°What a fucking sight.¡±

    He found it ratheredic to see hundreds of hideous demons trembling in fear.

    ¡°Hey, Balrog. Fuck off over there. You¡¯re scaring them.¡±

    Kang-Woo would be troubled if they were to run away.

    ¡°I have no reason to listen to the likes of you,¡± Balrog muttered as he red at Kang-Woo fiercely.

    ¡°You said you¡¯d cooperate, didn¡¯t you? Is this what you call cooperation?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Balrog sighed without refuting and walked out of the cave.

    ¡°Th-This way, Sir Kang-Woo. I will introduce you to the vige chief,¡± mumbled Firean, likely terrified by Balrog¡¯s immense energy.

    Kang-Woo nodded and followed behind Firean.

    <em>¡®Is there a way to devour them all in one go?¡¯</em>

    The Halves were so weak that he doubted whether they were demons of the Ninth Hell or not but there were too many of them. He had no way to catch them all if all three hundred of them were to scatter in different directions.

    <em>¡®And I wouldn¡¯t get much demonic energy if I only eat a few of them.¡¯</em>

    They were like a white elephant.

    Just then, a demon walked out of the house at the deepest point of the cave.

    ¡°Firean, who are these people?¡±

    His voice was so gentle that it was hard to believe it came from a demon. The vige chief was a fully mature demon, unlike the other demons of the vige. His left arm was abnormally swollen with musclespared to his dried-up right arm.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s a leader of a group for you.¡¯</em>

    The vige chief¡¯s demonic energy was far stronger than that of the other Halves.

    <em>¡®But that¡¯s all there is to it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could take him with his current strength.

    ¡°Vige chief!! They saved me and Fel!¡±

    ¡°They saved you¡­?¡±

    Firean exined to the vige chief what happened. His expression was as hard as rock initially but sighed in relief as the exnation continued.

    ¡°Thank you for saving these children. I am Zepar, the chief of this vige.¡±

    Zepar bowed courteously and extended his dried-up right arm. Kang-Woo grabbed Zepar¡¯s hand.

    ¡°My name is Oh Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°I have heard the rumors about the human defeating countless demons from the First Hell, aiming to reach the Ninth Hell.¡±

    Zepar seemed to know about Kang-Woo. He nodded.

    Zepar sighed deeply and dropped his shoulders. ¡°Haaa. Yet another attack¡­ How many times has it been this month?¡±

    <em>¡®Hm?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone.

    ¡°Does this happen often?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes¡­ Countless demons despise Halves. We¡¯ll have to move our vige again soon.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo thought of an idea as he thought about what Zepar said.

    <em>¡®Wait a second¡­¡¯</em>

    The vige was the target of the demons¡¯ hatred, and the Halves were being endlessly attacked.

    <em>¡®I can use this, can¡¯t I?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled like a farmer who found a goose thatid golden eggs.

 Side Story Chapter 131: Thousand-Year War (4)

    Oh Kang-Woo had yet to be one of the strong in the Ninth Hell. He was stronger than the average demon but in the Ninth Hell, there existed demons that far surpassed what the demons of other floors could ever imagine. The seven princes of Hell were one thing but the archdemons who were granted powers from the princes were also unimaginably powerful.

    <em>¡®I need time.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed time to devour demons using the Authority of Predation and safely grow stronger. In that sense, the Halves¡¯ vige was the perfect ce to do so.

    <em>¡®Since there¡¯s no way the princes of Hell or the archdemons would go out of their way toe here.¡¯</em>

    Apex predators like lions and tigers wouldn¡¯t waste time hunting for grasshoppers or ants. The ones who usually preyed on the weak were not those all-powerful, but those just a little stronger than the weak¡ª just like the gray-skinned demon Kang-Woo had just faced.

    ¡°How often do other demons attack the vige?¡±

    ¡°It depends¡­ They usually attack about two to three times a week, but the frequency of their attacks has been increasing. The other mature demons and I have been working together to fend them off somehow, but¡­ we are reaching our limit.¡±

    Two to three times a week; it was not enough time to gather people for an attack but if the number of attacks had been increasing, it meant that information about the Halves¡¯ location had spread to other demons.

    <em>¡®There will be more demonsing to attack.¡¯</em>Zepar was nning on moving their vige elsewhere but Kang-Woo wouldn¡¯t have that.

    <em>¡®This is a chance.¡¯</em>

    It was a chance to grow stronger safely, away from powerful demons; a free luxurious endless buffet just for him.

    ¡°Instead of moving your vige, why don¡¯t I protect this vige?¡± Kang-Woo suggested.

    ¡°Pardon?¡± Zepar was left wide-eyed by the unexpected suggestion. ¡°You will protect this vige¡­?¡±

    The mood turned heavy as Zepar¡¯s eyes filled with caution. It was only natural; whether it be Earth or Hell, there existed no such thing as goodwill with no reason for it.

    ¡°Why would you go out of your way to do such a thing?¡± Zepar asked.

    ¡°Because it would help me.¡±

    Kang-Woo knew Zepar wouldn¡¯t believe bullshit like being unable to endure the demons¡¯ unfair ughter of the Halves.

    ¡°It would help you¡­?¡±

    ¡°You said you have heard rumors about me, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, I have.¡±

    ¡°I can acquire demonic energy by eating demons.¡±

    ¡°...!¡±

    Kang-Woo had no reason to hide the Authority of Predation¡¯s power. Not only had he used it far too much to hide it but there was no reason to in the first ce. ??

    ¡°In that case¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, my objective is to grow stronger by eating the demons who attack this vige.¡±

    ¡°So you are nning to use us as bait?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. However, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re getting the short end of the stick, right? Just from how the huts in the cave look, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯ve been here for long. Aren¡¯t you tired of the life of fleeing despite managing to find a decent ce to call home?¡±

    ¡°

    ¡°I have the power to protect this vige from other demons.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Zepar turned to look at Firean.

    ¡°He¡¯s right! Sir Kang-Woo defeated the demon who attacked us with just two blows!¡±

    Even considering that demons who usually attacked the vige were only at Intermediate to Lower Intermediate level, it was not easy to defeat them with just two blows.

    <em>¡®He is at least Upper Intermediate level¡­ perhaps even higher.¡¯</em>

    The gears in Zepar¡¯s head turned rapidly, bncing a scale between abandoning the vige they had just built or letting Kang-Woo protect their home.

    <em>¡®Abandoning¡­ yet another ce¡­¡¯</em>

    It was no simple feat to abandon a hideout they had barely managed to find. No, they could deal with it if it was only difficult but three hundred Halves moving as a group was bound to draw attention. Even moving to this cave had cost the lives of forty Halves. Kang-Woo¡¯s offer was almost irresistible.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ¡°Even so, I cannot let you use the residents of this vige as bait,¡± Zepar said firmly.

    Encouraging demons to attack by using the Halves as bait was far too risky. In the worst-case scenario, the entire vige could be wiped out.

    ¡°I see.¡± Kang-Woo stared at Zepar, who was more steadfast than he had expected, and pulled out his trump card. ¡°Right. Come to think of it, I forgot to tell you something.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? What is it?¡±

    ¡°He is not here right now, but I have Balrog as my bodyguard.¡±

    ¡°Wh-What?!¡±

    Zepar sprang up from his seat with his eyes widened. Likely everyone in the Ninth Hell knew the name Balrog, the demon powerful enough to stand against the princes of Hell. Zepar couldn¡¯t understand why an archdemon like Balrog, the red monster a cut above the other archdemons who had been granted powers from the princes of Hell, would be protecting a human.

    Firean raised his hand and shouted, ¡°H-He¡¯s telling the truth! Sir Kang-Woo was traveling with Balrog!¡±

    Even without Firean to corroborate, several Halves had seen Kang-Woo <emmand </em>Balrog to stand by outside the cave.

    ¡°B-Balrog?!¡± Zepar walked to the entrance of the cave in disbelief. ¡°<em>G-Gasp!</em>¡±

    A five-meter giant covered in red muscles was silently sitting outside the cave with his eyes closed.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± asked Kang-Woo, who followed Zepar out of the cave, and smiled. ¡°Is that enough to change your mind?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Zepar¡¯s lips quivered in silence.

    ¡°Right, then~ Why don¡¯t you show us to our quarters?¡±

    Kang-Woo turned around to go back into the cave with a smile. After all, Zepar¡¯s answer was already decided.

    ***

    After that, Kang-Woo spent his days in the Halves¡¯ vige and hunted demons that invaded the territory. As expected, the hunting went smoothly. He sent the Halves to scout the area and if they found a demon who trespassed the territory, Kang-Woo stepped up personally to hunt them. The demons who invaded the Halves¡¯ territory were at Intermediate to Lower Intermediate level and their numbers were also perfect.

    ¡°<em>Burp¡ª</em>¡±

    Kang-Woo pounded on his stomach after devouring two trespassing demons with the Authority of Predation. He was brimming with demonic energy as if he had a nice hot meal.

    ¡°But these guys sure don¡¯t get tired of this shit.¡±

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he picked up the two demons¡¯ weapons. The demons¡¯ contempt for the Halves was beyond severe.

    <em>¡®They don¡¯t just find them unpleasant.¡¯</em>

    To make aparison, it was like finding a cockroach in one¡¯s bedroom. Forget displeasure or difort¡ª one would be so resentfully vehement about killing the cockroach that they would even burn down the house if needed. Demons likely saw Halves as cockroaches.

    <em>¡®No, worse than that.¡¯</em>

    People usually avoided cockroaches but demons were searching every nook and cranny to kill them as if they were part of Cesco[1].

    ¡°There¡¯s a rumor among demons that a disease will spread throughout Hell if the Halves aren¡¯t hunted down,¡± said Firean, who volunteered to act as bait, with a bitter smile.

    ¡°Disease? What disease?¡±

    ¡°One that eliminates desire. Although of course, no such disease has ever been recorded.¡±

    Desire was crucial for demons to endure immortality; hence, the elimination of desire was no different than a death sentence. If their desires vanished, every demon would go insane from lethargy within a century.

    ¡°They sure care about their well-being despite looking fucking disgusting.¡±

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head. Whatever the case, it didn¡¯t matter to him since he could hunt safely thanks to it.

    <em>¡®This must be how ancient people felt when they figured out agriculture.¡¯</em>

    He was brimming with freedom now that he was staying in one ce with a stable food supply instead of roaming all over the ce.

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Firean followed behind Kang-Woo with a smile. Kang-Woo found Firean following him like a puppy rather cute since he had rarely seen a demon smaller than him in Hell. He smiled gently as he extended his arm to ce his hand on Firean¡¯s head but flinched as his expression froze.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Sir Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Kang-Woo awkwardly put down his hand he raised and walked in silence.

    ***

    ¡°Yaaaaaay!!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Sir Kang-Woo!!¡±

    ¡°Did you beat tons of baddies again today?!¡±

    The little demons surrounded Kang-Woo as soon as he came back. Kang-Woo¡¯s poprity in the vige was skyrocketing as ofte. It was only natural since he was defeating all the demons who had forced the residents to always be on the run, fearing for their lives.

    ¡°Firean! How was Sir Kang-Woo today?¡± the little demons asked Firean with sparkling eyes.

    Firean raised his head high despite not being the one to defeat the demons and shouted, ¡°Haha! He was amazing today as always! Two demons invaded our territory but he suddenly appeared from their shadows and just ripped one of them in half!¡±

    ¡°Wow¡ª!!¡±

    ¡°What then? What happened next?¡±

    It was weird seeing children admiring brutal murder but they were demons, not humans. They would naturally be fascinated by extreme violence.

    <em>¡®I mean, I was kind of like them when I was a kid.¡¯</em>

    But of course, it was violence in games or anime. Just as Kang-Woo chuckled and was about to go back to the hut Zepar had prepared for him, a little demon with four horns and memorable purple skin grabbed his clothes.

    ¡°Umm¡­ S-Sir Kang-Woo!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The child twisted as if he needed to pee and said cautiously, ¡°Umm¡­ W-We¡¯re going to y hide and seek, and I was wondering if you wanted to j-join us?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ying hide and seek in Hell was so unimaginable that Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t evenugh.

    ¡°Kid.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±

    ¡°Do you seriously think I¡¯m here to y hide and seek with damn brats like you?¡±

    Kang-Woo fiercely red at the purple-skinned child. The little demon was brought to tears by Kang-Woo¡¯s harsh words.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!!!¡±

    ¡°If you are, then fuck off.¡±

    Kang-Woo violently pushed away the child.

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­</em> I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    The purple-skinned little demon who fell to the ground bowed repeatedly in tears.

    ¡°...¡± An off emotion he had never felt since entering Hell spread throughout Kang-Woo. He shook his head and mumbled, ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    <em>Creak.</em>

    He opened the door to his hut and entered. Inside was a poorly made small bed, a chair, and a table.

    ¡°Huuu,¡± Kang-Woo sighed as he sat down on the chair.

    He couldn¡¯t erase the sight of the crying little demon from his mind.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°GYEEEEEEEEEEHHH!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo abruptly turned toward the source of the sudden voice. He saw Balrog¡¯s hideous face filling the hut¡¯s window.

    ¡°Y-You fucking scared me!!!¡±

    <em>¡®Why the fuck is he there?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Tsk, tsk. A warrior must always be aware of his surr¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it. I¡¯m gonna take a nap, so can you please fuck off?¡± Kang-Woo said as he red at Balrog.

    Balrog paid Kang-Woo no mind and asked in a low tone, ¡°How long are you nning on staying here?¡±

    ¡°Once I¡¯m satisfied with the farming results.¡±

    ¡°Farming?¡±

    ¡°Demon hunting.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Wise choice. Your current self needs to grow stronger.¡±

    ¡°Shit, man. You¡¯re backseating me now?¡± Kang-Woo chuckled as he leaned on his chair.

    ¡°I want to ask you something.¡±

    ¡°Ask away and fuck off.¡±

    ¡°How can you¡­ be <em>weak</em>?¡±

    ¡°What the fuck?¡±

    ¡°No, I am not trying to pick a fight with you,¡± Balrog rified as he stared at Kang-Woo¡ª to be more exact, his chest¡ª with deeply sunken eyes. ¡°Despite possessing boundless demonic energy¡­ How can you still be that weak?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo remained silent. Balrog was right; he was abnormally weakpared to the amount of demonic energy he possessed. However, he couldn¡¯t help it.

    <em>¡®The Ten Thousand Demon Core¡­¡¯</em>

    He created three Doors so that he wouldn¡¯t be corrupted by the sea of demonic energy. They were necessary seals that he had never opened¡ª no, should never be opened. The three Doors acted to contain the demonic energy he had umted so that it couldn¡¯t run rampant but they also drastically reduced the amount of demonic energy Kang-Woo could freely use.

    <em>¡®So¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed to continue devouring more and more powerful demons to increase the amount of demonic energy he could use even under the Ten Thousand Demon Core¡¯s restriction.

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± said Kang-Woo in irritation.

    Balrog stared intently at Kang-Woo for a few moments and then turned around to disappear.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo sighed and closed his eyes.

    Just then, someone knocked on his door.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ M-May Ie in?¡± someone stuttered from across the door; it was Fel.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Fel carefully opened the door and entered the hut. She was smaller than Firean, had six eyes, and squirming light green tentacles for hair.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s¡­ a Subus?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but sigh again.

    ¡°Umm¡­ I-I¡¯ve brought you some tea,¡± Fel remarked.

    ¡°Tea?¡±

    <em>¡®There¡¯s tea in Hell?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Yes, made by boiling dried bloodlight nts.¡±

    There was a red liquid in a bumpy cup.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of something like this being in Hell¡­¡±

    The concept of food and drinks did not exist for most demons since they did not require sustenance, resulting in the atrophy of their taste buds.

    ¡°Hehe. My mother used to love this.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Fel was saying it with a smile but she was likely abandoned by her demon mother. Kang-Woo felt an inexplicable sense of displeasure.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want it,¡± he replied coldly.

    ¡°Oh¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Fel bowed repeatedly like the purple-skinned little demon earlier. ¡°I-I¡¯ll take it back.¡±

    She turned around to leave the hut.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Kang-Woo said on impulse. ¡°Give it here.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°I said, give it here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, y-yes, sir!!¡±

    Kang-Woo took the cup Fel handed him. He took a sip of the tea and was attacked by an inexplicably dirty vor; it was sour, bitter, and sticky.

    ¡°Wh-What do you think¡­?¡± Fel asked anxiously with her fists clenched.

    ¡°It¡¯s tra¡­¡± Kang-Woo was about to call it trash with a frown but stopped himself.

    The inexplicable emotion he had felt before was slowly crawling back up from inside him again.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not bad.¡±

    ¡°W-Wow!! R-Really?¡± Fel smiled as brightly as a flower but to Kang-Woo with human beauty standards, her smile couldn¡¯t look any more hideous.

    ¡°Hehe!! I¡¯ll make you some again next time!¡± she shouted as she ran out of the hut.

    ¡°...¡±

    Silence fell as Kang-Woo was left alone in the hut. There was over half of the tea that Fel made remaining in the cup.

    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake¡­ it tastes like trash.¡±

    Kang-Woo gulped down the whole thing for some reason despite saying that.

    1. Cesco is a Korean pest control service. ?

 Side Story Chapter 132: Thousand-Year War (5)

    ¡°That vige¡­ doesn¡¯t give off the vibe of Hell,¡± said Han Seol-Ah as she watched the footage.

    Lilith smiled and shrugged. ¡°ces like that do exist in Hell. It¡¯s just that¡­ there aren¡¯t many of them.¡±

    Peoplemonly thought demons were monsters crazed by blood, ughter, and greed, but they also felt various emotions like humans¡ª especially Halves who were born through reproduction.

    ¡°That aside, that son of a bitch Kang-Woo was far more of an asshole back then,¡± Cha Yeon-Joo said as she chuckled and took a sip of beer.

    She couldn¡¯t believe the day when she would see Oh Kang-Woo as a saint hade; that was how harsh and hypersensitive he was.

    ¡°Mmm¡­ I don¡¯t know about that,¡± remarked Seol-Ah.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think he¡¯s acting like an asshole?¡±

    Yeon-Joo¡¯s eyes widened, confused by what Seol-Ah was saying. Seol-Ah stared intently at Kang-Woo on the screen and slowly reached out to him. Her fingers went through the holographic screen.

    ¡°He¡­ kind of changed from the moment he came to this vige.¡±¡°Eh? He¡¯s always irritated and curses every day.¡±

    ¡°He does, but¡­ I can¡¯t really exin it.¡± Seol-Ah looked at Kang-Woo frowning as he drank the tea that the Subus named Fel brewed for him. ¡°I think¡­ he¡¯s smiling.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Yeon-Joo narrowed her eyes in silence. She examined Kang-Woo on the screen intently but he wasn¡¯t even grinning slightly. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t tell.¡±

    She scratched her head and opened another can of beer. Just then, the footage fast-forwarded extremely quickly.

    ¡°Huh? Wh-What¡¯s wrong with this thing?¡±

    Fragments of memories repeatedly appeared and disappeared.

    ¡°You¡¯re not the one doing this, right, unnie?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s doing this either.¡±

    Lilith narrowed her eyes and tried to stop the video from skipping scenes but the footage continued to be cut as it kept ying.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Seol-Ah expressed as she looked at the portions of footage that appeared piece by piece.

    As time passed, Kang-Woo¡¯s expression was slowly changing to one that she was used to. The fast-forwarding footage returned to normal.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s back to normal,¡± said Yeon-Joo.

    The three women leaned forward and focused on the video again.

    ***

    ¡°¡ª Foolish Halves,¡± Kang-Woo muttered, standing with his eyes closed at the center of therge cave lined with tidy intricate huts. He continued, ¡°It seems all you know how to do is hide like cockroaches.¡±

    His low and chilling voice echoed throughout the silent cave.

    ¡°Kehe, kahahahahahaha!!!¡± Kang-Wooughed mockingly as he grabbed his stomach.

    He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, his eyes glinting chillingly.

    ¡°Alright,e out,e out, damn weaklings!!!¡±

    Three minutes had passed¡ª it was time for the hunt.

    ¡°Wherever the hell you are¡ª!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo sprinted toward the cave wall. There was a little demon hiding in a crevice of arge rock that was barely visible due to the shade. Kang-Woo smiled.

    ¡°Gotcha!!¡±

    ¡°Hoeeeeehhh!!¡± screamed a little demon whose head was covered in dry tree branches. ¡°Why do you always find me first so quickly?!¡±

    ¡°Because your branches stick out wherever you hide.¡±

    Kang-Woo snickered as he patted the little demon¡¯s head.

    ¡°Man, this always happens when you join us for hide and seek, Sir Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Kang-Woo turned away and looked around. ¡°I¡¯ll find the others just as quickly.¡±

    He could easily find a few brats even without using his Authority. He sprinted through the cave and found little demons hiding under a hut or stuck to a stctite.

    ¡°Urgh! That¡¯s Sir Kang-Woo for you!!¡±

    ¡°I was sure we¡¯dst at least ten minutes!¡±

    The little demons that were caught in an instant pulled on their hair and stomped their feet.

    ¡°Hehehe! You¡¯re far too young to be able to hide from me, damn brats!¡± Kang-Woo burst intoughter. ¡°Oh,e to think of it, where¡¯s Kanile?¡±

    Kanile was a purple-skinned demon with four horns on his forehead; the little demon who had fearlessly suggested Kang-Woo join their hide-and-seek game three years ago despite not having been that long since he started living in the vige. He never failed to join a game that Kang-Woo yed but he was nowhere to be found today for some reason.

    ¡°Kanile said he couldn¡¯t make it because he¡¯s busy with something today!¡±

    ¡°Really? What could a brat who only ys and sleeps possibly be busy with?¡±

    ¡°Mmm. He said it was a secret, so I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± The little demon shook his head.

    Kang-Woo shrugged and turned to go back to his hut.

    ¡°Ah! One more game, Sir Kang-Woo~!¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t get caught this time for sure!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that earlier as well?¡± Kang-Woo smirked and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to waste against brats, so I¡¯m off~¡±

    ¡°No fair!!¡±

    ¡°No quitting while you¡¯re ahead!!¡±

    ¡°Hmm~? I can¡¯t hear what a bunch of losers who lost in under five minutes are saying~¡±

    ¡°Arghh!!¡±

    Kang-Woo left the angry little demons behind and went into his hut. He sat on the ground as he trained to raise his demonic energy control when he heard a knock on his door.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°Umm¡­ May Ie in, Sir Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,e in.¡±

    He did not even need to think about who knocked on his door anymore. Fel entered his hut with a cup of tea.

    ¡°Hehe, I brewed some bloodlight tea for you again, Sir Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Ngh.¡±

    Kang-Woo grimaced as he saw the red liquid in the cup.

    ¡°I-Is it not to your liking?!¡±

    Fel trembled in surprise. Kang-Woo chuckled and patted Fel¡¯s head, his fingers getting wrapped by her light green tentacles.

    ¡°I¡¯m just joking.¡±

    It was true that he did not like it but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to be honest to Fel when he saw her dejected face.

    ¡°Sir Kang-Woo¡­¡± Fel looked up at Kang-Woo and slightly blushed. ¡°Umm¡­ S-Sir Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Do you have¡­ umm, a demon that you¡­ l-l-like?¡±

    ¡°How could I?¡±

    Demons were extremely hideous by human standards, even more so if they were Subi.

    ¡°Oh! I-I see!! Hehehe.¡± Fel sprang up with a radiant smile. ¡°E-Enjoy your tea!!¡±

    The blushing Fel turned around and ran out, closing the door behind her. Kang-Woo smiled bitterly and stared at the door.

    ¡°You are rather popr among the Halves.¡±

    ¡°GYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH!!!¡± Kang-Woo screamed in surprise after hearing the low voice out of nowhere. He pointed at Balrog¡¯s hideous face filling the window frame and shouted, ¡°I TOLD YOU NOT TO COME OUT FROM THERE!!!¡±

    ¡°You say that but I cannot fit in this tiny hut.¡±

    ¡°I mean, you have a point there, but¡­¡± Kang-Woo sighed and raised the cup Fel gave him. ¡°I¡­ can never get used to this disgusting vor.¡±

    He grimaced and downed the red liquid.

    ¡°Human,¡± Balrog called.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°How much longer are you nning to stay here?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo flinched. He clenched his fists with a hardened face. ¡°Once I¡¯m satisfied with the farming resu¡ª¡±

    ¡°No demon evenes anywhere near this territory anymore.¡±

    Balrog was right. Over time as Kang-Woo killed every demon that even came close to the Halves¡¯ vige, it had practically be a forbidden area to enter like an ancient beast territory. Only a few demons had entered the territory near the vige in the past few months and all of them had entered by ident without knowing the Halves¡¯ vige was near. As Balrog said, there was no reason for them to stay in this vige anymore.

    ¡°...¡± However, Kang-Woo swallowed the words he was about to say and bit his lip. ¡°I need¡­ time to prepare.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I gained a lot more demonic energy than I expected. I need more time to stabilize my power.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Balrog remained silent. He then turned around and said, ¡°Okay. In that case, human. I will leave this ce in one week.¡±

    ¡°What? Why all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Because I have nothing more to gain by staying here.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo stayed silent. His eyes glinted with a slight sense of hesitation but he nodded lightly. ¡°Okay, got it.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    An awkward silence fell between them.

    <em>Boom, boom.</em>

    Kang-Woo could hear Balrog¡¯s footsteps getting fainter.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± he cursed, all alone in his hut. ¡°FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!!!¡±

    He pulled on his hair and gritted his teeth. An unknown emotion was surging from inside him.

    ¡°...¡±

    No, it was not unknown. He knew better than anyone what emotion this was.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo was alone. He was suffering from solitude. Hell was so cold that he felt like he would freeze to death. It hurt so much that he felt like he was going insane. Hence, he decided he would get out one day.

    ¡°I want¡­¡±

    There was no special trigger for it. No event changed his life or shocked him so much that his views changed. Just like a drop of ink that spread throughout the water in a bottle, he simply ended up getting addicted to the emotion that was joy.

    ¡°...¡±

    This ce was not cold. It was not lonely or painful. It was exactly for those reasons that Kang-Woo ended up thinking¡ª

    ¡°I want to¡­¡±

    He wanted to keep staying here.

    <em>Wham!!</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s door suddenly swung open.

    ¡°S-Sir Kang-Woo!!!¡± shouted Firean in pallor.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Kang-Woo as he quickly stood up.

    ¡°Umm, th-the thing is¡­ well¡­¡±

    Tears continued to flow down Firean¡¯s cheeks.

    Kang-Woo grabbed Firean¡¯s shoulders and said calmly, ¡°Calm down and tell me what happened.¡±

    Firean¡¯s panicked expression slowly rxed.

    ¡°The ones on patrol duty today¡­ <em>Sniff!</em> K-Kanile¡­¡±

    Tears continued to flow down Firean¡¯s cheeks; the tears of demons were as transparent as those of humans.

    ¡°They found Kanile¡­ d-dead.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo stayed silent. He lowered his hand that was on Firean¡¯s shoulders and stood up. He asked in a deep voice, ¡°Where¡¯s the body?¡±

    Firean pointed outside the door. Kang-Woo opened the hut door and walked outside to see Halves gathered in a circle. He could hear crying from everywhere.

    ¡°Move.¡±

    Kang-Woo aggressively pushed the Halves aside and walked forward.

    ¡°...¡±

    There, he saw the trampled corpse of a young demon with twisted limbs, neck bent abnormally, the four horns on his forehead pulled out, eyes rolled backward, and tongue out.

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­</em>¡±

    ¡°<em>Waaaaaahhh!</em>¡±

    The little demons burst into tears as they looked down at the wretched corpse. They were likely used to the death of others and losing people but it did not mean the loss did not hurt them. Loss was always painful, whether they were humans or demons.

    Kang-Woo frowned fiercely and red at the Halves. ¡°Stop crying and shut up, brats.¡±

    <em>Hup!</em>

    The surprised Halves stepped backward.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly extended his arm and touched Kanile¡¯s corpse. The body was cold; a familiar sensation.

    ¡°Where?¡± Kang-Woo asked as he turned to the Halves on today¡¯s patrol duty. ¡°Where did you find him?¡±

    His low tone was as cold as Kanile¡¯s body.

 Side Story Chapter 133: Thousand-Year War (6)

    The Giant Rock¡ª the red rock was named so because it looked like a giant spreading its arms outward.

    <em>Boom!! Boom! Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Sonic booms echoed throughout the in under the four-hundred-meter-tall rock.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa!¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo ignited the demonic energy he squeezed out with each step. His body screamed at him, barely keeping itself together against the supersonic speed. A massive sand pir formed every time he stepped on the ground.

    Sand got into Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth. He felt nauseous due to reaching speeds that transcended human limits but he ignored it.

    <em>¡®Found you.¡¯</em>

    A demon was leisurely walking through the terrain of gravel-like sand behind the Giant Rock. He had ck spikes protruding all over him like a hedgehog. He was three meters tall, slightly taller than the average demon.

    ¡°Hm?¡± The demon¡¯s eyes shone after noticing Kang-Woo. ¡°Well, well. So, the information of a human being in the vige of Halves was true.¡±The demon smiled. He seemed to have intruded on the territory knowing Kang-Woo was in it.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know where you came from, but you¡¯re in the right ce.¡±

    Kang-Woo stopped and caught his breath.

    ¡°Kehehehe!! Good!!¡± The demon smiled and shrugged.

    ¡°Then tomemorate our meeting, let me ask you something.¡± Kang-Woo cracked his knuckles and red at the demon coldly. ¡°Did you kill him?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Kill who?¡±

    ¡°The Tinky Winky with four horns.¡±

    ¡°Tinky Winky? Ohh, are you talking about that Half?¡±[1]

    Kang-Woo nodded.

    ¡°Kehehe!! Yes, I killed him. I saw a filthy creature while I was surveying the area, so I cleaned it up.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    That was all he needed to know; there was nothing more to ask.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!</em>

    Kang-Woo stomped his foot. He used the Authority of Haste as he crouched and ran as if sliding along the ground.

    <em>¡®His ankles.¡¯</em>

    He examined the demon as he ran. The demon¡¯s ankles were not covered in ck spikes.

    <em>Swoosh!!</em>

    He ced his hand on the ground as he slowed down and spun his torso to kick as if he were breakdancing.

    ¡°Huup!¡±

    The demon jumped and smashed his fist down toward Kang-Woo. No, it was more than just a fist; since his entire body was covered in ck spikes, it was more like a spiked mace than a fist.

    <em>Wham!!</em>

    Kang-Woo rolled away to dodge the fist and stretched out his right arm while lying on the ground.

    <em>¡®Authority of Shattering Air.¡¯</em>

    <em>m¡ª!!!</em>

    A sphere of demonic energy shot at the demon.

    ¡°Kurgh!!!¡±

    The demon crossed his arms to block the demonic energy bullet and was blown backward. He smirked in satisfaction.

    ¡°You are powerful!! Hard to believe that you are a human!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never even seen other humans, so what the fuck do you know?¡± Kang-Woo sprang up from the ground and widened his distance from the demon. ¡°Huuu.¡±

    He was slightly out of breath after using two Authorities one after another. He caught his breath and examined the demon. He couldn¡¯t help but frown.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s strong.¡¯</em>

    The demon was on another levelpared to the other demons Kang-Woo had hunted in this area for the past three years.

    <em>¡®He¡¯s at least a High-level demon. Perhaps higher.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had only faced up to Intermediate-level demons so far.

    <em>¡®Can I win?¡¯</em>

    It was his first time facing a demon this powerful, excluding Balrog. He had spent the past three years hunting demons and umting demonic energy but felt like the pressure was crushing him aftering face-to-face with a High-level demon.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled after some short thought.

    Whatever the case, he couldn¡¯t avoid a battle aftering this far. Hence, thinking about his chance of victory was pointless.

    ¡°That aside, I am also quite curious.¡± The demon tilted his head in wonder. ¡°Why are you protecting pathetic insects like Halves despite holding this much power?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo flinched. He clenched his fists in silence.

    ¡°Hm? No intention of answering?¡±

    ¡°Do you usually talk this much when you fight?¡±

    ¡°Wow. If that¡¯s how you¡¯re going to be, what bes of me for answering your question honestly?¡±

    ¡°A dipshit for shit for brains, that¡¯s what.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Fuck, man. I can smell the shit in your head through your mouth.¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned and held his nose. The demon¡¯s eyebrows rose.

    ¡°Well¡­ at least your manner of speech shows you¡¯re strong enough to survive in the Ninth Hell,¡± said the demon in slight anger and crouched.

    No, it was more apt to say he curled up into a ball. He looked like a chestnut burr but a thousand timesrger.

    ¡°Kahahaha!!! Show me that your strength doesn¡¯t fall behind your manner of speech!!¡±

    The demon¡¯sughter echoed as he rolled on the ground.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    The demon, covered in ck spikes, rolled as he destroyed the rocks in his path.

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned and ran to dodge the demon.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way to attack him.¡¯</em>

    The demon looked a little funny but since he had curled up into a spiky ball, there were no openings for attack.

    ¡°In that case¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo clenched his fists. If there were no openings then he would just smash through it.

    <em>¡®I need to end it in one blow.¡¯</em>

    He calmed his breaths and lowered his stance. He could only use the technique he was about to use once; if he didn¡¯t kill his enemy with it, he would be the one to die.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Kahahaha!! How long are you going to keep running?!¡±

    The train of death charged straight at him. Kang-Woo put his right leg back and lowered his torso.

    <em>¡®Authority of Shattering Air.¡¯</em>

    A sphere of demonic energy enveloped his fist. If it was just this, a cannonball of demonic energy would be shot at his enemy.

    <em>¡®Authority of Titanic Might.¡¯</em>

    However, he merged one Authority with another. The demonic energy inside Kang-Woo was boiling like crazy. Blood came out of his mouth and wet his chest.

    ¡°Hah! Do you seriously think you can take me head-on?!¡± the demon shouted arrogantly.

    Kang-Woo focused the power of two merged Authorities, a feat no one could have attempted.

    ¡°Sky¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo lowered his torso and pulled back his torso as far as he could. He stepped forward with his left foot and swung his right fist forward like an arrow being let loose from a bow.

    ¡°Breaker.¡±

    <em>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!</em>

    The condensed demonic energy exploded. A wave of demonic energy that took the form of a colossal fist shot toward the demon.

    ¡°GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    The wave of demonic energy destroyed the demon¡¯s ck spikes and smashed into the demon curled up into a ball, crushing him like a baseball being hit with a bat in slow motion, sending the demon flying.

    ¡°Kurgh, gah¡­ Argh,¡± the demon groaned as he flinched and died soon after.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡± Kang-Woo staggered toward the demon. ¡°...¡±

    He looked down at the dead demon and extended his arm to use the Authority of Predation.

    <em>Crunch!</em>

    The ck mucus flowed out of his hand and ate the demon without leaving a trace.

    ¡°He¡­ had an Authority,¡± Kang-Woo mumbled as he created a ck spike.

    The demon¡¯s Authority was called the Authority of Dark Spears.

    ¡°...¡±

    He used the Authority of Dark Spears a few times to get the hang of it and turned back to return to the vige.

    ¡°S-Sir Kang-Woo!!¡±

    ¡°D-Did you find the demon who killed Kanile?¡±

    The Halves, whose faces were covered in tears, rushed to surround him.

    ¡°Yeah, I killed him.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo walked past the Halves after a concise answer. Kanile¡¯s mangled body was still in the cave.

    ¡°...¡±

    He stopped in his tracks to stare at Kanile¡¯s body and noticed Fel crying miserably next to the body.

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­ Waaaaaah!</em> B-Because of me¡­ <em>Sniff!</em> K-Kanile is¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo wondered what she was talking about. He approached the crying Fel and realized why she was ming herself after noticing what was in front of her. It was Kanile¡¯s abnormally twisted right arm. He was clenching something in his right hand even when his limbs were being broken and his horns were pulled out.

    It was a red weed.

    ¡°Bloodlight nt¡­¡±

    <em>¡®He must have gone out to pick those.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo didn¡¯t know whether Kanile had gone out at Fel¡¯s request or of his own ord. He didn¡¯t even want to know¡ª it wouldn¡¯t change the fact that he had left the cave like an idiot to pick a useless weed and died for it.

    <em>¡®Fucking idiot.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo turned away from the crying Fel and walked back out of the cave. He went far enough so the Halves couldn¡¯t see him and looked up at the sky as he leaned on a rock. The sky in Hell was as burning red as always.

    ¡°Pfft! Bwehehehehehehe!!!¡±

    He let out theughter he had been holding in all this time. After all, he couldn¡¯t be cackling in the cave where the mood was like that of a funeral home. He wasn¡¯t that shameless.

    ¡°Shiet!! This is awesome!! What a fucking score!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo was lucky; it was his lucky day. A prey that had been scarcetely appeared out of nowhere; a High-level demon with an Authority, no less. The harvest couldn¡¯t have been better.

    ¡°Dayum, High-level demons sure give tons of demonic energy!!¡±

    The demonic energy he got from eating Low to Intermediate-level demons couldn¡¯t evene close to what a High-level demon offered. Kang-Woo danced as he cackled.

    ¡°Bwehehehe!!! Bwehehehehe!!¡±

    He burst intoughter and waved his arms in joy. Today was his lucky day. It was a good day. He was happy.

    ¡°Bwehehehehehe.¡±

    It was only natural he would dance in joy. He would naturally wave his hands like a madman to celebrate his luck.

    ¡°Bwe¡­ hehehe¡­ he.¡±

    Yes, he had exchanged the life of a mere insect of a brat for a priceless miracle.

    ¡°Heh¡­¡±

    It was cause for celebration.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth. His head felt hot. His body was cold. It was freezing.

    ¡°... uck.¡±

    It was so cold that he felt like he would freeze to death.

    ¡°FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!¡±

    WHAM¡ª!

    Kang-Woo smashed his fist into the rock wall and panted heavily.

    ¡°WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY?!!¡± he shouted, asking a question he didn¡¯t even know who to. ¡°THEY¡¯VE DONE NOTHING!!! THEY¡¯VE DONE NOTHING WRONG!!!¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The Halves had done nothing wrong. The only thing wrong about them was that they were not demon-like.

    ¡°THEY HAVEN¡¯T HURT ANYONE!!!¡±

    It didn¡¯t matter even if no demon had been hurt by Halves. All demons needed were prey that they could trample on however they liked. Kang-Woo knew that and understood it.

    ¡®But¡­ bu

    ¡°WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SO GODDAMN EAGER TO KILL THEM?!!¡±

    <em>Wham! Wham!</em>

    Kang-Woo punched the wall, rock dust showering him from above.

    ¡°I was wondering what all this noise was about¡­¡± someone said in a deep voice.

    Kang-Woo turned to see a red muscly demon looking down at him.

    ¡°Were you not the one who told me to stop with the pity show?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo kept silent. He red at Balrog and muttered, ¡°Fuck¡­ off.¡±

    ¡°All you do is push others away,¡± remarked Balrog as he sat next to Kang-Woo. ¡°As if you¡¯re afraid of getting close to others.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo red at Balrog ragefully. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d get to hear something like that from a demon.¡±

    ¡°Demons also have emotions. We have those we treasure and resent.¡±

    ¡°Really? I never would¡¯ve guessed.¡±

    The demons Kang-Woo had met so far were morons blinded by desire.

    ¡°Are you frustrated?¡± Balrog asked.

    ¡°By what?¡±

    ¡°By everything.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo tightened his lips. He clenched his fist smashed into the rock wall and answered tremblingly, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    He was so angry that he couldn¡¯t resist the urge¡ª no, he didn¡¯t want to.

    ¡°I want to kill them all.¡±

    ¡°In that case,¡± said Balrog as he slowly turned his head to Kang-Woo and said deeply, ¡°You be the king.¡±

    1. The demon understood Kang-Woo because Tinky Winky¡¯s Korean name (????) has the word ¡°purple¡± in it. ?

 Side Story Chapter 134: Thousand-Year War (7)

    Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s head went nk for a moment. He couldn¡¯t understand what Balrog was talking about.

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo turned to Balrog wide-eyed.

    Balrog answered, ¡°You be the king of Hell and change it.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled at the absurdity. ¡°Change what? The discrimination against the Halves? The gazes of contempt and scorn?¡± He burst intoughter. ¡°Fucking wow, we have a human rights activist over here! Or should I say, demon rights activist?¡±

    Bing the king of Hell for the poor Halves and freeing them from discrimination and oppression¡ª it couldn¡¯t sound like more of a damn joke.

    ¡°Why the fuck should I?¡±

    Kang-Woo was indeed shocked by Kanile¡¯s death and enraged by how the demons treated Halves like insects. However, he had no reason to be the king of Hell for them. He had no desire to or the obligation.

    ¡°I am not telling you to be the king for the Halves,¡± Balrog rified.¡°Then what?¡±

    ¡°If there is something you do not like or annoys you to the point that you can¡¯t contain your rage¡­¡±

    <em>Bang!</em>

    Balrog stomped his foot and stood up. The towering five-meter red demon looked down at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°The only way to resolve it is to be the king.¡±

    Power in the Nine Hells was equivalent to absolute truth. If the Halves were as strong as adult demons, they would not be discriminated against.

    ¡°The weak crawl. The defeated die. The only right the weak possess is to suffer. That is the only rule that exists in Hell.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Kang-Woo stayed silent.

    ¡°So, will you be king?¡±

    Kang-Woo averted his gaze from Balrog. His resolution of killing the princes of Hell and returning to Earth was unchanged, but bing the king of Hell was entirely a different matter. ?

    Power in Hell did not refer to individualbat prowess. Combat prowess, authority, political power, and leadership all fell into power. A strong demon without authority was but a strong idiot; authority withoutbat prowess was but a sand castle that could crumble at any moment.

    <em>¡®And¡­¡¯</em>

    One couldn¡¯t be king just because they had enough power to kill the princes of Hell. One could only be king after reaching the pinnacle of all categories of power. It was not something an individual could aplish. epting subordinates and growing one¡¯s army was the first step on the path to bing the king of Hell.

    ¡°No.¡± Kang-Woo shook his head without hesitation.

    He had no intention of epting demon subordinates and gathering forces. epting a subordinate was no different from pledging that he would be responsible for paying the price of their loyalty.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯d be possible to get someone¡¯s loyalty without a corresponding return and with no strings attached.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could beat them up until they swore their allegiance or just threaten them with their life.

    <em>¡®But I doubt it¡¯dst long.¡¯</em>

    Earth¡¯s history has proven multiple times the wretched end that resulted from tyranny. To be a king, subjects needed to be unconditionally loyal to him. A king without loyal subjects did not deserve to be called a king.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be king,¡± Kang-Woo answered.

    ¡°Hehe. You don¡¯t <em>want </em>to?¡± Balrog chuckled. He shook his head and continued, ¡°You mean you don¡¯t have the resolve.¡±

    Kang-Woo flinched.

    ¡°Do you, a human, not have the confidence to earn a demon¡¯s allegiance? Or do you not have the confidence to gain enough power to surpass the princes of Hell? Or¡ª¡± Balrog stared at Kang-Woo coldly. ¡°Do you not have the confidence to be responsible for a life?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo bit his lip in silence. A crazy sense of displeasure and other disgusting emotions stormed in his mind. He recalled Kanile¡¯s mangled corpse¡ª with his four horns pulled out and eyes rolled backward.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    The cold he felt from touching Kanile¡¯s body spread through him like poison and froze him.

    ¡°I see,¡± Balrog remarked.

    Kang-Woo wondered what Balrog had realized.

    Balrog nodded and said, ¡°I will go.¡±

    ¡°Go¡­ where?¡±

    ¡°To my hut. There is still a week left.¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>Boom, boom.</em>

    Balrog walked toward the cave. Kang-Woo waited until he couldn¡¯t see him anymore.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    He fell to the ground with his back on the rock wall. He ced his hands over his forehead and bit his lip. The plethora of unfamiliar emotions jumbled in his mind. He had never felt such emotions even on Earth.

    ¡°I should never have lived here.¡±

    Kang-Woo chuckled in self-hatred and stood up. His head felt like it was about to explode but he couldn¡¯t waste time sitting around. He still had things to do.

    ***

    ¡°A High-level demon¡­ attacked our territory?¡±

    Zepar¡¯s expression hardened in disbelief. All demons carried contempt for Halves but only Low or Intermediate-level demons went out of their way to invade the Halves¡¯ territory to kill them. High-level demons were powerful enough to have a ce in the princes¡¯ armies; they did not waste time meaninglessly hunting Halves.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible he was aiming for me.¡±

    ¡°You, Sir Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Kang-Woo nodded and continued, ¡°The bastard knew I was here. I might have been the only reason he was even here.¡±

    ¡°No way¡­¡± Zepar slurred in pallor. He said reluctantly after some thought, ¡°In that case¡­ it seems we have no choice but to leave this ce.¡±

    They did not know for sure if the High-level demon was here for Kang-Woo but as long as there was a possibility, it was far too dangerous to stay in this cave.

    ¡°Yes. You will have to get ready to leave,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    ¡°What about you¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I will apany you until you find a new hideout.¡±

    Zepar¡¯s expression hardened. He thought about the meaning behind Kang-Woo¡¯s words.

    ¡°Are you perhaps¡­ leaving us?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded in silence. He wanted to stay in the vige longer¡ª no, he wanted to be with them forever.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head to shoo away the temptation. This ce was far too different from the Hell he had experienced until now. It was not cold, lonely, or painful.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s exactly why¡­ I have to leave.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t stay here any longer.

    ¡°I¡­ understand.¡± Zepar slowly stood up and bowed deeply to Kang-Woo. He smiled brightly in a way that one wouldn¡¯t think he was a demon and said, ¡°Thank you very much for protecting this good-for-nothing vige all this time. If it weren¡¯t for you, we would have continued to spend every day trembling in fear.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo was about to say something but stopped himself. He grabbed Zepar¡¯s hand and shook it. Unlike his abnormally muscr left arm, his right arm was pitifully withered.

    ¡°I will tell the children to pack their things,¡± Zepar said.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Zepar went outside. Kang-Woo, left alone in the hut, looked around with a nk gaze.

    ¡°Three years¡­¡±

    He had spent the past three years in this hut¡ª the first ce he thought of as <em>home </em>ever since he fell into Hell.

    <em>¡®It was only three years.¡¯</em>

    The three years he spent here were far more memorable than the nine millennia of his desperate struggles to survive. He felt like they would be engraved into his memories forever.

    ¡°But I¡­ have to go.¡±

    Kang-Woo stood up. Since Balrog said he was going to leave in one week, he might also have to bid him farewell.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s okay.¡¯</em>

    He just needed to go back to his life several years ago¡ª the life he had experienced for millennia where all he thought about was staying alive with just the thought of returning to Earth driving him. He just needed to go back to the life he was all too familiar with.

    <em>¡®I can do it.¡¯</em>

    He would survive like he had always done¡ª no matter how wretched and desperate it was.

    <em>¡®Forward.¡¯</em>

    He would walk forward.

    ¡°Jeez, I guess I should pack up too.¡±

    Kang-Woo had a few things to pack as well since he had spent three years in the same ce.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    His expression froze when he saw the old cup on his table as he was packing things into his bag. It was the cup Fel used to brew him tea with the bloodlight nt. He was about to pack it as well but stopped himself.

    ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t need it anymore.¡±

    Kang-Wo wouldn¡¯t need to taste that disgusting tea any more either. They were going to leave as soon as preparations wereplete and he was going to leave the Halves once he found them a secure hideout.

    <em>Shatter.</em>

    He crushed the cup in his hand. The cold fragments poked his hand. He brushed them away and wore the bag.

    <em>Creak.</em>

    Kang-Woo opened the door and came out of the hut.

    ¡°S-Sir Kang-Woo!¡±

    ¡°I-Is it true that you¡¯re leaving us?¡±

    Firean and Fel approached him in tears. Kang-Woo smiled faintly and patted the two demons¡¯ heads.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be with you until we find a new hideout.¡±

    ¡°No way¡­¡±

    ¡°<em>Sniff, waaaaaahh!!!</em>¡±

    Fel burst into tears as she grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s clothes. Tears flowed from her six eyes.

    ¡°<em>Sniff!</em> P-Please don¡¯t go, Sir Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    Fel¡¯s appearance did not look hideous to Kang-Woo at this moment for some reason.

    ¡°You guys hurry and pack your things too.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ sir.¡±

    ¡°<em>Sniff! Sniff!</em>¡±

    Firean and Fel nodded in tears.

    ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Kang-Woo sighed deeply and turned to the cave entrance. ¡°Huh?¡±

    He noticed someone standing at the entrance. It was not Balrog; it was a demon far smaller, close to Kang-Woo¡¯s size.

    <em>¡®Who is that?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and stared at the unknown demon that appeared at the entrance. He couldn¡¯t tell what the demon looked like because he was shrouded in darkness.

    ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡±

    All he could see were two shining yellow eyes.

    ¡°Sir Kang-Woo!! A-A demon!!¡±

    ¡°A strange demon appeared!!¡±

    The little demons near the entrance shouted as they pointed at the demon.

    ¡°Wait¡­¡±

    A chilling sense of uneasiness traveled down his back.

    [I found you.]

    The demon at the cave entrance took a step forward.

    <em>sh¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Aaaaaack!!!¡±

    ¡°Kyaaaaahhh!!!¡±

    The little demons pointing at the demon were sliced into pieces as they screamed.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± Kang-Woo panted heavily and stepped backward wide-eyed.

    He could barely breathe. His teeth cked loudly. His mind had turned nk and he couldn¡¯t even think. His legs were shaking so much that he felt like he was about to copse any second.

    ¡°Wha

    [Allow me to introduce myself.]

    At the entrance was¡ª

    [I am death. I am the end.]

    [I am the father of all wrath, and I am wrath itself.]

    [I am¡­]

    ¡ª Despair itself.

    [Satan.]

 Side Story Chapter 135: Thousand-Year War (8)

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s brain froze. He could barelyprehend what he had just heard. His heart was pounding like crazy.

    ¡°Satan¡­?¡±

    One of the seven princes of Hell, the demon of Wrath.

    ¡°Why is Satan¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo stepped backward. He did not even need topare his strength against the enemy¡¯s. He would undoubtedly die if he were to fight against Satan. He had no chance of victory.

    [I havee in search of you.]

    Satan raised his arm shrouded in darkness and pointed at Kang-Woo. His voice echoed directly throughout Kang-Woo¡¯s head instead of sound waves entering the ears.

    ¡°In search¡­ of me?¡±[Yes,] Satan replied and nodded.

    Kang-Woo bit his lip. It didn¡¯t matter why Satan was here for him. What mattered was that Satan was here.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± Kang-Woo panted heavily. He did not have to think long before he turned to scream to the Halves, ¡°RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!¡±

    ¡°S-Sir Kang-Woo!¡±

    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s going on?!¡±

    ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP AND RUN RIGHT NOW!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo pushed the Halves who were still disoriented from the chaos. The Halves soon turned around and began to run to the back of the cave. Kang-Woo also ran behind them.

    ¡°Zepar!! Where¡¯s the emergency exit?!¡±

    He had once heard from Zepar that he had created an emergency exit just in case.

    ¡°Over there!!¡±

    ¡°Hurry!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo looked back as he frantically ran. He didn¡¯t know if Satan had no intention of chasing them or was just full of leisure, but Satan was simply standing still and staring at Kang-Woo.  ??

    ¡°SHIT!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s thoughts were so entangled that he could barely think.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s a prince of Hell?¡¯</em>

    He understood why Balrog had been so lost for words when he learned of Kang-Woo¡¯s goal. A prince of Hell was the essence of cmity.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t win.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could instinctively tell even if he didn¡¯t want to. The princes of Hell couldn¡¯t be defeated. They were not born to be defeated. They were born to rule as absolute entities.

    <em>¡®I was trying to fight demons like that?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could only call himself insane for daring to try such a thing. He could only imagine how much Balrog mocked him in his head. His zing fury and desire to return to Earth were extinguished in a sh from the moment he came face-to-face with a prince of Hell.

    ¡°Haaa! Haaa! Th-This way!¡± Zepar shouted, pointing at a hole he had dug at the end of the cave.

    ¡°Get in!!!¡±

    ¡°Wh-What about y¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get in once everyone does, so just get the fuck in there!!¡±

    Kang-Woo pushed Fel, who was staring anxiously at him, into the hole. The Halves went in one after another.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff.</em>¡±

    Kang-Woo looked back as he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Satan was still nowhere in sight.

    <em>¡®Hurry, hurry, hurry!¡¯</em>

    Anxiety was burning him from the inside.

    ¡°We¡¯re all out!¡± Zepar said from inside the hole.

    Kang-Woo also crawled into the hole and came out to a terrain filled with tall sharp rocks.

    ¡°This way!¡± Zepar shouted as he pointed at an escape route he had made at the opposite side of the cave entrance.

    Kang-Woo followed after the Halves and came out of the windy escape route.

    ¡°¡ªHuh?¡±

    ¡°So, this is where you were.¡±

    However, they came across another demon. He had eight ck wings on his back, skin so pale and lips so blue that one would think he was dead. His prideful eyes gazed at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Lucifer¡­?¡± Zepar said in pallor.

    Lucifer, the prince of Pride¡ª yet another prince of Hell had appeared after Satan.

    ¡°Wh-Why¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t understand why two of the princes of Hell were in one ce when it was a rarity to meet one even after millennia in the Ninth Hell.

    ¡°Hmm, are you the human named Oh Kang-Woo?¡± Lucifer slightly raised his head and looked down arrogantly at Kang-Woo. His eyes carried an unconcealed sense of disappointment. ¡°I bothered toe all the way here after hearing you were on the same path as Bael, but¡­ what a disappointment.¡±

    He frowned as he stared at the trembling Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s teeth cked noisily due to the pressure crushing him.

    <em>¡®Pull yourself together.¡¯</em>

    It was not the time to be frozen in fear. He needed to move to survive. Kang-Woo looked around and quickly raised his right arm.

    <em>¡®Authority of Shattering Air.¡¯</em>

    A sphere of demonic energy was shot at a tall rock wall.

    Rumble¡ª!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Countless rocks plummeted toward Lucifer.

    ¡°RUN!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo did not expect a prince of Hell to die from such a meaningless attack. He turned to run in the opposite direction as soon as the rocks fell.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa!! S-Sir Kang-Woo.¡±

    Fel was panting heavily as she staggered, about to copse at any second. Kang-Woo grabbed her and ran like crazy.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff!</em>¡±

    Kang-Woo would never get tired after running only this much but the psychological pressure of being chased by princes of Hell drastically drained his stamina.

    <em>¡®Please, please¡­!¡¯</em>

    He continued to run as he prayed to God despite never believing such an entity existed since he fell into Hell. They escaped the rocky region and saw a in of red sand¡ª no, to be more exact, the army of demons covering the in of red sand.

    ¡°Oh, is that the rumored human?¡±

    ¡°Puhihihihi!! The hell? I was expecting someone like Bael but it¡¯s just a human with some demonic energy.¡±

    A demon in a wheelchair made of white bones and a morbidly obese demon were cackling as they stared at Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Belphegor¡­ and Mammon¡­?¡±

    Zepar dumbfoundedly stared at the two demons at the army¡¯s vanguard. They were Belphegor, prince of Sloth, and Mammon, prince of Greed. Two of the seven princes of Hell who ruled the Ninth Hell were in one ce¡ª no, it wasn¡¯t just two.

    [Hmph. I expected you bastards to be here as well.]

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    Satan leisurely appeared from the right.

    ¡°Satan aside¡­ Belphegor and Mammon, huh? Looks like you maggots joined forces.¡±

    Flutter!

    Lucifer flew toward them from the left and frowned at Belphegor and Mammon.

    ¡°Puhihihi!! How could we hope to stand against the oh-so high and mighty Satan and Lucifer if we don¡¯t join forces?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but it makes sense to join forces in a situation like this.¡±

    Mammon and Belphegor smiled nastily and red at Satan and Lucifer.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo was simply frozen, unable to even think of running away. No, it was better to say he knew there was no point in running away.

    ¡°Four¡­ princes?¡± he mumbled, bbergasted.

    Four of the seven princes of Hell, the beings standing at the pinnacle of the Ninth Hell, were in one ce.

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    His legs shook uncontrobly and he could barely breathe. He pinched his cheek like an idiot because of how unrealistic things were but the nightmare before him did not disappear.

    [That aside, you sure have brought a lot.]

    Satan looked around at the army of demons behind Belphegor and Mammon, as well as Lucifer, who was standing alone.

    ¡°So have you,¡± replied Lucifer as he smirked and red at Satan.

    Thousands of demons flew down from between the tall rock upshoots andnded behind Lucifer.

    [Hmm. I guess I can¡¯t fool a prince¡¯s eyes.]

    Satan nodded and spread out the darkness surrounding him. Satan¡¯s army rose from the ground covered in darkness resembling ck ink. The armies of the four princes gathered in the vast in.

    [Now, then.] Satan leisurely turned, his eyes gleaming at Kang-Woo¡ª to be more exact, at the Halves around Kang-Woo. [Why don¡¯t we eliminate the half-baked filth so that we can talk in peace?]

    ¡°W-Wait a¡ª¡±

    Satan suddenly vanished before Kang-Woo could stop him, and appeared behind a little demon trembling in pallor. It was a little demon with three branches growing all over him. Satan softly ced his hand over the little demon¡¯s head.

    ¡°H-Huh? M-My body¡­¡±

    <em>Crack, crack.</em>

    The little demon stepped backward as he looked down at the spiderweb-like cracks forming on his body. Tears flowed down his cheeks.

    ¡°P-Please¡­ save me,¡± the little demon said as he stared at Kang-Woo. He reached out toward Kang-Woo and muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t want to d¡ª¡±

    <em>Shatter¡ª!!</em>

    The little demon was broken into tiny pieces from his fingers throughout his body.

    ¡°Yes, that human is all we need.¡±

    Lucifer nodded and snapped his finger, forming ck balls the size of a ping-pong ball in midair. They were shot at the Halves¡¯ chests.

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    ¡°I-IT HURTS!! IT HUUUUURTS!!¡±

    The Halves hit by the ck ball were crushed as they were sucked into the ball as if it were a ck hole.

    ¡°A-Arghh.¡±

    Kang-Woo bit his lip as he bore witness to the ughter. It was so overwhelming that he could only watch as the Halves were brutally murdered. The princes of Hell were so powerful that he couldn¡¯t even think of doing something.

    ¡°I-I have to¡­ run,¡± he mumbled without realizing it.

    He had been running this whole time but he meant it differently.

    ¡°I-I have to use this chance¡­ to r-run.¡±

    He needed to use the Halves as bait to run away.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa.¡±

    If he missed his chance to run¡ª he would die.

    ¡°KYAAAAAAAAHHH!!¡±

    ¡°S-SIR KANG-WOO!!!¡±

    ¡°PLEASE SAVE US!!!¡±

    The Halves¡¯ screams echoed inside his head. They desperately pleaded for Kang-Woo¡¯s help as they were brutally killed by Satan and Lucifer.

    <em>¡®Fuck that.¡¯</em>

    He had no way of saving them in this situation. One would have to be crazy to face the princes of Hell. Kang-Woo ignored the Halves¡¯ screams and turned around, getting ready to leave as soon as possible before all the Halves were killed.

    <em>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!</em>

    Just then, a red giant fell from the sky like a meteor.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo turned to look back in shock. Balrog was leisurely cracking his knuckles as he stood in Satan and Lucifer¡¯s way.

    ¡°Is ughtering Halves all you came here to do as princes of Hell?¡± Balrog clicked his tongue mockingly. ¡°The title of the seven princes of Hell sure has been dragged through the mud.¡±

    Balrog smiled widely, baring his sharp teeth.

 Side Story Chapter 136: Thousand-Year War (9)

    Side Story Chapter 136: Thousand-Year War (9)

    ¡°Balrog?¡±

    [Well, well. So, this is where the remnant of Beelzebub has been this whole time.]

    Lucifer and Satan¡¯s eyes shone with great interest. Balrog red at the two princes of Hell with deeply sunken eyes.

    ¡°If you call yourself a prince of Hell, live up to its name.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Your words hit quite heavy for a mere remnant.¡± Lucifer chuckled coldly as he pped his eight wings.

    ¡°My words are not the only thing that is heavy.¡±

    Balrog aggressively clenched his fists and grabbed a long whip, zing with red mes, from his waist.

    ¡°Haha! I will admit, you deserve to be called the strongest archdemon.¡± Lucifer narrowed his eyes and slowly raised his left hand. ¡°However¡­¡±

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>Dozens of ck spheres appeared in front of his hand.

    ¡°It does not change that you are a mere archdemon.¡±

    The fist-sized ck spheres shot at Balrog.

    ¡°Huup!!¡± Balrog took a deep breath and crouched. His red muscles swelled to the point that they could burst. ¡°RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    Balrog¡¯s Demon Roar shook the earth as his whip enveloped in mes swept the surroundings. The spheres hit by the whip were redirected at Lucifer.

    ¡°Impressive.¡±

    Lucifer stared at Balrog with his signature arrogance and chuckled mockingly. The ck spheres melted away like snowkes once they touched Lucifer¡¯s body.

    ¡°Gahahaha!!! Is that all you¡¯ve got as a prince of Hell?!¡± Balrog shouted as he charged. ¡°MORE, MORE, MORE!! FIRE ME UP MORE!¡±

    He burst intoughter as he crazily swung his whip.

    ¡°FILL THE FINAL MOMENTS OF THE GREAT BALROG WITH BLAZING GLORY!¡±

    Balrog sped across the earth as his surroundings shook. Lucifer chuckled as he watched Balrog approaching with tremendous energy.

    ¡°I see.¡± Lucifer nodded as if he understood. ¡°You¡­ have already made this ce your deathbed.¡±

    A demon would be insane to face the princes of Hell otherwise. Although Balrog was the most powerful archdemon, he was no match for a prince of Hell. Not only that but Lucifer was not the only one here; four out of the seven princes of Hell were present. Balrog had no chance of surviving this predicament.

    ¡°Gehehehe!¡± Balrog cackled. ¡°If I die against a prince of Hell¡­ I am sure that will be enough to satisfy my liege.¡±

    Balrog stared nkly into space in sorrow and pulled himself together to charge at both Lucifer and Satan. Shockwaves shook the surroundings.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa, haaa!¡± Oh Kang-Woo panted heavily as he watched the battle.

    <em>¡®Now¡¯s my chance.¡¯</em>

    He clenched his fists and looked around. All four princes were focused on Balrog; this was the only chance he had to escape.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll bring out as much demonic energy as possible and use the Authority of Haste and Authority of Shadows simultaneously.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could travel through shadows with the Authority of Shadows and move at supersonic speeds with the Authority of Haste. Not even the princes of Hell should be able to catch up to him if he used those two Authorities simultaneously.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll only have one chance.¡¯</em>

    If the princes noticed that he was trying to escape, he wouldn¡¯t get a second chance.

    ¡°Huuu, huuu.¡±

    Kang-Woo wiped the sweat off his forehead and calcted the ideal time to escape. Belphegor and Mammon¡¯s armies surrounded the area as Lucifer and Satan were busy massacring the Halves.

    <em>¡®All the better for me.¡¯</em>

    They likely had their guards down, thinking Kang-Woo had nowhere to go.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll use thatpse in caution.¡¯</em>

    He would use the Authority of Shadows to move past the encirclement and the Authority of Haste to outrun his pursuers.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s perfectly possible.¡¯</em>

    An encirclement was perfect for trapping a target but was terrible for pursuing them. If Kang-Woo managed to break through it, he would easily be able to escape.

    ¡°Man, that¡¯s Balrog for you. He¡¯s fighting on par against Lucifer and Satan simultaneously.¡±

    ¡°Puhihihihi! They¡¯re obviously holding back! Look, they haven¡¯t even taken out their weapons!¡±

    ¡°Tsk, I hoped he would drain their energy as much as possible.¡±

    Fortunately, Mammon and Belphegor were focused entirely on the battle between Balrog and the other two princes.

    <em>¡®Now!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was about to use the Authority of Shadows with the demonic energy he had umted, but¡ª

    ¡°KYAAAAAHHH!!¡±

    ¡°F-Fel!!! Y-You son of a bitch!!¡±

    He heard a familiar voice; it was one he had heard every day for the past three years. Kang-Woo turned to see Fel captured by one of the demons in Satan¡¯s army. She was screaming as she struggled with her legs dangling.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo flinched. He shut his eyes tightly.

    <em>¡®Ignore her.¡¯</em>

    It would be impossible for him to escape if he was responsible for another demon¡¯s life. If they were all going to die here, it was better that he survived on his own.

    ¡°Let go of Fel¡ª Arghh!!¡±

    ¡°Firean!!¡±

    ¡°V-Vige chief!¡±

    ¡°Stand back!¡±

    From the sound of it, Zepar seemed to have stepped in. However, the result wouldn¡¯t change. The Halves whom Kang-Woo had spent the past three years with would all die here. Yes, all of them¡ª without a trace.

    <em>¡®Don¡¯t think about it.¡¯</em>

    The memories of the past three years shed across his head. He felt the warmth he had never felt in Hell sinceing to the vige, the one ce he thought of as home in the cold and agonizing Hell.

    <em>¡®Don¡¯t¡­ think about anything.¡¯</em>

    The demons that weren¡¯t demon-like¡­ the half-baked demons¡­ the small fry that were forced to live like insects and meet an end worse than insects¡­

    <em>¡®Just run away.¡¯</em>

    Nothing would change even if Kang-Woo stepped in. He wouldn¡¯t be able to protect them even if he went all-out.

    <em>¡®Yeah.¡¯</em>

    It couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°Kurgh!! Guh!!¡±

    ¡°Kyaaaahhh!! V-Vige chief!!!¡±

    It was better for at least one person to live, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°<em>Sniff!! Waaaaaaaahhh!!</em>¡±

    In the first ce, Kang-Woo had no obligation to save the Halves.

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­</em>¡±

    ¡°Fel! Come here!!¡±

    They had been bait to hunt demons since the beginning. If a shark bit the bait, it was only natural he would cut the line.

    <em>¡®Yeah.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Kyaaaahhh!!¡±

    ¡°F-Fel!! Fel¡ª!!¡±

    Kang-Woo just needed to shut his eyes, ears, and mouth¡­ and run.

    ¡°Ah¡­!¡±

    Fel discovered him; their eyes met.

    ¡°Sir K¡ª¡± Fel was about to call for Kang-Woo but bit her lip and shook her head.

    <em>Schwing!</em>

    Satan¡¯s retainer unsheathed his sword and swung it down at Fel¡¯s neck¡ª

    ¡°YOU MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!¡±

    <em>Wham!!</em>

    Kang-Woo ran at full speed with the Authority of Haste. His legs hurt so bad that they could shatter at any second but he ignored it.

    <em>Bash¡ª!!!</em>

    ¡°GAAAAAAAAHHH!!¡±

    Kang-Woo kicked the retainer¡¯s head, caving it in. The retainer was sent flying.

    <em>Boom, boom, boom!</em>

    The demon skipped across the ground backward like a skipping stone on water.

    ¡°Sir¡­ Kang-Woo?¡±

    Fel looked up at Kang-Woo, her six eyes opened wide.

    ¡°Fel!!¡±

    Firean quickly ran up to Fel and hugged her.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at the hugging siblings and bit his lip.

    <em>¡®Why?¡¯</em> he asked himself.

    He knew that his action just now was idiotic; it was irrational.

    <em>¡®After what I said about not putting on a pity show.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help butugh. He couldn¡¯t be more embarrassed and humiliated at himself.

    ¡°Stop crying ande this way,¡± he said.

    If he had dropped to his lowest point, he at least didn¡¯t want to die with regrets.

    <em>¡®Authority of Shelters.¡¯</em>

    A small sinkhole formed on the hard rocky terrain. However, it was not just a sinkhole; it could minimize the presence of those who stayed inside it.

    ¡°Stay in here.¡±

    Kang-Woo pushed Fel and Firean into the sinkhole.

    ¡°B-But¡­¡±

    ¡°What about you, Sir Kang-Woo¡­?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t go in there.¡±

    To be more exact, it would be pointless for him. There was a limit to the amount of one¡¯s presence that could be hidden with the Authority of Shelters. As long as the princes of Hell were searching for him, he would undoubtedly be discovered even if he hid inside the sinkhole.

    <em>¡®But if it¡¯s just these two¡­¡¯</em>

    The princes of Hell were not aiming for the Halves. As long as they weren¡¯t seen, the princes wouldn¡¯t go out of their way to search for them.

    ¡°Stay here and shut up.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo turned around as Fel was about to say something, and covered the sinkhole entrance with dirt. He looked around and saw that the princes¡¯ retainers had killed nearly all the Halves.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo stayed silent and drew out his demonic energy to use the Authority of Shadows. He quickly melted into his own shadow¡ª

    [Where are you off to in such a hurry?]

    Immense demonic energy filled the area along with the echo of a deep voice.

    ¡°Arghh!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo was hit with a powerful shockwave as he was forcibly pulled out of his shadow.

    ¡°<em>Cough, cough!!</em>¡±

    Kang-Woo coughed up blood. His intestines had be mush and intense pain shot throughout his body. He felt dizzy. He could see the demon shrouded in darkness as he grimaced in pain.

    <em>¡®Satan¡­?¡¯</em>

    Satan should have been battling Balrog.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± Kang-Woo panted heavily and turned to where Balrog had been battling two of the princes.

    He saw a mangled Balrog, barely with his life intact, copsed on the ground.

    ¡°I was¡­ toote.¡±

    Kang-Woo was overwhelmed with regret for not having been faster.

    [No, nothing would have changed even if you had acted faster.] A chilling voice echoed inside Kang-Woo¡¯s head. [We already knew you were looking for a chance to escape.]

    ¡°...¡±

    In that case, it would have been meaningless even if he had used the Authority of Shadows before he noticed Fel.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help butugh. He was satisfied just from knowing that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape from the beginning. He could now die without regrets.

    [And¡­]

    <em>Step, step.</em>

    Satan slowly walked toward¡­

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    [That you missed your chance so you could hide these Halves.]

    Satan reached into the sinkhole and pulled out a Half crouched inside it.

    ¡°Kyaaaahhh!!¡± Fel screamed in Satan¡¯s clutches.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo trembled with his eyes widened. An uneasy sensation spread throughout his body.

    ¡°D-Don¡¯t,¡± he pleaded. He bowed with his head on the ground and begged unsightly, ¡°Please, please¡­¡±

    However, Kang-Woo already knew that Satan wouldn¡¯t stop.

    [Hear me, human.]

    Satan smiled nastily.

    ¡°DON¡¯T YOU FUCKING DAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!!!¡± Kang-Woo screamed as he stomped his feet to charge.

    However, he lost strength in his legs due to his mangled intestines. He tumbled across the ground like an idiot.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    [The only right the weak possess¡ª]

    ¡°ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!¡± Kang-Woo roared as he desperately crawled on the ground on all fours.

    His mangled intestines poured out of his mouth with bitter blood. He could taste the dried bloodlight nt.

    [Is to suffer.]

    Dark light flowed into Fel from Satan¡¯s hand.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    Satan let go of Fel and she fell to the ground.

    ¡°S-Sir Kang-Woo¡­¡±

    Cracks began to form on her skin. She staggered toward Kang-Woo, forcing her crumbling body forward.

    ¡°H-Hehe,¡± she giggled awkwardly after arriving in front of the copsed Kang-Woo. She continued tremblingly, ¡°You¡­ You should¡¯ve just run away. That¡¯s why¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ call your name.¡±

    That had been why Fel had stopped herself from calling for Kang-Woo, which ultimately ended up being meaningless. Even if Kang-Woo had abandoned Fel, Satan would have caught him.

    <em>Crack, crack!!</em>

    ¡°N-No¡­¡±

    Fel was breaking, pieces of her body falling to the ground.

    ¡°Fel¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo reached for Fel with his trembling hand.

    ¡°Sir Kang-Woo¡­ Thank y¡ª¡±

    <em>Shatter!</em>

    Before Fel could even finish her final words, she crumbled into pieces and fell to the ground before Kang-Woo¡¯s hand could reach her cheek covered in cracks.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s thoughts froze.

 Side Story Chapter 137: Thousand-Year War (10)

    Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s thoughts went nk. The tiny pieces of Fel¡¯s body tumbled across the ground. He grabbed one of the pieces with one hand; ck blood from the piece of flesh wet his hand.

    ¡°FEL¡ª!!!¡±

    Firean¡¯s screams echoed from the sinkhole. He charged at Satan in tears¡ª a truly moronic act. No matter how hard Firean struggled, he was no match for Satan.

    ¡°BRING HER BACK!! BRING FEL BACK!!!¡± he screamed as if throwing a temper tantrum, begging for the impossible.

    [Silence.]

    Satan lightly frowned and pushed the charging Firean aside.

    ¡°Kurgh! Gah!¡±

    It had been a slight gesture for Satan but it broughtrge consequences for Firean. He was flung powerlessly aside and tumbled across the ground. His right leg was bent unnaturally.

    ¡°Hurgh¡­ <em>Waaaaaaaaahhh!</em>¡± Firean bawled his eyes out as he crawled with his broken leg.He likely also knew that no matter how much he begged and struggled, Fel would never return.

    ¡°WHY DO WE HAVE TO DIE?!!¡± Firean shouted resentfully, the frustration and rage he had been holding in all this time bursting out. ¡°WE¡¯RE NOTHING TO YOU!!! WE¡¯VE DONE NOTHING WRONG!!!¡±

    The princes of Hell were after Kang-Woo, not the Halves. The Halves were simply being killed like insects just for being with Kang-Woo.

    ¡°YOU COULD¡¯VE JUST TAKEN THAT SON OF A BITCH AND THAT WOULD¡¯VE BEEN THE END OF IT!!!¡± Firean¡¯s unbridled rage, with nowhere to go, could only be pointed at Kang-Woo. ¡°WHY?! WHY?!! Why do we¡­ have to die so wretchedly¡­?¡±

    Tears flowed down Firean¡¯s cheeks. He curled up into a ball as he held the pieces of his little sister¡¯s body and cried.

    [It is simple.]

    Satan put his foot over Firean¡¯s head. Firean gritted his teeth as his head was being trampled by Satan¡¯s foot.

    ¡°Because we¡¯re Halves? Are you saying we have to die this way because we¡¯re half-baked?¡±

    Firean bit his lip, blooding out of it. Half, Half, Half¡ª the mark of contempt and ridicule engraved on them from birth. The damn mark had killed countless demons like him.

    [No.] Satan shook his head. [You are not dying here because you are Halves.]

    He added more strength to his foot on Firean¡¯s head.

    [Demons only die because of one reason,] Satan remarked coldly. [Because they are weak.]

    <em>Crush!</em>

    Firean¡¯s head cracked open. His brain matter leaked from his broken skull and doused the ground.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo nkly stared at the sight on the ground. The blood from Firean¡¯s crushed head mixed with the blood from the pieces of Fel¡¯s body.

    [Are you angry?] Satan smirked as he trampled on Firean¡¯s headless corpse. [Be stronger, human. Use the wrath and resentment as nourishment for your growth. And...]

    His yellow eyes inside the shroud of darkness shone with madness.

    [Kill me.]

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo did not answer. He simply looked down nkly and wet his hand with the blood of the two siblings mixing on the ground.

    ¡°Hmm, it seems the filth has been more or less cleaned up,¡± Lucifer said as he looked around and slowly walked toward them.

    [Did you not finish Balrog off?]

    ¡°I had a feeling I would have a use for him in the future.¡±

    Lucifer shrugged as he expressed his arrogant pride. Satan narrowed his eyes and stared at Lucifer, as well as Mammon and Belphegor watching the situation unfold from afar.

    [Now, then,] Satan remarked coldly. [Do you all mind fucking off if you are done here?]

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    Suffocating demonic energy flowed out of Satan, shrouded in darkness.

    ¡°Hehe, you want us to leave aftering all the way here?¡±

    ¡°Puhi! Puhihihi!! Not a chance!¡±

    Belphegor and Mammon approached Satan as their eyes glinted.

    [Oh? You want to have a go with me, do you?]

    Satan¡¯s eyes shone with great interest. A two-meter greatsword appeared from the shroud of darkness.

    He asked with rage, [Do you truly believe weaklings like you two are a match for me if you join forces?]

    Belphegor and Mammon shrugged slyly.

    ¡°Puhihi!! I would think you were the Prince of Pride if I didn¡¯t know any better!¡±

    ¡°Of course, we cannot defeat you with just the two of us,¡± Belphegor remarked leisurely. ¡°However¡­¡±

    He pointed at someone with his bony finger as he was still seated in his wheelchair. Satan looked to where Belphegor was pointing and saw the Prince of Pride¡¯s eyes shining with interest.

    ¡°What about Lucifer?¡±

    [...]

    Satan¡¯s expression slightly crumpled. He could face Belphegor and Mammon at once with no issues. However, it was impossible to face them plus Lucifer, ande out victorious.

    ¡°What an interesting turn of events.¡± Lucifer smiled arrogantly, amused by the situation.

    ¡°Puhihihi!! A three-way battle of the princes of Hell!¡± Mammon cackled humorously as he shook his fat-riddled arms.

    A three-way battle between the princes of Hell had never urred in the history of the Ninth Hell. Since the princes of Hell were the only ones who could defeat one another, they rarely met in one ce. However, four of the seven princes of Hell had gathered to find one human and confronted one another.

    The tension was palpable in the air. The princes of Hell red at each other as even a twitch could ignite a spark to start the battle¡ª and Kang-Woo was sitting alone amidst the war of nerves.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kang-Woo groaned as his consciousness flickered.

    He raised his head and saw the four princes of Hell preparing for a confrontation, paying no mind to him.

    <em>¡®Why?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no idea. The princes had mentioned Bael but he had never even met Bael.

    <em>¡®Why did things turn out this way?¡¯ </em>he continued to ask himself.

    He could feel extreme pain from his destroyed intestines. He could barely even lift a finger. He felt dizzy from the storm of emotions in his head.

    <em>- Umm¡­ I-I¡¯ve brought you some tea.</em>

    Kang-Woo recalled a memory. He felt like he was about to puke. He didn¡¯t know why he was recalling that disgusting and bitter tea in this dire situation.

    ¡°Hah,¡± he chuckled without realizing it.

    Kang-Woo raised his hands and covered his face. The fragments of his memories of the past three years tore him apart.

    ¡°Ha¡­ Haha.¡±

    He lowered his head and saw the pieces of Fel¡¯s body and Firean¡¯s headless corpse.

    ¡°A-Arghh,¡± Kang-Woo groaned as he crouched and scratched his cheeks with both hands.

    His fingernails dug into and pierced his skin, blood mixing with his tears. The burning sensation in his heart hurt far more than his torn cheeks and mangled intestines.

    ¡°A-A-Arghhh.¡±

    Kang-Woo squirmed wretchedly on the ground.

    <em>¡®Why, why, why, why, why¡­¡¯</em>

    The questions filled his head. Why was this happening to him? Why did only things like this happen to him?

    <em>- You be the king.</em>

    A firm and deep voice echoed inside him, eradicating the questions in his head. Yes, the cause of this entire thing was simple. It was because he was weak¡ª because he was not the king. Hence, he naturally lost everything.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly brought his hand to his chest and felt the sea of demonic energy lying dormant in his beating heart¡ª and the three sturdy and massive Doors sealing it.

    <em>¡®If I open this¡­¡¯</em>

    Not even Kang-Woo knew what would happen. The unleashed current of demonic energy could contort him and cause him to explode, but one thing was for sure. Once he opened these Doors, there was no going back.

    <em>¡®Even so¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo slowly stood up as he staggered.

    [I do not wish for unneeded bloodshed.]

    ¡°Then how about you give up?¡±

    [Nonsense.]

    ¡°Puhihihi! Or we could share that human!¡±

    The princes chatted as if they couldn¡¯t see him¡­ as if he didn¡¯t exist¡­ as if his pain and desperation were nothing.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    [Nonsense again.]

    ¡°Puhihi! What? Isn¡¯t it a good idea? We can cut him up into pieces and share him!¡±

    The princes set their desires aze as they talked noisily. It was only natural; after all, Kang-Woo was nothing to them but a dying insect.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± Kang-Woo exhaled.

    He ced his hand over his chest and slowly turned his hand.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    An immense current of demonic energy poured out despite not even fully opening a Door.

    ¡°Kurgh¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s consciousness flickered and grew weaker. However¡­

    <em>¡®For¡­ward.¡¯</em>

    To a ce higher¡­ where no one could ever reach.

    Wriggle.

    ck mucus flowed out of Kang-Woo. Sticky demonic energy surrounded him.

    ¡°What the¡­?¡±

    ¡°Puhihihi! What are you doing, human?¡±

    The princes turned their attention to the dying insect they had paid no mind to until now.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo slowly walked forward in silence. His steps were no longer wavering.

    <em>¡®Balrog.¡¯</em>

    He looked down at the wreck of a red giant panting heavily.

    <em>¡®You were right.¡¯</em>

    The weak crawled. The defeated died. The only right the weak possessed was to suffer. The rule that governed Hell was simple and clear. The only way to protect what was precious to him and never lose them was to be king.

    <em>Boom!!! Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    Kang-Woo stomped his foot, shaking the surroundings. The ck mucus that flowed out from him spread. A current of immense demonic energy stormed with Kang-Woo at the epicenter.

    ¡°P-Puhi? Wh-What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°What demonic energy¡­¡±

    The princes stepped back in pallor as they expressed shock.

    ¡°Hear me, princes of Hell.¡±

    He slowly turned toward the three Doors sealing the sea of demonic energy. He swung open one of the Doors, which he had never opened, and acted as a seal that should never be undone, without hesitation.

    ¡°Here, I dere¡­¡±

    He would be the predator of predators¡­ the demon of demons¡­ the Hell of Hells.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Kang-Woo dered to the princes of Hell, beings of absolute power. ¡°Will be king.¡±

 Side Story Chapter 138: Thousand-Year War (11)

    [You¡­ will be king?]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Satan feignedughter. Bing the king of the Nine Hells meant forcing the princes of Hell here to submit¡ª no, not just the ones present. The human would need to surpass Asmodeus, the Prince of Lust, Leviathan, the Prince of Envy, and Bael, the prince of Hell closest to bing the king.

    [How amusing,] said Satan as he smiled mockingly.

    The princes had high hopes for Kang-Woo since his path was the closest to the one Bael had walked. That was why four of them had gathered to have him submit to them in advance and make him their retainer.

    [The title of Demon King is not to be said so lightly, human.]

    Not even Bael had managed to be king yet but a mere human who wasn¡¯t even on the level of an archdemon was dering that he would. It was so ridiculous that it wasn¡¯t even funny.

    ¡°I wonder¡­ about that,¡± Oh Kang-Woo said faintly. ¡°I guess¡­ I¡¯ll find out¡­ once I try.¡±

    He closed his eyes and felt the overflowing demonic energy inside him. He had opened two of the three Doors sealing the sea of demonic energy[1]. The demonic energy that he had been holding back all this time was unleashed, tearing him apart.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t have¡­ much time.¡¯</em>Kang-Woo could instinctively tell he couldn¡¯t maintain this condition for long.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa,¡± he panted heavily as he staggeringly walked toward Satan.

    His vision suddenly shook as he was walking. He coughed and ck mucus poured out from between his lips.

    ¡°A-Arghh.¡±

    His teeth cked¡ª no he merely thought they did. His teeth had already turned into ck mucus. It wasn¡¯t just his teeth; his skin, muscles, bones, and intestines were being taken over by the viscous darkness from the sea of demonic energy. His body which had be mucus was incapable of feeling pain or any senses. All he could sense was darkness.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m falling.¡¯</em>

    He was sinking into a bottomless abyss.

    <em>Thud.</em>

    Kang-Woo fell to his knees. He had neither the strength nor the will to stand.

    ¡°Argh, gurgh, gah!!¡±

    Kang-Woo foamed at the mouth as he twisted and turned. He pulled on his hair as he writhed in pain. His consciousness was rapidly burning away.

    ¡°A-Arghh.¡±

    He fumbled as he crawled, barely holding on to his flickering consciousness. Something sticky wrapped around his fingers. He looked down and saw light green tentacles between his fingers.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo gritted his teeth and held tightly to his fading consciousness. He couldn¡¯t let himself be taken control of by the sea of demonic energy like this. He still had something he needed to do.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo covered his face with his trembling hands. Most of his body had turned into ck mucus but there was a part that remained intact. He smiled and felt for his cheekbones and poked something squishy above them with his fingers. ????¦¯?§§s

    <em>¡®My eyeballs.¡¯</em>

    His eyes had yet to be ck mucus.

    ¡°ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!¡±

    He stabbed his fingers into his eyes and ripped them apart. Intense pain shot throughout his body and his fading consciousness was instantly brought back as if waking up.

    ***

    ¡°I do not know what you did, but¡­ it seems you cannot control it.¡±

    Lucifer¡¯s eyes shone as he closely examined Kang-Woo. As he said, forget controlling the power¡ª Kang-Woo was doing his best to hold on to his consciousness within the enormous torrent of demonic energy.

    ¡°Hmm, it seems so.¡±

    ¡°Puhihihi!! I can¡¯t believe a mere human can possess this much demonic energy!!! Amazing!!! Fascinating!!! I was disappointed at first but to think he was hiding such power!!¡±

    Once the princes of Hell realized Kang-Woo was acting irregrly, they let down their guards and stared greedily at the enormous demonic energy pouring out from Kang-Woo. A torrent of demonic energy was endlessly raging with him at the epicenter, befitting the expression of a sea of demonic energy.

    ¡°Puhi! Puhihi!! I-If only I can get my hands on that demonic energy¡­!¡± Mammon burst intoughter as he rubbed his fat cheeks and licked his lips as he drooled.

    ¡°Enough of your filthy behavior, Mammon.¡± Lucifer spread out his eight wings and continued arrogantly, ¡°That demonic energy is mine.¡±

    He barely quelled his excitement and pped his wings as if to charge at Kang-Woo any moment.

    ¡°Hehe, I can¡¯t let you do that.¡± Belphegor pushed his wheelchair and got in Lucifer¡¯s way.

    ¡°Belphegor¡­¡±

    Lucifer shot a death re at Belphegor.

    ¡°Sheesh, you could even kill a prince of Hell with a re like that.¡± Belphegor shrugged rxedly and smiled nastily. ¡°Lucifer, I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t forgotten. You aren¡¯t the only one here.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Lucifer frowned in displeasure. He was momentarily blinded by the immense demonic energy but he was withpetitors with whom he needed to share the covetous fruit.

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Lucifer clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    ¡°Puhihi! How¡­ what should we do?¡±

    Mammon¡¯s eyes shone greedily as he looked at Lucifer and Satan.

    [Wait¡­]

    Satan, who was closest to Kang-Woo, raised his hand.

    ¡°What is it, Satan?¡±

    ¡°Puhihi! You¡¯re not going to say some bullshit about taking that human for yourself, are you?¡±

    [No, that is not what I mean.]

    Satan narrowed his eyes and examined Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®What is this¡­?¡¯</em>

    Something was off. His instincts, senses, and the intuition he had developed for nearly an eternity were screaming at him¡­ to run.

    ¡°A-Arghh.¡±

    The human who had been writhing on the ground stood up as he staggered. His eye sockets were empty and he seemed so weak that he would die with just a poke. The human had been dying, unable to even keep his demonic energy under control. No matter how much demonic energy he possessed, there was no reason to be afraid if he couldn¡¯t control it.

    <em>¡®Or at least, that should be the case.¡¯</em>

    If that was the case, why were Satan¡¯s instincts urging him so fervently to run away?

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    The ck mucus wriggled and squirmed as they gathered into the human¡¯s empty eye sockets.

    [Those are¡­]

    Satan narrowed his eyes and intently examined the change. Something was squirming inside the ck mucus that filled the human¡¯s eye sockets. The ck mucus split and something yellow came out of it.

    [Eyes?]

    Yellow eyes like those of a reptile and horizontally split pupils like those of a goat looked back at Satan. The corners of the human¡¯s mouth split open to his earlobes and revealed teeth as sharp as those of a wild beast.

    [...!!]

    Satan stepped backward without realizing it. Something was going wrong.

    <em>¡®What¡­ in the¡­?¡¯</em>

    CRUNCH¡ª!!!

    ¡°GAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    Before Satan even had time to think about the question in his mind, Belphegor, who had his back to the human as he was blocking Lucifer¡¯s way, screamed in pain. Satan quickly turned to Belphegor.

    [Wha¡­]

    The human who had been right in front of him moments ago was on top of Belphegor¡¯s wheelchair and munching on his shoulder.

    <em>¡®When?¡¯</em>

    Satan had lost sight of the human despite having his eyes on him the whole time. The human had ended up on top of Belphegor the moment Satan blinked.

    ¡°ARGHH!! GAAHHH!! G-GET OFF ME!!¡±

    Belphegor twisted madly and raised his fists. The wheelchair he was in wrapped around his fists into gauntlets in the blink of an eye. Sloth, one of the Hell Armaments that only the princes of Hell could use, smashed into the head of the human biting his shoulder.

    <em>Bash!</em>

    The human¡¯s head popped like a balloon with one hit from Sloth.

    ¡°Damn it!!! Belphegor, you damn moron!!¡± Lucifer shouted. ¡°Why did you kill the human?!¡±

    The treasure chest of nearly infinite demonic energy had been destroyed. Lucifer red at Belphegor resentfully. However, Belphegor was in no condition to reply to Lucifer¡¯s criticism.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa!¡± Belphegor panted heavily as he fell to the ground and clenched his bitten shoulder.

    Mammon cackled and remarked, ¡°Puhihi!! Aren¡¯t you overreacting? He only bit your shoulder.¡±

    ¡°S-Something¡¯s wrong,¡± Belphegor remarked.

    ¡°Puhi? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Belphegor continued in pallor, ¡°The moment he bit my shoulder, I felt¡­ pain I¡¯ve never felt before.¡±

    He trembled as he touched his shoulder, ck blood pouring out of it.

    ¡°It¡¯ll regenerate in seconds. What is the big deal?¡± Lucifer said.

    A prince¡¯s regenerative capabilities were on another levelpared to a regr demon. A bite off of their shoulder would not even take a minute to fully heal¡ª or at least, it should.

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    Belphegor looked down at his bleeding shoulder iprehensibly. The fist-sized chunk of flesh bitten off by the human was not regenerating.

    ¡°Wh-What the¡­ Why¡­?!¡± he shouted in panic.

    ¡°Haaa¡­ You bring shame to the title of prince.¡±

    Lucifer shook his head in shame. He couldn¡¯t care less that Belphegor¡¯s injury was not regenerating. He was only thinking about how to extract the immense demonic energy from the dead human.

    ¡°Shit! This is all because that idiot killed the human¡­!¡±

    ¡°Puhihi! There¡¯s no need to make such a fuss, Lucifer.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Look around you.¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    Lucifer frowned and looked around. He realized what Mammon was talking about and nodded.

    ¡°Puhihi!! The human is dead but his demonic energy is still here!¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    The human they were aiming for had been killed by Sloth but the immense demonic energy he possessed was still lingering in the surroundings. As long as they figured out how to get their hands on it, the death of the human was of no issue whatsoever.

    ¡°Well, then. Let¡¯s us resume the negotia¡ª¡±

    [... up.]

    ¡°What?¡±

    [Shut¡­ up.]

    Lucifer frowned fiercely. ¡°Are you so eager to shed blood, Satan?¡±

    [I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!!!] shouted Satan in pallor. [Do you¡­ not hear it?]

    ¡°What?¡±

    [The sound.]

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    ¡°What sound¡­?¡±

    [The sound¡­ of something viscous and sticky.]

    Squelch.

    Satan said tremblingly, [The horrible and unpleasant sound¡­ it¡¯s echoing.]

    ¡°...?¡±

    Lucifer frowned and focused on his hearing.

    <em>Squelch.</em>

    A displeasing and unsettling sound entered his ears.

    ¡°What in the¡­¡±

    Lucifer grimaced and turned around and saw¡ª

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    A nightmare that the princes of Hell would never forget¡ª rising.

    1. Part 2 of the main story mentioned that Kang-Woo only ever opened two Doors when he fought against Bael¡­ I guess the author forgot about writing that. ?

 Side Story Chapter 139: Thousand-Year War (12)

    ¡°What the¡­?¡±

    The ck mucus sttered all over the ground gathered. It then split, revealing yellow eyes.

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ alive?¡±

    Lucifer stepped backward, unable to understand. A demon¡¯s regenerative capabilities far surpassed those of other lifeforms. A prince of Hell could regenerate their limbs in a few minutes. However, not even a prince of Hell could survive after their heads exploded.

    ¡°Argh!! Gahh!!! AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    Just then, Lucifer heard screams. He turned to the source of the sound and saw Belphegor writhing in pain on the ground.

    ¡°Wh-What the hell?!! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING?!!¡±

    Mouths the size of fingernails appeared from the ck mucus that had sttered on Belphegor¡¯s arm after he destroyed the human¡¯s head and feasted on Belphegor¡¯s flesh.

    ¡°GET OFF!! GET THE FUCK OFF!!!¡±Belphegor used Sloth to tear off the mouths devouring his arm but the mouths were stuck to his skin by the sharp teeth; not even a Hell Armament could scratch them out. Rather, the mouths began to bite into Belphegor¡¯s arm even more ferociously.

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAACCCKKK!!!¡±

    Belphegor struggled as the extreme pain shooting from his arm spread throughout his body. He transformed Sloth into a knife, stuck it into his armpit, and cut off his arm.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff, huff!!!</em>¡±

    The excruciating pain vanished only after he severed his arm. The pain of severing his arm remained but it was nothingpared to the pain of getting devoured by those mouths.

    ¡°What in the¡­¡±

    Lucifer turned around in shock.

    <em>St, st.</em>

    The human, whose head was back to normal before they realized it, slowly walked toward them, viscous fluid sshing with each step.

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    Lucifer spread his eight wings wide and extended his arms.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    ck spheres the size of basketballs appeared around him. The ck hole spheres that sucked and pulverized everything in its path fired at the human.

    <em>Crack¡ª!!!</em>

    The human was ground up inside the ck hole.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    ¡°No way¡­!¡±

    However, the pieces of the human¡¯s flesh wriggled and gathered again. The human regained his original shape in a matter of seconds.

    ¡°Puhihi!! What about this?!¡±

    Mammon also attacked with the Authority of ze. mes that could devour the world alive burned the human.

    ¡°Puhi! However persistent your regenerative powers are, you won¡¯t be able to regenerate if there¡¯s nothing left of you!¡± Mammonughed as his fat jiggled. ¡°Puhihi! That was a rather tenacious human.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t believe a human coulde backpletely fine even after getting their head blown off and their body pulverized. No, such a creature couldn¡¯t even be called human.

    ¡°Mammon¡­¡±

    Lucifer raised his hand in pallor.

    ¡°Puhi?¡±

    ¡°Behind you¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s behind m¡ª¡±

    <em>Split.</em>

    A mouth opened unnaturally wide and bit off arge part of Mammon¡¯s fatty right nape.

    ¡°GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH!!!¡± Mammon screeched with his eyes rolled back.

    Pain so excruciating that he had never felt before spread from his right nape throughout his body.

    ¡°GYAAAAHHH!! IT HURTS!! IT HUUUUUUUURTS!!!¡±

    It was so bad that his mind went nk; he had no leeway to consider his reputation or pride as a prince of Hell.

    ¡°P-Prince Mammon!!!¡±

    Mammon¡¯s retainers who had been standing by quickly ran to him and tried to pull off the mouth biting into Mammon¡¯s nape.

    <em>Crunch¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°ARRRRGGGHHHHH!!¡±

    ¡°M-MY AAAAAAAAAAAAARMMM!!!¡±

    The ck mucus on Mammon¡¯s nape bubbled up and produced more mouths, making it look like a giant slime with mouths all over it. The retainers who tried to pull off the ck mucus from Mammon were also eaten.

    ¡°D-Don¡¯t touch that monster!! Just cut off Mammon¡¯s nape!!¡± shouted the panting Belphegor as he was clenching his severed stump.

    ¡°AAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    ¡°KURGH!! ARGHHH!!!¡±

    Mammon¡¯s retainers carved out Mammon¡¯s nape instead of trying to remove the ck mucus directly.

    <em>St!</em>

    Despite cutting out a considerablyrge portion of flesh, Mammon¡¯s neck was not severed thanks to how much fat tissue he had.

    ¡°<em>Huff! Huff! Huff!</em>¡± Mammon panted heavily as he clenched his nape spewing blood.

    Belphegor was right. The moment the monster bit him, he was struck by pain so excruciating that it destroyed his thought process.

    ¡°Wh-What the hell is this thing?!¡±

    Mammon stepped backward in pallor.

    Wriggle.

    The ck mucus gathered to take human form again. Mammon was sure he had burned the human to the point that not even ashes remained but the human was still alive.

    ¡°Why¡­ are you¡­ so¡­ surprised?¡± Oh Kang-Woo asked choppily. His yellow eyes gleamed as he stared at the princes of Hell. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ the ones¡­ who said¡­ it.¡±

    He smiled, the corners of his mouth reaching his earlobes like the kuchisake-onna, sharp teeth shining from between his lips. The princes of Hell were likely not aware of the folklore but they instinctively felt fear from seeing the human¡¯s mouth splitting open horrifyingly.

    ¡°The only¡­ right¡­ the weak¡­ possess is¡­ to suffer.¡±

    At this moment, the weak ones here were none other than the princes of Hell who ruled over the Ninth Hell.

    ¡°Now, then.¡±

    If the weak only deserved to suffer, the strong had the right to relish in their suffering.

    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ y.¡±

    <em>Wriggle¡ª!</em>

    The ck mucus sttered on the ground like ink and squirmed as it rose, turning into a ck tidal wave. Countless hideous and abnormally split mouths appeared from the ck wave engulfing everything in its path.

    [A-Aaaahh.]

    Red tongues covered in drool and teeth as sharp as those of beasts were floating in the ck wave.

    <em>WRIGGLE¡ª!!!</em>

    The ck tsunami raged toward the princes of Hell.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    [...]

    The princes of Hell exchanged nces with each other.

    ¡°R¡ª¡± They all screamed in fear simultaneously, ¡°RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!¡±

    Belphegor jumped on Sloth after turning into its wheelchair form. Lucifer flew into the sky with his eight ck wings. Satan melted into his shroud of darkness and ran away as if sliding on the ground.

    ¡°W-WAIT!!! D-DON¡¯T LEAVE ME!!!¡±

    As for Mammon, he ran as he frantically moved his fat-riddled legs. The destructive capability of his Authority was top-ss even among the princes of Hell but his mobility was by far the worst among them. The speed at which he was running was slower than the ck tsunamiing at him.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    The tsunami reached right behind Mammon¡¯s jiggling asscheeks. At this rate, he would be engulfed by the ck wave¡ª

    ¡°TH-THE PRINCE OF GREED COMMANDS YOU!!!¡± Mammon shouted at his retainers who were running alongside him. ¡°S-STOP THAT MONSTER¡ª!!!¡±

    ¡°P-Prince Mammon!!¡±

    ¡°N-No!! M-My body¡¯s moving on its own!!¡±

    ¡°Arrrggghhhh!!!¡±

    <em>Crunch¡ª!!!</em>

    Mammon¡¯s subordinates suddenly turned around and threw themselves into the ck wave. The sound of bones breaking and screams echoed. The wave slowed down slightly.

    ¡°<em>Huff! Huff!</em>¡±

    Mammon chased after the princes who ran away ahead of him with all his might.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    He managed to find them much easier than he had expected.

    [N-No.]

    ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    ¡°Shit!!! Wh-What in the world is going on?!¡±

    Satan, Belphegor, and Lucifer were in a panic, not moving an inch. Mammon soon found out why they were stopped.

    ¡°Where¡­ are you¡­ going?¡±

    Inside a ck tsunami so tall that it could cover the entire sky was a human¡ª no, monster smiling with the corners of its mouth torn widely.

    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ y a¡­ little more.¡±

    A ck wave, covering kilometers of terrain, was closing in on the princes in a dome shape so they couldn¡¯t run or fly away.

    [Shit!!] Satan looked around in pallor but couldn¡¯t find anywhere to run. [N-No¡ª]

    ¡°A-Arghh.¡±

    The moment the ck tsunami riddled with mouths was about to engulf the princes, it stopped in its tracks.

    ¡°A-Aaahh. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    The monster inside the ck mucus pulled on his hair as he writhed in agony.

    [N-Now¡¯s our chance!!]

    The princes did not miss the opportunity and escaped from the part of the ck wave that had yet to close.

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡±

    They got further away from the roaring monster.

    ***

    ¡°Mmrghh¡­¡±

    Balrog opened his eyes. He could still feel intense pain from his wounds that had not been healed yet.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡± he grimaced as he stood up. ¡°What in the¡­¡±

    He looked around to see piles of demon corpses that had been torn apart by something sharp. He couldn¡¯t tell because they were mangled so badly but they seemed to be the princes¡¯ retainers.

    ¡°What in the world happened?¡±

    Balrog remembered Kang-Woo dering that he would be king but nothing after that. He thought he had faintly heard the princes¡¯ screams.

    <em>¡®Did that human¡­ defeat the princes?¡¯</em>

    He had no idea but it was possible. After all, the demonic energy inside that human far surpassed even that of the princes of Hell.

    <em>¡®But he said he couldn¡¯t control it.¡¯</em>

    Balrog wondered if the human somehow found a way to control the demonic energy amidst the crisis. Balrog walked as he looked around.

    ¡°Gahh!! Urgh!!! Arrgghhh!!!¡±

    He found Kang-Woo writhing in pain among the pile of countless demon corpses.

    <em>¡®That¡­ doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.¡¯</em>

    If the human had found a way to control the boundless demonic energy, he wouldn¡¯t be in that state.

    ¡°A-Arrghhh!!!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo was in a state so wretched that not even Balrog, who had lived through countless battlefields, could bear to look at him.

    <em>Crunch!! Split, crack!!</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s skin split, his flesh and muscles contorted, and his bones broke. His eyeballs and intestines were squashed like a pulp and flowed out of him. Balrog was fine with seeing that but the issue was that the human was still alive in that wretched state.

    ¡°GAAAAAAAHHH!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    His injuries went through a cycle of regeneration and destruction. To make aparison, it was like turning a rubber doll inside out to carve out its insides, running it through a mixer, and gluing it back together. Kang-Woo¡¯s desperate screams sent chills down Balrog¡¯s back.

    ¡°...¡±

    Balrog picked up Kang-Woo in silence. He ced him inside a small cave in a rock wall that had formed from the battle and stood in front of the entrance. Kang-Woo¡¯s screams echoed endlessly inside the cave.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Something fell from the sky¡ª something white and cold that didn¡¯t match the burning red sky.

    ¡°Snow¡­¡±

    Snow in Hell was extremely rare as well as highly lethal.

    <em>Sizzle¡ª!</em>

    Snow in Hell contained acid so powerful that it could melt a demon¡¯s flesh. Most demons hid in caves or some sort of shade to avoid snow whenever it fell.

    ¡°...¡±

    Balrog blocked the entrance of the tiny cave with his five-meter stature. The flesh-melting snow piled on him.

    <em>Sizzle¡ª!</em>

    Smoke rose as Balrog¡¯s skin melted but it was alright¡ª he wouldn¡¯t die from something like this.

    ¡°AAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!¡±

    The screams inside the cave did not stop.

    ¡°You said you would be king, correct?¡±

    Balrog recalled Kang-Woo¡¯s deration to the princes of Hell as he blocked the snowfall, which was getting heavier, with his body. He smiled.

    <em>¡®If you will be king¡­ then I, Balrog, will be your shield.¡¯</em>

    The remnant who was unable to protect his master made a new vow¡ª one that would not waver even in a wretched war thatsted a thousand years.

    ¡°Victory¡­ to my king.¡±

 Side Story Chapter 140: Requiem (1)

    ¡°Gasp!!¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo woke up. He was all sticky because of sweating profusely in his sleep.

    ¡°Huuu,¡± he sighed and swept back his sweaty hair.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯</em>

    He had not dreamt this nightmare in a while. It was a faint memory from his days in the Ninth Hell¡ª a sharp fragment of the past that cut up his soul each time he recalled it.

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­</em>¡±

    Kang-Woo suddenly heard sobs.

    ¡°Huh? The hell? Wh-What are you guys doing?¡±

    His three wives were sitting next to his bed,ser-focused on him. Their expressions were those of being on the verge of tears.<em>¡®Did I catch a terminal disease in my sleep or something?¡¯</em>

    He felt like a terminally ill patient about to take hisst breath with his family members next to his deathbed. He was half-expecting to hear a tline sound in the background.

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­</em>¡±

    ¡°Darling??¡±

    ¡°KANG-WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!¡±

    Han Seol-Ah jumped toward Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Kurgh!¡±

    She grabbed his head and stuffed it between her breasts.

    ¡°It was hard¡­ wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Mmmrrrggghhhhh.¡±

    <em>¡®I mean, it¡¯s getting a little hard to breathe. I guess a death like this¡­ isn¡¯t too bad.¡¯</em>

    He was sure it would win head and shoulders above the rest if this moment were to be nominated for the Best Death award.

    ¡°Mmmrrrggghhhhh.¡±

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­</em> You had to go through so¡­ so much.¡±

    Kang-Woo wondered what was going on. He tried to turn to look at Cha Yeon-Joo and Lilith but he couldn¡¯t see anything but breasts.

    <em>¡®My word¡­ The whole world is made up of titties. This is a life worth living.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t care less why Seol-Ah was acting like this. All that mattered were the breasts that covered his field of vision even when he turned his head.

    ¡°Mrghh.¡±

    He rxed every muscle fiber and let the warmth take him. He still couldn¡¯t breathe but that didn¡¯t matter.

    <em>¡®Let these breasts¡­ be worth more than my life.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo technically did not die even if he couldn¡¯t breathe. Hence, he would fully enjoy the moment.

    ¡°Seol-Ah. You¡¯re making the king ufortable.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    <em>¡®No, I¡¯m not ufortable. I¡¯m asfortable as I could ever be.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Pwah!¡± Kang-Woo gasped for breath as he was released from Seol-Ah¡¯s embrace. He turned to Lilith and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up with you guys out of the blue?¡±

    Lilith¡¯s eyes were tearing up like Seol-Ah¡¯s for some reason.

    ¡°To tell you the truth¡­ We peeped into your dream with the Trait I gotst time.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Kang-Woo understood Darling¡¯s odd behavior.

    <em>¡®They saw that.¡¯</em>

    They had seen his memories that were fresh to this day.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my king¡­ for peeping on your dream without permission. I¡¯ll ept any punishment you give me.¡±

    Lilith bowed deeply to Kang-Woo, who scratched and shook his head.

    ¡°No, well¡­ It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s all in the past.¡±

    He never nned to talk about his memories of back then but it was weird to conceal his past from his wives whom he would spend the rest of his life with.

    ¡°Umm, so,¡± Yeon-Joo, holding a crushed beer can, asked cautiously, ¡°What happened¡­ after that?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. I just gathered subordinates here and there and fought against the princes.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo was saying it as if it wasn¡¯t much but Yeon-Joo could tell the process wasn¡¯t as simple as he was making it out to be. Yeon-Joo sighed softly and stood up to pat Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    ¡°What¡­ are you doing?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°I mean, a-ahem! Trying to cfort you¡­ I guess?¡±

    ¡°If you wannafort me, do what Darling did.¡±

    ¡°Fuck off.¡±

    ¡°If you think it¡¯ll have no effect because your chest is as t as the prairies, I can assure you that won¡¯t be the ca¡ª¡±

    <em>Bash!</em>

    Yeon-Joo smashed him in the sr plexus; it hurt.

    ¡°Son of a bitch!!! You try to tease me every chance you get!!!¡±

    ¡°Hehehe. The mood was so somber, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡±

    Kang-Woo did not want to see his wives sad.

    <em>¡®This is how Yeon-Joo should be.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo yanked Yeon-Joo, who was punching him, by the waist and hugged her.

    ¡°Well¡­ I did go through a lot over there.¡±

    Looking back, none of his memories couldn¡¯t be beautified into nostalgia.

    ¡°But look at me now. I couldn¡¯t be happier.¡±

    It was to the point that he thought all the suffering he had to go through had been the foundation for his current joy.

    ¡°So cheer up, everyone.¡±

    His wives were always beautiful but were the most beautiful when they smiled. Yeon-Joo smirked and pulled Kang-Woo¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°This son of a bitch turned smooth like butter after learning weird shit from Si-Hun.¡±

    The crying Seol-Ah and Lilith also smiled.

    ¡°Right, here¡¯s to another great day¡ª¡±

    ¡°Just a moment, please,¡± Seol-Ah remarked as she pulled Kang-Woo back into bed as he was about to leave.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Darling?¡±

    ¡°You said you¡¯re fine, but¡­ I-I still want tofort you.¡±

    Seol-Ah smiled gently andid Kang-Woo back on the bed. She caressed his forehead, still sweaty from the nightmare, andy beside him.

    ¡°I want to stay with you like this¡­ a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t deny his loving Darling. Besides, he had nothing else to do.

    ¡°M-Me too,¡± Yeon-Joo remarked.

    ¡°My God.¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s mouth was left agape as he looked back at Yeon-Joo, lying behind him and hugging his arm. ¡°You¡¯re making me cry.¡±

    <em>¡®I never stop¡­ crying.¡¯</em>

    ***

    The sun set as Kang-Woo was being forted¡± by his wives; they had lost an entire day. He felt sentimental for some reason, so he left his sleeping wives behind and went up to his apartment building rooftop.

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    He could feel the cool night sea breeze when he arrived at the rooftop.

    ¡°Haaa,¡± he sighed as he leaned forward with his arms on the rails.

    Kang-Woo could see a beautiful nightscape as he looked down.

    ¡°Fel, Firean,¡± he called the names he had buried deep in his memory.

    He was embarrassed to say this after all theforting his wives had done for him after seeing his past, but he didn¡¯t feel anything particr for them anymore.

    <em>¡®Because so much happened even after that.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had gone through far too much tragedy to treat only their tragic deaths as special. The despair he had felt at the time paled inparison to everything else after that.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while¡­¡±

    He had not felt this way in a while since returning to Earth. An unshakable displeasure was stuck in his heart.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s meaningless.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no intention to deny his tragedies. He did not want to say bullshit like how those tragedies turned him into the man he was today, but they were indeed part of him.

    <em>¡®Even so.¡¯</em>

    Turning back the Halves¡¯ unfair and wretched deaths was impossible. Nothing would change even if he remembered them; he would just feel like shit. Hence, he forgot¡ª he did not tell a soul about them and stuffed the memories deep inside him.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    He ended up remembering them. The displeasure had taken root in his heart so strongly that he couldn¡¯t brush it off as just a nightmare.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    <em>¡®The bitterness.¡¯</em>

    He recalled the taste of the bloodlight tea he never drank again after what happened. He could only describe the feeling as blood from a wound inside his mouth touching his tongue; it didn¡¯t feel good no matter how he tried to sugarcoat it.

    ¡°I guess I have no choice.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t look forward to the next day while carrying such unpleasant and disgusting emotions. He needed to empty unnecessary thoughts somehow.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Are you nning on meditating?]

    [¡¾?¥Ø??¡¿]

    A blue message window appeared in the air with a chime.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Kang-Woo shook his head.

    Meditating to eliminate the disgusting emotions was meaningless.

    [Then what will you do?]

    Kang-Woo smirked. He took his arms off the railing and spread them out wide. The cool sea breeze blew back his hair.

    Feeling more refreshed than ever, he replied, ¡°A requiem.¡±

    It was the act offorting the dead and putting them to rest.

    ¡°Simply put, a <em>jesa</em>[1].¡±

    For Fel and Firean, the two Halves who had to die unfairly and wretchedly¡ª no, for all the Halves he had spent the three years with.

    [A¡­ <em>jesa</em>?]

    [(¡Ñ_¡Ñ)?]

    Eve sent a wide-eyed emoticon, not having expected that answer at all.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Kang-Woo had spent ten millennia in Hell but was fundamentally a Korean. The Korean Confucianist blood in his veins was screaming desperately at him tofort the unfairly killed Halves. He had no intention of denying his soul¡¯s pleas.

    He said in a low tone, ¡°Starting now¡ª we will prepare for a <em>jesa</em>.¡±

    Of course, he was not talking to Eve since she couldn¡¯t help him prepare a <em>jesa</em>. He was simply saying it to himself¡ª a form of vow.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll need a helping hand first.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t hold a <em>jesa</em> alone; he needed someone to help him throughout the preparation and the service.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    Since Kang-Woo had made his decision, he couldn¡¯t afford to dilly-dally. He opened the rooftop door and headed down¡ª not to his suite on the top floor but to the very bottom where therge training room was and Balrog¡¯s residence.

    ¡°Hm? What brings you here sote at night, my king?¡±

    Balrog was watching TV on his custom-made giant couch. Kurosaki Yurie was using hisp as a pillow.

    ¡°Balrog, I need to discuss something with you.¡±

    ¡°Just a moment, please.¡± Balrog lifted Yurie from hisp and asked, ¡°Could you give us a moment?¡±

    ¡°Of course, my beloved. Please let me know once you are done.¡±

    Yurie bowed courteously and went to another room.

    ¡°Balrog, you remember Fel and Firean, right?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Oh¡­ you are referring to the Halves you were close to. Yes, of course, I remember.¡±

    Balrog nodded; he had to think for a little since it had been a while since he heard those names.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to hold a <em>jesa</em> for them.¡±

    ¡°A <em>jesa</em>? What is that?¡±

    ¡°A ritual forforting souls.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Balrog nodded as his eyes shone. ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Kang-Woo nodded.

    ¡°Then please allow me to help.¡± Balrog smiled and nodded back.

    With that, a <em>jesa</em> for the unfairly ughtered Halves began.

    1. Jesa is a Korean ceremony held as a memorial to the ancestors of the participants, usually held on the anniversary of the ancestor¡¯s death. ?

 Side Story Chapter 141: Requiem (2)

    Side Story Chapter 141: Requiem (2)

    ¡°What do we need to do first to hold a <em>jesa</em>?¡± Balrog asked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo pulled out his smartphone and searched for <em>preparing food for a jesa table</em>. There were a lot more things to prepare than he had expected.

    ¡°ce the rice, soup, and scorched rice water parallel to the <em>shinwi</em>[1]¡­ what the hell is a <em>shinwi</em>? Rice cake soup or half-moon rice cakes during a national holiday¡­ We can skip this since it¡¯s not a national holiday.¡±

    Kang-Woo scrolled down.

    ¡°Alcohol, rice cakes, stew, vinegar, sweet rice punch, wild greens, Korean pancakes, soy sauce, grilled fish, dried meat, kimchi, snacks, and fruit?¡±

    <em>¡®Why are there so many things to prepare? No wonder the supermarket bes a battlefield during national holidays.¡¯</em>

    However, Kang-Woo¡¯s Confucianist blood was urging him to hold a proper <em>jesa</em>. He was more than willing to go through the trouble toy Fel and Firean¡¯s souls to rest.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get these ready,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.¡°Will it be alright? It is alreadyte.¡±

    ¡°I can get most of these things at the convenience store. If I can¡¯t find them there, I¡¯ll just break into a supermarket.¡±

    He would let Guardians handle the aftermath; the owner wouldn¡¯tin if he paid them a hundred times what he took was worth.

    ¡°Hmm. Take a look at this, my king.¡±

    Balrog brought out a device the size of aputer screen; it was the custom smartphone for the five-meter Balrog. He was not interested in electronic devices but Korosaki Yurie had gotten one custom-made for him.

    <em>¡®To think I¡¯d see the day when Balrog uses a smartphone.¡¯</em>

    A red lump of muscle using modern conveniences was like seeing a gori using wooden sticks to eat ants. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but be impressed.

    ¡°This came up as I was looking for pictures of <em>jesa</em>.¡±

    Balrog showed Kang-Woo a picture of a table with a pig head on it¡ª something one wouldn¡¯t usually see in a <em>jesa</em> table.

    ¡°Oh, this isn¡¯t for a <em>jesa</em>. It¡¯s for a <em>gosa</em>[2].¡±

    ¡°What is a <em>gosa</em>?¡±

    ¡°No idea.¡±

    Kang-Woo remembered hearing the word somewhere but did not know what the difference between <em>jesa</em> and gosa was.

    ¡°Anyway, we won¡¯t need that for the <em>jesa</em>.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I see. I quite liked the idea of beheading a beast and using its head as a ritual sacrifice. What a shame.¡±

    Balrog stared longingly at the picture of the table with a pig head on it, genuinely disappointed. Kang-Woo smirked.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be disappointed.¡±

    Kang-Woo was nning on preparing something even better than a pig head.

    ¡°Hehehe. In that case, what shall I do?¡±

    ¡°I need you to¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled as he approached Balrog and told him what he needed to do.

    ***

    Morning arrived. One¡¯s breaths were visible in the freezing winter air. On the rooftop of Kang-Woo¡¯s ultraluxury apartment building was a <em>jesa</em> table Kang-Woo had prepared all night.

    ¡°What is this, hyung-nim¡­?¡±

    Kim Si-Hun, who had sped up to the rooftop as soon as Kang-Woo contacted him, expressed confusion as he stared at the imposing <em>jesa</em> table. He had known Kang-Woo for years but did not remember him holding a <em>jesa</em> for anyone.

    ¡°Yes, who are you holding a <em>jesa</em> for?¡±

    La, who had also been invited along with Si-Hun, tilted her head in wonder.

    Kang-Woo shrugged and answered, ¡°Someone I¡¯d forgotten for a long time.¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    La and Si-Hun, still confused, looked at the tile ced on the <em>jesa</em> table. It had the names Fel and Firean written on it.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you wanted us to gather.¡±

    ¡°Fufu, I was wondering where you had gone off to at night, my king. So you were preparing this.¡±

    Unlike the confused Si-Hun and La, Kang-Woo¡¯s three wives nodded as if they perfectly understood. Fel and Firean were the names of the two Halves they saw in Kang-Woo¡¯s memories.

    ¡°Fel, Firean,¡± Kang-Woo said as he put his hands together in front of the tile.

    The nightmare he had struggled to forget filled his head.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Si-Hun and La, who were brought here without knowing what was going on, also remained silent. They couldn¡¯t say anything as they saw the intense sorrow in his deeply sunken eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I wasn¡¯t able to protect you back then.¡±

    Kang-Woo apologized for the irreversible past but the apology wouldn¡¯t reach them.

    ¡°Hyung-nim¡­¡± Si-Hun approached. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but¡­¡±

    He could easily tell from Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes that he was in intense sorrow.

    ¡°I will also mourn for these people you¡¯ve mentioned.¡±

    Si-Hun also put his hands together like Kang-Woo. Just then, he noticed something odd.

    ¡°Hyung-nim, what is this te on the <em>jesa</em> table for?¡±

    There was arge empty te in the middle of the neatly prepared <em>jesa</em> table.

    <em>¡®Did he forget to put a meat dish or soup in it?¡¯</em>

    However, the fundamental dishes one would need for a <em>jesa</em> were already on the table.

    ¡°Oh, that?¡± Kang-Woo smiled and continued, ¡°I was just about to prepare it.¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    ¡°Just a second.¡± Kang-Woo walked to the center of the rooftop and pointed his palm toward the ground. ¡°Abyss Summoning.¡±

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    His palm split and ck mucus flowed down to the ground. The sticky mucus squirmed like a living thing and began to take form.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    [I-I am¡­]

    It was a demon shrouded in darkness. He was no bigger than the average person but the evil energy that exuded from him was suffocating.

    ¡°S-Satan?¡±

    Si-Hun¡¯s eyes widened in panic. He knew Kang-Woo could summon Satan but didn¡¯t know why he would summon him during a <em>jesa</em>.

    ¡°Balrog.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my king.¡±

    Kang-Woo and Balrog paid no mind to the confused Si-Hun and took action.

    [Wh-What?] Satan stuttered as he looked back and forth at Kang-Woo and Balrog who were standing at his front and back.

    Kang-Woo did not answer and instead said, ¡°Well, then.¡± He closed his eyes and continued in a deep voice, ¡°Let us begin the <em>jesa</em>.¡±

    He recalled the sequence of the rite he had memorized.

    <em>¡®First, kangshin</em>[3]<em>.¡¯</em>

    It was the procedure of lighting incense to call down the ancestor¡¯s spirit. Fel and Firean were not his ancestors but there was no problem as long as they performed the ritual greeting to call down their spirits.

    <em>Fwoosh.</em>

    Kang-Woo brought the incense close to the candlelight, creating a stream of smoke. He stared at the smoke with shaking eyes. He could remember Satan looking down at him arrogantly with Fel¡¯s neck in his grasp.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    He could see the wretched memories of Fel¡¯s body being split into tiny pieces and Firean¡¯s screams echoed inside his head. They were no mere hallucinations¡ª their spirits had been summoned.

    ¡°They¡¯re¡­ crying.¡±

    Kang-Woo could feel it. At this very moment, Firean had risen from the tile and was screaming in agony; Kang-Woo could hear him loud and clear.

    ¡°Satan¡­¡±

    [Wh-What is going on here? Why have you summoned me?] asked Satan, slightly in fear.

    He had been traumatized by how he had be a Friend Shield or something like that when he was summoned thest time. He looked around to see if he would go through something simr this time as well but he couldn¡¯t see anyone who seemed to be an enemy.

    ¡°Satan, Satan, Satan, Satan, Satan, SATAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!¡±

    [Wh-What?!]

    ¡°You¡­ You can hear them too, can¡¯t you?¡±

    [...?]

    ¡°Fel¡¯s screams!!! Firean¡¯s bellows!!! Can you hear them?!¡±

    [What bullshit are you spouting?]

    ¡°Bull¡­shit? Did you just say bullshit¡­? A-Arghh.¡±

    Kang-Woo pulled on his hair. Intense rage filled his head.

    <em>¡®Is he saying he can¡¯t hear Fel and Firean¡¯s voices? Their spirits are screaming so loudly! How can he not hear them?!¡¯</em>

    ¡°WR¡ª¡±

    If that was the case, he would have to use his mouth to let Satan hear.

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY¡ª!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo screamed exactly like how Fel and Firean were screaming. The vengeful spirits entered Kang-Woo¡¯s body. He had be one with the two Halves.

    Si-Hun muttered, ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what <em>kangshin </em>means¡­¡±

    However, Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t hear it.

    ¡°Grrrk, guh, urghhh!¡±

    Kang-Woo foamed at the mouth with his eyes rolled back. He was not the only one acting strangely.

    ¡°Krrrk!! Arghhh!! Gah!!¡±

    Balrog, standing behind Satan, was also foaming at the mouth with his eyes rolled back behind.

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!¡±

    ¡°KRRRRRRRRRRRRK!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo and Balrog¡¯s limbs trembled as they screeched monstrously. Kang-Woo stretched his arms forward and Balrog crouched to grab Kang-Woo¡¯s hands, Satan between their arms. They then spun around Satan, who had copsed to his knees.

    ¡°KERERERERERERERERERE!!¡±

    They screeched as they titled their head back and stuck out their tongues.

    [Huh¡­?]

    It could no longer be called a <em>jesa</em>. Satan was left wide-eyed as he witnessed something simr to people from ancient civilizations offering a sacrifice to a mad god.

    [W-Wait!]

    Satan trembled in fear as he looked up at Kang-Woo and Balrog screeching as they spun around him. He couldn¡¯t understand why he had to go through something like this after being awakened from his slumber inside the Abyss.

    ¡°KERERERERERERERERERE!!¡±

    ¡°KRARARARARARARARARA!!!¡±

    [Wh-Why are you doing this?!] Satan shouted as he looked up at the two demons spinning crazily around him and screaming monstrously. [Wh-What do you want from me?!!]

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡±

    [STOP MAKING THOSE WEIRD NOISES!!! I ASKED YOU WHAT YOU WANT FROM ME!!!]

    ¡°GYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH!!!¡±

    [B-Balrog!!! Leaving that demented Demon King aside, you were never like this!!]

    ¡°KRARARARARARARARARA!!!¡±

    [STOOOOOOOOOOP!!!]

    Balrog did not answer and simply screeched like an alien. Kang-Woo and Balrog let go of each other¡¯s hands and jumped repeatedly with their shaking arms raised high in the air.

    <em>Boom! Boom! Boom!</em>

    The ground shook each time Balrognded on it.

    [WHY ARE YOU DOING THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS?!!]

    His summoner and his subordinate were screaming and spinning around him crazily without a word of exnation as soon as he was summoned. Satan couldn¡¯t understand this situation at all no matter how much he racked his brain.

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYY!!¡±

    Kang-Woo paid no mind to Satan¡¯s questions and continued the <em>jesa</em>.

    [Hey.]

    He was now doing flips in the air as he spun around Satan.

    [E-Excuse me?]

    He then sprinted in a handstand.

    [Kurgh¡­ <em>Sniff</em>.]

    Satan¡¯s yellow eyes inside the shroud of darkness teared up. Fear welled up from inside his soul.

    [Why¡­? You could at least tell me why you are doing this¡­]

    Tears flowed down the cheek of the Prince of Wrath, the demon who used to be one of the seven princes of Hell who ruled the Ninth Hell.

    1. It is the ¡°spiritual body that represents the presence of the dead. It can be a photo portrait or a tablet with the ancestor¡¯s name written on it. ?

    2. Gosa is a ceremony to help protect against misfortunes before opening a business, an event, and/or a festival. ?

    3. It means the manifestation of gods or spirits. ?

 Side Story Chapter 142: Requiem (3)

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo sprinted at insane speeds while in a handstand; one wouldn¡¯t think he was on two hands. The sight of a screeching demon sprinting on a handstand was a rarity even in the Ninth Hell bustling with all kinds of demons.

    ¡°H-Hyung-nim! What in the world are you doing?!¡± shouted Kim Si-Hun as he witnessed Kang-Woo and Balrog¡¯s behavior in shock.

    It was closer to a cult ritual than an ancestral rite¡ª no, not even a cult ritual would involve a madman sprinting on a handstand.

    ¡°Si-Hun,¡± called Kang-Woo as he looked up at Si-Hun from his handstand position.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Si-Hun flinched as he stepped backward, having a bad feeling. Kang-Woo smiled.

    ¡°You said you would also mourn with us, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± Si-Hun¡¯s expression hardened.¡°You did¡­ didn¡¯t you? Si-Hun? You didn¡¯t lie to me, right?¡±

    ¡°I-I did, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Right? Alright~ then get the hell over here and join us, Si-Hun!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo pointed next to him with his foot.

    ¡°Y-You want me to do that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Si-Hun¡¯s expression paled. He could bring himself to do a handstand and sprint with his hands.

    <em>¡®But not that weird screeching¡­!¡¯</em>

    He did not want to throw away his dignity as a human.

    ¡°Are you saying¡­ you don¡¯t want to join me?¡±

    Kang-Woo teared up. His tears flowed toward his forehead because he was doing a handstand.

    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m¡ª¡±

    ¡°Gahahaha! I see that was the extent of your loyalty toward the king!¡± rebuked Balrog, who was also doing a handstand.

    <em>¡®Saying that in that kind of position is a bit¡­¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun pulled on his hair as he twisted. He did not want to join such an undignified act.

    <em>¡®B-But it¡¯s hyung¡¯s request.¡¯</em>

    It was none other than Kang-Woo who was asking him. Not only that but Si-Hun himself had said he would mourn for the spirits of the dead together with Kang-Woo. He had no idea how something as insane as this could count as mourning for the dead but Kang-Woo likely knew how to best mourn for the spirits. ???????§§?N?v(el)B\\jnn

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure¡­ he knows what he¡¯s doing.¡¯</em>

    Si-Hun resolved himself and got into a handstand. Soon after, the apartment rooftop was filled with the screeches of three men.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Cha Yeon-Joo smiled as she witnessed the madness. ¡°I knew this would happen.¡±

    She knew something deranged would happen when Kang-Woo said he would hold a <em>jesa</em>.

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡±

    <em>¡®That motherfucker is my husband¡­¡¯</em>

    She even considered calling off the engagement since it wasn¡¯t toote.

    ¡°Seol-Ah,¡± Yeon-Joo called.

    ¡°Y-Yeah?¡± answered Han Seol-Ah, purposefully averting her gaze from Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Are you sure¡­ we can leave our husband like that?¡±

    ¡°U-Umm¡­¡± Even Seol-Ah, who usually epted anything Kang-Woo did with a smile, remained silent when asked such a question. ¡°I-I believe in K-Kang-Woo!¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Yeon-Joo put her hand on her forehead as if she were getting a headache.

    ¡°Hohoho,¡± Lilith giggled as she looked at the two women. She then nced at Satan, on his knees while surrounded by three men doing handstands, and remarked, ¡°Fufu, but at least it¡¯s working.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s working?¡±

    ¡°Take a look at Satan.¡±

    Satan, surrounded by the three men screeching like beasts, was expressing tremendous fear.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yeon-Joo remarked.

    It was only natural; Satan had been called out from the Abyss out of nowhere and was met with the reason he was stuck in the Abyss plus hisrades spinning around him on handstands as they screeched like monsters.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯d be terrified too.¡±

    Yeon-Joo couldn¡¯t ept the method but it was extremely effective.

    [P-Please stop,] Satan begged as he curled up into a ball on the ground.

    The fear of the unknown took over him. Kang-Woo got back on his feet and looked down at Satan trembling like a heartbroken heroine.

    <em>¡®This should be enough.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo seeded in instilling enough fear into Satan for him to remember this moment as a trauma.

    ¡°Right, time for the second step.¡±

    Next up was <em>chamshin</em>, the procedure of bowing twice in front of the <em>jesa</em> table.

    ¡°Hehehehehe.¡±

    [Wh-What are you nning this time?]

    Satan flinched as Kang-Woo chuckled menacingly. Kang-Woo reached for Satan who was trembling in fear.

    <em>WHAM¡ª!!!</em>

    [Kurgh!]

    He grabbed the back of Satan¡¯s head and smashed it into the ground. He didn¡¯t forget to reinforce the apartment building with the demonic energy from the Abyss since the building would be destroyed if he didn¡¯t.

    Kang-Woo dragged Satan¡¯s face against the ground up, down, left, and right. ck spikes the size of fingernails sprouted from the ground coated with demonic energy from the Abyss, cutting up Satan¡¯s face.

    [GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!]

    Satan¡¯s cheekbones were shattered and his lips were torn apart. His mangled yellow eyes were dangling from his sockets.

    [S-STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!]

    ¡°You have to bow twice, my soul friend.¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t bear to see his soul friend Satan be a bastard who didn¡¯t know proper etiquette.

    <em>Crash!</em>

    He smashed Satan¡¯s face into the ground again. Satan¡¯s head exploded, unable to handle the pressure, and sttered all over the ground.

    [Grrk¡­ Grrrrk¡­ Krgh.]

    The injury would have been fatal even for a prince of Hell but Satan, who had been absorbed by the Demonic Sea and attained an immortal body like Kang-Woo, didn¡¯t die even if his head exploded.

    <em>Wriggle.</em>

    The ck mucus making up Satan¡¯s body gathered to regenerate Satan¡¯s head.

    [<em>Huff, huff!!</em>] Satan panted heavily as he stared at Kang-Woo with shaking eyes.

    He frantically racked his brain to understand this demented situation.

    <em>¡®Fel and Firean¡­¡¯</em>

    Satan¡¯s memory was fuzzy but he remembered killing a demon with a name like that on the nightmarish day when he met the Demon King for the first time.

    [Y-You said a <em>jesa</em> is a ritual tofort the dead, correct?]

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a noble cultural ceremony that only exists on Earth.¡±

    Satan more or less understood the situation.

    [I-I apologize!!! I was wrong!] Satan shouted as he mmed his head on the ground.

    ¡°Your apology doesn¡¯t change anything.¡±

    [Wh-What can I do to satisfy you? I will do anything you ask!!]

    Satan looked up at Kang-Woo with desperation. His eyes were filled with deep regret and a desire to repent.

    ¡°Satan¡­¡± Kang-Woo closed his eyes after reading the emotions in Satan¡¯s eyes. He thought for a while and slowly nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±

    Revenge never solved anything; Kang-Woo recalled the teachings of Neil Druckmann, an authority on Confucianism.

    ¡°If you stay true to the proceedings of the <em>jesa¡­</em> I will forgive you, Satan.¡±

    A requiem was not meant to fulfill revenge for the dead; it was to alleviate the spirit¡¯s rage and resentment so they can forgive the target of their emotions. Only that could be called a true requiem.

    [U-Understood!]

    Satan nodded furiously as his yellow eyes shone.

    ¡°Alright, then let us proceed to the third step: beating.¡±

    It was the procedure of mercilessly beating the shit out of someone to the brink of death tofort a vengeful spirit. It was simr to the burials of pharaohs in ancient Egypt; members of the royal court, servants, or closepanions were buried with the pharaoh because they were considered essential to the pharaoh¡¯s journey into the afterlife.

    [Wait a second,] Satan interrupted, noticing something strange. [Earth¡¯s ancestral rite includes something like that?]

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    [Bullshit!! There is no way!!]

    ¡°Bullshit? Did you just say bullshit?¡±

    [N-No, that¡¯s not what I mean!]

    ¡°Do you even know what a <em>jesa</em> is? Do you know how it¡¯s held?¡±

    [I¡­ do not.]

    There was no way a prince of Hell knew about Korean culture. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and red at Satan.

    ¡°How dare someone who doesn¡¯t know what a <em>jesa</em> is mock our sacred culture? Do you even want to be forgiven?¡±

    [W-Well¡­]

    ¡°ANSWER!!!¡±

    [i¡­ understand.]

    Satan scrunched up in terror.

    ¡°Balrog,¡± Kang-Woo called.

    ¡°Hehehe, leave it to me.¡±

    Balrog cracked his knuckles as he approached the crouched Satan. He carried out the third step of <em>jesa</em>, beating.

    [Kurgh! Gah!! Arghhh!!]

    Satan¡¯s screams echoed from the rooftop each time powerful fists and kicks were swung.

    [Kurgh¡­ Gurghhh¡­]

    Satan, who had practically be mush, lifelessly copsed t on the ground.

    ¡°Right, the final step of the ritual!!!¡±

    The fourth step of <em>jesa</em> was dismemberment, a procedure that involved cutting off the sacrifice¡¯s limbs and head and cing them on the <em>jesa</em> table to offer the spirit a blessed feast. This ritual would eradicate the spirit¡¯s rage and resentment and allow them to rest in peace.

    [THAT IS A LOAD OF BULLSHIT¡ª!!! THERE IS NO SUCH RITUAL!!!]

    ¡°Nah, man. Koreans do this every national holiday, no cap.¡±

    [NOT EVEN DEMONS PARTAKE IN SUCH BRUTALITY AND YOU SAY HUMANS DO?!]

    ¡°Humans are normally more brutal than demons in some aspects.¡±

    Kang-Woo and Balrog smiled as they exchanged nces with each other and approached Satan.

    [S-Stay away,] Satan stuttered tremblingly as he crawled on the ground.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be back to normal once we put you back together after the <em>jesa</em> is over.¡±

    [Y-You cannot be serious!!]

    ¡°Bwehehehehehe!!!¡±

    [AAAAAACKKK!! S-STOOOOOOOOOP!]

    Kang-Woo smiled widely as he grabbed and twisted the crawling Satan¡¯s limbs.

    ***

    Satan¡¯s head and limbs were ced on therge te on thevishly set <em>jesa</em> table.

    ¡°Fel, Firean.¡±

    Kang-Woo teared up as he called the two Halves¡¯ names in front of the <em>jesa</em> table and bowed twice with a solemn expression.

    ¡°May you go in peace.¡±

    He prayed for the souls of the two Halves, who spent their whole lives in discrimination and oppression, to have gone to a better ce.

    ck.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    Fel and Firean¡¯s tablet suddenly fell backward.

    ¡°Fel, Firean¡­!¡±

    Kang-Woo quickly stood up and raised his head.

    ¡°A-Aaaahh.¡±

    <em>Sparkle.</em>

    He looked up to see two birds freely soaring through the sky.

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­</em> Hurgh!¡±

    Kang-Woo wiped his tears and smiled as he stared at the two birds flying away. It could have been his imagination but he felt like he saw Fel and Firean where the birds were flying toward.

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ never forget you.¡±

    They had turned Kang-Woo into the man he was today.

    <em>¡®I should hold a jesa for them every year.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo pledged to do so as he collected the pieces of Satan¡¯s body.<blockquote>

    erigiii¡¯s Thoughts

    So¡­ you didn¡¯t forgive him?</blockquote>

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 143: Tower of Creation (1)

    Incidents tended to ur in the most unexpected ways and timing.

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!!</em>

    The ground shook as if an earthquake was urring¡ª no it was an earthquake. It was just that it was not naturally caused.

    ¡°What¡­ is that?¡±

    A few weeks passed since the <em>jesa</em> was finished without a hitch. Oh Kang-Woo, who had been spending his days so lovey-dovey with his wives that he would be shanked by the readers if the opportunity arose, was left with his mouth agape as he looked out the window. Something giant was sprouting from Haeundae Beach.

    <em>¡®An ind?¡¯</em>

    No, it was not an ind.

    ¡°A¡­ tower.¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he leaned out the window. He lived at the top of an ultraluxury highrise building so he could observe the sprouting tower with great detail.It looked more like a colossal tree than a tower¡ª a cone-shaped tower that looked like it was made from the entanglement of tree-like pirs. Its exterior was made up of a gray wall and countless tree branch-like structures protruded from it.

    ¡°The Tower of Creation¡­¡± Kang-Woo muttered unconsciously as he stared at the colossal tower from outside the window.

    ¡°Wh-What the hell?! What¡¯s going on?!¡± shouted Cha Yeon-Joo, barging out of her room.

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo? Did something happen outside?¡±

    ¡°Hm! My room was shaking! Was there an earthquake?¡±

    Han Seol-Ah and Echidna also came out to the living room.

    ¡°Gasp.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°H-Hm?¡±

    The three women stared at the colossal tower with their eyes and mouths open in shock.

    ¡°H-H-Hey!! Oh Kang-Woo!! Could that be¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kang-Woo nodded at Yeon-Joo pulling his clothes in panic. ¡°It¡¯s the Tower of Creation.¡±

    ¡°By the Tower of Creation¡­ do you mean the tower that exists in the outer world simr to Earth?¡± Seol-Ah asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    It was a world of humans with some chosen to be apostles who possessed powers different from yers. Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t sure if it was simply by coincidence or there was some connection but the outer world was also called Earth.

    <em>¡®But the name is the only thing that¡¯s simr.¡¯</em>

    The Earth Kang-Woo lived in did not have apostles, gods like Ishvalda and Helya, or mythical structures like the Tower of Creation that would only appear in manhwa or novels.

    <em>¡®Well, I guess that¡¯s not the case anymore.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he looked out the window at the colossal tower.

    ¡°Yeon-Joo, call La and Si-Hun right now¡­ No, I doubt it¡¯d be necessary.¡±

    There was no way Guardians had not been reported about something like this already. There would likely be an emergency summons soon.

    ¡°Instead, go down and get Balrog. Make sure to tell him to change to his human form since there will be a lot of eyes on us.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going right now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Kang-Woo had to go and take a look when it had sprouted so tantly for everyone to see.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a lot calmer than I expected,¡± Yeon-Joo remarked as she tilted her head.

    Kang-Woo was unusually apathetic despite seeing a colossal tower surging from the sea.

    ¡°Well, I more or less expected it.¡±

    He had not expected the entire tower to cross into this Earth but had expected the outer world known as Earth would invade into this Earth in some shape or form.

    <em>¡®The Den of the Night Demons, the relics found inside the Gate¡­¡¯</em>

    There had already been signs of the invasion; Kang-Woo had simply been leaving it be because there was no way to prevent it.

    <em>¡®But now¡­ I can¡¯t put it off.¡¯</em>

    Now that the tower itself had crossed over to their world, he needed to figure out some sort of countermeasure.

    <em>Boom!</em>

    ¡°MY KING!! I HAVE ANSWERED YOUR SUMMONS¡ª!!¡±

    Balrog entered through the front door¡ª he was in his tall handsome guy form instead of his usual demon form.

    <em>¡®I can¡¯t get used to that guy¡¯s human form no matter how many times I see it.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t believe the nearly two-meter-tall robust hottie was Balrog. As someone who knew Balrog¡¯s true form, he couldn¡¯t help but feel an inexplicable sense of disgust.

    ¡°I¡¯ve also arrived as soon as I heard the news, my king,¡± Lilith said as she walked in behind Balrog.

    <em>Beep! Beep!!</em>

    As Kang-Woo had expected, an emergency summons was issued to the entirety of Guardians.

    ¡°Are we going to the Hall of Protection first?¡± Lilith asked.

    ¡°No, let¡¯s head straight to the tower.¡±

    Even if they headed to the Hall of Protection, they would just be gathering people before heading to the tower; it was more efficient to just go right away.

    Kang-Woo ced his hand on Echidna¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°Right, then¡­ If you could please, Echidna.¡±

    ¡°Hm!!! Okay!¡±

    Echidna nodded and jumped out from the suite window.

    <em>Whoosh! Whoosh!</em>

    A thirty-meter ck dragon soared back up to the window soon after. Kang-Woo and the others got on top of her.

    ¡°Kyaaaaahhh!!¡±

    ¡°H-Help m¡ª¡±

    They could hear screams. They looked down to see people being swept by a tsunami that formed as the colossal tower served from the sea. It was at least fortunate that there weren¡¯t many people near the beach since it was winter. Thousands of people were struggling inside the tsunami.

    ¡°Kang-Woo, those people¡­¡±

    ¡°Guardians will rescue them soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Just a second. I¡¯ll let my guild members know as well. I¡¯ll tell them to leave grasping the situation forter and send out a rescue team,¡± remarked Yeon-Joo as she pulled out her smartphone. ¡°They¡¯ll be on the scene in five minutes.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    The damage would be minimized as long as Red Rose assisted in the rescue effort.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Echidna.¡±

    ¡°Hm! Okay!¡±

    Echidna energetically pped her wings. They were getting closer to the Tower of Creation that had sprouted in the middle of Haeundae Beach.

    ¡°It¡¯s so fucking big.¡± Yeon-Joo looked up at the tower wide-mouthed. The tower¡¯s width spanned at least several dozens of kilometers. It had surged past the clouds so it was hard to tell how tall it was. Kang-Woo nced at the amazed Yeon-Joo and shook his head.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s unbelievably small,¡± he remarked.

    ¡°That¡¯s small?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten? The ce we were hunting for relics was a floor of the tower fused with the Gate.¡±

    Kang-Woo did not know which floor it was but the floor¡¯s size was simr to the entirety of Korea. Hence, the tower should logically be well over hundreds of kilometers wide. The lower floors of the cone-shaped tower, which became wider as it went down, were likely thousands of kilometers wide.

    ¡°Huh¡­? Come to think of it, you¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°The tower¡¯s interior might be far bigger than it might look, possibly through space expansion via magic.¡±

    It could also be that only a portion of the tower had crossed over to Earth.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s probably more usible.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo doubted the entire Tower of Creation had crossed over at once even if there had been signs of otherworldly invasions.

    ¡°Does that mean¡­ it could get even bigger?¡± Yeon-Joo asked.

    ¡°We have to stop it before that happens.¡±

    They could either stop the invasion or¡­

    <em>¡®Destroy the tower.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone sharply.

    ¡°Hyung-nim!!!¡±

    ¡°We knew you¡¯d already be here.¡±

    Kang-Woo heard familiar voices from afar as they were examining the tower. It was Kim Si-Hun and La. Si-Hun was holding La in a princess carry position as he soared across the sky using Void Steps.

    ¡°Where are the other Guardians members?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Some of them areing this way on boats. The rest are rescuing people swept by the tsunami.¡±

    ¡°That was quick.¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    It had only been a few moments since the emergency summons fell; it was as expected of the quick-acting La.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not all of them. I only included the ones who can be mobilized immediately in the operation.¡± La swept up her brown hair as if her head hurt. ¡°For now, let¡¯s investigate as soon as possible. This ce will be swarmed by other yers soon.¡±

    A tower sorge that it could be seen from shore had formed; no yer would sit idly by when something like this urred. Just as many people who had gathered for the relic hunting¡ª no, more than that would make their way to the tower.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find the entrance first.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Kang-Woo.¡±

    They split up and searched for an entrance. However, they found out something unexpected after twenty minutes of searching.

    ¡°The fuck¡­?¡±

    There was no entrance. They couldn¡¯t find anything with the Authority of the Beholder, the Authority of Insight, Lilith¡¯s search magic, or even after having Horos examine the tower with <em>irvoyance</em>. They had even dived into the sea and dug under it to check the lower parts of the tower but there was nothing.

    ¡°Horos. What do you know about the tower¡¯s entrance?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    Horos was a resident of the world where the tower was located.

    ¡°Mmm¡­ I-I went straight into the Tower of Creation from Pandemonium, so¡­ I had never even seen what the outside of the tower looked like until now.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Kang-Woo frowned.

    ¡°Gehehehe! How about we just break the wall?¡± shouted Balrog as he smiled fiercely.

    Just then, a message window appeared in front of Kang-Woo.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Approach from the outside confirmed.]

    [Conditions unfulfilled.]

    [An invitation letter is required to enter the Tower of Creation.]

    The message window was translucent, unlike usual.

    ¡°Huh? An invitation letter?¡±

    ¡°Kang-Woo, this is¡­¡±

    It seemed like his party members had also received message windows.

    ¡°P-Peep?!¡±

    Even Horos received a message window.

    ¡°Eve?¡± Kang-Woo called.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [N-No! That wasn¡¯t from me!]

    [This was sent from the Earth where the tower exists¡­ in other words, it was from the Law of the outer world!]

    <em>¡®So that¡¯s why the message window looked different.¡¯</em> Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and nodded. <em>¡®We need an invitation letter to enter, huh?¡¯</em>

    He narrowed his eyes and stared at the gray wall covering the tower.

    <em>Fwoosh!!</em>

    He ignited the gold and ck mes of Voracity on one hand and fired it at the gray wall.

    <em>Whish¡ª!</em>

    ¡°The hell?¡±

    The mes of Voracity vanished as it was about to make contact with the tower. Kang-Woo fired it a few more times but they all disappeared as if they were sucked away somewhere.

    <em>¡®It looks like¡­ the space between our Earth and the outer world has intermixed.¡¯</em>

    The space surrounding the tower¡¯s walls was distorted. In other words, his attacks would fly off to some random outer world no matter how many times he attacked.

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue.

    It was impossible to enter the tower by destroying the wall.

    ¡°In that case¡­¡± Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and turned around. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to get our hands on those invitation letters.¡±

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 144: Tower of Creation (2)

    Three days passed since the Tower of Creation surged from Haeundae Beach. Members of Guardians, various guilds, and yers not affiliated with any organization set out to search for invitation letters to enter the Tower of Creation.

    ¡°You found one?¡±

    [Yes.]

    Oh Kang-Woo, who was scouring through Gates with Balrog and Kim Si-Hun, expressed shock after getting a call from La. He and his party members headed to the Hall of Protection immediately and were met with his three wives, Echidna, Kang Tae-Soo, and a few new faces.

    ¡°Kang-Woo hyung-nim!! It¡¯s been a while!!¡±

    ¡°Sure has. How¡¯ve you been?¡±

    Kang-Woo lightly greeted Tae-Soo who greeted him excitedly and went to La. She was holding a white letter enveloped in translucent light.

    ¡°Is that the invitation letter?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Yes. Once you grab the invitation letter, a translucent message window, unlike the blue one that Eve sends, appears that says ¡¯<em>Tower of Creation Invitation Letter</em>.¡¯¡±Kang-Woo grabbed the invitation letter and saw the message window pop up as La mentioned.

    <em>¡®So this is a System window created by a different Law.¡¯</em>

    ording to Eve, other Laws of Titans governed certain outer worlds. It made sense; countless worlds other than Earth existed, so it was outrageous for there to only be one Law to govern them all.

    <em>¡®Too bad we can¡¯t just take their Law for ourselves.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo suggested to Eve they should take another world¡¯s Law of Titans and transnt it into their world but she immediately replied that it was impossible.

    <em>¡®I mean, I guess it¡¯s obvious if you think about it.¡¯</em>

    Not even organs could be transnted to anyone as if they were robot parts, so there was no question for a Law that governed an entire world.

    ¡°Where did you find it?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Do you remember the Gate in Egypt where you went relic hunting?¡±

    ¡°Of course. That¡¯s the first ce we went in search of these letters as well.¡±

    The Gate where one could find the relics was fused with an entire floor of the Tower of Creation. Kang-Woo had searched every nook and cranny of that Gate and the Den of the Night Demons since he expected that would be the most likely ce they would find the letters.

    ¡°Hmm, then you must not have found them when you were there. It was found in that Gate,¡± La remarked.

    ¡°Urgh, I thought I looked hard enough.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Not only is the inside of the Gate massive but search magic is ineffective.¡±

    Just like relics, the invitation letters couldn¡¯t be detected by Authorities or magic. Hence, Kang-Woo had no choice but to search for them the old-fashioned way.

    ¡°At least we found one,¡± Kang-Woo said.

    ¡°The problem is¡­¡± La replied as she sighed deeply. She pointed at the white letter in Kang-Woo¡¯s hand and continued, ¡°We only found one.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    A deathly silence fell. They had only managed to find one invitation letter despite using Guardians¡¯ massive manpower for three days straight.

    ¡°I guess we have no choice, then.¡±

    There was no guarantee they would find more invitation letters. In the first ce, they didn¡¯t even know how many invitation letters were released onto Earth, so they couldn¡¯t just wait around and hope to find more.

    ¡°I¡¯ll enter the Tower of Creation by myself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­¡±

    ¡°K-Kang-Woo¡­?¡±

    Cha Yeon-Joo frowned as she flinched and Han Seol-Ah grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s hand worryingly.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait a little longer?¡± asked La as she sighed, thinking Kang-Woo was acting too hastily.

    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee we¡¯ll find more invitation letters even if I wait,¡± Kang-Woo replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not toote for you guys to enter as well if you manage to find more.¡±

    Rather, it was more of a waste not to use an invitation letter they had painstakingly found.

    ¡°And besides,¡± added Kang-Woo as he smiled. ¡°I doubt it¡¯d take long.¡±

    ¡°You think so¡­?¡± asked La as she tilted her head in confusion.

    Kang-Woo turned to Horos, curled up in a ball as he trembled in a corner of the Hall of Protection, and asked, ¡°How far up has the Tower of Creation been conquered?¡±

    ¡°A-As far as I know¡­ around the fortieth floor. We met on the thirty-seventh floor.¡±

    ¡°Really? Fortieth, huh? And you said you don¡¯t know how many floors the tower has, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but the apostles guess the peak is located around the seventieth to eightieth floors.¡±

    ¡°Oh? And what¡¯s their reasoning?¡±

    ¡°When the apostles cleared the fortieth floor for the first time five years ago, the God of Adventure <em>Hodos </em>told his apostles that they were halfway there on their journey.¡±

    Kang-Woo nodded in understanding. He didn¡¯t know what standing the gods had in the Tower of Creation but he doubted they would lie to their apostles.

    ¡°So, how long did it take to clear the fortieth floor?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°I am not entirely sure about that either, but¡­ I am aware it has taken centuries.¡±

    ¡°Really? Then how long do you think it¡¯ll take for me?¡± Kang-Woo asked with a smile.

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± Horos¡¯ eye darted dumbfoundedly.

    Kang-Woo shrugged and turned to La. ¡°You get why I said it wouldn¡¯t take long now, right?¡±

    ¡°Hohoho. I¡¯m out of arguments.¡± La giggled as she shook her head. ¡°But please don¡¯t rush. No one is immune to making errors.¡±

    ¡°But of course. I¡¯ll take my time to take everything I can before climbing each floor.¡±

    The tower had suddenly appeared from Haeundae beach but monsters were not crawling out of it to attack people. In other words, there was no need to rush to clear the tower.

    ¡°But I¡¯ll be as quick as I can since I don¡¯t want my Darling to wait too long for me,¡± he said as he squeezed Seol-Ah¡¯s hands tightly.

    Seol-Ah, who was staring at Kang-Woo worryingly, sighed softly and smiled.

    ¡°La is right. I don¡¯t want to be apart from you either, but¡­ It¡¯s more important to me that you don¡¯t get hurt, Kang-Woo.¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ¡°Hehehe. No matter how many of those weaklings in the towere at me, they¡¯re no match for me.¡±

    It was not baseless confidence; based on the apostles he had met until now and the Demon King of Pandemonium he had fought, Kang-Woo¡¯s chances ofing across someone who could threaten his life were practically nonexistent.

    <em>¡®But I kind of have a feeling those gods will be trouble.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo ced his hand on Horos¡¯ head.

    ¡°P-Peep?¡±

    ¡°You mentioned a God of Adventure or something, didn¡¯t you? What are those gods?¡±

    ¡°Th-They are known as Constetions. They observe humans who enter the tower and grant them various powers if they agree to be a god¡¯s apostle.¡±

    <em>¡®So that¡¯s why the people of the tower mention whose apostle they are when they introduce themselves.¡¯</em>

    ¡°What about demons?¡±

    ¡°There are precedents of demons bing a Constetion¡¯s apostle, but that is limited to Constetions with strong inclinations toward evil¡­¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and fell into thought, focusing on the fact that transcendental beings known as Constetions chose apostles and granted them powers.

    <em>¡®Why do Constetions choose apostles and grant them powers instead of clearing the tower themselves?¡¯</em>

    It did not take long to get his answer.

    <em>¡®They¡¯re not choosing to stay out of it. They have no choice.¡¯</em>

    If that were not the case, they would never choose to do something so inefficient.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s the same as our Earth.¡¯</em>

    Before the Law of Titans was destroyed, Gaia chose La as her incarnation to exert indirect influence over the physical realm because she was restricted from direct actions. The Constetions were acting just like Gaia had back then.

    <em>¡®In that case.¡¯</em>

    There was no cause for concern. He did not need to be wary of a bunch of backseaters who couldn¡¯t even manifest into the physical realm because they were bound by the Law.

    <em>¡®I mean¡­ I doubt it¡¯s the same as the situation on Earth.¡¯</em>

    Everything Kang-Woo had thought of thus far was but a guess. He might be met with somethingpletely differentpared to what he expected.

    <em>¡®But I don¡¯t care.¡¯</em>

    He would kill anyone who got in his way. He would use them if he had a use for them and would devour them if they were useless. He would answer evil with greater evil, and bloodlust with even more bloodlust. He would use the same method he had stayed true to for the past ten millennia and clear the tower with it.

    ¡°One month,¡± Kang-Woo dered confidently as he looked around. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a month.¡±

    <em>¡®Even if I have to bring down the entire tower.¡¯</em>

    ***

    ¡°Kang-Woo, you haven¡¯t forgotten anything, have you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re like a mom making sure his son has everything packed for his field trip.¡±

    The next day, Seol-Ah continued to give him various items as she made sure he didn¡¯t forget anything. Kang-Woo chuckled. He had already packed everything of value for the trip since he could create an extradimensional space using one of his Authorities.

    ¡°I told you I¡¯d be back in a month or less.¡±

    ¡°B-But you never know.¡±

    Seol-Ah frantically looked around the house, wondering if Kang-Woo would need anything else.

    ¡°Sheesh, why are you even worried about this guy? I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine on his own,¡± Yeon-Joo remarked.

    ¡°Yoen-Joo¡­ you grilled your guild members into preparing tons of stuff for Kang-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡ª!! Well, I mean¡­!!¡± Yeon-Joo stuttered with a reddened expression.

    She had prepared daily necessities like tissues and various other things, as well as variousmunication devices in the small chance that any of them might work.

    <em>¡®I doubt it, though.¡¯</em>

    Considering the space between the tower and Earth was distorted, no form ofmunication should work.

    ¡°Hehe, thanks anyway, Yeon-Joo. You too, Darling.¡±

    ¡°A-Ahem. As long as you know. You¡¯d bettere back in a month, you hear?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Take this, Kang-Woo. I prepared it yesterday.¡±

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder. Seol-Ah brought a giant bag from the kitchen.

    ¡°Packs of sh-frozen kimchi stew. Heat them and they¡¯ll be ready to eat.¡±

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡± Kang-Woo raised his arms high and cried. ¡°AS I THOUGHT, YOU¡¯RE THE ONLY ONE FOR ME, DARLING!!!¡±

    He hugged Seol-Ah and showered her cheek with kisses.

    ¡°H-Hehe. It was worth staying up all night yesterday to make them all.¡±

    ¡°I-I helped too!! Some of them are ones I made, so make sure you eat those too,¡± said Yeon-Joo as she pouted.

    <em>¡®What is this, Russian Roulette?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Fufu. As for me¡­¡±

    Lilith came close to Kang-Woo and handed him a book. Kang-Woo tilted his head as he opened it.

    ¡°A¡­ mollusk encyclopedia?¡±

    ¡°Ahng, why are you opening that in front of the others, my king? ?¡±

    Lilith ced her hands on her cheeks and twisted in embarrassment.

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>Fwoosh!</em>

    ¡°Ahh!! Why are you burning it?!¡±

    Kang-Woo turned back from the disappointed Lilith and held the white invitation letter.

    ¡°Well, then.¡± He ripped the letter in half. ¡°I¡¯m off.¡±

    Translucent light wrapped around Kang-Woo.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 145: Tower of Creation (3)

    Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s consciousness flickered as he felt himself floating for a moment. His mind soon became clear and he began to hear soundsing from all around him.

    ¡°I-Is this the Tower of Creation?¡±

    ¡°Hehehe! I can finally be an apostle too!

    ¡°<em>Sniff¡­</em> I-I never wanted to be here!¡±

    Kang-Woo turned to the voices. There were tables and chairs in therge hall that resembled a ballroom and about two to three hundred people were walking around the hall as each of them reacted to the situation in various ways.

    <em>¡®There was only one invitation letter, wasn¡¯t there?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at them in confusion but soon figured out they were not from the Earth he knew¡ª they were from the Earth where the Tower of Creation was located. He was surrounded by residents of the outer world, where the only thing it had inmon with the Earth he was from was the name.

    <em>¡®It looks like the people of the outer world also enter the tower through invitation letters.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he eavesdropped on people chatting or talking to themselves. There were all kinds of people gathered; it did not seem to be hard to acquire invitation tickets in their world.<em>Ding¡ª!!</em>

    The sound of a bell rang throughout the hall. Everyone turned to the stage at the center of the hall. The stage floor opened and a rabbit in a slick tuxedo came out.

    He yelled, ¡°Greetings, candidates! Wee to the Tower of Creation!!!¡±

    <em>¡®A rabbit¡­?¡¯</em>

    However, only his face was that of a rabbit; the rest of his body was that of a human, making him look more like a human wearing a rabbit mask.

    ¡°My name is Ritty!! I am the tutorial guide who will be testing whether you are worthy of climbing the tower!!!¡±

    His name was just as cute as he was.

    <em>¡®That aside, a tutorial, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled. He felt like he had entered a different novel.

    <em>¡®For the title, let¡¯s go with [I was the Demon King of the Nine Hells but woke up as a Tutorial Beginner?]. Million Page</em>[1]<em>, here Ie.¡¯</em>

    ¡°First, why don¡¯t I give you all a short exnation about the Tower of Creation?¡± said Ritty as his perky ears twitched. ¡°The Tower of Creation is a mysterious ce created by giants born from the Primordial.¡±

    <em>¡®I knew it. It was made by Titans.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Each of you will be selected by a Constetion and climb the Tower with the sponsors and support they give you!¡± Ritty hopped down from the stage and smiled cutely. ¡°The higher you climb, the bigger the corresponding rewards will be. For example, enough power to attain all you desire, or enough authority to make anyone bow down to you.¡±

    The rabbit was spouting some clich¨¦ lines but such overused lines lit the fires in people¡¯s hearts.

    ¡°Right, then~ Allow me to give you all a rundown of the tut¡ª¡±

    A woman raised her hand and interrupted Ritty, ¡°Umm¡­ who are those beings known as Constetions? I¡¯ve heard about them a few times from the <em>outside</em>, but I have no idea¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm. You are right, they are very secretive.¡± Ritty nodded cutely. He spread out his arms mboyantly like a theater actor and shouted, ¡°They are transcendental beings created by the Primordial giants¡ª stars born to watch over our world!!! To put it simply, I guess you could call them gods.¡±

    Ritty giggled.

    ¡°To be the brightest star as they had pledged to the Primordial giants who created this power, they will select you all as their apostles to help you climb the tower.¡± He blinked his shining red eyes and continued, ¡°Haha. Hence, everyone in this room can be called the agents of the stars, Celestials!!!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Silence fell in the hall once Ritty finished talking.

    <em>¡®The brightest star, huh?¡¯</em> Kang-Woo nodded, having fully understood. <em>¡®In Earth terms, they¡¯ll be a guardian deity like Gaia used to be.¡¯</em>

    If that was the case, climbing the Tower of Creation was essentially a game yed by the Constetions with the apostles as their avatars.

    <em>¡®But of course¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was sure someplex and filthy acts that urred in the process couldn¡¯t be sugarcoated with such an analogy.

    ¡°Is that enough of an answer for you?¡± Ritty asked.

    ¡°Oh, yes. Th-Thank you.¡± The woman nodded with an awkward smile; she seemed to be considerably nervous.

    ¡°Hahaha! In that case.¡±

    Ritty¡¯s red eyes shone. The tuxedo-wearing rabbit courteously bowed to the woman.

    <em>Grab¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Kurgh!! Gah!!!¡±

    He then arrived right in front of her as if he had teleported and clenched her neck.

    ¡°Argh¡­ Wh-What are¡­?¡±

    ¡°Who said you could interrupt me?¡± Ritty said in a chillingly low voice.

    His cute and energetic energy had disappeared and was reced with ferocious bloodlust.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s bad manners to interrupt a guide when they¡¯re fucking talking.¡±

    ¡°Kurgh¡­ Urgh!¡±

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The woman¡¯s neck in Ritty¡¯s hand snapped. Ritty threw the woman¡¯s body aside as if she were filth.

    ¡°Puhihi! Did you hear that, everyone~? Don¡¯t act impolitely like her, okay~?¡±

    Ritty winked as he hopped back up to the stage. The people in the hall stepped backward in pallor.

    ¡°S-Su-Jin!!!¡± shouted a muscr man, standing at the back, in shock.

    He seemed to be acquainted with the woman who just died. He ran to the woman¡¯s body and embraced her corpse.

    ¡°You fucking rabbit head bastard!!!¡±

    ¡°Hm? Do you two know each other?¡± Ritty asked.

    ¡°We are apostles of the Constetions!!! Agents of the stars, like you said!!! So how could you kill the agents of the Constetions as you like?!!¡±

    The muscr man red at Ritty.

    ¡°Pfft,¡± Ritty chuckled mockingly. ¡°Apostles?¡±

    He walked over to the man holding the woman¡¯s body, exuding bloodlust like before as he smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯re just lowly candidates who haven¡¯t been selected by the Constetions yet. Apostles? Agents of the stars? That may be true down the line, but you¡¯re mere insects at the moment.¡±

    The muscr man red at the rabbit as he held the woman¡¯s corpse. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ make you regret thister.¡±

    ¡°Puhihihihi!!! You make me regret thister?¡± Rittyughed as he reached for the man¡¯s head so quickly that the man had no chance to react. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±

    ¡°Kurgh, arghh!¡±

    Ritty¡¯s shining red eyes filled with deathly bloodlust.

    ¡°There won¡¯t be a <emter </em>for you.¡±

    <em>Crack!</em>

    The muscr man¡¯s head exploded. His shattered skull and brain matter sttered all over the ground.

    ¡°Puhihihihi!!¡±

    Ritty¡¯s slick tuxedo was covered in blood. He cackled madly as he turned to the candidates in the hall.

    ¡°It seems¡­ we¡¯ll have to sift through some of the impertinent insects joining us.¡±

    Ritty hopped back onto the stage and stretched out his right arm as he looked down at the candidates. He extended all of his fingers.

    ¡°Five. As the price for the arrogance of two people, five of you will be killed to set an example.¡±

    ¡°Wh-What the hell are you talking about?!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to do something like¡ª¡±

    <em>sh!! Stter!!</em>

    The heads of the two people whoined were split in half and they fell to the ground. ying cards that split the heads were stuck on the ground.

    ¡°KYAAAAAAAAHHH!!¡±

    ¡°Wh-What the fuck?!¡±

    No one even managed to catch Ritty pulling out ying cards from his left sleeve and throwing them at the heads of the two people¡­ no human, anyway.

    ¡°Three left.¡±

    Ritty folded two of the five fingers he had extended. He red at the screaming people as his perky ears twitched.

    ¡°How long are you going to keep screaming for?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    A deathly silence fell in the hall.

    <em>¡®Dayum, he sure knows how to set the stage.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo, watching silently with his arms crossed, was highly impressed with the rabbit. He could tell this was not Ritty¡¯s first time doing this based on how expertly he quelled the chaos.

    <em>¡®That aside.¡¯</em> Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and looked down at the corpses on the ground. <em>¡®Why are they doing that?¡¯</em>

    Every manhwa or novel had the people killed first because they acted exactly like that.

    <em>¡®They could¡¯ve survived at least halfway if they did nothing.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo shook his head, unable to understand.

    ¡°S-Save me!!! Arghh!!¡±

    ¡°Two left.¡±

    ¡°Kyaaaahhhhh!! Wh-Why?!! What did I do?!!¡±

    ¡°One left.¡±

    Ritty¡¯s ughter continued as Kang-Woo was in thought. The heads of a man and woman who were hiding under a table rolled on the floor.

    ¡°Lastly¡­¡± Ritty turned to a young man calmly crossing his arms as if he couldn¡¯t care less about the ughter urring inside the hall. ¡°You.¡±

    ¡°Me¡­?¡± Kang-Woo tilted his head as he pointed at himself.

    Ritty cackled. ¡°Puhihi! You deserve to be executed for not paying attention to what¡¯s happening in front of you!¡± He hopped toward Kang-Woo as his red eyes shone and asked, ¡°Do you have anything to say? Since you¡¯re thest one, I will do you a favor and listen to them.¡±

    ¡°Anything to say, huh¡­?¡± Kang-Woo smirked as he scratched his head. He had something to say for sure. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He said what he had been thinking earlier and tilted his head in genuine wonder.

    He stepped forward as he remarked, ¡°You could¡¯ve survived at least halfway if you did nothing.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡ª?¡±

    Fingers appeared in front of Ritty¡¯s red eyes before he realized it. The fingers stabbed his eyes before he even had a chance to think.

    ¡°AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡± Ritty screamed in agony as he crouched.

    Blood as red as his eyes flowed from his destroyed eyeballs. Kang-Woo grabbed the crouching Ritty¡¯s two long ears.

    ¡°W-Wait a¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about how many heads you smash or cut off.¡±

    He ripped out Ritty¡¯s ears.

    ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t have touched me.¡±

    ¡°GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    Ritty rolled on the ground as blood spurted from his eyes and where her ears used to be. Kang-Woo did not bother finishing him off since he couldn¡¯t kill his guide for the tutorial.

    ¡°Just get the fuck started with this goddamn tutorial already. Ain¡¯t nobody got time to waste here.¡±

    Kang-Woo stepped on the copsed Ritty¡¯s head and smirked.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    Just then, translucent message windows appeared in front of Kang-Woo.

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ shows interest in you!]

    [The ¡®God of Love¡¯ criticizes your cruel actions!]

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ ps in enjoyment!]

    <em>¡®The hell¡¯s with these guys?¡¯</em>

    1. Million Page refers to a section of the NovelBin/webtoon site Kakaopage where series with over a million total readers are disyed. ?

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 146: Tower of Creation (4)

    Oh Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he stared at the translucent message windows in front of him.

    <em>¡®The Constetions are watching this situation right now?¡¯</em>

    It wasn¡¯t iprehensible; they needed to select apostles to climb to the top of the tower, and this was where the candidates who had yet to be chosen by anyone were. They were likely here to see if any candidates were worth selecting as their apostles.

    <em>¡®I must¡¯ve caught their attention because I beat the shit out of the guide.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked down at the rabbit shaking on the ground. There probably had not been anyone who subdued this guide before the tutorial even began. The people gathered in the hall were still ordinary people who had yet to be chosen by a Constetion, and Ritty was too powerful for the ordinary to face.

    <em>¡®By their standards, anyway.¡¯</em>

    By Kang-Woo¡¯s standards, Ritty the rabbit was so weak that he couldn¡¯t help but sigh¡ª so weak that Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t even tell how weak he was.

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ expresses amazement as he examines the star guide!]

    <em>¡®Is this being livestreamed or something? What a pain in the ass.¡¯</em>Kang-Woo had no intention to be an apostle so he couldn¡¯t care less about the Constetions¡¯ attention. He swiped away the message windows that kept popping up in front of him annoyingly.

    -????!

    Just then, he heard a notification sound different from the others so far.

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ sponsors you with 100 Neb!]

    ¡®The hell is this?¡¯

    ¡°Neb¡­?¡±

    Kang-Woo tilted his head in wonder and walked over to Ritty sprawled on the ground.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Kang-Woo called.

    ¡°Kurgh¡­ urgh, arghh,¡± Ritty groaned as he clenched the area where his ears were ripped off.

    Kang-Woo grabbed the back of Ritty¡¯s neck and lifted him.

    ¡°What¡¯s a Neb?¡±

    ¡°Th-They¡¯re a form of currency the Constetions u-use to grant the apostles their powers.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not an apostle yet.¡±

    ¡°E-Even if you aren¡¯t, they can still give it to you.¡±

    <em>¡®So, that¡¯s how it works, huh? He¡¯s pretty much bribing me to be his apostle, is it?¡¯</em>

    Based on this, it seemed like the Constetions didn¡¯t choose their apostles but the other way around¡ª the apostles could choose from the Constetions who showed interest in them.

    <em>¡®Interesting.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo stared at the sponsor window with great interest.

    ¡°But¡­ how am I supposed to use this?¡±

    He had no idea what to do with the 100 Neb he was sponsored or whether it would even be of use to him.

    ¡°Th-The Neb can be used in the <em>Temple of Stars</em> on every floor.¡±

    ¡°What can I buy with them?¡±

    Ritty bit his lip as he endured the pain and answered, ¡°Kurgh¡­ Y-You can purchase various things. You can boost your strength and stamina. You can also boost mana, which is required when using your starscape. In addition¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s all I need to know.¡±

    In game terms, Neb seemed to be stat points.

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and scratched his head in disinterest.

    He wasn¡¯t too interested in the fact that Neb could boost stats.

    <em>¡®What could change just from boosting a stat or two at where I am?¡¯</em>

    It wouldn¡¯t bepletely useless but it was like adding a drop of water into an ocean. Kang-Woo had be far too strong to be stronger just by receiving sponsors from Constetions.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [Sir Guardian Deity!!]

    Just then, a blue message window appeared in front of him.

    ¡°What?¡±

    [I-I just checked, and those things called Neb contain the power of Titans, just like the relics!]

    [©B(o¦¤o)©B!]

    ¡°For real?¡± Kang-oo¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, that means¡­¡±

    [Yes! If you gather those Neb, you can pull for more Traits!]

    [ (?¡ã??¡ã?)? !]

    Kang-Woo¡¯s wide eyes shone. He didn¡¯t care about boosting stats with Neb but it was a different story if he could pull Traits with them. Unlike meaningless stat boosts, he could hope for unreal power boosts as long as he was lucky, just like when he acquired the Trait [Usurpation of me].

    Kang-Woo was not the only one who got something out of the Trait Gacha; Kim Si-Hun, Balrog, Lilith, and Han Seol-Ah all got something out of it, whether it be minuscule or massive.

    <em>¡®Except Yeon-Joo.¡¯</em>

    Insert sad music here; cue tears.

    <em>¡®Anyway.¡¯</em>

    The idea of pulling for new Traits caught Kang-Woo¡¯s interest. He smirked, having acquired another objective for conquering the tower.

    ¡°Thank you for your support,¡± said Kang-Woo as he looked up.

    He slightly nodded, making sure not to make a big deal out of it. It was important to match his reaction to the amount of support given.

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ suggests you be his apostle.]

    The God of Rupture seemed to have taken a liking to Kang-Woo, considering he made such an offer despite the tutorial not having even begun.

    <em>¡®Makes sense. He¡¯s the God of Rupture, after all.¡¯</em>

    He would have naturally enjoyed the brutal beating Kang-Woo gave Ritty.

    ¡°I appreciate your offer but I don¡¯t think I can give you a definitive answer at the moment.¡±

    Kang-Woo smiled as he shook his head. He had no intention to ept the God of Rupture¡¯s offer. Now that he decided to collect as much Neb as possible, he needed to raise his price as much as possible.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll make it so that you go crazy over the fact that you can¡¯t get me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo licked his lips.

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ sponsors you with 300 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ expresses surprise!]

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    <em>¡®It¡¯s him this time, eh?¡¯</em>

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ desires more entertainment!]

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Kang-Woo expected it to be an apostle offer but it wasn¡¯t.

    <em>¡®More entertainment, huh?¡¯</em>

    There seemed to be Constetions who watched as if it were a variety show as well.

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ expresses interest after being called by the God of Games.]

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ stares at you worryingly.]

    The number of gods watching him rose over time, showing how shocking it was for someone to subdue the guide before the tutorial even began.

    <em>¡®You shouldn¡¯t be shocked over something like this. The fun hasn¡¯t even begun yet.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo poked Ritty with his foot and suggested, ¡°Right, why don¡¯t we get started already? People are waiting.¡±

    ¡°Urghh.¡± Ritty nodded with difficulty as he continued to put pressure on his bleeding wounds. ¡°I-In that case, I will exin the details of the tutorial.¡±

    He spoke loud enough so that everyone could hear; he at least seemed to have a sense of responsibility as a guide.

    ¡°The main objective of this tutorial is <em>survival</em>. All of you will fall into an ind where the tutorial is held at random. Monster-type beasts ranging from one-star to five-star will attack you on the ind. Your objective is to survive for a week as you avoid the beasts. Weapons and other necessities required for survival have been prepared inside buildings, caves, and various other ces. The size of the ind will shrink each day. The area of the ind that will disappear will be indicated on your System window, so you must escape from the area before the day ends.¡±

    Ritty finished his exnation. Kang-Woo thought of a certain game as he listened to the exnation.

    <em>¡®Isn¡¯t this just PUBG¡­? No, I guess it¡¯s different. We¡¯re not fighting against each other.¡¯</em>

    ¡°R-Right, let us move straight to the tutorial location!¡±

    Ritty quickly chanted a spell, appearing he wanted to get his wounds treated immediately.

    <em>Whoooom!!</em>

    Kang-Woo was enveloped by white light and felt himself floating like when he had ripped the invitation letter. He felt a breeze brush past his cheeks and the smell of metal and dust tickled his nose.

    <em>¡®This must be my starting point.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo looked around and saw ruins of half-destroyed gray buildings. He lightly jumped up to a building to look around and was met with thendscape of a massive city.

    <em>Grrrr, krrk!</em>

    His ears faintly caught an unpleasant growl.

    ¡°Is that one of those beasts?¡±

    The beast¡¯s head was as smooth as an egg. It did not have eyes, ears, or a nose; all it had on its face was a widely split mouth with sharp teeth sprouting from it. Its body was glossy as if it were covered in mucus and its arms were so long that its fingers slid on the ground. Its form was simr to that of a human but its bulging muscles and two-meter height made it look ferocious and menacing.

    <em>¡®But it doesn¡¯t change the fact it¡¯s only as strong as a First Hell demonic beast.¡¯</em>

    ¡°That aside¡­¡±

    Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and organized the rules of the tutorial in his head.

    <em>¡®Survive for a week, huh?¡¯</em>

    He smirked and shook his head. He couldn¡¯t waste an entire week in this ce.

    ¡°You said you wanted to be entertained more, didn¡¯t you?¡± asked Kang-Woo as he looked up at the ceiling covered by a translucent barrier.

    He couldn¡¯t see the Constetions but knew their attention was focused on him.

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s hand split open and ck mucus fell from it. He smirked as he looked down at the beast walking along the road. The way to clear the tutorial without wasting a week was rather simple.

    ¡°If the objective of the tutorial is survival¡­¡±

    He would automatically pass if he wiped out the entities categorized as <em>threats</em>.

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ is surprised by your decision!]

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ rolls on the groundughing!]

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ stares at you in dissatisfaction.]

    Since Kang-Woo had enough of an audience, all that was left was to prove his value.

    ¡°Dark Spears.¡±

    <em>Sprout¡ª!!!</em>

    ck spikes shot up from where the ck mucus fell on the ground.

    ¡°SKREEEEEE!¡±

    The ck spikes impaled the beast on the road. It was unprecedented in the entire history of the tower for a tutorial participant to kill the beasts instead of running away from them. However, Kang-Woo was only getting started.

    <em>Sprout¡ª!!!</em>

    Like drops of ink falling in clear water, the ck spikes spread throughout the entire city, aiming only for the beasts. It only took thirty seconds for the beasts on the ind to be killed.

    ¡°Right, then.¡±

    Kang-Woo looked down at the streets which were now free of beasts and looked back up. Soon after¡­N?v(el)B\\jnn

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ sponsors you with 500 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ suggests you be his apostle again!]

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ sponsors you with 1,000 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ condemns the God of Games!]

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ sponsors you with 300 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ sponsors you with 1 Neb!]

    ¡°Wow~~ my bros~~!!¡±

    Kang-Woo brought his hands together and politely bowed to the message windows. He crossed his thumb and index fingers to make finger hearts and brought them forward.

    ¡°Thank you so much for the donos!!!¡±

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Side Story Chapter 148: Tower of Creation (6)

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ sponsors you with 200 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of Thunder¡¯ sponsors you with 2,300 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ sheds tears of blood!]

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ sponsors you with 332 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of the Sun¡¯ sponsors you with 3.500 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ copsed in desperation!]

    <em>¡®Ahhh, I can feel the shower.¡¯</em>

    Neb was showering down from the night sky like a meteor shower.

    <em>¡®Looks like I managed to pull tons of attention.¡¯</em>Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at the constant sponsor notifications.

    <em>¡®Yeah, I¡¯d be pretty upset if I didn¡¯t get any sponsors after I put on that huge show.¡¯</em>

    He had pulled off the unprecedented feat of climbing twenty floors in one day. He had not only just climbed; he even spun on his head like a human beyde to the point that he caused a tornado. It was so stimtive that even the God of Games, who had been enjoying watching Kang-Woo, was shocked.

    <em>¡®But it was worth it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo managed to engrave his name into the Constetions¡¯ minds. He was at least sure there had never been anyone crazy enough to climb the tower as they spun on their heads. He had pulled off something so unprecedented that it would remain in the tower¡¯s history for a long time.

    [The ¡®God of Endearment¡¯ sponsors you with 1,500 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of the Battlefield¡¯ sponsors you with 3,000 Neb!]

    As a result, the Constetions were showering him with endless Neb even now.

    ¡°Wow~ Thank you very much for your support~~!¡±

    Kang-Woo bowed toward the influx of sponsor notifications. Unlike before, the average sponsor amount had reached four digits.

    <em>¡®I guess it¡¯s only obvious. They all want me to be their apostle.¡¯</em>

    He had reached the twentieth floor in one day without borrowing the power of the Constetions¡ª while doing a handstand and spinning like a top, no less. What mattered was not his entric methods; what mattered was that he easily climbed the tower as he performed such entric acts.

    <em>¡®In other words, they must be giddy with anticipation about how high I could go when I take things seriously.¡¯</em>

    The Constetions weren¡¯t wrong; Kang-Woo could easily climb to the fortieth floor in one day if he took things seriously.

    <em>¡®Though the difficulty skyrockets the higher you climb, that¡¯s all there is to it.¡¯</em>

    None of the floors he encountered had been difficult in any way so far and he doubted any of the higher ones would be either. Kang-Woo, who could now stand shoulder to shoulder with the Titans, would never have trouble with something created to select a guardian deity.

    <em>¡®But I¡¯m not gonna climb all the way just yet.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could easily reach the top of the tower any time he liked but there was no need to climb it so quickly.

    ¡°I will be counting on your further support!! Thank you very much!!¡±

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ sponsors you with 3,700 Neb!]

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ suggests you be his apostle!]

    After all, squeezing the Constetions dry was of greater importance to him than conquering the tower at the moment.

    ¡°Thank you for the kind offer.¡± Kang-Woo bowed courteously and continued, ¡°But I would like to keep climbing without assistance for now. I will consider bing an apostle after some thought.¡±

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ expresses disappointment!]

    Kang-Woo continued to get offers from here and there. As he expected, the apostles were opening the wallets they had been hiding to have Kang-Woo choose them as their apostles at whatever cost.

    <em>¡®Yeah, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re getting anxious.¡¯</em>

    They would want to monopolize Kang-Woo as soon as possible before the big shots arrived.

    <em>Riiing!</em>n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ is examining you from high above!]

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ is focusing on your story!]

    <em>¡®They¡¯re here.¡¯</em>

    They were the zeroth-tier big shot Constetions with the most influence in the Tower of Creation.

    <em>¡®Looks like the God of Depravity hasn¡¯te yet.¡¯</em>

    It didn¡¯t matter; he would also betching on to Kang-Woo¡¯s pants soon enough, begging Kang-Woo to be his apostle.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ sponsors you with 10,000 Nebs!!]

    <em>¡®Holy fuck. Ten thousand right off the bat?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Wooooooooow~~!!!! A whopping ten thousand Neb from the God of Heaven¡­!! A-Aren¡¯t you pushing yourself a little too hard?¡±

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ sponsors you with 10,000 Nebs!!]

    ¡°Maaaaaaaaaaan~!! Ten thousand from the God of Adventure this time¡­!¡±

    It was no wonder why they were called the big shots among the Constetions. The sponsors that had only been in the low thousands so far suddenly jumped up to five digits.

    <em>¡®Yeah!!! That¡¯s more like it!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ res at the God of Adventure.]

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ snorts.]

    Kang-Woo could easily tell there was a war of nerves going on between the two Constetions even without the message windows.

    <em>¡®This is only the beginning.¡¯</em>

    The big shots wouldpete against each other, sponsoring Kang-Woo more and more Neb the morepetitive they became.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ sponsors you with 15,000 Neb!!]

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ sponsors you with 20,000 Neb!!]

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ sponsors you with 25,000 Neb!!]

    The Neb sponsors continued to rise. Kang-Woo was bombarded with more Neb than he had collected until now. The other Constetions were standing back in silence as the two whales went at each other.

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ sponsors you with 1 Neb!]

    <em>¡®Why does this one Neb motherfucker keep sponsoring me?¡¯</em>

    ***

    There was a killjoy in the midst but the sponsor battle between the God of Heaven and Adventure was getting hotter by the second.

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ turns around as he sighs deeply.]

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ punches a wall in outrage.]

    The other Constetions had turned away, unable topete against the big shots. Kang-Woo stepped up as he was watching the battle unfolding.

    ¡°Just a moment, everyone,¡± he said to calm down the two Constetions.

    The big shots¡¯ sponsors were important but he couldn¡¯t let that chase the other Constetions away.

    <em>¡®At this rate, they¡¯ll give uppletely.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t let the other Constetions leave because they felt inferior to the big shots.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m gonna suck everyone dry.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no intention to give up on any Neb sponsors, big or small.

    ¡°Constetions, thank you all for your precious support. You¡¯ve given me the courage to continue climbing the tower.¡± Kang-Woo smiled and turned around. ¡°Right, then. I will resume the climb!¡±

    He was on the twentieth floor¡ª to be more exact, he had only risen to the twentieth floor.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s too early for them to go all in.¡¯</em>

    Neb was power and authority for the Constetions. Kang-Woo had climbed to the twentieth floor in one day but they were unsure whether Kang-Woo could conquer the remaining floors since the difficulty continued to rise with each floor. In other words, they might seem like they were showering Kang-Woo with Neb but were likely hiding much more.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s probably why the third big shot isn¡¯t joining.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed to prove his value even more.

    There was also one more group of Constetions.

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ is anticipating your climb!]

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ sponsors you with 500 Nebs!]

    Some Constetions sponsored Neb simply to be entertained, like the God of Games. No, there were a lot more than some.

    <em>¡®I heard there weren¡¯t that many, ording to my research.¡¯</em>

    It seemed the Constetions who observed humans for fun had all gathered toward Kang-Woo because of how shocking and fresh his process of climbing the first twenty floors was.

    The Constetions looking for entertainment approached Kang-Woo in ways differing from other Constetions, such as this:

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ offers you a mission.]

    [Reach the twenty-fifth floor using only your left arm.]

    [Mission Clear Reward: 10,000 Neb.]

    <em>¡®A mission, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no reason to refuse. However¡­

    ¡°Mmm¡­ the twenty-fifth might be a little difficult.¡± Kang-Woo shook his head as if troubled.

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ lowers the condition to the twenty-third floor.]

    ¡°Haaa. And I have to climb using only my left arm too¡­¡±

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ raises the Mission Clear Reward to 15,000 Neb!]

    The reward rose. Kang-Woo frowned in displeasure.

    ¡°Great God of Victory, are you trying to bribe me with Neb?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t be more disgusted. He couldn¡¯t believe he was being bribed with mere Neb to be a jester simply for the Constetions¡¯ enjoyment. Acting crazy to draw attention was different from acting crazy for someone¡¯s sake. He was the Demon King who formerly ruled the Nine Hells.

    <em>¡®You expect me to y along with your stupid games?¡¯</em>

    The Constetions were under a massive misunderstanding; they thought of Kang-Woo as a monkey in a zoo.

    ¡°I, Oh Kang-Woo, am not one to be swayed by mere Neb¡ª¡±

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ raises the Mission Clear Reward to 30,000 Neb!]

    ¡°I have only had one arm since the day I was born.¡±

    Kang-Woo ate with only his left hand. He also beat his meat with his left.

    <em>¡®Because you need your right hand on the mouse.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Alright, then! Here I go, climbing the tower with only my left arm!!¡±

    Kang-Woo got into a handstand again but used only his left arm this time. He didn¡¯t find it to be an issue.

    <em>¡®One arm is all I need.¡¯</em>

    <em>Hop! Hop!</em>

    He threw himself forward with one arm on the ground to head to the Gate.

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ offers you a mission!]

    [The ¡®God of Shadows¡¯ offers you a mission!]

    Kang-Woo continued to climb as he cleared various missions with ease.

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ bursts intoughter as he clenches his stomach!]

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ prepares more snacks!]

    The Constetions¡¯ reactions grew more passionate as Kang-Woo kept clearing missions. Even the Constetions who had initially approached him to make him their apostle were now watching him purely for entertainment.

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡±

    It was only natural since it was their first time seeing a human clearing each floor so easily after they had gotten used to humans clearing a floor after years of effort. Kang-Woo had be an irreceable form of entertainment for the Constetions.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ offers you a mission!]

    Even the big shot, sponsoring Kang-Woo solely to have Kang-Woo be his apostle, was offering missions.

    Kang-Woo reached the thirty-fifth floor after clearing various missions. Kang-Woo smiled and looked up after being summoned to the thirty-fifth floor.

    ¡°Hehehe!! Right, then. What¡¯s the next mission?!¡±

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ looks away awkwardly.]

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ checks his Neb bnce.]

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ checks on the other Constetions.]

    The Constetions were beginning to act indecisively.

    <em>¡®Looks like they¡¯re getting reluctant to splurge.¡¯</em>

    Naturally, no Constetion would invest all of their Neb on someone purely to be entertained. However entertaining Kang-Woo was, Neb was the most valuable currency for Constetions.

    <em>¡®In that case.¡¯</em>

    It was time for n B.

    ¡°Oh¡­ it looks like there aren¡¯t any missions this time.¡± Kang-Woo sighed in disappointment.

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ cheers you on!]

    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Kang-Wooughed dryly. He frowned and continued, ¡°How do you expect to cheer me up with just words?¡±

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ is flustered!]

    ¡°Seriously, do you Constetions have no shame? Huh? After all this shit I¡¯m doing to climb the Tower, all I get is a cheer?¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t be more offended.

    ¡°Five minutes,¡± he said as he extended five fingers. ¡°If I don¡¯t get a sponsor of at least three thousand Neb or above in five minutes, I won¡¯t be climbing the tower today.¡±

    <em>¡®If you¡¯ve got a problem with that, shoot me some donos.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 148: Tower of Creation (6)

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ sponsors you with 200 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of Thunder¡¯ sponsors you with 2,300 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ sheds tears of blood!]

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ sponsors you with 332 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of the Sun¡¯ sponsors you with 3.500 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ copsed in desperation!]

    <em>¡®Ahhh, I can feel the shower.¡¯</em>

    Neb was showering down from the night sky like a meteor shower.

    <em>¡®Looks like I managed to pull tons of attention.¡¯</em>Kang-Woo smiled as he stared at the constant sponsor notifications.

    <em>¡®Yeah, I¡¯d be pretty upset if I didn¡¯t get any sponsors after I put on that huge show.¡¯</em>

    He had pulled off the unprecedented feat of climbing twenty floors in one day. He had not only just climbed; he even spun on his head like a human beyde to the point that he caused a tornado. It was so stimtive that even the God of Games, who had been enjoying watching Kang-Woo, was shocked.

    <em>¡®But it was worth it.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo managed to engrave his name into the Constetions¡¯ minds. He was at least sure there had never been anyone crazy enough to climb the tower as they spun on their heads. He had pulled off something so unprecedented that it would remain in the tower¡¯s history for a long time.

    [The ¡®God of Endearment¡¯ sponsors you with 1,500 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of the Battlefield¡¯ sponsors you with 3,000 Neb!]

    As a result, the Constetions were showering him with endless Neb even now.

    ¡°Wow~ Thank you very much for your support~~!¡±

    Kang-Woo bowed toward the influx of sponsor notifications. Unlike before, the average sponsor amount had reached four digits.

    <em>¡®I guess it¡¯s only obvious. They all want me to be their apostle.¡¯</em>

    He had reached the twentieth floor in one day without borrowing the power of the Constetions¡ª while doing a handstand and spinning like a top, no less. What mattered was not his entric methods; what mattered was that he easily climbed the tower as he performed such entric acts.

    <em>¡®In other words, they must be giddy with anticipation about how high I could go when I take things seriously.¡¯</em>

    The Constetions weren¡¯t wrong; Kang-Woo could easily climb to the fortieth floor in one day if he took things seriously.

    <em>¡®Though the difficulty skyrockets the higher you climb, that¡¯s all there is to it.¡¯</em>

    None of the floors he encountered had been difficult in any way so far and he doubted any of the higher ones would be either. Kang-Woo, who could now stand shoulder to shoulder with the Titans, would never have trouble with something created to select a guardian deity.

    <em>¡®But I¡¯m not gonna climb all the way just yet.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo could easily reach the top of the tower any time he liked but there was no need to climb it so quickly.

    ¡°I will be counting on your further support!! Thank you very much!!¡±

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ sponsors you with 3,700 Neb!]

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ suggests you be his apostle!]

    After all, squeezing the Constetions dry was of greater importance to him than conquering the tower at the moment.

    ¡°Thank you for the kind offer.¡± Kang-Woo bowed courteously and continued, ¡°But I would like to keep climbing without assistance for now. I will consider bing an apostle after some thought.¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ expresses disappointment!]

    Kang-Woo continued to get offers from here and there. As he expected, the apostles were opening the wallets they had been hiding to have Kang-Woo choose them as their apostles at whatever cost.

    <em>¡®Yeah, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re getting anxious.¡¯</em>

    They would want to monopolize Kang-Woo as soon as possible before the big shots arrived.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ is examining you from high above!]

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ is focusing on your story!]

    <em>¡®They¡¯re here.¡¯</em>

    They were the zeroth-tier big shot Constetions with the most influence in the Tower of Creation.

    <em>¡®Looks like the God of Depravity hasn¡¯te yet.¡¯</em>

    It didn¡¯t matter; he would also betching on to Kang-Woo¡¯s pants soon enough, begging Kang-Woo to be his apostle.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ sponsors you with 10,000 Nebs!!]

    <em>¡®Holy fuck. Ten thousand right off the bat?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Wooooooooow~~!!!! A whopping ten thousand Neb from the God of Heaven¡­!! A-Aren¡¯t you pushing yourself a little too hard?¡±

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ sponsors you with 10,000 Nebs!!]

    ¡°Maaaaaaaaaaan~!! Ten thousand from the God of Adventure this time¡­!¡±

    It was no wonder why they were called the big shots among the Constetions. The sponsors that had only been in the low thousands so far suddenly jumped up to five digits.

    <em>¡®Yeah!!! That¡¯s more like it!!¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ res at the God of Adventure.]

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ snorts.]

    Kang-Woo could easily tell there was a war of nerves going on between the two Constetions even without the message windows.

    <em>¡®This is only the beginning.¡¯</em>

    The big shots wouldpete against each other, sponsoring Kang-Woo more and more Neb the morepetitive they became.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ sponsors you with 15,000 Neb!!]

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ sponsors you with 20,000 Neb!!]

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ sponsors you with 25,000 Neb!!]

    The Neb sponsors continued to rise. Kang-Woo was bombarded with more Neb than he had collected until now. The other Constetions were standing back in silence as the two whales went at each other.

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ sponsors you with 1 Neb!]

    <em>¡®Why does this one Neb motherfucker keep sponsoring me?¡¯</em>

    ***

    There was a killjoy in the midst but the sponsor battle between the God of Heaven and Adventure was getting hotter by the second.

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ turns around as he sighs deeply.]

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ punches a wall in outrage.]

    The other Constetions had turned away, unable topete against the big shots. Kang-Woo stepped up as he was watching the battle unfolding.

    ¡°Just a moment, everyone,¡± he said to calm down the two Constetions.

    The big shots¡¯ sponsors were important but he couldn¡¯t let that chase the other Constetions away.

    <em>¡®At this rate, they¡¯ll give uppletely.¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t let the other Constetions leave because they felt inferior to the big shots.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m gonna suck everyone dry.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no intention to give up on any Neb sponsors, big or small.

    ¡°Constetions, thank you all for your precious support. You¡¯ve given me the courage to continue climbing the tower.¡± Kang-Woo smiled and turned around. ¡°Right, then. I will resume the climb!¡±

    He was on the twentieth floor¡ª to be more exact, he had only risen to the twentieth floor.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s too early for them to go all in.¡¯</em>

    Neb was power and authority for the Constetions. Kang-Woo had climbed to the twentieth floor in one day but they were unsure whether Kang-Woo could conquer the remaining floors since the difficulty continued to rise with each floor. In other words, they might seem like they were showering Kang-Woo with Neb but were likely hiding much more.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s probably why the third big shot isn¡¯t joining.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo needed to prove his value even more.

    There was also one more group of Constetions.

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ is anticipating your climb!]

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ sponsors you with 500 Nebs!]

    Some Constetions sponsored Neb simply to be entertained, like the God of Games. No, there were a lot more than some.

    <em>¡®I heard there weren¡¯t that many, ording to my research.¡¯</em>

    It seemed the Constetions who observed humans for fun had all gathered toward Kang-Woo because of how shocking and fresh his process of climbing the first twenty floors was.

    The Constetions looking for entertainment approached Kang-Woo in ways differing from other Constetions, such as this:

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ offers you a mission.]

    [Reach the twenty-fifth floor using only your left arm.]

    [Mission Clear Reward: 10,000 Neb.]

    <em>¡®A mission, huh?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had no reason to refuse. However¡­

    ¡°Mmm¡­ the twenty-fifth might be a little difficult.¡± Kang-Woo shook his head as if troubled.

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ lowers the condition to the twenty-third floor.]

    ¡°Haaa. And I have to climb using only my left arm too¡­¡±

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ raises the Mission Clear Reward to 15,000 Neb!]

    The reward rose. Kang-Woo frowned in displeasure.

    ¡°Great God of Victory, are you trying to bribe me with Neb?¡±

    He couldn¡¯t be more disgusted. He couldn¡¯t believe he was being bribed with mere Neb to be a jester simply for the Constetions¡¯ enjoyment. Acting crazy to draw attention was different from acting crazy for someone¡¯s sake. He was the Demon King who formerly ruled the Nine Hells.

    <em>¡®You expect me to y along with your stupid games?¡¯</em>

    The Constetions were under a massive misunderstanding; they thought of Kang-Woo as a monkey in a zoo.

    ¡°I, Oh Kang-Woo, am not one to be swayed by mere Neb¡ª¡±

    [The ¡®God of Victory¡¯ raises the Mission Clear Reward to 30,000 Neb!]

    ¡°I have only had one arm since the day I was born.¡±

    Kang-Woo ate with only his left hand. He also beat his meat with his left.

    <em>¡®Because you need your right hand on the mouse.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Alright, then! Here I go, climbing the tower with only my left arm!!¡±

    Kang-Woo got into a handstand again but used only his left arm this time. He didn¡¯t find it to be an issue.

    <em>¡®One arm is all I need.¡¯</em>

    <em>Hop! Hop!</em>

    He threw himself forward with one arm on the ground to head to the Gate.

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ offers you a mission!]

    [The ¡®God of Shadows¡¯ offers you a mission!]

    Kang-Woo continued to climb as he cleared various missions with ease.

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ bursts intoughter as he clenches his stomach!]

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ prepares more snacks!]

    The Constetions¡¯ reactions grew more passionate as Kang-Woo kept clearing missions. Even the Constetions who had initially approached him to make him their apostle were now watching him purely for entertainment.

    ¡°WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡±

    It was only natural since it was their first time seeing a human clearing each floor so easily after they had gotten used to humans clearing a floor after years of effort. Kang-Woo had be an irreceable form of entertainment for the Constetions.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ offers you a mission!]

    Even the big shot, sponsoring Kang-Woo solely to have Kang-Woo be his apostle, was offering missions.

    Kang-Woo reached the thirty-fifth floor after clearing various missions. Kang-Woo smiled and looked up after being summoned to the thirty-fifth floor.

    ¡°Hehehe!! Right, then. What¡¯s the next mission?!¡±

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ looks away awkwardly.]

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ checks his Neb bnce.]

    [The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ checks on the other Constetions.]

    The Constetions were beginning to act indecisively.

    <em>¡®Looks like they¡¯re getting reluctant to splurge.¡¯</em>

    Naturally, no Constetion would invest all of their Neb on someone purely to be entertained. However entertaining Kang-Woo was, Neb was the most valuable currency for Constetions.

    <em>¡®In that case.¡¯</em>

    It was time for n B.

    ¡°Oh¡­ it looks like there aren¡¯t any missions this time.¡± Kang-Woo sighed in disappointment.

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ cheers you on!]

    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Kang-Wooughed dryly. He frowned and continued, ¡°How do you expect to cheer me up with just words?¡±

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ is flustered!]

    ¡°Seriously, do you Constetions have no shame? Huh? After all this shit I¡¯m doing to climb the Tower, all I get is a cheer?¡±

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t be more offended.

    ¡°Five minutes,¡± he said as he extended five fingers. ¡°If I don¡¯t get a sponsor of at least three thousand Neb or above in five minutes, I won¡¯t be climbing the tower today.¡±

    <em>¡®If you¡¯ve got a problem with that, shoot me some donos.¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 149: Tower of Creation (7)

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ is enraged by your arrogance!]

    Oh Kang-Woo chuckled as he stared at the message window before him.

    <em>¡®They don¡¯t wanna be reduced to pushovers, is that it?¡¯</em>

    It was only natural; they were practically the rulers of the Tower of Creation. They were supreme transcendental beings like stars in the night sky. Kang-Woo¡¯s actions could only be taken asints from an arrogant flea.

    <em>¡®So what?¡¯</em>

    The Constetions couldn¡¯t directly influence the physical realm due to the restrictions of the Law; they could only do so indirectly using the currency known as Neb. It would have been a different story if Kang-Woo were their apostle but since he wasn¡¯t, they couldn¡¯t exert their will on him.

    ¡°Well, I sincerely apologize if you are upset.¡± Kang-Woo tilted his head haughtily. ¡°But I¡¯m doing this to make a living, you know? O fair and just Constetions~ Please understand the actions of this lowly mortal!¡±

    Kang-Woo sounded like he was begging for mercy but his attitude couldn¡¯t be more shameless.

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ is highly disappointed in you!]<em>¡®Wow, how heartbreaking. I don¡¯t give a fuck, you broke-ass.¡¯</em>

    The Constetion¡¯s name was rather grandiose but he was sponsoring much less than the others, indicating how low-rank he was. Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t care less about the disappointment of a Constetion who wasn¡¯t a big shot.

    <em>Shatter¡ª!!</em>

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Just then, a Rift appeared in midair along with the sound of ss breaking.

    [The ¡®God of Rupture¡¯ punishes you!]

    [Restrictions will be ced on the Constetion who defied the Law!]

    A three-meter giant right arm appeared from the Rift.

    [Pay the price of ridiculing a Constetion with your life!]

    The muscr and veiny right arm clenched its fist.

    <em>Crack! Crack!!</em>

    Red fissures were forming on the giant right arm; it seemed the restriction of the Law was being applied already.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened with great interest.

    <em>¡®I guess they can meddle with the physical realm somewhat.¡¯</em>

    It was highly limited but it seemed the Constetions had ways to exert physical force on the physical realm.

    <em>¡®Completely different from how Earth used to be.¡¯</em>

    <em>Whoosh!</em>

    [Repent in death!!]

    The giant red arm was swung toward Kang-Woo at supersonic speed. The God of Rupture¡¯s fist contained immense power as expected from a Constetion.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Kang-Woo crossed his arms leisurely as he watched the fist being swung down toward the crown of his head. He didn¡¯t even need to dodge it.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ uses his starscape!]

    [Restrictions will be ced on the Constetion who defied the Law!]

    <em>¡®After all, my dependable sirs will block it for me.¡¯</em>

    <em>Swoosh¡ª!!</em>

    A Rift opened in midair and white cumulus clouds poured out of it like a tidal wave, wrapping around the fist. The cracking right arm shattered.

    <em>¡®Wow.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo expected nothing less from one of the three most powerful Constetions.

    [GAAAAAAAAHHH!!]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The two Rifts in the air disappeared along with the faint echoing of screams.

    ¡°Thank you very much, great God of Heaven.¡±

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ shrugs!]

    Kang-Woo ced one hand on his chest and bowed. He did not expect the God of Heaven to take action but was sure at least one of them would.

    <em>¡®They wouldn¡¯t want to lose me.¡¯</em>

    Not even a week had passed and he had already risen to the thirty-fifth floor without borrowing power from the Constetions.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m sure the Constetions have realized it.¡¯</em>

    They would need to stick to Kang-Wo if they wanted to reach the top of the tower. They had realized the priceless value of the human Oh Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®The same goes for the Constetions who have no intention of making me their apostle.¡¯</em>

    It was the same as why people watched sports that they didn¡¯t even y. Even if Kang-Woo wasn¡¯t their apostle, they showed great interest in someone climbing the tower at the speed at which Kang-Woo was.

    <em>¡®To describe my situation using an example of the game Yeon-Joo ys¡­ it¡¯s like someone who just started the game cruising through each tier because they¡¯re a natural.¡¯</em>

    It would be difficult for the Constetions, who had gotten used to watching weak humans struggling up the tower, to give up on the pleasure of watching Kang-Woo climbing the tower. That was how scary entertainment was¡ª whether it be humans or demons, it was hard to give up on something <em>fun</em>.

    ¡°Right, two minutes left~ there won¡¯t be any climbing today if I don¡¯t get any sponsors.¡±

    Kang-Woo raised two fingers and waved them left and right.

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ sponsors you with 1,000 Nebs!]

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ gives the other Constetions a look!]

    [The ¡®God of Thunder¡¯ sponsors you with 1,000 Neb in shame!]

    Sponsor notifications popped up in front of Kang-Woo along with congrattory sounds.

    <em>¡®Yeah, you should¡¯ve done this earlier.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo licked his lips and snickered. There seemed to be Constetions hesitating out of pride but it didn¡¯t matter.

    <em>¡®They¡¯ll be the ones to fold in the end.¡¯</em>

    The result was obvious as long as no human could match him.

    ¡°One more minute~,¡± Kang-Woo said as he sprawled on the ground.

    Riiing!

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ sponsors you with 1,000 Nebs!]

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    <em>¡®The One-Neb spammer? What¡¯s gotten into him?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo was confused at first but soon understood. He smiled wickedly.

    <em>¡®He says no but his body is honest.¡¯</em>

    Even the God of Compassion who disapproved of him at first now wanted to watch him climb the tower.

    ¡°Hehehe.¡±

    With that, it had be even more apparent that the Constetions couldn¡¯t give up on him.

    ¡°Right! Since the right amount of Neb hase in, let us start yet another day of tower climbing!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo sprang back up and sprinted to the Gate leading to the next floor.

    [Wee to the ¡®Trial Zone¡¯ that leads to the thirty-sixth floor.]

    [The thirty-sixth floor has already been conquered, hence you can give up on the trial any time you like as long as the failure conditions are not fulfilled.]

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Kang-Woo leisurely headed to the Trial Zone. The trial of this floor was to escape aplex maze before time was up. However, Kang-Woo did not need to go through such annoyance.

    ¡°HIYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!¡±

    <em>Boom!! Crumble¡ª!!</em>

    He destroyed every wall in front of him as he sprinted. Hundreds of monster-type beasts attacked him in the process but were reduced to mounds of flesh in less than a minute.

    ¡°NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEXT!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo arrived on the fortieth floor, also known among the climbers as the frontline.

    ***

    ¡°Are you Sir Oh Kang-Woo the great God of Heaven mentioned?¡±

    ¡°I have heard about your heroic journey from my Constetion!¡±

    ¡°Could you give us a moment of your time?¡±

    People swarmed to Kang-Woo the moment he arrived on the fortieth floor.

    <em>¡®What the hell¡¯s up with these guys?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo tilted his head and examined the people who approached him. He could feel power on another levelpared to the apostles he had met until now.

    <em>¡®I guess this ce isn¡¯t called the frontline for nothing.¡¯</em>

    The apostles had reached the fortieth floor after centuries of arduous effort. The apostles on this floor were the most powerful among every climber in the tower and acted as agents of the Constetions to rule over the tower¡¯s residents.

    <em>¡®Such people acting so courteously to me can only mean¡­¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled wickedly as he skimmed through the apostles around him.

    <em>¡®The Constetions pulled some strings.¡¯</em>

    Since Kang-Woo was not choosing a Constetion to be their apostle no matter how much they sponsored him, it seemed like they were using their apostles to persuade him instead.

    ¡°You must be exhausted from climbing. Why don¡¯t you get some rest at the Temple of Adventure¡ª¡°

    ¡°No, why not the Temple of Heaven? We have prepared various amenities so that you can enjoy your stay.¡±

    ¡°How about the Temple of the Sun¡ª¡±

    ¡°How dare a mere apostle of Helya try to get close to Sir Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    The apostles around Kang-Woo shot death res at each other.

    <em>¡®Looks like the Constetions grilled them about me.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smirked as he watched the apostles who might even be willing to lick his toes.

    ¡°Whoa, calm down, everyone.¡± Kang-Woo arbitrated between the apostles about to attack each other. ¡°I¡¯m honestly¡­ rather moved by your passionate weing.¡±

    ¡°This is nothing at all, Sir Kang-Woo!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m just a newbie who hasn¡¯t even been in the tower for a week, so I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m worthy of such extravagance.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    The apostles¡¯ expressions froze for a moment. However, they quickly smiled, albeit awkwardly, and shook their heads.

    ¡°Y-You are more than worthy!¡±

    ¡°From what we¡¯ve heard from the Constetions, you¡¯ve possessed great power even before you entered the tower!¡±

    Kang-Woo caught their momentary expression change.

    <em>¡®I knew it.¡¯</em>

    Of course, they would be against treating a newbie who hadn¡¯t even spent a week in the tower, like a king. They were smiling on the outside but they were probably zing with jealousy on the inside.

    <em>¡®In that case.¡¯</em> Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes shone and he smiled nastily. <em>¡®I can use this.¡¯</em>

    He cackled in a way that no one could hear.

    ¡°Right, then how about this? Since I¡¯m only one person and can¡¯t ignore all of your goodwill, why don¡¯t we all gather in one ce to get to know each other?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    The apostles exchanged nces with each other. They did not have to think for long.

    ¡°Sounds good to us.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, thank you very much.¡±

    With that, he decided to spend time with the chief apostles of each Constetion. The apostles left for several hours to prepare, seemingly to discuss the best ce to take Kang-Woo.

    The apostles returned after a little over two hours and remarked, ¡°This way, please.¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    The apostles took him to a massive temple with a Big Dipper symbol. Inside the temple was a long table one would only see in the homes of royalty and was filled with luxurious food.

    ¡°Sit wherever you like,¡± an apostle remarked.

    ¡°Hahaha, thank you.¡±

    Kang-Woo naturally headed to the host seat at the end of the table. He sat down and raised one leg over the other. He examined the apostles¡¯ faces and smiled.

    <em>¡®Now, then. Time to begin.¡¯</em>

    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you looking for something?¡± an apostle asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s no¡­¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s expression crumpled in an instant.

    ¡°There¡¯s no kimchi stew.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    ¡°I thought you were gonna show me hospitality, was I wrong? Didn¡¯t you say you prepared various amenities?¡±

    ¡°Umm, well¡­¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t kimchi stew have been the first fucking thing you prepared? Huh?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Is there something wrong with your brains?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯M ASKING YOU A FUCKING QUESTION!!!¡±

    tter!!!

    Kang-Woo flipped the table and the luxurious food fell to the ground.

    ¡°Bring me kimchi stew.¡±

    ¡°Wh-Why are you being like this all of a¡ª¡±

    ¡°RIGHT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes rolled back and he foamed at the mouth. ¡°BRING ME KIMCHI STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW!!!¡±

    Karen mode: On.

 Side Story Chapter 150: Tower of Creation (8)

    Side Story Chapter 150: Tower of Creation (8)

    ¡°S-Sir Kang-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Wh-What are you¡­¡±

    The apostles stared in shock at Oh Kang-Woo who was acting crazy all of a sudden. His gullible and gentle attitude in their first meeting was nowhere to be found. He was stepping on the food sttered on the ground as he fumed in rage.

    An apostle whispered, ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±

    Another whispered back, ¡°How the hell should I know?¡±

    The apostles stole nces at each other as they slowly stepped backward. None of the Constetions had warned them of a situation like this unfolding.

    ¡°AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!¡± Kang-Woo¡¯s fit of rage continued. ¡°WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYY!!! WHY IS THERE NO KIMCHI STEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW?!!¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ S-Sir Kang-Woo,¡± called one of the apostles as she carefully approached Kang-Woo. Her hair which reached her butt lightly shook. ¡°We understand that our preparations were unsatisfactory for you, so let us discuss¡­¡±

    She was Reba Fowler, an apostle of the God of Compassion and one of the most famous apostles in the tower due to her extraordinary looks. The other apostles looked at Reba, full of anticipation. The power of beauty was great; even a man as violent as Kang-Woo would turn into a docile sheep in front of Reba.¡°KIMCHI STEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW!!!¡±

    ¡°Kyaaahhh!!! P-Please stop!!!¡±

    However, her blinding beauty was ineffective on Kang-Woo screaming for kimchi stew with his eyes rolled backward.

    ¡°Sh-Shit!! What the hell is kimchi stew?!¡± asked an apostle as he pulled on his short blond hair.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a traditional K-Korean dish,¡± answered an apostle whose home country was Korea.

    ¡°Traditional dish? Is he seriously acting like that because we didn¡¯t prepare a dish from his country?¡±

    ¡°What the fuck?¡±

    The apostles¡¯ mouths went agape in shock. Not even a five-year-old would be childish or rude enough to flip a table and throw a temper tantrum because they had not prepared a traditional dish from his country.

    ¡°Umm¡­ Can you make this k-kimchi stew?¡±

    ¡°I can get meat, but¡­ the problem is kimchi.¡±

    ¡°Kimchi?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t make kimchi with the ingredients sold in the tower.¡±

    The Korean apostle frowned troublingly. A lot more seasoning went into making kimchi than one would expect. It was impossible to recreate the taste of kimchi using ingredients grown in the Tower of Creation.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a thing that tastes simr to kimchi? Leuconostoc, was it?¡±

    ¡°Leuconostoc is extremely rare in the tower. In the first ce, the nt originated from Pandemonium¡­¡±

    ¡°We have to get it somehow!¡±

    They couldn¡¯t let this mouth-foaming lunatic keep rampaging forever.

    ¡°Ngh, just a moment, please.¡± The Korean apostle quickly opened his System window and contacted apostles on lower floors. ¡°Ah¡­! Th-There¡¯s an apostle with Leuconostoc!¡±

    ¡°Get some right now!!¡±

    ¡°Who knows what the Constetions will say to us if he stays like this!!¡±

    They had received a revtion to recruit Oh Kang-Woo no matter what it took. They didn¡¯t even want to imagine how they would be punished if they couldn¡¯t appease him.

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    The Korean apostle sprinted out of the temple. Kang-Woo continued to throw a fit.

    ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOWWW!!! BRING IT TO ME NOOOOOOOOOOWWW!!!¡±

    ¡°P-Please wait a moment¡ª¡±

    ¡°Imgoinginsaneimgoinginsaneimgoinginsaneimgoinginsaneimgoinginsaneimgoinginsaneimgoinginsaneimgoinginsaneimgoinginsaneeeeeeeeeeee!!!¡±

    ¡°Aaaaaahhhh!!! P-Please calm down¡­!!¡±

    The apostles trembled in panic. It was natural since the person whom the Constetions had told them to recruit no matter what was throwing a fit as he pulled on his hair. The apostles could only stare desperately at the empty spot where the apostle who ran out to get the Leuconostoc was standing.

    ¡°<em>Huff, huff, huff!!</em>¡±

    After an hour, the apostle who managed to get Leuconostoc after sprinting down to the lower floors finally arrived as he panted heavily.

    ¡°W-We need to start cooking right now!!¡±

    ¡°Leave the cooking to me!!¡± shouted an apostle of the God of Satiety.

    The God of Satiety was low in rank as a Constetion but was highly recognized among the apostles because he couldpletely satiate hunger.

    <em>Bubble¡ª!</em>

    A delicious-looking kimchi stew was made in fifteen minutes and ced on a table, recing the one Kang-Woo had broken, in front of Kang-Woo.

    ¡°Haaa, haaa. S-Sir Kang-Woo, here is your kimchi stew.¡±

    ¡°Kimchi¡­ stew?¡±

    Kang-Woo, who had been putting on a shitshow for over an hour, slowly looked up. He grabbed a spoon on the table and had a spoonful of the stew.

    Gulp.

    The apostles examined Kang-Woo¡¯s expression intently as they swallowed their saliva. Kang-Woo¡¯s expression crumpled intensely.

    ¡°IT¡¯S SALTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed the pot and threw it at a wall, breaking the pot and sttering the stew all over the ce.

    ¡°You call this kimchi stew? Huh?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sor¡ª¡±

    ¡°MAKE IT AGAIN!!!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo red at the apostle who made the kimchi stew. A menacing mood fell in the temple again. The apostles clenched their fists with hardened expressions.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    <em>¡®Sheesh, look at their faces.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled in his head as he was showered with ferocious res. He shifted his gaze to the kimchi stew on the ground.

    <em>¡®Fuck, what a waste.¡¯</em>

    To be honest, the kimchi stew the apostle of the God of Satiety made was extraordinarily delicious.

    <em>¡®But of course, it doesn¡¯tpare to Darling¡¯s kimchi stew.¡¯</em>

    Whatever the case, it was nowhere near bad enough to yeet it across the room. Although Kang-Woo was a kimchi stew maniac, he wasn¡¯t crazy enough to flip a table filled with food just because kimchi stew had not been prepared.

    <em>¡®There should be a sign soon.¡¯</em>

    Throwing a fit and flipping the table was part of his n¡ª one to suck more Neb from the Constetions.

    <em>¡®Should I throw a bigger fit?¡¯ </em>Kang-Woo thought as he nced at the apostles.

    <em>m!</em>

    ¡°You are taking this too far!!¡± shouted a man, standing up from his chair.

    He was the one who introduced himself as an apostle of the God of Heaven.

    <em>¡®There it is!¡¯</em>

    The reaction Kang-Woo had been waiting for hade.

    <em>¡®Who wouldn¡¯t get mad at someone putting on this kind of shitshow?¡¯</em>

    It was weird for Kang-Woo to say but he had to admit he had acted like such a bitch that even he would beat the shit out of himself. Not only that but in the apostles¡¯ eyes, Kang-Woo was a newbie who had only just entered the tower. The result was obvious since he had fanned the mes of jealousy burning in their hearts.

    ¡°You must¡¯ve let the attention from the Constetions get over your head¡­!¡±

    ¡°P-Please calm down! The Constetions told us to¡ª¡±

    ¡°MOVE!!!¡±

    The apostle pushed Reba aside and walked toward Kang-Woo. A warning window might have appeared in front of him but he probably couldn¡¯t see it because he was blinded by rage.

    ¡°GET THE HELL UP!¡±

    The apostle of the God of Heaven grabbed Kang-Woo¡¯s cor.

    ¡°Who are you supposed to be?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Hah, who am I?¡± the apostle chuckled as he ferociously bared his teeth.

    He didn¡¯t like the newbie from the moment he received the revtion from the God of Heaven. Now, he had it up to here after witnessing the newbie throwing a hissy fit in front of him, one of the Seven Stars, a title given to the strongest seven climbers.

    <em>¡®He climbed up to the fortieth floor in a sh?¡¯</em>

    The apostle couldn¡¯t care less. He had also climbed up to the fortieth floor as had everyone else.

    ¡°I AM VINCENT HASSEN, A NINE-STAR APOSTLE OF THE GOD OF HEAVEN, YOU CRAZY MOTHERFUCKER!!!¡±

    <em>Rumble¡ª!!</em>

    A heat haze rose from his clenched fists and aggregated into a cloud. It didn¡¯t look particrly strong but this small cloud was powerful enough to obliterate a seven-star beast in one blow.

    <em>Grab.</em>

    ¡°H-Huh?¡±

    But of course, a nine-star apostle was no different from a newbie climber to Kang-Woo.

    Wham!!

    Kang-Woo grabbed Vincent¡¯s fist and threw him at the temple wall.

    ¡°KURGHHH!!¡±

    Vincent, unable to resist, flew through the air and was smashed into the wall. The impact rattled his brain and he fell head-first into the pot of kimchi stew.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    The apostles could only stare nkly at the unbelievable sight.

    ¡°Man¡­ I¡¯m severely disappointed, great Constetions.¡± Kang-Woo looked up and frowned in displeasure. He sighed as he shook his head and continued, ¡°I epted their offer because they said all of you arranged this, but¡­ do you let your apostles exert violence on all of your guests?¡±

    Riing!

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ is immensely flustered!]

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ criticizes the God of Heaven!]

    ¡°It¡¯s not just the God of Heaven. I¡¯m disappointed in the Constetions of every apostle here.¡±

    Kang-Woo shook his head with a hardened expression.

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ stares at you in mortification!]

    [The ¡®God of Satiety¡¯ fiercely shakes his head!]

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ questions you as he cannot understand!]

    The other Constetions also reacted to Kang-Woo¡¯s disappointment.

    Kang-Woo looked around and continued, ¡°To be honest, I was nning on bing the apostle of the Constetion whose apostle I found to have the best attitude. Yes, that¡¯s why I acted rudely on purpose to rouse them. But look what happened! One of them tried to punch me, their guest, and the others stood still and did nothing!¡±

    ¡°I-I tried to stop h¡ª¡±

    ¡°You call that trying? You just pretended to. If you were really trying to stop him, you would have at least held him back for a few seconds.¡±

    ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t even do that, I don¡¯t think I will bother with your Constetion.¡±

    Kang-Woo red coldly at the apostles who were ncing at each other, not knowing what to do.

    ¡°I will excuse myself. It doesn¡¯t look like any of these apostles are willing to wee me.¡±

    Kang-Woo pulled his chair back and stood up. Every apostle here likely knew he was spouting a load of bullshit. Throwing a fit to see what the apostles would do was probably one of the stupidest things they had ever heard.

    <em>¡®But¡­¡¯</em>

    They had no choice but to y along¡ª after all, Kang-Woo had all the power in this situation.

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ expresses his regret!]

    [The ¡®God of the Sun¡¯ apologizes!]

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ swears he will punish his apostle who disrespected you!]

    The Constetions showered Kang-Woo with apology messages as he was about to leave. Kang-Woo ignored them and swiftly turned around.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ sponsors you with 100,000 Nebs!]

    Just then, a sponsor message appeared before him.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Kang-Woo frowned intensely. ¡°Do you think I did this just to get some Neb?!¡±

    He gritted his teeth and stomped his feet.

    ¡°I was serious!!!¡± he shouted. ¡°I wanted to find someone with whom I could climb to the top of the tower!!! A Constetion whom I could trust and depend on!!! But what did I get in return?! I was ridiculed! The target of jealous res!! And I was even attacked!!!¡±

    No one could ever understand his true feelings.

    [The ¡®God of Satiety¡¯ lowers his head as he sponsors you with 30,000 Neb!]

    ¡°Do you think this inexplicable sense of disappointment can be washed away with Neb?¡±

    [The ¡®God of the Sun¡¯ consoles you as he sponsors you with 50,000 Neb!]

    ¡°Forget it!!! I don¡¯t need your Neb!! I won¡¯t climb the tower anymore!! I won¡¯t be anyone¡¯s apostle!!¡±

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ encourages you to think otherwise as he sponsors you with 100,000 Neb!]

    ¡°Great Constetions¡­ do you think you can buy people with Neb? Do you think a person¡¯s feelings¡ª their zing emotions¡ª can be resolved with just Neb?!!¡±

    Kang-Woo¡¯s screams echoed throughout the temple. Tears of sorrow from one¡¯s goodwill being rejected flowed down his cheeks.

    ¡°I will never associate myself with any of you ever ag¡ª¡±

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ sponsors you with 500,000 Neb!]

    ¡°I¡¯ve made a severe and continuouspse in my judgment. I will try to trust all of you onest time. I will try my best to understand the feelings of every apostle here. I will¡­ climb to the top with all of you.¡±

    <em>¡®Thank you for the donos!¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 151: Tower of Creation (9)

    <em>¡®Holy shit, this is frickin¡¯ insane!¡¯</em>

    Oh Kang-Woo¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at the sponsor messages before him.

    <em>¡®Six hundred¡ª no, seven hundred thousand?¡¯</em>

    The amount of Neb he was sponsored in total would add up to around that much. Not even Kang-Woo expected to be sponsored this much.

    <em>¡®Are they still swimming in Neb?¡¯</em>

    He wondered if he had even made a dent in the Constetions¡¯ wallets.

    <em>¡®No, I expected them to have reserves they haven¡¯t been using.¡¯</em>

    However, Kang-Woo had not expected them to be hiding this much.

    ¡°Fuuu,¡± Kang-Woo exhaled heatedly.Of course, even this amount of Neb was nothing to gush over.

    <em>¡®Because I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not their entire savings.¡¯</em>

    If an individual possessed one million won to their name, they naturally wouldn¡¯t donate all of it to a streamer just because they found the stream entertaining.

    <em>¡®Well, I¡¯ve heard there were people like that.¡¯</em>

    But Kang-Woo did not think Constetions would make such stupid choices.

    <em>¡®In other words.¡¯</em>

    The Constetions still had heaps of Neb left over.

    ¡°Hehehe,¡± Kang-Woo chuckled in a way no one could hear him.

    His ultimate goal was to conquer the tower in one month as he promised his Darling and suck as much Neb from the Constetions as possible in the process. He would need to cloud the Constetions¡¯ judgment and induce them into making illogically stupid decisions.

    <em>¡®But doing something like this makes it feel like I¡¯m hosting an illicit stream.¡¯</em>

    For example, sleeping with a viewer who donated to them the most.

    <em>¡®But streamers like that tend to make the most money.¡¯</em>

    People were reluctant to spend money if they received nothing in return for it but it was a different story if there was a clear reward in sight¡ª the opportunity to make Kang-Woo their apostle.

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll have to think of more ways to extort them.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo held himself back from bursting out intoughter.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be going, then,¡± he said to the apostles.

    He managed to get a lot more Neb from the Constetions than expected. It mighte back to bite him in the ass if he pushed it further.

    He stared at the apostles, eyes full of frustration and resentment, and said, ¡°I hope you won¡¯t prepare something like this again.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    There was no response. They did not want to go through this farce either.

    ¡°Well,¡± Kang-Woo said as he smirked. ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter since we won¡¯t ever meet again.¡±

    ¡°What¡­ do you mean?¡± asked Reba, the apostle of the God of Compassion, as she flinched.

    Her eyes widened as she stared at Kang-Woo, having realized something.

    ¡°N-No way!! Are you nning on climbing to the forty-first floor right away?!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Kang-Woo shrugged as if it was no big deal.

    Reba bit her lip and shook her head. ¡°You know you have to fight a boss monster to reach the forty-first floor, don¡¯t you?!¡±

    ¡°Of course, I do.¡±

    Kang-Woo learned from climbing the tower that boss monsters appeared every ten floors.

    ¡°Th-The boss of the forty-first floor is on another levelpared to the bosses below!! Even when we challenged it¡­ we just barely fulfilled the failure condition after dozens died¡­¡±

    Reba clenched her fists as she shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to remember. The forty-first floor had not been cleared yet so the challengers couldn¡¯t give up whenever they liked. In other words, no matter how unbeatable the enemy was, sacrifices needed to be made to fulfill the failure conditions.

    Reba advised, ¡°You need to make ample preparations on the fortieth floor before you attempt it.¡±

    ording to Kang-Woo¡¯s research on the first floor, there was a saying among the apostles.

    <em>¡®The clue to climb to the next floor always exists on that floor.¡¯</em>

    In other words, one could never clear the Trial Zone that led to the forty-first floor if they did not make ample preparations on the fortieth floor.

    ¡°It might be necessary for you people, not for me,¡± Kang-Woo remarked.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Whoa, there. Let¡¯s not make such scary faces. Why don¡¯t you calm down?¡±

    ¡°How can I stay calm in such a situation?! If you challenge the trial without any preparation and die¡­ the great God of Compassion will¡­¡±

    ¡°That dude doesn¡¯t like me that much.¡±

    ¡°H-How could you call the great Constetion <em>dude</em>?!¡±

    ¡°In any case, you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Kang-Woo pointed to the ceiling with his index finger. ¡°I¡¯m going all the way to the top.¡±

    ¡°Where¡­ is that confidenceing from?¡±

    ¡°That gentleman named Vincent is one of the Seven Stars or whatever they were called, right?¡± Kang-Woo asked as he pointed at the apostle who tried to punch him and was sprawled out on the ground covered in kimchi stew.

    He had already gathered heaps of information about the Seven Stars, the most powerful apostles, on the first floor.

    ¡°Yes¡­ that¡¯s right.¡± Reba nodded in a daze.

    She had taken a while to realize it because of the chaos but the man in front of her had neutralized one of the Seven Stars in one move.

    ¡°Did all the Seven Stars participate in the forty-first-floor trial?¡± Kang-Woo asked.

    ¡°Yes¡­ all except one.¡±

    ¡°In that case.¡± Kang-Woo leisurely turned around. ¡°Who do you think would win? Me, or all of the Seven Starsbined?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Reba recalled Vincent fighting valiantly with nimbus clouds against a white dragon in the Trial Zone that led to the forty-first floor. However, such a strong person was utterly defeated.

    ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± Reba asked as she bit her lip and shakingly stared at Kang-Woo. ¡°How can you possess such power¡­ when you¡¯re not even an apostle?¡±

    Climbers asionally possessed powers like magic or martial arts before entering the tower. They aplished great feats in the tutorial and managed to be sponsored greatly by the Constetions. However, none such as Kang-Woo had ever appeared in the centuries worth of the tower¡¯s history.

    ¡°I am¡­¡± He turned slightly to look at Reba as he walked to the temple exit. He said as if it was nothing, ¡°The Demon King.¡±

    ¡°Pardon¡­?¡±

    ¡°Haha! It was just a joke.¡±

    Kang-Woo turned away from the frowning Reba and walked out of the temple.

    ***

    ¡°Is that him?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he climbed to the fortieth floor in only a week.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s crazy! There¡¯s no way!!¡±

    Apostles were mumbling in front of the temple entrance. Kang-Woo walked past the apostles who were looking at him as if he were a monkey in a zoo and headed to the Gate that led to the next floor.

    <em>¡®I¡¯m halfway there, huh?¡¯</em>

    He was nning on slowing down his climb a little from now on.

    <em>¡®I won¡¯t be meeting any apostles from now on anyway.¡¯</em>

    No one had yet set foot on the forty-first floor; it was apletely uncharted zone. The Constetions¡¯ interest in him would skyrocket once he set foot on the new floor.

    <em>¡®That¡¯s when the real shit begins.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo kept walking as he thought of ways to suck the Constetions dry.

    ¡°Right, then! Here¡¯s to another day of tower climbing!!!¡± he shouted as he turned around and raised his arms high.

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ stomps in excitement!]N?v(el)B\\jnn

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ stares at you with his fists clenched!]

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ is excited by the uncharted adventure!]

    The Constetions also seemed to be looking forward to the forty-first floor based on the barrage of messages.

    ¡®Man, it looks like I¡¯ll get tons of sponsors once I reach the next floor.¡¯

    Kang-Woo smirked as he read through the Constetions¡¯ messages. Just then, he got a message that was different from the rest.

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ stares at you with concern!]

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ brings you a revtion!]

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ has brought a revtion to a climber who is not their apostle. Applying a restriction to the ¡®God of Compassion.¡¯]

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    <em>¡®A revtion?¡¯</em>

    [It is too dangerous to climb the tower now.]

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    <em>¡®The hell? What¡¯s up with this guy this time?¡¯</em>

    ¡°Are you worried I¡¯ll die in the Trial Zone?¡± asked Kang-Woo with a frown.

    He wasn¡¯tining; he was genuinely curious about why the God of Compassion was acting like this.

    <em>¡®There¡¯s no way he doesn¡¯t know I can reach the forty-first floor after seeing what I¡¯m capable of.¡¯</em>

    He could understand the apostles¡¯ actions in the temple but the Constetions saw Kang-Woo¡¯s climbing journey.

    <em>¡®He knows I can easily reach the next floor.¡¯</em>

    [No, I am well aware you can reach the forty-first floor.]

    ¡°Then¡­ why are you telling me not to?¡±

    [If you climb so soon, that bitch¡ª I mean¡­ ahem. I apologize for mynguage.]

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡±

    [Anyway, that crazy old hag will dig her bony-ass fingers into you at this rate.]

    ¡°I think you should¡¯ve stopped at bitch, great Constetion. Who are you referring to?¡±

    [The¡ª]

    Riiing!

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ shows interest in you!]

    <em>¡®Oh? Is it finally happening?¡¯</em>

    The God of Depravity was the highest-ranking Constetion who only epted the demons of Pandemonium as her apostles. She was the closest one to bing the <em>brightest star</em>. She was so famous that Kang-Woo had heard even the God of Heaven and Adventure yielded to her.

    <em>¡®Yeah, I was expecting her toe.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo couldn¡¯t help but smile. He had heard she only made demons of Pandemonium her apostles but she was bound to take an interest in Kang-Woo after all of his feats.

    <em>¡®Well, I doubt she knows I¡¯m a demon too.¡¯</em>

    He could perfectly conceal his identity using the Deific Essence of Lies, so those whose Deific Essence were of lower rank than him couldn¡¯t figure out his true identity. Of course, that applied to the God of Depravity as well.

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ examines you from head to toe as she licks her lips.]

    <em>¡®Come to think of it, I¡¯ve heard the God of Depravity is a bit of a freak.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo even wondered if the God of Compassion was talking about the God of Depravity when he was talking mad shit.

    <em>¡®How bad could she be?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo chuckled. He was a king who ruled over the demons of the Nine Hells. However much of a freak she was, she wouldn¡¯te close to those crazy demons.

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ brings you a revtion!]

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ uses Neb to force the revtion!]

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ has brought a revtion to a climber who is not their apostle. Applying a restriction to the ¡®God of Depravity.¡¯]

    <em>¡®She even forced it? How important is it?¡¯</em>

    [Underwear color?]

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ is curious about the color of your underwear!!!]

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>¡®What¡¯s up with this bitch?¡¯</em>

 Side Story Chapter 152: Tower of Creation (10)

    ¡°...¡±

    Oh Kang-Woo was left confused as he read the message window before him.

    <em>¡®The fuck?¡¯</em>

    He couldn¡¯t understand why the God of Depravity would ask for the color of his underwear even as the Law of Titans restricted her.

    [Underwear color? Underwear color? Underwear color? Underwear color? Underwear color?]

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ is deeply interested in the color of your underwear!!]

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ sighs deeply.]

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ expresses frustration.][The ¡®God of Malevolence¡¯ hides.]

    The Constetions were up in a stir the moment the God of Depravity appeared. They showed various reactions but most of them were negative.

    <em>¡®What the hell has this bitch done?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo wondered what the God of Depravity did to make the other Constetions so wary of her.

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ giggles ecstatically!]

    The God of Depravity burst intoughter as if finding the Constetions¡¯ reactions funny.

    <em>Riiing! Riiing! Riiing! Riiing!</em>

    Bell chimes echoed endlessly.

    [Start the stream! Start the stream! Start the stream! Start the stream! Start the stream! Start the stream! Start the stream! Start the stream! Start the stream! Start the stream! Start the stream! Start the stream!]

    [Today¡¯s underwear color is RAINBOW RAINBOW RAINBOW RAINBOW RAINBOW RAINBOW.]

    [Ahhh you¡¯re doing it wrong LMAO LMAO LMAO LMAO LMAO LMAO LMAO LMAO LMAO LMAO LMAO]

    Kang-Woo was flooded with revtions. He was getting dizzy because the messages echoed in his head as they appeared in the corner of his vision.

    [Why aren¡¯t you climbing? Aren¡¯t you gonna do a handstand likest time? Embarrassed?]

    [Chicken? Chicken? Chicken? Chicken? Chicken? Chicken?]

    [Man, just don¡¯t climb today and show me your underwear.]

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo closed his eyes. The revtions that appeared every second without rest were burying the reactions of the other Constetions.

    ¡®Ahhh.¡¯

    Kang-Woo realized what kind of individual the God of Depravity was.

    ¡®This bitch is one of <em>those </em>viewers.¡¯

    The God of Depravity seemed to be one of those attention-seekers whomented on things unrted to the stream, or the tower climb in this case. Not only did these kinds of viewers annoy the streamer but annoyed the other viewers. The entire stream would be ruined if such people were left to be.

    ¡®The problem is¡­¡¯

    There was no <em>ban </em>system like in streaming tforms, leaving Kang-Woo no choice but to deal with the annoyance.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ criticizes the God of Depravity!]

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ yells at the God of Depravity!]

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ points fingers at the God of Depravity!]

    The other Constetions scolded the God of Depravity but it only made the attention whore even happier.

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ bursts intoughter!]

    As Kang-Woo expected, the God of Depravity simply enjoyed the Constetions¡¯ criticisms.

    ¡°I will ignore her and keep climbing,¡± Kang-Woo stated.

    All he could do at the moment was to not give the attention whore any ammunition. The constant message chimes echoing in his mind annoyed him but the God of Depravity would cling to him even stronger if he got mad.

    He frowned and continued walking. Just then, Reba Fowler suddenly ran out of the temple and toward him.

    She shouted, ¡°Sir Kang-Woo!!! Please wait!! What did you mean when you said you were the Demon King?!¡±

    <em>Riiing!</em>

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ offers you a mission!]

    [Strangle the apostle of the ¡®God of Compassion,¡¯ ¡®Reba Fowler.¡¯]

    [Mission Clear Reward: 100,000 Neb.]

    ¡°...¡±

    <em>¡®The hell is this?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo frowned as he checked the mission contents. She was telling him to kill another Constetion¡¯s apostle.

    <em>¡®I don¡¯t even have to think about this.¡¯</em>

    ¡°I will respectfully decline.¡±

    [You have declined the mission!]

    Kang-Woo could easily kill Reba but he would gain the God of Compassion¡¯s resentment if he epted the mission.

    <em>¡®I mean, it would be fine if it was just the God of Compassion.¡¯</em>

    The other Constetions on the good side would surely turn their backs on Kang-Woo. Not only that but other Constetions who did not want him being the God of Poverty¡¯s puppet would also leave. No one was interested in watching a stream where the streamer did everything an attention whore told them to do.

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ stands up in rage!]

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ jumps in joy!]

    The God of Depravity couldn¡¯t be happier despite Kang-Woo rejecting her mission, likely because her goal was to taunt the God of Compassion all along.

    ¡°Sir Kang-Woo¡­? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Reba asked as she narrowed her eyes.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    Kang-Woo shook his head as he looked around. Around a hundred apostles were mumbling around him before he realized it.

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ offers you a mission!]

    [ughter every apostle you see.]

    [Mission Clear Reward: 500,000 Neb.]

    ¡°...¡±

    500,000 Neb was worth far more than the effort he would have to put in.

    ¡°I will respectfully decline.¡±

    [You have declined the mission!]

    However, he would lose far more than what he could gain if he epted the mission.

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ jeers at you!]

    The sound of booing echoed in Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    ¡°...¡±

    Kang-Woo frowned fiercely.

    [I would¡¯ve just killed them all and took the Neb.]

    [What a loser~ Refusing practically free Neb, like a moron~ LMAO LMAO LMAO LMAO LMAO~]

    ¡°...¡±

    [What? Angry? Frustrated?]

    Her taunts couldn¡¯t be more childish. No one would think she was a Constetion based on her undignified behavior but such behavior was more effective when bringing attention to themselves. The God of Depravity was likely acting this way, knowing that.

    [Yooo~ Don¡¯t get mad and tell me your underwear color.]

    [Underwear color? Underwear color? Underwear color? Underwear color? Underwear color?Underwear color? Underwear color? Underwear color? Underwear color? Underwear color?Underwear color? Underwear color? Underwear color?]

    The endless gut-wrenching taunts were slowly eating away at Kang-Woo¡¯s patience.

    <em>¡®You wanna go, is it¡­?¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo had reached the end of his patience; an irresistible impulse boiled inside him, making the back of his neck hot.

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ offers you a mission!]

    [Take off your pants right now and show the God of Depravity your underwear.]

    [Mission Clear Reward: 50,000 Neb.]

    The mission couldn¡¯t be more humiliating. It would have been a different story if Kang-Woo were alone but Reba and over a hundred other apostles were around him.

    [Why aren¡¯t you taking it off?]

    [You can do a handstand and spin around in front of people but not take your pants off?]

    [Wow, you just have no intention of making Neb, do you~? Constetions, don¡¯t donate any Neb to him anymore~~]

    [Why sponsor him if he doesn¡¯t even do the missions I offer him? This is all~ because he sees us Constetions as pushovers~]

    Something snapped inside Kang-Woo¡¯s head.

    ¡°Ahhh.¡±

    He knew he had to ignore people like this but he couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°Alright, fine.¡±

    <em>¡®If you want attention so much, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡¯</em>

    ¡°I decline the mission.¡±

    <em>¡®Take a good look, you moronic bitch who cackles at her own madness.¡¯</em>

    <em>¡®I¡¯ll especially show you what¡¾true madness¡¿is.¡¯</em>

    [SHOW ME SHOW ME SHOW ME SHOW ME SHOW ME SHOW ME SHOW ME.]

    ¡°I can¡¯t show you my underwear because¡ª¡±

    Kang-Woo looked around at the hundreds of gazes on him and let his demonic energy burst forth.

    <em>Boom¡ª!!!</em>

    His clothes were ripped to shreds.

    ¡°I¡¯m not wearing any.¡±

    His bare body was exposed for everyone to see.

    ¡°KYAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    ¡°WH-WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!¡±

    ¡°H-HE¡¯S CRAZY!!! THERE¡¯S A LUNATIC ON THE LOOSE!!!¡±

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!¡±

    The eyes of the screaming apostles were on him.

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ widens her eyes!]

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ is left wide-mouthed!]

    [The ¡®God of Adventure¡¯ falls to his knees!]

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ covers her eyes!]

    [The ¡®God of Compassion¡¯ peeks at you through the space between her fingers!]

    ¡°Aaaahh.¡±

    The ear-splitting revtions stopped. The attention of the Constetions had shifted from the Gond of Depravity to him because the scene in front of them was so shocking that they had no leeway to pay an attention whore any mind.

    ¡°Right, then,¡± remarked Kang-Woo, who had be the focus of apostles and Constetions. ¡°Let us resume the climb.¡±

    He confidently walked toward the Gate that led to the next floor.

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ grits her teeth!]N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Attention whores tended to get angry if attention was taken from them. The God of Depravity shook in rage now that the Constetions were all focused on Kang-Woo.

    <em>¡®It¡¯s toote, bitch.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo smiled as he read the message before him. He had gained the initiative; the Constetions would no longer pay attention to the God of Depravity no matter how annoying she acted. Just like how one couldn¡¯t see the stars when the sun was up, the God of Depravity¡¯s attention-seeking actions were overwritten by Kang-Woo¡¯s insane behavior.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Kang-Woo ignored the shaking God of Depravity and entered the translucent Gate.

    [Moving to the ¡®Trial Zone¡¯ that leads to the forty-first floor.]

    [A boss monster-type beast will appear on the forty-first floor.]

    [The forty-first floor has yet to be cleared. You cannot give up on the trial until the failure condition is fulfilled.]

    Kang-Woo was teleported to a white ice mountain along with a familiar sensation.

    <em>Boom! Boom!</em>

    A white dragon appeared from within the raging blizzard.

    [A nine-star beast¡¾Ice Dragon Velkhana¡¿has appeared!]

    As Reba mentioned, the energy emitted by the dragon was on another levelpared to the beasts Kang-Woo had fought thus far. Kang-Woo faced the dragon in his birthday suit.

    [The ¡®God of Heaven¡¯ anticipates your battle!]

    [The ¡®God of Games¡¯ cheers!]

    The Constetions were getting fired up. Just then¡ª

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ bites her lip!]

    [The ¡®God of Depravity¡¯ offers you a mission!]

    The God of Depravity gave Kang-Woo another mission, not having given up yet.

    <em>¡®You¡¯re reaching new lows, my friend.¡¯</em>

    Kang-Woo clicked his tongue and shook his head. He waited to see what kind of absurd mission the God of Depravity would give him this time.

    [Be killed by Ice Dragon Belkhana.]

    [Mission Clear Reward: 10,000,000 Neb.]

    ¡°...¡±

    The mission could only be cleared by dying. As Kang-Woo had expected, it was absurd.

    ¡°Pfft!¡±

    No¡ª to be exact, it only <em>seemed </em>absurd.

    ¡°Bwehehehehehehehehe!!!¡±

    Kang-Woo grabbed his stomach as he burst intoughter. He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.

    <em>¡®So, this is how you¡¯re gonna y it, huh?¡¯</em>

    No matter how amazing the clear reward was, the mission was impossible to clear.

    ¡°I ept.¡±

    <em>¡®For everyone except me, anyway.¡¯</em>

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!